07/02/2026

SATURDAY | FEB 7, 2026

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At least seven injured as earthquake hits Indonesia

SYDNEY: One of Australia’s most famous gangsters walked free yesterday after prosecutors said they would drop a planned retrial on drug trafficking charges. Sixty-year-old Tony Mokbel, a key figure in Melbourne’s years-long gangland war, was jailed for 30 years in 2012 after pleading guilty to masterminding an elaborate drug syndicate. But his case fell apart after it was revealed that his high-profile lawyer at the time, Nicola Gobbo, was feeding information to police while supposedly defending her clients. Mokbel spent about 18 years behind bars but was released on bail in April last year after a court ruled that he had a strong chance of overturning the criminal convictions. A court subsequently acquitted him of one charge and ordered a possible retrial over allegations that he tried to import a commercial quantity of MDMA in 2005. Prosecutors yesterday said they have decided not to pursue the planned retrial. “This decision was reached after careful consideration of all aspects of the matter relevant to the prospects of conviction and the public interest in a retrial,“ said the Victoria Office of Public Prosecutions. Prosecutors said they took into account Mokbel’s age and health, as well as time already spent behind bars. “It feels really nice and life goes on,“ the ageing mobster said. He said he is keen to go abroad, something he dreamed about while in prison. Asked if he regretted drug trafficking, he said: “I do not regret anything.” Violence linked to Mokbel’s group “The Company” claimed dozens of lives and was later featured in the Australian TV series “Underbelly”. Gobbo, also referred to as Lawyer X and Informer 3838, claims that over 300 people were arrested and charged based on the information she provided. A 2020 Royal Commission found Gobbo’s double life during a period of intense gang bloodletting in Australia’s second-biggest city were “fundamental and appalling breaches” of her obligations as counsel to her clients. Gobbo was a key police source during the critical years of gangland prosecutions between 2005 and 2009, but was also registered as an informant as far back as 1999, two years before she was admitted to practise law. She was recruited as a police informer after being charged with drug offences in 1993. – AFP Mob kingpin freed after retrial dropped Heavy traffic expected at S’pore checkpoints SINGAPORE: The Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints are expected to experience heavy traffic during the Lunar New Year period from Feb 13 to 23, said Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA). It said travellers can expect longer waiting times to clear immigration during the period and are advised to check the traffic situation at the land checkpoints before starting their journey. It added that although travellers are encouraged to use QR codes generated from the MyICA app for more convenient passport-less immigration clearance, they are still required to bring their passports. ICA urged travellers to consider taking the cross-border bus services to avoid congestion during the peak period. “We seek travellers’understanding to cooperate with ICA officers, observe traffic rules and maintain lane discipline. ICA will not hesitate to take firm action against travellers who do not comply with instructions or commit offences at the checkpoints,“ it said yesterday. It added that intensified checks against the smuggling of contraband, such as e-vaporisers, firecrackers and bak kwa , would be conducted ahead of the festivity. – Bernama

Lai has warned that the continued blocking of the government’s plan and approval of the TPP’s version would “inevitably delay the improvement of defence capabilities and may lead the international community to misunderstand Taiwan’s determination to defend itself”. The political impasse is causing frustration in Washington, which has given support to Lai’s defence plan and has been lobbying opposition parties to get on board. Some observers fear the budgetary standoff could continue for months, extending beyond district elections in November, unless KMT starts to feel domestic pressure. “For the moment, there is impunity for KMT in the strategy that they have been implementing in the past 18 months,“ a diplomat in Taipei said on the condition of anonymity. Taiwan is known for its raucous politics but longtime watchers say they have never seen it so messy. “It is not that Lai does not want to compromise, it is that no one really wants to compromise,“ said National Taiwan University political science professor Lev Nachman. But Foreign Deputy Minister Chen Ming-chi said he was “cautiously optimistic” the opposition would eventually come around. “We hope that in the new (parliamentary) session there will be more opportunity to cooperate.“ – AFP panic among residents, with initial reports showing at least four households affected. He said local disaster management agencies were deployed to monitor the situation and carry out rapid assessments, while residents were advised to remain calm, stay alert for possible aftershocks and avoid damaged structures. In a separate development, Indonesia and Australia signed a security treaty yesterday that commits them to consult each other if either country is threatened, said President Prabowo Subianto after a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The pact, the full details of which have not yet been disclosed, was first announced in November when Prabowo visited Australia. “This agreement signals that Australia and Indonesia’s relationship is stronger than it has ever been,” said Albanese yesterday in Jakarta. “The treaty is a significant extension of our existing security and defence cooperation. It demonstrates the strength of our partnership and depth of our trust and cooperation.” Prabowo said the deal reflects the relationship between the two countries. “To Indonesia, this reflects our full commitment to the good neighbour principles and our free and active foreign policy. “Indonesia and Australia are destined to live side by side, and we chose to build that relationship on the foundations of trust and good intentions.” Indonesia has a non-aligned foreign policy, pledging friendship with any country without joining any formal military bloc. The treaty was modelled after a 1995 security agreement between the two countries, said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. The 1995 deal was withdrawn in 1999 after Australia led a United Nations peacekeeping force in East Timor, which had plunged into violence as it sought independence from Indonesia. – Bernama

o Residents advised to remain calm, stay alert for possible aftershocks and avoid damaged structures

JAKARTA: A 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Pacitan in East Java yesterday, injuring at least seven individuals and damaging several houses in parts of East Java and Yogyakarta. Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre head Abdul Muhari said the earthquake occurred at 1.06am

local time, with its epicentre located in the seabed at a depth of 10km, about 90km southeast of Pacitan. “The tremor was also felt in surrounding areas, including Trenggalek, Gunungkidul, Bantul and Yogyakarta,” he said in a statement, adding that there were no tsunami threats. Abdul Muhari said the quake was felt strongly for two to three seconds, triggering

Albanese and Prabowo watching a traditional dance performance during a welcome ceremony prior to their meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia. – REUTERSPIC

Taiwan political standoff stalls defence plan TAIPEI: Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s ambitious US$40 billion (RM158 billion) defence spending plan is caught in a political deadlock as opposition lawmakers refuse to consider the proposal without government concessions, sparking criticism in Washington. US$11 billion worth of purchases announced in December, and enhancing Taiwan’s ability to wage asymmetrical warfare. Taiwan has said it wants to develop a “T-Dome”, a multi-layered air defence system, and buy long-range precision strike missiles, counter-drone systems and anti-ballistic missiles.

Taiwan has spent billions of dollars upgrading its military in the past decade but is under intense US pressure to do more to protect itself against the growing threat from China, which claims the island as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to annex it. Lai, whose Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its parliamentary majority in elections that swept him to power in 2024, has vowed to increase defence spending to more than 3% of GDP this year. However, divisions between the DPP and opposition parties, which hold the most seats in Parliament, have culminated in the government’s proposal being blocked 10 times since early December last year. Unveiled in November last year, the plan for extra defence spending comes as the island seeks to deter a potential Chinese invasion. Lai said the military wants a “high level” of joint combat readiness against China by 2027, which US officials have cited as a possible timeline for a Chinese attack on the island. The funds would be spread over eight years and go towards paying for new arms from the United States, including some of the

Opposition parties Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) insist that they support strengthening Taiwan’s defences but are frustrated over ongoing delays in US deliveries, including 66 F-16V fighter jets. They are demanding, among other things, more details from the government about the planned purchases and for Lai to appear in Parliament to take questions from lawmakers, which he has refused to do. “While multi-year defence budgets may support strategic continuity, they must be accompanied by detailed planning, clear allocations and effective oversight to prevent waste and inefficiency,“ said KMT, which favours closer ties with Beijing. TPP successfully submitted for review a stripped down version of the defence Bill on Jan 30, allocating US$12.6 billion for military purchases. KMT is drawing up its own plans to carve out up to US$28.4 billion from the government’s proposal and allocate that portion for US arms procurement, said KMT lawmaker Huang Jen.