January 23, 2026
Local
Local
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Two foreign nationals have become the first individuals in Malaysia to be charged in court for littering under the newly enforced anti-littering law, according to a report by The Star.
LONDON, Feb 15 — Moscow has called on the US to reveal the names of Russian opposition figures allegedly funded by USAID, after Elon Musk labeled the agency a “criminal organization.”
The request follows US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze international aid for 90 days and suspend USAID, effectively cutting funding for Russian opposition media and human rights groups, according to The Times.
Trump recently appointed Musk to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—a cost-cutting office likely named after the Doge memecoin—tasked with eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in US bureaucracy.
Russian Duma chairman Vyacheslav Volodin urged the US to share its list of funded dissidents.
Musk, overseeing Trump’s austerity measures, accused USAID of illegally funding far-left groups, though he provided no evidence.
Russian officials, including Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, praised Trump’s move, claiming USAID had long been used to destabilize governments.
According to The Moscow Times, up to 90 opposition-linked organizations have already lost their funding since the suspension took effect.
Trump’s stance has also been welcomed in Belarus and Georgia, where governments accused of Kremlin influence claim USAID was interfering in domestic affairs.
The US had previously accused President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party of receiving USAID funds, a claim Russia denied before expelling the agency in 2012. — Bernama
