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Goldman Banker Who Had Ties to 1MDB Departs
A senior Goldman Sachs banker who helped the Wall Street firm win business with embattled Malaysian state investment fund 1MDB has formally left the bank.
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Malaysia Panel: Probe of Money Transfers Into Najib’s Accounts Should Continue
A regulatory body advised an antigraft agency to push ahead with a probe into transfers of millions of dollars into Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bank accounts.
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1MDB Probe Faces Delay in Malaysia
As foreign investigations into 1MDB gather pace, efforts at home to probe alleged corruption at the troubled state investment fund are facing roadblocks.
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Malaysia’s Central Bank to Lose Chief as It Leads 1MDB Charge
Malaysia’s central bank governor’s confirmation that she will step down in April when her term expires is likely to further hamper efforts in Malaysia to investigate a corruption scandal involving a state investment fund, analysts say.
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Swiss Prosecutors Say Malaysia Funds Were Diverted
Switzerland’s top prosecutor said $4 billion may have been misappropriated from state-owned companies in Malaysia, a significant escalation of an investigation into transactions around government fund 1MDB.
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The Companies Switzerland Says Are Linked to Malaysia’s 1MDB Scandal
Here’s what we know so far about the companies in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi that the Swiss attorney general’s office named as part of its investigation into the troubled state-investment fund 1MDB.
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Malaysia Antigraft Agency Seeks Review of Decision to Clear Najib
Malaysia’s antigraft agency wants a review of the attorney general’s decision to clear Prime Minister Najib Razak of wrongdoing related to a nearly $700 million transfer to his private bank account.
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Doubts Raised About Claim of Saudi ‘Donation’ to Malaysia Leader
Malaysia’s attorney general, trying to end a monthslong scandal, said a nearly $700 million transfer to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s private bank account was a legal “personal donation” from Saudi Arabia’s royal family.
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Malaysia Says Saudis Gave Prime Minister a $681 Million ‘Donation’
Malaysia’s attorney general ended a probe into the $681 million transferred into Najib Razak’s personal bank account, saying the prime minister didn’t commit a crime, but the decision is unlikely to quell doubts.
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1MDB Sells Majority Stake in Real-Estate Project for $1.7 Billion
1Malaysia Development agreed to sell a majority stake in Bandar Malaysia, a real-estate project in Kuala Lumpur, to a consortium that includes a state-owned Chinese company, for about $1.7 billion.
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The Money Network of Malaysian Politics
The ruling United Malays National Organization party spent hundreds of millions of dollars, much of it from the 1MDB wealth fund, to ensure victory in 2013.
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FBI Eyes ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Ties to Malaysian Fund at Center of Corruption Probe
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking at assets owned by the family of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, including a film company set up by his stepson that produced "The Wolf of Wall Street,."
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1MDB Sent $850 Million to Entity Set Up to Appear Owned by Abu Dhabi Wealth Fund
The transfer deepens the mystery over the 1MDB state-investment fund, which is under investigation in at least six countries.
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Malaysia Passes Security Law
Malaysia’s government pushed a sweeping new security bill through Parliament in face of growing criticism from opposition politicians and human-rights activists that the country is sliding toward becoming a more authoritarian state.
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After 1MDB Deal, China’s Clout Set to Grow in Malaysia
China’s $2.3 billion deal to buy power assets from a debt-ridden Malaysian government-investment fund could give Beijing greater sway in the Southeast Asia nation.
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1MDB to Sell Energy Assets to Chinese Firm
A Malaysian government-investment fund sealed a $2.3 billion deal to sell its energy assets to a Chinese state-owned firm.
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Malaysia's 1MDB Decoded: How Millions Went Missing
A Malaysian government investment fund is embroiled in a corruption scandal that is roiling an important U.S. ally. Government investigators say nearly $700 million was deposited into Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bank account. More money is believed missing. The fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd., is under investigation in at least five countries. Mr. Najib and 1MDB have denied wrongdoing and say they are cooperating with investigators.
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Obama Emphasizes Transparency to Malaysia’s Najib
President Barack Obama said he spoke to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak about the importance of transparency and rooting out corruption in government during a private conversation.
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Obama Faces a Diplomatic Dilemma on Malaysia Trip
When President Barack Obama arrives in Malaysia on Friday, he will face a diplomatic dilemma: How should he handle an important regional partner—Malaysia—whose leader, Najib Razak, is engulfed in scandal?
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Critics of Malaysian Government Cite Censorship Pressure
Journalists and opposition figures say they are under pressure to rein in criticism of Prime Minister Najib Razak as a scandal involving the troubled 1MDB development fund dents his popularity.
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Malaysian Fund’s Latest Act: Two Obama Fundraisers, One Fugee and $69 Million
The sprawling web of investments by a Malaysian government fund at the center of a corruption probe now includes two former fundraisers for President Barack Obama and a hip-hop superstar.
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Malaysia’s Najib: ‘We Will Get Answers’ on 1MDB
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak acknowledged concerns over governance at state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd., telling a local newspaper in written replies to questions that “we will get answers.”
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Decoding One of 1MDB’s Most Controversial Investments
The first major investment by the Malaysian development fund at the center of a political scandal started simply enough but got complex fast.
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1MDB: Political Intrigue, Billions Missing and International Scrutiny
Malaysian development fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB, is under investigation in five countries. Here’s what you need to know about the story.
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Malaysia’s Prime Minister Faces No-Confidence Motion
Opposition in parliament files the first formal challenge to Najib Razak’s rule amid the 1MDB scandal, though it is seen as unlikely to succeed.
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Malaysia’s Prime Minister at Center of 1MDB Storm
Embattled Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak played a key role at state development fund 1MDB, his signature initiative, which has sparked a raft of investigations. The fund has faced accusations that billions of dollars are missing and that money was misused for political purposes or siphoned off.
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Malaysian Leader Najib Razak Faces Political Test
Pressure is building on Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak ahead of a no-confidence vote next week amid probes into the troubled state investment fund he heads.
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Malaysia Arrests Another Critic of Prime Minister
A prominent lawyer was arrested on charges of sabotage after planning to travel to the U.S. to help urge authorities there to investigate money transfers into Prime Minister Najib Razak’s alleged personal accounts.
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Malaysia Leader Najib Razak’s Assets Probed by U.S.
U.S. investigators are looking into Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s assets as part of a series of global probes linked to a troubled state investment fund.
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Web of Entities Spent Ahead of Malaysia’s Tight Election
Troubled state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB, and a local charity were among the organizations spending cash in the battleground state of Penang ahead of a close national election in May 2013.
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Malaysia’s Leader Threatened by Fund Controversy
Big debts run up by a state economic development fund and its alleged role in politics have roiled Malaysia’s markets and led to calls for the prime minister to step aside.
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1MDB Delays Loan Payment Again
Malaysian state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd. missed another deadline to repay a $550 million loan over the weekend, although people familiar with the matter say it is edging closer to sealing a financing arrangement with local tycoon Ananda Krishnan to help pay off the debt.
MCMC confirms TMI ban, warns against unverified reports
What’s wrong with criticising Najib, asks activist Fahmi Reza
Don’t confuse Marxism with communism, IGP told
Selepas disiasat kerana wajah badut Najib, Fahmi dipanggil SKMM untuk poster lain
Golfer killed by lightning-felled tree on Saujana course
School canteen ordered to shut pending probe into glass-peppered meals
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Hawking: Gravitational Waves Could Revolutionize Astronomy
“These results confirm several very important predictions of Einstein’s theory of general relativity,” Hawking said in a BBC interview. “It confirms the existence of gravitational waves directly.”
ANALYSIS: We’ve Detected Gravitational Waves, So What?
As is becoming clear, the direct detection of these ripples in spacetime not only confirm Einstein’s famous theory of general relativity, they open our eyes to a previously “dark” universe. Astronomy uses the electromagnetic spectrum (such as visible light, X-rays, infrared) to study the universe, but objects that do not radiate in the electromagnetic spectrum will go unnoticed. But now we know how to detect gravitational waves, there could be a paradigm shift in how we detect and study some of the most energetic cosmic phenomena.
“Gravitational waves provide a completely new way of looking at the universe,” said Hawking. “The ability to detect them has the potential to revolutionize astronomy.”
Using LIGO’s twin observing stations located in Louisiana and Washington, physicists not only detected gravitational waves; the gravitational waves they detected had a very clear signal that closely matched theoretical models of a black hole merger some 1.3 billion light-years away. Already, from initial analysis of the black hole merger signal, Hawking has realized that the system seems to align itself with theories he developed in the 1970′s.
ANALYSIS: Hawking Tries to Find Black Hole’s Emergency Exit
“This discovery is the first detection of a black hole binary system and the first observation of black holes merging,” he said. “The observed properties of this system is consistent with predictions about black holes that I made in 1970 here in Cambridge.”
The details behind how this first gravitational wave signal of a black hole merger agrees with theory are complex, but it is interesting to know that this first detection has already allowed physicists to confirm decades-old theories that have, until now, had little to no observational evidence.
ANALYSIS: We Just Heard the Spacetime ‘Chirp’ of Black Hole Rebirth
“This discovery also presents a puzzle for astrophysicists,” said Hawking. “The mass of each of the black holes are larger than expected for those formed by the gravitational collapse of a star — so how did both of these black holes become so massive?”
This question touches on one of the biggest mysteries surrounding black hole evolution. Currently, astronomers are having a hard time understanding how black holes grow to be so massive. On the one end of the scale, there are “stellar mass” black holes that form immediately after a massive star goes supernova and we also have an abundance of evidence for the existence of the supermassive behemoths that live in the centers of most galaxies. There is a disconnect, however.
If black holes grow by merging and consuming stellar matter, there should be evidence of black holes of all sizes. But “intermediate mass” black holes and black holes of a few dozen solar masses are astonishingly rare, throwing some black hole evolution theories into doubt.
VIDEO: Gravitational Waves Confirmed: A Historic Discovery
With the detection of gravitational waves on Sept. 14 came the realization that a black hole binary merger caused it. Two black holes, “weighing in” at 29 and 36 solar masses, collided and merged as one, generating a very clear gravitational wave signal. But, as pointed out by Hawking, how black holes of this specific mass came to being could provide some clues as to how black holes grow.
One thing is clear, however: This is the first time that we’ve acquired direct evidence of a black hole merger — a key mechanism that underlies black hole evolution theories — so it’s good to know we’re on the right track.
Watch the full BBC Stephen Hawking interview here: