Bombs, Missiles and Drones Cause Widespread Death and Destruction

Israel may have pulled the trigger first – but I blame US President Donald Trump! He, himself suggested on Tuesday that he may have “forced Israel’s hand” into a war with Iranian "lunatics" (The Times of Israel, March 03, 2026). 

It sure has been a very busy week so far for all parties involved. Yesterday, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth touted as evidence of America's global reach in its war on Iran when he confirmed a US fast attack submarine had sunk an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean – the Pentagon released footage of the strike. FYI, the IRIS Dena, had participated in a naval exercise in India just weeks ago. And according to Sri Lankan authorities, 32 sailors have been rescued, 61 are still missing and 87 bodies have so far been found. 

Iran's navy are already almost decimated, if you believe the Americans. Trump declared Monday that the US sank 10 Iranian battleships. But, on the same day, CENTCOM had stated that in two days, the Iranian regime had 11 ships in the Gulf of Oman and now they have none left. 

Whether 10 or 11, that hadn't stopped Trump from gloating: “They’re at the bottom of the sea”. 

Oil tanker traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has plunged by 90 percent since the outbreak of the Middle East war, energy market intelligence firm Kpler said on X. Iranian forces, meanwhile, claimed "complete control" of the strait, a vital route for world oil and gas supplies, after Trump said Tuesday the US Navy were ready to escort oil tankers through the channel. 

The British are joining in. Their F-35s shot down Iranian drones over Jordan, marking the first time that one of the Royal Air Force's stealth fighter jets had destroyed a target in combat, the UK defense ministry shouted out on Tuesday.

The Israel Defense Forces said they dropped more than 4,000 bombs on Iranian targets in just four days and on Tuesday, even hit “Minzadehei”, a secret underground site on the outskirts of Tehran where Iran transferred much of its nuclear program after the 12-day war with Israel in June. 

The commander of CENTCOM – the forward headquarters of United States Central Command in Qatar – Admiral Brad Cooper claimed the US has struck more than 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions and severely degraded Iran's air defences.

It's not all one-sided though. Three US fighter jets were downed over Kuwait. The Americans explained on Monday that the F-15s were "mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defences" and all six crew ejected safely. If you ask me, I don't believe this excuse of a "friendly fire incident".

A day earlier, Iran pounded a base housing US troops in Kuwait on Sunday, killing three service members. Since then, the death toll has risen to six, CENTCOM confirmed on Monday, an uptick that was forecasted by Trump and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine. 

Still, Iran maintained that more than 650 US military personnel were killed and wounded in the first two days of Operation True Promise 4, while its military say they fired over 700 drones and hundreds of ballistic missiles in 48 hours exceeding the total firepower of the June 2025 war. 

Also, on Monday, Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refinery at Ras Tanura halted operations after a drone strike in the area. Iran accused Israel of carrying out the attack, describing it as a “false flag” operation.

And on the same day too, a Shahed-type unmanned aerial vehicle struck a runway at a UK military base in Akrotiri, Cyprus. Consequently, Greece is sending two frigates and a pair of F-16 fighter jets to Aphrodite's Isle.

Amazon Web Services reported Monday that two data centers in the United Arab Emirates were “directly struck” and another facility in Bahrain was also damaged after a drone landed nearby. 

On Tuesday, two ballistic missiles were aimed at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base. Air defenses intercepted one, while the second struck the base southwest of Doha without causing casualties. Al Udeid is the backbone of US military airpower in the Middle East, housing the Combined Air Operations Center that direct American and coalition missions across the region. The strike marks a direct hit on one of Washington’s most critical strategic assets there. 

There's been so many claims made by all sides; it's been difficult to establish the veracity of every claim. What is certain is the trail of death and destruction left behind! 

And then there's this widely-circulated story which according to Israeli journalist Nahum Barnea, Trump through Italy had sought an immediate ceasefire upon seeing that the Iranian government did not collapse after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with senior figures in the country’s leadership – but Iran rejected it outright.

They should fear Khamenei as a martyr, more than Khamenei alive!

This ambitious American-Israeli project targeting Iran envisioned a massive bombing campaign to last only 4-5 days and expecting Iran to surrender thereafter. 

Today is Day 6! 

IRAN HAS NOT SURRENDERED! 😂😂😂😂😂😂

And on Tuesday, parents in Minab, Iran held a mass funeral for the 165 students – most of them girls aged between 7 and 12 – as well as staff killed in the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh all girls' school by the evil Israel-US axis. 

The IRNA news agency had cited a local prosecutor as saying that 96 people had been wounded in Saturday’s strike. 

Ali Farhadi, spokesperson for Iran’s Education Ministry, said Sunday that three attacks struck the school, which he said had 264 students. 

Some social media accounts linked to Israel claimed the site was “part of an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base”. However, an analysis by Al Jazeera’s digital investigations unit of satellite imagery compiled over more than a decade, as well as recent video clips, published news reports and statements from official Iranian sources, tells a very different story. 

The findings reveal that the school had been clearly separate from an adjacent military site for at least 10 years. The investigation also shows that the strike pattern raises fundamental questions about the accuracy of intelligence information on which the bombing was based.

The Minab massacre is a war crime.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said Wednesday Israel and US had killed 1,045 military personnel and civilians since the start of the war. Elsewhere, Al Jazeera reported at least 11 dead in Israel as well as six US soldiers and eight civilians killed in the Gulf states. And the death toll from Israeli military action in Lebanon has risen to 72, with 437 injured since this front of the war ignited on Monday.

A Clash Over Colors

Cambodia's newly rebranded national carrier, Air Cambodia (formerly known as "Cambodia Angkor Air"), have inadvertently sparked a social media firestorm, with online users widely criticising their livery for their uncanny likeness to Thai Airways. 

The argument arose during Friday's launch of the airline's inaugural direct flight from Shenzhen, China, to Siem Reap, Cambodia, even as the airline defended their color choices as symbolic of Cambodian culture and royalty. 

The launch was a significant moment for the nation's tourism sector. A spokesperson for Cambodia's State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) confirmed to the Phnom Penh Post that this direct connection is a first for Siem Reap, home to the iconic UNESCO World Heritage site of Angkor Wat, a hugely popular destination for Chinese tourists. Shenzhen, one of China's four largest cities, previously required tourists to transit via Phnom Penh. 

This new route is expected to significantly boost visitor numbers from China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau region, injecting new life into the "China-Cambodia Tourism Year 2025". 

However, it's the airline's aesthetics that have truly captured attention. Observers quickly pointed out that the aircraft's visual elements (including cabin crew uniforms, and even the company logo) all feature a distinctive purple hue, strikingly similar to Thai Airways. 

Air Cambodia, 51% owned by the Cambodian government, and the remaining shares held by Chinese state-owned enterprise Henan Airport Investment Group and Vietnam Airlines, explained that their use of dark purple symbolises the combination of blue (representing stability and tranquility) and red (denoting strength and passion). The golden yellow, they add, is the royal colour and a traditional symbol of prosperity in Cambodia. 

Note: Thai Airways, established in 1960, significantly predate Air Cambodia, which were founded in 2009. 

A high-profile Malaysian corruption suspect is allegedly living in China under a Greek name with a forged Australian passport, according to the investigative media outlet Brazen. 

Jho Low, a financier accused of being the mastermind of Malaysia's 1MDB case, is reportedly living in an upscale Shanghai neighbourhood under the alias Constantinos Achilles Veis. The businessman, who has maintained his innocence, previously held citizenship in Cyprus and the Caribbean island country of St Kitts and Nevis – both of which have been revoked. 

The Australian Federal Police and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade are yet to confirm whether they are aware of the case.

196 Million Cases and Douglas Lim’s “Air Siam vs Covid” Skit

The Covid pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on the world – and already the global caseload has gone up to 196 million and not to mention, 4.2 million people have dead. 

And Zimbabwe and Cyprus are countries #104 and #105 to have joined C100K:

I’ve been diligently reporting on Covid and I’m getting really tired of how Malaysia in particular is tackling the pandemic. Thanks to a bungling government, it is an EPIC FAIL!

#KerajaanBodoh #KerajaanGagal 

In order to keep my sanity, methinks I deserve a laugh or two – and I have Malaysian comedian, Douglas Lim on “Air Siam vs Covid” to thank for this skit:

Will Europe Save Itself?

This is that time of the semester again when I am drowning in paperwork – yup, marking assignments. Even with today being a public holiday, I must still be up early to toil on the tedious work that is before me. 

Actually I was grinding away at this laborious task since last week and I know I am supposed to finish everything by Tuesday (yipes, that’s tomorrow!) and after that the exams begin and then, another agonizing round of grading exam scripts. 

I hate it! Sigh! But there’s nothing I can do about it except to endure. 

Yesterday, I referred to the depressing UK public sector situation. This is not just a British thing. It is playing against a worrisome backdrop of ongoing uncertainty that stems from the European sovereign and banking crisis, which it is feared will lead to broader contagion outside Europe and global credit markets.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has warned on Saturday that “citizens in many countries face ‘dire consequences’ without a quick solution, including more social unrest and major tax increases” (Bloomberg, November 26, 2011).

And Australian Treasurer Wayne Swan at the other end of the world complained on Sunday that “European Union leaders must act to stop the region’s debt contagion becoming a ‘slow-motion train wreck’ that is already crimping Australia’s economy”. He claimed that Europe has dragged on global economic growth and cut Australian government revenue, causing asset prices to fall and households to spend less (Bloomberg, November 27, 2011).

And things are only going to deteriorate. 

On Friday, S&P downgraded Belgium’s credit rating and the beleagured country follows Slovenia, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece in having their credit rating cut this year. 

Europe’s leadership must act decisively to save Europe – but will the Europeans find political will in quick time? 

As The New York Times said on Sunday: “The endgame for Europe is fast approaching”! 

Of course, in Malaysia, we believe in our PM. After all, Malaysia is living in its own world of make-believe and everything is hunky-dory. So, there's nothing to worry about lah!  Najib Razak will take care of it!

In this much-awaited EPL game, Manchester City went ahead in the 31st minute but Liverpool equalized just two minutes later after Joleon Lescott deflected a Charlie Adam attempt into his own goal. And so the two teams had to be contented with a 1-1 draw.