Singapore's central bank on Tuesday said it was kicking out Swiss bank BSI, which has been linked to a global money-laundering scandal at Malaysia's state fund 1MDB that has embroiled Prime Minister Najib Razak. 

In a statement, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) said it had also asked state prosecutors to investigate six senior executives of BSI Bank Limited including its former chief executive for possible criminal offenses. 

Two Singaporean executives of the bank are already facing charges in the city-state, which is Southeast Asia's financial hub. 

The MAS said it has served BSI Bank with a "notice of intention to withdraw its status as a merchant bank in Singapore for serious breaches of anti-money laundering requirements, poor management oversight of the bank’s operations, and gross misconduct by some of the bank’s staff". 

• It is the first time the MAS has cancelled the licence of a merchant bank since 1984, when the local branch of Jardine Fleming was shut down for "serious lapses" in its advisory work, the statement said. 
• 1MDB, founded in 2009 by Najib, is teetering on the brink of collapse amid multiple investigations around the world into allegations that billions were looted from it. 
• The fund, which ran up more than $11 billion in debt in a series of much-questioned investments, has steadfastly denied money was stolen or that it was in financial trouble. 

Najib was plunged into the crisis last year when the Wall Street Journal revealed $681 million in transfers to his personal bank accounts. 
He claims the money was a gift from the Saudi royal family, most of which he returned. 

A Saudi official in April said that was true, but only after weeks of silence that cast doubt on the claim.

In a series of more recent investigative reports, however, the newspaper said Malaysian investigation documents indicated more than $1 billion in 1MDB-linked money had been funneled to Najib. 
Najib and 1MDB vehemently deny that claim.

Najib has faced calls to resign but he has tightened his grip on the ruling party and thwarted domestic investigations. 
His position is not seen as under imminent threat. 

WASHINGTON, U.S.A. – The US Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would allow September 11 victims and their relatives to sue Saudi Arabia over its possible role in the 2001 attacks, a bill which could trigger a diplomatic firestorm. 

Senators unanimously approved the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act which now heads to the House of Representatives, where Speaker Paul Ryan has voiced reservations. 

• “This legislation would change long-standing, international law regarding sovereign immunity. And the president of the United States continues to harbour serious concerns that this legislation would make the United States vulnerable in other court systems around the world,” 
• White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. He explained that the United States was more engaged internationally “than any other country in the world,” particularly in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.  
• Undermining immunity, he said, would put Americans working abroad at risk. The bill would allow 9/11 families to pursue cases in federal court against foreign governments, notably Saudi Arabia, and demand compensation if such governments are proven to bear some responsibility for the attacks. 

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi citizens. But no official Saudi complicity in the Al-Qaeda attacks has been proven, and the kingdom has never been formally implicated. 

In February Zacarias Moussaoui, dubbed the 20th hijacker, told US lawyers that members of the Saudi royal family donated millions of dollars to Al-Qaeda in the 1990s.

The New York Times reported last month that Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told lawmakers in Washington that the kingdom would be forced to sell up to US$750 billion in treasury securities and other assets in the United States to avoid having them frozen by federal courts. 

“I think we need to review it to make sure that, that we’re not making mistakes with our allies,” he told reporters in April. 

THE big screens set up outside state Democratic Action party(DAP)’s Kuching headquarters flickered to life shortly after the tallying of votes began. 

There were only about a dozen people left at about 9pm when Barisan Nasional secured a simple majority and state DAP chief Chong Chien Jen(photo) conceded defeat.

• The party won only seven of the 31 seats it contested. In the 2011 election, it contested 15 seats and won 12. 

It was a devastating outcome for this ultra ambitious party. 

VANCOUBER, B.C. Canada - It's a sunny Friday afternoon and a handful of aging nudists are sitting on lawn chairs overlooking a stunning view of Seymour Mountain, Burrard Inlet, and Mount Baker in the distance. 

The naked group is part of the Van Tan Club, a nudist colony that was founded in the forest on North Vancouver's  Fromme Mountain in 1939, making it Canada's oldest official naturist club, according to one of the members, Daniel Jackson, 51. 

"You know, if 15 new members showed up, that would be fantastic," said Jackson. 

Jackson agrees that the club tends to draw older people, though there are a few members in their 20s. 

• "Look at the social and body image and social pressures younger folks face, and I think there is a lot of confusion as to what the naked body is all about.
• The club is an idyllic little bare-bones, off-the-grid resort on a few acres above the Lynn Valley neighborhood. There are no permanent cabins, but there are a few sheds for garden equipment and sports gear. 
• There are several camping trailers parked at one end, and people are able to set up tents in the summer.  
• The club has a big lawn for things like badminton and volley ball, and a pool that's actually a water reservoir, in case of fire. According to Kent, the club would like to attract a younger crowd. 
• "We have a few younger members, but not a lot of younger members, and it would be nice to have younger members because we're getting too old to do the physical group.

Somebody's gotta do it!" "It's nice to have younger people around," she said, adding that younger members would ensure that Van Tan is around for years to come. 

"Most people think that when you're nude there's more going on than just being nude … but there really isn't, other than gardening and building walls and cutting firewood," said Kent.

The political rivalry between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Najib Razak is about to reach new heights. 

The project's launching comes at a time when Dr Mahathir is making a strong push to topple Mr Najib by blaming the prime minister for the financial scandal tied to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). 

At the moment we don't need any tower higher than that. We should build the 100-storey tower, but maybe a little bit later when I am not around," Dr Mahathir, who retired in October 2003 after 22 years in power, said in 2010. 

• He added: "What Tun Mahathir has done is admirable, what we need to do is to build on his success and move on.
• " Like the Petronas Twin Towers when it was announced, the new tower has been panned by critics. Some are worried about a glut in office and commercial space in coming years, while others questioned its location in a historic and congested part of Kuala Lumpur. 
• The Petronas Twin Towers were built on former race course land surrounded by narrow traffic-clogged roads.