Is cash still king in the digital world?

At an outlet at a major shopping centre in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur, a sign at the counter informs customers that digital payments are preferred.
While cash is still accepted, payments must be made out in the exact amount as, according to the shop workers, they have no change to give.
At an open-air car park nearby, meanwhile, only digital transfers are allowed.
Such signs are nothing new in the Klang Valley or the country in general, as digital transactions continue to gain currency in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
And the rate at which digital payments are becoming part of the new norm raises the question of whether, in Malaysia at least, cash is still king.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, lawyer Derek Fernandez said shops cannot outright reject cash payments.
"Our legal tender is part of our sovereignty," he said. "It cannot be refused, just as a shop in Malaysia cannot tell its customers that it will not accept ringgit, only US dollars."
Legality aside, there is also the concern that a trend towards a purely digital environment for transactions would diminish the practicality of cash as a medium of exchange.
But for at least one prominent banker, the shift towards digital payments is inevitable.
Edward Ling, chief executive of the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers, also questioned the perception that this would undermine the authority of cash.
"None of us can deny how quickly things can change and evolve," he said, giving the example of the barter system which was eventually replaced with the use of gold and bronze and, later on, cash as it is known today.
However, he too said that it was illegal not to accept cash payments at all.
"For convenience, though, I think it's good," he added.
Complementary
Yet another question is whether payment systems should be viewed purely in binary terms of either cash or cashless.
For Fernandez, the two methods should be viewed as complementary and not in opposition to one another.
Both have their pros and cons – when it comes to cash payments, no data is involved in transactions which Fernandez said could be misused in scams.
In any case, he said, Malaysia may not be ready to transition to a completely cashless society.
He said such a move would leave the country more vulnerable to hacks and malware.
"A technologically superior hostile country or criminal could paralyse our financial systems and cripple our economy if we were totally cashless," he said.
Logistically, it is also easier for criminals to hide their identity and hack into accounts online than it is to break into a bank vault or homes.
"The current spate of growing cyber crime and cyber scams with only few successful prosecutions proves this," he said.
Nevertheless, digital payments have the advantage of speed and convenience over traditional cash transactions.
"Everything is a question of balance to minimise risk," Fernandez said.
"Digital payments can be encouraged if a person is willing to accept its weaknesses, but this should never be forced."
Ultimately, he said, it was an issue of national sovereignty.
"Until we develop our own technology to facilitate cashless payments that is safe and secure, we cannot base our nation's future solely on software or hardware developed by foreign nations with evolving geopolitical interests."
Ling, too, agreed that cash would not disappear immediately.
Sooner or later, though, he said a cashless environment might be unavoidable.
"Nobody is 100% ready," he said. "But do we have to do it? Yes."


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‘The wait is over’: Bangladesh and Iran bring out the shots this week

Bangladesh launched its nationwide Covid-19 vaccination drive with the Oxford University-AstraZeneca vaccine on Sunday, aiming to inoculate 3.5 million people or 80% of the population in the first month. Much of the vaccine has come as a gift from India.The government has halved its target for the first month from six million people as only 328,000 people had registered for the jab by Saturday.Health Minister Zahid Maleque told Reuters, “I appeal to the people not to pay heed to rumours and take the vaccine. The wait is over. I took the vaccine today. I am feeling good. Everyone must take the vaccine.”He added that 567 coronavirus frontline health workers, who were vaccinated last week before the vaccine programme launch, had not experienced any difficulties or side effects.Bangladesh will get 68 million doses of vaccine from the Gavi vaccine alliance, the health minister said, referring to a global health partnership set up to increase access to immunisation in poor countries.Meanwhile, Iran, the epicenter of the Middle East’s worst outbreak, will start its first vaccinations on Tuesday using Russia’s Sputnik V shot to inoculate medical personnel tending to serious cases, Iran’s Health Minister said on Sunday, according to state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.Some 1.3 million of the most vulnerable people will also receive their first shots by March 20, or the end of the current Iranian year, the government’s official website said. A spokesman for the government’s coronavirus task force said that the vaccines will be free of charge.Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s decision to ban British and American-made shots as untrustworthy could further complicate efforts to stabilise Iran’s struggle and begin recovery, though Iran has secured some 4.2 million doses of the UK-based AstraZeneca-Oxford University shot through the global vaccine procurement system.Iran’s ambassador to Russia said the two countries would soon finalise an agreement for Iran to produce Russian jab Sputnik V by April, according to state TV.Iran has also unveiled its second locally developed vaccine, called Razi Cov Pars, a recombinant protein-based vaccine developed by state-owned Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, state TV reported.The first clinical trial phase of Coviran, the country’s other homemade vaccine, was completed last week and is expected to be approved for use in the general population by the summer, officials have said.Things may finally be looking up in Afghanistan as it received 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine from India on Sunday, the first to arrive in the country. However, the embattled country is still waiting for emergency approval from the World Health Organization (WHO) before it can use the jabs produced for mid- and low-income countries.The head of the immunisation programme said the doses would be stored in Kabul until the emergency authorisation was received, which it hopes will happen in a week.Health workers, security force members, teachers and government employees will receive the vaccine first, and the Afghan government has already trained 1,000 people to deliver the vaccine out of the 3,000 who will be needed to carry out its vaccination drive.WHO listed Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine for emergency use on Dec 31 as it sought to accelerate vaccination in the developing world, which is badly lagging Western countries.


Govt risks court action over gender bias in granting Malaysian citizenship

A group of activists is seeking a declaration that a provision not to grant citizenship to children born abroad to Malaysian women who marry foreign spouses is a violation of the Federal Constitution’s guarantee against gender discrimination.MalaysiaNow understands that the suit is over the home ministry’s refusal to recognise children born to Malaysian women abroad as citizens.This comes after Deputy Home Minister Ismail Mohamed Said’s statement in the Dewan Rakyat defending the practice.He had argued that in other countries, children born overseas follow their father’s citizenship, and as such, there could be dual citizenship for children born abroad to Malaysian women with foreign husbands.Malaysia does not recognise dual citizenship.Under the Federal Constitution, children born overseas to Malaysian fathers are automatically granted citizenship.Those born to Malaysian mothers, meanwhile, need to apply for citizenship.Critics have said there is almost no chance of such applications succeeding.Activists say the provision violates Article 8(2) of the constitution, which states that there shall be no discrimination against citizens based on religion, race, ethnicity, place of birth or gender.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Noor Aziah Mohd Awal, who is the child affairs commissioner under the government’s Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), agreed with critics that the law was discriminatory against women.“The home ministry’s statement also challenges the right of Malaysian women to marry spouses of their own choosing as the children who are born become victims of circumstances,” she told MalaysiaNow.Article 8(2) of the constitution states that there shall be no discrimination against citizens based on religion, race, ethnicity, place of birth or gender.She said there are also other laws which discriminate against women, despite constitutional amendments made to fulfil the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, of which Malaysia is a signatory.She cited the restriction on foreign husbands of Malaysian women from seeking employment within the first year of marriage.“If foreigners who marry Malaysian women are unable to work for at least a year, this will burden the women,” she added.Meanwhile, several Malaysians abroad have criticsed the rule not to give automatic citizenship to their children.In a recent online dialogue hosted by Foreign Spouses Support Group (FSSG), a Malaysian mother said she had no choice but to deliver her daughter outside of Malaysia after her foreigner husband’s appeal to accompany her to Malaysia was rejected due to the Covid-19 travel restrictions.“No one should be in a position where they have to choose between their family and the right to citizenship,” said Josil, who said she is now worried about her child’s legal status.She said although she could apply for citizenship within the first year, she is not hopeful.“Success rate is extremely low. In the network of mothers that we have set up by the FSSG, two out of 70 applications have been successful so far,” said Josil, adding that she foresees challenges in bringing up a non-citizen child in Malaysia.FSSG said Malaysia is only one of 25 countries that do not grant mothers equal rights of citizenship for their children.The Joint Action Council for Gender Equality (JAG) meanwhile criticised the citizenship law as unfair to women.It said there are cases in which the non-citizen status of their children forced some Malaysian women to remain in abusive marriages as they had no choice but to depend on their foreign husbands.But JAG welcomed the home ministry’s willingness to engage with NGOs and the public on the matter.“We urge the government to recognise citizenship as a right and not a privilege, and that citizenship should be granted to every child, whose either parent or adopted parent is a Malaysian, irrespective of the marital status of the parents, gender of the Malaysian parent or place of birth of the child,” it added.Nur Hasliza Mohd Salleh contributed to this report.


Bangladesh brings in death penalty for rape but ignores ‘real issues’

Bangladesh courts will be able to use the death penalty for convicted rapists, following days of protests about the extraordinary levels of sexual violence against women in the country.As parliament is on recess, the Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, met online and approved a change to the law, although activists maintain that the death penalty was already available legally.This follows the widespread outrage which swept the country last week after the gang rape of a 37-year-old woman in Noakhali, southeast of the capital, Dhaka, went viral on social media.Bangladesh’s National Human Rights Commission investigated and found that the woman was raped repeatedly and terrorised. The UN has now spoken up, saying the Noakhali gang rape underlined the “state of social, behavioural and structural misogyny” in Bangladesh, says the BBC.Over 1,000 rapes have been reported in Bangladesh this year alone, activists say, but most cases go unreported because women fear they will be stigmatised in their community, and they fear being harassed by offenders and their families.Bangladesh courts are infamous for ludicrously lengthy proceedings in sexual violence cases which only end in low conviction rates.Shahdeen Malik, a lawyer at Bangladesh’s Supreme Court, told CBS News that the conviction rate for rape cases in Bangladesh is less than 3%, partly due to the police being unable or unwilling to properly gather evidence.“Our police is a male dominated force which doesn’t even consider rape a serious crime,” he said.Many say bringing in the death penalty is just a way for the government to avoid the real issues.Meera Sushmita, a student who participated in the weekend protests, told CBS News, “The problem is not that we don’t have strong laws, the problem is that rape has become a culture in our country.”At the weekend, actor Ananta Jali posted a video in which he said women who wore revealing dresses were inviting rape. After criticism, he issued a “clarification” which actually reinforced his initial remarks.Many say it will take more than the death penalty to fundamentally shift attitudes towards sexual violence in Bangladesh.


Parliament rules bar PSC sessions from being made public

Details and evidence given at proceedings by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) cannot be made public as this would violate Parliament’s standing orders on the conduct of the bi-partisan committee.This comes after an NGO activist who recently repeated allegations against Azam Baki called for an open proceeding involving the top graft buster.Edmund Terence Gomez, a director of local NGO C4 Center whose former staff wrote several articles containing allegations against Azam, who heads the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), had called for PSC to conduct its session in public and with media coverage, saying he was not confident that MPs in the committee would ask the “correct questions”.“Will there be an attempt to prevent certain questions from being asked? Will there be an attempt to cover up by some of the politicians?” he told news portal Malaysiakini.But a check of Parliament’s standing orders shows that MPs are barred from publishing details of PSC inquiries until its report is tabled in the Dewan Rakyat.“The evidence taken before any select committee and any documents presented to such committee shall not be published by any member of such committee, or any other person, before the committee has presented its report to the house,” reads a provision from the standing orders.The PSC is a sub-legislative group comprising select MPs from both sides of the divide to deal with particular areas of interest with which they have been tasked by the House.On Jan 19, Azam is expected to be questioned by the PSC on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department, a committee comprising MPs from Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional as well as GPS and Warisan.This will be the second time an MACC chief has been summoned to Parliament to answer questions from politicians.In 2019, former MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya was called by the PSC, a month after her appointment drew reactions and criticism from some PKR leaders who argued that her appointment should go through Parliament.Then PSC chairman, PKR MP William Leong, however declined to divulge details of the session.“We can’t reveal what were the questions and answers discussed in the meeting yet. You will have to wait until the report is tabled in the Dewan Rakyat,” he had said.Speaker warns of confidentialityAzam has come under attack from PH politicians since Gomez resigned from MACC’s Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel, citing allegations published by Lalitha Kunaratnam, an activist who previously worked with C4 Center.Lalitha had claimed that Azam’s ownership of company shares constituted conflict of interest, a claim denied by the MACC boss.Last week, she was slapped with a RM10 million defamation suit by Azam, who also demanded a public apology.When contacted, Dewan Rakyat speaker Azhar Harun confirmed that members of the PSC are prohibited from divulging the details of any proceedings.Azhar also said that any breach of the standing orders would result in action against PSC members.“They would be in breach of the standing orders, and might be subject to a motion to refer them to the rights and privileges committee,” he said.Azhar said while the PSC’s reports can be published, this can only be done after it is presented to the Dewan Rakyat.“All committees, whether standing committees or special select committees, must follow the standing orders. Currently, the standing orders do not provide for public hearings or the making public of proceedings,” he added.


France mobilises 100,000 police to stop New Year’s Eve parties, car burning

France is putting 100,000 police and gendarmes on the streets for New Year’s Eve to crack down on parties and enforce a curfew imposed to combat coronavirus.The police will also prevent urban unrest, which has seen rioters setting fire to large numbers of vehicles in previous years.Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has ordered a visible security presence in city centres and flashpoint suburbs from 8pm, when the curfew begins, France24 reports.Darmanin has written to regional leaders informing them of Thursday’s “exceptional” mobilisation. This will amount to an “affirmation of state authority in every part of the national territory”, he said.Officers will be instructed to break up underground and street parties as soon as they are reported, fine revellers and identify and deal with the organisers.Patrols meanwhile are to carry out “appropriate identity checks” and search vehicles for “dangerous elements” that could be used against officers.In Paris half of the metro lines will be closed in the evening and Darmanin has also asked for a wider public transport shutdown across the country.France has confirmed 2.6 million Covid-19 cases, the fifth highest total in the world, and more than 64,000 deaths.Officials are saying that in areas with rising infection rates the overnight curfew could be brought forward to begin at 6pm.However, a government spokesman said there was no need for local lockdowns for now. France has already had two national lockdowns.Bars, restaurants and cultural attractions will remain closed into mid-January.Darmanin is also encouraging shops to limit or stop the sale of flammable liquids in portable containers and takeaway alcoholic drinks.He has also suggested that local authorities do not publicise incidents of cars set alight to “avoid any incidence of ‘competition'” between different gang territories.Car burning has become an annual New Year’s event in French suburbs since riots in 2005 in Paris and elsewhere. Last year a record 1,457 cars were torched across France on New Year’s Eve, according to media reports. The previous year’s figure was 1,290.


Govt to receive 8.2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine by end-June, says Ismail Sabri

The government will be acquiring a total of 8.2 million doses of Sinovac vaccine by the end of June, 3.8 million of them through fill-and-finish by Pharmaniaga Life Science Sdn Bhd.Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said 4.4 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were imported directly from China with 400,000 already distributed. One million doses have arrived while the remaining three million will be received by the end of next month.“… from the Pharmaniaga Life Science Sdn Bhd plant, 1.8 million are ready while two million more will be available by the end of June, thus giving the government a total of 8.2 million doses then,” he said at a press conference after witnessing the “fill-and-finish” process at tje Pharmaniaga Life Science Sdn Bhd factory in Puchong today.Also present was Pharmaniaga Bhd managing director Zulkarnain Md Eusope.“There is no issue of a supply shortage as Pharmaniaga can assist with its existing plant. As such, what we have today as I said earlier is a minimum of 8.2 million doses of vaccine by the end of June,” Ismail said.Ismail said as of yesterday, the Pharmaniaga factory had completed 1,889,800 doses of vaccine for distribution with the overall total vaccine production from the factory at 2,609,800 as of the end of May.Meanwhile, Zulkarnain said the factory is ramping up production to four million doses of vaccine a month in August.“Currently our capacity is two million doses a month and we are finalising the report from Sinovac so that we can fill up to two doses, but if the report is good, we submit to NPRA (National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency) for approval, then we meet the capacity of four million dose per month.“That is the strategy. If this happens, hopefully as early as August we can supply up to four million doses a month to the government,” he said.Sinovac Life Sciences of China appointed Pharmaniaga as exclusive distributor of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in Malaysia in a ceremony signed early this year.


The missing element in Malaysia's defence industry

Even as developments in the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal continue to hog the limelight, questions have turned inward towards Malaysia's own defence industry and why it appears to be lagging behind those of neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Indonesia.
The LCS scandal has been the talk of the town ever since the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) revealed that RM9 billion had been set aside for the project but none of the six ships had been completed according to schedule.
The first ship should have been completed in 2019 but Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein recently said that it would likely take another one or two years.
Malaysia's defence industry began decades ago: in the 1970s, for example, it helped develop the Jerung-class fast attack craft through a joint venture with a local company using a German design.
But while countries like Indonesia have progressed to exporting light armoured vehicles to the Philippines, Malaysia appears to remain some distance behind.
Defence analyst Zaki Salleh said Malaysia's defence industry, such as it is, only involves the assembly process and the production of supplied components.
"The main and critical components are still imported, even if the asset in question is built in the country," he said.
"Take, for example, the engine parts in sea and land assets. This is not effective in terms of cost per unit because there is no economy of scale."
For Zaki, Malaysia has plans and policies but has yet to successfully implement any of them.
While efforts exist to promote local companies, a number of them in turn become agents or intermediaries to foreign companies.
The government has also spent billions of ringgit on the blueprints for assets such as the Adnan combat vehicle, the Pendekar tank, and the Gempita armored vehicle – but development on the local scale ends once the contract is fulfilled.
The industry also appears disinclined to build or develop new inventions, let alone compete with foreign markets.
"End users like the army and navy have more faith in equipment that is tried and true," Zaki added. "They are not disposed to taking risks."
In 2019, the Pakatan Harapan government issued a defence white paper covering investments, capacity and the local defence industry itself.
The previous Barisan Nasional government meanwhile had its National Defence Policy.
For defence analyst Muhammad Fuad Mat Noor, it is the variable intervention efforts on the part of the administration that hinder the development of the defence ministry.
"When we developed the new generation patrol vessel (NGPV), we bought everything including the design and the plan," Fuad said.
"When we wanted to build a new ship, we had to buy a new plan. What happened to the first plan? Why wasn't it developed?"
He was referring to the project to develop 27 NGPVs about two decades ago, of which only six were completed.
Fuad, who is a security consultant to several government agencies, said the defence industry which is fully controlled by the government should not have to deal with such problems as there is no open competition.
Boustead Naval Shipyard (BNS) and SME Ordnance (SMEO), for example, have a monopoly in terms of government contracts in the industry.
But like BNS, Fuad said, SMEO was struggling with the supply of ammunition to end users such as the police and armed forces.
He added that the country's will for research and development is not encouraging.
"We had a programme to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at about the same time that Turkey was developing its own UAV programme," he said.
"The development would, of course, take a long time to bear fruit, but the end users wanted more sophisticated equipment.
"In the end, we cancelled the programme and bought another one, while Turkey went on to develop its UAV programme and became a bestseller in the market."
Now, Turkey is even lobbying Malaysia for the procurement of its Anka UAV, which was one of the entries at the 2019 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.
On the home front, some local companies produced prototypes of pistols and rifles, including the Malinov and Vista Berapi. In the end, though, none of them materialised.
"We are good at paperwork and forming committees," Fuad said. "But we lack determination and accountability."
Zaki meanwhile suggested that the government complete the two LCS which are more than halfway ready.
With the help of the original producer from France, they might be completed in one or two more years, he said, adding however that the remaining four should be stopped in order to prevent losses.
"Meanwhile, some NGPV ships have to be upgraded with weapons, especially missiles," he said.
"This is important because these are big ships and can be used for long-distance patrols. The NGPV is not a frigate, but its original concept was as a weapons platform."
Other options include the purchase of used warships for the primary necessity of patrol exercises.
The government could also explore the construction of other warships at a lower cost which can be quickly completed.
"LMS type ships (coastal mission ships) are the best option because these ships are suitable for countries that have a limited budget but must have a good weapon system.
"These need to be built abroad," he said.


A year after hartal, contract doctors still searching for hope

Nurul Humairah still remembers how she felt the day that she and her friends staged a protest outside their health clinic in Selangor one year ago.
She never imagined until then that she would need to leave her patients for a demonstration in order to demand guarantees for her future as a doctor – an occupation generally held in high public regard.
Up to the very last minute, her parents had begged her to remain in the hospital instead of joining the hartal movement outside.
But Nurul was determined to go.
"That morning, the ward was very quiet," she said. "The atmosphere was low because everyone knew there would be a hartal. But even the senior doctors, when we looked at them, told us to go.
"Outside the clinic, everyone saw us standing there holding our signs and placards. One of my friends began crying because she saw her father in the crowd.
"In the end, I began crying too behind my face mask."
Nurul was among the contract doctors throughout the country who went on strike a year ago, on July 26, 2021.  The movement, dubbed "Hartal Doktor Kontrak", was part of efforts to demand a guarantee of permanent employment for contract doctors, the right to an increase in salary, and welfare benefits equal to that of permanent doctors.
One year later, many of them are still struggling for a ray of hope in their careers.
The group's spokesman Dr Muhammad Yassin said since the hartal was held, a total of 4,000 permanent positions had been given by the government with 1,500 posts each year until 2025.
Contract doctors and dentists can also continue their studies in specialty programmes.
"This is a positive development given that before this, contract doctors could not become specialists," Yassin told MalaysiaNow.
Nevertheless, he said many medical officers were still quitting their jobs as the number of permanent positions remained much lower than the total number of contract doctors at just below 20,000.
'Disappointed'
The contract system was introduced by former prime minister Najib Razak for medical, dental and pharmacy graduates in the tabling of the 2017 Budget at the Dewan Rakyat, due to constraints on permanent positions.
At the end of May last year, about a month before the hartal was held, there were an estimated 35,216 contract appointments under the health ministry.
Of these, 23,007 were medical officers, 7,139 were pharmacy officers and 5,000 were dental officers.
A day before the strike, the government agreed to extend the contracts of 14,000 medical doctors, dentists and pharmacy officers for a period of two years, with an allocated expenditure of RM1.2 billion.
Yassin said given the shortfall in permanent posts, many contract doctors were still unable to land fixed positions.
"They are disappointed and have given up on the health ministry," he said.
"We asked for permanent positions but only 4,000 slots were given – far less than our request."
Their call for greater transparency in the appointment criteria for permanent posts also appears to have gone unheeded.
And other issues have entered the limelight since the hartal was held last year, including workplace bullying and the toxic work culture at public health facilities.
Citing the death of a trainee officer in Penang in April, Yassin said the group's calls had been fruitful as a task force was later established to investigate the matter.
The trainee doctor in Penang was the second young doctor to have died within a time span of two months.
In December 2020, another doctor was reported to have died soon after resigning from the same hospital.


Thailand's poll body to investigate PM frontrunner Pita

Thailand's prime ministerial frontrunner Pita Limjareonrat will be investigated over whether he was qualified to run in last month's election, a top official said on Monday, in another setback as he battles to win backing for his premiership.
Pita, the 42-year-old leader of the progressive Move Forward party whose election victory stunned Thailand's military-backed establishment, has faced multiple complaints from rivals, three of which the poll body has dismissed for late submission, while four others against the party have been thrown out.
But Pita is by no means in the clear, with the commission looking into whether he was knowingly unfit to register as a parliamentary candidate because of his ownership of shares in a media firm, which is prohibited under election rules.
Pita has downplayed the issue, arguing the shares in the firm, ITV, have since been transferred and the company was not an active media organisation. He faces disqualification, up to 10 years in jail and 20 years banned from politics if found in violation.
"There is sufficient information to suspect that the candidate is unfit or prohibited from seeking public office, according to electoral regulations, to further investigate Pita," election commission chairman Ittiporn Boonprakong told Reuters in a text message.
The opposition Move Forward and Pheu Thai parties thumped conservative opponents allied with the military in a resounding rejection of nearly nine years of government led or backed by the army after its 2014 coup.
They have formed an alliance with six smaller parties, but Pita's bid to be premier and form the government is expected to face resistance in a conservative-leaning Senate that was appointed under the military. A bicameral vote on a prime minister is expected by August, with weeks of uncertainty ahead.
Move Forward's anti-establishment agenda clashes with the interests of a royalist military and old-money business elite that has influenced politics for decades in Southeast Asia's second biggest economy.
The party won huge support among the youth and the capital Bangkok with a platform of institutional change, including reducing the army's political role, undoing monopolies and reviewing a controversial law against insulting the monarchy.
Asked about challenges against Move Forward, its secretary-general Chaitawat Tulathon on Monday said the voice of the people will be protected.
"The election commission may take action against Pita in the future," he told a press conference.
"The party is confident that the allegations do not have sufficient evidence."


Bomb-plot cleric stripped of Aussie citizenship in milestone move

Australia has cancelled the citizenship of an Algerian-born Muslim cleric convicted of leading a terrorist cell that planned to bomb a football match in Melbourne in 2005.Abdul Nacer Benbrika is now the first person to be stripped of his citizenship while still in Australia.“If a person poses a significant terrorist threat to our country, then we’ll do whatever is possible within Australian law to protect Australians,” Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday.Benbrika was convicted on three terrorism charges. He was jailed for 15 years for directing a terrorist group, being a member of a terrorist group and possessing material associated with planning of a terrorist act.He is still in an Australian prison despite finishing his sentence. Under Australian law the authorities can detain anyone convicted of terror offenses for up to three years after their sentence finishes, reports Reuters. His lawyers have appealed against his ongoing detention.Under Australian law, a person can be stripped of citizenship but only if they are dual citizens as international law prevents people from being made stateless.Australia used these powers in 2019 to revoke the citizenship of Neil Prakash, an alleged Daesh recruiter currently imprisoned in Turkey. Australia argued he was a dual citizen as he also has Fijian citizenship, though Fiji denied the claim.The BBC says the Australian government has applied to Victoria state’s Supreme Court for a continuing detention order to extend Benbrika’s time in prison. For now, the Supreme Court has granted two temporary 28-day extensions to keep him behind bars.On his eventual release, Benbrika will have 90 days to leave Australia and return to Algeria.


Daily cases dip to 5,800

Another 5,859 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,581,747.Another 4,970 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,482,284.Meanwhile 529 are in the ICU, including 420 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 261 are in need of respiratory assistance including 169 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 5,859 cases reported today, 102 (1.7%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 5,757 (98.3%) are in Category One and Two.


Backup water source in the pipeline, minister says as taps run dry again

Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man says his ministry is working towards an alternative source of water that can function as a back-up supply for one or two weeks in the event of a disruption to the regular supply, as the Klang Valley experienced yet another water cut due to pollution today.But while the ministry is working with all relevant parties to prevent such incidents, he said pollution would not stop as long as perpetrators exist.“It will continue to happen, but what’s the alternative?“When there’s pollution, we will use the second source of water so that people will not be affected by disruptions,” he said.He added that Selangor needs to work on increasing its reserve margin, which currently stands at 1%.“If we can increase it to 20 to 25%, we will still have supply for some time, even after an incident happens,” he said.A total of 1,196,457 Air Selangor account holders in 1,292 areas in the Klang Valley experienced another unscheduled disruption in water supply today as operations at four Sungai Selangor water treatment plants were suspended due to pollution at the raw water source.Tuan Ibrahim earlier said that water supply would likely be restored within 24 hours.Speaking in a press conference, he said illegal factories operating near rivers could be the cause of the pollution.He also said the Department of Environment would be monitoring any activities that could cause pollution to Sungai Selangor.However, he added that it was impossible to monitor the entire river at all times.According to him, river pollution often occurs late at night, after midnight, or on weekends.“The ministry will not compromise with these culprits,” he said.“With the cooperation of various agencies including the police, we are confident that we can take action against these environmental criminals in the near future.”Last week, he said, authorities issued a three-month suspension order to a factory for causing pollution, with stern action still to come.He also said the ministry had applied for allocations in the 2021 budget and 12th Malaysia Plan to boost manpower and equipment, and improve monitoring systems and plants.“We will increase our staff and work with the police. We are also requesting allocations to add equipment and early warning systems as well as to improve monitoring and plant systems.”


Havana denies reports of plans for Chinese spy base in Cuba

The Havana government on Thursday denied US news reports that it has reached a deal for China to set up a spying base in Cuba, just off American shores.
Cuba's deputy foreign minister said the reports by The Wall Street Journal and CNN were "mendacious and unfounded." The White House called them inaccurate.
The reports said Beijing and Havana have entered into a secret agreement for a Chinese electronic eavesdropping facility to be set up on the Caribbean island that could monitor communications across the southeastern US.
The region includes the US Southern and Central Command headquarters, both in Florida.
China will pay Cuba "several billion dollars" to be able to construct the facility, WSJ said, citing unnamed US officials.
But Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, reading a statement to journalists, called the reports "totally mendacious and unfounded."
He said Cuba rejects all foreign military presence in Latin America, "including the many US bases and troops."
"Slander of this kind is often fabricated by US officials," the official said.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby characterised the WSJ story as inaccurate.
"I've seen that press report. It's not accurate," Kirby told MSNBC.
"What I can tell you is that we have been concerned since day one of this administration about China's influence activities around the world, certainly in this hemisphere and in this region," Kirby said.
"We are watching this very closely," he added.
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder also called the WSJ report inaccurate.
"We are not aware of China and Cuba developing any type of spy station," Ryder said, adding: "The relationship that those two countries share is something that we continuously monitor."
'Deeply disturbed'
But Democratic senator Mark Warner and Republican Marco Rubio, who head the Senate Intelligence Committee and are usually briefed on important security matters, said in a statement that they were "deeply disturbed" by the WSJ report.
"The US must respond to China's ongoing and brazen attacks on our nation's security," they said.
"We must be clear that it would be unacceptable for China to establish an intelligence facility within 160km of Florida and the US."
The WSJ story came amid strained relations between Washington and Beijing over a range of issues that include US support for self-ruled Taiwan, which China says it is determined to reunite with the mainland.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has pushed a rapid expansion of the country's security presence around the world, aiming to match the broad footprint of the US military on all the continents.
A base in Cuba, which lies 90 miles off Florida's southern tip, would present the most direct challenge yet to the continental US.
The Soviet Union had electronic spying facilities in communist Cuba to monitor the US.
But in 1962 when Moscow moved to base nuclear missiles on Cuba, the US declared a quarantine of the island in a crisis that threatened to bring the two superpowers to war, until Moscow backed down.
Washington then removed its nuclear-capable missiles from Turkey, which the Soviets viewed as a threat to them.
Earlier this year China sent what the US called a high-altitude surveillance balloon across the US. It floated from west to east above sensitive military installations before it was shot down by a US fighter jet.


New cases inch up to 6,988

Another 6,988 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 758,967.Selangor recorded 2,885 cases, Kuala Lumpur 988, Negeri Sembilan 692, Sarawak 544, Melaka 311, Johor 270, Kedah 250, Sabah 232, Pahang 195, Penang 174, Perak 149, Labuan 129 and Kelantan 108.Terengganu recorded 50 cases, Putrajaya 10 and Perlis one.Active cases stand at 64,453 with 917 in the ICU and 445 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 5,580 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 688,260.However, 84 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 5,254.


Taliban fighters on outskirts of Afghan capital

Taliban fighters were on the outskirts of Kabul on Sunday and on the brink of a complete military takeover of Afghanistan, but a spokesman said they had been ordered not to enter the city.The order came as residents reported seeing insurgents peacefully enter some of Kabul’s outer suburbs.“The Islamic Emirate instructs all its forces to stand at the gates of Kabul, not to try to enter the city,” a spokesman for the Taliban tweeted.The announcement came hours after the Taliban captured the key eastern city of Jalalabad and the northern anti-Taliban bastion of Mazar-i-Sharif – extending an astonishing rout of government forces and warlord militias achieved in just 10 days.Pro-Taliban social media accounts boasted that its fighters were moving rapidly through the outlying districts of Kabul province, with the outskirts of the city in close proximity.“Don’t panic! Kabul is safe!” tweeted Matin Bek, President Ashraf Ghani’s chief of staff.Ghani’s government appeared to be left with few options – either prepare for a bloody fight for the capital or capitulate.The loss of Mazar-i-Sharif and Jalalabad were huge back-to-back blows for Ghani and his government.It left the Taliban – who have fighters less than an hour’s drive from Kabul – holding all the cards in any negotiated surrender of the capital.On Saturday Ghani sought to project authority with a national address in which he spoke of “re-mobilising” the military while seeking a “political solution” to the crisis.The scale and speed of their advance have shocked Afghans and the US-led alliance that poured billions into the country after toppling the insurgents in the wake of the Sept 11, 2001 attacks.President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of an additional 1,000 US troops to help secure the emergency evacuation from Kabul of embassy employees and thousands of Afghans who worked for American forces and now fear Taliban reprisals.That was on top of the 3,000 American soldiers deployed in recent days, and 1,000 left in-country after Biden announced in May that the final withdrawal of the 20-year military presence in Afghanistan would be completed by Sept 11.That decision has come under increased scrutiny given the collapse of the Afghan armed forces, but he insisted Saturday there was no choice.“I was the fourth president to preside over an American troop presence in Afghanistan – two Republicans, two Democrats. I would not, and will not, pass this war onto a fifth,” Biden said.Taliban celebrationVideos posted on pro-Taliban social media accounts showed the group’s heavily armed fighters in cities across the country, waving white flags and greeting locals.Most of the fighters appeared young, suggesting they were most likely infants or unborn when the Taliban was toppled from power in 2001 by the US and their warlord allies.In Mazar-i-Sharif, Taliban fighters quickly took charge.“They are parading on their vehicles and motorbikes, firing into the air in celebration,” said Atiqullah Ghayor, who lives near the city’s famed blue mosque.Warlords Abdul Rashid Dostum and Atta Mohammad Noor, who had led a militia resistance in the city to support government forces, had fled to Uzbekistan, about 30 kilometres to the north, an aide to Noor said.As the Taliban closed in on the capital, panicked residents swarmed banks for a second-straight day, hoping to withdraw their savings.Many were already resigned to the Taliban taking power.“My only wish is that their return leads to peace. That is all we want,” said Kabul shopkeeper Tariq Nezami.In his first address to the nation since the Taliban launched their sweeping offensive, Ghani said he wanted to stop the violence, but offered few specifics on what his administration was planning.The presidential palace later said: “A delegation with authority should soon be appointed by the government and be ready for negotiation.”The palace offered no further details about their path forward.“Any prospect of fighting within Kabul city itself would precipitate a major humanitarian catastrophe,” said Ibraheem Bahiss, consultant with the Crisis Group, adding that pressure is liking mounting on the leader to resign.For the tens of thousands who have sought refuge in Kabul in recent weeks, the overwhelming mood was one of apprehension and fear.One doctor who arrived in the capital with his 35-strong family from Kunduz said he planned to return today.“I am worried there will be a lot of fighting here. I would rather return home, where I know it has stopped,” he told AFP, asking not to be named.


Ukraine bans Independence Day rallies for fear of Russian rocket strikes

Ukraine's capital Kyiv banned public celebrations this week to commemorate independence from Soviet rule, citing a heightened threat of Russian attack in a war that the United Nations said on Monday has killed more than 5,500 civilians.
Near frontlines in the south of the country, Ukraine said Russia fired rockets into several southern Ukrainian towns north and west of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, captured by Russian forces shortly after they invaded Ukraine in February.
Artillery and rocket fire in the region of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor complex, on the Russian-occupied south bank of the Dnipro River, has stirred fears of a nuclear disaster and led to calls for the surrounding area to be demilitarised.
Russia launched on Feb 24 what it calls a "special military operation" to demilitarise its smaller neighbour and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and its Western backers accuse Moscow of waging an imperial-style war of conquest.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned at the weekend of the risk of more severe attacks ahead of Ukraine's 31st independence anniversary on Wednesday.
Local authorities in Kyiv have banned large public events, rallies and other gatherings related to the anniversary from Monday until Thursday due to the possibility of rocket attacks, according to a document published by the Kyiv military administration.
Kyiv is far from front lines and has only rarely been hit by Russian missiles since Ukrainian defenders repelled a Russian ground offensive to seize the capital in March.
In Kharkiv, a northeastern city that has come under frequent and deadly longer-range artillery and rocket fire, Mayor Ihor Terekhov announced an extension to an overnight curfew to run from 4pm to 7am effective from Tuesday to Thursday.
In the port of Mykolaiv near Russian-held territory to the south, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said authorities planned a precautionary order for residents to work from home on Tuesday and Wednesday and urged people not to gather in large groups.
Fears of intensified attacks were likely to rise after Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) accused Ukrainian secret services on Monday of killing Darya Dugina, daughter of a Russian ultra-nationalist ideologue, in a suspected car bombing on Saturday, Russian news agencies reported. Ukraine has denied being involved.
Zelensky, in a weekend video address, said Moscow could try "something particularly ugly" in the run-up to Wednesday, which also marks half a year since Russia invaded.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, citing its monitoring mission in Ukraine, said on Monday 5,587 civilians had been killed and 7,890 wounded as of Aug 21, mainly from artillery, rocket and missile attacks.
Separately on Monday, General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi - Kyiv's army chief - provided what appeared to be the first public Ukrainian military death toll, saying nearly 9,000 soldiers had died in action.
Russia has not said how many of its soldiers have been killed. Ukraine's General Staff have estimated the Russian military death toll at 45,400.
Reuters has been unable to verify the military losses by either side.
Nuclear risk
Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for repeated incidents of shelling in and around the Zaporizhzhia complex in recent weeks.
Kyiv has accused Moscow of basing troops and storing military hardware on the grounds of the power station and using it as a shield from which to bombard Kyiv government-controlled territory to the west and north. Russia denies this and accuses Ukraine of targeting the plant with shells and drones.
Moscow requested a UN Security Council meeting be held on Tuesday to discuss the plant, Russian state-owned news agency RIA reported, citing Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy.
Overnight, Russian forces fired rockets into Nikopol, just across the Dnipro from the plant on its south bank, as well as the Krivyi Rih and Synelnykovskyi districts further out to the northwest and northeast respectively, regional Governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram.
In a phone call on Sunday, US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed recent discussions on enabling a mission by the UN nuclear watchdog agency to Zaporizhzhia.
The conflict, Europe's biggest since World War Two, has destroyed towns and cities, killed thousands of people, forced millions to flee abroad and deepened a volatile geopolitical stand-off between Russia and the West.
Since Russian forces retreated in disarray from Kyiv early in the war, they have concentrated on seizing the rest of the eastern Donbas region partially held by separatist proxies since 2014, and holding on to captured swathes of the south.
In the latest sign of a planned Ukrainian counter-offensive to retake the Russian-occupied Kherson region in the south, smoke was rising from the sole bridge across the Dnipro in Kherson city, a Kyiv interior ministry adviser said.
A source in occupied Kherson's emergency services told Russia's Interfax news agency that the Antonivskyi bridge was hit by high-precision HIMARS rockets supplied to Ukraine by the US, and that 15 people had been injured.
The bridge, a key crossing for Russian military transport in the region, has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian forces.
In eastern Donetsk province, Russian artillery and multiple rocket launchers battered Soledar, Zaytseve and Bilohorivka near the city of Bakhmut, and at least two civilians were killed, Ukrainian authorities said. Russia denies targeting civilians.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the battlefield reports of either side.


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Zahid says never questioned source of RM7 million donated to charity outfit

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the High Court today that he did not question the source of the RM7 million given to Yayasan Akalbudi by two businessmen as it was donated for religious activities and charity purposes, not for his use.
Zahid, 69, said he had to consider that the donations to Yayasan Akalbudi were made with good intentions as the foundation conducted charity work for non-Muslims, not only in the Bagan Datuk parliamentary constituency, but also in other areas facing floods.
He said this when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Harris Ong Mohd Jeffery Ong about the source of the RM5 million donated by textile wholesaler Junaith Asharab Md Shariff and the RM2 million that the foundation received from goldsmith Mubarak Hussain Akhtar Husin.
The former deputy prime minister also said he could not question their intentions in making the donations, adding that all contributions were considered a donation to Yayasan Akalbudi.
"The individuals involved are not members of a secret society and the police are not investigating them. It involves the issue of integrity, I cannot question their intentions when making the contributions, and any contributions I consider a donation to Yayasan Akalbudi," he said.  The Bagan Datuk MP also said there was no record on the receipt of the donations because the money was credited into Messrs Lewis & Co’s client account, which is the law firm that handles Yayasan Akalbudi's funds.
"There are allegations that the donations received were credited into my account, but it is not true and against the law. The donation cheques were given to Messrs Lewis & Co which handles the Yayasan Akalbudi funds," he said.
Meanwhile, Zahid disagreed with Harris Ong's suggestion that he was free to do anything that he wanted with donations received in the name of charity, adding that the donations were used following the guidelines and objectives of the foundation's establishment to carry out charity work and help the needy.
On the withdrawal of Yayasan Akalbudi funds totalling RM17.9 million to help his daughter, Nurulhidayah, take over the shares of Ri-Yaz Asset Sdn Bhd and operate a boutique hotel in Bali, Indonesia, Zahid said it was not done for the benefit of his daughter or himself.
Harris Ong: Yayasan Akalbudi funds are donated by donors for charity work for Muslims and non-Muslims, but the investment (Ri-Yaz) has derailed from the objective. Zahid: Based on the objectives of the Yayasan Akalbudi trustee and the M&A (memorandum and articles of association), investments are made to generate extra income to carry out charity work.
He then agreed with Harris Ong that there were no written instructions regarding the withdrawal.
Zahid faces 47 charges: 12 of criminal breach of trust, eight of corruption and 27 of money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit in Yayasan Akalbudi funds.
On Jan 24, the court ordered Zahid to make his defence against all of the charges after the prosecution managed to prove a prima facie against him.
The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow.


Out of the frying pan: Indonesians pay price of cooking oil crisis

About three weeks after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Indonesian housewife Liesye Setiana was forced to close her banana chip business as cooking oil supplies dried up across the country.Millions of consumers and small business owners in the world’s fourth most populous nation have been rattled for months by skyrocketing cooking oil prices.As the war between the two major grain and sunflower seed producers sent jitters through global markets, many producers rushed to shift their goods abroad to cash in on soaring rates.Setiana would travel to a supermarket over an hour from her remote East Java village of Baruharjo to buy a daily eight-litre batch of palm oil that could keep her business alive.But the 49-year-old mother of two would be turned away, with sellers heavily rationing the commodity used in products ranging from cosmetics to chocolate spreads.“I was fuming and told the employees that I really need the cooking oil for personal use, not for hoarding,” said Setiana, who used to make up to 750,000 rupiah (US$52) a day selling her savoury yellow snack.“How come we have cooking oil shortages when Indonesia is the world’s top palm oil producer?”Her battle for supplies is just a snapshot of the cooking oil crisis that has spurred hours-long queues of residents with jerry cans in hand across Indonesia’s most populous island, Java, and others such as Borneo.Two people died in March from exhaustion – including one who had queued at three different supermarkets, according to local media – as they waited in searing heat to get their hands on a product that rose to 20,100 rupiah a litre at its height.Counting costsIndonesia produces about 60% of global palm oil supplies, with one-third consumed domestically. India, China, the European Union and Pakistan are among its major export customers.The squeeze on cooking oil at home forced the Indonesian government to impose a now-lifted ban on exports last month, easing prices and shoring up domestic supplies.But at the end of May, the price of bulk cooking oil, the most affordable in the country, still hovered at about 18,300 rupiah per litre on average, above the government’s target of 14,000 rupiah, according to official data.The price spike has left many with difficult decisions to make.Sutaryo, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, runs a tempe chip business out of his home in South Jakarta. He was forced to jack up his prices and lay off four employees to stay afloat.“After the surge of cooking oil prices, we have to be smart in calculating our production cost. Our consumers are left with no other choice but to accept a higher price for our kripik tempe,” he said, referring to the traditional soy-based crackers.With demand yet to recover, production at Sutaryo’s home factory has slid from 300 to 100 kilogrammes a day, and daily revenue is down to six million rupiah from 15 million before the pandemic.About half-a-dozen workers cut thin slices of tempe before throwing them into frying pans of hot oil, letting them sizzle until crispy.It is a far cry from the hustle and bustle of the business’s pre-pandemic peak, said Sutaryo, when he had workers frying tempe chips outside for lack of space.‘Significant’ impact on poorCooking oil prices were already on the rise in 2021, but the impact of Moscow’s assault has driven them to record highs, said Mohammad Faisal, executive director of the Center of Reform on Economics (CORE Indonesia) think tank.The government is now moving to secure even more supplies at home, meaning there is unlikely to be a repeat of the spike seen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he said.But while prices may come down in Indonesia’s towns and cities, they will stay high for those living in rural and remote areas like Setiana.“For lower-income people, the impact is significant because, at the same time, there are increases in the prices [of other commodities],” Faisal told AFP.With local prices unlikely to fall, and with little money coming in since her husband was laid off, Setiana now has other worries – like no longer being able to afford school fees for her children.“If prices of staple goods go up, we have little left for other expenses.”


Indonesia new ‘epicentre of Asia’ as virus cases skyrocket

Virus-wracked Indonesia posted record daily infections topping 54,000 on Wednesday as the highly infectious Delta variant rips across the archipelago, catapulting it ahead of India as Asia’s Covid-19 epicentre.The Southeast Asian nation has been battered by a virus explosion that overwhelmed hospitals, leaving scores to die at home, while desperate relatives hunt for oxygen tanks to treat the sick.On Wednesday, Indonesia’s health ministry posted its highest-ever 54,517 new cases and 991 deaths in 24 hours – recent daily mortality rates are as high as 10 times the numbers in early June.But the official data is widely believed to be a severe undercount due to low testing rates and poor contact tracing.“Indonesia could become the epicentre of the pandemic, but it’s already the epicentre of Asia,” said Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Australia’s Griffith University.“If you look at the population difference between India and Indonesia… then the pandemic is far more serious than in India.”Indonesia’s real number of daily cases could be topping 100,000 a day and threatened to double by the end of the month with as many as 2,000 daily virus deaths, Budiman warned.India, which was battered by an eye-watering Covid wave earlier this year, was now reporting an average of about 44,000 daily cases and 1,028 deaths.But its population is almost five times that of the nearly 270 million people in Indonesia, which has about 141 cases per million people compared with around 29 cases per million in India, according to the website ourworldindata.org.On a cumulative basis, India has tallied more than 30 million infections and over 400,000 deaths since the pandemic started, well ahead of Indonesia’s official 2.6 million cases and 69,210 deaths.Eid fearsLast week, the world’s fourth most populous nation rolled out tighter curbs – including shutting down shopping malls, restaurants and offices – in its hard-hit capital Jakarta, across densely populated Java and on holiday island Bali.It later extended a web of less-severe restrictions across the 5,100km-long archipelago, from Sumatra in the west to easternmost Papua.But now there are fears that the highly transmissible Delta variant, first identified in India, was hitting more remote areas where health facilities could not handle a major outbreak.“We have to closely monitor this because if anything happens (in those regions) their health facilities are clearly below that of Jakarta or Java,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said this week.And there are fears that Eid al-Adha celebrations, which start next week, could spark another explosion in cases across the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation.“Any mass gathering will only accelerate infections,” Budiman said.“There are time bombs everywhere.”Neighbouring Malaysia on Wednesday saw a record high 11,618 new Covid-19 cases and 118 deaths.Singapore, one of the most successful places in tackling the pandemic, posted 56 fresh cases mostly linked to karaoke bars – the highest number of daily domestic infections for months.


Melaka election shows people want political stability, says PBB leader

The outcome of the Melaka state election last weekend has sent a clear message that the people want political stability in the country, Sarawak Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu vice-president Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said today.The election saw Barisan Nasional (BN) winning 21 of the 28 seats it contested, while Pakatan Harapan won five seats and Perikatan Nasional, two.“I have never seen BN win with so much style in Melaka,” Karim said when asked to comment on the polls.“Even though Umno is facing internal problems due to its leadership, you can see that the people are still willing to vote for the party. This shows that the people have trust in the new leaders who were brought in as candidates,” he added.Karim, who holds the Asajaya state seat in Sarawak, said the election outcome also showed that people were against the culture of political “frogging”.“It is a good development because the people have shown that they want political stability. We can’t run from that, and I believe the people of Melaka are fed up with political leaders who jump here and there, and have been fighting with each other and disrupting the government’s work.”Karim said those who contest and win on a party ticket should not jump ship later on as this would mean turning their backs on those who had lent them their support during the election.“This is especially for voters, because they vote for us as individuals who represent the party. Of course the people get angry because they voted for candidates from a particular party and then they ran away,” he added.“That’s why you see those frogs losing in Melaka.”The Melaka state election was triggered by the move by four assemblymen to withdraw their support for the leadership of Sulaiman Md Ali, who was sworn in as chief minister again after BN’s victory on Saturday.


New cases top 21,000

Another 21,176 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 1,940,950.Sarawak recorded 3,734 cases, Selangor 3,595, Johor 2,297, Sabah 2,246, Penang 1,939, Kedah 1,808, Perak 1,366, and Kelantan 1,254.Pahang recorded 853 cases, Terengganu 776, Melaka 485, Kuala Lumpur 467 and Negeri Sembilan 252.Perlis recorded 77 cases, Putrajaya 21 and Labuan six.Active cases stand at 242,161.A total of 1,310 are in ICU, of which 935 are confirmed as Covid-positive and 375 are suspected and probable cases as well as cases under investigation.A total of 773 are in need of respiratory assistance, of which 455 are Covid-positive.Another 21,476 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,678,962.However, 341 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 19,827.


Ex-Sabah minister told to enter defence on charge of falsifying documents

The Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur today ordered former Sabah infrastructure development minister Peter Anthony to enter his defence on a charge of falsifying a letter from the office of the Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) deputy vice-chancellor for a system maintenance contract at the university in 2014.Judge Azura Alwi made the decision after finding that the prosecution had succeeded in proving a prima facie case against Peter, 50, at the end of the prosecution’s case.The court fixed Jan 3 to 7 next year for the hearing.Peter was charged as the managing director of Syarikat Asli Jati with having falsified a letter from the office of UMS deputy vice-chancellor dated June 9, 2014, by inserting a false statement with the intention to cheat.The offence was allegedly committed at the office of the prime minister’s principal private secretary at the Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya, between June 13 and Aug 21, 2014.The charge was framed under Section 468 of the Penal Code for forging a document for the purpose of cheating, which provides for imprisonment for up to seven years and a fine upon conviction.He also faces an alternative charge of using a false document as genuine, namely the letter from the office of the deputy vice-chancellor of UMS dated June 9, 2014, which had a false statement in the title of the letter.He was charged with committing the offence at the same place and time.The charge was made under Section 471 of the Penal Code and is punishable under Section 465 of the same law for forgery with imprisonment of up to two years, a fine, or both upon conviction.The court ordered Peter to defend himself on the charge of forging the letter.“The court is satisfied that the prosecution has succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against you (Peter Anthony) under Section 468 of the Penal Code for committing forgery by inserting a false statement in the title of the letter of the office of the UMS deputy vice-chancellor as charged.“Therefore, you are ordered to defend yourself,” said the judge.Peter has three options: to testify under oath; to give testimony from the dock while not under oath, where he cannot be cross-examined; or to remain quiet.After the court interpreter explained his options, Peter said he would testify under oath from the witness stand.Lawyer Munawar Kabir Mohd Zainal Abidin, representing Peter, told the court that the defence would call seven witnesses, including those offered by the prosecution.The prosecution closed its case on Sept 21 after calling 15 witnesses, including former prime minister Najib Razak, former treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah and former chief justice Zaki Azmi.


Laughing Spaniard, other forms of digital humour greet news of PKR-Umno talks

Juan Joya Borja, a Spanish comedian whose laughter during a talk show in 2007 has been replicated by activists around the world in satire videos, has surfaced again in Malaysia, this time in meme videos on PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim.Barely an hour after the veteran politician wrapped up his press conference in Petaling Jaya yesterday, a 16-second clip began making the rounds on social media to poke fun at the PKR chief.It contains an excerpt of Anwar’s statement, in which he said he had “adequate numbers” to form the government, and ends with Juan’s now-famous clip of uncontrollable laughter.Malay subtitles reading: “Thought it was ‘strong, convincing and formidable’ numbers. Now it is ‘adequate numbers'” run through Juan’s footage.The video is one of several being shared online, reminiscent of similar posts six months ago which followed Anwar’s stunning announcement that he had the majority to topple Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.Anwar’s statement last September that he had “strong, convincing and formidable” numbers in Parliament was then mocked by his critics through videos and graphics.Yesterday, a reporter asked Anwar if he still had the numbers, to which the PKR leader replied that he had “adequate numbers”.Anwar had called for the press conference to state that his party’s MPs had assured him of their commitment, following a string of defections which saw three PKR MPs switching sides in the last two months.It was also to explain his recent admission that PKR had entered into negotiations with Umno for a possible alliance.But even before yesterday’s press conference, social media users and political discussion groups had been abuzz with humourous takes on such an alliance.One video shows DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng singing the Umno party anthem “Bersatu, Bersetia, Berkhidmat”, while another graphic brings together Umno’s keris symbol, PKR’s eye and DAP’s rocket signs.For social critic Hishamuddin Rais, the trend of digital humour by Malaysians will be the hallmark of the next general election campaign.He also said that it would serve as a more effective propaganda tool.“This coming 15th general election campaign will be aimed at the internet generation,” Hishammuddin, a former student leader who lived a life of exile outside the country, told MalaysiaNow.“Digital humour is coming up, new humour is developing as the result of the internet of things.”But Hishamuddin, who also writes a blog lampooning politicians he dislikes, said the basic rules of humour were still the same.“Humour will work if the character that is being lampooned is known to everybody.“And humour works very well if the one that has been lampooned is the authority or the powerful.”He also makes his case for digital humour, saying it is more effective than the traditional ceramah.“In terms of propaganda, humour is much more formidable and convincing,” he quipped.


Morocco World Cup match triggers riots in Brussels, a dozen detained

Belgian police detained a dozen people and made one arrest on Sunday after Morocco's victory over Belgium in the World Cup match in Qatar triggered riots in Brussels with a car and some electric scooters set on fire.
The riots took place in several places across the Belgian capital where dozens of football fans, some draped in Moroccan flags, clashed with riot police with water cannons and tear gas.
"Around 7pm calm returned and preventive patrols remain in place in the sectors concerned," police spokesman Ilse Van de Keere said.
"The rioters used pyrotechnic material, projectiles, sticks, and set fire on the public highway," the police said. "Also, a journalist was injured in the face by fireworks. It is for these reasons that it was decided to proceed with a police intervention, with the deployment of water cannon and the use of tear gas," the police said.


99.9% of Covid-19 virus dead in 30 seconds with UV LEDs, says Tel Aviv research

Covid-19 is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 virus, and in a paper published this month researchers from Tel Aviv University announced they have found a way to kill this coronavirus efficiently, quickly and cheaply.In fact, their method takes less than half a minute to destroy over 99.9% of the guilty coronaviruses.Long before Covid-19 arrived, Professor Hadas Mamane, head of the Environmental Engineering Program at Tel Aviv University’s School of Mechanical Engineering and her team had been working on UV-LEDs.Ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) produce radiation that is commonly used to kill bacteria and viruses.When Covid-19 started sweeping the world, her team decided to see if they could use UV LED radiation to destroy the virus that causes it.“We discovered that it is quite simple to kill the coronavirus using LED bulbs that radiate ultraviolet light,” said Mamane, who undertook the study with Professor Yoram Gerchman and Dr Michal Mandelboim.“Our results suggest that the sensitivity of human coronavirus was wavelength dependent,” she said. “We then studied LEDs of different frequencies to see which is most efficient.”The team’s research has now been published in the Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology.Mamane explained to the Jerusalem Post a little of the science.LEDs come in basic UV wavelengths A, B and C.UV-A is the one with the effective killer wavelengths.For humans, UV-A is what creates vitamin D in the body, but it is also what causes sunburns and, in some cases, skin cancer.Also, when used via UV-LED bulbs it is especially effective in disinfection.“Medical staff do not have time to manually disinfect computer keyboards and other surfaces in hospitals,” said Mamane. “But disinfection systems based on LED bulbs, can be installed in ventilation and air-conditioning systems, for example, and sterilise the air which passes through them.”The team discovered how to kill the virus using cheap and readily available UV-LED bulbs which, unlike regular UV lamps, consume little energy, contain no mercury and can be turned on and off instantly.“We are also developing a transparent coating that can be sprayed on surfaces and can kill viruses using visible light LEDs that are not dangerous to humans.”The team envisages installing bulbs in air-conditioning, vacuum and water systems, and so disinfecting large areas.She tells the Post that UV LEDs have a bright future for virus killing.“Of course, when it comes to ultraviolet radiation, people must realise it’s dangerous to try to use it to disinfect their homes,” she warns. “It’s vital to know how to do it without being exposed to the light.”Mamane believes that this technology will significantly ease the scourge of Covid-19 and other viruses.


Scattered easing of Covid curbs across China after week of unrest

Some communities in Chinese cities where Covid-19 is still spreading are easing off on testing requirements and quarantine rules in a marked shift in virus policies after widespread protests across the country.
China is set to announce an easing of its Covid quarantine rules in coming days and a reduction in mass testing, sources told Reuters, even as cases nationwide remain near record highs.
Some cities lifted some district lockdowns this week, as Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who oversees Covid efforts, said the ability of the virus to cause disease was weakening.
The new message aligns with what health authorities around the world have said for more than a year, but contrasts sharply with China's consistent warnings throughout the pandemic over how deadly the disease was.
The policy shift comes after anger over the world's toughest curbs fuelled protests unprecedented in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
China's Covid policies have taken a significant toll on its economy, choking everything from domestic consumption, to factory output, to global supply chains, and causing severe stress for hundreds of millions of people.
While government authorities in cities that have lifted lockdowns did not mention the protests in their announcements, national health officials have said China will address the "urgent concerns" expressed by the public.
On the ground, however, some communities in Beijing and elsewhere have already allowed close contacts of people carrying the virus to quarantine at home, while some shopping malls in the capital have reopened from Thursday.
One residential community in east Beijing on Friday sent a notice to say those who have "no social activities" no longer need to get tested regularly "to reduce the risk of crowding.
"Long-term homebound elderly, home-based workers and students, infants and young children who have no social activities in the city can be excluded from community nucleic acid screening if they do not need to go out," a notice read.
Several testing booths in the area have stopped operating and the numbers of those getting tested have dropped 20-30%, a testing staff member said. Still, the park nearby remained closed, while restaurants and cafes only sold takeaway.
Disparate implementation
Some areas in Guangzhou, where protesters only days ago clashed with police, resumed dine-in services, and residents are no longer asked to present negative PCR tests to enter, state media reported.
In nearby Shenzhen, some people will be allowed to quarantine at home. About a thousand kilometres to the west, in Chonging, a wide range of businesses from barber shops to gyms were allowed to resume this week.
All those cities have been reporting hundreds or even thousands of cases a day - high numbers by China's standards.
At the same time, many communities in areas designated as high risk by various cities remain under lockdown and many people are still required to undergo daily tests.
Some places in Shanghai this week in fact tightened testing requirements to every 48 hours from 72.
The hope for many residents was that the expected announcement from national health authorities in coming days would help standardise implementation across the country all the way down to neighbourhood levels.
The easing measures due to be unveiled include a reduction in the use of mass testing and regular nucleic acid tests as well as moves to allow positive cases and close contacts to isolate at home under certain conditions, the sources familiar with the matter said.
Earlier this year, entire communities were locked down, sometimes for weeks, after even just one positive case, with people stuck indoors losing income, having poor access to basic necessities, and struggling to cope mentally with the isolation.


Activists call for more transparency on NGO money matters

Calls have arisen for greater transparency on the part of charity NGOs regarding their audits and cash flow, as activists warn of unscrupulous organisations taking advantage of donation drives to turn a profit for themselves.Ahmad Aliff AS Ahmad Shariffuddin, co-founder of SCRUT and Interepo, an online database service provider, said Bank Negara Malaysia allows 30% of NGO collections to be used for administrative costs including the salary of the founder or chairman of the group.“This means some NGOs are used as a cash cow for certain irresponsible quarters,” he told MalaysiaNow.“This is why we see some organisations going all out in collecting donations, including forking out money for online ads, billboards and media advertisements.”There are also several other ways in which NGOs can gouge a profit, including by turning supplier.“For example, you announce that you want to give face masks to B40 families at low-cost flats. You look for people to donate. Your NGO buys the face masks from yourself at full price,” Aliff said, adding that this can also be done through a proxy supplier.Another method is by running a business programme alongside a waqaf or charitable initiative. Through this method, organisations declare that 100% of the profit from the company sales will be donated to the NGO run by a particular person.“In truth, the person has already set his or her own salary in the company, which can be up to tens of thousands.“The proceeds can even cover the cost,” he said. “Even if they profit RM10 and give RM10, it is considered 100%.”He advised those looking to give donations to check the audit reports of NGOs as well as their management accounts, bank and even EPF statements.“The audit report is to validate their income, profit and loss. The management account is to validate their expenses in detail, and the bank statement is to validate the cash flow,” he said.“The public should be aware of how their money is being used, and organisations made accountable for every sen that enters their accounts.”“The EPF statement is to ensure how much salary their staff and management receive monthly.”Calls for donations have been rising of late in light of the situation in Gaza where hundreds have been killed with many others displaced.Teo Ann Siang from Humanitarian Care Malaysia (MyCARE), a local group with a focus on Palestinian issues, said organisations registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) are compelled to submit regular audit reports.Citing the example of MyCARE itself, he said it submits its audit report to SSM every year.“Although the government allows 30% of collections for operation costs, we have capped it at 15%. Since 2010, though, we have never gone past 10% yearly.”He said in Malaysia there is a lack of regulation regarding NGOs involved in donation drives, and agreed that stricter government oversight is needed of their financial activities.Aliff meanwhile proposed that government agencies such as the Registrar of Societies develop a portal to allow members of the public to access information on registered NGOs, similar to the initiative by the SSM.He said such data should be made public. “If we want to be a real developed nation, we have to promote transparency for integrity.“Obscurity should be a thing of the past,” he added. “The public should be aware of how their money is being used, and organisations made accountable for every sen that enters their accounts.”


Double record as 6,806 new cases, 59 deaths logged

Another 6,806 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 492,302.Selangor recorded 2,277 cases, Kuala Lumpur 655, Johor 615, Sarawak 608, Kelantan 426, Kedah 417, Penang 362, Negeri Sembilan 291, Perak 248, Sabah 245, Terengganu 233, Melaka 212 and Pahang 157.Putrajaya recorded 35 cases, Labuan 17 and Perlis eight.Active cases stand at 50,171 with 587 in the ICU and 330 in need of respiratory assistance.Twenty-four new clusters were recorded:1. Jalan Bunga Azalea (Hulu Selangor in Selangor; 55 screened, 11 positive)2. Jalan Makasar (Kluang in Johor; 36 screened, 27 positive)3. Teknologi Juru (Seberang Perai Tengah in Penang; 108 screened, 20 positive)4. Jalan Kampung Juru (Seberang Perai Tengah and Selatan in Penang; 201 screened, 12 positive)5. Lorong Karamunsing (Kota Kinabalu, Putatan, Penampang and Tuaran in Sabah; 106 screened, 28 positive)6. Jalan Tun Fuad (Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan in Sabah; 641 screened, 11 positive)7. Jalan Pengalat Lok Kawi (Papar and Kota Kinabalu in Sabah; 71 screened, 16 positive)8. Jalan Dato Dol Said (Alor Gajah and Jasin in Melaka; 136 screened, 27 positive)9. Bukit Tempayan (Melaka Tengah in Melaka; 62 screened, 11 positive)10. Jalan Iskandar (Klang in Selangor; 22 screened, 13 positive)11. Taman Sri Muda (Klang in Selangor; 28 screened, 16 positive)12. Jalan Perwira Lapan (Johor Bahru in Johor; 108 screened, 18 positive)13. Taman Maju Jaya (Batu Pahat in Johor; 64 screened, 12 positive)14. Dah Berapit (Kuala Muda and Kulim in Kedah; 61 screened, 36 positive)15. Jalan Kretam Silimpopom (Kalabakan in Sabah; 142 screened, 42 positive)16. Kenyalang Park (Kuching and Samarahan in Sarawak; 65 screened, 27 positive)17. Kampung Tebakang (Serian in Sarawak; 78 screened, 18 positive)18. Dah Insun (Pendang and Kuala Muda in Kedah; 284 screened, 35 positive)19. Padang Lalang Dua (Seberang Perai Tengah in Penang; 26 screened, 10 positive)20. Batu Lapan Bukit Rambai (Melaka Tengah and Jasin in Melaka; 30 screened, 12 positive)21. Jalan Dara (Maran in Pahang; 20 screened, 11 positive)22. Sri Tanjung (Bentong in Pahang; 47 screened, 17 positive)23. Tok Dor (Setiu, Kuala Nerus and Besut in Terengganu; 63 screened, 25 positive)24. Kandis (Bachok in Kelantan; 48 screened, 25 positive)There are currently 528 active clusters throughout the country.Another 3,916 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 440,032.However, 59 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 2,099.


Ismail attacks Cabinet members for letter to Agong

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today pointed the finger at the 12 Perikatan Nasional (PN) ministers in his Cabinet who had written to the king in opposition to a snap election, a day after Sultan Abdullah Sultan Abdullah Shah said he had no choice but to consent to the request to dissolve Parliament.
In a statement, Ismail said the dissolution of Parliament was done to put a stop to those questioning the legitimacy of the so-called backdoor government by returning the mandate to the people.
"It was also part of a string of political developments whereby the 12 ministers behaved inappropriately by writing to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong," he said.
"The dissolution was done to prevent an outbreak of disharmony in the administration of the government."
MalaysiaNow reported on Oct 6 that Ismail's Cabinet members from Bersatu and PAS had written to Sultan Abdullah to express their opposition to calls by Umno leaders for the dissolution of Parliament to pave the way for a general election this year.
They cited, among others, the Malaysian Meteorological Department's forecast of heavy rain and floods due to a monsoon transition in the weeks ahead, which could coincide with the general election season leading up to polling day if Parliament was dissolved in the near future.
They also called for a focus on economic recovery following more than two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 15th general election was not due until next year, but Ismail had been under strong pressure from a group of Umno leaders aligned with party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to dissolve Parliament ahead of its expiry of term.
Opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) had also strongly protested any move to call for polls, saying the focus should be on the economy as it recovers from the pandemic, as well as preparations for the annual floods, which last year claimed scores of lives and left billions of ringgit in property losses.
The six states under PH, Bersatu and PAS rule later said that they would not dissolve their state assemblies in tandem with the dissolution of Parliament.
They said elections at the state level would only be called next year so that authorities could prioritise flood preparations.
In his statement today, Ismail said that by going to the king, the ministers had turned their backs on the institution of the prime minister, whose appointment he added had been approved by the Agong.
He also said that the move had eroded the spirit of solidarity in the administration of government.
"Even the move by PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, declaring Barisan Nasional as the main enemy of PN, has invited the seeds of division seeing that his party is also a member of the government," he said.
Ismail also cited Muhyiddin's suggestion that it might be good to hold an election if the prime minister continued to fail in managing the economy and country well.
"The government is only able to function properly through unity and agreement in providing the best services and benefits to the Malaysian Family," he said.
"The country needs a stable government to face the challenges to come."


PAS fails to strike out suit by Amanah veep on alleged LGBT support

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has rejected an application by PAS to strike out a defamation suit by Mujahid Yusof Rawa against the party on claims that the Amanah vice-president supports the LGBT community.
Mujahid’s counsel, Noorazmir Zakaria, said judge Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh made the decision on June 21. He also ordered the party to pay Mujahid RM3,000 in costs and set the trial for Nov 24 to 26, 2025.
Lawyer Mohd Faizi Che Abu, representing PAS, said the court had rejected the party's application after finding that there were issues which needed to be addressed, including whether the Facebook account was owned by PAS.
On Feb 15, PAS, represented by its secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan, filed an application to strike out Mujahid’s suit on the basis that he as the plaintiff had failed to reveal any reasonable clause of action against the party.
Mujahid filed his suit on Dec 15, 2022, claiming that on Oct 16 that year, PAS had with malicious intent deliberately damaged his reputation and slandered him by making or publishing a defamatory statement on its Facebook account.
He sought a court order for a retraction and for the statement and his photo to be deleted within 14 days of the judgment day, in addition to general, exemplary and aggravated damages.
In its statement of defence, PAS claimed that the plaintiff’s statement of demand was flawed and invalid as he had failed to name the offender who had control and published the article in question.


Russia fires missiles across Ukraine to knock out heat as winter looms

Russia rained down volleys of missiles across Ukraine on Wednesday, hitting infrastructure in the capital Kyiv and other cities as Moscow pursued its campaign to knock out Ukraine's power and heat ahead of the looming winter.
Air raid sirens blared in a countrywide alert. Explosions could be heard on the outskirts of Kyiv, where the mayor said infrastructure had been hit, giving no immediate further details. Blasts were also reported in other cities. Information about casualties was not immediately available.
Since October, Russia has repeatedly targeted electric power and heating infrastructure. Moscow says the aim is to reduce Ukraine's ability to fight; Kyiv says the intentional strikes on civilian infrastructure constitute a war crime.
In an overnight video address, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced special "invincibility centres" would be set up around Ukraine to provide electricity, heat, water, internet, mobile phone connections and a pharmacy, free of charge and around the clock.
Russian attacks have knocked out power for long periods for up to 10 million consumers at a time. Ukraine's national power grid operator said before Wednesday's attacks that more blackouts were necessary across the country.
"If massive Russian strikes happen again and it's clear power will not be restored for hours, the 'invincibility centres' will go into action with all key services," Zelensky said.
With the first snow of the winter falling, authorities have warned of power cuts that could affect millions of people.
Russia's attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities follow a series of battlefield setbacks that have included a retreat of its forces from the southern city of Kherson to the east bank of the Dnipro River that bisects the country.
A week after the city was retaken by Ukrainian forces, residents in Kherson were tearing down Russian propaganda billboards and replacing them with pro-Ukrainian signs.
"The moment our soldiers entered, these posters were printed and handed over to us. We found workers to install the posters, and we clean up the advertisement off as quickly as possible," said Antonina Dobrozhenska, who works at the government’s communications department.
Russia has been striking Ukraine with expensive long-range cruise missiles and with cheap Iranian-made drones. Britain's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday there had been no public reports of Russia using Iranian one-way attack drones since around Nov 17, which it said was a sign Moscow might be running out of them, and would try to get more.
Russian missiles hit a maternity hospital in the Zaporizhzhia region killing a baby, the regional governor said on the Telegram messaging service.
Reuters was not able to independently verify the report. Russia denies targeting civilians.
Battles raged in the east, where Russia is pressing an offensive along a stretch of front line west of the city of Donetsk, which has been held by its proxies since 2014. The Donetsk region was the scene of fierce attacks and constant shelling over the past 24 hours, Zelenskiy said.
Oil price cap
European officials were debating the details of a global price cap on Russian oil, a US-backed proposal taken up by the G7 group of big economies and set to come into effect on Dec 5 with the intent of curbing Moscow's ability to fund the war.
While Western sanctions already mean Russian seaborne crude is now mostly sold in Asia, the trade still mainly involves European shippers and insurers who would be barred from transporting cargoes above the capped price. Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries were discussing the G7 proposal with the aim of reaching a common position by the end of the day.
A European diplomat said the price cap being discussed would be in the US$65-70 (about RM300) per barrel range. Russia's Urals crude URL-E blend already trades at around US$70 a barrel, a steep discount to other benchmarks, as a result of sanctions.
The European Parliament passed a resolution on Wednesday declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, although the move is largely symbolic as the EU does not have a framework to take practical action in response.
'Darkest days'
The World Health Organization warned this week that hundreds of Ukrainian hospitals and healthcare facilities lacked fuel, water and electricity.
"Ukraine's health system is facing its darkest days in the war so far. Having endured more than 700 attacks, it is now also a victim of the energy crisis," Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said in a statement after visiting Ukraine.
Russia says it is carrying out a "special military operation" to protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and the West call it an unprovoked, imperialist land grab.
Western responses have included financial and military aid for Kyiv - it received €2.5 billion (US$2.57 billion) from the EU on Tuesday and is expecting US$4.5 billion in US aid in coming weeks - and waves of sanctions on Russia.
The BBC reported Britain is sending three helicopters to Ukraine, the first piloted aircraft it has sent since the war began. Ukraine will deploy them with Ukrainian crews trained in Britain, it said.


Taliban assassinate head of Afghan govt media department

The Taliban shot dead the head of the Afghan government’s media information centre Friday at a mosque in the capital, the ministry said, days after warning they would target senior administration officials in retaliation for increased air strikes.“Unfortunately, the savage terrorists have committed a cowardly act once again and martyred a patriotic Afghan,” interior ministry spokesman Mirwais Stanikzai said of the death of Dawa Khan Menapal.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the death, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid sending a message to media saying “he was killed in a special attack carried out by mujahideen”.Fighting in Afghanistan’s long-running conflict has intensified since May, when foreign forces began the final stage of a withdrawal due to be completed later this month.The Taliban already control large portions of the countryside, and are now challenging Afghan government forces in several large cities.The militants warned Wednesday of more attacks targeting Afghan government leaders, a day after the defence minister escaped an assassination attempt.The bomb-and-gun attack on Defence Minister Bismillah Mohammadi Tuesday night brought the war to the capital for the first time in months.The Afghan and US militaries have stepped up air strikes in their fight against the insurgents in a string of cities, and the Taliban said Wednesday the Kabul raid was their response.


Over 10,000 declared bankrupt during MCO period

A total of 10,317 individuals were declared bankrupt throughout the movement control order (MCO) period between March 2020 and July, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.Citing data from the Malaysian Department of Insolvency (MdI), he said Selangor had the highest number of individuals declared bankrupt, at 2,555, followed by the federal territories (1,288 people) and Johor (792 people).A total of 1,246 businesses also closed down during the same period.“The MdI has no record relating to the number of workers laid off during the MCO period as it only acts in handling the administration of individual bankruptcy cases and of companies that have obtained winding up orders from the court,” he said in a written reply at the Dewan Rakyat.He was replying to a question by Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong), who wanted to know the number of companies that have closed down and the data on workers laid off for 2020 and 2021, as well as the specific economic assistance given to businesses that closed down and individuals who had lost their jobs during the MCO period.Ismail said based on input from the finance ministry, the government had not provided any specific assistance to businesses that closed down but instead took the approach of giving aid and incentives to support the continuity of businesses.“Hence, various programmes and initiatives were launched through the various economic stimulus packages and financial assistance, which were announced with the focus of supporting businesses and protecting the people,” he said.Among the initiatives were the Prihatin Special Grant, Wage Subsidy Programme, levy exemption, loan repayment moratorium, micro credit scheme, job search allowance, income loss assistance and Employees Provident Fund withdrawal facility as well as special Covid-19 assistance, he said.