Filipino Covid curfew breaker ‘dies after cops make him do 300 squats’

A Filipino who was found breaking curfew collapsed and died after being made to do 300 squats by police as punishment, his family claims.Cops allegedly stopped Darren Manaog Penaredondo while he was buying water after curfew in Cavite province, southwest of Metro Manila, currently under strict lockdown to tackle the spread of Covid-19.The local police chief said there is no physical punishment for those found violating curfew rules, only lectures from officers. He told local media that if officers were found to have enforced the punishment, it would not be tolerated.A relative of the victim, Adrian Lucena, announced his death on Facebook. He said Penaredondo and other curfew-breakers were told to do 100 squat-like exercises in sync together.When they failed, they were forced to start again, he said. The group ended up doing 300 squats.Penaredondo came home at 6am on Friday morning in pain, his brother said. His live-in partner told local news outlet Rappler that he had difficulty moving throughout the next day.“That whole day, he struggled to walk, he was just crawling. But I did not take that seriously because he said it’s just a simple body ache,” she said.The following day he collapsed and stopped breathing. Neighbours helped her try to revive him, without success.The local mayor condemned the alleged punishment as “torture”.Earlier this month Human Rights Watch warned that rule-breakers in the Philippines were being abused. The rights group said they knew of cases where police and local officials had confined people to dog cages.During a television address last week, President Rodrigo Duterte warned citizens not to defy lockdown rules, saying: “I will not hesitate. My orders are to the police and military, as well as village officials, if there is any trouble, or occasions where there’s violence and your lives are in danger, shoot them dead.”


Global pledges of help for Covid-stricken India

The US on Sunday led international pledges of support for India as the country grappled with worsening Covid-19 crisis with record daily death rates and severe medical shortages.The Indian healthcare system has struggled to cope with a huge surge in cases, leaving patients’ families begging for help on social media and the capital New Delhi forced to extend its strict lockdown.Creaking health facilities in poorer countries were also exposed on Sunday when more than 80 people died as fire ripped through a Baghdad hospital for Covid-19 patients, sparking outrage and the suspension of top Iraqi officials.Covid-19 has now killed more than three million people worldwide since emerging in China in December 2019.India, which has a population of 1.3 billion, has driven increases in global case numbers in recent days, recording 349,691 new infections and 2,767 deaths on Sunday – the highest since the start of the pandemic.Delhi on Sunday reported more than one-quarter of those tested were positive.President Joe Biden said the US was “determined to help India in its time of need,” immediately making available supplies of vaccine-production material, therapeutics, tests, ventilators and protective equipment.Western nations including Britain, France and Germany have also pledged help.‘I could do nothing’“The US has identified sources of specific raw material urgently required for Indian manufacture of the Covishield vaccine,” a White House statement said, referring to the India-produced version of the AstraZeneca shot.But it did not mention whether the US would send millions of surplus AstraZeneca vaccine doses to India, after top US pandemic adviser Anthony Fauci said Sunday that would be considered.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the country had been shaken by a “storm” as he called on people to get vaccinated and not “get swayed by any rumour about the vaccines”.The country has administered almost 141 million vaccine shots so far, but experts say the mass inoculation programme needs to be significantly stepped up.Arch-foe Pakistan offered support and assistance as Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted prayers for a “speedy recovery”.Other countries imposed travel restrictions. Thailand on Sunday became the latest country to bar foreigners departing from India.Neighbouring Bangladesh, which shares a 4,000m border with India, will halt land crossings for two weeks, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told AFP.Experts have long warned that it is in the global interest for wealthier countries to help large, lower-income nations like India to vaccinate their populations to hasten the end of the pandemic.“He was gasping for air, we removed his face mask and he was crying and saying ‘save me, please save me’,” Mohan Sharma, 17, said of his father, who died outside a Delhi hospital.“But I could do nothing. I just watched him die,” Sharma told AFP.A weeklong lockdown in the megacity of 20 million, set to last until Monday, was extended by one week.On Sunday, Twitter confirmed it had withheld dozens of tweets critical of the unfolding crisis at the request of the Indian government.The European Union is pooling resources to ensure a rapid response. “Alarmed by the epidemiological situation in India. We are ready to support,” European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.


Interfaith jewellery ad pulled after ‘Love Jihad’ furore

Indian jewellery brand Tanishq, part of Tata Group, has withdrawn an advertisement featuring a Muslim husband and his pregnant Hindu wife following a backlash on social media which called for a boycott of the brand.The advertisement, released on Oct 9, promoted its new jewellery line called Ekatvam, the Hindi word for unity. The 45-second video showed a Muslim family preparing a traditional South Indian baby shower for their pregnant Hindu daughter-in-law.The script read, “She is married into a family that loves her like their own child. Only for her, they go out of their way to celebrate an occasion that they usually don’t. A beautiful confluence of two different religions, traditions, cultures.”While the video was up on YouTube, it received 2,000 dislikes and 500 likes. The comments section of the video was disabled because of a deluge of negative comments before it was taken down.Hindu-Muslim marriages have long been frowned upon in Indian society and many said the advert promoted “Love Jihad”, a term used by Hindu groups to accuse Muslim men of participating in a “conspiracy to convert Hindu women to Islam by pretending to be in love and seducing them”.Many social media users on Monday alleged that the advertisement was anti-Hindu. #Boycott Tanishq trended all day on Twitter, with many demanding a ban on the advertisement.Many other users expressed disappointment at how bigotry and India’s cancel culture led to an ad with a beautiful message being withdrawn, according to Newsd.Religious polarisation is increasing in India. A Hindu nationalist government has been in power since 2014 and is accused of normalising anti-Muslim sentiment.Most Indian families still prefer weddings arranged within their religion and caste. Marriages outside these boundaries can lead to violent consequences, including “honour killings”.According to the India Human Development Survey, only about 5% of all marriages are inter-caste, and interfaith alliances are even fewer.The majority of Indians of any religion are opposed to inter-religious marriages, according to opinion polls. In fact, many respondents are in favour of banning such marriages.Historically, the burden of upholding tradition, culture and “purity” has always fallen on the woman and if she marries outside traditional boundaries, she is seen as bringing dishonour on her family and community.


Taiwan proposes large rise in defence spending amid escalating China tensions

Taiwan proposed US$19 billion in defence spending for next year on Thursday, a double-digit increase on 2022 that includes funds for new fighter jets, weeks after China staged large-scale war games around the island it views as its sovereign territory.
China carried out its largest-ever military exercises around the democratically governed island after a visit this month by US House speaker Nancy Pelosi. The trip infuriated Beijing, which saw it as an attempt by Washington to interfere in China's internal affairs.
The overall proposed defence budget by President Tsai Ing-wen's Cabinet sets a 13.9% year-on-year increase to a record T$586.3 billion (US$19.41 billion).
That includes an additional T$108.3 billion in spending for fighter jets and other equipment, as well as other "special funds" for the defence ministry. A statement from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics did not provide a break down specifics on where the money would go.
The planned defence spending, which is a record high and must be approved by parliament, marks the island's sixth consecutive year of growth in defence spending since 2017.
The double-digit rise on 2022 marks a sharp increase compared with the island's defence spending growth in recent years; yearly growth has been below 4% since 2017.
Statistics department minister Chu Tzer-ming said the increase in defence spending will mainly go to operational costs.
"We always give safety and national security the top priority... that's why (the budget for) operational costs rises greatly," Chu said, pointing to costs such as fuel and maintenance for aircraft and ships dispatched to counter Chinese military activities near Taiwan.
Excluding the extra budget for military equipment and funds, proposed defence spending represents a 12.9% year-on-year increase, compared with a 20.8% increase in the overall government budget proposed for next year.
That proposed spending accounts for 14.6% of the government's total spending for next year and is the fourth-largest spending segment, after social welfare and combined spending on education, science and culture, and economic development.
The island last year announced an extra defence budget of US$8.69 billion by 2026, which came on top of its yearly military spending, mostly on naval weapons, including missiles and warships.
In March, China said it would spend 7.1% more on defence this year, setting the spending figure at 1.45 trillion yuan (US$211.62 billion), though many experts suspect that is not the true figure, an assertion the government disputes.
Tsai has made modernising the armed forces – well-armed but dwarfed by China's – a priority.
China is spending on advanced equipment, including stealthy fighters and aircraft carriers, which Taiwan is trying to counter by putting more effort into weapons such as missiles that can strike far into its giant neighbour's territory.
China has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying that the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island and that only Taiwan's people can decide their future.
Meeting visiting Japanese academics at her office on Thursday, Tsai reiterated that the determination to protect their sovereignty, freedom and democracy would not change "due to pressure or threats".
"At the same time, as a responsible member of the international community, Taiwan will not provoke incidents nor escalate conflicts," Tsai said, in comments made live on her social media pages.


Country Heights boss sets up investment bank

The founder of Country Heights Holdings Bhd, Lee Kim Yew, has established Golden Horse Investment Bank to ensure that Malaysia can ride on China’s economic trend and act as a convergent point between China and Western countries.He said China had gone through 40 years of reform and had successfully transitioned to smart manufacturing.“The country has also done a good job in the prevention and control of the recent Covid-19 pandemic. This shows that China’s people-oriented socialist economic route is successful,” he said in a recent statement.Adding that China’s RMB is moving towards digitalisation, he said it is expected that the digital RMB will become a mainstream currency in the future.“The bank will create a more forward-looking change in the financial system which allows people to move from the traditional world of fiat money to the world of cryptocurrency,” he said.Lee said blockchain technology could provide unprecedented liquidity for assets such as cash, stocks, property, and antique collections.“Blockchain technology is not only to provide solid digital currency, but also to chain and connect various industries to form a more efficient, transparent and equitable trading market that can propel the market economy towards a mature capitalism,” he said.He also said the cryptographic features of blockchain technology, with its immutability and traceability, were more reliable from an accounting perspective.


Recruit more nurses, audit report says amid increasing workload

An increase in the number of healthcare workers, in particular nurses, was among the recommendations listed in the Auditor-General's Report for the Year 2021 Series 2 released today.
According to the report, the health ministry, with the cooperation of the Public Services Department, must consider reinforcements to overcome the shortage of healthcare staff in view of an increasing workload, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The recommendations followed an audit carried out in four public hospitals, which found that the recruitment of nursing positions was not equivalent to the requirements and had failed to comply with the recommended "level of care" ratio, particularly when taking into account the scope of services provided in the emergency and trauma department (ETD).
The audit was conducted at Hospital Sungai Buloh, Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II (Kota Bharu), Hospital Tunku Jaafar (Seremban) and Hospital Tampin. The positions at the four hospitals were filled by between seven and 62 nurses, and ETD nurse shortages ranged from 61.2% to 35.3%, according to the report. It was also found that the number of nurses placed at the ICU during the pandemic period was insufficient, leading to them having to work overtime.
"The lack of nurses caused the level of patient care to be changed to a norm of three quarters (3:4) and the shift schedule had to be changed from two shifts to three.
"On average, each nurse would work more than 12 hours per day and work 'double duty' when there was a shortage of nurses due to quarantine leave," the report said.


33.2% of children fully jabbed, 48.6% given first dose

A total of 1,180,415 or 33.2% of children aged five to 11 had completed their vaccination under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow portal, a total of 1,728,942 children or 48.6% have received at least one dose of vaccine.For teenagers aged 12 to 17, a total of 2,914,722 or 93.7% have completed their vaccination while 3,011,068 or 96.8% have received at least one dose.As for the adult population, 16,100,274 individuals or 68.4% have received a booster dose while 22,975,123 or 97.6% have completed two doses.A total of 23,251,598 or 98.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine.Yesterday, a total of 4,666 vaccine doses were dispensed, of which 563 were first doses, 2,557 second shots and 1,546 booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine jabs administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 70,947,904.


Felda settlers plead for Raya aid

NGO Persatuan Anak Peneroka Felda Kebangsaan (Anak) today urged the government to provide festive aid for some 112,635 settlers who will celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri this month.
Anak adviser Mazlan Aliman said such aid would go a long way towards helping the settlers whom he added were struggling to keep up with the cost of living.
He said the aid was also a regular practice during the fasting month.
In previous years, he said, the settlers would receive RM300 to RM600 during Ramadan.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said the most they had ever been given was RM1,000.
"We understand that the government is facing financial constraints, so the amount given is a secondary concern," he said.
"The important thing is to get some help, also as a token of appreciation and recognition for the settlers for their work in the palm oil and rubber plantations.
"During Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration in 2018, Raya aid was given at the last minute," he added.
"The same happened in 2019."


Sorry.


Zahid didn’t benefit from RM250,000 bank loan taken by his brother, lawyer tells court

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur was told that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi did not benefit from the RM250,000 loan his younger brother Mohamad Nasaee Ahmad Tarmizi took from a textile wholesaler.Lead counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, who represented Zahid, said this was because Nasaee had paid the said amount to a law firm, Messrs Lewis & Co.The lawyer said textile wholesaler Junaith Asharab, who is also the 36th prosecution witness, had testified that Nasaee personally wrote down, law firm Messrs Lewis & Co as the payee.“According to Junaith, the cheque then cleared into Lewis & Co client’s account on July 15, 2016,” he said, adding that Nasaee was never called by the prosecution to explain why the sum was made payable to the firm.“There is not an iota of evidence that the accused was aware of this and a party of the loan transaction. The accused did not receive the alleged gratification and there is absolutely no basis to say it was an inducement,” he said in his submission at the end of the prosecution’s case before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.Hisyam said during cross-examination, Junaith had also reiterated that the loan had nothing to do with the accused.Therefore, he said the corruption charge against his client was completely baseless and groundless.Earlier, Sequerah allowed Zahid’s application to cut short today’s proceedings at 11am as the latter needed to attend Parliament proceedings at 12pm.The Bagan Datuk MP’s lawyer Hamidi Mohd Nor informed the court that his client had received a letter from the secretary of Dewan Rakyat yesterday evening, hence the request for today’s proceedings to be adjourned at 11am.Sequerah allowed Zahid’s application for shorter proceedings as the prosecution raised no objection over the matter.Zahid, 68, is facing 47 charges – 12 of criminal breach of trust, eight of corruption and 27 of money laundering – involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.As for the 26th money laundering charge, Zahid is accused of having committed the offence by allegedly being directly engaged in a transaction involving proceeds from lawful activity by giving instruction for the purchase of two property lots using a RM5.9 million cheque issued by law firm Messrs Lewis & Co.The defence will continue its submission tomorrow.


Dutch stage winning return to World Cup with 2-0 victory over Senegal

Three-time World Cup finalists Netherlands returned to the biggest international stage after an eight-year absence, beating Senegal 2-0 on Monday in their Group A match with late goals from Cody Gakpo and substitute Davy Klaassen.
The Dutch, who had failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, have now gone 16 games without defeat since coach Louis van Gaal took over for a third time, making him the most successful Dutch coach with 38 wins, surpassing Dick Advocaat.
They also stretched an unbeaten record in their opening game at World Cups that dates back to 1938.
Yet they looked to be heading for a scrappy goalless draw after wasting several chances before man-of-the-match Gakpo beat goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to nod in Frenkie de Jong's cross with the back of his head.
Klaassen then pounced on a weak Mendy save to score on the rebound nine minutes into stoppage time.
The Dutch join Ecuador, 2-0 winners over hosts Qatar on Sunday, on three points, with the top two meeting on Friday.
"At times we may have been too rushed and tried to force things," said Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk. "But in the end Cody did it very well.
"In midfield, however, if you lose possession it is open and they (Senegal) can be dangerous with their speed. That has to be better because Ecuador also have the speed that can hurt you on the counter.
"We will have to work on that, but it can only get better from here. That's how it feels," said the defender.
First opportunity
The 23-year-old Gakpo, who has now scored three times in his last four internationals, had the Netherlands' first opportunity after four minutes but tried to square the ball to Steven Bergwijn instead of going for goal.
That was followed by a Daley Blind header at the far post that flew wide before Steven Berghuis sent Bergwijn through and he laid the ball off for the unmarked De Jong in the box.
The midfielder took far too long to release the ball, however, and his effort was blocked.
The African champions were badly missing injured talisman Sadio Mane and did not manage a shot on target until the 65th minute when Boulaye Dia tried to sneak one past goalkeeper Andries Noppert, making his Dutch debut, from a tight angle.
Senegal had a bit more possession in the second half but despite the relentless drumming from their small fan group in the stands they could not find the back of the net.
To make matters worse, Cheikhou Kouyate had to be taken off injured before Gakpo sneaked in to snatch the opening goal.
Klaassen made sure of the points with a tap-in in stoppage time after Mendy palmed a Memphis Depay shot into his path.


Lawyer schools Ku Li after release of letter backing Dr M’s no-confidence motion

A former PKR MP has questioned Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah over a letter he sent to the Dewan Rakyat speaker last month, criticising the move to disallow a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.Lawyer N Surendran said the veteran Umno politician should have known the Parliament’s standing orders better.“As a veteran MP, Ku Li should know that under standing orders a private member’s motion can only be debated if a minister moves a motion to bring it up,” Surendran said on Twitter.The letter addressed to speaker Azhar Harun, dated Sept 25, referred to a no-confidence motion put forth by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad earlier this year.Among others, Razaleigh said the no-confidence motion should have been prioritised in the order paper during the Dewan Rakyat sitting. He also urged Azhar for assurance that such a motion would be allowed to be tabled at the next sitting.But in his reply late last month, Azhar said he had only followed existing rules in the standing orders, which state that government matters must be given priority.“The claim that the prime minister did not allow the motion of no confidence to be debated by pushing it to the bottom of the order paper is not true as the motion was listed according to the standing orders, where government matters must take precedence as stated in the standing orders,” Azhar said.Razaleigh, who was the first chairman of national oil firm Petronas, also accused Muhyiddin’s government of indulging in political gratification in exchange for MPs’ support.He said he had been offered an advisory post in Petronas but that he turned it down in order to abide by the constitution.Surendran said Razaleigh’s concerns on allowing MPs’ private motions should have been addressed by the previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, which had promised parliamentary reforms.“The PH government could have amended the rules, but they did nothing,” he added.


Putrajaya to study 49 recommendations from electoral reform committee

Putrajaya has received 49 recommendations from a committee tasked with improving the electoral system, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Takiyuddin Hassan.He told the Dewan Rakyat today that a special committee chaired by senior minister Mohamed Azmin Ali would be formed to study the recommendations submitted by the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC).The recommendations on improving the processes as well as the legal aspects of elections were submitted on Aug 27 in a report by the ERC, two years after it was set up by the previous Pakatan Harapan government.Takiyuddin said the government would study each suggestion individually, adding that it will need to get feedback from the related agencies including the Election Commission (EC).“The government will definitely announce the committee’s findings and, if needed, will table it in the Dewan Rakyat for debate.”The ERC is chaired by former EC chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman.It is tasked with reviewing all aspects of elections and gathering suggestions from political parties, voters and NGOs.


Over 6.8 million boosters given as 31 deaths reported

A total of 22,868,434 individuals or 97.7% of adults had completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow portal, 23,158,375 individuals or 98.9% have received at least one dose of vaccine.In terms of adolescents, 87.7% or 2,760,090 individuals have completed their vaccination, while 2,851,195 individuals or 90.6% have been given at least one dose of vaccine.A total of 241,595 vaccine doses were dispensed yesterday, with 2,844 shots administered as first doses, 3,952 as second jabs and 234,799 as boosters.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 58,303,449, including 6,865,812 booster jabs.Meanwhile, according to the ministry’s GitHub portal, a total of 31 deaths due to Covid-19 were reported yesterday.Selangor recorded the highest number of deaths with nine cases, followed by Kedah, Johor, Kelantan, Perak and Sabah with three cases each, Pahang and Penang with two, and Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu and Negeri Sembilan with one case each.


Go ahead and video your vaccination, says Khairy

Vaccine recipients are now allowed to record their vaccination process as part of the SOPs, in the wake of claims by some of having received less than the required dose.Khairy Jamaluddin, the minister in charge of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK), said all vaccination centres are also required to show recipients the syringe filled with the correct dosage before the shot is administered.This follows claims on social media by recipients who said they had been injected with an empty syringe.“I have instructed CITF to allow additional SOPs during the vaccination process, where recipients can now record themselves getting jabbed,” he said, referring to the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force.“Go ahead and record so that you’ll have hard proof that you have received the proper dosage for vaccination.”Speaking at a press conference today, he said the CITF had conducted an investigation and found that 13 police reports were lodged on empty syringes and incorrect dosage, most of which were “proven to be false or inconclusive”.“We have checked with the health workers at several vaccination centres and found that they gave the right amount of dosage to the recipients,” he said.However, he said the incident involving an empty syringe at a drive-thru vaccination centre in Sungai Petani was true, and that the health worker had admitted to being careless due to fatigue.He added that disciplinary action has been taken against her.“I take every single complaint from the public seriously and I don’t want to downplay this,” he said.“Even if it’s one single error, that’s one error too many for us.”


One pilot killed, another injured in Hawk jet accident

A pilot was killed and another injured in an accident involving a Hawk aircraft at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Air Base in Butterworth, Penang, on Nov 16.In a statement, the Air Force Command said the incident happened at around 10.07pm on the runway while the Hawk 108 fighter jet was conducting night flying training.It identified the dead victim as Capt Mohamad Affendi Bustamy and the injured pilot as Major Mohd Fareez Omar.It said Fareez is in stable condition and is being treated at the Seberang Jaya Hospital in Penang.“Both pilots were married and their families have been informed of the incident. RMAF will ensure that the welfare of the victims’ families will be given due attention.“All parties should refrain from spreading any unverified news or speculations. RMAF will be setting up an investigation board on the incident,” the statement said.Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said RMAF had been instructed to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident.He said he was informed about the incident through a call from Chief of Air Force Gen Ackbal Abdul.“There was one fatality and another person was injured. RMAF has been ordered to provide a detailed report and to investigate the cause of the incident immediately.“My deepest sympathies to the families of the airmen involved in the incident… very sad and disappointed to hear this news. I am given to understand that the injured airman has received immediate treatment,” he said on Twitter.He said the defence ministry has been ordered to channel assistance to the families of the airmen involved in the incident.


Forum on parliamentary democracy to be graced by Najib sees Dewan speaker pulling out

The speaker of the Dewan Rakyat has pulled out from a forum on parliamentary democracy where former prime minister Najib Razak will have the last word in the form of a keynote address at the end of the event.Azhar Harun was among a line-up of speakers who also include Pakatan Harapan heavyweights such as PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, DAP’s Teresa Kok and Amanah’s Khalid Samad.When contacted, Azhar who was slated to speak on the future of parliamentary democracy, confirmed that he was not attending, saying the event clashes with another meeting.It is believed that Anwar, as well as Khalid and Kok, will still participate.It is unclear whether another participant listed in the itinerary, Dewan Negara Speaker Rais Yatim, will be attending as well. He has not responded to queries from MalaysiaNow.The one-day forum is organised by a think tank called International Strategy Institute, whose chairman is Cheah Chyuan Yong.Earlier this week, MalaysiaNow reported that Najib’s attendance at a forum on democracy had raised eyebrows due to the former leader’s record in democracy during his time as prime minister.Najib’s nine-year rule was tainted by the 1MDB scandal, which saw him accused of channelling over US$700 million (about RM2.6 billion) from the strategic development company to his personal bank accounts.In 2015, Najib’s administration cut short a multi-agency investigation into the scandal, followed by the removal of the attorney-general.Investigations were reopened by Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s government in 2018, with authorities confiscating close to RM1 billion worth of cash and luxury items kept at several properties linked to Najib.Last year, the High Court found Najib guilty of seven charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power related to SRC International, and sentenced him to 12 years in jail. He is appealing against the conviction.Farhira Farudin contributed to this report.


Kit Siang says loser can be deputy prime minister

DAP’s Lim Kit Siang has indirectly proposed that Anwar Ibrahim be appointed as deputy prime minister in a soon-to-be-formed government, as it becomes known that the PKR president has failed to obtain the majority support.“If there are only two names for the position of prime minister, then one can be prime minister and the other deputy prime minister to form a war Cabinet to combine all political forces in a war Parliament to gain control of the war against Covid-19 pandemic and to pave the way for 15th general election in 18 months’ time,” Lim said in a statement, as 114 MPs head to Istana Negara today to personally verify their choice of prime minister.It is understood that the 114, comprising MPs from Perikatan Nasional, Umno and GPS, backed Ismail Sabri Yaakob for prime minister in their statutory letters to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday.The move indicates Anwar’s failure to obtain the support of the majority.Lim, in making his proposal, said Malaysia was in its “darkest hour” and that the remedy was a “war Cabinet and a war Parliament”.Anwar served as deputy prime minister under the Barisan Nasional government in 1998, his last post in a ruling capacity before his dramatic sacking by then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.


Reluctant migrants could hamstring efforts to reach herd immunity

Migrants and refugees concerned about the side effects of Covid-19 jabs and smarting from years of what they call a trust deficit in the government could throw a spanner into the works of the country’s vaccination programme, the second phase of which kicked off this week as authorities strive to stay on track to their goal of reaching herd immunity as quickly as possible.Khairy Jamaluddin, the minister in charge of Malaysia’s massive inoculation programme, has repeatedly assured that migrants, whether documented or not, will be included in the plan to vaccinate everyone in the country against the virus which has so far claimed more than 1,300 lives.He also guaranteed that those who come forward for the jab will not be detained or reported.But not all migrants are convinced.Some who spoke to MalaysiaNow said they are also worried about the safety of the vaccines which were produced in record time in order to combat the surge of infections across the globe.“I won’t take the vaccine for now, even if the Malaysian government offers it for free,” a Pakistani migrant worker said, citing reports of side effects and deaths linked to the jabs around the world.“I just don’t have confidence in it.”Speaking on condition of anonymity, the man who works at a tailor’s shop suggested that the shots be administered to business people and high-profile individuals first to prove the vaccines’ safety before they are given to others.“I won’t take the vaccine for now, even if the Malaysian government offers it for free.”“If it’s safe and they don’t suffer from any side effects or die, then consider reaching out to the lower class citizens and migrants,” he said.He said migrants and those from the lower income bracket have been struggling to cope with the effects of the pandemic, and should not be given the vaccines if they are still being tested for their effectiveness.An Indonesian migrant worker said he would consider getting vaccinated if the shots are proven safe and have no serious side effects.“I don’t mind getting the vaccine even if I have to pay for it,” he added.For him, safety is the biggest concern. If getting jabbed means a move towards easing the effects of the pandemic, he will do so.“Otherwise, it will be hard to contain this virus,” he said.Others whom MalaysiaNow approached appeared afraid and were unwilling to voice their opinions.“After the raids and what happened last year, the trust deficit is very big.”Migrant rights activist Adrian Pereira said this was partly due to the raids and detentions that took place last year as the authorities cracked down on undocumented migrants amid spikes in Covid-19 cases.Reports of one raid on the Selayang wholesale market in May said 1,368 migrants were detained including 98 children.The raids came despite Putrajaya’s assurance that refugees and migrants need not worry about their status in coming forward to be tested for Covid-19.Pereira said these events had changed the way migrants interact with locals.“After the raids and what happened last year, the trust deficit is very big,” he told MalaysiaNow.“Many migrants do not want to speak.”At the moment, he said, only community leaders are willing to comment on the vaccine issue.Pereira, who leads the North South Initiative, said NGOs are still waiting for directives from the government on the vaccination process for migrants, refugees and stateless people.Speaking of a lack of transparency in governance, he said these groups are worried about how and where to get inoculated, and whether their personal information will be kept safe.“I would like to be optimistic that our leaders have a clue, but they need to exhibit it and test the idea in public,” he said.“We are still waiting for the government to roll out its plan.”Khairy had said on Feb 17 that undocumented foreign workers should approach their respective embassies in order to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.He added that arrangements would be made for documented foreign workers to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in an efficient manner.“Meanwhile those who do not possess documentation must approach their embassies to be brought out and vaccinated without being arrested,” he said, adding that his ministry is still discussing the details of the plan.


Sri Lanka runs out of fuel as dollar crisis worsens

Sri Lanka’s public transport was crippled Wednesday as buses ran out of diesel, officials said as the country’s foreign exchange crisis worsened with no dollars to import fuel.The Private Bus Owners’ Association said they were able to operate only about a quarter of their fleet of 20,000 vehicles, while drivers reported queuing for seven hours to top up fuel.“I could not run the bus for two days because there was no diesel,” said 51-year-old bus driver Sarath.“I have been in the diesel queue for seven-and-a-half hours.”Many commuters were seen using their own motorcycles and small cars Wednesday after bus operators warned of drastically scaled back schedules.One of Sri Lanka’s biggest fuel suppliers, Lanka IOC, put up prices by as much as 12% on Saturday while the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said it too asked the government to allow it to raise prices.CPC sources said Wednesday they had supplies only for four more days.“We have also reduced the issue of diesel to gas stations and asked pumps to try and ration supplies,” one said.Taxi driver Thushara, 36, said he was in a queue for six hours to get petrol for his three-wheeler.“Why can’t (President) Gotabaya (Rajapaksa) consider the suffering of the people?” Thushara told AFP as he reached the front of the line.“Can’t he understand the suffering? Just come out and see. Why are you allowing people to suffer like this?”Long blackoutsThe transport shutdown came as seven-and-a-half hour electricity blackouts also went into effect, the longest scheduled power rationing in over a quarter of a century.The Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) said the cuts were brought on due to the shortage of foreign exchange to import fuel for electricity generators.Hydro electricity reservoirs were also running low due to the current dry season.Under a new directive, all state institutions were also ordered Tuesday to switch off their air conditioners in the afternoon to save energy.Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, a key foreign-exchange earner, collapsed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the government imposed a broad import ban in March 2020 to save foreign currency.The country is now in the grip of an economic crisis, with widespread shortages, including food, medicines, automotive parts and cement, and supermarkets forced to ration staple foods including rice, sugar and milk powder.Official data showed the country’s foreign currency reserves at a low of US$2.07 billion at the end of January, down 25% compared to the previous month and US$7.5 billion in November 2019 when President Rajapaksa took over.Energy minister Udaya Gammanpila has described the oil shortage as the “worst economic crisis since independence” from Britain in 1948.The shortages pushed food inflation to 25% in January with overall inflation at 16.8%.


MACC arrests 4 hospital staff in funeral services graft probe

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested four staff members of a hospital on suspicion of soliciting and accepting bribes of between RM1,000 and RM5,000 each for work related to funeral arrangement services.According to an MACC source, two of the suspects were health assistant officers and the other two were assistant medical officers aged between 35 and 41.The source said the suspects were arrested at about 6pm yesterday when they went to the Selangor MACC office to give their statements.It added that they were believed to have solicited and accepted bribes from certain individuals in return for the individuals to secure jobs related to funeral arrangements services from 2018 until last year.Selangor MACC director Alias Salim confirmed the arrest and said the case was being investigated under Section 17 (a) of the MACC Act 2009.He said three of the suspects would be brought to the Shah Alam Magistrate’s Court to be remanded while the fourth suspect, a 41-year-old assistant medical officer, would be released on MACC bail on health grounds after providing his statement to assist in the investigation.On May 27, two health assistant officers aged 40 and 42 were remanded for five days by MACC to assist in the investigation.


Australian state enters fourth lockdown to curb fast-spreading outbreak

Australia’s second most populous state Victoria will enter a seven-day lockdown from midnight on Thursday to counter a fast-spreading outbreak in its capital, Melbourne.Authorities have so far found 26 cases and identified 150 places where people may have been exposed to the virus, which Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino described as a highly contagious strain spreading “faster than we have ever recorded”.Cases have now been found across the state with links to a large number of venues, including packed football games at stadiums in Melbourne.“With 10,000 primary and secondary contacts of cases, with more than 150 exposure sites right around the state of Victoria, we need to act now,” Merlino said. “If we wait too long, this thing will get away from us.”For the next seven days, Victorians will be required to stay at home except for essential work, shopping, exercise, caregiving or to get a Covid vaccine. No gatherings are allowed, and travel is restricted to within 5km of the home. Mask wearing will be mandatory. Schools will be closed except for children of essential workers. Places of worship and all other non-essential venues will also be shut.Other Australian states are expected to limit movement of people from Victoria, with South Australia already blocking travellers from the state.The new outbreak marks the biggest increase in community transmission of the virus since the state came out of a second wave in October 2020, which caused more than 20,000 infections and 820 deaths – about 70% of cases and most of the fatalities nationwide.Victoria was forced to endure a marathon 112-day lockdown to bring infections back to zero.The latest outbreak has been traced to an overseas traveller who arrived and tested negative while in quarantine in South Australia. Anyone arriving in Australia from abroad must complete mandatory 14-day quarantine.The traveller developed symptoms and tested positive six days after going to Melbourne.Australia has successfully staved off widespread transmission of the virus through strict border controls, snap lockdowns and quarantine measures but it has also been slow to vaccinate its population, and the latest outbreak has prompted renewed calls for Australians to get their jabs.The country’s Covid immunisation rollout has been dogged by delays due to supply and logistical problems, as well as rising hesitancy to get the jab among some groups. So far, less than 10% of the population has been vaccinated.“The vaccine rollout has been slower than we hoped,” said Merlino. “If more people were vaccinated, we might be facing a very different set of circumstances than we are today.”The country is conducting a staged rollout based on age and vulnerability, but Merlino said anyone in the state aged over 40 would now be eligible to receive a jab.On Wednesday, the federal government pledged to send an extra 140,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Melbourne to boost protection of the elderly and other vulnerable groups.


Top French court upholds ban on wearing hijab during football games

France’s top administrative court on Thursday ruled against a collective of Muslim female football players in their case against the French Football Federation (FFF), upholding a ban on the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, during games.
The Council of State (Conseil d’Etat) ruled that "the ban enacted by the FFF is suitable and proportionate," said the court in a statement.
"Sports federations, in charge of proper functioning of the public service whose management is entrusted to them, may impose on their players an obligation of outfit neutrality during competitions," the statement read.
The lawyer for the Muslim collective, called the "Hijabeuses", was not immediately available for comment.
Football's world governing body Fifa lifted a similar ban on female footballers wearing the hijab more than a decade ago.
Home to one of Europe’s largest Muslim minorities, France has implemented laws designed to protect its strict form of secularism, known as “laicité,” which President Emmanuel Macron has said is under threat from Islamism.
Some Muslim associations and human rights groups allege those laws have targeted Muslims, chipped away at democratic protections and left them vulnerable to abuse.


Afghan Taliban carry out first public execution since takeover

An Afghan man convicted of murder was executed in public Wednesday, the Taliban said, the first confirmation of such a punishment since the hardline Islamists returned to power.
Last month, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered judges to fully enforce aspects of Islamic law that include public executions, stonings and floggings, and the amputation of limbs from thieves.
They have carried out several public floggings since then, but Wednesday's execution in Farah – capital of the western province of the same name – is the first the Taliban have acknowledged.
"The supreme court was instructed to implement this order of qisas in a public gathering of compatriots," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement, referring to the "eye for an eye" justice in Islamic law.
In a later tweet, Zabihullah said the victim's father had carried out the sentence, shooting the condemned man three times with a Kalashnikov.
The statement named the executed man as Tajmir, son of Ghulam Sarwar, and said he was a resident of Anjil district in Herat province.
It said Tajmir had murdered a man, and stolen his motorcycle and mobile phone.
"Later, this person was recognised by the heirs of the deceased," it said, adding he had admitted his guilt.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres voiced "deep concern" about the public execution, spokesman Stephanie Tremblay said.
"Our position has never changed. The United Nations is against the death penalty... So we call for a return to the moratorium on the death penalty" in Afghanistan, she said.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price said "despicable" public executions break Taliban promises to the world.
"This indicates to us that the Taliban seek a return to their regressive and abusive practices of the 1990s," Price said.
Severe restrictions
The Taliban regularly carried out punishments in public during their first period of rule that ended in late 2001, including floggings and executions at the national stadium in Kabul, which Afghans were encouraged to attend.
"I remember when they were implementing these punishments in their first stint, where they would announce for the public to gather," rights activist Ogai Amil told AFP.
She said Wednesday's execution reminded her of those days, adding it "shakes the human conscience".
"Why should it happen only in Afghanistan?" she asked.
The hardline Islamists had promised a softer rule this time round, but have introduced increasingly severe restrictions on the lives of Afghans.
Women in particular have been incrementally squeezed out of public life since the Taliban's return.
Those in government roles have lost their jobs – or are being paid a pittance to stay at home – while women are also barred from travelling without a male relative, and must cover up with a burqa or hijab when out of the home.
Schools for teenage girls have also been shuttered across most of the country for over a year.
Zabihullah said the case for Wednesday's execution had been thoroughly examined by a series of courts before the supreme leader gave the order.
"This matter was examined very precisely," he said in the statement. "In the end, they gave an order to apply the shariah law of retribution to the murderer."
Akhundzada, who has not been filmed or photographed in public since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, rules by decree from Kandahar, the movement's birthplace and spiritual heartland.
The statement included the names of dozens of court officials as well as other Taliban representatives as being present for the execution.


25.5% of children given first vaccine shot

A total of 904,368 children aged five to 11 or 25.5% had been given a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow website, a total of 14,736,569 individuals or 62.6% of the adult population have received a Covid-19 booster dose and 22,950,422 or 97.5% have completed their vaccination.Meanwhile, 23,230,349 or 98.7% have received at least one dose of vaccine.In terms of adolescents aged 12 to 17, a total of 2,801,714 or 90% have completed their vaccination, while 2,897,292 or 93.1% have received at least one dose of vaccine.Yesterday, a total of 101,038 vaccine doses were given, with 26,476 as first doses, 1,300 as second shots and 73,262 as booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 67,313,182.


Malaysia’s trade hits record high, surpassing RM2 trillion

Malaysia’s total trade surpassed the RM2 trillion mark for the first time in history, expanding 24.6% year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM2.01 trillion from January to November 2021.Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) said during the period, exports increased by 25.7% y-o-y to RM1.11 trillion, imports rose by 23.3% y-o-y to RM894.42 billion and trade surplus edged up by 36.2% y-o-y to RM221.53 billion.In a statement today, it said for the first 11 months of 2021, all products recorded export expansions except for transport equipment and beverages and tobacco.“Exports of manufactured goods grew 25.3% y-o-y to RM961.89 billion, aided by growing exports of electrical and electronic (E&E) products, petroleum products, manufactures of metal, rubber products as well as chemicals and chemical products,” it said.Matrade said exports of agriculture goods rose 37.3% y-o-y to RM87.03 billion due to strong exports of palm oil and palm oil-based agriculture products and natural rubber.Additionally, exports of mining goods edged up 17.8% y-o-y to RM62.78 billion, buoyed by higher exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), metalliferous ores and metal scrap, as well as crude petroleum, it said.Meanwhile, it noted that trade breached the RM200 billion mark for the second time in a row in November 2021, marking the 10th consecutive month of double-digit growth since February 2021.During the month, total trade expanded 34.9% y-o-y to RM205.5 billion, as exports rose 32.4% y-o-y to RM112.2 billion – the 15th consecutive month of y-o-y expansion since September 2020 – while imports were higher by 38% y-o-y at RM93.3 billion.Trade surplus increased 10.5% y-o-y to RM18.9 billion.It said exports of all major sectors recorded double-digit y-o-y growth on the back of higher exports of all products, except for rubber products and crude petroleum.Exports of E&E products increased by 17.4% y-o-y to RM40.04 billion, accounting for 35.7% of total exports in November 2021.“Petroleum products exports surged 111.6% y-o-y to RM9.65 billion and accounted for 8.6% of total exports, while export of palm oil and palm oil-based agriculture products surged 97.4% y-o-y to RM7.91 billion and accounted for 7.1% of total exports,” it said.Matrade said exports of chemicals and chemical products rose 45.9% y-o-y to RM6.51 billion and took up 5.8% of total exports, while export of manufactures of metal surged 75.9% y-o-y to RM5.74 billion comprising 5.1% of total exports.Meanwhile, it said exports to major markets, notably Asean, China, the US, the European Union and Japan, recorded double-digit growth in November 2021, with exports to Asean and the US registering an all-time high monthly value.Asean accounted for 27.6% of Malaysia’s total trade, with trade and exports at an all-time high in November 2021, expanding by 45.5% y-o-y to RM56.63 billion.Exports rose 39.4% y-o-y and imports climbed 54.8% y-o-y.Meanwhile, trade with China accounted for 18.5% of Malaysia’s total trade, climbing 26.1% y-o-y to RM37.92 billion, with exports growing by 20.5% and imports increasing by 31.2%.Matrade said exports to the US also rose to a record high in November 2021, increasing by 33.5% y-o-y to RM13.03 billion.“Imports from the US were up by 18.1% y-o-y to RM6.69 billion; thus total trade with the US grew by 27.9% y-o-y to RM19.72 billion,” it said, adding that trade with the US accounted for 9.6% of Malaysia’s total trade during the month.On a month-on-month basis, Matrade said Malaysia’s trade and imports grew by 1.5% and 5.9% respectively, while exports and trade surplus contracted by 1.9% and 28.1% respectively.


Mutant coronavirus may be responsible for super-spreader outbreak in remote Chile

A wilderness region with only 1% of Chile’s population is suffering nearly 20% of the country’s total new Covid-19 cases.The Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region, at the southern tip of South America, has been experiencing an unusually contagious second wave of infections in recent weeks. Hospitals are nearing full occupancy in the hard-hit towns and Chilean health ministry officials say they have begun evacuating sick residents from the rugged and isolated region to the capital, Santiago.Experts say this unusually high rate of infection suggests that an especially virulent mutation might be at work in the small towns dotted among the glaciers of Patagonia, which have seen cases of Covid-19 spike in September and October following a first wave earlier this year.“Earlier this week, the number of people testing positive in Magallanes was the same as in the capital, except that Magallanes has the lowest population density in the country, 170,000 versus eight million in Santiago,” said Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman, reporting from the Chilean capital, Santiago.“Experts say there could be many reasons, including the weather, but they can’t rule out that a new strand of the virus is mainly to blame.”Marcelo Navarrete of the University of Magallanes in regional capital Punta Arenas told Reuters that researchers had detected “structural changes” in the spikes on the distinctive, crown-shaped virus.“The only thing we know to date is that this coincides in time and space with a second wave that is quite intense in the region,” he told Reuters. “Some variables such as cold and wind are associated with a higher rate of spread.”Studies outside Chile have also indicated that the coronavirus can evolve as it adapts to its human hosts.Scientists say the mutations may make the virus more contagious but do not necessarily make it more deadly, nor would they necessarily inhibit the effectiveness of a potential vaccine.


Sweden must do more to combat hate crime

Görel Granström & Karin Åström’s Lifecycle of a Hate Crime - Country Report for Sweden (2017) is an eye opener. Granström is associate professor at the Department of Law, Umeå University, Sweden while Åström, who was a senior lecturer in 2017, is also associate professor at the same university.
Both should be exemplary of academic honesty.
According to the authors, measures against hate crimes, which are crimes motivated by bias, have been defined as a priority issue in Sweden since the mid-1990s. The Swedish government has stated that these crimes are seen as a violation of human rights and, as such, important to combat.
Since 2016, the Swedish government has implemented a national plan against racism, similar forms of hostility and hate crime. The national plan states as follow:
“Effective measures against racism and hate crime contribute towards the objective of ensuring full respect for Sweden’s international human rights obligations. Combating racism and similar forms of hostility prevents the risk of individual’s rights being infringed.”
Despite a significant majority of state prosecutors interviewed for the report being of the opinion that hate crimes “are an increasing feature of Swedish society and that the legal system has become better at identifying these crimes”, there were still very few cases that led to prosecution and conviction.
Take the example of the crime of insult, a common hate crime. A prosecutor explained that while “insult is something that is often reported, it is possible to say that many of those reports do not lead to prosecution just because of the way the law is designed, where only in exceptional cases are they designated a public prosecution offence.”
The legislation dealing with agitation against a national or ethnic group and the law criminalising unlawful discrimination – again, hate crimes – are rarely used. According to Granström and Åström, all those interviewed for the report – judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers – stated that they almost never handled cases regarding unlawful discrimination, and that cases of agitation against a national or ethnic group were rarely brought to court.
One of the prosecutors explained why prosecutors were reluctant to prosecute actions in accordance with the legislation on agitation against a national or ethnic group as follow:
“I make the assessment that when it concerns agitation against a national or ethnic group, I usually prosecute… but there is quite a lot of caution, too much caution in using this legislation due to the relation to freedom of speech and freedom of opinion.
“And of course that is important, absolutely basic rights one should not tamper with, but at the same time there are regulations that some opinions are not allowed to be expressed.”
The above is somewhat in line with what a minority of the judges referred to a “hassle” having to handle hate crime cases. One of the judges interviewed explained:
“This is a damn hassle…. [W]hat I think is the dilemma… is the balance between freedom of expression and the right of vulnerable groups to be protected, not to be exposed. [T]hat is difficult.”
A significant majority of the prosecutors found it difficult to prosecute an offence as a hate crime. From their experience there are two aspects to these difficulties.
First, the prosecutor needed to provide evidence both regarding the requirements for the actual crime, the intent to commit a crime, and also of the motive behind it. So, there was a double burden. Secondly, it was difficult to provide evidence of the motivation as a motive is seldom visible.
The few cases that proceeded to prosecution perhaps explain why all the judges that were interviewed said that they had very little experience of dealing with hate crimes, and could only remember a handful when asked about them.
The prosecutors (and some of the defence lawyers), too, said that judges were not always very good at handling hate crime cases.
The authors wrote:
“A significant majority of the legal actors were of the opinion that the legislation regarding hate crimes is sufficient and that problems in Sweden have more to do with implementation, that is, how the legislation is used or rather not used.
“There is also the matter of the legislation on unlawful discrimination and agitation against a national or ethnic group, two provisions that are almost never used. Hardly any of the prosecutors interviewed mentioned prosecuting cases of unlawful discrimination, and when they talked about the crime of agitation, almost all of them stated that the statute was difficult to use.”
Accordingly, the authors recommended that the legislation on unlawful discrimination and agitation against a national or ethnic group should be critically evaluated focusing on investigating why it is so seldom used, and in what way it could be amended to allow more effective application.
Sweden regularly reports hate crime data to the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), an agency under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Hate crime reports are published every second year.
The ODIHR has recognised Sweden's efforts to address hate crime in a comprehensive manner, as well as information submitted to the ODIHR on the overall hate crime situation in the country. However, based on the available information, it has also been observed that Sweden has not reported data on hate crimes recorded by the judiciary to ODIHR. In other words, it has not reported on state prosecution against hate crime.
In August 2020, Swedish daily Aftonbladet reported that several Islamophobic Islam activities had taken place in Malmo, including three men kicking a copy of the Quran between them in a public square.
The Islamophobic protests occurred after Rasmus Paludan, leader of Danish far-right political party Hard Line, had been denied permission to have a meeting in Malmo and was stopped at the Swedish border. A riot broke out when counter protesters gathered to protest against the Islamophobic activities.
Riots erupted two years later in 2022 after a demonstration organised by Paludan, yet again. He had permission for a series of demonstrations across Sweden during the Easter weekend. By then, Paludan was already known for Quran burnings.
According to media reports, Paludan burned a copy of the Quran in a heavily populated Muslim area in the country.
If only Paludan had been brought to book for hate crime instead of being given permission to demonstrate outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm where he, again, burned a copy of the Quran, Sweden would not have come under heavy condemnation from across the Arab and Islamic world.
That’s a world of more than two billion people.
Sweden must do more in combating hate crime by bringing the perpetrators of hate crime to justice.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


US win Iran showdown to reach World Cup last 16

The US beat Iran 1-0 in a battle of geopolitical foes to reach the knockout phase of the World Cup on Tuesday while England eased through against Wales.
The Americans earned a second round meeting with the Netherlands after Christian Pulisic bundled the ball into the net in the 38th minute of an absorbing contest in Doha.
Only the third international meeting of the bitter ideological rivals had been marked by a bad-tempered buildup.
Iran's Football Federation had on Sunday demanded that Fifa punish US Soccer for posting a modified version of their country's flag on social media.
Meanwhile the Iran team's every move in Qatar has been scrutinised for signs the players are showing support for mass anti-government protests that have shaken the Islamic republic.
On Tuesday, having opted not to do so in their opening match, the Iranian players did sing the national anthem, albeit without much enthusiasm, in the highly-charged atmosphere of the Al Thumama Stadium.
There was nothing half-hearted about the Iranians' performance though, but the Americans were deserved winners after digging deep for the victory.
"The guys grinded, gave every single ounce and we are undefeated going into the next round," US coach Gregg Berhalter said.
Iran substitute Saman Ghoddos wasted two clear scoring opportunities.
"The dream is over," Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said. "Unfortunately football always punishes the team that doesn't score."
Reflecting the fact that the game was about more than sport, US President Joe Biden had wrapped up a speech on the economy in Michigan, but returned to the stage to tell the crowd: "The US one, Iran zero! The game's over!"
England end Welsh challenge
England's task was easier, as they swept past Wales 3-0 to win Group B and set up a meeting with Senegal on Sunday.
After an uneventful first half in the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden pounced in the space of two second-half minutes to effectively end the contest.
Manchester United forward Rashford then added his second goal of the night to ensure Wales' first involvement in a World Cup finals since 1958 ended in disappointment.
"This is what I play football for, the biggest moments, the best moments," Rashford said.
"I'm really happy today that we're going through to the next round. I have massive ambition for this team and think we can play even better than we showed today."
The Netherlands cruised into the last 16 with a comfortable 2-0 win over already-eliminated Qatar to win Group A.
Cody Gakpo netted his third goal of the tournament and Frenkie de Jong scored the other as the Dutch easily beat the host nation at Al Bayt Stadium.
There was more excitement at the Khalifa International Stadium where Kalidou Koulibaly's first goal for Senegal pushed his country to a 2-1 win over Ecuador and a place in the knockout phase for just the second time in their history.
The Chelsea defender's 70th-minute strike eliminated the South Americans, who had only needed a draw to go through, and made Senegal the first African side to progress from the group stage so far in this tournament.
Meanwhile, an Italian man who ran onto the pitch during Monday's game between Portugal and Uruguay carrying a rainbow flag was released following a brief detention.
The man identified as Mario Ferri also wore a T-shirt with the words "Respect for Iranian Woman" on the back and "Save Ukraine" on the front.
Ferri said on Instagram: "Fifa banned rainbow captain's armbands and human rights flags in the stands, they blocked everyone, BUT NOT ME."
Ferri has staged similar protests before, including at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he raised the issue of children living in poverty.


Giving back to society to continue despite flood losses for Big Bad Wolf Books

Big Bad Wolf Books today pledged to donate books to the community through its long-term outreach programme despite suffering tens of thousands in losses due to the recent floods which hit the BookXcess warehouse in Shah Alam.It said this was a way for it to give back to the community, especially those affected by the floods as well.The books will be donated to 2,000 communities ranging from kindergartens to school libraries, underprivileged families and orphanages.Just three weeks ago, the BookXcess warehouse in Shah Alam lost millions of books to the floods which swept through the 200,000 sq foot building.But its founder Andrew Yap said the experience sparked a desire in him to give more to the community, especially after the sight of children from the neighbourhood going through the discarded piles to salvage the books that could still be used.Adding that it had been a traumatic experience, he said they had always kept in mind their mission to give back to the community.“Our mission has always been to empower and inspire Malaysians by making books accessible to all. We have focused on creating a new generation of readers and increasing English literacy, helping to improve their life chances,” he said.This follows an initiatve earlier this week which saw hundreds of books contributed to families around Shah Alam, one of the worst-hit areas in Selangor.But Yap said more support and contributions are needed.“Each and every contribution will go towards this worthy cause. No donation is too small or too big.“Therefore, we invite everyone to join us in donating to the community at large. If a company or an individual were to pledge RM3,500, it will help tremendously, in contributing a few hundred books to fill up a library and help people in immeasurable ways,” he said.Big Bad Wolf Books will also be holding its Big Bad Comeback Online Book Sale from Jan 14 to 23.


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The difference between Muhyiddin and Najib

It is very curious, if not outright disturbing, when a disgraced politician, who treated Malaysia like a banana republic and became the first ever prime minister to become a convicted felon over literally the worst financial corruption scandal in the country’s history, is bold enough to criticise how the administration of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin managed the economy during his brief tenure.Let’s remember, shall we, that by the time Najib Razak was finally dislodged from office in the 14th general election, 1MDB had lost RM42 billion, some RM19 billion GST funds had gone missing and RM16 billion tax refunds also were missing. The prices of goods and services had been rising steadily even while Najib slashed subsidies and welfare budgets. The ringgit was virtually in freefall. The Barisan Nasional government Najib led cared little for the poor and primarily sought to ingratiate itself to international ratings agencies.There was never a vision for broad-based economic or industrial reform or innovation. The list goes on. Malaysia was on the brink of bankruptcy, ordinary Malaysians were struggling to survive financially while Najib and his cronies were pilfering the nation’s coffers for personal profit. And now, this man is accusing Muhyiddin of mismanaging the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic – a crisis the likes of which the world has never seen.Let’s compare. When Muhyiddin left office after just over a year, his government had delivered over RM300 billion to Malaysian businesses, institutions, and the rakyat in stimulus and relief packages without incurring a single ringgit in debt to foreign lenders.He had instituted a road map to recovery that has continued to guide the nation out of the consequences of the pandemic even following his resignation. This has enabled the country to achieve one of the fastest and highest rates of adult vaccination in the world.His economic plan for revitalising key sectors and boosting those industries hardest hit by the crisis has put Malaysia on track to not only overcome the damage, but to achieve new rates of economic growth in both the short and long term, and the ringgit has been on a stable upwards trajectory throughout 2021.By any fair and objective analysis, Muhyiddin’s stewardship of the economy during his 17-month tenure and his handling of the Covid-19 crisis has achieved greater good for the Malaysian people than Najib accomplished over the entire course of his nine years in office. Muhyiddin’s contribution as prime minister and now as chairman of the National Recovery Council (MPN) has created benefits for the country that will likely outlast this generation.On the other hand, the infamy of Najib’s many scandals will likely live on after him. Yet, here he is, feeling himself entitled to speak out and advise the government on how to manage the nation’s affairs – the man voted out of office and then convicted in court, literally, for his corrupt management of Malaysia.Who has emboldened him? Sadly, it is widely understood that Najib has become the informal top economic adviser to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and that he continues to enjoy support from within the upper echelons of Umno.The party, for whatever reason, has failed to recognise that Najib is a monstrous liability, not just because he has an abysmal reputation but because he embodies everything that has been despised in Malaysian politics for at least the last decade.As long as Najib remains in the embrace of Umno, he will, of course, feel that he still has a place in the political landscape but by keeping him in its embrace, Umno will bear the stench of his wrongdoings in public mind.Muhyiddin made his position on Najib known years ago, and he suffered within the party for that. Umno needs to recognise what they have in Muhyiddin – perhaps he is the only man who can rehabilitate the party’s reputation and salvage their image among voters.When Muhyiddin stood down as PM, he made it clear that he would not conspire with kleptocratic groups, that he would never interfere in the running of the judiciary just to save politicians who are facing multiple corruption charges.Muhyiddin’s record is unblemished. He singlehandedly guided Malaysia through the most challenging moment in our history and that guidance is still being utilised today through his chairmanship of the MPN. There is no one else within Umno, nor indeed, on the political horizon, better qualified or more deserving of leadership than Muhyiddin, and no one better qualified or more deserving of banishment than Najib.Everyone seems to know this except Umno themselves, and you can easily predict that this will be reflected in the polls.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


US announces US$26 million in new aid for Rohingya

The US announced on Tuesday US$26 million (RM116.87 million) in new humanitarian aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and elsewhere in that region of Asia.
Around one million members of the mostly Muslim Rohingya community live in squalid relief camps in Bangladesh, many after fleeing a 2017 military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar. The onslaught caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
"This new funding allows our humanitarian partners to continue providing life-saving assistance to affected communities on both sides of the Burma Bangladesh border," State Department spokesman Ned Price said, using the old name for Myanmar.
He said the new money raises to US$2.1 billion the total of US aid provided to the Rohingya people since August 2017.
The United Nations said Tuesday it needs US$876 million to meet the humanitarian needs of the Rohingya in Bangladesh, after dwindling donations forced a cut to their food rations.


Death toll from Myanmar junta crackdown passes 1,000

Myanmar’s security forces have killed more than 1,000 civilians since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi from power six months ago, an advocacy group said on Wednesday.The country has been in turmoil since Feb 1, when the armed forces seized power in a lightning coup, triggering dissent as protesters demanded a return to democracy.Security forces responded with bloody crackdowns, using live rounds against civilians. But anti-junta mobs – some of whom have formed self-defence groups – are still taking to the streets daily in flash marches.Activist group Assistance Association for Political Prisoners – which verifies the deaths and mass arrests under the regime – said the number of people killed by security forces reached 1,001 on Wednesday.The actual number is likely far higher, said AAPP’s joint secretary Ko Bo Gyi.“As long as the military is in power, they will continue to kill youths, professionals like doctors and teachers, men, women and children,” he said.“They are not only killing our lives but the country’s future and democratic hopes.”Ko Bo Gyi – whose group has been named an “unlawful” organisation by the junta and is currently in hiding – also accused authorities of “weaponising” Covid-19 as the country weathers a deadly surge.So far, Myanmar has recorded more than 360,000 cases and 13,623 deaths from Covid.The health crisis has been aggravated by a lack of formal medical care as many hospitals have been emptied of staff joining nationwide strikes against the junta.Patients are also reluctant to go to military-run hospitals, creating long lines for oxygen and medical supplies in pharmacies across Yangon.The junta has repeatedly justified the coup by alleging widespread fraud in last year’s election, and given much lower civilian death tolls.Authorities also said in June that more than 90 members of the security forces have been killed in clashes.Deposed leader Suu Kyi is facing a raft of criminal charges, from possessing illegal walkie-talkies to violating the state secrets act.Army chief Min Aung Hlaing was installed as the prime minister of a “caretaker” government, which the junta has dubbed the State Administration Council.


36 reported deaths take Covid toll to 30,574

Another 36 Covid-related deaths were reported on Dec 4, taking the cumulative death toll in the country to 30,574.According to the health ministry’s Github data repository, eight or 22.2% of these were brought-in-dead (BID) cases.Sabah had the highest number of reported deaths at nine or 25% followed by Penang at six or 16.7%.Johor and Kelantan reported four deaths each while Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Terengganu reported three deaths each.Pahang reported two deaths while Perlis and Selangor reported one death each.No deaths were reported in Kedah, Melaka, Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.A total of 4,896 new cases were reported yesterday, taking the overall total to 2,654,474.As of yesterday, there were 62,668 active Covid-19 cases reported and 4,678 recoveries.


‘I’m no politician’: speaker tells of false narratives, posturing behind Parliament debate

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun today said there were several “false narratives” being propagated by those calling for Parliament to convene during the emergency, adding that he had largely avoided the debate as the issue was being politicised.“I do not wish to further muddy the waters. I do not wish to enter this political arena.“All the words and all the posturing so far, sadly, to me, have been politics,” he told Astro Awani’s Consider This current affairs programme, two days after penning a lengthy article on MalaysiaNow explaining the lack of constitutional basis for calls to reopen Parliament.Azhar said he understood the views of his deputy, Azalina Othman Said, who recently wrote an open letter calling for Dewan Rakyat to convene.“With all due respect to her, she is not like me, she is a politician. Being a politician, there is a need to adopt a certain posturing and positioning for political benefits. I do not find the need to do so. More so, in my seat, when everything is being politicised, I wish to avoid that,” he said.He also said it was wrong to say that he as the speaker had the power to call for a sitting, disputing as well the notion that only the Agong has the absolute power to summon or halt Parliament sessions.“That is half the truth. The king has the power to summon or prorogue the Parliament, but His Majesty acts on the advice of the government through the advice of the prime minister,” he said.Writing on MalaysiaNow on Sunday, Azhar said there appeared to be a lack of understanding among critics of the emergency about the concept of the division of powers as provided by the Federal Constitution.He said the view that the government has no right to stop parliamentary proceedings should be argued out based on constitutional provisions.“Whether we like it or not, that is the power of the Cabinet or executive and that power has been exercised,” he said.Opposition politicians from Pakatan Harapan as well as NGOs affiliated with them have initiated legal proceedings against the government, seeking declarations that the emergency declared by the Agong in January this year was unconstitutional.In the interview last night, Azhar said he had engaged with both politicians and the palace on the matter of reopening Parliament, adding however that he wished to avoid being dragged into politics.“Everything in Malaysia now is hotly politicised, rightly or wrongly.“The situation we are all in now is dire. An emergency has been proclaimed, and I think all the administration has to do is to focus on solving two things: Covid and the economic situation.”He said the emergency would facilitate the process of passing critical laws needed to battle the pandemic, following the experience of the 2021 budget debates.He also said his office had been looking into ways to hold virtual Dewan Rakyat sessions, adding that there are constitutional issues involved.He said he had been advised that the Federal Constitution needs to be amended to enable virtual sittings.“Because the constitution says that those who are not present in the House cannot vote.“Number two, every time the king summons Parliament, His Majesty will issue a proclamation which will be gazetted, and say the House is hereby summoned to sit on so-and-so date and so-and-so time, and thirdly, the venue.“So right now, the constitution, the proclamation and the standing orders are all made on the basis that the sitting will be physical.”


Special sitting before Aug 1 proposed to PM, say speakers

The leaders of the two Houses of Parliament today said a proposal had been submitted to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin for a special sitting to be held before Aug 1, in the wake of their audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday.Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim and Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun said the Agong had at the audience expressed his view that a Parliament sitting should be held before that date.“We, along with our deputies, uphold the king’s decree and have stated the commitment and full readiness of Parliament to hold a sitting as decreed by His Majesty,” they said in a joint statement.“The prime minister has been informed of the decree made by His Majesty at the audience, and it has been suggested to the prime minister that a special sitting be held before Aug 1, according to existing provisions of the law.”Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had yesterday repeated his view that a Parliament sitting should be held as quickly as possible, following an audience with Rais, Azhar and their deputies, Mohamad Ali Mohamad, Mohd Rashid Hasnon and Azalina Othman Said.A statement issued by the palace said this was to allow the declaration of emergency and emergency ordinance to be tabled as provided for in Article 150 (3) of the Federal Constitution.It added that the views expressed were the stand of the Agong as well as the Malay rulers in their capacity as constitutional monarchs based on the supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law.This was the second statement issued by the king on the matter. The first statement was made in the wake of a special meeting of the Malay rulers. It was followed by a separate statement by the rulers themselves, voicing support for the king’s stand.They also said they saw no need for the emergency period to extend beyond its scheduled deadline of Aug 1.The state of emergency was declared in January amid a spike in Covid-19 infections which also saw the enforcement of the second movement control order across large parts of the country.Under the emergency declaration, Parliament and state assembly sittings have been suspended.


Ahead of D-Day, Muhyiddin tells voters to reject Anwar and Zahid

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin hit out at his political opponents last night, telling voters to reject both Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition and Barisan Nasional (BN) led by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the 15th general election (GE15).
He said Anwar should not be chosen to lead as he had been proven guilty in court and sentenced to prison for "indecent" acts.
"He did indecent acts and I don't want to talk about those things. I bring it up because he was convicted and sent to jail.
"Yes, he received a pardon but the fact it that he was found guilty," Muhyiddin said at a PN event in Pagoh.
Muhyiddin, PN's candidate for the Pagoh seat, said Anwar had upped the attacks on him as he was worried that he would not win the support of the majority come polling day this weekend.
He said the PKR president had made PN his main goal because the coalition consisting of Bersatu, PAS and Gerakan was now more popular.
"He has made reckless accusations and is worried because there are just hours left and he sees that his party cannot attract the support of the majority.
"I know it and he knows it," he said.
Muhyiddin also hit out at DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, claiming he was losing the support of the Chinese and had long been rejected by the Malays.
He said Bersatu's decision to leave PH had been the right move, following what he described as "extreme" insistence from DAP.
On BN, meanwhile, he said the Umno-led coalition had been known for widespread wrongdoing and misconduct for a long time.
He said the strongest proof of this was the August jailing of former prime minister Najib Razak, who was also the Umno president at the time.
"I used to scold him while I was in the government as the deputy prime minister – where is my boss now?" he added.
Muhyiddin also urged the people to read the manifestos offered by all three coalitions in order to make a fair comparison and judge for themselves which pledges were reasonable.
He said PN had not offered things that were out of reach, but only what was realistic and could be fulfilled.
"As a Muslim, if you promise something, it should be fulfilled," he said.
"Not promising everything but then giving nothing in the end," he added, in a jibe at PH's manifesto at the last general election.


A hung parliament and what happens next

Malaysia spoke in GE15. However, it was with a divided voice. Horse-trading between political parties is ongoing. There are many messages circulating on social media and a lot of misinformation out there. This is an opportune time to address some of these issues and set out where we are.
Was there a 'winner' in GE15? There was no winner. A winner would have a clear majority of at least 112 seats. It does no one any good to speak of winners and losers by reference to the number of individual seats a political party secures.
Pakatan Harapan (PH) as a coalition may have the single largest number of seats, but it is far short of a majority without another coalition partner. It is in no better position than Perikatan Nasional (PN), which secured 73 seats.
The party that manages to get a working coalition with an excess of 112 seats will form the government.
As it stands, PN has officially secured the agreement of GRS and GPS. That takes its tally to at least 101. As of yesterday afternoon, news reports suggest that they have submitted more than 112 statutory declarations in support of Muhyiddin Yassin.
This is a product of coalition politics and a divided electorate. It means PN and its coalition partners are able to form the majority.
Who should be given the 'first' opportunity to form the government?
A few articles have referred to conventions allowing for the formation of a minority government or giving the party with the single largest number of seats the "first opportunity".
By that measure, PN has the single largest number of seats with confirmed support from GRS and GPS.
That said, the palace has not yet determined who is most likely to command the majority of the house. The palace has, through the speaker, sought individual statutory declarations from the individual MPs. That exercise may well yield an answer given the submissions of statutory declarations by PN.
We must remember that party affiliation has no bearing on this exercise. It is the members of the House and not the leaders of their respective political parties that make that decision.
The members of the house may choose to go against the grain of their political parties. The consequences then are a matter of internal party discipline. What is important is that our new anti-hopping law only punishes voluntary defection from a political party by resigning or ceasing to be a member. Expulsion from a political party is specifically protected under Article 49A(2)(c) of the Federal Constitution. This was enacted as a safeguard specifically to prevent the abuse of power by party leaders.
This, then, is really a matter of numbers. He who presents more than 112 statutory declarations to the palace should be invited to form the government. He who does not do so should not. The issue of inviting the single largest party or coalition of parties to form the government should not arise until that exercise yields no results.
The Agong, in his wisdom, has sought direct proof to satisfy himself as to who might be best able to command the confidence of the House.
From yesterday afternoon’s news conferences, it appears that the chairman of Barisan Nasional (BN) is desperately trying to undermine the decisions of individual BN MPs to throw their support behind PN, going so far as to make the outrageous suggestion that any prior statutory declarations expressing support were invalid.
This is all the more surprising because, on Sunday, the BN and Umno leadership had, en masse, called for his resignation. The refusal of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to take responsibility for his party’s disastrous showing is unsurprising. After all, he has not been able to get the PN chairman to intercede in the court cases against him.
Doubtless, there will be those who try to skirt the issue by trying to pass off statutory declarations from the leaders of parties as the actual will of the members of the House, or for that matter, to cast doubt on the declarations of individual House members. That, with respect, is not complying with the direction of the Agong and should not be countenanced. It is the will of the individual members of the House that counts.
As it stands, Anwar Ibrahim must provide more than 112 statutory declarations to the palace by 2pm today. In light of the fact that PN has already delivered more than 112 statutory declarations, this is an impossible task.
The truth is, PH and BN are relying on misdirection to suggest that they have the majority. On one hand, Anwar is leaving it to BN to announce its support and relying on the statements of its chairman, while on the other hand, BN's chairman is claiming that only the Supreme Council can decide whom to work with in Parliament and that any expression of support from individual members is invalid. What this means is that PH does not have the numbers, and they have to find a way to cast doubt and put pressure on PN's claim.
What was the takeaway from GE15?
Unfortunately, we will never know for sure why the voters voted the way they did. As it happens, PH lost seats while PN gained seats. What is clear is that the vast majority of the electorate rejected BN. That is to say, both the voters of PH and PN specifically choose to vote against BN. This was clearly a wholesale rejection of the BN leadership.
It is therefore shocking that BN is now in a position to force itself into a government through an alliance with PH. That is truly an affront to the members of Umno who have vocally said "No Anwar, no DAP", and the Malaysian people who voted against BN.
As it stands, the MPs from BN must search their conscience. They must make a decision in accordance with the will of their members and the people, not their leadership. BN was punished for its failure to recognise the voice of the people in GE14. There is no doubt that if they fail to do so again, their time as a political force will come to an end in GE16.
The individual BN MPs are rightly rejecting Zahid and deferring to the will of their members and the votes for a clean government by supporting PN.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


6% of affected areas still waiting for water supply to return

The water supply to seven areas affected by the temporary shutdown caused by an odour pollution incident at the Rantau Panjang water treatment plant (WTP) intake was 94% restored as of noon today.
Air Selangor spokesman Elina Baseri said water supply had been fully restored in Petaling, Gombak, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Langat and 83 and 99% respectively in Klang and Shah Alam as well as Kuala Selangor.
Water supply has yet to fully return in Bukit Kerayong, Kuala Selangor, and 65 areas in Klang and Shah Alam, including Kampung Bukit Cerakah, Aman Perdana, Bandar Baru Bukit Raja, Taman Sri Andalas, Seksyen 25 and Taman Batu Tiga (Taman Mutiara Subang).
"The duration of the water supply recovery in the affected areas will vary, depending on the location and distance of the consumers’ premises.
"Water supply in the affected areas is expected to be fully restored by 6am tomorrow (Feb 14)," she said in a statement.
Consumers are advised to allow their taps to run for a while for the water to turn clear before use, Elina added.
She also urged consumers to use water prudently to ensure the recovery process in other affected areas runs smoothly as scheduled.
The Rantau Panjang Water Treatment Plant (Rantau Panjang WTP), Sungai Selangor Phase 1 Water Treatment Plant (SSP1 WTP), Sungai Selangor Phase 2 Water Treatment Plant (SSP2 WTP) and Sungai Selangor Phase 3 Water Treatment Plant (SSP3 WTP) were shut down on Saturday night due to odour pollution.
All four treatment plants were fully operational the next morning.


17 performance audits, 62 recommendations for 13 ministries

Seventeen performance audits of RM90.635 billion were carried out involving programmes, activities and projects at 13 ministries for the Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) 2019 Series 2.Auditor-General Nik Azman Nik Abdul Majid in a statement issued after the tabling of the report at the Dewan Rakyat today said 62 recommendations had also been submitted on the activities of the ministries, federal departments and statutory bodies to enable corrective and improvement actions to be taken.He said the National Audit Department (NAD) in conjunction with LKAN 2019 Series 2 had also conducted performance audits of 21 programmes, activities and projects involving 26 departments and 10 state government agencies, as well as 11 management audits of state government companies.For these, he said a total of 130 recommendations for improvement had been submitted: 88 recommendations to be considered for implementation by state departments and agencies and 42 recommendations by state government companies.Nik Azman said the performance audits were conducted in accordance with Section 6(d) of the Audit Act 1957 and guided by international auditing standards issued by the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions.He said the audit was to assess whether government activities, projects, programmes have been implemented prudently, efficiently and effectively, as well as the extent to which the objectives of these activities, projects, programmes were achieved.“It also aims to assess the extent to which public money has been spent prudently, efficiently and effectively without waste and to get the best value for money,” he said.Overall, Nik Azman said the audit found that the implementation of government activities, projects and programmes had been done according to the set objectives.However, he said there were still issues of inefficiency and non-compliance, as well as weaknesses in the management of activities, projects and programmes that affected their efficiency and effectiveness to produce the expected output, results and impact.On the management audits of seven federal government companies, Nik Azman said five companies were found to have achieved the objectives of their establishment while two others had yet to fully achieve their objectives.“For good corporate governance practice, only one company was found to be at a good level, five companies were at a satisfactory level, and one company was still at an unsatisfactory level.“For financial status audit, five companies were stable while two others showed an unstable financial position,” he said.He said 41 recommendations had been submitted to the management of these companies to be considered for implementation to enable corrective action and improvement to be taken.The LKAN 2019 Series 2 on the activities of ministries, federal government departments and federal bodies, will be uploaded on NAD’s website at http://www.audit.gov.my, after the tabling at the Dewan Rakyat.At the state level, it can only be uploaded to the NAD’s website after it is tabled at their respective state assembly sittings.Issues on LKAN 2019 Siri 2 will also be uploaded to the Auditor-General’s Dashboard portal.Nik Azman said the LKAN 2019 Series 2 was initially scheduled to be tabled at the Dewan Rakyat in March, but the Parliament could not sit as scheduled following the proclamation of emergency on Jan 12.“Despite the delay in the tabling of the report at Dewan Rakyat, the audit findings reported in LKAN were still relevant in improving the management of activities, projects and programmes of the ministries, departments, agencies, as well as federal and state government companies,” he said.The NAD had also improved the reporting of LKAN this time around by providing the summary of the audit findings through various infographics, he added.


Powerlifting champion clinches first gold for Malaysia at Tokyo Paralympics

National powerlifting champion Bonnie Bunyau Gustin won Malaysia’s first gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics Games today.Bonnie, from Serian, Sarawak, also broke the Paralympics record of 227kg set by Rasool Mohsin from Iraq at the Rio 2016 Games by lifting 228kg in his third attempt on the first day of the sport.However, Bonnie did not beat his own world record of 230kg which he set at the 11th Fazza Dubai Powerlifting World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in June, failing to lift 231kg on his fourth attempt.The silver medal was won by Egyptian athlete Mahmoud Attia while the bronze went to Micky Yule of Great Britain.Bonnie got off to a good start with a first lift of 217kg and continued to perform well, lifting 225kg on his second attempt before completing the third in style to break the Paralympics record.Mahmoud was awarded the silver after pulling off his best lift of 191kg on his third attempt while Micky grabbed the bronze after lifting 182kg, also on his third attempt.Bonnie’s achievement in winning the first gold medal for the country’s powerlifting camp also marked another milestone for Malaysia’s participation in the prestigious Games since the 1972 edition in Heidelberg, Germany.Malaysia’s first medal in the Paralympic Games also came via powerlifting through P Mariappan who won bronze in the 1988 edition in Seoul, South Korea.At the next Games in Barcelona in 1992, the national powerlifting squad improved on the medal tally in South Korea with one silver medal contributed by Cheok Kon Fatt and one bronze by Mariappan.The 2008 edition in Beijing saw another powerlifter, Siow Lee Chan, make history when she became the first female Malaysian athlete to win a medal at the Paralympic Games. She won a bronze.The Malaysian challenge in Japan will be continued by Jong Yee Khie in the 107kg event on Augt 30.