Dr M lashes out at Muhyiddin, claims Agong depicted as ‘cruel dictator’

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today lashed out at his former protege Muhyiddin Yassin, accusing the prime minister of using the Agong’s name to remain in power under emergency rule.The former prime minister, who leads a small group of opposition MPs under the Pejuang bloc, also said the emergency declaration was illegal.He likewise questioned the move to retain Muhyiddin as prime minister under the emergency rule.“By retaining the prime minister’s powers, the right to advise the Agong is also retained. This means whatever is done in the name of the Agong is on the advice of the prime minister,” he said.He said the move meant that actions under the emergency rule would depict the Agong as a “cruel dictator”.He also said the actions taken to battle the Covid-19 pandemic could be achieved under existing laws.“Since the declaration of emergency, not one action taken to combat the Covid-19 pandemic was something that could only be done under emergency laws,” said Mahathir.He said claims that the war on the Covid-19 pandemic could be more effective with emergency powers were a “lie”.Mahathir also claimed that Muhyiddin had already lost the confidence of the majority of MPs when he advised the Agong to declare a state of emergency to fight the virus.“The government today is not subjected to laws, and has lied in saying that containing Covid-19 would need emergency laws, while abusing the name of the Agong in order to be protected from accusations of wrongdoing, silencing the people and their representatives by suspending Parliament, committing corruption, threatening to punish those who question the government’s actions, acting against the legal provisions, hurting the economy and people’s social lives, and ruling as a dictator who can never be opposed,” said Mahathir.The declaration of emergency last month came amid threats by several Umno MPs led by former prime minister Najib Razak to quit the Perikatan Nasional government, despite repeated reminders by the palace to politicians not to precipitate a power vacuum in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.Last week, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah consented to the appointment of former chief justice Arifin Zakaria to lead the committee to advise him throughout the emergency period which expires in August.In detailing the nature of the emergency last month, Muhyiddin had said a civilian government would remain despite the suspension of Parliament to prevent snap polls, with all daily activities to be allowed.He had also promised to call for a general election if the special committee felt that the public health situation was under control.“This is my commitment which I will fulfil,” he added.


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Forests under-represented and under attack, green groups say

An environmental group has challenged the official numbers on Malaysia’s natural forest cover, saying areas that should not fall within the category appear to have been included to meet the government’s target of 50%.Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said the 50% figure was being touted on the international level.“But our forest is less than 18% and dwindling very quickly,” she told MalaysiaNow.“It looks like Malaysia is including plantation cover as forest to meet the 50%, which should not be accepted.”“A well-planned attack on forests and wildlife.”Malaysian Nature Society past president Maketab Mohamed meanwhile said the government had been misinforming the people about the country’s forest cover, including in Sabah and Sarawak.By definition, he said, plantation forests which are planted instead of naturally regenerated, and agricultural plantations for crops such as oil palm, rubber, durian and cacao, are not considered as forest cover.Both blamed the deterioration of forest cover on what they said was intentional deforestation due to logging activities.“Logging under the pretence of revenue for states has come closer, and is happening in many areas near important water supply bodies such as rivers, water catchment areas, critical wildlife sanctuaries and dams,” Shariffa said, calling it “a well-planned attack” on forests and wildlife.Andrew Sebastian, who heads the Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Malaysia, agreed that logging and plantation activities seemed to have increased over the past 20 years, even more so during the movement control order which effectively locked down all social and economic activities in the country.“There has been no effort whatsoever to reduce these,” he added.“In fact, states like Selangor have even reversed their policy to stop logging in the state.”Problems and solutionsFor Maketab, a main underlying problem in dealing with deforestation is the fact that matters concerning land and water come under individual state governments.He gave the example of Indonesia, where forests are under the federal government.Forest reserves are de-gazetted, often without checks and balances.“When President Jokowi dictated that there would be a moratorium on forest clearing, all of the provinces had to comply,” he said.In Malaysia, though, the decentralised nature of authority on the matter also means that the success of forest conservation efforts varies from state to state.“Pahang has been the worst – natural resources such as timber and minerals have been severely exploited,” Maketab added.Similarly, it makes acting on the situation a lot harder as confusion arises on whether the land in question is under federal jurisdiction, state law or even local district authorities.In the meantime, forest reserves are de-gazetted, often without checks and balances.“The federal government has failed to offer incentives or push the agenda of sustainability,” Sebastian said.“Politics, mismanagement and corruption seem to rule the day.”In order for any real change to take place, there needs to be a comprehensive effort from the top down.Shariffa called for laws related to conservation to be amended and updated to reflect total public oversight on forest de-gazettements, mining and single-crop activities as well as developments and the construction of new dams.She also suggested that the forestry department and Perhilitan be given veto powers to object to and cancel any plans that touch remaining forest areas, whether state forested areas or forest reserves.Still, not all is bleak for forests as public awareness on the need to protect the natural environment, according to Sebastian, has been encouraging.With the necessary political will, compliance with the law, and a long-term ecotourism plan in place, he believes a balance can be struck between development projects and forest conservation.Of course, this is likely harder than it sounds.“We have to stop forest conversions and limit logging to areas outside of water catchments, hills, and the main range as well as high conservation value forests and their buffer zones, and protect all existing forest reserves,” he said.A tall order, and time will tell how well Malaysia does.


Virus situation, EC guidelines to determine Sarawak polls

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg says the widely anticipated state election will be held during the pandemic only if the Election Commission (EC) issues new SOPs to ensure public safety.Speaking at a press conference in Kuching today, he said Sarawak was waiting for the EC to come up with the guidelines.He added that he believed state polls should not be held if conditions are unsafe or not conducive to public health.“The emergency will end on Aug 1, so we will see what happens next. There are three things that we have to consider, firstly the Covid-19 situation and whether this has improved or not.“Secondly, whether the EC has finished sorting out the SOPs, and what kind of SOP – that has to be decided by the EC,” he said, adding that the state did not want a repeat of the Sabah election last year which saw a spike in number of cases after the polls.He also said the present government would need a new mandate if the Covid-19 situation remains unchanged once the state of emergency is lifted.“So it’s up to agencies like the health ministry and the EC to weigh all of these factors because the decisions are on their side,” he said.“Just wait and see what will happen within these two weeks.”Abang Johari said the EC should provide new SOPs that can mitigate the voter turnout and reduce public concern over Covid-19 while encouraging the people to fulfil their responsibility at the ballot box.“If the emergency ends on Aug 1, then the state election must be held within 60 days,” he said.“But we must make sure that the situation is conducive. We do not want the people not to go out and vote because of the fear of the spread of Covid-19.“So we will wait and see what the EC says.”When asked if Sarawak would be able to extend the emergency period to delay the state polls, Abang Johari said the power to do so rests with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.


Synthetic drugs boom fuelling illicit markets worldwide, says UN

The cheap, easy, and fast production of synthetic drugs has radically transformed illicit drug markets around the world, with "lethal results", the United Nations warned Sunday.
While more people are battling drug addiction, criminals continue to exploit conflicts and global crises to expand drug production, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its annual report.
"Fentanyl has drastically altered the opioid market in North America," the UNODC said in a statement accompanying the report.
In 2021 alone, the majority of about 90,000 opioid related overdose deaths in North America involved the synthetic opioid drug.
Moreover, "there are signs" that the war in Ukraine "could trigger an expansion of the manufacture and trafficking of synthetic drugs, given the existing know-how and the large markets... developing in the region", it said.
The expected "drastic drop" in opiate cultivation in Afghanistan following a national ban on growing opium poppy, could likely "drive a shift towards synthetic drug manufacture."
The region is already one of the main producers of methamphetamines – the world's dominant synthetic drug.
"We need to step up responses against drug trafficking rings that are exploiting conflicts and global crises to expand illicit drug cultivation and production, especially of synthetic drugs," said UNODC executive director Ghada Waly.
The Amazon basin has been particularly hard hit by a flourishing cocaine industry, with trafficking "accelerating crime and environmental devastation", including through illegal logging, mining, land-grabbing, and wildlife trafficking.
Globally, more than 296 million people used drugs in 2021, amounting to an increase of 23% over the previous decade, the report found.
Meanwhile, the number of people who suffer from drug use disorders has skyrocketed to 39.5 million, a 45% increase over 10 years.
Only one in five people received treatment in 2021, the UN said.


North Korea rejects South's 'audacious' economic aid plan

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Friday South Korea's president should "shut his mouth" after he reiterated that his country was willing to provide economic aid in return for nuclear disarmament.
Her comments mark the first time a senior North Korean official has commented directly on what South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has called an "audacious" plan - first proposed in May and which he talked about again on Wednesday at a news conference to mark his first 100 days in office.
"It would have been more favourable for his image to shut his mouth," Kim Yo Jong said in a statement released by state news agency KCNA, calling Yoon "really simple and still childish" to think that he could trade economic cooperation for the North's honour and nuclear weapons.
"No one barters its destiny for corn cake," she added.
South Korea's Unification Minister, who handles relations with the North, called Kim's comments "very disrespectful and indecent."
While Yoon has said he is willing to provide phased economic aid to North Korea if it ended nuclear weapons development and began denuclearisation, he has also pushed to increase South Korea's military deterrence against North Korea. South Korea has has resumed long-suspended joint drills with the US, including major field exercises due to begin next week.
On Wednesday a US State Department spokesman said Washington supports Yoon's policies, but Kim said the joint drills show that the allies' talk of diplomacy is insincere.
"We make it clear that we will not sit face to face with him," she said of Yoon.
Experts say South's latest economic plan is similar to proposals by previous leaders, including those during the summits between the then-US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, suggesting the North was unlikely to accept the offer.
"Yoon's initiative adds to a long list of failed offers involving South Korean promises to provide economic benefits to North Korea... These were the same assumptions that were behind a succession of failed efforts to jump-start denuclearisation talks," Scott Snyder, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said in a blog post on Thursday.
North Korea test fired two cruise missiles into the sea on Wednesday, the first such test in two months. It came after the country declared victory over Covid-19 last week.


112 private hospitals nationwide treating Covid-19 patients

A total of 112 private hospitals nationwide have given their cooperation in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, says Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.He said these hospitals provided 1,277 ward beds and 129 ICU beds for the handling of Covid-19 cases.“Through the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, the health ministry can cooperate with private hospitals, especially in the urban areas, to treat Covid-19 cases,” he told a media conference after launching the virtual Healthcare Scheme for B40 Group (PeKa B40) Report for 2019-2020 today.Through the emergency ordinance, the ministry can also fully utilise hospitals, such as the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Specialist Children’s Hospital in Cheras, to treat Covid-19 cases.On the involvement of medical practitioners from the private sector in giving vaccine jabs, Adham said 1,230 vaccination centres (PPVs) had been set up so far under ProtectHealth, which has been given the mandate to involve private medical practitioners.He said ProtectHealth, together with the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force and the health ministry, would open over 30 large-scale integrated PPVs nationwide before July 19.According to Adham, the PPVs under ProtectHealth were administering 110,000 doses of vaccine daily at the end of June.ProtectHealth is a fully-owned subsidiary of ProtectHealth Malaysia, which was set up under the health ministry and is not profit-based. It coordinates, administers and manages initiatives linked to the financing of healthcare services as entrusted by the health ministry.


No mind-controlling microchips in Covid-19 vaccine, former deputy health DG assures

Former deputy health director-general (medical) Dr Rohaizat Yon today stressed that the Covid-19 vaccine is safe and does not contain any microchips that will control people’s minds.Replying to host Jessy Chahal’s question on Bernama TV’s Mid-day Update programme regarding the conspiracy theory that the vaccine contains such microchips, Rohaizat said the mRNA being used for the vaccine development had been shown to be safe and efficacious.“The mRNA is so small that no microchip can be inserted in it and it does not interact with the human genome,” he said.He also urged members of the public to trust only official messages or information from the government or review literature from reliable journals on the subject.He said the public also can refer to the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Handbook, which contains information on the types of Covid-19 vaccine used by the government, the facilities provided to store the vaccines, and religious views on the vaccination and immunisation guidelines, among others.The handbook was launched by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin earlier today.Rohaizat also stressed that the Covid-19 vaccine will not cause long-term harmful side effects on people’s health.“So far, studies by other countries have shown that the vaccine is safe. As far as we know, the US, UK and Singapore are ahead of us (in implementing the immunisation programme), so Malaysia will able to learn and review their performance, the short-falls and also the achievements,” he said.


Najib's petition to UN 'entirely up to him', says chief justice

Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat today said that Najib Razak's petition to the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention seeking release from prison or a retrial of his SRC International case does not affect the judiciary.
She said Najib’s act after the Federal Court delivered its decision on Aug 23 last year was "entirely up to him".
"Our job is done. We have discharged our responsibilities in terms of deciding on the case.
"Whatever he wants to do, whatever avenue he wants to explore, that is beyond us," she said at a press conference after speaking at the opening of the Legal Year 2023 in Putrajaya today.
The former prime minister filed the petition last week at the office of the High Commission of Geneva via digital submission.
Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said his client filed the petition to ask for a release or a retrial following the appeal hearing at the Federal Court which he claimed had serious defects and was contrary to the rules of international justice.
Najib is serving a 12-year jail term at Kajang Prison after losing his final appeal in the Federal Court to set aside his conviction, jail sentence and fine of RM210 million for misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds.


LHDN chief’s contract cut short

The government has cut short the service contract of Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) chief Sabin Samitah effective Oct 19.In a statement, LHDN said Sabin had agreed to the move to allow him to explore other fields suited to his interests.In a separate statement, the tax agency said its deputy CEO (tax operations) Mohd Nizom Sairi had been named as Sabin’s replacement.Sabin was appointed as CEO of LHDN under the administration of Najib Razak, but recently came under attack from the former prime minister who accused him of abuse of power.Last month, Najib lodged a police report against Sabin, saying he had proof that “certain politicians” were behind LHDN’s action against him over some RM1.7 billion in tax arrears.


Tropical depression Mulan triggers flash floods at Thai-Myanmar border towns

Heavy rains from tropical depression Mulan caused flash floods on Saturday, with towns at the Thai-Myanmar border submerged after rising water levels breached an earthen dam in Myanmar's Shan State, local media reported.
The flood water, which had mostly receded on Sunday, inundated more than 2,000 households in Mae Sai township in Thailand's northern Chiang Rai province as well as Myanmar's Tachilek border town, local media Thai PBS reported.
A Thai official said an earthen dam located 37km north of the border was breached since Friday causing waters of the Sai river to rise rapidly and triggering the flood.
"The dike along the river that used to keep water levels under control were breached and water overflowed into the streets and people's homes," Narongphol Kid-arn, the mayor of Mae Sai, said.
"In some parts, the water was at waist and chest levels," he said.
Thai PBS footage show relief personnel wading through flooded streets to distribute food to people stranded in their homes in Mae Sai. There were no reports of casualties.
Separately, Thailand's National Water Command Centre on Saturday issued a warning that heavy rain in Laos could cause water levels in the Mekong River to rise by up to two meters between Aug 14 and 18.


Zunar faces police probe over Thaipusam cartoon

Political cartoonist Zunar said Wednesday he was facing a police probe over a satirical drawing that mocked a senior official, just days after another artist was arrested.They are the latest government critics to be placed under investigation after a scandal-mired party returned to power last year, adding to fears of a widening crackdown on dissent.Zunar, whose real name is Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, is being probed over a cartoon he drew in January related to a decision by Kedah to cancel a holiday to mark a Hindu festival.It showed the state’s top politician, a Muslim, using a meat cleaver to smash a table where people from different races were sitting.Officials had defended cancelling the holiday, blaming the coronavirus pandemic.Race and religion in Malaysia – which is Muslim-majority but also home to substantial Hindu and other religious and ethnic minorities – are often sensitive.Zunar told AFP he had been summoned for police questioning Sunday in Kedah and is accused of seeking to incite others to commit crimes and improper internet use.“It is politically motivated,” he said, adding that authorities were increasingly concerned about satirical artists taking aim at them.“This is a warning. It will make others fearful.”Zunar was repeatedly targeted under the scandal-plagued regime of Najib Razak after drawing cartoons that lampooned the leader and his luxury-loving wife.He was hit with a string of sedition charges – not over his work, rather over comments on Twitter – but these were dropped when Najib lost power in 2018.News of the police probe against him came after leading graphic artist and activist Fahmi Reza was arrested on Friday for allegedly insulting the queen by posting a satirical playlist on Spotify.Since Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin seized power last year following the collapse of a reformist administration, authorities have launced a crackdown on critics, ranging from journalists to opposition politicians.


1MDB trial postponed after Najib admitted for diarrhoea

The trial of Najib Razak on the embezzlement of 1MDB funds has been postponed and will resume tomorrow after the former prime minister was reported to have suffered from severe diarrhoea and had to be referred to specialists at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
Appeal court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, appearing as a High Court judge, made the decision after the Kajang Prison health clinic medical officer Dr Mohd Hafiz Mohd Hoshni provided an explanation of Najib’s health condition at yesterday's proceedings.
Hafiz, who was questioned by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib, said he was informed by the assistant medical officer at 7.15am that Najib had complained about being unwell and was suffering from diarrhoea.
"When I met Najib, he complained of stomach pain and nausea in addition to having diarrhoea. Even after being given medication, his condition did not improve after 10 minutes and further checks found he was dehydrated and was feverish, having a temperature of 37.8 degrees Celsius.
"I then referred him to a specialist in Hospital Kuala Lumpur and he was taken there at 9.30am. At that time, he was tired and dehydrated," he said.
The specialist then gave Najib medical leave of two days and confirmed that he was unwell to attend the trial in court as he was not able to stand or sit for long periods and needed to be on a drip, he said.
When answering a question by Najib’s counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Hafiz said Najib was found to have been having diarrhea since May 8 and was referred to get better treatment.
Najib, 70, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes of RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.


Zahid's graft trial postponed as lawyers down with Covid-19

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today postponed the hearing of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s corruption case on Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB) funds to Aug 22 as two of his lawyers are down with Covid-19.
Another lawyer representing the former deputy prime minister, Aiman Abdul Rahman, told judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that lead counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik and lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh had tested positive for Covid-19.
"We filed a letter to the court on Aug 2 and 3 informing that lawyers Hisyam and Hamidi are infected with Covid-19, and we request that the date of today's hearing be changed to mention and the hearing to continue on Aug 22," he said.
Deputy public prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob raised no objections.
Sequerah then vacated today’s hearing date and set Aug 22 to continue the hearing.
Zahid was ordered early this year to enter his defence for 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.


One foot in the grave for Umno-PAS pact after Zahid hints at support for Anwar

Just over a year after its inception, the Muafakat Nasional (MN) alliance between Umno and PAS, formed to strengthen Malay political unity in the country, could be on the verge of collapse following Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s expression of support for Anwar Ibrahim in his bid to topple the Perikatan Nasional government.What could be perceived as cracks in the cooperation between the country’s biggest Malay-based parties have already begun to show, with PAS today demanding an explanation for Zahid’s statement that MPs are free to join Anwar if they want.Analyst Jeniri Amir, a former professor at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, said there were already doubts among PAS leaders about Zahid, who was among Anwar’s strongest allies during their time in Umno in the 1990s.He said speculation about Umno MPs from Zahid’s faction lending their support to Anwar further exacerbated the situation for MN.“It’s not impossible if Umno does not give a convincing explanation, because PAS will respond,” he told MalaysiaNow.“These are the seeds of crisis,” he added. “It will be followed by conflict and the fall of MN.”MN was inked on Sept 14 last year, with Umno and PAS burying their decades-old rivalry in the name of Malay political power, which they said had declined in the wake of Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) ascent to federal power in the 2018 polls.The PH government collapsed in February after losing its majority in Parliament with the exit of MPs from Bersatu and PKR.On Wednesday, Anwar announced that he possessed a “strong and formidable” majority to form the federal government.“With this, the government led by Muhyiddin Yassin has collapsed,” he added.Shortly afterwards, Zahid said MPs from Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) were free to support Anwar in his bid to oust Muhyiddin from Putrajaya.Muhyiddin himself maintains that he is the legitimate prime minister, saying Anwar must prove his claim through the process laid out in the Federal Constitution.Several senior Umno leaders have since dismissed Anwar’s claim as “sandiwara” or theatrics.Jeniri said PAS would only be satisfied with a thorough explanation from Zahid, adding that the Islamist party would be justified in its demand as Zahid’s statement went against the Umno-PAS charter.“Now, the responsibility to provide that explanation lies on the shoulders of the Umno president,” he said.Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani of Universiti Utara Malaysia foresees PAS leaving the Muafakat pact if Umno fails to adequately explain Zahid’s remark.“And Umno will have to answer PAS about this latest situation,” he told MalaysiaNow.


Up to 8 million to work from home from Tuesday under stricter SOPs

Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob today announced more restrictions on movements including a limit on business hours and directives for more people in both the government and public sectors to work from home from Tuesday onwards.At a joint press conference with health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, he said 80% of government staff would have to work from home and 40% of private sector workers or 6.1 million people.This means that up to eight million people will no longer travel to their workplace.Businesses meanwhile will only be allowed to operate from 8am to 8pm.Ismail said enforcement officers would work together to aggressively monitor business premises and public places.A special task force meanwhile has been formed comprising the health, finance and international trade and industry ministries as well as the National Security Council and Bank Negara Malaysia.Ismail also said more roadblocks would be set up while public transportation will be limited to 50% of capacity and scheduled at reduced frequencies.“We tighten the SOPs, but more important is our self-discipline,” he said.“It is important that people adhere to every SOP set by the governent.”He added that a total lockdown could speed up efforts to flatten the curve but said any further loosening of the MCO would still allow a spike in cases if people are not discplined.This comes in the wake of four back-to-back days of daily case numbers in the 6,000 range, with the health ministry saying yesterday that nearly all districts in the peninsula were red zones.The current MCO was initially implemented in six districts in Selangor. It was then expanded to Kuala Lumpur and to districts in several other states before Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin declared a country-wide MCO with tighter SOPs which took effect on May 12.Sarawak however said it would remain under conditional MCO (CMCO).Speaking today, Ismail also said that under Act 342, face masks must be worn in public places, adding that the niqab or face veil is not a replacement.This comes in the wake of a police investigation into claims that celebrity Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor did not wear a mask while attending a court proceeding in Seremban. She and her husband Muhammad Haris Mohd Ismail had claimed trial to violating SOPs under the earlier CMCO.Ismail also said the country had lost some RM2.4 billion during the first MCO when a nationwide lockdown was imposed.He said the government had to take into consideration the realities faced by those in the lower income group.“Many ask why don’t we just shut down the big companies and industries. If we allow that, these businesses would close down, and the impact is not on their owners, but on their workers who will lose their jobs,” he said, adding that some 800,000 had already lost their jobs due to the impact of the pandemic.He said limiting operation hours as well as the number of workers would be a more balanced way of fighting the pandemic and flattening the Covid-19 curve.Noor Hisham, at the same press conference, said he hoped Malaysians would stay home over the next two weeks. He said this would give public hospitals the space to stockpile their supplies and improve facilities at their wards.He said Section 3 of the Emergency Ordinance could be invoked by the government to allow authorities to use newer hospitals such as the UKM Specialist Children’s Hospital in Cheras and Hospital Cyberjaya.


Analysts split over Anwar's odds in Tambun

Analysts are split over PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim's chances in the election race for Tambun, with at least one saying that fielding the opposition leader in the Malay-majority seat is no guarantee of victory for Pakatan Harapan (PH).
Veteran analyst Jeniri Amir said the Tambun incumbent, Bersatu's Ahmad Faizal Azumu, and Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate Aminuddin Md Hanafiah would give Anwar a run for his money at the 15th general election (GE15).
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said their individual strengths made it difficult to predict any particular winner, which would make Tambun one of the main seats to watch come polling day.
Jeniri said Faizal's background as a Manjoi local gave the Bersatu deputy president the edge in terms of popular support on the ground.
"As the incumbent, he has the advantage there because the voters know him better than they know Anwar," he said.
"Faizal has an established network there and has been serving the constituents, so he will not have to work to break the ice."
Faizal, popularly known as Peja, won the Tambun seat at GE14 in a surprise victory over BN, which had long held the constituency through its lynchpin party Umno.
At the 2018 election, Faizal won 38,661 votes, continuing to victory with a majority of 5,320 and defeating five-term MP Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah who had held the seat since 1995.
Husni won 33,341 votes while Ibrahim Zakaria of PAS gained 14,948.
Nevertheless, Jeniri said BN had a chance of retaking the seat at the upcoming polls as Bersatu's victory in 2018 had come on the back of its PH membership.
The party only exited the coalition some two years later, following the collapse of the PH administration.
At GE14, the opposition had swept to power on a wave of anti-government sentiment over the 1MDB scandal and then prime minister Najib Razak.
But today, with anger over 1MDB on the ebb and Najib serving a 12-year term in jail, Jeniri said BN would have more elbow room to rally support in Tambun once more.
"The circumstances will also favour BN if voter turnout is low on election day," he said.
This, coupled with the nomination of new faces in line with the strategy employed at the Melaka and Johor elections, would give BN an advantage, he added.
But Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said PH's move to field Anwar in Tambun would not have been made in haste.
He said PH would have studied the impact of Anwar and PKR moving into the constituency before making any decision.
"I expect a fierce three-way fight in Tambun among BN, PH and Perikatan Nasional," he said.
Awang said the move would also send a strong message to PH component parties such as Amanah and DAP to do the same.
"Some who call themselves game changers, strategists and popular figures are content with contesting safe seats," he said.
"After this, for example, Rafizi Ramli should take on areas like Batu Pahat which could have an impact on the seats of Muar and Sri Gading."


PM announces nationwide MCO, tighter SOPs

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today announced that the entire country would come under movement control order (MCO) with stricter SOPs in light of the recent spike in Covid-19 cases.In a statement, he said the government had decided to implement tighter measures in order to curb the virus spread.He said the decision was made at a special meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by him today.He added that no inter-district or interstate travel would be allowed except for emergency purposes and those related to health, work, the economy, vaccination appointments and for long-distance couples.The travel ban will take effect from May 10 to June 6 while the other SOPs will be enforced from May 12 to June 7.All forms of social gatherings including feasts, wedding and engagement celebrations, dinners, birthday celebrations and official events for both the government and private sector including seminars and face-to-face meetings will be prohibited, although the solemnisation of marriage vows will be allowed with a limited number of people and based on SOPs set by religious authorities or the National Registration Department.Likewise, all sports activities will be prohibited except individual activities in open spaces with allowance for physical distancing such as jogging, cycling and exercising.All institutions of education will be closed with exceptions made for students sitting for international examinations, although nurseries and kindergartens will be allowed to remain open subject to SOPs in order to help parents and guardians who are working.The number of passengers in vehicles, whether private, taxis or e-hailing, will be limited to three including the driver.The number of people allowed in vehicles for business purposes such as the transportation of goods will depend on the number allowed in the vehicle registration licence.Dine-in activities will continue to be prohibited, while employers are required to implement the work from home approach with not more than 30% of management staff present at any given time.No house-to-house visits or visits to graves will be allowed for Hari Raya although Aidilfitri prayers will be allowed at mosques and suraus limited to 50 people for premises that can fit more than 1,000 congregants and 20 for those that can accommodate fewer than 1,000.SOPs for non-Muslim houses of worship will also be tightened. These will be announced by the national unity ministry.The SOPs currently in place in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will be continued.All economic sectors will be allowed to remain open during this period.Muhyiddin said further details will be announced by the NSC.


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Let us be opposition, says MCA

MCA president Wee Ka Siong today reiterated Barisan Nasional's (BN) stand that it is ready to play the role of the opposition following its poor performance at the Nov 19 election.
He said the decision was made after failing to obtain the mandate of the people to form the next government.
"MCA is ready to play the role of opposition, to provide checks and balance for the government to come," he said in a press conference at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur.
"MCA respects and accepts the fact that BN was rejected by the people at the 15th general election, in line with the parliamentary democracy system."
Wee's statement echoed those of other BN leaders including Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan and vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob that the coalition should remain in the opposition after its election failure.
When asked about the race for support between Perikatan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan, Wee said it was no longer MCA's concern.
"MCA was formed to protect the welfare of the people, whether as the government or as the opposition.
"This in no way stunts the role we have to play," he said.


Rights lawyer, Muda leader calls for use of Sosma law on ‘constitutional criminals’

A human rights lawyer and co-founder of the yet-to-be registered Muda party today urged authorities to arrest those he said were blocking the reconvening of Parliament under a controversial provision of the Penal Code.Lim Wei Jiet, who is also the secretary-general of the National Human Rights Society, said authorities must seriously consider investigating “constitutional criminals” under Section 124B of the Penal Code, a provision that has long been under attack from rights activists.“If you repeatedly and intentionally prevent Parliament from being convened, you are committing an act detrimental to parliamentary democracy (both directly and indirectly),” Lim said on Twitter, in an apparent attack on the Perikatan Nasional government in light of a debate on the revocation of the emergency ordinances.Rights groups including the Bar Council have strongly criticised Section 124B, which deals with “activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy”, providing for up to 20 years’ imprisonment.The section is among several provisions introduced into the Penal Code when the previous Barisan Nasional government enacted the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma), one of many draconian security laws which Pakatan Harapan pledged to abolish before it came to power in 2018.Critics have said that the section is too widely couched and is open to abuse by the authorities.In 2015, it was reported that the section was used to investigate student protesters who staged a sit-in outside the Parliament building to press for the resignation of then-prime minister Najib Razak over his role in the 1MDB scandal.


‘Strong likelihood’ of more dangerous Covid variants, WHO experts warn

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday that “more dangerous” variants of Covid-19 could tear across the world as global infections soared to half a million daily, largely driven by the virulent Delta strain.An AFP tally of official sources found that after an initial dip, cases have been rising again worldwide since the end of June, topping 540,000 on Tuesday and again on Wednesday.“The pandemic is nowhere near finished,” WHO’s emergency committee said in a statement.It highlighted “the strong likelihood for the emergence and global spread of new and possibly more dangerous variants of concern that may be even more challenging to control”.The virus has reappeared in places long believed to have dodged the worst of the pandemic, with Australia – lauded for its successful “Covid zero” strategy – facing a resurgence that has grown to almost 1,000 cases nationwide in a month.About 12 million Australians went under stay-at-home orders in the country’s second biggest city Melbourne, joining residents in Sydney.State premier Dan Andrews said he took the decision to return the city – and surrounding Victoria – to its fifth lockdown “with a heavy heart”.“Nothing about this virus is fair,” he said.The coronavirus continues to wreak havoc from Asia to Africa, killing more than four million people since it first emerged in China in December 2019.In Tokyo – now just over a week away from the opening ceremony of the virus-postponed Olympics – local authorities recorded 1,308 new cases, the highest number since January.Organisers confirmed that an athlete in Japan and five Olympic workers, mostly contractors, had tested positive for Covid-19.This came after eight staff at a hotel hosting Brazil’s Olympic judo team tested positive, and a staff member from Russia’s rugby sevens team was hospitalised after a positive test.


‘Incel’ plotted to slaughter 3,000 college girls, FBI says

A self-described “incel” was busted by the feds on Wednesday for allegedly plotting a mass shooting of sorority girls at an Ohio university, prosecutors said.Tres Genco, 21, was charged with one count of attempting to commit a hate crime and one count of illegally possessing a machine gun, prosecutors announced.Genco allegedly wrote a manifesto stating he would “slaughter” thousands of women “out of hatred, jealousy and revenge”, the New York Post reports.On Jan 15, 2020, he “conducted surveillance” at an unnamed university in Ohio.That same day, he allegedly searched online for “How to plan a shooting crime” and “When does preparing for a crime become an attempt?”Federal prosecutors say Genco identifies as an “involuntary celibate” or incel, and was part of the online community of frustrated men who “seek to commit violence in support of their belief that women unjustly deny them sexual or romantic attention to which they believe they are entitled”.Genco allegedly frequently posted on a popular incel website and in one post, he described spraying “some foids and couples” with orange juice from a water gun. “Foids” is incel shorthand for “femoids,” referring to women, prosecutors said.Genco allegedly described that “extremely empowering action” as comparable to the crimes of fellow incel Elliot Rodger, who killed six people and injured 14 others in a 2014 mass shooting in California. Prior to the attack, Rodger shot a group of college students with orange juice from a water gun.In the actual attack on students of Chinese descent, Rodger used two long hunting knives to kill roommates James Hong and Weihan “David” Wang, both 20, and a visiting friend, George Chen, 19. Chen was stabbed 94 times.There is speculation that Genco idolised Rodger, whom he wrote about as “ER”, and wanted to emulate or surpass his murderous exploits.Investigators said they found a note of Genco’s that indicated he “aimed big” and hoped to kill at least 3,000 people.He attended Army Basic Training in 2019 but was discharged for poor performance and conduct. He then bought tactical gloves, a bulletproof vest, a bowie knife, and a hoodie bearing the word “revenge”.Officials say he also bought a 9mm Glock pistol and bullets, with a holster to carry the weapon in a concealed fashion.In January 2020, Genco allegedly penned a document titled “Isolated,” which he described as “the writings of the deluded and homicidal.” He signed it, “Your hopeful friend and murderer”.Following a call that Genco had threatened someone with a gun and then barricaded himself in his bedroom, police officers raided Genco’s home in Highland County, Ohio, on March 12, 2020 and found a 9mm semiautomatic pistol hidden in a vent in his bedroom.Inside the trunk of Genco’s car, cops discovered a gun with a bump stock attached to increase rate of fire, several loaded magazines, body armour and boxes of ammunition.Genco was indicted by a federal grand jury on one count of attempting to commit a hate crime and one count of illegally possessing a machine gun. He could face up to life in prison if convicted of the first charge.


51.5% of population fully jabbed

A total of 51.1% of Malaysia’s total population or 16,680,780 individuals had completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of yesterday, according to the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply.Meanwhile, 21,080,152 individuals, or 64.5% of the total population have received at least one dose of vaccine.A total of 322,346 doses were administered yesterday of which 133,861 were first doses, bringing the cumulative figure for vaccine shots administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 37,714,587.


Over 27% of children fully jabbed, 44.2% given first dose

A total of 961,597 children or 27.1% of those aged five to 11 had been fully vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow website, a total of 1,569,286 children or 44.2% have received at least one dose of vaccine.For adolescents aged 12 to 17, a total of 2,899,554 or 93.2% have completed their vaccination while 2,997,051 or 96.3% have received at least one dose.As for the adult population, 16,049,816 or 68.2% have received a booster dose while 22,969,639 or 97.6$ have completed two doses.A total of 23,245,044 or 98.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine.A total of 28,466 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, with 9,672 as first doses, 15,534 as second shots and 3,260 as booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses dispensed under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 70,478,577.


Despondent young Brits giving up their ambitions in pandemic

At least 30% of British youth say they have given up hope of getting their dream job because of Covid-19.The Prince’s Trust charity surveyed 2,000 people aged from 16 to 25 across the UK. The results show that the pandemic is destroying their confidence in the future.Nearly 30% believe they will have to take any job they can get rather than building a career working at something they love.The report shows that the pandemic has done more than disrupt vital education, training and job opportunities for young people – it has drained them of enthusiasm, especially those from poorer backgrounds.Nearly half of respondents from poorer homes think their ambitions are impossible to achieve and that they will never succeed in life.UK Prince’s Trust chief executive, Jonathan Townsend, said action is needed to prevent a lost generation not only for their own futures, but because, “Their ambitions and potential are essential to the long-term recovery of the economy.”Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson blamed the recent national surge in Covid-19 cases on young people. Cases are indeed highest among those in their 20s, followed by those in their 30s.He warned young people to consider their behaviour “for the sake of the health of your parents and grandparents”.Health Secretary Matt Hancock last week blamed the wave of new coronavirus infections on “socialising by people in their 20s and 30s”.But 50 top psychologists have written a letter warning Hancock that blaming young people for spikes in Covid-19 cases could encourage them to dump social distancing entirely and give up on other essential measures.In other words, shaming the young could have the complete opposite effect to the one intended, and trigger a wave of new cases among despondent youngsters.The letter concluded, “We cannot create an ‘us’ and ‘them’ because we will all be weaker for it.”


Touch-and-go for PKR in Setiawangsa, analyst says

An analyst says it may be difficult for PKR's Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad to defend his Setiawangsa seat at the upcoming polls in the absence of any major controversies stirring the discontent of voters.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Mazlan Ali said although Setiawangsa was an urban seat, it was nonetheless considered an Umno fortress.
"At the last general election, the army vote swung to Pakatan Harapan (PH)," Mazlan, of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said.
"There was a wave of anti-Barisan Nasional (BN) sentiment at that point, partly due to the 1MDB scandal.
"For the 15th general election (GE15), PH's chances of defending the seat are 50-50, depending on the issues at play."
Nik Nazmi, a PKR vice-president, will be fielded against Setiawangsa Umno chief Izudin Ishak, representing BN.
Perikatan Nasional (PN) meanwhile has named Nurul Fadzilah Kamaluddin of Bersatu as its candidate for the seat.
Other candidates in the six-way fight are Bibi Sunita Sakandar Khan (Pejuang), Lim Yen Tiong (independent) and Mior Rosli Mior Mohd Jaafar (independent).
The Setiawangsa seat, formed in 2004, fell into opposition hands for the first time at GE14 when Nik Nazmi won it with 34,471 votes.
Former federal territories minister Zulhasnan Rafique won 20,099 votes while PAS candidate Ubaid Abdul Akla received 6,282.
Zulhasnan, the former Malaysian ambassador to the US, had been called to replace the incumbent at the time, Ahmad Fauzi.
With his background as a former military officer, BN had banked on him retaining the army vote for the administration – a gamble that ended in failure.
The army vote has traditionally played a big role in the constituency, where some 25,000 of the total 72,136 voters are from the military.
This time around, Mazlan said, their votes could swing to PN, or back to BN.
On the odds of the littoral combat ship (LCS) scandal influencing the military vote, Mazlan agreed that the veterans would be affected by the disclosures.
However, he said those who were still in active service would not be swayed.
"Normally, their mood is one of loyalty to the government, with no political sentiments involved," he said.
"The only time that anti-government sentiments had a big impact was at GE14. But even so, the police and army voters were not happy with PH's 22 months in power."
Mazlan also referred to the Melaka election in November last year, where the army vote in the state constituency of Sungai Udang went to PN instead of PH.
The LCS scandal made headlines several months ago when it was revealed that billions in government funds were allocated but none of the promised ships completed on schedule.
Checks on social media found a number of Setiawangsa residents up in arms over matters like the road conditions and the cuts in water supply.
Sadiq Rosli, who will be voting for the first time on Nov 19, said he wanted to see change in his constituency.
"We rarely see Nik Nazmi around, either," he said. "He's usually in the Setapak area.
"Izudin is a local here," he added, referring to the BN candidate. "I'm more comfortable with locals."
And while Izudin is ahead of Nik Nazmi in terms of age, Sadiq said this made no difference for him.
"Even if they field a young candidate, if I don't know him, how will I vote for him?" he said.


That’s freedom to them, says Dr M on Twitter censorship

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today accused Twitter of practising double standards after the social media giant deleted a post in which he raised the spectre of violence against France.The post was part of a series of instalments from Mahathir’s blog condemning the French government over the recent spate of violence linked to President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.The former leader today said he was “disgusted with attempts to misrepresent and take out of context” his comments.“To my mind, since they are the purveyor of freedom of speech, they must at least allow me to explain and defend my position,” Mahathir said, adding that his Facebook and Twitter administrators had been warned to remove the posts.Twitter deleted Mahathir’s comments following complaints from the French government over one of the posts.In that post, Mahathir had written: “Muslims have a right to be angry and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.”Mahathir today said it had been taken out of context, and that the censors had ignored the passages that followed: “But by and large the Muslims have not applied the ‘eye for an eye’ law. Muslims don’t. The French shouldn’t. Instead the French should teach their people to respect other people’s feelings.”Saying there was an attempt to “to stir French hatred for Muslims”, the former prime minister accused those who invoked free speech in removing his post of double standards.“But that is what freedom of speech is to them. On the one hand, they defended those who chose to display offending caricatures of Prophet Muhammad and expect all Muslims to swallow it in the name of freedom of speech and expression. On the other they deleted deliberately that Muslim had never sought revenge for the injustice against them in the past,” he added.


Indian wedding music blamed for death of 63 chickens

A traditional Indian wedding procession with pumping music, fireworks, dancing and a marching brass band in shiny jackets has been blamed for the death of 63 chickens.Ranjit Kumar Parida said the party was blasting out “ear-splitting noise” as it passed his poultry farm in the eastern state of Odisha shortly before midnight on Sunday.“I asked the band operators to lower the volume as the music was too noisy and terrifying the chickens. But they did not listen and the groom’s friends shouted at me,” Parida told AFP.A vet told Parida the chickens had died of a heart attack, and he filed a police complaint after the wedding organisers refused to pay compensation.Zoology professor Suryakanta Mishra, who has authored a book on animal behaviour, told the Hindustan Times that loud noise increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in birds.“Chickens are governed by a circadian rhythm that is controlled by the natural light/dark cycle of day and night.“Sudden excitement or stress due to loud music could disrupt their biological clock,” Mishra said.The story had a happy ending – except for the chickens – after police convinced the warring parties to “solve the matter mutually”.“We have not initiated any action as (the poultry farmer) withdrew the complaint,” police official Droupadi Das said.


Job ads online hit almost 160,000 in first quarter of 2022

Job vacancies advertised online in the country soared to 159,148 in the first quarter of 2022 (Q1 2022) compared to 90,218 in the same quarter last year, according to the Department of Statistics Malaysia.Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said on a monthly basis for the first quarter of 2022, the number of vacancies advertised online was the highest in February at 67,172 vacancies.“Meanwhile, for January and March, a total of 48,924 and 43,052 vacancies were advertised respectively,” he said in a statement in conjunction with the release of the Job Vacancies Landscape in Malaysia, First Quarter of 2022 today.The quarterly analysis features statistics compiled based on job vacancies advertised online by several private recruitment portals.The analysis also provides information on job vacancies offered by employers online from various aspects such as job type, job profile, location, industry, skills and field of study.Uzir said in the first quarter of 2022, most employers required workers in the professional category (44.9%) followed by technicians and associate professionals (17.7%) and managers (11.3%).By ranking, the five most popular jobs offered during the reference period were advertising and marketing professionals, administrative associate professionals, managing directors and CEOs, accountants, auditors and software developers.“Meanwhile, from an economic perspective, the wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles sector became the main sector contributing to the job vacancies offered for jobseekers in the first quarter of 2022.“The other four sectors with the highest job supply were manufacturing; professional, scientific and technical activities; financial and insurance/takaful activities; and accommodation and food service activities,” he said.The three jobs in the technical and vocational education and training category that recorded the highest number of vacancies were advertising and marketing professionals, administrative associate professionals and software developers.Advertising and marketing professionals, managing directors and CEOs as well as accountants and auditors were the highest critical occupation list category jobs advertised online during the reference period.“In addition, popular jobs offered in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics category were for technicians, graphic designers and software engineers,” he said.Observing job vacancies by state in the first quarter of 2022, Uzir said Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest number of job vacancies at 42.7% followed by Selangor (16.9%), Johor (7.3%), Penang (3.9%) and Melaka (1.7%).“Analysis of the number of vacancies advertised online in the first quarter of 2022 shows that the economy is still in a period of recovery, in tandem with the transition from the pandemic to endemic phase.“With this transition, all economic sectors and borders have been opened in stages and are expected to reduce the impact of the pandemic, revive the country’s economy and create more job opportunities to be filled by jobseekers,” he added.


Change in grade of immigration officers allowed to issue 'not to land' notices

Only immigration officers Grade KP41 and above will be allowed to issue "not to land" (NTL) notices with immediate effect, compared to the previous practice allowing KP29 officers to do so, says Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
At a press conference in Putrajaya yesterday, Saifuddin said this was part of efforts to improve the immigration department's management at the country's entry points.
He said the home ministry would also work with Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd (MAHB) to place more signs at the airport for the convenience of travellers to prepare the relevant documents for immigration purposes.
He said the ministry would also provide a help desk with immigration officers who can communicate in foreign languages to assist travellers.
"Officers who are able to communicate in languages such as Mandarin, Tamil and Arabic to assist with entry and exit matters at international airports will be deployed there immediately," he said.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said the Cabinet meeting earlier also requested the transport ministry to look into the aspects and practices of a company appointed to manage foreign travellers issued with NTL notices.
According to him, the company appointed in February 2015 was responsible for managing the purchase of return tickets and meals for travellers who are issued the notice.
"The transport minister was asked to review this aspect of the appointment, whether it is a normal practice to do so.
"Sometimes there can be confusion when a person subject to NTL is asked to provide a certain amount of money to purchase a return ticket. This can be mistaken as an immigration officer asking for money," he said, adding that the matter should be re-examined.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said 592,490 tourists from China had arrived in the country from January to June this year, of which 423 were issued NTL notices.


Case management for Zahid's foreign visa case set for July 28

The Court of Appeal has fixed July 28 for another case management for the prosecution's appeal against Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's acquittal of 40 charges of corruption in connection with the foreign visa (VLN) system.
Case management for the appeal was conducted before Court of Appeal senior assistant registrar Nurul Azrina Mohamed Yusof today who fixed the new case management date.
Zahid's lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed a further case management date was fixed following a request by the prosecution for another date for the Attorney-General's Chambers to consider Zahid's representation for the prosecution to discontinue its appeal.
The prosecution filed a notice of appeal to the Court of Appeal on Sept 26, last year against the Shah Alam High Court's decision to acquit and discharge Zahid, who is now deputy prime minister, of all the charges after ruling that the prosecution had not made out a prima facie case against him.
The Umno president pleaded not guilty to 33 counts of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd for himself as home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of a one-stop centre service in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain its contract with the home ministry to supply the VLN integrated system.
According to the charge sheet, Zahid, who was former home minister, was alleged to have committed those offences at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya and Country Heights, Kajang, between Oct 2014 and March 2018.
He also claimed trial to 33 alternative charges under Section 165 of the Penal Code, where he was charged in his capacity as a home minister with receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million in relation to the VLN system between 2014 and 2017.
For the other seven charges, he was alleged to have obtained for himself cash of S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 from the same company, which he knew had a connection with his official functions.
Zahid was charged for allegedly committing the offences at a house in Country Heights, Kajang, between June 2015 and October 2017.
In its petition of appeal filed on Dec 29, last year, the prosecution, submitted 14 reasons focusing on the findings of fact and law made by the High Court judge on the question of whether there was bribery in the giving and receiving of money in the case.


Pilot of missing helicopter found alive, says transport minister

The pilot of a helicopter that went missing in Bidor after losing contact with the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Tower (KLATCC) has been found alive at the crash site, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong says.
He said the pilot was found at 8.20am today and rescuers were working to move the pilot to Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun in Ipoh for treatment.
"We thank the Royal Malaysian Air Force, police, Fire and Rescue Department and others involved for their quick support and assistance in the search and rescue operation," he said in a Facebook post today.
Yesterday, Wee said that a privately owned Eurocopter aircraft had lost contact with KLATCC at 12.16pm after which the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia reported the aircraft as missing.
Its last known location was a forest area near Bidor.
It took off from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at 11.37am yesterday and was supposed to have landed at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport at 12.37pm.


US says intel indicates pro-Ukrainian group sabotaged Nord Stream pipelines

New intelligence reviewed by US officials indicates that a pro-Ukrainian group sabotaged the Nord Stream pipelines that carried natural gas from Russia to Europe, but they have found no evidence of Kyiv government involvement in the September 2022 attack, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
The US and Nato have called the attacks, which occurred seven months into Russia's invasion of Ukraine and destroyed three of the four pipelines running under the Baltic Sea, "an act of sabotage".
Moscow has blamed Ukraine's Western supporters and has called on the UN Security Council to independently investigate. Neither side has provided evidence.
Citing US officials, the New York Times said there was no evidence that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or his top aides were involved in the operation or that the perpetrators were acting at the behest of any Ukrainian government officials.
White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday that Washington was waiting for ongoing investigations in Germany, Sweden and Denmark - all in the Baltic region - to conclude, "and only then should we be looking at what follow-on actions might or may not be appropriate".
Responding to the report, senior Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters that the Kyiv government was "absolutely not involved" in the sabotage strike, and had no information about what had happened.
Russia's deputy United Nations ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy told Reuters the report proved Moscow's push for the Security Council to set up an independent inquiry was "very timely" and it would seek a vote on a draft resolution by the end of March.
The Times wrote that the intelligence review suggested those behind the pipeline explosions, which spewed gas into the Baltic, were Ukrainian or Russian nationals, or a combination of the two, who opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But the review did not specify the members of the group or who directed or paid for the operation, it said.
"US officials declined to disclose the nature of the intelligence, how it was obtained or any details of the strength of the evidence. They have said that there were no firm conclusions about it," the Times added.
Built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom, the Nord Stream gas pipelines connected Russia and Germany. Nord Stream 1 was completed in 2011, and Nord Stream 2 in 2021 - over the objections of Ukraine and some of Germany's allies including the US who feared this would allow Moscow to blackmail Berlin by threatening to curb supplies.
Germany ended up halting certification of Nord Stream 2 amid signs that Russia was about to invade Ukraine, and since then Europe has drastically cut energy imports from Russia.
Gazprom representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the New York Times report.
Battle for Bakhmut
In its invasion, which passed the one-year mark on Feb 24, Moscow has sent thousands of troops in waves over recent weeks to try to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut and secure its first battlefield victory in more than half a year. Ukrainian forces have dug trenches further west and in recent days had seemed to be preparing to pull out.
But Zelensky early on Tuesday publicly committed his troops to holding out in Bakhmut, apparently prolonging the war's bloodiest battle in a bid to break Moscow's assault force.
His remarks in an overnight address suggested Kyiv had elected not only to stay and fight on but to reinforce the city, apparently convinced that Russia's losses in trying to storm it would be greater than those of the defenders.
"I told the commander-in-chief to find the appropriate forces to help our guys in Bakhmut," Zelensky said.
Iryna Vereshchuk, a deputy Ukrainian premier, said on state TV that fewer than 4,000 civilians - including 38 children - out of a pre-war population of some 70,000 remained in bombed-out Bakhmut.
Russia, which claims to have annexed nearly 20% of Ukraine's territory, says taking Bakhmut would be a step towards seizing the surrounding industrial Donbas region, a major war aim.
"The liberation of Artemovsk continues," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said in televised remarks, using the Soviet-era name for Bakhmut, re-adopted by the invading Russians.
"The city is an important hub for defending Ukrainian troops in the Donbas. Taking it under control will allow further offensive actions to be conducted deep into Ukraine's defensive lines."
Western strategists say the ruined city has limited value, and Russia's assault may aim for a symbolic victory after a winter offensive involving hundreds of thousands of conscripted reservists and fighters from the Wagner private army.
Ukraine's military command reported a record 1,600 Russians killed over the previous 24 hours. Moscow said Ukraine's losses in February had risen 40% from January to 11,000.
Tolls of enemy dead cannot be confirmed and the sides do not release regular data on their own casualties, but past Ukrainian reports of spikes in Russian losses have corresponded with failed Russian assaults.
Reuters journalists have not been inside Bakhmut for a week and could not independently verify the situation there.
Russia calls it actions in Ukraine a "special military operation" to eliminate security threats arising from its fellow ex-Soviet republic's ties to the West. Kyiv and its Western supporters call it an unprovoked land grab.
Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed as well as soldiers on both sides. Russia has bombarded Ukrainian cities and set millions of civilians to flight in what Kyiv and the West call an unprovoked war of conquest.
While Russia has made gains in recent weeks around Bakhmut, its winter offensive has otherwise been a failure, yielding no significant gains in major assaults further north and south.
Kyiv, which recaptured swathes of territory in the second half of 2022, has spent the last three months on the defensive, trying to exhaust the attacking Russians before an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive later this year.


Thai police conclude probe into serial 'cyanide killer'

Police have concluded their investigation into Thailand's "cyanide killer", a woman accused of the murder of at least 14 people in what authorities are calling the country's worst ever serial killer.
Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, 36, was arrested in April after families of numerous alleged victims came forward. Police say between 2015 until 2023, she killed 14 people in eight provinces by mixing cyanide into their food.
Most of the victims were people to whom Sararat owed money, while others were people she stole from, police said, adding that one of her poisoning targets survived. Cyanide is a rapid-acting deadly chemical which interferes with the body's ability to use oxygen.
Sararat has denied murder but has confessed to using cyanide, according to police.
Deputy police chief Surachate Hakparn called the case "historic" and said it would be forwarded to prosecutors later on Friday.
"Thailand has had serial killers before, but the number of deaths was not this high," he told a press conference.
Sararat faces 80 charges including cyanide poisoning, forgery, theft and premeditated murder, which carries the death penalty, said Surachate, adding there would now be tighter regulations on access to cyanide.


Arul Kanda allowed to appear as witness in Najib’s 1MDB audit report trial

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today allowed the prosecution’s application to call former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy to appear as a witness in the 1MDB audit report tampering trial.Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan ruled that the prosecution’s application to have Arul Kanda take the stand as a witness under Section 63 of the Malaysian-Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) Act was in order.He said there was evidence to show that Arul Kanda was privy to conversations with former prime minister Najib Razak in relation to two meetings on the 1MDB audit which took place in 2016.Zaini also said that the prosecution had given its grounds for the application and that the defence was not prejudiced.Arul Kanda was then immediately called to the stand as a witness.On May 20, the prosecution filed a written application under Section 63 of the MACC Act 2009 to call Arul Kanda in as a witness.Under Section 63(1), in a situation where two or more people are charged with an offence under the MACC Act, the court may require one or more of them to give evidence as witnesses for the prosecution if a written application is made by the public prosecutor.Najib, 68, is charged with using his position to order amendments to the final 1MDB audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action against him.Arul Kanda, 45, is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report, to protect Najib from being subjected to action.The offences were allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Department Complex, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya between Feb 22 and 26, 2016.They were charged under Section 23 (1) of the MACC Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.


Chad’s president killed in battle with rebels after 30 years in power

Chadian President Idriss Deby has died of his injuries following battles with rebels who had been trying to oust him since 2016 and had claimed several victories last week.He was killed in the north of Chad at the weekend, the army has announced.Déby “breathed his last defending the sovereign nation on the battlefield”, an army general said in a statement on state TV.The announcement came a day after provisional election results projected he would win a sixth term in office.An army officer by training, Déby, 68, came to power in 1990 through an armed uprising. He spent three decades in power and was one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.The government and parliament have been dissolved. A curfew has been imposed and the borders have been shut.A military council led by his son, a 37-year-old four-star general, will govern for the next 18 months, but “free and democratic” elections will be held once the transition period is over, the army said on Tuesday.Deby was a long-time ally of France and other Western powers in the battle against jihadist groups in the Sahel region of Africa.Under him, Chad worked closely with Nigeria and Cameroon in the fight against militant group Boko Haram.Ahead of the election on April 11, he campaigned on a platform of bringing peace and security to the region, but there had been growing unhappiness over his government’s management of Chad’s oil resources.He had gone to the front line, several hundred kilometres north of the capital N’Djamena, at the weekend to visit troops battling rebels belonging to the group Front for Change and Concord in Chad, known in French as Front Pour l’Alternance et La Concorde au Tchad (FACT).Founded in 2016 by disillusioned former army officers, FACT accused Deby of repression in the run-up to the election.On election day the group mounted an attack on a border post and advanced on N’Djamena.The fiercest clashes began on Saturday. An army general told Reuters that 300 insurgents were killed and 150 were captured.N’Djamena had come under rebel attack before and there was panic in the city on Monday, with parents taking their children home from school, when tanks were deployed along the main roads. Some foreign embassies in the capital have urged their staff to leave.There are fears Deby’s death threatens the stability of the region.Mohammed Yahaya, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Nigeria told CNN: “The worst-case scenario is a Libya type of disintegration in what is a very insecure and conflict affected region.“Chad under President Deby’s leadership put a lot of pressure on Boko Haram in the region. If there’s a disintegration we would see an increased arms flow and an emboldened Boko Haram.”


In Johor, more jobs than jobseekers, says MB

There are currently 51,944 job vacancies in Johor, exceeding the total number of 34,278 jobseekers in the state, Johor Menteri Onn Hafiz Ghazi says.
He said those in the state should make the most of the available job opportunities, especially in the manufacturing and service sectors, adding that the state government was studying the possibility of a mismatch in terms of job matching.
"Therefore, the government will engage all stakeholders to figure out a solution," he said in a Facebook post, adding that he had also met with Social Security Organisation (Socso) CEO Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed and discussed worker welfare and job opportunities in Johor.
He said there were suggestions that service centres in the state be used as Socso satellite centres that would serve as one-stop centres for employers to conduct interviews and job matching with potential employees.
He also said that 34,806 self-employed individuals had registered under the Self-Employed Social Security Scheme, including those in support services, passenger transport and the goods and food delivery sectors. Onn Hafiz also welcomed Socso’s assistance in channelling information and available benefits to those in the state, including some 278,000 housewives.
He said housewives contribute to the welfare of their families and communities and deserve to be covered under the social security scheme for housewives.
"This will have a positive impact on the unemployment rate, boost the rate of services and the workforce, and ensure comprehensive employee social security for those in Johor," he added.


Cops probing claim of more slots than shots at jab centre

The police are investigating allegations of there being more Covid-19 vaccination slots than vaccine doses allocated at a vaccination centre (PPV).Bukit Aman Commercial CID director Mohd Kamarudin Md Din confirmed the matter, saying a report on the issue had been lodged by a PPV personnel in the federal capital.He said the complainant alleged that there were more vaccine recipients listed in the MySejahtera application than the total vaccine jabs allocated to the PPV in question.“The investigation is still at the initial stage, and police will be taking statements from several witnesses involved.“We urge members of the public not to speculate on the issue. The case is being investigated under Section 5 of the Computer Crimes Act 1997,” he said in a statement today.He also advised the people to give their full cooperation and support to the government to ensure the success of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.He said police would not compromise on any efforts to sabotage the programme, whether for individual interest or otherwise.


Penang to scale down PSI project by 49%

The Penang government has agreed to scale down the Penang South Island (PSI) reclamation project by 49% by not proceeding with the construction of Island B and Island C.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said this was despite the fact that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the PSI project, approved by the Department of the Environment (DoE) through a letter dated April 11, 2023, covered three islands involving a total area 4,500 acres.
He said the decision was made in response to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's request for the state government to scale down the project.
"Silicon Island (Island A), covering 2,300 acres, will be implemented in two phases within 10 to 15 years for reclamation work, while reclamation work for Island B, covering 1,400 acres and Island C (800 acres) will not proceed," he told a press conference in George Town today.
The PSI was meant to involve the development of three artificial islands, with an area of 1,800ha, in the waters off Permatang Damar Laut, near Bayan Lepas. However, the project received objections from the fishing community and environmental groups in the state as it was alleged that it would damage the marine ecosystem in the area.
Chow said it was also decided that Silicon Island would remain as an LRT depot site, involving 60 acres, while the Green Tech Park and Heart of the Island components would be maintained as an economic catalyst and new tourism product, respectively, for the state.
Chow said reclamation for the first phase of Silicon Island involving 1,300 acres, including the LRT depot site, which is expected to take seven to 10 years to complete, would not have any impact on the lives of the fishermen.
The second phase will cover an area of 1,000 acres, he said, adding that reclamation for Silicon Island, including the topside part, would take 20 years.
He said the scaling down of the project would directly affect only 115 fishermen from the Permatang Tepi Laut compared to 496 people who would be affected by the reclamation for all three islands.
"With this latest development, the social impact management plan scheme for the affected fishermen will be discussed in detail in the fishermen task force committee meeting to be chaired by Deputy Chief Minister I Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman," he said.
Chow said changes to the project would not result in any loss to the state government or the project delivery partner SRS Consortium as both parties had only signed an agreement for Island A. According to SRS Consortium project director Szeto Wai Loong, the cost of reclamation and basic facilities of Silicon Island is expected to be about RM8.5 billion, whereby the company will create land parcels and auction them to the highest bidder.
The successful bidder will develop the land, he said.
Chow said the state government and SRS Consortium would not be involved in the development of the land site.
On May 6, Anwar announced that the federal government would set aside an additional allocation to help the Penang government expedite the proposed George Town-Bayan Lepas LRT project.
The prime minister also asked the Penang government to scale down the project.


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Perak to consider meeting with reps as state assembly sittings still off limits

The Perak government will consider the opposition’s proposal for a meeting to be held among the 59 state assemblymen as state assembly sittings cannot be convened during the emergency period.Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad said the state administration could brief assemblymen on ongoing plans and those that have been completed, including financial status, expenditure and revenue collection.“However, this will just be a briefing, a debate session cannot be held in the assemblymen meeting which we can hold at a hotel or a banquet hall.“There is no need to have the speaker at the meeting as this will be wrongly interpreted by certain quarters as it may seem as if we are having an illegal state assembly sitting,” he said to reporters after attending an event in Ipoh today.Saarani said state assemblymen could also give their feedback and present their views to improve the performance of the state government.Yesterday, Perak Amanah chairman Asmuni Awi suggested that such a meeting be convened without adopting the official rules of the state assembly like the use of the mace, to enable discussions on the people’s welfare despite the state of emergency.


Ministry gets cracking to breathe new life into site of 1993 condo tragedy

The abandoned condominiums at the site of the Highland Towers tragedy in Hulu Kelang where an entire apartment block collapsed in 1993 will soon be cleared to make way for new projects that will benefit the local community, the housing and local government ministry said today.In a statement, the ministry said it had applied for an RM8.9 million allocation from the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department for a takeover of the land from the state government.“”Demolition works on the buildings and clearance of the site can only be done after land compensation payment has been made.“Relevant projects on the Highland Towers site will take place to optimise the use of existing land more effectively for the benefit of locals in the vicinity,” it said.The collapse of the block, which killed 48 residents, was blamed on land clearing at two nearby housing project sites and a badly constructed retaining wall that was not properly maintained.The ministry said the site, which was left abandoned for the next 28 years, eventually became associated with a range of social problems including drug activities which worried those living in the vicinity.In the statement issued after a visit to the area by Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin, it said the redevelopment and beautification works would breathe new life into the site and create a more comfortable environment in addition to ensuring the safety and well-being of the surrounding residents.


Australia, US, Britain leaders to meet, submarine deal expected

The leaders of the US, Britain and Australia will meet in the US next week to discuss security and foreign policy, the British Prime Minister's office announced on Wednesday, ahead of an expected nuclear submarine deal aimed at countering China's growing assertiveness in the Pacific.
After 18 months of negotiations, it is anticipated that Australia will reveal plans to obtain eight nuclear-powered submarines, in what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called "the single biggest leap" in defence capability in his country's history.
The deal is part of the fledgling regional security pact between Australia, the UK and the US known as Aukus.
"The prime minister will be in the US on Monday for discussions on Aukus with President Biden and the Australian Prime Minister," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's spokesman told reporters.
The UK government will also that day publish an update to its so-called "Integrated Review" of security, defence and foreign policy, he added.
The last update two years ago was billed as the most comprehensive since the Cold War era and crafted as London recalibrated its post-Brexit foreign policy.
London has insisted the new defence alliance is not intended to be adversarial towards any other nation. But it has been widely seen as a Western response to concern about China's increasing influence in the region, and the pace and size of Beijing's military expansion.
Since September 2021, behind-the-scenes talks have been taking place between the Aukus partners about how to equip Australia's military with sensitive nuclear-propulsion technology.
Australia does not have the expertise to build its own nuclear subs – which have an extended range and powerful strike capabilities – and must buy them from either the US or Britain.
Earlier on Wednesday, Albanese announced he would be meeting President Joe Biden in the US, without specifying an exact date.
"We'll have further announcements about details soon about the arrangements that will be taking place," he told reporters in Perth.
The emerging deal has worried some of Australia's largest regional allies, with both Indonesia and Malaysia questioning whether it could spark a nuclear arms race in the Indo-Pacific.
While the subs will be powered by a nuclear reactor, Australia has ruled out equipping them with nuclear weapons.
The submarine contract is expected to worth tens of billions of US dollars, but experts say its significance goes beyond jobs created and investments pledged.
Beijing opposition
Nuclear-powered submarines are difficult to detect, can travel large distances for prolonged periods and can be armed with sophisticated cruise missiles.
That would allow Australia to launch strikes or counterstrikes deep into enemy territory with little warning.
Beijing has voiced deep opposition to the project, which it sees as "dangerous" and designed to corner China.
Major questions still linger, including whether Australia will look to buy US or British submarines, where they will be built and when they will be in the water.
Britain's The Times newspaper reported Tuesday that Australia is expected to acquire submarines built by Britain, rather than the US, under the Aukus pact because it is easier to crew the smaller UK vessels.
If the submarines are from the US, it would be the first time US-derived nuclear submarine technologies were exported since the 1960s, when the United States helped Britain design its undersea fleet.
"The Aukus partnership seeks to provide a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability to Australia at the earliest possible date," a Pentagon spokesperson told AFP ahead of Albanese's announcement.
"Bolstering our deterrence means boosting all of our industrial bases, growing our collective capabilities, and sharing technology as never before."
The Aukus pact also foresees collaboration between the three allies on hypersonic missiles, artificial intelligence and cyber warfare.
The subs deal has been contentious in the US, which is struggling to grow its own fleet of nuclear submarines.
The chair of the influential US Senate armed services committee, Democrat Jack Reed, warned Biden in December that selling subs to Australia could undermine American naval prowess.
In a leaked letter sent to Biden, Reed also wrote that the Aukus agreement risked "stressing the US submarine industrial base to the breaking point".
Australia had originally planned to buy diesel-powered submarines in a lucrative deal inked with France, but abruptly scrapped that agreement in favour of Aukus.


New class of drug reverses paralysis in mice

US scientists have developed a new form of drug that promotes the regeneration of cells and reversed paralysis in mice with spinal injuries, allowing them to walk again within four weeks of treatment.The research was published in the journal Science on Thursday, and the team of Northwestern University scientists behind it hope to approach the Food and Drug Administration as early as next year to propose human trials.“The aim of our research was to develop a translatable therapy that could be brought to the clinic to prevent individuals from becoming paralysed after major trauma or disease,” Northwestern’s Samuel Stupp, who led the study, told AFP.Curing paralysis is a longstanding goal of medicine, and other cutting-edge research in the field includes experimental treatments using stem cells to make new neurons (nerve cells), gene therapy that tells the body to produce certain proteins to aid nerve repair, or injecting proteins.Stupp’s team, on the other hand, used nanofibers to mimic the architecture of the “extracellular matrix” – a naturally occurring network of molecules surrounding tissue that is responsible for supporting cells.Each fiber is about 10,000 times narrower than a human hair, and they are made up of hundreds of thousands of bioactive molecules called peptides that transmit signals to promote nerve regeneration.The therapy was injected as a gel into tissue surrounding the spinal cords of lab mice 24 hours after an incision was made in their spines.The team decided to wait a day because humans who receive devastating spinal injuries from car accidents, gunshots and so on also experience delays in getting treatment.Four weeks later, mice who received the treatment regained their ability to walk almost as well as before the injury. Those left untreated did not.The mice were then put down to examine the impacts of the therapy on the cellular level, and the team found dramatic improvements to the spinal cords.The severed extensions of neurons called axons regenerated, and scar tissue that can act as a physical barrier to regeneration was significantly diminished.What’s more, an insulating layer of axons called myelin that is important in transmitting electric signals had reformed, blood vessels that deliver nutrients to injured cells had formed, and more motor neurons survived.‘Dancing’ moleculesA key discovery by the team was that creating a certain mutation in the molecules intensified their collective motion and heightened their efficacy.This is because receptors in neurons are naturally in constant motion, Stupp explained, and increasing the motion of the therapeutic molecules within the nanofibers helps connect them more effectively with their moving targets.The researchers in fact tested two versions of the treatment – one with the mutation and one without – and found that mice that received the modified version regained more function.The gel developed by the scientists is the first of its kind, but could usher in a new generation of medicines known as “supramolecular drugs,” because the therapy is an assembly of many molecules rather than a single molecule, said Stupp.According to the team, it is safe because the materials biodegrade within a matter of weeks and become nutrients for cells.Stupp said he hopes to rapidly move direct to human studies next without the need for further animal testing, such as on primates.This is because the nervous system is highly similar across mammal species and “there is nothing out there to help spinal cord injury patients, and this is a huge human problem,” he said.According to official statistics, nearly 300,000 people are living with a spinal cord injury in the US alone. Their lifespan is shorter than people without spinal injury, and has not improved since the 1980s.“The challenge will be how the FDA will look at these therapies because they’re completely new,” predicted Stupp.


Flash mob thefts terrorise US retailers ahead of Christmas

US retailers are adding security and locking up goods after flash mob heists involving dozens of thieves at once stunned luxury stores in the San Francisco area and beyond, as the holiday shopping season opens.In the most shocking of recent thefts, around 80 masked people in 25 cars raided a high-end Nordstrom department store in Walnut Creek, California east of San Francisco on Saturday, plundering its first-floor luxury goods counters in just a few minutes before fleeing.That took place one day after 40 people drove up and swarmed a Louis Vuitton store in San Francisco’s Union Square, emptying its shelves in seconds before jumping in cars to speed away.And near Chicago, also hit by a series of similar thefts, a gang of 14 crooks swept into a Louis Vuitton store in the Oak Brook suburb, snatching more than US$100,000 worth of luxury bags and garments. It was the third such attack on a Chicago-area Vuitton outlet in a month.Retailers around the country are taking notice and precautions against possible copycat hits as the sheer size of the robbery gangs and their ability to plan secretly have made them nearly impossible to halt.“The level of organised retail theft we are seeing is simply unacceptable,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.“Businesses and customers should feel safe while doing their holiday shopping.”The thefts come at a key moment on the shopping calendar.Thursday is Thanksgiving, and the day after the holiday has been nicknamed “Black Friday,” the traditional kickoff to America’s frenzied Christmas shopping season.Newsom ordered a special task force in the California Highway Patrol to work with local officials to address the theft problem.Despite the action, the number of flash mob thefts multiplied, with a jewelry store in Hayward near San Francisco hit by a group of between 30 and 40.In nearby Oakland a streetwear store was cleaned out: security video shows more than 30 masked, hooded people squeezing into the small shop, grabbing collectable shoes and garb and rushing out in under a minute.Flash mob thefts, also dubbed “flash robs,” have been around for years, but have accelerated in 2021, besetting owners of small pharmacies, mid-level chain clothing stores and top-end luxury goods alike.But the sheer size and speed of the Nordstrom attack in Walnut Creek stunned many.“I wouldn’t even characterise that as organised crime, that was domestic terrorism,” Rachel Michelin, president of the California Retailers Association told Fox40 television in Sacramento.Brazen and graphicJeffrey Ian Ross, a criminologist at the University of Baltimore, said there is nothing indicating that overall retail theft in the country has risen significantly.But he said the spread of video footage of the heists on news and social media may have inspired others to copy them.“It’s brazen, it’s graphic,” he said.Ross said that police, already burdened by rising murder cases and other violent crime, “just can’t keep up” with the volume of stolen goods and the people who resell them.What remained unclear are the ties if any between the multiple group thefts in the San Francisco area, how the participants communicate and coordinate, and how any organised fencing operation might work.Only three people have been confirmed arrested in the Walnut Creek robbery, out of the estimated 80-plus people who took part.On Tuesday San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced felony charges against nine people in store robberies, including the Louis Vuitton store in Union Square.Michelin, though, said that California could need tougher laws against this kind of crime, where social media appears to be used to coordinate the culprits.“We’re going to have those uncomfortable conversations and have a look at some of the laws on the books,” she told Fox40. “Obviously they aren’t working.”


Govt tables motion to repeal emergency ordinances

The government today tabled a motion to repeal the emergency ordinances for debate by MPs and winding up by the relevant ministries in the Dewan Rakyat.It covers the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, Emergency (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, Emergency (Employees’ Minimum Standards of Housing, Accommodations and Amenities) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 and Emergency (Essential Powers) (No. 2) Ordinance 2021.It also covers the Emergency (Essential Powers) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, Emergency (Offenders Compulsory Attendance) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, and the Emergency (National Trust Fund) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021.Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar when tabling the motion said the proclamation of emergency and any ordinance promulgated under Clause (2B) of Article 150 of the Federal Constitution should be tabled before both houses of Parliament.“The government will ensure that the repeal of these seven ordinances will not affect the handling of the (Covid-19) pandemic threat for the welfare of the people, security and public order as well as the country’s economic recovery,” he said.Wan Junaidi said the proclamation of emergency was to enable ordinances to be promulgated under Clause (2B) of Article 150 to provide the necessary powers to curb and prevent the spread of the Covid-19 in the country.He said this was because the third wave of Covid-19 which hit the country in September 2020 showed a sharp increase in positive cases and deaths.As of Oct 24, Malaysia’s case tally was 2,426,050 while 77,305 cases were active with the death toll standing at 28,354.As an example, Wan Junaidi said through the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021, the temporary acquisition of land, buildings and movable property was made to house and manage Covid-19 and non-Covid patients.“For this purpose, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Children’s Specialist Hospital belonging to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia was taken over,” he said.In addition, he said, since the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance (No. 2) 2021 came into force from March 12 to Oct 7, 30 investigation papers were opened under Section 4 (1) of the Ordinance for enforcement action against individuals or parties who were found uploading or spreading untrue news about Covid-19 as well as the proclamation of emergency.