Najib’s minutes to Zahid on visa contract not an order, says Ultra Kirana director

The Shah Alam High Court was today told that the minutes of former prime minister Najib Razak to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the contract of Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) to be extended as the sole operator of the foreign visa system (VLN) to Malaysia in China was not an order.UKSB director Fadzil Ahmad said even though Najib was the prime minister and the head of the Cabinet at the time, the power to approve the VLN contract was under the home ministry.“For me, the source and jurisdiction of authority (to extend the contract) of all my applications began only with the home ministry.“It did not start at the PM’s office, so to me, the PM can merely assist to expedite, not to give an order,” he said when re-examined by deputy public prosecutor Zander Lim Wai Keong at Zahid’s trial on 40 charges of corruption.Asked by Lim who would approve the contract extension, Fadzil replied: “The final decision was with the home minister (Zahid).”Earlier, two prosecution witnesses – former home ministry deputy secretary-general (policy and control) Suriani Ahmad and former principal assistant secretary at the home ministry’s immigration affairs division Azman Azra Abdul Rahman @ Md Salleh – told the court that Najib had asked Zahid to extend the contract of UKSB as the sole operator of the VLN system to Malaysia in China.The minutes by Najib to Ahmad were written in three letters sent by UKSB to the former prime minister between May 23, 2013 and Oct 27, 2015 to obtain support after finding competition from other companies interested in handling the one-stop-centre (OSC) in China and several other countries.Meanwhile, during re-examination by counsel Hamidi Mohd Nor, Fadzil, the 14th witness agreed that the earlier extension of the contract was something natural.Hamidi: There was no need for UKSB to expedite or receive its extension as you could extend not less than six months before its expiry. Secondly it’s natural to extend. It was not something new that needed incentive or motivation to extend the contract. There was nothing peculiar about it. It’s natural the contract needed to be extended, right?Fadzil: It depends on why it needs to be extended. I felt it was not automatically extended.He also agreed with the suggestion of the lawyer that based on Clause 2.2.1, the agreement to supply the integrated VLN system was signed before the company could apply for a contract extension not less than six months before the agreement expired.Fadzil also agreed with the lawyer that it was not an offence if the extension contract was made two or three years before it expired.Earlier, the sixth witness, Alwi Ibrahim who was the former home ministry secretary-general, told the court that he was not satisfied with Zahid’s decision to extend the contract of UKSB to implement the VLN system when the expiry period was still far away.Zahid, 69, faces 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and the then home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the OSC in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the home ministry.On another seven counts, Zahid was charged as home minister with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 euros and US$15,000 in cash from the same company in connection with his official work.He is alleged to have committed the acts at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya and in Country Heights, Kajang between October 2014 and March 2018.The trial before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues tomorrow.


Japan train driver sues after wages docked for minute delay

A Japanese train driver is suing his employer after his wages were docked 56 yen (US$0.50) over a minute-long delay to the country’s famously punctual rail system, the company said Thursday.The driver filed the suit against the West Japan Railway (JR West) earlier this year after it fined him for a work mix-up in June 2020 which caused the delay, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported.He is seeking 2.2 million yen (US$19,470) in damages for mental anguish caused by the ordeal, the report said.The driver had been scheduled to move an empty train to a garage in Okayama station in western Japan, but went to the wrong platform.The mix-up delayed the driver changeover and meant the train departed the station and arrived at the depot a minute later than scheduled, the newspaper said.The company argues it was appropriate to dock the driver’s wages because no labour was performed during the mix-up.A JR West spokesman confirmed the lawsuit to AFP on Thursday, declining to comment “as the suit is pending”.“The reason why this became a lawsuit is differences over how to interpret” the cause of the delay, he said, adding that the company had applied its “no work, no pay” rule in docking the driver’s wages.The man, who has not been named, argues that the delay was a minor human error and that he should not have been considered absent from work.Japan’s rail system is famously efficient and punctual, and regularly cited as an example for networks around the world.In 2017, a local railway operator made international headlines after issuing a deep apology for the “tremendous nuisance” caused by the departure of a train 20 seconds early.


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How Shanghai saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust

As an infant Kurt Wick escaped almost certain death in a Nazi concentration camp by taking refuge in Shanghai, a little-known sanctuary for thousands of Jews fleeing the Holocaust.Now 83, he has spent the last two decades spreading the word about how the Chinese city became an unlikely safe haven from Adolf Hitler’s “Final Solution”.“They saved 20,000 Jews and if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be able to talk to you now,” says Vienna-born Wick, who was taken by his parents on a ship from the port of Trieste for the long voyage east.“I would have been one of the ashes in Auschwitz, like my other family.”Wednesday is International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi death camp.Six million Jews perished during the worst genocide in human history but Wick and six other members of his family were able to escape Europe for Shanghai because it was one of the very few destinations that did not require an entry visa.“People should know about it because it was the only place in the world in 1939 that opened its gates,” Wick said by telephone from his home in London.“Even many Jews don’t know about it.”Shanghai was a strange and faraway land for the European Jews, and would soon be completely occupied by an increasingly aggressive Imperial Japan.They got support from a small but wealthy number of Jews who had been in the city since the 19th century and helped build a bustling community.Historical accounts likened the atmosphere to a small town in Austria or Germany.Life was nevertheless hard and after World War II ended in 1945, Shanghai’s Jewish population declined sharply as they returned home or embarked on new lives elsewhere.‘Special relationship’Chinese authorities are clearly eager for Shanghai’s history as a safe harbour for Jews to get more exposure.In 2007 the government-run Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum opened in Hongkou, a district that once contained the so-called “Shanghai Ghetto”.The site of a former synagogue, the museum reopened last month after a major expansion that tripled its size.The centrepiece of the museum is a wall listing the names of thousands of Jews who temporarily made the city home in the 1930s and 1940s.Much is made at the museum of how the Jews and Chinese, themselves suffering the ravages of war, helped one another get by during the Japanese occupation.It also highlights how the Jews never faced any prejudice from the Chinese – an assertion backed up by Wick.But he is also keen to stress that the Japanese, although allied to Nazi Germany, were also not anti-Semitic and it was “mainly the Japanese” who allowed them refuge.Chen Jian, the museum’s curator, said there was a “special relationship” between Shanghai and the Jews which pre-dates the refugees and continues to this day.“Although decades have passed and this period of history is a long time ago, some of the refugees and their descendants have maintained… the very deep friendship between us,” he said.Untold storyRabbi Shalom Greenberg, co-director of the Shanghai Jewish Center, said the story of Jews finding shelter in Shanghai remained untold for decades and still receives little attention.“The story that was told was about those who did not survive, about their terrible situation, the terrible thing that happened in Europe,” said Greenberg.“The story of the survivors, in general, was almost not told.”None of the refugees remain in Shanghai but there is still a small yet active Jewish community of about 2,000 people.Prejudice of any kind against them is unheard of, says Greenberg, 49, at the century-old Ohel Rachel Synagogue.“This is one of the very few places in the world that when you walk on the street and you hear two people behind you saying in the local language, ‘This person is Jewish’, you are not afraid.” he said.“This land never, never had anti-Semitism.”


Better things to come, Rosmah says after Najib's acquittal

Rosmah Mansor today described the court decision acquitting her husband Najib Razak of tampering with the final 1MDB audit report as a victory for her family.
She also said the decision had restored their spirits.
"Thankfully, thank God, today's case is a victory not only for my husband (Najib) but for our family.
"Datuk said he (Najib) is also grateful, this is a victory for him. Hope God willing... better things to come," Rosmah said when met by reporters after the case proceedings.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court acquitted Najib and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy of the charges against them after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case.
Najib's counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah also said the decision by judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan had lifted the spirits of the former prime minister.
"Najib wanted to communicate to the members of the media, he wanted to tell you that he is grateful to Allah with this decision today because it really uplifts his humble spirits and desire to fight," he said.
Shafee also said that today's decision would be the beginning of many good things to come, adding that it was beyond a mere acquittal and discharge as the trial judge had said there was no element of corruption or gratification.
"This is the first case out of those cases that we got a good result. I hope that the Attorney-General's Chambers will not appeal because the findings of the judge are completely supportable," he said.
Meanwhile, when met by the media, Arul Kanda thanked everyone who had stood up for him in the last few years.
"The trial judge made it very clear that I was not involved in this case. I am very happy. I would like to thank everyone including my family, friends, and my legal team. I think the immediate next step is to update my resume," he said.


China warns Yangtze drought could last until September as it races to protect harvests

China's water ministry warned that severe drought conditions in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze river could last well into September as local governments race to find new supply sources and irrigate crops ahead of the autumn harvest.
A severe heatwave across the basin of China's longest river, caused by a larger than usual Western Pacific subtropical high, has now lasted more than two months, slashing hydropower supplies and drying out large expanses of arable land.
Normal water flows could still be months away, with rainfall expected to remain low until the end of this month and beyond, said Liu Zhiyu, an official at the Ministry of Water Resources, speaking at briefing late on Wednesday.
"It is expected that in September, water inflows in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze will still be low, and the drought in Anhui, Hubei, Hunan and Jiangxi could develop further," Liu warned, referring to four major provinces on the middle reaches of the river.
Rainfall in the Yangtze basin has been around 45% lower than normal since July, and high temperatures are likely to persist for at least another week, according to official forecasts.
Authorities in the region also warned that temperatures would continue to exceed 40 degrees Celsius on Thursday, with parts of Chongqing set to go beyond 44 degrees, putting further pressure on power supplies amid surging air conditioner use.
Water levels on the main trunk of the Yangtze and the vital flood basin lakes of Dongting and Poyang are now at least 4.85 metres (16 feet) shallower than normal, and the lowest on record for the period, officials said.
Rice and other autumn crops were now at a "critical period" when it comes to irrigation, warned Liu Weiping, Vice-Minister of Water Resources, at the same Wednesday briefing.
He said around 820,000 hectares (2 million acres) of arable land from Sichuan in the southwest to central China's Anhui have suffered damage, affecting 830,000 people as well as 160,000 head of livestock, mostly in areas relying on smaller reservoirs or mountain springs for irrigation.
Upstream reservoirs have opened their gates to replenish storage levels at the Three Gorges Dam, which will release 830 million cubic metres downstream over the coming days, Liu said.
Local governments are also being urged to ensure that enough water resources are stored for emergency use, and to make use of additional water sources, including mountain springs and streams, he said.


Ramadan in Xinjiang: officially renovated mosques welcome fewer worshippers

Under the weight of official rules and policies from Beijing, the future of Islam appears precarious in Xinjiang, reports the Associated Press.Observers claim scores of mosques have been demolished – a charge Beijing denies.But no-one denies the number of worshippers is plummeting.A decade ago, 5,000 people attended Friday prayers at the Id Kah mosque. Now only around 800 do, said the imam.He attributed the fall to a natural shift in values, not government policy, saying the younger generation wants to spend more time working than praying.Beijing says it protects freedom of religion, and citizens can practice their faith so long as they adhere to laws and regulations.In practice, from a primary school where the headmaster said fasting wasn’t observed because of the “separation of religion and education”, to a cotton yarn factory where workers are banned from praying on site, it’s getting more difficult to pray and fast.Workers are free to fast, but they are also required to take care of their bodies. If children fast, it’s not good for their growth, said the imam.Beijing denies incarcerating Muslims and using them as forced labour – accusations that have strained China’s relations with Western governments.Officials insist they have spent heavily on upgrading mosques, outfitting them with fans, flush toilets, computers and air conditioners.In Xinjiang, the Uighur regions have borne the brunt of a government crackdown that followed a series of riots, bombings, and knife attacks.There are always claims of the authorities tearing down mosques.Id Kah mosque is far from destroyed. Its imam toes the official line and spoke thankfully of the government largesse that has renovated the more than 500-year-old institution.“There is no such thing as mosque demolition,” he said, “other than some rundown mosques taken down for safety reasons.” He added he was also unaware of mosques being converted to other uses.At dusk, around 50 mostly elderly men arrived to pray.The ban on religious education for minors means that the young aren’t gaining the knowledge they should, one worshipper said.“The next generation will accept the Chinese mindset. They’ll still be called Uighurs, but their mindset and values will be gone.”Officials say those who want to study Islam can do so after the age of 18 at a state-sponsored Islamic studies institute. In Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, hundreds train to become imams according to a government-authored curriculum, studying a textbook with sections called, “Patriotism is a part of faith”, and, “Be a Muslim who loves the motherland, abide by the national constitution, laws and regulations.”The foreword reads, “Continue the Sinicization of Islam in our country. Guide Islam to adapt to a socialist society.”For the moment, Islam lives on, though the Sinicization campaign has palpably reduced the role of religion in daily life.The Muslim profession of faith has been removed from the front of the mosque.On a Wednesday evening at prayer time, the halls were nearly empty, and worshippers had to go through x-rays, metal detectors and face-scanning cameras to enter.Freedom of religion in China is defined as the freedom to believe or not believe.It’s not just that people have the right to fast or pray, they also have the right not to fast or pray.The mosque, which now flies a Chinese national flag above its entrance, has been refurbished, but fewer and fewer people come to worship.


New Zealand suspends travel bubble with Australia

New Zealand announced a three-day suspension of its quarantine-free travel arrangement with Australia on Saturday, with Wellington citing “multiple” outbreaks of Covid-19 in the neighbouring country.The announcement comes as a two-week lockdown begins in Sydney to contain a rapidly spreading outbreak of the Delta coronavirus variant.More than 80 cases have been reported so far in Australia’s largest city, while a handful of community cases have also been recorded in the Northern Territory, Victoria and Queensland in recent days.“But given the high level of transmissibility of what appears to be the Delta variant, and the fact that there are now multiple community clusters (in Australia), it is the right thing to do to keep Covid-19 out of New Zealand,” said New Zealand’s Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins.Hipkins said he understood the inconvenience the pause would cause and added that New Zealand remained committed to quarantine-free travel with Australia.He added that the suspension would give officials time to consider measures “to make the bubble safer, such as pre-departure testing for all flights” between the two countries.New Zealand has previously paused the bubble arrangement five times with individual states but this is the first time it has put a blanket halt to quarantine-free travel from all of Australia.Both countries have been among the world’s most successful in containing Covid-19. New Zealand has recorded just 26 Covid-19 deaths in a population of five million, and Australia has had fewer than 1,000 deaths in a population of 25 million.The trans-Tasman travel bubble opened in mid-April, more than a year after both countries closed their international borders due to the pandemic. It has been hailed as a major milestone in restarting the global travel industry.


Russia’s Putin announces ‘military operation’ in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “military operation” in Ukraine on Thursday and called on soldiers there to lay down their arms, defying Western outrage and global appeals not to launch a war.Putin made a surprise statement on television to declare his intentions.“I have made the decision of a military operation,” he said shortly before 6am (0300 GMT) in Moscow, as he vowed retaliation against anyone who interfered.He also called on the Ukraine military to lay down its arms.His statement came after the Kremlin said rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv.In response, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky made an emotional late-night appeal to Russians not to support a “major war in Europe”.Speaking Russian, Zelensky said that the people of Russia are being lied to about Ukraine and that the possibility of war also “depends on you”.“Who can stop (the war)? People. These people are among you, I am sure,” he said.Zelensky said he had tried to call Putin but there was “no answer, only silence”, adding that Moscow now had around 200,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s borders.Earlier the separatist leaders of Donetsk and Lugansk sent separate letters to Putin, asking him to “help them repel Ukraine’s aggression”, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.The two letters were published by Russian state media and were both dated Feb 22.Their appeals came after Putin recognised their independence and signed friendship treaties with them that include defence deals.Tens of thousands of Russian troops are stationed near Ukraine’s borders, and the West had said for days that an attack was imminent.‘Moment of peril’Putin has defied a barrage of international criticism over the crisis, with some Western leaders saying he was no longer rational.His announcement of the military operation came ahead of a last-ditch summit involving European Union leaders in Brussels planned for Thursday.The 27-nation bloc had also imposed sanctions on Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu and high-ranking figures including the commanders of Russia’s army, navy and air force, another part of the wave of Western punishment after Putin sought to rewrite Ukraine’s borders.The United Nations Security Council met late Wednesday for its second emergency session in three days over the crisis, with a personal plea there by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to Putin going unheeded.“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine, give peace a chance, too many people have already died,” Guterres said.The US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that an all-out Russian invasion could displace five million people, triggering a new European refugee crisis.Before Putin’s announcement, Ukraine had urged its approximately three million citizens living in Russia to leave.“We are united in believing that the future of European security is being decided right now, here in our home, in Ukraine,” President Zelensky said during a joint media appearance with the visiting leaders of Poland and Lithuania.Western capitals said Russia had amassed 150,000 troops in combat formations on Ukraine’s borders with Russia, Belarus and Russian-occupied Crimea and on warships in the Black Sea.Ukraine has around 200,000 military personnel and Wednesday’s call up could see up to 250,000 reservists aged between 18 and 60 receive their mobilisation papers.Moscow’s total forces are much larger – around a million active-duty personnel – and have been modernised and re-armed in recent years.High cost of warBut Ukraine has received advanced anti-tank weapons and some drones from Nato members. More have been promised as the allies try to deter a Russian attack or at least make it costly.Shelling had intensified in recent days between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists – a Ukrainian soldier was killed on Wednesday, the sixth in four days – and civilians living near the front were fearful.Dmitry Maksimenko, a 27-year-old coal miner from government-held Krasnogorivka, told AFP that he was shocked when his wife came to tell him that Putin had recognised the two Russian-backed separatist enclaves.“She said: ‘Have you heard the news?’. How could I have known? There’s no electricity, never mind internet. I don’t know what is going to happen next, but to be honest, I’m afraid,” he said.In a Russian village around 50km (30 miles) from the border, AFP reporters saw military equipment including rocket launchers, howitzers and fuel tanks mounted on trains stretching for hundreds of metres.Russia has long demanded that Ukraine be forbidden from ever joining the Nato alliance and that US troops pull out from Eastern Europe.Speaking to journalists, Putin on Tuesday set out a number of stringent conditions if the West wanted to de-escalate the crisis, saying Ukraine should drop its Nato ambition and become neutral.Washington Wednesday announced sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which Germany had earlier effectively suspended by halting certification.Australia, Britain, Japan and the European Union have all also announced sanctions.


More than 56,000 flood victims evacuated in 5 states

The number of flood victims in five states climbed to 56,159 this morning, with Terengganu and Kelantan continuing to record an increase in the number of evacuees.
In Terengganu, the number of flood victims increased sharply to 37,792 from 10,401 families, compared to 26,494 from 7,369 families last night. They are being housed in 310 evacuation centres (PSS) in eight districts, according to the state disaster management committee (JPBN) secretariat.
Kemaman was the worst-affected district with 12,000 victims, followed by Besut (8,228), Hulu Terengganu (6,691), Setiu (3,988), Dungun (2,484), Kuala Nerus (1,521), Kuala Terengganu (1,900) and Marang (980).
Heavy rain was reported in many areas in Terengganu this morning.
In Kelantan, the ebanjir portal reported that the number of evacuees had risen to 17,326 people from 4,793 families this morning, compared with 14,359 from 3,942 families last night.
It said that 106 PPS had been opened in nine districts in the state, namely Kota Bharu, Pasir Mas, Tumpat, Bachok, Tanah Merah, Pasir Puteh, Kuala Krai, Machang and Jeli.
According to the https://publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my/ website, the water levels of eight major rivers have surpassed the danger point. The rivers include Sungai Lebir in Kampung Tualang, Kuala Krai (41.57m); Sungai Golok in Kampung Jenob, Tanah Merah (24.01m); and Sungai Golok in Rantau Panjang, Pasir Mas (10.80m).
In Pahang, the JBPN secretariat reported that the number of flood victims at 11 PPS in Kuantan and Raub this morning remained at 934.
Sungai Keratong in Rompin was still at the danger level this morning while Sungai Tembeling in Kampung Merting, Jerantut, and Sungai Luit in Kampung Subuh, Maran, were at the warning level.
Rain is forecast for all districts in Pahang this morning.
In Johor, the JBPN secretariat said the number of evacuees at three PPS in the Segamat district remained at 53 from 17 families as of 8am.
The affected locations in the district are Kampung Seberang Batu Badak, Kampung Batu 5 and Kampung Kuala Paya.
The Irrigation and Drainage Department reported that the water level at Sungai Muar in Buloh Kasap, Segamat, was at the warning point (8.75m), while clear weather was reported in all districts as of 8am.
In Perak, 54 people from 17 families remained at two relief centres, namely SK Sungai Tiang Darat in Bagan Datuk and Sekolah Menengah Abd Rahman Talib in Hilir Perak.


The math on Anwar’s ‘formidable majority’

Social media posts on Malaysian politics have shown that people are either indifferent, anxious or revolted by the prospect of yet another peaceful coup this year, in the wake of Anwar Ibrahim’s latest claim of having the numbers needed to topple the government.They may also have no way of assessing the truth of this, besides the claims and denials of politicians.Anwar on Sept 23 claimed he had the numbers – a “strong and formidable majority” – to form the federal government, thus fulfilling his decades-old quest for seat of prime minister.He also claimed he had secured the support of enough MPs to ensure that the government would be predominantly Malay.In doing so, Anwar is aware of the deep-rooted relationship between race and politics, which points to the unwritten rule demanding Malay dominance in federal politics.He understands that anyone claiming to have the support to form the government must prove that it comes primarily from this ethnic bloc.Cynics have dismissed his announcement as “vintage Anwar” going after a chunk of the media limelight, which helped him remain in the country’s political psyche more than two decades after his fall from power.Others have been more detailed in dismissing his assertion, saying the claim of having a “formidable majority” which is also predominantly Malay-Muslim does not add up arithmetically.So, is Anwar telling the truth?A clearer perspective may be obtained by studying the demographics of MPs in the Dewan Rakyat.Anyone claiming to have the support to form the government must prove that it comes primarily from this ethnic bloc.MalaysiaNow has divided the MPs into four broad ethnic/communal groups which could have an impact on federal politics: Malay-Muslim, non-Malay Bumiputera, Chinese and Indian.We also divided MPs based on several assumptions, taking into account recent statements to the media by individuals and political parties in response to Anwar’s claim.These assumptions include the following:1. All PKR, DAP and Amanah MPs will back Anwar; and2. All MPs from PAS, GPS and Bersatu, as well as Pejuang and Muda – the Bersatu breakaway parties led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman – will not back Anwar.Umno and Warisan have yet to make known their stand, with a split expected among members.How many from Umno? In the case of Umno, the largest Malay-Muslim bloc, there have been reports of several leaders backing Anwar’s plan.One assumption, which is not confirmed, is that those facing corruption charges will back Anwar in the hope of escaping conviction.Seven of the 39 Umno MPs in this category:1. Najib Razak2. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi3. Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor4. Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim5. Ahmad Maslan6. Bung Moktar Radin7. Mahdzir KhalidOf these, Tengku Adnan, Ahmad Maslan, Bung and Mahdzir have publicly denied that they would back Anwar.Six others – Ahmad Nazlan Idris, Salim Shariff, Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, Idris Jusoh, Tajuddin Abdul Rahman and Shahidan Kassim – have also rejected suggestions that they would switch loyalties.Among Umno MPs too, at least 18 are said to be in a faction led by Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is seen as close to Bersatu and former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali.That makes 28 Umno MPs who will not be siding with Anwar.We will assume, to be generous to Anwar’s side, that the remaining 11 will back him, and that is if Anwar accepts Najib into his fold.Sabah and Sarawak partiesSabah’s Warisan is led by Shafie Apdal, a strong rival to Anwar. But this does not necessarily mean that the party’s MPs will not back the PKR leader, considering the economic and political benefits they could demand.Again, to be generous, we will assume that Warisan’s eight MPs will vote equally for and against, giving Anwar four MPs from this party.As for independents and parties with only one MP, we will assume that they will back Anwar.These include an independent in Sarawak, and one each from PBS, PBRS, Upko and STAR – a total of five more for Anwar from this category.In the case of GPS, all indications point to the ruling Sarawak party rejecting any move to replace the government of Muhyiddin Yassin, which has given the state lucrative oil royalties.The two MPs from Sarawak’s PSB – one of them Baru Bian, who has fallen out with Anwar – are not likely to work with the PKR president.From East Malaysia then, Anwar gets nine non-Pakatan Harapan (PH) MPs so far.MCA and MICIt is safe to assume that MCA’s two MPs will not be working with Anwar as the party strongly abhors DAP, Anwar’s closest ally in PH. The same goes for MIC, which has remained loyal to Barisan Nasional (BN) despite its defeat in the 2018 polls.The scorecard so farIf these guesses are correct, and with the generous assumptions favouring Anwar, his scorecard so far has 111 MPs, in the following breakdown:PKR: 38 (21 Malay-Muslim)DAP: 42 (2 Malay-Muslim)Amanah: 11 (all Malay-Muslim)Umno: 11 (all Malay-Muslim)Warisan: 4 (assumed, Malay-Muslim)Miscellaneous parties from East Malaysia: 5 (assumed, 0 Malay-Muslim)111 seats in a 222-seat Dewan Rakyat is not a “formidable” majority.Neither is it a predominantly Malay-Muslim government, as there would be only 49 Malay-Muslim MPs and 62 non-Muslim MPs.The bigger question is whether DAP will be on the same side as Umno, especially with leaders like Najib and Zahid in the picture.It would be suicidal given DAP’s consistent stand against working with Umno, especially Najib, whose downfall was thanks to an overwhelming statement from DAP’s traditional vote bank.But even if DAP gives Anwar the confidence vote, there is every likelihood that the party will stay out of the Cabinet, rendering Anwar’s government a minority one.This means that Anwar’s quest for prime ministership would seem more elusive than ever.The next 48 hours will confirm if this is a fair statement.Fazreen Kamal and Nur Hasliza Mohd Salleh contributed to this analysis.


Tenaganita co-director dies

Tenaganita co-director Aegile Fernandez, who spent more than five decades working with vulnerable communities, died at 72 today.Her family said she passed away peacefully at 1.26pm.“Aegile has been a warm glow of comfort in so many lives and a bright and enduring light in the fight for justice and equality.“We ask that if you are comfortable, please light a candle for her today. Importantly, she’d want you to keep up her mission for justice, her practice of kindness, her open heart to all who have the least,” they said in a statement.Aegile was the younger sister of rights activist Irene Fernandez, who died of heart failure on March 31, 2014.


Melbourne extends lockdown as Australia fails to stop outbreak

Australia’s two largest cities are set to stay under tight Covid-19 restrictions as Melbourne on Monday extended a five-day snap lockdown designed to curb a virulent outbreak.“These restrictions simply cannot end at midnight tomorrow night,” Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews said, without saying how long the Melbourne lockdown would last.About 12 million people are under lockdown in Melbourne and Sydney, where a month of restrictions has failed to quash an outbreak of the Delta variant.Australia had mostly dodged widespread community transmission in the 18 months since the pandemic began, but is now seeing more than 100 new cases a day, straining contact tracing efforts.The most recent outbreak started mid-June when a foreign aircrew infected a local driver in Sydney.The virus was then carried to Melbourne with a relocation team, prompting a snap lockdown that was due to end late Tuesday, but has failed to reduce new infections to zero.Victoria state on Monday reported 13 new cases.Andrews told weary residents now on their fifth lockdown that the measures were making an impact. “We have made great progress, we have avoided thousands of cases,” he said.In Sydney, it looks increasingly unlikely that the city will exit a lockdown in its fourth week at the end of the month as planned.On Saturday New South Wales introduced a slew of new restrictions and ordered all non-critical stores to close.The state reported 98 new cases on Monday.


Vaccine vacations: Abu Dhabi and Alaska offering Covid-19 jabs for tourists

Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is offering coronavirus vaccines from America’s Pfizer and China’s Sinopharm to tourists.The move is designed to attract visitors from countries that have supply constraints or where people find themselves at the back of a months-long queue or even no queue at all yet.The vaccines are only available for holders of a visa issued by Abu Dhabi or holders of passports eligible for visa on arrival, according to the sheikhdom’s healthcare provider Seha.Bruno Trenchard, senior manager of Hotels and Hospitality at CBRE Middle East investment consultancy, told Arabian Business it could open up a door for the emirate to promote vaccine tourism, but cautioned he did not expect to see a huge increase in regular tourists.He told the outlet that Abu Dhabi investors have been considering developing medical tourism destinations in and around Abu Dhabi, and that Covid-19 vaccination tourism could be a start.“However, we don’t anticipate this to bring a major push to tourism as Abu Dhabi is still relatively difficult to access for many tourists who need to quarantine on arrival, having both time and financial implications that not everyone can afford,” he said.“As such, the incentive of the vaccine would be appealing mostly to well-off travellers from countries where the vaccine  is not easily available yet.”He mentioned that the Pfizer vaccine is approved in many countries and so makes international travel easier while Sinopharm does not.The UAE has one of the fastest Covid-19 vaccine rollouts in the world, with more than 14.5 million shots administered to its population of about 10 million.Dubai, another emirate in the UAE and home to Emirates Airline, hasn’t so far announced any plan to provide vaccines to tourists.Simpliflying.com reports that the Maldives, Russia and the US are also trying to set up some form of vaccine tourism.For the adventurous, Alaska has already begun offering free-of-charge Covid-19 vaccines for those visiting ‘the Last Frontier’ in an attempt to aid the state’s summer tourism.Since June 1, anyone aged 12 and above from anywhere in the world can get vaccinated at any of the state’s major airports.“The idea is if we have excess vaccines, why not use them? So what we’re saying to our tourists is: if you come to Alaska, you get a free vaccination if you want one,” Governor Dunleavy told NPR.Vaccinations offered by the state are of the Pfizer or Moderna variety. This means that in order to receive full protection, visitors must spend three or four weeks in Alaska.Authorities say they are aware that this could be a limiting factor, but at least time-limited tourists can get their first shot before taking off for somewhere warmer.


Moscow says 498 Russian troops killed in Ukraine

Russia said Wednesday that 498 Russian troops had been killed in Ukraine, its first announced death toll since President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of the country last week.“Four hundred and ninety-eight Russian servicemen have died in the line of duty,” defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement broadcast on state television, adding that “1,597 of our comrades have been wounded.”Ukraine says the number is far higher.Moscow had previously admitted to losses but without giving any numbers.Konashenkov said that he wanted to “once again underline that neither conscripts nor cadets of educational institutions of the Russian defence ministry are participating in the special operation”.Russian independent organisations that help parents find their sons have told AFP that conscripts were taking part in the conflict, having been made to sign documents before crossing the border.Konashenkov called reports that Russia had suffered far greater losses “centralised disinformation”.Russia has said that its army is working to “de-Nazify” Ukraine.Putin gave the order for Russian troops, who for weeks had been massing on Ukraine’s borders, to attack last Thursday.Ukraine has said that more than 350 civilians had been killed since the invasion.


Kit Siang down with Covid-19

DAP’s Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang has tested positive for Covid-19, although he is only experiencing mild symptoms so far.Lim, 81, first tested positive on his RTK test at Parliament today. A PCR test later confirmed the diagnosis, his political secretary Syahredzan Johan said.The DAP veteran has been fully vaccinated and has also received a booster shot of Covid-19 vaccine.“Thus far, he only has light symptoms such as coughing,” Syahredzan said in a statement, adding that Lim is currently undergoing quarantine in line with the usual Covid-19 protocol.


North Korea shuns ‘capitalistic lifestyle’ with more fashion bans

Kim Jong Un is taking further steps to ensure that the citizens of his hermit country are not enticed by the influences of outside cultures by enacting a new round of bans on fashions and passions deemed part of Capitalist culture.Among the latest things banned are “non-socialist” haircuts. These include mullets, spiked cuts and dyed hair.Western fashion trends like skinny or ripped jeans and T-shirts with slogans, and nose or ear piercings will also get North Korean youth into trouble, the London Daily Express reported.“We must be wary of even the slightest signs of the capitalistic lifestyle and fight to get rid of them,” North Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun wrote about the latest bans.“History teaches us a crucial lesson that a country can become vulnerable and eventually collapse like a damp wall regardless of its economic and defence power if we do not hold on to our own lifestyle.”The new bans join others, which, according to Mirror UK, include a ban on smiling on July 8, bans on Coca-Cola and McDonalds, as well as multiple restrictions on television and, of course, the internet.North Korea also has a permanent ban on many things from South Korea, especially “decadent” K-pop music, and the boy and girl bands which have gained so many passionate fans around Asia and now the world.In 2017, Anna Fifield a reporter for the Washington Post told readers just what is permissible for young North Koreans to do for fun.It depends on what kind of North Koreans we’re talking about, she said.The rich kids who live in “Pyonghattan” have the money and the opportunities to enjoy themselves.Rollerblading is a big thing for the well-heeled – Kim has built lots of rinks – and they even go to the gym and do yoga. Some told her that they sometimes go to a bar and play ping-pong or pool.But really these activities are just an excuse to hang out with members of the opposite sex and check them out based on their clothes and phones. So pretty much like anywhere else in the world.But, she said, for the vast majority of young people in North Korea, they’re too busy trying to scrape a living to enjoy themselves.Incidentally, why no smiling on July 8? That’s the day on which in 1994, North Korean President Kim Il Sung died at age 82. He had led the country since its founding in 1948.


New cases above 6,000 for second day

Another 6,630 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,420,222.Another 7,630 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,311,213.Meanwhile 653 are in the ICU, including 521 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 322 are in need of respiratory assistance including 230 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 6,630 cases reported today, 101 (1.5%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 6,529 (98.5%) are in Category One and Two.


Empowering Sabah, Sarawak among 10 immediate priorities, says PH

Pakatan Harapan (PH) has outlined 10 priorities including the cost of living, the fight against corruption and empowering Sabah and Sarawak, to be realised immediately if it receives the mandate of the people to form the government in the 15th general election (GE15).
PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim said the priorities aimed to guarantee the overall prosperity of the people through economic growth, the restoration of public confidence through trustworthy administration, and preparations for the country to face the challenges ahead.
"We aim to implement these 10 priorities in stages and based on the country’s financial capability.
"They have been debated in detail and reviewed in terms of financial implications, and take into account the demands of the people without being populist," he told a press conference after launching PH’s top 10 priorities for GE15 in Klang today.
Also present were Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation president Wilfred Madius Tangau.
The priorities also include empowering economic opportunities for the youth, saving the lost generation in education, building disaster resilience and strengthening protection, tackling the issue of contract doctors and ensuring the welfare of healthcare workers, eliminating the issue of gender inequality and empowering women's socioeconomic status, increasing the people’s competitiveness and preserving the environment.
Anwar, who is the president of PKR, urged voters to ensure a comfortable victory for PH to form the government without requiring the cooperation of political parties outside the coalition, to enable its offers to be implemented successfully without any threats.
Asked if the priorities could be implemented, unlike PH’s manifesto at the previous election, Anwar replied: "This time, the chairman is Anwar.
"I call on fence sitters to give us the mandate so that we are free to implement this and will not face any threats after the election," he said.


Over half in New Delhi may have had Covid-19, survey reports

More than half of New Delhi’s 20 million inhabitants may have been infected with Covid-19, according to a government survey whose findings echoed earlier private-sector research.India has reported nearly 11 million Covid-19 infections, the most anywhere outside the US, but Tuesday’s survey, based on nearly 30,000 samples, suggests the true figure among its 1.35 billion population is dramatically higher and approaching herd immunity levels.“In the fifth sero survey done in the national capital of Delhi, antibodies have been detected in 56.13% of the city’s population,” Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Twitter after the report was published, adding that New Delhi had largely beaten Covid, and India’s daily cases and deaths fell to eight-month lows on Tuesday.Separate tests done on more than 700,000 people across India by diagnostics company Thyrocare Technologies showed 55% of the population may have already been infected, its chief told Reuters last week.The World Health Organization says at least 60% to 70% of a population needs to have immunity to break the chain of transmission, though Indian officials have said a lower level can also slow the virus’s spread.India has reported 154,486 Covid deaths, giving the country a relatively low fatality rate.One factor in that is the country’s low average age, medical experts say. Two rich states with relatively older populations – Kerala with 3,459 cases and Maharashtra with 1,948 – now account for nearly 70% of new infections.India has vaccinated nearly four million people since mid-January, when it started what the government touts as the world’s biggest immunisation campaign, which aims to inoculate over 300 million people by August.


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No toll on Jan 20 and 21 in conjunction with CNY

Highway users nationwide will be exempted from paying toll on Jan 20 and 21 in conjunction with Chinese New Year, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced today.
He said the toll-free rides would cover all classes of vehicles with an allocation of RM40 million.
"The works and transport ministries have already discussed with the highway concessionaires to allow toll exemption on Jan 20 and 21.
"This is to enable all Malaysians, not only the Chinese but also the Malays and Indians who may want to return to their hometown for the holidays," he told a press conference after chairing a Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya.
He also reminded all road users to drive carefully and comply with the traffic rules and regulations.
The Lunar New Year falls on Jan 22 and 23 this year.


Govt withdraws appeal against 'Allah' ruling

The government and home ministry have withdrawn their appeal against a High Court decision ruling that Christians can use the word "Allah" in the publication of religious material for learning purposes.
According to Sinar Harian, the notice of termination of the judicial review appeal was filed by the Attorney-General's Chambers on April 18, at the office of the Court of Appeal registrar in Putrajaya.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court on March 10, 2021 ruled that Christians could use "Allah" along with three other Arabic words – "Baitullah", "kaabah" and "solat" – in their religious publications for educational purposes.
Judge Nor Bee Ariffin had allowed a judicial review application by Sarawak native Christian, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, whose legal battle on the matter began 13 years ago.
Nor Bee in her ruling held that the 1986 directive by the home ministry barring the use of the four words was filled with illegality and irrationality.
She also said that the words could be used by the Christian community for teaching purposes as they had been in use for more than 400 years.
However, Putrajaya lodged an appeal, saying it was "not satisfied" with the ruling.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told reporters today that his ministry had decided to withdraw the appeal, adding that a note was sent to the Cabinet several months ago.
"It is a position taken by the home ministry, and I had to inform the Cabinet, which I did a few months ago," he was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail.


Audit report finds RM1.95 million improper payments made by Selangor sports council

The 2020 Auditor-General’s Report (LKAN) on the financial statement of the state government and state agencies as well as the compliance audit of Selangor state departments or agencies for 2020 has found that improper payments were made by the Selangor State Sports Council (MSN).Auditor-General Nik Azman Nik Abdul Majid said the report, tabled at the Selangor state assembly today, revealed that improper payments amounting to RM1.95 million were made to ineligible recipients.The payments amounted to RM500,000 in 2020 and RM1.4 million in 2019, he said in a statement.Apart from that, he said, the audit on the collection of quit rent on agricultural land at the Petaling Jaya District and Land Office found a shortage of tax collection of RM404,978 for eight agricultural lots under the “mukim” (sub-district) category.He said the mistake in imposing the tax rate also resulted in the over collection of RM36,248 in 2020 on seven properties.He said the heads of the departments or agencies concerned had been informed in advance of the matters reported in LKAN for verification purposes, and closing meetings were also held to discuss the audit findings and seek clarification and feedback on issues that arose.Following that, Nik Azman said the National Audit Department (NAD) had submitted seven recommendations to the relevant departments or agencies to improve in their weaknesses.On the Selangor government’s financial statement for the year ending Dec 31, 2020, he said from the audit conducted, the NAD had given its unmodified opinion.“Overall, the financial statement showed a true and fair financial position of the state government, and the accounting records were maintained and up to date,” he said.Nik Azman said the audit also found that the financial position of the state government was stable with an accrued balance of RM2.445 billion in its consolidated fund at the end of 2020, from RM2.141 billion at the end of 2019.For the balance in public debt, he said, the amount decreased by RM5.61 million or 0.5% to RM1.105 billion compared to RM1.110 billion in 2019.However, he said the arrears in repayment of public debts by the state government in 2020 increased by RM30.97 million or 108.5% to RM59.52 million compared to RM28.55 million in the previous year.Nik Azman said LKAN was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Dec 2, 2021, after receiving the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, and was subsequently tabled at the Selangor state assembly today after the consent of Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.LKAN can be accessed by the public at http://www.audit.gov.my.


New cases continue to hover at 5,700

Another 5,720 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,887,780.Another 3,968 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,794,354.Meanwhile 114 are in the ICU, including 85 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 56 are in need of respiratory assistance including 39 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 5,720 cases reported today, 43 (0.8%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 5,677 (99.2%) are in Category One and Two.


Zuraida tells Anwar to self-reflect, drop ‘petty ambition’

A former PKR leader says Anwar Ibrahim should take responsibility for the state of political instability in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, telling her former party boss to do “some self-reflection” and abandon his “petty ambition”.Zuraida Kamaruddin, the former PKR women’s chief who is now the housing and local government minister, also reminded Anwar of his claim that he had the majority support from MPs to replace Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government.“Anwar, who claimed the government lacked transparency, failed to even be transparent to His Majesty on his so-called formidable and convincing majority,” Zuraida said, referring to Anwar’s royal audience last week at which he provided no details of his claim to having the majority support of MPs.“What he actually did raises serious questions as to his fitness for the high office which he has been so ferociously and single-mindedly pursuing, to the detriment of the people’s welfare.”Anwar had earlier lashed out at a plan to invoke the Agong’s powers to declare an emergency to suspend the parliamentary process, a move seen as a bid to avert snap polls during the pandemic.Anwar said any move towards a state of emergency smacked of “dictatorship and authoritarianism”, and claimed that the current government was “lacking legitimacy”.This morning, MalaysiaNow reported that legal experts in Putrajaya were studying the option of declaring an emergency to prevent a snap election.This followed repeated appeals by senior health officials during high-level meetings this week, in the wake of a sharp rise in daily Covid-19 infections which have so far claimed more than 200 lives.MalaysiaNow also revealed that a group of MPs aligned with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who supported Anwar in his efforts to take control of Putrajaya, could force snap polls if they did not vote to pass the budget to be tabled by Muhyiddin on Nov 6.In the absence of a clear majority for either bloc, such a scenario would force snap polls, seen as the worst case scenario which could lead to a multifold increase in daily Covid-19 infections.Zuraida said Anwar’s claim of having majority support was part of a “protracted and frivolous drama”.“I cannot think of a single instance in which a senior political leader conducted himself in such a manner when his country was faced with an unprecedented health crisis,” she added.


Iran’s daily Covid caseload tops 30,000 in new high

Iran’s daily Covid caseload crossed the 30,000 mark for the first time on Monday, its health ministry said, marking a second record daily high within a week.In the past 24 hours, the Islamic republic registered a record 31,814 new infections to bring its total number of positive cases since the start of the pandemic to 3,723,246.It also recorded 322 additional coronavirus-related deaths, taking the total to 89,122.Iran’s daily infections had hit a record of 27,444 last Tuesday, prompting the national virus task force to close down government offices and banks in Tehran and nearby Alborz provinces for several days.Those strict measures, a first since the pandemic began, ended on Monday morning.Iran has so far avoided imposing a full nationwide lockdown, employing instead limited measures such as temporary travel bans and business closures.Authorities have previously admitted that the official figures do not account for all cases but those numbers still make Iran the hardest-hit country in the Middle East.Earlier this month, outgoing President Hassan Rouhani warned of a “fifth wave” of infection fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus.Iran has pinned its hopes on vaccinations to help with the health crisis but its inoculation campaign since early February has progressed more slowly than authorities had planned.Iran, strangled by US sanctions that have made it difficult to transfer money to foreign firms, says it is struggling to import vaccines.The authorities have approved the emergency use of two locally produced vaccines, with the only mass-produced one, COVIran Barekat, still in short supply.Just over 8.1 million people have received a first dose, and 2.4 million have received the necessary two jabs, the health ministry said on Monday.


New infections fall below 1,700 as another 5 deaths logged

Another 1,697 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,479,809.There were 1,548 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,413,310.There are now 30,879 active cases, of which 29,693 or 96.2% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 23 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,123 (3.6%) have been hospitalised.A total of 40 are in ICU with 22 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 55.7%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 6.5%.Another five deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,620.


Middle class money problems will hurt too, economists warn

Economists have warned of a trickle-down effect on society if the financial woes of the middle class or M40 go unaddressed, as the government continues to roll out stimulus packages aimed largely at cushioning the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic for those in the lower-income category.Yeah Kim Leng, a professor at Sunway University, said those in the M40 group who have lost their jobs and have dependents and large financial obligations such as house or car loans would in fact find themselves facing a similar situation as those in B40 households.“The unemployed urban youths could have their families to fall back on, but for the heads of M40 households that have landed in misfortune caused by the pandemic, the extended family support may be absent,” he said.This could see them forced to resort to loan sharks in the absence of government aid, he said.The M40 or middle 40% is defined as those who earn a monthly income of RM4,850 to RM10,959. The B40 or bottom 40% are those who earn less than RM4,849 while the T20 or top 20% earn over RM10,959 a month.While government aid under initiatives such as Penjana and Pemerkasa Plus has come as a welcome relief for the poor, those in the middle class who have been retrenched or suffered pay cuts due to the economic pounding inflicted by the pandemic are struggling as well.Yeah said for them, finding a new job or income-generating opportunities is “essential, especially if they are not covered by the employment insurance scheme”.He suggested job matching, retraining, upskilling and entrepreneurship programmes to help them rebuild their livelihoods, as well as the promotion of domestic and foreign investment activities.Baayah Baba, a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara, said a failing middle class would have a heavy impact on the local economy.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she said many of the things paid for by the M40 like daycare expenses, mortgages, higher education and even entertainment contribute to economic growth.“If things keep going downhill, they will have to fork out their life savings and spend less.“This will affect the GDP,” she said. “As their spending power decreases, we may see shops and stalls going out of business.”She said dollar stores, which have been mushrooming across the country, are one signal that the middle class is shrinking, and welcomed the extension of the loan moratorium for the M40, saying this would alleviate their burden and help release their spending power into the economy.But Calvin Cheng, an economist at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, played down concerns of a long-term impact on M40 spending.“The impacts of the pandemic were mostly concentrated in lower-income households and among lower-wage workers, so the decline in spending by the middle-income households is likely not severe,” he said.“Savings rates may inch up but in general I think as lockdown restrictions ease, spending by middle and higher-income households will continue to increase.”He also cautioned against giving the same amount of government assistance to both the B40 and M40 groups.“We would definitely want to focus assistance on those on the lower end of the household income scale,” he said.He added that government initiatives like i-Sinar and i-Lestari as well as income tax cuts tend to help the middle-income and upper middle-income households more as they have more EPF savings and earn enough to benefit from income tax reductions.He suggested greater fiscal action including an expansion of government spending on programmes such as Bantuan Sara Hidup or Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat, as well as infrastructure spending.“Through this, economic recovery will be more equitable for the middle class and for all Malaysians,” he said.


Three Covid-19 jabs suitable for pregnant women, says Khairy

Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today said that the Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines currently in use in the country are suitable for pregnant women, based on the updated guidelines by the health ministry.“AstraZeneca is no longer contraindicated in pregnancy and Sinovac is recommended by the World Health Organization’s interim report for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers as the benefits outweigh the potential risks,” Khairy, who is in charge of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, said at a press conference after visiting the Mitec vaccination centre (PPV) in Kuala Lumpur.He also said a total of 109,607 pregnant women had registered for Covid-19 vaccination via the MySejahtera application so far.Of these, 11,663 women are expected to give birth in August and will be given priority for vaccination, he said, adding that about 10,000 pregnant women have received their appointment dates.Khairy said about 6,000 expectant mothers are scheduled to be vaccinated at the Mitec and Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre PPVs this weekend.Pregnant women remain a high-priority group for vaccination based on their risk of contracting Covid-19.Khairy, who is the science, technology and innovation minister, said a total of four industrial PPVs are currently operating while 19 others will begin operations by the end of the month.The industrial PPV for the oil and gas sector in Kerteh, Terengganu, will start operating on July 1 while the Eastern Steel industrial PPV in Kemaman will begin operations on July 2.The vaccination programme for the economic sector will be expanded to cover other industries soon, he added.Meanwhile, Khairy said careful planning was being done to avoid a shortage of vaccine supply at PPVs.He admitted that some PPVs had run out of vaccine stocks due to high utilisation rates.“We will receive more supply in July, so we hope this will not happen again. We have over eight million doses and seven million have been utilised while one million doses are being distributed,” he said.In a related development, Khairy said 99% of senior citizens in Kuala Lumpur and 88% in Selangor have either been vaccinated or have received an appointment date.


Aid groups warn of growing plight in flood-hit Pakistan

Pakistan's armed forces rescued a further 2,000 people stranded by rising floodwaters, they said on Friday, while the country's best-known charity warned that only a small fraction of millions affected by the floods had been reached so far.
Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers in northern mountains brought floods that have killed at least 1,208 people, including 416 children, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said.
The inundation, blamed on climate change, has swamped about a third of the South Asian nation and is still spreading.
"Ninety percent of people are still awaiting any kind of assistance; the situation is serious, people are starving," the head of the Edhi Foundation charity, Faisal Edhi, told reporters on Friday.
Edhi, who has spent the last nine days in the flood-hit areas, described the situation as grim and called on the government to lift a years-old ban on some international NGOs it had accused of "anti-state activities".
"The situation is very bad, and it seems it will worsen," he said.
Pakistan is struggling to respond to the floods given their unprecedented magnitude. The government has said 33 million people – 15% of its population – have been affected.
The United Nations has appealed for US$160 million in aid to help tackle what it said was an "unprecedented climate catastrophe" as Pakistan's navy has fanned out inland to carry out relief operations in areas that resemble a sea.
The UN children's agency Unicef said on Friday many more children could die from disease.
"There is now a high risk of water-borne, deadly diseases spreading rapidly – diarrhoea, cholera, dengue, malaria," Unicef Pakistan representative Abdullah Fadil told a Geneva press briefing. "There is therefore a risk of many more child deaths," he said.
In the Dadu district of Sindh, one of the worst-affected provinces, several villages were under as much as 3.35m of water, according to Bashir Khan, a local resident who is in contact with people remaining in the area.
“My house is under water, I had left my place four days ago with my family," he told Reuters.
In neighbouring Mehar, residents were building a dike in an attempt to prevent floodwaters from entering the town, he said.
The navy airlifted more than 150 people from villages in Dadu on Thursday, it said in a statement.
On Friday, the military said it had evacuated about 50,000 people, including 1,000 by air, since rescue efforts began.
"During the last 24 hours, 1,991 stranded individuals have been evacuated," the armed forces said in a statement, adding that nearly 163 tonnes of relief supplies had also been delivered to the flood-affected.
Several humanitarian relief flights are set to arrive on Friday from Middle Eastern nations such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan's foreign office said.
Weather officials predict more rains and flash flooding in September, with southern regions bracing for a surge of water from the Indus river.
Sindh has asked relief camps to deploy additional female doctors and medical officers, to ensure adequate care as more pregnant women and young mothers are displaced by the waters.
Pakistan received nearly 190% more rain than its 30-year average in the quarter from June to August, totalling 390.7mm (15.38 inches).
The Pakistan country director for the UN World Food Programme Chris Kaye said the floods were also likely to disrupt relief work in neighbouring Afghanistan, given the country's role as a key transit route.
"The floods in Pakistan are going to be a huge dent in that capability," he said. "We are becoming very concerned about overall food security (in the region)."


Taliban in ‘defence status’ during Afghan Eid holiday

The Taliban said Wednesday they would fight only to defend themselves over the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, but stopped short of declaring a formal ceasefire.The militants are waging sweeping offensives across Afghanistan, snapping up territory, seizing border crossings and encircling cities, with the withdrawal of foreign troops all but complete.“I can confirm we are in defence status during Eid,” a spokesman for the Taliban told AFP, without offering further details.Eid al-Adha is one of the biggest festivals on the Muslim calendar, and sees livestock sacrificed to share with the less privileged. In Afghanistan, celebrations started this Monday and will run to the end of Friday.For past Islamic holidays, the militants have declared a pause in fighting with government forces, offering a brief respite to Afghans who can visit family in relative safety.But the group has been criticised for using ceasefires to reinforce their positions and resupply fighters, allowing them to attack Afghan security forces once the truce expires.The Taliban comment comes a day after President Ashraf Ghani said in a speech that the Taliban had proved “they have no will and intention for peace”, with negotiations between the two warring sides achieving little.Minutes before his address, at least three rockets landed near the presidential palace where Ghani held outdoor prayers with top officials to mark the start of Eid.The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.While ideologically different, the much smaller IS has been accused in the past of acting as a proxy for the Taliban – particularly in attacks targeting civilian government workers.More than a dozen diplomatic missions in Kabul this week called for “an urgent end” to the Taliban’s current offensive, saying it was at odds with claims they want to secure a political deal to end the conflict.That statement followed another round of inconclusive talks in Doha over the weekend between the two sides, that many had hoped would kickstart the ailing peace process.Over the weekend, the Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said he “strenuously favours” a political settlement – even as the hardline Islamist movement capitalises on the last stages of the pullout of US-led foreign troops.


South Korea official says no soft response in case of North nuclear test

South Korea's national security adviser has said he and his counterparts from the US and Japan have agreed there will be no soft response if North Korea conducts a nuclear test, Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.
Kim Sung-han made the comment after trilateral talks with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Akiba Takeo of Japan in Hawaii amid signs the North has completed preparations to conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.
"If North Korea conducts its seventh nuclear test, our three countries, together with the international community, will maximise cooperation in a way that (North Korea) realises it was a clearly wrong choice," Kim told reporters, according to Yonhap.
"We have agreed there should never be such a complacent thinking or response that North Korea has conducted just another nuclear test in addition to the six tests it did."
The isolated, nuclear-armed North has conducted missile tests at an unprecedented pace this year.
In mid-August, North Korea fired two cruise missiles from its west coast after South Korea and the US resumed the largest field exercises in years. Read full story
Pyongyang has long denounced the exercises as a rehearsal for war.
South Korea's foreign minister has said Pyongyang will likely face stronger sanctions aimed at curbing its cyberattack capabilities, a key funding source, if it pushes ahead with another nuclear test.
During the latest talks, the three officials also agreed to cooperate on global supply chain issues, while Kim separately raised concerns over new US rules on subsidies for electric vehicles, South Korea's presidential office said.
Kim said after a bilateral meeting with Sullivan the previous day that the US has promised to review the impact of the new rules after Seoul raised concern they could hurt South Korean automakers.
Measures under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law by US President Joe Biden last month, would include halting subsidies for EVs made outside North America, which could affect companies like Hyundai Motor Co and its affiliate Kia Corp.
This week's meeting marked the three officials' first gathering since South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol took office in May.


DAP man claims double standards on insults against religion

Klang MP V Ganabatirau today questioned the position of justice in Malaysia, claiming selective prosecution on the part of the authorities whom he said took immediate action only against those who criticise Islam.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, the DAP man said this amounted to unequal treatment as Muslims were not dealt with as quickly if they criticised other religions.
He said this was not in line with Article 8 of the Federal Constitution which prohibits discrimination and guarantees equal treatment under the law.
"What we have found is, when two individuals said to be independent preachers criticise religions other than Islam, there can be 1,000 police reports but no action," he added during the oral question-and-answer session.
"It can be brought to court and appealed, but after that it is categorised as NFA (no further action).
"Meanwhile, when people criticise the other side, within 24 hours they are caught and put in jail.
"What has happened to the rule of law? What happened to justice and equality for all?"
Ganabatirau had initially asked National Unity Minister Aaron Ago Dagang if the government would act fairly in ensuring a stop to all insults towards every race and religion in the country.
Aaron responded that the government would take action against every party, regardless of race or religion.
Meanwhile, Kota Bharu MP Takiyuddin Hassan said there was no compulsion in Islam for non-Muslims to convert, adding that Islam also prohibited any insult towards other religions.
"But in the context of the constitution, there can be no efforts to attract Muslims to embrace other religions," he said.
"There are laws to this effect at the state level as well."


The mobile market bringing fresh fish to those in need

For those in the lower income group, getting by from day to day – especially in an economy still reeling from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic – can be tough.Putting fresh food on the table each day can be even harder.But businessman Mohd Firdausi Mohd Daud is doing what he can to change this.His mobile market, Kiki Fish Market, provides fresh seafood for those affected by the pandemic, all at wholesale prices.“The important thing for me is the happiness on the faces of those who come when they see how low my prices are.”Every day, his four workers set up shop at a different location in the Klang Valley, announcing their latest spot on social media ahead of time.They then lay out their produce and wait for customers to come.And they always do.“I spend about RM10,000 to RM15,000 in working capital each day,” Firdausi told MalaysiaNow when met in Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur recently. “The profit I make is only around 10 to 15%.“But I don’t care. The important thing for me is the happiness on the faces of those who come when they see how low my prices are.”Firdausi’s hope in running this market is to cater to those who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.Apart from its low prices, Kiki Fish Market also offers customers special deals.“Customers who spend more than RM30 receive a free chicken as long as stocks last,” Firdausi, 33, said.Each day, around 300 chickens are distributed to customers.Trays of ice keep the seafood fresh as customers choose from the array of fish, prawns, squid and other seafood.Everything the market needs to run is transported by lorry which makes it easy to move anywhere in the Klang Valley.“When we begin our sales, my sister starts a live feed to inform people of our prices,” Firdausi said.“From there, we make sure that all our produce is sold on the same day – all fresh.”Firdausi also frequently receives requests from residents associations asking for the market to be brought to their housing areas.“There are also some who donate to the market so that we can continue providing fresh produce at low prices to those who need it,” he said.


At Sabak Bernam schools, cleaners slog without pay for 4 months

Even before the first school bell rings in the morning, cleaner Kak Zahirah (not her real name) is hard at work at a primary school in Sekinchan.Work continues all day, and it is usually late in the evening when she finally goes home.Zahirah is the sole breadwinner for her family which includes four young children. For the past four months, though, she has received zero pay for her work.The problem is rooted in the complexity of the contract system which allows leeway for unscrupulous private contractors to exploit cleaners like Zahirah, if they so choose.With no money coming in, Zahirah is at a loss for what to do.“I used all of my money for the house, the car, and my children’s welfare,” she said in an interview with MalaysiaNow.“I have had to borrow money from my friends, from my mother. But what can I do? I’m in a desperate state right now.”Zahirah is one of some 50 cleaners from primary and secondary schools in Sabak Bernam who recently held a peaceful protest outside the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya.Organised by NGO Jaringan Pekerja Kontrak Kerajaan (JPKK), a body which champions workers’ rights and is working to abolish the contract system, the gathering aimed to acquire compensation for the cleaners who had not been paid since November.It also called for their contractors to be terminated and blacklisted from hiring new cleaners in the future.Protesting was far from their first option. For months, they had lodged complaints with the district education office in Sabak Bernam.In February, they filed a complaint with the labour department, naming three private contractors.However, they received no updates about the situation after that and were only told to be patient. “You will be compensated soon,” they were assured.But after months of waiting with nothing to show for it, Zahirah’s patience is wearing thin.Contract cleaners hold up signs and placards demanding their rightful wages at a peaceful protest in Putrajaya.“I have been working under this contractor for three years and I have never been in this situation where I am not paid for four months,” she said.“I am fortunate that some teachers at my school gave us donations, and some NGOs helped us as well. But we cannot rely on them all the time.”Kak Yati and Kak Mas (not their real names), two other cleaners at a secondary school in Simpang Lima, said they only met their employer once, when signing their contracts.“We have been working with JPKK since early January,” Yati said. “We just want our salaries because it is our right as cleaners.”Yati, Mas and others like them say that the contract system carries zero benefit for cleaners. They are not given annual leave, they cannot apply for medical leave, and they need to replace their working hours if they take emergency leave.“Last year, one of our friends had an accident and fractured her knee bone,” Mas said.“She had to be hospitalised. She filled out all of the forms to apply for medical leave but she received no response from our employer. In the end, she had to use her own money to pay for her hospital bills.”Taking a day off from work to protest in Putrajaya was not easy for these women, but in the end, their efforts paid off. Later that afternoon, officials from the education ministry said that they would be compensated by April 1.However, the cleaners were advised to file a complaint with regards to blacklisting the companies in question.“The authorities said that investigations would be held within two weeks, and that if the workers’ complaints were true, they would terminate the contractors’ contracts,” cleaner Norma Abu Hassan said.But even without a salary coming in, the workers have continued to do their jobs.“I have been working as a cleaner for 15 years because I want a monthly income of RM970 to help my family,” Yati said.“My husband is a farmer and I have five children to take care of.”MalaysiaNow has contacted the companies for a response.


Belarus journalist arrested after fighter jet intercepts his Ryanair flight

A Ryanair plane flying from Greece to Lithuania was diverted to Belarus for several hours on Sunday, with activists saying it was done to arrest a dissident journalist on board.In a statement, Ryanair said that the crew had been “notified by Belarus air traffic control of a potential security threat on board and were instructed to divert to the nearest airport, Minsk”.The flight path, visible on the Flightradar24 website, suggests the plane was actually nearer to Vilnius than Minsk when it turned.Belarus media said a MiG-29 fighter jet escorted the passenger aircraft to Minsk because of a bomb scare but no explosives were found.The ex-editor of the Nexta group, Roman Protasevich, was detained before the plane was allowed to resume its flight.Ryanair said checks in Minsk found no explosives or other security threats.When the plane finally landed in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, its original destination, more than seven hours after its scheduled arrival time, disembarking passengers said they had been given no information about the reason for the diversion to Minsk.One passenger said Protasevich looked “super scared”.Another said, “He just turned to people and said he was facing the death penalty.”Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who fled the country after being beaten by Alexander Lukashenko in presidential polls last year widely denounced as rigged, was among those demanding Protasevich’s release.Since August’s election, 66-year-old Lukashenko, who has ruled the country since 1994, has cracked down on dissenting voices. Many opposition figures have been arrested or fled into exile.Belta, the state-owned news agency in Belarus, said Lukashenko had personally given the order for the plane to land in Minsk following the bomb alert, and approved dispatching the MiG-29 fighter jet.European nations reacted with outrage, accusing Belarus of “state terrorism”. There have already been calls for the EU and Nato to intervene.UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab warned the “outlandish action” would have “serious implications”.The US ambassador to Belarus, Julie Fisher, tweeted that it was “abhorrent” Lukashenko had faked a bomb threat and sent fighter jets to arrest a journalist.Both Latvia and Lithuania said the airspace over Belarus should be recognised as unsafe, with Latvia’s Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics saying it should be closed to all international flights.


Dengue cases up 12.5% from previous week

The number of dengue cases reported during the 38th epidemiological week (ME) from Sept 18 to 24 increased by 12.5% to 1,533 cases, compared to 1,363 the previous week.
This brings the total number of dengue cases reported so far this year to 12,942, compared to 19,423 cases in the corresponding period last year.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the number of deaths due to dengue complications also increased to 24 cases compared to 13 in the corresponding period last year.
"The number of hotspots also increased in the ME 38, to 48 compared to 42 in the previous week.
"A total of 28 hotspots are in Selangor, followed by Sabah (15), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (five)," he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, Noor Hisham said that Chikungunya surveillance recorded eight cases in ME 38 with three cases in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, two cases each in Selangor and Penang and one case in Kelantan, bringing the cumulative number of Chikungunya cases so far to 646. For Zika surveillance, a total of 1,452 blood samples and 15 urine samples were tested, the results of which were all negative.
Noor Hisham said the current hot and rainy weather provided the ideal conditions for Aedes mosquitoes to breed.
He said preventive measures like keeping the surroundings clean and litter-free should be undertaken by everyone.
"Aedes mosquitoes only need a little water to lay their eggs, which can survive for eight months in dry conditions," he added.


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Govt’s main task to ensure political stability, says Saifuddin

The main task of the government now is to ensure political stability to enable it to discharge its duties and responsibilities to fulfil the people’s hopes and aspirations, says newly appointed Pahang Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Saifuddin Abdullah.Saifuddin, who is also Pahang Bersatu chief, said the people are going through a tough time and it is the government’s duty to ease their burden and develop their future.“The people are placing their hope in the government to serve to the best of its ability as a caring government, not one involved in endless politicking,” he said in a statement last night.Saifuddin, who is communications and multimedia minister, also reiterated the stand of the Bersatu Supreme Council in pledging full support for Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister, PN chairman and Bersatu president.He said all quarters should unite and rally behind the leadership and party to support the prime minister in battling the Covid-19 pandemic and driving economic recovery.“We are focusing on both these matters at the moment. Although we are also facing a political crisis, we are dealing with it in a wise and an orderly manner,” he said.He also took the opportunity to thank the prime minister for entrusting him with the posts in Bersatu and PN.Saifuddin, who is also Indera Mahkota MP, said the party’s current focus in Pahang is on helping flood victims, with the Pahang Bersatu secretariat already channelling aid to flood-affected areas.He said he would also be holding a Pahang Bersatu Leadership Council meeting soon to map out Bersatu’s agenda at the state level, as well as to formulate a plan to further develop PN in Pahang.


Green lane between Singapore and Brunei – but for residents only

Singapore and Brunei have agreed to resume flights between their two countries.But not everyone can fly.A joint statement yesterday said:“Both sides have agreed on an arrangement to allow the safe resumption of cross-border movement of a limited number of people, with the necessary safeguards in place to ensure that public health concerns of both sides are addressed.”To qualify for a flight, travellers from Singapore and Brunei must have remained in their respective countries for at least 14 days before departure, and they must take a Covid-19 test at least once, 72 hours before the flight.There will be other stringent requirements for flyers to meet, according to Channel NewsAsia. These will be announced.Singapore is working on green lane travel arrangements with several countries. It is in talks to resume essential business travel with Japan, with officials hoping to finalise an agreement soon.It has also said it will begin discussions on a reciprocal green lane with Indonesia.New Zealand is also in line for a resumption of flights between Auckland and Singapore.At the end of August, the Singapore health ministry issued advice to travellers who may be hoping to travel in one of these green lanes.“When overseas, travellers should take all necessary precautions, observe good personal hygiene, monitor local developments, and heed the advice of local authorities.”Health Minister Gan Kim Yong urged those who are intending to travel to plan ahead.“Don’t just expect to hop on the plane and go. Please check what are the requirements of the destination countries, make sure that you comply with the requirements before you fly over.“At the same time when you’re there, continue to exercise vigilance, continue to exercise safe distancing, and also observe the safe distancing rules in those countries, so that you protect yourself and protect others.”


Palm oil churns trouble in Canadian ‘hard butter’ puzzle

Canadian toast lovers have been complaining about strangely hard, unspreadable butter for months now.Food researcher Sylvain Charlebois, the senior director of Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, last year noticed differences between organic butter and regular supermarket butter which was no longer spreadable at room temperature.After researching the matter, Charlebois became convinced that the increased use of palmitic acid, a by-product of palm oil that’s commonly added to cow feed, is the most likely culprit.In October, the British Columbia Milk Marketing Board posted a memo about problematic issues with non-foaming milk in which it mentioned a link between added fatty acids and non-foaming milk.This is the milk used in butter production.Charlebois told NPR radio that dairy sector sources told him that a pandemic-inspired shift had happened at the farm milk production level before the butter manufacturing even begins.“Palm oil-based cow food isn’t new, it’s been used for more than a decade,” he said. “Farmers regularly add palmitic acid to their feed as an energy supplement to help cows produce more butter fat content.”However, production slowdowns and a boom in home cooking in the pandemic has put new pressure on dairy farmers to produce more milk for butter.Butter sales actually grew by over 12% in 2020, according to the Dairy Farmers of Canada.To keep up with the pandemic surge in butter demand, Charlebois says that farmers have been boosting the amount of palm oil-based feed in their cows’ diets to step up butter supply.“Little research has been done on the health consequences of palm oil-based dairy,” he said. “Whether or not the butter is healthy, we just don’t know.”Canadian Food Inspection Agency regulations stipulate that butter products must contain at least 80% milk fat. Adding palm oil to butter is legal, Charlebois said, but the question now is, “Should it be legal?”It’s not only health but environmental effects that concern him and many in the dairy industry, as well as environmental watchdogs.Palm oil has not been enjoying a favourable international reputation for the past few years because of the vast amounts of rainforest destroyed for palm oil plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia.Charlebois told NPR on Tuesday, “The concerning environmental and social impacts associated with palm oil production abroad, does not help an industry that’s concerned about its public image.”On Wednesday, a group representing some of Canada’s major dairy producers yielded to mounting consumer pressure by calling for a ban on palm-based dairy products.Citing environmental concerns related to palm oil production, the Quebec Milk Producers group is now “asking its milk producers to stop using products containing palm oil or its derivatives in the feed of their dairy cattle”.


Booster coverage will help mitigate Omicron at Johor polls, says Khairy

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today said that the Johor election next month could proceed with existing Covid-19 controls despite the ongoing Omicron wave, adding that the relatively high booster vaccination coverage in the state would mitigate the situation.Speaking at a press conference, he said the polls would require measures similar to those put in place at urban areas during the Sarawak election last December.“Johor has inoculated about 63% of its adult population with booster jabs,” he said.“There are two districts with low booster coverage. Firstly, Mersing, where only 35% of adults have taken their booster jabs. Secondly, Pontian with 39%.“The ministry is looking for ways to boost the numbers in these two districts,” he added.He said that quadrupling the booster coverage in these districts would be key to ensuring safety during the election.“During the Sarawak election, booster coverage was 48.2% but daily cases remained low.“There are various factors,” he said. “The population density and mobility in Johor is higher than Sarawak. So this will cause higher numbers of infections.“Johor will require a higher booster dose coverage than Sarawak to face the election.”


Chinese, Indonesian presidents pledge more Covid vaccine cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Widodo held formal talks on Wednesday on the Indonesian island of Bali, with both leaders pledging closer cooperation on the development of Covid-19 vaccines.
Xi told Widodo that China will promote joint research and development on vaccines and continue to support Indonesia in building a regional vaccine production centre, according to a readout published by the Chinese foreign ministry.
"Indonesia expresses satisfaction and gratitude for the cooperation between the two sides in the fields of research and development and production of Covid-19 vaccines, and is willing to continue to strengthen cooperation in healthcare," the Chinese readout quoted Widodo as saying.
Indonesia has been a major buyer of Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccines since the start of the pandemic, administering hundreds of millions of doses produced by China's Sinovac Biotech so far.
In September, Indonesia said it had granted emergency use approval to an mRNA Covid-19 vaccine developed by a Chinese company, becoming the first country, ahead of even China, to do so.
Right before the talks, Xi and Widodo jointly oversaw a trial of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway project, part of China's Belt and Road Initiative and funded by a loan from China Development Bank.
The 142km line will connect the capital Jakarta with one of the country's largest cities, Bandung.
The meeting between Xi and Widodo capped off Xi's flurry of diplomatic activity while at the G20 summit, which marked the Chinese leader's return to the most influential stages of international politics.


Indonesia to lift palm oil export ban

Indonesia will lift its palm oil export ban from Monday, following improvements in the domestic cooking oil supply situation, President Joko Widodo said on Thursday.The world’s top palm oil exporter has since April 28 halted shipments of crude palm oil (CPO) and some derivative products to try to tame soaring prices of domestic cooking oil.The decision comes despite bulk cooking oil having not yet receded to the targeted 14,000 rupiah per litre price, as the government considers the welfare of 17 million workers in the palm oil industry, the president said in a video statement.Jokowi, as the president is known, said the supply of bulk cooking oil has now reached a level greater than what the domestic market needed.“Average price of (bulk) cooking oil before the export ban in April was 19,800 rupiah per litre and after the ban the average price dropped to around 17,200 to 17,600 rupiah per litre,” he said.Indonesia came up with the ban on exports of the widely used vegetable oil as a means of controlling domestic prices, but pressures have been mounting for it to be eased as farmers protested that there were no demand for their palm fruits.The ban has rattled global vegetable oil markets that were already struggling after the war in Ukraine removed a big chunk of sunflower oil supply.Palm oil makes up more than a third of the world’s vegetable oil market, with Indonesia accounting for about 60% of palm oil supply.


Melaka rickshaw pullers miss leaders’ personal touch

For years, rickshaw pullers have been part of the main tourist draw in the historic state of Melaka, ferrying visitors in their brightly lit carts around the capital city.As polling day in the state draws nearer, their biggest hope is that whoever forms the new government will make more trips to see for themselves their situation on the ground.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, they said rickshaw pullers had been largely overlooked since the end of Mohd Ali Rustam’s administration as chief minister in 2013.Nixon Sebastion, 51, said it was not so much the assistance and contributions which, according to him, have remained mostly unchanged from what they used to receive from Ali.The difference, for him, lies in the lack of a personal touch.A group of rickshaw pullers wait for customers outside the iconic Christ Church in Melaka.He said Ali used to keep tabs on the condition of rickshaw pullers and would often ask how they were doing.This made them feel appreciated, he said, and they were at ease sharing their problems and challenges with him.“It’s not just that he did a lot for tourism in the state,” said Sebastion, who has worked as a rickshaw puller in Melaka for 12 years now.“He would also come and visit us and ask how we were doing. But things are not like that anymore. We very rarely get to meet with the chief minister or representatives.”Nixon Sebastion waits for customers in his rickshaw, with which he has earned his livelihood for the past 12 years.Zulkifli Ahmad, 38, has been a rickshaw puller for eight years now. He too voiced hope that whoever wins the upcoming state election will follow Ali’s example in always remembering “those at the bottom”.“After Idris Haron replaced Ali as chief minister, and then Adly Zahari and Sulaiman Md Ali, the situation for us has been less cheerful.“It doesn’t matter who wins this election, whether it’s Barisan Nasional, Perikatan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan. We only want a government that cares about our lot as rickshaw pullers,” he said.Recalling the challenges faced by the group since the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March last year, Zulkifli said many rickshaw pullers had lost their source of income throughout the various iterations of the movement control order.A rickshaw puller stands beside his cart which bears a sign informing customers that he has been fully vaccinated.He said some were forced to find other ways to earn a living during this time.“Some became Grab drivers, or food delivery riders for foodpanda, and some worked on a contract basis.”Things only began looking up when Melaka reopened its domestic tourism sector on Oct 1, after transitioning to Phase Three of the National Recovery Plan.Another rickshaw puller who called himself Jack said the move had given the group some leeway, especially after the state began receiving domestic tourists once more.Jack says rickshaw pullers don’t earn as much as they used to due to the stiff competition.These days, they can scrape together RM1,500 to RM2,000 a month as Melaka’s famous tourism sector gradually regains its footing.But this, too, depends on the situation.“We don’t earn as much as we did before because there are now more of us and we are in competition with each other,” said Jack.He estimates that there are about 345 rickshaw pullers in Bandar Melaka registered with the Melaka Historic City Council.While they are grateful for the one-off assistance of RM600 given by the government, he said rickshaw pullers were also unhappy that many others were given assistance ahead of them.“When you talk about MCO aid, it’s always the case that others are helped first. Assistance for us always comes later, as though we are of no importance.“We hope that the government will be more committed to ensuring that rickshaw operations in Melaka can continue as we are part of a tourism legacy that has been around for a long time,” he said.