Pakistan bans imports of all non-essential luxury goods

Pakistan has banned the import of all non-essential luxury goods in a bid to stabilise the economy, the information minister said on Thursday, describing the situation as an economic emergency.Pakistan’s current account deficit has spiralled out of control and its foreign exchange reserves have tumbled while the Pakistani rupee has plummeted to historic lows against the US dollar.“All those non-essential luxury items that are not used by the wider public, a complete ban has been imposed on their import,” minister Marriyum Aurangzeb told reporters.She said the measures are to address fiscal instability, which she blamed on the previous government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote last month over charges of mishandling the country’s economy.“There is an emergency situation in the country,” she said.Among a host of imports to be banned are cars, cellular phones, home appliances and cosmetics.It was not immediately clear how long the ban will be in place, but Aurangzeb said that along with other fiscal measures it would help save critical foreign exchange reserves for the next two months. She said the steps would save US$6 billion annually.Pakistan’s major imports are fuel and edible oil and pulses, which will remain unaffected.Some projections see Pakistan’s current account deficit this financial year hitting around US$17 billion or over 4.5% of GDP with a swelling import bill and spiking global commodity prices.Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves have declined rapidly: funds held by the central bank fell US$6 billion from US$16.3 billion at the end of February to just above US$10 billion in May.Pakistan’s finance team is in talks with the International Monetary Fund in the Qatari capital Doha to restart a funding programme it began in 2019 but which has stalled over Pakistan’s implementation of policy actions required to receive funds.


BioNTech says can make mutation-beating vaccine in 6 weeks

The co-founder of BioNTech said Tuesday it was “highly likely” that its vaccine against the coronavirus works against the mutated strain detected in Britain, but it could also adapt the vaccine if necessary in six weeks.“Scientifically, it is highly likely that the immune response by this vaccine also can deal with the new virus variant,” said Ugur Sahin.But if needed, “in principle the beauty of the messenger technology is that we can directly start to engineer a vaccine which completely mimics this new mutation – we could be able to provide a new vaccine technically within six weeks.”Sahin said the variant detected in Britain has nine mutations, rather than just one as is usually common.Nevertheless, he voiced confidence that the vaccine developed with Pfizer would be efficient because it “contains more than 1,000 amino acids, and only nine of them have changed, so that means 99% of the protein is still the same”.He said tests are being run on the variant, with results expected in two weeks.“We have scientific confidence that the vaccine might protect but we will only know it if the experiment is done… we will publish the data as soon as possible,” he added.


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Clashes as controversial Israeli lawmaker visits Jerusalem flashpoint

Israeli police clashed with Palestinians in the flashpoint east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah on Sunday during a visit by a controversial far-right Jewish lawmaker that inflamed tensions.Police used water cannon and said they arrested 12 people for “public riots and violence”, including hurling stones and firing flares, in the area of annexed east Jerusalem that has emerged as a symbol of Palestinian resistance against Israeli control of the city.Tensions that erupted in the area last year – as several Palestinian families faced eviction by settler groups – in part sparked the May war between Israel and armed groups in the Gaza Strip.Scuffles had broken out Sunday as Itamar Ben Gvir of the far-right Religious Zionism alliance set up a tent “office” in Sheikh Jarrah, in what he described as an effort to show support for its Jewish residents.More than 200,000 Jewish settlers live in east Jerusalem, in communities widely regarded as illegal under international law.Efforts by settler groups to expand the Jewish presence in east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim as their future capital, have further fuelled hostilities.The Red Crescent said 31 Palestinians including a child were wounded in Sunday’s clashes with security forces, with six people taken to hospital, while an AFP reporter said one police officer was hurt.Ben Gvir, a Jewish nationalist with a long history of incendiary comments about Palestinians, accused police of failing to react to alleged arson attacks on a settler home in Sheikh Jarrah.“Jewish lives have become worthless,” Ben Gvir charged in a tweet before his visit.He told reporters in Sheikh Jarrah, where he set up his “makeshift office”, that he would remain there until police “looked after the security of the (Jewish) residents”.‘Irresponsible provocations’In a move that risked sparking fresh hostilities, Ben Gvir urged supporters to gather in the area.Palestinians were also called on to mobilise, while a group of Jewish Israelis that oppose Ben Gvir circulated a petition online urging people to head to Sheikh Jarrah as a show of support for its Arab residents.Crowds of Israelis stood by Ben Gvir, chanting “death to terrorists” late Sunday, with a scuffle breaking out between Arieh King, Jerusalem’s far-right deputy mayor, and Ahmad Tibi, a member of parliament from the Arab Joint List who came to support the Palestinian families.Ben Gvir later accused police of violently dismantling his “makeshift office”, vowing nevertheless to “sleep here tonight”.Voicing concern over Sunday’s “violent clashes”, the European Union in a tweet said that “irresponsible provocations and other escalatory acts in this sensitive area only fuel further tensions & must cease.”The Palestinian Authority, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, condemned Ben Gvir’s “provocative and escalating move that threatens to ignite… violence that will be difficult to control.”Seven Palestinian families facing eviction by settler groups have taken their cases to Israel’s supreme court.Hamas, the Islamists who control Gaza, warned there would be “consequences” over Israel’s repeated “attacks” on Sheikh Jarrah.Palestinians across east Jerusalem accuse Israeli police of using heavy-handed tactics to quell protests.Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it, a move not recognised by most of the international community.


Hosts Qatar crash out of World Cup after Senegal loss

The World Cup hopes of Qatar were dashed after a 3-1 loss to Senegal and a draw between Ecuador and Netherlands left them bottom of Group A with no chance of progressing, just five days after they opened the tournament with a 2-0 loss to Ecuador.
The Qataris needed Ecuador to win but they fell behind to an early Cody Gapko goal, and though they equalised it wasn't enough to prevent Qatar from becoming the first side mathematically eliminated from a finals they have spent a reported US$200 billion (RM896 billion) to host.
Qatar showed some flashes of exciting attacking play, but the reigning Asian champions were undone by sloppy defending that was harshly punished by a Senegalese side that was just that little bit better in every department.
The Senegal fans brought colour and noise with rhythmic drumming throughout, while the home supporters turned out in maroon shirts, with many of the men opting for the traditional Middle Eastern thobe, a pristine white ankle-length tunic.
Qatar's opening-night nerves were nowhere to be seen as they quickly got to grips with Senegal and should have had a penalty when Ismaila Sarr bundled over Akram Afif, but Spanish referee Antonio Mateu waved away their pleas and VAR did not intervene.
With Qatar defending well, it was going to take either a moment of magic or a catastrophic mistake for Senegal to break the deadlock and unfortunately for Qatar defender Boualem Khoukhi it turned out to be the latter.
His attempt to clear a routine low pass into the box by Krepin Diatta went disastrously wrong as he fluffed his clearance, allowing Boulaye Dia to pounce, and he rattled home the opening goal just before the break.
With the Qatari crowd thinned out somewhat at the start of the second half, Famara Diedhou doubled Senegal's advantage with a brilliant glancing header from an Ismail Jakobs corner in the 48th minute.
Qatar score
The missing home fans were soon back in their seats and rewarded with some superb attacking play as the hosts registered their first efforts on target in the tournament, with Ismail Mohamad forcing a superb reflex save from Edouard Mendy.
Muntari reduced the deficit in the 78th with a bullet header from Mohamad's cross for Qatar's first ever goal at a World Cup in their debut tournament but Senegal were unruffled as they continued to out-muscle their opponents in midfield.
Six minutes after Muntari's strike, Bamba Dieng swept home a pass form fellow substitute Iliman Ndiaye for the African side's third to consign Qatar to the bottom of Group A with no points, while Netherlands and Ecuador have four points and the Senegalese three.
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez told reporters that he and his team had never expected to set the world on fire, despite being at home.
"Expectations were set to give a good performance and organise a good World Cup, and that is the case," he told a news conference, praising his players for their efforts.
"We wanted to show what we could do on the pitch – most of our opponents are ahead of us in many ways, but we managed to show what we can do."
The 46-year-old Spaniard pointed out how being a small country with a small population had hindered the national team, and said that qualifying for the tournament for a second time would prove hugely beneficial.
First, though, they must meet the Netherlands in what will be their final game at this event.
"We have to prepare for the Netherlands, and we know it's going to be an even tougher game against them - a great opponent, with some great players," Sanchez said.


Rotavirus childhood vaccine shortage hits four African countries

Supplies of a vaccine to prevent the deadly rotavirus infection in children have either run out in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Cameroon or are close to doing so, officials close to the roll-out told Reuters, after disruptions at drugmaker GSK.
The World Health Organization estimates that up to 200,000 children die each year of the highly contagious infection, which is the leading cause globally of severe, dehydrating gastroenteritis in children under the age of five.
Officials in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Cameroon had no immediate response to requests for comment from Reuters.
GSK confirmed that there is a shortfall of around 4 million doses of its Rotarix vaccine this year, with a drop to 42 million from an expected 46 million.
The British drugmaker had already cut its agreed deliveries by 10 million a year for the period 2022-2028, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said.
GSK acknowledged the fall in supply and said it was pursuing plans to address the deficit.
"GSK communicated to Gavi earlier this year on manufacturing challenges leading to an unplanned, short-term drop in Rotarix production for 2022, for which priority mitigation plans are fully in place," a GSK spokesperson told Reuters.
GSK did not give any further details on the manufacturing issues or what plans were in place.
Gavi said that as well as the drop in Rotarix supplies in 2022, there will also be delays in delivery.
A source close to negotiations between the two parties said they understood the delays were due to staff absences during the Covid-19 pandemic. GSK did not give further details.
Immunisation blow
The supply problems are a blow as national health services scramble to regain ground lost on routine childhood immunisations during the coronavirus pandemic.
Unicef, the children's aid agency within the United Nations, said Covid-19 disruptions represented the biggest step backwards in a generation for childhood immunisations.
"It's beyond the normal… and in the environment where countries are already struggling. It's a really unfortunate time," Andrew Jones, chief of the vaccine centre at Unicef's supply division, said about the rotavirus shortage.
"There will be kids missed," he added in an interview.
Unicef works with Gavi to help supply rotavirus vaccines to poorer countries, alongside national governments. Both organisations said they were attempting to switch in vaccines made by other manufacturers, or from countries with spare doses.
Rotarix is given in two oral doses to infants from 6 weeks of age. A second dose should be given at least 4 weeks after the first, and no later than 24 weeks, adding to the time pressure on inoculations.
Gavi said there were also delays with another rotavirus vaccine, Rotavac, manufactured by Bharat Biotech, which were related to "regulatory procedures", although the problem is not as significant.
Bharat Biotech had no immediate comment.


China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, says UN

China's "arbitrary and discriminatory detention" of Uighurs and other Muslims in the country's Xinjiang region may constitute crimes against humanity, the outgoing UN human rights chief said in a long-awaited report on Wednesday.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who has faced criticism from some diplomats and rights groups for being too soft on China, released the report just minutes before her four-year term ended on Wednesday. She visited China in May.
The lengthy report said "serious human rights violations have been committed" in Xinjiang "in the context of the Government's application of counter-terrorism and counter-'extremism' strategies."
"The extent of arbitrary and discriminatory detention of members of Uighur and other predominantly Muslim groups... may constitute international crimes, in particular crimes against humanity," the UN report said.
She recommended the Chinese government to take prompt steps to release all those detained in training centers, prisons or detentions facilities.
"There are credible indications of violations of reproductive rights through the coercive enforcement of family planning policies since 2017," the report said.
It added that a lack of government data "makes it difficult to draw conclusions on the full extent of current enforcement of these policies and associated violations of reproductive rights."
Rights groups accuse Beijing of abuses against Uighurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million in the western region of Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labour in internment camps. The US has accused China of genocide.
China has vigorously denied the allegations.
Speaking ahead of the report's release, China's ambassador to the UN in New York, Zhang Jun, said Beijing had repeatedly voiced opposition to it. He said the UN human rights chief should not interfere in China's internal affairs.
"We all know, so well, that the so-called Xinjiang issue is a completely fabricated lie out of political motivations and its purpose definitely is to undermine China's stability and to obstruct China's development," Zhang told reporters on Wednesday.
"We do not think it will produce any good to anyone, it simply undermines the cooperation between the United Nations and a member state," he said.
Reuters reported last month that China had asked Bachelet to bury the report, according to a Chinese letter that was confirmed by diplomats.
Bachelet confirmed last week having received the letter which she said was signed by about 40 other states, adding her office would not respond to such pressure.
Bachelet, 70, plans to return to Chile to retire. Many candidates have applied for the job but no successor has yet been named by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres whose choice must then be approved by the General Assembly in New York.
"Frankly to issue the report as she's walking out the door minimises the report," Kenneth Roth at Human Rights Watch told Reuters. "By issuing and running she is giving up, she's not doing anything with it, (she is) just kind of dropping it into the bin and leaving the office."


World remains unprepared to face new pandemics, panel says

Global reform efforts to better ward off new pandemic threats have been slow and fragmented, leaving the world as unprepared as when Covid-19 first surfaced, a report warned Wednesday.A year ago, an independent expert panel presented a damning report to the World Health Organization’s main annual assembly complaining that poor coordination and bad decisions had allowed the Covid pandemic to swell to such a catastrophic scale.At the time, the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, co-chaired by former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark and former Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, drew up a long list of measures needed to overcome Covid and ensure the world is better prepared to face future threats.But in an assessment report one year on, the no longer active panel cautioned that the world was still “tinkering” and its inaction was laying “the groundwork for another pandemic”.“We largely have the very same tools and the same system that existed in December 2019 to respond to a pandemic threat,” Clark told reporters.“Those tools were not good enough.”All was not bleak. Clark hailed that the “transformative work required at the global level to prevent the next pandemic has begun.”She pointed to how new mechanisms set up after Covid surfaced had made it possible to deliver around 1.5 billion vaccine doses to poorer countries, and praised the efforts under way to diversify production of vaccines and antivirals.Agreement is also expected towards more secure and flexible funding for WHO, while plans for a dedicated pandemic fund are taking shape.Changes to the International Health Regulations are being considered, and negotiations are under way towards a new “legal instrument” – like a treaty or other form of agreement – aimed at streamlining the global approach to pandemic preparedness and response.‘No time for complacency’But Clark warned that these changes were all moving at a glacial pace, with the WHO budget change, for instance, not expected to be fully implemented for nearly a decade.“At its current pace, an effective system is still years away, when a pandemic threat could occur at any time,” she said.“If there were a new pandemic threat this year, next year, or the year after, at least, we will be largely in the same place as we were in December 2019.”At the same time, the Covid-19 pandemic is still raging.Clark pointed out that since the panel presented its report a year ago, 2.8 million more Covid deaths have been officially recorded, and that this “is clearly an undercount by many millions of people.”“Unfortunately, as much as we would all wish it to be the case, the pandemic isn’t over,” Clark said, complaining that “the political resolve to combat more waves of Covid-19 is waning.”“This is no time for complacency.”Joanne Liu, a doctor and former panel member who previously headed the Doctors Without Borders charity, criticised the failures to ensure equitable access to vaccines and other tools needed to end the pandemic.“More than a year and a half after we have made the amazing discovery of a vaccine, more than 2.8 billion people on this planet are still waiting for a fist shot,” she told reporters, slamming the inequity seen in the pandemic response as “a collective moral stain in our history.”“We can do better.”


Disagreements welcome but no questioning of party integrity, says Zahid

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says while he welcomes differences of opinion among party members, he will not compromise on them questioning the party’s integrity.
Zahid, who is also deputy prime minister, said this was because he placed great importance on party unity.
"I welcome differences of opinion, go ahead and air them, but when (they) touch on party integrity, I will no longer compromise on this. What is important is unity within the party.
"Having the same mindset and conscience within the leadership and making consolidated efforts in the implementation of the party machinery must be prioritised.
"This may be difficult to understand, but not difficult for me to implement," he said on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme last night.
Zahid also said that there must never be hidden enemies within the party.
"The attacks do not only come from outside (the party). We know who our enemies are out there, but we also know those who 'baling batu sembunyi tangan'," he said, using a Malay proverb describing a person who doesn’t want to be responsible for his actions or words.
"But I do have to give them the benefit of the doubt when it comes to this. As someone who has been entrusted with leading the largest party representing the Malays and Islam, do I want to see this situation fester?
"I have to strive harder, and it’s not because I hate anyone. There is not even a molecule of hatred towards any individual, but the party must be saved," Zahid added.


94.2% of adults, 71.2% of population fully jabbed

A total of 23,265,448 people or 94.2% of adults in the country had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday.Meanwhile 25,285,399 or 97.3% have received at least one shot, including of the single-dose CanSino vaccine.In terms of total population, 71.2% are fully vaccinated while 77.4% have received at least one dose.A total of 256,497 doses were administered yesterday, taking the cumulative number of vaccine shots given under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 48,437,608.Kelantan and Sabah remain below the 80% full vaccination level for adults, at 77.1% and 71.3% respectively.


How the pandemic is causing kids to lose their social skills – and their friends

As Covid-19 health measures keep most people at home with mass gatherings discouraged in a bid to slow the rate of infection, experts warn that the prolonged isolation could have a negative effect on children who may experience a lag in social development despite the best efforts of their parents to keep life running under the new normal.Azlin Nordin, a mother of three, does what she can to ensure that her children are growing in terms of physical, mental and emotional development.But juggling all three is easier said than done, as Azlin can attest to.Her eight-year-old daughter, known as “the shy middle child”, is struggling with home-based learning which has also left her cut off from her friends in school.An introvert to begin with, she is now finding it more awkward to speak with her classmates.“Unlike her brother, her social skills were affected when she went back to school earlier this year,” Azlin told MalaysiaNow.“Sh didn’t socialise with her classmates after being confined at home for so long. I could tell my daughter felt awkward.”“What children need at their age is another person talking to them so that interactive conversations can happen.”Early childhood practitioner Putri Afzan Maria Zulkifli said under normal circumstances, children would be going to school and practising their social and cognitive skills with teachers and friends.But the safety measures put in place to check the spread of Covid-19 mean that they are stuck at home most of the time with lessons given online.“When you put them in front of the television or computer for hours, it’s a one-way communication,” she said.“What children need at their age is another person talking to them so that interactive conversations can happen.”She also attributed the problem to the lack of certainty brought about by the global pandemic which she said could cause anxiety and confusion among children.“Sometimes they can go to school and play with their friends, and sometimes they are stuck at home.”The on-again, off-again nature of face-to-face classes for the past year or so has also disrupted their routine, while switching from physical to online lessons could affect their development as well, she said.“This is a very critical stage where children have to explore their autonomy. But sometimes they can go to school and play with their friends, and sometimes they are stuck at home.“When this is taken away by last-minute decisions, it will rip away their natural developmental process,” she said to MalaysiaNow.She urged parents to be aware of any changes in their children’s behaviour.“An energetic child who is being confined at home will be affected psychologically. Parents have to find a balance so that it will not affect their physical, mental and emotional development.”In some cases, she said, the confusion children face could lead to mental health issues.“If they are naturally happy-go-lucky and they suddenly just shut down, that is very worrying. Parents have to be aware of these changes.“Even at a young age, children need therapy for their mental health. It’s haywire up there in their brains.”For Azlin, the deterioration in her daughter’s social skills are apparent.Confined at home, she said, her daughter is also losing what friends she has as there is minimal opportunity to interact in online classes.“Before Covid-19, my daughter didn’t have many friends. Now with the pandemic, she is left with one or two friends only.“Although she is shy, she truly misses her friends at school,” she added. “Without the pandemic, I think she could develop her social skills a lot better as she would be in school.”


Arrested man a ‘close family friend’, not aide, says ex-minister

PKR vice-president Xavier Jayakumar today said a fellow party leader who was remanded over a graft investigation involving companies dealing with his former ministry was not an aide, but a “close family friend”.Xavier, who was the water, land and natural resources minister, was responding to reports that MA Tinagaran, who was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday, had acted as his special officer.“I also hope that the public will show respect for the authorities in the handling of the investigation involving Tinagaran,” he said in a statement.Xavier also distanced himself from the probe, saying he never condoned corruption during his time in government.“In a recent media report, my name was implicated and it has brought prejudice against me as an elected representative.“Acting on the advice of my family and friends, I am here to clear my name with the authorities,” he said, adding that he would “never abandon my values as one of the early reformists” in PKR.Former minister Xavier Jayakumar with Perak PKR deputy chief MA Tinagaran, in this picture taken in 2019. Both were recipients of the Datuk title from the Kelantan royal household.Yesterday, MalaysiaNow quoted sources close to the investigation as saying that Tinagaran, who is the Perak PKR deputy chairman, was arrested alongside two company directors in an operation in Ipoh.The report also said MACC confiscated cash worth RM1.2 million from a house and an office belonging to a proxy, while several individual and company bank accounts worth RM77 million had been frozen.It is understood that the case is linked to the award of sand mining projects.Xavier today said leaders tied to corruption must be held accountable to preserve the integrity of the institution.“Major decisions made by ministries must be approved collectively in the Cabinet,” he said.


Trilateral security pact to include Brunei, says Hishammuddin

The Trilateral Cooperative Arrangement (TCA) of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines will be expanded to Brunei, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said today.
He said Brunei’s Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Awang Halbi Mohd Yussof had been informed of the matter and was currently awaiting approval from the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
Hishammuddin said this during the minister’s question time, in response to a question from Wong Hon Wai (PH-Bukit Bendera) on the form of TCA between the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia and whether military cooperation would be extended to other Asean countries.


Election machinery of PN components to move under coalition banner

The Perikatan Nasional (PN) Presidential Council has agreed that the election machinery of its component parties should move in the name of the coalition during the 15th general election (GE15).
PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said the matter was decided during the Presidential Council meeting yesterday as well as the Bersatu political bureau meeting which took place after that.
"Earlier we had a meeting to discuss the preparations for GE15. When it will be held, we don't know, but this (preparation for GE15) is nothing new. We have already discussed it several times but today it was done in more detail.
"We have agreed at the PN level that the machinery at all levels will move in the name of PN, comprising component parties Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan, Parti Maju Sabah (SAPP) and Parti Solidariti Tanah AirKu (STAR). That’s what we have set," he told reporters after the meeting.
Also present at the Presidential Council meeting were PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, PN election director Mohamed Azmin Ali, PN secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin, Bersatu vice-presidents Ronald Kiandee and Radzi Jidin and Gerakan president Dominic Lau Hoe Chai. On whether PAS would remain in PN to face GE15, Muhyiddin replied: "God willing, we will remain steadfast."


PM to explain govt's action over Kedah MB's claim on Penang

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is expected to speak in Parliament today concerning the call by Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor that the Federal Constitution be amended so that Penang can be returned to Kedah.
According to the order paper on the official Parliament website, the prime minister will clarify the matter during the Ministers’ Question Time (MQT) in response to a question from Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan).
On May 29, Sanusi was reported to have said that Kedah and Penang do not have a border because Penang still belongs to Kedah, and that Kedah only shares its border with Perak and Perlis.
During the MQT, there will also be a question from Radzi Jidin (PN-Putrajaya) on the impact of the devaluation of the ringgit on the country's economic recovery process and the government's approach to strengthening the value of the ringgit.
The focus of today’s question-and-answer session will also be on a question by Mordi Bimol (PH-Mas Gading) to the works minister.
Mordi will ask about the progress of the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah and Sarawak and when the project is expected to be completed.
There will also be a question by Roslan Hashim (PN-Kulim Bandar Baharu) to the education minister on efforts taken to strengthen school-based assessments and classroom-based assessment following the abolition of PT3, as well as the quality of the learning activities being carried out.
After the question-and-answer session, the Malaysian Cooperative Commission (Amendment) Bill 2023 is expected to be tabled for a first reading.


Daily caseload at 223, no new deaths reported

Another 223 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,045,192.
There were 193 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,998,845.
There are now 9,380 active cases, of which 9,077 or 96.8% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 298 (3.2%) have been hospitalised.
A total of five are in ICU with four in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving total deaths unchanged at 36,967.


US life expectancy fell further in 2021 due to Covid

Life expectancy fell in the US in 2021 to its lowest since 1996, the second year of a historic retreat due to Covid-19 deaths, provisional government data showed on Wednesday.
The nearly one-year decline from 2020 to 76.1 years marked the largest two-year drop in life expectancy at birth in close to a century, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found.
Disparity in life expectancy between men and women also widened last year to the highest in more than two decades, with men now expected to live 73.2 years, nearly six fewer years than women.
Deaths from Covid-19 contributed to half of the overall decline in life expectancy last year, with drug overdoses and heart disease also major contributors, the data showed.
Covid-19 was associated with more than 460,000 US deaths in 2021, according to the CDC.
US life expectancy in 2020 registered its biggest one-year drop since World War Two, with Covid-related deaths contributing nearly 75% to the decline.
"Mortality's been a little better in 2022 than it was in 2020, so I think it's likely that we would see maybe a slight increase in life expectancy," said Robert Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.
However, life expectancy this year is unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels and a lot rides on what happens toward the end of the year because deaths typically rise during winter months, Anderson said.
While deaths from suicide decreased in 2020, they were the fifth-biggest contributor to the drop in overall life expectancy last year. Suicide-related deaths were the third leading contributor to the decline in life expectancy for men.
The data represents early estimates and has several limitations, the agency noted, including the difference in the time taken by various jurisdictions in submitting death certificates.


Awang Adek Hussin to take over after SC chief quits

Awang Adek Hussin will take over as executive director of the Securities Commission (SC) following the resignation of Syed Zaid Syed Jaffar Albar effective June 1.The finance ministry said Awang Adek would hold the post for a period of three years until May 31, 2025, in line with Section 4(2) of the Securities Commission Act 1993.It said he had extensive expertise and experience in the field of capital markets and Islamic finance, holding a PhD in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in the US.He was also previously an assistant governor at Bank Negara Malaysia, and had been on the SC board.He was formerly chairman of Tenaga Nasional Bhd, first director-general of the Labuan Coastal Financial Services Authority, former ambassador to the US, and deputy finance minister from 2006 to 2013.“The finance ministry is confident that Awang Adek will be able to make outstanding contributions to ensure that the SC achieves its goal of being a high-performing organisation,” it said.It also thanked Syed Zaid for his years of service as SC executive director from Nov 1, 2018 to May 30, 2022.


PH-BN seat talks for Selangor complete, says Amirudin

Seat allocation talks between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) for the upcoming election in Selangor are completed, state PH chairman Amirudin Shari says. The Selangor menteri besar said it was now up to PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim and his BN counterpart Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to finalise the proposed candidacies.
"It is now in their hands," Amirudin told reporters after an event in Banting yesterday.
Last week, Amirudin said seat allocation negotiations between PH and BN for the state polls were expected to be completed after Hari Raya Aidiladha.


Govt mulls screening foreign workers every 2 weeks

The government is considering screening foreign workers for Covid-19 every two weeks, Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.He said the government’s priority now is to carry out the mandatory health screening of foreign workers in states placed under conditional movement control order (CMCO).“We will start carrying out swab tests on all foreign workers (in CMCO states). If they are negative, we will quarantine them. If positive, we will send them to the hospital.“If there is a need to carry out swab tests once every two weeks, we will discuss it. For this first round (involving) 1.7 million (foreign workers), we will finish screening them first,” he said at a press conference.Ismail previously said that health screening would be mandatory for all foreign workers in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur and Labuan using the antigen rapid test kit.He said this was crucial to reducing the risk of Covid-19 infectivity among them.On a separate issue, he said the CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya scheduled to end on Dec 6 might be extended if there is an increase in Covid-19 cases in these areas.He said the matter would be decided after the health ministry had conducted a risk assessment.“We will announce this (whether the CMCO will be extended) based on the risk assessment done by the ministry in the last week before Dec 6,” he said.


Bosses group moots hiring refugees, undocumented migrants to tackle labour shortage

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) is urging the government to allow the recruitment of foreign workers from among refugees and undocumented migrants presently within the country to help tackle the labour shortage especially in sectors such as the plantations industry.MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said while the freeze on foreign worker recruitment was lifted in February, the application and approval process was not running smoothly, with no workers brought in so far.“MEF is appealing to the government to allow other forms of labour to cover the shortage of foreign workers until they finally arrive in Malaysia,” he said.“We can source for the required labour from among the refugees and undocumented foreign workers here and prisoners on minor crimes. These people with the special approval of the government can be deployed immediately to fill up the acute shortage until the new foreign workers finally arrive.”Citing losses of more than RM30 billion in the plantations industry alone due to the shortage of harvesters, Syed Hussain said similar problems were occurring in other sectors such as manufacturing, tourism and construction.“The Malaysian business community had spent a lot of time and resources to fill up the shortages but to no avail.“Employers need the new workers urgently to assist in their recovery efforts and put their businesses on the right path,” he added.In a statement, he said there were an estimated 168,000 refugees in the country holding UNHCR cards, more than 60% of whom he described as “potentially employable”.“We need to look for quick solutions as short-term measures until all issues on foreign labour recruitment are resolved.”


23 amendments proposed for smoking endgame bill

A committee paper containing 23 proposed amendments to the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022 will be submitted at the current Dewan Rakyat sitting, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
He said the proposed amendments for the resumption of debate on the bill involve the Long Title, Clauses 1, 2, 5, 13, 17, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 38, 49, 53, the addition of a new clause, 54, and the renumbering of clauses 54 and 55.
He said the parliamentary special select committee (PSSC) studying the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022 on Oct 5 tabled a report containing details of its proceedings and recommendations to improve the bill, generally known as the Generational End Game (GEG) bill.
"On the whole, the PSSC met five times in a mature and harmonious way with a bipartisan spirit to fine-tune the provisions in the bill.
"PSSC members have also by consensus agreed on the statement report and proposed amendments that need to be made to this bill," he said in a statement yesterday.
Khairy, who is the PSSC chairman, said the matters deliberated on and decided by the committee included issues regarding the constitution, the need for a new act to regulate smoking products and activities involving smoking products.
He said the committee also discussed and fine-tuned the limits of enforcement and penalties for offences under the bill, as stipulated in its terms of reference.
The first and second readings of the bill were made on July 27 and Aug 1 respectively while a motion to refer it to the PSSC was introduced on Aug 2 and approved by the Dewan Rakyat.
The PSSC comprises 13 MPs who were nominated by their own parties.
Khairy voiced hope that with the consensus achieved by the bipartisan committee, other MPs would also give their support to the bill when the debate resumes, so that a decision can be made in the interest of public health in the country.
The bill, among others, prohibits individuals born in 2007 and after from smoking tobacco products or tobacco replacement products, as well as from using smoking gadgets.


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Negeri Sembilan, Perak and Terengganu put under CMCO, EMCO at 3 more spots in Sabah

The government will put three new locations in Sabah under enhanced movement control order (EMCO) while three other states – Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, and Perak – will be put under conditional movement control order (CMCO).Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said EMCO would be enforced at the Tawau temporary detention centre (PTS), Sandakan prison, and Taman Wire prison quarters from Nov 6 to 19.“As of Nov 4, screenings by the health ministry recorded 440 positive Covid-19 cases involving detainees and staff of the Tawau PTS.“The Tawau PTS EMCO will affect 1,707 individuals comprising 1,603 detainees and 104 employees,” he said in a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.The EMCO at Sandakan prison and the Taman Wira prison quarters meanwhile will involve 1,605 people comprising 1,308 detainees and 297 staff.


From lucrative job offer to human trafficking trap

Susan (not her real name) spends her days worrying about her son who has been detained by the authorities in Cambodia.
According to the Malaysian embassy there, he is being held because he travelled to the country without the necessary documents.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, however, Susan said the 24-year-old was in fact trafficked to Cambodia and forced to work for a scam company there.
Recalling how it all began, she said her son was lured to Cambodia with the promise of a lucrative pay.
Upon his arrival, he realised that he had been brought in illegally – but by then, it was too late.
He was set to work using social media platforms like Facebook to run investment scams, but the key performance indicators set by the company left him stressed out and struggling to keep up.
He was told that if he failed to achieve results, he would be punished, including by being beaten.
Eventually, he was sold to another company. But this was not the only time – after the syndicate learnt that he was receiving help, he was sold yet again and transferred to another location.
Back in Malaysia, Susan was doing everything she could to make sure that her son was safe.
After his rescue, he was handed over to the Cambodian immigration authorities who detained him, reportedly for travelling without documents.
'Modern-day slavery'
Activist Adrian Pereira said it was difficult to rescue Malaysians caught in human trafficking due to a number of reasons.
He cited, among others, a poor victim identification system and a lack of competency on the issue.
Pereira, the executive director of social justice group North-South Initiative, gave the example of a case in which a Malaysian woman followed her Nepali boyfriend back to his home country.
Once there, he said, instead of renewing her visa, the man subjected her to hard labour in the house for 10 years.
"This is a type of gender-based violence as well as trafficking," he said.
When the woman made her way to the embassy for help, he added, instead of being identified as a victim, she was handed over to Nepal's immigration authorities.
From there, she was supposed to be placed at a safe house.
"They think this is the right thing to do, based on international understanding," Pereira said.
"But that's the wrong thing to do. She should be placed at a shelter under our jurisdiction."
Pereira, who is currently handling two such cases, said that judging from the response he received from the various embassies, the staff there had "minimal to no knowledge" of how to help Malaysians caught in what he described as "modern-day slavery".
'Smart' syndicates
When contacted by MalaysiaNow, the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department said it had received requests for help in more than 100 similar cases since April this year.
Department head Michael Chong said the syndicates involved were "smart" and would change their tactics depending on the situation to lure individuals who would then end up as human trafficking victims.
But sometimes, the victims themselves and their families have a role to play in the outcome, he said.
"I have had cases where the parents bring their child to my office, and I tell them it's fake but they still want to go," he said. "They believe the money is there."
He said victims are also told by the syndicates that if they want to be released, they must find someone else to replace them.
"Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar are the three main countries where these victims are trafficked," he said.
At home, Susan is still waiting for the safe return of her son.
"There has been no definite date or answer given by our embassy in Cambodia about when he will be released," she said.
"My son was trafficked in illegally without travel documents," she added.
"He is a victim of human trafficking and should not be treated as a criminal."


‘Constantly worried’: migrant worker slogs through pandemic to feed his family back home

Sonata, a migrant worker from Indonesia, arrived in Malaysia about a year ago in the hope of finding a job and providing a better life for his family back home.But about a year ago was also when the Covid-19 crisis became full-blown, resulting in a three-month lockdown across the country.The 28-year-old arrived from Jakarta in Kuching, Sarawak, just a month before the movement control order (MCO) took effect. At first, he thought things would return to normal within a few weeks. But a few weeks stretched into months as infections continued and the MCO was extended time and time again.Sonata was left stranded with no food or money as he had yet to start working when the lockdown was announced.“I only brought 500,000 rupiah (about RM70) with me, not enough to eat for more than a week,” he told MalaysiaNow.“I would just stay in the room and be hungry a lot of the time.”With few options before him, he spent the long months sitting in the small rented room which he shared with two others in the city.“I would just stay in the room and be hungry a lot of the time,” he said. “I only ate once a day, whatever dry food that I had.”Sometimes, he would sneak out late at night to search for anything he could eat, including fish which he occasionally managed to catch from the drains.He was too afraid to do anything else as he had no work permit.Many foreign workers, especially those in the 3D or dirty, dangerous and difficult category, have been struggling to get by since the pandemic hit.There are also many health concerns as the majority of migrant workers stay in crowded dormitories which facilitate the spread of Covid-19.The government revealed late last year that the accommodation for some 91.1% or 1.4 million foreign workers in the country does not meet the provisions stipulated by law.With little money and perhaps even less social protection, Sonata and others like him are left to fend for themselves as best they can.“There is no point if I return to my village because earning an income there is hard.”Every morning, he cycles to work at a construction site about 2km from where he stays. There, he spends the day carrying cement, sand, bricks and stones.For eight hours of such work every day, he receives about RM1,000 a month, depending on his overtime pay.It’s hard, back-breaking labour but he knows he has little choice.“There is no point if I return to my village because earning an income there is hard. That’s why I became a migrant worker,” he said.He told MalaysiaNow he is constantly afraid of contracting Covid-19 at the workplace even though he is well informed about the safety measures and how to reduce the chances of virus transmission.“Of course I’m worried and scared, not only about myself but also about my family back in the village,” he said.This, for Sonata, is the hardest part of being a migrant worker. He misses his family whom he has not seen since the pandemic began.“My wife has been calling every day and crying because I cannot go back to celebrate Aidilfitri with them.“I miss them so much – but because of this situation, like it or not, I cannot go home.”


Supreme leader says poisoning of schoolgirls in Iran an 'unforgivable crime'

Iran's supreme leader said on Monday that poisoning of Iranian schoolgirls in recent months is an "unforgivable" crime amid spread of suspected poisoning across the country with hundreds of girls hospitalised.
"Authorities should seriously pursue the issue of students' poisoning. This is an unforgivable crime... the perpetrators of this crime should be severely punished," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying by state media.
Over a thousand Iranian girls in different schools have suffered "mild poison" attacks since November, according to state media and officials, with some politicians suggesting they could have been targeted by religious groups opposed to girls' education.
The spreading attacks that started in November in the holy Shiite Muslim city of Qom in central Iran have spread to at least 25 of Iran's 31 provinces, prompting some parents to take their children out of school and hold protests against the establishment.


Social media users up in arms after Umno sacks Khairy

Umno has come under fire on social media after its announcement last night that former youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has been sacked.
The party's decision, made at a meeting of its Supreme Council, came amid questions about Umno's relevance ahead of the six state elections to be held this year.
Many internet users described Umno's move to sack Khairy as akin to digging its own grave.
"Umno, this is suicide!" political observer Wong Chin Huat said.
"Umno has already entered its grave even before the state elections," Facebook user Muhammad Ayie added in Astro Awani's comment section.
There were also some who pointed the finger at Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, saying he had acted hastily in making the call.
"The Umno presidency isn't even open to contest, and KJ has been kicked out just like that," Fai Zal said on Twitter.
"Zahid is willing to fire even KJ. Umno has really lost its way. The people need to reject it," Shahril Uni said.
The Supreme Council meeting last night, chaired by Zahid, also decided to give veteran leader Noh Omar the boot, and suspended the memberships of several others – Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein, former information chief Shahril Hamdan, former Jempol MP Salim Mohd Sharif, and Tebrau division chief Maulizan Bujang – for six years.
Khairy, who had long been vocal against Zahid, was transferred out of his Rembau seat at the recent general election in order to make way for Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan.
He was instead named as Barisan Nasional's candidate in Sungai Buloh, where he openly declared his intention to one day become the Umno president and prime minister.
Khairy, who eventually lost the race for the seat, last stood against Zahid for the Umno presidency in 2018, emerging second in a three-way race which also involved party veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.
During his campaign for the November election, Khairy called himself an "Umno reformist", saying the party had gone astray and needed to be "fixed".
Social media users on Facebook and Twitter also rallied behind him after Umno's decision last night, urging him to continue with his political career.
The former health minister had responded to news of his sacking on Twitter, saying: "Unbowed, unbent, unbroken."
His post received thousands of comments, with Azaidar Ahmad saying: "Stay strong, KJ. We remain loyal together."
"Many are behind you, continue the fight," added Mohd Rusyidin Amin.
Others urged Khairy not to give up on his ambition of becoming the prime minister one day.
"PM 10, Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin Yassin also became prime minister after being sacked from Umno," said Nur Laila.


Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble popped by virus spike

A planned travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore was scrapped a day before its launch on Saturday after the southern Chinese city announced a sudden spike in coronavirus cases.The decision is both a blow to the two cities’ battered tourist industries but also for other countries who had been hoping the scheme might be a model to replicate during the pandemic.The two financial hubs have both suffered comparatively mild outbreaks with strict social distancing and border measures imposed soon after the pandemic first emerged.But with small populations and a heavy dependence on links to the outside world they have been hard hit as the global economy collapsed.Desperate to help their key tourism and aviation sectors, they came up with the plan allowing limited, quarantine-free travel between the cities as long as visitors test negative for Covid-19.The travel corridor was set to kick off on Sunday morning.But on Saturday, Hong Kong announced the scheme would have to be delayed for two weeks following a sudden rise in coronavirus infections.“In the light of recent surge of local cases we have decided, together with the Singapore government, to defer the air travel bubble’s launch by two weeks,” commerce secretary Edward Yau told reporters.After weeks of single-digit infections, Hong Kong health authorities have begun reporting a sudden uptick in cases in recent days.On Saturday they recorded 36 local coronavirus cases. Crucially, 13 were from unknown transmission sources, prompting fears the city has a new wave of out-of-control infections.Vaccine crucialBoth Hong Kong and Singapore agreed that seven straight days of five or more unknown transmission cases would be enough to halt the travel bubble.But Saturday’s double-digit spike was enough for authorities in both cities to postpone the travel bubble.“This is a sober reminder that the Covid-19 virus is still with us, and even as we fight to regain our normal lives, the journey will be full of ups and downs,” Singapore transport minister Ong Ye Kung wrote on his Facebook page.Shukor Yusof, an analyst with aviation consultancy Endau Analytics, said that travel bubbles are fraught with challenges.“Although widely supported by aviation bodies, bilaterally agreed air corridors is not the answer to the crisis,” Shukor told AFP.“There is no solution until the vaccine is available to all. The more airlines swim against the Covid tide, and try to beat the odds, the worse it will become. Best to endure, stay put, refine the business model and conserve cash,” he added.Neither Hong Kong nor Singapore have domestic air routes to fall back on. So flagship carriers Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific have been hit especially hard.Singapore is a major market for Hong Kong’s tourism industry with more than 450,000 arrivals from the city-state recorded in 2019, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board.Hong Kong was among the top 15 visitor sources for Singapore last year, with nearly half a million arrivals, official data showed.The planned travel bubble, which could still go ahead if infections drop, is strict.A maximum of 200 residents from each city will be able to travel on one daily flight to the other, with only those who have been in Singapore and Hong Kong for two weeks and tested negative allowed to board.Arriving passengers will have to test negative again, and all the health checks could add substantial extra cost to a trip.Coronavirus tests in Hong Kong cost around HK$1,500 (US$190) at a government-approved laboratory or hospital, and in Singapore the price is around S$200 (US$150).


Biden gets tough with unvaccinated federal workers

US President Joe Biden on Thursday said that federal employees must either get vaccinated against Covid-19 or submit to regular testing amid a nationwide surge of new cases.“It’s time to impose requirements on key groups,” Biden said at the White House.“Every federal government employee will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. Anyone who does not attest or is not vaccinated will be required to mask no matter where they work, and test one or two times a week, socially distance and generally will not be allowed to travel for work,” he said.The federal government is the biggest employer in the US. There are about 2.1 million civilian federal workers who will be impacted by the mandate, Reuters reports.The roughly 1.4 million active-duty military members may soon also be forced to get shots.“Since many vaccinations are required for active-duty military today, I’m asking the Defense Department to look into how and when they will add Covid-19 to the list of vaccinations our armed forces must get,” Biden said.A surge in infections linked to the more contagious Delta variant this week triggered new indoor mask mandates at the urging of the CDC in areas with higher rates of coronavirus transmission.“If people are vaccinated, the transmission rate drops to the floor. And that’s all we’re trying to do,” Biden said.According to CDC data, nearly 70% of US adults have had at least one vaccine shot and 60% percent are fully vaccinated. But some regions of the country have significantly lower rates of vaccination, fueling local outbreaks.The president is using a carrot and stick approach.He used the stick on federal employees, and he has also offered a new carrot by urging states and cities to offer US$100 (RM424) gifts for new vaccine-takers, using money from his US$1.9 trillion relief bill that passed in March.Younger and lower-income people are less likely to be vaccinated, as are African-Americans.Biden said that it’s understandable for people to be “angry” about unvaccinated people.“With freedom comes responsibility. The decision to be unvaccinated impacts someone else. Unvaccinated people spread the virus, they get sick and fill up hospitals,” he said. “That means if someone else has a heart attack or breaks a hip, there may not be a hospital bed for them.“Last month, a study showed that over 99% of Covid-19 deaths were among the unvaccinated. This is an American tragedy.”


SC tells why Azam did no wrong, reaffirms decision on MACC chief

The Securities Commission (SC) today reaffirmed its recent decision clearing Azam Baki of conflict of interest in the ownership of company shares based on an investigation on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief.In a statement, it said the independent evidence gathered at the inquiry into Azam’s trading account showed that he was the named account holder and had control of the account in question.It also said Azam had operated the account which he had opened, in that he had given instructions to buy, sell and transfer securities from the said account.“Therefore, the SC arrived at the decision that there was no breach of Section 25(4) of the Securities Industry (Central Depositories) Act 1991,” it said.The SC yesterday said that Azam was in the clear, adding that the MACC chief had not breached any laws.“The SC has concluded its inquiry and based on the evidence gathered, the SC is not able to conclusively establish that a breach under Section 25(4) of Sicda has occurred,” the market regulator said in a statement, referring to the Securities Central Depository Act 1991.It also said in an email to Azam that it had closed its inquiry file on him.“Based on our inquiry and the documents obtained from relevant parties, we find that we cannot conclusively find/show that a breach of securities law under s.25(4) Sicda 1991 has occurred,” it said.Azam had been due for questioning by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department, a committee comprising MPs from Pakatan Harapan, Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional as well as GPS and Warisan.He was under investigation over claims of conflict of interest in the purchase of company shares following a series of blog articles by an activist linked to local NGO C4 Center.He later issued a demand letter to the writer of the articles, Lalitha Kunaratnam, with the MACC lodging a police report against her describing her claims as false and unsubstantiated by evidence.He also filed a RM10 million defamation suit against her, seeking a public apology over the publication of the articles last year.He had also been under fire from top Pakatan Harapan leaders who called for him to go on leave and for MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board chairman Abu Zahar Ujang to be investigated after the latter cleared Azam of allegations of conflict of interest.


Ukrainian forces may have to pull back in Sievierodonetsk, governor says

Ukraine’s military may have to pull back to stronger positions in the embattled eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, but they will not give up the city and fierce fighting raged there on Wednesday, the region’s governor said.Ukraine expects Russia to step up its bombardment of Sievierodonetsk and to mount a huge offensive where Moscow is focusing all its efforts, the governor, Serhiy Gaidai, said on television.“Fighting is still going and no one is going to give up the city even if our military has to step back to stronger positions. This will not mean someone is giving up the city – no one will give up anything. But it’s possible (they) will be forced to pull back,” he said.The days-long battle for the industrial city has emerged as pivotal, with Russia focusing its offensive might in the hope of achieving one of its stated aims – to fully capture surrounding Luhansk province on behalf of Russian-speaking separatists.“We expect the amount of shelling and bombardments of Lyshychansk and Sievierodonetsk to increase many times, huge offensives in the Sievierodonetsk and Popasna direction and attempts to once again cross the Siverskyi Donets River to create a bridgehead and further develop the offensive,” Gaidai said.He said Russia’s key objective in the coming days is to capture Sievierodonetsk and to completely cut the strategically important road from the cities of Bakhmut and Lysychansk.“The battles will be very fierce and they will give up everything they have to accomplish this task,” he said.


Big future for e-commerce despite retail tycoon’s doubts

A local retail chain owner’s claim that e-commerce will not be a major part of business has stirred an online debate, with many questioning his view that the sales method has benefited only multinational companies and not local players.Without mentioning names, Ameer Ali Mydin, who owns the Mydin hypermarket chain, had said e-commerce in Malaysia only benefits two foreign suppliers.“They charge 30% for food and beverage delivery. Minting money! What are we doing? Support and support. We are supporting the wrong people,” he told business radio BFM yesterday.Ameer also said e-commerce does not benefit the whole supply chain, unlike what happens with physical shopping.The e-commerce sector had been booming long before the pandemic stopped brick-and-mortar shops from operating at full capacity.“When you go shopping, you walk around, you go for a drink, you take a cab. The whole supply chain moves.”But how likely is it that not spending hours in physical stores or walking around and getting a drink will throw the supply chain out of whack?The e-commerce sector had been booming long before the pandemic stopped brick-and-mortar shops from operating at full capacity.Malaysia’s e-commerce tryst started in 1998 with Lelong.In 2001, budget airline AirAsia launched an online ticketing site, and in the years to come, companies like eBay, Groupon and Mudah would become household names among Malaysians.The current phase of the Malaysian e-commerce market took shape in 2012 when Lazada and Zalora launched in Malaysia, followed by Shopee in 2015.Digital market research company eMarketer predicts that global e-commerce sales will hit US$4.9 trillion this year, up from US$1.3 trillion in 2014.E-commerce sales worldwide have steadily eaten into the retail market and, by 2023, will account for 22% of total global sales.When Covid-19 forced businesses to cease operations, many small and medium businesses did not have a platform to allow the support of customers – until public-private initiatives brought them online.They now rely on e-commerce, realising the advantage of leveraging this to diversify revenue streams and meet the ever-rising demand of online shoppers.Many businesses survived the stringent and sometimes unpredictable Covid-19 lockdowns by pivoting online.The growth of e-commerce in Malaysia is driven by the government’s National eCommerce Strategic Roadmap initiatives, intended to increase internet accessibility in rural areas and improve e-wallet technologies.According to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, an agency under the communications and multimedia ministry, before the advent of e-commerce, people in less developed parts of the country had limited choices in terms of purchases.The pandemic simply boosted the number of consumers migrating towards online purchases, who cite convenience, lower prices, and the ability to research products in real-time.In fact, many businesses survived the stringent and sometimes unpredictable Covid-19 lockdowns by pivoting online.So did e-commerce benefit more individuals and businesses than just the two multinational foreign suppliers?A survey conducted by Shopee revealed that despite being fully employed, 35.4% of sellers turned to e-commerce as alternative sources of income.Of the 11,850 sellers surveyed, 5,406 were new entrepreneurs who operate 100% online. These sellers make an average of RM2,750 per month on Shopee alone.The pandemic has seen a rapid shift in consumer behaviour, with people forced to work, learn, spend and even communicate differently.These changes will ultimately shape the future of e-commerce, even post-pandemic.Part of the new norm is online shopping, and the platforms provided by big companies ensure that small or traditional businesses can also go digital.As consumers move online for their purchases, companies, particularly e-commerce platforms, have taken steps to help SMEs start their digital journeys. Assistance given includes the provision of loans, training, stores on e-commerce platforms, and digital marketing.Encouraging the move to digitalisation is MDEC’s matching grant of RM300 million in a joint effort with the private sector, involving training, vendor subsidies, and sales assistance.Lazada Malaysia brought on board more than 50,000 new SMEs through its Pakej Kedai Pintar stimulus programme, and they recorded an overall growth of more than 110% in sales.Astro Malaysia is another company that leveraged its wide market of consumers and existing capabilities to assist SMEs with digitalisation with Go Shop, its e-commerce platform, hosting some 600 vendors with the help of Astro TV, Astro On The Go, as well as other online and mobile platforms.Social media too has played a huge role, serving as a discovery and post-purchase platform for e-commerce businesses.With some 25 million active social media users in Malaysia, accounting for 78% of the population, there is massive potential for e-commerce growth in Malaysia.According to GlobalData’s ECommerce Analytics, Malaysia’s e-commerce market is expected to reach RM51.6 billion by 2024.Still, Malaysia is still far behind its neighbours, although this is understandable due to market size. For example, Indonesia’s e-commerce market valued at US$21 billion in 2019 is expected to hit US$40 billion by 2022, according to McKinsey.The strong government support for internet-based retail has lowered the entry barriers for Malaysians to trade online and across borders.Malaysia’s e-commerce market will continue to be attractive with room to grow as it is driven by increasing consumer spending, growing internet users, and greater acceptance of mobile payments.It is something that big businesses, even giant retailers such as Mydin which for years have been comfortable with crowds swarming its stores nationwide, cannot afford to ignore.


New Cabinet to be sworn in on Merdeka eve

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will announce his Cabinet line-up at 11am tomorrow, with the new ministers and deputies to be sworn in on Aug 30.Ismail was widely expected to announce his Cabinet composition today following an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah at Istana Abdulaziz in Kuantan this morning.During the audience, he had presented the names of his line-up to the king.However, the Prime Minister’s Office later said that no announcement would be made today.Ismail took his oath of office on Aug 21, replacing Muhyiddin Yassin who was ousted after a group of MPs from Umno aligned with their president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Najib Razak withdrew their support for him, causing him to lose his fragile majority.Much of the attention has been on who Ismail will appoint as his deputy as well as who will helm the finance portfolio, with speculation swirling on whether he will maintain ministers from the previous Cabinet.


Period poverty afflicts urban poor as pandemic continues

Every month, Wan Alifa Wan Izzat dreads the arrival of her period.The 31-year-old housewife used to be able to buy enough pads to see her through most of her menstruation, but this has been increasingly difficult ever since the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.“Normally, I buy a small packet of pads, enough to last three days. After Covid-19, though, my husband can no longer afford this,” she told MalaysiaNow.Since May last year, Wan Alifa has been relying on rags or old towels which she cuts into small pieces.Period poverty, which refers to situations in which women or families are unable to afford sanitary napkins, is a trend especially in city areas.Sociologist Syarifah Fatimah Al Zahrah Al Attas from the International Islamic University said the issue was already of concern before this as many lacked awareness of menstrual management.After the movement control order (MCO), implemented last March to curb the spread of Covid-19, the situation became more acute, she said.Period poverty, which refers to situations in which women or families are unable to afford sanitary napkins, is a trend especially in city areas.The MCO was recently reinstated until Jan 26 in six states as the government battles to control a fierce spike in infections which has seen daily numbers firmly entrenched in the four-digit range, with cases hitting an all-time high of 3,309 on Jan 12.The pandemic has claimed 563 lives so far with 144,518 confirmed infections as of yesterday.Fatimah said previous observations and studies had shown no sudden increase in public demand for hygiene kits in urban areas such as low-cost housing flats or PPR.But this began changing after the MCO last year, with many asking for female sanitary products.“This means they do not even have the basic necessities for personal hygiene,” she told MalaysiaNow.But she added that cases such as Wan Alifa’s are difficult to uncover as these women remain at home throughout the MCO period.“If they are at school, we might know,” she said. “There have been some students who do not attend school because they do not have sanitary pads. But when they are at home, we cannot observe anything.“I’m not sure what will happen in the next two weeks,” she added. “But one thing is for sure: it will get harder.”Fatimah said many women outside cities use cloth sanitary pads which can be washed and reused.For those who live in cities, meanwhile, disposable pads are easier and more convenient.But the urban poor use anything they have in the house, she added.“I’m not sure what will happen in the next two weeks. But one thing is for sure: it will get harder.”“Some use paper or old newspapers to absorb the blood. Maybe that’s how they manage it because not many ask about it,” she said.In 2019, it was reported that some students did not attend school throughout their periods as they could not afford to buy pads, putting them at risk of being left behind in their studies.Of even more concern were women who chose to get pregnant in order to avoid menstruation for nine months.Fatimah said the reopening of schools once the pandemic subsides could bring about a repeat of this as many are facing financial constraints.She said this would affect them in many ways, including their inability to afford sanitary products for schoolgoing girls.“We cannot consider this as a small matter. The majority of girls have their period every month.“Especially those who are students, they need to go to school. If they miss three days of school every month because of their periods, this means they miss an entire month of class every school year. That’s a long time.”


Azmin to lead high-powered mission to Japan, Korea to explain new investment policy

International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali will lead a high-powered delegation to Japan and Korea, the first in a series of trade missions by Putrajaya to lay out its new foreign investment policy.This comes as the international trade and industry ministry (Miti) prepares to table the new policy which will include incentives to attract foreign investments, and is geared towards attracting more high-quality and knowledge-based industries rather than labour-intensive ones.Azmin said the new policy is being drafted in collaboration with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida), the finance ministry as well as Bank Negara Malaysia.“In the past, we focused on the labour-intensive industries, now we will focus on high-tech and high-quality investments,” he told a press conference today to announce Miti’s new [email protected] initiative to help industries remain in operation without being disrupted by Covid-19 cases.“I believe with the incentives announced by the finance ministry in many stimulus packages including Pemerkasa, announced yesterday, we are going to focus on upscaling and rescaling and building the talents of our workforce to meet the demands of industries and new investments,” he added.Azmin said his one-week trip to Japan and Korea at the end of the month will lay out in detail the new policy to potential investors.Mida, the agency tasked with facilitating foreign investments, recently said it had identified 240 high-profile foreign investment projects in the service and manufacturing sectors, with a potential investment value of RM81.9 billion.About half – RM47.7 billion – has so far been received and evaluated. Once approved, the projects are expected to be implemented between 2021 and 2022.Despite a recent report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development of a sharp drop in FDI into Malaysia due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the country was ranked second in terms of ease of doing business in Asean (12th globally) as well as for investor protection, according to the World Bank Doing Business Report 2020.Malaysia was also ranked fourth among 17 economies in a recent joint US study on cost of manufacturing operations around the world by KPMG and the Manufacturing Institute.


Stay united, Abang Johari tells PBB

Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president Abang Johari Openg today urged his party to remain united and to avoid factions, saying unity is the backbone of PBB’s success.Abang Johari, who is also Sarawak premier, said power struggles would only cause the party to break up.“Leaders come and go,” he said in his winding-up speech at PBB’s triennial general meeting in Kuching.“What is more important is, PBB must continue to be a strong party.”While PBB was currently in a position of strength, he said, the question was how long this would continue.“We see that other parties have a lot of power struggles and quarrels with each other. After that, the party is destroyed,” he said.Abang Johari gave the example of other parties which he said had “warlords” who fought among themselves.“These parties are not united, and they disintegrate,” he said. “But in PBB, we have never had any warlords, from the beginning until today.”He said it was possible that the younger leaders did not challenge their elders as they knew that the time had not yet come for them to take over positions of higher power in the party.“Be patient,” he added. “If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Why should we quarrel with each other because of power?”Adding that the younger members would continue to receive training, he said he himself was no longer young.“This is why we have the youth movement for those aged 18 to 28,” he said. “It is to safeguard our grandchildren’s future.”


Bulk of high-profile cases since 2020 involved politicians, says MACC

More than 60% of the 156 investigation papers (IP) involving high-profile and public interest cases opened by the Special Operations Division (BOK) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) between 2020 and June 8 this year involved politicians.
BOK senior director Tan Kang Sai said the investigations resulted in the arrest of 211 individuals, 91 of whom were brought to court for a total of 454 charges.
"During the same period, MACC also confiscated RM51,132,539 in cash, forfeited property and cash amounting to RM10,465,873.39 and issued compound amounting to RM128,968,750," he told Bernama recently.
He said investigating high-profile and public interest cases, especially concerning financial transactions involving banks and foreign financial institutions, had its own challenges.
Investigating the money trail becomes difficult when the money involved is transferred to accounts abroad because each country has different laws to protect its banking system, he said, adding that the banks and financial institutions have the right not to cooperate and to refuse to provide information to facilitate the investigation. "As such, we see that most of the evidence on money trails brought to court only involves local banks and financial institutions," he said.
Tan said among the high-profile cases investigated by BOK were Op Mitra, Op Hire, and Op Marii which involved the misuse of funds amounting to hundreds of millions of ringgit provided by the government for the development of the Indian community, workers and the country's automotive industry.
Another challenge for BOK, he said, is when cases under investigation are sensationalised by the media and politicians.
"This allows the parties involved to take the opportunity to destroy important documents such as financial transactions, and to flee.
"Today's technological advancements also present their own challenges where financial transactions involving local banks and financial institutions, and even foreign financial institutions, can be carried out using only mobile phones. "In view of the challenges, MACC engages experts in accounting, engineering and law as part of the BOK investigation team, to ensure a comprehensive investigation before submitting the IPs to the Attorney General's Chambers," he said.
He said BOK also used effective investigation management and management team-based investigation to enhance public confidence in MACC’s authority as a relevant and pre-eminent anti-corruption agency.
BOK is a special investigation unit established to investigate high-profile and public interest cases as well as those affecting the country’s security.
It was established in 2010 and is part of MACC's transformation initiative to achieve the objectives of the national key result area related to large-scale corruption cases on procurement and enforcement.


New infections below 3,300 as 10 more deaths reported

Another 3,267 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,937,020.
There were 4,026 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,865,677.
There are now 34,829 active cases, of which 33,103 or 95% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 1,635 (4.7%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 91 are in ICU with 63 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another 10 deaths were reported, including two who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,514.


South Korean mayor apologises for being duped by vaccine scam

A South Korean mayor who almost fell for a vaccine scam has publicly apologised for his actions.Kwon Young-jin, who has been critical of the government’s vaccine programme, told the media last month that a foreign company had promised to provide 30 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine within three weeks.South Korea has experienced a relatively slow vaccine rollout, compared to other developed economies in the region. Nearly 17% of its population have received their first vaccine dose, with plans to vaccinate 14 million people by the end of the month. The country is aiming for herd immunity by autumn.Kwon, a member of the opposition party, said, “It was my mistake that this case regarded as one of the simple cases of a failed vaccine import has escalated into a fake vaccine fraud case.”He is the mayor of Daegu, the fourth largest city in South Korea after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon.On May 31, Kwon told reporters that an association of medical institutions in the city of Daegu had held negotiations with a foreign trading company to import 30 million Pfizer doses.The Medi-City Daegu Council and the trading company reportedly exchanged documents, later transferred to the health and welfare ministry.But the government found this vaccine proposal had “reliability issues”, noting that Pfizer only supplied its vaccines to central governments and international health organisations, never through third parties.The health and welfare minister’s policy adviser later indicated that the purported address of the company appeared to be in Florida, and that its phone number was traced to Portugal, according to a report by Joong Ang Daily.The mayor told Yonhap News, “The image of Daegu was tarnished due to my careless words. I also caused deep wounds and disappointment to the citizens suffering from Covid-19.”President Moon Jae-in’s ruling party reportedly responded by saying that the incident had “damaged the country’s international image”.South Korea saw more than 600 cases on Wednesday, as it struggles to battle a series of sporadic cluster infections.It initially won praise last year for its strong response to the virus, using contact tracing to stop outbreaks.


Time to go digital, SMEs told

While Malaysians have been quick to embrace technology and all things digital from internet banking to online grocery shopping in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, moving entire businesses in the same direction is proving to be more difficult, even for small-scale entities like SMEs.Office life has gone remote with #WorkFromHome now part of the new norm, yet the shift has only highlighted how some SMEs were ill-equipped for the plunge from the physical to the virtual. Close to 70% of SMEs reported a 50% drop in business during the first movement control order (MCO).Some had existing digital channels in place to support their brick-and-mortar presence.But not all were able to pivot as quickly as they needed to, especially given the sporadic nature of subsequent MCOs.For some, this was due to a lack of funds. Unlike larger corporations which often have financial buffers in place, many SMEs have cash flow reserves that will not see them past three months.Others such as furniture shops, barbers, and spas depend on in-store customers.Whatever the reason, the onset of the pandemic has shown all too clearly the difference that going digital makes for SMEs.“Consumer behaviour is impacting local businesses as people opt for simpler and faster processes via e-commerce,” Azlan Zainal Abidin, the chief enterprise business officer at a mobile telecommunications conglomerate, told MalaysiaNow.“At this juncture, going digital isn’t just about growth anymore – it’s also about survivability and the sustainability of the business.”Small but powerfulAt 98.5%, SMEs form the bulk of business establishments in the country, according to Emir Research research analyst Sofea Azahar.“SMEs contribute 38.3% to the national GDP,” she added.The onset of the pandemic has shown all too clearly the difference that going digital makes for SMEs.“The survivability of these businesses is crucial to economic recovery, in order to maintain the expansion shown in previous years.”This is something the government has been mindful of since the pandemic hit Malaysian shores early this year. In the months following the first lockdown which saw nearly all business activity suspended to curb the spread of Covid-19, billions were channelled under the Penjana economic rescue package to help SMEs recover.With financial support in place, Azlan and Sofea said, SMEs would benefit from adopting tools such as cloud-based electronic point-of-sale systems or digital marketing solutions, especially as restrictions on movements continue in areas across the country.“As long as businesses fully utilise these incentives that are driven by technology, alternatives for SMEs’ survival remain present,” Sofea told MalaysiaNow.But such a journey is easier said than done.Among the obstacles to going digital is a lack of what Sofea refers to as “digital-savvy talents”.She also spoke of a lack of motivation for companies to automate their business processes.But there are other factors beyond a company’s control such as digital infrastructure gaps between states and a difference in awareness about embracing the digital economy.Crossing these hurdles may be difficult, especially given that the country’s skilled workforce accounts for just 27.5% with semi-skilled workers comprising the bulk at 60.1%.However, it is not impossible.“To fully embrace digitalisation, these indicators call for the upskilling and reskilling of talents through education,” Sofea said, noting a drop in the number of students choosing science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects in schools.Will it be worth it? She says yes, and not just for SMEs.“Leveraging technology will create opportunities for Malaysians in general,” she said – as long as they are equipped with the skill sets needed to ensure a smooth digital transition.


PM calls for dismantling of patent protections in fight against pandemic

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today called on Asia to lead the way in opening up patent protections to produce cheaper, generic versions of life-saving medicines for critical diseases, from Covid-19 to HIV/AIDS.Welcoming the support of US President Joe Biden’s administration for a temporary waiver of intellectual property (IP) protections for Covid-19 vaccines, he said this should give way to a total transformation of the pharmaceutical patent system.“Pausing the gears is not enough. Our obligation is to dismantle it entirely,” he said in a video address to Nikkei’s Future of Asia conference in Tokyo today.Muhyiddin said based on the United Nations Article 25(1) of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it was high time for these innovations including drugs, vaccines and medical devices to be brought out of the purview of individual patent rights and for global property rights to be created instead.For Asia to effectively prevent and fight pandemics, he said, it needs to shift from a purely nationalistic approach to health services to investing in health as a global public good.“Treating health infrastructure as a global public good would mean Asia as a whole treats health the way many individual countries treat their education, security, the environment. In essence, as a critical piece of the global commons supported by a collective investment, for the benefit of all,” he said.Stressing that Covid-19 infections must be suppressed as quickly as possible to prevent mutating variants that make current vaccines obsolete, the prime minister however noted that there were man-made hurdles to this effort.“For instance, the wealthiest 27 countries have 35.5% of the vaccines, although they only cover 10.5% of the world’s population. These countries have more than enough vaccine doses to immunise people beyond their own populations,” he said.Muhyiddin said 20% or 252 million out of 1.23 billion doses administered across 174 countries so far were taken up by the US alone.In terms of production, he said, China and India have exported around 200 million and 66 million vaccine doses, approximately 48% and 34% of their total production respectively.“In comparison, the US and UK have only exported three million and one million of their vaccine doses respectively, or a mere 1.1% and 4% of their total production respectively,” he said.Muhyiddin also said the failure of the global leadership to address the Covid-19 pandemic was due to human biases such as tribalism, dysfunctional competition and short-term thinking.“Of course, it is unrealistic to expect nations not to compete, or for them to forgo building their self-interests, but we must also realise that long-term victory often doesn’t mean pushing your country ahead of the line all the time, every time.“Certainly one posits that, in the post-Covid-19 world, it will be the countries who are most generous, who build bridges rather than walls and who bring their neighbours together rather than drive them away, who will be successful,” he added.He said success depends on whether Asian regional institutions can strengthen themselves with more robust conﬂict management mechanisms and move towards a ﬂexible view of state sovereignty.He said by demonstrating the ability to share leadership with the region’s weaker states in managing its security and economic conﬂicts, Asia’s emerging powers could gain global credibility and trust, and could facilitate a substantive contribution to global governance from a position of leadership and strength.Muhyiddin said Malaysia also pledged its efforts to break the bonds of pandemic misery, to cut the chains of poverty and for relief of people affected by tyranny.“We have to help in every way we can, not because we want their commerce, not because we seek to extend our geo-political influences, but because it is the right moral thing to do,” he said.


Selangor sees average of 6 Covid deaths per week

Selangor has recorded an average of six deaths per week due to Covid-19 from the beginning of this year until Nov 19, the state legislative assembly was told today.
State Public Health, Unity and Women and Family Empowerment Committee chairman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said that since the onset of Covid-19 in the country, a total of 10,911 deaths were reported in Selangor with an overall case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.7%.
"However, for 2022, since the third epidemiological week, the CFR has dropped to 0.1%," she said, replying to a question from Saari Sungib (PH-Hulu Kelang).
She said the Covid-19 situation in Selangor throughout the year was under control with around 1,000 to 2,000 cases registered a day from the 35th until the 46th epidemiological week.
The majority of the registered cases (95%) were in Category Two while the remaining 4.5% were in Categories Three, Four and Five.


US House panel probes Trump’s accounting of foreign gifts

The US House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee said on Tuesday it had opened an investigation into what it called former president Donald Trump’s failure to account for gifts received from foreign government officials.Under federal law, US departments and agencies are required to inform the State Department of gifts over US$415 its employees received from foreign governments. The law aims to ensure US officials are kept free from foreign influence.Democratic representative Carolyn Maloney, chair of the Oversight Committee, said Trump’s administration had poorly managed and tracked foreign gifts it received and failed to report them to the State Department.“As a result, the foreign sources and monetary value of gifts President Trump received remain unknown,” Maloney wrote in a letter to the acting head of the US National Archives, the federal agency that maintains presidential records.“These revelations raise concerns about the potential for undue influence over former president Trump by foreign governments, which may have put the national security and foreign policy interests of the US at risk,” Maloney added.Trump representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The House Oversight Committee and the Justice Department are separately investigating Trump’s removal of classified documents from the White House. Trump denies any wrongdoing.


MRSM pay schools for affordable groups won't use govt funds, says Zahid

The proposal to establish Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) pay schools for well-to-do groups will not involve any government allocations, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.
Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said the "futuristic plan" by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) would use the private financing initiative and funding through collaboration with financial institutions.
Zahid also assured that the fee-paying MRSM would not be built on land reserved for projects meant to benefit the poor.
"We will cooperate with several parties using smart partnership for construction," he said during the minister’s question time in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was replying to a supplementary question from Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman (PH-Muar) on whether the government would utilise Mara land reserved for poor people and the B40 group to cater for the schooling of T20 and M40 children.
He said the fee-paying MRSM can be implemented based on the model of Sekolah Menengah Imtiaz Ulul Albab Melaka.
"Based on my personal experience, I set up Sekolah Menengah Imtiaz Ulul Albab without a single sen of allocation from the government. I have done it and the school has been operating for 11 years," he added.
Zahid said the proposal to set up MRSM pay schools was in response to the overwhelming demand for entry into MRSM, where applications had reached 300% of its capacity.
"We have conducted a feasibility study and found that many students are eligible to enter MRSM based on academic qualifications but do not qualify in terms of their parents’ income brackets, especially those in the T20 and M40 groups.
"One condition (for MRSM admission) is giving priority to the B40 group," he said, adding that there were also too many requests from MRSM alumni who wanted to enrol their children at the institution.
He said Mara would provide the most opportunities possible for the children of these groups to enter MRSM, but without compromising its quality and academic requirements.
On complaints raised by Syed Saddiq regarding hidden costs at MRSM, such as for the purchase of clothing for certain programmes, Zahid said he would meet with the MRSM parent-teacher association chairmen to find ways to free B40 children from this burden.


Covid infections, deaths on upward trend

The number of new Covid-19 cases in Malaysia showed an increase of 13.5% to 29,886 in the 29th epidemiological week (ME 29/2022) from July 17 to 23, from 26,335 the week before.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said of the total, local cases also increased by 13.5% from 26,317 cases to 29,858 cases, while the number of imported cases dropped 26.3% from 38 cases to 28.
"The number of recoveries in ME 29 also increased by 18.9% from 19,138 to 22,757 cases," he said in a statement today.
He said the number of deaths in ME 29 also showed an increase of 61.5%, at 63 cases from 39 in the previous week.
The admission of Covid-19 patients into public hospitals per 100,000 population meanwhile increased by 18.3%.
The number of patients in Category One and Two rose by 12.5%, while the number of those in Category Three, Four and Five increased by 25%.
Noor Hisham said the trend of daily active Covid-19 cases monitored virtually by the Covid-19 Assessment Centre dropped 1.7% at the end of ME 29 to 70,140 cases from 71,326 cases before.
There are currently 15 active Covid-19 clusters in the country with the national RT value remaining static at 1.10 during ME 29.


A CNY of counting blessings for Suki and her dad

At their small flat unit in Damansara Damai, Suki Wong Pei Yee and her father are getting ready for another Chinese New Year.
Only the most meagre of decorations are at hand, and there are no red-topped bottles of cookies or other snacks normally associated with the festive season.
For father and daughter, Chinese New Year will pass like any other day – except for the gratitude that they have for each other, and how much has changed since the last new year they celebrated together.
The story of Suki, a young stateless girl taking care of her stroke patient father alone, touched countless people throughout the country when it was first reported last year.
Unable to work after suffering his stroke eight years ago, her father, Wong Kon Foo, had relied on Suki for many things, including running the errands and cleaning the house.
Because his marriage to his Vietnamese wife was unregistered, Suki was categorised as stateless. Unable to attend school, she spent her days helping her father and taking care of the household to the best of her 10-year-old abilities.
Today, many things have changed for the better.
"Since last year, so many people have come forward to offer us help. Suki can now attend a kindergarten where she is learning to read and write," Wong said during a recent visit by MalaysiaNow.
"She can read and count – every night, she reads with me before we go to bed," he added.
"As a father, I am so happy to see her progress, especially now that she has so many new friends."
But no matter how busy she is with her friends and studies, Suki continues to look after her father, who still struggles with his mobility.
"She helps me bathe, and she prepares the food and goes on all of the errands," Wong said.
"She's so hardworking, and she always makes sure that there is food on the table for me before she leaves for school."
Wong's biggest concern is about what will happen to Suki once she finishes her studies at the kindergarten in March.
She is still considered stateless, and he fears that she will not be able to continue receiving an education. While lawyers are working on her case, it is an ongoing process.
"For now, I don't know what will happen to Suki," Wong said.
"I hope everything can be settled so that she can go to school like other children her age."
Meanwhile, both father and daughter are looking forward to the new year although their celebration, such as it is, will be small.
"We'll just be at home, carrying out our normal routine," Wong said.
"Sometimes my siblings come to visit, but we won't be having any big dinner.
"But I want to say how grateful I am, and to thank everyone who has helped Suki and I through this hard time."


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