Drop in Covid alertness could create deadly new variant, WHO says

Lapses in strategies to tackle Covid-19 this year continue to create "the perfect conditions" for a deadly new variant to emerge, the World Health Organization's Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday.
With the peak of the pandemic behind, countries worldwide are starting to loosen the reins on surveillance, testing and vaccination for the disease which has claimed more than 6 million lives so far.
About 90% of the world's population now has some level of immunity to SARS-COV-2 either due to prior infection or vaccination, according to the global health agency's estimates.
"We are much closer to being able to say that the emergency phase of the pandemic is over, but we're not there yet," Tedros told reporters during a press conference.
His comments come as China experiences a rebound in infections.
Addressing the global gaps in vaccination, WHO's technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove said that the agency wants governments around the world, including in China, to focus on reaching those at risk such as people over the age of 60 and those with underlying conditions.
The further easing of Covid-19 testing requirements and quarantine rules in some Chinese cities was met with a mix of relief and worry on Friday, as hundreds of millions await an expected shift in national virus policies after widespread social unrest.
It was encouraging that China was adjusting its current Covid-19 control strategies, WHO's emergencies director Mike Ryan said.
Ryan said he hopes that a coherent and clear strategy emerges in China "that balances the control of the virus with... the livelihoods, wellbeing and human rights of the people."


Bursa Malaysia ends lowest in 5 months

The FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) continued its decline, closing to 1,393.83 points today, the lowest since October last year.
At 5pm, the FBM KLCI fell 28 points or 1.97%, hitting a five-month low of 1,393.83 from yesterday's close of 1,421.83.
The steady decline in the last five days has been attributed to the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in the US.
Losers led gainers 878 to 180, while 296 counters were unchanged, 893 untraded and 11 others suspended. Turnover amounted to 3.38 billion units worth RM2.5 billion.
Maybank lost 10 sen to RM8.34, Public Bank dropped 13 sen to RM3.88, LIMB by 16 sen to RM5.17, Petronas Chemicals by 15 sen to RM6.95, and TNB by 5 sen to RM9.27.
An analyst said Bursa Malaysia would remain volatile until the US Federal Reserve makes a decision next week.
"However, with the collapse of SVB, the Fed may reduce the rate hike (to 25 bps) or temporarily pause the rate hike. Markets are still digesting the broader backdrop of restrictive Fed policy and a softening economic and corporate earnings outlook, making equities more vulnerable to knee-jerk reactions to shocks like this," he told Bernama.


Nearly 70% of adults, 50% of population fully vaccinated

A total of 20,814,413 individuals or 88.9% of the adult population had received at least a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine as of yesterday, according to the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply.Some 69.9% or 16,299,881 people meanwhile have completed their vaccination.In terms of total population, 49.9% have been fully vaccinated while 63.7% have received at least one dose.A total of 326,476 doses were administered yesterday, bringing the cumulative figure for vaccine shots administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 37,071,789 doses.


Sorry.


Health ministry recommends SOPs for 'Covid-safe' GE

The health ministry has recommended to the Election Commission (EC) several SOPs for the 15th general election (GE15), to ensure it is a "Covid-19 safe election".
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said with the country's Covid-19 situation under control, his ministry was of the view that some restrictions imposed during the previous state elections could be relaxed, including the wearing of face masks and the right to vote for individuals who test positive for Covid-19.
"The health ministry has prepared recommendations so that more flexibility is given and candidates are free to meet, political parties are free to give speeches and there are no restrictions as before so that the democratic process can be carried out more fairly for all.
"The same goes for the right to vote for individuals who test positive for Covid-19, who are in isolation at home, not critical, they can vote... perhaps the voting route is different, alternative tents, always wear a face mask, so their rights are respected," he said after officiating an event at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
Khairy also said his ministry had taken voting rights into consideration before making recommendations to the EC as these are enshrined in the constitution.
He added that any recommendations given to the EC also take into account the interests of the public, so that they are not harmed by the presence of Covid-19 patients.
Asked whether the decision on the SOPs was valid considering that he was part of the caretaker government, Khairy said the matter had been discussed before the dissolution of Parliament.
"We have discussed it with the EC and they will finalise it this week. Any decision that is of public interest can be made, and this is for the public interest.
"After all, this directive was made before Parliament was dissolved. We think far ahead at the health ministry," he said.
On flood preparations, Khairy said the ministry had identified 11,085 public health personnel to be assigned to help flood victims at temporary evacuation centres (PPS) nationwide.
These include medical, health and mental health or psychosocial teams.
"We have identified them, and they already know their respective duties because for the past two years, we have been preparing for the monsoon season. We have done this based on states, and even simulations have been carried out.
"There are many deployments in areas of states that often face floods such as Johor, Kelantan, the east coast states and Sarawak, so our deployments are more based on the risk mapping that we do," he said.


China dismisses Taiwan complaints on drone harassment

China's Foreign Ministry on Monday dismissed complaints from Taiwan about repeated harassment by Chinese drones very close to Taiwanese-controlled islands as "not worth fussing about", prompting Taipei to label Beijing as nothing more than thieves.
Since China began war games and military drills near Taiwan earlier this month after the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the Chinese-claimed island, the government in Taipei has reported repeated flights by drones on islets it controls close to the Chinese coast.
Video from at least two of these drone missions have circulated widely on Chinese social media. In one, Taiwanese soldiers can be seen throwing rocks to ward it away.
Speaking at a daily briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he had seen the footage.
"Chinese drones flying about Chinese territory, this is not something to make a fuss about," he said.
Taiwan's foreign ministry expressed anger at his comments.
"There is an ancient Chinese teaching that 'uninvited people are called thieves'. Whether it is breaking through the door or peeping from the air, the people of Taiwan do not welcome such thieves," it said.
Taiwan's defence ministry reported a further drone incursion on Monday, near the tiny Lion Islet, part of the Kinmen group of islands that sit opposite the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou.
It said soldiers fired flares to warn it away and after one minute it flew off in the direction of Xiamen.
Taiwan has controlled Kinmen, along with the Matsu islands further up China's coast, since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taipei after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's Communists in 1949.
At its closest point, Chinese-controlled territory is only a few hundred metres from Kinmen.


Taiwan to maintain Hong Kong office despite visa block

Taiwan says it will continue operating its de facto consulate in Hong Kong in spite of an impasse preventing its Taiwanese staff from being issued new visas.The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong has been unable to get new visas for its staff after the Hong Kong government in 2018 began requiring that Taiwanese personnel at the office sign a statement accepting the “One China principle”, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said.The office currently has just one Taiwanese staffer left in Hong Kong whose visa is due to expire next month.The One China principle holds that Taiwan is part of China and the Communist government in Beijing is China’s sole legitimate government. Taiwan has refused to sign the statement.The Hong Kong government also require the heads of Taiwan’s trade office and tourism bureau in the city to sign a similar statement, the head of the Mainland Affairs Council said on Monday.Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, said because of the lack of new visas only local staff would remain at the office.“This is because the Chinese Communist Party and the Hong Kong government continue to force our personnel stationed in Hong Kong to sign a ‘One China Commitment Letter’ as a political prerequisite for the visa renewal,” he said.“We will of course not accept it!”The Hong Kong government did not impose such requirements in the past, the Mainland Affairs Council said. “The goal is to belittle our country and force our staff to bow their heads to the Beijing authorities.”Taipei has called the move “political suppression” and strongly condemned the Hong Kong government’s action.Ma Xiaoguang, the spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office, which falls under China’s Cabinet, said in a statement on Sunday that exchanges between Hong Kong and “Chinese Taiwan” must be based on the One China principle.Taipei has had a quasi-diplomatic presence in Hong Kong since Taiwan’s split with mainland China during the 1949 civil war.Macao, a Portuguese dependency until 1999, now a semi-autonomous Chinese region, shut its representative office in Taipei last week.Hong Kong closed its office in Taipei in May, saying that Taiwan had provided assistance to “violent protesters”.Taiwan has quietly helped Hong Kong pro-democracy activists seeking asylum as many started to flee the city after Beijing imposed its tough new national security law in June 2020 which laid the groundwork for a crackdown on protests.Since the election of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, China has stepped up diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taiwan, poaching its diplomatic allies and, starting last year, sending military planes near it on a near-daily basis.


Seeing is believing, says Dr M on Anwar’s claim to numbers

Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he does not believe that Anwar Ibrahim has the numbers needed to topple the Perikatan Nasional government, just over a week after his one-time deputy claimed to have a “strong, convincing” majority in Parliament.Mahathir, who famously became prime minister himself for a second time at the age of 92, said this was not the first time the PKR president had made such a claim.“That is what he says,” he said in an exclusive interview with MalaysiaNow.“But he did not give names. He said he would only do so after meeting with the Agong.“As long as he doesn’t give us the names, I will not believe him.”Anwar said at a press conference last Wednesday that he had the support of the majority of MPs and that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government had collapsed.However, he declined to give specific numbers or names.Mahathir maintained that his new party, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, which he formed in August together with several former MPs who were sacked from Bersatu, would not join Anwar in his bid to topple the government this time.“He says he has enough support to form the government, but I am not involved,” he said.Mahathir led the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to victory in the 2018 general election, ousting the Barisan Nasional administration led by Najib Razak on the back of allegations of corruption linked to the 1MDB scandal.PH, comprising PKR, Bersatu, DAP and Amanah, helmed Putrajaya for 22 months. During that time, Mahathir was repeatedly reminded by PKR and a handful of DAP leaders of the coalition’s election pledge that he would step down and make way for Anwar as the next prime minister.PKR president Anwar Ibrahim leaves after his press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Sept 23 at which he said he had secured a majority in Parliament to form a new government. Photo: APSpeaking to MalaysiaNow, Mahathir said if PH wanted a return of the people’s mandate in the May 9 polls, he should be the candidate for prime minister.“I was the prime minister at the time,” he added. “But they chose to put forward Anwar.“I proposed that I remain as prime minister for six months only, to complete some unfinished work. But even that was rejected.”Mahathir resigned as prime minister in February, after PH lost its majority in Parliament due to the exit of Bersatu and a group of MPs led by former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali.Muhyiddin was appointed to succeed him after receiving the support of MPs from Bersatu, Umno, PAS, GPS and other parties from Sabah.


So what if phone call with Zahid is genuine, Anwar asks

PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim says he has yet to lodge a police report refuting the authenticity of an explosive phone conversation with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, appearing to stop short of denying that it was indeed him in the recording where he was heard congratulating Zahid on the outcome of the recent Umno general assembly.“I haven’t lodged the report as I have just returned from Port Dickson.“But now I’m seriously thinking, what’s the issue? The issue is to divert attention from creeping corruption, the suspension of Parliament and the abandoning of policies to (help) the people’s plight.“If the (audio) is genuine, what’s the problem? Is there treachery, corruption or a criminal offence?” he said when questioned on the audio recording controversy at a dialogue with several academics today.When pressed by the moderator on whether the person in the recording was indeed him, Anwar said there was no benefit to the people in discussing the topic.“I have made a statement. Zahid has made his statement. Enough,” he added.Anwar also said there were many other audio and video recordings which the authorities had ignored.“It looks like they are making political capital out of this to show that Anwar (is with) Zahid,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was also heard in an audio recording offering posts to Umno leaders who switched parties.In the four-minute clip recently revealed by MalaysiaNow, Anwar is heard congratulating and giving instructions to Zahid in the aftermath of the Umno general assembly which accepted his proposal to cut ties with the Perikatan Nasional government.Zahid in return thanked Anwar for his moral support.MalaysiaNow has been able to verify that the clip is authentic, and that the voices are those of Anwar and Zahid.But both leaders have denied speaking to each other, saying they will send their representatives to lodge police reports.Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador urged the two to lodge police reports if they truly believed they had been slandered.


US blames Russia for drone crash over Black Sea, Moscow denies contact

The Pentagon blamed a Russian fighter jet for the crash of a US spy drone into the Black Sea on Tuesday while Moscow denied any collision as the encounter showed the increasing risk of direct confrontation between Russia and the US due to the Ukraine war.
Two Russian Su-27 jets carried out what the US military described as a reckless intercept of the MQ-9 "Reaper" drone in international airspace before one of them collided with it at 7.03am (0603 GMT), causing the drone to crash into the sea.
Several times before the collision, the Russian fighter jets dumped fuel on the MQ-9, possibly trying to blind or damage it, and flew in front of the unmanned drone in unsafe manoeuvres, the US military said.
Russia has not recovered the drone and the jet was likely damaged, the Pentagon said.
"In fact, this unsafe and unprofessional act by the Russians nearly caused both aircraft to crash," US Air Force General James Hecker, who oversees the US Air Force in the region, said in a statement.
Russia's defence ministry denied that its aircraft had come into contact with the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which it said had crashed after "sharp manoeuvring". It said the drone had been detected near the Crimea peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
"The Russian fighters did not use their onboard weapons, did not come into contact with the UAV and returned safely to their home airfield," the defence ministry said.
The accounts of the incident in the Black Sea, which is bordered by Russia and Ukraine among other countries, could not be independently verified.
Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, US Army General Christopher Cavoli, briefed Nato allies about the first such episode since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"We have been flying over that airspace consistently now for a year... and we're going to continue to do that," said White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby.
The US State Department later said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to protest what it called the downing of the drone.
Eastern frontline fighting
On the frontlines of eastern Ukraine, Russian troops pushed forward in waves and President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his view that Russia's very existence as a state was at stake in the war.
In the eastern Donbas region, Russia and Ukraine are locked in the bloodiest infantry battle in Europe since World War Two after Moscow launched a winter offensive.
Putin has framed Moscow's year-long "special military operation" as a defensive pushback against what he sees as a hostile West bent on expanding into territories historically ruled by Russia.
"So for us this is not a geopolitical task, but a task of the survival of Russian statehood, creating conditions for the future development of the country and our children," Putin said during a visit to an aviation factory in Buryatia, some 4,400km (2,750 miles) east of Moscow.
Putin accuses the West of using Ukraine as a tool to inflict "strategic defeat" on Russia. Ukraine and its Western allies say Moscow is waging an unprovoked war of conquest that has destroyed Ukrainian cities, killed thousands of people and forced millions more to flee their homes.
The Kremlin said Kyiv must accept "new realities" - its shorthand for Russia's claim to have annexed four regions, or nearly a fifth of Ukraine's territory.
"We have to achieve our goals. Right now this is only possible by military means due to the current position of the Kyiv regime," Russian state news agencies quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
In a video address, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine's "future is being decided" in battles in the east, including the ruined city of Bakhmut. Fighting has raged there for eight months and Ukrainian commanders say they are killing enough Russian attackers to justify carrying on despite being almost surrounded.
Zelensky and his military chiefs agreed on Tuesday to keep defending Bakhmut despite concerns among some military analysts that the losses Ukraine is suffering could undermine its ability to mount a planned counter-offensive when the weather improves.
"It is key to the stability of the defence of the entire front," said General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, praising his soldiers' fortitude.
'Pushing hard'
Further north on the frontline near Kreminna, Oleksandr, 50, commander of a unit in Ukraine's 110th battalion, said Russian assaults were still relentless despite having claimed little ground there.
"They are pushing hard. They are lobbing mortar bombs at us," Oleksandr told Reuters. He said Russian three-man fire teams advanced, with another wave following to replace them when they were killed.
"At night they always attack on foot and we sit, looking through our thermal goggles and shooting them."
Both sides reported more civilian casualties near the front.
Zelensky said six high-rise buildings were hit in the centre of Kramatorsk by a Russian missile, killing at least one person and wounding three. On the Russian-occupied side, in Volnovakha further south, the body of a woman lay on a street next to a ruined shop. A Russian military investigator said the area was hit by Ukrainian shells.
Off the battlefield, talks continued on Tuesday to extend a deal to allow grain shipments from Ukraine's Black Sea ports that is due to expire this week after Kyiv rejected a Russian push for a reduced 60-day renewal.


Writer's defamation trial against Trump set for January 2024

A federal judge on Thursday scheduled the writer E Jean Carroll's second defamation trial against former US president Donald Trump for next January.
US district judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan said the civil trial, where the former Elle magazine columnist is seeking at least US$10 million (about RM46.2 million) in damages, will began on Jan 15, 2024, "unless this case has previously been entirely disposed of."
The timetable raises the prospect that Trump might have to defend himself in three trials early next year as he seeks the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, where he is now the front-runner.
Trump has been criminally charged by federal prosecutors in Florida with mishandling classified documents, and by Manhattan's district attorney with covering up hush money payments to a porn star. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who is not related to the judge, said her client looks forward to moving expeditiously on her claims.
A lawyer for Trump and a spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Carroll claims that Trump defamed her in June 2019 when he denied having raped her in the mid-1990s in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan, and said she was not his "type."
Last month, a Manhattan jury ordered Trump to pay Carroll US$5 million for defamation and sexual assault in a separate lawsuit, after he made a similar denial in October 2022.
On Tuesday, judge Kaplan allowed Carroll to amend her lawsuit over Trump's 2019 comments to include similar comments he made recently on CNN.
In a town hall the day after the US$5 million verdict, Trump called Carroll's account "fake" and labeled her a "whack job."
The case is Carroll v Trump, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 20-07311.


Daily caseload hovers just over 3,000

Another 3,074 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,805,337.Another 2,828 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,732,771.Meanwhile 193 are in the ICU, including 158 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 90 are in need of respiratory assistance including 61 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 3,074 cases reported today, 30 (1.0%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 3,044 (99.0%) are in Category One and Two.


Mexico offers to vaccinate illegal immigrants in US

The president of Mexico has said he is ready to provide coronavirus vaccines to undocumented migrants in the US, after the governor of the US state of Nebraska said they would probably not get vaccinated due to their immigration status.“It’s a universal right. We would do it,” President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told a government news conference on Wednesday when asked if Mexico would vaccinate undocumented migrants in the US, many of whom are Mexican nationals.He did not elaborate on how his government would execute such a plan, or which migrants would qualify, Reuters is reporting.The comments on Tuesday about workers at Nebraska’s meat-packing plants by state governor Pete Ricketts, had provoked criticism from public health and migrant advocates.“You’re supposed to be a legal resident of this country to be able to be working in those plants, so I do not expect that illegal immigrants will be part of that vaccine programme,” Ricketts had told a coronavirus briefing.The Washington-based Migration Policy Institute estimates 11% of Nebraska’s meat-packing workers – and 10% of similar workers nationwide – lack legal immigration status.Widespread Covid-19 outbreaks occurred at meat-packing plants around the US last spring, helping spread the virus around rural America where the plants are concentrated.Roberto Velasco, a senior Mexican diplomat for North America, responded to Ricketts on Tuesday night.“To deprive undocumented essential workers of Covid-19 vaccination goes against basic human rights,” he tweeted, citing text from the UN’s declaration of human rights.Among critics of Ricketts’ statement was congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a leader of pro-migrant progressives in the Democratic party of president-elect Joe Biden.She tweeted, “Imagine being so racist that you go out of your way to ensure that the people who prepare your food are unvaccinated.”


Nearly RM750 million net inflow last week in new high for the year

Foreign investors turned net buyers for the week ended Feb 11 with a net inflow of RM749.34 million compared with a net outflow of RM160.70 million in the preceding week, influenced by upbeat economic data, MIDF Research said.The brokerage said the data includes Malaysia’s Industrial Production Index, which moderated to +5.8% year-on-year (yoy) in December 2021, Malaysia’s distributive trade sales growth at +3.5% yoy in December 2021, and gross domestic product which advanced by +3.6% in the fourth quarter of 2021.“So far in 2022, international funds have been net buyers on Bursa Malaysia for four out of six weeks.“We noted that last week’s net buying by foreign investors was also the highest so far this year,” it said in a note today.MIDF Research said the previous highest net buying by foreigners was in the second week of January at RM397.85 million.Meanwhile, it said foreigners were net buyers every day of the week. The last time this occurred was in the week ending Jan 14, 2021.The largest foreign inflow was recorded on Wednesday at RM279.64 million and the smallest inflow was on Monday at RM21.82 million.It said the pace of net inflow from foreign investors continued to be robust on Thursday and Friday, with net inflows of RM228.44m and RM165.36 million, respectively.For the week, MIDF Research said local institutions were active sellers, with the largest net outflow on Wednesday and the smallest on Monday amounting to -RM261.35 million and -RM32.37 million, respectively.It said the market saw retailers as net sellers every day of the week except on Monday at RM10.55 million.“The largest net selling was recorded on Thursday at -RM64.83 million while the smallest net selling was on Tuesday at -RM8.44 million,” it said.Overall, the brokerage said foreign investors finished strong as net buyers to the tune of RM749.34 million for the sixth week of 2022, while retailers and local institutions were net sellers at -RM100.17 million and -RM649.18 million, respectively.“On a year-to-date basis, we observed RM1.052 billion in net inflows from foreign investors,” it said, adding that retailers’ net buying was marginal at RM0.98 million while local institutions were net sellers amounting to -RM1.053 billion.


Daily caseload tops 2,500 as 11 more deaths reported

Another 2,516 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,971,936.
There were 2,643 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,908,313.
There are now 27,003 active cases, of which 25,071 or 92.8% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 1,839 (6.8%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 93 are in ICU with 59 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another 11 deaths were reported, including seven who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,620.


Queen celebrates Commonwealth Day pandemic unity before Megxit show airs

Queen Elizabeth celebrated on Sunday the sense of Commonwealth unity fostered by “a time like no other”, reports the BBC.In a speech to mark Commonwealth Day, dedicated to the countries mainly from the former British empire that maintain links with Britain, the Queen welcomed the “deeper appreciation of the mutual support and spiritual sustenance we enjoy being connected to others” during the coronavirus pandemic.For almost 50 years, the royal family has attended an annual Commonwealth Day service at London’s Westminster Abbey, but it has been cancelled this year because of the pandemic.“Stirring examples of courage, commitment and selfless dedication to duty have been demonstrated in every Commonwealth nation and territory during the pandemic,” the Queen said.The Commonwealth Day broadcast also featured other royals including Prince Charles, Duchess Camilla, Prince William and Duchess Kate.The pandemic ruled out the usual in-person service to protect the 94-year-old queen and everybody else from Covid-19.Queen Elizabeth and husband Prince Philip received the vaccine in January and have since urged others to follow suit.Commonwealth Day, a major annual celebration of the 54 former territories of the British empire, is on Monday.Ahead of the celebration, the queen called the coming week an “opportunity to reflect on a time like no other”: a year during which she and other royals have adjusted, among other things, to a calendar mostly consisting of virtual and television appearances rather than their usual in-person engagements.“The need to maintain greater physical distance, or to live and work largely in isolation, has, for many people across the Commonwealth, been an unusual experience,” Queen Elizabeth reflected. “In our everyday lives, we have had to become more accustomed to connecting and communicating via innovative technology – including Commonwealth meetings conducted online.”The messages aired hours before American TV broadcasts the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s highly anticipated tell-all, their first in-depth interview since they moved to the US.Celebrity interviewer Oprah Winfrey’s scoop will see Harry and Meghan explain why they abandoned Britain to start new lives in California.


Daily caseload drops to 3,300

Another 3,381 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,780,080.Selangor recorded 879 cases, Kelantan 385, Johor 299, Kuala Lumpur 271, Sabah 242, Pahang 226, Penang 219 and Kedah 216.Negeri Sembilan recorded 172 cases, Perak 161, Melaka 141, Terengganu 94, Putrajaya 30, Sarawak 18, and Labuan and Perlis 14 each.Another 3,447 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,708,739 (97.4%).Meanwhile 254 are in the ICU, including 220 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 114 are in need of respiratory assistance including 86 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 3,381 cases reported today, 37 (1.1%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 3,344 (98.9%) are in Category One and Two.


Living on a prayer: When cumin and salt water trump Covid jabs

When Covid-19 vaccines first became available in the country, Alina (not her real name) who tends to orphans and underprivileged children at a childcare centre in Sarawak was determined to get jabbed.Like hundreds of thousands of others across the country, she had been waiting for the opportunity to reclaim some of what had been taken by the virus following its arrival on Malaysian shores early last year.She registered for the national immunisation programme and, on the day of her first jab, headed off to the vaccination centre.After receiving her first dose of vaccine, though, she had an adverse reaction and is now reluctant to complete her second dose.Alina is one of many who are experiencing what is sometimes referred to as vaccine hesitancy. Health workers have spoken to her many times, strongly advising her to complete her vaccination. They say that given her age – 61 – and her medical history of diabetes, she is at high risk of contracting the virus which has so far claimed more than 15,000 lives in the country.Health experts warn that children and teenagers under 18 are particularly vulnerable to the virus as they are unlikely to have been vaccinated.But Alina continues to refuse the second jab, convinced that it will kill her before the virus does.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she cited messages she had received on WhatsApp claiming that the Covid-19 jabs are lethal.“I know about the importance of getting vaccinated,” she said.“But I have also heard many stories about the effects of the vaccine. Some have also said that the reaction to the second dose might be twice as bad as the first time.”When contacted, Sarawak Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah said Alina’s centre had not renewed its licence since 2018.Fatimah also said such centres are only allowed to operate once the operator, supervisors and staff have all been fully vaccinated.“All care centres must be registered with the Sarawak Social Welfare Department,” she said. “Otherwise, they cannot operate.“If the licence has expired, it must be renewed because the registration process involves compliance with the requirements of technical agencies to ensure the safety, comfort and health of residents.”In Alina’s case, apart from the risk of contracting the virus herself, there is also concern about the children under her care.Health experts have warned that children and teenagers under 18 are particularly vulnerable to the virus as they are unlikely to have been vaccinated like grownups.While the government recently gave the green light for children below the age of 12 to begin receiving vaccine shots under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, minors still make up a sizeable proportion of the population who have yet to be jabbed.In Sarawak, this is a concern given the recent surge in Covid-19 infections. On Aug 27, the state recorded over 2,200 new cases, taking its cumulative caseload to 107,296 with 513 deaths so far.Sarawak’s vaccination push has seen 87.3% of its adults fully vaccinated and 90.7% given a first dose. Now, the majority of new infections reported in the state are either asymptomatic or mild cases.But concern remains for the children.“Children who are not yet vaccinated are more likely to be infected by their unvaccinated parents or caretakers,” Dr Ong Eng-Joe, a paediatrician at Borneo Medical Centre, told MalaysiaNow.“The children can also perpetuate transmission within the community, causing more people to be infected and possibly die from Covid-19.”“The risks of Covid-19 are great. Comparatively the vaccine’s adverse effects are relatively mild.”A look at current ICU admissions and deaths shows that many involve unvaccinated individuals. For Alina, foregoing her second jab raises the risk of infection for the children in her care.Since mid-August, children have accounted for 25% to 30% of positive cases detected in Sarawak. Of the three deaths recorded in the state on Aug 27, one was a 17-year-old male from Kuching who had comorbidities.Ong said it was imperative for parents to be vaccinated in order to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their children.She referred to a particularly severe complication arising from Covid-19 known as MIS-C or multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children.“Covid-19 can result in death in some children,” she said. “They could come down with a severe infection and die from the disease.”Another health expert, Dr Teh Siao Hean, agreed that parents and caretakers need to get vaccinated as soon as possible, and to vaccinate their children once jabs become available for them.“Parents and guardians need to get the correct information about vaccination for the sake of the children,” Teh, from Sarawak’s chapter of the Malaysian Medical Association, said.“The risks of Covid-19 are great. Comparatively the vaccine’s adverse effects are relatively mild,” she said, adding that adverse effects are rare.“Parents and caregivers are the custodians of their children’s well-being. With the high prevalence of Covid-19, it is the children who now need protection by means of vaccination.”At the childcare centre, though, Alina refuses to budge.She says she is instead relying on Islamic practices by reading verses from the Quran to ensure the well-being and health of the children.When the children are sick, she reads verses from the Quran over some water and gives it to them to drink.They also gargle with salt water every morning when performing their ablutions.“I’ll see,” she said when asked if she would vaccinate them once jabs are available for children.“But don’t worry, we practise the eating of habbatus sauda (black cumin) as this was also recommended by the Prophet,” she added. “Habbatus sauda can heal every illness except death, Insya Allah.”


High Court orders halt to Myanmar migrant deportation

The Kuala Lumpur High Court ordered a temporary halt to a controversial plan to deport 1,200 Myanmar detainees to their homeland today weeks after a coup, following a last-ditch legal challenge.The migrants, including members of vulnerable minorities, had already been taken in buses and trucks to a military base on the west coast to be loaded onto waiting Myanmar navy ships.The US and the United Nations had criticised the plan, while rights groups said there were asylum seekers among those due to be repatriated.Rights groups Amnesty International and Asylum Access had lodged a court challenge, arguing Malaysia would be in breach of its international duties by sending vulnerable people back to a country where they could be in danger.The High Court ordered a halt to the repatriation to allow a hearing to take place on Wednesday into the groups’ bid to stop the deportations, their lawyer New Sin Yew told AFP.Amnesty International Malaysia’s executive director, Katrina Jorene Maliamauv, said that “the government must respect the court order and ensure that not one of the 1,200 individuals is deported today”.She called on authorities to grant the UN refugee agency access to the migrants set to be deported, so they can assess whether any should be granted refugee status.“It’s important to note that the stay of execution granted by the court does not mean the 1,200 are safe from being deported. They are facing life-threatening risks,” she added.“We urge the government to reconsider its plans to send this group of vulnerable people back to Myanmar.”‘Could be tortured’Earlier, dozens of buses and trucks carrying the migrants and escorted by police cars arrived at the naval base in Lumut, according to AFP journalists at the scene.The Myanmar military seized power at the start of February and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering a series of massive protests.Malaysia initially expressed “serious concern” at the coup – but just days later, news emerged it had accepted an offer from the Myanmar junta to send warships to repatriate the detainees.Officials insist those being sent back have committed offences such as overstaying their visas and no members of the persecuted Rohingya minority – not recognised as citizens in Myanmar – are among them.But the detainees include members of the Christian Chin minority and people from conflict-riven Kachin and Shan states, according to Lilianne Fan, international director of the Geutanyoe Foundation, which works with refugees.Malaysian authorities have blocked the UN refugee agency from immigration detention centres since late 2019, meaning they have not been able to determine who should be granted refugee status.James Bawi Thang Bik, chairman of the Malaysia-based Alliance of Chin Refugees, said he was “shocked” to learn Chin were among those to be deported.“They are refugees who came from a conflict area,” he told AFP.Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia who work in low-pay jobs such as construction. As well as Myanmar, they come from countries including Bangladesh and Indonesia.


All a boar-d! Wild pig takes Hong Kong subway journey

A young wild boar in Hong Kong has sparked delight by hopping onto a Hong Kong subway train and leading staff on a merry cross-harbour chase that included boarding two separate trains.The plucky piglet slipped under the ticket barriers of Quarry Bay station on Hong Kong Island on Friday afternoon and somehow managed to board a passing train.Video of the incident showed the juvenile trotting down a carriage half-filled with bemused commuters as a hapless staff member tried – and failed – to catch him with a blue tarpaulin.Officials said the pig alighted a few stops later and then boarded a second train that headed under Victoria Harbour.The train was eventually diverted to a depot where officers from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department were able to safely capture the animal and release him back into the wild.Best known for its densely packed skyscrapers, Hong Kong also boasts large tracts of subtropical mountains and parkland that host a thriving number of Eurasian wild pigs.And increasingly humans and pigs are meeting face to snout.Boars have been filmed running alongside vehicles on roads, jogging down beaches filled with sunbathers, sniffing the tarmac at the city’s international airport – and even falling through the ceiling of a children’s clothing store.


Nearly 60 million people worldwide internally displaced in 2021

Conflicts and natural disasters forced tens of millions to flee within their own country last year, pushing the number of internally displaced people to a record high, monitors said Thursday.Some 59.1 million people were registered as internally displaced worldwide in 2021 – an all-time record expected to be broken again this year amid mass displacement inside war-torn Ukraine.Around 38 million new internal displacements were reported in 2021, with some people forced to flee multiple times during the year, according to a joint report by the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).That marks the second-highest annual number of new internal displacements in a decade after 2020, which saw record-breaking movement due to a string of natural disasters.Last year, new internal displacements from conflict surged to 14.4 million – marking a 50% jump from 2020 and more than doubling since 2012, the report showed.‘World is falling apart’And global internal displacement figures are only expected to grow this year, driven in particular by the war in Ukraine.More than eight million people have already been displaced within the war-ravaged country since Russia’s full-scale invasion began on Feb 24, in addition to the more than six million who have fled Ukraine as refugees.“2022 is looking bleak,” IDMC director Alexandra Bilak told reporters.The record numbers seen in 2021, she said, marked “a tragic indictment really on the state of the world and on peace-building efforts in particular”.NRC chief Jan Egeland agreed, warning: “It has never been as bad as this.”“The world is falling apart,” he told reporters.“The situation today is phenomenally worse than even our record figure suggests.”In 2021, sub-Saharan Africa counted the most internal movements, with more than five million displacements reported in Ethiopia alone, as the country grappled with the raging and expanding Tigray conflict and a devastating drought.That marks the highest figure ever registered for a single country.‘Titanic shift’ neededUnprecedented displacement numbers were also recorded last year in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan, where the Taliban’s return to power, along with drought, saw many flee their homes.In Myanmar, where the military junta seized power in a February coup last year, displacement numbers also reached a record high, the report found.The Middle East and North Africa region recorded its lowest number of new displacements in a decade, as the conflicts in Syria, Libya and Iraq de-escalated somewhat, but the overall number of displaced people in the region remained high.Syria, where civil war has been raging for more than 11 years, still accounted for the world’s highest number of people living in internal displacement due to conflict – 6.7 million – at the end of 2021.That was followed by the DR Congo at 5.3 million, Colombia at 5.2 million, and Afghanistan and Yemen at 4.3 million.Despite the hike in conflict-related displacement, natural disasters continued to account for most new internal displacement, spurring 23.7 million such movements in 2021.A full 94% of those were attributed to weather and climate-related disasters, like cyclones, monsoon rains, floods and droughts.Experts say that climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of such extreme weather events.China, the Philippines and India were hardest hit, together accounting for around 70% of all disaster-related displacements last year.Increasingly, conflict and disasters collide, creating a “complex quagmire of problems”, Egeland said, worsening risks and often forcing people to flee several times.In places like Mozambique, Myanmar, Somalia and South Sudan, overlapping crises impact food security and heighten the vulnerabilities of millions.“We need a titanic shift in thinking from world leaders on how to prevent and resolve conflicts to end this soaring human suffering,” Egeland said.


Zulkapli Mohamed replaces Shafiq Abdullah as PSD chief

Zulkapli Mohamed has been appointed as the director-general of the Public Service Department (PSD) effective today, says Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali.
Zulkapli, 58, was previously deputy director-general (development) at the PSD.
Zuki said in a statement today that the appointment had received the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
He said the appointment was based on Zulkapli's experience in various fields including policies, management and services in the development of human capital.
"I am confident that with the knowledge and credibility that he possesses, he will able to carry out this trust and responsibility in supporting efforts and ensuring that public sector reforms are in line with the aspirations of Malaysia Madani," he said. Zulkapli has served in the public service for 31 years. His first position was assistant secretary in the training division where he began serving on Dec 1, 1992.
He also served as CEO of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation as well as Sabah federal secretary at the Sabah Federal Secretary's Office.
Zulkapli graduated with a bachelor of Social Science (Honours) from Universiti Sains Malaysia, a master's Degree in International Development from the University of Japan and a doctorate in Economics (International Finance) from Meiji University, Japan.
On Dec 12, 2022, Mohd Shafiq Abdullah's service as PSD director-general DG was terminated in accordance with Regulation 49(3) of the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993 [P.U. (A) 395/1993].


Dengue infections spike nationwide

The health ministry today warned of a sharp increase in the number of dengue cases across the country, with 1,420 infections recorded from May 15 to 21, an increase of 32.2% or 346 cases from the week before and the highest weekly total reported since 2021.Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this took the cumulative number of dengue cases reported so far to 16,145 compared to 10,597 during the same period last year – an increase of 5,548 cases or 52.4%.While no dengue deaths were reported during the 20th epidemiological week, there have been nine fatalities as a whole this year compared to five during the same period last year.In a statement, Noor Hisham said 41 hotspots were reported this week compared to 36 the week before, of which 36 are in Selangor, three in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and one each in Melaka and Sabah.“During this time of high dengue transmission, everyone needs to be proactive in ensuring that their homes, workplace and so on are free from breeding spots for Aedes mosquitos,” he said.


Sorry.


Over 200 dead, 850 hurt in India horror rail crash

At least 207 people were killed, more than 850 more were injured and many others are feared trapped after a horrific three-train collision late Friday in eastern India's Odisha state, local officials said.
AFP reporters at the scene saw smashed train compartments torn open with blood-stained holes of twisted metal near Balasore, about 200km from the state capital Bhubaneswar.
Carriages had flipped over entirely and rescue workers searched to pull out survivors trapped in the mangled wreckage, with scores of bodies laid out under white sheets beside the tracks.
"We have already counted 207 dead and the toll will still go up further," Sudhanshu Sarangi, director-general of Odisha Fire Services, told AFP from the accident site.
"The rescue work is still going at the site and it will take us a few more hours to finish here."
Odisha state's chief secretary Pradeep Jena confirmed that about 850 injured people had been sent to hospitals, with rescue work ongoing.
"Our top priority now is rescuing (the passengers) and providing health support to the injured," he said.
Amitabh Sharma, executive director with the Indian Railways, told AFP that two passenger trains "had an active involvement in the accident" while "the third train, a goods train, which was parked at the site, also got (involved) in the accident".
India is no stranger to railway accidents and has seen several such incidents in the past, but the scale of the latest crash sparked shock.
One survivor told local TV news reporters that he was sleeping when the accident happened, and woke to find himself trapped under around a dozen fellow passengers, before somehow crawling out of the carriage with only injuries to his neck and arm.
Another TV station showed graphic images of a train car toppled to one side of the track, as residents tried to pull victims to safety.
Crowded wards
With so many injured, casualties were carried by both ambulances and buses to any hospital that had space.
"We have prepared all big government and private hospitals from the accident site to the state capital to cater to the injured", said SK Panda, a spokesman in Jena's office in Odisha state.
The spokesman added that authorities had already rushed "75 ambulances to the site and had also deployed many buses" to transport injured passengers.
At Bhadrak District Hospital, ambulances brought in casualties, with the bloodied and shocked survivors receiving treatment in crowded wards.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was "distressed by the train accident".
"In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon," Modi said on Twitter, adding that he had spoken to railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take "stock of the situation".
Vaishnaw said that he was rushing to the accident site, with rescue teams mobilised, including the National Disaster Response Force and air force.
"Will take all hands required for the rescue ops," he said on Twitter.
Despite the latest crash, railway safety – thanks to massive new investments and upgrades in technology – has improved significantly in recent years.


Twitter suspends account tracking Elon Musk's jet

Twitter Inc suspended an account tracking its owner Elon Musk's private jet in real-time, with the billionaire threatening legal action against the account's operator after saying his son had been mistakenly followed by a "crazy stalker".
The suspension comes just a month after Musk, who bought Twitter for US$44 billion (about RM194 billion) in October, said his commitment to free speech extended to not banning the account.
ElonJet, operated by 20-year-old university student Jack Sweeney, had tracked the movements of Musk's private jet using data available in the public domain before the suspension.
Sweeney's other accounts were also suspended at the time of reporting.
Twitter and Sweeney did not respond to Reuters' requests for comments.
Twitter briefly reinstated the "bot", or automated, account before again suspending it, after saying sharing "live location information" was a violation of its policy.
Musk had said in a tweet in November that his commitment to free speech "extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk".
On Wednesday, Musk said: "Any account doxxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation."
"Doxxing" is the public release of sensitive information identifying an individual or organization, such as a home address or phone number.
"Posting locations someone traveled to on a slightly delayed basis isn’t a safety problem, so is ok," Musk said.
The billionaire also tweeted that one of his sons, lil X, had been harassed, and linked it to the tracking accounts.
"Last night, car carrying lil X in LA was followed by crazy stalker (thinking it was me), who later blocked car from moving & climbed onto hood," he said.
"Legal action is being taken against Sweeney & organizations who supported harm to my family."
Sweeney, a student at the University of Central Florida, who also operates similar bot accounts tracking Musk's jet on Facebook, Instagram and Telegram, told BuzzFeed the suspension is "a surprise to many people after he publicly said he wouldn't do it."
"It just shows that they can play the rules however they want to, really, for whoever they want," he said.
Sweeney tweeted on Saturday that Ella Irwin, Twitter's vice president of trust and safety, requested the account be filtered and less visible to users.
In previous media interviews, Sweeney said he turned down a $5,000 offer from Musk in 2021 to shut down the account.
Separately, Twitter accounts tracking the jets of billionaire tech entrepreneurs Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates were also suspended.


Facebook worth US$1 trillion for the first time ever

Facebook Inc leapt into trillion-dollar territory on Monday as a late-afternoon stock rally helped power the company past the milestone valuation mark, MarketWatch is reporting.Shares of Facebook gained 4.2% in Monday’s trading session after a federal judge dismissed an antitrust case that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) had brought against the social-media giant.The judge determined that the FTC didn’t provide enough facts to back up its argument that Facebook is a social-networking monopoly. He wrote that the FTC had “failed to plead enough facts” to back up its claim that Facebook was stifling competition.The FTC’s lawsuit had requested that the technology giant, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, be broken up because it is too powerful.“The FTC’s complaint says almost nothing concrete on the key question of how much power Facebook actually has,” wrote the judge.Facebook and other Big Tech companies are coming under increasing scrutiny from regulators, but the judge’s determination on Monday indicates potentially steeper hurdles for regulatory bodies looking to clamp down on tech giants.Facebook closed the trading day with a market cap of US$1,008,404.77, according to Dow Jones Market Data, becoming just the fifth US company to cross the US$1 trillion valuation threshold, behind Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google parent Alphabet Inc.It’s been a momentous past few days for Big Tech market-cap milestones, as Microsoft broke through the US$2 trillion barrier last week.Facebook’s market cap hit a 2020 low of US$416.2 billion last March and the company has added more than US$592 billion to its valuation since then, according to Dow Jones Market Data.The market-cap gains since Facebook’s pandemic bottom are worth more than the entire market caps of Visa, Nvidia, and JPMorgan Chase, according to Dow Jones Market Data.While this is a setback for the FTC that some analysts say could have repercussions for the future of anti-competition law in the US, the watchdog has until July 28 to re-file the charges.This lawsuit had sought to force Facebook to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp. It accused the company of using its power and wealth to reduce competition by buying up companies that could become threatening. It specifically related to Facebook’s acquisition of the two apps in 2012 and 2014.In March, Facebook described the FTC complaint as “nonsensical”.The tech giant said the FTC’s case “ignores the reality of the dynamic, intensely competitive high-tech industry in which Facebook operates”.


US gets a new federal public holiday – Juneteenth

The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, which establishes a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the US, has been signed by President Joe Biden.On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives backed the legislation by 415-14, a day after it was unanimously approved by the Senate. With the signature of Biden, it has become law.Most US states already recognise Juneteenth and commemorate the day, but the bill made June 19 the 12th federal holiday, the first new one in 38 years since Martin Luther King Jr Day was established in 1983.“I think this will go down, for me, as one of the greatest honours I will have as president,” Biden said at the signing event. He urged Americans to learn from history.“This is a day to remember the moral stain and the terrible toll that slavery took on our country and continues to take – what I’ve long called America’s original sin,” Biden said before signing the bill into law.Vice-President Kamala Harris, the first person of mixed race and the first woman to hold the office, recalled that the White House was built by slaves.On 19 June 1865 – months after the northern US states defeated the South in a civil war fought over slavery – enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, were told they were free. This is seen as the true end of slavery in America.The day became known as Juneteenth, a word created by joining the words “June” and “nineteenth” together.This year, companies such as Nike, Uber, Twitter and many others have announced they are giving their employees a paid day off for Juneteenth.Already 49 states and Washington DC formally recognise Juneteenth as a state or ceremonial holiday. South Dakota is the last remaining state.The effort to have Juneteenth declared a federal holiday was decades in the making.When he was senator of Illinois, Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation to make Juneteenth a national holiday, but the law was never passed – even after he became president.Juneteenth celebrations vary across the US. In some states there are parades, and people gather for food and to play games.The date has taken on renewed resonance in recent years with millions of Americans confronting the country’s living legacy of racial injustice.


Changes underway to reflect Sabah, Sarawak as ‘regions’ not ‘states’

The communications and multimedia ministry is said to be changing the branch names of all agencies under its purview in Sabah and Sarawak following Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s move on his official visit to Sarawak last week to refer to it as a region instead of a state.A source from the ministry told the PN BBC portal that a decision had been made on the matter at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.“The ministry has acted to expand the directive issued by the government following the instructions of the Cabinet,” it was quoted as saying.The source also said that the new term would be used in news reports, including on government television stations and by all relevant parties.Muhyiddin, during his visit to Sarawak, had said that Sarawak was a region or “wilayah”.“From now on, we should not forget that Sarawak is a ‘region’, ‘wilayah’. I feel like it is a great region. I can’t say it’s a state because it’s big though the population is not big,” he said at a lunch event with GPS leaders on April 2.He also repeated his assurance that Sarawak’s claims would be considered fairly, in line with the Federal Constitution and the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).Sarawak Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Karim Hamzah welcomed Muhyiddin’s remarks, saying Sabah and Sarawak cannot be categorised as states like the other states in the peninsula.“Their formation is different. They are included under what we call the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957.“Malaysia was formed in 1963, the Malaysia Agreement. At that time, the Federation of Malaya was already established.“We cannot be part of the smaller states. How can you put Perlis and Sarawak at the same level?”Reiterating that Sabah and Sarawak cannot be treated as “just another state”, he said he fully agreed that they should be called by a different name.“‘Wilayah’ is a good term,” he said, adding that the federal government would one day need to amend the constitution so that these issues can be recorded.


Russia says Sputnik V vaccine 95% effective

Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine is 95% effective according to a second interim analysis of clinical trial data, its developers said on Tuesday.The two-dose vaccine will be available on international markets for less than US$10 per dose, they said, and will be free for Russian citizens.It can be stored at between two and eight degrees Celsius, they said, instead of the temperatures below freezing required for some other vaccines.The calculations of its effectiveness were based on preliminary data obtained 42 days after the first dose, Russia’s health ministry, the state-run Gamaleya research centre and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said in a statement.The statement said that the vaccine had shown 91.4% effectiveness 28 days after the first dose, a figure based on 39 cases.Forty-two days later, after a second dose, data showed “an efficacy of the vaccine above 95%”.It did not note the number of coronavirus cases used to make the final calculation, however.“The second analysis was conducted a week after volunteers got the second dose, meaning that their bodies have partially reacted to both doses,” Gamaleya’s director Alexander Gintsburg said in the statement.He said the centre expects the efficacy rate to be “even higher” three weeks after the second dose.The statement said that 22,000 volunteers had been vaccinated with the first dose and more than 19,000 with both doses.Overseas trials of the vaccine are also taking place in the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Belarus and other countries.Russia in August became the first country to register a coronavirus vaccine but did so ahead of the large-scale clinical trials that are still underway.Last month, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia had registered a second coronavirus vaccine, EpiVacCorona, as a global race heats up in producing an effective vaccine to combat the pandemic, which has now claimed the lives of nearly 1.4 million people.Putin last week said that Russia had manufacturing agreements in place with China and India and encouraged Brazil and South Africa to also mass produce Russian-made vaccines.Pharma giants Pfizer and BioNTech announced that their virus vaccine is 95% effective, while US company Moderna said last week early results showed its candidate was 94.5% effective.


Covid-hit Shanghai announces gradual reopening of businesses

Shanghai announced a gradual reopening from Monday of businesses, though it remains unclear when the millions of people still locked down in China’s economic capital will finally be allowed out of their homes.Confronted with its worst Covid-19 outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, China – the last major economy still closed off to the world – put the city of 25 million under heavy restrictions in early April.The rigid strategy to root out virus cases at all costs has wreaked havoc on supply chains, crushed small businesses and imperilled the country’s economic goals.For many Shanghai residents, some of whom were already confined to their homes even before April, the frustrations have included problems with food supplies, access to non-Covid medical care and spartan quarantine centres, and many are venting their anger online.Shanghai vice mayor Chen Tong on Sunday announced a reopening of businesses “in stages” from May 16.Chen however did not specify if he was referring to a gradual resumption of activity in the city or if it was conditional on certain health criteria.Under China’s zero-Covid strategy, any lifting of restrictions is generally conditional on seeing no new positive cases for three days, outside of quarantine centres.Shanghai authorities were aiming for this goal by mid-May.Infections appear to be on the decline, with 1,369 new cases reported on Sunday in Shanghai, way down from more than 25,000 at the end of April.In some areas of the city, however, restrictions have been tightened in recent days.Some 1,200km north, residents of Beijing fear they could face a similar lockdown after more than a thousand cases were recorded in the capital since the end of April.Beijing has repeatedly tested its residents and locked down buildings with positive cases and closed metro stations and non-essential businesses in certain neighbourhoods.In an attempt to curb the outbreak, Fangshan district in the southwest of Beijing, which has 1.3 million residents, suspended taxi services from Saturday.Apart from a few neighbourhoods which are under restrictions, the vast majority of Beijing’s 22 million inhabitants can still leave their homes.But many public places are closed and residents are forced to work from home, especially in the populous Chaoyang district, where many multinationals are based.


Agong visits national flood forecasting and warning centre

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmamd Shah today attended a briefing on disaster and flood preparedness at the national flood forecasting and warning centre (PRABN) in Ampang.
The closed-door briefing was held at the king's request to determine the preparedness of the relevant agencies to face the northeast monsoon season, which is expected to occur from mid-November to March 2023.
Sultan Abdullah arrived at the centre at 10.25am where he was welcomed by Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali.
Also in attendance were Environment and Water Ministry secretary-general Zaini Ujang, Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) director-general Md Nasir Md Noh and Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah.
The briefing began with weather condition and flood preparations from DID and MetMalaysia followed by the latest Covid-19 situation and the health ministry’s preparedness to deal with floods by Khairy.
After the briefing, Sultan Abdullah is scheduled to visit the PRABN control centre.


UK reports zero daily Covid deaths in first since July

Britain on Tuesday reported zero daily deaths from Covid-19 for the first time since last July, despite a recent rise in cases linked to the Delta variant.According to the latest government figures, 127,782 people in the UK have died within 28 days of a positive test since the start of the pandemic – the worst death toll in any European country.The UK has had 4.49 million cases in total.Tuesday’s zero daily deaths came after the government reported just one Covid death across the UK on Monday, a public holiday.Official death figures are typically lower at weekends and holidays because of a lag in reporting.The last time that no Covid deaths were recorded throughout the UK was July 30.Health Secretary Matt Hancock welcomed Tuesday’s milestone as “undoubtedly good news”, saying Britain’s vaccine rollout, which began in December, was “clearly working”.However, he also sounded a note of caution with coronavirus cases on the rise.“We know we haven’t beaten this virus just yet,” Hancock added, urging people to follow public health guidance.In recent months Britain has moved forward with its plan to unlock its economy.The government imposed a tough lockdown in January during a second wave of cases and deaths that followed the emergence of a more transmissible variant. The UK was one of the first nations in the world to begin a mass innoculation campaign.Since the rollout, it has administered two doses of vaccine to more than 25 million people – almost half the adult population.Experts have warned, however, that Britain could face a third wave of cases driven by the Delta variant of concern first identified in India.On Tuesday, Britain recorded over 3,000 coronavirus cases for the seventh straight day, putting in doubt plans by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government to completely lift restrictions on June 21.“We will continue to assess and monitor the data daily,” a UK government spokesman said, adding that the roadmap for removing Covid measures was “based on data, not dates”.Last week, Johnson said there was nothing in current data that suggested England’s roadmap would have to be delayed.


What happens now? Ex-top judge answers questions on latest political development

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday indicated by way of a media conference that at least 11 MPs from the party had revoked their support for Muhyiddin Yassin.Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram, who during his years on the bench delivered more than 800 judgments considered as leading legal authorities in Commonwealth courts, answers some frequently asked questions by the public regarding the constitutional and legal aspects of this latest development.1. Does the announcement by Zahid mean Muhyiddin Yassin’s government has lost the majority?The announcement of the withdrawal of support outside the Dewan Rakyat is useless, it has no effect in constitutional law.The proper place to test the confidence is on the floor of the Dewan Rakyat. It is possible that some opposition MPs could support the government.2. Zahid has said that statutory declarations (SDs) of MPs who revoked their support for the prime minister would be submitted to the palace.They can send all the SDs to the palace, it does not matter. It is only the floor of the Dewan Rakyat that matters.An SD is worthless because it is not a floor vote. Losing confidence means losing the confidence of the Dewan Rakyat. Until there is a floor vote that carries a no-confidence motion, the government continues in power.The government does not fall based on SDs sent to the palace.3. How does a floor vote take place?A resolution must be passed for a vote of no confidence in the Dewan Rakyat. What if the MPs who revoked their support change their mind?“There is no such thing as interim PM in the Federal Constitution. Our constitution does not recognise an interim PM, only a caretaker government when Parliament is dissolved.”There may be opposition MPs who may not want a general election at this time, and who will therefore support the government and defeat the confidence motion.The usual way in which confidence is tested is by moving a motion to reduce the salary of the PM by RM1. If the motion passes then the government falls because the budget providing for expenses (including the PM’s salary) has failed.4. How does the prime minister prove or show that he still enjoys the majority?He can show it in the Dewan Rakyat, such as when the vote on the 2021 budget was carried out last year. The government succeeded, that was the last time a test of support was done.Only during a Parliament session can the PM’s majority be proven. Any other way shows an ignorance of procedures.5. Is Muhyiddin legally bound to resign? What happens if he does not resign?He is legally bound to run the government, and he has to ignore political manoeuvres.If a motion of no confidence passes, then the PM may ask the Agong to dissolve Parliament.But the Agong has discretion. If he refuses to dissolve Parliament, then the PM and his entire Cabinet will resign.It is then for the Agong to send for the person who in his opinion is likely to command the majority of the House and to appoint a prime minister, who will then form the Cabinet.6. But a minister has resigned.If one or two ministers resign, he can appoint another minister or ask other ministers to take over that portfolio.7. Can Muhyiddin be brought to court if he refuses to resign?No, he can’t be brought to court because there is still no proof of the loss of confidence. Again, it can only be tested on the Dewan Rakyat floor.8. If Muhyiddin resigns, what is the next step?If the prime minister resigns, the whole Cabinet falls.If Muhyiddin wants to resign, he has to have an audience with the Agong and give his reasons. The Agong may not accept his resignation.This happened when Dr Mahathir Mohamad tendered his resignation last year.9. Can the Agong appoint an interim PM and administration?There is no such thing as an interim PM in the Federal Constitution. There is a provision for a caretaker government, but only when the Dewan Rakyat is dissolved. Our constitution does not recognise an interim PM, only a caretaker government.


Thousands of companies applying for jabs under Pikas, says Azmin

A total of 2,082 companies nationwide with 301,050 workers had applied for the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas) as of June 16.“There has been a very encouraging growth in the number of applications. This is one of the signs of the success of the Pikas programme for industry players,” International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said on Facebook.He said when Pikas was introduced on June 12, he was informed that his ministry had received applications from some 500 companies with just 106,591 employees.More than 1,733 companies with a combined total of 280,820 employees had registered under Pikas as of June 16, he said.Of these, 186 companies and 139,851 workers were from Penang while 255 companies and 14,357 workers were from Johor, he said.The international trade and industry ministry is also evaluating other potential vaccination centre (PPV) venues for Pikas.“Efforts have been redoubled to accommodate the rising number of applications from companies and accelerate the vaccination process for workers in critical sectors,” Azmin said.He said Pikas at the Bukit Jawi Golf Resort PPV had seen the collaboration of 21 manufacturing companies at the Batu Kawan Industrial Park with 16,402 workers expected to be vaccinated.He said more PPVs would begin operating in Penang, including at Equatorial Hotel on June 28.Meanwhile three PPVs will open in Bayan Lepas for multinational companies Intel Technology Sdn Bhd, Jabil Circuits Sdn Bhd and Plexus Manufacturing Sdn Bhd, while another in Batu Kawan for Inari Amerton Bhd will begin operating after obtaining approval from the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force.He said the Pikas PPV in Pengerang, Johor, had been well received by industry players as well.“A total of 5,123 workers are expected to be vaccinated at this location, which is under Pikas’ Model 2 or on-site PPV.“In addition, there will be another PPV in Johor at the Austin International Convention Centre under Model 1, which is vaccination at common-use PPV,” he said.He voiced hope that the programme would run smoothly and end on schedule.“This will allow us to accelerate the decline in the Covid-19 curve so that the economy can recover and the people can return to normal life.”


Apex court rejects Najib’s bid to vacate appeal dates on new evidence in SRC case

The Federal Court today rejected Najib Razak’s application to vacate the appeal hearing dates on new evidence, in his attempt to set aside his conviction in the SRC International case, scheduled on March 15 and 16.Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul, who confirmed the matter, said the former prime minister’s application was dismissed in an email this morning.“So the hearing on the said dates is maintained as scheduled,” he told Bernama.Two days ago, Najib’s counsel wrote to the court, asking for the hearing dates to be vacated. He said they were still seeking the notes, evidence, and documents related to the SRC International trial at the High Court, to prepare their written submissions for their appeal to bring in additional evidence.On Dec 7, 2021, the Court of Appeal dismissed Najib’s application to adduce new evidence in his appeal, ruling that Najib had failed to cumulatively satisfy Section 61 of the Courts of Judicature Act that fresh evidence was required for justice in the case.The next day, the same court upheld his conviction, 12-year jail term and RM210 million fine for misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds.Justice Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, who led a three-member bench including justices Has Zanah Mehat and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, dismissed Najib’s appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court decision on July 28, 2020.After the ruling, Najib filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Court.


Singapore tech giant Grab to lay off over 1,000 employees

Singapore-based tech giant Grab will lay off over 1,000 employees, its CEO said Tuesday, a move that will affect about 11% of its workforce.
Grab launched in 2012 as a taxi-booking app in Malaysia before becoming Southeast Asia's biggest ride-hailing firm and expanding into financial services like digital payments.
The company has been narrowing its losses and aims to break even by the end of this year.
"I want to be clear that we are not doing this as a shortcut to profitability," CEO Anthony Tan wrote in a message to employees Tuesday.
He called the "restructuring" a "painful but necessary step".
"Change has never been this fast. Technology such as Generative AI is evolving at breakneck speed. The cost of capital has gone up, directly impacting the competitive landscape," the letter said, according to an excerpt posted on Grab’s website.
"The primary goal of this exercise is to strategically reorganise ourselves, so that we can move faster, work smarter, and rebalance our resources across our portfolio in line with our longer term strategies."
The company is on track to break even this year even without the layoffs, Tan said.
Grab laid off 360 employees in 2020 – then about 5% of its full-time workforce – as the pandemic hit demand for its services.
In 2018, Grab cemented its position as Southeast Asia's biggest ride-hailing firm when it bought Uber's operations in the region, ending a bruising battle with its US-based rival.
The company went public on Wall Street in 2021 by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC.
The transaction was the largest-ever US public market debut by a Southeast Asian company, Grab said at the time, and valued the company at US$39.6 billion (RM183.76 billion).
But its shares have plummeted since debuting at US$13. They were selling at around US$3.40 on Tuesday.
Southeast Asian technology firms have been slashing their workforce as they focus on profitability, including Singapore-based Sea Ltd which cut more than 7,000 jobs last year, froze salaries and slashed spending.
Grab's Indonesian rival GoTo laid off 600 workers this year in addition to 1,300 jobs last year.


US to meet Biden’s promise of 100 million vaccinations in first 100 days, ahead of schedule

US President Joe Biden has announced that on Friday his administration will fulfil his promise to get 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine into American arms in his first 100 days in office, ABC News reports.“Fifty-eight days into our administration, we will have met my goal of administering 100 million shots to our fellow Americans. That’s weeks ahead of schedule,” Biden said, speaking on Thursday afternoon at the White House.According to official data approximately 115 million total vaccine doses have now been administered, 16.5 million of them under the Trump administration.As of Thursday, 65% of people age 65 or older have received at least one shot and 36% have been fully vaccinated, Biden said.The 100 million-dose target will be hit 42 days before his self-imposed deadline, which he announced in December before taking office, and before any vaccines were approved for use in the US.The president said he will announce a new goal for the remainder of his first 100 days in office next week and urged Americans to stay vigilant.“This is a time for optimism, but it’s not a time for relaxation. I need all of you to do your part. Wash your hands, stay socially distanced, keep masking up, and get vaccinated when it’s your turn. Now is not the time to let down our guard,” he warned.While the country’s national daily case average of infections continues to fall, nearly a third of all states have seen their average number of cases rise by at least 10% over the last month.“Scientists have made clear things may get worse as new variants of this virus spread. Getting vaccinated is the best thing we can do to fight back against these variants,” Biden said.“I need you to help. Not just for the country, but your family, your friends, your neighbours, get them vaccinated as well.”


State of emergency saved us, DG says it again

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today denied that the emergency proclamation had failed to curb daily Covid-19 cases, saying it had helped postpone elections in several areas.At a press conference, he said the emergency ordinance had been used to avert the by-election in Batu Sapi to prevent an explosion of daily cases due to mass gatherings, citing as an example the state election in Sabah last year.“We can see from the implications of the Sabah state election, the spread of infection after the polls to the peninsula and other states.”He added that it had helped avert the state election in Sarawak, which would otherwise be held in June.Noor Hisham also emphasised the importance of MCO 3.0, the moniker for the third instalment of movement control order since the first outbreak of Covid-19 last year.He said this and the emergency ordinance were implemented to arrest any further increase in daily Covid-19 cases, as new variants are being detected in the country.He reiterated that Malaysia should learn from India’s recent surge in cases, most of which have been linked to mass gatherings at elections and religious events.“We are using the emergency ordinance to prevent elections as cases are increasing tremendously and we have recently found new variants.“We implement MCO so we can help the health ministry,” he said, adding that the people should stay home so that the outbreak can be contained within two to four weeks.


Riots in Holland over new curfew

Riot police in the Netherlands have clashed with protesters frustrated and furious over new coronavirus restrictions.Some protesters looted supermarkets and smashed shop windows. More than 100 people have been arrested.Officers used water cannon and tear gas to clear demonstrators in Eindhoven and there were smaller demonstrations in the capital, Amsterdam.Protesters had gathered in defiance of a new 9pm to 4am curfew, enforced from Saturday, the first in the Netherlands since World War II.Some of the demonstrators threw fireworks and grabbed bicycles to build barricades against the police.A Covid-19 testing centre was set on fire on Saturday evening in the northern village of Urk, local authorities said.“The fire in a screening centre goes beyond all limits,” Health Minister Hugo de Jonge said.National Security Council Chairman Hubert Bruls said he understood people’s frustrations, but insisted: “If we persevere now, we will get our freedoms back sooner.”The country’s bars and restaurants have been shut since October, and schools and non-essential shops closed last month.A ban on flights from the UK, South Africa and South America has been put in place due to fears over new variants of the virus.There have been more than 944,000 cases and 13,646 confirmed deaths from Covid-19 in the Netherlands.


Sorry.


Bank Negara’s international reserves at US$111.4 billion

Bank Negara Malaysia’s international reserves amounted to US$111.4 billion as of May 13, 2022, compared to US$112.5 billion a fortnight earlier.The reserves position is sufficient to finance 5.6 months of imports of goods and services, and is 1.1 times the total short-term external debt, the central bank said in a statement today.The main components of the international reserves are foreign currency reserves (US$111.4 billion as at May 13), as well as the International Monetary Fund reserve position (US$1.4 billion), special drawing rights (US$6.0 billion), gold (US$2.4 billion), and other reserve assets (US$3.2 billion).


Fewer hardcore poor since December, claims deputy minister

The number of households in the hardcore poor category has decreased from 124,744 to 118,217 from Dec 15, 2022 until May 15 this year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Economy Minister Hanifah Hajar Taib said according to the eKasih dynamic data managed by the implementation coordination unit under the Prime Minister's Department, the number of registered household heads in the poor category also dropped from 304,911 to 299,080 during the same period.
She also said that based on the Household Income, Expenditure and Basic Amenities Survey Report 2019, the incidence of absolute poverty was 5.6%, while hardcore poverty was 0.4%.
"DOSM (Department of Statistics Malaysia) is finalising the findings of the 2022 survey, which is expected to be published in the third quarter of 2023," she said during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.
She said this in reply to a question from Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman (PN-Bachok) about the progress the government has made in reducing the poverty rate and eliminating hardcore poverty over the last six months. Hanifah said the country's labour market has also improved since the country entered the transition to endemic phase, as the unemployment rate for March 2023 dropped to 3.5% compared to 5.3% in May 2020.
Strong economic growth in 2022 has helped support recovery in the labour market, she added.
She further said the government is implementing various intervention measures to address poverty, some of which had been announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the tabling of Budget 2023.
Among the measures announced are the Rahmah cash aid to about nine million recipients with an allocation of nearly RM8 billion, various subsidies to padi farmers and smallholders and the unity package prepaid mobile internet plan.
Hanifah said as of May 22, a total of 82,892 participants had registered for the people's income initiative, which focused on empowering the B40 group, and RM750 million had been allocated for that purpose this year.


Most hardcore poor from Bumiputera community, says Rafizi

Malaysia's absolute poverty rate stood at 5.6 as of 2019, with the majority of those in this category from the Bumiputera community, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said today.
Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Rafizi said the poverty rate for Bumiputeras was 7.2%, followed by the Indians (4.8%) and the Chinese (1.4%).
"Absolute poverty is measured through the poverty line income or PGK," he said.
"This refers to the level of monthly household income needed to meet the minimum needs for each member of the family to live a healthy and active life."
Rafizi was responding to Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan (PN-Permatang Pauh), who had asked for the poverty rate according to race, religion and state.
Rafizi, the Pandan MP, said hardcore poor referred to those with PGKs of less than RM1,169 while those in absolute poverty had an income of less than RM2,208.
He said this was based on the survey of income, household expenditure and basic facilities carried out five times a year.
Rafizi also said that RM750 million had been set aside for the People's Income Initiative as part of efforts to improve the capabilities of the B40 group.
Three programmes are involved: the farmer entrepreneur initiative, the food entrepreneur initiative, and the service operator initiative.


Australia, Netherlands slam Russia’s withdrawal from MH17 talks

Australia on Friday joined the Netherlands in slamming Russia’s decision to withdraw from consultations over its involvement in the 2014 downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine, which killed 298 people, mostly Dutch and Australian citizens.Since 2018, the three countries have held discussions aimed at uncovering the cause of the disaster, in which a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was hit by a Soviet-designed missile, killing all on board.Thirty-eight Australians and 196 Dutch citizens were among the passengers on the plane when it was shot down over eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region where pro-Russian separatist rebels were battling Ukraine forces.Both the Netherlands and Australia have previously said they hold Russia responsible for shooting down the plane. Moscow has always forcefully denied it was involved and blamed Ukraine.Russia said Thursday it would withdraw from the talks, complaining of “vicious” attempts to pin blame on Moscow, including a case brought by the Netherlands against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights over the downing.Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Friday she was “deeply disappointed” by the decision.“We urge Russia to return immediately to the talks,” she said in a statement, adding Australia was “committed to pursuing truth, justice and accountability for the 298 victims of MH17 and their loved ones”.Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he was disappointed and surprised by Moscow’s move, adding that it was “especially painful” for the victims’ families.Foreign Minister Stef Blok told Dutch lawmakers he had summoned the Russian ambassador following the announcement but added that he was committed to continuing negotiations.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba said in a statement that Russia’s withdrawal “speaks volumes about its fear of the truth about what happened on July 17, 2014 in the skies over Donbass”.Russia will “continue its cooperation” with The Hague in the inquiry, but “in a different format”, it added.In March, Dutch courts began hearing a case against four suspects, three of them Russian and one Ukrainian, accused of having caused the crash.Prosecutors say all four were linked to pro-Russian separatists on whose territory the plane’s wreckage fell near the start of Ukraine’s bitter civil war.They argue the men were instrumental in bringing the BUK missile system to Ukraine from its original base in Russia – even if they did not pull the trigger.


40 reported Covid deaths take toll to 30,614

Another 40 Covid-related deaths were reported on Dec 5, taking the cumulative death toll in the country to 30,614.According to the health ministry’s Github data repository, 10 or 25% of these were brought-in-dead (BID) cases.Johor had the highest number of reported deaths at eight or 20% followed by Perak at six or 15%.Kedah reported five deaths; Sabah, Selangor and Terengganu reported four deaths each; while Sarawak reported three deaths.Pahang reported two deaths while Kelantan, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Penang reported one death each.No deaths were reported in Perlis, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.A total of 4,298 new cases were reported yesterday, taking the overall total to 2,658,772.As of yesterday, there were 61,999 active Covid-19 cases reported and 4,929 recoveries.


PH names Adly Zahari as candidate for Melaka CM

Pakatan Harapan (PH) today announced Adly Zahari as its candidate for Melaka chief minister if the coalition succeeds in forming the state government at the Nov 20 polls, ending speculation over whom the bloc would put forth as its choice for the top role.PH had previously been seen as wavering between several names including Idris Haron, another former chief minister, and Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin who is contesting in Paya Rumput.PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim, who made the announcement, said he was confident that the coalition would be able to form the state government without needing to negotiate with Barisan Nasional or Perikatan Nasional.“We will try for solid strength so that there is no interference from certain parties.“All parties will work together to ensure success for PH’s 28 candidates,” he told reporters after announcing the coalition’s candidate for chief minister and its manifesto for the Melaka election.Earlier today, Adly failed to obtain leave from the High Court to stop the Melaka polls.The judge, in dismissing Adly’s leave application, ruled that the decision by Melaka Governor Mohd Ali Rustam to dissolve the state assembly was non-justiciable and consequently not amenable for judicial review.Adly, who is Melaka PH chairman, will defend his Bukit Katil seat in a four-way fight on Nov 20.


Pentagon chief raises concern about Beijing's 'dangerous' behaviour with Chinese counterpart

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday emphasised the need to improve crisis communications during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart while raising concern about "increasingly dangerous" behaviour by Chinese military aircraft.
The roughly 90-minute meeting in Cambodia, described as "productive and professional" by a US official, was the pair's first since a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August enraged China, which regards the island as its territory.
In his second face-to-face meeting with Chinese Defense Minister General Wei Fenghe this year, Austin discussed the importance of "substantive dialogue on reducing strategic risk and enhancing operational safety," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement after the meeting.
"He (Austin) raised concerns about the increasingly dangerous behavior demonstrated by PLA (China's People's Liberation Army) aircraft in the Indo-Pacific region that increases the risk of an accident," Ryder said.
In June, a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May, Australia's defence department said.
Australia has said that the Chinese jet flew very close in front of the RAAF aircraft and released a "bundle of chaff" containing small pieces of aluminium that were ingested into the Australian aircraft's engine.
Tuesday's meeting of the defence ministers took place on the sidelines of an Asean gathering in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
After Pelosi's visit, China announced it was halting dialogue with the US in a number of areas, including between theater-level military commanders.
A senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Austin and Wei had a "lengthy" discussion about Taiwan and also talked about restarting in the coming months some of the mechanisms that had been cancelled after Pelosi's visit.
"There's an expectation that there will be some restart of some of the mechanisms that have been frozen for the last six months," the official said.
Tuesday's talks come after a three-hour meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia, aimed at preventing strained ties from spilling into a new Cold War.
Despite tensions between the US and China, US military officials have long sought to maintain open lines of communication with their Chinese counterparts to mitigate the risk of potential flare-ups or deal with any accidents.
After Austin and Wei's first meeting this year in Singapore in June, the Pentagon chief said his talks with his Chinese counterpart were an important step in efforts to develop those means of communication.
Relations between China and the US have been tense, with friction between the world's two largest economies over everything from Taiwan and China's human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.
Pelosi's Taiwan trip infuriated China, which saw it as a US attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. China subsequently launched military drills near the island.
The US has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.


Negotiate, don’t throw out entire deal, Wan Junaidi says on BN proposal for new Malaysia Agreement

Sarawak MP Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has rubbished the recent proposal by Barisan Nasional (BN) to scrap the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and replace it with a new deal to govern relations between the peninsula and the Bornean states.Wan Junaidi, the Santubong MP who holds the law portfolio in the federal Cabinet, said any move to this effect would do little to restore the rights of either Sabah or Sarawak.“It’s not a question of entering into a new contract,” he told MalaysiaNow when asked about the suggestion by BN deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan and Sabah BN chairman Bung Moktar Radin.“The contract was the basis for Sarawak and Sabah in the formation of Malaysia in 1963.“MA63 has all of the guidelines on what to decide, and what should be given to Sabah and Sarawak. Writing out a new agreement would be a tedious job. Very tedious, with many details to be taken into account.”Adding that it had taken nearly two years of negotiations to produce MA63, he said it would take at least five more to come up with a new agreement under the present circumstances.In proposing another deal to replace MA63, Mohamad and Bung had said that BN was coming up with a new plan and manifesto for Sabah ahead of the next election.They said a new agreement was needed to strengthen Sabah as well as the larger federation of Malaysia.But Wan Junaidi, from Sarawak’s ruling party Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), expressed doubt about the extent to which this would strengthen the federation.While MA63 was not a perfect agreement, he said, Sabah and Sarawak should find a way to solve the issues they faced based on the deal.He added that BN leaders should understand the need for the agreement as a basic point of reference.“You must understand the agreement itself,” he said. “In MA63, there are several important documents that need to be taken into account. Everything is there. You can negotiate, but don’t dispute anything there.“We don’t negotiate the agreement – what we negotiate is the quantum and value.”On the issue of petroleum revenue, for instance, he said Sabah should negotiate the amount involved with Putrajaya based on the profits made.He also urged the federal government to continue developing the Bornean states.“Sarawak needs more development funds because the number of agencies in Sarawak are more than Sabah. So what has been decided for Sabah cannot be equated with Sarawak,” he said.“Historically, when Sabah and Sarawak agreed to form Malaysia, it was because we were impressed with the development in the peninsula and we wanted to equate ourselves with that kind of development.“So the funds must be given, but we can negotiate on the quantum.”Politically speaking, he said, it was non-viable to renegotiate the agreement.“We must play within the context of the agreement – what are the rights of Sabah and Sarawak, and what cannot be undone due to Malaysia’s involvement in certain international conventions.“There must be a means of implementing the agreement without affecting these conventions.”