Ukraine says troops holding onto Sievierodonetsk, advance in south

Ukrainian forces claimed on Thursday to have pushed forward in intense street fighting in the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk, but said their only hope to turn the tide was more artillery to offset Russia’s massive firepower.In the south, Ukraine’s defence ministry said it had captured new ground in a counter-attack in Kherson province, targeting the biggest swathe of territory Russia has seized since its invasion in February.The battle amid the ruins of Sievierodonetsk, a small industrial city, has become one of the war’s bloodiest, with Russia concentrating its invasion force there. Both sides say they have inflicted massive casualties.Sievierodonetsk and its twin city Lysychansk on the opposite bank of the Siverskyi Donets river are the last Ukrainian-controlled parts of Luhansk province, which Moscow is determined to seize as one of its principal war objectives.Russian forces are focusing all of their might in the area, Ukraine’s Security Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.“They don’t spare their people, they’re just sending men like cannon fodder,” he said. “They are shelling our military day and night.”Two Britons and a Moroccan who were captured while fighting for Ukraine were sentenced to death on Thursday by a court in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), one of Russia’s proxies in eastern Ukraine, Russian news agencies reported.Street fightingIn a rare update from Sievierodonetsk, the commander of Ukraine’s Svoboda National Guard Battalion, Petro Kusyk, said Ukrainians were drawing the Russians into street fighting to neutralise Russia’s artillery advantage.“Yesterday was successful for us – we launched a counteroffensive and in some areas we managed to push them back one or two blocks. In others they pushed us back, but just by a building or two,” he said in a televised interview.“Yesterday the occupiers suffered serious losses – if every day were like yesterday, this would all be over soon.”But he said his forces were suffering from a “catastrophic” lack of counter-battery artillery to fire back at Russia’s guns, and getting such weapons would transform the battlefield.“Even without these systems, we are holding on fine. There is an order to hold our positions and we are holding them. It is unbelievable what the surgeons are doing without the proper equipment to save soldiers’ lives.”Sievierodonetsk Mayor Oleksandr Stryuk said on Thursday around 10,000 civilians were still trapped inside the city – around a tenth of its pre-war population.To the west of Sievierodonetsk, Russia is pushing from the north and south, trying to trap Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region comprising Luhansk and neighbouring Donetsk province, blasting Ukrainian-controlled towns in their path with artillery.In Soledar, a salt-mining town near Bakhmut close to the front line, buildings had been blasted into craters.Remaining residents, mostly elderly, were sheltering in a crowded cellar. Antonina, 65, had ventured out to see her garden. “We are staying. We live here. We were born here,” she sobbed. “When is it all going to end?”Kherson counter-offensiveIn the south, Moscow is trying to impose its rule on a tract of occupied territory spanning Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces, where Russian-installed proxy authorities say they are planning referendums to join Russia.The Ukrainian Defence Ministry said on Thursday its forces had won back some territory in a counter-offensive in Kherson.It gave no details about the location of the advance, but said the Russian forces had “suffered losses in manpower and equipment”, and planted mines and erected barricades as they were pushed back.Ukraine reported a counter-offensive in Kherson last week, claiming to have seized a bridgehead on the south bank of the Inhulets river forming a boundary of the province, an assertion backed up this week by Britain’s ministry of defence. The situation there could not be independently confirmed.Thousands of people have been killed and millions have fled since Moscow launched its “special military operation” to disarm and “denazify” its neighbour on Feb 24. Ukraine and its allies call the invasion an unprovoked war of aggression.Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest grain and food oil exporters, and international attention has focused in recent weeks on the threat of international famine seen as caused by Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.“Millions of people may starve if the Russian blockade of the Black Sea continues,” Zelensky said on Thursday in televised remarks.Moscow blames the food crisis on Western sanctions restricting its own grain exports. It says it is willing to let Ukrainian ports open for exports if Ukraine removes mines and meets other conditions. Kyiv calls such offers empty promises.Turkey, a Nato power with good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has tried to mediate, hosting Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for talks on Tuesday.Russia has also been trying to sell grain from areas of Ukraine it seized, activity Kyiv and the West call looting. Asked if any deal had been reached to sell grain from southern Ukraine to Turkey or a Middle Eastern country, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “So far no agreements have been reached, work is continuing.”


Drug lords’ Singapore links resurface as executions threaten to gain pace at Changi Prison

A well-documented nexus involving some of the biggest drug lords in the region doing business in Singapore has resurfaced on the back of the city-state’s continued defiance of international criticism over a series of scheduled executions of “small-time” mules convicted over the past decade.In 2005, opposition politician Chee Soon Juan accused the Singapore leadership of hypocrisy in defending its death penalty for drug trafficking, citing its huge investments in Myanmar despite multiple indictments of drug lords with links to the military junta there.“This government keeps going on about having to take a tough stance on drugs and what a scourge illicit drugs are in our society. Fine, but go and get it at its source,” Chee, a former political prisoner who had been sued by the late Lee Kuan Yew and his son, the current prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, told Australia’s The Age newspaper then.“What’s the point of getting the mules? You know these drug lords are just going to find new people to get the drugs.”This is a view at the heart of international protest over Singapore’s recent attempts to hang those convicted of drug trafficking, most of whom said they were forced to become involved in the illicit trade by drug lords.“What’s the point of getting the mules? You know these drug lords are just going to find new people to get the drugs.”Critics have pointed out that many of those awaiting execution in Singapore’s Changi Prison are drug mules from poor families whom they say often end up in the execution chambers while the drug kingpins who employed them go unpunished.Stressing this point, British aviation magnate Richard Branson recently wrote an open letter to Singapore President Halimah Yacob to stop the execution of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a Malaysian diagnosed with mental disabilities.Branson, like many others, said statistics showed that the death penalty for drug crimes had failed to deter the offences, adding that even extreme measures such as those taken by President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines could not end the illicit trade.“Yet, the global drug trade continues to grow, and illicit drugs of all types are more readily available around the world than at any other point in history.“If deterrence is the objective, these laws have failed miserably. And they will continue to fail,” Branson wrote.Singaporean independent journalist Kirsten Han, who has been actively highlighting the stories behind those condemned to death for drug offences, said they were only victims of circumstances who turned into drug mules.Activist Kirsten Han and lawyer M Ravi are among the rare voices of dissent in Singapore who are campaigning to change the official narrative on the death penalty for drug trafficking.“One popular depiction of a drug trafficker deserving of capital punishment is the greedy peddler of death, tempting people into wrecked lifetimes of addiction for the sake of turning a hefty profit,” Han wrote in “We, The Citizens”, an online newsletter she founded which highlights topics deemed sensitive by the PAP regime, and which are unlikely to be carried by Singapore’s tightly controlled mainstream media.“I’ve not yet come across a case on death row that fit this description. As far as I’ve seen, there are no power- and money-hungry drug lords on death row.”The nexus of drug kingpinsMore than a decade ago, Swedish journalist Bertil Linter documented how Singapore had been doing business with individuals and companies in Myanmar with links to drug kingpins.Lo Hsing Han. Photo: ReutersThey included the family of the late “heroin king” Lo Hsing Han, which owns Asia World Co Ltd, a major infrastructure conglomerate in Myanmar with which the Singapore government had a joint venture at a time when the Burmese junta was condemned for its human rights crimes.In 2008, Lo, alongside his son Steven Law and Singaporean wife Cecilia Ng, were added to a blacklist maintained by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), saying they were financially tied to the Burmese regime with “a history of involvement in illicit activities”.According to a US treasury file on them, Ng was running at least 10 companies in Singapore.A 2008 chart by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, showing the business network of Myanmar’s heroin king Lo Hsing Han.Later that same year, OFAC named dozens of individuals and companies as “Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers”, linking them to a network of drug trafficking in Southeast Asia and key exporters of drugs such as methamphetamine, the same drug found on many convicts who have either been executed or are awaiting their execution date after exhausting all appeals.Of the 26 individuals named by OFAC, one of them, Chou Hsien Cheng, is a Singapore citizen.A recent check by journalist Han revealed that Chou is linked to two companies, Tet Kham (S) Pte Ltd and Vest Spectrum (S) Pte Ltd, neither of which is believed to still be in existence.Han however could not establish Chou’s whereabouts or what had become of him.“It sure doesn’t seem like he’s on death row,” she wrote recently.“To be clear: I’m not saying that he should be put to death, since I don’t think the death penalty should exist at all, but our ‘zero tolerance’ drug policies don’t make sense if we’re only putting poor ethnic minorities, carrying relatively modest amounts of drugs, to death,” she added.Ethnic disproportion and crowded death rowIn her latest post, Han, who alongside prominent rights lawyer M Ravi has been actively engaging with the families of death row prisoners, said many of them now feared that executions “might be restarted with a vengeance”.She said about 20 out of 50 death row prisoners now face imminent execution after having exhausted all avenues to avoid the gallows.“For years, I have heard whispers of a backlog building up. People are now terrified that the prison will pick up the pace of hangings because death row is getting, as families relay to me, ‘too full’,” she said.Just last week, two death row prisoners, Singaporean Roslan Bakar and Malaysian Pausi Jefridin, who had been scheduled for execution on Feb 16 – more than a decade after they were sentenced to death – were allowed to remain alive through eleventh-hour legal interventions by their lawyers Ravi, Violet Netto and Charles Yeo.A presidential respite was issued to stay their executions amid an ongoing legal battle.The duo’s plight is similar to a series of other planned executions in the last few months, such as those of Nagaenthran and fellow Malaysian, Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, and Singaporeans Syed Suhail Syed Zin and Moad Fadzir Mustaffa, all of whom are fighting to stay alive by making full use of their limited space to legal process in the country.Han also highlighted the fact that an overwhelming majority of those awaiting their day in the execution room share similar economic and ethnic backgrounds, namely Malays and Indians.In September 2020, MalaysiaNow reported that some 90% of Singapore’s death row prisoners were from these two ethnic communities, who comprise just over 20% of the population.“Between 2010 and 2021, out of the 77 people sentenced to death (and who had their appeals dismissed), 50 of them were Malay. Many of the prisoners whose cases I have come across have also struggled with poverty, access to education and opportunities, histories of abuse or neglect, drug dependency, or intellectual or psychosocial disabilities,” Han said.


Capital A in bid to appeal to apex court over summary judgment on passenger service fees

Capital A Bhd, formerly known as AirAsia Group Bhd, has filed applications to seek leave to pursue its appeal to the Federal Court to set aside a High Court’s decision to grant a summary judgment to Malaysia Airports (Sepang) Sdn Bhd (MASSB) on the payment of outstanding passenger service charges (PSC).In a Bursa filing on Monday, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) said AirAsia Bhd and AirAsia X Bhd had filed the notices of motion for leave to appeal on April 1.It said the Court of Appeal had upheld the order of the Kuala Lumpur High Court which granted the summary judgment in favour of MASSB, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MAHB, for passenger service charges and late payment charges in three suits filed by MASSB against AirAsia and AirAsia X.“The Court of Appeal had further upheld the order of the Kuala Lumpur High Court dated July 18, 2019 to dismiss AirAsia’s applications to strike out MASSB’s three civil suits,” MAHB said.On March 3, this year, the Court of Appeal upheld the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision ordering AirAsia and AirAsia X to pay RM40.73 million in PSC and RM792,381 in unpaid late payment charges to MASSB.The court also dismissed three appeals by AirAsia against the High Court’s refusal to allow the low-cost carrier’s application to strike out the lawsuit filed against it by MASSB.MASSB’s claims against AirAsia and AAX are for unpaid PSC at the rate set by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) under the Mavcom (Aviation Service Charges) Regulations 2016 which were amended in 2017 and 2018.


Russia says no Christmas ceasefire in Ukraine

Moscow said no "Christmas ceasefire" was on the cards after nearly 10 months of war in Ukraine, rejecting a call by Kyiv to start withdrawing troops by Christmas as a step to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War Two.
Russia and Ukraine are not currently engaged in talks to end the fighting, which is raging in the east and south with little movement on either side.
Violence returned to Kyiv on Wednesday, with the first major drone attack on Ukraine's capital in weeks. Two administrative buildings were hit, but air defences largely repelled the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 13 drones had been shot down.
In one Kyiv district, where snow lay on the ground, residents said they heard the loud whirring engine of an Iranian Shahed drone followed by a powerful explosion at a building next to their homes.
"I want this all to be over... for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, to die," said Yana, 39, who had been getting ready for work when the attack took place.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed, millions more displaced and cities reduced to rubble since Russia invaded its neighbour on Feb 24, saying it needed to protect Russian speakers from Ukrainian far-right nationlists. Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked war of choice.
"There is no calm on the front line," Zelensky said in a regular evening video address, describing Russia's destruction of towns in the east with artillery: "So that only bare ruins and craters" remain.
Zelensky said this week that Russia should start withdrawing by Christmas as a step to end the conflict, but Moscow rejected the proposal, saying Ukraine must accept the loss of territory to Russia before any progress can be made.
"Just given what we're seeing in the air and on the ground in Ukraine, it's difficult to conclude that this war will be over by year's end," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said in response to a question about the prosects for a negotiated peace.
Russia, which calls the war a "special military operation", has fired barrages of missiles on energy infrastructure since October, distrupting power supplies and leaving Ukrainians without heating in freezing winter conditions.
In Paris, about 70 countries and institutions this week pledged just over €1 billion (US$1.1 billion, RM4.69 billion) to help maintain Ukraine's water, food, energy, health and transportation in face of Russia's attacks.
US officials told Reuters this week that an announcement on a decision on providing the Patriot missile defence system to Ukraine could come as soon as Thursday – a move which would significantly bolster Ukraine's air defence.
The Kremlin said US Patriot systems would be legitimate targets and warned that Washington was getting "deeper and deeper into the conflict in the post-Soviet republic".
Prisoner swap
Despite the lack of peace talks, hundreds of detainees have been freed in swaps in recent weeks. The releases – along with progress on talks to resume Russian exports of an ingredient in fertiliser and the extension of a grains deal – have shown the two sides maintain at least limited contact on several levels.
The latest exchange of dozens of detainees included a US citizen, Kyiv and Washington said on Wednesday.
The head of Ukraine's presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, identified the American as Suedi Murekezi, who he said had been "helping our people" before ending up in Russian custody. The Washington Post said Murekezi was a US Air Force veteran born in Uganda.
"We certainly welcome that news," Kirby told reporters, but did not name the freed American, citing privacy concerns.
The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross said on Wednesday an all-for-all prisoner of war swap deal was an option in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The ICRC emphasised it was up to the two countries to reach an agreement on the issue.
ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said a major swap could build confidence and that such exchanges had in the past constituted "the first step to a broader agreement".
Neither the Red Cross or the two sides have made public precise numbers for each country's war detainees but there are believed to be thousands of such prisoners.
Ukraine has pushed for more captives to be returned as part of talks with Russian representatives seeking the reopening of an ammonia gas pipeline through Ukraine, Reuters has reported. The pipeline is widely seen as important to lowering world prices for fertiliser made with the gas.


Half a million at risk of losing jobs, MEF warns in latest call against lockdown

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) has called for an acceleration in transition between phases for Putrajaya’s National Recovery Plan (NRP), warning that some 500,000 employees in non-essential sectors could otherwise be out of a job as the prolonged lockdown continues to ravage the economy.In a statement, MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman referred to data from the Federation of Malaysian Fashion, Textiles and Apparels estimating that those in such industries were losing RM163 million per day.“The fashion, textile and apparel businesses contributed RM27 billion in export value in 2019 and RM21 billion in 2020 but 15% of companies ceased operations in 2020 while more than 30% are now on the verge of collapse due to lack of cash flow and future uncertainties,” he said.Adding that four foreign-owned multinational textile and apparel factories had shut down operations in Malaysia and retrenched about 6,000 workers last year, he said this had caused a chain reaction for many local SME manufacturers within the supply chain.“The supply chain of the fashion, textile and apparel industries employ about 500,000 employees, and the thought that all the 500,000 employees risk losing their jobs due to the prolonged lockdown is horrific,” he said.According to the NRP, these sectors will be allowed to resume operations in Phase Three. But Syed Hussain said given the various setbacks, it might take longer to reach this phase than expected.“We propose that the NRP be accelerated to Phase Three and Four with employers and the people paying more attention to biosafety, implementing the necessary safeguards, and complying strictly with established standards on health, safety, hygiene and in particular, air quality,” he said.He said other non-essential sectors such as retail, tourism, hotels and services had also been severely affected by the numerous lockdowns.“We fear that the situation will worsen if these non-essential sectors are forced to remain closed during Phase One and Two of the NRP, and we urge the government to urgently review the NRP threshold set by the National Security Council to accelerate the NRP to Phase Three and Four without delay.”


Over half a million more doses of AstraZeneca arrive in KL

Malaysia today received 559,200 more doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, its second shipment from the Covax facility.Unicef, which is part of the partnership along with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations and Gavi, said this follows the first delivery of 268,800 doses to Kuala Lumpur on April 21.In total, Malaysia has received 828,000 doses of the expected 1,387,200 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine provided by the Covax facility.“The arrival in Kuala Lumpur marks an important milestone for the Covax facility in its effort to deliver at least two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine by the end of 2021,” Unicef said in a statement.Dr Lo Ying-Ru Jacqueline, WHO representative to Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, said the arrival of vaccines was timely given the current surge of cases.“We must take every opportunity available to vaccinate as many people as possible and reduce hospitalisations and deaths,” she said.“Priority should be given to those who need it most – senior citizens and people with other underlying health conditions.”The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently being administered under an opt-in programme for volunteers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.Rgistration for Phase Two of the programme, for senior citizens aged 60 and above in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang and Sarawak, will open this Sunday.The AstraZeneca vaccine currently forms the backbone of the Covax scheme, which ensures that poorer countries can access doses, with donors covering the cost.It was hailed as a game-changer in January when it was first rolled out due to its affordability and the fact that it does not require very cold temperatures for storage like the ones from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.It experienced a slew of bad publicity following cases of blood clots reported in countries including the UK and Europe among patients given the jab, some of whom died. However, it has been well received in Malaysia despite initial public anxiety, with all 268,600 slots under the first phase of the voluntary programme snapped up in just over three hours.


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Langkawi to be part of travel bubble project for re-opening of tourism sector

Putrajaya is considering making Langkawi part of a pilot project on travel bubble destinations to re-open the tourism sector long ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced today.He said the government is studying views and feedback on the matter as the percentage of vaccinated population grows.“The health ministry and health experts have advised the government to implement the plan only once the population of Langkawi reaches a vaccination rate of at least 80%,” he said in a statement announcing more resumptions of economic activities nationwide.Muhyiddin said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri is currently studying the proposal in consultation with the relevant experts.He said under the plan, tourists to Langkawi must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.He said the plan could be extended to other travel destinations where tourist exit points can be effectively controlled.“The matter is still at the planning stage and the government will look at the results of the pilot project (in Langkawi) first.“If all goes well, the tourism bubble will be extended,” he said.The tourism ministry said last month that Langkawi alongside Kuching had been selected as pilot travel destinations for the three-phase Covid-19 Free Destination Programme.The programme was to be expanded to other resort islands such as Redang, Perhentian, Pangkor and Tioman under the second phase, as well as main attractions in states like Johor, Melaka, Penang and Sabah.The third phase meanwhile was to involve other main destinations in the country.


In Gerik, changing times leave Orang Asli youth stuck at crossroads

Surrounded by the points of the Titiwangsa range, a small settlement of Orang Asli villagers is shielded from view.
Just a few kilometres from Tasik Banding, Gerik in Perak, Kampung Sungai Raba is home to 47 families from various ethnic backgrounds.
It was developed in the 1990s as a resettlement programme for the Orang Asli.
Once upon a time, it was bustling with economic activities, as residents cultivated a wide range of crops including rice, rubber, coconut, and durian.
But due to attacks by "orang besar" – a term used by the villagers for wild elephants – the fields have been idle for some time.
Now, rubber is the only crop that remains in the village.

Village chief Ali Pintu gestures as he speaks in an interview with MalaysiaNow.

Some of the older villagers are also skilled in gathering forest products, and can collect two to three kilogrammes of agarwood from the forest to sell.
Village chief Ali Pintu said they would also search for rattan and kelah fish to sell in the Banding market.
"We can earn RM60 to RM80 by selling forest products, but that money will be gone after buying necessities," he said in a recent interview with MalaysiaNow.
Ali, who manages a tilapia fish pond to make ends meet, said the situation had left many Orang Asli youth at a crossroads as they were not equipped with the skills needed to face life outside of their village.
One of them, Mohd Faizal Hamid, migrated to Selangor after finishing secondary school and worked at a supermarket there for several years.
He earned up to RM2,000 a month but had many expenses to juggle, including rent and utility bills.
Eventually, he returned to the village to deal with some family matters.

Mohd Faizal Hamid, one of many Orang Asli youth facing an uncertain future.

"But I could not go back to Selangor after that due to the movement control order in place at the time," he said.
Now 21, he works at an agriculture site in the village. There, they sow timber seedlings obtained from the villagers or collected from the forest which they later sell.
Other young people had similar stories to tell, including some who were deceived by job agents and others who were not paid what they were promised.
Wary of being duped again, they are now reluctant to seek work outside the village.
Some of them work with the World Wildlife Fund or WWF, setting up cameras in the forest for the organisation.
For Ali, the situation is worrisome as he believes the youth are at risk of losing their traditional skills. At the same time, he said, they are unable to face the challenges of the modern world outside the village.
"The new generation is even worse now. They know nothing. They cannot build houses or even tend to rubber trees.
"If we had developed the economy of the Orang Asli like the Malays, we would have inherited our fathers' skills or continued our education," said Ali.
One of his children works at a supermarket, but despite having worked for five years, is still making just RM1,200 a month.

A young girl watches a video on a mobile phone as an older woman keeps an eye on her.

The village itself was once promised rubber plantations after logging activities put paid to the nearby timber. However, these never materialised.
Education is another problem in the village, although the children attend school from kindergarten to the secondary level.
Once in secondary school, they struggle with the Form Five Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.
"Government representatives say our children can go to university if they want to," Ali said.
"But we face many problems in terms of costs, management and information."
Ali himself has nine children and knows the value of education and knowledge.
He sends some of them to religious school to learn the Quran in the hope that at least they will be able to work for the state religious council.
Another youth, Muhammad Naim, also studied religion and is now the village imam. He also manages a rose garden on his family's land.
"We recently started cultivating this plant and harvested it once last year.
"We plan to expand the cultivation because, for now, we are only utilising half of the land area," he said.
But he, like many others, still worries about the elephants that roam through the forest and the devastation they can unleash on their crops and plants.


Former top spy given discharge for RM50 million CBT charge

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) to former director-general of the Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation (MEIO) Hasanah Ab Hamid in her criminal breach of trust (CBT) trial involving US$12.1 million (RM50.4 million) belonging to the Malaysian government three years ago.Judge Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh made the ruling after deputy public prosecutor (DPP) Muhammad Iskandar Ahmad informed the court that the prosecution had applied not to continue the case against Hasanah.“The DPP indicated that the accused (Hasanah) will be charged again in the future. The DPP also clarified the existence of a new development.“Under these circumstances, the court finds that the prosecution has provided reasonable grounds in exercising its power not to prosecute the accused further. Therefore, the court hereby orders that the accused be given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal,” said the judge.Shahrir also said that when the DPP exercised his authority under Section 254 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code not to prosecute the accused further, it was the duty of the court under Section 254 (3) of the same law to consider whether the accused should be granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal or to be acquitted and discharged.“This is a judicial discretionary power that must be considered based on law. The fact is, the court cannot urge the DPP to continue the case against the accused if the prosecution withdraws the charge. This is the position of the law,” he said.Earlier, lawyer Hamdan Hamzah, who represented Hasanah, said that the defence team did not object to the prosecution’s application.The trial of the case, which commenced on Oct 6 last year, saw 10 prosecution witnesses testifying including investigating officer Badri Azni from the Forensic Technology Division at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters, and MACC assistant enforcement officer Muhammad Nizhar Kadir.The trial was originally scheduled to continue today with a protected witness called to testify.On Oct 25, 2018, Hasanah, 64, pleaded not guilty to committing CBT involving US$12.1 (RM50.4 million) in funds belonging to the government when serving as the director-general of the Prime Minister’s Department Research Division.She was charged with committing the offence at the office of the Research Division at the Prime Minister’s Department in Putrajaya between April 30 and May 9, 2018.The charge, under Section 409 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum jail term of 20 years and whipping as well as a fine upon conviction.


Indonesia imposes temporary freeze on sending migrant workers to Malaysia

Indonesia said on Wednesday it has temporarily stopped sending its citizens to work in Malaysia, including thousands recruited for the plantation sector, citing a breach in a worker recruitment deal signed between the two countries.
The freeze is the latest blow for Malaysia – the world's second-largest palm oil producer and a key link in the global supply chain – which is facing a shortage of some 1.2 million workers that could derail its economic recovery.
Indonesia's ambassador to Malaysia, Hermono, told Reuters the freeze was imposed after Malaysia's immigration authorities continued using an online recruitment system for domestic workers that had been linked to allegations of trafficking and forced labour.
The system's continued operation violated the terms of an agreement signed between Malaysia and Indonesia in April, aimed at improving the protection of domestic workers employed in Malaysian households, said Hermono, who goes by one name.
Human Resources Minister S Saravanan confirmed receiving a letter from Indonesian authorities informing him of the freeze. He told Reuters he would discuss the matter with the home ministry, which oversees the immigration department.
Malaysian companies had submitted around 20,000 applications for workers, about half of which were for jobs in the plantation and manufacturing sectors, according to Hermono.
Malaysia relies on millions of foreign workers, who mainly come from Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Nepal, to fill factory and plantation jobs shunned by locals.
But despite lifting a pandemic freeze on recruitment in February, Malaysia has not seen a significant return of workers amid slow government approvals and protracted talks with source countries over employee protections.
There have been growing concerns in recent years over the treatment of migrant workers, with seven Malaysian companies banned by the US in the last two years over what it described as "forced labour".


US panel recommends emergency approval of Moderna Covid vaccine

A US panel of experts on Thursday voted to recommend emergency approval of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, paving the way for six million doses to start shipping as soon as this weekend.The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now expected to imminently grant an emergency use authorisation (EUA), which would make Moderna’s vaccine the second to be approved in a Western country.The panel voted 20 in favour, none against, with one abstention.They had been asked to answer the question: “Based on the totality of scientific evidence available, do the benefits of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine outweigh its risks for use in individuals 18 years of age and older?”Epidemiologist Arnold Monto, who chaired the live-streamed discussion, said nothing should be read into the fact that the vote was even more overwhelming than last week’s in favour of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.“Academics have a way of getting involved in details, and what we have done for the last eight or nine hours was to go over the details,” he said.The meeting came as the number of deaths from the coronavirus quickly approaches 310,000 in the worst-hit country in the world, which this week began vaccinating healthcare workers and long-term care residents with the Pfizer vaccine.Both of these frontrunners are based on cutting-edge mRNA technology, which had never been approved prior to the pandemic, and both are two-dose regimens.Though the level of protection against Covid-19 for both is around 95% – far greater than experts had thought was possible – there have now been a handful of people around the world who developed significant allergic reactions after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.The US, which has recorded more than 17 million cases of the virus, will probably become the first country to approve the Moderna vaccine.The small Massachusetts-based biotech firm teamed up with scientists from the US National Institutes of Health on the product and has received more than US$2.5 billion from the US government for its efforts.Protection against infectionA clinical trial of 30,400 people found it was 94.1% effective in preventing Covid-19 compared to a placebo, performing slightly better in younger adults compared to the elderly.Jacqueline Miller, Moderna’s vice-president of infectious diseases development, said Thursday that there was a strong suggestion the vaccine also protected most people against infection, which is important from a public health perspective as it would prevent onward transmission.An FDA review of all available data found there were “no specific safety concerns identified”.But on Thursday, FDA official Doran Fink said that should an EUA be granted, the agency would issue a beefed-up warning label regarding potential allergic reactions.This comes after two health care workers in Alaska had such reactions to the Pfizer vaccine, and one of them was hospitalised. Two health workers in the UK also had allergic reactions.Placebo dilemmaModerna was criticized by Stanford expert Steven Goodman because of its plans to offer the vaccine to participants in its trial who received the placebo, even before it would normally be available to their demographic group.This would deprive the trial of a control group and reduce the quality of data that could be gleaned from it, plus set a bad precedent for future trials, he said.But Tal Zaks, Moderna’s chief medical officer, defended the proposal.“None of our trial participants would be ‘jumping the line’ ahead of others, because we have clinical trial supplies that in fact would expire and go to waste,” he said, adding many participants were at high-risk, and one person on the placebo group had died from severe Covid-19.The most common side effects associated with the drug, called mRNA-1273, were injection site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain and chills.Few of these effects were classed as “severe”.Allergic reactions occurred in 1.5% of the vaccinated population compared to 1.1% of the non-vaccinated, but none were classed as severe.To date, there have been three reports of Bell’s palsy – a facial paralysis condition, most often temporary – in the vaccine group and one in the placebo group.The FDA said there was insufficient information to determine that either vaccine was the cause but will continue monitoring.


Najib supporters call for 'justice' ahead of review bid

About 200 supporters of Najib Razak have gathered at the grounds of Istana Kehakiman in Putrajaya to await the Federal Court's decision on the former prime minister's bid for a review of its verdict last year upholding his conviction, jail term and fine for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.
Shouts and calls for justice could be heard from the group, which began gathering as early as 7am.
Noriah Daud, of the Justice for Najib movement, said she wanted to see justice given to the former leader, and the integrity of the judiciary without bias towards any particular party.
"Actually, Bossku doesn't want to be freed," she said, referring to Najib by his moniker.
"He only wants justice for himself. We are asking for the judges' discretion today, to discuss Najib's case in a transparent manner.
"What we are asking (is) the discretion of the wise judge to discuss Najib's case today, let it be done in a transparent manner. Even the prime minister has said that it must be transparent."
Najib was escorted into the court earlier this morning, although the proceedings have yet to begin as his lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, is objecting to one of the judges sitting on the panel.
Najib's application is being heard by five judges: Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abdul Rahman Sebli, Court of Appeal judge Abu Bakar Jais, and Federal Court judges Vernon Ong Lam Kiat, Rhodzariah Bujang and Nordin Hassan.
Shafee had asked Abu Bakar to recuse himself, saying only Federal Court judges should be on the bench.
Najib is seeking to overturn the decision by a five-man Federal Court bench led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat on Aug 23 last year, upholding his conviction, 12-year jail sentence and fine for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.


Church criticises Austrian govt’s ‘Islam map’

The Austrian Catholic church on Friday became the latest religious group to criticise a government-backed, online map of hundreds of Muslim organisations which sparked violence against the Muslim minority.The highly controversial map shows details of more than 600 Muslim associations – from youth groups to mosques – including details on their location and photos of members.The map was first presented by a government-funded group monitoring Muslim extremism and by Austria’s Integration Minister Susanne Raab, a member of conservative, anti-migration Austrian People’s Party (OeVP), who called it a tool to “fight political Islam as a breeding ground for extremism”.Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the head of the Austrian Catholic church, wrote in an op-ed Friday that it was “dangerous to give the impression that one of the religious communities is under general suspicion”, and asked why one of the country’s many religious communities was singled out.Umit Vural, head of the Islamic Religious Community of Austria, described the map as a “massive security threat” to Muslims, while the Muslim Youth Austria organisation said several Muslims had already been attacked and a mosque has been defaced since that map went online in late May.About a quarter of Austria’s majority Catholic population vote for the Islamophobic far-right party, and far-right extremists in the past week have put up signs reading “Be careful! Political Islam is near you” on streets where the map showed Muslim organisation, calling on “fellow patriots” to join them.EU Special Representative on Antisemitic and Anti-Muslim Hatred and Hate Crimes Daniel Hoeltgen urged the government to take down the map, while a range of representatives of other religious communities, including the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, Pinchas Goldschmidt, also rebuked it.Verbal and physical attacks against Muslims have already been on the rise since an Austrian-born Jihadist killed four in Vienna in early November, according to a group documenting Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism.


The 'real' message for the six state elections in August

I read with amusement Lim Kit Siang's opinion about what the upcoming elections in six states are all about. I do not dispute the elderly DAP leader's view that the elections are about making Malaysia a world champion again and letting the country stand tall.
To be honest, though, Kit Siang sounds like a broken record. He has been saying the same thing for the past 50 to 60 years. One could be forgiven for thinking that he had just searched for his old press releases and copy-pasted excerpts to cobble together an "opinion piece".
But let me tell Kit Siang what the elections in the six states in August are really about: it is a referendum on whether the ruling government has betrayed the trust of the rakyat following the last general election.
Before the 15th general election (GE15), DAP and Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders like Kit Siang gleefully sang the "Hoi hoi ya hoi" song to run down Barisan Nasional for being kleptocratic. They went to seats like Sungai Buloh with the slogan "One vote for Khairy Jamaluddin, is one vote for Zahid".
GE15 came and went. Khairy has lost and BN was reduced to a pale shadow of its former self with only 30 seats, thanks to the wave of outrage fanned by the likes of Kit Siang. And what did we get? Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as the deputy prime minister, and the DAP working in cahoots with those whom it had previously labelled as thieves and plunderers.
How do you answer that, Kit Siang? How can you sleep at night knowing that you have betrayed the will of the people and yet chose to accept one of the country's highest honorifics, a Tan Sri-ship, recently?
And when Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently announced that it would give the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) a greater role in policy-making, you were as quiet as a church mouse. Did you and your ilk in the DAP and PKR not call for Jakim to be closed down in the past? You lot had accused it of being bloated and making policies that contravened the rights of non-Muslims, such as those relating to unilateral conversions.
In the past, the DAP had also strongly condemned the Shariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965, better known as RUU355. But now that the DAP is intoxicated with power, it has become a party that approved proposed amendments at the Cabinet level. Yes, according to a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, RUU355 was approved by the DAP leaders in Cabinet.
And what of Kit Siang's silence over a police report under the Sedition Act against a woman who had spoken up against him on social media? Was the DAP not against the use of the Sedition Act in the past? Even the Tunku Mahkota Johor had in the past requested the police not to act against those who had spoken up against him on social media. Does Kit Siang think he is mightier than the royals?
These are just a few examples of areas that the DAP, and by extension, PH and the coalition government will be judged on in the six state elections slated for August. The public will send a strong message about whether these are concessions worth making or whether the current government has betrayed the trust of the people.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


French unions dig in after Macron defends pension reform

Trains were disrupted and a new day of nationwide protests expected in France on Thursday after a defiant President Emmanuel Macron pledged to implement a contentious pensions overhaul by year-end.
The 45-year-old leader on Wednesday said he was prepared to accept unpopularity because the bill raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 was "necessary" and "in the general interest of the country".
Protests were planned across the country on Thursday in the latest day of nationwide stoppages that began in mid-January against the pension changes.
Half of all high-speed trains were cancelled, national railway operator SNCF said, after union sources reported around a third of staff would be striking.
At least half the trains into Paris from the suburbs were not running.
In the suburb of Nanterre, Paul Kantola, a 57-year-old carpenter, said he had to wake up at 5am to be able to get to work, but said he agreed with the protesters.
"It's scary to grow old in these conditions. Already when you have a pension it's not enough to live off," he said.
Acting on Macron's instructions, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne invoked an article in the constitution a week ago to adopt the reform without a parliamentary vote.
The government on Monday narrowly survived a no-confidence motion, but the outrage has spawned the biggest domestic crisis of Macron's second term.
Low ratings
A survey on Sunday showed Macron's personal approval rating at just 28%, its lowest level since the height of the anti-government "Yellow Vest" protest movement in 2018-2019.
Spontaneous protests have broken out on a daily basis in recent days, leading to hundreds of arrests and accusations of heavy-handed tactics by police.
Amnesty International has expressed alarm "about the widespread use of excessive force and arbitrary arrests reported in several media outlets".
On Wednesday evening, hundreds again took to the streets in Paris, the southeastern city of Lyon and the northern city of Lille, the authorities said.
A police source said two people were arrested in Lille for damaging public property.
Paris municipal garbage collectors have pledged to uphold a rolling strike until Monday, as thousands of tonnes of rubbish linger in the streets.
Blockades at oil refineries were also to continue, potentially creating severe fuel shortages.
While France's Constitutional Court still needs to give the final word on the reform, Macron told the TF1 and France 2 channels in a televised interview on Wednesday that the changes needed to "come into force by the end of the year".
Backtracking on earlier comments that the crowds demonstrating had "no legitimacy", he said organised protests were "legitimate", but violence should be condemned and blockages should not impede normal activity.
He appeared to draw a comparison with insurrections by supporters of the ex-US and Brazilian presidents Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro after election defeats, adding: "We cannot accept rebels or factions."
'Disdain'
His comments during the lunchtime television interview, when most people would have been at work, have incensed union workers.
Philippe Martinez, head of the hard-line CGT union, said that the remarks showed "disdain for the thousands of people who have been protesting".
The tensions have also raised questions over whether France can host the UK's King Charles III when he arrives Sunday for his first foreign state visit as monarch.
The government has said the reform is necessary to keep the system from slipping into deficit and to bring France in line with its European neighbours, where the legal retirement age is typically higher.
Critics however say the changes are unfair for people who start working at a young age in physically challenging jobs, and for women who interrupt their careers to raise children.


North Korea slams UN chief's support for its denuclearisation

North Korea's foreign ministry on Sunday criticised the United Nations secretary-general's recent comment on his supports for the North's complete denuclearisation, calling the remarks lack impartiality and fairness.
North Korea's state news agency KCNA released a statement from the foreign ministry after UN chief Antonio Guterres on Friday said he fully supports efforts to completely denuclearise North Korea when he met with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.
"I cannot but express deep regret over the said remarks of the UN secretary-general that grossly lack impartiality and fairness and go against the obligations of his duty, specified in the UN Charter, as regards the issue of the Korean peninsula," Kim Son Gyong, vice minister for international organisations of North Korea's foreign ministry, said in a statement.
Kim added that the UN secretary-general should not request or accept orders from the government of a specific country but refrain from doing any act that may impair his or her position as an international official who is liable only to the UN.
Kim said the North's "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation" (CVID) was "an infringement upon the sovereignty of the DPRK," referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"It demands the unilateral disarmament, and secretary-general Guterres perhaps knows well that the DPRK has totally rejected it without any toleration," said Kim, adding that Guterres should be careful when uttering "dangerous words" amid the extremely acute situation on the Korean peninsula.
North Korea has test fired a record number of missiles this year, and officials in Seoul and Washington say that it appears to be preparing to test a nuclear weapon for the first time since 2017, amid stalled denuclearisation talks.


Apex court grants leave to appeal in equal citizenship case

Family Support & Welfare Selangor & Kuala Lumpur (Family Frontiers) and six Malaysian mothers have obtained leave to proceed with their appeal against a Court of Appeal ruling denying automatic citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian women with foreign spouses.
A three-man Federal Court panel led by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim also granted leave for an appeal application brought by Indian-born Mahisha Sulaiha Abdul Majeed, who is also seeking to be recognised as a Malaysian citizen.
This was after senior federal counsel Liew Horng Bin and senior federal counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly @ Arwi, appearing for the government in the case of Family Frontiers and Mahisha respectively, informed the court that they had no objection to the applications.
Abang Iskandar who sat with Federal Court judges Vernon Ong Lam Kiat and Mary Lim Thiam Suan allowed the leave applications with three questions of law to be deliberated and decided by the Federal Court for both cases.
Meanwhile, the court disallowed the government's application to include three other legal questions, saying the government was not an aggrieved party. In civil cases, litigants must obtain leave before they can proceed with appeals to the Federal Court.
Among the questions was whether a person born outside the federation to a Malaysian mother is a citizen of Malaysia by operation of law pursuant to Article 14(1)(b) read with Part II Section 1(b) of the Second Scheduled of the Federal Constitution.
On Aug 5, the Court of Appeal in a 2-1 majority decision overturned a High Court decision that children born overseas to Malaysian women with foreign spouses are entitled to automatic Malaysian citizenship.
The Court of Appeal had allowed the appeal by the government, home ministry and National Registration Department (JPN) director-general to set aside the Sept 9, 2021 decision.
Family Frontiers and the six women who are married to foreigners filed an originating summons in the High Court seeking for their overseas-born children to have the right to become Malaysian citizens. They also sought a court order for all relevant government agencies, including JPN, the immigration department and Malaysian embassies, to issue documents relating to citizenship, including passports and identity cards, to children born abroad to Malaysian women with foreign spouses.
In Mahisha's case, the Court of Appeal on the same day dismissed her appeal against a High Court decision in 2020 rejecting the lawsuit she had filed seeking a declaration that she is entitled to be a Malaysian citizen.
Mahisha, 25, who was born to a Malaysian mother and Indian national father in India, filed her suit via an originating summons, naming the JPN director-general, home minister and Malaysian government as respondents.
In today's proceedings, conducted online, a team of lawyers led by Gurdial Singh Nijar represented Family Frontiers and the mothers while a team of lawyers led by Cyrus Das represented Mahisha.
Lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, A Surendra Ananth, Khoo Suk Chyi and Wong Ming Yen appeared as amicus curiae for the Bar Council while lawyer Tay Kit Hoo held a watching brief for the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia or Suhakam.
Lawyer Denise Lim held a watching brief for the Association of Women Lawyers, Women's Centre for Change, Sisters in Islam and Justice for Sisters.


New cases drop to 15,764 but daily deaths hit record high

Another 15,764 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 1,146,186.Selangor recorded 6,067 cases, Kuala Lumpur 1,536, Johor 1,222, Sabah 1,166 and Kedah 1,108.Negeri Sembilan recorded 862 cases, Perak 748, Penang 667, Kelantan 552, Pahang 475, Melaka 463, Terengganu 425 and Sarawak 411.Putrajaya recorded 46 cases, Perlis nine and Labuan seven.Active cases stand at 199,051 with 1,063 in the ICU and 532 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 11,767 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 937,732.However, 219 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 9,403.


6-month loan moratorium, food allocations to all MPs as PM announces multi-billion lockdown aid

Putrajaya today announced its latest series of assistance, financial and otherwise, to help millions of Malaysians weather the ongoing lockdown, from automatic moratoriums on bank and study loans and discounts on electricity bills, to cash and food aid to be allocated through MPs from both sides of the divide.Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in a live address that a six-month moratorium on bank loans would be granted to borrowers from all income levels from July onwards as part of Pemulih, the government’s RM150 billion financial aid package to cushion the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.He said the moratorium would be granted to B40, M40 and T20 borrowers as well as micro-entrepreneurs.“There are no conditions such as a loss of income, no checks on whether you have lost your job, and no documentation needed for applications.“You only have to apply, with automatic approval given,” he said.He also announced allocations of RM300,000 for each MP including those from the opposition for the distribution of food baskets in their constituencies, as well as RM10 million specifically for the Orang Asli community.Other provisions under Pemulih include: RM345 million for electricity discounts of between 4% and 40% for usage not exceeding 900kW a month for three months beginning July;RM30 billion worth of funds to be withdrawn by 12.6 million EPF contributors under a new initiative called i-Citra from July 15 onwards, limited to RM1,000 a month for five months;The easing of education costs totalling RM400 million through a targeted moratorium on study loan (PTPTN) repayments, deferral of repayments for up to six months for JPA scholars, and deferral or restructuring of repayments for Mara study loans;RM4.6 billion for Covid-19 Special Assistance (BKC) involving 11 million households, individuals and senior citizens;RM500 million for loss of income aid worth RM500 each for one million EPF and Perkeso contributors;Retail price of RON95, diesel and LPG to be maintained;Ceiling price of RM30 per 5kg bottle of cooking oil;RM15 million for NGOs to help the government address social issues such as mental health and homelessness;1GB free daily data to benefit 44 million users;RM125 million through HRD Corp for ‘place and train’ initiative under Janapreneur programme;Additional payouts under special Prihatin Grant 4.0 to eligible micro SMEs;RM3.8 billion for Wage Subsidy Programme 4.0 to help employers retain workers;RM170 million channelled through Socso’s PenjanaKerjaya to benefit 10,600 employers and 75,800 employees;Small Entrepreneur Digitalisation Programme (Pupuk) with RM200 million for micro-SMEs and RM100 million for SMES;RM100 million for more than 8,000 practitioners in creative arts industry;RM1,000 financial aid for all registered school canteen operators;Disabled Workers Allowance of RM500 per person for three months, involving RM30 million for 20,000 people with disabilities.


World won’t vanquish Covid-19 this year, WHO warns

It is unrealistic to think the world will be done with the Covid-19 pandemic by the end of the year, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Monday.WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan said it might however be possible to take the tragedy out of the coronavirus crisis by reducing hospitalisations and deaths.But the virus remains in control, he added, especially given that global new case numbers increased last week after six consecutive weeks of decline.“It will be very premature, and I think unrealistic, to think that we’re going to finish with this virus by the end of the year,” Ryan told journalists.“But I think what we can finish with, if we’re smart, is the hospitalisations, the deaths and the tragedy associated with this pandemic.”Ryan said that vaccinating front-line health care workers and those most vulnerable to severe disease would “take the fear… out of the pandemic”.But he added that recent progress could not be taken for granted and “right now the virus is very much in control”.Mistake warningWHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said new case numbers rose last week in Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia and the eastern Mediterranean.“This is disappointing, but not surprising,” he said.“Some of it appears to be due to relaxing of public health measures, continued circulation of variants, and people letting down their guard.“Vaccines will help to save lives, but if countries rely solely on vaccines, they’re making a mistake. Basic public health measures remain the foundation of the response.”Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, added: “If the last week tells us anything, it’s that this virus will rebound if we let it – and we cannot let it.”Tedros wants Covid-19 vaccination under way in every country within the first 100 days of 2021 – meaning there are 40 days left to go.He welcomed Monday’s first injections of doses delivered through the global Covax vaccine-sharing facility, which were administered in Ghana and the Ivory Coast.Covax doses coming“It’s encouraging to see health workers in lower-income countries starting to be vaccinated, but it’s regrettable that this comes almost three months after some of the wealthiest countries started their vaccination campaigns,” he said.“And it’s regrettable that some countries continue to prioritise vaccinating younger, healthier adults at lower risk of disease in their own populations ahead of health workers and older people elsewhere,” he said, without naming them.A further 11 million vaccine doses will be delivered to countries this week through the Covax programme, with 237 million doses to be allocated to 142 participating economies between now and the end of May.The final allocation breakdown for the first wave of Covax doses is to be released on Wednesday.As for the notion of Covid-19 vaccine passports proving travellers have been immunised, Ryan said that in the absence of universal access to the jabs, “there are serious human rights and ethical issues regarding the application of restrictions on travel on that basis”.However, as doses become more widespread, “clearly there will need to be considerations around how public health measures… can be adapted”, he added.


With China in focus, Biden makes US$150 million commitment to Asean leaders

US President Joe Biden opened a gathering of Southeast Asian leaders with a promise to spend US$150 million on their infrastructure, security, pandemic preparedness and other efforts aimed at countering the influence of rival China.On Thursday, Biden started a two-day summit with the 10-nation Asean in Washington with a dinner for the leaders at the White House ahead of talks at the State Department on Friday.Biden smiled broadly as he took a group photo on the South Lawn of the White House before the dinner with representatives from Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is on the agenda, Biden’s administration hopes the efforts will show the countries that Washington remains focused on the Indo-Pacific and the long-term challenge of China, which it views at the country’s main competitor.In November alone, China pledged US$1.5 billion in development assistance to Asean countries over three years to fight Covid and fuel economic recovery.“We need to step up our game in Southeast Asia,” a senior US administration official told reporters. “We are not asking countries to make a choice between the US and China. We want to make clear, though, that the US seeks stronger relationships.”The new financial commitment includes a US$40 million investment in infrastructure intended to help decarbonise the region’s power supply and US$60 million in maritime security, as well as some US$15 million in health funding to aid in early detection of Covid-19 and other respiratory pandemics, an official said. Additional funding will help the countries develop digital economy and artificial intelligence laws.The US Coast Guard will also deploy a ship to the region to help local fleets counter what Washington and countries in the region have described as China’s illegal fishing.Still, the commitments pale in comparison to China’s deep ties and influence.Biden is working on more initiatives, including “Build Back Better World” infrastructure investment and an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF). But neither are finalised.The summit marks the first time that Asean’s leaders gather as a group at the White House and their first meeting hosted by a US president since 2016.Eight Asean leaders are expected to take part in the talks. Myanmar’s leader was excluded over a coup last year and the Philippines is in transition after an election, though Biden spoke to the country’s president-elect, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, on Wednesday. The country was represented by its foreign affairs secretary at the White House.Asean leaders also visited Capitol Hill on Thursday for a lunch with congressional leaders.Concern over ChinaThe countries share many of Washington’s concerns about China.China’s assertion of sovereignty over vast swathes of the South China Sea has set it against Vietnam and the Philippines, while Brunei and Malaysia also lay claim to parts.Yet countries in the region have also been frustrated by a US delay in detailing plans for economic engagement since former President Donald Trump quit a regional trade pact in 2017.“The US should adopt a more active trade and investment agenda with Asean, which will benefit the US economically and strategically,” said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Thursday.The IPEF is set to be launched on Biden’s trip to Japan and South Korea next week. But it does not currently offer the expanded market access Asian countries crave, given Biden’s concern for American jobs.Analysts say that even though Asean countries share US concerns about China, they remain cautious about siding more firmly with Washington, given their predominant economic ties with Beijing and limited US economic incentives.Kao Kim Hourn, an adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, told Reuters that the country would not “choose sides” between Washington and Beijing although US investment in his country is growing.On Wednesday, Hun Sen was the target of a shoe-throwing protester prior to his first visit to the White House over a tenure that began in 1985. The Cambodian leader has faced criticism from activists for suppressing dissent.


4 astronauts launched to space station

Four astronauts were successfully launched on the SpaceX Crew Dragon “Resilience” to the International Space Station on Sunday (ISS), the first of what the US hopes will be many routine missions following a successful test flight in late spring.Three Americans – Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover and Shannon Walker – and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi blasted off at 7.27pm (0027 GMT Monday) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, thus ending almost a decade of international reliance on Russia for rides on its Soyuz rockets.US president-elect Joe Biden hailed the launch on Twitter as a “testament to the power of science and what we can accomplish by harnessing our innovation, ingenuity, and determination”, while President Donald Trump called it “great”.Vice-President Mike Pence, who attended the launch with his wife Karen, called it a “new era in human space exploration in America”.The Pences joined Nasa administrator Jim Bridenstine and his wife Michelle to watch the launch, clapping as the rocket lifted off.The capsule successfully separated from the second stage of the rocket and, according to a SpaceX team member speaking over radio, had achieved “nominal orbit insertion”.That means the capsule is currently on the right trajectory to reach the ISS.The crew will dock at their destination at around 11pm Monday night (0400 GMT Tuesday), joining two Russians and one American onboard the station, and stay for six months.In May, SpaceX completed a demonstration mission showing it could take astronauts to the ISS and bring them back safely, a landmark development allowing the US to begin travelling to the space station under its own power once more.The Crew Dragon earlier this week became the first spacecraft to be certified by Nasa since the Space Shuttle nearly 40 years ago.It is a capsule, similar in shape to the spacecraft that preceded Space Shuttle, and its launch vehicle is a reusable SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.At the end of its missions, the Crew Dragon deploys parachutes and then splashes down in water, just as in the Apollo era.Nasa turned to SpaceX and Boeing after shuttering the checkered Space Shuttle programme in 2011, which failed in its main objectives of making space travel affordable and safe.The agency will have spent more than US$8 billion on the Commercial Crew programme by 2024, with the hope that the private sector can take care of Nasa’s needs in “low Earth orbit” so it is freed up to focus on return missions to the moon and then on to Mars.SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in 2002, has leapfrogged its much older rival Boeing, whose programme has floundered after a failed test of its uncrewed Starliner last year.Russians unimpressedBut SpaceX’s success won’t mean the US will stop hitching rides with Russia altogether, said Bridenstine.“We want to have an exchange of seats where American astronauts can fly on Russian Soyuz rockets and Russian cosmonauts can fly on commercial crew vehicles,” he said, explaining it was necessary in case either programme was down for a period of time.The reality, however, is that space ties between the US and Russia – one of the few bright spots in their bilateral relations – have frayed in recent years, and much remains uncertain.Russia has said it won’t be a partner in the Artemis programme to return to the Moon in 2024, claiming the Nasa-led mission is too US-centric.Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia’s space agency has also repeatedly mocked SpaceX’s technology, and this summer announced Roscosmos would build rockets that surpass Musk’s.He told a state news agency he was unimpressed with the Crew Dragon’s water landing, calling it “rather rough” and saying his agency was developing a methane rocket that will be reusable 100 times.But the fact that a national space agency feels moved to compare itself to a company is arguably a validation of NASA’s public-private strategy.SpaceX’s emergence has also deprived Roscosmos of a valuable income stream.The cost of round-trips on Russian rockets had been rising and stood at around US$85 million per astronaut, according to estimates last year.Presidential transitionPresidential transitions are always a difficult time for Nasa, and the ascension of Biden in January is expected to be no different.The agency has yet to receive from Congress the tens of billions of dollars needed to finalise the Artemis programme.Bridenstine has announced that he will step down, in order to let the new president set his own goals for space exploration.So far, Biden has not commented on the 2024 timeline.Democratic party documents say they support Nasa’s moon and Mars aspirations, but also emphasise elevating the agency’s Earth sciences division to better understand how climate change is affecting the planet.


Director, former commandant at military academy charged with RM920,000 CBT

A senior army officer and a former commandant at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia’s (UPNM) military training academy were charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today with two counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and the misappropriation of property in connection with a non-existent investment scheme amounting to RM920,000.Lieutenant Colonel Azman Mohamed Yasin, who is director of the academy, and army retiree Brigadier-General Mohamad Adkaa Solahuddin pleaded not guilty to the charges which were read out to them separately before judge Mahyon Talib.Azman and Adka, who was charged in their capacity as director and commandant at the academy, were alleged to have committed CBT by approving payments of RM500,000 and RM420,000 belonging to the Academy Welfare Fund for investment through an unregistered and invalid financial institution.The offences were allegedly committed at the academy at UPNM, Kem Perdana Sungai Besi, between Aug 3 and Sept 23, 2016.The charges were framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code. If convicted, they face imprisonment of up to 20 years and a whipping and will also be liable to a fine.They also face an alternative charge under Section 403 of the Penal Code for the dishonest misappropriation of the money at the same place and time.The charge provides for imprisonment of up to five years and a whipping, with both liable to a fine if found guilty.The court allowed them bail of RM80,000 with one surety each and told them to report to the nearest Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office on the first day of every month pending the disposal of their case.They were also ordered to surrender their passports to the court.Adka was allowed to pay the balance of his bail on or before Dec 7 after his lawyer, Nur Asyikin Zakaria, told the court that her client could only raise RM15,000 for bail today.Azman, represented by lawyer Mohd Amir Aizat Abdul Rani, requested for a low bail amount, saying that he had no other source of income except for his salary as director of the academy.Deputy public prosecutor Nur Shafini Mustafha prosecuted.The court set Dec 22 for mention.


At least 16 dead in Genting landslide

At least 16 people were killed when a landslide struck a campsite at a farm in Batang Kali today, officials said, with rescuers scouring the muddy terrain for nearly 20 people still missing.
Nor Hisham Mohammad, director of the operations division at the fire and rescue department, told reporters that "as of 1pm, 16 victims have died. The search now is focused on the remaining 17."
According to Nga Kor Ming, the local government development minister, 61 people so far have been found safe after the predawn landslide near the town of Batang Kali, just outside Kuala Lumpur and near Genting Highlands.
Veronica Loi, who was camping at the site overnight and survived the landslide, told AFP that her family was sleeping when they heard a sudden, loud sound.
"We saw the tent beside us was totally gone," she said.
Hundreds of government personnel including police and rescuers were seen at the gates leading to the campsite compound, while an excavator was seen entering the area from the main road.
The farm where the campsite was situated – "Father's Organic Farm" – changed its Facebook profile picture to all black on Friday.
Nga said the "campsite is operating without a licence", and that the operators would be punished if found guilty by the court.
Videos and photos circulating online showed large fallen trees and crushed vehicles, as well as search and rescue personnel wearing headlamps and digging with shovels, and searching for survivors by a fallen structure.
Landslides are common in Malaysia after heavy rains, which are regular at the end of the year. However, there were no heavy rains recorded overnight in Batang Kali.
The government has imposed strict rules with regards to hillside development, but landslides have continued to occur after bouts of bad weather.
In March, four people were killed after a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains buried their homes in a Kuala Lumpur suburb.
In one of the deadliest such incidents, a huge mudslide in 1993 brought on by heavy rain caused a 12-storey residential building outside the capital to collapse, killing 48 people.


Thailand starts million-plant cannabis giveaway, but discourages getting high

Thailand launched a campaign to give away one million free cannabis plants on Friday, a day after decriminalising its growth for commercial purposes, but discouraged people from getting high and warned they could still fall foul of the law.Thailand legalised medicinal marijuana in 2018 for medical use but is now banking on developing it as a cash crop and building a lucrative local industry.“Don’t use it and sit smiling at home and not get any work done. Those things are not our policies,” Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at the launch in northeastern Buriram province, where the first 1,000 plants were being distributed.“We have erased the stigma, it’s being washed away like removing a tattoo. Don’t let it come back,” he said, adding that cannabis should be used to improve health.On Thursday, cannabis was de-listed from the country’s narcotics list, allowing people to grow the plant if they register on a government app.Authorities are however discouraging its recreational use, while smoking in public could lead to prison and fines.The psychoactive compound in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, is limited to 0.2% in cannabis extracts and products that can be sold in Thailand, which include oils and candy.Growing cannabis at home requires registration with the government’s smartphone application, PlookGanja or “grow ganja”.Anutin said more than 300,000 people had registered with the app, which had millions of downloads from people wanting to learn more about cannabis.According to Thailand’s corrections department, 3,000 people have been freed from prison after being held on cannabis-related crimes since the law changed this week.


Elon Musk wraps up whirlwind China trip

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk departed Shanghai Thursday morning, wrapping up a two-day trip to China in which he met government ministers, a key battery supplier and visited the automaker's biggest production hub.
Photos of Musk's visit to Tesla's Shanghai factory late Wednesday showed him holding up a "Giga Shanghai" sign, flanked by hundreds of staff including head of global manufacturing Tom Zhu.
"A very rewarding day!," Grace Tao, Tesla's China-based public affairs chief, said in a social media post with the photos.
Earlier in the trip, Musk met with China's foreign, commerce and industry ministers in Beijing where he also dined with the chairman of battery supplier Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd (CATL).
Since his arrival in China on Tuesday morning, the US billionaire has been showered with praise from the Chinese public but Musk himself has been uncharacteristically silent and has yet to make any public statements.
Little is known of the conversations he had with Chinese government officials so far.
The industry ministry only said Musk and its head exchanged views about development of electric vehicles and connected cars; the commerce ministry announced he discussed Tesla's development in China with its minister.
The US billionaire's private jet took off from Shanghai's Hongqiao airport at 11.23am local time for Austin, Texas, where Tesla's global headquarters is located, according to flight-tracking platform Variflight.


No compound interest, late fees: moratorium same as last year’s

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz today clarified that banks would not impose any compound interest or penalties for late payment on borrowers who take up the loan moratorium offer announced yesterday.Zafrul said banks had agreed to implement the freeze on repayments based on the same terms of the six-month moratorium given during the first movement control order last year.He said the move would help borrowers defer their repayments to a later date.Putrajaya yesterday eased the process for borrowers to apply for moratoriums on bank loans as part of the RM150 billion Pemulih financial aid package to cushion the impact of the ongoing lockdown.Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the six-month moratorium would be granted to borrowers from all income levels as well as to micro-entrepreneurs from July onwards.“There are no conditions such as a loss of income, no checks on whether you have lost your job, and no documentation needed for applications.“You only have to apply, with automatic approval given,” he said.


Thailand allows private sector to import Covid vaccines

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has allowed the private sector to import Covid-19 vaccines on the condition that they prove vaccine safety with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Thai news agency reports.Announcing the green light from the prime minister, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said the prime minister permitted imports by the private sector on condition that they register their selected vaccines with the FDA.According to the spokesman, the FDA is speeding up the registration process by deploying both internal and external experts to consider vaccine proposals.The FDA will test the vaccines and evaluate their quality, safety and efficacy before allowing their public use.


Canadian authorities scramble to end protests against Covid measures

Canadian authorities are scrambling to find ways to end the 12-day-long occupation of the national capital’s downtown over Covid-19 measures, hoping a combination of criminal charges, traffic tickets and the prospect of losing access to fuel will end the blockades.The protests, which started with truck drivers landing in Ottawa in late January, have spread to other parts of the country, and late Monday demonstrators blocked the Ambassador Bridge linking Canada and the US, halting traffic from both directions.The bridge, one of the busiest border crossings on the continent, handling around 8,000 trucks a day, reopened on Tuesday for US-bound vehicles, but the Canada Border Services Agency’s website showed lanes from the US were still “temporarily closed” Wednesday morning.The bridge closure caused a shortage of parts at carmaker Stellantis’s assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario, and the company had to cut short some shifts on Tuesday, it said in a statement, adding that the plant had resumed production Wednesday morning.Business associations on both sides of the border have called for the reopening of the bridge. “As our economies emerge from the impacts of the pandemic, we cannot allow any group to undermine the cross-border trade that supports families on both sides of the border, ” they said in a joint statement.In Ottawa, the number of protesters against public health measures to fight Covid-19 is dropping, police say, in the face of tougher policing and a 10-day injunction to silence honking – something residents say kept them up at night.But many of the remaining demonstrators in Ottawa were highly “determined and volatile,” deputy police chief Steve Bell said on Tuesday.ArrestsProtesters say they are peaceful but some waved Confederate Flags and swastikas in the occupation’s early days. Some Ottawa residents have said they were attacked and harassed. Criminal investigations are under way into, among other things, attempted arson at a downtown apartment building.Police have arrested 23 people.Police came under fire for their initially permissive attitude toward the blockade but began trying to take back control Sunday night with the seizure of thousands of litres of fuel and the removal of an oil tanker truck.They have received support from additional officers from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Ontario Provincial Police and others. On Tuesday, police said more reinforcements were needed – both officers and people with legal expertise in insurance and licensing, suggesting intentions to pursue enforcement through commercial vehicle licenses.The office of Canada’s Public Safety Minister, Marco Mendicino, has said that they are in talks with the city to provide more officers as well as tactical troops, joint intelligence and operational teams and community liaison teams.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke with Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on Tuesday. “I let him know that… we’ll make sure the city has the resources they need,” Trudeau said in a tweet.Touted at first as a “Freedom Convoy” opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border truckers mirrored by the US government, the protest is about much more. Demonstrators have aired a litany of grievances encompassing Covid-19 health measures, a carbon tax and other legislation.Canadians have largely followed government health measures, with nearly 79% of the eligible population inoculated with two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine. A recent poll found 62% of Canadians surveyed oppose the “Freedom Convoy”.Some provinces, including the two most populous provinces of Ontario and Quebec, have started lifting their Covid-19 restrictions that were put in place to combat the highly transmissible Omicron variant that emerged late last year.


Selangor Islamic council hits out at Putrajaya's 'unilateral' move in 'Allah' issue

The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) has hit out at Putrajaya for dropping its appeal against a high court decision allowing Christians to use the word "Allah" in their religious materials, saying the federal government had acted unilaterally without consulting it as a stakeholder in the longstanding issue.
Council chairman Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof also disputed the claim by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution that the decision to discontinue the appeal was more to do with administrative matters.
"Mais is of the view that the case is not only related to administrative and security issues, but also involves the faith of Muslims and the administration of the Islamic religion which is vested under the powers of the ruler as the head of religion," he said in a statement.
On March 10, 2021, the High Court ruled in favour of an application filed by a Sarawakian Christian, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill, who said her constitutional rights were violated when Christian religious material containing the word "Allah" were seized by the home ministry in 2008.
The ruling was followed by an appeal filed by Putrajaya, then under the Perikatan Nasional government headed by Muhyiddin Yassin.
Yesterday, Saifuddin said the decision to withdraw the appeal against the ruling had more to do with an administrative issue, while Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the move would not affect the prohibition on non-Muslims outside Sarawak from using the term "Allah" in their religious materials.
Mais said despite its status as a "friend of the court" during the appeal process, it had not been consulted by Putrajaya on the latest decision.
It said all parties including politicians should respect the status of the Selangor sultan as the head of the Islamic religion, and to heed the state's Non-Islamic Religions (Control of Propagation Among Muslims) Enactment 1988 which bans the propagation of religions other than Islam to Muslims.
"As authority for administration of the Islamic religion which is responsible for protecting the faith of Muslims in Selangor, Mais stands firm and upholds the decree of the Sultan of Selangor dated 23 March 2021, which prohibits the use of the word 'Allah' in Christian publications in the state," it added.
Mais' statement today adds to the protests from Muslim groups and leaders, including former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who earlier today said the government should have allowed the court to solve the dispute.
Anwar in a statement today said the government will propose steps to "strengthen the enforcement of policies" regarding the use of the word "Allah".
"The government will always uphold the Federal Constitution, especially Article 3 regarding Islam as the religion of the federation, with other religions allowed to be practised in peace," he said.
In a similar note, Selangor Menteri Besar Amiruddin Shari said Putrajaya's decision would not affect the current policy on the use of the term "Allah".
"The state government firmly protects the interests and sensitivity that religious beliefs should be respected without undermining the harmony and unity that has been built, which is the foundation of Selangor," he said.


Daily caseload at 325, no new deaths logged

Another 325 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,036,918.
There were 113 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,990,079.
There are now 9,897 active cases, of which 9,507 or 96.1% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 376 (3.8%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 14 are in ICU with nine in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving the death toll unchanged at 36,942.


In clean sweep, Mat Sabu appoints PH men to head agro-linked agencies

The agriculture and food security ministry headed by Amanah president Mohamad Sabu today named three leaders from his party to helm key agencies under the ministry, with two other chairmen each picked from PKR and DAP, putting major agriculture-related agencies under Pakatan Harapan (PH) politicians.
The three Amanah men include Faiz Fadzil, who was appointed to chair the Fisheries Development Authority, and Mahfuz Omar, who was named chairman of the Farmers' Organisation Authority.
Both men stood as PH candidates in the election last year but were defeated.
Meanwhile, a former Amanah assemblyman from Perak, Aminuddin Zulkipli, was appointed as chairman of the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority.
Two others, PKR's Azman Ismail and DAP's Sheikh Umar Bagharid Ali, were put in charge of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute and the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board respectively.
In a statement, Mohamad said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had approved the appointments.
He added that the appointments were based on "their extensive experience" in multiple fields including policymaking, management and administration.
"I am confident of the knowledge, credibility and experience they have in leading and shouldering the trust and responsibility in supporting and ensuring reforms in line with the aspirations of Malaysia Madani," said Mohamad, referring to the phrase used by Anwar for his administration.
There have been a number of appointments of politicians from PH and its newfound ally Umno to head government-linked companies, statutory bodies and ministerial agencies despite PH's pledge to do away with political appointments.
Anwar has defended the appointments, saying those given positions were qualified for the role and subjected to "stricter rules", while DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke also justified the appointments by saying they were not in business positions.
Meanwhile, Anwar's deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the Umno president, said the appointments would be scrutinised by the government's secretariat headed by Umno secretary-general Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.
Asyraf himself has been named as chairman of Majlis Amanah Rakyat or Mara, the country's biggest Bumiputera powerhouse.
Other Umno leaders named to head agencies include former Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican who was made chairman of Matrade and Kelantan Umno chief Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub for Felcra Bhd.
A number of PKR politicians have also been given top positions, including Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh as non-executive chairman of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, a GLC under the communications and digital ministry headed by PKR's Fahmi Fadzil.
PKR's Balik Pulau MP Bakhtiar Wan Chik meanwhile was named to head finance ministry-owned investment arm MyCreative Ventures Sdn Bhd, and Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid, who was defeated in Kapar at the last polls, was appointed to head Tekun Nasional.


Thousands of Hong Kong citizens sign up for new UK ‘permanent’ visa

Nearly 5,000 Hong Kong citizens have applied for special visas to live, work and study in the UK since London brought in changes to make it easier for people in the Asian financial hub to be granted entry.About half of the 5,000 applications already received were from Hongkongers who were already in Britain, The Times is reporting.Most of those applicants had already been offered temporary settlement in the UK, an arrangement for those fleeing China’s security crackdown while waiting for the visa change.Britain changed its visa application programme in late January, to allow Hong Kong residents who hold a British National Overseas (BNO) passport to live in the UK for five years and eventually apply for citizenship.Britain made the visa changes after Beijing’s imposition of a controversial national security law in Hong Kong last year.China has said it no longer recognises the BNO passport as a valid travel document. BNO status was created by Britain in 1987 specifically for Hong Kong residents.Britain and China have been arguing for months about what London and Washington say is an attempt to silence dissent in Hong Kong following pro-democracy protests in 2019 and 2020.Britain says it is fulfilling a historic and moral commitment to Hong Kong’s people after Beijing imposed the security law on the semi-autonomous city.London says Beijing is breaching the terms of agreements under which the colony was handed back to China in 1997.The UK government has forecast the new visa could attract more than 300,000 people and their dependents.Beijing said it would make them second-class citizens in Britain.


US grants full approval for Pfizer Covid vaccine, triggering new mandates

The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine, a move expected to trigger a new wave of vaccine mandates as the Delta variant batters the country.Around 52% of the country is fully vaccinated, but health authorities have hit a wall of vaccine hesitant people, impeding the national campaign.“The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the Covid-19 pandemic,” acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement.“While all three Covid vaccines have met FDA’s strict standards for emergency use, this FDA approval should give added confidence that this vaccine is safe and effective. If you’re not vaccinated yet, now is the time,” tweeted President Joe Biden.The vaccine, which will now be marketed under its brand name Comirnaty, is the first to receive full approval.More than 200 million shots have already been administered under an emergency use authorisation that was granted on Dec 11, 2020.The decision to approve it among people aged 16 and up was based on updated data from the drug’s clinical trial, which found the vaccine more than 90% effective in preventing Covid.“Overall, approximately 12,000 recipients have been followed for at least six months,” the FDA said in its statement.Most commonly reported side effects included pain, redness and swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle or joint pain, chills and fever.The FDA is continuing to investigate safety data regarding myocarditis (heart inflammation), particularly within seven days after the second dose. The data so far shows an increased risk among males under 40 compared to females and older males.The highest risk has been detected in boys aged 12 through 17, with available data suggesting most individuals recover but some require intensive care.The US military said shortly after the announcement that it would mandate the vaccine, and a slew of private businesses and universities are expected to follow.Immediately after the announcement, New York City said it would require all its department of education employees to receive at least one dose of vaccine by Sept 27, without the option for regular testing instead.The vaccine remains available under emergency use authorisation to children aged 12 to 15, but because it has now been fully approved, physicians may prescribe it to children under 12 if they believe it will be beneficial.Blow to anti-vaxxers“One of the talking points of the anti-vaccine movement which has falsely claimed that this was an ‘experimental vaccine’ has been removed,” Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security told AFP.“Hopefully now you’ll see people who said that they were waiting for full approval line up to get vaccinated, hopefully more organisations, more businesses will require the vaccine as a condition of employment as a condition of participation.”A recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found 30% of adults said full approval would make them more likely to get vaccinated.It comes as the ultra-contagious Delta variant pummels the country, with new cases and hospitalisations approaching levels last seen during the winter wave.The hardest hit regions include southern states Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.The number of people rolling up their sleeves for a shot has risen in these states in recent weeks, but the national rate is still well below its peak from spring.Some 628,000 people have died from coronavirus infection in the US, making it officially the hardest hit country in the world – though experts say it is possible that India may in fact hold the record.Vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant than they were against previous strains, particularly against infection, making the goal of high population level vaccination critical.The Biden administration announced last week plans to make a booster shot immediately available for immunocompromised individuals, and recommended all vaccinated people get a third shot eight months after their second.