Nonsense, Dr M says on Thomas’ version of events during political crisis

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has expressed shock over former attorney-general Tommy Thomas’ version of the events leading to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government last year, describing his claim that the Agong had wanted to appoint then-deputy prime minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as interim prime minister as “nonsense”.“I cannot understand how a lawyer cannot understand this was not a change of prime minister. The PH government had lost. The Agong could not appoint Wan Azizah, the deputy prime minister, as acting prime minister,” said Mahathir in the first response by the former prime minister to Thomas’ recently released autobiography, “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness”.Thomas in his book argued that Mahathir’s resignation in February 2020 was personal and would not have meant the collapse of the PH government.He also said that the Agong had wanted to appoint Wan Azizah as interim prime minister, but that Mahathir had blocked the move and submitted his own name.Mahathir today said Thomas had no knowledge of what had transpired.“Tommy knew nothing about my resignation. According to Tommy, I told him that the Agong had wanted to appoint Wan Azizah as interim prime minister. This is nonsense,” he wrote in his blog.“After reluctantly accepting my resignation, the Agong suggested I become interim prime minister. Wan Azizah could not be acting prime minister or interim prime minister because the PH government had already collapsed.”Mahathir, who will turn 96 this year, resigned as prime minister on Feb 24 as top leaders of the PH coalition fell out over a series of differences, chiefly on when Mahathir would step down to make way for PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim to assume the top post.His resignation caused the collapse of the 22-month-old PH government.The power vacuum was filled by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin who received the support of MPs from Bersatu, Barisan Nasional, PAS, GPS as well as about a dozen PKR MPs who quit to become independents.Mahathir said although his resignation was personal, there was no way the Cabinet could have remained.He said he had wanted to form a unity government beyond party affiliations, and admitted that he lacked majority support after PH MPs backed out.He also said he was accused of being a dictator by DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang.“He supported Anwar as the PH candidate. Had the 92 votes gone to me I would have had 154 votes. You can imagine what direction the nation would take when all parties put the nation first,” he wrote.Meanwhile, Mahathir said he had endorsed Thomas for the top legal post despite him being one of those “who hated me”.He confirmed Thomas’ claim of a meeting they had prior to the 2018 general election, where lawyers Zainur Zakaria and Ambiga Sreenevasan had recommended Thomas’ name for the AG’s post in the event that the opposition won.Mahathir said he was aware of the opposition from the Malays to Thomas, adding that their anger over the matter was “terrible”.But he said he was disappointed by previous Malay AGs who had refused to take action against Najib Razak over the massive 1MDB scandal.“I was prepared to face criticism from the Malays. But I could not stop my Malay critics from condemning me over Tommy Thomas’ appointment as AG.”Mahathir said despite facing a backlash, he had even accepted Thomas’ decision to drop charges against a dozen men accused of terrorism-related offences over their support for the Tamil Tigers militants in Sri Lanka.“I trusted him and defended him when the Malays condemned him. His term was ending. I recommended a Tan Sri-ship for him,” he added.Mahathir also revealed that PAS had never demanded that he remove Thomas as AG.“But I had taken so much bashing because of him that I felt he should not continue after ending his term.“But when I resigned as prime minister he came to see me to inform me that since I appointed him and since I was no longer PM, he should also resign.“His account about my resignation is quite fantastic.”


Woman born to refugee parents in Pahang loses bid for citizenship

A 35-year-old woman born in a refugee camp in Cherating, Pahang, to Muslim refugee parents from Cambodia lost her appeal in the Court of Appeal today to be declared a Malaysian citizen.Azimah Hamzah’s appeal was dismissed by a three-member bench comprising justices Kamaludin Md Said, Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera and Gunalan Muniandy.Vazeer Alam who delivered the court decision virtually said the court agreed with the High Court judge’s findings in concluding that Azimah was not a stateless person.He said the appellate court did not find any error in the findings of the High Court which held that Azimah had failed to establish the burden of proof that she was not born a citizen of any country, adding that there was some evidence that her father was a Cambodian national at the time of her birth.He added that the two provisions in the Federal Constitution – Article 14 (1)(b) and Section 1 (e) of Part II of the second schedule which would enable a person to obtain Malaysian citizenship – did not apply to Azimah.Vazeer Alam said the court took note of the fact that Azimah’s parents and siblings had acquired Malaysian citizenship, and that Azimah had another option of getting citizenship by way of naturalisation under Article 19 of the Federal Constitution.Azimah’s parents became permanent residents in November 1986 and obtained citizenship via Article 19 of the Federal Constitution in 2008. Her eldest sister who was born outside of Malaysia obtained citizenship through Article 15A of the Federal Constitution in 2008 under special circumstances while her four younger siblings became Malaysians after their parents obtain citizenship.“We empathise with her predicament, but the door is not closed. It is still open to her to apply for citizenship by naturalisation if the legal requirements are met to the satisfaction of the authorities,” the judge said.Azimah, who wanted to be recognised as a Malaysian, contended that she was a stateless person with no Cambodian citizenship and who had lived her whole life in Malaysia. However she did not succeed in her judicial review which was dismissed by the High Court in 2020, prompting her to appeal to the Court of Appeal.She filed a judicial review application in 2019 naming the National Registration Department (JPN) director-general, the home ministry and the Malaysian government, seeking various court orders including a declaration to be recognised as a Malaysian citizen and for the issuance of a MyKad or citizenship certificate.In another citizenship appeal, the same court bench ruled in favour of a 15-year-old girl born to a Malaysian father and a Filipino mother after dismissing the appeal by the home ministry secretary-general, the JPN director-general and the government of Malaysia.In that case, the appellate court upheld the High Court’s decision granting citizenship to the Perak-born girl and ordered for a citizenship certificate and identification card to be given to her.Gunalan, who read out the court’s verdict, said High Court judge Faizah Jamaludin was correct in her decision in May 2019 to grant citizenship to the girl by operation of law under Article 14(1) (b) of the Federal Constitution and ordered JPN to issue her an identification card.The girl’s application to obtain citizenship was rejected as she was considered illegitimate because she was born before her parents’ marriage was registered.The girl’s father had made several attempts to apply for his daughter’s citizenship but was unsuccessful, prompting him to file a judicial review in 2016.


Amber Heard says trial is ‘torture’, wants to ‘move on’

Amber Heard testified on Monday that the multi-million dollar defamation suit filed against her by her former husband Johnny Depp is “torture” and she just wants him to leave her alone so she can move on with her life.The 36-year-old actress also told the jury hearing the case that she filed for divorce from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star in May 2016 because she feared for her life.“I had to leave him,” Heard said. “I knew I wouldn’t survive if I didn’t. I was so scared that it was going to end really badly for me.”Heard said Depp would become a physically and sexually abusive “monster” when he was drinking and her efforts to curtail his drug and alcohol use had failed.“The monster had been this thing that was now the normal and not the exception,” she told the seven-person jury hearing the case in Fairfax, Virginia. “The violence was now normal.”The 58-year-old Depp, during his four days on the witness stand, denied ever striking Heard and claimed that she was the one who was frequently violent.Depp filed suit against Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”Heard, who had a starring role in “Aquaman,” did not name Depp in the op-ed, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking US$50 million in damages.The Texas-born Heard countersued, asking for US$100 million and claiming she suffered “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his hands.Heard said the trial has forced her to live “over and over again the most intimate, embarrassing, deeply humiliating and personal things that I’ve survived.”“I want to move on and I want Johnny to move on,” she said. “I just want him to leave me alone.”Filing for divorce was “the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do,” the actress said.“It was hard because I loved Johnny so much,” she said. “I loved him so much.”Heard said the same week she filed for divorce she sought a temporary restraining order following an argument during which Depp threw a mobile phone at her, hitting her in the face.‘Under the makeup’Under cross-examination, Depp’s lawyers asked Heard about multiple incidents of alleged domestic violence she testified about and then showed photos from subsequent days where no injuries were visible.“You should see what it looks like under the makeup,” Heard retorted.They also grilled her extensively about a pledge she made to donate the US$7 million from her divorce settlement from Depp to charity.Heard acknowledged that she has not donated the entire amount yet but said that was because she needed the money to fight the defamation suit filed against her by Depp.“I haven’t been able to fulfil those pledges yet because I’ve been sued,” she said.Judge Penney Azcarate has scheduled closing arguments in the case for May 27, after which it will go to the jury.Depp’s lawyers have put experts on the stand who testified that he has lost millions because of the abuse accusations, including a US$22.5 million payday for a sixth installment of “Pirates.”Depp filed the defamation complaint in the US after losing a separate libel case in London in November 2020 that he brought against The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater.”Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, and Heard met in 2009 on the set of “The Rum Diary” and were married in February 2015. Their divorce was finalised two years later.


Govt does not protect anyone involved in corruption, PM says

The government does not protect any individuals involved in corruption, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob told Dewan Rakyat today.In fact, he said, individuals involved in corruption whether from the government or the opposition will be brought to justice.“So, one cannot assume that today’s government is protecting certain individuals and taking action only against certain others to satisfy certain parties.“We don’t know if there was a (practice of) selective prosecution or not, but today, there is no selective prosecution. That’s our promise,” he said during question time.The prime minister said this in reply to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s (PH-Port Dickson) supplementary question on the seriousness of the government leadership in stating that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission should act without hesitation against anyone.Ismail said many ongoing court cases involving elected representatives from both the government and the opposition proved that the government was serious about taking action against those involved in corruption.In reply to Anwar’s original question on the government’s stance on the downgrading of Malaysia’s position in the Transparency International 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) to number 62 out of 180 countries, Ismail said the fact that Malaysia’s readiness to be assessed and ranked in the CPI proved the country’s transparency and commitment to improving its governance.He said the government also remained committed to implementing the initiatives under the National Anti-Corruption Plan 2021.“However, we must remember that improvement efforts are long-term efforts and the results will only be seen in the future,” he said.He said the CPI ranking was done based on perceptions through studies by international institutions and that Malaysia’s CPI for 2021 was calculated based on nine out of 13 studies conducted by various international agencies.Ismail said the report showed that among the nine Asean member countries, Malaysia ranked second best after Singapore.“Among the factors that influence the scores and ranks of countries in the CPI are the different questions used for different countries, respondents or the target groups and the number of countries involved each year. For example, the 2021 CPI does not involve Brunei.“The government, through the National Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption Centre, has held several engagement sessions with stakeholders to ensure that the CPI report is fairly prepared and provides the true picture,” he said.


Sorry.


Former FTX CEO Bankman-Fried arrested in Bahamas, US to unveil charges

Sam Bankman-Fried, who founded and led FTX until a liquidity crunch forced the cryptocurrency exchange to declare bankruptcy last month, was arrested on Monday in the Bahamas after being criminally charged by US prosecutors.
It marks a stunning fall from grace for the 30-year-old entrepreneur who rode a cryptocurrency boom to create one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges and a net worth that Forbes pegged a year ago at US$26.5 billion (about RM117.3 billion).
The exchange, launched in 2019 and based in the Bahamas, filed for bankruptcy Nov 11 after it struggled to raise money to stave off collapse as traders rushed to withdraw US$6 billion from the platform in just 72 hours.
The attorney-general's office for The Bahamas said it proceeded with the arrest after receiving formal confirmation of charges against Bankman-Fried, adding it expects he will be extradited to the US.
A statement from the Bahamas police said Bankman-Fried had been arrested shortly after 6pm Monday (2300 GMT) at his apartment complex, located in Albany, Nassau, in the Bahamas.
"He was arrested reference to various financial offences against laws of the US, which are also offences against laws of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas," the statement said, adding he was taken into custody without incident and will appear in Nassau's Magistrate Court on Tuesday.
A spokesman for the US attorney's office in Manhattan confirmed Bankman-Fried had been arrested in the Bahamas but declined to comment on the charges.
“Earlier this evening, Bahamian authorities arrested Samuel Bankman-Fried at the request of the US government, based on a sealed indictment filed by the US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York," US prosecutor Damian Williams said in a statement. "We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time."
Mark Cohen, a lawyer for Bankman-Fried, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bankman-Fried's indictment by US authorities comes as the Department of Justice is considering charges against a far bigger player in the crypto world, industry-leading exchange Binance.
Reuters reported Monday that some Justice Department prosecutors believe they have gathered sufficient evidence in their long-running investigation of Binance to charge the company and some top executives. A Binance spokesman told Reuters in relation to the story: "We don't have any insight into the inner workings of the US Justice Department, nor would it be appropriate for us to comment if we did."
Binance is under investigation for possible money-laundering and sanctions violations, Reuters has reported. Others in the department have argued for taking time to review more evidence, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The arrest also came a day ahead of Bankman-Fried's scheduled appearance before US lawmakers on Tuesday, where he was planning to give testimony via a video link.
The US House Financial Services Committee was scheduled to hear from Bankman-Fried and current FTX CEO John Ray during the first in a series of hearings to examine the collapse of FTX beginning at 10am ET (1500 GMT).
Investigations
FTX's liquidity crunch came after Bankman-Fried secretly moved US$10 billion of FTX customer funds to his proprietary trading firm, Alameda Research, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. At least US$1 billion in customer funds had vanished, the people said.
Bankman-Fried told Reuters the company did not "secretly transfer" but rather misread its "confusing internal labeling." Asked about the missing funds, he responded: "???"
In a series of interviews and public appearances in late November and December, Bankman-Fried acknowledged risk management failures but sought to distance himself from accusations of fraud, saying he never knowingly commingled customer funds on FTX with funds at Alameda.
"I didn't ever try to commit fraud," Bankman-Fried said in a Nov 30 interview at the New York Times' Dealbook Summit, adding he doesn't personally think he has any criminal liability.
Bankman-Fried resigned as FTX's CEO the same day as the bankruptcy filing.
The US attorney's office in Manhattan, led by veteran securities fraud prosecutor Williams, in mid-November began investigating how FTX handled customer funds, a source with knowledge of the probe told Reuters.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission also opened probes.
US crypto investors also sued Bankman-Fried, alleging he and a slew of celebrities who promoted FTX engaged in deceptive practices, leaving the investors with US$11 billion in damages.
FTX's demise marked the latest turmoil for the cryptocurrency industry this year. The overall crypto market has slumped amid a string of meltdowns that have taken down other key players including Voyager Digital and Celsius Network.


Ceasefire talks mooted after Russia shells Ukrainian cities

Russia on Wednesday mooted the possibility of ceasefire talks with Ukraine after Russian forces shelled several Ukrainian cities and troops battled in the streets of Kharkiv.Ukraine said a delegation was “on its way” for the talks at an undisclosed location on the Belarus-Poland border but Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would not accept “ultimatums”.Speaking seven days since President Vladimir Putin ordered Moscow’s troops to attack Ukraine, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the Ukrainian officials were expected at the location on Thursday.Hundreds of civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled their country since the invasion began, while the West has imposed sanctions to cripple Russia’s economy.Russia revealed on Wednesday that 498 of its troops had been killed in Ukraine – the first official death toll Moscow has given during its assault.Kyiv ‘will hold’Russian troops have defied the world and advanced into pro-Western Ukraine but have encountered determined resistance from a much smaller army.Several civilians were also reported killed in the latest shelling on Wednesday, adding to a civilian death toll of at least 350 people, including 14 children, according to Ukrainian authorities.Russia also said it had captured the Black Sea port of Kherson on the seventh day of Moscow’s invasion, while Russian artillery massed outside the capital Kyiv – raising fears of an imminent assault.AFP saw the aftermath of apparent Russian bombing on a market and a residential area in Zhytomyr, around 150km (93 miles) from Kyiv, and in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second biggest city.“There is nowhere in Kharkiv where shells have not yet struck,” said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, after Russian airborne troops landed in the city before dawn.In Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said that “the enemy is drawing up forces closer to the capital”.“Kyiv is holding and will hold. We are going to fight,” the former champion boxer added.Many residents have been hunkered down for a week and dozens of families could be seen sheltering on Wednesday in the Dorohozhychi metro station.“What happens to us down here when the food runs out? Do we try to get out and run?” said Volodymyr Dovgan, a 40-year-old IT engineer.‘Erase us all’In a video address on Wednesday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces wanted to “erase our country, erase us all”.The leader said Tuesday’s strike on a television mast in the capital Kyiv demonstrated Russia’s threat to Ukrainian identity.Five people were killed in the attack on the tower at Babi Yar, the site of a Nazi massacre in which over 33,000 people were killed – most of them Jews.The 44-year-old Zelensky, who is himself Jewish, urged Jewish people around the world to speak up.“Nazism is born in silence. So, shout about killings of civilians. Shout about the murders of Ukrainians,” he said.In New York, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said that “the goal of Russia is not an occupation only. It is genocide.”The UN said nearly 875,000 people have fled since the conflict began, including thousands of students and migrant workers from Africa and the Middle East who had been living in Ukraine.“We left everything there as they came and ruined our lives,” said Svitlana Mostepanenko, a refugee registering in Prague.‘The city will die’While Ukrainian forces have held Russian forces back from the country’s main cities, the Russian army said it was now in “full control” of Kherson, a city with a population of 290,000 people.The claim was not confirmed by Kherson mayor Igor Nikolayev who appealed on Facebook for permission to transport the dead and wounded out of the city and for food and medicine to be allowed in.“Without all this, the city will die,” he wrote.Ukraine’s army also said there was a fierce battle under way in Kharkiv, in northeast Ukraine near the Russian border with a population of 1.4 million.“There is an ongoing fight between the invaders and the Ukrainians,” the army said on the messaging app Telegram.Shelling in Kharkiv on Tuesday drew comparisons to the massacres of civilians in Sarajevo in the 1990s and condemnation for what Zelensky called a “war crime”.The city of Mariupol on the Azov Sea was also reportedly encircled by Russian forces.In an important strategic victory, Russian troops attacking from the Crimean peninsula said they had linked up along the Azov Sea coast with pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine.The separatists have been fighting Ukrainian government forces since 2014 in a conflict that has killed more than 14,000 people.As the civilian death toll mounts, there is growing opposition to the conflict within Russia, with thousands detained for taking part in anti-war protests.“I am urging everyone to take to the streets and fight for peace,” jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said in a statement posted on Facebook.He called on Russians not to be afraid of going to prison.“Everything has a price and now, in the spring of 2022, we should pay that price.”‘Russia will be a pariah’Western countries have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia’s economy and there have been international bans and boycotts against Russia in everything from finance to tech, from sports to the arts.In his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden had called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “dictator” and warned of more sanctions to cripple Russia’s economy.In the latest move, the EU banned broadcasts of Russian state media RT and Sputnik and excluded seven Russian banks from the global SWIFT bank messaging system.The list did not name two major Russian banks, Sberbank and Gazprombank, which were left connected to SWIFT to allow EU countries to pay for Russian gas and oil deliveries.EU and Nato members have also sent arms and ammunition to Ukraine, although they have made clear that they will not send troops and the EU has dampened Zelensky’s hopes of membership of the bloc.Western companies meanwhile have pulled out of projects in Russia, deepening the economic toll on Moscow that saw the ruble collapse this week.German logistics giant DHL was one of the latest to announce a ban, saying it would stop deliveries to Russia and neighbouring Belarus, which has allowed the passage of Russian troops to attack Ukraine.“Going forward, Russia will be a pariah, and it’s hard to see how they can restore anything resembling normal interactions in the international system,” said Sarah Kreps, professor at Cornell University.The invasion has roiled global markets, with crude surging past US$110 a barrel at one point on Wednesday and equities sinking.Aluminium and gas prices hit record highs on supply fears and the Moscow Stock Exchange failed to open for a third day running.


Kremlin says no concrete plans for summit with Biden over Ukraine

The Kremlin on Monday said there were no concrete plans for a summit over Ukraine between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden, after the French president said the two leaders had agreed a meeting in principle.A summit might offer a possible path out of Europe’s biggest military crisis in decades, and financial markets edged higher on the glimmer of hope for a diplomatic solution.However, both Washington and Moscow played down hopes of a breakthrough, and satellite imagery appeared to show Russian deployments closer to Ukraine’s border than before.Western countries accuse Russia of planning an invasion of its neighbour. Moscow denies planning any attack but has demanded security guarantees including a promise that Ukraine would never join Nato.Nerves were further frayed when the Belarusian defence ministry announced on Sunday that Russia would extend military drills in Belarus that had been due to end. Russia has tens of thousands of troops there, north of the Ukrainian border.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that a phone call or meeting between Putin and Biden could be set up at any time, but there were no concrete plans yet for a summit. Tensions were growing, but diplomatic contacts were active and a meeting of foreign ministers was possible this week.He also said Putin would imminently address an extraordinary session of Russia’s Security Council.The White House said in a statement that Biden had accepted the meeting “in principle” but only “if an invasion hasn’t happened”.“We are always ready for diplomacy,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences, should Russia instead choose war.”Western countries are preparing sanctions they say would be far-reaching against Russian companies and individuals in the event that Russia invades, including steps to bar US financial institutions from processing transactions for major Russian banks, people familiar with the matter said.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, arriving in Brussels to meet his European Union counterparts, urged the bloc to start imposing some sanctions on Russia now to show it was serious about wanting to prevent a war.The West has so far rebuffed Kyiv’s calls to impose tighter sanctions now, arguing that to work as a deterrent they must be saved as a potential punishment if Russia invades.EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he still saw room for diplomacy, but would convene an extraordinary EU meeting to agree sanctions “when the moment comes”.US stock index futures rallied on prospects for further diplomacy, the euro rose and stocks steadied around the world.French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement that he had pitched a summit on “security and strategic stability in Europe” to both leaders.Macron’s office and the White House said the substance of the plan would be worked out by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting planned for Feb 24.French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Twitter that he would hold talks with Lavrov later on Monday.Ukraine welcomed a possible summit between but said it must be included in any decisions aimed at resolving the crisis.“No one can resolve our issue without us,” Ukraine’s top security official Oleksiy Danilov told a briefing. “Everything should happen with our participation.”Macron’s announcement followed a volley of phone calls between Macron, Biden, Putin, Zelenskiy and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.U.S.-based satellite imagery company Maxar on Sunday reported multiple new deployments of Russian military units in forests, farms, and industrial areas as little as 15km from the border with Ukraine.Blinken said the extension of the exercises in Belarus made him more worried that Russia was on the brink of an attack.In a letter to UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet seen by Reuters, the US said an invasion “could create a human rights catastrophe” and might include rounding up and killing opponents.Washington has also repeatedly raised concerns that Russia could manufacture a pretext for an invasion with a so-called false flag attack designed to look as if it had been carried out by Ukraine. Russia accuses the West of hysteria.Sporadic shelling across the line dividing Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatists in the east has intensified since Thursday, with both sides trading blame.The separatists have been busing out civilians, accusing Kyiv of planning an attack. Ukraine and the West view the rebels as Russian proxies, escalating to provide Moscow with a justification to invade.Sounds of fighting were heard again on Monday, including a blast in the centre of the separatist-held city of Donetsk. The cause could not be determined.Russia’s FSB intelligence service said a shell fired from Ukrainian territory had hit a Russian border guard post in the city of Rostov, but that no one had been hurt.The rebels said two civilians were killed in shelling by Kyiv government forces, Russia’s RIA news agency said. Russian media reported 61,000 evacuees from east Ukraine had crossed into Russia.Kyiv denies firing on civilians or across the border into Russia. Washington says accusations that Kyiv would intentionally escalate the conflict are absurd at a time when Russia has massed troops on the border.


New cases drop to 15,500

Another 15,549 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,082,876.Sarawak recorded 2,929 cases, Johor 2,208, Selangor 1,995, Sabah 1,395, Penang 1,375, Kelantan 1,214, Perak 1,120 and Kedah 1,073.Terengganu recorded 755 cases, Pahang 634, Melaka 263 and Negeri Sembilan 131.Perlis recorded 33 cases, Putrajaya 31 and Labuan 11.Another 17,205 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,840,453.Meanwhile 1,165 are in the ICU, including 888 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 689 are in need of respiratory assistance including 401 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the total cases reported today, 263 (1.69%) are in Category Three and above while 15,286 (98.31%) are in Category One and Two.


US Congress panel to hold first UFO hearings in half a century

Two top US defence intelligence officials were due to testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday about what the government knows of unidentified flying objects, in the first public congressional hearing concerning UFOs in more than 50 years.The hearing before a US House Intelligence subcommittee comes 11 months after a report documenting more than 140 cases of what the government officially calls “unidentified aerial phenomena,” or UAPs, that US military pilots have reported observing since 2004.The more popular term UFO, for unidentified flying object, has long been widely associated with the notion of alien spacecraft, which received no mention in last June’s UAP presentation.The focus, instead, was on possible implications for US national security and aviation safety.The report did, however, include some UAPs previously revealed in Pentagon-released video footage of enigmatic airborne objects exhibiting speed and maneuverability exceeding known aviation technology and lacking any visible means of propulsion or flight-control surfaces.The hearing on Tuesday was expected to re-examine the findings of that report, a nine-page “preliminary assessment” compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and a Navy-led task force the Pentagon formed in 2020.“The American people deserve full transparency,” Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff said in a statement last week announcing the hearings.Defence and intelligence analysts who prepared the assessment offered no findings about the origins of any of the 144 sightings included in it, except for one attributed to a large deflating balloon.The Navy task force behind the paper was replaced in November by a new Defense Department agency named the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group.Ronald Moultrie, who oversees the new group as US defence undersecretary for intelligence and security, is one of the two officials called to testify during Tuesday’s hearing. The other is Scott Bray, deputy director of naval intelligence.Both of them were scheduled to testify behind closed doors following the public hearing.While reaching no conclusions, last year’s report said the UAP sightings probably lack a single explanation.Further data and analysis were needed to determine whether they represent some exotic aerial system developed by a secret US government or commercial entity, or by a foreign power such as China or Russia, according to the report.Defence and intelligence analysts have likewise yet to rule out an extraterrestrial origin for any UAP case, senior US officials told reporters ahead of the report’s release last year, though the paper itself avoided any explicit reference to such possibilities.Still, the report marked a turning point for the US government after decades spent deflecting, debunking and discrediting observations of unidentified flying objects and “flying saucers” dating back to the 1940s.The session will mark the first open congressional hearing on the subject since the US Air Force terminated an inconclusive UFO programme code-named Project Blue Book in 1969.During its 17 years in existence, Blue Book compiled a list of 12,618 total UFO sightings, 701 of which involved objects that officially remained “unidentified.” But the Air Force later said it found no indication of a national security threat or evidence of extraterrestrial vehicles.In 1966, nearly a decade before he became president, then-US representative Gerald Ford of Michigan, who was House Republican leader at the time, organised a hearing in response to scores of witness accounts of strange glowing lights and large football shapes at low altitude around Dexter, Michigan, which an Air Force official had famously explained away as “swamp gas.”


PN could win big in 3-cornered fights with BN, PH, UKM study finds

Perikatan Nasional (PN) could have the edge in the next general election in the event of three-cornered fights with Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH), a study says.According to Mohd Fuad Mat Jali, head of research at the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Electoral Forensic Laboratory, the study shows that 40% of voters believe PN would win if a three-cornered fight occurs for any seat, compared to 13% who believe that BN will win and 11%, PH.“This expectation is also seen among 51% of Sabah Bumiputera voters followed by 48% of Malay voters and 35% of Sarawak Bumiputeras,” he said, adding that only 32% of Indian voters and 23% of Chinese feel the same way.“Those aged 21 to 39 comprise the biggest group (43.5%) who believe PN can win, followed by those 60 and above with an average of 41%, and those aged 40 to 59 with 39%,” he said in a statement.The study also found that 42% of voters want PN to remain in government while 13% want a BN administration and 11% want PH.Fuad said the study, conducted through phone from Feb 7 to 10, involved 4,864 voters chosen according to voter data from the third quarter of last year. Samples were taken from 83 parliamentary constituencies across the country.He said the survey also measured the popularity of main leaders from the three blocs with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in the lead followed by others such as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.“The survey results show that Muhyiddin had the most support at 55%, followed by Anwar (8%). Zahid and former prime minister Najib Razak had 2% each,” he added.In terms of voter age, Muhyiddin garnered support from across the board.“Those aged 60 and above showed the most support with an average of 58.3%,” Fuad said. “For those aged 21 to 39, 56.5% supported Muhyiddin and for those aged 40 to 59, 56%.”He said Muhyiddin’s frequent appearances on television and his prayers for the prosperity and well-being of the country had boosted his popularity among the people.He said while social media played a big role in influencing voters, many still trusted electronic media in the spread of information about national policies and current issues.The majority of respondents also said they would turn out to vote in the coming general election.Noting however that 30% of respondents had declined to answer, Fuad said it was unknown if these were fence-sitters or if they were comfortable with the current situation.“This is one of the questions for which we hope to find an answer when the next phase of the study is conducted before GE15,” he said.


Khairuddin announces exit from PAS

Kuala Nerus MP Khairuddin Aman Razali today announced that he had submitted his letter of resignation as a member of PAS to the party’s secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan.At a press conference in Parliament, he said his letter had been sent in line with the PAS constitution.“According to the PAS constitution, Article 15(1)(a), members hand in their resignation themselves.“Thus I, Khairuddin Aman Razali, membership number 313899, request to be dropped as a PAS member,” he said.He also voiced his appreciation to the party for giving him the opportunity to represent it in elections twice.On Jan 14, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang confirmed that Khairuddin had been sacked as a central committee member.While he did not give the reason for this, he referred to discipline issues within the party.“In our party we have discipline,” he was quoted as saying to reporters in Marang. “Those who don’t adhere can have their positions changed, be assigned somewhere else, or have their membership suspended or be sacked.”When asked about his reason for leaving PAS, Khairuddin said it was a difficult question to answer.He said he still agreed with the policies championed by PAS, but no longer from within the party organisation.“I am still with PAS, but not as a member of the organisation,” he said.“For now, I will be an independent.”Khairuddin was previously said to belong to a small faction of PAS leaders who wanted the party to continue cooperating with Umno.PAS is part of Perikatan Nasional, the coalition led by Bersatu chief Muhyiddin Yassin.An audio clip of a conversation said to feature Khairuddin criticising Hadi’s decision to leave Umno had gone viral at one point.Khairuddin served as plantation industries and commodities minister in Muhyiddin’s cabinet, but was dropped by Ismail Sabri Yaakob when he took over last August.


World Bank revises Malaysia’s economic growth forecast to 3.3% in 2021

The World Bank has revised Malaysia’s economic growth projection to 3.3% in 2021, down from the 4.5% forecast in June.It said the ongoing movement control orders, increased precautionary behaviour and subdued labour market conditions were expected to weigh down further on private consumption and overall economic growth, especially for services-related sectors which have been heavily affected by movement restrictions.“However, the external sector will continue to provide support to the economy, especially in the exports of electrical and electronic (E&E) goods and medical rubber gloves.“Nevertheless, the momentum is expected to be moderate given the resurgence of Covid-19 cases in advanced economies and in China,” it said in a statement today.The World Bank also said the number of Malaysians living below the national poverty line of US$10 per person per day (2011 PPP) is expected to decline gradually, while the poverty rate is expected to return to its pre-pandemic level by 2022.The bank said the pace and trajectory of recovery going forward would depend on several factors, namely the national vaccination programme and the effectiveness of pandemic containment measures.“The positive progress of the vaccination programme should alleviate the strain on the healthcare system and allow for the relaxation of containment measures while it needs to be complemented with robust testing and tracing mechanisms to help minimise the risk of a future resurgence,” it said.The World Bank has projected higher economic growth for Malaysia of 5.8% in 2022 and 4.5% in 2023.Speaking at a virtual press conference at the launch of the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific Economic Update October 2021 report today, World Bank Group lead economist Apurva Sanghi said there had been a silver lining in that digitalisation had taken off in a major way, with the external environment quite supportive to the export sector.Nevertheless he said fiscal support is still needed to recover from the current negative output gap and to support vulnerable groups.“Improving the tax collection framework, revisiting the tax expenditure system and exploring other forms of taxation, including improving tax administration, with all mobilised revenue and resources for the span, will be crucial,” he said.He said Malaysia should focus on revenue and expenditure and raise resources in an efficient manner.Commenting on the 12th Malaysia Plan, World Bank country manager for Malaysia, Yasuhiko Matsuda, said the plan articulated a long-term vision that was highly appropriate and important, especially given the quality of the plan for which Malaysia was known.“But at the same time, the circumstances require us to be very adaptable and nimble,” he said.As for the East Asia and Pacific region, the report said recovery had been undermined by the spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant, prolonging the distress for firms and households and likely slowing economic growth and increasing inequality.“Economic activity began to slow down in the second quarter of 2021, and growth forecasts have been downgraded for most countries in the region,” it said, adding that the damage done by the resurgence and persistence of Covid-19 was likely to hurt growth and increase inequality over the longer term.East Asia and Pacific chief economist Aaditya Mattoo said accelerated vaccination and testing to control Covid-19 infections could revive economic activity in struggling countries as early as the first half of 2022, and double their growth rate next year.“But in the longer term, only deeper reforms can prevent slower growth and increasing inequality, an impoverishing combination the region has not seen this century,” he said.The report also estimated that most countries in the region, including Indonesia and the Philippines, could vaccinate more than 60% of their populations by the first half of 2022.This would significantly reduce mortality, allowing a resumption of economic activity.However, it said the region would need to seriously address vaccine hesitancy and limitations in distribution capacity to prevent plateauing coverage; increasing regional production of vaccines to reduce dependence on imported supplies; and strengthening health systems to deal with the prolonged presence of the disease.“International assistance is needed to support national efforts in all these areas, especially in countries with limited capacity,” the World Bank said.


MCA says agreement reached on MIC seat swap for Batu

MCA today said it had agreed to exchange the Batu parliamentary seat in the federal territory with MIC.
MCA president Wee Ka Siong said the consensus was reached with Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday.
"According to MCA's agreement, the Padang Serai parliamentary seat will be handed over to MIC and the Batu parliamentary seat will remain ours.
"All this is the result of discussions with the BN chairman. We need to clarify this situation to avoid confusion," he said in a special press conference at Wisma MCA in Kuala Lumpur today.
At the press conference, Yew Teong Look was announced as the candidate for the Batu parliamentary seat. Yesterday, A Kohilan Pillay was named as the BN candidate for the Batu parliamentary seat at the BN candidate announcement.
In the last general election, the Batu parliamentary seat was won by an independent candidate supported by PKR, P Prabakaran, with a majority of 24,438 votes in a four-cornered race.
Prabakaran defeated Dominic Lau Hoe Chai of BN, PAS candidate Azhar Yahya and another independent candidate, VM Panjamothy.
Wee said MCA accepted the change of Wangsa Maju parliamentary candidate with an open heart after it was agreed on by the BN leadership.
"The exchange is not an issue, we follow what has been discussed and accept this decision on the principle of friendship, and will work hard to help achieve victory together," he said.


No surprise, Anwar talks to Najib too, says Dr M on phone call

Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he is not surprised by the recent revelation of a phone conversation between the presidents of PKR and Umno, adding that both politicians have been talking.He said he was also aware that Anwar Ibrahim had been speaking to “everybody, including Najib (Razak)”.“That is his way of operating. He talks to everybody, but what he says (are) the results of his talks is not quite the same as what actually happened,” he told MalaysiaNow during an interview at his office in Putrajaya.In the four-minute clip which surfaced last week, Anwar is heard congratulating and giving instructions to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the aftermath of the Umno general assembly which accepted the latter’s proposal to cut ties with the Perikatan Nasional government.Zahid in return thanked Anwar for his moral support.MalaysiaNow has been able to verify that the clip is authentic, and that the voices are those of Anwar and Zahid.While both leaders said they would instruct their officers to lodge police reports, Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said they would be called up as part of an investigation into the clip.Zahid has denied it is him in the recording, while Anwar said there was nothing wrong even if the conversation had taken place.The hour-long interview with Mahathir today saw the former leader criticising other top leaders in addition to Anwar and Zahid, although his strongest remarks were reserved for Najib Razak, whose involvement in the 1MDB scandal triggered Mahathir’s exit from Umno in 2016.When asked why he had continued to accept Anwar as a nominee for prime minister despite knowing his political ways, Mahathir said he was being pragmatic about the chances for Bersatu, the party he formed to oppose Umno.“I had to work with the opposition parties. All those opposition parties were against me. But I decided that between them and Najib, the greater danger came from Najib. And so for practical purposes I had to work with the opposition, and that included Anwar. Anwar was accepted as the leader of the opposition.“If you didn’t accept him, the opposition would not work with you. And I agreed that after I stepped down, Anwar should be the prime minister.”Mahathir said the coming together of Anwar, Zahid and Najib would still not put the PKR leader in the seat of power, as there was no certainty that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition would back him.“No. I don’t think Anwar will get the support. Because Anwar depends on 92 votes coming from PH. That is his strength. But getting the 92 votes is not certain because MPs from DAP will not support him, and those from PKR too, there are many dead against him.“So he may not get 92. He may get 80, plus whatever Najib can provide will not be enough to form the government,” said Mahathir.


DAP man urges govt to revoke Mahathir's Tun-ship

A DAP MP today lashed out at Dr Mahathir Mohamad over reports that he had criticised the royal institution and urged the government to consider revoking the former prime minister's Tun title.
Jelutong MP RSN Rayer also warned that Mahathir and Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin could come together again following reports of reconciliation between the two.
"The two of them want to destroy the country. They want to stop Tambun (Anwar Ibrahim) from carrying out his duties and taking care of the people's welfare," Rayer told the Dewan Rakyat today.
"Please stop the attacks and insults towards the royal households.
"I request... that the police take decisive action against Mahathir if he continues to attack the royal households.
"I also urge the government to consider revoking Tun's title if he persists with these attacks. We have witnessed his Proclamation (Malay Proclamation) and he may join hands with Pagoh (Muhyiddin) who had betrayed him," he added.
The police had previously said that Mahathir was being questioned over his Malay Proclamation movement. He was also being probed for allegedly insulting the royal institution.
Mahathir, who stepped down in 2003 after leading the country for 22 years, was conferred the Darjah Kebesaran Seri Maharaja Mangku Negara which carries the title "Tun", an exclusive honour that is only reserved for 25 people at any one time.
In 2018, he made history by becoming the prime minister for the second time after leading the Pakatan Harapan coalition to end more than six decades of Barisan Nasional rule. He resigned less than two years later following internal bickerings among ruling parties.
The power vacuum was later filled by Muhyiddin, who took over just a month before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
Mahathir had previously said that he was ready to work with Muhyiddin if they can reach a consensus on mutual goals. The latter welcomed the offer from Mahathir, saying that he was prepared to work with the former prime minister to defend religion, race and country.


Govt survives vote on PMO budget

The budget for the Prime Minister’s Office was passed at the committee stage today despite opposition MPs moving to support a bloc vote, less than a week after sitting out a call for such a vote at the policy stage of the debate.The bloc vote, which ensured a vote by every MP in the house, saw 105 in support, 95 against and 20 absent.Eleven people participated in the debate at the committee level for the Prime Minister’s Office which involves five portfolios: Sabah and Sarawak affairs, law, religion, economic affairs and the special duties division.Last Thursday, opposition MPs refused to call for a bloc vote on the 2021 budget with only 13 standing in support of the move – two short of the 15 needed.


Over 76,000 personnel from response agencies on standby for floods

A total of 76,336 officers and members of disaster response agencies at all levels,  including district, are fully prepared for the possibility of floods during the northeast monsoon season.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Special Functions) Mastura Mohd Yazid said 22,622 medical, land, water and air assets were also on standby.
She said the Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) had set up 1,312 rainfall and water level telemetry stations, 526 flood warning sirens as well as 1,571 straight gauges and 184 mobile pumps for monitoring and early warning purposes.
Eeach district has also been allocated RM50,000, while an allocation amounting to RM1.08 million has been channelled to eight response agencies.
"Nadma (National Disaster Management Agency) has also allocated RM30,000 for the supply of two motorised fibre boats for each district along with life jackets.
"The procurement of the boats will be carried out by the state disaster management committee," she said.
Mastura said this during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today, responding to a question Rubiah Wang (GPS-Kota Samarahan) on the flood preparations by district disaster management committees across the country.
She said a task force to oversee preparations for the northeast monsoon season, chaired by Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali, would also be formed.


Hindus mark Thaipusam under strict Covid curbs

Hindus carried offerings up hundreds of steps to a major temple today to mark the annual Thaipusam festival in celebrations that were scaled back due to the coronavirus pandemic.The event sees Hindus, a sizeable minority in Malaysia, show their devotion to the deity Lord Murugan.Hundreds headed to the Batu Caves temple complex outside Kuala Lumpur and walked barefoot up 272 multi-coloured steps to reach the site, carrying offerings such as milk pots.But celebrations were muted compared with the years before the pandemic, when huge crowds would throng the site, with officials limiting numbers to cut the risk of Covid-19.Once a common sight at Thaipusam, “kavadis” – ornate metal structures that devotees affix to their bodies with sharp metal spikes – were also banned this year.Hindu devotee Krishnan Karuppan told AFP that he arrived at the temple before dawn.“Many people are afraid (to come),” he said. “My own children didn’t come – they’re all at home.”Another worshipper at the temple, Ariyenthiran T Somasundram, added that “to be on the safe side, it is better” to limit numbers.But, he said, “I’m really sad… because the crowd of millions of people are not here”.Media reported that authorities were limiting attendance at the temple to several thousand over Thaipusam, which officially falls on Tuesday.Malaysia faced a serious coronavirus outbreak last year, and has reported more than 2.8 million cases and 31,000 deaths, although infection rates have dropped in recent months.Most of Malaysia’s roughly 32 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims but the country also has around two million ethnic Indians, many of whom are Hindu.Most are descendants of labourers brought from ethnic Tamil areas of southern India by Malaysia’s former British colonial rulers.Lord Murugan is particularly revered in southern India and among ethnic Tamil communities in Southeast Asia.


Too soon to say if Covid-19 jabs could allow immunity passports, says Noor Hisham

It is too early to say whether Covid-19 vaccination will serve as the basis for an “immunity passport” before one can start moving around freely, says health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.He said the government still needs to look closely into the outcome of the vaccines’ efficacy and safety before it can make any decision on the matter.“Vaccination delivers hope to every one of us but it’s too early for the government to make any decision on whether vaccination will be our ‘immunity passport’ to travel, around the world for example.“Let us get the vaccination going and then get it evaluated from time to time,” he said in a pre-recorded speech for a webinar by Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia today.He was responding to a question by one of the speakers, Dr Paras Doshi, a consultant physician in acute medicine and the president of the Malaysian Advanced Acute Internal Medicine and Ultrasound Society.Noor Hisham said for a start, the government might look into the possibility of easing Covid-19 restrictions, for example the quarantine requirement, but only if the vaccination programme does well.He said the government would also need to be sure if a booster is required, and whether immune response would continue after one or two years.“We need to look at the data… at least eight months or one year to a maximum of two years to show efficacy as well as the safety of vaccine.“I think there are a lot of questions unanswered at the moment but we hope for the best… but most importantly in this period of time, you still need to comply with all the SOPs although you have been vaccinated,” he added.In terms of protection, if the internal – vaccines – and the external – obeying SOPs – go hand-in-hand, he said, the health ministry might look into the matter of immunity passports again by holding discussions with its counterparts as well as the World Health Organization.“On whether we can continue to return back to our normal life before the pandemic, it is something that we hope we can (do), but until we have looked into the success of the vaccination programme, whether it will give us the immunity passport, remains to be seen.“We need time to adapt into this new environment… we are living in a very tough and challenging time, but more important is that we adapt to this new environment. Until then we cannot return to our normal life,” he said.


Social media tables turn on Najib after Muhyiddin’s ouster

Najib Razak has found himself the target of a barrage of criticism on Facebook, joining opposition leaders and prominent activists aligned with them who had recently come together to call for the ouster of former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.The continuous criticism of Najib, however, marks a break from previous occasions on which he used social media to question the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.Najib had appeared to be relishing Muhyiddin’s resignation with the now-familiar one-liners that had characterised his social media campaign since he was ousted from power in the 2018 general election.But even a post urging Malaysians to support the national contingent at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics Games saw him criticised for his role in causing a power vacuum in the midst of the pandemic.“With the government of TSMY (Muhyiddin) gone, so too are all your wise ideas on Covid.“Usually you would start your day on Facebook with a mantra of all the wrongdoings by TSMY on Covid-19. Maybe TSMY has taken Covid with him. With him gone, Covid is also gone,” said a user.Another reminded Najib of the MPs he had gathered to revoke support for Muhyiddin, causing the government to lose its majority.“During the Olympics, the sports and youth minister from Umno was together with our athletes (to support them).“But thanks to the pack of 15 MPs, the paralympic athletes will fight without the minister around,” the user said, referring to Reezal Merican Naina Merican, one of more than 20 Umno MPs who had refused to heed Najib’s call to resign.Najib together with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had been at the forefront of a series of attempts to topple Muhyiddin. The duo had also backed PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim in his bid for the top office.Fake followersSince his fall from power in 2018, which was followed by shocking revelations of millions of dollars of cash and luxury items in his keeping, Najib’s communications team has sought to rebuild his image using the power of social media.The former prime minister has roughly 4.5 million followers on Facebook, although doubts remain over the figure some eight years after an expose by a UK-based software developer which placed Najib among the top of a list of political leaders with fake followers.Using the “Fake Follower Check” he had developed, Rob Waller found that Najib had the largest proportion of fake followers compared to seven other leaders from the US, Australia, India, Thailand, Japan, Singapore and Vietnam.He also found that some 70% of Najib’s 1.4 million followers at that time were fake.Waller’s app was later terminated due to changes in social media ecosystems. To date there is no effective tool to gauge the authenticity of one’s social media support, especially with the existence of cybertroopers – those tasked with artificially propping up support for a certain cause or leader, usually through the use of multiple fake profiles.


Energy minister ready to resign today if instructed by Umno

An Umno Supreme Council member who is part of the Cabinet today said he would abide by any decision for the party to quit all government posts.Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, who is the energy and natural resources minister, said as an Umno leader, he was bound by all decisions made by the party.“This will ensure that Umno remains steadfast, to recover and return to its former place in this country,” he said on the sidelines of the Umno general assembly.Earlier, Umno adviser Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said all Cabinet members from Umno alongside those holding positions in government-linked companies should resign immediately, if a motion on cutting ties with Bersatu is endorsed by the delegates.


Nasa launches spacecraft to kick an asteroid off course

Nasa is preparing a mission to deliberately smash a spacecraft into an asteroid – a test run should humanity ever need to stop a giant space rock from wiping out life on Earth.It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but the Dart (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) is a real proof-of-concept experiment, blasting off at 10.21pm Pacific Time Tuesday (0621 GMT Wednesday) aboard a SpaceX rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.“All systems and weather are looking good for tonight’s Falcon 9 launch,” Elon Musk’s company tweeted.The goal is to slightly alter the trajectory of Dimorphos, a “moonlet” around 525 feet (160m, or two Statues of Liberty) wide that circles a much larger asteroid called Didymos (2,500 feet in diameter). The pair orbit the Sun together.Impact should take place in the fall of 2022, when the binary asteroid system is 6.8 million miles (11 million km) from Earth, almost the nearest point they ever get.“What we’re trying to learn is how to deflect a threat,” Nasa’s top scientist Thomas Zuburchen said of the US$330 million project, the first of its kind.To be clear, the asteroids in question pose no threat to our planet.But they belong to a class of bodies known as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) – asteroids and comets that approach within 30 million miles.Nasa’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office is most interested in those larger than 460 feet in size, which have the potential to level entire cities or regions with many times the energy of average nuclear bombs.There are 10,000 known near-Earth asteroids 460 feet in size or greater, but none has a significant chance to hit in the next 100 years. One major caveat: scientists think there are still 15,000 more such objects waiting to be discovered.15,000 mph kickPlanetary scientists can create miniature impacts in labs and use the results to create sophisticated models about how to divert an asteroid – but models are always inferior to real world tests.Scientists say the Didymos-Dimorphos system is an “ideal natural laboratory,” because Earth-based telescopes can easily measure the brightness variation of the pair and judge the time it takes the moonlet to orbit its big brother.Since the current orbit period is known, the change will reveal the effect of the impact, scheduled to occur between Sept 26 and Oct 1, 2022.What’s more, since the asteroids’ orbit never intersects our planet, they are thought safer to study.The Dart probe, which is a box the size of a large fridge with limousine-sized solar panels on either side, will slam into Dimorphos at just over 15,000 miles an hour.Andy Rivkin, Dart investigation team leader, said that the current orbital period is 11 hours and 55 minutes, and the team expects the kick will shave around 10 minutes off that time.There is some uncertainty about how much energy will be transferred by the impact, because the moonlet’s internal composition and porosity are not known.The more debris that’s generated, the more push will be imparted on Dimorphos.“Every time we show up at an asteroid, we find stuff we don’t expect,” said Rivkin.The Dart spacecraft also contains sophisticated instruments for navigation and imaging, including the Italian Space Agency’s Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids (LICIACube) to watch the crash and its after-effects.Nuclear blastsThe so-called “kinetic impactor” method isn’t the only way to divert an asteroid, but it is the only technique ready to deploy with current technology.Others that have been hypothesised include flying a spacecraft close by to impart a small gravitational force.Another is detonating a nuclear blast close by – but not on the object itself, as in the films Armageddon and Deep Impact – which would probably create many more perilous objects.Scientists estimate 460-foot asteroids strike once every 20,000 years.Asteroids that are six miles or wider – such as the one that struck 66 million years ago and led to the extinction of most life on Earth, including the dinosaurs – occur around every 100-200 million years.


Trump seeks to temporarily block FBI from reviewing items seized from Florida home

Former President Donald Trump on Monday asked a federal court to temporarily block the FBI from reviewing the materials it seized two weeks ago from his Florida home, until a special master can be appointed to oversee the review.
Trump's motion, filed in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, also demanded that the US Justice Department provide him a more detailed property receipt outlining items the FBI seized from his Mar-a-Lago home during its Aug 8 search, and asked investigators to return any items outside the scope of the search warrant.
"Politics cannot be allowed to impact the administration of justice," the filing says. "Law enforcement is a shield that protects Americans. It cannot be used as a weapon for political purposes," it added.
A special master can sometimes be appointed in highly sensitive cases to go through seized materials and ensure that investigators do not review privileged information.
When FBI agents had searched the homes of Trump's former lawyers Michael Cohen and Rudy Giuliani the US Attorney's office in Manhattan requested the appointment of a special master.
Trump's request was assigned to US District Judge Aileen M Cannon, whom Trump appointed to the bench. A Justice Department spokesman said prosecutors would file their response in court.
“The Aug 8 search warrant at Mar-a-Lago was authorised by a federal court upon the required finding of probable cause," Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley said.
Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, of US District Court in West Palm Beach and who approved the warrant, is weighing whether to require the Justice Department to release a redacted copy of the affidavit laying out evidence for probable cause to search Trump's home.
The Justice Department at a court hearing last week opposed the affidavit's release, saying it would provide a "roadmap" of its investigation and possibly chill witness cooperation.
In a court order filed on Monday, Reinhart said he agreed those were legitimate concerns, but said he wants to explore whether there is a "less onerous alternative to sealing the entire document."
The Justice Department has until noon on Thursday to provide Reinhart under seal a redacted copy of the document that he could potentially release to the public.
The Aug 8 search of Mar-a-Lago marked a significant escalation in one of the many federal and state investigations Trump faces from his time in office and in private business.
After Trump and his allies complained in the media that the search was politically motivated, US Attorney General Merrick Garland asked the court to release a redacted copy of the search warrant and property receipt outlining the items taken.
The US government has recovered more than 300 classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, including material from the CIA, the National Security Agency and the FBI, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing multiple people briefed on the matter. The items include material recovered by the National Archives in January and documents that Trump's aides gave to the Justice Department in June, the newspaper reported.
The Justice Department did not immediately provide comment, nor did aides to the former president.
The search is part of a federal investigation into whether Trump illegally removed documents when he left office in January 2021 after losing the presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden.
During its search the FBI seized 11 sets of classified materials at Mar-a-Lago, some of which were labeled "top secret" - the highest level of classification reserved for the most closely held US national security information and which can only be viewed in special government facilities.
It is unclear whether Trump waited too long to seek the appointment of a special master.
Last week, Trump released a redacted Aug 15 email he received from Jay Bratt, the Justice Department's head of counterintelligence, who indicated he had deployed a "filter" team of agents tasked with weeding out privileged materials.


Sorry.


Sufficient supply of eggs, subsidised cooking oil, Selangor residents told

Residents in Selangor have been assured of a sufficient supply of eggs and subsidised cooking oil in the state.
Selangor chief enforcement officer of the domestic trade and cost of living ministry, Mohd Khairi Jamaludin, said any shortage would be temporary and confined to certain localities, with supply restored within a reasonable period.
"Undeniably, there are limits on the purchase of eggs, but the situation is not critical," he said, urging consumers to buy according to their needs instead of panic buying or keeping a surplus of stock.
On the one-kilogramme packages of cooking oil, he said inspections had found that the supply was stable and sufficient to meet the demands of consumers in the state.
"The government's directive to limit customers to three packets per purchase is reasonable to ensure that everybody gets to enjoy subsidised cooking," he said.
Khairi also said that the Selangor enforcement division of the ministry would continue to conduct daily checks on the price and supply of essential items in the market.


No US-style ‘Great Resignation’ expected in Malaysia

While millions in the US have gone on strike or quit their jobs due to pandemic frustrations in a movement dubbed the “Great Resignation”, a similar situation is not expected to occur in Malaysia although an economist warns that the possibility exists.As of August, over 30 million Americans were reported to have voluntarily left their jobs, leaving the country to face a labour crisis on top of the nationwide strikes by nurses, factory workers and other labourers.With terms like “Striketober” making their way across social media and a shift towards freelance work even in countries like China, the Covid-19 crisis has had a strong hand in upending traditional concepts of labour and employment.But the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) does not foresee any need to brace for similar labour problems in Malaysia.MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the group’s data on attrition rates instead indicates a gradual drop in resignations.“There was a declining trend in the average monthly turnover rate for both executives and non-executives between July 2018 and June 2021,” he told MalaysiaNow.He added that the average rate for executive resignations decreased from 1.38% between July 2018 and June 2019 to 1.16% (July 2019 to June 2020) and 0.93% (July 2020 to June 2021).“For the period of July 2020 to June 2021, the average rate for non-executive counterparts was also lower at 1.07%, compared to previous periods at 1.57% (July 2018 to June 2019) and 1.45% (June 2019 to June 2020).”The Covid-19 pandemic which began in late 2019 caused havoc in the workplace on a global scale as offices were closed, business operations were moved online, and employees were told to work from home to cut the risk of infection.With many countries now taking a “live with it” approach to the virus, companies have been calling their workers back to the office – a call that, in some cases, is met with mixed reactions.While some are eager to return to the workplace, others prefer the convenience of working from home. However, the latter option is often also accompanied by complaints of longer working hours and high levels of stress.In Malaysia, 12,371 workers took voluntary separation schemes from January to June this year while 17,449 were terminated, according to statistics from the human resources ministry.Unemployment stood at 4.8% in July following a spike in Covid-19 cases and the full lockdown just a month before. However, this decreased to 4.6% in August.“This is 748,800 people compared to 778,200 in July, as more economic activities were permitted to resume operations,” Syed Hussain said.He also cited a report by the statistics department showing that the number of employed people rose by 0.5% month-on-month to 15.38 million people in August from 15.29 million in July.MEF itself expects economic performance next year to increase labour demand, with more job opportunities available in the market.The economy is forecast to rebound alongside global economic recovery throughout the year-end and into 2022.“The implementation of economic and fiscal stimulus packages will support Malaysia’s economic growth, which is expected to grow 6.0% and 5.8% as forecast by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, respectively,” he said.Economist Adilah Zafirah however said that while the numbers do not indicate a similar trend happening in Malaysia, there could be a parallel preference among the younger generation about working conditions.Adilah, who is attached to the Iris Institute, said young people tend to appreciate a work-life balance over financial benefits.“If we do not improve our labour market conditions – low pay for tough jobs, low work-life balance, flexibility and so on – it is not impossible that we too might experience a great resignation,” she said.She added however that several factors remain which might slow down the occurrence of such a phenomenon in the country.“We are still dependent on foreign labour when it comes to low-skill jobs, and the younger generation is ridden with financial problems and debts due to a lack of financial literary and consumerism.“It’s tough to resign,” she said.She also cited a low level of social protection, and the need to support family, among other financial commitments.Compared to the US and China, she added, Malaysians have less flexibility in terms of work culture while quality internet connection and access to the devices needed to work from home have yet to become commonplace.


Mumbai in lockdown as Indian vaccines run short

India’s coronavirus epicentre Maharashtra went into a state-wide weekend lockdown on Saturday as the country battled exploding infection numbers and shortages of vaccines, drugs and hospital beds.Having let its guard down with mass religious festivals, political rallies and spectators at cricket matches, India is experiencing a ferocious new wave with around a million new cases in the past week.After a lockdown a year ago caused widespread misery and one of the sharpest downturns of any major economy, the central government is desperate to avoid a hugely unpopular second shutdown.But many states are tightening the screw, in particular Maharashtra and its capital Mumbai, where restaurants are shut and public gatherings of more than five people are banned.Every weekend until the end of April the state’s 125 million people are confined to their homes unless shopping for food, medicine or travelling.“I’m not for the lockdown at all but I don’t think the government has any other choice,” media professional Neha Tyagi, 27, told AFP in Mumbai.“This lockdown could have been totally avoided if people would take the virus seriously.”In further grim news, a fire broke in a private hospital in the state killing four patients, the fire brigade said. Last month a blaze at a Mumbai clinic killed 11.Short on stocksWith the country grappling with the new surge, cricket is now being played behind closed doors – including the big-bucks Indian Premier League, which began Friday – and in many regions including in New Delhi and Bangalore a night curfew is in force.Election rallies in West Bengal are going ahead however, as is the colossal Kumbh Mela religious festival in Uttarakhand with millions expected next week by the holy Ganges river.Virus tests are in theory compulsory there, but Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has said pilgrims will not be “unnecessarily harassed in the name of Covid-19 restrictions”.Raipur district, home to the capital of Chhattisgarh state, is under a 10-day lockdown with no one allowed to enter the area unless performing essential services.India’s drive to vaccinate its 1.3 billion people also looks to be hitting problems, with just 94 million shots administered so far and stocks running low, according to local authorities.In megacity Mumbai, all 72 private vaccination centres were shut until Tuesday while opening hours were reduced at government and municipal centres, authorities said.“If we don’t receive more stock by Sunday, even government centres will be shut from Monday,” city health official Mangala Gomare told local media.West Bengal’s health chief Ajoy Kumar Chakraborty told AFP that a number of vaccination centres in the eastern state have been shut because they ran out of stock.“Some hospitals have started rationing their doses from Friday fearing that stocks may run dry,” he said.The Times of India reported Friday that states on average had just over five days of stock left even as vaccine makers scramble to increase output.But the federal health minister has accused some states – run by opposition parties – of playing politics to “distract attention from their failures”.“It is not right to say that there is a vaccine shortage. Vaccines have been made available to all states according to their needs,” Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday.The CEO of the Serum Institute of India, the world’s biggest vaccine maker by volume, has warned that production capacity is “very stressed”.Poorer countries, as well as some rich nations, have relied heavily on Serum for supplies of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but last month New Delhi put the brakes on exports to prioritise domestic needs.Several states are also experiencing shortages of coronavirus treatment drug Remdesivir, reports said.A lull in demand from December to February led to low or zero production for three months, the Indian Express cited Remdesivir manufacturers as saying.On Saturday, India reported 145,000 new cases, a new record taking the total to 13.2 million with 170,000 deaths. Per-capita rates are lower than many other nations however.


198 nabbed for flouting RMCO

Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob says police arrested 198 people yesterday for disobeying the recovery movement control order (RMCO).He said police also issued compounds to 184 people, nine of whom were remanded and five released on bail.Most of the offences (109) were linked to activities at nightclubs and activities which made physical distancing difficult (41).Other offences included failing to provide equipment or entry and exit records (25), not wearing face masks (17) and failing to comply with quarantine (one).“Two were suspected of carrying out prostitution, while the other three offences were individuals operating premises without a permit,” he said in a statement today.He said police set up 63 roadblocks nationwide and inspected 23,368 vehicles. An illegal immigrant was detained in the operation for immigration offences.From May 1 until yesterday, 4,889 illegal immigrants, 713 skippers and 246 smugglers were detained.In addition, 446 boats and 481 vehicles involved in attempts to illegally cross the country’s borders were seized.“The government will take stern action against anyone who tries to enter the country’s borders illegally, and enforcement agencies will continue to tighten border control, especially along rat lanes,” he said.A total of 22,057 individuals had returned through the country’s international border gates since July 24. They were housed at 71 hotels and four public training institutes.Of the total, 9,481 are undergoing compulsory quarantine while 66 have been sent to hospital for treatment. Another 12,510 have been discharged and allowed to return home.


Two more inmates hanged in Singapore prison

Two more prisoners on death row in Changi Prison were executed today, taking the total number of inmates hanged in Singapore since February to eight.
No details are available as the families of both prisoners requested to be given privacy.
Today's was the first of two double executions planned ahead of Singapore's National Day celebration on Aug 9.
Another two prisoners are slated to hang on Aug 5.
One of the four prisoners is a Malaysian who was among 17 death row prisoners involved in a historic suit against the Singapore government, accusing it of ethnic bias in their prosecutions.
Another fellow plaintiff scheduled to hang was Abdul Rahim Shapiee, a 45-year-old Singaporean Malay.
All four were convicted of charges under Singapore's draconian drug laws, which have come under increasing scrutiny in recent months.
Lawyers and activists have pointed out that those executed are mostly from poor families, hired as mules by drug kingpins who have largely escaped arrest, an argument that Singapore courts have rejected.
Singapore has so far executed two of the 17 plaintiffs, whose suit was thrown out last year, and whose lawyers were slapped with heavy fines over charges of "abusing the process".


Another hanging scheduled as lawyers work to save duo in Singapore

Authorities in Singapore have scheduled the execution of another inmate on the back of ongoing efforts to save two others from the gallows amid continued criticism of the city-state’s use of the death penalty.A copy of a letter from the Singapore Prison Service shared by activist Kirsten Han said that Rosman Abdullah would be hanged on Feb 23.The letter, addressed to Rosman’s mother, said extended visits would be allowed until the day before his execution.This comes as lawyers work to halt the executions of Malaysian Pausi Jefridin and Singaporean Roslan Bakar, both diagnosed by experts as having low mental capabilities.Pausi and Roslan, who were charged with trafficking 96.07g of diamorphine and 76.37g of methamphetamine in 2008, were convicted in 2010.They failed in an appeal in 2017 to commute their death sentence to life imprisonment, despite lawyers citing medical reports on their intellectual capabilities which would render their execution illegal under Singapore laws as well as international treaties.Their executions, scheduled for yesterday, were postponed as lawyers rushed in a last-minute bid to save them from the gallows.Their case is similar to that of Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a Malaysian diagnosed with an IQ of 69 who was to have been executed in November last year.He was granted a stay of execution after a diagnosis of Covid-19 just before the court was due to hear a last-ditch appeal to save his life.His hearing is believed to have been set for this month.


4 more deaths including 19-year-old as new cases dip below 3,000

Another 2,985 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 144,518.Selangor recorded 837 cases, of which 605 or 72.3% were from clusters and close contact screening.Johor recorded 535, Sabah 450, Kuala Lumpur 289, Sarawak 166, Pahang 143, Negeri Sembilan 106, Penang 105, Kedah 97, Kelantan 85, Melaka 72, Perak 61, Terengganu 27, Putrajaya 11 and Perlis one.Active cases stand at 32,377 with 197 in the ICU and 79 in need of respiratory assistance.11 new clusters were detected:1. Taman Integrasi (Gombak in Selangor; 119 cases)2. Jalan Ijuk (Petaling, Kuala Langat, Sepang, Klang and Hulu Langat in Selangor; 99 cases)3. Jalan Rami (Muar in Johor; 112 cases)4. Kota (Kota Tinggi in Johor; 57 cases)5. Tanjung Megah (Pontian in Johor; 12 cases)6. Jalan Kasturi (Lembah Pantai and Kepong in Kuala Lumpur; 16 cases)7. Jalan Thamby (Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur; 23 cases)8. Taman Batik (Kuala Muda and Baling in Kedah; nine cases)9. Bukit Bakar (Machang in Kelantan; 18 cases)10. Kampung Tengah (Seremban in Negeri Sembilan; 20 cases)11. Dialisis Malim (Melaka Tengah and Alor Gajah in Melaka; 13 cases)Two others ended, leaving 270 active clusters throughout the country.Another 994 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 111,578.However, four more deaths were reported including a 19-year-old with anaemia, pushing the virus toll to 563.


It’s not enough, says Dr M despite Malaysia’s high vaccination rate

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said Malaysia’s current Covid-19 vaccination rate of about 500,000 doses per day is not enough, despite the figure ranking among the highest in the world.The former prime minister congratulated the government for the spike in the vaccine delivery rate to the public.“But I think the number needs to be increased further to 800,000 a day, because of the increase in new cases due to too many of those infected being in our midst as they cannot be effectively quarantined,” he said in a post, hours after joining a crowd of MPs in Kuala Lumpur to protest the suspension of Dewan Rakyat proceedings due to the detection of new cases in the Parliament vicinity.Hundreds of opposition supporters had earlier joined MPs to march to the Parliament building despite warnings against pandemic crowds.Since it was launched in February, the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme has fully vaccinated 21% of the population.The vaccination rate has been breaking daily records in terms of the total number of doses administered.When the programme was first started, former prime minister Najib Razak predicted that Malaysia would not be able to achieve its herd immunity target.Najib also said that Malaysia would need some six years to reach herd immunity, adding that the country was among the slowest in the Asean region.The minister in charge of vaccination, Khairy Jamaluddin, said last week that the government is aiming to fully vaccinate 50% of the adult population by Aug 31.The government is also finalising a draft of relaxed SOPs for those who have been fully vaccinated, with an announcement to be made by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.


MACC confirms immigration database hack by forgery syndicate led by Datuk

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today said that the country’s immigration database had been hacked by a syndicate involved in the forgery of temporary employment visit passes.The anti-graft agency also said five people aged 33 to 43 including the syndicate leader, who has a “Datuk” title, were arrested in Kuala Lumpur last night with the cooperation of the immigration department.Software for two computer cloning systems was also seized along with a transmitter used by the syndicate in the operation which was carried out at 22 spots around the capital city.“The activities carried out by the suspects had caused the government hundreds of millions of ringgit in losses in the form of foreign workers’ levy,” an MACC source said.“The syndicate also had insiders working with it, which allowed it to hack into the immigration department’s database by installing a transmitter to enable syndicate members to change officers’ passwords and key in names illegally as well as the personal details of foreign workers.”According to the source, the passes would be printed at the syndicate’s operation centre at a leading hotel in Jalan Sultan Ismail and then sold for RM6,000 to RM8,000 each to foreigners working in the country illegally.“However, they kept relocating their operation centre, including to luxury hotels, to avoid detection,” the source said, adding that for a fee, the syndicate would also “switch on” and “switch off” the blacklist status of individuals to allow them to pass through immigration checkpoints at airports.MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki confirmed the arrests and said the case is being investigated under Section 17 of the MACC Act 2009.


Kelantan Bersatu agrees to lion’s share of seats for PAS in GE15

Kelantan Bersatu has agreed in principle for PAS to be given the majority of state seats for contest in the 15th general election.Its chairman Kamaruddin Md Nor said this was because PAS had been in power in the state several times before.“Bersatu, however, should also be given the opportunity to contest several seats in Kelantan,” he told reporters after an event in Pasir Puteh today.He said Bersatu should also be considered in the distribution of seats in the state so that it could contribute to Kelantan’s development.“It is also to create closer unity among parties in Perikatan Nasional (PN),” he added.PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang previously said the issue of seat distribution for GE15 among PN allies had been resolved, with the majority of seats in Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan to be contested by the Islamist party.


After Saudi visit, Blinken raises Palestinian state with Israel PM

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to undermine prospects for a Palestinian state, after talks in Saudi Arabia which linked normalisation to peace efforts.
Blinken, after wrapping up a visit to the Gulf Arab monarchy criticised by rights groups, spoke by telephone with Netanyahu to discuss "deepening Israel's integration into the Middle East through normalisation with countries in the region," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Blinken "discussed the need to uphold the commitments made at regional meetings in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh to avoid measures that undermine the prospects for a two-state solution," Miller said, referring to talks earlier this year in Jordan and Egypt that brought Israeli, Palestinian and US officials together.
Blinken in a speech this week before the leading US pro-Israel group said that he would work to win recognition of the Jewish state by Saudi Arabia – a major goal for Israel due to the kingdom's size and role as guardian of Islam's two holiest sites.
Speaking alongside Blinken on Thursday, Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that normalisation with Israel "is in the interest of the region" and would "bring significant benefits to all."
"But without finding a pathway to peace for the Palestinian people, without addressing that challenge, any normalisation will have limited benefits," he said.
"Therefore, I think we should continue to focus on finding a pathway towards a two-state solution, on finding a pathway towards giving the Palestinians dignity and justice."
Netanyahu during his last stint in power won normalisation from the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Bahrain in what both he and the then US administration of Donald Trump saw as crowning achievements.
The longest-serving Israeli premier has returned to power leading the country's most right-wing government ever with supporters adamantly opposed to a Palestinian state.


Bus operators plead for govt aid ahead of Budget 2022

The umbrella group for bus operators in the country has called for government assistance ahead of the tabling of Budget 2022 this week, to help them recover from the various lockdowns imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19.The Pan Malaysia Bus Operators Association (PMBOA) said financial troubles in the bus industry actually began several decades ago, with many operators now living from hand to mouth each day.“Under the movement control order (MCO), the bus industry was categorised as an essential service, so bus companies continued operating,” PMBOA president Mohamad Ashfar Ali said.“But travel was limited and very few passengers took the bus. This saw many operators suffering a loss in revenue.”A measure of hope returned this month when interstate travel was allowed for the fully vaccinated from Oct 11 onwards.But Ashfar said the response so far was still not enough to cover the losses suffered throughout the year.“We’ve had an increase in the number of passengers lately but many people are still worried about taking the bus. The number of trips we make is not the same as it used to be.”In order to turn a profit, he said, buses need a passenger load of more than 50%.“Buses still under hire-purchase need to a passenger load of 70%,” he added.Ashfar said PMBOA had come up with several suggestions agreed to by 110 bus companies across the country, including the introduction of a scheme to provide free training for those who wish to become bus drivers.He said the transportation industry had been facing a lack of drivers for the past 20 years.He also suggested an exemption from income tax and excise tax to reduce the operating costsof bus companies, citing the rising cost of replacing vehicle chassis and spare parts.PMBOA is also proposing a blanket subsidy of 75% of workers’ monthly salary for the duration of the MCO and the following three months.“A large number of our drivers and workers earn more than RM2,000 a month, and the subsidies given are not enough to cover their monthly wages, especially as our members are still paying full salaries despite not generating any income,” Ashfar said.The association is also requesting an exemption from the fees for Puspakom checks until December 2022, in addition to a similar exemption from the permit processing fee by the Land Public Transport Agency.He said a reduction in charges would help lower the costs for bus drivers during and after the MCO.


'KJ the DJ' enough to keep Khairy relevant?

One month ago, former Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin was sacked from his long-time party Umno, causing a stir in national politics and casting doubt on his political career and open ambition to become the prime minister one day.
Today, he is still in the focus of public attention – working as a DJ and radio presenter with local station HotFM.
His first day on-air, on Feb 15, saw #KJjadiDJ making the rounds as the hottest trending hashtag on social media.
According to media reports, the radio station itself saw a 75% increase in listeners within just one hour through its digital live stream and Audio+ application.
Political observers agreed in the wake of his career move that it was a smart step and an effective way to remain relevant and popular.
A former newsman agreed, saying Khairy's decision to turn radio presenter had only boosted his popularity.
Zin Mahmud, a former senior editor of Utusan Malaysia, said it would also help improve the quality of the Malay-language radio industry.
"I think he can last for a long time as a DJ," Zin told MalaysiaNow.
"But success in politics certainly cannot depend on this alone."
'Historic day'
Khairy, a vocal critic of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, was sacked from Umno on Feb 28 alongside a handful of others on grounds of violating party discipline during the general election campaign period last year.
While on the campaign trail, Khairy said that Umno had lost its way and needed to be "fixed". He also voiced his ambition to become the party president and one day prime minister as well.
Khairy had campaigned in the constituency of Sungai Buloh where he was transferred to make way for Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan in his own seat of Rembau.
Mohamad went on to win the seat while Khairy lost the race for Sungai Buloh.
Speaking on his first day as a DJ, Khairy had touched on the events following his defeat on Nov 19, 2022.
"That was a historic day," he said. "The day that I lost an election."
On social media, however, many listeners said the morning radio segment had taken a more academic turn with Khairy's arrival.
"He covers all of the national issues on the radio," Facebook user Nia said.
"He talks to the people. And he speaks honestly – how many ministers in the government are smarter than Khairy?"
Twitter user Azizan Salam meanwhile said Khairy was a "different kind of DJ".
"Normally we hear jokes about weight in the morning but now we hear about social development," he added.
'Political platform still crucial'
But despite Khairy's success as a radio host, analyst Mazlan Ali said the former health minister might not be able to bank on it in order to remain politically relevant.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said Khairy was a popular figure, especially among the Generation Y.
"But truthfully, he needs a political platform," he said, adding that the former Umno Youth chief could appeal against his sacking by the party's Supreme Council.
Mazlan, of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, added that Khairy's best bet was to stick with Umno.
"He is popular within Umno, just that he has problems with the top leadership."
He said Khairy, at 47, also had the option of returning to Umno at a later point as age was still on his side.
"A political platform is more important for him than the one he has right now," he added.
Nevertheless, Mazlan said Khairy was a good politician as he had managed to establish himself in a different field despite losing an election and being sacked from his party.
"This is a good start for him because it proves that he is different from the other politicians," he said.