South Korea to overhaul costly private education amid debate over 'killer questions'

South Korea's government is due to unveil plans on Monday aimed at curbing the country's burgeoning spending on private education, which has been blamed for being a major factor behind the country's declining fertility rate.
The move comes as President Yoon Suk Yeol this month criticised college entrance tests that incorporate questions not in the curriculum at public schools, including some that have been dubbed "killer questions" due to their complexity.
South Koreans spent a record US$19.97 billion (about RM93.5 billion) on private education last year, despite a declining student population, a joint report by the education ministry and the government statistics bureau showed.
Nearly eight in 10 students take part in private education such as cram schools, known as "hagwons", according to the report.
This heavy reliance on private education has helped result in South Korea having the world's highest cost of raising a child, according to a report last year, and the world's lowest birth rate.
Shares of education-linked companies in South Korea fell early Monday on caution ahead of the government's announcement.
Woongjin Thinkbig fell more than 2% to near five-month lows, while Multicampus and MegaStudyEdu lost about 1% each.
The education ministry is expected on Monday to define and give examples of "killer questions" and order them to be removed from this year's tests, which are scheduled for November.
Public schools do not normally cover such questions, opening the door for "hagwons" to promote their ability to teach students the skills to solve them.
Proponents of such questions say they help colleges select candidates in a competitive environment, but Yoon cited the issue of fairness, noting not every family could afford to pay for expensive extracurricular classes.
Shin So-young, an activist at civic group, The World Without Worry About Private Education, said the changes planned by authorities may not be enough to contain the high competition in the education system.
"The government needs to come up with a broader plan that addresses the question of how to alleviate this excessive competition to get into a few of the best universities," said Shin.


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Umno deputy permanent chairman Rizuan Abdul Hamid dies

Umno’s deputy permanent chairman Rizuan Abdul Hamid died at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) at 10.53pm last night.News of the Kepong Umno division chief’s death was shared by party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on his Facebook account.“Let us pray that his soul will placed among the righteous,” Zahid said.Rizuan was previously reported to have tested positive for Covid-19 after being screened on May 1, and had been receiving treatment at UMMC’s ICU since May 3.Rizuan’s wife Madinah Mohamad, the former auditor-general, is also reportedly being treated at the same hospital for Covid-19.Meanwhile, Kepong Umno division vice-chief Abdul Razak Abdul Rahman said Rizuan’s remains would be laid to rest at the Raudhatul Sakinah Muslim cemetery in Kepong.He described Rizuan as an experienced politician who had made many contributions to the people of Kepong.“Rizuan served as the Kepong division chief for more than 30 years and was among the longest serving division heads in Malaysia,” Razak said.


Over 20 million Covid jabs given, nearly 20% fully vaccinated

A total of 20,014,549 doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme from its launch on Feb 24 up to yesterday, says Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.Adham said 13,500,479 doses were administered as first doses while 6,514,070 were given as second doses.“According to percentage, 41.3% of the country’s population has received a first dose, while 19.9% have completed their Covid-19 vaccination,” he said.On the daily vaccination rate, Adham said 512,097 doses were administered yesterday, 315,737 of them as first doses and 196,360 as second doses.


Fearing tourist flight, industry players eager to replicate Langkawi re-opening

If Langkawi succeeds in jumpstarting its local tourism sector in line with health SOPs and without a fresh spike in Covid-19 cases, more tourist spots should also reopen, industry players say as the holiday island begins welcoming domestic visitors for the first time in months under a pilot travel bubble programme.Fathir Badri, CEO of the National Tourism Foundation, said if Malaysia lags in reopening its tourism sector, foreign tourists may move to other vacation spots in the region such as Singapore and Indonesia.“Malaysia has strong eco-tourism thanks to its rainforests, waterfalls and islands. We also have a modern lifestyle which suits those planning for luxury holidays,” he told MalaysiaNow.He added that Malaysia is among the more developed Muslim countries where halal food is easily available, making it a magnet for the lucrative Middle East tourist market.“If we are slow to act, I fear that tourists will ‘run’ to other locations, which will take a toll on foreign investment.”Fathir said reopening the tourism sector would also boost Malaysia’s economic recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.Before the pandemic hit, he said, the tourism sector was one of the largest contributors to gross domestic product (GDP).“The tourism sector chain is very wide,” he said. “Every activity related to this industry has an impact on other sectors such as retail, hospitality and food and beverage.“The longer the tourism sector remains closed, the more slowly the economy will grow.”The tourism sector contributed RM240.2 billion or 15.9% of GDP in 2019, an increase from RM220.4 billion or 15.2% the year before.But it was one of the worst affected by the Covid-19 crisis which caused many related businesses in the industry to lose their source of income as well.The twin health and economic crises also saw many workers let go as their companies could no longer afford to pay their salaries, including staff at SMEs, hotels and travel agencies.Fathir said Malaysia had nearly 10,000 travel agencies before the arrival of Covid-19. Now, only about a third remain active.“The longer the tourism sector remains closed, the more slowly the economy will grow.”Meanwhile, some 120 hotels across the country have been forced to shut down.Welcoming Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s recent announcement that Langkawi would reopen to domestic visitors who have completed their vaccination, Fathir said this was the right move.He said Langkawi could be seen as a litmus test to monitor the impact of opening the tourism sector and the effectiveness of the SOPs.“If it works, perhaps Malaysia will be ready to reopen more vacation spots and to welcome foreign tourists once again, restoring the sector to its pre-pandemic days,” he said.He said quarantine periods could be imposed for foreign tourists such as were put in place at Phuket in Thailand where visitors from overseas are isolated for 14 days upon arrival.He said it was also important to achieve herd immunity to convince foreign visitors of Malaysia’s commitment to tackling the Covid-19 crisis.“This, coupled with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s announcement that we will eventually enter an endemic phase of Covid-19, shows that the virus will not disappear anytime soon.“So we need to convince foreign tourists that it is safe to come to Malaysia, by demonstrating our resolve to adhere to SOPs as well as the rate of vaccination in the country.”MalaysiaNow previously reported that hotels and resorts in Langkawi had received thousands of bookings following the government’s announcement the resort island would reopen to visitors as part of a travel bubble scheme to restart the tourism industry.The Langkawi Tourism Association said hotels registered with it received some 6,000 bookings, and expects to make about RM24 million in the first three days from Sept 16 with the arrival of some 24,000 tourists.


Leave it to the cops, MACC chief told on response to death in custody

Rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) today criticised Azam Baki's response to news that a suspect in agency custody had died, saying the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief had "no business rushing into conclusions or explaining the cause of death".
LFL director Zaid Malek said it was for the police to investigate and announce findings, or to refer the matter to the Attorney-General's Chambers.
"No conclusions can be made at this point as to whether or not there was foul play in this death, as Azam has done in his statement," he said.
Azam yesterday confirmed the death of a suspect believed to have been involved in a money laundering case related to illegal mining in Pahang, saying he had died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Putrajaya.
"During the investigation, our officers found the man to be unwell and immediately sent him to Putrajaya hospital," Azam was quoted as saying by The Star.
He also said that the MACC officer involved in the investigation of the case would give a statement to the police, and that the agency had submitted CCTV footage to assist in the probe.
In his statement today, Zaid said Azam's explanations were of "no value" as the MACC chief was an "interested party".
"This should have been obvious to the chief commissioner, who should have made no other comment except to say that the matter is under police investigation," he added.
"Public statements of this nature on ongoing police probes have the potential to influence or interfere with such probe."
He also urged top cop Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani to form a special investigation unit at Bukit Aman to investigate the matter, recalling the deaths of others in MACC custody including Teoh Beng Hock in 2009 and Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed in 2011.
"The police must take this matter very seriously and prioritise the investigation as a matter of grave public interest," he said.
"The investigation must be transparent, impartial and expeditious. Firm action under the law must be taken if any MACC personnel is found to be in any way culpable in this death in custody."


Pfizer-BioNTech jab confirmed to protect 95% in largest study yet

The largest real-world study yet of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Thursday confirmed that the jab provided more than 95% protection against Covid-19, but found that the level dropped significantly when people received just one of the two prescribed doses.The authors of the research from Israel’s national vaccination campaign said it showed real-world proof that the pandemic could be ended by rapid, global vaccination programmes.An analysis of public health data from Israel – one of the countries with the highest proportion of fully-vaccinated adults – showed the vaccine was extremely effective in protecting even elderly individuals at a time when the more infectious English variant was dominant, according to the results published in the Lancet medical journal.By the start of April, nearly five million people in Israel had received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab, more than 70% of the population.The study found that two doses conveyed 95.3% protection against infection and 96.7% against death seven days after the second dose.After 14 days, that protection increased to 96.5% and 98%, respectively.But the protection was considerably lower when people received just a single vaccine dose.Between seven and 14 days after the first dose, protection against infection was found to be 57.7%, and protection against death 77%.The authors said that one dose may provide a shorter window of protection, especially in an environment where new viral variants emerge.“Importantly, the study shows that two doses of the vaccine significantly increase levels of immunity and protection,” said Jonathan Ball, professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Nottingham, who was not involved in the research.“This is why it is important that people get both doses.”During the analysis period, there were 232,268 confirmed Covid-19 infections, and nearly 95% of samples tested were found to be the English B117 variant. There were 4,481 severe infections and 1,113 deaths.The team behind the research said that they were not able to study the effect of the South African variant, which has also been identified in Israel.Before Thursday, the largest real-world study of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, also in Israel, was nearly five times smaller, involving 1.2 million people.Writing in a comment article, Eyal Lesham of the Chaim Sheba Medical Centre and Annelies Wilder-Smith of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said the study findings “suggest that high vaccine coverage rates could offer a way out of the pandemic”.“Regrettably, rapid population-level coverage cannot be easily replicated in many other countries,” said the pair, who were not involved in the Lancet study.“The global use of (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine is limited by supply issues, high costs, and ultra-cold chain storage requirements.”


Biden reportedly called off Syrian bomb strike after woman, children seen near target

US President Joe Biden ordered two airstrikes in Syria last week but called the second one off after learning just minutes before the bombs were scheduled to be dropped that a woman and children had been spotted in the target zone, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.Reached for comment by The New York Post, National Security Council spokesman Emily Horne said in a lengthy statement that the administration was reviewing, under orders from the president, the “extant authorisations and delegations of presidential authority with respect to these matters”, without addressing the specific story.In late February, the US destroyed a facility in Syria allegedly used by an Iran-allied militia group, which marked Biden’s first known use of military force in his presidency.The move came as a shock to Congress, with a large and bipartisan combination of members publicly bemoaning the fact they were not given any advance warning.Biden said the attack was intended to deter a Shiite militia group from attacking US troops inside Iraq.“I directed this military action consistent with my responsibility to protect US citizens both at home and abroad and in furtherance of US national security and foreign policy interests, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct US foreign relations and as commander in chief,” he wrote in his letter to Congress informing them of the strike.In response to that bombing, Senator Tim Kaine reintroduced his war powers resolution to curb the commander in chief’s ability to declare war or take military action without congressional approval.The resolution passed in the last Congress but was vetoed by then-president Donald Trump.


Singapore carries out another double dawn hanging after marathon midnight appeal

Two more death row inmates were hanged at dawn today in a double execution at Singapore's Changi Prison after the inmates waited 10 hours until past midnight to learn if their appeal in court would succeed.
Abdul Rahim Shapiee was executed alongside his co-accused in a drug case, Ong Seow Ping, after a week that saw judges giving tight deadlines to 24 prisoners who filed a suit against the government over their inability to seek the service of lawyers in the wake of heavy penalties slapped on those representing death row inmates.
The suit was thrown out by a Singapore court on Aug 3, a day after the prisoners were told to submit elaborate paperwork in support of their case despite their lack of counsel.
With no lawyers to represent them, one of the death row prisoners, Iskandar Rahmat, argued on their behalf.
Last night, after a 10-hour wait to learn the outcome of their appeal, the judge announced at 12.40am that the court had rejected their suit, calling it an "abuse of process" and paving the way for today's executions just hours later.
This comes after the court had asked them to provide specific examples to back their claim that lawyers would not take up their cases, and submit them in a matter of hours.
Iskandar said the prisoners were dependant on visits from families in preparing the required affidavits.
"We were caught off guard and totally unprepared to prepare for such an urgent hearing," Iskandar was quoted as saying by Kirsten Han, one of the activists who have been vocal in condemning Singapore's recent prison executions.
Han said with the exception of Rahim, none of the 24 prisoners had had family visits since the claim was filed.
"There was therefore no way for them to communicate with their families on this matter."
Today's hangings take the number of prisoners executed in Singapore to 10 in just four months, as the city-state continues to shut out international condemnation over its spate of executions, the highest such toll this year in Southeast Asia.
International bodies such as Amnesty International and the United Nations' Human Rights Office were among those who joined the growing criticism from activists and lawyers campaigning to end the death penalty.
"Rather than having a unique deterrent effect on crime, these executions only show the utter disregard the Singaporean authorities have for human rights and the right to life," Amnesty said on July 22 in a strong statement that would not find space in Singapore's tightly controlled media.
The Singapore government has scoffed at those who question its death penalty for drug offences, despite statistics showing that most individuals hired to courier drugs are from poor families.
Instead, the PAP-led regime insists that the death penalty has been a deterrent to drug crimes.


Vietnam economy outperforming rest of Asia in pandemic

Vietnam has minimised the economic damage from Covid-19 and is the only country in Southeast Asia on track for growth this year. Its economy is expected to grow 2.4% according to the latest figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).The IMF credited “decisive steps to contain the health and economic fallout from Covid-19” for the country’s success. It is predicting a strong economic recovery in 2021, with growth projected to strengthen to 6.5% “as normalisation of domestic and foreign economic activity continues”.Although Vietnam lacks the health infrastructure of many wealthier countries, it has been widely praised for its public health measures, which quickly brought Covid-19 numbers under control. It was quick to develop testing kits, and used a combination of strategic testing and aggressive contact tracing to help control numbers.The country’s once-thriving tourism sector has taken a particularly bad hit, but it has so far avoided the worst economic effects of the pandemic.Michael Kokalari, chief economist for Vinacapital, a Vietnam-focused investment company, told the BBC, “People are buying new laptop computers or new office furniture, for both working and spending more time at home. Well, a lot of those products are made in Vietnam.”The pandemic has also prompted more companies to consider manufacturing in Vietnam because of the need to diversify their supply chains. “Companies thought they had a global supply chain, but when Covid arrived they found out they only had a China supply chain and they couldn’t produce,” said Kokalari.The ongoing US-China trade war has also made China a less attractive place to manufacture, with a number of tariffs in place on exports. Vietnam’s exports to the US have increased by 23% in the first three quarters compared to the same period in 2019, with electronics exports up 26%.Many multinationals have started operating in Vietnam, including global technology leaders like Apple and Samsung. Apple now has plans to manufacture its high-end Airpods studio earphone in Vietnam.Since the start of the pandemic, Vietnam has had only 1,288 Covid-19 cases and 35 deaths.


Umno constitution wasn't breached, Ahmad Maslan says on no-contest motion

The passing of a no-contest motion for the posts of president and deputy president during 2022 general assembly did not breach the party’s constitution or rules, says Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan.
"Everything went smoothly. About 90% of the delegates agreed that the president and deputy president posts would not be contested.
"There have been many times in Umno's 77-year history that the positions were not contested," he said a Facebook post today.
On Jan 31, Umno met with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to explain the passing of the motion.
The meeting followed the actions of two Umno members, who on Jan 20 lodged complaints with the RoS for a review of the additional motion on no-contest for the top two posts approved during the general assembly.


MCO in Seremban, PD until Feb 1

Seremban and Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan will come under movement control order (MCO) for two weeks from tomorrow until Feb 1 following a surge in Covid-19 cases in the districts.Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the health ministry had reported a high infectivity rate in Seremban, with case numbers spiking over the past 14 days from 777 to 876.“Apart from that, seven of the nine mukim (sub-districts) in Seremban are also red zones, with 56 to 283 cases reported in the seven sub-districts over the last 14 days,” he said in a statement today.As for Port Dickson, the ministry confirmed a surge in Covid-19 cases over the past 14 days involving several clusters, with cases ranging from 35 to 167.He said the MCO would be implemented to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the community and to control movements in the two districts.Ismail also announced the end of the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) for Kampung Timbang Dayang in Kota Belud, Sabah today.He said the ministry had carried out 516 screening tests, recording 53 positive cases.“The ministry also confirmed that the remaining active cases in the locality are under control, with the last case recorded on Jan 11 and no more samples awaiting results,” he said.He said police detained 785 peple for flouting MCO SOPs yesterday, with 765 compounded, 19 remanded and one released on bail.The offences included not wearing face masks (250), not observing physical distancing (165), failing to provide equipment for recording customers’ particulars (137), operating beyond permissible hours or without approval (38) and unauthorised inter-district and interstate travel (31).Authorities also arrested 33 illegal immigrants and seized four vehicles under Op Bentang.


Ex-manager tells of suitcase containing RM3 million delivered to Zahid at official house

A former Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) administrative manager told the Shah Alam High Court today that he had delivered a luggage bag containing RM3 million to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the former deputy prime minister’s official residence Seri Satria in Putrajaya.David Tan Siong Sun, 47, said he could not recall when the delivery was made but that it was the second time he had gone to Zahid’s official residence, with former UKSB director Harry Lee Vui Khun.Tan said this during examination-in-chief by lead deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran when asked how he had sent the money to Zahid.He said he put the RM3 million in a suitcase with rollers and left it in the living room.When Raja Rozela asked Tan about his first delivery, Tan replied: “I went to Zahid’s house together with Wan Quoris (former UKSB director Wan Quoris Shah Wan Abdul Ghani).“We went to the living room (of Zahid’s house), then Wan Quoris started talking about business operations and political matters. After that, Wan Quoris excused himself and left the room.“Then I picked up the envelope (containing the money) and informed Datuk Seri ‘this is the envelope’ and left it on the table. (I) salam Datuk Seri and left the room.”When reading out his witness statement, Tan said he was the person in charge of preparing the cash to be delivered to Zahid each month.“I was asked to do so by Harry (Lee). I was also involved in the delivery of cash to Datuk Seri (Zahid) on a few occasions. I made records to show the monthly cash deliveries to Datuk Seri starting from October 2014 to August 2018,” he said.He said the money that UKSB used for the monthly and one-time payments was not taken from UKSB’s accounts but came from business partners in Hong Kong.“UKSB did not have enough funds to cover the payments, so I had to ask our partners to help us out.“The funds from Hong Kong would be channelled into Malaysia through money changers in Kuala Lumpur, and then passed on to me in cash. After receiving the cash, I would keep it in the company safe box first, and when the time came for us to make the delivery, I would take out the required amount and put it in a sealed envelope,” he said.Zahid, 69, faces 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million from UKSB for himself as then home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the one-stop centre service in China and the foreign visa (VLN) system, as well as to maintain the contract agreement to supply the VLN integrated system to the same company by the home ministry.On another seven counts, he was charged with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 Swiss francs and US$15,000 from the same company which had official links with his official duty.He was charged with committing all of the offences at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya, and Country Heights Kajang between October 2014 and March 2018.The trial before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues tomorrow.


US state unbans ‘Hindu’ yoga in schools, just don’t say ‘namaste’

Yoga classes will return to Alabama schools after a nearly 30-year ban but the traditional “namaste” greeting and chanting will remain forbidden.Governor Kay Ivey has signed legislation that reverses the ban on yoga instruction in classrooms amid persistent claims that the practice would introduce Hinduism into schools.The bill, introduced earlier this year by representative Jeremy Gray, allows all students to take yoga instruction as an elective. Whether the class is actually offered will be left up to local boards of education.The legislation, according to the Alabama legislative website, states that “All instruction in yoga shall be limited exclusively to poses, exercises, and stretching techniques.”All techniques will be required to have English descriptive names, and chanting, mantras and using the greeting “namaste,” which translates as “I bow to you,” will be prohibited.Some conservative groups have asked for yoga in schools to remain prohibited due to its connections to Hinduism and Buddhism, with them claiming the practice is a religious activity.“With the evangelicals and this being a Bible state, they felt it was like a threat to Christianity. Even 30 years later, you still have those same sentiments,” said Gray.The state congressman sponsored the bill three years in a row before it finally passed this year.Opponents of the change, including Becky Gerritson, executive director of the Eagle Forum of Alabama, a conservative advocacy group, have called the measure unnecessary.Students in Alabama schools already do stretches and other movements, Gerritson said. The bill adds meditation and “guided mindfulness” to the curriculum, which she argued violates the constitution’s prohibition of the teaching of religion in schools.“We should not be spending taxpayer money, resources and time teaching children Eastern spiritual practices,” Gerritson told CNN.In 1993 the Alabama State Board of Education prohibited “any techniques that involve the induction of hypnotic states, guided imagery, meditation or yoga” – the latter defined as a “method of religious training”.Gray, who was a yoga instructor and has been doing yoga for more than a decade, said Alabama was the only US state to ban it in public schools.Alabama is a Bible Belt state, he said, and in 1996, the State Board of Education adopted a textbook sticker that disclaimed evolution.In 2017, Alabama politicians considered passing a bill that would give legal protection to teachers who present Creationism or Intelligent Design as a scientific theory to challenge evolution.


Canada PM Trudeau calls Sept 20 snap election

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday announced snap polls for Sept 20 to seek a new mandate to steer the nation’s pandemic exit, much to the dismay of his rival parties.Despite rolling out massive pandemic aid, passing a federal budget and other key legislation with opposition backing over the past year, Trudeau – in office since 2015 – has lamented that parliament has become dysfunctional.The prime minister met Governor General Mary Simon on Sunday to ask her to dissolve parliament, triggering a general election that polling shows is likely to return his Liberals to power.“Canadians need to choose how we finish the fight against Covid-19 and build back better – from getting the job done on vaccines, to having people’s backs all the way through to the end of this crisis,” Trudeau said after the meeting.All five parties currently holding seats in parliament are gearing up for a fierce battle at the ballot box.Most Canadians approve of Trudeau’s pandemic response. But if a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections strikes during the campaign, it could hurt his backing.“This was the only window of opportunity for him because with students’ return to school and universities in two weeks, Covid cases will inevitably go up,” Felix Mathieu, political science professor at the University of Winnipeg, told AFP.Trudeau’s government “has already held for 18 months, which is the average lifespan for a minority government,” he added.Despite rising vaccination rates that are among the highest in the world – with almost 62% of Canadians fully inoculated – nearly 1,000 new daily Covid-19 cases have been reported across Canada recently.In striking distanceTrudeau was re-elected to office in 2019 but lost his majority in his second term, amid scandals.To regain a majority on Sept 20, the Liberals must win at least 170 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons, up 15 seats from their current standing.According to a recent Abacus Data poll, the Liberals are in striking distance of a majority, with 37% of support.The Conservatives and the leftist New Democrat Party – which propped up the Liberals until now and has seen an uptick in support – trail on 28% and 20%, respectively.Trudeau’s main challenger, Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, meanwhile, has struggled to find his footing since becoming leader of the Conservatives in August 2020, as lockdowns and other public health measures put glad-handing out of reach.In March, he found himself painfully at odds with his rank-and-file after telling a party convention that a robust plan to tackle climate change was needed if the Conservatives ever hoped to unseat Trudeau. Members instead voted down a resolution that said “climate change is real.”On Sunday, he focused his first campaign speech on the promise of a “strong economy”.And he denounced Trudeau’s decision to call an election, saying the country should not put its fight against Covid-19 at risk “for political games, for political gain.”Jagmeet Singh, who heads the New Democratic Party, is Trudeau’s other rival and could win votes for the Liberals among young and urban voters.Denouncing Trudeau’s “selfish summer election,” he said on Sunday he was ready to “fight for working people, to make the ultra-rich and big corporations pay their fair share, and to build a recovery that works for everyone.”Campaigning is to last only 36 days and is largely expected to revolve around pandemic management, the government’s broad emergency aid programmes, and a three-year C$101.4 billion (US$80.9 billion) post-pandemic stimulus plan.


Japan to open to tourists after two years but only with masks, insurance, guides

Foreign tourists visiting Japan will be required to wear masks, take out private medical insurance and be chaperoned throughout their stay, the government said on Tuesday, as it plans a gradual opening from two years of Covid-19 restrictions.Only visitors on package tours will be allowed in during the first phase of reopening, from June 10, the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) said, adding that travel agency guides accompanying visitors will have to ensure they wear their masks.“Tour guides should frequently remind tour participants of necessary infection prevention measures, including wearing and removing masks, at each stage of the tour,” the JTA said in its guidelines.“Even outdoors, the wearing of masks should continue in situations where people are conversing in close proximity.”Japan has imposed some of the strictest border controls in the world over the course of the pandemic, banning the entry of almost all non-residents.As most of the rest of the world opens up from Covid lockdowns, Japan is also relaxing its rules. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has pledged to bring border measures into line with other wealthy nations.The government has recently begun relaxing mask guidance for the general public although the coverings are ubiquitous. Wearing masks to prevent the spread of germs and fend off pollen was common in Japan before the coronavirus pandemic.Japan conducted “test tours” of groups of about 50 people last month, most of them travel agents, but one of the participants tested positive for Covid.James Jang, a travel agent from Australia who took part in one of the test tours, said the rules would likely put some people off for now.“Clients will be OK with wearing a mask indoors but wearing them 24 hours is a hassle,” Jang told Reuters.“The cost of having a guide at all times may deter clients until later when they have more flexibility.”In 2019, Japan hosted 31.9 million foreign visitors, who spent 4.81 trillion yen (US$36.28 billion).


'Disaster' cyclone weakens after ramming India's coast

Cyclone Biparjoy slammed into the Indian coast with powerful winds, sowing fear and prompting evacuations, but began weakening in the early hours of Friday as it moved north.
Indian forecasters had warned that Biparjoy, whose name means "disaster" in Bengali, was likely to devastate homes and tear down power lines as it barrels through the western state of Gujarat.
The "very severe cyclonic storm" crossed the coastline near Jakhau Port Thursday evening, but started losing force several hours later and at 2.30am (2230 GMT) on Friday was packing 100km per hour winds with gusts up to 110kph, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in the latest bulletin.
"It would move northeastwards and weaken into a cyclonic storm by early morning of June 16," the bulletin read.
Earlier, weather officials had said that the cyclone was expected to move overnight into Pakistan's Sindh province, home to the port megacity of Karachi.
Jayantha Bhai, a 35-year-old shopkeeper in the Gujarat beach town of Mandvi, told AFP before the storm hit that he was afraid for his family's safety.
"This is the first time I've experienced a cyclone," said Bhai, a father of three boys aged between eight and 15, who planned to wait out the cyclone in his small concrete home behind the shop.
"This is nature, we can't fight with it," he said, as driving rain lashed his home.
'Widespread damage'
Low-lying roads started to flood on Thursday afternoon after hours of rain.
Gusting winds blew sheets of water that reduced visibility with a dull grey mist.
Almost all stores were closed, and shoppers had crowded the few that remained open to buy last-minute food and water supplies.
India's meteorologists warned of the potential for "widespread damage", including the destruction of crops, "bending or uprooting of power and communication poles" and disruption of railways and roads.
The Gujarat state government said 94,000 people had relocated from coastal and low-lying areas to shelter.
Pakistan's climate change minister Sherry Rehman said around 82,000 people had been moved from southeastern coastal areas in the face of "a cyclone the likes of which Pakistan has never experienced."
Many of the areas affected are the same inundated in last year's catastrophic monsoon floods, which put a third of Pakistan under water, damaging two million homes and killing more than 1,700 people.
"These are all results of climate change," Rehman told reporters.
Storm surges were expected to reach 4m, with flooding possible in Karachi – home to about 20 million people.
In the largely abandoned fishing town of Zero Point – so-called because of its proximity to the Indian border – 20-year-old Jaffer Ali said residents "are afraid of what is coming."
The shanty settlement of hundreds of thatched homes was populated mainly by stray cats and wild dogs, with at least a hundred idle fishing boats tethered to a long pier running out to the ocean.
"Our worst fears are that it will come in the evening or later tonight," Ali told AFP.
'Terrified'
About 200 people huddled together in a single-storey health centre in Kutch district, a short distance from India's Jakhau port, late on Wednesday.
Many were worried about their farm animals, which they had left behind.
Dhal Jetheeben Ladhaji, 40, a pharmacist at the health centre, said 10 men had stayed behind to look after hundreds of cattle crucial to their village's livelihood.
"We are terrified, we don't know what will happen next," Ladhaji said.
Cyclones – the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the Northwest Pacific – are a regular and deadly menace on the coast of the northern Indian Ocean, where tens of millions of people live.
Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer with climate change.


Camping and glamping, the post-pandemic rage

For years, Suhaida Mat Jusoh and her husband took their children on vacation during every school break.
They would pack their bags and, together with their two sons, travel to popular tourist destinations throughout the peninsula.
Their family tradition came to an abrupt halt with the onset of Covid-19 nearly three years ago, when borders both domestic and international were closed as part of efforts to curb the virus spread.
"Once we were allowed to cross district lines again, we took our children to open areas like the beach and waterfalls," Suhaida recalled.
"At that point, the hotel sector was not yet fully reopened, and it was hard to make reservations.
"So my husband said, why don't we try camping?"
Worried that their children would not enjoy the experience, they began slowly, renting the tents and equipment they would need instead of buying them.
But the boys took to camping almost immediately, and the family began exploring campsites throughout their home state of Johor.
They also began investing in basic camping necessities such as tents and cooking utensils.
Now, two years later, they have ventured beyond Johor and are visiting campsites across the country.
They estimate that they have spent between RM10,000 and RM15,000 so far on camping items.
"We bought the basic things first, then upgraded to other items as well," Suhaida said.
"Some of the older things that we bought at first, we sold.
"Sometimes it's a race because everyone is looking for the same things and they're all out of stock. Whatever we put up for sale, there are people who buy it."

While Suhaida and her family are happy to enjoy the conventional camping experience, there are also those who prefer to use camper vans instead of sleeping in tents on the ground.
Then, there are those who go "glamping" – glamorous camping – where accommodation and facilities are much more luxurious and exclusive.
Such activities are popular, especially in the wake of the pandemic where greater emphasis has been placed on outdoor activities and the benefits of fresh air.
Several business owners who spoke to MalaysiaNow said that demand for camping and glamping had seen a 200% jump from the year before.
"My campsite is just in front of my family home," said Noor Farazila who operates a campsite in Hulu Langat, Selangor.
"Before the pandemic, it was mostly just university students who would come to stay.
"Now, we can't keep up with the demand. Some people come from as far off as Johor Bahru and Kelantan."
A businessman who sells camping equipment on TikTok meanwhile said that any stock he had on hand could finish selling in a matter of days. After that, he has to contact his suppliers to ask for fresh stock.
"Often, the new stock arrives late because I'm not the only one who's trying to top up," the businessman, who introduced himself as Lim, added.  Popular items include medium-sized tents, folding chairs, tables, ice boxes and portable gas stoves.
"These are hard to get," Lim said. "They always run out very quickly."
Yusuf Bahri, a camper van salesman based in Subang Jaya, said his business too was on the rise.
"I began running this business in 2011, after coming back from Australia," he said.
"Back then, not many were interested. People saw camper vans as a waste of money because they thought that cars were enough. If they wanted to stop for the night, they could go to a hotel.
"Now everything has changed. Camper vans are more popular because people can stop anywhere they like."
Suhaida agreed, saying her family had eventually grown bored with staying at hotels.
"The kids would go to the pool, then go back up to the room and sleep. Sometimes they would watch TV, then we'd have dinner."
With camping, she said, her sons could explore and play with the children of other families who stay at the same site.
"From morning to night, they are on the go. They're never bored, and they never get tired."
With 2023 just around the corner, Suhaida and her family have big plans for another camping trip.
But as eager as they are, for Suhaida, safety comes first.
"I always check the weather forecast first, and whether the location we have in mind is safe for the children," she said.
"We need to know how safe a place is before we head out."


Sorry.


KLIA plan, assets company behind HSR’s termination, says Singapore

The removal of an assets company for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project, as well as Malaysia’s proposal to have the line connect to KLIA, are among the reasons the agreement had to be terminated, the Singapore parliament was told today.The republic’s Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said Singapore did not agree to the proposal to have the HSR connect to KLIA, saying it would mean the line sharing the Express Rail Link (ERL), which shuttles from cities to the airport in Sepang.Ong said the ERL was slower than HSR and as such “there would have been many technical issues to resolve”.“But having said that, the main concern for us was the removal of the assets company,” he was quoted as saying by Singapore’s The Straits Times.Ong said Singapore has so far spent about S$270 million (RM821 million) in relation to the HSR.The HSR project was terminated after Malaysia allowed the bilateral agreement to lapse on the deadline of Dec 31, 2020.Malaysia will pay an undisclosed amount of compensation to Singapore.In a joint statement, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong said both governments had held several discussions but were unable to reach an agreement.“Both countries will abide by their respective obligations, and will now proceed with the necessary actions resulting from the termination of the HSR agreement,” they said.MalaysiaNow previously reported a source as saying that Malaysia has its own plan for the HSR, one that would benefit the country more in the long run “even if we have to pay compensation”.The project, which was to take off in 2026, was first postponed four months after the fall of the Barisan Nasional government in 2018, as the incoming Pakatan Harapan government undertook a review of several large-scale projects over financial concerns.The move drew strong criticism from Najib Razak, who had promoted the HSR as beneficial to Malaysia.But critics of the project, who included former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, pointed out that the HSR would benefit Singapore more.


New cases creep past 5,000

Another 5,071 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,481,339.Another 5,372 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,385,432.Meanwhile 557 are in the ICU, including 498 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 300 are in need of respiratory assistance including 207 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 5,071 cases reported today, 121 (2.4%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 4,950 (97.6%) are in Category One and Two.


Thailand to lift curbs on nightlife from June

Thailand will allow night clubs and karaoke bars to resume regular hours starting in June, a senior official said on Friday, dropping most of its remaining pandemic restrictions as daily infections decline.Thailand’s nightlife is a major attraction for tourists, but most entertainment venues have been shuttered or faced a strict curfew since the pandemic began, with some bars forced to convert to restaurants to stay in business.The government hopes the latest easing of restrictions will help revive the Southeast Asian country’s battered tourism sector, a key growth engine that accounted for about 12% of the economy before the pandemic. Thailand is targeting 5 to 15 million arrivals this year.“Entertainment venues, pubs, and massage parlours and others may open until midnight after June,” said Taweesin Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the government’s Covid-19 taskforce, told a news conference.“These businesses should take a universal prevention approach… staff must have received booster doses and take antigen tests every seven days,” Taweesin added.Starting June 1, Thailand will also drop a requirement for unvaccinated travellers to quarantine. They will either have to take an test on arrival or show a negative Covid-19 test before departure, he said.From January to mid-May, Thailand received 1.01 million arrivals. There were 427,000 tourists for all of last year.


Ukraine’s Zelensky imposes sanctions on Putin and his allies

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree imposing sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, on Russian President Vladimir Putin and dozens of other top Russian officials, his website said on Thursday.The sanctioned officials included Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, veteran Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.The sanctions, imposed in the fourth month of Russia’s Feb 24 invasion, appeared unlikely to have much practical impact beyond the symbolic.In the early phases of the war, Zelensky had been pushing for a meeting with Putin, an idea downplayed by the Kremlin which said there was still much preparatory peace negotiating to be done by their respective delegations.The peace talks are now frozen and Ukraine is lobbying the European Union to impose a seventh sanctions package on Russia.“Given that Russia seems to aim to fight in Ukraine to the last Russian, sanctions pressure, of course, needs to be increased,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday.


Apple facing lawsuit by Indian engineer who claims ancestry led to discrimination

Apple lost an early round in a discrimination lawsuit brought in the US by a female engineer from India who says her two managers – one from India, the other from Pakistan – treated her as they would in their own countries, which is to say as if she were subservient.The woman’s case in California state court is the latest to allege workplace bias in Silicon Valley that focuses on cultural prejudices of some tech workers from South Asia, Bloomberg is reporting.Many IT engineers come from South Asia to the US to work for high tech companies. Sometimes they bring their ancestral issues with them.Anita Nariani Schulze is part of the Sindhi minority – she is Hindu, with ancestry in the Sindh region of what is now Pakistan.Her complaint alleges that she was forced to resign from her job as a technical engineer at Apple in 2019 after tolerating years of discriminatory treatment at the hands of her managers.She claimed that her senior and direct managers, both male, consistently excluded her from meetings while inviting her male counterparts, criticised her, micromanaged her work, and deprived her of bonuses despite positive performance evaluations.Schulze claims the managers’ attitude reflects sexism, racism, religious bias and discrimination on the basis of national origin.She claimed that part of the managers’ negative attitude towards her was due to her Hindu ancestry in Pakistan’s Sindh region, which she said is “known for its technical acumen” and encouragement of “women to rise above their historically subservient gender roles”.In a tentative ruling on Wednesday, Santa Clara County Superior Court judge Sunil R Kulkarni rejected Apple’s request to toss out the suit.While not ruling on the merits of the case, Kulkarni said Schulze had adequately supported her legal claims. Apple had argued her claims weren’t specific enough and were based on stereotypes.However, the judge rejected Schulze’s request to represent a class of female Apple employees who suffered job discrimination over the last four years. He agreed with Apple that she didn’t show a pattern of discrimination that could be applied to a broader group.In another case with a similar background, Cisco Systems is fighting a suit brought by California’s civil rights agency alleging bias against a member of India’s Dalit caste, formerly referred to as “untouchables”.Cisco has denied the claims, insisting it has “zero tolerance for discrimination”.However, it also said the lawsuit should be tossed out because caste isn’t a protected category under US civil rights law.


B40 youth welcomes govt assistance for motorcycle licence

After finishing her Form Six studies, Nurul Hidayah Ali decided to become a driving instructor in her home town of Batu Pahat in Johor.
Now, 11 years later, she spends nearly every day sitting in the passenger seat, teaching students the ropes about driving.
For her, the happiest moments are when her students return to thank her after passing theirdriving test.
But she has many sad memories as well, including cases in which her students ran into financial difficulty and could not complete their driving course.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she recalled a student who had begged for an extension to save up enough money from his part-time job.
"They don't understand that we work for a company and we can't put things off when the office asks for payment," she said.
"The families that can afford it usually pay all of the fees in one lump sum. The less affordable ones pay in instalments until they pass their test and get their licence."
At times, Nurul Hidayah would take money from her own salary to pay her students' instalments in advance.
When the government announced a special allocation to cover the expenses and cost of licences for a number of categories, she felt as though a load had been lifted from her shoulders.
The allocation, part of the Belanjawan 2023, would cover the test fees for class B2 motorcycle licences for those in the B40 category through the MyLesen B2 programme. To qualify, youth have to be listed in the e-Kasih database.
The MyPSV programme meanwhile would allow the government to bear the fees for taxi, bus, motorcycle, and e-hailing licences for those who meet the criteria.
And through the Tekun Nasional initiative, a total of RM330 million would be provided, inclusive of RM10 million to help youth from poor families earn a living through business.
Those in this category would be given the capital to begin delivery services on motorcycles, with the government covering the fees for licences for certain types of vehicles.
Adam Haris Rusyaidi, an SPM graduate who is learning how to drive with Nurul Hidayah, said he was grateful to have received assistance through these programmes.
His mother, a single parent who sells vegetables and fruits at a night market, had asked him to wait until they had saved enough before registering for a driving course.
But after checking the criteria, he found that he qualified for the government aid. He was also able to save more than RM900 to be put towards getting a motorcycle licence.
He was only required to pay RM60 when registering for the course, with no further payments necessary as the driving school would help him claim the fees from the government.
"I hope I can help my family now because I don't need to wait for enough savings to get alicence," he said.
"I can get it faster now because of the government programme."
Adam said he now felt encouraged to use the licence to find a job and help his family.
"I don't even need a car licence," he said. "A motorcycle licence would be enough to find work in the city.
"After I've worked for a while, then maybe I'll buy a car and get a licence for that."


Omicron BA.5 variant likely to cause spike in cases, Khairy says

Five Omicron BA.5 variant cases have been detected in Malaysia and are likely to spread widely, resulting in an increase in Covid-19 cases, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.
He said that as of June 30, a total of 13 Omicron sublineage cases were being closely monitored: six cases of BA.2.12.1, five cases of BA.5, and two cases of BA.5.2, all of which tested positive between May and June.
"To date, no cases of the Omicron BA.4 variant have been recorded. If we look at it in terms of epidemiology in other countries, BA.5 is the main sublineage affecting the increase in cases globally and we expect BA.5 to continue further increasing the number of daily cases in Malaysia.
"Omicron BA.5 is the most easily spread version of the Covid-19 virus to date compared with the previous BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron variants, but it also has the feature to infect those already infected with Omicron BA.1 and BA. 2," he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
He said the situation had also resulted in an increase in hospital admissions in countries such as Singapore, Portugal and the UK.
However, he said information from Israel and the US showed that individuals who had completed their primary vaccination and received two booster doses, especially those aged 60 and above, had lower mortality rates than those who had received only one booster dose.
On the expected peak period of the Omicron BA.5 variant, he said the health ministry expected cases to increase within one or two months, three months at the most, based on its experience in dealing with the previous Omicron variant waves.
Asked about the severity of the Omicron BA.5 and BA.4 variants compared with BA.1 and BA.2, Khairy said for now, the ministry did not see any change in case severity.
"I was informed by infectious disease specialists that most likely the severity of this BA.5 variant is not worse than the original Omicron wave. We are expecting the severity to be roughly the same as the initial Omicron variant," he said.


Weekly dengue cases down 5.4%

The number of dengue fever cases in the 17th epidemiological week (ME 17) from April 22 to 29 this year dropped by 102 cases or 5.4% to 1,775 from 1,877 the previous week.
Health director-general Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said no deaths due to dengue fever complications were reported during the period.
"The cumulative number of dengue fever cases reported so far is 36,997, an increase of 24,056 cases or 185.9% compared to 12,941 cases for the same period last year," he said in a statement today.
Radzi said there were 103 hotspot localities reported in ME 17 compared to 116 the previous week, with 58 in Selangor, 25 in Penang and seven in Sabah.
Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya recorded six localities, followed by Perak (five), and Kedah and Sarawak (one each). Meanwhile, on surveillance for the chikungunya virus, he said there were four cases reported in ME 17 with two cases in Selangor and one each in Kedah and Perak, taking the cumulative number of cases to 1,242.
"As for the zika virus surveillance, a total of 973 blood samples and 37 urine samples were screened, and the results were all negative," he added.


No govt interference in MACC probe, says PM

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today stressed that the government under his leadership has not interfered in the investigations carried out by law enforcers, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) probe against Bersatu.
Speaking at a press conference after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting in Putrajaya, Anwar said the investigation, enforcement and judiciary bodies remain independent in carrying out their respective investigations.
He also said that it was irresponsible for the opposition party to make accusations against the government.
"We will not do what they did and we will not use these (investigation and enforcement) bodies," he said.
Yesterday, Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin was reported as saying that the party was disappointed with the move by the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional administration to use a government agency to achieve its political aim of killing off the credibility of Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki had confirmed that the graft-busters had frozen Bersatu's accounts to investigate funds believed to have been obtained from illegal proceeds.
On the probe against Bersatu, Anwar said reports had been made to the police and MACC on the use of funds by the party.
As the finance minister, he said, he had also found untendered projects that were too costly during the implementation of the movement control order.
Citing as examples the project under the economic generation programme to empower competent Bumiputera contractors, JanaWibawa, and the flood mitigation programme, Anwar said he found that the costs of the projects were too high.
JanaWibawa was introduced to expedite the implementation of projects to revive the economy during and after the pandemic.
Anwar said the Bersatu leadership should also explain how they managed to get over RM300 million in funds in such a short time.
"The party leadership should, if they are really as clean as they claim, explain to the MACC how they could raise so much money in such a short time, from what sources and to whom the money was given.
"The matter will then be brought to the attention of the attorney-general according to the procedures. More than that, I don’t know. What we, the government, are stressing now is that no one is spared from being investigated, neither the government nor the opposition," he said.
On the call for PKR to disclose its account information, Anwar, who is PKR president, said the party had no problem doing so if asked by the MACC.
"The MACC can run a check on any party. Bersatu does not disclose its account, it was investigated.
"I have no problem as the PKR account is audited and submitted to the Registrar of Societies on schedule every year," he said.
Marzuki Mohamad, the former principal private secretary to former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, had urged PKR and DAP to publish their account statements, including the trustee accounts held on behalf of the parties, if any.


Taiwan shoots down drone for first time off Chinese coast

Taiwan's military shot down for the first time an unidentified civilian drone that entered its airspace near an islet off the Chinese coast on Thursday, after the government vowed to take tough new measures to deal with an increase in such intrusions.
Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own against the strong objections of the Taipei government, has held military exercises around the island since early last month in reaction to a visit to Taipei by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Taiwan's government has said it will not provoke or escalate tensions but has been particularly angered recently by repeated cases of Chinese drones buzzing islands controlled by Taiwan close to China's coast.
The defence command for Kinmen, a group of Taiwan-controlled islands opposite China's Xiamen and Quanzhou cities, said in a statement released by Taiwan's defence ministry that the drone entered restricted air space over Lion Islet just after midday (0400 GMT).
Troops on the islet tried warning it away but to no effect, so shot it down, with the remains landing in the sea, it added.
Taiwan fired warning shots at a drone for the first time on Tuesday shortly after President Tsai Ing-wen ordered the military to take "strong countermeasures" against what she termed Chinese provocations.
Speaking to the armed forces earlier on Thursday, Tsai said China was continuing to use drone intrusions and other "grey zone" tactics to try to intimidate Taiwan, her office cited her as saying in a statement.
Tsai again emphasised that Taiwan would not provoke disputes but that did not mean that it would not take countermeasures, the statement added.
"She has also ordered the Ministry of National Defense to take necessary and strong countermeasures in a timely manner to defend national security," it said.
"Let the military guard the country without fear and with solid confidence."


Daily caseload drops below 4,000 as another 7 deaths reported

Another 3,936 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,622,981.
There were 3,899 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,544,615.
There are now 42,511 active cases, of which 40,933 or 96.3% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 33 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,484 (3.5%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 61 are in ICU with 38 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 63.9%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 15.1%.
Another seven deaths were reported, including three who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,855.


Local govt authorities allowed to issue compounds as Ramadan bazaars kick off

Local government authorities can now issue compounds for offences under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).The housing and local government ministry in a statement today said compounds could be issued by city mayors, local council heads, and enforcement officers of Grade 19 and above.It also urged local authorities to step up monitoring and enforcement to ensure that visitors and traders at Ramadan bazaars adhere to the SOPs issued by the National Security Council on March 29.“Checks on traders include information about typhoid injections, food handler cards, permit fees, SOPs, and site hygiene.“Enforcement will be fully implemented at all Ramadan and Eid bazaars during the month of Ramadan including those are not under the supervision and control of local authorities,” it said, adding that a minimum of four officers would be stationed at each bazaar depending on size and capacity.SOPs for Ramadan bazaars in localities under conditional and recovery movement control order include crowd control at the entrance with physical distancing of at least one metre, the use of sanitiser before entering, proper use of face masks, provision and scanning of QR codes and temperature checks.“Speakers will also be used as a reminder to visitors about compliance with these SOPs. In addition, briefing sessions were given to the traders involved to ensure compliance with the prescribed conditions,” the ministry said.


Over 100,000 evacuated as cyclone threatens India, Pakistan

More than 100,000 people had been evacuated in India and Pakistan ahead of the expected landfall Thursday of a fierce cyclone which could devastate homes and tear down power lines.
Biparjoy, a cyclone whose name means "disaster" in Bengali, is making its way across the Arabian Sea and is expected to make landfall as a "very severe cyclonic storm" on Thursday evening, government weather monitors said.
Powerful winds, storm surges and lashing rains were forecast to hammer a 325km stretch of coast between Mandvi in India's Gujarat state and Karachi in Pakistan.
India's Meteorological Department predicted the storm would hit near the Indian port of Jakhau late Thursday, warning of "total destruction" of traditional mud and straw thatched homes.
At the usually bustling Jakhau port, howling wind battered more than 30 large fishing boats dragged up out of the water onto the shore, as dozens of stray dogs roamed around the port's entrance.
At sea, winds were already gusting at speeds up to 180km per hour by Wednesday, forecasters said.
Wind speeds are predicted to reach 125-135kph, with gusts of up to 150kph, by the time it makes landfall.
"Over 47,000 people have been evacuated from coastal and low-lying areas to shelter," said CC Patel, an official in charge of relief operations in Gujarat.
India's meteorologists warned of the potential for "widespread damage," including the destruction of crops, "bending or uprooting of power and communication poles" and disruption of railways and roads.
'High to phenomenal'
Pakistan's climate change minister Sherry Rehman said Wednesday that 62,000 people had been evacuated from the country's southeastern coast, with 75 relief camps set up at schools and colleges.
She said fishermen had been warned to stay off the water and small aircraft were grounded, while flooding was possible in the megacity of Karachi, home to about 20 million people.
"We are following a policy of caution rather than wait and see," she told reporters in Islamabad. "Our first priority is saving lives."
The Pakistan Meteorological Department forecast gusts of up to 140kph in the southeastern province of Sindh, accompanied by a storm surge reaching 3.5m.
Evacuees gathered at a temporary shelter at a school in Sindh's Badin district.
Wilayat Bibi worried her fishing family would be doomed even after the storm passes.
"Our concern is when the cyclone is over, how will we feed our children?" the 80-year-old asked.
"If our boats are gone, if our huts are also gone – we will be languishing with no resources," she said.
Fishing has also been suspended along India's Gujarat coast, with conditions expected to escalate from "rough to very rough" on Wednesday, to "high to phenomenal".
A short distance from Jakhau port, some 200 Kutch tribal people from nearby Ashiravandh village sat on the floor at a single-storey local health centre that had been converted into a cyclone shelter.
As night fell, men brewed tea on a kerosene stove in a corner while women, all in traditional dress, rocked their babies to sleep in wooden cradles as driving rain lashed the concrete walls of the centre.
Many were worried about their farm animals, which they had left behind.
Dhal Jetheeben Ladhaji, a pharmacist at the health centre, said 10 men had stayed behind to look after hundreds of cattle crucial to their village's livelihood.
"We are terrified, we don't know what will happen next," Ladhaji, 40, told AFP.
"We are praying to God that the cyclone does not come, and that these people who are staying in the shelter can go back to their homes with smiles on their faces."
Cyclones – the equivalent of hurricanes in the North Atlantic or typhoons in the Northwest Pacific – are a regular and deadly menace on the coast of the northern Indian Ocean, where tens of millions of people live.
Scientists have warned that storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer with climate change.
Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate researcher at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, said cyclones derive their energy from warm waters, and that surface temperatures in the Arabian Sea were 1.2 to 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer than four decades ago.


Nasa awards US$415 million to fund three commercial space stations

Nasa on Thursday awarded three companies hundreds of millions of dollars to develop commercial space stations it hopes will eventually replace the International Space Station, which is due to retire around the end of the decade.Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, aerospace company Nanoracks and defense contractor Northrop Grumman won US$130 million, US$160 million and US$125.6 million contracts respectively to develop their orbital outposts.A fourth company, Axiom Space, was previously awarded a US$140 million contract.The US space agency is increasingly turning to private industry to develop hardware it once made itself, in order to reduce costs and to focus on its ambitious goals, which include building habitats on the Moon and preparing for a crewed mission to Mars.“We are partnering with US companies to develop the space destinations where people can visit, live, and work, enabling Nasa to continue forging a path in space for the benefit of humanity while fostering commercial activity in space,” said Nasa chief Bill Nelson in a statement.“These awards will help ensure the US has a continuous human presence” in low Earth orbit, said Phil McAlister, Nasa’s director of commercial spaceflight. “A gap would be bad.”Blue Origin is partnering with Sierra Space to develop Orbital Reef, which will house up to 10 people in the second half of the decade. It has been described as “a mixed-use business park in space” that will support microgravity research and manufacturingNanoracks’ space station, which it is developing with Voyager Space and Lockheed Martin, is called “Starlab.”Nanoracks is targeting launch for 2027 and envisages a biology lab, plant habitation lab, physical science and materials research lab, and an open workbench area.Northrop Grumman, which already developed a spaceship called Cygnus that provides cargo deliveries to the ISS, plans to build its station module by module, including areas for science, tourism and industrial experimentation.None of the companies has given an estimate for the total cost of developing the space stations.McAlister said Nasa’s financial contribution to the projects would not exceed 40%.“The sum invested today by Nasa to launch this program is small compared to the money that will be required,” said Brent Sherwood, Blue Origin’s senior vice president of advanced development programs.It has been 21 years since the first long-term residents arrived on the ISS, a symbol of international cooperation, especially between the US and Russia.It is currently rated as safe until 2028, and new administrator Nelson has said he hopes it will last until 2030, by which time Nasa wants the commercial sector to step up and replace it.


Cinemas close across US and UK as James Bond retreats from pandemic

Giant silver screens are being plunged into darkness in hundreds of cinemas across the US and the UK.Cineworld Group has announced it will temporarily switch the projectors off and close all its 500+ US cinemas and over 100 in the UK.The not entirely unexpected shuttering will affect roughly 45,000 workers.Cineworld Action Group, representing employees, complained that the company did not consult staff about the decision. It tweeted, “Workers have been left out of discussions that should’ve included our voices. It goes beyond belief. To find out you may no longer have a job from social media is awful.”Cineworld lost US$1.6 billion in the first six months of 2020 and is trying to figure out how to keep from going out of business entirely.The cinema chain’s decision is just the latest example of how hard every aspect of the movie industry has been hit by the global coronavirus pandemic, says Variety.First, lockdowns forced cinemas to close, which in turn forced many studios to delay the release of several blockbuster films, including the latest James Bond, “No Time to Die”. Other studios chose to stream their movies, as Disney did with “Mulan”, which tanked.With audiences still nervous of sitting in the dark with strangers during a pandemic, even if socially distanced, and almost no new blockbusters to lure punters in, things have been looking grim for cinema chains relying on Hollywood movies.US-based AMC Theatres, the largest cinema chain in the world, on Tuesday pledged “not to close any of our movie theaters that have reopened”, Variety reported.In the UK, Odeon Cinemas, which is owned by AMC, has confirmed some of its venues will be moving to a ‘weekends only’ schedule from this weekend as the business is struggling to stay open with so few new releases. In an email to customers, the company said: “We look forward to reopening full-time when the big blockbusters return.”“No Time to Die” starring Daniel Craig in his final outing as suave British secret agent James Bond will now be released in April 2021, a year later than initially planned.The producers said they have done this, “in order that the film would be seen by a worldwide theatrical audience” rather than streamed to small screens at home.Whether there will be any giant silver screens still open by April remains to be seen. If not, audiences eager for thrills as 007 chases baddies through exotic locations may have to enjoy the spectacle on their tellies anyway.


Malaysia's 'great transition'

At the end of November, just after the election, we wrote that the most urgent and delicate problem for the government is how to manage the transition from a booming but unsustainable economy, to to a more moderate and realistic rate of growth.
The final 4Q GDP data will be released on Friday and we expect to see a slowdown of the economy after four quarters of skyrocketing performance. Unless the data is revised, which is a real possibility, average growth for 2022 will be around 9%.
This is the type of growth experienced in the 1990s and almost touched in 2000. Since then, the underlying potential rate of growth has decreased to around 4.5% due to the structural changes caused by the lockdowns. Simply put, the exceptional economic growth last year was double the actual potential growth of the economy.
So the GDP data on Friday will help us to understand the next phase of economic growth and the transition we will experience. We expect negative growth of 1% in Q4 compared to Q3 and annual growth of 8.4% compared to last year. This will give overall growth of around 8.1% for the full year.
Just as the Malaysian economy was overshooting its potential and spending all its available bullets, from the exceptional government stimulus packages to the EPF withdrawals, the more advanced economies experienced a clear deceleration and now they are heading towards a slower growth phase.
Malaysia has not decoupled from the world economy and is still exposed to the risk of a technical recession due to the weakness in the international environment. Nonetheless the recent global growth forecast of the World Bank at 1.7% suggest that it is possible for 2023 to end with positive growth on average but at around half of the potential.
The flow of recent data in Malaysia confirms that this transition is already in place and suggests a quite drastic change in the overall economic scenario. The pause in the OPR by Bank Negara is also consistent with a transitional phase of the economy.
The data on industrial production, producer prices and sales in the manufacturing sector shows that the transition is already evident in the manufacturing sector.
Industrial sector indicators (seasonally adjusted)

One year of sustained expansion from July 2021 to June 2022 was followed by a period of relative stagnation in the last six months with a contraction of 5% from the peak in industrial production. The cyclical slowdown is confirmed by the 0.8% contraction of producer prices from the peak and a contraction of sales in December.
The manufacturing sector data also shows how the labour market is lagging behind the path of production, producer prices and sales. Employment increased by 3.8% year-on-year in the last six months and salaries and wages per worker increased by 2% year-on-year.
The combined effects of slower output, higher costs and lower revenues will reduce profit margins which will lead sooner or later to a new period of reductions in costs, inventories and workers. In other words, there are clear signs that the industrial sector cycle will turn downwards.
When we compare export-oriented and domestic-oriented production we see that export industries contracted by 1.3% in Q4 compared to Q3 in 2022. Plastic, rubber and machinery manufacturing were typically leading the cycle. On the other side domestic-oriented industries expanded by 5.4% in the same period which follows the rise in consumer spending.
Separately, the recent international trade data confirms the external pressures that will affect the Q4 GDP data. Seasonally adjusted data show a contraction of 9.3% for export volume and 9.8% for import volume in Q4 compared to Q3. The change in the scenario is drastic and will continue to have an impact in the next few months.
Set against this will be the positive impact of lower inflation on the back of lower oil prices and the reopening of China which will spur regional growth. These will absorb part of the negative effects of a wider global slowdown.
The problem for the government is quite complex and its short-term policy bullets are more limited and possibly less effective in the coming phase. Against this backdrop the government should try to redirect economic and social policy toward the long-term to create a more efficient setting for the economy instead of the reactive policies with huge, expensive and extraordinary measures of the past.
This time may not possible to completely counterbalance the negative trend of the international economy and Malaysia may simply import recession. So resilience must be built into economic policy to address the cost of living, support domestic investment and growth and provide more effective support for the weakest parts of the population.
We have to be ready to see at least one quarter of contraction in Q4 and possibly another in the next months until the wind changes and as that unfolds the sailing has to be based on a new and alternative course.
Paolo Casadio is an economist at HELP University and Geoffrey Williams is an economist at the Malaysia University of Science and Technology.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


China warns of 'multiple natural disasters' in July

Chinese authorities have warned of extreme weather and "multiple natural disasters" in the coming month, as heavy rain in parts of the country led to thousands being evacuated.
An alert was in place on Tuesday for rain-triggered disasters in large swathes of central and southwestern China, according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Meteorological authorities have warned the country will face "multiple natural disasters in July, including floods, severe convection weather, typhoons and high temperatures", Xinhua said.
Dozens of homes and roads were damaged in northwest China's Shaanxi province during "once-in-fifty-years" torrential rains over the weekend, the Communist Party-owned Chongqing Daily said Monday.
More than 10,000 people in central Hunan province were evacuated from floods last week that damaged more than 2,000 homes, provincial officials said on Sunday.
Chinese media published footage of cars drifting down a flooded road in Hunan last week, and murky torrents gushing past apartment blocks and shops.
Scientists say rising global temperatures – caused largely by burning fossil fuels – are aggravating extreme weather worldwide, and many countries in Asia have experienced deadly heatwaves and record temperatures in recent weeks.
China is the world's largest emitter of the greenhouse gases that drive climate change, responsible for roughly a quarter of all current carbon pollution.
The country has set a target of peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality 30 years later.
The floods coincided with record heat waves in other parts of China, with the country's National Meteorological Center warning residents in the capital Beijing and a dozen other regions to stay indoors with temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius.
China recorded an average of 4.1 days each month in the first half of this year in which the mercury exceeded 35 degrees, the highest since national records began in 1961, according to a National Meteorological Center statement on Sunday.
In June, Beijing sweltered through a total of 14 days of temperatures exceeding 35 degrees, matching the record set in July 2000, according to the state-run Beijing Evening News.


Biden orders new intelligence report on Covid-19 origin

US President Joe Biden has ordered his intelligence agencies to investigate the emergence of Covid-19, amid growing controversy about the virus’ origins.Biden has asked US intelligence groups to “redouble their efforts” and report to him within 90 days.Authorities linked early Covid cases to a seafood market in Wuhan, and scientists believed the virus first passed to humans from animals, but recent US media reports suggest there is growing evidence the virus could instead have emerged from a laboratory in China.Beijing has condemned the reports and suggested it could have come from a US laboratory instead.The global public may never know the full truth about the virus’ origins, particularly if China continues to be uncooperative, says the BBC.Biden said the US would “keep working with like-minded partners around the world to press China to participate in a full, transparent, evidence-based international investigation and to provide access to all relevant data and evidence”.If the US finds conclusive evidence of a lab leak, it could place very real strain on US-China relations for years to come.In March this year, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report written jointly with Chinese scientists on the origins of Covid-19, saying the chances of it having started in a lab were “extremely unlikely”.At the time, WHO acknowledged further study was needed.Recent reports attributed to US intelligence sources say three members of the Wuhan Institute of Virology were admitted to hospital in November 2019, several weeks before China acknowledged the first case of the new disease in the community.Anthony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser, has maintained he believes the virus was passed from animals to humans, though he conceded this month he was no longer confident Covid-19 had developed naturally.Earlier this week, Xavier Becerra, US secretary for health and human services, urged the WHO to ensure a “transparent” investigation into the virus’s origins.Becerra told the World Health Assembly, a conference organised by WHO, “The Covid-19 pandemic not only stole a year from our lives, it stole millions of lives.”


Sports, co-curricular activities allowed again after two years

Sports and co-curricular activities outside of classrooms will be allowed in the 2022/2023 academic session which begins on Monday, says Education Minister Radzi Jidin.These activities must be conducted on school grounds, he told a press conference after attending an event in Putrajaya today.Radzi said the ministry would soon announce the SOPs for preventing Covid-19 in connection with this move.“This is definitely good news for our children who have been confined to their classrooms until now. We want students and teachers to get used to the transition stage of living with Covid-19 before moving to the endemic phase,” he said.On June 10, 2020 the ministry imposed a ban on all sports and co-curricular activities including gatherings in schools following the Covid-19 pandemic.Asked about the progress of the locker project at primary schools, Radzi said the ministry was still working out the specifications for the lockers to ensure that they are durable and of high quality.“The ministry will undertake the installation process once the suitable locations have been identified but there are certain procedures to follow,” he added.On March 6, Radzi announced that lockers would be provided at primary schools in phases beginning this year to overcome the problem of heavy school bags for pupils.The project will be implemented in two phases, with Phase One covering level one pupils in Standard One, Two and Three which operate in two sessions, involving 10,662 classes and 323,186 pupils.Phase Two will involve level two students in Standard Four, Five and Six operating in two sessions, with implementation expected in 2023.


Jho Low wanted Saudi 'gift letters' kept confidential, ex-banker tells Najib trial

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was today told that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low had wanted four letters from a Saudi Arabian prince purportedly promising donations to Najib Razak kept away from the public.
Joanna Yu Ging Ping, 51, a former relationship manager at AmBank, confirmed the matter when she was shown a transcript of Blackberry Messenger (BBM) messages dated June 23, 2014, by senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram at the former prime minister's corruption and money laundering trial involving RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB.
Based on the conversation, Jho Low purportedly told her that Najib had instructed that the "gift letters" from Prince Faisal Turki Al Saud were not to be made public.
When asked by Sri Ram what she understood from the message, Yu answered that the letters were to confirm that the funds coming into Najib’s account were the result of the alleged Arab donations.
Sri Ram: What was the purpose of the messages?
Yu: That it was supposed to be treated as confidential. Yu also confirmed that whenever Najib’s bank account was overdrawn in funds, she would inform either Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil (the mandate holder) or Jho Low as Najib’s cheques would bounce if there was no money in the account.
She said an individual known as Kee Kok Thiam would then deposit cash into Najib’s account, sometimes amounting to hundreds of thousands, just to ensure that the cheques did not bounce.
When asked if the bank would dishonour the cheques in such a situation, Yu said: "It’s a prime minister’s account, so we would chase for funds... so that the cheques did not bounce."
She also testified that Najib was the sole signatory for the cheques from his account and that Nik Faisal did not have the authority to issue cheques on Najib’s behalf.
Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.


If not for 1MDB, we could have easily paid for vaccines, Zafrul answers critics on use of KWAN

Putrajaya has defended its use of money from the National Trust Fund (KWAN) to procure vaccines against the Covid-19 virus, saying it was left with no choice but to dip into the savings due to the burden of debts left by borrowings related to the 1MDB scandal.Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said the government had inherited more than RM1 trillion in borrowings and liabilities such as those related to 1MDB under the previous Barisan Nasional government.“For example, the 1MDB obligation of RM40 billion is enough to pay the cost of the vaccines eight times over,” he said in response to critics who questioned the move to use money from KWAN to pay for the Covid-19 vaccination programme.“So what is the best option for the government which inherits the burden of repaying the liabilities such as PFI on off-balance sheet, 1MDB, SRC, and so on, which is estimated to exceed RM20 billion a year for the next five years?” he asked, adding that the amount for the 1MDB debt repayment could finance the various economic stimulus packages to cushion the impact of Covid-19, such as Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat and the wage subsidy programme, as well as funding for vaccines.PFI refers to Pembinaan PFI Sdn Bhd, a little-known company owned by the finance ministry, set up in 2006 as a special purpose vehicle to finance developmental projects. It was reported in 2018 that PFI, which had an initial seed fund of RM20 billion from the Employees Provident Fund, had accumulated debts of around RM50 billion.Zafrul said using money from KWAN would prevent the country from slipping into debts that would be borne by future generations.“The government is dutybound to take care of the current generation because if they are affected, there is no assurance that the future generation can reap prosperity.“The government is also committed to replenishing KWAN once the crisis is over and the government’s finances are strong again,” he said.Zafrul said the utilisation of KWAN to fund the purchase of vaccines would see the use of RM5 billion from some RM20 billion accumulated so far.The government recently gazetted amendments allowing the use of funds from KWAN to procure vaccines and other expenses related to the battle against Covid-19.KWAN is a savings fund from the country’s natural resources.Zafrul said currently, KWAN is made up of RM10.4 billion from national oil firm Petronas, as well as another RM9.1 billion in cumulative returns on investments.He said the use of the fund for Covid-19 vaccines was lawful and justified, adding that some RM42 million was once extracted to help finance the Paya Indah Wetlands project in Putrajaya.“I don’t know if that was for an emergency or not,” he added.He said KWAN was established with the goal of benefiting future generations.“We are the future meant when the fund was established,” he said.


Anwar defends ringgit performance

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today defended the ringgit performance, saying its value was still higher than that of other currencies taken against the US dollar.
"Although it has fallen, it is better than it was when we took over," he said in the Dewan Rakyat, replying to a question by Ahmad Amzad Mohamed (PN-Kuala Terengganu).
"Compared to the yen, renminbi or rupiah, the ringgit is still holding up or doing better."
Amzad had asked about Malaysia's fiscal position following the drop in ringgit value.
The currency fell to RM4.52 per US dollar several days ago after rising to RM4.26 in January.
Anwar said that while the strengthening of the dollar did not affect the government's revenue or expenditure, it would have an impact on food-related expenditure, especially the import of seeds and fertiliser.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, added that the focus should be on economic growth, the expansion of the agricultural economy, and the introduction of new taxes to strengthen the country's fiscal position.
The US recently raised its interest rate, causing a rise in the dollar value against other currencies.
Bank Negara Malaysia meanwhile has maintained the overnight policy rate at 2.75%.


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Sarawakians going home for Raya, come what may

When the Sarawak state election was held in December last year, Syamim Arshad did not go home to vote as the price of flight tickets was too expensive.For Syamim, who has worked in Kuala Lumpur for seven years, applying for leave was also a problem.“Initially, I wanted to exercise my responsibility as a voter,” she said. “I was about to purchase a ticket to come home.”But taking leave then would have eaten into her annual quota, leaving her less time to spend with her family during Hari Raya.“Very few have the privilege of long leave,” Syamim said. “The timing was not right.“Sarawakians usually apply for at least a week of leave because we want to spend more time with our family.”Now, with Hari Raya just around the corner, Syamim is determined to do what she must to afford a ticket home to Bintulu this time.With much of the country still struggling to recover from the economic slump triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, this will not be easy. Syamim works two jobs just to make ends meet during normal times, sometimes taking on a third as a Grab driver to generate some extra cash.Her two main jobs give her a total of RM4,500 a month, but expenses easily take up at least half of this amount.She usually spends RM600 on groceries, another RM300 on food at work and RM400 for petrol. Now, though, she has slashed her budget for groceries as the price of essential food items has nearly doubled.“I’m trying not to buy any groceries apart from what I really need,” she told MalaysiaNow in a recent interview.“I have to pay the rent, which costs about RM1,200 a month, plus RM200 for utility and internet bills and RM80 for maintenance fees. Even if I earn RM4,000 a month, it’s not enough.”Already, she is behind on rent as she needs the money to pay her credit card bill.But by hook or crook, she is determined to board a plane back home for Raya.“I must go back to see my parents,” she said. “Because of the pandemic, it has been two years since I have celebrated Hari Raya with my parents.“I miss them so much.”AirfareWhile complaints of airfares soaring during festive seasons are nothing new, Syamim is confident that she will be able to find a flight that will not cost her an arm and a leg.“I checked the prices,” she said. “There are many that are still reasonable.”The cost of a Malaysia Airlines ticket from Kuala Lumpur to Bintulu on April 25, for example, is about RM254.Zarith Sofina, who also works and lives in Kuala Lumpur, said even if flight tickets are overpriced, Sarawakians will still fly home to celebrate the festive season.Zarith is particularly excited about going back to her home town in Kuching this year as she will be bringing her baby with her for the first time.She agrees that a week is the minimum length of leave to take on such occasions.“The price of air tickets is expensive during festive seasons but this has been the case since the beginning,” she told MalaysiaNow.At the moment, a total of 619 flights enter Sarawak on a weekly basis, including international flights from Singapore and Brunei.Sarawak Transport Minister Lee Kim Shin recently said airlines had been requested to offer reasonable fares while Sarawakians in the peninsula should plan their journey ahead of time instead of waiting until the last minute.“This is because most of the airlines use the dynamic pricing mechanism in their revenue management where prices will respond to demand as informed by the Malaysian Aviation Commission.“We trust that airlines will reciprocate to the decision made by the Sarawak disaster management committee in approving more flights into Sarawak and play their pivotal role in facilitating the movement of people and goods at reasonable rates as well as supporting the government initiatives to accelerate the revitalisation of our economy,” he said.


With new name and image, Jasa’s ‘windfall’ budget to be halved

Putrajaya’s Special Affairs Department (Jasa) may see a considerable cut of its controversial RM85.5 million allocation, MalaysiaNow has learnt.Sources have said that Jasa, which has been rebranded as the Department of Community Communications (J-KOM), could see its huge allocation reduced by about RM40 million.When contacted, Zahidi Zainul Abidin, the deputy minister for communications and multimedia under which J-KOM is parked, did not rule out the possibility that the department could have its funding halved.“I am made to understand that minister Saifuddin Abdullah will reduce by half the original allocation announced by the finance minister on Nov 6,” he told MalaysiaNow.Zahidi added that the matter would be announced during the committee stage debate of the 2021 budget which begins on Monday.Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, during his winding-up speech on the budget on Thursday, said there would be a reduction of funds for Jasa but did not state a specific amount.PH never ‘buried’ JasaAnger over Jasa due to lack of info, says ShahidanSaifuddin recently announced that the department’s main task would be to implement strategic communication to promote the new normal in light of Covid-19, with the goal of empowering communities through an emphasis on digitalisation and knowledge.Saifuddin also said that J-KOM would depart from its predecessor in that there would be no more political appointments.The move is seen as part of efforts to shed the department’s origins as a government propaganda arm.Jasa evolved from a unit formed under the information ministry in 1958 – just a year into independence – in the aftermath of the first general election in then-Malaya.But over the last two decades, it became part of the Prime Minister’s Office with critics describing it as a propaganda tool with public funding for the then-ruling coalition Barisan Nasional.The previous Pakatan Harapan government announced that it was dissolving Jasa five months after coming to power in 2018.But earlier this month, MalaysiaNow revealed that Jasa had not been completely dismantled, and that it was officially “kept alive” through its warrant of establishment – the Treasury’s document to authorise changes to salary scale and positions in government departments – which remained active.