'Minister sounding like police', PKR MP slams govt again

A Pakatan Harapan (PH) MP who openly opposed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's move to appoint Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as his deputy has penned another poem, this time training his guns on Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution's defence of a controversial security law allowing the police to detain suspects for up to a month.
Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said the stand by Saifuddin in support of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, or Sosma, was a far cry from the protests by the coalition's leaders.
Hassan added that those who once called Sosma draconian had now been blinded by power.
"At that time, we were just reformers on the streets, homeless.
"It's different now; the world has changed; we are already in power," he said in a poem posted on Facebook.
"We have started talking about detention without trial; even for almost a month is fine; for the sake of national security."
Saifuddin came under attack from rights groups as well as at least two PH politicians after saying that the government had no intention of reviewing Sosma.
He said Sosma was unlike the abolished Internal Security Act as it allowed a person to be detained for "only 28 days", adding that arrests were done on "reliable intelligence and evidence".
Earlier, DAP's Gobind Singh Deo said the remarks were against PH's stand to abolish Sosma, while former PKR MP Maria Chin Abdullah, who was once detained under the same law, reminded Saifuddin that the act had been used against political opponents despite claims that it was to fight terrorism.
Hassan in his post said that Saifuddin was sounding like the police.
"But I who write this poem; is said to be shooting myself in the foot," he added.
Early this month, Hassan urged Anwar to stick to his principles after the PH chairman named Zahid as a deputy prime minister despite the Umno president facing multiple corruption charges.
"Yesterday I could still hear, you said we would not trade principles for power, so I believed," he wrote.
"Now I'm ashamed of myself, I am ashamed to say those sacred words again.
"Half of my soul is dead, I feel defeat in a victory such as this that is bereft of integrity."


Sorry.


The colours of Ismail: From student leader to second pandemic prime minister

If there existed a list of people most likely to become prime minister one day, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, like Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who served from 2003 to 2009, might not be on it.And unlike Abdullah, who took over a post occupied for 22 years by someone whose rule was marked with progress and regress alike, Ismail will be taking over from someone who had barely warmed his seat before being forced to step down, interrupting the huge task of bringing the country out of a massive Covid-19 crisis.But despite the short tenure of his predecessor, Ismail, 61, has a hard act to follow. He will now get a taste of what it’s like being in the hot seat in the midst of a pandemic.Not much is known about the man who takes his oath of office today to continue the Perikatan Nasional government after its temporary fall from power.Ismail Sabri Yaakob as senior minister in charge of the defence portfolio gives the thumbs up sign after inspecting Malaysia’s first armoured vehicle, the Tarantula HMAV 4X4, at Kem Perdana Sungai Besi in Kuala Lumpur.But already, his appointment marks several firsts. For one, he is the fastest deputy prime minister to rise to power. He is also the only former opposition leader in Parliament to become prime minister.Three years ago, he was the rural and regional minister – hardly the usual post of influence on the route to prime ministership. And perhaps with the exception of Tunku Abdul Rahman, he is the only prime minister never to have held the education portfolio.But who is Ismail Sabri Yaakob?Campus activismThe Temerloh boy, whose parents migrated from Kelantan, has a colourful past not unlike the sometimes blinding shirts he wears during official appearances.Temerloh is the birthplace of many activists, mostly from the left, and Ismail is no exception.His involvement in the student activism of the early 1980s is not widely known.Kamarazaman Yacob.As a law student at Universiti Malaya, once the bastion of radical student activists, Ismail was active in PMUM, the university’s vocal undergraduates association of which he became president in 1982.His elder brother, Kamarazaman Yacob, was among the stalwarts of PMUM in the 1970s as well as a member of UM’s Socialist Club. He championed issues such as poverty alongside other prominent student leaders of that time including Hishamuddin Rais, Yunus Ali, Adi Satria and Hassan Karim.The peak of campus activism in Malaysia was marked by nationwide protests during the time of second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, culminating in the Baling demonstration in December 1974 where students took up the cause of farmers in Baling, Kedah.The authorities had then hauled up student activists, including Kamarazaman and Adi, detaining them under the Internal Security Act (ISA).Former activist Hishamuddin, now 70, views Ismail’s appointment as a sign that the Umno leadership is undergoing a generational change.“In terms of age, Ismail is considered young compared to the others,” the former ISA detainee, who for decades lived a life of exile, told MalaysiaNow.Hishamuddin Rais.Hishamuddin added that Ismail, unlike most others who had led Malaysia, does not come from an elite family.He said Ismail was not only exposed to his brother’s political understanding but also grew up in Lubuk Kawah and Temerloh, two places in Pahang which he said are known as “breeding grounds” for the Malay nationalist struggle.“He knows the history of Umno. He is aware of it,” said Hishamuddin, who as an exile in London had met Ismail when the latter was the political secretary to Sabbaruddin Chik, a prominent Umno leader and a former Temerloh MP who served in Mahathir’s Cabinet.Challenging futureOne close associate who did not wish to be named said people around Ismail would often grow “tired” of him, and had even turned against him.“Two of his aides contested against him in Umno elections,” he said.A young Ismail Sabri Yaakob (circled).As a result, he added, Ismail has been careful about the people with whom he chooses to surround himself.“Too careful, in fact – he sometimes ends up choosing the wrong people as his close friends. But that’s true of any politician,” he said.For now, Ismail’s greatest challenge will be managing an administration tasked with navigating the country out of the pandemic while at the same time walking a fine line between friends and enemies.Ismail Sabri Yaakob announcing the support of 31 MPs from Barisan Nasional for Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 6.His every move will be closely watched.And he is under no illusion that he is politically safe just because he has the majority support of MPs.After all, the manner in which his predecessor was ousted – marked by months of plotting and scheming by the same people who gave him the numbers – is still fresh in memory.Additional reporting by Aliff Fikri.


Now, states look to amend laws to prevent reps from switching camps

Several states are likely to amend their constitutions to prevent assemblymen from switching camps following the passing of the anti-party hopping bill in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Melaka and Penang have already announced that they are ready to amend their state constitutions to bring the provisions in line with the changes at the federal level.
Melaka Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali said the implementation of the anti-party hopping law was part of the Barisan Nasional (BN) manifesto in the Melaka state election last November.
"I support the bill (on anti-party hopping). It has been settled in Parliament, we will wait for it to be presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"There is a time frame given to states to make similar amendments," he told reporters after opening the state-level National Youth Consultative Council meeting in Melaka today. In George Town, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said Penang would also amend its state constitution to bar state assemblymen from switching parties.
Chow said he had directed the state legal adviser to look into the matter.
Penang will hold a special state assembly sitting in September to table amendments to the state constitution to provide for this, he told reporters today.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 on Provisions Prohibiting Members of Parliament from Switching Parties was approved by a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat.
Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun said 209 MPs supported the bill while 11 MPs were absent during the bloc vote.
In Kuching, Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Office (Sarawak Corporate Affairs and Public Communication Unit) Abdullah Saidol said the top leaderships of political parties in the state would discuss the possible adoption of similar laws.
Abdullah said in principle he supported the implementation of anti-party hopping laws for state assemblymen in Sarawak but that a study had to be conducted first.
"If our leaders have made a final decision on all aspects of the amendments required, we can bring the matter to the state legislative assembly.
“Maybe (it can be tabled) at the state assembly sitting to be held this November,” he told reporters today.


Hong Kong parents rush to vaccinate children as Covid surges

Hong Kong parents rushed children as young as 3 years old to vaccination centres this week as the government lowered the age limit for the shots and the deaths of two toddlers exacerbated concerns in a city struggling to cope with a Covid-19 surge.The government approved children 3 and older to take China’s Sinovac vaccine from Feb 15, while those 5 and older can take the BioNTech shot.The measures come as the Chinese territory has recorded a 60-fold surge in infections since Feb 1, overwhelming the global financial centre’s hospitals and testing facilities.A 3-year-old and 4-year-old, both diagnosed with coronavirus, died in the past week. Authorities said they were “saddened” by the deaths and would offer assistance to the children’s’ families.At a vaccination centre in the northern New Territories district on Friday, long queues formed early in the morning, with parents and children braving wet and windy weather before being allowed inside for vaccinations.Dozens of children were bundled up in jackets, some clutching their parents as they stood in line. All wore masks, while some also had plastic face shields.“I was extremely worried when I heard the news that a 3-year old and 4-year-old had died. So I immediately made an appointment,” Yoki Tsang, who has two boys aged three and five.“It’s heartbreaking to hear the child passed away like this,” she said as she waited with her three-year-old outside the centre.The rush to get children vaccinated comes as the city’s hospitals are overflowing, with elderly and children on beds in cold and rainy parking lots. Isolation facilities are full, while thousands queue for hours outside testing venues.China’s president, Xi Jinping, this week told Hong Kong’s leaders to control the outbreak as its top priority, with the mainland ramping up to help Hong Kong with testing and building of isolation facilities.Hong Kong reported 3,629 new daily COVID-19 infections on Friday, with an additional 7,600 preliminary positive cases, authorities said.The city has recorded over 40,000 infections and around 240 deaths since the pandemic started, far fewer than in other major cities. However daily infections are expected to approach 30,000 by the end of March, experts said.Although 85% of the city’s 7.4 million residents have received at least one vaccine dose, about 60% of residents older than 80 remain unvaccinated. About 12% of children ages 3-11 have received a vaccine, government data showed.Health authorities have identified the elderly and young children as high risk, encouraging vaccinations.Some parents have pushed for their children to be isolated at home rather than sent to a hospital or a government quarantine facility because of the difficulty of caring for them and the emotional toll from being separated.Infants and toddlers have during the past two years been separated from their parents after being infected, resulting in a harrowing and traumatic experience, some residents said. The government has since said a parent is allowed to accompany their children.Joe Wong, 41, said he used to worry about vaccinating his 6-year-old daughter, but changed his mind.“We are all worried that something will happen to her,” he said. “I hope she will have more protection after getting vaccinated.”


Up to 10,000 fans allowed at Tokyo Olympics events

Up to 10,000 fans will be allowed at Tokyo Olympic events, organisers said Monday, warning competition could move behind closed doors if infections surge.The decision, just weeks before the opening ceremony, ends months of speculation about whether spectators will be allowed at the pandemic-postponed Games. Overseas fans were banned in March.“In light of the government’s restrictions on public events, the spectator limit for the Olympic Games will be set at 50% of venue capacity, up to a maximum of 10,000 people in all venues,” organisers said in a statement.A decision on spectators at the Paralympics will be delayed until July 16, a week before the Olympics open.And officials left open the possibility of a reversal if the virus rebounds.“If there should be major dramatic change in the infection situation, we may need to revisit this matter amongst ourselves and we may need to consider the option of having no spectators in the venues,” Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said.Senior medical experts, including top advisers to the government, have said that holding the Games behind closed doors would be “ideal” from a health perspective.They fear crowds of fans could fuel a new surge in infections in a country still racing to vaccinate its residents.The decision was announced after five-way talks between Tokyo 2020 organisers and officials from Japan’s government, the Tokyo government, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee.Speaking before the meeting, IOC chief Thomas Bach said he was “absolutely sure that it will be a decision to best protect the Japanese people and all participants”.Opposition softening?Tokyo 2020 had already reportedly scrapped plans to sell more tickets, and may now face the prospect of organising lotteries among existing holders for the right to attend events.Before the Games was postponed last year, organisers had sold around 4.45 million Olympic tickets and nearly a million Paralympic tickets in Japan.In December, organisers said they would be refunding 18% of Olympic tickets bought domestically and 21% for the Paralympics.That is still likely to leave many events with more tickets sold than seats available.Japan has seen a comparatively small virus outbreak, with nearly 14,500 deaths, despite avoiding the harsh lockdowns seen elsewhere.But the vaccine rollout has been slower than in many developed countries, only picking up speed in recent days. Around 6.5% of the population is now fully vaccinated.Organisers also face a sceptical public. Polls have regularly shown most Japanese would prefer to see the Games delayed further or cancelled altogether.Recent surveys suggest a softening of opposition, with more in favour of holding the Games than cancelling it – if postponement is not offered as an option.A survey published Monday found around a third of respondents want the Games to happen, up from 14% last month, though a majority still prefer further delay or cancellation.Organisers say strict rules will keep both athletes and the public safe, and Bach said Monday that “well over” 80% of people staying in the Olympic Village will be vaccinated.Athletes will be barred from contact with the public and risk being kicked out of the Games if they violate rules including mask-wearing and daily virus tests.In a taste of the complexities ahead, a member of Uganda’s Olympic team tested positive on arrival in Japan on Saturday.The team was reportedly all vaccinated and would have had to test negative before travel to Japan.


Prasarana chairman says CEO out to get him over internal probe

Prasarana Malaysia chairman Tajuddin Abdul Rahman today accused the company’s CEO Muhammad Nizam Alias of launching an attack against him using the media, following an internal investigation on him for insubordination.“It is unprofessional for him to air dirty linen in public,” Tajuddin told a press conference today, hours after officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) raided the company’s office.At the press conference, Tajuddin refused to divulge details of the probe on Nizam, but an officer said it was “HR-related” and not criminal, adding that he has been suspended with pay.This follows MACC’s confirmation that it has launched an investigation into Prasarana.MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said the probe is related to several media reports as well as those it received on the company, but declined to give further details.It is understood that Nizam had refused to abide by an instruction by Tajuddin to investigate Prasarana’s agreement with MRCB George Kent Sdn Bhd, leading to his suspension for insubordination.Tajuddin today said he viewed the agreement with MRCB George Kent as one-sided.“When it is not fair, how can I as the chairman of Prasarana keep quiet? I must look into it, I must enquire,” he said, adding that he could expose many past deals including one where Prasarana lost some RM500 million in Saudi Arabia.Tajuddin said he was accused of interfering in the award of the project to MRCB George Kent.He also denied that Prasarana had refused to pay contractors, saying some RM3.468 billion was paid to MRCB George Kent up to October.“It’s not a small sum of money,” he said, in response to claims that the company had not paid its contractors.Tajuddin said Prasarana has to exercise prudence as it does not have a huge capital, adding that much of it goes to the operation of its train network.“We cannot afford to see any interruption in the train services,” he added.Tajuddin meanwhile criticised a report by The Edge that he had been “exerting his authority” in Prasarana.“I want to make it clear, as a chairman, whether executive or non-executive, I am responsible on behalf of the board,” he said.He added that he was just trying to be more accountable as the chairman of a public company.Last month, The Edge reported that Tajuddin wanted to terminate the contract of two companies awarded with constructing Latitud 8, a mixed development on land owned by Prasarana.One of the companies is controlled by his family members: his wife, a son and a daughter.Any move to terminate the contract would mean the company being paid tens of millions of ringgit in compensation.Tajuddin, who was appointed as Prasarana chairman in May last year, said the contract for the Latitud 8 project was awarded to Intan Sekitar Sdn Bhd in 2012 through open tender.Intan Sekitar is 51%-owned by Crest Builder Holdings Sdn Bhd, and 49%-owned by Detik Utuh.Among Detik Utuh’s shareholders is Tindakan Juara, a company controlled by his family members.“Effectively, Tindakan Juara’s interest in the project is only 20%,” he said.He said Prasarana board members had discussed the failure of the project to take off due to the current property market.He said the company also considered moving its headquarters from Subang to the city centre.“Was it wrong for me to propose?” he asked.He added that there was no proposal made to terminate the contractors which would mean them getting RM80 million in compensation.


US warns Russia could attack Ukraine ‘any day’

The US dramatically raised the alarm Friday over Ukraine, warning that a Russian invasion starting with civilians caught under aerial bombing could begin in days and telling US citizens to leave within 48 hours.An attack by the more than 100,000 Russian troops currently massed next to Ukraine “could occur any day now,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters in Washington.Dismissing speculation that the Kremlin would never trigger the crisis while the Beijing Olympics were still underway in close Russian ally China, Sullivan said such an attack “could occur” before the Games end on Feb 20.The scenario of an imminent attack is “a very, very distinct possibility,” Sullivan said.While stressing that it was not yet known whether President Vladimir Putin had taken a decision, saying “we can’t predict the exact determination,” Sullivan made clear that the US was bracing for the worst, including a “rapid assault” on the capital Kyiv.“If a Russian attack on Ukraine proceeds, it is likely to begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians,” he said. “Any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible, and in any event in the next 24 to 48 hours.”Sullivan spoke shortly after President Joe Biden and six European leaders, the heads of Nato and the European Union held talks on the worst crisis between the West and Russia since the end of the Cold War.A US official said Biden would speak with Putin on Saturday, while the French government said that President Emmanuel Macron would also be calling the Russian leader on Saturday.Underlining the bleak outlook, a string of countries joined the exodus of diplomats and citizens from Ukraine, while oil prices surged and US equities tumbled.Western, Nato unitySullivan repeated warnings that Russia risks severe Western sanctions and said that Nato, which Putin wants to push back from eastern Europe, is now “more cohesive, more purposeful, more dynamic than any time in recent memory.”The Pentagon announced it was sending 3,000 more troops to bolster ally Poland.And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in a phone call “that Ukraine continues to have the US’ enduring and steadfast support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the State Department said.Following the earlier group phone call between US and European leaders, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s spokesman said “the aim is to prevent a war in Europe.” But if Moscow fails to pull back, “the allies are determined to jointly take swift and deep sanctions against Russia.”These sanctions would target the financial and energy sectors, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said.Russia surrounding UkraineRussian naval forces and troops, including units brought in from all over the vast country, now surround Ukraine to the south, east and north.Russia, which denies any plan to attack Ukraine, already controls the Crimea territory seized in 2014 and supports separatist forces controlling Ukraine’s Donbass region in the east.The Kremlin says its goal is to get Nato to agree to never give Ukraine membership and also to withdraw from eastern European countries already in the alliance, effectively carving Europe into Cold War-style spheres of influence. The US and its European allies reject the demands, insisting that NATO poses no threat to Russia.Adding to tensions, large-scale Russian military drills were underway Friday with authoritarian ally Belarus, which lies just north of Kyiv and also borders the European Union.Russia’s defence ministry said Friday it was also holding military exercises near Ukraine’s border in the Black Sea.According to the head of Norway’s military intelligence service, Russia is operationally ready to conduct a wide range of military operations in Ukraine and the Kremlin just needs to make the call.The top US general and his Russian counterpart talked Friday by phone, the Pentagon said, giving no details of the discussion.And the European Union said its non-essential staff should leave Ukraine, while Israel said families of its diplomats were being pulled out. Norway joined Britain in telling its nationals to leave.Shuttle diplomacyThe growing alarm comes despite efforts at shuttle diplomacy by European officials.Macron visited both Moscow and Kyiv earlier this week and Scholz is expected to do the same in the coming days. Scholz will also hold his first in-person meeting with Putin in Moscow.British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was in Moscow Friday for rare talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu.He was accompanied by the UK’s Chief of Defence Staff Tony Radakin, and the pair will also meet Russia’s top army general Valery Gerasimov.Wallace’s visit comes a day after Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow for talks ending in public recriminations.There was also disappointment after a separate meeting between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, under the mediation of Germany and France. Sources described the meeting as “difficult.”


BBQ fan in Sydney sparks Covid mystery outbreak and restrictions

A barbecue enthusiast who went on a city-wide search for grilling supplies while infected with Covid-19 has triggered new restrictions in Sydney, which is now battling new cases after a month without local transmission.Health authorities are mystified as to how the man, who is in his 50s, and his wife became infected. Neither of them is a border or quarantine worker or had recently returned from overseas.The unnamed man crisscrossed the city while infectious, visiting four barbecue stores miles apart, and a butcher shop. He ate at several restaurants and saw a movie at a local cinema.People who came into contact with him, including the state’s treasury chief, have been asked to self-quarantine and get tested.“We know for a fact there’s at least one person, if not more, walking around with the virus, not knowing they have it,” Gladys Berejiklian, the premier of New South Wales, said on Thursday as she announced three days of restrictions in the Sydney area.Restrictions were eased a few months ago for Sydney residents, allowing them to go back to football games, dance, drink and sing mask-free.Now however, the old restrictions are back. From Thursday evening, residents of Sydney and nearby areas can’t have more than 20 people in their homes. Masks are compulsory on public transportation and in indoor spaces. Singing indoors, including in churches, is banned again, along with dancing in clubs. In pubs, drinkers must be seated.Lab results have shown the sequence from the Sydney man’s case matched that of a traveller from the US who caught the virus in hotel quarantine in April. Tracers haven’t been able to establish a link between the two, however, raising concerns there may be more undetected cases.In addition, authorities asked thousands of residents to seek testing for any mild symptoms after fragments of the coronavirus were detected in sewage in several Sydney suburbs.Mystery outbreaks are especially troubling for authorities because of the virus’s resilience and ability to spread with no clear source.When the virus reappeared in New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland, in August after three months, it spread to more than 100 cases. The source of the outbreak was never determined.In response to the new Sydney cases, New Zealand said it would pause quarantine-free travel with New South Wales for 48 hours. Australia and New Zealand launched their travel bubble just last month.While Australia successfully beat the virus due to draconian curbs, its vaccine rollout has been plagued by delays. Far fewer residents have been inoculated, proportionally, compared with the US and Britain.


Water level readings above danger mark in 6 states

Fifteen stations under the Department of Irrigation and Drainage have recorded water level readings above the danger mark, in Sarawak, Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor.
This is based on data shared by the department on its official website publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my as of 10.45am today.
Selangor recorded the most stations with Sungai Semenyih in Pekan Bangi Lama, Hulu Langat; Sungai Binjai in Pekan Meru, Klang; Sungai Klang in Taman Sri Muda, Klang; and Sungai Rasau in Taman Desa Kemuning. Klang.
Also on the list were Sungai Langat in Bukit Changgang, Kuala Langat; Sungai Labu in Kampung Salak Tinggi, Sepang; Sungai Langat in Dengkil, Sepang; and Sungai Langat in Jenderam Hilir, Sepang.
Long Jegan, Long Teru, and Marudi, in Miri, Sarawak were also listed, as well as Sungai Serting at the Padang Gudang bridge in Bera, Pahang; Sungai Lenik in Ladang Chaah, Segamat, in Johor; Sungai Linggi in Pekan Linggi, Port Dickson in Negeri Sembilan; and Sungai Melaka in Melaka Pindah, Alor Gajah.
The department, in a Facebook post, advised the public to remain vigilant about the current weather conditions
The latest on flood warnings and forecasts, as well as updates on river water levels, can be obtained at publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my or the Public infobanjir Twitter account.


Scotland becomes first country to make period products free

Scotland made history this week, becoming the first country in the world to provide period products to all women for free.The Scottish Parliament unanimously passed the necessary legislation on Tuesday. The government will now set up a nationwide programme to “allow anyone who needs period products to get them free of charge”.Schools, colleges and universities must make period products available for free in bathrooms, and the Scottish government will now have the power to “make other public bodies provide period products for free”, according to the legislation.Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, wrote on Twitter after the bill passed that she was “proud to vote for this ground-breaking legislation”, which she heralded as an “important policy for women and girls”.Member of the Scottish Parliament Monica Lennon, sponsor of the new law, tweeted that the passing of the law is, “A proud day for Scotland and a signal to the world that free universal access to period products can be achieved.”Period poverty, when people cannot afford even the most basic period supplies like pads and tampons, is an issue that affects women and girls around the world, reports the Independent.The taboo around menstruation and the lack of access to menstrual products hurts women economically because it costs them money for products and may keep them away from jobs and school, advocates say. It also sets women back mentally in societies where something that happens to them naturally is demeaned or even not discussed.“Most of us have been conditioned for all of our lives to not talk about menstruation,” said Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, a lawyer and author of “Periods Gone Public”. “And the things that keep us potentially from succeeding are often the things that happen to be what we don’t talk about in polite society.”At least half a billion women and girls globally lack facilities for managing their periods, according to a 2015 report from the World Health Organization and Unicef.


Orang Asli still doubtful about Covid-19 jabs

The Department of Orang Asli Development (Jakoa) says it is joining forces with the health ministry to raise awareness about the national inoculation programme within the Orang Asli community, adding that doubts remain among them about the efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccine.“I encourage them not to be afraid, but to have faith in the government’s efforts to save, not to destroy,” Jakoa director Juli Edo told MalaysiaNow.He added that there have been positive cases among members of the community, although these are isolated.It was previously reported that a couple from the Temiar community had disappeared during a screening for Covid-19 at Hospital Sultan Ismail Petra in Kuala Krai, Kelantan, after leaving their 25-day-old infant who had tested positive for the virus.They were later arrested by the police near Kampung Sungai Sam in Kuala Krai.Juli said Jakoa would introduce a more practical method to encourage the Orang Asli in the interior to accept and register for the vaccination.He said the department would also identify individuals from the community to help the health ministry in its screening process.“The focus right now is to raise awareness and encourage them to register for MySejahtera,” he said.“For those who are without access to smartphones or internet connection because they live in rural areas, we will try to develop other methods to ensure they can register.”The vaccination schedule for the Orang Asli has yet to be released by the government.However, Juli said Jakoa has prepared preliminary statistics in an effort to ensure that no one in the community is left behind.Mobile clinics for Orang AsliIn the meantime, Juli welcomed the ministry’s effort to introduce mobile clinics as an approach to vaccinating the Orang Asli community.He said the effort would accomplish the programme’s objectives as well as curb further outbreak of the virus.“As I mentioned, we are optimistic about making sure the community’s health is taken care of by working together with the related organisations,” he said.Last week, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said his ministry would focus on the Orang Asli community to ensure they are not neglected in the vaccination programme.He said this would be achieved through collaboration with community leaders and NGOs.“The first thing is to make sure they are registered under the ministry before the district health units vaccinate them.”Around 600 clinics are slated to be involved in the national vaccination programme, which began in February.


‘Is it because I’m Muslim?’ Teacher applies for 200 jobs but can’t get permanent work

Primary school teacher Mazlinah Mohamad Noor never thought she would struggle to find work when she moved to Wellington in 2017 – especially when New Zealand is facing a teacher shortage.But after applying for more than 200 teaching jobs, Mazlinah, 55, has had little interest from employers and managed to only get five interviews and no offer of a permanent job.Believing something wasn’t right, her husband David Blocksidge, 68, got her to ask schools for the reasons she was not shortlisted – and concluded the responses show “a toxic mix of institutional bias, Islamophobia and unconscious bias”.Mazlinah, who wears a hijab, said at one school the interviewer rolled her eyes when she walked in.“I felt I was already being judged by my name and what I wear,” she said.Originally from Singapore, Mazlinah taught primary school students for nearly 20 years before moving to Auckland at a time of reported teacher shortages in 2009.She holds teaching certificates from Singapore and Japan, and a BA in English language and literature from the UK. She has several New Zealand teaching certificates and is a registered teacher there.Despite her background and the teacher shortage, the only full-time work she has managed to get was at the Al-Madinah School, a state-integrated Islamic school in Auckland where she worked from 2010 until she moved to Wellington in 2017.One school told Mazlinah she was not successful because the one who got the job “had a good knowledge of students with learning difficulties”, although her CV stated clearly that she also had this experience.Her husband said, “I began keeping records of her applications and rejections when I started to see a pattern emerging. You can’t statistically apply for that many jobs, and not even get interviews,” Blocksidge said. “Clearly there is widespread bias and Islamophobia, but it’s virtually impossible to prove.”Mazlinah, a New Zealand citizen since 2015, is getting by with jobs on fixed-term contracts, having had four so far and starting a fifth.She believes one of the biggest obstacles is her Muslim name.“I’ve tried changing my name in applications to Mazlinah Blocksidge,” she said, but her Muslim name is still on her teaching certificates.“I feel disappointed naturally. My confidence is hit, and I ask myself ‘What’s wrong with me?’.”Auckland University of Technology professor of diversity Edwina Pio said despite the increasing influx of faith-based individuals, some faced “myriad challenges” when seeking employment.“While my research has shown that many Muslims have found no problem in accessing work, there remain some who bear the brunt of Islamophobia,” she said.She argues that with the rapidly changing demographic profile of New Zealand, organisations must be agile in how they perceive migrants who openly practice their faith “to reap the rich harvest of wonderful skills, qualifications and innovation” these individuals have.A 20-year longitudinal New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study recently indicated that Muslims experienced higher levels of prejudice than other ethnic groups, and lower levels of “warmth”.


Influencers overtaking journalists as news source, says report

TikTok influencers and celebrities are increasingly taking over from journalists as the main source of news for young people, according to a report published Wednesday by the Britain-based Reuters Institute.
The report found that 55% of TikTok and Snapchat users and 52% of Instagram users get their news from "personalities" – compared to 33-42% who get it from mainstream media and journalists on those platforms, which are most popular among the young.
The figures were based on interviews with some 94,000 people across 46 countries, conducted for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, part of Britain's University of Oxford.
"While mainstream journalists often lead conversations around news in Twitter and Facebook, they struggle to get attention in newer networks like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok," the report said.
Lead author Nic Newman highlighted people like Britain's Matt Welland, who discusses current affairs and daily life on TikTok for his 2.8 million subscribers.
"Or it could be a celebrity like a footballer talking about a topical news event," he told AFP, such as footballer Marcus Rashford's 2020 campaign to get free school meals for children from poor families.
For young people, "news" is not just the traditional focus on politics and international relations, but "anything new that is happening in any walk of life: sports, entertainment, celebrity gossip, current affairs, culture, arts, technology..." he added.
'Fundamental change'
Facebook remains the leading source of news among social networks worldwide, but its influence is dropping, with 28% saying they use it to get news, compared with 42% in 2016.
This likely reflects Facebook's shift away from news-sharing towards a focus on friends and family, as well as young people's preference for more video-based apps like TikTok and YouTube.
TikTok now reaches 44% of 18-24-year-olds, and 20% get their news from the app, up 5% on last year.
The biggest challenge for traditional news outlets is the falling number who go direct to their websites – just 22%, down 10 points since 2018 – rather than relying on social media links.
In his foreword, Reuters Institute director Rasmus Kleis Nielsen said this shift presented "a much more fundamental change" for the news industry than even the shift from paper to digital a generation ago.
"Legacy media... now face a continual transformation of digital as generations come of age who eschew direct discovery for all but the most appealing brands, (and) have little interest in many conventional news offers oriented towards older generations' habits, interests, and values," he said.
These new audiences are aware of the risks of relying on algorithms, with only 30% thinking this is a good way to get a balanced diet of news – but that is still considered better than relying on journalists, who scored just 27%.
None of this is good news for media firms reliant on subscribers and ad revenue.
The report found that 39% of subscribers had cancelled or renegotiated subscriptions, though the overall share of people paying for news across 20 countries surveyed remained stable compared with last year at 17%.


Health ministry to submit proposal on SOPs for border reopening soon

The health ministry is expected to submit its proposal on the SOPs for the reopening of the country’s borders to the Cabinet soon.International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said the matter was being studied carefully with the health ministry closely monitoring the country’s Covid-19 situation.He said as Covid-19 cases, especially those involving the Omicron variant, were still high, the decision to reopen international borders must be carefully studied.“The health ministry is looking into it and will submit its proposal to the Cabinet very soon,” he told reporters after attending an event in Johor Bahru yesterday.He said the National Recovery Council chaired by Muhyiddin Yassin had proposed that the government consider reopening Malaysia’s borders in view of the country’s excellent vaccination rate.“According to the Nikkei Recovery Index report, Malaysia has one of the best recovery programmes, with everything running smoothly.“And so we feel that with new and tighter SOPs, the government can consider this (reopening international borders),” he said.He also said discussions on reopening Malaysia’s border with Singapore were centred on the Vaccinated Travel Lane with the permitted quota to be reviewed from time to time.“We will look into whether we can increase the numbers as Malaysia and Singapore share important economic ties.“From discussions with the Chamber of Commerce here, they have asked the government to review (restrictions) as business travel is important for Johor to regenerate its economy,” he added.


1MDB trial postponed as Najib under quarantine

Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial will resume on Oct 19 as the former prime minister is undergoing the two-week home quarantine after his return from Sabah where he had campaigned for the state election last month.Lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah applied for the trial to be adjourned during case management before High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah today.“My client tested negative on Sept 27 but it was guided by the minister of defence, Ismail Sabri Yaakob.“In his social media posting, the minister said if you are positive, you should go to the hospital. However, if you are tested negative, but you were in close contact or exposed to the people who were infected, you are to adhere to the 14-day home surveillance order,” he said.Shafee added that Najib had also taken an immune-boosting regime on Oct 3.“He should be able to attend normal programmes on the 15th,” he said.Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustafa P Kunyalam raised no objection to the request for postponement, and Sequerah allowed the application.“In light of the current situation, it is a bit of a risk. Normally in 13 days, the symptoms can manifest. I supposed I accept the request (to adjourn the trial). The trial is vacated from Monday to Thursday and we will resume on Oct 19,” he said.Najib, 67, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.


Trump’s drive-by ‘insanity’ criticised by top doctor

US President Donald Trump made a brief drive-by to wave to cheering well-wishers outside Walter Reed Medical Center on Sunday.The president is still contagious for Covid-19 and his joyride in the armoured Chevrolet Suburban has been described as “insanity” by Dr James Phillips, an attending physician at the hospital.He tweeted, “That presidential SUV is not only bulletproof, but hermetically sealed against chemical attack. The risk of Covid-19 transmission inside is as high as it gets outside of medical procedures. The irresponsibility is astounding. My thoughts are with the Secret Service forced to play.“Every single person in the vehicle during that completely unnecessary presidential ‘drive-by’ just now has to be quarantined for 14 days. They might get sick. They may die. For political theater. Commanded by Trump to put their lives at risk for theater. This is insanity.”Moments before, Trump had released a video in which he promised “to pay a little surprise to some of the great patriots that we have out on the street”.According to Sky News, the crowd “went wild” as the president was driven by them, turned around and came back again to go back inside the hospital.Trump’s medical team has said if his condition improves, he could be allowed to go home to the White House on Monday and continue his treatment there.


77.5% of adults fully vaccinated

A total of 18,135,561 individuals or 77.5% of the adult population had been fully vaccinated as of yesterday.Another 21,861,904 or 92.9% of adults had received at least one dose of vaccine.In terms of total population, 55.5% are fully vaccinated while 66.9% have received at least one dose, including of the single-dose CanSino vaccine.A total of 238,002 doses were administered yesterday, of which 162,016 were first doses.A total of 39,923,416 doses have been administered so far under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.


Dentist dreams of serving country but struggles for daughter’s citizenship

Each day, Dr Jennifer Yap faces a mountain of challenges at the government hospital where she works as a dentist.There, she treats hundreds of patients, each with their own problems and ailments.But the stress of work is nothing compared to what she and her husband are going through in their struggle to get citizenship for their young daughter waiting at home.Yap met her husband, a Taiwanese, in 2009 while she was studying at the Taipei Medical University. They tied the knot in 2011.In November 2017, Yap completed the National Orthodontic Board Specialist exam in Taiwan. She gave birth to her daughter eight days later.Due to the tight window between her exam date and due date, she was unable to return to Malaysia to give birth.Her troubles began shortly afterwards, when the Malaysian embassy in Taiwan told her that it was impossible to register her child as a citizen of Malaysia.Yap was taken aback by the news but resolved to keep trying.Today, some five years later, the struggle continues.“Every time I get a response from the government, the answer is the same: no decision,” Yap told MalaysiaNow.“I find this truly disappointing after everything I have done for the country. It cannot accept my child just because I married a foreigner.”Under the Federal Constitution, children born overseas to Malaysian men are automatically granted Malaysian citizenship. Children born to Malaysian women married to foreigners, however, must apply for citizenship.The Kuala Lumpur High Court previously ruled that children born overseas to Malaysian women should be granted automatic citizenship as well. However, the government through the home ministry and National Registration Department director-general filed an appeal against the decision.A decision will be made by the Court of Appeal on June 22.EczemaTan is also concerned about her child who has suffered since birth from a serious form of eczema.Because of this, she decided to return to Malaysia in 2018, to seek treatment for her daughter with the help of her sister who is also a medical doctor.Returning home at that point meant that her degree was not yet recognised by the country, and Tan was forced to start all over again from the bottom rung.Nevertheless, she carries out her duties each day with no sense of regret for her decision.After the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country, Tan became one of thousands of frontliners who faced the dangers of the virus on a daily basis.But even before the possibility of a vaccine entered the picture, Tan was undaunted by the burden of her work.“What exhausted me and broke my heart was the knowledge that my daughter was not a citizen like me,” she said.In order for her daughter to remain in the country legally, Tan makes regular trips to and from the immigration department to renew the child’s social visa.She does all of this alone as her husband is still working as a medical officer in Taiwan.Sometimes, the process also interferes with her work at the hospital, taking up valuable hours of her time.While Tan was ready and willing to give everything she had to the country during its time of need, she cannot help but feel a sense of injustice when she considers the fact that her daughter is treated as a foreigner simply because she couldn’t be born in the country.As a mother, this is her only desire.“Without citizenship, my daughter will have next to no chance to enrol in a government school, and she will be charged a different set of fees at public hospitals,” she said.“If, for whatever reason, her social visitor’s pass is not renewed by the immigration, I might have to leave the country together with her and end my contract of service as a dentist under the health ministry.”This is the last thing she wants, as she had always dreamt of becoming a certified doctor who could give back to her country.“I turned down the offer of a position which paid far more in Taiwan, and I am here, far from my husband in Taiwan, all because I want to serve my country,” she said.“I just want justice and protection for my child.”


Latest EPF withdrawal can help people improve livelihoods, settle debts, say Umno leaders

Umno leaders say the decision to allow Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors to make a special withdrawal of RM10,000 from their accounts as announced yesterday will enable those impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic to settle their outstanding commitments.Most of the Umno members who supported the move said the withdrawal would also help improve the people’s livelihoods and stimulate the local economy, especially for petty traders.Supreme Council member Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the affected contributors could replenish their retirement savings in the EPF once the country’s economy picked up.“Surely many like this, but there will also be some who won’t have the opportunity or be eligible to withdraw the money. The people are very much in need of it now,” he told Bernama.Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan meanwhile described the announcement as timely, saying many people were in need of it.He said whether contributors with savings exceeding RM10,000 want to withdraw the sum or not is up them.“What’s important is that when they withdraw (their savings), they can use it to top up their business capital, settle debts and for their own and their family’s commitments. They can use the withdrawal for so many things,” he said.Meanwhile, Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the announcement should not be viewed as a political move, but for the benefit of those in need.“They (the people) still have substantial savings in the EPF and need this amount to settle their outstanding commitments and debts. That’s why what was announced will bring huge relief to the people.“I believe that, judging from the trend today, many (people) are thankful to the government. For me, it’s never too late… the most important thing for me is the positives, it shows that we are not politicising this issue,” he said.Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday that the government had decided to allow EPF contributors to make a special withdrawal of RM10,000 to ease the burden of those who are still impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.Ismail said although it was a difficult decision to make, the government had to take this middle-ground approach to strike a balance between contributors’ current needs and their savings for the future.


Hamzah questions Anwar's claim that Malay rulers were consulted on 'Allah' appeal

The opposition today raised questions on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's claim that he had consulted the Malay rulers before deciding to drop Putrajaya's appeal against the High Court's decision to allow the use of the word "Allah" in non-Muslim religious publications.
Opposition leader Hamzah Zainudin said the statement by the Sultan of Selangor yesterday indicates that the issue had not been referred to the Council of Rulers as previously claimed.
"The statement on the Jill Ireland case was issued by the Tambun MP (Anwar) himself when he said it had been referred to the Council of Rulers," he told reporters at Parliament today, referring to the sultan's call on Anwar to refer the matter to the National Council of Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI) which advises Malay rulers on Islamic affairs at the federal level.
"This means that this issue has not been referred to them yet," Hamzah said.
On May 15, the home ministry withdrew its appeal against the decision of the Kuala Lumpur High Court which ruled that Christians could use the word "Allah" and three other Arabic words in their religious publications for educational purposes.
Following protests from Muslim groups as well as former government leaders involved in the appeal, Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that the decision to withdraw the appeal was taken after consulting the Agong.
"The decision (to drop the appeal) by the Cabinet on Feb 7 was to confirm the decision and advice of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, in line with the decision by the Council of Rulers that the word 'Allah' cannot be used, even if there are other views," Anwar had said.
Hamzah meanwhile also said a private motion by Jasin MP Zulkifli Ismail to amend the Interpretation Acts 1948 and 1967 (Act 388) to boost enforcement of the use of the word "Allah" in the country was rejected by the Dewan Rakyat Speaker yesterday.
On March 10, 2021, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled in favour of an application filed by Sarawakian Christian Jill Ireland, who sought a declaration that her constitutional rights were violated when the home ministry in 2008 seized Christian religious CDs and books using the term "Allah" under Section 9(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
The court decision was followed by an appeal filed by Putrajaya, then under the Perikatan Nasional government headed by Muhyiddin Yassin.


Sorry.


Mandatory jabs for kids necessary, says European court

Making children get jabs for common diseases is “necessary in a democratic society” and is in their best interests, the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) ruled on Thursday in a landmark decision likely to infuriate anti-vaxxers.The ECHR backed rules in the Czech Republic barring children unvaccinated against common diseases from schools.The judgment will unavoidably have broader implications for the debate about mandatory jabs against Covid-19 for children, and even adults.It’s the first time the ECHR has ruled on mandatory vaccinations for children.A panel of judges decided by a vote of 16 to one that excluding unvaccinated children from school was permissible as a “protective” measure for classmates rather than a “punitive” one against the few not immunised, reports the Irish Times.“The objective has to be that every child is protected against serious diseases, through vaccination or by virtue of herd immunity,” the Strasbourg court ruled. “The Czech health policy could, therefore, be said to be consistent with the best interests of the children who were its focus.”The ruling could become political dynamite as people argue over whether vaccination against Covid-19 should be mandated by law, and whether children should be given a vaccine at all.The families in Thursday’s case went to the ECHR after appeals against nursery school bans were rejected by Czech courts.The parents had claimed that the mandatory jab rules violated their human rights.In one case, a Czech citizen was fined for refusing to have his two teenage children vaccinated against polio, hepatitis B and tetanus and failed to have those fines overturned in local courts.The ECHR noted that France, Poland, and Slovakia supported the Czech Republic’s more “prescriptive” approach to vaccination. Ultimately, however, it was not the court’s duty to judge whether the Czech policy was overly prescriptive, but whether it broke human rights rules.It didn’t, the court ruled, and the government’s measures could be regarded as being “necessary in a democratic society”.The court said that while mandatory vaccinations raised sensitive issues, the value of social solidarity to protect the health of all members of society, particularly those who were especially vulnerable, required everyone to assume a minimum risk by having jabs.Vaccine producers including Pfizer and Moderna are currently doing clinical trials in adolescents, as some doctors argue the pandemic can never fully be brought under control until children are immunised.There was no immediate reaction from the six who appealed the case to the ECHR, and representatives for the Czech health ministry weren’t immediately available to comment on the decision said Bloomberg.


Not right for PN ministers to write to king on GE, says Umno sec-gen

Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan says the move by 12 ministers from Perikatan Nasional (PN) to send a letter to the king expressing their objection to any move to hold the 15th general election (GE15) this year was inappropriate.
Ahmad said the action of the ministers from Bersatu and PAS indirectly showed that they had no confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
"It is not good for the current administration when 12 ministers write such a letter instead of resolving the matter in the Cabinet.
"Its (the government’s) legitimacy has been eroded, from 100% previously to 60% now. The letter should not have been publicised as such a problem should be discussed in the Cabinet," he told reporters before opening the Pontian division Puteri Umno meeting today.
Ahmad was commenting on the ministers’ letter to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, urging the king not to agree to any proposal to dissolve Parliament as the focus should be on ensuring the people’s welfare.


Cyclone in Peru causes major flooding, at least six dead

At least six people have died in Peru over the last few days as a powerful cyclone unleashed torrential rains, battering hundreds of homes and causing major disruptions in northern areas of the Latin American country, authorities said.
The government has declared a state of emergency as it seeks to bring relief to regions of Peru hard hit by the cyclone known as Yaku, which include Lambayeque, Piura and Tumbes.
Early on Friday, the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci) said flooding caused by Yaku had claimed six lives.
Later, Indeci said 58 people had been killed since the start of the rainy season, which began some months ago. It did not provide a specific time frame for the casualties.
Peru has been riven by instability and anti-government protests over the past few months since Congress removed former president Pedro Castillo from power in December.
His replacement, President Dina Boluarte, visited parts of northern Peru on Saturday as the government delivered humanitarian aid to areas badly hit by the cyclone.


Guan Eng allowed temporary release of passport to attend uncle's funeral in Singapore

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today allowed the temporary release of former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng's passport for travel to Singapore to attend his uncle's funeral.
Judge Azura Alwi allowed the application after hearing the arguments of lawyer Syafiqah Sofian, representing Lim, and deputy public prosecutor Farah Yasmin Salleh.
"The court allows the applicant's application to obtain a passport release, but the applicant must return the passport within five days of March 5," she said.
Syafiqah, in her argument, said her client needed his passport for travel to Singapore. She said he would leave at 4.30pm tomorrow and return on Sunday (March 5).
"On March 1, the applicant was informed by his family members that his uncle, Lim Kit Hee, had passed away. Therefore, my client would like to attend the funeral service of the deceased at Orchid Hall, Singapore, tomorrow to pay his last respects.
"My client is not a flight risk because his family members live in Malaysia. He is also well known because of his career as Bagan MP and DAP chairman.
"Besides, he is also subject to a high bail of RM1 million and has never failed to attend trial proceedings unless he is sick or needs to attend a Parliament session," she said.
Farah Yasmin did not object to the application.
Lim, 62, is on trial for an amended charge of using his position as the chief minister of Penang to accept a bribe of RM3.3 million to help a company owned by Zarul Ahmad obtain a construction project worth RM6,341,383,702 at the Office of the Chief Minister of Penang, Floor 28, Komtar, George Town between January 2011 and August 2017.
Lim is also accused of asking Zarul for a bribe of 10% of the company's profits, an act allegedly committed near The Garden Hotels, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City in March 2011.
He also faces two charges of causing two land lots worth RM208.8 million owned by the Penang government to be disposed of to two companies allegedly linked to the undersea tunnel project.


MACC unable to confirm Anwar's claim of gambling funds for PN

Law minister Azalina Othman Said today said that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had been unable to confirm claims that parties in Perikatan Nasional (PN) had received funds from the proceeds of gambling at last year's general election.
In a parliamentary reply to Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, she said the anti-graft agency had carried out a detailed investigation into the claims, made by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after chairing his first Cabinet meeting last December.
"However, MACC found that the information at hand was too general and that no party could confirm the issue.
"Therefore, no investigation file was opened on this matter," she said.
Anwar, the Tambun MP, had made the suggestion on Dec 5.
"Certainly, the funds would have been used to finance elections but need to check on that," he was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail.
PN later described the claims as "defamatory" and said it was considering legal action.
Azalina said at the previous Dewan Rakyat sitting that MACC was studying the relevant information as a basis for its investigation, responding to Fadhli who had asked about the status of the probe.


Rauf denies programme linked to BN after student tests positive for Covid

Melaka Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh today acknowledged that a programme for UiTM Lendu students was recently held at his family villa following news that one of them had tested positive for Covid-19.However Rauf, who is contesting the Tanjung Bidara state seat, denied that the programme was related to politics involving BN or the Melaka polls which will be held on Nov 20.“Yes, that villa is owned by my family, they rented it. I don’t know for what programme,” he said when contacted by MalaysiaNow.Talk had been rife that the UiTM student contracted Covid-19 after attending a three-day, two-night programme.A letter of invitation sighted by MalaysiaNow said the programme was organised by an NGO, Pertubuhan Sukarelawan Jalinan Nasional (Sarjana), under the auspices of BN’s candidate for the Rim state seat, Khaidhirah Abu Zahar.Khaidhirah is director of Sarjana.According to the letter, the aim of the programme was to “prepare potential student leaders”.MalaysiaNow is attempting to contact Khaidhirah but has so far received no response.According to one of her officials, her attendance at the programme cannot be confirmed for the time being.MalaysiaNow earlier reported that a student from UiTM Lendu had tested positive for Covid-19 after attending a programme in Alor Gajah, while seven others are undergoing a second swab test.UiTM had isolated the students who attended the programme with 40 people screened for the virus.An investigation is underway by the Alor Gajah district health office.


Govt hospitals lag behind with computer software over 20 years old

Doctors at government hospitals are struggling with outdated computer systems on top of other chronic issues such as staff shortages and increasing workloads, MalaysiaNow has learnt.
It is understood that some hospitals are still using Windows 2000 – a software introduced 23 years ago.
A doctor at a hospital in the south of the peninsula said the Windows software specifications there were very low and had expired long ago.
"By right, if a doctor sees a patient, we don't need to ask about their history anymore," he said.
"We just need to check their health records on the computer. Sadly, everything is very slow and the system takes a long time to load.
"So it's better if we just ask the patients about their condition there and then," he told MalaysiaNow on condition of anonymity.
Adding that even internal data often lags, he said the doctors' workload would be much lighter if this problem could be resolved.
Each hospital uses different software, and the data is not connected between one facility and another.
MalaysiaNow previously reported calls for the authorities to work towards the creation of an online medical record system.
The government recently said it would introduce an electronic record system in order to facilitate efforts to digitise the healthcare sector.
A doctor in the north of the peninsula meanwhile said that he was using an old desktop computer with a fuzzy monitor display.
"The computers with newer software are used in departments that are busier, or at hospitals in the city," he said.
"At hospitals in the district, some of us are still forced to use outdated equipment."  He said it was often easier for him to use his own iPad for his work, adding however that not all systems were compatible with its software.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah acknowledged that improvements needed to be made.
"The system needs to be upgraded and replaced," he told MalaysiaNow.


Govt mulls extending moratorium for small businesses

The entrepreneur development and cooperatives ministry is considering extending the moratorium for micro, small and medium enterprise (PMKS) entrepreneurs who have not yet recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister Noh Omar, however, said the extension of the moratorium would be granted on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the needs of the entrepreneurs involved.
He said court and bankruptcy cases against PMKS entrepreneurs would also be postponed until the end of the year to give them space to restore their business.
"We understand there may still be people out there who need a moratorium. They can appeal to us," he said after an event in Kuala Lumpur today.
National Recovery Council chairman Muhyiddin Yasin recently proposed the move considering that the sector which contributed RM518.1 billion or 37.4% to the GDP last year has not fully recovered.
According to Muhyiddin, the PMKS sector is currently burdened with high debt which was worsened by the increase in the overnight policy rate.


Minimum wage hike, cause for celebration or ill-timed move?

On May 1, the Malaysian Minimum Wages Order 2022 came into operation. The order increased the minimum monthly wage of employees to RM1,500.The order applies to all employees except domestic servants. Temporary exemption until De 31 has been given to employers who employ fewer than five workers. Such exemption, however, does not apply to employers who carry out professional activities.In Malaysia, the concept of minimum wage was introduced by the Wages Councils Act 1947, which was applicable to several sectors. It was repealed by the National Wages Consultative Council Act 2011, which established the National Wages Consultative Council to advise and make recommendations on minimum wages.In 2013, the monthly minimum wage rate was RM900 for Peninsular Malaysia and RM800 for East Malaysia. It was subsequently raised to RM1,000 for Peninsular Malaysia and RM920 for East Malaysia. The two different rates in East and West Malaysia were abolished in 2019 when the monthly minimum wage rate was raised to RM1,100. The same was, again, raised to RM1,200 in 2020 and now to RM1,500.The increment in minimum wage received a mixed reception. On one hand, it might be a positive development for employees; on the other, it might have a significant effect on the employers. This is particularly so given the 25% increase in labour costs for minimum wage workers.It may be an untimely move as businesses are still at a tough recovery stage. Most of the industries were badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, to increase the minimum wage at this juncture may jeopardise the efforts of employers to revive their businesses.Employers who are unable to recover or sustain their businesses will have to reduce their operating costs, including their manpower costs. Employers may freeze increments, bonuses or recruitment and enforce pay cuts or even retrench workers. Employers may also seek the services of independent contractors instead of hiring employees to reduce costs. In other words, depending on the employers’ ability to cope with the current economy and spiralling costs, the unemployment rate might increase.In simple economics, the increase in minimum wage ought to be associated with an increase in productivity, which will lead to an increase in revenue. If it does not, it will raise production costs and lead to spiral inflation.Based on the Q4 2021 report on Labour Productivity by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, labour productivity merely increased by 1.7% (based on the ratio of value added per employment). Zooming in on the relevant sectors, only the manufacturing and services sectors posted an increase of 6.8% and 0.5% respectively. The agriculture, mining and quarrying and construction sectors recorded a decrease of 4.6%, 3.4% and 8.3% respectively.When labour productivity is unable to correspond with the increment of minimum wages, the cost of goods will eventually go up, resulting in higher costs of living. Therefore, higher wages may not improve the quality of life of workers or increase their purchasing power.The increase in minimum wage might also result in Malaysia losing its international competitiveness compared to its neighbouring countries. Foreign investors may be more attracted to countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar, bearing in mind that their minimum wages are lower than Malaysia’s by approximately 43.99%, 41.14%, 43.21%, 11.63%, 36.98%, 69.63%, and 90.22% respectively.Lower minimum wages would mean lower operating costs and by extension, higher profits. It comes no surprise that electric vehicle titan Elon Musk is considering investing in Indonesia. The diversion of foreign investment will further dampen the recovery of Malaysia’s economy.In conclusion, while increasing the minimum wage might be a celebrative cause, it could be an ill-timed move, in particular where most employers are still recovering from the losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.Coupled with the global inflationary pressure due to the Russia-Ukraine war and our weakening currency, introducing an increase in the minimum wage at this juncture may do more harm than good.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Rare original copy of US constitution auctioned for US$43 million

An extremely rare original copy of the US constitution was sold Thursday for US$43 million – a world record for a historical document at auction, Sotheby’s said.It is one of only 11 known surviving copies of the US charter, signed on Sept 17, 1787 at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall by America’s founding fathers, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison and ratified the following year.The winning bidder was not immediately identified.A group of cryptocurrency investors had raised US$40 million to buy the document but failed to secure the document, this consortium said.A Sotheby’s spokesman said the sale – for US$43.2 million including commissions – was a world record for a historical document offered at auction.Selby Kiffer, a manuscripts and ancient books expert at Sotheby’s, said in September that this copy was probably part of an edition of 500 printed on the eve of the signing.This one was the only one in private hands, Kiffer said.


Khairy tells why he’s not taking Pfizer jab

Khairy Jamaluddin is not taking the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, which was the first to arrive in Malaysia and is currently being given to medical frontliners and government leaders under the first phase of the national vaccination programme.Instead, the science, technology and innovation minister who is in charge of Putrajaya’s billion-ringgit vaccine procurement, said he would wait for other Covid-19 vaccine brands.He said with key leaders including health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah receiving the Pfizer vaccine, there is more confidence among members of the public to sign up for vaccination.But he said there could be doubts about the efficacy of other brands to be rolled out.“So I have decided to take the next approved vaccine. I will be the first person to take whatever vaccine is approved next.“I will not take the Pfizer vaccine,” he told reporters after witnessing the arrival of the CoronaVac vaccine from China at KLIA today.On Wednesday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin became the first to be given the Pfizer vaccine, as the government launched its massive vaccination drive which it hopes to conclude by the end of this year.The CoronaVac vaccine by China’s Sinovac is the second batch of vaccines to arrive after Pfizer, with some 200 litres to be converted into more than 300,000 doses.Malaysia has purchased 14 million doses of CoronaVac, to cover about one-fith of the population.


Biden throws down 2024 gauntlet with populist budget

President Joe Biden will present what amounts to his expected 2024 reelection pitch Thursday with the unveiling of a proposed budget protecting free healthcare for the elderly, while taxing wealthy Americans to help slash the national deficit.
The Democrat's speech in Philadelphia will throw down the gauntlet to Republicans. They insist the priority is cutting the deficit without tax raises, but have yet to say what expenses they'd reduce instead.
That standoff is at the heart of a battle of ideas as the country slides toward both a potential crisis over servicing its national debt and the 2024 presidential campaign.
Biden has still not confirmed his reelection bid but the budget rollout is seen as one more step in the build-up to an announcement.
Because Congress, currently split between Democratic and Republican control, has power over federal taxes and spending, the annual ritual of the White House budget unveiling is more a wish list or policy guide than anything else.
"A budget is a statement of values," Biden said on Twitter.
Main points already teased include a pledge Wednesday from the White House to cut the ballooning federal deficit by US$3 trillion (RM13.57 trillion) over the next decade, in part by raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Previously, Biden said he was aiming for a US$2 trillion reduction.
At the heart of his proposals will also be a plan to raise taxes on those earning more than US$400,000 a year to ensure that Medicare – the government-funded healthcare system for people over 65 – remains solvent.
Hiking the Medicare tax from 3.8% to 5% for those wealthy individuals would ensure the programme's viability "beyond 2050 without cutting a penny in benefits," Biden said earlier this week.
Populist pitch
Republicans have rejected voting for any tax increases, saying Biden is pushing out-of-control spending and anti-business policies.
However, Biden's gambit is that by laying out a deficit cutting plan funded by the very wealthy he will win broad support, while being able to paint his Republican opponents as out of touch.
White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden's plan is to make "the wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share, without raising taxes on Americans" earning less than US$400,000 a year.
The Republicans, however, will add to the deficit "with handouts to the rich, big corporations and special interest groups," she said.
In Biden's election-ready populist vision, the wealthy are currently getting a free ride, while the struggling middle class just needs a "little bit of breathing room."
But the battle over narratives is far from just academic.
The US Treasury has effectively already run out of money for this year – and urgently needs Congress to approve taking on extra debt or risk plunging the economy into crisis.
The previously approved US$31.4 trillion borrowing ceiling maxed out in January. If the borrowing limit is not increased or suspended before current emergency measures expire, then the US government could default on its obligations for the first time.
That doomsday scenario could kick in as early as July, the Congressional Budget Office said in February.
Republicans say the ever-growing federal debt points to the need for slashing spending, but Democrats say Republicans are using the issue as a way to weaken Medicare and other long-popular programmes.


China facing biggest daily Covid-19 case rise in more than 5 months

New infections in Hebei province surrounding Beijing continue to rise, contributing to mainland China facing its biggest overall daily increase in Covid-19 cases in more than five months, the country’s national health authority said on Monday.Hebei accounted for 82 of the 85 new local infections reported on Sunday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement, with Liaoning province also reporting two new cases and Beijing reporting one new case.China also saw 18 new imported infections from overseas.The total number of new cases stood at 103 on Monday, the highest since 127 cases were reported on July 30.Though the new cases being reported in recent days remain a small fraction of what the country saw at the height of the outbreak in early 2020, authorities are moving aggressively to curb the spread of the disease and prevent another national wave of infections.Shijiazhuang, Hebei’s capital and the epicentre of the new outbreak in the province, is in lockdown, with people and vehicles barred from leaving the city as authorities move to curb the spread of the disease. Public transport in the city has also been halted.The city’s steps are in line with the usual package of restrictions local authorities in China implement when they see a cluster emerge.Wangkui county, under the jurisdiction of Suihua city in Heilongjiang province, reported eight new asymptomatic cases and moved on Monday to close all non-essential businesses, banned people from leaving the city and blocked all non-essential traffic, state television reported.Each family in the county can have only one person leave their home once every three days to buy necessities.The total number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 87,536, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,634.


Indonesia police probe drug regulators over cough syrup

Indonesia's police are conducting preliminary inquiries into whether any actions by officials at the country's drug regulator could amount to criminal wrongdoing, as they expand a probe into tainted cough syrups linked to the deaths of more than 200 children across the nation, two top inspectors told Reuters.
The police scrutiny of Indonesia's food and drugs agency (BPOM) is the latest escalation by states seeking accountability for contaminated syrups that were linked to the deaths of dozens more children in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year. The World Health Organization is working with countries to investigate the global pharmaceutical supply chain for such syrups.
Late last year police arrested and charged eight individuals at Indonesian companies that imported and distributed raw materials to drugmakers whose cough syrups were found to contain toxic industrial-grade chemicals instead of the legitimate ingredient.
Andika Urrasyidin, lead police investigator of the case, told Reuters police have called in "many" BPOM officials for questioning, and the investigation is still underway.
"We're still looking into it. But... if there were actions, then yes there needs to be responsibility," he said, declining to say what, if any, charges may be brought.
No one at BPOM has been accused of wrongdoing. The police could ultimately pursue criminal charges or close the probe without taking action.
Officials from the BPOM did not respond to a request for comment.
Hersadwi Rusdiyono, the director of Indonesia's national police's crimes detection unit, said BPOM officials were brought in as witnesses, but investigators are now checking if any wrongdoing was committed by drug regulators.
"We asked them according to their functions, as regulators, whether they've conducted supervision and what kind of supervision," he told Reuters. "They were only interrogated as witnesses, we're coordinating with the prosecutors."
Hersadwi said the probe so far has focused on staff at lower levels and not included BPOM'S chief, Penny Lukito. Penny did not respond to a request for comment.
BPOM has said a spike in cases of acute kidney injury occurred as several parties "exploited a gap in the safety guarantee system" and pharmaceutical companies did not sufficiently check the raw ingredients they used.
In January, Pipit Rismanto, a senior police official, told reporters the authorities had found one company sold "industrial-grade" toxins as pharmaceutical-grade propylene glycol, a key base of syrupy medicines.
The toxins, ethylene glycol (EG) and diethyelene glycol (DEG), can be used by unscrupulous actors as a substitute for propylene glycol because they can cost less than half the price, several pharmaceutical experts told Reuters.
Police have charged four companies involved in the case – drugmaker Afi Farma, which allegedly sold tainted syrups, CV Samudera Chemical, which according to the police supplied the chemicals, and two of its distributors Tirta Buana Kemindo and Anugrah Perdana Gemilang.
A lawyer for Afi Farma, which attended its first court hearing on the case on Tuesday, said the company would respect the law.
Tirta Buana Kemindo declined to comment. CV Samudera and Anugerah Perdana Gemilang could not be reached.
BPOM is also named in a separate class action suit launched in January by parents whose children died or are suffering from long-term complications of the acute kidney injury.
The first day of trial has not been scheduled and a mediation process has just concluded, said the families' lawyer.


Hard to deny, Rais Yatim says on voices in leaked phone call

Dewan Negara President Rais Yatim today said it would be hard for Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim to deny the audio recording of a phone conversation which took place shortly after the Umno general assembly as many people recognise their voices.“They can’t simply deny the allegations because a lot of people recognise their voices, intonation and nuances of their speech.“If they do, then it has to be substantive,” he told reporters at an event at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy in Kuala Lumpur.He also called for the clip to be examined with the help of experts and forensic scientists, saying sufficient evidence must be presented to prove that the voices are those of the two leaders.In the four-minute clip revealed by MalaysiaNow, Anwar is heard congratulating and giving instructions to Zahid in the aftermath of the Umno general assembly which accepted his proposal to cut ties with the Perikatan Nasional government.Zahid in return thanked Anwar for his moral support.MalaysiaNow has been able to verify that the clip is authentic, and that the voices are those of Anwar and Zahid.But both leaders have denied speaking to each other, saying they will send their representatives to lodge police reports.Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador however said that no report had been lodged as of yesterday.Rais said such incidents are becoming increasingly common among Malay politicians, adding that this puts the entire community in a negative light.“The Chinese and Indian leaders don’t do this. Why are we, Malay Muslims, making headlines through such incidents?” he said.“We no longer hold on to the truth and prioritise education for ourselves and others.”


Zahid says never used funds from charity outfit for personal interest

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that he never misappropriated Yayasan Akalbudi funds for personal interest, despite being its founder.
He said the foundation's funds were used for activities allowed under the memorandum and articles of association (M&A) or Yayasan Akalbudi’s objectives.
"I cannot use the foundation's funds for personal interest," the former deputy prime minister said during re-examination by his lawyer, Hamidi Mohd Noh, in his defence against 47 charges: 12 of criminal breach of trust, eight of  corruption and 27 of money laundering,  involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.
To a question posed by another of his lawyers, Ahmad Zaidi Zainal, on whether he was informed by former deputy managing director of Datasonic Group Bhd Chew Ben Ben about the RM6 million cheque,  Zahid said it was a political contribution.
Zaidi: Why was the contribution from Datasonic, which Datuk Seri (Zahid) received, credited into the account of Messrs Lewis & Co and not used for political activities?
Zahid: My Lord, any political contribution, even for my personal activities as a politician, I placed in the account of Messrs Lewis & Co as the Yayasan Akalbudi trustee to be channelled for activities that are allowed under the M&A to meet Yayasan Akalbudi’s objectives.
During previous proceedings,  Zahid, 69, told the court that the two cheques for RM6 million which he received from Chew when he was deputy prime minister were political contributions and not bribes.
The hearing before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.


No electricity or running water, but ‘Uncle Kapitan’ waits to celebrate new year anyway

For many years, Lim Tiap Beng has lived in a rickety wooden house in Kampung Kapitan, Jelebu. There is no electricity and no running water but it is the only home he knows.Fondly known among the villagers as “Cina Kapitan” or “Uncle Kapitan”, Lim, 83, lived there with his mother until she passed away in 1988.But despite the solitude and the rudeness of his home, Lim is happy and is looking forward to celebrating Chinese New Year this week.“I have lived here for more than 30 years on my own, since my mother passed away,” he told MalaysiaNow, adding that his house is built on land owned by an ex-soldier who allows him to stay there free of charge. In exchange, Lim takes care of the trees in the landowner’s durian orchard.He is the third of five siblings although only one, his older sister, is still alive.“She lives in Taman KSM,” he said. “My brother married an Orang Asli but now he is gone and so is my mother.“Sometimes my nephew will come to bring me some food. But I don’t care,” he added.He said his neighbours never tire of giving him food and help whenever he needs it. “My neighbours have never been angry with me.”Although he is old, Lim Tiap Beng can take care of himself and is at peace with living alone.For himself, Lim is a tidy man who goes to great lengths to keep his humble home clean.“Every day, I sweep around the house and make sure there is no garbage lying around that could give off a bad smell.”Although he is poor, Lim is fortunate as he has never had any health problems. His meals are simple: plain rice with salt egg or salt fish.To support himself, he plants and tends to banana trees and does odd jobs around the village.“I have a good friend,” he said. “You could call us partners. If there are jobs around the village that need doing, we do them together.“We always get paid to clean the graves in the cemetery. We do this together.”Lim Tiap Beng is fortunate enough never to have had any serious health problems.At 70, his friend, Ng Chook Fah, is a little younger than he is. They have known each other for more than 30 years now, and Ng worries about Lim living by himself.“Once, he went for a check-up and the doctor gave him some heart medication to take over three days. But he forgot and ate it all within a few hours.“He fainted, and we gave him what help we could until he came to himself again,” Ng told MalaysiaNow.With Chinese New Year around the corner, Lim is excited even though he will be celebrating on his own, as he has for years.He hopes that one day, he will be able to have electricity in his house. Right now, he is afraid to move about after dark or whenever it rains.“I don’t mind whatever help I receive,” he said. “But for Chinese New Year, I hope I can get some assistance to help me live a little more comfortably.“That is all I ask for.”


Beijing birth control policy designed to eliminate millions of Uighur births, report finds

Chinese birth control policies could reduce the ethnic minority population in southern Xinjiang by up to a third over the next 20 years, according to new research.The study, by researcher Adrian Zenz, is the first peer-reviewed academic paper on the long-term population impact of China’s crackdown on the Uighurs and other minority groups in Xinjiang.It found that under China’s birth control policies in the region, the population of ethnic minorities in southern Xinjiang would reach somewhere between eight and 10 million by 2040, as opposed to the 13 million projected by Chinese researchers before Beijing’s crackdown.“This shows the intent behind the Chinese government’s long-term plan for the Uighur population,” Zenz told Reuters.He writes that by 2019 Xinjiang authorities “planned to subject at least 80% of women of childbearing age in the rural south to intrusive birth prevention surgeries, referring to IUDs or sterilisations”.Reports say Beijing has intentionally moved people from the majority Han Chinese population into parts of Xinjiang previously dominated by ethnic minorities, and forcibly transferred Uighurs out.Zenz says China’s birth control policies could increase the Han population in southern Xinjiang from its current level of 8% to about 25% by 2040.According to official Chinese statistics, there was a nearly 50% decline in birth rates in ethnic minority areas of Xinjiang between 2017 and 2019.China announced last week that it would allow couples to have up to three children, but leaked documents from Xinjiang suggest the opposite policy is being pursued there, with women detained or otherwise punished for exceeding birth control quotas.A previous report by Zenz based on regional data, policy documents and testimony alleged that pregnant Uighur women in Xinjiang were being threatened with internment for refusing to abort pregnancies, while others were involuntarily fitted with intra-uterine devices or coerced into sterilisation surgery.China denies making any attempt to reduce the Uighur population specifically, arguing that the decline in minority birth rates in Xinjiang is due to the implementation of general birth quotas in the region as well as increases in income and better access to family planning.“The so-called ‘genocide’ in Xinjiang is pure nonsense,” China’s foreign ministry told Reuters in a statement.“It is a manifestation of the ulterior motives of anti-China forces in the US and the West and the manifestation of those who suffer from Sinophobia.”Zenz is a researcher at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, a Washington DC-based “anti-communist” organisation which describes itself as dedicated to “pursuing the freedom of those still living under totalitarian regimes”.Reuters said it has shared his new research and methodology with more than a dozen experts in population analysis, birth prevention policies and international human rights law, who told them the analysis and conclusions were sound.


China says Ukraine crisis driven by 'invisible hand'

The Ukraine crisis seems to be driven by an invisible hand pushing for the protraction and escalation of the conflict, China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Tuesday.
The "invisible hand" is "using the Ukraine crisis to serve certain geopolitical agendas", Qin said on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing, calling for dialogue to begin as soon as possible.
"Conflict, sanctions, and pressure will not solve the problem... The process of peace talks should begin as soon as possible, and the legitimate security concerns of all parties should be respected," Qin said.
Qin's reiteration of China's position on the Ukraine war comes amid growing tensions between Beijing and the European Union, which has questioned China's sincerity as a mediator when it has refused to name Russia as the aggressor in the conflict.
Qin also said Beijing has not provided weapons to either side of the Ukraine conflict, amid loud warnings from US officials on unspecified "consequences" for China, should it send lethal aid to Russia.
"(China) is not a party to the crisis and has not provided weapons to either side of the conflict. So on what basis is this talk of blame, sanctions and threats against China? This is absolutely unacceptable."


‘Disappointing’ compliance with SOPs reported at Kedah Ramadan bazaars, says MB

Local authorities have reported that compliance with SOPs at Ramadan bazaars throughout Kedah has been very disappointing, says Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.Sanusi took to Facebook to express his dismay on learning that a majority of traders and shoppers were not complying with the SOPs at Ramadan bazaars.He called on those operating stalls or shopping for food at Ramadan bazaars in the state to adhere to the SOPs which have been set by the National Security Council.“Negligence or failure to observe the SOPs imposed can give rise to a new Covid-19 cluster which will result in the closure of all Ramadan bazaars, and traders will lose their source of income,” he said.Today, photos and videos of crowds not complying with the SOPs at Ramadan bazaars in several states, including Kedah, were shared on social media.Sanusi again urged shoppers and Ramadan bazaar traders to remain vigilant to prevent the spread of Covid-19.


Sorry.


The time to speak is long over, analysts tell Ismail

Political analysts say former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's recent outbursts against his party's leadership are too little, too late, as the Umno vice-president steps up his criticism ahead of the state elections to be held this year.
Analyst Mujibu Abd Muis said the time for Ismail to speak up was during his tenure as prime minister.
"He should have raised these issues then, not now," Mujibu of Universiti Teknologi Mara said.
"Now, it's too late."
Ismail had warned Umno of a repeat of its historic defeat last November at the six state elections to be held this year.
He said Umno needed to show young voters that their demands were being heard as the last general election had proven that it was ultimately their votes that turned the tide against the party.
He also attacked the party leadership over what he described as double standards in their treatment of him during his time as prime minister, comparing it to their behaviour towards the current government.
Ismail, the shortest-serving prime minister, had come under intense pressure from Umno leaders, especially party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his deputy Mohamad Hasan, who wanted him to dissolve Parliament without delay to ride on what they believed was the return of Barisan Nasional's (BN) popularity.
He eventually did so, paving the way for the general election in November last year, the aftermath of which saw him joining several other Umno leaders in resisting Zahid's plan to back Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.
He was also among a number of top Umno leaders who opposed Zahid's recent move to purge the party of several prominent leaders and members, including former youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin.
Analyst Azizi Safar said only Ismail knew why he had waited until after the election to speak up against the party leadership.
"Why did he wait until now to make these remarks? That is the question that he must ask himself," he said.
Nevertheless, Azizi, the former executive secretary of Penang BN, said Umno should take seriously Ismail's warning at the upcoming state polls.
Mujibu meanwhile said the Umno leadership should be working to change the party's image instead of sacking and suspending senior members.
On claims that Ismail had intentionally delayed the dissolution of Parliament, Mujibu said the timing of his move was not the main issue.
"It's more of Umno's move to 'cleanse' the party, which did not come at the right time," he said.
"Right now, Umno has the advantage of being in the government and can better prepare itself for the state elections.
"Many no longer see it or Pakatan Harapan as the ideal political choice," he said, adding that such voters would likely turn to Perikatan Nasional instead.