Najib loses bid for documents linked to Jho Low, Zeti’s family

Najib Razak today failed to obtain banking documents believed to be related to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho and the family of former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.The former prime minister had sought a court order to compel the prosecution to supply the documents deemed relevant to the defence in his trial over the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion funds from 1MDB.High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, in dismissing Najib’s request, said the application was premature because Zeti was not the person on trial and she had yet to be called as a witness in the 1MDB case.“The respondent (prosecution) submitted that this (action) amounts to collateral attack, which is impermissible. The position that has been taken by the applicant (Najib) in the trial thus far is that Najib, in his capacity as the (then) prime minister and Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance, was duped by Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low.“In any event, it is still open to the counsel so they can confront Zeti with these matters when she is called to the stand.“Therefore, I do not see how these bank documents mentioned, which are related to a certain sum of money received by Zeti’s family, are relevant to the defence’s advance,” said Sequerah.The judge also rejected Najib’s second discovery application to obtain former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner’s mobile phone records, saying the respondent had made it clear that they did not have the documents.“It is not open to the defence to direct the manner in which the prosecution ought to conduct their trial. It is evident that the phone records that the accused (Najib) is seeking are not part of the prosecution’s case against him and thus the prosecution is not obliged to furnish these documents,” he said.Sequerah said in respect to the settlement agreement between Goldman Sachs and the government of Malaysia, the information sought by the applicant was generally stated and not specified.“Casting the net far and wide in the expectation that something useful will materialise – this amounts to a fishing expedition, it is not permitted under the law. Therefore, the application is dismissed in its entirety,” he said.On March 24, Najib filed a court order to compel the prosecution to produce several banking statements from companies, including Aktis Capital Singapore Pte Ltd, Country Group Securities Public Company Ltd, ACME Time Ltd, Butamba Investments Ltd, and Central Holdings Ltd, believed to be related to Jho Low and Zeti’s family in his 1MDB case.The Pekan MP filed his second application on April 7, seeking to obtain the confidential settlement agreement between the government and the Goldman Sachs Group entered into in 2020 and transcripts or forensic report on the phones of the former Goldman Sachs partner in Asia, Leissner.Najib, 67, is on trial for 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.The trial is scheduled to continue on Aug 17.


UK to permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters

In a sign of Britain’s growing engagement with Asia, London said on Tuesday it will permanently deploy two warships in Asian waters after its aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and escort ships sail to Japan in September.The group’s voyage to Japan will take them through seas where China is vying for influence with the US and Japan, CNN is reporting.Plans for the high-profile visit by the carrier strike group come as London deepens security ties with Tokyo, which has expressed growing alarm in recent months over China’s territorial ambitions in the region, including “reuniting” with Taiwan.“Following on from the strike group’s inaugural deployment, the UK will permanently assign two ships in the region from later this year,” Britain’s Defence Minister Ben Wallace said in a joint announcement in Tokyo with his Japanese counterpart, Nobuo Kishi.After their arrival in Japan, Kishi said, the Queen Elizabeth and its escort ships will split up for separate port calls to US and Japanese naval bases along the Japanese archipelago.A close US ally, Japan hosts the biggest concentration of US military forces outside the US, including ships, aircraft and thousands of marines.The British carrier, which is carrying F-35B stealth jets on its maiden voyage, will dock at Yokosuka, the home of Japan’s fleet command and the USS Ronald Reagan, the only forward deployed US aircraft carrier.The Royal Navy ships will not have a permanent Asian base, a spokesman at the British embassy in Tokyo said when asked which ports the Royal Navy ships would operate from.The Queen Elizabeth is being escorted by two destroyers, two frigates, two support vessels and other ships from the US and the Netherlands.The strike group will come to Japan through the South China Sea, parts of which are claimed by China and Southeast Asian countries, with stops in India, Singapore and South Korea.In a further sign of Britain’s growing regional engagement, Wallace, who travelled to Japan with a delegation of British military commanders, said the UK will also eventually deploy a Littoral Response Group, a unit of marines trained to undertake missions including evacuations and anti-terrorism operations.


AstraZeneca, Oxford say Covid vaccine shows 70% efficacy

British drugs group AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford on Monday said their jointly-developed vaccine against Covid-19 has shown “an average efficacy of 70%” in trials.“This vaccine’s efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against Covid-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency,” AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said in a statement.The results ranged between 62% and 90% efficacy depending on the vaccine dosage.The 70% average is lower compared with the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines trialled by rivals Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna which have come in above 90%.Monday’s statement said “positive high-level results from an interim analysis of clinical trials of AZD1222 in the UK and Brazil showed the vaccine was highly effective in preventing Covid-19… and no hospitalisations or severe cases of the disease were reported in participants”.It added: “One dosing regimen (n=2,741) showed vaccine efficacy of 90% when AZD1222 was given as a half dose, followed by a full dose at least one month apart.”The pair said that regimen n=8,895 showed 62% efficacy when given as two full doses at least one month apart.“The combined analysis from both dosing regimens (n=11,636) resulted in an average efficacy of 70%.”AstraZeneca said it would “immediately prepare regulatory submission of the data to authorities around the world that have a framework in place for conditional or early approval”.It added that it would seek emergency-use listing from the World Health Organization to accelerate vaccine availability in low-income countries.AstraZeneca said it is looking at a capacity of up to three billion doses of the vaccine in 2021 pending regulatory approval.It said the vaccine can be stored, transported and handled “at normal refrigerated conditions” of between two and eight degrees Celsius for at least six months.‘Save many lives’More than 23,000 adults are currently being assessed in the trials, with the number expected to rise to up to 60,000, the statement said.“Clinical trials are also being conducted in the US, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Kenya and Latin America with planned trials in other European and Asian countries,” it added.Oxford professor Andrew Pollard said the latest findings show “an effective vaccine that will save many lives”.“Excitingly, we’ve found that one of our dosing regimens may be around 90 percent effective and if this dosing regime is used, more people could be vaccinated with planned vaccine supply.“Today’s announcement is only possible thanks to the many volunteers in our trial, and the hard-working and talented team of researchers based around the world,” added Pollard, who is chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial.


US pharmacist jailed 3 years after tampering with Covid vaccines

A US pharmacist has been jailed for three years after pleading guilty to tampering with hundreds of Moderna coronavirus vaccines, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said on Tuesday.Steven R Brandenburg, 46, “purposefully removed” vaccine vials from their refrigerator unit even though they must be stored at a certain temperature until used, court documents said.The pharmacist was also ordered to pay US$83,800 in compensation to the Wisconsin hospital where he worked.He removed the vials on two overnight shifts in December, leaving them outside for hours before returning them to be used on recipients the following day.A total of 57 people received vaccines with the vials that Brandenburg had tampered with, the DoJ statement said.“The purposeful attempt to spoil vaccine doses during a national public health emergency is a serious crime,” said Brian Boynton, acting assistant attorney-general of the department’s Civil Division.Brandenburg had expressed sceptical views about vaccines and specifically the Moderna vaccine, according to his plea agreement.Moderna vaccines must be stored at standard refrigerator temperatures.More than 124 million doses of the Moderna vaccine have been administered in the US.The two-shot regime is around 90% effective against symptomatic Covid-19 and 95% effective against severe disease.


Sorry.


In Bangladesh, solar power brings work, but land shortage slows growth

Topu Roy's family did not have electricity until around 2005 when his parents set up a solar power system at their home in Dinajpur, in northern Bangladesh, to run lights and fans.
In the past two decades, some 6 million solar home systems have been installed across the country, bringing electricity to remote off-grid communities.
"It is a remarkable success story," said Shahriar Ahmed Chowdhury, director of the Centre for Energy Research at Bangladesh's United International University.
For the fast-developing South Asian nation, solar power has brought benefits for citizens while creating jobs. But the sector's growth has been constrained by bottlenecks such as a lack of land on which to build large-scale plants.
Grid power finally reached Roy's village in 2020 under a government programme to electrify the whole country by 2021, enabling residents to use a range of electric appliances for the first time.
"But with the recent power crisis in Bangladesh, we are back to square one, resorting to the solar home system as grid power is mostly off," said the 25-year-old student.
Millions of Bangladeshis are doing the same to cope with severe outages, caused by a recent power crisis amid extreme heat and high fuel prices, with rural areas bearing the brunt.
Bakirul Islam, 21, a student from Mymensingh, north of Dhaka, said he is now getting only two to three hours of grid power per day and is also relying on a solar home system.
Hikes in fuel prices globally have destabilised energy policy in Bangladesh, which imports about a quarter of its natural gas supply, sparking calls for a more diversified energy mix including a greater focus on renewables, especially solar.
The country has little more than 900 megawatts (MW) of renewables capacity, out of total power capacity of 25,700MW, falling far short of a target to achieve 10% of generation from clean energy sources by 2020.
Last year the power ministry announced a more ambitious goal to source 40% of the nation's electricity from renewables by 2041, with solar viewed as having the highest potential.
Business case
Solar energy development has lagged partly because it was expensive a decade ago, at more than US$0.16 per kilowatt-hour, said Ijaz Hossain, a professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
But the price has since plunged, making solar cheaper than using imported fuels like coal, heavy fuel oil or diesel, said Chowdhury of the Centre for Energy Research.
The recent rise in fossil fuel prices means industry can now save a lot of money by adopting solar power, said Ziaur Rahman Khan, another BUET professor.
With rooftop solar, 1 kilowatt hour of electricity costs about 4 taka (US$0.04) for a commercial or industrial user, compared with 8-11 taka per unit for grid power, said Md. Rashedul Alam, assistant director at the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority, a Bangladesh government agency.
Estimates of Bangladesh's solar energy potential support a larger-scale push into power from the sun, experts say.
A National Solar Energy Roadmap, drafted in 2020 with the United Nations Development Programme, calculated that 6,000MW could be generated from solar by 2041 in a business-as-usual scenario - and with aggressive policies, as much as 30,000MW.
The report offers key policy pointers, such as the "very real opportunities" of rooftop solar installations, said Farseem Mannan Mohammedy, director of BUET's Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development.
Recent solar power expansion has focused on both rooftop solar photovoltaic systems and large-scale ground-based plants.
Rooftop solar is appealing as it does not require land acquisitions, said Munawar Moin, group director at Rahimafrooz Ltd, a pioneering solar-panel manufacturer in Bangladesh.
An earlier study estimated that 5,000MW could be generated from solar plants on industrial rooftops.
Chowdhury noted there are now more than 30 large-scale rooftop solar PV plants, mostly mounted on factories.
Besides garment and textile manufacturing, other sectors like steel and electronics are also venturing into rooftop solar.
Rooftop solar PV plants are a great source of job creation, said Mohammedy, noting that Bangladesh has the fifth highest number of jobs in solar PV, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena).
According to a 2020 Irena report, there were 137,000 jobs in Bangladesh's solar sector, mostly concentrated in solar home systems including 10,000 jobs in solar-module assembly.
But obtaining finance to expand the business has been a key challenge, experts said, with bank officials often lacking the knowledge needed to assess solar projects.
To create manufacturing jobs in the supply chain, the government should set quotas so that a certain share of solar panels must be procured locally, added Moin.
Looking for land
Nestled between the scenic Brahmaputra River and farm fields in Mymensingh district, stands a 50MW solar park set up by HDFC Sinpower Limited, a joint venture between Bangladeshi, Malaysian and Singaporean investors.
The plant, which has supplied power to the grid since last November, is one of eight large-scale solar plants operating in Bangladesh, which have combined capacity of about 230MW.
Ibrahim Johny, 25, who works as a security guard at the Mymensingh solar park was unemployed before getting this job, he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation at the entrance.
Plant manager Ahsanul Muznebin said 42 local people are employed there as module cleaners, while another 14 work as security guards and 12 as operation and maintenance engineers.
But setting up a new solar park is difficult because Bangladesh has little available land, said Buet professor Khan.
A national land use policy from 2001 prohibits conversion of fertile agricultural land for other purposes.
Mymensingh solar park manager Muznebin told the Thomson Reuters Foundation it took almost two years to acquire the 174 acres needed for the plant, as farmland could not be used.
Chowdhury, author of the draft solar roadmap, said sufficient land could be found for solar parks by reclaiming barren riverside areas and estuaries, while farmland could also be used for both agriculture and power generation.
He urged the government to take responsibility for organising land for large-scale solar parks and developing transmission infrastructure for solar power hubs.
It should also ease the stringent qualification criteria and approval process for ground-mounted solar farms, he added.
Alam, of the sustainable energy authority, said plummeting investment costs gave solar a bright future in Bangladesh and the government would support its development, including by setting a new target in a revised renewable energy policy due in 2023.


Amazon jungle ravaged by most June fires since 2007

Brazil recorded the most fires in the Amazon rainforest in 14 years for the month of June, government data showed on Thursday.The news comes amid worries that an extreme drought in many parts of the region could fuel more devastating fires in months to come, reports Reuters.Brazil’s national space research agency Inpe recorded over 2,000 hot spots in the Brazilian Amazon in June, a nearly 3% rise over the same month a year ago, when fires reached a 13-year high.While the number of fires in June only amount to a fraction of those seen at the peak of the dry season in August and September, environmental advocates fear it’s a sign of worse to come.“With a high number of fires already at the start of the summer, when there is naturally a decline in rains in the Amazon, this number will likely rise,” Greenpeace Brasil said in a statement.Scientists warn that dry weather along the Amazon’s “arc of deforestation” and in the Pantanal wetlands, the world’s largest tropical wetland and flooded grasslands area, could drive a worse fire season.Hydroelectric plants across the country have reported the lowest water inflows in 91 years amid intense drought, according to the mines and energy ministry.Fires in the Amazon are overwhelmingly man-made, with natural blazes extremely rare.Loggers illegally cut down valuable trees and then land-grabbers set fires to clear the space for cattle. Dry weather means those fires often run out of control.President Jair Bolsonaro earlier this week banned most outdoor fires in the country for 120 days as a precaution and deployed the military to protect the region from fires and deforestation.Those policy moves repeat steps taken in 2019 and 2020 that failed to lower deforestation and fires.For the full year of 2020, fires in the Amazon reached a four-year high, while deforestation hit a 12-year high, according to Inpe.Nasa’s Earth Observatory noted that last year “large numbers of deforestation-related fires burned in the Amazon rainforest, while uncontrolled wildfires blazed in savanna and grassland ecosystems in central Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay”.“Fire activity was up significantly in 2020. All types of fires contributed to the increase, including deforestation fires and understory fires, the most environmentally destructive types,” said Douglas Morton, chief of the Biospheric Sciences Laboratory at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center.Understory fires are low-intensity fires that cover large areas. Deliberate understory burns are used to reduce fuel loads on the forest floor in order to minimise the risk of devastating canopy fires, but most are accidental.“In the southern Brazilian Amazon, deforestation fire activity increased by 23% from 2019 to 2020, and active fire detections from understory fires were 60% higher than in 2019,” said Morton.


Moderna says Covid vaccine durable for at least 6 months

Moderna said Thursday that protection from its Covid-19 vaccine remained strong for at least six months, and the variant-specific boosters shot it is testing generated a “robust” antibody response to Delta.In a final analysis from its Phase Three, or final stage, clinical trial, Moderna’s Covid vaccine showed 93% efficacy at six months following the second dose.The company is also carrying out clinical trials on three different Covid-19 boosters, with all of them producing high antibody levels against the original coronavirus strain and variants of concern, including Delta, originally identified in India.“We are pleased that our Covid-19 vaccine is showing durable efficacy of 93% through six months, but recognise that the Delta variant is a significant new threat so we must remain vigilant,” said CEO Stephane Bancel in a statement.The statement added that Moderna expects to file its submission for full approval of its Covid vaccine with the US Food and Drug Administration this month.The company has also begun studies for several other vaccines, including the flu, Zika, respiratory syncytial virus and others, and is developing a Covid vaccine that can be stored at fridge temperature.


Verdict on govt’s appeal in equal citizenship case postponed to Aug 5

The decision in the government’s appeal against a High Court’s ruling that children born overseas to Malaysian women married to foreigners are entitled to automatic Malaysian citizenship was today rescheduled for Aug 5.
A three-man Court of Appeal panel comprising justices Kamaludin Md Said, Azizah Nawawi and S Nantha Balan will deliver their decision in open court.
Kamaludin suggested that the decision be delivered in open court instead of online as the lawyers who are on a watching brief and the media might wish to be present.
The judges were supposed to deliver their decision today in two appeals but these were reverted for further submissions following an additional point raised by senior federal counsel Liew Horng Bin, representing the government.
The first appeal involves the Association of Family Support & Welfare Selangor & Kuala Lumpur (Family Frontiers) and six Malaysian women who are married to foreigners while the other involves a woman born overseas to a Malaysian mother.
In today’s proceeding conducted online, Liew brought to the court’s attention a recent decision of the Federal Court which he said had a direct effect on the citizenship cases.
“Following the decision in the case of Dhinesh a/l Tanaphil vs Lembaga Pencegahan Jenayah (Crime Prevention Board & others, delivered last April, it appears that Article 8 (2) of the Federal Constitution cannot be amended as it forms part of the basic structure of the Federal Constitution.
“The amendment in 2001 to Article 8 (2) of the Federal Constitution to prohibit gender discrimination is impermissible,” he added.
He also argued that the amendment to Article 8 (2) which states that there shall be no discrimination against citizens regarding religion, race, descent, place of birth, or gender in any law, does not apply to Article 14 (2) of the Federal Constitution, the citizenship provision.
“The word ‘father’ in Sections 1 (b) and 1 (c) of the Second Schedule, Part II of the Federal Constitution, should not be interpreted to connote ‘mother’ as the provision cannot be amended,” said Liew.
High Court judge Akhtar Tahir, in his decision to allow children born overseas to Malaysian women married to foreigners to be entitled to citizenship by operation of the law under Article 14 (2), had held that the word “father” in Section 1 (b) must be read to include the mother.
At today’s proceeding, lawyer Gurdial Singh Nijar, representing the mothers and Family Frontier, argued that the Dhinesh case judgment should be read as a whole instead of portions of a passage being lifted.
He said the judgment, when read as a whole, supported improvements to the Federal Constitution such as Article 8 (2).
“It is the duty of the court to interpret the Federal Constitution in a harmonious way as the appeal concerns children and family,” he said.
Meanwhile, lawyer Cyrus Das, appearing for Mahisha Sulaiha Abdul Majeed, said Liew’s argument was astonishing and should not be entertained by the court.
In the first case, the government, home ministry and National Registration Department (JPN) director-general are appealing against the High Court decision on Sept 9 last year, recognising that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers have the automatic right to be Malaysians.
In the second case, Mahisha Sulaiha, who was born to a Malaysian mother and an Indian national father in India, is appealing against the Aug 19, 2020 High Court dismissal of her suit which she filed seeking a declaration that she is entitled to be a Malaysian citizen.
In their suit, among others, the mothers sought a court order for all relevant government agencies, including the JPN, immigration department and Malaysian embassies, to issue documents relating to citizenship including passports and identity cards to children born abroad to Malaysian women with foreign spouses.


Mastercard launches global plan to recycle credit cards

Payments company Mastercard on Wednesday launched a global project to recycle credit and debit cards as part of a plan to save the billions of cards in circulation across the industry from landfill.
Initially partnering with British lender HSBC Holdings Plc in eight branches in Britain, Mastercard said banks across the world, some of which have launched local initiatives, would be able to join the programme and help build economies of scale.
"We are inviting all card issuers around the world to partner with us, no matter what region they are in, and offer card recycling to their customers," said Ajay Bhalla, president of cyber and intelligence at Mastercard Inc.
Under the plan, Mastercard will provide shredding machines to HSBC, each of which is capable of holding 10,000 cards, equivalent to 50kg (110 pounds) of plastic. Once full, it will be transferred to a plastic recycling facility.
Financial details about the plan were not disclosed. The pilot project, which will run for an initial six months, will allow customers to recycle any plastic card, including those from rivals.
"This recycling pilot will provide us with some very important insight and will inform our longer-term plans," said Jose Carvalho, head of wealth and personal banking at HSBC UK.
Currently, Mastercard said it has around 3.1 billion cards in circulation. Each year, it estimates around 600 million cards are produced by the industry, each with a life span of around five years.
The Nilson Report, which analyses the industry, put total cards in circulation at nearly 26 billion in 2022, and forecast that could rise to 28.4 billion by 2027.
Soaring plastic use has created one of the world's biggest environmental challenges, with plastic waste buried in landfills or polluting rivers and oceans. The manufacturing process for plastic is also a major source of planet-warming greenhouse gas.


South Australia starts 6-week ‘circuit breaker’ to curb new virus spread

South Australians have this morning awoken to Day One of the state’s six-day “circuit breaker” lockdown to curb the spread of a coronavirus outbreak discovered just days ago.Since the start of the pandemic, Australian states have responded aggressively to small outbreaks with generally successful results. South Australia has now detected 36 cases, the first community infections in six months and is going all out to curb the spread.From today, schools and universities are shut, as are hospitality venues and food outlets, even for takeaway. Exercise is not allowed outside the home. It’s a stricter lockdown than Melbourne ever suffered in order to beat its second wave, which caused about 800 deaths.Authorities hope that going hard and early can prevent an escalation of cases. There will be a further eight days of lesser restrictions following the six-day pause, officials said.Authorities urged people to avoid panic-buying, confirming supermarkets and pharmacies would remain open but almost immediately after the lockdown announcement, images on social media showed people queuing at supermarkets to buy toilet paper and other such vital supplies.South Australia’s Premier Stephen Marshall called on residents to “rise to the challenge again” in the sudden, second lockdown. “We need a circuit breaker to stay ahead of this,” he said. “We need breathing space for contact tracing to protect the elderly, the vulnerable, our entire community.”Most Australian states had already moved this week to shut their borders to South Australian residents. The Northern Territory government halted the famous Ghan train, which runs through the red centre of the country from Adelaide to Darwin, at Alice Springs and turned it back to Adelaide with all its passengers.Like neighbouring Victoria’s outbreak, the re-emergence of the virus in South Australia has come from a hotel quarantine site. Officials say a medi-hotel cleaner became infected and spread it to the local community.Poor pay rates have been forcing some staff to work across multiple workplaces, therefore increasing the risk of spread. This has prompted re-examination of quarantine safety measures.Australia closed its borders to international travellers in March but has allowed citizens and permanent residents to return home if they undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a designated hotel. More than 20% of the country’s cases have been found in returning travellers.


Daily caseload at 571 as death toll up by 7

Another 571 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,028,794.
There were 696 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,980,364.
There are now 11,564 active cases, of which 10,945 or 94.6% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 581 (5%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 38 are in ICU with 18 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another seven deaths were reported, including two who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,866.


Ahead of land talks, Selangor Orang Asli village hopes for the best but braces for the worst

With the fate of an Orang Asli settlement in Selangor hanging in the balance ahead of a meeting between a land developer and the local authorities today, villagers are only hoping for some measure of reparation to allow them to start a new life elsewhere.Residents at Kampung Orang Asli Bagan Lalang were issued an eviction notice by Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) and the state government on April 20.The notice, stuck on the door of each house in the village, said residents were required to leave and surrender the land to PNSB within 30 days.A community leader who identified himself as Taha said they were aware that they had no legal right to the land.“We know that we are just ‘menumpang’,” he said, using the Malay word for squatting.“But to move out from this place will take money.”This is money that few if any of them have.The eviction notice had clearly stated that the cost of moving out must be borne by the villagers, who would not be allowed to demand reparation for the money spent on the site.“We know that we are just ‘menumpang’.”Tenya Atan, one of the first settlers in the area, said while the community agreed with the decision, they were saddened by the words used in the notice.“We were not trespassing on the land,” she said. “There was nobody living here. We did not grow any crops over time.“We opened the settlement but we did not trespass,” she told MalaysiaNow.Taha meanwhile attributed the problem to others who had moved in and settled nearby, encroaching on land owned by PNSB.“It would not be a problem if there were just us, the Orang Asli,” he said, adding that no one had disturbed them for two decades before this.Some 13 Orang Asli live in the area which is home to about 30 people of various ethnicities.It is understood that today’s discussion will involve PNSB and the Sepang Land District Office.Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari previously said that everything was being done according to provisions in the law, and that the state government had received a request for an extension of the pre-eviction period.


Muda suspends Perak chief for 3 years

Muda has suspended for three years the membership of its Perak chairman Mutalib Uthman, who was relieved of his position effective Dec 27.
Muda secretary-general Amir Abd Hadi said this was decided by the party's central executive committee following a report from its disciplinary board on Mutalib's conduct which had violated party directives and discipline.
"On Oct 30, 2022, Mutalib was found to have uploaded a poster on his personal and Perak Muda social media accounts announcing his intention to contest the Tapah parliamentary seat in the 15th general election, using the party's official channels and posters, without approval.
"This move was found to be against the party’s regulations and was in violation of Clause 5: Responsibilities of members in the Muda constitution, particularly Clause 5.1 (d) Obey and respect party decisions and 5.1 (f) Preserve the good name and dignity of the party," he said in a statement.
Amir said the central executive committee had also received resignation letters from Pahang Muda chief Malani Manimaharan and Penang chief Jazz Tan on grounds of commitment and health issues.
"As such, there is an urgent need for acting appointments. With that, Muda Perak acting chief is Devadas Silvaraju, Penang acting chief is Tineshvar Boontinathan while for Pahang, this will be announced soon," he said.


Australia flags potential cyberattacks after Russia sanctions

Australia must prepare itself for likely cyberattacks from Russia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday, a day after joining Western allies in imposing sanctions on Moscow over military actions in Ukraine.“Cyber attacks are a real threat, and they’re a present threat and that is the most likely response from Russia in terms of what we’ve done,” Morrison told Channel Nine when asked if he expected any retaliation from Russia over sanctions.Morrison on Wednesday announced sanctions on Russian individuals Australia believes were responsible for Russia’s actions against Ukraine and said he expected “subsequent tranches of sanctions.”He urged Australian businesses to bolster their cyber defence. They may not get hit directly but there could be “collateral cyber impacts” from computer viruses when deployed that can “take on a course of their own,” he said.Morrison’s comments come as a newly discovered piece of destructive software was found circulating in Ukraine hitting hundreds of computers, researchers at the cybersecurity firm ESET said on Wednesday.Ukraine, which declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and told its citizens in Russia to immediately come home, has been repeatedly hit by hackers as Russia has massed troops around its borders.


UK to ban petrol, diesel cars from 2030 in green ‘revolution’

Britain will ban petrol and diesel vehicle sales from 2030 as part of a 10-point plan for a “green industrial revolution” to be unveiled Wednesday by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.The British premier has earmarked £12 billion (US$15.9 billion) for the wide-ranging plans, which he hopes will secure up to 250,000 jobs and help meet a target for the UK to become carbon neutral by 2050.The proposals include quadrupling offshore wind power within a decade while scaling up hydrogen production capacity for industry, transport, power and homes.Investment will also be made in zero-emission public transport, alongside research into zero-emission planes and ships, and in making cycling and walking “more attractive”.The plans contain broader aims to make Britain a “world-leader” in carbon capture technology and the city of London a “global centre of green finance”.The government will also spend £525 million on developing large and smaller-scale nuclear plants, and new advanced modular reactors, in a move likely to anger environmentalists.Johnson is hoping the ambitious proposals can help deliver on pledges to reduce Britain’s stark regional inequality and repair some of the economic damage done by the pandemic.They are also being seen as an opportunity to reset his faltering government and align with the priorities of US president-elect Joe Biden, ahead of the UK hosting global climate talks next December.“My 10-point plan will create, support and protect hundreds of thousands of green jobs, whilst making strides towards net zero by 2050,” Johnson said in a statement ahead of publishing the full blueprint.“Our green industrial revolution will be powered by the wind turbines of Scotland and the North East, propelled by the electric vehicles made in the Midlands and advanced by the latest technologies developed in Wales.”‘Speculative solutions’The 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars and vans follows what Downing Street called “extensive consultation with car manufacturers and sellers”.Johnson had said in February his government would aim to end such sales by 2035, but will now only allow the sale of hybrid vehicles until that year.Under the new plans, it will invest £1.3 billion on expanding electric vehicle chargepoints in homes and streets across England, and make £582 million available in grants for people to buy zero or ultra-low emission vehicles.Meanwhile nearly £500 million will be spent in the next four years on the development and production of electric vehicle batteries.Under proposals to reduce carbon-emitting gas usage, another £500 million is earmarked to trial using hydrogen in homes for heating and cooking.The government is aiming to build a so-called “Hydrogen Neighbourhood” within three years, a “Hydrogen Village” by 2025, and a town of tens of thousands of homes using the gas by the end of the decade.It is also set to invest £1 billion in a grant scheme launched in September, and now to be extended for a year, to make homes and public buildings more energy efficient.Greenpeace welcomed the package and the “landmark announcement” on vehicles.The pressure group called the move “a historic turning point on climate action” that could “put the government back on track to meeting its climate commitments”.“It’s a shame the prime minister remains fixated on other speculative solutions, such as nuclear and hydrogen from fossil fuels, that will not be taking us to zero emissions anytime soon, if ever,” it added.


Selangor health exco says sorry in vaccine spat with Khairy

Selangor health exco Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud today apologised to Khairy Jamaluddin for their recent spat over vaccine supply in the state, saying she had been told at a meeting of the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) that Selangor would be receiving some four million doses of vaccine for the month of July.“I attended the CITF meeting this morning,” she said in a Twitter post. “Selangor will receive 4,008,710 doses of vaccine for July. The biggest supply.“Thank you YB Menteri,” she added. “I will be in your meeting insyaAllah without fail. Alhmdllah, yr nose tak panjang tadi. Mohon maaf dunia akhirat.”Siti Mariah previously said that Selangor had not been receiving enough doses of vaccine, claiming that the state’s vaccination capacity was 87,616.She also said that if no additional supplies were given, several vaccination centres in the state would have to be closed.But Khairy, who is in charge of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, said he had been informed in a meeting with the Selangor menteri besar that the state’s vaccination capacity in June was 40,000 doses per day.“We distribute the vaccine supply based on the state’s capacity. I am not sure where the exco got the 80,000 figure from,” he said at a press conference on June 28.He also urged the state to accelerate its vaccination rate, saying it was the only state whose utilisation of vaccines was below 80%.


Death toll in migrant boat accident rises to 18

The death toll from a boat accident off Johor rose to 18 today after a search and rescue team found the bodies of seven more Indonesian migrants on the shore.The vessel, which was carrying about 50 Indonesians seeking to enter Malaysia illegally, capsized yesterday in stormy weather.Soldiers on patrol found 11 victims on the shore in the hours after the accident, and the bodies of five more men and two women were recovered today, the coastguard said.Eighteen migrants are believed to still be missing, and authorities have deployed boats and an aircraft to hunt for them.Another 14 people survived the accident, and have been taken into custody.Indonesians desperate for work sometimes try to enter Malaysia illegally by making sea crossings in rickety boats, but accidents happen regularly.Relatively affluent Malaysia is home to millions of migrants from poorer parts of Asia, many of them undocumented, and they work in industries including construction and agriculture.


G7 group expected to donate 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the Group of Seven is expected to donate one billion Covid-19 vaccine doses to poorer countries during its summit starting on Friday, in a drive to help inoculate the world by the end of next year.The group is expected to announce the pledge during its three-day summit in the English seaside resort of Carbis Bay in Cornwall in southwest England, Reuters reports.Just hours after US President Joe Biden vowed to donate 500 million Pfizer shots, Johnson said Britain would give at least 100 million surplus vaccines to the poorest nations.Britain has given a first dose to 77% of its adult population and the US 64%.“As a result of the success of the UK’s vaccine programme we are now in a position to share some of our surplus doses with those who need them,” Johnson will say on Friday, according to excerpts of the announcement released by his office.“In doing so we will take a massive step towards beating this pandemic for good.”Some campaign groups are already condemning the plan as a drop in the ocean.With a global population nearing eight billion and most people needing two doses, if not booster shots to tackle variants as well, campaigners said the commitments marked a start, but world leaders needed to go much further, and much faster.Charity group Oxfam estimates that nearly four billion people will depend on Covax for vaccines, the programme that distributes Covid-19 shots to low and middle-income countries.“The G7’s aim to provide one billion doses should be seen as an absolute minimum, and the timeframe needs to speed up,” said Lis Wallace at anti-poverty campaign group ONE.“We’re in a race with this virus and the longer it’s in the lead the greater the risk of new, more dangerous variants undermining global progress.”Charities have also said that logistical support will be needed to help administer large numbers of vaccines in poorer countries.Of the 100 million British shots, 80 million will go to the Covax programme led by the World Health Organization and the rest will be shared bilaterally with countries in need.Johnson echoed Biden in calling on his fellow leaders to make similar pledges and for pharmaceutical companies to adopt the Oxford-AstraZeneca financial model of providing vaccines at cost for the duration of the pandemic.The British doses will be drawn from the stock it has already procured for its domestic programme, and will come from suppliers Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Janssen, Moderna and others.


Covid vaccines effective against Delta, Noor Hisham assures

The Covid-19 vaccines used in Malaysia have been proven to be effective against the Delta variant, says health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.He said this was based on the fact that vaccinations in Labuan and Sarawak had managed to reduce hospital admissions, ICU bed usage, and use of ventilators for Covid-19 patients.Noor Hisham also expressed confidence that cases in the Klang Valley would drop once 50% of the population are vaccinated, a number authorities have aimed to achieve by Aug 31.“We are already seeing some positive results, whereby in the Klang Valley when we started vaccination for elderly, the age group of 60 and above, patients in Sungai Buloh Hospital decreased and now we are seeing age groups of 40 to 59 and 20 to 39 also decreasing in the last one week,” he said during a question-and-answer session after delivering his keynote address and attending a dialogue at the Malaysia Healthcare Conference 2021 held virtually today.He said of the 67 whole genome sequencing done to identify variants of concern (VOC) in the country from July 17 until August, 66 were confirmed as being of the Delta variant.He said the Delta variant had a higher infectivity rate or R-naught value and was thus much more transmissible compared to the Wuhan virus which sparked the pandemic last year.“The R-naught for the Wuhan virus started from 2.5, which means one person can infect 2.5 people but now this virus (Delta) is reported at five to eight, which means if 100 people get infected, they infect 500 to 800 people in one cycle. This is similar to chickenpox (11 to 12) and measles (18),” he added.He said more variants are expected to emerge, adding that mutations happen when there are infections that cause the virus to enter and multiply in the lungs.“Maybe in another three or four more cycles we can see spike protein mutations that are resistant to our vaccine, and we may not be able to detect them from our testing. The fear is there, but we need to look into solutions, how best to contain this infection in our country,” he added.On the use of ivermectin, Noor Hisham said the results of clinical trials on the use and efficacy of the drug will be available by next month.He said the vitro study (experiment done in the laboratory) was showing some results, but that the vivo study (experiment on living organism) showed that a high dosage of ivermectin is needed to achieve anti-viral effects, which could give rise to some other complications.He said the health ministry would conduct a study on three types of drugs to treat Covid-19 patients as announced by the World Health Organisation, namely artesunate, imatinib and infliximab.He said solidarity tests on drugs used in the past such as remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine and lopinavir showed that they were not effective against Covid-19.


Manager of govt-linked property company, 3 others arrested over RM300 million false claims

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested four individuals including the manager of a government-linked property company on suspicion of abetting in the submission of false claims for development projects in the east coast worth more than RM300 million.The other three were the project manager, managing director and architect from the contrator and consultancy companies.Three of them were arrested at the Terengganu MACC office while the fourth was arrested at his home in the capital at about noon on June 16.The suspects, aged 28 to 48, were remanded for six days until June 22 after magistrate Noor Mazrinie Mahmood allowed the remand application by the MACC at the Kuala Terengganu Magistrate’s Court this morning.When contacted, the senior director of MACC’s investigation division Hishamuddin Hashim confirmed the arrests.


Property market records 188,000 transactions worth RM84 billion in first half of year

The local property market recorded more than 188,000 transactions worth RM84 billion in the first half of the year (1H22) with the residential subsector accounting for more than 60% of the total transactions and almost 54% of the value.
Deputy Finance Minister Mohd Shahar Abdullah said the number of transactions and value recorded in the first half was an increase of more than 30% from the same period last year.
“All property subsectors, comprising residential, trade, industrial, agriculture and development land, recorded an increase in transaction activities and value in the first half,” he said at the launch of the 1H22 property market report today prepared by the National Property Information Centre (Napic), an agency under the Valuation and Property Services Department.
Based on the report, the residential property sector recorded 116,178 transactions worth RM45.62 billion during the review period, an increase of 26.3% in the number of transactions, and 32.2% in value year-on-year, with Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Selangor representing about 47% of the overall national residences.
Shahar said while the market activities had shown a positive trend, sentiment for the new residential launch segment was still cautious with more than 10,000 new units launched in the review period, compared to more than 31,000 units last year with the average national sales performance at a rate of 20.3%.
Based on the report, Johor registered the most new residential launches, accounting for almost 23.8% or 2,509 units of the total national numbers with a 31.8% sales performance rate, followed by Sabah (1,335 units, 12.7% share, 10.6% sales rate) and Perak (1,317 units, 12.5% share, 19.4% sales rate).
Terrace houses dominated new launches, contributing 68.2% of the overall total with a sales rate of 22%.
The report also stated that more than 34,000 residential overhang units valued at RM21.7 billion were recorded in 1H22 with Johor recording the highest overhang units.
Shahar said almost 60% of the overhang units were in the condominium or apartment property segment while in terms of price, almost 43% were within the price range of more than RM500,000 per unit.
“Johor recorded the most overhang residential units with 6,000 units worth RM4.7 billion, contributing 17% and 21% for each of the number and value of overhang in the country.
“Penang was in second position with more than 5,000 units worth RM3.64 billion,” he said.
He said the overhang status for serviced apartments had improved with more than 22,000 units worth RM19.32 billion in 1H22 recorded, a 6.7% reduction in numbers compared to the second half of last year.
“Almost 89% of the total overhang was in the price range of RM500,000 and above, and most of them were in Johor,” he said, adding that the overhang situation for the period of concern had improved with a decrease in marginal numbers and value of 7.5% and 4.6% compared to the second half of last year.
Shahar urged the developers and authorities to pay attention to the overhang data and ensure that the houses built are in line with buyers' demand and affordability, to minimise mismatch and control the overhang situation in the future.
He also suggested that stakeholders in the property sector refer to the Unsold Property Enquiry System Malaysia portal developed by Napic before planning new developments, and conduct a holistic feasibility study to ensure that the decisions made are the right ones and not contribute to future overhang stock.
For the purpose-built offices and business complexes subsectors, Shahar said the supply situation was increasingly challenging, with more than 18 million square metres of private office spaces in the whole nation by the end of June 2022 with an occupancy rate of 70.8%.
He said business complexes consisting of shopping complexes, hypermarkets and arcades recorded more than 17 million square metres of commercial space with a vacancy of 4.22 million square metres across the country.


Call for general election now, Tok Mat sets tone for Umno delegates

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan set the tone of the party’s general assembly tonight by urging for the 15th general election to be held this year, saying that the time is right as its political enemies are at the weakest point.“Winning the election and taking over the government will require that the election is held at the right time. The state elections in Melaka, Sarawak and Johor have given indications that the time is now. Firstly, because the opposition is very weak now,” Mohamad, also known as Tok Mat, said in his speech to officiate the Youth, Wanita and Puteri Umno assemblies.He said Umno paid dearly in the 2018 polls due to the delay in calling for elections by then prime minister Najib Razak, which he said had allowed the opposition to consolidate to unite to defeat Barisan Nasional.“Strike while your enemy is weak, and strike while the iron is hot. Don’t wait for them (opposition) to regroup, like during the 14th general election, they… Mahathir and Anwar kissed and made up, and only then had we called for elections. Sorry Najib.“That was asking for trouble. Now is the right time for us to strike,” he said, referring to Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s cooperation with his former rival and Pakatan Harapan chairman Anwar Ibrahim, which saw the newly formed Bersatu becoming a member of the opposition coalition to end more than six decades of BN rule in 2018.Mohamad said any delay in calling for elections “will open up potentials for the resurgence of the opposition”.He said opposition forces were currently in disarray as was shown in recently held state elections.“The opposition’s disunity is strategic for Umno. This is when we defeat them, when they are divided and at loggerheads.”Tok Mat’s call reflects the stand taken by former leader Najib and party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, both of whom are believed to be piling up pressure on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to dissolve parliament.Zahid, who is facing 47 criminal charges, previously said that GE15 should be held before or by July this year.Observers believe that he is looking to shore up his position before the party elections in November.If both GE15 and the Umno elections are held while his trials are ongoing, Zahid may not be able to defend his position.


Sorry.


How to reduce prison overcrowding and curb spread of Covid-19

Malaysia’s prisons and detention centres remain a breeding ground for the transmission of Covid-19. On Nov 3, 2020, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reported a total number of 1,054 new Covid-19 cases in the country, out of which 310 originated in prison clusters and temporary detention centres alone, translating to roughly 29.4% of all local cases.These statistics exhibit the severity of the plight in Malaysian prisons, with the root of the issue stemming from the fact that these facilities are currently dangerously overcrowded, making social distancing virtually impossible.On Oct 6, prisons director-general Zulkifli Omar recognised the problem of overcrowding in state prisons and announced that the department will move to grant a release on licence to minor offenders sentenced to less than a year of imprisonment, with less than three months left to serve.According to the Prisons Department’s statistics as of Oct 5, there are approximately 11,018 inmates eligible for release under this procedure.If implemented promptly, the scheme would undoubtedly be a welcome mechanism in tackling the overpopulation crisis in local prisons.However, at the time of writing, there have been no reports of any one prisoner being released through this system. Efforts to contact the prison headquarters to clarify this matter were unsuccessful.To stem Covid-19 transmission among inmates, the department also decided to move minor drug-related inmates to temporary prison facilities at National Service Training Programme centres.According to department statistics, a total of 2,800 minor drug offenders were to be transferred. While we recognise that this move will ease overpopulation in certain prisons to some degree, we stress that this measure alone will not be sufficient in curbing the transmission of Covid-19, given the magnitude of the problem at hand.At present, a large proportion of detainees represent foreign nationals being held for various offences under the Immigration Act. A representative from the Semenyih Immigration Detention Centre confirmed that the facility is currently operating at overcapacity, with an influx of foreigners being detained and remanded into custody.When asked about the source of this overpopulation dilemma, the representative cited international Covid-19 restrictions as being the main challenge, stating that the Malaysian Immigration Department was currently facing difficulty in remitting these foreigners back to their home countries.The statement raises the crucial question: in times of an unprecedented health crisis such as this, why were these foreign nationals marshalled, arrested and taken into custody in the first place?This stagnancy of foreign prisoners is only made worse by the imposition of corporal punishment.Malaysia’s Immigration Act imposes six strokes of the cane, fines and up to five years’ imprisonment for people who are deemed to be in Malaysia irregularly. A growing number of offenders are currently being held in detention not only to serve out their sentences; many are also forced to remain in custody well past their prescribed sentence solely to await the enforcement of corporal punishment, namely caning.The imposition of this punitive penalty drastically increases the time inmates are being held in Malaysian prisons, thus further contributing to the problem of overcrowding.During an inspection of the Semenyih detention camp in 2003, Suhakam observed that authorities had to delay the deportation of migrants who had been caned in order to allow scars to heal.In unprecedented times such as this, where overcrowding in prisons is a recognised contributor to the spread of Covid-19, we urge the authorities to suspend the enforcement of corporal punishment on minor offenders, and in particular cease to implement canning where the offences involved are merely administrative in nature (i.e. immigration offences).Under international law, immigration detention is only meant to be used as a last resort and where it is necessary, reasonable, and proportionate to a legitimate government objective. In the present global public health crisis, migration-related detention and subsequent judicial corporal punishment is not only unreasonable, but simply unjustifiable.In view of this, the Malaysian government should urgently amend legislation to treat immigration violations as administrative offences rather than crimes punishable by prison or corporal punishment, and refocus their efforts on the repatriation of these individuals.Recommendations1. ParoleThe relevant authorities may consider releasing eligible inmates on parole under Part IVA 46A of the Prisons Act 1995.Parolees are required to report to a parole officer at such time and date as their parole officer may from time to time direct and to reside at a residence specified in their parole order, among other restrictive conditions. Violation of parole conditions may result in the parolee being remitted back into custody. This mechanism of the law would enable prisons to decrease their populations and ease overcrowding, but in a manner which is controlled and measured.2. PardonNeighbouring Southeast Asian jurisdictions have recognised the risks posed by overcrowded prisons, and moved to stem the transmission of Covid-19 by reducing prison populations. Indonesia started the process of releasing thousands of minor offenders as early back as April, in a nation-wide effort to curb the spread of the virus. Myanmar on the other hand announced, also in April, that as part of its New Year amnesty it would be freeing nearly 25,000 prisoners – more than quarter of its prisons’ population.We recommend that the Malaysian authorities work towards a parallel goal in this jurisdiction. Under Malaysian law, a pardon may be petitioned and sought for individual offenders in certain circumstances.Regulation 113 of the Prisons Regulations 2000 states that, in petitioning for a royal pardon, an Officer-in-Charge may bring any special circumstance to the notice of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or the Ruler or the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, should such circumstances arise.The petition shall then be heard by the Pardons Board of Malaysia. It is highly arguable that the circumstances brought about by Covid-19 pandemic constitute such “special circumstances”, which would warrant the involvement and consideration of the Pardons Board. We recommend that this power hence be exercised to grant a “blanket” pardon’ for minor offenders with a less than one year sentence, to reduce the number of inmates being held in custody.An umbrella pardon would also be particularly functional in releasing a significant number of individuals detained under the Immigration Act, as the practicalities of parole and release-on-license would not apply to these foreigners, who may neither be managed nor monitored once returned to their jurisdictions.3. Bail for remand prisonersWe recognise that there are significant numbers of individuals currently being held in remand while awaiting trial and their detention further burden facilities that are already overcrowded and on the verge of collapse.We propose that the prosecution work to remit individuals who were remanded without any offer for bail back to court, to allow these detainees to put forth bail applications.We implore the judiciary, upon hearing these applications, to consider the exceptional circumstances posed by Covid-19 and be more permissive in granting bail where possible, in order to alleviate the stress placed on our prison system.For future detainees due to be placed into remand, we recommend that these individuals be granted bail at first instance, where reasonable, in order to keep prison populations in check for as long as the pandemic persists.A reasonable amount for bail should be applied, with the proportionate aim of securing the accused attendance to court at a later date, and no more.4. MCO offendersAs a separate contingent issue, as far back as April, the prisons director-general called upon the judiciary to stop jailing violators of the MCO to tackle overcrowding in prisons.However, a significant number of people are still being detained every day for MCO violation which further contributes to an ever increasing number of detainees being packed into already overcrowded facilities.Should the authorities continue to arrest, charge and detain MCO offenders during this pandemic, it would contradict and undo all other efforts in controlling prison populations.We thus encourage the authorities to consider suspending the sentences of these individuals until after the pandemic, a discretionary legal mechanism provided by the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC).We also urge the judiciary to reconsider discontinuing the imposition of prison sentences for new MCO offenders, to avoid further exacerbating the issue of overcrowding. Instead, compounding the offence may be a viable option to sentencing.5. Detention of migrant childrenAlarmingly, on Nov 4, the home ministry confirmed that 756 children are currently being detained at local immigration detention centres as of Oct 26. Out of this number, 326 are being detained in the absence of their guardians.The detention of these minors are not only in direct contravention of Malaysia’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but such action also incontestably contributes to the already severe overcrowding issue here in Malaysia.We therefore implore the Malaysian government to release these migrant children immediately and into the care of parents, guardians or the appropriate welfare authorities. Such a measure would not only ensure Malaysia’s compliance with international children rights standards, but also act as a crucial part of the nation’s fight against the spread of Covid-19.We urge the Malaysian government to consider taking action to introduce some system of relief, be it in the form of compassionate release, delaying sentencing, granting parole for minor offenders, and/or granting a blanket pardon for non-violent offenders at high risk, such as the elderly, as well as those with severe illnesses.Immediate action is necessary as we must bear in mind that although prisoners are required to serve their prescribed punishment under the law, they should not be left to die from Covid-19.Zaid Malek is coordinator at Lawyers for Liberty.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Daily caseload drops below 2,000 as 4 more deaths reported

Another 1,922 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,530,312.There were 1,564 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,471,631.There are now 22,961 active cases, of which 21,921 or 95.5% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 16 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 992 (4.3%) have been hospitalised.A total of 32 are in ICU with 18 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 62.2%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 7.3%.Another four deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,720.


Pandemic highlights need for personal financial planning

Knowing how best to spend, save and invest money may not have seemed a crucial issue during more prosperous times, but Covid-19 is now throwing the financial fortunes of Malaysians into disarray.The pandemic is forcing people to acknowledge that financial literacy is an essential survival skill, without which hardships come, especially when crisis strikes, whether global or personal.Financial literacy simply means knowing enough to make rational and responsible decisions in personal money matters, and a key part is having sufficient financial awareness to build an emergency fund.People should be aware enough not to spend so recklessly that insolvency is the inevitable outcome, but also not to hoard their savings instead of investing them, only to lose everything in a dubious deal or outright scam.The 2020 RinggitPlus Malaysian Financial Literacy Survey, released this week, reveals that Malaysians’ financial habits have barely changed since this time last year.Just under half of respondents said they still spend exactly what they earn or more, while just over half revealed that they would not be able to survive more than three months on their savings in the event of job loss.Over 60% of those under 35 are unaware of available debt restructuring and rescheduling schemes despite the pandemic giving rise to temporary measures such as loan moratoriums and debt repayment assistance.The survey also shows that while 70% of Malaysians say their EPF will not be sufficient for their retirement, 45% of them have still not begun retirement financial planning. Indeed, the evidence is that many people manage to scrape through their entire life with little or no thought for their personal financial management.But perhaps that is not entirely their fault.As the survey puts it, “Despite every single adult being impacted by money matters regardless of profession, we aren’t sufficiently taught it at school in a meaningful or mandatory way. Financial literacy is given less focus than the usual languages, maths and sciences, but should at least be given similar billing to the likes of history, geography and art.”“Responsible financial behaviour is critical for us all, because should the worst-case scenario happen, you don’t want to find yourself destitute,” Izlin Ismail tells MalaysiaNow.The Universiti Malaya professor of banking and finance emphasises the need to build a financial buffer to enable people to do better than merely survive a prolonged crisis, but she knows that doing so is easier said than done for some.“Responsible financial behaviour is critical for us all, because should the worst-case scenario happen, you don’t want to find yourself destitute.”“Many people living on low wages, who probably don’t have any savings to begin with, can’t build these financial buffers because they simply don’t have the money to do it.”She warns that it is difficult for adults to dig themselves out of debt once they fall into it. “We need to be taught from a very young age the importance of financial planning and having a budget,” she insists.Izlin has trained teachers to run financial literacy programmes for school children, each course tailored to a specific age group. In many cases, children of low-income parents who took such courses became so clued-up that they started advising their parents on how to adopt better financial habits.Izlin says it is not necessarily true that rural, lower income groups require greater financial literacy than urban, middle income groups.“I have done research on consumer financial vulnerability, looking at debt. Debt in itself is not the biggest problem, but over-indebtedness – where you cannot afford to pay your debts – was not so prevalent in rural lower income groups, because they don’t have any formal debt. What they do have is informal debt, where they have borrowed from family and friends,” she says.“The problem is not how much debt you have, but whether you will be able to pay it back if it increases. The long-term implications of excessive indebtedness can lead to social upheaval when the economy is disrupted, like it is now.“In the pandemic you can see people scrambling to get their hands into their savings pots,” she says. “Once that pot dries up, then what? How long can we expect the government to keep topping it up for us?”As the RinggitPlus survey says, “When our economy recovers, it is to be hoped that Malaysians will take their finances more seriously so that we can all be more prepared in case the next rainy season ever comes.”


Flight issues not under consumer claims tribunal, says ministry

Issues related to airline services are not under the jurisdiction of the Tribunal for Consumer Claims, says the domestic trade and cost of living ministry.
In a statement today, the ministry said the issues should be referred to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).
It said Section 99(1)(c) of the Consumer Protection (Amendment) Act 2015 (Act A1498) which was amended with Section 99(1)(ca) states that any dispute related to any airline services are not within the tribunal’s power effective March 1, 2016.
"However, all complaints received by the ministry so far have been forwarded to Mavcom for further action," it added.
The ministry also reminded consumers to save or record all transactions when contacting the airline and make a complaint directly to Mavcom along with the stored evidence via https://flysmart.my/en/make-a-complaint/ or email to [email protected]


Studies show no rapid spread of Covid-19 in schools with SOPs

Schools that practise social distancing, mask-wearing and other precautions have not seen rapid spread of coronavirus, but indoor sports activities should be avoided, researchers said Tuesday.The researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reviewed studies of school settings in the US and other countries.“As many schools have reopened for in-person instruction in some parts of the US as well as internationally, school-related cases of Covid-19 have been reported, but there has been little evidence that schools have contributed meaningfully to increased community transmission,” they wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Tuesday.“The preponderance of available evidence from the fall school semester has been reassuring insofar as the type of rapid spread that was frequently observed in congregate living facilities or high-density worksites has not been reported in education settings in schools,” they said.They said the data suggests a path forward to “maintain or return primarily or fully to in-person” instruction.“All recommended mitigation measures in schools must continue,” they said.These include universal mask use, physical distance and hybrid attendance models to limit crowding.Other measures include increasing room air ventilation and expanding testing to rapidly identify and isolate asymptomatic infected people.Other actions include “taking steps to reduce community transmission and limiting school-related activities such as indoor sports practice or competition that could increase transmission risk”, they said.“With two vaccines now being distributed under Emergency Use Authorizations and more vaccine options anticipated to be available in the coming months, there is much hope on the horizon for a safer environment for schools and school-related athletic activities during the 2021/22 school year,” the researchers said.The researchers looked at studies and data from US schools in Mississippi, North Carolina and Wisconsin as well as schools in countries in Europe.


Ukraine war comes to Moscow as both capitals hit by drones

Ukrainian drones struck Moscow on Tuesday but were neutralised, Russia said in what one politician called the worst attack on the capital since World War Two, while Kyiv was also hit by air for the third time in 24 hours.
Since Russia sent troops into its neighbour in February last year, the war has largely been fought inside Ukraine, though Moscow has reported some attacks on its territory including an alleged assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the early morning drone assault had injured two people, while some residents in two lightly damaged apartment blocks were briefly evacuated.
Russia's defence ministry said eight drones sent by Kyiv were shot down or diverted, though Baza, a Telegram channel with links to the security services, said more than 25 were involved.
Residents said they heard loud bangs followed by the smell of petrol. Some filmed a drone being shot down and a plume of smoke rising over the Moscow skyline.
Lawmaker Maxim Ivanov termed it the most serious assault on Moscow since the Nazis, saying no citizen could now avoid "the new reality". "You will either defeat the enemy as a single fist with our Motherland, or the indelible shame of cowardice, collaboration and betrayal will engulf your family," he said.
Two weeks ago, two drones exploded over the Kremlin in an attack Russia also blamed on Kyiv and said was aimed at Putin.
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak denied Kyiv was directly involved in targeting Moscow on Tuesday, though he said "we are pleased to watch" and forecast more to come.
At a messy stalemate for most of 2023 with Russian troops occupying some eastern Ukrainian regions, the war has killed tens of thousands, uprooted millions, reduced cities to ruins and caused havoc in the global economy.
Kyiv hight-rise hit
In Kyiv, Ukrainian defence forces said they shot down more than 20 Iranian-made Shahed drones on Tuesday.
One person died and four were injured when debris from a destroyed Russian projectile hit a high-rise apartment building causing a fire, Ukrainian officials said. Two upper floors were destroyed with people possibly still under rubble.
Photos from Kyiv officials and Reuters reporters showed flames engulfing the top of the building. "The attack was massive, came from different directions, in several waves," said Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration.
Russia has attacked Kyiv 17 times in May with drones or missiles, mostly at night, in an apparent attempt to undermine Ukrainians' will to fight after more than 15 months of war.
"These missile attacks of a fairly dense frequency are aimed specifically at exhausting both our air defence forces and our physical and moral strength," said Natalya Gumenyuk, a spokesperson for Ukraine's southern military command.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said US-supplied Patriot anti-missile defences were achieving a 100% interception rate.
"Terror will be defeated," he said in his nightly address on Monday.
Ukraine is promising a counter-offensive backed with Western weapons to try to drive Russian occupiers from territory seized since Moscow launched its "special military operation".
On the eastern front lines, Russian paratroops and motorised units were replacing Wagner mercenary units in the city of Bakhmut, which has been the main focus of fighting for months, according to a Ukrainian military representative.
Moscow said it invaded Ukraine to "denazify" its neighbour and protect Russian speakers. Western opponents say the invasion is an imperialist land grab.
Moscow says it is open to resuming stalled peace talks with Kyiv and has welcomed mediation efforts from Brazil and China.
But Kyiv insists full withdrawal of Russian troops is the only way to end the war.


Free replacement for textbooks damaged in floods

Students whose textbooks were damaged in the floods will get a replacement for free, says Education Minister Radzi Jidin.He said the ministry would ensure that efforts to replace the damaged textbooks are carried out immediately to enable teaching and learning (PdP) sessions to run smoothly and in an orderly manner.“Based on the education ministry’s records as of today, a total of 263,662 textbooks were damaged in the floods involving 14,422 students nationwide.“The ministry has enough stock to replace the damaged books to enable students to follow the PdP session beginning next week,” he said in a video posted on his Facebook page today.He said this followed many inquiries to the ministry regarding textbooks that were damaged by the floods which hit several states recently.


Perak MB on the way out after losing confidence motion

Perak Menteri Besar Ahmad Faizal Azumu today lost a confidence motion brought against him in the state legislative assembly, in a sign of a widening rift between him and Umno.A total of 48 assemblymen voted against him while 10 voted in support of him and one abstained.Perak Speaker Mohammad Zahir Abdul Khalid made the announcement after a bloc vote which saw assemblymen voting through ballot papers.The Perak state assembly comprises 25 representatives from Umno, 16 from DAP, five from Bersatu, five from Amanah, three from PKR, three from PAS, one from Gerakan and one independent.Faizal said he accepted the decision, adding that there was no need to prolong further political instability at this time.“As menteri besar, I am committed to ensuring a smooth transition,” he said, thanking the assemblymen as well as the Perak sultan for putting his trust in him to lead the state.Zahir meanwhile said the decision would have to be presented to the sultan, and adjourned the assembly to Dec 9.Faizal, who is Bersatu’s MP for Tambun as well as Chenderiang assemblyman, was re-appointed as Perak menteri besar in March after tendering his resignation following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government.Zahir had said on Monday that the motion, submitted by Pengkalan Baharu assemblyman Abd Manaf Hashim, was nothing unusual as such things had happened before.“This is not a new innovation,” he said, adding that it was in line with the state legislature’s Standing Orders. “It has been practised before.”


Company boss held by MACC over RM22 million govt tender

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained the managing director of a company for allegedly using fake documents to secure a government tender worth RM22 million in July 2018.A source from Kedah MACC told Bernama that the 33-year-old man was detained at a restaurant in Kajang, Selangor, at noon yesterday.“The suspect used documents containing false details by ordering and forcing two of his staff to produce forged bank statements to bid for cleaning works at a government department in Kedah worth RM22 million,” he said, adding that the company secured the project that same year.The suspect has been remanded for seven days.Kedah MACC director Shaharom Nizam Abd Manap confirmed the matter.


Kedah MB’s defence of temple demolition unacceptable

We refer to the statement by Kedah Menteri Besar Sanusi Md Nor justifying the demolition of the 78-year-old Sri Madurai Veeran temple in Alor Setar and calling for MIC to be outlawed for criticising the demolition.The statement by Sanusi is excessive, provocative and riddled with serious inaccuracies.Sanusi is reported to have said that “if a temple is built on land where it is not allowed to do so, then it has broken the law”.This ignores the fact that the demolished Sri Madurai Veeran temple was built during the colonial era by railway workers; it was not illegal when it was built. To suggest or insinuate that the Hindu devotees set out to deliberately build on land that did not belong to them is a serious misrepresentation of the facts.In fact, the situation of the demolished Sri Madurai Veeran temple in Alor Setar sums up the whole fraught problem of temple demolitions in Malaysia, in which temples which were originally built with permission during the colonial era were rendered “illegal” by subsequent land sales or transfers decades later.The approach taken by the Kedah government in this case as well as the authorities generally, in hiding behind the “illegality” of the temple structure, betrays insensitivity or ignorance of the religious sentiments of worshippers.A temple structure cannot be treated like any other building; it carries a religious and social value of great significance to the devotees who attend it as well as the larger Hindu community in the area.It is bad enough to have forcefully demolished the temple; it is worse to now justify it by legalistic arguments which ignore the historical context in which the temple was originally built and its religious and communal importance. To the worshippers and the local community, it adds insult to injury.Further, the Kedah MB’s suggestion that MIC be outlawed for criticising the temple demolition is mischievous and heavy-handed. Freedom of speech is guaranteed under Article 10 of the constitution; no organisation can be banned for the exercise of free speech.State governments are elected by the people, and must accept and respond rationally to public criticism. They must not respond with threats of outlawry.We would urge the Kedah state government as well as other authorities in Malaysia dealing with disputes on temples to treat the matter with care, sensitivity and understanding of the circumstances and contexts in which the temples were erected. The authorities must engage all stakeholders and intermediaries to ensure amicable resolutions, and avoid at all costs forced demolitions of places of worship.N Surendran is adviser for rights group Lawyers for Liberty.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Tehran protests after US football body posts modified Iran flag minus 'Allah' symbol

Iran's football federation protested Sunday against US Soccer's removal of the word Allah from the Islamic republic's flag on social media posts ahead of an upcoming game between the arch-foes.
In a highly politically charged match, Iran face the US in their final Group B game on Tuesday, when a win would put them through to the last 16.
Iran has seen more than two months of demonstrations sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini. She had been arrested for an alleged breach of the country's strict dress code for women.
"In an unprofessional act, the Instagram page of the US football federation removed the Allah symbol from the Iranian flag," state news agency Irna said.
"The Iran Football Federation sent an email to Fifa (football's world governing body) to demand it issue a serious warning to the US federation," it added.
The Islamic republic's flag consists of three horizontal bands in red, white and green with the word Allah appearing in stylised script in the middle.
The word was removed from the flag on US Soccer's Instagram page and on Twitter.
"It was a one-time graphic to show solidarity with the women in Iran," a communications official from the US football body said, adding that it remained unmodified on US Soccer's website.
A US Soccer spokesman later told reporters that the offending post had been removed and replaced with one displaying the correct flag. But "we still support the women of Iran", the spokesman added.
Iran's Tasnim news agency said on Twitter that the US team had "breached the Fifa charter, for which a 10-game suspension is the appropriate penalty".
The US team "should be kicked out" of the World Cup, it added.
The US and Iran cut diplomatic relations in 1980, several months after students took dozens of Americans hostage at the US embassy in Tehran.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that negotiating with the US would not put an end to the "troubles" that have rocked the Islamic republic over the past two months.
When Iran and the US played in the 1998 World Cup, the Iranian players handed their American counterparts white roses, a symbol of peace.


Usage of Klang Valley hospital beds over 85%, says health minister

The current usage of patient beds, including repurposed beds in hospitals in the Klang Valley, has reached more than 85%, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said today.He said taking into account the need for extra beds, especially in the ICU, the health ministry would implement several immediate measures to address the unexpected high referral rate to the ministry’s hospitals in the Klang Valley.These steps include the further outsourcing of non-Covid-19 patients to private hospitals, to allow Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) to treat more Covid-19 patients.The capacity of ICU and non-ICU beds including equipment and facilities such as ventilators in ministry hospitals and university teaching hospitals such as Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Children’s Specialist Hospital, Universiti Putra Malaysia Hospital and Universiti Teknologi Mara Hospital will also be increased to treat more Covid-19 patients.“Another step is to provide temporary reassignment (mobilisation) of healthcare personnel consisting of medical specialists and paramedics from other states to support services at ministry hospitals and teaching hospitals that need additional staff to treat Covid-19 patients,” he said in a statement.Adham said another measure would be to optimise the contribution of volunteers and final-year nursing students from health ministry training institutes who are undergoing practical training, to assist healthcare personnel such as at vaccination centres (PPVs), while some experienced nurses at PPVs and Covid-19 screening centres will be reassigned to ministry hospitals.“Through these actions, the health ministry hopes that the pressure faced by hospitals in treating Covid-19 patients can be reduced from time to time, and the country can achieve recovery soon,” he said.Meanwhile, Adham said of the total Covid-19 cases being handled by HKL, 71% were Category Three to Five patients, while the remaining were Category One and Two patients.Based on the latest records, the HKL Emergency and Trauma Department receives between 60 and 70 Covid-19 patients daily, with an average of three Category Four and Five patients who need respiratory assistance in addition to ICU treatment.He said the high number of admissions or referrals to the HKL Emergency and Trauma Department as a Covid-19 hybrid status referral hospital, that is receiving Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients, is being managed by providing extra beds, while stable Covid-19 patients are transferred to the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital and the nearby Respiratory Medicine Institute.The increasing number of Covid-19 patients or referrals to health ministry hospitals in the Klang Valley is being addressed in a collaboration with Sungai Buloh Hospital which now has the status of Covid-19 hospital, and the Covid-19 quarantine and low-risk treatment centre at Malaysia Agro Exposition Park, which treats Covid-19 patients up to Category Four before transferring them to hospital.


Iraqi PM unhurt after drone attack on home, says military

A drone laden with explosives targeted the residence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi in Baghdad early on Sunday in what the Iraqi military called an attempted assassination, but said Kadhimi escaped unhurt.The attack, which security sources said injured several members of Kadhimi’s personal protection, came after protests in the Iraqi capital over the result of a general election last month turned violent.The groups leading protests and complaints about the result of the October vote are heavily-armed Iran-backed militias which lost much of their parliamentary power in the election. They have alleged voting and vote-counting irregularities.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Kadhimi’s residence in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and foreign embassies.A statement from the Iraqi military said that the attack targeted Kadhimi’s residence and that he was in “good health”. It provided no further detail.Kadhimi’s official Twitter account said the prime minister was safe and called for calm.Two government officials said Kadhimi’s residence had been hit by at least one explosion and confirmed to Reuters that the prime minister was safe.Security sources told Reuters that six members of Kadhimi’s personal protection force stationed outside his residence had been injured.Western diplomats based nearby in the Green Zone said they heard explosions and gunfire in the area.Supporters of Iran-aligned militia groups which have grown their power in parliament and government in recent years have alleged voter fraud and irregularities in counting the results of the Oct 10 election.Protests by supporters of parties who dispute the results of the vote turned violent on Friday when demonstrators pelted police with stones near the Green Zone, injuring several officers.The police responded with tear gas and live gunfire, killing at least one demonstrator, according to security and hospital sources in Baghdad.Independent analysts say the election results were a reflection of anger towards the Iran-backed armed groups, which are widely accused of involvement in the killing of nearly 600 protesters who took the street in separate, anti-government demonstrations in 2019.


74 more deaths as new cases cross 6,000 again

Another 6,440 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 685,204.Selangor recorded 2,095 cases, Negeri Sembilan 870, Kuala Lumpur 816, Johor 592, Sarawak 536, Perak 357, Melaka 223, Kelantan 200, Sabah 199, Kedah 159, Labuan 152 and Penang 122.Pahang recorded 79 cases, Terengganu 32, Putrajaya six and Perlis two.Active cases stand at 65,602 with 894 in the ICU and 451 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 6,861 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 615,326.However, 74 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 4,276.


Singapore to stop paying medical bills for the ‘unvaccinated by choice’

Singapore will from next month stop paying coronavirus medical bills of those who are unvaccinated by choice, officials have said, as a fierce outbreak put the city-state’s healthcare system under strain.The tiny country is experiencing its worst Covid-19 wave since the start of the pandemic, reporting around 2,000-3,000 cases a day and a handful of deaths.The government had always covered the medical bills of all Singaporeans and other residents in certain categories infected with the virus, except for those who tested positive soon after returning from overseas.But from Dec 8, authorities will begin charging Covid-19 patients who are unvaccinated by choice, the ministry of health said Monday.“Unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on our healthcare resources,” the ministry said in a statement.Those affected will still be able to use regular financing arrangements to cover the cost, such as private insurance.Bills for those who are ineligible for vaccination – such as children under 12 or those with certain medical conditions – will still be fully paid.Singapore has one of the world’s highest vaccination rates, with 85% of its 5.5 million population fully inoculated.It has had a mild outbreak by global standards, and only faced a substantial virus wave in recent months after being hit by the Delta variant.


Most states expected to move to Phase Four earliest by October, says PM

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today said the government anticipates that most states will move into Phase Four or the final phase of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) by October, at the earliest.In his briefing on the NRP at the special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat today, he said this was based on the continuous efforts to ensure the recovery process and the immunisation programme which is running smoothly at the moment.He said apart from monitoring the situation in each state and taking the necessary intervention measures from time to time, the government would also continue carrying out a risk assessment in terms of the readiness of states to move to the next phase of the NRP.“I would like to explain that the government had decided, during the special meeting of the National Security Council, that for states which are already in Phase Two, they will not return to Phase One and the states which have moved into Phase Three will not go back to Phase Two.“This is because the NRP approach emphasises on exit strategy and no turning back,” he said.The NRP, which was announced on June 15, underlined four transition phases with every phase of transition for each state to be assessed and considered based on three key threshold indicators, namely the average daily cases, bed occupancy at the ICUs and the percentage of the fully vaccinated adults.So far, eight states have moved into Phase Two of the NRO: Perlis, Perak, Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak.Muhyiddin said if there is an increase in the number of cases in those states, the government will tighten movement controls based on the localities involved without imposing a comprehensive control on the state or district as is now the case.“We plan, but surely Allah is the best of planners,” he added.He said transition from one phase to another would involve allowing economic and social activities in stages. He said it would not follow any schedule, but would be based on the state’s achievement in reducing the capacity pressure on health systems and increasing the level of people’s protection through vaccination.Muhyiddin said the recovery plan undertaken by the government was also being implemented in other countries including the UK, Australia and Singapore.“We have looked into, learnt and emulated the best practices of those countries to ensure that the NRP can be made an important guide and solid foundation to the national recovery process,” he said.Muhyiddin said the NRP was formulated based on five main criteria: the need to protect lives and livelihoods; dynamic and based on science and data; to provide an explanation as a guide to detail the planning and emphasise the aspect of transparency; to adopt the whole-of-nation approach; and always being monitored to evaluate its effectiveness through effective reporting and communication strategies.“In short, the NRP is a recovery plan focusing on the strategies to take the country to exit the threats of the Covid-19 pandemic safely and systematically.“The phases outlined are focused on alleviating the burden on the public health system, reopening the economic sectors, and allowing social activities in the next six months until the end of this year.“The NRP is not static. It is dynamic, comprehensive and can be improved according to current needs and situations,” he added.


WhatsApp sues Indian govt over new law making private messages ‘traceable’

WhatsApp has sued the Indian government over a new law that would force it to make users’ messages “traceable,” the New York Times has reported.The messaging service said rules that require tracing the origin of chats were the equivalent of keeping a “fingerprint of every single message sent on the service”.On Feb 25, the government rolled out sweeping regulations for social media and video streaming platforms, requiring them to remove any content flagged by authorities within 36 hours.Social media platforms with more than five million users would be required to appoint a compliance officer, a nodal contact officer and a resident grievance officer.In addition, they would have to track the originator of a particular message if asked by a court or the government.Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Whatsapp were given three months to comply with these rules.This week was the deadline for social media companies to comply.The Indian Express reported that Facebook, Instagram and Twitter had not appointed officers as government regulations dictated.WhatsApp’s lawsuit seeks to block the enforceability of the rules on the grounds that they’re unconstitutional.The messaging service also said that tracing the origin of a message cannot be implemented in a foolproof way and would be highly susceptible to abuse.“Civil society and technical experts around the world have consistently argued that a requirement to ‘trace’ private messages would break end-to-end encryption and lead to real abuse,” a WhatsApp spokesman told The New York Times.“WhatsApp is committed to protecting the privacy of people’s personal messages and we will continue to do all we can within the laws of India to do so.”India is WhatsApp’s largest market with up to half a billion users, and parent Facebook rarely takes on governments in court, so the lawsuit marks an unusually aggressive action by the company.WhatsApp has marketed itself in India as a privacy-oriented company, but it’s fighting a separate legal case accusing it of violating users’ privacy rights.In that action, the government sued WhatsApp to force it to withdraw a policy that allows it to share data including locations and phone numbers with Facebook and its apps including Instagram and Messenger.Last year, India banned over 200 Chinese apps including TikTok citing national security fears. Anonymous officials with several of those firms told TechCrunch that they didn’t bother fighting the bans as cases involving national security are nearly impossible to win.