Daily caseload dips again to 1,500 as one more death reported

Another 1,571 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,526,298.There were 1,887 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,468,191.There are now 22,395 active cases, of which 21,375 or 95.4% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 18 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 976 (4.4%) have been hospitalised.A total of 26 are in ICU with 15 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 59.9%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 5.9%.One more death was reported, taking total deaths to 35,712.


Rihanna suffers backlash for using sacred Islamic texts at lingerie show

Pop singer Rihanna has apologised after a fashion show for her lingerie brand Savage x Fenty featured a song that included a recording of sacred Islamic texts, known as hadiths.The offending song, “Doom” by Coucou Chloe, included a remix of a hadith narration. It was played during a segment of the show which was broadcast on Amazon Prime.Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was allegedly unaware that the words were in the song.Many Muslims criticised her for using their sacred texts as part of her lingerie fashion show.One angry Twitter user posted a clip, commenting, “There’s really no way we can let this slide like a straight up HADITH???? rihanna baby you screwed up HARD.”In the Islamic faith, the hadith is a sacred written record representing the traditions or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, used as guidance by Muslims.Another offended fan tweeted, “Rihanna is messed up for using a song with a hadith in it to play at her LINGERIE show. What is up with artists using Islam as an aesthetic?? Have some respect.”The surprised pop songstress quickly apologised on her Instagram stories on Tuesday, saying, “I’d like to thank the Muslim community for pointing out a huge oversight that was unintentionally offensive in our Savage x Fenty show, I would more importantly like to apologise to you for this honest, yet careless mistake.“We understand that we have hurt many of our Muslim brothers and sisters and I’m incredibly disheartened by this! I do not play with any kind of disrespect toward God or any religion and therefore the use of the song in our project was completely irresponsible!”Rihanna normally does not discuss religion, but she is from Barbados, which is 95% Anglican Christian, and she has a cross tattooed on her neck.In 2019, Forbes estimated that her fortune is now worth US$600 million, making her the world’s richest female musician, though much of her wealth comes from her beauty and fashion businesses.


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Health expert warns against politicising endgame bill on smoking

While Malaysia has a chance to create history if the so-called generational endgame (GEG) bill to curb the smoking habit among the youth is passed into law, a number of hurdles remain including objections from the cigarette and tobacco industry and apparent hesitation from among the MPs themselves.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who tabled the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022 for a first reading on July 27, had said that it could save up to two million lives in the country.
But as the debate continues in the Dewan Rakyat, a number of MPs have signalled reservations about the bill, including opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim who urged the government not to “bulldoze” it through.
When contacted by MalaysiaNow, others declined to comment, among them former health minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad of Amanah.
Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii, meanwhile, who leads the special select committee on health, science and innovation, said the committee agreed in principle with the GEG bill.
He said this was especially since the bill involved the health and well-being of the people and the generations to come, as well as the regulation of tobacco products.
“But we acknowledge the different concerns raised by all stakeholders and see the need to address the weaknesses in implementation.
“This is to ensure that the act will achieve its goals without taking on unintended risks,” he said in a statement to MalaysiaNow.
Yii said this was why the committee recommended that Putrajaya postpone the implementation of the GEG for three years, to allow it to strengthen its preparations including the framework for enforcement among government bodies.
Yii said the committee also suggested that the bill include a clause on mandatory assessments for reports made in the parliamentary select committee (PSC), which would then be brought to Parliament in the form of a motion for debate and put to vote.
Former deputy health director-general (public health) Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman said he believed that the bill was being politicised even though it had nothing to do with money.
“Why this is so might be due to a number of interests, because many excuses being given are in tandem with what is expressed by the cigarette and vape industry,” he said.
“This is why I ask that all MPs declare any conflict of interest, if individuals or parties have received contributions from the cigarette or vape industry.”
Last week, representatives from the industry were said to have been present at Parliament to lobby MPs in opposing the bill.
About 21% of the population in Malaysia is estimated to smoke.
Khairy previously said that this could be brought down to 4% if the GEG bill is implemented.
Those who oppose the bill say, among others, that it could lead to a surge of activity on the black market.
Data analyst K Pankaj said some 57.7% of cigarettes in the country are contraband, an argument frequently put forward by critics of the bill.
"Illicit cigarettes are cheap, which causes high demand," he said, adding that such goods are easily smuggled in.
"In terms of tax collection, the government takes RM3 billion from the remaining 43% of legal cigarettes. It could collect about RM8 billion if there was no smuggling of cigarettes."
For Pankaj, the bill appears punitive in nature and difficult to implement.
He said if the government could not control illegal trade in the country, it would find it hard to control the sale of contraband cigarettes.
For Lokman, though, the issue of enforcement involves all laws and is not confined merely to cigarettes.
"What is there that is not smuggled in this country?" he said. "Petrol, diesel, cooking oil, even human beings are smuggled.
"So whose issue is this enforcement problem? I say that it is a government problem at all levels, whether federal, state or local government."
He added that MPs have a moral responsibility to support the Control of Tobacco Products and Smoking Bill 2022.
"MPs are policymakers," he said. "The basic policy of this bill is that cigarettes and vape are harmful to health.
"So MPs need to agree with it and support the bill."


Daily caseload drops below 1,000 as 9 more deaths logged

Another 922 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,451,781.There were 5,520 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,384,384.There are now 31,833 active cases, of which 30,821 or 96.8% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 14 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 929 (2.9%) have been hospitalised.A total of 69 are in ICU with 46 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 54.2%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 9.3%.Another nine deaths were reported, including five who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,564.


US to form inter-agency group to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia

US President Joe Biden is establishing an inter-agency group to coordinate efforts to counter antisemitism, Islamophobia and related forms of bias and discrimination, the White House said on Monday.
"The President has tasked the inter-agency group, as its first order of business, to develop a national strategy to counter antisemitism," the White House said in a statement.
The move comes as reports of antisemitism have increased nationwide. The issue drew headlines in recent weeks after former Republican President Donald Trump hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes and the musician formerly known as Kanye West at his private club in Florida.
The White House addressed rising antisemitism in a roundtable event with Jewish leaders last week.
West, now called Ye, has drawn widespread criticism for a spate of antisemitic comments - including praise for Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler - and was suspended from Twitter recently.
Some Republicans have criticized Trump's dinner with Fuentes and Ye, but have stopped short of directly criticising Trump, who has said he did not know Fuentes.
Last year saw the largest number of antisemitic incidents, including murder, physical assaults, harassment and vandalism, since the Anti-Defamation League began collecting records 40 years ago, the racism watchdog said in its most recent annual audit.
According to FBI data released on Monday, more than 7,200 hate crimes were reported in 2021 in the US. Over 60% of the reported incidents were based on race, ancestry or ethnicity, while about one in six were classified as sexual orientation-bias crimes and one in seven as religion-bias crimes.


Anwar lying about Felda debt disposal, says Muhyiddin

Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin today criticised Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, calling him unfit to remain as prime minister over the latter's "blatant lies" regarding the unresolved debt of Felda settlers.
Muhyiddin, in a statement on Facebook, denied Anwar's claims accusing him of not implementing the disposal of Felda's debt during his Perikatan Nasional administration.
He said the resolution of Felda settlers' debt was implemented during his tenure as prime minister, and that this was confirmed by the minister in the Prime Minister's Department in a parliamentary response on Feb 23, who stated that the resolution of Felda settlers' debt was carried out in 2021.
"However, due to Felda's cash flow constraints under the PH (Pakatan Harapan)-BN (Barisan Nasional) government, the continuous implementation of the debt resolution faced obstacles.
"I'm not the kind of person who likes to lie and break promises.
"It's Anwar who likes to lie and not fulfill his promises," he said in the statament.
His response came after Anwar, at the Felda Settlers' Day celebration in Serdang yesterday, said Muhyiddin's administration announced that it would waive the loans of Felda settlers amounting to RM8.3 billion but the move was never implemented.
Anwar said the coalition government has taken steps to resolve the settlers' debt to ease their burden and restore Felda's status.
He also said the government will continue the deferred financing of Felda sukuk by allocating funds of up to RM1 billion per year for the next 10 years to Felda.
During his tenure as prime minister in 2021, Muhyiddin announced that his government agreed to dispose of a portion of the RM8.3 billion in settlers' loans to relaunch Felda, subject to certain conditions.
This was primarily for the early-generation settlers who had worked hard to ensure the success of the land development programme.
Muhyiddin also highlighted that former Felda chairman Idris Jusoh issued a statement on Feb 24, confirming that in 2021, RM8.3 billion of Felda settlers' total debt of RM12.1 billion was waived.
"With this latest falsehood, it is increasingly clear that Anwar isn't fit to remain as prime minister," he said.


Agong rules no emergency, but warns politicians out to disrupt stability

Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah today said he felt there was no need to declare a state of emergency to help authorities in efforts to fight Covid-19, saying the government under Muhyiddin Yassin has so far done a good job in battling the deadly pandemic.“That being the case, His Majesty would like to remind politicians to immediately cease all politicking that will disrupt the stability of the nation’s administration,” said a statement released by Istana Negara.This comes shortly after the Agong’s meeting with fellow rulers at Istana Negara today to discuss a proposal for him to use his constitutional powers to declare a state of emergency to scale back politicking that could disrupt the war against Covid-19.The proposal to the Agong was submitted on the back of fears that the budget to be tabled next month could be shot down by a handful of MPs, resulting in the collapse of the government and eventual snap polls.MalaysiaNow earlier reported that senior health officials had warned against any move to hold a general election during the pandemic, which has so far claimed 229 lives.Sultan Abdullah today praised the government for the way it had handled the pandemic.“His Majesty believes that the government led by the prime minister has the ability to implement policies and actions to stop the spread of Covid-19,” said the statement by Comptroller of the Royal Household, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin.The Agong also reminded MPs that the budget to be tabled on Nov 6 was critical to restoring the economy ravaged by Covid-19.“The financial allocations are much needed by the frontliners to ensure the smooth execution of their duties and responsibilities.“Indeed, Sultan Abdullah is concerned by the people’s anxiety over the sharp increase of new Covid-19 clusters and daily positive cases in the country,” the statement added.The king also urged all quarters to set aside their differences and play their respective roles to help the government battle Covid-19.Meanwhile, MalaysiaNow has learnt that Muhyiddin has called all menteris besar and chief ministers for a meeting tomorrow, in what is believed to be related to a looming state of emergency.The meeting with state leaders will take place at 9.30am, followed by a special Cabinet meeting two hours later.


Catholic Church facing wave of paedophile sex abuse allegations in Poland

The Catholic Church in Poland is facing a wave of allegations of sexual abuse, church authorities said on Monday, amid an investigation into alleged cover-ups by senior members of the clergy, Reuters reports.Seen by many as a core element of Poland’s national identity, the Catholic Church is a powerful force in public life. However, it has been rocked by a series of paedophilia scandals that have contributed to the erosion of its authority, especially among younger Poles.“We have a wave of revelations,” Adam Zak, coordinator for the protection of children and young people at the Conference of the Polish Episcopate, told a news conference.The Church said that between July 1, 2018, and Dec 31, 2020, it had received 368 reports regarding the sexual abuse of minors.It said preliminary investigations had verified 144 of the reports and found them reliable. Another 186 were still under investigation, while only 38 had so far been rejected as unreliable.“I would like to address all those who have been wronged and scandalised by the evil in the church. I would like to ask for forgiveness once again,” said Wojciech Polak, the archbishop of Gniezno, who serves as primate, or the most senior bishop, of the Catholic Church in Poland.It is the second time the episcopate has published a report on paedophilia cases. The first was published in 2019 and showed 382 cases reported between January 1990 and June 2018.Human rights advocates say sex crimes by clergy are widely underreported as victims are reluctant to come forward due to the public authority of the offenders.The conference came as the Vatican investigated one of the most senior figures in the Polish church, Stanislaw Dziwisz, who served as Archbishop of Krakow from 2005-2016 and was accused of covering up paedophilia allegations.On Saturday the Vatican embassy in Poland said Angelo Bagnasco, the former archbishop of Genoa, had been in Poland from June 17 to 26 to investigate alleged neglect of duty on the part of Dziwisz.


Floods expected in Mersing, Johor Bahru

The Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) has forecast floods at Sungai Melikai and its surrounding areas in the Mersing district from around noon today.
In an alert issued at 9am, JPS' National Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (PRABN) said the forecast followed the continuous rain warning (danger level) by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) at 10pm yesterday and the simulation results of its flood forecasting model.
According to JPS, the disaster could happen earlier or later than the predicted time.
"For the Johor Bahru district, flooding is forecast this Wednesday starting at 9pm involving Kampung Kangkar, Sungai Tiram and the surrounding areas.
"This warning is issued to enable residents, especially in areas that are expected to be hit, to be alert and obey the instructions of the authorities or flood disaster management agencies," it said.
Meanwhile, the water levels at two rivers in Segamat district, namely Sungai Lenik (Ladang Chaah) and Sungai Muar (Buloh Kasap), were at the warning level as of 8.15am.
More information is available at https://publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my, Facebook @PublicInfoBanjir and Twitter @JPS_InfoBanjir.


Two more charged with kidnap of Palestinian man

Another two men were charged at the Kuala Lumpur Magistrate’s Court today with kidnapping a Palestinian man to solicit information on software to hack mobile phones.
Mohd Zaidi Mohd Zain, 54, and Tengku Hazarul Ismail Tengku Hamid, 49, nodded after the charge was read out to them before magistrate Wong Chai Sia.
However, no plea was recorded as the case is under the High Court’s jurisdiction.
The two men were jointly charged with abducting Omar ZM Albelbaisy Raeda to obtain secret information on making and deactivating computer software used to hack mobile phones.
They were charged with committing the offence in Jalan Mayang at 10.40pm on Sept 28. The charge, framed under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961, read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, is punishable by the death penalty or life imprisonment with the possibility of whipping, upon conviction.
Neither of the accused was allowed bail.
The court set Dec 15 for mention.
Deputy public prosecutor Kamarul Aris Kamalluddin prosecuted.
On Oct 5, it was reported that the police had rescued the 31-year-old victim a day after he was kidnapped by a group of individuals in a Toyota Vellfire MPV.
A total of 18 individuals were arrested by the police in separate operations in Kuala Langat, Ampang, Beranang in Selangor and Melaka from Sept 29 to Oct 4 in connection with the abduction of the Palestinian man, who entered the country as a tourist on Sept 21.
On Oct 14, 11 individuals were charged in the Magistrate's Court with abducting Omar.


El Salvador becomes first country to approve bitcoin as legal tender

Bitcoin is to become legal tender in El Salvador, the country’s president said, making it the first nation to adopt a cryptocurrency for everyday use.Lawmakers in the Central American nation’s Congress passed a bill late Tuesday that will eventually allow the famously volatile digital currency to be used for many aspects of daily life, from property purchases to tax contributions.“The #BitcoinLaw has just been approved by a qualified majority” in the legislative assembly, President Nayib Bukele tweeted after the vote late Tuesday.“History!” the president added.The 39-year-old leader said a majority of 62 out of 84 lawmakers approved the bill, which he proposed just last week.The law passed with the support of Bukele’s allies despite minority opposition parties – who had criticised the speed of the vote – refusing to back it.Cryptocurrencies have soared in popularity due to their use as a store of value, the relative anonymity they offer users and wild price fluctuations that present opportunities for greater profits than investing on the regular stock exchanges of the world.The volatility of bitcoin – currently priced at US$33,814 – and its murky legal status have raised questions about whether it could ever replace traditional currency in day-to-day transactions.But El Salvador – a small nation where four out of 10 people live in poverty – has turned to the top crypto asset that has been backed by billionaires like Elon Musk and large financial companies such as PayPal in a bid to boost its remittance-reliant economy.El Salvador’s main currency is the US dollar and it remains unclear how the country plans to implement bitcoin as a functioning currency.Yet the Salvadoran leader has hailed the virtual currency as “the fastest growing way to transfer” billions of dollars in remittances and to prevent millions from being lost to intermediaries.Remittances from Salvadorans working overseas represent a major chunk of the economy – equivalent to roughly 22% of GDP.In 2020, remittances to the country totalled US$5.9 billion, according to official reports.‘On the world’s radar’Before the vote, Bukele said adopting the cryptocurrency would bring “financial inclusion, investment, tourism, innovation and economic development” to the country.“This is a law that will put El Salvador on the world’s radar, we will be more attractive for foreign investment,” Romeo Auerbach, deputy of the Grand Alliance for National Unity party, an ally of Bukele, said.The cryptocurrency market grew to more than US$2.5 trillion by the middle of last month, according to the Coinmarketcap page, driven by interest from increasingly serious investors from Wall Street to Silicon Valley.Between the beginning of 2020 and a peak in mid-April of US$64,870, the price of bitcoin gained nearly 800%.But since then, the cryptocurrency has fallen in value by more than 50%.Its price has fallen sharply towards a symbolic US$30,000 threshold it has not crossed since January, dragging other cryptocurrencies in its wake.After Tuesday’s vote, the price jumped more than 5%.


Malaysia to review use of AstraZeneca jab after EMA findings

Malaysia will review its use of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine following the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) statement that unusual blood clots with low blood platelets should be listed as very rare side effects of the jab.Khairy Jamaluddin, the minister in charge of the national vaccination programme, said the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV) would deliberate on the matter.“We take note of the EMA’s announcement on the AstraZeneca vaccine. JKJAV will deliberate on the matter and decide if we will go ahead with using AZ (AstraZeneca) in our portfolio of vaccines. Safety is paramount,” he said on his Twitter account today.Yesterday, Khairy was reported as saying that Malaysia still had time to decide on the matter as the AstraZeneca vaccine was coming from the Coavx facility only in May.The EMA’s safety committee yesterday shared its conclusion on the review of AstraZeneca, reiterating that the overall benefits of the vaccine in preventing Covid-19 outweigh the risks of side effects.The European Union agency reminded healthcare professionals and those receiving the vaccine to remain aware of the possibility of very rare cases of blood clots combined with low levels of blood platelets occurring within two weeks of vaccination.“So far, most of the cases reported have occurred in women under 60 years of age within two weeks of vaccination. Based on the currently available evidence, specific risk factors have not been confirmed,” it said in a statement on its website.The committee said it reviewed 62 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and 24 cases of splanchnic vein thrombosis reported in the EU drug safety database as of March 22, where 25 million had received the vaccine, of which 18 were fatal.The safety committee also took into consideration all currently available evidence, including advice from an ad hoc expert group.


Recalled diplomats to return to Wisma Putra, no ‘cold storage’, says PSD DG

Malaysia’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the consul-general of Malaysia in Dubai who were recalled will be placed at Wisma Putra and have not been assigned to the Public Service Department’s (PSD) pool system of civil servants, says Public Service Department director-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah.He said the allegations that went viral on social media claiming that the diplomats would be put into “cold storage” were inaccurate and had not happened, adding that they would undergo courses to increase their skills when they returned home.Wisma Putra in a statement on April 11 said the two diplomats had been recalled for failing to coordinate administrative and logistical matters during Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s visit to the UAE late last month.“The relocation of ambassadors to undergo courses is a common practice at the ministry,” Shafiq told reporters in Putrajaya yesterday, adding that there were 107 Malaysian diplomats currently stationed abroad.Shafiq also denied that there was such a term as “cold storage” in the civil service, saying public servants who are recalled, while waiting for a new assignment, will attend courses to improve their skills while still on the payroll.He said they would be given assignments and were required to attend courses, adding that their salaries would not be deducted, and that the interpretation of “cold storage” in the community should be corrected.He also said that new placements or being placed in the pool system while waiting for new assignments should not be viewed in a negative light.“Civil servants are ready to be reassigned and that is one of the pledges of the public service, namely to serve without fear or favour,” he added.According to Shafiq, a total of 29 diplomatic positions have yet to be filled, the duties of which are being carried out by the charge d’affaires. The matter is being discussed with the ministry’s secretary-general M Shahrul Ikram Yaakob so the vacancies can be immediately filled.


Red tape bars path to citizenship for parents with stateless children

Michael (not his real name) was brimming with hope when he submitted the application forms for his son’s citizenship in 2020.While he had gone through the process several times before, he was hopeful that this attempt would be his last, and that his son would finally be given an IC.But two years have passed and he is still waiting for word from the government.The first time he went through this was seven years ago, in 2015.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said he had followed all of the procedures and filled up every form required, adding that the long years of silence had instilled in him a doubt of the system.“The ministry never gave me an answer as to why the applications did not go through,” he said.“They always refer to constitutional provision 15(A) which grants absolute power to the minister to reject or accept an application.”Michael is one of many parents across the country fighting for their children’s right to citizenship.Thousands of stateless children today face discrimination, abuse and unfair treatment, all due to their lack of a blue card.Without proper documentation, they are unable to enrol in public schools or enjoy any of the services available to citizens.Most of the time, they are automatically categorised as foreigners in the public eye even though they were born and raised in the country.“It’s disheartening to hear people telling these stateless children to go back to their home country,” Alex, a committee member of the Family Support Group for Stateless Children (SFSG), told MalaysiaNow.“Where would they go? All of them were born in Malaysia.”In some cases, stateless children are adopted by Malaysian parents. But even they are often unable to obtain citizenship despite Section 18 of the Federal Constitution which states that adopted children will automatically follow the citizenship of his or her adoptive parents.Instead, they are given a MyKas or green card which must be renewed every five years.“Some officials give reasons like national security,” Alex said on the difficulty in obtaining a proper IC or MyKad.“I genuinely do not know how stateless children would be a threat to the country.”Many parents in SFSG said they were frustrated with the bureaucracy surrounding the entire procedure of applying for citizenship.While they await word from the government, they must continue forking out what often amounts to an enormous sum of money in order to provide the same facilities for their children that others receive for free.“The government should be more transparent when it comes to granting citizenship to abandoned stateless children,” Michael, who sits on the SFSG committee alongside Alex, said.“The child is already in a pitiful situation – how much does the government want these children to suffer?”Most of the time, parents are issued a standard response of “your application is still being processed”.Meanwhile, their children continue growing but are unable to meet any of the normal milestones in life.“They judge our children on paper,” Michael said.“They don’t see them or meet them, or help the families with what to do next. There is zero assistance from the government.”


Amanah, DAP say won’t abandon PH as PKR strikes out alone

Amanah and DAP today said they would not “abandon” Pakatan Harapan (PH), a day after their coalition partner PKR announced that it would contest the Johor state election to come using its own oval-shaped logo instead of the PH symbol.In a statement, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP’s Lim Guan Eng said they were of the opinion that “political allies and coalition partners stay together in good times, and in bad times”.“As a coalition, Amanah and DAP would prefer all PH allies to unite under the same symbol with a common purpose and a shared political agenda,” they said.“Both Amanah and DAP will not abandon PH. We still have the three PH state governments of Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan to deliver for the rakyat. For this reason, both Amanah and DAP will not abandon the coalition logo which would have been perceived as abandoning our effort to regain the federal government for the rakyat.”PH leaders announced yesterday that while DAP and Amanah would contest the Johor election under the coalition’s logo, PKR would field its candidates using its own symbol.Acknowledging “differences in opinion” over PKR’s request to contest under its party logo, they nonetheless said that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim who is also PH chairman would write to the Election Commission to ask that the authority over nomination letters for PH candidates be given to Lim and Mohamad.The two leaders said their parties would continue using the PH logo to demonstrate their commitment to their aspirations of “governing as a coalition instead of being perceived as being alone as an opposition party”.“During our 65 years of Merdeka, Malaysia has always been governed by a coalition of political parties. No single party has ever won an election or the right to govern alone,” they said, adding that even Umno continued to use the Barisan Nasional (BN) logo despite being the single dominant political party.They also said opposition parties would face an uphill battle in Johor against BN and Perikatan Nasional.“Having a common logo would have helped voters to identify Amanah, DAP, PKR and Upko as allies of PH in a crowded field of political coalitions and parties,” they said.However they said they would continue to engage with PKR as well as other parties in the opposition including Muda, to offer a united front to the people.PKR was completely wiped out in the state elections of Melaka and Sarawak late last year, while in the Sabah election a year earlier, it won only two of the seven seats it contested.


EPF finalises initiative for savings balance as backup for bank financing

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has finalised the mechanism as well as the terms and conditions for the Account 2 Support Facility (FSA2), to be implemented in two phases with Phase 1 beginning on April 7.
In a statement today, the EPF said members who meet the eligibility criteria can apply through participating banks, including MBSB Bank and Bank Simpanan Nasional.
It said it might consider adding more participating banks in the future.
"During Phase 1, which will begin on April 7, and remain open for one year, eligible members who are 40 years of age or older may apply, subject to the readiness of participating banks.
"The start date for Phase 2 for members under 40 years of age will be announced in due course," it said. Under the facility, all Malaysian EPF members under the age of 55 can submit an advance notice of Age 50 or Age 55 Withdrawal, provided they have a minimum of RM3,000 in their EPF Account 2.
The maximum financing amount has been fixed at RM50,000, subject to EPF Account 2 balance, with a repayment tenure of up to 10 years.
According to the EPF, the interest rate (conventional) or profit rate (Islamic) to be charged by the participating banks under this programme will range from 4% to 5%, lower and more affordable than the current market rate of between 8% and 15%.
"If a member makes an advance notice for Age 50 Withdrawal, the EPF will pay the principal and accumulated dividend from Account 2 into the member’s financing account with the bank at any age between 50 and 54, as chosen by the member, subject to the maximum tenure of up to 10 years.
"If the member opts for Age 55 Withdrawal, the EPF will pay the principal and accumulated dividend from Account 2 into the member’s financing account with the bank at age 55," it said.
The EPF also said that the amount paid will be used to settle the remaining personal financing balance, if any, before any excess is returned to the member.
Savings will remain intact in the EPF Account 2 and with annual EPF dividends to continue as usual, thus allowing members to take advantage of the power of compounding their retirement nest egg while still addressing their short-term financial needs, it added.
"If a member fully settles their personal financing, they can notify the EPF to rescind their advance notice of Age 50 or Age 55 Withdrawal.
"Once the notice is rescinded, the amount applied for withdrawal (principal and accumulated dividend) in Account 2 can be used for other pre-retirement withdrawals from the EPF," it said.
The EPF said the facility offered a practical solution for EPF members who are facing temporary liquidity issues by providing cash flow through personal financing with minimal impact on their retirement savings.
Beginning April 5, members can visit https://fsa2.kwsp.gov.my to check their eligibility and the amount of personal financing that can be applied for under the facility.
Members are encouraged to register or update their mobile phone number via the self-service terminal available at any EPF branch to receive a transaction authorisation code to verify their identity when conducting transactions.
More information on FSA2 is available at www.kwsp.gov.my or through the EPF Contact Management Centre at 03-8922 6000.


South Korean doctors flee paediatrics as low birth rate bites

South Korea is suffering from a shortage of paediatricians, partly a result of the world's lowest birth rate and increasingly a factor behind it, leaving hospitals unable to fill posts and raising risks for children's health, doctors say.
The number of paediatric clinics and hospitals in the capital has fallen by 12.5% over the five years to 2022, to just 456. Over the same period, the number of psychiatry clinics increased by 76.8%, while anaesthesiology centres saw a 41.2% rise, according to the Seoul Institute, a public administration think tank.
At the root of the problem is a birth rate that fell to 0.78 in 2022 - that's the average number of babies expected per woman - combined with the failure of the insurance system to adapt to it, leaving paediatrics starved of resources and doctors shunning a field they think has no future, seven paediatricians told Reuters.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare acknowledged "limitations" in the system and said measures were being implemented to address them.
According to ministry data, hospitals were only able to secure the services of 16.3% of the paediatricians they sought in the first half of this year, down from 97.4% in 2013.
For parents, the shortage can mean long waits for treatment for sick children.
One recent morning, the waiting room at a hospital in Seoul's outskirts was packed with dozens of children, many on intravenous drips.
"We had to wait two weeks," said Lee Bo-mi, a 35-year-old mother with a sick 3-year-old boy, at the Healthy Children's Hospital.
"I was really scared. It felt like the sky was falling."
Dr Song Dae-jin at Korea University Guro Hospital said he worried that staff shortages could soon cripple his team's ability to provide emergency care.
"At this rate, we won't be able to last the year," Song said. "It's not a big deal if mild diseases are not seen for a day or two but the consequences of not seeing serious diseases or emergency patients in a timely manner can be devastating."
A five-year-old boy with a respiratory infection died in May after failing to find a hospital bed, sparking a public outcry.
"Patients dying while bouncing around multiple emergency rooms, dying when it's not a serious disease, it's a travesty," said Dr Choi Yong-jae, vice president of the Korea Children's Hospital Association.
'I'm worried'
Doctors say the low fee problem is particular to paediatrics as the insurance system hasn't been revised to reflect fewer child patients. When more babies were growing up, paediatricians could sustain a low price, high volume model but that doesn't apply now.
"In foreign countries, the government pays enough to maintain the hospital even if you see 20 patients a day," said Dr Lim Hyun-taek, president of Korean Pediatric Association, who said fees had not been raised significantly for 30 years.
"But it's about US$10 (about RM46) per treatment in Korea so clinics have to see about 80 patients a day."
By comparison, it costs about A$335 for initial standard consultation with an Australian paediatrician, while observation at Nationwide Children's Hospital in the US costs US$208 per hour, according to its website.
The health ministry said measures had been introduced this year on fees and insurance compensation to supplement "limitations". It said it had proposed more state-backed centres and requirements for major hospitals to maintain emergency paediatric treatment.
"We understand that there are opinions from doctors saying it is not enough to cope with difficulties in the field. The government plans to steadily implement and continue to supplement the announced measures,” it said.
Data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service shows paediatricians are South Korea's lowest paid doctors, making 57% less than the average doctor's salary.
Hospitals are feeling the crunch.
Sowha Hospital, South Korea's oldest children's hospital, recently suspended Saturday afternoon and Sunday treatment for the first time in 77 years due to a lack of staff.
Some hospitals have reduced night-time treatment and shut children's emergency rooms.
The situation is so alarming that some couples say it is adding to their doubts about having babies despite government efforts to reverse the sliding birth rate with billions of dollars a year on childcare subsidies.
"I'm worried," said Kim Eun-ji, a 34-year-old mother of a baby boy, referring to the prospect of a second child.
"If the number of children's hospitals decreases and the number of doctors falls, it's going to be difficult to get children treated."
'Too risky'
Echoing that, Lee Ju-yul, professor of health administration at Namseoul University, said the failure to allocate resources to paediatric care undermined the impact of the "huge" amounts spent on boosting the birth rate.
"We must take some of the budget so parents feel there's going to be no difficulty with healthcare when they give birth," Lee said.
The Korean Pediatric Association recently organised a seminar for hundreds of members looking to switch into new areas including the booming beauty business.
Its president, Lim, said paediatrics was just too much of a gamble given the income prospects.
"Some doctors love to treat children... Now, it's too risky," he said.


Defying West, Putin orders troops to Ukraine rebel regions

President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into two Moscow-backed rebel regions of Ukraine on Monday, defying Western threats of sanctions in a move that could set off a potentially catastrophic war with Kyiv.Earlier, the Kremlin leader had recognised the independence of two rebel-held areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, paving the way for an operation to deploy part of the potential invasion force he has massed around the country.In two official decrees, Putin instructed the defence ministry to assume “the function of peacekeeping” in the separatist-held regions.The recognition of the breakaway republics, which form an enclave held by Russia-backed rebels since 2014, triggered international condemnation and a promise of targeted sanctions from the US and the European Union – with a broader package of economic punishment to come in the event of invasion.As news of the late-night recognition hit the streets of Kyiv, many were in disbelief, but ready to defend their country if called on.‘Scariest news’ in 8 years“I am very shocked,” Artem Ivaschenko, a 22-year-old cook originally from Donetsk, told AFP in the capital, calling the recognition the “scariest news” since he had fled the region eight years ago.“I live here, I already lost a part of my homeland, it was taken away, so I will protect it.”After a flurry of calls, US President Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that Moscow’s gambit “would not go unanswered”.The US announced its first sanctions, with the White House saying Biden will issue an executive order to “prohibit new investment, trade, and financing by US persons to, from, or in” the two rebel regions.A French presidential official said the European Union was preparing a list of Russian entities and individuals to sanction in a “proportionate” response to the recognition.In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky convened a meeting of his national security council and was due to make a speech later in the night.Earlier, in an often angry 65-minute televised national address from his Kremlin office, Putin railed against ex-Soviet neighbour Ukraine as a failed state and “puppet” of the West, repeatedly suggesting it was essentially part of Russia.He accused the authorities in Kyiv of persecuting Russian speakers and of preparing a “blitzkrieg” against the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in Ukraine’s east.“As for those who seized and hold power in Kyiv, we demand an immediate end to their military operations,” Putin said.“Otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of bloodshed will be fully on the conscience of the regime in power in Ukraine.”Putin said it was necessary to “take a long overdue decision, to immediately recognise the independence” of the two regions.He then signed partnership agreements with the rebels that declared the presence of Russian military forces “necessary to maintain peace… and ensure reliable security.”EU ‘will react with sanctions’The recognition effectively puts an end to an already shaky peace plan in the separatist conflict, which has rumbled on since 2014, after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and has left more than 14,000 dead.Russia will now deploy troops with the support of separatist officials and Ukraine will either have to accept the loss of a huge chunk of territory or face an armed conflict against its vastly more powerful neighbour.British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the move “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and integrity of the Ukraine”, with the UK cabinet’s emergency COBR committee due to meet Tuesday and foreign minister Liz Truss promising “new sanctions on Russia.”EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel promised the bloc “will react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act”.The US and allies including France requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council later Monday.Putin told his Security Council earlier Monday that there were “no prospects” for the 2015 Minsk peace accords aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict.‘Very big threat’ to RussiaAnd he made clear the stakes were bigger than Ukraine, whose efforts to join Nato and the European Union have deeply angered Moscow.“The use of Ukraine as an instrument of confrontation with our country poses a serious, very big threat to us,” Putin said.The dramatic meeting – with Putin sitting alone at a desk as his government, military and security chiefs took turns addressing him from a podium – came after weeks of tensions between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.Western leaders warned that Russia was planning to invade its pro-Western neighbour after massing more than 150,000 troops on its borders, a claim Moscow repeatedly denied.Tensions then spiked in recent days after an outbreak of heavy shellfire on Ukraine’s eastern frontline with the separatists and a series of reported incidents on the border with Russia.Monitors from the OSCE European security body on Monday reported more than 3,000 new ceasefire violations in east Ukraine the day before, a high for the year.Ukrainian officials said two soldiers and a civilian died in more shelling of frontline villages Monday.


Satellite pictures show devastation at Russian air base in Crimea

Satellite pictures released on Thursday showed devastation at a Russian air base in Crimea, hit in an attack that suggested Kyiv may have obtained new long-range strike capability with potential to change the course of the war.
Pictures released by independent satellite firm Planet Labs showed three near-identical craters where buildings at Russia's Saki air base had been struck with apparent precision. The base, on the southwest coast of Crimea, had suffered extensive fire damage with the burnt-out husks of at least eight destroyed warplanes clearly visible.
Russia has denied aircraft were damaged and said explosions seen at the base on Tuesday were accidental.
Ukraine has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack or said exactly how it was carried out.
"Officially, we are not confirming or denying anything; there are numerous scenarios for what might have happened... bearing in mind that there were several epicentres of explosions at exactly the same time," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters in a message.
Western military experts said the scale of the damage and the apparent precision of the strike suggested a powerful new capability with potentially important implications.
Russia, which seized and annexed Crimea in 2014, uses the peninsula as the base for its Black Sea fleet and as the main supply route for its invasion forces occupying southern Ukraine, where Kyiv is planning a counter-offensive in coming weeks.
"I'm not an intel analyst, but it doesn't look good," Mark Hertling, a former commander of US ground forces in Europe, wrote on Twitter, linking to an image of the devastation at the Russian base.
"I am. It's very good," tweeted back his fellow retired four-star American general, Michael Hayden, former head of the CIA and National Security Agency.
The Institute for the Study of War think tank said Ukrainian officials were framing the Crimea strike as "the start of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the south, suggesting that the Ukrainian military expects intense fighting in August and September that could decide the outcome of the next phase of the war".
Exactly how the attack was carried out remains a mystery. Some Ukrainian officials have been quoted suggesting it may have been sabotage by infiltrators. But the near identical impact craters and simultaneous explosions appear to indicate it was hit by a volley of weapons capable of evading Russian defences.
The base is well beyond the range of advanced rockets that Western countries acknowledge sending to Ukraine so far, though within range of more powerful versions Kyiv has sought. Ukraine also has anti-ship missiles which could theoretically be used to hit targets on land.
New phase
After weeks in which the tempo of fighting had subsided somewhat, a Ukrainian general said Russia had doubled its air strikes on Ukrainian positions since last week.
"The enemy's planes and helicopters avoid flying into the range of our air defences, and therefore the accuracy of these strikes is low," Brigadier General Oleksiy Hromov told a news conference.
But he added that the intensity of Russian airborne activity in the south had reduced after the destruction at the Crimean base.
"As a result of the specified actions, the intensity of use of aviation on the southern front has somewhat decreased," he said.
Recent days have seen battles in the east in Pisky, a town on the outskirts of separatist-held Donetsk city. The Russian-backed separatists claimed to have captured it; Ukraine denied it had fallen. Reuters could not verify either account.
Ukraine drove Russian forces back from the capital Kyiv in March and from the outskirts of the second-largest city Kharkiv in May. Russia then captured territory in the east in huge battles that killed thousands of troops on both sides in June.
Since then front lines have been largely static, but Kyiv says it is preparing a big push to recapture the southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, the main slice of territory captured since the Feb 24 invasion that Moscow still holds.
Russia has reinforced those regions, but its defence depends on supply lines to stock forces accustomed to firing thousands of shells a day.
Kyiv hopes the arrival last month of US rocket systems capable of hitting logistics targets behind the front line could tip the balance in its favour. But so far the West had held off on providing longer-range rockets that could strike deep in Russia itself or hit Moscow's many bases in annexed Crimea.
Russia says its "special military operation" is going to plan, to protect Russian speakers and separatists in the south and east. Ukraine and its Western allies say Moscow aims to solidify its grip on as much territory as possible with the ultimate goal of extinguishing Ukraine as an independent nation.
Tens of thousands of people have died, millions have fled, and cities have been destroyed.
On Thursday Russia turned down an offer by Switzerland to represent Moscow's diplomatic interests in Kyiv, saying the Swiss were no longer neutral because they had joined sanctions against Russia.
Bombardment
Ukraine reported Russian bombardment along the entire front line, from the area around Kharkiv in the northeast, across eastern Donetsk province, and on the banks of the wide Dnipro river in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and adjacent provinces.
Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Valentyn Reznychenko said three people were killed and seven wounded in Nikopol on the right bank of the Dnipro, hit by 120 Russian Grad rockets.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on both sides to halt all fighting near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - Europe's largest - held by Russian troops and operated by Ukrainian workers, and near the front line in the fighting.
Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of killing at least 13 people and wounding 10 with rockets fired from the vicinity of the plant, knowing it was too dangerous for Ukrainians to shoot back.
"The cowardly Russians can't do anything more so they strike towns ignobly hiding at the Zaporizhzhia atomic power station," Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, said on social media.


Water surge behind floods in Hulu Langat, says Selangor MB

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari yesterday said that the floods in Hulu Langat had been caused by a water surge from the surrounding mountains.Speaking at a special press conference, Amirudin said the surge also carried piles of rubbish and timber up until Batu 14, Sungai Lui and its surrounding areas.He said he had not yet received any information suggesting that the construction of the East Klang Valley Expressway was believed to be among the factors which caused the floods in the Hulu Langat area, as reported by the media.In a similar development, Amirudin confirmed that construction works involving a highway project in Kampung Asahan, Kuala Selangor, had cut through an embankment in the village and caused water to overflow.“That is why there was an overflow of water in Kampung Asahan,” he said.“Since yesterday (Dec 26), a lot of water has been successfully removed from the area. Insha Allah, there will be a significant reduction in the water level.”


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EU countries must do more to tackle secret China police stations, NGO says

EU countries are failing to provide a united front against the threat posed by dozens of secret Chinese "service stations" on their soil, a human rights group behind the exposure of the alleged facilities said on Thursday.
Safeguard Defenders, an Asia-focused rights group based in Spain, has published two reports since September, indicating that Chinese authorities have established 102 overseas police stations in 53 countries, including 11 in Italy, the highest number of any foreign nation.
Chinese authorities have characterised the facilities as volunteer-run centres which help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services that were disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Several governments, including in Canada, the US and the Netherlands, reacted to the NGO reports with investigations, but a common effort across the European Union is missing, according to the group.
"We have seen no indication that there is a will from various EU governments to coordinate (their actions), and as far as we are concerned this is a great pity, a great mistake," Safeguard Defenders' campaign director Laura Harth said.
Speaking at a news conference in Rome, Harth said her organisation worked with open source data from Chinese media and government sources. "All that we have found is based on what can be found online," she said.
The NGO sees the stations as an extension of Beijing's efforts to pressure some Chinese expats to return to China to face criminal charges. It says such operations are illegal and most likely target dissidents.
In Italy, Safeguard Defenders says China has run "service centres" since 2016, but last week Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said Italian police had found evidence of only two of them, rather than 11.
Responding to a parliamentary question about the NGO reports, Piantedosi said police and intelligence services were on high alert while he was ready to take "sanctioning measures" if any illegal activity was proven.
Harth said Italy and France stand out in having been "weaker in their responses, less transparent on what they are doing", as opposed to other countries who were more prompt with shutting down the stations.
Some Chinese police officers have operated in Italy openly, thanks to a cooperation deal from 2015 that allowed them to take part in joint patrols with Italian counterparts in places like Rome, Milan and Naples.
In 2019, Italy became the first major industrialised nation to sign up to its Belt and Road Initiative - a colossal project designed to improve Beijing's trade reach.
Little has so far come of the pact, and Italy's new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has struck a more hawkish tone on China.


Thick, toxic smog over Indian capital as temperatures, wind speed drop

New Delhi’s air quality plummeted again on Friday, and a thick haze of toxic smog hung over India’s capital due to a drop in temperature and wind speed, and a spike in the burning of crop waste in surrounding farmlands.The haze reduced visibility and the Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 461 on a scale of 500, according to the federal pollution control board. This level of pollution means the air will affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases.The concentration of poisonous PM2.5 particulate matter averaged 329 micrograms per cubic meter of air. The government prescribes a “safe” PM2.5 reading at 60 micrograms per cubic meter of air over a period of 24 hours.PM2.5 is small enough to travel deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream and can cause severe respiratory diseases, including lung cancer.“This is becoming a nightmare,” said Gufran Beig, founder project director of air quality and weather monitor Safar that falls under the Ministry of Earth Science.“Fire counts are in the range of 3,000-5,000 and not declining,” Beig told Reuters, referring to crop stubble fires in the regions around the capital.He said current severe conditions may ease by Saturday, but air quality would remain “very poor” until Nov 17.Air quality might worsen if farm fires continued, as the Safar model forecasts calm wind conditions, Beig said.India’s efforts to reduce crop-waste burning, a major source of air pollution during winter, by spending billions of rupees over the past four years have done little to avert a sharp deterioration in air quality.Delhi, often ranked the world’s most polluted capital, faces extremely bad air in winter due to the crop stubble burning, emissions from transport, coal-fired plants outside the city and other industrial emissions, open garbage burning and dust.Residents of Delhi endured this year’s worst air on Nov 5, a day after revellers burnt firecrackers during the Deepavali festival, as AQI levels surged to 463 on a scale of 500.Vehicular emissions contributed more than half of Delhi’s particulate pollution between Oct 24-Nov 8, the Centre for Science and Environment think tank said in its report published on Thursday.


Watch that screen, it may be having a bad effect on your eyes and posture

Everyone spends too much time staring at their personal screens these days, particularly when forced to stay home for days or weeks on end.After a long session, most people at some time experience an aching neck and tired eyes.This is because smartphones and computer screens make the eyes work extra hard and sometimes result in a condition called digital eye strain.Dr Ching Wing Seng, an ophthalmologist from Tun Hussein Onn National Eye Hospital, tells MalaysiaNow that compared to other more traditional reading or writing media, viewing a digital screen requires more effort from the eyes and after too long can cause blurred vision and dry, irritated eyes.Ching says the biggest difference between viewing a digital screen and a printed page is in the contrast.“Black and white writing on paper is 100% contrast. Writing on screen may not be as full of contrast,” he says. ”Letters on screen often lack sharpness, which makes viewing them difficult.”He adds that different viewing distances and angles can result in additional demands on the visual system which often exhausts the eyes.The biggest difference between viewing a digital screen and a printed page is in the contrast.Both short-sighted and long-sighted people are often victims of digital eye strain, he says. “If refractive errors are not corrected by using glasses of the right power, you will definitely suffer from digital eye strain.”He insists, “You must have the correct lighting and look at the screen at the right angle too.”The muscles can suffer from prolonged screen time, too.“Looking at phones head down is a bad posture as it puts a substantial amount of weight and pressure on the neck,” he says. “This should be avoided as it results in a condition called forward head posture.”Ching cautions people not to sit too near the screen. Bending towards the screen can result in muscle spasms and neck, shoulder or back pain.”The best sitting position when looking at a computer screen is an upright posture with the feet resting on the floor, and wrists hovering just above and not resting on the keyboard when typing,” he says.“Ideally, the computer screen should be 15 to 20 degrees below eye level as most people find it more comfortable to view a computer screen when the eyes are looking downward.”“If you look at the screen for about 45 minutes non-stop, you should take a break before you start your next session.”And when the eyes are getting tired, it helps to blink more often, take rest breaks away from the computer, and use eye care lubricants.He recommends lubricating eye drops and oral supplements such as lutein and omega-3 to relieve tired eyes.“If you look at the screen for about 45 minutes non-stop, you should take a break before you start your next session,” he says.Prashanti Amirtharatnam, an optometrist at OasisEye Specialists, a consortium of ophthalmologists, tells MalaysiaNow that the negative effects of screens are particularly damaging to children as their eyes are still growing and developing.She says, “With many kids spending too much time at their screens and not enough time outdoors nowadays, they are likely to develop short-sightedness or myopia – where distant objects appear blurry.”Prashanti cites a study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology which shows a significantly slower progression towards short-sightedness among children who spent more time in outdoor activities, well away from their digital screens.


Grab drivers, postmen to be considered for vaccination soon, says Khairy

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today announced that Grab drivers and postmen would be placed under consideration as economic frontliners in order to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in the near future.He said Pos Malaysia would be assisting in the national immunisation programme as part of its corporate partnership by distributing flyers from door to door to encourage registration for vaccination in rural areas.“I have received a request from Pos Malaysia to consider their postmen as frontliners who will receive the vaccine in the nearest time,” he said.“As the vaccines will become more available, I am more than happy to consider their request.”Khairy, who is in charge of the vaccination programme, said the same consideration would be made for Grab drivers.He said the ride-hailing service would help by offering crucial and accurate information on vaccines through its application.Vaccination centres meanwhile will be mapped out on the app to ensure that users have a positive experience in making their way to these centres.“We will be discussing this further with Grab on how we can map out vaccination centres to ensure that the people who have appointments find it easy to hail rides to and from their houses,” he said.The app will also include a direct link to the MySejahtera app to encourage more people to register for vaccination.Khairy announced the partnerships at the launch of the Corporate Collaboration for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. Other partnerships announced today are with Parkson Corporation Sdn Bhd, St John Ambulance of Malaysia and Living Minds Sdn Bhd.“It’s a significant development to see new partnerships between the private sector and NGO partners to ensure the success of the vaccination programme.“We will have more partnerships to join in the process of getting more Malaysians to get registered and vaccinated and build back better for the future,” Khairy said.


Taliban administration officials attend peace forum in Norway

Officials from Afghanistan's Taliban administration travelled to Norway this week for meetings with civil society and diplomats at a peace forum, the Norwegian foreign minister said on Thursday.
The visit took place amidst a severe humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan following 20 years of war and as many countries have pulled back on aid after orders from the Taliban that stopped many Afghan female humanitarian staff from working.
"Norway invited three civil servant-level individuals working for the Afghan de facto authorities in Kabul to this year's Oslo Forum. They met Afghan civil society and representatives from other countries to discuss the situation in Afghanistan," Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt told Reuters.
The two-day meeting near Oslo is an annual summit on conflict and peace diplomacy that ended Wednesday.
The Taliban administration has not been formally recognised by any foreign government since taking over the country in 2021 as foreign troops withdrew.
A UN official said the United Nation's Secretary General's Special Representative to Afghansitan Roza Otunbayeva attended the closed door meeting.
Though some senior Taliban leaders are normally prevented from leaving the country due to UN travel bans, other officials are able to travel or receive exemptions to do so and have held meetings with officials abroad including in Qatar, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
In 2022, the Taliban's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attended a meeting in Oslo.
"Isolating Afghanistan now will be unfortunate, both for the Afghan people and for the international community. It could worsen the situation in Afghanistan, and it could let... groups such as the ISKP get a stronger foothold in the country. This would also pose a security risk for Europe," Huitfeldt said, referring to Islamic State.
A spokesman for the Taliban-run foreign ministry did not respond to request for comment. Afghan broadcaster Tolo News reported officials from the foreign, defence and interior ministries had travelled to Norway.


KL’s ‘free trade zones’ a lifeline for those struggling to get by

Fazrul Shahril used to work at a leading hotel in the capital city, but the Covid-19 pandemic changed everything.With the economy hard hit by the effects of the virus, he eventually found himself without a job.He would usually begin his day at 6am, working as part of the hotel’s support staff, but once the first movement control order (MCO) was implemented last year, he was forced to spend his days cooped up in his rented home.Alone, he spent much of his time thinking about what uncertainties lay ahead.But he refused to admit defeat.Dipping into his savings, he withdrew enough to open a stall at the side of the road selling keropok lekor.Fazrul is now one of many who have set up shop in the heart of the city with permission from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).Aspiring traders were given the green light in November to open stalls or small businesses at appropriate locations.Fazrul Shahril packs keropok lekor for customers at his stall in Jalan Permaisuri, Cheras. The former hotel worker is one of many who now sell food and drinks in the area.“I know these are hard times for everybody,” the 25-year-old said when met at his stall near the main gate of Sekolah Menengah Sains Selangor in Bandar Tun Razak.“Everyone is struggling and there aren’t a lot of jobs out there. But by selling keropok lekor like this, I can make enough to survive.”The Covid-19 pandemic which hit Malaysian shores early last year has so far claimed 555 lives with 138,224 confirmed cases throughout the country.Yesterday, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the MCO would be reinstated for two weeks in Penang, Selangor, the Federal Territories, Melaka, Johor and Sabah which have seen a rise in number of daily cases.Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa said in November that Kuala Lumpur would become a “free trade” area for those looking to set up businesses on a small scale. He said such businesses could be established in suitable locations as long as individuals obtained a temporary licence for DBKL’s records.Customers queue to buy food from the many stalls set up by the side of the road.But for Fazrul and others like him, the go-ahead to set up stalls and petty businesses has been a lifeline as the economy continues to reel from the impact of the pandemic.Fazrul’s shop is only four months old, but he has received encouraging support from the public.Other stalls have seen a similar response from people who flock to buy their snacks and goods, especially in Bandar Sri Permaisuri, Kampung Pandan, Masjid Jamek and Wangsa Maju.Such developments have been hailed by residents and local workers alike.Ismahani Omar, a nurse at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Specialist Children’s Hospital, said she used to have to drive all the way to the food court at Bandar Tasik Permaisuri to buy food.But now, she can choose from any number of stalls along Jalan Yaacob Latiff.“This has made life much easier for my colleagues and I,” she told MalaysiaNow.“It’s even easy to pick up our children from their daycare. We don’t need to look for fast food as everything is already here, right in front of the hospital.”And it’s not just those who lost their jobs who have found a way to survive. Night market vendors looking to try their luck somewhere new have also flocked to these areas.A drinks vendor prepares to set up shop in Jalan Permaisuri, Cheras. Vendors in the area have been seeing a steady stream of customers since late last year.Mazeri Mustapa has been a night market vendor for more than 20 years now. The 38-year-old told MalaysiaNow that the government’s announcement had saved him after the market where he sold drinks and snacks was ordered to close down throughout the MCO period from March to June last year.He began afresh with a roadside stall, which gave him a new and different perspective of work.“I’ve been doing all right,” he said, adding that response to his stall has been good so far.“I think this was a good move by the government because we traders have no fixed income. We just have to open for business every day.”When asked about the government’s guarantee that business could be conducted without a licence, both he and Fazrul said there had been no trouble from the authorities.“The authorities come in their lorries and I assume they are here to shut us down – but they’re really here to buy drinks from me,” vendor Marshila Amir told MalaysiaNow.When asked about the return of the MCO in several states, many traders said the move was for the good of the people.“But I hope the exemption (from having a licence) and permission to run our business like this will continue until we can recover and the economy is back to normal,” Fazrul said.


Why should Najib be pardoned when others serve full sentence, asks PKR man

A Penang PKR Youth leader has joined the chorus of those questioning the pardon bid for jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, saying many others convicted of wrongdoing are serving sentences for lesser crimes without any chance of pardon.
Amir Syamimi Hashim, PKR's Bukit Bendera Youth chief, said such individuals often committed offences such as theft out of desperation, took drugs or committed other minor offences.
"Despite their circumstances, they are forced to serve out their sentences, while individuals like Najib seek special treatment," he said.
"We definitely do not condone criminal activities or corruption. However, we must ensure that all individuals are treated equally and fairly under the law.
"We cannot allow political intervention or special treatment to undermine the rule of law and the principles of justice and fairness."
Najib was convicted in 2020 of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power in relation to the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.
He began serving a 12-year jail term in August last year after losing his final appeal.
In March, the Federal Court dismissed his application for a review of his conviction and sentence, dashing his last hope of legal recourse in the case.
Umno subsequently began spearheading an attempt to obtain a royal pardon for the former president, who still wields significant influence within the party.
The efforts sparked a heated debate, with Amanah leader Khalid Samad saying last week that a pardon for Najib would send a negative message to the people, the country's justice system and the entire world about Malaysia's attitude towards corruption and abuse of power.
His remarks were met with anger by Umno leaders including Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi who labelled Amanah as an untrustworthy friend in the current government.
Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub subsequently apologised on behalf of the party while Khalid himself said he had apologised as well.
Youth-based party Muda however said later that any application for a royal pardon for Najib should be rejected.
In his statement today, Amir said justice should be applied equally and fairly to all, regardless of social status, political affiliation or race.
"We must reject any attempt to use political pressure to influence the outcome of criminal cases, and instead we must rely on the rule of law and the principles of morality and ethics to guide our decisions."


Ex-Aussie PM Morrison says took on 5 ministries as he was 'steering the ship'

Australia's former prime minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday he decided to be secretly sworn in to five key ministries during the pandemic because he felt the responsibility for the nation was his alone.
Morrison, who stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after losing a general election in May, addressed a news conference to answer a barrage of criticism from the Labour government and his own party over the unprecedented move.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Morrison had attacked the Westminster system of government by secretly appointing himself to five portfolios including home affairs, treasury, health, finance and resources between 2020 and 2021.
Three of the ministers were unaware Morrison shared power over their ministries until the revelations this week, they said.
"I was steering the ship in the middle of the tempest," Morrison told reporters, recalling how the pandemic hit Australia in 2020.
"As prime minister only I could really understand the weight of responsibility that was on my shoulders and on no one else," he added.
Morrison said he didn't "take over" the ministries, and said no ministers were interfered with except on one occasion, where he rejected a resources project.
He said he did not inform the ministers because he would only use the powers in an emergency.
Treasurer Jim Chalmers said earlier on Wednesday Morrison's behaviour was "dictatorial" and whether he remained in parliament was a test of Liberal opposition leader Peter Dutton's leadership.
Morrison rejected this, and said the emergency powers were put in place by a democratically elected prime minister and according to law.
Morrison's secret accumulation of ministerial roles began with the health and finance ministries in 2020, which he has said was because of concern these ministers could be struck down with Covid-19 while wielding emergency powers that could not be checked by parliament.
In May 2021, Morrison also became home affairs minister and treasurer.
Morrison said this was partly due to the national budget being delivered in May and ongoing negotiations with Britain and the US over the Aukus security agreement for nuclear submarines.
The resources minister role he took on in 2021 was different to the others, and the only role in which he triggered ministerial power – to stop approval for a gas exploration project off the coast of Australia which was opposed by local communities. The decision is being challenged in court.
"This is fundamentally a trashing of our democratic system," Albanese said on Wednesday, after listening to Morrison's press conference.
The solicitor general will provide advice on the matter to Albanese on Monday.


Unrealistic, economists say on taxing the rich to cover GST revenue

While interesting in theory, economists have played down the extent to which a wealth tax on the country’s richest would replenish the government revenue lost from the abolishment of the goods and services tax (GST) some four years ago.Talk of a GST return began after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said in an interview with Nikkei that the government was keen on reintroducing the consumption tax.He said Putrajaya had limited options, and that it had lost RM20 billion in annual revenue after the tax was abolished.Malaysia’s 6% GST was implemented in 2015 but scrapped three years later after Pakatan Harapan (PH), led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, took over Putrajaya.PH itself had objected to the prospect of a return, saying any move to this effect would cause a drastic spike in the price of goods.Parti Sosialis Malaysia meanwhile said that taxing the “super rich” could bring the government RM20.52 billion in revenue.But Veerinderjet Singh said Malaysia already has higher income tax rates for those earning RM2 million and above.“If we start imposing much higher rates, say 40% etc, on those with higher incomes, what message are we sending if other countries around us don’t impose the same rates?” Veerinderjet, the former president of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants, said.“Developed countries impose high tax rates on individuals as everyone needs to pay more to enjoy the benefits of a developed country. But Malaysia is not near the level of a developed country yet.”Veerinderjet said high personal income tax rates would also deter wealthy investors.“It may be true that if we impose a supertax on wealthy individuals, we can collect a large amount,” he said.“But remember that we have to keep imposing that every year. Will that last?”Logically, he said, people would then seek to invest or move their funds to other jurisdictions with lower tax rates. “Who would lose in such circumstances?”Adding that both direct and indirect taxes are needed, he said Malaysia would eventually need to move towards a greater reliance on the latter as consumption taxes present a more stable source of revenue.Corruption and leakageMeanwhile, economist Ahmed Razman Abd Latiff said that many rich people have assets in the form of shares, which are assets that have yet to be realised.He said these would be difficult to tax as the market value of shares constantly changes.Razman, of Putra Business School, said the more important question was on the need for a new tax, whether the GST or a wealth tax on the rich.“Is it because spending has been on the rise due to the giving of subsidies?” he said.“If so, then perhaps targeted subsidies should be given so that only those who qualify receive them and the government doesn’t need to spend so much.”Razman said other important issues include leakage and corruption that have not been adequately addressed.He said any introduction of a tax would be ineffective if the country still faces these problems.He cited data from Transparency International estimating that between 4% and 6% of the country’s gross domestic product is lost due to corruption – approximately RM50 to RM60 billion.He said this sum could be saved if corruption is successfully handled.‘Not a solution’The GST, implemented to replace the sales and services tax (SST), was reportedly able to bring the government about RM40 billion a year.Economist Geoffrey Williams said PSM’s suggestion of taxing the wealthy would only generate half of this amount.“The rest must come from somewhere else, whether from a lowered GST rate or by maintaining the SST or by introducing another form of taxation.“So this is not a solution,” he said, adding that the move to replace the GST with the SST had reduced government revenue by RM20 billion a year due to its smaller tax coverage.Williams, of Malaysia University of Science and Technology, agreed that while interesting, the idea of bringing in revenue in order to avoid a GST would not work.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said tax is collected whether from the people’s income or when they spend.“In countries around the world, like in Malaysia, it’s easy to avoid paying income tax by declaring a lower amount of income,” he said.“People don’t really reduce their consumption rate to avoid GST. So it’s better to tax them later when they spend.”The same applies to the rich, he said, adding that it is easier to tax this group when they spend than to tax their income.And while bringing back the GST made sense, it should not be done at this point in time, he added.“Once inflationary pressure subsides, the GST should be part of broader tax reforms,” he said. “We do not expect major chances in taxation until the next general election.”He said tax reforms should involve other tax reductions and make the system as a whole more effective.“People should be given a tax number to allow a negative tax system for tax credits to people below the low-income threshold,” he added.“This will increase social welfare and can be paid for in part with the higher GST revenue.”


Two more Raya clusters detected in Sabah

Four new Covid-19 clusters were detected in Sabah yesterday with two linked to the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration, says Sabah Local Government and Housing Minister Masidi Manjun.He said the Kampung Bolong Baru cluster in Tuaran and Kota Belud was triggered by the index case, a 28-year-old housewife who was infected following house-to-house visits during the Aidilfitri celebration. The cluster currently has 33 cases on record.“The index case from Kampung Bolong Baru (Tuaran) was confirmed positive on May 27. Screenings conducted including at the workplace found 26 positive cases in Tuaran and seven cases in Kota Belud,” he said in a statement last night.He said another cluster triggered by Aidilfitri celebrations was the Taman Wawasan cluster in Beaufort, Papar and Kota Kinabalu which up until today involves 30 cases of infection from a 66-year-old male index case.“The index case was confirmed positive on May 18 and a screening of close contacts found two positive cases whereby the close contacts were involved in visits and receptions during Hari Raya in Kampung Tarap, Bongawan. The largest number of transmissions in the cluster was found in Taman Wawasan, Beaufort with 20 cases,” he said.Meanwhile, Masidi said the Hamparan cluster in Kinabatangan involved 27 infections at the workplace from the index case, a 26-year-old woman who was found positive on May 29. Screening at the place of work at an oil palm factory detected 17 workplace cases as well as infections of dependents.He said the Jalan Budi cluster in Tawau involved a 37-year-old woman, a beauty saloon worker in Johor who was confirmed positive during a screening at an international checkpoint on June 2 before close contact screenings found nine positive cases among her housemates.He said the state government had decided that premises selling food, retail and distribution outlets including restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience outlets and hardware stores would operate from 7am to 7pm during the movement control order.“Wet markets are allowed to operate from 6am to 3pm, while petrol stations and convenience outlets at the stations are allowed to operate from 6am to 8pm,” he said.Masidi said financial institutions and banks are allowed to operate from 8.30am to 5.30pm, while offices of professionals such as accountants, lawyers and engineers are allowed to operate from 9am to 5pm.


DAP willing to consider joining recovery council, Covid-19 committee

DAP is willing to consider the offer to be part of the National Recovery Council (NRC) and the Special Committee on Covid-19 to save lives and livelihoods, says its secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng.However, he said this was provided that the offer was not for token representation and a mere rubber-stamp of the government’s views.“The winner cannot take all and the loser should not lose all,” he tweeted briefly in response to Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s maiden speech as prime minister yesterday.In his inaugural national address, Ismail had invited the leadership of opposition parties to be part of the NRC and the Special Committee on Covid-19.Urging all parties to put an end to power struggles and the people’s unrest, he said political stability must be attained as soon as possible through unity and cross-party cooperation.The offer was also welcomed by PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.“Right now we are in the national month. Independence from fighting against colonialism further developed the country. Let us all work together as a team for the sake of our beloved country,” he said.


Armed forces personnel under investigation for robbery

The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) today confirmed that 20 of its personnel are being investigated by the police in connection with two robbery cases on Aug 15 and Aug 18 in Semporna, Sabah.
Armed forces chief Affendi Buang said the MAF would cooperate and leave the full investigation process to the police.
He added that MAF would not compromise on issues involving crime, discipline and violation of conduct, especially among its members.
"This is important because it can tarnish the image of MAF as an organisation that upholds the concept of integrity when carrying out its entrusted duties.
"All parties are also requested to not make speculations or statements that may interfere with the investigation process of the case," he said in a statement.
Yesterday, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat said a total of 20 military personnel were arrested on suspicion of being involved in two cases of robbery at sea in the waters of Pulau Siamil near Semporna, Sabah.
Both cases were investigated according to Section 395 of the Penal Code on gang robbery. The suspects were given bail on Sept 25, and the case is still under investigation.


Cops looking into missing wiring in Gemas flood warning system

The police are looking into the missing wiring of a flood warning siren box at a Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) retention pond at Taman Sungai Gemas, near Seremban, that came to light on Jan 4.Tampin district police chief Anuwal Ab Wahab said the police went to the scene after receiving a report from a DID employee at 1.44pm.“The man’s hour-long inspection revealed that the siren box and the gate leading into the retention pond had been tampered with, and he suspected that the siren box’s wiring and several other pieces of equipment were stolen, with losses estimated around RM1,000.“The location of the siren is near Sungai Gemas and the residential area of Taman Sungai Gemas. The incident area is fenced off, and we found evidence that the fence had been damaged,” he said in a statement.He said the flood warning station that was built 15 years ago was not equipped with any alarms or CCTVs but had been in good condition during its most recent maintenance on Dec 8 last year.The case is being investigated under Section 379 of the Penal Code.


Most recoveries but most new cases, too

Another 4,275 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 180,455.Of these, 4,264 were local transmissions involving 3,131 citizens and 1,133 foreigners.The remaining 11 imported cases involved eight citizens and three foreigners.Selangor recorded 1,421 cases, of which 954 or 67.1% were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Kuala Lumpur (548), Sabah (498) and Johor (425).Melaka recorded 278 cases, Perak 208, Sarawak 193, Penang 162, Terengganu 131, Negeri Sembilan 108, Kedah 105.Kelantan recorded 78, Pahang 75, Putrajaya 35, Perlis seven and Labuan three.Active cases stand at 42,769 with 260 in the ICU and 103 in need of respiratory assistance.Eleven new clusters were detected:1. Tapak Bina Bali Residence (Melaka, workplace)2. Tapak Bina Jalan Wangsa (Kuala Lumpur, workplace)3. Jalan Timah Dua (Johor, workplace)4. Persiaran Tanjung (Johor Bahru, workplace)5. Kilang Setapak (Sabah, workplace)6. Jalan Canggih (Johor Bahru, workplace)7. Tapak Bina Lebuh Puteri (Selangor, workplace)8. Kampung Bombalai (Sabah, workplace)9. Kampung Guntong Luar (Terengganu, community)10. Kampung Bukit Biah (Terengganu, religious)11. Tembok Sungai Udang (Melaka, detention centre)Another five ended, leaving 341 active clusters across the country.Another 4,313 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 137,019.However, seven more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 667.


Hearing of suit on US$340 million linked to 1MDB postponed pending response from UK law firm

The hearing of the government’s application to block PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI) and its director, Tarek Obaid, from using over US$340 million linked to 1MDB and kept in a client’s account at a UK law firm has been postponed.Justice Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh postponed the hearing, which had been set for today, to give time for law firm Clyde & Co LLP in the UK, to confirm whether it wished to respond and to file an affidavit on the documents served to it.This came after deputy public prosecutor Budiman Lutfi Mohamed told Shahir that the prosecution had served the documents on the three foreign entities named in the application, namely Petrosaudi International Limited in Saudi Arabia, as well as the two London-based companies, Clyde & Co and Temple Fiduciary Services Limited.“We are in contact with the National Crime Agency (NCA) representative, Danial Murphy, and he confirmed that the UK government had served the documents to Clyde & Co on Oct 1.“He also conveyed the court’s message to Clyde & Co whether the firm wanted to respond, but until now we have not received anything from them,” said Budiman.He also told the court the legal firm had acknowledged receipt of the documents by its representative, Sarah Wheatly.“After speaking to parties and in the interest of justice, perhaps Clyde & Co should be allowed some time to respond to the application and the prosecution will be in communication with the NCA for an update from the legal firm,” he said.Lawyer Alex Tan and Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, representing PSI’s South American subsidiary company, PetroSaudi Oil Services (Venezuela) Ltd (PSOS-VZ) and Tarek Obaid, respectively, did not object to the prosecution’s application.Shahrir then fixed Oct 22 for case management for the prosecution to update the court on Clyde & Co’s response.On July 16 last year, the court granted the government’s application for an interim order to block the parties from moving the monies linked to 1MDB, kept in a client’s account at the UK-based law firm, to other entities.The interim order is to maintain the status quo of the parties until the disposal of the government’s prohibition application seeking an order to restrain any dealings on the monies belonging to PSI and PSOS-VZ which are currently in an escrow account held by Clyde & Co.Besides the US$340 million, the government, in its application is also seeking an unspecified amount of money deposited under an intermediate account name, Temple Fiduciary Services Limited, at Barclays Bank in the UK.The application, filed under Section 53 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act, named Tarek, PSI, PSOS-VZ, Clyde & Co and Temple Fiduciary as the first to fifth respondents.


Umno heading for biggest split since 1MDB scandal

Umno is heading for its most serious split since the ejection of key leaders from the party in 2016, belying the show of unity by delegates at the party’s recent general assembly, MalaysiaNow can reveal.A movement involving senior leaders is underway to eject party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, through a call for party polls to be held without delay.“They are convinced that Zahid will be another Najib at the next general election,” an insider told MalaysiaNow, referring to former prime minister Najib Razak’s historic downfall at the 2018 election.“The faultline is between Zahid and those wanting Umno to find new allies on one side, and those who accept the narrative that times have changed and the party can no longer dream of the past on the other,” it added.The source said Zahid only has the support of two individuals in the Supreme Council, Umno’s top decision-making body.“They are Tajuddin Abdul Rahman dan Puad Zarkashi,” it said.The source said this could be seen at many Supreme Council meetings, where only those two leaders were clear in their support for Zahid’s plan to cut ties with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition.The group seeking to overthrow Zahid said Umno has no choice but to work together with PN, headed by Muhyiddin Yassin, the former Umno deputy president who was sacked for criticising the government’s involvement in the 1MDB scandal.Speakers at the recent Umno general assembly took turns to attack Muhyiddin and Bersatu, backing Zahid’s call for Umno to dump the party at the next election.But the source said the phrase “save Umno” constantly surfaces in informal meetings among party leaders.“They also question Zahid’s conduct in his mini speech,” the source said, referring to Zahid’s 10-minute closing address at the general assembly.“He asked everyone in the hall to stand up if they support his proposal. It created utter confusion when the nation’s cameras were on them,” the source said, adding that they also reject a claim by Zahid and Umno that the party’s ministers were given lowly Cabinet positions.They likewise reject Zahid’s claim that he was still holding to the “No Anwar, No DAP” rule of thumb on cooperating with other parties.“That was just to assuage the anger of the delegates. The truth is, Zahid only wants ‘No Bersatu’,” an aide to a veteran Umno leader told MalaysiaNow.Zahid and Najib, who led Barisan Nasional when it lost in 2018, have been at the forefront of a campaign against Muhyiddin, who was sacked from the party and went on to form Bersatu, striking an alliance with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to bring an end to Umno’s six-decade rule.They also wrote a letter to the palace in support of PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim’s failed plan to topple Muhyiddin last year.Since then, several Umno leaders led by the duo have become closer with PKR.Last month, Anwar and Zahid issued separate statements which were almost identical, further confirming the coming together of both leaders.Meanwhile, some Umno leaders have openly called for party elections, effetively suggesting that Umno cannot go to the general election under its current leadership.They include Khairy Jamaluddin, Reezal Merican Naina Merican and Annuar Musa.Khairy recently mocked Umno’s decision to postpone party polls until after the general election, saying a similar decision prior to the 2018 election did not benefit the party.“In the end, we folded up,” Khairy said.Whether or not any movement to topple the Umno president can succeed remains to be seen.But the party’s recent history is rife with failures to eject its top leader.At the height of the 1MDB scandal in 2015, many division leaders critical of Najib were subjected to disciplinary action and sacked.The following year, Muhyiddin and Mukhriz Mahathir were sacked for criticising party leaders.Anwar himself was unceremoniously sacked in 1998 after falling out with then-party boss Dr Mahathir Mohamad.


Musk threatens lawsuit as Twitter rival Threads takes off

Twitter threatened to sue Meta just hours after the Instagram parent company launched Threads, an app it hopes will beat out the struggling site owned by Elon Musk.
In a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, published by online news outlet Semafor on Thursday, Musk lawyer Alex Spiro accused the company of "unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade secrets and other intellectual property."
The letter accused Meta of hiring dozens of former Twitter employees who "had and continue to have access to Twitter's trade secrets and other highly confidential information."
Threads is the biggest challenger yet to Musk-owned Twitter, which has seen a series of potential competitors emerge but not yet replace one of the world's biggest social media platforms, despite its struggles.
Zuckerberg's latest move against Musk further heightened the rivalry between the two multibillionaires who have even agreed to meet for hand-to-hand combat in a cage match.
And in his first tweet in over a decade, Zuckerberg posted a Spiderman pointing at Spiderman meme in an apparent reference to the similarities between Threads and Twitter.
Threads went live on Apple and Android app stores in 100 countries at 2300 GMT on Wednesday, and early feedback noted its close, but scaled back, resemblance to Twitter.
Within a few hours, more than 30 million people had downloaded Threads, Zuckerberg said Thursday.
"Feels like the beginning of something special, but we've got a lot of work ahead to build the app," Zuckerberg wrote on his official Threads account Thursday.
Accounts were already active for celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Hugh Jackman, as well as media outlets including The Washington Post and The Economist.
On Threads, Zuckerberg wrote: "It'll take some time, but I think there should be a public conversations app with 1 billion+ people on it."
Twitter has said it has more than 200 million daily users.
'Be kind'
Threads was introduced as a spin-off of Instagram, giving it a built-in audience of more than two billion users and sparing the new platform the challenge of starting from scratch.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri told users that Threads was intended to build "an open and friendly platform for conversations."
"The best thing you can do if you want that too is be kind," he said.
Zuckerberg is taking advantage of Musk's chaotic ownership of Twitter to push out the new product, which Meta hopes will become the go-to platform for celebrities, companies and politicians.
Analyst Jasmine Engberg from Insider Intelligence said Threads only needs one out of four Instagram monthly users "to make it as big as Twitter."
"Twitter users are desperate for an alternative, and Musk has given Zuckerberg an opening," she added.
Under Musk, Twitter has seen content moderation reduced to a minimum with glitches and rash decisions scaring away celebrities and major advertisers.
He also fired more than half of Twitter's staff, some of whom presumably went to other tech companies, including Meta.
EU 'many months' away
Meta has its legion of critics too, especially in the major market of Europe, which could slow the growth of Threads.
The company has been criticised for its handling of personal data, the essential ingredient for targeted ads that help it rake in billions of dollars in profits.
Mosseri said he regretted that the launch was delayed in the European Union, but had Meta waited for regulatory clarity from Brussels, Threads would have been "many, many, many, months away."
According to a source close to the matter, Meta was wary of a new law called the Digital Markets Act, which sets strict rules for the world's "gatekeeper" internet companies.
One rule restricts platforms from moving user data between products, as would potentially be the case between Threads and Instagram.
Globally, the Threads hashtag on Twitter has garnered three million tweets, with many users jokingly suggesting people will return to Musk's platform.
Others expressed privacy concerns.
"Meta loves to collect private information and I don't trust the way it treats private information," a Japanese user tweeted.
"I also have the impression that this is a company hated by EU, so I'm reluctant."
But some said they would permanently move to Threads.
One Threads user wrote: "Now I truly can say goodbye to Twitter forever."


Sorry.