India investigates rail disaster as trains crawl through crash site

The official investigation into India's deadliest rail crash in over two decades began on Monday after preliminary findings pointed to signal failure as the likely cause for a collision that killed at least 275 people and injured 1,200.
The disaster struck on Friday, when a passenger train hit a stationary freight train, jumped the tracks and hit another passenger train passing in the opposite direction near the district of Balasore, in the eastern state of Odisha.
Following non-stop efforts to rescue survivors and clear and repair the track, trains resumed running over that section of the line on Sunday night.
Trains were passing slowly by the derailed and mangled compartments, while repair work continued at the track side.
Some 120km further north, at Kharagpur in West Bengal state, railway officials and witnesses gathered to submit evidence to a two-day inquiry, led by AM Chowdhary, commissioner of railway safety for the south-eastern circle.
"Everyone involved at the site have been asked to join the inquiry. The probe will take time and we are looking at all possible angles," Chowdhary told reporters.
India's Railway Board has recommended that the federal Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) take over the probe into the cause of the disaster.
Chowdhary said he will submit his report to the Railway Board while the CBI investigation could run simultaneously.
Railway police also filed a complaint, seen by Reuters, without naming anyone under the Indian Penal Code sections dealing with causing "grevious hurt" or "endangering life" by negligence.
Preliminary investigations indicated the Coromandel Express, heading southbound to Chennai from Kolkata, moved off the main line and entered a loop track – a side track used to park trains – at 128kph, crashing into the stationary freight train.
That crash caused the engine and first four or five coaches of the Coromandel Express to jump the tracks, topple and hit the last two coaches of the Yeshwantpur-Howrah train heading in the opposite direction at 126kph on the second main track.
At state capital Bhubaneswar's biggest hospital, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), authorities set up large television screens with pictures of the dead to help desperate families who are scouring hospitals and mortuaries for friends and relatives.
Pradeep Jena, chief secretary of Odisha, told reporters that 170 bodies had so far been identified, more than half of the total toll.
Others were still searching for their relatives.
"We've checked all the hospitals but couldn't find the body. We are really exhausted," said a man, displaying a picture of his missing cousin Anjarul Hoque.
There was also an incident of a double claim for a dead body at the hospital in Bhubaneswar.
Afuy Shaikh and Dilip Kumar Sabar both sought to claim the body with tag number 63. Police officials said that a DNA test would be required if identification was inconclusive.
"We have to move towards normalisation... Our responsibility is not over yet," said railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, his voice choking with emotion.
The Chennai-bound Coromandel Express was due to resume running on Monday for the first time since the accident but the service was cancelled shortly before departure.
Aditya Chaudhary, chief public relations officer of South Eastern Railway, said this was due to a shortage of train coaches.


RM60.6 million credited into Najib's personal account in 2011, bank officer tells court

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was today told that RM60.6 million was credited in two transactions into former prime minister Najib Razak's personal account at AmIslamic Bank in 2011.
Ambank (M) Bhd Jalan Raja Chulan branch manager R Uma Devi, 43, said based on the statement of an account ending with the number 694, RM30,449,929.97 was credited into the former prime minister's account on Feb 24 and RM30,179,909.46 on June 14, 2011.
"I confirm that this document (account statement) of AmIslamic Bank Bhd in the name of Najib was printed from a computer belonging to AmBank Jalan Raja Chulan Branch," she said.
Uma Devi was reading out her witness statement during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Najwa Bistamam in the Pekan MP’s trial for the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in funds from 1MDB.
Referring to the form on the opening of a personal account under Najib's name on Jan 13, 2011, Uma Devi, the 37th prosecution witness, said Najib was the sole signatory of the cheques issued. "This account (ending 694) was opened with a deposit of RM500 only. The legal signatory for this personal account was Najib Razak himself for the cheques. This means, only he could sign cheques and do business through this account," she said.
She said that in 2013, Najib submitted a letter, dated Aug 26, 2013, to the bank’s branch manager to close his current and savings accounts ending 694 and 481, respectively, and instructed the bank to transfer the money in the accounts amounting to RM150 million to his other account, that is AmPrivate Banking–1MY.
Uma Devi said the letter also stated that all unused cheques would be returned to the bank and that he (Najib) would not issue any cheques from the account after it was closed.
"Another instruction in the letter was to debit the remaining amount from those accounts for the issuance of a bank draft in the name of AmPrivate Banking-1MY," she said, adding that there had been an attachment enclosed with the letter – a money transfer slip that had been processed by the bank as instructed.
"Based on the (money transfer) slip, RM12,436,711.87 was transferred to the AmPrivate Banking-1MY account on Aug 30, 2013, whereby the account (AmPrivate Banking) belonged to Najib, which was opened at the Jalan Raja Chulan branch on July 31, 2013," she added.
Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues next Monday.


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Tony Pua lashes out at opposition after Ismail confirmed for top post

Less than hour after the palace confirmation that Ismail Sabri Yaakob would be sworn in as the ninth prime minister, DAP’s Damansara MP Tony Pua appeared to have launched a scathing attack on fellow opposition leaders over the way they handled the latest political crisis.Pua, who had already courted criticism for urging the party to accept a list of reforms under the cross-party consensus offered by outgoing prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, said Pakatan Harapan (PH) had been delivered a double blow by the outcome of the crisis.“Getting kicked out of government in February 2020 was bad.“But playing a major starring role in returning power to Umno? Devastating,” he said, referring to PH’s ejection from 22 months of power last year.The top PH leadership had joined Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former leader Najib Razak in pressing for the resignation of Muhyiddin.They also rejected Muhyiddin’s promise to undertake a list of reforms long championed by PH in exchange for their support to prevent the collapse of the Perikatan Nasional government in the midst of the pandemic.Pua and fellow DAP MP Ong Kian Ming had openly urged party leaders to consider the offer from Muhyiddin, saying it would also prevent the return of “kleptocrats”, a reference to Najib and Zahid, who between them are facing more than 80 corruption charges.


Australia may take back Darwin port from Chinese military-linked company

Australia will review the 99-year lease of a commercial and military port in its north to a Chinese firm, the Sydney Morning Herald reported late yesterday.The move could further inflame tensions between Beijing and Canberra.Australian defence officials are checking if Landbridge Group, owned by Chinese billionaire Ye Cheng, should be forced to give up its ownership of the port of Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, used as a strategically important base for US Marines.The Northern Territory government’s deal in 2015 to sell a long-term lease to the port to the Chinese firm was criticised by security experts at the time.Landbridge, which has close ties to the Chinese military according to media reports, won a bidding process in 2015 to operate the port in a deal worth A$506 million.The deal came four years after then-President Barack Obama secured a deal to base about 2,500 Marines in Darwin, which is on the doorstep of the Indo-Pacific.The decision to lease the port to a Chinese company raised eyebrows in the US.Australian media reported that at the time of the deal, US president Barack Obama expressed anger at prime minister Malcolm Turnbull for not having informed him of the deal and asked Turnbull to keep Washington in the loop in future.Last week, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he would act on the port’s ownership if national security concerns were raised.Relations between Australia and China deteriorated after Canberra last year called for an international inquiry into the origins of Covid-19, prompting trade reprisals from Beijing.Australia overhauled its foreign investment laws almost a year ago, giving the government the power to vary or impose new conditions on a deal or force a divestment even after it has been approved by its Foreign Investment and Review Board.China slammed Australia’s decision last month to use the new laws to cancel the Belt-and-Road agreements with the Victorian state government.There is increasing speculation Morrison may use the new laws to scrap the long-term leases held by Chinese companies not only at the port in Darwin but in Newcastle, New South Wales, too.


2 suspects in Bukit Bintang shooting arrested

Two local suspects wanted by the police to help in investigations into a shooting incident at a hotel in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, on Tuesday have been arrested.Kuala Lumpur police chief Azmi Abu Kassim said the suspects, aged 47 and 51, were arrested in a raid at a residence in Puchong at about 8.15pm yesterday.He said in the raid, the police seized a .38 revolver, a Barreta semi-automatic revolver, 14 bullets, a red Honda RS150 motorcycle, two helmets, two sets of shirts and pants, two pairs of sports shoes, a sling bag as well as three mobile phones of various brands.“One (of) the pistols is believed to have been used in the (shooting) incident,” he said at a press conference at Kuala Lumpur contingent police headquarters today.On Tuesday, a 49-year-old local man was found dead with gunshot wounds to his forehead in a hotel room in Bukit Bintang an hour after he checked in.The body was discovered by a hotel employee who entered the man’s room. The employee then called the police at about 7pm.Azmi said based on police investigations, the suspects and victim had met at the hotel room to conduct drug-dealing business. He said the victim had 14 criminal records connected to kidnapping, murder and drugs.Azmi said all of the suspects who were arrested would be asked to assist in the investigation of the case.Meanwhile, he said a check on the first suspect who was arrested at the scene on the day of the incident found he had seven previous drug-related criminal records. He was remanded for six days until May 9.Remand applications for the other two suspects will be made today.The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.


Tread carefully, Johor sultan tells Putrajaya on 'Allah' issue

The sultan of Johor says he still holds to a fatwa declaring the word "Allah" exclusive to Muslims, cautioning Putrajaya to tread carefully following its move to drop an appeal against a High Court decision allowing Christians to use the Arabic term.
"The federal government should tread carefully and as well as possible the implications of the decision because it is closely related to issues within the boundaries of Islam and the sentiments of Muslims in this country," Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said in a statement today.
Putrajaya announced last week that it was dropping its appeal to challenge a High Court decision in 2021 allowing Christians to use the word "Allah" in their religious publications.
The High Court had then ruled in favour of an application filed by a Sarawakian Christian, Jill Ireland Lawrence Bill.
She had sought a court declaration that her constitutional rights were violated when the home ministry in 2008 seized Christian religious CDs and books using the term "Allah" under Section 9(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984.
The government under then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin subsequently filed an appeal against the ruling.
The move to drop the appeal sparked criticism from Muslim groups, while Muhyiddin said that the government should have allowed the court to solve the dispute.
Anwar meanwhile defended the decision, saying the prohibition on non-Muslims using the term "Allah" in their religious materials remained.
He said in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that the move to drop the appeal was made after consultation with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
He said the Agong had said that any decision must be in line with the Malay rulers council, which prohibits the word from being used by Christians in the peninsula, while giving leeway for those in the two Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak.
Sultan Ibrahim today said that the fatwa gazetted in Johor on June 4, 2009, states that non-Muslims are prohibited from using the word "Allah".
"Johor also has the Control and Restriction of the Propagation of Non-Islamic Religions Enactment 1991 which forbids the use of words set aside exclusively for Muslims and cannot be used by non-Muslims except in situations permitted by law, such as in the lyrics of 'Lagu Bangsa Johor'," he said.
"The regulation, control and enforcement of the word 'Allah' must be in detail without jeopardising the fatawas and state enactments, so that harmony and unity in our multiracial society is maintained."


Whopping 2,234 new cases, 1,428 in Selangor

Another 2,234 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 78,499.Selangor alone recorded 1,428 cases, of which 1,321 or 93.2% were from clusters and close contact screening. The majority of cases were linked to work places, in particular the Seruling (842 cases) and Hentian (315 cases) clusters.This was followed by Sabah (274), Kuala Lumpur (136) and Perak (115).Johor recorded 100 cases, Negeri Sembilan 67, Pahang 45, Penang 42, Kedah 14, Melaka five, Kelantan and Terengganu three each, and Sarawak and Putrajaya one each.Active cases stand at 11,867 with 124 in the ICU and 60 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 1,112 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 66,236.However, three more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 396.


Budget for Khairy’s ministry, including for vaccine funds, passed

The allocation for the science, technology and innovation ministry was passed by voice vote after the committee-level debate today, taking Perikatan Nasional’s score to 14-0.The RM9.35 billion budget for the ministry, under Khairy Jamaluddin, includes provisions for the supply of Covid-19 vaccines to the country.Of the RM9.35 billion, RM5.1 billion is for administrative expenses while RM4.25 billion is for development.In his winding-up speech, Khairy said Malaysia aims to vaccinate 70% of the population in order to provide herd immunity.Malaysia has so far signed two agreements which will provide enough vaccines for 30% of the population.The first agreement, under the Covax Facility, was signed on Nov 23. It will guarantee enough vaccines for 10% of the country.The second agreement, an early purchase agreement with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, was signed on Nov 24. This will provide enough vaccines for 20% of the country, that is 12.8 million doses.“To fulfil the balance of 40% more, the government is in the process of negotiating with other pharmaceutical companies creating Covid-19 vaccines,” Khairy said.


Cocaine worth billions seized in Europe’s biggest ever smuggling bust

Authorities in Germany and Belgium seized more than 23,000kg of cocaine, worth billions of dollars, in an international smuggling bust, officials said on Wednesday, calling it the largest amount of cocaine ever seized in Europe.The operation lasted more than a week and culminated in the arrest on Wednesday of a Dutch importer whose address was on the shipment, police said.Working on a tip from colleagues in the Netherlands, customs officers in the German port of Hamburg opened three containers on a ship from Paraguay, coming via Tangier and Rotterdam.The container contents were listed as construction putty, German customs investigation head Rene Matschke told CNN.In the customs testing facility, investigators found that the cans contained not only putty but also packages of cocaine. Over 16,000kg of cocaine were concealed in 1,728 cans of construction putty.Dutch authorities followed that seizure by investigating the recipient of the Hamburg shipment, which led them to 11 more containers on their way from Panama to Antwerp, labelled as containing pineapple, mackerel, squid and wood.Belgian authorities on Saturday found over 7,000 more kilograms of cocaine in the containers carrying blocks of wood, according to the Dutch police.“The intercepted mega-shipments to the Netherlands together form an absolute record,” the Dutch police said in a statement. “Never before has so much cocaine been intercepted at once.”Officials said it was not only the largest seizure of cocaine ever in Europe, but one of the largest single seizures worldwide.


PM cannot accept donations no matter what, says Dr M in veiled swipe at Najib

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said any form of donation by a foreigner to the country’s leaders is wrong, in a comment seen as a veiled attack against former prime minister Najib Razak.“Local politicians should not accept gifts or donations from foreign countries as it opens the way for foreign interference in domestic politics,” Mahathir said.His comments come more than two months after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission returned RM114 million confiscated from Najib, following a court decision in May.The High Court ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove the money was obtained from illegal activities or that it had originated from 1MDB.The prosecution had claimed that the sum, confiscated in cash from properties linked to Najib following his fall from power in 2018, was part of some RM2.9 billion which Najib received through 1MDB between 2011 and 2013.Najib had claimed that the money found in his account was a donation from the Saudi monarch, and that the RM114 million was being kept by him on behalf of Umno.Last month, Mahathir said the court decision was welcome news for those accused of stealing.“In the future, if you steal and you can prove that it (the money) is not from somebody, that it is yours, and that somebody has given you a gift of a billion dollars, then if the court says there is no proof that you have stolen, you keep the money,” he said.He said today that any prime minister who becomes wealthy after taking office must be held answerable.“But when the prime minister after assuming office becomes a millionaire, the people are entitled to say he got the money illegally,” he said.He added that a prime minister cannot accept any donation even if it is made sincerely.“Therefore, the prime minister’s wealth which was obtained after his appointment is illegal and can be seized by the authorities.”


Cool reception for Ramadan buffets this year

Ramadan buffets, long a feature of the fasting month, are receiving a cool reception this year with many restaurants and hotel operators reporting empty tables well into the second week.
Karim Shah, who owns a restaurant and catering business in Putrajaya, compared the situation to previous years when bookings were sold out a week before Ramadan began.
But even with early bird offers and lower prices this year, his restaurant has been struggling.
"Our restaurant can fit 120 people at one go, but some days only three tables are booked," he said.
"Even then, each table has just two customers."
Karim, who comes from Pakistan, has been making daily losses. But money matters aside, he cannot bear to see the food that his workers prepare every day going to waste at the end of the night.
Normally, they serve Arab menus and food from his home country.
For the Ramadan month, he brought in special cooks to prepare Malay and Western cuisine.
"But not even 10 people come in a day," he said.
"How can we continue our business? It's a waste and a loss."
Christina Toh, president of the Malaysian Association of Hotels, said the same trend could be seen at Ramadan buffets at hotels throughout the country.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she said the lacklustre response could be due to the recent school holidays, during which many families had spent on vacations.
And with Aidilfitri celebrations around the corner, she said, would-be customers were likely saving up for Hari Raya instead of spending their money during the fasting month.
"We thought that people might make bookings because of our early bird offers," she said.
"But business at most hotels has been slower than it was last year."  What business they do have is not expected to last, she added.
"This year the cost of goods has also gone up, so the retail price is higher, too, from 10% to 25%," she said.
Azmi Abdullah, who owns a wedding hall in Skudai, Johor, agreed that there had been an increase in buffet prices.
For seven years, he and his wife had offered Ramadan buffets during the fasting month. They never raised their prices, which remained at RM58 for grownups and RM15 for children below 12 years old.
This year, though, he had no choice. Grownups are now charged RM78 each and children, RM30.
Azmi said the rising cost of goods and preparing the meals had forced his hand.
"The worst affected are things like chicken, meat and vegetables, especially chillies, tomatoes and onions," he said.
"If we reduce the number of dishes on our menu, the customers will be disappointed because they have fewer options.
"If we maintain the crowd favourites, we have to raise our prices."
But Azmi appears to be in a catch-22 situation as raising his prices has also driven some customers away.
"There's nothing we can do," he said.
Even his loyal customers whom he used to see several times a week are nowhere to be found.
"Some of them would come on Monday, and then on Friday I would see them again with their families.
"But this year, I haven't seen them even once."


Neelofa, hubby claim trial to violating SOPs

Entrepreneur and celebrity Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor and her husband, Muhammad Haris Mohd Ismail, pleaded not guilty in the Seremban Magistrate’s Court today to violating SOPs under the conditional movement control order (CMCO) at a carpet shop early this month.The charges against them were read out before magistrate Mahyun Yusoff.Haris, 26, was charged with two counts of failing to comply with CMCO SOPs, namely failing to wear a face mask and to scan the MySejahtera application or write his name in the registration book to check in at Kedai Naeem Carpet Sdn Bhd, Kawasan Perindustrian Nilai 3, Nilai, at 4pm on May 2.Neelofa, 32, was charged with failing to scan the MySejahtera application or write her name in the registration book to check in at the same place and time.In allowing Haris bail of RM10,000 for both charges and RM5,000 with one surety against Neelofa, the court set June 4 for mention.The couple, charged with violating Regulation 19 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within Infected Local Area) (Conditional Movement Control) (No.4) (Amendment) (No.12) Regulations 2021, face a fine not exceeding RM50,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both, if found guilty.The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Nor Azizah Aling, while lawyer Haresh Mahadevan represented the couple.The couple posted the bail.


Russia accuses Ukraine of 'blatant lies' about Crimea discrimination, MH17

Russia on Thursday denied Ukrainian accusations that it backed pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and discriminates against ethnic Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea, accusing Kyiv instead of "blatant lies" at the UN's top court.
Ukraine has asked the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Russia to halt alleged discrimination against the Tatar ethnic group in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula occupied by Russia since 2014.
"Ukraine is constantly turning to blatant lies and false accusations leveled against the Russian federation," the Russian ambassador to the Netherlands, Alexander Shulgin, said at the second day of hearings at the ICJ.
In the same case, Kyiv also says that Moscow violated a UN anti-terrorism treaty by equipping and funding pro-Russian forces, including militias who shot down Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17, killing all 298 passengers and crew in 2014.
Last November, a Dutch court convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian separatist in absentia for their role and sentenced them to life in prison. It found that Russia had "overall control" over the separatist forces.
Russia rejected what it called the "scandalous" decision by the Dutch court. On Thursday Russia's ambassador-at-large Gennady Kuzmin told the ICJ the Dutch judgment was biased against separatist forces in the Donesk region.
"At the end of the day, Ukraine's MH17 case boils down to nonsense," Kuzmin said.
The hearings in the case at the ICJ, which stems from 2017, marked the first time lawyers for Ukraine and Russia met at the ICJ since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022.
On the first day of the hearing Ukraine accused Russia of being a terrorist state and said it tried to erase the culture of ethnic Tatars and Ukrainians in Crimea.
Russia denies systematic human rights abuses in Ukrainian territory that it occupies.
The court adjourned on Thursday but will hold two more days of hearings next week where Ukraine and Russia can react to each others' submissions.
The International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, is expected to rule on the case before the end of this year.
The ICJ is the United Nations' top court for disputes between states and its rulings are binding but have no enforcement mechanism.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is also the subject of an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court, also in The Hague, on war crimes charges over forced deportations of Ukrainian children. The Kremlin denies this.


In Brazil, more than 80% of intubated Covid patients die

More than 80% of Covid-19 patients who have to be intubated in Brazil have died since the start of the second wave of infections ravaging the country, according to researchers.The mortality rate since Feb 15 – 83.5% – is far higher than in countries such as Mexico, Britain, Germany or Italy, highlighting how the South American country’s hospitals are struggling to deal with a surge of infections that has pushed many to the brink of collapse.“It shows the fragility of the health system, which was already suffering from years of under-investment and got overwhelmed by the large number of cases,” Fernando Bozza, a researcher at leading public health institute Fiocruz, tolf AFP on Monday.His research team partnered with the University of Sao Paulo to compile data from public and private hospitals on the clinical outcomes of Covid-19 patients with severe breathing difficulty who are intubated and put on ventilators.A first study of 250,000 patients from Feb 15 to Aug 15 last year that was published in The Lancet medical journal found the mortality rate for intubated patients in Brazil was 78.7%.That figure was already well above the number for Britain (69%), Germany (52.8%), Italy (51.7%) or Mexico (73.7%).But now the rate is even worse, amid an explosion of severe cases in Brazil, Bozza said.“Some hospitals are so overwhelmed they have to intubate patients outside the intensive care unit. That’s the case for 17% of hospitals in the northern region,” he told AFP.His team found big differences in patient outcomes by region and between public and private hospitals.Impoverished regions such as the north and northeast had mortality rates for intubated patients of around 90%, while the figure was 79.8% in the wealthy southeast – and just 25% at prestigious Sirio-Libanes Hospital in Sao Paulo.Brazil’s average daily death toll from Covid-19 has nearly quadrupled since the start of the year, to more than 2,600.Experts blame the surge partly on a local variant of the virus that is believed to be more contagious.Nearly 314,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Brazil, second only to the US.


1MDB obtains court order freezing Najib’s assets in Malaysia

1MDB and one of its subsidiaries have obtained an injunction from the Kuala Lumpur High Court to stop former prime minister Najib Razak from disposing of or reducing the value of any of his assets in Malaysia up to US$681 million.Based on documents obtained by the media, the injunction also restricts Najib to making withdrawals of up to only RM100,000 a month for living and legal expenses.Should he require more than the amount allowed, he will have to get written permission from 1MDB and Global Diversified Investment Company Limited, formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Limited.The decision was made by judicial commissioner Atan Mustaffa Yussof Ahmad during online proceedings yesterday after he allowed an ex-parte application for a mareva injunction by 1MDB and Global Diversified, which are the first and fifth plaintiff in the 1MDB suit against Najib and several others.A mareva injunction is a court order which effectively freezes the assets of a defendant from being dissipated pending the outcome or completion of a legal action.The order also states that Najib must make written disclosures to 1MDB and Global Diversified in relation to his assets up to the value of US$681 million, whether locally or abroad, whether under his own name or not, and whether on sole proprietorship or ownership with other defendants.He is required to provide the value, location and all information concerning the assets, to be verified by an affidavit and served to the counsel of the first and fifth plaintiff.If the total value free from mortgage or securities in assets in the country exceeds US$681 million, Najib can remove or dispose of the assets as long as the total unencumbered value remains not less than US$681 million.The order also states that any individual in this proceedings or otherwise who is informed of the order in question should not aid or permit a breach of the order where they may be subject to contempt of court action if they do.The order will remain effect until the court hears the inter-parte application for the injunction on Feb 21.When contacted, a lawyer from the legal firm of Messrs Skrine, representing 1MDB, confirmed the court’s decision.In the suit, 1MDB, 1MDB Energy Holdings Limited, 1MDB Energy Limited, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Limited and Global Diversified Investment Company Limited are the plaintiffs, while Najib, former 1MDB financial director Terrence Geh Choh Heng, former 1MDB lawyer Jasmine Loo Ai Swan, former 1MDB executive director Casey Tang Keng Chee, Vincent Beng and 1MDB chief operations officer Radhi Mohamad are named as defendants.Also named as defendants are former investment director Kelvin Tan Kay Jim and former SRC International Sdn Bhd CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil.The US$8 billion suit is one of 22 civil suits filed to claim over US$23 billion on behalf of 1MDB and its former subsidiary SRC International against several individuals allegedly involved in the financial scandal.


Minister, aide tight-lipped on identity of Zainab in combat ship saga

Former deputy defence minister Abd Latiff Ahmad has remained tight-lipped on the identity of a woman named in the forensic audit report on the littoral combat ship (LCS) project, maintaining only that Zainab Mohd Salleh is not his wife.
"I have no wife or wives by the name of Zainab binti Mohd Salleh," he said in a Facebook post today denying as well the involvement of any of his family members in the supply or construction of the ships in question.
MalaysiaNow previously reported on the investigation into the controversial multi-billion contract which identified Zainab as Latiff's spouse.
This was confirmed by the forensic audit report into Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation by Alliance IFA, which was declassified by the government on Aug 22.
When contacted by MalaysiaNow today, Latiff's spokesman said the Mersing MP might not make any further comments on the matter for now.
"The allegation that his family was given the LCS project has been answered since he has stated twice now that Zainab Mohd Salleh is not his wife and that none of his family members received the LCS contract," the spokesman added.
When asked if Latiff, now a minister in the Prime Minister's Department, would take any action regarding the report, the spokesman said there was nothing more to say.
"There might be further action," he added.
Zainab was named in the report as one of the owners of Sousmarin Armada Ltd, a company with a business address in Paris although payment to it was released in Singapore.
The company is one of a number of companies involved in the RM9 billion contract for government-owned Boustead Naval Shipyard to build six combat ships that were never delivered.
Zainab's name was linked to another company which received transactions of millions of dollars for the LCS project through suspicious accounts overseas.
MalaysiaNow reported that the company, Alizes Marine Ltd, was registered in offshore tax havens Malta and Labuan under the same name, and operated without any physical office before they were de-registered between 2014 and 2019.
MalaysiaNow understands that Boustead Naval Shipyard, which received the RM9 billion contract for the construction of six ships that were never delivered, will not be issuing any statements for the time being.
Latiff's spokesman said the company was monitoring the situation and following each new development.
"No statements will be made for now," he said.
MalaysiaNow has contacted Latiff but has yet to receive a response.


Health ministry says looking for ways to revive healthcare system

The health ministry is in the process of devising measures to resolve emerging issues with regard to the country's healthcare system, says Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
Zaliha, in a thread on Twitter, said a targeted approach was being planned, involving issues such as the welfare, physical and mental health of health workers, the determination of a fair salary, and job security.
"The health ministry will also hold a meeting with the finance ministry to present details about the need to obtain larger allocations for the aspects of infrastructure, digitalisation of systems and human resources," she said.
She said that regular meetings with all stakeholders would also continue to obtain feedback, especially from staff in the field.
This includes identifying short-term and long-term solutions that need to be prioritised, she said, adding that much of the healthcare reform process demanded a cross-agency approach.
Zaliha also expressed her commitment to working with the ministry and other agencies for the good and benefit of health workers and civil society as a whole.
"All of the things mentioned are also part of the new improvements and priorities in the health white paper, which will be used as a benchmark for various health sector reforms in the future," she said.
It was previously reported that a study had revealed the country's healthcare system was on the brink of crisis as employees in the sector expressed dissatisfaction with the situation in their workplace.


US military trashes gear before finally exiting Afghanistan, dismaying locals

American forces are dismantling or destroying anything that they are not taking home or giving to the Afghan military before they finally quit Afghanistan on Sept 11.They are doing so to ensure equipment doesn’t fall into militant hands. But to local scrap sellers, it’s an infuriating waste, reports the AP.“What they are doing is a betrayal of Afghans,” said one. “Just like they have destroyed this vehicle, they have destroyed us.”As the last few thousand US and Nato troops head for home, they are deep into a massive logistical undertaking, packing up bases around the country.They leave behind an Afghan population where many are deeply frustrated and angry.Many Afghans feel abandoned to a deeply corrupt American-backed government and growing instability that could explode into a new phase of civil war once the troops have gone.At Bagram air base, northwest of the capital Kabul, and other bases, US forces are inventorying equipment that will be returned home.Tens of thousands of metal containers are being shipped out on C-17 cargo planes or by road through Pakistan and Central Asia. As of last week, 60 C-17s packed with equipment had already left Afghanistan.Most of what is being shipped home is sensitive equipment, say US and Western officials who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.Other equipment including helicopters, military vehicles, weapons and ammunition will be handed over to Afghanistan’s National Defense and Security Forces.Everything else gets destroyed.The practice is not new. The same was done in 2014, when thousands of troops withdrew as the US and Nato handed Afghanistan’s security over to Afghan forces. More than 176 million kilogrammes of scrap from destroyed equipment and vehicles was sold to Afghan dealers for around US$50 million.Last month, around the time President Joe Biden announced that America was ending its “forever war”, local scrap merchant Mir paid nearly US$40,000 for a container packed with 70 tonnes of trashed equipment and vehicles.He’ll make money out of it, he told the AP, but it will be a fraction of what he could have made selling the vehicles if they’d been left intact, even if they weren’t in running condition.The parts could have been sold to auto repair shops across Afghanistan, he said. But everything has been reduced to mangled pieces of metal.Sadat, another scrap dealer, says similar junk yards around the country are crammed with ruined American equipment.“They left us nothing,” he said. “They don’t trust us. They have destroyed our country.”US forces face a dilemma: hand over intact equipment and risk having it fall into the hands of enemy forces, or trash it and anger local Afghans.However, not all the destroyed equipment is of a deadly nature.Afghan scrap merchants wondered what danger a treadmill could have posed to require it to be torn apart, or the long lengths of fire hose cut to pieces, or the sacks once used to create sand-barriers, now their powerful mesh fabric sliced and useless.Dozens of tents cut and sliced lie in piles on scrapyard floors beside fuel bags, gutted generators, tank tracks and tangled, unrecognisable pieces of metal.“They destroyed our country and now they are giving us their garbage,” said gray-bearded Hajji Gul, another junk dealer. “What are we to do with this?”


Daily cases top 33,200 in new high as another 78 deaths logged

Another 33,209 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 3,561,766.There were 26,352 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 3,223,650.There are now 305,010 active cases, of which 292,696 or 96.0% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 3,442 (1.1%) are at quarantine centres while 8,524 (2.8%) have been hospitalised.A total of 348 are in ICU with 211 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 58.9%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 39.6%.Another 78 deaths were reported, including 22 who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 33,106.


Surge in airline collapses, mergers predicted for 2021 amid continuing Covid-19 crisis

A surge in merger and acquisition activity in the aviation sector is expected in the months ahead and more airline collapses are likely.That is among the findings contained in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC) Aviation Industry Outlook for 2021.The analysis also predicts that airlines will need ongoing access to emergency liquidity, including government support, for the foreseeable future.It finds that extensive government support already provided, estimated to be at least US$180 billion, has played a major role in saving a number of weak carriers from collapse.However, in doing so “a long-term un-levelling of the playing field” has been introduced, the report warns.According to the international data analysis firm, Cirium, more than 40 airlines went out of business in 2020.It is widely acknowledged that the number would have been much higher without the injection of government support which has kept many airlines afloat.The PwC report says record numbers of investors are “lining up” in anticipation of finding real value in distressed aviation-related transactions, arguably for the first time in over a decade.The airline industry group, IATA (International Air Transport Association) calculates that losses across the airline industry amounted to US$118.5 billion in 2020 and projects a further US$38.7 billion in losses in 2021.“In order to survive and thrive in the post-Covid world, airlines will have to fundamentally re-think their fleets, their business models and their finances,” Dick Forsberg, author of the report and Senior Aviation Finance Consultant at PwC Ireland, told RTE Ireland.He warned that a return to business as usual is not a viable option for the sector.“Firstly, there are too many aircraft in the system and a market of 4.5 billion passengers will not return overnight. Secondly, airlines will not be able to simply pick up where they left off and the way that they serve their markets may have become uneconomic,” he explained.Forsberg said the “crippling” debt burden that’s building across much of the industry will require fundamental restructuring in order to bring long-term solvency and profitability.


Kedah MB says ready to face legal action over lockdown test drive

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor says he is prepared to face the possibility of legal action if found guilty in connection to the test driving of a car at a vehicle sales and exhibition centre at Autocity Juru, Penang, on Saturday.Sanusi said it was not up to social media users or his haters or supporters to decide if he was right or wrong in this matter, only the established law enforcement system in the country.“I’m not saying I’m not wrong, but if there was a breach of SOP, it’s a serious case and I apologise because it happened by chance,” he said at a press conference today.He was asked to comment on footage that had gone viral allegedly showing himself and several other individuals test driving a car at a vehicle sales and exhibition centre during the lockdown period.Sanusi said he had been on his way to Kuala Lumpur to attend a meeting, accompanied by an escort officer and driver.He said when he arrived at the area, he decided to stop to buy some food at a convenience store as he was worried that he would not be able to stop to eat anywhere else on his way to the capital.“After stopping at the store, I asked my driver to buy some bread and mineral water and I realised there were a lot of cars there, so I got down (from my vehicle) to take a look, and greeted a salesman who was there.“The car sales gallery was closed, but there was a salesman so I asked him about the cars there, and didn’t realise the incident was being recorded by an individual and later made viral,” he said.Sanusi said he was willing to help pay the compounds for his driver, escort officer and the salesman if they were found guilty and compounded as he felt the incident had happened because he greeted the salesman.On the Toyota Vellfire belonging to Syarikat Air Darul Aman which he used to travel to Kuala Lumpur, Sanusi said he was eligible to use it as chairman of the company.Meanwhile, Seberang Perai Tengah police chief ACP Shafee Abd Samad said police had recorded the statement of the menteri besar and four other individuals to assist with the investigation.“So far a total of five people have recorded evidence including the menteri besar, and the police are still in the process of completing the investigation.“Once the investigation paper is ready, we will immediately refer it to the deputy public prosecutor’s office for further action,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.


Cops looking into claims that Neelofa was minus face mask at court

Police have opened an investigation paper into allegations that entrepreneur and celebrity Noor Neelofa Mohd Noor was not wearing a face mask when she arrived at the Seremban court complex for a proceeding yesterday.Seremban district police chief ACP Mohd Said Ibrahim said the investigation is being carried out under Section 269 of the Penal Code (Act 574) and Regulation 17(1) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2021.He said a police report had been lodged claiming that the 32-year-old celebrity did not comply with the health ministry’s SOPs which apply to all, including those who wear the niqab.“An explanation on the matter was issued by the ministry after the wearing of face masks was made compulsory in crowded public places from Aug 1,” he said in a statement today.Noor Neelofa and her husband Muhammad Haris Mohd Ismail pleaded not guilty at the Seremban Magistrate’s Court yesterday to violating SOPs under the earlier conditional MCO at a carpet shop in Nilai on May 2.


Daily cases dip again to 4,600

Another 4,626 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,476,268.Another 5,299 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,380,060.Meanwhile 569 are in the ICU, including 503 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 301 are in need of respiratory assistance including 220 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 4,626 cases reported today, 94 (2.0%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 4,532 (98.0%) are in Category One and Two.


Covid-19 wrecked 2020 – will 2021 be different?

2020 was a year turned upside-down by the novel coronavirus. But with the prospect of several vaccines coming online and less stringent restrictions, experts say it’s possible 2021 will return to a semblance of normality.With a second Covid-19 wave currently battering Europe, the US battling its third, and Hong Kong facing a fourth, disease specialists say they can’t rule out more resurgences in cases and deaths as 2021 gets underway.‘Surgical strikes’France’s scientific council, which guides government policy on the pandemic, envisages “several successive waves” of Covid-19 over the winter and well into next year.Flavio Toxvaerd, lecturer at the University of Cambridge’s Faculty of Economics, told AFP the question of how many waves the world still faces depends on a variety of factors.These include “seasonal changes in contact patterns as well as how well the disease is managed through a combination of social distancing and vaccines”, said Toxvaerd, who specialises in the economics of infectious diseases and economic epidemiology.Lessons learned from past interventions could allow countries to fine-tune their counter-virus measures, implementing modified restrictions while avoiding total lockdowns.Governments will seek to administer “the minimal effective dose” of measures, such as bans on large gatherings or high-risk activities, according to Anne-Claude Cremieux, an infectious diseases expert at Paris’ Saint-Louis hospital.She referred to a strategy of “surgical strikes” against the virus.That would require full knowledge and control over the transmission chain, with an effective “test, trace, isolate” system and particular care taken over protecting vulnerable and elderly individuals.Vaccine barriers“We need to hold on until relief arrives, and the relief is a vaccine,” said Cremieux.She however cautioned that “it’s clear we’re not going to vaccinate the entire world in six months”.Even if several vaccines are made available, they alone will not be enough to return to normal.Arnaud Fontanet, an epidemiologist at the Pasteur Institute told RMC/BFMTV television that normality could be restored “only by autumn 2021” – and even then only if 80%-90% of the population are vaccinated.Universal coverage would be “an extremely ambitious goal given the hesitancy that exists today towards vaccines”, he said.Fontanet echoed concerns expressed by fellow experts that a massive effort is needed to overcome anti-vaccine sentiment worldwide.With some countries debating making Covid-19 vaccinations mandatory, Toxvaerd sounded a note of caution.“In the current climate, making vaccines mandatory may backfire and cause even more resistance to the vaccine,” he said.“Instead, positive incentives to vaccinate should be considered.”He pointed to certain business and social practices – such as some airlines refusing to admit non-vaccinated passengers – that would be more likely to bring success than enforced vaccination programmes.And the logistics of mass vaccination remain dizzying. Even as results from trials need verifying in peer-reviewed papers, little still is known about how long the immunity they render will last.Fontanet said that even the most effective vaccines could not be treated as a magic wand guaranteeing protection.“There will be people who have been vaccinated who still get sick,” he said.But he stressed that didn’t mean that “the vaccine doesn’t work”.With at least two candidate vaccines undergoing review by health authorities ahead of use authorisation, the safety data from trials is also being pored over.“This can provide important additional and more precise information on longer-term safety and efficacy of a vaccine against Covid-19,” the European Medicines Agency said recently.Different vaccines will need to be distributed differently, too, with some candidates that have proven to prevent severe illness likely prioritised for at-risk individuals.Moncef Slaoui, head scientist with the US’s Operation Warp Speed vaccination programme, told CNN last month that around 70% of the population would need inoculating in order to achieve “true herd immunity”.This level is unlikely to be reached before May 2021, he added.Masks: not just for 2020This year has seen an unprecedented change in personal behaviour prompted by Covid-19, from hand washing and social distancing to the now almost ubiquitous mask wearing.Experts say these behaviours are unlikely to be limited to 2020 alone, as protective measures will still be needed until everyone is out of the woods.Leading US scientist Anthony Fauci told AFP in a recent interview he foresaw “a considerable degree of normality” by the third quarter of next year.Successful vaccination programmes could see for example the Olympic Games, delayed from last summer, take place in Tokyo in late July.Meanwhile China, where Covid-19 emerged late last year, has largely resumed business as usual, while developing its own vaccine and reacting swiftly to any hint of new cases.


PM Ismail attends meeting of Umno top five

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today attended a meeting of the top five Umno leaders at Menara Onn in Kuala Lumpur. Umno vice-president Mohamed Khaled Nordin uploaded pictures of the five leaders together in a Facebook post, accompanied with the caption: "Umno Top 5 in discussions." Besides Ismail, who is also a vice-president, and Khalid, the other members of the so-called top five who were present were party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, deputy president Mohamad Hasan and a third vice-president, Mahdzir Khalid.
The meeting is believed to have discussed matters concerning the 15th general election. It precedes a meeting of the Umno Supreme Council scheduled for tonight.
Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan previously announced that the Supreme Council meeting earlier scheduled for Sept 17 had been moved to today.


Juggling work and studies invites psychological risks, experts warn

At 24, Adib Abdul Rahman is well on track to completing his undergraduate degree by the end of the year, but while others in similar positions are looking forward to finishing and moving on to the next step in life – work – Adib is already there.In addition to being a student, he is a full-time worker at a warehouse of a well-known e-commerce company. His work shift starts at night and ends early in the morning. After coming home from work, he must gear up for a day of online classes and assignments.“If I don’t work, I won’t have money,” he told MalaysiaNow. “I need money to buy food. I don’t expect people to give me money at this age.”But at “this age”, he is already experiencing burnout due to the constant juggling act he must perform. And the non-stop action is taking a toll on his health.“I consume a lot of caffeine and nicotine to keep my body energised, but I still get tired and sleepy all the time,” he said.“I’ve lost a lot of weight and it has become normal for me to fall asleep in the car.”“With added working hours and working load, both mental and physical health are at risk.”Sometimes, he even finds himself sleeping on highways.Siti Inarah Hasim, a clinical psychologist from International Islamic University Malaysia, said many students choose to work full-time as they no longer want to be financially dependent on their parents, especially in the current economic situation.She told MalaysiaNow that the two roles – student and worker – are equally demanding and that fulfilling both at the same time could eventually take a psychological toll on them.“With added working hours and working load, both mental and physical health are at risk,” she said.She spoke of a rising number of cases of young people suffering from mental disorders during the pandemic period. “Burnout and exhaustion from overwork could be risk factors,” she added.Another problem is a culture that glorifies overworking. Among young people, the culture of overworking is known as hustle culture. Here, they normalise overworking and encourage their peers to take on two or three jobs at the same time in order to sustain a living.Siti Inarah said the practice had reached new heights at the wrong time as people should be taking better care of their mental health during a pandemic.She said society needs to be educated about the negative effects of this culture, even if overworking appears unavoidable due to the need to earn a living.“Young people often glorify this, saying how cool it would be if we have the ability to stay up late due to work, or saying they are not getting enough sleep due to work,” she added.But they could soon develop problems including burnout and physical exhaustion. They could also be at risk of contracting illnesses such as cardiovascular disease as well as mental disorders like anxiety and depression, she said.“In the long run, it will affect not only their studies but also their future.”Fauziah Mohd Saad, a psychologist from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, said students need to be aware of the long-term effects that could arise from such heavy commitments.“They have to attend classes every day and complete their assignments while at the same time managing possible stress from their workplace.“This will eventually lead to depression and severe stress.”For students who hold jobs on the side, time management is crucial, she said.“Their lifestyle is already considered unhealthy,” she told MalaysiaNow. “In the long run, it will affect not only their studies but also their future, when they step into the working world.”Despite the difficulties he faces, Adib believes that working while being a student will help prepare him for the day when he transitions fully into this new world.Even so, he is aware that he has been pushing himself too hard.“It is a new norm these days for students to work full-time,” he said. “But if it reaches the point where you are burnt out, then I don’t think it should be normalised.”His advice for his peers is to do things that are within their ability.“I am sure employers understand why students like us choose to work full-time. But at the same time, we should not use the excuse of being a student to gain sympathy from our employers and our lecturers.“We need to remind ourselves that this is our choice.”


Singaporean woman jailed 30 years for torturing, killing maid

A Singaporean woman who starved, assaulted and ultimately killed her domestic worker was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday, with the judge describing the case as “among the worst types of culpable homicide”.The affluent city-state is home to about 250,000 domestic workers who mostly come from poorer Asian countries, and stories of mistreatment are common.But the abuse inflicted on Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don, 24, was particularly awful and captured on CCTV installed in the family’s home. The domestic worker was stamped on, strangled, choked, battered with brooms and burnt with an iron, according to court documents.The domestic worker died in July 2016, after her employer, Gaiyathiri Murugayan, repeatedly assaulted her over several hours.Gaiyathiri, 41, pleaded guilty in February to 28 charges including culpable homicide. Another 87 charges were taken into account in sentencing.She appeared in court on Tuesday wearing glasses and a black mask, and sat silently with her eyes closed and head bowed as the judge read his decision.After hearing an additional plea of mitigation submitted by Gaiyathiri in a bid to avoid the life sentence sought by the prosecution, justice See Kee Oon sentenced her to 30 years in prison starting from the date of her arrest in 2016.See cited the “abject cruelty of the accused’s appalling conduct” in his sentencing, which he added must signal “societal outrage and abhorrence” at the crime.But taking into account the defendant’s obsessive compulsive disorder and the depression she developed around the time she gave birth, See said he did not think that life imprisonment was “fair and appropriate”.The prosecution had sought a reduced charge of culpable homicide rather than murder – punishable with the death penalty in Singapore – after taking into account her mental health.The maid was employed by Gaiyathiri and her husband, a police officer, in 2015 to help take care of their four-year-old daughter and one-year-old son.But Gaiyathiri physically assaulted the victim almost daily, often several times a day, with her 61-year-old mother sometimes joining in, according to court documents.The domestic worker, who had been employed by the family for over a year at the time of her death, was only allowed to sleep for five hours a night, and was forced to shower and relieve herself with the door open.Provided very little food, she lost about 38% of her body weight during her employment, and only weighed 24kg at the time of her death.Gaiyathiri’s lawyer Joseph Chen had asked for a sentence of eight to nine years, arguing that a “combination of stresses” had turned the struggling mother into an abuser.He argued that a harsh sentence would deter mothers in a similar situation from asking for help – an argument that the prosecution called “disingenuous”.


South Korean court orders Japan to compensate WW2 sex slaves

A South Korean court on Friday ordered the Japanese government to pay compensation to 12 World War II sex slaves or their heirs, in an unprecedented ruling likely to infuriate Tokyo, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency is reporting.In the first ever civilian legal case of its kind, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that Japan should pay the victims 100 million won (US$91,000, RM370,000) each.The plight of South Korea’s “comfort women” has been a thorny issue between Seoul and Tokyo for decades.Both are major US allies, democracies and market economies, faced with their unpredictable neighbours China and North Korea.But Japan’s early-20th century colonial rule over Korea remains bitterly resented on the peninsula, and relations have plunged to their worst in years under South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in.The Japanese government reacted angrily in July, to a statue in South Korea that appeared to depict Japan’s then-PM Shinzo Abe kneeling and bowing to a “comfort woman”.Historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia, were forced to work in Japan’s military brothels during World War II. Only a few of them have ever told of the abuse they endured at the hands of Japanese forces.Friday’s ruling came in a legal process that began eight years ago. Several of the original plaintiffs have since died and been replaced by family members, reports Reuters.Tokyo boycotted the proceedings and insists all compensation issues stemming from its colonial rule were settled in a 1965 treaty and agreement which normalised diplomatic relations between the neighbours.Under that agreement, Japan paid South Korea financial reparations – which Seoul used to contribute to its transformation into an economic powerhouse – and the document said claims between the states and their nationals had been “settled completely and finally”.The Japanese government denies it is directly responsible for the wartime abuses, insisting that the victims were recruited by civilians and that the military brothels were commercially operated.The dispute festered despite the treaty, and Seoul and Tokyo reached a deal in 2015 aimed at “finally and irreversibly” resolving it with a Japanese apology and the formation of a ¥1 billion fund for survivors.But Moon’s government declared the agreement reached under his predecessor faulty and effectively nullified it, citing the lack of victims’ consent.The move led to a bitter diplomatic dispute that affected trade and security ties that were further strained last year when Japan imposed restrictions on exports of key high-tech materials to South Korea following a ruling by South Korea’s top court ordering Japanese firms to pay compensation to Koreans forced to work for them during the war.The same court is due to rule next week on a similar case brought against Tokyo by another 20 women and their families.


Japan to expand virus emergency to battle surge

Japan’s government said Tuesday it will expand a coronavirus state of emergency to seven new regions as it battles a record wave of infections a week before the Paralympic Games.Virus emergency measures that ban restaurants and bars from selling alcohol and require them to close by 8pm are already in place in Tokyo and five other regions, and had been due to end by Aug 31.But the government will now expand the measure to additional areas, with the restrictions in all parts of the country running until Sept 12.“(Infection) is spreading across Japan on a scale we have never experienced before,” said Yasutoshi Nishimura, the coronavirus response minister.“The number of patients in serious condition is rising each day,” he said at an expert meeting.In addition to the measures affecting bars and restaurants, the government will ask large shopping malls and department stores to limit the number of customers inside at one time.Japan has seen a smaller outbreak than many other countries, with around 15,400 deaths despite avoiding lockdowns.But its inoculation programme began later and more slowly than in many other developed countries, and only around 37% of the population is currently fully vaccinated.In recent days, Japan has reported more than 20,000 daily cases nationwide, a record for the country.The surge began before the Olympics opened last month and continued throughout the Games, which were held with spectators banned from most events.On Monday night, organisers said a spectator ban would also be applied to the Paralympics, with limited exceptions for a programme bringing schoolchildren to watch the Games.Paralympic participants face virus restrictions including regular testing and limits on their movement.The government says there is no evidence that holding the Games contributed to the rise in cases and recent polls have found most Japanese believe holding the Olympics was a good idea, though many also think it fuelled the infection surge.Some experts argue that the massive international event undermined the government’s virus restrictions, encouraging people to go out and businesses to remain open.Local media reports have estimated up to 40% of bars and restaurants in some parts of Tokyo are flouting the virus rules.


Children dying in Somalia as food catastrophe worsens

More than 200,000 Somalis are suffering catastrophic food shortages and many are dying of hunger, with that number set to rise to over 700,000 next year, according to an analysis by an alliance of UN agencies and aid groups.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which sets the global standard for determining the severity of food crises, said its most acute level, "IPC Phase 5 Famine", had been temporarily averted but things were getting worse.
"They have kept famine outside of the door but nobody knows for how much longer," said Jens Laerke, spokesperson of the UN humanitarian office (OCHA).
"That people are dying from hunger, there's no doubt about it, but I cannot put a number on it," he told a news briefing in Geneva after the latest IPC analysis on Somalia came out.
A two-year drought has decimated crops and livestock across Horn of Africa nations, while the price of food imports has soared because of the war in Ukraine.
In Somalia, where 3 million people have been driven from their homes by conflict or drought, the crisis is compounded by a long-running Islamist insurgency that has hampered humanitarian access to some areas.
The IPC had previously warned that areas of Somalia were at risk of reaching famine levels, but the response by humanitarian organisations and local communities had staved that off.
"The underlying crisis however has not improved and even more appalling outcomes are only temporarily averted. Prolonged extreme conditions have resulted in massive population displacement and excess cumulative deaths," it said.
Somalia's last famine, in 2011, killed a quarter of a million people, half of them before famine was officially declared.
Fearful of a similar or even worse outcome this time, humanitarian chiefs were quick to say the situation was already catastrophic for many Somalis.
'Stop waiting'
"I have sat with women and children who have shown me mounds next to their tent in a displaced camp where they buried their two- and three-year-olds," said James Elder, spokesperson of the UN children's charity Unicef, at the Geneva briefing.
"Whilst a famine declaration remains important because the world should be past this, we also do know that children are dying now."
The IPC Acute Food Insecurity scale has a complex set of technical criteria by which the severity of crises are measured. Its Phase 5 has two levels, Catastrophe and Famine.
The Somalia analysis found that 214,000 people were classified in Catastrophe and that number was expected to rise to 727,000 from April, 2023 as humanitarian funding dropped off.
Catastrophe is summarised on the IPC website as a situation where starvation, death, destitution and extremely critical acute malnutrition levels are evident.
It said famine was projected from April onwards among agropastoral populations in the districts of Baidoa and Burhakaba, in central Somalia, and among displaced populations in Baidoa town and the capital Mogadishu.
The IPC data showed 5.6 million Somalis were classified in Crisis or worse (Phase 3 or above) and that number would rise from April to 8.3 million – about half the country's population.
The OCHA is appealing for US$2.3 billion (about RM10.1 trillion) to respond to the crisis in Somalia, of which it has so far received US$1.3 billion, or 55.2%.
David Miliband, head of aid group the International Rescue Committee, said the underfunding of the appeal showed the world was not treating this as an urgent moment.
"The time for action is now in Somalia," he told Reuters in an interview, adding that what happened in 2011 should serve as a warning. "Stop waiting for the famine declaration," he said.


As freeze on workers lifts, Indonesians head to Sarawak in hope of a better life

When the temporary freeze on the recruitment of Indonesian workers was lifted on Aug 1, Todi and Andi were already in Sarawak.
The two friends had entered Malaysia a few days before the restrictions were lifted, arriving in Kuching from Pontianak before heading on to Sibu.
Like thousands of other migrant workers throughout the country, they came in the hope of finding a job to provide a better life for their families back home.
While it took less than a day for them to travel from Lombok to Pontianak, they had to spend more than 10 hours on the road from there to Sibu, switching vehicles twice.
They took a one-and-a-half-hour flight from Lombok to Jakarta, then boarded another flight from the Indonesian capital to Pontianak.
When they arrived at the Pontianak airport, they were picked up in a van and taken to a lodging house where they were told to be ready by 5am the following day.
At dawn the next day, the same driver came to pick them up and drove them from Pontianak all the way to Kuching – a journey of about six hours.
In Kuching, they were dropped off at a bus terminal.
"This is our first time coming to Sarawak," Todi said when met by MalaysiaNow in Kuching.
"We don't know who the van driver was. All I know is that he was asked by my uncle who lives in Sibu. He is my uncle's friend."
Now, he and Andi are waiting for yet another person who will help get them to Sibu.
It has been a long and tiring journey, and it is far from over. But for Todi, the trip across the miles is far preferable to life back home during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Before the onset of the pandemic, he worked at a hotel which provided him with an income for eight years. Although he did not earn much, it was enough for him to put some away as savings.
When Covid-19 hit, though, he lost his job, along with countless others throughout the country.
For the duration of the pandemic, he worked off and on, earning what he could by doing manual labour.
But the money he brought home was not enough to sustain his family. When his uncle told him that he was earning more in Malaysia, Todi's interest was piqued.
"He recommended that I join him, and I just agreed," he said.
Todi and Andi are among thousands of Indonesian workers eager to find work in Malaysia. Their movement was halted in mid-July when the government temporarily stopped sending its citizens to work in Malaysia, citing a breach in a worker recruitment deal signed between the two countries.
Several weeks later, it lifted the restrictions after agreeing to integrate the existing system between the Malaysian Immigration Department and the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur for the recruitment of Indonesian domestic workers.
Malaysia relies on millions of foreign workers from countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal to work in its factories and plantations.
The recruitment of these workers was frozen during the Covid-19 pandemic, and their re-entry has been slow, leading to a labour crunch in many of the country's economic sectors even as it seeks to chart a path to recovery.
Back home in Indonesia, it appears that bosses are also on the hunt for workers.
"Recently, my former employer contacted me, asking me to come back and work at the hotel," Todi said.
"But I refused because I had already decided to work abroad in Malaysia. Luckily, I have my uncle," he added. "He helped arrange employment for us."
But despite his confidence in his uncle's plans, Todi is hazy on the details.
When asked about his work permit, he said he had "no idea" as his uncle had made all of the arrangements.
"My trip from Lombok to Sibu, everything was arranged by my uncle including the air tickets," he said.
"I still don't know what job awaits me. But I was told that they would help to arrange any matters relating to my work. My travel expenses will be deducted from my salary."
He also insisted that he was not picky about what kind of work he would be doing.
"Whatever type of job they give me, I am willing to work hard as long as I can earn more than I did before," he said.
Andi, too, is not fussy as long as he can provide a better life for his wife and three-year-old daughter back home.
"The bottom line is, as long as I can secure a better pay and a decent job," he said.
"I intend to work hard for my family."


Sarawak’s PSB to rethink support for Anwar if kleptos involved

Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) today said it would need to rethink its decision to back Anwar Ibrahim as candidate for prime minister if his support from other quarters involves some 15 MPs from Umno including those facing multiple corruption charges.PSB president Wong Soon Koh said the party was adamant about sticking to its principle of refusing cooperation with any government that has the support of kleptocrats.“We will have to wait and see where he (Anwar) gets his support from,” Wong told MalaysiaNow.“If the support comes from those who do not have the mandate of the people, again, then he will be like Muhyiddin (Yassin) who offers everything to everyone.“If you don’t follow our guidelines – to only give support to a government that has been elected by the people – that means we will have to think twice.”MalaysiaNow earlier reported that 15 MPs aligned with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would back Anwar to be appointed as prime minister in the event that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government falls.This came after negotiations by Pakatan Harapan with other opposition blocs and individual parties failed to gain their support for Anwar.Wong maintained that his party would only support a government whose leaders had the mandate of the people.“We don’t recognise the PN government because it is a backdoor government,” he said. “He (Muhyiddin) has no mandate from the people.“PSB will only support a government that has the mandate of the people, based on the result of the previous general election. We have to listen to the people’s voice.”


Najib given 'highest ever' credit limit of RM3 million for 2 cards, 1MDB trial told

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was yesterday told that former prime minister Najib Razak had two credit cards with a combined limit of RM3 million, believed to be one of the highest credit limits ever given by AmBank.
Former vice-president of AmBank’s retail banking fraud management and authorisation department, Yeoh Eng Leong, 61, said Najib had spent RM103,948.63 with the two cards: his AmBank Visa Platinum card ending 496 and Mastercard Platinum ending 961.
"The average customer had a RM50,000 credit limit per card but for Najib, the bank gave him the RM3 million limit for both cards.
"I believe these combined limits are one of the highest credit limits given by AmBank. The cards were both cancelled in March 2015," he said during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Nadia Mohd Izhar at the Pekan MP’s trial over the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in funds from 1MDB.
Further questioned by Nadia, the 35th prosecution witness said the transactions made by Najib included one at a hotel in Italy, The Westin Excelsior R Roma, on July 21, 2011 for a sum of RM98,013.63. "Other transactions were made at the Aigner (RM4,145) and Hugo Boss (RM1,790) boutiques in Suria KLCC on Aug 21, 2011.
"On Aug 30, 2011, Najib received a tax-free refund of RM2,190.68 from the UK," he said.
During cross-examination by Najib’s lawyer, Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed, Yeoh said normally the bank would award the credit limit to customers based on their income capacity.
Wan Aizuddin: Will the bank look at the criteria of whether he’s a corporate figure or a head of government in considering the credit limit to be given? What if a customer is a long-standing customer of the bank?
Yeoh: No. The bank will only look into the other banking facilities the customer has utilised. Not really the tenure (of how long the customer has been with the bank).
Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues today.


Donated heart survives US helicopter crash

Talk about a brave heart – a donated heart was alive and pumping Monday after surviving the crash of the helicopter transporting the organ to a California hospital and then falling out of the hands of a medical worker who retrieved it.Footage of the incident on Friday showed the aircraft lying on its side on the roof of the University of Southern California’s Keck Hospital in east Los Angeles.The aircraft had flown from a hospital in southern California with the donor heart for a transplant and crashed for unknown reasons on the USC hospital helipad.Video footage showed fire crews retrieving the organ and handing it over to a medical worker in hospital scrubs.The worker then trips on a metal plate and falls over as another hospital employee rushes to pick up the precious package.A hospital spokesman told AFP that the organ was successfully transplanted on Friday, and the patient was doing well.“The heart itself was fine after being dropped,” the spokesman said.Officials said all three people on board the aircraft were doing well, although the pilot had suffered minor injuries.


Sri Lanka urgently seeks US$6 billion to keep economy afloat

Cash-strapped Sri Lanka on Tuesday asked the International Monetary Fund to arrange a creditor meeting for US$6 billion in loans to help keep the country afloat during its unprecedented economic crisis.Months of daily blackouts, long queues for petrol and record inflation have made daily life a misery in the South Asian island nation of 22 million people.The government has already defaulted on its US$51 billion foreign debt, and a critical shortage of foreign currency has left traders unable to import adequate supplies of food, fuel and other essential goods.Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the country needed US$5 billion for its daily needs in the next six months, along with another billion to stabilise Sri Lanka’s rapidly depreciating rupee.“We call on the International Monetary Fund to hold a conference to help unite our lending partners,” the premier told parliament.He said a meeting under IMF auspices with China, Japan and India – Sri Lanka’s three biggest bilateral lenders – would be a “great strength” in helping source more loans.Sri Lanka is already in talks with the IMF for a bailout and has appointed international experts to help restructure its debt, about half of which is in international sovereign bonds.Wickremesinghe again warned the country was heading for serious food shortages and said the United Nations had agreed to issue an urgent appeal on Thursday to raise humanitarian funds.A disastrous ban on agricultural chemical imports, introduced by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last year, dramatically curtailed crop yields and led to protests by farmers.The policy was reversed months later, but Sri Lanka is now out of foreign currency to import fertiliser, pesticides and other much-needed farming chemicals.Wickremesinghe became premier in May after his predecessor, Mahinda Rajapaksa, the elder brother of the president, stepped down after months of protests against the government’s economic mismanagement.At least nine people were killed and many more wounded in riots that followed an attack on peaceful demonstrators outside President Rajapaksa’s office in Colombo last month.


Minutes show Zahid only agreed to contract extension, court told

The High Court in Shah Alam was today told that the minutes recorded by Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on the contract extension for Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) for the implementation of the government’s foreign visa system (VLN) was not a directive.The home ministry’s former secretary-general Alwi Ibrahim said based on the minutes recorded by Zahid on Oct 18, 2016 and sent to him, he had agreed to the move.‘The minutes read that ‘Datuk Seri KSU/ Datuk PUU, I have no objection to the contract extension of six months until Aug 31, 2025, as stated in Qrticle 2.2.1 of the existing agreement. Please prepare the supplementary agreement soonest possible’,” he added.When questioned by counsel Ahmad Zaidi Zainal, representing the former deputy prime minister, on Paragraph 10 of the witness’ statement, Alwi, 63, concurred with the lawyer that Zahid’s recorded minutes were not an instruction and that he had only agreed to it.Zaidi: What did Tan Sri (Alwi) understand by the minutes (recorded) by Zahid to realise it as soon as possible?Alwi: My understanding was that it must be done fast.Zaidi: How fast? One, two weeks?Alwi: It would depend on the contract.Alwi also agreed with Zaidi that while according to the minutes recorded by Zahid, it should be done immediately, it was still subject to the home ministry’s procedures.Zahid, 69, is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to SG$13.56 million from UKSB as inducement for himself, as an official of a public body, that is as home minister, by extending the contract of the company as the OSC service operator in China and the VLN system, as well as retaining the contract agreement to supply the VLN integrated system to the same company by the home ministry.For the seven other charges, Zahid is alleged to have obtained for himself SG$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 euros and US$15,000 from UKSB that had links with his official duties.The hearing before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa will continue on March 7.


Bung-Zizie graft trial postponed due to Covid-19

The corruption trial of Kinabatangan MP Bung Moktar Radin and his wife, Zizie A Samad, which was originally fixed for today and tomorrow, has been postponed due to the Covid-19 situation in Sabah.Deputy public prosecutor Abdul Rashid Sulaiman, from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), told the media that Bung, 60, who is now Sabah deputy chief minister and his wife, who is an actress, are under quarantine in Sabah.The court has fixed Dec 21 to 24 to hear the case, he told reporters after case management before Sessions Court judge Rozina Ayob today.Also present were lawyers Ridha Abdah Subri, representing Bung, and Eh See Khoon and Arwinder Kaur, representing Zizie, 41.On Jan 2 this year, Bung maintained his plea of not guilty to three charges of corruption.On the first charge, Bung who was non-executive chairman of Felcra at the time, was accused of taking a bribe of RM2.2 million Public Mutual investment agent Madhi Abdul Hamid, 38, through his wife.He was accused of committing the offence as an inducement to obtain approval from the second finance minister for Felcra to invest RM150 million in Public Mutual unit trust products.The offence was allegedly committed at the Taman Melawati branch of Public Bank Bhd at No. 262-265, Jalan Bandar 12, Taman Melawati in Kuala Lumpur between 12.30pm and 5pm on June 12, 2015.On the second charge, he was alleged to have received RM262,500 in bribes for himself from the same individual, Madhi, through Public Islamic Treasures Growth Fund account number 044797816 registered under Zizie’s name for the same purpose.On the third charge, Bung was accused of obtaining a RM337,500 bribe from Public Mutual investment agent Norhaili Ahmad Mokhtar, 42, through Public Ittikal Sequel Fund account number 044797824 registered under Zizie’s name for the same purpose.Both offences were allegedly committed at the same location at 12.16pm and 12.28pm on June 19, 2015.All three charges were made under Subsection 17(a) of the MACC Act, punishable under Section 24 (1) of the same act which provides for a jail term of not more than 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher.Zizie pleaded not guilty to three charges of abetting her husband in the same matter at the same place, date and time under Section 28 (1)(c) of the MACC Act, punishable under Subsection 24 (1) of the same act.She faces prison of not more than 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.


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With tourist lifeline long gone, KL’s Pasar Seni traders reminisce about the good old days

A little over a year ago, the Pasar Seni area in Kuala Lumpur was packed with tourists taking in the sights and sounds of one of the busiest spots in the capital city.Traders stood by their stalls, calling out to passers-by at the light blue Central Market building, known for its historical value and for the many handcrafted souvenirs and gifts readily available at rock-bottom prices.But the tourists are long gone and the traders are now left with only each other in the huge empty market.Even this company is slowly fading as one by one, they succumb to the financial challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.Andy, who has managed a shop at Central Market for 13 years, said his business had plunged 90% since the first movement control order (MCO) was announced in March last year.His shop, which sells gifts, souvenirs and customised pewter trinkets, had mostly catered to foreign tourists who have been few and far in between since the country’s borders were shut early last year in a bid to curb further spread of the virus.Many shops in Pasar Seni are now closed for good, a testament to the effect that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the local economy.On a good day before the pandemic, he could pull in sales of at least RM800 per day. On weekends, this could even hit RM2,000.But now, the tourists are gone and Andy struggles to survive from one day to the next.“Right now, I can go up to four days with no sales at all,” he told MalaysiaNow.Customers these days are mostly locals who haven’t visited the market in years. “They are here for nostalgic reasons,” Andy added.He has also had to let go of his staff as he can no longer afford their salaries.Rosnah, another trader, spends her days sitting in front of her shop along Lorong Melayu. The shop, which sells souvenirs featuring local landmarks, stands out among the closed shutters on either side.In the earlier days after the first MCO was lifted and tourist hotspots were allowed to operate again, she had hoped that business would pick up.Instead, she found herself struggling to stay afloat, even with the reduction in rental given by the management.“I get nothing now,” she said. “Even with the rental reduction, my business is still struggling.”Traders stand beside their stalls in Pasar Seni, hopeful of snagging a customer or two.Like Andy, she has had to let go of her staff as the money she makes is not enough to pay even her own salary.“I had to fork out my savings just to pay the rent,” she added.After the drop in foreign tourists, Rosnah tried selling more local products in the hope of attracting Malaysians to her shop. This strategy has not worked.“As long as the borders are closed, our problems will continue,” she said. “Even when I brought in local products, I could only get sales of at most, RM20 a day.”Nearly every trader at Pasar Seni with whom MalaysiaNow spoke had the same story to tell.Nita has been working at the Lorong Cina zone for five years now. She said Pasar Seni is even more deserted now during the fasting month as locals only go out to buy food, not souvenirs.Central Market was established over 100 years ago but now its traders are uncertain of their long-term survival.Nita used to operate three stores with two of her friends. Both of them have thrown in the towel, saying they can only get customers once in four days if they are lucky. Now, one of the stores has permanently closed and Nita struggles to manage the other two on her own.“When we had three stores, we could make RM50,000 a month,” she said. “Nowadays, it can reach the point where we don’t open our cash registers for almost a week.”If the pandemic continues for another year, she expects her remaining shops to fold as well.“Our business is barely surviving now. If the pandemic continues, I’d say we won’t even last another year.”Others like Andy are more optimistic. Despite his dismal sales, he said the pandemic is no reason to close shop. He told MalaysiaNow he has faith that opportunities will come if he stays open.“It feels like there’s no end to Covid-19,” he added. “But I always believe we have to be disciplined so that opportunities can come to us.”Still, there’s no disagreeing with Nita: “Covid-19 has really changed things around here.”


Instagram down for thousands of users globally

Meta Platform's Instagram was down for thousands of users globally on Wednesday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com.
More than 46,000 users reported issues with accessing the photo-sharing platform in the US at the peak of the outage, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from a number of sources including user-submitted errors on its platform.
Downdetector showed about 2,000 affected users from the UK, and more than 1,000 reports each from India and Australia.
Meta did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.


US senators warn China against any violent crackdown on protests

A bipartisan group of more than 40 US senators warned China on Thursday against any violent crackdown on protests there, saying it would do "extraordinary damage" to the US-China relationship.
The 42 senators, led by Democrats Dan Sullivan and Jeff Merkley and Republicans Mitch McConnell and Todd Young, said in a letter to China's Washington ambassador Qin Gang that they were following the protests in China very carefully.
"We are also closely watching the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) reaction to them," the senators' letter said, noting Beijing's violent crackdown on student protesters in 1989 that they said killed hundreds, if not thousands of people.
"We caution the CCP in the strongest possible terms not to once again undertake a violent crackdown on peaceful Chinese protesters who simply want more freedom. If that happens, we believe there will be grave consequences for the US-China relationship, causing extraordinary damage to it," the letter said.
China has been rocked in recent days by widespread protests against the world's toughest Covid-19 quarantine protocols, a show of public defiance unprecedented in since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
Three decades ago, in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, the United States and many Western governments imposed sanctions against China over the killings.
Last year, the US, the European Union, Britain and Canada imposed sanctions on Chinese officials over alleged human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang region, which Washington has labeled a "genocide" against minority Muslims.
On Monday, the White House said it backed the right of people to peacefully protest in China but stopped short of criticising Beijing.
The Democratic administration's cautious response drew Republican fire but some analysts said it was right approach given the volatile US-China relationship and the risk of playing into a Chinese narrative that accuses "foreign forces" of being behind dissent.


86.6% of teenagers fully vaccinated

A total of 22,788,835 individuals or 97.3% of adults had completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow portal, 23,102,672 individuals have received at least one dose of vaccine.In terms of teenagers, 2,726,239 individuals or 86.6% have completed their vaccination while 2,826,872 individuals or 89.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine.Yesterday, a total of 129,387 doses of vaccine were administered – 4,027 as first shots, 4,907 as second doses and 120,390 as booster jabs.This brings the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 55,039,657, including 3,787,928 booster jabs.


No evidence Afghan ambassador’s daughter was kidnapped, Pakistan says

An investigation into the alleged kidnapping of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter has found no evidence of an abduction, Pakistan’s interior minister said Tuesday, as relations between the two countries become increasingly strained.The Afghan foreign ministry said Saturday that Silsila Alikhil was riding in a taxi in Islamabad when she was kidnapped and held for several hours, during which she was “severely tortured by unknown persons”.Pakistan’s foreign ministry put out a statement at the time saying she had been assaulted, adding that security for ambassador Najibullah Alikhil and his family had been tightened.But on Tuesday Pakistan authorities cast doubt on the story.“There is no case of kidnapping,” Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid told reporters at a press conference, adding that investigators had watched 700 hours of CCTV footage and searched 200 taxis.He said the incident was being used as a way to “defame our country”.“Pakistan will not back down from this case, even though there is a huge difference between her (claim) and our findings,” he added, inviting Silsila Alikhil to help with the investigation.The Afghan ambassador was recalled to Kabul on Sunday over “security threats”, a move Islamabad said was regrettable.Islamabad – a spacious city with a population of around one million – has relatively tight security.Afghanistan and Pakistan have long been suspicious of each other.Kabul accuses Islamabad of offering safe haven to the Taliban militants waging a major campaign across the Afghan countryside, while Islamabad says Kabul turns a blind eye to militant groups launching attacks on Pakistan from its soil.As fighting raged in Afghanistan, a war of words erupted last week, with Afghanistan’s Vice President Amrullah Saleh accusing the Pakistani military of providing “close air support to Taliban in certain areas”.Pakistan strongly denied the claim, with a foreign ministry statement saying the country “took necessary measures within its territory to safeguard our own troops and population”.The Taliban last week captured southern Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, where officials later negotiated a brief reopening allowing people on both sides to cross over to celebrate the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday.


After fire and floods, Aussie farmers suffer devastating mouse plague

After surviving years of crippling drought, farmers in eastern Australia are locked in a months-long battle with hordes of mice that are pouring through fields and devouring hard-earned crops.Farmer Col Tink uses a broom to skittle hundreds of roving mice toward a makeshift industrial trap – essentially a large tub of water where they drown.It is a brutally simple attempt to slow the plague that has engulfed his farm – near the rural town of Dubbo – and thousands of other farms like it across eastern Australia.But Tink’s efforts have barely made a dent. Mice continue to chew through grain and hay stocks while anything remotely edible remains under constant attack.Skin-crawling videos of writhing rodent masses have been shared around the world along with reports of bitten hospital patients, destroyed machinery and swarms running across roads en masse.The plague is the latest in a string of disasters to strike farmers in Australia. A years-long drought was followed by months of devastating bushfires from late 2019, before welcome rains became damaging floods in several regions.“My dad’s still alive; he’s 93, and it’s the worst three years he’d ever seen in his lifetime, and I think it’s probably the worst mouse plague he’s seen too,” said Tink, who mainly farms Brahman cattle.But the prospect of this plague continuing through the southern hemisphere’s winter makes him fearful for preparations ahead of the next dry spell – which is always on the horizon.“If we don’t get a real cold and fairly wet winter, I’m just a little bit worried what’s going to happen in the spring,” the 65-year-old told AFP.‘Chronic’ infestationsThe outlook is not good, according to Steve Henry, a research officer at Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO.“When a mouse plague ends, they just disappear overnight,” said Henry, who has been studying pest animals in Australia for nearly three decades.“We’re certainly not seeing that at the moment.”Mice are a feral pest in Australia, arriving alongside the first British colonists.The tiny rodent is almost perfectly adapted to exploit the natural boom and bust of agriculture in the Australian climate, meaning plagues are not uncommon.But numbers this year have been “just astronomical”, according to 74-year-old Terry Fishpool, a grain producer from nearby Tottenham.Large numbers of rodents were reported as early as October, their population fuelled by a bumper crop after the worst drought in living memory.Bill Bateman, an associate professor from Curtin University in Western Australia, said giant mouse plagues seemed to occur once a decade, but climate change could make them more regular.“If we no longer get those cold winters, such that we are providing resources for mice all year round, then this is going to become a chronic thing rather than an acute thing,” Bateman said.‘Napalming mice’With the rodents scurrying on, the government has announced millions of dollars in support and reached for a more potent poison, which one minister likened to “napalming mice”.Yet to be approved, bromadiolone works faster than the widely used zinc phosphide bait but also stays in the system of dead or dying mice longer.Experts worry that it will potentially kill native wildlife who eat the poisoned mice.“The use of second-generation rodenticides is an extremely worrying step,” Bateman, who works in the school of molecular and life sciences, said.“It’s a very slippery slope.”Extended use could create “a bank of this toxin” in the environment, killing natural predators and even risk poisoning humans through the food chain, Bateman said.“We are really going to be setting up trouble for ourselves in future, not just in terms of destroying our biodiversity but destroying our frontline defences against any future mouse plagues.”Henry said correct use of double-strength zinc phosphide, baiting while planting and removing alternative food sources could help curb the numbers if they did spike after winter.But the focus on “quick fixes” also needed to shift to long-term solutions including more research into what triggers “monumental plagues”, he said.Fishpool said farmers had little choice in the meantime but to plant crops and hope the damage wrought by mice wasn’t too severe – comparing it to one of the nation’s favourite pastimes.“You could put it on horses and gamble it, but if you plant the crop, you can worry about it all year and gamble it.”