Trump Organization, ex-CFO to face October criminal tax fraud trial

A New York state judge on Friday refused to dismiss criminal tax fraud charges against Donald Trump's namesake company and its longtime financial chief, one of a slew of legal battles involving the former US president.
Justice Juan Merchan in Manhattan also said jury selection for the trial of the Trump Organization and its former Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg will begin on Oct 24, 15 days before the Nov 8 midterm elections.
Donald Trump is not among the defendants.
The judge rejected arguments by Trump's New York City-based company and Weisselberg that they had been selectively prosecuted, and that federal courts were better positioned to determine whether the Internal Revenue Service had been defrauded, among other bids to dismiss charges.
The judge did toss one charge from the 15-count indictment against the Trump Organization because it had been brought too late.
Hearings on other motions are scheduled for September.
In the indictment, the Trump Organization and Weisselberg are accused of having defrauded tax authorities over 15 years by awarding "off-the-books" benefits to company executives.
Weisselberg was charged with evading US$1.7 million of income, including rent for a Manhattan apartment, lease payments for two Mercedes-Benz vehicles and tuition for family members, with Trump signing checks for the tuition himself.
Other charges in the indictment include scheming to defraud, tax fraud and falsifying business records.
The defendants have pleaded not guilty. The Trump Organization could face fines and other penalties. Weisselberg is also charged with grand larceny, which carries a maximum 15-year prison term on conviction.
The charges arose from an investigation by former Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance. Vance's probe into Donald Trump's activities appeared to lose steam after Alvin Bragg succeeded him as district attorney in January.
Two prosecutors who had been leading the probe resigned in February, and one, Mark Pomerantz, has said he believed felony charges should be brought against the Republican former president but that Bragg indicated he had doubts.
Bragg's office has said the investigation is continuing.
Friday's hearing came as the United States is asking a federal judge in Florida to unseal a search warrant executed on Monday at Trump's Florida residence, along with a redacted list of the items retrieved by FBI agents.
Separately, Trump spent several hours on Wednesday in a deposition for New York Attorney-General Letitia James' civil probe into his business practices.
Trump refused to answer questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment constitutional right against self-incrimination.


Haiti President Jovenel Moise assassinated

Haiti President Jovenel Moise was assassinated at his home early Wednesday morning by a group of armed individuals, interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph announced.Joseph said he was now in charge of the country.Moise’s injured wife was in the hospital, according to Joseph, who urged the public to remain calm, and insisted the police and army would ensure the population’s safety.“The president was assassinated at his home by foreigners who spoke English and Spanish,” Joseph said.Moise had been ruling Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas, by decree, after legislative elections due in 2018 were delayed in the wake of disputes, including on when his own term ends.In addition to the political crisis, kidnappings for ransom have surged in recent months, further reflecting the growing influence of armed gangs in the Caribbean nation.Haiti also faces chronic poverty and recurrent natural disasters.The president faced steep opposition from swathes of the population that deemed his mandate illegitimate, and he churned through a series of seven prime ministers in four year. Most recently, Joseph was supposed to be replaced this week after only three months in the post.In addition to presidential, legislative and local elections, Haiti was due to have a constitutional referendum in September after it was twice postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.Supported by Moise, the text of the constitutional reform, aimed at strengthening the executive branch, has been overwhelmingly rejected by the opposition and many civil society organisations.The constitution currently in force was written in 1987 after the fall of the Duvalier dictatorship and declares that “any popular consultation aimed at modifying the Constitution by referendum is formally prohibited”.Critics had also claimed it was impossible to organising a poll, given the general insecurity in the country.


Noted, Bersatu says on Umno-PAS cooperation for polls

Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin today said the party takes note of Umno’s decision to continue with its understanding with PAS in the coming Melaka state election.He said at the same time, he understood the meaning behind Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan’s silence on Bersatu during his press conference on Thursday.“From what I read, the Umno secretary-general did not mention my party’s name Bersatu. For us the layman, what does that mean? It simply means that he (Umno) does not want to cooperate with Bersatu.“What is implied, that is what I do not understand. I really do not understand what he is implying. I only know what is explicit,” Hamzah, who is the home minister, told reporters after a working visit to the Melaka police contingent headquarters today.Ahmad had said the stand was in line with the resolutions of the party’s general assembly last year, among others to strengthen Muafakat Nasional which was formed by Umno and PAS.


Magic Messi fires Argentina into World Cup quarters

Lionel Messi scored his first goal in a World Cup knockout round in his 1,000th match to beat Diego Maradona's tournament tally, as Argentina beat off a frenzied Australia fightback to win 2-1 on Saturday and reach the quarter-finals.
Messi his side ahead after 35 minutes with a coolly taken low strike for his 94th international goal, passing the great Maradona's eight World Cup goals, in a match where he was instrumental in almost every Argentine attack.
Julian Alvarez made it two near the hour mark after pouncing on a howler by keeper Mat Ryan to set up a mouth-watering last-eight clash next Friday with the Netherlands, who beat the US 3-1 earlier in the day.
With nothing to lose, the Socceroos, chasing a first World Cup quarter-final berth, pulled a goal back 13 minutes from time when Craig Goodwin's wayward shot took a huge deflection off Enzo Fernandez and flew into the net for an own goal.
Messi spurned two clear chances late on but it was Australia's teenaged substitute Garang Kuol who set hearts racing in the stadium when deep into stoppage time his close-range shot on the turn was brilliantly saved by Emi Martinez.
The Australia bench had their heads in their hands as the final whistle blew moments later, sparking fervent celebrations from the Argentina squad and roars around the packed Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.
Man of the match Messi admitted the final moments were tense.
"Things got complicated in the end with their goal but it's a World Cup and it's never easy," Messi said.
"Now we have a really tough clash with Holland, who play very well. They have great players and a great coach, it's going to be hard-fought.
"If a World Cup has been tough from the start, it gets even tougher at this stage."
Messi magic
Argentina took a while to find their stride in a physical match that started off scrappy, with Alejandro Gomez, Fernandez and Alvarez combining well but unable to break down a resolute defence as Messi struggled to make his mark.
Australia had a chance from a corner when towering defender Harry Souttar leapt high in the area but headed tamely.
Lifted throughout by the overwhelmingly Argentine support, which cheered, sang and bounced in unison from all sides of the stadium, Argentina finally made the breakthrough after 35 minutes with Messi the creator and finisher of a superbly worked goal delivered at breathtaking speed.
He took a free kick then picked out Alexis Mac Allister, who passed to Nicolas Otamendi to tap gently back into the path of Messi, who fired low into the corner and beyond the reach of the outstretched Ryan.
Argentina got their second close to the hour after a huge back-pass blunder from Ryan, who came under pressure from Rodrigo De Paul and was robbed of the ball by Alvarez, who turned and slotted home.
Australia refused to give up and launched a succession of threatening moves that rattled an Argentina side whose attention was focused more on their own attacks.
After Goodwin's deflected shot went in there was a real prospect of extra time in a stadium where the Socceroos had booked their World Cup place via a penalty shootout win over Peru in an intercontinental playoff earlier this year.
They pushed forward relentlessly and nearly equalised when Aziz Behich darted dangerously into the area before a brilliant saving tackle by Lisandro Martinez.
Argentina tried for a third goal, with Lautaro Martinez firing wide and Messi coming close before Australia substitute Garang Kuol missed with seconds left in stoppage time.
"We took it to them. I felt that we finished off well. We had a great chance at the end there to equalise," said Australia coach Graham Arnold, who described Messi's performance as "incredible".
"I’ve got to be very, very proud of the boys."
Argentina defender Nahuel Molina said the win was all about Messi. "It's a privilege to play with Messi, with him on the pitch we know that we just need to be patient because he is our ace in our sleeves."


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Kelantan’s spike in infections, deaths may be due to Beta variant, says state health director

The significant increase in number of positive cases and deaths related to Covid-19 in Kelantan this year is believed to be due to the spread of Beta variant which was first detected in South Africa.Kelantan state health department director Dr Zaini Hussin said this followed the test results of 23 samples taken from several clusters that had been sent for genome sequencing.“We do not send all positive cases (for genome sequencing), but only take samples from several clusters in the state. It is possible that the majority of cases in Kelantan are of the Beta variant.“It spreads so quickly, and the average number of deaths has also increased between four and six cases a day, bringing the total fatalities to 175 this year compared to only seven last year.“This variant may have been in the community in Kelantan,” he told reporters today.Yesterday, Kelantan recorded 245 new cases, taking its total number of active cases to 3,837.Meanwhile, Zaini said 12% of the 1.2 million people in Kelantan had received their first and second vaccine doses.“The current daily vaccination capacity is at about 6,000 to 8,000 doses. We can increase the capacity to between 14,000 and 32,000 a day in July, when a large quantity of vaccine is expected to arrive.”


330 fined RM10,000 each so far for flouting SOPs

A total of 330 people throughout the country have been issued compound notices of RM10,000 each to date for flouting movement control order (MCO) SOPs, says Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador.When contacted, he said the decision to raise the amount of compound was not to punish offenders excessively or enable the government to collect money from the public.He said it was aimed at individuals who repeated the same offences under the MCO SOPs such as failure to wearing face masks, observe physical distancing and or provide temperature scanning facilities at their premises.Yesterday, Hamid said the amount of compound for flouting MCO SOPs would be raised to RM10,000 from RM1,000 under the Emergency (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, gazetted on March 11.An individual was served a RM10,000 compound after he failed to register using the MySejahtera application when entering a food outlet in Bukit Jalil yesterday.Cheras district police chief ACP Mohamed Mokhsein Mohamed Zon said an inspection also found that the individual had not registered in the registration book provided by the shop.He said the move to compound the individual was made under the Emergency (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021.“The compound was issued when the MCO SOP team was conducting a check at the location at 6.55pm.“It must be stressed that claims of the compounded individual that he had registered himself via other channels or applications or the registration book provided by the shop were not true,” he said in a statement today.


Govt, PH to support constitutional changes for anti-hopping law

The government and opposition have agreed to support amendments to the Federal Constitution to allow the formation of an anti-party hopping law, following the announcement that the proposed bill on the matter would not be tabled as expected at the special sitting on April 11.Law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as chairman of the Joint Steering Committee on Transformation and Political Stability said both sides had agreed to support amendments involving the enactment of an enabling clause under Article 10 of the constitution to allow a new act barring MPs from switching camps.In a joint statement, they said an early draft of the act would be distributed for study by committee members before the April 11 sitting.They also said that another special sitting to be announced by the prime minister would be held to table, debate and approve related laws in line with Rule 11(3) of the Standing Orders.“The special Parliament session scheduled for April 11 and 12 will continue as scheduled to table and debate Constitution (Amendment) (No. 3) Bill 2022,” they added.The anti-party hopping bill was initially scheduled to be tabled for first reading on March 24.Wan Junaidi said yesterday that it would be sent back for further study on the definition of party-hopping.In their statement today, he and Saifuddin said both sides had given their commitment to allowing the bill the two-thirds support needed at the special sitting on April 11 and 12.


New Covid-19 cases down 4.1% last week

The number of new Covid-19 infections in the country for the 21st epidemiology week (ME 21) from May 22 to 28 saw a drop of 4.1% to 13,076 cases compared to 13,630 cases the week before (ME 20).Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this brought the total number of Covid-19 cases in Malaysia at that point to 4,502,579.“The average Covid-19 infectivity rate (Rt) also showed a fall of 1.1% to 0.93 compared to 0.94 the week earlier,” he said in a statement today.He said the number of recoveries in ME 21 also showed an increase of 4.2% (15,278 cases to 15,925 cases) compared to ME 20, taking cumulative recoveries at that point to 4,441,702.The number of deaths in ME 21 also dropped 34.5% to 19 cases compared to 29 cases the week before, taking cumulative deaths to 35,660.Meanwhile, the admission of Covid-19 patients into health facilities, namely hospitals and low risk quarantine and treatment centres (PKRCs) for each 100,000 residents also went down by 10% for the same ME compared to the earlier week.“There was no change to Covid-19 patient admission into public hospitals for each 100,000 people. The total cases requiring respiratory assistance went down by 6.1%.“Overall, bed occupancy at PKRCs was not critical and the rate was unchanged while bed occupancy at intensive care units rose by 17%,” Noor Hisham said.He added that the number of Covid-19 cases monitored by assessment centres (CACs) nationwide also fell with patients visiting CACs down by 5.1%. The number of new Covid-19 cases undergoing monitoring at home meanwhile dipped by 6.5%.The number of Covid-19 cases referred by CACs to PKRCs or hospitals also dropped drastically to 46.6%, he said.


EU banking regulator hit by Microsoft email hack

The European Banking Authority (EBA), a key EU financial regulator, says it has fallen victim to a hack of its Microsoft email system which the US company blames on a Chinese group.Microsoft said last week that a state-sponsored group operating out of China was exploiting previously unknown security flaws in its Exchange email services to steal data from business and government users, believed to number in the tens of thousands so far.The “Hafnium” group was a “highly skilled and sophisticated actor”, it said.Hafnium has previously targeted US-based companies including infectious disease researchers, law firms, universities, defence contractors, think tanks and NGOs, it added.In a statement issued late Sunday, the EBA confirmed the attack on its email systems which it had decided to take offline “as a precautionary measure”.“The agency has swiftly launched a full investigation, in close cooperation with its ICT provider, a team of forensic experts and other relevant entities,” it said.The EBA warned that as a result of the attack, personal data could have been accessed and it would provide advice on possible mitigation measures if necessary.Microsoft executive Tom Burt said last Tuesday that the company provided updates to fix the security flaws and urged customers to apply them.“We know that many nation-state actors and criminal groups will move quickly to take advantage of any unpatched systems,” he added.Beijing typically rejects US hacking charges out of hand and last year berated Washington following allegations that Chinese hackers were attempting to steal coronavirus research.In January, the US said Russia was probably behind the massive SolarWinds hack that hit large swathes of the government and private sectors, and which experts say may constitute an ongoing threat.Microsoft said Tuesday the Hafnium attacks “were in no way connected to the separate SolarWinds-related attacks.”


How Covid-19 has changed the face of death

For over a decade, Mohamad Faisal Johan and his colleague Abang Biku Abang Kadir have been managing death for Muslims at a cemetery in Kuching, Sarawak.Duties are divided between the two of them: Abang Biku manages the funeral rituals while Faisal handles the preparation of grave sites.Aside from digging the graves, they are also responsible for cleaning them, mowing the lawn, and maintaining the general condition of the Semariang Muslim Cemetery.“All works are carried out once we receive the death report from family members,” Abang Biku told MalaysiaNow.On a normal day, he estimates that the team digs about eight graves. “But there are days when we have to dig 10 graves and days when we dig none at all, simply because there are no deaths,” he added.“The situation is different now, especially for deaths caused by Covid-19.”“I am thankful because most of our family members were able to follow his last journey to the grave, although it was not like a normal funeral where your friends are allowed to attend,” the mother-of-five told MalaysiaNow.“But that sense of loss is irreplaceable,” she added.Faisal and Abang Biku are familiar with scenes of grief but they agree that SOPs make things much more difficult.“It’s hard to let go, knowing that you are unable to bury your family members and have to say your final good-byes from afar,” they said. “It’s heartbreaking.”It also makes their job much harder, as they have to ensure that everyone present abides by the SOPs.“But we have to stay focused so that we can complete the task. We understand that it’s difficult for them. But even if it’s a difficult thing to do, we will tell them respectfully.“We hope they can bear with us. We all have our roles to play in fighting this war against Covid-19.”


Tourism ministry proposes 4-tier plan to reactivate sector

The tourism, arts and culture ministry is proposing to the National Security Council that tourism activities in the country be reactivated in phases.The proposal entails four tiers with Tier 1 allowing intra-district travel and tourism activities within the district, Tier 2 allowing inter-district travel and tourism, Tier 3 allowing interstate travel and tourism, and Tier 4, international travel/inbound tourists.The ministry in a statement today said it had also implemented several initiatives to help ease the burden of the tourism industry.These include the relaxation of compound matters under the Tourism Industry Act 1992 (Act 482) such as a compound payment discount of 40% for all tour operators and licensed tour guides compounded by the ministry before Dec 30, 2021.Another initiative is the licence-fee exemption for tour operators and tourist guides licensed under Act 482 and the relaxation of licence requirements for tour operators such as for rental of business premises by co-sharing office space until Dec 31, 2021.The ministry said it had also prepared a framework to revive the tourism sector in three phases in line with the National Recovery Plan, to help the government speed up the vaccination programme and make the Covid-19 Free Destination Programme a success.For the first phase, it said Langkawi and Kuching had been selected as pilot travel destinations for the Covid-19 Free Destination Programme.For the second phase, the programme will be expanded to other popular resort islands such as Redang, Perhentian, Pangkor and Tioman as well as other main attractions in various states such as Johor, Melaka, Penang and Sabah while the third phase will involve other main destinations.“The programme includes efforts to increase the capacity to vaccinate the local population,” it said, adding that it was working closely with the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force to utilise existing public vaccination centres to accelerate the vaccination programme for tourism frontliners.


Cops detain man, seize drugs worth RM4.5 million

The police arrested a local man for alleged drug trafficking and seized 123.2kg of drugs worth around RM4.5 million, in a special operation in Cheras and Ampang on April 14 and 15.
Acting Kuala Lumpur police chief Yahaya Othman said the 29-year-old man was arrested in the parking lot of a supermarket in Cheras during a special operation conducted between 11am and 4am.
The police also seized 114kg of syabu from his Toyota Vellfire car, he told at a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters today.
Following the arrest of the suspect, he said the police were led to a condominium unit in Ampang where 1.8kg of ecstasy, 1.3kg of eramin5, 3kg of ketamine, and 3.1kg of syabu were found.
He added that the raid on the condominium unit, which was rented by the suspect, was conducted on April 15.
"The suspect, who has no permanent job, tested negative for drugs and has no past records of criminal and drug cases.
“It is believed the suspect obtained the drug supply from the north of the peninsula, and the police are tracking down other members of the syndicate," he added.
Yahaya said the modus operandi of the syndicate was to store the drugs in gated and guarded houses and luxury cars before they were distributed to markets in the Klang Valley.
"The suspect is on remand for seven days until April 22 for investigation under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952," he said.


Singapore civil servant jailed 4 weeks for leaking Covid-19 measures

A Singaporean court handed a civil servant a four-week jail sentence on Tuesday for leaking information about the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions.Such leaks rarely happen in the city-state, where the government keeps a tight hold on sensitive information, and the civil service is highly regarded.But the case is among a few instances during the pandemic where civil servants leaked information related to Covid-19 to their family or acquaintances before it was made public.Chua Wee Lin, a 52-year-old who was a deputy director at the National Library Board at the time, leaked information about the planned relaxation of measures to 18 others in a WhatsApp group four days before the government announced the plans in June 2020.After attending a meeting where the information was shared, he sent messages detailing the dates that country clubs, cinemas and restaurants would be allowed to reopen after Singapore’s partial lockdown, according to court documents.Some of the members forwarded the information to their friends and family, and one of the messages went viral, eventually reaching staff at a different government ministry, who made a police report.The leak forced the government agencies involved to redirect resources to find the source, court documents said.“This was extremely time consuming given the viral nature of the information spread, and this had to be done concurrently with their attempts to fight the pandemic,” prosecutors said.Chua was handed a four-week jail sentence after pleading guilty to wrongful communication of information under the Official Secrets Act.The maximum punishment for the offence is a fine of S$2,000 (US$1,455) and two years’ imprisonment.Earlier this year, a woman was jailed for 18 weeks for leaking Covid-19 case numbers while she worked for the health ministry, while another civil servant faces similar charges over leaking information on school closures to her husband, according to local media.


Selangor rep urges state to revise vaccine jab fee

A Selangor state assemblyman has urged Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari to review the charges imposed on employers to vaccinate their workers, after many in the state’s industrial sector said they would rather opt for cheaper alternatives offered by the federal government.Haniza Talha said the RM350 fee under Selvax, the vaccination programme carried out through a state-linked company, was too high and would slow down efforts to reach herd immunity in Selangor.“This clearly burdens the employers who have to pay the cost of injections for their employees.“During this challenging pandemic situation, it is not right to take advantage and reap profits multiple times,” she said in a statement.Yesterday, MalaysiaNow reported that the fee imposed by Selvax was eight times higher than that of Pikas, the massive industrial vaccination drive launched last month by Putrajaya which charges only RM45 per worker.Some middle-scale employers said they planned to combine with other companies to qualify for Pikas’ condition of a minimum of 1,000 workers to undertake on-site vaccination.The Selvax programme targets one million workers, and Amirudin had said that the higher fee was due to other costs such as payments for staff and vaccination centres.MalaysiaNow has learnt that a two-dose vaccine would cost RM160, and that the price is lower if the purchase is made in bulk.Under Pikas, RM15 goes to the cost of managing vaccines while RM30 is for costs related to the vaccination centre.MalaysiaNow has failed to obtain an explanation from Selangor government leaders tasked with battling the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.Instead, Selangor exco Rodziah Ismail, who is tasked with Selvax, referred to a report which quoted the menteri besar as denying that the state was profiteering from Selvax.


AG’s moral duty as govt’s chief lawyer to clarify constitutional issues, says Sarawak MP

Saratok MP Ali Biju today said the attorney-general has a moral and public duty to clarify issues regarding the constitution following criticism from top Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders who had accused Idrus Harun of treason after his statement on the constitutional monarchy.Ali said Idrus had issued the statement in response to misleading views and opinions circulating among the public on the role of the monarch within the Federal Constitution.“The AG in his capacity as the chief lawyer of the government not only has a moral duty but more importantly a public duty to clarify and explain to the Malaysian public the correct interpretation of the constitution and what constitutional monarchy means within the context of the Federal Constitution,” he said in a statement.“The AG acted well within his role to bring clarity to the matter and for this he should be commended, not vilified.”Idrus said last week that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong remains a constitutional monarch bound by the advice of the Cabinet despite the state of emergency.He said while the ruler must exercise his power to summon a parliamentary proceeding as provided for under Article 55 of the Federal Constitution as well as the current emergency ordinance, this must be within his role as a constitutional monarch.“As such, in accordance with the position of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as the constitutional monarch, the exercise of his power to convene Parliament shall be carried out on the advice of the Cabinet or the advice of a minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet, and in accordance with that advice, pursuant to Articles 40 (1) and (1A) of the Federal Constitution,” Idrus had said.This followed separate statements by the Agong and the Malay rulers agreeing that a Parliament sitting should be held as quickly as possible to allow the emergency ordinances and National Recovery Plan to be debated in the Dewan Rakyat.The state of emergency, which is expected to continue until August, was implemented in mid-January under Clause (1) of Article 150 of the Federal Constitution.The PH Presidential Council yesterday said Idrus’ statement had slighted the views of the rulers and abandoned the spirit of the constitution.“It also gives the impression that the attorney-general has snubbed the institution of the Malay rulers to protect a government that wishes to have absolute power without control or limit,” it said in the statement signed by PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.They also said Idrus’ act of issuing a statement instead of presenting his views to the Agong in private was tantamount to a breach of confidentiality between a lawyer and his client.“The AG’s statement is an act of treason towards the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and he must be sacked immediately,” they said.But Ali said the accusation of treason was “grossly misleading and yet another attempt at defrauding the Malaysian public”.“Why demand he resigns when he was just doing his job?”


South Africa detects new Covid-19 variant, implications still unclear

South African scientists have detected a new Covid-19 variant in small numbers and are working to understand its potential implications, they said on Thursday.The variant – called B.1.1.529 – has a “very unusual constellation” of mutations, which are concerning because they could help it evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible, scientists told reporters at a news conference.Early signs from diagnostic laboratories suggest the variant has rapidly increased in the most populated province of Gauteng and may already be present in the country’s other eight provinces, they said.South Africa has confirmed around 100 specimens as B.1.1.529, but the variant has also been found in Botswana and Hong Kong, with the Hong Kong case a traveller from South Africa. As many as 90% of new cases in Gauteng could be B.1.1.529, scientists believe.“Although the data are limited, our experts are working overtime with all the established surveillance systems to understand the new variant and what the potential implications could be,” South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases said in a statement.South Africa has requested an urgent sitting of a World Health Organization (WHO) working group on virus evolution on Friday to discuss the new variant.Health Minister Joe Phaahla said it was too early to say whether the government would impose tougher restrictions in response to the variant.South Africa was the first country to detect the Beta variant last year.Beta is one of only four labelled “of concern” by WHO because there is evidence that it is more contagious and vaccines work less well against it.The country detected another variant, C.1.2, earlier this year, but it has not displaced the more common Delta variant and still only accounts for a small percentage of genomes sequenced in recent months.


As UN mulls Myanmar action, Malaysia pushes Asean to review peace plan

Southeast Asian nations must decide if they are going to push ahead with a so-far failed five-point peace plan for Myanmar or "decide what's next" before their leaders meet in November, Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said yesterday.
Myanmar has been in crisis since the army ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February last year, detaining her and other officials and launching a bloody crackdown on protests and dissent.
Asean, of which Myanmar is a member, has been leading peace efforts.
"Between now and the Asean summit in November, Asean must seriously review if the five-point consensus is still relevant, and if it should be replaced with something better," Saifuddin said.
"By the time we meet in November, we must ask that hard question and we must have the answer during that time."
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders for the UN General Assembly in New York, Saifuddin also said he hoped the 15-member UN Security Council would not fail the people of Myanmar.
The UN Security Council is considering a British-drafted resolution – circulated on Friday – that would demand an end to all violence in Myanmar, urges an immediate end to the transfer of arms to Myanmar and threatens UN sanctions.
It would also called on the Myanmar junta to release all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi, implement the Asean peace plan and allow a democratic transition.
However, the Security Council has long been split on Myanmar with diplomats saying China and Russia would likely shield the country from any strong action and negotiations on the British draft resolution are likely to take some time.
To be adopted, a Security Council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by Russia, China, the US, France or Britain.


Sydney outbreak a ‘national emergency’ as cases spike

Sydney’s fast-growing coronavirus outbreak has become a “national emergency”, state leaders said Friday, as Australia’s largest city reported another record number of new infections.Admitting a month-long lockdown had so far failed to stop a Delta-variant outbreak, the state of New South Wales pleaded for Canberra to urgently send more vaccines and resources.Declaring the outbreak a national emergency could pave the way for more federal government involvement in stemming the crisis.“We have an obligation on behalf of the nation to contain the virus,” said New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian. “There is no doubt that the numbers are not going in the right direction.”Her state on Friday reported 136 new cases, a record for this outbreak, which now totals 1,782.With the virus “spreading everywhere” and half the country’s 25 million people currently in lockdown, Berejiklian said the government must “refocus” its glacial vaccine rollout.Just 12% of Australians have been fully vaccinated, thanks to problems with supplies of Pfizer jabs and scepticism about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine.“We need, at least, more first doses of Pfizer,” Berejiklian said, while warning Sydney’s five million residents that restrictions could run until October.She also announced non-essential workers in specific areas of Sydney would now be barred from leaving, tightening a lockdown that is almost certain to be formally extended next week.“It is fairly apparent that we will not be close to zero (cases) next Friday,” Berejiklian said. “We will have a clearer view next week on what August, September, and October look like.”Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Thursday apologised for the country’s slow vaccine rollout, admitting targets had not been met.“I take responsibility for the vaccination programme. I also take responsibility for the challenges we’ve had,” he said. “Obviously, some things are within our control, some things that are not.”


Cathay Pacific to cut flights as Hong Kong Covid rules bite

Cathay Pacific on Thursday said it will slash passenger flights into Hong Kong next month as the city’s strict travel curbs continue to keep international travellers away at a time when rivals are seeing their prospects improve.Hong Kong has maintained some of the world’s harshest quarantine measures and travel restrictions during the pandemic, which has kept infections low but ensured a business hub that dubs itself “Asia’s World City” has been cut off internationally for the past 20 months.The government has tied the city’s fortunes to China’s strict coronavirus strategy and said normalisation of travel with the mainland must come before any reopening to the rest of the world.On Thursday Cathay announced it was “cancelling a number of flights to Hong Kong” for December blaming “operational and travel restrictions that remain in place”.As the peak holiday season approaches, the airline will convert around one-third of flights bound for Hong Kong to handle cargo, the South China Morning Post reported citing company sources. Outbound flights would remain untouched for now, with about 620 scheduled in December, the paper added.Like most international carriers, Cathay has been hammered by the coronavirus pandemic wiping out much international travel.But it is especially vulnerable because it has no domestic market to fall back on and is based in an international finance hub that has embraced mainland China’s “zero-Covid” plan.In contrast, rival Singapore Airlines is seeing flights and passenger numbers pick up as that city begins reopening to the outside world and switching to learning to live with the virus.Last week Hong Kong authorities ordered more than 100 Cathay cargo crew into mandatory quarantine after three of their colleagues who stayed at the same layover hotel in Germany tested positive on return.The three pilots were fired after a company investigation concluded there was an unspecified “serious breach” of requirements for the crew during overseas layovers.Most cargo crew were later released from quarantine but the move underscored how Hong Kong’s strict coronavirus measures were making it harder for airlines to operate.The same week global delivery giant FedEx said it was closing its crew base in Hong Kong and relocating pilots overseas because of the city’s strict anti-coronavirus measures.


Education ministry studying factors in no-show of SPM candidates

The education ministry is studying the factors that contributed to the non-attendance of Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students on their examination day.
Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the move was to enable the ministry to make appropriate interventions, to ensure better student attendance in the coming years.
"I think there are many factors, which must be urgent to the extent that the students had to miss the examination. So the matter needs to be examined, which will require time, and we will make appropriate interventions.
"Whether the matter is a concern or not, it depends on the findings… this is because we have various candidates. They are not only under ministry schools, there are also private candidates and so on," she said when met after visiting SMJK Keat Hwa in Alor Setar yesterday.
She said this when asked to comment on a report stating that 14,858 or 3.8% of the 388,832 candidates who registered for the 2022 SPM did not attend the examination. Based on an analysis by the education ministry, there was an increase in the number of SPM candidates who did not attend the examination last year, compared to the 2021 SPM which saw 10,681 or 2.7% absent candidates out of a total of 392,837 registered candidates.
Meanwhile, Fadhlina said more than 90% of the candidates who sat for the SPM last year obtained their certificate, compared to 80% the previous year.
The ministry's focus is to further increase the percentage of candidates who obtain the certificate, she added.
When asked about the proposed move to improve the history syllabus, Fadhlina said every subject taught in schools had its own cycle.
"The school curriculum is monitored by experts... for now, it will remain as it is until the cycle ends and when the time comes, the ministry will look into all subjects, not only history," she said.


Sarawak first state to vaccinate inmates

Sarawak has begun rolling out its Covid-19 vaccination programme for inmates, with the state prison director saying 741 had received a first dose of vaccine so far.Mohamad Rosidek Musa told MalaysiaNow that the state government had administered 536 shots of Sinovac vaccine to inmates in the Sibu prison and 205 doses to those in the Bintulu prison.The vaccine shots are being given to both locals and foreign inmates alike.“We would like to express our gratitude to the Sarawak government for distributing the vaccines for inmates in Sarawak,” Rosidek said.“Sarawak is the first state to roll out vaccinations for incarcerated people.”He added that vaccinations are in the pipeline for the remaining 2,329 inmates at the four other prisons in the state.He said it was necessary to vaccinate those in jails to ensure public safety.“This vaccination programme will help reduce the risk for those in jail, and for inmates who will be released soon to provide protection for the community and help the state achieve herd immunity by August.”


South Africa flooding leaves survivors traumatised, homeless

When Nozipho Sithole closes her eyes to sleep, she still hears the screams of her neighbour’s two young children as they were swept away by the floodwaters that killed hundreds of people in South Africa last month.Like Sithole, many of those living in a community hall in the eastern city of Durban are haunted by what they saw, and what they lost.Muffled sobs echo through the shelter at night, she said.“The night the floods started, the sand looked like it was boiling from the water, the whole house was moving,” said the 35-year-old, who gave up her care job at an old-age home to look after flood survivors.“The sand and the river swallowed up the little ones,” she said, cradling the baby of a fellow resident at the shelter in Durban’s Ntuzuma district.The community centre has been home to about 300 people left homeless by the flooding in KwaZulu-Natal province, which killed at least 430 people, displaced thousands and caused damage estimated at 10 billion rand (US$685 million).Many are traumatised or grieving, others feel defeated and unable to start rebuilding their lives, said Nokuthula Shandu, a counsellor with medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).“Survivors are asking ‘working for what?’, what they earn won’t be enough to build a new house, they feel hopeless,” she said.From California to India, extreme weather shocks linked to climate change – floods, drought and wildfires – will take an increasingly heavy toll on people’s mental health, demanding specialist care from local authorities, experts say.“They need to feel safe, they need to feel seen,” said Shandu, after a day of counselling dozens of flood victims.‘No time to rest’In Ntuzuma, thin mattresses line the walls while young children wander barefoot, asking elders for pieces of toilet paper before heading to portable toilets lined up in the parking lot.Informal settlements of shacks built from corrugated iron suffered the worst damage from the floods. Many of their residents were unemployed, struggling to scrape by in one of the world’s most unequal countries.Three-quarters of the 340 people staying at the Ntuzuma shelter were jobless.Others, who worked as domestic workers, bricklayers, gardeners and informal traders – lost their identity documents in the floods, making it even harder for them to find work, said Sithole.While the provincial government did not reply to requests for comment, it has estimated that more than 6,800 people have been left homeless by the floods and said work had begun on temporary accommodation for nearly 4,400 families.In Ntuzuma, an informal system has emerged in the shelter, led by Sithole and other women who monitor and distribute donations, ensure food gets cooked and water dispersed.Children have formed homework clubs to work on their school work together. A church donated a Wi-Fi router in the hall so residents can get online.To wash, shelter residents must take a bucket of water into the portable toilets.“What we all need is a place of our own, here there is no privacy, there is no time to rest,” said Sithole, adding that they had not yet heard whether government would help displaced residents to rebuild their homes.First aid for the mindProviding mental health services is as important as providing shelter and food aid, said Shandu, adding that people had been queuing up for counselling.“They said that as much as they need food, we need to talk first otherwise they won’t even want to eat,” she said.MSF has trained more than 200 community healthcare workers in KwaZulu-Natal in mental health awareness so they can refer patients to registered counsellors.“This training came from the realisation that there just weren’t enough counsellors or social workers to get around, not even close,” said Sean Christie, an MSF spokesperson.The medical humanitarian organisation is also training shelter leaders – like Sithole – to facilitate community support groups and inviting local musicians to play for the flood victims.But many shelter residents said they already felt forgotten.“It’s like we don’t exist,” said Thandeka Ndlovu, 36, as she prepared to dish out hot meals prepared in the kitchen at the Ntuzuma community hall.She said she hoped counselling would help her and her three daughters overcome their ordeal.“They say time heals everything,” she said. “Maybe one day we’ll be able to just see rain as rain.”


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Teachers should be priority group for Covid jabs, says WHO

Teachers and school staff should be among the groups prioritised for Covid-19 vaccinations so that schools in Europe and Central Asia can stay open, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Unicef said on Monday.Measures to ensure that schools can stay open throughout the pandemic “include offering teachers and other school staff the Covid-19 vaccine as part of target population groups in national vaccination plans,” the UN agencies wrote in a statement.The recommendation, already made by a group of WHO experts in November 2020 before the vaccination rollout, should be done “while ensuring vaccination of vulnerable populations,” the statement said.As schools reopen after the summer holidays, the agencies said it was “vital that classroom-based learning continue uninterrupted,” despite the spread of the more contagious Delta variant of the virus.“This is of paramount importance for children’s education, mental health and social skills, for schools to help equip our children to be happy and productive members of society,” the director of the WHO European region, Hans Kluge, said in the statement.“The pandemic has caused the most catastrophic disruption to education in history,” he added.The agencies urged countries to vaccinate children over the age of 12 who have underlying medical conditions that put them at greater risk of severe Covid-19 disease.It also recalled the importance of measures to improve the school environment during the pandemic, including better ventilation, smaller class sizes, social distancing and regular Covid testing for children and staff.According to WHO’s recommendations published in early July, testing of children in risk groups who display Covid-19 symptoms should be a priority.


Israel starts vaccinating young children as Covid-19 rises

Israel began rolling out Pfizer/BioNtech Covid-19 vaccinations for 5-to-11-year-olds on Monday hoping to beat down a recent rise in Covid-19 infections.A fourth wave of infections that hit Israel in June began subsiding in September. But over the past two weeks the “R”, or reproduction rate of the virus, that had remained below one for two months began climbing and has now crossed that threshold, indicating the virus could again be spreading exponentially.Daily cases have also crept up over the past few days, with half the confirmed infections presently among children age 11 and younger.Israel’s 9.4 million population is relatively young, with around 1.2 million children in the 5-to-11 age group. By November, that group comprised more than a third of new cases, according to health ministry data. Scientists and officials have been doubtful the country can reach “herd immunity” unless children are vaccinated.But policy makers also say that the vaccination of younger children is meant first and foremost to protect their individual health and not just to stop the transmission of the virus.In the past week they have stressed that although Covid-19 is rarely severe among young children, many show no symptoms at all, it can carry risks in the longer term.Israel’s health ministry estimates that one in 3,500 children infected with coronavirus will later develop Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) in which parts of the body become inflamed, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, and gastrointestinal organs. Most children who suffer from the condition require intensive care treatment and 1-2% die.Officials have also noted the risk of lingering symptoms, such as sleep disruption, muscle pain, loss of smell and taste, headaches and a cough, commonly known as “long Covid”.A survey by the health ministry of more than 13,000 children showed that around 11% of them had suffered lingering symptoms, with 1.8% to 4.6%, depending on their age, six months after recovery.“All these phenomena can be severe and we want to prevent them,” Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz told lawmakers on Monday.Monday’s vaccination kicked off in a Tel Aviv square and the campaign will start nationwide on Tuesday.A poll by Israeli healthcare provider Maccabi found that 41% of parents to children age 5 to 11 were positive they will vaccinate their children, while 21% were still undecided and 38% will not vaccinate their children.Israel has recorded 1.3 million total confirmed cases and more than 8,000 dead since the start of the pandemic.Around 57% of Israel’s population is fully vaccinated, according to the health ministry, which means they have either received a third jab or it has not yet been five months since receiving their second.


Fahmi questions survey findings on first 100 days of govt

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil has cast doubt on the findings of a survey on the first 100 days of the government's administration conducted by a research firm and several media agencies.
He said the published findings were unreliable and not truly reflective of the people’s views as the survey was conducted using a doubtful methodology based on an imbalanced sample of respondents.
The communications and digital ministry would meet with the media agencies concerned to obtain clarification of the survey, he said.
"Based on the feedback we received, various academic experts generally questioned the methodology of the survey. If that is the stand of the academics, then we have to see the motive of the survey organiser.
"The survey was on 100 days of the government administration, but we have not reached 100 days yet. I will meet with the newspapers concerned to get clarification. Are they trying to do some promotion or deceive the people?" he said to reporters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Five local media outlets had published the findings of the survey, conducted from Feb 6 to 16 in collaboration with a research firm.
The survey, among others, found that only 27% of respondents were satisfied with the performance of the government in tackling issues on race relations and economic growth, while 26% felt that the government had handled the food supply issue well.
Meanwhile, on Pendang MP Awang Hashim’s allegation that the government was preventing the opposition from criticising it, Fahmi said criticism was allowed but that slander was not acceptable.
"They are free to criticise but don’t resort to slandering, which undermines morality. As an MP from a party which champions Islam, he should know better the consequences of slander.
"To YB Pendang (Awang), I would urge him to perform self-reflection and if there is an issue… answer in court," he added.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim sent a letter of demand to Awang last Wednesday regarding his claim that Anwar practised selective prosecution and was more vindictive than former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
On another matter, Fahmi said his ministry would meet with Tiktok Malaysia and Cyber Security Malaysia to discuss the aspect of security following security concerns raised by European Union policymakers.
He said the ministry should consider this matter urgently if the application had security implications for official government secrets.
On Saturday, international media reports said two major policymaking institutions of the EU had banned TikTok from the telephones of employees due to cyber security concerns.


Busy father of 89 or so, dies suddenly in India

A 76-year-old husband and father believed to be the head of the world’s largest family living under one roof has died of unconfirmed causes.Ziona Chana, the head of a religious sect that practised polygamy, died on Sunday in India’s Mizoram state, leaving behind 38 wives, approximately 89 children and 36 grandchildren according to one report, although others differ.The Christian sect, which allows men to have unlimited wives, was founded by Chana’s grandfather in 1942.The news of his death was confirmed by Mizoram’s chief minister, Zoramthanga, who offered his condolences on Twitter “with a heavy heart”.Chana reportedly suffered from diabetes and hypertension. Doctors told PTI news agency that he suddenly fell sick at home on Sunday. His condition deteriorated and he was rushed to hospital on Sunday evening, where he was declared dead on arrival.The enormous family lives together in a four-storey mansion called “Chuuar Than Run” or “New Generation House”, with 100 rooms, in the remote village of Baktawng Tlangnuam.His wives share a dormitory near Chana’s private bedroom, according to local media. He liked to keep his younger wives nearest to him on the same floor as his bedroom, while his older wives sleep on the lower floors.During the day he liked to have seven or eight wives with him all the time to wait on him hand and foot.He had the luxury of his own bedroom in the house, to which the wives were summoned in turn.The vast house has its own school, a playground, carpentry workshops, piggery and poultry farms, padi fields, and a vegetable garden big enough to feed the entire extended family.Meal times are like feeding an army. A typical meal can see the women plucking 30 chickens, peeling mountains of potatoes and boiling up vats of rice. All the cooking is done over an open fire kept burning throughout the day.Chana’s eldest wife Zathiangi, 69, delegates all the daily duties around the house to his other wives, their daughters and daughters-in-law.The mansion is a major tourist attraction in the state, with people from around the world crowding the village to get a peek into the family’s lifestyle.According to Reuters, Chana was born in 1945. He met his oldest wife, who is three years older than him, when he was 17.The family belongs to a Christian sect – Chana Pawl – that has around 2,000 followers who all live around the house.He always said he felt blessed to have such a large brood, The Sun Online reported.He was called “Ka pa” or simply Father by his family.He was the hereditary leader of the Chana sect, who believe they will one day rule the world with Christ.He once said: “I feel like God’s special child. He’s given me so many people to look after.”


Fourth major Australian city ordered into virus lockdown

Brisbane on Tuesday became the fourth major Australian city ordered into lockdown, as officials told residents to stay at home for three days over concerns about the rapid spread of Covid-19.About 10 million Australians will be in lockdown once the latest order comes into force from Tuesday evening.“These are tough decisions,” Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said. “We are having lockdowns in major cities because the overseas arrivals are bringing the virus here.”Residents of Perth in Australia’s west woke to a four-day snap lockdown Tuesday morning, joining Sydney and Darwin residents, with the rules applying from midnight Monday into Tuesday and lasting a minimum of four days.Just three positive cases have been diagnosed in Perth since the outbreak was detected but local health officials have long taken a highly cautious approach to any coronavirus clusters.“We know the risk Covid presents and we know from around the world that the Delta strain is another new beast that we can’t take any chances with,” Western Australia state premier Mark McGowan said in a late-night press conference Monday.Australia has been broadly successful in containing virus clusters, but is now battling flare-ups of the highly contagious Delta variant, which first emerged in India, across the vast continent nation.Under pressure over his government’s response, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced vaccines will become mandatory for aged care and quarantine hotel workers, while the AstraZeneca jab will be available to people aged under 60 who sign an indemnity form.The conservative government has been criticised over a sluggish vaccine rollout and failing to improve the leaky hotel quarantine system, while refusing to release data on how many Australians have been fully vaccinated.Almost 7.4 million vaccine doses have been administered to date, with less than 5% of adults reported to have received both jabs.Morrison acknowledged growing frustrations but placed the blame on disruptions caused to Australians’ lives by the pandemic.“We’ve got to hang in there. We don’t have a choice. The pandemic is still upon us,” he said late Monday.Australia has recorded a total of just over 30,000 cases and 910 deaths in a population of about 25 million since the pandemic began.The largest current outbreak is in Sydney, where 130 people have tested positive for Covid-19 since a driver for an international flight crew was diagnosed in mid-June, with the city’s residents now under stay-at-home orders for two weeks.A small cluster linked to an outback gold mine sent Darwin into lockdown after exposure sites were found for the first time in the city, which is home to a large Indigenous population feared to be more vulnerable to Covid-19.In all locked-down areas, people are generally required to stay at home except for essential work, exercise, to buy groceries or for medical reasons.


Mahathir says Gerakan Tanah Air ready for talks with PN ahead of GE15

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said that his Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) pact was ready to hold discussions with Perikatan Nasional (PN) on political cooperation heading into the 15th general election (GE15) although it remained to be seen whether such talks would bear fruit.
Referring to the call by PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin for opposition parties to consider renegotiating cooperation with the coalition, Mahathir said such discussions should involve all parties and NGOs in GTA.
"He (Muhyiddin) can come and discuss with us, but we do not know what the outcome will be," he told reporters after flagging off GTA’s Semangat Merdeka programme in Putrajaya.
Mahathir said Muhyiddin had met with him recently but that they had not talked about political cooperation.
He reiterated that GTA, which comprises Pejuang, Berjasa, Putra, Iman and NGOs, would fight against abuse of power and corruption, and champion Malay rights in a bid to form a clean government.
Mahathir said GTA would submit its application for registration with the Registrar of Societies on Sept 6.


Puerto Rico declares emergency over violence against women

Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency on Monday over its deep-rooted problem of violence against women, creating new measures that activists have demanded for years to battle a deadly tide.The US territory has seen sustained levels of violence that on average result in one woman’s death per week, a 2019 report said, echoing the problem in other Caribbean and Latin American countries.The declaration, which is also to offer protection to gay and transgender people, includes measures like creating a mobile app for victims to request help and report attacks.Authorities are to create a new programme to monitor women who have taken out restraining orders against abusers, and a new committee will be responsible for enforcing policies and proposing other measures.Puerto Rico Governor Pedro Pierluisi said the order aims to combat “an evil that has caused too much damage for too long”.“Victims have suffered the consequences of systematic machismo, inequity, discrimination, lack of education, lack of guidance and above all lack of action,” he added in a statement.The declaration defines sex or gender-based violence as conduct that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm to another person motivated by stereotypes.According to a 2019 report from non-profit advocacy groups Proyecto Matria and Kilometro Cero, one woman is killed every seven days in Puerto Rico.Latin America and the Caribbean are among the most dangerous regions for women.Rights groups have drawn attention to the issue in recent years, staging protests and securing key demands, such as the legalisation of abortion in Argentina.Puerto Rico’s declaration comes just days after nurse Angie Noemi Gonzalez was killed by her husband, who confessed the crime, media reports said, fuelling further local concern about the violence.Rights groups on the island welcomed the new declaration, though not perfect, as a first step toward saving women’s lives.Vilmarie Rivera, president of the Puerto Rico Domestic Violence Shelter Network, said “the government has recognised that there is a problem that we have to address as a priority”.However, she added that details such as the way in which femicides and transfeminicides are reported, in addition to the inclusion of gender issues in the school curriculum, need to be refined.“Today is a great day for women, girls and all the people who have believed in the declaration of a state of emergency for gender violence, which we had been requesting for three years,” said Lisdel Flores, director of Hogar Ruth, a shelter for women victims of violence.


Opec+ keeps steady policy amid weakening economy, Russian oil cap

Opec+ agreed to stick to its oil output targets at a meeting on Sunday as the oil markets struggle to assess the impact of a slowing Chinese economy on demand and a G7 price cap on Russian oil on supply.
The decision comes two days after the Group of Seven (G7) nations agreed a price cap on Russian oil.
Opec+, which comprises the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and allies including Russia, angered the US and other Western nations in October when it agreed to cut output by 2 million barrels per day (bpd), about 2% of world demand, from November until the end of 2023.
Washington accused the group and one of its leaders, Saudi Arabia, of siding with Russia despite Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Opec+ argued it had cut output because of a weaker economic outlook. Oil prices have declined since October due to slower Chinese and global growth and higher interest rates, prompting market speculation the group could cut output again.
But on Sunday the group of oil producers decided to keep the policy unchanged. Its key ministers will next meet on Feb 1 for a monitoring committee while a full meeting is scheduled for June 3-4.
On Friday, G7 nations and Australia agreed a US$60 (about RM263) per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil in a move to deprive President Vladimir Putin of revenue while keeping Russian oil flowing to global markets.
Moscow said it would not sell its oil under the cap and was analysing how to respond.
Many analysts and OPEC ministers have said the price cap is confusing and probably inefficient as Moscow has been selling most of its oil to countries like China and India, which have refused to condemn the war in Ukraine.
Neither an Opec meeting on Saturday nor the Opec+ meeting on Sunday discussed the Russian price cap, sources said.
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Sunday Russia would rather cut production than supply oil under the price cap and said the cap may affect other producers.
Sources have told Reuters several Opec+ members have expressed frustration at the cap saying the anti-market measure could ultimately be used by the West against any producer.
The US said the measure was not aimed at Opec.
JP Morgan said on Friday that Opec+ could review production in the new year based on fresh data on Chinese demand trends and consumer compliance with price caps on Russia crude output and tanker flow.


Israel arrests Al Jazeera reporter pallbearer

Israel has arrested one of the pallbearers of slain Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, police said Thursday, but rejected his lawyer’s claim that the detention was linked to his role at the funeral.In a raid that has sparked international outrage, baton-wielding Israeli police beat several pallbearers as they carried the journalist’s coffin out of a hospital in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.Abu Akleh was shot dead during an Israeli army raid in the West Bank last week.Palestinians and the TV network said Israeli troops killed her, while Israel said she may have been killed by Palestinian gunfire or a stray shot from an Israeli sniper.A lawyer for pallbearer Amro Abu Khudeir told AFP that his client had been arrested and questioned over his role at the funeral.According to the lawyer, Khaldoun Najm, Israel also claimed to have “a secret file on (Khudeir’s) membership of a terrorist organisation”.“I think they will arrest more young men who participated in the funeral,” Najm said.“For them, the subject of the funeral and the coffin was scandalous.”Police dismissed any link between the funeral and Khudeir’s arrest.“We are witnessing an attempt to produce a conspiracy that is fundamentally incorrect,” a statement said.“The suspect was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation which contrary to allegations, had nothing to do with his participation in the funeral procession.”Police justifications for the raid at St Joseph’s hospital have varied.They have cited the need to stamp out “nationalistic” chants and also said that “rioters” among the mourners hurled projectiles at officers.Israeli forces frequently crack down on displays of Palestinian identity, including the national flag, one of which was draped over Abu Akleh’s coffin.Police have vowed to investigate the controversial incident.


NGO activist issued letter of demand as Azam begins legal action

An NGO activist has been issued a letter of demand on behalf of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki in what is believed to be the first legal move against those involved in claims regarding his ownership of shares from certain companies some six years ago.Lalitha Kunaratnam, whose articles were carried by the Independent News Service or INS, said she was issued the letter earlier today.“Thanks,” she added in a Twitter post tagging MACC.According to a screenshot of the letter shared in the same post, the demand to cease and desist concerned two articles written by Lalitha in December last year, titled “Business ties among MACC leadership: How deep does it go? (Part 1)” and “Business ties among MACC leadership: How deep does it go? (Part 2)”.Azam said yesterday that he would take legal action against those who had levelled accusations at him, calling the moves an attempt to tarnish his image and to erode public trust in the anti-graft agency.He also said no wrongdoing was committed in allowing his brother, Nasir Baki, to conduct business using his account to buy shares on the open market.His comments came as MACC’s Anti-Corruption Advisory Board said no conflict of interest had occurred in his purchase of the shares.However the Securities Commission Malaysia said today that Azam had gone against the law in sharing central depositories accounts.It said that every securities account opened with a central depository must be in the name of the beneficial owner of the deposited securities or the name of an authorised nominee.It also said that it would be in touch with the parties involved, including Azam, for an explanation and to verify the statements made, as well as to gather any relevant evidence.


Nepal dissolves parliament after government infighting

Nepal will likely head to the polls next year after parliament was abruptly dissolved on Sunday, a move prompted by infighting between the Himalayan nation’s premier and members of his party, including former Maoist rebels.Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s government has weathered accusations of corruption and criticism for its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.But his decision to request a new poll comes after months of clashes with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, a former insurgent leader who helped Oli come to power when their political parties merged in 2018.The pair had clashed over their powersharing agreement and a lack of consultation.Fresh elections will be held in April and May next year, the office of President Bidhya Devi Bhandari said in a statement after she approved the dissolution.The decision plunges Nepal into months of fresh political uncertainty after years of instability and short-lived governments that followed a decade-long civil war.Analysts said the dissolution of parliament was likely to be challenged in court.“The prime minister cannot recommend dissolution of parliament until there are chances of forming an alternative government,” legal expert Bipin Adhikari told AFP, calling the move unconstitutional.


Covid-19 infection among children, infants a cause for concern, says Ismail Sabri

Covid-19 infection among children and infants is a cause for concern as they have become the groups at risk after the elderly, Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.He said the matter should be seen as a wake-up call and measures implemented to protect these groups from infection.“Health ministry data shows that as of today, 48,261 children and infants have contracted Covid-19 and 6,290 of them are infants 18 months of age or younger.“Therefore, parents must constantly monitor to ensure that their children do not play outside their homes, wear face masks and often use sanitiser,” he said in his daily statement on the movement control order.Ismail said adults are responsible for protecting children and infants from getting infected with the virus.Besides complying with the SOPs, he said, adults should subject themselves and their families to self-lockdown to avoid getting infected.


Popular religious speaker withdraws as BN candidate in Larut

Religious teacher Kazim Elias has withdrawn from the race for Larut, less than a day after he was announced as Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate for the parliamentary seat.
Perak BN chairman Saarani Mohamad said he would be replaced with Larut BN Youth information chief, Mohd Shafiq Fhadly Mahmud.
His brother, Mohd Najmuddin Elias, is Perikatan Nasional's candidate for the state seat of Batu Kurau.
Saarani, who made the announcement at an event to unveil the BN candidates for state seats in Ipoh today, said party members had responsibilities even when not selected as candidates.
"The objective is not just to be a candidate, but also to win the election. Our aim is to retain power in Perak... as the BN government.
"We want to promote our symbol, the dacing (scales)... so that when we go to the ground, people see our symbol and they’ll vote for us to win," he said.
Saarani said BN will contest all 24 parliamentary seats and 59 state seats in Perak at GE15.


Germany opposes sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, minister says

Germany opposes sending cluster munitions to Ukraine, its foreign minister said on Friday, a day after US officials said Washington was planning to provide Kyiv with the weapons, widely denounced for killing and maiming civilians.
Human rights organisations oppose such a move and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that Germany, as one of 111 states party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), did as well. The US is not a party to the convention.
Asked for a comment on what US officials had said, Baerbock told reporters at a climate conference in Vienna: "I have followed the media reports. For us, as a state party, the Oslo agreement applies."
Baerbock was referring to the CCM, which was opened for signature in the Norwegian capital in 2008. It bans the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of cluster munitions.
The White House said sending cluster munitions to Ukraine is "under active consideration" but it had no announcement to make. President Joe Biden is to attend a Nato summit next week in Lithuania expected to be dominated by the war in Ukraine.
Human Rights Watch called on Russia and Ukraine to stop using cluster munitions and urged the US not to supply them. The group said that both Russian and Ukrainian forces have used the weapons, which have killed Ukrainian civilians.
The munitions typically release large numbers of smaller bomblets that can kill indiscriminately over a wide area, threatening civilians. Bomblets that fail to explode pose a danger for years after a conflict ends.


Tokyo asks China to end Covid-19 anal swabs for Japanese

Japan has asked China to avoid using anal swabs to test its citizens for coronavirus, saying the method prompted complaints of “psychological distress”.Tokyo’s intervention comes after reports that US diplomatic personnel in China had complained of being subjected to the intrusive tests – a claim Beijing denied.China, which has largely brought the virus under control domestically, said last month that anal swabs can be more effective than normal throat and nose tests as the virus can linger longer in the digestive system.But Japanese government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said late Monday that Tokyo had made a formal request through its embassy in Beijing that people arriving from the country be exempted.“Our embassy requested Japanese citizens be excluded from anal PCR tests, as some Japanese expatriates… expressed the opinion that the tests produce significant psychological distress,” Kato said.“At this point we have not received a response that they change this… We will continue pressing the issue,” he added, noting that there was no information that any other country was using the method.Asked about the complaint, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing’s testing methods were “science-based” and “in accordance with the changes in the epidemic situation as well as relevant laws and regulations”.Last month, US media said State Department personnel in China had complained about the method, but Beijing rebuffed the reports, saying it had “never requested US diplomatic personnel in China to undergo anal swabs”.Officials in China have used anal swabs to test people it considers at high-risk of contracting Covid-19, including residents of neighbourhoods with confirmed cases as well as some international travellers.But they have acknowledged it would be hard to use anal swabs as widely as the other methods, which have been used to test millions in mass campaigns, as the technique was “not convenient”.


April 8 hearing for Rosmah’s appeal against Sri Ram’s appointment as DPP

The Court of Appeal has set April 8 to hear Rosmah Mansor’s appeal against the High Court’s dismissal of her application to obtain Gopal Sri Ram’s appointment letter as senior deputy public prosecutor in her corruption case.Her lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader, when contacted by Bernama, confirmed the appeal hearing date.The appeal came up for case management before deputy registrar Darmafikri Abu Adam on Feb 8.On Aug 19 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court held that Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, had given no justification for the production of Sri Ram’s letter of appointment.Rosmah applied to the High Court to obtain Sri Ram’s letter of appointment as senior deputy public prosecutor in her corruption case in connection with the supply and installation of solar energy to 369 rural schools in Sarawak.She faces one count of soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving RM6.5 million in bribes from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd’s managing director, Saidi Abang Samsudin, in connection with the solar energy project.The bribes were allegedly received through her former assistant Rizal Mansor as a reward for helping Jepak Holdings secure the Hybrid Photovoltaic Solar System Integrated Project as well as the maintenance and operation of diesel gen-sets for 369 Sarawak rural schools worth RM1.25 billion from the education ministry through direct negotiation.The acts were allegedly committed at Lygon Cafe, Sunway Putra Mall, Jalan Putra; Rosmah’s residence at Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta and at Seri Perdana, Persiaran Seri Perdana, Precinct 10, Putrajaya between January 2016 and September 2017.The High Court has fixed Feb 18 to decide whether to call Rosmah to enter her defence or to acquit her of the three charges.


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Italy mountain cable car plunge: 3 company staff arrested, blamed for deaths

Three people were arrested on Wednesday for being to blame for the crash of a tourist cable car in Italy last weekend that killed 14 people, UPI is reporting.The disaster occurred on Sunday near the summit of Mottarone mountain near Lake Maggiore in the Piedmont region of northern Italy.A five-year-old boy, who is in intensive care at a Turin hospital, was the sole survivor. The boy’s parents, great-grandparents and a younger sibling were all killed as a cable snapped, the car plunged, hit the side of the mountain and rolled until it was stopped by trees.Prosecutors said the car’s emergency brake had been deactivated.Officials alleged a fork-like clamp had been placed over the emergency brake, which had been malfunctioning, after repair work on the car was unsuccessful, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.The newspaper said investigators had initially believed the clamp had been left in place by mistake.A local transport official said the inactive brake meant the car was travelling at over 100km/h when the stress on the cable caused it to snap and the gondola to fall and tumble down the side of the mountain.The three people arrested were the owner of the firm that manages the Stresa-Mottarone cable car, the company’s director and the service’s operational chief, Ansa reported.Police said one of the three had admitted responsibility for deactivating the emergency brake in order to avoid disruptions to the cable car service.Chief prosecutor Olimpia Bossi said the emergency brake system was deliberately disabled due to recent technical problems. The brake needed to be repaired but that would have meant taking the cable car out of service, she said.Officials say the emergency brake could have prevented the crash by holding the car steady after the cable broke. Afterward, the car slid back into a pylon and fell to the ground.Bossi said the investigation has found that it was a “conscious act” of the three suspects to insert the clamp that deactivated the braking system.The cable car had been operating for several days and had made multiple trips without the emergency brake being operational, Bossi said.The cable car had resumed service on April 25 when Covid-19 lockdown restrictions were lifted in Italy.


US okays Covid boosters for those with weakened immune systems

The US on Thursday authorised an extra dose of Covid vaccine for people with weakened immune systems, as the country struggles to thwart the Delta variant.Emergency use authorisation for a third injection of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines was granted by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulator.“The country has entered yet another wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the FDA is especially cognisant that immunocompromised people are particularly at risk for severe disease,” said acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock in a statement.“Other individuals who are fully vaccinated are adequately protected and do not need an additional dose of Covid-19 vaccine at this time,” she added.The FDA said the additional dose was for solid organ transplant recipients or those with equivalent weakened immune systems.US health authorities had been debating whether a third dose may be required, following a similar move by Israel.More than 619,000 people have died in the US from Covid-19, with case numbers increasing sharply in recent months due to the spread of the Delta variant.The country’s rapid vaccination programme has slowed particularly in politically conservative regions in the South and Midwest, and among younger people, those with lower income and racial minorities.


Thailand prepares for Phuket reopening despite Covid surge

Thailand prepared Wednesday to reopen the holiday hotspot of Phuket to tourists quarantine-free, even as the country registered its highest single-day death toll from Covid-19.High hopes have been pinned on the so-called “Phuket sandbox” – a model that will allow vaccinated travellers to visit without a quarantine period in an effort to revive Thailand’s battered tourism industry.But the lead-up to its July 1 launch has been plagued with uncertainty amid delays to government approval.Thailand has been trying to contain a third wave of the coronavirus by imposing restrictions in the capital Bangkok and its suburbs, which have seen the Alpha and Delta variants spreading.Wednesday saw the kingdom’s highest single-day death toll yet of 53.However, authorities say the Phuket sandbox will go ahead as planned. About 250 passengers are scheduled to land on the island Thursday on four flights, according to Covid-19 task force spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin.The return of tourists will bring welcome relief for businesses.Thailand usually welcomes about 40 million tourists every year and about 18% of the country’s GDP comes from the sector.But for over a year Phuket’s pristine sandy beaches have been unusually quiet and more than 80% of hotels have been shuttered.To prepare for the reopening, two-thirds of Phuket’s population have been inoculated.In the notorious Patong Beach neighbourhood – once humming with a thriving nightlife scene – vendors were busy preparing Wednesday for a return to action.“Everyone and every profession associated with tourism has been affected,” said Thewan Phromyang, 49, who leases sun beds to tourists.“I agree 100 percent with the Phuket sandbox scheme… We don’t have anything else to support us other than tourists.”But there will be restrictions in place for those choosing Phuket for their holiday.Visitors will have to stay on the island for 14 days if they wish to travel elsewhere in Thailand, and they must take three Covid tests during that period.The number of Covid-19 cases in Phuket also cannot exceed 90 in one week.


Shahrir Samad’s RM1 million money laundering case to begin April 1

The trial of former Felda chairman Shahrir Samad, who is charged with failing to declare RM1 million received from Najib Razak to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN), will begin on April 1 at the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur.Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Afif Ali, when contacted by Bernama, said the court had set 20 days for the hearing which will be before judge Azura Alwi.The dates are April 1, 2, 22 and 23; June 29 and 30; Aug 12 and 13; Sept 1 and 17; Oct 4, 5, 18 and 25; Nov 5, 11 and 12 and Dec 6, 7 and 8, he said, adding that the prosecution is expected to call 19 witnesses.Meanwhile, Shahrir’s lawyer Syahrul Syazwan Salehin said the High Court had also set March 1 for mention to determine the status of his client’s application to transfer the case from the Sessions Court to the High Court.Shahrir, 72, is charged with money laundering by failing to state his real income in the income tax return form for assessment year 2013, a violation of Section 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967, on the RM1 million, believed to be from unlawful activities which he received from Najib through a AmIslamic Bank Bhd cheque dated Nov 27, 2013.The cheque was deposited into Shahrir’s Public Islamic Bank account on Nov 28, 2013.He was charged with committing the offence at the LHDN Duta branch, Government Office Complex, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim on April 25, 2014.The charge, framed under Section 4 (1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, provides for a maximum fine of RM5 million, imprisonment of up to five years, or both upon conviction.


Former company executive faces 2 graft charges

A former chief operating officer of a company pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court today to charges of using his office to obtain gratification amounting to RM415,397 seven years ago.
Aziedy Abdul Talib, 42, was charged in his capacity as the chief operating officer and acting chief executive officer of Mutiara.Com Sdn Bhd with abusing his position by appointing ATR Resources Enterprise, which belonged to his younger sibling, to supply CCTV equipment worth RM223,586 for the Seri Bayu Apartment Project, in the Barat Daya district.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Mutiara.Com Sdn Bhd Office in Jalan Macalister on Feb 4, 2016.
Aziedy, who is currently an information technology manager, is also charged with using his position to approve his sibling’s company as a supplier for intercom installation work worth RM191,811 for the Seri Bayu Apartment Project at the same place on June 14, 2016.
Both charges are framed under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 (Act 694) and can be punished under Section 24 (1) of the same act which provides a maximum prison sentence of 20 years and a fine of up to five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if found guilty.
Judge Zulhazmi Abdullah allowed Aziedy bail of RM10,000 on each charge with a local surety and ordered him to surrender his passport to the court, report to the MACC office once a month and not disturb the witnesses in the case.
The court set May 30 for mention.
Deputy public prosecutor Noor Azura Zulkiflee prosecuted Aziedy, while lawyer Arafas Abdul Razak represented him.


US drone-maker wins contract to build homes in moon orbit for lunar Gateway

US weapons developer Northrop Grumman has won a Nasa contract worth nearly US$1 billion to develop living quarters for the US space agency’s planned outpost in lunar orbit.Astronauts will live and conduct research in the Habitation And Logistics Outpost (HALO) made by Northrop for the lunar Gateway – a vital component of Nasa’s Artemis moon programme, reports Reuters.The Artemis programme is a US-led international human spaceflight programme. It was launched in 2017 under the Trump administration with the primary goal of returning humans to the moon, specifically the lunar south pole, in the mid-2020s.Nasa is targeting a November 2024 launch for the integrated spacecraft on a SpaceX rocket.China is also planning to set up a base at the south pole of the moon, and intends to deploy robotic expeditions to asteroids and Jupiter from there around 2030.Nasa and its commercial and international partners are planning the lunar Gateway to support science investigations and enable surface landings on the moon, the agency said in a statement.Northrop Grumman will be responsible for attaching and testing the integrated quarters with a solar propulsion module being developed.Eight countries have signed the international pact for moon exploration as part of Nasa’s Artemis programme as the US space agency tries to shape standards for building long-term settlements on the lunar surface.Australia, Canada, Japan, Luxembourg, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and the UK have signed up to the accords with the US.Nasa has said that: “Fundamentally, the accords are about avoiding conflict, about transparency, public registration, and deconflicting activities.“These are the principles that will preserve peace in space.”


Perak health department awaiting full report on teen’s death after second vaccine jab

The Perak Health Department is still waiting for a complete post-mortem report to determine the cause of death of a 15-year-old boy one day after receiving his second dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the Gunung Rapat National Secondary School vaccination centre in Ipoh on Oct 23.State health director Dr Ding Lay Ming said tissue samples had been sent for further examination by the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital forensic pathologist.“The post-mortem report is incomplete because there are test results that have not been received,” she said in a statement.She said the post-mortem examination carried out on the boy’s remains at 3.40pm on Oct 24 revealed a narrowing of the lungs (spontaneous bronchospasm).Ding said the boy was only reported to have experienced pain at the injection site after receiving the second vaccine jab. He did not have any allergies to previous vaccines or drugs and was not known to have any chronic illness.“He also did not report any problems or complications after receiving the first dose,” she said.The boy began experiencing shortness of breath before losing consciousness at his home on Oct 24 at about 9.30am, a day after he received his second vaccine jab, she added.She said the teenager was taken to a private hospital in Ipoh for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead at about 10.40am.


Report says ex-AG Apandi represented Jho Low in failed nego with Malaysia

Financial daily The Edge has claimed that former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali represented fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho in discussions with the Malaysian authorities on the latter's offer to settle his charges related to the 1MDB scandal.
The Edge further claimed that Low, better known as Jho Low, had offered RM1.5 billion to Malaysia, which was rejected.
Apandi previously refused to confirm or deny that such negotiations had taken place, or to respond to queries about his role in the talks.
"Sorry. The information, if any, is confidential," he had said in a short reply to MalaysiaNow.
MalaysiaNow has reached out to Apandi again, but has yet to receive a response.
The startling claim by The Edge that Apandi had represented Low, the man widely considered as having played a central role in the 1MDB scandal, comes two days after MalaysiaNow reported that the fugitive had failed in his bid to negotiate a deal with Putrajaya that would have allowed him to travel to the US to settle his cases there.
"He made the request but failed to fulfil the conditions we set, including the return of the money which he siphoned off from 1MDB," a government source familiar with the talks involving Low's lawyers as well as Apandi had told MalaysiaNow.
Low's whereabouts have never been confirmed, but a warrant of arrest was issued against him by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which also alerted Interpol to issue a red notice against him and two others.
Apandi, who served as attorney-general from 2015 to 2018, had drawn fire after clearing then prime minister Najib Razak of wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal.
Najib was later convicted and sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment and a RM210 million fine, with one of the charges linked to the scandal that has triggered investigations in several countries.


Hong Kong police issue arrest warrants for 8 overseas activists

Hong Kong police on Monday accused eight overseas-based activists of serious national security offences including foreign collusion and incitement to secession and offered rewards for information leading to their arrest.
The accused are activists Nathan Law, Anna Kwok and Finn Lau, former lawmakers Dennis Kwok and Ted Hui, lawyer and legal scholar Kevin Yam, unionist Mung Siu-tat, and online commentator Yuan Gong-yi, police told a press conference.
"They have encouraged sanctions... to destroy Hong Kong and to intimidate officials," Steve Li, an officer with the police's national security department, told reporters.
Issuing wanted notices and offering rewards of US$127,656 (about RM600,000) each, police said the assets of the accused would be frozen where possible and warned the public not to support them financially.
The notices accused the activists of asking foreign powers to impose sanctions on Hong Kong and China.
The activists are based in several countries, including the US, Britain and Australia. Yam is an Australian citizen. They are wanted under a national security law that Beijing imposed on the former British colony in 2020, after the financial hub was rocked by protracted anti-China protests the previous year.
The US on Monday condemned the move through a US State Department spokesman, who said it set "a dangerous precedent that threatens the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people all over the world."
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly criticised the decision to issue the arrest warrants and said his government "will not tolerate any attempts by China to intimidate and silence individuals in the UK and overseas".
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her government was "deeply disappointed." Australia, she said, has consistently expressed concern about the broad application of the national security law.
Some countries, including the US, say the law has been used to suppress the city's pro-democracy movement and has undermined rights and freedoms guaranteed under a "one country, two systems" formula, agreed when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
Chinese and Hong Kong authorities say the law has restored the stability necessary for preserving Hong Kong's economic success.
Activists defiant
Several of the accused activists said they would not cease their Hong Kong advocacy work.
"It's my duty... to continue to speak out against the crackdown that is going on right now, against the tyranny that is now reigning over the city that was once one of the freest in Asia," Yam, a senior fellow with Georgetown University's Center for Asian Law, told Reuters by telephone from Australia.
"I miss Hong Kong but as things stand, no rational person would be going back," added Yam, who police accused of meeting foreign officials to instigate sanctions against Hong Kong officials, judges and prosecutors.
Former Democratic party lawmaker Ted Hui told Reuters the "bounty" adds to the arrest warrants already issued for him under the national security law, but "free countries will not extradite us".
"The bounty... makes it clearer to the western democracies that China is going towards more extreme authoritarianism," he said in Australia, where he has lived since 2021 on a bridging visa.
Anna Kwok, executive director of the Hong Kong Democracy Council, told Reuters from Washington she would not back down.
"One key thing I urge President Biden to do immediately is to say a strong and firm NO to (Hong Kong chief executive) John Lee's possible entry into the US for November's APEC meeting in San Francisco," Kwok wrote.
"He's the man who has orchestrated the far-reaching transnational repression," she said. "Bar John Lee."
Finn Lau, an activist based in London told Reuters the reward was motivated by the fact that many democratic countries had suspended extradition treaties with Hong Kong.
Nathan Law, who obtained refugee status in the UK two years ago, said that people in Hong Kong should not cooperate. "We should not limit ourselves, self-censor, be intimidated, or live in fear," he said on Twitter.
Police told the press conference 260 people had been arrested under the national security law, with 79 of them convicted of offences including subversion and terrorism, but admitted that the chances of prosecution were slim if the defendants remained abroad.
"We are definitely not putting on a political show nor disseminating fear," Li, the police official, said.
"If they don't return, we won’t be able to arrest them, that's a fact," he said. "But we won't stop wanting them.


Russian invasion of Ukraine ‘justified’, says Myanmar junta

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is “justified” and demonstrates Moscow’s position as a world power, Myanmar’s junta said on Friday, backing its major ally and arms supplier.The dawn invasion of troops and tanks accompanied by airstrikes on Ukrainian cities has sparked outrage across the world, with the US and its allies responding with a barrage of sanctions.But junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said Moscow’s military had “carried out what is justified for the sustainability of their country’s sovereignty”.“Russia shows its position to the world as a world power,” he added in the statement, which was also released in Russian.Moscow is a major ally and arms supplier to Myanmar’s generals and has repeatedly shielded the isolated country at the UN.Last year junta chief Min Aung Hlaing met the head of Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport in Moscow to discuss “potential military technical cooperation”.He later told Moscow’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu that Myanmar’s army had “become one of the strongest in the region” thanks to his country’s help, according to Russian news agency TASS.More than 1,500 civilians have been killed since the junta took power in a coup last year, according to a local monitoring group, as it wages a bloody crackdown on dissent.Earlier this week a UN expert on Myanmar said Russia – along with other major ally China – was continuing to supply the military with weapons, including fighter jets and armoured vehicles.