Health ministry ready with SOPs for Melaka election

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin says SOPs have been prepared in the event that a state election is held in Melaka, and that his ministry is ready to discuss these with the Election Commission if the polls are given the go-ahead.However, he said the health ministry is still waiting for a Cabinet decision on the matter.“We have given our views regarding the SOPs for the election and will leave it to the Cabinet to decide whether the election will continue or not.“If it is held, then the ministry already has our views on certain SOPs that need to be taken into account by the EC. But it is still too early for us to make an announcement,” he told reporters today.The EC received official notification of the dissolution of the 14th Melaka state legislative assembly on Monday from state assembly speaker Ab Rauf Yusoh, following the move by four assemblymen to withdraw their support for Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali, triggering the collapse of state government led by Barisan Nasional.Meanwhile, Khairy said the health ministry had given the green light for the administration of Covid-19 vaccine booster shots which will begin next week with Sarawak as the first state to begin the initiative.He said the booster shot had also been approved by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Division, the Drug Control Authority and the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply.“We can start giving the booster shot to those who are eligible by next week… we will look at the delivery of supplies,” he said.Khairy had previously said that priority would be given to the vulnerable or high-risk groups, including individuals aged 60 and above as well as those with serious comorbidities.In another development, he said the government was considering procuring antiviral drugs for Covid-19 treatment from several pharmaceutical companies, including from India.He said the authorities would ensure that the antiviral drugs were safe and effective.In the meantime, he described the decision to allow interstate travel once the country’s vaccination rate reaches 90% for adults as the right move.“If we do not allow them to travel interstate, it will also cause various problems such as mental and emotional stress. There are many who have not been able to visit their families and parents for a year,” he said.Khairy said if the country were to wait for up to 70% of the entire population to be vaccinated, the people would have to wait longer for state borders to reopen as 20% of Malaysians comprise those aged below 12.“There is no vaccine for children at the moment, it has not yet been approved by any regulator including the Food and Drug Administration.“If we want to wait until the entire population is vaccinated, it would probably take until next year before we can allow interstate travel,” he said.


Ex-ministers, one facing corruption case, eyeing ambassador’s job?

Feathers have been ruffled within the Malaysian diplomatic community over attempts by several politicians, including former ministers, to land jobs as ambassadors in key Western capitals, MalaysiaNow has learnt through sources familiar in the field.It is understood that at least three former ministers have been silently campaigning for diplomatic jobs including in the US and Switzerland.Any such move would mean reversing the previous government’s policy not to appoint non-career diplomats as ambassadors.A source in Wisma Putra, which houses Malaysia’s foreign ministry, confirmed attempts to reverse the policy.“Yes, but as far as we understand, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is committed to abiding by the policy,” the source said.When contacted, a source in Putrajaya confirmed that no decision had been made.“The Cabinet has been in recess due to several members being told to quarantine themselves,” it said.In July 2018, newly appointed foreign minister Saifudddin Abdullah announced that ambassadors would only be assigned from among those “who meet the job requirements and are capable of doing the job”.“Ambassadors must be selected from the pool of trained diplomats who can do their job well,” he said.His statement came amid resistance encountered by the Pakatan Harapan government from politically appointed diplomats just months after the coalition took over power in May 2018.It planned at the time to replace them with career diplomats, a move welcomed by the diplomatic community.Politically appointed top diplomats during the Najib Razak administration included Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Indonesia), Bernard Dompok (Vatican), Blanche O’Leary, the wife of MyPPP president M Kayveas (Finland), Zulhasnan Rafique (US) and Hasan Malek (Cambodia).Other prominent politicians who became diplomats during the Barisan Nasional era include former deputy prime minister Musa Hitam who became Malaysia’s special envoy to the United Nations, and the late Jamaluddin Jarjis, who served in Washington.MalaysiaNow meanwhile understands that at least one former minister who is hoping to be sent overseas is embroiled in a corruption case. However, it cannot independently verify the claim.“But it is not certain whether a top diplomat’s job would ensure him freedom,” said a source in Umno.When contacted for comments, former ambassador Dennis Ignatius warned that any move to appoint politicians, especially those implicated in financial improprieties, would be “a huge mistake”.“It will mean the end of the career foreign service, the politicisation of our foreign policy and a setback to decades of promoting Malaysia overseas,” Ignatius, a former ambassador to Canada with 36 years’ experience in the foreign service, told MalaysiaNow.“It is also terribly disrespecting of the countries they are sent to.“But coming after the takeover of GLC positions by politicians, I am not surprised. This government is so shameless and self-seeking that everything is being bartered for political support. At this rate, one of the consequences will be the complete political takeover of all institutions of government with a resulting loss of integrity, creditability and professionalism.”


Google ‘private browsing’ mode not really private, Texas lawsuit says

The Google search engine collects data on users who think they can be anonymous if they use a “private browsing” mode, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claimed on Thursday, filing an amended privacy lawsuit against the Alphabet Inc unit.Texas, Indiana, Washington State and the District of Columbia filed separate suits against Google in January in state courts over what they called deceptive location-tracking practices that invade users’ privacy.Paxton’s filing adds Google’s Incognito mode to the lawsuit filed in January. Incognito mode or “private browsing” is a web browser function that Paxton said implies Google will not track search history or location activity.The lawsuit said Google offers the option of “private browsing” that could include “viewing highly personal websites that might indicate, for example, their medical history, political persuasion, or sexual orientation. Or maybe they simply want to buy a surprise gift without the gift recipient being tipped off by a barrage of targeted ads.”The suit said “in reality, Google deceptively collects an array of personal data even when a user has engaged Incognito mode.”Google said on Thursday that Paxton’s filing is again “based on inaccurate claims and outdated assertions about our settings. We have always built privacy features into our products and provided robust controls for location data.”“We strongly dispute these claims and will vigorously defend ourselves to set the record straight,” it added.Paxton previously alleged Google misled consumers by continuing to track their location even when users sought to prevent it.Google has a “Location History” setting and informs users if they turn it off “the places you go are no longer stored,” Texas said.In January, an Arizona judge ruled allegations Google deceived users with unclear smartphone location tracking settings should be weighed by a jury, refusing to toss out a lawsuit brought by the state’s attorney general.


Businessman’s Bangsar offices raided in major money laundering, tax evasion probe

Multiple investigative agencies have raided offices linked to Kuala Lumpur-based businessman Vinod Sekhar, in what is believed to be the start of one of the biggest money laundering cases since the 1MDB investigations three years ago.MalaysiaNow has learnt that officers from the National Financial Crime Centre (NFCC) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), as well as from Bank Negara Malaysia and the Inland Revenue Board have conducted raids at the premises of Petra Group.Petra Group, which operates a chain of companies and organisations, is headed by Vinod, a businessman who is a strong supporter of PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim.A source close to the investigations told MalaysiaNow that the raid some two weeks ago in Bangsar followed months of investigations into alleged money laundering and tax evasion involving hundreds of millions of ringgit.It said officers had seized “some documents and items” as part of the probe.It is also learnt that the raids were carried out while Vinod was out the country.Malaysian businessman gets lion’s share of multibillion-dollar Hungary dealHungary anti-graft body describes ventilators deal as ‘hotbed of abuse’Watchdog presses Hungary govt to reveal details of half-a-billion dollar contract to Malaysian businessmanWhen contacted, top officials from NFCC and MACC refused to comment or give further details, their standard response to corruption and money laundering investigations.Vinod, 53, is the son of the late BC Sekhar who was credited with modernising Malaysia’s rubber industry. He was declared bankrupt by the High Court in 2005 but cleared of his bankruptcy status last year.In June, MalaysiaNow reported that Vinod through GR Technologies, a company with an address in Bangsar, had secured the lion’s share of billions of dollars worth of contracts to supply ventilators to the Hungarian government.Hungary’s purchase of ventilators from various suppliers kicked up a storm last year at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in Europe, with opposition politicians there calling out the deals for being opaque as well as resulting in an oversupply.They also said the ventilators bought by Hungary were overpriced, and questioned why the purchases were made through the foreign affairs ministry.Vinod confirmed getting the contract but insisted that “everything was above board”, adding that he had received a “normal percentage” in commission.Documents obtained by MalaysiaNow from Hungary showed Budapest agreeing to pay Vinod a total of US$559,600,000, which at the time of the contract in May 2020 converted to about RM2.43 billion, through several bank accounts.Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI) has urged Hungary to release specific details related to the contracts to Vinod, saying there are questions on whether GR Technologies had fulfilled transparency regulations in the country.TI’s Hungary chapter also questioned why Budapest agreed to pay the fees charged by GR Technologies to third parties, as well as whether the government had gone through a competitive bidding process.


Uncontrolled Chinese rocket burns up, debris crashes into ocean

The remains of a Chinese rocket that was hurtling back towards Earth crashed into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives on Sunday, China’s space agency says.The bulk of the rocket was burnt up and destroyed as it entered the atmosphere, the BBC reported.The monitoring service Space-Track, which uses US military data, said the rocket was recorded above Saudi Arabia before it fell into the Indian Ocean just west of the Maldives.The uncontrolled return of the rocket led to criticism from the US amid fears that it could land in an inhabited area. US and European websites tracked its return, and there was much speculation on social media about where the debris might land.“Spacefaring nations must minimise the risks to people and property on Earth,” US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement. “It is clear that China is failing to meet responsible standards regarding their space debris.”Space experts, however, predicted that the chances of anyone being hit were exceedingly small, not least because so much of the Earth’s surface is covered by ocean and huge areas of land are uninhabited.Various space debris modelling experts predicted that most of the vehicle would burn up during its final plunge through the atmosphere, although there was always the possibility that metals with high melting points and other resistant materials could survive and end up back on land.When a similar core stage returned to Earth a year ago, piping assumed to be from the rocket was identified on the ground in Ivory Coast in West Africa.China has bridled at the suggestion that it has been negligent in allowing the uncontrolled return of so large an object.Commentary in the country’s media had described Western reports about the potential hazards involved as “hype” and predicted the debris would fall somewhere in international waters.“It makes the Chinese rocket designers look lazy that they didn’t address this,” Harvard-based astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said of the uncontrolled re-entry.“It is common practice across the world for upper stages of rockets to burn up while re-entering the atmosphere,” said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman at the Chinese foreign ministry.The rocket launched April 29, carrying with it the first module of China’s future space station.


Zahid took out RM9 million from charity’s account after GE14, court told

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi withdrew RM9,302,823.66 from Yayasan Akalbudi, the charity-based foundation which the former deputy prime minister owns, after the 14th general election (GE14), the High Court in Kuala Lumpur was told today.Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer, Khairudin Kilau, 44, said based on his investigations, the money was taken out on May 28, 2018 and transferred to the Yayasan Al-Falah account owned by Zahid’s younger brother, Mohamad Nasaee Ahmad Tarmizi.“The transfer was within the power of the accused (Zahid) as he is the sole signatory of Yayasan Akalbudi,” he said under examination-in-chief conducted by deputy public prosecutor Lee Keng Fatt.Khairudin, the 99th prosecution witness, was testifying on the 52nd day of the trial against Zahid who faces charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving millions of ringgit from Yayasan Akalbudi.Asked by Lee why the money was transferred, Khairudin replied: “I am not too sure about that. The minutes of the meeting and resolution on the money transfer could not be found.”On transactions involving the Yayasan Akalbudi account from Dec 12, 2012 to May 31, 2018, Khairudin said based on the statement of Yayasan Akalbudi’s Affin Bank Bhd’s account, these involved about RM100 million.Reading his witness statement, Khairudin said some RM360,000 of the foundation’s funds were used to pay TS Consultancy & Resources to conduct a survey and research on voters.“The owners of the company, Jasni Majid and Sabri Said, confirmed that TS Consultancy was established in 2015 for a voter registration programme with the cooperation of Umno, and that when it was formed it received funds from Umno,” he said.On Yayasan Akalbudi’s establishment, Khairudin said the foundation’s office had never operated from the address registered with the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), which was 69E-4, Jalan Raja Abdullah in Kuala Lumpur.“We could not obtain Yayasan Akalbudi’s annual report, audit report and meeting minutes because there was no office operating at the address registered with SSM,” he said, adding that the foundation had never submitted the documents to SSM either.Asked whether he had enquired about the documents with foundation secretary Mahinder Kaur Teja Singh, Khairudin replied that Mahinder had told him that she was never in possession of the documents because the foundation had never held meetings or had audit reports done.Khairudin said investigations found that Messrs Lewis & Co, as suggested by the defence, was not the foundation’s trustee, neither had it ever represented it.“Lewis & Co’s clients were Yayasan Al-Falah and Zahid himself. Lewis & Co managed Zahid’s civil suits,” he said, adding that there were no official links between Yayasan Akalbudi and Yayasan Al-Falah.Khairudin is the 10th MACC investigating officer called to testify by the prosecution.Zahid, 68, faces 47 charges – 12 for criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit of funds from Yayasan Akalbudi.


In ‘miracle’ city Shenzhen, fears for China’s economic future

David Fong made his way from a poor village in central China to the southern boomtown of Shenzhen as a young man in 1997. Over the next 25 years he worked for a succession of overseas manufacturers before building his own multi-million dollar business making everything from schoolbags to toothbrushes.Now 47, he has plans to branch out internationally by building internet-connected consumer devices. But after two years of coronavirus lockdowns that have pushed up the price of shipping and battered consumers’ confidence, he worries if his business will survive at all.“I hope we make it through the year,” said Fong, surrounded by talking bears, machine parts and his company’s catalogues in his top-floor office overlooking gleaming towers in an area of Shenzhen once filled with sprawling factories. “It’s a tough moment for a business.”Fong’s story of rags to riches, now threatened by a wider slowdown worsened by the coronavirus, mirrors that of his adopted city.Created in 1979 in the first wave of China’s economic reforms, which allowed private enterprise to play a role in the state-controlled system, Shenzhen transformed itself from a collection of agricultural villages into a major world port that is home to some of China’s leading technology, finance, real estate and manufacturing companies.For the last four decades, the city posted at least 20% annual economic growth. As recently as October, forecasting firm Oxford Economics predicted that Shenzhen would be the world’s fastest-growing city between 2020 and 2022.But it has since lost that crown to San Jose in California’s Silicon Valley. Shenzhen posted overall economic growth of only 2% in the first quarter of this year, the lowest-ever figure for the city, aside from the first quarter of 2020 when the first wave of coronavirus infections brought the country to a standstill.Shenzhen remains China’s biggest goods exporter, but its overseas shipments fell nearly 14% in March, hampered by a Covid lockdown that caused bottlenecks at its port.The city has long been seen as among the best and most dynamic places for business in China and a triumph of the country’s economic reforms. President Xi Jinping called it the ‘miracle’ city when he visited in 2019.If Shenzhen is in trouble, that is a warning sign for the world’s second-largest economy. The city is “the canary in the mine shaft,” said Richard Holt, director of global cities research at Oxford Economics, adding that his team is keeping a close eye on Shenzhen.Fong, who sells his goods mostly to domestic customers, said sales are down about 40% from 20 million yuan (US$3 million) in 2020, hurt by the recent two-month lockdown in Shanghai and a general decline in consumer confidence. China’s strict travel rules mean he has not been able to visit Europe to try to expand there.Losing attractivenessShenzhen, now a city of some 18 million people, has been hit by a succession of blows from inside and outside the country.Shenzhen-based telecom equipment makers Huawei Technologies and ZTE Corp were placed on US trade blacklists over alleged security concerns and illegally shipping US technology to Iran respectively. Huawei denies wrongdoing, while ZTE exited probation in March five years after pleading guilty.Another of the city’s major companies, top-selling property developer China Evergrande, sparked fears of a collapse last year under its heavy debts that would have wreaked havoc with China’s financial system. Down the road, Ping An Insurance Group Co, China’s largest insurer, took big losses on property-related investments.Even smaller firms have suffered. Amazon.com Inc last year cracked down on how sellers do business on the platform, impacting more than 50,000 e-commerce traders, many based in the city, the Shenzhen Cross-border E-commerce Association said.On top of that, Shenzhen was locked down for a week in March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That lockdown, and those in other Chinese cities, depressed domestic demand for goods made in Shenzhen. The city’s 2% growth in the first quarter was less than half of China’s overall 4.8% growth rate.Business registrations also fell by almost a third in that time. City authorities are sticking to their 6% growth target for this year, set in April, but the slowdown has sparked alarm in China’s establishment.“Shenzhen’s economy is faltering, leaning back, and sluggish, while some are doubting if Shenzhen has enough momentum,” Song Ding, a director at the state-linked think tank China Development Institute, wrote in a May essay.The Shenzhen government did not reply to a request for comment for this story.City officials privately admit that it is increasingly difficult to keep Shenzhen’s ‘miracle’ alive.“There’s a lot of people with a stake in Shenzhen remaining predictable, unlike before. You can’t just experiment freely and see what sticks anymore,” one city official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.On June 6, state news agency Xinhua reported that Shenzhen plans to build 20 advanced manufacturing industrial parks for telecoms and high-technology companies that will cover 300 square kilometres (115 square miles). It did not provide any further details.‘Time to go’The cancellation of most international flights to China, a port snarled by lockdowns and a once-teeming border with Hong Kong that is now all-but-shut have made Shenzhen a difficult place to do business. China’s plans for a Greater Bay Area – melding Shenzhen with Hong Kong, Macau and several mainland cities – appear to have stalled.“It’s losing attractiveness, and they (authorities) need to realise that,” said Klaus Zenkel, chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in South China. “We always say they need to balance the restrictions and the economic growth, to find a way to spend more money on the Greater Bay Area and these free trade zones.”In September, the Chinese government said it would expand what is known as the Qianhai economic zone, a special area within Shenzhen’s borders, to 121 square kilometres from 15 square kilometres. British banks Standard Chartered and HSBC have set up offices there, but border closures mean the area has struggled to attract foreign businesses, Zenkel and five diplomats in the region said.Overseas entrepreneurs who flocked to Shenzhen to have their designs turned into products no longer make regular visits to its factories and the world’s largest electronics market in Huaqiangbei, forcing dozens of expat bars and restaurants to close or adapt to local tastes.International business chambers have warned the Chinese government of an exodus of foreign talent. One diplomat at a major European consulate told Reuters they estimated the number of its nationals in south China had fallen to 750 from 3,000 before the pandemic.The slowdown has made it harder for graduates to find jobs in what has long been China’s youngest metropolis, where the average resident is 34. The lush, subtropical city that fused manufacturing, technology, and finance into an entrepreneurial hotbed sometimes known as China’s Silicon Valley, was a magnet for ambitious and talented graduates from across the country.“I’ve interned at companies where classmates a year or two older had found jobs, but it’s much harder to land a position than it was for them,” said Jade Yang, 22, who completed an advertising degree in May and moved 1,400 kilometres from central Chongqing to find work at a Shenzhen tech firm. She said she initially hoped for a salary of up to 10,000 yuan a month but now thinks 6,000 yuan is more realistic.In a dense area of apartments near High Tech Park, one of the city’s clusters of tech companies, estate agents would normally be swamped with graduates looking to find homes in May. An agent, who gave his name only as Zhao, told Reuters last month that business is down 50% from a year ago.“This place should be bustling with people, I shouldn’t have a moment of rest,” he said, lounging on his e-scooter outside a building with 30 studio flats where rent is 2,000 yuan a month. He said several have been empty since November.Shenzhen businesses have always opened and closed at a high turnover, but ‘to let’ signs are increasingly common in once bustling malls, especially those close to border crossings with Hong Kong, which have been closed since early 2020.The situation is bleak for Shenzhen’s low-income migrant workers, struggling to get by with rising living costs and locked out of home ownership by some of the highest real estate prices in the country.Masseuse Xue Juan, 44, said her friend recently returned to her small hometown in Chengdu province and opened a hotpot restaurant, and she is thinking of joining her.“Even food and drink is getting too expensive, the work is hard, and living standards have improved so much in the rest of China,” said Xue. “Maybe it’s time to go.”


Taiwan reports second day of large Chinese incursion into air defence zone

Taiwan reported on Thursday a second day of a large scale Chinese air force incursion into its air defence zone, with its defence ministry saying that in the past 24 hours it had spotted 21 aircraft, as part of Beijing's ongoing military pressure campaign.
Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has complained for the past three years or so of stepped up Chinese military activities near the island as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims.
China has said its activities in the area are justified as it seeks to defend its territorial integrity and to warn the United States against "colluding" with Taiwan, despite the anger this causes in Taipei.
Taiwan's defence ministry said the aircraft, 17 J-10 fighters and four J-16 fighters, had flown into the southwestern corner of Taiwan's air defence identification zone, according to a map the ministry released.
The J-10s, an older fighter model that first entered service two decades ago, flew closer to the Chinese coast than Taiwan's, while the J-16s, a much newer and more advanced fighter, flew in an area to the northeast of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, the map showed.
The lightly-defended Pratas are strategically located at the top of the South China Sea and many of China's fly-bys happen nearby.
Taiwan's forces monitored the situation, including sending up its own air force planes, the ministry added, using the normal phrasing for its response to such Chinese incursions.
The ministry on Wednesday reported 19 Chinese aircraft flying in Taiwan's air defence zone.


Philippine capital back in lockdown over Delta fears

The Philippine capital Manila returned to lockdown Friday as authorities sought to slow the spread of the hyper-contagious Delta variant and ease pressure on hospitals while trying to avoid crushing economic activity.Police checkpoints across the National Capital Region, where more than 13 million people live, caused long queues as officers in camouflage uniforms inspected vehicles to ensure only essential workers were on the road.Experts warned that an explosion in Delta cases could overwhelm the health system if restrictions were not tightened in the crowded capital, which accounts for about a third of the country’s economy.The stay-at-home order announced last week was expanded Thursday to include neighbouring Laguna province. Restrictions were also tightened in other regions where coronavirus infections have spiked.The Philippines has detected more than 330 Delta cases in recent weeks and there are fears the strain could tear through the nation as it has in neighbouring countries.Successive lockdowns and other restrictions, including a ban on children going outdoors, have shattered the economy and left millions jobless.There are concerns the new lockdown will deepen the misery, with government assistance limited to 4,000 pesos (US$80) per household.Only essential businesses and workers can operate for the next two weeks. Outdoor exercise is allowed, but an eight-hour night-time curfew is in place.“I hope the government will be able to give aid so it can help cover our expenses,” fish vendor Junrel Bihag told AFP, describing life during the pandemic as “really difficult”.Fears that unvaccinated people would not be allowed outside or receive government help during lockdown sent thousands flocking to vaccination sites on Thursday, forcing one location to close.The rush to get jabbed came after President Rodrigo Duterte said last week that people who do not want to be vaccinated should stay home.“If you go out I will tell the police to bring you home. You will be escorted back to your house because you are a walking spreader,” Duterte said.But his spokesman, Harry Roque, rejected suggestions Thursday that the president’s remarks triggered the vaccination rush, instead blaming “fake news”.“We are not imposing any prohibitions on people who are not vaccinated. We are merely asking that, now that the vaccine is there, everyone should get a jab,” Roque told reporters.The country’s glacial vaccination drive has been hampered by tight global supply and logistical problems. Just over 10 million people are now fully vaccinated, representing 9% of the population.


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In Israel, Pentagon chief says US 'disturbed' by settler violence

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, on a visit to Israel, expressed concerns on Thursday about Jewish settler violence against Palestinians and warned against acts that could trigger more insecurity.
The US defence secretary held talks in Israel as flaring violence killed three suspected Palestinian militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and protesters rallied against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-right government.
Late Thursday, a gunman shot and wounded three people on a Tel Aviv street in what police said could be a "terrorist attack".
Austin said, in a joint news conference with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Galant, that the US commitment to Israel's security was "iron-clad".
But the US remained "firmly opposed to any acts that could trigger more insecurity, including settlement expansion and inflammatory rhetoric," he said, adding: "We are especially disturbed by violence by settlers against Palestinians."
Thousands of Israelis opposed to the Netanyahu government's legal reform plans had blocked roads in and around Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, forcing a last-minute change of venue for Austin's talks.
Just hours before his arrival, undercover agents of Israel's border police shot dead three suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank.
And hours after his press conference with Galant, the shooting occurred on a popular street in Tel Aviv, leaving one of the wounded in a critical condition, emergency services said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said a police officer "eliminated the heinous terrorist and saved many lives".
The dead gunman was widely identified online and in Israeli media as Motaz Khawaja.
Contacted by AFP, Salah Khawaja, from the Palestinian town of Nilin near Ramallah in the West Bank, said his son Motaz, a 23-year-old Hamas sympathiser, had made a "normal reaction for any young person who sees injustice by the Israeli army every day".
Austin had reported "a very frank and candid discussion among friends about the need to de-escalate, to lower tensions and restore calm especially before the holidays of Passover and Ramadan".
He also called on the "Palestinian leadership to combat terrorism and to resume security cooperation and to condemn incitement".
Iran concerns
In their meetings with Austin, Netanyahu and his defence minister raised concerns that Israel's arch-foe Iran is developing nuclear weapons, something the Islamic republic has always denied.
"It is our duty to take all measures necessary to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons," Galant said.
Austin said "diplomacy is the best way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon", while adding the US would not allow that to happen.
Their talks came ahead of Netanyahu's departure for Rome, which protesters had sought to obstruct using their vehicles to block access roads.
Nine straight weeks of protests have been held by opponents of the reform plans, which would give politicians greater power over the courts. They have drawn tens of thousands of demonstrators who regard the proposals as a threat to democracy.
The mounting violence in the West Bank has coincided with the tenure of Netanyahu's government, which took office in December and is regarded as the most right-wing in Israeli history.
The government of Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, has vowed to continue the expansion of West Bank settlements considered illegal under international law.
In the morning, the Palestinian health ministry announced the "martyrdom" of three men shot by Israeli forces in Jaba, near the northern city of Jenin.
'Shots were fired'
Israeli police, who identified two of the men as operatives of militant group Islamic Jihad, said special forces accompanied by soldiers had been in Jaba to arrest suspects involved in shooting attacks against soldiers.
"During the operation, shots were fired at the border police undercover officers from the wanted men's car. Border police undercover officers responded with fire, and killed the three armed men in the car," police said, adding the third man was also a suspected militant.
Islamic Jihad condemned Israel for the "heinous assassination" in Jaba.
A Tuesday raid by the Israeli military in Jenin left seven Palestinians dead, including a member of Hamas accused of killing two Israeli settlers last month.
The Palestinian health ministry identified the seventh fatality from Tuesday's raid as Walid Nassar, 14.
Since the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of 76 Palestinian adults and children, including militants and civilians.
Twelve Israeli civilians, including three children, and one policeman, as well as one Ukrainian civilian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.


KL, 5 states to remain under CMCO

Selangor, Johor, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur and Penang will remain under conditional movement control order (CMCO) until April 28, Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.The CMCO in Sarawak meanwhile will continue until April 26.The recovery MCO in Perlis, Perak, Melaka, Pahang, Terengganu, Putrajaya, Labuan and most of Sabah, Kedah and Negeri Sembilan will likewise be extended until April 28.In Sabah, Lahad Datu, Tawau and Keningau are under MCO while in Kedah, Kuala Muda is under CMCO. In Negeri Sembilan, Seremban is under CMCO as well.Ismail said food premises would be allowed to operate until 6am during the Ramadan period, while breaking of fast events such as buffets at hotels and restaurants would be allowed under strict SOPs.Ismail said breaking of fast events such as buffets at hotels and restaurants would be allowed under strict SOPs, while food premises in states under CMCO and RMCO would be allowed to operate until 6am during the Ramadan period.He said this was to enable those who are fasting, especially single people, to purchase food for their pre-dawn meals.However, he said eateries at shopping malls or supermarkets would be subject to the premises’ operating hours.


Membership of ex-bishop to give PSB a boost in Sarawak polls, say analysts

Even before a date is set for the much-anticipated election in Sarawak, parties have been working to gain support from the ground, aware that every vote will count in the looming battle for control in the state legislative assembly.For Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), a Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) splinter, efforts have been redoubled from a year ago as it works towards its goal of capturing the vote in Dayak-majority seats in addition to Chinese-majority constituencies.With GPS on strong footing, though, it has been forced to come up with new strategies to win the support of the electorate.Most recently, its president Wong Soon Koh announced that Bolly Lapok, the former bishop of the Anglican Church in Sarawak, had joined the party – a move which experts said would provide a boost for PSB’s credibility, especially among the Iban voters.“Given that PSB touts itself as a multi-communal party, Bolly is likely to highlight the multicultural issues pertinent to Sarawak,” Singapore Institute of International Affairs senior fellow Oh Ei Sun told MalaysiaNow.“By taking in a senior religious figure such as Bolly, PSB is seeking to further cement its credentials as a serious contender in the coming state election,” he added.James Chin of the University of Tasmania agreed that the membership of Bolly, who was also the archbishop of the Anglican province of Southeast Asia, would fortify PSB’s position ahead of the polls.“I think Bolly joining PSB will have an impact which will bring a lot of credibility to the party,” Chin said, adding that more than half of the population in Sarawak is non-Muslim, with Christians making up some 70%.Wong himself has expressed confidence that Bolly’s decision to join PSB will speak to the party’s aspirations and its fight for Sarawak’s rights.Bolly meanwhile said that having PSB as a local and independent political party is the best platform for him to voice his concerns, especially over the right of the non-Muslim community to practise their faith.Aside from the narrative of inclusivity, Chin said the appearance of Christian leaders in politics is indicative of a growing concern over the political turbulence in the peninsula.“It also shows that the Christians are worried about Sarawak’s direction,” he said.In Malaysia, Chin said, it is rare to see Christian or non-Muslim religious leaders getting involved in politics, unlike in other countries especially in Latin America and, nearer to home, the Philippines where priests are actively involved in politics.Yet parties such as PAS are prime examples of religious figures, serving or retired, being associated with politics.Chin said Islamic clergy appear more active in Malaysian politics than leaders from other religions.With Bolly in the field, he said, PSB has a chance to win over the support of voters.Oh meanwhile adopted a wait-and-see approach, saying the election results will speak for themselves.


Australian parliament censures former PM Morrison over secret ministries

Australia's parliament on Wednesday voted to censure former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison after an inquiry found his secret appointment to multiple ministries during the Covid-19 pandemic undermined trust in government.
Morrison, who lost power in a general election in May, secretly accumulated five ministerial roles during the pandemic: health, finance, treasury, resources and home affairs.
The historic motion, brought by the ruling Labor party, passed by 86 votes to 50 in the country's lower house.
It marks the first time a former prime minister has been censured by parliament, though the motion is symbolic in nature.
"The fact is, that our democracy is precious," Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during the debate, speaking in favour of censuring Morrison.
"There's no room for complacency."
Morrison has said his decisions were lawful, and that the decision was necessary in case ministers became incapacitated during the pandemic.
"For those who wish to add their judgement today on my actions in supporting this censure motion, I simply suggest that they stop and consider the following: have you ever had to deal with a crisis where the outlook was completely unknown?," Morrison said in parliament before the vote on Wednesday.
"In such circumstances, were you able to get all the decisions perfectly right?"
Morrison said he had only used the powers on one occasion, to block BPH Energy's PEP-11 gas exploration project.
He accepted the recommendations of an inquiry into the appointment, including legislation requiring public notice of ministerial appointments.


North Korea shortages causing foreign diplomats to lock missions and flee

Russia’s diplomatic mission to North Korea has complained of acute shortages of essential goods such as medicines, increasing problems getting healthcare, and pandemic restrictions that are unprecedented in their severity.It posted on Facebook on Thursday that foreign diplomats have been exiting North Korea in droves, describing it as an exodus that has left behind fewer than 300 foreigners in the country.North Korea has imposed crippling border closures to combat the pandemic, banned most international travel, and severely restricted movement inside the country, Reuters reports.Only nine foreign ambassadors and four charges d’affaires are still representing their nations, with most embassies having cut staff to a minimum, Russia’s diplomatic mission said.It said Britain, Brazil, Germany and several other countries have already locked up the gates to their missions, and all foreign staff at international humanitarian organisations have left.Last month, a group of Russian diplomats and family members used a hand-pushed rail trolley to leave North Korea amid tough restrictions including the blocking of most forms of passenger transport across the border.Photos and video released by Russia’s foreign ministry at the time showed the trolley, laden with brightly coloured bags and suitcases, being pushed across a wintry landscape.“There is barely any food going into the country from China,” a missionary who clandestinely helps people in need inside North Korea told the Diplomat as far back as the end of 2020.“There are so many more beggars, some people died from hunger in the border area and there’s no soap, toothpaste, or batteries, so nothing works.”North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, appears to be taking advantage of the pandemic to strengthen his stranglehold on power.New extreme measures his government has imposed may even be an attempt to return to ultra-strict controls of past decades, when the government controlled the distribution of food and materials. These conditions led to mass famine in the 1990s after the Soviet Union collapsed and food supplies failed.Lina Yoon, the senior North Korea researcher at Human Rights Watch, recently wrote in the Diplomat: “Future negotiations with North Korea need to focus on pressuring the government to take immediate and major steps to address the health, safety, and rights of its people.“It is vitally important for the world to remember the people of North Korea, not just the government’s nuclear ambitions.”


Hungary’s Orban sworn in as PM, blasts ‘suicidal’ West

Fresh from a landslide election win in April, Hungary’s combative Viktor Orban was formally sworn in as prime minister Monday, launching a fresh attack against Brussels and a “suicidal” West.The central European country is currently in talks with other EU members seeking to push through a Russian oil ban following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.Orban, who has sought close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent years, has said he would not support the proposed ban, citing his country’s dependency on Russian oil.Urging the EU to respect the sovereignty of nation states, Orban said “cultural alienation is growing between the western half of Europe and Hungary”.“That is because we believe in the Christian civilisational foundations of Europe, and in the nation, which Brussels has given up,” he told parliament after formally being reelected as premier in the 199-seat assembly by 133 votes to 27 against.One opposition party walked out of the chamber in protest over what they see as an unlevel playing field, calling the new government “illegitimate”.European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel both congratulated Orban on Twitter on Monday for his re-election.“The EU faces unprecedented challenges. I look forward to working together to ensure we can collectively address them successfully,” von der Leyen wrote.In his wide-ranging address, Orban told newly-elected deputies that “the coming decade will be an era of dangers, uncertainty, and war”.Alongside looming economic recession, an energy crisis and the threat of pandemics Europe also has to contend with “a regenerating suicidal wave in the Western world”, said the 58-year-old.He said “gender madness” and “the great European population replacement programme” were “suicidal experiments”, evoking a far-right conspiracy theory according to which white Europeans are being deliberately supplanted by non-white immigrants.On April 3 Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party won its fourth consecutive two-thirds majority since 2010, granting it further legislative carte blanche to amend the constitution and fast-track new laws.Now transformed into what Orban calls an “illiberal state” Hungary has regularly clashed with Brussels over rule of law, migration and LGBTQ rights among many issues.Some of Orban’s opponents suspect that he wants to steer Hungary out of the EU, and criticise his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.“It is in our interest that it remains (a member) in the next decade,” Orban said on Monday.


Girl shoots 3 at US school

A girl opened fire at a school in the northwestern US state of Idaho on Thursday, injuring three people before being disarmed by a teacher, police said.The unnamed student at Rigby Middle School near Idaho Falls was in the sixth grade, meaning she would likely be aged 11 or 12.She “retrieved a handgun from her backpack, fired multiple rounds inside of the school and out”, said Jefferson County sheriff Steve Anderson.Injuries suffered by two students and one staff member are not thought to be life-threatening, he said.“During the shooting a teacher disarmed the student, and detained her until law enforcement took her into custody,” added Anderson at a press conference.The shooting is being investigated by the FBI as well as local law enforcement.The US has suffered a spate of mass shootings in recent weeks, including at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, an office building in California, a grocery store in Colorado and at several spas in Atlanta.President Joe Biden last month branded US gun violence an “epidemic” and an “international embarrassment”.There were more than 43,000 gun-related deaths in the US last year, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive.


Don’t let generational endgame end with execution flop

Recently, the health and education ministries launched the Generational End Game (GEG) Anti-Rokok 18 (Gegar-18) campaign to drive home the message among schoolchildren about the health hazards of smoking.This was part of the heatlh ministry’s proposal to ban the sale of tobacco products in Malaysia to those born from 2005 onwards, starting next year. The bold move has been met with mixed reactions from the public. This policy proposal likely drew inspiration from the Generational End Game policy in New Zealand which follows a phased approach from 2011.New Zealand aims to reduce smoking to below 5% of the adult population by 2025, starting with reducing the number of cigarette retailers from 2024, reducing the nicotine in cigarettes beginning in 2025, and gradually raising the legal age for the sale for cigarettes to create a “tobacco-free generation.” This means people who are 14 or younger in 2027 will never be able to buy cigarettes.There is no denying that the Malaysian version of this policy will be good for public health, especially in managing health risks for the future generations. But the road ahead is fraught with challenges, and if we are not careful, even the most well-intended policies can end up as a massive failure if not well executed.Firstly, the government needs to look into its implementation. Tobacco products are widely and easily available in the market. With this proposed policy, those who are born in 2005 and beyond will be barred from purchasing the products at retail outlets. This can be monitored if the purchases are made physically and in-store.But there will be serious challenges in monitoring things online, especially for non-cigarette tobacco products like vape and e-cigarettes. Even for in-store purchases, what are the assurances that the retailers will not put profitability over public health? Putting in place punitive mechanisms may serve as a deterrent for retailers but it will still be a challenge to enforce this soon-to-be-law.While enforcement is not the exclusive domain of the health ministry, as there are other ministries and agencies involved such as the domestic trade and consumers affairs ministry, the practicality of this ban will be severely tested. Just look at the smoking “ban” in eateries which has been violated time and again by restaurateurs and patrons alike.Secondly, when the government stands firm in banning or restricting the purchase of certain products, the illicit trade of these products will more often than not flourish. Consumers will find ways to circumvent the law to get their hands on these products.Already, the government is in a constant battle against the illicit trade for cigarettes, costing the government billions annually in lost tax revenue. The move to ban both cigarettes and non-cigarettes from reaching the new generation will most likely boost the appeal for these products in the black market.Thirdly, by banning not just cigarettes but also the alternatives to cigarettes such as vape, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco, the likelihood of these products surfacing in the black market without any form of quality control will be even higher. The new generation, which conducts purchases almost fully online, will find ways to get these untested, unregulated products which, given their electronic nature, may not meet quality standards and could even be dangerous.The intention of introducing this policy is indeed commendable. However, the rush to implement it may cause it to be a policy flop. A good intention must always be executed well to get the desired outcome. In New Zealand’s case for example, the country has put in place other measures to work towards the endgame, including requiring plain packaging for cigarettes and steeply raising the price of cigarettes to US$20 per pack. Vaping products are also prohibited for sale to anyone under the age of 18.There are steps that need to be taken to complement the ban, as the main goal is still to reduce smoking rates and protect the future generations. It would be wise for the health ministry to take a more cautious approach and to clearly define its target rather than pushing through targets which may look good on paper but are not practical and which may, in the end, derail the main objective of cutting down smoking in Malaysia.Consumer behaviours evolve constantly, and new trends and technology will emerge. What seems like a smart move today may be a new problem tomorrow. Hopefully, the health ministry will not miss the woods for the trees with this ban as well as the much-awaited new Tobacco Act. While more regulation is better than no regulation, for more regulation to work, the enforcement mechanism must be there to ensure a smooth transition to a meaningful, smoke-free society.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Pejuang gets leave to challenge lack of action over registration appeal

Pejuang today obtained leave from the High Court to challenge the action of the home minister and Registrar of Societies (RoS) for not yet deciding on its appeal to register the party.Judge Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid granted the leave after senior federal counsel Mohd Sabri Othman, representing the home minister and RoS, informed the court that the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) had no objection to Pejuang’s application.“I record no objection from the AGC regarding the application for leave for judicial review and there is no order of cost for this case,” said the judge.He set April 15 for further case management, where a date will be fixed to hear the merits of the judicial review application.Pejuang, through its secretary-general Amiruddin Hamzah, filed the leave application on March 1, naming the home minister and RoS as the first and second respondents.In the application, Amiruddin sought a declaration that the first respondent’s failure to decide on the party’s appeal, made in a letter dated Jan 8, against the second respondent’s decision rejecting its application to be registered, violated its statutory obligations under Section 18 of the Societies Act 1966.The application also sought a declaration that the violation of the first respondent’s statutory obligation to decide on the party’s appeal was unreasonable, malicious and an improper attempt to deny the applicant’s constitutional right to freedom of association and to contest in the general election using its own logo.Amiruddin said a mandamus order was also requested for the first respondent to decide on the party’s appeal and to order the RoS to finalise Pejuang’s registration seven days after a court ruling.On Feb 2, Pejuang, which was founded by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, submitted an appeal after its application to register as a political party was rejected.Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said the application was rejected on Jan 6 based on the provisions under Section 7 (3) (e) of the Societies Act 1966 (Act 335) and that they could file an appeal to the home minister within the next 30 days.


Penang speedboats, a Covid-19 time bomb?

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is of the opinion that the implementation of the Penang speedboat was done without taking into consideration many crucial factors that will adversely affect foot pedestrians.What is of great concern is that there are no social distancing measures in place for the entire travel process, from the speedboat to the shuttle buses arranged to ferry commuters to the bus station in Weld Quay. This is shocking and totally unacceptable in light of the current massive spikes in Covid-19 cases in the community that the country is now experiencing amid the more dangerous third wave of infections.Inside the speedboats, commuters have to sit close to one another in an enclosed and air-conditioned environment. In such an environment the spread of any airborne disease, including Covid-19, would be very much higher than the well-ventilated “old” ferries that we had. In fact, the old ferries had social distancing measures (marked seats and floors to prevent close contact when sitting and queuing), crucial measures which are not implemented for the speedboats.There are also no social distancing SOPs in place for when the speedboat passengers queue and take the connecting shuttle bus arranged to take them to the Weld Quay bus station. The shuttle bus is often packed with passengers, who have to wait inside for some time before it moves as the bus follows a time schedule. This further increases passengers’ risk.The speedboat is also not meant for bigger sized people because the seats are about 40cm wide. It is also not meant for the physically challenged because of the numerous obstacles along the way and the long distance to walk to the point of embarking or exiting the terminal after disembarking the speed boat.Although it was reported that wheelchair-bound persons will be carried into the boats by Penang Port Commission (PPC) attendants, neither terminal – the Swettenham Pier in George Town and Pengkalan Sultan Abdul Halim, Butterworth – complies with the Malaysian Standard Code of Practice on Access of Disabled Persons (MS) as required of all public transport stations.Such requirements are not new as the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 emphasises that persons with disabilities (PWD) should have the same right to access and use public facilities, amenities, services and buildings. Besides, PWDs are quite independent in moving around but having obstacles such as steps and steep ramps, which forces them to depend on assistance by attendants, is denigrating.Only the Swettenham Pier building has escalators but commuters will still be drenched if it rains because of the unsheltered walkway from the gate to the main building. A canopy should be constructed between the gate and the Swettenham Pier building.Moreover, it is quite a distance between the entrance and the ferry terminal to the point of boarding the speedboat on either side of the Penang channel. Baggage-lugging passengers will experience a nightmare because they have to negotiate steps, steep ramps and narrow walkways, and step over the bulwark to the deck.Will the speedboats only be used during the interim period between the “retirement” of the old ferries and the arrival of the catamarans in mid-2021? If so, why can’t the ferries still be used for the next six months or so? Even then, how will the pedestrian commuter route to the terminals be configured? Will lifts (large enough for wheelchairs) be considered?Instead of depending on vans to send those less able, those who are pregnant, or those with heavy luggage to the boat, why doesn’t PPC consider lifts since such facilities are meant as long-term features for the terminals?Also, the free shuttle buses that normally ply between Weld Quay station and Komtar should be provided at the Swettenhem Pier itself to reduce the inconveniences faced by commuters, particularly if they are in a hurry to get to work.It is regrettable that the ferry issue was rushed through with little thought given to the impact on ferry users, especially to their safety in the current worsening Covid-19 situation.Mohideen Abdul Kader is president of the Consumers Association of Penang.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Malaysia not facing food crisis, ministry assures

The agriculture and food industries ministry today assured that food supply in the country has not reached the crisis level as claimed by some quarters, adding that it is still sufficient.Deputy secretary-general (development) Badrul Hisham Mohd said although there were some hiccoughs with regard to food supply, particularly chicken and wheat, these had not affected domestic supply.“This is because about 94% of the chicken output is for local supply and only 6% is for export.“Overall, the country produces around 54 million chickens per month and the production capacity is able to meet domestic need,” he said on a programme on Bernama TV.He also said that about 72% of the overall cost of rearing chickens goes to feed, imported from countries like Brazil and Argentina.“The corn used for domestic chicken feed is no longer grown in Malaysia on a big scale and because of this, the ministry is moving towards creating a cornmeal industry in order to solve the problem of importing it,” he added.Badrul also suggested that palm oil producers allocate a portion of their farm land for the cultivation of corn, to reduce the dependency on other countries for cornmeal as chicken feed.On the issue of wheat, he said India’s decision to ban exports had no effect on Malaysia as the main sources of this commodity were countries like Australia and the US.He added that India exported only about 1.9% of its wheat to Malaysia while the agriculture and food industries ministry and the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry were making efforts to solve the supply issue to ensure the people have enough food supply.


Take Nagaenthran’s case to World Court, Singapore lawyer tells Putrajaya

Prominent human rights lawyer M Ravi today said he would urge the Malaysian government to take the case of a mentally disabled Malaysian to the International Court of Justice following the decision by Singapore’s apex court to throw out Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam’s appeal against his death sentence.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Ravi described the court’s decision as “absolutely shocking”, saying Nagaenthran had not even been given an opportunity to be assessed by his psychiatrists.“Without giving an opportunity to have him properly assessed, and to take away his life, is a waste of this entire judicial exercise,” he said, adding that this was “seriously troubling”.He also questioned the court’s statement that even though Singapore had signed an international treaty prohibiting the killing of intellectually disabled persons, the republic would not have to abide by it until it is legislated locally.“This, to me, is also a serious violation of international law on the protection of people who are intellectually disabled,” he said.“I will ask that the Malaysian government take this matter to the International Court of Justice, and ask for an interim stay immediately because this is actually an egregious breach of international law.”Nagaenthran, who has an IQ of 69 – a level recognised as a disability – was arrested in 2009 for trafficking a small amount of heroin into Singapore. He was sentenced to death the following year.His case sparked international condemnation, with Malaysian leaders including the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, as well as personalities such as British billionaire Richard Branson among those asking for leniency on his behalf.UK-based legal group Reprieve said the Singapore government had made clear its commitment to champion the rights of persons with disabilities.“Allowing this travesty of justice to take place would fly in the face of those promises,” it said in a statement after the court judgment.“We urge President Halimah Yacob to listen to the cries for mercy within Singapore and around the world, from the United Nations to global business leaders, and spare the life of this vulnerable man.”Rights group Lawyers for Liberty meanwhile said today’s decision was in utter disregard for Singapore’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, agreeing that Malaysia should take the matter to the International Court of Justice.It also slammed the court for what it called an attack on Nagaenthran’s lawyers for bringing up his case.“The court itself instructed the Singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers to seek costs from Nagaenthran’s lawyers for filing the legal challenges. It is a sickening conduct that runs contrary to the rule of law of any civilised nation when lawyers are penalised for daring to raise an issue a matter of life and death,” it said.Ravi himself said he and fellow lawyer Violet Netto had been “chastised and criticised” by the court for filing the applications on Nagaenthran’s behalf.“Why do we have to face all these disciplinary actions to do these kinds of cases?” he said.“Why do lawyers like ourselves stand up? What do we gain out of this except humiliation and further ruination by the state?”


Subang Jaya now a city

Subang Jaya was today accredited as a city, with the Subang Jaya Municipal Council declared as the Subang Jaya City Council, making it the third city in Selangor after Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam.Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said this was in line with the consent given by state ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.He added that Noraini Roslan had been appointed as mayor of Subang Jaya effective today, in accordance with Subsection 10 (1) of the Local Government Act 1976.“The Selangor government thanks His Royal Highness the Sultan of Selangor for the consent given and hopes that Subang Jaya and its surrounding localities will continue to develop through the world-class delivery of services,” he said in a statement.The Selangor government received the green light from the Cabinet to recognise Subang Jaya as a city late last year.Criteria for the award of city status include a minimum local government population of 500,000 and an annual income of at least RM100 million.


Money for Zahid was political donation, ex-Ultra Kirana director tells court

The Shah Alam High Court was today told that the money given by Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) to former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamid was a political donation and not for corrupt purposes.Former UKSB director Harry Lee Vui Khun said this when cross-examined by Zahid’s counsel Hamidi Mohd Noh at the Umno president’s trial in the foreign visa system (VLN) corruption case.Lee previously told the court that UKSB made monthly cash payments to Zahid in Singapore dollars from 2014 to 2018 for the VLN contract.Meanwhile, when questioned by lawyer Ahmad Zaidi Zainal, also representing Zahid, about whether the political donation was for Umno, Leee said to his understanding, it was for the government of the day.The 15th prosecution witness also told the court that he could not describe the journey nor provide proof that he went to Zahid’s residence to hand over the money to the then deputy prime minister.Zaidi: When you go to Country Height, Kajang, nobody can enter without an access card and the driver has to register at the guard house. Did the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) ask you for such details?Lee: No.The witness also agreed with Zaidi when the lawyer said MACC had never asked him for proof such as Touch ‘n Go statements to show that he had gone to Zahid’s house.Prior to this, when reading out the witness statement, Lee said UKSB never made any payments into Umno’s account, nor was it issued receipts or any acknowledgment for the payments.Zahid, 69, is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million from UKSB for himself as home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of OSC service in China and the supply VLN system, as well as to maintain the contract agreement to supply the VLN integrated system to the same company by the home ministry.On another seven counts, he was charged with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 euros and US$15,000 from the same company which had official links with his official duty.He was charged with committing the offences at Seri Satria, Presint 16, Putrajaya and Country Heights Kajang between October 2014 and Mach 2018.The trial before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues tomorrow.


Hillary Clinton predicts ‘huge consequences’ of Afghan US troop withdrawal

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has warned of “huge consequences” of President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan.Clinton told CNN there was a risk the Taliban – the Islamist group ousted in 2001 by the US-led invasion – could retake control.The US aims to complete the withdrawal by Sept 11. The remaining US troops began formally withdrawing on May 1, amid escalating Taliban violence.On Monday, Afghan officials said at least seven soldiers had been killed in a Taliban attack on a military outpost in the south-western Farah province.They said militants had blown up the post after digging a tunnel for about 400m to access it from a nearby house. One soldier had been captured by the insurgents, they said. Other reports put the Afghan army casualties much higher.“This is what we call a wicked problem,” Clinton told CNN. “There are consequences both foreseen and unintended of staying and of leaving.”Clinton, like Biden a Democrat, was a strong supporter of the US intervention in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. Biden wants to complete the withdrawal by the 20th anniversary of the attacks later this year.At least 2,500 US troops are currently deployed as part of the 9,600-strong Nato Afghan mission. The president said the US pull-out was justified as American forces had ensured that the country could no longer be a base for foreign jihadists to plot against the West.On Sunday, Clinton said, “Our government has to focus on two huge consequences”, notably the resumption of activities by extremist groups and a subsequent outpouring of refugees from Afghanistan.She warned that the potential collapse of the Afghan government and a possible takeover by the Taliban could result in a new civil war.She said it was important to protect the “many thousands of Afghans” who had worked with the US and Nato during the conflict, and said a large visa programme should be set up to provide for refugees.Speaking at a press conference in London on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration was “very focused on a deliberate, safe and orderly” withdrawal of troops, but that the US would continue to assist the Afghan government.“Even as our forces are pulling out of Afghanistan, we are not withdrawing – we are not disengaging,” he said, adding that if US troops were attacked before leaving the country, “decisive action” would be taken.Analysts say Clinton’s criticism matters because so many in the foreign-policy establishment agree with her.Condoleezza Rice, who served as secretary of state under president George W Bush, has also warned about the risks of withdrawing troops, and the threat of terrorism.However, many Americans do not think the troops should be there. A 2019 Gallup poll showed 58% of Democrats think the war in Afghanistan has made the US less safe from terrorism.


Gibraltar recognised as a British city, 180 years late

Gibraltar finally joined the official list of British cities on Monday, after 180 years in which its status, granted by Queen Victoria, had been overlooked due to an administrative error.
The British overseas territory bid to become a city earlier this year as part of the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, but research in the National Archives established it had in fact been granted city status in 1842.
"It is excellent to see official recognition given to the City of Gibraltar, a huge accolade to its rich history and dynamism," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.
"This official recognition re-affirms Gibraltar's special status in the Realms of Her Majesty, and rightly signifies the pride that Gibraltarians feel for their community and their distinctive heritage."
Spain ceded the strategically important rocky outpost at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea to Britain in 1713 after a war but has long called for it to be returned. In 2002, 99% of voters in Gibraltar rejected the idea of Britain sharing sovereignty with Spain.
The status of Gibraltar and how to police the border with Spain has been a point of contention since Britain's 2016 vote to leave the European Union. The peninsula was excluded from the exit deal reached between Britain and the EU.
Informal arrangements are in place while the two sides negotiate over Gibraltar, which overwhelmingly backed remaining in the EU in the Brexit referendum.


Umno received more than it deserved under PN govt, says Annuar Musa

Umno received more than it deserved after its MPs gave their cooperation and agreed to work with Perikatan Nasional (PN) in forming the ruling federal government, Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa says.As such, he said it would be inappropriate for the party to leave the PN government now, especially when the country is struggling to fight Covid-19 and since most of the pandemic-related matters are being handled by ministers from Umno.“With 38 seats (in Parliament), Umno has got the deputy prime minister, senior minister, as well as 19 ministers and deputy ministers. We have got more than we deserved. We used to be the opposition, we cannot be greedy,” he told Bernama after appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme last night.Annuar, who is Umno’s MP for Ketereh, also questioned the party’s direction if it were to continue withdrawing its support for the PN government.“Where are we going? (They) told us to leave the government, but didn’t tell us where to go. We have only 38 seats in Parliament. If we want to form a government, we must have 110 seats.“Where can we get the other 90 seats? I don’t want to support Anwar Ibrahim and DAP.“There is indeed some confusion in Umno regarding its cooperation with the PN government,” he said, adding that Umno should hold further discussions on the direction of the party.Annuar said it would be inappropriate if Umno ministers withdrew from their responsibility to help the people during the pandemic.For instance, he said Health Minister Dr Adham Baba is in charge of health, and Senior Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is in charge of security and matters relating to Covid-19 as a whole.“Imagine Khairy Jamaluddin (minister of science, technology and innovation), who is in charge of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme and busy with the vaccination programme suddenly leaving the government. Would it be appropriate? Is that how we take our responsibilities?” he asked.Questioning what he called the ungrateful attitude of some Umno leaders towards the responsibility and trust placed in them by the PN government, Annuar said: “I don’t want my future generations to criticise us and say that it all happened because Umno ran from its responsibilities. No. We cannot have that.”On the formation of the PN government, Annuar said Barisan Nasional (BN) made a pledge to support PN without being a member and Umno also agreed to the decision based on the support of its MPs.“That was why the decision to support the government was not brought to the party’s Supreme Council. The decision was made by the Umno MPs themselves when they met and signed their statutory declarations. It was something that had never happened in our country before,” he said.Annuar said the PN government was formed with the intention of saving the country from the failure of the previous government following internal disputes which led to the resignation of the prime minister and political instability in the country.“To save and to ensure that the country will be administered in a more organised and proper way, we saw a political collaboration by several factions of Bersatu, Umno, PAS and other parties to form the new government with a very thin majority,” he said.The Umno-PN controversy resurfaced on Tuesday after Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that the party’s Supreme Council had decided to withdraw its support for the PN government and Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister.


Fourth time’s the charm: Najib pushes again for more EPF withdrawals

Former prime minister Najib Razak today called yet again for the government to allow further withdrawals under the Employees Provident Fund’s (EPF) i-Citra scheme, saying this was to meet the needs of the people.Speaking during the debate on the motion of thanks for the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat, Najib, the Pekan MP, said this would be the fourth time he had made the call.“It doesn’t matter who wants to claim the credit,” he was reported as saying by Bernama.“As long as the request for this final withdrawal, which people are really looking forward to, can be granted by the government immediately.”Najib has been at the forefront of calls for the government to allow further EPF withdrawals despite warnings by economists and the EPF itself that the country’s social protection had been pushed to the limit after the withdrawals made during the Covid-19 pandemic.The EPF said in December that while it was understandable that withdrawals were allowed during the virus lockdowns, this should not be made a practice during natural calamities as it is bound by laws guiding how members’ contributions are managed.“The scale and impact of the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic and the recent natural disasters have pushed the country’s social protection to its limits, and the approach of using EPF savings during emergencies will have a severe impact at a time when members are left with insufficient savings for their retirement, coupled with other uncertainties such as rising healthcare costs,” it had said.Najib’s request today for a “final withdrawal” echoes a previous call he had made around that same time in launching an attack on Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz for refusing to open EPF funds under the pretext of the floods that hit many parts of the country late last year.“Don’t listen to the advice of the outdated PN finance minister,” he said, referring to the previous Perikatan Nasional government.“Listen to the people. A final special withdrawal. After that, focus on rebuilding the savings of EPF contributors with low balance. There are many ways.”Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, Najib said he had received requests on social media asking him to raise the matter of further i-Citra withdrawls during the debate session.Over the past year, the government had introduced schemes such as i-Lestari, i-Sinar and i-Citra allowing EPF members to withdraw their savings.But the EPF said in December that the move had led to the outflow of RM101 billion involving 6.1 million members, leaving them with less than RM10,000 in their accounts. Of these, 3.6 million had less than RM1,000, it said.


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Brazil Supreme Court backs Covid bans on religious gatherings

Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday that regional authorities can prohibit in-person religious services during the coronavirus pandemic, which is killing thousands of people per day in the country.In a nine-to-two vote, Federal Supreme Court (STF) judges settled an issue that has triggered widespread legal and political debate as Brazil faces its worst phase of the pandemic yet, with the last two days seeing more than 4,000 deaths in 24 hours for a total of 345,000 dead.After two judges issued contradictory orders in recent days, anti-confinement President Jair Bolsonaro expressed his desire for the high court to allow churches to remain open.Gilmar Mendes, who wrote the order backing the church service ban in Sao Paulo, defended the authority of mayors and governors to impose anti-coronavirus measures.The majority expressed support for religious freedom, but said such in-person gatherings are an unacceptable risk for the moment.“If we want to pray, we pray at home,” said the head of the court Marco Aurelio Mello.Judge Edson Fachin pointed to the out-of-control nature of the country’s Covid-19 outbreak.“Every second that passes without people staying in their homes, the pandemic grows. The hospitals cannot treat everybody. Faced with their imminent collapse, we cannot tolerate more risk,” he said.Recent Bolsonaro appointee Kassio Nunes Marques voted to allow in-person services.“If a Brazilian citizen wants to go to their temple, church or religious establishment to worship, pray, ask (for support) – including for the health of their neighbour – they have to right to do so, within strict health limits,” Marques said.Attorney-General Augusto Aras and General Attorney of the Republic Andre Mendonca also argued against the ban.“It is necessary to remember religion’s place in a democratic state of law, and to realise that (even) if the state is secular, the people are not,” Aras said.Mendonca, who is a Presbyterian pastor, said “there is no Christianity without communal life” and that “true Christians are always ready to die to guarantee the freedom of religion and worship”.According to media reports, both men are vying for a court nomination from Bolsonaro when one of the STF judges retires in July.The far-right leader has already indicated he might nominate an evangelical Christian in an effort to shore up support from an important part of his political base.


Prosecution in Zahid graft trial objects to 'irrelevant' part of witness statement

The prosecution in Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's corruption trial related to Yayasan Akalbudi today objected to a part of the witness statement by his former press secretary, arguing that it was irrelevant and inadmissible.
Deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran said part of the statement by Major General (R) Fadzlette Othman Merican Idris Merican, the second defence witness, would damage the character of Zahid’s former executive secretary Major Mazlina [email protected]
"Section 153 of the Evidence Act 1950 should be applied in order to ensure that evidence with regards to credibility which has been raised before cannot be raised again because Major Mazlina’s credibility has already been challenged during the defence’s cross-examination.
"(Otherwise) there will be no end to collateral issues," she said.
Fadzlette was scheduled to testify at the trial today. She was press secretary to Zahid when he was deputy prime minister, and is now the media director for the Umno president.
Raja Rozela said judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah had the power to control how much evidence is introduced through witness statements, as long as the statements are relevant to the main issues in the trial. "... this witness is here today to read out (the statement). It is definitely, in my humble submission, merely a collateral, secondary issue, a secondary fact which has no bearing whatsoever on the facts in issue.
"With that, the statement in Paragraphs 16 to 30, whether it applies to or makes reference to Major Mazlina, must be ruled as inadmissible on grounds of it being collateral evidence," she said.
The lead prosecutor raised the objection as it was found that Fadzlette’s witness statement contained attacks on Mazlina’s character as a key prosecution witness.
Meanwhile, Zahid's lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik requested for time to reply to the prosecution’s objection.
"Fadzlette’s witness statement was given to the prosecution within the 14-day deadline before she took the stand. There was no advance objection from them," he said. Raja Rozela then said the prosecution was not required to give notice about their objection as this was a basic evidential rule.
Sequerah adjourned the proceedings to tomorrow for the defence to make its submission.
"I think under the circumstances, we will give the defence time to research. So, I will hear the submissions in reply tomorrow morning," the judge said.
On Aug 30, Zahid completed giving evidence to defend himself after 17 days on the witness stand.
Zahid, 69, faces 47 charges: 12 of criminal breach of trust, eight of corruption and 27 of money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.


Russia unveils stealth fighter jet to compete with F-35s

Russia on Tuesday unveiled its new Sukhoi stealth fighter jet designed to compete with the US F-35 and capable of striking six targets simultaneously.Dubbed “The Checkmate”, the plane was first shown to a reportedly “pleased” President Vladimir Putin before the launch at a biennial airshow outside Moscow.Reports first surfaced that the jet was being manufactured in May last year.According to the launch video it was developed “in record time”.Few details had previously emerged about the plane that was developed by defence and technology giant Rostec and the state-controlled United Aircraft Corporation.“Our task is for this plane to be offered en masse to customers starting from 2026,” general director of the United Aircraft Corporation, Yury Slyusar, said.Rostec describes the aircraft as a fifth-generation light single-engine fighter jet that incorporates “innovative solutions” including artificial intelligence.The jet can attack up to six targets simultaneously on land, air or sea, “even under conditions of strong electronic interference”, the manufacturers said.With a price tag of between US$25 million and US$30 million, it will be able to carry drones and launch them during flights.Slyusar said he expected nearly 300 orders in the next 15 years mainly from the Middle East, Asia and Latin America for a price “seven times lower” than the F-35.He said plane is capable of destroying “fifth generation foreign aircraft” and “is designed to withstand the sixth generation systems that may appear in the coming decades”.An auto-pilot version is also being developed.Slyusar said he believed Putin was “pleased” when he saw the plane.Putin praised Russia’s aviation industry as he unveiled the biennial MAKS air show earlier Tuesday.“Russian aviation has great potential for development, and our aircraft industry continues to create new competitive aircraft,” Putin said.Putin has made investing in the army and developing new weaponry a priority over his two-decade rule.Russia has boasted of developing several weapons that circumvent existing defence systems, including the Sarmat intercontinental missiles and Burevestnik cruise missiles.


Amanah gives green light for talks with BN on state polls

The top leadership of Amanah has given the green light for discussions with Barisan Nasional (BN) about matters related to the six state elections this year.
Amanah communications director Khalid Samad said seat distribution and candidates would be among the matters to be discussed, adding that these have yet to be finalised.
"We will get to know each other and look at the seats that we can agree to be contested by either PH (Pakatan Harapan) or BN... work is in progress," he told a press conference today.
Meanwhile, Khalid said he had been appointed as Kelantan Amanah ad hoc chairman for six months in preparation for the state polls, effective January.
During this period, he will work with the current chairman Muhammad Husain to strengthen the party.
"The existing chairman has not been sacked, and I am only taking over his duties. The party’s constitution also allows for a six-month stand-in to revive and strengthen (the party) and assist the current chairman," he said.


Singapore hospital apologises for mistake in Pfizer vaccine jab

A specialist government hospital in Singapore has apologised to the family of one of its employees for mistakenly giving five doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, three more doses than required.The incident, which took place at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) on Jan 14, was discovered within minutes.“Our investigations showed that it was human error resulting from a lapse in communication among the vaccination team, who had been preparing and administering the injections at that time,” The Straits Times quoted SNEC as saying.It said the employee was admitted to the Singapore General Hospital and discharged two days later.According to SNEC, the worker in charge of diluting the vaccine had attended to other matters, and a colleague thought the undiluted dose was ready to be administered.The Straits Times said Singapore had vaccinated 175,000 people with the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine as of Tuesday.Some 6,000 people have also received their second dose.


Search for last landslide victim continues

The search for the last victim in the landslide tragedy at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Gohtong Jaya, Batang Kali, resumed this morning.
The search for the boy, which entered its eighth day today, started at about 8am with the rescue team assisted by six dogs from the tracker dog unit (K9) and assets from various agencies, including the police.
The weather at the search location this morning is clear, unlike the rainy conditions yesterday which forced the postponement of the search operation for safety reasons.
The landslide that struck at 2.42am on Dec 16, has so far claimed 30 lives, with 61 people rescued and one still missing.
In the operation yesterday, the rescue team recovered four bodies – an adult man and woman, as well as two children – at a depth of 7m in sector C (Riverside) at 11.04am.
The police, at a press conference late yesterday, confirmed the official and actual number of victims involved in the incident at 92, instead of 94 as previously reported.
Selangor police chief Arjunaidi Mohamed said the new total number of victims was confirmed after reviewing several documents, data and reports received from various parties, including the families of victims.


Millions head to Mecca for huge haj in Saudi heat

Enormous crowds of worshippers thronged Mecca, Islam's holiest city, on Friday for the biggest haj pilgrimage in years, with more than two million expected to brave the scorching Saudi Arabian heat.
Pilgrims in white robes and sandals packed the ancient city, now dotted with luxury hotels and air-conditioned shopping malls, after flooding in on planes, buses and trains for the annual rites.
This year's haj – one of the world's biggest annual religious gatherings, with a tragic history of stampedes and other disasters – could break attendance records, officials said.
"As the haj draws near, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia prepares... for the largest Islamic gathering in history," Minister of Haj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said in a video published by the ministry this week.
Rites include circling the kaaba, the large black cube in Mecca's Grand Mosque, praying on Mount Arafat and "stoning the devil" by throwing pebbles at three giant concrete walls representing Satan.
More than two million people from more than 160 countries will attend, Rabiah said – a dramatic increase on the 926,000 from last year, when numbers were capped at one million post-pandemic.
In 2019, about 2.5 million people took part. Only 10,000 were allowed in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising to nearly 59,000 a year later.
The haj is among the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives.
'Unbelievable feeling'
Travellers from around the world have been pouring into Jeddah's modernised airport, some of them using streamlined visa services to disembark from planes straight onto buses to their accommodation.
Some 24,000 buses will be in service to ferry the pilgrims, as well as 17 trains capable of moving 72,000 people every hour, officials said.
"It is an unbelievable feeling that is very emotional," Souad bin Oueis, a 60-year-old Moroccan pilgrim, told AFP after arriving on her first visit to Saudi Arabia along with her husband.
This haj will be the biggest since the requirement for women to be accompanied by male guardians was dropped in 2021.
This year, the maximum age limit has also been scrapped, meaning thousands of elderly will be among those contending with Saudi summer temperatures that are expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius.
The haj rituals begin late Sunday at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. The worshippers will sleep in tents on Monday night and spend Tuesday at Mount Arafat, the climax of the haj, where the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have delivered his final sermon.
After casting pebbles in the "stoning of the devil" ritual on Wednesday, marking the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday, pilgrims return to Mecca to perform a farewell "tawaf" – circling seven times around the kaaba.
Heat risks
Mecca pilgrimages are a major source of income for Saudi Arabia, which is embarking on an ambitious plan to overhaul its largely oil-dependent economy. The haj and year-round umrah rituals generate an estimated US$12 billion (about RM56.1 billion) annually.
An expansion project that involves scaling up infrastructure and transport supporting Mecca and Medina, where two of Islam's holiest sites are located, is a key part of the economic plan as the kingdom looks to increase visitor numbers.
This year's summer timing for the haj, which follows the lunar calendar, will test the endurance of worshippers during the four-day, mostly outdoor ritual.
More than 32,000 health workers will be on hand to help fend off heatstroke, dehydration and exhaustion.
But severe weather is just one of the risks at an event that has been hit by deadly incidents from stampedes to militant attacks.
Just eight years ago in 2015, as many as 2,300 worshippers died in a stampede during the "stoning of the devil" ritual in Mina near Mecca, the worst haj disaster ever.
More than 700 people died in a notorious attack in 1979, when hundreds of gunmen demanding the abdication of the Saudi royal family barricaded themselves inside the Grand Mosque, taking dozens of pilgrims hostage.
Ahead of the haj, security forces held a military parade in Mecca, including soldiers in full camouflage holding automatic weapons.
Umer Karim, a doctoral researcher focusing on Saudi foreign policy at Britain's University of Birmingham, said hosting the haj is a matter of prestige and a source of political legitimacy for Saudi rulers, the custodians of the holy sites.
The pilgrimage "gives the kingdom and its rulers a huge amount of esteem and prestige which then becomes a major source of the kingdom's soft power".


5 more states to move to Phase 4

Perlis, Perak, Penang, Sabah and Kedah will transition to Phase Four of the National Recovery Plan on Nov 8, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein announced today.He said the decision was made at a meeting of the Special Committee on Pandemic Management today chaired by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, taking into account current risk assessments by the health ministry and National Security Council.This leaves only Kelantan and Sarawak in Phase Three.In a statement, Hishammuddin also said the crew of ships making stopovers at Port Klang will be allowed to get their vaccine shots contingent on approval from the health ministry, marine department and immigration department.He said arrangements should be made to prevent the large-scale movement of crew members to clinics or medical facilities.Effective Nov 8 as well, fully vaccinated individuals of all ages will be allowed to enter stadiums and sports facilities although eating and drinking remain off limits.


Sabah passes anti-hopping bill

The Sabah legislative assembly yesterday passed the Constitution of the State of Sabah (Amendment) Enactment 2023 aimed at preventing party-hopping by state-elected representatives.
The bill garnered majority support from the assemblymen after it was tabled by Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, with 75 supporting, while four were absent.
Based on Article 43 of the Sabah state constitution, any amendment to the constitution cannot be passed by the legislative assembly unless it has been supported on the second and third readings by a two-thirds majority vote.
During the second reading, state opposition leader Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Senallang) proposed a bloc vote for the 2nd clause of the bill aimed at deleting Article 6 (7) from the state constitution.
Four clauses in the bill were approved with a majority vote, while the bloc vote for Clause 2 was supported by 61 assemblymen who agreed that Article 6(7) of the State Constitution should be deleted. Fourteen disagreed, while four assemblymen were absent. For the third reading of the bill, a total of 75 assemblymen expressed support, while four assemblymen were absent.
Hajiji, when winding up the debate on the motion said the bill aimed to delete Article 6(7) in the Sabah state constitution because it was no longer in line with the requirements under Article 6(3) following current political developments.
Article 6(3), among others, states that the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Sabah shall appoint as chief minister a member of the legislative assembly who in his judgment is likely to command the confidence of a majority of the members of the assembly.
Article 6(7), meanwhile, states that the leader of a political party that has won a majority of the elected seats of the legislative assembly in a general election and who is a member of the assembly shall be the one who is likely to command the confidence of the majority.
Explaining further, Hajiji said since the 14th general election in 2018, no political party had obtained a majority to govern the state and since then, the state government has been administered by a coalition of political parties.
"…the state government since 2018 has been a coalition government, so this does not meet the requirements of Article 6(7). "This (amendment) makes it easier for the TYT (Yang Dipertua Negeri Sabah) to make discretionary decisions, (on) who gets the support of the majority... and for the TYT to decide (on a situation) of the position of the coalition and the support of the assemblymen when the support (of a party) does not exceed 50%," he said.
Meanwhile, he said yesterday's amendment does not involve appointed assemblymen as they are not voted in by the electorate and do not have a constituency to represent.
Sabah has a total of 79 assemblymen of which 73 are elected and six appointed. The amendments stipulate that assembly members who switch parties will forfeit their position in the assembly and have to vacate their seats.


Anwar caused fall of PH, says Dr Mahathir

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has blamed Anwar Ibrahim for causing the 2020 downfall of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration, saying he would still be prime minister today if not for the PKR leader.In an interview with Utusan Malaysia, he said this would have prevented Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno from returning to a position of power in the current government.“When I resigned, the Agong asked all 220 MPs to write down their choice,” he said.“I thought PH would put my name as I was from PH. But Anwar said he had a lot of support. Anwar got 92 votes from PH and I got 62 – not from PH, but from other parties and other people, I don’t know who.”Mahathir said if he had received 92 votes from PH in addition to the 62, he would have gained the support of 154 MPs.“I would have been prime minister,” he added. “But he made me lose, and in so doing, he lost as well.”PH swept to power at the 14th general election in 2018, toppling BN which had held Putrajaya for more than six decades.However, the PH administration collapsed after 22 months due to internal pressure on Mahathir to resign as prime minister and make way for Anwar, as agreed.It was replaced by a Perikatan Nasional government led by Bersatu’s Muhyiddin Yassin, which saw Umno’s return to federal power.Muhyiddin meanwhile lost his majority support last year due to a group of Umno MPs aligned with their president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Najib Razak. He was succeeded by Umno’s Ismail Sabri Yaakob.In his interview, Mahathir also spoke of the push for a “big tent” approach among opposition parties for the general election to come.He agreed that such a move was the only way to remove BN from power, but said he would reject these efforts if they were led by either Anwar or Muhyiddin.He said both politicians had personal agendas to guard their own interests instead of that of the people.“If possible, we should have a big tent approach because our country is facing many problems, especially the Malays – the Malays have a lot of problems,” he said.“But we have to find people who are straight,” he added. “We can’t have people who go into politics for the sake of money and so on. Sorry.”