Scotland’s giant pandas may have to take the high road back to China

Edinburgh Zoo’s popular giant pandas may have to return to China because of financial losses caused by the pandemic.The zoo pays the Chinese government about £1 million (RM5 million) a year to lease Yang Guang and Tian Tian, and is nearing the end of its 10-year contract.Covid lockdown closures have led to a £2 million (RM10 million) loss for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, which runs Edinburgh Zoo.Chief executive David Field, said the charity would have to “seriously consider every potential saving”, including its giant panda contract.He said closures have had a “huge financial impact” on the charity because most of its income was from visitors.“Although our parks are open again, we lost around £2 million (RM10 million) last year and it seems certain that restrictions, social distancing and limits on our visitor numbers will continue for some time, which will also reduce our income,” Field said.“Yang Guang and Tian Tian have made a tremendous impression on our visitors over the last nine years, helping millions of people connect to nature and inspiring them to take an interest in wildlife conservation.”Zoo authorities and Scottish schools had hoped the pair would breed and encourage children to take an interest in endangered species.“I would love for them to be able to stay for a few more years with us and that is certainly my current aim,” said Field.The zoo has already taken a government loan, furloughed staff, made redundancies and launched a fundraising appeal, but was not eligible for the UK government’s zoo fund, which was aimed at smaller zoos.“At this stage, it is too soon to say what the outcome will be,” Field told the BBC. “We will be discussing next steps with our colleagues in China over the coming months.”


Speaker chides PKR man for citing unrelated articles from constitution to protest 80-MP rule

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun today chided a PKR MP for citing two Federal Constitution articles on taxation and finance to question the 80-MP rule, part of the Dewan Rakyat’s measures to minimise the risk of the spread of Covid-19.Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim had protested against the rule limiting the number of MPs in the house at any one time, saying it was a violation of their rights under the constitution.“Stopping MPs elected by the people from attending the Dewan Rakyat is against Articles 96 and 97, which are in Part 7 of the Federal Constitution,” said Hassan.Hassan was referring to the ruling announced by Azhar last week, that only 80 MPs would be allowed to attend each sitting during the current session: 41 MPs from the ruling bloc and 39 from the opposition.The move which was agreed to by party whips was based on the advice of the health ministry and the National Security Council.The rule was however suspended during the tabling of the budget last Friday which was attended by all MPs following calls from both sides. Azhar said he would not entertain similar calls this week.Responding to Hassan, Azhar said the two articles he cited did not mention the right of MPs to attend Dewan Rakyat sittings.Instead, he said, the articles were related to consolidated funds and the authority of the federal government over taxation.“Where in the Federal Constitution is it mentioned that at any one time, I must listen to 222 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat, when the Standing Order states the quorum as only 26?” asked Azhar.He said the 80-MP rule was not to stop others from taking part in the debate, adding that party leaders were free to select those who could attend.He also said the Dewan Rakyat was never fully attended, noting times when the necessary quorum could not be achieved.“When we reach a consensus on the 80-MP rule, why does this become an issue all of a sudden?”Urging MPs to appreciate the sacrifices of frontliners in the battle against Covid-19, he said: “Enough of this, let’s debate on the budget.”


Pakistan’s ex-PM Khan issues ultimatum on elections after mass rally

Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday warned the government to stage fresh elections or face more mass protests, after leading thousands of supporters to the capital Islamabad in a showdown with his political rivals.His morning address was the culmination of a chaotic 24 hours which saw the capital blockaded and clashes break out between police and protesters across the country.The government had attempted to prevent the convoy from reaching the capital by shutting down all entry and exit points around the city, but was forced to allow in the protesters by an emergency Supreme Court order.Since being removed from power through a no-confidence vote last month, cricket star turned politician Khan has heaped pressure on the country’s fragile new coalition rulers by staging mass protests, touting a claim he was ousted from office in a “foreign conspiracy”.“I want to give a message to this imported government to announce elections within six days. Dissolve the assemblies and call an election in June,” he said, to a thinned out crowds of thousands.He warned that he would return to stage a fresh rally next week if elections were not scheduled, and called on his supporters to disperse.The coalition government which has seen the country’s two normally feuding dynastic parties combine to push Khan out of power has repeatedly said it has no plans to hold an election.Thousands of supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party heeded his call to march to the capital from nearby cities on Wednesday.But confrontations erupted between police and protesters, who attempted to remove roadblocks on key highways to join the convoy.Police repeatedly used teargas on protesters in the capital, as well as the cities of Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi.The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said it was “deeply concerned by the highhandedness of law enforcement agencies” in disrupting the march.“The state’s overreaction has triggered, more than it has prevented, violence on the streets,” it tweeted.Forced negotiationsThe government headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had pledged to stop the protesters from entering the capital, calling the rally an attempt to “divide the nation and promote chaos”.But as chaos was breaking out around the country, the Supreme Court granted permission for PTI to stage its rally on the edge of the city.The court also ordered the government and PTI leaders to hold urgent negotiations over the political crisis and the release of supporters detained by police.More than 1,700 people have been arrested since police began raiding the homes of PTI supporters on Monday night, said Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, who has previously accused protesters of planning to carry weapons at the march.Khan joined the march in dramatic fashion, arriving in a helicopter that touched down on a motorway clogged with supporters in his power base of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.The international sporting hero came to power in 2018, voted in by an electorate weary of the dynastic politics of the country’s two major parties and enjoying the backing of the nation’s powerful militaryPromising to sweep away decades of entrenched corruption and cronyism, he is believed to have fallen out with Pakistan’s generals.He was brought down by opposition parties in part by his failure to rectify the country’s dire economic situation, including its crippling debt, shrinking foreign currency reserves and soaring inflation.But Khan retains mass support throughout the country, particularly among the youth.


Afghans rush to flee Taliban as hopes emerge for more time

Afghans on Thursday hurried to escape Taliban rule, but Western officials said the group had made assurances that some evacuations would be permitted after next week’s US withdrawal deadline.Over 80,000 people have been evacuated since Aug 14, but huge crowds remain outside Kabul airport hoping to flee the threat of reprisals and repression in Taliban-led Afghanistan.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the Taliban had made commitments to allow departure of Americans, “at-risk” Afghans and people from other nations even following Tuesday’s cutoff.“They have a responsibility to hold to that commitment and provide safe passage for anyone who wishes to leave the country,” Blinken told reporters.He added that at least 4,500 American citizens of the 6,000 who said they wanted to leave Afghanistan have already departed.Blinken spoke hours after Germany’s envoy to Kabul said a Taliban negotiator had assured him Afghans bearing the right documents could leave after the deadline, which was confirmed Tuesday by US President Joe Biden.Washington and its allies have been flying out thousands of Afghans every day on hulking military transports, but it has become an increasingly difficult and desperate task.Pleas for helpMany Afghans fear a repeat of the brutal five-year Taliban regime that was toppled in 2001, as well as violent retribution for working with foreign militaries, Western missions and the previous US-backed government.There are particular concerns for women, who were largely banned from education and employment and could only leave the house with a male chaperone during the group’s 1996-2001 rule.The Afghan capital’s airport has been gripped by chaos as US-led troops try to maintain a secure perimeter for evacuation flights, surrounded by desperate Afghans.Some have foreign passports, visas or eligibility to travel, but most do not. At least eight people have died in the chaos.“Does anyone… ANYONE… have a contact inside the airport,” pleaded one American on a WhatsApp group set up to share information on how people can access the airport.“My guy worked for us 2010-15 and needs to get out with 5 of his family. This is real bad.”The Taliban have also been accused of blocking or slowing access for many trying to reach the airport, although they have denied that charge.Biden said the Taliban were taking steps to assist, but there was also an “acute and growing risk” of an attack by the regional chapter of the Islamic State jihadist group.Despite the harrowing scenes at Kabul airport, the Taliban have ruled out any extension to next Tuesday’s deadline to pull out foreign troops, describing it as “a red line”.“They have planes, they have the airport, they should get their citizens and contractors out of here,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.Turkey, which had more than 500 non-combat troops stationed in Afghanistan, said Wednesday it had started pulling out its forces.The withdrawal signalled an apparent abandonment of the plans it had been negotiating to help secure Kabul’s strategic airport after the American departure.Belgium said Wednesday it was ending evacuations from Kabul after its military planes withdrew around 1,100 people – including Europeans and Afghans – in recent days.‘Won’t be enough time’European nations have warned they will not be able to airlift all at-risk Afghans before Aug 31.“Even if (the evacuation) goes on… a few days longer, it will not be enough,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Bild TV.A hard withdrawal deadline presents a further complication that may reduce the number of daily evacuations.But Germany’s envoy to Kabul said a Taliban negotiator had assured him Afghans who have the right documents will still be allowed to leave after the deadline.The US deployed fresh troops for evacuations.That 6,000-plus contingent, as well as hundreds of US officials, 600 Afghan troops and the equipment, will have to be flown out.To do that by Aug 31, the Pentagon said operations would have to start winding down days in advance.Following their lightning victory that stunned the world, the Taliban have so far been content to allow the US-led operation to continue, focusing instead on consolidating control and forming a government.They have vowed a different, more inclusive regime this time around, offering amnesty to opponents.An aid worker in Khost, a deeply conservative region in the southeast that fell to the Taliban shortly before they seized Kabul, told AFP the attitude of the former insurgents has so far been “much softer” than people expected.“But the people are afraid of a bad economic situation,” he added.Many Afghans, however, remain fearful and sceptical.The Taliban spokesman on Tuesday urged skilled Afghans to not flee, saying the country needed “expert” Afghans such as doctors and engineers.


US passes 400,000 deaths from Covid-19

More than 400,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the US since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University on Tuesday, the eve of the presidential inauguration of Joe Biden, who has made the fight against the coronavirus a priority of his first term.The bleak threshold was reached only about a month after the US recorded its 300,000th death from the disease, in mid-December, and nearly a year since it announced its first Covid death, at the end of February 2020.The toll in the world’s wealthiest nation remains by far the highest in absolute terms, though some other countries are registering more deaths in proportion to their populations, such as Italy, Britain and Belgium.After the first Covid-19 death was announced in the US in February 2020 it took about three months to pass the 100,000 mark, during a first wave that hit New York particularly hard.It took another four months to reach 200,000 fatalities, and just under three months to reach 300,000.But as cases have surged across the country with the arrival of winter and the holiday season in recent months, deaths have followed suit.About one American in two believes the virus is currently not at all under control, according to a Washington Post-NBC poll released Tuesday.Some 120,000 people are currently hospitalised because of Covid-19, according to the Covid Tracking Project, which analyzes data from across the country on a daily basis.‘Grieving loved ones’The US has recorded more than 24.1 million cases, according to the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus tracking website – though with testing shaky at the start of the pandemic, the real toll is believed to be much higher.The US began vaccinating its residents in mid-December, but it will take months before the current outbreak can be contained.Just over 3% of the population, or about 10.5 million people, have so far received one of the two vaccines licensed in the US – developed by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna – of which 1.6 million people have received the two required doses.Biden, eager to speed things up, has promised 100 million doses injected during his first 100 days in office.To achieve that goal he will push for the creation of new community vaccination centers in gyms, stadiums and schools, and will mobilize an additional 100,000 health care workers.


Japan raises age of consent from 13 to 16 years old

Japan's age of consent was raised from 13, among the world's lowest, to 16 years old on Friday as lawmakers passed key reforms to sex crime legislation.
A new bill, which also clarifies rape prosecution requirements and criminalises voyeurism, cleared parliament's upper house in a unanimous vote.
The age of consent – below which sexual activity is considered statutory rape – is 16 in Britain, 15 in France, and 14 in Germany and China.
Japan's had been unchanged since 1907, with children aged 13 and above deemed capable of consent.
In practice, across many parts of the country, regional ordinances banning "lewd" acts with minors are sometimes seen as effectively raising the age of consent to 18.
Under the new law, teen couples no more than five years apart in age will be exempt from prosecution if both partners are over 13.
Japan last revised its criminal code on sexual offences in 2017, for the first time in more than a century, but campaigners said the reforms were insufficient.
And in 2019, a string of acquittals in rape cases triggered nationwide rallies.
Under the previous law, prosecutors had to prove victims were incapacitated due to violence and intimidation.
Critics argued that requirement effectively blamed victims for not resisting enough.
The bill that passed Friday contains a list of examples under which rape prosecutions can be made.
These include victims being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, being frightened, and perpetrators taking advantage of social status.
A justice ministry official told AFP earlier this year that the clarifications were not "meant to make it easier or harder" to secure rape convictions, but "will hopefully make court verdicts more consistent".
The bill also contains a new "visitation request offence", according to the justice ministry.
It means that people who use intimidation, seduction or money to coerce children under 16 to meet for sexual purposes will face a prison sentence of up to a year or a fine of US$3,500 (about RM16,000).


NZ takes custody of ill baby from anti-vax parents

A New Zealand court on Wednesday took temporary custody of a sick infant whose parents blocked life-saving heart surgery because potential blood donors may be vaccinated against Covid-19.
The Auckland High Court ordered six-month-old "Baby W" to be placed under partial guardianship – allowing an urgent operation to correct a heart disorder known as pulmonary valve stenosis to go ahead.
The baby's parents had blocked the procedure on the grounds that any blood transfused could have come from a donor jabbed with an mRNA vaccine.
"The overriding issue is whether the proposed treatment is in (the baby's) best interests," the court said in a statement.
The child is now under the medical "guardianship of the court" until "completion of his surgery" and recovery, by the end of January at the latest.
The parents will remain custodians "for all other purposes", and will be "informed at all reasonable times of the nature and progress of Baby W's condition and treatment", the ruling stated.
The case has gripped New Zealand and underscored the potency of vaccine misinformation.
Health New Zealand spokesman Mike Shepherd said it was "a difficult situation for all involved".
"The decision to make an application like this to the court is always made with the best interests of the child in mind."
The baby is being treated at Auckland's Starship Children's Hospital.
'A really unusual case'
After the verdict, vocal anti-vaccine campaigner Liz Gunn told a small crowd of supporters to pressure Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to somehow reverse the decision.
"Jacinda, this is at your feet," she said, appearing close to tears. "Beg them to show some humanity in this country, which we were once so proud of and of which I am now so ashamed."
Health authorities had rejected the parents' request for unvaccinated blood, arguing it was impractical and unnecessary.
The family claims to have dozens of non-vaccinated donors lined up.
New Zealand's blood service does not make a distinction between donations from those vaccinated or unvaccinated against Covid, as there is no extra risk from using vaccinated blood.
"This is a really unusual case where the parents want better treatment for their child than the state is offering," Sue Grey, lawyer for the parents, said last month.
"It's gone down this path because we have a government and a blood bank... (who) are not willing to make these services available.
"Not only are they not offering those services, they are saying: 'We know best what's good for your baby and we want you to do it our way.'"


PBS, STAR maintain support for Hajiji as Sabah CM

The state assemblymen from Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) today reiterated their support for Chief Minister Hajiji Noor to continue leading the state.
PBS deputy president Joachim Gunsalam said the party and its assemblymen remained solidly behind Hajiji, adding that there was no need for a vote of confidence in the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) chairman in the Sabah state assembly.
"I am 110% sure PBS still supports the leadership of Hajiji Noor (as chief minister). I think there is no necessity (for a vote of confidence) but if it is required, I'm sure we will win," he told reporters in Kota Kinabalu.
Yesterday, GRS secretary-general Masidi Manjun said GRS was ready to prove that Hajiji still had majority support in the state assembly following reports that certain parties were claiming to have secured enough support to form a new state government.
STAR deputy president Ellron Angin also made clear the party’s support for Hajiji.
"As far as STAR is concerned, our assemblymen are all for Hajiji. We are faithful to him," he said.
PBS and STAR are component parties of GRS, which also includes the Sabah Progressive Party and United Sabah National Organisation.
The Sabah state assembly has 79 assemblymen, 73 of whom were elected and six appointed.
The Sabah government currently has the support of 59 assemblymen comprising 29 from GRS, 17 from Barisan Nasional, seven from Pakatan Harapan, three from Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat, one from Parti Bangsa Malaysia, one from Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah and one independent.


Thai hospitals short of beds as Covid cases soar

Thailand’s health ministry sounded the alarm over Bangkok’s dire lack of hospital beds and isolation facilities on Thursday as Covid-19 cases and deaths soared to a new record.The Southeast Asian country is struggling to contain its latest outbreak fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant, with infections and deaths skyrocketing and the healthcare system stretched thin.Despite the hardest-hit provinces being placed under severe restrictions and a nighttime curfew, Thailand on Thursday registered a new single-day record of 17,669 cases and 165 deaths.“I am speaking frankly – we do not have enough beds in hospitals,” said Somsak Akkasilp, the health ministry’s director-general of the Department of Medical Services, in an uncharacteristically candid press conference.“In big hospitals, all (intensive care units) are over-occupied. They have 10 beds for ICU but they have to handle 12 ICU cases,” he said, adding that medics were moving critical patients from the emergency room once the beds are vacated.Hospitals in the capital have the capacity to manage 1,000 new patients a day, but Somsak said they were well past that number – with 4,000 new cases recorded Thursday in Bangkok alone.While authorities are starting to recommend home isolation for milder cases, there are issues with supplying medicine to them, said Somsak.In addition, the city’s isolation and quarantine facilities are getting filled, and metropolitan authorities are working with private hospitals to free up more beds.“But I have to speak frankly – no matter how much we increase it, it is not likely to be enough for this current outbreak,” Somsak said.“We do not know if the pandemic has reached its peak yet… We have to flatten the curve,” he added.Thailand has reported more than 561,000 coronavirus cases and 4,562 deaths.The bulk of them were detected since the latest wave kicked off in April from an upscale Bangkok nightlife district frequented by the politically connected.The administration of Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha has come under vociferous criticism for its handling of the pandemic, from accusations of vaccine mismanagement to the lack of government compensation for affected sectors.Currently the kingdom is administering Sinovac, Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines.But the mass vaccination campaign has been slow, with much of the population angered that the government has not procured Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which use newer mRNA technology.The US embassy has donated 1.5 million doses of Pfizer vaccines to Thailand, which are expected to arrive Friday.


Australia part of Asia, foreign minister says on visit to Sabah home town

Visiting the Malaysian city where she was born, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said her story showed that Australia was part of Asia, as new data showed more than half of Australians were born overseas or had an immigrant parent.Wong visited Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Sabah, where she lived for eight years as a child before migrating to Australia, as part of an official visit to Malaysia.“One in two Australians are either born overseas or have parents who were born overseas so this is a very Australian experience,” she told media on her first visit to Malaysia since a Labor government won office last month.“It matters that Australia speaks to Southeast Asia in a way that recognises that we are part of this region and our futures are shared,” she said.Results of a census conducted every five years and released on Tuesday showed for the first time more than half of the Australian population (51.5%) were born overseas or had a migrant parent.“We are a multicultural and diverse nation… It is one of the strengths of who Australia is and we should tell that story in the region more,” she said.Wong recalled a day earlier in a speech that her grandmother, of Hakka Chinese descent, had raised her children alone in Sabah after most of the family died in World War Two.Wong’s father won an Australian scholarship to study architecture at the University of Adelaide, which “meant he could climb out of the poverty he experienced as a child”.He married an Australian woman, and the couple returned to raise a family in Kota Kinabalu.Wong’s comments and official visit to Malaysia come two decades after former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad famously said Australia could not join an East Asian diplomatic group because “they are Europeans, they cannot be Asians”.Britain, India, China, New Zealand and the Philippines were the biggest source nations for the almost one-third of Australian residents who were born overseas, the census showed, with Asian countries combined a bigger source than Britain and New Zealand.Mahathir, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, had predicted in a 2019 newspaper interview that migration meant Australia would in future “be more Asian than European”.


More needed to support SME recovery

I am a small-time businessman. Allow me to share some views about the economy from the perspective of those at the bottom of the economic rung.
Here is a painful truth for those in Putrajaya: the economy is sluggish, and there does not seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel.
The government can make all kinds of grand pronouncements like billions in FDI coming in or tonnes of allocation to kick-start our economy, but what really matters is whether it trickles down to the people.
As of now, we do not really feel much of it, if at all.
My peers in the small and medium enterprises, by and large, share the same sentiment. There is a general sense of reluctance to spend. Everyone is cautious with their finances, including the government, which has been slow in executing projects and disbursing funds.
To make matters worse, Bank Negara Malaysia, last week, unexpectedly decided to raise the overnight policy rate (OPR) to 3.00%. As a result, those who have taken loans with banks have to pay more in interest. Many businesses have outstanding loans, and the OPR hike will only add to our operating costs. Some of us may pass the burden to consumers.
The same goes for consumers, especially those with outstanding loans like housing. They would become more cautious with their money and spend less. So, on the one hand, businesses experience increased operating costs and, on the other hand, see lower turnover. And when some businesses pass the burden to consumers, the latter spend even less, resulting in a vicious cycle.
Why is the finance minister, who is also the prime minister allowing this to happen? Does he have poor advisers? Anwar Ibrahim was, in the 1990s, named the best finance minister in Asia. Has he lost his magic?
Earlier, Anwar shocked the business community when he said the government would look into the proposal for employers to raise their staff's EPF contribution to 20%. Perhaps the GLCs and blue chip companies can afford to do so.
But smaller companies like mine risk going under if this is enforced. I have about 15 staff, and my business is barely getting back on its feet after Covid-19. If my company has to fork out 20% of employees' salaries as EPF contribution, I would have no choice but to let go of about one-third of my staff or slash their overtime pay.
Is this what the government wants? More unemployment and businesses folding? Is the Anwar administration tone-deaf? Why is it committing economic harakiri at the expense of the people?
I am also surprised by one of Anwar's solutions to fix the economy. Last week, he said that wealthy tycoons who had benefited from previous governments should donate half of their wealth to poor Malays.
Have we become a socialist country? Or has the government run out of ideas on how to manage the economy at a time of global economic uncertainties? Whatever it is, the government's pronouncements are not instilling confidence in the business and investing communities.
I think it is time the government gets a grip on itself and addresses the fundamental problems in the economy. This is no time for piece-meal solutions or playing to the gallery for political goals.
The rakyat is suffering, and Anwar needs to get his act together.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


New cases drop to 9,600 as 16 more deaths reported

Another 9,673 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,372,697.There were 14,267 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,224,125.There are now 113,175 active cases, of which 110,385 or 97.5% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 357 (0.3%) are at quarantine centres while 2,281 (2.0%) have been hospitalised.A total of 152 are in ICU with 87 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 51.1%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 17.7%.Another 16 deaths were reported, including five who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,397.


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JPMorgan settles with Epstein victim in class action suit

JPMorgan Chase has agreed in principle to settle a class action lawsuit with a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, the US bank said on Monday in a joint statement with the woman's lawyers.
The settlement resolves one claim against JPMorgan, in a proposed class action by a woman who says Epstein abused her.
"Any association with him (Epstein) was a mistake and we regret it," JPMorgan said. "We would never have continued to do business with him if we believed he was using our bank in any way to help commit heinous crimes."
The largest bank in the US is still facing a lawsuit by the government of the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned two neighboring islands and allegedly abused victims in his mansion.
JPMorgan's litigation against its former executive Jes Staley, who it accuses of concealing what he knew about Epstein, is also ongoing.
Staley has said he regretted befriending Epstein, but denied knowing about his alleged sex trafficking. His lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.
The proposed class action lawsuit claimed JPMorgan ignored internal warnings about Epstein's sexual abuses of girls and young women and chose to keep the disgraced financier as a client.
JPMorgan kept Epstein, who was a client of the bank from 1998 until he was dropped in 2013, aboard even after his 2006 arrest on prostitution-related charges and a related guilty plea two years later.
Deutsche Bank, where Epstein was a client from 2013 to 2018, last month agreed to pay US$75 million (about RM346.5 million) to settle a similar lawsuit by women who say they were trafficked by the financier.
"The settlements signal that financial institutions have an important role to play in spotting and shutting down sex trafficking," Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for the woman known as Jane Doe 1 who sued JPMorgan, said in a statement.
Epstein died in August 2019 at the age of 66 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. New York City's medical examiner called his death a suicide.
The settlement partially resolves a rare public relations imbroglio for Jamie Dimon, who has been JPMorgan's chief executive since 2006.
Dimon testified under oath in May that he had barely heard of Epstein until the financier's July 2019 arrest, and did not recall discussing Epstein's accounts with other bank officials, including those authorized to terminate Epstein as a client.
Staley was once a close Dimon ally and considered a possible successor as CEO.
Dimon said he asked Staley to leave JPMorgan in 2013, prior to Epstein's termination, because he was not running its investment bank well. Epstein was not a factor in Staley's departure, Dimon said.
Documents disclosed recently in the lawsuit show that former JPMorgan counsel Stephen Cutler had requested the bank to cut ties with Epstein, but other executives resisted.


Agong stresses early warning system, aid distribution for flood victims

Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah wants the environment and water ministry to pay attention to the early warning disaster system in preparation for floods, its minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said today.
Tuan Ibrahim said the King also decreed that attention be given to the process of distributing aid and assistance to the people if disasters occur.
He said Sultan Abdullah said this after being briefed on the year-end weather and flood situation at the national flood forecasting and warning centre (PRABN) in Kuala Lumpur today.
"During the briefing, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) and the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) also presented their data, preparations and list of flood hotspots to His Majesty.
"His Majesty also wanted coordination in terms of assistance between Nadma (the National Disaster Management Agency) and other agencies to avoid confusion and to ensure that all aid and assistance really reaches the victims," he told reporters after the briefing, which was also attended by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali.
Also present were ministry secretary-general Zaini Ujang, DID director-general Md Nasir Md Noh and MetMalaysia director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah.
The briefing also included a presentation by Khairy on the latest Covid-19 situation and the health ministry's preparations for the flood season, including the deployment of healthcare workers to temporary relief centres and contingency plans if public health facilities are also inundated by floods.
When asked whether the briefing touched on preparations for the 15th general election, Khairy said it was mainly on the preparations for floods.
"His Majesty only sought normal input on our preparations for the monsoon season, not on GE15. Nothing on that. His Majesty is really concerned about the people’s well-being," he said.


Najib's review bid of SRC conviction reduced to one day

The apex court has fixed Jan 19 to hear Najib Razak's review application over his conviction, 12-year jail term and fine for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.
The court previously set three days, on Jan 19, 20 and 26, for the hearing of the former prime minister's review application.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul said they received an email from the Federal Court last Friday stating that the other two days had been vacated as some of the judges presiding on the panel to hear Najib's review were involved in another case which was fixed for continued hearing.
The 69-year-old former prime minister is serving a 12-year jail term at Kajang Prison after losing his final appeal at the Federal Court to set aside his conviction, sentence and fine of RM210 million in the Federal Court on Aug 23 last year.
Najib, through Messrs Shafee & Co, filed his application on Sept 6 last year, seeking a review of the Federal Court's verdict in affirming his conviction, sentence and fine. Najib also asked the court to review the Federal Court’s decision on Aug 16 last year, dismissing his bid to adduce further evidence relating to Mohd Nazlan Ghazali, the trial judge in his SRC International case.
On July 28, 2020, Nazlan found Najib guilty of seven charges: three of criminal breach of trust, three of money laundering and one of abuse of power.
Nazlan, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million in default of five years' imprisonment. His decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal on Dec 8, 2021.
Najib is asking for his appeal to be reheard by a new Federal Court panel consisting of at least seven judges, and to be given a stay of execution for his jail sentence pending the hearing of his review application.
The prosecution, in response to Najib's affidavit, filed an affidavit stating that Najib's review application had no merit and was an abuse of the court process.
They also said that Najib was given a fair trial and that there was no pre-judgment in his appeal at the Federal Court.


Minister denies siding with AirAsia in flight delay issue

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi has refuted allegations that he is taking AirAsia’s side in the issue of the company’s recent flight delays.Nanta said his ministry understood that airline-related issues fell under the transport ministry and the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).However, he said his ministry took proactive steps when receiving complaints from consumers regarding the flight delays and compensation claims made against the airline.“Due to the complaints made to the ministry and on the policy of this ministry that oversees consumer affairs, I contacted AirAsia to seek further clarification of the problems besetting fliers.“The accusations stating that I favour AiraAsia are unfounded, and I hope they will stop,” he said in a statement last night.Nanta said several statements had been issued on social media to share the results of the ministry’s engagement with AirAsia, including details of a meeting between the ministry and AirAsia’s top management yesterday afternoon.He said the statement made was not in favour of AirAsia, and that he himself had urged the company prioritise the welfare of the affected travellers.


Bahrainis condemn normalisation deal with Israel

Bahraini citizens have taken to social media to voice strong opposition to the normalisation deal with Israel.Palestinians have called the accord “treason”, and many in Bahrain seem to agree.Public response to the deal in the United Arab Emirates has been broadly positive, with Emiratis praising their government’s decision to normalise relations with Israel.More than a dozen agreements have already been announced between Emirati and Israeli universities, research institutes, and businesses planning collaborations.The public response in Bahrain has been harsher, including heavy criticism directed at the government, the Jerusalem Post reports.Bahrain is ruled by the Sunni Muslim al-Khalifa royal family, but the population is majority Shia Muslim.The country has a relatively tolerant approach toward freedom of speech, allowing the strong opposition to openly voice its concerns.Opposition activists launched a Twitter campaign titled “Bahrainis against normalisation”, which became the top trending tweet on Friday.Prominent journalist Razi al-Musawi said that the deal was made to serve the interests of Israel and the US, not those of Bahrain and the Gulf states.He believes the agreement effectively abandons the Palestinian issue.“We oppose normalisation, and we believe that the deal was reached without consulting all relevant entities,” Musawi said.Others, however, have expressed a positive attitude toward the deal.Ahadia Ahmad, head of Bahrain’s journalists association, said, “This is an amazing step, and a positive step towards the peace process. We need practical solutions, not emotional ones. Through a peace agreement with another country, more opportunities are opened for more negotiations.”


Anwar must explain U-turn on littoral combat ship project

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must give us a convincing explanation for his decision to go ahead with the scandal-hit RM9 billion littoral combat ship (LCS) project.
When he was the opposition leader in August 2022, Anwar called for the next phase of the LCS project to be scrapped. He said RM6 billion had already been "squandered" with no progress to show, and that the funds for the next phase of the project should be redirected to assist the people instead.
He said there was clearly a misappropriation of funds and leakage as well as "massive corruption". He also called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate all parties concerned, including the defence minister and the ministry’s secretary-general.
"The next phase (of the project) must be stopped as there have yet to be any commitments made. We must arrest this and stop the nonsense," he said at a press conference in Parliament.
"The half a billion (for the next phase of the project) should be spent for the welfare of veterans who have been clamouring for support."
The LCS project is said to be the largest defence procurement in Malaysia’s history with a total cost of RM9 billion. It was awarded to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) through direct negotiations. The Economic Planning Unit earmarked a budget of RM9 billion for the six vessels, with RM5.96 billion to be allocated under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011 to 2015) and the balance of RM3.04 billion under the 11th Malaysia Plan (2016 to 2020).
The defence minister who kicked off the project in 2010 was Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Zahid and his team decided on a model of ship that was not the one requested by the naval commanders. The defence ministry decided on a joint venture between the Malaysian shipyard Boustead and DCNS, the French defence contractor which had been mired in the Scorpene scandal. On May 26, 2011, the navy held a briefing with Mindef on the design and equipment of the LCS and selected the Sigma design by Dutch naval engineering group Damen Schelde.
Zahid initially agreed to the choice. By July 11, 2011, however, he had had a change of heart and insisted on the Gowind design by the French Naval Group (DCNS) on the advice of BNS. BNS subsequently negotiated with DCNS to begin the process for the design of the ships.
Between December 2011 and January 2014, the finance ministry paid BNS a total of RM1.3 billion as down payment on the RM9 billion contract. In June 2014, the government finalised the LCS contract and agreed to pay BNS RM1 billion per year over the period from 2015 to 2019. The rest of the payments would be made between 2020 and 2023.
Even though the government had paid BNS a total of RM5.94 billion, up to May 2019, BNS was 23 months behind schedule in the construction of the LCS. On July 16, 2019, BNS proposed that the contract value of the six LCS be increased by RM1.42 billion and that the delivery of the first vessel, KD Maharaja Lela, be deferred to February 2022 instead of April 2019, according to the original contract.
The delays and proposal for an increase in contract value prompted the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018 to undertake an investigation into the overall management of the project.
The Public Accounts Committee revealed that not a single ship had been completed although Putrajaya had spent RM6.08 billion. Explaining the delay, the defence minister said the contractor had failed to submit complete designs, failed to acquire the necessary equipment, and failed to adhere to design specifications. If this is true, it would mean that the taxpayers will be paying an extra RM1.4 billion to compensate the company for its own incompetence and negligence.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which investigated the project, recommended that several individuals be charged. As of May 31, 2019, the company had total debts of RM956.86 million. Apart from its weak financial position, the overall management of the contract by Mindef was poor, the committee observed.
The Public Accounts Committee ascertained from the investigation by the auditor-general that a full RM1 billion of the RM2 billion that was pushed through this questionable subsidiary mechanism for procurement simply cannot be accounted for at all.
On Aug 16, 2022, Ahmad Ramli Mohd Nor, the former managing director of BNS, was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust in relation to the LCS project, involving the fraudulent approval of payments amounting to RM21.08 million to three companies, without the requisite approval from the BNS board.
Nonetheless, in March 2022, the Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led administration decided to proceed with the project, before the release of the PAC report in August.
It is clear from the series of scandals, from Scorpene, OPVs and now to LCS, that we have a dubious system of arms procurement that enables politicians to hive off lucrative defence projects to cronies who cannot deliver on their commitments. All this is done in the name of promoting "Bumiputera empowerment".
While all these controversial projects took place during the former Barisan Nasional administration, the question now is: what is the champion of "reformasi" going to do about it? By carrying on with this LCS project, handled by BNS, Anwar has gone back on his stance before GE15 when he was opposition leader.
He has to give us a full explanation for this about-turn and assure us that we will get to the bottom of this scandal which involves his deputy, Zahid. There will be other huge military contracts in the future and taxpayers must be assured that a new system will be in place to ensure that such dubious carryings-on never happen again. As Anwar said only a few months ago, "We must arrest this and stop the nonsense!"
Parliamentarians should push for greater transparency in defence ministry arms procurements and seriously debate the defence budget and monitor the procurement process to prevent a repetition of the scandals of the past. Malaysians do not want to hear anymore about the devils involved in arms procurement corruption.
Kua Kia Soong is a human rights activist.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


No hybrid meeting, all MPs allowed to attend special sitting, says speaker

All 220 MPs are allowed to attend the special meeting of the third session of the 14th Parliament which begins tomorrow, says Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun.He said the proposal to conduct a hybrid meeting had been deferred, and the matter regarding hybrid sessions would not be discussed at the five-day special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat from July 26 to 29 and on Aug 2.As such, there is no limit on the number of MPs allowed in the House, and all elected representatives can attend, including those who have yet to be vaccinated against Covid-19, he said.There are 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat but two were left vacant after their representatives died.“The question of implementing a hybrid parliament session will not be discussed at the special meeting and we will defer the proposal for a while for it to be further refined in terms of requirements of the law and the like. This is the current status.“The hybrid parliament proposal is for the benefit of those who may not be able to turn up (in the Dewan Rakyat) or who cannot attend due to Covid-19.“We think the proposal to implement a hybrid parliament will make it safer for everyone,” he said at a virtual press conference on the final preparations for the special meeting.Azhar said almost all of the MPs have been vaccinated, with the latest information showing that 205 MPs have received the full two doses, 12 have received one dose and three have yet to be vaccinated.On the agenda of the special sitting, Azhar said only matters set by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin would be discussed, with no other motions allowed.He said unlike a regular meeting of the Dewan Rakyat, the special sitting was convened based on Standing Order 11(3) of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders which empowers the prime minister to set the agenda of the meeting.“… only the prime minister will appoint the business to be transacted during this special sitting. So nobody has a say on what is to be discussed in this special sitting, none other than the prime minister.“For MPs who have submitted motions for this special sitting, I will inform them. The motions cannot be carried forward to the next sitting and (they) need to send new notifications (motions),” he added.Standing Order 11(3) provides that: “If, during an adjournment of the House, it is represented to Tuan Yang di-Pertua by the prime minister that the public interest requires that the House should meet at an earlier date than that to which the House was adjourned, Tuan Yang di-Pertua shall give notice thereof forthwith and the House shall meet at the time stated in such notice. The business set down for that day shall be appointed by the prime minister and notice thereof shall be circulated not later than the time of meeting.”The Prime Minister’s Office had announced earlier that the special sitting was aimed at giving explanations to MPs on the National Recovery Plan (NRP) and the proclamation of emergency and ordinances made by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong under Article 150 (3) of the Federal Constitution.On allegations that there would be no question-and-answer sessions or debates at the special sitting, Azhar said these were a misconception as there would be room for MPs to raise questions and voice their opinions after the ministers concerned had given their explanations.“In my notices to all MPs, I’ve stated very clearly and expressly that I will allow all questions, allow all proposals, all discussions and everything. I do not know where this perception that I’m not going to allow debate to take place came from,” he said.Asked about suggestions to call Attorney-General Idrus Harun to attend the special sitting to answer questions on ordinances gazetted during the enforcement of the proclamation of emergency, Azhar said the Federal Constitution and other legal frameworks did not touch on this.“Secondly, it’s up to the attorney-general whether to come or not, even if it’s allowed, because the Federal Constitution is silent on this matter.“In Malaysia, the attorney-general is not a political appointment, so he is not answerable to Parliament. If in the UK, the attorney-general is a political appointment and he is answerable to Parliament,” he added.


Federal Court rejects bid by Najib's lawyer to discharge himself

The Federal Court has rejected the bid by Najib Razak's lead counsel Hisyam Teh Poh Teik to discharge himself from representing the former prime minister in his final appeal against his conviction and sentence in the SRC International case.
The five-man bench led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat unanimously denied Hisyam's request.
"We are of the unanimous view that in the present factual matrix, the counsel has failed to disclose adequate cause.
"Therefore, the application to discharge is refused and counsel remains on record in the interest of justice," Tengku Maimun said.
When asked if he wished to submit further, and to confirm if he had nothing to say about the 94 grounds in Najib's petition of appeal, Hisyam said no.
Tengku Maimun: So are you relying on the submissions from the Court of Appeal in relation to the findings of the High Court?
Hisyam: I have nothing to say.
The chief justice then ordered the prosecution led by ad hoc prosecutor V Sithambaran to submit.
Hisyam, who was appointed by Najib as his new lead counsel on July 26 to replace Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, had sought to recuse himself from representing the former prime minister, saying he needed more time as he was not prepared for the case.
On July 28, 2020, then High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Ghazali, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million after finding him guilty of seven counts of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power.
Najib's conviction and sentence were upheld by the Court of Appeal last year.


Japan probes 2 deaths after jabs from tainted Moderna batch

Japan is investigating the death of two men who received jabs from batches of Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine suspended from use due to contamination, the health ministry said Saturday.The men aged 30 and 38 died earlier this month after getting their second Moderna doses from one of three manufacturing lots suspended by the government on Thursday after several vials were found to be contaminated, the ministry said in a statement.The ministry said the cause of death was still being investigated and “currently, causal relations with the vaccinations are unknown”.Both men contracted fever after receiving their vaccinations and neither had underlying health conditions or allergic history, the ministry said.The suspension affects 1.63 million doses of Moderna Covid vaccines, which have been reportedly shipped to over 800 vaccination centres across Japan.Takeda, which is in charge of sales and distribution of the Moderna shot in Japan, said it received reports from several vaccination centres that “foreign substances” have been found inside unopened vials.Around 44% of Japan’s population has been fully vaccinated, as the country battles a record surge of virus cases driven by the more contagious Delta variant.Over 15,700 people have died from Covid-19 in the country, and large parts of Japan are under strict virus restrictions.


6,387 new cases, over a third in Selangor

Another 6,387 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 785,039.Selangor recorded 2,610 cases, Kuala Lumpur 819, Negeri Sembilan 523, Sarawak 424, Johor 324, Pahang 312, Kedah 273, Sabah 263, Perak 249, Melaka 206, Penang 157 and Kelantan 114.Labuan recorded 71 cases, Putrajaya 25 and Terengganu 17.Active cases stand at 69,447 with 923 in the ICU and 433 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 4,532 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 710,018.However, 77 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 5,574.


TikTok to invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia, says CEO

Short video app TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, said on Thursday it would invest billions of dollars in Southeast Asia over the next few years, as it doubles down on the region amid intensifying global scrutiny over its data security.
Southeast Asia, a region with a collective population of 630 million – half of them under 30 – is one of TikTok's biggest markets in terms of user numbers.
But the platform has yet to translate the large user base into a major e-commerce revenue source in the region as it faces fierce competition from bigger rivals of Sea's Shopee, Alibaba's Lazada and GoTo's Tokopedia.
"We're going to invest billions of dollars in Indonesia and Southeast Asia over the next few years," TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said at a forum it organised in Jakarta to highlight the social and economic impact of the app in the region.
He said content on its platform was becoming more diversified as it adds more users and expands beyond advertising into e-commerce, allowing consumers to purchase goods through links on the app during livestreaming.
Chew said TikTok has 8,000 employees in Southeast Asia, and two million small vendors selling their wares on its platform in Indonesia, the region's biggest economy.
The investment plan comes as the Chinese-owned company faces scrutiny from some governments and regulators because of concerns that Beijing could use the app to harvest user data or advance its interests.
Countries including Britain and New Zealand have banned the app on government phones, moves TikTok said it believed were based on "fundamental misconceptions" and driven by wider geopolitics.
TikTok has repeatedly denied that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and has said the company would not do so if asked.
The app has not faced major bans on government devices in Southeast Asia, but it has been under scrutiny over its content.
Indonesia presented one of its first major global policy challenges in 2018, after authorities briefly banned TikTok for posts they said contained "pornography, inappropriate content and blasphemy."
In Vietnam, regulators said it would probe TikTok's operations in the country because "toxic" content on the platform poses a threat to its "youth, culture and tradition."


Continuous heavy rain expected in 4 states

Continuous heavy rain is expected to occur in the states of Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang and Johor until Dec 22.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said in a statement that torrential rain (danger level) is expected to occur in Terengganu while continuous heavy rain (severe level) is expected in Kelantan, in the areas of Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Kota Bharu, Jeli, Tanah Merah, Bachok, Machang, Pasir Puteh and Kuala Krai.
In Pahang, similar weather is forecast in Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin.
Continuous rain at the alert level is predicted in Gua Musang, Kelantan; Jerantut and Maran in Pahang; as well as Segamat, Kluang, Mersing, Kulai, Kota Tinggi and Johor Bahru in Johor.
MetMalaysia also forecasts continuous rain over Sarawak, in Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu and Mukah, from Dec 23 to 24.


Pakistan grants extra powers to graft body probing Imran Khan, reports say

Pakistan has issued a presidential ordinance granting extra detention powers to the country's anti-graft body, which is currently investigating a case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan, media reported on Tuesday.
Khan, the country's main opposition leader who has faced a string of cases since being ousted from power last year, was arrested in the graft case in May, which led to violent protests across the country. He was later released on bail.
The legal tweaks involved granting the anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the ability to issue arrest warrants and detain suspects for 30 days if they did not cooperate with an investigation, Geo News reported.
Pakistan's information minister did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The move came hours before Khan and his wife were set to appear before the NAB in Islamabad and at hearings in other cases. The former premier left his home in the city of Lahore for Islamabad early on Tuesday, his party said.
The government can pass laws swiftly through a presidential ordinance when parliament is not in session, but the assembly has to endorse the law within 90 days.
Parliament was in session but was prorogued on Monday through a government notification uploaded on its website. The ordinance was issued on Monday night.
Government officials allege that Khan and his wife received land worth millions of dollars as a bribe from a real estate tycoon Malik Riaz through a charitable trust. Khan and his aides, as well as the tycoon, have previously denied any wrongdoing.
Khan and his party have faced a country-wide crackdown after the violence that followed his arrest, that included the ransacking of military installations. Hundreds of supporters and dozens of leaders were detained, and many have left his party.


Behind the dirt and garbage at low-cost flats

From a distance, the apartment blocks at Kayu Ara in Petaling Jaya look like any other urban neighbourhood, with their ubiquitous beige walls and cement-floored car parks.A closer look, however, drives home at least one clear difference: the garbage.Around the blocks and along the corridors, rubbish is everywhere – tied up in bags or just flung to the side.A strong smell of decay pervades the air in the blocks, which are dark and thick with grime. Somewhere above, a broken pipe leaks water which collects in pools on the floor below.The walls are covered in graffiti and cat excrement lies scattered about on the floor and in the stairwells.Here, in a ground-floor unit, Dania and her family have lived for the past five years.She said this was how the low-cost flats had always been in terms of cleanliness and hygiene.“It is what it is,” she told MalaysiaNow. “Sometimes, it gets cleaned up but it always becomes dirty again.”Dania has several children who are still of schoolgoing age, and she knows that the environment is not good for them.But like the hundreds of other families living there, she has no other choice.A countrywide problem?Several years ago, pictures showing similar conditions at a People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Penang took the internet by storm.A resident there said while the authorities would come to clean up the place, the garbage would soon accumulate again.Garbage lies strewn on the floor outside the ground-level units, thrown down by residents as they pass by or from the windows of upper floors.This appears to be a problem for many who live in low-cost housing areas, whether public or privately owned.There are also other problems such as a shortage of parking.Many of the low-cost flats in the country were built decades ago, and designed to maximise the number of units that could be squeezed in.This meant that more often than not, a large number of people would end up sharing a very small space.This gives rise to the question of whether the hygiene problems in such areas stem from the attitude of the residents themselves, most of whom are in the low-income bracket, or whether there are structural issues at hand involving planning and policies.Ainoriza Mohd Aini of Universiti Malaya said one of the problems was the lack of areas for garbage disposal.“At some PPRs, the spaces set aside for the disposal of rubbish are too small and cannot accommodate the volume of trash, including bulk items,” she said.Nevertheless, she did not deny that the issue also arose from the irresponsible behaviour of the residents themselves.If, for example, a lift is in need of repair, those living on the upper floors often just throw their garbage down or dump it on other levels or at other blocks, she said.Ainoriza, who has studied residents in PPR areas, said more domestic waste was also generated during the movement control order period, partly because of the increase in take-away packaging.“Management costs, especially for cleaning, are very high compared to the maintenance fees collected from the PPR owners,” she said, adding that inconsistent collection is another compounding problem.This was affirmed to MalaysiaNow by a member of the Kayu Ara management, who said that many residents do not even pay their maintenance fees.Ainoriza said the management should take firm action if residents are found to be throwing garbage anywhere other than the designated areas.This would include making a police report if property is damaged because of such acts, she said.This is in line with how neighbouring Singapore maintains the low-cost flats or HDBs in the city-state.Authorities there also hold campaigns and contests such as the “Cleanest Block Competition and Cleanest Estate Competition”, efforts that can be mimicked by local authorities in Malaysia.“In the end, I think that residents associations need to take proactive steps to remind everyone to help take care of the area,” Ainoriza said.“I have visited PPRs that are well maintained because the residents there have an understanding about their joint responsibility to keep the place clean.”In the UK, she said, there are bulk garbage disposal centres and rubbish dumps in residential areas are only for domestic waste.She suggested that future PPRs be built along these lines, to make it easier for residents to dispose of their garbage.Back at Kayu Ara, Dania dreams of moving out one day and living somewhere else.“I don’t want my children to have to deal with the issue of garbage or the other social problems in this area,” she said.“It’s not good for their future.”


Only mild symptoms in vaccinated staff who catch Covid-19, says health minister

Health ministry employees who were infected with Covid-19 after having completed two doses of vaccine only experienced mild symptoms, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said today.He said most of the health workers infected with Covid-19 were Category 1 and 2 patients, with no symptoms or only mild ones.“Out of 243,309 ministry personnel who had completed their vaccinations, only 0.75% or 1,834 workers were infected with Covid-19.“Of the infected number, only one was a Category 4 patient who required oxygen and two were in Category 3, while 1,219 were in Category 2 and 612 in Category 1,” he said at the weekly media conference on the development of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.Adham said while those who had been vaccinated could still be infected with the virus, the rate of infection and number of severe cases were very low.“Most of those who were infected did not have symptoms or only showed mild symptoms. This can reduce the pressure on the health system especially in the ICU and the (need for) hospitalisation.“This means that the vaccines we use do provide protection and the efficacy of the vaccines is reaching the desired level,” he added.


Several rockets fired at Kabul airport as evacuation winds down

Several rockets were fired at Kabul’s airport Monday, witnesses and security sources said, less than 48 hours before the US is due to complete its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.The sound of rockets whooshing over the capital was heard by AFP staff before the morning rush hour began.A security official who worked in the administration toppled two weeks ago by the Taliban said the rockets had been fired from a vehicle in north Kabul.The sound of the airport’s missile defence system could be heard by local residents, who also reported shrapnel falling into the street – suggesting at least one rocket had been intercepted.Smoke could be seen rising above buildings in the north, where the Hamid Karzai International Airport is located.Social media posts – which could not immediately be verified – also showed a vehicle on fire after being apparently struck by retaliatory fire.Further details were not immediately available.An evacuation of foreigners and Afghans considered at risk of Taliban retribution for working with US-led forces for the last 20 years is in its finals stages and will officially end Tuesday when the last American troops pull out.The Islamic State group, rivals of the Taliban, pose the biggest threat to the withdrawal after carrying out a suicide bomb attack at the airport last week that claimed more than 100 lives, including 13 US troops.US President Joe Biden had warned more attacks were highly likely, and the US said it carried out an air strike Sunday night in Kabul on an explosives-laden vehicle.


Ku Li’s seat in Dewan moved to independent bloc

The seating position of Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in the Dewan Rakyat has been changed to the independent bloc, says Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon.He said the change in seating position was made by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun after receiving an application from the backbencher Umno MP popularly known as Ku Li.“The (new) seating position (for Razaleigh) has actually been set by the speaker to be at the back, which is with the independent bloc,” he told reporters at Parliament today.Rashid said the speaker had enlisted Standing Order 2(2) of the Dewan Rakyat which enables him to allot a seat to every member with such allotment to vary from time to time as he sees fit.Razaleigh in a letter to Azhar dated July 26 had requested that his seating position in the Dewan Rakyat be moved near the independent bloc which does not support the current government.


Vietnam choosing new leaders to leverage US-China tensions

Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party gathers in Hanoi next week for a congress that will help shape the country’s global role for the next five years.The congress will select new leaders and set policy as tensions grow with Beijing and a new US administration gets up and running.The Communist Party’s 13th Congress will be looking for leaders to leverage Vietnam’s economic success by balancing relations with China and the US.Vietnam has become an important strategic partner to both in a world economy that’s being deprived of previous longstanding certainties.Buoyed by the redirection of global trade in its favour because of a US-China row, Vietnam is steadily growing into one of the world’s most important tech manufacturing hubs, as well as a garment-making centre.Its economy is on track to recover faster than most after the pandemic, which the country has been successful in containing so far with airtight quarantine measures resulting in just over 1,500 infections and 35 deaths in total.Vietnam – one of the last five Communist-ruled countries in the world besides China, Cuba, Laos and North Korea – has seen its economy outstrip much of Asia over the past year.Most analysts expect continuity in Vietnam’s economic, domestic and foreign policy-making after the congress, reports Reuters.The shift in global supply chains caused by Trump’s trade war with Beijing has benefited Vietnamese exporters, but the new Hanoi leadership will have to contend with increased scrutiny from the US and a largely unknown new leadership in the White House.The US Trade Representative said earlier this month Vietnam’s actions to push down the value of its currency were “unreasonable” and restricted American commerce, but did not take action to impose punitive tariffs, leaving that decision to the Biden administration.The other principal external challenge, observers say, will be finding ways to deal with China’s increasing aggressiveness in claiming vast, potentially energy-rich, swathes of the South China Sea which overlap with Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone.Though Vietnam and China have for years been embroiled in a dispute over the South China Sea, China remains the largest source of materials and equipment for Vietnam’s thriving manufacturing industry.Strengthening Vietnam’s national defences is also on the agenda, as is tackling issues surrounding the development of the Mekong river, which Beijing largely dictates.And of course keeping the country’s guard up against Covid-19 by vaccinating the population.


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UK researchers identify T-cell targets for future Covid vaccines

British researchers said on Wednesday they had identified proteins in the coronavirus that are recognised by T-cells of people who are exposed to the virus but resist infection, possibly providing a new target for vaccine developers.Immunity against Covid-19 is a complex picture, and while there is evidence of waning antibody levels six months after vaccination, T-cells are also believed to play a vital role in providing protection.The University College London (UCL) researchers examined 731 health workers in two London hospitals during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, and found that many had not tested positive despite likely exposure to the original coronavirus.They found that, while a subset of the workers did not generate antibodies or test positive with PCR tests, they had still generated a large and broad T-cell response following possible exposure.This suggests that rather than the workers avoiding exposure to the coronavirus altogether, the T-cells had cleared the virus before there were any symptoms or positive test result – a so-called “abortive infection”, the researchers said.“We know that some individuals remain uninfected despite having likely exposure to the virus,” said Leo Swadling, lead author of the study, which was published in science journal Nature.“What is really informative is that the T-cells detected in these individuals, where the virus failed to establish a successful infection, preferentially target different regions of the virus to those seen after infection.”Current vaccines, which provide high protection against severe disease but do not fully stop transmission or re-infection, target the spike protein of the coronavirus.In contrast, the T-cell responses that led to abortive infections in the UCL study recognised and targeted instead “replication proteins”.The researchers said that while such T-cells were associated with protection from detectable infection, they were not necessarily sufficient for protection alone, and the study did not look at whether people had protection on re-exposure.They added that the replication proteins are among the least changed by mutations to coronaviruses, and exposure to other coronaviruses may be one reason why some of the health workers were able to mount such quick T cell responses.It also means that a vaccine which targeted these proteins in addition to the spike protein should work against a broad range of coronaviruses including the currently dominant Delta variant, the researchers said.“This is a strong rationale for including these proteins to supplement spike in next-generation vaccines,” Swadling told reporters.


Facebook tests paid subgroups in subscription push

Facebook is testing ways for creators to make money through Facebook Groups, such as users paying fees for exclusive access to content or conversations within subgroups, the company said on Thursday.Facebook, which recently changed its name to Meta, said the test was part of its broader paid subscription effort. The social media company is one of many tech giants that have been working to woo social media creators and their large followings through payments and new tools.Facebook, which has in recent years focused on building communities as a tactic to drive engagement on the site, said Group administrators will be able to run e-commerce shops to sell merchandise or create community fundraisers, which could offset the costs of running a Group.On Wednesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg also said that creators would be able to share custom links allowing them to accept payments directly, in a swipe at Apple’s subscription fees. Facebook launched its subscriptions service last year.The company announced a series of updates to its Groups product during its live-streamed Communities Summit. It said the subgroups feature, which can be free or paid, would allow members to break off within groups to focus on certain regions or topics.Facebook Groups have been under scrutiny from lawmakers and researchers who argue that they provide closed spaces for health misinformation, violent rhetoric and extremism to proliferate without being properly policed.A company spokesman said Facebook was testing community fundraisers with select Groups and that Groups created in the last 30 days, violate its content rules or frequently share harmful content or misinformation were not eligible.Facebook said Group administrators would get tools to customise their group’s appearance and members would soon be able to give “community awards” for valuable posts.The company also teased a new experience combining “the best of Groups and Pages in one place,” and said it would allow administrators of Pages to use the same moderation tools as Groups. It said this was in early testing over the next year.


New infections top 2,000 as 4 more deaths logged

Another 2,025 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,560,583.There were 2,367 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,497,078.There are now 27,747 active cases, of which 26,541 or 95.7% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 14 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,155 (4.2%) have been hospitalised.A total of 37 are in ICU with 19 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 63.1%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 8.5%.Another four deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,758.


We should be thanked, says one of 4 reps who triggered Melaka polls

Former Pengkalan Batu assemblyman Norhizam Hassan Baktee has no regrets about his decision to withdraw support for Melaka Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali, a move which sparked the dissolution of the state legislative assembly, paving the way for only the second election since the start of the pandemic last year.In fact, he said, the people of Melaka should thank him and the three others – Idris Haron (Sungai Udang), Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas) and Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundor) – who declared a loss of confidence in Sulaiman’s leadership.Speaking in an interview with MalaysiaNow, he said he had withdrawn his support for the chief minister based on the principle of rejecting greed and ignorance, even though it would mean him losing his position in the state assembly.“We saved the people of Melaka, we saved the property and assets of the Melaka government from being robbed,” he said.“The people should be grateful to the four of us. We lost everything because of our principles.”The four who had united in their decision have now moved in different directions.Idris and Azman joined Pakatan Harapan (PH) while Norhizam struck out on his own. Nothing has been heard of Noor Effandi, who was not nominated by the coalition led by PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim.Norhizam, who is also a former Melaka government exco, will defend his Pengkalan Batu seat in a five-way fight come Nov 20.Independent candidate Norhizam Hassan Baktee speaks with volunteers at his service centre in Peringgit, Melaka.He faces Muhammad Danish Zainuddin (PH), Mohd Azrudin Md Idris (Perikatan Nasional), Mohd Aluwi Sari (Putra) and Kalsom Nordin (Barisan Nasional).The former deputy DAP chairman in Melaka won the seat in 2018 on a PH ticket. He quit the party last year, announcing his support for the BN-PN government in the state.Now working alone as an independent candidate, he said he is confident about his campaign despite his lack of support from other parties.“Actually, when we cannot officially campaign and we can’t go down to the ground or from door to door, I’m the one who benefits as I have a KPI,” he said.“When I go down to the ground, we have pictures that function as proof of our record and our KPI which says we did our work.“Twenty-two thousand voters in Pengkalan Batu know who Norhizam is,” he added.Checks of his social media platforms show that Norhizam, popularly known as “the viral YB”, began his campaign well in advance, with videos and pictures of him handing out aid to the people.Most recently, he shared a campaign poster based on the popular Netflix TV series, Squid Game.Norhizam is no stranger to the world of politics.He is known for his involvement in controversial issues, including a video clip of him raising his voice at a group of residents three years ago and his comments on the pig situation in Melaka.But he said the majority of his critics are outsiders, and that voters in the constituency know better.He is also confident that people will remember his service to them while his opponents, in his words, are just only beginning to sow their promises.“Whatever the perception or views of the people out there, let them say what they want to. What is important is focusing on the voters in Pengkalan Batu,” he said.Norhizam is banking on his image as a “hustler” able to solve the troubles of the people without any fuss.A big question ahead of election day is which bloc he will support if he succeeds in defending his seat.“If there is a need for me to be the kingmaker, we will look at the needs of the people,” he said.“I don’t want to be egotistical, but my support comes with conditions. I don’t want a government that behaved like the previous one, where even things that were forbidden were allowed.”


New infections at 255 as another 4 deaths logged

Another 255 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,039,067.
There were 306 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,992,386.
There are now 9,731 active cases, of which 9,392 or 96.5% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 327 (3.4%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 12 are in ICU with five in need of respiratory assistance.
Four more deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 36,950.


Cops nab Instagram account holder suspected of obscene communication with minors

Police yesterday arrested the owner of an Instagram account known as “safieyillias94” on suspicion of sexual grooming and having obscene communication with minors.Kajang district police chief Mohd Zaid Hassan said a remand application would be made today.“Give us time to investigate the case,” he told Bernama without giving further details on the arrest.The act was believed to have occurred recently, when the Instagram account holder in question was chatting and holding a live video session with another Instagram user by the name of “pipinatasha” and two minors.During the session, they were also seen smoking vape or e-cigarettes.


Code of ethics signed by Malay rulers 30 years ago draws the line on politics, business and media

A landmark proclamation in 1992 by six Malay rulers – five of whom were the fathers of present rulers – had set some ground rules on the conduct of sultans in discharging their constitutional duties, in a document that was drafted with the help of senior Umno leaders at the time, including Anwar Ibrahim.The Proclamation of Constitutional Principles received the consent of six Malay rulers including then-Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Azlan Shah in July 1992, following a protracted debate on the involvement of the royalty in business as well as perceived interference in politics.The signing of the proclamation, which was available officially in both Malay and English, was attended by the rulers of Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis and Pahang, as well as then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and top Umno leaders of that time including then-party vice-president Anwar Ibrahim, among the Umno leaders responsible for drafting the document.Anwar at the time welcomed the proclamation as a step forward in strengthening the system of constitutional monarchy.“Umno and the government’s stand on the position of the Malay rulers and principles of constitutional monarchy have been clarified in the proclamation,” Anwar, currently the PKR president, had said.Veteran social critic Chandra Muzaffar said it was important to reiterate the contents of the proclamation.“If after 29 years it has become necessary to reiterate this fundamental principle, it is because some individuals are trying to manipulate the rulers to extricate themselves from issues of right and wrong and to further their own nefarious agendas,” Chandra, who left PKR’s precursor Parti Keadilan Nasional three years after he helped found the party in 1999, told MalaysiaNow.“The rulers and the people should not allow this to happen for what is at stake is the integrity and viability of the Malaysian nation,” he said.Strained ties with palaceThe proclamation was signed after two years of strained ties between Umno and the palace, following claims of palace interference in Kelantan, as well financial allocations and business projects involving the Selangor palace.In 1990, the election year in which Umno lost Kelantan to an alliance of PAS and Semangat 46 – the party led by Kelantan royalty Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah – the Umno general assembly heard delegates questioning what they said was the involvement of the Kelantan sultan in party politics.They were also unhappy with the action of some rulers to vent their displeasure with the government in the media.“It is clear that in this matter, the rulers in their actions and comments to the media had interfered in matters of state administration which are actually within the jurisdiction of the menteri besar and state executive council members,” members of the Umno Supreme Council wrote in a letter to the Agong in February 1992.The letter was the result of a series of statements and memorandums from Umno which were critical of the rulers over various incidents involving the royal families of Selangor, Kelantan and Johor.Some five months after the letter to the Agong, the Proclamation of Constitutional Principles was signed by six Malay rulers, including Sultan Azlan Shah, the Agong at that time.However, the sultans of Kelantan, Johor and Kedah did not sign the document.Reminder on powersFor Chandra, the 1992 document is a good reminder for rulers, the Cabinet and the people as a whole.“It reaffirms the fundamental guidelines that shape the institution of constitutional monarchy, which is one of the cornerstones in the entire system of governance in Malaysia,” he told MalaysiaNow.“It is crystal clear from their own proclamation that the Agong acts on the advice of the Cabinet at the federal level just as the rulers act on the advice of the state executive councils at the state level. This is in accordance with the Malaysian constitution.”Key points of proclamationThe proclamation served as a code of conduct for the royal institution, stating their rights and responsibilities as well as the areas in which they had no say or must abide by the advice of the government of the day.Among others, it specified how sultans were to conduct themselves in matters involving politics and the appointment of the menteri besar, state executive council members and senior government officers, as well as in getting advice from the executive.“We shall in accordance with the general principle provided in each State Constitution, act on the advice of the State Executive Council or of the Menteri Besar,” the proclamation stated.On politics, the proclamation made it clear that “we are not directly or indirectly involved in party politics”.The document also touched on how the rulers would conduct themselves with regards to business activities, expenses of the royal households, religion and the media.The rulers said they had the right to be consulted and briefed by the menteri besar on the state’s administration as well as to “encourage” and “caution” the government.But they also pledged not to take their case to the media.“We, in accordance with constitutional practice, do not disclose to or discuss with the media any matter pertaining to the administration of the State which is likely to give rise to controversy,” the document said.The rulers similarly pledged to stay out of any business activities except through trustees and nominees.Click here to read the full text of the proclamation.


Prada drops Chinese actress over alleged illegal surrogacy row

A developing surrogacy scandal has caused luxury fashion house Prada to drop the popular Chinese actress unveiled as the company’s face of China a week ago.Surrogacy is illegal in China and allegations have emerged that Zheng Shuang arranged to have two children born to surrogates abroad, but then abandoned them after splitting up with her partner.Condemnation of the actress flooded online sites after the news broke, with many calling for her to be barred from working in the entertainment industry again, says the BBC.Within days of the scandal emerging, the Prada Group released a statement on Chinese social media site Weibo saying the “significant recent media coverage” of Zheng’s personal life had led them to terminate all relations with her.Earlier this week, her ex-partner Zhang Heng took to Weibo to address speculation about why he had been out of China for such an extended period of time.He revealed he had been taking care of “two young and innocent lives” – the children. He also said he was stuck in the US, calling his situation “helpless”.His post quickly captured the attention of social media users, and it wasn’t long before media outlets found the children’s birth certificates, which showed they were born in the US to two separate women in late 2019 and early 2020.Zheng was listed as their mother, which surprised some, as the actress has never been seen in public visibly pregnant.The intense speculation over the potential use of surrogates appeared to be confirmed by an audiotape leaked online, in which Zheng is heard expressing frustration that it was too late for the pregnancies to be terminated after her relationship with Zhang ended.A report in state-run newspaper Global Times said the women were about seven months pregnant at that time.A man, reportedly her father, is then heard suggesting that the children could be given up for adoption.The recording was met with an avalanche of anger, with many people calling the actress cruel and accusing her of being an irresponsible mother.In a statement on Tuesday, Zheng referred to the audio recording, saying it was just a clip taken from a “six-hour” conversation.Local media outlets suggest Zhang cannot enter China with the children without Zheng signing the necessary paperwork.State broadcaster CCTV put out a statement saying that China prohibits surrogacy,  and that “surrogacy and abandoning children are against social morals and public order”.Many on Weibo said it was an option only open to rich people who could afford to hire surrogates overseas.


Selangor, Sarawak log over 700 new cases

Another 2,847 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 387,535.Selangor recorded 748 cases followed by Sarawak (717), Kelantan (476), Kuala Lumpur (302), Johor (130) and Negeri Sembilan (105).Penang recorded 89 cases, Sabah 82, Perak 45, Kedah 44, Melaka 42, Pahang 39, Putrajaya 14, Terengganu 11 and Labuan three.Active cases stand at 22,512 with 260 in the ICU and 125 in need of respiratory assistance.Eight more clusters were detected:1. Jalan Roban Lama (Saratok and Kabong in Sarawak; 275 screened, 48 positive)2. Jalan Selirik (Kapit in Sarawak; 108 screened, 23 positive)3. Jalan Sungai Daun (Seberang Perai Selatan in Penang; 90 screened, nine positive)4. Persiaran Sri Saujana (Kota Tinggi and Johor Bahru in Johor; 441 screened, eight positive)5. Mempaga Satu (Bentong and Maran in Pahang and Petaling in Selangor; 221 screened, 44 positive)6. Gong Dermin (Kota Bharu in Kelantan; 152 screened, 51 positive)7. Sri Desa (Temerloh and Bentong in Pahang; 303 screened, 10 positive)8. Jalan Bukit Bintang (Lembah Pantai and Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur; 16 screened, seven positive)Six others ended, leaving 354 active clusters across the country.Another 2,341 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 363,608.However, eight more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,415.


WHO warns of new Covid wave in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday warned of a new wave of Covid-19 infections in Africa due to delayed vaccine supplies, a slow rollout and new variants.The African bureau of the UN agency said the continent had to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of vaccine rollouts.“The delay in the delivery of vaccine doses from the Serum Institute of India earmarked for Africa, the delay in the deployment of vaccines and the emergence of new variants means that the risk of a new wave of infections remains very high in Africa,” it said in a statement.It added that new variants such as the ones that emerged in India and South Africa could unleash a “third wave” on the continent.“The tragedy in India does not have to happen here in Africa, but we must all be on the highest possible alert,” said regional WHO director Matshidiso Moeti.“While we call for vaccine equity, Africa must also knuckle down and make the best of what we have. We must get all the doses we have into people’s arms.”Some African countries had been exemplary in deploying vaccines, WHO said, without naming them.But it added that in spite of this, only just under “half of the 37 million doses received in Africa have been administered so far”.Africa now accounts for only 1% of vaccine doses administered globally, WHO said – down from 2% a few weeks ago, as other regions’ rollouts are progressing much faster.The first vaccines deliveries to 41 African countries under the Covax scheme began in March but nine countries have so far administered only a quarter of the doses received, while 15 countries have used less than half of their allocations.The vaccination rate in Africa is the world’s lowest. Globally an average of 150 vaccine doses per 1,000 people have been administered, but in sub-Saharan Africa it is hardly eight doses per 1,000, according to WHO.


Whale of a tale: US fisherman says swallowed by humpback

It sounds like a real-life take on “Pinocchio” – a US lobster fisherman says he was scooped into the mouth of a humpback whale Friday and yet lived to tell the story.“I was in his closed mouth for about 30 to 40 seconds before he rose to the surface and spit me out,” Michael Packard wrote on Facebook hours after his brush with the depths.“A humpback whale tried to eat me,” he added. “I am very bruised up but have no broken bones.”Packard’s beyond-belief big fish yarn began, he told local paper Cape Cod Times, when he was diving for lobster off the coast of the northeastern state of Massachusetts.“All of a sudden, I felt this huge shove and the next thing I knew it was completely black,” he said after being released from the hospital.He was about 10m down and his first thought was that he had been attacked by a shark, but the lack of teeth and obvious wounds made him reconsider.Packard said he began to struggle – but unlike in the classic children’s tale “Pinocchio” there was no need to build a fire to secure his escape.“I saw light, and he started throwing his head side-to-side and the next thing I knew I was outside (in the water),” Packard told the paper.The story says Packard’s fishing mate Josiah Mayo “saw the explosion of water as the whale surfaced and Packard was ejected”, but doesn’t include any quotes attributed to him.Jooke Robbins, director of humpback whale studies at the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown, Massachusetts, said she had no reason to doubt the account.“I didn’t think it was a hoax because I knew the people involved… So I have every reason to believe that what they say is true,” she told AFP.Robbins said she had never heard of an “accident” of this type, but “it may be that he (Packard) was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”“When they (whales) fish… they rush forward, open their mouth and engulf the fish and the water very quickly,” she said, adding they have large mouths, but throats so narrow they wouldn’t be able to swallow a human.The whale, which according to Mayo’s description was on the young side, “may not be able to detect quickly enough that something is in the way”.Even if all the details weren’t yet known, one thing was clear for Robbins: “It is important for people to be quite aware… And when they see a whale, keep a good distance. It’s really important to give whales their space.”


Judges nix bid to probe wider theory in MH17 trial

The case of a Russian suspect on trial for the downing of flight MH17 suffered a setback Wednesday after judges slapped down a request to probe alternative theories on how the jet was brought down.Prosecutors in the trial in the Netherlands say the Malaysia Airlines plane, which was shot down in 2014 killing all 298 people on board, was hit by an air-to-ground missile fired from territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists.However, in June, defence lawyers for Oleg Pulatov, the only one of four suspects on trial to have legal representation, asked judges to allow the examination of other possibilities, including the idea that a Ukrainian fighter jet was to blame.But judge Hendrik Steenhuis denied the request, saying it was “up to the prosecution to prove the main scenario”.“If the prosecution cannot prove the main scenario, the accused will be acquitted anyway,” Steenhuis told a hearing at a highly-secure courthouse near Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport, from where the ill-fated flight MH17 took off.“The relevance of alternative scenarios is therefore small,” Steenhuis said.Steenhuis also declined Pulatov’s offer to answer judges’ questions in writing, saying he “is invited to be present at the hearing and to answer his questions in an open court”.The three-judge bench did however allow a number of Pulatov’s requests, including that the commander of Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade in Kursk – where prosecutors say the missile came from – be interviewed.Russia previously declined an appeal by prosecutors for a similar interview.Judges said Pulatov could also question his commander and fellow accused, Sergei Dubinsky, about Pulatov’s involvement in tapped phone calls, which formed a large part of the prosecution’s case against him.Steenhuis then postponed the hearing to Feb 1, 2021 when the case proper is expected to start.Four suspects – Russian nationals Pulatov, Dubinsky and Igor Girkin and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko – are all accused of being key figures among the separatist rebels battling Kiev.Pulatov was an ex-Russian special forces soldier and one of Dubinsky’s deputies who allegedly helped transport the missile system to Ukraine from its base in Russia.


New infections top 2,430 as 5 more deaths reported

Another 2,431 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,811,327.
There were 1,820 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,748,732.
There are now 26,299 active cases, of which 25,024 or 95.2% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, seven (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 1,206 (4.6%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 62 are in ICU with 40 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 62.0%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 16.9%.
Another five deaths were reported, including two who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,296.


I didn't close down Saudi centre, says Mahathir

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said he had no knowledge of the closure of a Saudi-backed centre in 2018, following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's remarks criticising the move against it during the veteran leader's brief second term under the Pakatan Harapan government.
"I don't know about the closure of this centre," he told reporters, referring to the King Salman Center for International Peace (KSCIP).
"All I know is that it was recently reported that the centre was closed. Who closed it, I don't know."
Anwar previously said he had never agreed with the move to close down the centre, first mooted by Saudi monarch King Salman Abdul Aziz during his visit to Malaysia in 2017.
Following the fall of the Barisan Nasional government a year later, then defence minister Mohamad Sabu was reported by Al Jazeera as saying that the centre had been ordered to cease operations immediately. The report also said that no reason was given by Mohamad.
'I was always greeted by head of state'
Meanwhile, on Anwar's failure to meet Saudi de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mahathir who led the government for 22 years said he had always been greeted by the head of state on his official visits overseas.
"This was an official visit. When I was the prime minister, I made official trips to many countries.
"I was always greeted by the head of state at every country," he said.
Mahathir said he did not understand why neither Mohammed nor King Salman Abdul Aziz had met with Anwar.
"Perhaps they had views which we do not know of which made them reluctant to meet with Anwar," he said.
"Those who did meet with Anwar were only low-ranked officials."