Defence ministry assures will cooperate with combat ship probes

The defence ministry says it will fully cooperate with all authorities involved in investigations with regard to the littoral combat ship (LCS) issue.
Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said his ministry was ready to assist all authorities involved in the investigations, including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Public Accounts Committee, Investigation Committee on Public Governance, Procurement and Finance Investigation, and Forensic Audit.
"We have nothing to hide but instead want the investigations to be settled for the sake of the Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM), the people and the country.
"The defence ministry can also assure that there will be no interference in the Cabinet’s decision and the three things that I have put forward. First and foremost, TLDM needs the LCS and therefore the project must go on in tandem with the Cabinet’s decision in April," he said in a statement.
Secondly, he said, those involved and found guilty must be brought to face the law while the third request is that within six months, the ministry will carry out discussions with the original equipment manufacturer, vendor and financial institution to mobilise the completion of the LCS. "It is important for all stakeholders to focus on efforts to continue the LCS project to ensure that TLDM is equipped with the LCS as soon as possible, as it is much needed," said Hishammuddin.
Meanwhile, former TLDM chief Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin, who spoke at the LCS 1 launch in Lumut back in 2017, said naming and launching before a ship is completed and commissioned had been a tradition practised by TLDM for many years.
He said accusations that the LCS launch in Lumut in 2017 was aimed at cheating the people were not true because it was the actual LCS 1 ship that was in the building process and not a dummy that was launched.
"The launch in Lumut was not the first. Such a practice is also followed by other countries, but if the ship has not been completed, I can understand the feelings of the people. I am just called upon to correct the confusion among the public.
"When the integrity of TLDM is at stake, we need to correct such perceptions. The public must be clear about the truth and not be confused," he said in a statement.


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Amanah unhappy with ‘no court cluster’ condition in PN’s support for IsmailAn Amanah leader has spoken strongly against the “no court cluster” condition imposed by Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin in exchange for the coalition’s endorsement of Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the next prime minister.Amanah vice-president Mahfuz Omar, who is also the Pokok Sena MP, said such conditional support was tantamount to blackmail by PN.“Therefore, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong must seek a new process that will ensure that the next PM is someone who is not afraid of internal political blackmail… and is not tied to his own party’s political interests,” Mahfuz said, hours after Muhyiddin confirmed PN’s support for Ismail.Muhyiddin said his coalition’s support for Ismail was on the condition that the new Cabinet would not include those who are facing criminal charges in court, a reference to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, former leader Najib Razak and several MPs known as the “court cluster”.“If appointed as prime minister by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, he must ensure that his Cabinet members will be composed of those with integrity, who are trustworthy and who are free from any criminal charges in court,” said Muhyiddin, who had said that he was forced out of office for not entertaining a group of “kleptocrats” scheming to escape corruption charges.Ismail was among the Umno leaders and Cabinet members who had refused to join Najib and Zahid in campaigning for Muhyiddin’s ouster by revoking their support for him.The Umno vice-president is said to have received support from 114 MPs comprising those from his party as well as from PN, GPS and several independents.Mahfuz said PN’s condition was also against a letter from the Dewan Rakyat speaker, in which MPs were told to state clearly their choice of prime minister without any reservations.“I believe that with the conditions and threats from PN to Ismail, Malaysia is sliding to a Mafia-style politics of blackmail,” he added.


Daily caseload at 543 as another 4 deaths reported

Another 543 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,029,337.
There were 688 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,981,052.
There are now 11,415 active cases, of which 10,828 or 94.9% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 554 (4.9%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 33 are in ICU with 14 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another four deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,870.


Long-term solution to flood problem needed now, says Zahid

Long-term measures to resolve the flood problem, including holistic flood mitigation projects, should be implemented immediately, says Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
"Long-term solutions are needed urgently so that no matter how heavy the rain is, floods can be managed well," he said at a press conference after chairing a central disaster management committee meeting in Putrajaya yesterday.
He said although the government was told this would involve huge costs, including the RM15 billion flood mitigation project implemented by the previous government, such efforts when completed could ensure good long-term flood management until 2100.
"For areas that are below sea level, it should also be resolved on a long-term basis because the problem of stagnant water due to floods occurs in many places in our country.
"We have asked for coordination with the Drainage and Irrigation Department so that a solution can be found quickly as it is linked to the problem of economic growth and people’s livelihood in places where stagnant water gathers due to floods," he said.
Zahid said the government would also get volunteers involved in combating and managing floods.
"For the first time, we are including voluntary bodies or volunteers in the (central disaster management) committee, and we want similar involvement at the national, state and district levels and relief centres.
"This will not only ease our burden of duty but also lead to better effectiveness in solving flood problems, especially concerning victims," he added.


Give EC time, law minister urges on Undi 18

Law minister Takiyuddin Hassan today said that the Election Commission (EC) should be given space and time to implement automatic voter registration and lower the age of voting to 18.He said various procedures had to be addressed before these could be put in place, including dealings with the National Registration Department (JPN).“It is not easy (to implement Undi 18) as a lot of issues need to be taken into account. Among the problems faced by EC is addresses, that has to be referred to JPN. So long as the addresses are not complete, we are afraid that some might not be able vote as they would not know where to vote.“Based on the address on the identification card, the EC will decide where the voter will vote, which state, parliamentary constituency,” he told reporters after an event today.Takiyuddin also said the EC is an independent body not bound to the government and, as such, its decisions would not favour any party over the other.Last Thursday, EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh announced that automatic voter registration and the lowering of the voting age to 18 could only be implemented by Sept 1 next year.Following the announcement, various parties disputed the matter including some who considered the postponement of the implementation of Undi 18 as unreasonable.


Guan Eng loses bid to transfer graft case to High Court

The hearing of former Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng’s corruption case involving the construction of an undersea tunnel and paired road project in Penang will remain in the Sessions Court.This followed a decision by a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeal headed by justice Nor Bee Ariffin today, unanimously dismissing Lim’s appeal to transfer his corruption trial from the Sessions Court to the High Court.Judge Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, when delivering the court’s decision, said Lim’s approach in using Section 417 of the Criminal Procedure Code, specifically for the trial to be held at the High Court as a platform to bring his appeal to the Federal Court, should not be allowed.For cases starting in the Sessions Court, the appeal will end in the Court of Appeal, while cases starting in the High Court will end in the Federal Court.Che Mohd Ruzima said there was no mistake made by the High Court judge in ruling that Lim had failed to meet the requirements under Section 417 (1) (b) and Section 417 (1) (e) of the Criminal Procedure Code.The two legal questions raised by Lim were not extraordinary legal questions, he added, nor had they never been decided by any court before.As such, he said, Lim’s appeal was dismissed and the High Court’s decision upheld.Also sitting on the panel was judge Hashim Hamzah.Lim, the Bagan MP, had filed an appeal against High Court judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin’s decision in dismissing his application to transfer his case from the Sessions Court to the High Court.Lim is facing four charges involving the construction of an undersea tunnel and paired roads in Penang worth RM6.3 billion.According to the first amended charge, Lim is accused of using his position as Penang chief minister to obtain a bribe of RM3.3 million as an inducement to assist Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd owner Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli to secure the construction project worth RM6,341,383,702.Lim allegedly committed the offence at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office, Level 28, Komtar, George Town, between January 2011 and August 2017.In the second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a bribe of 10% of the profit from the company as gratification to secure the project.The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, between 12.30am and 2am in March 2011.Lim, who is also DAP secretary-general, faces another two charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8 million belonging to the Penang government to be disposed of to two companies linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project.The two offences were allegedly committed at the Penang Land and Mines Office, Level 21, Komtar, on Feb 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017.A total of 11 prosecution witnesses have testified in the hearing of the case which started on July 13 this year.The trial is scheduled to continue on Nov 29 before judge Azura Alwi.A panel of lawyers headed by Gobind Singh Deo is representing Lim, while the prosecution is represented by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin.Gobind, when met by reporters, said he would obtain further instruction from his client on whether to appeal against today’s decision at the Federal Court.


Hong Kong govt urges residents spooked by citywide lockdown not to panic

Hong Kong’s government said any decision to impose a Covid-19 lockdown would take into account the global financial hub’s status and ensure basic needs such as food and urged anxious residents who raided supermarkets this week not to panic.The government said it was still planning and “refining” details for a compulsory mass Covid testing scheme and would announce details once they had been confirmed.The government statement, released late on Tuesday, comes amid widespread confusion and chaos with many residents fatigued and frustrated by the mixed messaging and almost daily tweaking of coronavirus rules.Leader Carrie Lam had previously said that a citywide lockdown and compulsory testing were not being considered.However Health Secretary Sophia Chan on Monday said that a lockdown had not been ruled out, fueling rumours and sparking a rush for groceries, pharmacy products and banking services.Hong Kong has stuck firmly to its “dynamic zero” coronavirus policy, like in mainland China, which seeks to curb all outbreaks. Some business leaders, medical experts and diplomats have questioned the sustainability of a zero Covid policy as cases surge.The government will “safeguard the status of Hong Kong as a financial centre when implementing the Compulsory Universal Testing scheme (CUT)”, it said.“The experience of implementing a CUT initiative in other parts of the world shows that the basic needs of citizens such as food, necessities and the seeking of medical attention outside home should be addressed.” Citizens should not “panic nor scramble or stockpile the relevant supplies”.The former British colony has reported more than 230,000 coronavirus infections and more than 800 deaths since the pandemic began in 2020. Around 500 deaths have been in the past week, with the majority being unvaccinated residents.Daily reported infections have soared more than 30 times to over 30,000 since the start of February when there were around 100 daily cases. There have been more than 800 deaths, with around 500 deaths in the past week.Health experts from the University of Hong Kong said there were around 1.7 million people already infected as of Monday, with a peak of around 183,000 daily infections expected in the coming week.


Teachers reminded to get their jabs as students return to school

Education Minister Radzi Jidin has issued a reminder as schools reopen that teachers who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 could face strict action including termination of service.A Twitter post by his communications team last night said the service circular issued by the Public Service Department (PSD) on Oct 18 applies to all public officials including teachers who choose not to be vaccinated without any concrete reason.“Beginning Nov 1, any official in the public service who refuses to be jabbed without a medical reason can be terminated,” it added.The PSD Service Circular No 4/ 2021 on the Covid-19 Immunisation Implementation Policy for Federal Public Service Officers states that any officer who fails to comply with the instructions of the head of department can face disciplinary action or termination of service.Officers who cannot complete their Covid-19 vaccinations due to health factors meanwhile could be instructed to undergo a medical check-up with a registered medical practitioner.They may also be instructed by the head of department to undergo a Covid-19 test if they have been confirmed unfit to receive the vaccination for health reasons.“Officers are responsible for obtaining complete Covid-19 immunisation as prescribed by the government. This is to ensure a safe work environment and service delivery, as well as public service productivity of an optimal level,” read the circular.This followed the PSD’s announcement on Sept 30 that all federal civil servants are required to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before Nov 1.On Sept 22, Radzi said 90.5% of teachers in the country had been fully vaccinated as of Sept 20.He also said that 85.8% of administrative staff and 79.2% of support staff had completed their vaccination while 7.2% of teachers, 11.4% of administrators and 15.1% of support staff were awaiting their second dose.Radzi had previously stated on several occasions that teachers who refuse to be vaccinated would not be allowed to teach face-to-face classes when schools reopen.In mid-September, it was reported that more than 100 teachers in Terengganu were refusing Covid-19 jabs.As of last week, meanwhile, some 300 teachers in Perak had yet to be vaccinated against the highly contagious virus.State Education, Higher Learning and Human Resource Committee chairman Ahmad Saidi Mohamad Daud said based on the information received, the unvaccinated teachers were still waiting for their vaccination appointments through MySejahtera, while some had yet to register.


Covid can infect brain cells, study shows

The coronavirus can infect brain cells, leading to a reaction that could possibly trigger neurological and psychological complaints, Dutch researchers said on Thursday.Although the spread of coronavirus rapidly stops, leading to limited damage after entering the brain via the nose, it triggers cytokines, small proteins that act as messengers within the immune system, said the study published in the US-based mSphere microbiology journal.“These can play a role in local infections… that possibly contribute to neurological and psychological complaints among many (ex) patients,” said the study, done by the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam.“What we saw was similar to the fact that infection by SARS-CoV-2 seldom leads to serious encephalitis in which the virus spreads uncontrollably through the brain,” said Debby van Riel, virologist at Erasmus University.“But the fact that SARS-CoV-2 possibly can enter the brain via the olfactory nerve and locally infect cells, which leads to an inflammatory response, can certainly contribute to neurological disorders,” she said in a statement.Since the coronavirus pandemic started, patients around the world have reported neurological and psychiatric disorders such as memory problems, headaches, rare psychoses and in some cases encephalitis.One in three people who contracted Covid were diagnosed with these disorders within six months of being infected, said a large study published in April in The Lancet Psychiatry specialist journal.Growing data has indicated that the virus could enter the brain via the olfactory nerve, the Erasmus study added.However, what happens when the virus entered the brain remained poorly understood, it said.“Apart from our findings, the immune system probably also plays a role,” said Femke de Vrij of Erasmus’ psychiatry department.“More research is needed,” she added.“We have now observed the virus in cells over a short period of time. We also just looked at a limited number of brain cells,” said De Vrij, adding that further research “will tell us more about what the viral infection does with brain structures over the short and longer term.”


In Rengit, ‘tiny’ Pejuang all out to prove that size isn’t everything

A light drizzle falls on the town of Rengit in Batu Pahat, Johor, where blue flags bearing the logo of Pejuang are festooned over the mid-sized building which serves as the party’s operations room for the upcoming state polls.At a small stall across the road, Nizam Bashir Abdul Kariem Bashir, Pejuang’s candidate for the state seat of Rengit, takes a break from his packed schedule to grab a quick bite.Nizam has been on the move ever since nomination day last Saturday. Much of his time is spent on the road, covering what ground he can of Johor’s vast expanse.Come election day on March 12, he will face off against Mohd Fuad Zarkashi of Barisan Nasional (BN), Khairuddin A Rahim of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Mohd Huzair Lajis of Perikatan Nasional (PN).Nizam Bashir speaks with supporters on nomination day for the Johor state election last Saturday. Nizam is in a four-way fight for the constituency of Rengit, against candidates from BN, PN and PKR.Competition is expected to be stiff, especially given that Pejuang will be running in an election for the first time.But Nizam, who like Pejuang is a first-time contestant, doesn’t buy the general opinion that the party, led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is a greenhorn or underdog.A lawyer by training, he spoke of the veteran leader as an “icon” for Pejuang.“There are also other icons in the party,” he said in an interview with MalaysiaNow. “When I meet with the people, everyone knows Mahathir, and they give me an encouraging response.”The name of Mahathir, known throughout the country, is no less familiar in Johor where he is best remembered for his tangles with the state palace.Nizam himself acknowledged the former prime minister’s fraught ties with the Johor royalty but said the meeting point for any party must be the Federal Constitution.Pejuang launched its manifesto for the state election on March 12. But while the party is untested on the field, Nizam believes that size is not the deciding factor.He said PH lynchpin PKR in its early days was also seen as a small party but nevertheless succeeded in winning a number of seats.“The issue is not whether a party is small or not, but whether the individuals representing it are capable or not,” he said.‘Saturated’ Malay vote marketPejuang, founded by Mahathir and his son Mukhriz Mahathir, is fielding 42 candidates in the Johor election. The bulk of these candidates will be running in Malay-majority constituencies.Pejuang will be fighting for their votes alongside other parties such as Umno, PAS and Bersatu.Unlike the others, though, it will be going solo in the election instead of working together in a coalition.For Nizam, the saturated market for votes is no obstacle as the Malay community there is still expanding.“There has been an increase in the number of communities and Malays from the 60% figure before,” he said.“This shows that there is still room for one more party.”He nonetheless added that Pejuang is not out to represent only the Malay community.MalaysiaNow previously reported analysts as saying that voters in Johor would study the factor of political coalitions.Should this occur, the three major pacts of BN, PN and PH will be the focus, leaving little chance for solo parties.Others believe the Johor polls will be a repeat of the recent election in Melaka.But Nizam said this was a flawed perception.In Melaka, he said, BN succeeded in forming the government despite winning just 38% of the vote in the November polls.“In Melaka, Pejuang did not contest and Undi 18 was not a factor,” he added, referring to the lowering of the minimum age of voting from 21 to 18.On his own aspirations in Rengit, he said he wanted to see more economic activities, particularly in local tourism.“This is a matter being studied by everyone looking to administer in Rengit,” he said, adding that Rengit’s location beside the sea made it especially suitable for tourism activities.“Umno has ruled Rengit since 2004. Maybe because no one else checked – there are next to zero efforts to attract tourists to the area,” he said, comparing the little-known beach at Perpat to the Minyak Beku beach in Senggarang which is much more lively.On his competition for the seat, Nizam said each candidate had his own strengths and challenges.Having practised law for more than two decades now and given many commentaries on constitutional issues, he is confident that he is the best candidate for the 27,000 voters in the constituency.Rumours of dissatisfaction among the BN grassroots with the candidacy of BN’s Fuad, the former director-general of the Department of Special Affairs (Services), may also help Nizam’s campaign.At the 14th general election in 2018, Rengit was won by BN’s Ayub Jamil who defeated his competitors from PKR and PAS with a margin of more than 9,000 votes.Ayub, a former Johor housing and local government exco, has not been listed to contest in the state election this time.


Flash flood warnings issued for seven states

The National Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (PRABN) under the Drainage and Irrigation Department has issued a notice for flash flood preparations in seven states.
The seven states are Kedah, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Sarawak and Kuala Lumpur.
In Kuala Lumpur, the locations include the World Trade Centre; Jalan Kuching; Kampung Baru; Jalan Pekeliling, Bulatan Dato Onn-Bank Rakyat; Bulatan Pahang, Jalan Batu Bata, Jalan Pahang, Jalan Chan Sow Lin and Jalan Cheras in front of Ekocheras Mall.
Also affected are Jalan Cheras-Desa Aman, Jalan Loke Yew, Kepong Baru, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Masjid Jamek, Universiti Malaya, Jalan Duta, Kampung Pantai Dalam, Jalan Dang Wangi, Jalan Maarof, Jalan Kia Peng, Jalan Leboh Pasar,  Bangsar LRT station, Shah Alam Highway toll (Kesas) and Sungai Besi LRT.
In Selangor, the districts at risk are Gombak, Petaling, Kuala Selangor and Sepang.
Meanwhile, in Negeri Sembilan, the districts at risk are Jelebu, Rembau and Seremban while in Melaka they are Alor Gajah and Jasin. In Johor, Batu Pahat, Muar, Segamat and Tangkak are named and in Kedah, Kuala Muda.
In Sarawak, the areas at risk are Sungai Siol and Petra Jaya in Kuching.
According to PRABN, the risk is based on rainfall forecast information from the numerical weather prediction model by the Malaysian Meteorological Department and the Southeastern Asia-Oceania Flash Flood Guidance System system.
The notice was issued to enable residents, especially those living in high-risk areas, to be alert to any potential flash floods during the period.
Residents in high-risk locations are advised to follow the instructions issued by the authorities or flood disaster management agencies.
More information can be obtained at https://publicinfobanjir.water.gov.my, Facebook @PublicInfoBanjir and Twitter @JPS_InfoBanjir.


Industrial workers in Penang, Selangor, to be prioritised for Covid jabs, says Azmin

Manufacturing and industrial workers, especially in Penang and Selangor, will be prioritised in the administration of the Covid-19 vaccine, says International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali.Azmin said the two states were industrial zones with vibrant economic activities contributing to the country’s economy.“These are the zones where the workers will be given priority to receive the injections,” he told reporters after distributing bubur lambuk or rice porridge to the public in Hulu Kelang yesterday.He was commenting on the statement by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow who said the state government was still waiting for a response from the federal government regarding the call for industrial and manufacturing sector workers, categorised as economic frontliners, to be given priority in receiving the Covid-19 vaccine.Azmin said the government was committed to ensuring that the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme could be implemented as quickly as possible, including providing vaccine injections to foreign workers.“They (the workers) play an important role in restoring the country’s economy and if the vaccines can reach Malaysia on schedule, the vaccination process could be completed by the end of the year.“So far, the supply of vaccines is running smoothly. We were informed that in May and June, the supply will increase significantly and this will speed up the immunisation process,” he said.Asked about the ministry’s actions if the country is faced with a fourth wave of Covid-19 as the industrial sector is currently operating at full capacity, he said it was ready to take any action based on the risk assessment submitted by the health ministry.


Muhyiddin to make 2-day official visit to Indonesia

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will make a two-day official visit to Indonesia beginning tomorrow, at the invitation of Indonesian President Joko Widodo.The prime minister and his wife Noorainee Abdul Rahman are scheduled to arrive at the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta at 5pm (western Indonesia time).Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia Zainal Abidin Bakar said it would be Muhyiddin’s first visit to Indonesia since being appointed as the eighth prime minister on March 1, 2020.“There are several things that touch the interests of both countries that require the highest level, face to face and heart to heart discussions,” he told a press conference at the Malaysian embassy in Jakarta today.On Friday, the prime minister will be given an official welcoming ceremony at Istana Merdeka in Jakarta, following which the two leaders will hold a meeting before conducting a joint press conference.“Issues expected to be discussed include those related to palm oil discrimination, haze, potential investment and trade joint ventures, implementation of the reciprocal green lane, and cooperation in addressing Covid-19,” Zainal said.He said the delegation would follow strict health protocol including undergoing swab tests before departure and on arrival, as well as quarantining upon returning to Malaysia on Friday evening.“Recognising the importance of Malaysia-Indonesia bilateral ties and the Covid-19 pandemic challenges, the prime minister himself has requested that the visit be held briefly with small delegations.“Indonesia also respects this request,” he said. “The official welcoming ceremony was planned to be held at Istana Bogor but was later changed to Istana Merdeka in Jakarta because Indonesia understands the situation and the importance of logistics during the pandemic,” he said.Indonesia is Malaysia’s ninth largest trading partner globally and the third largest among Asean countries.“In 2020, total bilateral trade recorded RM66.17 billion (US$15.7billion), while Malaysia’s total investment in Indonesia is the second largest in Indonesia at US$1,045.3 million,” Zainal said.Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein is also scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning, and will hold a meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.


MACC man says did not investigate Syed Saddiq's source of income

A Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer told the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday that he did not investigate Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s source of income before the Muar MP became a minister.
Asbi Munip, 32, said this was because the money laundering case investigation was focused on the transfer of RM100,000 from Syed Saddiq’s personal Maybank account to his Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) account.
"Based on my investigation, Syed Saddiq made two transactions of RM50,000 each on June 16 and 19, 2018 respectively into his ASB bank account," he said when cross-examined by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo at the trial of Syed Saddiq, who faces four charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and money laundering.
Asked by Gobind if he knew Syed Saddiq’s source of income before the latter became a minister, Asbi answered that he knew Syed Saddiq had been a part-time tutor at the International Islamic Universiti Malaysia.
However, Asbi said he did not recall that Syed Saddiq had been an English debating coach and a columnist for several portals. Gobind: You did not ask Syed Saddiq. This is a basic question for the Amla case (money laundering case).
Asbi: I only focused my investigation on the money transfers.
Asbi also said he had not investigated Syed Saddiq's expenses for the 14th general election campaigns.  Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Noor Syafina Mohd Radzuan asked the witness how he concluded that the RM100,000 from Syed Saddiq’s Maybank account was credited into his ASB account.
"There was a transaction of RM12,000 from the Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise bank account through four transactions into Syed Saddiq’s Maybank account.
"I also confirmed with an ASB officer that there was a money inflow amounting to RM100,000 to Syed Saddiq’s account and the Maybank account belongs to Syed Saddiq," said Asbi.
Syed Saddiq, 29, was charged as the then Bersatu youth chief, entrusted with the control of Armada funds, with abetting then assistant treasurer Rafiq Hakim Razali with CBT of RM1 million in funds belonging to the wing.
He was also charged with misusing property for himself, namely RM120,000 from the Maybank Islamic account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise by causing Rafiq Hakim to dispose of the money at Malayan Banking, Jalan Pandan 3/6A, Taman Pandan Jaya between April 8 and 21, 2018.
He also faces two counts of engaging in money laundering activities through two transactions of RM50,000, believed to be the proceeds of unlawful activities, from his Maybank Islamic account into his Amanah Saham Bumiputera account.
The trial before judicial commissioner Azhar Abdul Hamid continues on Aug 22.


Theme park association to give away RM640,000 worth of tickets for the fully vaccinated

The Malaysian Association of Theme Park & Family Attractions (Matfa) is giving away RM640,000 worth of complimentary tickets and passes for those who are vaccinated by Aug 31 in conjunction with Merdeka Day and in support of the government’s decision that those who are fully inoculated will be allowed some flexibility in terms of Covid-19 SOPs.Matfa president Richard CK Koh said the passes would cover 130 theme parks and 350 family entertainment centres and playlands nationwide.In a statement, he assured that all Matfa members have “a very high safety record” and were “well entrenched in the mechanics of the entrance gated controls system even before the pandemic”.“We will fully incorporate the MySejahtera application as a vaccine passport and only allow those who are low risk or fully vaccinated on our premises,” he said.“With such a controlled environment with manageable risk and capacity at our facilities in comparison with many crowded areas that have no gated control system, we are certain that they will have the required increased mobility and flexibility with the confidence of safety and security.”Koh added that Matfa and related players in the tourism industry were continuing their cooperation with the tourism ministry to help speed up vaccination for their employees.“We call upon all Malaysians to step up and join the vaccination programme to encourage more families to get themselves vaccinated,” he said, adding that details of the tickets and vouchers would be made available nearer to the date.


Singapore set to execute another drug offender ahead of Ramadan

Singapore authorities are set to execute yet another man convicted of drug offences, with 68-year-old Abdul Kahar Othman to be hanged on March 30, just three days before the start of Ramadan.Singapore-based group Transformative Justice Collective (TJC) said Kahar’s family was informed of his execution date on March 23, making him the eighth prisoner on death row to be issued an execution notice since 2019.Kahar, who TJC said had struggled with drug addiction since he was 16, was convicted of two counts of trafficking 66.77g of diamorphine in 2013. He was sentenced to death in 2015.“The death penalty is a cruel and irreversible punishment that is often carried out against people who have already suffered greatly in a world hostile to their plight,” TJC said.“Most of the people we put to death in Singapore are racially oppressed people with mental health issues and disabilities, who have lived in poverty without access to adequate treatment and care for addiction.”Others who have been issued an execution notice include Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, a mentally disabled Malaysian whose plight drew international criticism of Singapore’s continued use of the death penalty.Also on the list are Pannir Selvam Pranthaman, Syed Suhail Syed Zin, Moad Fadzir Mustaffa, Roslan Bakar, Pausi Jefridin and Rosman Abdullah.Roslan, Pausi and Rosman lost their appeals on March 16, with the High Court judge saying no new arguments had been raised that were different from earlier pleas, and accusing them of abusing the court process.Pannir’s final appeal meanwhile was dismissed last year.The judgment for Nagaenthran’s application will be delivered in the city-state on March 29.Singaporean independent journalist Kirsten Han, who has been actively highlighting the stories behind those condemned to death for drug offences, spoke of concerns that the prison authorities were “trying to clear the backlog”.“Watching all this, it feels like every time an attempt to carry out an execution gets stalled, the authorities just look for the next guy in the queue,” she said on Twitter.“It certainly gives credence to the fear that the prison is trying to clear the backlog and ‘make space’.”Nagaenthran, now 34, was arrested in 2009 for trafficking a small amount of heroin into Singapore, which has some of the world’s toughest drug laws, and handed a then mandatory death sentence the following year.Supporters say Nagaenthran has an IQ of 69 – a level recognised as a disability – and was coerced into committing the crime.He was scheduled to be hanged in November last year but the verdict sparked criticism due to concerns he has intellectual disabilities, with the European Union and British billionaire Richard Branson among those condemning the decision.According to Amnesty International, Singapore is among more than 30 countries worldwide where drug-related offences are still punishable by death.


US doctors report normally deadly flu has ‘vanished’ this winter

February is usually the peak of flu season in the global north, with doctors’ offices and hospitals packed with suffering patients. But not this year.In the US, doctors are reporting that flu has virtually disappeared, with fewer infections than anything seen in decades, reports the Associated Press.“This is the lowest flu season on record,” said Lynnette Brammer of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitals say the expected steady stream of flu-stricken patients never materialised.Experts say that measures put in place to fend off the coronavirus – mask wearing, social distancing and virtual schooling – have been a big factor in preventing a “twindemic” of flu and Covid-19.Another possible explanation is that the coronavirus has essentially muscled aside flu and other bugs that are more common in autumn and winter.Scientists don’t fully understand the mechanism behind that, but it would be consistent with patterns seen when certain flu strains predominate over others, said Dr Arnold Monto, a flu expert at the University of Michigan.“I have seen zero documented flu cases this winter,” said Dr Nate Mick, the head of Maine Medical Center in Portland, Oregon.The numbers are astonishing considering flu has long been the nation’s biggest infectious disease threat. In recent years, it has been blamed for 600,000 to 800,000 annual hospitalisations and 50,000 to 60,000 deaths.Some doctors say they have even stopped sending specimens for testing this winter, because they don’t think flu is present. Nevertheless, many labs are using a CDC-developed “multiplex test” that checks specimens for both the coronavirus and flu.More than 190 million flu vaccine doses were distributed in the US this season, but the number of infections is so low that it’s difficult for CDC to do its annual calculation of how well the vaccine is working, Brammer said. There’s simply not enough data.Across the globe, flu activity has been at very low levels in China, Europe and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere winter.That follows reports of little flu in South Africa, Australia and other countries during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter months of May through August.


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Zelensky vows tough response to any Russian attack on Independence Day

As Ukraine prepared to mark both its independence from Soviet-rule in 1991 and the six months since Russian troops invaded, President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged that any Russian attacks in or around the date would provoke a powerful response.
Zelensky, who has led his country's resistance since Russian troops poured over the border on Feb 24, also said Ukraine would restore its rule over the Crimea region - annexed by Russia in 2014 in a precursor to this year's invasion.
Despite his defiance, there was concern among Ukrainian and allied Western officials that Russia was preparing to attack the capital Kyiv once again.
The US said it believed Russia would target civilian and government infrastructure in the next few days. US citizens should leave Ukraine "now" by their own means if it was safe to do so, the US Embassy said.
On the battlefields, Russian forces carried out artillery and rocket strikes in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine, where fighting has taken place near Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Ukraine's military said. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for strikes on the plant.
Meanwhile leaders of dozens of countries and international organisations were taking part in the so-called Crimea Platform - most of them by video - in solidarity with Ukraine on the six-month anniversary of the invasion.
Opening the forum, Zelensky, dressed in his customary military gear, told delegates: "To overcome terror, it is necessary to gain victory in the fight against Russian aggression."
"It is necessary to liberate Crimea. This will be the resuscitation of world law and order," he said.
Italy's acting Prime Minister Mario Draghi told the summit Rome would continue to support Ukraine. "We are with you in your fight to resist Russia's invasion, restore Ukraine's territorial integrity, protect your democracy and independence," he said.
Earlier, Zelensky had warned that Moscow might try "something particularly ugly" in the run-up to Wednesday's Independence Day. Asked at a news conference with visiting Polish President Andrzej Duda about the possibility of a Russian missile strike on Kyiv, Zelensky said there was a daily threat of attacks although the number of them could increase.
Ukraine's response would be the same for any city that comes under attack from Russia, he said.
"They will receive a response, a powerful response," Zelensky said. "I want to say that each day... this response will grow, it will get stronger and stronger."
Fears of intensified Russian attacks followed the killing of Darya Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian ultra-nationalist, in a car bombing near Moscow on Saturday. Moscow blamed the killing on Ukrainian agents, a charge Kyiv denies.
Kyiv has only rarely been hit by Russian missiles since Ukraine repelled a ground offensive to seize the capital in March.
The mood in Kyiv was calm on Tuesday, with many people still walking the streets, but signs of increased threat could be felt. An adviser to Zelenskiy told the BBC many civilians were trying to leave Kyiv for fear of a sudden Russian attack.
Authorities told Ukrainians to work from home where possible from Tuesday to Thursday, also urging people to take air raid warnings seriously and seek shelter when sirens sound.
The Kyiv city administration banned large public gatherings until Thursday, fearing that a crowd of celebrating residents could become a target for a Russian missile strike.
Stalemate
Russia sent its troops over the border in what it calls a "special military operation" saying it wanted to demilitarise its neighbour and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Moscow of waging an unjustified, imperial-style war of aggression.
Six months on from the Russian invasion, which has caused thousands of deaths, forced over a third of Ukraine's 41 million people from their homes and destroyed whole cities, the conflict is largely locked in a stalemate.
Russian forces control a large swathe of the south, including along the Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts, and chunks of the eastern Donbas region. The prospects for peace look almost non-existent.
“We feel good, trusting that victory will be on our side, only ours, there is no other option,” Yevhen, a Ukrainian soldier, said as his frontline unit fired off several howitzer shells towards Russian positions from a field in the Donbas.
Russian shelling hit Kharkiv in the northeast - Ukraine's second largest city - around dawn on Tuesday, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said. A house was hit but no one hurt, he said.
In the south, Ukraine's southern military command said Russian forces pressed attacks along front lines of areas they occupy, including multiple rocket strikes on the town of Marhanets across the Dnipro River from the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Two civilians were hurt and several homes, gas and water pipelines were damaged, it said.
It added that Ukrainian rockets and artillery had destroyed an ammunition depot and command post of a Russian airborne assault regiment in Chernobaevka in the Russian-occupied Kherson region, southwest of Zaporizhzhia.
Artillery and rocket fire near the nuclear reactor complex, has stirred international calls for the area to be demilitarised.


Moderna vaccine gives at least 3 months’ immunity, study shows

The Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, which the company says was recently demonstrated to have 94% efficacy, causes the human immune system to produce potent antibodies that endure for at least three months, a study showed Thursday.Researchers at the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which co-developed the drug, studied the immune response of 34 adult participants, young and old, from the first stage of a clinical trial.Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, they said that the antibodies, which stop the SARS-CoV-2 virus from invading human cells, “declined slightly over time, as expected, but they remained elevated in all participants three months after the booster vaccination”.The vaccine, called mRNA-1273, is administered in two injections given 28 days apart.Even though the number of antibodies in the study subjects faded over time, it is not necessarily a cause for concern.NIAID director Anthony Fauci and other experts have said it is very likely that the immune system will remember the virus if re-exposed later on, and then produce new antibodies.Encouragingly, the study showed that the vaccine activated a certain type of immune cell that should help out in the so-called memory response, but only longer term study will confirm if this will really be the case.“Positives from the study include evidence that a relatively strong antibody response remains 90 days after the second dose of the vaccine,” said virologist Benjamin Neuman, a virologist at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.“The amount of vaccine-produced antibodies was higher in younger patients than in older patients, but reasonably strong immune responses were still seen even in patients up to 70 years of age.”The Moderna vaccine will be reviewed by an advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Dec 17, and could be green lit for emergency approval soon after.Like another vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, it is based on a new technology that uses genetic material in the form of mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid).The mRNA is encased in a lipid molecule and injected into the arm, where it causes cells inside our muscles to build a surface protein of the coronavirus.This tricks the immune system into believing it’s been infected with a microbe, and trains it to build the right kind of antibodies for when it encounters the real virus.


3 overlooked questions on 12MP and the Bumiputera agenda

The uproar over Bumiputera equity policies featured in the Prime Minister’s 12th Malaysia Plan speech has simmered down this week, but three issues have been overlooked.The 12MP’s Priority Area D, “Achieving an Equitable Outcome for Bumiputera”, within Chapter 5, “Addressing poverty and building an inclusive society”, outlines the “Bumiputera Agenda”. The section provides a commendably frank assessment of shortcomings, most saliently the community’s high concentration in low-skilled occupational categories and involvement in micro low valued-added business.The 12MP extends the 11MP’s focus on effective control rather than passive ownership; both plans resolve to divest government-owned equity to “genuine” (11MP) and “qualified” (12MP) Bumiputera entrepreneurs. The 12MP criticises the continual dependency of Bumiputera MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) on government grants and loans, and commits to formulating “a clear exit policy… to encourage successful Bumiputera MSMEs to be more independent and resilient.”I have no doubt that the intent is real and earnest. Indeed, the focus on skills, productivity and competitiveness leads us to the first question.1. Why does the agenda still hinge on 30% Bumiputera equity?By the 12MP’s valuation of Bumiputera agenda items, human capital and entrepreneurship outrank equity ownership in importance (italics added):• “Human capital development will be the main focus in uplifting Bumiputera socioeconomic position”;• “Increasing the resilience and sustainability of Bumiputera businesses will be the main focus in strengthening entrepreneurship culture.”Bumiputera socioeconomic development covers vast ground, from higher education to employment, entrepreneurship and ownership. Of these, human capital development – which operates primarily through higher education, high-skilled occupations and enterprise development – is declared as “the main focus”. All objectives are intertwined and all Malaysia Plans mention everything under the sun, but policy statements, and especially the political will expressed in PM’s 12MP speech, determine which policies will lead, and which ones follow. Clearly, equity ownership is the driving objective.In light of the plan’s own declared priorities, though, shouldn’t education and MSME development have pride of place, with equity ownership in a supplementary role?Instead of fixating on 30% Bumiputera equity, Malaysia will do better to galvanise the community toward the fundamental goals of cultivating skills, developing capability and talent, and energising enterprise.Formally, policy targets for Bumiputera skills development and MSME growth should take utmost priority. The 12MP sets an employment target of 65% of Bumiputeras in skilled jobs in 2025. This is superficial, generalised, and utterly lacking in ambition. On Bumiputera educational attainment, the 12MP presents scant data and projects no meaningful goal. On Bumiputera enterprise growth, the 12MP proposes a welcome new target of raising their contribution to 15% of GDP, but this potential new rallying point gets overshadowed by equity ownership. The 12MP reports how a staggeringly high 83% of Bumiputera MSMEs are classified as micro, but refrains from targeting growth in the share of small and especially medium enterprises.2. Why demarcate the Bumiputera agenda based on agencies – omitting established Bumiputera programmes and Sabah-Sarawak vs peninsula disparities?The 12MP has inherited a template from the 11MP, which in turn built on the 10MP. There has been some progress along the way; Bumiputera programmes are merged into one distinct segment, whereas in the past the coverage was more diffused.However, there is a conceptual flaw: this template demarcates the Bumiputera agenda based on government agencies (Mara, Teraju, PUNB, Ekuinas, etc), instead of comprehensively outlining all the policies and other agencies that promote Bumiputera development, some of which entail quotas for different ethnic groups. The 12MP continually omits a host of other programmes that are instrumental in Bumiputera socioeconomic development, most saliently, matriculation colleges and university admissions, public sector and GLC employment, and government procurement.Matriculation colleges and pre-university programmes, higher education and skills training, including UiTM, are pivotal to Bumiputera human capital development, and should be mandated to cultivate talent in vigorous and accountable ways. Likewise, government procurement plays a key role in Bumiputera company development, and much more can and should be done. These may be established and staid programmes that Teraju, the policy coordinating agency, lacks enthusiasm for, but their outreach especially to B40 and M40 are vast and thus their deficiencies also hold back the community.The 12MP’s affirmation of legislation to oversee “identification of the beneficial owner” of companies is a major step toward curbing abuses to government procurement which undermine Bumiputera contractor development. These elements should be integrated into Bumiputera development.The 12MP’s neglect of disparities within the Bumiputera population replicates recent practice; data differentiating Malay and non-Malay Bumiputera that used to be reported have vanished in the past decade, and such inequalities are neither monitored nor targeted. This attention vacuum stands strikingly in contrast to the unprecedented inclusion of a full chapter on Sabah and Sarawak.Then again, Chapter 7 on “Enhancing Socioeconomic Development in Sabah and Sarawak” addresses regional economic development from helicopter height, with only a slight descent onto policies targeting Anak Negeri Sabah and Bumiputera Sarawak. Unfortunately, the planning is disconnected from the vast programmes designated for all Bumiputeras. The 12MP’s articulation of Bumiputera policy in Chapter 5 excludes equitable distribution of benefits between Bumiputera-status populations of East and West Malaysia.3. Surely we can ask more of the Bumiputera T20?The 12MP would like to “encourage” the Bumiputera T20 (richest 20%) to “actively contribute back to the Bumiputera community”. And that’s all: one sentence in 530 pages.In 1971, the New Economic Policy aspired for Bumiputeras to be “full partners” in the economy; in 1991, Vision 2020 envisaged a “fully competitive Bumiputeras”. In 2021, we hear no articulation of an ultimate aim.We can gather from the 12MP, and the Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 embedded within, whispers of recognition that the Bumiputera agenda culminates in the beneficiaries graduating or exiting – to be clear, this means those who have received special treatment, by choice or compulsion, stop receiving special treatment in the form of quotas, discounts, contracts, loans, and so on. They stand on their own feet.Who are best poised to lead in the essential, though undeniably difficult, endeavour of graduating out of special treatment? The Bumiputera, especially Malay, T20 (perhaps the upper M40 too).The philosophical, moral and logical thrust of the agenda unshakeably holds: those who have gained the most upward mobility – undeniably through their own hard work, but typically through receiving scholarships, employment, contracts, or loans – should be the first in line to let go of those privileges.The psychological benefits on the community also spring from such measures being clearly demonstrated and presented as proof of empowerment. In other words, foregoing special treatment is not to be done discreetly, but visibly – as a statement.We can draw up a list of (im)possibilities, but one already enjoys broad support: the property discount, particularly for expensive homes. Among pro-Bumiputera interventions, it is one of the least morally and philosophically justifiable. The notion of removing the discount should not be controversial. BN’s 2018 election manifesto promised it; public figures like Daim Zainuddin and Umno communications chief Shahril Hamdan advocate it.In practice, of course, the idea is greeted with eye-rolling and loud groaning. We get into a vicious cycle: beneficiaries are made to feel guilty, by their kin who accuse them of ungratefully denying to the next generation what they received, and by minority voices who pile on their grievances.A property discount is best rejected before the purchase. Young adult Bumiputeras – self-aware of the ways the system has benefited them, which enable them to afford homes without the discount – should step up and declare that they will waive the discount.Policies that promote ethnic mix in new housing areas may need to be revised; designating Bumiputera lots that can only be sold to Bumiputeras can depress prices in the secondary market. But it is a poor excuse to keep the discount because resale value might be lower. Seniors who have bought high-end property at a discount could be coaxed or compelled to contribute to an affordable housing fund. That would be quite an impactful and meaningful giveback.I hear thundering cries of “impossible!”. It seems, though, that we have given up trying.Lee Hwok Aun is senior fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Trump pays US$110,000 fine for blocking New York state tax probe

Former US president Donald Trump has paid a US$110,000 fine for obstructing a major tax evasion investigation led since 2019 by New York state authorities, a spokesman announced Friday.Trump was ordered April 25 by New York state’s Supreme Court to pay US$10,000 a day for as long as he refused to provide accounting and tax documents as part of a civil investigation by the attorney-general of the state, Letitia James, against the Trump Organization family business.“On May 19, Donald Trump paid the attorney general’s office US$110,000,” a spokesman for James’s office said.James and the Republican billionaire have been engaged in a fierce procedural battle for months.On Feb 17, James was able to get a New York judge to order Trump and his children Donald Trump Jr and Ivanka Trump to testify under oath in the context of this investigation, in which she suspects fraudulent tax practices.The Trumps – who accuse James of a “political witch hunt” – have appealed the ruling.But New York state had also demanded accounting and tax documents from the Trump Organization before March 31.Faced with Donald Trump’s refusal, James demanded obtained a ruling on April 25 that he be charged with obstruction.On May 6, however, the New York judge suspended the counting of days for which he should be fined and decided that Donald Trump would have until Friday May 20 to pay for the period from April 25 to May 6, or 110,000 for 11 days – which is what he did on Thursday.According to James’ spokesman, the Trump camp also had until Friday to submit sworn statements relating to the Trump Organization’s request for accounting and tax records.These documents were indeed collected and produced by a third-party firm on Thursday, according to the same source.The judge must now decide whether the Trump camp have met all the demands.James suspects the Trump Organization fraudulently overstated the value of real estate properties when applying for bank loans, while understating them with the tax authorities in order to pay less in taxes.Trump is also facing a criminal investigation by the Manhattan prosecutor: the Trump Organization and its financial director Allen Weisselberg have been charged with tax evasion.They have pleaded not guilty and the trial is due to begin this year.


Fear and caution in the time of the pandemic

The recovery movement control order, implemented just over four months ago on June 10, saw the gradual restoration of some semblance of normalcy in the everyday lives of Malaysians. Not complete normalcy, of course – by now, most people are familiar with the mantra of “the new normal”, a phrase which, ironically, implies an improvement over the “old normal” of what life used to be before the Covid-19 pandemic knocked the collective wind out of countries around the world.Slowly, hesitantly, though, Malaysians began resuming their daily routines: groceries were done, children were sent to school, workers returned to their offices, and malls – the destination of choice for the majority on public holidays, weekends and indeed any random pocket of free time – began coming to life again.In the Klang Valley, this tentative progress lasted 126 days before a new wave of infections sent Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya back under conditional MCO.But even before Oct 14, malls, offices, schools and roads had been emptying for some time as spikes in daily Covid-19 numbers kept many at home. The government’s announcement of the CMCO merely formalised what, for many, was already a given.While the lack of rush-hour traffic on the Federal Highway may best symbolise the mindset of many today, the alarm which characterised much of the country in the early days of the lockdown in March appears greatly subsided.There are few reports, if any, of panic shopping – Malaysians have learnt how to keep a good stock of toilet roll at home – and the memes which met the government’s announcement of the CMCO – “When you can’t go Selangor to meet your friends because of CMCO… but no more Selangor people come queue for KL food” – suggest a certain level of jadedness about lockdowns in general.And yet, anxiety persists on a quieter level. WhatsApp messages fly from phone to phone, ostensibly carrying the latest updates on “What The Government Doesn’t Want You To Know About Covid-19 In The Country”; news of new positive cases reaches friends and family at a speed which puts online portals to shame; and “Good Morning” messages have been replaced with “Stay Home And Stay Safe!”.To be sure, there are now more things to worry over. For the past three days, Covid-19 cases have been hovering above 850 – a far cry from the 100-200 plus recorded when the initial MCO was implemented in March. Now, it’s considered a relatively good day if Covid-19 numbers don’t pass 500.It would come as no surprise if, after a while, the numbers begin to get to us. Instinct for self-preservation aside, we worry about our loved ones, our businesses, our economy and, at times, our sanity. In the Klang Valley, we are not confined to our homes by any external order yet, but the internal fear of the virus which has wreaked havoc on all fronts across the globe is enough to keep anyone firmly at home with sanitiser and soap at the ready.The hard truth is, until a workable vaccine is found, Covid-19 will continue to impact our lives. For those of us who have loved ones in hospital, or who have already lost them to the virus, the impact will likely continue forever.But we should not allow ourselves to confuse fear with caution. Good sense is what tells you to avoid crowded places and to wear a mask and wash your hands. Fear is what keeps you an internal prisoner, consumed with anxiety over what could happen even though it hasn’t yet and may not ever.This pandemic comes as a test to us all, although some of us have been put through more than others. For those who have lost family, friends and livelihoods, it is hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. But for those of us who have been more fortunate, now is not the time to be brought to our knees by our fear of the unknown. The Covid-19 crisis is far from over, but it will do enough damage without us helping it along. Don’t let it take more from us than it already has.


No disciplinary action against contract doctors involved in strike, says health minister

The government has given its assurance that no disciplinary action will be taken against any doctor or contract health officer who participated in the peaceful Hartal Doktor Kontrak demonstration yesterday, says Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.Replying to MPs’ questions about actions to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak at the special meeting of the Dewan Rakyat today, Adham said the contract doctors had the right to voice their views.“Insya Allah (God willing), there will be no action against them even though they went out yesterday to demonstrate… we will not take disciplinary action,” he said in response to a question from Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Selangor) on whether the health ministry would take action against the contract doctors involved in the peaceful demonstration.Earlier, Adham presented his explanation of the actions taken by the ministry to curb the spread of the pandemic. A total of 18 MPs raised questions and sought further clarification.On the issue of permanent posts for contract doctors, Adham said the government had prepared short- and medium-term plans, including extending the two-year contract term, to enable the health ministry to table amendments to the Pension Act 1980 and the Medical Act 1971.He said the amendment to the two acts was to enable contract medical officers to obtain permanent positions, with the pension method or the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contribution option.“I promise to bring them (amendments to the act) to Parliament so that we can help them (contract officers). I hope for the support of the honourable members, so that it can be discussed (to be amended) and approved so that the contract doctors can be properly protected,” he said.The issues were raised by almost all MPs including Dzulkefly, Shahidan Kassim (BN-Arau), Mohd Fasiah Mohd Fakeh (Bersatu-Sabak Bernam) and Dr Kelvin Yii (PH-Bandar Kuching) who requested that the issue of the permanent appointment of contract doctors be resolved immediately.Dzulkefly, who started the debate today, stressed that contract doctors only want their welfare protected and to get fair and equitable treatment.“Don’t treat them (contract doctors) in this pandemic similar to PPEs (personal protective clothing), to be discarded after use,” he said.Fasiah, meanwhile, asked about the number of contract medical officers currently serving with the health ministry to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.


Sexual misconduct allegation ‘utterly untrue’, says Elon Musk

Elon Musk rejected on Thursday allegations that he groped and exposed himself to a flight attendant six years ago.“Those wild accusations are utterly untrue,” the world’s wealthiest person posted on Twitter, the platform he is currently in the stalled process of buying for US$44 billion.News outlet Insider reported earlier in the day that Musk’s rocket company SpaceX paid a woman US$250,000 in 2018 to settle a misconduct claim against him.The report said Musk, who was receiving a massage from the woman in question during a flight on a private jet to London, exposed his erect penis to her, touched her leg without consent, and asked her to perform a sex act.It cited a woman who said she was a friend of the flight attendant in question.“The attacks against me should be viewed through a political lens – this is their standard (despicable) playbook,” Musk tweeted Thursday.He did not specify who “their” referred to, but added: “I have a challenge to this liar who claims their friend saw me ‘exposed’ – describe just one thing, anything at all (scars, tattoos,…) that isn’t known by the public. She won’t be able to do so, because it never happened.”The South Africa-born entrepreneur – who holds US, Canadian and South African citizenship – had earlier said he was switching his support from the US Democratic party to the Republicans.“Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold…” he added.This week, Musk – whose estimated net worth is US$265 billion – put on hold his bid to buy Twitter, saying it would not proceed unless he got proof of the number of spam accounts plaguing the platform.As well as his prolific tweeting, on-again-off-again relationship with pop star Grimes, sizeable wealth and SpaceX ventures, Musk is primarily known as the founder of electric vehicle company Tesla.He has said he wants to make humans an “interplanetary species” by establishing a colony on Mars.Musk has also made headlines of a less flattering kind: Tesla has faced a series of lawsuits alleging discrimination and harassment against Black workers, as well as sexual harassment.


MACC fails to stay decision on forfeiture suit against Johor Bahru BN

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today failed in its bid to stay the execution of a High Court’s decision dismissing its application to forfeit a total of RM957,395.65 seized from Johor Bahru Barisan Nasional (BN) and two others.This followed the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision to dismiss the prosecution’s stay application against Johor Bahru BN, its chairman Shahrir Abdul Samad and its treasurer Raihan Baba.The money seized by MACC last year, said to be from former prime minister Najib Razak, was allegedly linked to the 1MDB scandal.Judicial commissioner Ahmad Shahrir Mohd Salleh dismissed the prosecution’s application after hearing submissions on the matter from both parties.“After studying the application by the applicant (prosecution) and considering the submissions, I find that the application failed to fulfil Section 311 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” he said.Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Maziah Mohaidi, from MACC, told the court that the application was made pending the hearing of an appeal against the court’s decision to dismiss the prosecution’s forfeiture application at the Court of Appeal.But lawyer Syahrul Syazwan Salehin said if the court allowed the application for the stay, it would cause it to turn away from its own findings when dismissing the forfeiture application.“Secondly, it shows the court condones an action that is against the law in allowing the respondent’s property to be held illegally,” he added.On June 9, Shahrir Mohd Salleh dismissed the prosecution’s application to forfeit the money seized from the three parties.


Pakistan, Iran elected to UN commission on women, 2 other bodies

Pakistan has been elected to three key UN bodies including the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Population and Development.Pakistan will assume the membership of these three commissions from Jan 1, next year for a term of four years, Dawn newspaper reports.The voting for seats on the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) took place on Tuesday at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), a 54-member UN body empowered to fill leadership posts in a range of UN agencies.Of 53 votes cast, Pakistan received 50 votes and Iran received 43 in the secret ballot.China, Japan and Lebanon were also elected to the panel.Three weeks earlier, Pakistan and Iran ranked near the bottom of the World Economic Forum’s latest “Global Gender Gap”, an annual survey examining differences between men and women in four specific areas – political empowerment, economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, and health and survival.Of the 156 countries featured in this year’s World Economic Forum report, Iran was in 150th place and Pakistan in 154th.The only countries doing worse on gender equality were in conflict zones – Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Syria.Pakistan last served on the Commission on the Status of Women, which is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality empowerment of women, from 2013 to 2017.The country’s election to this body is considered to be in recognition of its role in promoting gender mainstreaming and advancement of women at a national and international level.Pakistan’s foreign office spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that Pakistan’s simultaneous election to the three important commissions is a reflection of the international community’s confidence in Pakistan’s active role and constructive contributions at the UN.“These commissions play a pivotal role in enhancing international cooperation on various social and economic issues,” he said. “Pakistan will continue to foster international cooperation to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.”Pakistan’s election to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice and the Commission on Population and Development was by the unanimous endorsement of all council members.This is the sixth time Pakistan has been elected to the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.Qatar, Thailand, India and Bahrain were also elected to the panel.The third panel, the Commission on Population and Development conducts demographic research, supports intergovernmental processes in the area of populations and development, and assists countries in developing their capacity to produce and analyse population data and information.Others elected to the panel included Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and China.


When intimacy is used to blackmail

Many people are struggling to earn a decent income during this time of pandemic by working from home. But there is also a growing number of people who resort to illegal ways to make easy money online.The latest trend in this regard is to apply the “mirror effect” in order to hoodwink social media users and, eventually, hold them at ransom. Lately, these activities have been on an upward trend, and the number of police reports on these incidents is alarming.In Selangor alone, 180 reports were lodged this year from January to November. Most of the victims were men aged 20 to 40.The mirror effect is an age-old technique of manipulation. It is a reflection of oneself through the gaze of others and can be obtained directly from another person through observation, listening to his or her comments, or watching a video.During your time on social media, you might have come across attractive women who want to befriend you. Don’t you think it’s too good to be true? Yet people still get into trouble by letting these overly friendly strangers have a chat with them. After becoming friends, their next move is to start a video chat. After a few minutes of flirting and gaining the confidence of their victims, they start removing their clothes to further lure their victims.This is the opportune time for the perpetrators to apply the mirror effect to the detriment of the poor men’s dignity. In other words, they instruct the men to remove their clothes as well. They then snap inappropriate pictures and, hours or days after the first kinky video chat, the victims receive a message. The so-called sexy new friend will be demanding money in exchange for keeping the pictures from being circulated on social media.The victims, out of fear of being shamed on social media, wouldn’t think twice about paying the ransom. Nevertheless, they report the incidents after being stripped of their money.It is incumbent on us men to be wary at all times of these social media friends who are too good to be true. Just take a second or two whenever you come across these people, especially good-looking women who want to befriend you. Don’t let yourself be caught in your birthday suit, and do place the utmost importance on your valuable dignity.Women social media users hardly fall into these kinds of traps set by male social media users. This shows that women are more careful about their social media affairs and concerned about their dignity.However, they can become victims after their relationships with their husbands or boyfriends turn sour. These men then use pictures or video recordings taken while they were on good terms to threaten their ex-girlfriends or wives.Intimacy and sexuality should reflect love and trust between a man and a woman. It’s a divine force that should not be abused. Its purpose is to prolong human existence, so learn to appreciate it and do not abuse it.Mohamad Farouk Eshak is Ampang Jaya district police chief.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Malaysian workers saving Singapore hostels as borders stay closed

In Singapore, with the Hong Kong travel bubble burst for the time being, tourists are still nowhere to be seen, especially budget travellers.So hostels are having to focus their attention on a new clientele: the thousands of Malaysian workers in the country who are no longer able to commute daily across the causeway because of border restrictions.“The Malaysians are the only thing keeping us afloat, apart from wage support and rental waivers,” said Jacquelyn Chan, director of The Hip and Happening Group, owners of the Rucksack Inn.“Out of the guests we have now, 95% are Malaysian,” she said, adding that the 160-bed backpacker hostel is only permitted to operate at half capacity due to safe distancing restrictions.When the borders closed, trapping people inside and out, it became clear that in the absence of leisure travellers, these workers would be a lifeline for the hostels.Charles Lumanlan, the owner of Hipstercity Hostel, says that meant he had to switch from the millennial traveller market to workers in need of cheap bed space. “The normal price is S$50 a night but now we charge S$25. My competition is no longer just other hostels, it’s everyone in Singapore with a room to spare.”Joyce Kay, CEO of K2 Guest House, told CNA, “Even though demand meets the 50% operating capacity we are allowed, the prices are not there, so we sacrifice in terms of revenue. I need to have occupancy at minimum 80% to break even at this price.”Kay has 270 beds across two branches. “We are surviving but there’s no profit at all. It’s like we’re doing charity work,” she said.On top of that, these low-end establishments must cope with the extra costs of more frequent cleaning and manning a 24-hour reception.Extended border closures are hurting the hostels’ business, but the owners are not optimistic about business improving when international travel restarts.“We will be the last to fill up,” Kay said. “Travellers will all want to avoid our shared facilities during a pandemic.”“When the borders open, the Malaysians will go home, but not enough people will come in fast enough to replace them,” Chan warned. “The hostels are going to be wiped out.”


375 new cases, 5 more deaths

A total of 375 new infections were recorded today, driving the number of confirmed cases in the country to 14,368.Of these, 371 were local transmissions and four were imported cases.The majority of new cases were recorded in Sabah (217), followed by Selangor (36), Kedah (16), Kuala Lumpur (12), Labuan (10), Sarawak (eight), Terengganu (five), Johor (five), Perak (five), Putrajaya (two), Negeri Sembilan (two), Melaka (one), Pahang (one) and Penang (one).As for the four imported cases, two were reported in Kuala Lumpur and two in Sarawak.Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a live-stream media conference, said five new deaths were also reported, taking the virus toll to 146 or 1.02%.However, 18 patients were also discharged, taking total recoveries to 10,519 or 73.21% of confirmed cases.A total of 3,703 cases remain active, with 60 in the ICU and 20 in need of respiratory assistance.


Myanmar’s Suu Kyi hit with fresh corruption charges

The Myanmar junta has hit deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi with corruption charges over claims she accepted illegal payments of gold and more than half a million dollars in cash, state media reported Thursday.The country has been in turmoil since the generals ousted Suu Kyi on Feb 1, with nearly 850 civilians killed in a brutal crackdown by security forces on near-daily protests against the coup.The 75-year-old Nobel laureate, who has been in custody since the coup, is facing a raft of wide-ranging criminal charges, including sedition and breaching a colonial-era secrecy law.The latest charges relate to allegations by the former Yangon region chief minister that Suu Kyi illegally accepted US$600,000 in cash from him along with around 11kg of gold.The Anti-Corruption Commission found evidence that Suu Kyi had committed “corruption using her rank”, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper.“So she was charged under Anti-Corruption Law Section 55.”She is also accused of abusing her authority when renting two areas of land for her charitable foundation.After weeks of legal wrangling, two of Suu Kyi’s trials are due to start in earnest next week, hearing evidence from witnesses.In Naypyidaw, the remote capital purpose built by the previous military regime, her trial will start on Monday on charges of violating restrictions during last year’s election campaign and possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies.A separate case is scheduled to start on June 15, where she is charged with sedition alongside ousted president Win Myint and another senior member of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party.Charges ‘absurd’Her lawyer, Khin Maung Zaw, dismissed the corruption charges as “absurd”.“There is an undeniable political background to keep her out of the scene of the country and to smear her prestige,” he told AFP, saying she could face long prison terms on the secrecy and corruption charges.“That’s one of the reasons to charge her – to keep her out of the scene.”Suu Kyi spent more than 15 years under house arrest during the previous military rule before her 2010 release.Her international stature diminished following a wave of military violence targeting Buddhist-majority Myanmar’s marginalised Muslim Rohingya community that displaced more than a million people, but the coup has returned Suu Kyi to the role of cloistered democracy icon.The junta has previously said it would hold fresh elections within two years but has also threatened to dissolve the NLD.“That election – I cannot say if it will materialise or not, and maybe NLD will not be able to compete,” Suu Kyi’s lawyer Khin Maung Zaw told AFP.“But for Aung San Suu Kyi, if she is convicted under these charges she will not be allowed to compete.”Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing has justified his power grab by citing alleged electoral fraud in the November poll, which Suu Kyi’s NLD won in a landslide.


New infections cross 2,100 as another 4 deaths logged

Another 2,153 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,458,889.There were 2,869 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,400,750.There are now 22,556 active cases, of which 21,363 or 94.7% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 30 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,075 (4.8%) have been hospitalised.A total of 88 are in ICU with 59 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 54.7%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 11.9%.Another four deaths were reported, including three who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,583.


Russia 'training combat dolphins' in Crimea, says UK

British military spies on Friday said Russia appears to be training combat dolphins in the annexed Crimean peninsula to counter Ukrainian forces.
In its latest update on the conflict, UK Defence Intelligence said the Russian Navy had invested heavily in security at the Black Sea Fleet's main base at Sevastopol since last year.
"This includes at least four layers of nets and booms across the harbour entrance. In recent weeks, these defences have highly likely also been augmented by an increased number of trained marine mammals," it added.
"Imagery shows a near doubling of floating mammal pens in the harbour which highly likely contain bottle-nosed dolphins."
The animals were "likely intended to counter enemy divers", it added.
The Russian Navy has used Beluga whales and seals for a range of missions in Arctic waters, the update said.
A harness-wearing whale that turned up in Norway in 2019, sparking speculation it was being used for surveillance, reappeared off Sweden's coast last month.
Norwegians nicknamed it "Hvaldimir" – a pun on the word "whale" in Norwegian (hval) and a nod to its alleged association with Russia.
Hvaldimir's harness had a mount suitable for housing an action camera, and the words "Equipment St Petersburg" printed on the plastic clasps.
In 2016, Russia's defence ministry sought to buy five dolphins as part of attempts to revive its Soviet-era use of the highly intelligent cetaceans for military tasks.
Both the Soviet Union and the US used dolphins during the Cold War, training them to detect submarines, mines and spot suspicious objects or individuals near harbours and ships.
A retired Soviet colonel told AFP at the time that Moscow even trained dolphins to plant explosive devices on enemy vessels.
They knew how to detect abandoned torpedoes and sunken ships in the Black Sea, said Viktor Baranets, who witnessed military dolphin training in the Soviet and post-Soviet eras.
The US Navy used sea lions deployed to Bahrain in 2003 to support Operation Enduring Freedom after the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington.


Stop the hypocrisy, Amanah tells PKR as rift widens over PH intra-hopping

A senior Amanah leader has accused PKR of back-stabbing, hypocrisy and political prostitution, in what appears to be tensions between the two parties threatening to emerge into the open.This comes after three Amanah assemblymen in Johor crossed over to PKR, bringing to five the number of elected representatives who have quit Amanah, the smallest partner of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.Amanah’s Youth leader Shazni Munir Ithnin said it reeked of hypocrisy for PKR to accept the new members on the same day that its top leadership had condemned alleged attempts by the ruling bloc to buy its MPs.“We hereby remind PKR not to be hypocritical and speak with forked tongues. PKR president Anwar Ibrahim must enforce the resolve to reject party-hopping within component parties that clearly benefits one party and harms the other. Such politics of back-stabbing should not be encouraged,” Shazni said in the strongest reaction yet by an Amanah leader since the party began losing its assemblymen to PKR late last year.It is learnt that three Amanah assemblymen in Johor – Khairuddin A Rahim (Senggarang), Faizul Amri Adnan (Serom) and Muhamad Said Jonit (Mahkota) – have had their applications to join PKR accepted.They join two other Amanah assemblymen from Selangor – Mohd Fakhrulrazi Mohd Mokhtar (Meru) and Ahmad Mustain Othman (Sabak) – who crossed over to PKR last year.Yesterday, Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub said it was not proper for PKR to accept its assemblymen, adding that it was against the spirit of cooperation in PH.The development came amid speculation that several MPs from PKR were ready to declare their support for the Perikatan Nasional government, drawing an angry response from PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution who spoke of attempts to intimidate and induce its MPs.Shazni said it was ironic for PKR to accept the three new members, adding that Amanah had protested using internal channels when their Selangor assemblymen joined PKR last year.Meanwhile, Amanah’s Bukit Bintang division in Kuala Lumpur is urging the central leadership to re-evaluate the party’s ties with PKR.“The action shows there is no unity in the coalition,” it said.


Iron Mike Tyson returns to the ring on a high

Superstar boxer Mike Tyson admitted smoking cannabis before going toe-to-toe with Roy Jones Jr as he returned to the ring at the weekend, saying, “I just have to smoke.”Both boxers were tested for performance enhancing drugs before the fight, but marijuana is not a banned substance and doubts abound about any positive effects a pre-match joint may have in a prize-fighting ring.The boxing legend admitted his passion after completing an eight-round exhibition match against Jones, 51, at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, California. The bout ended in a draw.At 54, Iron Mike showed glimpses of his destructive former self in the ring, while Jones had a few stirring moments as well.Speaking after his first fight in 15 years, a philosophical Tyson told reporters about his personal growth and fondness for marijuana.“I like my pigeons and my fancy clothes. Other than that, I don’t want anything out of life,” Tyson told reporters. “And of course, my children and my wife. And my joints.”He said he stopped using cocaine nearly three years ago, but has never stopped smoking marijuana. He estimates he smokes US$40,000 (RM160,000) worth of the leaf each month.Having been the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history, Tyson retired from boxing in 2005 after a devastating loss to Peter McBride.Following the end of his boxing career he endured years of substance abuse and he claims weed helped him emerge from the bad times.The laws on “soft drugs” are continually easing in many US states and in 2016 he opened Tyson Holistic Holdings, which sells marijuana merchandise as well as premium marijuana strains, extracts, and edibles.He continues to be an advocate for removing restrictions around the drug for athletes. In May 2019, he was among 150 current and former athletes who supported a petition to remove marijuana from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited substances list, according to USA Today.But Tyson’s largest marijuana venture will be Tyson Ranch, a 418-acre property near Desert Hot Springs, California, that he plans to transform into a marijuana resort.It’s designed to be a wonderland of weed with tourist attractions, a luxury hotel, and an amphitheatre for music festivals and concerts. There will even be a Tyson University to teach cannabis-cultivation techniques to future farmers.“I thought about how much good I could do by helping people with cannabis. It was a no brainer,” Tyson said on his business venture to media outlet Cannabis Tech Today.The ex-undisputed heavyweight champion of the world says his vision now is to educate and engage the public on the healing properties of cannabis.In 2019, he met with the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda in the West Indies to discuss hosting an annual marijuana conference and a cannabis farm in partnership with the islands’ government.This and Tyson University, he says, will keep him on the straight and narrow in the rest of his retirement.


Senior citizens to receive China’s Sinovac vaccine

Senior citizens aged 60 and above will be given China’s Sinovac vaccine, minister Khairy Jamaluddin said today.Khairy, the minister in charge of the national vaccination programme, said the Sinovac vaccine is considered both safe and effective.At a press conference, he said the decision was made by the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply based on recent data on the efficacy rate of the jab against severe cases.This stands at 83.7% for moderate cases and 100% for severe cases.“Based on recent data, the Sinovac vaccine is accepted as safe, effective and stable to be given to the elderly aged 60 and above,” he said.He added that the 100% efficacy rate of Sinovac against severe cases is important to ensure that senior citizens are protected from the virus.“It is actually effective in preventing severe cases from happening,” he said. “This is precisely what we want to prevent from happening for our senior citizens.”Senior citizens will begin receiving their vaccination shots on April 19 along with others from high-risk groups.


France outlaws discrimination based on accents

The French lower house of Parliament on Thursday approved a law banning discrimination based on a person’s accent, calling the practice “a form of racism”.The text, overwhelmingly adopted by 98 votes to three, adds accents to the list of causes of actionable discrimination, along with racism, sexism and discrimination against the disabled.The maximum penalty proposed in the new legislation is three years’ imprisonment and a fine of €45,000.The law, proposed by centre-right deputy Christophe Euzet, was the subject of animated debate in the house, despite the overwhelming vote.“At a time when the ‘visible’ minorities benefit from the legitimate attention of public authorities, the ‘audible’ minorities are the main forgotten people of the social contract based on equality,” Euzet argued.Maina Sage, deputy for French Polynesia, spoke of the difficulties that can be encountered by people, like her, speaking with an accent from outside the French mainland.Patricia Miralles, the daughter of North Africans, spoke of the “mockery” that she encountered in her younger days over her Algerian accent, which she briefly reprised in the parliamentary chamber.Other members of Parliament denounced the fact that too many broadcasters with a strong accent get pigeonholed into reporting on rugby or reading the weather bulletin.On the other hand, Jean Lassalle, of the opposition Libertes et territoires party which includes Corsican nationalists, voted against the text.“I’m not asking for charity, I’m not demanding to be protected because I am who I am,” he said in his strong southwest France accent.Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, a former lawyer, said he was “very convinced” about the need for the new law.Last month Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left France Insoumise (France Unbowed) movement, was caught on camera being rude to a journalist with a southern accent who asked him a question at the National Assembly.“Can someone ask me a question in French? And (make it) a bit more understandable…,” Melenchon said then, addressing a group of reporters in a video clip which was widely circulated on social media.


Sorry.


Hong Kong film-makers say censorship law spooks investors, actors

Two years after screening an internationally acclaimed documentary on the democracy movement in Hong Kong, director Kiwi Chow has been forced to complete a new movie with fresh financing after political concerns scared off some investors.
The fears spiked after Hong Kong adopted a new censorship law in October 2021 to bar films that "might endanger national security", but directors say they now face difficulties lining up funding and even actors, while others have shifted overseas.
"Actors under the Hong Kong film companies are very afraid, and this fear shadows everything," said Chow, who felt the situation had made performers, and investors, apprehensive about crossing ill-defined "red lines" concerning national security.
"This is what makes it scary, it doesn’t need to suppress you directly, but it has already made all these people scared," he added.
Chow, feted at the Cannes film festival in 2021 for his documentary, "Revolution of Our Times", said it was clear when the new law came in that film makers would have to steer clear of political topics.
But he did not realise then that people would be so risk-averse, even if he had not been found guilty of anything.
The censorship measure, which follows a national security law China imposed on the Asian financial hub in 2020, means directors now need to steer clear of some topics to avoid putting investors and actors at risk, some film-makers said.
At least 21 movies and short films have had scenes cut or their release blocked by Hong Kong's Office for Film, Newspaper and Article Association (OFNAA) since October 2021, a Reuters tally showed.
In an email statement, the office said it had processed about 5,000 applications for film classification since January 2021, denying approval for public exhibition to six of them.
But it declined to comment on individual films.
Since 2005, the former British colony has injected US$196.6 million (about RM920 million) into the Film Development Fund. But in February, its culture secretary, Kevin Yeung, warned that funds would not be allocated to film projects that might infringe the 2020 law.
It is not immediately clear how much censorship measure has affected such funding.
Replying to a Reuters query, Hong Kong's Film Development Council, which is mainly responsible for government funding of the industry, said in an email it would have to look into the matter before responding.
Yet film-makers see little room for manoeuvre.
Chow scrambled to complete his new film after investors pulled 80% of its US$1 million funding and the main actor withdrew.
Although his film, "Say I Do To Me", a love story about a young woman who embarks on a journey of self-discovery, is far from political, Chow said investors told him they could not take the risk as they still had to do business with China.
"For them, 'Revolution of Our Times' is a very sensitive movie," Chow added. "They think they have business with China, so even if there is little risk, they all find it unacceptable, not to mention that in their eyes, this is a very high risk."
In response to a Reuters query, a police spokesman declined to clarify whether watching or downloading the film was illegal, however.
Fresh funding
About 40 to 50 supporters injected fresh funding to help him complete it, he added.
"'Revolution of Our Times' made me lose a lot of things, but it has also attracted some other new funding."
Some actors who wanted to participate in the new film were either pressed not to do so by their management companies, or told by producers that scenes featuring them would be cut from other movies, Chow said.
Some told Chow they had signed contracts barring them from making speeches that violate the national security law or co-operating with people considered a political risk.
"These contracts use economic pressure to restrain them, so that they cannot speak up," he said.
The makers of three short films screened at the Fresh Wave International Film Festival in June "had chosen to replace the deleted parts with black images and muted sound" after they were censored, organisers said.
Rex Ren and David Chan, co-founders of independent production group Phone Made Good Film, said they had no plan to seek government funds and would keep to small budgets instead.
"It's because we need to create, so we persist in Hong Kong," Ren said.
The day before their Loose Narratives short film festival began in April, censors denied approval for their short film "Wake in Silence", citing "possible seditious intentions".
The scene in question showed a flag of the now disbanded pro-democracy party Demosisto with the slogan, "100% Freedom".
The tale of a girl who misses her boyfriend after he left the city was the third film censored in the festival.
"I already feel that the need to be safe has increased a lot, and there are some topics that have become taboo," said Ho Cheuk-Tin, adjudged Best New Director at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards for his film, "The Sparring Partner" .
Ho, who has been busy promoting his second movie, "Over My Dead Body", a comedy about the frenzied real estate market, has chosen to stay on, however.
"I consider myself more commercial, but I still hope to have lots of Hong Kong elements in my movies," he said.
Others, in contrast, have moved abroad to take Hong Kong films to the diaspora communities and global audiences in Britain, Canada and the US.
"We are scared of the disappearance of the culture and arts of Hong Kong," said Ching Wong, who founded Hong Kong Film Festival UK along with director Ng Ka Leung in 2021. It held more than 60 screenings across seven British cities in March.
Still, for those at home, the scenario remains bleak.
"At this moment, the chance of me finding funds in the Hong Kong market and the Hong Kong government seems to be close to zero," film-maker Chow said.