Marching orders for Najib loyalist a sign of cracks in Umno, say analysts

The recent sacking of Najib loyalist Isham Jalil from his position as Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) information chief appears to signal cracks within Umno, analysts say, even as speculation continues on the date of the 15th general election (GE15).Political observer Hisomuddin Bakar said Isham, the former special officer of Najib Razak, was part of the faction loyal to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.“His sacking means that he will have to look for other ways to contest in Selangor,” Hisomuddin, of electoral think tank Ilham Centre, told MalaysiaNow.He added that Isham’s sacking came as no surprise as his statements should be in line with those of leaders in Selangor.“This may damage his reputation in the state,” he said.Isham, the former special officer of Najib Razak, was appointed as Selangor BN information chief in May 2020. His services were terminated effective June 3.Selangor BN secretary Mohamad Satim Diman, who issued the letter of termination, said the decision was made through discussions with the coalition chairman, according to Clause 23 of the BN constitution which states that there are no provisions for the chairman of the state BN committee to appoint an information chief.Isham’s name had been bandied about during the last general election as a possible candidate for menteri besar in Selangor.He was also rumoured to be contesting the Paya Jaras state seat although talk of this never materialised.Analyst Kartini Aboo Talib expects the “pro-Najib” faction in Umno to clash with the camp that wants reform and rejects the court cluster – a euphemism for a group of Umno MPs led by Zahid and Najib who are facing a string of criminal charges in court.“Isham’s rejection by Selangor BN shows a clear desire for a revamp of Umno’s image and integrity,” Kartini, of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said.“For BN to move forward, putting young and qualified leaders in the spotlight will benefit it in the long run.”Analysts generally agree that Umno is now split into two camps: the court cluster and the so-called Putrajaya cluster, that is the Cabinet members and Umno leaders backing Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.Ismail, an Umno vice-president, has been under pressure to dissolve Parliament in order to pave the way for GE15.Umno at its recent special general assembly also amended its constitution to postpone party elections, a move likely to benefit Zahid and the court cluster.Kartini said Isham’s sacking was part of a larger strategy for BN to take back Selangor – a largely urban area dominated by the elite and middle-class which fell to the opposition in the 2008 general election.Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition coalition at the time, made history by toppling BN in Malaysia’s richest state which has remained under opposition rule ever since.Analyst Oh Ei Sun said the factions in Umno were doing “house cleaning” amid the continued tussle for power, adding that Isham’s dismissal as Selangor BN information chief might be the first of many “purges” by either camp.“In any case, it demonstrates that the mainstream faction, led by Zahid and Najib, does not exercise absolute control over the party, especially at the state level,” he said.“But as far as Selangor is concerned, the allegiance of Noh Omar, and not other lesser figures, is key.”Oh, of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said the dismissal also showed that “young upstarts” in parties with long histories were often no match for what he described as “the political ruthlessness of old-timers”.For Hisommudin, though, Isham’s sacking does not necessarily signal the end of his political career.“Given the dynamics of Umno’s internal politics, anything could happen,” he said.“It’s just a question of whether his dismissal will widen the rift in Umno. This is the real issue behind Isham’s marching orders.”


Main road to Bukit Tinggi remains closed after Bentong floods

The main road from Genting Sempah to Bukit Tinggi remained closed today following the mud floods caused by heavy rain in the area yesterday evening, although police said the situation was now under control.
When contacted, the Bukit Tinggi police said that road users could follow an alternative route until the main road is reopened to the public.
"The road will go from SMK Bukit Tinggi to the BHP petrol station," a spokesman said.
"At the fork, turn right and continue to Bukit Tinggi."
Footage of the floods had gone viral on social media yesterday, as road users tried to make their way through the affected area.
The majority of the travellers were tourists who had gone to the holiday hotspots of Bukit Tinggi and Janda Baik in Pahang.
However, no evacuations have been made, and no fatal accidents reported.
Residents said heavy rain was continuing intermittently, while some drivers whose vehicles were left stranded by the floods are still awaiting assistance.


Two dead in Terengganu floods

The floods in Terengganu have claimed a second life with an elderly man found drowned about 50m from the Pasir Gajah police station, Chukai at 10.15am today.Kemaman district police chief Hanyan Ramlan said Rahim Deraman, 69, was believed to have drowned while wading through floodwaters, and was found floating in a ditch by villagers.“The victim, from Kampung Pasir Gajah in Chukai, lived alone at home while his five children live elsewhere.“During the flood yesterday, one of the victim’s children called a neighbour and asked him to check on the victim. However, the victim could not be located and was found to be missing after maghrib,” he said when contacted by Bernama.He said the area where the victim was found was submerged in two metres of water.Rahim’s body has been sent to Hospital Kemaman for further action, he said.Yesterday, a 15-year-old boy became the first flood fatality in Terengganu after he was found drowned near his house in Kampung Cheneh Baru in Kemaman at about 3pm.


Covid-19 cases, hospital admissions expected to decline in August, says Khairy

Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions are expected to decline next month when 40% of the country’s adult population is fully vaccinated, says National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin.He said vaccines were able to prevent severe effects of Covid-19 and that the hospital admission rate for the elderly had also shown a decline.Based on data from Sungai Buloh Hospital, he said the hospital admission rate for Category Four and Five patients among the elderly showed a downward trend in line with the implementation of the second phase of PICK.“The Covid-19 vaccine is indeed an important protective shield against the SARS-CoV-2 virus,” he said in virtual interview with the media recently.Khairy also said doubts in the country over the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine were seen to be reducing as many had registered to get vaccinated.“Maybe there are those who do not want the vaccine because they want to take other medicines, but when (we) announced the things that will be allowed for those who are fully vaccinated, more people will come and get their vaccination,” he said.On the need for a third booster dose, Khairy said the matter would be updated in the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply meeting next week.He said the technical working group would make some recommendations on the booster shot.Meanwhile, Khairy said the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health had been asked to check the ventilation system at all vaccination centres nationwide to prevent the spread of Covid-19.


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Daily caseload dips below 2,400 as another 3 deaths logged

Another 2,375 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,813,702.
There were 1,466 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,750,198.
There are now 27,205 active cases, of which 25,912 or 95.2% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, eight (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 1,232 (4.5%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 53 are in ICU with 41 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 61.4%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 14.4%.
Three more deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 36,299.


Court decision on Cradle Fund CEO’s murder case postponed to June 21

The decision in Cradle Fund CEO Nazrin Hassan’s murder case on whether Samirah Muzaffar and the two teenagers charged with murdering him will be freed or ordered to defend themselves, has been postponed to June 21.Lawyer Rahmat Hazlan, representing the three accused, said he was informed of the new date by the court on May 17.The court had originally set May 30 to deliver its decision.The prosecution closed its case on Feb 14 after calling 57 witnesses.Hearing of the case began on Sept 6, 2019.On March 12, 2019, Samirah, 47, and the two teenagers, now aged 19 and 16, as well as an Indonesian woman, Eka Wahyu Lestari, who is still at large, were charged with murdering Nazrin at his house in Mutiara Damansara, between 11.30pm on June 13, 2018 and 4am the following day.


Homes in flood-prone areas could be a market washout

Home owners in areas at risk of floods may find it difficult to sell their houses following the massive torrents which recently swept over areas in a number of states including major cities in the Klang Valley.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, property consultant Natasha Gideon said the floods could also make it an uphill task to market currently unsold housing units in these areas.In the aftermath of the deluge which has claimed at least 48 lives so far, she said, buyers would undoubtedly take location into account before putting down money for a home.“We need to look at the frequency of flooding in a given area,” she said.“Of course, property value will be affected if the area is known for its floods.”Much also depends on the predictions of experts, she added.“If an area is expected to experience floods, it will indirectly affect the value of property there.”This applies regardless of whether the property is landed or high-rise, she said.While single-storey homes are seen as a less popular option in a flood situation, she said apartments and condominiums are also affected as lifts and basement parking lots would sustain damage.“Both categories have their pros and cons, so it’s difficult to say in general which is the better choice.”Buyers more cautiousLim Hock San, executive chairman of management and investment holding company LBS Bina Group Bhd, said buyers would be more cautious when choosing a home in the aftermath of the recent floods.Speaking at a press conference in Petaling Jaya on Wednesday, he said his company would look into ways to improve the drainage systems for future housing projects.Lim, whose company is involved in 14 development projects in the Klang Valley, Johor, Pahang and Perak, expects house prices to increase in 2022, driven by an uptick in cost of construction materials of about 5%.“But they may not increase by so much because they want to ensure that people can afford to buy homes,” he added.“So many are likely to buy homes in existing housing projects.”Gideon meanwhile said the occurrence of disasters such as floods does not necessarily mean that the value of homes will go down, as it also provides an opportunity for developers to improve on future housing projects.Normally, she said, when large-scale disasters occur, the government introduces tighter policies for development and construction where new standards must be followed.“After the Highland Tower incident, for example, development in hill areas had new standards,” she said, referring to the collapse of an apartment block in Ulu Klang, Selangor, in the early 1930s.“Even after that tragedy, the value of property in the area remained stable and houses were sold at high prices.”But how long it will take to regain the confidence of buyers in a particular area will depend on the place itself and, crucially, on government initiatives, she said.


‘No evidence’ woman in Ivory Coast had Ebola, says WHO

There is “no evidence” that a Guinean woman who tested positive for Ebola after arriving in neighbouring Ivory Coast had the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday citing a new analysis from a lab in France.Her diagnosis in mid-August was thought to be the first confirmed case of Ebola in the west African country since 1994.The diagnoses sparked a huge contact-tracing operation by WHO and Ivorian medics started a vaccination campaign targeting those who were in immediate contact with the woman.The 18-year-old had travelled to Abidjan by bus from Labe in northern Guinea, a journey of about 1,500km that passes through a densely forested region where Ebola epidemics broke out earlier this year and in 2013-16.“With the new results from the laboratory in Lyon, WHO considers that the patient did not have Ebola virus disease and further analysis on the cause of her illness is ongoing,” the UN’s health agency said in a statement on Tuesday.The WHO said it had been informed of the new results by the Ivorian government.It added that after more than 140 contacts of the woman had been traced, nobody else had shown symptoms of the disease or tested positive.The case sparked a row between the two countries after Guinea requested reconfirmation of her positive test, pushing Ivorian officials to defend the diagnosis.Ebola, which is transmitted through close contact with bodily fluids, is a fatal viral disease that causes severe fever and, in the worst cases, unstoppable bleeding.


Iraqi cleric Sadr calls off protests after worst Baghdad violence in years

Powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to end their protests in central Baghdad on Tuesday, easing a confrontation which led to the deadliest violence in the Iraqi capital in years.
Apologising to Iraqis after 22 people were killed in clashes between an armed group loyal to him and rival Shiite Muslim factions backed by Iran, Sadr condemned the fighting and gave his own followers one hour to disperse.
"This is not a revolution because it has lost its peaceful character," Sadr, a former anti-US insurgent leader, said in a televised address. "The spilling of Iraqi blood is forbidden."
As the deadline passed at around 2pm (1100 GMT), Sadr's followers could be seen leaving the area in the fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad where government offices are located and where they had occupied parliament for weeks.
Monday's clashes between rival factions of Iraq's Shiite majority follow 10 months of political deadlock since Iraq's October parliamentary election.
The clashes pitted loyalists of Sadr, who has positioned himself as a nationalist opposed to all foreign and especially Iranian influence, against political and armed groups backed by Iran.
Sadr emerged as the main winner in the election but failed in his efforts to form a government with Sunni Muslim Arab and Kurdish parties, excluding the Iran-backed Shiite groups.
This week's violence erupted after Sadr said he was withdrawing from all political activity – a decision he said was prompted by the failure of other Shiite leaders and parties to reform a corrupt and decaying governing system.
An Iraqi government official, speaking on condition of anonymity shortly before Sadr's address, said authorities could not impose control on the rival armed groups.
"The government is powerless to stop this, because the military is divided into (Iran) loyalists and Sadrists as well," the official said.
President Barham Salih welcomed the initial cessation of violence after Sadr's address, but warned that the political crisis was not over and called for early elections – a demand of Sadr – as a potential way out of the deadlock.
Crucially, Sadr's Shiite, Iran-aligned opponents welcomed his call for calm, including Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of the main rival political alliance to the populist cleric. "Sadr's initiative is brave and deserves praise," Amiri said in a statement.
Sadr's actions follow a pattern of confrontation and de-escalation he has repeatedly deployed in order to gain political power since he rose to prominence after the US-led invasion which toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, said Hamdi Malik, a specialist on Iraqi Shiite militias at the Washington Institute.
Malik said Sadr has recently tried to avoid violence in order to bolster his credentials as a leader of the country's oppressed masses, but has in practice had to threaten violent disorder to get what he wants.
Caught between political or religious ambition and his role as head of a militia, "Sadr has always put himself and his followers in a situation where violence and bloodshed seems inevitable, but then he always turns round and rejects the violence", Malik said.
Oil exports flowing
Earlier on Tuesday, militants fired rockets at the Green Zone and gunmen cruised in pickup trucks carrying machine guns and brandishing grenade launchers, while most residents observed a curfew which was lifted after Sadr's statement.
The US described the unrest as disturbing and called for dialogue to ease Iraq's political problems.
Neighbouring Iran briefly closed the border and halted flights to Iraq.
Emirates and flydubai airlines cancelled flights to and from Baghdad on Tuesday and Wednesday, but sources said oil exports from Opecs's second-largest producer were unaffected by the turmoil.
Sadr has positioned himself as a nationalist who opposes all foreign interference, whether from the US and the West or from Iran.
He commands a thousands-strong militia and has millions of loyal supporters across the country. His opponents, longtime allies of Tehran, control dozens of paramilitary groups heavily armed and trained by Iranian forces.
"There are uncontrolled militias, yes, but that does not mean the Sadrist Movement should also be uncontrolled," Sadr said in his address calling off the protests.


Satellite images show new Russian military deployments near Ukraine

Commercial satellite images published by a private US company show new Russian military deployments at several locations near Ukraine, suggesting that Moscow’s force buildup continues amid a flurry of diplomacy aimed at easing the crisis.Russia is holding joint military exercises in ex-Soviet Belarus as well as naval drills in the Black Sea, part of a surge of military activity near Ukraine that has fuelled fears of an impending invasion. Russia denies any plans to attack.US-based Maxar Technologies, which has been tracking the buildup of Russian forces for weeks, said images taken on Wednesday and Thursday showed significant new deployments in several locations in annexed Crimea, western Russia and Belarus.The images could not be independently verified by Reuters.In Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, Maxar said it had identified a large new deployment of troops and equipment at Oktyabrskoye airfield north of the city of Simferopol, including 550 troop tents and hundreds of vehicles.New troops and equipment also arrived near Crimea’s Novoozernoye, it said, pointing also to a new deployment near the town of Slavne, on the northwest coast of the peninsula.In Belarus, the site of major joint drills, Maxar said it had identified a new deployment of troops, military vehicles and helicopters at Zyabrovka airfield near Gomel, less than 25km from the border with Ukraine.In a statement sent by email late on Thursday, it said a large deployment of troops and forces had recently arrived at the Kursk training area in western Russia, approximately 110km to the east of the Ukrainian border.Russia has not disclosed how many troops it has deployed and says it has the right to move forces around on its territory as it sees fit. It insists they pose no external threat.


Umno man slams 'treacherous friend' Amanah as more cracks appear in Anwar's coalition

An Umno Supreme Council member has slammed Amanah for questioning the royal pardon bid for jailed former leader Najib Razak, in the latest war of words among the ruling parties comprising the coalition government led by Anwar Ibrahim.
Puad Zarkashi, who is also the Johor state speaker, said Amanah's call on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong not to grant a pardon to the former prime minister was not only insulting to the monarch, but also showed the Pakatan Harapan (PH) component party as a "difficult", double-faced friend.
"This is why it's hard to be friends with PAN," Puad said, using the initials shunned by supporters of the PAS splinter party, who prefer the abbreviation "Amanah" (trust).
"(We) can only be friends. A friend who does not guarantee that the unity government can remain. A friend who betrays a friend."
Puad, who has similarly slammed DAP's Lim Kit Siang for protesting the pardon bid, said Amanah could not be a comrade for Umno to any extent further than a "political friend".
"The party led by Mohamad Sabu should be called PAN instead of Amanah," he added.
His remarks appear set to fuel the rising tension between ruling parties in the PH coalition headed by Anwar, and the Umno-dominated Barisan Nasional whose support for the PKR president last year made him the country's 10th prime minister following a hung parliament after the general election.
On Friday, Amanah criticised Umno's efforts to free Najib, who is serving a 12-year sentence at Kajang Prison for his conviction in the SRC International case.
Amanah spokesman Khalid Samad said a pardon for Najib would send a negative message to the people, the country's justice system and the entire world about Malaysia's attitude towards corruption and abuse of power.
"Will giving a pardon to someone who has embarrassed the country on a global scale show a firm and uncompromising stand towards corruption? Surely not," Khalid had said.
The statement drew a sharp response from Umno president and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who urged all quarters to stop commenting on the application for a royal pardon.
It also prompted Kelantan Umno, set to become allies with Amanah in their bid to capture the PAS-held state at the coming polls, to demand a public apology from Khalid, a request the Amanah leader has refused.
Puad's statement came after fellow Umno Supreme Council leader Nur Jazlan Mohamed lashed out at PH leaders for suggesting that the Malay party was latching on to the coalition for its own survival following its worst electoral defeat ever at the polls last year.
Jazlan shot back by saying that DAP was a liability to the coalition government in its efforts to win back Malay support.
"They depended on Chinese-majority seats and mixed seats to win 80 seats at GE15," he said.
Former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has also joined the growing dissent within Umno, describing Umno's current cooperation with PH as a "forced marriage" amid tit-for-tat comments between DAP and PKR leaders.


Prosecutors may reconsider murder charge against teen accused of killing newborn

Prosecutors may reconsider a murder charge made against a teenage girl accused of killing her newborn son, pending the outcome of a probe into allegations the baby was conceived of rape, the attorney-general’s office said today.The 15-year-old was charged with murder on Tuesday after her son was found last week with stab wounds to his chest, but activists have called for the case to be re-classified as infanticide and for the girl to be released on bail.The teenager, whose identity authorities have withheld, has alleged the baby was conceived when she was raped by a man in his 20s, according to police.A separate investigation is underway into the rape allegation and the man she has accused is wanted by authorities.The attorney-general’s office in a statement said the murder charge filed against the girl was “a transparent criminal justice process” based on statements and documentation by witnesses, forensic officials, and pathology experts.But prosecutors can “review the original prosecution” and change it to another charge “based on additional developments as well as the results of the probe into the rape incident”, the statement added.The charge of murder carries the death penalty, but if convicted, the girl would instead serve a prison sentence under alternative sentencing laws for minors.The teen was detained after she was found holding the deceased baby at a house in Terengganu on Feb 8.Investigations later found the baby’s umbilical cord had been cut with a sharp object, as well as a stab wound, and other bodily injuries.


Ex-Trump fundraiser pleads guilty to illicit lobbying on 1MDB, China

A former top fundraiser for President Donald Trump pleaded guilty Tuesday to illegally lobbying the US government to drop its probe into the 1MDB corruption scandal and to deport an exiled Chinese billionaire.Elliott Broidy, 63, was charged in early October with one count of conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent after allegedly agreeing to take millions of dollars to lobby the Trump administration.At the time Broidy was national deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, after having been a major fundraiser for Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign.The indictment said Broidy was recruited in 2017 by an unnamed foreign national, understood to be businessman Low Taek Jho, to pressure US officials to end their investigation of a scandal engulfing then-prime minister Najib Razak.The scandal involved the theft of over US$4.5 billion from state investment fund 1MDB, and Low was allegedly central to moving and hiding some of the stolen funds.The lobbying included trying to arrange for Najib and Trump to play golf together in September 2017, to give the former prime minister a chance to pressure Trump to end the US probe.The golf game never happened, and Low was indicted in 2018 for his role in siphoning off billions from 1MDB.In addition, in May 2017 Low introduced Broidy to a senior Chinese security official, and they discussed Beijing’s desire that Washington deport an exiled Chinese tycoon, known to be Guo Wengui, a prominent dissident businessman.The indictment describes Broidy’s intense lobbying of the White House, the Department of Justice (DoJ) and law enforcement on behalf of the Chinese, including contacts with but not direct discussions with Trump.“This case demonstrates how foreign governments and principals seek to advance their agendas in the US by hiding behind politically influential proxies,” said Acting Assistant Attorney-General Brian Rabbitt in a statement.“Such conduct poses a serious threat to our national security and undermines the integrity of our democracy.”Broidy faces a maximum of five years in prison, and is forfeiting US$6.6 million he earned from Low for the lobbying, the DoJ said.


Ku Nan appeals against jail term, fine for graft

Former federal territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has filed an appeal against the 12-month jail sentence and RM2 million fine imposed by the High Court yesterday after finding him guilty of accepting a bribe of RM2 million from a businessman.His lawyer, Tan Hock Chuan, when contacted by reporters, said the notice of appeal was filed yesterday through the online judicial system.Meanwhile, deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim said whether or not the prosecution would file an appeal over the sentence would be decided by the Attorney-General’s Chambers within 14 days of the date of judgment.Yesterday, High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan sentenced Tengku Adnan, 70, to 12 months in jail and fined him RM2 million in default of six months’ jail after finding him guilty of the charge.He said the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the Putrajaya MP had failed to raise reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.However, he allowed Tengku Adnan’s application for a stay of execution of the jail sentence and fine pending his appeal.Tengku Adnan was charged in his capacity as a public servant with having received for himself a total of RM2 million from businessman Chai Kin Kong, who is Aset Kayamas Sdn Bhd director, through a Hong Leong Islamic Bank cheque belonging to the company which was deposited into a CIMB account owned by Tadmansori Holdings Sdn Bhd, which Tengku Adnan had an interest in and was known to Aset Kayamas as being related to his official duties.He was accused of committing the offence at the Pusat Bandar Damansara branch of CIMB Bank Bhd on June 14, 2016 under Section 165 of the Penal Code which carries an imprisonment of up to two years, a fine or both upon conviction.


Govt priority on rebuilding economy, says minister Mustapa

Malaysia is placing priority on rebuilding its economy and putting the country on stronger footing with a more competitive economy, says economic affairs minister Mustapa Mohamed.He said the challenges faced by the country in the last 18 months had also presented an opportunity for the government to revisit its policies and strategies.Mustapa listed several government priorities in the next 10 years, including increasing income, eliminating absolute poverty and reducing development gaps between states and regions; as well as ensuring quality growth which is sustainable – that is, growth which will not compromise the environment.“Other priorities are creating a policy environment that is conducive to private sector, investors, both local and foreign; growth and development that is inclusive and results in more unity and cohesion in the context of the Malaysian Family; and ensuring that the government delivery mechanism is enhanced to meet our developmental goals,” he said in his keynote address at a webinar titled “The 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP): Developing the Nation in the Spirit of Keluarga Malaysia” today.Mustapa said the Economic Planning Unit had extensively engaged with various stakeholders as early as April 2019 in preparing the 12MP, which will be tabled on Sept 27.“Like the five-year plans that came before, the 12MP will provide an overarching trajectory of the government’s development agenda. It provides a sense of direction to government agencies, the private sector, investors and the public at large on the overall policy direction of the Malaysian government,” he added.Mustapa said the government remained committed to ensuring that its policies take into account the need to preserve the nation’s rich biodiversity for the benefit of the future generations.


Eiffel Tower visitor numbers climb to pre-Covid levels

The Eiffel Tower is clocking up visitor numbers not seen since Covid-19 kept most tourists away and ripped a deep hole in its finances, the attraction’s operator said Thursday.A major paint job on the “Iron Lady” has resumed after an interruption during the pandemic due to high lead levels, it said, with the aim of having the landmark look its best in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics.The Eiffel Tower had “a good month of October”, operator Sete told AFP, thanks to tourists returning to Paris, a top destination.It received an average of more than 20,000 visitors per day in October, up from 13,000 during the summer when curbs kept down numbers allowed into the tower’s lifts.October weekend numbers were better than in 2019, Sete said.One big factor was the return of American tourists, who accounted for 10% of overall visits, as well as tourists from nearby European countries.But overall visits this year are still only expected to reach 1.5 million, against 6.2 million in 2019, leaving the tower in dire financial difficulties.Sete expects to post a loss of €75 million (US$87 million) this year, adding to 2020’s loss of €52 million.Sete has arranged a near €60-million recapitalisation by the city of Paris, its major shareholder, plus a government-backed loan of €25 million.To make up for the shortfall, the operator has asked for help elsewhere, notably from the French government. “Discussions are ongoing,” it said.The Eiffel Tower shut from mid-March to late June last year during the first Covid lockdown, and then again from end-October 2020 to mid-July of this year, its longest closure since World War II.


Brussels says EU states should reopen to travellers but only those fully vaccinated

The European Commission has proposed that people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 should be allowed entry to the EU, provided that the virus has been adequately suppressed in the country of departure.The bloc’s executive leadership recommended on Monday that member states lift restrictions on “non-essential” travel for foreigners who have received all necessary doses of a jab authorised for use within the EU, at least 14 days before arrival.“Time to revive EU tourism industry and for cross-border friendships to rekindle – safely,” EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.The EU currently only allows non-essential travel from seven countries.The proposals will also contain an “emergency brake” allowing member states to limit travel quickly in response to new variants or a deteriorating health situation in non-EU countries. This would be reviewed every two weeks.Discussions on the plans will begin on Tuesday.The EU has already announced plans for a digital certificate, which would cover anyone who is either vaccinated against Covid-19, has a negative test or has recently recovered.Brussels added that states could choose to extend the guideline to include all vaccines that have been signed off by the World Health Organization (WHO) for emergency use.Currently the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted emergency approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson jabs.The proposal also said that EU members that choose to waive Covid testing or quarantine requirements for vaccinated EU citizens should extend the policy to vaccinated travellers from outside the bloc.However, travellers will only be allowed to enter the EU if they are coming from a country with a “good epidemiological situation”.The commission said that as the health crisis improves worldwide, it hopes to raise the threshold of new coronavirus cases used to determine which countries will be greenlit for cross-border travel.The commission said that until its digital “green certificate” vaccine passport system is fully implemented, member states should accept proof of vaccination from non-EU countries, provided the documentation can be authenticated and contains all relevant data.Member states could create web portals that will allow foreign travellers to ask for recognition of a vaccine passport from a non-EU state, as well as request a green certificate once it comes into use.Discussions about the proposal are expected to begin this week. If the plan is adopted by the European Council, it will then be up to each member state to implement the measures.Vaccine passports have been hailed by some authorities and experts as necessary in order to contain Covid-19 and reboot travel.However, critics say such schemes are a vast government overreach. The Council of Europe passed a resolution in January saying that vaccination should not be mandatory and that those who did not receive Covid-19 jabs “may not be discriminated against in any way”.


Twitter defends anti-bot efforts, Musk replies with poo emoji

Twitter’s chief on Monday defended the messaging platform’s battle against “bots” that aspiring buyer Elon Musk says vex the platform, only to have the billionaire respond with a poo emoji.The exchange played out in tweets as Musk’s US$44 billion buy of Twitter remained “temporarily on hold,” pending questions over the social media company’s estimates of the number of fake accounts, or “bots.”“It appears the spam/bot issue is cascading and clearly making the Twitter deal a confusing one,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.“The bot issue at the end of the day was known by the New York City cab driver and feels more to us like the ‘dog ate the homework’ excuse to bail on the Twitter deal or talk down a lower price.”Twitter chief executive Parag Agrawal said the platform suspends more than a half-million seemingly bogus accounts daily, usually before they are even seen, and locks millions more weekly that fail checks to make sure they are controlled by humans and not by software.Internal measures show that fewer than 5% of accounts active on any given day at Twitter are spam, but that analysis can’t be replicated externally due to the need to keep user data private, Agrawal contended.Musk, who has said bots plague Twitter and that he would make getting rid of them a priority if he owned the platform, responded to that tweet by Agrawal with a poo emoji.“So how do advertisers know what they’re getting for their money?” Musk tweeted in a subsequent response about the need to prove Twitter users are real people.“This is fundamental to the financial health of Twitter.”The process used to estimate how many accounts are bots has been shared with Musk, Agrawal said.The chief of SpaceX as well as Tesla, Musk is currently listed by Forbes as the world’s wealthiest person, with a fortune of some US$230 billion, much of it in Tesla stock.Seen by his champions as an iconoclastic genius and by his critics as an erratic megalomaniac, Musk surprised many investors in April with his pursuit of Twitter.Musk has described his motivation as stemming from a desire to ensure freedom of speech on the platform and to boost monetisation of an internet site that is influential in media and political circles but has struggled to attain profitable growth.Musk said he favoured lifting the ban on Donald Trump, who was kicked off the platform in January 2021 shortly after the former US president’s efforts to overturn his election defeat led to the Jan 6 assault on the US Capitol.


Parliament quarantined, MPs barred from leaving after Covid cases reported

A much anticipated afternoon session of the Dewan Rakyat was postponed to 5.15pm today after health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah issued a directive that the Parliament building be placed under quarantine following the detection of Covid-19 cases on the premises.Deputy speaker Rashid Hasnon said all parliament staff as well as MPs attending the current special sitting would have to undergo screening for the virus.The announcement was greeted by loud jeers from opposition MPs, who had been awaiting the government’s response to a statement by Istana Negara criticising the move to annul the emergency ordinances.The statement said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was disappointed that the matter was not put forth for debate, adding that he had yet to consent to the revocation of the emergency ordinances.In a statement today, Noor Hisham said 2,093 people were screened from July 21 to 25. Of these, 56 tested positive: two MPs, six aides and 48 officials from various government agencies.Of the 56 who tested positive, 39 or 69.6% had yet to be vaccinated or had yet to complete both doses.Those who tested positive included Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.


FTX was run as 'personal fiefdom,' faces hacks, missing assets, attorneys say

FTX was run as a "personal fiefdom" of former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, attorneys for the collapsed crypto exchange said in its first bankruptcy hearing as they detailed ongoing challenges such as hacks and substantial missing assets.
In the highest-profile crypto blowup to date, FTX filed for protection in the US after traders pulled US$6 billion (about RM27.4 billion) from the platform in three days and rival exchange Binance abandoned a rescue deal. The collapse has left an estimated 1 million creditors facing losses totaling billions of dollars.
An attorney for FTX said at a bankruptcy hearing on Tuesday the company now intends to sell off healthy business units, but has been the subject of cyberattacks and had "substantial" assets missing.
FTX said on Saturday it has launched a strategic review of its global assets and is preparing for the sale or reorganization of some businesses. FTX said on Tuesday it was receiving interest from potential buyers for its assets and would conduct a process to reorganize or sell them.
The hearing was held at the US Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware and was livestreamed to around 1,500 viewers on YouTube and Zoom.
An attorney also said the firm had been run as a "personal fiefdom" of Bankman-Fried with US$300 million spent on real estate such as homes and vacation properties for senior staff. FTX, led since the bankruptcy filing by new CEO John Ray, has accused Bankman-Fried of working with Bahamian regulators to "undermine" the US bankruptcy case and shift assets overseas.
Bankman-Fried did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment.
Reuters earlier reported that Bankman-Fried's FTX, his parents and senior executives of the failed cryptocurrency exchange bought at least 19 properties worth nearly US$121 million in the Bahamas over the past two years, official property records show.
Attorneys also said an investigation must take place into Binance's sale of FTX in July 2021. Binance bought a stake in FTX in 2019.
Separately a filing late on Monday by Ed Mosley of Alvarez & Marsal, a consultancy firm advising FTX, showed FTX's cash balance of US$1.24 billion as of Sunday was "substantially higher" than previously thought.
It includes around US$400 million at accounts related to Alameda Research, the crypto trading firm owned by Bankman-Fried, and US$172 million at FTX's Japan arm.
Reuters has reported Bankman-Fried secretly used $10 billion in customer funds to prop up his trading business, and that at least US$1 billion of those deposits had vanished.
Disclosure debate
At the hearing, FTX representatives argued that names of customers should be kept secret, as disclosing them could destabilise the crypto market and open customers up to hacks. FTX also argued its customer list is a valuable asset, and disclosing it could impair future sale efforts or allow rivals to poach its user base.
A judge said those names can remain undisclosed until a future court hearing.
FTX lawyers also described an uneasy truce with court-appointed liquidators overseeing the wind-down of FTX's Bahamas unit, FTX Digital Markets.
The two sides reached an initial agreement to coordinate their US-based insolvency proceedings before Judge John Dorsey, avoiding the possibility of conflicting rulings from two different US bankruptcy judges. But both sides signaled they still have broader disagreements over how to coordinate the recovery and preservation of assets held by various FTX affiliates.
Bankman-Fried, FTX and the Bahamas liquidators did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Contagion fears
FTX's fall from grace has sent shivers through the crypto world, driving bitcoin to its lowest level in around two years and triggering fears of contagion among other firms already reeling from the collapse in the crypto market this year.
Major US crypto lender Genesis said on Monday it was trying to avert bankruptcy, days after FTX's collapse forced it to suspend customer redemptions.
"Our goal is to resolve the current situation consensually without the need for any bankruptcy filing," a Genesis spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters, adding it continues to have conversations with creditors.
A Bloomberg News report, citing sources, had said Genesis was struggling to raise fresh cash for its lending unit.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that Genesis had approached Binance seeking an investment but the crypto exchange decided against it, fearing a conflict of interest. Genesis also approached private equity firm Apollo Global Management for capital assistance, the WSJ said.
Apollo did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the WSJ report, while Binance declined to comment.
Crypto exchange Gemini, which runs a crypto lending product in partnership with Genesis, tweeted on Monday it was continuing to work with the company to enable its users to redeem funds from its yield-generating "Earn" program.
Gemini said on its blog last week there was no impact on its other products and services after Genesis paused withdrawals.
Since the implosion of FTX, some crypto players are taking to decentralised exchanges known as "DEXs" where investors trade peer-to-peer on the blockchain.
Overall daily trading volumes on DEXs leapt to their highest level since May on Nov 10, as FTX imploded, according to data from market tracker DeFi Llama, but have since pared gains.


Deal agreed for unknown number of children of ‘baby god’ fertility doctor who used own sperm

A Canadian fertility doctor used his own or unknown sperm to impregnate his patients, so creating many babies who grew up believing they had a different father.Now, in what is thought to be the first-ever legal settlement of its kind, these children have been offered a C$13 million (US$10 million) settlement.Under the terms of the deal, 226 claimants will be given compensation based on a court-determined level of harm.The doctor worked at two clinics in Ottawa, Ontario, and many of the patients who went to him for IVF treatment now have grown up children who are biologically related to him.When initially confronted, the doctor told parents that his own sperm might have been used accidentally as he probably did not clean the automated sperm counting chamber, in which he had performed a test using his own sperm.While medical regulators have revoked his licence, the patients are finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that their children carry the genes of an unethical doctor.80-year-old Dr Norman Barwin, who was in practice for over 41 years, was hailed as “baby god” before the truth came to light and resulted in the stripping of his licence.The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) said his conduct “would reasonably be regarded by members as disgraceful, dishonourable or unprofessional”.Many couples who were told that the male partner’s sperm would be used were unknowingly given random samples, or Barwin’s own.Some of the claims date back to the 1970s. Barwin has not practised since 2014.The settlement must still be approved by a judge before any money will be made available.Rebecca Dixon, 31, found out that her real father was Barwin – whose clinic her parents had visited – after she developed a disease that nobody else in her family had. She and her parents launched the lawsuit in 2016.“I am not sure we will ever achieve closure,” she told the Ottawa-Citizen newspaper.“It is something that will be with us for the rest of our lives. But the legal side wrapping up will allow people to come to a bit more peace with the situation.”The proposal also calls for C$75,000 to be used to set up a database for children conceived at his clinics to find out the identity of their father. The purpose of the database will be to provide children with the opportunity to identify their biological fathers, gain access to medical history and to locate any half-siblings.Barwin and his lawyer had no comment on the matter, but the settlement does not require the former fertility doctor to admit any fault.He “has denied and continues to deny all of the plaintiffs’ claims in this action,” lawyers said in court documents filed on Wednesday.In 2019, Barwin was stripped of his medical licence by the CPSO, which called his actions “beyond reprehensible”.


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MPs urged to declare interests as consumer body slams 'tobacco industry antics'

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has urged MPs to declare any interests that they or their officials might have in the tobacco industry following reports of lobbyists at the Parliament building as the government seeks to pass a bill that would ban smoking among those born in or after 2007.
Describing this as a "blatant move by tobacco industry lobbyists to attempt to interfere in the heart of Parliament", CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said it was also in direct violation of a key provision of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
"Recognising the power of the tobacco industry’s influence and interference, Article 5.3 clearly states that: 'In setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law'," he said in a statement today.
Adding that Malaysia had ratified the FCTC in September 2005, he said the Control of Tobacco Product and Smoking Bill 2022 was in fact long overdue.
"In taking the 2022 bill forward, the health ministry is rightfully standing up for the health of all Malaysians by implementing its international legally binding obligations, and protecting future generations with its courageous introduction of the generational endgame provision for all Malaysians born on Jan 1, 2007 onwards," he said.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin tabled the bill, also known as the tobacco generational endgame law, in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
If passed, the bill will criminalise the consumption of any tobacco product or substitute tobacco product by those born in or after 2007.
It will also prohibit the possession and use of smoking devices as tobacco and smoking substances, with offenders liable to a fine of up to RM5,000.
Khairy said the bill was to protect future generations from becoming involved in smoking and addiction, and to reduce the percentage of smokers in Malaysia to less than 5% by 2040.
CAP said the bill was a significant step towards implementing Malaysia's obligations under the FCTC.
"CAP’s monitoring of the tobacco industry over the years has revealed many industry antics to circumvent and even subvert the FCTC implementation, and this is also seen in countries around the world," Mohideen said.
"It is good to recall from the World Health Organization website that the FCTC 'is an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health' and that it was 'developed in response to the globalisation of the tobacco epidemic'."


Pandemic takes its toll on reading and writing as well

Teachers are voicing concern about a drop in literacy among their students following the enforced break from physical classes which stretched out over months as the Covid-19 outbreak kept tens of thousands of pupils homebound under various lockdown phases.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, they said they are now struggling to catch up with the education recovery plans implemented at their schools.They also said they had seen a significant change in their students’ reading and writing skills when schools reopened for face-to-face classes this year.Dina, who teaches at a government school in Kedah, said her pupils’ literacy had been severely impaired by the long break from the physical classroom when schools were closed during the movement control order period.“Their current level does not match the level that they’re supposed to reach at their age.”Although home-based learning or PdPR was implemented through various digital platforms, she said this had not worked for most students.“Their proficiency has badly deteriorated,” she told MalaysiaNow, adding that teachers were forced to return to the basics and to re-teach their students from the beginning.While some had been able to retain what they had learnt through self-study, she said, for many “their current level does not match the level that they’re supposed to reach at their age”.The United Nations recently warned that Covid-19 had created the largest disruption of education systems in history, affecting nearly 1.6 billion students in more than 190 countries.It said the closure of schools and other learning spaces had impacted 94% of the world’s student population, rising to 99% in low-income countries.Mazlina, a primary school teacher from Negeri Sembilan, said literacy was now a serious problem among her Standard 1 and 2 pupils.She said nearly half of her students struggle with reading and writing, especially in English.“Every year, I can see how my students’ reading and writing has improved when they are in Standard 2. But this time, I still need to struggle especially after the pandemic,” she told MalaysiaNow.For some, she said, part of the problem was a lack of practice during PdPR. Others were unable to join the online classes at all, which she said had had a serious impact on their reading and writing skills.For now, she is doing what she can to help her weaker students catch up with their lessons.“Covid-19 has created the largest disruption of education systems in history.”“I’m trying to change my style of teaching,” she said. “One-to-one sessions require a lot of effort from teachers but that is the only focus right now.”She also groups weaker students together so that she can give them more attention, while high achievers are drilled and given extra activities.At the so-called recovery classes or “kelas pemulihan” at her school, teachers are assigned up to five students with whom they work to reinforce core skills and provide a personalised learning experience.But these classes focus mainly on the Malay and mathematics subjects. “For English, we need to handle the problem ourselves.”The English language committee there does what it can by collaborating with the library to provide students with reading materials while for writing, classes are divided into low, medium and high achievers so that students can be given the appropriate writing practices.At Dina’s school, students are also required to attend workshops in order to catch up with their lessons.But extra effort is still needed from teachers and students alike to make up for the lessons they have missed.So far, the teachers are working with no clear results to show how effective these programmes really are. But Dina remains hopeful.“We hope that they can bring about a positive change for the students,” she said.


New York lawmakers agree to legalise recreational marijuana

New York is poised to join a growing number of US states that have legalised marijuana for recreational use, the AP reports.It has taken years for the state’s lawmakers to come to a consensus on how legal recreational marijuana would be regulated and taxed.The agreement reached on Saturday would expand the state’s existing medical marijuana programme and set up a licensing and taxation system for recreational sales. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration has estimated legalisation could eventually bring the state about US$350 million annually.Senator Liz Krueger, the sponsor of the bill said, “My goal in carrying this legislation has always been to end the racially disparate enforcement of marijuana prohibition that has taken such a toll on communities of colour across our state, and to use the economic windfall of legalisation to help heal and repair those same communities.”The legislation would allow recreational marijuana sales to adults over the age of 21 and set up a licensing process for the delivery of cannabis products to customers. Individual New Yorkers could grow up to three mature and three immature plants for personal consumption.The legislation will take effect immediately if passed, though sales wouldn’t start until New York sets up rules and a proposed cannabis board which could take 18 months to two years.New York would eliminate penalties for possession of less than three ounces of cannabis, and automatically expunge records of people with past convictions for marijuana-related offenses that would no longer be criminal offences.The state would also provide loans, grants and incubator programs to encourage participation in the cannabis industry by people from minority communities, as well as small farmers, women and disabled veterans.Proponents have said the move could create thousands of jobs and begin to address the racial injustice of a decades-long drug war that disproportionately targeted minority and poor communities.Melissa Moore, the Drug Policy Alliance’s director for New York state, said the bill “really puts a nail in the coffin of the drug war that’s been so devastating to communities across New York.”


Malay chamber condemns calls for more EPF withdrawals as bid to score ‘ugly political points’

The Malay Chamber of Commerce has joined widespread concern over a campaign by politicians led by former leader Najib Razak to pressure the government into letting people withdraw their savings from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), days after the retirement fund warned that Malays formed the majority of those who will face a financial crisis upon retirement.The body which acts as a main lobby to protect Malay business interests in the country said more withdrawals from EPF were not only unrealistic, but a form of “exploitation of the people’s misery to score ugly political points”.“After the two EPF i-Citra programmes allowing the withdrawal of savings from contributors’ Accounts 1 and 2 before their retirement, we urge the prime minister not to continue i-Citra for a third time on the pretext of easing the burden of flood victims or dealing with a new variant of Covid-19,” it said in a statement.The government had introduced schemes such as i-Lestari, i-Sinar and i-Citra allowing EPF members to withdraw their savings to cushion the financial impact of the various movement control orders implemented to curb the Covid-19 pandemic.But EPF said last month that the schemes had led to the outflow of RM101 billion involving 6.1 million members, leaving them with less than RM10,000 in their accounts, as well as some 3.6 million with less than RM1,000.The rare statement from EPF warning of depleting funds came amid pressure from Najib and politicians aligned with him to allow another round of withdrawals.Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has refused to entertain the requests, sparking scathing attacks by Najib on Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz.“Don’t listen to the advice of the outdated PN finance minister,” he said, referring to the previous Perikatan Nasional government.EPF’s data shows that a majority of those who made withdrawals were Bumiputeras.“As a result, 4.4 million or 54% of Bumiputera members now have less than RM10,000, and two million or 25% have less than RM1,000,” the fund had said.The Malay Chamber of Commerce said old-age poverty facing Malaysians was just as serious a crisis as natural calamities.It said the two i-Citra withdrawal programmes had not succeeded in addressing the people’s financial hardships, and had only made them suffer more.“Allowing withdrawals will not help the Bumiputeras either because although they make up the largest group of EPF contributors in terms of numbers, in terms of the value of their savings, they cannot be the target group to get help with i-Citra 3.0.”It said there are other ways to help people in the wake of the financial crisis caused by Covid-19 and the recent floods.It cited interest-free loans and a moratorium as announced by the government, whose implementation it said should be simplified.


England ends self-isolation for Covid contacts

Fully vaccinated people in England will from Monday no longer be required to self-isolate if they have had close contact with a coronavirus case, as restrictions continue to be eased.Instead of self-isolating, those double jabbed and the under 18s will be advised to get a free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test if they are identified as being in close contact with a case.The change was announced last month, as part of step four of the government’s plan to open up after more than a year of rolling lockdowns.Anyone who tests positive following the PCR test will still be legally required to self-isolate.Britain is still battling another wave of the virus, with the emergence of the Delta variant.Although cases are down around 50% from their peak, the number of people catching the disease has been rising slightly over the last two weeks, with around 100 people a day dying from the disease.Britain has been one the countries worst hit by the virus, recording more than 130,000 fatalities, but has been able to ease restrictions thanks to a successful vaccine rollout, with 75% of adults receiving both doses.Before Monday, people who were “pinged” by the National Health Service app, warning them that they had come into close contact with a positive case, were required to self-isolate for 10 days.England officially fully opened up again on July 19, but millions were subsequently contacted by the country’s test-and-trace scheme, forcing them to stay away from family, friends and the workplace.The so-called “pingdemic”, which even grounded Prime Minister Boris Johnson, severely disrupted businesses and critical services, hampering efforts to kickstart the ailing economy.“Asking the close contacts of people with Covid-19 to self-isolate has played a critical role in helping us get this virus under control, and millions of people across the UK have made enormous sacrifices by doing this,” said Health Minister Sajid Javid.“Getting two doses of a vaccine has tipped the odds in our favour and allowed us to safely reclaim our lost freedoms, and from Monday we can take another huge step back towards our normal lives,” he added.Removing self-isolation for under 18s comes three weeks before thousands of pupils and students return to school and college, and they will no longer be required to socially distance.


Singapore racial housing quotas maxed out in many areas causing resale problems

Singapore’s policy of forcing different ethnic groups to live in mixed housing blocks is running into difficulties because nearly one in three Housing Board blocks and 14% of neighbourhoods today have reached ethnic quota limits, reports the Straits Times.National Development Minister Desmond Lee said this underscores the importance of having the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) in place to ensure social mixing.Up to 80% of Singapore’s population live in HDB flats. Most are sold on a 99-year lease and the remainder rented to the homeless or those unable to afford to purchase the cheapest forms of public housing despite financial support.Singapore maintains a quota system of ethnicities through the EIP by ensuring that each block of units is sold to families from different ethnicities roughly comparable to the national average.The maxing out of racial quotas for flat ownership happens across all ethnic groups and in both mature and non-mature estates, Lee told the House on Monday.“So just imagine how much more different ethnic groups would concentrate in different neighbourhoods if we did away with the EIP, and how much harder it would then become to promote mixing and understanding across ethnic groups in the home environment,” he said.Introduced in 1989, the EIP sets racial quotas on flat ownership within each HDB block and neighbourhood. The policy serves an important function to ensure areas remain inclusive and diverse, as people get to interact with neighbours of different races almost every day along corridors, void decks, playgrounds and markets.Lee noted that some might argue that living next door to someone from a different race or religion does not mean people will learn to tolerate or understand differences while others contend that social integration can be achieved in schools, at work or during national service.Lee said the EIP remains crucial because so much of people’s lives revolve around homes and neighbourhoods, especially in the pandemic.“If we don’t live with one another, it makes it much harder to empathise with other communities and understand the challenges they face, and much easier to stereotype or assume the worst of those who are different from us. That is a recipe for mutual mistrust and intolerance.”Left entirely to social and market forces, ethnic concentrations will start forming in different areas again, he said.This could be due to instinctive preferences to live near others from the same ethnic community, or wanting to live near family members or specific amenities in some neighbourhoods, he said.“Individually, these are completely understandable and reasonable preferences. But collectively, if we are not careful, these tendencies could inadvertently lead to segregation among the races,” he said.Children, for instance, could grow up in neighbourhoods where they hardly see children of other races in their classrooms, as most children go to pre-schools and primary schools near their homes.When Singapore was still under the British rule, the Raffles Town Plan had designated separate geographical zones for each ethnic group, which meant different races had little interaction.In deciding to build a cohesive, multiracial society, the country’s founding leaders did not blindly paper over differences between ethnic groups or take a “melting pot” approach by having different races blend or conform artificially to one uniform culture, he noted.But ethnic concentrations started to emerge in particular areas after resale transactions were allowed in 1971, so the EIP was introduced in 1989 for both new and resale flats to ensure estates remain diverse.Lee pointed to how racial segregation is common in many major European and American cities, with wealthier ethnicities congregating in expensive, gentrified neighbourhoods.Learning from these lessons, he said Singapore cannot leave social mixing to chance.“It is better to intervene to pre-empt the problem and to foster mutual understanding and encourage integration from the start,” he said.“If we wait until after racial tensions have developed and become entrenched, it will become so much harder to heal those fractures and rebuild trust among different communities.”The issue also drew comments from opposition leader Pritam Singh, according to CNA, who said that his Workers’ Party aims to remove the EIP, but not before Singapore reaches a state of being “race neutral”.


China says ‘closely watching’ Ukraine situation after Russian attack

China on Thursday called for restraint on all sides after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an attack on Ukraine, while saying the military operation should not be described as an “invasion”.Putin announced the launch of a major military offensive and ground troops crossed into the country from several directions on Thursday, with explosions heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.“China is closely watching the latest situation, and we call on all parties to maintain restraint and prevent the situation from getting out of control,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular press briefing where she was repeatedly asked if Beijing condemned the actions.Beijing has trod a cautious line on Ukraine as Moscow massed thousands of troops on the borders, and criticised the West for new sanctions after Russia ordered troops into two breakaway Ukrainian regions it now recognises as independent.Hua on Thursday refused to call the military action an “invasion”, labelling the term “prejudiced”, and dodged questions on whether China was in contact with Russian and Ukrainian leaders.“The Ukraine issue has a very complicated historical background” and was the result of “various factors,” Hua told reporters.China has blamed the US and its Western allies in recent weeks for “hyping up” the crisis, with Hua saying at an earlier briefing on Wednesday that the US was “adding fuel to the fire.”The Chinese embassy in Ukraine on Thursday warned its citizens to be alert for “severe disturbances” and to stay home as much as possible.


No problem with UiTM students contesting Melaka polls, university says

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) says it has no objection to any of its students standing as election candidates as it is not against the rules of the university.UiTM vice-chancellor Roziah Mohd Janor said the university had checked and found that UiTM Act 173 allows its students to join politics or become a political party candidate.“It is the same with the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 which was amended and improved since two years ago… so we adhere to it,” she told reporters in Shah Alam yesterday.She was commenting on the involvement of UiTM student Farzana Hayani Mohd Nasir who is the youngest candidate in the Melaka election, contesting in the Sungai Rambai state constituency.Roziah said Farzana is the first student from the university to be involved as a candidate in an election.The 21-year-old is the youngest woman candidate to be fielded by Pakatan Harapan.Farzana, a Shah Alam UiTM Bachelor’s degree undergraduate, also holds a Diploma in Communication and Media Studies from the same university.


Academics say UPSR, PT3 exams no longer needed to gauge students

An academic has called for the abolition of two government examinations which were cancelled last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, saying they are no longer useful in the development of critical skills.Prof Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) said the Primary School Achievement Test (UPSR) for Year Six students and the Form Three Assessment (PT3) have only emphasised the 3R’s – reception, retention and recollection – without helping students sharpen their thinking and communication skills.“That makes it easy for the student to pass or score As in the examination,” Fadzil, who heads Unimas’ Leadership Centre, told MalaysiaNow.Following the spread of Covid-19 which forced disruptions to lessons last year, the education ministry made the unprecedented move to cancel several public examinations, long viewed as key events in students’ schooling life.Fadzil said it was unfortunate that UPSR and PT3 had been used as benchmarks in not only the performance of students in the form of the number of As scored, but also in the evaluation of schools and their rankings.He said the education ministry’s decision to call off UPSR and PT3 while allowing students to continue to the next grades this year showed that the examinations could be done away with.“The downside of this is that students do not learn to understand, but resort to memorisation to get good marks.”“But we waited until the situation became critical to make the decision,” he added.It is a view shared by the National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP), the biggest group representing schoolteachers nationwide, who likewise disagree with the use of UPSR and PT3 to evaluate student performance.“Instead, they should be attaining skills,” NUTP secretary-general Harry Tan Huat Hock told MalaysiaNow.An education pressure group meanwhile said the UPSR and PT3 examinations are no longer relevant following the implementation of School-Based Assessments (PBS) which are not exam-oriented.The Parent Action Group for Education, or PAGE, said the PBS had allowed teachers to employ other methods to evaluate students.On the other hand, PAGE chairman Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said the examination system is about standardised testing where students and schools are subjected to a uniform set of measuring tools.“The downside of this is that students do not learn to understand, but resort to memorisation to get good marks,” she told MalaysiaNow.


The watery problem of Sabah’s water villages

In Kampung Kesuapan, Pulau Gaya, Sabah, houses are carefully constructed to balance on stilts above water.It is known as a water village, but the term belies its biggest problem: the villagers have been without clean water supply for as long as they can remember.Even their children are aware of the problem and know they have a part to play.“We want to go fetch water,” a group of them told MalaysiaNow on a recent visit to the village.Armed with empty plastic bottles, their mission has been made clear to them.“There is no clean water at our house. Our mother told us to get some for cooking and drinking.”The same situation can be found in many villages in Pulau Gaya, which is located a 10-minute boat ride from Kota Kinabalu.Two years ago, they were promised a supply of clean water as one of Warisan’s election pledges ahead of the May 9 polls.After Warisan came to power in Sabah, Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Junz Wong announced a project under which pipes would be installed in every house to ensure clean water supply throughout the island.The pilot project, worth RM5.3 million, was to involve two villages in Pulau Gaya – Kampung Kesuapan and Kampung Pulau Gaya – with 510 homes fitted with such pipes.But thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic which hit the country early this year, the project has been largely abandoned.Now, the villagers are forced to buy clean water sold in barrels on boats each day.A single barrel can hold up to 220 litres of water and costs RM7. But this can quickly add up, especially for large households.Kampung Pondo, one of the many water villages in Pulau Gaya, Kota Kinabalu.Fisherman Asadin Umbok, 60, must fork out over RM500 a month to get enough water for his 11 children.“I have to buy five barrels of water every two days,” he told MalaysiaNow. “This comes up to RM525 a month.”Times are hard now for many and Asadin is no exception. His income from catching fish is never certain, and it’s difficult for him to plan his expenses.But he is thankful for the Covid-19 assistance he received from the government and says his situation used to be worse.Before this, he would have to wait for water to be delivered to the village each day, sometimes as early as 5am. Once it arrived, he would have to jostle with others in order to get enough for himself and his family.Long-standing problemWater woes are nothing new for Sabah. In 2016, it was rocked by a scandal linked to its water department which saw the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) reel in a historic haul of cash, luxury vehicles, land grants and other assets worth nearly RM200 million in connection with bribery and a RM3.3 billion project.Two senior officers from the Sabah Water Department were arrested to facilitate investigations, and the case remains ongoing in court.In 2018, several months after the 14th general election which saw Warisan wrest Sabah from Barisan Nasional, the state infrastructure development ministry set five targets regarding the development of water treatment, to be achieved by 2020.Its minister Peter Anthony said in the state assembly on Nov 13 that these included strengthening the water department and developing a supply of clean water to meet demand.‘Better under Warisan’Although clean water supply appears to be a pipe dream for now, some villagers say the state government led by Warisan president Shafie Apdal has done its best.A boy rows a boat through the water village of Kampung Pondo in Pulau Gaya, Kota Kinabalu.Rajit Serong, 59, said the “prepaid” system put forth by Warisan would see clean water supplied to each house at a cost of RM100 per month.“1,000 litres prepaid at a rate of RM1.35 per cubic metre,” he told MalaysiaNow, adding however that the exact rate remained to be seen.“Who knows, after it is privatised, the price may change and become higher.”Village chief Amir Hashim Amal, 59, said the installation of metered pipes would go a long way towards solving their water issues.He said the villagers who had supported Warisan in the 2018 polls were satisfied with their decision.“Even if we save water by bathing with salt water first and then rinsing ourselves with clean water, the most we can save is RM250 a month for nine people,” he said, adding that the villagers also collect rainwater for laundry and to do the dishes.


From padi crops to tourism for small Bidayuh village

Every morning, the villagers of Kampung Danu, a small Bidayuh community in Padawan, Sarawak, head out to their fields for a new day of work.For decades, this has been their daily routine. But their farms today are very different from those of the earlier generations.Once upon a time, the farmers of Kampung Danu grew hill padi, a variety found only in Sabah and Sarawak.The crops flourished in the bountiful hillsides, and year after year, the farmers reaped a plentiful harvest.But things began to change in the late 20th century with the arrial of logging and palm oil companies.Many farmers gradually shifted to commercial crops such as cocoa, pepper, rubber and oil palm. In the meantime, patches of the dense rainforest that had lain untouched for generations were cleared for the development of commercial projects.While the small Bidayuh community continued to value rice as a gift from God, more and more of the padi fields were converted into land for other crops.Today, the Gawai Dayak festival is marked more by the presence of visitors who come from far and wide to experience the celebration.Every year, the village holds activities and events that celebrate the Bidayuh tradition, hoping to attract tourists to their small community.“Visitors are welcome to come and stay with us,” a villager named Roberth Kenneth told MalaysiaNow.“We need people to discover our world. We don’t want to be forgotten, we have so much heritage to share.”And while the village has slowly shifted in outlook from traditional agriculture to tourism, he said the community still has a strong sense of identity and belonging based on its traditions.“As long as we unite and celebrate the festival together, that’s all that matters,” he added.These days, there are no more padi farms in the village, and the farmers rarely bother planting a crop unless there is monetary benefit involved.“We sell cash crops that grow wild,” said Kenneth, who has moved to growing avocados and bananas at his farm.he is unsure if he will ever return to planting rice crops.“I don’t know if the current situation with the inflation will get better anytime soon,” he said.“Growing rice is very expensive,” he added. “I think it would be better to develop this village into a tourist destination.“There are kayaking activities in the village to welcome the tourists who stop by over the river. Tourism can boost the economy, too.”


Still short RM22.6 million, investors in failed agarwood scheme urge authorities to act

The victims of a failed agarwood investment scheme in Thailand run by Asia Plantation Capital (APC) have called for a police investigation into the company, voicing disappointment in what they describe as a lack of commitment by the authorities to probing the project.This is despite their success in obtaining a court order for the police to look into the case in line with Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.MalaysiaNow previously reported that a group of 180 individuals had experienced losses amounting to RM22.6 million after the project believed to have been launched by APC as early as 2011 did not materialise.They claimed the company had breached its business agreement with them and accused it of giving excuses for its failure to make good on their capital and investments.They later filed an application at the Kuala Lumpur Criminal Magistrate’s Court requesting an order for the police to investigate the case after it was classified as NFA (no further action).Dr P Mahendran, a dentist who had invested in the APC scheme, said until this day, he had not received any updates although the lawyers representing the group had made an application to meet and discuss the matter with the police.“There have been no developments with the police since we filed the application in court.“If the police agreed to meet with us, I would go along with the lawyers. But as of now, there is nothing,” he told MalaysiaNow.Arichandran Kandih, a committee member of the APC investors, estimates that 30 investors have made police reports throughout the Klang Valley over the past few years.“Given that we have already taken this case to court, we submit the management of it to the lawyers to handle things with Bukit Aman or the other relevant authorities,” he said.MalaysiaNow’s emails to the police and the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) for comment on the case have gone unanswered since March.Checks of the Asia Plantation Capital Bhd (APCB) office, now known as Agarwood Originals Malaysia Bhd, at G Tower in Kuala Lumpur meanwhile found the premises closed.A receptionist at the building told MalaysiaNow that the office on the 21st storey had been closed for a long time.Subsequent checks at the Bangsar South address given in the SSM documents following the company’s change of name to Agarwood Originals found only a secretary company known as Tricor Services (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.MalaysiaNow was told that Tricor acts as APCB’s representative and that any business matters with the company would have to be conducted through Tricor.Investors however said they had never heard of Tricor and that they had dealt directly with APCB about their investments.Khoo Hock Kheng, an investor from Penang, said he was never told that APCB had changed its name to Agarwood Originals on Dec 23, 2021.“This is new information to me,” the 48-year-old said.“I never knew that APCB had a secretary company. I never heard of Tricor Services or had any dealings with it.”Several other investors, including Mahendran, told MalaysiaNow the same thing.They also said that the company’s name was never mentioned in the business contract they had signed.MalaysiaNow was also told that the only way to contact APCB was through email while the official website was erased after an article about the company published last month.Meanwhile, MalaysiaNow reached out to one Sonia Kalyan who, according to the business card shared with an investor in Johor, was APCB’s regional sales director.When contacted by phone, though, the individual denied any connection with APCB, saying she had nothing to do with the company.This was despite the assertion by the investor in Johor that he was still in contact with the woman regarding the management of his investments in an agarwood project in Johor run by APCB.MalaysiaNow’s efforts to contact the woman again were unsuccessful.


Mahathir in hospital after testing positive for Covid

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 97, has tested positive for Covid-19 and has been hospitalised for observation, his office said yesterday.
The nonagenarian, who served for more than two decades as prime minister, has a history of heart problems. He has had heart attacks and bypass surgeries.
"Mahathir has been admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) for observation for the next few days as advised by the medical team," his office said in a statement, without giving details of his symptoms or condition.
Mahathir has received at least three doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, with the last known shot in November 2021, according to earlier comments made by him and government officials.
Mahathir underwent an elective medical procedure in January and was re-admitted to the hospital later that month for treatment.
Mahathir and IJN did not say at the time what procedure the former leader had undergone, only saying that he had been admitted to the cardiac care unit at the hospital.
Mahathir served as prime minister for 22 years until 2003. He returned as prime minister at the age of 92 after leading the opposition coalition to a historic win in 2018, defeating the party that he had once led. His government collapsed in less then two years due to infighting.


Russian doctors invite big name anti-vaxxers to Covid wards

Leading Russian doctors on Wednesday invited celebrities and politicians with anti-vaccine views to visit Covid red zones in hospitals and see for themselves the effects of the pandemic.In an open letter published by state news agency TASS, 11 doctors from several cities wrote to a dozen public figures who expressed anti-vaccine views to hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.Russia, one of the countries worst-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, is struggling with widespread opposition to vaccination even though it has developed several homegrown jabs including Sputnik V.Despite multiple pleas from President Vladimir Putin, only 37% of Russians are fully vaccinated and the country has seen more than 1,000 deaths a day in recent weeks.In their letter, the doctors told several singers, actors, TV personalities and politicians who had expressed scepticism over vaccinations that they would take the time to show them around Covid treatment centres.“We are all somewhat busy, you can probably guess with what,” said the letter, whose signatories included prominent Moscow doctor Denis Protsenko, who is in charge of the capital’s main Covid hospital.“But given how many people read and listen to you, we will find time to escort you through the red zones, intensive care units and pathology departments of our hospitals,” the doctors said.“Maybe after that, you will change your position and fewer people will die,” it added.Among others, the letter was addressed to TV personality Oskar Kuchera, who doubted the safety of vaccines to his almost 300,000 followers on Instagram this month.Concentration campIt was also addressed to actor Yegor Beroyev, who compared introducing restrictions for unvaccinated Muscovites to Nazi Germany’s treatment of Jews, and to rock star Konstantin Kinchev who told a tabloid he “did not want to live in a digital concentration camp”.The doctors also appealed to politicians including 77-year-old Communist leader Gennady Zyuganov, whose party has organised protests against mandatory vaccinations and health passes.“We live in an age when the opinion of a professional in any industry can be easily dispelled by some famous person,” Protsenko wrote on his Telegram channel, explaining why the doctors wrote the letter.“There is a real war happening, we are losing more than 1,000 people in it every day, who did not prepare their body to encounter this dangerous virus,” he said.Russia has recorded more than 9.4 million coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, the fifth-highest number in the world, and more than 266,000 virus-related deaths, according to government figures.State statistics agency Rosstat said the actual death toll from the pandemic in the country was closer to 450,000 by the end of September.


Too optimistic to predict simple majority for BN, says analyst

An analyst has sounded a note of caution over the show of confidence by Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan, describing his recent remark that the coalition would be able to form the next government with a simple majority as "too optimistic".
Hisommudin Bakar, the executive director of electoral think tank Ilham Centre, said there was a general agreement this time around that no single coalition would be able to form the government on its own after the general election.
"The 15th general election (GE15) is seeing a tight clash between three coalitions, which will make it difficult for BN to win a simple majority," he said, referring to the fight among BN, Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
Mohamad, popularly known as Tok Mat, had said in a press conference that BN would be able to win more than the 112 seats needed to form the government after GE15.
"I am confident that BN can cross the bridge and form the government," he said.
"But strengthening the government with a bigger mandate will depend on who wants to work with us."
He also said that BN did not want to form a coalition government with other political groups after the election, saying this would complicate the administrative process.
There are 165 parliamentary seats in the peninsula and 57 in Sabah and Sarawak.
Both PN and PH have also voiced confidence about the number of seats they expect to win at the polls.
But Hisommudin said Mohamad's projection would only make sense if it included the seats in Sabah and Sarawak through an alliance with Borneo parties.
There, the focus of the competition is on Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) which is looking to defend its position in the country's biggest state, and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah which will clash with other local parties like Warisan.
Mohamad also said that the voters had already made up their minds even before the end of the campaign period this week.
Hisomuddin said this, too, was too early to call.
"Interviews with the youth show that even now, they are still weighing their choices," he said.
"They will go out to vote, but there is no absolute attitude towards the parties in the race."
Hisomuddin said voters aged 18 to 25, in particular, were open to a range of options, and were studying the offers made by each coalition.
"Some of them are also studying at institutions of higher education," he said.
"They have just only returned to their home towns and do not yet have an idea of the candidate standing in their localities."
GE15 will be held on Nov 19, when some 21 million voters are expected to cast their ballots.
The state elections for Perlis, Pahang and Perak will be held alongside the national polls.
A total of 1,386 candidates are competing for support in both parliamentary and state seats.


Credit Suisse ends 2021 with big loss

Credit Suisse plunged into the red in 2021, shaken by the meltdowns at Greensill and Archegos that resulted in Switzerland’s second-biggest bank posting heavy losses Thursday.While other Swiss banks registered solid results for last year, Credit Suisse reported a net loss of nearly 1.6 billion Swiss francs (US$1.7 billion, 1.4 billion euros).Provisions for litigation and asset impairment resulting from its strategic programme unveiled in November dragged down results.The bank had recorded a profit of nearly 2.7 billion Swiss francs the year before.At the end of January, Credit Suisse warned that its 2021 results would suffer from the provisions for litigation which were added to the heavy depreciation of assets resulting from its strategic programme to restore the bank.But the loss of two billion Swiss francs in the fourth quarter alone nonetheless proved to be heavier than expected, wiping out dwindling profits from the previous quarters.Its quarterly revenues were also below forecasts, falling 12% to 4.6 billion Swiss francs, against an expected 5.1 billion.Credit Suisse’s income has declined, particularly in its investment bank arm, with the bank attributing the contraction chiefly to the disengagement from services to hedge funds – which had been at the heart of bank’s Archegos woes.“2021 was a very challenging year for Credit Suisse,” chief executive Thomas Gottstein said in a statement.“Our reported financial results were negatively impacted by the Archegos matter, the impairment of goodwill relating to the Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) acquisition in 2000 and litigation provisions, as we look to proactively resolve legacy issues.”He said the bank would focus on the “disciplined execution” of a new strategic programme unveiled in November.Year of woesIn March 2021, the bank was rocked by the collapse of the British financial firm Greensill, in which some US$10 billion had been committed through four funds, and then by the implosion of the US fund Archegos, which cost it more than US$5 billion.In October, it was also fined US$475 million by the US and British authorities for its loans to state-owned companies in Mozambique.Antonio Horta-Osorio was appointed Credit Suisse chairman in April, pledging to put better risk management at the heart of the bank’s culture.But revelations that he broke Switzerland’s Covid-19 quarantine rules in December led to him resigning last month, deepening the bank’s troubles.The bank said 2022 would be a “transition year”, with results expected to be adversely affected by restructuring costs and higher compensation costs.The bank commissioned a report on Archegos, which was published at the end of July.However, it does not intend to release a report concerning funds linked to Greensill.“In light of the ongoing recovery process and the legal complexities of the matter, there is no intention by the board to publish the report,” Credit Suisse said.The board has received the report and given the reputational impact, “actions have been taken against a number of individuals where the board deemed it was appropriate”, the bank said.


Sarawak’s floating mosque struggles to stay above Covid wave

Two years ago, Sarawak unveiled what was dubbed the Floating Mosque – a unique architectural showpiece constructed on the banks of the Sarawak River in Kuching.Built at a cost of RM21 million, it was hailed as the state’s next attraction after the Darul Hana Bridge.By day, the gentle slopes and clean lines of the building were reflected in the river’s calm water and by night, the mosque would be illuminated by colourful lights which lent a glow to the riverfront area.Today, the lights continue to shine but the mosque, like thousands of other houses of worship around the country, stands eerily empty under Covid-19 preventive measures.Once bustling with worshippers and visitors who would come to view the mosque’s unique design, its weekly attendance for Friday prayers has dropped from about 1,000 people to no more than a tenth of that number.The difference is especially palpable at this year’s independence day celebrations which began on July 22 and, in line with tradition, will continue for a week.When Sarawak first began celebrating the state’s independence day at the Kuching Waterfront four years ago, it was a grand and noisy affair.Visitors flooded the heart of the capital city where streets were lined with stalls selling food and local handicraft, and Sarawak’s tri-coloured flag fluttered at every corner.In the years that followed, the annual celebrations continued in the same vein.The roads leading to the popular India Street and Gambier Street would be congested with a steady stream of drivers looking for a place to park, and pedestrians would thread their way between vehicles as they headed to the event space to enjoy the show.Throughout the day, celebrations would be enlivened by exhibitions and live performances while locals and visitors alike would participate in the many programmes and activities planned for the special occasion.Celebrations for Sarawak’s Independence Day this year are muted thanks to Covid-19 but flags still wave at every shop front.The Bandar Kuching mosque, meanwhile, would see a steady stream of worshippers flocking in to perform their prayers.For years, mosques such as this, seen widely as community hubs, charities and education centres in addition to houses of worship, have relied on public donations for the extra money needed to keep these activities going.But the seemingly never-ending flow of restrictions on movements and social activities, coupled with public concern over the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19, have left the Floating Mosque struggling to continue performing these roles.Shajahan Sayed Ahmad, who manages the mosque’s trustee welfare board, said the pandemic had taken a huge toll on its finances.“Before the limitations and restrictions on the number of worshippers allowed at mosques, we could collect around RM40,000 a month,” he said.Now, they are fortunate to collect RM4,000.The trustee board also owns many shops near the mosque which it leases to traders at a minimal charge. But this doesn’t help much, Shajahan says.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said the latest lockdown imposed in June had pushed the traders to the breaking point as they were not allowed to open for business. This meant that they were unable to generate sales and thus have not been able to pay their rent.Shajahan said this year has been the most difficult so far for the mosque.While it has set aside some money for the allowance of its imam and muezzins as well as to pay its maintenance workers, monthly costs including water and electricity bills can often exceed RM5,000.Shajahan said the mosque would continue to do what it could, for as long as it could, although he is not optimistic about the future.“We still have cash reserves but I don’t think we can survive another six months if the restrictions continue like this,” he said.


Trial in MH17 crash to start hearing evidence

Dutch judges will on Monday start hearing evidence against three Russian suspects and a Ukrainian in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over war-torn Ukraine in 2014.The trial formally began in March 2020 but has so far been dealing with legal arguments, mainly about the admissibility of evidence in the crash in which 298 passengers and crew were killed.The four suspects – Russian nationals Oleg Pulatov, Igor Girkin and Sergei Dubinsky, and Ukrainian citizen Leonid Kharchenko – are all being tried in absentia. Only Pulatov has legal representation.“The court will open the MH17 criminal trial proper and, through examining and discussing the content of the prosecution file, elucidate the key questions which it has already begun to address,” the court said in a statement.“Was flight MH17 shot down by a BUK missile? Was a BUK missile fired from an agricultural field near Pervomaiskyi? Did the accused play a role in this?” the statement added.The Boeing 777 jet was travelling from Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over part of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian rebels.An international investigation concluded that a BUK missile that had originally come from the Russian army’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade based in the city of Kursk was responsible.All four suspects are accused of being key figures among the separatist rebels battling Kiev.‘Emotionally loaded’The trial is being held in the Netherlands, in a secure courtroom near Schiphol airport, because it was the point of departure for the doomed plane, and because 196 of the victims were Dutch.The court said that the “hearing on the merits” will begin Monday with general topics including the investigation by the examining magistrate, followed by three more days of discussion from Tuesday to Thursday.The prosecution and defence will then have the chance to raise issues during hearings lasting until July 9.Relatives of the victims will be able to address the court in September, it said.The judges visited the shrapnel-pierced wreckage for the first time in May in what they described as an “emotionally loaded” day.Torn shreds of the front of the plane have been reconstructed on a wire cage at Gilze-Rijen air base in the Netherlands.“We realise that this visit to the reconstruction of MH17 as part of the official criminal process will be very emotionally loaded for relatives,” presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis said at the time.“This is a reconstruction of an aircraft in which their loved ones were underway to a destination that they never reached because the aircraft crashed during the flight and all on board perished.”Pulatov, the only suspect to be represented at the trial by lawyers, said in a video played to the court in November that he had seen no sign of any missile.