Sydney extends virus lockdown, imposes partial curfew

Sydney extended its two-month-old lockdown for another month and introduced a partial curfew Friday, as Australia’s largest city struggled to contain a fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak.New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the “difficult” decision, telling the city’s population of five million it was time to “bunker down”.“Unfortunately the case numbers continue to grow,” she said. “This is what life will look like for most of us until the end of September.”For much of the pandemic, Sydney saw very few virus cases.But the city is now reporting more than 600 cases each day – straining contact tracing efforts – and that number shows little sign of shrinking.Stay-at-home orders will now remain in place across the city until the end of September and residents in virus hotspots will also be subject to a night-time curfew and limited to one hour of outdoor exercise a day.Around 1,000 defence force personnel are helping police implement restrictions, as weary residents increasingly bend the rules.With the number of deaths rising steadily and the virus spreading to regional areas, Australia is racing to get jabs in arms.Just 30% of the population is currently fully vaccinated.Meanwhile, there are growing concerns about vulnerable aboriginal communities in the New South Wales Outback, where the virus is now spreading.The entire population of Wilcannia – a small dusty town ringed by several ancient Aboriginal sites – have been asked to get tested after a funeral was identified as a potential super-spreader event.A local health department spokesman told AFP officials were going door-to-door urging locals to get tested for the virus, while a sports field has been converted into a testing site.Early in the pandemic, Wilcannia residents had put up signs on the town’s limits asking travellers not to stop – fearing the virus could obliterate an already vulnerable community.New South Wales authorities are also facing growing anger from other Australian states, where the virus cases linked to the Sydney outbreak have emerged.


Researchers trial magnetic ‘lockjaw’ against obesity

New Zealand researchers have created a weight-loss device that uses magnets to clamp a patient’s jaw together – hailing it as a new tool against obesity despite critics likening it to an instrument of medieval torture.The “world-first” innovation involves a dentist fitting magnets and locking bolts to the patient’s upper and lower molars, allowing the jaws to open only 2mm.Lead researcher Paul Brunton, from the University of Otago’s school of health sciences, said this restricted the user to a liquid diet without limiting breathing or speech.“It is a non-invasive, reversible, economical and attractive alternative to surgical procedures,” he said.“The fact is, there are no adverse consequences with this device.”The researchers added they had “developed a world-first weight-loss device to help fight the global obesity epidemic”.In a paper published in the British Dental journal this month, they said seven women each lost an average of 6.36kg during a two-week trial with the device, called the DentalSlim Diet Control.It found the patients experienced some initial discomfort but generally found the device “tolerable”.Unlike jaw wiring, which was a popular way for restricting people to liquid diets in the 1980s, the DentalSlim has an emergency release in case the patient vomits or has a panic attack.The release was not used by any patient during the two-week trial, although one woman admitted cheating the liquid diet by melting chocolate to get a sugary hit.The invention generated a strong response on social media, with many users accusing the researchers of shaming fat people and questioning the ethics of the trial.One critic called it “repulsive and dehumanising” while another said it risked entrenching unhealthy eating habits.“Maybe instead of developing torture devices, you could do some research into how the medical profession consistently fails people based on the out-of-date and inappropriate bmi (body mass index) scale,” one user posted.The researchers note in their paper that the trial was approved by an ethics committee and carried out in accordance with international guidelines.


Canada ends Covid-19 policy turning back asylum-seekers between border crossings

Canada is ending its pandemic-era policy of turning back asylum-seekers trying to cross into the country between ports of entry, according to a revised policy document released on Sunday.Canada turned at least 544 would-be refugees back to the US between March 2020 and mid-October. The government did not immediately respond to questions regarding why it was ending the policy now and what if any quarantine rules would apply to asylum-seekers who are not vaccinated.Canada had said the measure was necessary given health concerns during the coronavirus pandemic. But refugee advocates argued attempts to claim asylum should not be considered “discretionary travel” and pointed to class exemptions Canada made during the pandemic for professional athletes, among others.“It’s a relief to see the measures for refugees align more with our international obligations, and I think it’s been clear all along that public health and refugee protection could coexist,” said Maureen Silcoff, a refugee lawyer and past president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, which took the government to court over the policy.Silcoff said it did not make sense to allow tourists entry, as Canada has begun to do, while barring people seeking protection.An unknown number of asylum-seekers turned back were taken into indefinite US immigration detention and at least two were deported, refugee lawyers working on their cases say.Exemptions have been available since the policy began, and in August Canada began allowing more turned-back asylum-seekers to return and file refugee claims as part of what it called a “managed approach to reopening the border.”But advocates said this option was only open to those aware of it or who had legal counsel familiar with Canada’s shifting system. The government defended the policy in court last month.Canada has a Safe Third Country Agreement with the US under which asylum-seekers trying to cross at official ports of entry are turned back. The agreement, challenged twice, was upheld most recently this past spring and may go to Canada’s Supreme Court.


Ukrainians suffer in cold, darkness as president implores UN to punish Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded the United Nations punish Russia for air strikes on civilian infrastructure, after a missile barrage plunged cities into freezing darkness in the worst nationwide power outages yet.
With temperatures falling below zero, authorities were working on Thursday to get the lights and heat back on. Russia's latest missile barrage killed 10 people and shut down all of Ukraine's nuclear power plants for the first time in 40 years.
Regional authorities in Kyiv said power had been restored to three quarters of the capital by Thursday morning and water was working again in some areas. Transport was back up and running in the city, with buses replacing electric trams.
Authorities hoped to restart the three nuclear power plants in Ukrainian-held territory by the end of the day.
Since early October, Russia has launched huge barrages of air strikes around once a week at energy targets across Ukraine, each time firing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of missiles to knock out Ukraine's power grid.
Moscow acknowledges attacking basic infrastructure, saying its aim is to reduce Ukraine's ability to fight and push it to negotiate. Kyiv says such attacks are clearly intended to harm civilians, making them a war crime.
"Today is just one day, but we have received 70 missiles. That's the Russian formula of terror. This is all against our energy infrastructure," Zelensky said overnight via video link to the UN Security Council chamber. "Hospitals, schools, transport, residential districts all suffered."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was Kyiv's fault Ukrainians were suffering because it refused to yield to Moscow's demands, which he did not spell out. Ukraine says it will only stop fighting when all Russian forces have left.
"What is there to talk about? I think that the first step should come from them. For starters, they have to stop shelling us," said 27-year-old Olena Shafinska, queuing at a water pump in a park in central Kyiv with a group of friends.
For the first time, the Russian attacks forced Kyiv to switch off the three nuclear power plants it still controls. The fourth, in Russian-held territory, also had to activate backup diesel power. Nuclear officials say interruptions in power can disrupt cooling systems and cause an atomic disaster.
"There is a real danger of a nuclear and radiation catastrophe being caused by firing on the entire territory of Ukraine with Russian cruise and ballistic missiles," Petro Kotin, head of Ukraine's nuclear operator Energoatom said.
"Russia must answer for this shameful crime."
Weaponising winter
Winter has arrived abruptly in Ukraine and temperatures were well below freezing in the capital, a city of three million. US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russian President Vladimir Putin was "clearly weaponising winter to inflict immense suffering on the Ukrainian people".
The Russian president "will try to freeze the country into submission," she added.
There was no prospect of action from the Security Council, where Russia wields a veto. Moscow's UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, said it was against council rules for Zelensky to appear via video, and rejected what he called "reckless threats and ultimatums" by Ukraine and its supporters in the West.
He blamed damage to Ukraine's infrastructure on its air defence missiles and said the West should stop supplying them.
Ukrainian authorities said three apartment blocks were hit on Wednesday, killing ten people.
"Our little one was sleeping. Two years old. She was sleeping, she got covered. She is alive, thanks be to God," said a man who gave his name as Fyodr, dragging a suitcase as he walked away from a smouldering apartment building hit in Kyiv.
The blackouts also spread to neighbouring Moldova, where authorities said most power was back on by Thursday.
Moscow has shifted to the tactic of striking Ukraine's infrastructure even as Kyiv has inflicted battlefield defeats on Russian forces since September. Russia has also declared the annexation of land it occupies and called up hundreds of thousands of reservists.
The war's first winter will now test whether Ukraine can press on with its campaign to recapture territory, or whether Russia's commanders can keep their invasion forces supplied and find a way to halt Kyiv's momentum.
Having retreated, Russia has a far shorter line to defend to hold on to seized lands, with more than a third of the front now blocked off by the Dnipro River.
"Ukraine will slowly grow in capabilities, but a continued maneuver east of the Dnipro River and into Russian-occupied Donbas will prove to be much tougher fights," tweeted Mark Hertling, a former commander of US ground forces in Europe.
"Ukrainian morale will be tested with continued Russian attacks against civilian infrastructure... but Ukraine will persevere."
Russia has been pressing an offensive of its own along the front line west of the city of Donetsk, held by Moscow's proxies since 2014. Ukraine says it has killed thousands of Russian troops there and yielded little ground, describing the Russians as hurled into battle with little equipment or training.
Ukraine's general staff said Russian forces tried again to advance on their main targets in Donetsk region - Bakhmut and Avdiivka with only limited success.
Further south, Russian forces were digging in on the eastern bank of the Dnipro, shelling areas across it including the city of Kherson, recaptured by Ukrainian forces this month.
Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield accounts.
Moscow says it is carrying out a "special military operation" to protect Russian speakers in what Putin calls an artificial state carved from Russia. Ukraine and the West call the invasion an unprovoked war of aggression.


Govt seeking to forfeit assets of former 1MDB director

The government is seeking to forfeit cash amounting RM156,500, a car and landed properties belonging to former 1MDB executive director Casey Tang Keng Chee.
The RM156,500 cash comprises Tang's savings and current account balances at four banks, namely Maybank Islamic (RM89,300); CIMB Bank (RM13,000), RHB Bank (RM600) and AmBank (RM53,600).
The car is a Subaru XV2.01, seized in January 2021. The government is also looking to seize a bungalow in Bandar Kinrara and a shop lot in Bandar Puchong Jaya.
The government filed the forfeiture suit against Tang in November last year in accordance with Subsection 61(2) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
Tang is listed as a wanted person by the Malaysian authorities. His whereabouts are unknown.
The notice in the gazette was issued on Aug 1, inviting third parties to appear in person or through representation by a counsel to contest the forfeiture action before a hearing.
This is for the third parties to show cause as to why the properties should not be forfeited by the government.
When the matter came up for case management before High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah today, deputy public prosecutor Noor Zalizan Lazarous informed the court that the respondent, Tang, was unrepresented.
Counsel Muhamad Al-Muazzim Azmi Amin, on behalf of Maybank Islamic, said his client was seeking to claim part of the targeted assets.
The court then set Oct 12 for mention.


Zuraida fails in RoS bid to be recognised as PBM president

Zuraida Kamaruddin has failed to obtain the High Court's permission to initiate a judicial review in getting the Registrar of Societies (RoS) to recognise her as Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) president.
Judge Amarjeet Singh dismissed the former Ampang MP's application on the grounds that according to Section 18C of the Societies Act 1966, the court cannot hear cases of political parties' internal disputes.
"Based on that section, the court is also bound by the decision made by the higher court regarding the issue," he said.
Present at today's proceedings were federal counsel M Kogilambigai and lawyer Mohamed Ashmeer Ashrof representing Zuraida.
On April 12, the Attorney-General's Chambers objected to Zuraida's application by arguing that decisions involving a party are final and cannot be challenged, appealed or questioned by the court. Zuraida, 65, who filed the application on March 24, naming RoS as the sole respondent, sought a declaration that RoS' action to retain Larry Soon @ Larry Sng Wei Shen as the PBM president was unlawful, and a mandamus order to compel RoS to recognise her as PBM's rightful president effective Oct 7, 2022.
Zuraida, in her supporting affidavit, said she received a letter from PBM on Oct 27, 2022, informing her about her appointment as PBM president.
However, Zuraida said she had received a letter from the party dated Dec 19 of the same year, in which Soon declared himself as the PBM president and suspended her membership.
The former plantation industries and commodities minister said she learned of her sacking from the PBM through The Star news portal on Dec 27, 2022, but never received any notice, letter or information from the party about it.


Tough for rescuers if missing climber falls to Mount Lhotse base, says Everest veteran

A difficult task await members of the search and rescue (SAR) team if hearing-impaired climber Muhammad Hawari Hashim, who was reported missing in the Everest mountain range, falls to the base of Mount Lhotse, said M Magendran, the first Malaysian to set foot on Mount Everest peak.
He said the slopes of Mount Lhotse are very steep and if climbers slip, they would likely fall to the glaciers at the mountain's base.
"The area at the foot of Mount Lhotse is quite wide and it will take a long time to search. Moreover, if the victim fell into the ice fissure, the search efforts will be more difficult," he said in an online interview with Bernama TV yesterday.
Magendran said, however, it is not impossible for the SAR team to find the victim based on his experience in 1997 when a sherpa, who slipped and fell down the slopes of Mount Lhotse from a height of 1,000m, was successfully found.
He also expressed concern about whether Hawari brought enough oxygen supply to descend the dangerous slopes of Mount Lhotse. “If he had used oxygen all the way up to the Mount Everest summit, the supply would not be sufficient to get him down the mountain to Camp 4... but it is also possible that he changed the oxygen tank mid-way.
"I'm not sure if he changed to a new oxygen tank or brought more with him before descending to either Camp 3 or Camp 2. (But) if there is insufficient oxygen supply, a person can suffer from acute mountain sickness which can lead to delusions," he said.
Yesterday, Hawari, 33, who was on the Malaysia Everest 2023 (ME 2023) mission, was reported to have gone missing while descending from Camp 4 after conquering the world's highest peak.
The day before, another ME 2023 participant, Kedah civil defence force director Lt Col Awang Askandar Ampuan Yaacub, 56, was reported to have died while on a climbing mission of Mount Everest.
Organised by Altitude Exploration Club, ME 2023 started the two-month mission to conquer the world's highest peak on April 2 with the support of the government and the youth and sports ministry. Meanwhile, national climber Muhamad Muqharabbin Mokhtarrudin said ministry and the expedition organiser should conduct a thorough investigation because this is the first such incident involving a Malaysian climber since 1997.
He said that summiting Everest is no easy feat, as it requires not only extensive preparation and training but also prior experience with steep snow climbing.
"Even if we have money and sponsors, we may not be able to summit Everest. I had to train for over two years at home and abroad, and I visited Nepal several times before conquering Everest in 2004.
"I had to adapt to the mountains in Nepal for two months before reaching the summit on May 16, 2004. This is to ensure that our bodies are fit and able to survive in frigid temperatures and unpredictable weather," he said in a statement yesterday.


Worst flash flood in 30 years, say residents at Ipoh village

The victims of the flash flood at the Chepor Structured Village Plan in Ipoh have described yesterday's incident as the worst to have occurred in the past 30 years.
Housewife Cik Som Idris, 64, said she realised the flood began after the maghrib prayers when water started to flow quickly into her house.
"I panicked because in more than 30 years of me living here, there were no flash floods. As we were caught unprepared by the flood, I only expected help from the security agencies involved," she told Bernama when met at the temporary relief centre (PPS) at SK Sri Klebang today.
Meanwhile, private sector retiree Ismail Husin, 72, said when he saw the heavy and non-stop rain since late yesterday afternoon, he decided to store his valuables in high places because he was afraid of flooding.
"My hunch was correct – when I was cleaning the house at about 8pm, the other villagers started to complain of the rising water level. At about 10pm, we were instructed to go to the PPS because we were worried that the water level would get higher and most of the houses had already been flooded," he said. Bank officer Mohd Redwan, 35, said he was contacted by his mother at around 7pm informing him about the flood. He said he told her to keep her documents and important items in a high and safe place.
"I went straight to my mother's house on a motorbike and saw that the water had started to rise and had entered the house. I brought my mother straight away to the PPS," he said.
The number of flood victims had dropped to 87 people as of noon today compared to 93 people at 8am.


Sungai Pelek rep detained over social media post

Police have detained Sungai Pelek assemblyman Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew as part of an investigation into a social media post allegedly containing seditious elements against Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.Bukit Aman CID deputy director (investigations and legal) DCP Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the arrest was made at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters this morning.“Ronnie Liu was detained at 10.40am to give his statement. The investigation is under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 in regard to his uploading of a status on social media relating to Sultan Abdullah.“He will be freed after his statement is recorded,” he told Bernama.Yesterday, Bernama reported Bukit Aman CID director Huzir Mohamed as saying that Liu was among four individuals under probed for allegedly insulting the king on social media.Liu is alleged to have uploaded a Facebook status reading “Now in Bangkok. They Are Saying No to the King”.Police are still tracking down two others to assist investigations.


Sabah heads to polls but Warisan unlikely to repeat 2018 fortune

Close to 1.1 million voters in Sabah are eligible to cast their ballots today for 17 parties and more than 400 candidates, less than 30 months after a nationwide political tsunami in 2018 brought to power Warisan, a turn of events which analysts and observers say will unlikely happen this time round.They point to the failure of the Warisan-led government under Chief Minister Shafie Apdal to bring change to the state, especially in the rural areas which make up large parts of Sabah.“Although Warisan supporters are still strongly behind the party, they are seen to be getting support only in the urban areas,” Thomas Fann, who heads electoral reforms movement Bersih 2.0, told MalaysiaNow.Fann said voters in the rural areas were resigned to the fact that their lives had not improved under Warisan.Political analyst Zaini Othman, of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, agreed with Fann but said there was no telling who would win the polls although he believed there would be no repeat of the 2018 political tsunami.He said both Warisan Plus, which also brings together Sabah party Upko with PKR, DAP and Amanah, and its rival Gabungan Rakyat Sabah comprising Perikatan Nasional (PN), Barisan Nasional (BN) and PBS, have their own strengths.Other parties seen as a third force are PCS, led by former foreign minister Anifah Aman, and Usno led by former Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia.Voters queue to enter a polling centre in Tanjung Aru Barat, Sabah.Almost all of the 73 seats will see at least five candidates contesting.In 2018, Warisan, which Shafie formed a year after his dismissal from Najib Razak’s Cabinet in 2015, managed to win 21 seats. Together with Pakatan Harapan allies and with defections from Upko, Shafie achieved majority support and was sworn in as the 15th chief minister.Covid-19The election this time is also held against the backdrop of Covid-19, which has seen a spike in Sabah in recent weeks.While Fann said this would not stop people from coming to vote, Zaini said it could affect voter turnout.Yesterday, authorities reported 111 new infections nationwide, the bulk of which were in Sabah.Seasoned Sabah observer Arnold Puyok, of the Society Empowerment and Economic Development of Sabah, said it was difficult to predict which way voters would swing this time.He described the situation as “messy”, saying many had yet to make up their minds.“This shifting of loyalties is very common in Sabah. That is why it is not easy to predict or make an observation on who will win the election.”Puyok’s earlier findings concluded there would be a close race with PN and BN taking the lead against the Warisan bloc.“At this moment, it seems like the gap is narrowing between the two groups,” he told an online forum.Fazreen Kamal in Kota Kinabalu and Nur Hasliza Mohd Salleh in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.


Bar Council's double standards on pardons for prisoners?

I read with dismay the Bar Council’s statement condemning jailed former prime minister Najib Razak’s bid for a royal pardon.
Firstly, it is no duty of the Bar Council to make comments on the application of a prisoner, no matter how prominent, for a royal pardon. It is a matter solely for the pardons board and the King. The Bar’s statement appears to be an improper attempt to pre-empt or influence their decision through the media.
Like any other prisoner, pursuant to the constitution, Najib has the right to file a petition for pardon at any time after his jailing. That the Bar Council itself has chosen to disrespect and subvert this process is shocking.
Secondly, the Bar Council disingenuously claims that other prominent prisoners such as Anwar Ibrahim served part of their sentences before being granted a pardon. However, the Bar strangely fails to point out that Anwar rushed to file a pardons petition within two weeks of his jailing on Feb 10, 2015.
Why didn’t the Bar Council then issue a similar statement opposing a grant of royal pardon to Anwar Ibrahim until he had served some part of his sentence? Having not done so, why issue such a statement in Najib’s case?
Surely this is blatant double standards and political bias on the part of the Bar Council. The concern for the administration of justice raised by the Bar in its statement appears to be pure pretence, hypocrisy and dishonesty.
The Bar Council is professional statutory body which has no business interfering in or taking sides in political matters, or to favour or be against particular political figures or political parties.
Going by the trend of statements such as these coming from the Bar Council, can anyone be blamed for regarding the Bar Council as being biased in favour of Pakatan Harapan and against Umno and Barisan Nasional?
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


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Jho Low blames Najib in 1MDB scandal

Fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho has sought to pin the blame for the 1MDB scandal on former prime minister Najib Razak, saying he had no authority to make decisions regarding the stolen funds on his own.“I have no authority to make any decision,” Low, who is wanted in several countries including Malaysia and US, said in a series of recordings obtained by Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera.“It’s a pretty known fact that… all the approvals have to be approved by the minister of finance.”The recordings, part of a special investigation by Al Jazeera titled “Jho Low: Hunt For A Fugitive”, were from phone conversations Low had with the Pakatan Harapan government in the wake of its victory in the 2018 general election, the news channel said.Low, better known as Jho Low, also suggested that he had borrowed the money from the state investment arm to buy himself luxury real estate, a private jet, and a superyacht, among others.“All these ultimately were loans, directly or indirectly, but, ultimately, I think the time has come, we want to assist in repatriating these assets back in return for cooperating and moving on with life without, you know, being prosecuted,” he was quoted as saying.He also claimed that “north of half a billion dollars” worth of jewellery was bought for Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, using 1MDB money.“That was a huge amount.”Jho Low has been accused by authorities in several countries of laundering money through US-based Goldman Sachs and other banks.Police say he has been living in Macau, although China denies this.In the leaked conversations, Jho Low revealed that he was in China before he fled to the United Arab Emirates, skipping a meeting with Malaysian investigators in Macau.“Because of the whole warrant of arrest, you know, effectively the UAE folks didn’t think it was safe, so I [have] just gotten into Dubai,” he said.


Tough times ahead for the 'family business' of political dynasties?

Analysts predict that it will be an uphill climb for those looking to continue their families' legacies in the political arena, amid increasing challenges and scrutiny of politicians seen as inheriting the mantle from their forebears.
Such dynasties are a familiar feature of the political landscape: Najib Razak, for example – one of Malaysia's most recognised politicians – is the son of the country's second prime minister, Abdul Razak Hussein.
Najib went on to become prime minister himself, holding the top office until his fall from power in 2018 and his subsequent imprisonment on charges of corruption involving tens of millions of ringgit.
His daughter, Nooryana Najwa Najib, recently announced that she would run as an exco member of the Puteri Umno division, while his son, Mohamad Nizar Najib, won the Peramu Jaya state seat at the general election last November, marking the third generation of politicians from the family.
Mohammed Taufiq Johari, the son of Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul, similarly won the Sungai Petani seat previously held by his father.
On the flipside, in Permatang Pauh – long seen as a stronghold of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim – his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar, who won the seat in 2018, failed to defend it for a second term.
Nurul's defeat came as a blow, given that Permatang Pauh was previously held by Anwar as well as her mother, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Other so-called political dynasties include that of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's longest serving prime minister, and Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg, as well as the Lim family – a reference to DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and his son, Lim Guan Eng.
Analyst Hisommudin Bakar said that from one perspective, the children of prominent leaders embark on political careers themselves due to their parents' influence rather than their own ability.
Nooryana's candidacy, for example, is seen as part of efforts to continue her grandfather's legacy, he said.
But from another perspective, he added, such leaders are proud to have their children follow in their footsteps.
"The question is to what extent this generation can survive in today's political landscape, which is very different from that of their father's or grandfather's," he told MalaysiaNow.
"The political currents today are fierce. Politicians need strong leadership skills as well as mental strength and a good team spirit."
Hisommudin, the executive director of think tank Ilham Center, said the children of politicians must stand on their own without relying on their father's name.
Political observer Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Sabri agreed.
If the children of politicians had potential, he said, they would be accepted by other party members.
If they were seen as riding on their family name, he added, they would be rejected.
"We must also remember that the name of Najib Razak is nowhere as strong as it was during his time in power," Zaharuddin said.
"So the chances of his children wielding any influence in this regard are small."
Hisommudin meanwhile said that the children of politicians need strong grassroots support.
"Look at Hishammuddin Hussein," he said, referring to the son of Malaysia's third prime minister, Hussein Onn, who was recently suspended from Umno in a purge of those seen as critical of the top leadership.
"He started out in politics but things can change in the blink of an eye.
"If you don't have enough knowledge and you lose a fight, the legacy that you carry with you will disappear as well."


Umno shifts to election gear with talks on candidates

Umno has shifted to full election mode, saying talks on its candidates for the general election will commence in the coming days, further fuelling speculation that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will have no choice but to abide by an ultimatum from fellow party leaders to announce the dissolution of Parliament despite strong protest from rival coalitions.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the candidates would be evaluated by the top leadership based on the criteria of winnability, acceptability and likeability.
"The names will be submitted to the Umno top five for discussion and negotiation," he said at a press conference after a meeting with more than 700 delegates in Kuala Lumpur today.
"Discussions will begin next Monday," he added.
On a related issue, he said Gabungan Rakyat Sabah had also committed to supporting Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidates.
On cooperation with PAS for GE15, Zahid said the Islamist party would have to cut ties with Perikatan Nasional (PN) in order to work with Umno.
He also said PAS would be allowed to use its own logo in the event that the parties decide to cooperate for the polls.
PAS presently appears to be at odds with Umno over the date of the election, with the BN component pushing for polls to be held this year.
PAS, meanwhile, has repeatedly stated its opposition to any move to hold GE15 during the end-year flood season, a view shared by PN and its chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.


Bersatu Youth chafes at delay in Undi 18

Bersatu’s youth wing today voiced regret at the Election Commission’s (EC) move to delay implementation of Undi 18 or voting for those aged 18 and above until September next year.Its chief, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal, said implementation should be as scheduled.“However, we understand that the EC needs to study the most appropriate method to ensure the registration of new voters of 18 to 21 is going smoothly to avoid confusion during voting day,” he said in a statement.He also offered the wing’s cooperation with all related government agencies to speed up the process.“Concerted and targeted efforts from all parties must be accompanied by the political will to ensure that the aspiration of Undi 18 becomes a reality.“A comprehensive plan on Undi 18 also needs to be presented to the public immediately for a check and balance process,” he said.Yesterday, the EC said the move to lower the voting age to 18 would likely be implemented only after Sept 1, 2022.EC chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said while preparations are on track, current developments and the fact that the country remains under movement restrictions due to Covid-19 had affected its plans.“Hence, automatic voter registration and Undi 18 are expected to be implemented after Sept 1, 2022, considering the various constraints and issues that have affected planning and initial preparations,” he said in a statement.


People facing acute food insecurity reach 345 million worldwide, UN body says

The number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide has more than doubled to 345 million since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, conflict and climate change, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Wednesday.
Before the coronavirus crisis, 135 million suffered from acute hunger worldwide, said Corinne Fleischer, the WFP's regional director, told Reuters. The numbers have climbed since and are expected to soar further because of climate change and conflict.
The impact of environmental challenges is another destabilising factor that can drive food scarcity and lead to conflict and mass migration happening.
"The world just can’t afford this," Fleischer said. "We see now 10 times more displacement worldwide because of climate change and conflict and of course they are inter-linked. So we are really worried about the compounding effect of Covid, climate change and the war in Ukraine," she said.
In the Middle East and North Africa, the impact of the Ukraine crisis has had massive repercussions, Fleischer said, underlining both the import dependency of the region and its proximity to the Black Sea.
"Yemen imports 90% of its food needs. And they took about 30% from the Black Sea," Fleischer said.
The WFP supports 13 million of the 16 million people who are in need of food assistance, but that their assistance only covers half a person’s daily needs because of a lack of funds.
Costs had gone up 45% on average since Covid and Western donors have faced massive economic challenges with the war in Ukraine.
For oil exporting countries such as Iraq, that benefited from the surge in oil prices following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, food security is at risk.
Iraq needs about 5.2 million tons of wheat but only produced 2.3 million tons of wheat, she said. The rest had to be imported, which cost more.
Despite state support, severe drought and recurring water crises are endangering the livelihood of smallholders all over Iraq, she said.


What Malaysia should and should not do about Philippine claim to Sabah

From last December to March this year, notes verbale were filed by Malaysia and the Philippines at the United Nations over Malaysia’s extension of its continental shelf claim from Sabah’s coast facing the South China Sea. Malaysia’s filing was consistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), yet it drew an unpleasant response from the Philippines, which continues to entertain an archaic and controversial claim to Sabah territory.The Philippines’ note verbale concerned only Malaysia’s filing, asserting that the latter overlapped with the Philippines’ extended continental shelf (ECS) claim which it has yet to stake. If the Philippines feels disadvantaged because it is currently unable to file an ECS claim for itself for fear of antagonising China, that is a problem it has to resolve on its own. Nonetheless, the festering wound of its unmet claim to Sabah was reopened in July when a Twitter note from the US embassy in Manila mentioned “Sabah, Malaysia”.The furious reaction from Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr was to deny that Sabah was in Malaysia. The lack of realism in that statement sums up the whole Philippine narrative centred on its disputed and anachronistic claim to Sabah. Philippine pundits may oppose or reject Sabah’s inclusion in Malaysia since 1963, but denying the fact of Sabah being a part of Malaysia amounts to abandoning reality. It is of no help to the Philippines itself or to its relations with Malaysia.That Sabah or North Borneo was once part of the Brunei empire is not disputed. But the Philippine claim to Sabah rests on the assertion that Brunei gave the territory to Sulu in return for assistance in the 1660-73 Brunei Civil War. However, the sources supporting this notion give the year of transfer as either 1658, two years before the Civil War broke out, or 1704, 31 years after it ended. The span of time covers the rule of different Brunei sultans.Brunei has never accepted or acknowledged that North Borneo was given to Sulu. A narrative in Brunei states that although an offer of land may have been made in exchange for military support, that support never came so the deal was never concluded. No Sulu sultan or other authority has been able to furnish proof of ever receiving the territory from Brunei, or of having governed it since.Britain annexed Sabah as a crown colony in 1946, after the chartered British North Borneo Company acquired it through a sale from the German magnate Gustav Overbeck, who had obtained the cession from the sultan of Brunei in December 1877. Since Sulu was making representations to the territory then, Overbeck also went through the motions of a cession with the sultan of Sulu some three weeks later. Two competing title deeds were obtained, signifying rival claims to ownership and sovereignty being given away.Both title deeds were for a permanent cession, but only Sulu has tried to overturn the agreement. Sulu representatives have since tried to use the title deed granted to Overbeck as proof of Brunei having ceded the territory to Sulu. Even before the founding of the Republic of the Philippines, successive Spanish and US colonial administrations had already rendered the Sulu sultanate defunct. Any credence in the Philippine claim today is highly contested and purely historical in nature, which is rejected in international law.The Manila Accord of July 31, 1963 facilitated the formation of Malaysia with Sabah without hindrance from the Philippines, while granting Manila the option of continuing to entertain its claim. However, conditions were set by both the Philippines and the descendants of the defunct Sulu sultanate. Manila wanted a UN-approved plebiscite of Sabah residents endorsing the creation of Malaysia, and the Sulu partisans wanted the continuation of the RM5,000 annual cession payment (later increased to RM5,300) from Malaysia.Malaysia met both conditions. However, after the February 2013 attacks on Sabah by armed militants from Sulu which violated their part of the agreement, Malaysia discontinued the payments. Philippine partisans have also described the annual cession payments as “rent” to support their claim of ownership.The persistent claims to Sabah, whether from Manila, Sulu or both, are disreputable and without foundation. They are a continuing irritant to the Philippines’ ties with Malaysia and risk a rupture in otherwise healthy relations. They cannot continue to be a weighty albatross because no sovereign nation can accept such blatant and baseless claims on its territory. As with his immediate predecessor Benigno (“Noynoy”) Aquino, President Rodrigo Duterte had said he would study the Philippine claim before proceeding with it. That has been some years now and he, like Aquino before him, has decided not to pursue it.Duterte has also weighed the issues with China and apparently decided that Philippine interests cover a wide expanse with Beijing, of which only a minor part concerns disputes in the South China Sea. He has consequently decided not to confront China over maritime territory but to work with China instead on various other issues to mutual benefit. Would Foreign Minister Locsin take the same tack with Malaysia over Sabah?What Malaysia should not do is to even consider submitting the Philippine claim to international mediation or arbitration, or to mutual negotiation. Such groundless claims do not deserve being dignified by a sober Malaysian response as if the claims have or ever had any basis.Malaysia has both de facto and de jure sovereignty in Sabah, a fact affirmed by multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and to which the international community attests. However, it is not enough to rest on such laurels because endless political spats over Sabah cannot possibly figure as “best practices”.What Malaysia can and should do, or continue doing, is to ensure the supply of social services and humanitarian needs to the various communities in Sabah. Since Sabah is categorically a part of Malaysia, it is incumbent on Malaysia’s federal and state authorities to address such needs. Undocumented or illegal migrants may have to be deported and criminals penalised, but urgent needs must also be met urgently. In mid-September Duterte requested assistance from Malaysia for Filipinos in Sabah awaiting repatriation, a reasonable request which suggested that a Malaysian response would be appreciated.It is time for Malaysia to put itself on the world map by doing good, constructive deeds in Sabah that no party can ignore or deny. Previous good work may not have been appreciated sufficiently or at all, so the obvious solution is to do more and do it more consistently.The Philippine foreign ministry has even scandalised Malaysia’s conduct in Sabah by suggesting that there is some policy of discriminating against Philippine nationals there. Again, the best response to such an allegation is a concerted and visible effort by the authorities to do the needful.The alternative is too unacceptable to contemplate: a deteriorating situation in image and substance for Sabah and Malaysia, with spiralling social problems and cumulative political costs. There should not even be lapses or pockets of unaddressed needs that can be exploited, distorted and misrepresented by partisans working against Malaysia’s interests. Government agencies at all levels must welcome the opportunity to work with the relevant civil society groups to ensure smooth and effective operations.No party can conceivably argue against Malaysian sovereignty when that sovereignty underpins such universal good as meeting health, educational and nutritional needs of Sabah society. Philippine or Sulu partisans are unable to benefit Filipinos in Sabah because of their lack of resources and the absence of Philippine sovereignty there. They cannot reasonably begrudge Malaysia for such constructive work, which in time could blunt the appeal of an unreal Philippine claim to the territory.There may still be elements in the Philippine foreign ministry seeking to project some sense of extraneous sovereignty in Sabah, if only to gain some brownie points in their own domestic politics. But they will then have to contend with Malaysia’s record of good work consistent with UN development goals. Any attempt to disrupt Malaysian governance in Sabah will thus also be seen as disrupting the good work for the people.Bunn Nagara is a senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia and an honorary research fellow at the Perak Academy.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Good old hardware stores experiment online but surviving big franchise onslaught anyway

Small-time hardware stores are a familiar sight to many, their entrances framed with stacks of paint tins and rolls of wire screen, ladders and gardening tools in neat piles by the side.But while for generations they have remained unchanged in appearance, the emergence of hardware chain stores is forcing them out of their traditional comfort zone – and into the vast world of the internet.Over the years, big names have appeared in the industry, backed by the allure of slick marketing, reward programmes and “can’t be beat” prices. Homegrown brands like Mr DIY lead the way with international lines like Ace Hardware right alongside.This has the makings of tough competition for these traditional hardware stores, which for decades have served the needs of customers in need of hammer and nails, a replacement pipe for the kitchen sink, or a new broom.Big chains with multiple resources also have an advantage over small businesses trying to make the shift online.Ong Kok Weng has been in the business for nearly a decade now. He has tried to make the move before but was stymied by the task of managing an online shopping platform.The problem was not processing orders and sending them out for delivery, he told MalaysiaNow. Rather, it was the technical skills and computer literacy needed to maintain an online presence.For Lee Han Shyang, whose shop is located in Shah Alam, it’s hard to top the competitive prices offered online.“I do sell my products online,” he said, “but the response from customers is not as good.“Customers usually go to e-commerce platforms to find the best deal for the lowest price. But low-priced products usually lack quality compared to high-quality products, thus the difference in price.”But while this may cause him to lose out online, it makes all the difference to his regular in-store customers, many of whom are from the construction and industrial sectors and cannot afford to skimp on quality.Lee Han Shyang attends to a customer at his shop in Shah Alam. For him, the higher prices are worth it as they mean better quality.“We supply goods to factories and clients from construction sites as well as hardware products for home use,” Lee told MalaysiaNow.“So we need to ensure that our products are of good quality.”The manager of another store in Shah Alam who preferred not to be named said traditional shops continue to thrive as many customers just want to make a quick trip without having to go through an entire mall.For now, brick-and-mortar stores may be able to survive offline although digitalisation has claimed more and more followers, especially in light of the Covid-19 pandemic which pushed many businesses onto online platforms as infections keep face-to-face contact at a minimum.And, as veteran shop owner Ong told MalaysiaNow, there are also other, perhaps more immediate issues to tackle, first in line being the economic slump.But, as hardware shopkeepers know only too well, not everything is an easy fix.


FamilyMart halts sale of alcoholic beverages at all outlets

Convenience store chain FamilyMart Malaysia has stopped the sale of alcoholic beverages at all 360 stores to give Muslim customers the confidence to shop at its outlets without any doubts.
Managing director of QL Maxincome Sdn Bhd, Chia Lik Khai, said the decision to stop the sales of alcoholic drinks had been implemented since March to ensure that customers shop and dine without apprehension at their branches.
"Alcoholic beverages have only been a small contributor to our business so far. So we are expecting very minimum impact. And we are depending on our food and beverages to cover the sales (omission)," he said.
He was speaking to reporters after an announcement of FamilyMart Malaysia’s new concept store FamiCafé at Menara U, Shah Alam, which received the first halal certification from the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim), making it the first convenience store cafe in Malaysia to receive such recognition.
Chia said the halal-certified concept serves drinks and ready-to-eat food prepared in-house including "oden" (Japanese tomyam), hot snacks such as "crispy chiki katsu" and sausage (corndog), as well as "sofuto" (ice-cream).
He said so far there are 16 FamiCafés in Malaysia, with the target to open 50 FamiCafés by the end of this year with the aim of halal status for 300 FamiCafés by 2025.
In line with ongoing efforts to ensure customers shop and dine without hesitation, Chia said FamilyMart will undergo halal audits in stages according to Jakim’s guidelines, adding that the process had already started at two other stores located around the Klang Valley.
He said the FamilyMart Malaysia food preparation centre run by QL Kitchen had also been recognised as halal by Jakim since 2019 and as of April 30, 172 FamilyMart brand food products were registered as halal on Jakim’s official halal portal.
Chia said FamilyMart is currently identifying suitable locations to meet customer demand on the east coast and aims to open 20 branches in the region by the end of 2023 with several branches already opened in Kuantan, Pahang.


PH, BN chiefs skip mega gathering in battle for Selangor

The chairmen of Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN) have skipped their coalitions' joint gathering tonight, held as part of efforts to ward off the fight put up by Perikatan Nasional (PN) which also held a gathering attended by the coalition's main leaders.
Neither PH's Anwar Ibrahim nor BN's Ahmad Zahid Hamidi attended the event at Dataran Kemerdekaan in Shah Alam, less than 1km away from PN's gathering at the Ideal Convention Centre which was attended by top PN leaders including its chairman Muhyiddin Yassin and Selangor chief Mohamed Azmin Ali.
This was despite publicity material and posters of PH's "Jelajah Mega Madani" listing top government and ruling party leaders as the main speakers.
DAP leader Anthony Loke also gave the programme a miss.
Selangor is seen as a battlefront state in the coming polls, which will show whether voters have accepted the new political cooperation between PH and BN, as well as whether the bulk of Malay support is still in the PN camp.


Top Chinese doctor probed for plagiarism after questioning Covid policy

A top doctor in China’s fight against the coronavirus is under investigation for plagiarism, weeks after making a social media post questioning the country’s zero-tolerance strategy to control the pandemic.Beijing has basked in its success in bringing to heel a virus that first emerged in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019, but was virtually extinguished through hard lockdowns, closed borders and massive test and trace campaigns.But the Delta variant has breached China’s defences, with record local infections in dozens of cites – albeit still in low numbers – prodding authorities to reintroduce travel restrictions, mass testing and hyperlocal lockdowns.Zhang Wenhong – a leading doctor described by state media as “China’s Fauci”, after the top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci – has since said countries have to find a way “to learn to live with it”.“The way China will choose in future will… help establish communication with the world and a return to normal life, while protecting citizens from fear of viruses,” Zhang wrote on China’s Twitter-like Weibo on July 29.The suggestion of a softened approach to Chain’s zero-case approach to virus control enraged nationalists who stalk China’s social media.Zhang has found himself accused of “pandering to foreign ideas”, while an apparent witch hunt is targeting his academic credentials.Posts on Weibo accused Zhang of plagiarising his doctoral thesis published two decades ago.On Sunday, Fudan University in Shanghai said it was “aware of the online criticism and had launched an investigation into the degree it awarded Zhang in 2000”.Zhang did not respond to AFP inquiries on the investigation.Academics and scientists have rallied around Zhang, in a country where all non-state sanctioned information linked to the pandemic is highly sensitive and has led to arrests and smear campaigns on social media.“Who will dare to speak out and act according to their professional judgment in the future?” Yan Feng, from Fudan’s Chinese literature department, said on Weibo.In a sign of the risks, a teacher in east China’s Jianxi province was detained by police for 15 days after commenting last week on a news article saying the country can “coexist with the coronavirus”, according to a local government notice.China has reported 94,430 cases since the virus first emerged in Wuhan, and the death toll of 4,636 has remained unchanged for nearly a year.But a recent flare-up at an airport in Nanjing spread to 18 provinces infecting 1,300 people in two months – although just 13 domestic transmissions were reported on Monday.


No dissolution, Agong tells Sarawak govt

The Sarawak government will remain after the expiry of its mandate next month, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong told state leaders in a virtual royal audience today.A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had expressed concern over the worsening Covid-19 situation, and said that the state government should function as usual with the powers under the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance 2021.The online meeting was attended by key leaders of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak led by Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg.The tenure of the Sarawak state assembly will end on June 6, five years after the 2016 state election.According to the Sarawak constitution, a state election must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of the state legislative assembly.In January, Sultan Abdullah invoked his constitutional powers to declare a state of emergency across the country, suspending Parliament as well as state assemblies in a bid to prevent elections which health experts had warned could trigger a major spike in cases.This followed threats by a group of Umno MPs to revoke their support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s fragile government, which could have led to a snap election.


How can the economy cope with the lockdown and emergency?

There has been a lot of debate on the impact of the new movement control order (MCO) implemented for two weeks from Jan 13 and the state of emergency from Jan 11 to Aug 1. Much of the debate reflects anger and frustration at the two events and confusion over whether the MCO will be shorter or longer than announced. While this is understandable, it is often not constructive.It is much more worthwhile to consider what might or should happen to the economy taking the MCO and the state of emergency as given and also taking the highly probable position that the MCO will extend beyond two weeks based on current daily case numbers for Covid-19 and past experience both here and around the world.As a working hypotheses it is reasonable to assume that the economy will respond this time much as it did last time but from a much weaker base with much depleted reserves to weather the coming challenges.As a baseline scenario, we must expect that for the next six months the economy will be at best stagnant with little or no economic growth. We can also expect that the period of deflation, which has seen core inflation fall to 0.7% and negative headline inflation, will continue. There is little or no prospect of any improvement in domestic investment and consumption is likely to be constrained to basic necessities with little or no discretionary spending on life’s little luxuries.Unemployment is likely to rise, probably only slightly on official figures but much more in reality and underemployment will also continue to rise significantly. We can expect very uncertain external demand conditions with no significant contribution from net trade or foreign direct investment.The economy will be stuck in a “survival trap” – the patient is very weak and getting weaker by the day only surviving on active intervention with options running out. The stocks of resources both in terms of inventories and financial reserves with firms and savings and EPF withdrawals for consumers are just about helping but these will reach their depletion point soon. The flow of help from the Government will also begin to hit fiscal constraints which will become binding as resources are merely reallocated from one area of spending to another.The pivotal period or tipping-point will come within six to seven months by the end of the state of emergency on Aug 1. At this point we will face a bifurcation of either a good prospect for the second half of the year or a tip into the bad scenario of continued recession leading to full-scale depression. The international scenario will be a significant influence in one direction or another.In terms of managing the economy, the government must create an insurance policy to deal with the uncertainty that will arise at the end of the state of emergency and this must also include a viable exit strategy from the current policy stance around the same time.The philosophy must be completely different to that current used which reacts to short-term events with extra spending from existing budgets and must instead focus on injecting support within a three-phase plan that incorporates the immediate period of the next six months, the period beyond that to the end of the year and the long-term development plan for the economy after-Covid.The plans for these three phases must be implemented simultaneously and begin immediately to maximise their effectiveness rather than applying them sequentially which wastes lead-time in implementation and creates uncertainty.So what would these plans look like? The first plan is an immediate injection of money to support struggling consumers and businesses which to some extent was announced by the prime minister in his speech on Monday. The RM15 billion reallocation of money from the 2021 budget, along with expedited final payment of the Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN 2.0) and the interim i-Sinar EPF withdrawals, should be accompanied by a monetary stimulus of lower interest rates and direct printing of money, targeted at those who need it, not just in the B40 group but also in the M40 group too.The second plan must target the likely tipping point in six to seven months when private sector savings, corporate stockpiles and even government coffers will be depleted. This is a much tougher response which requires a direct real injection equivalent to perhaps 2-3% of gross domestic product (GDP) and, given the constraints of government borrowing, is likely to require a reallocation of the budget recently passed and/or new debt.This should be targeted toward key drivers of the supply-side to re-open businesses that have closed and create new start-up businesses but more importantly to scale-up existing businesses that have been deflated by crushed demand. There must be as wide a response as possible from the supply-side to allow businesses to fulfil extra demand, raise output and shore-up long-term productive capacity.The third plan must focus on the long-term beyond the Covid crisis to revitalise, refresh and stimulate external demand through trade and foreign direct investment (FDI). Both are essential to the long-term recovery of the economy and will require international collaboration at a regional level to create a positive-sum game from enhanced trade and investment liberalisation.So far the government has only given us some hint of its plans for the immediate impact of the new MCO and the emergency which is a good start. To create a greater sense of confidence they must now look beyond the next two weeks and show us their plan for the rest of the year and the post-Covid recovery.Paolo Casadio is an economist at HELP University and Geoffrey Williams is an economist at Malaysia University of Science and Technology both based in Kuala Lumpur.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


How will you feel when you have been given a Covid-19 shot?

People around the world are becoming excited at the news that vaccines which may stop the currently rampant Covid-19 virus will soon be available for mass inoculation programmes.China has a vaccine it has been testing with several countries including Brazil.Then the US and Germany announced that Pfizer has produced a vaccine that is 90% effective and will be widely available soon.And now, as Russian pharma developers try to keep pace with Western drug makers in the race for a shot, Moscow announced on Wednesday that its Sputnik V vaccine is 92% effective at protecting people from Covid-19 in interim trial results.Everyone will be keen to be given the shot and protect themselves and those around them as soon as possible.But how does it feel when you have been injected with the vaccine?Some volunteers who took part in Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine trials say they were left feeling like they had a severe hangover, according to reports.More than 43,500 people in six countries took part in Pfizer’s phase three trials. They were never told whether they had been injected with the vaccine or a placebo in the double-blind tests.Some said they believe they were given the drug because of headaches, fever and muscle aches that were compared to getting the flu shot or recovering from a heavy night out, the Sun said.Texan Glenn Deshields, 44, said his “severe hangover” symptoms soon cleared up, however, and he later took an antibody test that came back positive. He said he was “very excited” by news that the tests showed the vaccine was 90% effective.  “Thank God, it’s going to be over at some point,” he said.Another volunteer who only gave her first name, Carrie, said she suffered a headache, fever and aches all over her body after her first shot – symptoms that were even more severe after the second one, Metro UK said. The 45-year-old from Missouri said taking part in the trials was her “civic duty”.“There are so many people who have had Covid and suffered. The thought that we could do something to stop people from suffering from this, from losing family members, that we could get rid of it and get back to some sort of normal in our lives – that’s a driving factor for this for me,” she said. “I don’t want anyone else to be sick.”


Americans defy virus guidelines for high-risk Thanksgiving

Busy airports and serpentine queues at testing sites: many Americans plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with extended family Thursday despite authorities warning they risk exacerbating the coronavirus pandemic engulfing the country.Stopping short of issuing an outright ban, the US government’s health protection agency has for the first time called on Americans not to travel for the annual holiday, which sees families get together over turkey, yams and cranberry sauce and for many is more important than Christmas.With more than 150,000 new cases daily in the US, which has the world’s highest coronavirus death toll of more than 256,000, most state governors have urged citizens not to turn their dining rooms into hotbeds of coronavirus.The government’s highly respected infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci sought to lead by example by announcing that his three adult daughters would not be visiting him for Thanksgiving this year.He said he would celebrate the holiday alone with his wife, contenting himself with “a glass of wine” with his children over Zoom.But after almost nine months of the pandemic the guidelines are too restrictive for some Americans who are finding ways to celebrate with loved ones while limiting the number of dinner guests.‘Busiest weekend’This weekend past, images on social media of crowded airports in Chicago and Phoenix fuelled concerns about whether Americans were taking the warnings seriously enough.It was the “busiest weekend” since the start of the pandemic with more than three million passengers passing through US airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration, which is responsible for security checks.The number is less than half the seven million that traveled for Thanksgiving last year but health officials fear it is enough to fuel a catastrophic increase in cases in December.“Our pleas for help have fallen on selfish deaf ears,” tweeted Cleavon Gilman, an emergency doctor in Arizona, noting that the state’s hospitals are “overwhelmed” with Covid patients.New York and many other American cities have witnessed long queues outside testing centres in recent days as people seek negative tests to visit relatives with a clear conscience, even though health officials stress a test several days before a gathering doesn’t eliminate the risk of transmission.Twenty-four-year-old friends Amanda and Chris queued for two hours at a testing site in New York Sunday.They are hesitant about visiting their families in Florida but felt pressured by their parents.“Our family was the one who was like, ‘Please just come this time’,” said Amanda, who works in an auction house.“When I told my mum we were going to wait in line, she was like, ‘You don’t need to do that.’ They seem much less smart than we are,” she told AFP.Mary Perez, 54 and from Long Island, says she usually has 35 family members over for Thanksgiving but this year she will slightly exceed the New York governor’s limit of 10 people. Eleven relatives will gather at her home: five adults and six children.“I don’t really feel I’m breaking the law (as) you can’t really count the little ones. They have to come along with their parents,” she told AFP.‘Pivotal moment’Even with minimal celebrations – resulting in significantly smaller turkey orders this year, according to breeders – officials fear an explosion of cases in the run-up to Christmas.Since the start of the pandemic in March, holidays have triggered outbreaks of the virus, including after July 4, Labour Day in September and Halloween, according to health officials.For Thanksgiving, the first holiday of the winter period, the risk is even greater because thousands of students will return home and often stay there until January.“It’s not too late to change your plans,” Meghan McGinty, an expert in disaster prevention at Johns Hopkins University, pleaded on Monday.“Thanksgiving will be a pivotal moment in the control of the pandemic. If we don’t limit our celebration to just our households, we will undoubtably see cases and hospitalisations rise after Thanksgiving,” she said.


8% of population fully vaccinated

A total of 2,618,316 people or 8.0% of the Malaysian population had completed two doses of Covid-19 vaccination as of July 4, says Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.In a Twitter post, Adham said 9,006,715 doses of vaccine had been dispensed as of yesterday.“For daily vaccination, a total of 206,015 doses of vaccines were administered yesterday, involving 127,385 first-dose recipients and 78,630 who received their second vaccine shot,” he said.Selangor recorded the highest number of recipients who had completed both doses, totalling 348,853 people, followed by Sarawak (299,593), Kuala Lumpur (244,7090), Sabah (233,409) and Kedah (193,575).The Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force is aiming to have 10% of the population of 3.2 million people fully vaccinated by mid-July under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.


Ex-AG Apandi loses defamation suit against Kit Siang

The Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday dismissed a RM10 million suit filed by former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali against DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang for allegedly defaming him in an article on the 1MDB scandal.Judge Azimah Omar ruled that Lim had succeeded in justifying his qualified privileges when making the statements as the 1MDB scandal involved criminality, illegalities, social and economic repercussions to the nation’s economy as well as the morality of the nation’s top leaders and agencies.“It is well within the rakyat’s rights. Not just the defendant (Lim) as an MP – interest and duty to voice out their dismay and enmity, especially when all the avenues (of complaint) have been exhausted and only for the uproar to fall on deaf ears.“The defendant voiced his thoughts to the public as he exercised responsible journalism,” she said in ordering Apandi to pay Lim costs of RM80,000.She also ruled that Lim was justified in his statement urging Apandi to answer why he had absolved Najib Razak of the 1MDB affair in 2016.Azimah said that Lim was justified in raising the issue, especially after the former prime minister was convicted by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2020 in the RM42 million SRC International corruption case.She also noted that Najib’s conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeal last year.Apandi, 72, was present at court today, while Lim, 81, joined the proceeding through Zoom.Earlier, Azimah rebuked Lim for not turning up in court to hear the decision.“As a parliamentary man, Lim should have known the law and as a defendant, he should have some respect for this court,” she said.To this, his lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo said it was her fault as she did not inform her client that he must appear before the court.“We apologise for this. We thought that it would be sufficient that we are here. He is available by Zoom if this court allows,” said the counsel.On July 5, 2019, Apandi sued Lim, claiming that on May 6, 2019 Lim had written and caused to be published an article titled “Dangerous fallacy to think Malaysia’s on the road to integrity” in Malaysiakini.He claimed that the allegedly libellous words in the article implied that he was involved in crime and had abetted in the 1MDB financial scandal, was a person with no morals and integrity, was unethical and had abused his power when he was the attorney-general.Apandi, who was the attorney-general from July 27, 2015 to June 4, 2018, said the words were untrue and written with the intention of tarnishing his image and credibility as a former attorney-general for cheap publicity.He sought aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as RM10 million in general damages, an injunction to prevent Lim and/or his agents from publishing the alleged defamatory words again and other relief deemed fit by the court.


Pregnant migrant sets herself on fire in Greek camp

An eight-months pregnant Afghan asylum-seeker was released from hospital Tuesday after having set herself on fire over the weekend at a camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, the migration ministry said.The 26-year-old woman placed her two children outside her tent on Sunday before setting fire to it in a bid to burn herself alive, said police.Other camp residents, police and firefighters all helped put out the blaze, the statement added.Examined in hospital, it emerged that she was suffering from psychological problems after having had her request to be relocated to Germany refused – though a ministerial source said that this had been “a misunderstanding”.The authorities had asked her to stay in Greece until her child was born, but she had not understood this, said the ministry source.The woman is due to go before the prosecutors’ office at Mytilene, the main town on Lesbos, accused of having set fire to her tent, said police.The temporary camp on the island, which hosts 6,000 asylum-seekers, was hastily put together after fires destroyed the island’s notorious Moria camp, which was the most over-populated in Europe.Camp residents and migrant rights campaigners have denounced what they say are the deteriorating conditions at the replacement camp in the winter conditions.On Tuesday, a child was found dead following a fire at a refugee camp north of Athens, the latest in a series of such incidents at camps around Greece.


Russian plane missing in Siberia with 17 on board

An An-28 plane carrying 17 people went missing Friday in the Siberian region of Tomsk, officials said, in the second incident involving a Russian passenger flight this month.The plane, operated by Siberian Light Aviation (SiLA), was flying from the town of Kedrovy to the regional capital Tomsk when communication was lost, Governor Sergei Zhvachkin’s office said in a statement.It said 17 people were on board including three crew members and four children.An emergency beacon was activated and a search was underway, with two helicopters involved.The incident comes after an An-26 plane crashed July 6 in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka peninsula, killing all 28 people on board.Antonov planes were manufactured during the Soviet era and are still used throughout the former USSR for civilian and military transport. They have been involved in a number of accidents in recent years.The TASS news agency quoted a source in the local emergency services as saying no technical problems had been detected in a pre-flight check of the plane.A local transport source told the Interfax news agency that the plane was built in 1989 and used by Russian airline Aeroflot and in ex-Soviet Kyrgyzstan before going into service with SiLA in 2014.The An-28 is a twin-engine light turboprop plane with a usual capacity of 17 passengers.Russia, once notorious for plane accidents, has improved its air traffic safety record in recent years.But poor aircraft maintenance and lax safety standards persist, and the country has seen several deadly air accidents in recent years.In May 2019 a Sukhoi Superjet belonging to the flag carrier airline Aeroflot crash-landed and caught fire on the runway of a Moscow airport, killing 41 people.In February 2018, a Saratov Airlines An-148 aircraft crashed near Moscow shortly after take-off, killing all 71 people on board. An investigation later concluded that the accident was caused by human error.Flying in Russia can also be dangerous in the vast country’s isolated regions with difficult weather conditions such as the Arctic and the Far East.


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Singapore to relax tight Covid-19 social curbs

Singapore’s government is easing some of the tight social curbs it imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19, after infections stabilised in the city-state over the past month.From Monday, limits on social interactions and dining out will be expanded to five people from the current rule of up to two vaccinated people, government ministers told a news conference on Saturday.They said the overall infection numbers and hospital situation have largely stabilised and improved.“We are now transiting towards living with Covid-19,” Gan Kim Yong, minister for trade and industry, told reporters. “I know many or some prefer to open up more quickly but we must do so in a very careful and step-by-step manner.”“This means that we will ease some measures, observe, monitor and ensure the situation continues to be under control and stabilised before easing further,” he said.Singapore’s daily Covid-19 cases have fallen below 3,000 on average. About 85% of the island nation’s 5.45 million people have been vaccinated.The number of infections fell to 1,734 cases on Friday from a record daily count of 5,324 in late October.Business events in Singapore are already bouncing back.Singapore hosted top executives of big global companies this week at a host of conferences, marking its gradual return to normalcy and underscoring the contrast with long-time rival Hong Kong, which is sticking with some of the toughest quarantine rules in the world.Despite all this, compared to Europe, Britain and the United States, Singapore still has tight Covid-19 restrictions, including mandatory mask-wearing in public.“We will monitor the situation over the next few weeks and if the overall situation remains stable, our healthcare system remains stable, we can consider the next series of moves, say around end of December,” said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.


EU summit welcomes Covid certificate to unlock travel

EU leaders on Tuesday welcomed the introduction of a bloc-wide Covid-19 pass that they hope will unlock a tourist surge this summer.The 27 member states want the EU Digital Covid Certificate, to be launched July 1, to turn the page on coronavirus restrictions that have crimped Europeans’ cherished freedom of movement.Coupled with a separate plan to let in fully vaccinated travellers from countries outside the EU, to be defined by the middle of June, Europe believes its vital tourist industry could claw back some of the losses racked up since the start of the pandemic.European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen told a media conference after the summit that more than 300 million Covid-19 vaccine doses will have been delivered by the end of this week, rising to 400 million next month.“If we continue like this, we have confidence that we will be able to safely reopen our societies,” she said, adding the EU was on track to meet its goal of fully inoculating 70% of adults by late July.“Progressively, we should return to the ability to move freely throughout the European Union,” European Council President Charles Michel said. EU countries and the European Parliament struck agreement last week on the legislation to come into force mid-June for the Covid certificate. Von der Leyen said all the technological infrastructure would be ready by June 1.The leaders of Greece, Spain and Croatia, whose economies strongly rely on tourist spending, were particularly effusive about the common document.They all had wipe-out summer seasons last year, but are already starting to welcome back foreign travellers, ignoring Brussels’ plea to coordinate at an EU level.QR code verificationLuxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, pointed out that a scannable QR code on the certificates will stymie the “hugely copied” PDF files of test results or vaccinations that some people were using to cross borders.The EU’s Covid certificate will show the bearer’s vaccination status, or whether they have immunity from a Covid infection they have recovered from, or the result of a Covid test.Conscious that the EU has procured up to 4.4 billion vaccine doses over the next two years – far more than it needs for its population of 450 million – leaders have rallied to a pledge made at a G20 summit in Rome last Friday to share 100 million doses to countries in need by the end of this year.Denmark and Sweden each promised three million doses from their stocks at the summit. Germany, Italy and France had already pledged higher amounts.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she also pushed leaders to agree a mechanism to “react quickly and cohesively” if worrying new coronavirus variants popped up.The Brussels gathering of EU leaders on Tuesday also looked at ways to share out the burden on battling climate change, to meet the target of cutting emissions by 55% over the rest of this decade.Von der Leyen’s commission has been tasked with mapping out the next steps – including potentially unpopular ones such as slapping carbon taxes on cars and buildings.The first day of the summit on Monday was overshadowed by Belarus, which sits just outside the EU’s eastern borders, forcing down a Ryanair passenger plane the day before to arrest an opposition journalist and his companion who were on board.EU leaders unanimously blasted the action and moved to cut Belarus out of European airspace as part of a package of sanctions that will be developed further.


New cases back below 3,000 mark

Another 2,881 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 411,594.Selangor recorded 759 cases, Sarawak 445, Kelantan 442, Kuala Lumpur 315, Johor 310, Penang 133 and Kedah 111.Negeri Sembilan recorded 89, Perak and Sabah 64 each, Melaka 54, Pahang 47, Terengganu 42, and Labuan and Putrajaya three each.Active cases stand at 29,631 with 337 in the ICU and 176 in need of respiratory assistance.Fourteen more clusters were detected:1. Sungai Nirai (Selangau in Sarawak; 66 screened, 41 positive)2. Umas (Kalabakan in Sabah; 53 screened, 34 positive)3. Seri Jati (Melaka Tengah and Alor Gajah in Melaka; 147 screened, 12 positive)4. Jalan Sepat (Larut, Matang and Selama in Perak; 74 screened, 11 positive)5. Jalan Garuda (Johor Bahru and Kulai in Johor; 231 screened, 15 positive)6. Jalan Sungai Sembilan (Kuala Selangor in Selangor; 1,372 screened, 14 positive)7. Jalan Kilang Dua (Lahad Dadu in Sabah; 51 screened, 11 positive)8. Durin (Bau in Sarawak; 96 screened, eight positive)9. Sebatu (Jasin in Melaka; 167 screened, 27 positive)10. Air Budi (Alor Gajah in Melaka; 169 screened, 15 positive)11. Lestari Perdana Tujuh (Petaling and Hulu Langat in Selangor; 787 screened, 86 positive)12. Saujana (Setiu and Besut in Terengganu; 386 screened, 25 positive)13. Persiaran Sinaran Ilmu (Johor Bahru in Johor; 36 screened, eight positive)14. Long Jegan (Miri and Beluru in Sarawak; 162 screened, 57 positive)Nine others ended, leaving 395 active clusters across the country.Another 2,462 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 380,442.However, 15 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,521.


Blast at Afghan mosque kills cleric, civilians

A blast outside a mosque in the city of Herat in Western Afghanistan on Friday killed a high-profile pro-Taliban cleric as well as civilians, police said.
"Mujib Rahman Ansari, with some of his guards and civilians, have been killed on their way toward the mosque," said Herat's police spokesman Mahmood Rasoli.
Rasoli did not say how many casualties the blast caused.
Al Jazeera Media Network, citing unnamed sources, said 14 people had been killed.
Mujib Rahman Ansari had spoken strongly in defence of the Taliban at a large gathering of thousands of scholars and elders organised by the group in late June, condemning anyone who stood against their administration.
The Taliban say they have improved security in the country since taking power around a year ago, but there have been several blasts in recent months, some of them targeting busy mosques during prayers. The United Nations has raised concerns about the growing number of attacks and some blasts have been claimed by a local branch of the Islamic State.
The was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday's blast.


Why dengue fever numbers have plummeted in Southeast Asia this year

Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggests that several countries are enjoying vastly improved dengue fever situations this year, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and Laos.Most of those countries have seen reported case drop by around 70%.Other countries, including Singapore and Vietnam are experiencing dengue cases on par with seasonal expectations, according to WHO.Dengue fever is a potentially deadly disease spread by infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and is the world’s most common mosquito-borne virus.But during the second year of Covid-19, underreporting from strained medical systems and extensive social lockdowns could explain why many Southeast Asian countries have recorded substantially fewer cases of dengue fever in 2021 than previous years.Some experts, however, say that while there is consensus that 2021 is not a bad year for dengue fever infections in the region, especially compared to 2019, the statistics may not necessarily reflect the truth.“People aren’t reporting fever as they would normally, because of Covid,” said Martin Hibberd, a professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.“Also, health centres are not in their normal responsive mode. Their priorities are elsewhere and they’re not testing as much as usual, so the numbers reported must be less,” he told CNA.A WHO spokesman did not identify any clear reasons for why dengue cases are declining but said they could include more proactive vector control, stronger national surveillance systems and better communication with the community as well as the overwhelming demands of handling the Covid-19 pandemic.“There is also a hesitancy to seek medical care at facilities due to concerns of possible exposure to Covid-19 patients,” the spokesman added.When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, many experts said that social lockdowns and people spending more time at home would result in an uptick of dengue.“Mosquitoes live in the house, and we thought if more people stay at home there would be more dengue but that’s clearly not the case,” Hibberd said. “It could be that outside of home plays a more important part in dengue transmission than we thought.”WHO has implored countries to build up their capacity to handle the disease.The cyclical nature of dengue fever means a more serious outbreak is expected within the next two or three years.


RM2.23 billion put in Najib's account by Jho Low-linked companies, Prince Faisal, banker tells court

A banker told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that a total of RM2.23 billion was deposited into Najib Razak’s personal account from 2011 up to 2013 by three parties, including two companies linked to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.
AmBank Private Banking Capital Market desk head, Yap Wai Keat, 57, said the two companies – Blackstone Asia Real Estate Partners and Tanore Finance Corp – deposited a total of RM2.2 billion into the former prime minister’s account ending 694 in 11 transactions in 2012 and 2013.
He said Najib also received RM60.6 million from Prince Faisal Bin Turki Bandar Al Saud via two transactions in February and June 2011.
The 38th prosecution witness said this when reading his witness statement during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam at Najib’s corruption and money laundering trial over RM2.3 billion belonging to 1MDB.
Yap, who was involved in the quotations of foreign exchange rates for inward and outward remittances at that point of time, said he was instructed by Najib’s AmBank relationship manager, Joanna Yu Ging Ping, to assist in matters pertaining to the foreign exchange under the market division for that account.
"The information on this incoming money was relayed by the remittance division to me and Najib’s relationship manager, that is Yu, to enable her to inform the client that there was incoming money flowing into Najib’s account.
"Yu instructed me to execute the conversion of money from US dollars to ringgit after she obtained approval from the client (Najib). Subsequent to that, my department did the necessary by entering the relevant data into a system called Murex where conversion was done in accordance with the agreed rate as per contract.
"Then, my department contacted the remittance division and informed them of the contract number and the exchange rate.
"With regards to this particular transaction, my department acted upon instructions as directed to me by Yu after she had received instructions from the client," he said.
Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow.


All information given to RoS, Zahid says on Umno no-contest motion

Umno says it has submitted all of the information required by the Registrar of Societies (RoS) on the no-contest motion for its top two posts, which was approved at the party’s 2022 general assembly.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the deputy prime minister, said that all necessary explanations and information had been submitted by party secretary-general Ahmad Maslan to the RoS.
"We were given 60 days to provide details and explanations. I believe our secretary-general has fulfilled all of the requests by RoS, and provided all details and information needed," he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.
Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said this when asked to comment on the issue of two Umno members who lodged a report with the RoS three weeks ago, seeking an investigation into a possible breach of the party’s constitution.
It was previously reported that complaints on the two uncontested positions – president and deputy president – were lodged by Kuala Nerus Umno member Muhammad Aizat Fikri Mohd Nasir and Seremban Umno member Muhammad Fiqri Firdaus Muhammad Rom.
The majority of delegates at the 2022 general assembly had expressed support for the additional motion, proposed by Negeri Sembilan Umno representative Mohd Shukri Shamsudin, to keep the positions of president and deputy president uncontested at the next Umno election.
Zahid said that the 2022 general assembly had been conducted in accordance with the party's rules and constitution.
"In my opinion, it is only fair for the RoS to listen to explanations and complaints from both sides to create a harmonious atmosphere among members and the leadership so that there are no different interpretations," he said.
When asked if Umno had received appeal letters from Sembrong MP Hishammuddin Hussein and former Tiram assemblyman Maulizan Bujang, whose memberships were suspended for six years, Zahid said he had not.
"(If they submit the letter) I will accept it and leave it to the disciplinary board for review," he said.


Ultra Kirana sought Najib’s support for visa-linked project, Zahid graft trial told

The Shah Alam High Court was today told that Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) had sent several letters to former prime minister Najib Razak to seek support, following competition from several other companies interested in operating the one-stop centre (OSC) for visas in China and elsewhere.UKSB director Fadzil Ahmad said the company sent three letters to Najib between May 23, 2013, and Oct 27, 2015.“The letter dated May 23, 2013 aimed to inform (then) prime minister (Najib) on the progress and achievements of UKSB as well as request for continued consideration and support.“The letter dated Jan 20, 2014 aimed to express hope that the government could maintain UKSB as the sole operator for visa management to Malaysia in China, supporting UKSB’s ongoing strategic efforts to make the foreign visa system (VLN) the sole system for visa management to Malaysia globally, and to give priority to UKSB in the appointment of OSCs overseas.“The letter dated Oct 27, 2015 aimed to inform the prime minister about the success and progress of the VLN and OSC China contract between UKSB and KDN (home ministry), and to request that the Malaysian government and KDN support fast-tracking the implementation of the ‘eVISA’ system as an extension of the contracts mentioned, in order to improve services and facilities in line with the latest global technology,” he said.He said this when reading his witness statement during principal examination by deputy public prosecutor Zander Lim Wai Keong.Earlier, the second prosecution witness, former principal assistant secretary for the Immigration Affairs Division at KDN, Azman Azra Abdul Rahman @ Md Salleh, told the court that Najib had asked former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to continue UKSB’s contract as the sole operator of the VLN system to Malaysia in China.Yesterday, the 12th prosecution witness, former home ministry secretary-general Abdul Rahim Mohamed Radzi, told the court that in 2012, there were proposals from a number of companies for appointment as OSC operators in several countries.Fadzil, who is the 14th prosecution witness, also said that his company had sent a letter to Zahid on Oct 17, 2016, seeking support for the VLN and eVISA to become the de facto system for the visa issuance process at all visa issuing offices.“This is because UKSB was of the view that it was critical that the VLN and eVISA system be the only one used in every visa issuing office to Malaysia to ensure uniformity of the system and SOPs, as well as to strengthen national security,” he said, adding that the company had sent other letters to Zahid, such as letters to seek consideration and approval, between 2016 and 2017.Meanwhile, during cross-examination by lawyer Hamidi Mohd Noh representing Zahid, Rahim agreed that the recommendation to appoint Profound Radiance Sdn Bhd and Foshwa Sdn Bhd as OSC operators for Bangladesh and other South Asian countries came from the home ministry, and not from Zahid who was the home minister at the time.When asked by deputy public prosecutor Raja Rozela Raja Toran about whether a minister must follow the recommendations submitted by a division or government officials under him, Rahim replied: “Not necessarily.”Zahid served as home minister between 2013 and 2018.Zahid, 69, faces 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from UKSB as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and the then home minister to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the OSC in China and the VLN system, as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the home ministry.On another seven counts, Zahid was charged as home minister with obtaining for himself S$1,150,000, RM3 million, 15,000 euros and US$15,000 in cash from the same company in connection with his official work.He is alleged to have committed the acts at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya and in Country Heights, Kajang between October 2014 and March 2018.The trial before judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa continues tomorrow.


Party leaders must ensure that elections do not threaten stability, says Perak ruler

The leaders of political parties are responsible for ensuring that elections do not become a battlefield that can threaten the country’s stability and affect the harmony among the people, Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah said today.He said sensational issues that ignite racial disharmony and religious sentiments, raised during campaigns to gain votes, would complicate efforts to create unity. He said it would instead divide the people and strain the relationship among people from various backgrounds, adding that this would nullify efforts to build a stable, peaceful and prosperous nation.“A stable, peaceful and prosperous nation is of greater value and should never be dissolved by adopting a political approach that severs relationships and friendships, and in the end, nobody wins,” he said an event in Kuala Lumpur today.The Perak ruler said choosing a government through an election is a serious matter as the fate of the people and country depends on those who are given the mandate to form a government. Therefore, he added, voting must be based on rational thinking going by facts, not sentiments and emotions.He also said that a free and fair election allows the people, parties, candidates and the media to enjoy their basic human rights involving freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of movement and assembly, in addition to freedom from intimidation, pressure and violence as well as the right to have access to information and media facilities.The ruler said free and fair elections would not only increase people’s confidence and participation but are also an international standard on the level of observance of human rights for each citizen.“The way an election is conducted also reflects the level of thinking, intellect, maturity, respect for the constitution and the rule of law as well as the level of integrity, sincerity and the practice of transparency in the administration of a country,” said Sultan Nazrin.He said the Election Commission (EC) was like a referee handling competitions among candidates and political parties during an election, adding that it must remain neutral.“To ensure the sovereignty and honour of the government remain intact, as the body appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the EC must uphold its pledge of loyalty by managing elections in a credible, free and fair and impartial manner and practising undisputed equality and transparency,” he added.On the lowering of the voting age to 18, Sultan Nazrin said the move should be interpreted as an opportunity that gives greater power to young people to choose their leaders and shape the government.He said young people should be guided to a level of political literacy where they can understand the meaning and practice of a healthy democracy, the government system, the administrative system, the government formation process and the elements that leaders should have.According to him, more than seven million young individuals will be registered automatically as new voters at the 15th general election, a 50% increase from the number of registered voters in the 14th general election, following the move to lower the voting age.