Malaysia's lack of debate culture – and need of it

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri recently declined Anwar Ibrahim’s invitation to debate with other party leaders. Ismail justified his stance by claiming that "debate is not in our culture".
The prime minister is right: Malaysian politicians do not debate unless they are in the Parliament arena. However, if debate is absent from Malaysia’s political culture, it is in fact a pillar of every religious tradition represented in the country and a routine exercise in other parts of the region.
The prime minister's statement is highly problematic and illustrates the contradictions existing within the political system and how these contradictions contribute to maintaining an illiberal democratic system.
The debate between Anwar and Najib Razak earlier this year was one of a kind as it brought together two political titans from opposing parties. The importance of this debate resided less in its content than its symbolic value. It showed that politicians were finally considering the new expectations and political awareness of Malaysians voters, and acknowledging the necessity to up their game, at least in appearance.
The 2018 election that saw the end of 61 years of Umno monopoly created a rupture in Malaysian political history and showed that an alternative was possible. The multiple crises triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to increasing the fluidity of the political scene that further fragmented over the past two years.
While this fluidity may be perceived as chaotic, it is rather one of the few healthy signs of transition towards a more balanced political system. Today, politicians need to adapt to a new game, and to new rules.
Discarding debate for cultural reasons is both inaccurate and ineffective. Religion, particularly Islam, is at the core of Malaysian culture (though not limited to). Every religious tradition represented in Malaysia encourages reasoning and debate; controversies have shaped the history of religious traditions and practices.
One striking historical example is the Council of Lhasa, a two-year monastic debate conducted from 792 to 794 by Indian and Chinese Buddhists teachers. Also, scholars of Islamic thought have written extensively on the question of disagreement (ikhtilaaf), from divergence of opinion to social discord.
In "The Ethics of Disagreement", Taha Jabir al Alwani offers a guide to debate, highlighting that "(…) differences could generate intellectual vitality and a cross-fertilisation of ideas". While surely no one wishes to attend a two-year debate between Ismail and Anwar, it seems that indeed the absence of debate in Malaysia cannot be explained by a cultural rationale, but rather a total absence of "intellectual vitality".
Malaysia's political culture is entrenched in a feudal system of power characterised by a patron-client relationship between politicians and voters where the former buys support from the latter, added to a "lordship rule" in which power is to be accepted unquestioningly by voters.
This feudal system was shaken by the rupture of allegiance to exclusive Umno politics in 2018. Malaysia can be seen as a democratic system; however, the country retains an illiberal character in the political culture and practices – the general abuse of constitutional principles.
While the country is on a slow democratic path, the rather aging political class has yet to revise its practices. The tradition is indeed the suppression of discordant voices and the avoidance of any form of intellectual challenge for fear of ego bruising, and a general lack of intellectual and rhetorical capacity. The questions of the few daring journalists or citizens are usually brushed aside by politicians whose avoidance strategy resides in humiliating their challengers with racial and/or misogynist remarks.
Many would remember the video of Ku Li insulting an English-speaking Chinese journalist, reproaching her for not being able to speak Malay, or the famous "When I speak, you listen" by Sharifah Zorha, trying to shut down the questions of Biwani, an outspoken student, during a public talk at UUM.
Why is political debate essential?
The prime minister's attempt to escape any form of confrontation is a clear reflection of the need for change in political culture. Debate is, in fact, an essential feature of a healthy democracy as it adds "sobriety to campaigns, grounds political discourse, makes candidates introspective, and restrains political overstatements".
On the eve of the 15th general election, the media regularly reports feuds between party leaders and within parties, and games of alliance while ideas are in the air and the announcement of reforms is cosmetic – far, far, far from "sobriety", "grounding" and "restraint".
Liberal democracy is defined as "a political system marked not only by free and fair elections, but also by the rule of law, a separation of powers, and the protection of basic liberties of speech, assembly, religion, and property". In 2018, Andrew Harding explained how recent legal cases reaffirmed the separation of powers although the constitutional framework remained largely abused.
Once characterised as a competitive or semi-authoritarian regime, a regime where elections are organised but where freedoms are limited, the 2018 election brought the country to a new path. While Malaysia continues to slowly move away from authoritarianism, it remains a hybrid regime featuring democratic institutions and illiberal practices. As such, the term illiberal democracy, used both for backsliding democracy and for transitional regimes, is adequate.
Debate is at the very core of the ideal of democracy, and solidly entrenched in the traditions and cultures that have shaped the Malay world and the entire Southeast Asian region. Elections in Indonesia and the Philippines are marked by political candidates debating on all matters.
Culture in general, and specifically political culture, is not dogmatic but reflects the change of people and their society. It should mature in sync with citizens' political expectations.
Rather than shying away from challenges by maintaining the feudal foundations of their power, Malaysian politicians could reclaim their fame, and legitimacy, by taking on their opponents for debate.


Daily caseload drops below 1,500 as 3 more deaths reported

Another 1,469 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,481,278.There were 1,836 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,415,146.There are now 30,509 active cases, of which 29,271 or 95.9% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 20 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,182 (3.9%) have been hospitalised.A total of 36 are in ICU with 17 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 57.0%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 5.9%.Another three deaths were reported, including two who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,623.


Hundreds plucked from flooded homes amid report Ukraine offensive has begun

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the flood-stricken southern region of Kherson on Thursday where hundreds of people were being rescued from rooftops after the destruction of a huge dam submerged homes, fields and roads.
Drone video showed areas where often only the roofs were visible above the flooding. The region's governor said some 600 square kilometres, or 230 square miles, were under water.
The dam collapse happened as Ukraine prepared its counteroffensive, likely the next major phase in the war in which tens of thousands of people have been killed, millions uprooted and entire cities reduced to ruins since Russia's "special military operation" began on Feb 24 last year.
NBC news, quoting a senior officer and a soldier near the front lines, said the offensive had begun.
Friends and family of stranded residents posted appeals online with names, photos and GPS locations of residents. The coordinator of a volunteer group on the Telegram messaging app said the appeals were getting more urgent because people were running out of food and drinking water.
One man, Sergei, told Reuters the last time he spoke with his 83-year-old father-in-law in the Oleshky region was several days before the dam collapse.
"The latest information is that there was a lot of water in the street, as high as a person," he said. "Houses collapsed and went under water."
Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for the bursting of the Soviet-era Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, which sent waters cascading across the war zone of southern Ukraine in the early hours of Tuesday, forcing tens of thousands to flee.
Moscow and Kyiv also accused each other on Thursday of shelling the area as rescue workers in rubber dinghies tried to save people and animals from the still rising flood waters.
Russian shelling killed a civilian in the Ukrainian city of Kherson, about 60km downstream from the dam, on Thursday as people were being evacuated, Ukraine's Prosecutor General said. Two people were wounded. A Reuters reporter in Kherson said he could hear what appeared to be artillery fire but could not immediately provide details.
The Kremlin similarly accused Ukraine of shelling Russian rescue workers in the area, without providing evidence.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces had repelled overnight attempts by Ukrainian forces to break through the frontline in the Zaporizhzhia region adjacent to Kherson.
Reuters could not independently verify his assertion.
Ukraine said the floods would leave hundreds of thousands of people without access to drinking water, swamp tens of thousands of hectares of agricultural land and turn at least 500,000 hectares deprived of irrigation into "deserts".
Zelensky, who has appealed for a "clear and rapid" international effort to help flood victims, held emergency talks with officials in Kherson, one of five Ukrainian regions which Moscow claims to have annexed but only partially controls.
"It is important to calculate the damage and allocate funds to compensate residents affected by the disaster and develop a programme to compensate for losses or relocate businesses within the Kherson region," Zelensky said.
Mine hazard
The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin had no plans to visit the region but was monitoring the situation.
Putin, without providing evidence, has accused Ukraine of destroying the Russian-controlled dam at the suggestion of its Western allies.
Kyiv said several months ago the dam had been mined by Russian forces who captured it early in their invasion, and has suggested Moscow blew it up to try to prevent Ukrainian forces crossing the Dnipro river in their counteroffensive.
It is not known how many people may have died as a result of the flooding. The Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, near the dam site, said on Thursday at least five people had died but the total death toll is sure to be much higher.
Kherson's Ukrainian governor, Oleksandr Prokudin, said 68% of the flooded territory was on the Russian-occupied left bank of the Dnipro River.
The "average level of flooding" in the Kherson region on Thursday morning was 5.61 meters, he said.
The water level at the Kakhovka reservoir was approaching a dangerous low, the state company overseeing the facility said on Thursday, saying this could affect the nearby Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station and water supply to other regions.
The UN atomic watchdog said on Tuesday the plant, Europe's largest, has enough water to cool its reactors for "several months" from a pond located above the reservoir.
Ukrainian and Russian officials have also warned of the danger posed by mines planted during the 15-month-old war and now unearthed and scattered by the flood waters.
"In the past we knew where the hazards were. Now we don't know," said Erik Tollefsen, head of the Weapon Contamination Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross.
He said the mines could pose a danger for decades to come.
In its daily Ukraine briefing, Britain's defence ministry on Thursday reported heavy fighting along "multiple sectors of the front", adding that Kyiv held the initiative in most areas.
Ukraine's military said the flooding in Kherson had forced Russian troops to retreat by five to 15km and had "practically halved" Russian shelling.
Reuters could not independently verify the battlefield situation. Russia did not immediately comment.


97.6% of adults, 87.2% of teens fully vaccinated

A total of 22,836,859 individuals or 97.6% of the adult population had completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow website, 23,135,883 individuals or 98.9% have received at least one dose of vaccine.In terms of the adolescent population, a total of 2,745,665 individuals or 87.2% have completed their vaccination while 2,840,018 or 90.2% have received at least one dose of vaccine.A total of 64,283 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday – 62,022 as booster shots, 1,411 as second jabs and 850 first doses.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 56,814,549, including 5,452,251 booster shots.


Glove giant Top Glove applies for Hong Kong listing

Rubber glove giant Top Glove Corporation has submitted an application to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX), with a plan to undertake a global offering of its shares under the Proposed Dual Primary Listing.Top Glove, which is already listed on the Malaysia and Singapore bourses, said it hoped the listing would enable it to raise capital for its global business growth, as well as worldwide expansion and strategic investments.“We aim to increase our production capacity, upgrade our facilities, and invest in new technologies to improve our offering and response time for our customers around the world, which will help to further strengthen our position as the world’s largest manufacturer of gloves and to enhance stakeholders’ long term value,” Top Glove chairman Lim Wee Chai said.Top Glove is currently the world’s largest manufacturer of gloves, producing some 93 billion pieces every year.With more than 20,000 employees worldwide, it has over 2,000 customers and exports to more than 195 countries.Top Glove is among those whose profits multiplied by billions of ringgit in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.Its profits jumped to RM2.38 billion in three months ending November 2020 from RM111 million in the same period the previous year. This was on the back of RM4.76 billion in revenue.


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Dewan Negara passes anti-hopping amendments

The constitutional amendments to prohibit MPs from switching camps were passed by the Dewan Negara today.
The Constitutional (Amendment) Bill (No. 3) 2022 had been tabled for a second reading by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri.
It was passed with an overwhelming majority at the Dewan Rakyat on July 28.
Law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said Ismail would inform the state governments to amend their constitutions in line with the bill preventing MPs from jumping ship.
The bill won the support of 52 of 60 senators after two bloc votes, which is more than two-thirds of the Dewan Negara.
Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim, when announcing the matter, said seven senators were not present.


Sabah CM to be sworn in tomorrow

The new chief minister of Sabah is scheduled to be sworn in at 10.30am tomorrow.According to the Sabah Information Department, the ceremony will be held at Istana Negeri Sabah, at Jalan Istana in Kota Kinabalu.Yesterday, Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Bung Moktar Radin was reported as saying that Sabah Yang Dipertua Negeri Juhar Mahiruddin had asked for more time to decide on the new chief minister.Earlier, Bung with Sabah Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Hajiji Noor, STAR president Jeffrey Kitingan and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary-general Jahid Jahim held an hour-long meeting with Juhar at the palace.In the Sabah state election on Saturday, the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition comprising PN, BN and PBS secured 38 seats compared to 32 by Warisan Plus. The remaining three were won by independent candidates.


‘Merry Christmas’ can invalidate halal certificate, says Jakim

The government’s halal authority today said the use of “Merry Christmas” on products would invalidate their halal certification, in a statement that is likely to reignite a debate on policies seen as regressive to Malaysia’s multicultural identity.A spokesman for the Department of Islamic Development (Jakim) confirmed to MalaysiaNow the existence of such a condition before a company is awarded halal certification, following an incident reported by a member of the public.MalaysiaNow earlier reported about a bakery which could not fulfil a customer’s request for “Merry Christmas” to be written on a cake he had ordered for delivery to a friend.Instead, the cake was delivered with the words “Happy Holidays”.The bakery owner said it was because he had to abide by the rules set by Jakim as part of the application process for getting halal certification.“The bakery was not wrong as it is part of the regulations,” an officer from Jakim’s communications unit told MalaysiaNow.He cited a labelling rule stated in Jakim’s manual on the procedures leading towards halal certification.“Labelling and advertising of products and services should not involve the use of any religious or spiritual passage, symbol or noun such as the names of Allah, sunnah, idols and the like,” according to the document sighted by MalaysiaNow.The “Merry Christmas” greeting has been a subject of debate in Malaysia, with some Muslim preachers claiming Muslims are prohibited from using the expression as it is a veneration of Christ.But this is the first time it has emerged that the greeting could also affect a product’s official halal status.Earlier, the customer, who declined to be named, said it was the first time he had encountered such a problem.“But the management apologised to me saying it is part of the conditions during the audit process,” he added.Jakim is legally empowered as the sole authority to issue halal certification for food and goods as well as eateries nationwide.In the past, critics had questioned several conditions imposed by the department on food manufacturers and franchises seeking halal certification, including prohibiting certain names from being used on the product.Popular pretzel chain Auntie Anne’s and fast food franchise A&W were forced to rename their popular products due to a requirement by Jakim that words such as “dog” and “beer” are not used on their menu.Auntie Anne’s renamed its “pretzel dog” as “pretzel sausage”, while A&W was forced to change the names of two popular dishes for which it is known worldwide: Coney Dog and Root Beer, which were renamed as Chicken (or Beef) Coney and RB.


Ex-minister Xavier says never told of CBN’s lease extension application

The former minister in charge of land today said he had not been informed of any application by Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Convent Bukit Nanas (CBN) to renew its lease, following the recent announcement by the authorities that the lease for the 120-year old school would not be extended.Xavier Jayakumar, who was the water, land and natural resources minister under the Pakatan Harapan government, said if the application by The Lady Superior of the Society of Saint Maur, which owns the lease of the land of the iconic school, had been brought to his attention, it would have been approved.“It is my opinion, however, that the lease be extended as this school has not only proven to be a school of excellence and immense service to the country in education, but also because of the immense history that this 122-year-old institution and building holds,” he said in a statement.This comes after Federal Territory Land and Mines director Muhammad Yasir Yahya assured that the school would not be demolished as earlier feared.But more questions were raised over his explanation that the land was reverted to the authorities in order to ensure that the school received full government aid.The school’s 60-year lease is slated to end in September.It is understood that an application for extension was submitted to the land office on Oct 4, 2017, but a reply was only received on Dec 18, 2020, to state that the lease would not be renewed.Following growing criticism of the decision, Yasir said the Federal Territory Land Executive Committee had transferred ownership of the land to the federal land commissioner, adding that the school would benefit more from the move.But town planning expert Derek Fernandez questioned the reasoning, as well as the involvement of the land office.“Normally the FT land and mines office does not get involved in such type of public deliberations nor does it make such policy decisions. Such policy decisions are made by the Cabinet after input from the relevant ministers as they involve the continued role of mission schools in Malaysia,” he wrote in MalaysiaNow today.He also urged Yasir to state whether he had informed the school of the benefits it would get if it gave up the land.“Was such a letter issued or were there various meetings held to explain the situation to the school as would be expected of the government when dealing with a 120-year-old school of national reputation?” he asked.Xavier meanwhile said he hoped the government would renew the school’s land lease while extending all financial support and benefits.He called for a special committee to deliberate on the extension of land leases involving missionary schools.“It is my opinion, however, that the lease be extended. SMK Convent Bukit Nanas and its buildings must be preserved as a heritage site as it predates even the independence of our country and it should be done with the full support of the government,” he added.


China leads in launching virus passport

China has launched a health certificate programme for domestic travellers, leading the world in plans for so-called virus passports.The digital certificate, which shows a user’s vaccination status and virus test results, is available for Chinese citizens via a programme on Chinese social media platform WeChat that was launched on Monday.The certificate is being rolled out “to help promote world economic recovery and facilitate cross-border travel”, a foreign ministry spokesman said.However the international health certificate is currently only available for use by Chinese citizens and it is not yet mandatory.The certificate, which is also available in paper form, is thought to be the world’s first known “virus passport”.The US and Britain are among countries currently considering implementing similar permits.The European Union is also working on a vaccine “green pass” that would allow citizens to travel between member countries and abroad.China’s programme includes an encrypted QR code that allows each country to obtain a travellers’ health information, state media agency Xinhua reported Monday.“QR health codes” within WeChat and other Chinese smartphone apps are already required to gain entry to domestic transport and many public spaces in China.The apps track a user’s location and produce a “green” code – synonymous with good health – if a user has not been in close contact with a confirmed case or has not travelled to a virus hotspot.But the system has sparked privacy concerns and fears it marks an expansion of government surveillance.


Delhi’s schools, colleges to reopen next week but air quality still very poor

Schools and colleges in India’s capital will reopen on Monday after closing for nearly 15 days due to a spike in air pollution, the government said, even though air quality remains very poor in New Delhi and its neighbouring cities.Pollution levels dropped marginally earlier this week, but the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Thursday touched 393 on a scale of 500, indicating risks of respiratory illness from prolonged exposure.Government offices would also open from next week but state employees should use public transport and government-run feeder buses, according to the Delhi government.A ban on the entry of diesel trucks with non-essential goods would continue, the government said, with only natural gas and and electric powered vehicles allowed into the teeming city of more than 20 million people.The Delhi government has hired an extra 700 CNG buses to encourage people to use public transport. And a ban on construction has been reimposed to curb dust, a major source of pollution.Delhi’s foul air is putting more children in hospital with breathing problems, raising concerns among parents.As part of its efforts to combat pollution, the government has already shut five power stations on Delhi’s outskirts.Expressing its unhappiness over piecemeal measures, India’s Supreme Court has rapped the authorities for their inability to cut pollution in the city and surrounding areas.On Wednesday, the top court again criticised the government and asked authorities to take measures based on weather forecasts to mitigate the pollution.Lower temperatures and a drop off in wind speed lead to thick smog which in turn traps pollutants from vehicles, industries and the burning of biomass.“We all, unfortunately, have to depend on wind speed and (its) direction to clear our air and NOT government action” Vimlendu Jha, founder of environment group Swechha, said in a tweet.


Free Bud’n’donuts when reluctant Americans get vaccinated

As coronavirus-ravaged countries such as India scramble to secure more Covid-19 vaccines, the US is facing an altogether different challenge: it is rapidly running out of people willing to get vaccinated.In the early days of the US rollout, competition for vaccine slots was so intense that securing an appointment was not easy. Many Americans flew interstate to get vaccinated while others waited at pharmacies at closing time in the hope of scoring a spare dose.Now the biggest problem for the rollout is not a lack of supply but demand.The US administered 1.8 million doses on Wednesday, significantly down on the peak of 4.6 million on April 10.A poll released this week by the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that 13% of Americans say they will definitely not get vaccinated, 6% say they will do so only if forced, and another 15% are still taking a “wait and see” approach.In search of the elusive “herd immunity”, state governments, businesses and non-profits have begun turning to increasingly creative measures to lure vaccine-hesitant Americans into accepting a shot.Louisiana’s vaccine take-up rate is so low that bars in New Orleans have turned into vaccination sites offering free whisky or tequila shots to people who show up to get their vaccine shot. The state governor has actually asked the federal government to reduce its vaccine allotment in order to stop doses going to waste.New Jersey this week began a “shot and a beer” scheme. Anyone who gets their first vaccine dose in May can take their vaccination card to participating breweries for free booze.The big focus of the next stage of the drive is younger Americans who aren’t necessarily anti-vax but just haven’t yet got around to it.In a bid to encourage younger people, West Virginia is offering 16 to 35-year-olds a US$100 savings bond if they roll up their sleeve, and Maryland is offering US$100 cash to state employees who do so.In a spirit of neighborliness, Detroit is handing out US$50 prepaid debit cards to anyone who drives a fellow resident to a vaccination site.“I don’t know any place else in the country that’s doing this,” the Detroit mayor said. “We’re in uncharted territory here.”New York City has turned the American Museum of Natural History into a mass vaccination centre. After getting their shots beneath a full-size fiberglass blue whale, people receive a voucher for a complimentary museum visit for four.Polls show that evangelical Christians are among the most resistant. Rather than freebies, attempts to boost vaccination rates among the born again focus on education campaigns that seek to turn religious leaders into vaccine champions, with limited success.But for the unenlightened, Krispy Kreme is offering free doughnuts to anyone who presents a vaccination certificate, while Budweiser is offering a debit card that can be redeemed for free beer.And in Michigan, a marijuana dispensary is running a “pot for shots” programme that offers free pre-rolled joints to vaccinated stoners.While these inducements may work for some, many find it odd that receiving life-saving shots is being treated like a visit to the dentist rewarded with a lollipop.Public spirited folk say it is jarring that while people are clamouring for vaccines in India and Brazil, such small inducements are necessary to convince Americans to get their shots, instead of them doing so in a spirit of mutual social responsibility.


Saudi closes all land, sea and air borders on mutant virus fears

Saudi Arabia on Sunday halted international flights and suspended entry through its land borders and seaports for at least a week, after a new fast-spreading strain of coronavirus appeared in Britain.The kingdom is “temporarily suspending all international flights for a period of one week,” the official Saudi Press Agency said. “Entry through land and seaports will also be suspended for a week.”The interior ministry said the one-week border closures may be extended “until medical information about the nature of this virus becomes clear”.SPA said, “International aircraft currently in the kingdom will be allowed to leave”, and the travel suspension will not affect the country’s cargo flights and supply chains.The development comes after several European countries banned travel from Britain on Sunday as the UK government warned that a highly infectious new strain of the virus is “out of control” in the country.Saudi Arabia has ordered anyone who has returned from or passed through a European country over the past three months to get tested for Covid-19 immediately.On Sunday, neighbouring Kuwait also announced a ban on passenger flights from Britain over fears concerning the new strain of the virus.Last week, Saudi Arabia began a three-phase Covid-19 vaccination programme, after the first shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived in the kingdom.The vast desert country has so far recorded more than 360,000 coronavirus cases, including more than 6,000 deaths – the highest among the Gulf Arab states.


Malaysia records RM42.8 billion approved investments from January to March 2022

Malaysia attracted a total of RM42.8 billion (US$10.2 billion) in approved investments in the manufacturing, services and primary sectors for 910 projects between January and March 2022.In a statement, the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) said foreign direct investments (FDIs) remained the major contributor at 65% or RM27.8 billion (US$6.6 billion), while investments from domestic sources contributed 35%, amounting to RM15 billion (US$3.6 billion).“The approved investments for this period will create 24,906 new jobs in the country,” it added.The manufacturing sector continued to assume an important role in driving the country’s economic recovery during the period, accounting for more than half (70.1%) of total approved investments of RM30 billion (US$7.1 billion), followed by the services sector at RM12.7 billion (US$3 billion, 29.7%) and the primary sector at RM100 million (US$40.4 million, 0.2%).“Of the total FDIs approved, Germany dominated with investments totalling RM8.9 billion (US$2.1 billion, 32%), followed by Brunei at RM5.1 billion (US$1.2 billion, 18.3%), the US at RM3.9 billion (US$900 million, 14%), Hong Kong at RM3.3 billion (US$800 million, 11.9%), and Japan at RM3.2 billion (US$800 million, 11.5%),” Mida said.For projects approved by state, it said five major states – Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Sabah and Johor – contributed RM31.8 billion (US$7.6 billion, 74.3%) of the total investments approved from January to March 2022.International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said Malaysia remained an attractive investment destination for global investors with the manufacturing sector maintaining its position as a key pillar of the economy for 2022, generating significant multiplier effects on the nation’s growth.“Today, we are proud to have over 5,000 companies from more than 40 countries that have made Malaysia their location for manufacturing and related services operations,” he said.He said Malaysia would continue to focus on high growth and high value-added sectors which offer Malaysians exciting job opportunities.“Aligned with the 12th Malaysia Plan, Malaysia has been securing new investments that position well with the country’s national investment aspirations and environmental, social and governance principles.“This will put us in good stead to capture more economic opportunities. We look forward to seeing more significant growth for the second quarter of 2022,” he said.


Tony Fernandes quits AirAsia X, citing 'other commitments'

Tony Fernandes has resigned as group CEO of AirAsia X, citing "other commitments", the company announced in a filing to Bursa Malaysia today.
The filing said Fernandes had no disagreements with the board of directors, and that there were no matters that needed to be brought to the attention of shareholders.
Fernandes was redesignated as acting group CEO of AirAsia X on July 8 this year.
He was previously the director of the long-haul budget airline.
He took on the role in addition to his position as non-independent non-executive director of AirAsia X.
MORE TO COME


Court reserves judgment as Najib’s SRC appeal hearing ends

Najib Razak’s appeal hearing against his conviction and jail sentence for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International Sdn Bhd funds at the Court of Appeal ended today after 15 days of arguments from both sides.A three-member bench led by justice Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, however, reserved its decision for a date yet to be fixed.The other two judges on the bench were Has Zanah Mehat and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera.‘We thank all the parties involved… this hearing was exceptionally long compared to other appeal hearings.“Since there were many important issues raised by both parties, we need some time to deliberate and to deliver our decision on the appeal,” he said.Counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, representing Najib, and ad hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram had concluded their submissions.The former prime minister’s appeal was originally set for 12 days from April 5 to 8, April 12 to 15 and April 19 to 22, but on the application of the defence team, the bench set additional hearing days on April 27 and 28 and May 6.The hearing on May 6 was postponed to today as one of the defence team members was under quarantine after coming into close contact with a number of Covid-19 positive patients.Najib is appealing against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision on July 28 last year which sentenced him to 12 years’ jail and a RM210 million fine after finding him guilty on seven charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), money laundering and abuse of position, involving RM42 million in SRC International funds.High Court judge Mohd Nazlan sentenced Najib to 10 years’ jail on each of the three counts of CBT and each of the three counts of money laundering and 12 years’ jail and a RM210 million fine, in default of five years’ jail, in the case of abuse of position.However, Najib will only serve 12 years in jail as the judge ordered all the jail sentences to run concurrently.The Pekan MP is currently out on bail of RM2 million with two sureties pending his appeal.


Death toll in typhoon-hit Philippines rises to 14

The death toll in the typhoon-battered Philippines has risen to 14, an official said Friday, after some of the worst flooding in years swamped villages and forced thousands to flee their homes.Torrential rain dumped by typhoon Vamco – the third powerful storm to hit the country in as many weeks – inundated low-lying areas of Manila and surrounding provinces, trapping people on rooftops and balconies.As floodwaters receded and residents began to return home, the scale of the destruction left by Vamco became clearer.In Marikina city, one of the hardest hit areas of the capital, mud-covered washing machines, televisions, couches, office chairs and bicycles were piled up on streets as residents swept debris and murky water from their houses.Hundreds of thousands were still without power after Vamco lashed the most populous island of Luzon on Wednesday and Thursday, triggering landslides, toppling trees and cutting off roads.The typhoon claimed at least 14 lives and left another eight injured and 14 missing, said Ricardo Jalad, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.Some deaths were still being verified, officials said, suggesting the toll was likely to rise.The military put the number of fatalities at 39 with 22 missing.Authorities vowed to distribute food and other essentials to victims, many of whom were still recovering from typhoons Molave and Goni that killed dozens of people, destroyed tens of thousands of houses and knocked out power to swathes of the country in recent weeks.Defending the response to the latest disaster, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the government “acted fast”.“Unfortunately we couldn’t do anything about the floodwater which rose too fast… but we made sure no one will be left behind,” he said.Officials said many people had ignored orders to evacuate their homes and were caught by surprise by the fast-rising waters.Police, soldiers and coast guard were deployed to assist in rescue efforts, using boats to reach thousands of people stranded. The operations were made more complicated by the coronavirus outbreak.The severity of the flooding in Manila and neighbouring province of Rizal sparked comparisons with the devastation caused by typhoon Ketsana in 2009 that killed hundreds.The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, which typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure in already impoverished areas.It is particularly affected by climate change with many people living in coastal areas that are vulnerable to storm surges engorged by rising seas and severe flooding.


Tackling the problem of homelessness

The pandemic has exposed us to situations that we would have never expect to have happened. More people are losing jobs, suffering from a loss of income as well as mental health issues due to the stressful environment. Because of the pandemic too, more people could have become homeless. Action plans are needed because inadequate attention has been given to this group despite their increasing presence.Specifically for Malaysia, research states that there are three suitable definitions for homelessness: 1) displacement and marginalisation, 2) lack of access to housing which causes people to become homeless or risk becoming homeless, and 3) issues related to bad planning and designing of houses for the poor and hardcore poor.Matters related to homeless people are under the purview of women, family and community development ministry (KPWKM), with three welfare organisations involved: Desa Bina Diri (DBD) for those aged 18 to 59, and Rumah Ehsan and Rumah Seri Kenangan for the elderly aged 60 and above, who are sick and left without heirs.For simplicity’s sake, let’s only look at the case of Kuala Lumpur where there are plenty of homeless people living on the streets and depending on the public’s kindness to survive the day.Based on a study conducted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), the most recent figure of homelessness in Kuala Lumpur stood at around 1,500-2,000 as of February 2016, a substantial increase from 600 in 2014.There are many factors which contribute to homelessness. According to a survey done by Department of Social Welfare (JKM) in 2010, the top three factors are unemployment, poor and low incomes, and old age without family members.Another survey conducted on the homeless in 2014 showed that common reasons leading to such circumstance are unemployment, debt and chronic illnesses.Other factors listed include domestic abuse, addiction, depression, personal trauma, discrimination and lack of affordable housing or transportation.But sadly, the common perception of the homeless is negative – they are addicts or they are too lazy to find jobs – but they should not be generalised in such a way. Some might have no other option but to ask for support.Past research reveals that there has not been extensive research about homelessness in Kuala Lumpur or Malaysia as a whole. Because of this, there are no policies or guidelines on homelessness, so the homeless are likely to be excluded from proper benefits or assistance.Past research has also shown that the issue in addressing homelessness is a divided understanding of the definition of homelessness, thus making the subject matter complex and producing inaccurate statistics.KPWKM and DBD categorise the homeless as destitute which, according to Destitute Persons Act 1977, means:• Any person found begging in a public place in such a way as to cause or become likely to cause annoyance to persons frequenting the place or otherwise create a nuisance; or• Any idle person found in a public place, whether or not he is begging, who has no visible means of subsistence or place of residence or is unable to give a satisfactory account of himself.JKM defines the homeless as drifters and “troublemakers”, so this should not be categorised under the same act.The government and participating organisations need to fix a clear definition of homeless in order to prevent inefficient policies or the understatement of the reality of homelessness.Regular monitoring on the status of those who are homeless should be done on an annual basis to boost awareness.A proper definition would also help provide accurate statistics on homelessness to ensure sufficient shelter and government homes for those who require such help.In April last year, about 800 homeless people in Kuala Lumpur were placed in temporary shelters during MCO 1.0 in an effort to curb the rising Covid-19 infections. Given that we are now under MCO 2.0, the same action needs to be pursued through street counts as more people have lost their jobs and homelessness is not impossible.Helping the homeless should also be a shared responsibility between the government, welfare implementing agencies, NGOs and the public as a whole.Anecdotally, we can observe that an increasing number of NGOs have been on the ground trying to support the homeless (such as through soup kitchens), particularly since the the pandemic struck, providing food, free haircuts, medical aid, and legal as well as counselling services.There is a crucial need to welcome active participation and feedback from the NGOs that are relatively more experienced with the homeless. This way, policy formulation or assistance can be suited to those who actually need help and what kind of help they require as each person has their own story to tell.The old perceptions of the homeless being “drifters and troublemakers” or that soup kitchens are encouraging people to remain homeless and jobless should not be the mainstream.Other key issues leading to homelessness such as low wages and unemployment and lack of low-cost housing also need to be addresse, providing at least minimum wage, steady employment and perhaps a home protection scheme which are more sustainable to put an end to or at least reduce homelessness.Finally, a ministerial working group should be formed by involving the relevant ministries such as KPWKM, the health ministry, human resources ministry and federal territories ministry, alongside consultation from important stakeholders such as the homeless people themselves and NGOs.In the UK, for example, there is a ministerial working group to tackle and prevent homelessness which publishes reports and policy papers on a regular basis.Homelessness might appear to be a complicated issue but without efforts and empathy to start tackling it, more people will unfortunately suffer.Sofea Azahar is a research analyst at independent think tank Emir Research.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Najib's new legal team fails in bid to postpone final SRC appeal

Najib Razak's newly appointed legal team has failed in its bid to seek a postponement of the former prime minister's final appeal in the SRC International case at the Federal Court next month.
The apex court will hear his appeal for 10 days from Aug 15 as scheduled.
Najib was originally represented by Shafee & Co, with Muhammad Shafee Abdullah as his lead counsel.
He made an eleventh hour switch to Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners (ZIST).
His new lead counsel, Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, had applied for the postponement, citing the firm's recent appointment.
Najib was convicted in 2020 of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering in the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.
He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million, a verdict unanimously upheld by a three-man Court of Appeal bench in December last year.
The appeals court, in throwing out Najib’s appeal, described the RM42 million transfers from SRC International as a "national embarrassment".
The former prime minister later embarked on a bid to be represented by a Queen's Counsel from the UK.
The application said the appeal would involve serious, complex and novel issues, and that the Queen's Counsel, Jonathan Laidlaw, possessed special qualifications, experience and expertise not available among lawyers in Malaysia, for the purposes of Najib’s SRC appeal at the Federal Court.
But Laidlaw's application to represent Najib was thrown out by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 21.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul, when contacted by reporters, said the court had dismissed the application to adjourn the hearing.
He said the court also instructed that the main appeal be done through physical hearing and that parties must list down all references to records of appeal to ensure a smooth proceeding before the Federal Court.
"Today is the case management for the application for fresh evidence filed by Najib’s previous counsels from Shafee & Co. Then, the amendment to the said motion for fresh evidence.
"Then the issue for change of solicitors for the main appeal. The (apex) court has informed that the hearing dates fixed from Aug 15 to 26 are maintained. The fresh evidence application is to be heard on Aug 15 as well, together with the main appeal," he said.
He was referring to Najib’s application on June 7 to adduce further evidence to the Federal Court to nullify the entire trial over the claim that trial judge Mohd Nazlan Ghazali had been affected by conflict of interest.
Ashrof also said that ZIST wished to apply for an extension of time to file submissions and would write to the court to apply for this.
He said the filing of submissions for fresh evidence was allowed an extension until Aug 8.
On the issue of change of counsel, the prosecutor said ZIST had written a formal letter on July 26 asking for an adjournment of motion for fresh evidence and the main appeal.
"ZIST will also be making the same application to adjourn both matters in open court before the Federal Court on Aug 15," he said.
On the Queen's Counsel admission application, he said, ZIST confirmed that no appeal had been filed against the decision of the High Court on July 21.
Today's proceedings were also attended by ad hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram and Najib’s lawyers Hisyam, Liew, M Rueben as well as Shafee.


Pandemic pushed millions more into poverty in the Philippines, govt says

About 2.3 million people in the Philippines were pushed into poverty between 2018 and 2021, largely due to the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, the statistics agency said on Monday.
The number of people living in poverty in 2021 rose to a total of almost 20 million or 18.1% of the population from 16.7% in 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said, overshooting the government's target of 15.5%-17.5%.
Recently inaugurated President Ferdinand Marcos Jr aims to slash the poverty rate to 9% by the end of his single six-year term in 2028 - a target that remains achievable despite soaring inflation, according to Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan.
He said the government's strategy will focus on fully reopening the economy, investing in human capital and social protection, and transforming production sectors to generate more and quality jobs and competitive products.
"We can reduce poverty incidence by 5 percentage points at midterm, and another 4 percentage points by 2028," Balisacan told a media briefing.
The PSA - which defines poverty as including those Filipinos whose per capita income cannot sufficiently meet individual basic food and non-food needs - releases these statistics every three years.
Balisacan said that before the pandemic, in 2018, the country had achieved its goal of lifting 6 million Filipinos out of poverty, four years ahead of a 2022 target.
But Covid-19 restrictions in 2020 and a long-running issue of poor households having limited access to regular and productive jobs had plunged many Filipinos back into difficulty, he said.


US lifts ban on Top Glove

Glove maker Top Glove has been allowed to resume exporting and selling gloves to the US following its ban over allegations of abuse involving forced labour.In its most recent finding, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said it was no longer necessary to maintain the decision in March to seize products made by Top Glove at US ports of entry.“CBP has now determined, based upon additional information, that such merchandise is no longer being, or is likely to be, imported into the US in violation of Section 307 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended,” it said.CBP had on July 15, 2020 issued a withhold release order on disposable gloves which it said were “reasonably indicated” to be manufactured by forced labour in Malaysia through Top Glove.It said an investigation had found sufficient information to support this finding, following which another was issued on March 29 this year.“Since that time, Top Glove has provided additional information to CBP, which CBP believes establishes by satisfactory evidence that the subject disposable gloves are no longer mined, produced, or manufactured in any part with forced labour,” it said.In a statement, Top Glove hailed the modified finding which takes effect today.“Top Glove remains committed to the health, safety and well-being of its people,” it said.“The company will continue to work hard and smart towards becoming an industry leader in this area and meeting the growing expectations of its stakeholders.”


3 killed in Israel West Bank drone strike as violence escalates

Israel's military on Wednesday killed three members of a "terrorist cell" in a rare West Bank drone strike, the army said, as violence there escalates with at least 13 Palestinians and four Israelis dead this week.
The army announced the strike after a Palestinian man was killed earlier Wednesday in an occupied West Bank village attacked by hundreds of Israelis.
Intelligence led Israel Defense Forces (IDF) personnel to identify the cell "inside a suspicious vehicle, after the cell carried out a shooting adjacent to the town of Jalamah", near Jenin in the northern West Bank, an army statement said.
"Following the identification of the terrorist cell, an IDF UAV fired toward the cell and thwarted them," it added referring to an unmanned aerial vehicle.
The strike is the first in the West Bank by the Israelis since August 2006, a Palestinian intelligence source told AFP. Previously, the source said it was the first since 2005 before reporting two militants had been killed in a strike in 2006.
Kamal Abu al-Roub, deputy Jenin governor, said there were "three dismembered bodies inside" the car which he said had been hit by missiles. Roub cited information from firefighters sent to extinguish the blaze which engulfed the vehicle.
Earlier, residents of Turmus Ayya put the number of Israeli settlers involved in the attack on their village at between 200 and 300, while AFP journalists saw scorched homes, buildings and wounded people being evacuated by ambulance.
The reprisals came hours after mourners held a funeral for a teenager killed in a Palestinian shooting targeting Israelis nearby.
"Settlers shot at us and when the police and the Israeli army arrived they shot at us with rubber bullets and fired tear gas," resident Awad Abu Samra told AFP.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967. Excluding annexed east Jerusalem, the territory is now home to around 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.
Lafi Adeeb, Turmus Ayya mayor, told AFP that 35 houses were damaged, around 50 cars torched and farmland set ablaze.
A Palestinian health ministry statement said a deceased person arrived "at the Palestine Medical Complex from Turmus Ayya after being shot in the chest".
The Israeli military said security forces entered Turmus Ayya "to extinguish the fires, prevent clashes and to collect evidence" after "Israeli civilians burned vehicles and possessions belonging to Palestinians".
While protecting the firefighters, Israeli police became "the target of violence by dozens of Palestinians", a police statement said. A shot was fired in their direction, and an officer returned fire "towards a rioter suspected of shooting at him," the police said.
'Praying'
"I saw a bunch of guys in masks trying to throw rocks at our house," Mohammed Zakaraia Abdulla, 18, a Palestinian-American visiting from Chicago, told AFP.
"We locked all the doors. We ran downstairs. We hid... praying that we'd come out safe." One of his relatives was shot dead during the attack, he said.
After the unrest, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "All citizens of Israel are obligated to obey the law," and "we will not allow" disturbances in the territory.
The violence followed the funeral in the neighbouring Israeli settlement of Shilo of 17-year-old Nahman Mordof.
The teenager was one of four Israelis killed Tuesday when Palestinian gunmen attacked a petrol station adjacent to Eli settlement before being shot dead.
In Jenin, a Palestinian teenage girl was also laid to rest. Girls in school uniform carried the body of their classmate killed in an Israeli army raid in the city on Monday.
Sadil Naghnaghiya, 15, died from gunshot wounds suffered during the hours-long Israeli incursion, the Palestinian health ministry said on Wednesday.
Six other Palestinians, including a 15-year-old boy and a militant, were killed in the raid.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said the government would fast-track settlement expansion at Eli in response to the Tuesday's attack against Israelis.
US concern
"Our answer to terrorism is to strike at it forcefully and build up our country," he said, after repeated calls by the United Nations for Israel to halt settlement construction.
Israeli anti-settlement organisation Peace Now said Netanyahu's announcement was intended "to appease fervent and fanatic settlers".
A US State Department spokesman said Washington is "deeply concerned" by rising violence in the West Bank, and that the reports of an attack by Israelis on a Palestinian village Wednesday were "troubling".
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in neighbouring Jordan condemned "in the strongest terms the attacks of Israeli settlers on a number of villages in the occupied Palestinian territories".
Sinan al-Majali, the ministry spokesman, said in a statement that "unilateral measures" including settlement expansion undermine foundations for peace.
Aside from Turmus Ayya, on Tuesday reprisal attacks were reported in other Palestinian towns.
The surge in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so far this year has killed at least 174 Palestinians, 25 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian.
The tally compiled from official sources includes combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.


Two million international tourist arrivals expected this year

Malaysia expects to attract two million international tourist arrivals this year with RM8.6 billion in tourism receipts following the reopening of the country’s borders, says Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri.She said today’s reopening would mean a big recovery for the tourism industry.“We have been waiting patiently for this moment. This is like our ‘Hari Raya’ (celebration),” she said as she welcomed 220 passengers arriving on Etihad Airways flight EY418 from Abu Dhabi at KLIA today.Nancy said there were about 100 flights scheduled to arrive at Malaysia’s airports today carrying over 10,000 passengers, including foreign visitors, with 80 of them arriving at KLIA and klia2.“The industry is excited to welcome visitors again after tourism activities have been quiet for the past two years,” she said, adding that industry players were well-prepared, especially the operators of homestay and eco-tourism activities in rural areas.Meanwhile, immigration department deputy director-general (management) Zakaria Shaaban said the facilities at the country’s 183 gateways were ready to receive arrivals with the activation of auto gates and manual counters.“The immigration is prepared to open more manual counters as needed. So far, the existing counters can accommodate travellers’ arrivals without any congestion,” he said.Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) general manager Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said they had been preparing since last month with the cooperation of the transport and health ministries to facilitate travellers’ arrival process.He said MAHB’s volunteers and task force had been mobilised at the airports to assist travellers, especially on the use of the MySejahtera application, for a period of two weeks.


Health ministry monitoring hospitals as Covid infectivity rate rises to 1.0

The health ministry is monitoring hospitals and other leading indicators as the country’s Covid-19 infectivity rate (Rt) increases to 1.0.Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in a Twitter post today also urged those who have been given an appointment for a Covid-19 booster dose to take it.“The elderly, where possible, should avoid crowded places. Practise #TRIIS (test, report, isolate, inform, seek),” he said.The Rt value refers to the level of infectivity of Covid-19, that is the number of cases that can be infected by one positive case.Meanwhile, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the increase in Rt to 1.0 means that the daily tally pattern of Covid-19 cases will be flattened.“Our concern is if the daily tally were on the rise,” he said.In a Twitter post, Noor Hisham also urged the public to continue complying with the SOPs and the vulnerable to attend their appointments for booster shots.He also expressed concern over the increase in Covid-19 cases in the country over the past four days with 6,323 new cases reported on Thursday.Prior to this, the country’s daily tally of Covid-19 xases had shown a declining trend with only 4,343 new cases reported on Sunday.


US to launch working group on generative AI, address its risks

A US agency will launch a public working group on generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help address the new technology's opportunities while developing guidance to confront its risks, the Commerce Department said on Thursday.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a nonregulatory agency that is part of the Commerce Department, said the working group will draw on technical expert volunteers from the private and public sectors.
"This new group is especially timely considering the unprecedented speed, scale and potential impact of generative AI and its potential to revolutionise many industries and society more broadly," NIST Director Laurie Locascio said.
Regulators globally have been scrambling to draw up rules governing the use of generative AI, which can create text and images, and whose impact has been compared to that of the internet.
President Joe Biden said this week he believes the risks of artificial intelligence to national security and the economy need to be addressed, and that he would seek expert advice.


High tech giants ready to let employees work from home for good

The pandemic has forced offices across the world to shut down, and now it is forcing companies to rethink the whole future of offices.At the forefront of new ways of thinking are American high tech companies.Microsoft will be moving to permanent working from home for some of its workforce, the company announced on Friday.The software giant’s move to more flexible working comes months after the company notified employees that its US offices will not reopen until January 2021 at the earliest.Whenever that happens, Microsoft will allow employees to work at home for up to half of their working week, or permanently with company approval.“The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all of us to think, live, and work in new ways,” says Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s chief people officer, in an Oct 9 note to employees. “We will offer as much flexibility as possible to support individual workstyles, while balancing business needs.”Employees who opt for permanent remote work will give up their assigned office space, but still be able to use what Microsoft calls “touchdown space” in its offices when necessary.Microsoft says there are a few roles that will still require a physical presence at the company’s facilities, for example positions that require access to hardware labs, data centres, and hands-on training.People whose roles do not require them to ever be on site will be allowed to relocate within the US, or even internationally.As Hogan says of the 2020 experience, “We have been working in ways we never thought possible, including learning to connect with small or large teams while presenting to a screen, and taking care of family and friends while being in the next room on calls.”Microsoft isn’t alone in allowing employees to permanently work remotely.Facebook is shifting tens of thousands of jobs to remote work, and up to half of its employees could work from home within five to 10 years.Some companies, like Twitter and Slack, have already said employees need never return to the office.


Nurses moot ideas of their own after uniform kerfuffle

Some nurses in Malaysia have come up with suggestions of their own following the stir caused by an MP from PAS, who said in the Dewan Rakyat that their uniforms were too tight and non-shariah compliant.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, they said they had in fact raised several issues with regard to their uniforms before to their superiors or associations, but that these had gone unaddressed.
A nurse who asked to be known as Wati said she once spent six years working at a clinic in the interior of Pahang.
There, she spent much of her time making house visits in Orang Asli villages to attend to the treatment of mothers and babies.
"Some of my colleagues also had to travel to Orang Asli villages to deliver tuberculosis medicine," she said.
"We would have to make our way through the bushes and undergrowth in our white nurses' uniforms.
"It was very uncomfortable, and our uniforms would tear because they would get snagged on thorns or branches."
Even if the uniforms were made to allow room to move, she said, they would still follow the shape of their bodies.
"That's just how they are designed," she said.
Kuantan MP Wan Razali Wan Nor had said in the Dewan Rakyat that the government should consider changing nurses' uniforms as they revealed the body shapes of women.
He also asked if Malaysia was still following "Western" dress codes, and called for some "relaxation" in the uniform design.
Nas, a male nurse at Hospital Sultanah Nora in Batu Pahat, Johor, said nurses should be allowed to choose comfortable clothing while on duty.
"It's not an issue of following Western standards or anything like that," he said.
"But we don't have a standardised uniform for nurses in Malaysia. Some university hospitals use their own uniforms while government facilities use white uniforms.
"And some private hospitals let their nurses wear scrubs."
The Malaysian Nurses Association, which represents registered nurses throughout the country, said earlier this week that the issue of tight clothing was an isolated matter.
"The current nurses' uniform – pants with long sleeves – covers the 'aurat'," it said, referring to parts of the body that must not be revealed according to the Islamic dress code.
"The design of the dress also facilitates the movement of nurses to perform their tasks, and adheres to the dress code by the health ministry.
"The issue of tight clothing is an isolated issue and does not reflect the nurses in the health ministry as a whole. The narrow-minded remarks will indirectly affect our morale."
Wan Razali himself meanwhile said that he had been asked to bring up the issue in the Dewan Rakyat.
"What I brought up in Parliament was not for fun," he said in a live TikTok session with the Pahang PAS Youth this week.
"I voiced what was expressed to me. This matter may be considered trivial for some, but for me, it is something that was entrusted to me."


Baldwin sued over fatal ‘Rust’ shooting

US actor Alec Baldwin is being sued by a “Rust” crew member over the fatal on-set shooting of a cinematographer last month, lawyers said Wednesday.The negligence suit also names armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who claimed through her legal representatives that she was being “framed” for the death of Halyna Hutchins.The low-budget movie’s chief lighting technician Serge Svetnoy says in the lawsuit that the accidental killing “was caused by the negligent acts and omissions” of lead actor and producer Baldwin and others.“Simply put, there was no reason for a live bullet to be placed in that .45 Colt revolver or to be present anywhere on the ‘Rust’ set, and the presence of a bullet in a revolver posed a lethal threat to everyone in its vicinity,” the suit, submitted to a Los Angeles court, says.Baldwin, assistant director Dave Halls and Gutierrez-Reed did not follow film industry practice on the handling of weapons and “allowed a revolver loaded with live ammunition to be pointed at living persons,” the suit alleges.Cinematographer Hutchins was shot and killed as Baldwin rehearsed a scene on the 19th-century western in which he fires a gun at the camera.The Emmy-winner was handed the firearm by Halls, who declared it “cold” – industry lingo for an inert weapon. Halls later told investigators he had not fully checked it.The live bullet passed through Hutchins and hit director Joel Souza in the shoulder.Svetnoy, who had worked with Hutchins on a number of previous films said he was close when Baldwin fired the gun on October 21.He felt a “strange and terrifying whoosh” as the bullet flew past him, and he was hit in the face by gunpowder and “residual materials.”The suit describes how he had rushed to help his friend as she lay dying on the ground.“As he held her, he noticed that the hand placed behind her back was becoming wet with her blood,” it says.“The next 20-30 minutes felt like the longest of plaintiff’s life as he tried to aid and comfort Hutchins, watching helplessly as her consciousness faded inexorably away.”As the film’s armourer, 24-year-old Gutierrez-Reed was responsible for firearms and ammunition.In a statement issued Wednesday, her lawyers insisted again she did not know why there was a live round on the set.“We are asking for a full and complete investigation of all of the facts, including the live rounds themselves, how they ended up in the ‘dummies’ box, and who put them in there,” attorney Jason Bowles said.“We are convinced that this was sabotage and Hannah is being framed. We believe that the scene was tampered with as well before the police arrived.”Bowles said Gutierrez-Reed had met again with investigators from the Santa Fe County Sheriff, and had “offered to share additional, critical information” with them.Santa Fe county district attorney, Mary Carmack-Altwies, in an interview broadcast Wednesday, rejected the notion of a conspiracy.“We do not have any proof,” she told ABC News.Carmack-Altwies has previously refused to rule out criminal charges over the incident, which has sparked calls for the banning of functional weapons on Hollywood sets.Baldwin has suggested police officers should be stationed on sets that use weapons.He called the tragedy a “one in a trillion episode” and insisted “Rust” had a “well-oiled crew”.But reports have emerged since the shooting of disquiet among staff over allegedly lax safety procedures, and Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza has spoken of “complacency” on the New Mexico set.Mendoza said previously his officers seized more than 500 rounds of ammunition from the set, which they believed to be a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and some suspected live ammunition.


Rosmah appeals against conviction and sentence in solar graft case

Rosmah Mansor today submitted an appeal against her conviction and sentence over the RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak.
Rosmah, 70, filed the appeal notice through Messrs Akberdin & Co at the Court of Appeal via e-mail.
Lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader, representing Rosmah, confirmed the matter when contacted today.
Based on the appeal notice, Rosmah is unsatisfied with the overall decision of justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan yesterday and wants to appeal against the decision which convicted her under Section 16 (a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, as well as the jail term and fine under Section 24 (1) of the MACC Act 2009.
The wife of former prime minister Najib Razak also filed an appeal against the decision of Zaini who turned down her application to disqualify him from hearing and deciding on the case. Yesterday, the High Court sentenced Rosmah to 30 years in prison and fined her RM970 million after finding her guilty of three counts of corruption.
Rosmah was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each charge. However, she will only serve 10 years in prison as Zaini ordered that the prison sentences should run concurrently.
The court also ordered her to be imprisoned for 30 years if she failed to pay the fine.
Rosmah had faced one charge of soliciting RM187.5 million and two charges of receiving bribes amounting to RM6.5 million from former Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.
Zaini in his judgment, among others, ruled that Rosmah's defence was a mere denial and that the RM6.5 million was indeed for her, and that she received the money at her residence in Jalan Langgak Duta and Seri Perdana.
In his 116-page judgment, the judge also ruled that Rosmah had dominated her husband, Najib, and had control over the former prime minister, saying it was clear from the  "Can I advise you something" audio clip between Najib and Rosmah that the accused had given instructions to Najib regarding government affairs.


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‘Locals shooting at locals’ as Kyiv hunts Russian ‘saboteurs’

The Ukrainian special forces commander inspected the remains of a bridge his teams had blown up at the gates of Kyiv and explained his strategy for fighting Russian “saboteurs”.“We have our agents living with the locals,” Spear unit commander Viktor Chelovan said.“If strangers come into our villages, people send us signals, call us, and we go out and take care of these saboteurs.”A fear of Russians disguised as locals is gradually gripping Ukraine.It crept into Kyiv when Russian paratroopers dropped into a local airfield on the northwestern edge of the city in the first hours of their invasion of Ukraine last Thursday.The precise number who landed – or who survived the Ukrainian counter-offensive – is unclear.But residents of the neighbouring village of Irpin have been reporting strange things in their woods ever since.“We have people who look like locals shooting at other locals,” said Irpin resident Andriy Levanchuk.The 39-year-old financial adviser was using a perilous-looking crossing made of pipes and wires to get to the other side of the small but surprisingly rapid Irpin River.The regular bridge above him was blown up by Ukrainian forces to halt the Russian advance.“These are Russian paratroopers who hide in the woods, enter people’s apartments, take their clothes, change and try to walk around in civilian clothes,” Levanchuk said.Military analysts believe Levanchuk’s hunch about strangers in the woods might be right.Local lookoutsMykola Beleskov of Kyiv’s National Institute for Strategic Studies said Russia was “employing special forces of different kinds en masse” to try and capture the Ukrainian capital.“They are trying to combine airstrikes, artillery and infiltration commandos, who basically provide support for a very gradual advance,” he said.The Russian advance on the historic city seemed imminent when the paratroopers arrived.But Ukrainian forces put up a stiff resistance at the city’s northern entrance and then recaptured the airfield.They then started blowing up bridges and setting up barricades across the city to stall the invasion by any means possible.Kyiv residents such as 19-year-old student Ibrahim Shelia further took matters into their own hands.Shelia and his friends began digging a trench in front of their building to lob Molotov cocktails at the Russian tanks.Yet they also decided to keep a close eye out for people who look like they do not belong.“The other day, with my guys, we stopped a car that some local people had tipped us off about,” Shelia said a few minutes before Kyiv entered its nightly curfew – another measure aimed at better fighting intruders.“There were four people inside with two maps of Ukraine, two laptops and everyone had two Ukrainian passports: the first was the new version, the second the old one,” he said.“We immediately called the police. Everyone was arrested and taken away.”‘Kill the leaders’The mayor of Irpin also said his men had picked up some Russians after a tip from one of the local villagers.“Of course there are saboteurs,” mayor Oleksandr Markushin said while inspecting the remains of his town’s main bridge.A few policemen nearby argued about how long it might take to repair their town’s crossing to Kyiv once the war ends.But the special forces commander had no time for idle chitchat and tried to steer the conversation toward the threat at hand.“There are three types of saboteurs,” he said.“There are the Russian special forces and GRU (military intelligence) planted here before the war. Their main job was to assist the Russian invasion,” he said.Chelovan said the second group was sent in “to destabilise daily life” with various attacks.“The third group are intelligence agents whose only goal is to kill various Ukrainian leaders,” said the commander.A group of volunteer soldiers were trying to manuever a new shipment of Kalashnikovs across the makeshift river crossing as he spoke.“But most importantly, they are trying to kill the leaders of the people’s resistance movement,” Chelovan said.


Philippine foreign minister tells China to ‘get the f**k out’ over South China Sea dispute

The Philippine foreign minister on Monday demanded in an expletive-laced Twitter message that China’s vessels leave disputed waters, the latest exchange in a war of words with Beijing over areas of the South China Sea.The undiplomatic comments by Teodoro Locsin, known for blunt remarks, follow Manila’s protests over what it calls the “illegal” presence of hundreds of Chinese boats inside the Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).On Monday, the Philippines issued an official protest against the “belligerent” actions of Chinese vessels in waters claimed by Manila. But it appears that the country’s top diplomat felt the need to reiterate his government’s position with rather saltier language.“China, my friend, how politely can I put it? Let me see… O…GET THE F**K OUT,” Locsin tweeted on his personal account.“What are you doing to our friendship? You. Not us. We’re trying. You. You’re like an ugly oaf forcing your attentions on a handsome guy who wants to be a friend; not to father a Chinese province …”China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chinese officials have previously said the fleet of vessels at the disputed Whitsun Reef were fishing boats taking refuge from rough seas.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about US$3 trillion of shipborne trade passes each year.Manila insists the reef belongs to the Philippines. In 2016, an arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled that no country could claim absolute sovereignty over the area, noting that it has long been used by Filipino, Vietnamese and Chinese fishermen.A spokesman for the US State Department reiterated a March 28 statement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying the US “stands with our ally, the Philippines, in the face of China’s maritime militia pressure in the South China Sea”.In a statement, the Philippine foreign ministry accused China’s coast guard of “shadowing, blocking, dangerous manoeuvres, and radio challenges of the Philippine coast guard vessels”.On Sunday, the Philippines vowed to continue maritime exercises in its South China Sea EEZ in response to a Chinese demand that it stop actions it said could escalate disputes.As of April 26, the Philippines had filed 78 diplomatic protests to China since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016, foreign ministry data shows.“Our statements are stronger too because of the more brazen nature of the activities, the number, frequency and proximity of intrusions,” said Marie Yvette Banzon-Abalos, executive director for strategic communications at the foreign ministry.Duterte has pursued warmer ties with China in exchange for Beijing’s promises of billions of dollars in investment, aid and loans.“China remains to be our benefactor. Just because we have a conflict with China does not mean to say that we have to be rude and disrespectful,” Duterte said in a weekly national address.“So, kindly just allow our fishermen to fish in peace and there is no reason for trouble,” Duterte said, addressing China.


Rescue efforts underway as China earthquake toll rises to 65

The death toll from the strongest earthquake to hit China's southwestern Sichuan province since 2017 rose to 65 on Tuesday as rescuers rushed to reach hundreds of stranded people, restore utilities and send emergency relief.
Nearly 250 people were being treated for injuries from the disaster, with dozens critically wounded, according to Chinese state media.
Rescuers are also working on retrieving over 200 people stranded in the quake zone, restoring telecommunications services and power and water utilities, as well as delivering food supply to residents affected by the magnitude-6.8 temblor, state media reported.
The powerful earthquake struck Sichuan after midday on Monday, with the epicentre deep in the province's mountainous interior in the west. The quake was felt as far away as the provinces of Shaanxi and Guizhou, hundreds of kilometres away.
On Tuesday, state television reported over 200 people were still stranded in Hailuogou, a popular tourist spot known for its glaciers, verdant forests and soaring peaks. Rescuers were still working to reopen blocked roads to reach them.
In Luding, the epicentre of the quake, power and water infrastructure and telecommunications were severely damaged, according to state television.
It also reported that 243 houses had collapsed and 13,010 had been damaged. Four hotels and hundreds of home stays were also affected.
The quake cut power to several towns, while various highways collapsed and seven small-to-mid-sized hydropower stations suffered damage.
With heavy rains expected over the next three days, experts on Tuesday flagged risks from a number of dammed lakes that have formed after the quake.
Authorities were considering flying drones to inspect the situation upstream of Wandong River, the main tributary of Dadu River.
Earthquakes are common in Sichuan, especially in its mountains in the west, a tectonically active area along the eastern boundary of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.
Monday's quake was Sichuan's biggest since August 2017, when one of magnitude 7.0 hit the Aba prefecture north of Luding.
In recent decades, the most devastating earthquake in Sichuan - and China - was in 2008, when a magnitude 8.0 temblor centred in Wenchuan killed nearly 70,000 people.


GE15 seat distribution for PN to be finalised soon, says PAS man

Seat distribution for the 15th general election (GE15) among Perikatan Nasional (PN) component parties will be finalised soon, once the coalition’s seat negotiation committee has been established and held its meetings, says PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.
"I am confident the matter can be settled with two or three discussions," he said in his opening speech at the 63rd Malaysian PAS Youth Council annual general assembly in conjunction with the party’s 68th muktamar in Alor Setar today.
Tuan Ibrahim, who is the Kubang Kerian MP, reiterated the party’s stance that there would be no political cooperation between PAS and Pakatan Harapan (PH), adding that the PN leadership was aware of the matter.
However, he said PAS was open to negotiations with non-extreme parties outside PN to ensure that the opposition does not return to power.
"Studies have found that no political party can rule Malaysia on its own. We acknowledge the fact that there is a need to have the best coalition. PAS is open to any negotiation. We want to emphasise the need for such efforts," he said. Tuan Ibrahim said if the negotiations with other parties failed, PAS was ready to face any eventuality, including clashing with Barisan Nasional (BN).
He said PAS would not leave Bersatu, adding that they appreciated Bersatu’s sacrifices in making PAS one of the ruling parties in the current government.
In the meantime, Tuan Ibrahim said young candidates would form at least 30% of the PAS cohort for the upcoming GE15.


Name the schools, education minister says on period spot checks

Education Minister Radzi Jidin today urged members of the public to name the schools where period spot checks were said to have taken place, in the wake of reports that female students in the country have had to undergo such checks by teachers.He also said he had asked his officers to check which schools were involved, adding however that they were unable to find any in specific.“People can talk, but give us the details. For example, in the SMK Bentara Luar case, we came out with a statement,” he said, referring to a school in Batu Pahat, Johor, which was found to be segregating co-curricular activities based on race and gender.“If you can tell me which school, then I will go drill down (the school),” Radzi said at a press conference today.“People out there are saying that this happens without specifying – then everyone can talk,” he added.He assured that his ministry would conduct an investigation and issue an explanation as soon as those who reported the issue inform the ministry which schools are involved.“The ministry has never allowed such a practice. It does not make sense,” he said.“If we need to make an explanation, we will make an explanation, but we will come out with substance.”It was recently reported that girls in some schools had had to undergo checks to ensure that they were not using periods as an excuse to skip prayers.This sparked strong condemnation from many, with former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching demanding that Radzi and his deputies take steps to address the issue.In another development, Radzi said his ministry is conducting an inquiry into the case of a teacher who made a rape joke, adding that the matter is under police investigation.A secondary school student had claimed in a TikTok video on April 24 that a physical education teacher had made jokes about rape during a class on sexual harassment.


Palace says Agong yet to consent to revocation of emergency ordinances

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has welcomed the return of parliamentary sittings, but expressed disappointment that the government proceeded to announce it had revoked the emergency ordinances when this had yet to receive royal consent.“His Majesty expresses his deep disappointment with the statement made in Parliament on July 26 that the government has repealed all emergency ordinances promulgated by His Majesty during the emergency period, even though the revocation has not yet been approved by him,” the palace said in a statement issued by the Comptroller of the Royal Household, Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin.It added that Article 150(2B) read together with Article 150(3) of the Federal Constitution clearly states that the power to enact and repeal emergency ordinances lies with the Agong.Law minister Takiyuddin Hassan had said in the Dewan Rakyat on July 26 that the government would not advise the Agong to extend the state of emergency upon its expiry on Aug 1.He also said the government had decided based on Article 105(3) to revoke all emergency ordinances made during the emergency period.“As it has been revoked, the issue of annulment is no longer relevant,” he said, adding that the revocation was effective July 21.But the palace said what had been consented to and decreed to Takiyuddin as minister in charge of law and Idrus Harun as attorney-general during a virtual audience on July 24 that the proposal to revoke all emergency ordinances be tabled and debated in Parliament for the purpose of annulment was not carried out.“His Majesty stresses that the minister’s statement in Parliament on July 26 was inaccurate and had confused the MPs,” it said.“His Majesty also stresses that the request to revoke all emergency ordinances effective July 21 which was done hastily and without debate in Parliament as well as the conflicting and confusing statements in Parliament not only failed to respect the principle of the sovereignty of the law as contained in the Rukun Negara, but also ignored His Majesty’s role and powers as the head of state as enshrined in the constitution.”It said the king was aware of the need to act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet, as stated in Article 40(1) of the constitution.“Nevertheless, His Majesty is of the opinion that he, as the head of state, has a duty to deliver advice and reprimands in the event of any unconstitutional actions by any party, in particular those who carry out the function and power of His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”It said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah also stressed that MPs should prioritise the welfare and well-being of the people and nation during the ongoing parliamentary sitting, to find a solution to the various problems faced during the Covid-19 pandemic.Following the palace’s statement, Deputy Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon adjourned the special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat to 2.30pm.


UK spy chief says Putin 'losing information war in Ukraine'

Russia has failed to gain ground in cyberspace against Ukraine almost six months after its invasion of the country, the head of Britain's GCHQ intelligence service said on Friday.
Jeremy Fleming, the intelligence head, in an op-ed in The Economist, wrote that both countries have been using their cyber capabilities in the war in Ukraine.
"So far, president Putin has comprehensively lost the information war in Ukraine and in the West. Although that's cause for celebration, we should not underestimate how Russian disinformation is playing out elsewhere in the world," Fleming wrote.
"Just as with its land invasion, Russia's initial online plans appear to have fallen short. The country's use of offensive cyber tools has been irresponsible and indiscriminate."
Fleming said Russia had deployed WhisperGate malware to destroy and deface Ukrainian government systems.
He also said Russia has used the same playbook before on Syria and the Balkans and said online disinformation is a major part of Russia's strategy. However, the GCHQ has been able to intercept and to provide warnings in time, he said.
Without going into much detail, Fleming said the UK's National Cyber Force could respond to Russia by deploying a UK military unit that employs offensive cyber tools.


Kelantan sees rise in number of patients at low-risk quarantine centres post-Eid

There has been an increase in the number of patients admitted to Covid-19 quarantine and low-risk treatment centres (PKRCs) in Kelantan after the Aidiladha celebration, says state PKRC director Dr Mohd Zurairie Mohd Zubir.He said this had resulted in 11 PKRCs reaching a capacity utilisation rate of between 80% and 98%.“Overall, there are 2,300 beds at all PKRCs in the state and the bed utilisation rate for some centres, namely at Pusat Tarbiah Islam Kelantan in Pengkalan Chepa and Jubli Perak, Kota Bharu, has reached 98%.“Therefore, we will reopen the PKRC at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Salor. We are also in the midst of identifying a location outside the Kota Bharu district for the setting up of a new PKRC,” he told reporters after visiting the Covid-19 transport unit at the Kelantan Malaysian Red Crescent Society office today.Yesterday, Kelantan recorded a total of 592 new Covid-19 cases and six new clusters.Zurairie said in order to avoid congestion at the PKRCs, patients would be discharged after undergoing clinical evaluation.He said Category One patients who are asymptomatic will be monitored for at least 24 hours before being placed under house isolation order (HIO).“As for asymptomatic patients in other categories, they will be allowed to return home and be placed under HIO after being clinically monitored for a period of 48 to 72 hours,” he said.However, Zurairie said the decision to place patients under HIO would also be made based on other criteria, including their house condition. He said they must also be contactable at all times to facilitate monitoring.“Those who are placed under HIO will also be registered at their respective district health offices,” he said.Meanwhile, he said more than 50% of clinical beds at two hybrid PKRCs in the state were occupied by patients from Category Three and Four, aged 20 to 40.He said previously, most of the clinical beds at the Gelanggang Seni and Tanjung Chat PKRCs which were set up in May were occupied by the elderly.“However, since a month ago, more than 50% of the 70 clinical beds at the two hybrid PKRCs in the state have been occupied by young patients in Category Three and Four,” he said.Zurairie said this development was a testament to the effectiveness of the vaccination programme for senior citizens in the state.


Zahid’s ‘ceasefire’ call his own, changing PM no cure for pandemic, says Annuar

A member of Umno’s Supreme Council says the call by his party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for a “political ceasefire” was made after taking into account all views during a meeting yesterday.Annuar Musa, who is the federal territories minister, also denied a report by MalaysiaNow that a meeting at the Umno headquarters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday had lasted four hours.“The president and Umno understood that the people are the priority especially when it involves lives and health,” he said.Yesterday, Zahid urged his party to strengthen the Perikatan Nasional government, days after it was revealed that he and former leader Najib Razak had written to the Agong expressing support for the appointment of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister.Anwar had been ratcheting up his plan to take over Putrajaya through defections of MPs, but it soon emerged that he failed to give details of his support during a half-hour audience with the Agong on Oct 13.The contents of Zahid’s letter, first reported by MalaysiaNow, drew strong reactions from Umno leaders, with its adviser Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah warning that those promoting outsiders could be sacked.Zahid’s call is seen as an about-turn, in the wake of his claims that his party had been sidelined for senior government posts under Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government.MalaysiaNow also reported yesterday that following the collapse of Anwar’s plan, several Umno MPs known as the “court cluster” could force a snap election by not voting to pass the budget next month.Zahid, Najib and at least four other Umno MPs are facing multiple charges of corruption, breach of trust and money laundering.Annuar said the government must be given time and the stability needed to overcome the Covid-19 crisis.“The budget is also needed to finance all the plans including operations to protect the people’s lives.”Yesterday, MalaysiaNow reported that any move to derail the budget from being passed could lead to snap polls.There have been fears that a general election at this point, where a fresh wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has claimed more than 60 lives within three weeks, could lead to a health disaster.Annuar said the Covid-19 crisis is unparalleled and requires the authorities to come up with its own solutions.“Indeed, we are going through political, health and economic emergencies, among others,” he said, adding that the Election Commission should come up with proper SOPs before a by-election can be held in Batu Sapi, the parliamentary seat made vacant by the death of its incumbent Liew Vui Keong early this month.Annuar also warned against any attempt to disrupt political stability during the Covid-19 crisis.“Changing the PM won’t stop the virus. A general election will not save the people, instead it will create more mess,” he said.


Trump gave 'false expectation' of arrest, says New York prosecutor

Donald Trump created a "false expectation" of his imminent arrest, the New York prosecutor investigating the ex-president over hush money said Thursday, as tensions build over a possible indictment.
The comments come amid uncertainty over when a grand jury hearing the case will take a vote on charging Trump, a historic move that would inflame the 2024 election campaign in which the 76-year-old Republican is running to regain office.
Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg's office made the remarks in a letter sent to three Republican lawmakers who had written to Bragg requesting that he testify before Congress about his probe.
The Republicans – who are all chairmen of House committees – accused Bragg, a Democrat, of waging a "politically motivated prosecution" in their letter dated on Monday.
It was sent after Trump had said on Saturday, without providing any evidence, that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday, and called for supporters to "Protest, take our nation back!"
"Your letter... is an unprecedented inquiry into a pending local prosecution," Leslie Dubeck, the general counsel for Bragg's office wrote in Thursday's response, seen by AFP.
"The letter only came after Donald Trump created a false expectation that he would be arrested the next day and his lawyers reportedly urged you to intervene. Neither fact is a legitimate basis for congressional inquiry," she added.
Trump's post on Truth Social sparked a media frenzy and led to warnings from Democrats that his call for demonstrations could trigger a repeat of the violence his supporters unleashed at the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021. Protests have so far been small and sporadic.
New York police have erected barricades outside Bragg's office, Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump would eventually appear before a judge if indicted.
He would become the first former or sitting president to ever be charged with a crime if the grand jury, a panel of citizens convened by Bragg, decides to indict.
The jury was not expected to hear the case Thursday and does not sit on Fridays, meaning any decision would come next week at the earliest.
Bragg is investigating a US$130,000 (RM574,340) payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
The payment was allegedly made to stop her from going public about a liaison she says she had with Trump years earlier.
Untested theory
Trump's ex-lawyer-turned-adversary Michael Cohen says he made the payment on his then boss's behalf and was later reimbursed.
If not properly accounted for, the payment could result in a misdemeanor charge for falsifying business records, experts say.
That might be raised to a felony if the false accounting was intended to cover up a second crime, such as a campaign finance violation, which is punishable by up to four years behind bars.
Legal analysts say that argument is untested and would be difficult to prove in court. Any jail time is far from certain.
Trump denies the affair. He repeated on Truth Social Thursday that Bragg has "no case" and accused him again of carrying out a political agenda. "Our country is being destroyed, as they tell us to be peaceful!" he wrote.
Trump is facing several criminal investigations at the state and federal level over possible wrongdoing that threaten his new run at the White House, many more serious than the Manhattan case.
They include his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state of Georgia, his handling of classified documents, and his possible involvement in the January 6 rioting.
Some observers believe an indictment bodes ill for Trump's 2024 chances, while others say it could boost his support.


PM says will dissolve Parliament if voter survey favours BN

Ismail Sabri Yaakob yesterday said he would dissolve Parliament to pave the way for the 15th general election (GE15) if a study by Wanita Barisan Nasional (BN) shows that voters are in favour the coalition.
"It is not that I don’t trust others, but reports of surveys by this women’s wing are usually accurate. And if I get a full report on voter attitude from Wanita (BN) showing BN will win (GE15), I will dissolve Parliament," the prime minister said at the "Bicara Hati Perdana Menteri" at the Wanita BN convention in Kuala Lumpur.
Ismail said Wanita BN’s survey should not be limited to BN supporters but should also cover those of other coalitions and fence sitters.
He said this would enable BN to assess its true strength before going into GE15 with the aim of winning and forming the government on its own.
"That is why I am giving this task to all Wanita components and not just Wanita Umno. Our aim is to win and govern. If the report is favourable, the Top Five (of Umno) will discuss the possibility of dissolving Parliament," the Umno vice-president told a press conference after the Bicara Hati Perdana Menteri session.
The prime minister also said Wanita BN should continue helping the government disseminate information to the grassroots.
He said opposition parties were twisting a lot of facts and that the Wanita machinery had a role to play in correcting inaccurate statements.
"In a general election, it is not emotions but facts that will determine victory. Today we see that the pressure on the government is increasing. The important thing is how we reply; it should not be left unrebutted," he added.
He said that Wanita BN should be strengthened to face an increasingly challenging political scenario, and reminded it not to underestimate the capability of its opponents.
"I am confident that given Wanita BN’s spirit, we can retain power with the cooperation of Wanita (BN)," he added.