Court allows Najib’s bid to amend dates for travel to Singapore

The Court of Appeal today allowed Najib Razak’s application to amend the dates for the temporary release and return of his passport for travel to Singapore.A panel of three judges led by justice Kamaludin Md Said said the court allowed Najib’s application as the former prime minister had provided reasonable grounds.“The court has read Najib’s application and the supporting affidavit. I believe the reasons given by the applicant are reasonable and because of that, the prosecution did not object.“If there are no reasonable grounds, the court will be misunderstood and seen as arbitrarily allowing the application,” he said, adding however that he hoped there would not be a third reason by Najib to amend the dates.He said the first application by Najib to amend the dates for the release and return of his passport was for him to visit his daughter, who is in confinement in Singapore, and today, in the second application, it was because he was needed to help in the Melaka state election.“However, after considering the reasonable grounds given, the court allowed the applicant’s application and his passport is to be returned to the court on or before Dec 6,” said Kamaludin who sat with judges Nordin Hassan and Hashim Hamzah.Najib, 68, applied to amend the dates for the temporary release and return of his impounded passport from Oct 20 and Nov 22 to Oct 25 and Dec 6 for him to visit his daughter Nooryana Najwa, who gave birth to her second child two days ago in Singapore.In the supporting affidavit, the Pekan MP said he was needed to help the Umno election machinery in the Melaka state election slated for Nov 20 as party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would be in Germany seeking treatment for his spinal injuries.Earlier, lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, representing Najib, told the court that Najib’s travel schedule to Singapore had to be changed because he was entrusted with the responsibility to ensure that Umno acts accordingly in the Melaka state election during Zahid’s absence.He said the application to amend the dates had been allowed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court which is hearing Najib’s criminal case.Deputy public prosecutor Shafiq Hasim did not object to the application.On July 28, 2020, Najib was found guilty of seven charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power involving RM42 million in SRC International Sdn Bhd funds. The case is now at the appeal stage at the Court of Appeal.


Revealed: Warning by medical experts over ventilators sold to Hungary by Malaysian businessman

A Malaysian businessman given a multi-billion contract to supply medical equipment to the government of Hungary in 2020 had sold ventilators that British doctors warned could endanger the lives of patients, MalaysiaNow can reveal.The China-made ventilator models “Shangrila 510S” and “SH300” were among thousands sold to Hungary by Vinod Sekhar, a Malaysian businessman close to PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim, and who operates a chain of companies and organisations under the Petra Group.Vinod is the subject of a money laundering investigation launched by multiple agencies including the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which raided the Petra Group office in Bangsar last November.Information provided to MalaysiaNow from Hungarian investigative journalists showed that the two ventilator models were among 6,258 units bought by Budapest in a controversial deal approved by the European country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.A copy of the agreement sighted by MalaysiaNow showed that Budapest had agreed to pay Vinod’s GR Technologies Sdn Bhd a total of US$559,600,000, which at the time of the contract in May 2020 converted to about RM2.43 billion.Warning from UK doctorsBut just a month before the agreement, senior British doctors had warned that ventilators of the “Shangrila” type that the UK bought from China were faulty, and could cause harm or even deaths if used in hospitals.They pointed out problems with maintenance and oxygen supply as well as confusing instruction manuals, adding that the ventilators were built for use in ambulances, not hospitals.“We believe that if used, significant patient harm, including death, is likely,” NBC News quoted a group of senior doctors writing in a letter dated April 13, 2020.“We look forward to the withdrawal and replacement of these ventilators with devices better able to provide intensive care ventilation for our patients,” the letter added.A shipment of ventilators being unloaded upon arrival in Hungary in May 2020, among thousands controversially purchased by Budapest at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: kormany.huSome five months later, a 60-page report issued by the UK auditor-general on the purchase of ventilators for government hospitals in response to the Covid-19 pandemic confirmed the fears.The report revealed that the Department of Health and Social Care had withdrawn 750 units of the “Shangrila 510S” ventilators, and cancelled a further purchase of 1,250 units from the manufacturer in Beijing.“It withdrew the device, however, in response to concerns raised by some clinicians who, after testing the devices, did not consider them appropriate for use within an intensive care setting,” said the audit report, adding that the claim was confirmed by a clinical due diligence team.The withdrawal of the 750 ventilators, procured for about £3,000 each, cost the UK government a total of £2.2 million (RM12.4 million).Fatal ventilators in ColombiaAt about the same time the UK audit report was released, health authorities in Colombia issued a warning that use of another ventilator model, the SH300, could be fatal, with at least six patient deaths linked to it.Colombia’s National Institute for Food and Drug Surveillance instructed the removal of the SH300 after it found that the ventilator would stop or shut down unexpectedly, as well as deliver wrong data, citing compatibility issues as well.Pages from a UK audit report (left) and a health alert issued by Colombian authorities (right), warning of the hazards of the Shangrila 510S and SH300 ventilators, among the China-made models supplied by Vinod Sekhar to Hungary.It said it had been notified of 34 serious incidents caused by the ventilators involving 12 hospitals treating Covid-19 patients since July 2020.‘Deadly ventilators’ warningMeanwhile in Hungary, at about the same time the purchase was made from GR Technologies, the Hungarian Medical Chamber warned that “deaths among those requiring ventilator treatment and intubation are disproportionately high”.The group also urged the government to investigate whether ventilators were being properly operated or if there were quality issues involved.The Hungarian purchase of medical equipment in 2020 was touted as the single biggest purchase of medical equipment by an EU member-state, and infuriated Hungary’s opposition politicians who said the deals were opaque, overpriced and contributed to an oversupply.Revelations that some of the ventilators supplied posed a health hazard have already sparked opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government ahead of parliamentary elections this April.“The fact that a single ventilator’s average cost was US$89,500 is outrageous on its own, but if we add the information from the UK and Colombia – namely that two types of said ventilators are dangerous and their use could cause the death of the patient – the issue becomes a health and security risk for our country,” Márton Tompos, who heads the anti-corruption committee of opposition party Momentum, told MalaysiaNow.“After we defeat Orban’s corrupt government, we will launch a full-scale investigation into the purchase and the role of each participant of this shameful transaction,” he added.This was a view echoed by the Hungarian chapter of anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International (TI-Hungary), which urged Budapest to release specific details of its purchase of medical equipment from Vinod.TI-Hungary said there were questions about whether the contracts awarded to GR Technologies had fulfilled transparency regulations in Hungary.“In this specific case, it is unclear how the Hungarian government selected or recruited GR Technologies to supply respirators and other related goods,” TI-Hungary’s head of legal affairs division Miklos Legati told MalaysiaNow last August.


Sorry.


US attorney-general says no evidence of decisive election fraud

The US attorney-general rejected Republican claims of significant voter fraud in the presidential election on Tuesday, adding to the pressure on President Donald Trump to give up his quixotic effort to overturn Joe Biden’s clear victory.“To date, we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election,” Attorney-General Bill Barr told the Associated Press in an interview.Barr’s comments confirmed the conclusions of the Department of Homeland Security, US intelligence and independent poll watchers that the 2020 election was, in the language of government officials, the “most secure in American history”.They came as Trump persisted in claiming, without evidence, that fraudulent voting practices and systems in key states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia had robbed him of a second term.In tweets Tuesday afternoon Trump highlighted testimony being offered in a public hearing on the election in Michigan, which has already certified Biden’s win in the state, and a separate Republican-organised event in Virginia.“People are coming forward like never before. Large truck carrying hundreds of thousands of fraudulent (FAKE) ballots to a voting center? TERRIBLE – SAVE AMERICA!” he wrote.Unsubstantiated claimsIn several legal filings – all rejected by the courts – the Trump campaign has sought to invalidate millions of votes for Biden based on claims that lacked any evidence.According to official vote tallies, Biden earned 6.2 million votes more than Trump and captured 306 state-by-state electoral college votes, well above the 270 needed to win the presidency.But Trump’s campaign has strived to delay the popular vote tally from being finalised before the Electoral College meets on December 14 to certify the election winner.His personal and campaign attorneys, led by Rudy Giuliani, have made numerous allegations ranging from ballot-box stuffing and fake ballot printing, to thousands of dead people having voted, to vote-counting machines being programmed to favour Biden.On Nov 17 Trump fired Chris Krebs, the respected head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which was responsible for election security and had made the “most secure ever” claim about the Nov 3 election.Krebs has since been demonised by the White House, with Trump campaign lawyer Joe DiGenova sparking outrage by calling him a “moron” who should be “taken out at dawn and shot”.No systemic fraudBarr, an ally of Trump, didn’t address specific claims, but dismissed the idea of any “systemic” fraud that would have changed the outcome of the vote.Any problem for which there has been evidence, Barr noted, would impact an insignificant number of votes.“There’s been one assertion that would be systemic fraud, and that would be the claim that machines were programmed essentially to skew the election results,” he told the AP.“And the DHS and DoJ have looked into that, and so far, we haven’t seen anything to substantiate that,” he said, referring to the departments of Homeland Security and Justice.Giuliani rejects BarrThere was no immediate reaction to Barr from Trump. But in a joint statement Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, a senior legal advisor to the outgoing president’s campaign, dismissed the remarks.“With all due respect to the attorney general, there hasn’t been any semblance of a Department of Justice investigation,” they said.“We have gathered ample evidence of illegal voting in at least six states, which they have not examined. We have many witnesses swearing under oath they saw crimes being committed in connection with voter fraud.”They said they would “continue our pursuit of the truth through the judicial system and state legislatures”.Barr’s comments were reported about the same time he arrived Tuesday at the White House for unspecified meetings.Recent news reports have said that Trump is unhappy with Barr for not making efforts to support the president’s reelection.But, likely pleasing Trump, on Tuesday he revealed that he had named an independent special prosecutor to investigate the DoJ and FBI investigators who probed links between Trump’s campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.Trump has claimed that those investigators, including former special counsel Robert Mueller, were part of a corrupt, political “witch hunt” by the “deep state” to undermine his administration.


Budget 2021 debate on Bumiputera allocations: less heat, more light

Budget 2021 is rousing controversy for its disproportionate allocation of funds for Malaysia’s ethnic groups. As widely reported, Bumiputera-targeted programmes stand to receive RM11.1 billion, dwarfing the RM530 million or so designated for non-Bumiputera causes. The Indian community, whose urban average household income is basically equal to that of urban Bumiputera households, receive a mere RM120 million.Selayang MP William Leong has publicly denounced the budget because it lacks inclusiveness and solidarity and propagates ethnicity-based policies. Penang-based NGOs have protested the meagre assistance for the Indian community. Voices have weighed in, some lambasting the government for failing to present a “Malaysian budget”.These concerns, and the underlying anger and disappointment, are understandable. In the face of pandemic and recession, all Malaysians facing hardship should be assisted.But sweeping objections do not get very far. We dearly need to look at the bigger picture of ethnicity-based allocations in recent budgets, and the purposes and limits of economic relief and group empowerment policies, to be more precise in debating this budget.Three important issues need clarity.First, the Bumiputera-non Bumiputera disproportionalities are exceedingly wide in Budget 2021, but actually not that much greater than the recent budgets. Based on the budget speeches – which are not comprehensive but can be regarded as covering government’s top priorities for each group – proposed Bumiputera allocations for 2021 account for 95.5% of all programmes targeted ethnic groups. For Pakatan Harapan’s budgets of 2019 and 2020, the Bumiputera share was only slightly lower, at 95.1% and 93.3%, respectively.Source: Author’s compilations from budget speeches.This persisting state of affairs mirrors the political weight of the Bumiputera agenda; the phenomenon, and chorus of minority complaints, are not new. Pakatan went to great lengths to affirm and expand Bumiputera development.Of course, the political difference is stark. While multi-ethnic Pakatan sought to boost its dismal Malay popularity, Malay-centric Perikatan panders to its base. But regardless the government of the day, no one who wants to keep power will drastically disturb the system, which is deeply entrenched and broadly disburses benefits to millions of ordinary Bumiputera households.This doesn’t mean that we cannot critique and change the system, but we must clearly articulate the grounds for doing so.A second step in wading through this morass is to clarify the objectives and target groups of social policies, and the extent to which others may be excluded.By and large, welfare assistance such as cash handouts, wage subsidy, loan moratorium, unemployment benefits, and others that are coming to the aid of struggling families, are available to all Malaysians. If our concern is whether Malaysians of all ethnicities are receiving sufficient help, our primary focus should be on the adequacy of these measures and the funding. Bumiputera programmes operate in a separate sphere.The principal purpose of Bumiputera programmes is to promote economic participation and upward mobility, by providing scholarships or special access to higher education, helping people start businesses through loans and other support, and facilitating micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) growth.The table outlines ethnically-targeted programmes noted in current and preceding budget speeches, and adds a few informative notes. We can observe from these data that a large increase in funding for Bumiputera SMEs account for the bulk of the increase in the overall Bumiputera-targeted budget – from RM8.2 billion in 2020 to RM11.1 billion in 2021. Specifically, funding for the Dana Kemakmuran Bumiputera for SMEs and Skim Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan (a guarantee scheme for non-collateralised loans) balloon by RM2.3 billion.Ethnically-targeted programmes: Budget allocations (RM millions; total in bold)Target group20202021BumiputeraRM8,200RM11,150   Notable featuresRM1,445 MSME support, including:· RM1,000 SJPP2 guarantee & SME Bank· RM320 Tekun, PUNB, etc3RM4,600 MSME support, including:· RM2,000 SJPP· RM1,300 Dana Kemakmuran Bumiputera· RM510 Tekun & PUNBIndianRM170 RM170 Notable featuresRM20 TekunRM100 MITRA RM20 Tekun RM100 MITRA Orang AsliRM145 RM183 Notable featuresRM142 Jakoa & “overall economic development”RM158 OA “well-being”ChineseRM270 RM177 Notable featuresRM85 new villagesRM177 lump sum: education, SMEs, new villagesNotes: 1 Totals include funding for maintenance and upgrading of schools (MRSM, tahfiz, religious, Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools, etc.), and exclude public procurement; 2 Skim Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan, a guarantee scheme for borrowing without collateral, runs programmes for Malaysian SMEs, with some specially designated for Bumiputera SMEs; 3 including SME Bank and Pelaburan Hartanah.Source: Author’s compilations from budget speeches.The government should be more precisely challenged to justify the timing and quantum of this massive expansion in funding for SMEs, at a time of heightened flux and uncertainty. Of course, new ventures are necessary, even opportune; those who can innovate and invest in potential growth areas deserve support. But massively promoting these pursuits is also fraught with risk, raising questions on the prudence of this huge infusion of funds at this time. Instead of being lavish, why not be more selective and restrained, moreover when the beneficiaries here are likely to be relatively economically secure?A third issue we can think through more clearly revolves around programmes overseeing self-employment and micro-enterprise, and higher education. One priority area for budget 2021 is provide support for the unemployed or low-income households, to start their own micro or small business. We see a substantial increase in allocations for Tekun and PUNB, two financial institutions serving this niche area for Bumiputeras.While much of the criticism about the pittance designated for Indians has centred on the RM100 million for the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra), the RM20 million allocation for Tekun – which has operated one scheme specially for Indians – is more staggeringly paltry. Tekun is not a panacea for the community’s myriad disadvantages, but disparity in allocations for Bumiputeras and Indians – under the same microfinance banner – demands answers.Higher education prospects of many low-income and disadvantaged youths will be mightily hampered by current conditions. Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera (YPPB), which expressly reaches out to B40 household struggling to attain technical and professional qualifications, will be filling an acute gap. Among programmes that have started out as a Bumiputera preserve but subsequently opened to other communities, YPPB is arguably the most welcome and potentially impactful to follow suit. Demands for more provisions for minority groups could zoom in on institutions like YPPB to be opened up to B40 non-Bumiputeras, as Tekun did.Yes, Budget 2021’s disproportionalities in pro-Bumiputera versus other ethnically-targeted programmes are problematic. But debate that recycles sweeping and familiar complaints, and fails to present clearer and sharper criticisms, mainly generates heat with minimal light.Lee Hwok Aun is a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


New cases remain just under 7,000

Another 6,982 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 765,949.Selangor recorded 2,907 cases, Kuala Lumpur 637, Negeri Sembilan 606, Johor 517, Sarawak 440, Penang 351, Pahang 329, Kedah 257, Sabah 230, Melaka 202, Perak 182, Labuan 131 and Kelantan 129.Terengganu recorded 44 cases and Putrajaya 20.Active cases stand at 66,084 with 905 in the ICU and 443 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 6,278 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 694,538.However, 73 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 5,327.


Zahid seeks permanent return of passport

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has filed an application at the High Court to have his passport permanently returned to him, to enable him to carry out his official duties as deputy prime minister.
His passport was surrendered to the court as an additional bail condition after he was charged with 47 counts of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering linked to Akalbudi Foundation funds, the proceedings of which are now at the defence stage.
In an affidavit in support of the application, Zahid, 70, said the application was bona fide (in good faith), and only meant to apply for permission for a passport so that he could carry out his official duties. Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said he had faced some constraints in carrying out his duties like other ministers as he does not have access to his passport.
"As the deputy prime minister, I have received the mandate and responsibility from the 10th prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, to represent him in several administrative matters," he said, having filed the notice of application, along with the supporting affidavit, at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, on Jan 20.
To enable smooth movement in his official capacity as the deputy prime minister, Zahid said he was required to be in and out of the country, and that this would necessitate him holding his own passport.
In addition, Zahid said he needed the passport as it was required for his application to obtain a diplomatic passport from the immigration department, for official business within and outside of the country.
"It is appropriate for the court to consider that the approval of the application will bring good and continuity to the administration of Malaysia, which is the responsibility of every citizen in this country," he said in the affidavit.
Zahid also said the application was not mala fide (malicious) or prejudiced against any party, as he promised to continue his full cooperation for the disposal of the case until the end of his defence case.
"I am giving my word that I will comply with all the conditions set forth by the court, and will give full cooperation to attend the trial on the dates that have been set," he said.
He also said the application could reduce the number of applications for the temporary release of his passport in order for him to go abroad for official business.
The Bagan Datuk MP said he had no intention of fleeing the country and not attending the court proceedings as he was still an MP and active in the political field. He also said that all of his family members were in the country.
Zahid applied for the court to waive the additional condition of bail – the surrender of the passport to the court – and requested that it be permanently returned to him as soon as possible, while maintaining his RM2 million bail with one surety.


Selangor, Sarawak lead as 1,178 new cases reported

Another 1,178 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 346,678.Sarawak recorded 238 cases, Selangor 237, Penang 190, Johor 165 and Kuala Lumpur 101.Sabah recorded 86 cases, Negeri Sembilan 34, Kedah 32, Perak 31, Kelantan 27, Pahang 14, Melaka nine, Labuan seven, Terengganu six and Putrajaya one.Active cases stand at 14,399 with 163 in the ICU and 81 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 1,178 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 331,001.However, six more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,278.


Nazri has suitable personality to become ambassador to US, says Zahid

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says Nazri Aziz has the suitable personality to be named the Malaysian ambassador to the US as he will be able to forge closer ties between the two countries.
The Umno president also expressed his belief that the former Padang Rengas MP could strengthen cooperation between Malaysia and the US in various fields.
"Because we have had several previous ambassadors, including Jamaluddin Mohd Jarjis and Awang Adek Hussin who forged relations between the US and the Malaysian government, establishing not only business-to-business, peer-to-peer.
"For Umno, what is important is to strengthen the government-to-government (ties) between the US and the Malaysian government," he said when asked about Nazri’s appointment at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
He said that Nazri could arrange and organise meetings between Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the US government as well as corporate leaders during the prime minister’s official visit to the US. On Thursday, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah bestowed letters of appointment to 10 Malaysian chief diplomatic representatives, including Nazri.
Anwar said that Nazri’s appointment was approved by the previous administration while Zahid said yesterday that the appointment was not based on Umno's recommendation, but on former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's during his tenure as prime minister.


Rosmah’s graft trial postponed over Covid-19 close contact

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today postponed Rosmah Mansor’s corruption trial on the solar energy project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak as her MySejahtera status shows that she had close contact with a Covid-19 case.Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan also vacated tomorrow’s hearing after Rosmah’s counsel Jagjit Singh told the court that her MySejahtera status is orange.“My client is present today and we told her to stay in the car to wait for your lordship’s decision whether to continue the proceedings or to vacate. Her husband’s (former prime minister Najib Razak) MySejahtera status is red,” the lawyer said.Asked by Zaini whether Najib was positive for Covid-19, Jagjit replied: “I am not sure, but I was informed his status (MySejahtera) is red.”Zaini said red means the person is positive for Covid-19 to which the lawyer replied that he was not sure.Zaini said the SOPs of the court complex only allow people with a blue MySejahtera status to enter the building and does not allow those who have had close or casual contact with Covid-19 cases into the premises.“Even if I were to insist on her (Rosmah) entering the building, the security downstairs will not permit her to enter, so they can override me. This is a strict regulation that I have to oblige. Thus, I will vacate today and tomorrow’s proceedings,” the judge said.He also instructed the defence counsel to check and update Rosmah’s MySejahtera status as the trial should be continued this Friday.“This is a responsibility you have to take… you need to ensure your client updates her MySejahtera and inform the court on any latest developments. If her status is blue (low risk), we will continue the trial on Friday,” he said.Earlier, senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram told the court that he had been informed by the defence counsel that Rosmah had been in close contact with someone suffering from Covid-19.“I leave it entirely to your lordship because we are ready to continue our cross-examination on Rosmah, but we are in your lordship’s hands,” said Sri Ram, who is a former Federal Court judge.Zaini also asked the defence to explain to the court why Rosmah failed to return from her trip to Singapore by Nov 21 as ordered by the court in October.“From what I read in the press, pursuant to the order that I issued on Oct 15, 2021, would you like to clarify? Because pursuant to the order that I gave, your client was supposed to return to Malaysia on or before Nov 21, and based on what I read in the papers, she did not come back on that date.“But that to me is hearsay, I would like to hear from you, Jagjit,” the judge said.Jagjit said that there was a change in his client’s travel plans considering the change in the quarantine rules under the new Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Malaysia and Singapore. He also apologised to the court on behalf of Rosmah.Zaini said that a court order must be followed at all times.“I understand the shift in government policy… My order, however, had not changed. There is no need for the order if we allow it to be violated. You have been practising for at least 30 to 40 years… you ought to know better,” he said.On Oct 15, Zaini allowed Rosmah’s application for the temporary return of her passport to enable her to go to Singapore to visit her eldest daughter, Nooryana Najwa, who had given birth to her second child.Zaini said Rosmah must return to Malaysia before or on Nov 21 and that the passport must be returned to the court before or on Dec 6, 2021.Rosmah, 69, faces a charge of soliciting RM187.5 million and two charges of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her former assistant Rizal Mansor as a reward for assisting Jepak Holdings to secure the RM1.25 billion project to equip 369 schools in rural Sarawak with solar hybrid power.


MetMalaysia issues warning for strong winds, rough seas

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a Category One warning for strong winds and rough seas, expected to occur in several areas over the waters of the South China Sea from tomorrow until Oct 20.
MetMalaysia said in a statement that strong winds with speeds of up to 40-50kph and waves of up to 3.5m high are expected to occur in the waters of Timur Condore, Reef North, Layang-Layang, Pelawan and Labuan.
MetMalaysia advised the public in these areas to be alert and prepared for any eventuality.
"The latest weather information can be obtained through the official MetMalaysia website and social media, MyCuaca mobile application as well as the hotline at 1-300-22-1638," it added.


251 new infections, death toll unchanged

Another 251 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,044,969.
There were 197 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,998,652.
There are now 9,350 active cases, of which 9,012 or 96.4% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 332 (3.6%) have been hospitalised.
A total of six are in ICU with two in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving the death toll unchanged at 36,967.


Chinese census in November goes hi-tech

China conducts a national census every 10 years. The last survey found the population had increased from 1.29 billion to 1.37 billion.The Middle Kingdom will launch its seventh national census on Nov 1, state-run news agency Xinhua has reported.Counting so many people will be a logistical nightmare, especially with coronavirus lurking in the background.Luckily, technology has leapt ahead since 2010, so as well as traditional counting and recording methods, citizens will also use cell phones and other digital tools “to declare personal and family information”, Xinhua said.The census will provide key data for national policy making, information that is becoming critical as the ramifications of several not always successful historic policies are making themselves known.One of these is the demographic time bomb of the strictly enforced nationwide one-child per family policy begun in 1979 to slow population growth, and scrapped in 2016, after which parents were allowed to have two children.Ironically, last year the country’s birth rate hit its lowest level since the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949.Also last year, more than 250 million or 18% of the population were over 60 years old, causing an imbalance in demographic ratios.This year’s census may even show a decrease in the total size of the population for the first time in decades, setting the stage for India to overtake China as the world’s most populous country.India was due to begin its own census earlier this year, but it has been delayed due to coronavirus rampaging across the country.


Malay rulers propose PM stay out of judges appointment body

The Conference of Rulers today proposed the removal of the prime minister's power to appoint five representatives to the nine-member Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC), the body which proposes candidates to be made judges in the superior courts.
This followed a meeting by the rulers chaired by Negeri Sembilan's Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, held for two days at Istana Negara beginning yesterday.
In its statement, the conference said the JAC in its present composition had weaknesses, adding that its membership was critical to ensure that only those with intergrity are appointed to judicial posts.
Presently, four of the nine JAC members are made up of senior judges, while the remaining five are appointees of the prime minister.
Tuanku Muhriz said a more balanced membership was needed so that appointments would not be biased towards any parties.
"To ensure the independence of JAC in carrying out its responsibilities, I propose that the appointment of its five members should not be made by the prime minister.
"Instead it should be given to other institutions such as the Malaysian Bar Council, the Sabah Law Society, the Sarawak Bar Association and the Parliamentary Select Committee," he said.
Tuanku Muhriz also called for JAC's structure to be reevaluated through discussions with the relevant institutions and stakeholders.
"When all this is implemented, I am confident JAC will be able to carry out its responsibilities more effectively, and choose and appoint only those individuals who have a noble character, and are transparent and fair, to become judges in Malaysia."
JAC was set up in 2009 to ensure an unbiased selection of judges for the consideration of the prime minister.
Critics have however questioned the provision allowing the prime minister to appoint the majority of the commission's members, as well as his power to remove them, saying it smacks of political patronage in the judiciary.


Danger-level rain warning issued for four states

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a danger-level warning for continuous rain in Pahang, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Johor until tomorrow.
In a statement, it said the districts involved in Pahang are Bera, Pekan dan Rompin, while severe-level continuous heavy rain is expected to hit Jerantut, Bentong, Temerloh, Maran and Kuantan.
MetMalaysia also issued an alert-level continuous rain warning for Terengganu, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, as well as Manjung, Kinta, Perak Tengah, Kampar, Bagan Datuk, Hilir Perak, Batang Padang and Muallim in Perak.
Similar weather is expected in Pahang (Cameron Highlands, Lipis and Raub) as well as Sarawak (Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah and Bintulu).


Downpour expected to continue in Perak, Pahang and Selangor

Extreme continuous heavy rain is expected to occur today in several areas in the capital, Perak, Pahang and Selangor.The Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) in a weather alert issued at 1.40am said the areas involved in Perak are Manjung, Kinta, Central Perak, Kampar, Bagan Datuk, Hilir Perak, Batang Padang and Muallim.In Pahang, the affected areas are Cameron Highlands, Lipis, Raub, Jerantut, Bentong and Kuantan, while in Selangor are Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Klang, Gombak, Petaling, Kuala Langat and Hulu Langat.Continuous heavy rain is also expected to occur in Kuala Muda, Kulim and Bandar Baharu in Kedah; Pahang (Temerloh, Maran and Pekan); Sepang, Selangor, Putrajaya and Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan.MetMalaysia also issued a continuous rain alert for Perlis; Kedah (Langkawi, Kubang Pasu, Kota Setar, Pokok Sena, Padang Terap, Yan, Pendang, Sik and Baling); Perak (Hulu Perak) and Kelantan (Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Kota Bharu, Jeli, Tanah Merah, Bachok, Machang, Pasir Puteh and Kuala Krai).Similar weather conditions are also expected to occur throughout Terengganu and Melaka, Pahang (Bera and Rompin); Negeri Sembilan (Seremban, Port Dickson, Kuala Pilah, Rembau, Jempol and Tampin) as well as Tangkak, Segamat, Muar and Batu Pahat in Johor.


We’re not the worst, Selangor govt fends off label in virus battle

The Selangor Task Force for Covid-19 today fended off claims that the state is the worst off in terms of the virus battle, saying its daily caseload is no proof that it is the most badly affected by the pandemic.Its chairman Dzulkefly Ahmad said based on infectivity rate, Selangor does not lead the list of states worst affected by Covid-19.“If we look at the infectiousness rate, can it be said that Selangor is the worst affected? No, and this is all based on facts from the health ministry,” he said at a press conference.He also said that Selangor is not the worst affected if data is measured according to the number of Covid-19 deaths.He said data from the health ministry shows that Selangor is in fourth place, compared to Sabah, Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak.Selangor has of late been reporting daily cases of over 1,000, with 1,743 infections recorded yesterday from the nationwide total of 4,865.This was far ahead of any other state including Sarawak which reported the second highest number of cases with 512.Selangor also recorded 18 of the record 47 deaths reported yesterday.Speaking today, Dzulkefly said Selangor is also against any plan to tighten the movement control order (MCO) currently in place.He said implementing a full-scale MCO would cause the state to be more affected by Covid-19 as experience showed that infections increase again once lockdowns are eased. He added that the local economy would be affected as well.“If given a choice, we do not want a lockdown,” he said. “But if we are ordered to under the state of emergency, we will comply.“If the health minister wants a lockdown based only on numbers, I urge that the decision be considered as best as possible,” he added.Health Minister Dr Adham Baba previously said his ministry was considering tightening health SOPs in Selangor or enforcing a full-scale MCO in the state if Covid-19 cases remain high.Meanwhile, State Public Health, Unity, Women and Family Development Committee chairman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said small businesses would be the worst affected if a full-scale MCO is enforced in the state.She said the right strategies need to be taken to allow those in Selangor to continue earning a living.“People in Selangor have approached me, begging us not to implement another lockdown,” she said. “Another lockdown would greatly affect their livelihoods.”She also said there was no point in enforcing a lockdown only for daily cases to increase later on.“That’s not the way.”


Palestine shariah court rules women need permission of male guardian to travel

An Islamic court in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip has ruled that all women must obtain the permission of a male guardian to travel, Al Arabiya reports.The decision by the Sharia Judicial Council, issued on Sunday, says an unmarried woman may not travel without the permission of her “guardian”, which would usually refer to her father or another older male relative, although it could be her younger brother or son.It also implies that a married woman would not be able to travel without her husband’s approval.Permission would need to be registered at the court, but the man would not be required to accompany the woman on her trip.Critics accuse Hamas, the Islamist group which rules Gaza, of attempting to roll back women’s rights.Activist Zainab al-Ghunaimi says the ruling violates basic Palestinian laws which guarantee equal rights.Hassan al-Jojo, the head of Gaza’s supreme judicial council told the Associated Press that the ruling was “balanced” and consistent with Islamic and civil laws. He dismissed criticism of the ruling as “artificial and unjustified noise”.Hamas has been accused of curtailing women’s rights in the Gaza Strip ever since it took power there in 2007.The group has mandated that women wear the Islamic headscarf in municipal buildings, courts and high schools.This latest reversal of women’s rights could spark a backlash in Gaza at a time when the Palestinians plan to hold elections later this year, although Hamas’ core conservative supporters are likely to approve.The ruling sparked criticism on social media, where many accused Hamas of moving in reverse on women’s rights even as ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia has eased its restrictions, including by allowing women to drive.Traditionally, Saudi women were treated as minors requiring the permission of a husband, father or even a son to apply for a passport and travel abroad. The kingdom loosened those restrictions in 2019.The Palestinian People’s Party, a small left-wing group, called on Hamas to reverse the court’s decision.


200 missing in India after burst glacier causes flash flood

At least 200 people are missing in northern India after a piece of Himalayan glacier fell into a river, causing a torrent that buried two power plants and swept away roads and bridges, police said on Sunday.Three bodies have been found and a desperate operation has been launched to rescue about 17 people trapped in a tunnel, the Uttarakhand state police chief said.The massive burst of water tore through the Dhauliganga river valley, destroying everything in its path, videos taken by terrified residents showed.“There was a cloud of dust as the water went by. The ground shook like an earthquake,” local inhabitant Om Agarwal told Indian TV.Most of the missing were workers at two power plants that were battered by the deluge, caused by a huge chunk of glacier that slipped off a mountainside further upstream, said the police chief Ashok Kumar.“There were 50 workers at Rishi Ganga plant and we have no information about them. Some 150 workers were at Tapovan,” he added.“About 20 are trapped inside a tunnel. We are trying to reach the trapped workers.”With the main road washed away, the tunnel was filled with mud and rocks and paramilitary rescuers had to climb down a hillside on ropes to get access to the entrance.Hundreds of troops and paramilitaries along with military helicopters and other aircraft have been sent to the region.‘Grim reminder’Authorities emptied two dams to stop the flood waters reaching the Ganges at the towns of Rishikesh and Haridwar, where authorities barred people from going near the banks of the sacred river, officials said.Villages on hillsides overlooking the river were evacuated, but as night fell authorities said the main flood danger had passed.Scores of social media users captured the disaster, with footage showing the massive burst of water tearing through a narrow valley below the power plant, leaving roads and bridges destroyed in its wake.Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was monitoring the relief operation.“India stands with Uttarakhand and the nation prays for everyone’s safety there,” he said on Twitter.Fourteen glaciers overlook the river in Nanda Devi national park – the topic of scientific studies because of growing fears over climate change and deforestation.“Avalanches are common phenomena in the catchment area,” MPS Bisht, director of the Uttarakhand Space Application Centre, told AFP. “Huge landslides also frequently occur.”Devastating monsoon floods in Uttarakhand in 2013 killed 6,000 people and led to calls for a review of development projects in the state, particularly in isolated areas like those around the Rishi Ganga dam.Uma Bharti, a former water resources minister, said that she had called for a freeze on hydro electric projects in “sensitive” Himalayan areas such as the Ganges and its tributaries when in government.Vimlendhu Jha, founder of Swechha, an environmental NGO, said the disaster was a “grim reminder” of the effects of climate change and the “haphazard development of roads, railways and power plants in ecologically sensitive areas.”“Activists and locals have constantly opposed the massive river valley projects,” he added.


Kelantan rep Yusnan Yusof dies

Melor state assemblyman Yusnan Yusof died at his home in Kota Bharu early this morning. He was 53.His son Mohd Auzaie, who confirmed his death in a Facebook post, said he died at 2.28am.Funeral prayers will be held after Friday prayers at the Muhammadi Mosque, Kota Bharu and his remains buried at Pondok Haji Hassan Cemetery, Ketereh.When contacted, Auzaie, 29, said his father had died of a heart attack, adding that Yusnan had been suffering from heart disease since 2016.Yusnan leaves behind wife Romaini Mat Daud, 52, six children, two daughters-in-law and two grandchildren.Kelantan Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob in a Facebook post conveyed his condolences to Yusnan’s family members.“On behalf of the state government and Kelantan PAS leaders I wish to extend our deepest sympathies to all his family members. May Allah shower him with blessings and may his soul be placed among the pious,” he said.


60 more deaths as daily cases rise to 5,738

Another 5,738 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 678,764.Selangor recorded 1,858 cases, Negeri Sembilan 1,086, Kuala Lumpur 641, Sarawak 559, Johor 449, Sabah 248, Kedah 197, Melaka 184 and Kelantan 154.Penang and Labuan recorded 97 cases each, Terengganu 77, Pahang 54, Perak 30 and Putrajaya seven.Active cases stand at 66,097 with 909 in the ICU and 441 in need of respiratory assistanceAnother 7,530 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 608,465.However, 60 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 4,202.


Warner Bros defends 'Barbie' film's world map as 'child-like'

Warner Bros studio on Thursday said a map in its upcoming "Barbie" movie of the South China Sea is a "child-like" drawing with no intended significance, days after Vietnam said it would ban the film over the map.
Vietnam balked at a scene of the map that shows China's unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday. It decided to ban domestic distribution of the highly anticipated film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
Warner Bros believed the map was harmless.
“The map in Barbie Land is a whimsical, child-like crayon drawing," the studio said in a statement. "The doodles depict Barbie's make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the real world. It was not intended to make any type of statement."
"Barbie" was originally slated to open in Vietnam on July 21, the same date as in the US, according to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.
Vietnamese authorities objected to a scene showing a map that includes the so-called nine-dash line, the newspaper said. The U-shaped line is used on Chinese maps to illustrate China's claims over vast areas of the South China Sea, including swaths of what Vietnam considers its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions.
"We do not grant license for the American movie 'Barbie' to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line," the newspaper reported, citing Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Cinema, a government body in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films.
"Barbie" is the latest movie to be banned in Vietnam for depicting China's nine-dash line, which was repudiated in an international arbitration ruling by a court in The Hague in 2016. China refuses to recognise the ruling.
This week, Vietnam also opened an investigation of the website of K-pop group Blackpink's tour organiser, ahead of the group's concert in Hanoi, over criticism from fans that it shows a map of the South China Sea with disputed boundaries.


Menu Rahmah meals still going strong

Demand has remained strong for the Menu Rahmah programme, under which meals are offered for RM5 or less, especially among those seeking to save money amid the rise in cost of living.
The initiative launched by the domestic trade and cost of living ministry earlier this year has also benefited businesses, which have seen more customers coming to their restaurants and food stalls.
It likewise encourages traders to be creative in coming up with meals that can be served at affordable prices, and in providing a range of options for their customers to enjoy.
Trader Zabedah Sheikh Osman, who has run her stall for 14 years at the Mydin USJ 1 food court in Subang Jaya, sells chicken soup noodles and Johor-style mee rebus under the Menu Rahmah programme.

Business owner Zabedah Sheikh Osman speaks to MalaysiaNow at her stall in Subang.

She said these meals were still doing well, not only among university students.
"Everyone comes, including senior citizens," she said to MalaysiaNow.
While her profit margin for these meals is lower than it is for her other dishes, she said operations are still running well.
"More customers are also coming, which helps promote my stall," she added.
"The demand is very encouraging."

Dani Mulyadi speaks to MalaysiaNow about the government's Menu Rahmah programme.

Dani Mulyadi from Bandar Sunway meanwhile said he had enjoyed his first ever Menu Rahmah purchase of chicken rice.
"Before this, people who wanted to save would buy nasi bujang because it was cheap, but the side dishes would have to be added on.
"Menu Rahmah allows us a variety of choices, so customers can pick what they want according to their taste. This makes it more worthwhile," he added.
For Fitriah Lilesia Yakim, the affordable price is the main draw for Menu Rahmah meals.
But not all RM5 meals are a good deal, she added.
"Different shops serve different things for the same price," she said.
"You have to see what shop is serving what meals. Some of them are tasty and good value for money, and some are not.
"It's up to the customers to decide."


18 pig farms in Penang hit by African swine fever

African swine fever (ASF) has continued to spread in Penang, with seven more pig farms hit, bringing the total number of farms affected by the outbreak so far to 18 in three districts.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said 48,194 animals were affected on these commercial pig farms, 14 of which are in the Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) district, and two each in the Seberang Perai Tengah (SPT) and Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) districts.
"Previously, the farms infected with ASF were only in SPT and SPS, but sampling conducted by the Penang Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) confirmed that the disease has now spread more widely, and infected pigs in the area of Kampung Selamat in SPU.
"In order to control and prevent the spread of ASF disease, Penang DVS is conducting a stamping out policy through the culling of infected pigs in farms or those suspected to be infected in the infection zone, in accordance with the Malaysian Veterinary Protocol (PVM) for ASF disease," he said at a press conference at Perkampongan Valdor in Nibong Tebal yesterday.
He said a total of 4,204 pigs from infected farms in the SPS district had been culled so far, with operations ongoing to curb the spread of the disease. The disposal of the animals, which will continue, is expected to take weeks. Chow said the state government had identified a 16-hectare land site in an area far from public settlements and with no development, to be used as a disposal site, so that this could be carried out smoothly without causing disruption to the public.
He also said that the supply of pork in Penang was safe and still sufficient to meet the needs of the people, especially ahead of the Chinese New Year celebration, as there are still farms which are free of the disease.
Meanwhile, state DVS director Saira Bani Mohamed Rejab, who was also present at the press conference, said her department was always transparent and provided all reports and results regarding the laboratory tests conducted by Penang JPV to the farmers involved.
She said DVS would provide compensation of between RM400 and RM800 for each adult pig, subject to conditions.


No decision on PM after palace audience with Anwar, Muhyiddin

Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim today said that no decision had been made on the candidate for prime minister following an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after days of uncertainty following an inconclusive election which resulted in a hung parliament.
Speaking to reporters outside Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur, he said the Agong had requested for an "inclusive" government and urged all parties to reach an understanding.
"That would be able to allow the government to focus on resolving the problems of the people and to resuscitate our economy," he said.
"I expressed gratitude to His Majesty and said we would do our best, and would digest the advice, and wait for the final decision which, is of course, at the discretion of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"There has been no decision yet, as of now," he added. "There is currently a vacancy that is open for applications."
Anwar and his main contender, Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin, have been neck-to-neck in the race for support following the Nov 19 general election which saw PH winning 82 seats together with youth-based party Muda, and PN winning 73.
Both claimed to have the numbers needed to form the government – Muhyiddin, with the backing of Gabungan Parti Sarawak and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah which won 23 and six seats, respectively.
But Barisan Nasional, which suffered a tremendous blow in the election, winning only 30 seats, said it would support neither PN nor PH, and that it was content to play the role of opposition.
It later said that none of its MPs had given their support to Muhyiddin to be made the prime minister, and that it was open to talks with the relevant parties to ensure that a government could be formed for the good of the country.


PKR’s pro-Anwar faction threatens to derail budget despite royal call

The Agong’s reminder to MPs over the weekend about the importance of the budget next month does not appear to have stopped a faction in PKR from mobilising forces opposed to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in a move that could trigger a pandemic-season election.There are fears within PKR that the royal endorsement of Muhyiddin’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis, as well as Umno and PAS’ clear rejection of any cooperation with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, could further strengthen the prime minister’s position.Lower-ranking PKR leaders have been urged to maintain pressure against the government, amid rumblings among the party’s 39 MPs over their leader’s failure to prove that he has the majority support needed to topple Muhyiddin’s government.Despite the Agong’s reminder, Subang MP Wong Chen, a staunch Anwar loyalist, urged the opposition not to give up ahead of the crucial budget vote next month.“So the budget vote then becomes the one and only silver bullet the opposition has to test the legitimacy of the government. Therefore, we can’t simply surrender this silver bullet to the prime minister for free,” he said in a social media post.“Instead, we must consider using this as an all-important bargaining chip, to obtain some much needed reforms to save democracy.”He also listed out a series of reforms which he said the nine-month-old government – formed on the back of Pakatan Harapan’s collapse just as Covid-19 hit Malaysian shores in February – must undertake in exchange for support for the budget bill.Lower-ranking PKR leaders have been urged to maintain pressure against the government.The statement has raised questions as to whether the royal warning against attempts to destabilise the present government as Covid-19 cases continue to spike has fallen on deaf ears.But it has also shown that rival politicians opposed to Muhyiddin are now more ready to bury their differences in the face of a common enemy – especially after the open call by former prime minister Najib Razak for Umno MPs to support Anwar for the top post.A former close aide to Anwar told MalaysiaNow of fears among anti-Muhyiddin leaders in both PKR and Umno that the decision by Umno’s top body this week to revert to its original support for the Perikatan Nasional government had strengthened the prime minister’s position.“And when a position is strengthened, it is the best time for the government to offer reconciliation in the fight against Covid-19. It’s something the anti-Muhyiddin forces are aware will split them apart,” he told MalaysiaNow.Wong Chen is also aware of this.“Using words such as ‘reconciliation’, ‘engagement’, ‘depoliticise’, means nothing if the government is not sincere about democratic reforms,” the PKR MP said.On Sunday, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah warned politicians against “politicking” as well as attempts to subvert the government’s battle against Covid-19, after declining to use his power to declare a state of emergency which could prevent pandemic-season polls.The Agong also specifically referred to next month’s budget, which, if shot down in the Dewan Rakyat by the actions of a few Umno MPs aligned with their president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as well as Najib, could bring down the government and trigger a snap election.


India posts record new Covid deaths after data revision

India on Thursday recorded a global record of more than 6,000 coronavirus deaths in 24 hours after one state dramatically revised upwards its data, stoking suspicions that the country’s toll is much higher than reported.According to health ministry figures, 6,148 people died in the previous 24 hours, taking total fatalities to almost 360,000, the world’s third highest.The previous world record according to an AFP tally was 5,527 in the US on Feb 12, although this was also due to an upwards revision of earlier deaths.On Wednesday the eastern state of Bihar hiked its death toll by around 4,000 to almost 9,500 after reviewing death records, officials said.Bihar’s high court in Patna demanded an audit of the figures after allegations that the local government was hiding the scale of infections and deaths.Similar accusations have been levelled at other state governments after a recent coronavirus surge saw crematoriums overwhelmed in many places and hundreds of bodies dumped in rivers or buried in shallow graves.With record-keeping poor even in normal times, many experts believe India’s death toll is several times higher than the official number, meaning it could be over a million – which would make it the world’s highest.Suspicions have been heightened by the fact that death rates in many countries, for example Brazil and the US, are several times higher than in India.


BN confident of winning more than 112 seats, says Ismail

Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident that it can win more than 112 parliamentary seats in the 15th general election (GE15) to form the new federal government.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said according to the latest information on BN’s GE15 campaign trail presented at the Umno Top Five briefing session in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, there was very positive acceptance among voters for BN.
The Umno Top Five refers to president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, deputy president Mohamad Hasan and the three vice-presidents, Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Ismail and Mahdzir Khalid.
Ismail said even though BN would be able to form the government with that 112 seats, he still believed that it would not do so on its own, but with Friends of BN from Sabah and Sarawak to ensure that it is a more stable government.
"We need a stronger government. We need our friends in Sabah and Sarawak to join us and we do hope that their support will strengthen our new government. "Although having 112 seats will enable BN to form the government as there will no longer be party hopping among the elected representatives, we still want a government with stronger support to ensure stability and the well-being of the country," he told a press conference at Kampung Batu Bor in Bera yesterday.
Ismail said during the briefing session, it was also reported that the mood of the voters had improved towards BN, among those in the rural and urban areas, as well as among the non-Malays.
"The voters are also seen comparing the performance of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government after the 2018 general election with the success of BN’s administration before that. So, they are more confident that BN is capable of taking the country to greater heights," he said.
On the sentiment of young voters, Ismail said BN was intensifying its engagement sessions to explain what it had to offer, apart from guiding them on the polling process as the majority of them were first-time voters.
Ismail is defending the Bera parliamentary seat, which he has held since 2004. He is being challenged by Abas Awang (PH) and Asmawi Harun (Perikatan Nasional-Bersatu).
The Election Commission has set polling on Nov 19 and early voting on Nov 15.


Israeli PM seeks US ‘reset’ in first White House visit

Israeli premier Naftali Bennett took off Tuesday for talks in Washington with top Democrats including President Joe Biden, seeking to “reset” relations with Israel’s closest ally and reach consensus on arch-foe Iran.In his first state visit since taking office in June, the prime minister will meet Biden on Thursday and attempt to mend ties, which were strained under former premier Benjamin Netanyahu, accused of openly favouring the Republican party.“Right now the biggest transaction taking place between the two countries is a refresh and a reset of bilateral relations,” Scott Lasensky, former president Barack Obama’s senior policy advisor on Israel, told AFP.Netanyahu alienated Democratic leaders through his relentless public criticism of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers negotiated by the Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president.Netanyahu’s tight embrace of Obama’s successor – president Donald Trump, whom he repeatedly called “the best friend” Israel ever had in the White House – further rankled Biden’s party.Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid hinted at a new approach when he met his US counterpart Antony Blinken in June.“In the past few years mistakes were made. Israel’s bipartisan standing was hurt. We will fix those mistakes together,” Lapid said.Shortly before departure, Bennett told reporters he would bring to Washington “a new spirit of cooperation” from Israel’s government.No Iran ‘lifeline’While he may aim to warm the diplomatic waters, he remains a foreign policy hawk staunchly opposed to the Iran accord, which lifted sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.Iran insists its nuclear programme is peaceful but has progressively withdrawn from key commitments, including on uranium enrichment, in response to sanctions imposed by Trump after he unilaterally yanked the US out of the deal in 2018.“I will tell President Biden that it is time to stop the Iranians… not to give them a lifeline in the form of re-entering into an expired nuclear deal,” the 49-year-old Israeli premier said Sunday.Bennett’s meeting with Biden, 78, comes two months after talks in Vienna on reviving the deal broke up without any discernible progress.Or Rabinowitz, an expert on nuclear proliferation and US-Israel relations at the Hebrew University, told AFP “Israel wants to set a new jargon”, or understanding, with the US over what would constitute Iran crossing a threshold toward building a nuclear weapon.Bennett suggested that approach Sunday, saying, “we will present an orderly plan that we have formulated in the past two months to curb the Iranians.” He offered no specifics.Briefing reporters ahead of the trip, an Israeli official who requested anonymity said when planning for the White House visit began a return to the Iran deal appeared “imminent”, but now “things look a little less clear,” notably following Iranian elections.Ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi took the oath of office in Iran early this month, after winning a presidential election in June.‘Nothing’ for PalestiniansBennett leads an ideologically disparate eight-party coalition that ranges from dovish parties to hardliners like himself, and he has avoided the Palestinian question in favour of consensus issues like health and the economy.Shira Efron, a senior fellow at the Tel Aviv-based Institute for National Security Studies, said Biden’s administration had modest ambitions, mainly focused on undoing some of Trump’s moves to favour Israel.“The Biden administration understands this is a shaky coalition,” she said.“I don’t think Biden is going to push Naftali Bennett to try to restart peace negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinians.Political scientist Ali Jarbawi at Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank expected talks between Bennett and Biden would mean “nothing” to Palestinians suffering under Israeli “apartheid”.Israel firmly rejects accusations that its treatment of the Palestinians amounts to apartheid.“If they talk about Palestinians at all, they will talk about improving the lives of Palestinians under occupation, so it’s the same as it used to be,” Jarbawi said.An expected friction point at the talks will be the Biden administration’s pledge to reopen a consulate general in Jerusalem responsible for US-Palestinian affairs.Trump closed that mission in 2019 after he had moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, bolstering Israel’s disputed claim of sovereignty over annexed east Jerusalem, which Palestinians claim for the capital of a future state.Eugene Kontorovich, a law professor at George Mason University who advised the Trump administration on Israel, said re-establishing the consulate would “almost certainly” feature at the talks.And while Bennett “is ideologically and fundamentally committed to the integrity of Jerusalem”, the Israeli premier will face a test on whether he can remain true to his ideology in the face of US pressure over consulate issue, Kontorovich said.


Sorry.


AirAsia passengers up in arms after China flight scare

A group of AirAsia passengers voiced disappointment today in the airline's response to what they described as safety issues following delays in a recent flight.
The group's representative Brian Ng Yih Min said the flight, AK117, was supposed to depart for Kuala Lumpur from Guangzhou, China, on May 1.
Speaking in a press conference at klia2, he said the passengers were informed about 30 minutes after take-off that the plane would need to return to Guangzhou due to technical issues linked to air pressure.
Before the plane landed, he said, it had to hover in Chinese airspace for nearly two hours in order to burn fuel before finally touching down at 1.30am.
"I asked the crew and they explained that if the plane flew past a certain altitude, we might face issues such as a lack of oxygen," he added.
"There was a possibility that we might pass out, making the situation very dangerous."
Ng said the passengers were taken to a hotel at 3.30am, and that some of them were informed by AirAsia that the return flight would take off at 9.45am.
However, they were taken aback to learn that they would be boarding the same plane.
Ng said some of the passengers were upset as they had been told that they would be taking a different plane.
"Of course we wouldn't get on the same plane because we didn't trust its safety," he said.
"If safety was not an issue, why would we need to turn back and spend almost two hours hovering before we landed?
"AirAsia gave us no official explanation of what had happened, and in fact we were threatened that if we did not board the plane, it would depart and they would not be responsible for anything," he said, adding that the matter had been informed to them in Mandarin.
The passengers then returned to the hotel and were told that their luggage would be sent there as well.
However, they were later shocked to learn that their bags had instead been sent straight back to Kuala Lumpur.
"Because of the situation, we had no choice. We bought new flight tickets and returned to Malaysia on another plane," Ng said.
"The clothes we are wearing right now were bought last night as we were left with nothing after our luggage was sent back to Kuala Lumpur."
Ng said the passengers were considering legal action against AirAsia, adding that a complaint would be made to the Malaysian Aviation Commission or Mavcom.
"We are very disappointed with AirAsia's response which was published in Oriental Daily, where they said that this was normal and not a big problem," he said.
"We have a lot of proof to show that the claims published in the paper are not true."
He said he had also written to the transport ministry but had yet to receive a response.


Population creeps up 0.4% to 32.73 million

Malaysia’s population was estimated at 32.73 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, an increase of 0.4% from 32.59 million in the same period of 2019, according to the Demographic Statistics report.Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin in a statement today said based on the report, the country’s total population comprised 29.85 million or 91.2% citizens and 2.87 million or 8.8% non-citizens.Males outnumbered females at 16.83 million and 15.90 million respectively.Uzir said the population composition of those aged 0 to 14 years decreased from 7.63 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 to 7.57 million in the same period of 2020.A total of 468,975 live births were recorded in 2020, 121,251 of them in the fourth quarter of that year – a decline of 2.5% from 124,384 in the same quarter of 2019.The population composition of those aged 65 years and above increased from 2.24 million to 2.34 million during the same period.“This trend is in line with other developed countries that are heading towards an ageing population,” Uzir said.A total of 174,313 deaths were reported in 2020, 44,390 of them in the fourth quarter of that year – a drop of 0.4% from 44,566 in the same quarter of 2019.


Split in Umno after Zahid backs Anwar

Umno is headed for a split between two camps for and against PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim’s latest move to topple Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration, MalaysiaNow has learnt.This follows remarks by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi seen as supportive of Anwar, who yesterday declared he had gathered a “formidable” majority to form the federal government.Two factions are now at loggerheads: one led by Zahid and the other by Mohamad Hasan, the Umno deputy president who has consistently spoken out against any move by the party to return to power outside the ballot box.An Umno insider also told MalaysiaNow that Zahid’s statement yesterday, in which he said it was up to Umno MPs to decide whether to support Anwar, was made without consultation with the party’s Supreme Council.“That is the reason his statement was not released using the official Umno letterhead,” it said.Umno grassroots are generally unsettled by Zahid’s stand, and have rallied behind his deputy.Zahid, who was Anwar’s closest ally when the duo were leading Umno in the late 1990s, has been slapped with 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering.It was said that Zahid had hoped to have the charges against him dropped when he allied himself with Muhyiddin, who broke away from Pakatan Harapan (PH) in February.“But that is not likely to happen, as seen in the case involving Najib, who was found guilty despite throwing support behind Perikatan Nasional (PN),” said the same Umno insider, referring to former prime minister Najib Razak’s conviction in July of seven charges related to RM42 million of SRC International funds in his personal bank account.“A deal with Anwar, his former mentor, will probably be the only way out for Zahid,” the source added.It is learnt that several other Umno MPs who are keen on joining Anwar, including Zahid and Najib, are facing multiple corruption charges as well as investigations.MalaysiaNow has not been able to independently verify the claim, but requests for comments from the MPs concerned were denied.Mohamad, better known as Tok Mat, has meanwhile publicly stated that Umno is still with PN, despite his own reservations about his party returning to power without going for elections.Tok Mat reportedly said that any decision to change Umno’s alliance could only be decided by the party.A former senior editor of Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia, Zaini Hassan, confirmed to MalaysiaNow the split in the party caused by Zahid’s statement.“The anger among Umno members (over switching to Anwar’s side) cannot be contained, that’s all I can tell you,” he said.Writing at length about the issue on Bebas News, a news website he now leads, Zaini said “a revolution in Umno is inevitable”.He also said Zahid’s support for Anwar was strange, as it was impossible for Anwar to form a strong bloc without support from DAP and Sarawak MPs.“Would DAP be prepared to work with Zahid and Najib?” he wrote.Umno has in the past rejected any cooperation with DAP, making it a precondition for working with Muhyiddin.PH, comprising PKR, DAP and Amanah, has at least 91 MPs, and Anwar will need at least 20 more to show that he has majority support in the Dewan Rakyat.Umno currently has 39 seats.


NZ curbs disposable vapes to deter the young

New Zealand unveiled measures on Monday to curb vaping by young people, from limits on sales near schools to a ban on some disposable units, as it extends aggressive anti-smoking campaigns.
Although the Pacific nation has one of the lowest rates of adult smoking among the 38 nations in the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, it has banned future generations from smoking in a push to be "smokefree" by 2025.
Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said the changes, to be phased in over six months from August, come as too many young people were using vapes, although the government wanted the devices available as an alternative to smoking.
"We’re creating a future where tobacco products are no longer addictive, appealing or as readily available, and the same needs to apply to vaping," Verrall said in a statement.
From August all vapes sold in New Zealand will need to have removable or replaceable batteries, curbing supply of the compact disposable types favoured by young people, she said.
"We also want vapes as far from the minds and reach of children and young people as possible," Verrall said, adding that new shops would be kept at least 300m from schools and marae, or meeting spaces for Maori communities.
Vapes will require child safety mechanisms, with enticing names, such as "cotton candy", banned, while plain packaging had been considered.
"It is yet another way that we are stopping vape companies from developing particular brands that target young people," Verrall told a press conference on Tuesday.


Covid-19 cases rise in Australia’s Victoria as lockdown extension looms

Australia’s Victoria state saw a jump in new locally acquired cases of Covid-19 on Wednesday as the government prepared to extend a hard lockdown to contain an outbreak of the Delta variant.The lockdown is due to end on Thursday but Premier Daniel Andrews has flagged an extension given the steady rise in infections.A total of 120 new local cases were detected in Victoria on Wednesday, up from 76 a day earlier. Of the new cases, 56 are not linked to any infections in the current outbreak.Officials in Victoria, which includes Melbourne, had promised easing of some restrictions if cases remained low and vaccination rates rose.A meeting of senior state ministers overnight discussed if a night curfew could be removed and playgrounds opened if there was no spike in cases, the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported without citing a source.Neighbouring New South Wales (NSW), home to Australia’s largest city of Sydney, is also struggling with a Delta outbreak despite more than two months of lockdown. Cases have topped 1,000 in the state for the past four days.NSW officials say the pathway back to freedom is higher vaccination coverage. So far 37% of people in the state above 16 years of age are fully vaccinated, with easing of some curbs promised once that rate hits 70%-80%.Despite the recent flare-ups, Australia has managed to keep its coronavirus numbers relatively low, with nearly 54,000 cases and 1,008 deaths.In a bid to boost supply – one of the major constraints on the vaccine rollout – Australia entered into a vaccine swap agreement with Singapore on Tuesday for 500,000 Pfizer doses, which will arrive soon. The government has also bought about one million emergency shots from Poland.


Muhyiddin challenges BN, PH candidates to take anti-graft oath ahead of election day

Perikatan Nasional (PN) has challenged the candidates from other parties to take an oath against corruption and abuse of power if they are elected in the Johor polls this Saturday, as its own candidates had done on March 3.“I challenge Umno, have they done this? No, they haven’t. Are they brave enough? Anybody? Puad Zarkashi, let’s take him as an example. Take the oath in front of his president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Does he have what it takes?“The president might not be brave enough to come. Or he might want to come but is facing charges in court, so he has to defend himself there,” PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said at an event in Parit Sulong last night.Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu, Gerakan president Dominic Lau and PAS information chief Khairil Nizam Khirudin were also present.Muhyiddin likewise asked if the candidates from Pakatan Harapan would take the same oath.He had previously said that PN’s initiative to sign the “Aku Janji Anti-Rasuah” pledge showed that his coalition wanted to form a government free from corruption and wrongdoing.“This is no laughing matter because we are swearing on Allah’s name,” he said.“But we did so without hesitation or fear. All of the candidates signed it.”Muhyiddin also vowed that PN under his leadership would not allow any corrupt activities or abuse of power.If this should happen, he added, the individuals involved would face party action and be punished according to the law.He urged voters in the Semerah seat to reject the candidates from Barisan Nasional, saying they should avoid helping those who have been convicted of criminal offences.“Giving them your votes would be like affirming their wrongdoings,” he said.“Why would you want to help those who have done wrong?”Johor will go to the polls this Saturday, with candidates fighting it out for 56 seats.This is the fourth state election since the 14th general election in 2018. State elections have been held in Sabah, Melaka and Sarawak.


Dubious expenses found in Mara Corp corporate credit card transactions, says MACC

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has found several dubious expenses in an investigation into allegations of misuse of Mara Corporation corporate credit cards.A source from MACC said that as a result, the management of Mara Corp, an investment holding company of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara), had been asked to come to the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya to explain the guidelines for the use of the agency’s corporate credit cards.“In MACC’s investigation into the misuse of Mara Corp corporate credit cards since last week, it was found that there were dubious expenses involving several purchases of goods and services that did not involve the agency, from March to December last year,” he told Bernama.However, he declined to comment further on the goods and services purchased with the credit cards.Last Thursday, it was reported that MACC had begun an investigation into allegations of corporate credit card misuse by the top management of Mara Corp.On the progress of the investigation into allegations of misconduct and integrity involving several senior officers of Mara, the source said statements from 17 individuals had been recorded thus far, and that 10 more would be called this week.“We expect that this Thursday, the investigation paper related to this case will be submitted to the deputy public prosecutor for further action,” he said.On Feb 5, MACC confirmed receiving a report on alleged integrity issues involving several senior Mara officials which are being investigated internally by the agency.On Feb 7, MACC raided Mara and Mara Corp headquarters, as well as a corporate secretary company, and seized documents consisting of proposal papers and minutes of board meetings, financial documents and payroll documents, as well as documents concerning human resources.


South Korea orders workers off petchem plant after blast kills four

South Korean authorities have ordered workers off one of petrochemical company Yeochun NCC’s (YNCC) naphtha crackers in the city of Yeosu after a blast killed four people and injured four.The incident at YNCC’s third plant in Yeosu comes as businesses brace for greater scrutiny under a new South Korean law punishing management for incidents involving worker death.The regional office of South Korea’s labour ministry told Reuters that the ministry ordered workers to halt work at the entire third plant.“There is no disruption in production, but we have entirely halted maintenance and repair work,” an official at YNCC told Reuters.YNCC’s first and second plants are also operating, the YNCC official said, adding that the blast occurred during a leak test in a cleaning process that is a procedural operation carried out every four years.YNCC’s third naphtha cracker in Yeosu, the site of the explosion, produces 470,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of ethylene.YNCC’s first and second naphtha crackers in Yeosu produce 900,000 and about 920,000 tpy of ethylene each.YNCC’s entire capacity is 2.29 million tpy, about 1.1% of global capacity, Samsung Securities analyst Cho Hyun-ryul said.“If the impact is limited to the incident site, supply disruption will not be significant,” he said.“However, a suspension order for the entire production cannot be ruled out, as stricter rules are imposed on work sites since… the Severe Accident Punishment Act. If so, this could affect not just 470,000 but 2.29 million tonnes.”The new South Korean law, which took effect late last month, imposes criminal punishment of one or more years of jail or fines up to 1 billion won (US$834,028) for severe industrial accidents on business owners and responsible management, if they violated a duty of safety measures stipulated in the law.


US and allies trade barbs with China, but Ukraine dominates Asia security meet

The US and its allies traded barbs with China at Asia’s premier security meeting on Saturday, especially on Taiwan, but the war in Ukraine and a remote speech by President Volodymyr Zelensky dominated proceedings.US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that Washington will do its part to manage tensions with China and prevent conflict even though Beijing was becoming increasingly aggressive in the region.Zelensky, speaking via video link from an undisclosed location in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, told the delegates that their nations’ support was crucial not just to defeat the Russian invasion, but to preserve the rules-based order.“It is on the battlefields of Ukraine that the future rules of this world are being decided along with the boundaries of the possible,” he said.He noted that Russia is blocking ports in the Black Sea and Azov Sea, keeping Ukrainian food exports from the world market.“If… due to Russian blockades we are unable to export our foodstuffs, the world will face an acute and severe food crisis and famine in many countries in Asia and Africa,” he said.China and the US, which have clashed in recent months over everything from Taiwan and China’s human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea, were again at odds.Austin and Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe met on Friday and reiterated they want to better manage their relationship but there was no sign of any breakthrough in resolving differences.Austin said the US would continue to stand by its allies, including Taiwan.“That’s especially important as the PRC (People’s Republic of China) adopts a more coercive and aggressive approach to its territorial claims,” he said.China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own and has vowed to take it by force if necessary.Austin said there had been an “alarming” increase in the number of unsafe and unprofessional encounters between Chinese planes and vessels with those of other countries.Australia has said a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted one of its military surveillance planes in the South China Sea region in May, and Canada’s military has accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrol aircraft as they monitor North Korea sanction evasions.Taiwan has complained for years of repeated Chinese air force missions into its air defence identification zone, and Austin said these incursions had surged in recent months.Lieutenant General Zhang Zhenzhong, a senior Chinese military officer, called Austin’s speech a “confrontation”.“There were many unfounded accusations against China. We expressed our strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to these false accusations,” Zhang, vice chief of the joint staff department of China’s Central Military Commission, told reporters.“The US is trying to form a small circle in the Asia-Pacific region by roping in some countries to incite against some other countries. What should we call this other than confrontation?”Closed-door meetingEarlier this year, Washington said China appeared poised to help Russia in its war against Ukraine.But since then, US officials have said while they remain wary about China’s longstanding support for Russia in general, the military and economic support that they worried about has not come to pass, at least for now.Ng Eng Hen, the defence minister of host Singapore, said the ties between China and Russia were discussed at a closed-door meeting of the ministers on Saturday, and that several delegates had asked Beijing to do more to rein in Moscow.The defence minister of Japan, one of Washington’s closest allies in Asia, told the meeting that military cooperation between China and Russia had sharpened security concerns in the region.“Joint military operations between these two strong military powers will undoubtedly increase concern among other countries,” Nobuo Kishi said at the Singapore meeting.Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand also spoke out against China.“The interceptions by the Chinese of our (aircraft) are very concerning and unprofessional and we need to ensure that the safety and security of our pilots is not at risk, especially when they are simply monitoring as required under UN-sanctioned missions,” Anand told Reuters in an interview.New Zealand voiced concern about Chinese attempts to gain influence in the Pacific islands.Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles said it was reasonable to expect China to make clear it did not support the invasion of a sovereign country in violation of the UN Charter.“That China has not done so should give us cause for concern, especially given the investments it is making in military power,” he said at the meeting.


94.3% of adults, 71.8% of population fully vaccinated

A total of 23,451,810 people or 94.3% of the adult population had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday.Meanwhile 25,317,072 or 97.4% have received at least one shot, including of the single-dose CanSino vaccine.In terms of total population, 71.8% are fully vaccinated while 77.5% have received at least one dose.Kelantan and Sabah remain below the 80% full vaccination level for adults at 77.3% and 71.5% respectively.A total of 235,607 doses were administered yesterday, taking the cumulative number of vaccine jabs given under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 48,673,215.


Bone X-ray exam used to determine Bella's age, court hears

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court was today told that a bone age X-ray examination in 2020 had found that Bella, a teenage girl with Down syndrome, was 15 at the time.
The medical officer at the radiology department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Dr B Anulaawathi, 39, said the girl’s age was found to be 15 after analysis through three aspects, namely chronological age, brush foundation data and based on a reference book known as the Radiographic Atlas Skeletal Development of the Hand and Wrist Book, by Greulich and Pyle.
The 13th prosecution witness, who was previously with the radiology department at Hospital Tunku Azizah in Kuala Lumpur, said the report on the X-ray was completed on Aug 3, 2020, following an application by the paediatric department on July 23, 2020.
"When compared with the X-ray reference image for a 13-year-old, we found that it is still not the same as the X-ray scan of Bella's bones... Bella is older than the reference photo age of someone aged 13 years and six months.
"We continued to look at the reference picture for the age of 15 and we found that the picture is similar with Bella's X-ray, whereby the bone growth plate in the wrist is still visible," he said. He said this at the trial of Rumah Bonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali before judge Izralizam Sanusi.
When questioned by deputy public prosecutor Nor Azizah Mohamad during examination-in-chief on whether the reference book was used as part of the SOP for bone age analysis in hospitals nationwide, the witness answered yes.
Anulaawathi said the reference book contains a series of X-rays as a reference for the gender and age of an individual from birth to the age of 18.
To another question from the prosecution on whether he had met Bella or any of the paediatric team while conducting the bone age analysis, he said no as there was no need to do so since all of the information was already in the system.
When questioned by lawyer Nur A’minahtul Mardiah Md Nor, representing Siti Bainun, the witness agreed with the lawyer that his role was only to prepare a report after receiving instructions from the paediatric team.
Siti Bainun, 30, faces two charges of neglecting and abusing the girl, causing her to suffer physical and emotional injuries.
She was charged with committing the offence at a condominium in Wangsa Maju between February and June 2021.
The charge, under Section 31 (1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, carries imprisonment of up to 20 years, a maximum fine of RM50,000, or both, upon conviction.


Let’s quit and force snap polls, Zahid tells Umno division chiefs

A meeting of Umno division leaders with Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in Kuala Lumpur today saw their president taking pains to convince them to turn their back on the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, as hawks in the party attempt to force snap polls in the hope of returning Umno to dominion in the federal government.At the meeting attended by a little more than half of the 191 division leaders nationwide, Zahid urged Umno MPs to revoke their support for PN by February so that snap polls could be held as soon as possible.Zahid repeated a familiar complaint from former president Najib Razak and a group of Umno leaders aligned with him, saying the PN government had sidelined Umno, and that it is not looking after the people’s welfare.Among others, Zahid said the present government did not review decisions made by the Pakatan Harapan government including on the sale of assets of pilgrims fund Tabung Haji as well as what he termed “selective prosecution” by the previous government.He also urged all ministers from Umno to resign, and those holding top posts in government-linked companies to give up their positions by next month.Since August, Zahid, Najib and several MPs from Umno who have been slapped with multiple corruption charges have been ramping up their criticism of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.This followed Najib’s conviction of seven charges related to the 1MDB scandal.In October, MalaysiaNow revealed a plan by a group of MPs facing hundreds of corruption charges in a bid to force an election, following a failed attempt by PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim to topple Muhyiddin through defections.Both Zahid and Najib had backed Anwar in his plan.Experts have warned against holding snap polls during the pandemic season as daily Covid-19 infections pass the 2,000 mark, with more than 500 deaths nationwide, the bulk of which were recorded in the aftermath of the Sabah election in September.The US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a research centre at the University of Washington, has projected a continuous rise in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia until March, with daily infections to hit 5,000 by Feb 25.Top officials who met in December warned of a shortage of medical frontliners as well as critical hospital equipment including ventilators and beds should the virus continue the spike.At a meeting by the National Security Council on the pandemic last year, health officials repeatedly appealed against a general election, saying there was no effective way to prevent an explosion of infections nationwide despite the health SOPs.


Afghan girls return to school in Herat after Taliban takeover

Girls wearing white hijabs and black tunics crammed into classrooms in the western Afghan city of Herat just days after the Taliban’s takeover.As the school opened its doors, the students scurried down corridors and chatted in courtyards, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil that has engulfed the country in the past two weeks.The scenes – which many feared would be banned under the Taliban – were filmed by an AFP cameraman this week, just days after fighters from the hardline Islamist group took the city following the collapse of government forces and local militia.“We want to progress like other countries,” said student Roqia.“And we hope the Taliban will maintain security. We don’t want war, we want peace in our country.”With its close proximity to the Iranian border, the ancient Silk Road city of Herat has long been a cosmopolitan exception to more conservative centres.Women and girls walked more freely in the streets, attending schools and colleges in huge numbers in a city famed for its poetry and arts.Its long-term future remains uncertain, however.Under the hardline version of shariah law that the Taliban imposed when they controlled Afghanistan in the 1990s, women and girls were mostly denied education and employment.Full face coverings became mandatory in public, and women could not leave home without a male companion.What lies ahead?Public floggings and executions, including stoning for adultery, were carried out in city squares and stadiums.What lies ahead for women with the Taliban back in power remains unclear.Publicly, the Taliban are attempting to push the narrative that they have watered down some of their more extreme positions, with their spokesman late Tuesday announcing an official pardon for “everyone” involved in the war.During the group’s first official press conference in Kabul since retaking power, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the erstwhile insurgents were “committed to letting women work in accordance with the principles of Islam”.Asked what the difference was between the movement ousted 20 years ago and the Taliban of today, he said: “If the question is based on ideology, and beliefs, there is no difference… but if we calculate it based on experience, maturity, and insight, no doubt there are many differences.“The steps today will be positively different from the past steps,” he added.Still, people have been entering public life cautiously, with women largely absent from the streets of Kabul and men trading their Western clothes for more traditional Afghan garb.There remains massive concern globally about the Taliban’s brutal human rights record – and tens of thousands of Afghans are still trying to flee the country as the group settles into power.After just days at the helm, it remains unclear if there is any official education policy or whether talks with schools have been held by the Taliban.However, during an interview with Britain’s Sky News this week, another Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen offered assurances on the topic.Women “can get education from primary to higher education – that means university”, he said.Thousands of schools in areas captured by the Taliban were still operational, he added.In Herat, school principal Basira Basiratkha expressed cautious optimism, saying she was “grateful to God” that they have been able to reopen.“Our dear students are attending their classes in large numbers while adhering to the Islamic hijab,” she said.“Exams are continuing.”


Court to decide if Najib, Arul Kanda enter defence or walk free in 1MDB audit report case

The Kuala Lumpur High Court will decide tomorrow whether Najib Razak and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy enter their defence or are acquitted in the 1MDB audit tampering case.
Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, who was recently elevated to the appellate court, will pronounce his decision at 9am.
Last year, Arul Kanda took the stand as a witness in the case after the judge allowed the prosecution’s application under Section 63 of the Malaysian-Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) Act to call him as a witness in the case.
The prosecution closed its case on Sept 7 after calling 16 witnesses, including former chief secretary to the government, the late Ali Hamsa; former auditor-generals Ambrin Buang and Madinah Mohamad; former 1MDB chairman Mohd Bakke Salleh; and former National Audit Department audit director Saadatul Nafisah Bashir Ahmad.
Najib, 70, who is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence for misappropriating SRC International funds, is charged with using his position to order amendments to the final 1MDB audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action against him.
Arul Kanda, 46, is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report, to protect Najib from being subjected to action.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Prime Minister's Department Complex, Putrajaya, between Feb 22 and 26, 2016.
Both Najib and Arul Kanda were charged under Section 23 (1) of the MACC Act, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.
Deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib will act for the prosecution while lawyers Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and N Sivananthan will appear for Najib and Arul Kanda respectively.
Najib still has four court cases pending on the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds. The prosecution had called 44 witnesses so far.
He also has two other cases involving criminal breach of trust amounting to RM6.6 billion over payments to the International Petroleum Investment Company and money laundering involving SRC International funds worth RM27 million. Both cases are at the case management stage.