Delta variant to dominate within months, says WHO

The highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19 is expected to become the dominant strain of the virus over the coming months, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday.Delta, which was first detected in India, has now been recorded in 124 territories – 13 more than last week – and already accounts for more than three-quarters of sequenced specimens in many major countries, WHO said.“It is expected that it will rapidly out-compete other variants and become the dominant circulating lineage over the coming months,” the UN health agency said in its weekly epidemiological update.Of the three other coronavirus variants of concern (VOCs), Alpha, first detected in Britain, has been reported in 180 territories (up six from last week), Beta, first detected in South Africa, in 130 (up seven) and Gamma, first detected in Brazil, in 78 (up three).According to SARS-CoV-2 sequences submitted to the Gisaid global science initiative over the four weeks to July 20, the prevalence of Delta exceeded 75% in several countries.Those included Australia, Bangladesh, Botswana, Britain, China, Denmark, India, Indonesia, Israel, Portugal, Russia, Singapore and South Africa.“Growing evidence supports the increased transmissibility of the Delta variant as compared to non-VOCs. However, the exact mechanism for the increase in transmissibility remains unclear,” said WHO.Cases up 12%The Geneva-based organisation said overall, 3.4 million new Covid-19 cases were reported in the week to July 18 – up 12% on the week before.“At this rate, it is expected that the cumulative number of cases reported globally could exceed 200 million in the next three weeks,” said WHO.The organisation said the global increases in transmission appeared to be driven by four factors: more transmissible variants; the relaxation of public health measures; increased social mixing and large numbers of unvaccinated people.Cases were up 30% in WHO’s Western Pacific region and up 21% in its European region.The highest numbers of new cases were reported from Indonesia (350,273 new cases; up 44%), Britain (296,447 new cases; up 41%), and Brazil (287,610 new cases; down 14%).The number of weekly deaths, however, remained steady at 57,000, similar to the previous week and following a steady decline for more than two months.


Daily caseload drops to 420 as another 4 deaths logged

Another 420 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,027,097.
There were 547 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,978,369.
There are now 11,871 active cases, of which 11,232 or 94.6% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 609 (5.1%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 30 are in ICU with nine in need of respiratory assistance.
Another four deaths were reported, including two who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,857.


Migrants say in limbo after promised jobs fall through

Stranded without work for months, hundreds of South Asian migrants in Malaysia say they are losing hope after failing to find jobs promised to them by recruitment agents in exchange for thousands of dollars in fees.
At a students' dormitory about 40km from Kuala Lumpur, about 500 migrants – mostly young men from Nepal and Bangladesh who had arrived in Malaysia since December – spend their days in crowded rooms or at an open-air cafeteria.
They say they arrived in the country on a three-month work visa that was meant to be upgraded to a work permit, but never was. Because their legal status is unclear, they are afraid to leave the premises, the workers told Reuters at the facility where they are staying.
Many say recruitment agents took their passports and continue to promise them jobs.
"We are all depressed and helpless. We already paid a huge amount for the job. How can I pay that back if I do not have a job?" a Nepali migrant at the dormitory told Reuters.
The 23-year-old, who declined to be identified for fear of backlash from recruitment agents, signed a two-year contract with a Malaysian cleaning company but has not started work. He said he, like others there, had borrowed 300,000 Nepali rupees (US$2,300) to pay an agent for the job. He was promised a monthly salary of RM2,062 (US$464.94) per month.
The workers at the facility all tell similar stories: upon arriving in Malaysia, recruiting agencies told them no jobs were immediately available and took them to accommodation facilities to wait. They were then told they would eventually be employed; in the meantime, they must pay for their own food without a salary.
It is unclear how the workers ended up without jobs despite arriving in Malaysia with employment contracts and promises that their temporary work visas would become permanent on arrival. Malaysia last month launched an investigation.
Puncak Jupiter Management Services and Star Domain Resources, listed as employers on some of the workers' travel documents, did not respond to requests for comment. Amial International, one of the recruitment agencies the workers used, did not respond to requests for comment.
The human resources ministry and the labour department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The ministry has promised to find jobs for a separate group of 226 stranded workers from Bangladesh and Nepal.
Migrants form the backbone of Malaysia's export-reliant economy, making up about 15% of the country's 15 million workforce. Malaysian companies have faced US bans in recent years over use of forced labour.
Rights activists say migrant workers have been at greater risk after Malaysia eased recruitment processes this year in a bid to fill a 1.2 million job shortage across its plantation, manufacturing and construction industries.
"It's a bigger problem now," said Adrian Pereira, the executive director of migrant rights' group North South Initiative, adding that his team had received reports of about 1,200 other workers across Malaysia caught in a similar plight.
The Bangladesh embassy in Kuala Lumpur last month called for more transparency by Malaysia to prevent its citizens from being cheated of jobs.
A Bangladeshi official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters a "few hundred" of its citizens were stuck in Malaysia without jobs.
The Nepal embassy has also said it received such complaints.
At the facility visited by Reuters, the migrants lived four to six in small rooms with bunk beds and one shared bathroom.
Two workers – Nepali citizens aged 43 and 46 – died by suicide between February and April at the facility, the Nepalese embassy in Kuala Lumpur said, citing reports from the police and hospitals. Reuters could not determine why the two men killed themselves.
Without income, the migrants find it difficult to buy food and pay back loans back home.
"We still don't know whether we will get a job or not. The agent keeps asking us to wait... it's been three months," one Bangladeshi worker said.


Key suspects in Maldives’ Nasheed bombing arrested

Maldives police said on Sunday they have arrested a person believed to be the prime suspect in an explosion that critically wounded the country’s former president.Police said they now have three of four suspects in custody.Thursday’s blast targeted Mohamed Nasheed, currently the speaker of parliament, who is still recovering in hospital after multiple surgeries, The AP reported.Two of Nasheed’s bodyguards and two apparent bystanders, including a British citizen, were also wounded.Police did not give details of the suspect or his background, but in a text message confirmed they believe he is the person whose pictures were released on Saturday as authorities sought public assistance identifying him.Officials blamed religious “extremists” for the attack, although investigators still do not know which group was responsible.Nasheed has been an outspoken critic of religious hardliners in the predominantly Sunni Muslim nation, where preaching or practising other faiths is banned by law. He has been criticised by religious hardliners for his closeness to the West and his liberal policies.Hospital officials said Nasheed, 53, remains in intensive care after initial life-saving surgeries to his head, chest, and limbs. A relative tweeted early on Sunday that Nasheed had been able to have conversations with family members.Flying shrapnel from the blast damaged Nasheed’s intestines and liver, and a piece broke his rib less than a centimetre from his heart, hospital officials said.Officers from the Australian Federal Police and a British investigator are assisting with the investigation, following a request from the government.Nasheed was the first democratically elected president of the Maldives, serving from 2008 to 2012. He was defeated in the subsequent presidential election and was ineligible for the 2018 race due to a prison sentence, but has remained an influential political figure.He has championed global efforts to fight climate change, particularly warning that rising seas caused by global warming threaten the Maldives’ low-lying islands.The Maldives is known for its luxury resorts but has experienced occasional violent attacks. In 2007, a blast in the capital Malé wounded 12 foreign tourists and was also blamed on religious hardliners.The Maldives has one of the highest per-capita numbers of fighters who fought in Syria and Iraq alongside the IS group.Authorities announced in January that eight people arrested in November were found to have been planning to attack a school and were in the process of building bombs in a boat at sea. Police said the suspects conducted military training on uninhabited islands and recruited children.


FT mosques allowed congregational prayers without physical distancing from April 1

Congregational and tarawih prayers will be allowed without physical distancing at all mosques and suraus in the federal territories from April 1, in line with the transition to the endemic phase.The Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) said this was one of six new rulings that had received the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.Jawi director Mohd Ajib Ismail said it was also based on current guidelines and SOPs for activities at mosques and suraus.Congregants are encouraged to bring and use their own prayer mats when performing prayers at mosques and suraus, he said in a statement today.Attendance at mosques and suraus is allowed without any age limit for those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19.“Mosques and suraus are allowed to perform tarawih prayers up to 20 rakaat (unit of prayer) in the month of Ramadan, while qiamullail (the act of worship during the last part of the night) is allowed from midnight,” he said.He added that breaking fast, moreh (supper) after tarawih prayers and sahur (pre-dawn meal) are also allowed at mosques and surau although food should be prepared in packages.Quran reciting activities at mosques and suraus are also allowed at any suitable time and in small groups.“All permission is subject to the SOPs set in accordance with the advice of the health ministry and the National Security Council,” he said.


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Four more bodies found, taking landslide toll to 30

Search and rescue workers found four more bodies at the site of the Batang Kali landslide today, nearly a week after the tragedy which occurred early last Friday.
Police said the first body was found at 10.30am. Three more were found later on, taking the death toll from the landslide to 30.
Hulu Selangor district police chief Suffian Abdullah said the four bodies were of a man, a woman, a boy and a girl.
"The bodies were found in the same tent in Sector C at a depth of 7m, fully dressed and already starting to decompose.
"As for now, their identities have yet to be ascertained. So we cannot confirm whether they are family members or not," he told a press conference at the scene.
All four bodies have been taken to Hospital Sungai Buloh for a post-mortem.
A total of 94 people, including children, were believed to have been at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Gohtong Jaya when the landslide hit last week.
Of these, three remain missing.


Zahid sues Muhyiddin over court intervention claims

Former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has filed a defamation suit against former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin over the allegation that he had sought the latter’s help to settle or postpone his court cases.Zahid, 69, as the plaintiff, filed the suit through Messrs Shahrul Hamidi & Haziq at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 4, naming Muhyiddin, 74, as the sole defendant.According to his statement of claim, Zahid said that on Oct 19, 2018, he was charged at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court with 12 counts of breach of trust, eight counts of corruption, and 27 counts of money laundering, all of which were tried in the High Court.He claimed that Muhyiddin had, while on the campaign trail for the 15th Johor state election in Mersing on Feb 13, made a defamatory statement with ill intention against him.“On the same day, the video footage of the defamatory statement was published on Astro Awani’s YouTube channel managed by Astro Awani. The video, which lasted two hours 35 minutes and eight seconds (2:35:08), can be accessed on the internet,” he said.Zahid claimed that until the date of the writ of summons and the statement of claim was filed, the video had recorded 29,752 views via the Astro Awani YouTube channel which has 1.44 million subscribers, and that it was widely shared on other social media platforms such as KiniTV and the Perikatan Nasional Facebook page, as well as the Malaysiakini and Utusan Malaysia portals on Feb 16 and 17.The Bagan Datuk MP claimed Muhyiddin’s statement implied that he had used a shortcut to settle and postpone his ongoing court cases, and that he had asked for Muhyiddin’s help to intervene in the court cases and the judiciary system to order the dissolution of the Johor state assembly. He said it also implied that he was not a respectable and exemplary leader.Zahid claimed that the allegations were false and aimed at tarnishing his name and reputation, and that they were made by the defendant after the Election Commission’s announcement on the Johor state election.“As such, it is clear that the statement was made with ill intention to influence and tarnish the reputation of the plaintiff as the top leader of Barisan Nasional, and indirectly give a bad image to the coalition contesting in the Johor state election,” he said.He is seeking general, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as an order for Muhyiddin to publish a public apology in the news, and other reliefs and costs deemed fit by the court.Zahid also filed a notice of ex-parte application for the defendant or his representative to withdraw the defamatory statement or similar defamatory statements against him.He also applied for an interim injunction order to restrain the defendant, his officers and assistants as well as his agents and representatives from issuing, publishing, distributing or disseminating such statements on any social media platform including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp.He also applied for an interim injunction order for the defendant to delete, edit and stop the publication of the part of the video footage which contained the defamatory statement in online news portals and social media including the Perikatan Nasional Facebook page, Astro Awani’s YouTube channel and KiniTV.The ex-parte application will be heard before judge Rozana Ali Yusoff.


Has Covid-19 killed the stigma on online degrees?

Not long ago, a deputy minister found himself at the centre of controversy following claims that the bachelor’s degree he was conferred by an American university was obtained through long-distance learning.Marzuki Yahya, the deputy foreign minister under the Pakatan Harapan government, would soon find himself mocked on social media with critics accusing him of obtaining a fake degree, all because his tertiary education had been completed the unconventional way.But he was not alone.In 2013, then-ministers under the Barisan Nasional government Richard Riot and Ewon Ebin were also accused of having “fake” degrees, as they were obtained through online learning.But has the Covid-19 pandemic changed the widely held perception that online degrees are less dignified than those obtained through years of attending lectures in the hallowed halls of universities?Today, some 1.5 billion tertiary students worldwide have moved to online learning as part of measures by governments to ensure minimal physical contact in the effort to contain the virus.However, debate still continues on the quality of the graduates produced through online learning and those who graduated the traditional way.In the future, jobseekers’ online degrees could be more acceptable to employers, especially if they are issued by established institutions.Prof Teo Kok Seong of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said there are several reasons behind the perception that online degrees are inferior.“Firstly, it is a relatively new mode of education, yet to be efficiently tested for its ‘authenticity’,” Teo from UKM’s Institute of Ethnic Studies told MalaysiaNow.“Secondly, employers are suspicious of degrees earned in this way since it is a new mode of learning which has not really been proved as real in the traditional way of learning.”Yet another reason, said Teo, has to do with instances of academic dishonesty.“Cheating has been found to occur in online assessments, to render these degrees as falsified in a way,” he added.But Teo agrees that the new norm in the education sector worldwide could change this perception.In the future, he said, jobseekers’ online degrees could be more acceptable to employers, especially if they are issued by established institutions.Online lectures and tutorials were implemented in a big way for the first time when public universities sealed their campuses after the movement control order this year.Many local universities offer a major selection of their courses – between 30% and 60% – online.According to guidelines issued by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) on getting accreditation for distance-learning courses, online learning can be held based on the suitability and flexibility of the course in question.MQA, which is tasked with ensuring the quality of higher learning institutions in the country, has also issued several guidelines to public universities and colleges on continuing their courses during the pandemic.MQA CEO Hussaini Omar said public universities must ensure the quality of their online courses.“They should also be able to take into account the interests and welfare of students and staff,” he said, adding that every improvement to online programmes needs to be carefully recorded in order to receive accreditation from MQA.“Maybe post-pandemic, hopefully, some of that stigma will be removed given the necessity that we have for online learning.”The universal stigma on online learning had caused some leading universities in the West to distinguish between traditional and online degrees.An MBA obtained through online learning, for example, was called “iMBA”.But Covid-19 could change that.“I think maybe post-pandemic, hopefully, some of that stigma will be removed given the necessity that we have for online learning,” Rachel Hewitt of the Higher Education Policy Institute, a British think tank on higher learning, was recently quoted as saying by the BBC.Teo, meanwhile, appears to be a firm believer in learning the traditional way.He said the acceptance of online degrees could be determined based on how long Covid-19 continues.“Online learning during these trying times due to Covid-19 movement restrictions is only temporary in nature. It is a new normal and it will not be an accepted norm later.“The traditional physical classroom or lecture hall will forever be the norm as education is primarily about face-to–face physical socialisation and not social isolation as in online learning, despite the digital interaction,” he said.


ASML, China customers haunted by uncertainty on new Dutch chip export rules

The Dutch government has not yet defined crucial aspects of new restrictions on chip-technology exports to China including whether ASML Holding NV can service chip-printing machines the company has already sold in the country.
"Those details still need to be worked out," Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher told reporters on Thursday in Stockholm.
Schreinmacher's remarks highlight that, while the plan announced by the Dutch on Wednesday puts the Netherlands in broad alignment with US goals of undermining China's ability to make cutting-edge chips, ASML and its Chinese customers still do not know exactly how it will affect their businesses.
The Dutch firm, Europe's largest technology by market capitalisation, had 14% of its sales in China in 2022 and has sold more than US$8.46 billion (about RM38.3 billion) worth of chip lithography equipment in China over the past decade.
Companies that buy its machines enter into service agreements with ASML for ongoing maintenance. The "installed base" segment contributed about 25% of ASML's worldwide revenue in 2022.
The machines – which cost tens of millions of euros apiece and perform an essential step in creating the circuitry of chips – require unique parts and constant maintenance to remain in working order.
Analysts and the company said the lack of clarity from the Dutch government will hang over the company's outlook. Key questions include any limits on servicing and which models will fall under the restrictions
ASML itself has for now repeated its guidance for 2023 of flat sales in China of around 2.2 billion euros. That compares with 25% revenue growth overall, illustrating the likely impact of the restrictions.
An ASML spokesperson said on Thursday the company interprets the government's remarks to mean that only a thin additional slice of its second-best product line will now be restricted in China, following a complete ban on its most advanced machines in 2019.
But there is an element of guesswork to that. "ASML is waiting for more information" the spokesperson said.
ING analyst Marc Hesselink calculated that the new Dutch rules could possibly affect products that account for 10% of ASML's worldwide sales. However, that would be a worst-case scenario and the impact will likely be less.
That's because ASML customers in China include South Korean chipmakers SK Hynix Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, which will likely be granted licenses, as well as domestic Chinese companies like logic chipmaker SMIC and memory chip maker YMTC, which face US export restrictions and may not be.
Schreinemacher said on Thursday the Dutch would grant licenses on a case-by-case basis and not follow instructions from Washington.
But Citi analyst Amit Harchandani said the Dutch restrictions appear comparable to those imposed on US companies last year and ASML's assessment of the impact is realistic.
For Chinese customers, the picture is less clear. "What we can say is that their ability to pursue leading-edge nodes development will be significantly curtailed," Harchandani said.
Hesselink of ING predicted that most Chinese chip makers will now opt to focus on "trailing edge" or production of chips using slightly older technology. The Chinese may have a competitive advantage there, and ASML's sales in China could even grow modestly.
Regardless, ASML will thrive outside China in the long run as chipmakers worldwide expand capacity, he said.
"The demand for ASML machines is not going to be impacted, it's simply going to shift to a different region," he said.


Finland to spend US$143 million on Russia border fence

Finland's government on Thursday proposed spending 139 million euros (about RM652.5 million) to build fences along parts of the country's border with Russia, fulfilling a promise made in the wake of Moscow's February invasion of Ukraine.
Finland, which is applying for membership in the Western military alliance Nato, has a history of wars with Russia, but the forest-covered border is still only marked with signs and plastic lines for most of its 1,300km (810 mile) length.
The Nordic country said in June it would build barriers along parts of the Russian frontier in a move to strengthen preparedness against hybrid threats such as the potential mass influx of asylum seekers.
The bill on preparedness, while contested in terms of European Union asylum rules, was passed in July by a supermajority that allows parliament to fast-track laws.
The country's border guard authority has said it ultimately aims to construct between 130-260km of fences, covering 10-20% of the overall length, focusing primarily on border crossing points and adjacent areas in southeast Finland.
Prior to Thursday's spending proposal, parliament had only allocated 6 million euros for a trial project.
Finland's majority centre-left government faces a general election early next year.


Vaccination of kids under 5 could begin in US by June 21

The White House expects vaccinations of young children to begin in earnest as early as June 21, if federal authorities approve their use in coming weeks, White House Covid response coordinator Ashish Jha said on Thursday.Jha told reporters that the US government had enough Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer Inc and Moderna Inc to begin the programme for young children if and when the vaccines are approved.He said the federal government would make 10 million vaccines available to state and local authorities to start broad-based vaccinations of children under five years of age.Pfizer and its partner BioNTech on Wednesday completed their filing with the US Food and Drug Administration to seek authorisation for their Covid-19 vaccine in young children.No Covid-19 shot is yet approved for children in that age group in most parts of the world. It remains unclear how many parents will get their young ones vaccinated as demand has been low in kids aged five to 11.Moderna in March released trial data that showed a two-dose formulation of its vaccine was safe and generated a similar immune response in young children as in adults.The FDA’s independent advisers will discuss the two applications in a meeting set for June 14-15, with the FDA expected to make a decision shortly thereafter, Jha said.He noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also needed to make a recommendation if the FDA authorised the vaccines, and said the agency would set dates for its advisory committee meetings “very, very soon.”Jha said many doctors’ offices could be closed on June 20 for the Juneteenth holiday, but if FDA and CDC approved the vaccines, vaccinations of young children would begin “in earnest” as early as June 21.“Our expectation is that within weeks every parent who wants their child to get vaccinated will be able to get an appointment,” he said. “We’re going to ship doses out as fast as possible.”


What the youth think of RTM

As a child, Intan Suraya often sat with her parents in front of the television, watching singers perform classic songs on RTM and TV1.
More than two decades later, she still finds herself humming along and singing old favourites together with her parents.
Now a university graduate with a degree in political science from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Intan cherishes her memories from childhood.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, though, she said she had never felt much of a connection with the political campaigns broadcast on the channels as well.
In fact, she believes that political campaigns on RTM have become weaker since the last general election in November and the instalment of the new coalition government.
"RTM broadcasts are for older people like my parents," she said.
"What is there on RTM? I like the classic songs and the family-themed dramas. The dramas are good. But nothing else.
"Everything else is a rehash of outdated methods that have been used for a very long time."
Intan, who works as a data clerk at an Australia-based health company, said none of the campaign ads or government programmes aired by RTM were interesting.
Lately, she added, commercial interludes had been occupied by montages featuring Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
She said any national reforms should in fact begin with government broadcasting stations such as RTM, to bring them up to date and make a bigger impression on the youth.
She said this would help dispel the stigma of RTM being merely a government propaganda machine.
Intan is among millions of youth in the country who, according to studies, spend much of their time on the internet and social media.
For some, the recent material broadcast by RTM has been more government propaganda than anything else.
A case in point was an infographic shared by the broadcaster in December last year, detailing the responsibility of the people to accept the state of the country's administration and urging a stop to voices of discontent.
Some had questioned the effectiveness and relevance of such methods in the digital age.
"What is this unity government? Where did they get this sort of political science?" Twitter user @suffiakamari said.
"YB comedy minister @fahmi_fadzil wake up call bro. It's not effective anymore. Who is going to trust this propaganda?"
Lukman, a draftsman in Cyberjaya, said the government should have made social media its platform for propaganda efforts.
He said the shift could have been made if the administration was not confident in the use of television stations like RTM.
"Now, it's slow on both RTM and social media," he said, adding that the effects of this would be seen at the state elections to come.
In any given week, he said, he spent only about 20 minutes watching RTM programmes on either TV1 or TV2 – mostly singing programmes or classic dramas from the P Ramlee era.
"Even the call to prayer, we just use our phones. Who still depends on RTM for this? Maybe the previous generation," he added.
Intan meanwhile said that slogans such as "Madani government" were not widely understood.
"The government hasn't really succeeded in encouraging these, despite the commercials and video campaigns on RTM or RTM-affiliated radio stations," she said.


Arul Kanda says unaware of judge Nazlan's involvement in 1MDB loan

Former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that he had no personal knowledge of the involvement of then High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Ghazali in the RM4.17 billion loan to the sovereign wealth fund.
In fact, Arul Kanda said he never directly met Nazlan, who was the general legal counsel of Maybank Group at the time.
Nazlan, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, convicted and sentenced former prime minister Najib Razak on July 28, 2020 to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million for misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International Bhd funds.
Arul Kanda, the 15th prosecution witness, said that in relation to the loan 1MDB took from Maybank, he always dealt with other bankers such as Michael Oh-Lau.
He said this during cross-examination by Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in the trial of Najib and Arul Kanda for allegedly tampering with the final 1MDB audit report. Shafee: Did any of these officers make you aware that they would have to get the go-ahead from their bosses?
Arul Kanda: Not directly... I was a banker. Before, if you had discussions on one level and within the bank, they would have to go through their own approval process.
Shafee: In legal terms, who was the general legal counsel for Maybank Group?
Arul Kanda: Nazlan. I’m unsure of the full name.
Shafee: Was it Mohd Nazlan Ghazali?
Arul Kanda: Yes, (but) I had never met him before.
Shafee: I suggest that a loan of this size must get approval from the legal side of the bank.
Arul Kanda: I presume so. During re-examination by lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram, the witness said he had no knowledge of Nazlan’s involvement in the loan process.
Sri Ram: It was suggested to you by the defence that Nazlan had a hand in this (loan to 1MBD)?
Arul Kanda: Yes.
Sri Ram: Do you have personal knowledge of this (Nazlan having a hand in this loan to 1MBD)?
Arul Kanda: No.
Arul Kanda also told the court that former 1MDB chief financial officer Azmi Tahir had suppressed information from reaching the National Audit Department (NAD) when the sovereign wealth fund was in the process of being audited in 2015. Arul Kanda further said that he was not responsible for the day-to-day operations of 1MDB, nor did he directly correspond with NAD for the audit process as such tasks were Azmi’s responsibilities.
Najib, 69, who is serving a 12-year jail term in the SRC International case, 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 being taken against him.
Arul Kanda 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, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya between Feb 22 and 26, 2016.
Both Najib and Arul Kanda were charged under Section 23 (1) of the MACC Act 2009, 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.
The hearing before judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan continues on Sept 2.


Hong Kong leader says no plans for citywide lockdown as Covid infections spiral

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Tuesday there were no plans for a citywide lockdown in the global financial hub but “surrendering to the virus” was not an option as authorities battle a surge of Covid-19 infections.Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Lam said she could not “preclude” the possibility of postponing the city’s chief executive election, due to be held in March. She has not said whether she will seek another term as head of the administration in the Chinese controlled city.And with those doubts hanging over her own future, Lam said her government’s response to the outbreak had not been satisfactory with hospitals and medical staff overwhelmed.“There are no plans for a widespread city lockdown,” Lam said but doubled down on her ‘dynamic zero’ coronavirus strategy, similar to mainland China which seeks to curb outbreaks as soon as they occur.Daily infections have surged by about 20 times over the past two weeks with authorities scrambling to keep up with their testing and isolation mandate.“We cannot surrender to the virus. This is not an option.”Health authorities reported a record 2,071 infections on Monday, with another 4,500 preliminary positive cases.As cases soar, China has said it would help the city boost its testing, treatment and quarantine capacity, and secure resources from rapid antigen kits and protective gear to fresh vegetables.Lam said the central government would deliver over 100 million testing kits to the territory.Despite the latest surge, deaths remain far less than in similar-sized cities since the pandemic erupted two years ago.Hong Kong’s total caseload since the pandemic first erupted is around 25,000 infections, including a little over 200 deaths.But, with the healthcare system already overstretched, medical experts warn the city could see 28,000 daily infections by the end of March, and there were worries about the largely unvaccinated elderly.Lam said some public housing and hotels would be converted into isolation facilities.Around 84% of the city’s 7.5 million residents have had at least one vaccine but a large proportion of the elderly have remained hesitant, despite a recent pickup.Hong Kong will introduce a vaccine pass starting Feb 24 where residents will have to show proof of vaccination before entering restaurants, supermarkets and shopping malls.Most venues from churches to schools and gyms remain shut while public gathering of more than two people is banned. Dining in restaurants is not allowed after 6.00pm, while most people are working from home.


The disappearing appreciation of the humble kuih

Every day, 57-year-old Rozi wakes up at 3am, forcing herself past the first aches of old age and into the kitchen to start preparing the ingredients for nasi lemak and an assortment of traditional Malay kuih.She began her small business three years ago, running a roadside stall outside her apartment building in Putra Perdana Puchong.Rozi is one of a dwindling number of “makciks” and “aunties” who still hand make traditional kuih. She learnt how to do this from her mother, but fears that the cycle may end with her generation.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she said not many young people appear interested in making, or even eating, such food anymore.The older generation, on the other hand, still order kuih from her, especially for special occasions or family gatherings.“The demand for quality Malay kuih is still prevalent, but in cities like Kuala Lumpur we don’t get much demand from young people as they prefer fried or fast food,” she said.Twenty-four-year-old Ahmad Azfar who lives in Kampung Kerayong Klang agreed, saying he could find many kuih stalls in his housing area but far fewer in cities.“Most of the sellers are middle-aged women,” he said. “I have never seen any young kuih sellers.”Azfar himself loves kuih and often helps his mother make the traditional cakes and cookies at home.“Every type of kuih has its own unique taste and is a cultural symbol through food,” he said.“I think young people should preserve this knowledge because it is part of our cultural inheritance.”Mohd Adly Rizal, CEO of FriedChillies Media which recently launched an initiative called Projek Kuih Warisan Ihsan Haridepan, said young people these days are generally more interested in Western desserts than in their own heritage.This is especially due to so-called dessert trends, which have increasingly nudged traditional fare such as kuih out of the picture.“Youngsters are still interested in learning about kuih but there is less interest as there is much more information available on Western desserts than on kuih,” he said.His project, funded by Yayasan Hasanah and the finance ministry, collects old recipes and cooking tips from all over the country and shares them with participants who range from schoolchildren to university graduates at culinary schools.Still, concern remains over the future of kuih in the country.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Adly said many people appear more willing to spend on cake than they are on kuih.“A slice of cheesecake costs about RM12 but kuih talam only costs RM0.50 despite the fact that it requires more skill to produce than cheesecake and uses more natural ingredients,” he said.With the increase in price of ingredients, he estimates that a good piece of kuih these days costs about RM1.50 – “if you want all the ingredients to be natural and authentic.”“Kuih makers can make really good kuih, but Malaysians must be willing to pay for the time and quality that goes into making it.”The rising cost of goods is a problem that Rozi knows only too well. Still, she tries her best to maintain her current price level which is RM0.50 for a piece of kuih and RM1 for a packet of nasi lemak.“I refuse to raise the price unless I receive a big order for a special occasion, since we would also need to include the price of packaging,” she said.Usually, she can make about RM1,000 a month.“Business has been getting better since we learnt how to market our kuih online,” she added.Although kuih-making is a long and tedious process, Rozi has no intention of quitting any time soon. In fact, she is trying to learn more about it and how to improve her online skills.Her hope, as she struggles out of bed each morning, is that the kuih industry in Malaysia will remain alive in the generations to come.


Shift online brings cash flow problems for small food businesses in Sarawak

When the movement control order (MCO) was first implemented in March last year, Siti Masniah Zainudin had no choice but to move her food business online.Today, with much of the country under a second instalment of the movement restrictions, it’s back to the digital world for her and for many other food operators like herself.But making the shift online is easier said than done, as they have found.“It’s not only about embracing the digital economy,” Siti Masniah, 56, told MalaysiaNow.“Small businesses like ours have to go for online business because of the need to adapt to the new norm. But the surging demand to adapt is costing us more than usual. Even online sales don’t bring in much profit.”Siti Masniah is in Kuching, Sarawak, the only state to remain under conditional MCO. This version of the movement restrictions allows more flexibility in terms of business and social activities.“The surging demand to adapt is costing us more than usual.”Still, many food operators are unsure if their businesses will recover by the end of the year.Many at the Kubah Ria Complex said the pandemic which hit the country in early 2020 had taken a heavy toll on their business revenue.“Prior to Covid-19, the dining area was thronged with locals and their families who came here to eat,” Adam Talit said.“Now, no-one dines in. Many are hesitant to go out and prefer to order online from food delivery services.”For Siti Masniah, Adam and thousands others, cash flow is a critical problem. The drastic drop in number of walk-in customers coupled with extensive health SOPs is compounded by the extra cost of arranging deliveries.Siti Masniah said some food delivery services level “excessive” charges, as much as 50% of total sales which small businesses struggle to meet.“Like it or not, small business owners have to look for ways to survive.”One way is to raise the price of their food.“But to simply increase the price is not easy,” Siti Masniah added. “The living cost in Sarawak, particularly here in Kuching, is cheaper than in other states.”In Sarawak, she said, RM5 is enough to pay for a full plate of chicken rice or mee kolok.“Like it or not, small business owners have to look for ways to survive.”“But if I continue to sell nasi goreng cornbeef at RM7, imagine – with 50% service charged by the delivery platform, and other costs including rental fees and staff salaries, I don’t think my business can stay afloat.”For Bob Lee who sells drinks, delivery to customers takes on an added layer of complexity.“If a customer orders a hot drink, I have to buy extra inventory items to make sure the drink is safely delivered,” he told MalaysiaNow.“There are many things to consider if I sell drinks online.”Many of these vendors are hoping for a boost from the government to help them survive.“It would be better if the government could provide subsidies for small businesses on delivery logistic costs,” Siti Masniah said.


No direct evidence Covid-19 started in Wuhan lab, says US intelligence report

US intelligence agencies found no direct evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic stemmed from an incident at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology, a report declassified on Friday said.
The four-page report said the intelligence agencies still could not rule out the possibility that the virus came from a laboratory, however, and had not been able to discover the origins of the pandemic.
"The Central Intelligence Agency and another agency remain unable to determine the precise origin of the Covid-19 pandemic, as both (natural and lab) hypotheses rely on significant assumptions or face challenges with conflicting reporting," the report said.
The agencies said that while "extensive work" had been conducted on coronaviruses at the Wuhan institute (WIV), they had not found evidence of a specific incident that could have caused the outbreak.
"We continue to have no indication that the WIV's pre-pandemic research holdings included SARSCoV-2 or a close progenitor, nor any direct evidence that a specific research-related incident occurred involving WIV personnel before the pandemic that could have caused the Covid pandemic," the report said.


Booed on plane, Brazil president tells critics to ‘take a donkey’

They say Brazil is polarised under far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, but the divide was literal Friday, when he boarded a commercial plane to greet supporters in the front – as opponents booed him at the top of their lungs from the back.Visiting the southeastern state of Espirito Santo to inaugurate a public works project, Bolsonaro took a moment at the airport to briefly enter a departing plane and say hello.It was all smiles in the roomier, more-expensive front of the plane, as seen in a video he posted on Twitter of himself snapping selfies with passengers and crew.But videos from the back of coach posted on social media show a riotous scene as passengers waved the middle finger and hurled protest slogans at the president, including “Get out, Bolsonaro!” and “Genocidal maniac!”That is a reference to the president’s widely questioned handling of Covid-19, which has claimed more than 480,000 lives in Brazil, second only to the US.Responding to the boos, Bolsonaro removed his face mask to joke, “Those people saying ‘Get out, Bolsonaro’ should be travelling by donkey.”Brazilian media reports said he had also removed his mask in the airport, in violation of regulations in place to contain the pandemic.The president’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Bolsonaro has frequently criticised face masks, lockdowns and vaccines to fight the pandemic, instead touting the medication chloroquine despite studies showing it is ineffective against Covid-19.The plane episode turned into a top trending topic on Twitter in Brazil, under the tag “ForaBolsonaro” (Get out, Bolsonaro).The president’s disapproval rating has risen sharply along with the death toll from Covid-19, and opponents are increasingly ready to take to the streets in protest despite the pandemic.They have called for new demonstrations Sunday, on the opening day of the Copa America, the South American football championships.Bolsonaro controversially defied warnings from epidemiologists to bring the tournament to Brazil when original hosts Argentina and Colombia fell through because of surging Covid-19 caseloads and social unrest.


Anwar's budget big on slogans but no real benefit to country, says think tank

An economic think tank has criticised the 2023 budget re-tabled by Anwar Ibrahim on Friday, saying it has attractive sound bites on taxes but lacks any comprehensive strategy for tax reforms.
The Center for Market Education (CME) said the narrative by the government to "tax the rich" by increasing tax rates as well as taxing luxury goods might be good for political consensus but would not give any "real benefit for the country".
It also warned that the government was transferring the burden of reducing debt to firms and individuals "with new and questionable taxes".
"We wish to stress that, without government fiscal discipline, the country is unlikely to make a move in the direction of a sustainable growth path; furthermore, new 'anti-rich' or 'anti-business' taxes will only undermine the local investment ecosystem," said CME's Carmelo Ferlito.
CME also questioned Anwar's announcement of a RM500 injection into Employees Provident Fund accounts with less than RM10,000, which could involve some RM1 billion.
"While being an overall cost for the government, it does not produce any real benefit for the people. A measure with a populist flavour," it said.
In his budget speech, Anwar among others introduced a new tax on luxury goods, as well as announced a hike in income tax from 0.5% to 2% for those in the income bracket of more than RM100,000 to RM1 million.
Ferlito however said the tax increases might not produce any real effect other than to show that the government expects some groups of taxpayers to contribute to revenue when "the government itself doing nothing to cut expenditure".
He also questioned the timing of a capital gains tax, saying it will affect efforts to make Malaysia an attractive investment destination in the face of competition from neighbours.
Ferlito described the luxury goods tax as going against an equitable tax system.
"No true effort is made to extend the tax base with better enforcement or effective measures such as the goods and services tax," he said, referring to the 6% consumer tax abolished by the previous Pakatan Harapan government in 2018.
He added that there was nothing in terms of targeted subsidies despite the discussion on the topic.
"Rather, the amount of subsidies and handouts increases, showing that the government has no intention to move toward fiscal discipline and balanced budgets, shifting the burden of reducing debt to firms and individuals."


Judge’s previous bank job nothing to do with Najib’s SRC case, says prosecution

The prosecution in Najib Razak’s SRC International case said yesterday that the involvement of trial judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who previously held a position in Maybank Bhd, was irrelevant to the case against the former prime minister.Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul, in an affidavit-in-reply filed at the Federal Court yesterday to object against Najib’s application to adduce fresh evidence, said the alleged evidence sought had more to do with Najib’s separate and ongoing RM2.3 billion 1MDB trial.“The applicant’s allegations are nothing but a red herring to declare the SRC trial a nullity. I state that the issue of 1MDB’s acquisition of Tanjong Energy Holdings, the involvement of Maybank and Nazlan in this 1MDB matter, are not relevant to the facts in relation to the SRC charges faced by the applicant in the appeals.“These issues are not relevant to the SRC appeals but related to the 1MDB case which is not being presided over by Nazlan. There is no proof of any conflict of interest by the judge which translates to a real danger of bias at the SRC trial,” he said.It was confirmed that Nazlan, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, had in 2006 held the position of general counsel and company secretary of Maybank Investment Bank Bhd.Ashrof said Nazlan’s role at the said bank was public knowledge and known to the applicant at all material times, including during the commencement and continuance of the trial as shown by public documents and documents in the possession of the applicant.However, he said Najib did not object to him presiding over the trial at the material time.The prosecutor added that there was no evidence that the judge was involved in the setting up or incorporation of SRC International as 1MDB was the one that had set up SRC International at the point of time.Ashrof said Najib’s allegation of Nazlan’s purported knowledge of Maybank loans to 1MDB did not bar the judge from hearing the SRC International case.He also contended that the former prime minister had failed to show any connection between his allegations and the SRC International charges presided over by the judge.He said that 1MDB and SRC were distinct legal entities, with the latter operating separately and independently from 1MDB at all material times.“All relevant and material evidence was presented at the trial. There was no suppression of evidence as alleged, and the applicant was not denied a fair trial. This application is filed to prolong the SRC International proceedings for collateral purpose.“I aver that the cumulative evidence now sought to be adduced by the applicant was available to the applicant and, in any event, is not relevant to the appeals before the Federal Court,” Ashrof said, adding that the matter was fixed for case management before the apex court on June 30.On June 7, Najib filed an application to adduce further evidence related to the judge to the apex court, to nullify the entire trial on the misappropriation of SRC International funds totalling RM42 million which saw him convicted of seven charges.The Federal Court has fixed 10 days in August to hear Najib’s final bid against his conviction and jail sentence.On Dec 8, 2021, the Court of Appeal upheld Najib’s conviction, 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine for misappropriating the funds.Judge Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, who presided with Has Zanah Mehat and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, unanimously dismissed Najib’s appeal against Nazlan’s decision on July 28, 2020.


Musk threatens to tear up Twitter deal over ‘material breach’

Elon Musk warned Twitter Inc on Monday that he might walk away from his US$44 billion deal to acquire the social media company if it fails to provide the data on spam and fake accounts that he seeks.This was not the first time Musk had suggested publicly his acquisition of Twitter may not happen. But the warning, delivered in a letter from Musk’s lawyers to Twitter’s chief legal officer, Vijaya Gadde, marked an escalation. It accused Twitter of being in “material breach” of its deal obligations.Musk’s threats to tear up the deal have coincided with a plunge in many technology stocks – including the electric car maker that he leads, Tesla Inc – amid concerns over an economic slowdown and higher interest rates in the face of raging inflation.Twitter shares ended down 1.5% at US$39.57 on Monday, a large discount to the agreed US$52.20 deal price, as investors bet Musk will either convince Twitter to agree to a lower deal price or walk away.In the letter to Twitter, Musk’s lawyers reiterated his request for details on bot accounts and said he reserved all rights to terminate the acquisition as the company was in a “clear material breach” of its obligations by not providing him with the information.Twitter responded that it planned to enforce the completion of the deal on the agreed terms. “Twitter has and will continue to cooperatively share information with Musk to consummate the transaction in accordance with the terms of the merger agreement,” the company said in a statement.A self proclaimed free-speech absolutist, Musk has said one of his priorities will be to remove “spam bots” from the platform.He tweeted that the Twitter deal was “temporarily on hold” in mid-May, saying he will not move forward with the offer until the company showed proof that spam bots account for less than 5% of its total users. He has said he believes spam bots constitute at least 20% of the user base.Independent researchers have projected that 9% to 15% of the millions of Twitter profiles may be bots.In his letter, Musk said he needs the data to conduct his own analysis of Twitter users because he did not believe in the company’s “lax testing methodologies.” Twitter has said it stands by its projections and it cannot provide proprietary information on how it produces them.“He is trying to walk away from the Twitter deal, this is the first shot across the bow,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said.Legal experts have told Reuters the disclaimers Twitter used in its projections on spam accounts give it some protection against potential lawsuits, be they from Musk over the deal or shareholders over the accuracy of the company’s regulatory statements.Even if Twitter’s estimate is off, Musk would have to show that the San Francisco-based company was seeking to willfully mislead – a high legal threshold.“It’s fairly obvious that Musk has buyer’s remorse and he is trying whatever to get a reduction in price, and I think he may succeed,” said Dennis Dick, a proprietary trader at Bright Trading LLC.Clinching a lower priceTo be sure, Musk may be able to walk away or renegotiate the deal even if the law is on Twitter’s side. This is because any litigation is likely to be protracted, and Twitter may decide it makes more sense to agree to a lower price or receive compensation from Musk rather than try to force him to complete the transaction in court.Several companies renegotiated or walked away from agreed acquisitions when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020 and delivered a global economic shock.In one instance, French retailer LVMH threatened to walk away from a deal with Tiffany & Co. The US jewelry retailer agreed to lower the acquisition price by US$425 million to US$15.8 billion.As part of the deal, Musk is contractually obligated to pay a US$1 billion breakup fee – a sliver of his fortune pegged by Forbes at US$219 billion – if he cannot complete the transaction because the debt financing falls apart or regulators block it.U.S. antitrust regulators last week decided not to further scrutinize Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, making it unlikely that it would stumble on regulatory grounds. The European Union is still reviewing the deal.In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday that he had begun an investigation into Twitter for what he said was “potentially false reporting over its fake bot accounts,” a potential violation of state law.Paxton asked Twitter to turn over documents as part of the probe.“If Twitter is misrepresenting how many accounts are fake to drive up their revenue, I have a duty to protect Texans,” Paxton said in a statement.A Twitter spokesperson said the company stood by its filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.


Sorry.


How Vietnam managed to escape 2020

The Vietnamese have a time machine. Citizens get priority seating, but for several thousand dollars, foreigners with official business in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and a negative Covid test (make sure you get the RT-PCR test – details, people) can FedEx a few government forms written in their best attempt at Việt script, and pack their bags for the past.A travel agent will help you choose a room in one of many hotels across the country that have been converted into high-end quarantine facilities, and will book you a circuitous series of flights interspersed with long waits at airports that have been converted into half-shuttered, near-deserted shells of their former selves.Upon landing, you will jump into a lightweight Hazmat suit, then into the back seat of a van hermetically sealed off from the driver, which will leave the airport through the service exit (another perk of time travel: no airport traffic), and drop you off at your hotel lobby, which you will see exactly twice in 14 days.Your hotel room window likely won’t open, a merciful touch since opening windows or even leaving your room is “not allowed” (get ready to hear that phrase a lot) except for two visits to a nearby room for more large Q-Tips up the nostrils. You will be given a glass armpit thermometer and a sheet to record daily results which nobody will check. You will spend roughly two days convinced you’re infected. Every three days, a hotel employee in one of those jumpsuits will take a deep breath, dash in and clean your room as fast as physics will permit. You will take more meals and baths than you could ever need, and maybe even more than you want. You will wear robes all day and adapt to solitude, the room service doorbell will startle you every time, and ultimately the weirdest part of your quarantine experience will be the fact that part of you will be sad when it’s over.It’ll be no time for sadness though, because now you’re out, out into this time machine’s sole destination: Vietnam, 2019. Sure, international tourism has disappeared along with a number of businesses, but Vietnam is 97 million people and many industries. Yes, many people wear masks, but here they always did. Beyond that, life is as it was. Sweaty schoolkids lean on you in crowded markets while toddlers run through your legs and inspect your purchases. Old people gossip and exercise along sidewalks while men atop ladders adjust signage on another of the new bars, coffeeshops and restaurants that spring up across town faster than your five o’clock shadow.People enjoy a friendly game of badminton and some exercise at a park in Hanoi. Photo: James DunnBy now, if you’re from the Western world, certain questions might be presenting themselves.How did the Vietnamese come up with this machine?By banning non-essential inward flights from everywhere indefinitely, as opposed to shutting down travel from China for one month and crowing about it for eight.By instituting real lockdowns, as opposed to politely suggesting people stay home if convenient.By sealing off any neighbourhood where sick people are found, testing everyone in it, and sending the sick to hospitals to recover, as opposed to sending them home to infect their families.Street vendors wait for customers at their stall in Hanoi. Photo: James DunnA logical next question is: why didn’t Western countries do the same?To preserve their economies? The tools don’t yet exist to explain just how wrecked the average Western economy is right now.To preserve their freedoms? The Vietnamese government delivered its people from the Americans, from economic ruin and now from Covid. The people of the West can barely walk down the street today. Who’s free here?Essentially, Vietnam succeeded against Covid because of one word: humility. It turns out beating China, Japan, France and America off your doorstep will teach you things.Everything you have can be taken away. It’s not a plot against you, it’s just life, and sometimes you can’t buy your way out of it. You can only take every precaution, even if it might not work, strong and early, when you can control things, to avoid a bunch of pain later when you can’t – a vaccine, so to speak.It’s a vaccine surely more effective than any actual Covid vaccine so many westerners will mistrust, the same way they mistrust Vietnam’s success story, as surely as the Vietnamese are living it. Westerners have no idea how badly they’re doing right now, just as Vietnamese have no idea how well they’re doing. All the little things in life are actually the priceless things – a walk in the park; sunflower seeds by the lake – the things you can only fight for. These are the things the West took for granted, and the Vietnamese didn’t. So now they get to keep them.James Dunn is an American businessman based in Hanoi.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


In Sarawak, rising floods push virus war from limelight

While Sarawak has been spared the strict Covid-19 lockdowns which enveloped most parts of the country following the reinstatement of the movement control order (MCO) this week, thousands of residents in key cities and townships have been facing another problem as floods worsen in their areas.Despite the state coming under the milder, recovery phase of the MCO or RMCO, the risks attached to the Covid-19 pandemic are complicating efforts to relocate flood victims to relief centres.Julia Sulong and her husband Zainal Abdullah, who is paralysed from the waist down, are among hundreds of evacuees now placed at a multipurpose hall in Kampung Sinar Budi, the worst affected area in Kuching just 5km away from the city centre.Heavy rain on Wednesday saw their home inundated by midnight.Julia SulongJulia recalls how she panicked when no help came from the rescue team to get her husband to safety.She later learnt that the team had faced a shortage of boats for evacuation as unexpected floods hit Samarahan, Serian and Miri as well as the state capital of Kuching.“We have lived here for 17 years, but the floods never reached the level at which we needed to be evacuated,” she told MalaysiaNow.In the end, Julia’s neighbours came to her aid and helped move her and her husband to safety.Kampung Sinar Budi’s Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) secretary Hanina Habil said rescue efforts have been affected by a shortage of boats as well as the challenge of complying with SOPs.She said the state Fire and Rescue Department also faces logistic problems.Zainal AbdullahVillagers who spoke to MalaysiaNow said in one instance, victims had to be transported on an old refrigerator door, while in another case, a garbage bin was used to move children out of their home.Hanina said some victims waited up to 4.30am for the rescue team to arrive.The problem is compounded by the relief centres’ limited capacity to handle the crowds.At the multipurpose hall in Kampung Sungai Budi, 63 families are taking shelter with 40 tents put up to house 268 evacuees.But there are at least three other flood victims who are under quarantine due to Covid-19 symptoms and who have to be placed in a separate room.“Some officers from the health department came yesterday and reminded us to observe physical distancing.“How can we do that if we have to huddle together on the stage (at the hall)?” Hanina asked.She said rescue efforts require teamwork from various agencies, adding that she understood the challenges faced by the authorities.As of 8am this morning, the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee said there were 4,247 people at 51 relief centres.


Walkout to continue as planned, say contract doctors

The planned walkout by a group of contract doctors will continue as scheduled on Monday at government hospitals and clinics across the country, with organisers saying the government has failed to fulfil their demands.Hartal Doktor Kontrak spokesman Dr Umar Barakah said some 4,000 doctors are expected to join the strike.He said they will clock in for work in the morning before staging the walkout at 11am.“We want to show that we are many in number, and without us, the healthcare system will be paralysed,” he said at a press conference today.The decision follows the government’s announcement yesterday of a two-year extension of contract for medical officers, dentists and pharmacists once they have completed their compulsory service.The group said this was a “sugar-coating statement” to keep them quiet, adding that it would not guarantee their future.They have been calling for their absorption into permanent positions and an explanation of the criteria for the transition of some 23,000 doctors currently serving on contract.“As long as nothing is in black and white, and there is no stamp and signature, it is only a media statement and not a circular,” Umar said in response to Muhyiddin.The hospitals involved include the Sungai Buloh Hospital, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah in Selangor, Hospital Tuanku Fauziah in Perlis and Hospital Queen Elizabeth in Sabah.Umar said the group had pledged not to jeopardise the health of the patients in their care.He said those who are stationed at ICUs have been encouraged to return to work after the walkout.“We also have contract doctors placed at vaccination centres,” he added. “These might not be many in number, and we encourage them to show solidarity with us (if they cannot join the walkout).”Umar said the group was also ready with its legal team in the event that doctors who join the movement are threatened or placed under disciplinary action by their superiors.“We will continue to push and to fight if the government stays silent,” he said.“We will wait for a response from the government after July 26 before we announce our next course of action.”He also voiced hope for a “win-win” solution in addition to an overhaul of the contract system.The contract system was introduced by former prime minister Najib Razak for medical, dental and pharmacy graduates in the tabling of the 2017 Budget at the Dewan Rakyat, due to constraints on permanent positions.


China bans exams for 6-year-olds as Beijing retools education system

Beijing on Monday banned written exams for six- and seven-year-olds, as part of sweeping education reforms aimed at relieving pressure on pupils and parents in China’s hyper-competitive school system.China’s exam-oriented system previously required students to take exams from first grade onwards, culminating in the feared university entrance exam at age 18 known as the gaokao, where a single score can determine a child’s life trajectory.“Too frequent exams… which cause students to be overburdened and under huge exam pressure,” have been axed by the education ministry, according to new guidelines released Monday.The ministry said the pressure on pupils from a young age “harms their mental and physical health.”The regulations also limit exams in other years of compulsory education to once a term, with mid-term and mock examinations allowed in junior high school.The measures are part of wider government reforms of China’s education sector, which include a crackdown on cram schools – seen by parents as a way to inflate their children’s educational fortunes.In late July, China ordered all private tutoring firms to turn non-profit, and barred tutoring agencies from giving lessons in core subjects at weekends and holidays, effectively crippling a US$100 billion sector.The aim is to reduce China’s education inequality, where some middle-class parents willingly fork out 100,000 yuan (US$15,400) or more per year on private tutoring to get their children into top schools.Many also snag property in schools’ catchment areas, driving up house prices.“There is no other country that has such a strong tutoring culture (as China),” said Claudia Wang, partner and Asia education lead at Shanghai-based consulting firm Oliver Wyman.With population growth at its slowest in decades, Chinese authorities lifted a two-child birth limit earlier this year and wish to increase incentives for parents to have more children.Beijing city authorities last week announced that teachers must rotate schools every six years, to prevent a concentration of top talent at some schools. Education officials on Monday reiterated a ban on schools setting up “priority” classes for gifted students.The education ministry also banned written homework for first- and second-graders earlier this year, and limited homework for junior high students to no more than 1.5 hours per night.However, many Chinese parents still regard education as a path to social mobility.The gaokao is one of the few ways that poor, rural students can access better educational opportunities and job prospects at top universities.


Daily caseload at 223 as no new deaths reported

Another 223 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,045,192.
There were 193 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,998,845.
There are now 9,380 active cases, of which 9,077 or 96.8% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 298 (3.2%) have been hospitalised.
A total of five are in ICU with four in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving total deaths unchanged at 36,967.


Russia registers world’s first Covid-19 vaccine for animals

Russia has registered the world’s first vaccine against Covid-19 for animals, mass production of which could be launched in April, Konstantin Savenkov, deputy head of Russian agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor told reporters, according to Sputnik.Savenkov said the Carnivac-Cov vaccine, developed by the Federal Centre for Animal Health, was the first and currently only vaccine against coronavirus for animals.“The clinical trials of Carnivac-Cov, which started in October last year, involved dogs, cats, polar foxes, minks, foxes and other animals.“The results of the studies allow us to conclude that the vaccine is harmless and has high immunogenic activity, since all vaccinated animals developed antibodies to coronavirus in 100% of cases,” he said.Rosselkhoznadzor scientists are continuing to study how long immunity lasts after vaccination although the current number is six months.“Already in April, mass production of the vaccine can be launched on the basis of the country’s largest platform for the production of medicines for animals – the Federal Centre for Animal Health,” Savenkov said.


Suu Kyi faces court as UN envoy warns of Myanmar civil war

Myanmar’s ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi faced a court hearing Thursday, after a UN envoy warned of the risk of civil war and an imminent “bloodbath” as the junta represses pro-democracy protests.More than 535 people have died in daily demonstrations since the military overthrew Suu Kyi on Feb 1, halting Myanmar’s decade-old experiment in democracy.The UN Security Council held an urgent closed-door session on the escalating crisis on Wednesday, and special envoy Christine Schraner Burgener urged them to act.“I appeal to this council to consider all available tools to take collective action and do what is right, what the people of Myanmar deserve and prevent a multi-dimensional catastrophe,” she said, in remarks obtained by AFP.She said she remained open for dialogue with the junta but added: “If we wait only for when they are ready to talk, the ground situation will only worsen. A bloodbath is imminent.”The emergency UN session came on the eve of Suu Kyi’s latest court hearing – she faces a raft of criminal charges that could see her barred from office for life.Her legal team on Wednesday held their first meeting with her – by video link in a police station – since she was ousted and detained in the early hours of Feb 1.The 75-year-old has not been seen in public, but her lawyers said she appeared to be in good health despite two months in detention.The hearing on Thursday is expected to be brief, and to deal only with administrative aspects of the case.The junta is also probing the Nobel laureate over allegations she took payments of gold and more than US$1 million in cash, but Khin Maung Zaw, one of her lawyers, said these were not likely to translate into formal charges at this stage.A group of ousted MPs from Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD), who have been working underground against the junta, have announced plans for “a new civilian government” in the first week of April, without giving further details.They announced that Myanmar’s military-drafted 2008 constitution was “cancelled”, and on Thursday a group of protesters burned a pile of copies in the street in Yangon.China cautionThe coup and the junta’s subsequent actions have triggered international condemnation and even sanctions.Britain – Myanmar’s former colonial ruler – called for the emergency Security Council meeting after the military dramatically ramped up its use of lethal force against protesters over the weekend.Britain’s UN envoy Barbara Woodward, said the Security Council was “united in its condemnation” and was discussing “a range of measures at our disposal”.But China, considered an important ally of Myanmar, ruled out sanctions or other “coercive measures”.China’s UN ambassador Zhang Jun also called for the protection of foreign businesses – a key concern for China, which has seen dozens of its factories torched amid anger against Beijing.The US State Department has ordered the departure of non-essential diplomatic staff and their families from Myanmar, and Japan – a top donor to the country – has halted new aid payments.Linda Thomas Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, raised the possibility of action if the military does not step down.If “they continue the attacks that they were making on civilian populations, then we have to look at how we might do more”, she told reporters.But so far the generals have shown no signs of being swayed by the diplomatic pressure.Civil war fearsFears are growing that a broader conflict could erupt in a country plagued for decades by on-off fighting between the military and rebel ethnic armies.Several of Myanmar’s 20 or so armed ethnic groups, who control large areas of territory mostly in border regions, have voiced their opposition to the coup and crackdown.Three of them – the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, the Myanmar Nationalities Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army – on Wednesday threatened to join the protesters’ fight against the military.Two other outfits – the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Kachin Independence Army – have already stepped up attacks on military and police in recent days.In another escalation, since Saturday the military has launched regular air strikes targeting the KNU in eastern Karen state.Local media outlet Karen News reported that 11 people were killed in an air strike in a gold mining area of the state on Tuesday. AFP has yet to independently confirm these details.“The military’s cruelty is too severe and many (armed ethnic fighters) are taking clear stances of opposition, increasing the possibility of civil war at an unprecedented scale,” UN envoy Burgener said.


Ukraine president dismisses 'short truce' with Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday dismissed the idea of a "short truce" with Russia, saying it would only make things worse.
"Russia is now looking for a short truce, a respite to regain strength. Someone may call this the war's end, but such a respite will only worsen the situation," the Ukrainian leader said in remarks broadcast at the Halifax International Security Forum.
"A truly real, long-lasting and honest peace can only be the result of the complete demolition of Russian aggression," Zelensky said.
The White House said earlier in the day that only Zelensky can decide when to open peace talks with Russia, rejecting the notion that it was pressing Kyiv to negotiate an end to the nearly nine-month war sparked by Moscow's February invasion.
General Mark Milley, the top US military officer, has however suggested in recent weeks that Kyiv could take advantage of battlefield victories over Moscow's forces and open talks toward ending the conflict.
Milley said Wednesday that while Ukraine has achieved key successes, Moscow still controls some 20% of the country, and that it is unlikely Kyiv's troops will force the Russians to quit the country soon.


North Korea lifts mask mandate, distancing rules after declaring Covid victory

North Korea has dropped a face mask mandate and other social distancing rules as leader Kim Jong Un declared victory over Covid-19 this week, state media said on Saturday, three months after its first acknowledgement of the virus outbreak in the isolated country.
Kim presided over a Covid meeting on Wednesday and ordered the lifting of maximum anti-epidemic measures imposed in May, adding that North Korea must maintain a "steel-strong anti-epidemic barrier."
Under the shift to a "normal" anti-epidemic system from a "top-level" system, North Korea dropped the mask-wearing obligation and other rules such as limit on service time of commercial and public facilities in all areas except border regions, according to the official KCNA.
The North recommended those experiencing respiratory symptoms should keep wearing masks, and urged people to maintain vigilance against "abnormal things" which Pyongyang has cited as the cause of infections.
The North has blamed its Covid outbreak on the "alien things" near its border with the South, with Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong vowing "deadly retaliation" for causing the outbreak.
North Korean defectors and activists in the South have for decades floated balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the North, at times along with food, medicine, money and other items.
North Korea has never confirmed how many people caught Covid, apparently due to a lack of means to conduct widespread testing, only reporting the daily numbers of patients with fever. The tally rose to some 4.77 million, and North Korea registered no new such cases since late last month.
The North's declaration on Covid comes despite no known vaccine programme. Instead, it says it relied on lockdowns, domestically produced medicines, and what Kim called the "advantageous Korean-style socialist system".
Infectious disease experts have cast doubts on North Korea's claims of progress, citing an absence of independent data.


US restores millions in Palestinian aid cut by Trump

The Biden administration announced on Wednesday it would provide US$235 million in aid to the Palestinians, so restarting funding for the United Nations agency supporting refugees and restoring other assistance cut off by then-president Donald Trump.The package, including humanitarian, economic and development assistance, was detailed by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of an effort to repair American ties with the Palestinians.The plan calls for US$150 million through UNRWA, US$75 million in US economic and development assistance and US$10 million for peace-building programmes, Blinken said.UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, that has supported Palestinian refugees since 1949.Most of the refugees assisted by UNRWA are descendants of some 700,000 Palestinians who were driven out of their homes or fled fighting in the 1948 war that led to Israel’s creation.However, the growing refugee count was cited by the Trump administration in its 2018 defunding, as an “endlessly expanding community of entitled beneficiaries”.Biden’s aides have also signalled that they want to re-establish the goal of a negotiated two-state solution as a priority in US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Any further major steps are likely to wait until the air clears after Israel’s inconclusive March election, which will be followed by Palestinian elections scheduled in the coming months.The Trump administration blocked nearly all aid after it severed ties with the Palestinian Authority in 2018. The move was widely seen as an attempt to force the Palestinians to negotiate with Israel.The cuts came after Palestinian leaders decided to boycott the Trump administration’s peace efforts over its decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US embassy there from Tel Aviv.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s office welcomed Biden’s commitment to a two-state solution as well as the renewed aid.But Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the US and the United Nations, criticised the renewal of funding to UNRWA, saying, “We believe that this UN agency for so-called refugees should not exist in its current format.”UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told Reuters, “A number of countries greatly reduced or halted contributions to UNRWA. We hope that the American decision will lead others to rejoin.”Blinken suggested that the Biden administration would seek reforms in UNRWA, which the Trump administration accused of inefficiencies, overcounting of Palestinian refugees and perpetuating the decades-old conflict with Israel.The money that will go to UNRWA does not immediately restore contributions to the US$365 million level that the US gave to the agency in 2017.


Nearly 25% of children fully jabbed, 43.3% given first dose

A total of 881,602 or 24.8% of children aged five to 11 had been fully vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow website, 1,538,685 or 43.3% have received at least one dose of vaccine.For teenagers aged 12 to 17, a total of 2,895,394 or 93.1% have completed their vaccination while 2,993,097 or 96.2% have received at least one dose.In terms of the adult population, 16,038,512 individuals or 68.2% have received a booster dose while 22,967,541 or 97.6% have completed their second dose.A total of 23,243,696 or 98.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine.A total of 11,121 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, comprising 1,959 first doses, 7,539 second shots and 1,623 booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses dispensed under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 70,345,153.


Bottled cooking oil subsidies on the agenda at Dewan Rakyat

Subsidies for pure bottled cooking oil and measures to monitor and address the issue of "doctors" selling cosmetics on social media platforms will be among the issues raised in the Dewan Rakyat today.
According to the order paper published on the Parliament website, the question of whether the government intends to continue the subsidies for pure bottled cooking oil until the end of the year will be raised by Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub (BN-Machang) to the domestic trade and consumer affairs minister during the question-and-answer session.   There will also be a question from Sabri Azit (PAS-Jerai) to the health minister on the ministry's moves to deal with "doctors" who promote cosmetics on social media platforms which could cause side effects for consumers.
Azizah Mohd Dun (Bersatu-Beaufort) will ask the housing and local government minister about the ministry's actions to ensure that first home buyers are not burdened with bank loan repayment charges due to stalled housing projects post-Covid-19.
Mujahid Yusof Rawa (PH-Parit Buntar) meanwhile is expected to ask the human resources Minister about the number of employers who have allegedly failed to comply with the Minimum Wages Order 2022 which came into effect on May 1.
After the question-and-answer session, the human resources ministry is expected to table the Employment Insurance System (Amendment) Bill 2022 and the Housewives Social Security Bill 2022 for the second reading and to be debated by MPs.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting will run until Aug 4.


No new cholera cases detected, says Selangor health department

No new cases of cholera have been detected so far after the one case reported on Oct 21, according to the Selangor health department (JKNS).State health director Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman said the 56-year-old local woman from the Petaling district had fully recovered after receiving proper treatment.“The results of the investigation found that the case had experienced severe diarrhoea symptoms and had sought treatment on the same day at a private health facility. The case was treated as an outpatient and stool samples were also taken for testing.“The test result from the National Public Health Laboratory showed the presence of the vibrio cholerae, serogroup 01 and serotype ogawa bacteria. Subsequently, all close contacts were screened including the food handler involved, and environmental sampling was also conducted,” he said in a statement uploaded on the JKNS Facebook page.Sha’ari said further investigations had been carried out but the department could not identify the cause of the infection.“JKNS would like to emphasise that cholera can spread quickly and can result in death if not treated immediately. JKNS will continue to monitor the situation in Selangor to curb any possible spread of cholera.“The public is advised to only drink treated or boiled water, practise good self-hygiene, not to eat raw or uncooked food and to seek immediate treatment if they have any symptoms of cholera,” he said.


Claim that palace invited politicians to ‘save Malaysia’ turns out to be fake news

Renewed claims on social media as well as an Amanah-linked website that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong will be granting an audience to political party leaders to discuss a future administration appear to be baseless, MalaysiaNow can confirm.This comes after the Amanah-linked portal said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had asked all party leaders to be present at the palace between June 9 and 11.The website, which has since removed the report, quoted Amanah president Mohamad Sabu as saying that “something good” would be announced in the near future.But a source familiar with meetings between the palace and political leaders during the emergency said the planned meeting was nothing out of the ordinary.“This is just a routine audience. Claims that it is to discuss the formation of the government are just fake news,” the source said.Speculation over the audience followed a request by former Umno man-turned-Amanah member Khairuddin Abu Hassan urging Sultan Abdullah to grant an audience to political leaders to find a solution to “save the country”.When contacted, PKR information chief Fahmi Fadzil said he received no such information.It is learnt that the meeting at the palace is to get feedback on issues related to efforts to fight Covid-19 as well as on the state of emergency.Several opposition leaders are among 19 members of a bipartisan committee agreed on by the government, which is tasked with advising the Agong on measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic throughout the virus emergency.


Covid-19, money matters: why outstation Chinese aren’t returning to vote in Johor

Lim Mei Yen lives in Shah Alam, Selangor although she hails from Johor, where her parents still live in Taman Bukit Perdana in Batu Pahat.But she will not be going back to her home town to vote come March 12.Having newly returned from a work assignment abroad, she is undergoing self-quarantine and fears that she might unwittingly carry the Covid-19 virus to her parents. And she herself is unwilling to risk contracting the disease if she turns out to vote.“Me going back to vote will not change the price of eggs,” she said. “My mother in Johor eats eggs at RM16 a carton, in Glenmarie I do as well.“What can we change?”Caster Ng, a maintenance engineer at a private hospital in Sarawak, also comes from Johor, from the town of Tebrau. Like Lim, she will not be returning to vote at the upcoming state election.For her, it is a matter of cost. She has worked in Kuching for seven years now where she lives with her husband and their three children. The entire family just returned to Tebrau for Chinese New Year last month.If she goes home again, buying a flight ticket at such short notice could cost the family thousands of ringgit.“I already returned to cast my vote at the 14th general election in 2018,” the 39-year-old said.“It’s like I lined up to vote yesterday, and now I need to vote again? I’m sorry, this is very tiring.”Lim and Ng are two among a number of Chinese voters originally from Johor who will not be going back to cast their ballots to elect a new state government.Azizuddin Sani, a lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia, said the main factors deterring the Chinese from going back are the steep increase in the number of Covid-19 infections, fuelled by the Omicron variant, and the difficulty they would face returning for election day.Still others feel that their votes will not bring about any change even if a new state administration is sworn in.He said such voters have yet to experience an opposition including the Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact that is capable of bringing change and opening up economic opportunities for the Chinese.“Up until now, there has been no clear agenda by any party to help the Chinese community,” Azizuddin told MalaysiaNow.In general, however, he said non-Malay voters still appear to support Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its component party DAP although there has also been a change in attitude towards Barisan Nasional (BN) and MCA.‘Practical’ ChineseAzizuddin said the Chinese are very practical in the way they view political developments, taking note of the policies put forth instead of the sentiments played up by various parties.“Because of this, they see stability in the government as something important as well,” he said.“This might give BN the edge. This is also why there has been a slight change in attitude by the Chinese towards BN.”The Chinese make up 37% of voters in Johor.Political analyst Oh Ei Sun said non-Malay voters in the state would choose a party based on two main factors.Firstly, he said, they would look for a party that does not involve supremacy but gives equal treatment to all.Secondly, they would support a party capable of bringing socioeconomic revival following the years of economic uncertainty brought about by the closure of Malaysia’s border with Singapore due to the Covid-19 pandemic.“Actually, this second factor is an issue of concern for many, from all ethnic backgrounds,” Oh, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, told MalaysiaNow.The Johor election will see multi-cornered fights among various political coalitions and parties.Apart from the more established entities such as BN, PH and PN, other parties such as Pejuang and Muda will be contesting an election for the first time.


Solomon Islands province turns down ‘bribe’ from Beijing

The premier of the South Pacific nation of Solomon Islands’ most populous province has rejected several offers of aid from Beijing.Analysts say that China is attempting to exert its influence in the South Pacific region by offering aid in the Covid-19 crisis, in the form of vaccine diplomacy or cash, but these offers always come with strings attached.Such aid, if accepted, then allows China to pressure the recipient state with demands to sign up to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.One provincial premier, Malaita Province’s Daniel Suidani told Sky News Australia he decided to not “take the bribe” from China as he is a representative of his people and acts in their interests.“I am just a representative – I will always get back to my people and I will always do what they like, in terms of leading the people as a premier of Malaita province,” he said.The decision is at odds with the Solomons central government’s position to cash in on China’s ambitions in the South Pacific.Suidani objected to the island group’s switch of diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China. He claimed he was offered bribes by China to support what is popularly known in the Solomons as the “switch” from Taipei to Beijing.His refusal to support the allegiance switch was made because he believed it went against his constituency’s interests.He told Sky he was first approached about accepting cash from China after he won office in June 2019.When asked if he thinks China has used similar bribery tactics to get the central government of the Solomons to switch allegiance he said he was “not sure”.“What happened in terms of the switch is not clear but there is something going on between the PRC and Solomons that makes them switch without consulting with the people of the nation.”The Solomon Islands are the latest nation to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan, choosing to take up relations with Beijing instead. Taiwan has lost six allies since President Tsai Ing-wen rose to power in 2016.The decision to shift diplomatic ties has been unpopular in the Solomon Islands and many citizens have objected to the switch fearing an economic relationship with China would be unmanageable.There are also concerns that the treatment of religious minorities by Beijing and its one-party system of government conflict with the islands’ Christian views and democratic principles.According to Al Jazeera English, Suidani has come into conflict with the central government and its formal “One China” policy since pledging to refuse any Chinese investment in his province while also fostering a close partnership with Taiwan.He is currently in Taiwan undergoing treatment for a suspected brain tumour.It is alleged that his request for medical assistance from Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare was turned down. The government of Taiwan “agreed to Premier Suidani’s visit on the basis of humanitarian concern” a statement from the Taiwanese foreign ministry said.The trip by Suidani to Taiwan has led to China’s embassy in the capital Honiara raising “concerns” with the Sogavare government.“China firmly opposes any official contacts in any form between Taiwan and any officials from countries having diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China,” it said in a statement in May.Australia has its eye on the Solomons too. Conservative Leader Cory Bernardi says Canberra “can’t afford to neglect our own region of the South Pacific”.The senator says Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made a good start with his multi-million dollar offer of infrastructure investment to the Solomons.


Drug authority green-lights Sinovac jab for teenagers

The Drug Control Authority (DCA) has given the green light for the administration of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine to teenagers aged 12 and above.Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the decision was made at a DCA meeting today.“The CoronaVac vaccine was previously given conditional registration for use among those 18 and above,” he said.“This is the second Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in adolescents after the same approval was given for Pfizer-BioNTech’s Cominarty vaccine in June.”However, he said the DCA recommends that teenagers aged 12 to 17 without comorbidities and who have allergies or are not suitable to receive the Pfizer jab be prioritised for the Sinovac shot.“The evaluation for the use of CoronaVac in adolescents with comorbidities will continue once sufficient data is submitted,” he said in a statement.The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for teenagers was launched on Sept 20 with the aim of vaccinating some 3.2 million students aged 12 to 17.


Guan Eng claims trial to misappropriation of state property

Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng was charged in the Sessions Court today with two counts of causing two plots of state government land worth RM208.8 million to be disposed of to developers.Lim, who is also former chief minister, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out before judge Ahmad Azhari Abdul Hamid.On the first count, Lim was charged with causing the Penang Land Registrar to dispose of property belonging to the state government worth RM135,086,094, namely Lot Tanah No. H.S. (D) 18801, No. PT Lot 702 Seksyen 1, Bandar Tanjong Pinang, Daerah Timor Laut, Penang, to Ewein Zenith Sdn Bhd.He was also accused of causing the Penang Land Registrar to dispose of Lot Tanah No.H.S. (D) 19318, No. PT Lot 10012 Seksyen 1, Bandar Tanjong Pinang, Daerah Timor Laut, worth RM73,668,986, to Zenith Urban Development Sdn Bhd.Lim was charged with committing the offences at the Penang Land and Mines Office, Level 21, Komtar, on Feb 17, 2015 and March 22, 2017.The charges, under Section 403 of the Penal Code, provide for imprisonment of up to five years, whipping and a fine upon conviction.Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy public prosecutors Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin and Francine Cheryl Rajendram appeared for the prosecution, while Lim was represented by lawyers Gobind Singh Deo, Ramkarpal Singh, RSN Rayer and A Sivanesan.On Aug 7, Lim claimed trial in the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur to one charge of soliciting a 10% cut of profits from the undersea tunnel project from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli.He was charged with committing the offence near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City in 2011.On Aug 10 meanwhile, he pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court in Butterworth to using his position as chief minister of Penang to receive gratification of more than RM3.3 million to help Zarul’s company secure the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel project.He was alleged to have committed the offence at the office of the Penang chief minister, Level 28, Komtar, George Town between January 2011 and August 2017.He was charged again in the same court on Aug 11 in his capacity as chief minister of Penang and chairman of the Penang Development Corporation Procurement Board at the time with using his position to obtain gratification of RM372,009 for his wife, Betty Chew Gek Cheng, through a company, Excel Property Management & Consultancy Sdn Bhd.