Over 1.5 million without power in Odessa after Russian drone attacks

Over 1.5 million people were without power in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa on Saturday after a night attack by Russian "kamikaze drones", President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The region's energy authority warned that repairs after the Friday strikes would take weeks, perhaps up to three months.
"After the night strike by Iranian drones, Odessa and other cities and villages of the region are in darkness," Zelensky said.
"As of now, more than one and a half million people in Odessa region are without electricity."
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the presidential administration, said only critical infrastructure including hospitals and maternity wards had access to electricity.
"The situation remains difficult, but is under control," Tymoshenko said.
The Black Sea port was a favourite holiday destination for many Ukrainians and Russians before President Vladimir Putin sent troops to pro-Western Ukraine on Feb 24.
Maksym Marchenko, the governor of the region, said Russia had attacked the city with "kamikaze drones" overnight.
"As a result of the strike, there is no electricity in almost all districts and communities of our region," he said.
Two drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defence units, Marchenko added.
On Friday, Kyiv said southern regions of the war-scarred country including Odessa were suffering the worst electricity outages days after the latest bout of systematic Russian assaults on the Ukrainian energy grid.
Russia fired dozens of cruise missiles at key infrastructure in Ukraine on Monday, piling pressure on the country's already ailing grid after repeated attacks.
Russia began targeting Ukraine's infrastructure following humiliating military defeats.
On Thursday, Putin vowed to keep battering Ukraine's energy grid despite an outcry against the attacks that have plunged millions into cold and darkness.


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Govt bound by confidentiality deals on vaccine cost, says Khairy

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today said the government is bound by confidentiality agreements with pharmaceutical companies in the matter of vaccine pricing, amid concern over the amount Putrajaya is paying for the country’s supply of vaccine.Speaking at a press conference, he said Malaysia has agreements in place with another three companies from China and Russia for a supply of Covid-19 vaccine which will allow 82.8% of the country or 26.5 million people to be inoculated against the virus.The three companies are Sinovac (China), CanSinoBIO (China) and Gamaleya (Russia).“The total cost for the vaccines from these companies as well as from Covax, Pfizer and AstraZeneca is RM2.05 billion,” he said.He added however that he was unable to state the actual cost as pharmaceutical companies require confidentiality as part of their agreements.“I cannot go into detail about the price of the vaccine because this would jeopardise the agreements,” he said.“I will respect the conditions of the agreements because the important thing is to obtain the vaccines.”He added however that the Covax and Pfizer vaccines were obtained through direct negotiations.Supplies of these two vaccines are expected to arrive in February.Khairy also said Malaysia would obtain another 20% from Pfizer in the near future.He said his ministry is ready to explain the deals to the Public Accounts Committee if the committee signs a non-disclosure agreement.“I hope to (disclose the details of the deals), but we should respect the agreement to confidentiality that we signed with the vaccine suppliers,” he added.Iskandar Puteri MP Lim Kit Siang previously challenged Khairy to reveal how much had been paid to Pfizer for its vaccine.Khairy in turn had disputed Lim’s claim that Belgium paid 20 times less for the vaccine than Malaysia did.Lim’s comparison with Belgium was based on a statement by the country’s secretary of state Eva De Bleeker who recently revealed the number of doses and price per dose of each vaccine.Belgium was said to have paid about RM60 per dose of Pfizer vaccine.Given Malaysia’s estimated population of 31 million, an allocation of RM3 billion would mean RM138 per person to vaccinate about 70% of the people.According to the Belgium government, the US paid Pfizer RM80 per dose while the European Union (EU) paid RM60.Given Malaysia’s estimated population of 31 million, an allocation of RM3 billion would mean RM138 per person to vaccinate about 70% of the people.The AstraZeneca vaccine costs RM16.25 per dose in the US and RM8.89 in the EU.When asked today why Malaysia was receiving its first vaccines two months after neighbouring Singapore, Khairy said it was not a big deal.He said Singapore had signed its agreements earlier as Malaysia was facing financial constraints.


Malaysian glove makers come under fire again in new BBC report

Malaysia’s glove making industry which is seeing sharp profits due to a global spike in demand has again come under scrutiny from abroad over allegations of migrant workers being made to work long hours and prevented from leaving factory premises in a new report by the BBC World Service.The report said some migrant workers had never seen Malaysia beyond factory compounds as they are not allowed to leave the premises.“When I am outside the factory, I can see the factory police (security) roaming around and keeping an eye on where the workers are going and what they do outside.“There are so many rules, you cannot do this, you cannot do that. We are always under pressure,” the report quoted Nish, a Bangladeshi worker with Top Glove, the world’s largest rubber glove producer, as saying.In its response, Top Glove said the movement curbs were made in accordance with Covid-19 restrictions from the authorities and to prevent workers from making unprotected visits to town.The report is the latest in a series of damning revelations on migrant worker welfare.Top Glove, the world’s biggest manufacturer of rubber gloves, is among those whose profits have multiplied by billions of ringgit in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.Top Glove’s profits jumped to RM2.38 billion in three months ending November 2020, from RM111 million in the same period the previous year. This was on the back of RM4.76 billion in revenue.It made the news again late last year after a huge spike in Covid-19 cases in the country caused by thousands of Top Glove factory workers.The latest BBC report also quotes workers from Supermax, another glove-making giant.Speaking through an interpreter, one of them said they worked 29 days a month for 12 hours a day at one of the company’s factories.The report said workers were also prevented from leaving the company premises where their hostels are also located.“They told me it is really hard to wake up in the morning. All of the workers I talked to told me that it is like a prison,” said BBC’s Nepal correspondent Gani Ansari.“They have not been able to go out of the company premises since January 2020.”When asked for a response, Supermax told BBC it would be “suicidal” to mistreat workers and get into trouble with the Malaysian government, adding that workers are compensated for extra working hours.One factory worker told BBC that there had been a shortage of manpower due to Covid-19.“These days because of the pandemic, lots of people are not coming to work, so we have to do two people’s work. Work is actually much harder,” one worker said.The report cited videos from Top Glove’s premises which it said showed footage of overcrowded workers’ hostels and staff canteens, said up to 30 people were placed in each room, where workers were seen lying on thin sheets instead of mattresses.The claims against Top Glove are not new, and the company has repeatedly denied the allegations of modern-day slavery which have caused its products to be banned in several countries.In 2019, US authorities banned the import of rubber gloves from Top Glove following claims of such conditions for migrant workers in its factories.The same year, the UK’s Home Office said its investigation found strong evidence that Malaysian gloves manufacturers used forced labour.Activists in the UK’s health sector recently charged that the government had continued to source its rubber gloves supply from Top Glove through another company based in London.“We are effectively funding modern slavery using UK taxpayers’ money,” Dr Mahmood Bhutta, co-founder of the Medical Fair and Ethical Trade Group at the British Medical Association, said in the BBC report.One of the indicators of modern-day slavery is workers’ salaries being used to pay off their debts for the fees incurred to secure the job.The report meanwhile quoted Nish, the Bangladeshi worker at Top Glove, who said he had to part with 400,000 takas (about RM19,000) – more than 10 times his monthly salary – to get the job through an agent.Nish said working in the gloves assembly line is risky due to the nature of the machines they use.“One of my colleagues was working with a conveyor belt which then suddenly split. When he was trying to repair it, the machine cut off one of his arms,” he said.In its response, Top Glove denied the allegations of modern slavery.The company told BBC that an “internal audit” had cleared it of 11 forced labour indicators, except one on workers’ accommodation.


I’m the PM candidate, not Zahid, Ismail says yet again

The allegation that one vote for Barisan Nasional (BN) is equivalent to one vote for BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to become prime minister is just a perception being played up by the opposition during the campaign period for the 15th general election (GE15), Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.
He said there had been no change in the prime ministerial candidate from BN after GE15.
“I also heard about that, but I did correct that perception yesterday... the opposition only wants to create that perception, while I (already) said that the Umno Supreme Council and general assembly have already decided. If you want to change the decision, it must be done in the Supreme Council, it must be changed in the general assembly.
“As long as the Supreme Council does not decide otherwise (to change the prime minister candidate), what has been decided is still valid. As of today there is still no change,” he said in a press conference in Bera.
Previously, Zahid was reported to have said that Ismail remained BN's poster boy and candidate for the post of prime minister in GE15.
He said the coalition's stance on the matter would not change if BN succeeds in governing the country.


Now, ex-AG Thomas to face contempt proceedings over remarks on murder case

The defence in the murder trial of former Cradle Fund CEO Nazrin Hassan today raised the issue of contempt of court over remarks made by former attorney-general Tommy Thomas in his recently published memoir “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness”.Defence counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told Shah Alam High Court judge Indera Ab Karim Ab Rahman that there were passages from the book which were subjudice to the case.Thomas in his book had cast doubt on the credibility of Samirah Muzaffar and her two teenage sons who are accused of committing the 2018 murder of her former husband Nazrin.“The versions of the widow and her two sons, that the upstairs rooms of their home caught fire, killing the former husband and father of the boys, did not seem credible. What was incredible was their explanation as to the cause of the fire,” Thomas wrote in his book, in which many of his narrations have been disputed by prominent individuals.The book has also attracted condemnation over remarks seen as insulting to his former staff at the Attorney-General’s Chambers.Thomas wrote that the testimonies of the accused only raised suspicion.“According to them, his mobile phone had burst into flame. Their maid quickly left their home, and returned to Indonesia before the police could take her statement. Further suspicion.”Shafee today argued that the statement touched on the merits of the ongoing trial, and urged the court to cite Thomas for contempt.The court then suggested that the prosecution initiate contempt proceedings.The prosecution said they would decide on the matter.Samirah, 46, a former senior officer at the Malaysian Intellectual Property Corporation, her two sons aged 18 and 15, and Indonesian helper Eka Wahyu Lestari who remains at large, were charged with committing Nazrin’s murder at a house in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, between the late night of June 13 and the early hours of June 14, 2018.The trial will resume on Feb 19.


Rent exemption for canteen operators, tenants extended another 6 months

Rent exemption for canteen operators and those renting premises in schools under the education ministry has been extended for another six months from July 1 to Dec 31 this year, Education Minister Radzi Jidin announced today.He said the extension was allowed after taking into account the current economic situation and the fact that operators and tenants were still recovering from the impact of Covid-19.“The past two years have been difficult for the canteen operators and tenants of premises in schools under the education ministry.“The ministry is confident that the extension of rent exemption for another six months will help the operators and tenants,” he said in a video on Facebook.Prior to this, the ministry had given rent exemption for six months from July 2021 before extending it for another six months until June this year.


China’s first vaccine hustled to market as race to inoculate 1.3 billion speeds up

China has granted “conditional” market approval to a Sinopharm vaccine with a reported 79% efficacy rate against Covid-19, health authorities said Thursday, a major stride towards inoculating the world’s largest population.The Sinopharm jab, which has surged ahead of a raft of Chinese competitors during Phase 3 trials, could signal a breakthrough in the battle to squash the pandemic in Asia.Around 4.5 million doses of largely unproven emergency vaccines made locally have already been given to health workers and other workers destined for overseas jobs, according to authorities.On Wednesday, Sinopharm announced its leading candidate had a 79.34% efficacy rate.That is lower than rival jabs developed in the West by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna – with 95 and 94% rates respectively – but still a game-changer for China.Chen Shifei, deputy commissioner of the National Medical Products Administration, on Thursday told reporters his agency had granted a “conditional listing” to Sinopharm’s vaccine.A conditional listing helps hustle emergency drugs to market in cases when clinical trials are yet to meet normal standards but indicate they will work.“The known benefits of Sinopharm’s new inactivated coronavirus vaccine are bigger than the known and potential risks,” Chen added.The listing allows the government to “extend vaccination to high-risk groups, those susceptible to a severe viral infection… and the elderly,” Zeng Yixin, Vice-Minister of the National Health Commission told reporters.But China faces the unprecedented challenge of getting vaccines to a population of more than 1.3 billion people.“The general view is you have to vaccinate 60 to 70% to establish universal protection,” Zeng added.Beijing plans to vaccinate millions this winter in the run-up to Lunar New Year.“I’m convinced – and please be convinced – that the production of Covid-19 vaccines can meet the demand of large-scale vaccination we have in China,” Mao Junfeng, head of the Consumer Goods Industry Department, added.China has also pledged to swiftly share its vaccines with lesser developed countries at a “fair price”, as it seeks global leadership in the recovery from a pandemic which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan a year ago.As a winter wave of virus infections batters much of the world, spurring fresh lockdowns and grim spikes in death tolls, attention has returned to China’s management of the pandemic.China has broadly stamped out the virus inside its borders, introducing swift local lockdowns and mass testing when cases emerge.Beijing has been at pains to retool the pandemic story in its favour, touting the fast reflexes of its Communist leadership in locking down the country and restarting the economy.China is forecast to be the only major economy to post positive growth this year.But it has been heavily criticised for closing down discussion and reporting that questions the official narrative.On Monday a Shanghai court jailed citizen journalist Zhang Zhan for four years for her reporting from Wuhan during the early months of the pandemic.


Now, Anwar working for banks or the people, asks Mahathir

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today hit out at Anwar Ibrahim over the country's financial situation, recalling the prime minister's criticism of Tengku Zafrul Aziz during his time as finance minister while Anwar was still in the opposition.
In a statement, Mahathir said that Anwar had taken Zafrul to task, asking if he was working for the banks or the people in raising the overnight policy rate (OPR).
"So is Anwar working for the banks or the people right now?" he added.
"The government's way of dealing with the weakening ringgit and Anwar's answers and views on the matter before and after becoming prime minister do not inspire confidence at all."
Anwar said in the Dewan Rakyat this week that the decline in ringgit value against the US dollar was also being experienced by other major currencies such as the yen and the Singapore dollar.
Attributing the situation to the strengthening of the US dollar, he said that the ringgit's performance should not be used as a benchmark for Malaysia's economy.
Anwar, who also holds the finance portfolio, added that the rate of economic growth in 2022 had exceeded the pre-pandemic level and was expected to continue growing at between 4% and 5% this year.
On May 3, meanwhile, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) raised the OPR by 25 basis points to 3.00% – the fifth hike since reducing it to a record 1.75% after the onset of Covid-19 in early 2020.
BNM governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus later said that the decision to increase the OPR was made in light of the strengthening economy, adding that GDP had exceeded pre-pandemic levels, unemployment had fallen, and households remained resilient.
Mahathir said Anwar had urged the opposition in Parliament to support the increase in OPR as it would help strengthen the ringgit.
"He said the Singapore dollar had strengthened after the republic raised its OPR," the former prime minister added.
"Some challenged his statement as the Monetary Authority of Singapore has not had an OPR policy since the 1980s. As far as I recall, Singapore doesn't have an OPR. It has Sora – the Singapore overnight rate average."
Adding that the OPR and Sora had different approaches, Mahathir said Anwar's example was not an "apple-to-apple" comparison.
"Whether Anwar's reply can be taken as deceptive or confusing to the Dewan Rakyat is up to the MPs to decide," he said.


Don’t pick and choose, PM tells Canadians on vaccines

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday dismissed an advisory panel of doctors’ ranking of Covid vaccines according to safety, saying Canadians should take whichever jab is offered to them first.“Every single vaccine available in Canada has been approved by Health Canada as safe and effective,” Trudeau told a news conference.“It is a good thing that we get to hear from a broad range of medical experts and doctors making recommendations to keep us safe. But the bottom line is we need to, all of us, get vaccinated as quickly as possible so we can get back to normal,” he said.“The reality is, the way we get through this pandemic is to get vaccinated with whatever vaccine is offered to us.”Trudeau and his wife last month received a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, seeking to reassure Canadians it is safe. Later, an AstraZeneca shot was linked to a blood clotting death in Canada.On Monday, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (Naci), recommended possibly waiting for a “preferred” mRNA jab such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna if a person’s risk of contracting Covid is low, instead of the AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson vaccines.The latter two have been linked to blood clotting in a few rare cases, which Naci’s Shelley Deeks said posed “a safety risk”.“Although it’s very rare, it is very serious,” she said on Monday. “And so individuals need to have an informed choice to be vaccinated with the first vaccine that’s available or to wait for an mRNA vaccine.”Canada’s inoculation drive was slow to get started and has struggled with repeated delivery delays, but appears to be back on track with millions of doses expected over the coming months.“On a personal level,” the prime minister said on Tuesday, “I am extremely pleased that I got the AstraZeneca vaccine weeks ago.“It was extremely important to me to be able to protect my loved ones, to protect my family.”“The impacts of catching Covid are far greater and far deadlier, as we’ve seen across the country, than potential side effects (of the vaccine), which although serious are rare.”Canada has approved for use the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, although it has not yet started distributing the Johnson & Johnson jab.To date, more than 13 million Canadians or 34% of the population has received at least one dose.The number of Covid infections, meanwhile, has topped 1.2 million, including 24,000 deaths.


Ukrainian refugees feel welcome in Germany, 37% keen to stay permanently, survey says

The majority of the more than 1 million Ukrainians who fled to Germany after the Russian invasion feel welcome there and around 37% would like to settle permanently or for several years, a government-backed survey said on Thursday.
The poll of 11,225 refugees carried out jointly by several bodies, including the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, said that a further 34% of refugees planned to stay until the end of the war and 27% were undecided. Some 2% planned to leave within a year.
Germany has taken in more Ukrainians than any other European Union country except Poland after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February and triggered the largest movement of refugees since the end of the Second World War.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has pledged to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes", and along with other Western allies has sent aid and weapons to Kyiv to withstand the Russian assault.
The vast majority of adult Ukrainian refugees - some 80% - were women, the survey showed, and tended to be better educated than the average Ukrainian, with 72% having a university degree.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered a mass mobilisation at the start of the war, forbidding men of fighting age to leave the country.
According to the survey, only 4% of Ukrainians knew German well but half were attending German courses. Three-quarters were living in private accommodation and only 9% lived in public housing for refugees.
Most rated their health as good. However, they have significantly lower life satisfaction than the German population, and Ukrainian refugee children also have a lower well-being than other children in Germany, the survey said.
Some 17% of working-age Ukrainian refugees were employed at the time of the survey, and 71% of the employed refugees had a job requiring a vocational or university degree.
Ukrainian refugees expressed a need for more support, especially in learning German, seeking employment, obtaining medical care, and finding housing, the survey said.


Indonesia’s flip-flops give Malaysia edge in top palm oil market India

Indonesia’s “unpredictable” palm oil export policies may help Malaysia emerge as the dominant supplier to India, the world’s top buyer of the edible oil, industry sources said.Indonesia is the world’s biggest palm oil producer but its erratic export policies, including the most recent ban announced on April 22, have pushed Indian consumers to increase their dependence on Malaysia, the world’s second-largest producer whose output is less than half of its rival.Malaysia is positioning itself to take advantage of Indonesia’s ban by cutting palm oil export taxes by as much as half, commodities minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said on Tuesday.The combination of lower export taxes and the Indonesian ban may mean Indonesia’s share of palm oil exports to India will fall to 35% in the current marketing year ending on Oct 31, from more than 75% a decade ago, according to an estimate from the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA), a vegetable oil trade body.“Malaysia is the biggest beneficiary from Indonesia’s unpredictable policies,” said BV Mehta, executive director of Mumbai-based Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA), a vegetable oil trade body.“As Indonesia is not in the market, Malaysia is selling more, and at near record high prices.”In the first five months of the 2021/22 marketing year, India has bought 1.47 million tonnes of Malaysian palm oil compared to 982,123 from Indonesia, data compiled by SEA showed.Trader estimates for May show India imported around 570,000 tonnes of palm oil, with 290,000 from Malaysia and 240,000 from Indonesia.If Indonesia’s export ban stays in place for two more weeks, then India’s June palm oil imports could fall to 350,000 tonnes, mostly from Malaysia.New normal?The flip in Indian palm oil imports would upend an established pattern of Indonesian dominance across South Asia.However, Indian oil refiners feel they have to protect their supply chains against policy shake-ups after Indonesia’s interventions in the palm oil market since 2021.“You can’t just rely on Indonesia and run a business. Even if Indonesia offers you a discount over Malaysia, one has to secure supplies from Malaysia to hedge against Indonesia’s unpredictable polices,” a Mumbai-based refiner said.“Refiners commit sales of finished goods in advance and we cannot back out just because raw material is not available,” he said.But Malaysia’s relatively tight palm oil inventories are a lingering concern following an enduring labour shortage that has slashed plantation yields.“Malaysia has limited stocks. Many producers in Malaysia are well-sold nearby,” said an official with a Malaysian planter with operations across Indonesia and Malaysia.Malaysia produces roughly 40% of Indonesia’s output so it cannot completely replace Indonesian supplies.Even so, Indian oil consumers are keen to increase Malaysian deals and reduce their reliance on Indonesia.“Indonesia may lift the ban on exports sometime this month, but there is no guarantee it will not restrict exports again. Malaysia’s export policy is far more stable and that’s what we want,” said an Indian buyer, who declined to be named.


Zahid asked for RM10 million donation from Singapore businessman, investigating officer tells court

The High Court was today told that Ahmad Zahid Hamidi requested a RM10 million donation from a Singaporean entrepreneur for Yayasan Akalbudi, owned by the former deputy prime minister, through Tetuan Lewis & Co.Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Christ Sheldon Anak Merun, 32, said at the meeting between Wong Sang Woo @ Wong Shuh Chain who is a director of Chia Bee Enterprise Sdn Bhd and Zahid at a dinner in 2015, the accused said the contribution was to assist the poor and needy people.“Wong knew Zahid for the first time in 2015 at a dinner. Zahid introduced himself as the home minister and Wong introduced himself as an entrepreneur from Singapore involved in share investment, timber business, property investment, fashion attire and delivery agent.“Wong said during the dinner, Zahid asked him to donate as a philanthropist and Wong agreed to donate to Yayasan Akalbudi founded by Zahid.“At the end of the dinner, Zahid mentioned a sum of RM10 million to Wong and he (Wong) said he would consider it as he needed time to come up with the amount,” he said, reading from his witness statement during examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Harris Ong Mohd Jeffrey Ong.Christ Sheldon, the 98th witness, said this on the 51st day of the trial of Zahid who is facing charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving funds of Yayasan Akalbudi.A total of 98 witnesses including nine MACC investigating officers have testified and another investigating officer will be called before the prosecution closes its case.Yesterday, MACC investigating officer Mohd Amirudin Nordin, 38, told the court that MACC had recorded a conversation with Wong to carry out the investigation into the RM10 million contribution from Chia Bee to Yayasan Akalbudi via Lewis & Co.Amirudin, who is the 96th prosecution witness, said Wong could not be detected to give his statement in court and a check with the immigration department showed he is now overseas.According to Amirudin, his investigation found no supporting documents or letters to say the 10 cheques from Chia Bee amounting to RM10 million were donations.Christ Sheldon, who recorded the conversation with Wong at a hotel in Kuching, Sarawak, on Feb 22 2019, said in early 2016, Wong received a call from a person who was ordered by Zahid to enquire about the RM10 million and to clarify to Wong that it was for the charity work of Yayasan Akalbudi.“Wong believed the request was true as the person also referred to the conversation between him and Zahid at a dinner in 2015 and told him to make the donation payment to Tetuan Lewis & Co (a trustee of Yayasan Akalbudi),” he said.He said Wong gave the contribution through his company (Chia Bee) as he felt it was a privilege when the deputy prime minister asked for donations for Yayasan Akalbudi.“As the owner of Chia Bee, he had the right to use the company to make the contribution. Wong used Chia Bee to make the donation as he wanted to raise the profile of the company in Malaysia,” he said.Christ Sheldon said Wong ordered the eligible cheque signatories to prepare 10 cheques for a sum of RM1 million each as requested by Zahid, and that he did not know why the cheques had to be made separately and not in a single amount.“Wong could not remember the person who asked him to issue the cheque as he was not in Malaysia at that time, and Wong did not contact Zahid after the meeting in 2015 but in 2016 he knew that Zahid had become the deputy prime minister,” said the witness who joined MACC in 2014.On the RM10 million loan from KTS Holdings Sdn Bhd, Christ Sheldon said Wong had borrowed RM10 million from KTS through a friend, Ngu Ngiong Hieng who passed away in 2017.“Wong said based on his friendship with Ngu, he was able to ask for the financial assistance of RM10 million as a temporary loan to enable him meet the pledge to Zahid to donate to Yayasan Akalbudi.“On the temporary loan obtained from Ngu, there was no agreement or documentation as it was based on their friendship and trust,” he said.According to the witness, Zahid told his people to contact Wong for the contribution in early 2016 and Wong later arranged for the donation to be handed through his company with payment made on April 21, 2016.Zahid, 68, is facing 47 charges – 12 for criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption, and 27 for money laundering involving millions of funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.The trial is being heard before justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.


Selangor declares public holiday on election eve

The Selangor government has declared a public holiday for Friday, Nov 18, the day before polling day for the general election.
Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the decision would be gazetted after being approved at the state government meeting next Wednesday.
"Selangor has the highest number of voters in Malaysia at 3,677,848 and there are a large number of Malaysians who work and reside in the state but vote in their home towns in other states.
"I have also held preliminary discussions (regarding the public holiday) with the states under Pakatan Harapan, but Selangor finalised this matter earlier and announced it today," he told a special press conference in Shah Alam.
He said the state government also hoped that Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob would announce a similar holiday nationwide to enable the people to go out and vote in the Nov 19 general election.


Cabinet to discuss appeal by contract doctors

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today said he would discuss with the Cabinet the appeal by contract doctors to be appointed to permanent positions in the civil service.He said the matter had to be discussed thoroughly as it would involve a cost of more than RM2 billion for the government.“There are appeals from contract doctors, so the proposal paper by the health ministry will be brought to the Cabinet meeting.“To fulfil the demand will involve a high cost of more than RM2 billion and in the current situation, there are a few limitations. So we will see how we can overcome the situation,” he told reporters after visiting Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang today.Health Minister Dr Adham Baba previously advised contract doctors to be patient, saying the matter would be discussed by the Cabinet.


Pfizer, AZ boosters can be given 3 months after second jab, says Khairy

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today said that booster shots for those who received the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines can be given three months after the primer dose, as efforts to keep the fast-moving Omicron variant in check continue.The interval between the second dose and booster jab for the two vaccines was originally fixed at six months.Those who were initally vaccinated with Sinovac meanwhile have been given boosters three months after the second shot.Khairy said the decision to shorten the interval for booster jabs followed data from a study involving 21 million booster shots given in the UK, which had shown convincing results.He said regulatory bodies in the UK, Canada and Australia now recommended that booster jabs be given as early as three months after the second dose of the primary vaccine.“The technical working group has also evaluated the evidence and made new recommendations on booster shots for Covid-19,” he said at a hybrid press conference.“In Malaysia, we have decided that booster shots for the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines can be given after three months.”Khairy said appointment dates would be given by the health ministry to those who are eligible, with priority given according to age and health status.He said the ministry expects the majority of eligible adults in Malaysia to receive booster jabs in January and February next year.“The health ministry will increase the vaccination capacity by opening more vaccination centres (PPV) whether at private clinics or PPVs that will be opened soon in halls, as was done under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme before this,” he said.“Priority in appointments will be given to senior citizens and those with chronic diseases.”Khairy said the Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines would be the preferred choice for booster shots while the Sinovac jab will be available through the private market or if the person in question has been given medical advice by a doctor to receive only that brand of vaccine.


New Zealand to scrap lockdowns early next month

New Zealand will end a three-and-a-half-month lockdown in the country’s largest city Auckland early next month as it adopts a new coronavirus control strategy, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Monday.Ardern said that from 11.59pm on Dec 2, New Zealand would adopt a new Covid-19 response – first flagged last month – that aims to contain the highly contagious Delta variant, rather than attempting to eliminate it completely.“The hard truth is that Delta is here and not going away,” she told reporters.“While no country has been able to eliminate Delta completely, New Zealand is better positioned than most to tackle it.”Ardern’s coronavirus response until now has strived for “Covid Zero” elimination, with strict lockdowns, rigorous contact tracing and tight border controls.While it has resulted in just 40 deaths in a population of five million, pressure had been building to end a lockdown in Auckland imposed in mid-August when Delta was first detected.Ardern had initially planned to implement the new system when the vaccination rate in the country reached 90%, but set the Dec 2 opening-up date even though the level is currently around 83%.Director-general of Health Ashley Bloomfield said he was comfortable with what amounts to the largest revamp of Covid-19 policy since the start of the pandemic.“We’re going into this next phase in, one could argue, the best possible position,” he said.“We’ve got a controlled outbreak, we’re going into summer and we’ve got high and increasing vaccination rates.”Under the new three-tier traffic light system, green has almost no virus controls, while red means businesses can remain open but customers must be vaccinated and observe social distancing.“The key difference between the two systems is that vaccine passes will shortly be required at places like bars, gyms and restaurants,” Ardern said.She said Auckland would initially be placed under the red setting and officials were still determining how to classify other areas.Auckland is currently sealed off from the rest of New Zealand, with roadblocks due to be removed on Dec 15.Stringent quarantine rules for international arrivals will remain in place but Ardern has committed to easing them early next year.


AstraZeneca searching for vaccines for virus-hit Southeast Asia

Drugmaker AstraZeneca said Saturday it was scouring its supply chain to find more doses of its Covid-19 vaccine for Southeast Asia, which is facing its most serious outbreak yet of the virus.The statement from the Anglo-Swedish company – which produces its vaccine in Thailand for use domestically and in neighbouring countries – comes in the wake of a supply shortage which has sparked heavy criticism of Thai Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s administration.Under the terms of AstraZeneca’s agreement with Thai authorities, 180 million doses are due for production, one-third destined for the Thai market and the rest to be exported.By the end of July AstraZeneca will have delivered 11.3 million doses for Thailand, according to James Teague, AstraZeneca’s representative in the country.Exports have still not begun, even as the region faces a particularly virulent wave of Covid-19.“We are delivering in the fastest possible timeframe, however, given the gravity of the Delta variant, we are leaving no stone unturned to accelerate supply further still,” Teague said in an “open letter to the people of Thailand”.“We are also scouring the 20+ supply chains in our worldwide manufacturing network to find additional vaccines for Southeast Asia, including Thailand.”But “a global supply crunch” for Covid-19 vaccines and a shortage of the materials required to make them made it difficult to provide a specific timeframe, he added.The AstraZeneca contract was awarded last year to Siam Bioscience, a firm owned by King Maha Vajiralongkorn that has no track record of producing vaccines.It set out to produce vaccines for nine countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, as well as Thailand.Siam Bioscience has not commented on reports of insufficient production or late delivery.But Thailand has been forced to change its vaccine strategy by importing millions of doses of Chinese vaccines.Anger is mounting, with just 5% of Thailand’s 70 million residents fully vaccinated.Most Thais avoid talking about it openly because of harsh lese majeste laws that make it illegal to criticise the monarch. Those that do face between three and 15 years in prison.Former opposition leader and billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has already been accused under the law after he said the vaccination policy was too dependent on Siam Bioscience.Thailand is among a host of Southeast Asian countries that kept infection numbers low during 2020 but now face record numbers of cases amid slow vaccination campaigns.


Zuraida hopes home ministry, JPN act fast to implement court ruling on citizenship

Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin today hailed the landmark ruling by the High Court favouring the automatic conferral of citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian women married to foreign men, calling for the speedy implementation of the decision on the part of the government.Zuraida, who is president of the Council of Malaysian Women Political Leaders, said the ruling effectively accords women the same rights as men in the matter.“As mentioned by the court, this will not need any policy changes but simply to apply existing laws to uplift the spirit of the Federal Constitution.“However, the home ministry and the National Registration Department must now act quickly to institutionalise and implement the said ruling by drafting the procedures for application,” she said in a statement.The suit was filed on Dec 18 last year by the Association of Family Support & Welfare Selangor & Kuala Lumpur (Family Frontiers) and six Malaysian women married to foreigners.They had sought six specific court orders, including a declaration that Section 1(b) and Section 1(c) of the Second Schedule, Part II of the Federal Constitution be read harmoniously with Article 8 (2) to include Malaysian mothers as a condition for children born abroad to be given automatic Malaysian citizenship.High Court judge Akhtar Tahir, who ruled that this provision must also mean and include mothers, also ordered that all relevant authorities issue the necessary documents such as identity cards to such children in recognition of the effect.


'Real unity govt' was under Muhyiddin, says ex-Umno man

Former Umno man Noh Omar today said that the "real unity government" had taken place under the administration of Muhyiddin Yassin.
Noh, the former Selangor Umno chairman, said every party involved in the adminstration at that point had worked together at the federal level despite going their individual ways at the state level.
Speaking at a Perikatan Nasional (PN) event in Shah Alam, he gave the example of the 2021 state elections in Melaka and Johor, where Umno had clashed with Bersatu and PAS despite both Barisan Nasional (BN) and PN holding portfolios in the federal Cabinet.
"It's strange, seeing the Umno leadership now," he added.
"This unity government may have been decreed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, but I am confident that the unity government under Muhyiddin was the most successful."

At that point, he said, Umno had been with PN.
"I still remember, at the central level – I was a minister, Mohamed Azmin Ali was a minister, and Saifuddin Abdullah was also a minister.
"Imagine, during the Melaka and Johor polls, on Wednesday we attended a Cabinet meeting. As soon as the meeting ended and night fell, we were at war."
Noh was commenting on the decision by BN and Pakatan Harapan, its partner in Putrajaya, to allocate seats in a way that would prevent clashes at the coming elections.
He also expressed confidence that PN could take Selangor in the event of one-on-one fights with PH or BN.
"PH must be brought down – that has been my goal for three terms since 2008," the former Tanjong Karang MP said.
"But BN is running on hope."


Sorry.


Covid-19 patient falls to death at Sabah hospital

A 63-year-old woman who tested positive for Covid-19 fell to her death from the eighth floor of the Queen Elizabeth I Hospital in Kota Kinabalu last night.District police chief ACP Habibi Majinji said the woman was believed to have fallen through the window of the hospital building at about 9.15pm.“We received a report from the hospital at 9.30pm. Preliminary investigation found that the victim was admitted to the hospital on Oct 13 after she was confirmed Covid-19 positive.“After receiving treatment, the victim recovered. She was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital today,” he said when contacted.He said the victim’s body was now at the forensic department of the hospital pending further investigations.


Putin rejects mandatory Covid jabs as Russia sees record deaths

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said he was opposed to mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for Russians but urged the jab-sceptic population to get inoculated, as his country battles a deadly third wave.His comments came as Russia earlier Wednesday reported 669 coronavirus deaths over the past 24 hours, a pandemic high of fatalities for the second day in a row, according to a government tally.Russia in mid-June saw infections spike in a third wave driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant first identified in India, authorities have said, and worsened by a sluggish inoculation drive.Although free jabs have been available since early December, only around 15% of Russia’s population had received at least one dose as of Wednesday according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid figures from the regions.The slow uptake prompted Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin earlier this month to order mandatory jabs for service sector employees, with more than a dozen regions in Russia since following suit.The widening policy has prompted concerns that all Russians eventually would be required to be vaccinated, which Putin shot down Wednesday while fielding questions in his annual phone-in session.“I do not support mandatory vaccinations,” the Russian president said.Still, Putin – as he has done repeatedly in recent months – called on Russians to get vaccinated.“It is necessary to listen, not to people who understand little about this and spread rumours, but to specialists,” he told Russians, the majority of whom polls show oppose receiving coronavirus jabs.“If a person is sick without a vaccine, then the long-term consequences can be very serious,” the 68-year-old Russian leader said.No lockdownSurveys show that Russians are particularly sceptical of the country’s homegrown jabs – Sputnik V, EpiVacCorona, CoviVac and the one-dose Sputnik Light.Putin said Wednesday that the four homegrown vaccines were better than foreign alternatives, naming AstraZeneca and Pfizer. He added that he himself had been vaccinated with Sputnik V.The president’s plea for Russians to get inoculated came after the Kremlin Tuesday conceded that its target of vaccinating 60 percent of the population by autumn will not be possible.Critics say the third wave has been spurred by the failure to lock down, a measure taken during the first wave last spring but avoided this time by Russian authorities to support a struggling economy.Asked Wednesday if he supported a new lockdown, Putin said regional authorities were instead promoting localised mandatory vaccinations and other measures to avoid introducing new quarantines.In Moscow, the epicentre of Russia’s outbreak, Mayor Sobyanin has ordered businesses to send home at least 30% of unvaccinated employees and restaurants to only allow inside patrons who have been inoculated or were infected in the past six months.The country’s second-worst hotspot Saint Petersburg has avoided imposing strict restrictions, however, and on Friday it is due to host a Euro 2020 quarter-final drawing hundreds of supporters from abroad.Dozens of Finland supporters were infected in the city after they travelled there earlier this month for their team’s loss to Belgium in the group stage.Nationwide, infections grew on Wednesday by 21,042, bringing Russia’s caseload to more than 5.5 million – the fifth-highest worldwide, according to an AFP tally.With 135,214 deaths from the virus, Russia has the highest official toll from Covid-19 in Europe – even as authorities have been accused of downplaying the severity of the country’s outbreak.Under a broader definition for deaths linked to coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat at the end of April said that Russia has seen at least 270,000 fatalities.


Over 29% of population, 40% of adults fully vaccinated

A total of 25,863,563 doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been dispensed through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) as of yesterday.Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said 16,347,422 doses were administered to first-dose recipients and 9,516,141 as second doses.“According to percentage, 50.1% of the country’s population have received a first dose, while 29.1% have completed both doses of Covid-19 vaccine,” he said.As of yesterday, 69.8% of the adult population had received a first dose of vaccine while 40.7% had completed both doses.In terms of daily vaccination rate, a total of 497,352 doses were administered yesterday, of which 227,506 were first doses and 269,846 were given to second-dose recipients.


July 6 hearing for Rosmah’s latest bid to challenge Sri Ram’s appointment

Rosmah Mansor’s application to challenge the appointment of Gopal Sri Ram as senior deputy public prosecutor in her RM1.25 billion solar hybrid project case and nullify the entire trial proceedings since 2018 will be heard on July 6.The application will be heard before High Court judge Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid.Rosmah’s lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader confirmed the matter when contacted today.Rosmah, 70, filed an application for judicial review on June 24 through Messrs Akberdin & Co at the High Court (Appeal and Special Powers), naming the attorney-general/public prosecutor, the government and Sri Ram as respondents.Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, had previously filed a similar application at the Kuala Lumpur Criminal High Court.However, her application was rejected by the High Court. Her appeal against the application was also rejected by the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court.In her latest application, Rosmah sought a declaration that the appointment of Sri Ram as senior deputy public prosecutor through three letters of appointment (fiat) dated July 8, 2020, May 11 and May 21, 2021, respectively, was unlawful.She sought a declaration that the first version of the fiat signed by Attorney-General Idrus Harun on July 8, 2020, which should have been signed by the previous attorney-general, Tommy Thomas, on or before Nov 15, 2018, i.e. the date of prosecution against the applicant, was invalid.She also sought a declaration that the second version of fiat dated May 11, 2021 was non-existent as Thomas in his book, “My Story: Justice in the Wilderness”, published in 2021, stated that Sri Ram’s appointment was related to 1MDB and not the solar case.In addition, Rosmah sought a declaration that the entire prosecution proceedings and the full trial for the solar case from Nov 15, 2018 until the defence closed the case were invalid and void.“Therefore, I as the accused person must be acquitted of all charges faced under Section 16 (a)(A) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 in the solar case,” Rosmah said in her application.Rosmah is accused of soliciting RM187.5 million in addition to two counts of accepting bribes amounting to RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin through her former aide Rizal Mansor, as a reward for helping Jepak Holdings secure a RM1.25 billion project to provide solar hybrid energy in 369 schools in rural Sarawak.The trial at the High Court has been completed and judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan has set July 7 to deliver a decision on whether Rosmah will be acquitted or convicted of the three corruption charges.


Israeli reservist doctors threaten to refuse duty if judicial overhaul goes ahead

Around 300 Israeli military doctors in reserve units told the defence minister on Monday they will refuse to serve if the government pursues disputed legislation that would see the highest court stripped of most of its powers.
Israeli lawmakers on Sunday began debating a bill that would limit the Supreme Court's powers, rebooting a judicial overhaul instigated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist coalition that has stirred mass protests.
The coalition says its goal is to balance the powers of the government, legislature and judiciary by reining in a Supreme Court they see as too interventionist. Those against the move say it would erode democracy by removing key checks and balances on government powers.
In a letter to the defence minister, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, doctors said they could not continue to volunteer for service when the government was "violating the basic contract between us and the state.
"If there are no gatekeepers and there is no effective judicial review," the letter said, "we will not be able to trust our commanders when we are sent to military missions."
"We won't serve a dictatorship," it added.
Anti-government demonstrations had prompted Netanyahu to suspend his judicial drive in March to allow compromise talks with opposition parties. He declared those talks fruitless last week and ordered some of the legislation to be revived.
Military reservists said they had continued to report for duty as they were giving time for compromise talks to produce results, but renewed calls to refuse call-ups when the talks broke down.
The proposed changes, which include curbs on the court's ability to rule against the government, sparked frequent street protests before the March suspension. But they have continued weekly, with anti-overhaul activists blocking a major Tel Aviv highway on Saturday night.
Governing coalition lawmakers have indicated that the new bill will be a far softer version of previous proposals that had sought to almost totally eliminate the Supreme Court's power to rule against the executive.
The opposition, however, says the new bill would still open the door to corruption.
The proposed judicial overhaul has also stirred Western concern for Israel's democratic health and spooked investors. Critics see it as an attempt to curb court independence by Netanyahu, who is on trial on graft charges that he denies.


Still standing, businesses fear death knell of ‘MCO 2’ amid spike in Covid-19

The recent spike in Covid-19 cases in the country has led to fears within the business community that the movement control order (MCO), which forced companies to shut down for almost three months as part of efforts to contain the pandemic, could be reintroduced.The nationwide lockdown was eased in June, allowing the public to resume their daily activities with laws on health SOPs in place.Now, four months later, businesses are not keen on going through that episode again.The MCO brought companies to their knees, many of which were caught unaware by the economic lockdown.Tens of thousands of Malaysians have either lost their jobs or taken a pay cut.The hospitality industry has been among the worst hit. With borders remaining closed, the industry has had to rely heavily on the domestic market and hotels are still reporting layoffs.The top executive of an international chain of hotels recalls how the occupancy rate at his hotel in Selangor was already taking a dip as early as January, when Malaysia first started reporting local coronavirus cases.“We were at 50% occupancy at the beginning of this year; by March we were lucky to even hit 20%,” he told MalaysiaNow.In the first quarter of 2020, his company closed dozens of its hotels in China, the epicentre of the pandemic which has so far killed more than a million people worldwide.In Malaysia, the hotel group was also forced to stop operations in Penang and Melaka, which would usually be brimming with tourists from Singapore and other parts of the world.Hotels were forced to take any opportunity they had to fight the death sentence on their business, including to avoid mass layoffs of staff.That was the case when the government enlisted help from hotels to turn their spaces into quarantine centres for Malaysians returning from abroad.“That helped us survive,” the hotel boss said.But the recovery phase of the MCO, known as the RMCO, also came with several problems.“Once we were open for diners and domestic bookings during the RMCO, the sight of government personnel in PPE in our lobby made some customers flinch and walk out.”‘Revenge shoppers’Angie Choong’s company was one of many retail businesses not listed as an essential service. This meant that it could not maintain its brick-and-mortar presence throughout the MCO.“There was little we could do but secure the inventory and the stores,” Choong, a senior retail manager at a global fashion brand, told MalaysiaNow.“We still had to pay wages but the government wage subsidy programme helped,” she said, referring to Putrajaya’s rescue packages which included a top-up on lost income for staff.The silver lining was, of course, the nature of online sales which have lower overhead costs.Yet, Choong is among thousands of businesspeople who are not looking forward to a second lockdown.That would mean an inability to cash in on a public eager to make up for the lost experience of shopping since March.“Yes, we can mobilise our staff to back-end fulfilment of online orders,” she said, “but what really helped cashflow was when the first MCO was lifted and people were out of their homes in a wave of revenge shopping.”And like other fashion businesses, Choong’s company will be affected if people spend only on what they really need.For one, the lockdown has made people realise that they can make do with less.“So if a second lockdown comes, we may not make it,” she said.For hotels, diners, like “revenge shoppers”, have made a comeback since the RMCO.And that’s something they hope to cling on to for now.“Dining outlets in hotels have been doing very well during the RMCO,” the hotel boss told MalaysiaNow, adding that he is certain his hotel too would not survive a second lockdown.


Ex-Goldman banker Ng, convicted in 1MDB case, sues former boss Leissner for US$130 million

Roger Ng, the former Goldman Sachs banker convicted for helping loot the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, on Friday sued the government's star witness Tim Leissner for more than US$130 million (RM611 million), alleging fraud.
In a complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan, Ng accused his former boss of repeatedly lying in order to steal his investments in energy drink maker Celsius Holdings and artificial intelligence company Sentient Technologies.
The complaint said Leissner, a former Goldman partner, stole Ng's money to cover his own defence costs in a related criminal case where he pleaded guilty in 2018, while depriving Ng of funds to defend himself and appeal his conviction.
"Ng is in the unimaginable position of having to defend himself against allegations made by the person who defrauded him and who stole the money that plaintiff Ng needs to defend against those same allegations," the complaint said.
Leissner's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Ng, the former head of investment banking for Goldman Sachs Malaysia, said Leissner's thefts included a US$1.25 million Celsius stake now worth more than US$130 million, plus US$1 million intended to buy half of Leissner's interest in Sentient.
He said it wasn't until May 2021 when Leissner and his wife, the model and entrepreneur Kimora Lee Simmons, were sued by Simmons' former husband, record executive Russell Simmons, that he learned Leissner had diverted the Celsius investment.
In October 2020, Goldman agreed to pay US$2.9 billion and its Malaysian unit pleaded guilty to a corruption charge, to settle probes into the looting of billions of dollars from 1MDB and payment of bribes to win business for the Wall Street bank.
A federal jury in Brooklyn convicted Ng in April of conspiring to violate an anti-bribery law and commit money laundering.
Ng faces up to 30 years in prison. He and Leissner are scheduled to be sentenced in mid-February.
Jho Low, a Malaysian financier and suspected mastermind of the looting, was also indicted in Brooklyn and remains at large.


British woman dies in Cyprus after AstraZeneca jab

A 39-year-old British woman died in a Cypriot hospital after a blood clotting incident after receiving the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, the official Cyprus News Agency said Monday.Charalambos Charilaou, the spokesman for the state health services, told CNA that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) would investigate the death.The woman, treated at Nicosia General Hospital’s ICU, received the first dose of the vaccine on May 6 in the resort town of Paphos on the western coast of the Mediterranean island.The woman, who was not named, suffered symptoms days later.Cyprus health authorities have opened an investigation to see if the “serious thrombotic episode” was linked to the AstraZeneca jab.Four other cases of “mild” blood clotting incidents – three of which occurred after an AstraZeneca shot and one after a Pfizer jab – are also being investigated by Cyprus.Some countries have restricted or dropped AstraZeneca shots from national vaccine campaigns over very rare blood clots, though the EMA says the benefits outweigh the risks.AstraZeneca is the backbone of the vaccination rollout in Cyprus, where family doctors also allowed to administer the jab to anybody aged over 20.But many people booking online to get the vaccine have snubbed AstraZeneca and opted for other shots.According to Our World in Data figures, Cyprus is ranked third in the European Union for vaccinations per population, administering 57.54 doses per 100 people.Nearly 49% of Cyprus’ adult population has received a Covid-19 vaccine shot, and 21% are fully vaccinated.Total infections since the pandemic in March 2020 started is 71,911 and 354 deaths.


Rangers protecting gorillas and tourists killed in Congo national park

Six park rangers were killed on Sunday morning in an attack at the famous Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo.Officials have blamed the attack on a militia group known as Mai-Mai, one of many that operate in the region.The rangers were ambushed while on foot patrol inside the Unesco World Heritage park, a spokesman told the BBC.Staff working in Africa’s oldest nature reserve often come under attack. In April last year 13 rangers were killed in a rebel ambush.A statement from the park said preliminary investigations suggested the rangers “were taken by surprise and had no opportunity to defend themselves” during the attack.A local government delegate, Alphonse Kambale, told AFP news agency that two Mai-Mai militants had also been killed.Boasting Africa’s most diverse wildlife, including about a quarter of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, Virunga, which stretches across 7,800 sq km is one of the most dangerous parks on the continent.Around 2,000 armed fighters roam Virunga and its surrounding areas. They belong to numerous different rebel groups, who battle for control of the region’s rich resources.They fish illegally, slaughter the park’s animals, fell its trees – and kill, rape and abduct locals and foreign tourists alike.Nearly 700 armed rangers work in Virunga. At least 200 have been killed in attacks.


New infections top 2,800 as deaths go up by 2

Another 2,867 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,566,055.There were 2,145 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,500,856.There are now 29,434 active cases, of which 28,116 or 95.5% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 26 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,249 (4.2%) have been hospitalised.A total of 43 are in ICU with 25 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 61.5%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 9.6%.Two more deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 35,765.


Bersatu sacks Sarawak trio as it maintains ties with GPS

Bersatu has sacked three members who are contesting the upcoming election in Sarawak as independents, saying it remains firm in its decision not to field candidates in the state polls.Sarawak Bersatu chairman Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian said the memberships of Siki Balarik, Ricky Enteri and Ismawi Muhammad had been automatically terminated.Siki is contesting the Belaga seat, Ricky in Bawang Assan and Ismawi in Muara Tuang.Siki is Hulu Rajang Bersatu chief while Ricky is a youth activist from Bawang Assan. Ismawi meanwhile is Kota Samarahan Bersatu division chief.“Now there are no Bersatu members contesting, they have already had their memberships automatically terminated according to Bersatu’s constitution,” Jaziri told Bernama.He said the three had been given time and space to withdraw from the contest, and that their membership had been terminated as they did not.“Bersatu is firm in its stand not to contest in the Sarawak election,” he added.Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin had said on Nov 27 that his party would sit out the Sarawak election out of respect for the wishes of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition.Muhyiddin also said that Bersatu had chosen to stay out of the contest because it believed GPS had the ability to win and that GPS had supported the Perikatan Nasional-led federal government when he was the prime minister.Another Bersatu member, Ali Biju, had initially intended to defend his Krian seat as an independent candidate at the polls on Dec 18.But this caused unhappiness in GPS which accused Bersatu of going back on its agreement not to field candidates in the state election.Ali subsequently announced that he would withdraw from the race, and pledged his full support for the GPS candidate in Krian.Ali won the Krian seat on a PKR ticket in 2011 and 2016, and had aimed to defend it against Friday Belik of GPS and Musa Dinggat of Parti Sarawak Bersatu.


UK Supreme Court to decide if ‘IS bride’ can return home

A woman who joined the Islamic State (IS) in Syria would pose “a clear and present threat” to national security if allowed to return to Britain to appeal a decision to revoke her citizenship, the UK government told the Supreme Court on Monday.The Conservative government has asked the country’s highest court to decide if Shamima Begum, 21, can come back to pursue an in-person appeal of the 2019 decision to strip her of British citizenship.The Court of Appeal ruled in her favour in July, but the government immediately appealed, insisting she remains “aligned” with the IS group.“The exposure of the public to an increased risk of terrorism is not justifiable or appropriate in this case on fairness grounds,” James Eadie, a lawyer acting for the interior ministry, told a five-judge panel.“What we submit is that those who travelled (to Syria)… pose a clear and present threat specifically on return.”Begum was 15 when she and two other schoolgirls from Bethnal Green, east London, left home to join the jihadist group on Feb 17, 2015.She claims she married a Dutch convert soon after arriving in IS-held territory. She was discovered, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February last year.Her newborn baby died soon after she gave birth. Two of her other children also died under IS rule.Then-home secretary Sajid Javid last year annulled Begum’s British citizenship on national security grounds.She took legal action, arguing the decision was unlawful as it had made her stateless and exposed her to the risk of death or inhuman and degrading treatment.British-born Begum is of Bangladeshi heritage. But Bangladesh’s foreign minister has said he will not consider granting her citizenship.‘Current threat’Begum’s high-profile flight with her friends from Britain to Syria via Turkey in 2015 was followed by an international manhunt.Her discovery in the Al Roj camp after the group’s defeat in Syria and the subsequent months of legal wrangling over her return has regularly prompted outcries in Britain’s right-wing press.Rights groups have argued human rights principles are at stake and Begum should answer for any crimes in her home country.Lawyer David Pannick, representing her at the two-day Supreme Court hearing, said Britons have a “fair and effective appeal right unless parliament has clearly indicated to the contrary”.“Begum wants to appeal, she wants to exercise a meaningful right of appeal,” he added.But the British government is adamant she cannot return.Detailing its various legal arguments, Eadie quoted extensively from a security services’ analysis written in 2017 and since updated.Officials believe those who have spent significant time in IS territory have been “radicalised and desensitised to violence,” he said.Eadie cited recent interviews Begum gave to UK newspapers in which she insisted she did not regret travelling to Syria and had not been fazed seeing severed heads dumped in bins.He said Begum’s inability to be present at an appeal of the citizenship ruling was due to her original decision to leave Britain.“It was her travel to Syria and alignment with (IS) that provided that basis for deprivation,” Eadie said.However, Pannick countered that Begum’s circumstances and comments in interview should not prevent her getting “the proper opportunity to present her case”.“The court cannot prejudge those issues,” he said, noting “that is the purpose of the appeal”.


‘World’s happiest country’ seeks migrants

Repeatedly dubbed the happiest nation on the planet with world-beating living standards, Finland should be deluged by people wanting to relocate, but in fact it faces an acute workforce shortage.“It’s now widely acknowledged that we need a spectacular number of people to come to the country,” recruiter Saku Tihverainen from agency Talented Solutions told AFP.Workers are needed “to help cover the cost of the greying generation”, the recruiter explained.While many Western countries are battling weak population growth, few are feeling the effects as sharply as Finland.With 39.2 over-65s per 100 working-age people, it is second only to Japan in the extent of its ageing population, according to the UN, which forecasts that by 2030 the “old age dependency ratio” will rise to 47.5.The government has warned that the nation of 5.5 million needs to practically double immigration levels to 20,000-30,000 a year to maintain public services and plug a looming pensions deficit.Finland might seem like an attractive destination on paper, scoring high in international comparisons for quality of life, freedom and gender equality, with little corruption, crime and pollution.But anti-immigrant sentiment and a reluctance to employ outsiders are also widespread in Western Europe’s most homogenous society, and the opposition far-right Finns Party regularly draws substantial support during elections.Tipping pointAfter years of inertia, businesses and government “are now at the tipping point and are recognising the problem” posed by a greying population, said Charles Mathies, a research fellow at the Academy of Finland.Mathies is one of the experts consulted by the government’s “Talent Boost” programme, now in its fourth year, which aims to make the country more attractive internationally, in part through local recruitment schemes.Those targeted include health workers from Spain, metalworkers from Slovakia, and IT and maritime experts from Russia, India and Southeast Asia.But previous such efforts have petered out.In 2013, five of the eight Spanish nurses recruited to the western town of Vaasa left after a few months, citing Finland’s exorbitant prices, cold weather and notoriously complex language.Finland has nonetheless seen net immigration for much of the last decade, with around 15,000 more people arriving than leaving in 2019.But many of those quitting the country are higher-educated people, official statistics show.Faced with the OECD’s largest skilled worker shortage, some Finnish startups are creating a joint careers site to better bag overseas talent.“As you can imagine, this is a slow burner,” Shaun Rudden from food delivery firm Wolt said in an email, adding that “We try to make the relocation process as painless as possible.”Systemic problemStartups “have told me that they can get anyone in the world to come and work for them in Helsinki, as long as he or she is single,” the capital’s mayor, Jan Vapaavuori, said to AFP.But “their spouses still have huge problems getting a decent job”.Many foreigners complain of a widespread reluctance to recognise overseas experience or qualifications, as well as prejudice against non-Finnish applicants.Ahmed, who requested his name be changed for professional reasons, is a 42-year-old Brit with many years’ experience in building digital products for multinational, household-name companies.Yet six months of networking and applying for jobs in Helsinki, where he was trying to move for family reasons, proved fruitless.“One recruiter even refused to shake my hand, that was a standout moment,” he told AFP.“There was never a shortage of jobs going, just a shortage of mindset,” said Ahmed, who during his search in Finland received offers from major companies in Norway, Qatar, the UK and Germany, and eventually began commuting weekly from Helsinki to Dusseldorf.Recruiter Saku Tihverainen said shortages are pushing more companies to loosen their insistence on only employing native Finnish workers.“And yet, a lot of the Finnish companies and organisations are very adamant about using Finnish, and very fluent Finnish at that,” he said.Changing prioritiesFor Helsinki mayor Jan Vaaavuori, four years of Finland being voted the world’s happiest country in a UN ranking have “not yet helped as much as we could have hoped.”“If you stop someone in the street in Paris or London or Rome or New York, I still don’t think most people know about us,” he mused.Mayor Vapaavuori, whose four-year term ends this summer, has turned increasingly to international PR firms to help raise the city’s profile.He is optimistic about Finland’s ability to attract talent from Asia in future, and believes people’s priorities will have changed once international mobility ramps up again post-coronavirus.Helsinki’s strengths, being “safe, functional, reliable, predictable – those values have gained in importance,” he said, adding: “Actually I think our position after the pandemic is better than it was before.”


Najib, Umno want separate hearing on forfeiture of cash, bling linked to 1MDB

Former prime minister Najib Razak and Umno have applied for a separate hearing on the prosecution’s application to forfeit the RM114,164,393.44 and jewellery seized from a premise owned by Obyu Holdings Sdn Bhd over alleged links to the 1MDB scandal.Lawyer Fazreen Hazrina Rahim, representing Najib and Umno, said it would prejudice her clients if the court refused to have a separate hearing for forfeiture of the money and jewellery as inspection of the jewellery was still not possible.“This is because the representative for the third party, a Lebanese goldsmith from Global Royalty Trading SAL, is understood to be in the UK and there are travel restrictions to Malaysia due to Covid-19,” she said.However, deputy public prosecutor Faten Hadni Khairuddin objected, saying the application to forfeit both money and jewellery was made in one notice.Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin set Nov 25 to hear the application, saying it was not prejudicial to the prosecution.“The claim by Najib and Umno on the money can be heard first without the need to wait for the other third party to inspect the jewellery.“The court will only return the property that was seized from a third party if it is satisfied with the third parties fulfilling the five items as stated in Section 61 (4) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds from Illegal Activities Act 2001,” he said during case examination today.He also ordered both parties to file their affidavits-in-reply within 14 days.The application to forfeit the money and jewellery was filed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against Obyu Holdings.Najib, Umno and Global Royalty are third parties in the application.The notice of motion filed against Obyu Holdings said the items included 11,991 pieces of jewellery, 401 watches and 16 watch accessories, 234 pairs of eyewear and 306 handbags, as well as cash in various denominations amounting to RM114,164,393.44.In June last year, then-MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya said the agency had filed a civil forfeiture suit against 41 respondents to forfeit about RM270 million allegedly linked to the 1MDB fund scandal and received by the respondents from Najib.She said the action was taken under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.


Russia sought to swap ex-US Marine for 'assassin' held in Germany

US efforts to negotiate the freedom of a former Marine held in Russia as part of the swap involving basketball star Brittney Griner were thwarted by Moscow's demand for the release of a convicted murderer held in Germany, according to a top US official and media reports.
The swap of Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout raised questions as to why the US side had failed to secure the simultaneous release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine accused by Moscow of spying – a charge Washington flatly rejects.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby was asked Sunday about reports negotiations stumbled over a demand for the release of Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel in Russia's domestic spy organisation serving a life sentence for murder in Germany.
Kirby acknowledged on ABC's "This Week" that "there was a claim that they wanted a man named Mr Krasikov, that the Germans have held in custody."
"That just wasn't considered a serious offer," said Kirby, who characterised Krasikov as "an assassin."
Kirby had told CNN in late July that including Krasikov in any deal was "a bad-faith attempt (by Moscow) to avoid a very serious offer" from the US side.
On Friday, White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the Krasikov matter.
Krasikov is serving a life sentence in Germany for murdering a Chechen fighter in a park in Berlin in 2019, a killing which German authorities say was ordered by Russian intelligence services.
Some US diplomats believe the demand for Krasikov's release originated with President Vladimir Putin, who was wary of providing a political boost to President Joe Biden at a time of fierce hostility over Ukraine, The New York Times reported.
Roger Carstens, special US presidential envoy for hostage affairs, told CNN he had spoken to Whelan on Friday, the day after the Griner-Bout swap, and Whelan expressed his "frustration."
"Here's what I told him. I said: 'Paul, you have the commitment of this president. The president's focused. The secretary of state's focused.'"
"'Keep the faith. We're coming to get you.'"
Carstens also provided some of the first details of Griner's demeanor during her flight back to the US from the United Arab Emirates, following a flight from Russia.
After boarding, he said, he offered to give Griner space to "decompress" after her 10 months in captivity – but she was having none of it.
"Oh, no," she told him. "I've been in prison for 10 months now listening to Russian, I want to talk" – and Griner did so for perhaps 12 of the 18 hours the flight lasted, Carstens said, talking about "everything under the sun."
But first, he said, she insisted on meeting the others on the plane.
She "went to every member on that crew, looked them in the eyes, shook their hands and asked about them, got their names... It was really amazing."
He added: "I was left with the impression that this is an intelligent, passionate, compassionate, humble, interesting person, a patriotic person, but above all, authentic."
He said he "felt blessed having had a chance to get to know her."


First foreign students arrive in Australia since virus closure

International students have arrived in Australia for the first time since the country shut its borders to curb coronavirus in March, with a charter flight touching down in Darwin on Monday.Australian universities have been leaking cash due to the country’s indefinite border closure, which has locked out foreign students who keep the billion-dollar sector afloat.A plane chartered by Charles Darwin University (CDU) carrying 63 international students arrived in the northern city of Darwin as part of a pilot programme aimed at kickstarting the higher education industry.The students – from mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and Indonesia – travelled to Singapore to catch the flight and will now spend 14 days in a government quarantine facility.The mix of new and continuing students are enrolled across a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses including law, nursing and engineering.In a statement, CDU said it was “an important first step in the recovery of the international education sector in Australia”.Education is listed as Australia’s fourth-largest export – behind iron ore, coal and natural gas – with more than 500,000 international students enrolled last year, bringing about A$37 billion into the economy.Lobby group Universities Australia said in June that the sector could lose US$11 billion as a result of the border closure.Universities – which as public institutions were omitted from a government coronavirus wage subsidy scheme – have been shedding thousands of jobs.Similar proposals by universities in Canberra and Adelaide were previously scrapped, as the government came under pressure to reserve places in quarantine facilities for Australians stranded overseas.Policies limiting the number of returnees have left more than 35,000 Australian citizens stuck abroad, despite government promises to bring them home by Christmas.Many international students also remain stuck in Australia, and some are relying on charities for food handouts after they were excluded from support packages.


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PN takes Anwar's govt to task over lack of allocations for Felda settlers

Putrajaya MP Radzi Jidin today questioned the lack of provisions for the welfare of Felda settlers in the new budget for 2023, tabled by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim last week.
He said this was unlike the budget for 2021 presented by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, which had eliminated some RM8 billion in settler debts.
Muhyiddin's budget had also allocated RM400 million to write off settler farm debts and for the Felda development programme.
Radzi also cited Felda's investment in Indonesian company Eagle High Plantation (EHP) through a RM2.3 billion loan from the finance ministry.
"EHP's share price, when bought by Felda's wholly-owned subsidiary, FICP, in October 2016, was 565 rupiahs per share. On Feb 21, 2023, the price would only be 66 rupiah.
"Overall, the investment value of RM2.3 billion would be only around 10%," he said in his debate on the Supply Bill 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat.
He asked the government to explain how much debt Felda had paid and the amount still owed to Govco for the purchase of EHP shares.
"What is the effect of the debt payment on Felda's finances? What benefits have Felda achieved so far as a result of the purchase of EHP shares?" he said.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Azalina Othman Said previously said that the government could not continue the cancellation of settler debts introduced under Muhyiddin's administration.
Radzi also asked the government about the subsidy components to be cut this year ollowing the decrease in total subsidies from RM80 billion last year to RM64 billion this year.


Covid strikes MPs, Parliament staff ahead of special sitting

Close to 40 Parliament staff and at least two MPs are believed to have tested positive for Covid-19, less than two days before the first Dewan Rakyat sitting since the suspension of proceedings early this year, MalaysiaNow has learnt.It is also learnt that the development has worried health authorities who warned that the numbers could be higher as many of those who tested positive were also close contacts.Several Parliament staff who spoke to MalaysiaNow said all of them were subjected to Covid-19 tests on July 21.It is understood that some 1,500 underwent the tests, with more than 30 confirmed positive. Dozens of others were also identified as close contacts and told to self-quarantine.A second batch of tests on MPs meanwhile found least two, including the president of a political party, positive for the virus.“Several aides of these MPs have also tested positive,” said a source, adding that several MPs from both Perikatan Nasional and Umno have been told to undergo home quarantine as they are close contacts.“There could be more MPs, as some of them did their tests at private clinics and are still waiting for confirmation,” it said.When contacted, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun confirmed to MalaysiaNow that there had been confirmed cases in the Parliament vicinity, but said health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah would make an announcement on the matter.The July 26 sitting, which will run for five days, is to allow MPs to debate the National Recovery Plan announced by Putrajaya last month.This will be followed by the fourth term of Parliament, to run for 15 days in September and another 32 days from October to December.Last month, deputy speaker Rashid Hasnon said Parliament was ready to implement a hybrid Dewan Rakyat sitting if necessary.It was thought that the special sitting next week would allow MPs to approve amendments to the Standing Orders including to the voting process to facilitate hybrid proceedings.


Over 83% of adults fully jabbed

Some 83.1% of the adult population or 19,481,412 people had been fully vaccinated as of yesterday.Meanwhile 93.7% or 22,715,503 had received at least one dose, including of the single-jab CanSino vaccine.In terms of total population, 59.7% have been fully vaccinated while 69.6% have received at least one dose.A total of 42,106,397 doses of vaccine have been given under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.


Cops probing footage of Malaysians singing Negaraku alongside Israeli flag

Police are looking into a report of a video showing a group singing the national anthem against a backdrop of the Malaysian and Israeli flags.
In a statement issued by the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters, they said a report was made by a man at about 11.2opm on Nov 29.
The man said he had seen a 47-second clip shared in a WhatsApp group of several individuals singing Negaraku alongside the flags of both countries.
"Early investigations found that the incident occurred in September, when a group of locals were visiting another country with a travel agency," the police said.
"An investigation paper has been opened, and the case is being investigated under Section 8 of the National Anthem Act 1968 and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1988."
They also advised the public against issuing statements or spreading material on any platform to prevent speculation and provocation that could undermine the police investigation and threaten public peace.
Malaysia is a strong critic of Israeli policies and has no diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. It also bars Israeli passport holders from entering the country.


Socso gives 2-month amnesty period for employee registration

The Social Security Organisation (Socso) is giving a two-month amnesty period, from May 1 to June 30, for employers to voluntarily register their employees for protection.
Socso chief executive Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said this is the first time the agency is giving a two-month amnesty period, instead of only one month previously.
"The purpose is to give more time for employers to voluntarily register their employees for Socso protection.
"Hence, Socso calls on all employers who have not registered and contributed (for their employees) to immediately do so voluntarily either online through the ASSIST Portal or at any of the 54 Socso offices nationwide or by contacting Socso Careline at 1-300-22-8000," he told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
He said employers who voluntarily registered their workers during the amnesty period would be exempted from compound and prosecution even after the given grace period has expired.
Azman said an operation, Ops Kesan 2023, would be launched after the amnesty period had ended against errant employers.
"Ops Kesan aims to ensure that all employers who employ at least one employee (regardless of the amount of salary) register their companies and employees in accordance with the provisions of Sections 4 and 5 of the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4) as well as Sections 14 and 16 of the Employment Insurance System Act 2017 (Act 800)," he said,
He said more than 500 officers would be deployed under the operation to identify employers who fail to register and contribute to Socso.


Bali bomber could be released in days, law official says

An Indonesian man jailed for his role in the deadly 2002 Bali bombings that killed hundreds of people could be released on parole in the coming daysafter the latest reduction in his sentencing, a law official said on Friday.
Umar Patek, a member of the Al Qaeda-linked militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, was sentenced to 20 years jail by an Indonesian court in 2012 after he was found guilty of mixing bombs that ripped through two Bali nightclubs a decade earlier, killing 202 people.
Patek, who was also convicted for his role in deadly church bombings in 2000, was granted a five-month reduction as part of a series of remissions regularly given to inmates on Indonesia's independence day on Aug 17.
Zaeroji, head of the law and human rights office in East Java where Patek is jailed, told Reuters that the bomber was now eligible for parole this month because he had served two-thirds of his sentence after a series of such reductions.
The matter has been passed to the central government for final approval, he said.
"We have proposed this to the justice and human rights ministry and from there it will be decided," said Zaeroji, who goes by one name.
The justice and human rights ministry did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The decision has sparked concern in Australia where Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Patek's release would have a devastating impact on the victims' families.
"We lost 88 Australians in that terrorist attack, and it was a barbaric attack," Albanese told reporters in Queensland.
"They have a system whereby when anniversaries occur, quite often sentences are reduced and commuted for people. But when it comes to someone who's committed such a heinous crime, a designer and maker of a bomb designed to kill people, to kill and maim, then we have a very strong view," he said.
Albanese said his government will make diplomatic contact with Indonesia over the case.
On the run for nine years, there had been a US$1 million dollar bounty on Patek's head before he was finally apprehended in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011, in the same town where Osama bin Laden was killed several months after his arrest.
Bali bombing mastermind Hambali, also known as Encep Nurjaman, is currently detained at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and has been awaiting trial since 2006.


Najib admitted to hospital, 1MDB trial postponed

Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today was postponed as the former prime minister was admitted to Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) due to a blood pressure condition.
His counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah informed judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that his client would not be able to attend court today and perhaps tomorrow.
"Najib has been taken ill, and he has been warded at HKL since yesterday. I’m told as of this morning at 7.30am and 9.30am, the likelihood of certain tests performed on him may take a few more days.
"Definitely, today is off, Yang Arif. Definitely, he cannot come, and I think certainly tomorrow as well.
"There are issues with his health because he seems to have exhibited fluctuating blood pressure. The cause for it has not been detected, so they are doing their very best," he said.
He added that Najib would be transferred to the National Heart Institute (IJN) today.
"There is a possibility, in fact a certainty, there's going to be a transfer from HKL to IJN," Shafee said.
Deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustaffa P Kunyalam did not object to the postponement, and Sequerah fixed tomorrow afternoon for mention to be updated on Najib's condition.
Yesterday, the trial was cut to half-day after senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram, who is leading the prosecution team, told the court that by 2pm Najib had to be taken to hospital for medical attention as the high blood pressure medication he was taking was causing him adverse effects.
He told Sequerah that he was informed by a Kajang Prison officer that Najib’s condition was "quite bad".
The trial had been scheduled to resume until this Thursday. Yesterday, Ambank (M) Bhd Jalan Raja Chulan branch manager R Uma Devi testified as the 37th prosecution witness.
Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
On Aug 23, he was sent to Kajang Prison after the Federal Court upheld the conviction, 12-year jail term and RM210 million fine imposed on him for misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds.


Amanah MPs to reject 2021 budget

None of Amanah’s 11 MPs will support the 2021 budget, its president Mohamad Sabu said today in comments seen as against several royal reminders to politicians across the divide to ensure financial allocations for frontliners in the battle against Covid-19.Mohamad was quoted by Astro Awani as saying that his party would only support the budget motion if several conditions are met.“Umno too has called for some amendments in exchange for support, (so) we are with Pakatan Harapan (in not supporting the budget),” the news station quoted the former defence minister as saying in Kota Bharu today.Amanah’s stand appears to be in conflict with several reminders by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in the run-up to the tabling of Budget 2021 last Friday.Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had warned MPs against trying to derail the budget, saying the financial allocations were crucial in efforts to restore the economy ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic.He issued the reminders after refusing to invoke his constitutional powers to declare a state of emergency in order to prevent possible snap polls in the event that the budget is shot down.There have been fears of a general election if the budget is not passed, which top health officials said could trigger a series of Covid-19 clusters.This follows reports that key Umno leaders aligned with their president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and former prime minister Najib Razak could engineer a collapse of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government if they do not vote to support the budget.


Govt using foreign funds to train Myanmar refugees, says Saifuddin

The government is using foreign funds to cover the cost of skills training to be given to Myanmar refugees, says Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.
He said the government would not use public funds in efforts to help the refugees obtain skills in this country.
He added that the country has so far been unable to absorb Myanmar refugees in the employment sector as they do not have the required skills.
"Right now, we have a shortage of foreign labour. Many restaurants and factories and the construction sector are experiencing a labour shortage, but perhaps employers are not willing to take them (refugees) because they don't have basic skills.
"Thus, we are planning a skills training programme for certain people who want to work, but not using public funds, so we are thinking about how the funds can be obtained... as foreign minister I also lobbied to get funds from other countries and international donors," he said at a press conference in Kuantan yesterday.  Saifuddin, who is also Indera Mahkota MP, said Qatar was one of the countries that had contributed by channelling US$50 million, of which US$6 million has been spent on refugee health matters.
"I mention this so that Malaysians don't get upset when the foreign minister talks about refugees in Malaysia and the need to provide them with opportunities for work and education.
"We have never used the public's money, all of this is done from funds coming from outside using contributions from foreign countries," he said.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin, who is also the chairman of Perikatan Nasional (PN) in Pahang, when asked about the distribution of seats for the 15th general election (GE15) in the state, said the initial discussions with PN coalition members said they would defend the seats won by their respective parties.
"Bersatu will contest in the one parliamentary seat it won, and PAS in eight state seats.
"Bersatu and Gerakan will not ask for the seats won by PAS. We will look at the focus seats and who is most suitable to contest.
"However, we are still looking at the appropriate formula, and the decision will be finalised at the PN Supreme Council level," he said.