7 dead as India steps up evacuations ahead of cyclone

Four boys drowned after venturing into rough seas in Mumbai as Indian authorities began evacuating people from western coastal areas on Tuesday, two days before a powerful cyclone approaches Gujarat state and neighbouring southern Pakistan.
Classified as a very severe cyclonic storm, Biparjoy is expected to make landfall around Thursday evening between Mandvi in India's Gujarat and Karachi in Pakistan with maximum sustained wind speed of 125-135km per hour, gusting to 150km per hour, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
"Four boys drowned at Juhu beach on Monday evening. So far, we have found the bodies of two, and the search is still ongoing to locate the remaining two," said a police official in Mumbai, India's western metropolis that is south of Gujarat.
High waves in the Arabian Sea, accompanied by a heavy downpour and gusting winds pounded Gujarat's coastal areas, uprooting trees and resulting in wall collapse that killed three people in Kutch and Rajkot districts of the state, authorities said.
Eight districts in coastal Gujarat are expected to be affected, the state government said. Fishing operations in the region have been suspended till Friday while schools have declared holidays.
Gujarat is home to many offshore oil installations and major ports in the country and most have been forced to suspend operations.
According to the Gujarat government, 21 teams of the National Disaster Response Force and 13 teams of the State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in the state for rescue work.
"We have already started evacuations from coastal areas. More than 7,000 people have been evacuated so far and the number is expected to cross 50-60 thousand," said Kamal Dayani, a senior state official.
Two of India's largest ports – Kandla and Mundra – located in Gujarat, have suspended operations, the state government said. Other ports including Bedi, Navlakhi, Porbandar, Okha, Pipavav and Bhavnagar have also closed due to the cyclone, according to shipping sources.
Reliance Industries, which operates the world's largest refining complex in Gujarat's Jamnagar, declared a force majeure, suspending exports of diesel and other oil products from Gujarat's Sikka port due to the storm, traders said.
The Adani conglomerate's ports business, Adani Ports, said it suspended vessel operations on Monday at Mundra, India's biggest commercial port that has the country's largest coal import terminal, and also at Tuna port near Kandla.
The Indian Coast Guard said it evacuated 50 personnel from a jack-up oil rig off Gujarat's coast named Key Singapore, which is owned by Dubai-based Shelf Drilling and currently working for Cairn Oil & Gas (Vedanta Ltd), according to Shelf Drilling's website.
In Pakistan, the National Disaster Management Authority said instructions were being given to take precautionary measures in southern and southeastern parts that may be affected.


Threshold indicator for new cases in recovery plan may be reviewed, says Zafrul

The threshold indicator for new Covid-19 cases under the National Recovery Plan (NRP) may be changed to a more appropriate value based on current developments and the situation in the country.NRP coordinating minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said a proposal had been raised to the National Security Council (NSC) for the threshold value of new cases to be changed to the severity of cases by category or the rate of death.“The NRP is dynamic. If cases have decreased and they are only mild symptomatic cases, the number of new cases is no longer an appropriate threshold value. We will look at the case capacity in the ICU and the mortality rate.“This matter is being discussed with the health ministry to change it to a more appropriate threshold value, especially in the third phase when we have managed to vaccinate 40% of the country’s adult population,” he said on the Agenda Awani programme last night.Zafrul, who is also finance minister, said the proposed changes were based on experiences in other countries such as the UK which recorded a sharp drop in Covid-19 cases and hospital admissions after more than 40% of the population had been vaccinated.“Therefore, when 40% of our people are fully vaccinated, we will ask the National Recovery Council (MPN) to consider this matter.“However, the consideration is subject to the views of the relevant experts,” he added.Zafrul yesterday said the MPN had agreed to invite members from opposition parties such as Pakatan Harapan, Warisan and Pejuang as well as representatives from the Sabah and Sarawak state governments to join the council.He said the MPN had also invited experts from various backgrounds including businessman Tony Fernandes, Star Media Group adviser Wong Chun Wai and infectious disease expert Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman.Zafrul said the participation of members from various backgrounds would help the MPN make the most accurate decisions, and have a positive impact in terms of the discussions and ideas produced.He said it would also ensure transparency and that checks and balances are maintained at all times.


Poorer nations face vaccine wait as West locks down supply

Hailed this week as a pandemic game-changer, the new Covid-19 vaccine offered countries that had pre-ordered doses a potential escape from a cycle of lockdowns and new waves of sickness and death.But while richer nations plan their vaccination programmes through the end of 2021, experts warn that poorer and developing countries face hurdles that could deny billions the first proven protection against the coronavirus.Vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech plan to roll out the first doses within weeks, once they receive emergency use permissions from drug agencies. They expect to have 1.3 billion doses ready next year.The results of Phase 3 clinical trials showed their mRNA vaccine was 90% effective in preventing Covid-19 symptoms and did not produce adverse side effects among thousands of volunteers.At the cost of US$40 per treatment, which consists of two separate shots, richer nations have rushed to order tens of millions of doses. But it is less clear what poorer nations can expect.“If we only have the Pfizer vaccine and everyone needs two doses, clearly that’s a difficult ethical dilemma,” Trudie Lang, director of The Global Health Network at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, told AFP.Anticipating the outsize demand for any approved vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) formed the Covax facility in April to ensure equitable distribution.Covax brought together governments, scientists, civil society and the private sector – though Pfizer is not currently part of the facility.A company spokesperson told AFP it had “provided an expression of interest for possible supply” to Covax.Rachel Silverman, a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, said it was unlikely that much of the first vaccine batch would end up in poorer nations.Based on advance purchase agreements signed with Pfizer, she calculated that 1.1 billion doses had been snapped up entirely by wealthy nations.“There’s not much left for everyone else,” she told AFP.Some countries that pre-ordered, such as Japan and Britain, are part of Covax, so some doses are likely to reach less developed nations through their purchase agreements.Conversely, the US, which has 600 million doses on order, is not a Covax member, though this may change under a Joe Biden administration.Fair shareBenjamin Schreiber, Covid-19 vaccine coordinator at the UN’s children’s fund Unicef, said it was vital that all nations had fair access to the new vaccine.“We really need to avoid a situation of rich nations gobbling up all the vaccines and then there’s not enough doses for the poorest nations,” he said.Ethics aside, epidemiological data underscores the need for equitable vaccine distribution.This month researchers at America’s Northeastern University published research examining the link between vaccine reach and Covid-19 mortality.They modelled two scenarios. The first, the “uncooperative allocation” scenario, hypothesised what would happen if 50 rich nations monopolised the first two billion doses of a vaccine.The second saw the vaccine distributed based on a country’s population rather than its ability to pay for it.The researchers found that the rich nation stockpiling scenario reduced Covid-19 deaths by 33% globally. The fair-share approach prevented 61%.Commenting on the study, the Gavi vaccine alliance, which co-leads Covax, said “the modest gain for high-income countries in monopolising vaccines was far less than the devastating losses for low-income countries if countries don’t cooperate”.‘Enormous challenge’Even if finance for poorer nations materialises, the logistics of getting the new vaccine to everyone remains dizzying.Pfizer’s vaccine is based on mRNA, which tricks the immune system to produce viral proteins itself that are then neutralised.It appears to be effective at bestowing protection against Covid-19, yet is extremely fragile: it must be stored at -80 degrees Celsius or else it falls apart.“Most freezers in most hospitals anywhere in the world are -20C,” said Lang. “This is four times colder.”Silverman said maintaining the vaccine’s “ultra-cold chain” from factory to patients’ arms constituted “an enormous logistical challenge even in the West”.Although Pfizer and some governments have been preparing delivery protocols for months in anticipation of trial results, “none of that has taken place in low- and middle-income countries”, she said.Pfizer has designed its own “thermal shipper”, a briefcase-sized container that can keep the vaccine supercool for up to 10 days.For others, there may be ways around the problem. Food storage containers, for example, are regularly cooled to close to the temperature required by the vaccine before being shipped long distances.And the Ebola vaccine, which like those in trial for Covid-19 was developed and delivered at warp speed following a string of deadly outbreaks, has a similar temperature profile to Pfizer’s.“We have experience in rolling out the Ebola vaccine in some countries,” Schreiber told AFP.He said it was “more difficult but not impossible” to safely store and administer the Covid-19 vaccine across the global south, but this would require significant investment and training.Gaining trust ‘tall order’There are currently more than three dozen other Covid-19 vaccine candidates in development, 11 of which are in or have completed Phase 3 trials.Most experts agree that the best route out of the pandemic would be to have several safe and effective vaccines that work in different ways, giving varying levels of protection.Pfizer has yet to release its full results so it is not clear if its vaccine stops Covid-19 transmission – meaning it would be suitable for mass administration – or if it only prevents severe illness, in which case it would be prioritised for elderly and at-risk populations.But even if several vaccines come online in the coming months, there is no guarantee everyone who should get one will agree to it.WHO in 2019 said “vaccine hesitancy” was one of the top 10 global health threats, and last month The Lancet medical journal warned that growing anti-vaccine movements could hamper the Covid-19 inoculation rollout.Although the Ebola vaccination programme has all but eradicated the virus, several studies showed how progress was slowed by mistrust and misinformation circulating both online and within communities.Lang said there were also lessons to learn from the polio response in Africa.“Africa is now clear of polio, which is amazing,” she said. “But the things we had to get over in order to do that.“Mothers would often say: ‘If I go to the hospital with my son I can’t get medicines or treatment, but you’re going over to my house with this foreign vaccine. What’s that about?’“It’s a tall order to gain trust.”


Ukraine general says Russia digging in for long war

A Ukrainian general said on Thursday that Moscow was digging in for a long war and still wanted to conquer the whole of Ukraine, as Russian forces pounded two strategic cities while Kyiv's troops shelled Russian-controlled Donetsk in the east.
Both sides have ruled out a Christmas truce and there are currently no talks aimed at ending the nearly 10-month-old conflict, Europe's largest since World War Two.
In Brussels, European Union leaders agreed on US$19.16 billion (about RM84.6 billion) in financing for Ukraine in 2023 after President Volodymyr Zelensky urged them to back "our struggle for peace for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe".
Russian shelling killed two people in the centre of Kherson, the southern city liberated by Ukraine last month, said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office. The shelling also knocked out the city's electricity, officials said.
One of those killed in Kherson was a female paramedic with the Ukrainian National Red Cross Society, according to the UN's humanitarian coordinator Denise Brown. She said the strike hit a building used by local authorities and volunteers to distribute aid.
"It is shocking to know that a place that is used to support civilians, particularly the elderly, in need of assistance because of the war has been hit," she said.
The Russian defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the strike on Kherson.
Russian forces also attacked critical infrastructure in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, causing several explosions, its mayor, Ihor Terekhov, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
"The Kremlin... is seeking to turn the conflict into a prolonged armed confrontation," a senior Ukrainian officer, Brigadier General Oleksiy Gromov, told a news briefing.
"The main strategic objective of the enemy remains seizing all the territory of our country (and) not allowing Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration," said Gromov.
Earlier on Thursday, Alexei Kulemzin, the Russian-installed mayor of Donetsk, said Ukraine had fired 40 rockets from BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers at the city, in what he said was the heaviest attack there since 2014, when Russian-backed separatists wrested it from Kyiv's control.
There were no reports of deaths in Donetsk, though Kulemzin said five people had been hurt, including a child.
Reuters footage showed firefighters dousing smoking embers in a Donetsk apartment building struck by a missile and also a woman clearing shattered glass in a hospital ward also hit.
'Like zombies'
Ukraine's military General Staff said Moscow's main focus remained on the eastern cities of Bakhmut and Avdiivka, but that it was also shelling Kherson daily and trying to get a stronger foothold in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia.
The Ukrainian governor of Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said one person was killed and four injured near Bakhmut.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify battlefield accounts from either side.
"(The Russians) are crawling like zombies on our positions in Bakhmut, creating pressure in the south of the Donetsk region," Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, wrote on Telegram.
"They understand that if they do not stretch the front now, then this winter will be a disaster for them."
In a move that would significantly bolster Kyiv's air defence, US officials told Reuters a decision on providing the Patriot missile system to the Ukrainian military could be announced as soon as Thursday.
The Kremlin said the US was getting "deeper and deeper into the conflict in the post-Soviet republic", and that US Patriot systems would be legitimate targets, something that Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday applied to all weapons supplied to Ukraine by the West.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a speech to the Rights Council following a visit to Ukraine that Russia's strikes were exposing millions to "extreme hardship".
Russia denies deliberately attacking civilians. Ukraine says Russian strikes constitute a war crime.
Power shortages
Tens of thousands of people have been killed, millions more displaced and cities reduced to rubble since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24 in a "special military operation", saying it needed to protect Russian speakers from Ukrainian nationalists. Kyiv and its allies call it an unprovoked war of aggression.
"We and the world should not relax, because the ultimate goal of the Russian Federation is to conquer all of Ukraine, and then it can move on," said Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar, speaking at the same Kyiv briefing as Gromov.
Russia has fired barrages of missiles on Ukraine's energy infrastructure since October, disrupting power supplies and leaving people without heating in freezing winter conditions.
National grid operator Ukrenergo said on Thursday Ukraine continued to suffer a "significant" deficit of electricity due to the strikes, including new ones in the east, adding that the situation was exacerbated by the wintry weather.
A senior UN official expressed optimism that there would be a breakthrough in negotiations to ease exports of Russian fertilisers to avoid global food shortages next year.
Russia has complained its concerns about fertiliser exports had not been addressed when a deal for extending a Black Sea grain export agreement was agreed in November.


Biggest budget ahead, say economists, but needed despite inflation concerns

The government is expected to continue its expansionary policy in Budget 2022, to be tabled later today, making it the budget with the largest allocation in history, economists say.Such a move has triggered criticism that the government would be following a path of excessive spending that would increase inflation.In July, the consumer price index, which measures the country’s inflation rate, increased by 2.2%, according to official figures.Critics have also pointed out the series of stimulus packages from the government to help the people and businesses survive the movement control order (MCO) which began in March last year.To date, the government has implemented eight economic aid and stimulus packages involving a total of some RM530 billion, including Prihatin (RM250 billion), Penjana (RM35 billion), Pemerkasa (RM20 billion) and Pemulih (RM150 billion).Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff of Universiti Putra Malaysia acknowledged concerns about inflation, adding that there was also worry over whether the government would be able to implement such a budget.He predicted that the budget to be tabled by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz today, the second since the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the economic sector forcing Putrajaya to release billions of dollars to soften the impact, could exceed the RM322 billion allocated last year.But Razman said with the statutory debt rate increased by 60% of the GDP, there would be room to ensure that the upcoming budget, which he said could total RM350 billion this time, would allow government assistance to reach the targeted groups.He said the increase in the statutory debt rate would enable the government to accommodate RM60 billion more in debt, although this will not necessarily be maximised.Economist Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said inflation was a valid concern that would affect purchasing power, and that the government would need a more effective strategy to tackle this issue.“Ensure that the food supply is always enough, and that the supply chain is always monitored so that the activities of middlemen who take advantage in terms of agricultural products can be eradicated,” the Bank Islam chief economist told MalaysiaNow.However, Razman said the rate of inflation based on the consumer price index does not reflect the current price of goods.He believes the inflation rate will remain low, and that any risk will still be contained.He said the focus should be on addressing the global supply chain crisis which occurred due to a surge in demand after the reopening of economic sectors.Any bottleneck in supply at the international level would likely increase the inflation rate in comparison to the fiscal development policy, he added.If such a situation continues, he said, the price of goods would increase as the country still relies heavily on imports.As such, he hoped the budget would focus on campaigns to buy local goods.Economist Madeline Berma, meanwhile, said an expansionary approach is needed at present to ensure economic recovery and sustainability.“An expansionary budget would also strengthen economic growth and complement the 12th Malaysia Plan,” she told MalaysiaNow.Madeline, who expects the budget to focus on infrastructure development and digitalisation, also noted that the government is expected to continue giving Covid-related aid.“The government will continue to play a strong role in providing a conducive environment for post Covid-19 economic recovery,” she said, adding that government intervention will be needed to save lives and livelihoods even during the endemic period.“At a time when resources are limited, weak government intervention will widen existing gaps,” she said.“Government intervention is needed in the form of economic support programmes to counter the adverse impacts of the MCO on income, employment and livelihoods.”She also suggested that the government provide incentives for the most affected sectors such as tourism, as well as those that have strong multiplier effects like mega infrastructure projects.Razman meanwhile agreed with the general expectation that Budget 2022, which comes some two months after the change of leadership in August, would be populist, citing the 15th general election which is widely expected some time in the middle of next year.And with the implementation of Undi 18 which saw the minimum age of voting lowered from 21, the government will have to take into account an entire new group, he added.


Sorry.


Mice invade Australian prison, convicts flee

Hundreds of inmates are being forced to evacuate a New South Wales prison after mice chewed through ceilings, internal wiring, and destroyed critical machinery.A stench is reportedly noticeable throughout Wellington Correctional Centre, in the state’s central west, because of dead mice stuck in wall cavities, the ABC reports.Corrective Services NSW commissioner Peter Severin said up to 200 staff and 420 inmates will have to be transferred to other prisons before the end of the month in order to fix the damage.“The staff at Wellington have done an incredibly good job in managing the effects of the mice plague, but we need to take this step now to ensure the site is thoroughly cleaned and infrastructure is repaired,” he said.The commissioner said moving the prisoners out was the quickest way to deal with the effects of the mouse plague, which has caused extensive damage throughout the facility.Most staff members will be re-deployed to other correctional centres in the region, while a skeleton crew remains at Wellington to oversee and contribute to remediation work.Assistant commissioner for custodial corrections Kevin Corcoran said the remediation would also investigate ways to protect the centre from future mice invasions.“We want to do this overhaul once and we want it done properly, which means we’ll be looking at ways to mitigate the effects of similar plagues in the future,” he said.The mouse plague gripping parts of western NSW for the past nine months is estimated to have already cost NSW farmers more than A$1 billion in damage to winter crops, and there’s no end in sight.The ABC reports that the mouse plague, which started 10 months ago, has ruined the drought recovery as the pests devour new crops and destroy vital machinery.The problem is so severe that mice are biting families sleeping in their beds, sending children to hospital.The mouse plague has been caused by a “perfect storm” of optimal weather conditions for breeding, the end of the 2017 to 2019 drought, and the devastating fires killing off predators.Experts say there are now many millions of mice. However, it’s impossible to know their true number because of how quickly they breed and their ability to hide.Regional homes and businesses, particularly food-related businesses like grocery stores and cafes, have also been impacted.It is also expensive to kill the mice, with the cost of bait rising as demand surges.The financial destruction, and the disturbing experience of being inundated by mice, is also impacting peoples’ sleep and stress levels.Mice are typically not migratory and will only move about 100m from their nest or burrow to forage.However, behaviour studies from the last plague found mice causing destruction hundreds of kilometres away from their birthplaces.


Umno should remain as opposition, says Annuar Musa

Ketereh Umno division leader Annuar Musa today urged MPs from Barisan Nasional (BN) who won their seats at the recently concluded election to remain as the opposition bloc in the Dewan Rakyat.
He said BN and the 30 MPs who had won did not need to negotiate or work with any other group, in particular the component parties of Pakatan Harapan (PH), as had been decided at the Umno general assembly last year which resolved to hold to the coalition's "No Anwar, no DAP" stand.
"We prefer to receive the mandate of the people for Umno to go solo and form the opposition," he said at a press conference with other Umno division leaders at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The former Ketereh MP also agreed with Batu Umno chief Yahya Mat Ghani, who said there was nothing wrong with BN and Umno becoming the opposition in the Dewan Rakyat.
"Other parties have been the opposition for 50 to 60 years. Why can't we?" he said.
The Umno division leaders also criticised the description of BN as a "kingmaker", with Annuar saying that the coalition and Umno had been formed to guard the interests of the people, especially the Malays.
"It was not to help anyone else become 'leaders'," he said, referring to PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim.
"Our struggle is not to be a kingmaker to determine who becomes the prime minister and forms the government," he said.
"That is not our mission. We are confident that in five years' time, Umno will be back."


Bosses group calls for wage subsidies to prevent retrenchment of workers

The Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) today welcomed the RM40 billion aid package announced by the government ahead of the current two-week lockdown but suggested that financial support in the form of wage subsidies be given to bosses to help prevent the retrenchment of workers.MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said the lockdown which came into effect today would make it extremely challenging for employers to remain sustainable without adequate support from the government.In a statement, he said losses of about RM2.4 billion per day were expected, similar to those experienced during the first lockdown in March last year.“To avoid retrenchment, employers would require financial support to retain all employees on their payroll so perhaps the government should consider giving wage subsidy to all employees earning RM4,000 and below, similar to the Prihatin economic stimulus package during MCO 2.0 which provided wage subsidy for six months from April 1 to Sept 30, 2020,” he said.Previous reports said as many as 2.8 million people might lose their source of income while up to 40% of SMEs could be forced to close down as a result of a full lockdown.Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who announced the lockdown on May 28, said it would take place in three stages with only essential services and sectors given the green light allowed to remain open during the first phase from June 1 to 14.If Phase One succeeds in reducing the Covid-19 caseload, Phase Two will be implemented under which economic sectors that do not involve large gatherings and which can be subject to physical distancing will be allowed to reopen.This is expected to continue for four weeks, after which Phase Three will be enforced. Under the third phase, most economic sectors will be allowed to reopen subject to strict SOPs.Syed Hussain urged members of the public to register for vaccination, saying this would save lives.“And the sooner we achieve herd immunity, the sooner we can return to business as usual,” he said.


China says open to dialogue on South China Sea

China would like to work with Malaysia to handle differences in the South China Sea through dialogue and consultation in an appropriate manner, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said earlier today that he had told the Chinese government that an exploration project by state energy firm Petronas in the South China Sea was within Malaysian waters, in a reference to an overlapping claim in the area by Beijing.
"China safeguards legitimate rights and interests in the South China Sea," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said, responding to a question about Malaysia's warning of a protest note if there were "collisions" between Malaysian and Chinese vessels in the area.


Updates: Agong to decide on PM

The wait continues for Malaysians who have been on tenterhooks since Saturday to learn which coalitions will form the new government following the inconclusive results of the Nov 19 polls.


Oil prices could fall without further Opec+ cut, analysts say

Opec+ is widely expected to stick to its latest target of reducing oil production by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) when it meets on Sunday, but some analysts believe that crude prices could fall if the group does not make further cuts.
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and allies led by Russia, a group known as Opec+, has switched its planned in-person meeting in Vienna on Dec 4 to a virtual one, which sources in the group say signals the likelihood of it leaving policy unchanged.
The group agreed in early October to cut its oil production target by 2 million bpd from November until the end of 2023. Given production restraints on some members of the alliance, the actual cut the group is expected to deliver is closer to between 1 million and 1.1 million bpd.
Opec+, sources told Reuters, now wants to assesses the impact of a looming Russian oil-price cap on the market and get a clearer picture of the oil demand outlook in China, the world's top crude importer, where an easing of stringent Covid-19 restrictions is expected after unprecedented demonstrations.
Some analysts, however, are not ruling out a surprise, and warn that with the current oversupply in the market, Opec+ risks a collapse in the oil price if it doesn't curb its output targets further at the meeting.
"A further cut in production cannot... be ruled out," PVM Oil analyst Stephen Brennock said. "Failure to do so risks sparking another selling frenzy," he added, without saying how low he thought prices could go.
Brent crude prices LCOc1, which hit a 14-year high above US$139 (about RM612) a barrel after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, were trading around US$88 a barrel on Thursday, staging a modest recovery from near one-year lows close to US$80 a barrel hit earlier in the week.
China's economy squeezing Covid-19 restrictions and the European Union's failure to agree a level at which to cap Russian oil prices have been weighing on the market, with analysts at ING pointing to the recent weakness as a reason why further supply cuts "cannot be ruled out".
Amrita Sen, co-founder of consultancy Energy Aspects, told bank Jefferies that she did not expect Opec+ to change tack yet.
Energy Aspects expects Opec+ to return some barrels to the market after the second quarter of next year in order to balance supply and demand.
UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said that while a lack of clarity on Russian supplies may prompt Opec+ to rollover its current quotas, weaker Chinese demand and the potential for new releases from the US strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) may prompt the group to cut further.


US restricts visas for Chinese officials suspected of rights abuses

The US imposed additional restrictions Monday on visas for Chinese officials suspected of human rights abuses, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced, the latest such curbs amid high tensions with Beijing.The new restrictions concern “Chinese officials who are believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, policies or actions aimed at repressing religious and spiritual practitioners, members of ethnic minority groups, dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, labour organisers, civil society organisers, and peaceful protesters”, Pompeo said in a statement.Family members of the officials could also be targeted, he said.Washington has already increased visa restrictions against Chinese officials and students in recent months, often in a targeted manner, as part of its campaign against Beijing, which has become its main strategic adversary.The State Department has cancelled visas for more than 1,000 Chinese students and researchers suspected of espionage.US entry has been banned for Chinese officials allegedly involved in the mass internment of the country’s Muslim Uighur minority, or involved in the crackdown in Hong Kong.The State Department has also drastically restricted US entry for members of the Chinese Communist Party.The move “demonstrates the US government’s resolve to hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for its increasing repression against the Chinese people”, Pompeo said in the statement.“China’s authoritarian rulers impose draconian restrictions on the Chinese people’s freedoms of expression, religion or belief, association, and the right to peaceful assembly. The US has been clear that perpetrators of human rights abuses like these are not welcome in our country.”


Cameroon stun Brazil but go out of World Cup

Vincent Aboubakar headed in a stoppage-time winner and was then sent off as Cameroon claimed a memorable 1-0 victory over favourites Brazil at the World Cup on Friday, but still failed to go through to the last 16.
Aboubakar, who had come in to captain Rigobert Song's team, connected with a cross from substitute Jerome Ngom Mbekeli to break the deadlock in the 92nd minute at Doha's Lusail Stadium.
He was booked for removing his shirt in the wild celebrations that followed and, having already been cautioned, had to leave his teammates to see out the remainder of the game.
They did so to record a famous win, the first for an African side against Brazil at the World Cup, but Switzerland's 3-2 defeat of Serbia at the same time meant the Swiss advanced from Group G along with the already-qualified Brazilians.
"Despite the fact we won we are disappointed because we realise we could have done better," admitted Song.
"It is a shame to stop here but we just need to see the positives and we will keep working."
Having won their first two matches in Qatar, Brazil topped the group and advance to a last-16 tie against South Korea when their many key players who were rested for this game will return.
Coach Tite sent out a second-string side and the result was Brazil's first defeat in the group stage of a World Cup since 1998, when they were beaten by Norway.
Tite made nine changes, including handing a start to 39-year-old Dani Alves, making him Brazil's oldest ever men's international player.
“Tonight we all lost, it is a collective defeat," Tite said.
"Nobody has won all three group games at this World Cup and the three teams who won their first two matches lost the next one. It just shows how difficult these matches are."
The spine of Brazil's second-string side still featured Manchester City's Ederson in goal, Real Madrid's Eder Militao in central defence, Fabinho of Liverpool in midfield, and Gabriel Jesus of Arsenal supported by Rodrygo up front.
Martinelli impresses
They also had the 21-year-old Gabriel Martinelli on the left and the Arsenal prospect was their standout performer.
He almost scored the opening goal in the 14th minute when he leapt unmarked but saw his header tipped over by Cameroon keeper Devis Epassy. Martinelli also threatened in first-half stoppage time with a dribble across the edge of the area and a shot that Epassy turned behind.
It was a piece of play reminiscent of Neymar, who is still recovering from a sprained ankle and watched the action here from just behind the Brazilian bench.
The Brazil fans, who unfurled a banner with a "Get Well Soon" message for Pele, cheered loudly when Neymar appeared on screens inside the stadium.
Needing a win, Cameroon almost went in front just before the interval when a Bryan Mbeumo header forced a flying save from Ederson.
Brazil had won all seven previous meetings with African opponents at the World Cup, including beating Cameroon in 1994 and in 2014, and Martinelli was their most likely source of a goal.
He forced Epassy to tip over another strike that was arcing towards the top corner early in the second half, and the Cameroon shot-stopper – continuing in place of Andre Onana who was dropped for unspecified disciplinary reasons – turned a Militao shot around the post moments later.
Eager to study all his attacking options, Tite sent on the Flamengo duo of Everton Ribeiro and Pedro, but he also saw Alex Telles come off hurt in the second half.
Telles is the third Brazil full-back to succumb to injury at the tournament after Danilo and Alex Sandro.
At this rate Alves, five months short of his 40th birthday, will have a further role to play in Qatar.
Most importantly Brazil will hope to have Neymar back soon but it remains to be seen if he will feature against South Korea on Monday.
Aboubakar grabbed the late winner just when a goalless draw looked likely, and Cameroon deserve huge credit for taking four points from such a difficult group even if they now go home.


Name your PM candidate before talking about seats, MIC tells Umno

Barisan Nasional (BN) component party MIC today demanded that Umno name its candidate for prime minister before seeking to negotiate seats for the next general election with its partners in the coalition.MIC vice-president Sivarraajh Chandran said neither his party nor MCA were “yes-men”, adding that their loyalty to BN had its limits.“Please answer the question raised by the MIC president,” he said, referring to SA Vigneswaran who had brought up the matter yesterday.“Who is BN’s prime minister candidate for the 15th general election? Decide on the answer first, before touching on your component partners or negotiating seats on behalf of MIC and MCA.“Don’t assume that all things need to and will happen according to your wishes,” he said in a statement today.Sivarraajh was responding to a Puteri Umno leader who had suggested that MIC allow Umno to contest the Sungai Siput parliamentary constituency, a seat traditionally allocated to the Indian party.In his statement, he said if Umno felt that it was strong enough on its own and did not need the support of MIC and MCA, it should contest GE15 under its own logo instead of BN’s.He also suggested that the Cameron Highlands seat be “returned” to MIC, saying he had won it in the 2018 polls.“Other previous MIC candidates won, too. Why, after the Cameron Highlands by-election, would Umno want to retain the seat even though the initial agreement was just to borrow it?”The Cameron Highlands by-election in 2019 was won by Umno’s Ramli Mohd Nor with a comfortable majority of over 3,000.It was BN’s first victory in the five by-elections held since losing power to Pakatan Harapan in the general election.Sivarraajh today warned the top Umno leadership against arrogance.“Stop demanding all the seats as if you can win them all. The Umno leadership should learn how to respect its partners,” he added.


Olympic organisers defend virus measures as cases rise

Tokyo Olympics organisers dismissed any link to rising coronavirus cases in Japan on Thursday after reporting 24 infections among Games participants, the highest yet.At least 193 athletes, media and Olympic employees and contractors have now tested positive for the virus, according to Tokyo 2020 figures that do not include some cases at airports and in training camps.On Wednesday, Japan reported 9,583 cases nationwide, the first time the figure has topped 9,000, with cases also at a record level in Tokyo.International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said there was nothing to suggest a link between the Games and the rising figures.“As far as I’m aware there’s not a single case of an infection spreading to the Tokyo population from the athletes or Olympic movement,” he told reporters.“We have the most tested community probably anywhere… in the world, on top of that you have some of the toughest lockdown restrictions in the athlete’s village,” he added.Organisers also insisted the Games are not putting additional pressure on Japan’s medical system, as experts warn the rising number of cases could lead to a healthcare crisis.Only two people associated with the Games are in hospital, they said, and half of all those needing care are being looked after by their own medical teams.“Of 310,000 screening tests, the rate of positivity is 0.02%,” Adams added.Of the Olympic participants reported positive, 109 are residents of Japan, with the rest coming from abroad.The comments come with rising concern in Tokyo and beyond about a rapid rise in new infections, spurred by the more contagious Delta variant.Tokyo is already under a virus state of emergency that shortens restaurant and bar opening hours and bars them from selling alcohol, and three neighbouring regions are now expected to impose the same measure.But experts say the limits do not appear to be working, and have warned people not to drop their guard.“The current situation is the worst ever,” a top government adviser on the virus warned, according to national broadcaster NHK.Shigeru Omi, a former top World Health Organization official, added that since the government and Olympic organisers had decided to go ahead with the Games, “it is their responsibility to do everything they can… to prevent infections and a breakdown in medical services”.Japan has seen a comparatively small virus outbreak, with around 15,000 deaths despite avoiding harsh lockdowns, but only around a quarter of the population is fully vaccinated.Strict measures have been imposed for the Games, including a ban on spectators at almost all events and regular testing for Olympic participants.


Binance's Cyprus unit seeks deregistration as crypto service provider

Binance's Cyprus unit has applied to be removed from Cyprus' register of crypto asset service providers, the securities regulator website showed on Wednesday, without detailing the reason for the application.
It was unclear when Binance applied to deregister. The exchange, the world's biggest, announced its registration with the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission in October 2022. A source at the regulator said on Wednesday that Binance never launched its business in Cyprus.
The Cyprus registration allowed Binance to offer spot trading, custody and other services in compliance with Cyprus's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules, the exchange has previously said on its website.
Binance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Binance, its founder Changpeng Zhao, and the operator of its purportedly independent US exchange. Binance said it intends to defend itself "vigorously" against the SEC's charges.


Govt fine-tuning SOPs for Christmas, Thaipusam

The government is still fine-tuning the SOPs for Christmas and Thaipusam, taking into account the safety and health of the people as well as the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said today.Hishammuddin, who chaired a Covid-19 Ministerial Quartet meeting today, said the focus for Christmas celebrations is on SOP statistics for prayer ceremonies, visits to family homes, live performances, house-to-house carolling and Christmas sale stalls.As for Thaipusam, he said through discussions with Human Resources Minister M Saravanan, the focus is on the SOP statistics for prayer at temples.Also under scrutiny are the chariot journey and movements, carrying of kavadi and Paal koodam or milk pots, shaving hair, ritual ceremony (bathing) in the river and the opening of sale stalls.“The health ministry, police, national unity ministry and temple representatives will go down to the ground to scrutinise the space capacity, logistical requirements and stopping spots along the journey and the movement of the chariot,” he said in a statement today.“It is important to understand that in deciding every SOP, the priority of the government is the safety and health of the people, especially taking into account the current spread of the Omicron variant worldwide.“I also understand that at the end of the year like now, many will return to their villages and go on holiday with their families.“Please ensure the face mask is worn, avoid congested places, get booster shots if eligible, perform Covid-19 tests periodically, and most importantly, practise TRIIS,” he said.Hishammuddin said at the quartet meeting today, National Unity Minister Halimah Mohamed Sadique and Saravanan were invited to sit at the same table with health ministry representatives and and stakeholders to coordinate the SOPs for the two celebrations.He urged the public to comply with each SOP to be announced by the national unity ministry soon in a disciplined and responsible manner, in line with the aim of the government through the reopening safely efforts.Meanwhile, Saravanan said in principle, the government and the National Security Council (NSC) had agreed on holding Thaipusam celebrations and the chariot procession since it was a religious festival, but that several proposals were put up to control the spread of Covid-19.“We will fine-tune it (the SOP proposal) in the coming meeting,” he told a media conference after attending an event at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur today.Saravanan, who is also MIC deputy president, said all segments of society including Hindus must be responsible for shouldering the burden together to combat Covid-19 when celebrating the religious festival.On Dec 7, the government said all Thaipusam processions would not be allowed due to the new Omicron variant. After receiving brickbats from various quarters, though, the national unity ministry issued a statement saying that the Covid-19 SOPs for the celebration had not been finalised.


Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie over South China Sea map

Vietnam has banned Warner Bros' highly-anticipated film "Barbie" from domestic distribution over a scene featuring a map that shows China's unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday.
The U-shaped "nine-dash line" is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast areas of the South China Sea, including swathes of what Vietnam considers its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions.
"Barbie" is the latest movie to be banned in Vietnam for depicting China's controversial nine-dash line, which was repudiated in an international arbitration ruling by a court in The Hague in 2016. China refuses to recognise the ruling.
In 2019 the Vietnamese government pulled DreamWorks' animated film "Abominable" and last year it banned Sony's action movie "Unchartered" for the same reason. Netflix also removed an Australian spy drama "Pine Gap" in 2021.
"Barbie", starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was originally slated to open in Vietnam on July 21, the same date as in the US, according to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.
"We do not grant license for the American movie 'Barbie' to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line," the paper reported, citing Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Cinema, a government body in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films.
Warner Bros did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vietnam and China have long had overlapping territorial claims to a potentially energy-rich stretch in the South China Sea. The Southeast Asian country has repeatedly accused Chinese vessels of violating its sovereignty.


Indonesia tops Brazil for world’s most daily Covid deaths

Indonesia has topped Brazil in reporting the highest number of daily deaths attributed to Covid-19, even as new cases start to ease in the world’s most populous Muslim country.Indonesia is now considered the new epicentre of the pandemic in Asia, having overtaken India.There were 1,093 fatalities in Indonesia in the 24 hours through midday Sunday, the government announced on Twitter.The figure a day earlier was 1,092, while yesterday Brazil reported 868 deaths.Indonesia said today that new infections were 44,721, the least in nearly a week, yet still the highest in Asia.Many fear the situation may be worse than the numbers show, because not enough people are getting tested for the virus. A survey published on Saturday found that nearly half of the 10.6 million residents of Jakarta may have contracted Covid-19.Experts say Indonesia is now reaping the costs of not implementing strict lockdowns nor investing enough in efficient contact-tracing systems.At first, authorities did not realise how quickly the virus had been spreading in this latest wave, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin previously told CNN.The current coronavirus wave in Indonesia has overwhelmed hospitals and depleted the country’s oxygen supply, even as the government adds beds and imports oxygen tanks.As the Delta variant spreads through Indonesia, at least 650 people have died at home while self-isolating as they could not get admission to hospitals, according to crowdsourcing platform LaporCovid-19.The crisis underscores how the pandemic is picking up pace around the world even as countries like the UK and the US ease virus restrictions.A lack of access to vaccines means rising caseloads in places like Indonesia are being followed by a surge in deaths.There has been more than 57 million vaccinations in Indonesia, enough to cover about 11% of its population, Bloomberg’s Vaccine Tracker shows.The figure is 48% in the European Union and 53% in the US.Indonesia – the world’s fourth-most populous country – has reported more than 2.8 million cases and 73,582 deaths overall.That’s still dwarfed by the more than 540,000 dead in Brazil.The US has the highest documented cases at 34 million and deaths at 609,000.Indonesia’s government is considering whether to extend movement restrictions set to end on Tuesday.


UK police end Downing Street party inquiry, 126 fines issued

British police said on Thursday they had ended their investigation into Covid-19 lockdown parties held at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street office, saying they had issued a total of 126 fines.Johnson and Finance Minister Rishi Sunak were both fined last month over a gathering in his office to celebrate his 56th birthday in June 2020 when social mixing was all but banned.It led to widespread calls from opposition politicians and some in his own party for him to resign.“Our investigation was thorough and impartial and was completed as quickly as we could, given the amount of information that needed to be reviewed and the importance of ensuring that we had strong evidence for each FPN (fixed penalty notice) referral,” London police acting deputy commissioner Helen Ball said.“This investigation is now complete.”Downing Street did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Police said the fines related to eight dates when events were held at Downing Street and other government offices between May 2020 and April 2021 when lockdown measures were in place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.Of those fined, 53 were men and 73 were women, with some people receiving more than one.


North Korean military ramps up Covid response as outbreak grows

North Korean military medics ramped up the distribution of medicines to fight a growing coronavirus outbreak, state media said on Tuesday, with the number of reported cases of “fever” nearing 1.5 million.Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered nationwide lockdowns to try and slow the spread of the disease through the unvaccinated population, and deployed the military after what he has called a botched response to the outbreak.Hundreds of personnel in camouflage uniforms from the Korean People’s Army medical units were seen rallying in the capital Pyongyang in photos released by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).The military “urgently deployed its powerful forces to all pharmacies in Pyongyang city and began to supply medicines under the 24-hour service system”, KCNA said.One KCNA photo showed soldiers walking next to a long line of green trucks.Kim had strongly criticised healthcare officials for their failure to keep pharmacies open.North Korea’s leader has put himself front and centre of the country’s Covid response since its first case was announced last week, saying the outbreak is causing “great upheaval”.Authorities had reported more than 1.48 million cases of “fever” as of Monday evening, KCNA said, with the death toll at 56.“At least 663,910 are under medical treatment,” the agency said.Authorities have stepped up media awareness campaigns and pharmaceutical factories have increased the production of medicines, KCNA reported.No response to South KoreaNorth Korea has one of the world’s worst healthcare systems, with poorly equipped hospitals, few intensive care units, and no Covid treatment drugs or mass testing ability, experts say.“Most North Koreans are chronically malnourished and unvaccinated, there are barely any medicines left in the country, and the health infrastructure is incapable to deal with this pandemic,” Lina Yoon, senior Korea researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.She urged the international community to offer medicines, vaccines and infrastructure to North Korea.Pyongyang has so far not responded to an offer of help from Seoul, according to South Korea’s unification ministry.South Korea’s new president Yoon Suk-yeol has taken a hawkish stance on his country’s nuclear-armed neighbour, but told lawmakers Monday that he would “not hold back” on aid – if Pyongyang accepts.Despite the Covid crisis, new satellite imagery has indicated North Korea has resumed construction at a long-dormant nuclear reactor.The US and South Korea have warned that Kim is preparing to conduct another nuclear test – the country’s seventh.


Over 20,000 police officers, personnel on standby for floods

The police are ready to mobilise some 21,019 officers and personnel nationwide in preparation for the monsoon floods, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin says. He said 1,681 assets, including 367 boats, 845 four-wheel-drive vehicles, 454 lorries and 11 air assets were also ready to be dispatched according to need and current developments. "I have also asked all state and district police chiefs to make early preparations to lead the flood operations centres in their respective areas.
"In addition, 4,367 officers and personnel from the People's Volunteer Corps (Rela), along with assets of 41 three-tonne lorries and 36 four-wheel-drive vehicles are on standby mode," he told a special media conference on flood operations in Bukit Aman yesterday. Hamzah said the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) meanwhile had been tasked with providing flood relief assistance such as food supplies and essential items for flood-hit islands as well as flight evacuations.
He said there had been reports of floods in Tanjung Karang in Selangor; Baling in Kedah; and Kuala Pilah in Negeri Sembilan as well as several areas in Sabah and Sarawak.
"Evacuation centres have been opened in those areas and relief efforts are being carried out," he said.
Meanwhile, Hamzah said Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani had indicated that the police would face constraints in its relief operations if floods strike during the 15th general election (GE15).
He said for the polls, the police would assign over 94,000 of its 120,000 personnel compared to almost 75,000 during GE14 following the automatic registration of those aged 18 and above as voters.
"Those who require information regarding the flood situation can contact the police control centre at 03-2266 3333/ 03-2266 3444/ 03-2266 3451 or MERS 999," he said.


Speaker rejects Syed Saddiq's bid to debate LCS fiasco

An emergency motion to debate the littoral combat ships (LCS) project scandal was rejected by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul.
Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said he submitted a proposal for the motion on June 2 and received a response this morning.
The speaker responded by saying the issue is not of public interest and not of urgent need, he said.
"I understand that according to Regulation 18 Section 5, decisions cannot be appealed here, but there is a possibility to discuss this at Special Chambers," he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The LCS project, which involves the construction of six offshore combatant vessels for the country's navy under the administration of former prime minister Najib Razak, has been embroiled in a scandal, prompting an investigation into the overall management of the project.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was the defence minister at that time.
Syed Saddiq added that even though only five minutes are allocated, it is crucial to hear a detailed explanation from the defence ministry on the matter.
He further said that while construction costs was previously said to be between RM6 billion and RM9 billion, most recently, however, it was announced that an additional cost of RM2.1 billion is required.
This raises questions of why the issue has been frequently discussed if deemed not urgent, and why there have been no additional prosecutions since the scandal was exposed.
"Billions of ringgit have been spent, (but) not even one ship was delivered, and the number of ships were also reduced.
"I hope the speaker reconsiders his decision because there is an urgent need to discuss this. It's a matter involving billions of public money and issues of sovereignty and national security.
"Government or opposition, justice does not discriminate," he added.
Meanwhile, Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Ramli Mohd Noor said Syed Saddiq should use the existing rulings to appeal on the decision.
Earlier, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said the ministry is always open to discussing the scandal.
"Investigation can be carried out at any time, and the defence ministry will cooperate," he said.


Children evacuated from orphanage where dozens died in Sudan's capital

About 300 children have been evacuated from an orphanage in Sudan's capital Khartoum where dozens of orphans were found last month to have died since mid-April due to nearby fighting between rival military factions.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which facilitated the evacuation late on Wednesday, said the children aged between 1 and 15 had been taken to a safer location in Wad Madani, about 200km southeast of Khartoum.
The ICRC said in its initial statement that 280 children and 70 caretakers had been evacuated, and an ICRC spokesperson said the number of evacuated children had risen to 300 by Thursday morning.
That number was confirmed by Siddig Frini, general manager at the Khartoum state ministry of social development, which oversees care centres.
The evacuation offered "a ray of light in the midst of the ongoing conflict in Sudan", said Mandeep O'Brien, the representative in Sudan for UN children's agency Unicef.
On May 29, Reuters reported that at least 50 children had died – dozens of them babies – at the state-run orphanage, known as Mygoma, since the start of the conflict in Khartoum on April 15.
An orphanage official and doctor who works there said the deaths were mainly caused by malnourishment, dehydration and infections as most staff were kept away by the fighting.
Hadhreen, a volunteer group that has been helping at the orphanage, said on Wednesday it had confirmed the deaths of 71 children at the orphanage since the conflict started.
No official death toll has been issued. The orphanage was home to about 400 young children before the conflict began.
Frini declined to provide figures on the death toll. The director of the orphanage and the health ministry couldn't immediately be reached.
"Many millions of children remain at risk across Sudan," Unicef's O'Brien said in a statement. "Their lives and their futures are being endangered by this conflict every day."


Businessman in Guan Eng graft trial says tried to get back RM19 million

A company director told the Sessions Court today that he tried to retrieve the RM19 million given to a middleman who was allegedly close to former prime minister Najib Razak to stop the investigation into the controversial Penang undersea tunnel project.
Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, 62, said he sent a letter of demand (LOD) for his money to the middleman, known as G Gnanaraja, through his lawyers from Messrs Shahrul Hamidi & Haziq.
"I don’t remember the exact wording (of the LOD). The gist of the LOD was, I want my RM19 million back," he said when questioned by Lim Guan Eng’s counsel Gobind Singh Deo about whether he was aware that the words "held in trust" were contained in the LOD.
Gobind: In order to get your money back, you must explain why it was with him (Gnanaraja) in the first place. You instructed your lawyers to send the LOD. In the LOD, it was written that the money was 'held in trust'.
Zarul: I gave the money to Gnanaraja, supposedly to be given to the prime minister. You (Gobind) have to ask my lawyer. I just told my lawyer to get my money back. I have no idea how my lawyer worded the LOD. To another question, the 23rd prosecution witness said he had no knowledge about the second investigation against Gnanaraja, where the middleman denied he had cheated Zarul of the RM19 million.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin told the court that the prosecution was unable to produce the WhatsApp messages between the witness and Gnanaraja, as requested by the defence, as the investigation papers regarding Gnanaraja’s case had been shredded.
Gobind then requested for the phone containing the WhatsApp messages to be opened in court.
Judge Azura Alwi granted the lawyer’s request and said the court would set a later date to call the forensic team in order to open the phone during the proceedings.
Today’s proceedings were cut short after the witness complained that he was not well as he suffered from high blood pressure and heart palpitations. He said he was told by his doctor to see a specialist about his condition.
The trial continues tomorrow. Lim, 61, faces an amended charge of using his position as Penang chief minister to solicit RM3.3 million in bribes as an inducement to assist Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd (CZBUCG) owner Zarul in securing the project worth RM6,341,383,702.
Lim was accused of committing the offence at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office, Level 28, Komtar, George Town, between January 2011 and August 2017.
In the second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a bribe of 10% of the profit from the company as gratification to secure the project.
The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City in March 2011.
Lim, the former DAP secretary-general, also faces another two charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8 million belonging to the Penang government to be disposed of to two companies linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project.


Thai cyber police threaten Facebook, Google, Twitter

Thailand is prosecuting Facebook, Google, and Twitter over their failure to remove what authorities in Bangkok say are illegal posts.Officials have also announced they would take action against individual users who have posted anti-monarchy comments on the sites.“We’ve notified the companies and sent them warnings twice, but they haven’t complied with all the requests,” digital minister Puttipong Punnakanta told Reuters news agency.He said the matter is now in the hands of cyber-crime police for prosecution.Under the computer-crimes law, social-media companies can be fined 200,000 baht (RM26,500) for ignoring a court order to take down posts, and an extra 5,000 baht (RM650) every day until it is removed.“It is the first time in Thailand that the computer crime law is exercised to prosecute the service providers. Charges will go to the parent company of all the organisations. The police will use Thai laws because the offences happened in Thailand. I believe the police can do it,” Puttipong said.Calling for reform of the Thai monarchy is a perilous pursuit.Thailand criminalises criticism of the royal family, and offenders can be tried in secret and given long prison sentences.In August, Facebook blocked access in Thailand to a million-member group discussing the monarchy after the Thai government threatened legal action.Access from within Thailand to the “Royalist Marketplace” group was blocked but the page could still be accessed from outside the country.Facebook and Twitter have declined to comment on the case, and Google has yet to respond to requests for comment.


China’s birthrate plummets to lowest figure in decades

China’s birthrate plummeted to a record low last year, highlighting a looming demographic crisis for Beijing caused by a rapidly ageing workforce, a slowing economy and the weakest population growth in decades.China relaxed its “one-child policy” – one of the world’s strictest family planning regulations – in 2016, allowing couples to have two children. Earlier this year that was extended to three children.But the changes have failed to result in the hoped-for baby boom, as the cost of living rises and women increasingly make their own family planning choices.Last year, China recorded 8.52 births per 1,000 people according to the 2021 Statistical Yearbook released in the past week – the lowest figure since the yearbook data began in 1978.It is a marked drop from the previous year’s 10.41, and the lowest figure since Communist China was founded in 1949, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.In addition, the yearbook showed the number of marriages registered in 2020 reached a 17-year low, with only 8.14 million couples tying the knot last year.During the initial Covid-19 outbreak, parts of central China were placed under strict lockdown for months and across the country many government offices were temporarily closed.For most of last year, however, there were few formal restrictions on weddings proceeding as normal.The number of divorces fell for the first time in at least 30 years, after a mandatory 30-day “cooling-off period” for divorcing couples was implemented at the beginning of 2020.The yearbook data highlights many social trends troubling the Beijing leadership, which has pushed a socially conservative agenda for society with women as wives and mothers.The results of a once-in-a-decade census announced in May showed that China’s population grew at its slowest rate since the 1960s.Amid official efforts to boost birthrates, Beijing in September called for a reduction in terminations that are not “medically necessary”.Some questions have also been raised over the reliability of China’s data.Calculations by Bloomberg on Wednesday suggested that China undercounted the number of births between 2000 and 2010 by at least 11.6 million – according to discrepancies between the statistical yearbook, for which surveys are conducted annually, and the once-in-a-decade census.Two hashtags about the marriage data trended on the Twitter-like Weibo social network this week, with more than 140 million views.“I think raising a cat is hard, not to mention getting married and having kids”, one netizen complained on the thread.Others said the divorce cooling-off period had deterred people from rushing into marriage.


Klang Valley to move to Phase 3

Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Selangor will transition from Phase Two to Phase Three of the National Recovery Plan on Oct 1, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced today.Melaka will progress from Phase Two to Three as well, while Kedah will move from Phase One to Two.In a statement, Ismail said the transitions were given the green light after taking into consideration the current risk assessments by the health ministry and National Security Council.Once these transitions take place, there will no longer be any states in Phase One.Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kelantan, Johor and Sabah will be in Phase Two. The Klang Valley, Melaka, Perlis, Pahang, Terengganu and Sarawak will be in Phase Three, and Negeri Sembilan and Labuan will be in Phase Four.Ismail also announced further relaxation of SOPs as decided by the Special Committee on Pandemic Management:1. Official government and private events including launching events and workshops will be allowed in Phase Two and Three states at 50% of the premise capacity and 100% capacity for Phase Four states, on condition that guests have been fully vaccinated.Those who have yet to be vaccinated must take a self-test before attending, witnessed by the organiser or with confirmation from a medical practitioner.2. The skills training sector and industrial training centres including vocational colleges will be allowed to open in all phases in compliance with SOPs, in line with the opening of institutes of higher learning from Oct 15 onwards.3. Spectators will be allowed at sports and recreational events in all phases, provided that they have been fully vaccinated and wear face masks throughout the event. No eating or drinking is allowed, and children below 18 will not be permitted to attend.Ismail added that the government views seriously those who leave their homes despite being under home surveillance order, saying such people will be subjected to strict action.“Although the government has given more flexibility, I hope the people will continue to adhere to the SOPs as part of efforts to break the chain of Covid-19 infection,” he said.“The country is now moving towards the endemic phase where we will continue to live alongside Covid-19 in life under the new normal.”


State of emergency helps keep us from going India’s way, says Noor Hisham

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today said election campaigns leading to massive gatherings in India had contributed to the explosion of daily cases in the subcontinent, adding that the experience offers Malaysia lessons on preventing a repeat of such a crisis.Addressing the press today to explain issues surrounding the current movement control order and steps taken to monitor the spike in cases, Noor Hisham said the Indian government’s move to ease restrictions in Covid-19 SOPs in March had led to massive gatherings which precipitated the current crisis there.“On March 7, their leaders declared that the country had successfully contained the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions would end in India. When such an announcement was made, many Indian citizens no longer adhered to SOPs, restrictions were eased. Gatherings were held on beaches, at religious festivals and weddings,” he said.Noor Hisham said the spike in India also followed five state elections involving campaigns which had ignored social distancing and the wearing of masks.“We must take lessons from India by avoiding elections such as the state election in Sabah.“Had we not invoked the emergency ordinance, the Sarawak state election would have to be held in June. With the emergency, we can avoid the Sarawak state election,” he added.Noor Hisham said any move to hold elections would mean gatherings being held.He cited as example a cluster of more than 2,000 infections caused by an individual from Johor who travelled to Sarawak.“Imagine if Sarawakians return from the peninsula to cast their votes. There would definitely be infections. This is what we fear,” he said, adding that any increase of infections in rural Sarawak would be difficult to address.“What we must do is take pre-emptive actions. Before the tsunami of Covid-19 strikes us, we must adhere to SOPs again, get the vaccines as soon as possible. Insha Allah, we will step up our ability to increase our supply, and we must avoid travelling interstate, and the health ministry’s advice is, stay home unless there are important matters to attend to.”He said the health ministry would suggest to the National Security Council a halt to all gatherings as well as interstate travel ahead of the Hari Raya celebrations.In January, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah used his powers to declare a state of emergency, suspending the federal Parliament and state assemblies.The move came amid threats from several Umno politicians to revoke support for the fragile Perikatan Nasional government led by Muhyiddin Yassin.Any loss of majority for Muhyiddin would mean the dissolution of Parliament and snap elections, a scenario that Noor Hisham and top health officials have opposed since last year.India today logged a record of over 4,000 deaths due to Covid-19, taking the country’s overall toll to 238,270.It also added more than 401,000 new cases, taking its caseload to nearly 21.9 million, second only to the US.Experts say the new wave of infections may not hit a peak until the end of May, as various states impose lockdowns in a bid to curb the virus spread and hospitals struggle to accommodate the influx of Covid-19 patients.The surge in cases in India has been blamed on virus variants and the government having allowed most activities to resume as well as huge religious and political gatherings.Speaking today, Noor Hisham also defended the move to implement MCO 2.0 in January, dismissing claims that it had failed to contain the spread of the virus in the country.“Cases peaked on Jan 30 when we recorded 5,738 cases,” he said. “If we hadn’t implemented MCO 2.0, we would have seen five-figure cases.”He added that the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation in the US had predicted that Malaysia would record 20,000 cases in the first week of March.“But that didn’t happen because we implemented MCO 2.0.”As of yesterday, 56 cases involving variants of concern had been detected along with three cases of variants of interest comprising eight of the UK variant, 48 of the South African variant, two of the Nigerian variant and one of the Indian variant.Noor Hisham warned that the virus variants could be highly contagious and result in more deaths as they were resistant to the current treatment available for Covid-19 patients.He said infections involving the mutant strains were also high among young adults aged 20 to 39.He urged the public to comply with SOPs at all times, adding that control over social and education clusters would help bring down the number of infections.


UK joins calls for 2022 Winter Olympics to be taken from China

British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab has joined groups calling for a boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics over China’s treatment of its Uighur Muslims.Raab said it was “clear that there is evidence of serious and egregious human rights violations”, The Telegraph reported on Tuesday.More than 160 human rights groups around the world have signed a letter calling for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reverse its decision to hold the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, citing allegations of widespread rights abuses by the Chinese government.Chinese central government policies and humanitarian breaches in Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong and Inner Mongolia show the country is unworthy to host the Winter Olympics, say signatories to the letter.In a statement to CNN, the IOC said that they remained neutral on political issues, and that awarding the Olympic Games “does not mean that the IOC agrees with the political structure, social circumstances or human rights standards in its country”.Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday that the letter was attempting to “politicise” sports, a move which China “firmly opposes”.


293 more cases, no new deaths

Another 293 Covid-19 cases were reported today, taking overall infections in the country to 12,381.According to a health ministry infographic, 292 of these were local transmissions with only one imported case.No new deaths were recorded, leaving the virus toll unchanged at 127 or 1.11% of all cases.A total of 67 patients were discharged from hospital, taking recoveries to 10,283 or 83.05% of confirmed cases.1,961 cases remain active with 28 in the ICU and four in need of respiratory assistance.


At Tambun's biggest Malay settlement, residents want a local, not an 'outsider'

The 15th general election (GE15) is still weeks away and the official campaign period has yet to begin, but already, a riot of flags and banners have cropped up in the town of Manjoi – the largest and most populous Malay neighbourhood in Ipoh, Perak.
Located northeast of Ipoh, Manjoi lies in the parliamentary constituency of Tambun and spans some 560.8 hectares, covering Kampung Manjoi, Kampung Tengku Hussein, Kampung Sungai Tapah, Kampung Dato Ahmad Said and Kampung Jelapang Baru.
Speaking at his food stall in Manjoi town, trader Abdul Hamidi said the local economy had declined some 20 years ago, especially in comparison to the nearest city of Ipoh.
Nevertheless, he added, things were now looking up once more, and the majority of residents were either running their own business or involved in the industrial sector.
Still others were working as civil servants in hospitals, schools and government departments.

Trader Abdul Hamidi says the economy in Manjoi is looking up now and that progress has been made over the past 20 years.

"We are seeing progress now," he said. "We can make a living even though we work on our own. We can help one another along.
"Look at the big supermarket chains that have set up shop here. If there was no development, they would not have dared to come."
Since 1986 when Tambun was contested as a parliamentary seat for the first time at the seventh general election, he said, the people had been served by representatives from a wide range of political parties.
At the last general election in 2018, it was won by Bersatu's Ahmad Faizal Azumu who beat Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah of Umno, marking Barisan Nasional's (BN) first defeat in the seat since GE7.
Local candidate
This time around, the seat will be contested by, among others, Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim, who on Oct 20 voiced confidence that the coalition would win Tambun and the rest of Perak to boot.
The PKR president said Perak would become a developed state like Penang and Selangor if PH was given the people's mandate there in GE15.
But Hamid said such promises made little difference to him.
"The Tambun seat is traditionally won by locals, not outsiders," he said.
"At my stall here, I see representatives go by every day," he added, citing Manjoi assemblyman Asmuni Awi.
"The former BN MPs here, too, we know. The candidates who win and then lose still continue to work as usual, helping the people because they are from around here."
He also questioned Anwar's move to Tambun.
"Why switch places?" he said. "Develop Port Dickson first. How can he bring progress there if he keeps changing spots?"
When asked about the results of the last general election, he said Bersatu's candidate had managed to beat Umno because of PH's revival.

Vehicles pass a billboard featuring Tambun incumbent Ahmad Faizal Azumu, described as a popular figure with the locals.

He added that Faizal was well known among the locals as he, too, had come from Manjoi.
"His father is also from around here, as was his grandfather. Even his uncle is known by the villagers," he said.
"Anyone who goes to his house can be sure of a welcome. That's why it's important for us to choose a local, not an outsider. In times of trouble, it's easier to ask them for help."
Meanwhile, a youth who introduced himself as Yatim appeared indifferent to the names of those who would be contesting Tambun in GE15.
When asked about Faizal, he said the Bersatu man was better known in the area as Peja.  Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Yatim said Faizal was a familiar face with nearly everyone in town and was easy to get along with.
He said this was why Faizal had the support of the locals, especially the youth.
"But who I will vote for, only I know," he said.


Sorry.


46.7% of adults have received at least first vaccine jab, says PM

A total of 46.7% of the adult population in Malaysia have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine while 21.8% have completed both doses, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today.He said the progress in the vaccination drive was in line with the target set by the government, adding however that efforts need to be intensified in order to achieve the goal of fully vaccinating 26 million people in the country.He said the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) had succeeded in recording a daily vaccination rate of over 400,000 doses since July 12, reaching a peak yesterday at 507,050 doses.This brings the number of individuals who have received a first dose to 10,920,862 and those fully vaccinated to 5,104,054 as of yesterday, he said in a Facebook post.He said the burden of cases in hospitals and the number of severe infections could be reduced through vaccination, which would also facilitate efforts to ensure the success of the National Recovery Plan.Muhyiddin also thanked and congratulated all Malaysians for their support for PICK, especially the frontliners and volunteers at vaccination centres.


Cultural genocide in Palestine: On Sally Rooney’s decision to boycott Israel

The pro-Israel crowd on social media was quick to pounce on award-winning Irish novelist, Sally Rooney, as soon as she declared that she had “chosen not to sell… translation rights of her best-selling novel, ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’ to an Israeli-based publishing house”.Expectedly, the accusations centred on the standard smearing used by Israel and its supporters against anyone who dares criticise Israel and exhibits solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people.Rooney’s laudable action was not in the least “racist” or “antisemitic”. On the contrary, it was taken as a show of support for the Palestine Boycott Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS), whose advocacy is situated within anti-colonial and anti-racist political discourses.Rooney, herself, has made it clear that her decision not to publish with Modan Publishing House, which works closely with the Israeli government, is motivated by ethical values.“I simply do not feel it would be right for me, under the present circumstances, to accept a new contract with an Israeli company that does not publicly distance itself from apartheid and support the UN-stipulated rights of the Palestinian people,” she said, in a statement on Oct 12.In fact, Rooney’s contention is not with the language itself, as she stated that “the Hebrew-language translation rights to my new novel are still available, and if I can find a way to sell these rights that is compliant with the BDS movement’s institutional boycott guidelines, I will be very pleased and proud to do so.”Rooney is not the first intellectual to take an ethical position against any form of cultural normalisation with Israeli institutions, especially those that directly support and benefit from the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. Her position is consistent with similar stances taken by other intellectuals, musicians, artists, authors and scientists. The ever-expanding list includes Roger Waters, Alice Walker and the late Stephen Hawking.The BDS movement has made it abundantly clear that, in the words of the movement’s co-founder, Omar Barghouti, “the Palestinian boycott targets institutions only, due to their entrenched complicity in planning, justifying, whitewashing or otherwise perpetuating Israel’s violations of international law and Palestinian rights.”Of course, some are still not convinced. Those critics of the BDS movement intentionally conflate between antisemitism and a legitimate form of political expression, which aims at weakening and isolating the very economic, political and cultural infrastructures of racism and apartheid. The fact that numerous anti-Zionist Jews are supporters and advocates of the movement is not enough to make them reconsider their fallacious logic.One of the “politest” denunciations of Rooney, appearing in the Jewish Forward magazine, was penned by Gitit Levy-Paz. The author’s logic is puzzling, to say the least. Levy-Paz accused Rooney that, by refusing to allow her novel to be translated into Hebrew, she has excluded “a group of readers because of their national identity.”While the Jewish Forward writer is guilty of confusing political ethics and nationality, she is not the only one. Israeli Zionists do this as a matter of course, where the Zionist ideology and the Jewish religion – and, in this case, language – are quite often interchangeable. As a result, the definition of “antisemitism” has been stretched to include anti-Zionism – though Zionism is a modern ideological construct. Since Israel defines itself as a Jewish and Zionist state, it follows that any form of criticism of Israeli policies are often depicted as if a form of antisemitism.One of the most interesting aspects of this conversation on language is that the Hebrew language has been used by the State of Israel since its establishment in 1948 as the language of oppression. In the minds of Palestinians, anywhere in Palestine, Hebrew is rarely the language used to communicate culture, literature, social coexistence and such. Instead, every military ordinance issued by the Israeli army, including closures and home demolitions, let alone the proceedings of military court hearings, and even the racist anti-Palestinian chants in football stadiums, are communicated in Hebrew. Palestinians are then excused if they do not view the modern Hebrew language as a language of inclusion, or even innocuous, everyday communication.These realisations are not the outcome of daily experiences only. Successive Israeli governments have passed numerous legislations over the years to elevate Hebrew at the expense of Arabic. For over seven decades, the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people has been coupled with the erasure of their culture and their language, from the Hebraicisation of historic Arabic names of towns, villages and streets, to the demolition of ancient Palestinian graveyards, olive groves, mosques and churches, the Israeli ethnocide is a top item on the Israeli political agenda.The Israeli Nation State Law of 2018, which elevated Hebrew as Israel’s official language and downgraded Arabic to a “special status”, was the culmination of many years of a relentless, centralized Israeli campaign, whose sole purpose is to dominate the Palestinians, not only politically but culturally as well.All that in mind, the hypocrisy of Israel’s mouthpieces is unmistakable. They welcome, or at least remain silent, when Israel tries to demolish and bury Palestinian culture and language, but cry foul when a respected author or a well-regarded artist tries, though symbolically, to show solidarity with the oppressed and occupied Palestinian people.The Palestinian boycott movement is conscious of its morally-driven mission, thus can never duplicate the tactics of the Israeli government and official institutions. BDS aims at pressuring Israel by reminding peoples all over the world of their moral responsibility towards the Palestinians.BDS does not target Israelis as individuals and, under no circumstances, does it target Jewish individuals because they are Jews, or the Hebrew language, as such. Israel, on the other hand, continues to target Palestinians as a people, downgrades their language, dismantles their institutions and systematically destroys their culture. This is rightly referred to as cultural genocide, and it is our moral responsibility to stop it.Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and editor of The Palestine Chronicle.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Sarawak MP Willie Mongin applies to join PBB

Bersatu’s Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin today confirmed submitting an application to join Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), the party led by Sarawak premier Abang Johari Openg.Speaking at an event in Kuching today, he said he submitted the application several months ago.“I submitted an application to join a local party with the hope that they would accept it,” Willie said.Adding that he had been “technically parked” under Bersatu in order to bring in support for the government of the day, he said he was still behind the present administration and voiced gratitude for the assistance he had received so far.“I would like to continue serving the people, and I am very thankful because I’m now in the government,” he said.“We have brought a lot of assistance and development to the constituency, and I hope this will continue.”Asked if he thought his application would be approved, Willie said he hoped PBB would accept him as a member given his contributions to his constituency.“I leave it to the leadership, it is up to them,” he added. “It’s up to the top leadership to see how sincerely I have been working and serving the people.“If they think I am the right one to represent the people in Puncak Borneo, I would appreciate it if they could consider that.”Willie contested the Puncak Borneo seat on a PKR ticket in the 2018 general election.He joined Bersatu in 2020, in the wake of the Sheraton Move which saw the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan administration.


Duo nabbed over river pollution as water disruption continues

Two men suspected of involvement in the pollution of Sungai Batang Benar, Negeri Sembilan and Sungai Semenyih near Kuala Lumpur were picked up by the police yesterday.Deputy Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said the men, in their 30s and 40s, were nabbed in Kota Bahru while on the way back to Nilai.“I have not received the complete report on the case. The incident was investigated by Negeri Sembilan police. Give us some time to investigate as we cannot be hasty,” he told reporters after an event in Kuala Lumpur today.In Seremban, Negeri Sembilan deputy police chief SAC Che Zakaria Othman said the men are being investigated under Section 430 of the Penal Code.This follows a police report lodged by the National Water Services Commission or SPAN on Monday.Che Zakaria said a forensic team had taken samples from what is believed to be the location of waste dumping.“Police also sized a lorry and transportation documents,” he told a media conference at Negeri Sembilan police contingent headquarters today.Che Zakaria said the men who worked as a driver and lorry assistant of a transport company in Kelantan have been remanded for seven days from today.On Monday, the environment and water ministry was reported as saying that waste and organic compounds found in the bushes on the fringes of the Nilai Industrial Park was believed to have caused pollution in the river.The pollution caused a halt in operations at two water treatment plants in Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi, resulting in an unscheduled disruption in water supply for 309,687 consumer accounts in Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang.


Daily caseload still below 1,300 as 3 more deaths reported

Another 1,291 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,857,508.
There were 1,592 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,799,239.
There are now 21,863 active cases, of which 20,897 or 95.6% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 920 (4.2%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 46 are in ICU with 22 in need of respiratory assistance.
Three more deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 36,406.


Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream products scooped from shelves

Vanilla-based Haagen-Dazs ice cream products in Malaysia have been recalled from sale due to concerns that they contain a carcinogenic substance, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.
In a statement, he said the health ministry was aware that such products had been recalled from the European market as they contained ethylene oxide, a chemical gas compound often used for fumigation purposes to kill pests such as insects.
It is also used as an active ingredient in detergents and is not permitted for use on surfaces that come into contact with food.
Noor Hisham also cited the notification by the EU's Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, which said there had been a recall of ice cream products from France that contain vanilla extract from Madagascar found to contain more than the permitted level of ethylene oxide.
"Since the issue was reported and notification received by the health ministry in July, appropriate action has been taken where the importing company has voluntarily withdrawn the ice cream products involved from the market," he said.
"Continuous monitoring has also been implemented to ensure that the products involved are not marketed in this country."


Beijing approves electoral shake-up for Hong Kong

China has approved a sweeping overhaul of Hong Kong’s electoral system, drastically curbing democratic representation in the city as authorities seek to ensure “patriots” rule the global financial hub.The measure was passed on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency is reporting.It is part of Beijing’s efforts to consolidate its increasingly authoritarian grip over the former British colony and now China’s freest city, following the imposition of a national security law in June, which critics see as a tool to crush dissent.The electoral restructuring was endorsed unopposed by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, at the apex of China’s legislature, Xinhua reported.As part of the shake-up, a powerful new vetting committee will monitor candidates for public office and work with national security authorities to ensure they are loyal to Beijing.Chinese authorities have said the shake-up is aimed at getting rid of “loopholes and deficiencies” that threatened national security during anti-government unrest in 2019 and to ensure only “patriots” run the city.The measures are the most significant overhaul of Hong Kong’s political structure since Britain returned it to Chinese rule in 1997 and will alter the size and composition of the legislature and electoral committee in favour of pro-Beijing members.Beijing had promised universal suffrage as an ultimate goal for Hong Kong in its mini constitution, the Basic Law, which also guaranteed the city wide-ranging autonomy not seen elsewhere in mainland China, including freedom of speech.However, analysts say the changes move Hong Kong in the opposite direction, leaving the democratic opposition with the most limited powers it has ever had since the handover, if any at all in actuality.Since the security law was imposed, most pro-democracy activists and politicians have found themselves trapped by it, or arrested for other reasons.Some elected legislators have been disqualified, with authorities calling their oaths insincere, while scores of democracy activists have been driven into exile.In February, Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, China’s cabinet, said patriots would also resolutely oppose foreign interference in Hong Kong.He said, those who violate the national security law, or challenge the leadership of the ruling Communist Party, are not patriots.


View me as head of govt, not political party leader, Ismail tells civil servants

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said the government he leads is a joint-government that emphasises the Malaysian Family or Keluarga Malaysia concept.
As such, he said, it would be apt for civil servants to defend the government against any allegation and slander claiming that the government under his administration has failed.
At a meeting with the staff of the Prime Minister's Department (JPM) in Putrajaya today, Ismail said civil servants should defend the government by looking at him as the head of the government and not as a political party leader.
During the meeting, Ismail also spoke of the government's success, including in achieving a GDP growth of 8.9% in the second quarter of the year, and the creation of almost 400,000 jobs, as well as recording a trade value exceeding RM2 trillion.
"When you defend, do not be political. Do not see me as a political leader, but as the head of the government and you are a member of the government.
"This government is a joint government, that’s why I introduced the Malaysian Family concept because I want us to think of this government as one family," he added.
The meeting was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Mustapa Mohamed and Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali.
Ismail said he wanted civil servants to work as a family and not in silos.
"I don't want the old culture of working in silos. We must work together, we have shared responsibilities. We can no longer move in silos, but must work as a family because the silo way will cause failure in any action or plan," he said.
For the country's economy to improve, Ismail said civil servants should reduce bureaucracy towards investors, which he said was often raised by the group during his visits abroad.
"Many ministries are involved in the same matter and in the end, this causes delay. For investors, traders, time is very important. Late approval will cause losses to them," he said, adding that the government had agreed to set up the MyMudah unit to deal with bureaucratic issues. On the government's cooperation with the opposition through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Transformation and Political Stability, Ismail said it was to enable the government to focus on big issues such as political stability and the recovery of the country's economy.
It was through the MoU that the Anti-Party Hopping Bill was passed, even though it was hotly debated in Parliament, he added.
"From an economic point of view, we have succeeded. The Anti-Party Hopping Bill has been passed unanimously and we will introduce the Political Funding Bill," he said.
On the separation of powers, Ismail said the government would introduce a Parliamentary Services Act.