Court rejects Najib's bid to attend proceedings in 1MDB suit

The High Court yesterday rejected Najib Razak's application to attend the proceedings of the 1MDB suit against him and several other individuals.
The hearing involved two applications, the first being an inter-partes Mareva injunction by 1MDB and one of its subsidiaries to prevent the former prime minister from disposing of or reducing the value of any of his assets in Malaysia amounting to US$681 million.
The other application was by Najib, to set aside the Mareva injunction obtained by 1MDB and Global Diversified Investment Company Limited (formerly known as 1MDB Global Investments Limited), the first and fifth plaintiffs in the suit.
Lawyer Siva Kumar Kanagasabai representing 1MDB, said judge Atan Mustaffa Yusoff Ahmad made the decision after hearing the arguments regarding the application of Najib – who is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence in Kajang Prison – to attend the proceedings for both applications.
"The application was rejected without any costs. Apart from that, the court allowed Najib's request to postpone the hearing for both applications which should take place tomorrow," he said when contacted yesterday.
Today's proceedings were attended by lawyers Dhanyaa Shreeya Sukumar and Tommy Lim Ka Hui representing 1MDB and Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee and Alaistair Brandah Norman on behalf of Najib.
A Mareva injunction is an order preventing someone from disposing of property pending the outcome or completion of a legal action.
The injunction also limits Najib to withdrawing no more than RM100,000 per month for living and legal expenses. If more is required, he needs to get written permission from the lawyers of 1MDB and Global Diversified.
The order also states that Najib must make written disclosures to 1MDB and Global Diversified regarding his assets valued at up to US$681 million, whether domestic or overseas, under his own name or otherwise, and whether owned solely or jointly with other defendants.
The plaintiffs in the suit are 1MDB, 1MDB Energy Holdings Limited, 1MDB Energy Limited, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Limited and Global Diversified, while Najib, Terrence Geh Choh Heng (former 1MDB finance director), Jasmine Loo Ai Swan (former 1MDB counsel), Casey Tang Keng Chee (former 1MDB executive director), Vincent Beng, Radhi Mohamad (former chief financial officer and subsequently chief operating officer) were named as defendants.
Also named as defendants were Kelvin Tan Kay Jim (former investment director) and Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil (former chief executive officer of SRC International).
The US$8 billion suit is one of 22 civil suits filed to claim over US$23 billion on behalf of 1MDB and its former subsidiary SRC International, from several individuals allegedly involved in the financial scandal.


'In principle, I'm done', Messi unlikely to play at 2026 World Cup

Argentina skipper Lionel Messi has said that "in principle" last year's World Cup would be his fifth and final appearance at a global football's showpiece event.
The 35-year-old forward led his country to a third World Cup triumph in Qatar last December, saying throughout the tournament that he would not be playing at another edition.
Messi was persuaded out of international retirement in 2016, however, and many of his compatriots were hoping he might be cajoled into going on to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.
"I think not. This was my last World Cup," Messi told Titan Sports ahead of Argentina's friendly against Australia in Beijing.
"I'll see how things go but in principle, I won't go to the next World Cup."
The seven-times Ballon d'Or winner, who recently announced a move from Paris St Germain to Inter Miami in the US, also paid tribute to his former coach at Barcelona, Pep Guardiola.
Messi and Guardiola won two Champions League titles together at the Catalan club and Messi was delighted the Spaniard had finally clinched club football's biggest prize with Manchester City last weekend.
"I talk a lot with Pep as we still maintain frequent contact. I am very happy about his achievement, winning the recent UEFA Champions League," Messi told the Chinese sports paper in an interview.
"He is the best coach in the world, and although, in my opinion, he didn't need to win this Champions League title to prove that, it further demonstrates that he is the world's top coach, which is an achievement he deserves."
Argentina play the Socceroos at the newly rebuilt Workers Stadium in the Chinese capital on Thursday.


No seat discussions with crisis-riddled Umno, says Hadi

PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang today said the party has only discussed seat allocations for the next general election with Bersatu as Umno is facing internal problems.Speaking to reporters after his weekly lecture at Masjid Rusila in Terengganu, he said discussions on seat distribution would depend on how Umno resolves these issues.“A committee has been formed, but the stance has changed. Since Umno is having trouble, we resolved matters with Bersatu,” he said.He added that PAS would monitor further developments on its political ties with Umno following the Malay party’s move to reject cooperation between PAS and Bersatu in the state.“We will see what happens because even in Umno, it is not uniform.“The problem of Umno leaders not falling in line is their business. We want to unite the Malays. Umno and PAS are not the only Malays.”Last August, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin announced that his party’s Supreme Council had agreed to join Muafakat Nasional, the charter inked between PAS and Umno in September 2019.The proposal to make Muafakat Nasional an official coalition registered with the Registrar of Societies had been made by the Umno political bureau as part of efforts to prepare the party for the next general election.Muafakat Nasional had been planned as a political organisation to enable the three parties leading the current administration – Umno, Bersatu and PAS – to represent their parties in making important decisions including on government positions and the distribution of seats.


French army hunts illegal gold miners wrecking Amazon region

Deep in the jungle in France’s overseas territory of French Guiana, the army is engaged in a battle of attrition with illegal gold miners who have destroyed thousands of hectares of precious Amazon rainforest.French Guiana, about the size of Portugal on the north shore of South America and almost completely covered in forest, has a long history of small-scale gold mining, legal and illegal.But high gold prices have accelerated the scramble for the precious metal, with thousands of miners from neighbouring Brazil pouring across the border to try to cash in.Their activity has left treeless brown gashes in the landscape, dotted with pools of water poisoned with the mercury used to extract gold from the soil.Catching the illegal miners known as “garimpeiros” in the act is a nearly impossible task, but France is determined to try to protect its little corner of the Amazon.Burying the evidenceOn a small tributary of the Maroni river, the main waterway running north through Guiana to the Atlantic Ocean, French troops carry out a raid on an illegal mining site.But by the time they arrive by canoe, guns at the ready, the miners have melted away into the forest after receiving a tip-off from lookouts.The troops manage to apprehend two undocumented workers at the site but they were not caught in the act, so are freed.Five soldiers in fatigues then scramble down a bank into the water-filled mining pit to search for hidden equipment.Taking care not to splash their faces with the toxic liquid they fish out an engine and two mechanical pumps, which they destroy.In a sign that the site could be reactivated soon after the troops leave, two men and two women wearing rubber boots linger nearby in the forest.“If we destroy their material and they still come back it shows that this is an important site for them,” said Staff Sergeant Olivier, whose full name was withheld for security reasons.A child’s shoe and a doll discarded on the ground suggested that this little community of outlaws includes children.But in some places the garimpeiros, who use the gold to buy equipment from Chinese traders on the other side of the Maroni river in Suriname, are accused of bringing prostitution and violence into the forest.“I’ve seen a four-poster bed, a mosquito net and condoms strewn everywhere” at one abandoned site, said Laura, a military police officer.Rivers poisonedAuthorities in French Guiana estimate that 400 hectares of forest are destroyed each year by illegal mining, which threatens biodiversity in this relatively untouched part of the Amazon basin.Arnaud Ancelin, deputy director of the Guiana Amazonian Park, a protected area covering 34,000 square km of rainforest, said the run-off from some mining sites created mercury-laced mud torrents “that block the gills of fish” and threaten the survival of their predators, including the otter.The use of mercury, which has been banned in French Guiana since 2006, also poses major health risks for indigenous Amerindians, who have a fish-rich diet.With 8,000 to 9,000 illegal miners believed to be operating at around 150 sites across the territory – up from 110 a decade ago – the nearly 1,000 French troops deployed to combat the prospectors are struggling to keep up.Tonnes of goldThe garimpeiros are the smallest links in a chain, where those with their hands in the mud are paid a pittance while those in charge of transporting the gold race up and down the river in motorboats.“We’re only catching the little guys,” French Guiana’s public prosecutor Samuel Finielz told AFP.Since January, the authorities have seized 3kg of gold, a fraction of the roughly 10 tonnes believed to be illegally extracted each year.But Finielz is adamant that the efforts are helping to prevent French Guiana’s corner of the Amazon suffer the same fate as that of Brazil, which has endured massive deforestation.“We’re managing to contain illegal mining and in some instances reduce it,” he said. “But we’re not managing to put an end to it.”


European Leagues concerned by Fifa's changes to tournament formats

The European Leagues are concerned by Fifa's decisions to introduce a new 32-team Club World Cup and to extend the 2026 World Cup to 104 matches, they said in a statement on Wednesday.
Ahead of its Congress in Kigali, Rwanda, Fifa said on Tuesday that 48 teams will play in the next World Cup and that there will be 32 teams in the Club World Cup to be played every four years from June, 2025.
"European Leagues are concerned about the announcements made yesterday by Fifa Council," said the association which represents more than 1,000 clubs in 37 professional leagues in Europe.
"All these decisions were taken by Fifa in a unilateral way and without any consultation process with many of the football stakeholders and leagues. Unfortunately, this became a habit in recent years."
European Leagues added that they are cooperating with the World Leagues Forum to decide on further steps to take in response to Fifa's decisions.
Spain's La Liga said on Wednesday that Fifa has shown "complete disregard" for the importance of national competitions and that the world governing body "continues its malpractice of making unilateral decisions regarding the football calendar".
Reuters has approached Fifa for comment.


Set aside political differences, remember frontliners’ sacrifice, Agong says

Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has again called on Malaysians to ignore their political differences, saying the worsening Covid-19 situation nationwide demands that they show a spirit of loyalty and humanity in fighting the pandemic which has so far claimed more than 600 lives.He also expressed regret that a section of Malaysians are still not paying heed to health SOPs, reminding the public of the sacrifices made by frontliners in battling the Covid-19 pandemic.“Sultan Abdullah urges the people to show their solidarity and strong support for frontliners by working with each other to adhere to the discipline of complying with all orders set by the government and the SOPs,” Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, the Comptroller of the Royal Household, said in a statement released by Istana Negara.The statement comes as Malaysia enters the second week of phase two of the movement control order (MCO), under a state of emergency invoked by Sultan Abdullah.Paying tribute to frontliners, Sultan Abdullah said he understood the great challenge they face with four-digit figures in new cases reported daily last month.“In the name of duty, the heroes of the nation are not only willing to risk their lives to carry out the trust given to them, they have also been forced to stay away from their families since the outbreak of this pandemic.“They are exhausted, not only physically, but also mentally,” said the royal statement.The Agong expressed confidence that Malaysia would succeed in flattening the curve in daily cases, adding that this would ease the burden of frontliners.The sharp spike in daily cases which began in the aftermath of the Sabah election in September has forced health authorities to warn of a collapse of the public health system which is treating tens of thousands of Covid-19 patients.The Agong last week used his constitutional powers to declare a state of emergency, under which Parliament and elections are suspended, a move seen as a bid to prevent snap polls in the face of several Umno MPs threatening to quit the ruling bloc to bring down Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.Muhyiddin had assured that a civilian government would remain despite the state of emergency which is to end on Aug 1.But Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim has launched a campaign to get the Agong to rescind the state of emergency, and vows to challenge it in court.Several PH leaders have also threatened to boycott a bipartisan committee to supervise the battle against the pandemic throughout the emergency period.


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UK’s PM looks to reset leadership after confidence vote

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Thursday outline plans to tackle Britain’s cost-of-living crisis, as he seeks to move on from a damaging series of scandals and a confidence vote called by his own MPs.Johnson won the vote but with 40% of his own side refusing to back him, he was likened to a “Monty Python” character who refuses to admit he is mortally wounded following another harrowing week.The Conservative leader on Wednesday faced parliament for the first time since surviving the vote, which commentators said had left his scandal-tainted premiership still in peril.Backers in the House of Commons staged a noisy show of support at his weekly question-and-answer session. But Tory rebels sitting behind looked glum and laughed along with opposition jibes.Johnson has called his 211-148 victory “decisive” and wants to move on from repeated calls for him to resign over the “Partygate” scandal about lockdown-breaching parties in Downing Street.“As for jobs, I’m going to get on with mine,” he reiterated in the Commons, after defending his government’s record on employment, health and Ukraine.Part of the reset includes a speech in northwest England on Thursday to “set out a clear vision to continue to tackle the rising cost of living”, his Downing Street office said.“We have the tools we need to get on top of rising prices. The global headwinds are strong. But our engines are stronger,” he will say.“And, while it’s not going to be quick or easy, you can be confident that things will get better, that we will emerge from this a strong country with a healthy economy.”Policy rolloutJohnson faced repeated taunts on Wednesday about Monday’s vote, including comparisons to Monty Python’s “Black Knight” character, who declares “it’s just a flesh wound” when he has his arms and legs chopped off in a duel.“No amount of delusion and denial will save the prime minister from the truth: this story won’t go away until he goes away,” said the Scottish National Party’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford.Johnson’s Tory opponents fear that public disgust over “Partygate” is crippling their party’s electoral chances.Some want a return to “Conservative values” including lower taxes after the Covid-19 pandemic.Downing Street has set the stage for a policy blitz in the coming days, including on Britain’s skewed property market, where sky-high prices have deprived younger people of the hope of home ownership.Rising rental prices are compounding the misery of the worst cost-of-living crisis in generations, with inflation at a 40-year high of 9%.Britain’s newspapers honed in on the rising prices – and the government’s pledge to tackle them – on Thursday, with the Guardian, Daily Telegraph, and Daily Mirror featuring front-page stories on the surge in fuel costs.The conservative Daily Mail hailed Downing Street’s plans, declaring that “emboldened Boris Johnson will cut bills left, right and centre in his most radical move yet to ease the cost-of-living crisis”.‘Vulnerability’The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) warned Wednesday that Britain must cut taxes or raise spending as it forecast the country would have the weakest economic growth in the developed world next year.“I would like to see cuts where they’re possible,” Health Secretary Sajid Javid, a former finance minister, told BBC television earlier Wednesday.How much Johnson can secure in parliament, however, is unclear given the size of Monday’s revolt, which has likely cut his working majority.“I think there’s very little doubt that the vulnerability of the prime minister is going to be the single greatest factor shaping what this government does for the foreseeable future,” King’s College London politics professor Anand Menon told AFP.‘Last chance’Johnson’s enemies on his own side still appear to be manoeuvring, with reports he faces a “war of attrition” and “vote strikes” to paralyse the government’s legislative agenda.Such “vote strikes” hurt Theresa May’s three-year stint in Downing Street, before she was brought down in 2019 by Johnson and his allies over how to execute Britain’s departure from the European Union.The Conservatives are braced for two parliamentary by-elections this month, and an upcoming investigation by MPs into whether Johnson lied to parliament over Partygate.“Johnson achieved a remarkable election victory in 2019. But he has let things slide since then,” former cabinet member David Davis, who voted against him Monday, wrote in The Times.“His victory in (Monday’s) vote provides his last chance to get his act together.”Under current Tory rules Johnson cannot be challenged again for a year, which leaves little time for any new leader to emerge before the next general election due by 2024.


Croatia beat Morocco to finish third at World Cup

Croatia defeated Morocco 2-1 in the World Cup third place play-off on Saturday, with Mislav Orsic curling home the winner.
Josko Gvardiol, one of the stars of the tournament in Qatar, headed Croatia into the lead in the seventh minute at the Khalifa International Stadium but Achraf Dari brought Morocco level right away.
Orsic's terrific curling strike late in the first half ensured Croatia took home the bronze medal, the 11th World Cup in a row a European team has finished third.
"It's a bronze medal but for us it's like a gold medal," Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said.
Walid Regragui, the Morocco coach, said there was a lot for his team to proudly reflect on after they became the first African semi-finalists in World Cup history.
"It's a bitter defeat but I think it's deserved," said Regragui.
"We have a team that never gave in. We'll remember a lot of matches, we're going to come back stronger. We've united our country for a month, everybody was happy."
Morocco, who had never gone beyond the last 16 before this World Cup, had signalled their intent with a spirited display against 2018 runners-up Croatia in their opening game in Qatar.
The rematch was nothing like the cagey 0-0 draw in the group stage, with Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou dangerously close to passing the ball into his own net early on.
Croatia soon surged in front from a well-rehearsed free-kick as Ivan Perisic nodded Lovro Majer's clip into the box back towards a diving Gvardiol, who planted his header into the corner.
But Morocco hit back two minutes later when Hakim Ziyech's free-kick looped up off the head of Majer, allowing Dari to head past Dominik Livakovic.
Andrej Kramaric headed straight at Bounou, who then did well to scoop the ball to safety as Marko Livaja closed in after he spilled a drive from Luka Modric.
Orsic curled in brilliantly via the post from the corner of the box to put Croatia back on top before half-time after 18-year-old Morocco debutant Bilal El Khannouss lost the ball deep in his half.
Orsic again went close moments after the restart, his goalbound effort brushing Jawad El Yamiq and fizzing narrowly past the post.
Croatia were furious when Gvardiol tumbled inside the area when his foot appeared to be caught by Sofyan Amrabat, but there was no VAR review.
It could have proved a match-changing moment had Youssef En-Nesyri found a way past Livakovic, who spread himself superbly to block the striker from close range.
Mateo Kovacic put wide with the chance to put the game beyond doubt. Morocco had a late penalty appeal turned down and En-Nesyri headed just over but the Atlas Lions could not find a way back after their historic run.


Who suffers most when MCO robs autistic children of critical therapy time?

Sticking to the exacting daily routine an autistic child depends on can be difficult at the best of times.They need structure to their days and without it they can regress to troubled behaviour.Yayasan Pendidikan Insani, or Insani Education Foundation, is a place where autistic children from low-income families can find such structure and the vital therapy necessary to give them a chance of living the same quality of life as other children.Insani has been closed for a year, since the pandemic began.Nur Ezlyn Farah’s son Muhammad Dayyan Farish was diagnosed with mild autism when he was three years old.He joined Insani at the age of four, and after many months of their therapy he no longer needed too much help with his daily routine and could decide when to shower and prepare himself breakfast. He could even speak a few words, too.Then the pandemic hit, and Farah found herself having to continue his therapy at home.Insani helped as much as they could.“It’s just not possible for the teachers at Insani to do online classes the same as regular schools,” Farah told MalaysiaNow. “They have tried doing online classes and it was very challenging for him to cope with most of the subjects. He just couldn’t stay calm through a whole class.”When MCO closed Insani, Anis Mahzuz Sharudin, found giving full-time attention to her five-year-old son Muhammad Ayden Muhammad Hafiz very challenging.The 33-year-old mother, a full-time human resources officer, told MalaysiaNow that because they live in a flat it’s not often they can do outdoor activities with Ayden.And there were bigger problems. Without Insani’s therapy, old and new behavioral issues began to appear.“He was having issues to the point he wouldn’t eat for two weeks. He had a sudden phobia of food, and he wouldn’t even drink water.”He also relapsed into self-harming behaviour, she says.“Caring for autistic children is a full-time job.”“The MCO disrupted his emotions. All he did was throw tantrums every day. We had to ask his teachers at Insani to teach us the therapy that could ease his troubles.”Munqiza Naqhiya, 28, is a research executive at Insani. Her role involves researching therapy methods for autistic children and finding potential funders for the foundation.“Caring for autistic children is a full-time job. You cannot hold down a job and care adequately for an autistic child,” she told MalaysiaNow. “Autistic children need undivided attention. If they don’t get it, they can become lost and harm themselves.”Autistic children may hit themselves when they throw tantrums, she said. During their time in therapy, the children go through activities that reduce the risk of self-injury, but the lockdown has caused many of them to relapse.“Most of our students when they are at home and miss their therapy, they start regressing and can go back to square one.“Some parents tell us that a year ago their children had reduced the frequency of hitting themselves but now since they can’t go back to the centre, they have regressed and started hitting themselves again.”During the MCO parents have had to learn how to conduct the therapy for their autistic children themselves. This is far from easy for them, especially when they are working full time.The answer to the question of who suffers most because of therapy centres closing up for lockdowns is of course the children themselves.But their parents have a tough time of it, too.Munqiza told MalaysiaNow that Insani are trying their best to keep in touch with parents who need extra assistance and support during the lockdown.“Essentially, we can say we are their information source. They tell us everything, but when the MCO put our institution on hold, it became difficult for us and the parents too.“There’s not much we can do from afar.”


‘Silent’ Zahid challenged to issue SD to show commitment to ‘no Anwar’ rule

Umno grassroots have stepped up the pressure against Ahmad Zahid Hamidi after he turned a deaf ear to persistent calls over the last two weeks for his resignation as president and for him to face the disciplinary board over a series of decisions seen as undermining the Malay party.They are now urging Zahid to show his commitment to “No Anwar No DAP”, an unwritten rule in Umno rejecting cooperation with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP.Zahid, who in October last year wrote a letter to the palace backing Anwar’s bid to topple the Perikatan Nasional government that Umno is a part of, has remained largely silent over a series of statements by Youth and division leaders calling for his removal.Now, some have challenged him to make a statutory declaration that he will stick to the unwritten rule.And none other than a senior Umno leader from the administrative capital of Putrajaya is making the call.Putrajaya Umno’s deputy chairman Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz said Zahid should not turn his back on decisions by the Supreme Council.“My request is simple. The president should issue an SD and pledge that he will not work with Anwar and DAP, and cease all efforts for a new political alignment involving them,” Faisal told MalaysiaNow.Like other Umno leaders who have criticised Zahid, Faisal too made reference to Zahid’s ally, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan, who urged MPs from the party to write to the palace requesting the Agong to call for Parliament to convene during the emergency.“The president should issue an SD and pledge that he will not work with Anwar and DAP.”The call is in line with that of Anwar, who yesterday said he would file an affidavit in support of the move to have Dewan Rakyat sittings.But Faisal said it is not consistent with the official party stand, adding that top party leaders have not been forthcoming with explanations.“From what I am told, the move (by Ahmad Maslan) did not go through the Supreme Council or the management or political bureau,” he added.Zahid is already facing anger from several state and division Umno Youth leaders who urged him to step down, some three months after his secret backing for Anwar was revealed by MalaysiaNow in October last year.“When the president himself signs a letter in support of Anwar, the grassroots deserve to know the truth.”They include Pontian Umno Youth chief Helmi Buang, his Seremban couterpart Zool Amali Hussin, and Federal Territories Youth chief Mohamed Nizham Abdullah Hamidi.They were joined by the Paya Besar Umno division in Pahang, whose chief Ahmad Tajuddin Sulaiman described Zahid and his multiple corruption charges as a burden to the party.On Sunday, MalaysiaNow quoted Setiawangsa Umno’s deputy chairman Irwan Rizal Ali Napiah as saying that Zahid should have been hauled up to the disciplinary board over his letter to the palace.“I will write to the secretary-general to form a special committee to investigate the validity of the letter,” Irwan had said.Faisal agreed with the call.“When the president himself signs a letter in support of Anwar, the grassroots deserve to know the truth,” he said.Zahid’s letter, co-signed by former president Najib Razak, was sent without the knowledge of key party leaders, resulting in Umno ministers expressing shock that the party president was backing an opposition leader.Faisal said Zahid should come clean or lodge a police report.Puteri Umno exco member Siti Sokleha Nordin said the wing would make an official request to the Supreme Council, asking it to look into launching a probe into Zahid’s letter to the palace.Irwan meanwhile said he had already written to Ahmad Maslan, who told him that “he would bring it up”.“That’s all he said,” he told MalaysiaNow.A source however told MalaysiaNow that any attempt to punish Zahid would be difficult, as the disciplinary board is dominated by the president’s “strong supporters”.


Indonesia's new finance laws expand central bank's mandate

Indonesia's parliament on Thursday voted to approve financial legislation that widens the central bank's mandate to include supporting sustainable economic growth and formalise its debt monetisation operations.
Called the "Development and Strengthening of Financial Sector" bill, the new rules are also seen opening the door for ex-politicians to head Bank Indonesia (BI), raising concerns about its independence.
Running to more than 500 pages, lawmakers say the bill intends to update regulations to address challenges in the digital era, improve financial sector efficiency and promote financial inclusion.
Speaking after the vote, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told lawmakers the new law replaces old regulations, including some that had been in place for 30 years.
The new law explicitly bars members of political parties from running for BI's board, including becoming governor.
However, politicians can be nominated for BI's top jobs after resigning from their party, sources involved in the deliberation said.
Some economists believe allowing former politicians rather than technocrats to head BI could threaten its independence as party ties would remain strong while there would also be questions about their expertise and suitability.
The legislation underlines that the central bank remains an independent agency, but it widens BI's mandate to also include maintaining financial system stability in order to support sustainable economic growth, on top of the current sole mandate of keeping the rupiah's value stable.
BI has also received permission to buy government bonds in the primary market if the president declares a crisis situation, effectively formalising the bank's pandemic-era bond buying operations.
This has raised concerns in financial markets about the risk of the government putting pressure on the central bank to pump such support into the economy, particularly given Indonesia's history of runaway inflation.
The central bank did not respond to a request for comment.
The law also brings in new rules covering banking, insurance, fintech and digital assets. In addition, it seeks to tighten governance of financial regulators, including calling for a new supervision body for the Financial Services Authority (OJK). The law also moves the oversight of cryptocurrency trading to the OJK from a commodity regulator.


Massed Bangkok police fire rubber bullets at hundreds of protesters

Thai police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at demonstrators in Bangkok protesting against the government’s failure to handle the Covid-19 surge and its effect on the economy.More than 1,000 protesters defied restrictions on public gatherings on Saturday and marched towards Government House, the office of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, demanding his resignation.The protesters were heavily outnumbered by police, who had said on Friday they planned to deploy nearly 6,000 officers to tackle the rally.Police sealed off a road near Victory Monument using containers and shot tear gas and rubber bullets to push protesters back.“We are holding this line,” police announced over loudspeakers, as officers were seen in riot gear and shields massing just metres away from where demonstrators had gathered.Street protests against the government have been held in recent weeks by several groups, including Prayuth’s former political allies, as frustrations mount over its management of coronavirus outbreaks and the damage pandemic measures continue to inflict on the economy and people’s livelihoods.“I’m worried about the situation but we will have to continue fighting despite the severe Covid-19 outbreak,” 27-year-old protester Nat, who only gave one name, said.Franc Han Shih, a journalist based in Bangkok, told Al Jazeera that Saturday’s protest was partly triggered by the Thai government’s sluggish rollout of its Covid vaccination programme.“The wrong vaccination policy really irritated citizens in Thailand,” said Shih, who added that the government had made a deal for 10 million doses of the AstraZeneca jab, but had only received half so far.“Although China provided more than six million doses of Sinovac, it isn’t enough,” he added.On Saturday, Thailand reported a record of nearly 22,000 new reported Covid-19 cases and the highest number of daily deaths: 212.Overall, it has reported 736,522 cases of the coronavirus, including 6,066 deaths, since the pandemic began last year.A youth-led street protest movement for democracy rose up last year and at its peak drew tens of thousands to rallies in Bangkok.The demonstrators called for the resignation of Prayuth, the former army chief who came to power in a 2014 coup, as well as changes to the constitution.Most shockingly, in a country where the king is revered almost as a god, the demonstrators also called for changes to the monarchy.The arrest of key leaders saw the protesters melt away and they are struggling to regain the momentum of 2020.


Malaysia far behind on road back to normalcy, study finds as EMCO looms in Selangor, KL

A global index devised by The Economist has placed Malaysia at the bottom of a list of the 50 largest economies in the world in terms of getting back to pre-pandemic normalcy, as a major part of the country prepares for fresh restrictions under enhanced movement control order (EMCO).While a return to pre-pandemic activities may not necessarily reflect a country’s success in containing Covid-19, the index serves to show how far the world has travelled from the unprecedented restrictions imposed globally when the virus was first detected in late 2019.The index looks at three broad categories of transport, recreation and retail.It covers eight indicators comprising the amount of time spent out of the home, retail, office use, public transport, road traffic, flights, cinema and sports attendance.The index, which is updated weekly, shows Malaysia scoring 27.3 with many daily activities still far from pre-pandemic norms.The activities in Malaysia which come the closest to pre-pandemic normalcy appear to be venturing out of the home, the use of office and retail activities.Meanwhile public transport and traffic congestion are still far from what they were before March 2020, while travelling by air, going to the cinema and attending sporting events have yet to recover.At the top of the list are New Zealand and Hong Kong, while much of the Western world is inching back to normalcy.Next come developing countries such as Pakistan and Nigeria.Globally, traffic congestion and time spent outside the home have recovered more quickly than other indicators.The Economist said this could be because governments around the world had found it difficult to keep people indoors.“Although many governments have required people to stay at home, such rules are hard to enforce. Last April, even though half of the world’s population was subject to such orders, the global average of time spent outside homes fell by only 15%,” The Economist said.“Compliance rates appear similarly low today: around 14% of people are not allowed to venture out, yet time not at home is just 5% below the baseline of 2019.”It said the rate of return to normalcy could also be due to factors unrelated to Covid-19.“In general, Asian countries have been less normal than you would expect. Counterintuitively, behaviour has changed more in places with robust civil liberties than in otherwise similar but less free countries.“This would make sense if people in such places are unusually likely to trust their leaders, or if they feel more invested in fellow citizens’ well-being. And richer countries, where lots of people can work from home, are more abnormal than poorer ones,” it said.The index also shows that some countries which are experiencing more devastating waves of Covid-19 infections have a normalcy rate higher than that of others with a less intense virus surge.For example, Indonesia (2.2 million cases so far and close to 60,000 deaths) and the Philippines (1.4 million cases and about 25,000 deaths) are closer to pre-pandemic normalcy than Malaysia, which as of yesterday had 758,967 confirmed cases and 5,254 deaths.The index also tracks the rate of countries moving away from normalcy, with South Africa placed at the top due to new restrictions over a surge of infections.Meanwhile, new restrictions are set to kick in tomorrow for millions of people in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur who have been told to stay at home with further curbs on their activities under the EMCO.At least for the next two weeks, the move is expected to further slow down a return to pre-pandemic normalcy.


Sarawak latest to enter Phase 2 of recovery plan

Sarawak will transition to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan on July 14, joining seven other states which have already made the move.The state disaster management committee said the decision was made together with the National Security Council, as Sarawak had achieved the three main indicators required to make the shift.In a statement, it said the existing SOPs would remain in force until 11.59pm on July 13.Sarawak will join Sabah, Penang, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perak in progressing to the second phase of the recovery plan.The four-phase recovery plan, announced by the government on June 15, will see a gradual reopening of social and economic sectors with transition between phases contingent on the progress made in bringing the Covid-19 pandemic under control.


Ex-1MDB chairman says Najib told him to get ‘guidelines’ before PAC testimony

Former 1MDB chairman Mohd Bakke Salleh told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that Najib Razak had asked him to meet former Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Hasan Arifin to get “guidelines” for his testimony to PAC in 2016.Bakke, 68, said he received the call from the former prime minister about two weeks before the PAC proceeding on Feb 11, 2016.“I received a call from Najib asking me to meet with the PAC chairman, Hasan Arifin. He asked me to meet up at the house of Ahmad Farid Ridzuan, the former managing director of TV3.“He wanted me to meet up with Hasan and also with Farid, just to make sure that we all understood roughly what needed to be shared or said at PAC, and that was the gist of it… At that time, the concern was to safeguard the reputation of the PM (prime minister),” he said.He said this when cross-examined by Najib’s lead counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, in the former prime minister’s trial for the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds.Bakke also said that he met Hasan twice on different occasions at Farid’s house in Kiara Hills, with former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi present at the first meeting. The second meeting, meanwhile, was attended by 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy.“I got the impression that Hasan and Farid were just trying to get me to be more accommodative, not to be too hard with the testimony or replies to PAC,” he said, adding that he was told not to make any reference to the prime minister.To a question on fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, Bakke said Jho Low was the intermediary between 1MDB and Najib and not a nominee for the Pekan MP.Najib, 68, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.


Radzi discusses October reopening of schools in Labuan

Education Minister Radzi Jidin today held the first series of face-to-face discussions with representatives of the Parent-Teacher Associations (PIBGs) of primary and secondary schools in Labuan on schools reopening on Oct 3.The closed-door discussion, divided into morning and afternoon sessions, involved 50 representatives from 17 primary and 10 secondary schools.Among the matters discussed were the views and suggestions from the PIBGs on the reopening of schools in stages.Radzi also held an engagement programme with headmasters and principals on the proper system for reopening the schools and SOPs.He will continue the discussion with the school teachers tomorrow morning.Radzi is on a two-day working visit to Labuan, his first visit to the island after his appointment as education minister.


US appeals court grills Trump lawyer in seized documents dispute

Judges on an Atlanta-based federal appeals court signaled sympathy on Tuesday toward the US Justice Department's bid to reverse the appointment of an independent arbiter to vet documents seized by the FBI from Donald Trump's Florida home as they posed tough questions to the former president's lawyer.
A three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in the department's challenge to a judge's September appointment of a "special master" to review the documents and consider whether some should be walled off from an ongoing criminal investigation. The department is also seeking immediate access to all of the seized documents.
It was one of a series of legal woes that Trump faced on Tuesday, a week after launching a fresh run for the White House, including the US Supreme Court clearing the way for a Democratic-led congressional committee to get access to his tax returns.
Trump lawyer James Trusty told the judges in Atlanta that Trump's status as a former president made the documents dispute an unusual case that required a special master's review.
But 11th Circuit Chief Judge William Pryor repeatedly questioned whether allowing a court to step into the criminal investigation now, before any indictment has been made, would create a bad precedent that would harm other investigations.
Pryor also questioned whether Trump's lawyers had shown any evidence of unlawful activity related to the document seizures.
"If you can't establish that, then what are we doing here?" Pryor asked.
Trusty acknowledged that the search of Trump's property was not handled any differently than a typical criminal investigation, except for Trump being a former president.
Justice Department lawyer Sopan Joshi told the court that the department could find no other instance in which a judge exercised jurisdiction and effectively paused an ongoing criminal investigation when there was no evidence of an illegal search by the government.
FBI agents seized about 11,000 records, including about 100 marked as classified, during the Aug 8 court-approved search at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as part of a criminal investigation into his possession of government documents after leaving office last year. US Attorney General Merrick Garland last Friday named a special counsel, Jack Smith, to take over that investigation three days after Trump announced a 2024 presidential run.
US District Judge Aileen Cannon named Raymond Dearie, who also is a federal judge, to serve as special master. At issue in Dearie's vetting process is be whether any of the documents are protected by a legal doctrine called executive privilege that enables presidents to withhold certain forms of confidential communications, and whether any of them qualify as "personal" records that also should be kept from investigators.
In another development on Tuesday, Republican US Senator Lindsey Graham testified before a special grand jury in Georgia investigating whether Trump and his allies attempted to overturn the state's 2020 presidential election results. President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Georgia.
"Senator Graham appeared before the Fulton County Special Grand Jury for just over two hours and answered all questions," the senator's office said in a statement.
Also on Tuesday, Trump's lawyers asked Cannon to unseal the complete version of the affidavit that the FBI used to obtain a warrant before conducting the search. A redacted version of the affidavit was made public in August after media organizations sought its release, with sections blacked out that prosecutors said should remain secret.
The Justice Department said the redactions included information from "a broad range of civilian witnesses" as well as investigative techniques that, if disclosed, could reveal how to obstruct the investigation.
Trump's lawyers told Cannon that he must be able to review the full affidavit to determine whether the department violated the US Constitution's Fourth Amendment prohibition on unreasonable searches and seizures.
Regarding the documents, the department has said Trump has not provided evidence that the seized documents are "personal" and that as a former president he cannot invoke executive privilege to shield records belonging to the current executive branch.
Cannon, who was appointed to her judgeship by Trump, also blocked investigators from reviewing all of the seized documents until Dearie concludes his work. Federal prosecutors have argued that Cannon's rulings are hindering the investigation.
The 11th Circuit has ruled in favor of the Justice Department once before in the investigation, deciding in September that prosecutors can have access to the documents marked as classified. Judges Britt Grant and Andrew Basher, both Trump appointees, took part in that ruling and were on the three-judge panel on Tuesday.


US ramps up Kabul evacuation efforts as deadline looms

The US military shuttled thousands more people through the Kabul airport over the past 12 hours, a White House official said Monday as Washington attempts to complete a daring airlift by an Aug 31 deadline for troops to leave Afghanistan.In the 12 hours up until 3pm Monday (1900 GMT), about 10,900 people were evacuated from Hamid Karzai International Airport, the official said, updating figures given earlier in the day at the Pentagon.The number of people relocated from Afghanistan since July on US flights hit 53,000, with 48,000 of those since the intense airlift operations started on Aug 14 as the Taliban moved into Kabul.Earlier, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said those evacuated included “several thousand” US citizens, and thousands of Afghans who worked for US forces, who had applied for or received special immigrant visas, and Afghans seen as at risk to Taliban attacks for their work in NGOs, the media, and other jobs.Kirby said the focus remains on getting US evacuation operations done by the Aug 31 deadline that President Joe Biden has set for completing the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.That would require withdrawing the 5,800 US troops who have essentially run airport operations and maintained security since Aug 14, as well as large amounts of equipment brought in to support their mission.German, British and French officials said Monday that evacuations on their part could continue after Aug 31, and said they want the US force to stay in place to help the international airlift.Leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations will meet virtually on Afghanistan on Tuesday.“Whether or not the US can be persuaded to stay is a matter for the prime minister (Boris Johnson) tomorrow in the G7 meeting,” British armed forces minister James Heappey told Sky News.Britain currently chairs the G7, also comprising Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US.Kirby did not categorically rule out Washington extending the deadline, although the Taliban have said they will hold the US to it.For the US, Kirby said, “The goal is to get as many people out as fast as possible.”“The focus is on trying to do this as best we can, by the end of the month,” he said.At the White House, national security adviser Jake Sullivan deferred questions on extending the US pullout deadline to the G7 talks on Tuesday, saying the White House is taking the situation “day by day”.He said Biden had already spoke with Johnson on Monday.“We remain in close touch with allies and partners to coordinate the evacuation of their own citizens and their priority personnel,” Sullivan said.He said that there is enough time to evacuate all the US citizens in the country who have sought to leave.“We believe that we have time between now and the 31st to get out any American who wants to get out,” he said.


Covid-19 virus can survive 28 days on surfaces, say Aussie scientists

Australian researchers have found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, can live for up to 28 days on common surfaces including banknotes and glass.The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) published the new research on the “survivability” of the deadly virus on Monday, Xinhua News Agency reports.The research found that SARS-CoV-2 survived longer at lower temperatures, tended to survive longer on smooth surfaces such as glass and stainless steel, and survived longer on paper banknotes than on plastic banknotes.Larry Marshall, the chief executive of CSIRO, said the research was built on the agency’s previous Covid-19 work including vaccine testing and wastewater testing.“Establishing how long the virus really remains viable on surfaces enables us to more accurately predict and mitigate its spread, and to do a better job of protecting our people,” he said.“Our results show that SARS-CoV-2 can remain infectious on surfaces for long periods of time, reinforcing the need for good practices such as regular hand washing and cleaning surfaces,” Debbie Eagles, deputy director of CSIRO’s Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness, said in a media release.“At 20 degrees Celsius, which is about room temperature, we found that the virus was extremely robust, surviving for 28 days on smooth surfaces such as glass found on mobile phone screens and plastic banknotes.“For context, similar experiments for Influenza A have found that it survived on surfaces for 17 days, which highlights just how resilient SARS-CoV-2 is.”Further research was undertaken at 30 and 40 degrees Celsius with the survival time of the virus falling as the temperature rose.According to Xinhua, the study was conducted entirely in the dark to remove the effect of ultraviolet light on the virus.


Ismail thanks Muhyiddin, offers opposition a role in recovery plan

Ismail Sabri Yaakob today called on all quarters to put aside their political loyalties, and offered to work together with the opposition in the country’s exit route from the pandemic under the National Recovery Plan.In his maiden speech as prime minister, Ismail also thanked Muhyiddin Yassin and other MPs who had backed him for the top post.“I would also like to express my utmost appreciation and gratitude to Muhyiddin Yassin, the former prime minister who did his very best in facing numerous challenges along with the Cabinet members of Perikatan National (PN).“Once again, I thank you,” Ismail said in his address to the nation.Using the phrase “Malaysian Family” to address the public, Ismail also said he empathised with the people in their struggle to weather the pandemic.“I understand the hardship of having to struggle for even a mouthful of rice since I was brought up in a poor farmer’s family.“I solemnly understand the difficulties that the people face during this economic crisis brought about by the pandemic,” he said.He said the common enemy of the “Malaysian Family” was the Covid-19 pandemic, adding that the recent power vacuum and the change in government should be a thing of the past.“Indeed, such swift changes of government within a short period of time can only be construed as detrimental to the people and country.“Thus, let us move forward. We must stamp out this grab for political power. Let us as one big family comprising civil servants, private sector workers, and those self-employed work in repairing, healing and restoring our nation,” he said.Ismail came to power on the back of support from Muhyiddin’s 50-strong PN bloc, as well as from GPS and several independents.Muhyiddin resigned last Monday following the move by about a dozen MPs aligned with former leader Najib Razak to revoke their support for the PN government, resulting in a loss of his fragile majority.Ismail said the political turmoil had “distressed the public”, adding that it could be overcome through cross-party cooperation.“Therefore, I would like to offer the opportunity to the leadership of the opposition to be part of the National Recovery Council and the Special Committee on Covid-19.”


8 more deaths, 11 new clusters

Another 2,027 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 122,845.Selangor recorded 509 cases, of which 338 or 66.4% were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Johor (428) and Sabah (383).Kuala Lumpur recorded 313 cases, Negeri Sembilan 98, Penang 60, Kedah 47, Kelantan 42, Labuan 37, Perak and Pahang 25 each, Melaka 21, and Sarawak, Terengganu and Putrajaya 13 each.Eleven more clusters were detected:1. Jalan Playar (Petaling in Selangor; 68 cases)2. Sri Suria (Petaling in Selangor; 16 cases)3. Tapak Bina Bukit Semenyih (Hulu Langat in Selangor; 17 cases)4. Bukit Angkat (Hulu Langat in Selangor; 25 cases)5. Parit Jamil (Muar in Johor; 62 cases)6. Tombovo (Putatan in Sabah; 18 cases)7. Tapak Bina Jalan Desa (Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur; 116 cases)8. Jalan Raja (Lembah Pantai, Cheras, Titiwangsa and Kepong in Kuala Lumpur; 25 cases)9. Langit Selatan (Kuantan in Pahang; nine cases)10. Bah Sayap (Miri in Sarawak; five cases)11. Mengkuang (Marang and Kuala Nerus in Terengganu; 10 cases)There are currently 242 active clusters throughout the country.Another 1,221 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 99,449.However, eight more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 509.


New Covid-19 cluster in Penang

Another new cluster has been detected in Penang, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today.He said two positive cases had been detected so far in the Ara cluster, including the index case (case 10,024) – a 44-year-old local man.“The index case was determined to have Covid-19 during screening at the international entry point in Sandakan, Sabah on Sept 15 following arrival from the peninsula.“Close contact screening was conducted and another Covid-19 case was identified: the niece of the index case.”In a statement, he said she tested positive on Sept 19 and was admitted to the Penang Hospital for treatment.Sixteen individuals have been screened so far in the cluster with 14 testing negative. The cause of the infection is still being investigated.On the development of Covid-19 clusters in Sabah, Noor Hisham said 27 of the 52 new cases today were from the Benteng LD cluster, bringing the total number of positive cases there to 578.To date, 8,627 people have been screened: 6,345 in Tawau, 2,281 in Lahad Datu and one in Sandakan.“For the positive cases from this cluster, 287 are citizens and 291 are non-citizens involving 191 Filipinos and 100 Indonesians,” he said.As for the Selamat cluster, he said two new cases were detected, making it seven cases in total, while one case each was detected in the Bakau and Pulau clusters, bringing the total there to four and 15 cases respectively.In another development, Noor Hisham said there were three active administrative enhanced movement control order (EMCO) areas: the Amanjaya and Kota Setar localities in Kedah and the Tawau prison and quarters in Sabah.A total of 13,591 individuals have been screened in Amanjaya with 16 positive cases detected and 13,575 negative across three zones: Kenanga, Mawar and Melor.“The administrative EMCO period was extended until Sept 26 in the Melor zone after 13 new cases were detected on the 13th day.“All 16 positive cases are Malaysian citizens. A total of 600 repeat samples were taken from the Melor zone on Sept 19 and are still awaiting results,” he said.For the administrative EMCO in Kota Setar, which is expected to end on Sept 25, he said a total of 17,954 people were screened with 17 positive cases, 17,320 negative and 617 awaiting results.As for the administrative EMCO in the Tawau prison and quarters, 6,345 people were screened, 426 of whom tested positive, 4,120 negative and 1,799 awaiting results.


EU cuts air links with Belarus over forced plane landing

EU leaders cut Europe’s air links with Belarus on Monday, as strongman Alexander Lukashenko’s regime paraded a dissident journalist arrested after his flight was forced to land in Minsk.Lukashenko sparked international outrage by dispatching a fighter jet Sunday to intercept a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius carrying wanted reporter Roman Protasevich, 26, and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega.European leaders meeting in Brussels called for the release of the pair and hit back at Minsk by agreeing to ban Belarusian airlines from the bloc and urging EU-based carriers not to fly over its airspace.The leaders also warned they would adopt further “targeted economic sanctions” against the Belarusian authorities to add to the 88 regime figures and seven companies already on a blacklist over a crackdown on opposition.The move came as Belarusian state television broadcast a 30-second video of Protasevich, who had been living between Lithuania and Poland, confirming that he was in prison in Minsk and “confessing” to charges of organising mass unrest.The footage showed Protasevich – who could face 15 years in jail – with dark markings visible on his forehead, saying he was being treated “according to the law”.US President Joe Biden slammed the forced diversion of the plane and arrest of Protasevich as “a direct affront to international norms” and said the video appeared to have been made “under duress”.“I welcome the news that the European Union has called for targeted economic sanctions and other measures, and have asked my team to develop appropriate options to hold accountable those responsible,” Biden said, in a White House statement.‘Outrageous behaviour’The forced landing of an airliner flying between EU nations has refocused attention on the festering political crisis in Belarus, where Lukashenko has unleashed waves of brutal repression to cling to power.Western leaders accused Belarusian authorities of essentially hijacking a European plane, while Minsk claimed it had reacted to secure the flight after receiving a bomb threat.“We will not tolerate any attempt to play Russian roulette with the lives of innocent civilians,” EU chief Charles Michel said.The EU’s push to punish Minsk followed announcements from some nations and airlines that they were cutting links to Belarus.London also said it had issued instructions for British aircraft to avoid Belarusian airspace.Ukraine said it would halt direct flights between the two countries and over Belarus, while Scandinavian airline SAS, Germany’s Lufthansa and Latvia-based regional airline Air Baltic said they would be avoiding Belarusian airspace.‘Completely implausible’Belarus has insisted it acted legally over the grounding of the Ryanair jet, accusing the West of making “unfounded accusations” for political reasons.Its air force chief said the plane’s captain had decided to land in Belarus “without outside interference” and that the pilot could have chosen to go to Ukraine or Poland.A senior Belarusian transport official said the authorities received a letter claiming to be from the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas threatening to blow up the plane over Vilnius unless the EU renounced support for Israel.German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed Minsk’s explanations as “completely implausible” and the EU demanded a probe by the International Civil Aviation Organization.The Icao, a UN agency, is to meet on Thursday.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres backed calls for a “full, transparent and independent investigation into this disturbing incident”.Russia unruffledNato slammed a “serious and dangerous incident” and said envoys from the military alliance were to discuss it on Tuesday.The EU and other Western countries have already imposed a wide range of sanctions on Lukashenko’s government over its crackdown on opposition demonstrations that followed his disputed re-election to a sixth term last August.But Lukashenko has remained defiant with help from his main backer Russia.Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab raised the possibility of that Russia had backed the operation.“It’s very difficult to believe that this kind of action could have been taken without at least the acquiescence of the authorities in Moscow,” he told parliament.But Russia has dismissed the outrage in the West.Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Minsk was taking an “absolutely reasonable approach” while ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova mocked the Western indignation.“We are shocked that the West calls the incident in Belarusian air space ‘shocking’,” Zakharova said on Facebook, accusing Western nations of “kidnappings, forced landings and illegal arrests”.Together with co-founder Stepan Putilo, Protasevich until recently ran the Nexta channel on messaging app Telegram, which helped organise the protests that were the biggest challenge to Lukashenko’s 26-year rule.With close to two million subscribers on the service, Nexta Live and its sister channel Nexta are prominent opposition channels and helped mobilise protesters in Belarus.Protasevich and Putilo were added to Belarus’s list of “individuals involved in terrorist activity” last year.The spiralling tensions around Belarus were in evidence as Minsk expelled the entire staff of Latvia’s embassy, including the ambassador, after accusing Latvian authorities of having used an opposition flag at an ice hockey championship.


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Anwar says Petronas project in South China Sea in Malaysian territory

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim today said he had told China 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 was worried that "Petronas has carried out a major activity at an area that is also claimed by China," Anwar said in response to a parliamentary question about his discussions on the South China Sea during his visit to China last week.
"I stressed... that Malaysia sees the area as Malaysian territory therefore Petronas will continue its exploration activities there," Anwar said, without specifying an offshore project or a location.
But if China feels this is their right, Malaysia is open for negotiations, Anwar said, reiterating comments made earlier this week.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea as its territory via a "nine-dash line" on its maps, which cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
The foreign ministry will issue a protest note if there are "collisions" between Malaysian and Chinese vessels in the area, Anwar said.
The Chinese embassy in Kuala Lumpur was not immediately available for comment.


12 more clusters as daily deaths hit new high

Another 3,631 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 176,180.Selangor recorded 782 cases, of which 574 or 73.4% were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Johor (466), Sabah (453) and Kuala Lumpur (435).Sarawak recorded 229 cases, Penang 202, Negeri Sembilan 197, Terengganu 178, Kedah 166, Kelantan 161, and Perak 138.Melaka recorded 82, Pahang 61, Putrajaya 39, Labuan 29 and Perlis 13.Active cases stand at 42,814 with 251 in the ICU and 102 in need of respiratory assistance.Twelve new clusters were detected:1. Jalan Sungai Chandong (Klang in Selangor; 44 cases)2. Putra Tujuh (Petaling in Selangor; 12 cases)3. Jalan Perwira (Johor Bahru in Johor; 43 cases)4. Jalan Skudai (Johor Bahru in Johor; 18 cases)5. Jalan Indah Gemilang (Johor Bahru and Kota Tinggi in Johor; 13 cases)6. Tembok Renggam (Kluang in Johor; 31 cases)7. Selasih Perindu (Kulai in Johor; 106 cases)8. Ladang Desa Jerocco (Kinabatangan in Sabah; 38 cases)9. Serkam Tengah (Jasin, Alor Gajah and Melaka Tengah in Melaka; 31 cases)10. Kampung Paya Siput (Temerloh in Pahang; 10 cases)11. Tanjung Lumpur (Kuantan in Pahang; 11 cases)12. Jalan Kinabenua (Labuan; eight cases)Four others ended, leaving 335 active clusters throughout the country.Another 2,554 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 132,706.However, 18 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 660.


Zahid’s VLN graft case postponed but trial must continue, says judge

The Shah Alam High Court has allowed an application by the defence in the corruption case involving Ahmad Zahid Hamidi related to the foreign visa system (VLN) to vacate today’s hearing.Judge Mohd Yazid Mustafa allowed the hearing to be vacated after Zahid’s counsel, Ahmad Zaidi Zainal, showed the court a letter from a hospital stating his client’s condition and injuries.“However, the hearing dates set on Sept 1 and 2 remain. It will also depend on Zahid’s condition. We can’t anticipate for now how long he will take to recover.“However, this is a case of public interest and the trial should continue soon,” said the judge.Earlier, Zaidi told the court that his client had been admitted to a private hospital after suffering a fall in his house on Sunday.At today’s proceeding, the prosecution was represented by deputy public prosecutor Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin.Zahid was also a no-show at the hearing of his corruption case involving funds from Yayasan Akalbudi, with the court told that the Umno president had been hospitalised due to a back injury.High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah ruled that a subpoena would be issued to Dr Mohd Shahir Anuar from Avisena Specialist Hospital in Shah Alam to explain Zahid’s procedure and the duration needed for the accused to fully recover.Zahid, 68, is facing 33 charges of receiving bribes amounting to S$13.56 million (RM42 million) from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd as an inducement for himself in his capacity as a civil servant and home minister at the time to extend the contract of the company as the operator of the one-stop centre in China and the VLN system as well as to maintain the agreement to supply VLN integrated system paraphernalia to the same company by the home ministry.He allegedly committed the offences at Seri Satria, Precinct 16, Putrajaya and in Country Heights, Kajang, between October 2014 and March 2018.The charges framed under Section 16 (a)(B) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, punishable under Section 24(1) of the same act, provide for a maximum of 20 years in jail and a fine of not less than five times the value of the gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.For another seven charges, Zahid was charged as home minister with accepting S$1,150,000, RM3,000,000, €15,000 (RM75,663) and US$15,000 (RM62,115) in cash from the same company which he knew had a connection with his function as home minister.He was charged with committing the offences at a house in Country Heights between June 2015 and October 2017, under Section 165 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum jail term of two years, a fine or both upon conviction.


More Afghan interpreters and families to be ‘rapidly’ relocated to UK, US

Plans to rapidly relocate hundreds more Afghans who worked for the British and American forces, mostly as interpreters, have been announced.Including family members, more than 3,000 Afghans are expected to be allowed to settle in the UK, joining 1,300 who have already done so.Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the BBC that “with Western powers leaving, the threat is increasing, including targeted attacks by the Taliban”.The issue has been a concern since British forces ended combat operations in Helmand in 2014 – with British troops who served there being among the most vocal in their support for measures to protect those who assisted them during their deployment.Earlier schemes applied strict criteria on who could apply for a new life in the UK and considered the Afghans’ length of service and precise roles.But under new government policy, any current or former locally employed staff who are assessed to be under serious threat to life will be offered priority relocation to the UK.However, not everyone who worked for the British will be eligible to apply, including those sacked for serious misconduct.At the start of this year there were still 750 British troops in Afghanistan, mostly providing security in the capital Kabul. Their withdrawal is already under way following US President Joe Biden’s decision to pull out US troops from the country.The US, who employed many more local Afghans, is working on a similar scheme to “rapidly” evacuate Afghans who worked for the American military ahead of September’s final troop withdrawal, said Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen Mark Milley.He said a “significant” number of interpreters and other employees could be targeted by Taliban militants.As many as 18,000 Afghans have applied for visas to immigrate to the US under a special programme but the scheme has been hit by delays, with applicants waiting for years.“We recognise that there are a significant amount of Afghans that supported the United States and supported the coalition, and that they could be at risk,” Milley said on Thursday.“We must do what is necessary to ensure their protection and, if necessary, get them out of the country if that is what they want to do. There are plans being developed very, very rapidly here, not just interpreters but a lot of other people that have worked with the US.”


New infections at 324 as death toll remains unchanged

Another 324 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,037,242.
There were 148 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,990,227.
There are now 10,073 active cases, of which 9,653 or 95.8% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 408 (4.1%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 12 are in ICU with six in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving the death toll unchanged at 36,942.


Philippines protests China ‘swarming’ around disputed reef

The Philippines has protested the “illegal” presence of over a hundred Chinese boats around a disputed reef in the flashpoint South China Sea, describing it as a source of regional instability, the government said.Authorities spotted the boats around the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef in April – a year after a similar “swarming” incident caused a diplomatic row – but the foreign office waited till Thursday to disclose it had launched a formal complaint with the Chinese embassy in Manila.Manila and Beijing have long been locked in a dispute over parts of the South China Sea, almost all of which China insists it has exclusive rights to, rejecting a 2016 international tribunal ruling that its historical claims were without basis.“The lingering unauthorised presence of Chinese fishing and maritime vessels is not only illegal, but is also a source of instability in the region,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said.“The Philippines calls on China to comply with its obligations under international law, cease and desist from displaying illegal and irresponsible behaviour, avoid further escalating tensions at sea and immediately withdraw all of its vessels from Philippine maritime zones.”The department did not disclose whether there had been a Chinese government response and whether the boats were still in the area.China’s embassy in Manila did not respond to requests for comment.The foreign department said 210 Chinese vessels “swarmed” around Whitsun from March 7 last year, lingering in the area for weeks.Beijing said the vessels were fishing boats sheltering from bad weather, but Manila rejected the explanation, saying there was no storm in the area at the time.Manila said it has filed more than 300 diplomatic protests over Chinese actions in the disputed waters over the past six years.Last month, the foreign office said it had summoned a senior official of the Chinese embassy on April 13 to protest the harassment of a Taiwan marine research vessel with Filipino scientists on board by a Chinese coast guard ship.It also filed a separate protest last month over China’s annual practice of declaring a fishing ban over areas beyond its “legitimate maritime entitlements”.


US approves lab-grown chicken for sale

The US has granted its first ever approvals to two companies to sell chicken grown directly from animal cells, becoming only the second country to allow lab-grown meat to be offered to consumers.
The US Department of Agriculture (Usda) approved food safety systems at facilities of Upside Foods and Good Meat, a spokesman for the agency told AFP Wednesday, with the companies adding the products would be available soon at select restaurants.
Both Upside Foods and Good Meat were cleared on safety grounds by the Food and Drug Administration in November, and the Usda last week reviewed and approved their product labels to ensure they were not misleading.
"This approval will fundamentally change how meat makes it to our table," said Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of Upside Foods, in a statement.
"It's a giant step forward towards a more sustainable future – one that preserves choice and life."
Josh Tetrick, CEO of Good Meat, the cell-cultured food division of Eat Just, added its "cultivated meat" was now "approved to sell to consumers in the world's largest economy."
Producing the meat in large, high-quality volumes is expensive.
But, following approval, Upside processed its first order, placed by three-Michelin-star Chef Dominique Crenn's restaurant Bar Crenn in San Francisco.
Good Meat, meanwhile, started production of its first batch that will be sold to celebrity chef and philanthropist Jose Andres.
Andres will sell the product at a yet-to-be-revealed restaurant in the capital Washington.
Several start-ups are aiming to produce the so-called lab-grown meat, which would allow humans to consume animal protein without the associated environmental harms of farming or animal suffering.
The products differ from plant-based substitutes such as soy burgers that mimic the texture and flavor of meat but do not contain any animal protein.
Eat Just was the first to receive authorization to make artificial meat, in Singapore in 2020.
While succeeding in the general lab-meat market has proven complicated, some companies have set their sights on pet food, whose consumers are less picky.
Bond Pet Foods, a Colorado start-up, is creating animal protein from a microbial fermentation process to feed dogs.
Eco-friendly? Perhaps not
Lab-grown meat involves first harvesting cells from a living animal or a fertilised egg, to establish a cell bank that can be kept for decades in deep freeze. They are then cultivated in steel tanks where they are fed nutrients similar to what animals would eat.
After several weeks, the result product is "harvested" from the tank and molded into shapes, such as chicken filet or satay.
While lab-grown meat has been billed as an environmentally friendly alternative, researchers from the University of California, Davis pushed back against this assumption in a study out last month, which hasn't yet been peer reviewed.
They found cultivated meat's environmental impact is likely to be "orders of magnitude" higher – at least in the case of beef, based on production methods.
This is because of the energy required and greenhouse gasses emitted across all stages of production.
One of the most significant factors is the use of "purified growth media" or the ingredients used to help animal cells multiply, in methods similar to those used by biotechnology firms to make pharmaceuticals.
"If companies are having to purify growth media to pharmaceutical levels, it uses more resources, which then increases global warming potential," said lead author Derrick Risner.
A widely reported 2022 survey of 2,000 US adults by the nonprofit Farm Forward found two-thirds said they would eat cultivated-meat products.


No noise, please, let govt walk the lives-livelihoods tightrope

I refer to the public criticism and numerous snide remarks made following the government’s work from home directive for areas under conditional movement control order (CMCO), especially in the Klang Valley.I am not sure what the critics are getting at. Do they want the economy to close again like the first phase of the MCO? Do they have any inkling how much it hurts the economy?During those few months, lots of businesses were practically crippled. Do critics know how many daily wage earners went to bed with a hungry stomach daily, not just them but their families, including young ones? Can they put themselves in the shoes of those who lost their jobs, some possibly never to be gainfully employed in the foreseeable future due to their age, skillsets and scarcity of work due to the shrinking economy?Please have a heart! There is a need to balance lives and livelihoods. What’s the big deal about slashing the number of people going to work? For example, if a retail outlet only requires sales staff and some technical support to be around, the rest like administration or human resources personnel only need to spend minimal time at work, if at all.The whole idea is to cut down the chain of transmission. The fewer people moving around, the lesser the risk of transmission. Let only critical staff be around, provided they adhere strictly to the SOPs.While armchair critics can poke fun at whether a person needs to be sawed in half if a company strictly follows the 10% attendance rate for a workforce of five, this is no laughing matter for those staring at their fast depleting bank savings, if there’s any left.Businesses are hard hit, and this spills over to the job market. The government is doing its best to stop the economy from going into a tailspin.As it is, the government already has its hands full battling the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the staggering figures, we appear to be winning, as the R naught infection rate dips and the restrictions on movement bear results.During such an unprecedented crisis, let’s set aside our differences and focus on the bigger picture. We are walking a thin line between lives and livelihoods. The last thing we need is for some of us to throw a hissy fit that could distract our efforts and plunge us into an economic and public health disaster.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


World Cup history for Ronaldo, Neymar injury scare after Brazil win

Cristiano Ronaldo claimed a piece of World Cup history on Thursday as Brazil were rocked by an injury scare to captain Neymar after a hardfought 2-0 victory over Serbia.
Ronaldo became the first man to score in five different editions of the World Cup as he slotted home a controversial penalty to help Portugal down Ghana 3-2 in their Group H clash.
The typically ice-cold spot-kick was Ronaldo's eighth career goal at the World Cup and comes after a tumultuous week which saw the star forward make a sensational exit from Manchester United after weeks of tensions with the club.
"It was a beautiful moment, my fifth World Cup, we won, and we started with our good foot," Ronaldo said after the win.
"It's a very important win, we know the first match is crucial, but the world record is also something that makes me very proud."
But there was controversy surrounding the penalty, which was awarded after Ronaldo crashed theatrically to the turf following minimal contact with Ghana defender Mohammed Salisu.
Furious Ghana coach Otto Addo described the penalty decision as a "gift" to Ronaldo.
"I think it was a really wrong decision, we were playing the ball... I don't know why VAR didn't come up, there is no explanation," Addo said.
"If somebody scores a goal then congrats, but it was really a gift... a special gift from the referee."
In Thursday's late game, Brazil were rocked by an injury scare involving captain Neymar after two goals from Richarlison secured a 2-0 win over Serbia in Group G.
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar was substituted with 11 minutes remaining and was later seen with a badly swollen right ankle as he left the field.
It was the latest in a series of injury dramas surrounding the Brazilian talisman, whose 2014 World Cup was ended by a back injury.
The Brazilian skipper was also ruled out of the 2019 Copa America due to torn ligaments in the same right ankle. He also missed 10 weeks of the 2021/2022 season with an injured left ankle.
Brazilian team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar said after the win it was too early to give a clear prognosis on his latest knock.
"We need to wait 24 to 48 hours to have a better assessment," Lasmar said.
"We need to wait, we cannot make any premature comments about his evolution."
Brazil coach Tite however said he was confident Neymar would be fit for the remainder of the tournament.
"You can be certain that Neymar is going to play in the World Cup," Tite told reporters.
The injury took the shine off a Brazilian win that came through goals from Tottenham's Richarlison, including a spectacular volleyed second goal.
"It's a childhood dream come true," Richarlison said afterwards.
"We played a good game, especially in the second half, when the opponent got tired, and we managed to take advantage of that."


No new interstate clusters since Feb 1, says health minister

No new clusters linked to interstate travel were recorded from Feb 1 until yesterday as a result of the second movement control order (MCO 2.0), says Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.From Dec 16 to Jan 30, he said the health ministry had detected 31 interstate clusters involving a total of 4,376 positive Covid-19 cases.These cases occurred in eight states: Pahang, Terengganu, Kelantan, Kedah, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan, he said.Adham said the cases of infection were from six initial states, namely Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Johor, Melaka and Sabah.“This is a very good development as it reflects the effectiveness of stricter enforcement that has been implemented,” he told a press conference in Putrajaya today.“This development also demonstrates an increase in awareness among all parties and the effectiveness of complying with the cross-border restrictions, as well as the people’s adherence to the new normal.”Adham said the Bera and Lipis districts in Pahang had been green zones for the past two days.“Therefore, my advice to the residents of Lipis and Bera is that they can implement the District Risk Reduction Programme in order to maintain the green zone status and prevent new Covid-19 infections.“With no interstate clusters and no new cases, we expect about seven or eight more districts will turn to green soon,” he said.With 10 days left before the end of MCO 2.0, Adham said the ministry urged that the interstate ban be maintained.“We have seen signs that cases have decreased even though there are still a lot of field tests. The country’s infectivity rate (RO) is now below 1,” he said.


Sharp turn from war on drugs as heroin, meth now legal in US state

The western state of Oregon has become the first in the US to officially decriminalise the possession and personal use of all drugs, reports CNN.Voters in the state approved the change with 55.8% of the vote in November, but it officially went into effect on Monday.Two dozen district attorneys had opposed the measure, saying it was reckless and would lead to an increase in the acceptability of dangerous drugs.The change means that police in Oregon can no longer arrest someone for possession of small amounts of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, LSD, oxycodone and other hard drugs. Instead, those found in possession will face a maximum US$100 (RM400) fine or a health assessment that could lead to addiction counselling.The initiative also expands access to addiction assistance and other health services offering aid to those who need it.The addiction recovery centres will be funded by millions of dollars of tax revenue from Oregon’s highly profitable legal marijuana industry.“Today, the first domino of our cruel and inhumane war on drugs has fallen,” Drug Policy Alliance executive director Kassandra Frederique said in statement on Monday.“This law is meant to protect people against persecution, harassment and criminalisation at the hands of the state for using drugs and instead give them access to the supports they need. We choose health over criminalisation.”The move to decriminalise drugs in Oregon came after voters in a handful of other US states approved measures to legalise recreational marijuana.PBS reports that while this approach is new in the US, several countries, including Portugal, the Netherlands and Switzerland, have already decriminalised possession of small amounts of hard drugs.Portugal’s 2000 decriminalisation brought no surge in hard drug use. Drug deaths fell while the number of people treated for drug addiction in the country rose 20% until 2008 and then stabilised.


Police to set up unit to investigate deaths in custody

The police will set up a special unit to investigate cases of death involving detainees, Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said today.He said it would be known as the Criminal Investigation Unit on Deaths in Custody and staffed by 12 police personnel and a civilian staff member.“This unit will begin operations on Jan 1 next year, headed by a police superintendent. Beginning this date, all deaths involving detainees will be handled by this unit,” he told a news conference after the launching ceremony for the Home Minister 100 Days Keluarga Malaysia Aspiration at the Kuala Lumpur Police Training Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.The unit, which will come under the Integrity and Standards Compliance Department, will focus on the aspects of criminal liability, duty of care and compliance with SOPs, he said.Hamzah added that the setting up of this unit would improve the image and integrity of the police force.


Never mind rights, we just want jobs, say Sarawak’s rural youth

Pinky Sandom moved from her village in rural Maradong to the town of Sarikei in Sarawak about a year ago.Like many young Sarawakians, she made the move in the hope of finding a job, in this case to help her father back home.The 26-year-old arrived in Sarikei just a few days after the movement control order was lifted, allowing some semblance of life to trickle back into the social and economic sectors.But even so, job opportunities were few and far in between.Eventually Pinky managed to find work as a sales assistant in town. For months, she has been doing shift work – sometimes in the morning and sometimes in the evening until late at night.Each day, she walks to the retail shop about 2km from where she stays. If she works the night shift, she doesn’t go home until late, usually about 11pm.For eight hours of such work each day, she receives around RM1,100 a month depending on how much overtime she does.This is not the life the degree-holder dreamt of, but she knows she has little other choice.No matter how tough life in town is, Pinky never entertains the thought of going back to her longhouse. There, she knows, things will be even harder.Travelling daily back and forth from town, some 17km away from her longhouse, is not an option either. The road, riddled with potholes, is pitch black at night as there are no streetlights.Making the trip by boat is possible but this, too, would depend on weather conditions.“I rent a room in town because it’s easier to get to work,” Pinky told MalaysiaNow.This eats up RM450 of her salary every month.Pinky’s story is a common tale among young Sarawakians who migrate to town in search of a better job. For them, bread-and-butter issues such as cost of living, employment and income trump most other concerns.Over the years, Sarawak has seen tremendous development in the construction of rural roads. From 2016 to 2020 alone, 795km worth of roads in remote areas were built and upgraded.But even with the rapid pace of development, many are still forced to make their way through muddy, uneven roads. Often, travel by boat is the only way to reach communities living in remote locations.With the 12th Sarawak election fast approaching, many candidates have pledged to further development in the state and to tend to the needs of those in rural areas.But for now, rural Sarawak remains a challenge thanks to the sparse population, difficult geographical terrain and poor accessibility to project sites.For Pinky, this was the hardest part of living outside the city.“What the people need now is the basic infrastructure in rural areas,” she said.“Young people are in desperate need of jobs, especially those who come from rural, low-income households.“We don’t care about whatever rights the politicians are talking about,” she added.“What we want is to improve our livelihoods.”


Russia says pulling back more troops despite US claims

Russia on Thursday announced more troop pullbacks from the Ukrainian border as Washington insisted that Moscow is still building up forces for a potential invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.After previously announced withdrawals earlier this week, the US, Nato and Ukraine all said they had seen no evidence of a pullback.The Russian defence ministry said units of the southern military district were returning to bases from Moscow-annexed Crimea and that tank units of the western military district had departed on a military train for their bases 1,000km away.It did not provide details on the specific amount of troops or equipment involved.Western officials say Russia has amassed well over 100,000 troops and significant military hardware near Ukraine’s borders in preparation for a potential invasion, which Washington says could take place “at any time”.Russia has said “large-scale” military exercises are taking place in various areas, including near Ukraine, but has not provided any specific numbers and has repeatedly denied any plans for an attack.US says pullback claims ‘false’The troop build-up and Western threats to respond to an invasion with painful economic sanctions have brought tensions between Moscow and the West to their highest since the end of the Cold War.Intense diplomatic efforts – including meetings and repeated phone calls between President Vladimir Putin and Western leaders – have done little to ease the crisis.British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who was due in Kyiv on Thursday warned that the crisis risked becoming “a running sore”.Moscow “could drag this out much longer in a brazen ploy to spend weeks more – if not months – subverting Ukraine and challenging Western unity,” she wrote in the Daily Telegraph.A senior White House official on Wednesday said Russian announcements of withdrawal were “false”, accusing Moscow of increasing its presence on the border by “as many as 7,000 troops”.Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg and other Western officials also said they saw no sign of a drawdown, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had observed only “small rotations” that did not signify any real change.Presiding over a national “Day of Unity” he declared on Wednesday, Zelensky watched Ukrainian soldiers train with new Western-supplied anti-tank weapons and visited the frontline city of Mariupol.“We are not afraid of anyone, of any enemies,” Zelensky said. “We will defend ourselves.”Russian officials have accused the West of provoking “hysteria” with claims of a planned invasion.Even Ukrainian officials have warned that some Western moves – including the US relocating its embassy from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv – are unjustified and helping to spread panic.‘Ukraine just a field of battle’ At the border of Ukraine and Belarus – where Russian and Belarusian forces are carrying out major joint exercises – residents feared being caught in the middle of a clash of great powers.“The Ukrainians could start something, thanks to the Americans and the British, who brought all their weapons here,” 87-year-old Lidiya Silina told AFP in her green wooden shack close to the border.“For them, Ukraine is just a field of battle with Russia.”The joint drills in Belarus – which the US says involves some 30,000 Russian troops – are set to end on Sunday.Russia insists its forces will go back to bases after the exercises so a significant withdrawal early next week could set the stage for the crisis to ease.Russia has blamed the West for provoking the tensions, saying Washington and its European allies have for too long ignored Moscow’s security concerns on its doorstep.Putin has demanded that Ukraine be forever banned from fulfilling its hopes of joining Nato and for the alliance to roll back its deployments near Russia’s borders.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that Moscow would send a reply to US proposals about European security later in the day.European Union leaders, already gathered in Brussels for a summit with their African counterparts, were to hold impromptu crisis talks Thursday on Russia and Ukraine.A UN Security Council meeting is also set Thursday to discuss the crisis.US Vice President Kamala Harris will also meet with Zelensky on the sidelines of the annual Munich Security Conference this weekend, a senior White House official said.


US sanctions Iranian operatives accused of overseas assassination plots

The US on Thursday imposed sanctions on members and affiliates of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard and its external operations arm whom Washington accused of participating in terrorist plots targeting former US government officials, dual US and Iranian nationals and Iranian dissidents.
The US Treasury Department said the move targeted three Iran- and Turkey-based individuals and a company affiliated with the IRGC-Quds Force and two senior officials of the IRGC's Intelligence Organization involved in plotting external lethal operations against civilians, including journalists.
In a statement, the Treasury said the five included Mohammad Reza Ansari, a Quds Force member whom it said has supported its operations in Syria, and Iranian citizen Shahram Poursafi, whom it said had planned and attempted to assassinate two former US government officials.
It also put sanctions on Hossein Hafez Amini, a dual Iranian and Turkish national based in Turkey, whom it accused of using his Turkish-based airline, Rey Havacilik Ithalat Ihracat Sanayi Ve, to assist the Quds Force's covert operations, including kidnapping and assassination plots targeting Iranian dissidents.
The airline was also placed under sanctions.
The Treasury Department also said it had imposed penalties on two people linked to the IRGC's Intelligence Organization, which it described as a domestic and international unit focused on targeting journalists, activists, dual Iranian nationals, and others who oppose Iranian abuses and human rights violations.
It named these as Rouhallah Bazghandi, the former chief of the Intelligence Organization's counterespionage department, and the Intelligence Organization's chief, Reza Seraj.
As a result of the Treasury sanctions, all property of the five individuals and the company subject to US jurisdiction are blocked. In addition, carrying out some transactions with them can expose actors to "secondary sanctions" under which the US can penalise non-US individuals and entities.


Singapore to ease curbs as virus cases fall

Singapore will begin slowly easing a month-long partial lockdown from next week after the curbs succeeded in stemming a coronavirus outbreak, authorities said Thursday.The city-state has weathered the pandemic largely unscathed but saw an uptick in local transmissions in recent weeks as new variants spread.Fresh restrictions were introduced in mid-May, including a cap on the size of social gatherings at two, the closure of schools and a ban on dining-in at restaurants.With cases falling steadily, maximum sizes for gatherings will be lifted to five from Monday, and bigger groups will be allowed at events such as live performances.If the situation remains under control, more restrictions will be lifted from June 21 – including a resumption of restaurant dine-ins, while people will be allowed to work out at gyms without masks.However, employees who can work from home must continue to do so.Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong, a member of a government task force dealing with the virus, said the city-state’s outbreak was now “under control”.“Over the last few weeks, the number of Covid-19 cases… has fallen progressively, fewer clusters are emerging and (are) generally smaller clusters.”Schools have been closed since last month amid fears that new variants were affecting youngsters more.The Singapore outbreak led to the cancellation, for the second time, of a quarantine-free travel corridor with Hong Kong. Singapore said the plan would be reviewed again in early July.At the start of the pandemic, Singapore saw sizeable outbreaks in crowded dormitories housing low-paid foreign workers that infected tens of thousands.But by global standards, its experience with the virus has been mild. Officials in the city of 5.7 million have reported about 62,000 cases so far and 34 deaths.