8 fingerprints lifted from Nora Anne’s villa, inquest told

The Coroner’s Court in Seremban was told yesterday that eight fingerprints were lifted by the photo and fingerprint unit of the Nilai district police headquarters (IPD) from the side of a window on the lower floor of the villa occupied by Nora Anne Quoirin on the night of Aug 4, 2019 when she went missing.ACP Wan Rukman Wan Hassan, 55, who is now the strategic planning officer at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Bukit Aman, said 20 fingerprint samples were also taken for comparison from the family members of Dusun Resort manager Haanim Ahmed Bamadhaj, employees and former resort workers, as well as Nora Anne’s family.Wan Rukman, who is the 11th witness in the inquest proceedings to determine the cause of the teenager’s death, said the samples were sent to Bukit Aman for analysis and matching.“The results found that four of the eight fingerprints had inadequate features and could not be matched, while four were in suitable condition and one matched the mother of the missing person,” he said when testifying on the seventh day of the proceedings before the coroner Maimoonah Aid.Wan Rukman, who was with the Negeri Sembilan CID at the time, said the results of the fingerprint analysis were conveyed to him two days after Nora Anne was reported missing from her accommodation at the villa at Sora House, Dusun Resort, Pantai.When asked by the family’s lawyer S Sakthyvel what he meant by inadequate features, he said only experts could determine them.When asked if the eight prints included one from Nora Anne, Wan Rukman said they could not be matched as the teenager’s fingerprint sample was also inadequate.He added that the girl’s fingerprint sample was obtained through assistance from Interpol.When asked if Nora Anne’s sample was taken when her body was found on Aug 13, Wan Rukman said some were taken for comparison but could not be used as her fingers had shrivelled.The court was also told that eight other prints were found on the window frame of the upper floor of the villa, as well as a blood stain in the bathroom.Nora Anne, 15, went missing on Aug 4 last year, a day after she and her family arrived in Malaysia for a two-week holiday at a resort in Pantai, about 60km south of Kuala Lumpur.Her body was found on Aug 13 near a creek in a ravine, about 2.5km from the resort.Preliminary surgical reports found no criminal elements in her death. She was said to have died from gastrointestinal bleeding due to prolonged hunger and stress.


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Health white paper to be tabled in Dewan Rakyat

The health white paper is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today.
According to the order paper published on the Parliament website, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa is expected to move a motion to table the white paper after the winding-up session for the debate on the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia’s annual report.
Seventeen MPs debated the report before the sitting was adjourned yesterday, while five more will resume the debate before the winding-up session today.
On June 10, Zaliha confirmed that the health white paper which includes a comprehensive policy on reforming the health system in stages over 15 years had been approved by the Cabinet for tabling in Parliament.
Meanwhile, during today's question-and-answer session, Pang Hok Liong (PH-Labis) will ask whether the government intends to extend social protection to the B40 group and allocate vouchers to recipients of the Rahmah Cash Contribution (Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah) to participate in the protection plan.
Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (PH-Kuala Selangor) is scheduled to raise a question on whether the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission will be placed under the supervision of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission to ensure effective disciplinary control and improve the commission's integrity.
Several questions will also be posed to the youth and sports ministry, including from Doris Sophia Brodi (GPS-Sri Aman) about the ministry's efforts to look after the welfare of veteran athletes, especially Paralympic athletes.
Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) meanwhile will ask the ministry to state its long-term plan to expand access to sports and recreation facilities to create a work-life balance for the people.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting, scheduled to sit for 11 days, will end tomorrow.


The need for a national housing policy

It is depressing, but not surprising, that property overhang was at its highest since 2018 with 63,063 unsold units valued at RM46.96 billion as of June 2020.By September 2020, the overhang worsened with high-rise units of prices ranging between RM200,000 and RM700,000 the worst hit, accounting for 70.5% of the overhang.These figures reflect a total failure of our housing policy which allows developers to build mainly for profit and speculation, ignoring the real housing needs of the people. This mismatch of housing needs and housing supply is a misallocation and waste of our national resources.In the meantime, the government has been trying to help the developers (who themselves created this problem) sell the unsold houses by calling for easier bank loans. This will put stress on the financial system and cause indebtedness for the poor who cannot afford expensive houses and risk losing their jobs and incomes during the pandemic.Developers have to continue to complete their existing projects otherwise they risk having to pay liquidated ascertained damages (LAD) for late delivery of the projects. Delays will also erode the confidence of potential buyers. This will aggravate the overhang which has been on an increasing trend over the past five years. At most, developers can cut down the number of future projects just as statistics show that 2020 had the lowest over a five-year period but much too late.Even if the pandemic is over, it will take a year or two at least for the economy to recover. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, there were 748,200 unemployed in October 2020 and annually about 500,000 Malaysians would enter the job market. Hence, it is expected that there will be more than one million job seekers and the closure of more than 51,000 retail stores in 2021. These predictions came before MCO 2.0 on Jan 13, making the situation even grimmer.Under such circumstances, we call upon developers to seriously consider renting out unsold units or offering rent-to-own options. This would enable those who cannot afford to buy to at least have a roof over their heads while reducing the property overhang problem.The government, on the other hand, should also encourage housing rental by expediting the enactment of the Tenancy Act to protect the interests of landlords and tenants, making standard tenancy agreements available online that landlords can use, and introducing a dedicated rent tribunal to resolve tenancy problems quickly.The government should think seriously about renting as a solution to our housing affordability crisis as many studies have shown that even the middle class cannot own housing units as house prices have skyrocketed. Malaysia can learn from Germany where 58% of Germans rented the homes in which they stayed in 2018. In Germany, laws have protected tenants and landlords fairly without the stagnating of their housing supply. There, they have developed rental tables (based on market rates) in bigger cities to establish a certain range of rents at different localities. They only allow rental increase by specific percentages. And they have enabled the tenure security of tenants by ensuring that eviction is only allowed for specific reasons like the non-payment of rent, destruction of property, when owners want to occupy the unit and other specific reasons.In the longer term, we need a national housing policy to look at our housing requirements.1) Set up a national housing coard to do the following:– Match housing needs and housing supplies to prevent the misallocation and waste of housing resources. This will prevent the large overhang of unsold housing units and the problem of abandoned housing projects, especially when at the same time we have a shortage of housing, especially for the poorer consumers and the homeless who cannot even afford to rent.– The board should develop housing and business units to sell or rent. They should prioritise social housing and rental units especially for the lower income group, the homeless and workers who come to city centres to seek employment.– The board should develop housing on state public land and land belonging to public authorities. Such land should not be given or sold to private developers for any purpose.2) Acquire land for social housing and develop land banks for housing throughout the country.3) Develop a long-term plan and allocate financial resources for housing needs for all Malaysians in different parts of the country. This should be a priority in our development plans to prevent a housing crisis.4) A good housing policy is instrumental to political and social stability. It also creates a sense of belonging that will unite all Malaysians.5) Develop and collect good and useful statistics to help us produce proper comprehensive housing plans that are linked to locality, jobs, transport and amenities. Socio-economic factors, occupancy rates, tenancy, mortgage, indebtedness, speculation, housing rental rates at different locations, and affordability data are also important.6) Develop tax incentives, supply-side and demand-side subsidies and other fiscal policies to facilitate social and rental housing.7) Develop standard tenancy agreements and expedite the enactment of the Tenancy Act to look after the rights of tenants and landlords, to ensure a vibrant and fair housing rental market.8) Set up a rent tribunal to settle disputes between tenants and landlords.Mohideen Abdul Kader is president of the Consumers Association of Penang.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Omicron variants dominant in China detected in Malaysia since March, August 2022

The Covid-19 Omicron variants of BA.5.2 and BF.7, which make up about 80% of the variants currently infecting China, had been detected in Malaysia since March 16  and Aug 21 last year, respectively.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the first case of BF.7 detected on Aug 21 was a local infection, while the second on Sept 6 was an imported infection from Turkiye. The third on Oct 7 was another case of local infection.
"At the global level, for the BA.5.2 variant, the peak transmission period was around September to October 2022, with most cases detected in countries such as South Africa, England, China and the US.
"For the BF.7 variant, the peak of transmission was in October 2022, mostly detected in countries like Belgium, England, Denmark and China," he said in a Facebook post.
Yesterday, Noor Hisham said that as of Dec 31 last year, there were 4,148 cases of the BA.5.2 variant and three cases of the BF.7 variant in the country.


Hong Kong’s beleaguered pro-democracy paper to close

Hong Kong’s pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily will print its final edition “no later than Saturday”, bosses confirmed Wednesday, after police froze accounts and arrested staff using a new national security law.Apple Daily has long been a thorn in Beijing’s side, with unapologetic support for the city’s pro-democracy movement and caustic criticism of China’s authoritarian leaders.Authorities have made no secret of their desire to see the newspaper silenced and have used a sweeping new national security law to bring about its demise.Its owner Jimmy Lai is in jail and was among the first to be charged under the law after its imposition last year.Over the last week authorities used the law to raid the paper’s newsroom, arrest six staff members and freeze assets.The last move left the paper unable to pay staff or vendors.On Wednesday, the board members of Apple Daily’s parent company Next Digital confirmed the 26-year-old paper would publish its last edition “no later than Saturday” while its website would go offline at 11.59pm that day.China imposed a security law on Hong Kong last year to stamp out dissent after the city was convulsed by huge and often violent democracy protests.Authorities say their national security prosecution of Apple Daily was sparked by articles and columns written over the last year that allegedly supported international sanctions against China, a view now deemed as illegal.It is the first time the political views and opinion published by a media outlet in Hong Kong – a regional international press hub – has triggered the security law.More than 500 police officers raided the paper’s newsroom last Thursday, carting away computers and notepads.Five executives, including chief editor Ryan Law and CEO Cheung Kim-hung, were detained on charges of colluding with foreign forces to undermine China’s national security.Law and Cheung were charged on Saturday and remanded into custody.On Wednesday police arrested a senior columnist from Apple Daily on the same charge.Yeung Ching-kee – who writes under the pen name Li Ping – was one of the paper’s top columnists and the lead writer of their editorials, which express the editorial board’s official views.


1% households to pay just over RM15 million more under new 'targeted subsidy' electricity tariff

A total of 83,000 electricity users will see an increase in their electricity bills by at least RM187 per month or 25% as the government targets them for using more than 1,500 kWh or a minimum monthly total of RM708, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad announced today.
Under the imbalance cost pass-through (ICPT) mechanism to come into force between July and December this year, the government will receive just a little over RM15 million from these users.
Nik Nazmi said this is in line with the implementation of targeted subsidies although it is based on consumption and not economic status.
He said these households with high-volume usage will still enjoy a subsidy totalling RM58 million as the ICPT surcharge is not fully waived.
"Users will see the amount of subsidy provided by the government in their respective monthly electricity bills," he added.
He said the latest adjustments will not affect those with consumption below 1,500 kWh, which constitutes 99% of users in the peninsula.
Meanwhile, non-domestic users in the low-voltage tariff category and specific agricultural tariff will also not see an increase in their bills, with their electricity rate maintained at 3.7 sen per kWh.
Nik Nazmi said this would spare micro, small and medium enterprises such as "restaurants, retail shops, bakeries, small workshops, farmers, livestock breeders, planters and similar businesses" from any tariff hike.
He said the decrease in fuel prices from US$224 per metric ton between July and December 2022 to US$173.50 per metric ton between January and June this year has allowed the government to continue providing electricity subsidies.
"However, the average coal price is still high and exceeds the projected fuel cost set during the RP3 period, which is US$79 per metric ton," he said.
For the period of July to December, Nik Nazmi said the government has agreed to cover the electricity subsidy cost amounting to RM5.2 billion.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim previously said the government would no longer bear the burden of electricity and haj subsidies for the wealthy in an effort to restructure subsidy provisions.
Nik Nazmi added that for now, the provision of electricity subsidy is based on consumption and not income levels, which will be implemented in the future.
"We are encouraging a shift towards energy conservation and more efficient usage.
"We have witnessed voltage differences for medium and high categories as well as a decrease in energy demand from commercial and industrial sectors following our previous decisions," he said.


Amanah rejects working with Najib

Amanah has decided to reject any cooperation with Umno leaders who have been linked with corruption offences, in a move that will set back PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim’s plan to obtain the majority support of MPs to become prime minister.Amanah, the smallest component in Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition, reached the decision at a retreat attended by top party leaders in Kuala Lumpur last week.“We reject cooperation with kleptocrats and bandits,” a leader who attended the retreat told MalaysiaNow.He said Amanah would not cooperate with Umno leaders who have been convicted or are facing graft charges, despite the party’s support for Anwar’s efforts to “restore the people’s mandate” for PH.In July, the High Court found former prime minister Najib Razak guilty of seven counts of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering related to RM42 million from former 1MDB unit SRC International.Najib and current Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also facing multiple corruption charges, had in October thrown their support behind Anwar’s plan to topple the Perikatan Nasional government.MalaysiaNow earlier revealed that the duo had written to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong expressing support for Anwar to replace Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister.Anwar and Najib also appeared to have taken a common stand when debating the budget tabled early this month, with both stating they would not support the bill unless several conditions are met.It is understood that a suggestion by an Amanah leader at the retreat that cooperation with Najib could be a temporary and convenient way to achieve a majority was opposed by the others.“We toppled Barisan Nasional in the general election because of the 1MDB scandal involving Najib. How can we then work with him?” asked an Amanah leader who attended the retreat.“It is PKR’s right to work with Najib, but Amanah as well as DAP reject kleptocrats and bandits,” he said.Last month, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng scoffed at suggestions that his party work with Umno, and warned others against speaking on its behalf.“I wish to stress that no outside party has the right to do so,” he said.


Tears and fears as India’s huge vaccine push falters

India’s huge coronavirus vaccination drive is behind schedule, with a third of recipients not showing up for appointments because of safety fears, technical glitches and a belief that the pandemic is ending.After one week, India has vaccinated 1.4 million people, or 200,000 people per day. It had initially hoped to process 300,000 per day before ramping up the rollout and inoculating 300 million by July.At the Sharda Hospital in Greater Noida near New Delhi, pharma student Khushi Dhingra, 17, hugged a friend and wept as she waited to get her shot.“I am very afraid. I hate needles and I am worried about side effects,” she told AFP.“My papa is very worried too. He is calling me again and again to make sure I am okay.”“There are about 80 students in my batch but only two have opted to get the shot,” said nursing student Sakshi Sharma, 21, in Greater Noida.“My friends are saying there will be side effects, that you can even get paralysis.”India is using two shots for its drive.One is Covishield, a locally produced version of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has been approved and safely used in a number of other countries after completing Phase 3 human trials.The other – Covaxin – was developed locally by Bharat Biotech and has not yet completed Phase 3 trials, though the government has insisted it is “110 percent safe”.WhatsApp worriesSide effects are a common fear, with a few cases of severe reactions – and even deaths – reported widely in the media and circulating wildly on Facebook and WhatsApp.In the eastern state of West Bengal, health chief Ajoy Chakraborty said that turnout was just under 70%, calling it “not encouraging”.“We could have achieved our target if some hadn’t backed out after seeing television reports of adverse effects following immunisation,” Chakraborty said.But Alisha Khan, 20, a nursing student in Greater Noida, said people were also hesitant because of the “rushed” approval of Covaxin.“Why are they trying to experiment on us? First, they should have completed trials in a proper way,” Khan told AFP. “I am shivering already out of fear.”Coronavirus complacencyDhingra, in the end, did not get a shot after staff realised she was under 18. She had, however, received a text telling her to come for the vaccination from the IT system managing the mammoth process.The government says that this and other glitches are being ironed out.One was that if a person did not show up for vaccination, someone else could not simply take their place.This led to unfinished vaccine vials – which contain a certain number of doses and have to be used that day – being thrown away.Also hurting the effort is complacency with the number of coronavirus infections and deaths in India falling sharply in recent months.“In the beginning when there was lockdown, (villagers) were very scared of the coronavirus,” said Asha Chauhan, 30, who is part of vaccination efforts in rural areas.“Now that fear has gone because cases have come down. They feel corona has gone from our country now,” she said. “They fear they will die if they take the vaccine.”Selfie zonesMany of the 30 million people due for jabs in the first phase are health workers who have seen the deadly pandemic close up – yet many of them are hesitant.This needs to addressed before the vaccine is rolled out to the wider Indian population, experts say, where vaccine scepticism is already rife.“They must launch awareness campaigns in every nook and corner of the country,” said Anita Yadav, 25, an auxiliary nurse and midwife, told AFP.The government has attempted to boost participation, even adapting a classic Bollywood song with lyrics telling people not to believe false rumours.One Delhi hospital has set up a “selfie zone” for satisfied recipients to take photos. And vaccination centres have started playing light, soothing music in waiting rooms.“All the top clinicians and doctors have taken the jab and we’re pushing the videos of them taking the shot for circulation and it has been helping in overcoming any hesitancy,” said Dr Qazi Haroon, an immunisation officer in Kashmir.“Now (inoculations) are picking up satisfactorily… Yesterday (Friday), we met 80-90% of our targets across vaccination stations.”Shahid Jameel, a virologist and academic, said that a country like India was bound to have teething problems.“Once the frontline workers are given the jabs,” Jameel told AFP, “confidence will slowly build up.”


Australia fully reopens borders shut by Covid pandemic, welcomes back tourists

Australia on Monday fully reopened its international borders to travellers vaccinated against the coronavirus after nearly two years of being shut in the pandemic as tourists returned and hundreds of people were reunited with family and friends.More than 50 international flights will reach the country through the day, including 27 touching down at Sydney, its largest city, as the tourism and hospitality sectors look to rebuild after getting hammered by Covid-19 restrictions.“It is a party out here, music playing, smiles on people’s faces, they will be dancing soon, I’m sure,” Tourism Minister Dan Tehan told broadcaster ABC from Sydney airport as he welcomed travellers with a jar of Vegemite, an essential Australian staple, and stuffed Koala toys.Tehan said there would a “very strong” rebound in the tourism market with Qantas Airways Ltd QAN.AX looking to fly more than 14,000 passengers into Australia this week.Tourism is one of Australia’s biggest industries, worth more than A$60 billion (US$43 billion) and employing about 5% of the country’s workforce. But the sector was crippled after the country shut its borders in March 2020.“This is an important day for our industry and the first, but most important step in getting Australian tourism back on its feet,” Australian Tourism Export Council Managing Director Peter Shelley said.Once a champion of Covid-suppression strategy, Australia shifted away from its fortress-style controls and relentless lockdowns since late last year and began living with the virus after reaching higher vaccination levels. Skilled migrants, international students and backpackers have been allowed to fly into Australia since November in a staggered reopening exercise.As borders fully reopen, Australia’s outbreak of the Omicron coronavirus variant appears to have passed its peak with hospital admissions steadily falling over the past three weeks. The bulk of Australia’s pandemic total of around 2.7 million confirmed cases has been detected since the emergence of Omicron in late November. Total deaths stood at 4,913.


Police escorts, flight bans as half a million South Koreans sit key exam

South Korea closed its airspace to ensure silence and offered police escorts for tardy test takers Thursday as more than half a million students sat high-stakes college admission exams.
Seoul's Education Ministry said 508,030 students were sitting the annual nine-hour test this year, the results of which are crucial for securing spots at top universities.
But the bevvy of anxious parents dropping off their children for the test – and visiting local temples to pray for success – highlights the broader significance of the exam, success in which is also seen as the key to lucrative careers and even marriage prospects.
The enormous pressure on students in South Korea's ultra-competitive education system has been blamed for teenage depression and suicide rates that are among the highest in the world.
This year's exam, locally known as "Suneung" – an abbreviation for College Scholastic Ability Test – marks the third year it has been held under Covid-19 restrictions.
Pandemic-linked measures continue to affect the students, who will have to bring their own water and lunch and be masked throughout the test, which kicked off at 8.40am local time (2340 GMT).
At lunchtime, students taking the exams will be given a three-sided screen to shield them from others as part of a Covid-prevention measure, and they are banned from chatting or eating in groups.
Local police were called in to transport students running late to enter classrooms by a 8.10am deadline either on motor bikes or in police cars, as has happened in previous years.
Videos of the police rushing students to exam halls have been an annual ritual for domestic media, though some local authorities this year banned the transport on motorcycles, citing safety issues.
National importance
At the Ewha Girls' Foreign Language High School in central Seoul, some test-takers arrived holding hands with their visibly nervous parents.
One student got out of a police vehicle and rushed to her classroom, seemingly desperate to make it on time.
Among this year's half a million exam takers, 2,400 have tested positive for Covid-19, according to the education ministry, and will sit their exams in specially designated test centres and medical facilities.
The national importance of the exam is reflected in the extraordinary measures South Korean authorities take to remove any disturbance that could hinder students.
Public offices, banks and the stock market open an hour later than usual to help ease traffic congestion and ensure students arrive on time for the exam.
All take-offs and landings at the country's airports are suspended for 35 minutes during an English listening test from 1.05pm except for emergency landings. All planes in the air must maintain altitude higher than 3,000 metres (10,000 feet).
The South Korean transport ministry said 77 flights – 18 of them international – have been rescheduled because of the exam.


New infections stay at 1,800 as one more death logged

Another 1,844 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,512,040.There were 2,005 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,453,313.There are now 23,046 active cases, of which 22,033 or 95.6% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 25 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 961 (4.2%) have been hospitalised.A total of 27 are in ICU with 17 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 55.9%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 5.9%.Another death was reported, taking total deaths to 35,681.


Beijing tightens grip to halt surge in cases detected across capital

Beijing authorities have tightened Covid-19 curbs over concerns that China’s mass travel at this time of the year could cause cases to spike in the capital, as it reported locally transmitted cases for a fourth straight day on Sunday.A meeting led by the capital’s Communist party number one, Cai Qi, urged all districts in Beijing to enter an “emergency” phase, sealing off residential compounds and villages where infections are found.Shunyi district, where all the recent coronavirus cases have been reported, has declared a wartime mode and testing for all its 800,000 people. All the cases reported over the weekend were close contacts of previous cases.Neighbouring Chaoyang district has finished testing nearly a quarter of a million people, with none testing positive. People are not allowed to go out until they receive their test results.Some residential compounds have reimposed temperature checks upon entry and closed off a number of entrances, according to local media reports.China has largely brought Covid-19 under control but sporadic cases keep resurfacing in a small number of cities.Authorities plan to vaccinate 50 million people in high-risk groups before the week-long Chinese New Year holidays begin on Feb 11, said state media Global Times.Beijing has asked its civil servants to stay in the city from Jan 1 until the holiday and asked the public to avoid unnecessary travel during the period.Public venues such as theme parks and churches have scaled back operating hours. Some Catholic churches in Beijing have halted group activities, the archdiocese of Beijing said on its website.On Christmas Day, China’s ruling Communist Party leaders congratulated themselves for achieving “extremely extraordinary glory” in handling the Covid-19 outbreak domestically, ahead of a World Health Organization probe into the disease’s origins.China faced a barrage of criticism at home and abroad over its initial handling of the virus, which emerged in the central city of Wuhan last December.


Germany tells China to stop poaching ex-air force pilots

Germany on Saturday asked China to stop recruiting former Luftwaffe pilots to train its own air force, fearing they could reveal Nato secrets.
"I raised the question of Germany air force pilots who have apparently been recruited to train (Chinese) pilots," Defence Minister Boris Pistorius told reporters.
He was speaking after meeting his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the margins of a defence and security conference in Singapore.
"I indicated clearly that I expected this practice to cease immediately and told him he probably wouldn't be very pleased either if I tried to do the same thing," Pistorius added.
Li "didn't deny it but downplayed its importance", he continued, according to a ministry readout of his comments to the press.
German weekly Der Spiegel and public TV channel ZDF reported on Friday that several former air force pilots had been employed by China in recent years to train its own pilots.
Their salaries were apparently paid via shell companies in the Seychelles, the media said.
The matter is of deep concern to the parliamentary committee overseeing the German secret services, they reported.
"We are worried that military personnel who have previously worked for the German state could be in jobs that could lead them to betray state secrets," the head of the parliamentary committee told ZDF.
The German pilots in question flew Eurofighter fighter jets and took part in Nato exercises.
Berlin fears that secrets concerning interventions and tactics used by the transatlantic military alliance could be revealed to the Chinese.
ZDF said the defence ministry planned to launch an inquiry.
Similar cases have surfaced in Britain and the US in recent years.
They come at a time of heightened tensions between China and neighbouring Taiwan.
China claims self-ruled democratic Taiwan as its territory, and has vowed to take it one day – by force if necessary.
Since 2016, Beijing has ramped up air and sea incursions around the island.


In tears, Rosmah tells court she's innocent

Rosmah Mansor broke into tears in court today as she told High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan that she was innocent and never had any thoughts about squandering money.
Rosmah, 70, in giving her statement from the dock, said she was a victim as she had never solicited any money.
"I hope Your Honour will consider the fact that I am a woman taking over a man’s role in my house.
"My Lord, look at me as a woman with compassion, with some humanity. Never ever had I touched the money even in Bakti (Badan Amal dan Kebajikan Tenaga Isteri-Isteri Menteri dan Timbalan Menteri). I do not know Jepak Holdings (Jepak Holdings Sdn Bhd former managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin). I advised him not to be cheated. I have never solicited any money. Nobody saw me count the money and bring it upstairs.
"Hear what I want to say. I respect your decision but I want to leave with good memories of what the court is all about. I formed a special court for children (for sexual offences).
"Nobody thought about drug addicts and sat down with those in the government and private sector and adopted an idea from Unicef to start with the children," she said in her mitigation for a lenient sentence.
The wife of former prime minister Najib Razak also said she had always spoken the truth.
"We have been here all this time. I have always spoken the truth. This is what I believe in and what I have passed down to the children of the Permata programme.
"My Lord, I want the children to have good manners and that is why the government ran Permata (including) Permata Kurnia and dealt with issues faced by youths, including those at low-cost flats.
"I am pleased to have been able to contribute to the country, and it hurts me to see children running all over the place. I want to bring the children of this country to a higher level," she said.
Rosmah also said that while she was the chairman of the Badminton Association of Malaysia, she had never thought about taking money.
"I never influenced my husband," she said.
At one point, Rosmah also said that her entire family had suffered from what happened to them.
"I am a victim. It may happen to your children. We have all suffered," she said, adding that she was leaving the matter to Allah.


Rosmah's lawyer argues risk of bias due to 'leaked judgment'

Rosmah Mansor’s defence team told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that there was a risk of bias on the part of judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan if he continued to hear her case due to the purported leak of a "draft judgment".
Rosmah's counsel Jagjit Singh said while they had full confidence that the judge would not be influenced by the purported document, the risk of bias remained. He submitted that trial judges must be able to discharge their duties impartially, free from outside influence.
He said the purported draft judgment was prepared by an individual, or more than one person, who had no authority.
"Hence, how can the prosecution say that this allegation (purported draft judgment) is hearsay?" he said.
Jagjit also submitted that the prosecution had claimed the purported draft judgment was a piece of research and had challenged the recusal application by claiming it was made on evidence based on hearsay.
"A trial judge must be able to deliver decisions without improper influence, direct or indirect, from any other source. The leaked document was prepared by more than one person.
"The leaked document was disturbing when it appeared on social media. But it has come out, we cannot hide it under a coconut shell. The leaked documents were not the actual written judgment against Rosmah, but copies of a write-up by the Research Unit of the Kuala Lumpur High Court," he said.
Jagjit also said that the two posts on the Malaysia Today website were widely shared on social media.
He claimed that dark clouds had descended on the judiciary since Aug 23, when a judgment in Najib Razak’s SRC International case was allegedly leaked before the Federal Court pronounced its verdict.
He said this was similar to what happened in 1988, referring to the removal of then chief justice Mohamed Salleh Abas in what is historically known as the judicial crisis.
Jagjit then referred to the two documents which he claimed were prepared by somebody else.
Zaini: Since you want to call a spade a (piece of) garden equipment, let's just get to the point. What do you call these documents?
Jagjit: To put it bluntly and simply, it has been prepared at the request and behest of someone in authority.
Zaini: Answer my question. What do you call these two documents?
Jagjit: I cannot label them but they are incriminating.  Zaini: What do you call your submission? What is the aim of your written submission?
Jagjit: To persuade your lordship. But this (the document) cannot persuade your lordship because you have to make an independent mind.
The judge then asked again what the documents were, and Jagjit said he could not answer.
Zaini: It is in your affidavit, you say it (the document) is my judgment. Having heard you now, I'm confused. Are you saying this is a draft judgment prepared for me?
Jagjit: Yes.
Zaini: I'm glad we can clarify that. Do you see these two documents as opinion or a draft judgment?
Jagjit: To me, it doesn't seem like an opinion but a draft judgment written by a third party.
Zaini: Are you insinuating that I would therefore use the draft judgment (in my decision)?
Jagjit: That's where the real danger of bias comes in… the perception.
Zaini: I think I understand where your angle is.
Meanwhile, lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram submitted that Malaysia Today, the website which carried the so-called leaked judgment, was not a credible source.
He said the writer of the articles was a fugitive hiding somewhere in the UK.
"He is a rogue journalist. His views alter according to how much he is paid. Even if your lordship requested for the opinion written by the research unit, even if you had gone through it and did your judgment, it would have been perfectly ordinary," he said.
Sri Ram, who is a former Federal Court judge, shared that during his time, the chief justice then had suggested for him to have his own research team, but he rejected the idea.
"But that's just my way. Each judge has his own way," he said and asked the court to dismiss the application.


Rafizi's message for BN in Selangor?

A political observer has played down the odds of Barisan Nasional (BN) receiving a bigger share of seats at the state election in Selangor this year, pointing to recent remarks by PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli despite BN's cooperation with Pakatan Harapan (PH) at the federal level.
Rafizi, the economy minister in Anwar Ibrahim's Cabinet, had said that PH was on comfortable footing in 40 of the 56 state seats in Selangor.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Azizi Safar said Rafizi's comments were a signal that PH would not give up those seats to BN.
"His message is, PH can remain in power in Selangor even without working with Umno and BN," he said.
Azizi, the former executive secretary for Penang BN, added that neither BN nor Umno had any bargaining chips with which to negotiate a bigger allocation of seats in Selangor, Malaysia's richest state.
"In fact, Umno is in more need of the non-Malay support that usually goes to PH parties after being rejected by the Malays at the recent general election," he said.
Led by its lynchpin party Umno, BN dominated the political scene from the country's independence until the coalition's historic loss at the 2018 general election.
Its worst election performance yet came at the Nov 19 polls last year, where it won just 30 parliamentary seats against PH's 81 and Perikatan Nasional's (PN) 74.
It nevertheless became part of the federal government by joining hands with its long-time foe PH, along with several other coalitions and parties.
With six state-level elections looming this year, in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, it is widely expected to work towards a similar understanding in order to weather the polls.
In Selangor, PH has formed the state government for three terms since wresting it for the first time in 2008, under the then Pakatan Rakyat pact.
PH and BN joined hands for the first time in Pahang and Perak, as well as at the federal level, in the aftermath of the 15th general election (GE15).
Analyst Kartini Aboo Talib of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said Rafizi was known for his political predictions.
"Sometimes they're on the dot, but quite often they aren't," she said.
"He didn't expect PN to win so many seats at GE15, or the Malays' rejection of BN and PH."
Kartini said Rafizi's latest views appeared to be a tactic to encourage voters ahead of the state election.
She nevertheless recalled the political system in Anwar's coalition government, where all parties are expected to work together.
"Otherwise, they risk Umno and BN pulling their support for PH at the federal level," she said.
Azizi however said the likelihood of this happening was small as Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would not want to lose his position of deputy prime minister.


Musa Aman withdraws appeal over Sabah CM post

Former Sabah chief minister Musa Aman has withdrawn his appeal in the Federal Court over his legal challenge to the legality of Shafie Apdal’s appointment to the post.Former Tamparuli assemblyman [email protected] Jahim has also withdrawn his appeal on the same matter.Jahid’s lawyer Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin informed a three-member bench of the withdrawal of two appeals today.In the court proceedings conducted online, Firoz said he had received instructions to withdraw the appeals as they had been overtaken by time and circumstances since an election had taken place in the state and a new government has been formed.Court of Appeal president Rohana Yusuf who chaired the bench then struck out both appeals. She ordered Musa to pay RM60,000 in costs to Shafie and Jahid to pay RM20,000.The other two judges were Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim and Federal Court judge Mohd Zawawi Salleh.On Aug 25 last year, Musa and Jahid obtained leave to pursue their appeals in the Federal Court over the right to the Sabah chief minister post after losing their cases in the High Court and Court of Appeal.


How vaccines became ammunition in global diplomacy

Covid-19 vaccines are not just coveted as protection from the deadly virus, they are also a currency in the battle for global influence, experts say, especially between China and Russia.While the US has been saving its vaccines for Americans, and Europeans struggle with delivery, Beijing and Moscow, as well as India, have been brushing up their prestige by sharing vaccine stocks with poor, vulnerable countries.“Getting these vaccines into the arms of billions of people is now the most pressing challenge for the international community. This is, in a manner of speaking, the ‘new arms race’,” according to The Soufan Center, a research body.China, which was already ahead of the game at the start of the pandemic with the distribution of masks, has been supplying several countries with vaccines, sometimes for free.Some 200,000 doses each went to Algeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe, 500,000 to Pakistan and 750,000 to the Dominican Republic.“China managed to present itself as a champion of the southern countries at a time when the north showed complete selfishness,” Bertrand Badie, a professor for international relations at Sciences-Po university in Paris, told AFP.Russia, meanwhile, is proudly distributing its Sputnik V vaccine, named after the first satellites launched by the Soviet Union.At first derided in Europe, the vaccine has gained in credibility after a positive evaluation in the medical journal The Lancet.Three EU countries – Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic – opted for the Russian vaccine without waiting for approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), as Europe struggles with long delays in vaccine dose deliveries.‘Way to reclaim power’“For Russia, to show the world that ultimately it suffered less from the coronavirus than the US, and that Russia is far more efficient (with vaccines) than western European countries, is a way to reclaim power,” Badie told AFP.“In international relations, the image you project is decisive,” he said, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin has an “obsessive will to re-establish Russian power, have parity with the western world, and to be respected”.Russia is, however, held back by its limited production capacity, and has had to share the spoils of new global influence with China.Beijing has helped Serbia to become continental Europe’s Covid-19 vaccination leader.Hungary has ordered five millions of doses from Sinopharm China, enough to vaccinate a third of its population.“Beijing has been linking measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic in aid recipient countries with the prospect of post-pandemic cooperation within the BRI framework,” the massive Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure project, according to SWP, a German political research foundation.“Above all, Beijing wants to be perceived internationally as a ‘responsible great power’,” it said.“A third Half-Time”India, which is a vaccine production giant, has begun supplying its neighbours, including Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.Smaller countries are also using vaccines as diplomatic ammunition.Israel, considered as the world champion of vaccination, has supplied doses to Honduras, and also to the Czech Republic which is planning to open a diplomatic representation in Jerusalem.The United Arab Emirates has been supplying targeted donations to Gaza, a Palestinian territory under Israeli blockade, and to Tunisia.The EU is falling behind diplomatically, but the race is not over, according to a senior EU diplomat.The Russians and Chinese proceeded “in a rather uncontrolled way, without going though all the validation steps”, the diplomat said.“However this is a marathon, there will be a second half-time, maybe even a third,” he said.


Police tracking down 2 to assist in probe on Bukit Bintang shooting

The police are tracking down two local men to assist investigations into a shooting incident at a hotel in Bukit Bintang on May 3.Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Noor Dellhan Yahaya said they had already identified the suspects who are in their 40s and 50s.“A local man who was detained at the scene has been remanded until May 9 to facilitate investigations,” he said in a statement.Noor Dellhan said the police were investigating the relationship between the victim and the suspects, as well as the motive behind the incident.A 49-year-old local man was found dead with a gunshot wound to the forehead at a hotel room in Bukit Bintang on Tuesday, an hour after he checked in.Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Habibi Majinji said the incident was discovered by a hotel employee who gained entry to the room and then called the police at about 7pm.The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, he said.


Iran says enriched uranium capacity hits record

Iran said Saturday its uranium enrichment capacity has increased to record levels, a day before UN nuclear monitors are set to visit the country.
"Currently, the enrichment capacity of the country has reached more than twice the entire history of this industry," Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was quoted as saying by state news agency rna.
"Nuclear energy and atomic power production have great economic savings for the country and are effective in reducing fossil and non-renewable fuel consumption and environmental problems," he added.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Wednesday that a technical team will visit Iran on Sunday to try to resolve a deadlock over the detection of traces of radioactive material at sites not declared as having hosted nuclear activities.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi is not expected to be part of the delegation.
The UN nuclear watchdog has long called on Iran to explain the presence of man-made uranium found at three undeclared sites, requesting "access to locations and materials" as well as the collection of samples.
Eslami said on Dec 9 that the material detected at the three sites had been brought into Iran from abroad.
The issue has seriously hindered efforts to revive a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, which has hung by a thread since the US unilaterally withdrew in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump.
An IAEA delegation had initially planned to travel to Tehran last month, but the visit was postponed as the agency's board of governors censured Iran for failing to provide "technically credible" answers.
Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to restrict its enrichment of uranium to just under 4%, well below the 90% level considered necessary for a nuclear warhead.
In return for that and other curbs on its nuclear activities, Iran was promised relief from international sanctions.


Biden suggests plan to rival China’s trillion-dollar ‘Belt and Road’ project

US President Joe Biden suggested the West develop a plan to rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), during a phone conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday.“I suggested we should have, essentially, a similar initiative, pulling from the democratic states, helping those communities around the world that need help,” Biden told reporters.Essentially that would mean trying to sign up countries in Asia, Africa, and Europe to build infrastructure projects which, while they may benefit the countries involved, are chiefly designed to frustrate Beijing’s global ambitions.Some may say the idea comes years too late.Chinese President Xi Jinping launched the BRI program in 2013, creating the world’s largest infrastructure programme with multi-trillion dollar plans for international development and investment, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.The programme was originally intended to unite the Asian superpower with neighbouring countries, known in China as “One Belt, One Road” in tribute to the ancient Silk Road, but has now won agreements or investments in 139 countries – accounting for 40% of the worlds’ GDP.The majority of countries that have joined the BRI plan now rely in part on China for development of 5G networks, ports, railways, and power plants.The multi-nation agreement is making the US and its allies anxious that China is using the initiative to extend its influence around the world.It remains unclear if the UK or other allied nations would be interested in establishing a multi-nation infrastructure system to rival China’s.


Opposition ready to face GE15 despite flood concerns

Opposition parties have said they will immediately activate their election machinery to prepare for the 15th general election (GE15) although almost every one expressed concern about the risk of floods due to the northeast monsoon season.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the party respected the dissolution of Parliament which was done in accordance with the Federal Constitution although DAP did not welcome the holding of GE15 during the monsoon season, which would lead to the risk of floods.
Loke said the DAP central executive committee would convene an emergency meeting today to discuss preparations for the coming election.
"DAP will continue to support the decision made by the Pakatan Harapan Presidential Council not to dissolve the state assemblies in Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. The decision was made to enable the states to focus on prepations to face the possibility of floods," he said in a statement.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, in announcing the dissolution of Parliament, claimed it was done to put a stop to the voices questioning the legitimacy of the "backdoor government" and "parachute candidates". The prime minister said through the dissolution of Parliament, the mandate to elect a strong, stable and respectable government would be handed back to the people.
He also advised the heads of state governments to seek the consent of the rulers and governors to dissolve their respective state assemblies so that state elections could be held at the same time as GE15.
The five-year mandate of the current government will expire in July 2023. According to Article 55 (4) of the Federal Constitution, GE15 must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of Parliament.
PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli in a Twitter post said the party would do its best and that the time had come to switch into high gear to prepare for GE15 although the party had already started campaigning on a moderate scale in recent months.
"Like I have always said, winning and losing is decided by God. What is important is that we must work hard to ensure the country is back on the right track and continues to progress," he said. Muda president Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman meanwhile expressed disappointment over the rationale and timing of GE15, especially with the prospect of floods looming and the possibility of having to campaign during floods.
"Thousands of people in the country are continuosly affected by floods. In the past 10 days, many places have been affected by floods," he said in a Facebook post.
Pejuang deputy president Marzuki Yahya said Pejuang had planned to contest under the Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) banner, but since GTA’s application has not been approved by the Registrar of Societies, it would need to look at other options.
"We (Pejuang) are all under GTA, our candidates will all be GTA candidates. Now I think maybe these one or two days we want to decide because GTA has not been approved yet, so we will go for the second option," Marzuki, who is the GTA chief secretary, said when contacted.
He added that although the party had not expected the dissolution of Parliament, it would start preparing for GE15.
GTA is a coalition set up on Aug 4, comprising Pejuang, Parti Perikatan India Muslim Nasional (Iman), Parti Barisan Jemaah Islamiah Se-Malaysia (Berjasa) and Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia (Putra). Gagasan Bangsa Malaysia has also offered to work with GTA.


Australian mocked, filmed dying cops after runaway truck hit them

An Australian man has received a 10-month jail sentence for filming and mocking police officers as they lay dying at a crash scene.Last month Richard Pusey pleaded guilty to the rare charge of outraging public decency, as well as other offences.The 42-year-old has already been in custody for nearly 300 days, so he will likely complete his sentence within days.On Wednesday, the sentencing judge called his actions “heartless, cruel and disgraceful”.Pusey’s case has stirred huge public anger. Last month, judge Trevor Wraight said the media had demonised Pusey to the point where he was “probably the most hated man in Australia”.The mortgage broker had been speeding in his Porsche on a Melbourne freeway last year when he was pulled over by four police officers.While they were arresting him, all four were struck by a lorry that veered out of its lane.All four officers died at the scene.Pusey was standing a few metres away and was not hit by the truck but afterwards pulled out his phone and began filming.The court had heard that Pusey stood over and taunted the female senior constable as she lay pinned under the lorry. Experts said she was most likely still alive at the time.“There you go. Amazing, absolutely amazing,” he said, according to footage from the constable’s body camera which was exhibited in court.“All I wanted was to go home and have some sushi,” he added, swearing at the dying officers for ruining his sports car.He fled the scene shortly after and the next day was arrested at his home and initially charged with speeding, drug possession and reckless conduct offences.Police then discovered his videos of the scene and found that he had shared them among friends.On Wednesday,the judge condemned Pusey’s behaviour while noting he was only being sentenced for his actions. Pusey hadn’t caused the deaths of the officers, contrary to some public opinion, the judge said.“Your conduct in recording the police officers in their dying moments, together with the words you used as you recorded, was not only derogatory and horrible but it was also callous and reprehensible conduct,” he told Pusey.He noted that Pusey had a history of mental health problems, including a complex personality disorder “which may go some way to explaining your behaviour”. But he said it did not excuse his actions.Pusey had previously testified that he felt ashamed about the videos and that he often said offensive things “because that’s how it comes out of my head”.He was also fined A$1,000 (US$774), put on a two-year good behaviour bond, and had his driver’s licence suspended.Local media reported that the offence of outraging public decency is rarely prosecuted in Australia. Prosecutors in the case referred to the 2007 case of a man in England, who was jailed for three years for urinating on a woman as she lay dying.The lorry driver, Mohinder Singh, was jailed earlier this month for 22 years for causing the deaths.A court found that he had been high on drugs, suffering delusions and hallucinations, and driving erratically when he ploughed his truck into the officers.


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Poverty line to be revised, amendments expected early next year

The country’s poverty line (PGK) will be revised and is expected to be amended in the first quarter of next year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Mustapa Mohamed said the Department of Statistics would review the poverty rate in the current PGK, which is RM2,208 for households and RM1,169 per household for the hardcore poor.“This figure will be reviewed and is expected to be amended in the first quarter of next year,” he said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat.He said the government, through the implementation of the 12th Malaysia Plan, was committed to eradicating hardcore poverty through a holistic and comprehensive approach.He also said that the country’s poverty rate had changed significantly over the past five decades, influenced by the overall economic growth rate and the New Economic Policy.“However, the country is still facing several issues and challenges,” he said, noting that the poor still exist in both urban and rural areas as well as in Orang Asli settlements.“Besides that, the issues of low salary and wages, as well as inequality of development between regions and states and urban and rural areas still exist, apart from the spread of Covid-19 which has also had a big impact on household income.”He was responding to a question from Tan Kok Wai (PH-Cheras) on poverty in urban and rural areas, the income gap in the country as well as the achievements and failures of programmes planned and implemented by the government to create a more equitable society.


Heavy rain brings floods in Ipoh

Continuous heavy rain for several hours yesterday evening caused floods in several areas of Ipoh.
A Perak Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said the department received reports of flooding at the Perak Badminton Academy, Bandar Meru Raya and the Ulu Chepor area.
"All of the victims at the Badminton Academy left the premises on their own and no victims have been evacuated so far.
"The fire department is still monitoring the flood situation at the locations," he said when contacted by Bernama.
Meanwhile, photographs and a video were circulated on Facebook by an individual using the name of Tuan Denan, who claimed that the water in the rain catchment ponds in Meru Perdana and Suria Meru were at high levels and that this had caused flooding.
"If heavy rain continues, then more serious flooding will occur. Be prepared for any possibility and a second wave tonight," he wrote.


PAS ‘still open’ to working with Umno in GE15

PAS is still willing to cooperate with Umno under Muafakat Nasional (MN) in facing the 15th general election (GE15), its vice-president Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said today.Amar also said that PAS was prepared to work with any party that championed the Malay and Islamic agenda, in line with PAS’ struggle.Amar, who is Kelantan deputy menteri besar, said PAS’ openness in this matter was aimed at protecting the interests of the ummah and preventing Pakatan Harapan (PH) from returning to power.“Now, PAS is still open to working with Umno. If Umno can review its earlier stand and return to cooperating with PAS, we are always ready.“In fact, when Ismail Sabri Yaakob became prime minister, we did not withdraw our support. If we wanted to betray Umno, we would have retracted our support then,” he told reporters in Kota Bharu.He was commenting on Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement that Umno could forget about cooperating with PAS through MN in GE15.In Alor Setar, PAS central election director Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the party was sticking to its decision to strengthen MN and Perikatan Nasional which was made by the top leadership and Syura Council.“Challenges come from various corners and the panacea is to strengthen unity and cooperation among Muslims,” he told reporters after chairing a state executive council meeting today.


Indonesia MPs seek palm oil export ban review as industry warns on storage

Indonesian lawmakers on Thursday requested that the government review an export ban on palm oil, as industry groups warned that one of the country’s leading economic contributors could grind to a halt in coming weeks as storage nears full capacity.Indonesia, the world top palm oil exporter, has since April 28 halted exports of crude palm oil (CPO) and some derivative products in abid to tame soaring prices of domestic cooking oil.In a hearing with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, members of parliament’s budget committee said in the summary of the meeting they “urge the government to evaluate the CPO export ban”, though they did not discuss the policy in detail.Sri Mulyani told reporters she would raise their request to review the export ban with President Joko Widodo.Meanwhile, the palm oil industry riskedhaving to halt operations if the export ban was not lifted by the end of the month, Sahat Sinaga, executive director of the Indonesia Vegetable Oil Industry Association (GIMNI) told Reuters.Indonesia has around 6 million tonnes of storage capacity, including at ports, and domestic stocks had reached around 5.8 million tonnes by the start of May, Sahat estimated.Data from the Indonesia Palm Oil Association showed on Thursday that domestic stock rose to 5.68 million tonnes by the end of March, up from 5.05 million tonnes a month earlier.Indonesia also implemented partial export restrictions between late-January to mid-March.“Our estimate is if there are no exports by the end of May everything will be stuck, tanks will all be full,” Sahat said.Indonesia typically only uses 35% of its annual palm oil production at home, mostly for food and fuel.Eddy Martono, secretary general of the Indonesia Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), estimated the industry would stop functioning by mid-June.Eddy said some companies had already stopped purchasing palm fruits outside their plantations and were slowing down harvests at their own plantations.“Now companies are extending the intervals between harvests until there is more clarity about sales,” he said.Sahat noted that the ban took place when production of palm fruit was typically high, but because of the export ban it was likely only half of the fruit production could be absorbed.Hundreds of palm oil farmers this week staged a rally in the capital Jakarta and other parts of the countryto protest against a slump in their income.The export ban was estimated to reduce government revenue by 6 trillion rupiah (US$407.33 million) per month, Sri Mulyani told reporters after the committee approved her request for additional energy subsidies.


New cases dip to 1,070

Another 1,070 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 352,029.Selangor recorded 327 cases, Sarawak 225 and Penang 133.Kuala Lumpur recorded 88 cases, Sabah 65, Johor 55, Pahang 37, Kedah 34, Kelantan 31, Melaka 25, Labuan 17, Negeri Sembilan 12, Putrajaya and Perak eight each, Terengganu three and Perlis two.Active cases stand at 14,278 with 180 in the ICU and 89 in need of respiratory assistance.Six more clusters were detected:1. Taman Komersial (Hulu Langat in Selangor; 23 screened, 14 positive)2. Lorong Dua (Petaling and Kuala Selangor in Selangor; 332 screened, 41 positive)3. Jalan Inovasi (Cheras and Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya; 49 screened, 14 positive)4. Jalan Mata Kuching (Melaka Tengah in Melaka; 67 screened, 16 positive)5. Persiaran Utama (Seremban in Negeri Sembilan; 90 screened, 18 positive)6. Bukit Sera (Kuala Muda in Kedah; 18 screened, 13 positive)Ten others ended, leaving 355 active clusters across the country.Another 1,294 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 336,456.However, seven more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,295.


Only 2.5% Malaysians have taken second Covid-19 booster shot

Only 2.5% of the country's population, or 824,835 people, have taken the second booster shot for Covid-19.
Deputy Health Minister Luanisman Awang Sauni today said the government started administering booster doses to children aged five to 11 years on Jan 9.
However, he said only 7,163 children, or 0.2% of that group, have received the booster shot, adding the low uptake is one of the reasons for vaccine wastage.
"This has led to the expiry of vaccine doses, and 8.5 million doses had to be disposed of," he said in response to a question from Rasah MP Cha Kee Chin.
On the overall vaccine uptake, Luanisman said that the primary doses had received good response, with 98.4% among adults, 91.6% in teenagers aged 12 to 18 years and 43.5% among children.
However, he noted a significant declining trend in the uptake of booster doses. The first booster dose accounted for approximately 69.1%, whereas the second booster dose stood at only 33.5% among adults.
Similarly, the uptake of booster doses was only 2% among teenagers and 0.2% in children.
"The response and acceptance towards primary doses was very good due to concerns over emergence of new variants and the need to stay safe.
"Wastage began when the public started treating vaccine as an option," he said.
"Information on the adverse effects of vaccines that could not be controlled and anti-vaccine groups peddling claims that vaccines are unsafe had caused fear in parents.
"The reopening of the economy has also caused the public to let their guard down, especially after the primary doses provided a guarantee of safety," he added.


Malay reserve land on the decline in KL, Perak and Kedah

Kuala Lumpur, Perak and Kedah have recorded a drop in area of Malay reserve land, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Referring to data collected by state authorities in the peninsula, he however added that the total land area gazetted as Malay reserves increased by 0.67% last year from 4.963 million hectares to 4.996 million hectares.
"Every state recorded an increase in Malay reserve land except for Kedah, which decreased from 721,888.93 hectares to 716,537 hectares; Kuala Lumpur, which dropped from 1,003 hectares to 999 hectares; and Perak, which fell from 953,042 hectares to 953,040 hectares.
"Other states recorded an increase, including in the total amount of Malay reserve land throughout the peninsula," he said to a question from Ismail Abd Muttalib (PN-Maran).
Ismail had asked about the original area of Malay reserve land according to state in Peninsular Malaysia.
According to the Federal Constitution, land comes under the jurisdiction of state governments.
Nik Nazmi added that state authorities should replace the cancelled land with other pacels of the same type and size.
To a supplementary question from Ismail, he said there was no need for a white paper on the matter.
Apart from the issue of area, he said, state governments also take into account the value of land in the replacement of reserve land.
The Setiawangsa MP also said that the government would study ways to defend the amount of Malay reserve land in Kuala Lumpur, which has fluctuated since the earliest record in 1986.


Anger over Jasa’s budget windfall due to lack of info, says backbenchers chief

The head of the ruling bloc’s backbenchers has called for a clear explanation of the roles and functions of Jasa, whose allocation of RM85.5 million in the recent budget ignited controversy over the department best known as Putrajaya’s propaganda arm.Shahidan Kassim believes that doing so would diffuse the controversy surrounding Jasa, the acronym for the Special Affairs Department.Jasa evolved from a unit formed under the information ministry in 1958 – just a year into independence – in the aftermath of the first general election in then-Malaya.Shahidan, who heads the Perikatan Nasional Backbenchers Club (PNBBC), said Jasa was originally meant to disseminate information on government policies, with preserving political stability as one of its objectives.He said the focus of the department varied under different prime ministers.“For example, under Abdul Razak Hussein, Jasa emphasised development; during Abdullah Badawi’s time, it was on the concept of a civilised society (masyarakat madani); while under Dr Mahathir Mohamad, it was about Vision 2020.“Before it was dissolved, Jasa’s focus under Najib Razak was on 1Malaysia,” the Arau MP and former minister in the Prime Minister’s Department told MalaysiaNow.Shahidan Kassim.Shahidan said Jasa officers had been trained with a variety of methods under different administrations, which made them efficient communicators at district, rural, urban and regional levels.“They have become the nation’s asset in facing the socio-political challenges to preserve stability and sovereignty.”He said a good Jasa officer would have to gain the acceptance of and communicate effectively with both the government and the people.Jasa, which is now under the communications and multimedia commission, entered the spotlight after Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz announced its allocation of RM85.5 million in the budget last Friday.Critics called the allocation huge for a department that acts as the government’s propaganda arm.But Shahidan said the revival of Jasa, which was dissolved during Pakatan Harapan’s 21 months in power, was a bold move to help explain the government’s actions.“It will also counter the lies by certain quarters on the good things that the government has done,” Shahidan said, adding that there had been instances of “outright lies” told to the public.The previous Pakatan Harapan (PH) government announced that it was dissolving Jasa five months after coming to power in 2018.Yesterday, however, MalaysiaNow revealed that Jasa had not been completely dismantled, and that it was officially “kept alive” even as the PH government was crumbling in February.The department’s warrant of establishment – the Treasury’s document to authorise changes to salary scale and positions in government departments – was also never deactivated and remained valid even after PH’s collapse following Mahathir’s resignation on Feb 24 this year.The report said the current government under Muhyiddin Yassin had taken advantage of the fact that its predecessors did not give Jasa a “proper burial”.Several MPs from both sides of the divide questioned the huge allocation for Jasa while debating the 2021 budget this week, saying the money should have been channelled towards battling the Covid-19 pandemic.Checks by MalaysiaNow showed that many MPs disagreed with the allocation for Jasa, as they felt there had been no details on its revival.


China premier warns 2023 growth target 'no easy task'

China's new premier warned Monday that the country's 5% growth target for 2023 would not be "easy" to achieve, as its rubber-stamp parliament wrapped up over a week of meetings.
The government set the economic growth target of "around 5%" this month, one of the lowest in decades as China emerged from strict zero-Covid rules that dragged on its GDP.
And Li Qiang – one of Chinese President Xi Jinping's most trusted allies, confirmed as premier over the weekend – admitted that goal would be hard to attain.
"I'm afraid that reaching our growth target of around 5% will be no easy task, and will require that we redouble our efforts," Li said at a press conference in Beijing held to mark the closing of the National People's Congress (NPC).
China posted just 3% growth last year, missing its stated target of around 5.5% by a wide margin as the economy strained under the impact of strict Covid policies and a property crisis.
Li said Monday that the modest figure "has been determined after a comprehensive consideration of various factors".
He warned of "many new challenges" to growth, but added that most people "don't fix their sights every day" on the country's economic indicators.
Instead, he said, they care more about "specific issues close to them" such as housing, employment, income, education and health.
He also hit out at the US, with relations at lows not seen in decades as the powers grapple over trade, technology and security.
"Encirclement and suppression are not advantageous for anyone," Li said.
"China and the US should cooperate, and must cooperate. When China and the US work together, there is much we can achieve," he added.
'Irreversible' rise
Li's comments cap more than a week of high-level meetings in Beijing.
President Xi, addressing the closing session of lawmakers in his first address since being handed a third term – and further cementing his position as China's most powerful leader in generations – emphasised the need to strengthen national security.
He thanked the thousands of delegates at Beijing's Great Hall of the People for giving him a third term, vowing to "take the needs of the country as my mission, and the interests of the people as my yardstick".
"Security is the bedrock of development, while stability is a prerequisite for prosperity," Xi said.
"We must fully promote the modernisation of national defence and the armed forces, and build the people's armed forces into a Great Wall of steel that effectively safeguards national sovereignty, security and development interests."
He also called for consolidated stability in once-restive Hong Kong and unification with the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China considers its territory.
"The trust of the people is the greatest driving force pushing me forward, and also a heavy responsibility on my shoulders," he said.
"The great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation has entered an irreversible historical process."


Business confidence weakens in Q3 2021

Businesses turned more pessimistic in their outlook in the third quarter (Q3) of 2021, according to the latest quarterly survey by the Department of Statistics Malaysia to gauge business performance expectations for the upcoming quarter and six months ahead.Based on the Business Tendency Survey for Q3 2021, the confidence indicator dipped further to -21.3% in the reference quarter from -3.1% in the preceding quarter.Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the sectors covered were anticipating unfavourable business conditions for Q3 2021 in light of the severe and prolonged Covid-19 pandemic in the country.“The confidence indicator of the wholesale and retail trade sector plunged to negative trajectory with -39.4% compared with +5.6% in the second quarter (Q2) of 2021 due to both sub-sectors (wholesale and retail trade) being less confident towards their business situations for the next three months,” he said in a statement today.Meanwhile, the industry and services sectors also indicated increase pessimism, with the confidence indicator dropping to -11% and -22.8% respectively in Q3 from -1.5% and -6.1% in the previous quarter, he said.He said the construction sector also anticipated the business situation receding in the reference quarter with a score of -45% against -30.5% in Q2.“Overall, a net balance of -12.9% indicates that establishments foresee their gross revenue decreasing, of which 23.6% of establishments expect higher gross revenue for the third quarter while 36.5% demonstrate otherwise.“Simultaneously, 39.9% of establishments predict their gross revenue will remain the same. In terms of employment the majority of establishments (76.5%) anticipate retaining their employees for the reference quarter,” Uzir said.He also said about 8.5% of respondents were expecting to hire more people while 15% intended to reduce their headcount, resulting in a net balance of -6.5% for Q3 2021.Looking at the sentiment for the upcoming six months, he said businesses turned pessimistic on their business outlook for the July-December 2021 period with an overall net balance of -21.7% compared to 11% recorded for the period of April to September 2021.Similar to the three-month outlook, all sectors anticipate negative prospects with the least pessimistic sector being industry.According to the survey, the industry sector expects business conditions to slip from +12.5% to -11.8% for the second half (H2) of 2021.At the same time, he said, the services and construction sectors were expecting the business situation to be less favourable for the next six months with a net balance of -14.2% and -24.2% respectively against +8.4% and +6.1% for the period of April to September 2021.Uzir said the wholesale and retail trade sector also foresaw a challenging business performance in the next six months with a net balance of -59.7% versus +12.5% previously recorded.


Some suggestions for Mavcom given AirAsia outcry

Recently, it was reported that a protest was looming at the headquarters of AirAsia as many passengers intent on receiving refunds for their cancelled flights continued to reject offers of vouchers or credit, standing firm on their demand for the budget airline to return their money. “AirAsia has no right to withhold customers’ money when flights are cancelled, just to meet its business objectives.” “It’s as if someone has taken our money, and we are powerless to do anything about it.”“It’s not just the financial factor, there’s also the moral factor at play.”Many passengers struggling with pandemic hardships have urged the airline to empathise with their struggles and refund their money spent on flights that never took off, while others said they were ready to boycott AirAsia over the matter. Many international passengers have united to demand AirAsia’s refunds after waiting in vain for two years. While some were glad to have received their money back, they expressed disappointment in the airline’s customer service.They said that credit or vouchers offered in lieu of refunds are of no use to them as there is no AirAsia service at their current locations. They have been left with no other choice as the airline company and authorities seem to be ignoring their complaints.I hope the loud public outcry over the apparent discrepancies in the airline’s refund policy will send a wake-up call to Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and AirAsia that any unfair and deceptive airline refund policy and practice will not be tolerated anymore by air travel consumers.As this matter is of great concern to customers and in accordance with Section 69(2) of the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015, I strongly urge Mavcom to revamp Part III of the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code (MACPC) 2016, particularly Paragraph 12(5), and scrutinise AirAsia’s refund policy to ensure that the passengers’ rights are well respected and fairly protected.Paragraph 12(5) of the MACPC 2016 stipulates that an operating airline shall not be obliged to pay compensation if it can prove that the delay or cancellation, as the case may be, was caused by extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken.Clearly, this provision does not protect the consumers under extraordinary circumstances and in contradiction of Section 69(1) Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015 which stipulates that the MACPC is specifically prescribed to include requirements on minimum policies and practices, among others, for reasonably meeting consumer requirements and any other matters of concern to consumers.Considering the public outcry, I suggest that Mavcom reject the assertions that airlines are not required to refund a passenger’s fare when a flight is cancelled under extraordinary circumstances due to the following reasons:(1) I find it to be manifestly unfair and deceptive for an airline to fail to provide the flight service contracted for and then refuse to provide a refund if the passenger finds the offered rerouting unacceptable and he or she no longer wishes to travel;(2) The focus is not on whether the flight disruptions are within or outside of the airline’s control or whether the ticket is a refundable ticket or a non-refundable ticket, but rather the fact that the cancellation is through no fault of the passenger;(3) The term “non-refundable ticket” is not even defined under the MACPC 2016 and is purely a commercial strategy and thus should not be used as a basis to refuse a refund; and(4) In the event that an airline prefers to issue credits or vouchers for future travel in lieu of refunds, then it is only fair if the airline be obliged to notify those passengers that they have the option of a refund.According to AirAsia’s refund policy, if a flight is cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances, the airline shall, at its discretion:· carry you at the earliest opportunity on another AirAsia flight on which space is available at no charge;· refund the value and provide travel credit towards the purchase of future reservations and ancillary purchases, provided you redeem within 90 days therefrom; or· refund the full fare of the unused ticket due to the above said flight interruptions that occur three hours or more before or after the original scheduled departure time.Obviously, this policy is unfair and misleading to consumers as it provides AirAsia the discretionary power to issue travel credits in lieu of refunds, thus causing the public outcry.Also, the terms “refund” and “travel credit” are being used interchangeably and contradictory to each other in the same sentence.According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, “refund” means an amount of money that is given back to you, especially because you are not happy with a product or service that you have bought.It’s unfair and deceptive when the airline repeatedly says that it has already paid back almost all passengers by providing travel credits or vouchers. Travel credit is not money that is given back to passengers and is therefore not a refund. In fact, AirAsia is enjoying all the benefits and interests by withholding passengers’ money.Accordingly, I urge Mavcom to view any contract of carriage provision or airline policy that purports to deny refunds to passengers when the airline cancels a flight as a violation of the airline’s obligation that could subject the airline to an enforcement action.In the interest of protecting consumers’ right, I propose the following for Mavcom’s consideration:(1)  All consumers are entitled to a refund of the full cost of the ticket at the price at which it was bought, including taxes and fees, if the airline cancels a flight, regardless of the reason including under extraordinary circumstances and non-refundable ticket, and the consumer chooses not to travel.(2) The airline may issue travel credits or vouchers in lieu of refunds provided that the airline shall be obliged to notify those passengers that they have the option of a refund.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Cut red tape, decentralise powers on closing schools over Covid fears, Putrajaya told

State education authorities should make the call on whether schools situated in Covid-19 red zones need to be closed, teachers say.This comes as conditional movement control orders (CMCO) are enforced in several districts in the wake of a sudden increase in daily infections across the country.The National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) said authority should be given to state education departments to make extraordinary decisions such as to close down physical school sessions.It said the same consideration should be given to related agencies such as district education offices and school administrations so that swift action can be taken in such events.“Instructions to close a school due to Covid-19 are made on the advice of the National Security Council (NSC) and health ministry. There is a lot of red tape to go through,” NUTP president Aminuddin Awang told MalaysiaNow.He said state education departments and district education offices should make the call, and be given “temporary authority to make these decisions themselves when they feel”, adding that they were best placed to know the concerns over safety among staff, children and parents.Yesterday saw the addition of 489 positive cases nationwide, with the government announcing CMCOs from Oct 9 in the red zone areas of Sandakan, Papar and Tuaran in Sabah, and Klang in Selangor following spikes in transmissions there.Aminuddin said authority should be delegated immediately, especially if teachers and students from schools in affected areas were already uncomfortable with the situation.It is understood that currently, school administrations, state education departments and district education offices cannot decide on the matter.“They must wait for instructions from the NSC or health ministry.“But they are the ones who understand what is happening in these schools,” Aminuddin said, adding that schools in affected areas should be allowed to hold virtual lessons instead of students attending physical classes.“Even if schools are physically closed, lessons can still continue as usual online.“The students don’t need to go to school, only the teachers. This way, classes can be held online to help prevent the spread of Covid-19 among students,” he said.


Another 162 Omicron cases detected

A total of 162 new Covid-19 cases categorised as involving variants of concern (VOC) were detected from Jan 23 to 25, says health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.He said the Institute for Medical Research had identified 89 cases while the Faculty of Medicine University of Malaya detected 71 cases and the Malaysia Genome and Vaccine Institute detected two cases, all of which were the Omicron variant.“This brings the cumulative number of cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus categorised as VOC and variants of interest (VOI) to 7,056.“Of the total detected, 7,036 cases were VOC while 20 cases were VOI,” he said in a statement.To date, the VOC cases comprise 6,188 Delta cases, 601 Omicron, 233 Beta and 12 Alpha.The VOI cases comprise 13 Theta cases, four Kappa and three Eta.A total of 13 new clusters were reported yesterday, bringing the number of active clusters to 244.The infectivity rate or Rt of Covid-19 in Malaysia as of Jan 24 was 1.09.


Pentagon to tighten controls on classified information after leak

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday plans to tighten controls on classified information after an alleged leak incident that saw an airman arrested in April and later indicted on accusations of posting classified documents on the messaging app Discord.
The 45-day review did not identify a single point of failure, but the Pentagon said policies, including those related to electronic devices in sensitive areas, were ambiguous and led to inconsistencies in implementing them.
The Pentagon said the new measures included the appointment of "Top Secret Control Officers," establishment of a new office for insider threats, and plans for electronic device detection systems in classified, secret and top-secret work areas.
Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, was indicted last month on six counts of wilful retention and transmission of classified information relating to national defense.
The leak of documents, posted largely on social media sites, was believed to be the most serious security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010.
Each charge of unauthorised retention and transmission of national defense information provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to US$250,000 (about RM1.1 million), the Justice Department had said.
Prosecutors say Teixeira leaked classified documents to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord.
"I think what we see here is we have a growing ecosystem of classified facilities and a body of personnel who are cleared," a senior US defence official told reporters.
"As someone who has read a lot of DoD policies, they are not the clearest documents," the official said.
The official said the Pentagon needed to be more clear about policies related to classified information and spaces it can be accessed in, along with greater accountability for personnel who work with sensitive information.


Air force personnel killed, 2 trainers injured during weapons training

The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) confirmed that one of its personnel was killed while two trainers were injured during weapons training at the Basic Grenade Training Site in the Syed Sirajuddin Camp, Gemas, yesterday afternoon.
In a statement, RMAF said the incident occurred at about 12.10pm when the personnel were undergoing support weapons and hand grenade training.
It said the victim, a student of the defence assistant enhancement course class 1 Series 78/23, died at the scene.
"The two injured trainers were given early treatment at the Gemas Army Hospital and were then referred to Hospital Segamat.
"RMAF has contacted the next of kin of those involved and handed over the case to the police," it said, adding that the force would set up an investigation board to identify the cause of the incident.
RMAF also urged against speculation until the investigation process is completed and for the sensitivities of the families of the personnel involved to be respected.


Doubts over govt's fight against corruption amid uncertainty on high-powered anti-graft body

Concerns were expressed over the government's commitment to fighting graft in the wake of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's controversial appointment as deputy prime minister despite the multiple corruption charges against him in court.
These fears appear to have been amplified following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's announcement today that a high-powered anti-corruption body embedded in his office since 2018 might be shut down, MalaysiaNow has learnt.
The National Centre for Governance, Integrity and Anti-Corruption (GIACC), formed under the leadership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad to complement the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), is seen as central to the National Anti-Corruption Plan launched in 2019.
Among others, GIACC is tasked with charting frameworks and policies on integrity and good governance, as well as monitoring all related activities with the goal of ensuring zero tolerance for corruption in the administration.
MalaysiaNow is reliably informed that staff members have been told to clear their desks and await further instructions on their future deployment.
The centre's first head was former MACC chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed, who was among those appointed to the task force to investigate the 1MDB scandal before it was abruptly dismantled by Najib.
GIACC was also formed to house the National Integrity and Good Governance Department, the Malaysian Institute of Integrity, the Public Complaints Bureau and the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission.
Announcing its formation in 2018, Mahathir said all ministries had been instructed to identify at least three weaknesses in existing laws and policies, with recommendations to reduce instances of corruption, which would be submitted to GIACC.
Concerns over GIACC come as Anwar's administration walks a tightrope to ensure the continuity of his fragile coalition government with Barisan Nasional (BN), where support from leaders aligned with Najib had been crucial in his coming to power in the wake of the hung parliament following last month's general election.
Anwar controversially appointed BN chairman Zahid as one of his deputies despite the Umno president facing multiple corruption charges involving millions of ringgit.
The source who spoke to MalaysiaNow said such an appointment was "completely contrary to the whole idea of establishing GIACC".
"A key task of GIACC is to improve Malaysia's corruption perception abroad after years of low scores in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The appointment of Zahid, who is facing corruption charges, to the top echelons of the government, will certainly not improve our score," said the source.
Malaysia was ranked at 62nd place out of 180 countries in the CPI score last year, down from 51st in 2019 and 57th in 2020.


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Additional case management for prosecution's appeal in 1MDB audit report case

The Court of Appeal has fixed May 26 for another case management for the prosecution's appeal against the acquittal of Najib Razak and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy in relation to the 1MDB audit report tampering case.
Arul Kanda's lawyer Jasmine Cheong, when contacted, confirmed that another case management date was fixed as the records of appeal were not ready.
The first case management for the prosecution's appeal was conducted today before Court of Appeal deputy registrar Mohd Khairi Haron.
Apart from Cheong, lawyer Alaistair Norman representing Najib and deputy public prosecutor Parvin Hameedah Natchiar appearing for the prosecution were also present.
On March 3, High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, who is now a Court of Appeal judge, acquitted and discharged Najib and Arul Kanda after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against them.
They were freed of the charges without their defence being called.
In his grounds of judgment, Zaini said he had given a maximum evaluation at the end of the prosecution’s case and found no evidence to suggest or prove that Najib explicitly directed the amendments to exonerate him from any civil or criminal liability.
In Arul Kanda’s case, the judge found that he was consistent throughout his testimony and that it was compatible with the evidence produced and testimonies of other witnesses.
Najib, 70, who is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence at Kajang Prison for misappropriating SRC International funds, was charged with using his position to order amendments to the final 1MDB audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action against him.
Arul Kanda, 46, was charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report, to protect Najib from being subjected to action.
The offence was allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Department Complex, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya, between Feb 22 and 26, 2016.
The prosecution filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal on March 9.


US announces deal to bring vaccines to conflict zones

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced a deal to bring Covid-19 vaccines into conflict zones, where paltry numbers of people have been inoculated.In a virtual ministerial meeting on the pandemic, Blinken said the US had worked with Covax, the international vaccine alliance to support developing nations, on providing the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shots to areas of conflict and other humanitarian distress.“We’re eager for people in these difficult circumstances to get protection against Covid-19 as soon as possible,” Blinken said.“We know the urgency of this fight. We know what we need to do to stop the pandemic. Now, we’ve got to do it,” he said.Gavi, the public-private partnership that co-leads Covax, said that the US brokered an agreement to waive indemnification requirements on the Johnson & Johnson vaccines.Manufacturers have required governments to pay any legal penalties for incidents from vaccination, creating hurdles for poor nations and especially for aid groups operating in conflict zones.“We warmly welcome the US government’s role in helping broker the agreement between J&J and Covax,” a Gavi spokesman said in Geneva.The spokesman called on other vaccine manufacturers to join Johnson & Johnson and China’s Sinovac in waiving indemnification requirements for humanitarian agencies.Details on how many doses would be distributed were not immediately announced.More than four billion vaccines have been administered worldwide, according to an AFP tally based on official sources.But the vast majority have gone to wealthy countries as well as China and India with inoculation rates minimal in sub-Saharan Africa.President Joe Biden in September announced that the US will donate more than one billion doses around the world to help defeat the pandemic with a goal of fully vaccinating at least 70% of the global population within a year.