Top Glove responds to BBC’s allegations

We refer to the article titled “Malaysian glove makers come under fire again in new BBC report” which was published in MalaysiaNow on Saturday, Feb 13, 2021.Top Glove wishes to clarify that the BBC reporting, which the article was based on, did not comprehensively include the remedial actions which Top Glove has implemented to ensure the safety and well-being of our workforce.Below are the clarifications to the said article:Recruitment fees and agentsTop Glove acknowledges that we should have been quicker to adopt a comprehensive due diligence process for managing recruitment agencies and their fee practices. We have learned from this, and have already taken robust actions to make us an exemplary employer in this area.Towards this, Top Glove has adopted a robust due diligence procedure (encompassing checks on business background, practices, and processes) to ensure potential agencies fully comply with the Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) and/or the Business Social Compliance Initiative’s (BSCI) code of conduct, as well as applicable local laws and regulations. Additionally, the company has appointed Impactt, an independent, highly respected ethical trade consultancy, to review our policies and procedures because we are committed to ensuring all our workers receive the right support and are properly treated by recruitment agencies. The company too continues to work with the relevant Malaysian ministry and agencies which are looking into strengthening existing regulations and related SOPs for the manufacturing and construction sectors, aimed at continuously enhancing workplace and living conditions of workers in Malaysia.To ensure that debt bondage and other related issues have absolutely no place in our business operations, Top Glove launched a zero cost recruitment policy since January 2019. Under the zero cost recruitment policy, the company bears all recruitment related fees for our foreign workers. We are remediating our foreign workers who have previously paid recruitment fees to agents at their source country; including those who have joined the company on/ or after Jan 1, 2019 but have since left our employment. Top Glove has so far made seven rounds of remedial agency fee payments amounting to RM76 million of the total RM136 million recommended by Impactt, which the group has committed to honour. The total amount covers more than 11,000 of our foreign workers. Top Glove also wishes to inform that foreign workers who left the company prior to the implementation of the zero recruitment policy in January 2019 are entitled to their respective remediation payment, the first of which was made in January 2021.Additionally, any recruitment agency that does not meet the best practices set by Impactt or in any way mistreats foreign workers will be blacklisted by Top Glove. The company has reviewed the ethical practices of the recruitment agencies operating in our sector. The company has blacklisted six recruitment agencies which we believe engaged in unethical practices and is currently engaging with seven principled recruitment agencies from Malaysia and abroad. All our foreign workers too are required to sign a letter of undertaking committing that they will not pay recruitment fees during the recruitment process.To end, since January 2019, the company has completed more than 100 international external audits at Top Glove’s factories. Top Glove is proudly the first private company in Malaysia to receive the ISO 37001: 2006 Anti-Bribery Management System (ABMS).Passport safekeeping policyUnder Top Glove’s passport safekeeping policy, all our foreign workers have full custody of their respective passports.Workers’ accommodationEnsuring that our foreign workers live in a decent standard of accommodation is a high priority for Top Glove. Towards this, we have set out current, mid- and long-term plans to continuously improve the standard of the various types of accommodation we provide to our workers.Our plans are as follows:Current• We had previously invested RM70 million in more than 100 double-storey houses and hostels with full facilities.• Recently, we also made an investment of RM20 million in purchasing 101 units of apartments for our employees, and renting additional houses and apartments.• By end December 2020, we successfully relocated 2,000 of our employees to Westlite-PKNS accommodations in Kelana Jaya, the closest facility that suits our needs at this time. At the Westlite-PKNS accommodation, we provide a host of facilities to our workers, including a canteen with three different caterers, spacious and airy recreational areas, a minimart, self- service laundry, game room, and prayer room.Mid-term• In the mid-term, we are investing approximately RM195 million for more facilities and accommodation.• This investment includes building mega hostels in Klang and Banting in Selangor, with a combined capacity of 7,300 pax, and combined Capex of RM70 million. These hostels will be fully equipped with a suite of amenities and facilities.• The company has also purchased a Kenangan Meru apartment block in Klang, Selangor with a capacity to house 2,700 workers. The apartment block, which is expected to be completed by March 2022, has a Capex of around RM95 million.• The group is also building and acquiring additional houses, apartments, and hostels in other states, amounting to approximately RM30 million.Workers’ remuneration and overtimeThe happiness and well-being of our workforce, which is directly affected by their pay, working, and living conditions, is of paramount concern to Top Glove. We appreciate the hard work of our workforce, both local and foreign, who continue to contribute and ensure the success of the company, especially during the exceptional circumstances of Covid-19.Towards this, the company is committed to more proactive management to mandate strict time off and to enforce a cap on overtime in line with best practices, such as those widely praised in the electronics manufacturing and related sectors. On this, the company has tightened our monitoring processes to ensure one full rest day each week and that none of our foreign workers work more than four hours overtime per day (104 hours per month). These processes are verified by external audits by WHO and by the Malaysian government authorities. A testament of this, Top Glove was awarded an “A” rating following a June 2020 social audit of Factory 9 by Amfori.Top Glove is equally committed that our workers’ total incomes are in competitive par with industry standards. On this, the company has made an award to all our deserving foreign workers of an additional outstanding performance payment totalling RM3.6mil to reflect their exceptional contribution throughout FY2020 and in the first quarter of FY2021. The ex gratia payment for workers in June 2020 was the first time that Top Glove had paid for foreign workers’ ex gratia, in addition to the workers’ yearly bonus (i.e. performance incentive).Limited movement during MCO 2.0 in compliance with government’s SOPsIn compliance with the movement control order 2.0 (MCO 2.0) which came into effect on Jan 13, 2021, restrictions in movements at Top Glove’s factories and dormitories are in accordance with the SOPs issued by the relevant regulatory bodies. The restriction to movement is currently ongoing until the MCO 2.0 is lifted by the Malaysian government. As an added precaution to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of our employees, the company has advised them to refrain from unnecessary movements, enabling us to reduce and/or curb the spread of the virus.Occupational safety and health administration at the workplace and factoriesThere is nothing more important to Top Glove than the safety and health of our workforce. We have taken many steps over the years and continue to be committed to undertaking regular comprehensive audits of our facilities and occupational safety and health administration (OSHA) practices by independent experts. We have commissioned Impactt to monitor our performance in this area to ensure we always meet the best OSHA practices.Top Glove is one of few manufacturing companies in Malaysia with a zero harm and safety health emergency preparedness programme and a workers’ health protection programme. The company provides medical coverage and benefits to all our employees, including our foreign workers, within the stipulated requirements. These benefits are provided at the Top Glove Global Doctors (TGGD) Medical and Dental Clinic, TGGD First Aid Care, and the company’s panel clinics.Under these programmes, Top Glove’s factories have a designated first aid room equipped with cardiac emergency, immobilisation, and stabiliser and mobiliser equipment, which are facilities that go beyond the requirements set out by the Department of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH), under the Ministry of Human Resources.The factories’ first responders and safety health officers also work in tandem with a 24-hour emergency response team. Top Glove has invested in two 24-hour emergency ambulances with trained paramedics. The ambulances are stationed at the TGGD Medical and Dental Clinic, which is at the company’s 23-storey corporate office and just a 10-minute drive to Top Glove’s Klang factories. As an additional service to our employees at our Westlite-PKNS accommodations (Westlite) in Kelana Jaya, the company has set up the TGGD First Aid Care whose operating hours are Monday to Saturday, 9am to 1pm. Top Glove will continue to review or prolong the operating hours of the TGGD First Aid Care as per requests from our employees. This is an extra benefit provided Top Glove for the convenience of our employees at Westlite.Top Glove wishes to stress that our all employees, both local employees and foreign workers, are given consultation and medication at the TGGD First Aid Care and they are not required to make any payment for consultation nor medication at the TGGD First Aid Care as these are covered under their medical benefits. This is the same practice at Meru, Klang. Additionally, our workforce is provided with 24 hours medical attention, as and when required. There are wardens at all our hostels including the Westlite hostel to transport our employees needing medical attention to a nearby clinic or our panel clinics. In the meantime, under the Workers’ Health Protection Programme, our workforce is entitled to a fully subsidised blood screening, basic vision, and hearing assessments. All Top Glove employees are entitled to minimum 14 days and 16 days of medical and hospitalisation leave, respectively.It must also be mentioned that Top Glove has seven full-time corporate nutritionists to support the comprehensive health and well-being of our employees, reinforced by a newly launched security app, TG ResQ, for use by our employees in case of emergencies. Top Glove is also one of few private companies in Malaysia to have auxiliary police (or Polis Bantuan) posted at all premises in Malaysia. Our officers provide additional safety for our workforce and the communities we serve.Covid-19 preventive measuresTop Glove has been at the very centre of the Covid-19 disruptions. Demand for our products has rocketed and the need for social distancing and other protection for our workforce has been paramount. We deeply regret that an outbreak occurred at our facilities in Meru, Klang in November 2020. While we have had COVID-19 prevention SOPs in place since the start of the pandemic, with hindsight we recognise that we should have more strictly enforced the most stringent distancing and PPE practices possible across our facilities. Towards this, Top Glove continues to implement proactive mitigation steps and safety measures to always respond quickly to changing conditions and to primarily ensure the safety of our 21,000-strong workforce.Prior to Nov 2, 2020, some 160 of our employees were swabbed as part of the compulsory pre-departure routine. All of them tested negative, enabling them to proceed to board the return flight to their home country. However, on Nov 2, 2020, a different batch of employees underwent the compulsory pre-departure swabbing and 17 of these employees tested positive. Top Glove moved swiftly in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MOH) with contract tracing of close contacts of the 17 positive employees. More tests were conducted subsequently by the Ministry. Those who tested negative were isolated at designated quarantine centres while positive cases were taken by the authorities to dedicated hospitals.Subsequently, the enhanced movement control order (EMCO) was implemented on two of our dormitories in Meru, Klang on Nov 17, 2020. Our 28 factories in Klang also temporarily stopped production in stages for thorough disinfection and sanitisation exercises. Following our concerted efforts in collaboration with MOH and relevant authorities to minimise and curb further spread of the virus, the EMCO imposed at the affected Top Glove’s dormitories was successfully lifted on Dec 14, 2020. MOH also gave us the green light to reopen all our 28 factories in Meru, Klang, in stages.Following the reopening of stages of the factories, Top Glove’s workforce has returned to work, with the company’s taking enhanced corrective and preventive measures at all our facilities including a thorough examination of these facilities from ground up. This is in addition to continued and better adherence to the mandated SOPs including the use of personal protective equipment, practising good personal hygiene habits, strict observance to social distancing, and more importantly, continued investments on improved accommodation and facilities for our workforce.Following our concerted efforts with the MOH and the relevant authorities, we are encouraged to inform MalaysiaNow that we are witnessing a declining number of cases. As part of the company’s proactive measures, we continue to embark on a weekly sampling testing of our factory employees. As of Jan 31, 2021, close to 12,000 of our factory employees having undergone screening.Top Glove places on record our sincere appreciation and gratitude to MOH and the relevant authorities for their guidance and collaboration during this challenging period.Top Glove reiterates that the health, safety, and well-being of our workforce including our foreign workers, is our top priority. As we continue to produce high-quality medical gloves to protect medical practitioners and frontliners across the world, we are equally dedicated to safeguarding our workforce and the communities we serve.The company assures MalaysiaNow, our shareholders, and stakeholders that our board will continue to take on a critical role in directing and overseeing the company while supporting our executive leadership on sustainable and ethical implementation of our policies, benefiting our 21,000-strong workforce.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


UK police officer who murdered woman sentenced for further sex crimes

A former London police officer, who was jailed for life in 2021 for raping and murdering Sarah Everard in a case that shocked Britain, has been sentenced to 19 months in prison for exposing himself in incidents which took place before that attack.
Wayne Couzens, 50, pleaded guilty last month to three charges of exposing himself, two of which happened less than a month before he attacked Everard. His whole life sentence for her murder already meant he had no chance of parole.
"Couzens repeatedly targeted women to expose himself to on multiple occasions. These offences were abhorrent and caused great distress and discomfort for the victims," Rosemary Ainslie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime Division, said in a statement.
"It is right that he has been prosecuted for these offences, and that he will continue to spend the rest of his life in prison."
The first offence involved Couzens exposing himself to a cyclist in an isolated country lane in November 2020. He then exposed himself to workers at a McDonald's drive-through restaurant on two occasions in February 2021.
Couzens, whose job was to guard diplomatic premises, abducted 33-year-old marketing executive Everard on a London street as she walked home from visiting a friend in March 2021, using his police credentials to force her into his car.
Her body was later found in woodland about 50 miles (80km) away in southeast England.
London's Metropolitan Police has been plunged into crisis after a series of scandals in recent years including the conviction of David Carrick, 48, who admitted carrying out 24 counts of rape over almost two decades while serving as a police officer.
In January, London Commissioner Mark Rowley said hundreds of officers were likely to be sacked for sexual and domestic abuse offences as the capital's police force seeks to regain public trust.
Following Monday's sentencing, the Independent Office for Police Conduct published its investigation into racist, sexist and homophobic messages exchanged by police officers on a Whatsapp group in 2019 that Couzens was part of.
It said two former Met officers had been convicted of offences in relation to the messages and received prison sentences, and four other serving or former officers had been dismissed and barred from policing.


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Daily caseload just over 3,000 as another 5 deaths logged

Another 3,045 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,735,547.
There were 4,226 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,656,031.
There are now 43,431 active cases, of which 41,759 or 96.2% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 33 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,567 (3.6%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 72 are in ICU with 46 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 62.5%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 19.5%.
Five more deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 36,085.


Thai police arrest tourist for grumpy TripAdvisor review

An American could face up to two years behind bars after leaving a negative review about a Thai hotel on TripAdvisor.Although international tourists are banned, domestic tourism is still happening in Thailand, where coronavirus numbers are low.Thais and expats can enjoy the normally crowded beaches, staying at near-empty resorts.American Wesley Barnes, who currently lives and works in Thailand, took a vacation on Koh Chang island in July, staying at the Sea View Resort.After his stay he posted a review on TripAdvisor saying he had encountered “unfriendly staff” who “act like they don’t want anyone here”.Reports indicate that he posted similar negative reviews on other online sites.“We chose to file a complaint to serve as a deterrent, as we understood he may continue to write negative reviews week after week,” the hotel said, adding that staff had attempted to contact Barnes before filing the complaint with local police.“The Sea View Resort owner filed a complaint that the defendant had posted unfair reviews on his hotel on the TripAdvisor website,” Colonel Thanapon Taemsara of Koh Chang police told AFP.He said Barnes was accused of causing “damage to the reputation of the hotel”, and of quarrelling with staff over not paying a corkage fee for alcohol he brought in to the hotel.Barnes was arrested by immigration police and taken back to Koh Chang where he was briefly detained and then freed on bail.It is not known when his case will come to court.Comments on social media suggest that if you wish to post negative reviews about your holiday experiences in Thailand, it is definitely better to wait until you get back home before you do so.Barnes did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


US Covid-19 cases down 61% since peak

New US Covid-19 cases have declined by 61% compared to the peak level on Jan 8, officials said Friday, as they announced troops were being deployed to support the national vaccine campaign.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) director Rochelle Walensky said that latest official data from Feb 3 showed new infections were down to approximately 121,000, while hospitalisations were down nearly 42% and the pace of deaths appears to be slowing.“While the data is moving in the right direction, context is important because cases, hospital admissions, and deaths, all remain high and well above the levels that we saw in the summer and early fall,” Walensky said during a briefing by the White House’s Covid-19 Response Team.The Department of Defense meanwhile announced it had approved 1,110 active duty members to assist at five federal Covid-19 vaccination centers. That number could eventually rise to 10,000.The new administration of President Joe Biden has set its sights on delivering 150 million doses of Covid shots in the first 100 days of office – a challenge made all the more pressing by the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus that are more transmissible and reduce the efficacy of vaccines.To this end, Tim Manning, the national supply chain manager for the Covid response, said the government was invoking emergency legislation called the Defense Production Act to give Pfizer priority access to the raw ingredients for its vaccine.The legislation is also being used to help deliver 60 million more point-of-care or at-home tests by summer, and to increase the domestic manufacture of surgical gloves.The US Food and Drug Administration is meanwhile examining vaccine data submitted to it by Johnson & Johnson, ahead of a meeting by an independent advisory panel on Feb 26.The panel is likely to advise in favour of emergency use authorisation (EUA) given the positive data announced from J&J’s multi continent trial, which found the single-shot vaccine overall 66% effective, but highly protective against severe Covid.An EUA would follow soon after, bringing a third vaccine into the picture, with vaccines by AstraZeneca and Novavax on the horizon.


The invisible band of aces

When the word “asexual” comes up in conversations, one might imagine a single man or woman living as a solitary unit their entire lives, or maybe an individual devoid of personality – a blank canvas of a person. Or maybe it would be hard to imagine anything at all since the word itself does not come up much unless as a very obscure theory to describe couples in a gossip session on sexless marriages.Even more common is the disbelief many have in individuals who lack any sort of sexual attraction, which is the general definition of asexual.“Is that even possible?” Yes, it is.“Maybe because no one is attracted to them.” That is mean.“No sexual attraction? They’ll grow out of that phase.” When will you grow out of the sexual phase, then?“Have they tried sex?” Really? This question?I cannot pinpoint the first time I had a conversation with Ira. She has always been a constant presence for me, ever since I started becoming more involved in the white-fist-against-red-background movement.There is warmth in the way she welcomes conversation about literally anything, from her cat Lembu to her never-realised plan of going to the hot springs somewhere in Semenyih, to the way she is adjusting to life in the peninsula after migrating from Sabah.She is also the first person I have ever known to be asexual. Although I was aware of asexuality before I met her, having an asexual person as a friend is a further exploration into the topic of sexual diversity, particularly regarding a community that lacks visibility, unlike the rest of sexual minorities.“Some people think we are freaks. I guess for some people, sexual attraction is their sixth sense.”Many remarks have been made about aces – a term for asexual people – and Ira has learnt to accept that not many will understand her experience.Ira has faced dismissal by her Malay Muslim community as well as in movements advocating the rights of sexual minorities.In a hypersexualised community governed by sexual attraction as a form of social transaction, fitting in as an ace means being neither in the sexual norm nor with the sexual minorities. There is a certain struggle in being outside the majority and the minority’s majority.Ira recalls a few beliefs that the sexual minority community has about aces.“Some don’t believe we can truly ace, some don’t recognise that we are a minority, and some don’t believe we face discrimination because we are ace.”Dismissal and a deliberate lack of acknowledgement makes it harder for aces to be visible and included as part of the sexual minority community.But visibility is also key to efforts to be recognised. Ira believes that there might be many aces out there, but that many of them will never know they are part of a community due to the lack of awareness on it. Some could even mistakenly attribute their lack of sexual attraction to circumstances instead of recognising it as an orientation.Ira was once one of these people. She only realised about being an ace when she was in college. A drive at night made her wonder why she felt lonely and yet had very little desire to engage in relationships. While she knew she was attracted to the opposite sex, she had no interest in going through the stages of socialising within the frame of sexuality. She joked with the idea that she might be lacking in sexuality, an “anti-sexual”, as she called herself. Then it struck her that she had never really explored the topic of sexuality other than the common concepts.As she delved deeper into the concept of the anti-sexual or asexuality, she became more comfortable with the recognition that she was part of the ace community and would never be alone on her path.While a lack of sexual attraction defines aces, asexuality is deeper and more varied than the general understanding of it. As people tend to correlate sexual attraction with romance, there is a common misconception that aces are incapable of it.However, it is still possible for aces to be romantically involved with other people.Sexual attraction and romance can coexist, but neither is a must in experiencing the other. With Ira in a relationship with a straight allosexual (having sexual attraction) man, connectivity and relationship are more subjective than how she may have perceived them to be. For now, Ira considers herself more as demisexual, meaning that while she may lack general sexual interest, she may still form a sexual attraction with her lover.There are aces who can still derive pleasure from sexual acts even without any sort of sexual attraction. Some can even become sex workers. There are also aces who are repulsed by sexual acts. There is also the asexual couple that had been in a sexless marriage for 20 years and ended up divorcing as the wife developed a sexual interest after menopause.“People can’t accurately be described in only one category. Sexuality is fluid and able to change. We can all step out of that unspoken mould we were made to believe in and live up to if we take the time to learn more about attraction, sexuality, love and even human psychology,” Ira says.Progress is ongoing in knowing and understanding more about sexual minority communities. But there is still an undeniable lack of acknowledgement and even hostility towards the ace group within that community.Many will struggle in pursuit of belonging. With neither the majority nor the minority, the lack of awareness about their identity will keep them from actualising contentment in life.There is a paradox for aces in reaching for widespread recognition. Ira knew that visibility is key to awareness, yet an awareness of one’s own identity is also needed in being visible.In a Malaysian community with the strong belief of singularity in sexual attraction and romance, aces may face a significant challenge in being both visible and aware.But one thing can be assured: they exist.


Daily cases rise again to new high of 20,889

Another 20,889 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 1,224,595.Selangor recorded 8,792 cases, Kuala Lumpur 2,483, Kedah 1,371, Sabah 1,291 and Johor 1,275.Negeri Sembilan recorded 986 cases, Kelantan 938, Penang 776, Sarawak 652, Perak 624, Pahang 610, Melaka 491, Terengganu 460 and Putrajaya 122.Labuan and Perlis recorded nine cases each.Active cases stand at 221,396 with 1,096 in the ICU and 545 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 16,394 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 993,020.However, 160 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 10,179.


Infections soar to 432 as Cabinet told to stay home

A total of 432 new Covid-19 cases were reported today, the highest yet as infections continue to spike across the country.Of these, 429 were local transmissions involving 409 citizens and 20 foreigners.The remaining imported cases involved two citizens and one foreigner.No new deaths were reported, leaving the virus toll unchanged at 137 or 1.07% of total cases, which now stand at 12,813.Fifty-seven patients were also discharged today, bringing total recoveries to 10,340 or 80.7%.A total of 2,336 cases remain active, 32 of whom are being treated in the ICU with eight in need of respiratory assistance.In terms of distribution of local cases, Kedah overtook Sabah with 241 cases against 130.Selangor meanwhile recorded 34 cases, followed by Terengganu (five), Kuala Lumpur (five), Labuan (four), Perak (two), Putrajaya (two), Johor (two), Negeri Sembilan (one), Kelantan (one), Melaka (one) and Pahang (one).The three imported cases were recorded in Kuala Lumpur (two) and Sarawak (one).Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a statement that members of the Cabinet who had attended a special meeting on Covid-19 chaired by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Oct 3 would be tested and put under quarantine following news that a minister had tested positive for the virus today.He said the minister had not experienced any symptoms.Muhyiddin meanwhile said in a statement that religious affairs minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri had tested positive for the virus and is receiving treatment at a hospital in Seremban.


New look for Burger King as it announces major expansion despite pandemic

Burger King Malaysia today announced plans for a 20% expansion of restaurant base by year-end in conjunction with the launch of a new visual identity including changes to its brand logo, packaging, crew uniforms and restaurant signage and decor.The new restaurant design will also allow for better management of physical distancing procedures and close contact management through the inclusion of drive-ins, QR code ordering systems and web applications, it said.Cosmo Restaurants Sdn Bhd, a franchisee of Burger King Corporation, said the set-up cost of its revamp, its first complete rebrand in over 20 years, would come up to RM30 million.Burger King Malaysia currently manages over 120 restaurants in Malaysia and aims to open 25 restaurants by the end of 2021.Burger King Malaysia CEO Ng Lee Tieng said they had invested RM22 million and opened 18 new restaurants last year despite the pandemic-stricken market.“Eight of these were launched in December and carried the new visual identity,” she added.In a statement, she said between March last year and now, Burger King Malaysia had also spent more than RM1 million on disinfectants, gloves and face masks for its employees and diners.She said the company would continue to enhance its safety measures to keep its personnel and guests safe.“We will also remain steadfast in supporting the community in the ways we do best: by delivering fresh high-quality burgers to frontliners at hospitals and roadblocks as well as those who are involved in delivery services.”


Vietnam’s economic hub imposes night curfew as country battles virus surge

More than 10 million residents of Ho Chi Minh City will be placed under a strict overnight curfew beginning Monday, an unprecedented move to curb infections as Vietnam battles a rapid Covid-19 surge.After successfully containing limited coronavirus outbreaks last year, the communist country is now recording increasing infections and deaths fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant.Hardest-hit are the northern industrial centres and Ho Chi Minh City in the south, which has registered more than 62,000 infections since April – making up the bulk of Vietnam’s 101,000 cases.Authorities have restricted movement in the once-bustling economic hub for more than two months, and imposed a lockdown in early July. Residents are allowed to leave home only for medical emergencies and food.But beginning Monday, an additional, strict stay-at-home order will be in effect from 6pm to 6am local time – though authorities refused to use the word “curfew”. No end date was announced for the measure.“Local law enforcement will need to step up patrols… and issue appropriate penalties for offenders, even detention in cases of resistance,” said city mayor Nguyen Thanh Phong, according to state media.Almost all public transport links with the city have already been suspended, while travellers originating from the city are required to stay in mandatory quarantine centres for at least two weeks.Currently, more than a third of Vietnam’s 100 million people are under a lockdown, including residents of its capital Hanoi in the north.On Monday, the military drove through major boulevards across the city, spraying disinfectant as they went past historic buildings and Hoan Kiem Lake, a major tourist attraction.An army officer told AFP that military personnel will continue the disinfection campaign over the next three days.Vietnam was one of the few economies that expanded last year due to its success in containing the virus during the first wave of the pandemic.But it has been slow to procure and administer vaccines, with just 4.7 million doses given so far.It is also developing its own inoculations and authorities say they hope to reach herd immunity by early 2022.


Daily caseload tops 3,700 as death toll up by 9

Another 3,781 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,933,753.
There were 2,979 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,861,792.
There are now 35,457 active cases, of which 33,706 or 95.1% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 1,676 (4.7%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 75 are in ICU with 47 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another nine deaths were reported, including three who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,504.


New cases still linger above 1,000 as recoveries continue ahead

Another 1,213 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 328,466.Selangor recorded 353 cases, Sarawak 303, Johor 142 and Penang 104.Kuala Lumpur recorded 79 cases followed by Sabah (73), Perak (39), Kedah (38), Negeri Sembilan (23), Kelantan (20), Terengganu (15), Pahang (14), Melaka (eight) and Labuan (two).Active cases stand at 14,782 with 155 in the ICU and 54 in need of respiratory assistance.Nine new clusters were detected:1. Tapak Bina Persiaran Setia (Petaling in Selangor; 100 screened, 18 positive)2. Tapak Bina Persiaran Sunsuria (Sepang in Selangor; 410 screened, 11 positive)3. Jalan Wawasan Sembilan (Batu Pahat and Kluang in Johor; 569 screened, 50 positive)4. Melamam (Sipitang in Sabah; 164 screened, 14 positive)5. Jalan Asuhan (Kerian in Perak; 100 screened, 12 positive)6. Sungai Atap (Meradong in Sarawak; 148 screened, 19 positive)7. Kampung Padang Tembak (Keningau in Sabah; 216 screened, 21 positive)8. Bunga Tanjung Bendahara (Kota Setar and Kuala Muda in Kedah; 46 screened, 10 positive)9. Depot Imigresen Semuja (Serian in Sarawak; 584 screened, 99 positive)Ten others ended, leaving 428 active clusters across the country.Another 1,503 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 312,461.However, three more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,223.


There aren’t plenty fish in the sea anymore, Malaysians warned

From plates of crispy sotong goreng and bowls of fish head curry to banana leafs piled with ikan pari bakar and keropok lekor served fresh with chilli sauce, seafood plays a huge role in the lives of Malaysians.But environmentalists warn that overfishing has jeopardised the future of the country’s marine life, even as the global population of these creatures drops as well.A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations last year showed that almost 95% of the world’s fish stocks are estimated to be either overfished or fished to their biological limit.Malaysia itself is in the top 20 countries in terms of captured fisheries, ranking sixth in the Asean region. Malaysia’s fishermen catch nearly one million tonnes of seafood each year, about 40,000 tonnes of which are kept as frozen reserves.If overfishing continues, experts predict that by 2048, none of the species currently being fished for food will have survived.Chitra Devi of WWF-Malaysia’s Marine Programme told MalaysiaNow that adopting sustainable measures is key to saving the country’s supply of seafood.“Sustainable seafood means that the product is harvested within the capability of fish stocks to recover, using methods that minimise the impact on marine species and habitats,” she said.Malaysia is in the top 20 countries in terms of captured fisheries, ranking sixth in the Asean region.It also means that seafood is produced through responsible management, emphasising the social well-being of fishermen and coastal communities.The source of such seafood must also be traceable, Chitra said.Results from the last trawling surveys carried out by the fisheries department in 2016 show that demersal fish stock – fish that live and feed on or near the bottom of the ocean – has dropped by 88% for the entire country since the 1960s.In 2019, the fisheries department revealed that Malaysia had lost 96% of its demersal fish stock in less than 60 years due to overfishing.Overfishing occurs when fish are caught at a rate at which they cannot replenish or sustain their population. This has serious consequences on the environment as well as the livelihoods of those who depend on fishing to survive.“Fish populations and ocean habitats are severely threatened beyond their capacity to recover from the devastating impacts of overfishing. The livelihoods of fish-dependent communities are also adversely impacted,” Chitra said.The presence of too many fishing vessels in the ocean; advanced fishing equipment designed to catch more fish; high demand for seafood across the world; unreported and unregulated fishing; and subsidies or support for those in the fishing industry to offset the cost of doing business are all major factors in overfishing.While making the switch to sustainable seafood may appear inconvenient, Chitra assures that it will contribute to a positive change.She envisions a “domino effect” throughout the seafood supply chain, with incentives for fishermen, aquaculture farmers, retailers, hotels and restaurants to produce and sell sustainable seafood.“This will contribute to strengthening food security, livelihoods and the economy while preserving fish stocks and their natural environment,” she said.Less seafoodShe urged people to play their part by buying and consuming seafood responsibly.“Refrain from buying juvenile or baby fish. If a fish looks abnormally small, it may be a juvenile.“We avoid eating baby fish because we need to give them time to mature so that they can populate to increase in numbers. If we eat them when they are too young, they don’t have a chance to repopulate.”She also suggests obtaining seafood from sustainable sources and eating less of it by incorporating more fruits, vegetables and legumes in one’s daily diet.“By eating less seafood, we are lessening our seafood demand and hence contributing towards lessening the pressure of overfishing.”


Amazon magnate Bezos blasts into space on own rocket

The wealthiest man on the planet Jeff Bezos lifted off on his own rocket and reached outer space on Tuesday, a key moment for a fledgling industry seeking to make the final frontier accessible to elite tourists.Blue Origin’s first crewed mission, an 11-minute hop from west Texas to beyond the Karman line and back again, coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing.“It’s dark up here,” said barrier-breaking female aviator Wally Funk, one of the four crew along with Bezos, his brother and 18-year-old Dutchman Oliver Daemen, who will become the youngest astronaut.Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson made the voyage on July 11, narrowly beating the Amazon magnate in their battle of the billionaires.But Blue Origin’s sights are set higher: both in the altitude to which its reusable New Shepard craft will ascend compared to Virgin’s spaceplane, but also in its ambitions.Bezos, 57, founded Blue Origin in 2000 with the goal of one day building floating space colonies with artificial gravity where millions of people will work and live.Today, the company is developing a heavy-lift orbital rocket called New Glenn and also a Moon lander it is hoping to contract to Nasa.New Shepard has flown 15 uncrewed flights to put it through its paces and test safety mechanisms, like firing the capsule away from the launchpad if the rocket explodes, or landing it with one less parachute.Lift-off was slightly delayed and came at 1312 GMT from a remote facility in the west Texas desert called Launch Site One, some 40km north of the nearest town, Van Horn.“Today is just the first of many flights to come on New Shepard,” Blue Origin’s sale director Ariane Cornell said in a livestream, adding ticket sales were now open.Richest, oldest, youngestNotably absent from the flight is the still anonymous winner of a US$28 million auction for a seat, who had “scheduling conflicts” and will take part in a future flight.Daemen’s father, the CEO of a private equity firm, was a runner-up in the bidding, allowing his teenage son to become the company’s first paying customer.After lift-off, New Shepard careened towards space at speeds exceeding 3,700kph using a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine whose only byproduct is water vapour.The capsule separated from its booster, and when it got high enough, the astronauts unbuckled and experienced weightlessness for three to four minutes.The spacecraft peaks at about 106km altitude, allowing the crew members to admire the curvature of the planet, and the inky black of the rest of the universe.The booster returned autonomously to a landing pad just north of its launch site, while the capsule freefalls back to Earth with three giant parachutes, and finally a thruster, for a gentle landing in the desert.‘Read the room’Blue Origin has remained relatively coy about what comes next.The company says it plans two more flights this year, then “many more” next year.Analysts say much will hinge on early successes and building a solid safety record.CEO Bob Smith revealed Sunday that the next launch could take place in September or October, adding “willingness to pay continues to be quite high.”At the same time, the sector is beginning to face criticism over the optics of super wealthy individuals blasting off to space while Earth faces climate-driven disasters and a coronavirus pandemic.“Could there be a worse time for two uber-rich rocket owners to take a quick jaunt toward the dark?” wrote Shannon Stirone in an Atlantic piece titled “Space Billionaires, Please Read the Room”.


Govt sets price ceiling for Sinovac, Sinopharm Covid jabs

The government has set maximum retail and wholesale prices for two Covid-19 vaccines: CoronaVac produced by Sinovac and Covilo produced by Sinopharm.The maximum retail price for CoronaVac Suspension for Injection SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated with registration numbers MAL21036010ARZ and MAL21046125ACSZ is RM77, while the maximum wholesale price is RM62 per dose.For Covilo Suspension for Injection COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell), Inactivated with registration number MAL21076098AZ, the maximum retail price is RM61 and the maximum wholesale price is RM49 per dose.In a joint statement, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said the ceiling price would come into effect on Jan 15 under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.“The enforcement of this order will be carried out by the health ministry’s Pharmacy Enforcement Division,” they said.Vaccination against Covid-19 is free for residents under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK), but they can also get the vaccine of their own choice for a fee at private hospitals and clinics that have been authorised by the health ministry.According to the joint statement, the government found that the prices of Covid-19 vaccines offered in the private sector were still high and fluctuating.It said the maximum price was based on the price of importing the vaccines along with their current market values.“The maximum retail price will not include the service charge or charges on disposable items incurred during the administration of the vaccines,” it said.The list and prices of Covid-19 vaccines will be continuously reviewed and improved or eliminated based on an assessment of the current market situation and demand.The statement said it was compulsory for private health facilities which have obtained approval from the government to offer private purchase vaccination services to display their prices.“This will allow the public to compare prices and purchase the Covid-19 vaccines at affordable prices,” it said.The ministers also stressed that strict measures will be taken against individuals or companies that fail to comply with the regulations set under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.Customers can channel their complaints to the health ministry’s Public Complaints Management System at https://moh.spab.gov.my.


Daily caseload down to 3,000 as 5 more deaths reported

Another 3,029 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,473,500.There were 1,116 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,409,159.There are now 28,734 active cases, of which 27,358 or 95.2% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 23 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,311 (4.6%) have been hospitalised.A total of 42 are in ICU with 33 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 55.3%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 6.5%.Another five deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,607.


Not just for fun: Behind the tourist surge to Langkawi

The crowds of visitors who have been flocking to Langkawi since the resort island reopened to domestic tourists under a pilot travel bubble programme this month indicate more than just a population restless for a holiday, a psychologist says.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Fauziah Sa’ad from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris said heading to Langkawi is in fact a way to escape the stress of having been cooped up for months under Covid-19 health measures.She said humans by nature need to live freely – circumstances which the various forms of lockdown over the past year and a half have obstructed.“We are social beings,” added Fauziah. “The way I see it, many want to visit Langkawi not just for a holiday – they also want to release their stress. Being confined at home for a long time is quite stressful.”She also welcomed Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s recent comment that lockdowns are no longer an appropriate measure to take, saying such moves could jeopardise the people’s mental health.MalaysiaNow previously reported that hotels and resorts in Langkawi had received thousands of bookings following the government’s announcement the resort island would reopen to visitors as part of a travel bubble scheme to restart the tourism industry.The Langkawi Tourism Association said hotels registered with it had received some 6,000 bookings, and that it expected to make about RM24 million in the first three days from Sept 16 with the arrival of some 24,000 tourists.Despite the daily caseloads which have remained in the five-figure range, topping 10,000 new infections each day, tour operators in Langkawi have been swamped with visitors to the point where they have reportedly been forced to turn down bookings in order to comply with the 50% capacity limit for premises.Fauziah said financial issues are just one of the problems facing the people, many of whom suffered a loss or reduction in income due to the pandemic.“We are also juggling many things at the same time – family, work and personal matters all overlap.“For instance, as we are working, we also need to ensure that our children are following their classes online.”She said such things would add to the pressure on people to the point where it affects their concentration and ultimately their performance at work.Domestic abuse, suicidesFauziah said the stress of being confined at home is also a factor in the recent spike of domestic abuse and suicide cases.Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun told the Dewan Rakyat last week that 9,015 cases of domestic abuse had been reported from the time the movement control order (MCO) was implemented in March 202 up until August.The health ministry meanwhile said some 638 suicide cases were recorded from January to July, an increase of 143% from the same period the year before.Mohamed Fadzil Che Din, a psychologist at the National Defence University of Malaysia, said an inability to control emotions could cause a person to behave in an aggressive manner.“The role of emotions is to ensure that we function as human beings,” he told MalaysiaNow. “When we interact, we need stable emotions.“This is why it is dangerous if someone is emotionally disturbed,” he added. “He or she could behave aggressively instead of functioning as a human being.”He said awareness is still low about the problem of emotional disorders and how to deal with it.He said Malaysia lacks a structured curriculum to manage this problem which is often misunderstood as a mental illness.“The best way to tackle emotional disorders is through a psychosocial approach, that is to use the psychological elements in society,” he said.“Discussions and counselling are enough to help without a psychiatric approach. The MCO is a social issue but many are confused and consider it a mental issue.”He added that cases of emotional disorder should be managed by the women, family and community development ministry, not the health ministry.


US inflation skyrockets, piling pressure on Biden

US inflation surged to a new four-decade high in May, defying hopes that price pressures had peaked and deepening President Joe Biden’s political troubles as Americans struggle to meet the cost of essentials like food and gas.Government data released Friday put inflation at 8.6%, extending increases not seen for a generation, with gas prices hitting daily records fuelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and supply chain challenges related to the pandemic.Biden, whose popularity has taken a hit as prices surge just months before November’s midterm elections, has made fighting inflation his top domestic priority but is finding he has few tools to directly affect prices.“I’m doing everything in my power to blunt Putin’s price hike and bring down the price of gas and food,” he said Friday while speaking at the Port of Los Angeles.“We’re better positioned (than) just about any country in the world to overcome the global inflation we’re seeing and to take the next step towards forming a historic recovery.”The president has tried to hammer home his optimistic message about economic progress in the wake of the pandemic, including rapid GDP growth and record job creation, while pressing Congress to take action to lower costs on specific products.Biden cited releasing 30 million barrels of reserve oil and repeated his call to approve legislation to go after firms such as shipping companies that are taking advantage of limited competition to impose steep price hikes.But he acknowledged the rising inflation was a severe problem, saying in an earlier statement the US “must do more – and quickly – to get prices down.”The new data dealt a crushing blow to Biden’s efforts, as the consumer price index (CPI) jumped 8.6% compared to May 2021, up from 8.3% in the 12 months ending in April and topping what most economists thought was the peak of 8.5% in March.Prices continued to rise last month for goods including housing, groceries, airline fares and used and new vehicles, setting new records in multiple categories, according to the Labor Department report.“The headline inflation numbers are dreadful. Strip away some special factors & they’re merely bad,” Harvard economist and former White House advisor Jason Furman said on Twitter.Some economists expected the easing of pandemic restrictions to cause a shift of US consumer demand towards services and away from goods, which they said would ease inflation pressures, but prices for services increased as well.Soaring energy costsCPI rose 1% compared to April, after the modest 0.3% gain in the prior month, the Labor Department reported, far higher than expected by analysts.Energy has soared 34.6% over the past year, the fastest since September 2005, while food jumped 10.1% – the first increase of more than 10% since March 1981, the report said.Fuel oil more than doubled, jumping 106.7%, the largest increase in the history of CPI, which dates to 1935.“The price of fuel oil and natural gas is working its way through the economy,” Biden economic adviser Brian Deese told CNBC. “The issue now is how can we actually make progress… that would improve that?”“We’re calling on Congress to move on shipping legislation that would bring down the cost of moving goods overseas.”The US has come roaring back from the economic damage inflicted by the Covid-19 pandemic, helped by bargain borrowing costs and massive government stimulus measures.But with the pandemic still gripping other parts of the world, global supply chain snarls have caused demand to far outstrip resources.Food and fuel prices have accelerated in recent weeks since the Russian invasion of Ukraine sent global oil and grain prices up, and American drivers are facing daily record gas prices, with the national average hitting US$4.99 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA.The University of Michigan consumer sentiment index – which measures how American consumers feel about the economy, personal finance and business and buying conditions – fell sharply Friday from 58.4 to 50.2, its lowest recorded value.The Federal Reserve has begun raising interest rates aggressively, with another big hike expected next week, and more ahead in coming months as policymakers attempt to combat inflationary pressures without triggering a recession.The CPI surge “raises the probability of even more aggressive Fed rate hikes to tamp down on inflationary expectations,” said Mickey Levy of Berenberg Capital Markets, adding that a pause in rate hikes in September is “looking increasingly unlikely.”


Britain’s broken egg industry shows the price of food inflation

In Britain, the damage wrought by rampant inflation can be seen in the fate of the humble egg.
With war in Ukraine driving energy and chicken feed costs higher, farmers say what they get paid is no longer enough, upending the economics of a key food staple.
Many of the country's supermarkets, including market leader Tesco and number 3 Asda, have rationed sales, blaming the bout of bird flu that has ravaged flocks across Europe and the US and, they say, led to a British shortage.
But British farmers argue that while the outbreak is a factor, there are not enough eggs because they lose money on every box sold, forcing many to cut production and some to quit altogether.
"The stupidity of the whole thing is that we warned retailers, we've given them plenty of notice this was going to happen," Robert Gooch, chief executive of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) told Reuters.
The association estimates the total UK laying flock has fallen 6% to 36.4 million over the past 12 months, suggesting even tighter supply ahead.
Frank Thompstone says that last year he cut the number of free range hens at his farm in Burton-on-Trent, central England, to 24,000 from 36,000 to limit his losses. By October he had had enough, giving the required 12-month notice on his contract with his buyer.
The buyer, who packs and sells the eggs to supermarkets, offered 15 pence (10 pence=RM0.54) per dozen more in response, which Thompstone says still leaves him with a loss.
"Why would we commit to that?" he told Reuters. "I'm aghast frankly. It's the retailers that hold the purse strings."
Driven by consumer demand, British egg producers have for years focused on free range, which now represents 70% of the market. But with only 13% of eggs in the European Union free range, the option to fill the gaps on UK supermarket shelves with imports is limited.
Britain's National Farmers Union (NFU) says the eggs shortage could be just the beginning, as the new era of costly energy and grains combined with labour shortages could bring more empty shelves unless food producers and retailers agree fairer terms for the future.
While double-digit inflation has strained the relationship between producers and retailers across the globe, intense competition among British food retailers has kept prices below European averages and their profit margins among the lowest around.
That, combined with a cost-of-living crisis fuelled by soaring food and energy costs, limits their room for manoeuvre, retailers say.
Yet egg producers say that while the supermarkets have raised retail prices and paid farmers more, that increase is not enough to cover exploding costs.
The NFU says that while British producers are being paid 35% more for their eggs than in 2019, the cost of chicken feed raw materials has surged 90%.
Official UK data shows retail prices for eggs have increased 27% over the last year alone.
'Told you so'
According to BFREPA, it costs a farmer about 138 pence to produce a dozen eggs. But buyers are only paying around 109 pence while retailers are selling them for between 219 and 410 pence.
Ballooning costs and bird flu have hurt farmers across Europe, with global egg production expected to fall for the first time ever this year, according to the EU's largest producer, French group CNPO.
Some 750,000 UK birds have been culled due to bird flu and there is no guarantee they will be replaced, but more may fall victim to financial pressures.
Daniel Brown, whose 44,000 hens lay 40,000 eggs a day at his farm at Bury St Edmunds in eastern England, says a recent 18 pence per dozen price increase offered some relief, but he was still not breaking even.
"We explained clearly to the retailers why the price needs to go up, what the cost increases are, what the consequences will be and they just ignore you," he told Reuters. "And then it plays out.
"It is basically 'I told you so', but it doesn't give you any satisfaction."
Last month Tesco, Aldi and Waitrose between them said they had provided an additional US$35 million (about RM154.8 million) of support to the egg industry.
The British Retail Consortium, which represents the supermarkets, says they recognise the need to pay a sustainable price to farmers, but say they are also facing higher costs.
Brown said he will decide by April 2023 whether it is worth re-stocking birds for another production cycle but warned industry capacity won't improve any time soon.
"If the retailers were to come to the industry today with a brilliant offer and say 'have another 70 pence a dozen', it would still take six to eight months to rear enough birds to replace those that have been lost," he said.


Man to hang for rape, murder of nurse

A former sawmill worker who raped a nurse after slashing her on the neck will be hanged for his act, having failed in his last attempt to set aside his death sentence after the Federal Court in Putrajaya dismissed his appeal today.A three-member panel led by Court of Appeal president Rohana Yusuf unanimously dismissed the appeal of Mohammad Awari Ahmad, 27, against the death sentence handed down by the Kota Bharu High Court after finding him guilty of murdering the wife of an auxiliary policeman.Sitting with Rohana were judges Vernon Ong Lam Kiat and Hasnah Mohammed Hashim.Deputy public prosecutor Nazran Mohd Sham had asked the court to dismiss the appeal and maintain the death sentence meted out to Awari for his act, which was watched by the victim’s five-year-old son.“The act of the appellant was brutal, aggressive and vicious. After slashing her neck, the appellant raped her while she was bleeding from the wound.“The victim sustained 11 injuries on the neck and hands. In this case, the appellant used a machete to slash the right and left side of the victim’s neck. This clearly showed that the appellant had intention to kill,” he said.Besides slashing and raping the victim, Nazran said Awari had also stolen RM200 and a mobile phone belonging to her. He then went to “celebrate” by drinking seven bottles of liquor at a restaurant.According to the case evidence, the victim’s husband returned home from work at 2am on March 1, 2015 and saw his wife, who was naked, covered with a blanket on the road in front of their house. He then rushed to his father’s house nearby to seek help.He found his three children, then aged six months, three years and five years, on a blood-soaked mattress in the house.The woman was sent to Gua Musang Hospital but died at 6.40am the same day. Before dying, she was able to write a note stating the identity of the person who raped, slashed and robbed her.Awari, in his defence, said the victim had woken up and was shocked to find him in the room after he broke into the house to steal.His lawyer, Ahmad Nizam Mohamed, earlier said his client had no intention to kill and that he should be punished for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.But Rohana, when handing down the decision, said after studying the record of appeal and grounds of judgment by the High Court judge, affirmed by the Court of Appeal, the court was satisfied that there was no error made by either court.She said the High Court judge had studied the evidence of the case and decided on the element of intent that was established by the prosecution.She also said the supporting evidence, such as eyewitness accounts, showed that the evidence in the appeal record on the accused’s action was very strong.“We find there is no reason to make us change the decision of the two courts. With this, we find the conviction of the appellant is safe. On these grounds, we dismiss the appeal by the appellant and affirm the conviction and sentence,” she added.Awari, who appeared calm after the decision was handed down, was also convicted by the High Court of raping the woman and sentenced to 18 years in jail and 12 strokes of the cane.However, today’s proceeding was on his appeal against the death sentence.He was charged with raping and murdering the woman between 12.20am and 2am in a house in Kampung Batu Papan, Gua Musang, Kelantan, on March 1, 2015.


Vietnam’s leader, 76, crowned party chief again for rare third term

Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party has re-elected its 76-year-old chief Nguyen Phu Trong for a rare third five-year term as party general secretary, reports the BBC.His re-election came at the five-yearly party congress in Hanoi, where delegates from across the country meet to vote, mostly behind closed doors.Sunday’s vote makes him once again Vietnam’s most powerful man – one of the Southeast Asian country’s strongest and longest-serving leaders since founding revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, says Reuters.The veteran anti-corruption cazar combines decades at the pinnacles of power with the deliberately cultivated image of a frugal wordsmith serving the nation of 98 million people.There were times during Trong’s second term when the future of his rule seemed uncertain. He disappeared from public view for nearly a month in 2019 with an undisclosed illness.He has since appeared visibly frail at official meetings and often requires assistance to walk but he has adroitly maintained his command of the party and outmanoeuvred rivals.His leadership will have to look at the crucial next five years amid the country’s largely successful battle against Covid-19 and a booming economy.Trong is known for his “blazing furnace” war against corruption launched in 2016, which saw many high-ranking officials sent to jail, but he was also criticised by human rights groups for cracking down on dissent.Vietnam is one of Asia’s fastest growing economies and while the global pandemic is expected to drag much of the world into a recession, Hanoi will try to retain its growth.Just late last year, the growth target for 2021 was set at an ambitious 6.5%. In 2020, it had slowed to 2.9%, the lowest level in more than 30 years – but the country is still doing better than most of the rest of the world.


Ban on chicken exports as govt adds wheat to AP-exempt list

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri said today the Cabinet had agreed to abolish the approved permit requirement for importing wheat and that Malaysia would halt exports of 3.6 million chickens a month from June until production and prices stabilise.AP requirements for poultry including for whole chicken and parts meanwhile will be abolished to increase opportunities for importers to provide more sources of supply.The government last week scrapped the approved permits for importing round cabbage, old coconuts, chicken and milk in a bid to secure food supplies and curtail rising prices.At its meeting today, the Cabinet also agreed to create a national chicken buffer stock and to optimise the cold room storage facilities owned by the agriculture and food industry ministry and its agencies.Slaughterhouses abroad will also be recognised to increase the production of poultry supply.In a statement, Ismail said the government took seriously the issue of rising prices and problems with the supply of chicken.He also voiced disappointment with the actions of some companies that had stopped the supply of chicken, causing an increase in prices and a lack of supply in the market.He said the government was aware of reports of cartels that controlled the price and production of chicken among large companies.He added that the Malaysia Competition Commission is investigating the matter, and that the probe is expected to be completed in June.“If it is found that a cartel agreement exists, the government will take legal action against them,” he said.Ismail also said that the government would reduce the role of middlemen whom he said had been manipulating supply and prices.He said today’s Cabinet meeting had also discussed several views on the cultivation of maize and oil palm kernel waste (PKC) as an alternative to chicken feed.“The meeting also agreed to seek the cooperation of state governments, government agencies and GLCs to provide land for temporary occupancy licences over the long term.“The agriculture and food industries ministry and domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry have been asked to present plans in the near future for corn-planting projects, PKC and so on,” he said.Adding that the attorney-general had also attended the meeting today, Ismail said he had advised the Cabinet to enforce the Control of Supplies Act 1961 (Act 122) if any acts of hoarding, storing or sabotage against poultry supplies are found.“Action can be taken under this act, and their licences can be revoked immediately,” he said.


Health ministry says no to ivermectin after study

The results of a government study on the effectiveness of ivermectin in treating Covid-19 show that the drug does not reduce the risk of severe disease, the health ministry said today, adding that it does not recommend that the drug be included in existing guidelines for Covid-19 treatment.In a statement, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the I-TECH Study which had recruited 500 patients found no signficant differences in terms of ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, recovery from symptoms, blood test parameters and chest x-ray scan resolution between those who were given ivermectin and those who received only the standard care.The odds of complete symptom recovery by the fifth day of enrolment between the two groups were also very similar and not statistically significant.The rate of disease progression to the severe level was also similar in both groups, while there was no statistically significant difference in the average decline period.Of the 500 subjects initially enrolled in the study, four were excluded for not meeting the study criteria while six others withdrew due to concerns over the side effects of ivermectin.The last subject was recruited on Oct 9 while the last follow-up assessment was on Oct 25.Safety analysis reported that the incidence of side effects or adverse events was three times higher in the group that had received ivermectin than the standard care group, mostly involving cases of diarrhoea.There was a trend of 28-day mortality reduction by the ivermectin group but this did not reach statistical significance.According to the experts responsible for providing independent statistical analysis, Noor Hisham said, the I-TECH study could not confirm that the use of ivermectin in hospitals would lead to fewer deaths within 28 days compared to standard care alone.This is because of the small number of deaths (13/490) which caused a limited assessment of the results.“Based on the outcomes of the I-TECH study, ivermectin cannot be recommended for inclusion in current Covid-19 treatment guidelines as ivermectin does not reduce risk of severe illness from Covid-19.“The health ministry continues with prior advice that ivermectin only be used within clinical trials settings with monitoring,” Noor Hisham said.


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Crypto contagion fears spread after Celsius Network freezes withdrawals

Bitcoin fell as much as 14% on Monday after major US cryptocurrency lending company Celsius Network froze withdrawals and transfers citing “extreme” market conditions, in the latest sign of the financial market downturn hitting the cryptosphere.The Celsius move triggered a slide across cryptocurrencies, with their value dropping below US$1 trillion on Monday for the first time since January 2021, sparking worries the rout might spill over into other assets or hit other companies.“Almost anything can be systemic in crypto… because the whole space is over-levered,” said Cory Klippsten, chief executive of Swan Bitcoin, a bitcoin savings platform. “It’s all a house of cards.”Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky and Celsius did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.New Jersey-based Celsius, which has around US$11.8 billion in assets, offers interest-bearing products to customers who deposit cryptocurrencies with its platform. It then lends out cryptocurrencies to earn a return.After Celsius’s announcement, bitcoin touched an 18-month low of US$22,725, before rebounding slightly to around US$23,265. No.2 token ether dropped as much as 18% to US$1,176, its lowest since January 2021.Companies exposed to cryptocurrencies have previously warned that declines in token prices could have ripple effects, including by triggering margin calls.“It’s still an uncomfortable moment, and there’s some contagion risk around crypto more broadly,” said Joseph Edwards, head of financial strategy at fund management firm Solrise Finance.Crypto markets have dived in the past few weeks as rising interest rates and surging inflation prompted investors to ditch riskier assets across financial markets.Markets extended a sell-off on Monday after US inflation data on Friday, which showed the largest price increase since 1981, prompting investors to raise their bets on Federal Reserve rate hikes.That was likely the key driver of the crypto market nosedive, Jay Hatfield, chief investment officer at Infrastructure Capital Management, wrote in a note on Monday.“The Fed’s overexpansion of its balance sheet led to a number of bubbles including tech stocks, (and) crypto tokens,” he said.Cryptocurrency investors have also been rattled by the collapse of the terraUSD and luna tokens in May which was shortly followed by Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin, briefly breaking its 1:1 peg with the dollar.In a blog post on Monday, Tether said that while it has invested in Celsius, its lending activity with the crypto platform has “always been overcollateralised” and has no impact on Tether’s reserves. The token was last trading flat at US$1.Also on Monday, BlockFi, another crypto lending platform, said it was reducing its staff by about 20% due to “dramatic shift in macroeconomic conditions.” BlockFi said that it has no exposure to Celsius.Bitcoin, which surged in 2020 and 2021, is down around 50% so far this year. Ethereum is down more than 67% this year.Crypto lendingCelsius says on its website that customers who transfer their crypto to its platform can earn an annual return of up to 18.6%. The website urges customers to “Earn high. Borrow low”.In a blog post on Sunday evening, the company said it had frozen withdrawals, as well as transfers between accounts, “to stabilise liquidity and operations while we take steps to preserve and protect assets.”“We are taking this action today to put Celsius in a better position to honour, over time, its withdrawal obligations,” the company said.Celsius’s token has fallen about 97% in the last 12 months, from US$7 to around 20 cents, based on CoinGecko data.‘Grey area’Crypto lending products have surged in popularity and many companies have launched offerings within the last year.That has sparked concerns among regulators who are worried about investor protections and systemic risks from unregulated lending products.Celsius and crypto firms that offer similar services operate in a regulatory “grey area,” said Matthew Nyman at CMS law firm.Celsius raised US$750 million in funding last year from investors including Canada’s second-largest pension fund Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec. Celsius was valued at the time at US$3.25 billion.As of May 17, Celsius had US$11.8 billion in assets, its website said, down by more than half from October, and had processed a total of US$8.2 billion worth of loans.Mashinsky, the CEO, was quoted in October last year saying Celsius had more than US$25 billion in assets.Rival crypto lender Nexo said on Monday it had offered to buy Celsius’ outstanding assets.“We reached out to Celsius Sunday morning to discuss the acquisition of its collateralised loan portfolio. So far, Celsius has chosen not to engage,” said Nexo co-founder Antoni Trenchev.Celsius did not respond to a request for comment on Nexo’s offer.


Dr Mahathir pushes Look East Policy for post-pandemic recovery

Malaysia must examine the growth strategies and models of China, Japan, and South Korea to accelerate its own economic development, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.He said the Look East Policy, introduced in 1982 during his first tenure as prime minister, could serve as a platform for exploring the development models of the Asian giants and charting new possibilities and opportunities as the government addresses the setbacks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.Mahathir added that Malaysia should adopt good practices from these countries while dismissing those that are unsuitable for Malaysia.“We discarded those that were unsuitable, but those which were suitable for Malaysia, we took and we tried to benefit from the waves of development that were seen in those countries, in particular Japan,” he said, noting that Japan rebuilt itself after the Second World War to become the second largest economy in the world before the more recent rise of China.“Therefore, there must be some merit to Japan’s actions. We desired to gain knowledge from Japan. To accomplish this, we have this Look East policy,” he said today during a question-and-answer session commemorating the 40th anniversary of Malaysia’s Look East Policy.Mahathir said the Look East Policy had been a success and should remain a cornerstone of Malaysia’s development strategies and programmes.“In my opinion, brilliant policies and effective programmes can only be fully implemented and their goals attained if their executors have the proper attitude and sense of responsibility,” he added.Today, over 400,000 Malaysians are employed by close to 1,500 Japanese companies operating in Malaysia. The Look East Policy has been instrumental to Malaysia’s industrialisation efforts and contributed significantly to the country’s overall economic growth.Mahathir also expressed hope that the 40th anniversary would provide a new impetus to the Look East Policy and Malaysia-Japan relations as a whole, as well as an opportunity to examine the Japanese education system from the pre-kindergarten to university levels.


Suspect pleads guilty in US spa shootings of Asian women

The man charged with shooting dead eight people in three Atlanta, Georgia, spas in March has pleaded guilty to murdering four of the victims.Robert Aaron Long made the plea as part of an agreement with state prosecutors who have recommended a sentence of four life terms without the possibility of parole.However, they are seeking the death penalty for Long, 22, if he is convicted on the other four counts.Six of the victims of the attack on March 16 were women of Asian descent but Long has said his attack was not racially motivated.Police say Long shot and killed three women and a man at Young’s Asian Massage near Woodstock, Georgia. He then drove to the state capital Atlanta, where he shot dead three women at the Gold Spa and another woman at the Aromatherapy Spa.Long pleaded guilty to murdering four people during his court appearance on Tuesday.District attorney Shannon Wallace said he claimed he was motivated by a “sex addiction” and his desire to eliminate sources of his temptation, according to the AP.She said all the evidence suggested that “this crime was not motivated by a bias or hate against Asian Americans”.However, district attorney Fani Willis has already said Long targeted the victims because of their race, national origin and gender. She says she will seek the death penalty.There has been an ongoing increase in racially-motivated attacks against Asian Americans throughout the pandemic.In late 2020, the UN issued a report detailing an “alarming level” of racially-motivated violence and other hate incidents against Asian Americans leading them to become more fearful for their safety.In May, US President Joe Biden signed the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act that aims to address the rising number of anti-Asian attacks.As well as the spa murders, an elderly Thai immigrant died after being shoved to the ground and kicked. A Filipino-American was slashed in the face with a box cutter. A Chinese woman was slapped and set on fire.From being spat on and verbally harassed to incidents of physical assault, there have been thousands of reported cases in recent months.Advocates and activists say these are hate crimes, and often linked to rhetoric that blames Asian people for the spread of Covid-19.


New immunisation phase to prepare teens for school kicks off

Teenagers from as young as 12 years old will begin receiving their Covid-19 jabs today with the launch of the vaccination programme for adolescents, the newest phase under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK).The government is aiming to fully vaccinate 80% of students before the 2022 school session begins.Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said some 3.2 million teenagers are expected to be involved in the programme for adolescents.Priority will be given to some 1.1 million teenagers aged 16 to 17 who will be sitting for public examinations as well as those with comorbidities.They will be given the Pfizer vaccine while health authorities study the use of the Sinovac jab on teenagers.Khairy said the programme will be implemented using methods such as scheduled outreach initiatives at schools, the administration of jabs at health clinics and hospitals, and walk-in programmes at selected vaccination centres across the country.He said teenagers must be accompanied by their parents or guardians who will need to sign the consent form before they are given the vaccine.Speaking at a press conference at SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (1), he said teenagers with health problems would be exempted from receiving the jabs.Education Minister Radzi Jidin who also spoke at the press conference said a group of 323 students aged 16 and 17 from SMK Putrajaya Presint 8 (1) would be the first to receive their jabs under this phase of PICK.Over 40 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered so far under PICK, with 56.5% of the population fully vaccinated as of yesterday.


PN, GPS to work together at GE15, says Muhyiddin

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin today said that his bloc would work together with the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition in the next general election.Speaking at a press conference in Kuching, Muhyiddin said an understanding was reached during a meeting with GPS chairman Abang Johari Openg several weeks ago.He said the understanding included Bersatu giving way to GPS by not contesting the Sarawak election and GPS in turn working with Bersatu at the 15th general election.“At the next general election, we will not be competing against each other, but will work with one another,” he said.“We believe we can help add more parliamentary seats.”Muhyiddin said Abang Johari had been ready to work with Bersatu when they met at his residence.“We had an understanding that for the state election, we would support GPS,” he said.“Abang Johari understands, and he said that for the general election, that’s open. That’s what he said.”Muhyiddin, who is Bersatu president, said the collaboration would strengthen Sarawak’s position in Parliament.“Sarawak with its 18 GPS MPs were very supportive of me when I was prime minister,” he said.“Without them we cannot form the federal government. What we want to do for the future is to further strengthen this with our participation.”He added that Bersatu had given its word not to contest the Sarawak election.“So I hope that so-called understanding will be respected.”He also praised Sarawak Bersatu vice-chairman Ali Biju for withdrawing from the contest for the Krian state seat.He said Bersatu had kept its word despite strong support from the grassroots urging party leaders to contest the election.“His actions were noble and honourable,” he said of Ali. “The sacrifice was very significant in respecting the understanding between Abang Johari and I to strengthen cooperation between Bersatu and GPS in Sarawak.“There is an understanding so that our supporters will not feel disappointed,” he added.“We have to recognise our members in Sarawak.”When asked about Ali’s name still appearing on ballots, Muhyiddin said the real contest would only involve the other three candidates fighting for the seat.He also urged voters in Krian who had been supporting Ali to vote for GPS candidate Friday Belik.“Ali has been campaigning with the GPS candidate, telling people not to mark the box next to his name.“So I’m here to urge the Krian voters, don’t choose Ali’s name on the ballot paper. Please put the cross at the GPS candidate.”Ali left PKR alongside fellow Sarawakian MP Willie Mongin to join Muhyiddin’s government after the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan administration.He had defended the Krian seat since the 2011 state election.


Govt to introduce law to ban smoking for those born after 2005, says Khairy

A new law will be introduced to ban smoking and the possession of tobacco products, including vape, for those born after 2005, as a generational end game for smoking in the country, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.He said the introduction of the law would reduce the future generations’ exposure to cigarettes and tobacco products as tobacco use is the leading cause of cancer and contributes to 22% of deaths due to cancer.“Meaning, if you are 17 years old and Parliament passes the act, you will never be able to buy cigarettes in this country ever again,” he said at the virtual launch of his ministry’s Cancer Day celebration today.Khairy said cancer cases had increased by 11% to 115,238 for the period of 2012 to 2016, from 103,507 cases recorded from 2007 to 2011.It is estimated that one in 10 men and one in nine women are at risk of getting cancer, he said.The three most common types of cancer among men in Malaysia are colorectal cancer (16.9%), lung cancer (14.8%) and prostate cancer (8.1%), while among women, the top three are breast cancer (33.9%), colorectal cancer (10.7%) and cervical cancer (6.2%).Khairy said cancer is also the leading cause of death recorded at private hospitals (34.95%) and the fourth in government hospitals (11.56%).This year alone, he said the government had allocated RM137 million for radiotherapy and oncology services, not including other costs such as imaging and laboratories for diagnosis confirmation, surgery and anesthesiology, rehabilitation and palliative care services.


RM4.8 billion for job creation not enough, experts say

Experts have urged the government to focus on creating meaningful and well-paid jobs instead of propping up low-paid jobs with handouts, in the wake of Putrajaya’s job creation plan announced in the 2022 budget as well as its National Job Creation Strategic Plan (NCSP).Armed with a RM4.8 billion allocation, the job creation plan known as Jamin Kerja Keluarga Malaysia or JaminKerja is aimed at creating 600,000 job opportunities – a much needed chance for the many who became unemployed during the Covid-19 pandemic.Economist Geoffrey Williams however questioned the extent to which the allocation would stretch.“This is equivalent to RM8,000 per job for a year, or RM667 a month,” he told MalaysiaNow.“This is not enough to create new jobs although it could act as an extension of the wage subsidy to support existing jobs.”According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), the current rate of unemployment is 4.6%, which equates to some 748,000 individuals out of work.Williams said a more effective approach would be to implement a negative income tax scheme for employees and companies to encourage people to work.“In this scheme, people who work but earn below a basic threshold would receive tax credit to top up their income,” he said.“So they have an incentive to work and to find work, even if it’s poorly paid, as they will get a top-up.”The NCSP meanwhile, announced by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in September, aims to produce a more resilient and highly skilled workforce with six core plans: enhancing industry-academia collaboration, nurturing talents to meet the needs of industry, empowering local entrepreneurs to thrive in the current economic situation, leveraging the gig economy to find income-generating opportunities, boosting the growth of new and modern sectors, and accelerating the adoption of modern workplace practices.Shahryn Azmi, founder and executive director of the MakeTimePay portal, said of the six components, only the fourth has any “real teeth” while the other five contain nothing new or able to achieve quick results in the realm of unemployment.“Reducing unemployment by subsidising the salaries paid by companies is fundamentally the cornerstone of most government initiatives to date, but it has to be seen as the stopgap measure that it is,” he said.“The moment that financial aid is withdrawn, unless there is more than adequate reason for the employer to retain the individual at a fair level of compensation, the business pressures to release the worker will return.”Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said policymakers and corporate executives have yet to appreciate the full scope of gig work, beyond just food delivery and ridesharing.“The problem is that the nature of work is changing rapidly. Economies are transforming and all at speeds far quicker than we seem to be able to understand as a nation.“Before we consider this to be a reactive policy born of economic desperation, consider the fact that research is showing that come 2025, just four years from now, half of the entire US workforce will be employed on a gig basis,” he said.Amanda Yeo, a research analyst with think tank Emir Research, said it was time for the government to emphasis the talent development of the Gen Z and millennials.“By prioritising high-skilled and high-income job creation, young Malaysians could find jobs that match their academic qualifications and desired income level.“They would also be less likely to go overseas for better job opportunities if they are happy with their current jobs,” she said.DOSM numbers also show that most jobs created are in the semi-skilled categories. Statistics for the third quarter of 2021 revealed that as many as 9,300 semi-skilled jobs were created, followed by 4,500 skilled jobs and 1,200 low-skilled jobs.Yeo said while the government should continue creating more full-time jobs for the youth, initiatives must also be put in place to make them less likely to seek money-making opportunities through informal activities.Williams, meanwhile, said job creation schemes had very rarely proven a success anywhere in the world.“The mindset is wrong,” he said. “It gives subsidies to low-paid jobs or short-term training appointments instead of focusing on investment in new forms of high-value activities.“These can only come when the economy opens up and begins to recover. So ending restrictions, opening the economy fully, and getting back to normal are still priorities, and we must not overreact to the Omicron variant.”


Interstate travel allowed only for Langkawi tourism bubble

Interstate travel for tourism activities is only permitted for the Langkawi tourism bubble programme in compliance with the stipulated SOPs on Covid-19, the tourism, arts and culture ministry said today.Referring to the government’s announcement on domestic tourism, the ministry said domestic travellers are currently allowed to carry out intra-state tourism activities for states that are in Phase Two and above of the National Recovery Plan.“Permission for tourism activities is subject to the SOPs that have been gazetted by the NSC (National Security Council),” it said in a statement today.It was referring to the decision of the Special Committee on Pandemic Management, chaired by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Sept 22, regarding the opening of economic and non-economic sectors.The prime minister also said that the government would allow the opening of tourism centres, islands and areas as well as cross-state travel provided that the country’s adult population vaccination rate reached 90% based on data and analysis by the health ministry.“The government will make an official announcement once it has a suitable date,” the tourism ministry said.Based on the records of the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee, 85.1% of the adult population had been fully vaccinated as of Sept 28.


Covid-19 case detected at 1U mall

The 1 Utama Shopping Centre in Petaling Jaya today confirmed a case of Covid-19 among the staff at the Mac City Service Centre, saying the individual in question is now receiving treatment at a government hospital.In a statement, it said the staff member had not stepped into the mall since clocking out from work on Sept 30, as his off-day was on Oct 1.“We have traced his entry points to the mall and Mac City Service Centre and confirm that the staff’s temperature was below 37.5 Celsius,” it added.“As of yet, we have not received any official notification from health authorities.”It said early mitigation steps and public safety measures had been activated to limit any potential risk, while the mall’s crisis response team was working around the clock together with the management of the outlet and health authorities.This includes the immediate closure and deep cleaning of the outlet and thorough sanitisation of the mall.All co-workers of the affected staff meanwhile have been placed under strict quarantine, with contact tracing underway.


Chief justice reveals death threats over high-profile cases

Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat today said that she had received death threats when presiding over cases involving certain personalities.
She said it was normal for every court judgment to be greeted with satisfaction and dissatisfaction by various quarters.
"That is normal… what is unusual is that in cases involving certain personalities, the support or criticism is extreme, as people generally know that I myself have received death threats before.
"Whether serious or not is another question, but it has reached that level," she told a press conference at the opening of the Legal Year 2023 in Putrajaya.
Tengku Maimun said her observation was that when it came to cases involving certain high-profile individuals, the comments directed at the judiciary were not constructive but excessive, one-sided and politically motivated.
Tengku Maimun added that the courts had no agendas and that their decisions were strictly based on the law and existing provisions.
"I hope the society out there understands the structure of the country’s legal process before issuing any statements which show their lack of understanding.
"(Try to) understand first, and if you still don’t understand, ask people who know and don’t make unreasonable statements," she added.
In August last year, the police were quoted as saying they had received reports of threats against Tengku Maimun on social media. They said action would be taken against anyone found abusing such platforms to undermine security.


Oval or arrow? Johor polls will show, says analyst on PH logo tiff

PKR’s decision to use its own logo in the latest state election following a string of defeats over the past year could become a referendum on whether the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition should consider adopting the oval-shaped symbol as its own instead of the pact’s arrowhead design, a political analyst says.PKR, whose president Anwar Ibrahim is PH’s chairman and prime ministerial candidate, suffered massive defeats at the Sabah, Melaka and Sarawak elections in 2020 and 2021.The party was completely wiped out in Sarawak and Melaka while in Sabah, it won only two of the seven seats it contested.Hisommudin Bakar of think tank Ilham Centre said PKR’s decision to use its own logo instead of joining DAP and Amanah under the PH banner indicated that it was looking to test its own strength.If this decision is carried out at the polls in Johor, he said, the outcome would show if PKR’s logo is capable of rallying the support of voters. This in turn would be food for thought for the PH coalition, he added.“PH needs to study the people’s acceptance of this specific logo,” he told MalaysiaNow.“If the PKR logo is more accepted than PH’s, the other parties should also follow suit in making it their own. In short, PH needs a consensus to choose one logo under which to face its opponents.”Amanah and DAP have both said that they will not “abandon” PH despite PKR’s decision to use its own logo at the Johor polls.They also said that political allies and coalition partners should stay together, whether in good times or bad.“As a coalition, Amanah and DAP would prefer all PH allies to unite under the same symbol with a common purpose and a shared political agenda,” they said.Hisommudin said the results of the election in Johor would show which logo is more accepted by the majority of PH supporters.“The results will also function as a benchmark for PH’s strategy in the 15th general election,” he said.‘Stability’Hisommudin also cautioned that PKR’s decision to contest using its own logo would not sit well with voters who prefer stability.“The PH leaders might say that this is proof of their willingness to be open in coming to a decision, but for voters including PH supporters, it comes across only a delayed division,” he said.“If even the issue of which logo to use cannot be resolved through consensus, what guarantee can PH give that it will not fall apart after winning?“The decision to use different logos has painted a picture for voters that there are hidden cracks in the coalition.”PH leaders had acknowledged “differences in opinion” over PKR’s decision to contest under its logo but said that the Presidential Council had agreed to respect the party’s wishes.But Hisommudin said the concession by PH’s top decision-making body was proof that DAP and Amanah appeared at odds with PKR in the matter.“PH has still failed to overcome the problems in communication and machinery experienced in the state elections before this,” he said.“Such a decision portraying a lack of unity among the biggest opposition parties will not give voters the confidence to vote for PH.”


Daily cases rise past 12,000

Another 12,434 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,232,960.Sarawak recorded 2,967 cases, Selangor 1,362, Johor 1,289, Kelantan 1,125 and Sabah 1,000.Perak recorded 971 cases, Penang 863, Pahang 663, Kedah 652, Terengganu 612, Melaka 375, Kuala Lumpur 284 and Negeri Sembilan 169.Perlis recorded 79 cases, Putrajaya 18 and Labuan five.Another 17,000 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,037,099.Meanwhile 979 are in the ICU, including 871 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 565 are in need of respiratory assistance including 378 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 12,434 cases reported today, 207 (1.7%%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 12,227 (98.3%) are in Category One and Two.