When to pull the plug?

When I was a student, I was often grateful to technology for bridging the gap between myself and home. I Skyped with my family on a regular basis, chatted with my friends, and was video-called in for birthday celebrations and festive occasions. I listened as my parents told me of their own experience away from home in the 1970s and wondered how anyone could survive in a time before the internet, when long-distance phone calls cost an arm and a leg and snail mail took three months to travel in one direction.Fast forward several years (fine, more than just several), and the world is essentially depending on technology and the internet to keep things running. With the SARS-CoV-2 virus still cutting its path of destruction across the globe, everything that can be moved online is either there already or on its way. Classrooms are now virtual, people are chairing Zoom meetings wearing pyjamas from the waist down, and online shopping is booming. Even groceries can be ordered with a click of the mouse and delivered without the need to ever set foot outside the house.Behaviour once seen as socially unacceptable is now the new norm as efforts to halt the Covid-19 pandemic turn society on its head. Where once upon a time children were scolded for spending too much time attached to their gadgets, such devices have gained legitimacy as their only point of access to education. Where radio ads were once broadcasted imploring people to put away their phones when having a meal with family or friends, screen time is now the only time many have with their loved ones as border closures and travel restrictions keep them physically apart from each other.But as necessary as the internet and technology have become to even the simplest of daily activities at this time, the question is perhaps how long things should continue this way.A report in May, relatively soon after the pandemic began sweeping across the globe, said a growing number of schools and universities in North America were preparing to extend remote learning indefinitely.It cited how education institutions had been ill-prepared for the shift online and said many teachers were considering incorporating aspects of virtual learning in their approach to teaching.Even before the pandemic hit, many things were on their way to becoming digitalised. As Gandalf told Frodo in the 2001 movie “Fellowship of the Ring”, “All I did was give your uncle a little push out the front door.”But just because things can be digitalised doesn’t mean that everything should be, or that everything will necessarily work better that way. While we acknowledge the lifeline technology has thrown us and which we should certainly use to our best advantage, we should be careful about celebrating it as the be-all and end-all to everything under the sun.Activities that depend primarily on social interaction would do better to resume at a face-to-face level once it is safe to do so. The same North American article, carried by CNBC, said the decision to move towards virtual learning was despite an “overwhelming” number of students preferring the physical classroom to the virtual. It also referred to studies showing that school closures due to Covid-19 could result in “substantially lower achievements”.Earlier this year, the government announced that it would be replacing the term “social distancing” with “physical distancing”. The health ministry, which made the announcement shortly after the country progressed from the conditional movement control order (MCO) to the recovery MCO, said the latter would be a more accurate term.The implied reasoning behind the switch is clear: while people are asked to keep a minimum safe distance of one metre between themselves and the next person, they shouldn’t feel isolated or as if all social bonds are gone. In other words, you are not alone. #KitaJagaKita.But the truth of the matter is that face-to-face interaction remains very much an important part of our lives. While we appreciate the conveniences of technology and how they have allowed us to continue learning, working, earning a living, and maintaining communication with those we care about, there is a limit to how much things can be moved online.Parents with young children worry about the effect that prolonged isolation from others their age will have on their development. Students welcome the shift online insofar as it allows them to wake up later, forgo the battle for parking, and attend lectures from the comfort of their rooms, but miss the personal guidance they would otherwise be receiving from their teachers. Some have gone as far as to postpone their studies by a semester or two in hope that the situation will improve and on-campus classes will resume, while others have lobbied for a reduction of fees in the absence of face-to-face interaction with lecturers.It is the great irony of this pandemic that we both fear and long for the company of others. We miss our Friday mamak sessions and yum cha outings with friends but worry about getting too close to them or anyone else, for that matter, just in case we catch or pass on more than we bargained for.But with any luck, life will eventually return to something resembling the old normal, and when it does, we should think seriously about what belongs online and what doesn’t. While moving online may have helped us survive, it may not necessarily be what helps us thrive.


New infections below 1,300 as death toll up by 3

Another 1,241 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,856,217.
There were 1,843 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,797,647.
There are now 22,167 active cases, of which 21,200 or 95.6% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 929 (4.2%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 38 are in ICU with 25 in need of respiratory assistance.
Three more deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 36,403.


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Real pistol that looks like Lego toy sparks controversy in US

A US gun maker has triggered controversy by selling a kit that makes a real Glock pistol look like a children’s Lego toy gun, at a time when hundreds of kids are falling victim to shootings.The Danish manufacturer of the building blocks has sent the Utah-based company, Culper Precision, a demand to stop producing the red, blue and yellow covering for handguns.“Our organisation reached out to Lego, which then sent a cease and desist letter to the reckless gun maker,” said Shannon Watts, founder of the group Moms Demand Action, which advocates for stricter gun controls.The colourful brick design gives the semi-automatic weapon a strong resemblance to a Lego toy. The gun maker was marketing it as a “Block19” which sold for between US$549 and US$765.“Here’s one of those childhood dreams come to life,” said Culper Precision in an advert for the gun on Instagram posted on June 24.“Guns are fun. Shooting is fun. 30 rounds full auto is fun,” the company said on its website.Watts, who stressed that “unintentional shootings have risen by 30% in the past year”, told the Washington Post her first reaction upon seeing the gun was that it was “sick and children would die”.She said that in 2021 there had been more than 165 accidental shootings by children in the US, according to the organisation Everytown. Last year 142 people died as a result of accidental discharges by children or minors, the same group said.Culper Precision’s CEO Brandon Scott confirmed to the Washington Post that he had received Lego’s formal notice and said the company had decided to comply, after having sold fewer than 20 of the items.The controversy comes at a time when President Joe Biden has made the fight against the “epidemic” of gun violence one of his priorities.The Democratic president presented measures in June to limit the circulation of firearms at the federal level, but Congress is deeply divided on the issue and the Democrats are struggling to push legislation through.


Court overturns ‘misadventure’ inquest verdict in Nora Anne’s death

A court today overturned an inquest verdict of “misadventure” in the death of a French-Irish teen who vanished in the jungle, replacing it with an “open” ruling in a victory for her family.The initial verdict indicated the death was accidental, but the new ruling suggests there are still questions to be answered in the case and leaves open the possibility of criminal involvement.The body of Nora Anne Quoirin, a 15-year-old with learning difficulties, was discovered after a huge hunt through the rainforest following her disappearance from a resort outside Kuala Lumpur in 2019.In January, a coroner handed down the misadventure ruling and said no one else was involved.But her London-based parents, who have dismissed authorities’ claims their daughter wandered into the jungle alone at night and believe she was abducted, said they were “utterly disappointed”.They lodged a challenge, seeking to have the ruling revised to an open verdict.Judge Azizul Azmi Adnan ruled in their favour Wednesday, telling the Seremban High Court that “in the interests of justice” the misadventure verdict should be overturned and substituted with an open ruling.“There was no credible evidence to support any other verdict,” he added.Massive huntPolice have stuck to their version of events – that the teenager clambered out of a window of the family’s holiday chalet and wandered off, and insist there was no sign of foul play.But her mother, Meabh, has said she believes someone could have placed her body in the spot where it was found, in a stream in the jungle not far from the resort.The teenager disappeared a day after her family checked in to the Dusun Resort, triggering a 10-day hunt involving helicopters, sniffer dogs and hundreds of rescuers.An autopsy concluded she likely died of starvation and internal bleeding.The coroner said the teenager had been left disoriented by the long journey from Britain to Malaysia, likely leading her to wander off, and that there was no sign she was murdered or sexually assaulted.But during the inquest, the teen’s parents said they heard mysterious “muffled noises” coming from the accommodation the night of the schoolgirl’s disappearance, fuelling their belief she was snatched.They also criticised authorities for their response to their daughter’s disappearance as too slow. Police have insisted they conducted a comprehensive search.The five-hectare resort is next to a patch of thick jungle and in the foothills of a mountain range.The teen had a condition known as holoprosencephaly, where the brain fails to develop normally. She had limited verbal communication and could only write a few words.She attended a school for young people with learning difficulties.


GM, Toyota, Ford cut production following Canadian trucking protests

Toyota Motor Corp, General Motors Co, Ford Motor and Chrysler-parent Stellantis said they had been forced to cancel or scale back some production at North American plants on Thursday because of parts shortages stemming from Canadian trucker protests against pandemic mandates.The truckers, who oppose a vaccinate-or-quarantine requirement for cross-border drivers, have used their big rigs to snarl traffic at the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit and Windsor, Ontario – which accounts for about 25% of US-Canadian trade.A Toyota spokesman told Reuters the automaker was suspending production through Saturday at plants on both sides of the border, in Ontario and Kentucky. The largest Japanese automaker said it was “experiencing multiple dropped logistics routes” and it is “not isolated to only one or two parts at this point.”The shortages affected Toyota’s production of the RAV4 – the best-selling non-truck vehicle in the US, Camry, Avalon, Lexus RX and Lexus ES, the automaker said.Ford said it was running its plants in Windsor and Oakville, another Canadian city, at reduced capacity. It added that it hoped for a quick resolution “because it could have widespread impact on all automakers in the US and Canada.”Stellantis said some US and Canadian plants cut short shifts on Thursday after many shortened shifts Wednesday night “due to parts shortages caused by the closure of the Detroit/Windsor bridge.”GM said it was forced to halt production Thursday at a Michigan plant where it builds sport utility vehicles after the protests.The largest US automaker said it had cancelled a shift on Wednesday and two shifts Thursday at its Lansing Delta Township plant.Shilpan Amin, GM’s vice-president for global purchasing and supply chain, told suppliers on Thursday in a message seen by Reuters that “although we may have intermittent stoppages, we intend to keep production running and meet current schedules at all of our manufacturing operations in the US, Canada and Mexico.”The company added it was “encouraging suppliers to evaluate alternative options in order to sustain your operations to meet our production schedules.”Honda said its Alliston, Ontario plant temporarily suspended manufacturing on one production line Wednesday evening due to border delays but was back online.Stellantis said the “situation at the Ambassador Bridge, combined with an already fragile supply chain, will bring further hardship to people and industries still struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.”“We hope a resolution can be reached soon so our plants and our employees can return to normal operations,” Stellantis added.The White House said Wednesday it was talking to automakers, Canada and customs officials to try to avoid disruptions to auto production.Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday called on Canada to reopen the Ambassador Bridge, as did US Representatives Debbie Dingell and Dan Kildee.“It is imperative that Canadian local, provincial, and national governments de-escalate this economic blockade,” Whitmer said. “They must take all necessary and appropriate steps to immediately and safely reopen traffic.”


Priority on increase in civil servants' salaries once economy improves, says Anwar

An increase in civil servants’ salary scheme will be the government's priority when the country's income improves, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said today.
He said given the current situation, an increase in salary scheme could not be implemented this month.
"During the winding up of the debate on Budget 2023 in Parliament this Thursday, I will provide some positive developments in terms of national income, the actual amount of investment, not the MoUs (memorandums of understanding)," Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said at the monthly assembly with the staff of the Prime Minister’s Department in Putrajaya.
Anwar said that based on his observations, the government machinery at the federal and state levels had acted swiftly in handling the flood situation in Johor, proving the credibility of civil servants in managing disaster situations without having to wait for instructions.
"This means that there is awareness at all levels, especially among civil servants, to carry out their duties sincerely and quickly. This is because people who have problems are not the same as us, they cannot wait for days (for assistance)," he said.
He expressed the hope that the momentum would be maintained by civil servants in the eventuality of a flood disaster in Sarawak.
Anwar also reminded the implementing agencies to expedite the implementation of flood mitigation projects without waiting for the 2023 budget to be approved.
"There is no need to wait for the full approval of the allocation because part of the allocation was approved last December. So just proceed, but follow the procedure," he added.
On Dec 20 last year, the government approved a special allocation under the Consolidated Fund (Expenditure on Account) Act 2022, which came into force on Jan 1, involving a sum of RM107,718,676,650 for operating expenditure.


Last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War, dies aged 91

Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended the Cold War without bloodshed but failed to prevent the collapse of the Soviet Union, died on Tuesday at the age of 91, hospital officials in Moscow said.
Gorbachev, the last Soviet president, forged arms reduction deals with the US and partnerships with Western powers to remove the Iron Curtain that had divided Europe since World War Two and bring about the reunification of Germany.
But his broad internal reforms helped weaken the Soviet Union to the point where it fell apart, a moment that President Vladimir Putin has called the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the twentieth century.
"Mikhail Gorbachev passed away tonight after a serious and protracted disease," Russia's Central Clinical Hospital said in a statement.
Putin expressed "his deepest condolences", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax news agency.
"Tomorrow he will send a telegram of condolences to his family and friends," he said.
Putin said in 2018 he would reverse the collapse of the Soviet Union if he could, news agencies reported at the time.
World leaders were quick to pay tribute. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Gorbachev had opened the way for a free Europe.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, citing Putin's invasion of Ukraine, said Gorbachev's "tireless commitment to opening up Soviet society remains an example to us all".
After decades of Cold War tension and confrontation, Gorbachev brought the Soviet Union closer to the West than at any point since World War Two.
But he saw that legacy wrecked in the final months of his life, as the invasion of Ukraine brought Western sanctions crashing down on Moscow, and politicians in both Russia and the West began to speak of a new Cold War.
"Gorbachev died in a symbolic way when his life's work, freedom, was effectively destroyed by Putin," said Andrei Kolesnikov, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Gorbachev won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990.
He will be buried in Moscow's Novodevichy Cemetery next to his wife Raisa, who died in 1999, said Tass, citing the foundation that the ex-Soviet leader set up once he left office.
When pro-democracy protests swept across the Soviet bloc nations of communist Eastern Europe in 1989, he refrained from using force – unlike previous Kremlin leaders who had sent tanks to crush uprisings in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968.
But the protests fuelled aspirations for autonomy in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union, which disintegrated over the next two years in chaotic fashion.
Gorbachev – who was briefly deposed in an August 1991 coup by party hardliners – struggled vainly to prevent that collapse.
"The era of Gorbachev is the era of perestroika, the era of hope, the era of our entry into a missile-free world... but there was one miscalculation: we did not know our country well," said Vladimir Shevchenko, who headed Gorbachev's protocol office when he was Soviet leader.
"Our union fell apart, that was a tragedy and his tragedy," RIA news agency cited him as saying.
On becoming general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party in 1985, aged just 54, he had set out to revitalise the system by introducing limited political and economic freedoms, but his reforms spun out of control. Read full story
"He was a good man – he was a decent man. I think his tragedy is in a sense that he was too decent for the country he was leading," said Gorbachev biographer William Taubman, a professor emeritus at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
Gorbachev's policy of "glasnost" – free speech – allowed previously unthinkable criticism of the party and the state, but also emboldened nationalists who began to press for independence in the Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and elsewhere.
Many Russians never forgave Gorbachev for the turbulence that his reforms unleashed, considering the subsequent plunge in their living standards too high a price to pay for democracy.
Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in a part of Ukraine now occupied by pro-Moscow forces, said Gorbachev had "deliberately led the (Soviet) Union to its demise" and called him a traitor.
"He gave us all freedom – but we don't know what to do with it," liberal economist Ruslan Grinberg told the armed forces news outlet Zvezda after visiting Gorbachev in hospital in June.
"Gorbachev lived to see some of his worst fears realised and his brightest dreams drowned in blood and filth. But he will be remembered fondly by historians, and one day – I believe it – by Russians," said Cold War historian Sergey Radchenko.


Time running out as Anwar fights for top job

Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's perennial opposition leader, has often been on the cusp of power but age is catching up with him and Saturday's election could be his last chance to win the top job.
The 75-year-old, whose political career spans four decades and includes two prison stints, is optimistic his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition can finally win enough seats to form a government and replace the graft-tainted ruling party.
So long the runner-up of politics, Anwar could be running out of time to achieve his long-held but elusive ambition of leading the country.
"This is Anwar's last election. If he fails to get the support to become prime minister, there will be expectations that he should step aside," Bridget Welsh of the University of Nottingham Malaysia told AFP.
"If he chooses to stay on, this will only serve to weaken the opposition further and fragment it. There are other leaders ready to lead."
Anwar was a firebrand Muslim youth leader when he was recruited in 1982 into Umno, the main political party that ruled Malaysia for more than 60 years.
His star rose meteorically, with the suave young politician becoming finance minister and then deputy prime minister in the early 1990s under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, a youthful counterbalance to the political veteran.
The pairing, considered one of the most dynamic duos in Southeast Asian politics at the time, soon unravelled.
Tensions came to head during the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis, when they had a bitter falling out over how to handle the debacle.
Some observers say Anwar had been too impatient to become prime minister, slighting his patron.
Mahathir sacked Anwar, who was also expelled from Umno and charged with corruption and sodomy.
He was sentenced to six years in jail for corruption in 1999, with an additional nine-year prison term added for the sodomy charge the following year, the two sentences to run consecutively.
As Anwar claimed political persecution, street protests erupted and evolved into a movement calling for democratic reforms.
Photos of Anwar with a black eye, inflicted in prison by the then police chief, were published in newspapers around the world, turning him into a symbol for a struggle that adopted the battle cry of "Reformasi!", or reforms.
Despair and hope
The Mahathir-Anwar tussle has dominated and shaped politics over the past four decades, "alternately bringing despair and hope, progress and regress to the country's polity", according to Oh Ei Sun of the Pacific Research Center of Malaysia.
The court overturned Anwar's sodomy conviction in 2004 and ordered him freed.
After a brief hiatus from politics as an academic, Anwar returned to lead an opposition coalition in the 2013 general election.
His alliance won 50.87% of the popular vote but failed to muster the numbers needed for a parliamentary majority.
Controversy continued to hound the married father of six. He was again sentenced to jail for sodomy in 2015, this time for five years, at the age of 70.
He has maintained his innocence and received a full pardon from the Agong three years into his sentence. Anwar returned to Parliament months later after winning a by-election.
Fragile alliance
Anwar allied with Mahathir during the 2018 election when his erstwhile tormentor came out of retirement to challenge incumbent Najib Razak, who was mired in the billion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal.
Their alliance scored a historic victory against Umno and Najib, who is serving a 12-year jail term for corruption.
Mahathir became prime minister for the second time, this time with an agreement to hand over the premiership to Anwar later.
He never fulfilled that pact, and their alliance collapsed after 22 months, leaving Anwar empty-handed again and paving the way for Umno to return to power.
Anwar has rejected any more alliances with Mahathir, who is again running for parliament at age 97.
"No matter how you dice it, the relationship between Mahathir and Anwar is cold," former opposition MP Charles Santiago told AFP.
Anwar's campaign rallies for Saturday's vote have drawn sizeable, enthusiastic crowds, many still chanting the "Reformasi!" slogan made popular 30 years ago.
"To save this country from endless political turmoil and corruption, I appeal to the people to give their support so that we can emerge with a clear majority," he told AFP.


Deadline for first jab under PICKids extended to May 31

The health ministry has extended by two weeks the deadline for first vaccine jabs under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids), from May 15 to May 31.In a statement, Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said the decision was made in light of the recent festive season and the public holiday which would coincide with the original deadline of May 15.“This is to give parents who still wish to vaccinate their children against Covid-19 the opportunity to do so,” he added.However, the May 8 deadline for the registration and booking of vaccination appointments through MySejahtera has been maintained.Noor Azmi previously said the decision to stop offering vaccine jabs for children was due to the low take-up which could lead to high levels of wastage.Following his latest announcement, parents who registered their children for PICKids and who were given appointment dates before or on May 8 and chose vaccination dates before or on May 31 can proceed according to schedule.Parents who registered and made appointments before or on May 8 but chose a vaccination date after May 31 will have their appointments automatically cancelled in MySejahtera.Parents who registered after May 8, meanwhile, will not receive an appointment booking link in MySejahtera.However, Noor Azmi said these parents would be able to walk in for appointments at government health clinics.He added that vaccination at these clinics depends on the supply of vaccine jabs available.“If the supply for that day has run out, parents will need to come back the next day,” he added.After May 31, children in the PICKids age group will no longer be offered Covid-19 vaccine shots for free. Vaccination will instead be available for a fee at private facilities.Exceptions will be made for those who are forced to cancel their appointments on or before May 31 due to Covid-19 infection.“Given the possible complications from MIS-C, parents are advised to bring their children for vaccination at health clinics within six weeks of recovery, or by Aug 30,” Noor Azmi said.Noor Azmi said today’s announcement did not apply to children who would turn five on or after May 15.“Parents of children in this category can registered and book an appointment for a first dose of vaccine through MySejahtera until Jan 15, 2023,” he said.The deadline for the first dose of vaccine for these children is Jan 31, 2023.


Ex-Goldman banker Ng sentenced to 10 years in 1MDB scandal

A US judge in New York on Thursday sentenced former Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng to 10 years in prison following his conviction in the massive 1MDB bribery scandal.
A New York jury in April 2022 found Ng guilty in the scheme involving the state-owned Malaysian investment fund 1MDB following testimony from Tim Leissner, another former Goldman Sachs banker and a co-conspirator.
A forfeiture amount will be determined later, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a press release.
"Roger Ng was a central player in a brazen and audacious scheme that not only victimized the people of Malaysia, but also risked undermining the public's confidence in governments, markets, businesses and other institutions on a global scale," said US attorney Breon Peace.
"Today's sentence serves as a just punishment for the defendant's crimes and a warning that there is a significant price to pay for corporate corruption."
The 1MDB fund was set up to promote the Malaysian economy, but was spectacularly looted in a scandal that roiled the country's politics and marred Goldman's reputation.
Ng and his co-conspirators paid more than US$1 billion in bribes to government officials to secure three large bond transactions for Goldman with 1MDB, according to the DoJ.
Some of the money went to luxury items, such as a US$51 million Jean-Michael Basquiat painting and millions of dollars in Hermes handbags, the DoJ said.
Leissner, who pleaded guilty in August 2018 to two criminal charges, is awaiting sentencing, DoJ said.
A third co-conspirator, Low Taek Jho, remains at large, the DoJ said.
In October 2020, Goldman agreed to pay US$2.9 billion in penalties in a DoJ settlement that included a guilty plea in US court by a Malaysian unit of the bank.


Australia up in arms over Beijing’s ‘fake photo’ of soldier murdering Afghan child

Australia is demanding Beijing apologise for posting a fake picture on a government Twitter account showing an Australian soldier with a bloody knife murdering an Afghan child holding a lamb.Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Beijing should be “utterly ashamed” for sharing the “repugnant” image.The image was referencing war crimes allegedly committed by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, an Australian Defence Force (ADF) investigation found that 25 Australian soldiers were involved in the murders of 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners between 2009 and 2013.The inquiry found “credible evidence” of unlawful killings and a “warrior culture” within elite units such as the SAS. The allegations included that junior soldiers were encouraged to shoot prisoners for their first kill.The findings sparked widespread revulsion within Australia and are now being investigated by police.On Monday, China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lijian Zhao posted the photoshopped image and tweeted, “Shocked by murder of Afghan civilians & prisoners by Australian soldiers. We strongly condemn such acts and call for holding them accountable.”Australia has asked Twitter to remove the post, describing it as “disinformation”.This is a new low in an already very tense and rapidly deteriorating relationship between the two key trading partners.Last week Zhao said the war crimes report “fully exposed the hypocrisy of the human rights and freedom these Western countries are always chanting”.His tweet shocked Morrison into his most undiplomatic language yet. The prime minister said the Chinese government should be “ashamed” of the post and described it as an “outrageous and disgusting slur”.


France faces massive strikes over pension reform

French trade unions are heading for what is expected to be a decisive showdown with President Emmanuel Macron over pension reform, with massive strikes from Tuesday aiming to bring the country "to a standstill".
After five separate days of protests so far this year, this week's stoppages herald a new phase in the battle between the centrist government and opponents of the changes.
"We always said that we would go into a higher gear if necessary," the head of the influential CGT union, Philippe Martinez, told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper on Sunday. "It will be the case on Tuesday."
More than 260 demonstrations are expected nationwide, many in small and medium-sized towns where opposition to the reform is strong, while strikes will affect transport, the energy sector and public services.
Police expect between 1.1 and 1.4 million people to hit the streets, a source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The upper limit of that range would represent the biggest day of protests in decades, higher than the 1.27 million who took part in demonstrations on January 31, and bigger than previous pension reform protests in 2010.
Unions representing workers on the national SNCF railways, the Paris metro and the energy sector, including refineries, have called for rolling strikes for the first time, with other industries expected to join in.
All eight major unions are seeking to bring the country "to a standstill", with shopkeepers encouraged to down their shutters.
Some truck drivers are expected to begin protests from Sunday evening, with blockades likely at certain industrial facilities and "go-slow" operations set to snarl traffic on major roads.
Only one in five regional and long-distance trains will run on Tuesday, the SNCF said on Sunday.
Unfair reform?
Macron's plan to raise the official age of retirement from 62 to 64 is a flagship policy of his second term in office, which began last year after he defeated far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
The 45-year-old has called the change "essential" because of deficits forecast for the system for most of the next 25 years, according to analysis by the independent pensions ombudsman.
France lags behind its neighbours and other major European economies where the retirement age has already been hiked to 65 or above to reflect higher life expectancy.
But opponents see the changes as unfair, penalising low-skilled workers who start their careers early, while reducing the right to leisure and a long retirement at the end of working life.
Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt insisted in an interview on Saturday that 1.8 million low-income retirees would see their pensions increase by up to €100 (US$106, RM475.67) a month from September if the reform is enacted.
"That won't make them rich, but it's a substantial effort that has never been carried out despite announcements over the last 20 years," he said.
Countdown
Time is running out for the unions and other opponents of the reform to force the government into a U-turn.
Amid increasing hardline rhetoric from labour leaders, the head of the CGT branch in the chemicals and oil refining sector, Emmanuel Lepine, has said he is ready to "bring the French economy to its knees."
Despite refinery strikes causing major fuel shortages in October last year, Transport Minister Clement Beaune said Sunday that "I don't believe we will see an irresponsible or blocking movement."
The legislation has already been discussed in the lower house National Assembly and is currently being debated in the upper-house Senate, where it is expected to be amended but approved.
A final vote from both chambers is expected from the middle of March and by March 26 at the latest.
Macron has faced numerous challenges from the unions in the past and, almost without exception, has succeeded in pushing through his pro-business agenda and social security reforms.
The former investment banker, often accused of being aloof and out of touch, has tasked Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne with being the face of the pension reform and leading negotiations with opposition parties and labour leaders.
Asked about the strikes on Saturday as he completed a tour of African countries, Macron said he had "nothing new to say" on the topic.
Allies expect him to intervene more directly in the coming weeks.


Ismail Sabri clocks in as prime minister

Ismail Sabri Yaakob began his official work as prime minister at Perdana Putra in Putrajaya today.He arrived at the main block of Perdana Putra, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office, at about 8.25am where he was greeted by Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali and Senior Deputy Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Rakon.Also present were Public Service director-general Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman, Attorney-General Idrus Harun, Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani and Malaysian Armed Forces Chief General Affendi Buang.Ismail clocked in at his office at Level Five of the Perdana Putra building, after which came the reading of prayers by the Prime Minister’s Department Integrity officer Muhd Redza Ahmad.Ismail, 61, took his oath of office as Malaysia’s ninth prime minister on Saturday.His appointment received the consent of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah in accordance with Articles 40(2)(a) and 43(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution.Today, Ismail is scheduled to make his first official working visit to the Kuala Muda and Yan districts in Kedah to check on the latest situation in areas affected by floods following a water surge incident in Gunung Jerai last Wednesday.The floods have claimed five victims so far while another is still missing.About 800 houses in Yan and another 200 in Kuala Muda were also affected by the disaster.In his maiden speech as prime minister yesterday, Ismail introduced the concept of the “Malaysian Family” by urging the people of various religions, races and ethnicities to help the nation recover from the current economic and health situation.


Warnings of thunderstorms, heavy rain in several states

Thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds are expected in several states until 10am today, according to the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia).MetMalaysia said in a statement this morning that the areas involved are in Kedah (Langkawi); Perak (Manjung, Bagan Datuk and Hilir Perak); Kelantan (Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Kota Bharu, Tanah Merah, Bachok, Machang and Pasir Puteh); Terengganu (Besut and Setiu) and Penang.Also involved are Selangor (Sabak Bernam, Kuala Selangor, Klang, Petaling, Kuala Langat and Sepang); Kuala Lumpur; Putrajaya and Melaka; and in Negeri Sembilan (Seremban, Port Dickson and Rembau) as well as Johor (Tangkak).


Pua’s reaction shows I’m telling the truth, says Dr M

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said that the reaction of Damansara MP Tony Pua to his remarks about an “arrogant political secretary” showed that he had been telling the truth in his memoir.“I did not name him, but obviously he understands that what I said was about him, which in itself is proof that what I said was true,” he said in a session after the launch of his book “Capturing Hope: The Struggle Continues for a New Malaysia”, in which the remarks had been made.“Why should he respond if it was about somebody else?” he added.Mahathir and Pua have been trading barbs over the former prime minister’s comments on what he described as a trusted adviser to former finance minister Lim Guan Eng.In his memoir, he said the adviser had taken part in business negotiations involving the government despite not being empowered to do so, and had resorted to threats.“It’s not the way a government works, and I put a stop to all instances of it that I was aware of, but it was this kind of behaviour that allowed the Umno cybertroopers to play up ethnic insecurities,” he wrote.Pua later identified himself as the person referred to, slamming Mahathir for siding with a “crooked businessman” whom he said had made a false claim against him.He also explained Mahathir’s claims, saying the former leader had been referring to a statement issued in 2018 to the directors of MMC-Gamuda with regards to the MRT2 project.They also clashed over several other matters including Exchange106, a development project in Kuala Lumpur over which Mahathir said the secretary had threatened the developer.In another reply today, Pua questioned which Chinese businessman had spoken to Mahathir about him.“I can only speculate that the likeliest person was someone who wrote to the primeminister in 2018 to extend his gaming concession by 30 years, in exchange for a RM150 million ‘licence fee’ to the government. The proposal was rejected outright.“I never met this particular businessman, nor was I involved in the decision-making on the proposal,” he said.


MCA president slams quality of food for flood victims

MCA president Wee Ka Siong has criticised the quality of food prepared for flood victims in Johor, where more than 50,000 were evacuated to relief centres last week.
In a video uploaded on social media, the Ayer Hitam MP said the food was of poor quality and also delivered late.
"Breakfast is delivered at 11am. What breakfast is at 11am?
"And the side dishes for lunch are so little," he said during a recent visit to the flood victims at Sekolah Agama Taman Kota Yong Peng.
MCA is a component party of Barisan Nasional, which joined hands with Pakatan Harapan, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and several other parties to form the present coalition government.
Wee said the same thing had happened in Sri Manggis, where lunch was delivered at 2pm.
He said his people were already discussing how to provide food for the flood victims themselves.
"This should not be happening," he said. "Even if we cook the food ourselves, don't give food like this."
The former transport minister said there were 22 temporary relief centres in his constituency in need of quality food.
He also urged the welfare department to improve the quality of food given.
Other states affected by the floods included Pahang, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan and Selangor.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently said there was no need to declare a state of emergency in Johor as the situation there was under control.


Court orders businessman and company to pay RM40,000 in costs to Najib-Rosmah, 3 others

The Court of Appeal today ordered businessman JR Deepak Jaikishan, his brother and their company to pay a total of RM40,000 in costs as a result of their lawyers discharging themselves from representing them in the appeals over a lawsuit filed against Najib Razak, his wife and three others.A three-member bench led by justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah awarded costs of RM10,000 to each respondent considering that the change of lawyers was made at the eleventh hour and that it was the second time they had sought to change lawyers.Zabidin said in view of the fact that Deepak’s lawyers had been discharged and the appeals had to be postponed, costs of RM10,000 to each respondent were appropriate, namely to former prime minister Najib and Rosmah Mansor, former Tabung Haji chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, Najib’s brother Ahmad Johari Abdul Razak and his former principal private secretary Shukry Mohd Salleh.The other two judges presiding on the bench were Abu Bakar Jais and Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali.Earlier, Zabidin allowed lawyer Magita Hari Mogan’s application for a discharge from acting for Deepak, his bother J Rajesh and their company Radiant Splendour Sdn Bhd in the four appeals.She told the court that the discharge order was filed on Nov 26, citing a failure to obtain any instructions from her clients.Najib and Rosmah’s lawyer David Matthews as well as lawyer Dhinesh Bhaskaran representing Johari, lawyer Porres Royan appearing for Azeez and lawyer Farah Shuhadah Razali for Shukry sought RM10,000 in costs after Magita informed the court of the filing of the discharge order.Zabidin then directed for the case to be sent for case management before the appellate court’s deputy registrar today, who fixed Dec 14 for another case management.The appellants – Deepak, Rajesh and Radiant Splendour – were appealing against the High Court’s decision on Jan 14 last year striking out their lawsuit against the respondents.In the suit, the appellants sought general, exemplary and aggravated damages, alleging a conspiracy that had led to the two brothers and their company suffering losses.They also claimed that the respondents had committed tort of conspiracy, fraud, malfeasance and abuse of process.


New infections top 2,100 as another 14 deaths logged

Another 2,121 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,969,420.
There were 1,764 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,905,670.
There are now 27,141 active cases, of which 25,149 or 92.7% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 1,900 (7%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 92 are in ICU with 58 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another 14 deaths were reported, including four who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,609.


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Golf club under probe for breaching MCO

Police have opened investigation papers on a golf club for allegedly defying orders to cease operations yesterday after its workers tested positive for Covid-19.Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said the health ministry lodged a police report at the Damansara police station yesterday, claiming that the club had violated the movement control order (MCO) by continuing to operate despite being ordered to be closed from Sunday.“The case is being investigated under Section 269 of the Penal Code and Section 22 (b) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act 1988 (Act 342),” he told reporters when met outside the golf club’s workers’ hostel here today.Earlier, Nik Ezanee carried out a survey of the workers’ hostel, which was placed under enhanced movement control order (EMCO) for 14 days from today until Oct 25 following the detection of positive Covid-19 cases involving employees staying at the hostel.So far, 23 local and foreign workers at the hostel have tested positive for Covid-19.Nik Ezanee said 11 of them had been sent to the Sungai Buloh hospital for treatment while the other 12 would be taken to hospital today.He said a total of 597 employees were expected to undergo Covid-19 screening on Wednesday, and that 20 police personnel had been deployed to monitor the EMCO area.


Menu Rahmah for all, says minister Salahuddin

The introduction of Menu Rahmah by the domestic trade and cost of living ministry benefits all Malaysians regardless of income and living standard, says its minister Salahuddin Ayub.
He said the initiative could ease the people’s burden and was meaningful to those in need.
Salahuddin said the programme offered premium meals, adding that the ministry would never allow traders to sell low-grade meals using poor quality ingredients.
"We didn’t name it the B40 menu as everyone can enjoy the meals… This is a menu for all... rahmah (blessings) for all," he said when winding up the debate on the motion of thanks on the royal address yesterday.
He said the initiative had received a good response from the people and traders including fast food chains and stalls at the rest and service areas along the North-South Expressway.
Salahuddin also said the initiative was part of the ministry's short-term target to ensure that no Malaysians are starving.
He added that the ministry still needs to establish cross-ministerial cooperation to tackle the cost of living issue.
"The economy ministry, finance ministry and National Action Council on Cost of Living are responsible for the cost of living, and we are working hard.
"This low-hanging fruit can be achieved now but to increase the people's income is the most comprehensive solution to tackle the issue," he added.


Russia pounds Ukraine’s Kharkiv, presses Donbas assault

Ukraine’s second city Kharkiv on Friday reeled from a deadly onslaught of Russian shelling as Moscow pressed its offensive to capture key points in the eastern Donbas region with more bombing of residential areas.The pounding of Kharkiv, which according to local officials left at least nine people dead, raised fears that Russia had not lost interest in the city even after Ukraine took back control after fierce battles.Over three months after Russia launched its invasion on Feb 24 – and which has left thousands dead on both sides and displaced millions of Ukrainian civilians – Moscow is focusing on the east of Ukraine after failing in its initial ambition to capture Kyiv.Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated accusations that Moscow is carrying out a “genocide” in Donbas, saying its bombardment could leave the entire region “uninhabited”.Oleg Sinegubov, the regional governor of Kharkiv which lies to the north of the Donbas region, said that nine civilians had been killed in the Russian shelling on Thursday.A five-month-old child and her father were among the dead, while her mother was gravely wounded, he said on social media channels.An AFP reporter in the city said the northern residential district of Pavlove Pole was hit and saw plumes of smoke rising from the area.The journalist saw several people wounded near a shuttered shopping centre, while an elderly man with injuries to his arm and leg was carried away by medics.Kharkiv mayor Igor Terekhov said the northeastern city’s metro, which resumed work this week after being used mainly as a shelter since the Russian invasion, would continue operating, but also offer a safe space for residents.‘Not scared’In Donbas, Russian forces were closing in on several cities, including strategically located Severodonetsk and Lysychansk which stand on the crucial route to Ukraine’s eastern administrative centre in Kramatorsk.Pro-Russian separatists said they had captured the town of Lyman that lies between Severodonetsk and Kramatorsk and is on the road leading to the key cities that are still under Kyiv’s control.Lugansk regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a video on Telegram that at least five civilians had been killed in the Lugansk region – part of Donbas – in the last 24 hours alone.Four had been killed in Severodonetsk and another person in Komyshovakha 50km outside Severodonetsk, he said, accusing Russia of “ceaselessly shelling residential areas”.In Kramatorsk, children roamed the rubble left by Russian attacks as the sound of artillery fire boomed.“I am not scared,” said Yevgen, a sombre-looking 13-year-old who moved to Kramatorsk with his mother from the ruins of his village Galyna.“I got used to the shelling,” he declared as he sat alone on a slab of a destroyed apartment block.Commentators believe that Russia’s gains in over three months of war have been far more paltry than President Vladimir Putin hoped, although Moscow has gained control over a handful of cities in southern Ukraine such as Kherson and Mariupol.The Kremlin is now seeking to tighten its grip over the parts of Ukraine it occupies, including fast-tracking citizenship for residents of areas under Russian control.Occupying authorities in Mariupol – which was taken over by invading forces this month after a devastating siege that left thousands dead and reduced the city to rubble – cancelled school holidays to prepare students to switch to a Russian curriculum, according to Kyiv.‘Trust lost’The intensified fighting across the country prompted Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to air Kyiv’s increasing frustration with the West, accusing allies of dragging their feet on arms deliveries and telling his German counterpart that Ukraine needs heavy weapons “as soon as possible.”Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin, whose country is bidding for NATO membership in response to its giant neighbour’s invasion of Ukraine, said on a visit to Kyiv it would take Russia decades to repair its standing in the world.“Trust is lost for generations,” Marin told a press conference.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who has faced criticism over Berlin’s slow response, also weighed in Thursday, saying Putin will not negotiate seriously until he realises he might not win in Ukraine.“Our goal is crystal-clear – Putin must not win this war. And I am convinced that he will not win it,” Scholz told the World Economic Forum in Davos.The flow of grain exports from Ukraine, known as Europe’s breadbasket, has been disrupted since Russia’s invasion, threatening food security around the world and sending prices soaring.The Kremlin on Thursday pointed the finger at Western countries for stopping grain-carrying vessels from leaving ports in Ukraine – rejecting accusations that Russia was to blame.President Putin said in a telephone call with Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi that Moscow was ready to make a “significant contribution” to averting a looming food crisis if the West lifts sanctions imposed on his country over Ukraine.But the US scoffed at the offer, with Pentagon spokesman John Kirby accusing Moscow of “weaponising economic assistance.”


Expert warns of counter-productive ‘MCO 2’ as Covid-19 sees nationwide spike

A public health expert has warned that gains “made at great cost and sacrifice” will be difficult to maintain, as Malaysia reports triple-digit daily Covid-19 infections for the fifth day in a week.This comes amid strong speculation that the movement control order (MCO), the government’s curbs on businesses and schools to control the pandemic which has so far claimed 136 lives in Malaysia, could be reinstated.“How about all [of us] stay at home for a while again?” health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said on Twitter today, shortly before he announced 260 new infections, the most since the lockdown was eased three months ago.Azrul Mohd Khalib.Azrul Mohd Khalib, who heads public health think tank Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy, described the recent spike as possibly Malaysia’s “third wave of the outbreak”, but said any move to bring back an MCO-style lockdown could be “counter-productive and yield very little results in controlling the disease”.Azrul said a freshly imposed MCO would cause further damage to the economy even as Malaysia struggles to recover from the impact of the earlier MCO, which lasted almost three months.He said the spike was expected, and the recent election fever in Sabah meant that the upward trajectory of incidence was “not a surprise”.“The earlier mobilisation of the health ministry’s resources and manpower to Sabah also meant that they were anticipating this and prepared for it,” he told MalaysiaNow.All but one of the 260 cases reported in the last 24 hours were local transmissions.On June 9, as the government prepared to announce the recovery movement control order, or RMCO, to end the total lockdown, the country had a total of 8,336 cases, of which 6,975 were recovered cases. At that time, only seven new cases were recorded.After the start of the RMCO, the number of new cases dwindled to double-digit figures, reaching 20 cases each day, until July 1, when only one new case was recorded.The downtrend gave some hope that Malaysia could return to pre-pandemic normality sooner than most other countries.But on Sept 8, in the build-up to the Sabah election, 100 new cases were recorded, a marked increase from 26 cases the previous day, and on Sept 16, the total number of cases since the first case in January breached the psychological milestone of 10,000.Azrul said it was convenient to blame Sabah for the nationwide spike in Covid-19 infections but noted that there had been ongoing outbreaks in the north and east coasts of Peninsular Malaysia as well as in the Klang Valley.“At this point, every state with the exception of Melaka has reported new active Covid-19 cases. It is likely that we are in the third wave of the outbreak in Malaysia,” he told MalaysiaNow.“The challenge for Malaysia will be maintaining and keeping the gains that it made at great cost and sacrifice,” he added.“That needs the cooperation and support of the public to adhere to SOPs and maintain safe practices which prevent the spread of Covid-19.”But he said public compliance with the SOPs, which include the wearing of masks and physical distancing, had been disappointing as even prominent individuals flouted health rules while ordinary Malaysians were punished.“If it is about leading by example, we have seen little of it from our leaders. How do we expect the public to comply?” Azrul added.


Microsoft faces EU antitrust probe after remedies fall short, sources say

Microsoft is likely to face a European Union antitrust investigation in the coming months after remedy discussions with the EU watchdog to avert such a move appear to have hit a roadblock, people familiar with the matter said.
Microsoft, which has been fined US$2.4 billion (about RM11.2 billion) in the previous decade for practices in breach of EU competition rules, including tying or bundling two or more products together, found itself in the EU crosshairs after a complaint by Salesforce-owned workspace messaging app Slack in 2020.
Microsoft added Teams to Office 365 in 2017 for free, with the app eventually replacing Skype for Business.
Slack alleged that its rival had unfairly integrated workplace chat and video app Teams into its Office product. The company did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Microsoft kicked off talks with the European Commission last year in a bid to stave off an investigation. It recently offered to cut the price of its Office product without its Teams app.
The European Commission, which hopes a price differential between Office with Teams and Office without the app will ensure a level playing field with rivals and give consumers more choice, has been seeking a deeper price cut than that offered by the US software giant, the people said.
The EU executive declined to comment.
A Microsoft spokesman said: "We continue to engage cooperatively with the Commission in its investigation and are open to pragmatic solutions that address its concerns and serve customers well."
The company, which risks a fine up to 10% of its global turnover if eventually found in breach of EU antitrust rules, could still improve its remedy before the watchdog kicks off an investigation.


Spending in mobile apps surges to new high, survey shows

App revenue from mobile phone users around the world climbed to new heights in the first half of this year, nearly reaching US$65 billion, market tracker Sensor Tower said Monday.Apple and Google saw their respective mobile app shops thrive as the Silicon Valley giants remained under fire for the power they wield at their respective marketplaces.Preliminary figures from Sensor Tower indicate that US$64.9 billion was spent across the App Store and Google Play in the first six months of this year in a 25% jump from the same period in 2020.Sensor Tower projected that US$41.5 billion would be spent at Apple’s App Store during the first half of this year on subscriptions and apps, including in-app purchases such as virtual items for game characters.Google Play was expected to generate a total of US$23.4 in revenue by the end of June.Video-snippet sharing sensation TikTok was the top grossing non-game mobile app, with users spending more than US$920 million in an increase of 74% from the first six months of last year, according to Sensor Tower.Google-owned video streaming platform YouTube was the second biggest non-game revenue generator, with users spending some US$565 million there, the market tracker estimated.Globally, spending in mobile games hit US$44.7 billion in the first half of this year, up nearly 18% from the same period in 2020, according to Sensor Tower.“While consumer spending in mobile games is growing at a slower clip than last year, this doesn’t indicate a downturn for the industry but rather a normalisation after the surge in interest during the extraordinary circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Sensor Tower said in a post.Chinese internet titan Tencent had the top grossing mobile game, Honor of Kings, which generated more than US$1.5 billion in the first half of this year, according to the market tracker.The survey shows the growing importance of the so-called “app economy” and comes amid criticism over the tight control of the two large marketplaces by Apple and Google.The Sensor Tower figures were released as a federal court mulls evidence presented during a trial in which Epic Games is trying to break Apple’s tight grip on its App Store, and potentially disrupt the entire mobile ecosystem.Epic, maker of the popular Fortnite video game, is seeking to force Apple to open up the App Store to third parties seeking to circumvent Apple’s procedures payment systems and its commission as high as 30% in the process.


In China, heat-weary cities now on flood alert amid torrential rain

A southwestern part of China that has suffered scorching temperatures this month is now on alert for flooding amid days of torrential rain.
Downpours in the sprawling manufacturing hub of Chongqing and nearby areas of Sichuan province follow severe power shortages in the same localities caused by heavy use of air conditioning and falling reservoir levels.
The rain began on Sunday and is forecast to extend into Tuesday. The government initiated an emergency flood-prevention response in Sichuan and Chongqing at 6pm (1000 GMT) on Sunday.
Earlier this month, the government declared a national drought emergency.
Many parts of southern China have seen temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius over the past few weeks, in what is widely considered the hottest period since the government began compiling information in 1961.
Chongqing suffered almost three weeks without rain and has been rationing electricity, crimping output from factories of major global companies.
Besides drought, extreme heat along the Yangtze River Basin has also threatened crops around many cities and localities. Pictures of scorched, mud-baked lakes and dried-up rivers have appeared on social media.
Chongqing and Sichuan have also battled forest fires.
The torrential rain of Monday and Tuesday is forecast to hit the eastern and southwestern parts of the Sichuan Basin and western and northern Chongqing.


Govt to report on LCS construction schedule and progress, says defence minister

The government will report the schedule and progress of the littoral combat ship (LCS) construction project in stages, Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said today.
He said his ministry had been given six months to mobilise efforts to revive the project, and that he believed the first ship would be delivered to the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) within two years.
"We will look at how we can ensure that the promised ships are delivered to the RMN and those who are guilty are brought to justice.
"I will report (inform) to the public the phased schedule for the construction of the ship," he said during a question-and-answer session at the Dewan Negara sitting this morning.
He said this in response to a supplementary question from Husain Awang, who asked for clarification on the steps taken by the defence ministry to resolve the issue of the procurement of the ships as well as a supplementary question from Razali Idris who wanted to know about the time frame involved. Hishammuddin said the government was also cooperating with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the investigation into the issue.
"Our cooperation with PAC is total. We have already faced PAC more than 15 times.
"The one who does wrong, still does wrong. If there is a violation or abuse of power, the investigation is ongoing and action will be taken against those involved," he said.
On Aug 4, PAC disclosed that the committee had held nine proceedings regarding the LCS issue from Nov 18, 2020 to March 8 this year.
It said the results of the proceedings found that the LCS project contract was awarded to Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd through direct negotiation, and that while the government paid RM6.083 billion, not a single LCS ship had been delivered.


Djokovic to miss US Open over travel ban for the unjabbed

Former world number one Novak Djokovic will miss the US Open after he said on Thursday that he will not be able to travel to New York for the tournament, having chosen not to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Current rules require travellers to show proof of full vaccination to board flights to and enter the US.
"Sadly, I will not be able to travel to NY this time for US Open," Djokovic wrote on Twitter. "Good luck to my fellow players! I'll keep in good shape and positive spirit and wait for an opportunity to compete again."
The Serbian previously said he was prepared to miss Grand Slam tournaments that require participating players to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Djokovic was on the entry list for the Aug 29-Sept 11 tournament in New York.
The 35-year-old was also unable to defend his Australian Open crown this year after being deported from the country over his vaccination status.
The US Tennis Association (USTA) described Djokovic's absence as "unfortunate" but looked forward to having him back at Flushing Meadows next year.
"Novak is a great champion and it is very unfortunate that he will be unable to compete at the 2022 US Open, as he is unable to enter the country due to the federal government's vaccination policy for non-US citizens," said US Open tournament director Stacey Allaster in a statement.
"We look forward to welcoming Novak back at the 2023 US Open."
Many had hoped to see Djokovic on the Flushing Meadows hard courts where he has hoisted the trophy three times and reached the final on six other occasions.
The hashtag #LetNovakPlay has been circulating on social media as Djokovic's fans voiced their support for a player who moved to within one of Spaniard Rafa Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slam titles after his Wimbledon triumph last month.
Fans had also been circulating an online petition in the hope of gaining Djokovic entry into the US while four-times US Open winner John McEnroe had said it would be "a joke" if the Serb was unable to compete due to his Covid vaccination status.
Others, including players, have taken the position that rules are rules and if you want to play you need to follow the guidelines.
"I think that it is obviously his decision to not be vaccinated but it is also the decisions of countries to require vaccines or not require vaccines," 2017 US Open finalist Madison Keys told Reuters at the WTA's Her Health Advantage Media Event.
"I don’t feel comfortable saying I don’t think vaccines should be required or I do.
"I think it’s just purely a (situation of) this is the requirement, you can either do it or you can’t do it.
"If you don’t do it, you can’t come."


Zaid, two others sue Bar for defamation over Najib's SRC appeal

Three lawyers, including Zaid Ibrahim, are suing the Malaysian Bar and its president over a statement accusing them of abusing and tarnishing the justice system when representing former prime minister Najib Razak in his final SRC International appeal.
Zaid, Liew Teck Huat and Rueben Mathiavaranam filed the suit through the legal firm of Messrs Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners (ZIST) at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Sept 30.
They named the Malaysian Bar and its president, Karen Cheah Yee Lynn, as the first and second defendants.
Lawyer Lim Qi Si, representing the three plaintiffs, said case management was held today before senior assistant registrar Nuur Fatimahtul Zuhra Khairuddin, who set Dec 13 for further case management.
"The court also ordered both defendants to file their statement of defence on or before Nov 7 and for the plaintiffs to reply on or before Nov 28," the lawyer said when contacted today.
In their statement of claim, the three plaintiffs said that on Aug 19, Cheah had wrongfully and maliciously published a press statement with the title "Abuse of Process Brings Disrepute to Our Justice System" on the official website of the Malaysian Bar, which is the first defendant, and that the statement was also published by The Edge Markets, Malay Mail and The Star.
They claimed that the press statement meant, among others, that they had abused the court process and committed professional misconduct by accepting Najib’s case and had to face disciplinary action for bringing the legal profession into disrepute.
The three lawyers claimed that the defendants failed or refused to contact them to confirm the facts before issuing the press statement and did not give them a chance to state their version of the story.
They claimed that the Malaysian Bar and Cheah should have referred to the disciplinary board under Section 99 (1) of the Legal Profession Act before accusing them of professional misconduct for representing Najib in the appeal case.
Both defendants breached their statutory obligations by issuing a press statement before doing so, they said.
According to the plaintiffs, Section 99 (1) of the Legal Profession Act states that any complaint concerning the conduct of any advocate and solicitor shall be in writing and shall in the first place be made or referred to the disciplinary board.
The plaintiffs claimed that a letter was issued on Aug 26 for the two defendants to withdraw the publication of the press statement and apologise to the plaintiffs, but that it was rejected by the defendants through their lawyers, Messrs Lee Hishammudin Allen & Gledhill, on Sept 2.
The plaintiffs also claimed that the publication of the press statement had caused their reputation to be tarnished and that the breach of statutory duty by the defendants had prejudiced the plaintiffs.
They said they were seeking general and aggravated damages, interest and costs, as well as an injunction to prevent the first and second defendants or their agents from publishing similar defamatory words against them.
On July 26, Najib appointed ZIST to represent him in his final appeal against his conviction and sentence at the Federal Court after terminating the services of Messrs Shafee & Co with immediate effect.


29 reported deaths take Covid toll to 30,908

Another 29 Covid-related deaths were reported on Dec 13, taking the cumulative death toll in the country to 30,908.According to the health ministry’s Github data repository, eight of these were brought-in-dead (BID) cases.Terengganu had the highest number of reported deaths at five or 17.2%.Negeri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur recorded four each; Kelantan, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor three each; and Kedah, Pahang, Perlis and Penang one each.According to the CovidNow portal, as of Dec 13, 61.2% of those who died in the past six months were unvaccinated, 22.7% were partially vaccinated and 16.1% were fully vaccinated.A total of 3,504 new cases were reported yesterday, taking the overall total to 2,695,143.As of yesterday, there were 57,926 active Covid-19 cases reported and 4,401 recoveries.


Supply-demand imbalance, high traffic volume to blame for surge in e-hailing fares, says minister

A supply-and-demand imbalance and high traffic volume leading to longer travel times have been identified as among the main factors contributing to the surge in fares and affecting the service quality of e-hailing.Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said some e-hailing companies had also recorded a drop in the number of registered drivers by 30% compared to pre-pandemic times, which indirectly led to longer than expected waiting times in some locations.Wee also said there had been a sudden increase in the demand for e-hailing services after the country entered the transition to endemic phase on April 1, which saw an increase in economic activities and public movements.“These factors have had the most effect on the fare algorithms employed by e-hailing operators (EHOs) which account for many factors including distance, traffic volume, weather patterns, as well as market supply and demand. They all play a part in the increase in fares lately,” he said in a statement today.In terms of fare structure regulation, he said there were two charges, namely the base fare and surcharge.“The government does not regulate the base fare and the surcharge cannot be more than two times the base fare, taking into account peak rates and fuel prices.“EHOs are permitted to set their fare structures based on their own formulae and terms of service with their consumers in a free market,” he said.Wee also said that the transport ministry and Land Public Transport Agency had met with EHOs to address the issue, and that the operators had given their assurance that they would allocate more resources towards increasing the number of drivers.“The government will also continue to ensure that more EHOs along with taxis and buses are available to provide commuters with more choices,” he said.Wee said there were over 130,000 individuals holding vocational licences to work as e-hailing drivers, with the figure expected to increase as more driving schools and operators receive more candidates to become drivers for 21 EHOs with active licences nationwide, including the Klang Valley.“The government urges all EHOs to improve their communication channels with their consumers. We will continue to monitor the e-hailing industry to ensure fairness and prevent undue burdens on consumers,” he said.


Britain's Queen Elizabeth to appoint new prime minister at Balmoral due to mobility issues

Queen Elizabeth will break with tradition and appoint Britain's new prime minister at her Balmoral Castle residence in Scotland, rather than at Buckingham Palace in London, due to mobility issues.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said on Wednesday the queen would meet outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his yet-to-decided successor on Sept 6 at Balmoral, where she spends her summers.
Johnson was pushed to resign in July, after dozens of ministers left the government in protest of his premiership which has been marred by a series of scandals.
The 96-year-old monarch will have an audience with Britain's new leader — either Foreign Secretary Liz Truss or former finance minister Rishi Sunak — shortly after meeting with Johnson, the spokesperson said.
The result of the Conservative Party leadership contest to succeed Johnson will be announced on Sept 5, with polls indicating Truss as the clear frontrunner.
Having the new leader appointed at Balmoral will provide certainty for the new prime minister's diary and avoid last-minute changes in case the queen experiences mobility issues, a palace source said.
Queen Elizabeth, under whose reign there have been 14 prime ministers, has had to scale back her public appearances in recent months due to such issues, and also spent a night in hospital last October for an unspecified illness.
"We will certainly make sure that the arrangements for the handover will fit totally around her and whatever she wants," Johnson told Sky News.
Britain's monarch, as head of state, traditionally appoints the new prime minister after an audience at Buckingham Palace, part of the spectacle of the day, when television cameras and helicopters follow official cars pulling into the palace grounds.
Every British leader has been appointed at Buckingham Palace since the reign of Queen Victoria except on one occasion, the BBC said, citing constitutional expert Vernon Bogdanor.
In June, the queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside her family to wave to cheering crowds at a celebration marking her record-breaking 70 years on the British throne.
At the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last month, her son and heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles delivered a speech on her behalf.


Twitter says users must be verified to access TweetDeck

Twitter users will soon need to be verified in order to use TweetDeck, the social media company said in a tweet on Monday.
The change will take effect in 30 days, the company said.
Twitter made the announcement in a tweet detailing an improved version of TweetDeck with new features. It was unclear if Twitter will charge users for both the new and old version of TweetDeck. Twitter did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Charging for TweetDeck, which was previously free and is widely used by businesses and news organisations to easily monitor content, could bring a revenue boost to Twitter, which has struggled to retain advertising revenue under billionaire Elon Musk's ownership.
The move comes just days after Musk said that both verified and unverified users would have a limited number of posts they could read per day "to address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation."
His announcement sparked a fierce backlash from users on Twitter, and ad experts said it would undermine new CEO Linda Yaccarino, who started in the role last month.
Individuals must pay US$8 (about RM37) per month to verify their account, while organisations pay US$1,000 per month.


Pacific islands hold out their hats to Beijing as pandemic sinks economies

Their economies ravaged by the pandemic, tiny Pacific island nations are increasingly turning to China-led agencies for cash after they have exhausted financing options from traditional western partners.And Beijing is proving to be a very willing provider of cash and other aid.China’s growing reach in the region is unsettling for the US and its allies, who have been the dominant powers in the Pacific since World War II.One of the most remote outposts of the war, the Cook Islands has a free association agreement with New Zealand and shared citizenship, while remaining its own country.It comprises 15 islands whose Exclusive Economic Zone covers nearly two million sq km of ocean.The Cook Islands’ government in Avarua received a US$20 million from China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) late last year after loans from the US and Japan-led Asian Development Bank (ADB) and a grant from New Zealand proved inadequate.Before that Fiji secured a US$50 million loan from AIIB, and Vanuatu accepted a US$12 million grant from the Chinese government.Pacific island countries have used their remoteness and natural borders to ward off Covid-19, but have faced economic devastation as tourism collapsed.Despite being small, these states possess strategic ports and air strips and control vast swathes of resource-rich ocean. They also represent votes in vital international bodies.Fletcher Melvin, president of Cook Islands’ Chamber of Commerce told Reuters, “China is very willing to lend money to any Pacific island nation. As much as Australia and New Zealand have encouraged the islands to look to them first it’s been a lot easier getting money out of China.”Over 30% of the Cook Islands’ US$153.2 million external debt now lies with Beijing-linked bodies, up from 16% before the pandemic.The ADB said in a statement to Reuters that late last year it provided the Cook Islands with a US$20 million loan, which was the “country limit” for the island nation. Wellington also provided US$16 million in aid.After getting what it could from those sources, the Cook Islands then sought funding from Beijing, sources told Reuters.The Cook Islands has previously defended its economic ties to China, which has funded several projects, including a water supply system.Anna Powles, of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at Massey University in Wellington, said: “If the AIIB becomes the primary lender to the Pacific and the region’s economic recovery is driven by Chinese lending, then certainly there will be significant concern that economic dependence could be exploited by Beijing.”


Casino mogul Wynn sued for acting as agent for China

The US Justice Department sued Las Vegas and Macau casino mogul Steve Wynn Tuesday to force him to register officially as an agent for the Chinese government.Wynn, the founder and former chief executive of Wynn Resorts, acted on behalf of Beijing in 2017 when he met with president Donald Trump and senior administration officials in a Chinese effort to gain custody over exiled tycoon Guo Wengui, the department said.Guo was wanted in China for financial fraud and other allegations, but was close to Trump advisor Steve Bannon, supporting Bannon’s media business and other activities, and had asked for political asylum in the US.The Justice Department said that in June and August 2017, Wynn contacted Trump and had dinner with the president to convey Beijing’s request that the US cancel Guo’s visa or have him otherwise removed from the country.“Wynn engaged in these efforts at the request of Sun Lijun, then-vice minister of the MPS,” the Justice Department said, referring to China’s Ministry of Public Security.Besides raising it with Trump, Wynn, who was a former Republican party finance chairman, also had “multiple discussions” with senior White House and National Security Council officials “about organising a meeting with Sun and other PRC government officials” on the issue, it said.At the time Wynn’s company owned and operated three casinos in Macau, Asia’s largest gambling Mecca.The Justice Department alleges that Wynn carried out Sun’s requests “out of a desire to protect his business interests in Macau.”It says that Wynn was advised that he had to register as a lobbyist for China under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, but refused to do so.Wyne was enlisted in the lobbying effort partly by another wealthy US businessman, Trump friend and former top Republican fundraiser, Elliott Broidy.In 2020, Broidy pleaded guilty to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act and forfeited US$6.6 million in a plea deal.Wynn, 80, was forced to step down as CEO of Wynn Resorts in 2018 amid sexual misconduct allegations.In September, three companies owned by Guo were ordered by the US Securities and Exchange Commission to pay US$539 million in penalties to settle charges over illegal cryptocurrency sales.


Malaysia eyes border reopening by Jan 1

Malaysia will reopen its borders to international visitors by Jan 1 at the latest, the National Recovery Council (MPN) said today as the country seeks to revive its ailing tourism sector.Malaysia has gradually reopened its economy in recent weeks as Covid-19 infection rates have slowed amid a ramped-up vaccination programme.More than three-quarters of Malaysia’s 32 million population are vaccinated, government statistics show.Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who chairs the MPN, told reporters the tourism industry was recovering too slowly without foreigners and noted that operators needed time to resume businesses.Muhyiddin, however, said infection control measures such as Covid-19 tests will remain in place, with authorities to determine entry based on the Covid-19 situation in originating countries, and other factors.He did not state when a firm date for reopening will be announced, but said the decision was still being detailed by health and security agencies.Malaysia this week announced it would launch a vaccinated travel lane with neighbouring Singapore on Nov 29, allowing quarantine-free travel for inoculated people between both countries.It has also agreed with Indonesia to introduce a similar travel corridor on a gradual basis.


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23 cases of Beta variant detected in Kelantan

A total of 23 Covid-19 cases involving the Beta or South African variant have been detected in Kelantan so far, says state health department director Dr Zaini Hussin.The cases involved locals with the latest linked to the Padang Tembak cluster and Kampung Bunut Susu.“The community is urged to maintain SOP compliance and to remain at home if there are no important matters to attend to in an effort to overcome this pandemic,” he told reporters in Tanjung Chat yesterday.Kelantan recorded a total of 270 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 30,142 with 7,596 active cases.On the development of treatment and quarantine centres in Kelantan, Zaini said the department was in standby mode and had identified several new locations to be used if more than 600 Covid-19 cases are recorded a day.He said one of the locations identified is the Institut Belia Negara in Bachok which can accommodate up to 400 people.“Until today, the trend of daily cases in Kelantan has shown a decrease compared to before. If you look at this trend, the existing centres are still able to accommodate the number of patients.“However, we hope that daily cases can go down as much as possible,” he said, adding that the 15 existing centres can currently accommodate 1,800 patients.Regarding the vaccination outreach programme, Zaini said the department would expand it in each district to facilitate and expedite the vaccination rate, with the cooperation of area leaders and the related agencies.


Putin says Russia could be fighting in Ukraine for a long time

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday his army could be fighting in Ukraine for a long time, but he saw no sense in expanding a call-up of 300,000 reservists from September and October after serious Russian battlefield setbacks.
Earlier, Russia's ally Belarus said it was moving troops and military hardware to counteract what it called a threat of terrorism, amid signs that Moscow may be pressing Minsk to open a new front in Ukraine as the war has bogged down.
Putin has rarely spoken about the war's likely duration as Russia has been forced into a series of significant retreats in the face of Ukrainian counter-offensives, waged with increasing stocks of Western weaponry, in the east and south since July.
Russia launched what it calls its "special military operation" in February, saying Ukraine's deepening ties with the West posed a security threat. Kyiv and its allies say the invasion amounts to an imperialist land grab.
"As for the duration of the special military operation, well, of course, this can be a long process," Putin said during a televised meeting of his Human Rights Council, where the Ukraine war took centre stage.
He said there was no reason for a second military mobilisation at this point, after the autumn's mass call-up.
Around 150,000 of those 300,000 reservists were deployed in Ukraine, 77,000 in combat units, he said. The remaining 150,000 were still at training centres.
"Under these conditions, talk about any additional mobilisation measures simply makes no sense," Putin said.
Russians, he said, would "defend ourselves with all the means at our disposal", asserting that Russia was seen in the West as "a second-class country that has no right to exist at all".
Putin further said the risk of a nuclear war was growing - the latest in a string of such warnings apparently meant to deter Kyiv's Western backers from more robust involvement - but that Russia would not threaten recklessly to use such weapons.
Despite recent retreats on the battlefield, including the loss of Kherson, the one Ukrainian provincial capital Russia captured, Putin has said he has no regrets about launching a war that is Europe's most devastating since World War Two.
He said Russia had already achieved a "significant result" with the acquisition of "new territories" - a reference to the annexation of four partly occupied regions in September that Kyiv and most members of the United Nations condemned as illegal.
Playing the Belarusian card?
In Belarus, President Alexander Lukashenko, who relied on Russian troops to put down a popular revolt two years ago, has allowed his country to serve as a staging ground for Russia's invasion of their common neighbour.
He has so far kept his own army from joining in, but recent weeks have seen increasing signs of involvement in Belarus from Moscow. On Saturday, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu flew unannounced to the capital Minsk. He and Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin signed amendments to the two countries' security cooperation agreement, without disclosing the new terms.
On Wednesday, the Belarusian Security Council, quoted by state news agency Belta, said troops and hardware would be moving in the country over the next two days, with imitation weapons used for training.
It gave no details about the number of troops or types of hardware that would be moved, or to what locations or of the nature of the training exercises. In Minsk, residents said there were no outward signs of unusual activity there.
Thousands of Russian troops have deployed in Belarus since October, Ukraine says, and Belarus authorities have increasingly spoken of a threat of "terrorism" from partisans operating from across the border. Lukashenko has ordered his military to compile information about reservists by the end of this year.
Strategy shift?
In the past, some Western diplomats have been sceptical that Belarus would join the war, noting that it had a comparatively small military, and Moscow would be wary of rekindling public opposition to Lukashenko that would weaken him for little gain.
Franak Viacorka, an adviser to Belarusian opposition leader-in-exile Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, told Reuters he thought it would be "political suicide" for Lukashenko to send Belarusian troops into Ukraine.
"Soldiers will not obey, elites will split, new protests will start. He (Lukashenko) knows this. Belarusians will not swallow this, and the whole system will crumble," he said.
Ukrainian officials have also said they doubted Russia had enough troops in Belarus to attack from there yet, and action near the border could be intended instead as a decoy to lure Kyiv's forces away from key eastern and southern battlefronts.
But some analysts say the flurry of activity in recent weeks could also be a genuine sign Belarus might send troops.
'Apocalypse'
In Ukraine, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned of an "apocalypse" scenario without power, running water or heat in the Ukrainian capital this winter if Russian air strikes on infrastructure continue. He said there was no need for residents to evacuate now, though they should be ready to do so.
Authorities were working to repair the latest damage to the power grid inflicted by a barrage of Russian missile strikes on Monday, hours after apparent Ukrainian drone strikes on two air bases deep inside Russia.
Ukraine has not directly claimed responsibility for the drone strikes but has celebrated the apparent demonstration of newfound capability to penetrate Russia's defences.
The US has made clear to Ukraine its concerns about any escalation of the war with Russia and did not encourage it to strike the two air bases, the White House's national security spokesman said on Wednesday.
But "unlike the Russians, we respect Ukrainian sovereignty", including decisions about how Kiev uses weapons supplied by the United States, John Kirby told reporters in Washington.


Ahead of parole, Indonesian militant 'regrets role' in 2002 Bali bombing

An Indonesian militant has expressed regret for his role in the deadly 2002 Bali bombings, media reported on Monday, as news of his impending release sparks outrage in Australia.
Umar Patek was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 for his involvement in bombings that ripped through two Bali nightclubs, killing 202 people, including 88 Australians. He became eligible for parole this month after a series of remissions for good behaviour.
The exact date of his release, the final sign-off for which rests with Indonesia's justice minister, remains unclear.
Citing a rare video shot in the Porong prison where Bali bomb-maker Patek is being held, Australian broadcaster ABC News reported he also hopes to warn young Indonesians about the dangers of religious extremism upon his expected release.
Reuters was unable to review the video of Umar Patek. It has been removed from Porong prison's official YouTube channel as it had not been authorised by the justice ministry, said the prison head, Jalu Yuswa Panjang.
News of Patek's impending parole has sparked concern in Australia, with PM Anthony Albanese saying his release would have a "devastating impact on the families of victims".
On Sunday, East Java's Porong prison, where Patek has been held since 2014, uploaded a 20-minute video of Patek and the prison head strolling through the prison grounds as the convicted militant discusses his role in the deadly attack, according to a report by ABC News Australia.
"My mistake was to be involved with the Bali bombing," he tells the prison head in the video, as reported by ABC.
During his trial in 2012, Patek's lawyers argued he only following orders when he assembled the bombs, and had neither planned nor executed the attack.
Indonesian authorities have since highlighted Patek as an example of the country's deradicalisation efforts.


Israel holds fourth election in under 2 years

Israelis were voting Tuesday in their fourth election in less than two years, with the nation still divided over whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu deserves to remain in power.Israel’s longest-serving premier, and still its most popular politician, has for several years proved unable to unite a stable governing majority behind him.He is again facing an electorate of some 6.5 million registered voters, after leading a successful coronavirus vaccination effort that has already fully inoculated half of Israel’s roughly nine million people, a pace envied by much of the world.But while polls project his right-wing Likud will win the most seats on Tuesday, 71-year-old Netanyahu will need coalition partners to secure a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.That means Israel is looking at three possible outcomes: another coalition under Netanyahu, an ideologically divided government united only by its opposition to him, or a looming fifth election.Corruption trial, extremistsNetanyahu is currently on trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust – allegations he denies, but which have helped fuel a protest movement with weekly rallies outside his Jerusalem residence.The prime minister has said he will not seek to block the trial and is looking forward to being exonerated, but critics suspect that if he earns a majority, he may seek parliamentary action to delay or end the process.But to form a government, Netanyahu will have to come to terms with small factions that control a handful of seats, likely including a new extremist, far-right alliance called Religious Zionism.If Religious Zionism crosses the 3.25% support threshold, as polls predict, it will send to parliament Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has voiced admiration for the mass-murderer of 29 Palestinian worshippers in Hebron in 1994, Baruch Goldstein.Even top Likud member and energy minister Yuval Steinitz said it would be improper to sit with Ben-Gvir, who has vowed to secure a prominent role in government before agreeing to join Netanyahu.Anti-Netanyahu bloc dividedIsrael’s electorate has migrated rightward since the turn of the century, following the failed Oslo Peace Process and the ensuing Palestinian uprising, or intifada.Polling suggests right-wing parties could win up to 80 seats, meaning that “whoever becomes prime minister, the country is likely to espouse a right-wing direction”, said Dahlia Scheindlin, a political analyst and pollster.For Netanyahu’s main challenger, the centrist former television news anchor Yair Lapid, that means any path to power will require an alliance with Netanyahu’s rivals on the right.That list includes former senior Likud member Gideon Saar, leader of the New Hope party that could win up to 10 seats, and who has ruled out joining a Netanyahu-led government.Lapid would also likely align with religious nationalist Naftali Bennett.The multi-millionaire former tech entrepreneur and one-time Netanyahu protege has fallen out with the prime minister and hammered him during the campaign, while not ruling out a reunion.Bennett’s Yamina party is, therefore, seen as a likely kingmaker.Lapid has said he will not insist on being prime minister in an anti-Netanyahu coalition if that helps unseat the premier.Fifth voteTuesday’s election was forced after Netanyahu triggered the collapse of a unity government he had formed with his rival Benny Gantz following the three previous inconclusive elections.Gantz, largely abandoned by his supporters after agreeing to sit with Netanyahu, said he joined a Netanyahu-led coalition to give Israel desperately needed stability as the pandemic was gathering pace last year.But their coalition agreement called for Netanyahu to hand power to Gantz after 18 months, something observers of the prime minister correctly predicted he would never do.If Netanyahu can’t get to 61 seats in this vote and his opponents cannot find common ground, a fifth election in three years is possible.And, said political analyst Gideon Rahat, it’s a prospect that may suit Netanyahu, whose primary objective is to stay in power, as caretaker premier awaiting yet another election if necessary.Netanyahu “can easily go to a fifth, sixth or seventh election”, Rahat said.


Gerik MP dies at 63

Barisan Nasional’s MP for Gerik, Hasbullah Osman, passed away from a heart attack today at the age of 63.An aide told MalaysiaNow that Hasbullah died in Raub, Pahang.Hasbullah, the former political secretary of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, was appointed as chairman of Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd, Putrajaya’s housing development company.In the 2018 general election, he defeated PAS and PKR to win the Gerik seat by a majority of 5,528.