Former Pakistan PM Khan vows to fight on in first rally since being shot

Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan told tens of thousands of supporters Saturday he would fight with his "last drop of blood" in a first public address since being shot in an assassination attempt earlier this month.
The shooting was the latest twist in months of political turmoil that began in April when Khan was ousted by a vote of no confidence in parliament.
Saturday's rally was the climax of a so-called "long march" by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to press the government to call a snap election before parliament's term expires in October next year.
"I have seen death from up close," said Khan, who hobbled to the stage with a walking frame to speak to supporters from a plush seat behind a panel of bulletproof glass.
"I'm more worried about the freedom of Pakistan than my life," he told the crowd. "I will fight for this country until my last drop of blood."
The rally was squeezed onto a motorway in Rawalpindi, a garrison city neighbouring the capital Islamabad and home to the headquarters of the country's powerful military.
'Imported government'
Saghir Ahmed, a 32-year-old tailor, was among thousands arriving in the long build-up to Khan's speech atop a platform draped with banners depicting a clenched fist breaking shackles.
Having shut his shop to attend, Ahmed said Pakistan's dire economic situation – with galloping inflation and a nosediving rupee – has made life "unbearable".
"We hope Khan will introduce some reforms and the situation will improve," he told AFP.
Khan attracts cultish devotion from supporters, but on Saturday made his speech hundreds of metres from the bulk of the crowd of around 25,000 to 30,000, separated by coils of barbed wire and a buffer of police officers.
In the Nov 3 assassination attempt, a gunman opened fire from close range as Khan's open-top container truck made its way through a crowded street.
Buildings overlooking the site of the rally were searched overnight, a police official told AFP, while snipers were perched on rooftops surveying the mostly male supporters whipping red and green flags back and forth.
Khan himself was surrounded by a crush of bodyguards at all times, while mobile phone signals were jammed in the vicinity.
Authorities threw a ring of steel around Islamabad to prevent his supporters from marching on government buildings, with thousands of security personnel deployed and roads blocked by shipping containers.
Khan-led protests in May spiralled into 24 hours of chaos, with the capital blockaded and running clashes across Pakistan between police and protesters.
Khan told Saturday's rally that he would not be calling on supporters to enter the capital.
'Red alert'
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah – who Khan accuses of being involved in the assassination plot – issued a "red alert" Friday, warning of security threats to the rally.
He listed Pakistan's Taliban and Al Qaeda among the extremist groups that could harm Khan.
The government says the assassination attempt was the work of a lone wolf now in custody, with police leaking a "confession" video by the junk-shop owner saying he acted because Khan was against Islam.
But Khan, a former international cricket player with a playboy reputation before he married, said he has long warned that the government would blame a religious fanatic for any attempt to kill him.
Without offering evidence, Khan has named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, interior minister Sanaullah, and a senior military officer of being the architects of the assassination attempt – charges they have all dismissed as lies.
Saturday's rally took place two days after the government named a former spymaster as the next military chief.
General Syed Asim Munir's appointment ended months of speculation over a position long considered the real power in the nuclear-armed Islamic nation of 220 million people.
Munir served as chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence agency under Khan, but his stint ended after just eight months following a reported falling out.
Pakistan's military, the world's sixth-largest, is hugely influential in the country and has staged at least three coups since independence in 1947, ruling for more than three decades.


As hope fades for top seat, chatter forms within PH to replace PM nominee

Calls are emerging for Pakatan Harapan (PH) to rethink its support for Anwar Ibrahim, as the PKR leader’s quest for the top seat in Putrajaya remains elusive with all signs pointing to a return of Perikatan Nasional (PN) to form the next government.While opposition supporters have taken to social media to vent anger at what they call a miscalculated move by Anwar to force Muhyiddin Yassin out of power, a PKR insider said internal chatter among those close to PH stalwarts was taking shape, urging the coalition to “stop two decades of misadventure” with him.“At the centre of this emerging discourse is criticism of PH’s lack of serious consultation and systematic discussion on the cross-party consensus offered by Muhyiddin,” the PKR source told MalaysiaNow on condition of strict anonymity.“Ultimately, it was about the top leaders’ rush to seek a power vacuum without even getting confirmation on the numbers.”Umno’s Ismail Sabri Yaakob appears to be the prime minister of choice for a majority of MPs, gaining endorsement from parties in PN as well as from GPS and Umno.This comes after about a dozen MPs in the group aligned with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who worked closely with Anwar in forcing Muhyiddin out of office on Monday, agreed to back Ismail’s nomination.MalaysiaNow understands that with the full backing of Umno, Ismail, who stood behind Muhyiddin against the wishes of Zahid and former boss Najib Razak, will have a comfortable margin of support to be named by the Agong as prime minister.“That news was long coming… because whichever way we turned, we still could not get enough support. The reason is not our policies or parties, but our prime ministerial nominee,” the source said, in an apparent reference to Anwar.Anwar has been the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate for every general election since his dramatic sacking in 1998 which saw him become the rallying point for what was once a disparate opposition.It was the 2018 election agreement between PH leaders that put him closest to the top post. The PH government, however, collapsed before the transition could take place, and the job of the seventh prime minister went to Muhyiddin.Anwar has nonetheless repeatedly claimed to possess the majority support.In September last year, he famously declared that he had a “strong, formidable and convincing” majority to topple Muhyiddin, but failed to provide proof of this during an audience with the Agong.“Some of us are aware that supporters have changed their tone from being hopeful to cynical, to now disdainful,” the source said.A quick check on Twitter and Facebook showed PH supporters criticising the decision by the coalition’s top leadership to reject Muhyiddin’s offer of reforms championed by the opposition in exchange for their support at a confidence vote that was to have taken place next month.“PH missed its chance to be king maker,” said one Twitter user.“Wtf was PH doing by pushing the PM out with no plan?” came an angry comment.“Itulah bodoh orang offer olive branch buat jual mahal (It’s stupid that when people offered the olive branch you played hard to get),” said another Twitter user, Azroy Roy.“Like Tony Pua said, when the opponent is desperate, negotiation would be easier. But due to leaders’ delusion of ‘one individual’, PH lost the opportunity to implement the necessary reforms and the kleptocrats will return as proxies. Now the chance for reform is gone.”Meanwhile, DAP MPs Tony Pua and Ong Kian Ming, whose positive response to Muhyiddin’s offer made them a target of attacks from fellow MPs and pro-opposition activists, wrote cryptic posts on their social media mocking critics back.“Perhaps it’s time to start a new painting. Already got a title in mind. ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being Stupid’. Any bidders?” said Pua, triggering a steady stream of responses, many of which praised his earlier stand on taking up Muhyiddin’s offer.Ong meanwhile has been exchanging messages with Ambiga Sreenevasan, the former Bersih 2.0 chief who has been among the most vocal supporters of a change in government during the pandemic.This morning, Ong cheekily asked in a Twitter post: “Morning! What are the odd makers saying today?” This was followed by a reply from Ambiga: “Basically that opposition has not got its act together still.”Ong then asked, “Time for another Twitter protest?”Earlier, Ong had mocked Ambiga’s call for Twitter users to show their opposition to any move to appoint Ismail as prime minister.“Yeah, I’m sure the PN and BN MPs will pay close attention to what Twitter is saying about who among them will be PM and DPM,” he had said.


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If you're Arafat's close friend, why not retract pro-Israel statement, Anwar told

Bersatu has again urged Anwar Ibrahim to make clear his stand on Israel, saying the PKR chief's recent claim that he is Malaysia's "number one fighter for the Palestinians" has not put to rest concerns over a statement he made in 2012, in defence of the Zionist state.
Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu said Anwar must expressly retract the remarks published by The Wall Street Journal, in which he was quoted as saying that he would "support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel".
"I call on Anwar, as Pakatan Harapan's PM candidate, to immediately state whether or not he will retract the statement. The Israeli regime should receive a very clear message that the leaders of this country will never ever compromise with them," Faizal said in a statement.
He was responding to reports in which Anwar was quoted as saying that he had been championing the struggle of the Palestinians, days after Bersatu asked why an individual suspected of being a Mossad mercenary was photographed waving the PKR flag.
Raibafie Amdan, one of several suspects charged with the abduction of Omar ZM Albelbaisy Raeda in Kuala Lumpur last month, was pictured waving the PKR flag in a social media post by his wife Nidarahayu Zainal, who was also charged with the abduction.
The incident sparked fears of Mossad’s reach in the country in order to carry out covert operations using local mercenaries.
PKR immediately distanced itself from the couple, saying it was beyond the party’s means to stop anyone in "their actions and choices".
But it brought back criticism of the PKR leader's controversial remarks on supporting Israel's security, which had drawn condemnation from the Palestinian embassy in Malaysia.
Arafat's close friend
Responding to Faizal, Anwar claimed he had been close to the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"Even when I was jailed, Yasser wrote a long letter to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was then prime minister, explaining that he was making a mistake putting me in jail," he was quoted by the Malay Mail as saying.
MalaysiaNow cannot independently verify Anwar's claim.
Speaking today, Faizal said if Anwar's claim was true, it should not be difficult for him to retract his statement in support of Israel.
"Avoiding answers or giving vague explanations has become a characteristic of Anwar that many people know," he added.
He also said Anwar's claim that he was at the foreforent of the Palestinian struggle in Malaysia smacked of arrogance.
"I myself was arrested by Israeli commandos in 2010 along with five Malaysian activists while boarding the Rachel Corrie flotilla to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinians," Faizal said.
"But I have never patted myself on the back and called myself the number one Palestinian fighter."


Nasa's next-generation Artemis rocket lifts off on test flight to moon

Nasa's towering next-generation moon rocket blasted off from Florida early on Wednesday on its debut flight, a crewless voyage inaugurating the US space agency's Artemis exploration program 50 years after the final Apollo moon mission.
The 32-story Space Launch System (SLS) rocket surged off the launch pad from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral to send its Orion capsule on a three-week test journey around the moon and back without astronauts aboard.
Liftoff came on the third attempt at launching the long-delayed, multibillion-dollar rocket, after 10 weeks beset by numerous technical mishaps, back-to-back hurricanes and two excursions trundling the spacecraft out of its hangar to the launch pad.
Dubbed Artemis I, the mission marks the first flight of the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule together, built by Boeing Co and Lockheed Martin Corp, respectively, under contract with Nasa.
It also signals a major change in direction for Nasa's post-Apollo human spaceflight program after decades focused on low-Earth orbit with space shuttles and the International Space Station. (See graphic)
Named for the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt - and Apollo's twin sister - Artemis aims to return astronauts to the moon's surface as early as 2025.
Twelve astronauts walked on the moon during six Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972, the only spaceflights yet to place humans on the lunar surface. But Apollo, born of the Cold War-era US-Soviet space race, was less science-driven than Artemis.
The new moon program has enlisted commercial partners such as Elon Musk's SpaceX and the space agencies of Europe, Canada and Japan to eventually establish a long-term lunar base as a stepping stone to even more ambitious human voyages to Mars.
The Artemis I countdown climaxed with the rocket's four main R-25 engines and its twin solid-rocket boosters roaring to life, sending the spacecraft streaking skyward and lighting up the night sky over Florida's central Atlantic coast.
About 90 minutes after launch, the rocket's upper stage is designed to loft Orion out of Earth orbit on course for a 25-day flight that will bring it to within 60 miles (97km) of the lunar surface before sailing 40,000 miles (64,374km) beyond the moon and back to Earth.
The capsule is expected to splash down on Dec 11.
Spaceflight stress test
Getting the SLS-Orion spacecraft off the ground was a key hurdle for the ambitious Artemis program. Its first voyage is intended to put the vehicle through its paces in a rigorous test flight, pushing its design limits to prove the spacecraft is suitable to fly astronauts.
If the mission succeeds, a crewed Artemis II flight around the moon and back could come as early as 2024, followed within a few more years by the program's first lunar landing of astronauts, one of them a woman, with Artemis III.
Billed as the most powerful, complex rocket in the world, the SLS represents the biggest new vertical launch system Nasa has built since the Saturn V of the Apollo era.
Although no people were aboard, Orion carried a simulated crew of three - one male and two female mannequins - fitted with sensors to measure radiation levels and other stresses that astronauts would experience.
A top objective is to test the durability of Orion's heat shield during re-entry as it hits Earth's atmosphere at 24,500 miles (39,429km) per hour, or 32 times the speed of sound, on its return from lunar orbit - much faster than re-entries from the space station.
The heat shield is designed to withstand re-entry friction expected to raise temperatures outside the capsule to nearly 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 degrees Celsius).
The spacecraft also is set to release a payload of 10 miniaturised science satellites, called CubeSats, including one designed to map the abundance of ice deposits on the moon's south pole, where Artemis seeks to eventually land astronauts.
Sending astronauts to Mars, an order of magnitude more challenging than lunar landings, is expected to take at least another decade and a half to achieve.
More than a decade in development with years of delays and budget overruns, the SLS-Orion spacecraft has so far cost Nasa least US$37 billion (about RM167.6 billion), including design, construction, testing and ground facilities. Nasa's Office of Inspector General has projected total Artemis costs at US$93 billion by 2025.
Nasa calls the program a boon to space exploration that has generated tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in commerce.


Indian Covid-19 variant found in 44 countries, all regions, says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that a variant of Covid-19 behind the acceleration of India’s explosive outbreak has been found in dozens of countries all over the world.The UN health agency said the B.1.617 variant of Covid-19, first found in India in October, had been detected in more than 4,500 samples uploaded to an open-access database “from 44 countries in all six WHO regions”.“And WHO has received reports of detections from five additional countries,” it said in its weekly epidemiological update on the pandemic.Outside of India, it said that Britain had reported the largest number of Covid cases caused by the variant.Earlier this week, WHO declared B.1.617 – which counts three so-called sub-lineages with slightly different mutations and characteristics – as a “variant of concern”.It was therefore added to the list containing three other variants of Covid-19 – those first detected in Britain, Brazil and South Africa.The variants are seen as more dangerous than the original version of the virus because they are either being more transmissible, deadly or able to get past some vaccine protections.‘Rapid increase’WHO explained Wednesday that B.1.617 was added to the list because it appears to be transmitting more easily than the original virus, pointing to the “rapid increases in prevalence in multiple countries”.WHO also pointed to “preliminary evidence” that the variant was more resistant to treatment with the monoclonal antibody Bamlanivimab, and also highlighted early lab studies indicating “limited reduction in neutralisation by antibodies”.It stressed, though, that “real-world impacts” on the effectiveness of vaccines against the variant for instance “may be limited”.WHO said the spread of B.1.617, alongside other more transmittable variants, appeared to be one of several factors fuelling India’s dramatic surge in new cases and deaths.India – a country of 1.3 billion people – is the world’s second-most infected after the US with nearly 23 million Covid-19 cases, and is currently recording more than 300,000 new cases and close to 4,000 deaths each day.The new surge in cases has ravaged major cities, including the capital New Delhi and financial hub Mumbai, pushing hospitals to breaking point and leading to severe shortages in oxygen and beds.“WHO found that resurgence and acceleration of Covid-19 transmission in India had several potential contributing factors, including increase in the proportion of cases of SARS-CoV-2 variants with potentially increased transmissibility,” it said.It also pointed to “several religious and political mass gathering events which increased social mixing; and, under-use of and reduced adherence to public health and social measures”.“The exact contributions of each of these factors on increased transmission in India are not well understood.”WHO stressed that so far, only 0.1% of positive Covid tests in India had been genetically sequenced and uploaded to the Gisaid database to identify the variant in question.By the end of April, B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 accounted for 21 and seven percent respectively of all sequenced samples from India, it said.In addition, other more contagious variants are also spreading in the country, including B.1.1.7, which was first detected in Britain.


Russia renews missile attacks on Ukraine as G7 pressures Moscow with oil price cap

Ukraine said Russia had destroyed homes in the south and knocked out power in the north in a new round of missile attacks on Monday as the West tried to limit Moscow's ability to finance its invasion by imposing a price cap on Russian seaborne oil.
Air alerts sounded across Ukraine and officials urged civilians to take shelter from what they said looked like a large wave of strikes, the latest in relentless rounds of air attacks by Russia since its Feb 24 invasion.
It followed reported incidents at two air bases inside Russia overnight, both hundreds of miles from Ukraine.
Three people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded at the air base in Ryazan, 185km (115 miles) southeast of Moscow, state news agency RIA said.
Roman Busargin, regional governor of Saratov, further to the southeast, acknowledged separate reports of a blast at a base housing bomber planes that are part of Russia's strategic nuclear forces.
Busargin reassured residents they were safe after what he called reports on social media of a "loud bang and a flash" at the Engels air base. "Information about incidents at military facilities is being checked by law enforcement agencies," he said, without elaborating.
The Engels base, about 730km (455 miles) south of Moscow, is one of two strategic bomber bases housing Russia's air-delivered nuclear capability, comprising 60-70 planes.
Ukraine did not claim responsibility for either incident, or for earlier mysterious explosions. Weapons stores and fuel depots have been hit in Russian regions close to the border with Ukraine and at least seven warplanes destroyed in Crimea, annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014. Kyiv has said such incidents are "karma" for Russia's invasion.
"If something is launched into other countries' airspace, sooner or later unknown flying objects will return to (their) departure point," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote on Twitter on Monday.
The Russian attacks later on Monday killed two people in the Zaporizhzhia region where several houses were destroyed, the deputy head of the presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, said in one of the first reports of the damage.
Buildings had been hit in the suburbs of the city of Zaporizhzhia and some Russian missiles had been shot down, a city official said.
The governor of the Kyiv capital region said its air defences were working there, and told residents to remain in shelters. An energy provider said power had been knocked out in the northern region of Sumy by the latest missile strikes.
Russian forces have increasingly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities in recent weeks as they have been forced to retreat on some battlefronts, causing major power outages as winter sets in.
"Don't ignore the alarm," said Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential staff.
Power outages
Ukraine had only just returned to scheduled power outages from Monday rather than the emergency blackouts it has suffered since widespread Russian strikes on Nov 23, the worst of the attacks on energy infrastructure that began in early October.
Russia has said the attacks are designed to degrade Ukraine's military. Ukraine says they are clearly aimed at civilians and thus constitute a war crime.
A US$60 (about RM263) per barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil came into force on Monday, the latest Western measure to punish Moscow over its invasion. Russia is the world's second-largest oil exporter.
The agreement allows Russian oil to be shipped to third-party countries using tankers from G7 and EU countries, insurance companies and credit institutions, only if the cargo is bought at or below the US$60 per barrel cap.
Moscow has said it will not abide by the measure even if it has to cut production. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said US$60 was not low enough to stop Russia's assault.
A Russian oil blend was selling for around US$79 a barrel in Asian markets on Monday - almost a third higher than the price cap, according to Refinitiv data and estimates from industry sources.
Both sides on the ground in Ukraine reported casualties from other attacks overnight, on an industrial enterprise and another location in southern Ukraine, and on state-run accommodation in Russian-held territory in the east.
Three dormitories of the Donbas State Institute in the eastern Luhansk region were hit early on Monday by Ukrainian fire, killing nine people, the region's Russian-installed governor and Russia's state-run news agency Tass said.
Pro-Russian Governor Leonid Pasechnik said the dormitories were being used to house refugees and construction workers.
In Kryvyi Rih, among the largest cities in southern Ukraine, Russian rockets killed one person and wounded three just after midnight, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentyn Reznichenko, said.
"They aimed at an industrial enterprise," Reznichenko said on the Telegram messaging app without giving details.
"It was a tragic night," he said, while Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Military Administration, said: "The destruction is very significant."
In the southern Kherson region, where Ukraine forced Russian forces to withdraw across the Dnipro River last month, governor Yaroslav Yanushevych said further Russian shelling had killed two people in the past 24 hours.
Reuters could not independently verify the fighting reports.


US carries out air strikes to aid embattled Afghan forces

The US has carried out air strikes to support Afghan government forces who have been under pressure from the Taliban as US-led foreign forces carry out the final stages of their withdrawal from the country.Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday the air strikes were in support of Afghan security forces in recent days but did not provide details.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strikes came on Wednesday night on the outskirts of the southern city of Kandahar, killing three of their fighters and destroying two vehicles.“We confirm these air strikes and we condemn them in the strongest terms. It is a clear attack and violation of the Doha deal as the Americans can’t have operations after May,” he said, referring to an agreement between the US and the Taliban clearing the way for the withdrawal of US forces.“If they conduct any operation, then they will be responsible for the consequences.”Reuters could not immediately reach a spokesperson for US forces in Afghanistan to confirm the time and location of the strikes.Under the original withdrawal deal between the US and the Taliban, brokered by the Trump administration and signed in Qatar’s capital, all foreign troops were expected to be gone by May if the Taliban met security guarantees.President Joe Biden announced in April that US troops would withdraw by Sept 11, angering the Taliban who had expected the withdrawal to be completed by May as agreed.Since Biden’s withdrawal decision, violence has risen sharply with the militants launching major offensives, taking districts and important border crossings and encircling or closing in on several provincial capitals, including Kandahar.Almost all US troops, except those protecting the embassy in Kabul and the capital’s airport, have left the country.The rival Afghan sides have been holding peace talks in Doha but progress has been slow.Kandahar province has traditionally been a Taliban stronghold and fighting there has been heavy in recent weeks with the insurgents capturing the main border crossing with Pakistan in the south.Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed in the area last Friday while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters.


Shah Alam primary school closed after student infected with Covid-19

Hundreds of students at a primary school in Shah Alam were told not to attend classes today, following a Covid-19 case involving a Standard Two student who is believed to have transmitted it from his mother.Sekolah Kebangsaan Bukit Jelutong said classes will be suspended until further notice.The school also said the district health office had directed the student’s classmates, as well as eight teachers, to undergo swab tests.When contacted by MalaysiaNow, the school’s headmaster referred the matter to the education ministry.Standard One and Two students started school on March 1 following a two-month delay of the 2021 schooling year.


China imposes sanctions on Pompeo, 27 other Trump-era officials

China announced on Wednesday sanctions against “lying and cheating” outgoing Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and 27 other top officials in the Donald Trump administration.The move was a sign of China’s anger at an accusation Pompeo made on his final day in office that China was committing genocide against its Uighur Muslims.The accusations drew Beijing’s ire with Pompeo being described as “a laughing stock and a clown”.Beijing announced the sanctions by releasing a statement around the time that Joe Biden was taking the presidential oath.The statement said that Pompeo and the 27 others “gravely interfered in China’s internal affairs, undermined China’s interests, offended the Chinese people, and seriously disrupted China-US relations”.Reuters reports that the other Trump officials to be sanctioned include trade chief Peter Navarro, National Security Advisers Robert O’Brien and John Bolton, Health Secretary Alex Azar, UN ambassador Kelly Craft and former top Trump aide Steve Bannon.Beijing’s statement said that they and their immediate family members would be banned from entering mainland China, Hong Kong or Macao, and that companies and institutions associated with them would be restricted from doing business with China.Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hua Chunying told a media briefing on Wednesday: “Pompeo has made so many lies in recent years, and this is just another bold-faced lie.”She said, “We hope the new US administration can have their own reasonable and cool-minded judgment on Xinjiang issues, among other issues.”Biden’s choice to succeed Pompeo, Anthony Blinken, said on Tuesday he agreed with Pompeo’s genocide assessment.He said: “The forcing of men, women and children into concentration camps; trying to re-educate them to be adherents to the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party, all of that speaks to an effort to commit genocide.”


Jury in George Floyd murder trial shown harrowing video of his death

The stomach-churning video of George Floyd’s death under the knee of a Minneapolis policeman took centre stage as arguments in the politically charged murder trial opened Monday.Prosecutors sought to demonstrate that white then-police officer Derek Chauvin had no justification for using the dangerous move for some nine minutes on Floyd, an African-American man, last May during an arrest on a minor charge.But Chauvin’s attorney countered that he would prove that Floyd was on drugs, forcing officers to take tough action, and that his death was caused by the drugs and a medical condition rather than asphyxiation.“Nine minutes and 29 seconds. That’s how long that went on,” Minnesota state prosecutor Jerry Blackwell said of the amount of time Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck as he lay handcuffed on a Minneapolis street.‘I can’t breathe’Floyd was originally arrested on May 25, 2020, for passing a counterfeit US$20 bill. But the situation worsened after officers struggled to put him in a police car and instead forced him to the ground, handcuffed.In the video, Floyd moans and gasps for breath while bystanders urge Chauvin to let up.He said, “I can’t breathe” 27 times, Blackwell said, before being loaded, unconscious, on a stretcher by medics and taken to hospital, where he was declared dead.Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the police force, is charged with murder and manslaughter and faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge – second-degree murder.But his attorney, Eric Nelson, told the jury of nine women and five men that Chauvin adhered to policing standards.“You will learn that Derek Chauvin did exactly what he had been trained to do,” Nelson said.“The evidence will show that Floyd died of a cardiac arrhythmia that occurred as a result of hypertension, his coronary disease, the ingestion of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and the adrenaline flowing through his body, all of which acted to further compromise already compromised parts,” he said.Biden watching closelyFloyd’s death, along with the bystander video of the long minutes that Chauvin held him on the ground, sparked a national outrage, with widespread protests and rioting against police brutality towards African Americans.The trial was broadcast live on television, and the White House said President Joe Biden was paying attention.“He certainly will be watching closely, as Americans across the country will be watching,” White House spokesman Jen Psaki said.“At the time of George Floyd’s death, he talked about this as being an event that really opened up a wound in the American public.”“The whole world is watching,” said Ben Crump, a civil rights lawyer and attorney for the Floyd family ahead of opening statements.“Today starts a landmark trial that will be a referendum on how far America has come in its quest for equality and justice for all,” Crump said.Martial arts witnessChauvin, 44, since fired from the city’s police, was seated at the defense table, dressed in a grey suit with a blue shirt and tie. He looked up periodically at the video and jotted down notes on a yellow legal pad.Due to Covid-19 protocols, only one member of Floyd’s family was allowed in the courtroom, while others had to watch by video feed in a separate room.Both Blackwell and Nelson sought to play down the broader ramifications of the trial.Blackwell said he was not trying to put all police on trial. “This case is about Derek Chauvin,” he told the jury.“There is no political or social cause in this courtroom,” said Nelson.With the first three witnesses, Blackwell appeared to build a case that Chauvin’s use of force was extraordinary and dangerous to any observer.The first witness, 911 emergency dispatcher Jena Lee Scurry, said she called another police officer to raise the alarm after watching Chauvin’s actions over a CCTV feed.Donald Williams, a 33-year-old martial arts instructor who was on the scene, said he told Chauvin at the time that his knee on Floyd’s neck was the equivalent of a dangerous “blood choke” used in wrestling and fighting.“You could see him actually trying to gasp for air,” he said of Floyd.Crump said Chauvin’s defense attorney is “going to try to assassinate the character of George Floyd.”“But this is the trial of Derek Chauvin,” he said. “The facts are simple. What killed George Floyd was an overdose of excessive force.”The trial is expected to last about a month. Three other former police officers involved in the incident – Tou Thao, Thomas Lane, and J Alexander Kueng – are to be tried separately later this year.


Hong Kong democracy leaders pronounced guilty over protests

Seven of Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy advocates, including a media tycoon and an 82-year-old veteran of the movement, were convicted on Thursday of unlawful assembly by organising and participating in a 2019 march during massive anti-government protests that triggered a crackdown on dissent.The march was in opposition to a bill that would have allowed suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial.The verdict was the latest blow to the increasingly cowed democracy movement as the Hong Kong and Beijing governments tighten their grip in efforts to exert greater control over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.Media tycoon Jimmy Lai and veteran politician Martin Lee were among those found guilty in a ruling handed down by a district judge.All seven had pleaded not guilty but now face up to five years in jail. They will be sentenced at a later date. Some of them are also facing other charges under the Beijing-imposed national security law.Lai is one of the most prominent supporters of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Estimated to be worth more than US$1bn, he made his initial fortune in the clothing industry and later ventured into media and founded Next Digital, publisher of Apple Daily, a popular tabloid which is frequently critical of Hong Kong and mainland Chinese leadership.In a local media landscape increasingly fearful of Beijing, Lai has been a persistent thorn in China’s side, both through his publications and writing.It has seen him become a hero for many Hong Kong but on the mainland he is viewed as a traitor who threatens Chinese national security.Interviewed by the BBC before his arrest earlier in December, he said he would not give in to intimidation.“If they can induce fear in you, that’s the cheapest way to control you and the most effective way and they know it. The only way to defeat the way of intimidation is to face up to fear and don’t let it frighten you.”Martin Lee, the 82-year-old veteran of Hong Kong’s struggle for political rights, is the founding chairman of the Democratic Party.Known as the father of Hong Kong democracy, he said in 2020 he was “very much relieved” by his arrest.“For so many years, so many months, so many good youngsters were arrested and charged, while I was not arrested. I feel sorry about it,” he said.Many of the seven have been at the heart of the pro-democracy struggle for years dating back to the Umbrella Movement in 2014 and even further.After waves of pro-democracy protests, Beijing is increasingly cracking down on the city’s rights and freedoms.The prosecution argued that freedom of assembly – while granted in the constitution – is not absolute in Hong Kong.


1,229 new cases, four more deaths

Another 1,229 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 83,475.Selangor recorded 435 cases (35.4%), of which 344 (79.1%) were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Sabah (333 cases, 27.1%) and Kuala Lumpur (131 cases, 10.7%).Perak recorded 105 cases, followed by Johor (103), Negeri Sembilan (29), Pahang (28), Penang (26), Kedah (13), Terengganu (12), Melaka (seven), Labuan (six), and Perlis (one).Active cases stand at 13,667 with 115 in the ICU and 65 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 1,309 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 69,393.However, four more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 415.


World jurist commission warns Singapore over death penalty, punishment of lawyers

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) today joined the chorus of criticism over Singapore's use of the death penalty for drug offences as well as the penalties slapped against lawyers representing death row inmates, saying the punitive cost orders have obstructed prisoners' access to justice and their right to a fair trial and life itself.
The Geneva-based ICJ, comprising senior judges, attorneys and academics, urged the city-state to put an immediate halt to any impending executions and to cease its imposition of penalties against lawyers.
"This is a violation of the basic right of every person to legal representation of their choice. Every human being is entitled to be treated with dignity, more so those who are fighting for their lives," ICJ commissioner Ambiga Sreenevasan added.
The ICJ statement comes days after Singapore executed another two prisoners – Abdul Rahim Shapiee and Ong Seow Ping – on Aug 5, taking the number of inmates executed in the island republic to 10 in just four months.
Rahim had been one of 24 prisoners who filed a suit against the government over their inability to seek the service of lawyers in the wake of heavy penalties slapped on those representing death row inmates.
The suit was thrown out by a Singapore court on Aug 3, a day after the prisoners were told to submit elaborate paperwork in support of their case despite their lack of counsel.
The lack of lawyers willing to represent them had seen many of the inmates who were executed in past months forced to defend themselves in their final appeals.
In the case of Malaysian Nagaenthran K Dharmalingam, who was hanged on April 27, his mother appeared in court to represent him as she was unable to find a lawyer willing to do so.
The ICJ said the courts in Singapore had imposed punitive cost orders against the lawyers of death row inmates as they had filed late-stage applications on behalf of their clients, "purportedly on the basis that these applications were 'frivolous, vexatious or an abuse of process'".
Citing one such ruling by the Singapore High Court on June 23, it said this holding was based on "an overly expansive and impermissible interpretation of what constitutes 'lack of merit' or 'abuse of process'".
"Imposing punitive cost orders based on overbroad and impermissible readings of 'lack of merit' or 'abuse of process' violates the rule of law and international standards on the independence of lawyers, such as the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, which make clear that lawyers must be able to perform their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment or improper interference," it said.
Adding that the ICJ opposed the death penalty under any circumstances, it said international law and standards on the use of the death penalty are clear that it should never be imposed in a conviction for drug offences.
"Such offences... do not involve 'intentional killing', the international law threshold for capital crimes," it added.
Other international bodies such as Amnesty International and the United Nations' Human Rights Office have also joined the growing criticism from activists and lawyers campaigning to end the death penalty.
"Rather than having a unique deterrent effect on crime, these executions only show the utter disregard the Singaporean authorities have for human rights and the right to life," Amnesty said on July 22.
The Singapore government has scoffed at those who question its death penalty for drug offences, despite statistics showing that most individuals hired to courier drugs are from poor families.
Instead, the PAP-led regime insists that the death penalty has been a deterrent to drug crimes.


All constitutional procedures followed, Putrajaya explains move to repeal emergency

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today said the government had followed all constitutional procedures and provisions before announcing the revocation of the emergency ordinances on Monday, following a statement from Istana Negara claiming that the move was against the Agong’s role as head of state.“The government views all these actions as orderly and in accordance with the provisions of the law and the Federal Constitution.“The prime minister wishes to emphasise that in carrying out his duties and responsibilities, it is important for him to act in accordance with the law and the constitution,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement explaining the decision to announce the move not to extend the emergency beyond Aug 1.Istana Negara, in a statement today which triggered accusations of “derhaka” or treachery by opposition leaders against Muhyiddin, said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah was disappointed that the government had repealed the emergency ordinances and announced its decision not to extend the state of emergency, saying the matter should have gone through debate by MPs.The statement from the PMO however explained the various meetings and decisions taken before the announcement in the Dewan Rakyat on July 26 by law minister Takiyuddin Hassan.It said the government had taken into account the call by the Agong and the Malay rulers last month for the emergency not to be extended and for Parliament to reconvene without delay.It said a Cabinet meeting on July 21 had decided that a special session of the Dewan Rakyat would be held after getting the Agong’s consent, alongside two other decisions.“Secondly, the Cabinet would not advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to renew the proclamation of emergency after the current emergency ends on Aug 1, 2021, and thirdly, as the emergency would not continue, the Cabinet decided to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to revoke all emergency ordinances promulgated by His Majesty during the emergency period in force,” the PMO said in its statement.It said the following day, the Attorney-General’s Chambers submitted the draft for the repeal of the emergency ordinances effective July 21.On July 23, the prime minister wrote to the Agong to advise him on the decision to repeal the emergency ordinances and to seek his consent.The next day, the Agong summoned law minister Takiyuddin Hassan and Attorney-General Idrus Harun for a detailed explanation of the Cabinet advice.The PMO said that all emergency ordinances had already been “laid” in the Dewan Rakyat in time for the first day of the special sitting on July 26, in keeping with Article 150(3) of the constitution.“However, opposition MPs demanded that the Dewan Rakyat repeal the emergency ordinances promulgated by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.“Subsequently, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Takiyuddin) as the minister responsible for legal affairs informed the MPs that the government, namely the Cabinet, had decided to repeal the emergency ordinances.“This is a statement of fact, aimed at informing the Dewan Rakyat of the real situation in a transparent manner,” the PMO added.It said as the move to inform the MPs raised questions on whether the Agong had given his consent to repealing the emergency ordinances, Muhyiddin had sought an audience on the afternoon of July 27 to offer further explanation.“During this session, the prime minister once again delivered the Cabinet’s advice on the repeal of the emergency ordinances and clarified the confusion that the opposition was trying to create in the Dewan Rakyat sitting.“The prime minister also conveyed the government’s view that the emergency ordinances need not be revoked by Parliament as the Cabinet had already advised the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to repeal them,” the statement said, adding that the July 26 sitting was part of the special sitting where the emergency was not part of the agenda.“Therefore, the Cabinet decided to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to repeal the emergency ordinances prior to the special sitting of Parliament,” the PMO added.


LHDN applies for Shafee’s tax case to be decided without witness testimony

The Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) has applied for its suit against Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, seeking payment amounting to RM9.41 million in tax arrears for five assessment years, to be decided through summary judgment.A summary judgement is where a court decides a case without hearing testimony of witnesses.The application was filed by LHDN on behalf of the government as the plaintiff on Sept 27, on grounds that the defendant (Shafee) had failed to pay the income tax arrears amounting to RM9,414,708.32 within the stipulated time.High Court deputy registrar Syeela Marlina Uttaman, during case management of the tax case via e-Review yesterday, fixed Oct 13 for another case management.The writ of summons and the statement of claim were filed on May 6 at the High Court, with Shafee, 69, named as the defendant.Based on the statement of claim which was obtained through the court’s e-filing system, the government claimed that an additional assessment amounting to RM621,291.85, RM978,854.11, RM3,581,500, RM1,735,124.03 and RM1,826,557,87 was made for the assessment year of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 respectively, through a notice dated May 27, 2019, which was sent to the defendant.It claimed that the defendant had still yet to pay the amount.It said the defendant should pay RM9,414,708.32, interest of 5% per annum from the date of judgment until the date of realisation, costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.Shafee is the lawyer representing former prime minister Najib Razak in the case involving the misappropriation of SRC International Sdn Bhd and 1MDB funds.Shafee is facing two charges of receiving RM9.5 million in proceeds from unlawful activities from Najib and two charges of making false declarations to LHDN.


Economic Action Council presents independent reset plan by secretariats for crisis recovery

The Economic Action Council (EAC) today reported the findings of a study conducted over the past year on a possible reset for the country amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.EAC executive director Noor Azlan Ghazali said the study, by the council’s secretariats, was presented for the government’s consideration as an economy recovery plan in tandem with the National Recovery Plan announced by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin earlier this week.“We merely raised this plan to see whether it is appropriate to be adopted by Malaysia,” he said at a press conference today.“I believe while we are recovering, we must restructure. Recovery without reform is a waste.”The study, titled “Resetting Malaysia: Aligning to the New Economic Landscape”, was carried out over a year from April 2020 to May 2021.It recommends eight agendas covering 30 focus areas and 152 reset initiatives.These include embracing the digital economy, promoting technology adoption and advancement, positioning for a shifting global landscape, and promoting shared responsibility, good governance and sustainability.In terms of preparing the future workforce, the study suggested introducing a dual assessment system for students and for national exams to be detached from school performance assessments.For higher education, it suggested introducing government reforms to review university fees to match these with fair cost and programme quality as well as to revisit university performance assessment frameworks to align with missions of employability and industry policies.It proposed embracing the digital economy involving micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), education programmes as well as government services.Plans for this include the creation of a national task force to address cross-ministry complexities related to the development of the gig economy, and a nationwide campaign for MSMEs to adopt digital and smart technologies with scheduled operational targets.Noor Azlan said the plan was “semi-official” as the suggestions were merely the findings of a study independently conducted by the EAC secretariats and taking into consideration the views of private stakeholders, communities and NGOs.“The pandemic basically reveals these issues strongly and urges Malaysia that we must make changes.“In line with the National Recovery Plan, we would like to put forward these recommendations for the consideration of the government,” he said.


Jho Low was de facto boss, Najib put on an act, ex-1MDB CEO tells court

The 1MDB trial involving Najib Razak today heard that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho was the de facto CEO of the sovereign fund, adding that the former prime minister had put on a drama when enquiring about missing funds, the Malay Mail reports.It quoted former 1MDB CEO Mohd Hazem Abd Rahman who told the High Court that he believed the instructions coming from Najib and Low, better known as Jho Low, were the same.Testifying at Najib’s trial on charges of abusing funds involving RM2.28 billion, Hazem who is the 10th prosecution witness said despite Low not holding any position at 1MDB, he was present at a meeting on the company’s affairs with the then-prime minister.Cross examined by Najib’s counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, Hazem said 1MDB senior officials Terence Geh and Jasmine Loo took instructions from Low, although he was the CEO.“Why didn’t you at least bring this up to the board of directors?” Shafee asked, as reported by the Malay Mail.“I think we go back to what I told before, they are the people of Jho Low, and Jho Low basically is the prime minister,” replied Hazem, adding that he had discussed the matter with Najib’s private secretary Azlin Alias as well as two directors of 1MDB.Hazem said then-1MDB chairman Lodin Wok Kamaruddin was also aware that the company was being run by Jho Low.Najib has been charged with four counts of abuse of power for using his position as prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB adviser to receive gratification worth RM2.28 billion, as well as 21 counts of money laundering involving over RM4.3 billion.Jho Low at Najib’s houseHazem, admitting that he had not taken measures to clarify with Najib about Jho Low’s role, said there had been meetings on 1MDB where Jho Low was present, including one in November 2013 at the former leader’s house in Jalan Langgak Duta, Kuala Lumpur, to discuss a RM2.3 billion investment by 1MDB.“It’s very clear that he (Low) shouldn’t be there at all. He was there and accepted in the meeting,” he said.Grilled further by Shafee, Hazem said he had not confronted Najib with his suspicions about missing funds as he was convinced that Najib already knew the funds were gone.“Because as far as I’m concerned, the prime minister knows it, he is part of the scheme,” he was quoted as saying.Hazem previously testified that he had been told by Jho Low that 1MDB was established to help Umno get funds.


Continuous rain warning issued for four states

The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a continuous rain warning at the alert level for Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor from tomorrow until Friday (Nov 11).
MetMalaysia director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah said the affected areas comprise the whole of Kelantan and Terengganu; Kuantan, Pekan and Rompin in Pahang; and Mersing, Kota Tinggi and Johor Bahru in Johor.
"The concentration of north-easterly winds is expected to bring heavy rain and strong winds that could cause floods in low-lying areas," he said in a statement today.


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New infections drop to 3,500 as another 6 deaths logged

Another 3,589 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,589,911.
There were 2,224 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,518,912.
There are now 35,198 active cases, of which 33,888 or 96.3% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 27 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,241 (3.5%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 42 are in ICU with 25 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 61.9%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 10.2%.
Another six deaths were reported, including two who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,801.


Monkeypox can be stopped outside endemic countries, WHO says

The monkeypox outbreaks in non-endemic countries can be contained and human-to-human transmission of the virus stopped, the World Health Organization said Monday.Fewer than 200 confirmed and suspected cases had been recorded so far, WHO’s emerging disease lead Maria Van Kerkhove said.“This is a containable situation, particularly in the countries where we are seeing these outbreaks that are happening across Europe, in North America as well,” Van Kerkhove told a live interaction on the UN health agency’s social media channels.“We want to stop human-to-human transmission. We can do this in the non-endemic countries.“We’re in a situation where we can use public health tools of early identification, supported isolation of cases.“We can stop human-to-human transmission.”Van Kerkhove said transmission was happening via “close physical contact: skin-to-skin contact”, and that most of the people identified so far had not had a severe case of the disease.Rosamund Lewis, who heads the smallpox secretariat on the WHO emergencies programme, said monkeypox had been known for at least 40 years and a few cases had appeared in Europe over the last five years in travellers from the endemic regions.However, “this is the first time we’re seeing cases across many countries at the same time and people who have not travelled to the endemic regions in Africa”, she said.She cited Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.“It is primarily in the animal kingdom in forested areas. Now we’re seeing it more in urban areas,” she said.Mutation studiesLewis said it was not yet known whether the virus had mutated but viruses in the wider orthopoxvirus group “tend not to mutate and they tend to be fairly stable.“We don’t yet have evidence yet that there is mutation in the virus itself,” she said. Virologists will be studying the first genomic sequences of the virus coming through, she added.Van Kerkhove said a major global meeting next week would discuss research, epidemiology, diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.Andy Seale, strategies advisor at the WHO’s global HIV, hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections programmes, stressed that while the virus could be caught through sexual activity, it was not a sexually transmitted disease.“While we are seeing some cases amongst men who have sex with men, this is not a gay disease, as some people in social media have attempted to label it. That’s just not the case.“This demographic is generally a demographic that really does take care of health screening… They’ve been proactive about responding to unusual symptoms.“Anybody can contract monkeypox through close contact.”Van Kerkhove added that as surveillance widened, experts did expect to see more cases.


958 new cases, 956 recoveries

Another 958 Covid-19 infections were reported today, bringing total confirmed infections in the country to 52,638.Of these, 512 were reported in Sabah, 153 in Selangor and 153 in Negeri Sembilan.Kuala Lumpur reported 46 new cases, Penang 25, Perak 24 and Kedah 19.Johor reported nine new cases, Kelantan seven, Terengganu four, Melaka two, Sarawak two, Labuan one and Putrajaya one.Active cases stand at 13,221 with 110 in the ICU and 42 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 956 patients were discharged, taking total recoveries to 39,088.However, three more deaths were recorded, pushing the virus toll to 329.


China urges ‘basic manners’ after Pinoy foreign secretary tells Beijing where to go

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin in a Tuesday statement urged the Philippines to use “basic manners” and cautioned against “megaphone diplomacy”.Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr had tweeted on Monday that China should “get the f**k out” as the two countries engaged in a war of words over the South China Sea in general and several reefs and shoals near the Philippines in particular.CNBC is reporting that in several tweets since, Locsin apologised to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi for turning the air South China Sea-blue, and said he was “provoked by the latest grossest territorial violation”.Wenbin had responded to Locsin’s outburst by saying that “facts have proven time and time again that megaphone diplomacy can only undermine mutual trust rather than change reality”.Locsin has been a vocal China critic in President Rodrigo Duterte’s government and is known for his occasional blunt and salty remarks.Meanwhile, Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque reportedly said the Philippine president has reminded officials that profanity has no place in diplomacy.But Beijing also has a track record of firing insults at other countries.Such aggressive tactics by Chinese diplomats have in recent years increasingly played out on social media platforms such as Twitter, which is blocked on the mainland.Observers have dubbed these tactics “wolf warrior diplomacy” after a series of hugely popular movies where Chinese fighters defeat adversaries globally.China and the Philippines have for years contested overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea, a resource-rich waterway through which trillions of dollars of global trade passes every year.Beijing has in the past year appeared more assertive in the disputed waters, leading Manila to protest on several occasions the presence of Chinese vessels in parts of the sea that are internationally recognised as belonging to the Philippines.Beijing on Tuesday reiterated that Bajo de Masinloc – which it calls Huangyan Island – and its surrounding waters fall under China’s jurisdiction.Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Scarborough Shoal, is a chain of reefs in the South China Sea that lies around 120 nautical miles from the nearest Philippine coast and 470 nautical miles from the nearest coast of China.China claims most of the South China Sea for itself, based on the ill-defined demarcation line used by the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China (Taiwan), for their claims on the South China Sea.An international tribunal in 2016 dismissed the so-called nine-dash line as legally baseless – a ruling ignored by Beijing.


Langkawi-bound tourists must be screened for Covid before departure, says Khairy

Starting tomorrow, travellers intending to visit Langkawi in Kedah will be required to undergo screening for Covid-19 before departure.Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the screening test should be conducted on adults aged 18 and above as well as children and teenagers aged seven to 17 years.“Children aged six and below are only required to undergo symptomatic screening taking into account their ability to produce saliva.“They must also be with their parents or guardians who are fully vaccinated and not Covid-19 positive or close contacts of positive cases, and must adhere to the SOPs set,” he said in a statement today.He said the screening could be done using RT-PCR or RTK-Antigen tests at any private health facility and laboratory, or by using self-test kits.Khairy said RT-PCR or RTK-Antigen tests should be done within 48 hours prior to the departure date with the test results brought to the airport or ferry terminal for inspection.“Travellers can also purchase a saliva self-test kit and take it to the airport or ferry terminal and undergo their test at the screening spot provided.“They can also purchase self-test kits through services that will be provided by the private sector at the screening area at the airport and ferry terminal,” he said.Khairy said tests conducted at the airport and ferry terminal would be monitored and verified by the health personnel on duty.“Those who have tested negative will be allowed to continue with their journey while individuals who are found to be Covid-19 positive will not allowed to do so and will be managed as per the existing Covid-19 positive case management SOPs,” he said.Khairy said the domestic travel bubble initiative needs to be implemented carefully to ensure that it runs smoothly and does not contribute to an increase in Covid-19 cases and new clusters.“I would like to stress that the implementation of this travel bubble does not mean that the government allows the public to not practise the safety measures set such as wearing face masks, observing physical distancing and washing hands regularly,” he said.


Bank Negara hikes OPR again to 2.75%

Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) today increased the overnight policy rate by another 25 basis points to 2.75% in the fourth such move this year.
The OPR was lowered from 3% to 1.75% during the Covid-19 pandemic.
BNM increased it by 25 basis points to 2% in May, and again to 2.25% in July.
On Sept 8, it increased the OPR by a further 25 basis points to 2.5%.
BNM, in its last meeting of the year, said the ceiling and floor rates of the OPR corridor would be correspondingly increased to 3.00% and 2.50%.
It said the adjustment would also pre-emptively manage the risk of excessive demand on price pressures, consistent with the recalibration of monetary policy settings balancing the risks to domestic inflation and sustainable growth.
"At the current OPR level, the stance of monetary policy remains accommodative and supportive of economic growth.
"The monetary policy committee is not on any preset course, which means that monetary policy decisions will continue to depend on evolving conditions and their implications on the overall outlook to domestic inflation and growth," it said in a statement.
BNM said any adjustments to monetary policy settings going forward would continue to be made in a measured and gradual manner, ensuring that monetary policy remains accommodative to support sustainable economic growth in an environment of price stability.
It said the latest indicators showed that economic activity had further strengthened in the third quarter, driven primarily by robust domestic demand.
"Going forward, despite the challenging global environment, domestic demand will remain the key driver of growth. Household spending will continue to be underpinned by improvements in labour market conditions and income prospects," it added.
The central bank also said that "domestic liquidity remains sufficient, with the continued orderly functioning of the financial and foreign exchange markets, while financial institutions also continue to operate with strong capital and liquidity buffers".
It said headline inflation was "likely to have peaked in the third quarter of 2022 and was expected to moderate thereafter, albeit remaining elevated", in line with earlier assessments.
Underlying inflation, as measured by core inflation, is projected to average closer to the upper end of the 2.0- 3.0% forecast range in 2022, and has averaged 2.7% year-to-date, given some demand-driven price pressures amid the high-cost environment.


Thai protesters defiant after cops use water cannon, tear gas on demo

Thai democracy activists vowed Tuesday to return to the streets after police fired a water cannon and tear gas on demonstrators in the most violent clashes seen since the protest movement erupted in July.Forty-one people were injured as protesters forced through police barricades towards Parliament in Bangkok, where lawmakers were debating possible changes to the military-scripted constitution.Student-led rallies have rocked Thailand for months, demanding a constitutional overhaul and the removal of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who took power in a 2014 coup.Some in the movement have also called for reforms to the monarchy – a once-taboo subject – sending shockwaves through the Thai establishment.Tuesday’s demonstrations, with stone-throwing clashes between pro-democracy and hardline royalist protesters, saw a marked rise in violence.Prominent student leader Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak called off the rally around 9pm, urging protesters to regroup at a major intersection in Bangkok’s shopping district on Wednesday afternoon.“We will no longer be dust on anyone’s feet,” he said, wearing a bulletproof vest and speaking with a megaphone from a truck.“Tomorrow we will open a new era in our fighting at Ratchaprasong. It is useless to stay because the chicken MPs and senators have fled the Parliament.”According to the Erawan Emergency Medical Centre, 41 people were hurt in the protests, including five with gunshot injuries. They are receiving treatment at five hospitals.A Bangkok police spokesman denied officers had used rubber bullets or live rounds in the operation.‘If we burn, you burn’Earlier protesters and police were locked in tense standoffs as night fell, though the mood calmed when demonstrators reached the main gates of the Parliament, where they sat down to listen to speeches by their leaders.The United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration student protest group later warned on social media: “If we burn, you burn with us.”Several thousand democracy activists massed in the afternoon near Parliament – where riot police had blocked off roads with barriers and barbed wire – hoping to make their voices heard by lawmakers.Police fired a water cannon at protesters trying to dismantle a barricade, using water laced with irritant, sending demonstrators scrambling to wash their eyes.Some sheltered behind giant inflatable rubber ducks which protesters had planned to float along the river behind Parliament as lawmakers debated inside.A police retreat at one barricade saw the first major scuffles between pro-democracy protesters and yellow-shirted ultra-royalist supporters, who threw bottles, rocks and rubbish at each other.The confrontation initially looked like it would come to a peaceful end when a handful of people on both sides stopped to hug each other, but the bonhomie was short-lived.Call for calmAs police and protesters clashed outside, lawmakers were considering whether to debate seven possible constitutional amendments.They include a proposal to replace the present military appointments in the Senate with directly elected representatives.Parliament is expected to vote on Wednesday on which constitutional amendments bills will be debated.But any constitutional change in Thailand is expected to take a long time and the junta-appointed Senate is unlikely to vote itself out of power.Several opposition lawmakers came out of parliament to monitor police tactics.Taopipop Limjittrakorn, an MP from the pro-reform Move Forward Party said police had been ignoring pleas to de-escalate the situation.“Police should not be overly violent and threaten” protesters, he told reporters.The royalists, who were permitted to rally in the parliamentary zone in the morning, are strongly opposed to all proposals to change Thailand’s 2017 constitution, saying they would undermine the monarchy.King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai power, supported by an arch-royalist military and the kingdom’s billionaire clans.The royal family enjoys support from mostly older conservatives and Thailand’s monarchy is protected by one of the world’s toughest royal defamation laws.The ultra-wealthy monarch spends much of his time in Europe, but he has remained in Bangkok for the past few weeks.


Ismail to meet Turkish president on official trip

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is on a four-day official visit to Turkiye, will hold a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara today.
They are expected to exchange views on strengthening bilateral ties and current regional and international developments, particularly food security, when they meet at the Presidential Palace.
This will be followed by a delegation meeting between Malaysia and Turkiye.
The prime minister will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamad Azmin Ali, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Adham Baba, Special Functions Minister Abdul Latiff Ahmad and Malaysia’s ambassador to Turkiye, Sazali Mustafa Kamal.
Ismail and Erdogan are also scheduled to witness the signing of seven memoranda of understanding before holding a joint press conference.
The Turkish president will then host lunch for the Malaysian delegation.
The prime minister arrived in Turkiye on Tuesday where he visited Malaysia Airport-owned Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Istanbul and met with representatives from nine Turkish government-linked companies and private firms.
Ismail also witnessed the exchange of a memorandum of understanding between Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and two Turkish universities – Karadeniz Technical University and Karabuk University – as well as a document of understanding between Boustead Holdings Berhad and Great East Capital.
On Wednesday, he visited two of Turkiye’s major players in defence and aerospace – MKE Corporation and Turkish Aerospace Industries – as Malaysia is seeking to enhance technology cooperation with the republic.
The prime minister is scheduled to return to Malaysia on Friday.


Asian woman’s attacker charged with hate crime assault in New York

A New York man previously convicted of murdering his mother has been arrested and charged with assaulting a 65-year-old Asian woman in a hate crime.The attack was captured on security video that went viral around the world amid a rise in anti-Asian incidents.Police identified Brandon Elliot, 38, as the man seen in the video kicking the woman to the ground and then kicking her several more times on Monday in Manhattan. According to sources she suffered a fractured pelvis.Elliot, who was on lifetime parole after serving a prison term for murdering his mother, was arrested without incident at his residence in New York City on Tuesday, police said.Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said at a news briefing, “Elliot is accused of brutally shoving, kicking and stomping a 65-year-old mother to the ground after telling her that she didn’t belong here. There is no place for these atrocious acts of anti-Asian violence in New York.”Vance added that his office has more than a dozen ongoing investigations into apparent hate incidents against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community since the start of this year, reports Reuters.The New York Times identified the victim of the attack as Vilma Kari, an immigrant from the Philippines, citing a law enforcement source. An NYPD spokesman declined to confirm her identity.“We want to extend our sincere well wishes and speedy recovery to the elderly lady for this unnecessary assault,” Wellington Chen, executive director of New York City’s Chinatown Partnership, said on Wednesday. “Hope this arrest gives her and her family a bit of relief.”In the attack, a security video showed witnesses inside the lobby of a building apparently watching the assault but making no effort to help the woman. One man closed the front door while the attacker walked away.The Brodsky Organization, which owns the building, said it has suspended two employees while it investigates their response to the attack.New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang tweeted on Tuesday, “Had the men watching stepped in, I believe it would’ve helped the woman a lot. We need to be the ones leading and doing something to help, not standing by or closing the door on someone.”New York police also are investigating an assault last week on a subway train against a young man who appeared to be Asian in another widely viewed video.Police commissioner Dermot Shea said the victim, who was left unconscious after he was pummelled and choked, has yet to report the crime.


China Airlines or Air China? Taiwan wants to end confusion with new paint job

China Airlines, Taiwan’s leading international carrier, is reportedly planning to repaint its aircraft with Taiwan-themed images and display its name in a smaller font to avoid worldwide confusion with mainland Chinese airlines.The word “China” in the name of the flag carrier often causes confusion at international destinations, when people mix it up with Air China, which is owned by the Beijing government.During the Covid-19 pandemic, China Airlines has flown planeloads of Taiwan medical supplies to the world, leading some to mistakenly believe the donations came from mainland China.When the US in June proposed banning airlines from the People’s Republic of China, a news outlet mistakenly showed an aircraft of China Airlines from the Republic of China, or Taiwan.The island’s citizens were furious and a petition requesting the name change was initiated. By July, more than 50,000 people had signed.In July, Taiwan’s legislature approved a proposal to have the Ministry of Transportation and Communications come up with a rebranding plan, reports the Taiwan News. But lively debate ensued in the legislature.“The ministry should make China Airlines more identifiable internationally with Taiwanese images to protect Taiwan’s national interests,” said legislative president Yu Shyi-kun. “Overseas it is mistaken for a Chinese airline.”“This is only a political stunt,” said Lin Wei-chou of pro-Beijing party KMT. “The legislature just wants to make a show.”The discussion took off again on Wednesday when a photo of China Airlines’ alleged new livery surfaced online. In the photo, the smaller font of “China Airlines” is near the tail of the plane, leaving a large empty space on the main section of its body.The company said the actual new livery will be revealed to the public later.Transportation Minister Lin Chia-lung confirmed during an interview on Thursday that distinctive symbols of Taiwan will be added and official announcements will be made once the planes have been fully emblazoned with the new additions.China Airlines was founded in Taiwan in 1959 and flies out of Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport, servicing 160 destinations in 29 countries. The majority shareholder is the China Aviation Development Foundation, which is wholly owned by the Taiwanese government.“Please be advised that China Airlines has no comments on this topic at the moment,” Jason Liu, vice president of China Airlines’ corporate communications office, told CNN Travel in an email.


Revealed: The day Zahid came with his files to meet the new prime minister

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi met Muhyiddin Yassin just days after the latter’s appointment as prime minister on March 1 last year in a bid to get his corruption charges dropped, MalaysiaNow can reveal.Zahid had come bearing files related to the corruption charges, hoping to lay out his argument to convince the newly installed prime minister to help him get his charges dropped.The meeting took place at a late hour, after a larger meeting involving key Perikatan Nasional (PN) leaders at Muhyiddin’s Bukit Damansara home.“But he went back disappointed, files in hand,” a source that was privy to the meeting in the first week of March 2020 told MalaysiaNow.“Yes, he brought his files along. Muhyiddin outright refused to entertain his request,” the source added.Zahid is part of the so-called “court cluster”, a reference to a group of senior Umno leaders who are facing hundreds of charges of corruption, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.Of these, Zahid and Najib face the most charges.Zahid has been slapped with 47 charges involving tens of millions of ringgit of funds from his charity outfit Yayasan Akalbudi.Many of those in the group have turned adversary against Muhyiddin despite their party being part of his administration.Earlier this year, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan, who is charged with dodging taxes on RM2 million received from Najib, described the charges against Umno leaders as a “cruel” legacy of the Pakatan Harapan government.The meeting in March 2020 is believed to be the spark that led to the faultlines between Zahid and Muhyiddin, culminating in the decision by Umno last weekend to cut ties with Bersatu and the PN bloc.The Umno general assembly was focused on endorsing Zahid’s proposal that the party cut ties with the PN bloc at the next general election.Zahid had again met with Muhyiddin on October 9, in a meeting detailed by MalaysiaNow.That meeting took place just two days before Zahid and Najib wrote a joint letter to the palace expressing support for Anwar Ibrahim, ahead of the PKR chief’s royal audience with the Agong to show proof of his majority support to become the prime minister.Zahid met Muhyiddin again on Oct 17, this time with PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang also present, alongside Ahmad Maslan, Takiyuddin Hassan and Hamzah Zainudin, the secretary-generals of Umno, PAS and Bersatu.According to details made known to MalaysiaNow by an insider, Muhyiddin had pressed Zahid about his unhappiness which led him to express support for Anwar.The insider said Muhyiddin told Zahid that he had no say in court matters.“But as a friend, he (Muhyiddin) said he would pray that Zahid will be acquitted,” it added.


Will the Mahathir-Muhyiddin twain meet? Why not, say analysts citing the past

Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s recent statement that he will not make peace with Muhyiddin Yassin over the latter’s move to form a new coalition government early this year should be evaluated against a backdrop of the veteran leader’s long list of friends and enemies in his political life, analysts say.They do not rule out the possibility of Mahathir burying the hatchet with his enemies once again, just as he did in the past with many others whom he accused of betraying him.This, they say, is because Mahathir’s relationship is political and not personal.Political analyst Shamsul Amri Baharuddin traced evidence of this back to the late 80s when Mahathir’s Umno split following a challenge against him by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the Kelantan royalty who lost his bid for the party president’s post.“Similarly with Anwar, Mahathir negotiated his pardon, and Anwar’s wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail later became the deputy prime minister,” Shamsul told MalaysiaNow.“We can view this cynically and perhaps speculate that Mahathir is a master of hidden agendas.”In a recent interview with Singapore’s The Straits Times, Mahathir ruled out any possibility of reconciliation with Muhyiddin, accusing the Bersatu president of embracing the same brand of politics as Najib Razak.“How can I accept Muhyiddin like that?” Mahathir said.Mahathir and Muhyiddin were the main persons behind the founding of Bersatu, a breakaway Umno faction which worked with opposition parties in the 2018 election to bring down Najib’s government.In February, the duo fell out after Mahathir walked out of a plan by his party to abandon PKR and DAP and form the government with support from Umno, PAS, GPS and several ex-PKR MPs.Shamsul described Mahathir as conservative and self-righteous.“That means he sees himself as someone who is loyal, true, good and straight.“He evaluates leaders such as Abdullah Badawi, Najib, Muhyiddin and Anwar through the lens of these values.“In other words, Mahathir sees that these leaders have weaknesses, so they need to be corrected.”“…Politics is the art of possibility, while Malaysian politics is the politics of numbers.”Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Sivamurugan Pandian said it is all about having no permanent enemies in politics.“In fact, politics is the art of possibility, while Malaysian politics is the politics of numbers.“So, it is not impossible for Mahathir to revert to cordial collaboration with political rivals, as was the case with Tengku Razaleigh and Anwar, the latter being the most unexpected of all.“His hostility is simply and purely based on politics,” Sivamurugan added.


Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon abuse their monopoly power, says US Congress

The four giant technology companies are the most powerful in the world, names on people’s lips every day.Now a report by the US House of Representatives has accused the four of abusing their power.The report describes how each company began as a “scrappy” start-up and turned into “the kinds of monopolies we last saw in the era of oil barons and railroad tycoons”.Congress said the companies have abused their dominant positions by dictating prices and setting the rules for commerce, search, advertising, social networking and publishing.They forced competitors to use their technology and if they didn’t the Big 4 then bought them out.The report makes several recommendations. One is to make it tougher for tech giants to buy up smaller companies. Another aims to stop platforms from prioritising their own products over those of rivals.“Although these firms have delivered clear benefits to society, their dominance has come at a price,” the report says. “These firms typically run the marketplace while also competing in it – a position that enables them to write one set of rules for others, while they play by another.”Amazon disputed the findings of the report and called the subcommittee’s thinking “flawed”.Facebook, Apple and Google didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.


As recession looms, British business sends out lending SOS

As inflation rockets and recession looms, many British businesses are struggling to secure affordable bank finance, piling pressure on the embattled UK government as it unveils a budget aimed at reviving the economy.
British fruit-grower Hall Hunter is one of thousands of businesses in Britain feeling the squeeze, forcing owner Harry Hall to consider the drastic step of lending to his own successful company to top up its expensive bank lending.
"I'm probably going to be the bank," said Hall, who can't secure a loan product from his bank to offset his high borrowing costs. He told Reuters he would likely inject some of his personal wealth into his business to insulate it from inflation rates of 11.1% and a recession that could last up to two years.
Banks are increasingly nervous about extending credit to small companies, according to data compiled by Reuters and interviews with lenders and business heads, as rising costs of debt, labour and raw materials put the business case of lending to such companies under unprecedented strain.
Lenders expect the supply of credit to the smallest firms, with annual turnover of under £1 million (about RM5.4 million) , to fall by 10.9% in the last three months of this year, a Bank of England (BoE) survey published last month showed.
This could spell trouble for new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and finance minister Jeremy Hunt as they announce a new, austere financial blueprint on Thursday, seeking to stabilise the economy after their short-lived predecessors unleashed chaos in financial markets with plans for unfunded tax cuts.
Any crunch for Britain's small businesses, which often lack the scale to pass on cost rises to customers as easily as bigger rivals, could deliver a new economic body blow.
Such companies account for 48% of private sector employment and about £1.6 trillion, or 36%, of turnover, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), citing government data that defines small firms as having up to 49 staff.
FSB Chair Martin McTague told Reuters he met Sunak and Hunt last Friday to demand fresh fiscal support for small businesses, including relief on asset sales and tax credits on research and development.
"How are we going to get out of this hole if it's not small businesses? Those sectors that have been hardest-hit by the pandemic, are finding it very difficult to try and get the banks to provide them with support," he said.
'Make or break' for economy
Banks are still lending, but the risks and higher relative costs associated with funding the smallest businesses, many of which may not survive, means they often have no choice but to turn them away, four senior banking industry sources said.
Stephen Pegge, head of commercial finance at bank lobby group UK Finance, pointed to evidence that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) more broadly were securing credit - banks lent £6.5 billion to companies with less than £25 million turnover in September, BoE data shows.
"Lending is definitely flowing," Pegge added. "But there's no question that small businesses now have less capacity to increase their borrowing because you've got a slowing economy."
Indeed small companies in Britain see their access to credit at its worst level since 2015, according to a quarterly survey by the FSB of 1,383 small business owners.
Forty-two percent of applications for funding in the third quarter failed, up from 39% in the second quarter of the year, the survey found, while one-in-five firms seeking finance were quoted loan offers at interest rates higher than 11%.
Many small companies have also yet to repay state-backed loans extended to prop them up during Covid lockdowns, making their credit profiles increasingly unattractive. Only £4.7 billion from the £46 billion lent to small businesses under the "Bounce Back Loan" scheme had been fully repaid as of the latest July 31 data from the government.
"Business owners are having to look at alternative options, one of which is to dip into their own pockets," said Claire Burden, partner for advisory consulting at Evelyn Partners.
Others like Douglas Grant, CEO of Manx Financial Group, called for a permanent state-backed loan scheme to protect SMEs, saying this could act as the "fundamental difference between make or break for many companies and, in turn, our economy".
Banks 'don't have a choice'
Naresh Aggarwal, associate director of policy at the Association of Corporate Treasurers, which represents business finance staff, said banks were taking a pragmatic approach to lending as the economy falters to avoid costly writedowns.
Loans are still being issued and firms in breach of covenants linked to their debts are being offered waivers but support is coming at a price.
"Lenders are increasing the margin on the loan," he added. "And for most corporates, they don't have a choice. It's not exploitative, it is a risk premium," Aggarwal said.
Major banks have already set aside hundreds of millions of pounds of extra cash to cover potential losses.
Lloyds, which provided the most detailed breakdown for the July-September quarter, disclosed a 30% jump in the most severe category of problem loans in its small business unit compared to the end of 2021, hinting at why banks may tread carefully.
Companies of all sizes are already buckling under the strain in greater numbers. The number of quarterly company insolvencies in England and Wales hit its highest level in nearly 13 years in April-June, official data last month showed.
Small businesses face the biggest threat; one in four have considered closing down as a result of rising cost pressures, according to a survey of 1,930 firms conducted by business bank Tide in September.
"Businesses are finding it hard to demonstrate they are still sound businesses," said Richard Burge, CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "But they're only going to be sound if they can get access to the loans they need."


New narrative after PM’s royal endorsement poses budget dilemma for PH

Faced with a dilemma ahead of next month’s budget, parties opposed to Muhyiddin Yassin have trained their guns on two senior government leaders following the prime minister’s royal endorsement for the handling of the Covid-19 crisis.The dilemma for them is whether the opposition will invite scorn from the public as well as the palace if their move to derail the 2021 budget leads to a pandemic-season election.“If they do not oppose, it will only strengthen Muhyiddin whose setback in his emergency plan was quickly compensated by the Agong’s blanket endorsement of his administration,” a high-level source in PKR told MalaysiaNow.The source, a senior federal elected representative from the Klang Valley, said party leaders have been urged to focus their attack on senior minister Mohamed Azmin Ali and Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin – figures whom many Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders blame for the coalition’s loss of majority early this year.“The narrative is to get Muhyiddin to sack these two leaders as a precondition for the opposition bloc’s support for him,” the MP added.Muhyiddin is scheduled to table the budget on Nov 6, but there have been fears that a group of MPs in Umno who are facing corruption charges would join hands with their rivals in PH to keep it from being passed.This would mean the collapse of Muhyiddin’s government and snap polls, which health officials have warned would create election clusters with disastrous consequences in the battle against Covid-19.A statement from Istana Negara yesterday, however, warned against any such plans.This followed its earlier damning response to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, who failed to make good on his promise to provide details of his claim of possessing the majority needed to take over Putrajaya.“There is a need to find an escape route to oppose Muhyiddin without being seen as politicking.”In its latest statement, the palace said there was no pressing need for a state of emergency.Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah also reminded MPs of the importance of the budget.“The financial allocations are much needed by the frontliners to ensure the smooth execution of their duties and responsibilities,” the Agong said, following a meeting with fellow Malay rulers to discuss a proposal that he invoke his constitutional powers to declare a state of emergency in order to avoid an election.The reminder has been seen as a warning from the palace that any move to derail the budget bill would be tantamount to undermining the battle against Covid-19, which this month alone claimed 93 lives.“That royal passage has silenced any thought of changing the government,” the same MP told MalaysiaNow.“So there is a need to find an escape route to oppose Muhyiddin without being seen as politicking.”One pro-Anwar leader who has set the “narrative” going is Wong Chen, who called on Muhyiddin to sack Azmin and Hamzah while hinting at sympathy for the prime minister.“We know that the prime minister has not been in the best of health for some time, and there is persistent talk that he is being influenced by these two senior ministers.“So either the prime minister resigns or he sacks the said two senior ministers for this audacious attempt to subvert democracy in Malaysia,” the Subang MP said.Wong Chen’s call echoes that of Umno Supreme Council member Puad Zarkashi, who claimed that Muhyiddin had blamed Azmin and Hamzah for the Agong’s decision not to declare an emergency.But a senior Bersatu leader who attended last night’s meeting at Muhyiddin’s residence said no such accusations had been made.“Among the issues discussed was Muhyiddin telling ministers he had done everything in his power to stop election clusters, and that he was worried next month’s budget would be sabotaged,” he said.


‘No skin to skin contact’: Indian court overturns sex assault verdict on minor’s groping

The Bombay High Court has modified the order of a sessions court, which had sentenced a 39-year-old man to three years imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl in December 2016.The victim’s testimony in court was that the accused, known as Satish, had taken her to his house in Nagpur on the pretext of giving her something to eat.While there, he touched her breasts and attempted to remove her clothes.However, since he groped her without removing her clothes, the offence cannot be termed sexual assault in law and, instead, constitutes the lesser offence of outraging a woman’s modesty, the high court held.Groping a minor’s breast without “skin to skin contact” cannot be termed sexual assault as defined under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the court said.Justice Pushpa Ganediwala of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, in a judgment passed on Jan 19, held that there must be “skin to skin contact with sexual intent” for an action to be considered sexual assault.She said in her verdict that mere groping through clothing will not fall under the definition of sexual assault.As such the offence entails a minimum sentence of imprisonment for one year, whereas sexual assault entails a minimum imprisonment of three years.The sessions court had sentenced Satish to three years imprisonment, but the high court, having acquitted him of sexual assault while upholding his conviction of outraging a woman’s decency, sentenced him to one year.“The act of pressing of breast of the child aged 12 years, in the absence of any specific detail as to whether the top was removed or whether he inserted his hand inside the top and pressed her breast, would not fall in the definition of sexual assault,” the verdict said.“Admittedly, it is not the case of the prosecution that the appellant removed her top and pressed her breast. As such, there is no direct physical contact i.e, skin to skin with sexual intent,” the High Court ruled.


Apex court finds Malaysiakini guilty of contempt but spares editor

The Federal Court today found news portal Malaysiakini guilty of contempt over comments posted by readers seen as offensive to the judiciary.However, a seven-member bench led by Court of Appeal president Rohana Yusuf found the second respondent, editor-in-chief Steven Gan, not guilty of the same offence.In a 6-1 majority decision, the bench said Malaysiakini should have been aware of the comments posted.Rohana was joined by judges Azahar Mohamed, Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, Mohd Zawawi Salleh, Vernon Ong Lam Kiat, Abdul Rahman Sebli and Nallini Pathmanathan, who dissented.Contempt proceedings against Malaysiakini’s operator, Mkini Dot Com Sdn Bhd, and its editor-in-chief began in June last year.The attorney-general had said that five comments posted by readers on a June 7 report titled “CJ orders all courts to be fully operational from July 1” contained words offensive towards the judiciary in general and the chief justice in particular.The attorney-general also claimed that the comments undermined public confidence in the judiciary and were an insult to its integrity.However, Malaysiakini and Gan said the portal had no intention of publishing such comments and that these had been immediately removed once they were contacted by the police.The court fined Malaysiakini RM500,000, to be paid within three days from Feb 22.The Attorney-General’s Chambers had asked for a fine of RM200,000 while the news portal’s lawyer, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, asked for a maximum fine of RM30,000.


RM10,000 fine not for all SOP offences, top cop explains

Police today said the enforcement of RM10,000 compounds, effective March 11, will only be on individuals who repeatedly breach the movement control order (MCO) and those who could trigger the spread of Covid-19.Top cop Abdul Hamid Bador said the government’s decision to increase the compound amount from RM1,000 to RM10,000 was not for all offences related to SOP violations.“We admit that many people misunderstand (the move) and worry about the compound amount of up to RM10,000. It is not for all offences, including failure to wear face masks.“It is for certain offences, namely for those who remain stubborn by committing the offences repeatedly as well as those who violate the SOPs, including for interstate travel, causing the spread of Covid-19,” he said when met by reporters today.On Feb 25, it was reported that individuals who violate the SOPs set for the prevention and control of Covid-19 will face a maximum fine of RM10,000 beginning March 11.This was stipulated in the Emergency (Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases) (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 through a federal government gazette uploaded on the official portal of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, which also states that companies or corporations that violate SOPs can be fined up to RM50,000.Hamid said individuals issued compounds of RM10,000 could appeal to the health ministry for a reduction.“Maybe from a compound of RM10,000, they will only need to pay RM200 after the appeal, depending on the reasons given,” he said, adding that the police would only be involved in enforcing SOP compliance by issuing compounds and not accepting compound payments.He also said police would recommend to the ministry that the RM10,000 compound be imposed on entertainment premises that operate without a licence.


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Sarawak CM says might contest Gedong state seat

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg today said he might contest the Gedong seat in the state election to come.Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony in the area today, he said he is still considering the move.“Mohd Naroden Majais earlier announced his intention to quit,” he said, referring to the incumbent assemblyman for the seat who had offered to let Abang Johari contest it in the state election.“It is still early because I don’t know if I will contest the Gedong seat,” he added.He said he would give the matter further thought and inform his state constituents in Satok of any decision.As chief minister of Sarawak, he added, he must take care of all parts of the state.Abang Johari defended his Satok seat for the eighth time during the last state election in 2016, defeating his challenger Mohamed Salleh Shawkatali from PKR.The Sarawak legislative assembly was dissolved effective Nov 3, paving the way for the next state election.A date for the polls is expected to be announced after a special meeting with the Election Commission in Kuching on Nov 24.