Recording police raids or arrests not an offence, lawyers take home minister to task

Rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) today took Hamzah Zainudin to task for calling it an offence to record or livestream the police during raids or arrests, saying the home minister has no legal basis for his claim.
Hamzah, in a written reply in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, had said that those who film an arrest or raid could face action under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public officer or disrupting investigations.
He also said that sharing such incidents was a violation of Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) on disturbing others.
But LFL director Zaid Malek said there were no legal provisions criminalising the act of recording police officers in the course of their duty, whether by camera, video or livestream.
"Indeed, we know of no such offence anywhere else in the democratic world," he said.
"On the contrary, recording public servants in their enforcement actions is a positive act as it helps prevent wrongful acts or abuse of power.
"To know that they are being watched is salutary for the integrity and performance of the public services, particularly the police force."
Zaid also questioned if Hamzah had sought advice from the Attorney-General's Chambers on the matter, calling it "sheer nonsense" for the minister to rely on the Penal Code and CMA to support his claim.
"Recording or live-streaming is not an obstruction of police officers doing their duty as defined in Section 186 of the Penal Code," he said.
"Neither does Section 233 of the CMA encompass the act of recording the actions of police officers or sharing it online."
In fact, he said, the government itself had approved the use of body cameras for the police, a fact that emphasised "the absurdity of Hamzah's misguided statement".
"In making this claim, the home minister is either ignorant of the law or deliberately preventing the scrutiny of any abuse of power or unlawful act by members of the police force," he added.
"It is astounding that the home minister can make such a crass statement in this era of transparency and accountability."
If raids or arrests are conducted in accordance with the law, Zaid said, no police officer should fear being recorded.
"In fact, such recordings may serve to exonerate the police should a false complaint or claim be brought against them," he said.
He urged Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to direct Hamzah to publicly retract what he described as an "unacceptable threat" to the Malaysian public, adding that the police are public officers and as such, accountable to the people.
"The scope of criminal culpability cannot be extended at the whims and fancies of the home minister," he said.


Daily cases still hover over 20,000

Another 20,546 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 1,404,899.Selangor recorded 7,307 cases, Sabah 1,665, Kedah 1,596, Johor 1,508, Kuala Lumpur 1,442, Penang 1,111, Perak 1,069 and Kelantan 1,025.Sarawak recorded 963 cases, Pahang 926, Negeri Sembilan 698, Melaka 631 and Terengganu 534.Putrajaya recorded 47 cases, Perlis 21 and Labuan three.Active cases stand at 247,261 with 1,059 in the ICU and 526 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 16,945 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,145,128.However, 282 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 12,510.


Sabah Umno’s support for Hajiji as CM shows Zahid’s waning sway?

Sabah Umno chairman Bung Moktar Radin and newly elected assemblymen have thrown their support behind Hajiji Noor for the post of chief minister, a development signalling the waning popularity of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in the state.“The people will stop playing politics. We will think about Sabah problems,” Bung told a joint press conference by Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) today to announce the coalition’s consensus on naming Hajiji as chief minister.This comes amid open protest by Zahid and another veteran Umno leader against Hajiji, the Sabah Bersatu chief, leading the state.Hajiji, 65, who has served in the Sabah state assembly for three decades, was Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) choice of chief minister, while Umno named Bung for the post.In the newly concluded Sabah election, PN teamed up with BN and PBS, achieving a comfortable majority to bring down the Warisan-led government of Shafie Apdal.The announcement by GRS today could point to a lack of say by Umno leaders at the federal level on Sabah’s politics.Earlier, Zahid called for the chief minister’s post to be given to Bung, saying Umno deserved to be given a senior post after being bypassed for the posts of prime minister and Perak menteri besar.Another Umno leader, Shahrir Samad, meanwhile accused Bersatu of being detached from Sabah’s issues.The former Johor Bahru MP’s criticism of the party led by Muhyiddin Yassin is no surprise as the duo have not been on the best of terms since Muhyiddin’s time as Johor menteri besar.When an exodus of key leaders and assemblymen in 2018 left Umno nearly paralysed, many members blamed it on Zahid.A Sabah Umno Youth leader, Ghazalie Ansing, urged the party’s Supreme Council to ask Zahid to step down.“We want Umno to be led by someone who is capable of leading this party. The uncertainty of the president in determining Umno’s direction has resulted in many party leaders and members leaving,” he reportedly said a day after the exodus.


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Nato chief urges Turkey not to veto Sweden's bid

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday called on Ankara to drop its opposition to Sweden's bid to join the US-led defence alliance, hoping Stockholm's accession would be finalised "as soon as possible".
Pressure is building on Erdogan to greenlight Sweden's Nato membership ahead of a summit planned for July in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
"Membership will make Sweden safer but also make Nato and Turkey stronger," Stoltenberg told journalists after meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and newly appointed foreign minister Hakan Fidan, who was head of the intelligence agency, in Istanbul.
"I look forward to finalising Sweden's accession as soon as possible," he said.
On Saturday Stoltenberg attended the inauguration of Erdogan, who was re-elected to serve another five years, in a lavish ceremony joined by dozens of world leaders in the capital Ankara.
Nato member Turkey has dragged its feet over admitting Sweden to the military alliance. It and Hungary are the only two Nato countries yet to ratify the membership bid.
Sweden and Finland dropped decades of military non-alignment and applied to join the alliance in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Finland formally joined Nato in April.
Anti-Turkey protests
Erdogan has accused Sweden of being a haven for "terrorists", especially members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a group blacklisted by Turkey and its Western allies.
"Sweden has taken significant concrete steps to meet Turkey's concerns," Stoltenberg said.
"This includes amending the Swedish constitution, ending arms embargo, stepping up counter-terrorism operations including against the PKK," he said.
"Sweden has fulfilled its obligations."
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom also said Stockholm had fulfilled "all the commitments" to join Nato and urged Turkey and Hungary to allow his country into the alliance.
Ankara is especially displeased with anti-Turkey and anti-Erdogan protests in Stockholm.
Swedish authorities allowed a "No to Nato, No Erdogan Laws in Sweden" demonstration to go ahead in the city centre on Sunday.
"Freedom of assembly and expression are core values in democratic societies. But we should remember why these are taking place," Stoltenberg said.
"Organisers of these demonstrations want to block Sweden's accession to Nato and undermine its collaboration with Turkey against terrorism and weaken Nato," he added.
"We should not allow them to succeed."
Stoltenberg said a joint working group established between Turkey, Sweden and Finland at the alliance's summit in Madrid last year would meet in the week of June 12, without providing a location.
He also thanked Turkey for deploying additional forces to the Nato-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo (KFOR).
More than 80 people, including 30 peacekeepers, were injured in a north Kosovo town on Monday when Nato-led KFOR troops clashed with ethnic Serb protesters who threw rocks, bottles and Molotov cocktails.
In Istanbul, Stoltenberg condemned "unprovoked attacks" against KFOR troops and said: "KFOR and Nato will take all necessary actions to maintain safe and secure environment for all citizens in Kosovo."


RM14 million worth of drugs seized at Johor port

A drug syndicate’s attempt to evade detection by declaring drugs as coffee beans was foiled when 14 gunny sacks of drugs worth RM14.33 million were seized at the Tanjung Pelepas Port (PTP), Iskandar Puteri, on Oct 16.Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Razarudin Husain said the drugs, weighing 398.28kg and hidden in a container, were discovered during a joint operation with the customs department.He said the police were alerted by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) about a container from Guatemala that was expected to pass through PTP before heading towards the Philippines, believed to be carrying methamphetamine.Razarudin said police believed the syndicate was carrying out its smuggling activities using sea routes from a foreign country and making Malaysia a transit before smuggling the banned substances to a third country.“Checks of the container found that out of the 100 gunny sacks declared as coffee beans, 14 of them containing drugs that could be used by 1.99 million addicts. This is the first such case that has occurred at the PTP,” he said at a press conference at the Johor contingent police headquarters today.However, Razarudin said no arrests have been made so far. He said police are currently conducting further investigations, as well as waiting for more information from the PDEA for further action.When asked to comment on the arrest of a Malaysian in connection with the seizure of 450kg of heroin worth RM431.8 million in Australia recently, he said the 38-year-old suspect was not a drug mule as he had been in the country for about a year.Razarudin also said the investigation is ongoing, and that information provided by the Australian police could help the Malaysian police conduct a thorough investigation.On Oct 17, the media reported that the police would continue to cooperate with Australia to conduct further investigations, following the arrest of a Malaysian man for trying to smuggle 450kg of heroin worth RM431.8 million into the country.The man was charged at Melbourne Magistrates’ Court last Friday.


Telco giants seeking majority stake in state 5G agency, document shows

Malaysia’s four largest telecommunications firms are seeking a majority stake in a state 5G agency, countering a proposal by the government to offer them minority ownership, according to a letter sent by the firms to the finance ministry.The four dominant providers – Celcom Axiata Bhd, DiGi Telecommunications, Maxis Bhd and U Mobile – also want a review of the pricing model and network access plan offered by the agency, according to the May 9 letter seen by Reuters.Their objections to the government’s proposal, which offered up to 70% of the country’s sole 5G network operator spread among a wider group of companies, raise the risk of delays as the government aims to wrap up discussions on the stake sales by end-June.“We would not be able to justify a passive minority investment in this venture without being able to exercise influence and control to safeguard our investment,” the letter said.Two people with direct knowledge of the letter confirmed its content to Reuters. They declined to be identified, citing the sensitivity of the matter.The companies and the finance ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The communications ministry, which was sent a copy of the letter, and the 5G state agency Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) also did not comment.The government in March offered all telecom firms in the country a combined equity stake of up to 70% in DNB, which is tasked with deploying 5G, after wireless carriers complained about its plan for a state-run network that will charge telcos for 5G access rather than allocating them spectrum.They said the plan would undermine competition and called for creating a second 5G network, but in March said they would be open to the government’s alternative proposal for equity stakes in DNB.The May 9 letter made no mention of how the government’s proposed stake of up to 70% was to be allocated, although one of the sources with direct knowledge of the matter said nine firms were invited to participate, leaving the four big players with only a combined minority stake.‘Most viable’ modelThe firms said they were still willing to explore the government’s proposal, but a stake of at least 51% would be the “most viable to reach an agreement”.“The MoF-proposed role as minority shareholders does not appear to make it feasible for any of us to add value as shareholders and is not commensurate to our contribution to the industry, or our duty to our shareholders and customers,” the letter said.Only two smaller operators – Telekom Malaysia and YTL Communications, a unit of YTL Corporation – have signed up to the government’s 5G plan.Also complicating Malaysia’s 5G plans is an impasse between DNB and the four major players over pricing and transparency, including concern that a sole state-run network would result in a nationalised monopoly, Reuters has reported.The four carriers’ letter called for a review of DNB’s “reference access offer” (RAO) – a document published last month setting out pricing, service commitments and other details of the 5G wholesale model.The firms say that the current model offered in the RAO was “not commercially viable” and could lead to higher costs for customers and slower adoption rates.“The absence of complete transparency on DNB’s rate of return and the linkage with the pricing arrangements in the RAO raises governance questions… which will have a material impact on the affordability of 5G access,” the letter said.Agreement on the RAO is a crucial step before the telcos can sign long-term deals with DNB to deploy 5G.DNB has said it will charge operators less to access its 5G network than their costs for 4G and has also offered 5G trial services to carriers for free until June 30 as it begins network deployment.It has also acknowledged questions over its transparency, telling Reuters last year that the country’s communications regulator would adopt stringent public guidelines to ensure fair pricing and a smooth rollout.The agency began an initial 5G network deployment in December last year. Since then, YTL is the only firm that has begun offering 5G services to its customers.


Daily caseload tumbles to 1,500 as 3 more deaths logged

Another 1,503 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,449,507.There were 5,839 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,372,790.There are now 41,167 active cases, of which 39,995 or 97.2% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 29 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,074 (2.6%) have been hospitalised.A total of 69 are in ICU with 45 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 52.3%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 9.3%.Another three deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 35,550.


Agriculture ministry budget takes vote tally to 6-0 for PN

The budget for the agriculture and food industries ministry was passed by voice vote in the Dewan Rakyat today, making it the sixth allocation to be passed following the debate at the committee level.The ministry had been allocated RM1.7 billion in the 2021 budget tabled on Nov 6.Allocations for five portfolios were previously passed: the plantation industries and commodities ministry, the foreign ministry, the national unity ministry, the finance ministry and the Prime Minister’s Department.The budgets for the Prime Minister’s Department and the finance and plantation ministries were passed by bloc vote while the two others were passed by voice vote.The budget for 2021 – RM322.5 billion, the country’s largest ever – was passed at the policy stage on Nov 26 in what was seen as a crucial test of support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.It was passed by voice vote after the opposition failed to garner enough support to force a bloc vote.


Nearly 5,000 Covid cases reported in last week of April

A total of 4,963 Covid-19 infections were reported during the 17th epidemiological week (ME 17) from April 23 to 29, the health ministry said today, a 3% increase from the 4,817 cases reported the week before.
In a statement, health director-general Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan said this was in line with the reporting of Covid-19 data during festive seasons in recent years.
The number of Covid-19 admissions to public health facilities, including patients with suspected infection, also increased from 4.8 per 100,000 population to 5.8 per 100,000 population from the week before.
The number of patients in Category One and Two increased from 1.4 to 1.8 per 100,000 population while the number of patients in Category Three to Four increased from 1.3 to 2.0 per 100,000 population.
The percentage of non-critical and ICU beds used at Covid-19 facilities went up 3.0% respectively while the percentage of Covid-19 patients in need of breathing assistance increased by 0.2%.
The percentage of Covid-19 bed occupancy at ICUs as of May 4 was 15%, while the percentage of non-critical Covid-19 bed occupancy was 23%.
Radzi said the Covid-19 situation in Malaysia remained under control, and that health services and hospital capacity was not affected.
"The majority of hospitalised patients are high-risk groups such as individuals with comorbidities and the elderly, but the increase has not burdened health services and hospitals are still operating as usual," he said.
As of ME 17, there were 33 active Covid-19 clusters.
Radzi said the health ministry expected a slight increase in Covid-19 infections following public movements during the Hari Raya and Wesak Day celebrations.
"The health ministry encourages people to wear face masks if they experience any symptoms while visiting others, in order to protect their family, neighbours and friends from getting infected with Covid-19," he added.


Muhyiddin tests positive for Covid-19

National Recovery Council chairman Muhyiddin Yassin today said he had tested positive for Covid-19 after undergoing a RT-PCR test this morning.The former prime minister however added that he is only experiencing mild symptoms and is in good health.“In line with the health ministry’s protocol, I will be self-quarantining at home,” he said in a Facebook post, asking the public to pray for his health as well as his family’s.Case numbers have been climbing of late, with nearly 14,000 new infections reported yesterday as Malaysia weathers yet another wave, this time fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant.However, the majority of new infections have been asymptomatic or with only mild symptoms, with hospitalisations and deaths on a decline.


Vaccine supply to stabilise by June, Khairy assures

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today assured that Malaysia’s supply of Covid-19 vaccine would stabilise by June, at which point he said mass vaccination would be in “full swing”.Noting concerns by some over the rate of vaccination so far, he said “for now, demand outstrips supply”.But based on the delivery schedules received from suppliers, he said, Malaysia would have enough supply coming to ensure that the population target of 80% is achieved before year-end.“So while I know everyone is anxious about getting their Covid-19 vaccination, I would also like to manage expectations with the reality of vaccine availability,” he said in a statement, adding that he would continue to push for more supplies to arrive sooner.Khairy, who is in charge of the national vaccination programme, said vaccine supplies in Malaysia and other middle-income countries are low as developed countries are dominating the market.“Some rich countries have bought enough vaccines for their citizens three to five times over,” he said, adding that many pharmaceutical companies also give preference to such countries.He said this is also why Malaysia has had to balance its Covid-19 vaccine portfolio to include jabs from different suppliers including Pfizer and AstraZeneca as well as vaccines from non-Western countries such as China’s Sinovac.Phase 1 of the national vaccination programme which began in late February with the inoculation of frontliners will wrap up soon, with Phase 2 involving senior citizens and those in high-risk groups to kick off on April 19.Phase Three, which involves adults aged 18 and above, is scheduled to begin in May.The government is aiming to achieve herd immunity through the inoculation of 80% of the population by February 2022.


No proof that Najib directed amendments to 1MDB audit report, says judge

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today ruled there was no evidence that Najib Razak had explicitly directed the amendments to the final 1MDB audit report to exonerate himself from any civil or criminal liability.
Justice Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, in his judgment, said the former prime minister was merely concerned that the audit report could be politically spun, and that the amendments to the audit report were based on the judgment of former auditor-general Ambrin Buang and documents from the first accused, former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy.
"This would not have been necessary if 1MDB’s management had been more cooperative before the publication of the earlier audit report.
"There is no evidence to show that Ambrin was forced to attend the meetings or make changes to the audit report.
"As for the gratification that was alleged to have been sought, I agree that there was no causal link between the amendments made and the gratification alleged," said the judge.
He added that the prosecution had not established how the items removed or amended could give rise to civil or criminal liability for Najib.
The judge, in acquitting Najib of using his position to order amendments to the final 1MDB audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee, said he was of the opinion that the items removed from the earlier audit report would not have given rise to any civil or criminal liability for the former prime minister.
"The amendments as stated by Ambrin was justified. The amendments were also known to the Public Accounts Committee and openly discussed," said Zaini.
Therefore, he said, the presumption under Section 23 (2) of the Malaysian-Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 could not apply as the prosecution could not prove gratification.
Najib, 70, who is currently serving a 12-year jail sentence at Kajang Prison for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds, was charged under Section 23 (1) of the MACC Act.
Zaini said even Ambrin had confirmed that there were no specific instructions from Najib to amend or remove anything from the audit report.
"There was no evidence that Ambrin was forced to attend the meetings or make changes to the audit report," he said.
He added that Najib was entitled to receive a copy of the audit report as he was the finance minister and a stakeholder of 1MDB.
This was also admitted by Ambrin and one of the prosecution witnesses as the norm, he said.
On 1MDB's two financial statements, the judge said it would seem that Najib had no knowledge of this until it was brought to his attention by Ambrin.
He said Ambrin, who carried out the audit of 1MDB, was granted the independence to carry out his duties due to the security of tenure under Article 105 of the Federal Constitution and was thus conferred wide powers under the Audit Act 1957.
"Ambrin was, therefore, given the independence to carry out his duties without fear or favour. There are consequently very few reasons, if any, for the auditor-general to be cowed, coerced, or forced to make any decisions contrary to his belief or duties.
"He struck me as determined to carry out his duties diligently and not one to suffer fools gladly. He would answer any questions posed to the point and did not mince his words when required. He is the epitome of professionalism," he said.
Meanwhile, Zaini said that Arul Kanda had not attempted to camouflage the shenanigans surrounding 1MDB.
"He was roped in to rescue the company and left what was presumably a promising career abroad. It is general knowledge that he was publicly vilified for the 1MDB affairs, perhaps unfairly as many of the problems were caused before his time," he said.
The judge, in acquitting Arul Kanda of abetting Najib, said there was no evidence to show that he was complicit or responsible for the problems afflicting 1MDB.
"I find that Arul Kanda made a true and full discovery of all things as to which he was lawfully examined and order that a certificate of indemnity under the seal of the court be issued to him stating that he made a true and full discovery of all things examined under the provisions of Section 63(3) of the MACC Act.
"This certificate shall be a bar to all legal proceedings against him in respect of the matters arising from the charges in this case. Arul Kanda is discharged and acquitted of the charge against him," he said.
Zaini likewise ruled for Najib that the prosecution had failed to adduce credible evidence to prove the offence which, if unrebutted or unexplained, would warrant a conviction.
"The second accused is therefore discharged and acquitted of the charge against him," he said.


Less than 10% of Selangor cases linked to workplace, health ministry figures show

Workplaces contributed less than 10% of Covid-19 cases in Selangor, based on the daily breakdown of statistics announced by health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.A quick check of figures from the last week, as well as of today, showed that cases originating from workplaces in Selangor were negligible compared to community clusters.A sample of figures from June 24 showed that out of a total of 18,588 cases in the past eight days, there were only 1,416 new cases from workplaces – about 7.6% of the total cases.Despite this, Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari reportedly claimed that 91% of the total number of clusters in Selangor were workplace-related.This was followed by images which went viral on social media, suggesting that Noor Hisham had endorsed Amirudin’s claim.Noor Hisham has yet to respond to MalaysiaNow’s request for clarification.Authorities today announced an enhanced movement control order in close to 50 areas in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, as daily cases showed no sign of abating after one month of lockdown.Selangor has been recording the highest rate of infection each day, causing some to question if the state has caused inconvenience to other states with low infections due to the nationwide lockdown which came into effect early last month.


Umno needs a miracle, analyst says on Malay support ahead of polls

Umno will need a miracle to regain the general support of the Malay community, an analyst says ahead of crucial elections to be held in six states this year.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Ahmad Atory Hussain said any help from Pakatan Harapan (PH), Umno's partner at the federal level, might only push Malay voters further away, particularly those in rural areas.
Atory, of Universiti Sains Malaysia, said Umno's decision to work with its long-time foe under the leadership of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had angered many of its members and supporters, especially given the party's "No Anwar, no DAP" stand.
"Things became worse when the party leadership began sacking and suspending several veteran leaders and individuals of influence," he added.
"This will come back to haunt Umno at the state elections because the people they did this to also have strong support within the party."
Umno, led by its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, recorded its worst ever electoral performance at the general election last November, winning just 26 seats throughout the country.
Zahid himself refused to step down despite calls for his resignation, choosing instead to commit the support of Barisan Nasional (BN) MPs for Anwar's government.
He was later appointed as one of two deputy prime ministers in Anwar's Cabinet.
Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed recently described PH component DAP as a liability for Umno, saying it would hinder the latter's efforts to regain the support of the Malay community.
Atory meanwhile questioned the extent to which fellow PH components PKR and Amanah would help, saying many voters in rural constituencies are more inclined towards Perikatan Nasional (PN).
"The people out there have other choices," he added. "They have other options apart from BN and PH."
He also referred to Umno's push for a royal pardon for jailed former leader Najib Razak.
Even if the former Pekan MP is freed, he said, he might not be able to restore Umno's support.
"The pro-Najib group want him out, and they believe he will be enough to solve Umno's problems.
"But I don't think so. Whether or not he is freed, it will be hard to restore Umno right now. What Umno needs is a miracle."


South Korea capital launches Covid-19 tests for pets

Pet cats and dogs with a fever, cough or breathing difficulties will be offered coronavirus tests if they have been exposed to carriers, the Seoul metropolitan government said Monday.The programme in the sprawling South Korean capital comes weeks after the country reported its first case of Covid-19 infection in an animal, involving a kitten.“Starting today, the Seoul metropolitan government will offer coronavirus tests for pet dogs and cats,” Park Yoo-mi, a Seoul city official handling disease control, told reporters.Tests will be limited to pets that show symptoms – including fever, coughing, breathing difficulties and runny noses – after coming into contact with humans who have tested positive, she added.The test will be conducted near the animal’s home by a team of health workers including a veterinarian, Park said.Animals that test positive will be required to be kept isolated at home for 14 days, but where owners have the virus their pets will be sent to separate kennels or catteries – human patients in South Korea are generally confined in central quarantine facilities if they do not need hospital treatment.Around the world several animals – including dogs and cats – have tested positive for the coronavirus, which has killed more than two million people worldwide.At least two gorillas at California’s San Diego Zoo tested positive for the virus last month, believed to have been transmitted from an asymptomatic zoo worker.In Denmark – the world’s biggest producer of mink fur – an outbreak of a mutated version of the coronavirus at mink farms last year prompted a culling of all of the country’s mink.


Higher wall, Covid policy make US border more deadly

Horrific fractures, punctured lungs and a traumatic miscarriage: Jay Doucet has seen the severity of his patients’ injuries worsen as more migrants fall from a growing border wall in their bid to evade a pandemic-imposed legal blockade.To the already imposing obstacles for people trying to enter the US on its southern border, the Covid crisis added another: a quick-fix health rule called Title 42 that allows authorities to remove anyone simply because they might be carrying the disease.And with no legal route into the country, migrants have been taking their lives in their hands.“You and I wouldn’t jump (from) a 30-foot wall, but they would,” says Doucet, head of trauma at UC San Diego Health.In 2019, the wall that straddles parts of the border between the US and Mexico was raised in several places, fulfilling a campaign promise of then-president Donald Trump.The increase, from 18 feet (5.4 meters) to 30 feet, was almost instantly noticeable for Doucet and his colleagues.In the two years before the height increase, they saw 67 significant injuries; in the two years since, that figure has hit 375.They have dealt with sixteen people who have died after falling from the wall in that time.‘We couldn’t go back’“We have clear empirical evidence that these higher walls do not stop or divert migratory flows, but they do cause more serious injuries,” says Carlos González Gutiérrez, Mexican consul in San Diego, who has been called to help hundreds of Mexicans hospitalised in the city.The “wall” – which for the most part is a fence – runs through hills and dunes, out into the waters of the Pacific.If it is imposing from afar, up close it seems enormous.“I don’t know how I got up, it was all very fast,” said one migrant.The woman, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, fled Colombia with her family because of threats of violence.Her terrifying climb over the wall was a success.Her daughter was not so lucky, falling and badly fracturing her ankle.Even if they had known what would happen, they would still have climbed.“We couldn’t go back,” she told AFP.Desperate“During the pandemic, many asylum seekers became very desperate and frustrated that they didn’t have a method of presenting themselves at the port of entry,” says Pedro Rios of the NGO American Friends Service Committee.“And so this meant that many of them were crossing through very dangerous areas.”President Joe Biden’s administration announced it would rescind Title 42 on May 23, but opposition from Republican-dominated states has tied the issue up in legal knots.A judge is expected to rule on its fate this weekend.For migration reform campaigners, Title 42 has been a failure: an immigration policy dressed up as a health policy – and not fit for either purpose.“Title 42 has created enormous human suffering,” says Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior policy adviser for the American Council on Migration, who points out that 2021 and 2022 will be the deadliest years on record.A total 557 people died at the border in 2021, more than double the 283 deaths in 2018, before Title 42 and the wall’s elevation.Those deaths include dehydration and starvation from desert crossings, as well as people who drowned in rivers.HealthPerversely, Title 42 may even have increased the number of people trying to cross illegally.It provides for immediate removal with no legal consequences, so migrants who are caught and sent back can try to cross again without fear of imperiling a future asylum application.US border patrol logged a record 1.73 million encounters with migrants in the 12 months to September 2021.They are on track to surpass that figure this year.“Many of these (are) the same individual crossing the border multiple times,” says Reichlin-Melnick.With the world’s worst official death toll and a high domestic infection rate, the US is not keeping Covid at bay by refusing entry to Latin Americans, he says.Opening the doors to Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion proves that Title 42 is not about health.“There is no reason to admit thousands of Ukrainians and block Nicaraguans, Venezuelans or Haitians seeking asylum.”In his hospital office in San Diego, Doucet pauses at the sound of a helicopter bringing in another patient.“I think we were very hopeful that a simple solution like a wall would make the problem go away,” he says. “It’s made things worse.“People don’t understand how desperate they are to come.”


Shafee tried to hide nature of RM9.5 million from Najib, MACC man tells court

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was told yesterday that lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah had tried to disguise the “identity” of the RM9.5 million received from Najib Razak as a loan, when the money was paid for legal services rendered to Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Mohamad Farid Jabar, 37, said that according to two recordings of statements taken by MACC in 2017 and 2018, Shafee had said that the RM9.5 million was for legal fees, but in another recorded statement and a media statement, the lawyer said the money was a loan.“Initially, Shafee had his statement recorded (in 2017 and 2018) as a witness related to the receipt of RM9.5 million from Najib, whereby Shafee was one of those who received money from Najib when the latter was being investigated by the MACC.“Shafee’s explanation through the two recorded statements that I obtained clearly proves that the receipt of RM9.5 million was the payment of legal fees for the 2004 and 2006 election petition cases that had been completed,” he said, adding that the statements were recorded by two MACC officers.The eighth prosecution witness said this during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Afzainizam Abdul Aziz in the trial of Shafee, who is charged with receiving RM9.5 million in funds obtained from illegal activities from Najib, and two counts of making false statements to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).Farid said he had lodged a complaint on Sept 4, 2018, over the alleged offence of receiving RM9.5 million by Shafee, whereby the senior lawyer was a suspect in his investigation paper.“My investigation was aimed at finding out whether the receipt of two cheques amounting to RM9.5 million had been declared in Form B for the years of assessment (LHDN) 2013 and 2014. From there, my investigation found that it was not reported.“My investigation also found that, based on the recordings and media statements, he (Shafee) tried to hide the true identity of the RM9.5 million he received as a loan, when the RM9.5 million was actually payment for legal services provided by Shafee to Umno and BN,” he said.To Afzainizam’s question of why he did not issue a notice to Shafee and Shafee & Co, to submit invoices regarding the legal fees to Umno and BN, Farid said Shafee himself had confirmed that he did not request any invoices from Najib because he was too “shy” to do so.“Besides that, the cheque (for RM9.5 million) was made personally by Najib to Shafee because the 2004 and 2006 election petition cases had been completed,” he added.After the final prosecution witness finished testifying, Afzainizam informed judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin that the prosecution rested its case.“The prosecution rests its case today after calling eight witnesses. The prosecution does not offer any witnesses to the defence,” he said.Counsel Harvinderjit Singh, representing Shafee, thanked the prosecution and Jamil for hearing the case.Jamil then ordered both parties to submit their notes of proceedings on June 12 for the court to examine and compare them with the court recording transcript (CRT) to determine their accuracy.“Both parties must also file written submissions on or before July 26 while oral submissions have been set for Sept 15,” he said.Among the prosecution witnesses called to testify at the trial which began on May 21, 2021 were Ambank Jalan Raja Chulan branch manager R Uma Devi, CIMB Bank Bukit Tunku branch manager Rosnita Ahmad and former LHDN officer Syed Nasrul Fahmi Syed Mohamad.On Sept 13, 2018, Shafee pleaded not guilty to receiving proceeds from unlawful activities via cheques issued by Najib, which were remitted into Shafee’s CIMB Bank account. He allegedly received a cheque for RM4.3 million on Sept 13, 2013, and another for RM5.2 million on Feb 17, 2014.The charges, under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, carry a maximum fine of RM5 million, up to five years’ jail, or both upon conviction.Shafee also faces two charges of involvement in the transactions of proceeds from unlawful activities, that is by making inaccurate statements in contravention of Paragraph 113(1)(a) of the Income Tax Act 1967 for the financial years ending Dec 31, 2013 and Dec 31, 2014.He allegedly committed the offences at LHDN’s Jalan Duta branch at Kompleks Pejabat Kerajaan, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim on March 3, 2015 and June 29, 2015.For this, Shafee is liable to a maximum of 15 years in jail and a fine of not less than five times the proceeds of the unlawful activities, if convicted.


Daily caseload tops 2,400 as another 7 deaths logged

Another 2,428 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,797,437.
There were 2,673 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,734,099.
There are now 27,076 active cases, of which 25,650 or 94.7% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 18 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,341 (5.0%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 67 are in ICU with 38 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 61.4%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 18.1%.
Another seven deaths were reported, including two who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,262.


Najib Razak’s final statement in court

I wish to address this honourable court on my position in this appeal. I am the appellant, yet the same feels illusory.
Over the past week, I have watched from the dock as my chances of success at this appeal slowly erode away. Not because of lack of merit but because I am not represented. While I note this honourable court’s decision on barring the discharge of my lawyers the fact of the matter is I am unrepresented.
I believe that there has never been a single occasion in Malaysian legal history where a counsel in a criminal trial or appeal has been prevented from discharging himself from representing his client in similar circumstances or any reasonable circumstances.
Even the cases cited by Dato Sitham on Friday do not demonstrate this! In fact, the cases he presented to the court show in these cases there were continuing trend of multiple adjournments in the proceedings applied for by the accused/appellant before such drastic actions were taken by the court. In our case, this is the first time I have changed solicitors/counsel for a good reason which I shall elaborate in a while.
This is also the first time an adjournment of a mere four months is requested for, unlike other cases where adjournments of about 70 times were allowed by our courts. At the end of this I wish to say something about what I have discovered from my casual understanding of the law in relation to the engagement of new counsel and circumstances posed that make it necessary for a request of an adjournment.
I take responsibility of decisions pertaining to my representation. But I genuinely thought they were sound decisions at the time based on my solicitors and external counsel advice. Now it seems to be adversely interpreted against me by this honourable court if an appellant similarly placed in my position cannot rely on his lawyers’ advice and being punished instead, fair trial and the rule of law seems to me illusory.
Yet, and at no point have I been afforded the opportunity to explain myself nor have I been asked about the circumstances that led us here. It is said that the accused is the most important person in the criminal court, yet I somehow feel mistreated and I feel fair trial has not been accorded to me.
Yang Arif, I plead that no offence is taken for what I have said, but it is simply how I feel. As an accused and appellant at the final stage of a case, it is the worst feeling to have, to realise that the might of the judicial machinery is pinned against me in the most unfair manner.
Yang Arif, before I continue, a few of the things I am about to say had been previously disclosed to the media earlier, not because I want to take this appeal out of court but rather to have my statement placed before some public record while waiting for a chance to address this honourable court lest my statement here is treated as an afterthought.
With your permission Yang Arif.
My previous lawyers at Shafee & Co did well over the past four years representing me in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, leaving no stones unturned, which is why they remain my lawyers in the other trials I am facing.
But notwithstanding their valiant effort, I lost in both my trial and the appeal to the Court of Appeal, not because my defence lacks merit. My previous lawyers and I seriously entertained the notion that even my defence would have not been called at the trial on all charges and therefore the reasons for the voluminous submissions by my counsel even at that stage.
It is with this backdrop I felt that a fresh perspective of the case, and to bring in new ideas was warranted and necessary for my final appeal before this court as all and every valiant effort seems not to work. This after all involves my life, nothing less.
My initial plan was the engagement of Jonathan Laidlaw QC to come onboard with Shafee & Co and to work together with Shafee and Harvey. The QC came with the highest of recommendations and I was confident that he would be a positive contribution to the team. After all, chambers and partners described him as a the top most silk in the UK and in most part of the commonwealth, in the field of criminal law particularly relating to fraud, corruption, abuse of powers and other corporate and white collared crime, for the last four years consecutively.
It is important to bear in mind here, the QC was prepared for purposes of the hearing of this appeal starting on Aug 15, 2022. Fees for his services were paid. This should deliver the message to this court that I was serious with the appeal to go on the 15th.
The discovery of the evidence pertaining to justice Nazlan further necessitated a new counsel to come onboard to independently look at the allegations and to submit before this honourable court in the most unbiased of circumstances.
Unfortunately, the High Court rejected the QC’s bid to come onboard as my lawyer on July 21, 2022. I was discouraged as this literally stopped the QC’s preparation as the weeks of the appeal that he had reserved for the appeal would become wasted and he had to resort to adjusting his busy calendar.
With the High Court’s rejection and this appeal fixed around the corner I could not run the risk of the QC’s rejection being maintained at the appeal in the Federal Court leaving me with no additional counsel which by then I took the view was imperative to independently argue the issue regarding justice Nazlan.
Zaid Ibrahim who had approached me some time back represented that he was able to bring in legal expertise from India through his Singaporean partner, a certian Mr Niru Pillai.
I had no knowledge of Zaid or his Singaporean partner of their expertise or otherwise in areas of criminal law, but I was then introduced by them to two senior counsel from India, who initially impressed me with their ideas. Ultimately, they suggested they will do the back end work while Zaid’s firm would facilitate the court process.
Zaid and team came with a condition that their engagement must include his firm being placed as solicitors on record and a new local counsel to come onboard. I never knew that neither Zaid nor Niru Pillai has ever practised criminal law or had sufficient knowledge on those subjects.
I was advised by Zaid and Mr Niru Pillai that this was the only way they would be afforded time to prepare for the appeal as by practice and precedent the court will (and this was represented to me in absolute terms) grant time for a new team to prepare. Acting on their legal advice, I agreed to this course of action.
I was not made known of the various legal propositions cited by this honourable court in the judgement recently pronounced the other day pertaining to the undue difficulties of change of counsel and the adjournment that would become necessary to enable the new counsel and solicitors to familiarise with my case.
I was also convinced that this was an appropriate decision after being told that other high-profile appeals in the past were granted multiple adjournments in the spirit of due process to achieve real justice.
In fact, comparing my case to that of the last high profile case of Anwar Ibrahim, it can be said that my appeal has taken a fast track to reach here. Anwar took seven years with over 70 adjournments to get to this stage. The SRC case has taken four years, two years of which were affected by the pandemic and no less than seven other proceedings, criminal and civil against me. As I have said, I have also never sought for an adjournment in this appeal apart from the ones following my change of solicitors and counsel.
I say in no uncertain terms : my intention was not to simply delay the court process but rather because of QC Jonathan Laidlaw’s application not looking good based on the unreasonable and strong objections raised by the prosecution and the Bar Council, and ultimately the application being rejected less than a month before the scheduled dates at the gearing of the appeal.
The objections taken by the prosecution and the Bar were so ridiculous that they argued that the QC must have Bahasa Malaysia qualification, a point settled by the Federal Court itself in Geoffrey Robertson QC, case. This point is important to show how these two bodies were all out to deprive me of a competent counsel before even I reached the Federal Court on Aug 15. Any new team bringing in fresh ideas will need time, to read the voluminous record of appeal, written submissions, applications etc.
I am not ashamed to say, I was desperate, as would any litigant placed in my situation and predicament. I thought what I decided would increase my chances of improving the quality of submissions at the appeal.
Yang Arif, my decision has now left me with no counsel. While Hisyam came in with the most nobel of intentions, he cannot represent me effectively as he never had adequate time to prepare or read, and I consider him and the team of solicitors discharged as of Aug 18, 2022 as it was made clear by him on behalf of the team that they were not prepared to argue the appeals, in their state of total unpreparedness. Seriously, Yang Arif, may I ask this court, am I to be blamed and punished for relying on my own solicitors and counsel advice?
Since, your decision last week, I have called up various counsel to find alternative representation, but considering the decision and grounds of this honourable court on Tuesday (Aug 16, 2022), nobody is able or willing to take up my appeal, unless adequate time is given to that, as was being requested by Hisyam.
Even my previous counsel and solicitors are not able or willing to re-take the brief unless they are given adequate time of at least two months to re-mobilise their work considering the volume of preparation and other commitments to the courts. They can do this preparation in two months as they were involved at the High Court and the Court of Appeal. Hisyam on the other hand, together with his solicitors, being totally new to the case would require at least four months to get themselves ready and comfortable to argue the appeals.
This I must repeat leaves me with no counsel and I don’t know what to do. If given time of at least two months, I am confident I can assemble a team to adequately represent me – perhaps with a combination of my previous counsel and Hj. Hisyam in a consolidated team. In that proposed combination perhaps Hisyam can be brought up to speed by Shafee & Co to be able to understand the case within two months.
Yang Amat Arif, on Monday Hisyam said a hearing is like a contest. But right now it seems like I’m put out of the contest, a contest that affects my liberty. I feel this is not cricket at all as there is total unfairness executed on me.
In the normal course of events my counsel at this stage will be submitting copiously in my defence. But that is not the case today. I can’t fault Hisyam for this and for him to just submit on a few points as suggested, would as I understand be a breach of another rule of practice where a defense counsel must present ALL legal defences available to him, surely not one or two points out of the 90 over grounds.
My previous counsel Shafee and Harvey Singh had impressed upon me when preparing this appeal previously that there are at least 40 distinct grounds within the 90 grounds in the petition of appeal where my appeal on any single matter out of the 40 can be successful amounting to my acquittal in the appeal.
How can any responsible counsel resort to taking up only two or three points out of the 90 grounds and do justice to me. This honourable court seems to be overly concern about the time allotted for this appeal and that any adjournment would posed inconvenience to this court and perhaps the Prosecution. But, Yang Arif surely, in the light of what I have said and what would be said later on, must justice be sacrificed at the alter of convenience?
Therefore, I plead that time be given Yang Amat Arif. At this stage I am asking for two months for my counsel to be prepared and to conduct this appeal. I am already disadvantaged but at least let me have my day in court with proper representation with the fullest of the argument of my defence without limitation.
The upshot of what I am asking is a mere two months postponement adjournment of the hearing of the appeal as opposed to my life and liberty being shortened by 12 years of imprisonment, not to mention the astronomical sum of the fine.
If such time is not granted Yang Arif, this court will then have the onerous task as demanded by law of having to go through the records of appeal (over 200 volumes not including the volumes of the previous submissions), unassisted by counsel to provide contrary to the prosecution, which will definitely consume more time for this court to provide adequate deliberation before a decision is made. In the context of that, isn’t the common sense approach of providing me adequate time more sensible and in accord with justice?
Yang Amat Arif, apart from my pleading for time, I wish to also record an objection on Yang Amat Arif continuing to preside on this appeal and invite Yang Amat Arif to consider whether it is appropriate for you to preside. I say this with the greatest of respect and I take no pleasure in raising this but over the past week, there have been numerous reports of sentiments against me placed in the public domain by Yang Amat Arif’s husband Zamani Ibrahim.
In a particular Facebook posting dated May 11, 2018 two days after the 14th general election, Zamani has expressed his views that clearly show his distaste and disgust towards me and that I am directly responsible for the 1MDB and SRC debacles. That includes my culpability that is the subject matter of this appeal.
The recent disclosure raises a serious question of Yang Amat Arif’s impartiality and judicious competency to hear this case. While I note the sentiments were raised by a spouse, it is not unreasonable to think that such sentiments are shared within the household, in a spousal relationship.
The law also recognises that there is a special relationship between husband and wife, it is a relationship of spousal privilege where the law presumes there will be an exchange of ideas and discourse in a marriage. Surely such strong statements by Zamani would have been brought to your attention and shared. The test here is not actual bias but the appearance of bias.
While Yang Amat Arif may take the view that the court is free from political bias, let’s not forget that the actions of the previous chief justice Richard Malanjum who proceeded with my pre-trial SRC appeals without any records of appeal being prepared is now a member of a political rival party - Pakatan Harapan and had campaigned for them immediately following his retirement. What a shocking state of affairs even for me to digest.
Yang Arif, it is situations like this that makes me uncomfortable. From the very beginning since my charges were levied against me, I have had doubts whether I am getting a fair chance in securing liberty in these trials.
It started after my charges were brought before a randomly appointed judge by your own computer system. However, after news of his brother being a member of Umno, and an exco of Pahang, he was suddenly and summarily transferred to the civil courts without any application for recusal by any parties and justice Nazlan brought in. Now it is discovered that he took positive steps in issues relating to 1MDB when he was in Maybank which is part and parcel of the SRC saga.
Curiously this court has said that the evidence regarding justice Nazlan have no relation to the charges against me. This court is correct. They don’t. What the evidence does show however is justice Nazlan’s predisposition towards an adverse position against me in 1MDB that taints his judgement when deciding on the charges here. He is potentially almost in a definite position to be a witness in the 1MDB case and if he had known this matter earlier he would have been called as a court witness at our instance in the SRC trial.
With the help of some counsel I have discovered that there are many reported cases in the commonwealth from UK to Australia, Malaysia, India and Jamaica, South Africa, and from a non-commonwealth country in the US, and my survey indicates that in my situation this court should have given time to my counsel for adequate preparation in this very important appeal, which is noted by all the court including the trial court as being the case that poses unusual issues and certainly great difficulties both in law and facts.
In an old case, Chong Fah Hin versus public prosecutor, a 1949 decision by justice Russell in Malaya, it was already decided that every accused person have a right to be defended by an advocate and should be given a sufficient time to instruct his counsel.
In the US, a decision of its Supreme Court in Strickland versus Washington, a 1984 decision, it was held:
“a fair trial is one in which evidence subject to adversarial testing is presented to an impartial tribunal for resolution of issues defined in advance of the proceeding. The right to counsel plays a crucial role in the adversarial system embodied in the sixth amendment, since access to counsel’s skill and knowledge is necessary to accord defends the “ample opportunity to meet the case of the prosecution” to which they are entitled.”
Further, in the same court in 2006 in the called US versus Gonzales-Lopez justice Scalia a much revered and respected figure globally in the field of law and justice said this: “So also with the sixth amendment right to counsel of choice. It commands, not that a trial be fair, but that a particular guarantee of fairness be provided – to wit, that the accused be defended by the counsel he believes to be best.”
In the same case, it was held that a counsel that provides ineffective representation is not a counsel within the meaning of the sixth amendment and his client is therefore presumed prejudiced as a fair trial could not have been achieved.
In the Australian case of McGill 1967 the appellate court in Victoria, over a matter of adjournment for fresh counsel to be instructed said this,
“The factors which led us to the conclusion that his honour’s decision was unreasonable are these: in the first place, the adjournment sought was short; in the second place, there was no reason to think that this adjournment would appreciable embarrass or inconvenience the crown; in the third place, lack of instructions to or lack of preparation by counsel might and probably would handicap the defence; in the fourth place, the refusal created a situation inconsistent with the requirement that justice should appear to be done.
“It is essential to the administration of justice that the standards required to secure a fair trial according to law should be insisted upon. One of these standards is that an accused person must be given full opportunity to present his defence.“
In the landmark case by the highest court of Australia, Dietrich presided by seven judges headed by Chief Justice Mason this was said:
“The decision whether to grant an adjournment or a stay is to be made in the exercise of the trial judge’s discretion by asking whether the trial is likely to be unfair if the accused is forced on unrepresented. For our part, the desirability of an accused charged with a serious offence being represented is so great that we consider that the trial should proceed without representation for the accused in exceptional cases only. In all other cases of serious crimes, the remedy of an adjournment should be granted in order that representation can be obtained.”
There are few hundred cases of similar sentiments worldwide. The counsel who volunteered this information for me, provided them to me and I am aghast to note that this principle is so established in order to provide justice to people like me, and yet the prosecution provided cases on adjournment and change of counsel that bears no relevance to my current state of affairs.
I’m disappointed with Your Ladyships' and Your Lordships' rulings that I am not entitled to an adjournment in order to provide effective defence through an effective counsel. Two of Your Ladyships decided in Yahya Hussein Mohsen AbdulRab versus public prosecutor that a flagantly incompetent counsel does not amount to the right to a counsel of an accused person to be adequately satisfied.
Yang Arif, has directed my unprepared counsel to nevertheless submit, even on one or two points out of the 90 points, does not this tantamount to instructing an ineffective counsel to submit on matters affecting my liberty. And through no fault of my own! Is this the justice that the highest court of this land wants to deliver? Or am I just a pawn, as Geoffery Robertson QC said, “in a justice game”?
Najib Razak is a former prime minister of Malaysia.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Refugee employment should be based on home ministry data, Saifuddin says

Any decision to allow refugees to be employed in any sector should be based on data prepared by the home ministry (KDN), said its minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said his ministry is now putting effort to conduct and collect data related to refugees, such as their gender, age and country of origin.
According to him, this follows the decisions made in the National Security Council (MKN) meeting and the recent Cabinet meeting.
“The KDN was given the responsibility to register refugees and issue them with a refugee card (refugee registration document). Previously, the government's initiative was to appoint a third party (refugee information tracking system - TRIS) but they could only register about 30,000 (individuals) compared with the data obtained from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) of 185,000 people.
“The gap is huge. The MKN made a decision that the KDN has to register the refugees, hence, it starts with data, granular data. If we want to consider them in terms of job opportunities, we have to start with data first,” he said.
Saifuddin said this to reporters after attending the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's Aidilfitri open house at the agency’s headquarters in Putrajaya today.
He said that the immigration department was given the responsibility to register these refugees, and once they had been registered, the ministry could help find them employment.
“Once we get the registration numbers, instead of them looking for work, we can help them find employment, depending on the government's policies and decisions. We are not yet in that direction; what is important now is the data,” he said.
Meanwhile, when asked to comment on the recent issue of refugee settlement in Penang, Saifuddin said that no party can act on its own, and only enforcement agencies are allowed to take action, such as the police and the immigration department.
“Efforts are being made to register the actual data of refugees for the government, which can be used to plan the next steps and engagement with the UNCHR for data sharing. This cooperation can help speed up the planning for refugees.
“Otherwise, we are allowing various issues to arise and local sentiments to swell. For now, it may be a small thing, but it cannot be allowed to fester or be taken lightly,” he said.


972 more cases, recoveries hit new high

Another 972 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 41,181.Of these, 370 were reported in Sabah, 260 in Negeri Sembilan, 138 in Selangor and 63 in Labuan.Active cases stand at 11,308 with 86 in the ICU and 31 in need of respiratory assistance.A new high of 1,345 patients were discharged, pushing total recoveries to 29,579 or 71.8%.However, eight more deaths were also recorded, bringing the virus toll to 294.


Another 76 Delta cases detected in Sarawak

Another 76 Covid-19 cases of the Delta variant have been detected in Sarawak, the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM) said today.IHCM director Dr David Perera said the cases were detected through ongoing tracking and surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants circulating in the state.“Samples from positive cases were tested between June 7 and July 13, with the majority of the cases (52 cases) detected in Kuching,” he said in his latest report to Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman Douglas Uggah Embas today.Perera said the Delta cases were detected through the testing of samples from Hospital Sentosa, the Satok police station and various other locations in Kuching, while 11 cases were detected in Serian, five in Sri Aman, three in Samarahan and one each in Sibu, Miri and Betong.“We also detected a case each under the ‘Import A’ (individuals coming from overseas) and ‘Import B’ (individuals coming from other parts of Malaysia) categories,” he said.A total of 93 cases involving the Delta variant have been detected in Sarawak since June 18.


Sarawak CM unveils new Cabinet line-up

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg today announced his Cabinet line-up in the aftermath of the recent state election, with Batu Kawah assemblyman Dr Sim Kui Hian named as one of his deputy chief ministers.The new line-up which comes into effect today saw Douglas Uggah Embas and Awang Tengah Ali Hasan likewise appointed as deputy chief ministers.Uggah also replaces the late James Masing as development of infrastructure and ports minister while Awang was assigned the international trade and industry, industrial terminal and entrepreneur development portfolio.Speaking at a press conference in Kuching, Abang Johari said the new state Cabinet was in line with Sarawak’s objective to become a developed state by 2030.“It is my conviction that the new Cabinet line-up is a functional Cabinet, equipped with competent, people-driven, transparent individuals with integrity who are focused on delivering effective services while maintaining a solid structure system,” he said.He added that the Cabinet’s main task would be to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and to restore the economy.The new line-up comprises 10 ministers and 26 assistant ministers, most of whose portfolios were retained.Sim was also appointed as minister of public health, housing and local government.Sebuyau assemblyman Julaihi Narawi who was previously the assistant minister of infrastructure and port development was promoted to minister of utilities and telecommunications.The new Cabinet sees 10 new faces as assistant ministers:1. Juanda Jaya (integrity and ombudsman)2. Jefferson Jamit Unyat (law and customary lands)3. Hazland Abang Hipni (energy and environmental sustainability)4. Aidel Lariwoo (infrastructure and port development)5. Majang Renggi (infrastructure and port development)6. Michael Tiang Ming Tee (public health, housing and local government)7. Martin Ben (agricultural modernisation and rural development)8. Henry Harry Jinep (transport)9. Ripin Lamat (youth, sports and entrepreneurship development)10. Mohamad Razi Sitam (women, children and community welfare development)Kemena assemblyman Dr Stephen Rundi Utom who was previously utilities minister was appointed as minister of agricultural modernisation and rural development.Tarat assemblyman Roland Sagah Wee Inn who was assistant minister of agricultural modernisation, customary lands and regional development was promoted to a full minister in charge of education, innovation and talent development.Meanwhile John Sikei Tayai, who was assistant minister of native law and customary land, was promoted to minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, replacing Talip Zulpilip.


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Ex-spy chief Hasanah dies

Former spy chief Hasanah Abdul Hamid died today after a battle with cancer. She was 66.
Hasanah, the former Malaysian External Intelligence Organisation director-general, was acquitted in August last year of criminal breach of trust involving US$12.1 million belonging to the Malaysian government in 2018.
She was previously granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal in the case.


Former Perlis MB to face further charges

Former Perlis menteri besar Azlan Man will be charged again at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court tomorrow with five counts of money laundering.
Azlan, 64, will face charges under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said that it had received permission to prosecute a former menteri besar tomorrow.
Yesterday, Azlan pleaded not guilty at the Kangar Sessions Court to five counts of submitting false overseas travel claims worth more than RM1.18 million between 2013 and 2017.
Azlan was Pauh assemblyman from 2013 to 2018, before winning the Bintong state seat in 2018. He lost the seat at the last general election.
He was Perlis menteri besar from 2013 to 2022 and failed to defend his post as Umno Kangar division chief at the party recent election.


New cases hover at 5,600

Another 5,666 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,431,716.Another 6,978 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,327,369.Meanwhile 601 are in the ICU, including 522 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 299 are in need of respiratory assistance including 222 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 5,666 cases reported today, 107 (1.9%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 5,559 (98.1%) are in Category One and Two.


North Korea fires 3 ballistic missiles after reporting Covid outbreak

North Korea fired three ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea said, in the latest such move by the isolated country racing to advance its weapons programmes on the day it first reported a Covid-19 outbreak.Japan’s coastguard confirmed the launch of a ballistic missile by North Korea, citing its military. The projectile appeared to fall outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, public broadcaster NHK said.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said three short-range ballistic missiles were fired from the Sunan area of the North’s capital, Pyongyang, where an international airport is located and where the North had said it fired its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-17, on March 24.The missiles flew approximately 360km (224 miles), reaching an altitude of 90km and a maximum velocity of Mach 5, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.The firing was the first after the inauguration this week of conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has signalled a hard line against the North’s weapons development.The launch, the North’s 16th known weapons test this year, also came hours after it reported its first Covid-19 outbreak, declaring a “gravest national emergency” and ordering a national lockdown.Yoon’s national security office issued a statement condemning the launch and saying it “deplored the duplicitous conduct” of firing ballistic missiles and ignoring the plight of its people in the middle of a Covid outbreak.In its last weapons test on Saturday, the North used a submarine-launched ballistic missile, which it has been aggressively developing in recent years.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed late last month to expedite the country’s buildup of nuclear arsenal, amid stalled denuclearisation talks with the US.US and South Korean officials have said Pyongyang’s first nuclear test since 2017 could take place as early as this month.


Govt still waiting for Saudi response on haj quota, says minister

With less than three weeks to go before the start of the haj season, Malaysia has yet to receive an answer from the Saudi Arabian government about the additional quota for this year's pilgrims.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Mohd Na'im Mokhtar said Putrajaya was still trying to obtain the additional spots by submitting an appeal to Saudi Arabia.
"We are still waiting for the Saudi government to respond to our appeal," he said during the Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) who asked about the outcome of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's visit to the kingdom several months ago.
It was previously reported that Malaysia had received its original quota for haj pilgrims of 31,600 with an additional quota of 350.
The government was later reported to have made a second appeal for up to 10,000 additional spots, the outcome of which had been expected last month.
Saudi Arabia's policy sets the haj quota for each country at a rate of 0.1% of the total population.
This would put Malaysia's official quota at 31,600 based on current population numbers.


South Korea to cut vaccine booster interval for elderly to fight rise in cases

South Korea plans to cut to four months from six the gap for coronavirus booster doses given to senior citizens as it looks to dampen a spike in serious cases, authorities said on Wednesday.After managing to keep infections relatively low with aggressive testing and tracing, authorities are now grappling with a surge in critical cases since an easing of distancing rules this month under a “living with Covid-19” scheme.More than 90% of South Korean adults have been vaccinated, but breakthrough infections have been growing among elderly people, straining the medical system.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it has decided to shorten the dosing interval for booster shots for people aged 60 or older and those who live or work at nursing homes and other vulnerable facilities to four months.People in their 50s and primary groups including soldiers, police and firefighters can now get another jab five months after their last shot.“Despite our high vaccination rate, we’ve confirmed clear rises in breakthrough infections among senior generations four months after they got the shot,” KDCA chief Jeong Eun-kyeong told a briefing.“There is also a growing need for additional vaccination doses due to declining immunity from the Delta variants and as time passes.”The KDCA reported 3,187 new cases for Tuesday, the highest daily tally since 3,270 recorded on Sept. 25, including the most ever serious infections of 522.More than 82% of all serious cases reported this week are from elderly people, compared with around 65% a month ago, the KDCA said.Hospital beds are being filled rapidly around the greater Seoul area, with only about 30% of intensive care units (ICUs) left available.The KDCA said it will consider issuing a circuit breaker on the relaxed distancing curbs if more than 75% of ICU beds are used nationwide and other factors pose high risks.Nearly 13.8 million people will be able to get a booster shot by the end of this year, the KDCA said.


Daily Covid cases expected to keep rising, says deputy health DG

Daily Covid-19 cases are expected to continue increasing before the country’s vaccination rate hits 80% by the end of October, says deputy health director-general (research and technical support) Dr Hishamshah Mohd Ibrahim.He said the current increase in cases in the country is due to new variants such as the Delta variant.“The high vaccination rate in Labuan and Sarawak has shown new cases are dropping but what we stress more is that admissions to the ICU and the death rate have shown a drastic fall.“So if we could do the same thing in the peninsula, more so at the hotspots which are experiencing rising transmissions, especially in the Klang Valley, with a higher vaccination rate, we will see a drop in cases.“The decline in cases may take some time but more importantly, we want to see a decrease in terms of serious patient admissions into wards and those who die,” he said in a special media conference today.Also present were health ministry secretary-general Mohd Shafiq Abdullah, health deputy director-general (public health) and Greater Klang Valley Special Task Force commander Dr Chong Chee Kheong and Selangor health director Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman.He said as of July 22, the ministry had detected 409 cases of variants of concern (VOC) related to Covid-19 in Malaysia: 189 cases of the Delta variant, 206 cases of the Beta variant and 14 cases of the Alpha variant.“This month, we expect the number of genome sequencings to increase as we have established a consortium of seven laboratories in the science, technology and innovation ministry and at universities.“This will increase another 1,000 genome sequencings a month and we will be able to have more detailed information on the distribution of variants in our country,” he said.


New infections at 309 as death toll stays unchanged

Another 309 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,034,830.
There were 292 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,987,561.
There are now 10,337 active cases, of which 9,943 or 96.2% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 381 (3.7%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 13 are in ICU with 10 in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving the death toll unchanged at 36,932.


Indonesia policy uncertainty hampers resumption of palm oil exports

Indonesia allowed a resumption of palm oil exports from Monday after a three-week ban, but shipments were not expected to get underway until details emerge on new rules aimed at securing domestic supplies of the edible oil.The Southeast Asian country, the world’s biggest palm oil producer, halted exports of palm oil from April 28 in an attempt to bring down soaring local prices of cooking oil, rattling global edible oil markets already struggling with sunflower oil supply shortages due to the war in Ukraine.President Joko Widodo announced the lifting of the ban on exports of crude palm oil and some derivative products last week, expressing confidence that bulk cooking oil prices were heading towards a target level of 14,000 rupiah (US$0.9546) per litre, even if they were currently higher in some areas.Palm oil, used in everything from margarine to shampoo, comprises a third of the world’s vegetable oil market, with Indonesia accounting for about 60% of supply.To ensure supply security, Indonesia said it will impose a so-called Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) policy, whereby producers are required to sell a portion of their products locally at a certain price level.Indonesia plans to retain 10 million tonnes of cooking oil supplies at home under the DMO rules, Chief Economics Minister Airlangga Hartarto said, adding their implementation will be regulated by the trade ministry.Traders were on Monday waiting for details on the DMO and other rules to be made public.“Sellers are first trying to clear pending quantity that was stuck because of the ban. They are accepting new orders as well, but demand is not great,” said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading house.“They are also not too keen to sell a lot before understanding DMO rules,” added the trader.A Jakarta-based company, which did not want to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said it was also waiting for details of the rules before embarking on shipments.A senior trade ministry official did not respond when contacted by Reuters seeking details.Partially reflecting the Indonesia policy uncertainty, palm oil futures from rival supplier Malaysia climbed 1.67% on Monday.Asked whether palm oil producer Musim Mas had resumed exports, spokesperson Carolyn Lim said the company was still focused on “flooding the domestic markets with cooking oil to hopefully reach the target retail price”, noting the Indonesian government was still concerned about the high retail prices.As of Friday, the average price of bulk cooking oil was at 17,000 rupiah per litre, trade ministry data showed.Some farmers, though, cheered the ending of the export ban.Last week, farmers staged rallies across Indonesia to protest a 70% drop in prices of palm fruit as refiners stopped accepting supplies because palm oil storage filled up.“There are no more long lines at palm oil mills,” said palm oil farmer Irfan, who said palm fruit prices in his area of West Sulawesi had started to stabilise.


Twitter, WhatsApp explode with anger after Anwar names 'court cluster' Zahid as DPM

The announcement of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as a deputy prime minister in Anwar Ibrahim's administration has led to an explosion of anger and sarcasm on Malaysian social media, with Twitter and WhatsApp messages condemning the move to name the Umno president despite his multiple corruption charges.
Many immediately recalled an oft-repeated campaign slogan by Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders, equating a vote for any Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate to a vote for Zahid.
Mellya Azizi, who identified herself as a first-time voter, also ticked off PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil for his attacks on BN's Khairy Jamaluddin, a fierce critic of Zahid who lost the election after being fielded by the Umno president in PKR's fort of Sungai Buloh.
"Sorry YB, as a first-time voter and also someone who helped KJ in his campaign, I still cannot move on from this.
"You killed his potential from being our voice in Parliament and replaced (him) with Zahid," she said in reply to an earlier tweet by Fahmi, "Undi KJ = Undi Zahid".
Zahid is among a group of Umno leaders known as the court cluster who are facing scores of corruption charges.
The Umno chief, who is also the BN chairman, was instrumental in getting his coalition to support Anwar en bloc, despite strong objection from his MPs as well as senior Umno leaders to the move to ignore a resolution at the party's assembly last year against forging any alliance with Anwar or DAP.
Zahid, who retained his Bagan Datuk seat with a razor thin majority against PKR's Shamsul Iskandar Mat Akin, was also named as the rural and regional development minister.
"The ** Zahid Hamidi doing in the Cabinet. We are so **ed," Ryanz said on Twitter.
ShariqHazard meanwhile tweeted that Zahid as deputy prime minister would mean a stronger PAS, the Perikatan Nasional (PN) partner which won the highest number of seats in the recent election.
Sofifa said the Cabinet line-up showed the importance of getting a simple majority in order to ensure a stable government.
"The new Cabinet is basically just to satisfy many leaders from many parties. Zahid as DPM is a major red flag and will cause a backlash from the citizens."
Arif Ridhauddin questioned PH's pledge to fight corruption: "But it appointed Zahid as deputy prime minister. What a joke, man?!"
User Severus dan Lily meanwhile said sarcastically: "Zahid Hamidi, the anti-corruption icon. Congratulations to Anwar Ibrahim's unity Cabinet."
Another user said to Anwar's staunch supporter, cartoonist Zunar: "Can you comment a bit on Zahid Hamidi becoming DPM? Order for something, received something else."
"We thought of sending Zahid to prison. But he is sent to Putrajaya," said Mohd Shahrul.
The bulk of dissatisfaction over Zahid's inclusion stems from his court cases, where he is facing 35 charges of money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving millions of ringgit from Yayasan Akalbudi, as well as charges of accepting bribes for various projects during his tenure as the home minister under the previous BN government.
In September, he was acquitted of 40 charges related to bribes from a company to extend its foreign visa system contract.
Meanwhile, user @IniAlalalannn shared a poster spread by PH showing Zahid as the real power behind former leaders Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Muhyiddin Yassin.
"But voting for PH also results in Zahid as DPM," he said in a Twitter post that had been shared more than 6,000 times as of press time.
PH supporter @HafizRayyan meanwhile took aim at Zahid's daughter Nurul Hidayah Zahid, after she uploaded several Islamic prayers reading "Allahuakbar, Alhamdulillah, Subhanallah" on her Instagram.
On WhatsApp, creative stickers, short videos and animated gifs made the rounds, one of which depicted Zahid letting out an evil laugh.
Another message making the rounds on the mobile app said taxpayers' money would now be spent on escorting the new deputy prime minister to attend his corruption trial.


Sarawak aims to reopen economy after completing vaccination drive in August

Economic activities in Sarawak are expected to resume when herd immunity is achieved after 80% of the people in the state have received their Covid-19 vaccines in the third week of August.Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg said once herd immunity is attained, the threat of Covid-19 infection would be reduced and the people could feel safer about carrying out their economic activities as usual.“Our benchmark is 80% (people vaccinated) and maybe then the normal situation can return,” he told reporters after visiting an industry vaccination centre (PPVIN) at University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) in Sibu today.However, he said the lifestyle would change even after things return to normal as the people would still have to adhere to SOPs such as wearing face masks and practising good personal hygiene.He said as of yesterday, 64% or 149,743 people in the Sibu division had received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.Meanwhile, he said about 13,000 industry workers including those from shipping companies, wood-based industries and plantations would be given vaccine jabs at the UCTS PPVIN from Monday onwards.He said the centre, which is capable of administering 2,000 shots of vaccine each day, would be opened to the public after all industry workers have received their first dose.Abang Johari had earlier launched two buses for the Covid-19 outreach vaccination programme which are part of four mobile teams in Sibu to travel to targeted locations to vaccinate the elderly and bedridden individuals who cannot go to PPVs.


It’s against Islamic manners, says Amanah MP after sultan’s ‘ape parliament’ art buy

Amanah MP Mujahid Yusof Rawa appeared outraged today over a painting bought by the Selangor sultan depicting MPs in the Dewan Rakyat as apes and frogs, saying it violates Islamic etiquette and manners.The former minister in charge of Islamic affairs said insulting and mocking others was prohibited in the Quran as well as the hadith or the sayings of the Prophet.“Satire in any form must be in line with Muslim manners,” Mujahid said in a statement, a day after reports that Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah had taken a liking to the artwork and decided to hang it in his private chambers.Mujahid also protested what he said was a blanket label given to all MPs, adding that it undermined the sanctity of Parliament.“MPs as well as visitors are expected to bow respectfully before taking their seats as a mark of respect for the House,” he said.“I don’t think we do that when entering a zoo or an animal cage!”Pictures shared on the Instagram and Facebook accounts of the Selangor palace yesterday showed Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah standing next to the painting which portrayed a Dewan Rakyat session attended by apes and frogs on both sides of the divide.“A painting had attracted the attention of the Selangor ruler,” the accompanying caption read.“As soon as he saw it, the sultan consented to buy it to be hung in his private study room.”The painting was patterned after a 2009 illustration by British street artist Banksy, which fetched nearly 9.9 million pounds or RM50 million in 2019.Malaysians on social media said the picture appeared to be a commentary on the country’s political situation as well as the frequent commotions that occur during Dewan Rakyat sittings.But Mujahid said the media was more interested in sensational news and verbal outbursts among MPs, and seldom reported “fresh ideas and civilised debates”.He said MPs had also come together to achieve two-thirds majorities in many public interest issues including the lowering of the minimum voting age to 18, the Malaysia Agreement for Sabah and Sarawak, and most recently, the agreement to enact an anti-party hopping law.“We have also obeyed the decree of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong about the need for political stability,” he said.“I do not think that apes, monkeys and frogs are capable of doing this.”Acknowledging the people’s frustrations, he nonetheless said that there must be fairness and objectivity, and that bigger questions must be asked of politicians who play on racist and narrow religious sentiments.He also cited what he called the culture of toppling others to the point of making a mockery of the people’s mandate, slander and bargaining for rank and positions in order to switch camps.“This is more dangerous to the country’s political institutions and stability,” he said.“Condemning all MPs and describing them as apes and monkeys is a bit extreme, even by the standards of satire.“Respect the choice of the majority because they do not want to be accused of voting in apes!”


Skip big parties, urges German health agency amid Covid surge

Germans should avoid large gatherings amid a record surge in coronavirus infections, the country’s health agency chief said Friday, adding that he himself would be skipping next month’s New Year’s parties.“It’s five minutes past midnight,” warned Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), as the nation braces for new restrictions to contain a ferocious fourth Covid wave.Germany registered more than 48,000 new cases over the past 24 hours, RKI data showed, a day after breaching the 50,000 mark for the first time since the start of the pandemic.The weekly infection rate has soared to an all-time high of 263.7 per 100,000 people, and intensive care beds are filling up rapidly.Several German cities kicked off months-long carnival celebrations on Thursday, with revellers required to prove they are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid before entering the party zones.The country’s much-loved Christmas market season is also on its way.But Wieler said large gatherings “must be viewed very critically” and in some situations “clearly should be cancelled”.Indoor celebrations especially can act as superspreader events “and everyone must really think about whether they want to expose themselves to that risk,” he told reporters in Berlin.“I personally won’t be attending New Year’s Eve parties. But I urge people not to wait until then to think about their actions.”Germany’s Covid surge has been blamed on a relatively low vaccination rate, with just over 67% of the population of some 83 million people fully inoculated.Other European nations are battling similar Covid resurgences.Austria has introduced rules that bar unvaccinated people from certain events and indoor venues. The Netherlands is planning a renewed “partial lockdown” as cases hit record levels.‘Bitter December’Health Minister Jens Spahn, speaking alongside Wieler, said the situation in Germany “is serious”.He recommended that large gatherings be made safer by requiring the vaccinated and recovered to test negative before taking part, while barring the unvaccinated altogether – a system dubbed “2G Plus” in Germany.Germany will re-introduce free rapid coronavirus testing for all in coming days, he said.The federal government and leaders of Germany’s 16 regional states are meeting next Thursday to discuss joint measures to combat the pandemic, following criticisms of a confusing patchwork of different restrictions emerging.Among the proposed measures are stricter curbs on the unvaccinated, for instance by excluding them from indoor dining or venues such as cinemas, gyms and theatres – which some states are already doing.“We must do everything needed to break the current trend,” Spahn said. “Otherwise the nation will experience a bitter December.”


Putin claims Ukraine suffered 'catastrophic' losses in counter attack

President Vladimir Putin claimed Tuesday that Ukraine was suffering massive losses in its long-awaited counter-offensive against Russian forces in Ukraine, saying Kyiv's casualties were ten times higher than Moscow's.
His assessment came hours after Russia asserted having captured Western armoured vehicles from Kyiv's forces on the battlefield and following deadly Russian missile strikes on the Ukrainian leader's hometown.
"Their losses are approaching a level that could be described as catastrophic," Putin said during a meeting in the Kremlin with Russian journalists and bloggers covering the conflict.
"We have 10 times fewer losses than those of the armed forces of Ukraine," he noted, citing a ratio that could not be independently confirmed.
Kyiv over recent days has claimed to re-capture a series of villages in its eastern Donetsk region after launching a long-awaited offensive bolstered with Western weapons and training.
Putin however conceded during the meeting in the Kremlin that Russian forces were suffering from depleting stockpiles of some military equipment, pointing in particular to attack drones and missiles.
"High-precision ammunition, communications equipment, drones etc... We have them, but unfortunately, there is not enough."
He acknowledged that authorities could have better anticipated recent cross-border attacks into Russia from Ukraine that forced Moscow to deploy artillery and fighter jets on its own territory.
'Could have prepared better'
"In principle, one could have assumed that the enemy would behave this way, and one could have prepared better," he said.
Putin's televised comments came hours after Russian missile strikes on the hometown of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky killed 11 people.
The strikes overnight hit multiple sites and smashed into a five-storey apartment building in the central city of Kryvyi Rig, leaving smoke billowing from the housing block strewn with debris.
"During this terrible night, the enemy killed 11 civilians in the city," said Sergiy Lysak, the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor.
Zelensky said after the strikes that Russian forces were waging a campaign against "residential buildings, ordinary cities and people".
"Terrorists will never be forgiven, and they will be held accountable for every missile they launch," he said in a statement on social media.
Air raid sirens had earlier sounded across Ukraine as the capital Kyiv and the northeast city of Kharkiv also came under missile and drone attacks.
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 14 cruise missiles and four Iranian-made drones overnight, with 10 missiles and one drone intercepted.
'Trophies'
The wave of attacks came shortly before Moscow claimed to have captured several German Leopard tanks and US Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
The defence ministry released footage showing Russian troops surveying the equipment supplied to Ukraine by Western countries.
"Leopard tanks and Bradley infantry fighting vehicles. These are our trophies. Equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Zaporizhzhia region," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Kyiv has appealed to its allies in the West to deliver a broad range of modern military equipment to help its forces recapture large swathes of territory held by Russia.
Russia's defence ministry said some of the captured vehicles had working engines, suggesting that battles they were involved in had been short and that Ukrainian troops had "fled" their offensive positions.
Germany's defence minister said that Berlin would not be able to immediately replace tanks that it had provided to Ukraine.
Flooding toll rises
The strikes across Ukraine came shortly after Kyiv claimed to have retaken seven villages and made advances in its counter-offensive.
Military spokesman Andriy Kovalyov said the area of the recaptured land in the eastern and southern regions amounted to more than 100 sq km.
The commander of Ukrainian ground forces, Colonel Oleksandr Syrskyi, said troops were continuing "the defence operation in the Bakhmut sector", scene of the longest battles of the offensive.
Kyiv's ambitions to capture more territory further south have been complicated after the destruction of a dam in southern Ukraine last week.
The breach of the Kakhovka dam inundated huge swathes of land under Russian and Ukrainian control, forced thousands to flee and sparked fears of an environmental disaster.
The toll in Russian-controlled territory from the dam breach – which Kyiv and its allies believe was an act of Russian sabotage – has since risen to 17, Moscow-installed officials announced Tuesday.
UN nuclear chief Rafael Grossi meanwhile arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday before travelling to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, a flash point of the conflict.
The dam forms a reservoir that provides the cooling water for the Russian-occupied plant.
"We are still in a relatively dangerous situation and the IAEA is here to prevent something very bad," Grossi told reporters in Kyiv.