Industries must keep up Covid SOPs to avoid shutdowns, says Azmin

Companies and industries have been reminded to continue with Covid-19 prevention measures in the workplace as recommended by the health ministry, to ensure that the sector continues to operate even as the country grapples with the Omicron wave.International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said the [email protected] initiative should remain in place to prevent the disruption of company operations and reduce the impact on productivity when there are positive Covid-19 cases.“[email protected] is to create a ‘bubble’ in the accommodation of (factory) workers… if there is a new case, there is no need for us to close the entire facility (dormitory). Instead, workers will be segregated and given appropriate treatment. This will ensure that business activities can continue.“We also encourage companies and industries to continue regular inspections and tests so that the employees present are healthy and there are no situations where we have to close operations,” he told reporters after visiting the STMicroelectronics Sdn Bhd plant in Tangkak today.He said this when asked about his ministry’s strategy to face the Omicron wave.Azmin said the temporary closure of the industrial sector following the implementation of the movement control order two years ago had impacted not only the country’s economy but the global situation as well, as Malaysia is one of the main suppliers in several chains.“This proves that Malaysia’s role is very important. While we want to check the Covid-19 spread, we also want to ensure that economic health is protected.“It’s the responsibility of the government and the private sector to work together to curb the spread of the disease,” he said.


Daily cases drop to 2,800

Another 2,882 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,764,354.Another 3,291 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,692,216.Meanwhile 284 are in the ICU, including 191 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 156 are in need of respiratory assistance including 82 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 2,882 cases reported today, 49 (1.7%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 2,833 (98.3%) are in Category One and Two.


New York, Washington flights delayed by weather and failing equipment

Thunderstorms and failing equipment at an FAA facility created significant delays for air travelers across the US East Coast on Sunday evening as Washington and New York were forced to briefly halt most incoming flights.
As the evening progressed, flights resumed from the Washington area after repairs to communications were completed, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
But delays continued for several New York are airports after thunderstorms had earlier forced ground stops.
The FAA had cited thunderstorms for ground stops at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta airport, Philadelphia airport, Newark's Liberty airport and New York's JFK and LaGuardia airports.
"The facility has switched to a backup system," the FAA said in a statement that explained the Washington-area delays.
FlightAware, a flight tracking website, said 39% of departing flights from Newark Liberty and 47% of flights leaving LaGuardia airports were delayed.


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Umno to find 'suitable' seat for Khairy as Tok Mat gets Rembau

Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan today said that the party would look for a suitable seat for Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin to contest in the 15th general election (GE15).
Mohamad said Khairy, who is also the health minister, was a young leader of calibre and good for the country, adding that Umno did not want him to "disappear" just like that.
"We are trying to find a suitable constituency for him to contest in GE15," he told reporters after officiating the Rembau Umno division delegates meeting in Seremban.
Earlier at the same meeting, Khairy who is the Rembau Umno division deputy chief, in his closing speech, said that he gave the Rembau parliamentary seat to Mohamad to contest in GE15.
"That's the family spirit in Rembau, we are ‘beradat' (civilised). Alhamdulillah, we will make sure that the machinery in Rembau is further improved, and there will be no more Rembau seat issues," said Mohamad, the Rembau Umno division chief.
Regarding today's delegates meeting, Mohamad, who is Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman, said Umno needs to focus on some areas that suffered a narrow defeat in GE14.
"We are not talking about the seat target. Our target is to win, so we must win more than 112 seats in GE15 in order to form a government.
"If possible, we would like to win more seats, all the better, and the areas that we narrowly lost (in GE14) need to be given more focus by the leadership," he said.


UN body orders probe of ‘systematic’ abuses in Israel, Palestinian areas

The UN Human Rights Council decided Thursday to create an open-ended international investigation into violations surrounding the latest Gaza violence, and into “systematic” abuses in the Palestinian territories and inside Israel.The resolution, which passed with 24 of the council’s 47 members in favour, will spur an unprecedented level of scrutiny on abuses and their “root causes” in the decades-long Middle East conflict.The text, which was presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, was debated during a special one-day council session focused on the surge in deadly violence between Israelis and Palestinians this month.Opening the session, UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet voiced particular concern about the “high level of civilian fatalities and injuries” from the attacks on Gaza, and warned the Israeli attacks on the enclave “may constitute war crimes”.She also said Hamas’s “indiscriminate” firing of rockets at Israel was “a clear violation of international humanitarian law”.The Palestinian foreign ministry saluted a move it said “reflects the determination of the international community to move forward in the path of accountability, law enforcement, and protection of Palestinian human rights.”But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed it as “shameful”.“Today’s shameful decision is yet another example of the UN Human Rights Council’s blatant anti-Israel obsession,” Netanyahu said in a statement.‘Root causes’Before a truce took hold last Friday, Israeli air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza killed 254 Palestinians, including 66 children, and wounded more than 1,900 people in 11 days of conflict, the health ministry in Gaza says.A barrage of thousands of rockets and other fire from Gaza claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child and an Arab-Israeli teenager, medics say. Some 357 people in Israel were wounded.Thursday’s resolution ordered the launching of an investigation into violations surrounding the latest violence, but also into “systematic” abuses spurring a repetitive cycle of violence over the decades.The council agreed to establish “an ongoing independent, international commission of inquiry… in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel”.The investigators, the text said, should probe “underlying root causes of recurrent tensions and instability, including systematic discrimination and repression based on group identity”.The investigation should focus on establishing facts and gather evidence for legal proceedings, and should aim to identify perpetrators to ensure they are held accountable, it said.It also urges countries to “refrain from transferring arms when they assess… that there is a clear risk that such arms might be used in the commission or facilitation of serious violations or abuses”.Anti-Israeli bias?Before the vote Meirav Eilon Shahar, Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, slammed the session and the text.The resolution, she insisted, “has nothing to do with reality, has nothing to do with human rights”.She urged countries not to back the resolution, which she said would “embolden and reward Hamas”, a “racist, genocidal, terrorist organisation”.Israel, she insisted, “took all measures to protect civilians”, but that Hamas’s “tactics of hiding beneath residential buildings, maternity wards and mosques resulted in innocent loss of life”.“You cannot be pro-Palestinian if you do not condemn Hamas,” she said, stressing Israel’s right to defend itself.Bachelet said her office had “not seen evidence” that the buildings targeted in Gaza, including medical facilities and media offices, were “hosting armed groups or being used for military purposes”.Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki meanwhile accused Israel of instituting “an apartheid system”.“The right to self-defence and the right to resist occupation is a right we have as the Palestinian people,” he said.Open-endedDuring the debate a wide range of countries decried the latest violence, stressing the need for urgent aid to Gaza and to resume talks towards a lasting, peaceful two-state solution.Many highlighted the 14-year blockade on Gaza, settlement expansion, and evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes among root causes sparking continued tensions.This month’s flare-up was ignited amid protests against the expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah to make way for Jewish settlers.Tensions culminated in repeated clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli security forces inside the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, triggering the initial volleys of rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel on May 10.Thursday’s vote created the council’s first ever open-ended commission of inquiry (COI) – the highest-level investigation that can be ordered by the council.Other COIs, like the one on Syria, need their mandates renewed every year.While the council has previously ordered eight investigations into rights violations committed in the Palestinian territories, this is the first one with a mandate to examine “root causes” in the drawn-out conflict, and also to probe systematic abuses committed within Israel.


Daily caseload below 1,500 as 4 more deaths logged

Another 1,486 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,792,942.
There were 2,897 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,729,147.
There are now 27,546 active cases, of which 26,154 or 94.9% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 16 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,297 (4.7%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 79 are in ICU with 43 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 62.0%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 21.3%.
Another four deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,249.


What’s your alternative plan, analyst questions those gunning for PM’s seat

A political analyst says those looking to topple Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should be able to come up with better alternatives to handle the Covid-19 crisis instead of only offering criticism of the current administration.Wong Chin Huat, who is seen as friendly with Pakatan Harapan (PH), said critics of Muhyiddin such as PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim were until now unable to present any concrete suggestions on how to free the country from the grip of the pandemic.“Anyone who wants to replace Muhyiddin, not just Anwar but Hishammuddin Hussein, Azmin Ali, Shafie Apdal – they must be able to offer an alternative.“It is easy to criticise what is wrong, but alternatives that can rectify the situation – those are the true measures of leadership,” he told MalaysiaNow.Chin’s comments come amid talk that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government could be overthrown, ahead of the reopening of Parliament this month.The Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday that the government had agreed to advise the Agong to convene a special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat for five days from July 26, to explain the National Recovery Plan to MPs and amend the rules needed to allow a hybrid parliamentary sitting.A sitting for the Dewan Negara meanwhile will be held from Aug 3 to 5.The state of emergency was declared in January amid a spike in Covid-19 infections which also saw the enforcement of the second movement control order across large parts of the country.Under the emergency declaration, Parliament and state assembly sittings were suspended.Wong said although Anwar and other PH leaders had given suggestions on how to tackle the pandemic, these had not focused on the main issues.He referred to a speech made by Anwar on June 30 titled “A Covid-19 Report and the Financial Situation of the People”.“Anwar and PH were ready with criticism but the fundamental issues were not given focus,” he said.Even if the PN government is toppled, he said, the people’s happiness might be short-lived if the new administration does not have clear policies and strategies to restore the country from the effects of the pandemic.“I am not at all defending Muhyiddin,” he wrote in a recent article on Malaysiakini. “As one of his 30 million bosses, I am glad that he is facing so many competitors, from the opposition and from within his own government.“But I want real competition and real change.”


RM17.9 million from Zahid’s foundation withdrawn without board’s consent, court told

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur was told today that the withdrawal of RM17.9 million from Yayasan Akalbudi funds was a criminal breach of trust as it did not have consent from the charity foundation’s board of trustees.Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating officer Muhammad Fazli Zulkifli, 36, said the withdrawal of the money from Yayasan Akalbudi’s Affin Bank account to be transferred to a Maybank account belonging to Messrs Lewis & Co, the foundation’s trustee, was at the instruction of Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.Fazli, the 93rd prosecution witness, said this during re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Sazilee Abdul Khairi on the 48th day of the trial of the former deputy prime minister, who is facing corruption, abuse of power and money laundering charges involving millions of ringgit in funds from Yayasan Akalbudi.Last Friday, Fazli told the court that Zahid was involved in the withdrawal of RM17.9 million from Yayasan Akalbudi funds for the purchase of shares as well as to be placed as fixed deposits.Of the amount, he said RM8.6 million was paid to Ri-Yaz Assets Sdn Bhd as deposit for a share purchase with another RM9.3 million to be placed as fixed deposits.Today, he said all instructions received by Lewis & Co were from Zahid, adding that the firm would not have acted without instruction.He also confirmed that no other member of Yayasan Akalbudi’s board of trustees had given instructions to Lewis & Co, specifically its partner B Muralidhahran.On Zahid’s cautioned statement to the MACC during the investigation into the case involving the investment in Ri-Yaz Assets, Fazli said it contradicted the testimony of other witnesses.“Based on Zahid’s statement, he said Yayasan Akalbudi was interested in investing (in Ri-Yaz Assets) in the hotel sector, but the testimony from other witnesses said that NurulHidayah (Zahid’s daughter) was interested in making an investment and payment was made by Yayasan Akalbudi,” said Fazli.When asked about the testimony of Rashid Manaf, a shareholder of Ri-Yaz Assets, Fazli said according to Rashid, Nurulhidayah had expressed interest in investing.Asked whether there were any documents on the investment, Fazli said no.“It involved only two parties, Nurulhidayah and Rashid. During the investigation I also did not find any document saying that Nurulhidayah was an observer or proxy in Ri-Yaz Assets.”Zahid, 68, faces 47 charges – 12 for criminal breach of trust, eight for corruption and 27 for money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit of funds from Yayasan Akalbudi.The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.


Umno has big role in pulling Malay support, Zahid says on state polls

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi believes the party shoulders great responsibility within the coalition government component in the upcoming six state polls.
He said Umno is up against states categorised as the "Malay Belt", namely Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan, which he says should be part of a mixed government administration to truly reflect the face of Malaysia.
In his policy speech at the 2023 Umno general assembly, Zahid said that Kelantan and Kedah are in need of significant changes, especially in terms of the state governments being "clean" both externally and internally.
"The issue of clean water supply in Kelantan, for instance, seems to have no solution in sight," he said at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister and rural and regional development minister, faces 12 criminal breach of trust counts, eight bribery charges and 27 money laundering counts involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.
He succeeded in his bid for the permanent return of his passport to carry out his official duties abroad.
The passport was previously surrendered to the court as an additional bail condition.
In September, Zahid was acquitted of 40 charges of receiving bribes from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) during his tenure as home minister to extend the company's contract to continue operating the one-stop centre in China and the foreign visa system.
Zahid also reiterated Umno and Barisan Nasional's (BN) intention to achieve the division of state administrations based on core parties' cooperation in the six states elections.
"We want Umno representatives in all three states."
MalaysiaNow previously reported internal turmoil in seat negotiations between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its new ally BN, following increasing pressure on Amanah to relinquish its seats to Umno candidates in the upcoming state polls.
This comes amid concerns over attempts to replace Amanah, seen as a "Malay" and "Islamic" component of PH, with Umno, the former enemy turned ally after providing support for PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim's appointment as prime minister last year.


The rooftop vegetable farm in Damansara’s concrete jungle

After graduating from university, Emil Jihad decided to venture into the food and beverage industry.Nearly a decade later, together with his partner Tony Yong, he has gone through his share of twists and turns in facing the business challenges that arose. But something happened several years ago that changed his perspective of food for good.One of Yong’s friends, a strict vegetarian who had always watched his health, died of stomach cancer.His death caught Emil and Yong flat-footed.The doctor theorised that the cancer had been caused by the pesticide used in the vegetables he ate.A Fresh Growcer worker uses a net to catch one of the tilapia fish that thrive at the rooftop farm.Emil and Yong sat down to research the issue and found many other cases of health issues due to the ingestion of pesticide.It was then that they decided to begin cultivating pesticide-free crops.“That was our core idea,” Emil said in an interview with MalaysiaNow.Now, he and Yong have converted some of the parking space on the roof of the One Utama shopping mall in Petaling Jaya into a farm complete with a fully functional aquaponics system.The front of Fresh Growcer (Rooftop Farm @ 1Utama) is dominated by a display of fresh vegetables and fruit, while to the left lies the aquaponics garden. The water from the garden collects in a fish pond, where fat orange carps frolic.Emil feeds the fish which live in water collected from the farm’s aquaponics system.“We invite visitors to see for themselves,” Emil said. “If we use any pesticide at all, the fish will die.”Fresh Growcer offers 20 types of vegetable products, mainly of the Asian leafy and European leafy varieties.The Asian leafy category includes a range of mustard, spinach and kale, while the European variety covers kale and lettuce greens.Best sellers vary according to what Emil and Yong have to offer at the time.“If we introduce a new plant, that is what customers will go for,” said Emil.Emil checks on some of the vegetables growing at the aquaponics farm.For the moment, though, crowd favourites have been the Italian lettuce, butterhead lettuce, green coral and mustard greens.Emil and Yong are planning to bring in chilli plants, coriander and basil as well.Fresh Growcer runs on a self-harvest system, in which customers visit the farm and choose for themselves the vegetables they wish to buy. This ensures that the vegetables they pick are fresh from the ground.“You can find organic vegetables at the supermarket, but those are picked three to five days beforehand,” Emil said.“Once the roots are chopped off, almost half of the nutrients are gone. If you self-harvest, the roots remain intact until the very last minute.“This way, you don’t even need to put the vegetables into the fridge. Just leave them in a bucket of water and they will continue to thrive.”Some of the fresh, leafy vegetables growing at the Fresh Growcer farm.The farm is also designed to be as self-sustainable as possible.“Many urban gardens use glow lamps, but we don’t need those because up here, we get all the sunlight we need,” Emil said.Meanwhile, the excrement from the fish in the aquaponics pond is used as extra fertiliser for the vegetables.There is no air-conditioning system in place, either. Instead, they use normal fans without any artificial coolant.Customers choose some of the fully grown vegetable plants to take home.While the aquaponics system takes up less space and cuts down on wastage, the vegetables are still vulnerable to mould and disease.The key is to tackle such problems as quickly as possible.Looking ahead, Emil plans to begin delivery services to the surrounding areas. And in terms of public awareness, he hopes that Fresh Growcer will become an eco-tourism centre where people can come and learn about sustainable farming.


Communications ministry to look into cyber security, personal data protection

The communications and digital ministry is scrutinising cyber security issues to protect the personal data of users in the country from being exposed to online threats such as fraud or information theft.
Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the issue of cyber security and personal data should be given priority, and that the ministry was looking at possible immediate solutions to the issue.
"We must have an understanding that data is a national treasure. With data we can do various activities, we can make donations, help poor children, make sure that those who want to go to hospital get priority – everything revolves around data, safe data, then our future is safe," he said in Bicara Naratif programe produced by RTM News at Angkasapuri last night.
He also urged all large data holders to contact CyberSecurity Malaysia regarding cyber security audits to ensure the security of user data in the country.
Fahmi said this was an important matter as from 2017 to date, the country had lost more than 100 million sets of personal data, which were stolen by various irresponsible parties. Meanwhile Fahmi, who is also Lembah Pantai MP, advised the victims of fraud or scams to lodge reports, urging them not to be ashamed to contact the authorities.
"Don't worry, don't be afraid, don't be shy, dial 997. This is the National Scam Response Centre under the care of Bank Negara Malaysia, so calls can be made between 8am and 8pm," he said.
Asked about the establishment of the Malaysian Media Council, Fahmi said he had asked the ministry to present the matter and he would be briefed within a week or two.
"I see the task and function of journalists as one of the pillars of the concept of government. The media makes sure everything (legislative, executive and judicial) runs smoothly. My deputy, Teo Nie Ching and I, are consistent on this matter. We will look into what is appropriate," he said.


1,340 new cases, four more deaths

Another 1,340 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 93,309.Selangor recorded 441 cases, Kuala Lumpur 284, Sabah 196, Negeri Sembilan 169 and Johor 156.Penang recorded 30, followed by Labuan (27), Pahang (12), Perak (10), Kedah (six), Sarawak (three), Terengganu and Putrajaya (two each) and Melaka and Kelantan (one each).Active cases stand at 15,563 with 116 in the ICU and 57 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 1,067 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 77,309.However, four more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 437.


Tajuddin issued compound for not wearing face mask in Parliament

Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman has been issued with a compound for violating the SOPs of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) by failing to wear a face mask in the Parliament building.Sentul district police chief ACP Beh Eng Lai said the fine was issued after police detected a picture uploaded by the owner of the Twitter account @sultanoftasik at about 10am yesterday.He said the investigation found that Tajuddin had attended a special sitting of Parliament, and that at about 2.30pm, he was found not to be wearing a face mask when he was with an individual at the Parliament lobby.“The value of the compound will be determined by the district health office,” he said in a statement.Beh also advised the public to abide by the NRP SOPs by wearing face masks and practising physical distancing while in public places, in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19 infection.


1,576 new cases as recoveries stay ahead

Another 1,576 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 330,042.Sarawak recorded 407 cases, followed by Selangor (348), Penang (182), Kuala Lumpur (175), Johor (137) and Perak (100).Melaka recorded 54 cases, Kelantan 52, Negeri Sembilan 41, Sabah 33, Kedah 25, Pahang 13, Terengganu six, Labuan two and Putrajaya one.Active cases stand at 14,360 with 151 in the ICU and 57 in need of respiratory assistance.Twelve more clusters were detected:1. Sungai Berumbung (Kluang in Johor; 27 screened, 13 positive)2. Lorong Usaha Utama (Kulai and Johor Bahru in Johor; 36 screened, seven positive)3. Jalan Dahlia 22 (Johor Bahru in Johor; 421 screened, 13 positive)4. Jalan Industri Sofa (Tangkak in Johor; 209 screened, 55 positive)5. Jalan Besar Kepong (Kepong in Kuala Lumpur; 38 screened, 17 positive)6. Jalan Daun (Kepong in Kuala Lumpur; 61 screened, eight positive)7. Lorong Nibong (Titiwangsa and Cheras in Kuala Lumpur; 43 screened, 21 positive)8. Persiaran Hemisfera (Petaling and Klang in Selangor; 119 screened, 13 positive)9. Tapak Bina Persiaran Cybersouth (Sepang in Selangor; 17 screened, 10 positive)10. Bandar Baru (Petaling and Hulu Selangor in Selangor; 686 screened, 50 positive)11. DTI Juru (Seberang Perai Tengah in Penang; 393 screened, 167 positive)12. DTI Jalan Duta (Kepong in Kuala Lumpur; 68 screened, 18 positive)Thirteen others ended, leaving 427 active clusters across the country.Another 1,996 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 314,457.However, two more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,225.


Mahathir, Muhyiddin agree to strengthen PN ahead of polls

Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin met yesterday, with both leaders reaching an understanding on several issues, in a sign of the two former prime ministers moving on from their fallout since the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government in 2020.
In a statement, Muhyiddin said he had a "long" discussion which took place in "mutual respect" with Mahathir on many issues, especially on the future of the Malays, a topic that Mahathir has been focusing on in recent times.
Muhyiddin however said there was no specific discussion on Mahathir's Malay Proclamation, a document the latter issued recently, where he had said that Malay rights have waned over the years and must be restored through political unity of Malay groups.
"In principle, we agreed to strengthen the unity of the Malays and increase support for Perikatan Nasional, especially ahead of the elections in six states," Muhyiddin said.
In 2016, Mahathir joined hands with Muhyiddin to form Bersatu, after the latter was sacked from Umno for criticising then-prime minister Najib Razak's involvement in the 1MDB scandal.
The Malay-based party later partnered with PH, and in 2018, toppled Barisan Nasional (BN).
Differences soon emerged between Bersatu and other PH partners following calls to name Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, in keeping with an understanding that the PKR leader would take over the top office in the mid-term.
Mahathir resigned as the split widened, causing the collapse of PH's 22-month government. Meanwhile, Bersatu and about a dozen PKR MPs formed a coalition with BN and Sarawak's GPS, with Muhyiddin named as the eighth prime minister.
The move drew protests from Mahathir, who was later sacked from Bersatu.
Muhyiddin himself resigned some 17 months later, following a series of defections of Umno MPs in a move engineered by Najib and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.


March 2023 hearing for Sam Ke Ting's appeal in basikal lajak case

The Court of Appeal has set March 31 next year to hear clerk Sam Ke Ting's appeal against her conviction, six-year jail sentence and fine for reckless driving resulting in the deaths of eight teen cyclists on modified bicycles commonly known as basikal lajak about five years ago.
One of her lawyers, Yasmeen Soh Sha-Nisse, when contacted after case management before Court of Appeal deputy registrar Norkamilah Aziz today, confirmed the date.
She said the court ordered both parties to submit their written submissions by March 16 and 17 for the final case management.
Today’s case management was also attended by Sam’s other lawyers, Harvinderjit Singh and Faizal Mokhtar, while deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari appeared for the prosecution.
On Oct 28, 2018, the Johor Bahru Magistrate's Court freed Sam without calling for her defence against the charge of reckless driving leading to the deaths of the teenagers at Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, Johor Bahru, Johor at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017. The eight teenagers killed in the incident were Mohamad Azrie Danish Zulkefli, 14; Muhamad Shahrul Izzwan Azzuraimie, 14; Muhammad Firdauz Danish Mohd Azhar, 16; Fauzan Halmijan, 13; Mohamad Azhar Amir, 16; Muhammad Harith Iskandar Abdullah, 14; Muhammad Shahrul Nizam Marudin, 14 and Haizad Kasrin, 16.
In 2019, High Court judge Shahnaz Sulaiman allowed the prosecution's appeal and remitted the case back to the Magistrate's Court for Sam to enter her defence against the reckless driving charge.
Magistrate Siti Hajar Ali, who heard the case in 2019, again discharged and acquitted Sam at the end of the defence case, prompting the prosecution to file a second appeal to the High Court.
On April 13 this year, High Court judge Abu Bakar Katar allowed the prosecution’s appeal and convicted Sam of driving recklessly, sentencing her to six years in jail and fining her RM6,000.
Sam obtained leave from the Court of Appeal on April 18 to appeal against her conviction and jail sentence.
The Court of Appeal also allowed Sam’s application to stay the execution of the jail sentence and released her on bail of RM10,000 with one surety pending the appeal hearing.


Gerik MP in push for fairer distribution of wealth

In the constituency of Gerik in Perak, MP Fathul Huzir Ayob has vowed to address what he describes as injustice in the distribution of natural wealth to some 100,000 residents in the vicinity.
Gerik's abundance of natural resources should mean that people can enjoy basic amenities without relying on facilities located far away, he said.
But while Gerik's resources leave, the constituency itself continues to struggle with fundamental infrastructure problems.
"There are still villages without tarred roads or streetlights," Fathul said in a recent interview with MalaysiaNow.
"When night falls, it's difficult for the people to leave their homes."
Fathul had spoken about the infrastructure issues plaguing his constituency while debating the motion of thanks on the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat on Feb 22.
Gerik, a former Umno stronghold, fell to Perikatan Nasional at the 15th general election on Nov 19 last year.
Fathul had defeated Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki with a majority of 1,377 votes.
He said many complaints and pleas had been made throughout the years for more infrastructure development, but to no avail.
"The people of Gerik have become indifferent," he said. "They've given up because they ask but get nothing in return."
Gerik, which is located in the north of Perak bordering Thailand, is also the middle point between the east and west areas in the northern part of the peninsula.
Its natural resources include timber, gold, tin ore and, most recently, lanthanide.
Fathul said a foundation should be established for the development of Hulu Perak, so that part of the land tax from corporate companies can be used to develop the area.
"Ten percent of the taxes paid to the Inland Revenue Board can be channelled to this foundation," he added.
He is also concerned about the health and tourism sectors in Gerik which he says have been neglected for a long time.
"Hospital Gerik can handle normal deliveries, but if there are complications during the birth process, the patient has to be transferred to Hospital Ipoh or Taiping, which would take two hours," he said.
"There have been no small number of mothers who end up giving birth in the ambulance."
As for the tourism sector, he said Gerik has forests such as Royal Belum and mountains that attract the interest of environmentalists, but these too are not given much attention.


The other SOPs we fail to comply with

This Chinese New Year, like many others, I was finally able to meet up face-to-face with my friends and relatives when I returned to my home town in Simpang Renggam. Last year, we were not able to do this due to the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. Interstate travel was also not permitted last CNY.The relaxed SOPs this year meant that more physical reunions and gatherings were taking place, especially in restaurants and other eateries. But from my observation, Malaysians are still rather complacent when it comes to complying with Covid-19 SOPs while eating out. Many tend to linger longer than necessary at such places and do not wear their face masks properly.We let our guards down at our own peril, especially with the Omicron variant threatening to push infection rates up exponentially, as experienced in many developed countries.But this CNY, I noticed another set of SOPs which Malaysians have blatantly disregarded: laws related to smoking in public spaces. Last I checked, eateries are still designated as no-smoking zones.But in reality, the ban has been ignored with impunity as smokers callously puff away in restaurants and mamak eateries. Not only do smokers show no apprehension about being booked for breaking the law, many have no regard for the health hazards the second-hand smoke can cause for those around them. To make things worse, many of us non-smokers tend to hang around eateries for prolonged periods during the CNY period to catch up!Each year, more than 27,200 deaths in Malaysia are reported due to smoking-related diseases. Since Covid-19 hit our shores in 2020, some 32,000 deaths have been reported here. At the risk of playing down the severity of the coronavirus, fatalities due to Covid-19 have been on the decline. Meanwhile, smoking-related diseases have been on the rise, even before the pandemic, and will continue to go up unless we do something about it.Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin did the right thing by recently proposing that the sale of cigarettes be banned for those born in 2005 onwards. He wants to create a smoke-free Malaysia.While I welcome the move, Khairy must also realise the gap between policy intention and implementation realities. The reality is that we can’t even effectively implement the no-smoking ban in restaurants. That being so, is it realistic to envision a smoke-free Malaysia?Perhaps the health ministry can start with baby steps first. For starters, ramp up enforcement in eateries and stop pussyfooting for the sake of political expediency. Another alternative is a phased-out transition through harm-reduction alternatives like heated tobacco products or regulated vape content.The National Health Services in the UK recognises the use of e-cigarettes to help smokers kick the habit. Though they are not harm-free, such products are definitely far less dangerous than conventional cigarettes, including towards second-hand smokers.While I am appreciative of Khairy wanting to curb smoking to make Malaysians healthier, the health minister needs to be realistic. We don’t have to wait until 2023 for the ban on the sale of cigarettes for those born in 2005 or younger to take effect. Step up enforcement and consider harm-reduction approaches so that next CNY, our reunions can take place in a more conducive surrounding.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Property market holding steady despite pandemic-induced woes

The property market is showing signs of resilience, with a new report by PropertyGuru Malaysia registering no change in overall asking prices for the final quarter of 2020 despite the economic impact from the ongoing battle against Covid-19.The latest PropertyGuru Malaysia Property Market Index (MPMI) report, released today, said overall asking prices stayed at 88.60 points in both Q3 and Q4 last year.PropertyGuru said this could be due to anticipation of the national Covid-19 vaccination programme, launched by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday.Country manager Sheldon Fernandez said in general the property market is expected to improve considerably in 2021, specifically in the second half of the year.He said this view is further supported by an anticipated 5.1% economic growth forecast and Bank Negara Malaysia’s decision to maintain the overnight policy rate at 1.75%, with a possibility that it will be cut even further.“It is prudent to note that these aren’t ‘typical’ times, and any worsening of the Covid-19 situation would translate negatively on all sectors of the economy,” he said in a statement.The MPMI aggregates and indexes data from over 450,000 listings on PropertyGuru.com.myThe report found that the overall yearly supply continued to move upwards by 0.98% year-on-year, indicating that the supply of property stock is gradually making its way back into the market despite the disruptions brought on by the pandemic.“It is important to note that quarterly fluctuation or inconsistencies in supply volume during the current pandemic climate are reflective of commercial activity limitations.“This is caused by the tightening and loosening of movement control regulations rather than fundamental demand-supply factors that typically define the market movement,” Fernandez added.In Selangor, the property market appears to be on a positive trajectory with the MPMI report showing a 0.84% increase in asking prices in the last quarter of 2020.The company said Selangor is in “a strong position to remain resilient” despite the expectation that buyer behaviour will continue to be hampered by economic uncertainty in the months to come.“Many will flock to the country’s most economically vibrant and populous state to seek out job employment,” it said.In Kuala Lumpur, the MPMI report showed that asking prices dropped 1.80% quarter-on-quarter as upmarket properties continue to face downard pressure with a lack of international interest.In Penang, asking prices also dipped 0.78% quarter-on-quarter. However, the report said with minimal price changes that have rarely breached the 2% year-on-year mark in the last two years, Penang is likely to be one of the first key markets to move back into positive price territory once the economy turns the corner.In Johor, asking prices dropped 0.83% quarter-on-quarter as the state continues to address a large overhang of mismatched properties initially built to target international buyers under the Iskandar Malaysia plan.PropertyGuru said much of this stock continues to be either beyond the price range of local buyers, which market analysts classify as a long-term issue that may take years to resolve.Asking prices in Johor registered the largest drop among the four key regions from a yearly perspective, falling by 4.92% year-on-year.“Overall, the property market will be defined by ‘movers’ and ‘waiters’ in the coming year, with some bullishly moving into the market to take advantage of prevailing favourable conditions, while others wait for further price drops or more stable financial situations,” Fernandez said.“We also expect an early spike in transactional activity in 2021, as buyers rush to take advantage of the home-ownership campaign initiatives that end on May 31, 2021, while the current low price and low-interest rate prevail.”


Residents evacuated after flash floods in Johor Bahru

A total of 17 flood victims from three families were evacuated in Johor Bahru following hours of heavy rain which began yesterday evening.
The district disaster management committee said in a statement that the victims from Kampung Paya Kenangan were evacuated to the SK Bukit Mutiara relief centre (PPS), which was opened to accommodate them at 10.30pm.
In Sabah, meanwhile, 122 people from 32 families remained at PPS in three districts this morning.
The secretariat for the Sabah flood management committee, in a statement, said 61 of the victims, from 11 families, were at the Dewan Projek Perumahan Rakyat Sri Keramat PPS in Putatan.
Another 51 victims from 19 families were at the Dewan DSP Mohd Dun Banir PPS in Beaufort, while the remaining 10 victims from two families were at the Kompleks Latihan dan Pemulihan OKU PPS in Papar.
The PPS at Dewan Kebudayaan in Penampang was closed yesterday after all 20 evacuees, from four families, were allowed to return home.
The PPS were opened over Sunday and Monday after several areas were hit by floods following continuous heavy rain since last Saturday.


Oct 5 case management for Rosmah's appeal against graft conviction, jail sentence

Rosmah Mansor's appeal against her conviction, 10-year jail sentence and RM970 million fine in her RM1.25 billion corruption case on a solar hybrid project for rural schools in Sarawak is set for case management on Oct 5.
When contacted, her lawyer Akberdin Abdul Kader confirmed the case management date.
The case management will be held before a Court of Appeal deputy registrar.
On Sept 1, Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan found Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, guilty of three charges of corruption and sentenced her to 10 years in jail for each of the charges with all three prison terms to run concurrently.
He also fined her RM970 million which, should she fail to pay, will see her liable to a total of 30 years in jail. Rosmah was accused of one count of soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings former managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.
The High Court however granted her a stay of execution for the imprisonment term and fine pending her appeal to the Court of Appeal.
Rosmah filed an appeal against her conviction and sentence on Sept 2. In her notice of appeal, she said she was not satisfied with the overall decision of the High Court judge.
She is also appealing against the High Court's decision to turn down her application to disqualify Zaini from hearing and deciding on her case.
In his judgment, Zaini held that Rosmah's defence was mere denial, that the RM6.5 million was indeed for her, and that she received the money at her residences in Jalan Langgak Duta and Seri Perdana.


Daily cases jump past 19,000

Another 19,495 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,030,935.Sarawak recorded 4,709 cases, Selangor 2,710, Sabah 2,015, Johor 1,860, Penang 1,757, Kelantan 1,434, Kedah 1,178 and Perak 1,174.Terengganu recorded 993 cases, Pahang 766, Kuala Lumpur 363, Negeri Sembilan 222, Melaka 190 and Perlis 108.Putrajaya recorded 16 cases while no new cases were logged in Labuan.


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Infections soar, giving Sweden second thoughts about mild approach

For the first time, Sweden is introducing relatively tight Covid-19 restrictions out of  growing fears that the country’s pandemic limitation strategy may have failed.Compared to other countries, Sweden imposed virtually no restrictions on its population hoping for herd immunity to develop. Officials had hoped their approach would do the trick without a national lockdown.However, as the second wave of the pandemic grips most of Europe, the country is experiencing a surge in infections and hospital admissions.Sweden is now reporting 166,707 cases and 6,082 deaths since the start of the pandemic.Former Swedish Chief Medical Officer Annika Linde told The Telegraph: “Wishful thinking has been guiding Swedish decisions too much. The authorities have been slow all the time. Instead of being proactive, they’ve run after the virus, and the virus has been able to spread too much before they take action.”Prime Minister Stefan Lofven warned about the gravity of the situation, saying, “We are facing a situation that could turn black as night.”From Monday, 17 of the county’s 21 regions have been put under stricter measures by the Public Health Agency, as intensive care admissions doubled in just days.A nationwide ban on alcohol after 10pm in restaurants, bars and nightclubs is among the new measures, as is a ban on people visiting their loved ones in elderly care homes.However, for now, authorities are not considering recommending Swedes wear face masks, according to Euronews reporter Per Bergfors Nyberg.He says Swedish health officials believe making masks mandatory will give people a “false sense of security” and could make matters worse.


Tech giants seek meeting with PM on foreign ship cable waiver

Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Amazon are seeking to meet the prime minister to ask that foreign vessels be allowed to repair undersea cables in its waters, a Google spokesman said on Saturday.The tech giants sent a letter on Wednesday to the office of the new prime minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, to discuss Malaysia’s cabotage policy, seeking the reinstatement of an exemption revoked last year under the previous government, said the spokesman for Alphabet Inc’s Google.Cabotage rules regulate activities in a country’s waters.The tech giants are being represented by Malaysia’s national internet exchange body, Malaysia Internet Exchange (MyIX), which is taking the lead on engaging with the government.MyIX chairman Chiew Kok Hin said the situation would be different if the domestic industry was more developed, with several companies having the required cable repair capabilities.“Where’s the harm in allowing tech giants to continue using foreign vessels for repair works while facilitating transfer of knowledge so the local industry can develop,” Chiew told Reuters via email, adding that there was only one Malaysian company in the industry and it lacked the capability.Facebook Inc, Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc did not immediately respond to Reuters queries on the letter. Nor did the Prime Minister’s Office or the transport ministry.The ministry last November overturned the exemption, granted in 2019, allowing non-Malaysian ships to carry out repairs to submarine cables. The tech giants also wrote to the then-prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, seeking to reinstate the waiver.Ismail took over as prime minister two weeks ago after Muhyiddin lost his parliamentary majority.The tech group said it was “very concerned” about last year’s decision.“This exemption had ensured that submarine cable repair works could be conducted efficiently within a short time frame, thus minimising the duration and economic impact of cable disruptions,” they said.Reuters did not have details on when and how the cables were damaged or what impact the damage has had on communications but MyIX said 98% of internet traffic runs on subsea cables.


Ghost fleets of empty cruise liners draw thousands

In March, the Costa Fortuna cruise liner tried to dock at Penang island but was refused entry.The decision was taken as the country had decided to restrict the entry of all cruise ships to its ports. After being denied entry by Malaysia, Costa Fortuna headed to Singapore.According to CuiseMapper.com, the Costa Fortuna is currently in the Adriatic Sea. She has a full slate of Mediterranean cruises beginning late October.The bottom has fallen out of the cruise business in the Covid-19 pandemic, and port berths are full, so dozens of ocean-going behemoths are having to wander the seas like the Flying Dutchman.Off the south coast of England, dozens of ships are just floating, going nowhere except for an occasional run up and down the English Channel just to keep their vital systems in shape.Giant cruise liners are such an impressive sight that people flock to see them even when they are going nowhere.Sightseers are flocking to the coast to gawp at the sight of these majestic ladies of the oceans.Enterprising local skippers now load up their small boats with sightseers and run tours around the ships. They have been astonished by the demand.It seems everybody, regardless of age, wants to get up close to the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2, and the fourth-largest liner in the world at over 200,000 tonnes, the Allure of the Seas.Many of the gawpers are previous passengers on the ships, so for them it’s like catching up with an old friend.Others were booked but had their cruises cancelled, so they go out to marvel at what could have been.A spokesman for Cunard, owner of the two monster Queens, explains why they sometimes go for a run.“In the same way a car needs to be driven, our ships need to sail to ensure full working operation. We have essential manning on board which is approximately 100 crew members per ship to be able to sail her.”Of course, cruising received bad publicity at the start of the pandemic when ships suffered outbreaks and had to be quarantined. One was the Ruby Princess off Australia.According to the Cruise Lines International Association, the cruise industry generates more than US$200 billion in economic activity worldwide and supports more than a million jobs.A small number of cruise lines are restarting operations with their first cruises since the pandemic began. Demand is said to be good.While some might be reluctant to commit to a month on a floating petri dish, others will see a cruise as the ideal way to escape the trials of lockdown at home.A life on the ocean wave may be the perfect way to avoid a second wave of Covid-19 if it hits at home.


Ex-PM Ismail compares Umno-PH alliance to 'forced marriage' destined to fail

Former Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob has stepped up his criticism of the five-month-old government headed by Anwar Ibrahim, likening his party's coalition with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to a "forced marriage" amid recent comments by Umno and DAP leaders.
The former prime minister said cracks in the cooperation could already be seen after at least two senior Johor Umno leaders rebuked several DAP and PKR leaders for comments seen as an insult to the Malay party.
"Right now, this is just the beginning. We'll see. I don't want to comment any further. But it's happening already – DAP making comments against Umno, Umno making comments against DAP," he told reporters yesterday.
"That's why I say, you can't have a forced marriage. Marriage must be between people who like each other.
"Not just like each other at the leadership level. The grassroots must also accept this marriage. Otherwise, things like this will happen. Maybe worse. We'll wait and see."
Umno Supreme Council member Nur Jazlan Mohamed recently lashed out at PH leaders for suggesting that the party had decided to embrace the ruling coalition for the sake of survival after being rejected by its traditional Malay base in the election last year.
Jazlan claimed that DAP was a liability for the coalition government in winning back Malay support.
"They depended on Chinese-majority seats and mixed seats to win 80 seats at GE15," he reportedly said.
Meanwhile, Johor state assembly speaker Puad Zarkashi shot back at Lim Kit Siang after the DAP leader protested attempts to obtain a royal pardon for jailed former prime minister Najib Razak.
"They are afraid if Najib goes free. He is a threat to PH and Anwar. They are afraid that Umno will become stronger through cooperation between Najib and Zahid," Puad said, referring to current Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Ismail, among the Umno leaders who had opposed Zahid's move to back Anwar following the hung parliament after last year's polls, said there should be mutual love in a marriage.
"Forced marriages will not last long. If you force a marriage like this, there is no love between the two sides, and in the end there will be cracks that might lead to splits and so on," he said.
Anwar and government leaders have described their administration as a "unity government" to fulfil a request by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to political leaders for a coalition government in the wake of last year's election which saw no single coalition achieving a simple majority.
Following audiences with the Agong, it was reported that Anwar had agreed to the request while Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said his coalition would rather become the opposition than cooperate with PH.
PN, primarily made up of Bersatu and PAS, trumped Umno at the polls, eating into the critical support base of the once ruling party in much of the peninsula.
Ahead of the six state elections to be held this year, analysts have said that cooperation between PH and Umno might not favour the Malay party in its bid to win back support, especially from young voters.


1MDB trial postponed a day as Najib on sick leave

Najib Razak’s 1MDB trial at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur was postponed today as the former prime minister is on sick leave following an eye surgery last Thursday.His lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah informed the court of the matter matter when proceedings began at 10.20am before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who gave Najib one day off and ordered for the trial to resume at 9.30am tomorrow.Shafee also showed Najib’s medical certificate to the court.The judge asked the lawyer whether the trial could be conducted tomorrow, to which Shafee said Najib’s vision was not clear as he could not even sign a cheque.To this, Sequerah said that Najib could just sit in court.The court was supposed to continue hearing evidence from the 10th prosecution witness, Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman, 49, who was the former CEO of 1MDB.Najib, 67, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.


Japan’s ruling party wants more women at meetings, so long as they don’t talk

A sexism row sparked by the Tokyo Olympics chief saying women talk too much at meetings, has resulted in Japan’s ruling party saying it wants women at key meetings – but only if they don’t talk.Yoshiro Mori, the 83-year-old head of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic organising committee, resigned last week after his comments about women speaking too much and so making meetings drag on too long triggered a backlash at home and abroad.Toshihiro Nikai, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s 82-year-old secretary general, said on Tuesday that he had listened to the criticism that the party’s board is male-dominated.The party has now proposed a new plan that allows five female lawmakers to join key meetings as silent observers, the daily newspaper Nikkei reported.Those female observers won’t be permitted to speak during the meetings, but will be allowed to submit opinions to the secretariat office.Opposition lawmakers mocked the plan and Twitter users said the party’s male-centric view has obviously not changed.The men “will just allow women as a kind of PR exercise”, Belinda Wheaton, a cultural sociologist at the University of Waikato in New Zealand, told Reuters.“I think it’s probably time to be asking questions as to why it is that we feel that men in their 70s or 80s are able to fulfil these roles better than men in their 40s or 50s, or a woman,” she said.Machiko Osawa, a professor at Tokyo Women’s University told Reuters, “I don’t think ruling politicians really get the issue about gender, its significance. Gender equality is very important but they take the issue lightly.”Also outraging Twitter users were comments by Kengo Sakurada, head of a powerful Japanese business lobby, who said Japan’s glass ceiling was “partly women’s fault”.Japan is ranked 121 out of 153 countries on the World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Gender Gap Index – the worst ranking  of an advanced country.


Frenzy for traffic summons discount sparks Covid fears as crowds throng payment centres

Tens of thousands of people in the Klang Valley have responded to a generous offer of discount by the government for their traffic summonses, thronging police stations and payment centres and sparking fears over the possibility of new Covid-19 clusters due to the large crowds.Checks by MalaysiaNow showed that there was no physical distancing, with crowds spilling into the streets since morning in several locations.At the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, people had been waiting for hours to reach the payment counters, hoping to get the 80% discount offered on their summonses.It is possible to settle the summonses through various online payment platforms.But many users complained of slow servers due to high traffic, including when using the police’s MyBayar platform.Social media comments responding to scenes of the crowds warned of a spike in Covid-19.They pointed to the Delta and Omicron variants, while others urged health authorities including Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to take action.The discount was announced to mark 100 days of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s “Malaysian Family” tagline, and will last for four days until Dec 12.Motorists in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya can get up to 80% off their summonses while those in other states can enjoy a discount of 70%.The discount does not apply to summonses pending court mentions, or those for major offences, heavy vehicle offences and exhaust modifications.


Indian railway worker hailed as ‘superhero’ after dramatic rescue

An Indian railway worker has been hailed a “superhero” after he sprinted more than 30m along a track to grab a boy from the path of an express train.CCTV images of Mayur Shelke’s incredible rescue have gone viral on social media with many lauding the selfless 30-year-old.The six-year-old boy was with his partially sighted mother on Saturday at Vangani station – about 70km east of Mumbai – when he fell off the platform edge onto the track.Shelke was alerted by cries for help from the mother and immediately started running along the track.He is seen in images released by the Indian Central Railways grabbing the boy, throwing him back onto the platform and then climbing up himself barely two seconds before the Udyan Express thundered through.“I saw the kid falling and the train speeding towards him. There was no chance he would have lived had I not intervened,” Shelke was quoted as saying by the Mid-Day newspaper.He said he had been scared of the looming train, but added: “There was no time to think at all, I was determined to save him.”Fatal accidents are common on India’s vast, but often dilapidated railway network.Social media users called Shelke, whose job as a pointsman is to check the train signals, a “superhero”.Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said Shelke would be rewarded for “motivating humanity with his work”.


Deutsche Bank told to speed up US$1 billion transfer as Najib wanted to make press statement, court hears

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was today told that Deutsche Bank (M) Bhd (DBMB) was persistently pressed to speed up the transfer of US$1 billion from 1MDB as then prime minister Najib Razak wanted to make a press statement on the 1MDB joint-venture project with PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI).DBMB’s former managing director (head of global markets corporate sales) Jacqueline Ho Yek Wan, 51, said 1MDB’s former executive director Casey Tang Keng Chee had requested that DBMB execute the fund transfer as soon as possible because it was important to do so as it was a government-to-government transaction.“He continued to persistently press upon DBMB again that DBMB needed to speed up the money transfer process as Najib wanted to make a press statement on the 1MDB joint-venture project with PSI. As such, we were urged to accelerate the US$1 billion remittance process into those two accounts.“The US$1 billion was transferred out in two transactions. The first transaction was US$300 million to JP Morgan SA, for account number 7619400, and the second transaction was US$700 million to RBS Coutts Bank Ltd, for account number 11116073.“Both transactions took place on Sept 30, 2009, at 3.14pm and 3.21pm,” she said.Ho, the 30th prosecution witness, said this when reading out her witness statement at Najib’s trial on the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in funds from 1MDB.She said that account number 7619400 belonged to 1MDB-Petrosaudi while account number 11116073 belonged to Good Star Limited, owned by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.Ho added that it was only a couple of days after the US$1 billion was sent out that Deutsche Bank found out that the account which received US$700 million was actually Good Star Limited instead of PetroSaudi International, as initially claimed by 1MDB on the day of the transactions.At that time, the bank had asked 1MDB but its CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi confirmed that Good Star Limited was a subsidiary of 1MDB’s purported joint-venture partner PSI.Asked by Najib’s counsel Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed about the press statement, Ho said that Tang had come to Deutsche Bank’s office, which was in the same building as 1MDB’s office, and made the request to quickly carry out the transaction. She said he even asked the bank to do the transactions before 4pm as Najib wanted to announce the matter.Wan Aizuddin: This purported representation by Tang motivated you to undertake this transaction as soon as you could?Ho: I don’t think… I guess yes and no. In one sense we would have done it on that day anyway. It would go through a queue, for US$1 billion transactions we would probably finish it by around five or six something in the evening, but because he wanted it done before four, I had to ask my operations to prioritise the remittance before other clients.When asked if the bank would have delayed the US$1 billion transactions until the next date if Tang had not mentioned the prime minister wanting to make the press statement, Ho said that the bank would not have delayed it until the next day as the client, 1MDB via its officer Tang, had given very strict instructions to send it out on Sept 30.When further questioned if she now knew whether the status of the US$1 billion investment was a true investment as well as based on what she had read in the news about 1MDB and what authorities had hinted or told her during the 1MDB investigation, Ho said: “I guess what was hinted or implied, it was fraud essentially.”Asked if she knew how Najib fit into the entire 1MDB matter then, Ho said: “At that point of time, we were told this was an important G2G transaction, the bank was under the impression that 1MDB would be like Khazanah Nasional in the sense that it would be a government investment vehicle.“So from that point, obviously since it was owned by the Ministry of Finance and Najib was finance minister as well, it’s only natural that he would want to give a press statement about a large investment,” she said.Najib, 68, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues tomorrow.


The looming international recession

Views on the prospects for the economy in Asia are quite polarised. The “optimists” forecast economic growth at or close to the potential, both in 2022 and in 2023. The “pessimists” forecast a slowdown with consistent under-performance in 2022 and possible stagnation or even recession in 2023.
In other parts of the world such as America or Europe, the gap between the two groups is narrower since both groups of forecasters expect a more consistent slowdown of the economy in 2022, bringing the expectations of the growth forecasts for each camp closer to each other.
Yesterday, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis released the much anticipated estimate of US GDP for Q2 2022. The numbers showed a second consecutive contraction of the economy on a quarterly basis with a 0.9% Q/Q annualised contraction, following the 1.6% Q/Q in Q1. This signals what is called “technical recession,” according to an old and very pragmatic definition introduced by the US Federal Reserve.
The official definition of a recession is more complex and based on the consideration of a much wider set of data and more stringent criteria that need some to be established over many quarters. So officially, the US has not called a recession yet even though the numbers are already in.
Definitions apart, is important to analyse the implications of these numbers for the future evolution of the economy and the financial market. In this respect, there is an interesting point in common between Asia and America.
The optimists in America think that we are not in a recession, due to the relative strength of the labour market and the strength of the consumption component of GDP which rose 1% Q/Q in 2Q.
The same consideration holds in Asia, where the good dynamics of private consumption and the strong labour market are highlighted by optimists, stressing the momentum of the economy that should keep the economy on a solid growth path.
We position ourselves among the so-called “pessimists.” We focus our analysis mainly on the contraction of inventories and the weakness of corporate profits and investment, rather than on consumption and the labour market. We put a profit recession that is unfolding in the US at the centre of our analysis. The profit recession has clear implications in terms of economic and financial prospects.
In a metaphor, we can think about profits as the gasoline of the economy and investments as the engine of the economy. Private consumption and financial markets enhance and propagate the impulse coming from the engine, moving the whole economy. To better understand the evolution of the economy, we need to concentrate on the engine and on the propulsive capacity of the economy.
The huge increase in oil prices and other raw materials in recent months squeezed the margins and profits of businesses. When the increase of costs is not fully passed through to the final price, this implies a contraction in profit margins. When it is fully transferred to the price, it can lower sales. The combined effect of these two mechanisms is a contraction in profits.
We saw this pattern at work several times in economic history, both in the first and in the second oil shocks, as well as in 2000 when it caused an international recession. The contraction in profit reduces the “flow of fuel” arriving to the investment engine of the economy which affects the rate of growth of the economy and pushes it into a recessionary phase.
In a second round, the more moderate rate of growth of the economy impacts private consumption and the labour market, enhancing the weakness and causing the contraction of the economy to continue over time.
In the US 2Q data, the contraction of inventories cut the overall figure by 2% Q/Q. Some economists say that when we account for using up stocks, the overall contraction should not be considered as a recession.
By contrast, since inventories are a part of the recession picture, many times in history a sharp decrease in inventories induced the start of a recession, creating a shock in sales and profits at the same time.
In Asia and in Malaysia in particular, we recently saw an extraordinary build-up in inventories, creating the possibility of a recession when an adverse international scenario unfolds even in a strong and dynamic economy. When inventories build up, companies slow production until they are sold. If they do not sell, they are discounted in fire sales.
Finally, a profit recession plays a fundamental role in sharp stock market contractions. A recent global fund manager survey by the Bank of America reported global profits optimism (net of the % of expected increase vs decrease of corporate profits) at its lowest level since the second half of the 1990s.

The decline in profits and the increase in risk aversion among companies brings a very defensive stance in which cost-cutting is the most common strategy with cutting investment as the first choice. On the other side, the same factors push a sharp contraction of the stock market, a phenomenon that we are already observing, although it is so far moderate compared to the potential downside.
This scenario should make the Federal Reserve more prudent before proceeding with aggressive interest rate rises. The fragile economy, the negative wealth effect and higher interest rates could exacerbate the weak housing market and bring a full perfect storm with a real recession inducing a financial crisis. The combined effect would be a full-blown international recession. No country would be exempt from this negative scenario.
Paolo Casadio is an economist at HELP University and Geoffrey Williams is an economist and provost for research and innovation at Malaysia University of Science and Technology.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Sarawak DAP admits unkept promises after poor performance in state polls

Sarawak DAP today apologised for its poor performance in the recent state election which saw it winning only two of the 22 seats it contested and losing five.Speaking at a press conference in Kuching, Sarawak DAP chief Chong Chieng Jen admitted that the party had failed to fulfil the promises made during its 22-month tenure as part of the federal government.He added that this had contributed to the loss of confidence by the Chinese community in DAP.Chong also said that the lower voter turnout as well as split votes among the urban Chinese reflected the changing sentiments among voters and their response to unfulfilled promises which he added had contributed to the party losing more seats this time around.“The low turnout and split votes among the urban Chinese voters was obvious,” he said. “Regardless, we accept and respect the decision of the voters.”He also acknowledged that the low turnout and split votes were due to the disappointment of voters in many constituencies.“Such sentiments are because DAP and Pakatan Harapan, during the 22 months in federal government, did not manage to match the expectations of the people,” Chong said.“Though we started to implement many reforms within the government system and introduce many good governance and people-friendly measures, we still fell short of what was expected of us during our time in government.”He said DAP accepted its defeat and would continue to play its role as a responsible opposition.“To those who have continued to support DAP, we wish to express our sincere thanks for the support and confidence you have placed in us,” he said.“To those who voted for DAP in 2018 to bring about a change in government, but who in this state election decided not to continue supporting DAP because we did not live up to your expectations, we wish to extend our sincerest apologies for falling short of such expectations.”DAP had only managed to retain two of its seats at the Sarawak state election on Dec 18 – Padungan and Pending.Padungan was won by Chong, while Pending incumbent Violet Yong succeeded in defending her seat.The results were in contrast to the seven seats DAP won in the 2016 state election, and the 12 it won in 2011.


1,600 new cases, most in Negeri Sembilan

Another 1,600 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 74,294.Of these, 541 or 33.8% were recorded in Negeri Sembilan, followed by Selangor (426, 26.6%) and Sabah (248, 15.5%).The spike in cases in Negeri Sembilan was due to an increase of confirmed infections – 500 – in the Bakti cluster. These are confined to prison areas.Kuala Lumpur recorded 148 cases followed by Johor (98), Penang (55), Perak (54), Kedah (18), Labuan (five), Kelantan (three), Sarawak (two) and Pahang and Melaka (one each).No new cases were recorded in Terengganu, Putrajaya or Perlis.Active cases stand at 11,604 with 129 in the ICU and 57 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 1,033 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 62,306.However, two more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 384.


Less formal, more comfortable: pandemic transforms work attire

Suits and tailored shirts are out, sweatpants and pyjamas are in: remote working is changing work clothes habits, and while vaccines may bring back some formality, old-school office attire should emerge from the pandemic far less starched and strict.“For the last year, everybody has just been dressed from the waist up, wearing a nice shirt for Zoom calls,” quipped stylist Sascha Lilic.Many workers who have already returned to offices notice a new relaxed vibe.“I saw someone wearing just their socks when they walked through to get something from another department,” recalled Deanna Narveson, a journalist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.“I think I’ve been dressing slightly more casual myself,” added Narveson, who nevertheless makes sure she puts on “real clothes” when working from home.According to employees at several companies, the casualness has happened by itself without management or HR teams intervening.“Shorts and T-shirts at the Pentagon was pretty new,” said Matt Triner, boss of IT consulting firm Hunter Strategy, which the US government has contracted to do several projects.The relaxation of dress codes in the professional world was already underway long before the pandemic, with the tech sector and start-up generation leading the way.It was even catching on at banks.“We have had a ‘flexible’ dress code policy for almost two years now, which encourages our people to use their own judgment for what is appropriate to wear for their work day,” said a spokesman for Goldman Sachs.The pandemic has seen the trend toward comfort accelerate, though.“Suits and ties were already going away in IT. The pandemic gave the last hangers-on an excuse to let go,” said Triner.The trend has been catastrophic for formal menswear companies like Brooks Brothers and the parent company of Men’s Wearhouse, which both declared bankruptcy last year.New York designer David Hart, a specialist in luxury men’s ready-to-wear items, has taken “a step back” from tailoring from the time being to focus on knitwear, masks, sweaters and polo shirts.‘Disruptive’The pandemic will have “lasting consequences” in the way people dress for work, particularly men, according to Lilic.“The outfit will become more casual. It will still be a suit, but there might be a drawstring waist or elasticated waist,” he said.Lilic, who has worked with several major fashion houses including Hugo Boss and Elie Saab, predicts more loafers and a lot fewer ties.“The open collar shirt is going to be great,” he told AFP.The shift is already visible among fashion brands, which are pushing more and more cotton and linen jackets as well as polo shirts and even simple sneakers.Workplace looks will become more individualistic, but also respectful of the office environment, Lilic believes.“It will respect more of your personality,” he said. “But I don’t think it is going to be so impactful on men’s fashion that everybody’s going to turn up in their banking office as a rapper.”Appearance, and some formality are “still important to some customers,” said Triner, though “as customers get younger, this is changing rapidly”, he added.“I think the suit will stay but it won’t have the blatant physical effect. It will less (be) something to hide behind,” said Lilic.For American designer David Hart, “there will be a strong urge for men to start dressing up again” after the pandemic.“I think that people will start dressing up for themselves and not because they are required to for work,” he said, confident that the rise of men’s fashion will continue.Hart, whose brand was built on tailored jackets and trousers, even dreams of a post-pandemic world where “suits and ties will become disruptive.”“The man wearing a suit will be the new rebel,” he said.


Dubai princess says through law firm she is ‘free to travel’

An Emirati princess who previously said she was being held “hostage” in a palace said she is now free to travel, in a statement attributed to her by lawyers Wednesday.In February, the UN human rights office sought assurances that Sheikha Latifa, daughter of Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, was alive after the BBC broadcast footage in which she said she feared for her life.An image of Latifa apparently with a companion at an airport emerged on social media this week raising the prospect that she had been able to travel freely.“I recently visited three European countries on holiday with my friend,” said Latifa in the statement issued by the Taylor Wessing law firm.“I asked her to post a few photos online to prove to campaigners that I can travel where I want. I hope now that I can live my life in peace without further media scrutiny. And I thank everyone for their kind wishes.”Sheikh Mohammed is vice-president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is one of the seven members.His 35-year-old daughter made an unsuccessful attempt to flee the emirate in March 2018, escaping by boat with the help of friends before being hauled back. She had not been seen in public since.AFP was unable to verify the latest image of her or when it was taken.It was published Monday on an account belonging to a woman that British media have identified as Sioned Taylor, a former Royal Navy member.It showed the two women standing side-by-side, wearing masks, in front of planes and airport terminal buildings.A caption read: “Great European holiday with Latifa. We’re having fun exploring!”In the comments section, the account’s handler responds “well spotted” to an inquiry as to whether the picture was taken at Madrid’s Barajas airport.Dubai authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the photograph.Last month, the same account published two pictures purportedly showing Latifa – one in a restaurant and another in a Dubai shopping mall.According to the BBC, friends of Latifa have said they recognised the two women seen in the mall image, and that the royal is acquainted with them.A London-based group which has campaigned for her freedom had said the release of the photographs was encouraging.In one of the clips released by the BBC that prompted an outcry, Latifa said “I’m a hostage and this villa has been converted into a jail.”


Dewan Rakyat to sit for extra day to decide on infectious diseases bill

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has agreed for the Dewan Rakyat to sit for another day on Monday to discuss and decide on amendments to the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 or Act 342, speaker Azhar Harun said today.“The addition of one, two or 20 days is under the authority of the head of council, that is the prime minister,” he said.“The prime minister as the head of council has used his discretion to add another day according to the present needs.”The current sitting was scheduled to end today after continuing for 32 days since Oct 25.The amendments to Act 342, contained in the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Amendment) Bill 2021, were expected to be the focus of the Dewan Rakyat session today.The proposed amendments include increasing the maximum amount of compound to be issued to individuals and companies violating Covid-19 health SOPs.Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the second and third readings of the bill would be postponed to Monday.Bernama reported that Azhar’s announcement was questioned by several MPs including Mahfuz Omar (PH-Pokok Sena) who said the decision had disrupted the programmes of MPs.“We MPs have lined up our own programmes, personal activities as well as programmes to meet people in our constituency. It is regrettable to be caught by this sudden announcement. Why can’t we defer the bill to the next session?” he said.However, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim (PH-Port Dickson) said the postponement of the debate on the bill was not a unilateral decision as it had been discussed and agreed to by several parties since this morning.“There was an engagement process until afternoon involving the health minister, health director-general and party leaders. Then it was referred to the prime minister on the need to postpone to give room for discussion with all quarters.“This is so that the select committee can meet before submitting several other proposed amendments. This is because of our view that several provisions should be amended in total especially regarding compounds,” he said.According to the bill, individuals who commit offences can be compounded up to RM10,000 compared to RM1,000 now while corporate bodies can be penalised up to RM1 million for violating the law.


Govt introduces targeted wage subsidy programme

The government is introducing a targeted wage subsidy programme to assist employers and employees in certain sectors which are still affected economically by Covid-19, says Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.The programme, which will open for applications from Oct 1 to Dec 31, is expected to benefit 1.3 million workers and will involve an estimated RM2.4 billion, he said when announcing the Prihatin supplementary initiative package or Kita Prihatin today.This follows the wage subsidy programme launched earlier under the Prihatin Rakyat economic stimulus package which is set to end on Sept 30.For the targeted wage subsidy programme, wage subsidies will be given to companies which continue to face lower revenues of at least 30% compared to last year.The wage subsidy will be given for up to three months at a rate of RM600 per month for each employee, with a maximum of 200 employees per company.Muhyiddin said based on feedback he had received on the wage subsidy programme, there were those who were not eligible to receive the subsidies as they had not registered with Socso prior to April 1 this year.“To ensure that this group is not left behind, the targeted wage subsidy programme will be open for companies registered with Socso prior to Sept 1, 2020.“New applicants who have not received the wage subsidy prior to this will now be eligible to receive the wage subsidy for up to six months,” he said.The prime minister said the wage subsidy programme introduced during the movement control order period had provided assistance to employers without requiring small companies to show loss of revenue.“With the transition to the implementation of the recovery MCO, most companies are now able to operate and conduct business actively,” he added.


Overcrowding fears cause jitters at Aussie beach

Sydney’s world famous beaches are normally crowded at this time of year as Aussies and tourists enjoy the spring weather with a dip in the Pacific Ocean.But this is no normal year. There are no international tourists because of closed Australian borders and only a few interstate tourists.New South Wales does not want to ruin its current record of 10 days with no locally transmitted Covid-19 cases. Its only new case was a returned overseas traveller in hotel quarantine on Sunday.Sun-worshipers in their thousands were enjoying Monday’s public holiday and the warm weather by packing Bondi Beach and other popular spots.Waverley Council began getting jittery around midday and tweeted that Bondi Beach was nearing capacity and access to the sand and water would soon be restricted to allow for social distancing, SBS News reported.“If people continue to come to Bondi Beach and crowds grow further, restricted access to the sand is likely to be implemented within the next hour,” the council said. “If you haven’t left for the beach yet, please rethink your trip and check on capacity later in the day.”At 5pm it was able to report, “Our beaches and parks have been busy but most people have been doing the right thing and following public health orders.”Public sector workers are due to begin returning to work in phases after the long lockdown.NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said state employees will be urged to return to work over the coming weeks, in a move considered to be a significant step towards the economy recovering.But health authorities are concerned that only 5,000 people were tested on Sunday compared to 8,000 in the previous 24 hours. They say that ideally at least 8,000 people should be tested in NSW each day.Dr Stephen Corbett of NSW Health said on Monday it’s vital that anyone with even the mildest symptoms comes forward for testing.“If people don’t come forward and get tested, we can’t keep the pandemic at bay.”


PM announces RM1.2 billion for Negeri Sembilan development

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday announced a total allocation of RM1.2 billion for the implementation of socioeconomic development in Negeri Sembilan.
He said the amount included an additional allocation of nearly RM1 billion for the state’s development.
He said the new projects for the state this year would include an exit road from a proposed new toll to the Seremban Central Ring Road, at a cost of RM600 million.
"Building a road and a bridge across Sungai Sepang to link Bukit Pelandok, Port Dickson, with Sungai Pelek at a cost of RM160 million.
“The construction of education ministry facilities at a cost of RM280 million, which includes the rebuilding of dilapidated schools and strengthening special education," he said in his Aidilfitri message at the Malaysia Madani and Negeri Sembilan Aidilfitri open house at the Seremban City Council.
Also in attendance were Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun.
According to the prime ministsr, the government is also allocating RM5.8 million for the repair of health clinics in Jelebu, Jempol, Kuala Pilah, Port Dickson, Rembau Seremban and Tampin, and RM318 million for the construction of new mosques.
The new mosques include the Port Dickson Floating Mosque, Masjid Kariah Hulu Beranang, Seremban, and Masjid Kariah Talang Tengah, Kuala Pilah.
Anwar said the government had also resolved issues on the Residensi PR1MA Seremban Sentral housing project and that the handing over of 891 units to buyers would be made from next month.


In Thailand, Phuket first for mass jabs in bid to lure tourists back

In Thailand, the all-important tourism sector has jumped to the head of the vaccination queue by embarking on a mass inoculation programme for Phuket island two months ahead of the rest of the country.Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said recently that Thailand is among the top-choice destinations of people who are already vaccinated and looking to travel ‒ on one condition: that they are not required to observe a mandatory quarantine.This news came via a survey of 17,000 people conducted through TAT’s 29 branches worldwide, the Phuket News reported.Strict 14-day quarantine requirements for overseas visitors have helped Thailand limit coronavirus infections to under 30,000 cases and 95 deaths but have proven to be too great a deterrent for most tourists.Schemes to attract long-term tourists who test negative for the coronavirus have largely flopped, even with creative measures such as quarantine at golf resorts.So the authorities have taken the obvious step needed to revitalise the all-important tourism sector on the country’s most popular resort island by embarking on a mass inoculation programme before the rest of the country.Phuket aims to vaccinate most of its population of 460,000 as it gears up for July 1, when vaccinated overseas visitors will no longer be required to quarantine.Phuket is big enough to keep tourists amused as they explore the island, and it has its own international airport. This means the authorities will likely pull up the drawbridge to the mainland, leaving the Thai population unthreatened by Covid-19.“If we can build immunity for 70-80% of the population on the island, we can receive foreign tourists who have been vaccinated without the need for quarantine,” Phuket’s Vice Governor Piyapong Choowong told Reuters.Spending by foreign tourists in Thailand accounted for 11-12% of GDP pre-pandemic. The sector has been devastated by the virus with 1.45 million jobs lost since last year.Fewer than 7 million foreign tourists visited Thailand in 2020, spending around US$11 billion. That compares with nearly 40 million visitors in 2019, who spent US$61 billion.The government wants to see at least 100,000 tourists come to Phuket in the third quarter.It hopes that as vaccinations worldwide progress it will see a spike in demand in the fourth quarter and that some 6.5 million visitors will have spent US$11 billion by the end of the year.Songklod Wongchai, an analyst at Finansia Syrus, believes Thailand could see a quick rebound in tourism, citing the example of the Maldives which has seen hotel occupancy rates bounce back to 70-80% despite cases of the virus.“Pent-up demand may come back faster than expected. I think the Land of Smiles will start smiling again,” he said.


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17 Omicron cases with no record of vaccination

The health ministry says 17 out of 122 individuals infected with the Omicron variant as of Jan 4 were found to have no record of Covid-19 vaccination.Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the ministry is investigating the records of travellers from abroad who have no vaccination history due to health problems or other reasons.He said 10 of them involved Malaysians while seven others were foreigners.“The Omicron import cases without vaccination records were from the UK (four cases), Nigeria (four), the United Arab Emirates (four) and one each from the US, Australia, Ghana, Ireland as well as Saudi Arabia,” he said at a press conference today.He said initial investigations found 122 positive for Omicron after entering Malaysia with 14% or 17 cases without vaccination.“Here, there is non-compliance with SOPs as only those who have been vaccinated are allowed to travel,” he said.


WHO recommends Merck Covid pill for non-severe, at-risk patients

The World Health Organization on Wednesday recommended an anti-Covid pill be taken by sufferers who have mild symptoms but are at high risk of hospitalisation, such as older people or the unvaccinated.The pill, called molnupiravir and developed by US pharmaceutical Merck, is taken as soon as possible after Covid-19 symptoms develop and then for the following five days.A WHO group of experts said in the British Medical Journal that people with weak immune systems or chronic disease were also recommended to take the pill if they had non-severe Covid.However “young and healthy patients, including children, and pregnant and breastfeeding women should not be given the drug due to potential harms,” they said.The UN agency’s new recommendation was based on the results of six randomised controlled trials involving 4,796 patients, the “largest dataset on this drug so far”.The trials suggested that molnupiravir reduced the risk of going to hospital, with 43 fewer admissions per 1,000 high-risk patients, as well as speeding up the pace at which symptoms cleared up by an average of 3.4 days.There was less indication it had an affect on mortality, with just six fewer deaths per 1,000 patients.WHO acknowledged “that cost and availability issues associated with molnupiravir may make access to low- and middle-income countries challenging and exacerbate health inequity”.While vaccines remain the foremost tools in the fight against the pandemic, experts have welcomed the addition of the new oral treatments, which inhibit the virus’ ability to replicate and should withstand variants.The only other main anti-Covid pill available is Pfizer’s Paxlovid.However more potential concerns have been raised about Merck’s pill, which the US Food and Drug Administration has not authorised for under-18s because it could affect bone and cartilage growth.


North Korea fires over 130 artillery rounds as warning after South-US drills

North Korea said it fired more than 130 artillery shells into the sea off its east and west coasts on Monday after detecting military drills across the border in the South.
Some of the shells landed in a buffer zone near the sea border in what Seoul said was a violation of a 2018 inter-Korean agreement designed to reduce tensions.
The South Korean military sent several warning communications to the North over the firing, the ministry of defence said in a statement.
North Korea's military conducted its firing after detecting dozens of "projectiles" fired in the South near the shared border, state news agency KCNA reported, citing a spokesman of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army.
"The enemy should immediately cease military actions that cause escalation of tensions in areas near the front lines where visual surveillance is possible," the unnamed spokesman said, warning that the North would respond firmly and with overwhelming military action to any provocation.
"We sternly warn the enemy not to stir up unnecessary escalation of tension along the front lines."
South Korea and the US were conducting a joint land-based firing drill near the border in Cheorwon County in the middle of the peninsula on Monday. Their drill will continue on Tuesday.
The allies have stepped up joint military exercises this year, saying they are necessary to deter the nuclear-armed North, which has resumed testing of its long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles for the first time since 2017, and has made preparations to resume nuclear testing as well.
North Korea has criticised the joint drills as evidence of a hostile policy by Washington and Seoul.
The 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement was the most substantive deal to come from the months of meetings between leader Kim Jong Un and then-South Korean president Moon Jae-in.
With those talks long stalled, however, recent drills and shows of force along the fortified border between the Koreas have cast doubts on the future of the measures.
South Korea has accused the North of repeatedly violating the agreement with artillery drills this year, including one day in mid-October when more than 500 rounds were fired into the sea.


Equivalent of 255 million jobs lost worldwide in 2020, UN says

The coronavirus pandemic took a huge toll on global jobs last year, the United Nations (UN) said Monday, with the equivalent of more than a quarter of a billion lost.In a fresh study, the UN’s International Labour Organization (ILO) found that a full 8.8% of global working hours were lost in 2020, compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.That is equivalent to 255 million full-time jobs, or “approximately four times greater than the number lost during the 2009 global financial crisis”, the ILO said in a statement.“This has been the most severe crisis for the world of work since the Great Depression of the 1930s,” ILO chief Guy Ryder told reporters in a virtual briefing.Since surfacing in China just over a year ago, the virus has killed more than 2.1 million people, infected tens of millions of others and hammered the global economy.The UN labour agency explained that around half of the lost working hours were calculated from reduced working hours for those remaining in employment.But the world also saw “unprecedented levels of employment loss” last year, it said.Official global unemployment shot up by 1.1%, or 33 million more people, to a total of 220 million and a worldwide jobless rate of 6.5% last year.Lost talents, skillsRyder stressed that another 81 million people did not register as unemployed but “simply dropped out of the labour market”.“Either they are unable to work perhaps because of pandemic restrictions or social obligations or they have given up looking for work,” he said.“And so their talents, their skills, their energy have been lost, lost to their families, lost to our society, lost to us all.”The lost working hours last year shrank global labour income by a full 8.3%, the ILO said.That amounts to a drop of some US$3.7 trillion, or 4.4% of overall global gross domestic product (GDP), it added.The emergence of several safe and effective vaccines against Covid-19 has raised hopes that the world will soon be able to rein in the pandemic.But the ILO cautioned that the prospects for a global labour market recovery this year are “slow, uneven and uncertain”.The organisation pointed to the uneven impact the crisis had had on the world’s workers, affecting women and younger workers far more than others.Globally, employment losses for women last year stood at 5%, compared with 3.9% for men.Women are more likely to work in the harder-hit sectors of the economy, and also have taken on more of the burden of, for instance, caring for children forced to stay home from school.‘Lost generation’Younger workers were also far more likely to lose jobs, with employment loss among 15-24-year-olds at 8.7% globally, compared with 3.7% for older workers.Many young people also put off trying to enter the labour market given the complicated conditions last year, the ILO found, warning that there was truly an “all too real risk of a lost generation”.Monday’s report also highlighted the uneven impact on different sectors, with accommodation and food services the worst affected, showing a drop in employment of more than 20%.By contrast, employment swelled in the information and communication fields, as well as in finance and insurance.Looking forward, the ILO called on countries to provide particular support to the hardest-hit groups and sectors, and also to sectors likely to be able to generate numerous jobs quickly.It stressed the need for more support to poorer countries with fewer resources to promote employment recovery.The report sketched out three recovery scenarios for 2021, depending on support measures provided at the national and international level.The pessimistic scenario saw an additional 4.6% drop in working hours, and even the most optimistic scenario anticipated that working hours would contract by a further 1.3% this year, corresponding to 36 million full-time jobs.