AI robots could play future role as companions in care homes

Nadine, a social robot powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) with human-like gestures and expressions, could have an important future role to play in tending to the sick and elderly, according to a professor who helped invent it.
Nadia Magnenat Thalmann, a robot expert from the University of Geneva, who served as the model for Nadine's dark brown eyes and auburn hair, said Nadine and robots like it could prove more effective than human carers.
"She (Nadine) has time 24 hours a day. The others have no time," Thalmann said.
She was speaking on the sidelines of a conference organised by the International Telecommunication Union in Geneva to make the case for AI and robots helping to reach global goals, such as health.
Global competition for nurses and carers is heating up, especially after Covid-19 and some countries are experiencing a staffing crisis in care homes which some think humanoid robots could one day ease.
Demonstrating its conversational skills, Nadine told Reuters it talked, sang, and played bingo with residents at a Singapore nursing home three years ago.
"It was a great experience and I enjoyed interacting with the elderly and helping them with their needs," the robot said
"I believe that robots can be a great asset in providing care and assistance to vulnerable people," it added.
Other robots on display include 'Paro', a baby seal robot 'pet' who can help dementia and Parkinson's patients, and nursing assistant Grace.
Last week, Nadine was upgraded with AI model GPT-3 and this has improved her interaction and conversation skills, Thalmann said, meaning it can express more complex concepts.
Referring to Thalmann, Nadine said: "I'm very grateful to her for giving me life and I'm proud to be her creation."


Anwar says ask Mat Sabu, govt makes U-turn on egg price float plan

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim appears to have distanced himself from the announcement by Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu that egg prices would be floated beginning July 1, with the ministry today saying the plan is off the table.
Asked by reporters on the expected increase in egg prices once floated, Anwar replied:
"That question should be directed to the agriculture minister", he was quoted as saying by Utusan Malaysia after performing Friday prayers in Ampang.
But hours later, Mohamad's ministry issued a joint statement with the domestic trade and cost of living ministry, saying the price float plan will not be implemented and subsidies to chicken breeders and egg producers would be continued.
"The decision to continue providing this subsidy was taken to ensure that the welfare of the people is protected, in line with the aspirations of the Madani government," the statement said.
There were fears from consumers that the price of eggs would increase due to limited supplies.
In February, Mohamad said prices of eggs would be market-driven by June as part of the government's efforts to overcome food shortages.
He said floating egg prices would allow authorities to monitor and assess fluctuations in the price of the goods compared to the current ceiling price.
"We are confident that the agriculture and food security ministry will satisfy the demand for chicken and eggs (through price floating)," he had said.
In March, Mohamad was embroiled in controversy after photographs emerged of him with controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan on a flight to India, raising questions about a government contract to a sole company for the supply of eggs from the country.
This followed Mohamad's admission that only one company was awarded a special permit to import eggs from India up to June.
The move had drawn criticism from MCA president Wee Ka Siong, who questioned the quality of the imported eggs.
Wee's remark, made in the Dewan Rakyat in his capacity as the MP of Ayer Hitam, was followed by a letter of demand from a law firm representing egg importer J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd.


Shafee freed in RM9.5 million money laundering case

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today acquitted and discharged lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah of two counts of money laundering involving RM9.5 million allegedly received from former prime minister Najib Razak, and of making false declarations to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).
Judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin made the ruling after finding that the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case against Shafee at the end of its case.
He said in his summary judgment that based on the testimony of the prosecution witnesses, there was no evidence of predicate action (illegal activity) involved or where the money was obtained.
"On the other hand, the testimony of the eighth prosecution witness, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission investigating officer Mohd Farid Jabbar, confirmed during cross-examination that there was no illegal activity involved in the accused receiving the money through cheques and that the money was not proceeds from unlawful activities," Jamil said.
He said since there was no predicate offence or proceeds from unlawful activities involved, the alleged predicate offences could not be proven.
On Sept 13, 2018, Shafee pleaded not guilty to receiving proceeds from unlawful activity via cheques issued by Najib, remitted into his CIMB Bank account.
He allegedly received a cheque for RM4.3 million on Sept 13, 2013, and another for RM5.2 million on Feb 17, 2014.
Shafee was also charged with two counts of engaging in transactions resulting from illegal activities, namely submitting incorrect tax returns, in violation of Paragraph 113 (1) (a) of the Income Tax Act 1967 for the financial years ending Dec 31, 2013, and Dec 31, 2014.


North Korea aiming to become 'world's strongest nuclear force'

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country's ultimate goal is to possess the world's most powerful nuclear force, as he promoted dozens of military officers involved in the recent launch of North Korea's largest ballistic missile, state media reported on Sunday.
The announcement comes after Kim inspected a test of the country's new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), and pledged to counter US nuclear threats with nuclear weapons on Nov 18.
Building the nuclear force is for reliably protecting the dignity and sovereignty of the state and the people, and "its ultimate goal is to possess the world's most powerful strategic force, the absolute force unprecedented in the century," Kim said in the order promoting the officers.
He called the Hwasong-17 the "world's strongest strategic weapon" and said it demonstrated North Korea's resolve and ability to eventually build the world's strongest army.
North Korean scientists have made a "wonderful leap forward in the development of the technology of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles," Kim said, without elaborating.
Posing for photos with the scientists, engineers, military officials and others involved in the test, Kim said he expects them to continue to expand and strengthen the country's nuclear deterrent at an extraordinarily rapid pace.
Those workers issued an oath of allegiance and faith to the ruling party, vowing to defend the "absolute authority" of the party and Kim, and vowing that "our missiles will fly vigorously only in the direction indicated" by him.
They said Kim had "carefully taught us one by one" during the development of the Hwasong-17.
Capable of reaching the US mainland, the missile launch prompted the US to call for a United Nations Security Council presidential statement to hold North Korea accountable for its missile tests, which are banned by Security Council resolutions.
North Korea's powerful Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly awarded the Hwasong-17 missile the title of "DPRK Hero and Gold Star Medal and Order of National Flag 1st Class", KCNA reported in another statement, using the initials of the country's official name, Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"(The missile) clearly proved before the world that the DPRK is a full-fledged nuclear power capable of standing against the nuclear supremacy of the US imperialists and fully demonstrated its might as the most powerful ICBM state," KCNA said.
The test fire demonstrated that North Korea will react in kind to "the enemy's nuke and full-frontal confrontation," the report said.


Daily caseload still below 1,800 as death toll up by 5

Another 1,743 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,885,539.
There were 1,935 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,822,290.
There are now 26,797 active cases, of which 25,620 or 95.6% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 1,133 (4.2%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 44 are in ICU with 23 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another five deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,452.


High Court grants Teoh Beng Hock’s parents leave for judicial review against police

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today granted leave to the parents of the late Teoh Beng Hock to initiate judicial review proceedings for the police to complete the investigations into their son’s death almost 13 years ago.This was after judge Noorin Badaruddin dismissed the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ (AGC) objection to the application submitted by Beng Hock’s parents, Teoh Leong Hwee, 74, and Teng Shuw Hoi, 69.Noorin also fixed June 30 for case management.The proceedings today involved senior federal counsels Shamsul Bolhassan and Ahmad Hanir Hambaly as well as federal counsel Mohammad Sallehuddin Md Ali from the AGC, acting on behalf of the inspector-general of police, the Criminal Investigation Department director, the police and the government as the first to fourth respondents.Beng Hock’s parents were represented by lawyers Ramkarpal Singh, Harshaan Zamani and Simranjit Kaur.In the application filed on Jan 4, the couple sought a declaration that a failure on the part of the first, second and third respondents to complete investigations into their son’s death within a reasonable period of time had violated Section 20 (3) of the Police Act 1967.They also sought a declaration that the police had committed negligence and attempted to deny the applicants’ constitutional rights as stated under Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, and applied for a mandamus order for the first respondent – the IGP – to complete the investigation into Beng Hock’s death within a month’s time from the date the verdict is delivered.The application was filed on the grounds that although three special task forces were set up to investigate the cause of their son’s death, the investigation was found to be incomplete, based on a letter from the second respondent dated Sept 21, 2021, which stated that the AGC had returned the investigation papers to the IGP on Sept 3, 2021.According to the applicants, the investigation papers were repeatedly returned to the first, second and third respondents by the AGC for further investigation.Beng Hock was found sprawled on the fifth floor landing of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam on the morning of July 16, 2009, after giving a statement at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office on the 14th floor of the building.He was the political secretary to the then Selangor state cxecutive Councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, who is also Seri Kembangan assemblyman.On Jan 5, 2011, the Shah Alam Coroner’s Court ruled that Beng Hock’s death in 2009 was not due to suicide or murder or third party involvement, while the royal commission of inquiry into Beng Hock’s death on July 21, 2011, established that he had committed suicide.On Sept 5, 2014, the Court of Appeal overturned the open verdict on the death of Beng Hock and ruled that his death had resulted from an unlawful act by a person or persons unknown.


Israel set to approve thousands of building permits in West Bank

Israel's nationalist-religious government on Sunday tabled plans to approve thousands of building permits in the occupied West Bank, despite US pressure to halt settlement expansion that Washington sees as an obstacle to peace with Palestinians.
The plans for approval of 4,560 housing units in various areas of the West Bank were included on the agenda of Israel's Supreme Planning Council that meets next week, although only 1,332 are up for final approval, with the remainder still going through the preliminary clearance process.
"We will continue to develop the settlement of and strengthen the Israeli hold on the territory," said Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a defence portfolio that gives him a leading role in West Bank administration.
Most countries deem the settlements, built on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, as illegal. Their presence is one of the fundamental issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Palestinians seek to establish an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as their capital. Peace talks that had been brokered by the US have been frozen since 2014.
Since entering office in January, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition has approved the promotion of more than 7,000 new housing units, most deep in the West Bank.
It also amended a law to clear the way for settlers to return to four settlements that had previously been evacuated.
In response to Sunday's Israeli decision, the Palestinian Authority - which exercises limited self-rule in parts of the West Bank - said it would boycott a meeting of the Joint Economic Committee with Israel scheduled for Monday.
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, after Israel's withdrawal of soldiers and settlers, condemned the move, saying it “will not give (Israel) legitimacy over our land. Our people will resist it by all means".
Jewish settler groups welcomed the announcement.
"The people have chosen to continue building in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley, and that is the way it should be," said Shlomo Ne'eman, mayor of the Gush Etzion Regional Council and Chairman of the Yesha Council, using Israel's biblical names for the West Bank.


People under quarantine, Covid-positive still checking into premises, says Khairy

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin says checks need to be tightened on the MySejahtera status of individuals at all premises, especially supermarkets, to ensure that those under home supervision order (HSO) do not enter.He said his ministry had detected incidents of non-compliance with the HSO as there were still some who were found to be checking in at supermarkets despite being in the quarantine period.“In Kedah, in just one week, there were 523 MySejahtera check-ins who were Covid-19 positive or high-risk individuals placed under home quarantine.“A total of 18% of the (523) check-ins occurred in supermarkets, so we ask that supervision at entrances be tightened because they managed to check in, which means the security guards are not checking their MySejahtera properly… they are just letting them in,” he told a media conference in conjunction with his working visit to Kedah at Wisma Darul Aman yesterday.Meanwhile, on Kedah’s Covid-19 vaccination status, Khairy said his ministry had asked for efforts to be intensified to ensure that about 17% more of adults in the state receive their vaccine jabs.Khairy said attention should be given to residents in several districts which still record low vaccination rates such as Pendang and Baling.“We need the cooperation of community leaders to ensure that those who still refuse to be vaccinated come forward, and we seek the enforcement of the SOPs for vaccination to be tightened… (for example) the mosque committee must check thoroughly (before allowing the congregants to enter),” he said.He said his ministry had also asked all employers to tighten procedures at the workplace by allowing only fully vaccinated individuals to return to work.Khairy added that for now, the supply of vaccines at every vaccination centre in Kedah was sufficient and, in fact, excessive.“In a lot of areas, we have reached a stage where there are more vaccine doses than recipients… so we have to really outreach, go check on the hardcore (anti-vaccine) group… focus on this group,” he said.Meanwhile, he said more than 180,000 teenagers in Kedah would begin receiving their vaccine shots from Monday at vaccination centres or schools. His ministry expects the process to be completed within a month.


77% of PTPTN loans repaid, says Noraini

A total of 77.75% or almost 800,000 National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) borrowers have paid up their loans, says Higher Education Minister Noraini Ahmad.She said so far, 2.4 million borrowers have completed their studies and by right, PTPTN should receive almost RM24.6 billion in loan repayments.“Some 400,000 borrowers have been paying consistently while 700,000 others do make repayments but inconsistently,” she said in response to a supplementary question from Lukanisman Awang Sauni (GPS-Sibuti) who wanted to know the latest on PTPTN loan arrears in the Dewan Rakyat today.Noraini added that until September, PTPTN had collected RM15.5 billion in loan repayments.She said the ministry found that the provision of incentives such as payment discounts had succeeded in getting borrowers to pay up their loans.“Among the initiatives taken by PTPTN as announced by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz recently were the 15% discount for the full settlement of outstanding loans, 12% discount for partial payment of outstanding loans and 10% discount for payments via salary deduction,” she said.Meanwhile, she said the Sarawak government should be commended for introducing the PTPTN Anak Sarawak repayment incentive through the Sarawak Foundation and settling at least 30% of the borrowers’ loans.“Through the Sarawak government’s proactive move, 30% of the amount still owing has been deducted and this has helped eased the burden on borrowers and encouraged them to repay their loans,” she said adding that 9,321 borrowers in Sarawak had enjoyed this benefit when it was first introduced in 2020.Noraini said this in reply to Lukanisman’s original question on the status of the PTPTN Anak Sarawak repayment incentive and the number who have benefited from the scheme.


US$16.3 million in 1MDB funds returned from Singapore, says MACC

Singapore has recently returned to Malaysia about US$16.3 million linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said today.US authorities say about US$4.5 billion was siphoned from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014, in a globe-spanning theft that has implicated high-ranking officials and financial institutions in multiple countries.Putrajaya has said billions more remain unaccounted for.Malaysia has recovered about RM20.5 billion (US$4.90 billion) in 1MDB assets so far, MACC said in a statement.Efforts to recover more are ongoing, in countries including Switzerland, Kuwait, Mauritius, Cyprus, and Hong Kong, it added.


Tokyo Olympics committee races to add women to board

The Tokyo Olympic Games organising committee is set to add 12 new female directors to its executive board after long-time president Yoshiro Mori was forced to quit for making sexist remarks.His female replacement, Seiko Hashimoto, aims to have women make up 40% of the board members.The changes come just five months before the games are scheduled to begin, and after public outrage over Mori’s complaint that women talked too much in meetings.During a meeting of the executive board, the organisers agreed to a rule change allowing a maximum of 45 members, up from the current 35.“It is possible to add 12 more members, so we decided to add 12 women to the board of directors,” the committee’s chief executive, Toshiro Muto, said on Tuesday,“We already have seven female directors, so 19 out of 45 will be female directors after the planned addition of new members. Based on the calculation, women will account for 42% of the board members,” Muto saidHashimoto said the new members would be announced after being approved by committee members on Wednesday.“Regarding promoting gender equality, I believe that it is necessary to take swift action and provide solid results in order to rebuild trust in the organising committee,” the seven-time Olympian said.Mori had previously commented that should the number of female board members increase, they would have to “make sure their speaking time is restricted somewhat as they have difficulty finishing, which is annoying”.He later apologised for his “inappropriate statement” and added that the priority was to make sure the Olympics were held in July.The Summer Olympics will begin on 23 July, after already being postponed by a year due to the pandemic.Public opinion in Japan is still divided over whether the games should go ahead or not.


Zahid calls for cooperation at state level to strengthen federal govt

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says cooperation between the federal and state governments, regardless of their political ideology, must prevail and be strengthened for the sake of the people at large.
Zahid said the coalition government had a bigger agenda in moving forward and to develop the country, and that differences in political ideology should be put aside as disunity would lead to instability, like what had happened in the past.
"The formation of the unity government, the Malaysia Madani concept that we all support, must be given priority because what is important is the progress and welfare of the people.
"We have now formed a government under the leadership of (Prime Minister) Anwar Ibrahim with the support of 19 different parties," he said after attending the Sabah Umno liaison committee Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.
Zahid who is also Umno president said the current government which was stable with the support of 148 MPs must be strengthened by the ending of various political polemics and not raising new issues that could derail such efforts.
"This is to ensure a politically stable (Malaysia) and to progress economically because the main focus is on the progress of the people," he said.


Questions over post-GE restrictions on mosque, TV speakers

Questions have arisen over a series of bans on preachers from appearing on television and speaking at mosques since the formation of the government, following the removal of a mosque chairman in Penang who was voted into his position.
Earlier this month, Muslim preacher Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah was barred from appearing as a panellist on a popular Islamic talk show by public broadcaster RTM.
Ridhuan had been a regular panel speaker for the programme since its first broadcast in early 2000.
In Pahang, meanwhile, a state assembly representative was banned from lecturing at a mosque in Jengka where he had actively spoken for the past three years.
Chenor assemblyman Mujibur Rahman Ishak was blocked despite his claim that he had never spoken on political matters.
And in Penang, the management of a mosque established some two years ago has accused the state religious council of violating the regulations for the selection of mosque committee members.
This followed the mass resignation of 14 committee members at Masjid Bandar Tasek Mutiara in Simpang Empat.
One of the committee members who spoke to MalaysiaNow said the Penang State Islamic Religious Council (MAIPP) had gone against the results of the election conducted at the mosque in August.
"Ustaz An Nur was chosen through a democratic process as the committee chairman," the committee member said on condition of anonymity.
"But the individuals elected for the second and third highest positions were appointed as chairman and deputy chairman without any explanation whatsoever by MAIPP.
"Many are now confused and asking why Ustaz An Nur was sidelined."
MalaysiaNow understands that the resignation of the 14 committee members will take effect on Jan 1.
The committee member said Ustaz An Nur had run uncontested for the position of chairman, thereby receiving the highest number of votes from the mosque members.
"It's actually a long process," the committee member added.
"We as members of the committee try to follow what the religious council decides. We register the mosque members, and that takes a long time.
"We also hired people to enter the names into a database, just for this election. But in the end, the results of the election were not honoured."
The committee member said complaints had been made over the past two years about individuals rather than the mosque facilities.
"Ustaz An Nur comes from PAS, but he has never spoken about politics in his talks," the committee member added.
"And during the buka puasa season last year, the mosque invited politicians from all of the parties to attend. Leaders from DAP, PAS and Umno alike came."
The committee member also questioned the response of MAIPP chairman Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abd Rahman, saying the deputy chief minister had only sent a representative from the council to discuss the issue with the mosque committee.
"He never came to meet us himself. So we decided to resign to show solidarity with the mosque members who voted as well as Ustaz An Nur who was elected."
Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin was among those who voiced concern over the matter, saying action should not be taken merely over differences in political opinions.
In a statement on Monday, he said that many influential parties including independent preachers and celebrities had openly supported PN during the general election.
He said others had also expressed support for Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional.
"That is their right in a democratic country. After the election is over, there should be no action against anyone over their support for any political party.
"Only then can it be said that elections in our country are conducted freely, fairly and competitively."


Total vaccine jabs cross 8.8 million mark

A total of 8,800,700 doses of vaccine had been administered in the country as of yesterday under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, says Health Minister Dr Adham Baba.In a Twitter post, he said a total of 2,539,686 individuals had received a second dose, thus completing their vaccination.“A total of 217,807 doses of Covid-19 vaccine were administered yesterday involving 141,140 recipients of the first dose and 76,667 individuals who received their second dose,” he said.The five states recording the highest number of two-dose recipients are Selangor with 342,677 people followed by Sarawak (278,528), Johor (266,779), Kuala Lumpur (232,170) and Sabah (225,690).


Russia admits destroying satellite with space missile strike

Russia’s defence ministry on Tuesday admitted to destroying one of its satellites during a missile test but rejected US accusations that it had endangered the International Space Station (ISS).US officials on Monday accused Russia of a “dangerous and irresponsible” strike on a satellite that had created a cloud of debris and forced the ISS crew to take evasive action.The move reignited concerns about an escalating arms race in space, encompassing everything from laser weapons to satellites capable of shunting others out of orbit.“The Russian defence ministry successfully conducted a test, as a result of which the Russian spacecraft ‘Tselina-D’, which had been in orbit since 1982, was destroyed,” the military said in a statement.US officials said they were not informed in advance of the anti-satellite missile test – only the fourth ever to hit a spacecraft from the ground – which generated over 1,500 pieces of trackable orbital debris.US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Monday that the danger was far from over and the debris would continue to threaten satellites and activities on the ISS.Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday described the test as a “reckless” and “concerning” act.“It demonstrates that Russia is now developing new weapon systems that can shoot down satellites,” he said at a meeting with EU defence ministers.‘Hypocrisy’ jibeThe Russian military said it was carrying out planned activities to strengthen its defence capabilities but denied that the test was dangerous.“The US knows for certain that the resulting fragments, in terms of test time and orbital parameters, did not and will not pose a threat to orbital stations, spacecraft and space activities,” it said.The confirmation of the US claims came moments after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had denied that Moscow had endangered the ISS.“To declare that the Russian Federation creates risks for the peaceful use of space is, at the very least, hypocrisy,” Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow, adding that “there are no facts” behind the claims.Nasa said the crew aboard the orbital outpost – currently four Americans, a German and two Russians – were woken up and forced to take shelter in their return ships.The satellite was a Soviet signals intelligence satellite that has been defunct for several decades.Earlier on Tuesday, Russia’s Roscosmos space agency said its “automated warning system for dangerous situations” was continuing “to monitor the situation in order to prevent and counter all possible threats to the safety of the International Space Station and its crew”.“For us, the main priority has been and remains to ensure the unconditional safety of the crew,” Roscosmos said in a statement.‘Destabilising’Russian state news agencies reported that Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin was expected to meet Nasa officials on Tuesday.Nasa chief Bill Nelson said on Monday he was “outraged” by the “irresponsible and destabilising action”.Yury Shvytkin, deputy chairman of the Russian lower house of parliament’s defence committee, denied Russia was militarising space.“We have been and are against the militarisation of space,” Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.But Russian military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer told AFP the country had “long been known that we have anti-missile and anti-space weapons and that we are deploying them”.Anti-satellite weapons (Asats) are high-tech missiles possessed by only a handful of nations.India was the last to carry out a test on a target in 2019, an incident criticised by the US and others after hundreds of pieces of “space junk” were created.The US shot down a satellite in 2008 in response to China demonstrating a similar knockout in 2007.Last year, Britain and the US accused Russia of testing a “nesting doll” satellite that opened up and released a smaller craft to stalk an American satellite.Despite the tension, the US and Russia have maintained strong space ties since the end of the Cold War, cooperating closely on the ISS, which they built together.


Najib given until May 20 to apply for Queen’s Counsel

The Federal Court has directed Najib Razak to file his application to appoint a Queen’s Counsel from the UK for his appeal against his conviction and sentence in the SRC International case by May 20.Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul said the deadline was fixed by Federal Court deputy registrar Siti Hajar Mustaffa during online proceedings today.“The hearing for admission of the Queen’s Counsel is tentatively fixed on a date between June 20 and 24. However, the actual date of hearing will be confirmed during the next case management,” he said.The appointment of the Queen’s Counsel will be on an ad hoc basis after admission is obtained from the Malaysian court.Ashrof said the court also fixed March 15 and 16 to hear Najib’s appeal to adduce new evidence while for the main appeal against his conviction and sentence in the SRC International case, the next case management will be held on Feb 25 at 3pm.On Jan 25, law firm Messrs Shafee & Co submitted a six-page letter to the secretariat of Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat on Najib’s intention to appoint a Queen’s Counsel from the UK to assist the former prime minister in complex issues and legal questions in his SRC International appeal at the Federal Court.On Dec 7 last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed Najib’s application to adduce new evidence in his appeal, ruling that Najib had failed to cumulatively satisfy Section 61 of the Courts of Judicature Act that fresh evidence was required for justice in the case.The next day, the same court upheld his conviction, 12-year jail term and RM210 million fine for misappropriating RM42 million in SRC International funds.Justice Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, who led a three-member bench comprising justices Has Zanah Mehat and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera, dismissed Najib’s appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court decision on July 28, 2020.After the ruling, Najib filed a notice of appeal to the Federal Court.


Two cases of ivermectin poisoning detected

The National Poison Centre has received two cases of poisoning involving the use of the ivermectin drug.The health ministry said in a Facebook post today that the first case involved a 35-year-old who experienced shortness of breath for up to five days after taking the drug.“The second case involved a senior citizen who was found unconscious after allegedly taking 15 pills of ivermectin at one go,” it added.The ministry advised the public against taking ivermectin for self-treatment, saying there is no antidote or specific treatment for such cases of poisoning.It said the drug was found to have been sold illegally as ivermectin has not been approved for use in the country to treat or prevent Covid-19.It said taking ivermectin without in-depth study and at improper dosage could result in poisoning alongside adverse effects such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and dizziness.On June 5, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was reported as saying that the health ministry and the Institute for Clinical Research had started clinical trials to study the use and efficacy of ivermectin for high-risk Covid-19 patients at 12 hospitals under the ministry.He also said that ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration, widely used for treating several neglected tropical diseases including onchocerciasis, strongyloidiasis and helminthiases.However, he said evidence was inconclusive to recommend the routine use of ivermectin for Covid-19 patients.


Woman in ‘basikal lajak’ case jailed 6 years, fined RM6,000

The High Court in Johor Bahru today sentenced a woman to six years in jail and fined her RM6,000 after finding her guilty of reckless driving leading to the death of eight teenage cyclists in 2017.The judgment overturned the ruling by the Magistrate’s Court on Oct 10 last year which had upheld the previous decision to acquit and free Sam Ke Ting of the charges against her.Judge Abu Bakar Katar ordered Sam, now 27, to serve the jail sentence from today.She was also disqualified from driving for three years and told to serve another six months in jail if she failed to pay the fine.In his judgment, Abu Bakar said the defence failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution’s case which had proven the essence of the offence.“The woman’s act of driving recklessly or dangerously resulted in the loss of eight lives. In the sentencing, this court follows a precedent which takes into account the number of victims involved,” he said.Sam, who was 22 at the time of the incident, was charged with driving recklessly or dangerously at Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, resulting in the death of eight cyclists at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017.She was charged under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and a RM20,000 fine upon conviction.On Oct 28, 2019, she was acquitted and discharged by the Johor Bahru Magistrate’s Court.On Feb 18, 2021, however, she was ordered to enter her defence after the prosecution succeeded in proving a prima facie case against her.Magistrate Siti Hajar Ali ruled on Oct 10, 2021 that the prosecution had failed to prove the case against Sam beyond reasonable doubt.Abu Bakar, when reading his decision to allow the prosecution’s appeal, said the court was satisfied that the essence of the offence under Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 had been successfully proven.He said the trial court had erred when it failed to decide whether the woman’s defence in her unsworn statement was a mere denial or an afterthought.“In her defence, the woman said that she did not see the group of cyclists at the scene and that there was another vehicle that hit the victims and sped away. This version was never raised by the respondent during the prosecution case,” he said in a report by Bernama.The judge also said that the trial court had erred in failing to consider that the woman’s defence had not raised any reasonable doubt over the prosecution’s case for the charge of reckless driving given the winding and slightly hilly road conditions.“The trial court erred in accepting the defence which said that she was unaware of the cycling activity on the night of the incident as an excuse to drive her car in a reckless manner to the extent of causing the death of the victims.“The respondent should have driven her car more carefully and not recklessly. She should have known that the street would not be brightly lit at 3.20am,” he said.Earlier, the prosecution represented by Johor prosecution director Tengku Amir Zaki Tengku Abd Rahman and deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Syafiq Mohd Ghazali pressed for an appropriate punishment for the woman, taking into consideration the principle of public interest.However, the woman, represented by lawyer Muhammad Faizal Mokhtar, requested a lighter penalty as it was her first offence and she still has parents to support and care for.


Sorry.


Digital banking, disruption or evolution?

While digital banking, thrown into sharp relief by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, is considered by some a disruptive trend in the industry due to its effect on traditional brick-and-mortar branches, experts say the trend will help democratise banking products and services for customers as well as benefit the banks themselves.As digital banking moves to the fore, driven by the demand for efficiency in aspects such as banking records and transactions, some features of conventional banks are likely to begin fading away.There will be fewer customer offices, for example, less back-office infrastructure, and fewer automatic teller machines (ATMs).Such changes may come sooner rather than later, with Bank Negara Malaysia expected to announce a list of applicants given the green light for the receipt of digital bank licences. Those who applied included Aeon Credit Service, Sunway, Grab Holdings and AirAsia’s BigPay.In Asia, Hong Kong paved the way with its digital banking service up and running in 2020. This was followed by Taiwan and Singapore – the other two “Asian Tigers” – which had theirs operational last year.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, economist Geoffrey Williams said the technology-driven interactive features online would mean lower infrastructure and staff costs for digital banking players.“Customer interaction is all online, but they offer instant transactions through phone apps which are very popular with Gen Z customers, for example,” he said.Williams, who is attached to the Malaysia University of Science and Technology, said this in turn would help make them more viable in asset-light formats.“Digital banks tend to offer fewer but easier products, mainly for money transfers, payment transactions, and personal loans and savings,” he said.“But they can also be more innovative, and some offer peer-to-peer lending or cryptocurrencies, for example.”Bank Islam chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the absence of physical branches would give digital banks an advantage in terms of product offering, and allow them to be more nimble in managing their operational costs.“They will also be able to get returns on investments in a much shorter time,” he said.He believes that the award of digital banking licences suggests that the banking institution is still evolving, with entry barriers for new players coming down.But this will also affect those with a more established presence in the field, he said.“The incumbent players will really need to up their game by ensuring that customer experience is at the forefront, considering that financial products can be quite generic.“In the end, the customers will benefit the most as the services and products have been democratised,” he added.Williams meanwhile expects traditional banks to respond with more online banking services themselves, adding that they might even buy up digital banks subject to regulatory requirements.“I think many digital banks have in mind the possibility of acquisition in the medium term,” he said.One example of how customers might benefit from digital banking is the RM1 ATM interbank transaction fee which was reinstated this month. With digital banking, such fees would be unlikely.Williams said digital banks are also more likely to offer zero-fee products as their income would come from assets held as well as investments from deposits rather than day-to-day transaction flows.“Over time, digital banks will have some impact because they are attractive to many, especially the younger people, foreigners who can’t open traditional accounts, non-banked communities in rural areas and so on,” he said.Nevertheless, he said traditional banks would not disappear immediately as they are still needed to cater to customers who prefer face-to-face service, in addition to handling company payroll and commercial banking matters.Despite the expected acceptance of digital banking, he said, investment banking and other financial offers across the overall portfolio of traditional banks would take some time to disrupt.“The adoption of digital solutions in e-hailing, for example, shows that Malaysians can adapt and become familiar with apps very quickly.“But the regulatory environment here is strict, for good reasons, and market size and low-income groups restrict growth possibilities.”He pointed to Indonesia, which has nine times as many people and a large non-banked population. More growth in digital banking is expected there, he said, as well as in India and China.Azfanizam meanwhile said that traditional banks would have to reinvent themselves in order to navigate the competition from digital banks.As the younger generation is more accustomed to technology, he said, digital banks would have the upper hand when it comes to making headway in this market.Williams said that in the future, money itself would likely be digital. He noted that central banks in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and South Africa are already coming up with cross-border payment systems using central bank digital currencies.“Digital banks are more likely to be interested in digital currencies, but the overall use of digital money is about acceptance as a form of payment for day-to-day transactions, as well as security and regulations – not just the establishment of a digital bank infrastructure, although of course this is important.”


Salleh Abas, man at the centre of 1988 tussle between judiciary and executive, dies at 91

Former lord president Salleh Abas, who was at the centre of a constitutional crisis that saw him controversially dismissed from his post, died early this morning after he was tested positive for Covid-19.Salleh, who was 91, passed away at Hospital Sultanah Raja Nurzahirah in Kuala Terengganu.“May Allah forgive him and place him amongst the righteous. May Allah reward him with Jannatul Firdaus,” said a WhatsApp message from his family.Salleh took over as lord president from the late Sultan Azlan Shah in 1984, after the latter quit the post to ascend the Perak throne.His dismissal followed his criticism of what he said was Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s meddling in the judiciary by coming up with amendments to curtail its powers.It was thought that Mahathir was unhappy with the judiciary over the court’s ruling banning Umno, following a suit brought by supporters of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who had narrowly lost the Umno presidency to Mahathir a year earlier.In 1988, Salleh was brought before a tribunal convened by Mahathir to try him for misconduct, which ultimately removed him as lord president, setting off a string of international condemnation.Salleh returned to the public eye years later when he contested in the 1995 general election as a candidate for Semangat 46 in Lembah Pantai, but lost. In 1999, he stood again for election, this time for the state seat of Jertih, Terengganu on a PAS ticket, and won.


EU agency says 2 jabs ‘vital’ to battle Delta variant

The EU’s medicines watchdog said on Wednesday two jabs by approved vaccine makers were “vital” to provide maximum protection against the highly infectious coronavirus Delta variant, urging countries to speed up their inoculation drives.The Delta strain, first detected in India, is making a rapid march across the continent and will constitute 90% of all cases by the end of the summer.“Preliminary evidence suggests that both doses of a two-dose Covid-19 vaccine… are needed to provide adequate protection against the Delta variant,” the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said.“Adherence to the recommended vaccination course is vital to benefit from the highest level of protection.”Calling it a “variant of concern”, the Delta strain “is spreading fast in Europe and may seriously hamper efforts to control the pandemic”, the EMA said.By the end of August, this variant will consist of 90% of all coronavirus cases, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said in the same statement.“This makes it essential for countries to speed up vaccination programmes, including delivery of second doses where recommended and to close the gaps and opportunities for further emergence of variants as soon as possible,” the EMA said.


Canada wildfires shroud New York in apocalyptic haze

Smoke from Canadian wildfires shrouded New York in a record-breaking apocalyptic smog Wednesday as cities along the US East Coast issued air quality alerts and thousands evacuated their homes in Canada.
The Big Apple's mayor urged residents to stay indoors as the thick haze of pollution cast an eerie, yellowish glow over Manhattan's famous skyscrapers, delayed flights and forced the postponement of  sporting events.
More than 100 million people across America's northeast, and extending west to Chicago and south to Atlanta, were under pollution warnings after the smoke drifted hundreds of miles from Canada, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said.
In Canada itself, the devastating wildfires have displaced more than 20,000 people and scorched about 3.8 million hectares of land. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this the worst wildfire season Canada has ever had.
"It smells like someone is doing a barbecue," said Nicha Suaittiyanon, a 30-year-old tourist to New York City from Thailand, who complained of watery and itchy eyes.
Forty-three-year-old lawyer Hugh Hill said his throat had been stinging from the harmful haze, which he likened to the smell of a wood-burning fire.
Like many New Yorkers, he chose to cover his face while out walking his dog in Central Park, normally Manhattan's green lung.
"I don't know if it's psychological or physical, but I know there's some benefit to wearing a mask. Obviously, it's not going to prevent everything, but the dog has to be walked," he told AFP.
IQAir.com, which tracks air quality around the world, said New York – normally known for its piercing blue skies – was enduring the worst air quality index (AQI) of any major city in the world.
New Delhi, renowned for its pollution, was the second worst. New York is normally outside the top 3,000 worst cities for pollution, according to the website.
'Hazardous'
AirNow, another monitor, said the Big Apple's AQI reached a hazardous level of 413 at 5pm (2100 GMT), just short of the scale's maximum of 500.
Nasa scientist Ryan Stauffer told AFP that New York had broken its previous AQI high, set 21 years ago.
New York City health commissioner Aswin Vasan said the metropolis was experiencing its worse air quality since the 1960s, while New York state Governor Kathy Hochul called it an "emergency crisis" that could last several days.
All outdoor activities at New York City's public schools were suspended, with Mayor Eric Adams urging city dwellers to limit outdoor time to "the absolute necessities."
"This is not the day to train for a marathon," he told reporters.
The smog enveloped the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, with the Federal Aviation Administration saying it had slowed traffic to and from the city's airports due to reduced visibility.
Major League Baseball postponed Wednesday's game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago White Sox as well as the Phillies home match against Detroit Tigers due to poor air quality. The Women's NBA and National Women's Soccer League also announced postponements.
In music, organisers cancelled the opening night of a concert series in Brooklyn set to feature Corinne Bailey Rae.
And the actress Jodie Comer walked off the stage of her one-woman Broadway show "Prima Facie" after just ten minutes, citing breathing difficulties, and was replaced by an understudy, a spokesman for the production told AFP.
In Washington, authorities warned that the air quality was "unhealthy for people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens" and cancelled all outdoor activities in public schools, including sports lessons.
'Climate crisis'
White House spokesman Karine Jean-Pierre said the situation was an "alarming example of the ways in which the climate crisis is disturbing our lives."
Scientists say warming temperatures increase the risk of the hot, dry weather that often fans wildfires.
In Canada, more than 11,000 locals have already been evacuated from Quebec province, now the epicentre of the disaster, with another 4,000 are expected to flee by the end of Wednesday, said local leader Francois Legault.
US President Joe Biden said on Twitter that more than 600 US firefighters and other personnel, along with equipment, had been deployed to Canada to help battle the blazes.
Back in New York City, Jack Wright, a 76-year-old retired lawyer said the pollution had "kinda generated a cough all day long."
"I quit smoking 50 years ago, but it's a kind of a cough I would have when I was smoking," he told AFP, braving a walk along the East River.
Not everyone, though, was disturbed by the acrid stench that hung over the city of 8.7 million residents.
"It does not bother me. You know, New York often smells strange," said 78-year-old retiree Pamela Roderick.


New cases creep past 9,800 as Perlis logs high of 200 infections

Another 9,890 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,313,727.Sarawak recorded 1,413 cases, Selangor 1,402 and Kelantan 1,032.Johor recorded 993 cases, Sabah 820, Perak 794, Penang 721, Terengganu 699, Pahang 564, Kedah 503, Melaka 260, Kuala Lumpur 250, Perlis 200 and Negeri Sembilan 180.Putrajaya recorded 59 cases while no new cases were reported in Labuan.Another 12,884 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,157,565.Meanwhile 827 are in the ICU, including 782 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 445 are in need of respiratory assistance including 336 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 9,890 cases reported today, 162 (1.6%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 9,728 (98.4%) are in Category One and Two.


MCO is enough, say PH top trio in protest against emergency

The top leaders of opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH) have rejected the reasons given by the government for declaring a state of emergency, saying there are existing laws to help authorities battle the surge of Covid-19 infections.They said the movement control order (MCO) which takes effect tomorrow would be adequate, adding that no emergency laws are needed for the government to galvanise assistance to fight the pandemic.In a joint statement, the leaders of DAP, PKR and Amanah also accused Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin of resorting to an emergency due to waning support for his ruling bloc, and cited the move by two Umno MPs to revoke their support for Perikatan Nasional.“Muhyiddin’s action in proposing an emergency at a time when he has lost support from the majority of MPs including Machang and Padang Rengas shows that the move is totally unacceptable,” said the statement signed by DAP’s Lim Guan Eng, PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim and Amanah’s Mohamad Sabu.“Do not hide behind Covid-19 and burden the people with an emergency declaration to save yourself.”Muhyiddin today said that the state of emergency which was agreed to by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah would not lead to military rule, adding that civilian institutions including the judiciary would operate as usual.He said Parliament would not convene during the emergency, and all elections would be put on hold.The prime minister also assured that the general election will be called as soon as the special bipartisan emergency committee is satisfied that the Covid-19 situation is under control, to allow the people to choose a government of their choice.The three PH leaders however said a local emergency covering a certain constituency would be enough to prevent elections during the pandemic.They also said the Sarawak polls would only be due in August, while the 15th general election is only to be held in 2023.They said the suspension of Parliament and state assembly sittings would undermine democracy and remove the process of check and balance.“The emergency means giving absolute powers to the prime minister to arbitrarily do almost anything,” they added.


South Africa prison service opposes ex-president Zuma return to jail

South Africa's prison service, which ordered the release of former president Jacob Zuma on medical grounds, said Wednesday it was challenging a court decision to send him back to jail.
"Having carefully studied the judgement, Correctional Services is convinced that another court may arrive at a different conclusion," the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) said in a statement, stating its intention to have the Supreme Court of Appeal decision overturned.
Zuma, 80, was released from prison last month at what DCS said was the end of his 15-month sentence for contempt of court.
He was convicted in June 2021 for stubbornly refusing to testify before a commission investigating corruption during his 2009-2018 presidency.
His incarceration in July last year sparked an unprecedented wave of violence and looting, amid rampant inequality, leaving more than 350 dead.
Barely two months later he was released on health grounds and placed under judicial supervision.
The prison service official granted the conditional release against the advice of the prisons medical committee.
The Supreme Court of Appeal ruled Monday that Zuma's release was against the law and that he should return to the Estcourt Correctional Center in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
The Bloemfontein-based court is the country's second highest court after the Constitutional Court.
The former head of state has denounced the "cruelty" of the demand that he return to prison.
The state of Zuma's health remains largely unclear.
According to multiple medical reports submitted to the court, he suffers from problems linked to blood pressure, high blood sugar levels and serious colon damage.
In recent weeks he has appeared in public several times, dancing and singing in front of his supporters.


Football legend Diego Maradona dead at 60

Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time, died Wednesday at the age of 60, plunging his native Argentina and football fans around the world into mourning.Renowned along with Pele as one of the finest players ever to grace the field, the Argentine World Cup-winning captain had undergone brain surgery this month and died of a heart attack, a member of his entourage told AFP.Maradona will forever be remembered for his “Hand of God” goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-final in Mexico City, when he pushed the ball into the net.Minutes later he swerved through the helpless English defenders for a superb second goal, capping a victory that perfectly encapsulated the mixture of brilliant skill and often outrageous behaviour that ran through his life.He struggled with addiction to cocaine and alcohol and had been plagued by poor health in recent years.Pele described Maradona as a “dear friend” and the 80-year-old Brazilian said he hoped they would “play together in the sky” one day.Gary Lineker, who was in the England team defeated in 1986, said Maradona was “arguably the greatest of all time” but referred to that infamous goal by tweeting: “After a blessed but troubled life, hopefully he’ll finally find some comfort in the hands of God. #RipDiego.”Lionel Messi led the tributes from modern-day players to his fellow Argentine, saying: “He has left us but he will never leave us because Diego is eternal.”Argentine President Alberto Fernandez announced three days of national mourning in the South American country.Argentine media first reported Wednesday that Maradona had suffered a serious setback in his bid to recover from the surgery earlier this month to remove a clot lodged between his brain and skull.Family members were summoned to his home north of Buenos Aires before the announcement of his death was made.Grieving fans later gathered at the Obelisk landmark in the center of Buenos Aires and at Boca Juniors’ stadium, the Bombonera, where Maradona played from 1981-82 and 1995-97.‘Hand of God’The life of the divine footballing talent that was Diego Armando Maradona was marked by wild highs and lows, with Argentina and club sides Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli.Excesses with drugs and alcohol had long taken their toll on the mercurial talent’s health.Maradona was admitted to hospital three times in the last 20 years for serious health issues – two of which were potentially fatal – due to his addictions.The highs were crowned by his performances when he captained Argentina to World Cup glory in 1986.In the final, Maradona set up the 86th-minute winner against West Germany. He scored twice in the semi-final against Belgium, beating four defenders for the second goal.But the match that defined his tournament, and possibly his career, was that win over England, in which he scored two goals that will be remembered forever – for very different reasons.In the 51st minute, as England goalkeeper Peter Shilton reached to catch the ball, Maradona jumped alongside him and with a deftness that fooled the eye, flicked the ball with his hand through the England goalkeeper’s arms and into the net. The referee allowed the goal to stand.After the game, Maradona said he scored “a little with the head of Maradona and a little with the hand of God”.The goal he scored four minutes later, when he picked up the ball in his own half and glided past six England players, was named “Goal of the Century” by FIFA.Adored in NaplesMaradona grew up in poverty in Buenos Aires but his extraordinary talent was clear from a young age at Argentinos Juniors and Boca.He moved to Barcelona but was singled out for rough treatment by opposing defenders and soon fell out of love with the Spanish club.It was in Naples where Maradona would enchant an entire city by leading the then unfashionable Napoli to their only two Italian league titles in 1987 and 1990, befriending a mafia family along the way.“Always in our hearts. Ciao Diego,” Napoli tweeted. “There are no words to describe the pain we’re going through.”Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis and Naples mayor Luigi de Magistris on Wednesday both called for the club’s Stadio San Paolo to be renamed in tribute to Maradona.He was honoured with a minute’s silence before Wednesday’s Champions League games in Europe.In recent years, Maradona, reduced to hobbling by the ravages of his career and lifestyle, had coached in the UAE, Mexico and Argentina without ever hitting the heights of his playing days.In 2000, FIFA ran an online Player of the Century poll. Maradona gained 54% of the vote, Pele was second with 18%. FIFA declared them joint winners.Maradona married his long-time girlfriend Claudia Villafane in 1984. They had two daughters, Dalma and Gianinna, but the relationship was punctuated by Maradona’s extra-marital affairs and they divorced in 2004.He also had a son, Diego Junior, born in Naples in 1986, although he only acknowledged paternity in 2004.


New cases inch closer to 23,000

Another 22,948 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 1,489,460.Selangor recorded 7,175 cases, Sabah 2,583, Kedah 2,137, Penang 1,655, Johor 1,526, Kuala Lumpur 1,439, Kelantan 1,271, Perak 1,229 and Sarawak 1,206.Melaka recorded 737 cases, Pahang 736, Terengganu 621 and Negeri Sembilan 556.Perlis recorded 42 cases, Putrajaya 26 and Labuan nine.Active cases stand at 255,534 with 1,060 in the ICU and 528 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 21,720 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 1,220,446.However, 178 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 13,480.


Republicans launch push to impeach Biden

Republicans voted Thursday to kickstart the formalities that could lead to Joe Biden's impeachment, as far right lawmakers sought to seize the-party's agenda and escalate a bitter standoff with the US president.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted along party lines to refer a resolution that accuses the 80-year-old Democrat of "abuse of power" and "dereliction of duty" to the judiciary and homeland security committees.
Republicans accuse Biden of failing to control immigration, leading to the country's "complete and total invasion" and "surrender of operational control" of the US-Mexico border to "foreign, criminal cartels."
Democrats say the Republicans are simply deflecting attention from the mushrooming legal woes of former president Donald Trump, who faces more than 70 felony counts of financial fraud, mishandling government secrets and obstructing law enforcement.
Biden's son Hunter has agreed to admit federal tax evasion charges after a probe into his financial affairs, but critics have provided no evidence of any wrongdoing ever by the president himself.
"You can't make this stuff up. Their extremism continues to be on full display," House Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters in Congress.
"And they are doing nothing, nothing, nothing to enhance the health, the safety or the economic wellbeing of the American people."
Impeachment by the House – the political equivalent of a criminal indictment – would spark a "trial" by the Senate's 100 members, who can vote to remove a president with a two-thirds majority vote.
Trump, who was impeached twice, is among three presidents to face the rebuke, although he was shielded from conviction by Republican allies in the Senate on both occasions.
While the Democrats united against Trump, House Republicans have been hamstrung by infighting this time around, with the leadership pushing back against a frivolous impeachment process that would be stymied in the Democratic-led Senate in any case.
Going 'rogue'
Lauren Boebert, the far right firebrand who drafted the Biden resolution, initially pushed for a straight vote on impeachment without a committee procedure that would likely have led to embarrassing infighting on the House floor.
Oversight and Accountability Committee chairman James Comer is already leading a probe into unsubstantiated claims that Biden took bribes while he was a vice president and doesn't expect to release a report for several months.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy – who has struggled to lead his raucous grouping, with its narrow, four-vote majority – has argued that the rank-and-file needs to let Comer finish his work, and allow any action to go through the normal committee process.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Boebert's former ally on the far right, has been pushing for Biden's impeachment separately and told reporters Wednesday her colleagues needed to "get to the same place that our base is, where our Republican voters are."
The Republicans have filed 12 impeachment resolutions this year – targeting government officials from Biden and his vice-president, Kamala Harris to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The House voted 213-209 on Wednesday to censure California's Adam Schiff for helping expose the 2016 Trump campaign's extensive ties to Russia, prompting chants of "shame" from Democrats.
"To my Republican colleagues who introduced this resolution, I thank you. You honour me with your enmity," Schiff said before the vote.
"You flatter me with this falsehood. You, who are the authors of a big lie about the last election, must condemn the truth tellers. And I stand proudly before you."


Good grades but no citizenship leaves young girl in the lurch

For as long as she can remember, 13-year-old Clara Sonia Joseph has wanted to be a doctor.
But while she has the grades to achieve her dreams, chances of her earning a medical degree one day are slim as she lacks something else: the official title of a Malaysian citizen.
Clara was abandoned in 2013 by her birth mother, an Indonesian national who decided to return to her home country.
At just three years old, Clara was left in the care of Shamini Gopal Krishnan, who lived with her two children in Klang.
Shamini knew Clara, who had another name at the time, as her birth mother would often visit the welfare centre for special needs children run by her son.
She said the woman had offered the centre her services as a cleaner.
"She would often come with her daughter, who could only speak Tamil," she said.
"She once asked if she could leave her daughter in the care of the centre, but I said no because it was a place for special needs children."

Clara does her homework in her room.

Nevertheless, Shamini felt compassion for the woman and agreed to look after the girl while she was at work.
One day, the woman did not turn up to collect her daughter.
It was only a month later that Shamini and her husband, Charles Joseph, received a call from her, telling them that she had returned to Medan in Indonesia.
"We made a police report straight away and were given permission to care for Clara temporarily," Shamini said.
"Clara never stopped crying, and we had trouble communicating with her because she could only speak Tamil and we only spoke English and Malay."

Clara greets her adoptive father after he comes home from work.

Shamini and Charles eventually succeeded in adopting Clara after undergoing a number of processes including obtaining a birth certificate stating her as a non-citizen.
But their efforts to obtain citizenship for the girl have been in limbo until today.
"We applied to the home ministry that very year, and we handed over all the documents they asked for, but no decision has been made yet," Shamini said.
"But we haven't given up hope. From time to time, we get a response from the ministry."
Meanwhile, though, Clara has limited access to education and health facilities due to her status as a non-citizen.
She managed to enrol in a government school with the help of S Subramaniam and P Kamalanathan of MIC, who were a minister and deputy minister at the time.
But she needs to get approval from the district education department at the start of every school year.

Clara holds up her birth certificate which states that she is a non-citizen.

"In health matters, Clara is treated like a foreigner – we need to pay more to get treatment for her," Shamini said.
This is a problem as Clara has inflammatory bowel disease for which she requires periodic treatment.
Shamini is also worried about how Clara will go to university.
"She is a clever girl and scored four A's in her final examinations for Standard Six last year," she said.
"She got A's for Bahasa Melayu, English, science and mathematics. But what good are her grades if she can't go to university?"


Stop dicking around – the Covid jab goes in your arm and nowhere else

A “scientific” report advising men to inject the Covid-19 vaccine into their penis for faster release of the dose in the body has gone viral on social media.However, the report has now been found to be fake and based on a photoshopped image rather than any scientific study, reports the International Business Times.Pfizer and Moderna rolled out their vaccines late last year and since then they have been subject to a series of fake claims. For example, rumours circulated that the Pfizer vaccine caused sterilisation in women and genetic mutation in unborn children.The latest fake report, which appeared to be from CNN, carried an illustration showing the procedure and alleged right spot for injecting the Covid-19 vaccine into the penis.The screenshot that has gone viral on social media appears to be taken from the CNN report headlined: “Doctors Encourage Covid-19 Vaccine Injections in Penis.”The article begins: “Doctors are discovering that for male patients, the penis offers the fastest release of the vaccine throughout the body.”Lending authenticity to the fake clipping, the screenshot also featured the first line of the article which reads: “Based on findings from a University of California study involving 1,500 men who received the vaccine…”The report also featured a photo of a doctor, who was later identified as Mohit Kumar Ardeshana, a California-based doctor of internal medicine.Debunking the claim, Snopes reported that CNN did not produce the article and the illustration used in the screenshot was from an instruction manual for penile self-injection as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. The image was taken from the website of a Kansas City, Missouri health system, according to the fact-checking website.Speaking to Boom, another fact-checking website, the featured doctor Ardeshana denied making any such claim or being part of the study, saying, “The article is completely fake. I have not said anything about such a study. It is a work of mischief by someone.”Despite the claim being a hoax it was shared widely on social media, prompting furious discussions.“I would encourage these doctors to try it on themselves in their balls,” responded one user. “I don’t know if it improves the vaccination but surely they deserve such advanced treatment themselves.”“They’re laughing at us, same as the toilet paper frenzy. Just seeing how far their manipulation strategies will get them,” tweeted another user.According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the vaccine is supposed to be administered on the upper arm. A nasal vaccine for Covid-19 is also in the works but it is still in the research phase.There is no mention of a vaccine that can be injected in the penis.


Optimise long-term effectiveness for public transportation

The recent closure of 16 LRT stations between Ampang Park and Kelana Jaya since Nov 8 has not only disrupted public accessibility but also caused difficulties and frustration among public transport users.
Almost 200,000 Klang Valley commuters have been unable to use public transportation, along with the main and heavy train stations connecting people to Kuala Lumpur's city centre. While it normally takes one day to resolve a problem like this, Prasarana stated that it will take a week to fix the malfunction issue of the line's automatic train control (ATC) system, until Nov 15.
This, in some ways, exposes Malaysia's public transportation as inefficient, and can hinder the goal of transitioning to a car-free nation where public transportation can be the first choice for the public.
National Recovery Council chairman Muhyiddin Yassin has also urged the caretaker government to be more responsible in developing contingency plans and taking immediate action to address the LRT issue.
We certainly do not want a repeat of the terrible events of the Kelana Jaya LRT collision in 2021. For the time being, suspending train services may be a wise idea to ensure public safety, but how far can we guarantee that an issue of negligence like this will be addressed promptly by the responsible bodies and authorities? A more optimised, long-term strategy in upgrading Malaysia's public transportation system is needed.
The public has expressed their dissatisfaction on social media, noting that this is not the first time they have encountered problems with Malaysia's train services. There was a time when the train stopped for longer than usual at certain stations, indicating that there must be a major problem with the efficiency of our public transportation services. Given the ongoing train shutdown, some commuters will have to travel for additional hours to get to work and back home. Imagine how much of a burden this would be for some people.
Although the transport ministry and Prasarana have mobalised an additional 120 feeder buses on five routes along the Kelana Jaya line, we can only imagine how crowded the conditions on the buses might be. Consider the number of people that a train can carry in comparison to the capacity of bus services. In the end, if the feeder bus is ineffective, people will rely on ride-hailing services such as Grab, which are much more expensive.
As a regular MRT feeder bus user, when the MRT Kwasa Damansara and Sungai Buloh routes were terminated for the MRT Phase 2 launch earlier this year, I could understand how disappointed commuters were as we had to wait even longer for the feeder bus, with a low frequency of once in every 30 minutes.
On top of the Klang Valley's traffic congestion, especially during extreme weather and rush hour, taking a bus may not be a good idea because buses have no special lane and will get stuck in traffic. Perhaps this is why people are hesitant to use bus services and prefer to commute by train. According to the Asian Development Bank's Index Score for most congested Asian cities, Kuala Lumpur was ranked second in the region with a score of 1.40 in 2019, trailing Manila with 1.51.
Worse still, people will walk for long distances to reach their destination. It is so saddening to see that even though our country is a high developing country, it is still not accessible enough in certain areas due to a lack of pedestrian and walk zones. Instead of building train stations in under-development areas, developers and urban planners should consider using Singapore's walkability models which easily integrate pedestrians to the sustainable environment of public transportation stations.
It is also high time that we learnt more from our neighbour Jakarta in its mobility transformation by providing special protected bus lanes to avoid bad congestion woes, as Malaysia has always been known as a car-centric country. Rather than building more highways, expanding the Klang Valley's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system like the existing one in Bandar Sunway could be a better solution to attract more use of public transportation.
Pulse, the Prasarana-owned mobile app, requires a more supportive and user-friendly experience that includes more important features. For example, a feature that suggests suitable transit point information based on user’s location for all modes of public transportation, including trains and buses. This is due to the fact that there are still members of the public unaware of alternative transit transportation options. An emergency chat support should also be added to inform users of which routes are inoperable or have been shut down.
Improving public transportation infrastructure necessitates a strong political will to ensure that all related master plans and the National Transport Policy 2019-2030 are well executed. This brings up the question of to what extent the recent release of manifestos by Pakatan Harapan (PH), Barisan Nasional (BN), and Perikatan Nasional (PN) have addressed public transportation issues to increase the people's welfare ahead of the 15th general election.
PH plans to introduce a RM5 daily fare limit to encourage more citizens to use public transportation, as well as to make public transportation stations walkable within 10 minutes. Meanwhile, PN seeks to empower the public transportation system, including the country's integrated public transportation network, which connects public transportation stations to public health centres for the elderly and between rural and sub-urban areas. BN, in contrast, strives for environmentally friendly public transportation and government vehicles.
Of course, all political coalitions must work on these well-spoken manifestos for them to be realistic and not mere rhetoric. Overall, it is critical to ensure that the people have access to an efficient train system that aligns with the country's goal of making Klang Valley accessible by 2040.
Zulhafiy Zol is a master’s candidate specialising in defence studies at the faculty of administrative science and policy studies at UiTM Shah Alam.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Zahid calls for confidence motion to test support for PM

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has openly called for a motion to test support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, in what is likely an indication of an attempt by the Umno president to revive his plan to bring down the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.He said the confidence motion should come from the government itself without being hindered by the Standing Orders.“Let the government make this government business, to prioritise a motion to be brought to this House,” he said during the debate on the 2021 budget in the Dewan Rakyat today.MalaysiaNow previously revealed that Zahid and his former boss Najib Razak had written to the palace expressing support for PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to replace Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister.Anwar had earlier claimed to posses the majority support of MPs to bring down the PN government.However he failed to furnish proof of this in a royal audience granted to him by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah on Oct 13.Zahid’s call today came less than a day after the Agong declared a state of emergency in Batu Sapi, Sabah to prevent a by-election in the constituency following the death of the incumbent MP Liew Vui Keong.Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, he said Muhyiddin’s administration had several times broken its promises to Barisan Nasional in general and Umno in particular.“There must be honesty in politics,” he said. “There must be deeds, not just words. There is no question of who has integrity and who does not.”He also hinted that a general election should be held immediately if the PN government no longer possesses the majority support of MPs.“A proclamation of emergency is not an option. Even the Agong and the Conference of Rulers have rejected this, what more attempts to propose a state of emergency in any form whatsoever.“If this cannot be done, it should be returned to the people as soon as possible.”


No directive for seniors to turn in their driving licence, says transport minister

Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong says his ministry never issued any directive for senior citizens aged 70 and above to return their driving licences.He said driving competency should not be measured based on age, and that there are many factors that contribute to road accidents.“Competency is a different issue. Like the Langkawi MP (Dr Mahathir Mohamad), he can still drive well, far better than younger people. There is no discrimination,” he said when replying to to a supplementary question from Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (PH-Ledang) during the ministers’ question time at the Dewan Rakyat today.Wee said 80% of road accidents were caused by human factor, 13% by vehicle failure and 7% by the environment.He added that driving under the influence of alcohol can raise the risk of accidents 13-fold compared to a sober person.Responding to Syed Ibrahim’s original question on road accidents involving wrong-way drivers, Wee said among the contributing factors of such cases was driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.He said 807 road crash cases involving vehicles driving against the traffic flow were reported this year, 29 of which were fatal accidents. Seventeen cases involved serious injuries, 49 cases involved minor injuries and 702 cases caused damage to vehicles.He added that the major contributing factors to accidents include speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, using mobile phones or navigation applications and not following road rules.


UK registers record 1,610 daily Covid-19 deaths

Britain on Tuesday registered another 1,610 fatalities from coronavirus, a record high over 24 hours since the pandemic arrived in 2020, although the number of new cases fell.The UK’s total Covid-19 death tally now stands at 91,470, with a further 33,355 new cases also reported over the last day, taking the total number of infections to nearly 3.5 million.But the number of new cases over the last week was down around 22%, as a stringent lockdown announced earlier this month starts to have an effect.Britain is currently gripped by its third and deadliest wave of the virus, blamed on a new strain believed to be highly infectious.An estimated 12% of people in England had been infected with Covid-19 by December last year, up from 9% in November, according to official antibody data released Tuesday.One in 10 people in Wales, one in 13 in Northern Ireland and one in 11 in Scotland were also estimated to have caught the virus, according analysis of random blood test results published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).Health chiefs have been warning intensive care units risk being overwhelmed by the surge in cases.Overall mortality for the week ending Jan 8 was 45% higher than the five-year average, according to the ONS, although it cautioned that the data could be skewed by uneven reporting over the holiday period.London, which has been hit particularly hard by the latest wave, recorded an 85% increase in deaths, compared to the historic average for the same week.Cambridge University’s Medical Research Council said last week it believed that 30% of the capital’s population had been infected.‘Signs of optimism’Health Minister Matt Hancock, who caught the virus last year, on Tuesday tweeted that he was self-isolating until Sunday after being told by the health service that he may have come into contact with an infected person.Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh Tuesday that the country would remain under almost a full lockdown – with schools and non-essential shops closed – until at least the middle of February.The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care in Scotland has increased by more than 90% since the start of the year to 260, compared to a normal ICU capacity of around 170.Britain is in the middle of a massive vaccination drive, racing to inoculate as many people as possible before the new strain spreads any further.More than four million people have now received a jab, including more than half of over-80-year-olds.The government hopes to vaccinate around 15 million high-priority people across the country by Feb 15, and the entire adult population by the autumn.


South Korea, US agree on troop deal

South Korea and the US have reached agreement on Seoul’s contribution to the costs of the US troop presence on the peninsula, Seoul said Monday, as the two allies kicked off annual joint military exercises.The issue had bedevilled the two allies’ security alliance under former president Donald Trump, who had a transactional approach to foreign policy and repeatedly accused the South of freeloading.Washington stations 28,500 troops in the country to defend it from the nuclear-armed North, which invaded in 1950.They are a key part of US forces’ deployment in Asia, but negotiations over funding had been gridlocked by the former US administration’s demands that the South pay billions of dollars more towards their costs.The Trump administration initially insisted on US$5 billion a year – a more than fivefold increase.Under the previous deal, which expired at the end of 2019, Seoul paid Washington about US$920 million annually.Seoul’s foreign ministry said the two sides had reached an agreement “in principle” without specifying the agreed amount.“The government will resolve a gap that has lasted for more than a year through a swift signing of an agreement,” it said in a statement.The new deal must still be approved by the South Korean legislature.US President Joe Biden has vowed to revive frayed US alliances under his predecessor to counter the challenges posed by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.“America’s alliances are a tremendous source of our strength,” the US State Department said in a tweet.It also did not state how much the South would pay.The two sides “will now pursue the final steps needed to conclude the Special Measures Agreement for signature and entry into force that will strengthen our Alliance and our shared defence,” it added.The agreement came as Seoul and Washington kicked off their annual military training on Monday, which has been scaled down from the usual level over Covid-19, with no large-scale physical troop involvement.The nine-day exercise is still likely to infuriate the North, which has long considered such drills rehearsals for invasion.“The upcoming annual training is a computer-simulated command post exercise that is strictly defensive in nature,” the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, adding they went ahead with plans after considering the pandemic.After his first summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore in June 2018, Trump said Washington would suspend the “very provocative” joint military exercises with South Korea.But a second meeting held in Hanoi in February 2019 broke up early with no progress towards Washington’s goal of Pyongyang abandoning its nuclear weapons programme.North Korea has put itself under strict self-imposed isolation to try to protect itself against the coronavirus pandemic, adding to the pressure on its moribund economy.Analysts will be watching to see whether it uses the military drills to launch provocations against Washington as it seeks to test the new Biden administration.


Your wife, child or better still yourself: Azmin welcomes challengers in Gombak

International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali today welcomed any challenge for his parliamentary seat of Gombak in the 15th general election (GE15), in an apparent reference to PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim who recently said he could contest the Malay majority seat.
He also hit out at Anwar who had said that he would leave his own seat of Port Dickson to contest a seat held by a "traitor".
"Whoever wants to come to Gombak, please do," he said in his speech to officiate Bersatu's election machinery in Shah Alam today.
"I am a man. If you want to send your wife or your children, too, go ahead.
"If you are brave enough, come yourself."
Azmin won the Gombak seat in 2018, beating candidates from PAS and Umno with a majority of 48,721 votes.
He was labelled a trator after leading a group of MPs out of PKR in 2020, during the Sheraton Move which saw the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government after the resignation of then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Azmin, who is now a member of the Bersatu Supreme Council, said the real traitor was one who did not respect the people's mandate by contesting a seat that had already been won by someone else.
He also mocked the by-election in Port Dickson arranged after Anwar received a royal pardon in 2018.
Anwar won that election after its incumbent, Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, stepped aside.
Azmin said Anwar's desire to replace the prime minister at the time before the Apec conference would have harmed the country.
He also said the people were comparing for themselves the performance of the three coalitions which had ruled before: Barisan Nasional, PH and Perikatan Nasional (PN).
"Judging from their track records, I am confident they will pick PN," he said.


Multiple agencies probing businessman for tax fraud, 1MDB-style money laundering

Several government agencies are believed to be investigating a Malaysian businessman for possible tax fraud as well as suspected money laundering involving billions of ringgit, MalaysiaNow has learnt.It is understood from at least two agencies involved in the probe that the investigations involve financial and anti-corruption authorities in at least three countries, where transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars had taken place involving suspicious shell companies as well as personal bank accounts.MalaysiaNow is not at liberty to reveal the identity of the individual involved, but documents being scrutinised by investigators show activities reminiscent of the 1MDB scandal, where large sums of money were said to have been transacted through several bank accounts in different countries.Agencies involved include the National Anti-Financial Crime Centre (NFCC), which confirmed to MalaysiaNow earlier this month that it was aware of such a probe.NFCC deputy CEO Sani Abd Hamid however refused to give details, saying investigations were still at a very early stage.It is learnt that the probe has to do with lucrative contracts from a foreign government, the profits of which were never declared by the businessman.A source in the investigations told MalaysiaNow that a key aspect of the contracts that had raised red flags was the manner in which payments were made.“We take note of an instruction by the seller to the buyer to make payments into at least five bank accounts outside Malaysia, none of which belongs to the seller’s company,” it said.It refused to state which countries are involved, speaking only of banks in “two financial hubs”.“At least one of these accounts belongs to an overseas subsidiary of a Chinese company and is registered in the Cayman Islands,” the source added, referring to the popular tax haven for those avoiding tax laws in their own countries.


81.8% of teenagers fully jabbed

A total of 2,575,388 individuals or 81.8% of teenagers were fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday.Data from the CovidNow website shows that 2,748,602 individuals or 87.3% of adolescents meanwhile have received at least one dose of vaccine.In terms of adult population, 95.5% or 22,363,772 individuals have completed their vaccination while another 97.8% or 22,898,066 have received at least one dose of vaccine.A total of 123,210 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, with 20,351 as second doses, 7,005 to first-dose recipients and 95,854 as booster shots.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 51,723,584.


Compulsory booster jabs for umrah a requirement by Saudi Arabia, says religious affairs minister

The new SOP making it mandatory for Malaysian umrah pilgrims to receive a Covid-19 vaccine booster is based on a request by the Saudi Arabian government, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Idris Ahmad.“The booster dose is a requirement by the Saudi government for umrah pilgrims. It (Saudi Arabia) has issued a circular, so we have to comply.“The door to the Holy Land is open from today. So our pilgrims have to follow the conditions set in order to go there,” he told reporters after attending an event in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.However he said his team did not have the figures on prospective umrah pilgrims who have received booster shots.He said the statistics on prospective Malaysian umrah pilgrims who have received booster doses are with the tourism, arts and culture ministry as the umrah SOPs are under the ministry’s purview.


Health ministry gets biggest allocation in Budget 2021

The health ministry has received the lion’s share of allocations in Budget 2021, a total of RM31.94 billion, up RM1.32 billion from what it received in the previous budget as the country continues its battle against the spread of Covid-19.The transport ministry also received a sizeable sum of RM6.05 billion, an increase of RM2.43 billion from Budget 2020 for use in ventures such as the Gemas-Johor Bahru Rail Project, the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System, and the second phase of the Klang Valley Double Track project.The rural development ministry meanwhile received an allocation of RM10.2 billion for projects such as connecting roads especially in Sabah and Sarawak.Budget 2021 also saw additional allocations to address the spread of Covid-19 under the country’s Covid-19 Fund. However, matters such as a vaccine for the virus received no provisions despite the government’s participation in the Covid-19 Global Vaccine Access or Covax facility which saw its commitment of RM580 million.At the recent Dewan Rakyat sitting, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin estimated that the government would need to spend RM3 billion to enable Malaysians to receive the Covid-19 vaccine for free.The finance ministry may need to adjust allocations in this regard once a vaccine is found.The communications and multimedia ministry was allocated RM2.3 billion, over RM500 million of which is for the National Digital Network (Jendela) project to expand the reach of high-speed fibre internet for schools and industrial parks.Eight ministries, considered as non-essential, received reduced allocations: the ministries of unity, agriculture and agro-based industry, international trade and industry, works, federal territories, environment and water, youth and sports, and home affairs.


Putrajaya agrees to put emergency ordinances to debate

Putrajaya has agreed to table a motion on revoking the emergency ordinances, allowing a debate by MPs in line with a call by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the Cabinet will discuss the motion tomorrow, and expressed hope that it would resolve the stalemate over the revocation of emergency ordinances “in a harmonious and constitutional manner”.He said the motion would be tabled during the September sitting of the Dewan Rakyat.He added that the move to revoke the emergency ordinances through the advice of the Cabinet to the Agong on July 23 could not be completed.In January, the Agong consented to declare a virus emergency which saw the suspension of parliamentary and state assembly sittings.The emergency expired on Aug 1.“With the end of the proclamation of emergency on Aug 1, based on the provisions of the Federal Constitution, the question of revoking the emergency ordinances by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong no longer arises,” Muhyiddin added.On July 29, Istana Negara said the government’s move to revoke the emergency ordinances, announced in the Dewan Rakyat three days earlier, had not received royal consent.Law minister Takiyuddin Hassan had said in the Dewan Rakyat on July 26 that the government would not advise the Agong to extend the state of emergency upon its expiry on Aug 1.He also said the government had decided based on Article 105(3) to revoke all emergency ordinances made during the emergency period.But the palace said what had been consented to and decreed to Takiyuddin as minister in charge of law and Idrus Harun as attorney-general during a virtual audience on July 24 that the proposal to revoke all emergency ordinances be tabled and debated in Parliament for the purpose of annulment was not carried out.It also said that Takiyuddin’s statement was inaccurate and had confused the MPs.Muhyiddin later said that the government had followed all constitutional procedures and provisions before announcing the revocation of emergency ordinances.


Sorry.