Those who record videos, photos of police on duty can be investigated, says Bukit Aman

Individuals who intentionally record videos or photos of police in the line of duty to the point of interfering with an investigation can be probed under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, Bukit Aman said today.Bukit Aman CID director Huzir Mohamed said the footage, if made viral, would be seen as an irresponsible act and capable of disturbing public order.“The police want to remind everybody that every investigation carried out is confidential and cannot be arbitrarily revealed, what more made viral on social media.“The police also want to stress that the act of recording videos or photos is not a criminal offence. However, in light of an investigation, if they are shared, spread, and made viral, they could interfere with the investigation process,” he said in a statement.Huzir was commenting on the detention of a man suspected of obstructing the police from performing their duties by recording a raid being carried out at a house in Petaling Jaya, Selangor on Saturday.“The man made a live recording through the Facebook Live application by using his mobile phone. A warning was issued for the act to be stopped, but the individual persisted (in recording) and police had to detain him for obstructing public servants from performing their duties,” he said.Meanwhile, Huzir said 41 police reports had been lodged over a Facebook post titled “YDPA Should Not Interfere In National Affairs”.“Police also urge the public to always cooperate and not to disturb the police in carrying out investigations. Strict action will be taken against those who deliberately threaten public safety and peace,” he said.Bernama previously reported that the raid was conducted in relation to an investigation of a case under the Sedition Act 1948 involving the University of Malaya Association of New Youth.


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Ex-CEO tells court he wanted to resign as he was worried about 1MDB

A former 1MDB CEO told the High Court in Najib Razak’s corruption trial that he wanted to resign in 2013 as he was worried about the company which he felt was entering the largest corporate liability trap in history.Mohd Hazem Abdul Rahman, 48, said he emailed chief finance officer Azmi Tahir about his concerns on the number of projects and funds for portfolios relating to 1MDB which he felt was unrealistic.Hazem, the 10th prosecution witness, was CEO and a member of the 1MDB board from March 2013 to January 2015.Reading from his witness statement during examination by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Mustafa P Kunyalam, he said he felt pressured during that time to make decisions on the company’s loans and investments.“I started to understand that several projects funded and managed by 1MDB had caused the company’s financial position to be problematic as there were too many domestic and foreign debts incurred by 1MDB based on the plans of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, which might not be paid back.“I was worried when 1MDB ran out of funds in the country while the company’s funds abroad could not be repatriated,” he said.He said he was also suspicious that 1MDB funds abroad might have been use without the knowledge of the company management.“I raised the matter several times with Azlin (Azlin Alias, Najib’s chief private secretary) and to then-1MDB chairman Lodin Wok Kamaruddin to be brought to the attention of Najib, but the answer I received was that he had been informed of the matter.“At the end of 2014, Najib told Lodin that the 1MDB funds abroad could not be brought back even though 1MDB was facing financial constraints in servicing its RM2.5 billion debt to Maybank,” he said, adding that the matter was against business ethics.Hazem also said he concluded that the investment plans by Jho Low were only to make things appear like real transactions.“Jho Low ordered the members of the 1MDB board and management to believe that the business was for the benefit of the company before being followed by fund raising as the company had to borrow to obtain capital.“I started to be suspicious of funds through fund raising which were abused after they were sent overseas and we did not have full access and did not know the status of the funds,” he said.He said according to the business plan discussed by Jho Low at the board of directors’ level, it was a normal plan with normal risks and profits.“The unusual matter in the business plan was that fund raising was through debts but the funds accumulated could not used. Its status was unknown and final answer was that they were investments by fund managers.“Even more suspicious was that the board did not explain the complete status of investments. When auditors raised the issues of the fund, Jho Low in a panic prepared a report and script for Najib and for us at 1MDB to answer their queries.”Hazem said in each joint venture developed by 1MDB, Jho Low would ask him to send the progress of the project and give instructions through email.“I also got to know about the progress of the 1MDB joint venture with Aabar Investment PJS Ltd through discussions with Azmi and 1MDB lawyer, Jasmine Loo.“I knew it would be starting with the issuance of a US$3 billion bond to invest in the project.“The bond fund was not issued through government guarantee as there were too many government guarantees issued by the government of Malaysia for government companies including 1MDB,” he said.When asked by Mustafa if the US$3 billion fund was approved without a support letter from Najib himself, Hazem said no.He said there was not much difference between a government guarantee and letter of support as in the end, it would require the intervention of the government to pay the debt if 1MDB was unable to settle it.Najib is facing four counts of abusing his position to solicit bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial will continue before justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah.


Agong consents to state of emergency over Covid-19

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has consented to a proclamation of emergency as the government steps up its war against the Covid-19 battle.The emergency period will run until Aug 1 but could end earlier if the number of positive cases can be controlled and reduced.Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has also approved the formation of an independent committee comprising MPs from the government and opposition as well as health experts and those from related fields.This comes a day after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that the movement control order (MCO) would be reinstated in six states as daily cases remain in the four-figure range.In a statement issued by Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, the Comptroller of the Royal Household, the king urged the people to remain calm and to preservere in the face of both the emergency declaration and the MCO.“His Majesty also calls on the people to be disciplined in adhering to the SOPS and all directives set by the government and its agencies throughout the periods of emergency and MCO,” the statement said.It said the king had consented to an audience with Muhyiddin yesterday evening, at which the prime minister presented the Cabinet’s recommendation that a state of emergency be declared as a proactive step towards curbing the spread of Covid-19.The king was also briefed by Chief Secretary to the Government Mohd Zuki Ali, Attorney-General Idrus Harun, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Election Commission chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh, Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador and Armed Forces chief Affendi Buang.“Sultan Abdullah felt that the Covid-19 pandemic in the country is at a critical level, and that there is a need to proclaim an emergency under Clause (1) of Article 150 of the Federal Constitution,” the statement said.The Cabinet first recommended a state of emergency to the Agong last October, but failed to obtain royal consent following a meeting by the Malay Rulers.


Malaysia’s vaccination rollout for teens among the fastest in the world, says Khairy

Malaysia is among the countries with the fastest adolescent Covid-19 vaccination rollouts in the world, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.He said in less than two months, 80% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 had received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine.“One of the fastest adolescent Covid-19 vaccination rollouts in the world.“Thank you, @DrNoorAzmi (Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali), @DrMahHS (Deputy Education Minister Dr Mah Hang Soon) and everyone at CITF-A. #LindungDiriLindungSemua,” he said in a Twitter post today.Noor Azmi is the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force – Adolescent (CITF-A) chairman while Mah was previously responsible for handling vaccinations for the group.Based on the health ministry’s data on the CovidNow portal, a total of 1,367,216 individuals or 43.4% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 had completed their vaccination as of yesterday.Another 2,524,156 individuals have been given at least a first dose of vaccine since the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) for the adolescent group was launched on Sept 8.As for the adult population, a total of 22,084,594 individuals or 94.3% had completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of yesterday, while 97.3% or 22,792,916 individuals have received at least one dose of vaccine.Meanwhile, 235,607 doses of vaccine were given yesterday, bringing the cumulative number of doses administered under PICK which was launched on Feb 24 to 48,673,215.


Brisbane locks down after new Covid-19 variant case found in quarantine

Australian state Queensland will enforce a three-day lockdown in Brisbane, the state capital, from Friday evening after a quarantine hotel worker tested positive for the more contagious variant of Covid-19 that has emerged in Britain and South Africa, Reuters is reporting.Brisbane’s more than two million residents must wear masks and can go outside only for one of four essential reasons – grocery shopping, work, exercise or medical treatment.“If we do not do this now, it could end up being a 30-day lockdown,” state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath told reporters on Friday, “We know that the level of infection is very high in this particular variant. We have to act differently to what we had before. Any delay could see significant, if not catastrophic results.”The decision to temporarily shut down Australia’s third-largest city came hours before a special national Cabinet meeting to consider a proposal from the country’s expert medical panel to further tighten rules for international travellers.Australia is on course to begin administering the first Covid-19 vaccines in February as it tries to contain the spread of infections in its largest cities of Sydney and Melbourne.Victoria, the country’s second-most populous state, reported no cases for the second straight day.Australia has reported a total of just over 28,500 Covid-19 cases and 909 deaths since the pandemic began, with border closures and speedy tracking systems helping keep numbers relatively low.


Apec summit host Thailand urges leaders to put aside differences

Thailand, the host of the Apec summit, urged leaders of the group meeting in Bangkok on Friday and Saturday to "rise above differences" and focus on resolving pressing global economic issues in areas such as trade and inflation. Established to promote economic integration, the Asia-Paciﬁc Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum consists of 38% of the global population and 62% of gross domestic product and 48% of trade.
China's President Xi Jinping is attending the summit, while the US is being represented by US Vice President Kamala Harris.
While Thailand hopes to make progress on forming a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP), the talks come amid geopolitical tensions over the war in Ukraine and other flashpoints such as Taiwan and the Korean peninsula.
Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said on Thursday the meeting of the 21-member bloc was taking place at a "pivotal juncture" with the world facing multiple risks.
"That's why Apec this year must rise above these challenges and deliver hope to the world at large," he said in a statement.
Security was tight at the Apec summit with around 100 anti-government protesters gathered and planning to march on the meeting venue on Friday morning.
Xi, warning against Cold War tensions in a region that is a focus for competition between Beijing and Washington, said on Thursday the Asia-Pacific is no one's backyard and should not become an arena of big power rivalry,
"No attempt to wage a new cold war will ever be allowed by the people or by our times," Xi said in written remarks prepared for a business event linked to the summit.
Relations between the world's two largest economies have been strained in recent years over issues like tariffs, Taiwan, intellectual property, the removal of Hong Kong's autonomy and disputes over the South China Sea, among others.
In a move that may be seen by Beijing as a provocation, a senior US official said Vice President Harris will on visit the Philippine islands of Palawan on the edge of the disputed South China Sea Tuesday.
The trip will make Harris the highest-ranking US official to visit the island chain adjacent to the Spratly Islands. China has dredged the sea floor to build harbours and airstrips on the Spratlys, parts of which are also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Harris will visit Palawan after attending the Apec meeting, which follows a series of regional summits so far dominated by geopolitical tension over the war in Ukraine.
At a G20 meeting in Bali earlier this week, countries unanimously adopted a declaration saying most members condemned the Ukraine war, but that also acknowledged some countries saw the conflict differently.
Russia is a member of both G20 and Apec but President Vladimir Putin has stayed away from the summits. First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov will represent him at Apec.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is among those also attending the main meeting, while French President Emmanuel Macron is a special guest.
Xi held a rare summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida while in Bangkok, the first leadership-level meeting between the countries in nearly three years, after which Kishida said he conveyed concerns about peace in the Taiwan Strait.
China's CCTV reported that Xi told Kishida the Taiwan issue involved the political foundation of ties between their two countries, and territorial disputes should be properly managed. The meeting came a day after tensions simmered in Bali, where Xi criticised Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in person over alleged leaks of their closed-door meeting, a rare public display of annoyance by Xi. Trudeau is also in Bangkok.


Thousands evacuated as floods hit North Korea, state media says

More than a thousand homes were damaged and about 5,000 people evacuated in North Korea after flooding caused by heavy rains, the country’s state broadcaster reported, with swathes of farmland also inundated by the deluge.The TV report comes as the impoverished North in June admitted it was tackling a food crisis, sounding the alarm in a country with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself.Last month, the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization forecast said North Korea was facing a food shortage of around 860,000 tonnes this year, warning the country could experience a “harsh lean period”.Footage from Pyongyang’s state-run KCTV showed homes flooded up to their roofs, as well as what appeared to be damaged bridges.The report said “hundreds of hectares of farmland” were also submerged or lost in South Hamgyong Province, on top of the severely affected homes and roads, as river levees collapsed.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “issued an order to render powerful national material and financial support to South Hamgyong Province in its recovery campaign”, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Sunday.Officials in South Hamgyong who met on Thursday discussed “emergency measures to promptly stabilise the living of people in the disaster-hit areas, further tightening emergency epidemic prevention work and minimising the damage to crops,” KCNA saidWith the soil already saturated, further rains could cause more damage, Ri Yong Nam, the deputy head of the North’s meteorological agency, told KCTV.“We expect heavy rain until Aug 10 in various regions, centring around the east coast area,” Ri said.Natural disasters tend to have a greater impact on the isolated country due to its weak infrastructure, while deforestation has left it vulnerable to flooding.A series of typhoons last summer also triggered floods that damaged farmland and destroyed thousands of homes.Kim said in June the country’s food supply situation was “getting tense” due to the lingering typhoon damage.North Korea is now under self-imposed isolation to protect itself against the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result trade with Beijing – its economic lifeline – has slowed to a trickle.The country suffered from a nationwide famine in the 1990s, which killed hundreds of thousands of people after the fall of the Soviet Union left it without crucial support.


Takiyuddin tells why Gunung Jerai floods an act of God, not due to logging

The mudflow in Gunung Jerai, Kedah, last month which left three dead after an upstream rush of water in several locations around the area was an act of God, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan said in the Dewan Rakyat today.“We are greatly saddened by the occurrence of the disaster (at Gunung Jerai). This was an act of God,” he said when answering a supplementary question by Sabri Azit (PAS-Jerai) about efforts by his ministry to preserve the forest area along the summit of Gunung Jerai.However, Anwar Ibrahim (PH-Port Dickson) objected to his statement.“Don’t blame God for environmental problems,” Anwar said. “Sometimes this is the fault of humans. How do you say ‘act of God’ when greedy humans are the ones who cut down the trees?”But Takiyuddin replied that Gunung Jerai had been declared a national geopark in 2018, in conjunction with the coronation of the current sultan of Kedah.“Given its status, logging activities are not carried out in that area,” he said.“I myself saw the trees that were carried down by the water with their roots intact, proving that there is no logging going on in the Jerai area. This is what is called an act of God,” he added.Takiyuddin also said the government had set aside RM75 million for restoration efforts in the forest there.Several villages were badly hit by floods following an upstream rush of water at the foothills of Gunung Jerai on Aug 18.


Fires intensify in Canada, could last 'all summer'

New and intensifying fires are forcing the evacuation of thousands across Canada as the country battled out-of-control blazes that a provincial minister warned on Saturday could last "all summer".
Nearly 17,800 square miles have burned since the beginning of the year, well above previous averages as the country warms more quickly than the rest of the world amid climate change.
The country's west has been particularly hit. After several days of respite, fires intensified in Alberta, where Friday night the town of Edson saw its second evacuation since May.
"The fire is so out of control that some forestry crews have had to back off," said Luc Mercier, chief administrative officer of Yellowhead County, where Edson is located. "They can't fight this fire."
Speaking to broadcaster CBC, resident Hayley Waites said the evacuation of Edson took place in the form of an "enormous convoy" of people fleeing the town.
"When you're panicking to go all out, all you think about is running away," she said. "But as soon as you leave in the car, you ask: 'What if my house is no longer there when I come back?'"
In British Columbia, the 2,400-person town of Tumbler Ridge was largely evacuated as a fire approached within a couple miles of the city.
In the country's east, Quebec Minister of Public Security Francois Bonnardel said Saturday morning that the situation in the central and northwestern parts of the province remained difficult, with several towns threatened.
Fires in northeast Quebec were considered "stable."
"This is a first in the history of Quebec to fight so many fires, to evacuate so many people," he said. "We are going to have a fight that we think will last all summer."
Some 14,000 people are under evacuation orders in the province, with Bonnardel having declared that "we haven't yet won the battle."
Environmental authorities currently list 416 active fires in the country, 203 of which are classified as out of control.


England’s smoking age limit should be raised every year, study says

The age at which people can buy tobacco in England should rise by one each year until it becomes a “smoke-free” society, a government-commissioned review recommended Thursday.The minimum age today is 18. But the review by Javed Khan, former head of children’s charity Barnardo’s, advised raising it annually until eventually no one can buy tobacco products.His review recommends 15 interventions to help the government meet its national target to be smoke-free by 2030, including the promotion of vaping to help smokers quit.“Without immediate and sustained action, England will miss the smoke-free target by many years and most likely decades,” said Khan.“A smoke-free society should be a social norm – but to achieve this, we must do more to stop people taking up smoking, help those who already smoke and support those who are disproportionately impacted by smoking.”Almost six million people in England smoke, and it is the single biggest cause of preventable illness and death.Around one in four deaths from all cancers is linked to smoking, according to official figures.Sanjay Agrawal, chair of the Royal College of Physicians’ tobacco group, told BBC radio that there had been a 30% reduction in smoking in the 16-18 age group since the age limit was raised from 16 in 2007.New Zealand unveiled a similar plan in 2021, with a year-on-year rise in the smoking age limit set to come into force in 2027.


President's son Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax crimes, reaches deal on gun charge

US President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two charges of willfully failing to pay income taxes and to enter into an agreement that could enable him to avoid a conviction on a gun-related charge, according to a court filing on Tuesday.
The federal charges against Hunter Biden resulted from an investigation by David Weiss, the US attorney in the Democratic president's home state of Delaware, who was appointed by Republican then-President Donald Trump.
Hunter Biden, 53, for years has been the focus of unrelenting attacks by Trump and his Republican allies, who have accused him of wrongdoing relating to Ukraine and China, among other matters. The president's son has worked as a lobbyist, lawyer, investment banker and artist, and has publicly detailed his struggles with substance abuse.
According to court filings, Hunter Biden received taxable income in excess of US$1.5 million (about RM7 million) in 2017 and 2018, but he did not pay income tax those years despite owing in excess of US$100,000. The two counts are misdemeanors.
His attorney, Christopher Clark, said the government would file a firearm charge against his client that would be subject to a pretrial diversion agreement, an alternative to prosecution that is sometimes used to allow defendants to avoid prison time or a criminal conviction.
"It is my understanding that the five-year investigation into Hunter is resolved," Clark said. "I know Hunter believes it is important to take responsibility for these mistakes he made during a period of turmoil and addiction in his life. He looks forward to continuing his recovery and moving forward."
Hunter Biden disclosed in December 2020 that Weiss's office was investigating his tax affairs. He denied wrongdoing.
He described in a 2021 memoir dealing with substance abuse issues in his life, including crack cocaine use and alcoholism. He was discharged from the US Navy Reserve in 2014 after testing positive for cocaine, sources said at the time.
President Biden has long expressed support and pride in his son for overcoming his addiction.
The White House on Tuesday declined to comment further.
"The President and First Lady love their son and support him as he continues to rebuild his life. We will have no further comment," spokesperson Ian Sams said in a statement.
The Weiss inquiry initially examined potential violations of tax and money laundering laws in foreign business dealings, principally in China, sources told Reuters. The investigation headed by Weiss began as early as 2018, according to US media reports.
A senior Republican congressman, James Comer, in 2022 accused the US Treasury Department of withholding financial "suspicious activity reports" to shield Hunter Biden's business dealings.
Comer, chair of the House of Representatives Oversight Committee, which has been leading House Republicans' investigations into Biden's family, called the plea deal "a slap on the wrist" and said it would not deter his panel's work.
Trump, who was recently indicted on federal criminal charges that he unlawfully kept national-security documents when he left office, also criticised the deal.
"Wow! The corrupt Biden DOJ just cleared up hundreds of years of criminal liability by giving Hunter Biden a mere 'traffic ticket.' Our system is broken!" he said on his social media platform.
President Biden has two surviving children, Hunter Biden and daughter Ashley Biden. His son Beau Biden died in 2015 of cancer and his daughter Naomi Biden died as an infant after a car accident that also killed Joe Biden's first wife.
Hunter Biden appears to be the first child of a sitting president to be indicted, according to Aaron Crawford, who specialises in presidential history at the University of Tennessee.
Crawford said the family of several presidents were ensnared in scandals, including George HW Bush's son Neil, who directed a failed savings and loan, and Richard Nixon's brother Don, who was rescued from business failures by wealthy businessman Howard Hughes.


Sarawak DAP denies Anwar’s claim that PKR given ‘leftover’ seats

Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chien Jen today refuted allegations by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim that PKR had only received leftover seats for the 12th Sarawak state election.Speaking to reporters after nominations closed for the Padungan seat today, Chong admitted that there were certain parties in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition which were unhappy during the seat allocation negotiations for the state election.“I think that is what we call negotiations. At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone. There are seats that are winnable, and not so winnable. There are what we call white seats, grey seats and black seats. We are also competing in certain black seats.“I don’t think that would be a problem and a deterrence for cooperation among the PH parties,” he said.Anwar, who is also PH chairman, said his party had been called greedy despite only receiving leftovers while Sarawak seats for the state election were being divided.Anwar also said that PKR was only given unwinnable seats that others did not want.On his nomination for Padungan, Chong said he would leave his fate to the voters.“I (will) give and show them my best in the run-up to polling day,” said the Stampin MP.Chong has shifted to Padungan from Kota Sentosa, a seat that he had held since 2006.


Rosmah to know fate in graft case on July 7

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has fixed July 7 to deliver its verdict in Rosmah Mansor’s corruption case involving a hybrid solar project for rural schools in Sarawak.High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan fixed the date after case mention today.“We have reached the end of the road with this case and it is time to end the journey. I propose to take two months from today and propose to have my full written judgment on July 7 when I deliver my decision.“I will deliver my decision at 9am,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.Rosmah, 70, was ordered to enter her defence for three charges on Feb 18 last year, after the prosecution succeeded in proving a prima facie case against her.She faced one charge of soliciting RM187.5 million and two counts of receiving bribes totalling RM6.5 million from Jepak Holdings Sdn managing director Saidi Abang Samsudin.The bribes were allegedly received through her former aide Rizal Mansor, as a reward for helping Jepak Holdings secure the hybrid photovoltaic solar system integrated project as well as the maintenance and operation of diesel generator sets for 369 Sarawak rural schools worth RM1.25 billion from the education ministry through direct negotiation.


The NEP at 50: Misunderstood and misrepresented

2021 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Malaysia’s New Economic Policy (NEP). In reaching this milestone, some will fervently celebrate the NEP and credit it for uplifting Malaysia and empowering the Bumiputera majority. Others will fiercely castigate the NEP for disfiguring race relations and entrenching systemic inequalities. Praise for its enduring legacy will clash with scorn of the “Never Ending Policy”.The NEP has unquestionably transformed Malaysia, but it is the best thing or the worst thing to have happened to the country, depending on who you ask. Yet both sides of the debate have one thing in common, a tendency to distort its contents. The NEP is both vaunted and spurned in misguided ways.Its half centenary presents a ripe opportunity to revisit the NEP and recover its meaning.Two common distortions must be confronted.The first basically denies that the NEP has provided preferential treatment for the Bumiputeras. This stance, which entertains the notion that the NEP does not exclude minorities because all ethnic groups can still advance socioeconomically, is overzealously apologetic about the NEP and objectively wrong.Forged in the aftermath of the 13 May 1969 racial carnage and political tumult, the NEP set out a bold “two-pronged” mission: first, to eradicate poverty regardless of race; and second, to restructure society by eliminating “the identification of race with economic function”.The first prong’s objective and instruments are specific: poverty reduction through providing basic needs, basic schooling, infrastructure and rural development; on the whole, programmes to boost income and welfare of lowest income households of all communal groups.The second prong is fundamentally different. It’s objective is to promote Bumiputera participation in higher education, professional and management positions, business and entrepreneurship, and equity ownership. The key operational feature of these programmes is Bumiputera preference, through quotas, reservations and other forms of special treatment.These paramount distinctions are, unfortunately, no longer appreciated. Malaysians seemingly expend more energy denying the NEP’s second prong, or conflating the first with the second, than grasping their meaning.The main deficit of the NEP is not that it failed to vanish in 1990, but that it placed too much emphasis on Bumiputera equity ownership.The NEP undeniably entails some exclusion of minorities. Although a growing economy, and policy restraint in the private sector and private higher education has availed employment and education opportunity for minority groups, Bumiputeras enjoy privileges in the public sector and public higher education, and a vast range of loans and commercial assistance.Ultimately, the NEP’s purpose is to cultivate Bumiputera capability, competitiveness and confidence. Because the preferential treatment entails unequal opportunity for minorities, and can induce dependency among the beneficiaries, it is imperative that Bumiputeras graduate out of receiving preferential treatment and Malaysia finds ways to achieve equity through other means than racial quotas.How, and when, this happens, is another crucial policy question muddled by popular mentalities.The second major distortion of the NEP insists that the plan was to dismantle pro-Bumiputera preference by 1990. That never happened, and each passing year aggravates that sense of betrayal. But there was no clear foretelling of how the NEP would conclude. The planning documents did stipulate a 1971–1990 timeframe, but were opaque and non-committal about its terminal destiny.Of course, there was some expectancy of closure, and a vague hint of 1990 as a cut-off, when the NEP – in its first articulation within the Second Malaysia Plan of 1971 – aspired for Bumiputeras, “within one generation” to be “full partners in the economic life of the nation.” It also recognised that some goals, especially the creation of a Bumiputera Commercial and Industrial Community, would take longer than “one generation”. Moreover, in 1976, when the NEP was fully formulated in the Third Malaysia Plan, the goal to be achieved “within one generation” was reduced to Bumiputeras owning 30 per cent of equity. Still, the consequences of achieving this target, and possibilities of running the policy beyond 1990, were bathed in ambiguity.Harping on the NEP’s persistence beyond 1990 is a misplaced critique. The underlying sentiments of this view, predominantly vouched by minorities who feel aggrieved at unequal opportunities, should be acknowledged. But the NEP will not finish its mission by being reminded of ‘broken’ promises it never made.Malaysia must ultimately cultivate Bumiputera capability and competitiveness such that they can graduate out of needing the preferential treatment, in line with the NEP’s aspiration for them to be “full partners” in the economy.The main deficit of the NEP is not that it failed to vanish in 1990, but that it placed too much emphasis on Bumiputera equity ownership. This became an inordinate yardstick of success that biased the system toward wealth acquisition and profiteering rather than skills, productivity and innovation. Concomitantly, less attention was given to higher education achievement and enterprise development that more fundamentally involve learning and capacity building. These misdirected priorities prevail today.Come 2021, the NEP’s unfinished business will be better served if Malaysians shake off habits of denial or grievance, look back with clarity, and forge ahead with purpose. That would be a golden anniversary worth celebrating.This article was first published by Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, in its Fulcrum Commentary.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


PN, allies to clash in 11 seats in Sabah polls

Perikatan Nasional (PN) and its allies Barisan Nasional (BN) and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) are likely to face off against each other in at least 11 seats in the Sabah election, according to their candidate lists announced yesterday.The seats are Bengkoka (Umno/PBS), Telupid (Umno/PBS), Matunggong (PBS/PBRS), Kadamaian (PBS/PBRS), Tandek (PBS/PBRS), Tulid (PN/PBRS), Sook (PN/PBRS), Kapayan (MCA/PBS), Karamunting (MCA/PBS), Paginatan (Umno/PN) and Tanjung Aru (Umno/PBS).PN, comprising Bersatu, STAR and SAPP, will contest a total of 29 seats. PBS will contest 15 while BN component parties Umno, MCA and PBRS will contest 40.There are 73 seats up for grab in this state election with nomination this Saturday and polling on Sept 26.PN, BN and PBS will use their own symbols in the election.On the other side, Warisan and its allies DAP and Amanah will contest 54 seats while Upko will field candidates in 14 for a total of 68 seats.PKR has yet to announce its candidate list.However, it along with Warisan and Upko will use its own symbols.


Wisma Jakel fire probe focusing on embers, possible arson

Elements of arson and embers are among the main focuses of the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) investigation, following the second fire at Wisma Jakel in Section 7, Shah Alam, early this morning.
Selangor JBPM director Norazam Khamis said the investigation will focus on all aspects and will be carried out in depth, so that comprehensive information can be obtained.
"This (fire that could be caused by embers in burned fabrics), we are still investigating the matter and taking the aspects that we need to analyse. Maybe the embers were somehow left behind or someone went up to do the burning.
"Other aspects will also be looked at and studied in depth. Thus far, there is no conclusion that can be made about this second fire," he told reporters at the scene of the fire at Wisma Jakel today.
Norazam said the department needed 14 days to carry out preliminary investigations and analysis, including obtaining witnesses to the incident. He said the department today mobilised the services of the Detection Dog Unit (K9), with two English springer spaniel dogs named Woody and Rocco, to check for any substance that could cause a fire.
"Samples will be sent to our investigation laboratory in Bukit Jelutong for analysis. Apart from that, aspects of the wiring and electrical equipment used by the Wisma Jakel building will also be analysed," he said.
In the meantime, Norazam said he had opened a forward control centre, comprising more than 10 personnel, as a monitoring and precautionary measure in case of a recurring fire.
"Thus far, the fire has been completely put out, but comprehensive monitoring measures are still ongoing," he said.
Members of the public are also prohibited from entering the scene, unless under supervision by the authorities. "Firefighters, with the help of Jakel employees, will carry out the unloading of all goods, especially the fabric that survived the fire, from the Wisma Jakel premises, starting today," he said.
Wisma Jakel suffered a second fire today, affecting the curtain fabric storage room at the premises. A total of 43 firemen were mobilised to the scene after the department received a distress call at 12.40am. The fire was completely doused at 3.07am.
The first fire broke out at the Wisma Jakel building two days ago. It was believed to have started at about 7.08am and destroyed 80% of the three-storey shoplot.


China deploys anal swabs to test for Covid-19

China has begun using anal swabs to test those it considers at high risk of contracting Covid-19, state TV reported, with social media users and travellers squirming over the invasive procedure which doctors say can be more effective in detecting the virus.Officials took anal swabs from residents of neighbourhoods with confirmed Covid-19 cases in Beijing last week, broadcaster CCTV said, while those in designated quarantine facilities have also undergone the test.Small, localised outbreaks in recent weeks have seen multiple cities in northern China sealed off from the rest of the country and prompted mass testing campaigns – which up until now have mostly been conducted using throat and nose swabs.But the anal swabs method “can increase the detection rate of infected people” as traces of the virus linger longer in the anus than in the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng, a senior doctor from Beijing’s You’an Hospital, told CCTV.Users of China’s popular Twitter-like Weibo social media platform reacted to the method with a mix of mirth and horror.“So lucky I returned to China earlier,” one user wrote.“Low harm, but extreme humiliation,” another said, using a laughing emoticon.Others who had undergone the procedure chimed in with dark humour.“I’ve done two anal swabs, every time I did one I had to do a throat swab afterwards – I was so scared the nurse would forget to use a new swab,” one Weibo user joked.CCTV said on Sunday anal swabs would not be used as widely as other methods, as the technique was “not convenient”.As cases rise around the world, China has imposed stricter requirements on international arrivals in an effort to keep domestic transmission close to zero.All arrivals into the country must have multiple negative test results and quarantine for at least 14 days in a designated hotel on arrival, with many cities and regions imposing additional home observation requirements.


Najib says Kedah under Mukhriz offered Dr M 34 acres of Langkawi coastal land

Najib Razak today claimed that the Kedah government during his tenure as prime minister had offered 34 acres of coastal land in Langkawi for RM3,200 annually to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, in a response to his former mentor’s attack over revelations of a request for free property from the government worth RM100 million.Najib said the offer was made in 2014 when the Kedah administration was led by Mukhriz Mahathir.“When this offer of land in Langkawi was made, your son was the Kedah MB. True?” the former prime minister said in a Facebook post.Najib also claimed that Mahathir’s son had been given 2,471 acres of timber land, adding that he would expose more such land deals.Earlier, Mahathir in a blog post said Malaysia had become a laughing stock over the way it treats Najib despite his conviction for financial crimes.He was referring to the government’s move to approve a RM100 million property gift following a request by Najib who invoked the Members of Parliament (Remuneration) Act, under which former prime ministers are given several housing allowance options.Najib had defended himself by saying that the allowances were introduced by Mahathir himself.Mahathir today said the move was not to shower luxuries on former leaders, adding that he himself had bought a piece of land in Putrajaya for which he is servicing annual property taxes.Najib in his post questioned Mahathir for details on the Putrajaya land.“How big is it and how much did you pay for it?” he asked.He also repeated his claim that he had only exercised his rights by opting for one of three locations offered by the government.“What did I get after nine years of serving as PM and growing the value of the country’s reserves from RM800 billion to RM2 trillion?” asked Najib, who is fighting a conviction and a 12-year jail sentence for corruption.On Nov 12, MalaysiaNow revealed details of a plan by the government to approve a property gift worth RM100 million for Najib, located in a posh part of Kuala Lumpur.A week later, Mahathir raised the matter in the Dewan Rakyat, following which Putrajaya said the move to reward Najib had not been finalised.Following public outrage, Najib announced that he was withdrawing his application for the land in Bukit Petaling.It was also reported that Najib had gone for the most expensive of three options offered by the Prime Minister’s Department, which is in charge of privileges for former leaders.Since his downfall in 2018, Najib has been slapped with multiple charges of corruption, money laundering and abuse of power related to the 1MDB scandal.Last year, he was sentenced to 12 years’ jail after being convicted of seven charges related to the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International. A decision on his appeal has been fixed on Dec 8.


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Singapore tells unvaccinated to stay home as cases surge

Singapore’s health ministry on Sunday “strongly” advised unvaccinated individuals, especially the elderly, to stay home as much as possible over the next few weeks, citing rising concerns about the risks of community spread of Covid-19, Reuters is reporting.The country reported 88 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases yesterday, the highest daily toll since August last year, driven by growing clusters of infections linked to karaoke bars and a fishery port.Though Singapore’s daily cases are only a fraction of the number being reported among its neighbours, the jump in infections is a setback for the Asian business hub, which has successfully contained its earlier outbreaks so well that on July 10, it had reported no new cases.As a precaution, authorities yesterday shut fresh fish and seafood stalls in markets across the city state as it tested fishmongers for Covid-19.“We are concerned that there remain cryptic transmission chains which might continue to spread within our community. The porous nature of wet markets makes contact tracing and isolation less straightforward,” the health ministry said in a statement late yesterday.About 73% of Singapore’s nearly six million population has received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, but the government is pushing to get more of the elderly vaccinated, as those above 70 years of age have the lowest take-up rates at about 71%.The rising number of infections prompted the city-state to tighten some restrictions on social gatherings from today just a week after easing them.However, it has more lenient rules for those who have been vaccinated.As Singapore’s vaccination rates rise and it prepares to live with the virus, the government has said it will look beyond case numbers at severity of illnesses to decide on further virus measures.Of the 243 people with Covid-19 currently in hospital, five had serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation, and one was in a critical condition in the ICU.The health ministry said that those who have unvaccinated elderly at home should avoid crowded places or extensive social interactions, even if they are already vaccinated, CNA is reporting.“Remember vaccinated persons can still get infected, although typically with very mild symptoms,” Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the Covid-19 multi-ministry task force, said in a Facebook post.“So if you are not careful, you may inadvertently bring the virus home to the seniors living with you.”Seniors who are yet to get vaccinated were advised to do so as soon as possible.Wong urged the public to continue doing their part when going out, including practising safe distancing and good personal hygiene.“By minimising your movement and social interactions, you will reduce the risk of catching the virus and developing severe illness. Please keep taking all of these precautions until you are fully vaccinated,” he said.


Italian tries to dodge Covid jab using fake arm

A Italian man who wanted a coronavirus vaccine certificate without actually having the jab tried to play the system by presenting health workers with a fake arm, an official said Friday.Despite the realistic skin colour, nobody was fooled by the silicone limb, and the man – in his 50s – was reported to local police following the incident on Thursday night in Biella, northwest Italy.“The case borders on the ridiculous, if it were not for the fact we are talking about a gesture of enormous gravity,” the head of the Piedmont regional government, Albert Cirio, said in a statement on Facebook.He said such an act was “unacceptable faced with the sacrifice that our entire community has paid during the pandemic, in terms of human lives, the social and economic cost.”The fake arm incident comes ahead of a tightening of the rules Monday in Italy for people who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19.Since August, a “Green Pass” showing proof of vaccination, recent recovery from coronavirus or a negative test has been required for indoor dining in restaurants, to visit museums, cinemas, theatres and attend sporting events.But from Dec 6, these activities will be restricted to holders of a “Super Green Pass”, which is only available to those who have been vaccinated or recently had Covid-19.The old Green Pass was extended in October to cover all workplaces, and remains valid for this purpose, meaning the unvaccinated can still go to work by showing a recent negative test.The new restrictions – the subject of small protests in city centres across Italy on most weekends – were introduced following an increase in Covid-19 cases, exacerbated in recent days by fears over the new variant Omicron.Italy was the first European country to be hit by the pandemic in early 2020, but is currently faring better than many of its neighbours.On Thursday, 16,800 new cases were reported in the previous 24 hours, with 72 deaths.Almost 85% of the eligible population (aged over 12) are already fully vaccinated, and this week the option of a booster dose was extended to all adults.


Even the rooftop wasn’t safe enough, says Pahang flood victim

A father and son who had waited for rescue on the roof of their house in Kampung Batu Sawar in Kuantan eventually had to improvise after being caught in floods yesterday.Sahadan Ibrahim, 54, said he and his son, Fikri, 21, decided to climb onto the roof of their house when the flood waters which started rising at 11pm on Saturday rose sharply at 2pm.“The water level was inching closer to us, giving us second thoughts about whether to stay on the roof… after discussing, we decided to swim towards a two-storey house located about 50m away.“Thankfully, we were safe despite the strong currents and were able to survive on the roof of the other house, until a villager rescued us with his fibre-glass boat,” he told Bernama when met at the Sungai Riau Bridge in Bukit Kuin.Sahadan, who is a welder, said they initially intended to wait it out on the roof of their home because they thought this year’s floods were not too bad. He added however that they had guessed wrong.The flood, according to Sahadan, was the worst he had experienced since settling in Bukit Kuin five years ago.“The water rose quickly and even though we moved important items to a high place, in the end everything could not be saved because we did not have time to get them (while climbing to the roof) since the most important thing on our minds at that time was to save ourselves,” he said.Meanwhile, Sahadan’s son-in-law Sulaiman Roslan, 25, said he rushed to look for his father-in-law after receiving a call informing him that they were climbing to the roof to save themselves.Sulaiman said when he arrived at Bukit Kuin, he was at a loss over how to reach the village since the entrance was flooded, but some villagers provided boat rental services for those who wanted to go to the other side.“While thinking about what to do, I saw a boat with my father-in-law and brother-in-law approaching where we had gathered. Alhamdulillah, everything was safe even though they only had the shirts on their backs,” he said.


Top Islamic finance expert disagrees with fatwa on cryptocurrency

An expert in Islamic finance has disagreed with a fatwa by an influential Indonesian ulama group declaring cryptocurrency as haram or prohibited for Muslims, saying the digital currency is a new form of commodity that can be used for investment purposes.Mohd Daud Bakar, who chairs the shariah advisory councils of both Bank Negara Malaysia and the Securities Commission (SC), said there is nothing wrong with buying the currency and keeping it as savings or selling it when it fetches a higher value.He said the position taken last year by the SC’s Shariah Advisory Council, which advises the SC on all matters related to the Islamic capital market, was that crypto trading is shariah-compliant.Daud said there is still a lack of understanding about cryptocurrency, the first of which was launched about a decade ago.He said Muslim scholars will have to thoroughly study and understand aspects of the monetary system in light of Islamic laws.Daud was asked for his take on last month’s ruling by Majlis Ulama Indonesia, declaring Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as forbidden, saying there are speculative characteristics in their trade that can be likened to gambling.“Cryptocurrencies as commodities or digital assets are unlawful for trading because they have elements of uncertainty, wagering and harm,” said Asrorun Niam Sholeh, who heads the council’s fatwa committee. “It’s like a gambling bet.”But Daud said in the case of cryptocurrency, it is not correct to declare it haram based on the argument that it is speculative.“From the shariah point of view, a transaction that is haram has elements of riba (interest), gambling and gharar (uncertainty),” he told MalaysiaNow.He said the uncertainty mentioned by the Indonesian fatwa was not referring to the value of the cryptocurrency, but to the nature and essence of the assets involved.“When we talk about value, all currencies as well as gold and oil fluctuate. Whether the price change is drastic or moderate, it has no effect in shariah,” he said.Cryptocurrency, a form of online payment that is outside the jurisdiction of central banks, has taken digital transaction by storm ever since the introduction of Bitcoin, the pioneer cryptocurrency launched in 2009.Today, there are more than 15,000 such currencies with a total value of more than US$2.3 trillion as of this month, with the total value of Bitcoin at about US$1 trillion.Daud said cryptocurrency is a new form of asset that cannot be compared to others, adding that many prefer it due to a mistrust in existing currencies, apart from factors such as the ease and speed of use.Daud, who also sits on the shariah boards of banks and financial institutions in the Middle East and Europe, said the SC had identified at least four digital currencies as shariah-compliant, including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple.He said while crypto is a commodity, it can be used as a currency and a medium in a business transaction.He compared it to redeeming rewards points.“So what is the ruling on redeeming rewards points for goods? It is allowed by shariah.“The same is true in the context of crypto. It is an abstract tool, just like reward points for buying goods or selling them when their value increases or decreases.”


New infections top 1,400 as 5 more deaths logged

Another 1,483 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,846,592.
There were 1,852 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,787,250.
There are now 22,957 active cases, of which 21,958 or 95.6% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0.0%) are at quarantine centres while 957 (4.2%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 42 are in ICU with 23 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 63.4%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 11.5%.
Another five deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,385.


Diplomats worry about US reputation abroad after Capitol siege

American diplomats serving abroad have condemned President Donald Trump’s incitement of the deadly assault on the Capitol and called for administration officials to support removing him from office, reports The Associated Press.Career foreign service diplomats sent two cables to State Department leadership saying they fear last Wednesday’s invasion may badly undermine their credibility to promote and defend democratic values in other countries.“Failing to publicly hold the president to account would further damage our democracy and our ability to effectively accomplish our foreign policy goals abroad,” they told their superiors.The statements were an extraordinary protest against a sitting US president by American diplomats, who have long complained that the Trump administration has ignored and diminished their role and expertise.The cables are unprecedented in their characterisation of the president as a danger to the country, and also reflect anger at the response to the riot by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a loyal Trump ally.Pompeo has condemned the violence at the Capitol but has pointedly not addressed the role Trump played in encouraging his supporters to storm the building.Neither has Pompeo addressed the aftermath or acknowledged that American diplomats overseas may now face new difficulties in promoting democracy.“It is essential that the Department of State explicitly denounce President Trump’s role in this violent attack on the US government,” said the first of the two cables.“Just as we routinely denounce foreign leaders who use violence and intimidation to interfere in peaceful democratic processes and override the will of their voters, the department’s public statements about this episode should also mention President Trump by name. It is critical that we communicate to the world that in our system, no one – not even the president – is above the law or immune from public criticism.”It was not immediately clear how many diplomats signed the cables, both of which were viewed by The Associated Press.The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


Think tank pans ‘yet another’ blueprint for healthcare reforms

Think tank Galen Centre for Health And Social Policy has called for a review of the strategies outlined for the enhancement of healthcare service delivery under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), saying a number of key areas are lacking in substance or missing all together from the government’s economic plan for the next five years.Calling the health component of the 12MP “underwhelming”, Galen chief executive Azrul Mohd Khalib said a review of the plans would help transform the country’s health system into a “future-proof” scheme able to meet the challenges of an ongoing crisis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), an ageing population, and demands for better healthcare in addition to preparing Malaysia for other pandemics that might come.He criticised the announcement of “yet another study” in the form of a blueprint for healthcare system reform, saying at least half a dozen such studies had been done over the past two decades, “looking at the same issue of national healthcare reforms”.Adding that the latest study was conducted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in 2016, he suggested that the government instead look at the findings and conclusions of the report.“Let us not continuously reinvent the wheel,” he said in a statement. “What is needed is the courage and political will to implement the recommendations from that study.”Azrul also noted a lack of acknowledgement for the fact that the healthcare sector has been a driver of economic progress in the country, adding: “There is so much untapped potential.”Likewise, while the issue of managing NCDs such as cancer was identified as a gap contributing to the problem of double burden of disease, he said the matter was “barely addressed”.“Before the Covid-19 crisis hit, Malaysia was already going through a national crisis of NCDs,” he said.“If we do not acknowledge and commit at a national level that increased investment in effective treatments and care is needed to tackle these diseases, people will be left behind. More patients will die due to suboptimal treatment.”He also said that a compulsory national insurance scheme would have been “a true game changer”, and pointed out a lack of commitment to solving the problems related to human resources such as contract doctors and the retention of specialists and experts in the public sector.Noting as well that the establishment of an institute of infectious diseases was announced by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob but not stated in the 12MP document, he said the millions in funding should instead be channelled towards supporting the existing National Institutes of Health under the health ministry.“The renewed and intense interest and commitment to infectious diseases is great and welcome, but we should really use that money to strengthen the capacity of our existing institutions by recruiting the best and brightest people and researchers in infectious diseases,” he said, adding that Malaysia already has a Centre fo Communicable Diseases Research.


Teacher in Perak charged with 32 counts of unnatural sex, sexual grooming of students

A secondary school teacher was charged in the Sessions Court in Teluk Intan today with 32 counts of committing unnatural sex and sexual grooming of seven male students from July to September last year.Mohd Faizal Amir, 32, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out to him before judge Intan Nurul Farena Zainal Abidin.He was charged with 10 counts of performing unnatural sex and 22 counts of committing physical sexual assault on the students aged 14 to 16 at the house of a secondary school warden in Tapah between July 28 and Sept 28, 2020.For the unnatural sex offences, he was charged under Section 377C of the Penal Code and for the sexual grooming offences, the charges were framed under Section 14 (a) and Section 14 (d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 which provide a maximum of 20 years’ imprisonment with whipping upon conviction.Intan allowed Faizal bail of RM55,000 with one surety for all of the charges, with the additional condition that he refrain from harassing the victims and report to the nearest police station once a month.The court fixed Nov 15 for mention.The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutor Cheah Shuh Yuan while the accused was represented by counsel Muhammad Farid Wajdi Hanif.


Pakistan PM says first discounted Russian crude oil cargo arrives in Karachi

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday said the first cargo of discounted Russian crude oil arranged under a new deal struck between Islamabad and Moscow had arrived in Karachi.
"Glad to announce that the first Russian discounted crude oil cargo has arrived in Karachi and will begin oil discharge tomorrow," Sharif tweeted.
"This is the first ever Russian oil cargo to Pakistan and the beginning of a new relationship between Pakistan and Russian Federation," he added.
A port official said on Sunday evening that the oil was in the process of being unloaded.
Reuters first reported on the deal in April. The discounted crude offers a relief to Pakistan, which is facing a payments crisis and is at risk of defaulting on its debt.
Pakistan's purchase gives Russia a new outlet, adding to Moscow's growing sales to India and China, as it redirects oil from western markets because of the Ukraine conflict.
Energy imports make up the majority of Pakistan's external payments. The country's imports of crude are expected to reach 100,000 barrels per day after the first cargo arrives on Monday.
There has been no confirmation of how payment would be made, but Pakistan recently announced a plan to allow barter trade with Russia, Afghanistan and Iran, which analysts said could reduce the need for dollars and the risk of cross-border smuggling of energy products.


Russia hit by record virus cases despite paid holiday

Russia on Saturday reported a record number of daily coronavirus cases as the country reaches the end of a nationwide paid holiday introduced to curb the spread of infections.Saturday’s official tally registered 41,335 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest number for new infections since the beginning of the pandemic.The country also reported 1,188 coronavirus deaths during the same period.President Vladimir Putin last month ordered a paid holiday from Oct 30 to Nov 7 in a bid to stem soaring infections and deaths exacerbated by a slow vaccination drive.A host of regions also introduced additional virus measures with the capital Moscow – the epicentre of Russia’s outbreak – closing all non-essential services over the non-working period.With over 8.7 million cases registered since the start of the pandemic, Russia is one of the worst-hit countries in the world and a devastating wave this autumn has seen infections and deaths reach new records.Although Russia has rolled out several homegrown vaccines, including Sputnik V, only about a third of the population is fully inoculated.Russian authorities have been accused of playing down the pandemic and figures from statistics agency Rosstat in October showed nearly twice as many Covid deaths compared with the government tally.Rosstat said 44,265 people died of coronavirus in September – nearly double the official government figure – bringing the agency’s total virus toll to nearly 450,000, the highest in Europe.


Global pandemic early warning hub planned

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced plans for a “Global Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence” based in Germany, which it says will gather data to predict and prevent future pandemics.The new centre will be based in Berlin but will involve a global collaboration of countries and partners, reports CNBC.WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “One of the lessons of Covid-19 is that the world needs a significant leap forward in data analysis to help leaders make informed public health decisions.”He told reporters, “This requires harnessing the potential of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, combining diverse data sources, and collaborating across multiple disciplines. Better data and better analytics will lead to better decisions.”Due to officially open later this year, the hub is envisaged as a way to create a large network of global data “to predict, prevent, detect, prepare for and respond to pandemic and epidemic risks worldwide”, WHO said in a statement on Wednesday.German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a video message that the current Covid-19 pandemic “has taught us that we can only fight pandemics and epidemics together. The new WHO hub will be a global platform for pandemic prevention, bringing together various governmental, academic and private sector institutions.”She welcomed WHO’s decision to base the hub in Berlin while emphasising that it would be a global collaboration of WHO’s member countries, public and private sector organisations, academia, and international partner networks.Obtaining funding for the hub is still ongoing although the startup costs have been covered by Germany, Dr Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said.German Health Minister Jens Spahn commented that the world needs to “identify pandemic and epidemic risks as quickly as possible, wherever they occur in the world. For that aim, we need to strengthen the global early warning surveillance system with improved collection of health-related data and inter-disciplinary risk analysis.”The Covid-19 pandemic first emerged in China in late 2019, and the origin remains unclear.Key to the success of the hub will be finding ways to guarantee that data is openly shared given continued uncertainty over the initial outbreak of Covid-19 and whether China delayed alerting the rest of the world to the presence of the new virus.


Global firms urged to quit Yangon office block on army land

A high-end office block in Myanmar linked to the country’s military leaders is seeing an exodus of international organisations.Coca-Cola, the World Bank, and McKinsey among others have told the BBC they have moved out or are reviewing their leases at the Sule Square complex in the commercial centre of Yangon.The land on which the building stands was leased from the military, according to a 2019 United Nations fact-finding mission report.Last month, activist group Justice for Myanmar spoke to 18 tenants of the complex of offices and shops in the heart of Yangon and asked them to stop indirectly supporting the army.“Sule Square has big-name tenants that continue to lease office space in the building, indirectly supporting the army,” Justice for Myanmar said in a report.Myanmar’s military seized power from the democratically elected government in February, sparking mass protests across the country in which hundreds have died.Even before they took power in the Feb 1 coup, Myanmar’s military – which previously ruled the country for almost half a century after seizing power in 1962 – owned large areas of land and controlled companies involved in everything from mining to banking.According to news agency Reuters, which itself has an office in the complex, six of the companies approached have said they have now moved out or are reviewing their plans.Only one company mentioned the military link as a reason for moving, with other firms citing various reasons including business prospects.In statements sent to the BBC, consultancy McKinsey & Company said: “We no longer have space in Sule Square”, and Coca-Cola said that due to “changing business requirements” it would not renew its lease when it ends next month.“Our office-based employees at Coca-Cola Limited (Myanmar) will continue to work from home for the rest of 2021 as part of overall safety measures. We will be communicating our new office location at a later date,” the global giant said.Reuters said it is not currently using its Sule Square office and was reviewing its tenancy, and a spokesperson for the World Bank Group, which also has an office in the complex, told the BBC that it was “assessing the situation in Myanmar”.Norway’s state-owned telecoms operator Telenor said it knew the military owned the land before it moved in but had picked the location for safety reasons. Telenor has not said whether it plans to move out of the building.The Sule Square complex, which is close to the historic Sule Pagoda, opened in 2017. It was developed by a local affiliate of Hong Kong listed Shangri-La Asia, which also manages the building and a neighbouring hotel.


Oil flows on Druzhba pipeline suspended in parts of Eastern Europe

Oil supply to parts of Eastern and Central Europe via a section of the Druzhba pipeline has been temporarily suspended, according to oil pipeline operators in Hungary and Slovakia.
The extent of the disruption was not immediately clear, and came concurrent with an explosion in a village in eastern Poland near the Ukrainian border that raised alarm among Nato countries.
Hungary's MOL said its Ukrainian partner told the company that a Russian rocket hit a power station close to the Belarus border that provides electricity for a pump station, and this led to the stoppage. Slovakia's Transpetrol confirmed the suspension as well, citing "technical reasons on the Ukrainian side" but did not specify a rocket strike.
The Druzhba pipeline network originates in Russia and splits in Belarus into Ukraine, where it splits again, supplying several countries in Eastern and Central Europe that depend on that oil, including refineries in landlocked Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
"The reason for the suspension of supplies has not yet been officially confirmed by the Ukrainian side," said Transpetrol in a statement, adding that it expects to have more information about the cause of the shutdown by Wednesday.
Czech pipeline operator Mero has not observed disruptions so far in the flow of oil through the Druzhba line, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. Polish pipeline operator Pern said late on Tuesday that oil is flowing normally via the Polish section of the line.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban convened a meeting of the defence council on Tuesday after Druzhba shipments were suspended, Orban's press chief told state news agency MTI.
Russia's state-owned pipeline monopoly Transneft has been notified by Ukraine that the supply to Hungary was temporarily suspended, the RIA news agency quoted Transneft as saying.
Oil prices jumped on the news, with the Brent benchmark rising 0.8% on the day.


7 cases of South African variant detected in Kuching

Experts at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak today confirmed seven cases of the South African Covid-19 variant in Kuching.Dr David Perera, director of the university’s Institute of Health and Community Medicine, said the cases were detected through genomic surveillance.“Today, we would like to report the detection of seven cases of the South African variant of concern (VOC), B.1.351, in the Kuching district.“The earliest case we sequenced was tested positive by RT-PCR on April 26 and the most recent case tested positive on May 6,” he said in a statement.He said additional cases of the P3 or Philippines variant had also been detected in Sibu and Samarahan.“This P3 variant is characterised by a double mutation: the E484K mutation shared with the B.1.351 South African variant and the N501Y mutation shared with the B.1.1.7 UK variant,” he said, adding that these mutations are associated with greater transmissibility, among others.He likewise said that a Covid-19 variant in the Pasai cluster which shares a similar mutagenic trait with the UK variant had continued to circulate throughout the state.He urged members of the public to remain vigilant and to adhere to SOPs as well as to register for vaccination.“We have detected a B.1.530 variant that appears to be dominant in Miri but is also seen in Kuching.“With these new findings of SARS-COV-2 variants of concern/interest circulating in Sarawak, we strongly emphasise the need for the public to continue adhering to the SOPs and guidelines, particularly mask-wearing, hand hygiene and physical distancing, and the need to achieve herd immunity through the vaccination programme.”


EPF withdrawals: Whose retirement are politicians concerned about?

Of late, the issue of further i-Citra withdrawals continues to dominate. I get it that many have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. This was made worse by the floods where many Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors have had their property like houses and cars washed away. Hence, they are lobbying for the government to allow them to withdraw what is their own savings to tide them over.But I am not here to discuss the merits of the withdrawals. Much has been written about this and I believe we are all familiar with both sides of the argument. What is perplexing is the insistence of certain politicians on aggressively pushing for the government to allow the withdrawals.People like Najib Razak, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki have been endlessly pressuring the government to allow further i-Citra withdrawals, purportedly to throw a lifeline to contributors drowning in the challenges brought on by the pandemic and floods.Surely experienced administrators like these Umno leaders know what kind of fallout such withdrawals would have on contributors and the country, not just in the long run, but in the short term too. It’s not just about contributors staring at the prospect of having insufficient savings upon retirement, even as Malaysia is set to become an ageing population by 2030, which is just eight years from now. As it is, contributors have withdrawn around RM101 billion under the i-Sinar, i-Lestari and i-Citra schemes.But further withdrawals can undermine the equity and financial markets. As mentioned by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz recently, the EPF’s investments in the equity market are around 16% of the total market capitalisation which is approximately RM1.7 trillion.Meanwhile, its investments in government bonds are around 26% (or RM247 billion) of the total size of RM950 billion. The EPF also holds 21% of corporate bonds (or RM166 billion) with a size of RM791 billion.If further withdrawals are allowed, the EPF would be forced to liquidate its holdings in equity and bonds, both domestically and abroad, creating market uncertainties. Investors’ confidence would fall, resulting in capital flight. In other words, those who withdrew from their EPF accounts would be worse off than before.Now, why would the likes of Najib, Zahid and Asyraf choose to go down this road? Surely with their decades of administrative experience, they know what the decision would entail. If they know about the tailspin the economy will go through, this raises the question of whether this was their original intention all along.Would economic chaos be the perfect storm for them to execute a political putsch? Past experience has shown that economic turmoil almost always results in political upheaval.Are there sinister plots being hatched now to precipitate such economic turmoil? Would the subsequent political havoc see the elevation of a new prime minister who is more pliable to those engineering the move to allow the i-Citra withdrawals? What would happen to those facing legal proceedings if a new PM takes over?There are many unanswered questions, which are not just conjectures but are based on past experience and present realities. Because at the end of the day, no politician in his or her right mind would want to champion further i-Citra withdrawals, going by how it would adversely affect the EPF contributors not just in the distant future, but in a matter of months or even weeks.As the rakyat, we need to be more discerning about the motives of those who allegedly champion the plight of the people. Sometimes, it’s worth wondering if these people are really concerned about how the national retirement funds are being used, or about their own retirement, preferably free from any legal headaches.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Japan to trial group tours in move to ease Covid border rules

Japan will trial small group tours with travellers from the US, Australia, Thailand and Singapore from this month, the government said on Tuesday, as it experiments with easing strict Covid border rules.The country’s borders have been closed to almost all arrivals since the spring of 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.Authorities only recently began allowing some students and business visitors to enter.There are no plans to lift border restrictions fully, as other countries have done, with the trial involving only tourists from the four countries who join package tours with predetermined itineraries, according to the Japan Tourism Agency.“Japanese travel companies will organise the tours and local guides will accompany them,” an agency official told AFP.Participants will have to be triple-vaccinated against Covid and have private medical insurance.There will be no change to the current testing requirements for entering Japan, with visitors having to submit a negative Covid test taken 72 hours before departure and to test again upon arrival.The agency is currently discussing the plan with regions that are expected to be of interest to foreign tourists, the official said.How many tourists will be able to join each tour is yet to be decided.The trial was initially planned late last year, but was put on hold when the Omicron variant spread.Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he wants to ease border control measures, but moves are expected to proceed slowly, with strong public support for the current restrictions.A daily cap on people entering the country will reportedly be doubled to 20,000 next month, though the tour groups are not expected to be counted in the figure, local media said.Japan welcomed a record 31.9 million foreign visitors in 2019 and had been on track to achieve its goal of 40 million in 2020 before the pandemic hit.


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Germany vows no more lockdowns for vaccinated people

Germany’s health minister on Friday said people who are vaccinated against Covid will not have to go into full lockdown again and will enjoy more freedoms than unvaccinated people in case of another virus resurgence.“As long as there are no mutations that impact the protection from vaccines… then being fully vaccinated means that restrictions of the kind we saw last winter will not be necessary, needed or legally appropriate,” Jens Spahn told reporters in Berlin.Germany currently has very low infection numbers and has relaxed most of its virus curbs, but concerns are growing about the spread of the more contagious Delta variant and the likelihood of cases climbing again because of summer travel.Spahn reiterated pleas for Germans to roll up their sleeves to prevent a fourth pandemic wave this autumn.“The more people get vaccinated this summer, the better the autumn will be,” Spahn said.Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff, Helge Braun, said earlier Friday that scientists agree fully vaccinated people “are not really at risk and don’t pose a danger to others”.Vaccinated people should therefore be allowed to do things like go shopping or attend concerts, Braun told broadcaster MDR.“For this large part of the population, many sectors that were completely shut down in the past will not have to close again,” he said.Unlike at the start of Germany’s vaccine drive, there are now enough doses available for anyone who wants one, health minister Spahn said.More than 55.1% of German adults, or 45.8 million people, have had at least one Covid shot. Over 37% are fully vaccinated, according to government data.Germany recently also opened up the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine to 12-15 year olds, although the country’s vaccine commission has officially recommended it only for adolescents with pre-existing conditions.Some 400,000 over-12s have so far received the first of the two-dose vaccine, Spahn said.Germany recorded 649 new coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours and 69 deaths on Friday, according to the Robert Koch health institute, bringing the total to just over 3.7 million cases since the start of the pandemic and 91,000 deaths.


Umno top five to meet soon on GE15 date, says PM

A meeting among Umno's top five leaders is expected to be held soon, to discuss the date for the 15th general election (GE15), says Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Ismail, who is an Umno vice-president, said the window for holding GE15 this year was still open and that Umno's top five would meet to discuss the timing for the polls.
"As I have told you earlier, every decision on the general election will be made after a discussion among Umno's top five," he told reporters after an event in George Town today.
Asked whether the meeting would be held before or after the tabling of Budget 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 7, Ismail said it had not yet been decided.
"The discussion will be held as soon as possible or maybe earlier before tabling Budget 2023," he said. Umno's top five leaders are its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, deputy president Mohamad Hasan and vice-presidents Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Mahdzir Khalid and Ismail.
Asked about the health condition of Najib Razak, Ismail said he had told the health ministry to look into the former prime minister’s needs.
"I have called the ministry to try to accommodate what Najib requires… whether he can be admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) or not will be decided by the health ministry," he said.
At the Kuala Lumpur High Court this morning, Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah that his client could not attend court today as he had been admitted to Hospital Kuala Lumpur and would likely be transferred to IJN later in the day.


UAE president Sheikh Khalifa dies

The United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan died aged 73 on Friday, state media said, after battling illness for several years.The president of the oil-rich Gulf state, who was rarely seen in public, is likely to be replaced by his half-brother, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, who was already seen as the UAE’s de facto ruler.“The Ministry of Presidential Affairs has mourned to the UAE people, Arab and Islamic nations and the world the death of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan,” the official WAM news agency tweeted.The ministry announced 40 days of mourning, with flags at half-mast from Friday and work suspended in the public and private sector for the first three days.Sheikh Khalifa took over as the UAE’s second president in November 2004, succeeding his father as the 16th ruler of Abu Dhabi, the richest of the federation’s seven emirates.He has rarely been seen in public since 2014, when he had surgery following a stroke, although he has continued to issue rulings. The cause of death was not immediately released.The UAE, a former British protectorate that was founded in 1971, has gone from desert outpost to booming state in its short history, fuelled by its oil wealth and Dubai’s rise as a trading and financial centre.The Arab world’s second-biggest economy behind Saudi Arabia has also begun to wield growing political influence, filling a space ceded by traditional powers such as Egypt, Iraq and Syria.The country of 10 million also joined military campaigns in Libya and Yemen and broke ranks with much of the Arab world to establish ties with Israel in 2020.The bearded Sheikh Khalifa had cut a frail figure on his occasional public appearances, while his Mohammed bin Zayed hosted world leaders and led diplomatic forays abroad.“The Emirates has lost its virtuous son and leader of the ‘stage of empowerment’ and the trustee of its blessed journey,” Mohammed bin Zayed tweeted on Friday.“His stances, achievements, wisdom, generosity and initiatives are in every corner of the nation.. Khalifa bin Zayed, my brother… may God have mercy on you and grant you access to paradise.”Sheikh Khalifa, who had no formal higher education, led the UAE as Dubai emerged as a tourism and trade hub and Abu Dhabi pumped oil as a key Opec player.He came to the rescue of Dubai when it was hit by the global financial crisis in 2009, extending a multi-billion-dollar lifeline to the debt-laden emirate.


Dr M slams ‘shameless’ kissing of Najib’s hand

Dr Mahathir Mohamad has continued his attacks on Najib Razak, saying the Pekan MP who has been found guilty of corruption and criminal breach of trust (CBT), along with his supporters, have lost their sense of shame and are trying to divert attention by making accusations against others.Calling the lack of shame in committing wrongdoings an “ugly value”, Mahathir said it was nonetheless evident in Najib and his supporters through the use of the “Malu apa bossku” and “(Najib) boss kita” slogans.“Malaysia has lost its sense of shame,” he said in a blog post. “They kiss the hand of Najib, the Malay Muslim thief.”Mahathir said Najib would avoid the issue of power abuse directed at him by pointing the finger at others.“When reprimanded for abuse of power and stealing government funds, he will try to divert attention from his wrongs by claiming that I, during my time as prime minister, had also done the same thing.”But Mahathir said Najib had not been able to prove any wrongdoing on his part despite forming a royal commission of inquiry to investigate the loss of RM30 billion during his administration.“Bank Negara was not required to report to me on its accounts,” he said. “It would be impossible for a bank to report losses of RM30 billion and ask me to keep it a secret.“Bank Negara’s accounts were audited. If it was truly hiding losses of this amount, it would have been revealed in the audit. Otherwise the auditors would have done wrong by not reporting the loses.”Najib, on the other hand, was proven to have channelled money into his personal accounts, he said.“(Meanwhile) not one sen of the money said to be hidden entered my (personal) account,” he added.Mahathir also hit back at Najib over a speech last month in which the latter said that Pakatan Harapan (PH) had used the Forest City project as propaganda to topple the Barisan Nasional government at the 2018 general election.He said PH had not been able to scrap the project as this would have incurred billions in costs.“What the PH government could do was to advise Country Garden to prepare low-cost homes that could be bought by the Malays and Chinese in Malaysia,” he said. “Country Garden agreed.”Mahathir said Zuraida Kamaruddin, who was housing and local government minister at the time, had held the opening ceremony of the National Community Policy on Feb 17, 2019.“I was invited to present certificates to Forest City, among others, due to a change of plans according to the wishes of the government.“It was not a recognition of the Forest City project which was approved by the Najib administration.”Najib was found guilty in July 2020 of abuse of power, CBT and money laundering.He was sentenced to 72 years in jail – 10 years for each of the CBT and money laundering charges and another 12 for abuse of power.He was also fined RM210 million.High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali, who handed down the verdict, ordered for the jail sentences to run concurrently, meaning that Najib would only serve 12 years behind bars.In December last year, the Court of Appeal upheld the verdict and sentence of the High Court.


Malaysian Muslims in Australia make lockdown sacrifices for Eid

In the days leading up to Eid, the Malek family usually has a lot to do. The household is busy cooking traditional Malaysian dishes and preparing to host Sydney’s Malaysian community in their Lakemba suburban home, south west of the city.In any other year, hundreds of family friends sporting their baju Melayu and baju kurung would stop by the Maleks’ place.But not this year, reports ABC News. This year, the 250,000 Muslims in the greater Sydney region will be confined to their own homes with no visitors allowed.“For over 40 years our Eid is usually so busy,” says Tahsin Malek. “But this year, to keep the tradition alive, we’ll prepare nasi lemak, colour coordinate our outfits and have a little prayer at home.”Many were hopeful they’d be out of lockdown by Eid on Tuesday, but stay-at-home orders have been extended until at least the end of the month.Lakemba Labour MP and devout Muslim Jihad Dib says, “It’s going to be the first Eid in my life I don’t hug and kiss my mum and dad.”But he says the Islamic tenet of placing community interests over individual desires means everyone understands.“Eid is an occasion about sacrifice, so we are asking people to sacrifice their social interactions for the greater good, and that way they are actually practising their faith,” Dib says.The country’s largest mosque in Lakemba won’t be shutting down the streets as usual for its large congregational prayer. Instead, the sermon will be streamed online.Eid usually injects millions of dollars into the economy and many family-run businesses will now be hurting, Dib says.Modest fashion label Hijab House made the difficult decision to shut its two Sydney shops to prioritise the safety of customers and staff. But it has come at a devastating cost.Eid al-Adha would normally be the business’s busiest period. Wearing new clothes at Eid is an important tradition as a new Eid outfit represents renewal and a fresh beginning as Muslims prepare to begin a new Islamic calendar year.It takes Hijab House six months to manufacture a collection of women’s Eid clothing. Director Tarik Houchar is worried he will have to sell his products at below cost price.He also feels the NSW Government has not given retail shops like Hijab House enough direction.Despite the pressure on businesses, isolation of families and general stress of the lockdown, there is a strong sense of hope and support shining through the Muslim community, with many striving to make the best of a frustrating situation.29-year-old Hawraa Kash won’t be able to embrace her loved ones this Eid. Instead, she’s locked down in her apartment in the Sydney suburbs where she lives alone. Her immediate family live in Wollongong and distant Melbourne.Usually, Hawraa relies heavily on the Eid celebrations to connect to her religion. But this year, she’s worried that the sense of occasion and connection has been disrupted.“The most benefit we reap from our faith is when we do things in a community,” she says. “There’s a lot of things that I won’t be able to do – like praying Eid, wishing someone else goodness, and putting on nice clothes.”Still, she’s trying to take the challenge in her stride.“I’m grateful to be alive in God’s presence,” she says. “I will make sure I do some worship and take a moment to acknowledge the day.”


Sports delegation chief sorry for missing SEA Games gold medal target

Chef de mission to the 2023 SEA Games, Mohd Nasir Ali apologised to all Malaysians following the national contingent's failure to achieve the 40-gold target at the biennial games in Pnomh Penh.
Mohd Nasir said the 677 athletes who shouldered Malaysia's challenge had fought hard and described the haul of 34 gold, 45 silver and 96 bronze medals this time as the best achievement that could be produced.
"I humbly wish to apologise if the 40-gold target was something hoped for but didn't achieve.
"But the 34 gold won are medals of quality, I am confident that we can improve on this 34-gold haul," he told the Malaysian media.
The 34-gold haul saw the Malaysian contingent record their worst performance since collecting 31 gold medals overall in the 1995 edition in Chiang Mai, Thailand. However, based on the actual position, Malaysia finished the competition in the worst position at seventh place for the first time in the history of the SEA Games after occupying sixth place in the edition in Hanoi, Vietnam last year.
Commenting further, Nasir reiterated his stand that the 40-gold target was a realistic one.
He said setting the target at 40 gold was not made casually after three meetings were held previously to finalise the number of gold medals that could potentially be collected.
"We held three meetings so it (the target) was not a last minute thing, and we also discussed the target with each association, so after this, we need to go back to the associations and ask for an explanation," he said.
In the meantime, he did not feel that short preparation was the main factor contributing to the failure of the national contingent, although he admitted that some sports faced problems during the preparation period. Without revealing the identities of the sports, he said the core sports had indeed been prepared earlier while some of the less popular sports were still allowed to perform despite short preparation.
Meanwhile, Nasir said Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh together with the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president (Mohamad Norza Zakaria) will provide details on the performance and achievements of the athletes at the 2023 SEA Games at a performance summary press conference in Kuala Lumpur this Friday.
"This decision does not mean that the KBS (youth and sports ministry), OCM, MSN (national sports council) or ISN (national sports institute) do not want to face the media (here), but a detailed analysis of the performance of the Malaysian contingent needs to be done one by one," he said.


Lab-grown meat to go on sale in Singapore in world first

Lab-grown chicken will soon be available in restaurants for the first time after winning the green light from Singapore regulators.US start-up Eat Just said Wednesday that its meat, created from animal cells and produced in bioreactors, had been approved for sale in the city-state as an ingredient in chicken bites.It said in a statement the news marked a “breakthrough for the global food industry”, as it seeks to find less environmentally harmful ways of producing meat.Meat consumption is projected to increase over 70% by 2050, according to Eat Just, and experts have frequently warned it is a key driver of climate change.“I’m sure that our regulatory approval for cultured meat will be the first of many in Singapore and in countries around the globe,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO of Eat Just.“Working in partnership with the broader agriculture sector and forward-thinking policymakers, companies like ours can help meet the increased demand for animal protein as our population climbs to 9.7 billion by 2050.”The company said it had conducted over 20 production runs in 1,200 litre bioreactors, and checks on safety and quality showed its “cultured” product – the term for meat grown in labs from animal cells – met food standards.The meat was approved by the Singapore Food Agency, the city-state’s regulator, after an extensive safety review, Eat Just said.


New cases above 4,000 again, death toll up by 10

Another 4,094 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 198,208.Selangor recorded 1,577 cases of which 1,262 were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Johor (717), Kuala Lumpur (678) and Sabah (282).Sarawak recorded 171 cases, Penang 99, Perak 94, Kedah 92, Terengganu 80, Melaka 73, Pahang 72, Labuan 55, Negeri Sembilan 48, Kelantan 37, Putrajaya 10 and Perlis nine.Active cases stand at 43,192 with 303 in the ICU and 118 in need of respiratory assistance.Nine new clusters were detected:1. Jalan Faizal (Johor, workplace)2. Jalan Satria (Johor, workplace)3. Jalan Dewani Satu (Johor, workplace)4. Industri Peramu Jaya (Pahang, workplace)5. Taman Mahkota Impian (Labuan, workplace)6. Jalan Pakat (Selangor, community)7. Indah Riang (Sarawak, community)8. Kampung Kemansur (Pahang, community)9. Jalan Kejora (Melaka, high-risk group)Three more ended, leaving 372 active clusters across the country.Another 3,281 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 154,299.However, 10 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 717.