11-0 as entrepreneur development and cooperative budget passed

The budget for the entrepreneur development and cooperative ministry was passed by voice vote at the Dewan Rakyat, making it the third ministerial allocation approved today and the eleventh overall following the debate at the committee level.Yesterday, the budgets for the energy and natural resources ministry, the agriculture and food industries ministry, and the rural development ministry were passed by voice vote.Allocations for five other portfolios were also previously passed: the plantation industries and commodities ministry, the foreign ministry, the national unity ministry, the finance ministry and the Prime Minister’s Department.The budgets for the Prime Minister’s Department and the finance and plantation ministries were passed by bloc vote while the two others were passed by voice vote.The budget for 2021 – RM322.5 billion, the country’s largest ever – was passed at the policy stage on Nov 26 in what was seen as a crucial test of support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.It was passed by voice vote after the opposition failed to garner enough support to force a bloc vote.


Editor of shuttered Singapore news site could face jail after defamation verdict

The editor of a shuttered Singaporean news website may face jail after being convicted on Friday of defaming government ministers over a letter published on the portal alleging corruption.It is the latest case to fuel concerns about worsening press freedoms in tightly controlled Singapore, with authorities accused of using heavy-handed tactics to silence dissent.The Online Citizen, which was often critical of authorities, had long been in the government’s crosshairs, and finally had its licence cancelled last month over a failure to declare funding sources.On Friday, chief editor Terry Xu was convicted of defaming cabinet members over the publication of a letter on the site stating there was “corruption at the highest echelons”, according to court documents.The 39-year-old, who will be sentenced next month, faces up to two years in jail and a fine for approving the publication in 2018.The letter’s author, Daniel De Costa Augustin, was also convicted of defamation and breaking computer crime laws for sending the piece from another person’s email account without their consent.The 38-year-old faces up to two years in jail for each count.Prosecutors said the case was about whether people should be allowed to “utilise online platforms as an insidious means to launch baseless and unsubstantiated attacks against other persons”.“This case is not, and has never been, about freedom of speech or about the need to hold the government to account,” they said, according to the documents.Xu had argued during the trial that the letter was not referring to individual members of the cabinet, local media reported.He told AFP it was a “disappointing judgment by the court”, and that he intended to appeal.Daniel Bastard, from media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, said the treatment of Xu “clearly constitutes persecution”.The case “will inevitably send a terrible, chilling message to all other independent journalists in the city-state”, he told AFP.In September, Xu lost a defamation suit against Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong over an article carried by the site, and was ordered to pay substantial damages.Singapore’s media sector is dominated by pro-government outlets.The city-state ranks 160th out of 180 countries and territories in Reporters Without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index, where number one indicates the country with the greatest media freedoms.


Helicopter crashes at Subang airport

An Airbus H125 helicopter crashed at the Subang airport this morning although its pilot and passengers have been reported safe.Selangor Fire and Rescue Department director Norazam Khamis said one of the five on board broke his leg and suffered a head injury.He said the department received the emergency call at 9.47am.“The helicopter did not catch fire,” he said when contacted.Petaling Jaya police chief ACP Nik Ezanee Mohd Faisal said the helicopter crashed at the airport compound.He said the victims were taken to hospital for further treatment.“The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the cause of the incident,” he said when contacted.The transport ministry said in a statement that the investigation would be conducted by the AAIB in accordance with Part XXVI Civil Aviation Regulations 2016.It said the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia confirmed that the helicopter had crashed at the airport at 9.25am.The helicopter, operated by Leopad Aviation Sdn Bhd, departed Sungai Lembing, Pahang at 8.30am on a private flight to Subang via Maran, Temerloh, Karak and Batu Caves, with one pilot and four passengers on board.According to the statement, two people are injured and are receiving medical assistance while three others are in stable condition.


Spain’s top court rules Covid-19 lockdown was unconstitutional

Spain’s top court has ruled that last year’s strict coronavirus lockdown was unconstitutional.The ruling has created the possibility of people who were fined for breaking lockdown rules reclaiming the money they paid, but the court said it would not accept lawsuits from people and businesses who want to sue the government because they lost money due to the lockdown.The government declared a state of emergency on March 14, 2020 to curb the first wave of Covid-19 infections.At that time, coronavirus cases and deaths were rising and hospitals were quickly becoming overwhelmed.Spain has three levels of emergency: state of emergency, state of exception, and the highest level, state of siege.The government chose to bring in a state of emergency, under which almost everyone in the country was ordered to stay at home, only permitted to leave for essential reasons. All but essential businesses were closed.People were only permitted to travel outside alone to collect essential supplies, medicine, go to work, get medical treatment, or assist dependent people. The strict state of emergency lasted for 98 days before restrictions on movement were lifted in June 2020.But Spain’s Constitutional Court has now voted, by a slim majority of six to five, that the state of emergency was not enough to give the restrictions constitutional backing and the rules were equivalent to a suppression of fundamental rights.The court did not question the need for measures adopted to reduce the spread of Covid-19 but said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had used the wrong legal mechanism.In order to legally limit people’s freedoms to the extent they did last year, the court said, the government should have declared a state of exception rather than a state of emergency.In Spain, a state of emergency – known as a “state of alarm” in Spanish – can be declared by the government and implemented before it is debated in parliament. This allows the government to put new rules into force quickly.A state of exception, however, is not directly agreed by the government. Instead, the proposal needs to be taken to parliament first, which then has to declare the emergency.It is unclear if the Constitutional Court decision will open the gates for lawsuits against the Spanish government.In practice, the ruling does mean that any fines imposed on citizens by police for breaking lockdown restrictions could be cancelled.The court ruling was in response to a suit brought by the far-right political party Vox.More than 81,000 people have so far died in Spain due to the coronavirus.


Shafee confident about Najib's petition to UN body

Najib Razak's lawyer expressed confidence today about the former prime minister's bid for freedom through the intervention of a UN body, playing down comparisons with a similar effort by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim some seven years ago, which ended in a ruling rejected by the government led by Najib at the time.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow on the sidelines of a press conference to announce Najib's petition to the United Nations Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD), Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the procedure had been lacking in the case of Anwar's petition.
"The procedure was not complete," he said, referring to UNWGAD's call for the government to free Anwar from his prison sentence for a sodomy conviction.
UNWGAD had said at the time that Anwar's imprisonment was "arbitrary and illegal".
But Putrajaya described the call as baseless, saying that Anwar's jailing was not political and that he was accorded the same treatment as other prisoners.
"After a fair and lengthy trial of six and half years, he was convicted of the offence.
"Anwar is currently serving his sentence at prison, not in solitary confinement, and is being provided with appropriate facilities and medical treatment.
"As such, the opinion by the UNWGAD, calling for the immediate release of Anwar is without basis," Wisma Putra had said.
Speaking today, Shafee said there had been something "funny" about Anwar's case, adding that this was why UNWGAD's views had not been legally binding.
In the case of Najib, he said, the views of the international body could be used by the government through the Cabinet.
"The government can advise through the Cabinet," he said.
"The attorney-general can advise that he be freed, or be given a retrial."
Shafee earlier said that Najib, who is serving 12 years in prison for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds, was not given a reasonable opportunity to argue his case.
He said the final days of Najib's appeal, during which time the former leader discharged and replaced his entire defence team, had amounted to a "rushed justice" as his lawyers were not allowed the time needed to go through the appeal papers or come to grips with the grounds of appeal.
When asked if the UNWGAD petition would afford Najib a better chance of release, Shafee said: "Release and retrial."
"If you ask me, is this an effective remedy, my answer is 'yes'," he added.
He said UNWGAD could not refuse to go over Najib's petition as well as the accompanying documents.
However, he said the judges on the panel could also comment on why a case should not be extended or given a retrial.
He said it was possible for UNWGAD to provide its feedback within a short period of time as the documents were received at about noon today.
"They sit three times a year," he said. "The first sitting of 2023 will be very soon."
Reiterating that the petition had been received, he said it was now being processed, with the procedure to be sent to the government through diplomatic officers.
"Within a few months," he said. "See how quickly they come to a decision."


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US extends ban on securities investments in companies linked to China military

The US will continue a Trump-era ban on US investments in Chinese companies that Washington says are owned or controlled by the Chinese military, President Joe Biden said on Tuesday.Biden, a Democrat who has continued some of president Donald Trump’s policies on China, said he would extend the restrictions laid out in his Republican predecessor’s executive order of November 2020.“The PRC is increasingly exploiting US capital to resource and to enable the development and modernisation of its military, intelligence, and other security apparatuses, which continues to allow the PRC to directly threaten the US homeland and US forces overseas,” Biden said in a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.The executive order was originally designed to deter US investment firms, pension funds and others from buying shares of Chinese companies that were designated by the Department of Defense as backed by the Chinese military.Biden in June made changes to what his team described as the “legally flawed” Trump-era order, tasking the Treasury Department with enforcing and updating on a “rolling basis” a new list of about 59 companies that replaced the earlier list from the Pentagon.US entities are barred from buying or selling publicly traded securities in target companies, which include China’s top chipmaker SMIC and oil giant CNOOC.Biden’s new list added about 10 publicly listed companies, but removed some other top names including Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac), which is spearheading efforts to compete with Boeing Co and Airbus, and two that challenged the ban in court – Gowin Semiconductor Corp and Luokung Technology Corp.China hawks in Washington applauded Biden’s extension of the policy, but took aim at the administration’s failure to add new companies to the list since the June revisions.“While we should applaud the extension of the ‘national emergency’… it’s hard to understand why not one Chinese company has been added to this modest capital markets sanctions list since the issuance of the Order on June 3,” said Roger Robinson, former chairman of the congressional US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.Biden said China’s military-industrial complex, supported by its intelligence and other security, continues to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat.


Self-employed workers, including food delivery drivers, to contribute to Socso

The government, in its budget presentation for 2023 today, mandated Socso contributions for self-employed individuals, especially in high-risk sectors such as the delivery of goods and food, to ensure the welfare and well-being of those in this segment of the economy.
Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said that in 2020, only a small number of gig workers such as food delivery riders were able to afford social security while on the job.
He said after the government contributions through the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS), more self-employed workers were able to obtain protection.
"Next year, the government will make SKSPS contributions mandatory for all self-employed sectors, especially the high-risk sectors, in stages," he said.
"In order to reduce the burden on the workers themselves, 80% of Socso contributions will be borne by the government. This means that self-employed people such as food delivery drivers, farmers, fishermen and hawkers only pay 20% of the total contribution," he said when presenting the text of the 2023 budget in Parliament today. He said the initiative would involve a cost of RM150 million and would start with those in the transport sector who deliver food or goods.


Stalin finally fulfils political destiny, comes to power in Indian elections

An Indian politician named after Joseph Stalin is set to become chief minister of the southern state of Tamil Nadu after his party’s comfortable victory in state assembly elections.Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin, 68, born four days before his namesake’s death in 1953, is the son of the late five-time chief minister M Karunanidhi, the hugely popular president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party.His son has been groomed for power since birth.On Sunday, it emerged that the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance – a political coalition of left-leaning parties, including India’s two major communist parties – had defeated the incumbent ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party, which is a regional member of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing National Democratic Alliance.In an emotional victory statement, Stalin said, “It was our aim to get DMK back to power when Kalaignar [his father] was alive. But time got the better of us. To fulfil that dream, all of us worked tirelessly. This victory is recognition for all that hard work.”Stalin, who remained in his father’s shadow until his death aged 94 in 2018, began his political journey as a 13-year-old DMK organiser. He formed the party’s youth wing in 1980 and served as its secretary until 2017. He has also been a former deputy chief minister of the state.The victory, which brings the DMK back to power for the first time in a decade, came on the back of a campaign focused on strengthening the state’s linguistic identity and autonomy, as well as on promising jobs and growth.However, Stalin’s immediate challenge will be to navigate the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, which is likely to have been aggravated by the election.The Indian Stalin – a committed democrat – admitted in a 2019 newspaper interview that his name had caused some awkward moments in Russia.“As soon as I landed at a Russian airport, I was asked to mention my name. When I said ‘Stalin’, many people at the airport started looking at me,” he told the Times of India.“While checking my passport, officials asked me several questions before I was allowed in,” he said of his 1989 trip.“Many people in Russia didn’t like Joseph Stalin.”


This is no time for elections, seasoned polls critics condemn Zahid’s call

Persistent demands by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for snap polls while the Covid-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating have been roundly condemned by those who keenly follow Malaysia’s election politics.They said such a call was irresponsible and reckless at a time when the Covid-19 infection rate is heading for the worst, adding that a general election is no guarantee of a solution to the current political quagmire.They also rubbished Zahid’s reasoning that more than 30 countries have had general elections during the pandemic season.Lee Hwok Aun, a senior fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, said holding elections at this time was “the height of irresponsibility”.He also pointed out that other countries had held elections due to their governments’ mandate expiring.“Some countries have held elections because terms have run their full course, and some have also held snap elections but when the pandemic has been a bit more under control.“Even if some may have held elections while the pandemic is surging, why would Malaysia want to follow suit?” Lee told MalaysiaNow.Addressing Umno members at his Bagan Datuk division recently, Zahid questioned the view that a general election should not be held during the pandemic.“Even if some may have held elections while the pandemic is surging, why would Malaysia want to follow suit?”“More than 30 countries have already done so. Why is Malaysia afraid? I think that we’re not worried about Covid-19, but about other things,” he said last week.Talk of snap polls recently intensified among a group of Umno hawks who are threatening to take the party out of the ruling bloc, even as a fierce wave of the Covid-19 pandemic continued, with daily cases breaching 3,000 yesterday after more than three months of spikes.Authorities have warned of a collapse of the public healthcare system which has taken in tens of thousands of Covid patients since early last year, as well as of stricter lockdowns in badly affected states.Election analyst Hisommudin Bakar said Zahid’s comparison with other countries was misplaced.He said many countries which held elections in the past year had seen a spike in infections.“Citing other countries as examples, or even the availability of vaccines, is not a valid excuse looking at the situation we have in Malaysia,” he added.Since the start of the Covid-19 crisis, more than 60 countries have postponed their elections.The US, South Korea, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Singapore and New Zealand are among those which held elections during the pandemic due to expiry of their terms.But a day after the US presidential election, more than 91,000 new cases were reported.Ambiga Sreenevasan, who headed Bersih 2.0 during an eventful phase for the electoral reforms coalition, is not surprised by Zahid’s call.“This call seems to be at the behest of all those who are facing cases in court,” she said, referring to the multiple corruption charges Zahid is facing.“That those facing grave charges or who have been convicted are in positions to call the shots on when we must have elections is astounding enough,” she added.Ambiga said unlike those of other countries, Malaysia’s electoral system is not prepared to do away with conventional voting which carries the risk of the virus spreading.“Having a general election to restore political stability is just a vain illusion and an excuse by greedy politicians to grab power.”“Other countries may have had elections in the early days of the pandemic but many have systems in place like efficient postal and absentee voting systems, electronic voting and other such means by which huge crowds may be avoided,” she told MalaysiaNow.Hisommudin agrees that Malaysia’s voting system is not virus-proof.He said the Election Commission (EC) could have come up with a more efficient system as well as SOPs.“The EC has squandered the opportunities it had during three elections – Chini, Slim and Sabah – to introduce a more efficient voting system,” Hisommudin, who heads the Ilham Center which conducts opinion polls and observes elections, told MalaysiaNow.But he said public apathy on SOPs is also a concern, which could trigger virus spikes during polls.Lee meanwhile said the whole idea of snap polls at this time was due to power grabs and infighting among political coalitions.“It is totally unacceptable for political games to cause the rakyat to be exposed to health hazards,” he said, adding that even if Malaysia was financially able to hold elections, it should be avoided for now.Thomas Fann, Bersih’s current chairman, does not believe that a general election can bring about political stability.He said the root of the problem lies in laws to deter party hopping.“Having a general election to restore political stability is just a vain illusion and an excuse by greedy politicians to grab power,” Fann said, adding however that this was his personal opinion.


KL hit by flash floods

Parts of Kuala Lumpur have been hit by flash floods following heavy rain in the capital city this afternoon.The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) meanwhile has issued a warning for lightning storms today.“As of 5pm, Nadma wished to confirm the occurrance of flash floods in several areas around the Klang Valley,” it said in a Facebook post.The areas affected include Kuchai Lama, Pudu, Bukit Jalil and Ampang.Nadma also announced that water levels are rising in a number of locations around the city centre including Dang Wangi, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Ampang, Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Kia Peng and Jalan Raja Chulan.Internet users have been sharing pictures and videos of highways covered in water in the affected areas.Some videos show drivers stranded in their cars, trying to escape the rising water.Four lanes on the Kesas Highway have been submerged at the Awan Besar west toll plaza, with only one lane accessible at KM48.3 eastbound towards the Sukom junction, according to the Malaysian Highway Board.The floods have also caused the temporary closure of the SMART Tunnel, involving the entrance from Taman Desa and Cheras towards the city centre and the exit from the city centre heading to Cheras.The New Pantai Expressway meanwhile said on Twitter that the Kuchai tunnel had been closed since 4.20pm, and advised road users to seek alternative routes.“The Kuchai tunnel has been closed due to flash floods,” it said.“Follow the instructions of the personnel on duty as well as the safety signs.”Those in need of assistance may call 1-300-88-1010.


The politics of ousters: The real reason

Why is it that in spite of increasing Covid-19 infections, rising fatalities, massive floods in a number of states and serious economic challenges, some politicians are still indulging in political machinations and manipulations?The Yang di-Pertuan Agong and a number of rulers have strongly advised politicians against indulging in political manoeuvres at a time like this. Together with the rakyat, they have pleaded with the politicians to refrain from politicking and to concentrate instead upon taming the pandemic and overcoming our economic woes. Their plea has fallen upon deaf ears.Are some politicians determined to pursue their agenda of replacing the Muhyuddin Yassin government because they are convinced that it is “illegitimate”?The current government was installed in March 2020 in accordance with constitutional procedures and practices in the wake of the resignation of then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. This had happened before at the state level, in Terengganu in 1961, Sabah 1994 and Perak 2009.In fact, Barisan Nasional itself emerged in the early 70s as a result of defections and crossovers and became the new inter-party coalition in power.Perhaps we should have a law at federal and state levels against defections in the legislatures which some of us have advocated since the early 80s. It should be based upon the principle that an elected legislator who is no longer capable of representing his constituents should return his mandate to the voters.Unfortunately, many of those who are pushing for the ouster of the present prime minister are not keen on the introduction of such legislation. They want to continue to encourage defections if it serves their narrow interests.Are those seeking the prime minister’s removal doing so because they are convinced that he is incompetent?After almost a year of the coronavirus crisis, it is obvious to most observers that Malaysia has performed relatively well under his leadership, compared to many other countries.The political leadership reinforced by a core in the civil service and the national health services have displayed a deep sense of responsibility in executing their tasks in a calm and organised manner.The delivery of economic assistance to the vulnerable and their carefully planned approach to the imminent distribution of vaccines to the people bear testimony to this.The real reason why there are attempts to oust the prime minister is linked to the thinly veiled interests of a handful of politicians. There are individuals in Parliament, part of the largest component party in the ruling coalition, allegedly involved in corruption whose court trials may result in their incarceration – incarcerations which they hope some other leader at the helm of the nation would be able to help them avert.And there are leaders who for decades have sought the prime ministership who may be prepared to play footsie with those individuals trying to stay out of jail.Apart from this unholy alliance, there is also another veteran MP who feels that it is his “royal right” to be prime minister. He is joined by another veteran who was prime minister for a total of 24 years and remains convinced that no else can do the job and for that reason wants to return to power!This coterie of leaders driven by differing motives are united in their common goal of easing out the incumbent through multiple manoeuvres though they have yet to reach consensus on who should replace Muhyiddin. Given the numbers game in elite politics, the weakness of institutions that can check unscrupulous political behaviour, and the absence of a strong commitment within the populace to principles in politics, those who are seeking the prime minister’s ouster may even succeed.For those of us who are not prepared to put aside ethical concerns in politics and public life and realise the importance of a national leadership that is completely devoted to overcoming the pandemic and ensuring an effective economic recovery over the next two years, the politics of ousters should stop immediately. It is in this regard that the following three point proposal is presented.One, this is the time for the Conference of Rulers as a crucial instrument of governance to play its rightful role. The conference which has been described as the fourth arm of governance in our system – the other three being the legislature, the executive and the judiciary – should not only implore all political actors to desist from politicking but also warn them that they cannot create political uncertainty and foment discord and friction without facing the full force of the law.They should understand that the nation is in crisis and those who are hell-bent on pursuing their own nefarious, self-serving agendas will be made to pay the price.Two, the Conference of Rulers should also advise the executive to establish mechanisms at the federal and state levels which will enable the opposition also to contribute to, and participate in, the decision-making process vis-a-vis our twin health and economic crises.The opposition’s role should not be a mere tokenism. An active role for opposition parties will go a long way towards diluting the adversarial atmosphere that prevails at the moment.Three, though the government-opposition mechanism proposed here will concentrate upon our twin crises, it could also be utilised to formulate measures directed towards improving governance as a whole.The idea of a genuinely independent ombudsman first articulated in the 70s would be something worth pursuing.We are at a critical juncture. If our leaders remain obsessed with the politics of power and position, we would be hastening our own destruction. We are reaching the brink.Let us pull back before it is too late.Dr Chandra Muzaffar is president of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST).The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Trump Organization convicted of tax fraud in New York

Donald Trump's family business was found guilty of tax fraud by a New York jury Tuesday, dealing a blow to the ex-president as he eyes the White House again.
The Trump Organization and separate entity the Trump Payroll Corp were found guilty on all counts, marking the first time the companies had ever been convicted of crimes.
"This was a case about greed and cheating," said Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who prosecuted the case.
Trump himself was not charged but the fact the sprawling real-estate, hotel and golf business that bears his name is now a convicted felon is likely to inflict damage to his reputation as he seeks the Republican nomination for the presidency in 2024.
The two entities were convicted of running a 13-year-scheme to defraud and evade taxes by falsifying business records. In all, they were found guilty on 17 counts.
Jurors agreed with prosecutors that the Trump Organization – currently run by Trump's two adult sons, Donald Jr and Eric Trump – hid compensation it paid to top executives between 2005 and 2021.
Longtime CFO Allen Weisselberg, had already pleaded guilty to 15 counts of tax fraud, and testified against his former company as part of a plea bargain. He did not implicate Trump during the trial.
A close friend of the Trump family, the 75-year-old Weisselberg admitted he schemed with the company to receive undeclared benefits such as a rent-free apartment in a posh Manhattan neighborhood, luxury cars for him and his wife and private school tuition for his grandchildren.
According to his plea deal, Weisselberg agreed to pay nearly US$2 million (RM8.79 million) in fines and penalties and complete a five-month prison sentence in exchange for testimony during the trial, which started in October.
Trump, posting on his social media platform, said the Trump Organization bore no responsibility for "Weisselberg committing tax fraud on his personal tax returns."
Under the headline "Manhattan Witch Hunt!" Trump said no benefit accrued to the company from Weisselberg's actions, and that neither he nor any employees were "allowed to legally view" the CFO's returns.
Trump said he was "disappointed with the verdict" and will appeal.
Rape case
Trump's company faces a fine of around US$1.5 million, a paltry sum to the billionaire real estate developer.
It's symbolic though as he battles a host of legal and congressional probes that will likely complicate his run for a second presidential term, announced in Florida last month.
Trump and his three eldest children face a trial late next year in a civil lawsuit by New York's attorney general that accuses them of misstating the value of properties to enrich themselves.
Prosecutor Letitia James has requested that Trump pay at least US$250 million in penalties – a sum she says he made from the fraud – and that his family be banned from running businesses in the state.
James, a Democrat, hailed Tuesday's verdict.
"We can have no tolerance for individuals or organizations that violate our laws to line their pockets," she said.
Trump has been ordered to testify in April 2023 as part of a defamation lawsuit brought by a woman who says he raped her in the 1990s.
He is also facing legal scrutiny for his efforts to overturn the results of the November 2020 election and over the Jan 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters.


4,053 medical officers offered full-time positions

The health ministry has approved 4,053 out of 8,672 initial applications for permanent positions involving contract medical and dental officers and pharmacists for this year, its minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.
He said this covers 3,215 medical officers, 438 dental officers and 400 pharmacists, while 225 candidates are on the standby list.
"This is the highest addition of permanent positions since 2016, since the contract policy started, and after this we have (requested) at least 1,500 permanent positions every year which we will offer to contract officers," he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
He said the health ministry would hold talks with the Public Services Commission (SPA) to determine the policy on whether those who are unsuccessful in applying for a permanent position can reapply or not. "I do understand that some will be disappointed, and that is why the ministry will look into the matter after our discussions with the MMA (Malaysian Medical Association) on career options for those who could not be absorbed as permanent staff, to at least ensure that they are given good incentives and opportunities for specialised and sub-specialised training," he said.
Khairy said the ministry is also looking at a suitable model to determine whether a health service commission should be established by law or administratively.
Although the matter was not a main focus of the ministry at the moment, he said it would be discussed in the health white paper which is expected to be tabled in Parliament at the end of the year.
"If you are to ask us (the ministry), of course we would want our own commission so that we will not be subjected to regular SPA policies. An example would be that (currently) if we are to fight for certain allowances in the ministry, we are subjected to policies under JPA (Public Service Department), which means this policy must be in tandem with other (public) services.
"We go one step at a time… we want our own commission but the question of when to push for this (and) when to approve can be discussed during the drafting process of the health white paper," he added.


Philippine parents seek safe hangout spots for children after nearly 2-year lockdown of kids

For the first time in her young life, two-year-old Nathania Ysobel Alesna was playing outside her house in the Philippine capital after 20 months of being kept at home by government coronavirus restrictions.At a department store east of Manila one recent day, Nathania giddily rode a scooter and a bike as her mother, Ruth Francine Faller, looked on.Later, Faller shared her elation with a Facebook group dedicated to helping fellow parents find places where kids can be outdoors or in public places without trouble from police enforcing the Philippines’ stay-at-home orders for children, among the strictest in the world.“Her joy was overflowing. She looks innocent at the same time amazed at what she saw,” Faller told Reuters.For many of the 40 million Filipinos under the age of 18, the pandemic has been a continuous lockdown because the government classifies children as a particularly vulnerable group for Covid-19, though few other countries do so.Now, after 20 months, hundreds of thousands of parents are turning to social media to find safe hangout places for their children, as they worry about the impact of prolonged time indoors on the mental health of children.Finding creative ways to classify play as exercise – and public spaces where enforcement is looser – is the goal of the private Facebook group “Kids Are Allowed”.Hershey May Avillo-Parcarey, 37, in March set up the group with other parents to exchange tips on where they can bring their children outdoors, and word has quickly spread.Parcarey said she gets up to 5,000 requests a day to join the group, which now has around 200,000 members.Similar online groups have also sprouted up, allowing parents to share information on public places like shopping malls, restaurants and parks accepting children.Some restaurants caught accepting kids have been temporarily shut down in recent months, but authorities in some areas, wary of restriction fatigue, sometimes overlook violations.While many countries imposed total lockdowns at the onset of the pandemic early in 2020, the Philippines has maintained President Rodrigo Duterte’s policy of banning minors from outdoors and public spaces, although it can be unevenly enforced and has exceptions for exercise.The Philippines is one of just 17 countries where schools have been closed for the entire pandemic, says the United Nations children’s agency Unicef. A two-month pilot test of face-to-face classes in low-infection areas starts this month.This is despite only 12.5% of the Philippines’ 2.8 million confirmed Covid-19 cases are people aged 10-19 years, with deaths only 1.7% of the country’s nearly 44,000 deaths.The presidential palace spokesman reminded the population late in October that vulnerable groups – including children – are still under stay-at-home orders.Nevertheless, Mica Cañete recently visited a Venice-themed mall in Manila with her husband and nearly three-year-old daughter, their first family outing in 20 months.“I already have many spots in my bucket list for the kids, so I am thankful for ideas in the Facebook group,” Cañete said.Mental health experts say such groups provide support for overwhelmed parents and for children who have become anxious, confused and irritable after prolonged time indoors.“In a time when we are all stuck at home, these virtual communities help inoculate parents from feeling isolated,” said Anna Cristina Tuazon, a clinical psychologist for children and their family, and professor at the University of the Philippines.Around the world, depression and anxiety rates among children may have doubled since the start of the pandemic, said a report in Jama Pediatrics in August.Kids Are Allowed’s Parcarey said she screens up to 300 posts a day, and does not approve posts like hiding kids in the driver’s seat to avoid checkpoints.Her own eight-year-old son, Railey Samuel, said he misses visiting malls to watch movies.“Now, it’s hard for me to go out,” he said. “I pray for the coronavirus pandemic to be gone.”The Philippines has fully vaccinated just a quarter of its 110 million population and a nationwide vaccine rollout for children over 12 began this week, prioritising those with existing medical conditions.


Covid-19 death toll in Italy tops 60,000

The death toll from Covid-19 has passed the 60,000 mark in Italy, according to an official toll published Sunday.Restrictive measures aimed at stemming the spread of the virus were nonetheless eased in several regions as the rate of infections stabilised and pressure eased on hospitals.Italy, the first European country to be hit by the global pandemic, has recorded 60,078 deaths from 1,728,878 infections, the health ministry reported.Despite steps the government has taken to curb the latest outbreak and care for the sick, hundreds of people are still dying daily.Italy saw a record 993 deaths on Thursday, the highest toll since the outbreak began in the first months of the year.It is among the countries with the highest numbers of deaths compared to its population with 98 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants.Its mortality rate, or the ratio of deaths to infections, stands at 3.47%. Only Britain has a higher rate in Europe with 3.55%.By comparison, Spain’s rate is 2.75% and France is at 2.35%.Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza warned that “if we drop our guard, we run the risk of finding ourselves in January and February facing a new (infection) surge.“And that we cannot allow,” he told SkyTG24 television.But the government’s colour-coded system of risk rating showed that several regions were deemed to be facing a lower risk, allowing inhabitants to move about more freely.The risk was downgraded from red, the highest level, to orange in Tuscany, Campania and the Aosta Valley, and from orange to yellow in five other regions.On Monday, Abruzzo, the last red region, is also to turn orange, according to regional premier Marco Marilio.On Thursday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte outlined a set of restrictive measures to be put in place around Christmas.He announced a ban on movements between regions from Dec 21 until Jan 6, including for Italians who wanted to spend time in second homes.There is also a ban on moving from one town to another for Dec 25 and 26 as well as on Jan 1.A curfew from 10pm until 5am remains in place, lasting until 7am on New Year’s Day.Ski slopes and mechanical lifts are to remain closed until Jan 7.


Palm oil firms say not hiring from Bangladesh over recruitment concerns

Some of Malaysia's largest palm oil producers are not hiring workers from Bangladesh because of concerns over exploitative practices during recruitment, companies and labour consultants say.
Planters in the world's second-largest palm oil producer have in recent years stepped up efforts to implement ethical recruitment processes and revamp labour standards after the US banned imports from two companies over allegations of forced labour.
Migrant workers, especially from Indonesia, India, Bangladesh and Nepal, make up about 80% of the workforce on Malaysia's labour-reliant estates.
The government suspended all hiring from Bangladesh in 2018 after allegations of corruption in the process. Despite a new labour agreement between the two countries coming into force last year, three plantation companies say their firms have not resumed hiring Bangladeshi workers.
"The main reason was due to a high rate of abscondment among the Bangladesh workers as they were not aware that they were going to work in plantation estates," IOI Plantation, which has not recruited from Bangladesh since 2018, said in an emailed response to Reuters.
A senior executive with another company cited a lack of transparency in the recruitment process and high recruitment fees among workers from Bangladesh.
Sime Darby Plantation, the world's largest palm oil producer, said it stopped hiring from Bangladesh in 2016. That year, the company also introduced changes aimed at implementing a "zero recruitment fee policy".
The International Labour Organisation ranks deception and debt bondage stemming from large recruitment fees among its indicators of "forced labour".
Hundreds of workers from South Asia have recently arrived in Malaysia without jobs despite being promised employment and after paying thousands of dollars in recruitment fees. Malaysia has begun investigations.
The human resources ministry and the Bangladeshi embassy in Kuala Lumpur did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The embassy last month called for more transparency by Malaysia to prevent citizens from being cheated out of jobs.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an industry watchdog based in Malaysia, said proposed legislation in the European Union to prohibit the import and sales of products made with forced labour have prompted the palm oil industry to further address human rights in their operations.
"The industry in general is being called to greater degrees of sustainability, transparency and accountability, with external stakeholders – from regulators to financial institutions, investors and consumers – prompting this shift," RSPO CEO Joseph D'Cruz said.


CMCO to continue in KL, Sabah and most of Selangor

The conditional movement control order (CMCO) in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah and the majority of Selangor will be extended another two weeks until Dec 20, Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.In Selangor, the CMCO will only be lifted in Sabak Bernam, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Selangor.In other states, the CMCO will be lifted except in certain areas.In Perak, it will end as scheduled except in Mukim Teja and Mukim Changkat Jong.In Kelantan, it will end except in the districts of Kota Bharu, Machang, Tanah Merah and Pasir Mas.In Penang, it will end except in four localities.In Negeri Sembilan, it will end as scheduled except in Seremban and Port Dickson.In Johor, the CMCO will end as scheduled in Mersing but will be extended until Dec 20 in Kota Tinggi. Johor Bahru, Batu Pahat and Kulai will also be put under CMCO until Dec 20.In Putrajaya and Labuan meanwhile the CMCO will end as scheduled tomorrow.Terengganu, Pahang, Kedah, Perlis, Melaka and Sarawak will remain under recovery MCO until year-end.In his daily Covid-19 update, Ismail said inter-district and interstate travel will be allowed from Monday onwards with the exception of areas under enhanced MCO.He also said Malaysia is expected to suffer GDP losses of RM300 million a day if the CMCO is continued.


Daily cases continue to hover at 2,700

Another 2,757 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,743,936.Another 4,620 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,669,654.Meanwhile 297 are in the ICU, including 247 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 169 are in need of respiratory assistance including 96 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 2,757 cases reported today, 40 (1.5%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 2,717 (98.5%) are in Category One and Two.


New York sinking under its own weight, study finds

If New York is the city that never sleeps then how's this for keeping you up at night? It is also sinking.
The Big Apple is gradually going down partly because of the weight of the skyscrapers that make the concrete jungle famous, a new study has found.
The descent makes the metropolis more vulnerable to rising sea levels and coastal flooding caused by climate change, the researchers noted.
The paper, published this month in the Earth's Future journal, sought to estimate how the city's vast infrastructure impacts subsidence.
Subsidence is the sinking of land mass caused by either natural processes such as erosion or human activity like mineral extraction.
The geologists calculated that New York's more than one million buildings added up to a total mass of 762 billion kilograms of downward pressure on the earth.
CNN said that was equivalent to roughly 1.9 million fully fuelled Boeing 747-400s.
The report concluded that America's financial capital is sinking at an average rate of one to two millimetres per year.
Some areas built on softer rock or artificial landfill were subsiding as much as four and a half millimetres per year, the study added.
But building fewer skyscrapers will not solve the problem, lead author Tom Parsons told AFP.
"The primary cause of subsidence in New York and along much of the Eastern Seaboard is tectonic and cannot be stopped," said the geophysicist at the US Geological Survey.
The subsidence is set to exacerbate the impact of sea level rise caused by warming temperatures and the melting of the world's ice caps.
The organisation Sea Level Rise.org says water levels around New York are nine inches higher than they were in 1950.
The city's government predicts that surrounding waters will rise by between eight inches (20cm) and 30 inches by 2050.
The state is spending billions of dollars building sea walls, raising roads and improving drainage to mitigate the risks.
But low-lying areas have already felt the brunt of devastating floods caused by more intense storms.
Hurricane Sandy in 2012 killed more than 40 New Yorkers, destroyed approximately 300 homes and left tens of thousands of people without power.
Hurricane Ida in 2021 left more than a dozen people dead in New York City, many after they were unable to escape flooding basements.
Parsons said it was impossible to say when parts of New York will be under water but it will happen.
"It's too difficult to predict even a rough time because while city subsidence is relatively steady, forecasts for sea level rise are uncertain and depend on expected future rates of greenhouse gas emissions," he told AFP.
New York is not the only major world city that is sinking.
Subsidence and rising water levels have fuelled fears that Venice may one day be entirely submerged.
And Jakarta is sinking at such an alarming rate due to the excessive extraction of groundwater that Indonesia is relocating its capital.


US Senate moves toward ending 'forever war' authorisations

A US Senate committee will consider legislation next week that would repeal two authorisations for past wars in Iraq, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday, in a renewed push to reassert Congress' role in deciding to send troops into combat.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will take up the 1991 and 2002 Authorizations for the Use of Military Force, or AUMFs, Schumer said, paving the way for a possible vote in the full Senate before members leave for the April recess, Schumer said.
"We need to put the Iraq war squarely behind us once and for all, and doing that means we should extinguish the legal authority that initiated the war to begin with," Schumer said.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers from the Senate and House of Representatives introduced legislation to repeal the two longstanding AUMFs in early February.
Members of Congress have been arguing for years that legislators have ceded too much authority to the president over whether troops should be sent into combat, by passing and then failing to repeal broad, open-ended war authorisations that presidents have then used for years to justify military action around the globe.
For example, Republican then-President Donald Trump said the 2002 AUMF provided legal authority for the 2020 killing of senior Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani.
Under the Constitution, Congress, not the president, has the right to declare war.
But the measure's chances of becoming law were unclear. Members of Congress have been divided over whether it is better for national security to let the AUMFs stand, leaving it to military commanders to decide how to fight America's enemies or insisting that new AUMFs pass before old ones end.
Previous repeal efforts have not succeeded, although some have made it through committees or been passed by one chamber of Congress.


‘Get me a deal’: Fugitive Jho Low in quotes

Qatar-based news channel Al Jazeera has released exclusive audio clips of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho in a phone conversation with a Malaysian official, where he attempted to negotiate a deal with the Malaysian government to ink an agreement similar to the one he has with US authorities over allegations linked to 1MDB.The following are random excerpts from a two-part video published by Al Jazeera.Jho Low: You can record if you want.To be honest, I’m happy to talk to you by WhatsApp, I’m happy to video-chat.Because for me, it’s very transparent, I mean, if you all record or not, it’s fine totally, I have no issues.As far as I’m concerned, I just want to do whatever it takes to sort of move on.I’ve gone from at least being able to meet people, now I’m like in a lockdown, but okay.On a deal with PutrajayaYou know, I wanted you to just convey if possible, to Tun Mahathir, that I really believe that the change in government presents a real opportunity to resolve these 1MDB-related issues, and I’m committed to achieve that.Basically, I agree to give up all the assets in the US, and the monies will be used to directly repay 1MDB US dollar bonds.The US doesn’t trust the Malaysian government, so we are not going to send back the money.If I sign the deal, basically the Malaysian government would say, ‘OK, so are you now saying that the monies are allegedly from 1MDB?’, when the position is not.But my position, I told them, ‘Look, in the US, you can sign settlement agreements which have no admission of wrongdoing.’On hopes for a deal with SingaporeThe attorney-general had numerous discussions with the Singapore AG, and they actually agreed to close off those charges, in return, I agree to waive my claims to all the assets, and they also agree to lift the Interpol red notices.Singapore has also put a red notice on me, that’s why I have travel restrictions.I have given up a lot of the assets, and there’s still a portion that I haven’t given up.So I think if Singapore hears from Malaysia to say, ‘Look Mr Low is going to waive all his claims’, I can do it within the next five days, easy.Obviously, in return, then, I need Singapore to lift my Interpol red notice, which they were willing to do, and in future they can’t file any new notices on me, but if they want to file new charges on me, that’s their business.I’m willing to waive all my rights to all the assets, and then effectively say that the Malaysian government can take all of it.And then in return, basically, you know, I would need Malaysia’s undertaking that because of my cooperation, this is settled and there would be no future proceedings against me, and so on and so forth.So typically what happens is that we’re trying to sell all the assets, it makes it easier for the DoJ and Malaysia, so you all don’t have to deal at the assets level.On selling off the Equanimity yachtWe are talking to them to try and move it from Indonesia to the Mediterranean because we think we can get a much higher price than the US. Because in the summer season, it’s easier to sell a boat.When the time comes, we may need your help to talk to the Indonesians. But that would of course be with the DoJ’s…‘Najib to blame, not me’I just think it’s unfair that at the end of the day, whoever they want to say, but ultimately, I have no authority to make any decision.It’s a pretty known fact that all the approvals have to be approved by the minister of finance.To be honest, I know most of the people that can be very helpful if the objective is, ‘Let’s look at black and white, who’s at fault, is the prime minister at fault, is the first lady at fault?’Then I think everyone can go back and prepare the documentation, so on so forth.On Saudi ‘donation’ to NajibI’ll just give you the reality. The reality is, it is true that King Abdullah actually agreed to give a donation to the PM. But that was a small portion of a larger portion.So I think what they are trying to do is take the first section, and paint it all over this thing in general.Nik Faisal’s (former CEO of SRC International) point is, he is happy to sign a statutory declaration, I’m going to make sure the SD is consistent to the factual events, and if that’s agreed, he can sign it and go back to continue his life.On jewellery for Rosmah MansorI think the most challenging part is trying to identify the flows used to purchase all this jewellery.I don’t have like an accurate number, because this thing happened over time. But I believe the number is north of half a billion dollars. It’s a huge number.The China linkI think the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) is the most important. It was like (inaudible) because of the One Belt One Road programme in Asia.But I think the Chinese position is, I understand that the current government may need to adjust pricing, but I am pragmatic, but I don’t want to get involved in basically Najib-related items.I don’t think they were thrown under the bus, but I think they are very concerned it impacts them from a reputational perspective.


We'll discuss GST but not this year, says Zafrul

The government is not ruling out any consideration of a return of the goods and services tax (GST), more than four years after it was abolished as part of Pakatan Harapan's (PH) election manifesto pledge.
However, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said any discussion on the consumption tax would depend on the state of the economy.
"For this year, we are not discussing it for this budget," he told the press after presenting the 2023 Budget today.
In June 2018, the PH government announced that the 6% GST would be zero-rated.
It was replaced by sales and services tax in September 2018.
Jailed former prime minister Najib Razak, who introduced the GST in 2015, defended the tax last year, saying it had ensured transparency and reduced leakage worth hundreds of billions of dollars, in addition to closing the income gap between the rich and the poor.


Back to school for preschoolers, Standard 1 and 2 pupils

Preschoolers and students in Standard 1 and 2 return to the classroom today as schools reopen following their closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.The education ministry has allowed students who have not obtained their uniforms yet to wear their everyday clothes to school until March 26 when the first-term holiday begins.The reopening of face-to-face classes at schools which had been closed across the country since Nov 9 last year will also see students and teachers adapting to new norms and complying with SOPs.The ministry has distributed guidelines on the reopening of schools and pupil control at school gates to all schools nationwide.The guideline covers various matters from students’ arrival at school to their departure at the end of the school day.Apart from primary schools, vocational colleges will also open today.Students from Standard 3 to 6 will return to school on March 8 while secondary school sessions commence on April 4 in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, and April 5 in all other states.International schools and private educational institutions will reopen on March 8.However, face-to-face classes have been postponed until March 14 for schools in Kuching, including the districts of Samarahan, Julau, Meradong, Sibu, Kapit, Bintulu, Subis and Miri, due to the Covid-19 situation there.


Non-negotiable, Sarawak CM says on constitutional amendment

Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg today reiterated his administration’s stand urging the federal government to amend Article 160 (2) of the Federal Constitution to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak as equal partners in the federation, in line with the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).Speaking at an event in Miri today, he said amending the provision in the constitution was “non-negotiable” as Sarawak’s constitutional rights are provided for under MA63.“We want the federal government to amend Article 160 (2),” he said. “What we want is our rights respected.“We, GPS, are very firm in our decision and we cannot negotiate,” he added. “This is non-negotiable because it is our right.”He said the amendment sought would see the word “federation” defined in line with MA63 instead of the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957, as is currently the case.“Currently, our constitution only refers to the Federation of Malaya. If I’m not mistaken, the word federation is mentioned about 50 times in the constitution.“So, if all laws refer to this federation, then according to interpretation this means that all laws are referring to the Federation of Malaya Agreement 1957.”He said the constitution would only align with what was promised in MA63 once the amendment is made.


HSBC to stop funding new oil and gas fields as part of policy overhaul

HSBC will stop funding new oil and gas fields and expect more information from energy clients over their plans to cut carbon emissions, the banking giant said on Wednesday, as part of a wider update of its sector policy.
Activist groups that have been critical of HSBC in recent years mostly hailed the move by one of the biggest lenders to energy companies in the world as a keenly awaited update that will drive companies towards a cleaner future.
"HSBC's announcement sets a new minimum level of ambition for all banks committed to net-zero," said Jeanne Martin, a campaigner at Share Action.
HSBC is among the biggest banks to confirm it would not support oil and gas projects that received final approval after the end of 2021, a move the International Energy Agency has said is needed for the world to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.
Others to have committed to this include Britain's biggest domestic bank Lloyds.
HSBC said it would continue to finance energy companies at the corporate level to help them overhaul their businesses and drive development of cleaner energy sources, and would assess their strategic plans annually.
Covering everything from biomass projects to hydrogen, nuclear and thermal coal, the policy was aimed at driving progress across regions with different energy systems, Celine Herweijer, HSBC's Chief Sustainability Officer, told Reuters.
Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and a resultant surge in energy costs, the policy was also "pragmatic" she said, and the bank would continue to finance existing oil and gas fields to ensure supply fell over time with demand.
"It's not no new fossil fuel investment as of tomorrow. The existing fossil fuel energy system needs to exist hand-in-hand with the growing clean energy system," Herweijer said.
"The world cannot get to a net-zero energy future without energy companies being at the heart of the transition."
To ensure oil and gas companies are on-track, the bank would now ask for new information, including production levels beyond 2030, she added.
Also on Wednesday, Barclays said it had increased its sustainable and transition finance target to US$1 trillion (about RM4.4 trillion) by 2030 and would pump more of its own money into energy startups.


PN rejects early election as pressure mounts on PM

Perikatan Nasional (PN) today announced its stand against the holding of the 15th general election this year, saying this would coincide with the probability of year-end floods especially in east coast states.
PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said holding polls during the flood season would affect the election process and bring difficulty to the people.
"The government must focus on preparations for the flood season, and give its attention to efforts to speed up Malaysia's economic recovery post Covid-19," he said.
In a statement, he added that the people were currently struggling with the problems of inflation and the rising cost of goods as well as the drop in ringgit value and sluggish economic growth.
"The government should focus fully on resolving these problems, particularly through Budget 2023," he said.
Adding that the ministers from PN had been asked to make clear their stand at the Cabinet meeting, he said MPs from the coalition should take the same position as well.


Peru president refuses to quit as demonstrators seethe

Peru's embattled President Dina Boluarte said Saturday she would not step down in the face of violent protests over her predecessor's ouster as she called on lawmakers to bring forward elections as a way to quell unrest.
The country's Congress rejected a bid Friday to hold polls next December, more than two years earlier than scheduled, as deadly protests left thousands of tourists stranded near Machu Picchu and furious demonstrators – and some lawmakers – called for Boluarte's departure.
But in an address aimed at tamping down the unrest rocking the South American nation, the new president stood defiant.
"What is solved by my resignation? We will be here, firmly, until Congress determines to bring forward the elections," Boluarte told Peruvians.
On Friday, House speaker Jose Williams said the vote on the election schedule could be revisited during a forthcoming session of Congress.
Peru was plunged into political crisis on Dec 7 when then-president Pedro Castillo was impeached and arrested after he attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
The unrest has swelled across several cities and regions, leaving at least 18 people dead, including minors.
In a televised address, Boluarte expressed regret for the protests and the deaths, most of which came in clashes with security forces including the military, which has been authorised to impose order under a state of emergency.
If armed troops were on the streets, "it has been to take care of and protect" Peru's citizens, Boluarte said, adding that the protests were "overflowing" with violent elements that were coordinated and not spontaneous.
"These groups did not emerge overnight. They had tactically organised to block roads," she said.
Protesters are calling for the release of Castillo, the resignation of Boluarte and closure of Congress, and immediate general elections.
Health Minister Rosa Gutierrez said Friday that 18 people had been killed in clashes since Castillo's arrest. Two cabinet ministers have resigned over the deaths.
Initially detained for seven days, Castillo was on Thursday ordered to spend 18 months in pretrial detention.
The leftist former schoolteacher stands accused of rebellion and conspiracy, and could be jailed for up to 10 years if found guilty, according to public prosecutor Alcides Diaz.
Boluarte declared a 30-day nationwide state of emergency and said she wanted to bring forward elections as a way to calm the uproar, but Friday's measure fell short of passage in Congress.
The rising death toll seemed to weaken Boluarte's grip on the presidency.
"Due to the number of dead Peruvians, Boluarte needs to resign," said Susel Paredes, a centrist legislator.
Tourists in limbo
Several airports have been closed, including the international terminal in Cusco, the gateway city to the jewel of Peruvian tourism, the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
Cusco's airport is the third largest in Peru, and armed soldiers were seen Saturday standing guard outside.
It has been closed since Monday, when protesters tried to storm the terminal.
"There are 5,000 tourists stranded in the city of Cusco. They are in their hotels waiting for flights to restart," Darwin Baca, mayor of nearby Machu Picchu, told AFP.
Rail service to Machu Picchu has been suspended since Tuesday.
An army helicopter was due to arrive there Saturday to begin shuttling stranded tourists to Cusco, officials said.
Around 200 tourists, mostly Americans and Europeans, have set off on foot to make a 30km trek along train tracks to the town of Ollantaytambo, where trains are running to Cusco.
'Criminal investigation' needed
The death toll rose sharply Thursday when soldiers protecting the Ayacucho airport shot at protesters.
Soldiers "found themselves surrounded with the masses closing in," rights ombudsman Eliana Revollar told AFP.
The army says its soldiers would have first raised their weapons and then fired into the air, but Revollar said shots were fired at protesters.
"This merits a criminal investigation. These people have died from gunshot wounds," she said.
On top of the deaths in clashes, six people have died in incidents related to roadblocks, such as being prevented from reaching a hospital.
The nation's human rights ombudsman's office said 518 people have been injured in the clashes, including 268 police officers.


Muda’s sole rep in Johor rapped for crowdfunding aid for fire victims

Muda’s sole representative in Johor has come under fire for attempting to crowdfund assistance for fire victims in Ulu Tebrau, with social media users questioning her knowledge of how to carry out her duties as an assemblyman just weeks after her election in the state polls.Puteri Wangsa assemblyman Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz had uploaded a video on Twitter yesterday calling for public donations as a response to the fire which destroyed five shop houses in Felda Ulu Tebrau on Friday.This sparked a barrage of criticism from internet users who disagreed with her move.“You’re an assemblyman now and you still want to ask for funds? What happened to the state government’s money?” Twitter user @azizanhariz said.“Are you an assemblyman or an NGO?”Amira was also criticised for being late to arrive on the scene, with Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar visiting the site before she did.Sultan Ibrahim had also said that he would finance the cost of rebuilding the shops through the Sultan Ibrahim Johor Foundation.Social media users said Amira appeared still caught up with Muda’s strategy for raising funds before her victory in Puteri Wangsa in the March 12 election.They also compared her to a reporter, saying she had only provided updates on the victims’ situation.“Like a journalist, but an ordinary one,” said @fotofadh. “Isn’t it great being a YB?”Muda had been a strong critic of the government’s disaster management during the massive floods which swept across several states late last year.Amira herself had reprimanded MCA’s candidate for the Puteri Wangsa seat, Ng Yew Aik, who said that the constituents were still looking for her even though she had lost the election.“If you have complaints and Ng is not comfortable receiving them, channel them directly to my office,” she had said in a Facebook post.“At the moment we are still looking for a permanent office, but our operations room is still open as usual.”Amira was the only candidate from Muda to win a state seat at the Johor election, obtaining a majority of more than 7,000 votes in a six-way contest.


US-Canada bridge reopens after police clear protesters

North America’s busiest trade link reopened for traffic late Sunday evening, ending a six-day blockade, Canada Border Services Agency said, after Canadian police cleared the protesters fighting to end Covid-19 restrictions.Canadian police made several arrests on Sunday and cleared protesters and vehicles that occupied the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ontario, after a court order on Friday.The blockade had choked the supply chain for Detroit’s carmakers, forcing Ford Motor Co, the second-largest US automaker, General Motors Co and Toyota Motor Corp to cut production.The bridge carries about US$360 million a day in two-way cargoes – 25% of the value of all US-Canada goods trade.A Windsor Police official told reporters that 20 to 30 arrests had been made. Police also seized vehicles within the demonstration area, according to an earlier statement.Police stepped up their presence on Sunday with more than 50 vehicles, including cruisers, buses and an armoured car, as the number of protesters dropped to around 45 from roughly 100 on Saturday. Windsor Police tweeted “there will be zero tolerance for illegal activity”.In Ottawa, counter protests started blocking vehicles trying to join the protests on Sunday, with residents losing patience over the three-week-old demonstrations.In the western Canadian province of British Columbia, the Pacific highway border crossing in Surrey was temporarily closed on Sunday afternoon, for a second day, by a group of about 200 protesters, according to a Reuters photographer on the scene. A small group of protesters gathered on US side of the border, blocking incoming vehicles.The “Freedom Convoy” protests, started in the national capital Ottawa by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers, entered its 17th day on Sunday. But it has now morphed into a rallying point against broader Covid-19 curbs, carbon tax and other issues, with people joining in cars, pick-up trucks and farm vehicles.“We’re fed up, we’re tired. We want Ottawa to be boring again,” said an Ottawa resident at a counter protest in front of the city’s police headquarters.The Canadian government had discussed whether to invoke special emergency powers to deal with the protests in the capital, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair told CBC News on Sunday. Blair said the lack of police enforcement in Ottawa was “inexplicable.” The rarely used Emergencies Act would allow the federal government to override the provinces and authorise special temporary measures to ensure security during national emergencies anywhere in the country. It has only been used once in peacetime – by Trudeau’s father, former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau – in 1970.Strangling bilateral trade, protests have spread to three border points, including in Alberta and Manitoba. Canadian police have said the protests have been partly funded by US supporters, and Ontario froze funds donated via one US platform GiveSendGo on Thursday.The estimated loss so far from the blockades to the auto industry alone could be as high as US$850 million, based on IHS Markit’s data, which puts the 2021 daily flow in vehicles and parts at US$141.1 million a day.“Today, our national economic crisis at the Ambassador Bridge came to an end,” Windsor City Mayor Drew Dilkens said in a tweet.In Europe, a convoy of 150 cars protesting Covid-19 restrictions left Paris on Sunday morning and headed towards Brussels, protesters told Reuters.


Family struggles through the slow decline of dementia

Thalia (not her real name) was only 14 when her father was diagnosed with dementia. The years that followed have been filled with therapy sessions and appointments under an intervention programme at a centre in the city.Every two weeks, Thalia drives her father to the centre from their home in Batu Kawa, Kuching. Sometimes she joins the class as well to encourage him to develop friendships with others who are also suffering from dementia.Some days are good. But on other days, her father is just not in the mood.Dementia is defined as a chronic or persistent disorder of the mental processes caused by brain disease or injury and marked by memory disorders, personality changes and impaired reasoning.For Thalia’s family, it has been 15 long years of watching his slow decline. The therapy sessions have helped – at 67, despite losing his memory, he can still feed himself and converse with others. And he still loves a good joke.“My father likes to tease me, calling me King Kong,” Thalia said when met by MalaysiaNow.But the Covid-19 pandemic has significantly added to the burden of efforts to arrest any further decline in his condition.He has stayed mainly at home since the virus was detected in the country early last year, and the family takes extra precautions to ensure that the rest of the household is also safe from infection.Sometimes he attends his therapy sessions but this, too, depends on the Covid-19 situation.The last few weeks have been particularly difficult as his mind has been playing tricks on him.One night in particular, he became extremely agitated, saying he could hear someone whispering behind him telling him that someone wanted to kill him.Unable to control him, his family called the emergency services for an ambulance to take him to hospital.But their request was refused.“I called several times, asking for an ambulance,” Thalia said. “But the ambulance officers said they weren’t going to come because they couldn’t.”Thalia’s father is among some 50 million people worldwide afflicted with dementia. According to Alzheimer’s Disease International, 123,000 people in Malaysia had dementia in 2015.The number is believed to have doubled last year, and it is projected that half a million people in the country will be diagnosed with dementia by 2050.The number of institutions and residential care centres for the elderly has been growing, but experts say it is still not enough to cater to the needs of those with dementia.The pandemic has also put patients under huge strain.CS Ghan, project director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation Malaysia, said the country lacks enough healthcare professionals trained in the care and treatment of dementia patients.In the meantime, the number of senior citizens in need of such care has continued growing.The real challenge, according to Dr Ismail Drahman of the Sarawak Mental Health Association, is reaching patients in rural areas.“In Sarawak, for example, rural areas are a huge challenge,” he told MalaysiaNow.“I understand this because I have visited places without a proper basic road system where people depend solely on boats.”The fear is that patients suffering emotional disturbance might jump from the boat into the river.“In our local setting, usually they ask the police to take the person to hospital,” Ismail added.Ismail, who is a psycho-geriatrician, said there are many conditions which can cause behaviour changes in older people.“It can be due to confusion as a result of high salt intake which prompts cognitive decline (electrolytes), or a stroke, or the side effects of medication,” he said.Ghan meanwhile urged the government to expedite the implementation of the Malaysia National Dementia Plan, which was delayed due to the pandemic.In the meantime, Thalia’s family continues to struggle with providing holistic care for her father.When they finally managed to get him to the hospital, he was diagnosed with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. For five days, he behaved aggressively and would often hallucinate.“He said he smelled unpleasant odours,” Thalia said. “He could not sleep at night. Most of the time he would stare at the wall.“It’s like he was talking to someone but no one was there.”Doctors have told the family that his hallucinations and nightmares are likely to become the new routine. But while the hard work appears likely to get harder, Thalia is determined to do everything she can for her father.“My heart is broken,” she said. “All we can do is offer our help and watch as his condition becomes worse.”


Outrage at report of 7-year-old killed in Myanmar crackdown

The shooting death of a seven-year-old girl in her own home triggered fresh outrage at Myanmar’s military crackdown on Wednesday, with at least 20 children reported killed since the junta took charge last month.The regime has unleashed a deadly wave of violence as it struggles to quell nationwide protests against the Feb 1 ouster and arrest of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.The 75-year-old Nobel laureate has a court hearing scheduled Wednesday as she faces a series of criminal charges that could see her permanently barred from political office.There was chaos overnight in Mandalay with barricades burning, arrests, homes raided by security forces, beatings and machine guns ringing out over multiple neighbourhoods, local media reported.Three people were killed on Tuesday including Khin Myo Chit, 7, shot dead at her home in Mandalay, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring group.AFP has yet to independently verify the girl’s death.Aid group Save the Children and AAPP both say that at least 20 people aged under 18 have been killed in the crackdown.“We are horrified that children continue to be among the targets of these fatal attacks on peaceful protestors,” Save the Children said in a statement.“The safety of children must be protected under all circumstances and we once again call on security forces to end these deadly attacks against protesters immediately.”The charity said it was also extremely worried about “hundreds of young people” being held in detention.Myanmar’s junta on Tuesday defended its seven-week crackdown, insisting it would not tolerate “anarchy”.AAPP has verified 275 deaths since the coup, but warns the toll could be higher, and says more than 2,800 people have been detained.Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun put the death toll lower at 164, and branded the victims “violent terrorist people” at a Tuesday news conference in the capital Naypyidaw.Suu Kyi back in courtSuu Kyi has another legal hearing in a Naypyidaw court on Wednesday.But her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said it was not certain to go ahead because of problems with video conferencing caused by a junta-imposed internet shutdown.“The hearing may not commence… the court has no WiFi,” he told AFP.“If she can not participate in the video conference there won’t be a hearing.”He added that on Wednesday morning there was a large police presence outside the court gates and lawyers were not being allowed into the building.Khin Maung Zaw said he has still not been able to speak to his client privately.Suu Kyi faces several criminal charges, including for owning unlicensed walkie-talkies and violating coronavirus restrictions by staging a campaign event in 2020.She is also being investigated for corruption allegations.The military junta alleges the detained chief minister of Yangon confessed to giving Suu Kyi US$600,000 in cash, along with more than 11kg (US$680,000 worth) of gold.The junta has also been targeting the media.Thein Zaw, a photographer for Associated Press, who has been charged with “spreading false news” is also due to appear in a Yangon court on Wednesday.


Domestic tourism spending for 2021 drops 54.5% to RM18.4 billion

Domestic tourism spending in 2021 dropped 54.5% to RM18.4 billion compared to RM40.4 billion in 2020, according to the Domestic Tourism Survey 2021 released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia today.Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the number of domestic visitor arrivals in 2021 fell 49.9% to 66 million visitors compared to 131.7 million visitors in the previous year, and decreased by 72.4% compared to 2019, before the onset of the pandemic.“Border restrictions, the SOP regulations and continuous lockdowns due to new variants of Covid-19 such as Omicron and Delta continued to impact domestic tourism in 2021.“The floods disaster towards the end of 2021 in many areas in peninsula Malaysia caused domestic travel to worsen,” he said in a statement today.Uzir said the low performance in Malaysia’s domestic tourism was due to expenditure by domestic tourists which fell 68%, while excursionists dropped 36.3%.This was in line with the negative growth in the volume of domestic tourists and excursionists which recorded 67.8% and 40.2% respectively, he said.In 2021, the number of domestic trips fell 50.7% to 72.4 million trips compared to 147 million trips in 2020, while overnight trips dropped 67.8% to 15.5 million and daily trips decreased 42.4% to 56.9 million.In terms of expenditure, the survey said shopping contributed the most from the total expenditure with a share of 50.3%, followed by food and beverages at 15.1% and automotive fuel at 11.1%.Uzir said visiting relatives and friends contributed 24.2% in 2021 compared to 32% in 2020, significantly lower compared to 2019 which recorded 42.3%.“This foreseen situation was due to inter-district and interstate travel restrictions which made it unfeasible for people to visit relatives,” he said.Uzir said domestic visitors with a household income of RM5,001 to RM10,000 showed a significant increase in 2021 to record the highest contribution of 30.4% from 23.3% in 2019 due to the closure of the country’s international borders where people were unable to travel abroad.Travel by domestic visitors with a household income of between RM1,001 and RM3,000 meanwhile decreased by 6.4% from 2019 to 29.3%.“The most visited states by domestic visitors in 2021 were Selangor with 10.2 million followed by Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak with 9.1 million and 6.5 million domestic visitors, respectively,” he said.


Trouble in Negeri BN after Seremban Umno Youth cuts ties with MCA

The Umno Youth wing in Seremban has decided to cut all ties with Negeri Sembilan MCA over what it says were “provocative” statements made by the Chinese party in the vernacular press linked to the distribution of seats for the next general election.This comes in the wake of a decision by Seremban Umno to contest the federal seat at the next polls.“It is up to them who they want to field, but it must be an Umno candidate. MCA says they will not compromise (on seats),” Seremban Umno Youth chief Zool Amali Hussein told MalaysiaNow.He said the wing had notified the division’s chief Mustafa Salim of its decision to end cooperation with MCA.Zool said Negeri Sembilan MCA chief Siow Koi Voon had recently dismissed the youth wing following a call to field an Umno candidate for the Seremban seat.“Our findings show that voters want a Malay candidate. It’s not about whose seat it is traditionally, we want to win the seat,” he added.He said MCA should instead stand in state seats such as Temiang or Lobak, adding that the party should first put its support to test on a smaller scale.The Seremban seat is currently held by DAP’s Loke Siew Fook, who won 55,503 votes against MCA’s Chong Sin Woon who represented BN (24,809 votes), as well as PAS’ Shariffuddin Ahmad (11,506 votes).MCA had contested the seat in the last three general elections and lost.


Umno rebellion grows as Pahang division joins Youth’s call to oust Zahid

An Umno division in Pahang has called for Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to quit as president, in a sign that a youth rebellion within the party is gaining support from senior leaders.“For the sake of the Malays, Umno, and the loyalty and hard work of 3.6 million members, Zahid Hamidi should give up his post as the president of Umno,” said Paya Besar Umno chief Ahmad Tajuddin Sulaiman in a statement today.Tajuddin said the actions of top leaders as well as a section of MPs from the party showed that Umno has no direction, and lacks confidence from its Malay vote bank for future general elections.He added that Zahid, who is facing multiple criminal charges involving money laundering, breach of trust and corruption, is a liability to the party.“The revival of Umno is directly burdened by the charges against its top leadership,” said Tajuddin.Zahid is already facing anger from several state and division Umno Youth leaders who urged him to make way in the wake of revelations that he had backed PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to topple the Perikatan Nasional government which Umno supported following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan administration last year.In 2018, Zahid won the Umno presidency despite the dozens of charges slapped against him. In late December, he went on leave following pressure from Umno Youth, but returned to the post six months later saying he was the rightful president of the party.In the past week, Pontian Umno Youth chief Helmi Buang and his Seremban counterpart Zool Amali Hussin openly called for Zahid’s removal, while the party’s Federal Territories Youth chief Mohamed Nizham Abdullah Hamidi called for a shake-up at the top.The calls were seen as a sign of growing disenchantment with Zahid’s move to support Anwar’s bid to topple the government.Zahid and his predecessor Najib Razak have been at the forefront of calls for Umno to revoke the party’s support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, accusing the Bersatu chief of sidelining Umno in key government posts.In October, MalaysiaNow revealed the contents of a letter to the palace jointly written by Zahid and Najib, expressing support for Anwar’s bid to become prime minister through the defection of MPs.


US says West needs to cooperate more than ever to stand up for liberal values

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that cooperation between allies was more important than at any time in recent history and that relations with Nato and the EU would be crucial to overcoming global challenges.Speaking on the last day of his three-day visit to Brussels, Blinken continued what many European officials said was a charm offensive to win back the support of allies sidelined during the Trump years, according to Reuters.“I came here very much with one particular focus in mind, and that was to make clear the US’ determination to revitalise our alliances and partnerships,” said Blinken, a long-time Biden confidante, involved in US foreign policy for decades.“There’s a greater premium than at any time since I’ve been involved in these issues, on finding ways to work together, again,” he said. “A basic tenet of the Biden-Harris administration is consulting with our friends, early and often.”On Wednesday, he won EU support for a US plan to confront Chinese power together through a formal dialogue that Beijing had hoped to avoid.China’s decision on Monday to retaliate strongly against Western sanctions over human rights abuses is actually bringing Europe and the US closer together.European governments have summoned Chinese envoys to explain measures against EU nationals that are seen as going far beyond the sanctions Brussels imposed.“We’re convinced that it is through enduring relationships, like the one between our countries, and like the ones that exist through the European Union and through Nato that we can overcome any of these challenges,” Blinken said.Citing the “devastating” Covid-19 pandemic, Blinken also promised to work with the EU and Nato on the global distribution of safe and effective coronavirus vaccines, and to ensure they are prepared for future pandemics.While maintaining that Europe did not have to choose between the US and China, Blinken insisted throughout his trip that the West must show authoritarian states that democracy is a superior system, and to stand up for liberal values.


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Daily caseload at 3,100 as 6 more deaths logged

Another 3,118 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,771,512.
There were 3,363 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,699,584.
There are now 35,737 active cases, of which 34,294 or 96.0% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 23 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,345 (3.8%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 75 are in ICU with 45 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 62.9%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 20.1%.
Another six deaths were reported, including three who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,191.


Put Zahid on leave, Bersatu says after passport bid

Bersatu has called for Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to be placed on leave as deputy prime minister, following his application for the permanent return of his passport in order to perform his duties, including those involving overseas travel, without disruption.
Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu said this would ensure a fair and independent judiciary and a transparent trial for Zahid who is facing 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering related to funds from charity outfit Yayasan Akalbudi.
"His application which was supposedly based on national interests is clearly seen as applying pressure to the courts as well as the judges, and will disrupt the trial process," he said.
"While it is the prerogative of the judges to return the passport in question, the scope of duty held by Zahid in the government administration will have an effect on the authority of the judges to ensure an efficient, smooth and timely trial."
Zahid's passport was surrendered to the court as an additional bail condition.
In an affidavit in support of the application, Zahid said the application was only meant to apply for permission for a passport so that he could carry out his official duties. Zahid, who is also the rural and regional development minister, said he had faced some constraints in carrying out his duties as he did not have access to his passport.
"As the deputy prime minister, I have received the mandate and responsibility from the 10th prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, to represent him in several administrative matters," he said, having filed the notice of application, along with the supporting affidavit, at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, on Jan 20.
To enable smooth movement in his official capacity as the deputy prime minister, Zahid said he was required to be in and out of the country, and that this would necessitate him holding his own passport.
In addition, Zahid said he needed the passport as it was required for his application to obtain a diplomatic passport from the immigration department, for official business within and outside of the country.
"It is appropriate for the court to consider that the approval of the application will bring good and continuity to the administration of Malaysia, which is the responsibility of every citizen in this country," he said in the affidavit.
He also promised to continue giving his full cooperation in the trial, saying he would comply with all of the conditions set out by the court.
Azumu said the return of Zahid's passport would only cause more delays in the name of duties and responsibilities.
"The fact is, the government has a deputy prime minister who is still facing 47 charges in court, which should be seen as damaging to the overall composition of Cabinet members.
"This is an insult to the majority of voters at the 15th general election, who had hoped for a clean government with integrity."


Moscow says 700,000 children from Ukraine conflict zones now in Russia

Russia has brought some 700,000 children from the conflict zones in Ukraine into Russian territory, Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee in the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, said late on Sunday.
"In recent years, 700,000 children have found refuge with us, fleeing the bombing and shelling from the conflict areas in Ukraine," Karasin wrote on his Telegram messaging channel.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion on its western neighbour Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow says its programme of bringing children from Ukraine into Russian territory is to protect orphans and children abandoned in the conflict zone.
However, Ukraine says many children have been illegally deported and the US says thousands of children have been forcibly removed from their homes.
Most of the movement of people and children occurred in the first few months of the war and before Ukraine started its major counter offensive to regain occupied territories in the east and south in late August.
In July 2022, the US estimated that Russia "forcibly deported" 260,000 children, while Ukraine's Ministry of Integration of Occupied Territories, says 19,492 Ukrainian children are currently considered illegally deported.


Shortage of teachers for 6 core subjects including BM, English

The education ministry has identified six core subjects for which additional teachers are required at schools, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying said the subjects were Bahasa Melayu, English, Islamic studies, design and technology, visual arts education and history.
"We are aware that there is a shortage of teachers. As I said earlier, the ministry has implemented the recruitment of 22,327 teachers through the one-off and subject cluster methods from 2021 to January 2023.
"However, we have plans to recruit teachers from April to June this year. We will recruit teachers from outside universities," she said in response to a question from Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PN-Sik).
Lim said the recruitment of teachers would depend on the vacancies and current needs of subject options.
To a supplementary question from Vivian Wong Shir Yee (PH-Sandakan) on graduates who failed the Education Service Commission (SPP) interview, Lim said they could reapply through mySPP six months after the results are posted on the official SPP portal.
She added that unsuccessful candidates can continue applying until they reach the age of 45.


New cases back to 4 digits at 1,109

Another 1,109 Covid-19 cases were reported today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 61,861.Sabah recorded 441 cases, Selangor 175, Negeri Sembilan 167, and Kuala Lumpur 154.Penang recorded 64 cases, Perak 42, Johor 33, and Kedah 25. Kelantan recorded five new cases and Pahang three.No new cases were reported in Putrajaya, Melaka, Sarawak and Perlis.Active cases stand at 11,307 with 113 in the ICU and 41 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 1,148 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 50,204 or 81.2%.However, two more deaths were recorded, pushing the virus toll to 350.