MA63 among 6 aspects of MoU between govt, opposition

Representatives from the government and the opposition today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to return political stability as the country continues to battle the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.The Memorandum of Understanding on Transformation and Political Stability was signed by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and top Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders Anwar Ibrahim, Mohamad Sabu and Lim Guan Eng as well as Upko’s Wilfred Madius Tangau.Also present at the signing ceremony were Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Harun, Ketereh MP Annuar Musa, Seremban MP Anthony Loke, Kulim Bandar Baharu MP Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Pulai MP Salahuddin Ayub and Upko deputy president Donald Peter Mojuntin.Ismail said in a statement that six aspects were involved in the MoU, including the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak.The others are the empowerment of the Covid-19 plan, administrative transformation, parliamentary reforms, freedom of the judiciary and the formation of a steering committee.“The transformations introduced by this government are not only towards economic recovery and efficient administration in battling Covid-19, but are also to catalyse a conducive investment environment while driving strong economic growth for the well-being of the Malaysian Family,” he said.Representatives from the government and PH, including Sabah-based Upko, said yesterday that the MoU would return political stability as the country continues its battle with Covid-19.They said both sides would give focus and priority to a new political landscape through initiatives of transformation and reforms of governance, especially in strengthening the role of parliamentary institutionsThey also said they had reached the decision following a series of talks between Putrajaya and PH, where they agreed to a bipartisan approach in Malaysia’s road to economic recovery from the pandemic.Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said in his opening speech at the Dewan Rakyat today that the government and the opposition should practise “consultative democracy” in resolving problems.He also said that the people were looking for maturity through the bipartisan cooperation of all parties.


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19 reported deaths take Covid toll to 31,092

Another 19 Covid-related deaths were reported on Dec 19, taking the cumulative death toll in the country to 31,092.According to the health ministry’s Github data repository, four or 21.1% of these were brought-in-dead (BID) cases.Johor had the highest number of reported deaths at four or 21.1% followed by Sabah and Terengganu at three or 15.8% each.Kedah, Pahang, Perak and Selangor reported two deaths each while Kelantan reported one death.No deaths were reported in eight states: Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Perlis, Penang, Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya.A total of 3,108 new cases were reported yesterday, taking the overall total to 2,718,955.As of yesterday, there were 53,482 active Covid-19 cases reported and 3,701 recoveries.


In Britain, nurses prepare for unprecedented strike over pay

Chukwudubem Ifeajuna, a nurse in the south of England, loves his job, but next month will walk out for two days as part of British nurses' biggest ever strike action, which he says is necessary for staff and patient welfare alike.
The industrial action on Dec 15 and 20 is unprecedented in the British nursing union's 106-year history, and comes as the state-run National Health Service (NHS) braces for one of its toughest winters ever.
Ifeajuna has seen members of his team leave to work in supermarkets, where there is less stress and better pay, while he has had to cut back on spending.
"I have a few staff who are using food banks at the moment. I've had to cut down on a lot of things with the kids which I can't afford to provide for them because of the high cost of living. So it's really really tough, for everyone, not just myself," he told Reuters.
"We are striking because we deserve to be paid better. We haven't had decent pay for over a decade now."
Strike action is also impacting Britain's rail, postal and education sectors as workers struggle with soaring prices.
Patricia Marquis, director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) union in England, said the government must listen.
"This is not something that nurses do at the drop of a hat," she told Reuters.
'Most vicious of cycles'
The RCN says experienced nurses like Ifeajuna are 20% worse off in real terms than they were in 2010 after a string of below-inflation pay awards, and are seeking a pay-rise of 5% above RPI (retail price index) inflation.
That would amount to a payrise of 19.2%, based on October's inflation data. The government says the RCN demands would cost £10 billion (US$12.14 billion, RM54.16 billion) a year and are unaffordable.
But the RCN's Marquis said that without higher pay, staff would continue to leave the profession, increasing the pressure on those who remain and ultimately damaging patient care.
Billy Palmer, at the Nuffield Trust health think-tank, told Reuters that those who were considering leaving "often cite issues around not having enough staff to do a good job", but their departure further exacerbates the staffing problem.
"It's the most vicious of cycles," he said.
Ifeajuna says he has also sometimes considered quitting.
"But each time I've had the chance, I sort of had to pause for a minute and say 'I can't leave my patients. I can't leave my colleagues to suffer alone'," he said.


New cases top 22,000 as total infections cross 3 million

Another 22,802 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 3,019,163.Another 5,442 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,846,713.Meanwhile 176 are in the ICU, including 82 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 98 are in need of respiratory assistance including 40 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 22,802 cases reported today, 104 (0.46%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 22,698 (99.54%%) are in Category One and Two.A total of 5,029 cases (22.05%) are in Category One, 17,669 (77.49%) in Category Two, 82 (0.36%) in Category Three, 14 (0.06%) in Category Four, and eight (0.04%) in Category Five.


Cops monitoring social media activities of IS-linked group

The police are closely monitoring the social media activities of a group in the country said to be linked to the Islamic State (IS), as reported by several media outlets.
Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said these media reports were found to be based on information obtained from the Nordic Counter Terrorism Network in Finland.
He said police had detected these activities early on and were continuing to monitor the dissemination of propaganda through social media aimed at rallying support for the group linked to IS.
"One of the steps taken by the police has been to establish close collaboration with regional security agencies to monitor the dissemination of such propaganda so that action can be taken against parties identified as involved," he said in a statement.
He said all agencies were playing an active role in these efforts and that monitoring had been stepped up to ensure an adequate level of security.
Acryl Sani assured the people that security in the country was under control and advised them not to be alarmed by the reports.
He said the police were committed to protecting the people's well-being and would not compromise in taking stern action to counter any activities which could threaten public order in the country.


4 arrested for smuggling drugs worth RM8.1 million at KLIA

Two employees of a cargo airline working at KLIA were among four men arrested on suspicion of attempting to smuggle 200kg of drugs to New Zealand.Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department director Razarudin Husain said the four local men, aged between 34 and 59, were arrested in several raids at KLIA and in the Klang Valley from Oct 22 to 26.He said the arrests were made after the security detail of Malaysia Airport Bhd became suspicious over the contents of five boxes brought in by a man, addressed to Auckland.“Police then inspected the box declared as electronic goods and found 180 packages of syabu drugs weighing 200kg estimated to be worth RM8.1 million.“Two employees of a cargo airline who were arrested acted as facilitators for the syndicate involved to export the drugs overseas,” he said at a press conference at KLIA district police headquarters in Sepang today.Razarudin said initial police investigations found that the syndicate had completed four drug shipments out of the country using the same modus operandi since April.“Police are currently gathering information on the leader and other members of the syndicate and we believe we will be making arrests soon,” he said.According to Razarudin, urine tests found one of the arrested men positive for cannabis. All four were remanded until Nov 5. The case is being investigated under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.Police also seized various assets belonging to the suspects, estimated to be worth RM234,955, including a Ford Ranger, RM3,560 in cash and a watch.


Zahid, from BN heavyweight to dead weight?

Political analysts are predicting a bleak future for Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi despite his years of leadership, saying he has become a burden on the coalition as well as its lynchpin party Umno following several recent moves seen as having backfired.They referred to a media statement bearing Zahid’s name released on behalf of BN in the wake of its Supreme Council meeting on Thursday evening which was found to be nearly identical to another issued by Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman Anwar Ibrahim after PH’s top leadership meeting that same night.They also cited Umno’s decision to end its political cooperation with Bersatu, the party led by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, once Parliament is dissolved.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Shamsul Amri Baharuddin of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said Zahid was now a burden on everyone, especially the Malays and Umno.“It is becoming increasingly clear that Zahid is prioritising his own interests through his many schemes, including writing to the Agong in support of Anwar, turning his back on Umno and even lying to the party,” he said.“That was a very disappointing move.”Shamsul, the founder of UKM’s Institute of Ethnic Studies, said Zahid should step down as Umno president and hand over his duties to his deputy, Mohamad Hasan.“It is becoming increasingly clear that Zahid is prioritising his own interests.”Zahid currently faces 47 charges in court: 12 for criminal breach of trust, eight for bribery and 27 for money laundering involving tens of millions in funds from Yayasan Akalbudi.His statement on Thursday, several paragraphs of which corresponded word for word with that of Anwar, was seen as further confirmation of both leaders coming together in their efforts to topple Muhyiddin.Among others, it called for the Dewan Rakyat to convene during the emergency period. However, BN component parties MCA and MIC distanced themselves from the statement, saying no such decision was made.The coalition later said it had suspended its chief media officer, adding that the statement was released without approval from the top leadership.BN executive secretary Mohamad Sahfri Ab Aziz also said the statement did not reflect the decision reached by coalition leaders who had met following Umno’s decision not to cooperate with Bersatu in the next general election.Hisommudin Bakar, the executive director of Ilham Centre, said Umno’s letter sent by Zahid confirming the decision of its top leadership to end political ties with Bersatu had tarnished the party’s image.“There may be attempts to oust him from the party.”“The statement on behalf of BN urging the Agong to call for a Dewan Rakyat sitting was not agreed to by its component parties,” he added.“This erodes Zahid’s credibility as BN chairman.”Kamarul Zaman Yusoff from Universiti Utara Malaysia agreed that Zahid’s political prospects were becoming dim.“The move by some to dispute the statement by Zahid as Umno president or BN chairman has raised questions about his position,” he said.Kamarul said the wide publicity surrounding Zahid’s corruption case had also tarnished his credibility as well as Umno’s.“There may be attempts to oust him from the party,” he added.But he said all questions leading up to Umno’s true direction would be answered at its general assembly at the end of the month.“According to the Umno constitution, the highest power lies with the general assembly. Anything can happen at this assembly, which could see the election of a new party leadership.”


It’s not just the thought that counts

Try going home to your wife on her birthday and telling her that you didn’t get her anything, neither will you be having dinner to celebrate because it’s her birthday anyway whether or not you do.Try letting your driver’s licence lapse because even if the year stated on it has come and gone, you still know how to drive so what’s the big deal.Try missing your kid’s concert because you already know what a terrific, talented child you have.There’s no such thing as a perfect metaphor, but you get the idea. Acknowledgement is important.Try living in your country of birth your entire life through and being told that you don’t need a holiday in order to celebrate an occasion.This is true, of course. No one needs a holiday to celebrate something, otherwise every single day would be a holiday because at any given point someone out there would be having a birthday or an anniversary or some other special occasion. And many of these events are specific to individuals – while some might utilise annual leave, no one gets upset because they don’t get the day off to celebrate their wedding anniversary, although I have heard of companies that allow their staff birthday leave.But when the occasion is observed by an entire community, there is a special joy in knowing that you are celebrating it together with others.On Thursday, many Malaysians celebrated Thaipusam as a community although only those in Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Putrajaya and Selangor were given a holiday.Other states did not recognise Thaipusam as a holiday, but only Kedah gained a spot in the limelight for its response.Menteri besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said there would be no day off as had been the case in the last two years as Thaipusam-related gatherings were banned due to the Covid-19 pandemic.Dr G Balachandran, the information chief for the PAS Supporters Wing, backed the decision saying, “When people are at home, there is no need for a holiday.”As someone who has spent most of her working life pecking away at a laptop at the kitchen table, I would be the first to challenge this statement. In any case, many if not most Malaysians are currently working from home thanks to the pandemic, so to say that being at home negates the need for a holiday makes no sense at all.True, it’s up to individual states to decide which holidays to observe or not, in addition to those gazetted by the federal government, and Kedah was not the only state where Thaipusam was not allowed a day off.The problem was the state government’s response and reasoning.If Covid-19 health measures have put paid to the way Thaipusam is normally observed, they have done the same to other festivities as well. Christmas, Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, New Year’s Day – which of these has been celebrated in any normal sense since Covid-19 began turning our lives upside down early last year? Were our off-days for those occasions only maintained because they are gazetted as national holidays?The day before Thaipusam, Malaysia recorded another 3,680 cases of Covid-19. Of these, 1,069 were recorded in Johor, 822 in Selangor and 698 in Kuala Lumpur – all three of which recognised Thaipusam as a public holiday.Kedah recorded 76.On Thaipusam itself, Kedah had 92 cases while Selangor had 1,577, Kuala Lumpur had 678 and Johor had 717.In this country, leaders can promise holidays the next day if the right football team wins the match the night before, or if the national badminton team brings home the gold at an event with the requisite amount of international prestige.But not for important religious events, it seems.True, making Thaipusam a holiday would have been a token gesture at best. With public gatherings banned and the country battling to bring daily numbers down to a manageble number, any celebration would have been a distant dream.But still, acknowledgement is important.Just ask your wife.


Consulting religious councils in 'Allah' case

The matter before the High Court in Jill Ireland v Menteri Dalam Negeri [2021] was an application for judicial review by the applicant, Jill Ireland, principally against the home minister.
After the matter was remitted to the High Court by the Court of Appeal in 2015, the Federal Territories Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) and Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) filed their respective applications to intervene in August and September of that year.
At about the same time, there was pending in the Court of Appeal the case of Jerry WA Dusing and Anor v Majlis Agama Islam Wilayah Persekutuan & Ors arising from the decision in Application for Judicial Review No: R2-25-407- 2007 (the Sidang Injil Borneo case).
Sometime in 2016 by agreement of all parties, the hearing of the applications by MAIWP and Mais were adjourned to await the outcome of the appeal in the Sidang Injil Borneo case.
The Court of Appeal gave its decision on the Sidang Injil Borneo case in September 2016. Following the decision of the Court of Appeal, MAIWP withdrew its application to intervene and was given the permission by the High Court to appear as amicus curiae (friend of the court) for the substantive hearing of the judicial review.
Mais proceeded with its application. Hearing date was fixed in December 2016. The High Court dismissed Mais' application to intervene in March 2017 but invited Mais to appear as amicus curiae.
The ground of decision was not reported but justice Nor Bee must have relied on the decision of the Court of Appeal in the Sidang Injil Borneo case wherein MAIWP applied to intervene. In that case, the Court of Appeal ruled that for MAIWP to intervene, it must demonstrate a direct interest in the instant case as it is the threshold test for an intervener to demonstrate direct interest.
The appellate court, however, could not see how MAIWP would be affected by any order of the court other than a circuitous reasoning which would not satisfy the direct interest test. MAIWP had no rights over and owed no liabilities to the applicant in the instant case or non-Muslims.
Be that as it may, the appellate court acknowledged that MAIWP had a positive role to play within its statutory mandate to assist the court as amicus curiae. Consequently, while MAIWP was denied the right to intervene, it was allowed to appear as amicus curiae in the High Court.
According to the appellate court, where a party does not have a right to intervene but because of the importance of the questions involved in the proceedings, the court may allow the party to appear as amicus curiae.
So, in Jill Ireland’s application for judicial review, Mais must have not satisfied the threshold test of direct interest. The Islamic religious council, however, was allowed to as appear as amicus curiae.
That perhaps explains the so-called unilateral withdrawal of the appeal. Both MAIWP and Mais were not parties in the case, only amici curiae.
Even so, it is understandable for them to be disappointed if they were not consulted on the decision to withdraw the appeal. They were amici curiae at the invitation of the court to assist the court on questions of importance in the proceedings.
Shouldn’t they be consulted?
The Quran itself says: “And consult them in the matter.” (Ali Imran: 159)
It is Malaysia Madani to consult.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


PAS needs to overcome barriers with non-Muslims, Hadi says

PAS needs to overcome the barriers between the party and non-Muslims in a wise manner, its president Abdul Hadi Awang says.
He said apart from Malay-Muslim parties, PAS should also approach and collaborate with non-Muslim parties and NGOs through the PAS Supporters' Congress (DHPP).
"PAS today has DHPP. DHPP must play a role among the non-Muslims. Look for parties, look for NGOs including those that are run by non-Muslims, but don't look for those who are at odds with us," he said in his closing speech at the 68th PAS Muktamar or annual general assembly in Alor Setar yesterday.
He said PAS also needed to reach out to non-Muslim voters, especially those who do not have any party affiliation, to vote for Muslim candidates.
"If DAP can nominate Indian candidates in Chinese areas, why can't we attract the Chinese community to support us during the general election? This is a weakness we need to overcome," he said. Meanwhile, PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hasan, when met by reporters after the meeting, confirmed that negotiations on the Muafakat Nasional pact with Umno were being discussed officially and unofficially at "certain levels".
"When we discuss with Umno, it’s not necessarily with certain leaders. It might lead to that direction, but as usual, we hold discussions at certain levels, which we do not need to disclose," he said.
On Sept 3, Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan was reported to have said that there were no Umno leaders currently engaged in discussions with PAS as alleged by Hadi.


Anwar’s PKR won’t use PH logo at Johor polls

PKR will not be using the Pakatan Harapan (PH) logo at the election to come in Johor, in a signal of squabbles over the allocation of seats for the polls.DAP and Amanah will however continue using the PH logo, coalition leaders announced today.“Although there are differences in opinion over PKR’s request regarding the use of logos, the PH Presidential Council has agreed to respect its wish for the PH logo to be used, and for PKR to use its own logo for the Johor state election,” they said.They added that PKR chief Anwar Ibrahim would write to the Election Commission to ask that the authority over nomination letters for PH candidates be given to DAP’s Lim Guan Eng and Amanah’s Mohamad Sabu.They also said PH would continue its talks on cooperation and seat allocation with all opposition parties including Muda.“This will strengthen the competition by the opposition bloc in facing the polls in Johor,” they said.PKR was recently dealt a double election blow with dismal losses in both the Sarawak and Melaka state polls.It was completely wiped out in Sarawak, losing all 28 seats it contested in the Dec 18 polls.In Melaka, meanwhile, it lost all of the 11 seats in which it ran the month before, despite being allocated more than its partners Amanah and DAP, which won one and four seats respectively.


The deluge of disaster politicians

Politicians from both sides of the divide have come under attack for their conduct as they stop at nothing to fill their social media pages with images of them getting their feet wet while Malaysia’s divisive politics refuse to be washed away by the worst floods since the 2014 deluge.Pictures and videos – some doctored, others cut and moulded to suit the intended message – are just some of the online material posted on social media by political cybertroopers and consumed by a public with humour, sarcasm and anger amid the disaster that has so far killed more than 30 people.It could be a clip of the Selangor menteri besar “rescuing a baby” from the first floor of a house as a strategically placed camera records the “heroic” deed, or an image of Kuala Langat MP Xavier Jayakumar’s face tastelessly adorning boxes of donations.It could also be Bangi MP Ong Kian Ming going around in a boat, stopping to grab his lunch while covered in mud – something one commentator described as a show of politicians’ “narcissism” in dealing with the floods.Or it could be another MP who posed for a shot at a scenic ski resort in Iran, unaware that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, not unlike Najib Razak’s 2014 Hawaiian golfing gaffe at the peak of the great floods that displaced 200,000 people.The explanation of Amanah’s Hulu Langat MP Hasanuddin Yunus was not too far off from Najib’s excuse either – that of “golfing diplomacy” with Barack Obama, all for “national interest”.If only half of the effort to promote themselves on social media was put into planning the prevention of such floods, the public would not mind even if their MPs were stuck on a street in Amsterdam trying to help single mothers make ends meet.National interest, after all, is the same excuse Najib gave during his corruption trial, an argument that the appeals court judges took and threw back at him as a “national embarrassment”.In Hasanuddin’s case, he claimed he was away on a mission which took him on a three-nation trip to Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, meeting people in high places to discuss charity and housing projects for refugees.But he has shown that he is not only a humanitarian on a mission to save the world. A few days later, his trip was also for “national interest” – the promotion of Malaysian palm oil to Iranian leaders!While all this was going on, the top leaders and chiefs of parties were busy playing the blame game. Whether they ruled Selangor or Putrajaya, their public spats and arguments only showed them as clueless about their roles and responsibilities as the ordinary Malaysian.Yet as clueless as ordinary Malaysians are about the obscene bureaucracy that is the hallmark of any government, they have shown that in times of desperation, they do not need the presence of party workers clicking away with their cameras.From the villages of Hulu Langat to the working class areas of Klang and the condominiums of Shah Alam, people have shown that it is basic humanity that will save the day, not online mercenaries or blind followers emotionally involved in the made-for-media quarrels between politicians.Some two decades ago, when the tsunami struck areas such as Aceh and Sri Lanka, there was a scourge called disaster tourists, many masquerading as charity workers, who descended to experience the devastation they had hitherto seen only in Hollywood movies.Today, we see disaster politicians at both the state and federal levels who try to make up for their failure to manage the crisis by wading through the mud in shiny yellow boots.The floods are an annual affair, and the people in Shah Alam, especially in Taman Sri Muda and Batu Tiga, have seen no serious effort at addressing the problem.If only half of the effort to promote themselves on social media was put into planning the prevention of such floods, the public would not mind even if their MPs were stuck on a street in Amsterdam trying to help single mothers make ends meet.The truth is, generations of people especially in the poorer areas of Selangor, whether in Taman Sri Muda in Shah Alam or Taman Dato Harun in Petaling Jaya, have not really tasted what it means to be living in the country’s “richest state”.There are places in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, and Shah Alam which look abandoned, almost like a war zone. Unsightly plants, overgrown weeds, blocked drains, construction debris from long-completed roadworks, and uncollected rubbish are problems with simple solutions, if only there is the will and a sense of pride by the elected representatives. But too many of them are more interested in smiling for festive season banners that will remain up long after the celebrations are over.Our politicians take great pains to show that they care for the people by wading into the mud in full view of the camera.They bask in the glory of their social media posts and the praise by their own paid cybertroopers.Little do they know that they only have mud on their face.Abdar Rahman Koya is CEO & editor of MalaysiaNow.


PH manifesto not the only reference point, education minister says on UEC

Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek today said that the government would not refer only to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto in forming its policy on the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), the certificate of graduation from Chinese independent schools which had formed part of the coalition's manifesto for the recent polls.
Speaking in Putrajaya at her first press conference as education minister, Fadhlina, who was accompanied by her deputy Lim Hui Ying, said the issue would be studied from time to time.
"Anything related to the manifesto will be reviewed as we are now in a unity government, we are no longer talking about the PH manifesto alone," she said.
"Even the manifesto, we will look at from time to time."
Calls for the recognition of UEC – a matter heavily highlighted in both the PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) campaigns – were revived after the formation of the new government.
Both coalitions had pledged to recognise the certificate as a qualification for entering local institutions of higher education.
Proponents of the move included education bodies such as the Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia, better known as Dong Zong, which had urged PH to fulfil its manifesto vow first made at the 14th general election in 2018.
The UEC is already recognised by private institutions in the country as well as a number of overseas universities and those in Penang, Melaka, Sabah, Sarawak and Selangor.
However, it is not regulated by the education ministry at the central level.
In its 2018 election manifesto, BN said it would grant recognition for the UEC on condition that certificate holders obtain a credit in Bahasa Melayu and a pass in history in the Form Five SPM examination.
PH meanwhile promised that the UEC would be allowed as proof of qualification for public universities if students also had a credit in SPM Bahasa Melayu.


Child sex abuse trial of defrocked US priest in East Timor abruptly postponed

Judges in East Timor unexpectedly postponed the trial on Monday of a defrocked American priest facing allegations he sexually abused young girls at a remote children’s shelter he ran in East Timor.Soon after Richard Daschbach, a former missionary, arrived in the courtroom in the capital Dili, the judges said they needed more time to make revisions to documents and asked the 84-year-old defendant to return on Tuesday.The former priest is charged with 14 counts of sexual abuse of children under the age of 14, as well as counts of child pornography and domestic violence, according to the country’s prosecutor general.Daschbach could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.The case against him is East Timor’s first child sex case brought against a priest, but it has been complicated by his hero status and loyal devotion from followers in one of the most Catholic countries in the world.Allegations that Daschbach was abusing children at his shelter first surfaced three years ago. When confronted with the allegations by church investigators, Daschbach confessed to systematically abusing scores of orphan girls under his care.Former donors to his orphanage also said he admitted his crimes to them, but the ex-priest has never admitted to it publicly.He did not express any remorse and was subsequently defrocked by Pope Francis.This year, Xanana Gusmao, independence hero and East Timor’s former president, drew rare condemnation after being accused of whitewashing the crimes of the disgraced American priest.On Jan 26 – Daschbach’s 84th birthday – Gusmao visited him at his home in Dili, where he is under house arrest.In a video taken at the meeting, which was covered by local media, Gusmao hugs the former priest and feeds him birthday cake.Gusmao’s three children, who live in Melbourne, Australia, were appalled and wrote apologies to Daschbach’s victims.Australian Tony Hamilton is a former orphanage sponsor and one of a number of people to whom Daschbach has admitted his crimes since the allegations first surfaced.“He admitted to everything he has been accused of in graphic detail and said it was OK because it was his nature,” he said.“He deceived all of us – and he has no remorse.”


Dewan Rakyat approves Budget 2022 at policy stage

The Dewan Rakyat today approved the budget for 2022 at the policy stage.The budget, the first tabled by the government led by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, was passed with a majority voice vote.Attempts by several MPs to initiate bloc voting failed when those who stood up were less than the required 15.Budget 2022 was tabled by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz on Oct 29 with the highest allocation ever of RM332.1 billion to implement various strategies and initiatives to prosper the people and stimulate a progressive and sustainable economy.A total of 131 MPs spoke during the debate from Nov 1 for seven days and 31 ministries began their wind-up of the debate on Monday before Zafrul wound up for the finance ministry today.According to the Dewan Rakyat calendar, the budget will be debated at the committee stage for 13 days starting Nov 22.The Dewan Rakyat sitting continues Monday.


Daily caseload at 184 as another two deaths reported

Another 184 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,038,354.
There were 253 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,991,426.
There are now 9,982 active cases, of which 9,621 or 96.4% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 357 (3.6%) have been hospitalised.
A total of four are in ICU, all of whom are in need of respiratory assistance.
Two more deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 36,946.


New cases tumble to 8,000

Another 8,075 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,285,640.Sarawak recorded 1,189 cases, Kelantan 1,020, Penang 853, Johor 781, Selangor 686, Sabah 677, Terengganu 636, Kedah 628, Perak 548, Pahang 522, Melaka 219, Kuala Lumpur 151 and Negeri Sembilan 108.Perlis recorded 36 cases, Putrajaya 19 and Labuan two.Another 15,456 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,116,021.Meanwhile 867 are in the ICU, including 807 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 461 are in need of respiratory assistance including 342 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 8,075 cases reported today, 160 (2%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 7,915 (98%) are in Category One and Two.


Kelantan sultan consents for palace to be used as jab centre

Kelantan ruler Sultan Muhammad V has given his consent for Istana Balai Besar in Kota Bharu to open its doors to members of the public to facilitate the implementation of the Covid-19 immunisation programme.Comptroller of the Royal Household Tengku Azmi Tengku Jaafar said Istana Balai Besar was the only palace in Kelantan opened for this purpose.He said the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme at Istana Balai Besar, organised by the Office of the Sultan of Kelantan in collaboration with the state health department for Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) would be held for five days, starting today.“The (vaccination) programme for Phase One of the NRP was held on June 9 involving 350 officers and staff of the Kelantan palace.“Meanwhile, for this programme, about 2,000 recipients are expected to receive the vaccine with 1,000 of them locals while the rest will be the staff and relatives of the Kelantan palace,” he said to reporters when met at the immunisation programme at Istana Balai Besar today.Azmi said Sultan Muhammad V also commended his subjects who have registered for vaccination and urged the people inside and outside of the state to take seriously the increase of Covid-19 infections in the state and the country.“His Highness also calls on the people to play their part in protecting themselves and their families,” he said adding that Sultan Muhammad V expressed his appreciation to all frontliners especially the staff of the health ministry who are involved in curbing Covid-19 transmissions.“They have worked tirelessly to serve all levels of society and to ensure that the spike in cases can be reduced as soon as possible,” he said.Meanwhile, Azmi said the Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan Tengku Muhammad Faiz Petra was deeply concerned about the problems and constraints faced by the health ministry in ensuring a smooth vaccination process.“On June 23, the Tengku Mahkota of Kelantan donated five Covid-19 vaccine storage containers to the Kelantan state health department,” he said.Azmi added that the palace was planning to organise several other programmes at Istana Balai Besar, including the distribution of food baskets to those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.


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German troops arrive to reinforce Baltics amid tensions over Ukraine

A German military aircraft carrying troop reinforcements landed in Lithuania on Monday, the first of several planned Nato deployments amid fears in the region about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.The A400M airplane carried around 70 soldiers of what is expected to grow to a 360-strong German deployment, which comes on top of existing Nato forces in the region, a spokesperson for the alliance’s enhanced forward presence battlegroup said.The new deployments include reconnaissance and artillery troops and medics from units throughout Germany, as well as around 100 howitzer and other vehicles, with arrivals expected to continue throughout this week.“It’s a strong signal that Germany is willing and capable of reinforcing the battlegroup immediately as needed,” Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Andrae, German commander of the Nato troops in Lithuania, told reporters.“I am really happy to have the guys with me, and be ready for everything which (could) come up,” Andrae added. The added soldiers will stay as long as they are needed, he said.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was due to arrive in Kyiv on Monday to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a bid to show solidarity and help avert war. On Tuesday, Scholz will fly to Moscow to see Russian President Vladimir Putin.Since 2017, Nato has deployed battlegroups in Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as well as Poland, all sharing borders with Russia, in response to Moscow annexing the Crimea peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.Totalling 5,000 soldiers, the battlegroups are led by Germany, Canada, Britain and the United States.Britain is also preparing to reinforce the British-led Nato battlegroup in Estonia, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week.German soldiers comprise about half of the 1,100-strong battlegroup already present in Lithuania, which includes troops from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway.“Germany’s decision to send more troops to Lithuania is an important and timely decision, which shows Nato’s solidarity, unity and commitment to collective defense,” said Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas.


MACC man told to produce copy of WhatsApp conversations in Guan Eng trial

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court today ordered the eighth prosecution witness in Lim Guan Eng’s corruption trial to produce a digital copy of WhatsApp conversations between two businessmen linked to the former Penang chief minister.
The court issued the order after Lim’s lead counsel, Gobind Singh Deo, informed judge Azura Alwi that similar message threads between Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB) director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli and businessman G Gnanaraja had been produced in a separate trial in Shah Alam, believed to involve the latter.
Azura also instructed the eighth prosecution witness, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) forensics department investigating officer Wan Mohd Firdaus Wan Yusof, to provide the particulars of the MACC officer who had prepared the forensic report of Zarul’s phone extraction produced at the Shah Alam trial.
Gnanaraja is one of the prosecution witnesses in Lim’s trial. He claimed trial at the Shah Alam Sessions Court on April 3, 2019 to three charges of cheating Zarul of RM19 million. He was also alleged to have deceived Zarul into believing that he could help him close an MACC investigation against him.
Earlier, Wan Mohd Firdaus agreed with Gobind’s suggestion that there was a separate forensic report produced, extracted from the same phone.
He testified that the report was produced by another officer from the same department for the Shah Alam trial.
Questioned by Gobind, Wan Mohd Firdaus told the court that he only extracted information based on certain dates.
Gobind: You only extracted information based on certain dates? You did not see the whole copy?
Wan Mohd Firdaus: Yes.
Gobind: Were you required to see the whole copy?  Wan Mohd Firdaus: No. We needed to find some things that were specific. Lim, 61, faces an amended charge of using his position as Penang chief minister to solicit RM3.3 million in bribes as an inducement to help Zarul secure the project worth RM6,341,383,702.
Lim allegedly committed the offence at the Penang Chief Minister’s Office, Level 28, Komtar, George Town, between January 2011 and August 2017.
In the second amended charge, Lim is accused of soliciting a bribe of 10% of the profit from the company as gratification to secure the project.
The offence was allegedly committed near The Gardens Hotel, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City in March 2011.
Lim, the former DAP secretary-general, also faces another two charges of causing two plots of land worth RM208.8 million belonging to the Penang government to be disposed of to two companies linked to the state’s undersea tunnel project.
The trial will continue on Oct 19.


China calls reports on Chinese-Russian coordination on Ukraine ‘fake news’

The Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday that reports on Chinese and Russian coordination ahead of Russia’s attack on Ukraine are “fake news.”Such practices of diverting attention and shifting blame are “despicable”, said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson at the foreign ministry, at a regular media briefing.Senior Chinese officials told senior Russian officials in early February not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the New York Times reported, quoting Biden administration officials and a European official who cited a Western intelligence report.“The New York Times report is pure fake news,” said spokesman Wang.He went on to list and quote from public figures in the United States, including former diplomat George Kennan and former Democratic presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who have spoken out against the expansion of Nato, the trans-atlantic defense alliance that Russia claims threatens its security interests.Chinese foreign ministry spokespersons have repeatedly refused to call the Russian attack on Ukraine an “invasion” while asking western countries to respect Russia’s “legitimate security concerns.”


Straight A's no guarantee of a future for stateless youth born on Merdeka Day

Mohamad Omar Mokhtar obtained an excellent score of 4.0 in his Form Six STPM exam but worries that he will not be able to further his studies as he has been denied citizenship by the Malaysian government.
Omar was born on Merdeka Day 20 years ago but his application for an identity card was denied due to issues with the identification documents of his birth mother, who is from Sabah.
"The National Registration Department (JPN) said there was a problem," Lawyers for Liberty adviser Latheefa Koya said at a press conference in Petaling Jaya today.
She said checks by the department found that the identity card of Omar's birth mother was invalid or suspected to be fake.
"Whatever the case, it is not Omar's fault," she added.
"Why punish him for what was done wrong? We do not know who is to blame in this affair, whether it is his mother or someone else."
Omar's birth parents tied the knot in Selangor without a valid registration process. They later divorced, and in 2015 Omar was adopted by his aunt who lived in Kedah.
At that point, the adoption application was approved by JPN. Omar's first birth certificate put him down as a Malaysian citizen.
After finding his birth mother's IC invalid, however, the department issued him a new certificate, this one stating that he was not a citizen.
According to Latheefa, this was not the correct way to retract Omar's citizenship.
"JPN can retract a person's citizenship if he or she has citizenship elsewhere," she said.
"But for Omar, this was clearly not the case."
Under the Second Schedule of Article 14, Part Two, Section 1(e) of the Federal Constitution, she said, Omar was truly a stateless individual and not a foreigner or a citizen of another country such as Indonesia or the Philippines.
A stateless person is considered a citizen if he or she is born in Malaysia.
"But JPN and the government advised him to apply under Article 15(a) for citizenship under special circumstances," Latheefa said.
"JPN can give citizenship to people like Omar. If the government truly has the power to do this, it should be done.
"But Omar has been waiting for seven years now."
Latheefa also spoke of several other cases involving stateless individuals, some of whom had been waiting for citizenship for more than 13 years.
The issue of concern is that Article 15(a) can only be applied to those below 21 years of age.
Omar will turn 21 in 2023.
Latheefa said that Malaysia, as a country that had signed many international conventions pledging to protect children, had a duty as a civilised nation and part of the United Nations.
"But we still don't adhere to what we ourselves have agreed to," she said.
"Ultimately, the constitution recognises that stateless children are protected.
"But they refuse to consider Omar as a stateless individual. Instead, they say he is a foreigner. A foreigner from which country? We are not told."


Malaysia’s first woman chief minister around the bend?

On any normal day, the small village house at the side of a dusty road in Melaka would be just that.But with the state election looming around the corner, it has been transformed into an operations centre buzzing with socially distant activity.Outside, tents have been set up and the dark blue of Perikatan Nasional (PN) flags covers the fence.Slowly, the gate swings opens to let in a white Mercedes Benz carrying Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, the coalition’s candidate for the Tanjung Bidara seat.As her car pulls in at the house, the 44-year-old continues typing on her phone. She has just returned from visiting the construction site of a hall and is busy updating her status on social media.For Mas Ermieyati, and every other candidate contesting the election, such updates are a must. With authorities wary of sparking off another wave of Covid-19 infections, all physical campaigning activities have been banned, meaning that candidates must rely heavily on social media in order to get their message across to voters.“I felt that the election this time around was important as it would be a symbol for the 15th general election to come.”For one, Mas Ermieyati is relying on the PN brand, and the image projected by its chairman, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.“During the pandemic, he focused on helping the people,” she said.She is confident that this, coupled with the integrity he had shown, will be enough to deliver the “wow factor” for her campaign.While PN has not announced its candidate for chief minister, Mas Ermieyati is widely regarded as its pick, given her decision to contest the election in the first place.Neither BN nor Pakatan Harapan (PH) have announced their candidates either, although DAP has called for former chief minister Adly Zahari to be restored to his post.PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, is reportedly still wavering between Paya Rumput candidate Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin and former chief minister Idris Haron, who is representing the party in the Asahan constituency.BN adviser and former prime minister Najib Razak, on the other hand, has announced Sulaiman Md Ali, whose loss of majority support triggered the Melaka election, as the bloc’s sole candidate.But talk is also rife that Melaka BN chairman Ab Rauf Yusoh is a candidate for chief minister as well.Mas Ermieyati Samsudin peers out from behind banners showing her face alongside that of Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Mas Ermieyati, a former Puteri Umno chief, said her duty in the election is clear.“My job is only to win the Tanjung Bidara seat,” she said. “That is the responsibility given to me by the party leaders.”But in the event that she finds herself occupying Seri Bendahara, the official residence of the Melaka chief minister, she would be the first woman in the country to hold such a position.The possibility is further highlighted by the distinct lack of women candidates in the Melaka election – far fewer even than the 30% for which activists have been fighting.Mas Ermieyati said her focus in Tanjung Bidara is on several aspects including tourism which brings in a sizeable amount of revenue for the state.“Tanjung Bidara has a lot of potential,” she said. “People can enjoy themselves along the entire stretch of beach, not like the beaches in Klebang or Jasin.”This is important as many have lost their jobs due to the pandemic and are struggling to stay afloat, she added.She is also working on ways to diversify the source of income for fishermen in the area who have been bringing in fewer and fewer fish.She faces Zainal Hassan from PH and Rauf of BN in the race for the seat.But while she was once below Rauf during her time in Umno, she said the contest now is nothing out of the ordinary.“There have been many clashes like this, it’s normal,” she said.She has even navigated a virtual collision with Najib Razak before, when the former prime minister responded to her jibes about football.“He is my former boss,” she said, adding that Najib was a good person. “I respect him as a former prime minister.”


Recoveries outpace new cases but 3 more deaths push toll to 449

Another 1,247 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 101,565.Of these, 461 cases (37%) were recorded in Selangor, 309 of which were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Sabah (225, 18%) and Johor (205, 16.4%).Kuala Lumpur recorded 140 cases, Negeri Sembilan 89, Perak 55, Penang 25, Melaka 14, Pahang 11, Labuan eight, Putrajaya seven, Kelantan four and Sarawak three.Active cases stand at 18,576 with 108 in the ICU and 47 in need of respiratory assistance.Four more clusters were detected: Cassia Diamond (Klang, Kuala Langat, Hulu Langat, Kuala Selangor and Gombak), Pompod (Kota Belud and Kudat), Tapak Bina Kiara (Kepong) and Tapak Bina Perkasa (Cheras).Meanwhile six other clusters were ended today: Tanamera, Jalan Kalabakan, Seri Terapi, Seri Pasir, Astaka and Tembaga.This leaves a total of 204 active clusters in the country.Another 1,441 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 82,540.However, three more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 449.


What voters will do if DAP works with Umno

The power vacuum following the ouster of Ahmad Faizal Azumu as Perak menteri besar last week has once again exposed the true colours of our politicians, especially those from DAP.With the mad scramble going on to fill the prized chief executive post of the Silver State, some politicians are willing to sacrifice their principles which they had stood by for decades. Citing “public interests”, which in hindsight was never their concern in the first place, they chose to prostitute integrity for lust for power and positions. Even among thieves, there’s honour!Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming has openly welcomed the prospect of working with Umno to form a government. Wasn’t Umno DAP’s Enemy No. 1 for decades?Didn’t DAP bash Umno endlessly for corruption, cronyism and nepotism? What was asking the public to take to the streets over the years for if not to protect and defend the Federal Constitution and pluralism which Umno had forsaken due to expediency?Why was the 1MDB-tainted Najib Razak the most villified man by DAP during the last general election, if not ever?So, now DAP can turn a blind eye to Umno’s excesses? If Umno has turned over a new leaf, why is DAP still attacking it, whether for racist or corrupt streaks? Isn’t DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang still sending out reams of media statements each week attacking Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and party adviser Najib?Or is it because Nga is still drunk on the power that he tasted for about 20 months as deputy speaker of the Dewan Rakyat? Were all the perks and privileges that came with power so intoxicating for Nga that he could sacrifice his and the party’s ideals to get back into power?The thing is, Nga is not the only one in DAP who harbours dreams of going back to the hallowed halls of power. Going by news reports, there are quarters in DAP whose lust overpowers their principles.Using Perak, they are hoping to create a domino effect that culminates in a tectonic shift in power in Putrajaya. With 42 MPs, including some facing criminal charges, they want to topple the Muhyiddin administration, even if this means working with Umno, or God forbid, PAS.When Anwar Ibrahim announced in September that he had secured enough MPs to form the next government, DAP knew the bloc included Umno lawmakers, including disgraced ones, dubbed “kluster mahkamah” (court cluster, or those facing criminal charges).DAP did not distance itself from such insinuations. Its deafening silence then spoke volumes about where the party stood.When it came to Perak, at least, DAP was more forthright in embracing Umno, even if that meant making the duo strange bedfellows, unlike DAP’s “fling” with PAS during the Barisan Alternatif and Pakatan Rakyat days.Even if DAP’s plans to join forces with Umno in Perak fall through, the dent to its public image is bad enough. But if they do work together in the state to form the new Perak government, or even one in Putrajaya, rest assured we the voters can’t wait till the next general election to teach this party a lesson it will never forget!The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Another 660 cases, total passes 17,000 mark

Another 660 new infections were reported today, pushing total confirmed cases past the 17,000 mark to 17,540.Local transmissions accounted for 654 of the new cases.Of these, 429 or 65% were recorded in Sabah, followed by Kedah (113 or 17.1%), Selangor (68) and Penang (17).Kuala Lumpur recorded seven local transmissions followed by Labuan (seven), Perak (three), Johor (three), Sarawak (three), Melaka (two), Negeri Sembilan (one) and Putrajaya (one).The imported cases meanwhile were recorded in Kuala Lumpur (five) and Labuan (one).Active cases stand at 5,768 with 108 in the ICU and 35 in need of respiratory assistance.A total of 233 patients were also discharged, taking recoveries to 11,605 or 66.2%.However, four more deaths were recorded, all in Sabah.The first was an 80-year-old man with a history of high blood pressure and gout. He died at the Lahad Datu hospital.The second was a 63-year-old woman with a history of high blood pressure and diabetes, who died at the Queen Elizabeth hospital.The third death was a 73-year-old woman with a history of high blood pressure who died at the Duchess of Kent hospital.The fourth meanwhile was a 47-year-old woman with a history of high blood pressure. She too died at the Duchess of Kent hospital.


Sweden will not get Turkey's nod for Nato bid unless it stops sheltering 'terrorists', Erdogan says

Turkey will not lift its opposition to Sweden joining Nato unless it stops harbouring groups Ankara considers to be terrorists, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
Sweden and Finland applied for Nato membership last year, ditching long-held policies of military non-alignment after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Applications for membership must be approved by all Nato members, but Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden's bid.
Turkey has repeatedly said that Sweden needs to take additional steps against supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and members of a network Ankara holds responsible for a 2016 coup attempt. Turkey treats both groups as terrorist organisations.
Turkey expects Sweden to stop harbouring members of both groups, Erdogan said in a speech after a cabinet meeting.
"Everyone should acknowledge that they cannot form a friendship with Turkey by allowing terrorists to demonstrate in the most central squares of their cities," he said.
In recent months, demonstrators in Stockholm waved flags showing support for the PKK, which is also deemed a terrorist group by Turkey's Western allies, including Sweden.
"Our position, expectations and promises that were made have been all clear. At the moment, we defend the same principles that we defended last year. We just want them to remain faithful to what they signed," Erdogan also said.
Sweden says it has upheld its part of a deal struck with Turkey in Madrid last year aimed at addressing Ankara's security concerns, including bringing in a new anti-terrorism law this month. But Turkey says Sweden's change of legislation was "meaningless" while PKK supporters hold protests in the country.
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last month said that Sweden and Turkey would convene a high level meeting in Brussels on the possible accession of Sweden to Nato before the alliance's summit in Vilnius this month.
A demonstration in Stockholm last week on the first day of Muslim Eid al Adha holidays which included burning of a Koran further angered Turkey.


Ukrainian investigators find bodies with signs of torture in Kherson, minister says

Investigators in Ukraine's recently liberated southern Kherson region have uncovered 63 bodies with signs of torture after Russian forces left the area, Ukraine's interior minister was quoted as saying early on Thursday.
"Now, 63 bodies have been discovered in Kherson region, but we must understand that the search has only just started so many more dungeons and burial places will be uncovered," Interfax Ukraine news agency quoted Denys Monastyrsky as telling national television.
Monastyrsky said law enforcement bodies had uncovered 436 instances of war crimes during Russia's occupation. Eleven places of detention had been discovered, including four where torture had been practiced.
"Investigators are currently examining them and setting down every instance of torture. Exhumations are also taking place of the bodies of those who were killed," Monastyrsky told the television, according to Interfax.
Andriy Kovalenko, a prosecutor in the Kherson regional prosecutor's office, told the New York Times that testimony had been gathered on 800 detentions by Russians in the region. He said that the most common types of abuse inflicted on detainees were electric shocks, beatings with plastic or rubber nightsticks, and suffocation by pinching the breathing hose on a gas mask placed over a prisoner's head.
Ukrainian and international investigators say what they describe as war crimes have been committed in areas occupied by Russian troops since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February.
Russia denies its troops target civilians or have committed atrocities. Mass burial sites have been found in other parts previously occupied by Russian troops, including some with civilian bodies showing signs of torture.
Russian forces left parts of Kherson region last week – it had been one of the first areas seized by Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, in his nightly video address last Sunday, said investigators had uncovered more than 400 crimes in Kherson. He said the Russian army left behind corpses, broken infrastructure and landmines in what he described as "the same savagery it did in other regions".


‘Kingmaker’ PAS won’t follow ‘polygamous’ Umno out of PN, says analyst

PAS will not follow Umno out of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government, despite a call by top Umno leaders last night to study the option, says an analyst.This comes amid talk of increasing uneasiness among Umno leaders with the government led by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin, as well as recent gestures of support for PKR’s Anwar Ibrahim in the wake of his latest plan to bring down the PN government through the defection of MPs.Shamsul Amri Baharuddin of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) said PAS was unperturbed by Umno’s threats to quit the coalition government, as the Islamist party appeared comfortable working with Muhyiddin.“Umno and PN need PAS,” Shamsul, of UKM’s Institute of Ethnic Studies, told MalaysiaNow.PAS and Umno signed the Muafakat Nasional charter last year, ending decades of rivalry between the two largest Malay-based political parties.Shamsul said with 18 MPs, PAS was aware that it could become the “kingmaker” by favouring either Umno or Bersatu in the event of a general election.Yesterday, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan announced that the party was considering quitting PN, the coalition formed in the wake of Pakatan Harapan’s collapse in February, which backed Muhyiddin to form a new federal government.“Umno and PN need PAS.”Umno also said it was more interested in working with PAS within the Muafakat framework.However, the PAS leadership has openly stated that the party is committed to Muafakat but will not abandon PN.“And that is to strengthen Muafakat Nasional and defend it,” PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was quoted as saying by Malaysiakini.Shamsul said Umno was now split between several factions, each of them embracing either Barisan Nasional, PN or Muafakat.He described Umno’s position as being involved in a “political polygamy”.“This is the fate that has befallen Umno. It is confused,” Shamsul added.


Think again, Sarawak urges Putrajaya on reopening schools amid Delta concerns

Sarawak’s education ministry today urged the federal government to review its decision to reopen schools on Sept 1 given the high number of Covid-19 cases in the country.Sarawak Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Michael Manyin Jawong voiced particular concern over the highly contagious Delta variant which has been blamed in part for the recent surge in infections, saying the more aggressive transmissions could lead to another outbreak in schools since those aged below 18 have not been vaccinated.“Personally, I believe that schools should not reopen in September if cases of Covid-19 are still on the rise as there have already been positive cases detected among these children,” he told MalaysiaNow.“However, the final decision rests with the education ministry in Putrajaya.”While virus cases involving children in Sarawak make up only a fraction of hospitalised patients, new numbers reported on Tuesday showed that 31% or 260 out of 836 cases were below 18 years old.Sarawak General Hospital also reported that some 20% of over 1,100 infections involved those in this age bracket.State Assistant Education MinisterDr Annuar Rapaee had said that the authorities should consider including children aged 12 to 17 in the vaccination programme.Annuar, who is a cardiologist, said this would be the best way to control any outbreaks in school settings, especially asymptomatic infections among children who would still be able to transmit the virus.“Frankly speaking, I am more concerned about vaccination for those aged 12 to 17,” he said.“To achieve herd immunity we need to have more people vaccinated. There is no other way out. We must include this group.”He acknowledged concerns over rare cases of heart inflammation among children due to reactions to the vaccine but said the benefits of vaccination far outweighed the risk, especially given the emergence of more contagious virus variants.He said the risk of developing myocarditis or pericarditis was small as only 0.00004% of cases per every one million doses of vaccine given to males aged 12 to 29 resulted in these complications.“Yes, there are concerns about complications from the side effects. But (it is) 40 cases out of one million and it mainly happens among males aged 19 to 29. Females have a smaller chance of developing myocarditis.”However he also acknowledged that long-term effects remain unclear.


Should political leaders carry a ‘best before’ date?

When a 92-year-old became Malaysia’s prime minister in 2018, he became the oldest prime minister ever, anywhere in the world. And the world remarked how well he looked and compos mentis he sounded.He was, of course, Mahathir Mohamad, who had returned to the premiership for a second stint after a 15-year absence from active top-tier politics.Two years later, he is no longer at the top and the heady days that carried him there have receded while the current political leadership is characterised by squabbling, plotting and uncertainty.Malaysians of all ages are flooding social media platforms with a waterfall of political opinions. Many are asking, is it time to enforce a retirement age on politicians in the same way that the rest of us have a limited working life?When “normal” people reach their 60s, they often have no choice but to stay home and spend the rest of their lives in their figurative rocking chairs, rehashing their glory days with their surviving friends.Society has told them: You are no longer needed; we can get along just fine without you. Or for some it may be more a case of society saying: Thank you for your service, enjoy your retirement, you’ve earned it.Either way, average Malaysians have little choice about it: they’re on the scrapheap.Of course, our leaders being anything but average, an enforced retirement age does not apply to them.But should it?An informal vox pop by MalaysiaNow threw up a mixed bag of opinions.Harish, 58, is blunt. “No,” he said; “it would be ageist of us to set an age limit for our politicians. Right now, there’s a problem with the old guard still fighting their deep-rooted battles, but it’s not their age that’s the problem: it’s their close-mindedness.”His solution to that problem? “That’s easy,” he says. “Set term limits.”Andrew, 44, says, “We need leaders who are still energetic enough to keep up with the times. They must have physical and mental strength. Too many old politicians don’t have any new ideas and should make room for new blood.”Candidates young and old urge the electorate to vote them into policy-making offices that will govern every aspect of voters’ lives. But how can the diverse tapestry of Malaysian voters, which now includes 18-year-old political innocents, choose between energetic young candidates and their reputedly shrewder and more experienced elders?“It’s not their age that’s the problem: it’s their close-mindedness.”Pak Wei Han, political psychology lecturer at HELP University in Kuala Lumpur, says that voters tend to gravitate to older political leaders because they think they are wiser than up-and-coming candidates. However, economic circumstances often influence a voter’s choice.“When times are good, and the economy is stable, there is usually a voter-preference for candidates who have been in the game a long time,” he says. “But if the economy is in the doldrums there’s likely to be dissatisfaction with the government and a preference for younger candidates.”Pak describes how voters often make decisions based on soundbites designed to quickly appeal to their emotions. Many voters don’t actively follow politics and so their votes are cast not based on a candidate’s history and current policies but on their latest tweet.“It wouldn’t be a terrible thing to impose age limits in the Malaysian political system,” he says. “But it’s far more important to teach political awareness in our education system. That way voters are less likely to base their choices on inadequate information, snap judgements or irrational decisions just because they have a good feeling about a candidate.”Caroline Kiya, whose father served a term as a Sarawak MP, says, “Yes, impose an age limit but with room for case-by-case exemptions. I would make 68 the official age limit, then allow up to 75 after health and mental tests and political performance evaluations,” she told MalaysiaNow.“That’s not to say the younger ones don’t hold potential, but they shouldn’t become ministers straight away. Like in the corporate world, start at the bottom first, and work your way up, preferably, with mentors in their 50s and 60s.”We may ponder what a certain still politically active and ambitious 95-year-old may make of that.


54.1% of people fully vaccinated

A total of 17,653,079 individuals or 54.1% of Malaysia’s population had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday.The health ministry said 66.3% or 21,649,228 individuals have received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine.In terms of daily vaccination, 243,971 doses of vaccine were administered yesterday, bringing the total number of doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 39,234,306.As of 11.59pm yesterday, 463 more deaths had been recorded including backlogged cases.This takes the total number of deaths due to Covid-19 in Malaysia to 21,587.


EC extends polling time for GE15

The Election Commission (EC) has extended the voting time for the 15th general election (GE15) by one hour.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Parliament and Law) Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the voting time for Peninsular Malaysia will be from 8am to 6pm, and 7.30am to 5.30pm for Sabah and Sarawak.
"The extension of the period will give voters enough time to cast their ballots," he said in a written reply posted on the Parliament website today.
He was responding to a question from Mukhriz Mahathir (Pejuang-Jerlun) on the measures taken by the EC to ensure a higher turnout and transparency in the voting process in GE15 and beyond.
According to Wan Junaidi, the EC has also increased the number of voting centres and channels in anticipation of a larger turnout, following the implementation of Undi 18 or the lowering of the minimum voting age to 18, and automatic voter registration.
He said the improvement measures were to ensure that elections could be conducted in a more efficient, fair and transparent manner.


PH names trio as nominees for emergency committee

Pakatan Harapan (PH) has submitted the names of three former ministers, one from each of the parties that make up the coalition, to be part of the bipartisan emergency committee to advise the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.They are PKR’s Saifuddin Nasution, DAP’s Loke Siew Fook and Amanah’s Dzulkefly Ahmad.But in a statement, the coalition said the three would recommend that the Agong revoke the Covid-19 emergency declared last week.It also said its opposition to the proclamation remains.“The participation of opposition representatives in the bipartisan committee will not change our stand in rejecting the reasons given by the prime minister for the emergency,” it said.PH’s statement today came after threats to boycott the bipartisan committee on the state of emergency announced on Jan 12 after weeks of spikes in daily cases, ahead of the return of the movement control order in large parts of the country.Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had assured that a civilian government would remain despite the suspension of Parliament to prevent snap polls, with daily activities allowed throughout the emergency period ending Aug 1.PH leader Anwar Ibrahim however launched a petition campaign urging MPs to write to the palace to rescind the proclamation of emergency, and vowed to challenge the proclamation in court.He later said PH had decided to cooperate, adding however that the committee would not have executive powers but would only act in an advisory role.He also said the suit he planned to file on the state of emergency was not to challenge the declaration, but to call for parliamentary sittings to be held throughout the period.


Daily caseload at 269 as no new deaths reported

Another 269 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,038,812.
There were 375 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,992,080.
There are now 9,786 active cases, of which 9,391 or 96% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 387 (4%) have been hospitalised.
A total of eight are in ICU with four in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving the toll unchanged at 36,946.


China warns Aukus allies on 'path of error and danger' with subs pact

China warned on Tuesday that Australia, Britain and the US were treading a "path of error and danger" after they unveiled a nuclear-powered submarines deal.
Australia announced on Monday it would buy up to five US nuclear-powered submarines, then build a new model with US and British technology under an ambitious plan to bulk up Western muscle across the Asia-Pacific in the face of a rising China.
US President Joe Biden has stressed that Australia, which joined the alliance with Washington and London known as Aukus 18 months ago, will not be getting nuclear weapons.
However, acquiring submarines powered by nuclear reactors puts Australia in an elite club and at the forefront of US-led efforts to push back against Chinese military expansion.
Wang Wenbin, China's foreign ministry spokesman, said: "The latest joint statement from the US, UK and Australia demonstrates that the three countries, for the sake of their own geopolitical interests, completely disregard the concerns of the international communities and are walking further and further down the path of error and danger."
Wang accused the three Western allies of inciting an arms race, saying the security deal was "a typical case of Cold War mentality".
The sale of submarines "constitutes a severe nuclear proliferation risk, and violates the aims and objectives of the Non-Proliferation Treaty", Wang said at a regular news conference in Beijing.
'Stability for decades'
Monday's announcement came at an event at a naval base in San Diego, California, where Biden hosted Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
With a US Virginia-class nuclear submarine moored behind the trio's podium, Biden said the US had "safeguarded stability in the Indo-Pacific for decades" and that the submarine alliance would bolster "the prospect of peace for decades to come".
Albanese said the deal represents the biggest single investment in Australia's defence capability "in all of our history".
The submarines are expected to be equipped with long-range cruise missiles, offering a potent deterrent.
Albanese predicted that the wider economic impact at home would be akin to the introduction of the automobile industry in the country after World War II.
The Australian government estimates the multi-decade project will cost almost US$40 billion (about RM179 billion) in the first 10 years, and create an estimated 20,000 jobs.
Albanese underlined that Australia was now only the second country, after Britain, to be granted access to US naval nuclear secrets.
Three conventionally armed, nuclear-powered Virginia class vessels will be sold "over the course of the 2030s", with the "possibility of going up to five if that is needed", said Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan.
Britain and Australia will then embark on building a new model, also nuclear-powered and carrying conventional weapons, dubbed the SSN-Aukus. This will be a British design, with US technology, and with "significant investments in all three industrial bases", Sullivan said.
Defence spending on the rise
While Australia has ruled out deploying atomic weapons, its submarine plan marks a significant new stage in the confrontation with China, which has built a sophisticated naval fleet and turned artificial islands into offshore bases in the Pacific.
In the face of the Chinese challenge – and Russia's invasion of pro-Western Ukraine – Britain is also moving to beef up its military capabilities, Sunak's office said Monday.
More than US$6 billion in additional funding over the next two years will "replenish and bolster vital ammunition stocks, modernise the UK's nuclear enterprise and fund the next phase of the Aukus submarine programme," Downing Street said.
Australia had previously been on track to replace its ageing fleet of diesel-powered submarines with a US$66 billion package of French vessels, also conventionally powered.
The abrupt announcement by Canberra that it was backing out of that deal and entering the Aukus project sparked a brief but unusually furious row between all three countries and their close ally France.
Compared with the Collins-class submarines due to be retired by Australia, the Virginia-class is almost twice as long and carries 132 crew members, not 48.
However, the longer-term upgrade will require a long wait.
A senior US official said that the British navy should get its "state of the art" SSN-Aukus vessels in the late 2030s and Australia only in the early 2040s.
In the meantime, Australian sailors, engineers and other personnel will be training with their US and British partners to acquire expertise, while British and US submarines make regular visits to Australian ports.
China's leader, Xi Jinping, made a fiery statement last week accusing the United States of leading a Western effort at "all-round containment, encirclement and suppression of China".
But Washington says Beijing is alarming countries across the Asia-Pacific with its threats to invade the self-governing democracy of Taiwan.
"What we've seen is a series of provocative steps that China has undertaken under the leadership of Xi Jinping over the last five to 10 years," the senior US official said.
"This is an attempt to defend and secure the operating system of the Indo-Pacific."


Japan roar back again to shock Spain and top group

Japan staged their second stunning turnaround of the World Cup to beat 2010 champions Spain 2-1 on Thursday to surge into the last 16 along with their beaten opponents and dump Germany out in one of the greatest nights for the Samurai Blue.
Staring at the prospect of an early World Cup exit at half-time, Japan set up a round of 16 clash with Croatia – the beaten finalists in 2018 – while Spain had to rely on goal difference to edge out Germany. They now face Morocco.
Japan's turnaround was built on coach Hajime Moriyasu's revamp of his side at the break when they were losing 1-0.
On came Ritsu Doan and within three minutes he hammered in a shot from the edge of the box which Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon – whose poor clearance had created the danger in the first place – could not keep out.
With Japan's noisy travelling fans barely catching their breath, Ao Tanaka scored from point-blank range in the 51st minute, bundling the ball in after the other halftime sub Kaoru Mitoma cut the ball back from the byline.
The VAR system took several minutes to confirm the ball had not gone out before Mitoma's touch. Replays suggested that a sliver of the ball had not crossed the line and the verdict sparked wild celebrations similar to the scenes that followed Japan's 2-1 comeback win over Germany last week.
"We played against Spain, one of the best teams in the world and we knew before the game that this was going to be very tough and difficult, and indeed it was," said Moriyasu whose side lost to Costa Rica in their second match in Qatar.
"The players conceded one goal, but they persisted and in very difficult circumstances, they did very well," he told reporters.
Total control
Spain had looked in total control in the first half but suddenly they were the ones clinging to their chance of staying in the World Cup as Costa Rica and Germany battled out their own drama in the other Group E match.
Germany won 4-2, a margin of victory that was not big enough to keep them in the tournament.
Alvaro Morata had put the Spaniards ahead when he scored his third goal in three games in Qatar, rising above Japan's defence to power a header past goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda in the 11th minute after a cross by his former Chelsea team mate Cesar Azpilicueta.
In the dying minutes, winger Dani Olmo came closest to a leveller but his angled shot was easily gathered by Gonda.
The breathtaking win for Japan meant they topped Group E, followed by Spain in second who finished ahead of third-placed Germany only on goal difference.
Japan fans were in tears at the end of the match which gives them a chance to go further than they ever have before at a World Cup. Japan have previously reached the last 16 on three occasions and lost each time.
"There were many fans who came all the way from Japan, as well as those that stayed behind in Japan," coach Moriyasu said. "We are gifting this win to the people of Japan and we are very happy about it."
Spain coach Luis Enrique, who made five changes to his starting side to give first-choice players a rest, was far from happy.
"We didn't have any danger in the first half, then in the second half, I told them during halftime to be cautious, because they would attack in the second half, they don't have anything to lose," he said. "I have nothing to celebrate."
Japan defender Kou Itakura was shown his second yellow card of the tournament and will be suspended for the Croatia match.


Eight candidates vying for VP posts in Umno polls

Eight candidates are in the running for the three vice-president posts in the ongoing Umno election.
Two of them are incumbents: Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who is also higher education minister, and Padang Terap MP Mahdzir Khalid.
Other candidates in the running are Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (law and institutional reform) Azalina Othman Said, former Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican and Umno Supreme Council member Johari Abdul Ghani.
Also contesting are Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, former Johor menteri besar Hasni Mohammad and Mohd Yusof [email protected], a member of the party’s Iskandar Puteri division.
Their candidacies were announced at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur last night, also attended by Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his deputy Mohamad Hasan.
Some 95 individuals are eligible to contest the Supreme Council member posts, including party secretary-general Ahmad Maslan, Jelebu MP Jalaluddin Alias, Foreign Minister Zambry Abd Kadir and International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz.
Meanwhile, incumbent Wanita Umno chief Noraini Ahmad will defend her post against veteran politician Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
As for the wing’s number two post, Rosni Zahari, who is Wanita Barisan Nasional communications director, will be challenged by Penang Wanita Umno chief Norliza Abdul Rahim.
The Umno Youth chief post will see a four-cornered fight between Paya Besar MP Mohd Shahar Abdullah, Merlimau assemblyman Muhamad Akmal Saleh, Supreme Council member Armand Azha Abu Hanifah and Meor Hassan Mat Ali.
Four candidates will also be in the running for the wing’s vice-chief post, including Mohd Nazifuddin Mohd Najib and Johor Youth chief Mohd Hairi Mad Shah.
The race for the Puteri Umno top post will involve six candidates, including its vice-chief Nurul Amal Mohd Fauzi, Supreme Council member Khaidhirah Abu Zahar and the wing’s secretary Nurul Hazwani Mohd Fauzi.
Zahid, in his speech, said he hoped the party election would run smoothly according to the guidelines set, in line with the aim of making Umno stronger.
He added that the polls were crucial as those contesting represented Umno Malaysia and no other group.


Australia in recession for first time in 30 years

Australia’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell 7.0% in the June quarter, the largest quarterly fall on record according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.The figure follows a fall of 0.3% in the March quarter this year, Xinhua news agency reported.This means that Australia has fallen into recession for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to a report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Michael Smedes, head of national accounts at ABS, attributed the quarterly fall to “global pandemic and associated containment policies”.“This is, by a wide margin, the largest fall in quarterly GDP since records began in 1959,” he said.Reports from ABS also show that social assistance benefits in cash rose to a record 41.6% due to an increase in number of recipients and additional support payments.Spending on services dropped 17.6% after a decrease in transport services, operation of vehicles and hotels, cafes and restaurants.“The June quarter saw a significant contraction in household spending on services as households altered their behaviour and restrictions were put in place to contain the spread of the coronavirus,” said Smedes.


The high price of a Sri Lankan family's bid to flee crisis

As anarchy gripped the Sri Lankan city of Colombo in May, Meenu Mekala and Nirosh Ravindra gambled their family's life savings on a two-week, 4,700km voyage aboard a rusting trawler with their two young sons. The decision ended in ruin.
Meenu, a Buddhist, and Nirosh, a Christian, met and fell in love as migrant labourers in Dubai, despite opposition from their families. They married in 2005 in Nirosh's home village of Kudamaduwella, two hours' drive north of Colombo.
They are among hundreds of Sri Lankans who have attempted to escape an unprecedented economic meltdown by boarding fishing boats bound for Australia.
Data from Sri Lanka's navy shows almost 1,000 people, many of them children, have been intercepted in Sri Lankan waters attempting to flee the country in the last three months. Exiting the country unofficially is considered an offence.
Some, like Meenu and Nirosh, made it to Australian waters, where they were caught, deported and then prosecuted by Sri Lankan authorities.
Meenu faces the charge of leaving the country from an unauthorised port, according to legal documents from the Criminal Investigation Department of Sri Lanka's police seen by Reuters.
Nirosh, accused of an additional charge of assisting in the logistics of the journey, was denied bail and awaits trial.
He denies the additional charge against him, Meenu said.
Nirosh's lawyer did not respond to requests for comment on his case. Sri Lanka's police and navy declined to comment on the couple's case, citing the ongoing legal proceedings.
"I was heartbroken," Meenu said, recalling the flight back to Sri Lanka on June 18 with one guard for every two passengers.
A spokesperson for the Australian Border Force declined to comment on the family's case, citing confidentiality.
Hit hard by the pandemic, which decimated tourism, and by tax cuts pushed through by the government of then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sri Lanka is experiencing its worst economic crisis since independence from Britain in 1948.
Fuel queues and soaring inflation have become the norm for Sri Lankans. Months of unrest toppled Rajapaksa in July, after protesters occupied government buildings in the commercial capital Colombo.
On May 9, after deadly violence flared between pro- and anti-government demonstrators, Meenu and Nirosh made the decision to leave.
Meenu, 44, and Nirosh, 46, paid 500,000 Sri Lankan rupees (US$1,400) in total to unidentified smugglers for themselves and their two sons, aged 13 and 11.
Navy patrols
Aboard Sri Lankan navy Fast Attack Craft P 4446, a lookout above deck sights a fishing boat sitting low in the water – a tell-tale sign of a boat loaded with migrants.
"Starboard, two nautical miles, one ship sighted sir," a voice on the radio crackled on the ship's bridge. Officer-in-command PRPD Dayarathne gently eased the throttle forward.
The daily patrol is one of around 50 along Sri Lanka's coastline, according to the navy, as authorities attempt to intercept migrants before they make it out of Sri Lankan waters.
Bare-chested fishermen stared as a five-man detail boarded the boat, armed with machine guns and batons. They searched the men and the boat, but it was carrying little more than nets and fish.
The Sri Lankan navy intercepted one boat smuggling would-be migrants in 2021, and none in 2020. In the three months to July, that number rose to 15.
A total of 911 people have been arrested attempting to leave Sri Lanka illegally in 2022, putting it on course to surpass 2013, the year the navy began keeping detailed records. Almost all were bound for Australia.
"We have seen these boats carrying nearly 100 people," Dayarathne said. "It's very dangerous."
If caught by Australian or Sri Lankan authorities, passengers face having passports cancelled for up to five years. Suspected organisers are denied bail and put on trial in Sri Lanka, with the prospect of jail terms.
In contrast to previous waves of attempted migration by Tamil groups persecuted during the country's civil war, many are now from the majority Sinhala community.
"Every Sri Lankan thinks if you have a chance, you leave." said Lakshan Dias, a lawyer who has represented would-be migrants. "It is pure desperation."
Rough journey
Some, like Meenu's vessel, make it through, slipping past patrols under cover of darkness.
For the first two nights, the seas off Sri Lanka's southern coast were rough. Crammed onto the 30-foot boat, 41 passengers battled nausea and hunger as waves pounded the hull.
The family slept in the open air to escape the stench of vomit in the hold. By day, the harsh sun and salt water spraying over the deck burnt their skin. Meenu said she wanted to turn back, but it was too late.
By June 9, and suffering a fuel problem, the boat neared the Cocos Islands, a remote Australian coral atoll off the southern coast of Indonesia.
It wasn't long before they were intercepted by the Australian coast guard - one of four vessels that made it from Sri Lanka that month, according to the Australian Border Force.
After around a week on a series of Australian coast guard vessels, they disembarked and were told they would be sent back to Sri Lanka, Meenu said.
Nirosh's arrest has left the family without any source of income, as well as mounting legal fees.
Meenu visits him twice a week, taking an hour-long bus ride to the prison in Negombo and bringing him home-cooked food to share with other prisoners.
On a recent visit, he complained about the poor quality of the drinking water, and pleaded with her to get him out, she said.
With the family's passports cancelled for five years, their dream of returning to Dubai is on hold and Meenu is left to care for the children at home, where icons of Buddha and Jesus adorn the walls.


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47 areas in Petaling to experience water disruptions today

Some 47 areas in Petaling will experience water supply disruptions for up to 24 hours starting today, Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) says.The company said this was due to upgrading works at the water supply system, scheduled to be carried out at the Bukit Dengkil Reservoir.The water disruptions began at 9am today with supply to be fully restored at 9am tomorrow, it said.“The duration of the water supply disruptions and recovery in the affected areas will vary depending on the distance of the consumers’ premises and the water pressure at the distribution system,” Air Selangor said in a statement.The company said it would be mobilising water tankers to the affected areas, with priority given to critical premises such as hospitals, dialysis centres and funeral homes.For commercial customers, water supply purchase using their own water tankers will be made available at one local water filling station. Payment can be made at Jalan TPP 5/17, Taman Perindustrian Puchong.Consumers can obtain information about the scheduled water supply disruptions via Air Selangor’s official communication channels, namely the Air Selangor application, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, or by contacting the Air Selangor Contact Centre at 15300.Inquiries and complaints can also be submitted to the Help Centre via www.airselangor.com and the Air Selangor application.


Key Facebook force Sheryl Sandberg steps down

Meta’s second most powerful executive Sheryl Sandberg made the shock announcement Wednesday she will leave after a 14-year tenure that included helping steer scandal-prone Facebook to advertising dominance.Sandberg, 52, has been one of the most influential women in Silicon Valley and her departure comes as the social media juggernaut faces an uncertain future and fierce competition.Her exit from Facebook parent Meta will be effective in the fall, she wrote on the platform, adding she planned to remain on the firm’s board.A Harvard-educated executive, Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008 when it was still just a startup, playing a formative role in its development into a multi-billion dollar advertising empire.“Fourteen years later, it is time for me to write the next chapter of my life,” Sandberg said. “I am not entirely sure what the future will bring – I have learned no one ever is.”Her job made her not just a recognizable face in tech but also a household name, particularly thanks to her 2013 book “Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead.”The best seller encouraged women to “lean in” to their careers in order to reach their full potential and overcome workforce obstacles.It has drawn applause from admirers for articulating a new modern feminist vision and sharp criticism from detractors who say her lofty position has made her out-of-touch with the grueling personal cost of combining career and family.The social network has recently rebranded itself in a pivot toward a belief the internet is headed towards becoming an immersive virtual world, referred to as the metaverse.The Silicon Valley colossus has seen its image tainted by accusations it has put profit over user privacy and even the good of society.“Sandberg leaves Meta, and the social media environment that Facebook helped create, in a far worse place than she found it,” said Media Matters for America president Angelo Carusone.“Hers is a legacy of enabling trolling, harassment, and abuse.”Meanwhile, the likes of TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter and even Apple now vie with Meta for people’s online attention as the Facebook platform is increasingly seen as a place for older people.CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the role Sandberg held at the company will be re-shaped, with Javier Olivan becoming Meta’s chief operating officer.The next COO will be more traditional, different from the close second-in-command status Sandberg holds, Zuckerberg said.“She has taught me so much and she has been there for many of the important moments in my life, both personally and professionally,” Zuckerberg said in a Facebook post.“I’m going to miss running this company with Sheryl.”Meta shares fell more than two percent on word that Sandberg was leaving, another blow to a stock value that has plummeted on worries that the company’s regular growth was coming to an end.Guiding handFacebook was about four years old when Sandberg came on board as a mature, guiding hand at a tech firm with a motto “move fast and break things.”“I was only 23 years old and I barely knew anything about running a company,” Zuckerberg said.“Sheryl architected our ads business, hired great people, forged our management culture, and taught me how to run a company.”Zuckerberg’s farewell to Sandberg gave Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi a sense that he believes he has outgrown her.“It feels like that relationship is no longer needed or working,” Milanesi told AFP.Sandberg, long seen as the “adult” at the youthfully managed firm, has found herself the center of controversy over her role in pushing back at criticism of the social media giant.Sandberg drew fire in particular over an embarrassing effort to probe George Soros, the billionaire investor, after he assailed the online network as a “menace to society.”Facebook has acknowledged that Sandberg asked her staff to conduct research on the Hungarian-born billionaire following his remarks, out of concern that he held a “short” position that would profit from a decline in shares.Among the tech whiz kids, Sandberg offered a steadier hand as a result of her background working for former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers and the philanthropic arm of Google.Sandberg in 2015 was devastated by the sudden death of her husband, US tech executive David Goldberg, at an upscale resort in Mexico.Two years ago she announced her engagement to marketing executive Tom Bernthal.