Sydney lockdown extended by 4 weeks as virus outbreak grows

Millions of Sydney residents will spend another month in lockdown, authorities announced Wednesday, citing a still-growing coronavirus outbreak and low vaccination rates.Australia’s biggest city had been due to exit lockdown on July 30 after five weeks but the restrictions will remain in place until Aug 28 as case numbers continued to climb.“I appreciate personally what we’re asking people do for the next four weeks but it is because we want to keep our community safe and want to make sure we can bounce back as quickly as possible,” New South Wales state premier Gladys Berejiklian said.Officials announced 177 new cases linked to the Sydney outbreak, which began mid-June when a driver for an international flight crew contracted the virus.People living in hotspots have been urged not to leave their neighbourhoods, but those living alone will be allowed to create a “singles bubble” with another person.Berejiklian said police would step up compliance efforts, while imploring Sydneysiders to report others breaking the rules.“We really need people to do the right thing at all times. Do not let your guard down,” she said.The announcement came as Melbourne awoke to the end of its fifth virus lockdown, after beating the Delta variant for the second time in recent months through “determination and hard work”, according to Victoria state premier Dan Andrews.They were among the roughly eight million people in Victoria and South Australia states who exited lockdown overnight after local outbreaks of the highly contagious variant were contained.Australia was lauded for its early pandemic success, after it slammed shut its international borders and moved quickly to quash Covid-19 clusters.But with a largely unvaccinated population, it has struggled to respond to the Delta variant, repeatedly sending cities into lockdown.About 13% of Australians have been vaccinated, with low supplies of Pfizer-BioNTech shots and scepticism about the AstraZeneca jab.The country has recorded more than 33,000 infections and 921 Covid-related deaths in a population of 25 million.


UK police widen net after new ‘partygate’ photo of PM

UK police have widened their probe into Downing Street lockdown events after a new photo emerged of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and are set to question more than 50 individuals.The “partygate” scandal has placed Johnson in political jeopardy with several MPs from his Conservative party publicly calling for his resignation, although he denies any wrongdoing.A Christmas “quiz night” held at Johnson’s Number 10 offices was not previously part of the Metropolitan Police’s investigation, which could potentially see him and staff fined for breaking Covid restrictions.But the police said they were now looking at the December 2020 event, after the Daily Mirror printed the photo of Johnson and two colleagues – one draped in tinsel – near an open bottle of sparkling wine.The Met also confirmed that, by Friday, it would be sending “formal questionnaires to more than 50 people” to ask about their activities on the dates of at least 12 gatherings in Downing Street over 2020 and 2021.The document “has formal legal status and must be answered truthfully” within seven days, the police noted.Asked whether the government would confirm if Johnson is one of the recipients, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told BBC radio: “The prime minister has said he will be full and transparent.”Separately, the opposition Labour party has called for the police to investigate how Johnson came to use a wealthy Conservative donor for a lavish redecoration of his Downing Street flat.Lawyers for Labour wrote to the Met that there was a “reasonable suspicion” that the prime minister had broken anti-bribery laws, and the force was “duty-bound” to investigate.The police confirmed receipt of the letter, and said the demand was being reviewed.A Downing Street spokesman said in response: “These allegations are categorically untrue and a clear misrepresentation of the facts.”


Shanghai faces unexpected round of Covid testing for most residents

China’s commercial hub of Shanghai faces an unexpected round of mass Covid-19 testing for most residents this weekend – just 10 days after a city-wide lockdown was lifted – unsettling residents and raising concerns about the impact on business.Shanghai officials on Thursday said seven of the city’s 16 districts would carry out PCR testing for all residents over the weekend due to the discovery of a few cases in the community, saying they wanted to prevent a renewed outbreak.Another six districts announced similar plans later in the day. Some of the districts said residents would not be allowed to leave their homes while the testing was carried out.“During the sampling communities will carry out ‘closed management’, there will be only entry and not exit, which will be lifted after the sampling is over,” read one notice from Changning district.“We hope that residents… will participate in an orderly way in the PCR testing.”The announcements were greeted with surprise and concern, with some taking to the Twitter-like Weibo platform to ask how the testing would affect plans for the weekend, such as moving house or seeing a doctor. Many expressed fear they could be locked down again.The move comes on top of already onerous testing requirements that the city introduced for its 25 million residents after easing a city-wide lockdown on June 1.Residents need to have proof they have taken a Covid test within the last 72 hours to enter areas like malls and offices – or even to use subways and buses. Many have become frustrated about having to queue in hours-long lines at more than 15,000 booths scattered around the city to do so.Some parts of the city have remained under or returned to lockdown shortly after June 1 due to positive cases and their close contacts. Three of the latest infections that have led to several closures were traced to a popular beauty salon in the city centre that reopened when the city did on June 1.While China’s infection rate is low by global standards, President Xi Jinping has doubled down on a zero-Covid policy that authorities say is needed to protect the elderly and the country’s medical system, even as other countries try to live with the coronavirus.Shanghai’s two-month lockdown fuelled widespread frustration, anger and even rare protests among its residents, as they grappled with lost incomes, the loss of freedom, the death of friends and relatives, and even hunger.It also battered the Chinese economy, disrupted supply chains and slowed international trade.


China's healthcare system put to the test as Covid curbs fade

When Li tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday in Baoding in northern China, he braced for a five-day quarantine at a makeshift local hospital as part of the country's strict pandemic controls.
Instead, China the next day abruptly relaxed the policy that has made the world's most-populous country an outlier in a world largely learning to live with Covid.
Li, 30, who asked to be identified only by his family name, told Reuters he was allowed to recuperate at home in the industrial city near the capital Beijing.
But the sudden policy shift caught him off guard – left on his own, he had no medication at home to treat his fever.
"I couldn't buy any medication at that time, with long queues everywhere outside pharmacies," Li told Reuters.
Three years after the coronavirus emerged in central China, some citizens had recently launched rare public protests against a zero-Covid policy that had demanded economically disruptive lockdowns and mandatory quarantine in government facilities.
But Beijing's abrupt policy shift on Wednesday, cheered by some, also sparked apprehension in a country with a relatively low vaccination rate where people had been taught to fear the disease.
The easing in compulsory PCR testing of China's 1.4 billion people has weakened the ability of health authorities to quickly detect cases and gauge how infections are spreading, disrupting society and the economy.
Since easing the curbs, the authorities have not predicted how many people may fall seriously ill or die. In October, China predicted at least 100 deaths for every 100,000 infections.
Lack of drugs
Baoding, home to 9.2 million people, quickly attracted attention on China's Twitter-like Weibo with posts from people with Covid calling attention to understocked medical supplies as infections rose.
Some stocks have been replenished, Reuters found on a visit, with cold relief drugs like Ibuprofen available at many pharmacies. But the popular traditional Chinese medicine Lianhua Qingwen, used for symptoms like fever and cough, and antigen test kits remained harder to find.
Baoding is not alone. Online pharmacies across China have run out of drugs and test kits, prompting the government to crack down on hoarding.
Officials have urged households to report serious symptoms, using self-administered antigen kits. But those kits are still hard to come by, raising the risk the seriously ill might not be treated promptly.
"There will certainly be increasing numbers of infections" in coming weeks, regardless of how many are captured in the test numbers, said Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at Hong Kong University. Severe infections will also increase, he warned.
China has 138,100 hospital beds for critical care, a health official said recently, low for China's vast population.
Mixed message
And just as more Covid patients are recovering at home, Baoding has been hit by a winter heating supply crunch, adding to the risk of serious illness. Heat was insufficient because of "unstable" coal supplies caused by Covid, state-run Baoding Daily reported, without giving details.
A Baoding resident named Wang, 20, said the temperature in her home was just 18 degrees Celsius. Two members of her family had Covid.
"We were joking that Baoding residents do not need heat as we can warm ourselves up with our own body temperature," she said.
Health officials acknowledge the elderly are particularly vulnerable and more vaccination is needed.
The risk of severe illness for those over 65 is five times that of younger people, the risk for people over 75 seven times and nine times for those over 85, while their risk of death is 90, 220 and 570 times higher, respectively, said an official at China's Center for Disease Control.
But the appeal to the elderly to better protect themselves appears to have been diluted by the simultaneous message that the Omicron variant is not lethal.
Yang, 64, refrained from stocking up. "I have no fear" of Covid, said Yang, a farmer who is fully vaccinated and with no underlying diseases.
China has reported no deaths since easing the Covid curbs, with fatalities to date around 5,200, versus more than one million in the US.
But time will tell if a US-scale death rate, which would mean four million dead in China, can be averted.


Two new clusters in Pahang due to Raya visits

Two of three new Covid-19 clusters in Pahang emerged after people made Hari Raya Aidilfitri visits during the recent celebration, state health director Dr Bahari Che Awang Ngah says.He said the index case of one of the clusters, the Kampung Mat Daling cluster in Jerantut, reported on May 25 was a 37-year-old local woman who returned to her village for eight days from May 11.“This cluster refers to the locality of infection involving family members and villagers who gathered for the Raya celebration. The index case started losing her sense of taste on May 21 before the screening test at a private clinic on May 24 found her to be positive.“Forty-seven close contacts comprising family members and villagers were then screened with 10 confirmed positive for Covid-19,” he said in a statement.Bahari said another cluster linked to Raya, the Batu Hitam cluster, referred to the locality of a workplace where the index case, a local man, aged 52, worked at a factory in Gebeng.“The man started having symptoms of fever on May 14 and was confirmed positive on May 21. Further investigation found he had visited members of his family living nearby another family on the first day of Raya,” he said, adding that 80 people had been screened in this cluster with 39 of them testing positive.Bahari said the other new cluster, the Gebeng Industry cluster, started on May 28. Out of 70 individuals screened, 25 were found to be positive.He said the 135 new cases brought the total number of positive cases in Pahang to 10,139, including 1,784 active cases.Seven districts recorded an increase in cases with Jerantut recording the highest with 72, followed by Kuantan (40), Lipis (10), Bentong (nine), Cameron Highlands (two) and Maran and Bera (one each).Twenty-five patients are being treated at the ICU of Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital and Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital, 16 of whom are on ventilators.


Kidnapped schoolgirl comes home after 7 years with husband and two kids

One of the Nigerian schoolgirls abducted by Islamist militants Boko Haram from the town of Chibok in 2014 has been freed and reunited with her family.Security and government officials initiated contact with her parents to confirm her identity.Ruth Ngladar Pogu, a Chibok girl who was in Boko Haram captivity for seven years, has now returned home with two children she had for a member of the terrorist group, who was with her, Nigerian news outlets are reporting.Ruth and her husband surrendered to Nigerian troops on July 28 at a location in Bama, Borno State, according to officials.Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, who confirmed the return of the girl, said her presence would rekindle the hope of parents and other family members of Chibok girls still in captivity, according to Core Nigeria.The governor received Ruth at the Government House on Saturday where she reunited with her parents.“I am extremely excited both as Borno’s governor and father of all sons and daughters of the state and also as a father to daughters” he told reporters. “I know the feeling of families of those still under captivity but we have to remain hopeful especially with today’s development.”Zulum urged the families of those whose daughters were still in captivity to remain optimistic and prayerful.Nearly 300 schoolgirls were, on April 14, 2014, abducted when Boko Haram terrorists stormed the Government Girls’ Secondary School, Chibok in north-eastern Borno state.Of the girls first kidnapped, some managed to escape shortly after they were seized, while several were exchanged for other Boko Haram militants.Over 100 of them have since been freed or managed to escape. Several have been rescued by security forces, but the rest are still missing without trace in the forests, even after seven years.Zulum also stated that the girl would undergo a rehabilitation and reintegration programme focusing on her health, psychosocial wellbeing and her future goals.Mass kidnappings remain a problem in northern Nigeria, with hundreds of pupils snatched this year alone, some by Islamic groups such as Boko Haram but most by marauding criminal gangs for ransom.


73,653 teens in Selangor still unvaccinated

About 73,653 teenagers aged 12 to 17 in Selangor have yet to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations, out of the total adolescent population of 569,100, the state legislative assembly was told today.State Public Health, Unity, Women and Family Development Committee chairman Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said 495,447 individuals from the group have received at least one dose of vaccine.She was responding to a question by Elizabeth Wong Keat Ping (PH-Bukit Lanjan) who wanted to know the number of people in Selangor aged 12 and above who have not been vaccinated.Siti Mariah said vaccination administration for the group was still in process with efforts by all agencies including the state education department, district education offices and NGOs.“For those teenagers who face difficulties going to vaccination centres such as teens who do not attend school, Orang Asli teens, or those in rehabilitation centres or shelter homes, the vaccines will be administered via outreach programmes,” she said.For youths aged 18 and above, Siti Mariah said an estimated 275,237 have yet to be vaccinated, while 4.27 million have received at least one dose, of the total group population of 4,551,800.“A small proportion of those unvaccinated are those classified as people who cannot receive, or have contraindications to Covid-19 vaccine, while the rest are those who reject the vaccine,” she said.She said out of 22,314 civil servants, only 132 or 0.59% across 43 state departments and agencies remained unvaccinated as of Nov 16.


Brace for the worst, says health DG

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today urged the public to prepare for the worst in facing the current Covid-19 wave following an exponential trend indicated by the Covid-19 graph in the country.“The rise in cases started from April 1 and could trigger a vertical surge. We need to prepare for the worst.“Please help us by staying at home. Only together can we break the chain of infection,” he said in his official Twitter account today.Noor Hisham reiterated his advice for the public to stay at home and comply strictly with SOPs in case of an emergency or attendance at work.Yesterday, Malaysia recorded 6,509 new Covid-19 cases and reported its highest daily death toll from the viral infection to date with 61 fatalities recorded over 24 hours.


Shahidan urges Umno top leadership to break silence, take action against Zahid

Perlis Umno veteran Shahidan Kassim has urged the party to take action against Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, saying the president has not only gone against the decision that the party remain in the government until a general election is called, but had also misled the Yang di-Pertuan Agong during an audience last month.He cited a recent revelation by Umno veteran Nazri Aziz, that Umno MPs were instructed by Zahid to sign a statutory declaration (SD) in support of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.“… They had signed SDs in support of Anwar in front of Anwar, the president (Zahid), a dignitary, as well as Najib who was also present several times,” said Shahidan, referring to the former Umno president and an unnamed VIP.He questioned the Supreme Council, accusing it of having double standards in taking action against members who breach party rules.“I would like to remind once again the members of the Supreme Council who hold the trust of their office: do not be silent on wrongdoings, either from fear or on the excuse of preserving harmony,” the former Perlis Umno chief, who was sacked from the post in April, said in a statement.This comes as Zahid steps up his campaign to get Cabinet members from Umno to resign, announcing Aug 1 as the deadline for the party to quit the government.It was also reported that Zahid is now actively seeking to get ministers from his party to resign by July 7, the date when a Cabinet meeting will decide on a special sitting of the Dewan Rakyat before the end of the month.Yesterday, MalaysiaNow reported that Zahid had misled the Agong when he claimed that all Cabinet members and GLC heads from Umno had pledged to quit their positions by Aug 1, whether or not the state of emergency which expires by then is extended.Checks with several Umno ministers and deputy ministers revealed that no such pledge was made “whether written or verbal”.Shahidan is among several key Umno MPs who have openly opposed Zahid’s plans, in the wake of revelations of the party’s chief’s secret talks with PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.In recent days, Nazri, the Padang Rengas MP, has come out openly against Zahid’s plans to work with other opposition parties to form a government.Zahid during the Umno general assembly, alongside Najib, had been at the forefront of efforts to get Umno out of the government in the hope of toppling Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.This was followed by the revelation of a phone conversation between Zahid and Anwar, in which the opposition leader congratulated Zahid for his efforts to get Umno to revoke support for Muhyiddin.The Umno Supreme Council had earlier decided that the party would remain with the Perikatan Nasional coalition government until Parliament is dissolved.Muhyiddin had pledged to call for elections when the emergency expires subject to the Covid-19 situation, which has not shown any sign of abating amid a surge in daily cases.


This is not a ‘unity govt’, says Ismail

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob today said the current administration he heads is not a “unity government” despite the offer to opposition parties to be part of the National Recovery Council (NRC).“(They are) not in the Cabinet. There is no unity government involving opposition parties,” he told the press during a visit to inspect flood-hit areas in Yan, Kedah, today, dismissing speculation by some opposition leaders on social media.Ismail also said he would meet with opposition leaders to discuss their role in cooperating with the government to overcome the Covid-19 crisis.Yesterday, in his maiden address to the nation after being sworn in as the ninth prime minister, Ismail urged all quarters to put aside their political loyalties, and offered to work together with the opposition in the country’s exit route from the pandemic under the NRC as well as the Special Committee on Covid-19, both set up by former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin.Ismail today said such cooperation did not have to be at the Cabinet level.“They can offer their views in the Special Committee on Covid-19,” he added.In the run-up to the palace’s announcement that Ismail had the majority support of MPs, there had been calls by opposition leaders and supporters urging the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to establish a unity government comprising Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders.MalaysiaNow previously quoted a PKR source as saying that PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim was pushing for a “unity government” and “new consensus” in the hope that it would open the path to working with Umno MPs aligned with former leader Najib Razak.Ismail meanwhile urged the public to ignore several lists allegedly containing the names of his Cabinet members that had been making the rounds on social media, saying they were fake.“Every day there’s a new list. But it’s good, it can help me,” he said in jest.


Unvaccinated religious teachers, officials may be relieved of duty, says Selangor sultan

Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah says Quran and Fardu Ain class (Kafa) teachers in the state who do not want to be vaccinated could possibly be relieved of their duties.In a statement uploaded on the Selangor Royal Office Facebook page, Sultan Sharafuddin said similar action would be taken against mosque officials and marriage officials who do not want to be vaccinated.The sultan said around 326 Kafa teachers have yet to receive their vaccinations while 95 teachers refused to be vaccinated.In addition, 59 mosque officials have yet to be vaccinated and 11 others have refused. Nine marriage officials have yet to be vaccinated while six others have rejected being vaccinated.“I am very disappointed about those who have chosen not to be vaccinated as they will endanger themselves and the public. They should realise that if someone is infected with the Covid-19 virus, vaccination will help them avoid the more severe effects.“I am concerned that if there are still unvaccinated Kada teachers, it will be a detriment to students. I hope the Selangor Health Department can expedite vaccinations for Kafa teachers, mosque officials and marriage officials in Selangor,” he said.The sultan also said there were 268 national primary school teachers and 182 national secondary school teachers in Selangor who have refused to be vaccinated.“This also will endanger primary school and secondary school students in Selangor and this matter must be handled by those responsible,” he said.Sultan Sharafuddin urged the public to not doubt or hesitate about being vaccinated and said that the vaccination issue has been mentioned repeatedly during Friday sermons and statements issued by him.


866 children, teenagers in Sabah contract Covid-19

Of the 3,224 Covid-19 cases recorded in Sabah yesterday, 866 of them comprised teenagers and children aged 17 and below.State Housing and Local Government Minister Masidi Manjun said in a statement that of that number, 565 were aged between six and 17 years, 268 one to five years, and 33 less than a year.“All the 866 found to be positive for Covid-19 are still not eligible to receive the vaccine. Until yesterday, 53.9% of Sabah’s adult population had received a first dose of vaccine while 32.5% had completed their two-dose vaccination,” he added.Masidi said of the number of positive cases recorded, 2,119 were aged between 18 and 59 while 239 were senior citizens aged 60 and above.Masidi, who is also the spokesman for the Covid-19 situation in Sabah, said all the districts in the state recorded rising numbers of cases yesterday, with Kota Kinabalu having the highest number (630) followed by Penampang (413) and Tuaran (348).“With 2,098 cases recorded from the screening of close contacts, it can be concluded that many might not be adhering to the SOPs set despite the numerous calls and appeals made by the government,” he added.The number of cases recorded yesterday brought the cumulative figure in Sabah to 131,030, while 2,020 Covid-19 patients had recovered, bringing the cumulative number to 101,624. Another 4,763 patients are still receiving treatment.


No such thing as bad publicity, observers say as Kedah MB makes waves

Observers say that prolonged criticism of Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor will only boost his popularity at the national level, as the Perikatan Nasional (PN) leader continues to make waves with his controversial comments.
Sanusi, the Jeneri assemblyman, has not hesitated to speak on a range of issues including the water supply in neighbouring Penang and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
His remarks and the response elicited from primarily Pakatan Harapan (PH) politicians recently saw him dubbed the Most Valuable Politician (MVP) by former Umno man Khairy Jamaluddin on his Keluar Sekejap talk show.
Political analyst James Chin said Sanusi had become a high-profile individual precisely because of his controversial statements.
Chin, of Australia's University of Tasmania, said Sanusi's remarks were attention grabbing and often resulted in his name being featured in daily media reports.
"Of course his opponents, namely PH and Barisan Nasional (BN), will react due to the large media presence," he told MalaysiaNow.
"This is actually not a question of popularity. As long as he can attract the attention of the media, people will continue to talk about and also attack him."
Sanusi, PN's election director, ran for the Belantek state seat in 2008 but lost to BN's Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah by 252 votes.
He was later appointed as political secretary to the Kedah menteri besar at the time, Azizan Abdul Razak, a position he held until 2013.
He was elected as Jeneri assemblyman in 2018.
In May 2020, Sanusi became Kedah menteri besar, replacing Mukhriz Mahathir after PAS declared its support for PN.
He began to attract attention the following year due to his football arguments with Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
Jeniri Amir, a senior fellow at the National Council of Professors, said Sanusi had emerged as one of PN's most distinctive leaders, especially in comparison to his peers in Kelantan, Terengganu and Perlis.
Acknowledging Sanusi's reputation as a "noisy" person, Jeniri nevertheless said this was normal as Sanusi represented a party in the federal opposition.
However, he disagreed with the MVP title given by Khairy, saying the services of the PN leader had yet to translate in his administration.
"Before being declared an MVP, he must demonstrate outstanding character and authority," he said.
"Personally, I don't see him at that level just yet. Much of his behaviour is geared towards political sensationalism, which does not have a lot of impact on the people themselves.
"He should be compared to individuals like Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg, whose policies and initiatives have benefited the people in the state."


Climate activist, ‘the face of India’s crackdown on dissent’, granted bail after arrest

An Indian court has granted bail to a 22-year-old climate activist who was arrested for sharing a document intended to help farmers protesting against new agricultural laws.Disha Ravi has been involved in environmental circles for the past three years but over the weekend she  was arrested and became the face of the Indian government’s heavy-handed crackdown on dissent.In a statement, police said she had “collaborated” to “spread disaffection against the Indian state”.They said she was an editor of a “toolkit” document connected to India’s ongoing farmer protests, which she had shared with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who had tweeted it to a large audience.Disha, one of the founders of the Indian branch of the Fridays for Future (FFF) climate strike, was arrested on Feb 13 in the southern city of Bangalore at the home she shares with her mother.She was flown to Delhi and placed in the custody of Delhi police without a lawyer and charged with sedition and criminal conspiracy.On Saturday, before granting her bail, a court asked the Delhi police whether it had any evidence against her or “are we required to draw inferences and conjectures”?Activists have called her arrest a warning to those who want to show support for anti-government protests and an “attack on democracy”.“This government of India is attacking environmental activists and Disha’s arrest shows there is a clear, deeply worrying pattern,” said Leo Saldhana, an environmental activist in Bangalore. “The point here is to destabilise and then erase all dissent.”Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting for three months against new laws, which they say will benefit only big corporations.These protests have come to represent one of the biggest challenges faced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party government.Disha, the granddaughter of farmers, has thrown her support passionately behind their cause.She is no stranger to activism. In 2019, inspired by Thunberg, whose global climate protest movement Fridays for Future saw millions of the world’s schoolchildren striking against the failure to tackle global warming, Disha co-founded the Indian branch of the FFF network and began organising strikes across the country.


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International Space Station swerves to dodge space junk

The International Space Station (ISS) had to swerve away from a fragment of a US launch vehicle on Friday, the head of Russia’s space agency said, the latest in a series of incidents in which space debris have forced astronauts to respond.Calls to monitor and regulate space debris, or space junk, have grown since Russia conducted an anti-satellite missile test last month. This generated a debris field in orbit that US officials said would pose a hazard to space activities for years.Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russian space agency Roscosmos, said on Friday that the ISS had been forced to move due to space junk from a US launch vehicle sent into orbit in 1994.Roscosmos said the station’s orbit, in an unscheduled manoeuvre carried out by mission control, dropped by 310m for nearly three minutes to avoid a close encounter.Rogozin added that the manoeuvre would not affect the planned launch of the Soyuz MS-20 rocket on Dec 8 from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and its docking at the ISS.Space debris consists of discarded launch vehicles or parts of a spacecraft that float around in space and risk colliding with satellites or the ISS.In an opinion piece published in the Financial Times on Thursday, former Nato secretary-general Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia’s destruction of the satellite last month risked turning space into a junk yard.“Unless we change course, the opportunities of space to improve our lives on Earth could be closed off for generations,” he wrote.Space debris also forced Nasa on Tuesday to postpone a spacewalk to replace a faulty antenna on the ISS. Last month the ISS performed a brief manoeuvre to dodge a fragment of a defunct Chinese satellite.In separate comments on Friday, Roscosmos said it hoped Nasa chief Bill Nelson would visit Russia in the first half of 2022 to discuss further cooperation on the ISS.


Japan parliament expels YouTuber MP who never came to work

A celebrity gossip YouTuber-turned-lawmaker became the first MP expelled by Japan's parliament in over 70 years Wednesday, having not shown up to work once.
Yoshikazu Higashitani, known by his online moniker GaaSyy, had been ordered to apologise for his months-long absence earlier in March.
But the lawmaker, one of two elected members of the fringe party Seijika Joshi 48, or "Politician Girls 48", did not attend that parliamentary session either.
Higashitani, 51, had not set foot in the House of Councillors since his July 2022 election, despite a requirement for lawmakers to be present.
The former businessman and YouTuber has instead remained at his home in Dubai, claiming he may be arrested if he returns to Japan, where he reportedly faces questioning over alleged defamation.
Japan's Upper House decided on Tuesday to expel him from parliament.
The move was made official Wednesday – making him the first Japanese lawmaker to be expelled since 1951, local media reported.
Higashitani will be replaced by another member of his party.
The single-issue Seijika Joshi 48 party campaigns for changes to Japan's public broadcaster and was previously known as the NHK Party.


Japan govt begins Unification Church probe amid anger over ties with ruling party

Japan's government on Tuesday launched a probe into the Unification Church, the first step in a process that could strip the group of its legal status amid public anger over its links to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling party.
The government will give the church until Dec 9 to answer questions about its finances and organisation, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Keiko Nagaoka told a regular news conference.
Once the government investigation is over it will be up to a court to decide whether to remove the Unification Church's legal standing and with it the tax exemptions that registered religious organisations enjoy in Japan.
Widespread links between the church and lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) came to light after former premier Shinzo Abe was shot and killed during an election campaign in July.
The suspect in Abe's assassination, Tetsuya Yamagami, bore a grudge against the church - an organisation known for its mass weddings and which critics call a cult - alleging it impoverished his family and blamed Abe for promoting it.


Biden tells Putin Ukraine invasion would bring decisive response

US President Joe Biden told Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Saturday that the West would respond decisively to any invasion of Ukraine, adding such a step would produce widespread suffering and isolate Moscow.In the latest effort to manage growing hostility, the two men spoke by phone for an hour a day after Washington and its allies warned that the Russian military, which has 100,000 troops massed near Ukraine, could invade at any moment. Moscow has dismissed those warnings as “hysteria.”Neither side said there had been any breakthroughs. A senior Biden administration official said the call was professional and substantive, but that there was no fundamental change.The Kremlin said Putin told Biden Washington has failed to take Russia’s main concerns into account, and it had received no “substantial answer” on key elements including Nato’s expansion and the deployment of offensive forces to Ukraine.The senior Biden administration official said it was unclear whether Putin was committed to diplomacy even as he agreed to stay in touch with Biden.The call took place as Israel, Portugal and Belgium joined the list of countries that have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine immediately.The US State Department ordered most of its embassy staff to leave Ukraine. The Pentagon said it was withdrawing about 150 military trainers.Australia said on Sunday it was evacuating its embassy in Kyiv, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison calling on China to speak up for Ukraine and not remain “chillingly silent” as Russia massed military forces on its border.Morrison’s comments to a news conference followed criticism by China of a meeting of the US, Australian, Japanese and Indian foreign ministers last week in Melbourne.“The coalition of autocracies that we are seeing, seeking to bully other countries, is not something that Australia ever takes a light position on,” Morrison said.Biden was due to compare notes with French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday, according to the White House. Biden’s top military and diplomatic officials held calls with their Russian counterparts.Putin also spoke with Alexander Lukashenko, leader of Ukraine’s northern neighbor Belarus, which is engaged in major joint military drills with Russia.After Macron’s call with Putin, a French presidency official said there were no indications from what Putin told Macron that Russia is preparing an offensive against Ukraine.“We are nevertheless extremely vigilant and alert to the Russian (military) posture in order to avoid the worst,” the French official said.Russia said on Saturday that it had decided to “optimize” its diplomatic staff numbers in Ukraine, fearing “provocations” by Kyiv or others. It said its embassy and consulates in Ukraine continued to perform their key functions.A US official on Saturday said there was no telling what Putin has decided, but that the steps Russia is taking “in plain sight” make them fear the worst.Biden told Putin during their call that the United States is pushing for diplomacy but ready for “other scenarios,” the White House said.In Kyiv, several thousand Ukrainians filed through the center of the city, chanting “Glory to Ukraine” and carrying banners that said “Ukrainians will resist” and “invaders must die.”Zelenskiy, who attended police drills in the southern Kherson region, echoed Washington’s assessment that a Russian attack could happen at any time, but stressed that it was important for Ukrainians to remain calm.“The best friend of our enemies is panic in our country,” he said.Putin, jostling for influence in post-Cold War Europe, is seeking security guarantees from Biden to block Kyiv’s entry into Nato and missile deployments near Russia’s borders.Washington regards many of the proposals as non-starters but has pushed the Kremlin to discuss them jointly with Washington and its European allies.Moscow has repeatedly disputed Washington’s version of events, saying it has massed the troops near the Ukrainian border to maintain its own security against aggression by Nato allies.Also on Saturday, the Russian military said it had used “appropriate means” to make a US submarine depart from Russian waters in the far east after the vessel ignored a Russian order to surface, Interfax news agency reported.The submarine was detected in Russian waters as elements of Russia’s Pacific Fleet conducted naval exercises near the Kuril islands, the defence ministry was quoted as saying.In a statement, a US military spokesman denied it had carried out operations in Russian territorial waters.


Sarawak tourism players hopeful of recovery as international music festival rallies visitors

Tourism players in Sarawak are optimistic of their footing on the road to recovery, as the number of travellers continues to pick up amid the country’s transition towards the endemic phase of Covid-19 and on the back of a strong response to one of Malaysia’s biggest music festivals after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.Malaysia Association of Hotels Sarawak chairman John Teo said tourism and hospitality operators had already seen a pick-up in the number of domestic visitors ahead of the Rainforest World Music Festival to be held in Kuching this week.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said the reopening of Malaysia’s international borders had enabled the hotel industry to navigate its way towards recovery.“Hotel occupancy is now at an average of 35% to 40%, compared to the 10% to 15% that we saw during the pandemic,” he said.“Apart from Sarawakians themselves, we have had visitors from West Malaysia as well as from Singapore.”Teo said the return of the Rainforest World Music Festival, albeit in hybrid form, had given an additional boost to tourism figures in the state.However, he acknowledged the absence of international tourists, especially from China which is still observing a strict “zero Covid” response to the pandemic.“This year, we are short of foreign tourists,” he said. “The main constraint is the fact that their countries have yet to reopen much of their borders.”In addition to tourists from China, Teo said, Sarawak was also missing visitors from across the border in Brunei.“We expect occupancy to be much better if the Brunei border reopens,” he said. “But the Brunei government has extended restrictions to Aug 1.”Reservations ahead of the music festival slated to take place from June 17 to 19 have been mostly by Sarawakians, especially from Miri, Bintulu and Sibu apart from Kuching itself.Still, the state tourism board said, the numbers for this were encouraging.The Sarawak Cultural Village stands ready to receive visitors ahead of the Rainforest World Music Festival to be held in Kuching this week.CEO Sharzede Salleh Askor said more than 7,000 tickets had been sold so far, with more sales expected in the days to come.“We look forward to seeing a positive number of door sales during the festival itself,” she said.“Our maximum capacity per day is 4,000 due to the SOPs. So we are targeting attendance by 12,000 people at the physical festival.”This is still far short of the 23,650 visitors the festival had attracted before the Covid-19 pandemic. But industry players are taking what they can get.“There may be fewer visitors attending the event this year due to travel restrictions and lingering concerns about attending major events,” Mona Manap, a consultant for the festival, said.“We may not get the same numbers, but we will be pioneers – the first state to hold a hybrid international music festival.”In any event, Mona added, the organisers expect more local visitors to attend the festival despite the drop in international tourists.Sarawak Cultural Village general manager Jane Lian Labang said preparations are underway, and online sales are increasing by the day.She, too, expects a last-minute surge in local visitors.“Venue preparations are all done, and the canopies and main stage have been set up.”Even the performers from overseas have begun to arrive. All that is needed now are the visitors.


New cases continue to hover above 1,000

Another 1,219 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 327,253.Selangor recorded 499 cases, Sarawak 225 and Johor 169.Penang recorded 69 cases, Kuala Lumpur 54, Negeri Sembilan 46, Perak 36, Sabah 31, Kedah 26, Melaka 20, Kelantan 19, Terengganu 15, Putrajaya five, Pahang three and Labuan and Perlis one each.Twelve more clusters were detected:1. Subang Dua (Petaling in Selangor; 602 screened, 153 positive)2. Jalan Lada Sulah (Petaling and Klang in Selangor; 327 screened, 18 positive)3. Meranti Jaya (Sepang in Selangor; 101 screened, eight positive)4. Jalan Merpati (Miri in Sarawak; 310 screened, 51 positive)5. Kayu Gading (Batu Pahat in Johor; 101 screened, 36 positive)6. Jalan Perdana (Seremban and Rembau in Negeri Sembilan; 229 screened, 23 positive)7. Jalan Long Yunus (Pasir Puteh, Bachok and Kota Bharu in Kelantan; 214 screened, 23 positive)8. Banggol Lepah (Bachok, Kuala Krai, Tanah Merah, Pasir Puteh and Kota Bharu in Kelantan; 261 screened, 41 positive)9. Jalan Hang Tuah (Johor Bahru in Johor; 155 screened, 20 positive)10. Taman Ria Enam (Tawau in Sabah; 85 screened, 16 positive)11. Tembok Muhasabah (Jelebu in Negeri Sembilan; 225 screened, 49 positive)12. Andromeda (Muar in Johor; 44 screened, six positive)Eleven others ended, leaving 429 active clusters across the country.Another 1,346 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 310,958.However, two more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,220.


Govt considering cutting quarantine period to 10 days

The health ministry and National Security Council (NSC) are considering reducing the 14-day period for the mandatory Covid-19 quarantine to 10 days, MalaysiaNow is made to understand.A government source said this was based on a study by the World Health Organization showing that seven days is enough time to determine whether a person has virus symptoms or not.“A detailed study must be done before any announcement is made,” the source told MalaysiaNow on condition of anonymity.“Let the health ministry and NSC do their work to study the matter from all aspects.“The new quarantine period will be announced in the near future, taking into consideration whether the number of daily Covid-19 cases goes down or continues to increase.”The source who is involved in monitoring daily Covid-19 numbers said other measures under consideration include making it compulsory for anyone wishing to enter the country to take a swab test three days before travelling.“Upon arrival in Malaysia, they would only need to self-quarantine for seven days,” it added.According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the quarantine period can end after the 10th day without the need for a Covid-19 test if no symptoms have been detected.The CDC also said that swab tests can be carried out on the seventh day with results taken as valid if the individual in question has shown no sign of symptoms.In neighbouring Singapore, the quarantine period was reduced from 14 days to seven beginning Aug 22 for travellers from low-risk countries including Malaysia, Macau, China, Vietnam, Taiwan and Australia excluding the state of Victoria.Singapore Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said although the quarantine period had been shortened, social distancing should still be practised to ensure the health and safety of the individual in question as well as the general public.The 14-day stay-at-home period for travellers from Malaysia was reimposed in November following a spike in case numbers.Last month, the UK also announced a reduction in quarantine period for international travellers beginning mid-December if visitors are confirmed as Covid-free on the fifth day after arrival.Like Malaysia, the quarantine period in the UK is 14 days.The new rule is expected to revive the tourism industry in the UK which was heavily affected by travel restrictions due to Covid-19.


Ex-Goldman Sachs officer Ng to return to face 1MDB charges in Malaysia

Former Goldman Sachs officer Roger Ng Chong Hwa who was extradited to New York will be returning to Malaysia after June 1 to face charges of abetting the company on the sale of securities notes and bonds valued at US$6.5 billion belonging to a subsidiary of 1MDB.The matter was announced by deputy public prosecutor Norinna Bahadun during case management before High Court judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin today.“The accused is still in New York and the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said that Ng would be returning to Malaysia after June 1.“The prosecution will consider making amendments to the charges faced by the accused,” said Norinna who also sought a date for remention of the case.Ng, 48, has been in New York since being extradited to face charges by the DoJ over the 1MDB scandal in May 2019.Counsel Tan Hock Chuan, representing Ng, told the court that the trial date of his client in the US has yet to be fixed.“I was informed that the hearing will start at the earliest at the end of June or July. This is because courts in US were closed after Oct 1 last year, and have only resumed recently. I believe old cases will be coming up first,” he said.The court set June 15 for remention of the case.On Dec 19, 2018, Ng pleaded not guilty to four charges of abetting with Goldman Sachs over the sale of 1MDB bonds valued at US$6.5 billion by dropping material facts and making false statements.He was charged with committing the offences at the 1MDB office on the 8th Floor of Menara IMC, No 8, Jalan Sultan Ismail in Kuala Lumpur between March 19, 2012 and Nov 11, 2013.On Sept 4 last year, the charges against Goldman Sach International Ltd and its two entities in Asia, Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC and Goldman Sachs (Singapore), were dropped after High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan allowed the prosecution’s application to withdraw the charges over the sale of 1MDB bonds.


IOC chief Bach ‘disturbed’ by Valieva’s Olympic performance

IOC president Thomas Bach said Friday it was “chilling” to see how Kamila Valieva’s coach treated the Russian teenager after a doping scandal engulfing the skater culminated in an error-strewn performance at the Beijing Olympics.The International Olympic Committee chief said that he was “very disturbed” to see the 15-year-old fall several times in Thursday’s women’s figure skating final, as she unravelled and sobbed under the glare of the global spotlight.The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) is looking into Valieva’s entourage, after the doping controversy tarnished the second week of the Games in the Chinese capital.“I was very disturbed when I watched it on TV,” Bach said, adding Valieva was treated with “a tremendous coolness” by her coaches after the calamitous free skate routine which saw her finish fourth and miss out on a medal.The pre-Games favourite for gold was distraught afterwards but Russian coach Eteri Tutberidze was seen demanding to know what had gone wrong as Valieva came off the ice, her head bowed and looking pale.“Why did you let it go? Why did you let it go? Tell me,” Tutberidze can be heard saying.Bach told a news conference: “When I saw how she was received by the closest entourage with such a tremendous coolness, it was chilling to see this.”The doping affair will rumble on long after the Games have ended, and Valieva could yet be punished.The teenager was controversially cleared to carry on at the Games despite failing a test in December for trimetazidine, a drug used to treat angina but which is banned for athletes by Wada because it can boost endurance.Bach told a news briefing that seeing Valieva’s Russian teammate Alexandra Trusova also highly agitated after her silver medal-winning routine confirmed his concerns about the people around the teenage skaters.“I was pondering about whether you can be really so cold but when I saw and read today how Alexandra Trusova was being treated, I am afraid that this impression I had last night was not the wrong one,” said Bach.“All of this does not give me much confidence in this close entourage of Kamila.”The doping scandal has dominated the second week of an Olympics whose build-up was overshadowed by worries about human rights in China, possible disruption by Covid and environmental concerns – the Games have taken place almost entirely on man-made snow.The doping affair has also focused attention once more on Russian athletes at Olympic Games and the IOC’s decision to allow Russians deemed clean of doping to participate.They are taking part in Beijing under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee because Russia as a country is serving a two-year ban as punishment for a state-sponsored doping programme.Bach said that Valieva had “a drug in her body which obviously should not be in her body.“The ones who have administered this drug in her body, these are the ones who are guilty,” he said, while also defending the IOC’s actions.The IOC had challenged a Russian Anti-Doping Agency decision to drop its suspension of Valieva at the Games.Another gold for GuCalifornian-born Chinese freeskier Eileen Gu won her second gold medal of the Olympics and third medal overall, 12 hours after Valieva dissolved under the world spotlight.The 18-year-old Gu’s scintillating victory in the halfpipe confirmed her as the face of the Olympics and was the antidote the Games were crying out for.Gu, who switched allegiance from the US to China in 2019, won halfpipe gold with another commanding performance.Gu went top with a first-run score of 93.25 before extending her lead with 95.25 on her second attempt.She had the title wrapped up before she even started her third and final run, and she celebrated with her coaches at the top of the halfpipe before making her way down with a relaxed and joyous victory lap.Canada’s Cassie Sharpe took silver on 90.75 points, while another Canadian Rachael Karker claimed bronze on 87.75.


Modi’s BJP fails to win West Bengal battleground in India polls

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP has failed to win a key state in elections held amid ever-increasing Covid-19 cases and deaths.The BJP targeted West Bengal heavily during campaigning but it was comfortably held by the incumbent, Mamata Banerjee, a fierce Modi critic.Modi and his home minister made dozens of speeches in West Bengal and were accused of focusing on the polls rather than the pandemic.Voting was closely watched to see if Modi would be punished by voters for his handling of the Covid crisis.With almost all the results counted, the Trinamool Congress party (TMC) of Mamata Banerjee has won more than 200 seats in the 294-seat assembly.The results are set to make Banerjee the leader of West Bengal for a third time. She is India’s only woman chief minister.Celebrating the win, she said West Bengal had “saved” India with the result, and Covid-19 would be her first priority.On top of the coronavirus pandemic, some analysts saw the results as showing the limits of the BJP’s rhetoric in states with sizeable Muslim populations.Victory was tainted for her by the loss of her own seat in Nandigram to a former aide turned BJP defector. She has said she will challenge the result in court but may have to run again to remain chief minister.West Bengal, home to 90 million people and the city of Kolkata, is one of the few states to have never been ruled by Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP.Despite the defeat, this vote saw the BJP win nearly 80 seats to become the main opposition party. In the 2016 vote the party won just three seats in the state.Congratulating Banerjee, Modi tweeted, “From a negligible presence earlier in West Bengal, BJP’s presence has significantly increased.”As well as the north-eastern states of West Bengal and Assam, there has been voting in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, the South Indian union territory of Puducherry, and local council elections in some parts of Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.In Tamil Nadu, the main regional opposition party, the DMK, took power. A left-wing coalition retained power in Kerala, while a BJP-led alliance won no seats.


The huge responsibility of driving

I decided to write about my experience in light of the huge debate that is going on right now over the Johor accident case.When I got my first driver’s licence as handicapped driver, I was taught to be a “defensive driver”.What that meant was to follow the traffic rules meticulously.Keep to the speed limits. Slow down at corners; the sharper it turns, the slower you go.The most dangerous part is when you have poor visibility or lose it altogether. Be very careful when driving at night and especially in the wee hours of the morning when roads are generally empty.My biggest lesson was to look out for those who break the rules.This could be anyone, from vulnerable persons like children, elderly, disabled and animals, or stalled vehicles and accidents or uprooted trees in the middle of the road.I was told to always be alert about my surroundings. And in the more than 30 years that I have been driving, I only ever met with one accident when I knocked into another car in front of a traffic light.Although I hit the brakes, I didn’t stop in time.And I wasn’t speeding. Fortunately, no one was injured or died except for my ego. It was crushed.My three dogs in the back seat were briefly shaken up. But they snapped me out of the shock I was in by leaning over and licking my face. It was a month or two after I graduated from driving school. Driving is a huge responsibility. That’s why I never fail to say a prayer whenever I get in and out of my car.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Truce or not? UK and France at odds after crunch talks

France and Britain offered wildly differing accounts after their leaders met Sunday to resolve a row over post-Brexit fishing rights that threatens to turn into a full-blown trade war.President Emmanuel Macron’s office was optimistic after the French leader met Prime Minister Boris Johnson one-on-one, without aides, for about half an hour on the margins of the G20 summit in Rome.The leaders agreed to work on “practical and operational measures” to resolve the dispute in the coming days, the office said.They were united on the need for a “de-escalation” with concrete action “as soon as possible” it added, a day after Macron and Johnson gave each other friendly pats on the back at the G20.But Downing Street denied any such agreement, and insisted it was up to Paris to back down on a threat to trigger trade reprisals against British fishing catches and other goods from Tuesday.As the leaders met, the threat of “proportionate and reversible measures” against Britain was reaffirmed on Twitter Sunday by French Europe minister Clement Beaune.“If the French government want to come forward with proposals to de-escalate the threats they have made, we would absolutely welcome them,” Johnson’s spokesman told reporters in Rome.“Our position has not changed,” he said.France is incensed that Britain and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey have not issued some French boats licences to fish in their waters since Brexit took full effect at the start of 2021.The dispute has taken time out of both leaders’ packed schedules when they are both working hard on the climate change agenda heading into the UN’s COP26 meeting in Glasgow.Johnson will host more than 120 leaders at a COP26 summit on Monday and Tuesday, and has repeatedly said that Britain, France and the EU as a whole need to stay focused on the existential threat.‘Not helpful’“France is a longstanding ally. It was an open meeting. They had a lot to discuss,” Johnson’s spokesman said.But he stressed the UK would continue to process applications by French and other EU fishing vessels to ply its waters based solely on technical data.“We stand ready to work with the French government and individual fishermen if they have the requisite data. There’s no further work to be done.”Johnson’s own focus in the Macron meeting was on persuading the EU to amend a post-Brexit protocol governing trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the spokesman added.And he said a strongly worded letter from French Prime Minister Jean Castex, urging EU chief Ursula von der Leyen to punish Britain over Brexit, was “not helpful”.On Saturday in Rome, Johnson complained to von der Leyen that the French threats were “completely unjustified”.London is warning it could activate a Brexit dispute tool for the first time, exposing all of the EU to potential UK trade measures, if France executes its threatened actions on Tuesday.Paris had vowed that unless more licences are approved, it would ban UK boats from unloading their catches at French ports, and even impose checks on all products brought to France from Britain.For his part, Macron warned Friday that Britain’s “credibility” was on the line, accusing London of ignoring the Brexit trade deal agreed with Brussels after years of tortuous negotiations.“When you spend years negotiating a treaty and then a few months later you do the opposite of what was decided on the aspects that suit you the least, it is not a big sign of your credibility,” he told the Financial Times.


Pfizer, BioNTech say results show Covid-19 vaccine 95% effective

Pfizer and BioNTech said Wednesday a completed analysis of their experimental Covid-19 vaccine found it protected 95% of people against the disease and announced they were applying for US emergency approval “within days”.The US pharmaceutical company and its German partner brought further hope to a world upended by the coronavirus pandemic with the announcement, which follows one last week when they said a preliminary analysis showed the product was 90% effective.Adding to the encouraging data was that the efficacy was found to be consistent across all age-groups – a primary concern for a disease that hits the elderly the hardest – as well as genders and ethnicities.“The study results mark an important step in this historic eight-month journey to bring forward a vaccine capable of helping to end this devastating pandemic,” said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.“With hundreds of thousands of people around the globe infected every day, we urgently need to get a safe and effective vaccine to the world,” he added.Wednesday’s news came after 170 people fell sick in an ongoing clinical trial of almost 44,000 people – 162 of whom were in a placebo group and eight of whom received the two-dose medicine.Out of the 170 patients who became sick, 10 developed severe Covid-19 – nine in the placebo group and one in the vaccine group.The new data showed the vaccine was generally well tolerated, with most side-effects short-lived and either mild or moderate.About 4% experienced severe fatigue and two percent got severe headaches after their second dose.Older patients had fewer and milder side-effects.The preliminary analysis announced last week had been based on data from 94 sick people, and the companies say the additional patients have now given them a more complete picture.The ongoing late-stage trial is taking place at 150 global sites in the US, Germany, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil and Argentina.The trial will continue for another two years to find out how long immunity lasts and whether there are longer term safety issues.If the FDA issues an emergency use authorisation, the vaccine could start reaching the first Americans – frontline workers, the elderly and other high-risk people – in the first half of December.The US has said it expects it to be available to the general population by April.Pfizer and BioNTech said they expect to produce 50 million doses this year and 1.3 billion by the end of 2021.Messenger RNAOn Monday, US biotech firm Moderna said the two-dose vaccine it developed with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) was 94.5% effective, according to a preliminary analysis.Both vaccines use mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) technology to deliver genetic material to the body that makes human cells create a protein from the virus.This trains the immune system to be ready to attack if it encounters SARS-CoV-2.No mRNA vaccines have ever been approved, but Anthony Fauci, the scientist who led the NIH effort, told AFP Tuesday the technology had now “established itself”.But there are also important differences between the two.For one, the Pfizer vaccine needs to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius while the Moderna vaccine only needs -20 degrees Celsius, more akin to a regular freezer.This has to do with having different formulations of “lipid nanoparticles” used to deliver the mRNA molecule.The deep-freezer conditions needed for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have raised concerns, which the companies tried to address Wednesday.They said they had developed “specially designed, temperature-controlled thermal shippers utilising dry ice to maintain temperature conditions” which can be used for up to 15 days by refilling with dry case.Each container would have a GPS thermal sensor to track location and temperature as it makes its way across the world.On the other hand, the Pfizer-BioNTech doses are much smaller – 30 micrograms to Moderna-NIH’s 100 micrograms – probably lowering production costs per dose.


China celebrates a century of its Communist Party’s influence

China is marking the centenary of its ruling Communist Party this week by heralding what it says is its growing influence abroad, along with success in battling corruption at home.Party officials on Monday heaped praise on President Xi Jinping, who has established himself as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, and has eliminated any limits on his term in office.China has seen huge improvements in living standards over the past four decades, accompanied by rising international economic and political power.For the centenary, China’s Communist Party (CCP) has put a propaganda campaign into overdrive with movies, history tours and well-timed space missions.“The Chinese Communist Party’s international influence, appeal and attraction have continually increased, placing it at the forefront of world politics,” Guo Yezhou, deputy head of the party’s external liaison department told reporters at a news conference held at the opening of a media center for the centenary celebrations.Yet, China is also seen eroding democracy and human rights in nations over which it holds economic sway.With 92 million members and a solid lock on power at home, the CCP has sought to expand its control over Chinese who have moved abroad for study, business or other reasons.That has created multiple sources of friction, particularly in Australia, where Chinese students are prominent on university campuses, as well as in the US, the UK and other Western democracies.Those nations are tightly interlocked with the Chinese economy, while standing at odds with Beijing’s authoritarian political ideology and its policies toward Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet.The AP says that subjects not on the agenda for the celebrations include bringing the self-governing island democracy of Taiwan under China’s control, raising the prospect of a regional war that would likely draw in the US and its allies.Under Xi, China has also built up its military presence in the South China Sea and engaged in skirmishes with the Indian military along their disputed border.Guo made no reference to such concerns, saying the party’s outreach was a key positive component of China’s foreign policy.The Communist Party has stayed firmly at the centre of China’s economic rise, attracting the loyalty of a younger generationXi has made fighting corruption – and ensuring political loyalty – a hallmark of his nine years in office. Nearly 800,000 officials have been investigated for malfeasance under his rule.Among those attending commemorative events is Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam, who has been leading a crackdown on opposition figures that has drawn strong criticism and legal sanctions from the UK, US, Canada and the European Union.Lam and the central government in Beijing have dismissed those measures as interference in China’s internal affairs.Xi is scheduled to confer medals and speak at an award ceremony for party heroes on Tuesday, as well as presiding over Thursday’s centenary celebration at Tiananmen Square in the centre of Beijing.


Security tight in Indian Kashmir for ‘black day’ anniversary

Hundreds of extra police and troops were deployed in Indian-administered Kashmir Thursday as separatist groups called for a shutdown to mark a “black day” on the second anniversary of New Delhi imposing direct rule.Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947 with both claiming the territory in full. Fighting in the past two decades in the Indian-controlled part has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government scrapped the Muslim-majority region’s partial autonomy on Aug 5, 2019, and split it into two federal territories. Thousands were arrested, scores of whom remain behind bars two years on.Ahead of the second anniversary, security forces erected numerous new checkpoints and barricades across Srinagar, with personnel in bulletproof gear checking vehicles and frisking residents.Suspected rebels fired live shots in the air in the heart of the congested old town Srinagar where a low intensity explosive device also went off, witnesses said.In the Sopore area unknown rebels fired at police as authorities tried to force shopkeepers observing the shutdown to open their doors, an officer told AFP. District police denied the incident took place however in a post on Twitter.Top separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani, 90, had called for a general shutdown to mark a “black day” in protest at “India’s naked aggression”, in a Twitter statement by his Pakistan-based representative.The call was supported by several smaller separatist groups who also challenge India’s rule over Kashmir.One group headed by Kashmir’s incarcerated chief cleric and politician Mirwaiz Umar Farooq appealed to “citizens of India and the world at large” to see how India’s actions two years ago “complicated” the dispute over the territory further.On Thursday most shops remained closed in Srinagar and there were few cars on the road, but police in the capital city were seen asking shopkeepers to open.Many businessmen, without wishing to be named, told AFP that police had threatened them. Local reporters said officers were breaking locks on shutters.“I was recording video of shuttered shops when police officers arrived and took my photos while I was working and accused myself and journalists of instigating a shutdown,” photojournalist Umer Asif told AFP.Witnesses and traders in three towns in the volatile southern Kashmir valley also told AFP that police were threatening and forcing shopkeepers to open their stores.‘Resist to exist’Former Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who along with dozens of other local politicians spent months incarcerated after being arrested in the 2019 clampdown, led a protest in Srinagar that police stopped from marching to the city centre.“When unbridled oppression is unleashed & gross injustice heaped there is no other choice but to resist to exist,” she tweeted.Bashir Ahmad, a shopkeeper in downtown Srinagar, said that since the “injustice” of what happened in 2019, people no longer feel “safe and secure”.“Anyone who speaks up is being crushed without reason,” he told AFP.Government minister Jitendra Singh said in an editorial in the Indian Express daily that Kashmir was now moving toward “deepening democracy, fulfilling people’s aspirations, (and) increasing economic growth”.About 1,000 people marched in Muzaffarabad – the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir – where protesters chanted anti-Indian slogans and burnt the country’s flags, according to an AFP reporter.In Islamabad Pakistan’s foreign ministry summoned the Indian charge d’affaires to demand Kashmiris be allowed self-determination, it said in a statement.Pakistan’s president and foreign minister also led a rally of about 500 people while traffic was halted for a minute’s silence in other major cities.“Today India is destroying regional stability through its rogue actions & state sponsored terrorism in contravention of all international laws & norms,” Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted.


Canadian leaders caught sunning on foreign beaches after telling everyone to stay home in the snow

After pleading with Canadians to remain home for Christmas as Covid-19 cases surged, more than a dozen politicians broke their own Covid-19 rules and flew out of the freezing country for holidays in the sun.The vast majority of their constituents stuck to the rules and stayed home. Air travel was down 90%, according to CNN.The electorate, after weeks enduring travel bans and weeks-long lockdowns, is now furious with lawmakers for breaking the very health rules they put in place.People are particularly incensed by the ways some politicians hid their sunshine vacations.Ontario’s finance minister, Rod Phillips, posted a video message on Christmas Eve thanking his constituents for obeying lockdown rules.But the heart-warming video of him sitting at home in front of a blazing fire was pre-recorded. It was broadcast as he vacationed on the Caribbean island of St Barts. When his ruse was discovered, he returned, apologised and resigned.“I know that I disappointed a lot of people. I hope everyone will appreciate I disappointed no one more than myself,” he told media waiting for his arrival at Toronto airport.He was by no means the only one to head for the sun leaving constituents locked down in the snow.Alberta government minister, Tracy Allard, confessed to taking a trip with her family to Hawaii for the Christmas holidays because it was a “family tradition”.She was welcomed home by “Aloha Allard” signs, a petition demanding her resignation and a furious social media backlash.She apologised and resigned. In a statement, she noted threats had been made against her children.Such consequences for her and others are an indication of the outrage felt by usually hard-to-rile Canadians, especially exhausted healthcare workers.“Canadians don’t tend to rapidly become outraged, we’re pretty calm, but I think this has sort of been a bit of a tipping point for us,” said Dr Alan Drummond in an interview with CNN from his medical office in Perth, Ontario.Drummond has worked straight through the pandemic and has only left home to treat patients. He hasn’t even travelled to see his own children in over 10 months.He has been stirring up a storm on Twitter and his message is gaining overwhelming support from angry Canadians who stayed home and obeyed the rules.


Man drowns in Pahang floods, son still missing

A staff member of the Jerantut district forestry department office drowned in the flood waters in Pahang last night while his son went missing while wading through the water at Kampung Gintong.Jerantut police chief Supt Mazlan Hassan said the victim, Zulkarnain Hitam, 58, was found at 10.30pm. He was believed to have drowned after being washed away by a strong current while walking home with his three sons after moving their family car to higher ground.One of his sons, Ukai Iskandar, 23, who is a student at Universiti Malaysia Pahang in Gambang, was also washed away and has yet to be found.“All of them were believed to have walked home from Kampung Gintong to Taman Perdana, about two kilometres from where they left their car,” Mazlan told Bernama when contacted.Mazlan said villagers managed to save Zulkarnain’s other sons, aged 13 and 15.The search for Ukai, which began at 11pm yesterday, had to be temporarily stopped at 3am today due to bad weather.Mazlan advised the public to be vigilant about the development of floods and to follow the instructions of the authorities throughout the flood season to avoid untoward incidents.


321,331 given first Covid jab so far

A total of 321,331 individuals had received their first vaccine dose under Phase One of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme as of yesterday.Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said Selangor recorded the highest number, with 38,632 individuals, followed by Perak (34,666), Sarawak (32,028) and Sabah (30,433).“Kuala Lumpur has 29,937 vaccine recipients; Pahang, 25,525; Johor, 24,749; Kedah, 21,171; Penang, 18,465; Kelantan, 15,877; and Terengganu, 14,949.“In Negeri Sembilan, a total of 12,865 individuals have been vaccinated; Melaka, 8,251; Perlis, 7,276; Putrajaya, 4,165; and Labuan, 2,342),” he said through an infographic posted on his Twitter account today.The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme which was launched on Feb 24 aims to provide immunisation for free to those in Malaysia, locals and foreigners alike.


Melaka BN gears up for state election

Barisan Nasional (BN) in Melaka is gearing up for state polls following the withdrawal of support by four assemblymen for the chief minister yesterday, with the election machinery at all levels told to mobilise immediately in the event that the state legislative assembly is dissolved.A circular issued by Melaka BN urged all division election directors in the state to ensure victory for the coalition.This would be the second state election to be held since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.The Sabah election, which saw Warisan’s Shafie Apdal toppled as chief minister, was held in September 2020.This latest situation arose after Idris Haron (BN-Sungai Udang), Nor Azman Hassan (BN-Pantai Kundor), Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Independent-Pengkalan Batu) and Noor Effandi Ahmad (Bersatu-Telok Mas) declared that they had lost confidence in the leadership of Sulaiman Md Ali.Idris, a former chief minister who had previously denied talk of switching camps or withdrawing support, said he and the others had lost confidence in Sulaiman as well as the entire state government.“We have also resigned (as excos), meaning that the government can no longer stand,” he said at a press conference yesterday.When asked why they had revoked their support, he said the state government had “flip-flopped” on its decisions.The Melaka state assembly, long held by BN, fell to Pakatan Harapan (PH) in 2018 which won 15 seats compared to BN’s 13.Sulaiman, from Umno, was sworn in as chief minister in March last year following the collapse of the PH government.


Langkawi recognised as among the best islands in Southeast Asia

Langkawi, which consists of a cluster of 99 islands off the coast of Kedah, has won the Asia Best Awards 2022 and was recently recognised as one of the best islands in Southeast Asia.
Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) CEO Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib said the award proved the agency’s continued efforts and dedication, especially during the pandemic, when tourist arrivals to the island were down.
He said the success was also accompanied by the good news that Four Seasons Resort Langkawi had received "The Best Beach and Upcountry Hotel in Malaysia 2022" award.
"Despite facing various challenges, we remain optimistic and shoulder our responsibilities to ensure that this island is resilient in its journey towards recovery and remains a popular tourist destination," he said in a statement.
Nasaruddin said as the pioneering agency in the development of Langkawi tourism, LADA played an important role in making Langkawi the world-class tourist destination that it is today.
Meanwhile, he said LADA expects more international tourists to revitalise the economy and stimulate the local community's income.
"To realise this wish, we focus on four main components namely leisure tourism (international and domestic), meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions and tourism events.
"Our action plan includes promoting green-concept tourism, creating experiences and being responsible, incentives such as duty-free shopping and creating attractive places for Instagram to ensure tjat we maintain our position as one of the best islands in Southeast Asia," he said.


Win first, discuss DPM posts later, says PM Ismail

The question of which party representative will be proposed as deputy prime minister candidates should Barisan Nasional (BN) win the 15th general election (GE15) and become the dominant ruling party will only be decided after the polls, Ismail Sabri Yaakob says. The prime minister said what mattered now was for BN to focus on winning GE15. "(We) don’t know yet, let us (BN) win the election first. If this matter (DPM post) is in our manifesto, then of course we will ensure it is carried out. "In any case, let us wait until we secure a win, then we will discuss, because if we have this proposal in our manifesto, then the proposed (DPM) candidates will be given by Sabah and Sarawak," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Ismail was asked whether there had been any names proposed from Sabah and Sarawak for deputy prime minister positions.
Asked about PAS’ statement that the three deputy prime minister positions offered by BN were not necessary and merely a desperate attempt to secure votes, Ismail replied: "That is PAS’ view, so let them be with their views. We have our own (views)."
On Oct 23, BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi proposed that three deputy prime minister posts be created, one each from Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula, if BN wins GE15.
Zahid suggested that the proposal be included in the Sabah BN and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) manifesto for GE15.
In response, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was reported to have described the suggestion as election bait to garner support from Sabah and Sarawak voters.


Republicans, Biden reach debt ceiling deal

President Joe Biden and Republican leader Kevin McCarthy announced a deal Saturday to raise the debt ceiling, dragging the US back from the precipice of default with only a few days to spare.
Congress will vote on the deal to extend the government's borrowing authority on Wednesday, just shy of the June 5 "X-date" when the treasury estimates the government will no longer be able to pay its bills, plunging the world's biggest economy into turmoil.
Biden said in a statement that the deal was "good news for the American people, because it prevents what could have been a catastrophic default and would have led to an economic recession, retirement accounts devastated, and millions of jobs lost."
McCarthy, who spoke with Biden on Saturday to close the deal, said there was still "a lot of work to do, but I believe this is an agreement in principle that's worthy of the American people."
The Republican speaker added he would consult again with the president on Sunday and oversee final drafting of the bill, and the House would "then be voting on it on Wednesday."
'Compromise'
Raising the debt ceiling – a legal maneuver that takes place most years without drama – allows the government to keep borrowing money and remain solvent.
This year, Republicans demanded deep spending cuts – largely in social spending for the poor – in return for raising the debt ceiling, saying the time had come for bitter medicine to address the country's mammoth US$31 trillion (RM142.63 trillion) debt.
Biden argued that he would not negotiate over spending issues as a condition for raising the debt ceiling, accusing the Republicans of taking the economy hostage.
Both sides have now somewhat climbed down.
According to a source familiar with the negotiations, the deal includes freeing up the debt ceiling for two years, meaning there will be no need for negotiations in 2024, when the presidential election will be in full swing.
The big cuts Republicans wanted are not there, though non-defence spending will remain effectively flat next year, and only rise nominally in 2025, the source said.
There will also be new rules for accessing certain federal assistance programs, though the source said the deal protected Biden's signature Inflation Reduction Act and student debt relief plan.
Biden said "the agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want. That's the responsibility of governing."
Deadlines
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen had initially warned of a possible default around June 1 if Congress failed to raise the ceiling on borrowing, but gave lawmakers some breathing room on Friday when she updated the deadline to June 5.
Even so, the legislation will still have to clear Congress much more quickly than the normal timetable for even the most uncontroversial bills.
Under House rules, lawmakers have to be given 72 hours before voting once a bill is presented. And if it passes the House, it will then have to go through the Senate, where Democrats hold the majority.
McCarthy is hoping to bring the narrow House majority of 222 Republicans with him, but the deal is likely to face opposition from 35 far-right lawmakers who told him to "hold the line" against compromising on far more sweeping spending cuts. That means a large number of Democrats will have to be persuaded to vote with a reduced number of Republicans – something that rarely happens on big bills.
In a sign of the uphill battle McCarthy might face corralling his party's votes, hardline conservative representative Lauren Boebert said she would oppose the deal.
"Our voters deserve better than this," she said in a tweet on Saturday night. "You can count me as a NO on this deal."
The Democrats, meanwhile, may face their own rebellion on the left of the party, which objects to any spending restrictions.
Congress was adjourned for an extended holiday weekend but lawmakers will be called back to vote.
If a default occurs, the government wouldn't miss loan repayments until mid-June but in the meantime it would likely have to halt US$25 billion in social security checks and federal salaries.
The battle has been monitored closely by the major ratings agencies, with Morningstar and Fitch both warning that they could opt for a downgrade, even if the crisis is averted.
When Barack Obama's administration narrowly averted a default 12 years ago, a ratings downgrade cost taxpayers more than $1 billion in higher interest costs.


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The life that awaits Najib as Malaysia's most prominent prisoner

Former prime minister Najib Razak's new prison lodgings may be less than an hour's drive from his mansion in Kuala Lumpur's affluent Bukit Tunku neighbourhood, but it is a world away from the luxury he is used to.
Najib lost his final appeal on a 12-year jail sentence for corruption yesterday, and was taken under heavy security to the country's largest jailhouse in Kajang – a sprawling complex southeast of the capital that holds up to 5,000 prisoners and includes a women's facility.
First convicted in July 2020, Najib had been out on bail pending his appeals. The country's top court upheld his guilty verdict over criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering charges for illegally receiving about US$10 million from a former unit of state fund 1MDB.
The son of Malaysia's second prime minister, Najib held the premiership from 2009 to 2018, when public anger over the multi-billion dollar graft scandal at 1MDB brought election defeat.
Having been golf buddies with US presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump and other world leaders, the British-educated son of Malay nobility will now count murderers and drug traffickers among his fellow inmates in Kajang.
One of them, Azilah Hadri, was a member of Najib's security detail before he was convicted of murder for the 2006 killing of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Azilah is currently on death row, while a fellow policeman who was convicted along with him sought sanctuary in Australia, where he remains.
In a 2019 court filing seeking to set aside his conviction, Azilah accused Najib of ordering the murder, a claim the ex-prime minister denied. The Federal Court rejected Azilah's application in 2020.
The prisons department did not respond to an emailed request for comment on what conditions Najib will face in jail. On Facebook, it denied as fake news a post by another user saying that the prisons provided special privileges for "VIP inmates" such as televisions and air-conditioning.
Otherwise, rights groups say Malaysian prisons suffer from overcrowding, poor hygiene, and lack of medical facilities, with infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and scabies common.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who spent a total of eight years incarcerated at another Malaysian prison, has said he experienced inhumane and degrading conditions, including being served rotten fish "all the time", according to media reports.
However, Najib's former deputy, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, told Parliament in 2016 that Anwar obtained privileges based on medical advice, including a customised hospital bed, a desk, hot showers, and a special diet.
Anwar was also given access to the prison library, received regular visitors, and was allowed to leave for hospital treatments and to attend trial, according to Zahid.
Anwar was jailed twice on corruption and sodomy charges, which he maintains were politically motivated. He was pardoned by the king and released days after Najib's election defeat in 2018.
More cases
The only times that Najib is likely to leave Kajang are when he is escorted to court to attend hearings in four other cases related to corruption at 1MDB and other government agencies.
US and Malaysian authorities say over US$4.5 billion was stolen.
Malaysian investigators say they traced more than US$1 billion to Najib's bank accounts, but he has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The opulent lifestyle of Najib and his family came to light with the discovery of about US$275 million worth of cash, jewellery, and other luxury goods in residences used by Najib and his family.
Najib's wife, Rosmah Mansor, has pleaded not guilty in a corruption case unrelated to 1MDB. The court is set to deliver its verdict in her trial on Sept 1.


Myanmar releases 6,000 prisoners, including Australian economist, reports say

Myanmar's military leaders have released Sean Turnell, an Australian economist and former adviser to democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, and almost 6,000 others from prison under an amnesty, state media reported on Thursday.
Former British envoy Vicky Bowman and her husband were among those released, along with US citizen Kyaw Htay Oo and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota.
Myanmar has been in the political turmoil since the military staged coup last year by arresting civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi in the early morning raids on Feb 1, 2021.
The coup sparked widespread protests that were often violently shut down, and helped fuel armed resistance among some of the Southeast Asian nation's many ethnic groups.
In all, 5,774 male and 676 female prisoners were granted amnesty to mark Myanmar's national day and also on "humanitarian grounds," state media said.
Also included were 11 celebrities and Kyaw Tint Swe, a former minister and a close aide to Suu Kyi.
Turnell had been charged with violating a state secrets law.
Bowman, whose husband is prominent Burmese artist Ko Htein Lin, had been charged with immigration violations. Kubota had been charged with sedition and violating a communications law.
A junta spokesperson did not answer Reuters' phone calls seeking comment.
The Australian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Japanese foreign ministry said it was informed about Kubota's release in the afternoon.


Pfizer to conduct trials of antiviral Covid pill in Russia

Russia has granted approval for Pfizer Inc to conduct clinical trials in Russia of its experimental antiviral pill to treat Covid-19, a state registry of medicines showed on Tuesday.The trials conducted on 90 people located in home-like conditions with someone who has symptomatic Covid-19 began on Nov 12 and will continue until March 2023, the registry’s website said.Pfizer said earlier this month the experimental antiviral pill cut by 89% the chance of hospitalisation or death for adults at risk of severe disease. It hopes to make the pill available globally as quickly as possible.The pill has the brand name Paxlovid.


Putrajaya inks maritime border treaties with Indonesia despite experts' warning

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Indonesian President Joko Widodo signed a number of treaties during the latter's working visit to Malaysia, including on the delimitation of territorial seas in the Sulawesi Sea and the Straits of Melaka, amid reservations from maritime experts over proposals to settle the disputes.
The Straits of Melaka treaty and Sulawesi Sea treaty were among six instruments signed on June 8, the two leaders said in a joint statement today.
They said both sides had reached "a significant milestone" with the signing of these treaties, although giving no specific details of the type of settlement reached.
The two sides also expressed their commitment to expediting their internal processes towards realising "the simultaneous entry into force" of the treaties in question.
"Both leaders are determined to resolve the land boundary issues on OBP Pulau Sebatik, OBP Sungai Sinapad-Sesai and new West Pillar on Pulau Sebatik to AA2 Pillar, as well as issues relating to the intertidal area in the east of Pulau Sebatik and the gap from the low water line to Point M by June 2024," they said.
MalaysiaNow reported yesterday that maritime experts involved in efforts to protect Malaysia's territorial rights had warned Putrajaya against signing any new agreements to settle the long-running border dispute with neighbouring Indonesia.
They said Malaysia could not afford to compromise on its claims involving disputed areas with Jakarta in the Sulawesi Sea and in the southernmost part of the Straits of Melaka.
They also warned Putrajaya that any change from the policy of previous governments with regard to the two areas must involve the participation of the governments of Johor and Sabah, whose maritime interests would be affected the most in the event of an agreement to settle the dispute.
In their statement today, the leaders said the signing of the treaties symbolised the "harmonious relationship and camaraderie between both countries" and provided a solid foundation for future maritime boundary negotiations between the two.
"The two leaders also agreed to task their maritime boundary negotiation teams to commence as soon as possible negotiations on all the remaining and outstanding maritime boundaries between both countries simultaneously," the statement added.
Voicing satisfaction with "the solid and significant outcome" of Widodo's visit, they said the "milestone" would keep the positive momentum going for both sides to address other outstanding bilateral issues ahead of the 13th Leader’s Annual Consultation to be hosted by Indonesia.


North Korea tests new underwater nuclear attack 'drone'

North Korea has tested an underwater nuclear attack drone designed to unleash a "radioactive tsunami" that would destroy enemy naval vessels and ports, state media said Friday.
During the drills from Tuesday through Thursday the North Korean military deployed and test-fired this new weapon system, the mission of which is to set off such a "super-scale" destructive wave, the KCNA news agency said.
"This nuclear underwater attack drone can be deployed at any coast and port or towed by a surface ship for operation," KCNA said.
The "secret weapon" was put in the water off South Hamgyon province Tuesday, and on Thursday it detonated a test warhead, the agency said.
Up to that point it had cruised for 59 hours and 12 minutes at a depth of 80m to 150m, the agency reported.
The North's Central Military Commission of the Worker's Party commanded the drills "in order to alert the enemy to an actual nuclear crisis and verify the reliability of the nuclear force for self-defence".
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "guided" this exercise and said it should serve as a warning for the United States and South Korea to "realise the DPRK's unlimited nuclear war deterrence capability being bolstered up at a greater speed". DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name.
"He expressed his will to make the US imperialists and the South Korean puppet regime plunge into despair for their choice through the high-profile demonstration of the powerful war deterrence," KCNA said.
After a record-breaking year of weapons tests and growing nuclear threats from Pyongyang, Seoul and Washington have ramped up security cooperation, and on March 13 kicked off their largest joint military drills in five years, known as Freedom Shield.
KCNA said that on Wednesday the North fired strategic cruise missiles "tipped with a test warhead simulating a nuclear warhead".
KCNA said two "Hwasal-1"-type strategic cruise missiles and two "Hwasal-2"-type strategic cruise missiles, launched in South Hamgyong province, accurately hit the target set in the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan.
The South Korean military had reported the firing of multiple cruise missiles from the North on Wednesday.
That launch comes about a week after Pyongyang test-fired its largest and most powerful missile, a Hwasong-17 – its second intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test this year.
The North's state media described the ICBM launch as a response to the ongoing, "frantic" US-South Korea drills.
North Korea last year declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power and Kim recently called for an "exponential" increase in weapons production, including tactical nuclear weapons.


Umno confident RoS will approve no-contest motion

Umno is confident that the Registrar of Societies (RoS) will approve the additional motion passed at the 2022 general assembly for the presidency and deputy presidency to go uncontested at this year’s party polls.
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he was confident that the party had complied with all of the meeting regulations in line with its constitution, and had given the necessary explanation to the RoS.
"I am confident that all of Umno's meeting regulations and the Umno constitution have been fully adhered to. Clauses 9.3 and 9.4 of the party constitution have also been explained to the RoS," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today.
Zahid, who is also a deputy prime minister, said this when asked about developments in the issue, especially the 60-day period given by the RoS to explain the no-contest motion passed at the party’s general assembly following complaints by two Umno members.
Zahid said Umno had started receiving nomination papers from those keen on contesting the party polls.
"The door is open for anyone to contest the contested posts. I just hope all of the candidates will adhere to the campaign guidelines issued by Umno election committee chairman Shahrir Samad," he added.


First clinical trial for oral cancer vaccine at year-end

Research organisation Cancer Research Malaysia says the country’s first clinical trial for oral cancer will kick off by the end of the year.Dr Teo Soo-Hwan, chief scientific officer at the organisation, said the pre-clinical study being done on animals will wrap up soon, to be followed by the next phase, to ensure that the study can be safely conducted on humans.“We are putting the package together to go to the regulating authorities,” she said. “If everything goes well, we should enter Phase One of our clinical trials by the end of the year.”The clinical study will ensure that oral cancer patients can move towards innovative therapy instead of opting for only chemotherapy and surgery.The vaccine to be used will be the first therapy developed in Malaysia, funded by the science, technology and innovation ministry as well as through donations to Cancer Research Malaysia.“This is an important landmark for us Malaysians,” Teo said at an online seminar organised by the ministry in conjunction with National Science Week 2021.The seminar was moderated by minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Pharmaniaga head of research and development Dr Badarulhisam Abdul Rahman.In his opening speech, Khairy said it was time for Malaysia to develop its own vaccines instead of buying them from abroad.“When this pandemic started, we realised a great concern in Malaysia is that we don’t have the capacity to develop vaccines yet. That’s why for Covid-19, we had to buy from abroad.“It’s important for us to start our vaccine development now as experts have said this will probably not be the last pandemic. We have to continue to develop vaccines for our future,” he said.