Zahid, saviour of Anwar's political career?

Analysts say the close relationship between Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and PKR president Anwar Ibrahim may save the latter's political career in Tambun, thwarting a proposed understanding among Barisan Nasional (BN), Bersatu and PAS there ahead of the 15th general election (GE15).
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, political analyst Mazlan Ali said the ties between the two leaders were no longer a secret, and had in fact been ongoing since their days together in Umno.
He said it was entirely possible that this factor would come into play in any decision on future political alliances.
"They might still be close today, even though Pakatan Harapan (PH) has political differences with Umno," he added.
On the other hand, he said, their relationship could also lead to an alliance between BN and PKR if none of the political blocs succeed in winning a convincing majority in the Nov 19 polls.
PAS committee member Zuhdi Marzuki had made the proposal for a three-way cooperation for his party, BN and Bersatu in a bid to end the former deputy prime minister's decades-long political career.
He suggested that Bersatu's Ahmad Faizal Azumu remain in the running for the seat, while Umno and PAS field candidates in the Hulu Kinta and Manjoi state seats.
"The biggest obstacle to Anwar's fall in Tambun is the split in the Malay vote – partly for Umno and partly for Bersatu," he said.
"So the formula to ensure that Anwar is defeated is an electoral alliance among Umno, PAS and Bersatu."
However, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan said the coalition would field a candidate in the seat to challenge the incumbent, despite the statement from Perak Umno leader Shamsul Anuar Nasarah that Tambun should be Anwar's Waterloo.
Faizal, the former Perak menteri besar, won the Tambun seat with 38,661 votes, beating BN's candidate Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (33,341) and PAS' Ibrahim Zakaria (14,948).
According to Mazlan, Zuhdi's suggestion had basis as the seat was a traditional Umno stronghold.
It was won by PH with only a thin majority of some 5,000 votes at the last general election.
"Anwar has a reason to be contesting Tambun," he said.
"This could be his strategy to make Perak the field to gain popular support for PH."
Mazlan said Anwar had chosen a seat where non-Malays formed 30% of the electorate as he was confident that the Malay vote would be split in several directions.
If he should fail, however, Anwar is likely to see the end of his political career in Tambun, with any party posts after that only ex officio.
PH and BN aside, Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) are also expected to contest the seat.
Mazlan said Anwar might have received information from party research that indicated the possibility of victory despite the risks.
"Tambun is not a safe seat for PH," he added.
Independent political analyst Azizi Safar agreed.
"Anwar is certain to win a lot of support from the non-Malay voters," he said.
"If there is an electoral pact among PAS, Umno, Bersatu and other parties like GTA, the Malay vote will not be split."
Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said Anwar might still have a chance even if such cooperation materialises.
"The Tambun seat is considered a balance between suburban and rural, with a Malay majority and a significant number of Chinese voters," he said.
"If they turn out to vote, the bulk of the Chinese will vote for Anwar. He could still win, even if half of the Malay votes go to a single Malay candidate on the other side."


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Watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing, Agong says ahead of Merdeka celebration

Social solidarity, national integration and racial unity are the keys to national harmony, prosperity and well-being, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said today.
He said they were also the keys to gaining the strength to face the challenges ahead, in accordance with this year’s National Day theme of "Keluarga Malaysia Teguh Bersama" (Keluarga Malaysia Standing Strong Together).
"In that regard, His Majesty says it is a shared responsibility of all to not only preserve and protect the national harmony that we have enjoyed so far, but also to nurture it among ourselves as the Malaysian Family.
"His Majesty is of the view that if the people stay united, play their roles and hold fast to these keys, we will be able to curb those groups or extremists who sow seeds of division and fan the flames of racism to cause disharmony in the country for personal gain," Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said in a statement today.
Fadil said Sultan Abdullah also reminded the people to beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing who were also capable of causing disunity among the people and shaking the country’s stability through lies and seditious remarks which contravene the principles of the Rukun Negara, the ultimate key to racial harmony and unity. Fadil said His Majesty also called on the people to remember the history of more than six decades ago, when the spirit of patriotism and love for the country succeeded in uniting them to rise up and fight against colonialism and achieve independence.
He said Sultan Abdullah also encouraged the people to commemorate and appreciate the deeds and contributions of the patriots and freedom fighters, as well as security forces personnel who freed the country from the grip of colonialism and foreign enemies.
"His Majesty also expressed the view that if the spirit of the struggle over six decades ago can be inculcated and nurtured among today’s generation in celebrating this historic day, surely the people will be able to observe and appreciate the value of the spirit of patriotism for the country and racial unity," he said.


Only 27.3% of tahfiz, religious school students in Penang vaccinated

Only 27.13% or 1,534 students studying at religious, tahfiz and Islamic schools in Penang have received their Covid-19 vaccination while 4,120 had yet to be jabbed as of yesterday.State Health, Agriculture, Agro-based Industry and Rural Development Committee chairman Dr Norlela Ariffin urged parents and guardians to take their children to any of the 10 vaccination centres in the state.“I urge parents or guardians to immediately bring their children to get vaccinated at the vaccination centres, which will cease operations early next month,” she said when contacted by Bernama today.She said according to the Penang Islamic Religious Department, the students’ vaccinations are managed by their respective families.Norlela also said that 85.9% or 121,489 out of 141,500 teenagers in the state had received at least one dose of vaccine under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme as of yesterday.She voiced hope that the health ministry would consider giving booster doses to some 40,000 frontliners and 482,000 senior citizens in Penang soon as well as individuals with comorbidities.“This is for their additional protection so that there will not be a surge in Covid-19 cases following the lifting of the interstate travel ban,” she said.


India's palm oil imports fall in July as soyoil jumps to record high

India's palm oil imports in July fell 10% from a month ago, as refiners ramped up purchases of rival soyoil to take advantage of New Delhi's move to allow duty-free imports of the vegetable oil to calm all-time high prices, a trade body said on Friday.
Higher soyoil purchases by the world's biggest edible oil importer will support US soyoil prices, but will dent rival palm oil's share in Indian buying and force Malaysian and Indonesian sellers to offer discounts to regain the market share, traders said.
India's palm oil imports in July fell to 530,420 tonnes from 590,921 tonnes a month earlier, the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA) said in a statement.
Soyoil imports in July jumped 125% from a month ago to a record 519,566 tonnes, while sunflower oil imports rose 30% to 155,300 tonnes.
India in late May allowed duty-free imports of 2 million tonnes each of soyoil and sunflower oil for the current and next fiscal years ending March 31, as part of efforts to keep a lid on local edible oil prices.
Through the end of June, soy oil's premium over palm oil was less than US$150 per tonne, but since palm oil attracts a 5.5% import tax, palm oil was effectively more expensive for Indian buyers, brokers said.
But again the gap between soyoil and palm oil has widened above US$350 per tonne in the past few weeks, making palm oil purchases more attractive for refiners, the SEA said.
"In August, palm oil imports could rise above 700,000 tonnes. There was huge buying in July after prices were corrected," said a Mumbai-based dealer with a global trading firm.
Malaysian palm oil prices fell to their lowest in more than a year in July.
India buys palm oil mainly from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, while it imports soyoil and sunflower oil from Argentina, Brazil, Ukraine and Russia.


Ex-bank president arrested over alleged bribes to approve RM400 million loan

A former bank president-cum-managing director with a “Datuk” title was among four people arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday for allegedly receiving bribes to approve a financial loan of RM400 million.The four, aged between 49 and 53, were arrested around Kuala Lumpur. They were remanded for three days from today until April 2 after appearing before the Magistrate’s Court in Putrajaya.According to an MACC source, the four were alleged to have received bribes amounting to S$3,168,366 (about RM8 million) as a commission to approve a loan of RM400 million for what was believed to be a non-existent project.The former bank president-cum-managing director had allegedly given special treatment by approving the loan without following procedure and without due diligence due to the bribe offered.The source said after the loan was approved and the money received, the applying company was closed and the project was not implemented.“This was a deceitful act committed with the cooperation of inside people by creating a dubious project for the purpose of applying for a financial loan,” the source added.MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki, when contacted, confirmed the arrests and said the case was being investigated under Section 16 of the MACC Act 2009.


Sydney residents banned from leaving city as Covid cluster grows

Sydneysiders were largely banned from leaving the city Wednesday as Australian authorities rushed to stop a growing outbreak of the highly contagious Delta Covid-19 variant from spreading to other regions.More than 30 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 since the cluster emerged in the city’s Bondi Beach area last week, the latest in a string of flare-ups that highlight Australia’s difficulty in extinguishing outbreaks.New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced new restrictions that will apply for the next week, including the immediate ban on non-essential travel out of Sydney and limits on social gatherings.A “very huge proportion” of Sydney’s five million residents are subject to the travel ban, which applies to seven local government areas where Covid-19 cases have been detected, she said.Authorities stopped short of ordering the closure of restaurants and bars, but singing and dancing are out, while major events can still go ahead with stadium capacity limited to 50%.Officials pleaded with Sydney residents to follow the new rules.“I know from my experience… there is a degree of tiredness and a degree of apathy about the response to the virus,” said NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard.“But in a sense, this is a new and more dangerous version of the virus and that apathy has to be swept away.”Australia has been among the world’s most successful countries in containing Covid-19, with just over 30,000 cases and 910 deaths.The latest outbreak has been linked to a driver for international flight crews who contracted the Delta variant of the virus, which was first identified in India.New Zealand authorities also tightened Covid-19 restrictions in Wellington after a Sydney man who visited the capital over the weekend tested positive when he returned home.The virus has repeatedly escaped Australian hotels used to quarantine returning travellers, and health experts say the outbreaks will continue until large numbers of Australians are vaccinated.Roughly 6.7 million doses have been administered to date in a population of 25 million, with only a small fraction of those having received both jabs.


BN must win Tioman for sake of coalition, PH, says Pahang MB

Barisan Nasional (BN) has to win the Tioman state seat in the 15th general election (GE15) for the sake of the coalition’s dignity and its partner, Pakatan Harapan (PH), Pahang BN chairman Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said today.
He said BN's victory in the seat would also be significant in balancing the number of seats in the Pahang state assembly.
Based on the results of GE15, which was held on Nov 19, BN won 16 state seats in Pahang, one fewer than Perikatan Nasional (PN) which has 17 seats, while PH has eight.
"We have no choice. As of today, the situation (voter sentiment) is still 50-50, but I was informed that the graph (support for BN) is going up.
"The reason is, firstly is because we and PH are sincere about establishing a government for the sake of the stability of the state," he said in Rompin yesterday.
Wan Rosdy, who is Pahang menteri besar, also urged the party machinery to be more aggressive and to meet as many voters as possible, especially the young electors,  to ensure victory for BN in the Tioman state election.
The election for the Tioman state seat will be held on Dec 7. It was postponed due to the death of PN candidate Md Yunus Ramli, 61, on polling day.
The contest for the seat will witness a five-cornered fight among BN candidate Mohd Johari Hussain, Mohd Fadzli Mohd Ramly of Amanah for PH, Nor Idayu Hashim (PN), Osman A Bakar (Pejuang) and and independent Sulaiman Bakar.
However, Amanah decided that its candidate Fadzli would give way to the BN candidate to increase the latter’s chances of winning, although his name would remain on the ballot papers.


Rising violence mars start of Afghanistan’s Covid-19 vaccination drive

Afghanistan administered its first Covid-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, inoculating security force members, health workers and journalists but the campaign is already facing challenges from a sharp rise in violence.Earlier this month, Kabul received 500,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII), which is producing the vaccine for mid- and low-income countries.In a ceremony at the presidential palace, acting health minister Waheed Majroh said the vaccines would be provided to 250,000 people, mostly from the security, health, education and media sectors, Reuters reports.“Today is a fortunate day for Afghanistan as we launch the first vaccination drive, but it would be a challenge to roll the plan to the whole country,” Majroh said.Taliban insurgents fighting the foreign-backed Afghan government have announced their backing for the vaccination campaign.However, the inoculations are taking place amid relentless violence despite the government and the Taliban insurgents opening peace talks in September. The discussions have produced no progress to date.A report by the United Nations released on Tuesday said civilian casualties escalated sharply after peace talks began last year and called for a ceasefire.Afghan health officials have said that the international Covax programme, which is aimed at improving access to Covid-19 vaccines for developing countries, would provide vaccines to cover 20% of the country’s 38 million population.President Ashraf Ghani, one of several Afghan leaders who witnessed the first injections, said the pandemic is a serious problem for the country and called on health workers to vaccinate people in a fair and transparent manner.Afghanistan has registered 55,646 infections and 2,435 deaths. But experts say cases are significantly under-reported due to low testing and limited access to medical facilities in the war-torn country.


West Bank violence persists with Israeli, Palestinian attacks

Violence in the occupied West Bank persisted Saturday with Israelis attacking Palestinian residents and a Palestinian shooter killed by Israeli forces at a checkpoint, officials on both sides said.
The latest incidents add to a mounting toll which has cost four Israeli and 16 Palestinian lives across the territory since Monday.
Palestinians have described hundreds of Israelis attacking their villages in recent days, after Palestinian gunmen killed four Israelis near a West Bank settlement on Tuesday.
The heads of the Israeli military, police and the Shin Bet domestic security agency on Saturday described as "nationalist terrorism" the series of attacks by Israelis targeting Palestinians in the West Bank.
"This violence increases Palestinian terrorism and harms the state of Israel and the international legitimacy of Israel's security forces to fight Palestinian terrorism," a joint statement said.
In the latest such incident, Israel's army said "rocks were hurled and reports were received of Israeli citizens setting fire to Palestinian property" in the northern village of Umm Safa.
A soldier was wounded and one Israeli was arrested, the army said.
The Palestinian health ministry said an ambulance "was stoned by (Israeli) settlers" near Umm Safa, wounding the driver.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War and, excluding annexed east Jerusalem, the territory is now home to around 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements considered illegal under international law.
The Palestinians, who seek their own independent state, want Israel to withdraw from all land it occupied in the Six-Day War and to dismantle all Jewish settlements.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to "strengthen settlements" and has expressed no interest in reviving peace talks, moribund since 2014.
Netanyahu's coalition contains hardline settlers, including extreme-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Checkpoint shooting
Ahmad Tibi, an Arab-Israeli lawmaker, visited the West Bank village of Turmus Ayya on Saturday where he inspected the damage from earlier reprisals.
"The Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves in front of those who come to burn their house and burn their wife and grandson," he said.
Diplomats from more than 20 missions, including the European Union and the US, visited Turmus Ayya on Friday where they condemned the attack during which one Palestinian was shot dead.
In further violence Saturday, Israeli police said at the Qalandia checkpoint a "suspect opened fire at the security forces", who shot back.
"The death of the terrorist was later determined at the scene," a police statement said.
The crossing serves as the main gateway used by Palestinians between annexed east Jerusalem and Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian Authority which has partial administrative control in the West Bank.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a Palestinian militant group, in a statement said "our heroic fighters... were able to directly target occupation (Israeli) soldiers at Qalandia checkpoint."
The official Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the person shot dead as Ishaq al-Ajluni, aged 17 or 18, from the Kufr Aqab neighbourhood just north of the checkpoint.
So far this year, violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has killed at least 176 Palestinians, 25 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian.
The tally compiled from official sources includes combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.


Pandemic has given birth to ‘nouveau poor’ Malaysians, expert warns

The disruption of the Covid-19 crisis to the economy has given birth to a new economic class of the “new poor”, an economist says.Madeline Berma said this is a vulnerable group made up of those in the bottom 40, middle 40 and top 20, the three income classifications in Malaysia, who have slipped into poverty after a loss of income during the pandemic.“In the past, we had the ‘new rich’. Today, we are seeing the emergence of the ‘new poor’,” Madeline, who is also a member of the government’s Human Rights Commission, told MalaysiaNow.She said Covid-19 has reinforced the problem of unemployment, adding that the crisis brought on by the pandemic has given rise to a host of new issues.The vulnerable category includes single mothers, the disabled, the elderly as well as those in abject poverty, she said.“In the past, we had the ‘new rich’. Today, we are seeing the emergence of the ‘new poor’.”While these groups have long been in existence, she said, the impact of the pandemic has exarcerbrated the problem and made public their plight.Official statistics for May this year showed that there were 47,300 newly unemployed persons in Malaysia, pushing the total to 826,100 – an increase of 0.3% within just a month.The government has also warned that it will be difficult to achieve the goals of its poverty eradication programmes given the global impact of Covid-19 on the economy.Madeline acknowledged that the RM322.5 billion budget for 2021 would help the new poor.“While it is not specifically stated as poverty eradication, the budget allocation has focused on the B40 category and below,” she said.“We have a good approach to fighting poverty as allocations are directly channelled to public health and well-being, especially for the vulnerable group.”The recently tabled budget saw a RM700 million increase in monthly welfare assistance for people in the vulnerable group, taking the total to RM2.2 billion in a move expected to benefit more than 400,000 people including those unable to work due to disabilities, the elderly and children from poor families.The government also set aside RM28 billion for subsidies and incentives, including for transport and price control on goods and services.Madeline said she had been part of discussions on the 12th Malaysia Plan, the government’s post-2020 national development agenda, adding that there would be specific funds for the war against poverty.The plan is expected to be tabled in Parliament next year.“However, if the pandemic does not show any sign of abating and continues into the next year, efforts to fight poverty will be stunted,” she warned.“This is because the allocations will have to be redirected to public health and fighting Covid-19.”


Why Anwar should worry about Selangor

A political analyst says Anwar Ibrahim's position as prime minister may be jeopardised if Selangor, long a stronghold of his coalition Pakatan Harapan (PH), falls to Perikatan Nasional (PN) at the state election to come.
Ahmad Atory Hussain said any failure by PH to defend its hold on Selangor could tarnish Anwar's image as prime minister and affect his influence at the national level.
"If Selangor falls, Anwar's position as prime minister will come under threat," he added.
"He will remain in power, but his influence will not be as strong as it was, and eventually he will lose it."
Selangor, which contributes the most to Malaysia's GDP, is considered the richest state in the country.
It came under PH rule in 2008, when the coalition was known as Pakatan Rakyat.
Atory, of Universiti Sains Malaysia, also said that the cooperation between PH and Barisan Nasional (BN) appeared to be in dire straits amid calls by party leaders for mutual support at the polls to be held in six states this year.
He predicted strong opposition to such calls at the grassroots level which he said would bring about more division and give PN the edge.
"Umno members might vote for PN instead out of disappointment with their party leaders," he said.
"Umno leaders in Selangor like Noh Omar have been booted out. Where is Umno's strength in Selangor now?"
Atory also cited the huge turnout at PN's recent Aidilfitri open house in Shah Alam as proof of support for the opposition coalition in the state.
He said the numbers showed that PN could be a viable alternative to PH.
Academic Rabi'ah Aminudin of the International Islamic University Malaysia meanwhile said that PN would face an uphill task in capturing Selangor as a whole.
However, she said it would likely add to its seats on the west coast of the state.
Given Selangor's economic position, she said, an all-out fight could be expected to take place.
"PH and BN will likely take a more aggressive stance in their campaign to strengthen their position in the state government," she said.
"If they keep their hold on Selangor, the big question is: will the menteri besar be chosen from PH or Umno? That is the more interesting issue."
Analyst Azmil Mohd Tayeb said PN could be expected to take the Malay-majority seats currently held by Umno and Amanah.
However, he said this might not be enough to hand it a majority in the state legislative assembly.
Azmil, also of Universiti Sains Malaysia, said Anwar or PKR might have to sacrifice some seats for the sake of government stability, to ensure that Umno is not completely crushed.
"Otherwise, a big dispute might take place in Umno, in the face of such absolute defeat," he added.


New York governor signs new curbs on guns in wake of mass shootings

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday signed a packet of 10 gun control bills into law, setting new limits on buying assault-style weapons and body armor, among other measures, in the wake of mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas.The legislation, passed on Thursday by the state legislature, raises the age required to buy or possess a semiautomatic rifle from 18 to 21. New York already requires people to be 21 to possess a handgun.The bill was signed by the Democratic governor after 10 people were slain last month at a supermarket in the western New York city of Buffalo by an 18-year-old with a semi-automatic rifle.Days after that massacre, another 18-year-old fatally shot 19 students and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas.“We cannot keep living like this,” Hochul said at a bill-signing ceremony in New York City.“This is a moral moment for the people of New York but also the rest of the nation,” said Hochul. “Follow what we did here in New York and we’ll finally start to be at the beginning of the end of all this gun violence and the massacres that are occurring every day in our country.”Another law signed by Hochul restricts the purchase of bullet resistant vests and body armor to law enforcement or related professions. The package also requires social media companies operating in New York to adopt transparent policies on how they respond to hate speech on their platforms.The gunman in Buffalo wore body armor during his shooting spree, and shared his intention on social media to carry out such a rampage before the attack.In most places in New York, people as young as 16 would still be allowed to have other types of rifles and shotguns.New York now joins a handful of states — including Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Vermont, and Washington – that require buyers to be at least 21 to buy some types of long guns, media accounts say. Similar legislation has been proposed in Utah.California’s attempt to raise the legal buying age for a semiautomatic weapons has been challenged in court.


Najib signed letter of support for govt to settle 1MDB’s US$3 billion debt, ex-director tells court

The High Court was today told that the government had taken the responsibility of paying 1MDB debts amounting to US$3 billion if the company failed to do so.Former 1MDB non-executive director Ismee Ismail, 57, said this when referring to the government’s letter of support to 1MDB dated March 14, 2013 signed by former prime minister Najib Razak who was also the finance minister at the time.He said the letter stated that the Malaysian government had taken note that 1MDB’s subsidiary, 1MDB Global Investment Ltd (1MDB GIL), would be raising US$3 billion through a bond issuance to be paid in full in 2023.“This document (letter) explains that if 1MDB GIL is unable to pay or if there is a shortfall in paying this debt, 1MDB will provide financial assistance to pay the debt.“Besides that, if 1MDB fails to pay the debt, then the Malaysian government will take the responsibility of financing 1MDB to pay the debt or directly pay the debt until it is settled.“In other words, this letter was like a strong support from the Malaysian government to pay US$3 billion in bonds with interest created by 1MDB through 1MDB GIL,” he said, adding that the letter of support was issued expeditiously by the government.The 13th prosecution witness said this at the former prime minister’s corruption and money laundering trial involving RM2.3 million belonging to 1MDB.Reading out a 111-page witness statement, Ismee said the approval for the US$3 billion fundraising was reached in a directors’ circular resolution (DCR) dated March 12, 2013 while a letter of support was issued on March 14, 2013.The witness said almost all of the decisions reached by 1MDB to make the US$3 billion fundraising a success was through the DCR and the special right redeemable preference shareholders resolution (SRR).“Supposedly, a decision can be made either through the board of directors meeting or through a DCR and SRR. However, if an immediate decision is required, then it will usually be made through DCR and SRR.“I confirm that Najib’s powers as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board were beyond the 1MBD board of directors, based on the provisions under Article 117 of the Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A), (and any decision) regarding financial and investment affairs of companies involving national interests must be made by the PM (Najib),” said Ismee.Najib, 68, is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues on Dec 13.


Russia battles to shore up sanction-hit economy

Russian authorities are scrambling to stem panic as massive sanctions over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine delivered the worst economic shocks since the fall of the Soviet Union.Asked by reporters on Wednesday whether the economy would survive, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov conceded the current situation was “hostile”.Russia’s economy is “experiencing serious blows” aimed at undermining its integrity, he said, while vowing: “We will keep standing”.Russians encountered a bleak new economic reality after Western powers agreed to impose far-reaching sanctions.The ruble has fallen by more than a third against the dollar and euro, Russian planes are barred from all but a handful of countries and ordinary people face serious doubts over the future of their careers, salaries and loan repayments.‘Don’t panic’Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the upper house of parliament, called for everyone “to switch on their brains and analyse everything that prevents businesses from working”, warning against “any panic”.President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on developing the IT sector, allowing male programmers to avoid the draft.Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin reiterated longstanding policy goals to replace imports with local products and diversify the economy.But these statements appeared to offer little protection from looming economic meltdown.The Moscow Stock Exchange remained closed for a third day on Wednesday after the Bank of Russia said it had decided that trading would not be resumed except for the purchase of rubles.The ruble has slumped following the West’s decision to slap massive economic sanctions on Russia over the invasion of its pro-Western neighbour Ukraine last week.It was changing hands at around 103 rubles to the dollar on Wednesday at 14H30 GMT and 112 rubles to the euro.Russia has announced bans on foreign investors selling Russian shares or withdrawing funds from its financial markets.Putin has also banned travellers from taking more than US$10,000 in cash out of the country.The Russian finance ministry has said it is in favour of abolishing sales or value-added tax on purchases of gold bars by private individuals.Mishustin said buying gold “could be a good alternative to buying foreign currency”.In the face of Western sanctions, Russia’s biggest lender, Sberbank, announced it was quitting the European market.This came after European banking regulators ruled that Sberbank’s Austria-based Europe arm and its subsidiaries were “failing or likely to fail” and would be wound up.The bank’s shares later plunged 94% to just 1 US cent on the London Stock Exchange, while earlier on Wednesday it had announced 2021 profits of 1.246 trillion rubles (around US$12 billion at the current very low exchange rate).Russian companies and oligarchs targeted by sanctions have said they are cutting back operations and foreign companies are rushing to exit, including oil and gas majors such as Shell and BP, which have invested billions in the country.‘Now is the time’Hundreds of thousands of jobs – perhaps more – could be lost as foreign companies ask how they will pay employees given the new restrictions on Russian banks’ dealings with the outside world.“One immediate effect of the war in Ukraine will be to push Russia several places down the league table of the world’s largest economies,” said Neil Sharing, Group Chief Economist at Capital Economics.“However, the impact on the global economy over the long run will depend to a large extent on its political and geo-political legacy,” he added in an analyst note.While Russians pride themselves on their ability to weather crises, the last two decades have brought them benefits from closer integration with the global economy.Middle-class Russians have been able to holiday abroad, eat out at restaurants and shop at malls. Putin’s popularity is based at least partly on the greater economic stability since he became president in 2000.Since 2014 when Russia faced sanctions over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, the state has built up substantial reserves to withstand such tactics.But ordinary Russians have since seen their spending power eroded while many have taken out loans and, according to a Levada survey last year, two-thirds have no savings.Financial advisor Sergei Leonidov advised Russians: “If you have loans or other obligations to banks, now is the time to quickly pay them off.”“Because of the crisis, the risk of losing sources of income is rising,” he told RIA Novosti state news agency.


PBB leader disappointed over delay in bill to amend constitution

Sarawak Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) vice-president Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah today said he was disappointed with the federal ministers who need further explanation from the attorney-general (AG) about the proposed amendments to Article 160(2) of the constitution.The amendments, particularly to Articles 1(2) and 160(2), were supposed to be tabled in Parliament tomorrow for second reading. However, this has now been postponed to mid-December.Speaking to reporters today, Karim said the ministers should have been well-informed about the proposed amendments in the bill, which seek to redefine the meaning of “federation” in the constitution.“Personally, I am a bit disappointed as the bill could have been tabled during this sitting but (was rescheduled) as some ministers need further explanation from the AG.“I was told that it had been postponed because of this,” he said.He added that those who do not understand issues pertaining to the amendment should read the proposal.“No need to ask the AG to elaborate further.”Karim also said that amending the definition of “federation” under Article 160(2) is crucial to reflecting the true spirit and intention of Sarawak during the formation of Malaysia.“What our law minister Wan Junaidi is trying to do is to reinstate our rights which have been eroded,” he said.“One of them is with regards to the definition of the federation, because the definition currently in the Federal Constitution refers to 1957.“If it refers to the 1957 federation, Malaysia had not yet been formed at that time. What about the federation of Sabah and Sarawak? That is why this needs to be amended.”He called for the amendments to be tabled in Parliament as soon as possible, adding that MPs should lend their support as the bill will require a two-thirds majority to be passed.This is the second attempt at amending the constitution. The first, on April 10, 2019, was made during the administration of Pakatan Harapan. However, it failed to obtain the two-thirds support needed.


Pandemic’s ‘acute phase’ could end by midyear, says WHO

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year, if around 70% of the world gets vaccinated.“Our expectation is that the acute phase of this pandemic will end this year, of course with one condition, the 70% vaccination (target is achieved) by mid this year around June, July,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters in South Africa.“If that is to be done, the acute phase can really end, and that is what we are expecting. It’s in our hands. It’s not a matter of chance. It’s a matter of choice.”He was speaking during a visit to Afrigen Biologics and Vaccines, which has produced the first mRNA Covid vaccine made in Africa using Moderna’s sequence.“We expect this vaccine to be more suited to the contexts in which it will be used, with fewer storage constraints and at a lower price,” said the WHO boss.The vaccine will be ready for clinical trials in November, with approval expected in 2024.Afrigen is leading the pilot project, backed by the WHO and the Covax initiative.Set up in July, the tech transfer hub will train other countries and hand out production licences to poor nations left out in the race for the life-saving shots.Tedros said WHO was “committed to supporting the development of local manufacturing in Africa and around the world, to increase regional health security”.Global daily cases droppingJust over 11% of Africans are vaccinated, the lowest rate in the world. Last week the WHO’s Africa office said the continent must boost its vaccination rate “six times” to reach the 70% target.The world panicked late last year following the outbreak of the highly contagious Omicron variant which led at its peak to four times more daily infections than previous waves.But after the surge which lasted for three-and-a-half months, the average number of global daily cases dropped for a second week in a row, receding by 17%, according to an AFP tally on Thursday.Belgium’s Minister of Development Cooperation, Meryame Kitir, who was part of the team visiting the Cape Town, bemoaned the slow progress in talks seeking a waiver on vaccine patents.“Vaccines should be a public good, but after two years in the pandemic… we are not a step ahead,” in patent negotiations, she said.South Africa and India have since October 2020 led calls for waivers on vaccine patents, or intellectual property rights, on Covid-19 vaccines saying this would help spur local production.But a number of wealthy countries hosting large pharmaceutical companies have opposed the move, which believe that would discourage innovation.The World Trade Organization, however, announced last month that an accord between rich nations and developing countries on the IP waivers could be just weeks away.


PRS needs a general, analysts say after death of leader Masing

More than ever before, the Dayaks are expected to pay close attention to Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) following the death of veteran leader James Jemut Masing and with talk of state polls looming around the corner.As tribute to the PRS president continues to pour in, the matter of who will take his place as assemblyman for the Baleh state constituency is also a question of concern.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, analysts said party leaders would be under tremendous pressure to retain its 11 seats, including Baleh, in the next state election.“PRS and its elected representatives and potential candidates will be facing off with their opponents without a general in the coming elections,” Sarawak political analyst Jayum Jawan said.“It’s like letting wolves into the sheep’s den,” he said, adding that the interim leadership must consolidate its support from the grassroots ahead of the polls.Masing, the deputy chief minister, died on Oct 31. The 72-year-old had been the Baleh representative since 1983.James Chin of the University of Tasmania in Australia said electing a candidate to replace Masing would not be easy.“It will be very difficult for them to find someone in Baleh unless he is related to Masing, and of course the person must encourage more independence,” he said.“The biggest impact, of course, will be in Baleh where he was the incumbent for so many terms.”The veteran statesman had defended his seat for eight terms, meaning that for 38 years his constituents knew little of any other political leader.With his seat now vacant, Jayum said PRS must focus on preparing for the state election, warning that any internal disputes could further fragment the Dayaks.“Competition for the leadership of PRS would tear the party apart,” he said, citing the experience of Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak after Leo Moggie stepped down as president.Moggie, the founding president of PBDS, resigned from his position in 2001 as he was contemplating a run at the next general election due in 2004.This saw the emergence of two factions, one led by Masing which had the support of Taib Mahmud, and the other led by Daniel Tajem, the incumbent deputy president who had Moggie’s support.“History might repeat itself with PRS,” Jayum said.PRS deputy president Joseph Salang meanwhile said he would only take on the responsibilities of party leader for an interim period.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said the president’s post would remain vacant.On claims of a power tussle within the party, he said it was too early for the Supreme Council to discuss the issue of who would succeed Masing.But PRS is no stranger to internal disputes, with its very formation based on a splinter from the then defunct PBDS.Masing, who was known for being outspoken, had challenged Tajem for the party presidency in 2003, leading to a split and the eventual dissolution of the party in 2004.After PRS was established later that year, he ousted the party’s co-founder Sng Chee Hua to assume undisputed leadership.Masing was first appointed to the state Cabinet in 1994. He rose through the ranks to become a senior minister before being appointed as deputy chief minister in 2017.Having spent years working for the Dayak community, in the issue of native customary land rights to that of places in the civil service, businesses and institutions of higher education, it remains to be seen who will be chosen to fill his shoes.After that, the question becomes whether the Dayak support will follow.


A look at some of the world’s longest prison sentences

As a Turkish Muslim televangelist who surrounded himself with scantily-clad women he called “kittens” starts a 1,075-year jail term for sex crimes, here’s a look at some of the world’s longest prison sentences.Several countries, including the US and Spain, allow for consecutive sentences, with prisoners condemned in theory to spend many lifetimes behind bars.US: 30,000-year sentenceFar-right terrorist Terry Nichols was convicted of helping fellow former soldier Timothy McVeigh carry out the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in which 168 people died – including 19 children.Although he tried to pull out of the attack on a federal government building at the last minute, he got 161 life sentences plus 9,300 years without parole.McVeigh was executed.Nichols, 65, shares the same Colorado cell block as Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Olympic Park bomber Eric Rudolph and Ramzi Yousef, a Pakistani convicted of the 1993 World Trade Center attack on the Twin Towers.Another Oklahoma jury sentenced Charles Scott Robinson to 30,000 years behind bars in 1994 for raping a small child.Thailand’s world recordThe world’s longest non-life sentence, according to the “Guinness Book of Records”, was imposed on Thai pyramid scheme fraudster Chamoy Thipyaso, who was jailed for 141,078 years in 1989.However she was released after only eight years behind bars despite having conned some members of the royal household.Spain: Europe’s longestMadrid holds the EU record for handing down the longest prison stretches, often to those convicted of Basque or Islamist terror attacks.Three men were sentenced to a total of 120,000 years in jail for their part in the 2004 Al-Qaeda Madrid train bombings in which 193 people were killed.ETA members have been also sentenced to thousands of years each including Ines del Rio Prada, who was sentenced to 3,828 years for her part in 24 murders and other terrorist acts.But she was freed in 2013 after 26 years by the European Court of Human Rights after a fellow ETA member Henri “Unai” Parot challenged his 4,797-year sentence for the Zaragoza Barracks bombings in 1987.European law now restricts Spain to holding convicted criminals for a maximum of 30 or 40 years depending on when they were sentenced.Tough Turkey The sentence handed down to televangelist Adnan Oktar on Monday is the second super-sentence in only a few months in Istanbul.Uzbek terrorist Abdulkadir Masharipov got 40 life sentences in September, one for each of his victims for a New Year’s Day massacre at the Reina nightclub in the city in the first minutes of 2017.He got an additional 1,368 years for attempting to kill revellers in the attack claimed by the Islamic State.490 years: Britain’s longestThe highest British sentence was handed down to IRA bomber and sniper Bernard McGinn who got 490 years for his part in various attacks including the Docklands and Baltic Exchange bombings in London.He was arrested by the SAS in Crossmaglen but was released after serving 16 months in 2000 under the Good Friday Agreement, which ended the Northern Ireland Troubles.Andrew Aston got 26 life sentences in 2002 for attacking elderly and disabled people around Birmingham, but his terms are concurrent.The six Irishmen wrongly convicted of the 1974 IRA bombings in the same city were given 21 life sentences, but freed 16 years later when their convictions were quashed.


The slippery slope from poverty to drugs in Kelantan

At a ramshackle house in a small town in Tumpat, Kelantan, children run in and out, calling to each other as they go.It is a small house, with a dilapidated toilet attached on one side – just one of many such homes filling the area.In the backyard, 29-year-old Din (not his real name) watches as the children scamper about. Not too long ago, it seems, he was one of them. Now, though, life is very different.Din no longer lives in the dirt and squalor of his childhood home. Just outside the gate, his white Volkswagen Golf awaits – a striking symbol of just how far he has come from the hardship and poverty of his early years.In one hand, he holds an electric cigarette as he speaks to MalaysiaNow about the drastic turn his life took.He was only 15 when he began his career as a drug dealer.Back then, he needed money to pay for his school fees and supplies. He approached a senior known as Abe Wan who offered him a part-time gig delivering “goods” to Gua Musang twice a week.For each trip he made, Din was paid anywhere from RM500 to RM800. This meant about RM4,000 in hand at the end of the month.Every now and then, he would be sent to other places as well.“I went as far as Kuala Lumpur sometimes,” he said.There in the capital city, Abe Wan would buy him expensive shoes and clothing.“I would follow him there on his trips as well,” Din said. “I didn’t know what we were delivering because the car was always empty.“I had no idea that he was distributing drugs. But many of my friends told me that he was doing bad work.”Bad work or not, though, it meant more money for Din who used it to buy household necessities and to pay for his siblings’ school fees.His mother, a diabetic, was by then no longer able to work. She did what she could, cleaning houses for RM70 while his father collected and sold roadside scrap.One day, there was no more money even for food.“That was when I knew, I really had to sell such things,” Din said. “I would sell it after school, and eventually even the teachers who knew would come and buy from me. At the same time, they would complain that I was too lazy to study.”And so, Din became a statistic for drug-related activities in Kelantan which, as of 2014, was the state with the most serious drug abuse and smuggling problems in the country.Within the next five years, the National Anti-Drug Agency said more than 12,700 individuals were found to be “slaves” to the illegal substances, with the figure expected to continue rising.Working with dadIn Form Five, Din dropped out of school and began actively working for Abe Wan instead. By then, he was a known dealer and had customers both within the country and in several areas in southern Thailand.“If I didn’t do it, who would have given me RM4,000 a day?” he said.“It was better that I worked. My parents could eat, and my siblings could have diapers and milk.”Around this time, Din began recruiting others to work under his supervision. These “juniors” were tasked with delivering drugs such as marijuana and ganja to their waiting customers.Din himself no longer held drug stocks; he only issued instructions and took orders from customers.Eventually, even his father began distributing drugs for him.Din said this marked the beginning of a change in his father’s life. He became known to his peers, and relatives began to gather around as money began coming in.“He would deliver the goods in the Mercedes that I had bought,” Din said.One day in 2017, though, his father was shot dead by the authorities in Thailand as he was returning from a night club there.He had been a wanted man for three years for smuggling and distributing drugs. His body was found by the locals at the banks of Sungai Golok.It was then that Din felt the beginnings of fear.“I thought about stopping,” he said. “I found work at a shopping mall in Kota Bharu, but that didn’t last even a month. There were all sorts there. It was better for me to sell drugs.”But he, too, was becoming too well known for his own good. By 2018, he could no longer enter Thailand as his name and picture were in circulation among the authorities.“I was afraid,” he said. “Truly afraid. Not the regular kind of fear, either. Even the sound of a car passing by at night would be enough to startle me out of sleep, and I would run and hide under the table.“You never know, the police could be coming.”Thinking aheadBy the end of 2019, Din had set up his own household and was giving serious thought to what lay ahead.“If I got caught, I would be jailed and hanged,” he said. “What would become of my wife and children?”So while he remained in the game, he began inching his way to the fringes.“I still do such work, but I myself am clean. I hold none of those goods anymore.“If customers want anything, they call me because they have my number. I pass their orders on to an active dealer, and I get a small commission.“But holding the drugs myself, selling them myself and delivering the goods – no. I don’t do that anymore.”‘I will go back’Din’s story is one of many that tell the tale of poverty and crime.In Kota Bharu, not too far away, a woman called Mek Cah told MalaysiaNow her account, culminating in a four-year jail term which she had just finished serving.As a child, Mek Cah, an acquaintance of Din, lacked the official documents needed to obtain citizenship. Unable to attend school or find a job once she grew up, she spent her life on the move as her parents never had enough money to pay the rent.She and her 11 siblings grew up stateless. By the time she was 16, only four of them were left – the rest had been sold to other families or married off.At that point, Mek Cah was already familiar with ganja and actively sold it among her male friends in the village.She said she did this as she did not want to lose the rest of her siblings because of money problems.After 10 years, she married a drug dealer based in Kota Bharu. But her life did not change to one of plenty despite the money and other valuables flowing in.“I had no choice,” she said. “I had to do it. I didn’t want to see my siblings scorned and looked down on.“When I sold the drugs, I could buy them new clothes and give them money to go out with their friends.“If I didn’t do it, who would feed us? It’s easy to say ‘dirty money’, and that it wasn’t the right way.”Mek Cah was finally arrested in 2017 and sentenced to several months in jail.“The police arrested me in front of the school where I had gone to pick up my nephew,” she recalled. “I had nothing with me. Even at home, I never kept any of the goods.”Her husband was arrested that same day, in Pasir Puteh.“During the investigation, I cooperated and admitted that I used to do such work. But after I had my children, I focused on taking care of them and stayed at home,” she said.Today, Mek Cah is out but her husband is still on death row in prison although his sentence has been suspended.She has found some sewing work which brings her about RM1,200 a month. But she needs to pay RM4,500 a month for her home loan, which still has 10 years left to go.“How can I live seeing my children in hardship?” she said. “It’s all right if I don’t eat. But if my children don’t eat, I will go crazy.“If I get really desperate, I don’t care. I will go back to doing that work. That’s the easiest way. But,” she added, “I must be ready to take the risk.”


Cuba encouraged by early results of homegrown Covid-19 vaccines

Cuba, whose biotech sector has exported vaccines for decades, has five vaccine candidates in clinical trials, of which two – Soberana 2 and Abdala – are in late phase trials, Reuters reports.Its Soberana 2 vaccine candidate has shown 62% efficacy with just two of its three doses, state-run biopharmaceutical corporation BioCubaFarma said on Saturday, citing preliminary data from late phase trials.“In a few weeks we should have the results for the efficacy with three doses which we expect will be superior,” said Vicente Verez, director of the state-run Finlay Vaccine Institute, which developed Soberana 2.The news comes as the Caribbean’s largest island is facing its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic as more contagious variants have arrived, setting new records of daily coronavirus cases.The communist country has opted not to import foreign vaccines but rather to rely on its own.Analysts say it is a risky bet but if it pays off, Cuba’s scientific reputation will soar and the vaccines will generate much-needed hard currency through exports and strengthen the vaccination drive worldwide.“We know our government has not been able to provide this project all the funding it required, but nonetheless this is a result of global standing,” President Miguel Diaz-Canel said at the presentation of the results on state-run television.Several countries from Argentina and Jamaica to Mexico and Venezuela have expressed an interest in buying Cuba’s vaccines. Iran started producing Soberana 2 earlier this year as part of late-phase clinical trials.Cuban authorities have started administering the experimental vaccines on a large scale as part of “intervention studies” they hope will slow the spread of the virus.Daily cases have halved in the capital since the start of this vaccination campaign, according to official data, although that may also be due to stricter lockdown measures.


Ukraine closes airspace to civilian flights amid ‘high risk’ to safety

Ukraine said early on Thursday it had closed its airspace to civilian flights because of a “high risk” to safety, hours after a conflict zone monitor warned airlines should stop overflights over the risk of an unintended shootdown or cyber attack.Russian President Vladimir Putin authorised a military operation in eastern Ukraine on Thursday in what appeared to be the start of war in Europe.“The provision of air traffic services to civilian users of the airspace of Ukraine is suspended,” Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise said on its website.“We will additionally inform about changes in the use of Ukraine’s airspace,” the agency added, without providing further details.Eurocontrol, which coordinates air traffic in Europe, said that Ukraine’s airspace was not available because of military restrictions.An El Al flight from Tel Aviv to Toronto made a sudden U-turn out of Ukraine’s airspace around the time a notice to airmen was issued early on Thursday deeming the area restricted, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.A LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Kyiv also turned back to Warsaw around the same time.The turnarounds came after Safe Airspace, which was set up to provide safety and conflict zone information for airlines after Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in 2014, said it had increased its risk level to “do not fly”.“Regardless of the actual movements of Russian forces into Ukraine, the level of tension and uncertainty in Ukraine is now extreme,” Safe Airspace said on its website. “This itself gives rise to significant risk to civil aviation.”It also warned of the potential for a cyberattack on Ukraine’s air traffic control.Russia has closed some airspace in the Rostov flight information region to the east of its border with Ukraine “in order to provide safety” for civil aviation flights, according to a notice to airmen.Before Ukraine advised of the airspace restrictions, the US, Italy, Canada, France and Britain had told their airlines to avoid certain airspace above eastern Ukraine and Crimea but stopped short of a total ban.The US Federal Aviation Administration said in its latest guidance on Feb 9 that a cross-border conflict between Ukraine and Russia could pose a direct or indirect threat to civil aviation.Germany’s Lufthansa halted flights to Ukraine from Monday, joining KLM which already suspended flights.Two Ukrainian airlines last week disclosed problems in securing insurance for some of their flights while foreign carriers began avoiding the country’s airspace as Russia massed a huge military force on its border.


South Korea to start giving fourth doses of Covid vaccine by month-end

South Korea will begin giving out fourth doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of February and supply millions of additional home test kits to ease shortages amid a surge in Omicron infections, authorities confirmed on Monday.The surge has pushed daily cases to records, but widespread vaccination, with first booster shots received by more than 57% of the population of 52 million, has helped limit deaths and serious infections.High-risk groups will be the first to get the fourth dose, in effect a second booster shot, Health Minister Kwon Deok-cheol told a Covid-19 response meeting.“We’re planning to provide fourth shots to those who live in nursing homes and care facilities and others with declined immunisation, in light of a recent increase of infections among people aged 60 or older,” he said, according to a transcript.At least 44.22 million people, or 86.2% of the population, are considered fully vaccinated. Sunday’s 54,619 new cases took the tally of infections to 1,405,246, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).The death toll rose by 21 to 7,102.As the Omicron variant of coronavirus became dominant last month, the government began to restrict free polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to those in high risk groups.Others must first take rapid antigen tests using kits sold at stores, or offered free by public health centres.On Sunday, authorities imposed a three-week rationing period on test kits for home use, by limiting online sales as well as pharmacy purchases to five to a person at a single location.However, the total number available to buy will not be curbed, authorities said, as they believe stocks to be adequate in the absence of major hoarding.Kwon said about 30 million additional self-test kits will be supplied nationwide this month to dispel concerns about shortages. The government has said it plans to provide 190 million self-test kits for March, more than twice the supply in February.


Ex-AG’s suit against Kit Siang moved to next April

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur has set new dates to hear the RM10 million suit by former attorney-general (AG) Mohamed Apandi Ali against DAP’s Lim Kit Siang for allegedly defaming him in an article on the 1MDB scandal.Judge Azimah Omar fixed April 5 to 9 next year after lawyer M Visvanathan, representing Apandi, told the court that Lim could not be present today as he had recently travelled to Sabah and was now under Covid-19 quarantine.The court had previously fixed today to Sept 30 and Oct 1 to 2 for the trial.Earlier, Azimah suggested that the witnesses subpoenaed by Apandi testify first. However, Lim’s lawyer Rayveni Asogan said the DAP veteran wanted to be present in court to listen to the witness testimonies.The court also fixed Feb 3 next year for further case management.Rayveni, when met after court proceedings, confirmed that Lim would be under quarantine for 14 days following his return from Sabah for the state election.On July 5, 2019, Apandi sued Lim, saying in his statement of claim on May 6 that Lim had written and caused to be published an article entitled “Dangerous fallacy to think Malaysia’s on the road to integrity” on Malaysiakini.He said the allegedly libellous words in the article meant that he was involved in crime and had abetted in the 1MDB scandal, and that he was a person with no morals and integrity who was unethical and had abused his power as AG.Apandi, who was AG from July 27, 2015 to June 4, 2018, contended that the allegedly libellous words were untrue and written with the intention of tarnishing his image and credibility for cheap publicity.He is seeking aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as RM10 million in general damages, an injunction to prevent Lim and/or his agents from republishing the alleged defamatory words, and other reliefs deemed fit by the court.


173 new infections as death toll stays unchanged

Another 173 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,042,188.
There were 219 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,996,057.
There are now 9,174 active cases, of which 8,845 or 96.4% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 317 (3.5%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 12 are in ICU with seven in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving total deaths unchanged at 36,957.


Sudan's RSF says it seized police camp as fighting rages

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said it had seized the headquarters of a heavily armed police unit on Sunday as it sought an edge in its war with the army during heavy fighting in the capital Khartoum.
The RSF said in a statement that it had taken full control of the camp belonging to the Central Reserve Police southern Khartoum, and posted footage of its fighters inside the facility, some removing boxes of ammunition from a warehouse.
Reuters was not immediately able to verify the footage or the RSF statement. There was no immediate comment from the army or the police.
Since late on Saturday, fighting has surged in the three cities that make up the wider capital - Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman - as the conflict between the army and the RSF entered its 11th week.
Witnesses also reported a sharp increase in violence in recent days in Nyala, the largest city in the western Darfur region. The UN raised the alarm on Saturday over ethnic targeting and the killing of people from the Masalit community in El Geneina in West Darfur.
Khartoum and El Geneina have been worst affected by the war, though last week tensions and clashes escalated in other parts of Darfur and in Kordofan, in the south.
Fighting has intensified since a series of ceasefire deals agreed at talks led by the US and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah failed to stick. The talks were adjourned last week.
The Central Reserve Police has been deployed by the army in ground fighting in recent weeks. It had previously been used as a combat force in several regions and to confront protesters demonstrating against a coup in 2021.
It was sanctioned last year by the US, accused of using excessive force against protesters.
'Left alone'
The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been using air strikes and heavy artillery to try to dislodge the RSF led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, from neighbourhoods across the capital.
"Since the early morning in north Omdurman we've had air strikes and artillery bombardment and RSF anti-aircraft fire," 47-year-old resident Mohamed al-Samani told Reuters by phone. "Where are the Jeddah talks, why did the world leave us to die alone in Burhan and Hemedti's war?"
In Nyala, a city that grew rapidly as people were displaced during the earlier conflict that spread in Darfur after 2003, witnesses reported a marked deterioration in the security situation over the past few days, with violent clashes in residential neighbourhoods.
"Today I left Nyala because of the war. Yesterday there was bombardment in the streets and bullets going into homes," Saleh Haroun, a 38-year-old resident of the city, told Reuters.
There was also fighting between the army and the RSF last week around El Fashir, capital of North Darfur, which the UN says is inaccessible to humanitarian workers.
In El Geneina, which has been almost entirely cut off from communications networks and aid supplies in recent weeks, attacks by Arab militias and the RSF have sent tens of thousands fleeing over the border to Chad.
On Saturday, UN Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani called for safe passage for people fleeing El Geneina and access for aid workers following reports of summary executions between the city and the border and "persistent hate speech" including calls to kill the Masalit or expel them.
Of those uprooted by the conflict in Sudan, nearly 2 million have been displaced internally and almost 600,000 have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.


PN says submitted more than 112 SDs in support of Muhyiddin

Perikatan Nasional (PN) has submitted statutory declarations (SD) from MPs to show that the coalition has achieved the majority needed to back Muhyiddin Yassin as the next prime minister.
"The number of SDs submitted is more than 112, which is the majority vote needed from MPs for the appointment of the prime minister under Article 43 of the Federal Constitution," said PN secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin.
This comes ahead of a 2pm deadline set by Istana Negara yesterday, which has since been extended following a request by Barisan Nasional chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Zahid and a group of Umno leaders today held discussions with PH leaders led by Anwar Ibrahim, as the latter stepped up efforts to get more MPs on his side.
Yesterday, Sarawak's GPS pledged its 22 MPs in support of PN, alongside six MPs from Sabah's GRS, saying they were joining forces with BN MPs.
Zahid however denied that BN had committed support for Muhyiddin, and warned MPs that they could lose their seats if they did not toe the party line.
Zahid has come under intense pressure following BN's thrashing in the newly concluded election, with several Umno leaders quitting their posts and urging him to do the same.
PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang meanwhile said PN had obtained enough support from MPs to form a new government in Putrajaya.
Speaking to reporters after leaving Muhyiddin's house in Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, today, he said the coalition was waiting for an invitation from the palace for an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah.
"We have enough. More than enough," he said.


Umno to keep working with PAS, Bersatu in Perak, says top council

Top Umno leaders today decided to maintain the status quo in Perak, saying the party would continue to defend the state coalition government together with PAS and Bersatu.The Umno Supreme Council meeting tonight put to rest speculation that the Malay party could work with Pakatan Harapan (PH) to form a new state government, following the ouster of Ahmad Faizal Azumu as menteri besar.Faizal was ousted last week after Umno and PH assemblymen voted against a confidence motion on him.This was followed by criticism of Umno from PAS and Bersatu.Tonight’s decision came ahead of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s audience with Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah tomorrow.It is understood that Zahid will submit the name of the Umno assemblyman to replace Faizal as the state MB.Zahid had earlier said Umno was open to working with PH in the event that it fails to obtain support from PAS and Bersatu, who have condemned the plot against Faizal and threatened to stay out of any new state government.Meanwhile, the Supreme Council today announced that all 191 divisions nationwide would hold their delegates meetings between Jan 1 and 3 next year.It also announced the Umno general assembly to be held at the Putra World Trade Centre on Jan 31, adding that the meeting will be streamed online as physical attendance will be limited.


China warns US to stop suppression or risk 'conflict'

The US should change its "distorted" attitude towards China or "conflict and confrontation" will follow, China's foreign minister said on Tuesday, while defending its stance on the war in Ukraine and its close ties with Russia.
The US had been engaging in suppression and containment of China rather than engaging in fair, rules-based competition, Foreign Minister Qin Gang told a news conference on the sidelines of an annual parliament meeting in Beijing.
"The US' perception and views of China are seriously distorted," said Qin, a trusted aide to President Xi Jinping and until recently China's ambassador in Washington.
"It regards China as its primary rival and the most consequential geopolitical challenge. This is like the first button in the shirt being put wrong."
Relations between the two superpowers have been tense for years over a number of issues including Taiwan, trade and more recently the war in Ukraine, but they worsened last month after the US shot down a balloon off the US East Coast that it says was a Chinese spying craft.
The US says it is establishing guardrails for relations and is not seeking conflict but Qin said what that meant in practice was that China was not supposed to respond with words or action when slandered or attacked.
"That is just impossible," Qin told his first news conference since becoming foreign minister in late December.
Qin's comments struck the same the tough tone of his predecessor, Wang Yi, now China's most senior diplomat after being made director of the Foreign Affairs Commission Office at the turn of the year.
"If the US does not hit the brakes, and continues to speed down the wrong path, no amount of guardrails can prevent derailment, which will become conflict and confrontation, and who will bear the catastrophic consequences?"
In Washington, John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, brushed off the criticism and said the United States does not seek confrontation with Beijing.
"We seek a strategic competition with China. We do not seek conflict," Kirby told reporters. "We aim to compete and we aim to win that competition with China but we absolutely want to keep it at that level."
US officials often speak of establishing guardrails in the bilateral relationship to prevent tensions from escalating into crises.
Qin likened Sino-US competition to a race between two Olympic athletes.
"If one side, instead of focusing on giving one's best, always tries to trip the other up, even to the extent that they must enter the Paralympics, then this is not fair competition," he said.
'Jackals and wolves'
During a nearly two-hour news conference in which he answered questions submitted in advance, Qin made a robust defence of "wolf warrior diplomacy", an assertive and often abrasive stance adopted by China's diplomats since 2020.
"When jackals and wolves are blocking the way, and hungry wolves are attacking us, Chinese diplomats must then dance with the wolves and protect and defend our home and country," he said.
Qin also said that an "invisible hand" was pushing for the escalation of the war in Ukraine "to serve certain geopolitical agendas", without specifying who he was referring to.
He reiterated China's call for dialogue to end the war.
China struck a "no limits" partnership with Russia last year, weeks before its invasion of Ukraine, and has blamed Nato expansion for triggering the war, echoing Russia's complaint.
China has declined to condemn the invasion and has fiercely defended its stance on Ukraine, despite Western criticism of its failure to single Russia out as the aggressor.
China has also vehemently denied US accusations that it has been considering supplying Russia with weapons.
Moscow
Qin said China had to advance its relations with Russia as the world becomes more turbulent and close interactions between President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, anchored the neighbours' relations.
He did not give a definite answer when asked if Xi would visit Russia after China's parliament session, which goes on for one more week.
Since Russia invaded its southwestern neighbour a year ago Xi has held talks several times with Putin, but not with his Ukrainian counterpart. This undermines China's claim of neutrality in the conflict, Kyiv's top diplomat in Beijing said last month.
Asked whether it was possible that China and Russia would abandon the US dollar and euro for bilateral trade, Qin said countries should use whatever currency was efficient, safe and credible.
China has been looking to internationalise its currency, the yuan, which gained popularity in Russia last year after Western sanctions shut Russia's banks and many of its companies out of the dollar and euro payment systems.
"Currencies should not be the trump card for unilateral sanctions, still less a disguise for bullying or coercion," Qin said.


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Only 16% of applicants allowed to work during lockdown period, says Azmin

A total of 128,150 companies involving 1.57 million workers have received approval through the Covid-19 Intelligent Management System (CIMS) 3.0 to continue operating throughout the movement control order (MCO) 3.0 period, says International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali.The senior minister said those given permission to remain open came from a wider pool of 586,308 companies and 10.2 million workers who had registered with CIMS 3.0.“Of the 10.2 million workers who registered, we allowed 1.57 million,” he said.“This drastic cut is to ensure that movements can be controlled to contain the spread of Covid-19.”This is about 16% of the total number of workers who had applied.Azmin also said his ministry was not the sole determiner for approval as it was only responsible for giving the green light to companies under 15 ministries.He said four other ministries already had their own systems for this purpose.“Letters of permission to operate are not only issued by Miti,” he said.“There are also letters issued by other ministries through their own systems which have been proven effective for their targeted demographics.“Miti is not the only one who decides whether a business sector is considered an essential service or not.”Azmin also responded to claims that the CIMS 3.0 system had been hacked after the owner of a photography company managed to obtain permission to continue operating throughout MCO 3.0.He said the person is question had forged the letter of approval.“After an investigation, we found that it was a false claim,” he said. “Miti will be lodging a police report on the matter.”He also said that the ministry was open to any complaints or criticism about the system.


Court throws out Najib’s bid to stay RM1.69 billion tax case

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur today upheld an earlier court decision on the government’s RM1.69 billion tax claim against former prime minister Najib Razak, allowing the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) to proceed with the bankruptcy notice against him.In the ruling sighted by MalaysiaNow, judge Ahmad Bache dismissed Najib’s application for a stay of execution of the July 22, 2020 summary judgment and imposed costs of RM15,000.“After hearing submissions by both parties and having considered the firm position of the law above and the reasons advanced by the defendant and replies by the plaintiff, this court holds that the defendant has no strong grounds for a stay of execution to be granted, as the defendant had failed to discharge the burden of proving the existence of ‘special circumstances’ to the satisfaction of this court,” Bache said.The government through LHDN filed the suit against Najib on June 25, 2019, seeking total payment of RM1.69 billion for income tax arrears from 2011 to 2017, with interest at 5% a year from the date of judgment, as well as costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.The High Court ruled on July 22 last year that Najib had to pay LHDN the amount in question after allowing the tax agency’s application to enter a summary judgment against the former prime minister.A summary judgement is when the court decides a particular case summarily, without calling witnesses to testify in a trial.Najib, on May 31, had applied to strike out the bankruptcy notice filed against him on Feb 4, claiming among others that it was part of a conspiracy to destroy his political career.He claimed in an earlier Facebook post that he was a victim of injustice, writing on April 6 that the case was imposed on him by the Pakatan Harapan government and continued by the Perikatan Nasional administration.“Even when I was the prime minister, I had always paid income tax without fail, but this unjust tax of RM1.74 billion (including a penalty of RM46 million since last year) is an additional assessment and an unreasonable penalty,” he said.In his judgment, Bache said every taxpayer, like every citizen, stands equal before the law.“If this stay is granted to the defendant, who is a former prime minister and the former finance minister, the plaintiff will be estopped from filing any recovery actions against him.“It will set a bad precedent to be followed and used by other taxpayers as grounds to avoid and/or delay paying taxes and give rise, albeit wrongly, to an inference that ‘double standards’ are being allowed and practised,” he said.He said the court also holds that LHDN has the monetary ability to compensate Najib if he succeeds in his appeal at the Special Commissioner of Income Tax.“There is no unquantifiable loss that could not be recovered from the plaintiff should the defendant succeed in this appeal.“On the other hand, the defendant has not shown any cogent evidence to prove the plaintiff’s inability to compensate.“All these reasons merit consideration and that the balance should tilt in favour of the plaintiff, to not granting the stay.”


Australians told to get Covid boosters to be considered fully vaccinated

Australian residents will need to receive booster shots to be considered fully vaccinated against Covid-19, although authorities said foreign travellers will continue to need only two shots to enter the country.Australia’s national cabinet late on Thursday endorsed the revised guidance from the country’s vaccination advisory group to classify “up-to-date” inoculations as including boosters.A person’s vaccination status will be considered “overdue” if they have not received a booster within six months of their second dose, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.Australian officials have made vaccines mandatory only for some frontline workers, but many private businesses, including major corporations, restaurants and retailers, have made inoculations a requirement for entry.The country is among the most heavily vaccinated in the world as a result, with 94% of people above 16 double-dosed. Nearly 10 million boosters have been administered so far.The decision to keep the requirement for visitors to two doses only comes as authorities prepare to fully reopen Australia’s borders, around two years after they were slammed shut to slow the progress of the pandemic.Like other countries, Australia has been tackling the fast-moving Omicron variant.Officials reported just under 26,000 new infections by midday on Friday, down from about 30,000 on Thursday, with Western Australia and Northern Territory still to report. Forty-eight new deaths were registered. Hospital cases remained on a downtrend, with nearly 3,300 admitted, the lowest tally in more than a month.The bulk of Australia’s pandemic total of around 2.7 million cases has been detected since the emergence of the Omicron variant in late November. Total deaths stood at 4,479.


When bills outweigh income: Civil servants lament hike in OPR

Norazizan Yahya had been serving as a secondary school teacher in Johor for three years when she decided to purchase a car well within her means with a repayment period of nine years.
At that time, she felt she was financially stable and that she would be able to manage the monthly instalments.
Norazizan started repaying the loan in January 2020, about three months before the movement control order was implemented to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Although there were government aid and relief efforts in place, such as bank loan moratoriums, she continued paying the monthly car instalment of RM485 as her salary as a teacher was not affected.
After the pandemic, however, Norazizan began feeling financially "suffocated" due to the increase in the overnight policy rate (OPR) a few months ago.
Most recently, the monthly instalment for her three-year-old Perodua Bezza car changed, increasing once again when Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) announced a 25 basis point increase in the OPR to 3.00%.
In the past, her monthly instalments rose as high as RM545. Her most recent communication with her bank put it at RM533.
Norazizan and her husband have both been affected by the increase in their monthly loan commitments despite the fact that their salaries as teachers have increased. She said that the salary increments had become meaningless as their monthly loan commitments had also increased. They are also affected by the price fluctuation of goods.
She said she has discussed with her husband about cancelling the loan, adding however that there are many hurdles from the bank. She also said the loan had become a burden even though she previously felt financially capable.
Her hope is that there will be no further increases in the near future.
Norazizan is one of millions of bank borrowers throughout the country affected by the increase in OPR, which has resulted in an increase in monthly payments of household debts. Many individuals have taken to social media to express their financial difficulties due to the hike in OPR.
Meanwhile, a Grade 44 government employee known as Sahibullah who only rents and does not have a home loan is also facing problems due to the increase in the OPR.
He and his wife have been renting a fully furnished condominium unit in Presint 15 for a year and four months at a monthly rental of RM1,350.
However, in June, the landlord asked for an additional RM200 in monthly rent due to the increase in loan payments, which was not part of the agreement they signed. If they cancel the contract, their deposit of more than RM4,000 will be forfeited. They now feel trapped and do not know what to do.
Further hikes ahead?
Lee Heng Guie, the executive director of the Socio-Economic Research Centre, said that the increase in the OPR was already expected as the country's economy continues to recover and approaches the pre-pandemic state.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he expects the rate to remain steady this year once it reaches a "sufficient" level. However, he does not rule out the possibility of further increases, which would depend on the observations and risk assessments made by Bank Negara.
According to Lee, OPR hikes must be carried out in tandem with the country's economic situation, and the rate of increase is also determined by taking into account the country's inflation rate.
"The ups and downs of the OPR are not arbitrary and are freely determined by Bank Negara's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) without government interference," he told MalaysiaNow.
"Malaysia's OPR hikes are not as aggressive as some other countries' due to controlled inflation rates caused by subsidies."
Furthermore, Lee said that the increase in the OPR would also provide "breathing space" in the event that the country faces a crisis again, in which case the rate could be reduced.
He added that the reason for previously lowering the rate was to stimulate the economy by encouraging people to spend.
"If the OPR remains low and Malaysia faces another crisis, Bank Negara will not have any room left to lower the rate.
"The next MPC meeting will take place in early July. Whether the OPR will remain unchanged or increase will be announced on that date," he added.


Muhyiddin to give way to others in Johor polls

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin today said he might not defend his state seat of Gambir at the upcoming Johor state polls.The Bersatu chief who is also the Perikatan Nasional chairman said he wanted to focus on managing the party at the parliamentary level.“I want to give opportunities to other leaders in Johor and it is up to them whom to choose. We will decide later,” he said after chairing a Bersatu meeting in Kuala Lumpur.Muhyiddin, a former Johor menteri besar who led the state for about a decade, has been the MP of Pagoh since 1978.He also contested the Gambir state seat in the last general election, beating candidates from Barisan Nasional and PAS.


Ramadan bazaar in Gombak closed for 4 days over SOP violations

The Greenwood Ramadan bazaar in Gombak has been ordered to close for four days from Thursday for failing to comply with Covid-19 SOPs.The Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) said the offences included a lack of compliance with the distance required between the traders’ tents, unsatisfactory control at the entrance and exit, and the sale of items other than cooked food and beverages.“The decision to close the bazaar on these dates was made after taking into account the welfare of traders who had cooked for sale today.“The closure notice was issued by the authorised officer as per the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342) in accordance with Section 18 (1)(f) and handed over to the representative of JKP Zone 3 at the licensing department today,” MPS said in a statement.MPS said it had also explained the SOPs and compliance needed on the part of the organisers for the bazaar to be reopened.“MPS has also stipulated to all organisers and supervisors (of Ramadan bazaars) to implement additional SOPs, namely the use of queue number cards for visitors, creating one-way routes in the bazaar and not allowing children under 12 years and senior citizens 65 years and above to enter Ramadan bazaars,” it said.To ensure compliance with the SOPs, MPS said it will constantly monitor the Ramadan bazaars under its jurisdiction.“Visitors and traders are also reminded not to be complacent and careless in complying with the SOPs set so that the spread of Covid-19 can be controlled,” it said.


India warned to brace for new Covid-19 waves

India, gripped by one of the most deadly coronavirus surges seen by any country, will have to be ready for new waves and badly needs more oxygen from other countries, officials said Wednesday.Facing critical shortages of hospital beds and oxygen, the warnings came as India reported 3,780 new pandemic deaths, a new daily high, and 382,000 new cases. Experts say the peak may not be reached for weeks.According to the International Red Cross, India is bearing the brunt of a coronavirus crisis badly hitting all of South Asia.K Vijay Raghavan, the Indian government’s principal scientific advisor, said the country of 1.3 billion had to be ready for more trouble even after beating down this wave which has taken India’s caseload above 20 million infections.“Phase 3 is inevitable given the high levels of circulating virus. But it is not clear on what timescale this Phase 3 will occur. We should prepare for new waves,” Raghavan told a news conference.With the government facing criticism as patients die in streets outside hospitals because of the bed shortages, consignments of oxygen and equipment have been arriving from the US, France, Britain, Russia and other countries in recent days.And India will need more oxygen from other countries to fight the surge until numbers stabilise, another government official said.“We did not and do not have enough oxygen,” the top government official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity. “If we could get more oxygen more lives would be saved.”India is also still pressing the US and other countries to ease restrictions on exports of raw materials for coronavirus drugs such as remdesivir and tocilizumab, the official added.India, the world’s biggest generic drugs maker, was a major supplier of remdesivir last year when the pandemic erupted but cut production when its own first wave fell back.‘Criminal act’Hospitals across the country were still suffering Wednesday while courts have stepped up pressure on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government over its response.“Admissions suspended indefinitely,” said Devlina Chakravarty, managing director of the Artemis hospital in Gurgaon, near Delhi, in a Twitter statement blaming oxygen supplies.Hospitals in Kolkata, Bangalore and other major cities also reported serious shortages.Stung by growing anger, the central bank said that US$6.7 billion in cheap loans would be provided to oxygen, vaccine and drug manufacturers as well as hospitals to help ease the crisis.India’s courts have meanwhile become increasingly vocal critics of the Modi government’s handling of the crisis.Delhi’s government says it needs 700 tonnes of oxygen a day for its overwhelmed hospitals but the Supreme Court was told Wednesday that it is only getting 585 tonnes.Fighting a threat to issue contempt proceedings over its refusal to send more oxygen, central government lawyers said the city needs only 415 tonnes.The court gave the government until Thursday morning to provide a plan to send extra supplies.A Delhi High Court which made the contempt threat accused government politicians and officials of “living in ivory towers” while the death toll mounts.The High Court in Allahabad said the deaths of people in Uttar Pradesh state hospitals “is a criminal act and not less than a genocide” by those meant to be ensuring oxygen supplies.The government in India’s most populous state has denied there are oxygen shortages. It has been accused by civic groups of grossly under-reporting the number of pandemic deaths.The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has called for “urgent” international action to prevent “a worsening human catastrophe” across South Asia.It highlighted the case of Nepal where it said “many hospitals are full and overflowing” with Covid-19 patients and the daily caseload is 57 times higher than one month ago.


US jury finds lawyer guilty of killing family in drama that captivated nation

A US jury on Thursday found prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh guilty of murdering his wife and son on their hunting estate in a trial that has drawn global attention.
Scion of an elite South Carolina family of judges and attorneys, Murdaugh, 54, was determined to have killed his son Paul with a shotgun and his wife Maggie with the assault rifle Paul used for hunting wild pigs on the family's sprawling property.
"The evidence of guilt is overwhelming," Judge Clifton Newman said after the reading of the verdict, which the jury reached in under three hours.
Murdaugh, wearing a blazer and white button-up shirt, was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, concluding a complex case that has often touched on the bizarre.
The jury heard how Murdaugh murdered his family members on June 7, 2021 after realising his years of stealing millions from his law firm and from clients to feed his hidden opioid addiction was about to go public.
While evidence put Murdaugh at the scene shortly before the murders, the guns were never found, and there was no bloodstained clothing or other direct evidence that could prove he was the killer.
He faces a minimum of 30 years and maximum of life in prison for each murder count, according to Newman.
Tainted crime scene
After six weeks of hearings in Walterboro, South Carolina, the jury determined the evidence was strong enough to convict Murdaugh on two counts of murder and two firearms charges.
Murdaugh, who repeatedly broke down in tears over two days of testimony last week, flatly denied killing Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22.
He described discovering their bodies at the dog kennels on their hunting estate, with Maggie shot five times with a rifle and Paul's head shredded by a shotgun blast.
He admitted he stole and embezzled and lied about his drug habit, which his attorneys said cost US$50,000 (about RM220,000) a week.
But he said he would never lie about killing his family.
His attorney argued that investigators tainted the crime scene at the kennels and failed to pursue other possible suspects, including Murdaugh's drug suppliers and people angry over Paul's involvement in the February 2019 boating death of a teenage girl.
It is "totally illogical, irrational and insane... for somebody to kill their loved ones when their criminal conduct is being exposed," Murdaugh attorney Jim Griffin told the jury.
'Master liar'
Prosecutor Creighton Waters argued that Murdaugh is "a master liar" who stole money from a crippled client, from the family of a former Murdaugh maid who died in a fall years earlier, and from his law partners.
Waters focused on Murdaugh's lying to investigators on the evening of the crime that he had not been at the kennels before he discovered the bodies.
Later a video was found on Paul's cellphone showing Murdaugh was there an estimated five minutes before the shootings.
Waters said Paul had recently discovered his father's drug habit, and the morning of the murders Murdaugh was confronted about missing money at his law partnership.
"Everyone who thought they knew who he was, he's fooled them," said Waters.
"He fooled Maggie and Paul too, and they paid with their lives," he told the jury.
Southern gothic
The twists and turns of the family story – the maid's death, the death of another young man near the Murdaugh property, and even Alex Murdaugh's hiring his own drug dealer to kill him in an insurance scam – have captivated the American public.
Adding to that is the little-known culture of the South Carolina "lowcountry" – the poor, marshy region once known for its slave trade, with its distinctive clipped southern accents and where Murdaugh's family for generations dominated the law as attorneys, prosecutors and judges.
The court heard details on the lives of the region's landed gentry, their passion for hunting ducks, deer and the wild hogs, and the dozens of guns the Murdaughs kept.
Not waiting for a verdict, Netflix and HBO scored hits with fictionalised documentaries rushed out during the trial.
"Decades of powerful influence over the legal system in the South Carolina lowcountry unravel amid accusations of fraud, deception, and murder," HBO said in promotional material.


Appeals court rules woman abandoned at birth entitled to citizenship

The Court of Appeal in a 2-1 majority decision today ruled that a 23-year-old woman who was adopted by Malaysian parents was abandoned when she was born at a private hospital, and that she is entitled to Malaysian citizenship.Justice S Nantha Balan, who read out the majority ruling, said the woman was entitled to be a citizen of Malaysia by operation of law, by virtue of her birth within the federation of Malaysia, pursuant to Article 14(1)(b), Section 1(a) of Part II of the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution, read together with Section 19B of Part III of the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution.He said the court also granted a certiorari order to quash the Registrar-General of Births and Deaths Malaysia’s decision in issuing and signing a birth certificate for the woman as a non-citizen.The court also granted the mandamus order sought by the woman directing the respondent (Registrar-General of Births and Deaths Malaysia) to reissue the birth certificate and register the woman as a citizen.“We are of the view that the facts disclose that the woman was abandoned. We do not take that the fact that payment was made to an unknown intermediary detracts from the fact that there was an abandonment of the baby by her biological parents.“As such, given the term ‘exposed’ in the widest possible meaning and interpretation, we find the woman was abandoned and therefore qualifies for citizenship.“Under the circumstances, we by the majority, find merit in the appeal. The appeal is allowed and the High Court decision is set aside,” he said in delivering the decision agreed to by Kamaludin Md Said, who led the three-judge panel.Nantha Balan said that the appellate court was bound by the Federal Court’s November 2021 decision in a similar case involving a child abandoned at birth at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, and who was later also adopted by Malaysian parents.Besides the woman, the other two appellants are her adoptive parents aged 70 and 69.


Gloomy weather, drizzle at most nomination centres

Gloomy weather and slight drizzles were reported at most locations of nomination centres for the 15th general election this morning.
Apart from the capital, other areas that reported rain were Kuala Krai, Machang and Ketereh in Kelantan; Pekan, Jerantut (Pahang); Kuala Pilah and Seremban (Negeri Sembilan); and Ayer Hitam and Mersing (Johor).
Kemaman, Terengganu; Kota Tinggi, Johor; and Tambun, Perak, have been experiencing continuous rain since last night.
Several areas in Sabah and Kedah are clear and bright, including Semporna, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, Kota Marudu, Kinabatangan in Sabah, as well as Alor Setar and Padang Terap in Kedah.
As early as 6.30am, Election Commission workers and security personnel had begun gathering at the centres. They were briefed on their tasks ahead of the opening of the nomination centres at 9am.
Media personnel covering the nomination process also arrived early at the centres to monitor developments.