WHO vows nothing 'ridiculous' as public submits ideas to rename monkeypox

Poxy McPoxface, Trump-22 or Mpox: these some of the ideas sent in by the public to the World Health Organization (WHO) as it seeks a new name for monkeypox.
Often disease names are chosen behind closed doors by a technical committee, but the WHO has this time decided to open up the process to the public. After a slow start, dozens of submissions have now been made from a range of contributors including academics, doctors, and a gay community activist.
They range from the technical (Opoxid-22, submitted by Harvard Medical School emergency physician Jeremy Faust) to the farcical (Poxy McPoxface, submitted by Andrew Yi in an allusion to Boaty McBoatface - almost the name of a British polar research vessel after a public vote on the choice).
Pressure is growing for a new name for the disease, in part because critics say it is misleading, since monkeys are not the original animal host. A group of leading scientists wrote a position paper in June calling for a name that was "neutral, non-discriminatory and non-stigmatising" amid fears the name can be used in a racist way.
Until this year, monkeypox has mainly spread only in a group of countries in west and central Africa.
"It's very important we find a new name for monkeypox because this is best practice not to create any offence to an ethical group, a region, a country, an animal etc," WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib said on Tuesday.
"The WHO is very concerned by this issue and we want to find a name that is not stigmatising," she added without giving a timeline.
One of the more popular submissions so far is Mpox, submitted by Samuel Miriello, director of a men's health organization RÉZO which is already using the name in its outreach campaigns in Montreal, Canada.
"When you remove the monkey imagery, people seem to understand more quickly that there's an emergency that needs to be taken seriously," he told Reuters.
Another proposal, Trump-22, appeared to be refer to former US President Donald Trump who used the controversial term "Chinese virus" for the new coronavirus, although its author said it stood for "Toxic Rash of Unrecognised Mysterious Provenance of 2022".
Submissions mocking the gay community had earlier been posted but were later removed from the WHO site.
The WHO has a mandate to assign new names to existing diseases under the International Classification of Diseases. It has already renamed monkeypox virus variants, or clades, changing them from African regions to Roman numerals.
The WHO said it would decide among the proposals "according to their scientific validity, their acceptability, their pronounceability (and) whether they can be used in different languages".
"I am sure we will not come up with a ridiculous name," said Chaib.
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958 and named after the first animal to show symptoms. The WHO declared the current outbreak a public health emergency last month having reported more than 32,000 cases from over 80 countries.


Health ministry okays Johor polls amid Covid spike due to ‘less severe’ Omicron

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today said the Johor state election had been given the green light by his ministry in light of the less severe nature of the Omicron variant, despite fierce spikes in Covid-19 cases over the past few days.However, he said the polls would need to follow the SOPs to be announced.“For the Johor state election, the health ministry and I have submitted our recommendations to the National Security Council and the Election Commission,” he said at a press conference.“Given that Omicron so far appears less severe than Delta, the election can proceed.”The Johor legislative assembly was dissolved on Jan 22 with the consent of Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.Khairy had previously said that the SOPs for the Johor polls would differ from those for the recent Melaka and Sarawak elections given the emergence of the Omicron variant.Speaking today, he urged the people, especially the senior citizens, to receive their booster shots as a protective measure against Omicron.He said while nearly 53% of adults had received a booster jab, 32% or about a million senior citizens had yet to do so.“The health ministry has also found resistance from Sinovac recipients to receiving Pfizer or AstraZeneca booster jabs,” he said, adding that some 3.5 million individuals initially inoculated with Sinovac had yet to receive a booster shot.“The health ministry has therefore decided to allow the option of receiving Sinovac as a booster shot by appointment, although data shows that Pfizer and AstraZeneca are more effective.”He added that the Sinovac jab would be given as a booster shot on a first come, first served basis.


Lawyers group slams charge against activist for post on treatment of refugees

Rights group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) today called for the withdrawal of the charge against an activist for posting about the treatment of refugees at an immigration detention centre, accusing the government of unconstitutionally curtailing the right of freedom of expression guaranteed in the Federal Constitution.LFL coordinator Zaid Malek also questioned the charge against Heidy Quah, calling it “utterly nonsensical” that such exposures could be detrimental to public order or morality warranting criminal prosecution.“It is corruption and abuse of power by the authorities that are the real diseases that decay our democratic system,” he added.“Any country that treats whistleblowers as criminals soon loses its moral legitimacy.”Quah was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on July 27 with the improper use of network facilities through the transmission of offensive communications on refugees in the country on her Facebook account.The charge was framed under Section 233 (1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which provides for a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment for up to a year or both and a further fine of RM1,000 for each day the offence is continued after conviction.Malek said Section 233(1)(a) was “one of the infamous provisions” used against activists and members of the public who speak out against the government or any of its agencies.“The unusually wide and vague terms used in Section 233(1)(a) give overwhelming and excessive powers to enforcement authorities to decide what is ‘offensive’,” he added.“Thus, the law has been wielded even against someone like Quah who was merely exposing the horrible conditions at immigration detention centres which is a matter of public interest.”In a statement, he also reminded the government of its duty to uphold the constitution and protect the right of citizens to free speech.“Even though said freedom is not absolute, the limitations imposed by the constitution do not curtail expressions of dissatisfaction and criticism against the government or any of its agencies,” he said.“The government must therefore repeal draconic provisions such as Section 233(1)(a) and withdraw the baseless criminal charge against Quah immediately.”


Australia lists Hezbollah as ‘terrorist organisation’

Australia on Wednesday listed all of Hezbollah as a “terrorist organisation”, extending a ban on armed factions to the entire movement, which wields considerable power over Lebanon.Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said that the Tehran-backed Shiite group “continues to threaten terrorist attacks and provide support to terrorist organisations” and poses a “real” and “credible” threat to Australia.Hezbollah is part political party and part militia – the only group in Lebanon to have refused to disarm since the civil war ended in 1990.The movement, which plays a pivotal role in Lebanese politics, has been accused of fuelling Syria’s civil war by sending thousands of fighters across the border to prop up President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.In 2006, it fought a short yet devastating war against Israel.Critics have accused the movement of killing former prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005, and more recently of blocking investigations into the cataclysmic 2020 Beirut port explosion.Some countries have sought to distinguish between Hezbollah’s political and militant factions, fearing a blanket ban could further destabilise Lebanon and hamper contacts with authorities.Australia had such a policy since 2003, when it banned Hezbollah’s so-called External Security Organisation – a part of the movement’s military wing that is chiefly focused on shadowy overseas operations.From now, membership of the entire organisation or providing funding for it will now be proscribed in Australia, which has a large Lebanese community.Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett thanked his “friend” and Australian counterpart Scott Morrison for the move.“Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed terror organisation in Lebanon responsible for countless attacks in Israel & around the world,” he tweeted.‘Long overdue’No reason was given for the timing of Canberra’s decision, which comes as Lebanon reels from spiralling political and economic crises.Nearly 80% of the population is estimated to be living below the poverty line.Elections are expected in March 2022 and there is growing public anger about nepotism and corruption among Lebanon’s ruling class.The move may play well domestically for Australia’s conservative government, ahead of its own elections expected next year.Before 2018 polls, Morrison made the surprise move of recognising west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, helping secure votes in a battleground Sydney seat with a sizable Jewish community.Matthew Levitt, a former US counter-terrorism financing official now with the Washington Institue for Near East policy, told AFP the move was “long overdue.”In June, he testified to the Australian parliament that the previous designation was “insufficent” adding that “Hezbollah is structured and operates as a singular organisation.”“In recent years a laundry list of Hezbollah terrorist plots and illicit financial schemes have involved Australian citizens and/or activities on Australian soil,” he said.Australia’s government also announced Wednesday that it would be listing far-right group “The Base” as a terror group.“They are a violent, racist neo-Nazi group known by security agencies to be planning and preparing terrorist attacks,” Andrews said.


Netanyahu secures parliament majority, seeks more time to form govt

Israel's incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed up enough parties for a coalition with a parliamentary majority on Thursday but requested more time to present the new government, citing a need to agree on roles for his designated partners.
Netanyahu was tasked with forming a government after his conservative Likud and likely religious-nationalist partners triumphed in a Nov 1 election. That mandate is due to expire on Sunday.
In a letter to President Isaac Herzog that Likud circulated to the media, Netanyahu requested the full 14-day extension allowed by law. Herzog's office had no immediate response.
"Some issues related to roles have yet to be agreed upon" in coalition negotiations, Netanyahu wrote in the letter.
The centrist opposition has urged Herzog not to grant an extension, accusing Netanyahu of buying time to pass controversial legislation. One such bill would enable Arieh Deri of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish party Shas to serve in the cabinet despite his criminal record.
Earlier on Thursday, Likud said in a statement saying it had reached a coalition deal with Shas, making it the fifth party to join Netanyahu and giving him comfortable control of 64 of the Knesset's 120 seats.
"We have completed another step towards the formation of a right-wing government that will act to serve all of Israel's citizens," Netanyahu said in the statement.
According to the agreement, Deri will head the interior and health ministries during the first half of the government's term, then take up the Finance Ministry in the second half. Deri will also serve as deputy prime minister under Netanyahu.
Deri, a veteran politician, was convicted of tax fraud last year but spared jail in a plea deal. His inclusion in the new government, alongside two far-right parties run by hardline West Bank settlers, has stirred concern in Israel and abroad.


MCA, MIC seen fading away ahead of state elections

Once the non-Malay mainstay for the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, MCA and MIC may find themselves fading into the background at the six state elections to come this year, thanks to BN's newfound alliance with Pakatan Harapan (PH) and its components DAP and PKR.
Political analyst James Chin of Australia's University of Tasmania said Umno appeared to have neglected MCA and MIC since forming the coalition government at the federal level with PH.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, he said the role of MCA and MIC had traditionally depended on the success of Umno, long seen as the BN lynchpin.
"Even if they clash, it won't matter because DAP and PKR can make a clean sweep of the Indian and Chinese votes," he said.
"The outcome of the talks on seat distribution between BN and PH is still uncertain, but they will likely stick to the policy of allowing the party that holds the seat to field candidates in its defence."
MIC deputy president M Saravanan recently said he considered his party as non-existent within BN.
He said MIC had not been called for talks about BN's plans for the upcoming state polls.
"Not only are we not called for meetings, it looks like we are non-existent," he told reporters at Batu Caves on Feb 5.
BN suffered a massive defeat at the 15th general election in November last year, winning just 30 parliamentary seats throughout the country.
MCA succeeded in defending only two seats – Ayer Hitam and Tanjung Piai – while MIC retained Tapah.
With elections looming in six states – Selangor, Penang, Negeri Sembilan, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah – Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Feb 8 that three committees had been formed, including an election committee to draft strategies for the state polls.
He said the election committee would focus on the state elections to come, including the issue of seat allocations, to ensure a strong and united foundation between parties, including in Sabah and Sarawak.
The PH chairman also said that the election committee would meet soon, involving the election director of every party.
Analyst Oh Ei Sun of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs said MCA and MIC might participate in the elections but only in a supporting role, to ensure that the voters choose the candidates fielded by BN-PH.
He said such assistance might be given in the hope of being awarded with appointments at government-linked companies in the event of victory in the state in question.
"But actually being given seats to contest might be hard for them," he added.
"They might just help during the campaign period, to assist in rallying support."


Unity still lacking in fight against Covid, says health DG

A sense of unity among Malaysians in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic is still lacking thus contributing to the high number of positive cases, says health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.He admitted that SOP compliance among the public was still an issue today even though the pandemic had been around for more than a year.“I think this is lacking because there is actually discordance in terms of our unity. Instead of fighting against the virus, we are fighting against each other in terms of opinion, in terms of approach, etcetera,” he said in a speech at the First Malaysia International Webinar on Psychological First Aid organised by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris today.Noor Hisham assured that during the crisis, every decision was made with thorough consideration.“When you have lives and livelihoods, a balance between health and economy, how do you create a right balance? This is a very difficult and challenging job, to have a minimum impact on economic and maximum outcome in health.“This is why sometimes it’s not straightforward, because you need to take into consideration many other issues before a decision is made,” he said.


Thailand extends visa amnesty for stranded foreigners

Thailand announced on Monday that it will extend a grace period for foreigners who are stranded in the country because of global travel restrictions and whose Thai visas have expired.Millions of tourists remain stranded in countries around the world as borders remain closed, airlines cancel flights and new infections climb globally, meaning there is little likelihood of them getting home soon.Thailand halted commercial flights in April and banned foreign visitors from entering in an effort to keep Covid-19 at bay.With repatriation flights being the only way of leaving the country, many foreigners already in Thailand found themselves unable to get home, holding rapidly expiring visas.Tourists unable to leave were quickly granted blanket permission to stay once their visas expired in order to forestall a rush at immigration offices and possible consequent infections.New amnesty expiry dates have been shifted further along in the year as the international travel situation has not improved. The current amnesty ended on Sept 26.The latest extension will allow foreigners to remain in Thailand until Oct 31, a spokesman for the government’s coronavirus taskforce, Taweesin Wisanuyothin told Reuters.The matter is subject to cabinet approval on Tuesday.After October, a new immigration regulation will allow foreigners to apply for 60-day extensions to remain in the country if they are still unable to leave due to limited flights or other issues, said Pornchai Kuntee, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau.Previously, extensions required documentation from their respective embassies and were limited to 30 days.The Thai government this month also announced a new scheme which will issue visas of up to 270 days for a limited number of long-stay tourists in order to generate a little money for the ailing tourism industry.Tourists who apply will be strictly assessed on financial and medical grounds. They will also be expected to arrive on private flights and undergo a 14-day quarantine in one of 74 government-approved hotels nationwide.The date for this scheme to begin is under constant review and remains fraught with logistical hurdles.Malaysia has thousands of its own stranded tourists, all now on expired visas. They are allowed to remain in Malaysia without penalty until the end of RMCO, currently Dec 31, plus 14 days.Malaysia has announced no plans for future long-stay tourist visas.


Umno launches internal survey on possibility of teaming up with PKR, DAP

Umno has launched an internal survey involving critical communications staff to gauge whether members are open to working with PKR and DAP.Just a few months ago, it was a foregone conclusion that the Malay party would have no form of cooperation with the two parties, seen as its staunchest enemies.But that could have changed following a revelation that former leader Najib Razak, who still wields influence in Umno, and current president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi gave their backing to Anwar Ibrahim in the PKR strongman’s bid to topple the Perikatan Nasional government last month.Sources in Umno told MalaysiaNow that the survey, an internal “opinion poll” involving its communications staff nationwide, will also gauge views on the party’s cooperation with PAS in Muafakat Nasional, the year-old historic charter signed by the two biggest Malay parties during their time in the opposition.“Interestingly, one of the questions in the survey is whether Umno should forge a cooperation with PKR and DAP,” the source who is familiar with the survey told MalaysiaNow.It added that there was also a critical need to find out the political direction of Umno, and whether it should stick with Muafakat or extend such a cooperation with Bersatu, the other Malay party formed by a breakaway faction of Umno at the height of the 1MDB saga during Najib’s rule.Last month, MalaysiaNow revealed that Najib and Zahid, who between them have been slapped with a total of 79 corruption charges, had jointly written a letter to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to express support for Anwar.“One of the questions in the survey is whether Umno should forge a cooperation with PKR and DAP.”The letter was sent to the palace just two days before Anwar’s audience with Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, where the veteran politician failed to make good on a promise to provide proof that he had the majority support of MPs to form a government.Najib and Zahid have never denied the contents of the letter.The internal survey comes just days after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government survived a crucial vote on the budget which the opposition had planned to turn into a confidence motion against him.A coming together of Najib and Anwar, who were once allies in the Umno echelons in the 1990s, was apparent during the recent budget debate.The duo said their support for the budget was conditional, and there was intense speculation that they were bent on scuttling the budget.But a much publicised plan to vote down the budget on Nov 26 did not materialise.Instead, MalaysiaNow reported that Najib’s refusal to proceed with the plan forced Anwar to instruct Pakatan Harapan MPs to stand down, leading to the budget being passed by voice vote.The Umno survey also comes amid talk that the 15th general election must be held in the coming year to put to rest allegations that Muhyiddin’s government, which was formed on the back of PH’s collapse in February, has no mandate.“One answer the survey hopes to find is whether Umno’s exclusive cooperation with PAS at the election would translate into overwhelming support from the Malays,” the source told MalaysiaNow.Political observer Shamsul Amri Baharuddin of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia believes that Umno decision-makers hope to kill two birds with one stone with the internal survey.“It wants an honest evaluation of its influence on members and non-members,” said Shamsul.He added that Umno is keen to know if PAS is still committed to the Muafakat charter, following the Islamist party’s change of fortunes having tasted federal power for the first time in four decades.


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1MDB took another loan despite RM32 billion debt, court told

cThe High Court was told yesterday that 1MDB took out another loan to complete the joint venture (JV) with Aabar Investment PJS despite having US$3 billion in issued bonds for the JV and debts of RM32 billion in 2014.Former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi, who has been on the witness stand since late last year, said the sovereign wealth fund had no choice but to take out the loan as it was obliged to follow the instructions from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to complete the JV before the visit of the Abu Dhabi crown prince.Shahrol, 49, said this during cross-examination by lawyer Wan Aizuddin Wan Mohammed at Najib Razak’s RM2.3 billion 1MDB graft trial.The buyback option was to redeem “Aabar Options” during the acquisition of independent power plants in 2012, as agreed between Aabar and 1MDB. The redemption was made through 1MDB subsidiary 1MDB Energy Holdings Ltd.When asked how he knew the instruction came from the PMO, Shahrol said he had been passed talking points by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.“There was also an email from Najib’s principal private secretary, the late Azlin Alias, detailing the final form of the JV.”Wan Aizuddin: The company was already billions of dollars in debt, but you took out another loan?Shahrol: It was consistent with my instructions from the PMO and Jho Low to make it a done deal. It was not another loan, it was refinancing.Wan Aizuddin: So you took out another loan to finance a loan? Was it at a lower rate?Shahrol: It was called refinancing, and yes, ideally, at a lower rate.Shahrol, the ninth prosecution witness, added that no approval was given by the 1MDB board for the utilisation of the US$3 billion bond raised by 1MDB to finance the development of the TRX project.“There was no specific approval,” he said. “However, once, 1MDB chief financial officer Azmi Tahir updated the board, saying that the funds would be placed with a fund manager.”Shahrol said the deal with Aabar was pushed through despite the debt because of Jho Low’s involvement.Wan Aizuddin: You knowingly and actively participated in defrauding 1MDB by misleading the board, the (then) PM and the government of Malaysia.Shahrol: I disagree.He also disagreed with Wan Aizuddin’s suggestion that the embezzlement of funds from the US$3 billion bond was done with his full knowledge and in cahoots with Jho Low, his associates and 1MDB’s financial adviser, Goldman Sachs.Najib, 67, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial continues today before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah.


Death toll up by 7

Another 1,295 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 87,913.Selangor recorded the most new cases – 481 – partly due to the screening of foreign workers. A total of 273 came from existing clusters, 79 from close contact screening, 121 from other screenings, four from a new cluster called the Puncak Galaksi cluster, and four from overseas.Sabah followed with 268 cases, Kuala Lumpur with 232 and Johor with 105.Penang recorded 69 cases, Negeri Sembilan 60, Perak 35, Melaka 14, Pahang 13, Kedah nine, Putrajaya four, Labuan three, and Kelantan and Terengganu one each.Active cases stand at 14,751 with 113 in the ICU and 53 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 1,052 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 72,733.However, seven more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 429.


Targeted subsidy mechanism in the works, says PM Ismail

A suitable mechanism for the implementation of targeted subsidies is being formulated to ensure that the assistance provided by the government is received by the deserving groups, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.
He said various aspects of the mechanism need to be fine-tuned so that the allocations set aside by the government to help the people do not end up being arbitrarily enjoyed by irresponsible parties, including foreigners.
"Yes, the government has suffered a massive loss due to untargeted subsidies as all quarters were enjoying the subsidies which are meant for a more deserving group, which is the poor," he said during question time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting.
He said this in response to Anwar Ibrahim (PH-Port Dickson) who asked about the government’s steps to address the leakage of subsidies which he said are currently being enjoyed by the rich and the foreigners.
The prime minister said the matter had also been raised and studied by previous governments, with nothing implemented so far.
Ismail said the government was also in the midst of combating smuggling activities involving subsidised items such as cooking oil at the industrial level and at national borders.
He said the authorities would also conduct audits on manufacturers and get detailed information on their buyers.
"The easiest misappropriation (of the subsidies) would be at the repackers level as they are allowed to repack, for example, a tonne of cooking oil, but where is the oil sent and who are the recipients? These are the details we want to get from the factories," he said.
To combat smuggling activities at the borders, he said the government had ordered the involvement of the police and the armed forces, in addition to an enforcement team from the domestic trade and consumers affairs ministry.
"The government doesn’t sit still… we are doing our level best for the country," he said.
Ismail said in order to help Malaysians cope with the rising cost of living, the government had allocated subsidies of over RM77 billion, more than the original allocation of RM31 billion for 2022.
He said this included the subsidies for cooking oil amounting to RM4 billion, wheat (RM40 million), liquefied petroleum gas (RM2.6 billion), diesel (RM7.5 billion) and RON95 petrol (RM27 billion).
"No subsidies have ever been withdrawn. If there were campaigns calling for the government to return the subsidies, they were not true because the subsidies have never been removed since the day they were implemented," he said.
The prime minister said the subsidies given by the government had also caused the country’s inflation rate to hover at 2.8%, the lowest in Southeast Asia.
He said apart from the subsidies, the government had also given cash assistance through the Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia (BKM), with those in the B40 group receiving a maximum of RM2,600 per year.
"We will see how the situation is. If we need to increase it (BKM), we will. If the prices of goods are established, we won’t," he said.
Meanwhile, replying to Mohd Salim Sharif (BN-Jempol) on the difference between the Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation and the National Action Council on Cost of Living (NACCOL), Ismail said the task force focuses on the latest and current issues on price hikes while NACCOL, which meets twice a year, discusses policy issues, not only concerning the price of goods, but also the cost of transport and housing issues.
"The special task force chaired by Ketereh MP (Annuar Musa) is required to make announcements or hold a press conference twice a week so that the people know the latest developments and what actions are being taken by the government," he said.


Fugitive businessman Nicky Liow surrenders after over a year on the run

Fugitive businessman Nicky Liow Soon Hee, who is suspected of masterminding an organised crime group known as the “Nicky Gang”, has finally surrendered to the police after being on the run for more than a year.Deputy Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain, who confirmed the matter, said Liow, 34, was arrested after surrendering voluntarily at the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department office in Kuala Lumpur at about 11am.“He will be brought to Shah Alam Court tomorrow to face 26 charges.“On March 23, the Shah Alam Court issued a warrant of arrest against Liow, to face charges under Section 4 (1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001,” he said when contacted.On April 9 last year, Liow and his brother were charged in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court, with being members of an organised crime group.Liow was charged in absentia as he was on the run.Liow, the founder of Winner Dynasty Group, had been wanted by the police over a Macau scam syndicate after 68 of its members were arrested in “Ops Pelican 3.0” in March last year.On April 26 last year, the Pahang palace revoked and stripped Liow of the Darjah Kebesaran Darjah Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang which carries the title of Datuk Seri.


AstraZeneca jab risk-benefit ‘still largely positive’, says WHO

The risk-benefit balance for the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine is “still largely positive”, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday after fresh claims about links to blood clots.A top official from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) – the EU’s drug regulator – claimed there was a clear connection between the jab and clots, though the EMA itself said it was still reviewing data and no conclusions had yet been reached.WHO said there was no evidence that the risk-benefit analysis had shifted on the jab, which is one of only three different Covid-19 vaccines so far to have received the green light from the UN health agency.“There is no link for the moment between the vaccine and thrombotic events with thrombocytopenia,” Rogerio Pinto de Sa Gaspar, WHO’s director for regulation and pre-qualification, told a press conference.“The appraisal we have for the moment – and this is under consideration by the experts – is that the benefit-risk assessment for the vaccine is still largely positive.“For the time being, there is no evidence that the benefit-risk assessment for the vaccine needs to be changed.”The AstraZeneca jabs produced in South Korea and India, plus the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and that of Johnson and Johnson, are the only ones to have received WHO authorisation so far in the Covid-19 pandemic.Jab crucial to CovaxOn March 18, after several countries suspended the use of the AstraZeneca jab, the EMA stressed that the benefits of using it outweighed the risks and it should remain in use.WHO gave strong backing to the jab the following day, urging countries to maintain the roll-out after reviewing reports of blood clots.WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there was “no question” over the benefits after the organisation’s vaccine safety experts found no increase in clotting conditions linked to an AstraZeneca shot.“The question with any pharmaceutical or vaccine is whether the risk of taking it is greater or less than the risk of the disease it is meant to prevent or treat,” he said at the time.“There is no question: Covid-19 is a deadly disease and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine can prevent it.”The AstraZeneca vaccine accounts for almost all of the doses being distributed around the world in the first wave of the Covax global vaccine-sharing facility.Covax has now delivered 36 million doses of coronavirus vaccine to 86 countries and economies, Tedros said Tuesday.The scheme aims to ensure poorer nations get enough doses to vaccinate at least 20% of their population by the end of the year.


Singaporeans to settle for drumsticks and breasts as chickens banned from crossing causeway

Chicken importers in Singapore scrambling with last-minute preparations before Malaysia’s export ban kicks in tomorrow have urged customers to take whatever chicken parts are available instead of insisting on whole birds.Singapore’s Straits Times reported that importers in the city-state have been working overtime with some companies even tripling the number of shifts in order to process as much chicken as possible before the ban begins.“We are working with our customers and have asked them to switch to different… parts, depending on what’s available,” James Sim of Kee Song Food was quoted as saying.Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on May 23 that Malaysia would halt exports of 3.6 million chickens a month from June until production and prices stabilise.Approved permit (AP) requirements for poultry including for whole chicken and parts meanwhile would be abolished to increase opportunities for importers to provide more sources of supply.This followed the Cabinet’s decision the week before to scrap the APs for importing round cabbage, old coconuts, chicken and milk in a bid to secure food supplies and curtail rising prices.Singapore relies heavily on Malaysia for food supplies, with around a third of the city-state’s chicken imports coming from its neighbour in 2021.Malaysia also exports chickens to other countries including Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong.In Singapore, the ban is expected to affect supermarkest chains, restaurant groups, wet markets, food stalls and online retailers, the Straits Times said.Operating hours were also extended at the island republic’s animal and veterinary service for the inspection of live birds at the Tuas checkpoint.“More chickens than usual came in over the weekend… we’ve brought in about 30 to 40% more chicken per day, but that’s all we can process due to limitations of time and labour,” Sim, whose company expects a pounding of 90% to 95% in revenue in the weeks to come, told the daily.


291 additional flights approved for CNY

A total of 291 additional flights to various domestic destinations have been approved by the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) for the Chinese New Year celebrations in a bid to overcome the issue of flight fare hikes during festive seasons.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the additional flights approved for the travel period of Jan 18 to 31 involved several airlines including Batik Air, AirAsia, Malaysia Airlines, MyAirline and SKS Airways.
"This is an effective approach to deal with flight fare hikes during festive seasons, which have been an unsolved issue for quite some time.
"This approach will also be used during other festive seasons, including Hari Raya," he told a press conference in Sepang today.
Batik Air today launched 35 additional flights to Sarawak and Sabah at a fixed fare of RM299 to Kuching and RM399 to Kota Kinabalu in a bid to ensure a balance of supply and demand for tickets while reducing high pricing.
The airline is also offering 42 additional flights from Subang Skypark to Johor Bharu, Penang, Kota Bharu and Langkawi at a fixed fare of RM259 one way.
Meanwhile, Loke said the three new destinations introduced by Batik Air, namely Tokyo, Sapporo and Osaka, will strengthen bilateral ties in various sectors, including trade and tourism, between Malaysia and Japan.


EU agency finds no specific age risk for AstraZeneca so far

Experts probing links between the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine and blood clots have found no specific risk factors, including age, but are investigating further, the EU’s drug regulator said Wednesday.The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said however that its safety committee expected to issue an “updated recommendation” on the controversial vaccine after its monthly meeting next week.Germany on Tuesday became the latest in a series of countries to advise against using the AstraZeneca jab for younger people after rare reports of clotting, despite the EMA saying it is safe.“At present the review has not identified any specific risk factors, such as age, gender or a previous medical history of clotting disorders, for these very rare events,” the Amsterdam-based EMA said in a statement.“A causal link with the vaccine is not proven, but is possible and further analysis is continuing.”The EMA statement came after experts met on Monday to discuss their latest findings on the AstraZeneca vaccine. Their comments will be discussed at the safety committee’s meeting next week.The watchdog reiterated the view it gave in a keenly-anticipated statement on March 18, saying “its benefits in protecting people from Covid-19 with the associated risks of death and hospitalisation outweigh the possible risks”.62 cases worldwideEMA’s chief, Emer Cooke, and the head of the agency’s pharmacovigilance and epidemiology department, Peter Arlett, told an online news conference of the cases detected of the rare clotting – cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) – following AstraZeneca vaccine injections.They said there were 62 cases of CVST worldwide, with 44 of them in the European Economic Area (EEA) comprising the European Union and associated states Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.Cooke added that the EEA figures did not count German cases recorded after March 22, and added that there were 14 fatalities in the region “but not all of them were associated with CVST”.The figures they gave were from 9.2 million AstraZeneca jabs in the EEA region.Statistics from Brazil, which also uses the AstraZeneca vaccine, were not included.Cooke said that, while “at this stage of our investigations the link is possible” between rare CVST cases and the AstraZeneca vaccine, more evaluation was needed.She said that the possible ratio of CVST adverse reactions “for the AZ vaccine based on spontaneous reporting in the EEA, it’s 4.8 cases per million”.Comparing to the two other Covid vaccines currently deployed in Europe, she said: “For the BioNTech vaccine based on the same criteria, it was 0.2 cases per million. And for the Moderna vaccine, based on the same criteria, zero cases per million, but that probably reflects that there’s a lot less use of Moderna at the moment in Europe.”


Muhyiddin denies slandering Anwar in GE15 campaign speech

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin claims that his speech at the Perikatan Nasional (PN) grand finale event at the 15th general election last year was not slander but fair comment.
He said the speech was part of a political campaign to support the PN candidate contesting for the Padang Serai parliamentary seat in GE15.
He said this in his defence statement, which he filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court three days ago in response to a defamation suit against him by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Muhyiddin said that Anwar, as the Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman and government leader, should not be offended by the criticism and questions raised in his speech.
"The plaintiff (Anwar) should openly and wholeheartedly answer the questions raised and deny any allegations that he claims are false," Muhyiddin added. He said both he and Anwar were public figures and party leaders against whom allegations and accusations are often hurled.
The PN chairman also claimed he had no knowledge of or control over TikTok account "@beritakini8", which uploaded a video of his speech.
"The entire speech at the talk was reproduced on my Facebook account under the name 'Muhyiddin Yassin'. I do not personally control or upload any material to my Facebook account," he said.
Muhyiddin added that he did not manage or have control or authority over any publication of the statements in the speech which was published by MalaysiaKini with the title "MB's aide to Muhyiddin: Anwar paid RM1 as S'gor economic adviser".
In the suit, Anwar, 75, claimed that on Dec 5, Muhyiddin made slanderous remarks against him in a speech at Taman Selasih, Kulim, at an event in support of PN candidate Azman Nasrudin which was attended by a large crowd.
He is seeking, among others, general damages, aggravated damages, exemplary damages and an injunction to prevent Muhyiddin from continuing to publish or distribute similar statements.


Two million expected to visit Batu Caves for Thaipusam

Some two million Hindu devotees and visitors are expected to throng Batu Caves for the annual Thaipusam celebration on Feb 5.
Gombak district police chief Zainal Mohamed Mohamed said traffic congestion around Batu Caves is expected to continue until Feb 6.
He said the chariot procession will leave the temple in Jalan Tun HS Lee at around 10pm on Friday and arrive at Batu Caves at around 3pm on Saturday.
Seven roads around the Batu Caves temple will be closed from midnight today until Feb 8.
"The seven roads are the Kampung Melayu Batu Caves traffic light junction, the Middle Ring Road 2 turn-off to the Batu Caves Temple and the traffic light junction in front of the Shell Batu Caves petrol station," he said at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. "The other roads are the Jalan SBC 8/Jalan Lama Batu Caves junction, the Middle Ring Road 2 turn-off from Sri Gombak headed to the Jalan Perusahaan Batu Caves, and Jalan Perusahaan toward the Batu Caves Temple."
Zainal said the alternative routes proposed by the police would be updated on the Gombak IPD Facebook page.
"Road users are advised to use alternative roads and public transport to avoid traffic jams," he said.


South Korea truckers strike again with auto, battery supply chains at risk

Unionised truckers in South Korea kicked off their second major strike in less than six months on Thursday, threatening to disrupt manufacturing and fuel supplies for industries from autos to petrochemicals in the world's 10th-largest economy.
With fuel costs soaring, the truckers are calling on the government to make permanent a minimum-pay system known as the 'Safe Freight Rate' that is due to expire by the end of the year, and to expand benefits for truckers in other industries, including oil tankers.
The government has said it will extend the scheme for three years but rejected other union demands. In June, an eight-day, non-violent strike by truckers delayed cargo shipments across Asia's fourth-largest economy, costing more than US$1.2 billion (about RM5.4 billion) in lost output and unmet deliveries before it ended with each side claiming it won concessions.
The organising union kicked off 16 rallies across the country on Thursday morning, including at a port in Ulsan that houses Hyundai Motor's main manufacturing plant. The union estimated some 22,000 took part in the rallies, while the transport ministry said about 9,600 people attended, and there were no clashes with police monitoring events.
As a noisy rally got under way at transport hub Uiwang, 25km (15 miles) south of Seoul, hundreds of truckers marched around the depot - watched by a heavy police presence - carrying banners and wearing headbands with the slogan "Unite Fight". They chanted, "We stop, the world will stop!" and "Let's stop driving to change the world!".
Union officials said about a thousand truckers gathered at the rally, where the head of the union's Seoul metropolitan area branch, Lee Kwang-jae, told them to take up key positions to try to block any attempts to make shipments. One person leading the protesters called out to a container truck making for a depot, "Don't embarrass yourself by working. Join us!"
They planned to split in two groups, with half staying at Uiwang and the other half heading to Pyeongtaek, about 44km (27 miles) away, which is close to ports serving China.
At Busan, South Korea's biggest port, police officers and buses were seen lined up along key routes.
Lead organiser the Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union (CTSU) has warned the strike could stop oil supplies at major refineries and transport at major ports and industrial plants. The union has said almost all of CTSU's 25,000 members, about 6% of the country's truck drivers, will take part in the strike, joined by an unspecified number of non-union members.
"We have no choice but to stop all logistics in Korea," said Lee Bong-ju, head of the union, on Thursday.
'Crack down'
Earlier this week, Transport Minister Won Hee-ryong said the Safe Freight Rate system had not been proven to improve the safety of truckers but to only raise their incomes, a reason why the government has refused to expand the scope of the scheme.
"The government and the ruling party misled, and openly defended capital saying that truckers' income levels were not low - and that if the Safe Freight Rate system were expanded, prices could rise due to increased logistics costs," Lee said.
The union is asking the government to ensure big businesses are held accountable if they violate the minimum wages rule.
"Frontline truck drivers should not be sympathetic to unjustified collective action. We will strictly crack down on truck drivers' obstruction with the police so that safe transportation can be ensured," Transport Minister Won said on Thursday.
Industry giants including Hyundai Motor and steelmaker Posco were forced to cut output by the June strike, and Posco has warned that fresh action could slow repair works at a major plant hit by floods this summer.
"If the cargo union strike continues, it will put too much of a burden on not only major industries, but also people's livelihoods and the national economy," said Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Thursday.
Companies such as Hyundai Steel, petrochemical firms and a battery maker told Reuters that because the strike was expected, urgent contract volumes were shipped out and necessary raw materials were prepared in advance. However, limits in storage space and logistics would make the strike problematic if it lasted.
A Hyundai Steel spokesperson said its daily shipment of about 8,000 tonnes of steel products at its Pohang factory could not be moved on Thursday due to the strike.
The government is deploying alternatives such as military-run container transport vehicles and considering securing more storage space in case cargoes pile up. Some industry officials noted that military vehicles may not be equipped to carry products such as steel or fresh produce.
The Korea Oil Station Association is asking gas station owners to secure enough inventory ahead of the strike, an association official said earlier, while charging stations for hydrogen-powered cars have put up signs warning that supply could be cut.


AGC needs more time to study Irwan's representation on CBT case

The Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) needs more time to decide on a representation submitted by former treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah regarding a criminal breach of trust (CBT) case he is facing together with Najib Razak, the High Court was told today.
The former prime minister and Irwan were charged in 2018 on six counts of CBT involving Malaysian government funds totalling RM6.6 billion in relation to payments to the International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic).
Deputy public prosecutor Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi told High Court judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin that he had instruction from attorney-general (AG) Idrus Harun to seek another case management date.
"We need time to study the letter of representation because this case involved a huge amount of RM6 billion. If possible, we want to apply for a September date," he said.
Najib's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah did not object to the prosecution's application but N Kumaraendran, who was representing Irwan, asked for an earlier date in July. "The charge has been hanging on my client's head for five years. He was charged in 2018 and the case was transferred to the High Court in 2019. Then various dates were fixed for the hearing and for various reasons the dates were vacated.
"The matter then was fixed for a full trial on April 3, and the prosecution gave reasons to vacate the trial date by giving the reason that the AG needs time to consider the representation. September is too long a date for mention … A short (mention) date of two months (in July) should be sufficient to put pressure on them (prosecution) to get an early decision," said Kumaraendran.
The court then fixed Aug 9 this year for case management to enable the prosecution to update it on the status of the representation.
Najib filed his representation two years ago but it was rejected while the first representation sent by Irwan in 2020 was not replied to by the AGC, prompting Irwan to send another representation in March this year.
On Oct 24, 2018, Najib, 69, and Irwan, 66, pleaded not guilty to the six charges, which were framed under Section 409 of the Penal Code and read together with Section 34 of the same law, which provides for up to 20 years' jail and whipping, and possible fine, on conviction. They allegedly committed all the offences at the finance ministry in Putrajaya, between Dec 21, 2016 and Dec 18, 2017.
Meanwhile, in a separate proceeding on the money laundering case involving SRC International Sdn Bhd funds of RM27 million faced by Najib, High Court judge K Muniandy today fixed Aug 18 for case management.
The date was fixed after deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul told the court that UK-based King's Counsel Jonathan Laidlaw’s appeal for admission as a lawyer to represent Najib in the SRC International trial would be heard on Aug 10 by the Federal Court.
 "Your Lordship, Najib’s application to review the decision in the SRC International RM42 million misappropriation case at the Federal Court has been completed. However, a hearing for Laidlaw’s appeal was set for Aug 10. In this connection, I would like to apply for another date to inform this court of the status of the case," he said.
On Feb 3, 2019, Najib pleaded not guilty to three charges of receiving a sum of RM27 million in unlawful proceeds through three AmPrivate Banking accounts belonging to him.
He allegedly committed the offences at AmIslamic Bank Berhad, Bangunan Ambank Group, Jalan Raja Chulan on July 8, 2014.
The charges, under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, provide for a maximum jail term of five years and RM5 million fine, or both, on conviction.


Airline shares take off on markets hearing vaccine news

Airline shares around the world rocketed on Monday after US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and German biotech firm BioNTech reported positive results from their Covid-19 vaccine trial.The trial, involving 43,500 volunteers, found that their Covid-19 vaccine candidate has proved 90% efficient in a Phase 3 study.The companies now plan to produce and distribute millions of doses of the vaccine as soon as possible.Pfizer chairman and chief executive Albert Bourla said: “This is a great day for science and humanity. We are reaching this critical milestone in our vaccine development program at a time when the world needs it most with infection rates setting new records, hospitals nearing overcapacity and economies struggling to reopen.”All US airline shares are up this morning with Spirit Airlines leading the way with a 26% rise.In Europe, shares in British Airways and Iberia owner, IAG, are up 36%, while easyJet is up 34%. Lufthansa’s share price is up 25%.Pfizer’s breakthrough has led to hopes that people will be keen to start travelling again.Airline stocks are particularly sensitive to coronavirus news as the pandemic has led to a historic slump in travel demand.


Daily caseload at 583 as death toll up by one

Another 583 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,026,164.
There were 930 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,976,990.
There are now 12,322 active cases, of which 11,653 or 94.6% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 637 (5.2%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 32 are in ICU with 16 in need of respiratory assistance.
One more death was reported, taking total deaths to 36,852.


Some 2,000 teachers still yet to be jabbed ahead of Nov 1 deadline

Teachers under the education ministry who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 without valid reason should not blame the government for any disciplinary action that may be taken against them, says Deputy Education Minister II Mohamad Alamin.He said action will be taken on Nov 1 as teachers, as civil servants, are subject to the regulations issued by the Public Service Department that make full Covid-19 vaccination mandatory for all staff by that date.According to him, there are still around 2,000 teachers who have yet to receive their vaccination.“I therefore urge the teachers to come forward and be vaccinated before returning to school. Don’t blame the ministry and the government if disciplinary action is taken against them.“This is not a punishment or warning but for the safety of students. Don’t let parents worry about the safety of their children at school. Teachers have a great responsibility to convince the public that schools are safe places,” he told reporters after visiting the teachers’ quarters at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Palong 7 today.Mohamad also said that district education offices throughout the country need to play their part in resolving the issue of dilapidated teachers’ quarters to ensure the well-being of the teachers who live there.


Russia reports record daily virus deaths, again

Russia on Thursday recorded its highest daily coronavirus death toll as the country struggles with the aggressive Delta variant and slowing vaccination rates.A government tally reported 820 fatalities over the past 24 hours and 19,630 new cases.Russia, the fourth worst-hit country in the world in terms of cases, has since mid-June been hit by a new wave of infections driven by the Delta variant.While the number of daily infections is now on the decline, Russia has hit record daily deaths several times in August.The new figures bring Russia’s total fatalities from Covid-19 to 179,243 – the highest toll in Europe.This figure, however, only takes into account fatalities where the virus was established as the primary cause of death after an autopsy.Under a broader definition for deaths linked to the coronavirus, statistics agency Rosstat reported at the end of June that Russia had seen more than 300,000 fatalities.Authorities have struggled with a vaccine-sceptic population, with independent polls showing that a majority of Russians do not plan to get inoculated.Moscow – the epicentre of Russia’s pandemic – and several other regions have introduced mandatory vaccinations for some groups of citizens and incentives to get jabbed.While the measures initially sped up Russia’s vaccination campaign, the inoculation drive has been faltering since mid-August.As of Thursday, just over 35 million of Russia’s 146 million people had been fully vaccinated, according to the Gogov website, which tallies Covid data from the regions.In total, Russia has so far registered 6,824,540 cases.


US passes 500,000 Covid-19 deaths

More than 500,000 people have died from Covid-19 in the US since the pandemic began, according to Johns Hopkins University on Monday, by far the highest reported toll of any country.The catastrophic US figure comes as some signs of hope are emerging in the world’s hardest-hit country, with millions of people now vaccinated and winter’s massive spike in infections dropping.Still, the grim threshold was reached only about a month after the US recorded 400,000 fatalities from the disease in mid-January, with cases now on the decline but deaths continuing to mount.The toll, 500,071, is more than double the number in absolute terms of reported deaths in Brazil, which has the world’s second highest toll.“It’s terrible. It is historic. We haven’t seen anything even close to this for well over a hundred years, since the 1918 pandemic of influenza,” Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press”.After the first Covid-19 death was announced in the US in February 2020 it took about three months to pass the 100,000 mark, during a first wave that hit New York particularly hard.It took another four months to reach 200,000 fatalities, and just under three more months to reach 300,000.Cases surged into the winter season which brought people indoors for holiday gatherings. The total reported number of known infections was over 28 million on Monday.Turn the tideBut deaths are still coming, and President Joe Biden last month warned that “well over” 600,000 people in the US could die from the virus.According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 61 million people have received at least one shot of vaccine in the US, with some 18 million getting the full two doses.Biden has made it a priority to get 100 million people vaccinated within the first 100 days of his administration.Biden last week said the program to deliver vaccines into people’s arms is as complicated as the already intense challenges of manufacturing them in huge quantities at speed.But he said his 100-million-shot goal is on track to be easily surpassed, with a current average of 1.7 million vaccinations a day.Biden said he did not want to give firm predictions of when the crisis will be curbed, but said that 600 million doses – enough to provide the two-dose regimen to most of the country – were expected to be ready by the end of July.The president is expected to speak Monday about the latest toll, and he is to be joined by Vice-President Kamala Harris at sunset for a moment of silence and a candle-lighting ceremony.Though concern has grown over variants of the virus, especially those that appear to spread more easily and render current shots less potent, officials sounded a hopeful note on curbing the virus.“For those of us in the administration, the occasion makes us more determined to turn the tide on Covid-19 so the losses can subside and the healing can begin,” White House coronavirus adviser Andy Slavitt said.“Today alone, we plan to deliver seven million (vaccine) doses,” he added on Monday.


China asked Russia to delay Ukraine invasion until after Olympics, report says

Senior Chinese officials told senior Russian officials in early February not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the New York Times reported, quoting Biden administration officials and a European official who cited a Western intelligence report.The Times said the intelligence report indicated senior Chinese officials had some level of knowledge about Russia’s plans or intentions to invade Ukraine before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the operation last week.A source familiar with the matter confirmed to Reuters that China had made the request but declined to provide details. The source declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.“The claims mentioned in the relevant reports are speculations without any basis, and are intended to blame-shift and smear China,” said Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington.The US State Department, the CIA and the White House National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.After weeks of warnings from Western leaders, Russia unleashed a three-pronged invasion of Ukraine from the north, east and south on Feb 24, just days after the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics ended.Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met at the start of the Olympics on Feb 4 and declared an upgraded “no limits” partnership in which they pledged to collaborate more against the West.The New York Times said the intelligence on the exchange between the Chinese and Russian officials was collected by a Western intelligence service and was considered credible by officials reviewing it.US officials have confirmed previous Times reporting that Washington passed on to senior Chinese officials intelligence on the Russian troop buildup around Ukraine ahead of the invasion in the hope that Beijing would persuade Moscow to stand down its troops.The newspaper said senior officials in the US and in allied governments passed around the intelligence as they discussed when Putin might attack Ukraine but intelligence services had varying interpretations, adding that it was not clear how widely the information was shared.One official the Times said was familiar with the intelligence said the material did not necessarily indicate the conversations about an invasion took place at the level of Xi and Putin.Bonny Lin, a China expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, said it was unclear how much Xi knew about Putin’s intentions.She noted that China had been to slow to evacuate citizens from Ukraine, which suggested it was not fully prepared.“Given the evidence we have so far, I think we can’t rule out either possibility definitely – that Xi didn’t know (which is bad) and that Xi may have known (which is also bad),” she said.


UiTM student had laptop but didn’t bring it, university report shows

The Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student berated by a lecturer for not having a laptop in a video clip which recently went viral was following the online class using his mobile phone as he had not brought his laptop to campus that day, a leaked document from the university shows.According to the chronological report of the events, the video was not recorded by the student himself but by others who had then shared it online, causing it to go viral on social media.“The student himself did not agree at all with the reason the video was made viral,” the report added.It also said that university records showed the student had never applied for charity aid although he did have a PTPTN loan.It said the student’s father was currently unemployed for reasons that could not be ascertained, while his mother was working as a factory operator.The video had been hotly debated due to remarks made by the lecturer which were seen as insulting those in the B40 or lower income bracket.After the video went viral, the report said, the UiTM management had instructed its deputy vice-chancellor in charge of student affairs to go to the university’s Sri Iskandar branch in Perak to gather more information about the situation.It said a total of five students were interviewed, all of whom confirmed that the video was taken during the eighth week of lecture in the October 2021-February 2022 semester for the construction economic and Islamic finance subject taught by the lecturer in question.A meeting was arranged between the student and deputy vice-chancellor (student affairs) Mohd Sazili Shahibi. It was also attended by the lecturer herself.The report said the meeting had provided a comprehensive picture of what had occurred and achieved an accord among those involved.In terms of further action to be taken, it said two options were available. Firstly, it said, there was the option of no action as both lecturer and student had met, discussed the events and agreed to harmonise the situation.Alternatively, it said, the lecturer’s contract which had been renewed on March 15 could be terminated within 30 days of the receipt of offer.“UiTM’s decision will depend on the advice received from the higher education ministry,” it said.When contacted, a source at UiTM confirmed the report.


US to seize gloves made by Top Glove over forced labour

The US will seize products made by Top Glove after concluding the firm uses forced labour, officials said, dealing a fresh blow to the world’s biggest surgical glove maker.Top Glove’s profits and stock price surged last year as countries worldwide rushed to buy protective gear during the Covid-19 pandemic.But the firm, which can produce more than 96 billion gloves a year, has been rocked by a series of scandals including a virus outbreak in dormitories that infected thousands of migrant workers.US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had already banned gloves from two of Top Glove’s subsidiaries last year after saying it suspected the company was committing labour abuses.It went a step further on Monday, announcing it had “sufficient information” to conclude that Top Glove uses forced labour. The federal agency said it would seize any gloves manufactured by the firm at US ports of entry.“CBP will not tolerate foreign companies’ exploitation of vulnerable workers to sell cheap, unethically made goods to American consumers,” said Troy Miller, a CBP senior official.The agency said the move would not have a significant impact on US imports of disposable gloves, vital for combating the devastating US virus outbreak.Top Glove’s shares were down more than 5% following the news.Announcing the initial ban last year, CBP said it believed there was evidence of debt bondage, excessive overtime, and abusive working and living conditions in Top Glove’s production processes.The company said Tuesday it was seeking to resolve the matter with US authorities.“Top Glove understands the concerns of all our stakeholders, including CBP, to ensure that forced labour is not present in the manufacturing of gloves and personal protective equipment,” it said in a statement.“This is the company’s shared top priority, and it seeks to resolve any ongoing areas of concern immediately.”Many of Top Glove’s workers are low-paid migrants from South Asia, who are typically housed in dormitories where dozens of men share a room and sleep on bunk beds.The coronavirus outbreak at Top Glove dormitories infected about 5,000 workers – a quarter of the company’s workforce – and led to the temporary closure of over half of its factories in Malaysia.Earlier in March, Top Glove was charged by authorities with providing poor housing for its workers, and faces hefty fines if convicted.The company has insisted it is improving its employees’ accommodation by making substantial investments and building new dormitories.


‘Derhaka’ has no place in constitution or modern state, politicians told

The concept of “derhaka”, or the disobedience of the king, is not at all present in Malaysia’s legal system, say two prominent personalities in response to repeated claims that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and other top officials have been disrespectful towards the Agong.Accusations of having committed “derhaka”, historically an offence of treason for going against the rulers in feudal Malay society, have been repeatedly levelled against Muhyiddin by some opposition leaders who say the prime minister must heed the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s wish for Parliament to reconvene without delay.PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim and his Umno counterpart Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who have been in unison in their attacks on the Perikatan Nasional government, said Muhyiddin should act based on the call of the palace, despite reminders by top legal minds that the Agong is constitutionally bound to act based only on the advice of the Cabinet.Pakatan Harapan leaders also used the term “derhaka” on Attorney-General (AG) Idrus Harun after he penned an explanation showing the limits of the Agong’s powers in urging for Parliament to reconvene.Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram, one of Malaysia’s most senior constitutional experts, said there was nothing in the Federal Constitution to accommodate “derhaka” or treason against the king.What the current legal system recognises, said Sri Ram, is waging war against the king, as provided in Section 121 of the Penal Code.He said such an offence is also addressed by the Sedition Act, which considers statements condemning the royal institution a crime.But Sri Ram told MalaysiaNow that not heeding the king’s advice was not an offence.“The PM or the AG who refuses to follow the advice of the king does not commit any offence.“In fact, the constitutional law requires the king to act on the advice of the PM, not the other way around,” said the former judge who has served in both the Court of Appeal and Federal Court, delivering more than 800 judgments which became legal precedents in Malaysian and Commonwealth courts.“There is no such thing as derhaka for not opening Parliament,” he added.FeudalismGiving a historical perspective, prominent thinker Chandra Muzaffar said the concept of “derhaka” was not only problematic, but also alien to a modern legal system such as Malaysia’s, where the powers and rights of a monarch are clearly demarcated in the constitution.“The concept and practice of ‘derhaka’ was strongly influenced by Malay feudalism. A person was often accused of ‘menderhaka’ when he went against the wish or the order of a sultan regardless of whether that command was ethical or not,” Chandra, who not long ago led a campaign to promote the five-point Rukun Negara national philosophy, told MalaysiaNow.He said in the past, individuals were ordered to commit wrongdoings on behalf of a ruler, failing which they would be accused of disobeying the palace.Muhyiddin is not the first politician to be accused of “derhaka”. Similar accusations were also made against Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who crossed paths with Malay rulers several times throughout his two tenures as prime minister.In 2017, Mahathir, who clipped the powers of the palace and removed their legal immunity to be tried for criminal offences, said he did not mind being accused of disobeying the Johor sultan after he was slammed by the ruler over his criticism of the controversial Forest City project in the state.“If I have to be accused of lese majeste for what I say, so be it,” he had said in a letter published by The Star.Chandra expressed disappointment with politicians who use “derhaka” to label their enemies.“It is a pity that political leaders who should know better have been using the term ‘derhaka’ loosely and thereby creating a great deal of misunderstanding among the people.“It was most diabolical of certain political leaders to try to manipulate ‘derhaka’ for their own selfish ends,” he added.Ahmad Mustakim Zulkifli contributed to this report.


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Investigation papers on Najib-Rosmah cases handed back to police

The investigation papers on the allegedly leaked documents on the cases of former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, have been handed back to the police for clarification.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Azmi Abu Kassim said the papers on both cases were handed back the first time after being referred to the deputy public prosecutor on Aug 30. The papers on Najib’s case were referred again on Sept 5, but handed back once more for the completion of several details.
"We are doing our best to complete the investigation papers as soon as possible after obtaining advice from the deputy public prosecutor," he said in a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur contingent police headquarters today.
A total of 27 individuals were called to record their statements, 17 on Najib’s case and 10 on Rosmah’s, after the Chief Registrar’s Office of the Federal Court lodged police reports over the allegedly leaked documents.
In a separate development, Azmi said the investigation papers on PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli, who allegedly slandered Minister in Prime Minister’s Department (Special Functions) Abd Latiff over the littoral combat ship project, are still being completed and are expected to be referred to the deputy public prosecutor this week.
Rafizi is alleged to have made four slanderous statements on Aug 22, 25, 26 and 29 on a blog that was then shared on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok.


Daily caseload at 371 as death toll up by 4

Another 371 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,033,625.
There were 304 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,986,312.
There are now 10,390 active cases, of which 9,970 or 96% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 404 (3.9%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 16 are in ICU with 14 in need of respiratory assistance.
Another four deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,923.


Ex-1MDB chairman says Najib told him to focus on PSI deal, not past transactions

Former 1MDB chairman Mohd Bakke Salleh told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that Najib Razak had told him on the phone to not spend too much time looking at past transactions and to just focus on a proposed joint venture (JV) between the sovereign wealth fund and PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI).Bakke, 68, said the message was conveyed to him by Najib himself after the former prime minister was done speaking with fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low by phone during a board meeting.The 13th prosecution witness said this when cross-examined by Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in the trial of Najib and former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy for allegedly tampering with the final 1MDB audit report.The witness was referring to a 1MDB board meeting which he and Jho Low had attended on Sept 26, 2009, where Jho Low was alleged to have received a telephone call from Najib.Bakke said despite his concerns over several issues linked to 1MDB such as the alleged embezzlement of US$700 million, Najib had told him not to spend too much time on past transactions.“Najib told me not to spend too much time looking at past transactions and to just look at the proposed JV as the matter had been under discussion for some time, and we needed to make a decision as soon as possible,” he said.Bakke said he then felt comforted enough to relay this to the other members of the board, to proceed with the JV.To another question, he agreed that Jho Low had total control of 1MDB’s management as it took instructions from him although Jho Low had no official position in the company.On how he formed the impression that Jho Low was representing Najib, Bakke said it was not just an impression as he had met Jho Low at Najib’s office when he was defence minister, and when he was deputy prime minister, at his Putrajaya office.At the end of today’s proceedings, judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan, who was presiding over the trial, said he felt like he was “sitting in justice Collin’s court” due to the style of Shafee’s cross-examination which touched on issues linked more to the 1MDB bribery case than the 1MDB audit report case.Zaini was referring to High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who is presiding over Najib’s RM2.3 billion 1MDB corruption trial.To this, Shafee said the phone call issue was raised by lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram during the last proceeding and that the defence was entitled to query the witness on the matter.Najib, 68, is charged with using his position to order amendments to the final 1MDB audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to prevent any action from being taken against him.Arul Kanda, 45, is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report, to protect Najib from being subjected to action.The offences were allegedly committed at the Prime Minister’s Department Complex, Federal Government Administrative Centre, Putrajaya between Feb 22 and 26, 2016.Both Najib and Arul Kanda were charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of not less than five times the amount of gratification or RM10,000, whichever is higher, upon conviction.The trial continues on April 12.


After Agong’s reminder, Mat Sabu calls for change of govt, then retracts

Amanah president Mohamad Sabu today called for the resignation of Muhyiddin Yassin to make way for a new government, only to later retract his statement.The statement was originally posted on the Amanah Facebook page, less than an hour after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong praised the prime minister for his handling of the Covid-19 crisis.“We demand that Muhyiddin Yassin resign honourably.“MPs from different parties will seek the best way to form a government and save Malaysia and the people,” Mohamad, the former defence minister who is part of Pakatan Harapan, said in the statement.Moments later, Amanah said the president had retracted the statement.In a revised statement, Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, said he believed the Agong had acted with wisdom in deciding not to declare a state of emergency.“Amanah heeds His Majesty’s command and will support all efforts to fight Covid-19, and promises to cooperate wholeheartedly,” he added.Mohamad’s statement came despite a warning by Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah today against attempts to disrupt the government in its battle against Covid-19.The ruler said he felt there was no need to declare a state of emergency to help authorities in efforts to fight Covid-19, saying Muhyiddin’s administration had so far done a good job of battling the deadly pandemic.“That being the case, His Majesty would like to remind politicians to immediately cease all politicking that will disrupt the stability of the nation’s administration,” said a statement released by Istana Negara, shortly after a meeting of Malay rulers to discuss a proposal to declare an emergency in order to prevent snap polls.Sultan Abdullah also reminded MPs that the budget to be tabled on Nov 6 was critical to restoring the economy ravaged by Covid-19.“The financial allocations are much needed by the frontliners to ensure the smooth execution of their duties and responsibilities,” he said.MalaysiaNow earlier reported that senior health officials had warned against any move to hold a general election during the pandemic, which has so far claimed 229 lives.There are fears that any attempt to vote down the 2021 budget, to be tabled by Muhyiddin next month, could result in the collapse of the government and snap polls being called.


95.9% of adults, 82.8% of teens fully jabbed

Some 95.9% of adults or 22,442,346 individuals had completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow portal, 98% or 22,944,240 individuals have received at least a first dose of vaccine.In terms of teenagers, 87.7% or 2,762,739 individuals have received at least one dose of vaccine, while 82.8% or 2,607,392 individuals have completed their vaccination.A total of 138,752 doses of vaccine were given yesterday, with 8,428 as second shots, 5,067 to first-dose recipients and 125,257 as booster jabs.This brings the total number of doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 52,391,444.A total of 1,823,474 booster doses have been administered so far.


Ukraine's prosecutor general says over 400 children killed in war to date

At least 437 Ukrainian children have been killed as a result of Russia's invasion, Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office said on Saturday.
More than 837 children have also been injured in a tally officials said was "not final" because they were still verifying information from zones of active fighting, liberated areas and territory still occupied by Russian forces.
The eastern Donetsk region was the most affected, with 423 children killed or injured, the prosecutor's office said.
The United Nations has said at least 16,295 civilians have been killed since Russia's Feb 24 invasion, which Kyiv and Western leaders have denounced as an act of unprovoked aggression. Moscow denies targeting civilians.


A day at 'school' with the Mah Meri Orang Asli children

Laughter rings out from a small wooden building in Pulau Carey, Selangor, where a group of Orang Asli children have gathered for the day.
Most of the time, the Orang Asli craft centre is quiet, unless members of the Mah Meri tribe are holding a programme with tourists, students or government agencies.
Today, it is the second group that has gathered with the children for an afternoon of English lessons.
Sitting in a circle, the students from Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) play games with the children, miming activities for their young pupils to guess.
There are about 30 UiTM students in all who have come with their lecturer to hold the Mah Meri's English Getaway programme with the children.
And while English lessons can sometimes smack of rote learning and tedium, today's class is anything but.

"I'm learning how to guess what the different parts of the body are called," 10-year-old Abrisam Mohd Hasmadi says, beaming.
"We have to answer in English. It's a lot of fun learning with friends like this."
Abrisam's remarks are music to the ears of the village leaders, who fear that their children will be left behind in their studies, especially after two years of pandemic-induced closures.
But at Pulau Carey, dropouts have always been a concern, with a number of children reluctant to move on to secondary school after completing their primary education.
At 10, Abrisam and many of his friends have yet to master the construction of sentences, and their English vocabulary is limited to simple questions like "What is your name?"
Azman Sap, the chairman of the Sungai Bumbun Orang Asli village security committee, said the community always welcomed the holding of educational programmes for students at both the primary and secondary levels.
"They encourage these students to continue going to school and learning," he said to MalaysiaNow.
While the dropout rate has not yet reached an alarming level, the tendency of students to leave school at an early age is discouraging, he added.
"Perhaps the parents themselves do not place enough emphasis on the importance of a good education," he said.
"They normally prefer their children to learn certain skill sets instead."

There are about 500 Orang Asli at Kampung Sungai Bumbun, where two primary schools cater to the needs of the younger children.
Azman believes that peer pressure also plays a role in determining whether or not students continue with their studies.
"If they are friends with children who do not go to school, they will want to follow suit," he said.
"For the most part, they will stop going to school after Form Three. The hard part is getting them to transition from primary to secondary school."
Azman and several others in the community have tried to encourage those who no longer wish to attend school, but there is little they can do if the students are fixed in their decisions.
Programmes such as the Mah Meri's English Getaway go a long way in helping them stay in school.
For one thing, the informal setting and fun approach to learning catch the children's attention much more quickly than traditional classroom activities.
This is something of which the university students are well aware.
Mohammad Syurizan Husni, the project leader, said they normally hold three interactive activities with the children: "Sumpit it Right", a guessing game for the names of animals, and a version of musical chairs.
"We make it easy for the children to understand," he said.
"Here and there, we slip in advice for them to continue going to school when we learn of any who aren't interested in this anymore."
Syurizan said they chose to work with the Orang Asli community to raise awareness about the importance of English in rural areas where the language is used minimally, if at all.
"From what we have observed, their knowledge of English is at a very basic level," he said.
"So we're focusing on how to structure proper sentences."
Among the Orang Asli communities, he said, not many had a strong grasp of English.
"It would be good if we could find a way to help them master the language," he said.
"Not just the schoolchildren, but the adults as well."


Many firefighters in US city will refuse Covid-19 shots, survey reveals

Thousands of New York City firefighters say they will not accept a Covid-19 vaccination shot when it becomes available to them, according to a new internal survey reported in the New York Post.If the survey results become reality, it would mean a high percentage of NYC’s first responders and other essential frontline workers would continue to be vulnerable to the virus and remain potential spreaders, turning them from life savers into potential human hazards.The New York Fire Department (FDNY) says it will not make the vaccine mandatory for its fighters, a policy expected to be followed by all city agencies and even hospitals.The Uniformed Firefighters Association (UFA) conducted the survey of its members and found that only 30% of respondents were definitely willing to be vaccinated. 32% said they will definitely not take the vaccine and 38% were still unsure what they will do.Survey researchers said, “The main reason for not taking the shot or being unsure was the lack of trust in its safety. A sizeable portion said they no longer trust anyone.”UFA president Andy Ansbro told the Post, “A lot of them probably feel they are not in a risk category; they are younger and stronger and have become less afraid of the virus as they  know colleagues who have survived it.”Emergency Medical Services or EMS workers, who will be among the first FDNY members to be offered the vaccine, have also been vocal in their scepticism, according to Oren Barzilay, president of their union.“A few are anxious to get it, but there have been many responses saying, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’” Barzilay said of online chatter. “They were thankful it was not mandatory, because they don’t want to be looked at as test subjects.”Barzilay told the Post, “I personally am going to wait and see what the side effects are before being vaccinated.A veteran FDNY member expressed frustration with the naysayers, and believes first responders getting vaccinated is a public health necessity.“Their job is saving lives. The last thing you want is an injured family member being worked on by an unvaccinated firefighter.”However, the source, who wished to remain anonymous, admitted that he was not surprised by the numbers, saying, “Firefighters are called the bravest, not the smartest.”


3 Rohingya killed in new blaze at Bangladesh camp

A second fire at the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh in less than two weeks killed at least three people on Friday, police said.The blaze started in a market store at the Kutupalong camp, home to more than 600,000 Rohingya refugees, in the early hours and quickly spread to seven nearby shops.Three young men aged between 13 and 22 asleep in one of the stores were killed, police and fire officials said.On March 22, a devastating fire killed 15 Rohingya and left nearly 50,000 homeless.Two other serious fires this year have also set alarm bells ringing over safety conditions in the camps where about one million of the Muslim refugees have been living since fleeing military clampdowns in neighbouring Myanmar in recent years.Local fire chief Imdadul Hoque said the latest blaze would have been catastrophic had it not been quickly controlled as the market is close to tens of thousands of highly inflammable bamboo and tarpaulin shanties where most of the Rohingya live.Hoque said five people were sleeping in a clothing shop when the fire broke out. “Two escaped but the other three were trapped in a bathroom in the shop.”Police said they believe an electrical short-circuit caused the fire.They are still investigating the cause of the March 22 blaze which destroyed 10,000 shanties.


Two-thirds of world see ‘climate emergency’, UN survey shows

Nearly two-thirds of 1.2 million people polled worldwide say humanity faces a climate emergency, according to a UN survey, the largest of its kind ever undertaken.Young and old, rich and poor, respondents in 50 nations home to more than half the global population also chose from a score of policy options to tackle the problem, researchers at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the University of Oxford reported Wednesday.The findings suggest the grassroots global climate movement that surged onto the world stage in 2019 – led, in part, by a then 16-year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden – is still gaining momentum, even if a raging pandemic has obscured its scope.“Concern about the climate emergency is far more widespread than we knew before,” Stephen Fisher, a sociologist at Oxford who helped design the survey and process the data, told AFP in an interview.“And the large majority of those who do recognise a climate emergency want urgent and comprehensive action.”In a clever innovation, the short survey popped up like an advertisement on cell phone game apps, giving researchers access to demographics that might not otherwise respond to a public opinion poll.Gender gapAt the national level, some 80% of people in Britain, Italy and Japan expressed serious foreboding about the impact of climate change, which has – with a single degree of warming so far – measurably increased the intensity of heatwaves, drought and flood-inducing rainfall, as well as storms made more destructive by rising seas.France, Germany, South Africa and Canada were close behind, with more than three-quarters of those polled describing the threat as a “global emergency”.In another dozen countries – including the US, Russia, Vietnam and Brazil – two-thirds of respondents saw things the same way.Nearly 75% of residents in small island states – some facing the prospect of losing their homelands to rising seas – perceived the climate threat as an emergency.They were followed by high income countries (72%), middle-income countries (62%), and least developed countries (58%).The distribution across age groups of those seeing an “emergency” was narrow, ranging from 69% among those under 18, to 66% in the 36-59 age bracket.Only for people 60 and older did the figure dip slightly below 60%.Surprisingly, 11 and 12% more women than men expressed high alarm about global warming in the US and Canada, respectively. Globally, that disparity shrank, on average, to 4% among the 50 nations polled.“Urgent climate action has broad support amongst people around the globe – across nationalities, age, gender and education,” noted UNDP chief Achim Steiner.“But more than that, the poll reveals how people want their policymakers to tackle the crisis.”The most popular solution among those offered was protecting forests and natural habitats, selected by 54% of respondents.Virtuous ‘tipping point’Following closely were the development of solar, wind and other forms of renewable power; the use of “climate-friendly” farming techniques; and investing more in green businesses and jobs.At the bottom of the list, garnering support from only 30%, was the promotion of meat-free diets, and the provision of affordable insurance.The survey results reinforce recent studies suggesting that some countries, and perhaps global society, could be approaching a virtuous “tipping point” in public opinion that would drive an accelerated transition to a carbon-neutral world.“Achieving a rapid global decarbonisation to stabilise the climate critically depends on activating contagious and fast-spreading processes of social and technological change,” researchers from the Potsdam Institute led by lona Otto and Hans Joachim Schellnhuber noted in the scientific journal PNAS last year.Much like the spread of a contagious disease, positive social movements – whether to ban slavery, or install democracy – “can be irreversible and difficult to stop” once they cross a certain threshold, they note.“There is recent anecdotal evidence that protests – such as the #FridaysForFuture climate strikes, the Extinction Rebellion protests, and initiatives such as the Green New Deal in the US – might be indicators of this change in norms and values taking place right now.”


Grab’s third quarter takes a hit from virus curbs

Southeast Asia’s largest ride-hailing and food delivery firm Grab Holdings Inc on Thursday reported a 9% decline in third-quarter revenue, as its mobility business was hit by coronavirus curbs in some countries in the region.Fresh outbreaks in Southeast Asia hit Grab’s mobility unit that fell behind its deliveries business, its largest by billings. Its mobility business brought in US$88 million in revenue, down 26% from a year earlier, while sales at its deliveries unit rose 58%.“Mobility and food delivery services were suspended in Vietnam for most of Q3, and six of our core countries in which we operate experienced tighter movement controls,” said chief financial officer Peter Oey.Grab is also seeing rising competition in the space from other “super apps” that provide a host of services under one app like Gojek in Indonesia.Singapore-based Grab, which clinched a US$40 billion merger with blank check firm Altimeter Growth Corp in April, the biggest of its kind, is nearing its US listing.Founded in 2012 as a regional taxi app in Malaysia, the SoftBank Group-backed company operates a “super app”, which provide ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, mobile banking and payments in over 400 cities in eight countries in Southeast Asia.The company’s adjusted loss before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation widened 66% to $212 million.Total revenue fell to US$157 million for the quarter ended Sept 30, from US$172 million a year earlier.


Education ministry looking to reopen schools in Phase 4 states

Education Minister Radzi Jidin today said that schools will be reopened according to phases under the National Recovery Plan (NRC), adding that his ministry is looking into the possibility of making Labuan the first state to resume face-to-face classes.He said this follows Labuan’s progression to Phase Four of the NRP, which allows for nearly all social and economic sectors to reopen.“Phase Four of the NRP would see the country reopening almost all sectors with the aim of returning to normal, in line with strict SOPs.“Labuan is the only state that has progressed to Phase Four, and we are looking into the best way to safely reopen the education sector,” he said at a press conference in the federal territory today.The education ministry previously said that home-based teaching and learning would continue until Oct 3 pending any need for change in policy.It also said it was finalising the process of gathering feedback from stakeholders to come up with a comprehensive plan for parents, teachers and school administrations.Radzi said his ministry had taken into consideration all aspects and that schools would be reopened according to phase.“We want to have a holistic understanding of the situation,” he said, adding that all views would be taken into consideration in planning the resumption of school sessions.He said the ministry had also met with the CEO of Labuan Corporation and the chairman of the Labuan disaster management committee regarding the proposal to reopen schools.“The meeting was to explain to them our suggestions and to obtain their input and views,” he said.“It was also to ensure that the methods proposed can be implemented with the support of all parties so that our children can return to school in safety,” he said.


US making plans to reopen to fully vaccinated foreigners as China curbs travel

The US, which closed its borders to much of the world as the pandemic took hold, said Wednesday it plans eventually to begin allowing fully vaccinated foreigners back in, while China tightened overseas travel curbs amid surging infection numbers.The two countries’ travel-related moves come as the fast-spreading Delta variant cuts a deadly swath across the planet, not only affecting movement between countries but also the northern hemisphere’s summer tourist season.Recognising the importance of international travel, a White House official said in a statement that the US administration wants to reopen to visitors from abroad in a “safe and sustainable manner,” though without specifying a timeframe.Reopening is to include the development of “a phased approach that over time will mean, with limited exceptions, that foreign nationals travelling to the US – from all countries – need to be fully vaccinated,” the official said.Meanwhile in China, which had previously boasted of its success in crushing Covid-19 after it first emerged there in December 2019, mass testing campaigns have uncovered Delta variant infections across the country.Local governments have tested entire cities and locked down millions, with the official figures on Wednesday revealing 71 new infections – the most since January.China’s immigration authority announced it would stop issuing ordinary passports and other documents needed for exiting the country in “non-essential and non-emergency” cases.However the authorities have pulled back from issuing a blanket ban on overseas travel.Booster shot diplomacyThe World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday that halting booster shots until at least the end of September would help ease the drastic inequity in dose distribution between rich and poor nations. And that, they said, would help fight a pandemic that has killed more than 4.25 million people worldwide.“We cannot accept countries that have already used most of the global supply of vaccines using even more of it, while the world’s most vulnerable people remain unprotected,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.Washington swiftly shot down the proposal.“We definitely feel that it’s a false choice and we can do both,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters, adding that the US has donated more doses than any other country.WHO said the moratorium would help towards the goal of vaccinating at least 10% of every country’s population by the end of September.At least 4.27 billion doses have been administered globally so far, according to an AFP count.In countries categorised as high income by the World Bank, 101 doses per 100 people have been injected – but in the 29 lowest-income countries, that figure drops to just 1.7 doses per 100 people.Highly vaccinated Israel began rolling out a booster shot for over-60s last month, while Germany said Tuesday it would start offering third doses from September.However WHO vaccines chief Kate O’Brien said there was no convincing evidence yet as to whether booster doses were actually necessary.