Afghans search for survivors and pick up the dead at Kabul hospital

A boy sobbed in the back of a car in Kabul on Friday, squeezed beside the coffin of a relative killed in the devastating blasts that quickly overwhelmed the city’s hospitals.He was among a crowd of people who gathered at the capital’s Emergency Hospital to collect the bodies of loved ones after Thursday’s sunset bombings outside Kabul airport.Bowing his reddened face between his crossed arms and wiping away tears with his scarf, the youngster stared down at the plywood box, wrapped shut with a white sheet.Another Afghan, Abdul Majeed, came to the clinic to look for his brother, an 11th-grade student who was at the airport with no documents or papers, desperate to escape the “troubles” of his home country.“He wanted to fly abroad,” Majeed told AFP.“Unfortunately, he’s missing after the back-to-back blasts.”The bombs ripped through crowds massed outside the airport, hoping to flee new Taliban rule as the deadline for evacuations drew closer.Scores died, including 13 US servicemen, in the Islamic State-claimed attacks.Majeed said overnight he saw hundreds of people, dead and alive, brought to the hospital, a major trauma clinic.“I saw every one with my own eyes. My brother was not among them,” he said.“Since yesterday, I have searched all the hospitals in Kabul but I have failed to find him.”Majeed said his younger brother was a talented student, but “such an atmosphere has been developed in Afghanistan that everyone wants to go abroad, and that’s because of the troubles here”.Others also came on foot, exhausted after a sleepless night, to sit in groups on the pavement outside the walls of the medical centre, waiting for news from within.One man emerged from the gates clutching his mobile phone, showing a picture to those gathered outside of a loved one receiving treatment.The bomb victim is lying in a bed, his eyes closed and face bandaged.In a tweet on Friday, the hospital said the “situation is still quite critical”.“Our three operating theatres in the hospital have been working all night long – the last surgery was at 4am.”“We have people in intensive care, in sub-intensive care.”Meanwhile, the scene of one of the deadly blasts at the airport was silent and deserted except for a couple of armed guards.Birds sang in the Kabul sunshine, but the bloodstained clothes that lay scattered on the ground bore testament to the horror of the attacks the day before.


NZ military called in as hundreds flee floods

New Zealand’s military was deployed to evacuate hundreds of residents from flood-hit areas of the South Island Monday as heavy rains washed away bridges and cut roads.Rivers burst their banks as a weather system dumped 400mm of rain in two days, an amount meteorologists said exceeded the entire rainfall so far this year in some areas.Authorities issued a rare “red” weather warning and declared a state of emergency in the Canterbury region, one of the South Pacific nation’s farming hubs.The New Zealand Defence Force said one of its helicopters rescued three people at Ashburton, near Christchurch, plucking one man from a tree and an elderly couple from the roof of a car.The defence force said soldiers, trucks and an ambulance were helping with the evacuation effort.Ashburton mayor Neil Brown said the entire town of 35,000 had been cut off.“We have four bridges gone and a lot of damage to roads where the seal’s just been lifted off, we’ve got 17 roads that are shut… there’s a lot of damage,” he told reporters.Local media reported about 300 homes had been evacuated, with civil defence authorities establishing shelters in schools and sports centres.Forecasters said the weather was expected to ease overnight.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is scheduled to visit the disaster zone on Tuesday.


Ukraine grain production to drop 40% over Russian invasion

Ukraine’s wheat harvest is expected to fall by 40%, the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) said Wednesday, as the Russian invasion has sent prices soaring and sparked fears of a global food crisis.Kyiv will likely export half the amount of grain that it did in the previous season, the group said.Moscow’s offensive has not only devastated crops and farming, but also disrupted crucial deliveries from Ukraine – one of the world’s main grain producers – fuelling concerns about hunger and food prices worldwide.Ukraine expects to collect just over 19 million tones of wheat this season, compared to the 33 million tonnes it had harvested last year, the association said.It assured that it will be able to export at least “a part” of the grain, despite fighting ravaging the country.“Despite the occupation of territories and mined fields, Ukraine will be supplied with grain and will be able to export part of the harvest.”Even with 19 million tons, production is still three times Ukraine’s annual wheat consumption. An additional 10 million tones from the previous harvest are still in storage.The association predicted that around ten million tonnes could be exported this season.That would amount to half of last year’s exports, which stood at around 20 million tonnes, according to a US government agriculture report.The corn harvest will also be badly hit by the war.UGA expects crops to reach around 26 million tonnes, a 30% drop from last year.Before the war, Ukraine was the fourth largest wheat and corn exporter in the world.Russia, too, is a grain superpower and 30% of the world’s grain exports originate from the warring countries.Since the Kremlin launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, grain and oil prices have soared.The UN fears a “hurricane of hunger” – mainly in African countries that import more than half of their wheat from either Russia or Ukraine.


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Casino boss, wife lose big after jetting in to jump queue for Covid jabs

The CEO of a casino company valued at nearly US$2 billion has resigned after he and his wife were charged with lying to officials to get Covid vaccinations.Rod Baker, 55, of the Great Canadian Gaming Corp, and his wife Ekaterina, 32, had travelled to the remote northern Yukon territory specifically to get speedier shots.The region, home to many indigenous people, has a faster vaccination rate than in the rest of Canada.The couple had posed as motel workers but were quickly unmasked by locals.They were discovered after asking to be taken to the airport, where their private jet was waiting, straight after their vaccinations last week in the small community of Beaver Creek, on the border with the US state of Alaska.“I am outraged by this selfish behaviour,” said Yukon’s Community Services Minister John Streicker. “We never imagined that someone would go to this sort of length to mislead or deceive.”In a statement to BBC News, the Great Canadian Gaming Corp said that as of Sunday, Rod “is no longer affiliated in any way with the company”.According to Canadian media reports, Ekaterina is a Russian-born aspiring actress who has recently appeared in films “Fatman” and “Chick Fight”.Meanwhile, White River First Nation Chief Angela Demit, leader of the local indigenous nation, told the Washington Post, “It’s clear to me that because we are a predominantly indigenous community, they assumed we were naïve.”She called the fines of a few thousand dollars the couple are facing “essentially meaningless” given their wealth.The community is a five-hour drive from the nearest major hospital, putting residents at a higher risk of death if they contract the virus.Janet Vander Meer, who is leading the White River First Nation’s coronavirus response team, told Canada’s Global News on Monday, “That’s got to be jail time. I can’t see anything less. For what our community has been through the last few days. The exhaustion. It’s just mind-boggling.”The Bakers were also later fined for failing to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in Yukon from the city of Vancouver, where they live.According to the New Hamburg Independent newspaper, the couple had to walk back to Beaver Creek airport after everyone in the town of less than 125 residents refused to give them a ride.


Luxury cars, RM22,600 belonging to ex-1MDB lawyer forfeited to govt

The Kuala Lumpur High Court today ordered for two luxury cars and cash of RM22,600 belonging to former 1MDB lawyer Jasmine Loo Ai Swan to be forfeited to the government.
Judge Azhar Abdul Hamid made the ruling after allowing the prosecution's application to forfeit the right to the vehicles and the money seized from Loo.
The application for the forfeitures was made in accordance with Section 56 of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorist Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
The court also allowed an application by a third party, namely OCBC Bank (M) Bhd, represented by lawyer Lim Jun Yik, to claim a condominium in Mont Kiara, also seized from Loo.
"I have examined the affidavits and submissions from both parties and decided that the third party's application to claim the immovable property (condominium) belonging to the respondent (Loo), seized on Feb 15, 2021, is allowed.
"The prosecution's application to forfeit the right to three more properties, namely an Audi car and a Volkswagen New Beetle car, seized on Jan 27, 2021, as well as money amounting to RM22,600 in the respondent's Maybank Islamic Bhd current account seized on Feb 2, 2021, is also allowed," said the judge.
In November 2021, the prosecution filed a notice of motion to forfeit the two cars, money and condominium belonging to Loo.
Loo is said to be a close associate of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, who was also involved in the 1MDB financial scandal.
On Dec 4, 2018, the Magistrate's Court issued arrest warrants for Jho Low, Loo, former 1MDB executive director Casey Tang Keng Chee, former 1MDB official Geh Choh Heng and Jho Low's close associate, Eric Tan Kim Loong after their no-show in court to face seven charges of money laundering related to 1MDB.


Clinical waste up 96% since onset of Covid-19, says environment ministry

Malaysia’s monthly disposal of clinical waste reached a peak of 4,080 metric tonnes in January, Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said today, an increase of 96% since the first recorded case of Covid-19 in December 2019.Speaking at the launch of the Green Vaccination Programme today, he said only 2,084 metric tonnes of clinical waste was produced in 2019.He added that the country is expected to produce an additional 2,100 metric tonnes of waste throughout the 12 months of the national immunisation programme.“Since the first transmission of Covid-19 in Malaysia in December 2019, there has been an increase in monthly clinical waste produced, reaching up to 96%,” he said.“The implementation of the national immunisation programme which began on Feb 24 this year will add to the clinical waste produced in the country.”The event, which was also attended by Health Minister Dr Adham Baba and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, also saw the launch of an official handbook for the programme which includes an eco-friendly procedure for the disposal of clinical waste at health facilities.“I hope this handbook will give a guideline for health facilities to ensure environmental sustainability in our battle to fight the spread of Covid-19,” Tuan Ibrahim said.


Case numbers remain high as govt seeks transition to endemic phase

While the government has set a timeline for the nation to prepare for the endemic phase of Covid-19 by the end of next month, this target may not be realised given the high number of new cases.Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has cautioned Klang Valley residents not to let their guard down following the announcement that Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya would move to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) on Sept 10.This came after large crowds were seen in the city centre and at recreational parks following his announcement. Most of the people did not follow the basic SOPs of wearing face masks and observing physical distancing.“I’ve previously spoken several times about the government’s target to start moving into the endemic phase by the end of October.“However, to realise this target requires the cooperation of the whole nation to continue complying with the SOPs,” Khairy said.According to the health ministry, Malaysia’s daily caseload stood at 18,815 as at noon yesterday.This brought the country’s cumulative caseload to 2,049,750 cases. It had surpassed the two million mark on Sept 14.With a cumulative figure of 2,049,750 cases, Malaysia is now in 21st spot out of 223 nations and territories which have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ahead of Malaysia is Peru (2,163,312 cases) and the Philippines (2,304,192 cases).Daily new cases during the week as compiled by Bernama from Sept 11 to Sept 16 are as follows: Sept 11 (19,550); Sept 12 (19,198), Sept 13 (16,073), Sept 14 (15,669), Sept 15 (19,495) and Sept 16 (18,815).The total number of Covid-19 patients who had recovered as of yesterday was 16,939, bringing the cumulative figure to 1,800,278 cases (87.8%) from the overall total Covid-19 cases.Of the total of 913 Covid-19 patients referred to the ICU, 422 cases needed intubation or respiratory support.According to the health ministry, reported Covid-19 fatalities on Sept 16 stood at 346 cases, bringing the total fatalities to 22,355 cases.Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said of the 18,815 new cases reported yesterday, 222 (1.2%) were in Category Three, Four and Five. A total of 18,593 cases (98.8%) were in Category One and Two.Category Five patients are those in critical condition with multiple organ complications requiring ventilator support while Category Four involves symptomatic patients with lung infection and who need oxygen assistance. Category Three covers symptomatic patients with lung infection while Category Two involves those with mild symptoms and Category One patients are asymptomatic.Noor Hisham said a UKM Medical Molecular Biological Institute study had identified 23 new SARS-CoV-2 variants while the Institute of Medical Research (IMR) has detected 38 variant of concern (VOC) cases – 36 Delta cases (B.1.617.2) and two Beta cases (B.1.351).This brings the total cases of SARS-CoV-2 that are categorised as VOC and variant of interest (VOI) cases to 1,385.Of the total detected, 1,365 are VOC while 20 cases are VOI. To date, under the VOC category, 1,141 Delta variant cases have been detected, 211 Beta variant cases and 14 Alpha variant cases. For the VOI category meanwhile, there have been 13 Theta variant cases, four Kappa cases and three Eta variant cases.The Covid-19 infectivity rate or R-naught (R0) value has stayed below 1.0.The daily R0 or Rt value nationwide during the week under review is as follows:Sept 11 (0.99), Sept 12 (0.98), Sept 13 (0.98), Sept 14 (0.96), Sept 15 (0.97) and Sept 16 (0.98).State-wise, Sarawak recorded the highest R0/Rt value yesterday at 1.11.The R-Naught or R0/Rt value of a virus indicates the infectivity rate or the number of new infections generated by each case. An R0 value of 0.5 is needed to flatten the virus’ infection curve.


Covid lab leak theory needs more research, say WHO advisers

Scientists advising the World Health Organization on how to move forward investigating the origins of Covid-19 said Thursday further studies were needed into whether the disease escaped from a lab.In its first preliminary report, the so-called Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO) stressed that it had no conclusive findings on the origins of the virus behind the worst global pandemic in a century.The team of 27 experts was set up by WHO last year to produce a new global framework for studies into emerging pathogens with the potential of sparking epidemics or pandemics.It has been tasked with providing an independent assessment on a way forward in the thorny investigation into the origins of the SARS CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 disease.“There are key pieces of data that are not yet available for a complete understanding of how the Covid-19 pandemic began,” they acknowledged in their report, stressing that a range of further studies were needed “to follow up on several gaps in our knowledge”.‘Zoonotic transmission’The experts evaluated a wide range of existing research, including the findings of a joint WHO-China scientific mission last year, as well as more recent published and unpublished studies.They seemed to back a key finding by the joint mission that the virus most likely jumped from bats to humans via an intermediate animal, so-called zoonotic transmission.“The strongest evidence is still around zoonotic transmission,” SAGO chair Marietjie Venter told reporters, although the original host, intermediate hosts or how the virus had jumped to humans have not been identified.But while the joint mission had deemed a competing theory that the virus may have escaped due to a laboratory incident was “extremely unlikely” and proposed no further investigation into that hypothesis, the SAGO team insisted that this issue too required further study.Among a long line of studies requested, the team stressed that “it remains important to consider all reasonable scientific data that is available either through published or other official sources to evaluate the possibility of the introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into the human population through a laboratory incident”.The issue is highly controversial, and SAGO acknowledged that three members of the team, from China, Russia and Brazil, had objected to including the recommendation.‘Need to be open-minded’Venter told reporters it was important to be open to various hypotheses.“Having it in the report doesn’t say that that’s definitely what we think it is,” she said, insisting that it merely means “we are open to scientific data… so if anything comes up that’s new, we will not ignore it”.“We need to be open-minded and cover all the hypotheses, including that one,” her co-chair Jean-Claude Manuguerra agreed, stressing that so far there had been no real investigation into the lab leak theory.Among other things, the experts said access was needed to staff and data from labs both in China and elsewhere that work with coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, to assess biosafety and biosecurity practices.This could be tricky, especially in the case of China, which has so far pushed back against suggestions of fresh international missions to the country.WHO chief Tedros Ahanom Ghebreyesus insisted that it was vital that the scientific work to determine Covid’s origins “be kept separate from politics”.In a briefing to member states, he said the UN health agency would strive to follow SAGO’s advice, emphasising that “all hypotheses must remain on the table until we have evidence that enables us to rule certain hypotheses out”.“The longer it takes, the harder it becomes. We need to speed up and act with a sense of urgency.”


Driver to face homicide charges for deaths at US Christmas parade

The man accused of deliberately driving his car into a crowded Milwaukee-area Christmas parade over the weekend, killing five people and injuring dozens of others, was suspected in an earlier domestic disturbance, police said on Monday.The suspect, Darrell Brooks, 39, was arrested near the scene of Sunday’s vehicular attack in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and faces five counts of first-degree homicide, Waukesha Police Chief Daniel Thompson said.In addition to the five people killed – ranging in age from 52 to 81 – another 48 were injured, including six children who remained hospitalised in critical condition on Monday, authorities said.Among the victims were members of a parade group calling themselves the “Dancing Grannies,” according to a statement posted on Facebook on Monday.Thompson said the motive for the attack was still a mystery but that it was clear the suspect had acted intentionally.“He drove right through the barricades and the officers,” Thompson told a briefing, adding the authorities had ruled out terrorism as a motive. Sue Opper, the Waukesha County district attorney, said the suspect was believed to have acted alone.Police were not pursuing Brooks when he plowed into the parade, but one officer fired shots to try to stop the sports utility vehicle, the police chief said.“Minutes after the incident occurred, I responded to the scene,” Thompson said. “And what I saw out of chaos and tragedy was heroes – first responders in the community coming together and working together on triaging victims.”The FBI was assisting local police in their investigation.Brooks has a criminal history and was recently released on US$1,000 bail, an amount the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office called “inappropriately low in light of the nature of the recent charges” against him. Brooks was charged on Nov 5 with obstructing an officer, battery, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and felony bail jumping.Around the time of Sunday’s carnage, police also had received a complaint of a domestic disturbance involving Brooks and a knife but were unable to respond because they were preoccupied with the parade, Thompson said.“Was there an initial complaint of a knife being involved? Yes,” he said. “Do we know if there actually was one there? We don’t.”The chief said investigators had no information suggesting Brooks, a resident of Milwaukee, knew anyone in the parade.‘Still totally shocked’Police identified the five dead as Virginia Sorenson, 79; LeAnna Owen, 71; Tamara Durand, 52; Jane Kulich, 52; and Wilhelm Hospel, 81.On the morning after Sunday’s carnage, a pink hat, a lone shoe and candy lay strewn across the main thoroughfare in Waukesha.Dozens of orange evidence circles were painted on the street and most shops were closed in the city’s downtown district. A woman tied a bouquet of flowers to a street post as police officers blocked intersections along the main road.“It was terrifying,” Waukesha resident Brian Hoffman, 33, who was present as the vehicle rammed through parade attendees, recalled as he sat on a stoop near the scene on Monday. “I saw children who were run over. … I am still totally shocked.”Video of the incident posted on social media showed a red SUV racing alongside the parade route and then into the procession, appearing to run over more than a dozen people before bystanders ran from sidewalks to help.The Children’s Wisconsin hospital officials said at a briefing they treated 18 children, including six who remained in critical condition and three in serious condition on Monday.The rest were in fair condition or released. The hospital made no mention of any fatalities.A message posted on Monday by the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies Facebook page paid tribute to those who lost their lives as “the glue… (that) held us together.”“Those who died were extremely passionate Grannies. Their eyes gleamed…..[with the] joy of being a Grannie,” read the message. “Our hearts are heavy at this most difficult time.”Waukesha schools were closed on Monday, and additional counselors were to be made available for students, the school district superintendent said. Waukesha authorities said a fund for the affected families had been set up.US President Joe Biden said his administration was monitoring the situation in Waukesha “very closely.”“The entire community is struggling, struggling to cope with these horrific acts of violence,” Biden told reporters on Monday.


Maradona’s doctor probed for possible manslaughter

Argentine prosecutors are investigating Diego Maradona’s doctor for possible manslaughter following the footballing legend’s death four days ago.Around 30 police officers raided 39-year-old Dr Leopoldo Luque’s house in Buenos Aires on Sunday morning while another 20 searched his clinic as part of an investigation into possible negligence in the star’s death.They took away computers, mobile phones and medical records, officials told reporters.Maradona, 60, died of a heart attack at his home where he was recuperating from a brain operation.There are suspicions that the star’s convalescence at home might not have met the strict conditions of his discharge from hospital, such as a 24-hour team of nurses specialised in substance abuse, and a stand-by ambulance equipped with a defibrillator.In an emotional press conference on Sunday, Luque wept, saying he had done all he could to save the life of a friend, “up to the impossible”.At one point, the doctor became angry, telling reporters: “You want to know what I am responsible for? For having loved him, for having taken care of him, for having extended his life, for having improved it to the end.”But he cast doubt on what his role actually was. ”If you ask me, I’m a neurosurgeon and my job ended. I was done with him,” he said referring to November’s surgery and insisting Maradona’s convalescence at home was not his responsibility.“He should have gone to a rehabilitation centre. He didn’t want to,” Luque said, calling the star “unmanageable”.He said, “Diego was very sad, he wanted to be alone, and it’s not because he didn’t love his daughters, his family, or those around him”.Luque denies any wrongdoing. He has not been charged.


Iran upholds death sentence of Swedish-Iranian Arab dissident

Iran's supreme court has upheld the death sentence handed down to a Swedish Iranian dual national convicted of leading an Arab separatist group accused of attacks including one on a military parade in 2018 that killed 25 people, state media reported on Sunday.
Iran said in 2020 that its security forces arrested Sweden-based Habib Farajollah Chaab in Turkey and took him to Tehran, without saying where or how he was captured.
"Chaab was sentenced to death after several court sessions with the presence of his lawyer... The Supreme Court confirmed his death sentence," Iran's judiciary's Mizan news agency reported.
In 2022, Iran started trial of Chaab on charges of leading the separatist Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz, which seeks a separate state in the oil-rich Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran, and plotting and carrying out "numerous bombings and terrorist operations".
He was sentenced to death for being "corrupt on earth", a capital offence under Iran’s strict form of Islamic law, Iranian state media said.
Sweden's foreign ministry said its representatives had been in continual contact with Iran's authorities about Chaab's situation and had repeatedly requested permission to visit him and be present at the trial.
"The death penalty is an inhuman and irreversible punishment and Sweden, along with the European Union, condemns its use in all circumstances," Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said in an emailed statement.
"The foreign ministry and Sweden's embassy in Teheran are working intensively to get further clarity about the information (of the confirmed sentence)."
The Islamic Republic has had tense relations with its ethnic minorities, which include Arabs, Kurds, Azeris and Baluch, and has accused them of aligning with neighbouring countries rather than Tehran.
Arabs and other minorities have long said they face discrimination in Iran, a charge the Islamic Republic denies.
The confirmation of Chaab's death sentence comes amid soured relations between Iran and Sweden over a Swedish court's life time in prison sentence for a former Iranian official for involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in 1988 in the Islamic Republic.
Iran has rejected former Iranian official Hamid Noury's sentence as "baseless, distorted and fabricated".


Lives and livelihoods at stake amid Camerons landslides

Residents in Cameron Highlands and the surrounding area have voiced concern over the loss of lives and livelihoods alike in the recent landslide which killed two people at Simpang Pulai on Dec 2.Ismail Baloh, the tok batin or leader of Kampung Pawong, said the landslide had affected the Orang Asli villagers who lived just 2km away from the site.“Actually, I wanted to go to my office in Batu Gajah that day,” he told MalaysiaNow.“When I left my home, I saw two fire and rescue vehicles. It took me a few minutes to realise that a landslide had occurred.”Two vehicles were buried in the mud – a lorry and a Toyota Vellfire. Both drivers were killed.Ismail said the villagers were worried because such incidents were happening closer and closer to their settlement.Kampung Pawong is home to some 29 households who fear the possibility of worse disasters.While landslides are nothing new in Cameron Highlands, they had in the past occurred further away, at least 4km from the village.Over the past few years, though, the village which is home to about 29 families has experienced a number of landslides in the settlement itself.“We are worried here because this area has many slopes. Any project that is carried out brings risks for the Orang Asli,” Ismail said.Personal safety aside, the villagers are also concerned about their livelihoods.Ismail said this is especially the case for the young Orang Asli, whose incomes hung in the balance when the road leading into Cameron Highlands was closed for repair work.“They earn a living up there in Camerons,” he said. “They go back and forth from the village each day. When the road is closed, their daily wages are also affected.”A second landslide was reported in Brinchang several days after the Simpang Pulai incident. This time, another two vehicles were damaged.Muhammad Azmir Abdul Rahman who runs a homestay in Tanah Rata received a number of cancellations after that.“When we hear that a landslide has happened, we pray that none of our guests decides to cancel their reservation because everyone is in the recovery phase,” he said to MalaysiaNow.“I managed to persuade some of them to keep their bookings or at least to reschedule their trips instead of cancelling. A number of those reservations involved a lot of houses,” he added.Repair work is carried out after a landslide in the village in 2018.He and the other homestay owners understand their guests’ concern and do their best to inform them of alternative ways to the area that do not require them to pass through Simpang Pulai.Azmir said other landslides in the past were not too serious, and the affected roads would reopen after a few hours.But this landslide has left many visitors afraid as two people had lost their lives.Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman of environmental group Sahabat Alam Malaysia said soil movements occur naturally on hills when rainfall is high or when influenced by earthworks for agricultural purposes.“The geophysical characteristics of hilly areas make them sensitive to any activity involving changes to the existing soil structure, which is easily eroded,” he said.“Significant soil conversion activities leave the surface exposed to runoff and erosion during heavy rain, which can lead to mud floods.”In 2018, Perak ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah had decreed a halt to all activities in the hilly areas bordering Cameron Highlands.But Meor said his decree did not appear to be heeded.“Even after that, earthworks for large-scale agricultural purposes continued in nearby areas to the point that they disturbed the lives of the Orang Asli communities there.”Back in the village, Ismail prays that no further tragedies occur.He hopes that the authorities will keep a close watch on all land exploration and development projects, and enforce the law.“Those in authority should not make light of what God has given us,” he said.“Do not misuse what is bestowed on us, and be grateful for what we have. That is enough.”


Govt to study allowing interstate travel for Aidilfitri

The government will look carefully into whether interstate travel and visits can be allowed in conjunction with Aidilfitri in May, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said today.He also hinted at the possibility of allowing the Aidilfitri prayer, as well as the “takbir raya” and Raya visits to nearby houses since permission has been given for mosques to hold tarawih prayers during Ramadan.“Perhaps, after this, with Aidilfitri coming, maybe we can allow the Aidilfitri prayer as well as the ‘takbir raya’ and others, and after that visits to next-door houses, but for interstate travel to balik kampung, I cannot give the answer yet.“For that, we have to study carefully, Insha Allah, it will be announced at an appropriate time,” he said at a breakfast with the Felcra Bukit Kepong community in Muar today.


Hong Kong’s Omicron-fuelled outbreak spreads within prisons

Hong Kong prisons on Friday reported a worsening coronavirus outbreak involving more than 200 inmates at a time when hundreds of political activists and protesters are being kept behind bars.The city is in the throes of its worst-ever Covid-19 wave, registering thousands of cases every day, overwhelming hospitals and government efforts to isolate infected people.The outbreak – fuelled by the extremely transmissible Omicron variant – has also breached the city’s prisons, where more than 7,200 people are currently detained.As of Thursday, there were 202 confirmed infections and 135 preliminary positive prisoners within the system – a caseload that has grown by more than 20 times in about a week.“It is anticipated that more cases of infection will be found in the coming week,” corrections officials said, adding that clusters had been detected among its staff.Visits have been suspended since the beginning of February, while one correctional facility was converted to isolate infected prisoners.In recent years, newcomers to Hong Kong’s prison system have included many of the city’s most prominent democracy activists, ensnared in the wake of 2019’s massive and at times violent democracy protests.Beijing stepped in with a sweeping national security law in 2020 to quash dissent.The bulk of those hit with the law have been awaiting trial behind bars for months, while others have been convicted of various protest and speech-related offences.China has long touted a “zero-Covid” strategy that Hong Kong has adhered to since the start of the pandemic – keeping infections low with largely closed borders and isolating all patients.But since Omicron has penetrated those defences, the densely populated city has recorded more than 55,000 cases in 2022 – compared with just 12,000 in the pandemic’s first two years.More than 250 people have died in the current wave, surpassing the combined toll of all previous pandemic-related deaths.The number of infected people is likely closer to 200,000, former Hospital Authority chief executive Leung Pak-yin has estimated.Cases could exceed one million – out of a population of 7.4 million – by late April, he added.“The golden opportunity for compulsory testing and citywide lockdown has already passed,” he wrote on Facebook Thursday.“It is not possible to control the spread of the epidemic.”But that is just what Beijing has ordered Hong Kong to do, with Chinese President Xi Jinping demanding last week that “all necessary measures” be taken.Hong Kong next month will carry out mandatory testing for all city residents, while facilities are currently being built to house the infected.According to Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, Hong Kong is now second only to Pakistan as the worst place to live during Covid, down from ninth-best in the world in January 2021.


Facebook parent to take politics, race out of ad targeting

Facebook-parent Meta on Tuesday said it will stop letting ads be targeted at users based on “sensitive” topics such as race, religion, sexuality or political party, citing concerns about abuse.The company’s deep knowledge about its users’ interests is prized by advertisers looking to reach a certain audience – and is an engine of its multi-billion dollar ad business – but could be used to influence or exclude groups.“We want to… address feedback from civil rights experts, policymakers and other stakeholders on the importance of preventing advertisers from abusing the targeting options we make available,” Meta vice president of ad product marketing Graham Mudd wrote.He noted the change was not based on people’s actual characteristics but on things like how users interacted with content on the company’s platform.Starting on Jan 19, apps in the Meta family will no longer offer advertisers the option to target people based on their interest in causes, organisations or public figures related to health, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, or sexual orientation.Examples include things like lung cancer awareness, same-sex marriage, the Catholic Church, Jewish holidays and political beliefs.High-profile misfires of ad targeting on Facebook include promotions of military gear served to far-right militia groups before the Jan 6 storming of the US Capitol by supporters of then president Donald Trump.US housing officials also sued Facebook in 2019 over allegations landlords and brokers were allowed to improperly restrict housing ads “to exclude people of color, families with children, women, people with disabilities”.However, there may be some secondary effects for non-profit groups seeking fundraising or small companies looking for customers.“The decision to remove these detailed targeting options was not easy and we know this change may negatively impact some businesses and organisations,” Mudd wote in a blog post, adding thousands of options would be impacted.Announcement of the ad-targeting tweak came as Facebook battles one of its worst crises ever – the leak of reams of internal documents to US lawmakers, regulators and reporters by former employee Frances Haugen.Haugen brought her arguments to key lawmakers in Brussels this week after giving testimony in Washington and London and ahead of a stop in Paris.The EU is currently pushing through new laws that could force the world’s biggest tech firms to rethink the way they do business.Facebook has said Haugen’s allegations distort reality and described her as a mid-level engineer with limited access to important decisions.


Malaysia, Japan to step up joint efforts to tackle global supply chain issues

Malaysia and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to redoubling their efforts to meet the challenges of the new era, particularly issues related to global supply chain disruptions.International Trade and Industry Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali, during a courtesy call yesterday on former Japan prime minister and special envoy of Japan’s prime minister to Malaysia Shinzo Abe, took the opportunity to deliberate on various issues of mutual interest.These included the enhancement of bilateral trade and investment relations, the 40th anniversary of the Look East Policy, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and Japan’s hosting of the Expo 2025 Osaka, the international trade and industry ministry (Miti) said in a statement.“They acknowledged that in recent years, both countries have been expanding the horizon of cooperation including in measures against Covid-19, smart cities development, communication infrastructure as well as energy transition to achieve net zero carbon.“Both sides concurred on the imperative of working together to tackle the challenges of the new era, particularly in facing headlong issues related to the disruption of the global supply chain,” the ministry said.On the RCEP, Abe said he was looking forward to the agreement coming into force for Malaysia on March 18, expressing the hope that Malaysia would also soon ratify the CPTPP.Miti said Azmin also took the opportunity to update Abe about Malaysia’s completion of a cost-benefit analysis for CPTPP and how it was currently undertaking domestic processes, including the necessary legislative amendments.Commending Malaysia’s Look East Policy, which has entered its 40th year, Abe underscored its effectiveness in providing Malaysia with a strong foundation in promoting trade and investment cooperation, human resource development as well as people-to-people ties with Japan.Last year, Japan was ranked as Malaysia’s fourth largest overall global trading partner and second largest after China for the East Asia region, while Malaysia was Japan’s 10th largest trading partner.Total trade between both countries came to RM148.98 billion, with Malaysia’s exports to Japan amounting to RM75.27 billion and imports from Japan valued at RM73.71 billion.As of 2021, a total of 2,709 manufacturing projects with Japan’s participation were realised with total investments of RM90.9 billion, generating 337,280 jobs.The majority of these investments were in electronics and electrical products, chemicals and chemical products, non-metallic mineral products and transport equipment.


Covid-19 in Sabah under control, health DG assures

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah says the spread of Covid-19 in Sabah is under control as it is confined to two locations: the lock-up of the Lahad Datu district police headquarters and Tawau prison.He added that the Covid-19 infections in these places were in specific locations and not within the local community.“It was the same situation before, when 277 Covid-19 cases were reported in the Bukit Jalil immigration detention depot,” he said in a press conference in Putrajaya yesterday.He said the index cases in the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster were two illegal immigrants who were detained and tested positive during screening.“Detection of illegal immigrants needs to be intensified to curb their entry through ‘rat trails’ in order to curb the spread of Covid-19 to the people in Sabah,” he added.On the upcoming election in the state, he urged those involved to comply with the SOPs.“Whether health workers or not, all should comply with the SOPs. If we adhere to the SOPs, we can avoid getting infected (with Covid-19).“If there is a gathering, the risk (of getting infected) will increase if there is no (physical) distancing and if people do not wear face masks or wash their hands.”On the Sungai cluster, Noor Hisham said the 23 new cases of Covid-19 involved health workers and their family members.“Of the total of 16 Covid-19 health staff who tested positive, one of them infected seven family members.”Adding that the health ministry was conducting an investigation into the matter, he reminded all health workers to wear personal protective gear before examining patients.


Trudeau revokes emergency powers after Canada trucker-led protests end

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday revoked emergency powers used to dislodge trucker-led protests in Ottawa and blockades of border crossings to the US, as he declared the crisis over.“Today, we’re ready to confirm that the situation is no longer an emergency,” the prime minister told a news conference. “Therefore, the federal government will be ending the use of the emergencies act.”“The threat continues,” Trudeau said, but added it is no longer “acute.”“We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are sufficient to keep people safe.”The rarely used powers had been invoked nine days earlier – for only the second time ever in peacetime – and their final approval was still being debated in the Senate when Trudeau lifted them.On Sunday, the last big rigs were towed out of the Canadian capital after a two-day police crackdown that saw nearly 200 arrests and dozens of vehicle seizures.Several border crossings have also been reopened after being cleared of economically damaging blockades.For weeks, Canada had been in the international spotlight as thousands of protesters, led by truck drivers furious over Covid-19 vaccination requirements for transporting freight across the border with the US, converged on Ottawa.Truckers and their supporters also blocked for days several border crossings, including a bridge between Windsor in Canada and the US city of Detroit, freezing a major trade route critical to industry, including automobile manufacturing.As they dug in, the protesters inspired copycats in other countries, from France to New Zealand, with Washington girding itself for a possible trucker protest to coincide with next week’s State of the Union presidential address.Their demands also grew to include an end to all pandemic rules and, for many, a wider anti-establishment agenda.‘Sledgehammer’Criticised for failing to act decisively early on, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act, which gave the government sweeping powers to deal with a major crisis.The move split opposition parties. Critics accused the prime minister of using “a sledgehammer” on protesters and a civil liberties group sued over Trudeau’s declaring a state of emergency for the first time since 1970.Trudeau’s father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, had used the measure after militant Quebec separatists kidnapped a lawmaker and a British trade attache and set off bombs in Montreal.“Today’s announcement is proof that the prime minister was wrong when he invoked the Emergencies Act,” Tory interim leader Candice Bergen said Wednesday.Trudeau defended his decision, saying: “As the weeks went by, it became obvious that provincial and local authorities needed more tools in order to enforce the law and protect Canadians.”He noted also that Parliament would conduct a thorough review of his decision in the coming months.Last weekend, after nearly a month of incessant loud honking and complaints from Ottawa residents of harassment by protesters, police deployed from across the nation moved in.Hundreds of officers in riot gear cleared the main protest hub in downtown Ottawa Saturday, using batons and pepper spray and making dozens of arrests, as they worked to flush out a hard core of demonstrators occupying the Canadian capital.They pushed into the city centre – facing off in tense scenes with determined protesters who hurled gas canisters and smoke grenades at advancing police, linking arms and chanting “freedom.”At their peak the protests drew 15,000 to the capital, but polls show Canadians, once sympathetic to the trucker-led movement, have now turned against them.


MCA, MIC to sit out state polls

Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties MCA and MIC have announced that they will not contest the state elections in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan next month.
MCA secretary-general Chong Sin Woon and his MIC counterpart RT Rajasekaran announced this in separate statements yesterday.
Chong said MCA would focus on preparations for the 16th general election (GE16), where the party is seeking to implement reforms.
"This decision was reached at the MCA central committee meeting today after discussions and analysis, and considering the current political situation," he said.
He said MCA would play the role of a BN component party to help the candidates of fellow components in the polls.
Rajasekaran meanwhile said the party had made the decision at a central working committee meeting on June 30 after studying the political situation.
"MIC’s decision to stay out of the coming state polls was made solely to safeguard the interests of MIC. For now, MIC will pay more attention to the process of building a more solid party structure for facing GE16," he said.
He said MIC would fulfil its role as a BN component party and that the party’s decision had been conveyed to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is chairman of the unity government secretariat, which includes BN.
The BN component parties in peninsular Malaysia are Umno, MCA and MIC.
The six states will hold their state polls simultaneously, with Aug 12 set for polling, July 29 for nomination and Aug 8 for early voting.


Muhyiddin demands apology from Anwar, Zahid over gambling funds claim

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin has demanded an apology from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over their accusations that the coalition had received funds from gambling companies for the 15th general election campaign.
The Pagoh MP said PN will consult with their legal team regarding further actions.
"We demand that they apologise. These are serious, defamatory allegations.
"We will see what steps they take afterwards," he said to the media in Kuala Lumpur today.
Yesterday, law minister Azalina Othman Said informed the Dewan Rakyat in a written reply that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission could not verify the claims made by Anwar.
Anwar had implied that "Malay" and "Islamic" parties received funds from gambling companies involved in special lottery draws.
Zahid also reiterated the accusation by stating that the funds came from the "other side", referring to PN, which allegedly received money from gambling companies.
According to Muhyiddin, Azalina's statement indicates a lack of evidence over Anwar's allegations.
PAS, a component party of PN, also urged Anwar to apologise for spreading the false accusations.


Fifth Malaysian glove maker banned in US over forced labour claims

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has banned imports from Malaysian glove manufacturer Brightway Group over suspected forced labour practices, the agency said on Monday.It is the sixth ban in 18 months on a Malaysian company, and the fifth from the country’s glove manufacturing sector since September 2019.Brightway did not immediately respond to a request for comment.CBP issued a withhold release order, instructing US ports of entry to detain disposable gloves produced in Malaysia by three companies in the group – Brightway Holdings, Laglove and Biopro – from Monday.The action was taken based on “information that reasonably indicates the use of forced labour in that entity’s manufacturing operations,” it said in a statement.CBP said it identified 10 of the 11 International Labour Organization’s indicators of forced labour during its investigation into Brightway.In December last year, Malaysian officials raided Brightway’s facilities and found workers living in shipping containers, under conditions so squalid that human resources minister M Saravanan later likened them to “modern slavery.”Asked in May about the raids, the company’s managing director, G Baskaran, told Reuters that audit reports from 2019 and 2020 showed “we did not practise any form of forced labour or modern slavery.”About a month after the raids, CBP opened investigations into Brightway, according to a letter seen by Reuters.


Trump fires US election security official who rejected fraud claims

Donald Trump on Tuesday fired the government’s top election security official, who had rejected the president’s unsubstantiated claims of “massive” fraud in the vote he lost to Joe Biden.Trump announced on Twitter the termination “effective immediately” of Chris Krebs, who leads the agency that jointly declared “the Nov 3 election was the most secure in American history”.Trump, who refuses to acknowledge that he lost his bid for reelection to Democrat Biden, has repeatedly claimed without evidence that the voting and count were replete with fraud.“The recent statement by Chris Krebs on the security of the 2020 Election was highly inaccurate, in that there were massive improprieties and fraud,” Trump wrote in a tweet.“Therefore, effective immediately, Chris Krebs has been terminated as Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.”Krebs, who reportedly told friends last week he expected to be removed, appeared to confirm it in a tweet on his personal account.No evidence“Honored to serve. We did it right. Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow,” he wrote.Krebs was in charge of fending off possible foreign and domestic hacker intrusions into myriad voting machines, sorting and counting machines, databases and other systems that states and localities rely on to tally ballots.Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Krebs and his team had “worked diligently to safeguard our elections”.“Instead of rewarding this great service, President Trump is retaliating against Director Krebs and other officials who did their duty,” he said in a statement.Republican Senator Ben Sasse wrote: “Chris Krebs did a really good job – as state election officials all across the nation will tell you – and he obviously should not be fired.”The challenge was even tougher this year because of the complexities of the coronavirus, which forced a sweeping turn to voting by mail.Under Krebs, CISA had also warned several times that Russians and Iranians were making attempts to break into US systems, as Russians had tried in 2016.The White House was reportedly particularly unhappy about a CISA webpage set up to fight disinformation called “Rumor vs Reality”.The page rejected claims Trump and others have made, including that many votes were made in the names of dead people, that counting the ballots days after election day is not normal and that shifting vote counts indicate fraud.Through numerous reviews, investigations and lawsuits, no evidence has come up of any significant distortion or loss of votes, by accident or fraud.“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” an official group of senior US federal and state election officials said in a report last week.And on Monday, a group of 59 top election security experts also dismissed claims of significant malfunction or fraud, saying the claims “either have been unsubstantiated or are technically incoherent.”


PN to continue support for PM Ismail

Perikatan Nasional (PN) is committed to supporting the leadership of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob for the sake of political stability in the country, says Bersatu vice-president Ronald Kiandee.
"The mandate period of the 14th general election (GE14) will end in May next year, so we have given our commitment to continue supporting the prime minister (Ismail Sabri) and this government.
"This is to ensure continued political stability in the country until the general election is called," Ronald, who is also a member of the PN Supreme Council, said when met by reporters in Serdang yesterday.
PN comprises Bersatu, PAS, Gerakan, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).
In Kuala Terengganu, PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said talk that PN was mulling the withdrawal of support for the government was merely the view of certain quarters.
The Terengganu menteri besar said that in fact, the PAS-led state government was planning to implement more things together with the federal government.
He was speaking to reporters after the launch of a campaign at Wisma Darul Iman.


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New caseload tops 3,200

Another 3,245 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,813,934.Another 3,093 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,741,355.Meanwhile 183 are in the ICU, including 128 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 84 are in need of respiratory assistance including 52 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 3,245 cases reported today, 1.2% are in Category Three and above.


Over 8,600 cybersecurity incidents reported from January to November

A total of 8,669 cases of cybersecurity incidents were reported to the Cyber999 help centre from January to November this year, says Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Zahidi Zainul Abidin.“The top three categories of incidents reported were fraud (6,737) cases, intrusion (1,354) and malicious code (578),” he said in his speech at the National ICT Security Discourse-Cybersafe Challenge Trophy 2021 yesterday.He said the public awareness level of the “Keluarga Malaysia” needs improvement as people are still falling victim to cyber threats.“Issues of etiquette, responsibility and positive use of the internet have become very critical especially to our younger generation.“There is an urgent need to ensure that they are taught to be safe, secure and responsible internet users in facilitating a positive online experience,” he said.Zahidi also said that as the “Keluarga Malaysia” embraces a digital lifestyle, cyber ethics which is the code of responsible behaviour on the internet and the well-being of internet users becomes a necessity.“Teaching digital citizens about the ethics of using digital technology devices has become an integral part of what can make a happy family safer online in today’s environment,” he said.


Biden to ship jabs direct to pharmacies to access more ‘at risk’ groups

The Biden administration has announced that it will begin shipping about one million Covid-19 vaccine doses a week directly to thousands of local pharmacies in an attempt to speed up the American inoculation effort.The vaccines sent to pharmacies will be in addition to the millions of doses sent weekly to states, territories and tribes, reports NPR.The programme will begin with vaccines trucked to about 6,500 stores nationwide, Jeff Zients, the White House’s Covid-19 response coordinator, told reporters on Tuesday.He said that the effort would then scale up and that eventually up to 40,000 retail pharmacies would receive doses directly from the federal government.Once the programme starts, Zients said, those wishing to get vaccinated should follow their state’s current eligibility requirements and, if eligible, then check with their local pharmacy to see if there is vaccine availability.Zients stressed that equity of vaccine distribution is a key component of the pharmacy effort, as in many places around the US, white people are getting vaccinated at much higher rates than people of colour.“Pharmacy sites are selected based on their ability to reach some of the populations most at risk for severe illness,” said Zients, who added that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will monitor the site data for equity concerns.President Joe Biden has pledged to get 100 million vaccine doses into American arms in the first 100 days of his administration. That pace, of one million doses a day, is already being surpassed. White House officials have called Biden’s goal “a floor, not a ceiling”.


PM visits Kuching mee kolok outlet mentioned in Prihatin speech

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today dropped by for a bite at a mee kolok stall in Kuching mentioned in his speech to introduce the Prihatin assistance for SMEs last year.Muhyiddin, who is in Sarawak on his first official visit since becoming prime minister, went to Sepinang Sari Cafe with his wife Noorainee Abdul Rahman at about 7.30am.When asked about the food, he said: “This is very good.”The popular cafe is also known as Haji Salleh’s Kolok Mee. The owner, Salleh Reduan, has been selling mee kolok there for over 20 years though it is now run by his daughter, Faridah.Muhyiddin was joined in his meal by Sarawak Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg and several other state leaders.The prime minister also signed a plaque to commemorate his visit to the eatery.


Daily caseload at 207 as no new deaths reported

Another 207 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,042,395.
There were 175 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,996,232.
There are now 9,206 active cases, of which 8,871 or 96.4% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 325 (3.5%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 10 are in ICU with six in need of respiratory assistance.
No new deaths were reported, leaving total deaths unchanged at 36,957.


Britain takes steps to clamp down on teen vaping

The British government said on Tuesday it would close a loophole that lets retailers give free samples of vapes to children in a clampdown on e-cigarettes, whose colourful designs and fruity flavours make them stand out on grocery store shelves.
"I am deeply concerned about the sharp rise in kids vaping and shocked by reports of illicit vapes containing lead getting into the hands of schoolchildren," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in the statement released by the health department, referring to a BBC report last week.
"The marketing and the illegal sales of vapes to children is completely unacceptable."
The statement cited a 2023 survey by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health of 11 to 17-year-olds in which two out of five young people said they smoke vapes just to try it, while one in five said they do it due to peer pressure.
The issue is not unique to Britain, where selling vapes to under 18s is illegal. An estimated 2.55 million US middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes during the early part of 2022 in a survey, a level health officials said was "concerning."
"We should continue to encourage smokers to swap to vaping as the lesser risk, whilst preventing the marketing and sale of vapes to children," England's chief medical officer Chris Whitty said in the statement.
The government said it would also review the rules on issuing fines to shops selling vapes to under 18s to allow local authorities to issue on-the-spot fines and fixed penalty notices more easily.


Daily caseload crosses 24,300 as 64 more deaths logged

Another 24,316 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,079,242.Of the total number of cases recorded, 152 were in Category Three and above.There were 25,512 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 3,796,975.A total of 1,264 cases were admitted to hospital, with 487 (38.5%) in Category Three and above and 777 (61.5%) in Category One and Two.Of the 152 cases in Category Three and above reported yesterday:* 43 (28.29%) were not vaccinated or had not completed their vaccination;* 61 (40.13%) had received two doses of vaccine;* 48 (31.58%) had received a booster jab;* 81 (53.29%) were aged 60 and above; and* 76 (50.00%) had comorbidities.There are now 247,603 active cases, of which 239,934 or 96.9% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 1,329 (0.5%) are at quarantine centres while 6,019 (2.4%) have been hospitalised.A total of 321 are in ICU with 194 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 58.4%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 36.4%.Another 64 deaths were reported, including 18 who were brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 34,664.The country’s infectivity rate as of March 24 was 0.91.


Anwar to be summoned as witness in suit over alleged assault by pol-sec

A defamation suit by a former research officer of Anwar Ibrahim will see the PKR leader subpoenaed as a witness in a trial to be heard at the Shah Alam Sessions Court in March next year.Muhammed Yusoff Rawther is suing Anwar’s political secretary Farhash Wafa Salvador over injuries suffered as a result of an alleged assault at the PKR president’s office in Petaling Jaya.In February, Farhash failed in his bid to strike out portions of the suit that refer to Anwar.The court also dismissed a similar request by Anwar’s press secretary, Tunku Nashrul Tunku Abaidah, to strike out similar parts in a separate suit that Yusoff has filed against him.Farhash Wafa Salvador.A police report by Yusoff against Anwar last year triggered a criminal investigation over allegations that the PKR leader had sexually assaulted him in October 2018.The Attorney-General’s Chambers however said it would not bring charges against Anwar due to “insufficient evidence”.In his suit filed early this year, Yusoff, 27, claimed that Farhash had assaulted him at Anwar’s office in Bukit Gasing, Petaling Jaya, in May 2019.In December 2019, Yusoff questioned the police over the slow pace of the investigation, saying no action had been taken despite him furnishing a medical report on the injuries he sustained.The report, sighted by MalaysiaNow, said among others that Yusoff had sustained injuries and a tear on his shoulder, and required surgery that would cost RM40,000.Farhash has denied the allegations against him and filed a suit against Yusoff over the claims.Early this year, police said they had reopened their investigation into the assault claims.MalaysiaNow is attempting to get an update from the police as well as Yusoff’s lawyer, Haniff Khatri Abdulla.


11.6% of children fully jabbed, 39.8% given first dose

A total of 412,026 children or 11.6% of those aged five to 11 had completed their vaccination under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme For Children (PICKids) as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow website, a total of 1,412,867 children or 39.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine.For adolescents aged 12 to 17, a total of 2,873,414 or 92.4% have completed their vaccination while 2,974,984 or 95.7% have received at least one dose of vaccine.As for the adult population, a total of 15,974,034 or 67.9% have received a booster dose while 22,960,906 or 97.6% have completed two doses.A total of 23,238,026 or 98.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine.Yesterday, 60,184 vaccine doses were dispensed, with 11,268 as first doses, 45,359 as second shots and 3,557 as booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 69,633,398.


Mahathir rubbishes talk of putting Umno back in driver’s seat

The man who led Umno for more than two decades, cementing it as a dominant force and ensuring landslide victories for Barisan Nasional (BN) in five general elections, has rubbished talk by current leaders of returning the party to the driver’s seat of Malaysia’s political power.Dr Mahathir Mohamad, whose rule throughout the 90s was marked by successive attempts by unified opposition coalitions to win the elections, said he sees no chance of this for any party, including Umno, long viewed as the lynchpin of BN before its fall from power in 2018.He said the party he once led is now divided with no hope of reviving its heyday in power.“There is no future (for Umno),” Mahathir, who served as both the longest and shortest reigning Malaysian prime minister, told MalaysiaNow in a recent interview at his office in Putrajaya.“Even if they come together, it would only be a fraction of the original Umno. Not the whole of Umno.”A key theme of the Umno general assembly last month was to make the party a dominant ruling force again, as top party leaders took turns decrying the present arrangement with the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government where they said it was playing second fiddle to Bersatu, the Umno splinter party co-founded by Mahathir and current prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin.“Even if they come together, it would only be a fraction of the original Umno. Not the whole of Umno.”Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his deputy Mohamad Hasan roused delegates by saying the party would not settle for anything less than what it was before.“They (can) talk but the way they behave doesn’t look as if they can come together,” Mahathir said.Likewise, he sees no future for Umno in any general election to come, saying attaining some 80 seats as it had in the past is a distant dream for the party.“It will maybe achieve 50 or 40 (seats), and that’s not enough of a core to form a good strong coalition.”But he quickly added that this does not mean Bersatu would stand to gain.“Muhyiddin will not have any support. They will lose against Umno, because Umno will contest against the seats that Bersatu contested before. And Umno will contest against those Umno people who joined Bersatu,” said Mahathir.“Umno even by itself has never won enough to set up a government.”“At the same time, of course, Umno wants to be the dominant party. So it’s going to contest maybe 80 to 90 seats. But it will not get them.”Mahathir said even when Umno was dominant in the government, it could not achieve enough support on its own.“At one time, Umno was the dominant party. It was solid. So it provided the core. But Umno even by itself has never won enough to set up a government. Umno needs support of MCA and MIC, and Sabah and Sarawak parties.“But now Umno is no longer the dominant party, it is split. Many have joined Bersatu. Some have formed factions in Umno.”In the 2018 election, Umno, through BN, won 54 seats, most due to multiple opposing candidates which gave the edge to the then-incumbent ruling coalition.The party has since been hit by a series of defections to Bersatu, leaving it with 38 MPs.The Umno leadership has also been met with rare open criticism from its partners MCA and MIC, who have long been accused by their critics of being subservient to the Malay party.Meanwhile, Mahathir said recent attempts by leaders such as Zahid and former prime minister Najib Razak to rejuvenate Umno by engaging with the youth on social media would not bear fruit.“I don’t think so. The youths are very idealistic, they want a clean government,” he said.He agreed with the view that no single party could have enough seats to stake a claim on the position of prime minister.“Because all the parties are divided. The Malays are divided into eight parties. Umno itself is divided, there are four factions in Umno and some of them have a very strong stance against Najib.”He said forming a coalition is still the only way to come to power.“In Malaysia, there has never been a single party forming the government. It has always been a coalition,” he said, adding that racial loyalties in politics remain.


Tabung Haji announces profit distribution of 3.10%

Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), the pilgrims fund board, has announced a competitive profit distribution of 3.10% (after zakat) for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2020, compared with 3.05% in 2019, to all of its nine million depositors.The 2020 profit distribution involves a total payout of RM2.24 billion against RM2.14 billion in 2019, it said in a statement today.Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Mohamad Al Bakri said TH’s financial performance remained positive in 2020 despite the uncertainties affecting the global and domestic economy due to the Covid-19 pandemic.“Alhamdulillah, TH depositors will be able to enjoy better profits despite the relatively soft economy last year.“As an institution entrusted with administering nearly RM77 billion in deposits of Malaysian Muslims, TH needs to act in the best interest of its depositors and invest the funds wisely to ensure the sustainability of this institution,” he said.According to TH, total deposits reached RM76.7 billion as of Feb 26, its highest ever level, reflecting the confidence of depositors.TH has also made a zakat payment amounting to RM106.2 million for 2020, compared with RM86 million in 2019, meaning that depositors will not have to pay zakat on the savings and profit distribution received.“The zakat paid will benefit the asnaf community throughout the country,” TH said.All TH transactions will be temporarily suspended from 8pm today until noon tomorrow to facilitate the profit distribution process.Depositors can check their account balance after 12pm on March 3 through the THiJARI mobile application, TH counters, Bank Islam and Bank Rakyat, as well as through electronic platforms under TH’s strategic partners, Bank Islam, Bank Rakyat, Maybank and CIMB.On haj developments, Zulkifli said the Saudia Arabia government has yet to issue any official statement on this year’s pilgrimage although it has received about 100,000 umrah pilgrims since Nov 1, 2020.“Although the haj was postponed last year due to Covid-19, we shall continue to pray for this pandemic to end soon so that we can become Allah’s guests again. We have to be prepared for any possibility.“I would advise all prospective pilgrims to join the haj courses which are currently conducted online, and I would also like to remind them to take care of their health by exercising regularly and consuming nutritious food because the haj rituals will demand physical and mental strength,” added Zulkifli.TH was established in 1963 with the objective of helping Malaysian Muslims save their money for the haj, the fifth pillar of Islam.


Ku Nan given discharge not amounting to acquittal in RM1 million bribery case

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has given former federal territories minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for his charge of accepting a RM1 million bribe from a businessman in 2013.Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali made the decision after deputy public prosecutor Julia Ibrahim informed the court that the prosecution had decided to discontinue the case against Tengku Adnan, 69.“There is a new development in this case which needs to be further investigated. The prosecution does not want to waste the court’s time as we do not know how much time is needed to investigate this development.“We cannot divulge this in detail. What can be told is that there was a complaint made to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission about one of the witnesses in this case.“Therefore, the prosecution is seeking an order to discharge the accused not amounting to an acquittal of the charge,” said Julia.Hearing of the case started on Sept 20, 2019 with the prosecution calling two witnesses to give their evidence, proceedings for which should have continued today.Tengku Adnan, better known as Ku Nan, pleaded not guilty on Nov 15, 2018 to a charge of receiving a RM1 million bribe from Tan Eng Boon through a Public Bank cheque belonging to Pekan Nenas Industries Sdn Bhd and deposited into the former minister’s CIMB Bank account.The offence was said to have been committed as a reward for assisting in the application made by Nucleus Properties Sdn Bhd (now known as Paragon City Development Sdn Bhd) to increase the plot ratio of a piece of land related to the development of Lot 228, Jalan Semarak which was approved by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall.The offence was allegedly committed at the Putra World Trade Centre branch of CIMB Bank Bhd at Jalan Tun Ismail on Dec 27, 2013.Tengku Adnan also faced an alternative charge of receiving RM1 million from Tan without any reward through Public Bank cheque number 300109 deposited into his account.He was charged under Section 165 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to two years, a fine or both upon conviction.


Singapore to roll out vaccine booster jabs for kids

Singapore is preparing to start boosting children aged five to 11 with the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine in the fourth quarter of the year, the health ministry said today.
The ministry said it had accepted the recommendations by the expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination (EC19V) in full.
The EC19V recommended that children of that age receive one booster dose of vaccine, from five months after the second dose of their primary vaccination series, to sustain protection against severe illness.
"This will also strengthen our preparation for the next infection wave," it said in a statement today.
It added that the Health Sciences Authority has just extended the authorisation of Moderna’s Spikevax Covid-19 vaccine via the pandemic special access route to children, including very young children aged six months up to five years old.
"A decision on the recommendation for vaccination of this age group is expected soon. If approved, we will time it together with the booster exercise for children aged five to 11," it said.
In a separate statement, the EC19V said children aged five to 11 were advised to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine as it provides stronger protection against hospitalisation and severe disease from Covid-19.
"There is now local and international data indicating that antibody levels and vaccine protection against Covid-19 hospitalisation decline with time in this age group, just as it does with adolescents and adults," it said.
In this age group, the health ministry said the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty booster vaccine had been shown to increase antibody levels to more than twice the levels achieved after two primary doses, which helps sustain the level of protection against severe disease.
"Common side effects in children who received the booster dose were generally mild, similar to those from the first two doses," it said.
As of August, the ministry said more than 1,000,000 booster doses had been safely administered to children aged five to 11 in the US under the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The EC19V said it had assessed that booster vaccination is beneficial for protection against severe Covid-19 in children aged five to 11.
"While children of this age group are at low risk of severe Covid-19 disease, some children have required hospitalisation, and developed life-threatening disease requiring intensive care treatment or severe complications such as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C)," it said.


MACC confirms 3 senior officers arrested in abuse of power, misconduct probe

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today confirmed that three of its senior officers had been detained to assist investigations into allegations of abuse of power and misconduct in the case of a former head of department at the commission.MACC in a statement said that the commission would conduct a thorough investigation, adding that there should be no speculation on the matter as this would affect the probe.“All three individuals were remanded under Section 117 of the Criminal Procedure Code for six days from Sept 14 until yesterday.“MACC will not compromise or protect any of its officers involved in any criminal act and will take appropriate action if found to be true,” said the statement.Meanwhile, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Abd Jalil Hassan said his department took note of the spread of the news on social media which claimed that three senior MACC officers had been remanded.“So far, police have not received a report on the alleged theft of case materials involving US$6 million (RM25 million) in cash belonging to an individual who has been investigated,” he said in a statement.


Guns out, windows smashed: Trump crowd turns Congress into battlefield

Tense officers pointing guns, lawmakers with gas masks, camouflaged protesters smashing windows – this was the day that President Donald Trump’s bid to overturn the US election went “wild.”Inside the great domed US Capitol building, images emerged of a scene resembling something from a coup d’etat or terrorist attack.A mob, waving Trump’s blue flags and wearing his red campaign hats, stormed through, making it right into the debating chamber.And the rioters quickly accomplished their main goal: halting the ceremony that had just got underway to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s election win over Trump back in November.Legislators were given gas masks to protect themselves against tear gas as they rushed to safety, abandoning the ceremony.In the House chamber, a viral photo on Twitter showed plainclothes security men aiming pistols point blank through the smashed window of a door to block intruders.One person, not identified by authorities, was wounded by a gunshot inside the Capitol building, an emergency response source told AFP. According to US media reports, the victim later died.And as quickly as members of Congress could get out, protesters got in.Some even occupied the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sitting mockingly at a desk. Others posed for pictures, like conquering troops, in the Senate chamber.Trump had promised his supporters that Wednesday would be a “wild” day for the nation’s capital.It was.“I’ve not seen anything like this since I deployed to Iraq,” Mike Gallagher, a Republican lawmaker and military veteran, told CNN.After several hours of mayhem, Trump issued a short video on Twitter calling on people to “go home”.But there was no indication of regret, much less condemnation of the violence.Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by US Capitol police officers outside the Senate chamber, Jan 6. Photo: APInstead, Trump then used his White House video to repeat his claims that the presidential election “was stolen from us”.“We love you. You’re very special,” he congratulated the mob.Ever since November, Trump has been trying to get the election overturned.The only difference is that two weeks before Biden is due to be inaugurated – at the very spot where protesters rampaged outside the Capitol on Wednesday – Trump’s tactics are becoming cruder.Initially he tried in court, going all the way to the Supreme Court with lurid, often half-baked claims of mass election fraud. Every time, judges threw his cases out for lack of supporting evidence.Trump then tried to get local election officials to “find” him extra votes, as he put it in a phone call with one in Georgia.Finally, Trump tried to threaten his vice-president, Mike Pence, openly telling him somehow to blow up Wednesday’s formal ceremony.Pence, infuriating Trump, retorted that he had no constitutional leeway to mess around with the rules. He showed up to Congress and began the procedure.Yet Trump’s supporters were up to the job.They got a final pep talk from their leader earlier Wednesday, when Trump encouraged thousands of people on the National Mall to march on Congress.Within minutes, they were pouring up the Capitol steps.Television footage showed men, some in military gear, smashing a window and climbing through. Other groups clambered up on the roofs of black official vehicles parked outside Congress, abandoned by their drivers.“USA, USA, USA,” Trump supporters chanted as they fought against police, hurling poles, metal pipes and other debris.“They can’t stop us all,” a man with a megaphone called to the crowd, urging people to rush the Capitol entrances.One of the participants, Jordan Shackleford, 25, insisted that he was on the side of right. He’d driven all the way from Oklahoma to support Trump.“They rigged the election,” he insisted.As the day ended, police tried to clear the last stragglers before a draconian Washington curfew kicked in.But the menace lingered.Spotting a cordoned off pen holding journalists trying to cover the scenes outside Congress, a group of about 45 aggressive Trump supporters rushed in, knocking cameras to the ground and yelling “traitors”.“We’re the news now,” one of them chanted.


No miscarriage of justice in charges against ex-Tabung Haji chairman, appeals court told

There is no miscarriage of justice against former Tabung Haji chairman Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim in his corruption and money laundering cases, the Court of Appeal heard today.Deputy public prosecutor Aslinda Ahad submitted that the prosecution would prove its case based on evidence.“The prosecution will also ensure that a fair trial will be conducted against him,” she said.Aslinda was submitting in the appeal brought by Azeez against the High Court’s dismissal of his application to strike out three counts of bribery charges involving RM5.2 million linked to road projects in Perak and Kedah and 10 money laundering charges involving a total of RM13.9 million which he was accused of receiving from Syarikat Menuju Asas Sdn Bhd.Aslinda also said that the corruption and money laundering charges against Azeez were not defective.She said there was no necessity to specify in the charge sheet the form of the unlawful activities which Azeez was accused of committing in respect to his money laundering charges.She said the money laundering charges could stand on their own, adding that the prosecution, through the evidence of its witnesses, would explain the nature of the unlawful activities.On the corruption charge against Azeez, she said there was no multiplicity or duplicity in the charge as the gratification he was accused of receiving was for four projects.Meanwhile, Azeez’s counsel Amer Hamzah Arshad in his reply said his client was a victim of political prosecution and that the trial should not be allowed to proceed as it would cause him unjust suffering.He said the particularisation of the ingredients of charges had not been fulfilled, adding that the court should not allow the charges to stand.According to the charge sheet, Azeez, 55, is alleged to have committed the corruption offences at CIMB Bank, Jalan Tun Perak in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 8, 2010, and at Affin Bank, Puchong City Centre, Selangor, on June 13, 2017 and April 10, 2018.On the money laundering charges, he was alleged to have committed the offences in the Klang Valley area between March 8, 2010 and Aug 30, 2018.At the end of the appeal hearing, Amer Hamzah said he had received instruction from his client who wanted to seek permission from the court to personally say a few words.However, justice Kamaludin Md Said said as far as the charges were concerned, Azeez was innocent until proven guilty, so there was nothing for him to say. He added that it was better for him to remain quiet at this point of time.After the defence and the prosecution completed their submissions, Kamaludin, who sat with justices Abu Bakar Jais and Che Mohd Ruzima Ghazali, deferred the court’s decision to a date to be fixed.The court had heard the appeal on Sept 6 and was fixed to continue the appeal hearing today.


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Singapore, Thailand now on British no-quarantine list

Travellers arriving in the UK from Singapore and Thailand will no longer need to quarantine from Saturday morning.The British government has added both to the list of “travel corridor” countries because of their success at combatting Covid-19.There is no indication of when Malaysia, which sits between Thailand and Singapore, bordering both, may get the nod from the government and be awarded a place on the no-quarantine list.The list is always in flux. When a country’s rate rises, the UK government considers imposing quarantine restrictions.Last week, Portugal was put back on the list after a rise in infections while Sweden was made exempt from quarantine because of improved numbers.As the two Southeast Asian nations are removed, two other countries have been added: Slovenia and Guadeloupe.The British Department for Transport (DfT) said there had been “a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus” in both countries.Travellers arriving from Guadeloupe, a Caribbean overseas region of France, will have to self-isolate for two weeks because their infection rate has risen more than six-fold in the past four weeks, the DfT said.Recent data from Slovenia, a central European neighbour of Italy, also showed an alarming surge in infections, enough to attract the DfT’s attentions.The DfT statement gave no update on the possible introduction of testing at airports as a way of reducing the need for quarantine for travellers. The UK travel industry is demanding this as the only realistic way to avoid further job losses.


PH leaders seek meeting with Ismail on MoU after RM100 million reveal

Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders plan to meet Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob next week to discuss the memorandum of understanding it signed with the federal government.DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said this followed the issue of the RM100 million “gift” to former prime minister Najib Razak which was raised in the Dewan Rakyat during the winding-up session of the Supply Bill 2022 at the policy level by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz yesterday.“(I) have already discussed with Anwar Ibrahim and Mohamad Sabu yesterday. The three of us agreed that the matter is not in line with the MoU we signed with the federal government.“The three of us have decided to ask for a meeting with the prime minister to discuss the matter,” he told a press conference in Melaka today.To the possibility of Perikatan Nasional, Barisan Nasional and PH failing to get a majority in the Melaka state election and being unable to form a government, Lim said PH would discuss with its component parties before making any decisions.Tomorrow is polling day for the Melaka state election, which was called following the dissolution of the Melaka state assembly on Oct 4 after four assemblymen withdrew their support for the leadership of Melaka Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali.


Covid-19 gives scammers a leg-up as shift online continues

Amalina was surprised when she received a phone call from her bank, as they had never called her before.“They told me my account had been frozen due to suspected illegal activities,” she said.Her surprise instantly turned to fear and panic as she was told she could be arrested and charged with money laundering.Instinctively, she wanted to cooperate with her bank as they tried to help her extricate herself from her perilous position. She gave them all of the information and personal particulars they asked for. But then the call turned nasty.“The lady who spoke to me first started off speaking like normal but later she passed the phone to a police officer who started threatening me with prison.”Amalina was being panicked into falling for a classic scam.“He was very intimidating, and my thought process was blocked. I just did what they told me to,” she said.“Scammers usually don’t have a specific target. They just go with anyone they deem to be vulnerable enough to fall for their schemes.”Soon after, when she received three texts from her bank alerting her to three money transfers from her account that day, she realised she had been duped but it was too late.“Most scammers prey on a person’s sense of panic, credulity, compassion, vanity or greed which is why anyone from any age group, class or background can fall victim to their tactics,” said Kalpana Sambasivamurthy, executive director at Association of Banks in Malaysia (ABM), made up of the 26 commercial banks operating in the country.“Scammers usually don’t have a specific target. They just go with anyone they deem to be vulnerable enough to fall for their schemes,” she told MalaysiaNow. “Fraudsters target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels.”Scams are normally carried out through phone calls, emails or texts, but swindlers are adept at moving with the times, Kalpana said. “Which is why scams using social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp are skyrocketing.”Crooks are also very smart about exploiting current situations and communal anxieties, which is why the pandemic is providing them with plenty of opportunities to trick people out of their money.“There have been many cases of scams related to financial assistance and loans provided to assist those affected as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” Kalpana said.“And because most people are buying everything from food to furniture online while they are kept at home, that gives plenty of scope to these creative fraud gangs.”According to a recent study published by Telenor Group, Malaysia is the Asian country most vulnerable to scams, with up to 46% of respondents saying they’ve fallen victim to one.Despite those numbers, Kalpana said there are ways Malaysians can protect themselves.Firstly, she said, be aware that the most common financial scams in Malaysia are e-finance scams, non-existent loan scams, and e-commerce scams. Any of these will usually require the victim to give up the details of their bank accounts.“Banks will never ask you for your personal banking information such as your PIN or your online banking login username and password,” Kalpana said. “And they will never use third parties or agents when setting up loans or other financial arrangements.”“As Covid-19 pushes everyone further into doing everything online, we must all be extra vigilant.”All internet users are guilty of sometimes clicking links without too much thought, but this could turn out to be a very expensive mistake.“If you receive an email purporting to be from your bank and asking you to update your online login information by clicking a link provided, never click any links which claim to take you to your bank’s website.”In that situation, Kalpana and other security experts give the same advice: Always access your bank’s website by typing the address directly into the address bar in your internet browser or use the bank’s official mobile app on your phone.“As Covid-19 pushes everyone further into doing everything online, we must all be extra vigilant,” said Kalpana.Ultimately, Amalina, not her real name, lost RM45,000 to her scammers. All it had taken was one phone call, but it could just as easily have been a WhatsApp message or Facebook post which panicked her into giving her savings away.ABM advises anyone in doubt about an enquiry or communication to contact ABMConnect at 1300-88-9980 or Bank Negara Malaysia’s BNMTELELINK at 1300-88-5465 for further assistance.


Umno seeks stay of proceedings in SRC suit

Umno has filed an application for a stay of proceedings in a suit against it by SRC International for allegedly receiving a misappropriated sum of RM16 million from the company.Umno as the defendant filed the application with an affidavit of support through Messrs Shahrul Hamidi & Hamidi in the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 24.In the affidavit, Umno executive secretary Mohd Sumali Reduan said among the reasons for the application was that the defendant had filed a notice of appeal to the Court of Appeal against judicial commissioner Quay Chew Soon’s decision on Nov 11 dismissing the party’s application to strike out the suit and allow the application by SRC International, Gandingan Mentari and Jendela Pinggiran as the plaintiffs to amend the writ of summons and statement of claim.“The defendant is not satisfied with the decisions and filed two notices of appeal to the Court of Appeal on Nov 17.“On the same day (Nov 10), Quay allowed the defendant’s application for an interim stay of the proceedings of the action (suit) including from filing its defence statement and directed the defendant to file an application for a stay of proceedings for the suit,” Sumali said in the affidavit.Sumali claimed there would be no prejudice against the plaintiffs if the court allowed the stay of proceedings of the suit.“If this application (stay of proceedings) is not allowed by the court and the defendant is instructed to file a defence statement, the appeals will be rendered nugatory and academic because if the appeals are allowed by the Court of Appeal the whole proceedings of this application will be cancelled,” he said.Meanwhile, lawyer Shahrul Fazli Kamarulzaman who represented Umno when contacted by Bernama after case management before the High Court senior assistant registrar Noordura Mohamed Din, said the court had fixed an online hearing for the application before Quay on March 10 next year.Mohamed Baharudeen Mohamed Ariff representing Umno and Nur Syafinaz Vani Abdullah representing the plaintiffs participated in yesterday’s proceedings.In its writ of summons, the plaintiffs claimed that the political party knew, or ought to have known, that the monies belonged to SRC International, and that they had no basis to receive the funds.On May 10, the finance ministry confirmed that 1MDB and its subsidiary SRC International had filed 22 civil suits to seek its assets of over RM96.6 billion, including RM300 million from various local parties.It said the writ of summons was filed on May 7 – six by 1MDB and 16 by SRC International.


The young chef cooking Chinese food for all

For as long as he can remember, Woh Jia Le has loved cooking. By the time he was 24, he had moved from his home town in Batu Pahat, Johor, to Kuala Lumpur where he worked as a professional chef at a well-known hotel in the capital city.
After the onset of Covid-19, however, tourist arrivals plunged to zero and the restaurant where he worked was forced to suspend operations.
Alone at home, Woh began racking his brain for something to do to pass the time. But no inspiration came until one day, a Malay friend asked him how to cook halal Chinese food.
It was as if a light switch had been thrown. Immediately, Woh knew what he could do.
He decided that he would make videos teaching people how to cook traditional Chinese food that everybody could eat.
It was a bold move to tout Chinese food without ingredients such as pork and rice wine, but Woh was determined to give it a shot.

He uploaded his first video in January 2021, demonstrating how to make Cantonese char kueh teow.
Bit by bit, he added to his collection and people began to notice him on social media.
Today, his video on Hainanese chicken rice alone has gained over 2.3 million views.
Recipes aside, Woh has also received praise for his use of the Malay language in his videos.
While he was initially shaky in his command of the language, he said none of his viewers had complained or criticised.
"In fact, they helped me," he said. "When I used the wrong word for something, they would tell me what the correct word was.
"I was touched," he added. "The more videos I made, the more I appreciated the spirit they showed. They would always leave comments that encouraged me to do more."

Speaking in an interview with MalaysiaNow, Woh said there weren't many restaurants in Malaysia that provided halal Chinese food.
"It was hard for my Malay friends and even some of my Indian friends to enjoy Chinese cooking," he said.
"By making these videos and posting them on social media, I hope they can learn how to make some dishes for themselves."
Woh also takes the opportunity to introduce Chinese culture and tradition to his social media followers by making ancient dishes such as bak chang or steamed glutinous rice dumplings.
"The method of wrapping and preparing bak chang is very traditional," he said.
"Every year, the Chinese celebrate bak chang festival. This year, I can celebrate it with my Malay and Indian friends."
Woh has been overwhelmed by the support he has received so far, saying many of his followers even post pictures of their culinary achievements.
"I didn't think they would try because it's difficult to do," he said. "When I see the pictures, sometimes I shed a few tears.
"I'm really touched," he added. "They try very hard to cook these dishes and appreciate the food. I feel like I have achieved my goal of sharing my culture."

Woh has also come up with a recipe for another classic Chinese dish: bak kut teh or herbal pork, only cooked with chicken instead.
His "chi kut teh" video has received enthusiastic support on social media, along with his videos for other Chinese staples like mapo tofu, oyster omelette and sweet and sour chicken.
The first video Woh made was with his friend, Han Sheng, in the kitchen of their rented house in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.
They spent an entire day buying the utensils and ingredients they would need. After that, they talked about which cooking method to use.
Then, they recorded their cooking session using a mobile phone.
Now, they have rented a small studio in Kepong for filming. They also have three other crew members in charge of management, video editing and marketing.
Before becoming a chef on social media, Woh studied culinary arts at an academy in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur.
He underwent practical training at the Mandarin Oriental before landing a position at the five-star Grand Millennium in Jalan Bukit Bintang.
But for all his training and the prestige that came with working at famous hotels and restaurants, he has never regretted his decision to make cooking videos instead.
At the end of the day, he says, he is doing it as a child of Malaysia.
"My hope is that the spirit and unity of Malaysians will only grow and become stronger through food," he said.
"That is why I'm doing this."