Amber Heard details death threats as testimony ends in Johnny Depp defamation case

“Aquaman” actor Amber Heard delivered the final testimony in the multimillion-dollar defamation battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp on Thursday, telling jurors she has faced daily harassment and death threats since she accused the Hollywood star of abuse.Depp, 58, sued Heard in Virginia for US$50 million and argued that she defamed him when she called herself “a public figure representing domestic abuse.”Heard, 36, has countersued for US$100 million, saying Depp smeared her when his lawyer called her accusations a “hoax.”The dueling claims are expected to go to the jury on Friday after each side offers closing arguments.Heard wrapped up her testimony on Thursday saying she has been “harassed, humiliated, threatened” on social media since accusing the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star of physical and sexual abuse.“People want to kill me and they tell me so every day,” Heard said. “People want to put my baby in the microwave.” Heard adopted a baby girl in July 2021.She said the ongoing harassment was part of Depp’s crusade to publicly humiliate her.Depp admitted to writing in a 2016 text that Heard was “begging for total global humiliation” and “she’s gonna get it.” He said it was written in anger when he learned she was alleging that he physically abused her.“He wanted to ruin my career,” Heard told the jury. “The threats he made to humiliate me, globally, are being lived out in real time, in front of you… and the whole world.”Depp has denied hitting Heard or any woman and said she was the one who turned violent in their relationship. The pair met in 2011 while filming “The Rum Diary” and wed in February 2015. Their divorce was finalised about two years later.“No human being is perfect,” Depp said on Wednesday. “But I have never in my life committed sexual battery, physical abuse.”Over six weeks of proceedings, jurors have listened to explicit recordings of fights between the former couple, seen graphic photos of a bloody severed finger and heard arguments about feces found in the couple’s bed.Depp said Heard threw a vodka bottle that cut off the top of his finger during an argument in 2015. Heard denied injuring Depp’s finger and said Depp sexually assaulted her that night with a liquor bottle.He also said he believed Heard or a friend left feces in the bed the morning after a fight. Heard said the feces likely came from one of their dogs.At the centre of the legal case is a December 2018 opinion piece by Heard in the Washington Post. The article never mentioned Depp by name, but his lawyer told jurors it was clear that Heard was referring to him.Depp, once among Hollywood’s biggest stars, said Heard’s allegations cost him “everything.” A new “Pirates” movie was put on hold, and Depp was replaced in the “Fantastic Beasts” film franchise, a “Harry Potter” spinoff.Heard’s attorneys have argued that she told the truth and her opinion was protected free speech under the US Constitution’s First Amendment. They said she also lost work opportunities in Hollywood because of Depp’s accusations.“Johnny has taken enough of my voice,” Heard told the jury. “I have the right to tell my story.”Depp lost a libel case less than two years ago against the Sun, a British tabloid that labeled him a “wife beater.” A London High Court judge ruled that he had repeatedly assaulted Heard.Depp’s lawyers filed the US case in Fairfax County, Virginia, because the Washington Post is printed there. The newspaper is not a defendant.


Islamist Ennahda supporters attempt to storm Tunisian parliament

Protesters from the Islamist Ennahda movement in Tunisia tried again on Monday evening to storm the main parliament building after dozens of them gathered in front of the site’s outer gate.Tunisia is seeing nationwide protests over the country’s economic troubles and spiralling coronavirus crisis.The storming attempt came just hours after the Tunisian parliament speaker, and co-founder of the Ennahdha Party, Rached Ghannouchi left the vicinity of the Tunisian parliament after the army prevented him from entering.Ghannouchi staged a sit-in in front of the parliament surrounded by the Tunisian army, while skirmishes erupted between Ennahda supporters and opponents.Ennahda supporters also attacked Al Arabiya and Al Hadath news correspondents in front of the parliament.In a declaration late on Sunday, Tunisian President Kais Saied invoked emergency powers under the constitution to dismiss Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspend parliament for 30 days, saying he would govern alongside a new premier. He rejected accusations of a coup.Mechichi is at his home and not under arrest, one source close to him said on Monday.Protesters celebrated President Kais Saied’s decision late Sunday night with shouts of joy, honking horns and waving Tunisian flags.The dissolution of parliament had been among the demands of thousands of protesters who defied virus restrictions and scorching heat to demonstrate on Sunday in the capital, Tunis, and other cities.The largely young crowds shouted slogans calling for early elections and economic reforms. Clashes erupted in many places.The president said he had to fire the prime minister and suspend parliament because of concerns over public violence.Tunisia’s economy has been struggling for years, and the country recently reimposed lockdowns and other virus restrictions because it’s facing one of Africa’s worst virus outbreaks.Al Jazeera reports that the health ministry has warned that the health system has “collapsed” amid a significant influx of patients in hospitals. “The boat is sinking,” Health Minister Nisaf Ben Alaya said, calling on Tunisians to unite in efforts to combat the pandemic.The situation is compounded by the slow pace of the vaccination campaign in Tunisia, where only about 13% of people have received at least one dose of a two-shot vaccine, according to Our World in Data.One surprise bright spot for Tunisians came on Sunday as virtually unknown swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui triumphed in the 400m freestyle at the Tokyo Games, beating a field of faster and older swimmers.Hafnaoui was the first Tunisian and African to win Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020.The 18-year-old celebrated his gold medal performance with loud yelling that echoed around the mostly empty 15,000-seat arena.


Zahid: Ismail still BN's PM candidate, but...

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today reiterated that Ismail Sabri Yaakob remains Barisan Nasional's (BN) candidate for prime minister although adding that it is the Agong's prerogative to choose a leader, in line with the Federal Constitution.
Zahid, who has maintained that Ismail is the coalition's "poster boy" for the upcoming polls despite claims of attempts to shore up support for himself in this role, said all parties should respect the Agong's "absolute discretion", based on Article 43 of the constitution, The Malay Mail reported.
"So this issue should not be discussed as the process to choose a certain prime minister is not only in the hands of any political parties but also the Agong," he was quoted as saying in a press conference in Bagan Datuk.
Ismail himself said as recently as yesterday that there had been no change in BN's prime ministerial candidate if it wins the election on Nov 19.
"If you want to change the decision, it must be done in the Supreme Council, it must be changed in the general assembly," Ismail, an Umno vice-president, said.
"As long as the Supreme Council does not decide otherwise (to change the prime minister candidate), what has been decided is still valid. As of today there is still no change."
However, MalaysiaNow on Nov 1 reported Umno Supreme Council member Zahidi Zainul Abidin as saying that BN candidates for the polls would have to sign statutory declarations (SDs).
"I don't know what the SDs are for. Perhaps in support of Zahid as prime minister. Or maybe the SDs are to ensure that they follow and are loyal to his every instruction," Zahidi, one of several leaders later dropped from BN's line-up, had said.
Zahid is facing 47 charges in court involving tens of millions belonging to charity outfit Yayasan Akalbudi.


Kedah MB hints at dissolution of state assembly after June 18

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has hinted that the state assembly will be dissolved after June 18, to pave way for state polls.
He said this was based on several factors, including the arrival of the fasting month, Aidilfitri celebration, haj season and Aidiladha celebration prior to that.
"In March and April, it’s the fasting month and Raya (Aidilfitri)... after that we have people going for the haj, so we have to wait for them to come back, and on June 18, we have the sultan of Kedah’s birthday celebration.
"It (the dissolution of the state assembly) can only be done after that," he told reporters in Alor Setar last night.
Sanusi said PAS would decide for itself when to dissolve the state assemblies in the three states under its rule, namely Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, without discussing the matter with states under Pakatan Harapan (PH).
However, the PAS election director expressed hope that the PH-administered states of Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan would be able to dissolve their state assemblies together with the three states under PAS, so that state elections could be held simultaneously.
"There have been informal discussions with other states, like with Negeri Sembilan. I asked the menteri besar (Aminuddin Harun). He said it is not his intention to dissolve the state assembly in May, and its mandate expires in June.
"So, like it or not, the (Negeri Sembilan) state assembly has to be dissolved in May or at the latest on May 31. So if the state polls are to be held simultaneously, they have to be held within 60 days, which is between June 1 and 31," he added.


Cybercriminals' crypto platform ChipMixer seized in international operation

International authorities have cracked down on the cryptocurrency platform ChipMixer, alleging it helped obscure the digital money trail for online drug dealers, Russian military hackers and North Korean cybercriminals, Europe's Europol police agency and the US Department of Justice said on Wednesday.
The site - which authorities say laundered more than US$3 billion (about RM13.5 billion) worth of cryptocurrency - was offline on Wednesday, replaced by a banner which read, "This website has been siezed" and displaying the logos of German, American, Swiss and Polish law enforcement organisations.
The Justice Department said it had charged Vietnamese national Minh Quoc Nguyen, 49, with money laundering and identity theft in connection with the platform's operation. In its indictment, the department claimed that Nguyen openly flouted financial regulations and at one point told users of a Bitcoin forum that "'Money laundering' is a crime made-up by governments that spy on their citizens."
In an email, the Justice Department said Nguyen was not in custody. Reuters was not immediately able to determine his current whereabouts; attempts to reach him by email were not immediately successful. A message sent to ChipMixer's publicly posted email address was not immediately returned.
ChipMixer, an unlicensed cryptocurrency mixer set up in mid-2017, specialised in mixing or cutting trails related to virtual currency assets, authorities said. Europol described it as "one of the darkweb's largest cryptocurrency laundromats" and said that more than US$42.2 million worth of cryptocurrency had been seized.
Digital currency tracking service Elliptic said ChipMixer had been used to launder over US$844 million in Bitcoin that it tied directly to illicit activity – including at least US$666 million from cryptocurrency thefts.
Elliptic said in a blog post that ChipMixer was one of several mixers used to launder proceeds of hacks perpetrated by the Lazarus Group, a hacking gang that cybersecurity specialists and Western countries allege to be operated out of North Korea.
The Justice Department said the Russia's military intelligence service - best known under its old acronym, the GRU - had also used the service to purchase infrastructure for hacking operations.
Because blockchain transactions are publicly visible, cybercriminals often use mixers to obscure the trail of ill-gotten digital currencies and other such services that have been subject to law enforcement seizure in the past.
In May 2019, for example, Europol announced the seizure of Bestmixer.io, a similar site.


Rome rated first 5-star airport for Covid-19 prevention

Anyone eager to take to the global skies again may want to consider Rome as their first destination of choice in the post-pandemic world.Rome’s Fiumicino Airport has just become the first airport in the world to earn “The Covid-19 5-Star Airport Rating” from Skytrax, the international airport ratings body.Skytrax is best known for its annual rankings of the world’s best airports, and the global Covid-19 crisis has prompted them to come up with a category for airport hygiene.According to a press release from Skytrax, they based their rating on, “A combination of procedural efficiency checks, visual observation analysis and available testing facilities.”Fiumicino Airport, also known as Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport, is the busiest airport in Italy.On Sept 1, the airport opened a 7,000-square-foot Covid-19 rapid testing centre, co-managed with the Italian Red Cross.The airport scored highly for strict enforcement of mask wearing, visibly present cleaning staff, and the routing of all incoming and outgoing flights through a single terminal for easier passenger tracking.So far, Skytrax – whose head office is in the UK – has only been able to monitor European airports.In addition to Leonardo Da Vinci’s five-star ranking, three airports have been awarded three stars for their Covid-19 response: Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport in Spain, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport in France and London’s Heathrow.It is anticipated that when Southeast Asia’s international airports are finally flying again, they will take some beating when it comes to the new health and safety standards travellers will be expecting.


Cops to monitor street begging at ‘hotspot’ areas

Police will monitor street begging activities in several hotspot areas, Deputy Inspector-General of Police Razarudin Husain said today.He said both state and district-level police have been directed to monitor the situation especially in city areas where beggars are usually spotted at busy traffic light junctions.“Those begging are adults and teenagers. So there is no denying that there is an issue,” he said when asked about the matter of beggars among United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) cardholders.He said the police will take legal action against beggars under the Road Transport Act 1987 and the Minor Offences Act 1955.“The laws in Malaysia are not only applicable to Malaysian citizens only. Anyone who commits a criminal or minor offence will be prosecuted,” he said.Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department chief Saiful Annuar Yusoff said the police are investigating a video showing child beggars, believed to be Rohingya children, acting aggressively when begging for money from the public.He said the incident was believed to have taken place in the federal capital.He said there are several legal provisions including those allowing action to be taken under Section 32 of the Child Act 2001 against individuals for allowing a child under their care to go begging. If found guilty, the offender can be fined a maximum of RM20,000, imprisoned for a period not exceeding five years, or both.“Action can also be taken under Section 283 of the Penal Code on abandoning or exposing a person under one’s custody to danger, which provides for a fine of up to RM400.“In addition, there is also Section 27 (c) of the Minor Offences Act 1955 whereby anyone found begging in a public place when he or she is capable of earning a living can be fined up to RM100 or be imprisoned,” he said in a statement today.Saiful also urged the public to channel any information related to crime to the Kuala Lumpur police hotline at 03-2146 0584/585 or at any nearby police station.


Amendment on citizenship to be presented to rulers on July 12

The proposed amendment to Section 3 of the Federal Constitution involving citizenship issues will be presented in the Conference of Rulers meeting on July 12.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the proposed amendment was done comprehensively by incorporating at least eight proposed amendments including the issue of children born to Malaysian citizen mothers abroad with non-citizen partners.
"If everything goes according to order and with the approval of the Rulers, then we will present the matter at (Dewan Rakyat) sitting at the end of this year.
"This will answer most of the issues raised by the people," he said when winding up the debate on the motion on Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) financial statements and reports in Parliament today.
He said the home affairs ministry is currently preparing the proposal and the engagement session is in the final stage in an effort to deal with issues related to citizenship comprehensively. Meanwhile, regarding the issue of refugees in this country, Saifuddin said the government plans to create its own database to have complete information such as the number, whereabouts, age and complete personal information of refugees.
He said the ministry will be given the responsibility to collect the refugee data in collaboration with the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR), while for the refugees in Sabah, the chief minister's department will be responsible for doing so.
"According to UNHCR data, there are 185,000 refugees in our country right now.
"Before, we had an initiative (collecting refugee data) made through private parties with the permission of the home affairs ministry, but they were only able to identify 30,000 people, and that does not reflect the real situation," he said.
In this regard, he said he had met with UNHCR on data sharing and once the organisation agreed with the results of the discussion to share data later, the ministry would carry out screening to safeguard national security.
He said the current government policy is to make it easier for refugees to continue living (before being transferred to a third country), by making it easier for them to get jobs, education and health, but it cannot start without the government having a clear refugee database.
Touching on Malaysia's position on the Human Trafficking Activity Report 2023, he said the matter would be announced by the US tomorrow night, and his ministry would also hold a meeting with representatives of the American embassy to receive the report.
Regarding the issue of public order involving the 3Rs (religion, race and royalty), Saifuddin said the issue could be alleviated if the political arena was not used as a stage for differentiating beliefs between individuals.
"It is better that we reduce or distance ourselves from this kind of politics. We fight in terms of ideas and policies and then we leave it to the wisdom of the people to make the election. We can actually stop this together," he said.
Earlier, the Dewan Rakyat was delayed for about 15 minutes during the winding-up session which saw MPs from the government and opposition bloc clashing over the 3R issue.


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South Korea plans carbon emissions cuts with new bullet trains by 2029

South Korea aims to cut some 30% of carbon emissions from railway travel by replacing all diesel passenger locomotives with new electric bullet trains by 2029, President Moon Jae-in said on Monday.Moon joined a trial run of the KTX-Eum, an electric multiple unit train as South Korea, one of world’s most fossil-fuel reliant economies, envisages a “greener” recovery from the novel coronavirus. Eum means link in Korean.“We will replace all diesel passenger trains with the KTX-Eum by 2029 and establish eco-friendly railway transport nationwide,” Moon said at a station in the eastern city of Wonju.“By doing that, we will cut 70,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, which is equivalent to planting 10 million pine trees, and advance to a carbon neutral society.”The train, built by Hyundai Rotem Co, only produces around 70% of the emissions produced by diesel-powered trains, which generated 235,000 tonnes of emissions in 2019, according to state-run Korail Railroad Corp, Reuters reports.Its top speed is 260kph, slightly slower than the 300kph of the regular KTX bullet trains which already connect Seoul to Busan, South Korea’s second largest city, home to over eight million people. The trains travel the 400km from the fifth busiest sea port in the world to the capital in just two hours and 15 minutes.Moon is promoting a “Green New Deal”, a six-year plan aimed at boosting jobs and curbing heavy reliance on fossil fuels in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.Seoul has declared that South Korea would be carbon neutral by 2050.The initiative focuses on investing in more environmentally friendly energy and transport, such as solar power and electric and hydrogen cars, and building digital infrastructure.Coal powers 40% of South Korea’s electricity and renewable power less than 6%.


PH-BN govt struggling with Malay vote, say analysts

Government parties appear to be struggling with the perennial question of Malay support, analysts say on the heels of the inroads made by Perikatan Nasional (PN) at the 15th general election (GE15) and recent remarks seen as widening the gap in support from the ethnic group.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, they said party leaders were beginning to show signs of no longer pinning their hopes on Malay support, citing for example the omission of aid schemes for Felda settlers in the newly tabled budget for 2023.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail meanwhile was heavily criticised by some quarters after saying that young voters with low levels of education and income had supported PN at the polls last year.
Analyst Anis Anwar Suhaimi of 02 Research Malaysia said these examples showed a lack of understanding of the socio-economic grievances of the Malays.
"Reading the data without a deep understanding of the Malay sensibilities will lead to a distorted interpretation of the group, especially the urban centric assessment," he told MalaysiaNow.
He also referred to the differences in Malay voting pattern at GE13, GE14 and GE15, describing them as a message to political leaders gunning for their support.
In terms of education and income levels, he said these alone do not symbolise the quality of a democracy but rather show that each community has its own demands of the government.
"National policies that do not meet the aspirations of the Malays, coupled with a prejudiced view of their demographics, will invite a more reactive response," he said.
"This is especially given the upcoming state elections, which will be a second testing ground in determining the support of the Malays, particularly in Malay-majority areas."
Hisommudin Bakar of think tank Ilham Centre meanwhile said that support for PN had actually come from all age groups, going by the results of the last election.
In Malay-majority states, he said, PN had seen a two-fold increase in support across all voting channels from the support experienced by its parties at the previous polls.
"The non-Malays are less inclined towards PN," he said.
"Saifuddin's remarks might have been more about appeasing the PH machinery."


Dreams put on hold as govt appeals citizenship ruling

Priscilla was 25 years old when she left her home town in Melaka and boarded a plane to Europe to marry a Frenchman.For five years, she lived in a remote village in France where her husband, who was in the French army, was stationed. Together, they had two daughters.In 2010, though, Priscilla filed for divorce. After winning custody of her children, she returned to Malaysia, hoping that the country she still called home would provide a better life for them than they would have had in France.But she did not anticipate the multitude of problems she would face in giving them that new life.Neither of her daughters had Malaysian citizenship and there was little Priscilla could do about it. While the Federal Constitution gives Malaysian men married to foreign women the automatic right to confer citizenship on children born abroad, nothing is said about Malaysian women in similar positions.As a result, Malaysian women who marry foreigners and have children overseas have faced mountains of red tape in bringing those children home.“The court decision was a positive step towards ending gender discrimination against Malaysian mothers and a ruling that was in the best interest of the child.”Without citizenship, they must apply for a long-term visitor visa and renew these every two years. If the passes are not renewed on time, their children must leave the country every three months.“But even to get the visas sometimes can take months,” Priscilla told MalaysiaNow.The process has been further complicated by the Covid-19 crisis, which forced many procedures online.Meanwhile, children like Priscilla’s have zero access to the free education, healthcare or government assistance available to those who possess Malaysian citizenship.All of these costs add up, laying a huge burden on the shoulders of the women struggling to give their children the same rights which others receive as a matter of course.Last week, they celebrated a landmark ruling by the Kuala Lumpur High Court which said that the word “father” in the constitution must be read to include mothers, thereby allowing children of Malaysian women born overseas the right to automatic citizenship by operation of law.However, the government later filed an appeal against the decision, sparking a strong reaction including from ministers Zuraida Kamaruddin, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Annuar Musa.Bina Ramanand, cofounder of the Foreign Spouses Support Group, Malaysia, said the appeal was a “huge step backwards” for Malaysian women.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she said the government should have taken the opportunity to end gender discrimination in this regard.“There has been a huge outcry not just by the affected mothers, but by the larger population of Malaysian women all over the world,” she said.“The court decision was a positive step towards ending gender discrimination against Malaysian mothers and a ruling that was in the best interest of the child. After all, aren’t Malaysian women and children a part of the Malaysian Family?” she added, using a phrase introduced by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob in his first speech after being sworn into office.For now, it appears as though the tedious process of applying for citizenship and visas must continue as other costs mount up for education and healthcare.Bina said the Covid-19 pandemic had further underscored the need to resolve the issue as some mothers overseas have been unable to return to Malaysia due to the entry restrictions on foreign nationals – in this case, their children.“Some have chosen to remain in toxic marriages due to the greater legal security for their children, heightening their risk of gender-based violence,” she said, adding that applications had also been rejected without reason after long periods of waiting.Some women have given up and left the country.But Priscilla continues to wait and hope, praying for the day that her children will be allowed to remain as citizens.“My daughters are very Malaysian in heart and soul,” she said. “Yes, their father is French but that’s their father.“How can they be French, they cannot even speak French. They speak Malay, English and a bit of Mandarin because they learn this at school.”When asked about her ambition, one of the girls told MalaysiaNow that she wants to be a chef – “in Malaysia”, the 11-year-old added.It remains to be seen if her dream will ever come true.


Free pads at office just the first step, says health minister Zaliha

The health ministry's free sanitary pad initiative might seem like a small step but could have a big impact in tackling the lack of sanitary pads, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa says.
She added that it was a good fit with menstrual health and women’s reproductive systems.
"I understand that there has been some confusion and am grateful for the public’s views on my statement regarding the provision of free sanitary pads at the health ministry headquarters.
"I would like to clarify that the initiative we intend to start at the headquarters is to evaluate it from an operational aspect and immediate feedback.
"If successful, I see that it can be expanded to strategic health facilities and involve the public," she said in a Facebook post.
Zaliha announced the initiative on Monday, saying it would be implemented at the minister’s office at the health ministry building as soon as possible to tackle the lack of pads in the country.


Woman, 82, to join billionaire Bezos’ first passenger space flight

An 82-year-old woman who has spent six decades trying to reach space will join billionaire Jeff Bezos on the first human-crewed flight by his space company later this month.Wally Funk, who underwent astronaut training in the 1960s, will become the oldest person to ever fly to space.Bezos has invited her as an “honoured guest”, who will join the Amazon founder, his brother Mark and a mystery person who paid US$28 million at auction for a seat.The company plans to take its amateur astronauts more than 100km above the Earth’s surface, allowing them to experience microgravity. Their capsule will then return to Earth using parachutes to slow its descent, on a trip expected to last about 10 minutes in total.In a two-minute clip posted online, Bezos is seen telling a surprised and delighted Funk that she has been chosen for the trip.“I didn’t think I’d ever get to go up,” she says in the video.Born in the US state of New Mexico in 1939, she has had a life-long love of flying and aviation.She has logged nearly 20,000 flying hours across her career and taught over 3,000 people to fly.She has already made history a number of times by becoming the first woman to serve on several important federal aviation boards, but she never made it into space.She volunteered in 1961 for the Women in Space programme where she underwent the rigorous physical and mental testing in the hope of becoming an astronaut, but the scheme was cancelled.She has already paid US$200,000 for a ticket for Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic programme, which recently got FAA approval to start taking paying customers on its own space missions.“I can’t tell people how fabulous I feel to have been picked by Blue Origin to go on this trip” she says in the video, adding she expects to “love every second” of the journey.Jeff Bezos, one of the world’s richest people, created Blue Origin in 2000 and announced last month that he and his brother would embark on the flight, describing it as something he had wanted to do all his life.


Luxembourg court set aside attachment order requested by Sulu 'heir', says Azalina

A court in Luxembourg set aside an attachment order applied for by an individual claiming to be an "heir" of the Sulu group on Jan 24, says Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said.
She said the July 11, 2022 attachment order set aside was requested based on two purported arbitral awards issued by an illegally appointed arbitrator, Stampa, who is said to have awarded the claimant an amount of US$14.92 billion (RM63.34 billion).
"Malaysia has consistently objected to the alleged arbitration proceedings planned by the claimant.
"Malaysia has taken all available legal actions to revoke the appointment of Stampa and the said award," she said in a statement.
Azalina said as a result of Malaysia's actions, the Spanish court that appointed Stampa retrospectively cancelled his appointment and the "preliminary award" that he had issued in Madrid. The French court has suspended the enforcement of the "final award" said to have been issued by Stampa in France pending the court's decision on Malaysia's application to set it aside.
"Malaysia had immediately applied to the Luxembourg court to obtain interim relief to set aside the attachment order.
"The hearing for the application took place on Dec 5, 2022 before the Luxembourg court judge who later set aside the attachment order," Azalina said.
Azalina said the decision of the Luxembourg court justified the government's policy to defend Malaysia in any forum, to ensure that the country's interests, sovereignty immunity and sovereignty are protected and preserved at all times.
She said in this regard, the government would continue striving to stop all claims against Malaysia.


Khairy upbeat about vaccine drive as millions more doses to come

Khairy Jamaluddin has again expressed confidence in the rate of the Covid-19 vaccination programme, saying millions of doses will arrive in the next two months, apologising however for the difficulties experienced by the public in booking a slot due to the overwhelming response.The science, technology and innovation minister said Malaysia would take delivery of more supplies from at least three companies, subject to approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).He said another two million doses of the Pfizer vaccine would be sent in July, while a total of 12 million doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine would arrive in June and July.Meanwhile, another one million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will arrive in June and July.Khairy also said the AstraZeneca jab would be reinstated in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) following the overwhelming response from the public last weekend.“After seeing the encouraging response, we see the level of reluctance towards the AstraZeneca vaccine has eroded and there is no doubt AstraZeneca is now better accepted by our society.“We have decided for the upcoming months we will no longer implement AstraZeneca for opt-in registration, and it will be included in the mainstream immunisation list,” he said.The AstraZeneca vaccine is currently offered outside of PICK following fears over negative reports surrounding the jab.He also spoke of the possibility that the public would be able to pick their vaccine of choice through the MySejahtera application.“I am looking into a facility where people will be able to make a choice on the vaccine they will receive through MySejahtera, which we will upgrade soon.“It will be done in MySejahtera. I think we’ve learnt a lot on the website and I think it’s cleaner to do everything on MySejahtera and it encourages people to use the application,” he added.On claims that the website operation costs RM70 million, he said the budget allocated was not for the PICK website alone.He said the RM70 million ceiling allocation was for the management and monitoring of PICK achievements, its daily dashboard, integration of MySejahtera and the development of the vaccine registration portal.It also involves the development of the Qmobile management system procurement, the digital passport in MySejahtera and call centre operations.“I know for certain we have not spent RM70 million,” he added.


Ismail Sabri made DPM, Hishammuddin senior minister

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as his deputy and Hishammuddin Hussein as a senior minister, his office announced today.The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that both appointments had been presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and were effective immediately.It said Ismail would continue holding his defence portfolio while Hishammuddin had been made senior foreign affairs minister and would take over the security cluster previously headed by Ismail.“The prime minister has also agreed that Hishammuddin assist him in the implementation of the National Recovery Plan,” the PMO said.The appointment of a deputy prime minister fills the void that had existed in the Cabinet since the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in February.It also comes after several meetings among Umno MPs and Cabinet members which saw them rejecting a proposal by their president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to take the party out of the government.Hishammuddin now joins three other senior ministers: Mohamed Azmin Ali, Radzi Jidin and Fadillah Yusof.Ismail has been the MP of Bera in Pahang since March 2004, and was the Parliament opposition leader during the 22 months of Pakatan Harapan rule.In the previous Barisan Nasional government, he held several Cabinet portfolios under the leadership of Najib Razak and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, serving as the minister for rural and regional development, agriculture, domestic trade, cooperatives and consumerism, as well as youth and sports.In a statement following his appointment, Ismail thanked Muhyiddin for the trust placed in him.“This appointment is not a privilege; rather it is a trust and a heavy responsibility especially as we are facing the Covid-19 pandemic and are in efforts to make the National Recovery Plan a success.“I hope that we will together, without considering religion, race or political persuasion, lead Malaysia to a better future,” he said.


Removing ‘guessing game’ on GE date among ERC’s ideas to transform the face of election

Recommendations submitted by Putrajaya’s special committee on reforming the electoral system are set to transform the face of Malaysia’s general elections, including several suggestions that would remove the ruling party’s advantage against its opponents.The 49 proposals submitted by the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) include one that would remove the age-old guessing game on the dissolution of Parliament as well as state assemblies.In its report submitted last August, the ERC said that ample notice of up to six months should be served, so that political parties as well the Election Commission (EC) are not caught by surprise when Parliament is dissolved.Under current law, the ruling government has the prerogative to dissolve Parliament and call for an election whenever it likes.“The unexpected dissolution will catch opposition parties and other candidates off guard. The EC, too, will have difficulty especially in preparing logistics and appointing and training election workers,” the ERC report said as sighted by MalaysiaNow.In the past, intense speculation by politicians and analysts on the date of a given election would begin long before the expiry of the government’s five-year mandate.In 2018, then-prime minister Najib Razak decided to wait until the end of Barisan Nasional’s mandate to call for an election, following several months of speculation.The ERC said the practice of announcing the dissolution of Parliament months in advance is also followed in New Zealand, citing how Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had announced this in January, some 10 months before the end of her government’s mandate in October.Another recommendation by the ERC will see the tradition of nomination day gatherings effectively abolished.“Too great a police presence, even to maintain public peace, does not reflect the ideal democracy practised in developed countries.”The committee said the nomination of candidates could be done online, without the need for authorities to mobilise logistics for crowd control, and ensuring peace between the supporters of political rivals.“Too great a police presence, even to maintain public peace, does not reflect the ideal democracy practised in developed countries,” the report said.It also suggested an extension of several days to the nomination period instead of the present one hour before candidacies are confirmed and announced by the returning officer.It cited several examples in other democracies where the nomination period lasts several days, such as the UK (three days), New Zealand (five days), India (seven days), Australia (14 days) and South Africa (16 days).“The one-hour time frame is too short and only puts pressure on those who plan to submit their nomination forms,” the ERC report said.It said taking the process online would also prevent tension between rival political parties in gatherings outside nomination centres.The committee likewise recommended that the campaign period be allowed to continue for between 14 and 21 days, with a law requiring that voting be held on a Saturday.Previous elections had seen the government limiting the campaign period to less than two weeks.The 2018 election campaign lasted 11 days compared to 15 days in 2013. But both are still relatively longer than the campaign periods of the 1980s and 1990s.In 1999, a record nine-day campaign period was fixed under Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration. The election was held on the back of large-scale anti-government protests in the wake of Anwar Ibrahim’s sacking a year earlier.The ERC also recommended a longer cooling-off period where all forms of campaigning are banned.Currently, political parties and candidates may campaign until midnight before voting day.“A cooling-off period of two days would allow voters to make a rational evaluation before heading to the polling centres. The contesting party will also have time to take down their campaign material during this period,” said the ERC.ERC chief executive Amerul Muner Mohamad says no weaknesses can be allowed in the electoral system.Putrajaya recently announced a special committee headed by senior minister Mohamed Azmin Ali to study the 49 recommendations submitted by the ERC.The ERC, led by former EC chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, was announced by the previous Pakatan Harapan government to address weaknesses in the electoral system.Yesterday, Rashid expressed confidence that all 49 recommendations would be implemented, adding that some need to be immediately carried out.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, ERC chief executive Amerul Muner Mohamad said the voting process is one of three main issues that the government must urgently address in order to ensure fair elections.He added that a weakness at any stage of the election would affect the entire electoral system.“There is no room for any weaknesses as this would reflect on the integrity of the EC itself.”


From handbags and bling to the prospect of jail for Rosmah

Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Najib Razak, amassed hundreds of expensive Hermes Birkin handbags and diamond jewellery when her husband was prime minister.
Now, Rosmah faces the prospect of joining him in jail for corruption after the Kuala Lumpur High Court sentenced her to 10 years in prison and a record RM970 million fine for soliciting and receiving bribes to help a company secure a contract from her husband's administration.
Rosmah, 70, is out on bail but if she loses appeals in two higher courts, she will be put behind bars, ending her million-dollar shopping sprees.
The former first lady, as she is known, seen as a powerful figure behind Najib, is widely scorned for her extravagant lifestyle and penchant for Birkin bags – which can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece.
Police found 12,000 individual items of jewellery, 567 luxury handbags, 423 watches and US$26 million in cash at properties linked to the couple after Najib's unexpected defeat in the 2018 elections, when voters showed their disgust over a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal at state fund 1MDB.
Najib last week began a 12-year jail sentence, after losing an appeal in the first of several cases brought against him over 1MDB. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Rosmah has been dogged by questions over her outsized role in the Najib administration and the source of her wealth.
"By herself, she occupied no official position. However, she wielded considerable influence by reason of her overbearing nature," prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said at the start of Rosmah's trial in 2020 for seeking bribes over a US$279 million solar power supply contract.
Rosmah described those allegations as character assassination and pleaded not guilty to all charges against her.
Prosecutors say Rosmah sought a bribe of RM187.5 million (US$41.85 million) and received RM6.5 million from an official of the company that won the solar project. Part of it was delivered in two bags filled with cash at the couple's residence, they say.
Rosmah also faces money laundering and tax evasion charges in a separate case.
'Can I advise you?'
In 2009, Singapore's founder and then minister-mentor Lee Kuan Yew sought a meeting with Rosmah during an official visit to Malaysia, reportedly saying it was necessary to understand the couple who "worked as a team."
Malaysians were given an insight into the first couple's dynamics in a 2016 recording released by investigators, during which an agitated Rosmah is heard telling Najib how to deal with the 1MDB graft scandal swirling round him.
"Can I advise you something? Darling, you are the prime minister and you should be taking charge, not anybody else, okay?" she says, before adding, "You've got goons around you to advise you."
She went on to tell Najib how to handle aides and foreign officials who were also caught up in the scandal.
Rosmah has not been charged over 1MDB but US and Malaysian investigators say expensive jewellery was purchased for her from some of US$4.5 billion in stolen funds, including a US$27 million pink diamond necklace.
The necklace was arranged for her by businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, who investigators say was close to Najib and central to the 1MDB scandal. Low became a fugitive, and his whereabouts are unknown.
Najib has said he was introduced to Jho Low by Riza Aziz, Rosmah's son from her first marriage. Rosmah married Najib in 1987, the second marriage for both.
Riza used some of the stolen 1MDB money to fund the 2013 Hollywood movie "The Wolf of Wall Street", investigators say. Riza later agreed with US and Malaysian investigators to return some of the assets acquired from stolen 1MDB funds, and the case brought against him in Malaysia was dropped.
Keeping up appearances
Rosmah drew more anger when details of the scale of the 1MDB scandal became public. The Wall Street Journal reported that she spent at least US$6 million between 2008 and 2015 on shopping sprees in London, New York and elsewhere.
Despite her lavish tastes, Rosmah came from humble beginnings. In her 2013 autobiography, Rosmah wrote of facing financial difficulties as a student and earning a meagre salary in her first job at an agriculture bank.
Inevitably, given the importance she attached to accessories, Rosmah has been likened to Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines, who left behind more than 1,200 pairs of shoes when her husband was ousted in 1986.
"As a woman and as the wife of a leader, I have to look made up, neat and take care of my appearance. It is also embarrassing for Malaysians when other countries make fun of the sloppy wife of Malaysia's prime minister," Rosmah said in her autobiography, defending her tastes.


Malaysia jumps 4 spots to highest yet in global democracy index

Malaysia’s democractic ranking in 2020 from among a list of 167 countries jumped by four spots from 43rd in 2019 to 39th, according to The Economist’s latest global index on democracy.Malaysia’s score inched up to 7.19 last year from 7.16 in 2019, which had been hailed as its best ever.The latest survey acknowledged the political crisis of February last year and the change of government that followed, saying political stability “has deteriorated since the departure of Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister in March 2020”.“However, improvements in electoral process and pluralism have resulted in more democratic political institutions,” the report said.Among Asian countries, the Economist survey ranked Malaysia at sixth spot behind New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.The index classifies countries into four types: full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid regime, and authoritarian regime.Malaysia is among 52 countries lumped in the “flawed democracy” category, alongside major democracies such as the US and France.But Malaysia came out tops among Asian countries labelled as “flawed democracy”, even outscoring Japan and South Korea – two countries now upgraded to “full democracies” – in terms of electoral process and pluralism.In contrast, neighbours Singapore and Indonesia are ranked 15th and 11th in Asia. Globally, Singapore is placed at 74th position while Indonesia is placed 10 spots above.Meanwhile China, Laos and North Korea are considered the region’s worst when it comes to democratic practices.The report said the year 2020 showed the worst average global score since the index was first produced in 2006, adding that restrictions on personal freedoms due to Covid-19 measures had also played a part.“The 2020 result represents a significant deterioration and came about largely – but not solely – because of government-imposed restrictions on individual freedoms and civil liberties that occurred across the globe in response to the coronavirus pandemic,” it said.It found that only about half (49.4%) of the global population “live in a democracy of some sort”, while 8.4% live in a “full democracy”, up from 5.7% in 2019 due to improvements among Asian countries.At the top of the list is Norway, followed by Iceland, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada. The UK is placed at 16th place, while the US is at 25th.India regressing, Taiwan improvingAsian countries that continued rapid deterioration in their democractic scores included India – often hailed as the world’s largest democracy – which ranked 53rd in 2020 from 27th six years earlier.This was attributed to the policies of the Hindu-nationalist government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was re-elected for a second term in 2019.“The increasing influence of religion under the Modi premiership, whose policies have fomented anti-Muslim feeling and religious strife, has damaged the political fabric of the country,” the report said, referring to the outrage on an amendment to its citizenship laws seen as a step towards boosting the Hindu population.But the biggest leap among Asian countries is Taiwan, which jumped 20 spots to place 11th in the world.The Economist index, which was this year titled “In sickness and in health?”, said Taiwan successfully handled the Covid-19 pandemic, and praised the “strong response” of President Tsai Ing-wen.“Taiwan avoided sweeping lockdowns and restrictions on internal movement. In turn, the Taiwanese public demonstrated a great willingness to cooperate with healthcare authorities in complying voluntarily with quarantine and social-distancing restrictions, including stringent track-and-trace requirements,” it added.The survey ranks countries based on scores in five areas: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture, and civil liberties.Countries are also measured on the fairness of national elections, security of voters, influence of foreign powers on government, and the capability of the civil service to implement policies.


Zahid's statement on floods and GE15 misinterpreted, says Annuar

Ketereh MP Annuar Musa today said that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's statement that Barisan Nasional (BN) was ready to brave the rain and floods to face the 15th general election, even if it is called during the monsoon season at the end of the year, had been misinterpreted.
Annuar, the communications and multimedia minister, said Zahid's statement was in reference to the readiness of the BN election machinery to face GE15.
"I like to think in a positive way, that Zahid's statement emphasised BN’s preparedness if GE15 is called during the flood season. It doesn’t necessarily mean to have GE15 called despite the floods.
"I just try to clear things up. It was not about holding GE15 during the floods. The statement was misinterpreted as it was not issued officially in writing," he told reporters after an event in Putrajaya.
Annuar was responding to Zahid’s statement at the launch of the BN Youth machinery at the Titiwangsa Stadium in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday. Annuar also said that the holding of GE15 during the monsoon season was inappropriate as floods would definitely make it difficult for the voters to come out and cast their votes.
"When we want to hold an election, the aspect of convenience and a safe environment for the voters must be taken into account.
"During monsoon season, the priority will be on saving the lives and properties of victims. Transportation will also become a problem. In this situation, it will not be seen as in line with the principle of holding an election to give the people the opportunity to exercise their rights," he said.
Last Saturday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was reported as saying that the date of the dissolution of Parliament would be announced soon to pave the way for GE15.


Blinken to visit key US ally Saudi Arabia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia next week at a time of touchy relations between Washington and its longtime Middle East ally, the State Department announced Friday.
The Sudan and Yemen wars, the continued Islamic State threat, and building Riyadh's relationship with Israel are on the menu for Blinken's June 6 to 8 trip.
It comes as both the US and Saudi Arabia are seeking to broker a durable cease fire between Sudan's warring generals in talks in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
"There is just a tremendous amount of work that we're trying to do" with the visit, said Daniel Benaim, a senior State Department official dealing with Arabian Peninsula affairs.
"We're focused on an affirmative agenda here and the great deal of work our countries can do together."
Countering IS
Blinken will participate in a ministerial meeting on Wednesday with the Gulf Cooperation Council, and on Thursday he will join a meeting in Riyadh of the 80-strong coalition of countries fighting the Islamic State group.
That meeting will home in on the spread of jihadist extremism outside the Middle East, according to Ian McCary of the Department of State's Counterterrorism Bureau.
"We're focusing in particular on Africa, where violent groups have adopted IS' ideology and are attacking innocent people, destroying local economies, burning schools and healthcare centres, extorting communities, and preventing the creation of jobs," McCary said, using another acronym for the Islamic State.
The Riyadh gathering "underscores that the international community remains united in its determination to keep IS weak, fractured, and ultimately destroyed," he said.
The coalition will raise hundreds of millions of dollars to support community-level stabilisation projects, said McCary, and Blinken will announce a "significant" new US contribution, he said.
Sudan, Yemen talks
The continued fighting in Sudan will also be a focus.
Efforts to produce a sustained cease fire between forces under two rival generals fighting since April have failed so far in the talks in Jeddah, where hundreds of diplomats and Sudanese citizens fled to from Khartoum after the fighting erupted.
Washington slapped sanctions on companies tied to the two generals Thursday, but that had no impact on the shelling and bombing that has left scores dead in the Sudanese capital and other areas.
The US and the Saudis are also directly involved in efforts to bring a halt to the lengthy conflict in Yemen between the Iranian-backed Huthi rebels and government forces backed by a Saudi-led coalition.
Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, has experienced a period of calm since a truce negotiated by the United Nations in April 2022.
Mending ties
The trip follows a recent visit to Saudi Arabia by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and comes nearly a year after President Joe Biden visited the country, with only mixed success in improving relations.
Ties are complex and have frayed over US accusations of human rights abuses in the kingdom – including the 2018 murder of US-based Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi – and unhappiness that the Saudis raised oil prices in collusion with Russia to profit from the Ukraine war, rejecting US pleas to cap prices.
That led last year to Biden ordering a review of the bilateral relationship, signalling his unhappiness.
But US officials don't hide their hopes for improved relations. One goal is to convince Riyadh to formally recognise Israel, as part of the Abraham Accords.
The Accords, launched by former president Donald Trump, have led to a number of Arab countries normalising relations with the Jewish state.
But Riyadh holds to its demand that Israel recognize an independent Palestinian state along with security guarantees from Washington.
On Wednesday, the State Department's top official for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, told Congress that people should expect only a "gradual opening up" between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
"We see plenty of space to get things done even before normalisation were to be achieved," she said.


Sorry, what? Speaking English still a struggle for many despite mandatory classes

While the Malaysian school system may be producing students who can write in English, speaking the language is an entirely different issue, educators say as concern over the standard of English among fresh graduates continues.Students who attend the full 11 years of primary and secondary school spend over a decade learning English, yet are often unable to communicate fluently outside the classroom setting.Saradha, an English teacher, said this is partly due to the teaching and learning approach used in schools which focuses on writing at the expense of speaking.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she said teachers mostly emphasise essay writing skills in order to prepare students for their examinations which in turn centre on format and the elaboration of points.“They are not given much chance to converse in class,” she said. “Even if they are given an opportunity, students are reluctant to speak due to lack of confidence.”Ahmad Taufik Hidayah Abdullah, a university lecturer who has been teaching business English and public speaking for over 20 years, agreed.“Even if they are given an opportunity, students are reluctant to speak due to lack of confidence.”He said ample research has been done on the inability of secondary school students and university graduates to communicate well in English.This affects their chances of landing jobs as they cannot converse with their interviewers.“This may be due to a lack of family support, unconducive environments or worse still, the instructors themselves are not tactful in using the language, or they limit opportunities for students to speak up in class,” Taufik said.Saradha, who has been teaching for 25 years, spoke of a reluctance among Malaysians to pick up the language despite its widespread use in the country as well as internationally.She said interest and motivation is particularly low among students in rural areas, attributing this to ignorance among parents from poor families about coaching or teaching their children whether at primary or secondary school levels.“They can’t create an environment at home because they themselves failed to speak in English,” she said, adding that government schools have an important role to play in encouraging students to speak the language.Such efforts are already underway at many schools, including specific days set aside on a weekly basis for the exclusive use of English.But Saradha said not everyone follows these rules.“In some cases, administrators themselves fail to make announcements or speeches in English.”She said even the principal and teachers who do not handle English classes should set an example by speaking the language.She said the situation is different in convent and missionary schools where the culture of communicating in English is still strong.“I can see students from missionary schools somehow picking up the language from peers as well as through the school environment,” she added.Taufik suggested that teachers diversify their teaching techniques by allowing students more opportunity to use the language in real-life contexts.“Take them out to public places like tourist resorts, islands, museums and malls where they can use English in its real context and setting,” he said.“They can’t create an environment at home because they themselves failed to speak in English.”Even within the classroom, teachers can allow students to choose their own topics when it comes to presentations or public speaking, he added.“He or she will enjoy doing this since they are presenting on what they like. Don’t force them to present or speak on something they are not familiar with.”Other suggestions include utilising technology such as videos for effective teaching and assessment.Saradha meanwhile said intrinsic motivation is key to excelling in English.She spoke of students from rural areas who nevertheless pick up the language quickly due to their own desire to do so.“These students know the importance of having good grades that will lead them to better prospects, careers and being highly respected in society,” she said.“So they work diligently to upgrade their proficiency in English.”She also said that switching the medium of instruction for subjects like science and mathematics could help students become more proficient in English.“Parents and teachers should continuously inspire and motivate students to learn English by creating the environment at home as well as in schools,” she said.


Too early to set up RCI on police cartel, says deputy home minister

It is still too early to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate allegations of a cartel within the police force, says Deputy Home Minister I Ismail Mohamed Said.He said everything was still under control, and that the home ministry had not yet received a list of those allegedly involved in the activity.“We don’t even know the number (of individuals involved) yet… it’s still too early for an RCI. If there are allegations and there is basis, it can be brought to the Police Force Commission first, and if it involves junior police officers it can be brought to the Integrity and Standard Compliance Department,” he said after an event yesterday.He was asked about calls from several parties, including NGOs, for an RCI to be set up to investigate the statement by Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador who said there was a cartel within the police force.On Tuesday, Hamid was reported to have said that several individuals involved in a cartel trying to topple him had been identified.Without revealing their names, Hamid said the issue was still under control and under his supervision, while expressing confidence that those involved could not “move” at the moment.


Congo Republic presidential candidate declared dead of Covid-19 as election results counted

The Republic of Congo’s top presidential opposition candidate Guy Brice Parfait Kolelas, who was hospitalised on election day on Saturday, has died, a spokesman said on Monday.Kolelas was seen as President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s strongest challenger, although analysts said there was little doubt the incumbent would win again and extend his 36-year rule.The 61-year-old opposition politician had been flown to France for further treatment on Sunday but died shortly after landing in Paris, aides said.Kolelas had skipped his final campaign event on Friday after telling reporters a day earlier that he feared he had malaria.A video circulating on social media Saturday showed Kolelas wearing an oxygen mask and with a blood pressure cuff on his arm as he lay in a Brazzaville hospital bed.“My dear compatriots, I am in trouble. I am fighting death,” the candidate says in a weak-sounding voice after removing his oxygen mask. “However, I ask you to stand up and vote for change. I would not have fought for nothing.”Spokesman Justin Nzoloufoua confirmed his death Monday to The Associated Press, and said efforts were underway to repatriate Kolelas’ body to the capital Brazzaville. He declined to give the cause of death.Some supporters said they doubted he had really died of Covid-19, but party leaders tried to quash conspiracy theories.“Whether it was Covid or something else is not important to us. What matters is the future of the party,” said its secretary-general, Gaston Malanda.Kolelas, the son of former prime minister Bernard Kolelas, was expected to again finish second to President Denis Sassou N’Guesso, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders with more than 36 years in office.Sassou N’Guesso said Monday that Sunday’s vote had taken place without incident.“I can therefore say that democracy is working in our country,” said the president.An internet blackout across the country on election day continued on Monday.Kolelas had been particularly critical of the incumbent leader before the election, declaring that Republic of Congo had become “a police state”.Full results are not expected until later this week, but tallies from about 40% of the 86 districts showed Sassou Nguesso ahead, including some where he had won 100% of the vote, the electoral commission said.Sassou N’Guesso is the third-longest serving president in Africa, ruling from 1979-1992 and then again since 1997 in this nation often overshadowed by its vast neighbor Congo.The legal ramifications of a candidate dying after polls close but before the results are announced are not clear, said Maja Bovcon, senior Africa analyst at risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.“Given that all of the key institutions of state are under Sassou Nguesso’s control, we do not expect the matter to be referred to the constitutional court,” she said.Republic of Congo, with a population of about 5.4 million people, has had fewer than 10,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 since the pandemic began, with 134 confirmed deaths.


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Sri Lanka faces looming food crisis with stunted rice crop

Nallathambi Mahendran walked through his four acres of emerald green paddy fields in northern Sri Lanka's Kilinochchi district, indicating the height the plants should have reached by now. They were several feet short.
The standing paddy crop across most of this major rice growing belt is stunted for the second successive season because of the lack of fertiliser, according to farmers, a union leader and local government officials.
In 10,900 hectares of land under cultivation in Kilinochchi, the average yield is likely to hit 2.3 metric tonnes per hectare, according to government estimates seen by Reuters.
In previous years, paddy fields in the area delivered around 4.5 tonnes per hectare, according to a local government official who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to media.
Across rice farms in this Indian Ocean island, the bleak picture is emerging that the summer harvest could be as low as half that of previous years, according to experts.
As Sri Lanka's staple food, it points to further pressure on a country already struggling with its worst economic crisis in modern times, including runaway inflation and growing levels of malnutrition.
The shortage of fertiliser is not the only problem for farmers. The country has hardly any currency reserves to import adequate fuel, so farm machinery and trucks to transport rice to markets are in short supply. Some farmers say their crops are not worth harvesting.
Compounding the economic misery, the stunted crop means the island will have to use precious currency reserves, a credit line from India as well as foreign aid to import hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rice.
Across the country, paddy production during the ongoing "Yala" or summer farming season could be half the average 2 million tonnes in previous years, said Buddhi Marambe, a professor of crop science at Sri Lanka's Peradeniya University.
"This is mainly because of the absence of fertiliser during the vegetative growth stages of the crops," Marambe said. "Urea was made available with lots of effort but was too late for many areas."
Sri Lanka has been self-suficient in rice for decades, but went to international markets last year to buy 149,000 tonnes of the grain after the fertiliser shortage first hit production. In 2022, the country has already contracted to import 424,000 tonnes.
More imports may be needed to stave off food shortages in the first two months of 2023, or until the "Maha" crop that is planted in September is harvested, Marambe said.
A committee appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture is currently evaluating the need for additional imports, a ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Government spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment on the food situation and likely imports.
Rice is the staple food of the country's 22 million people and its biggest crop. According to government data, 2 million people in the country are rice farmers out of 8.1 million people engaged in fishing and agriculture in the largely rural economy.
Worse to come
Food inflation is already at more than 90% year-on-year, according to July data, and the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that about 6.7 million Sri Lankans out of a population of 22 million are not eating enough.
There may be more pain to come.
Hammered by the potential halving of the "Yala" crop, the shortage of fertiliser and soaring costs for inputs, some farmers in Kilinochchi, a fertile region served by a intricate system of irrigation ponds and canals, are considering sitting out the "Maha" farming season.
"Even though we worked in the paddy fields, we won't make any money," said Mahendran, a tall 67-year-old with a streak of silver in his hair. "If there is no urea or fertiliser available, I won't farm in the Maha season."
The Iranaimadu Farmers' Federation, which represents about 7,500 farming families in the Kilinochchi area, gave the same message to local government officials at a recent meeting.
"Fuel is our biggest problem," said the federation's secretary Mutthu Sivamohan, speaking near a petrol and diesel filling station outside which a queue of vehicles stretched for 3km (2 miles) along the main road running through Kilinochchi town.
"We can't harvest and we can't sow the next crop," Sivamohan said.
He said most of Kilinochchi district's paddy crop must be harvested within weeks but "no lorries are coming from outside to buy and transport our crop".
Diesel for combine harvesters is being rationed, and fewer trucks are available to transport the rice because of the fuel crunch.
Some critics trace Sri Lanka's unfolding food catastrophe to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's decision in April, 2021, to ban chemical fertilisers overnight, part of a drive to make the country's produce more organic.
Faced with widespread protests from the farming community, the ban was lifted last November, but not before disrupting supplies and leaving most Sri Lankan farmers without essential fertilisers for last year's "Maha" season.
By April, Sri Lanka's financial crisis had strangled the economy and, with foreign exchange reserves at record lows, Rajapaksa's government failed to procure enough fertiliser.
The lack of hard currency at a time of spiralling prices sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine also squeezed imports of essentials including fuel, cooking gas, medicines and food.
'Dying every day'
Resulting shortages led to an outburst of public anger against the government and once-powerful president, and sometimes violent mass protests eventually forced Rajapaksa to flee the country and quit the presidency.
In Kilinochchi, where the Sri Lankan military maintains an outsized presence - a vestige of a decades-long bloody civil war that ended in 2009 - there were no major anti-government demonstrations.
But the impact of the crumbling economy has rippled through the hinterland, leaving some farmers who survived the war that killed an estimated 80,000-100,000 people struggling.
To farm 75 acres of land, Chinnathambi Lankeshwaran said he would typically spend around 70,000 Sri Lankan rupees (US$197) per acre and recover about 40 bags of rice from each acre.
A combination of shortages and inflation has led to his expenses more than doubling to 200,000 rupees per acre, which now yield only 18-20 bags per because of the lack of fertiliser and pesticides, Lankeshwaran said.
The rising cost of farm inputs is striking, according to estimates provided by several farmers.
A bag of urea, previously costing 1,500 rupees, is now 40,000 rupees. A litre of Loyant, a popular rice herbicide, goes for more than 10 times its usual price at 100,000 rupees - when available.
The price of an empty sack into which farmers put their harvest has trebled to 160 rupees each, and the thread that they used to tie the sacks is sold for more than five times what it used to be at around 1,200 rupees per kilogram.
The black market rate for diesel is hovering around 1,200 rupees (US$3.38) per litre, much higher than the authorised pump price of 430 rupees.
But supplies are scarce, and Lankeshwaran said he has 300 bags of wheat stored at home because traders don't have fuel to pick it up.
"In those days, we feared where the bombs would come from," said the 49-year-old farmer, referring to the civil war that displaced his family of four. "Now, we are dying every day."


Ex-AG Apandi breaks down in tears while testifying in suit against Kit Siang

Mohamed Apandi Ali broke down in tears at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur today when recalling his tenure as attorney-general (AG) from 2015 to 2018, during the trial of his defamation suit against DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang over an article on the 1MDB scandal.His tears came after responding to a question by his lawyer M Visvanathan on the third day of the trial before judge Azimah Omar.Answering the question over a foreign news article about the scandal which was raised by Lim’s lawyers yesterday, Apandi said the New York Times report appeared immediately after his press conference on Jan 26, 2016.He said that as AG, he had played the dual role of legal adviser to the government and public prosecutor, and thus did not have much time to read local or foreign newspapers.Apandi added that as legal adviser, his duty was not limited to the federal government as he was also the principal legal adviser for all states in Malaysia.“(In) my position as public prosecutor, there are thousands of investigation papers all over the country which of course I delegated to my officers in the respective states except for high-profile cases, meaning cases involving high-profile personalities; that’s how busy I was.“I hardly managed to take any leave as this was not ‘a walk in the park’ job. It was definitely a heavy burden that has taken a toll on my health.“I’m now subject to check-ups at the National Heart Institute because of the stress,” he added.He said he was appointed as AG at 65 and had not clocked the full number of years and months needed to receive a full pension.“That is the sacrifice I have made because I was given the job of AG and the post of AG is not a pensionable post. It was a contract post; there is no pension attached to me.“Thank you for allowing me to express (myself). I’ve been keeping this; people condemn me. Sorry could not proceed,” he said with tears running down his cheeks while his lawyers tried to calm him down.Apandi also said he had never asked or lobbied to be the AG.“I was functioning as federal court judge, looking forward to retirement, when I was suddenly appointed as AG,” he said.The court then took a one-hour break before Apandi continued with his testimony.On July 5, 2019, Apandi sued Lim, claiming that on May 6, 2019 Lim had written and caused to be published an article titled “Dangerous fallacy to think Malaysia’s on the road to integrity” in Malaysiakini.He claimed that the alleged libellous words in the article implied that he was involved in crime and had abetted in the 1MDB financial scandal, that he was a person with no morals and integrity, and that he was unethical and had abused his power when he was the AG.Apandi, who was the AG from July 27, 2015 to June 4, 2018, contended that the libellous words were untrue and written with the intention of tarnishing his image and credibility as a former AG for cheap publicity.He is seeking aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as RM10 million in general damages, an injunction to prevent Lim and/or his agents from publishing the alleged defamatory words again and other relief deemed fit by the court.The hearing before Azimah continues tomorrow.


Ex-minister slams Top Glove after over 1,000 workers down with Covid-19

Former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman launched a scathing attack on rubber glove giant Top Glove today over the large number of its workers who have contracted the Covid-19 virus.“This company has a problematic record when it comes to the welfare of its workers,” the Muar MP said.Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah today announced a record high of 1,884 daily Covid-19 infections.He also reported a sharp spike of workplace-related infections, with the Teratai cluster linked to the Top Glove factory in Selangor recording 1,067 new Covid-19 patients.Top Glove, the world’s largest maker of rubber gloves, has come under a trade ban from US authorities following allegations of worker abuse.The allegations came as it recorded a surge in demand for its gloves during the Covid-19 outbreak, reporting a RM1.3 billion net profit in the fourth quarter ending Aug 31, 2020, 18 times more than last year.Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.Syed Saddiq questioned why the factory had continued operations despite the Teratai cluster being identified on Nov 2.Saying he has “no sympathy” for big corporations, Syed Saddiq said he had been criticised for urging Top Glove to pay a “windfall tax” following its “supernormal” profits.He said such a tax had been imposed in the past for various industries which recorded unusual profits.This includes taxes on plantation companies in 1998 and independent power producers in 2008.“Why is it that in 2020 we cannot impose tax on this hand glove maker that has become the biggest company in Malaysia during the Covid-19 crisis?” he asked, adding that a windfall tax on the company would only amount to some RM4.8 billion.MalaysiaNow is attempting to contact Top Glove for a response.AFP meanwhile reported that the company would close over half of its factories following the surge in Covid-19 cases.“Based on advice from the health ministry, it was agreed at a special meeting today to shut down 28 Top Glove factories… in stages to allow the workers to undergo tests and quarantine,” it quoted Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob as saying.Top Glove said in a statement it would “cooperate fully with the relevant authorities to implement the temporary stoppage”, and that plant closures had begun.About 5,700 workers have already been screened and the rest will also undergo tests, it said in the AFP report.According to AFP, the company operates 47 factories – 41 in Malaysia – and many of its workers are from Nepal and live in crowded dormitory complexes.In July, the US Customs and Border Protection blocked disposable gloves manufactured by Top Glove, following claims of forced labour and other abuses.Top Glove has denied the allegations, and accused an activist of sabotage.In late 2018, Britain’s The Guardian said Top Glove workers were overworked and their passports and wages withheld. The paper also quoted workers as saying they were forced to work seven days a week for at least 12 hours a day, and were only granted one day of leave per month.Then human resources minister M Kulasegaran at that time rejected the claims, saying the allegations were false.


One law for the rich? Google founder buys residency in NZ ‘closed’ by pandemic

New Zealand is not an easy country in which to acquire permanent residency.So when it was confirmed on Friday that Google co-founder Larry Page has gained New Zealand residency, it triggered debate over whether extremely wealthy people can simply buy the right to live in the South Pacific country, reports the AP.Immigration New Zealand said Page first applied for residency in November 2020 under a special visa open to people with at least NZ$10 million (US$7 million) to invest.“As he was offshore at the time, his application was not able to be processed because of Covid-19 restrictions,” the agency said in a statement. “Once Page entered New Zealand, his application was able to be processed and it was approved on Feb 4, 2021.”New Zealand lawmakers confirmed that Page and his son first arrived in New Zealand in January after the family filed an urgent application for the son to be evacuated from Fiji due to a medical emergency.“The day after the application was received, a New Zealand air ambulance staffed by a New Zealand ICU nurse-escort medevacked the child and an adult family member from Fiji to New Zealand,” Health Minister Andrew Little told Parliament.Little was responding to questions about how Page had managed to enter New Zealand at a time when its borders were closed to non-residents in an attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19.Little told lawmakers the family had abided by applicable virus protocols when they arrived.Immigration New Zealand reminded lawmakers that while the billionaire is now a resident, he does not have permanent residency status and remains subject to certain restrictions.Still, the agency on its website promotes the “Investor Plus” visa as offering a “New Zealand lifestyle,” adding that “you may be able to bring your car, boat and household items to New Zealand, free of customs charges”.Opposition lawmakers said the Page episode raises questions about why he was approved so quickly at a time when thousands of skilled workers and separated family members who were desperate to enter New Zealand were being refused entry.“The government is sending a message that money is more important than doctors, fruit pickers and families who are separated from their children,” ACT deputy leader Brooke van Velden said in a statement.Some local news organisations have reported that Page has since left New Zealand.Forbes on Friday ranked Page as the world’s sixth-wealthiest person, with an estimated fortune of US$117 billion. The American business magazine noted that Page stepped down as chief executive of Google’s parent company Alphabet in 2019 but remains a board member and controlling shareholder.In 2017, it emerged that another Silicon Valley billionaire, Peter Thiel, had been able to gain New Zealand citizenship six years earlier, despite never having lived in the country.The co-founder of PayPal was approved after a top lawmaker decided his entrepreneurial skills and philanthropy were valuable to the nation.Thiel didn’t even have to leave California for the ceremony. He was granted citizenship during a private ceremony held at the New Zealand Consulate in Santa Monica, California.


Is it true that Umno is now stronger, Annuar questions leaders’ clamour for polls

Ketereh Umno chief Annuar Musa today questioned calls for an early general election, warning that Barisan Nasional’s (BN) success in the recent Johor polls could not be taken as an accurate measure of the party’s strength.Annuar, who is communications and multimedia minister in Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Cabinet, said while Umno had succeeded in taking Johor with a sizeable majority in the March 12 election, voter turnout had been low at just under 55%.He said Umno should exercise patience and conduct further studies into what would happen if the voter turnout increased, and whether such a scenario would benefit the party at the 15th general election (GE15).“What would happen with a voter turnout of 80%?” he asked in an interview with Astro Awani today.“The additional voters – who would they comprise? Who didn’t vote, and if they do turn out at the general election, will they side with us?”Umno deputy president Mohamad Hasan had previously urged for GE15 to be held as soon as possible, saying that now was the best time for the party to act.“Strike while your enemy is weak, and strike while the iron is hot. Don’t wait for them (opposition) to regroup, like during the 14th general election,” he said in his speech to officiate the Youth, Wanita and Puteri Umno assemblies at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.Annuar however said that BN’s success in Johor and Melaka could not be taken as an indicator of strength as both states were seen as Umno strongholds where it would be difficult for other parties to match its machinery.While Johor Umno appeared to be one of the party’s strongest divisions in terms of finances, logistics, manpower, members and leadership, it had still needed a great deal of external help to emerge victorious in the March 12 election, he added.“Even though PAS was there, PAS is not strong in Melaka and Johor,” he said.“Would the same thing happen in Terengganu, Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan and Perak? This needs to be studied, too.“It’s not wrong to be happy and to feel like we are strong, but let us not fall into a trap of our own making,” he added.On calls for GE15 to be held, Annuar said the matter should be thoroughly scrutinised as the present government comprises a number of parties, of which Umno is only a minority.Based on the constitution, he said, any proposal for the dissolution of Parliament must include a decision by the prime minister and Cabinet before being brought to the Agong.“Say the prime minister agrees to dissolve Parliament but the others do not agree. He must then resign as he has lost their confidence,” he said.“When he resigns, the present government has the right to appoint a new prime minister. A new party might replace Umno.”He added that he was not against the suggestion, but wanted the party to discuss it first.


Narendra Modi denies religious discrimination exists in India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied that discrimination against minorities existed under his government during a press conference with US President Joe Biden on Thursday, despite rights groups and State Department reports of abuses.
Biden said he discussed human rights and other democratic values with Modi during their talks in the White House.
Asked at the press conference what steps he was willing to take to "improve the rights of Muslims and other minorities in your country and to uphold free speech," Modi suggested they did not need to be improved.
"Our Constitution and our government, and we have proved democracy can deliver. When I say deliver - caste, creed, religion, gender, there is no space for any discrimination (in my government)," Modi told reporters.
In reports on human rights and religious freedom, the State Department raised concerns over treatment of Muslims, Hindu Dalits, Christians and other religious minorities in India while also listing a crackdown on journalists.
Rights advocates and dozens of lawmakers from Biden's Democratic Party urged him to raise the issue publicly with Modi, whose Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has held power since 2014.
Protesters decry Modi's remarks
Dozens of protesters gathered near the White House on Thursday.
"Modi should think why that was the first question asked to him in the press briefing. It's obvious to all there is rights abuse in India," said Ajit Sahi, a protester and advocacy director at the Indian American Muslim Council.
"Modi's comments (that there is no religious discrimination by his government) is a complete lie. India has become a black-hole for religious minorities," said Raqib Hameed Naik, the founder of Hindutva Watch, a group that monitors reports of attacks on Indian minorities.
India's importance for the US to counter China and the economic ties between the countries make it difficult for Washington to criticize human rights in the world's largest democracy, political analysts said. Biden rolled out the red carpet for Modi on Thursday.
The only two Muslim women members of the US Congress - Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib - along with some other progressive lawmakers like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, boycotted Modi's address to the Congress on Thursday, citing allegations of abuse of Indian dissidents and minorities, especially Muslims.
US Senator Bernie Sanders said Modi's "aggressive Hindu nationalism" has "left little space for India's religious minorities."
The benefits of the Indian government's policies are accessible to everyone, Modi said. Rights groups have asserted, however, that dissidents, minorities and journalists have come under attack since Modi took office.
India has slid from 140th in the World Press Freedom Index in 2014 to 161st this year, its lowest point, while also leading the list for the highest number of internet shutdowns globally for five consecutive years.
The UN human rights office described a 2019 citizenship law as "fundamentally discriminatory" for excluding Muslim migrants. Critics have pointed to anti-conversion legislation that challenged the constitutionally protected right to freedom of belief and the revoking of Muslim-majority Kashmir's special status in 2019 as well.
There has also been demolition of properties owned by Muslims in the name of removing illegal construction; and a ban on wearing the hijab in classrooms in Karnataka when the BJP was in power in that state.
"The protection of the Muslim minority in a majority Hindu India, that is something worth mentioning," former US President Barack Obama, whom Modi calls a close friend, told CNN in an interview aired on Thursday.
"If you do not protect the rights of ethnic minorities in India, then there is a strong possibility that India at some point starts pulling apart," Obama said of what he would have told Modi now.


RM31 million spent on Sulu legal dispute, says Azalina

The government spent about RM31 million on the handling of court cases in four countries in relation to the legal dispute filed by the Sulu group against Malaysia, from Nov 20, 2019 to Jan 20 this year.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Legal and Institutional Reforms) Azalina Othman Said said this included the cost of international legal services, court proceedings and translations, as well as historical and legal research.
"Specifically, legal fees and payments alone amounted to RM36,000 in 2019, RM167,000 in 2020, RM8.2 million in 2021, RM13.5 million in 2022 and RM5.4 million in 2023, in relation to court cases across four countries, namely Spain, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands," she said in a written reply on the Parliament website.
She was responding to a question from Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong) on the legal costs of the Sulu group's claims against Malaysia.
Azalina also said that the decision on the government's appeal against the French court order, dated Sept 29, 2022, is expected to be delivered in June, with the hearing of the appeal having taken place on Feb 6 at the French Court of Appeal.
The Sulu group was reported to have taken legal action in a Spanish court to seek compensation for land in Sabah that was allegedly leased by their ancestors to a British trading company in 1878.
On Feb 28, 2022, the purported arbitrator, Dr Gonzalo Stampa, was reported to have obtained a final award amounting to US$14.92 billion for the claimants – the Sulu group – from a Paris arbitration court.
However, the French court granted Malaysia a stay order on the award issued by Stampa pending the judicial decision of its action to set it aside on the basis that its enforcement might threaten Malaysia's sovereignty over the Sabah region.


Malaysian death row inmate in bid to cite Singapore minister for contempt

A Malaysian prisoner on death row in Singapore has applied to the High Court in the city-state to cite the home minister for contempt of court, following comments made by K Shanmugam in parliament said to have undermined an earlier civil suit on racial discrimination in the authorities’ prosecution of cases involving capital crime.Rahmat Karimon, represented by rights lawyer M Ravi, is one of 17 prisoners who recently filed a suit accusing the Singapore government of racial bias due to their Malay ethnicity.They had named the attorney-general as the defendant, accusing him of breaching a constitutional guarantee on equal treatment under the law.Rahmat is the only Malaysian in the group; the other 16 are Singaporeans.The originating summons dated Oct 7, seeking leave for an order of committal against Shanmugam, was filed by Syed Suhail Syed Zin, one of the 16 Singaporean prisoners.It said the minister had referred to the ongoing case in parliament in the following remarks:“There is a case pending, an application by 17 prisoners awaiting capital punishment; they are making an application against the attorney-general; they seek various reliefs against the attorney-general; various allegations have been made, which the AGC considered to be completely scurrilous, and without basis, and made to simply throw mud and stir…”“We take the view that such public comments amount to an interference or pose a real risk of prejudice or interference with the course of a court proceeding that is currently pending, namely OS 825,” the prisoners said.“This amounts to contempt of court under Section 3(1)(b) of the Administration of Justice (Protection) Act 2016. Such comments made in contempt of court are also not protected by parliamentary privilege.”The prisoners’ joint affidavit in their initial suit, spanning close to 100 pages, had that Malays sentenced to death are “significantly overrepresented” compared to their share in the population of Singapore.They said while Singapore’s racial proportion had remained more or less the same over the decades, the same was not the case when it came to people who are sentenced to death.Malays make up 13.5% of the population in the city-state, where 74.3% are Chinese and 9% are Indians, based on official statistics up to June last year.MalaysiaNow, which carried a report on the suit, was later threatened with contempt of court action by the Singapore attorney-general, along with Ravi and rights group Lawyers for Liberty.


Millions of Microsoft-stored data records mistakenly exposed

Some 38 million records stored on a Microsoft service, including private information, were mistakenly left exposed this year, security firm UpGuard said Monday.The data, including names, addresses, financial information and Covid-19 vaccination statuses, was made vulnerable – but not compromised – before the problem was resolved, according to the digital security company’s investigation.Among the 47 affected organisations were American Airlines, Ford, JB Hunt and public agencies such as the Maryland Department of Health and New York City’s public transit system.They all used a Microsoft product called Power Apps, which allows for the creation of websites and mobile apps to interact with the public.The service’s default software configuration setting meant the data of the affected organisations was left without protection up until June 2021, according to UpGuard.“As a result of this research project, Microsoft has since made changes to Power Apps portals,” the report said.Microsoft said it had let clients know when potential security risks were uncovered so that they could fix the problems themselves.“We take security and privacy seriously, and we encourage our customers to use best practices when configuring products in ways that best meet their privacy needs,” a spokesman said.But UpGuard said it would have been better to change the way the software works at the source, and based on how customers use it, rather than “to label systemic loss of data confidentiality an end user misconfiguration, allowing the problem to persist.”


IS claims rocket attack on Kabul airport

The Islamic State-Khorasan group claimed a rocket attack Monday on the airport in Afghanistan’s capital.“The soldiers of the caliphate targeted Kabul’s international airport with six… rockets,” the group said in a statement.The rockets fell as US troops were racing to complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan and evacuate allies.President Joe Biden has set a deadline of Tuesday to withdraw all US forces from Afghanistan, drawing to a close his nation’s longest military conflict, which began in retaliation for the Sept 11 attacks.The Islamic State-Khorasan group, rivals of the Taliban, pose the biggest threat to the withdrawal, after carrying out a suicide bombing outside the airport late last week that claimed more than 100 lives, including those of 13 US troops.The US meanwhile said it had carried out an air strike on Sunday night in Kabul on an IS-prepared car bomb.


Wan Saiful blasts 'vengeful ex-convict' Anwar as authorities go after Muhyiddin, Hadi

Perikatan Nasional's Wan Saiful Wan Jan has slammed a series of actions against the coalition's top leaders, calling it Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's way of ensuring that he remains in power without checks and balances.
Wan Saiful, the Bersatu leader who was arrested and slapped with corruption charges last month, said the move to arrest PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin as well as to investigate PAS leader Abdul Hadi Awang was not surprising.
"Anwar Ibrahim is a person who has been convicted and jailed for abuse of power. It is not surprising if this ex-convict repeats his old habits once he sits on the throne he has been longing for," the Tasek Gelugor MP said, referring to Anwar's previous conviction for corruption.
In 1999, Anwar was sentenced to six years in prison for abusing his power by directing police officers to obtain retractions from two people who had accused him of sexual misconduct.
Wan Saiful's statement came on a day of intense political drama, with opposition leaders saying the government was bent on crippling them ahead of critical state elections this year.
Wan Saiful, who once headed think tank Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs or IDEAS, said Malaysians and foreign observers must realise that "this is the real Anwar".
"Anwar's crackdown on the opposition is to fulfil his desire to rule without any checks and balances. Nepotism is rife in Anwar's administration.
"Anwar is no reformist. He is merely an old vengeful opportunist," he added.
He also questioned the police's move to investigate Hadi for comments on bringing down the government, saying this was normal in a democratic system.
"There is nothing wrong with the statement. In our Westminster democracy, the government can be changed at any time."