Nato agrees to extend boss Stoltenberg's term by a year

Nato decided on Tuesday to extend Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s contract by a further year, opting to stick with an experienced leader as war rages on the alliance’s doorstep rather than try to agree on a successor.
Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, has been the transatlantic security alliance’s leader since 2014 and his tenure had already been extended three previous times.
The decision means continuity at the top of Nato as its 31 members grapple with the challenge of supporting Ukraine in repelling Moscow’s invasion while avoiding a direct conflict between Nato and Russian forces.
Stoltenberg, 64, is widely seen across the alliance as a steady leader and patient consensus-builder. The decision to extend his tenure to Oct 1, 2024, comes ahead of a summit of Nato leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week.
Stoltenberg said he was honoured by the decision.
"The transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security for nearly 75 years, and in a more dangerous world, our Alliance is more important than ever," he said.
US President Joe Biden and leaders of other Nato nations also hailed the decision.
"With his steady leadership, experience, and judgment, Secretary General Stoltenberg has brought our Alliance through the most significant challenges in European security since World War II," Biden said in a statement.
Diplomats and analysts give Stoltenberg high marks for keeping Nato together over Ukraine, striking a balance between those demanding maximum support for Kyiv and others urging more caution out of fear of sparking a global conflict.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Stoltenberg's extension was "excellent news".
"Tough times demand strong leadership. Jens Stoltenberg has demonstrated just that," he tweeted.
Stoltenberg also won widespread praise for guiding the alliance through severe transatlantic turbulence during the US presidency of Donald Trump, who openly speculated about taking the US out of Nato.
Succession stalemate
But the decision to stick with Stoltenberg also reflected a failure to reach consensus on a successor after he declared in February that he was not seeking a further extension.
"Nato member states have decided logically enough that the best secretary general currently on the marketplace is the one they already have. Experience matters especially at one of the most testing times in Nato’s history," said Jamie Shea, a former senior Nato official now with the Chatham House think-tank.
Among those considered as potential successors to Stoltenberg were British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
But neither they nor others floated by diplomats appeared to have the support of all Nato members as the Vilnius summit approached. With leaders keen to avoid wrangling there over a new secretary general, they turned back to Stoltenberg.
His next tasks include overseeing a transformation of Nato forces to refocus on defending against any Russian attack, after decades in which Nato concentrated on missions beyond its borders, such as in Afghanistan and the Balkans.
He will also have to manage differences over how involved Nato should become in Asia, with the US pushing for a greater role in countering China, while others such as France insist Nato must maintain focus on the North Atlantic area.
Shea said Nato now needs to consider succession planning and identify someone who will reflect its future image and direction, and builds on partnerships with other organisations such as the European Union.


Fighting in south Ukraine as Putin dismisses offensive

Fighting raged Friday in southern Ukraine, but Russian leader Vladimir Putin claimed Kyiv's long-expected offensive was already failing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the heroism of his country's soldiers, but made no direct reference to what some observers believe is the start of Ukraine's bid to claw back territory from Russia.
"For our soldiers, for all those who are in particularly tough battles these days, we see your heroism, and we are grateful to you for every minute of your life," Zelensky said in his daily address.
Ukrainian officials have said their forces are ready, but there would be no formal announcement when the counter-offensive starts.
Earlier, Putin said it had already begun, after Moscow said it had repelled several Ukrainian assaults.
"All counter-offensive efforts so far have failed, but the offensive potential of the Kyiv regime still remains," Putin said in a video, as Washington announced a new US$2.1 billion (RM9.69 billion) package of military aid for Ukraine.
Moscow says clashes have intensified since Thursday in the Zaporizhzhia region, home to Europe's largest nuclear power plant, which relies on the waters of the Dnipro for its cooling ponds.
These water supplies have been put at risk by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, which has left 600 sq km under water in the region, with around a dozen killed and thousands forced to flee.
New US aid
A Ukrainian military success in the Zaporizhzhia region would enable its forces to break through the land bridge that connects Russia with the Crimean peninsula it annexed from Ukraine.
That would be a major reversal for Moscow.
The Russian army has in recent months strengthened its front lines in the region, digging kilometres of trenches and fortifying defences.
The Russian army said it had repelled four attacks in the region, "carried out by forces of up to two battalion tactical groups, reinforced with tanks."
The increase of fighting in the south has been seen by many observers as a sign that the counter-offensive is already happening, or is about to start.
Kyiv, however, said the main centre of combat was still in eastern Ukraine, while providing few details on the situation in the south.
Kyiv's forces were bolstered with news of the new United States aid package, which will include missiles for Patriot air defence systems, artillery rounds, drones and laser-guided rocket system munitions.
The White House said on Friday Russia was receiving materials from Iran to build a drone factory on its territory that "could be fully operational early next year".
Washington estimates that Russia has received hundreds of attack drones as well as related equipment from Iran to aid its war on Ukraine.
Dam breach casualties
Emergency services were racing to rescue people stranded by the flood-swollen waters of the Dnipro.
Russian-installed authorities in southern Ukraine on Friday reported eight deaths and said the water could keep rising.
The water, which flooded 22,273 homes in 17 settlements, could "keep rising for up to 10 days," the Moscow-installed head of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said on Telegram.
However, officials in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions reported that water levels had begun to recede there.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said at least five people had died and 13 were missing.
Explosives breached dam
Ukraine and Russia have traded blame for the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, but European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said "everything indicates" Moscow was behind the breach.
"The dam was not bombed," Borrell told Spanish public television. "It was destroyed by explosives installed in the areas where the turbines are located. This area is under Russian control."
Norway's seismological institute said it had detected "an explosion" at the site and time the dam was destroyed, supporting suggestions the breach did not occur as a result of damage incurred during months of heavy bombing.
Ukrhydroenergo, the dam's operator, said it was most likely mined from the inside.
Ukrainian authorities said water levels in a reservoir created by the Kakhovka dam had fallen "below the critical point of 12.7m".
They said the reservoir was no longer able to supply households and the cooling ponds at the huge Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
However late on Thursday the International Atomic Energy Agency said the nuclear plant was continuing to receive water from the reservoir after the dam was damaged.
The plant's six reactors have been shut down but they still need cooling water to ensure there is no nuclear disaster.


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Labuan sees community outbreak of Delta Covid-19 variant

A Covid-19 variant of concern (VOC) is believed to have spread widely in the local community, owing to the spike in positive cases over the past few days, says Labuan health department director Dr Ismuni Bohari.“In Labuan, we believe we already have a variant of concern (B.1.617.2/Delta), as we can see that Covid-19 is spreading wider now in our community.“It was one of the reasons for the massive surge in cases. The symptoms are severe after getting infected with the Delta strain,” he told Bernama today.Ismuni said the rapid movement of people during the Hari Raya celebration had also led to a wider spread of infection.“We have also identified a large family group living in a cramped and congested house which caused the spread of the virus among the family members, and that has led to difficulties in stabilising the cases.“Looking at the trend of Covid-19 cases, we are moving towards a plateau with three digits of positive cases reported over the past few days,” he added.Ismuni said as the Delta strain has been found to have a higher infection rate, the situation needs to be taken seriously by the local community. He said if the SOPs continue to be violated, it will be more difficult to curb the pandemic on the island.He said a number of companies in the essential services sector had to be temporarily closed for sanitisation after several positive cases were detected among their employees.“Mass screening (active case detection) is being conducted from 800 to 2,000 samples with the help of private clinics,” he said.He said Labuan recorded 191 cases on Tuesday including seven new deaths, partly attributed to four active clusters, namely Patau-Patau (23 cases), Simpang Sahari (16), Simpang Sungai (seven) and Victoria Merdeka (12).He said there were also 62 cases from close contact screening and 51 from symptomatic screening while the rest involved goods transporters from mainland Sabah and individuals under self-quarantine.Today, Labuan recorded 200 new cases, bringing the cumulative total to 5,352.


‘Better to die’: A teenager’s long trip from interior to city for HIV treatment

Every two months, Ryan and his grandmother prepare for a gruelling four-hour journey from their home in Lubok Antu, a rural district in Sri Aman, Sarawak, to the capital city of Kuching.It’s a long and tiring trip for the 13-year-old, who must reach the hospital in the city in order to receive treatment.Ryan, who was born with human immunodeficiency virus or HIV, is one of many patients whose already difficult lives have been further complicated by the outbreak of Covid-19 in the state.In Sarawak, the pandemic has killed 145 so far with over 25,500 recorded infections since the virus was first detected in the country last year.Over the past week, it has remained among the states with the highest number of new daily infections, reaching a high of 960 on April 16.With much of the attention on the virus and how to keep it from further spreading into the community, those like Ryan are in danger of slipping through the cracks.As a young child, Ryan received treatment at the hospital in Bintulu as his mother worked in the town.But he lost both his parents at the age of seven. After their deaths, he went to live with his grandmother, Mary, in Lubok Antu.Now, the problem of how to continue his treatment is a constant source of concern for her.“Ryan has been under my care since his parents passed away,” she told MalaysiaNow. “After their deaths, his case was referred to Kuching.“Basically, he has to visit his doctor every two months for further treatment and check-ups.”But to do this costs money that she often does not have.While there is no charge for treatment at government hospitals, expenses mount up in various other forms, chief among which is transport.“Even though people say public health is free, to travel to the big place needs money.”For Ryan to reach the hospital in Kuching, he and his grandmother must travel four hours by land.“We don’t have any transport. We depend on public transportation like buses and ‘van sapu’,” Mary said, referring to illegal or unlicensed vehicles.If they travel by bus, they must first make their way to Sri Aman in order to buy their tickets. The bus will then stop at Kuching Central, which is still far away from the hospital. In order to reach the hospital, they must take another bus. Sometimes, they might call a Grab car instead – but only if they have a little extra money that day.“You cannot access healthcare for free,” Mary said. “Even though people say public health is free, to travel to the big place” – her term for the city of Kuching – “needs money.”“Since Covid, this has troubled us,” she added. “The cost is big.”Such stories are nothing out of the ordinary for HIV patients who live in rural Sarawak.Dr Yuwana Podin, an activist from the Sarawak AIDS Concern Society, said many HIV patients have been deprived of treatment due to the distribution of doctors and medical experts.The situation is compounded by a lack of amenities which has raised the cost of healthcare facilities.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, she said the various travel restrictions imposed since March last year have also complicated matters for patients like Ryan, who must make their way through roadblocks and police check points in order to reach the hospital.They must also apply for permits ahead of time, which is difficult for those who live in rural areas.“Their health check-ups might be delayed due to Covid-19,” Yuwana said.“Whether it is temporary or not, stopping their medication could lead to a rebound of the virus, making it more difficult to control the disease.“It is important for them to have regular follow-up treatment, check-ups and medication to keep the HIV virus suppressed and to ensure that their immune systems remain strong.”She also urged HIV patients to register for vaccination, saying the Covid-19 virus could be “unforgiving” for such people.But in any case, staying strong is hard for Ryan, who although still young has had to endure much since the onset of Covid-19 in the country.“He often tells me, ‘It is better if I die’,” Mary said.


Muhyiddin banking on high voter turnout for PN victory

Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairman Muhyiddin Yassin today repeated calls for Johor’s 2.8 million voters to fulfil their responsibility at the ballot box.He said a low turnout of voters would not reflect the true wishes of the people.“I believe that they want change and a new government – I hope. Those who are registered, go and vote.“From my visits on the ground, I have seen encouraging developments and a good response to PN’s campaign,” he said to reporters this morning.He added that a voter turnout of up to 80% could help PN.Earlier, he said reports of congestion in Muar were a good sign as this might mean that outstation voters were returning to the state in order to cast their votes.Analysts believe that Barisan Nasional will be able to maintain its hold on Johor if fewer than 70% of voters turn out.While the three major coalitions of BN, PN and Pakatan Harapan are contesting the election in the state, analysts say that the main competition is between BN and PN.The Johor legislative assembly was dissolved in January after BN claimed that its majority of one seat was not enough to ensure administrative stability.A BN victory would mean a boost in momentum for pressure from Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for the 15th general election to be held as soon as possible.


China rejects need for further WHO virus origins probe

China on Friday rejected the World Health Organization’s (WHO) calls for a renewed probe into the origins of Covid-19, saying it supported “scientific” over “political” efforts to find out how the virus started.Pressure is once more mounting on Beijing to consider a fresh probe into the origins of a pandemic which has killed more than four million people and paralysed economies worldwide since it first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.A WHO team of international experts went to Wuhan in January to produce a first phase report, which was written in conjunction with their Chinese counterparts. It failed to find a conclusive position on how the virus began.On Thursday WHO urged China to share raw data from the earliest Covid-19 cases to revive its probe into the origins of the disease.China hit back, repeating its position that the initial investigation was enough and that calls for further data were motivated by politics instead of scientific inquiry.“We oppose political tracing… and abandoning the joint report” issued after the WHO expert team’s Wuhan visit in January, vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu told reporters. “We support scientific tracing.”That report said the virus jumping from bats to humans via an intermediate animal was the most probable scenario, while a leak from the Wuhan virology labs was “extremely unlikely”.Ma rejected suggestions of new lines of investigation.“The conclusions and recommendations of WHO and China joint report were recognised by the international community and the scientific community,” he said.“Future global traceability work should and can only be further carried out on the basis of this report, rather than starting a new one.”


China says US nuclear weapons report 'speculation'

China's defence ministry on Tuesday dismissed a Pentagon report about the pace of its nuclear weapons programme as unfair "gesticulation" and speculation.
The Pentagon said in a report last month that China would likely have a stockpile of 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 if it continues with its current pace of its nuclear buildup.
The figure underscores mounting US concerns about China's intentions for its expanding nuclear arsenal, even though the projections do not suggest China is accelerating the pace of its already-brisk warhead development.
Responding to the report, China's defence ministry said the US was "gesticulating and absurdly guessing about the modernisation of China's nuclear forces".
The US should reflect on its own nuclear policy, especially as it has the world's largest nuclear arsenal, the ministry added.
The US was "vigorously" developing and seeking to deploy frontline tactical nuclear weapons, had reduced the threshold for deploying nuclear weapons and was conducting nuclear proliferation through its security partnership with Britain and Australia, it said.
"It should be emphasised that China firmly pursues a self-defence nuclear strategy, always adheres to the policy of not being the first to use nuclear weapons at any time or under any circumstance, and maintains its nuclear forces at the lowest level required by national security."
The US has a stockpile of about 3,700 nuclear warheads, of which about 1,740 were deployed, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute think tank.
The Chinese ministry said it was the US that was the "biggest trouble maker" when it came to global security.
"It has fanned the flames for its own self-interest, creating divisions and confrontation in the world, and bringing turmoil and disasters wherever it goes," the ministry said.


Prove it, producers told after claim of sabotage in screening of Anwar film

The makers and producers of "Anwar: The Untold Story" have come under fire on social media after alleging sabotage in the screening of the movie released nationwide late last week.
The producers had stated that the film based on Anwar Ibrahim's time in government as deputy prime minister and finance minister in the 1990s brought in RM1 million on its first day of screening.
However, they said that the movie, produced by Yusrych Global Sdn Bhd and distributed by DMY Creation, was not given screening slots as requested by the public.
A number of Facebook users said this was likely an indication that the film was not well received by the audience.
"No one wants to waste time watching movies of poor quality," Facebook user Wan Zulkifli Abu Bakar wrote in the comment section of news portal Malaysiakini.
"Malaysians today are intelligent and know how to assess what is the best and more entertaining to watch."
"It would be a loss if they opened up many slots but the cinemas were all empty," user Rusliah Ahmad said.
"The cinema operators want films that can bring in a profit."
"Anwar: The Untold Story" is directed by Indonesian Viva Westi and stars Farid Kamil as Anwar and Indonesian actress Acha Septriasa as his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Much of the movie, which cost some RM10 million, was filmed in Indonesia.
Other social media users asked the producers to prove their claim, describing it as unfair to the country's cinema industry.
"If the claim is true, bring them to face justice and suspend their licence," Azhar Alfifilani wrote in the comment section of Berita Harian Online.
"Don't just talk."
The social media stir followed reports that thousands of free tickets had been offered online in an attempt to ramp up support for the film ahead of elections to be held in six states this year.
The movie has also been promoted by government leaders, with Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil urging members of the public to give it a go.
The film captures the years before Anwar's dramatic exit in 1998 from then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's government.


Najib gets 30-day extension to file petition of appeal in SRC case

Former prime minister Najib Razak has obtained a 30-day extension of time to file his petition of appeal in his SRC International Sdn Bhd case.A three-man Court of Appeal panel comprising justices Has Zanah Mehat, Lee Swee Seng and Nordin Hassan allowed Najib’s application after receiving no objection from the prosecution.Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee applied for an extension of Sept 18 to Oct 18, saying there are 112 volumes of appeal records and the High Court’s grounds of judgment was 801 pages long.“In the interest of substantive justice, we do need time to adequately prepare the petition,” he said.Deputy public prosecutor Mohd Ashrof Adrin Kamarul told the court that the prosecution did not object to the application.According to court procedure, the defence in Najib’s appeal has 10 days to file a petition of appeal after receiving the records of appeal. The initial due date to file the petition of appeal was Monday, Sept 28.Najib is appealing against his conviction, 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine imposed by the High Court on July 28.The former prime minister was found guilty of seven charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of position involving RM42 million in SRC International Sdn Bhd funds.He was sentenced to 12 years’ jail for the offence related to abuse of power and 10 years’ jail each for three criminal breach of trust offences.The Pekan MP was also sentenced to 10 years’ jail for each of the three counts of money laundering. The High Court ordered that all sentences run concurrently.Najib is currently out on RM2 million bail with two sureties pending his appeal.The prosecution, meanwhile, filed a notice of appeal on Aug 11 against the sentence imposed on Najib by the High Court. However, it is learnt that the prosecution has yet to file its petition of appeal.Najib’s appeal is fixed for case management on Oct 2.The former prime minister was exempted from attending today’s court proceedings.


Pahang PH agrees to form state govt with BN

Pahang Pakatan Harapan (PH) has agreed to cooperate with the state Barisan Nasional (BN) to form the Pahang government after the 15th general election (GE15) resulted in a hung assembly.
The matter was confirmed by Pahang DAP chairman Leong Ngah Ngah.
"Yes, Pahang PH has agreed to cooperate with Pahang BN, but we are awaiting the official decision from the central leadership," he said.
In GE15, BN obtained 16 seats while PH won eight with six from DAP while Perikatan Nasional obtained 17.
There are 42 seats in Pahang state assembly although polling for the Tioman state seat will be held on Dec 7, following the death of PN candidate Md Yunus Ramli on polling day.


Don't forget digital development, teachers say on budget

An education group has questioned the government's allocation for the field in its revised budget for 2023, saying it does not appear to have allocated enough for digital development despite setting aside the lion's share of the financial blueprint for the ministry.
"Once again, the allocation of government spending is on infrastructure," Melissa Tanya Gomes, the CEO of Penang-based Edvolution, said.
"The fact that students are still recovering from learning losses and issues like illiteracy and poor attendance is not reflected in the budget."
The budget tabled by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the Dewan Rakyat on Feb 24 had set aside RM55.2 billion for the education ministry as opposed to RM52.6 billion allocated for 2022.
Speaking to MalaysiaNow, Gomes said allocations should be made for the development of teachers and a proper digital infrastructure.
But in general, she added, the government did not appear to spend much on professional development for teachers, citing a lack of resources to help them keep up to date with the latest teaching methodologies and pedagogies.
She gave the example of Delima, the education ministry's one-stop platform for teachers which she said had not been updated or improved since its implementation.
In his royal address at the opening of the second term of Parliament on Feb 13, the Agong had spoken of the need for a digital education policy to nurture digital talents who are knowledgeable, skilled and ethical in the use of technology.
Gomes said if the government intended to achieve its vision for the transformation of education by 2025, it had its work cut out for it, especially in terms of technology in the classroom.
"Not only is it imperative that we accelerate the use of digital technology in the classroom, we must also invest in the development of our greatest resource – our teachers – if we wish to achieve a truly world-class education system," she said.
Gomes voiced hope that a large part of the ministry's budget would be channelled towards improving the skills of teachers and empowering the educational workforce.
Educationist Anuar Ahmad meanwhile urged the ministry to use some of its allocation to provide furniture for the use of teachers.
Anuar Ahmad, of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said many of the staff rooms at schools throughout the country were in need of change.
In a Facebook post, he also called for the provision of new shelves, air-conditioning and carpets.
"It would also be good to replace the old term of 'staff room' with 'office' instead," he said.


MCO extended 2 weeks to Feb 18

The movement control order (MCO) imposed across most of the country to curb the spread of Covid-19 will be extended another two weeks until Feb 18.However, Sarawak will remain under conditional MCO.Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who made the announcement today, said the decision was based on risk assessments and the advice of the health ministry as daily cases in all states still show an upward trend, with positivity rate in clusters at between 20% and 40%.“Sporadic transmission within the community is also high, involving citizens as well as non-citizens,” he said.He said interstate travel and social activities will remain off limits, while the Attorney-General’s Chambers is working out higher fines for the breach of MCO SOPs which will be announced soon.Meanwhile, stricter SOPs will be implemented, including limits on the number of people allowed to enter supermarkets in order to prevent mass gatherings.The MCO, known as MCO 2.0, was implemented in six states on Jan 13. It was later extended to cover the entire country with the exception of Sarawak which remained under CMCO with the exception of certain districts.


MACC Act allows probe on public officers including judges, says anti-graft body

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today said that it is bound by procedure to investigate any official report or complaint, amid questions by some over its probe of the judge who convicted former prime minister Najib Razak of corruption two years ago.In a statement, it also said that an investigation did not necessarily mean that the individual in question had committed wrongdoing.“The commission is responsible for verifying and investigating any report or official complaint involving issues within its purview,” it said.It also cited the MACC Act 2009 which states among others that the anti-graft agency is empowered to investigate public officers as defined in Section 3 of the act.“‘Public officers’ means anyone who is a member, officer, employee or servant of a public body, and includes members of the administration, MPs, members of state assemblies, judges of the High Court, Court of Appeal or Federal Court, and any person who receives remuneration from public funds, and, if the public body is a one-person corporation, the person incorporated,” it said.The MACC recently launched an investigation into Court of Appeal judge Mohd Nazlan Ghazali over allegations of unexplained money in his account.Nazlan, who was a High Court judge in 2020, had found Najib guilty of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering in the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.He sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail and fined him RM210 million.The MACC said once its investigation into Nazlan was complete, the investigation papers would be submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) for a decision on whether to prosecute or not, in line with the principle of the separation of powers.It added that it had a record of investigating judges, and that each investigation paper had been submitted to the AGC for assessment.In Nazlan’s case, it said it had received one complaint on March 15 and two more on April 23 and 27.“The investigation is still at the early stage and involves public interests,” it said.


Philippine drug war dead exhumed as grave leases expire

Rodzon Enriquez’s skeletal remains are pulled out of a coffin-sized tomb in Manila and placed in a body bag. Five years after the 24-year-old was killed in the Philippines’ drug war, the lease on his grave is expiring.Activists estimate tens of thousands of people have died since President Rodrigo Duterte ordered police to go after drug addicts and dealers in a widely-condemned campaign that has largely targeted poor men.Many of the dead were put in “apartment” tombs stacked meters high in jam-packed cemeteries across the sprawling capital, where a five-year lease on a rectangular concrete box costs about 5,000 pesos (US$100).As leases run out, a Catholic charity is helping families unable to afford the renewal fee to retrieve the bones of their loved ones with the aim of having them cremated and put in a permanent burial site.“I don’t want his remains thrown away,” Corazon Enriquez, 63, told AFP, after her son’s bones were carried away on a stretcher by two men wearing masks, gloves and protective coats.The mother of seven had welcomed Duterte’s promise to rid the country of drugs.“If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful,” Duterte told the public soon after he was sworn into office.But Enriquez never imagined the campaign would target her own family.Rodzon, a fishing port worker who used methamphetamine to stay awake during overnight shifts, was shot dead by police in his bed weeks after Duterte took power, she said.“I wanted to have him at home – even if his physical body is no longer here, I know he’s still there,” said Enriquez of the ashes she plans to keep until another location is found.“I still feel the pain – I would have wanted to swap places with my son.”Father Flavie Villanueva, a vocal critic of Duterte, is spearheading the exhumation effort. He said thousands of cremations could be needed in the coming years as leases expire.Villanueva hopes to eventually store the ashes in a columbarium to give victims a “dignified” final resting place – and help families find closure.“It’s already too much that you lose a loved one – should you also lose his remains?” said the priest, who is raising money to finance the ambitious plan.It is too late for some families. The bones of their relatives were removed and thrown into sacks with the remains of others before the tomb leases expired, Villanueva said.“They’re human beings… they deserve better,” he added.‘Your papa is here’On a single day this month, Villanueva oversaw the exhumations of seven drug war dead, as weeping widows and mothers looked on.Many of the people killed were breadwinners for their families, who now struggle to put food on the table, he said. Extending the leases was beyond their means.“If you couldn’t have anything to feed your children, how could I even worry for the dead if the living in front of me are dying,” Villanueva said.Joralyn Fuellas’s husband Reynaldo was shot dead by motorcycle-riding gunmen on her 39th birthday.He had gone out to do an extra shift as a tricycle driver to pay for a special meal to share with her and their 11 children. Fuellas was told later that Reynaldo had been on a narcotics “watchlist”.“I’m glad I will be able to bring him home,” she said after watching the removal of his remains.“I can tell my children ‘your papa is here’.”‘My sweetest child’International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors have requested a full-blown investigation into the drug war.They want to probe allegations that police unlawfully killed as many as tens of thousands of civilians between 2016 and 2019 – overlapping the first three years of Duterte’s term.Duterte, who is barred from seeking re-election next year, has called the ICC “bullshit” and vowed not to cooperate.Felicitas Narvarte, whose son Edward was shot dead outside a shop two weeks before Duterte was sworn into office, blames the president for his death.Hours after sharing a takeaway roast chicken at their home, Narvarte said she heard gunshots followed by her son’s voice calling out “mum, mum!”“Only when the person who ordered the killing of drug addicts is jailed will my feelings get better,” the 62-year-old told AFP, after placing candles and food in front of her son’s tomb to mark the anniversary of his death.She plans to move his remains to a smaller box that is cheaper and where her grandson – Edward’s child – can visit.But she is running out of time to find the money before the final extension given by the cemetery caretaker expires.“I wanted it to be in a good place, I don’t want it to be merged with other bones,” she said.“He was my sweetest child.”


Unfair matriculation and university admissions: From reaction to solution

It is an annual outcry that some years reaches a crescendo. The trigger: high-scoring students, typically of Malaysia’s minority groups, not getting admission to public universities or pre-university matriculation colleges.
On July 30, Klang MP Charles Santiago, hearing word that over 200 SPM “straight-A” Indian students were not admitted to matriculation, demanded answers for the perceived unfairness: “What is the policy towards Indian and even Chinese students? How come high-performing students were not given a chance in matriculation?”
A few students have publicised their plight on social media, screenshotting their academic scores and the devastating application results.
These public complaints recall words loudly articulated some years back. A senior politician lambasted the “rigid quota system” that had extensively promoted Bumiputera upward mobility but deprived “many young and qualified non-Bumiputeras”. He then demanded that the government bring the “racial quota system... to an end as quickly as possible”. The source: former Gerakan party president Lim Keng Yaik. The year: 1984.
Of course, there are some differences between 2022 and 1984: now, ethnic quotas apply to matriculation colleges (where the contention lies); then, de facto ethnic quotas were in force in university admissions. These days, as the higher education ministry director-general explained, applications are automated with “no human touch”.
Well, humans designed UPU’s “pure merit” computer algorithm that sifts through applications displaying each student’s academic results and co-curricular scores and sorts through their ranked preference of up to 12 university programmes, then churns out an offer to each applicant. Or a rejection note.
At heart, it has been 40 years of essentially the same tune, same heartache, same cycle of hard work and academic achievement denied the seemingly deserved reward. Cue the rallying cry of the aggrieved: abolish the ethnic quota and enforce meritocracy, or give a leg up only to the poor while prohibiting all ethnicity-conscious selection.
The publicised top scorers often find redress. They can appeal directly to universities, or someone steps in to offer enrolment in a private institution, a scholarship, or both. Anger is assuaged, life goes on. Calls for the non-Bumiputera matriculation quota to be increased from 10% may echo, now and then.
Unfortunately, this cycle neglects the fuller picture of the education system, and the commonly proposed alternatives may impact negatively in ways we often overlook. However, we can mitigate the disappointment, and work toward a better balance of reward for excellence and equitable access for diverse groups, by rethinking three important issues.
First, we must broaden the definition of who ‘deserves" to get admission or scholarships. The plight of the top scorers denied entry to higher education, especially if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds, is real and must be shown empathy. It is difficult to deny that they should be given a chance to pursue their education programme of choice. But are they the only deserving ones?
The annual cycle, being continually reactive and limited to the top-scoring students, scarcely advocates for other deserving candidates. Indeed, in our zeal to aid the straight-A high-achievers, we may unwittingly omit the greater number of disadvantaged students who did not ace the exams. We also reduce academic ability to exam results.
From my university teaching experience, the top scorers are invariably motivated and industrious, but many students with modest grades are highly engaged and curious, and some of them have not – despite their striving – been able to overcome the disadvantaged conditions of their upbringing. Does higher education open enough space for them?
Second, we need to go beyond demanding more non-Bumiputera spaces in matriculation colleges. The deep dissatisfaction with the matriculation system is understandable, moreover when the alternative is to take the much harder STPM. However, while a larger non-Bumiputera quota in matriculation (currently 10%) seems a morally appealing and pragmatic solution, this will cause a rush of already high-scoring Chinese and Indian students into this easier pre-university programme, and exacerbate inequalities within the community by compounding the disadvantage of those who miss out on the matriculation spots.
Expanding matriculation enrolment as Pakatan Harapan did in 2019 – while retaining the 90:10 Bumiputera-non-Bumiputera ratio – was a stopgap compromise that cannot keep repeating. It also may not quite achieve the intended outcome of increased non-Bumiputera access to higher education if the spaces in Bumiputera-exclusive Asasi or Mara programmes are increased.
Third, we must break the false dichotomy of "pro-Bumiputera" versus "pure meritocracy", or "race-based" versus "need-based" policies. The choice is not between absolutes. Would those who object to preferential treatment for Bumiputeras also object to preferential treatment for Orang Asli university applicants? The solution is not to sweepingly abolish ethnicity-conscious admissions, but to strike a balance of academic, socioeconomic and student diversity considerations.
So, how can Malaysia do better?
First, matriculation and STPM must be revamped – basically made more rigorous, with a focus on equipping students for higher education instead of providing an easier pathway to university. The post-secondary school years are formative, a time when thinking, communication and creative skills can be inculcated. This idea might seem daunting and wishful, but don’t we seek better quality in schools and universities? Oddly, we rarely express the same aspiration for matriculation colleges and STPM.
Quota tweaks to the current illusory “meritocracy” will perpetuate an underperforming programme. System-wide change, including the prospect of a single university entrance examination, is not feasible until we narrow the quality gap in the parallel university entry programmes. The difficulty of scoring in the STPM has been a badge of honour, but it is also notorious for extending rote learning to the post-secondary level.
Second, review the current automated and centralised admissions systems. The “no human touch” approach might help reduce subjective bias and relieve the load of routine labour, but the existing equation of 90% academic and 10% co-curricular scores is woefully restrictive (Technical college admissions at least includes a 15% socioeconomic category that accords points to students from low-income households).
Within the UPU scheme – while transitioning to decentralisation – Malaysia must find ways to incorporate more criteria that reflect academic ability and potential, as well as socioeconomic situation.
Admission to university is surely too important to be left to a computer algorithm. Broadening the selection criteria, though, will ultimately require not only the restoration of a human touch, but also some decentralisation to the universities.
University autonomy is Malaysia’s perennial stalled project; some institutions have experimented in the past with self-administered admissions but reverted back to UPU. Nonetheless, the record will show that autonomy, at least partial if not full, can be granted – especially for admissions. If the universities claim to lack resources, they can productively redeploy staff stationed in futile tasks like compliance audits to reinvigorated admissions offices.
Third, the admissions process should be redesigned to be more holistic, perhaps by conducting a few rounds of selection. The first round can appraise applications based primarily on achievement. After that round of admission offers, the next can select entrants by evaluating ability and potential while also accounting for socioeconomic disadvantage – family income, parents’ or siblings’ education, housing situation. A further round of selection can be formulated to balance out student diversity – not just by ethnicity, but also region, language, and other aspects.
Minority groups have been anguished at higher education admissions for many decades now. Unless Malaysia goes beyond reacting, to systematically reforming post-secondary education, these grievances will continually fester, and the disadvantaged will be further left behind.
Lee Hwok Aun is a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Number of flood victims in Johor, Sabah continues to rise

The number of flood victims in Johor, Sabah and Pahang continued to increase last night following continuous heavy rain.
In Johor, a total of 5,000 people had been relocated to 51 relief centres as of 10pm, compared to 4,368 earlier in the evening, as Pontian became the seventh district to be hit by floods after Kota Tinggi, Kluang, Segamat, Mersing, Batu Pahat and Muar.
According to a statement from the state disaster management committee (JPBN), Segamat was the most affected, with 1,784 victims from 501 families, followed by Kluang (1,239 people from 358 families) and Mersing (851 people from 258 families).
"In Kota Tinggi, the number of victims evacuated is 706 from 169 families, followed by Muar (206 people from 46 families), Batu Pahat (196 people from 54 families) and Pontian (18 people from four families)," it said.
The readings at five rivers in the state also exceeded the danger level: Sungai Muar (at Sungai Gemas estuary) at 19.25m, Sungai Segamat at 9.23m, Sungai Segamat (Segamat Kecil) at 37.56m, Sungai Kahang (Kampung Contoh) at 16.12m and Sungai Pontian Besar at 11.16m. In Sabah, the number of flood victims rose drastically to 1,421 people from 495 families at 17 relief centres in four districts compared to 607 people from 139 families earlier in the evening.
According to the Sabah JPBN, three districts recorded a sudden increase, namely Kota Marudu with 806 victims (356 families), Kudat with 381 victims (77 families) and Paitan with 155 victims (44 families).
In Pitas, the number of evacuees remained at 79 people from 21 families at three relief centres.
In Pahang, the number of evacuees in the Rompin district increased to 138 people from 42 families, compared to 97 people from 28 families earlier that evening.


Pakistan police fire teargas, round up supporters of ousted PM Khan

Pakistani police fired teargas, baton-charged and detained supporters of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday to stop them from reaching the capital Islamabad to demand fresh elections, officials and witnesses said.Clashes between Khan’s supporters and police were reported in multiple cities.Khan, ousted in a confidence vote last month after losing his partners in his coalition, has urged supporters to march on Islamabad and stay there until the new government is dissolved and a date for a fresh election is announced.Islamabad’s entry and exit routes have been blocked, as well as important civic sites, officials said. Entry and exit points were also blocked to and from all major cities in Punjab province and on the Grand Trunk Road (GTR).“No blockade can stop us,” Khan said from atop a truck on the GT road on his way to Islamabad from the northwestern city of Peshawar.“We will remain in Islamabad till announcement of dates for dissolution of assemblies & elections are given,” he later tweeted.The government has said Khan’s march is illegal and accuses him of seeking to bring protesters to Islamabad with “evil intentions”.Khan’s supporters also clashed with security forces in other major cities, including the southern port city of Karachi and the eastern city of Lahore.A mob torched a prison van in Karachi after clashing with police, and another group of protesters set fire to several trees along a main thoroughfare in Islamabad, officials said.The political violence has compounded uncertainty in the nuclear-armed South Asian nation ahead of a likely announcement by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) later in the day on whether it will resume a US$6 billion rescue package.With falling foreign reserves, a fast-crashing rupee, and double-digit inflation, Pakistan’s new government is struggling to stop a downward economic spiral.ArrestsLive local TV footage showed police fighting with Khan’s supporters, beating them and in some places breaking their vehicles’ windscreens and bundling them into police vans.Amjad Malik, an interior ministry official, told Reuters no one had been seriously injured in the clashes.Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah later said police had carried out a total of 4,417 swoops on Khan supporters’ homes, offices and on protest rallies and had arrested nearly 1,700 people. Of those, 250 were later freed, he said.Khan has promised to rally more than two million people in Islamabad.“We haven’t stopped anyone from exercising their constitutional and legal right to hold a rally or take part in democratic politics, but we can’t allow anyone to sow violence and chaos,” said Sanaullah.Pakistan’s Supreme Court, later in the day, ordered the government and Khan’s party to negotiate on holding a peaceful public meeting in Islamabad.Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government was trying to clear up an economic mess that he blamed Khan for.“You’ve handed over a sinking economy to us, and now you’re planning sit-ins and protest,” Sharif said in Islamabad. “We are trying to energize this weak economy.”


Azmin slams Rafizi's 'arrogant' statement against MACC boss

Perikatan Nasional (PN) election director Mohamed Azmin Ali has described PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli’s statement against Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki as arrogant.
Azmin said the statement issued by Rafizi also showed the character of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) leader in his attempt to disparage a civil servant.
The PN candidate for the Gombak parliamentary seat said members of the civil service were only carrying out their duties and were not politicians.
"Don't be antagonistic with civil servants... there is no need.
"Civil servants can see for themselves the character of PH," he told reporters after a programme in Putrajaya yesterday. According to media reports, Rafizi, at a PH ceramah in Johor Bahru, said that PH "will come after" Azam if the coalition wins the 15th general election (GE15).
NGO Pertubuhan Jalinan Perpaduan Negara had previously called on MACC to investigate the RM18.85 million in assets declared by Rafizi, who is also the PH candidate for the Pandan parliamentary seat in GE15.
Meanwhile, when asked about DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng's act to sue him for allegedly making false statements, Azmin said: "Anyone has the right to do so (file a suit), I am only stating some things that caused PH to be rejected by the people."
The media reported yesterday that Lim had instructed his lawyer to begin defamation proceedings against Azmin for making a false statement by alleging that the former had abused his power as finance minister.
Lim said Azmin had accused him of using the Inland Revenue Board to go after "MCA-linked companies", impose new taxes on businesses, and impose additional taxes on certain "Chinese businesses".


Fahmi up in arms over report on possible OPR hike

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil came under fire from social media users today after expressing anger at a typical report quoting analysts' prediction of a hike in the overnight policy rate (OPR) within the next few months.
The analysts in the report by Berita Harian had expected Bank Negara Malaysia to raise the OPR by 25 percentage points as early as July, citing economic forecasts driven by strong domestic demand following recovery in the employment sector.
But Fahmi, whose management of press freedom was previously criticised by some, described the report as a lie.
"This is a lie," he said in comments posted on Facebook.
"The article clearly states that this is the view of analysts, not the decision of the central bank or the government. Berita Harian Online must correct this and explain."
He later announced that he would meet with the management of the Malay daily.
Fahmi's description of the report was met with scepticism by some Facebook users who urged him to take a relook.
They also pointed him to the word "expected", meaning that the OPR hike would not necessarily take place.
"YB Fahmi Fadzil, try to understand," said Facebook user Faizal Ariffin.
"It said 'expected', it didn't confirm that the OPR would increase. Check the dictionary."
"Expected means that this is based on sources who have done research on the matter," added user Firdaus Saleh.
"Even simple things have been made complicated."
"This is what analysts expect," Khairil Anwar said. "Where is the lie?
"To consider something like this a lie is a serious matter. Isn't Pakatan Harapan the champion of freedom of speech?"
Other Facebook users meanwhile agreed with Fahmi, calling for strict action against the daily.
"Call the senior editor and issue him a show-cause letter. Tell him to respond within 48 hours," Shidi Shidiamin said.
"We have to be firm without giving face to those involved."
This is not the first time Fahmi has courted public criticism since assuming his ministerial portfolio, which is largely seen as an oversight of media organisations in the country.
Earlier this month, he questioned the findings of a survey carried out by several media agencies on the first 100 days of the government, saying the findings were unreliable and not truly reflective of the people’s views.
The survey, among others, found that only 27% of respondents were satisfied with the performance of the government in tackling issues on race relations and economic growth, while 26% felt that the government had handled the food supply issue well.
"I will meet with the newspapers concerned to get clarification. Are they trying to do some promotion or deceive the people?" he had said on March 1.


Ex-1MDB CFO denies name dropped from govt’s lawsuit to incriminate Najib

Former 1MDB chief financial officer Azmi Tahir told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today he disagreed that his name had been dropped from the government’s lawsuit in order for him to incriminate former prime minister Najib Razak in court.Azmi, 49, agreed that those on the witness list that the prosecution planned to call for the trial appeared to have been removed from the list of defendants in 1MDB’s lawsuit later, while others such as former 1MBD CFO Radhi Mohamad were being sued.He said this under cross-examination by Najib’s counsel Hariharan Tara Singh at the former prime minister’s trial for the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in funds from 1MDB.Hariharan: Now, do you agree that the people who are not called as witnesses, their names remain as defendants in the suit?Azmi: It looks that way.In August 2021, it was reported that 1MDB had dropped a civil action against Azmi and six other defendants.The 12th prosecution witness also said he only read in the media that 1MDB had filed a suit against him and various individuals last year and that he was never served with a copy of the lawsuit.He further said that there were no criminal charges levelled against him and that he did not know why he was not charged in relation to the financial scandal.Hariharan: Despite you being the co-signatory and director of a subsidiary of 1MDB, you were in charge of raising funds, yet no charges were made against you?Azmi: I do not know why there were no criminal charges against me.Hariharan: There were criminal charges against your deputy Terence Geh, Jasmine Loo (1MDB’s lawyer) and Low Taek Jho, but as CFO you were not charged.Azmi: Again, I don’t know why some people were not charged, my CEO was not charged, my board was also not charged, and why some people were charged but I was not charged.To another question, Azmi agreed that he had never taken any direct instruction from Najib, 69, as the accused was not part of 1MDB’s management or its board of directors.The Pekan MP is facing four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial before justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.


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Key Asean members to skip Thai-hosted Myanmar talks amid criticism

Thailand's caretaker government was preparing to host talks with the foreign minister of Myanmar's military junta on Monday, a day later than planned, as key Southeast Asian nations signalled they would stay away from the divisive meeting.
Bangkok has been pushing to reengage with Myanmar's generals - who have been locked in conflict with armed opposition militias since seizing power in a 2021 coup - in the face of opposition from other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which has barred the junta from senior level meetings.
Thailand, whose prime minister himself first took power in a coup, sent out an invitation just four days ago to Asean foreign ministers, inviting them to what it said would be an informal meeting starting on Sunday.
The invitation, seen by Reuters and verified by two sources, referenced a proposal at an earlier summit "that it was time for Asean to fully re-engage Myanmar at the leaders' level".
Myanmar's junta-appointed Foreign Minister Than Swe is to attend the talks, two sources with knowledge of the meeting told Reuters.
Late on Sunday, the Thai foreign ministry released a statement saying the "informal dialogue" would start on Monday. It would not amount to a formal Asean meeting, the ministry said, but would "help support Asean's efforts" to end the violence in Myanmar.
The statement said the talks are "expected to be attended by high-level representatives from Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, India, China, Brunei, and Vietnam" but did not elaborate on exactly who would attend. It did not say why the date had changed.
Myanmar's generals have been barred for nearly two years from senior-level Asean meetings for failing to honour an agreement to start talks with opponents linked to the ousted civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
She is now imprisoned along with hundreds of other former government officials and anti-military activists. The junta says it is fighting terrorists who aim to destroy the country.
Thailand's outgoing Foreign Minister, Don Pramudwinai, touted the initiative in an interview with local news outlet Matichon.
“The current situation has changed a lot. There is now more fighting within Myanmar," he was quoted as saying. "Myanmar also has a roadmap leading to elections... These things have given us the need to continue our interactions with Myanmar."
'Secretive initiative'
Critics of Thailand's initiative say it risks legitimising Myanmar's military government and is inappropriate because it is outside the official Asean peace initiative, known as the "five-point consensus".
Singapore's foreign minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, said on Friday "it would be premature to re-engage with the junta at a summit level or even at a foreign minister level".
Malaysia said it would not be attending. The Philippines, which did not respond to questions over the weekend, is seen as firmly in the camp of isolating Myanmar's generals.
India and China are not Asean members but as regional powers have attended other informal meetings on Myanmar.
Myanmar's opposition National Unity Government (NUG), made up of loyalists to Suu Kyi's ousted administration, condemned the Thai initiative.
"Inviting the illegitimate junta to this discussion will not contribute to the resolution of Myanmar's political crisis," it said in a statement on Saturday.
Malaysia's former foreign minister, Saifuddin Abdullah, also criticised the Thai-hosted talks on his Twitter account.
"Thailand is calling Asean countries to fully engage with the Myanmar junta leaders in an informal meeting. @Asean must stop this nonsense!" he tweeted, adding that the regional grouping should support the official five-point peace process.
A group of 81 Myanmar activist groups released an open letter on Sunday condemning the "secretive initiative", saying it was in "blatant contradiction" with Asean's policy of excluding junta officials to high-level meetings.


Iran Guards general says more than 300 dead in Amini unrest

Iran has for the first time reported that more than 300 people have died in over two months of protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody.
The Islamic republic has deployed state security forces against what it labels "riots" that broke out after the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian died on Sept 16, three days after her arrest for allegedly breaching Iran's dress code for women.
"Everyone in the country has been affected by the death of this lady," said Brigadier General Amirali Hajizadeh of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in a video published by the Mehr news agency.
"I don't have the latest figures, but I think we have had perhaps more than 300 martyrs and people killed," among them some of "the best sons of the country", said Hajizadeh, head of the Guards' aerospace division.
The toll includes those who have taken to the streets as well as dozens of police, troops and IRGC militia who have died in clashes with demonstrators or who were killed elsewhere.
The latest official death toll is much closer to the figure of at least 416 people "killed in the suppression of protests in Iran" published by the Oslo-based non-government group Iran Human Rights.
The group says its toll includes those killed in violence related to the Amini protests and in distinct unrest in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Hijab rules
Thousands of Iranians and around 40 foreigners have been arrested and more than 2,000 people have been charged, according to judicial authorities.
Among these, six have been sentenced to death, with their appeals set to be heard by the Supreme Court.
Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that overthrew the monarchy, Iranian law requires all women to wear modest dress and a hijab head covering that conceals their hair, rules enforced by morality police squads that patrol public places.
Over the past two decades, however, many women, especially in Tehran and other major cities, have shown more of their hair, before the rules were tightened again – a flashpoint issue in the protests.
Iran has blamed its enemies for the civil unrest, pointing at the United States, other Western powers and Israel, as well as exiled Kurdish-Iranian opposition groups based in northern Iraq whom it has hit with repeated missiles and drone strikes.
Amid the heightened tensions, Iran's national football team will play the US side at the World Cup in Qatar from 1900 GMT Tuesday – a match seen as highly political between the countries that have had no diplomatic relations since 1980.
Iran's judicial authorities Tuesday announced the release of more than 1,100 detainees in 20 provinces, including protesters, following Iran's World Cup win Friday against Wales, the Mizan Online news agency reported.


Sirim certification requirement for non-medical face masks pushed to 2023

Enforcement of the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking) of Non-Medical Face Mask Order which requires manufacturers and importers of non-medical face masks to apply for MS Sirim certification and labelling has been postponed to Jan 1, 2023.Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said the government was not making a U-turn but was being sensitive towards the people’s fear and concern that this would result in a price increase.“The postponement gives leeway to the industry and the people to make adjustments,” he told the media after a briefing for the industry in conjunction with the gazetting and enforcement of the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking) Order 2022 for non-medical face masks and electronic cigarette devices in Putrajaya yesterday.The domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry said in a statement on April 5 that the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking) of Non-Medical Face Masks Order 2022 under the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 was gazetted on April 5.In a statement, the ministry said the order would take effect on July 4 and that manufacturers and importers of non-medical face masks would be required to apply for Sirim certification and labelling from Sirim QAS International Sdn Bhd.The MS Sirim label which indicates that the products have met the required standards would need to be placed on the boxes or packages so that it is easily visible to consumers.Nanta assured consumers that the price of non-medical face masks would not be increased as the industry had given its word and had also been warned not to take advantage of the gazetting, using it as an excuse to increase prices.“I am confident that manufacturers and importers will not increase prices even if they are charged for the MS Sirim marking certificate. I am of the view that the imposition of a reasonable charge by Sirim on manufacturers and importers will benefit all parties,” he said.Nanta said before the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia was an exporter of face masks and that the gazetting was to ensure that Malaysian products are of quality standards and accepted worldwide.The gazetting was also aimed at safeguarding the interests of the people as well as to overcome the dumping of poor quality non-medical face masks in the local market, he said.Nanta added the action against manufacturers and importers in the event of non-compliance had nothing to do with consumers as it only involved those related to the business.


Selangor leads as new cases remain above 1,000

Another 1,510 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 359,117.Selangor recorded 415 cases, Sarawak 296, Kelantan 171, Sabah 131, Kuala Lumpur 106 and Penang 101.Johor recorded 80 cases, Kedah 59, Perak 46, Terengganu 44, Negeri Sembilan 28, Pahang 13, Putrajaya 10, Melaka six and Perlis and Labuan two each.Active cases stand at 15,059 with 194 in the ICU and 81 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 1,248 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 342,737.However, eight more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,321.


Global Covid-19 cases top 65 million

More than 65 million cases of the novel coronavirus have been detected worldwide, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 0750 GMT on Friday.In total, 65,084,394 cases, leading to 1,504,984 deaths, have been recorded around the world since the virus emerged in China late last year.The rise can be explained only in part by increased testing, with Europe and the US confronted by a major new wave of infections.Europe, with more than 19 million confirmed cases including 430,000 fatalities, remains the region with the most infections.Over the past week, almost 1.7 million new infections have been recorded in 52 European countries, a similar level to the prior seven days.The US has recorded over 14 million infections (including 276,000 deaths) – a fifth of the global total.The number of positive cases continues to rise at an unprecedented rate – more than 210,000 were registered in the US on Thursday alone, a record since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.Overall, the US and Canada have declared 14.5 million cases with at least 288,705 deaths.Latin America and the Caribbean has registered 13.3 million infections with 453,974 deaths, followed by Asia (12.6 million, 197,559), the Middle East (3.4 million, 80,163), Africa (2.2 million, 52,825) and Oceania (30,388, 942).


Govt, opposition agree new MoU not needed, says PM

The government and the opposition have agreed that there is no need for a new written agreement between them to replace the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on transformation and political stability signed in September 2021.
However, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that despite being unwritten, the understanding meant to ensure the well-being of the people and political stability in the country could still be continued.
"To continue or not to continue (the MoU) is not important. What’s important is the understanding to continue protecting public interests.
"Both sides have agreed that there is no need for a new written agreement to continue the mutual understanding to protect public interests to ensure political stability," he told reporters after launching an event in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
He said several matters stated in the MoU between the government and Pakatan Harapan (PH) would also be implemented, such as the constitutional amendment to prohibit members of the Dewan Rakyat from changing parties and the political funding law. When asked about the expiry date of the MoU, Ismail said it would expire when Parliament is dissolved.
He said the MoU only stated that the next general election would not be held before July 31, adding that this was not the expiry date of the MoU.
He said that the dissolution of Parliament did not depend on anything and that it would be dissolved when the time came.
"If I feel the time is right to dissolve Parliament, I will dissolve it... either this year or next year," he said.
On Sept 13 last year, the federal government and PH signed the MoU for a bipartisan cooperation for the sake of political stability. The deal comprised a Covid-19 plan, and agreement for administrative transformation, parliamentary reform, judiciary independence, matters concerning the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the establishment of a steering committee.


Biden ends US support for Saudi war on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels

The US is to end its support for offensive operations by its allies in Yemen, which has been devastated by a six-year war in which more than 110,000 people are believed to have died.Millions of Yemenis are on the brink of starvation. The United Nations says Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with 80% of the population in need of aid or protection.“The war in Yemen must end,” President Joe Biden said in his first major foreign policy speech, which marked a sharp break with the policies of former president Donald Trump.Under Biden’s two predecessors, Trump and Obama, the US backed a coalition led by Saudi Arabia against Houthi rebels in Yemen. Fighting began in 2014 between a weak Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthi rebels. It escalated a year later, when Saudi Arabia and eight other Arab states, backed by the US, the UK and France, began air strikes against the Houthis.As a result of Thursday’s announcement, the US will stop supporting offensive operations, including the sale of precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).The Biden administration had already put a temporary halt on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This marks a change from the Trump’s administration, which increased support for the Saudi-led coalition and called the Houthis a “terrorist organisation”.Biden announced other changes to US foreign policy, such as a reversal of the decision to withdraw American troops from Germany, where they have been stationed since the end of World War II.He also called on Myanmar’s military rulers to release civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and restore democracy.


Cops to question suspect over claim that 200 state secretariat staff tried to jump vaccine queue

Police expect to record a statement soon from the individual suspected of spreading an allegation that staff of the Kelantan state secretariat (SUK) tried to jump queue to be among the early recipients of the Covid-19 vaccine.Kelantan police chief Shafien Mamat said they had contacted the suspect in Putrajaya to fix a date to record his statement.“Police have recorded statements from seven witnesses so far in the investigation,” he told reporters after monitoring compliance with SOPs to curb the spread of Covid-19 at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Mulong 2 in Kota Bharu today.On March 3, the Kelantan Local Government, Housing and Health Committee chairman’s special officer, Mohamad Taufik Ramli, lodged a police report against the individual for alleging that 200 Kelantan SUK staff had attempted to jump queue for vaccination under the first phase of the national Covid-19 immunisation programme.


US aviation body upgrades Malaysia's air safety rating

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed on Monday it upgraded Malaysia's air safety rating nearly three years after it took action to restrict the country's airlines from adding new flights to the US.
In November 2019, the FAA lowered Malaysia from Category 1 to Category 2, meaning Malaysian airlines were restricted to current levels of any existing US service and subject to additional inspections at US airports.
The Category 1 rating means Malaysia meets international air safety standards. The FAA said 90% of countries rated achieved Category 1.
The Associated Press previously quoted Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong as saying the upgrade would bolster tourism in the country.
"With the return to Category 1, our airlines can now mount new flights to the US and have code sharing with American carriers," the AP quoted Wee as saying. "This is good news after the Covid-19 pandemic."
Last week, the FAA said it would work with countries when it sees early indications that civil aviation authorities are not meeting safety standards.
The FAA previously would offer assistance only after the country had been downgraded. Now the agency will be able to work with a country to address developing safety risks before downgrading it.
The FAA said if it notifies a country of a safety concern it will limit direct service and code sharing by foreign operators to current levels as it reviews whether to issue a downgrade.


Air New Zealand to trial digital Covid-19 ‘vaccination passport’

Air New Zealand will trial a digital travel pass to give airlines and border authorities access to passenger health information, including their Covid-19 vaccination status, the carrier said Monday.The scheme, dubbed a “vaccination passport” by industry observers, is intended to streamline travel once borders reopen by allowing passengers to store their health credentials in one place.“It’s essentially like having a digital health certificate that can be easily and securely shared with airlines,” said Air New Zealand chief digital officer Jennifer Sepull.It relies on an app developed by the International Air Transport Association (AITA) and other airlines including Etihad and Emirates have already signed up for their own trials.The industry body’s senior vice-president Nick Careen said it was an important milestone in restarting international travel as global vaccine rollouts get underway.“Governments can be confident that passengers who are ‘OK to travel’ are in full compliance of Covid-19 travel requirements,” he said.Careen said the app ensured privacy by giving users control of the health data they provided.The Air New Zealand trial begins in April.


New cases dip again to 3,200

Another 3,251 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 2,783,331.Another 3,161 patients recovered, bringing total recoveries to 2,711,900.Meanwhile 243 are in the ICU, including 211 confirmed Covid-19 patients.A total of 113 are in need of respiratory assistance including 77 confirmed Covid-19 cases.Of the 3,251 cases reported today, 58 (1.8%) are in Category Three and above. The remaining 3,193 (98.2%) are in Category One and Two.


47 reported Covid deaths take toll to 30,110

Another 47 Covid-related deaths were reported on Nov 23, taking the cumulative death toll in the country to 30,110.According to the health ministry’s Github data repository, 10 of these were brought-in-dead (BID) cases.Kelantan had the highest number of reported deaths at eight or 17%, followed by Sabah with seven.Melaka and Selangor reported five deaths each; Johor, Penang and Sarawak reported four deaths each; and Kedah and Pahang reported three deaths each.Terengganu, which had the highest number of reported deaths on Nov 22, reported two deaths yesterday.Perak and Kuala Lumpur reported one death each while no deaths were reported in Negeri Sembilan, Perlis, Labuan and Putrajaya.A total of 5,594 new cases were reported yesterday, taking the overall total to 2,597,080. Only 85 or 1.5% of the new Covid-19 cases were Category Three, Four and Five infections.As of yesterday, there were 68,625 active Covid-19 cases reported and 4,908 recoveries.From the health ministry’s early morning update, 10 new clusters were reported, taking total active clusters to be 231.


Rafizi heads 'toothless' ministry stripped of important portfolios, says Azmin

Former economic affairs minister Mohamed Azmin Ali says the ministry under his successor Rafizi Ramli lacks power and scope in portfolio, comparing it to the time when it had jurisdiction over major government economic powerhouses under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration led by Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Azmin, who was economic minister from 2018 to 2020, described the ministry in its current state as "toothless", adding that it had been relegated to policy issues while the agencies and departments previously under his supervision had been removed.
"Maybe Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim doesn't want to give power to Rafizi," the former PKR deputy president, who last served as the international trade and industry minister, told MalaysiaNow in an interview.
"The economy ministry has returned to its original state of working only with the statistics department, examining figures and data without any direct involvement in economic diversification."
Anwar and Rafizi were seen to be at loggerheads at the last PKR election, where the prime minister had supported Saifuddin Nasution Ismail for the position of deputy president.
Rafizi however defeated Saifuddin, and many of those on the PKR central leadership council are seen as being from his camp.
The economy ministry was originally established as the economic affairs ministry in 2018, after PH's historic victory at the general election that year.
Azmin was appointed to the portfolio under the leadership of then prime minister Mahathir.
Key agencies such as Felda, Risda and Felcra were also placed under his authority.
Azmin himself meanwhile prepared arguments and answers in Parliament for entities such as Khazanah and Petronas, which generally come under the jurisdiction of the prime minister.
The Halal Development Corporation (HDC) was also monitored by the ministry, to help the development of the halal industry – an issue previously associated with the Islamic Religious Development Department or Jakim.
"The halal industry was a large-scale affair, valued at trillions of US dollars," Azmin said.
"It involved raw materials, finance and supplies up until the final product. Because the chain was so wide, HDC was placed under the ministry.
"That was the wisdom of Mahathir, who saw the economy in a larger context."
Azmin also presented the Felda white paper in Parliament during his time as economic affairs minister.
Rafizi was appointed as economy minister in the aftermath of the 15th general election which saw the formation of the coalition government late last year.
The ministry's website shows that it has one department – the statistics department – and five economic corridors, as well as seven government-linked companies in addition to state economic corporations.
Rafizi, the Pandan MP, established the People's Income Initiative with three branches: Intan, Ikhsan, and Ihsan.
He introduced vending machines for small businesses under the Insan programme, and commented on a number of issues such as food prices and the cost of living, although these come under a different ministry.
Most recently, he announced that his ministry was opening applications for the direct allocation of minor projects.
During the first PH administration under Mahathir, Ayer Hitam MP Wee Ka Siong said the economic affairs ministry at the time had become more powerful than the finance ministry under Lim Guan Eng.
He also labelled Lim as a "bookkeeper", saying he held no real power.
Azmin however said that his ministry had not been powerful in the context of position, but rather in terms of the portfolio given to it, which he said was different from the scope given under Anwar's leadership.
"The economy ministry now is toothless," he said. "Its leadership is also toothless. Nothing is moving.
"It has formulas, but the people living in crisis have no need for formulas.
"The people want things to be done, and solutions for the economic issues at hand."
Before 2018, economic affairs came under the Prime Minister's Office without any designated ministry.
Azmin said his ministry had been formed to monitor economic affairs due to Malaysia's economic diversity.
It was reincorporated into the Prime Minister's Office during the administration of Muhyiddin Yassin, who appointed Mustapa Mohamed to oversee the portfolio.
Azmin meanwhile took over as international trade and industry minister until the general election last November.


Restaurant explosion kills 31 in northwest China

At least 31 people were killed when an explosion caused by a gas leak ripped through a restaurant in the northwestern Chinese city of Yinchuan, state media said Thursday.
The blast occurred on the eve of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, when many in China go out and socialise with friends.
Footage on state broadcaster CCTV showed more than a dozen firefighters working at the site as smoke poured out of a gaping hole in the restaurant's facade.
Shards of glass and other debris littered the darkened street, which is also home to a number of other eateries and entertainment venues.
"A leak of liquefied petroleum gas... caused an explosion during the operation of a barbecue restaurant," state news agency Xinhua said of the Wednesday evening blast, citing the regional Communist Party committee.
Seven more people were receiving medical treatment, the agency said, with one of them in a "critical condition".
Two others suffered severe burns, two had minor injuries and two had scratches caused by flying glass, Xinhua said.
The explosion at about 8.40pm (1240 GMT) Wednesday took place at the Fuyang Barbecue Restaurant in a residential area of downtown Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia autonomous region.
Chinese President Xi Jinping "demanded all-out efforts in treating the wounded and the strengthening of safety supervision and management in key industries and fields to effectively protect people's lives and property", CCTV reported Thursday.
The Ministry of Emergency Management said local fire and rescue services had dispatched more than 100 people and 20 vehicles to the scene in the wake of the blast.
Local authorities "immediately... demanded that all-out search and rescue efforts be organised, the wounded be properly treated and casualties be reduced as much as possible", the ministry said.
The rescue efforts had concluded by 4am Thursday, it said.
Scenes of chaos
One video posted on social media showed two shirtless men, their trousers tattered and upper bodies covered in dust, crouching and standing dazed on a busy street sprayed with broken glass.
Another clip showed fire engines and ambulances tearing through the streets nearby, flashing blue and red lights and sounding their sirens.
Social media images showed dozens of people gathering behind an emergency cordon on the opposite side of the street, with some visibly distressed.
AFP was able to geolocate the clips by matching the buildings to state media footage of the explosion's aftermath.
Explosions and other deadly incidents are relatively common in China, where building codes are often poorly enforced and widespread unauthorised construction can make it hard for people to flee burning structures.
Three people were killed this month after a series of explosions caused by fireworks struck residential buildings in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin.
At least 17 people died in a fire at a restaurant in the northeastern city of Changchun in September last year, according to statements given at the time by local authorities.
In January 2022, an explosion triggered by a suspected gas leak brought down a building in the city of Chongqing, killing more than a dozen people.
And 25 people were killed in a gas blast that ripped through a residential compound in Hubei province's Shiyan in June 2021, also striking a busy two-storey building packed with shoppers.


Dr M asks why ‘prisoners’ can speak in Parliament but not in court

Dr Mahathir Mohamad today questioned why court proceedings could be postponed as a measure to curb the spread of Covid-19, but “prisoners” allowed to speak in the Dewan Rakyat.The former prime minister said court hearings could in fact proceed according to the same rules applied to Parliament sittings.“It is very strange that court proceedings are stopped but prisoners can speak in Parliament.“If they can speak in Parliament, surely they can also speak in court,” he said while debating the budget bill today.Mahathir, who is Langkawi MP, did not mention specific names. However, he had earlier spoken of the “expert in ‘cash is king'”, believed to be a reference to former prime minister Najib Razak.Najib was convicted in July of seven counts of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering related to RM42 million from former 1MDB unit SRC International.His appeal against his 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine will be heard on Feb 15 next year.He also faces multiple other charges in relation to 1MDB, but the court hearings have been postponed in light of the conditional movement control order imposed across most of the country to check the spread of Covid-19.Mahathir said today that the delay would continue unless the court put in place measures to control the situation.“Reduce the number of observers and reporters, and observe physical distancing of one meter for those who need to be present.“If we wait for Covid-19 (to end), it will take years,” he added.Najib, the Pekan MP, had spoken on the budget bill on Tuesday.His speech drew the ire of Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah, who walked out of the Dewan Rakyat in protest, saying in a Twitter post that Najib spoke “as if nothing had happened”.Several PKR leaders later criticised her as “stupid” and “dumb” for walking out.


France orders poultry lockdown due to bird flu risk

French farmers were ordered Friday to keep their poultry indoors due to the heightened risk of bird flu being spread by migratory birds.The order published in the French official journal follows a similar measure adopted in the Netherlands last week after a case of the highly-contagious H5 strain of bird flu was discovered on a poultry farm and 36,000 birds were slaughtered as a protective measure.“The rising infection rate in migratory corridors justifies raising the risk level” for all of metropolitan France to “high”, said the order.The French agricultural ministry said separately that 130 outbreaks of bird flu in wild fowl and farm poultry have been discovered since August in Europe.So far no cases have been found among professional poultry farmers in France.The French government hopes that the lockdown will help avoid a repeat of last year, when bird flu was found in nearly 500 locations, severely disrupting the production of foie gras from ducks in southwestern France.


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8 more clusters as new cases still hover above 2,000

Another 2,062 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 97,389.Selangor continued to record the most cases with 1,014. Of these, 887 or 87.5% were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Kuala Lumpur (504), Sabah (252), Johor (167) and Negeri Sembilan (57).Penang recorded 23 cases, Perak 17, Melaka nine, Pahang six, Kedah five, Kelantan four, and Putrajaya and Labuan two each.Active cases stand at 17,646 with 111 in the ICU and 51 in need of respiratory assistance.Eight new clusters were detected: Pasar Baru (Klang and Kuala Langat, 309 positive cases), Bukit Naga (Klang, 58 cases), Tapak Bina Residen (Lembah Pantai, 294 cases), Tapak Bina Kasih (Kepong, 43 cases), Tapak Bina Sinar View (Kepong, 32 cases), Paginatan (Ranau, Papar and Kota Belud, 47 cases), Tampoi Jaya (Johor Bahru, 32 cases), and Rapat (Kinta and Perak Tengah, seven cases).Another 911 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 79,304.However, one more death was reported, pushing the virus toll to 439.


Ukraine, Russia blame each other for nuclear plant shelling

Ukraine and Russia accused each other on Friday of risking catastrophe by shelling Europe's largest nuclear power plant, occupied by Russian forces in a region expected to become one of the next big front lines of the war.
Western countries have called for Moscow to withdraw its troops from the Zaporizhzhia plant, but there has been no sign so far of Russia agreeing to do that. The plant was captured by Russian forces in early March but is still run by Ukrainian technicians.
The plant dominates the south bank of a vast reservoir on the Dnipro river that cuts across southern Ukraine. Ukrainian forces controlling the towns and cities on the opposite bank have come under intense bombardment from the Russian-held side.
Three civilians, including a boy, were wounded in overnight shelling of one of those towns, Marhanets, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentyn Reznichenko, said.
Kyiv has said for weeks it is planning a counteroffensive to recapture Zaporizhzhia and neighbouring Kherson provinces, the largest part of the territory Russia seized after its Feb 24 invasion and still in Russian hands.
Donetsk regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said there was more shelling of the eastern town of Kramatorsk on Friday. Video posted on his Telegram channel showed major damage to private homes. Three people were killed, the town's mayor said in a Facebook post.
Ukraine's military said its artillery destroyed a Russian ammunition depot near a bridge about 130km down the Dnipro river from the nuclear plant and said it could now strike nearly all Moscow's supply lines in the occupied south.
Ukrainian forces struck a fourth bridge spanning the Dnipro River, Serhiy Khlan, an official in the mostly Russian occupied Kherson region, wrote on Facebook on Friday.
"Today the Ukrainian armed forces struck the last, the fourth, bridge linking the left and right banks. This means the Russians no longer have any possibility of bringing in new equipment," Khlan said.
There was no comment from Russian authorities on the reports.
Reuters could not confirm the reports independently.
Diplomatic rift
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has sent relations between the US and Russia to a low point and on Friday a new warning was sent by Moscow about the rift deepening.
The US is supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend itself and Russia has accused it of being directly involved in the war.
On Friday, a senior Russian official said Moscow had told Washington that if the US Senate succeeded in passing a law to single out Russia as a "state sponsor of terrorism", diplomatic ties would be badly damaged and could even be broken off.
Such a law would cause "the most serious collateral damage for bilateral diplomatic relations, to the point of downgrading and even breaking them off," TASS news agency quoted Alexander Darchiyev, head of the North American department at the Russian foreign ministry, as saying.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged the US and other countries to give Russia that designation, accusing its forces of targeting civilians, which Moscow denies.
"After everything that the occupiers have done in Ukraine, there can be only one approach to Russia – as a terrorist state," Zelensky said in his nightly address on Friday.
Radioactive materials
Ukraine's Energoatom agency, whose workers still operate the Zaporizhzhia plant under Russian occupation, said the power station was struck five times on Thursday, including near where radioactive materials are stored.
Russia says Ukraine is recklessly firing at the plant. Kyiv says Russian troops struck it themselves, and are also using the plant as a shield to provide cover while they bombard nearby Ukrainian-held towns and cities. Reuters could not verify either account.
"The Ukrainian Armed Forces do not damage the infrastructure (of the plant), do not strike where there may be a danger on a global scale. We understand that the invaders are hiding behind such a shield because it is not possible to strike there," Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for Ukraine's southern military command, told Ukrainian national television.
Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev dismissed such accusations as "100% nonsense".
Nuclear experts fear fighting might damage the plant's spent fuel pools or the reactors.
"There is no nuclear power plant in the world that was designed to operate in a war situation," said Mycle Schneider, coordinator of the World Nuclear Industry Status Report.
Beyond a shell strike, a loss of electrical supply needed to keep the reactors cooled and the psychological state of the Ukrainian workers were major concerns, he said.
The main Ukrainian front lines have been comparatively static in recent weeks, but fighting has been intensifying lately in anticipation of what Ukraine says is a planned counteroffensive in the south.
Ukraine's General Staff on Friday reported widespread shelling and air attacks by Russian forces on scores of towns and military bases, especially in the east where Russia is trying to expand territory held on behalf of separatist proxies.
One shell hit the road outside 74-year-old Iryna's home in Kramatorsk on Friday morning, less than 12 miles from the frontline.
"Everything is destroyed. The windows are gone, the roof on one side is gone," said the pensioner, who only gave her first name. "When it rains everything will be wet inside. What now? We don't have the resources to leave. Where would we go?"


Ex-1MDB chairman says movements were monitored during JV ceremony with PetroSaudi

Former 1MDB chairman Mohd Bakke Salleh told the High Court yesterday that his movements, even to the toilet, were closely monitored when he attended the signing ceremony for the joint-venture (JV) project between 1MDB and PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI) in 2009.Bakke, 68, said the event was held at the 1MDB office.“Actually, at that point of time, I had already left the board. I was invited to attend the ceremony. I attended the ceremony in November 2009 in respect of the 1MDB board of directors and shareholders.“The ceremony headed by Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi was also attended by several members of the 1MDB management as well as (Saudi Arabia) Prince Turki (bin Abdullah Al Saud) and Najib Razak,” he said.The 15th prosecution witness said this when cross-examined by Najib’s lead counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah in the former prime minister’s trial for the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion funds in 1MDB funds.When asked if he had met with Najib during the ceremony, Bakke replied: “No, my movements were monitored by one of 1MDB’s employees, from the time I arrived at the office until the time I left, during the entire event and right up to the toilet.”Shafee: Tan Sri, you said you were being monitored and watched by one of the employees of the company, and you said you were being followed right up to the toilet. Why?Bakke: My guess is as good as yours.To this, the lawyer said that he could not guess as he was not at the event.To another question, Bakke said he did not tell anyone that he wanted to see Najib during the ceremony.“After I resigned from the company, I didn’t want to get involved in 1MDB. It was something I wanted to put behind me.“I was not interested in following up on anything linked to 1MDB. I did not attempt to see Najib at the event,” he said.The court also heard that Bakke met fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low for the first time in early 2007 at his office in Felda Holdings, accompanied by former Dewan Negara president Abu Zahar Ujang.“They presented a proposal in relation to a renewable energy project. We had two or three meetings with them. Felda finally decided to have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with them and the MoU was signed before Najib.“However, the joint-venture did not materialise as they didn’t fulfil the terms of MoU,” he said adding that he had no suspicions against Jho Low or Abu Zahar at that point of time.Najib, 68, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues today.


Jailed Kremlin critic calls Putin ‘the Underwear Poisoner’

A Russian court jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Tuesday, in a ruling he blamed on President Vladimir Putin’s personal hatred and fear of him.The decision, which followed nationwide protests calling for Navalny’s release, will further strain relations with the West, which is considering imposing sanctions on Russia over its handling of the case.The US, Britain, Germany and the EU urged Moscow to immediately free Navalny.Russia is already under numerous Western sanctions and analysts say the West’s options for more pressure are limited. A Navalny ally had urged the West before the hearing to hit Putin’s inner circle with personal sanctions.The Kremlim has claimed that Navalny is a CIA asset, and has told the West to stay out of its domestic affairs.Navalny, one of Putin’s most prominent critics, was arrested on Jan 17 for alleged parole violations after returning from Germany where he had been recovering from being poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent.Navalny said Russian state security agents had put the poison in his underpants, something the Kremlin denied.“Putin’s only method is killing people. However much he pretends to be a great geo-politician, he’ll go down in history as a poisoner. There was Alexander the Liberator, Yaroslav the Wise, and Putin the Underwear Poisoner,” said Navalny.His supporters, on hearing the ruling, encouraged people to gather in central Moscow though riot police had already taken up position.Reuters reporters saw hundreds of protesters and the police detain many of them. Some of them chanted, “Putin is a thief!” and “Putin is a poisoner!”


New infections at 202 as death toll up by 2

Another 202 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,036,342.
There were 141 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,989,861.
There are now 9,539 active cases, of which 9,135 or 95.8% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 381 (4%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 23 are in ICU with 12 in need of respiratory assistance.
Two more deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 36,942.