Forged signatures raised by defence a red herring, prosecution says in Najib’s SRC appeal

Ad hoc prosecutor V Sithambaram told the Court of Appeal today that the defence’s argument on the use of forged or cut-and-paste signatures by two SRC International directors to remit RM42 million into Najib Razak’s personal accounts was not an issue in the case.He said if at all there was a dispute, it was between the company and the bank, not Najib.“The defence are merely busybodies. Najib has no privity of contract with the bank. The issue of forged or unauthorised scan and electronic transfer is a non-starter, especially for the criminal breach of trust charges.“The issue raised is a red herring by the defence and who would have the audacity to fix a then-sitting prime minister (Najib).“The appellant did not sue the bank for negligence or ask the financial institution to pay back the money… no company will keep quiet if there is no proper authorisation and withdrawal of money,” he said, adding that there was evidence that the SRC directors had authorised the bank to conduct electronic transfers while the bank said it had also acted based on the mandate of SRC International signatories.He submitted this before a three-member bench led by judge Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil in the hearing of Najib’s appeal against his conviction and jail sentence for the misappropriation of RM42 million in SRC International funds.The other two judges on the bench were Has Zanah Mehat and Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera.The Penang-based veteran criminal lawyer said Najib had not returned the RM42 million deposited into his accounts although he had admitted to receiving the money belonging to SRC International.Last week, Najib’s lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah submitted that the prosecution’s case would have collapsed if the evidence of one of the signatories and SRC International directors, Suboh Md Yassin, was rejected by the trial court as he had made contradictory statements.Suboh told the court that he had at first told the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigators who met him in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on Nov 17, 2015, that the 13 signatures in the electronic fund transfer instructions to the bank were genuine.However, when cross-examined by Shafee, he said he told MACC officers in Putrajaya on May 28 and 30, 2018 that his signatures could have been forged.Suboh also said that on Aug 13 and 15, 2018, he had once again told MACC officers that the signatures were genuine.The defence had suggested that former SRC International CEO Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil could have manipulated Suboh’s signature in the scanned copies before sending them to the bank to carry out the instructions to transfer funds.The Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 28 last year sentenced Najib to 12 years’ jail and fined him RM210 million after finding him guilty on seven charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of position involving RM42 million in SRC International funds.The hearing of the appeal continues.


Judge withdraws from hearing judicial review bid in Teoh Beng Hock case

High Court judge Amarjeet Singh today recused himself from hearing a judicial review application by the parents of the late Teoh Beng Hock for a court order for the police to complete the investigation into their son's death almost 14 years ago.
Senior federal counsel Ahmad Hanir Hambaly, when contacted by reporters, said the decision was made by the judge during the case management today.
The judge withdrew from hearing the case because he was involved in the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Beng Hock's death, he said, adding that the court also set July 10 for the next case management before judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh.
In the application filed on Jan 4, Beng Hock's parents, father Teoh Leong Hwee, 75, and mother Teng Shuw Hoi, 70, had sought a declaration that the failure by the police and three others to complete the investigations into their son's death within a reasonable period of time violated Section 20 (3) of the Police Act 1967.
The couple named the inspector-general of police (IGP), the director of the criminal investigation department, the police and the Malaysian government as the first to fourth respondents.
On June 16 last year, the High Court granted the couple leave to initiate the judicial review proceedings after dismissing the Attorney-General Chamber's (AGC) objection to the application.
The couple is also seeking a declaration that the police had committed negligence and attempted to deny the applicants' constitutional rights as stated under Article 8 of the Federal Constitution, in addition to applying for a mandamus order for the first respondent (IGP) to complete the investigation into Beng Hock's death within a month's time from the date the verdict is delivered.
The application was filed on the grounds that although three special task forces were set up to investigate the cause of their son's death, the investigation was found to be incomplete, based on a letter from the second respondent dated Sept 21, 2021, which stated that the AGC had returned the investigation papers to the IGP on Sept 3, 2021.
The couple claimed that the investigation papers had been repeatedly returned to the first, second and third respondents by the AGC for further investigation which until now, was still not completed although the incident happened almost 14 years ago.
Beng Hock was found sprawled on the fifth-floor landing of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam on the morning of July 16, 2009, after giving a statement at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission office located on the 14th floor of the building.
He was the political secretary to the then Selangor state executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, who is also Seri Kembangan assemblyman.
On Jan 5, 2011, the Shah Alam Coroner's Court ruled that Beng Hock's death in 2009 was not due to suicide or murder or third-party involvement, while the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Beng Hock’s death on July 21, 2011, established that he had committed suicide.
On Sept 5, 2014, the Court of Appeal overturned the open verdict on the death of Beng Hock and ruled that the death resulted from an unlawful act by a person or persons unknown.


Ex-Sabah Water Dept deputy director gets discharge not amounting to acquittal for money laundering

The Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court today gave a discharge not amounting to an acquittal to former Sabah Water Department (JANS) deputy director Teo Chee Kong for 146 charges of money laundering involving more than RM32 million.Judge Abu Bakar Manat made the decision after deputy public prosecutor Mahadi Abdul Jumaat, from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), informed the court that the prosecution did not intend to pursue the charges against Teo, 56.He said this followed a representation sent by Teo to the Attorney-General’s Chambers and MACC.On Dec 13, 2017, Teo pleaded not guilty to the charges.He was charged with committing the offence through the abuse of power in the implementation of projects by JANS between 2010 and 2016.The case was at the trial stage with the prosecution having called five witnesses.MACC senior director of the legal and prosecution division Faridz Gohim Abdullah told a press conference after the court proceedings today that a compound of RM30 million was imposed on Teo.He said the MACC’s act to impose the compound was a form of asset recovery under Section 4 (1)(b) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds from Illegal Activities Act 2001.He said the compound was a punishment or punitive action against the accused and indirectly an admission of guilt.“With this amount, it is a success for the prosecution, and if the accused does not pay the compound, he will face the full force of the law,” he added.He said the decision on Teo did not affect the case of three other individuals, including former JANS director Awang Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, who face similar charges.On Oct 4, 2016, Teo and Awang Mohd Tahir were arrested by the MACC. After searching their offices and residences, the MACC found RM52 million in cash, with RM7 million belonging to Teo and RM45 million belonging to Awang Mohd Tahir.Also found were jewellery, several accounts abroad as well as land titles, all worth about RM180 million.


Infectious Scots travelled to England for Euro footie

Thousands of Scotland fans travelled to London on trains and buses for Euro 2020 football events while they were infected with Covid-19, reports the Scottish Sun.Nearly 2,000 people who live in Scotland tested positive for Covid-19 after gathering to watch football Euro football matches this month. Many of the cases are people who traveled outside of the country to England to watch games.Figures published on Tuesday by Public Health Scotland show 1,991 Scots confirmed to have Covid went to at least one “organised event” when they could have unknowingly spread the virus to others.The health watchdog said it analysed Covid-19 test results taken between June 11 and 28, when Euro 2020 kicked off.They contact traced cases and tagged people who either attended a match in London or went to a pub or someone’s house in the metropolis to watch a match.Nearly two-thirds of positive cases, or 1,294 people, reported traveling to London for a Euro 2020 related event. That includes 397 people who attended the June 18 Scotland versus England match at Wembley.Tens of thousands of Scotland fans are believed to have traveled to London for that match – even though Scotland was only allocated 2,600 tickets due to Covid-19 restrictions, BBC News reports.Scottish fans were warned not to travel to London unless they had a ticket, but many went to the city in hopes of getting into Wembley or just to watch the match in a London pub.Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon denied accusations the government was lenient on football fans while Scotland was in the Euro 2020 tournament.“We haven’t taken a softly, softly approach,” she said during a press conference on Tuesday, according to BBC News. “We were very explicit in saying to fans who didn’t have a ticket for Wembley not to travel.”She said, “We can’t physically stop every person travelling and significant numbers of fans did travel.”On match day, when crowds of fans gathered in London’s Leicester Square, police began moving them on after halftime under Covid-19 social distancing regulations, BBC News reported.One fan who was there told BBC Radio Scotland, “It was an amazing experience, but I am quite gutted because I got Covid because that has affected me, affected my work, affected my friends.”While contact tracing cannot tell if a fan caught Covid-19 while gathering to watch a game or before going, it can be used to determine who should now isolate to further prevent the spread of the virus.


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Malaysia needs high speed internet – and rail

Perhaps more than ever before, Malaysians will be paying close attention to the budget when it is unveiled this Friday. They will be looking for signals from the government on how it plans to chart our country’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.People will naturally hope for various aids, whether for new ones to be introduced or existing ones to be continued and perhaps increased. Still, the best way to ensure that Malaysia’s economy recovers and indeed, regains its place as one of the most dynamic in Southeast Asia, is through major national projects. The government must take the lead on this – there simply is no other way.As a patriotic Malaysian who wants the best for his country, I feel two areas deserve especial government attention: digital infrastructure and high-speed rail (HSR).The necessity of the first and the shape it should take, should be obvious to all. Malaysia needs cheap, reliable and fast internet connection, from Arau to Tawau. No Malaysian should be denied this. 5G ought to be the bare minimum. The previous government had laid the groundwork for this through the National Digital Network (Jendela) and other networks – its successor ought to continue and ramp up its efforts.The latter needs a bit more explanation. Malaysia, as we know, abrogated a previous plan for a HSR that would have connected Kuala Lumpur to Singapore earlier this year.Since then, there have been various proposals to revive it. Some have called for the original KL-Singapore plan to simply be revived wholesale.I fear this is not an option, at least for the time being. Whatever the original plan’s merits or problems (there were an abundance of both), it would be an intolerable flipflop and blow to Malaysia’s credibility for us to reverse ourselves, not even a year after having brought closure to the KL-Singapore HSR saga.The other proposal would be for a HSR that would stop in Johor Baru (specifically Iskandar Puteri), originating from Kuala Lumpur or even Bangkok. Since, as noted, the KL-Singapore route is closed for the near future, the Malaysian government ought to pursue the KL-JB HSR option.Like digital infrastructure, the benefits of rail infrastructure are obvious. Trains are arguably cheaper, more environmentally friendly and democratic when it comes to giving opportunities to get people (and hence, business, goods as well as development) moving.Our Asean neighbours – whose economies have been just as badly impacted by Covid-19 as ours has – have no qualms about HSR.Vietnam is planning two routes, with speeds of up to 350kph, from Hanoi to Vinh (to its south) and from Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang (to its northeast). These two lines – at a total track length of 651km – will be operational earliest by 2030 with a cost of US$24.3 billion. Including upgrading works for existing routes, Vietnam will spend up to US$28.82 trillion by 2030 on rail.Thailand on the other hand is constructing a 250.8km HSR between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima (also to its northeast) costing THB179.4 billion (or US$5.3 billion).Vietnam and Thailand have no qualms about spending such astronomical sums because they understand the long-term benefits HSR will bring: do we?Indeed, it is interesting that certain MPs, from both the government and opposition parties, have criticised the KL-JB route as less, or not at all feasible compared to KL-Singapore. But this begs the question: do they believe the damage to our national reputation is worth reversing the decision to cancel it?In fact, I would argue that it will only be a matter of time before the KL-JB HSR becomes connected to other Southeast Asian routes, whether to Bangkok or Singapore – the apparent lodestar of some politicians.Ending it at Iskandar Puteri is a strategic play. Common sense tells us that any regional HSR that seeks to connect Singapore must inevitably go through Malaysia. It’s only a matter of time. Meanwhile, the KL-JB option allows us to create a HSR that will be most economically advantageous to us.There are no good reasons against the KL-JB route. One is that it duplicates the Gemas (in reality, KL)-JB double-tracking project. However, this argument ignores the fact that countries like Japan have multiple railway tracks.So, for instance, yes, there is the Shinkansen from Tokyo to say, Osaka, but the local train line between those two cities has also been maintained. Indeed, having different types of rail allows use to cater to different passenger profiles or demographics, i.e. whether business travellers, tourists or residents of commuter suburbs.Shouldn’t we be promoting mass transit – by giving riders options – rather than forcing everyone into cars?There has been so much hullaballoo about the HSR but very little in way of concrete answers on the way forward.One sincerely hopes we will see leadership from the current government on this matter via their maiden budget.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


BN eyes Selangor after 3 'painful' terms in opposition

Selangor Barisan Nasional (BN) needs to recapture the state after experiencing the pain of being in the opposition for three terms, says state BN chairman Noh Omar.
He said the situation became more difficult especially after BN failed to form the federal government in the 14th general election (GE14), when no provisions were channelled to opposition state assemblymen to help the people.
"Previously, even though we were the opposition in the state government, at the federal level we were in power. Our assemblymen did not get state allocations but the central government gave us. So we didn’t really feel it.
"But when we lost at both the central and state levels, it was really a bitter experience. So we are here today with the hope of rising up again to win back Selangor in GE15," he said in his speech at the Selangor BN Convention 2022 in Shah Alam yesterday.
Noh said BN component party members must be sincere in continuing the struggle as it is not easy to win.
"If we are sincere in our struggle, remain united and stick to the motto, stability for prosperity, God willing we will continue to rise and we will have a chance to win in the upcoming general election," he said.
Noh also called on party members to get rid of all bad notions and allegations of the existence of some clusters in the component and to work together for the sake of the party.


Daily vaccine jabs shoot past 200,000 target

A total of 215,876 doses of Covid-19 vaccine were administered yesterday, surpassing the daily target of 200,000 set by the government under the the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said in a Twitter post that 160,226 individuals had received a first dose of vaccine and 55,650 others, a second dose.He said a total of 1,468,689 individuals had completed both doses of vaccine and 3,435,420 individuals had received a first dose, bringing the number of doses administered in Malaysia so far to 4,904,109.The five states with the highest number of two-dose vaccinations are Selangor with 187,443 followed by Sarawak (168,471), Johor (142,868), Perak (139,612) and Kuala Lumpur (131,882).Meanwhile, 13,837,410 registrations for vaccination were recorded yesterday, with Selangor having the highest number at 3,513,960, followed by Johor (1,727,211), Sarawak (1,323,339) and Kuala Lumpur (1,168,192).


Recoveries outpace new cases but 11 more deaths reported

Another 3,048 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 186,849.Selangor recorded 1,035 cases of which 720 or 69.9% were from clusters and close contact screening.This was followed by Johor (529), Sabah (348) and Kuala Lumpur (305).Sarawak recorded 120 cases followed by Penang (110), Perak (103), Negeri Sembilan (95), Melaka (90), Kelantan (89), Terengganu (79), Kedah (74), Pahang (46), Putrajaya (22) and Perlis (three).Active cases stand at 41,076 with 261 in the ICU and 101 in need of respiratory assistance.Thirteen new clusters were detected:1. Sri Muda (Klang in Selangor; 35 cases)2. Jalan Waja (Klang in Selangor; 33 cases)3. Sungai Chemubong (Gombak in Selangor; 13 cases)4. Jalan Indah (Johor Bahru in Johor; 11 cases)5. Kampung Muhibbah (Kota Tinggi in Johor; 19 cases)6. Jalan Firma Tiga (Johor Bahru in Johor; 15 cases)7. Industri Apas (Tawau in Sabah; 22 cases)8. Jalan Kerinchi (Lembah Pantai and Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur; 14 cases)9. Bukit Palah (Melaka Tengah and Jasin in Melaka; 38 cases)10. Kampung Pahi (Kuala Krai in Kelantan; 18 cases)11. Kampung Tualang (Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Nerus in Terengganu; 32 cases)12. Taman Bahagia (Temerloh in Pahang; 19 cases)13. Kampung Bukit Lada (Temerloh in Pahang; 14 cases)Ten others ended, leaving 351 active clusters across the country.Another 3,638 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 145,084.However, 11 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 689.


North Korea accuses US of 'intentionally' aggravating relations

North Korea's foreign ministry accused the US of "intentionally" ramping up tensions by flying in joint military drills with South Korea, state news agency KCNA said Tuesday.
The allegation comes after Seoul and Washington announced on Friday more than 10 days of large-scale military exercises from March 13 to 23.
South Korea's defence ministry also posted video online Monday they said showed war planes from both countries training together off the coast of the Korean peninsula.
"Despite our repeated warnings, the US intentionally continues to aggravate the situation," the foreign ministry said in a statement dated Monday.
"The recent joint air drill... clearly shows that the US scheme to use nuclear weapons against the DPRK is being carried forward at the level of an actual war," the statement added, using an acronym for North Korea's official name.
The US and South Korea have said the upcoming planned exercises are defensive, but Pyongyang sees them as a rehearsal for invasion.
"We express deep regret over the irresponsible and worrying muscle-flexing of the US and South Korea, which are constantly pushing the situation in the Korean peninsula to an unpredictable state," KCNA quoted the foreign ministry's statement as saying.
North Korea demands "an immediate stop to the military hostile acts of disturbing peace and stability in the Korean peninsula," the statement added.
"If the dangerous military provocations of the US and South Korea continue... there is no guarantee that there will be no violent physical conflict in the Korean peninsula where huge armed forces of both sides are in acute confrontation."
State media reported Sunday that North Korea had called on the United Nations to urge a halt to the drills.
Following a year in which Pyongyang declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear power and fired a record-breaking number of missiles, Seoul and Washington have moved to ramp up joint exercises and redeploy US strategic assets to the region.


MACC officer among 2 remanded over RM700,000 robbery

Two individuals including a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer have been remanded for three and four days respectively to assist investigations into a robbery case involving losses of RM700,000.Dang Wangi police chief ACP Noor Dellhan Yahaya said the duo, both aged around 30, were arrested over the weekend by a team from the Dang Wangi Criminal Investigation Department.He said so far 12 individuals have been called up by the police to assist in the investigation.“Further investigations are still ongoing under Section 395 of the Penal Code,” he said in a statement today.MACC in a statement yesterday confirmed that an officer from the commission had been detained by the police to assist in investigations into a gang robbery case in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.On Saturday, a news portal reported that two individuals, including an officer of an enforcement agency, had been arrested by the police on suspicion of being involved in a gang robbery at a house in Jalan Ampang, which allegedly involved losses of almost RM1 million.


US health worker has serious allergic reaction to Pfizer vaccineA health worker in Alaska suffered a serious allergic reaction after getting Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine and is now hospitalised but stable, a report said Wednesday.The New York Times reported the person received their shot on Tuesday, and Pfizer confirmed it was working with local authorities to investigate the incident.Two health workers in Britain had similar allergic reactions, causing the government there to tell people to avoid getting the shot if they had a history of severe allergies.The US regulator issued an emergency approval with the warning that people who had known allergies to ingredients inside the vaccine should avoid it.“We don’t yet have all the details of the report from Alaska about a potential serious allergic reactions but are actively working with local health authorities to assess,” a Pfizer spokesperson said.“We will closely monitor all reports suggestive of serious allergic reactions following vaccination and update labelling language if needed.”Volunteers for Pfizer’s clinical trial of 44,000 people were excluded if they had a history of allergic reactions to vaccines or components of the Covid-19 vaccine.Overall, the trial found no serious safety issues, but regulators and the company are continuing to monitor for adverse events after vaccination.The US is vaccinating some three million people this week with the vaccine, and hopes to reach a total of 20 million people this month if another vaccine, developed by Moderna, is approved.


Daily caseload drops below 4,000 as death toll up by 4

Another 3,943 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,728,168.
There were 4,645 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,646,723.
There are now 45,375 active cases, of which 43,701 or 96.3% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 31 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 1,577 (3.5%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 66 are in ICU with 45 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 63.6%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 17.7%.
Another four deaths were reported, including one who was brought in dead. Total deaths now stand at 36,070.


Poor turnout at 'urgent meeting' of Umno chiefs, Najib's imprisonment to ease pressure on Ismail?

A gathering of Umno divisional chiefs on Monday confirmed fears within the court cluster group about the extent of their support within the party.
Umno sources familiar with the hastily arranged meeting, held just a day before Najib Razak was sent to jail, said it had only demonstrated a lack of solid support for the former leader and president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi despite their role in bringing the party back to power.
On Sunday night, Umno secretary-general Ahmad Maslan – one among a number of key former government leaders facing charges in court – sent a message to all 191 divisional leaders nationwide, telling them to gather at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
"The late-night message told us to be at Menara Dato Onn at 11 for a discussion on a very important matter that affects Umno's future.
"So naturally, it was important that all of us be there," a divisional chief from Johor told MalaysiaNow.
However, only 73 – less than 40% – of the divisional chiefs made it to the meeting.
It is understood that most divisional heads in Johor, where Umno's recent return to power was attributed to Najib's campaign, stayed away from the meeting, with only 10 from a total of 26 attending.
"It was well known that the move to gather the chiefs was to put pressure on Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to call for an election, amid worries over Najib's fate that could put him behind bars," said one source who represented a divisional chief from Perak.
Yesterday, the Federal Court in a decision that many had seen coming ordered Najib to begin serving his 12-year prison term after maintaining his conviction for charges related to the misappropriation of RM42 million linked to SRC International.
The move came as Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat rejected requests for an adjournment to allow a recusal application, and insisted that Najib's defence team complete their submissions on the appeal.
An Umno deputy division chief confirmed reports that Najib's appeal hearing was among the matters discussed, but said it was not the main agenda.
"It was put forward that Ismail, being the prime minister, could somehow get things done to save a son of Umno from jail. The idea was summarily rejected.
"But the bigger elephant in the room is that there was a very cold reception to the call for an 'urgent meeting' by the Umno centre. That, perhaps, was a bigger worry than seeing the proposal to interfere in the court process get struck down," the Umno man said.
For months, there had been concern among Najib's supporters in Umno that Ismail's power of incumbency could affect the momentum of support for the former leader, especially in his bid to make a political comeback by avoiding jail.
The assumption was that only a government dominated by Umno could save Najib and other party leaders from the criminal charges they face.
Bolstered by the confidence gained from the party's recent election victories, pressure had been growing on Ismail to use his power to call for an early election, so that a victorious Umno-led government could manage the high-profile court cases.
Ismail, who came to power on the back of support from Perikatan Nasional, had however resisted the pressure to dissolve Parliament and call for an election.
For now, that pressure has been eased.
"The fact is that the court cluster's rallying point is now in jail, and it is a signal from Ismail that he is now the man in charge in Umno, even though he is just a vice-president," said a Perak Umno man.
"The muted response from divisional chiefs on Monday sent a message that Ismail still holds sway, and in true Umno tradition, the man who has the power is the man that party members are inclined to listen to."


Letting private hospitals procure vaccines could speed up herd immunity, group says

The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) is urging the government to allow private institutions to procure their own Covid-19 vaccines to speed up the inoculation process and achieve early herd immunity.Speaking at a virtual event titled “Efficient Covid vaccination rollout in Asean” by Hospital Management Asia, APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said private hospitals have yet to be granted permission by the government to procure vaccines on their own due to the global shortage of jabs and equity concerns.“We have made many requests to the government that in order to get early herd immunity, the private sector should be allowed to procure its own vaccines,” he said, adding that the procurement process should start as soon as possible to secure vaccines given the short supply.But he also noted concerns about equity should private hospitals be allowed to source their own vaccines.“They are worried that if the private sector is allowed to buy its own vaccines, there might be a shortage of vaccines for public consumption.“But we have been communicating with the manufacturers and we can get the vaccines which still need approval from the government,” he said.Statistics from “Our World in Data” show that Malaysia currently ranks fourth in Southeast Asia for the total number of vaccinated individuals behind Singapore, Cambodia and Indonesia.Malaysia has administered over 1.2 million doses covering up to 2.2% of the population.Meanwhile, Singapore – which leads Southeast Asian countries in vaccine rollout – has administered about 2.2 million doses covering 23.3% of its population.This is followed by Cambodia which has administered over 1.7 million Covid-19 jabs, covering up to 7.6% of its population.Indonesia, the largest country in the region, ranks third with about 17.3 million doses administered. It has covered 4.1% of its population with the first dose.Speaking at today’s event, Leona Karnali, who heads the International Relations Department at the Indonesian Private Hospital Association, said private hospitals in Indonesia are working hand in hand with the health ministry to administer Covid-19 doses although all the vaccines are procured by the government.“The government has promised to give vaccines for free for all Indonesians, and to accelerate the process, private hospitals are called in,” she said.In Indonesia, more than 60% of all hospitals are privately owned and play a crucial role in strengthening the country’s healthcare system and infrastructure especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.Meanwhile, in Thailand and the Philippines, the governments have allowed private hospitals to procure their own vaccines to speed up the inoculation process.Dr Rene De Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, and Dr Pongpat Patanavanich, from the Private Hospital Association of Thailand, said their governments had given the green light for private sectors to procure vaccines following the surge in Covid cases, subject to certain conditions.In Malaysia, the national immunisation programme is entirely government-operated.Although private hospitals will be part of the vaccination process starting next month, Kuljit voiced hope that they will continue to be included in negotiations with the government to efficiently tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.“We were told that we might only get approval to buy our own vaccines at the end of the year but that is a bit too late.“We would like to inoculate the economic frontliners and others who are waiting to get vaccinated as soon as possible,” he said.


95.2% of adults, 79.8% of teens fully jabbed

A total of 22,297,446 individuals or 95.2% of the adult population had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday.Based on health ministry data on the CovidNow portal, 97.6% or 22,865,060 adults have received at least one dose of vaccine.As for adolescents aged 12 to 17, a total of 2,735,720 individuals or 86.9% have received at least one dose of vaccine while 2,512,231 or 79.8% have completed their vaccination.A total of 43,731 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, of which 9,959 were second doses, 3,117 were first doses and 30,655 were booster shots.This brings the total number of doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme to 51,196,152.Meanwhile a total of 970,364 booster jabs had been administered as of yesterday.


60.67% voter turnout at Sarawak election

A total of 759,627 voters or 60.67% of the electorate in Sarawak turned out to vote at the 12th state election yesterday.Election Commission chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh said in a statement that this includes the number of early voters and postal voters who had cast their ballots.Official results of the election showed that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) had won 76 of the 82 seats in the legislative assembly, including the Mulu seat, results of which had been left pending last night due to a delay in transport of ballot boxes to the counting centre in Kuching.Ghani said GPS won the Mulu seat with a total of 3,731 votes and a majority of 2,875 votes.


5 states to transition to Phase 2 of National Recovery Plan

Five states have fulfilled the three key indicators needed to transition to the second phase of the National Recovery Plan, with Perlis, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang set to make the switch on July 5.However, Senior Minister for Security Ismail Sabri Yaakob said inter-district and interstate travel would remain off limits except for teachers and students who are involved in exam classes.“Interstate and inter-district travel for long-distance couples will be allowed in Phase Two but only in emergency cases and for basic essentials,” he said at a joint press conference with Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz.The three indicators required for transition to Phase Two are a daily average caseload of below 4,000, moderate utilisation of ICU beds and at least 10% of the population being fully vaccinated.Among the businesses allowed to open during the second phase are book shops and stationery stores, computer and telecommunication shops, electrical appliance stores, car washes and barbers.“Farmers markets and morning markets will be allowed to open from 7am to 11am, with produce limited to six main commodities namely vegetables, fruits, groceries, processed poultry, seafood and meat.“However, weekly markets and night markets are still not allowed to open,” Ismail said.According to Tengku Zafrul, the threshold value for the first indicator – the average number of cases – will still follow the numbers set in the National Recovery Plan although it will take into account the number of residents in a particular state, divided by the total population of the country.“On average, the Klang Valley accounts for 40% to 50% of daily cases whereas many other states have already recorded a drop in number,” he said. “Kelantan and Terengganu have shown a decrease of 80% since June 1.“This is an improvement to the National Recovery Plan as it gives autonomy and incentive to each state.”Ismail said the National Security Council (NSC) would monitor the three indicators at the state level each week. If states that have made the transition from the first phase see a decline in indicators, he said, the NSC will make an announcement about their status.


No palace interference, prosecution assures in defamation trial of Sarawak Report editor

The Kuala Lumpur High Court was told yesterday that Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown, who is facing a charge of defaming the Sultanah of Terengganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah, will get a fair trial if the case is heard at the Kuala Terengganu Magistrate's Court.
Deputy public prosecutor Noor Haslinda Che Seman said this is because, throughout the prosecution process, there has been no interference from the (Terengganu) palace.
She said the court officials appointed in the case will also carry out their duties in a just and fair manner, regardless of whether the case involves the palace or simply a case of public interest.
"There was no conclusive evidence presented by the applicant (Rewcastle-Brown) showing that the Magistrate's Court would act unfairly in the trial of the case.
"I believe the credibility of the trial judge should not be disputed as it will lead to contempt of court. I ask for the court to reject the applicant’s application," she said in her submission against Rewcastle-Brown's application to transfer the criminal case from Kuala Terengganu Magistrate's Court to the High Court here. In September 2021, Rewcastle-Brown, who is from the UK, was charged in absentia at the Kuala Terengganu Magistrate's Court for criminal defamation under Section 500 of the Penal Code which carries a jail term of up to two years or a fine or both, if convicted.
She was alleged to have defamed Sultanah Nur Zahirah in a book titled "The Sarawak Report - The Inside Story of the 1MDB Expose".
Meanwhile, lawyer Guok Ngek Seong representing Rewcastle-Brown said his client applied to transfer her case to the Kuala Lumpur High Court for fear of possible bias in the trial.
"The applicant is not questioning the integrity of the lower court but she is probably worried about not getting a fair trial because the Magistrate's Court is in the same state (Terengganu) and a police report was made against him by the (Terengganu) palace," the lawyer said.
Judge K Muniandy set June 21 to decide on the transfer application.


Italy police arrest 40 mafia suspects for drug smuggling via Chinese money brokers

Italian police arrested 40 people on Tuesday in a new crackdown targeting the 'Ndrangheta mafia, with suspects accused of drugs trafficking with counterparts in Latin America using shadow networks of Chinese money brokers.
"Today's raid is a crucial operation that showed how the 'Ndrangheta is an octopus that reaches everywhere with interconnections all over the world," Guardia di Finanza police captain Angelo Santori said.
The breakthrough comes less than a month after an operation in which European police arrested more than 100 mafia suspects in a major operation against drugs and weapons smuggling.
Santori, who led the latest investigation in the northern city of Bologna, said police were executing 40 arrest warrants, including for four Albanians and two Chinese suspects, as well as restricting the movements of suspected Calabrian mafia members in seven Italian regions.
The investigation, spanning late 2019 to July 2022, traced the traffic of 1.2 tonnes of cocaine, 450kg of hashish and 95kg of marijuana, Guardia di Finanza police said in a statement.
The network was able to handle drug shipments with powerful South American cartels, including the Brazilian Primeiro Comando da Capital, and Colombian, Peruvian, Mexican and Bolivian criminal organisations, police said.
The 'Ndrangheta, which has its roots in the southern Italian region of Calabria, has surpassed Cosa Nostra as the most powerful mafia group in the country, and one of the largest criminal networks in the world.
"An active role was played by a network of Chinese subjects through the so-called 'fei ch'ien', an informal money transfer system with which more than US$5.50 million (about RM25.3 million) was laundered," Santori added.
According to Italian police, after receiving the cash, the Chinese money brokers forwarded it to trading companies in China and Hong Kong. The companies then delivered the money to the drug brokers and the South American cartels themselves through agents based abroad.
Several recent investigations have shown how drugs cartels in Italy are increasingly using shadow networks of unlicensed Chinese money brokers to conceal cross-border payments.
The investigation was helped by accessing encrypted chats on a platform that was dismantled in 2021 by a Europol Joint Investigation Team, and cooperation with the US Homeland Security Investigations, the Italian police statement said.


New infections drop to 1,700 as 2 more deaths logged

Another 1,709 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 4,524,727.There were 1,746 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,466,304.There are now 22,712 active cases, of which 21,707 or 95.6% are undergoing home quarantine.Meanwhile, 25 (0.1%) are at quarantine centres while 956 (4.2%) have been hospitalised.A total of 24 are in ICU with 14 in need of respiratory assistance. ICU utilisation throughout the country stands at 59.0%, with Covid ICU utilisation at 5.3%.Another two deaths were reported, taking total deaths to 35,711.


Southeast Asian nations oppose UN arms embargo on Myanmar

Nine Southeast Asian countries have urged the United Nations not to endorse a freeze on arms sales to Myanmar, according to a report from Benar News, the Asian online news service.The report by the affiliate of the US-funded Radio Free Asia, quoted a Liechtenstein diplomat as saying the nine states wrote a letter to nations sponsoring a draft UN General Assembly resolution on Myanmar.The news outlet said the letter asked countries sponsoring the draft resolution to remove a sentence calling for “an immediate suspension of the direct and indirect supply, sale or transfer of all weapons and munitions” to Myanmar.The letter was sent on behalf of nine of the 10 members of the Asean grouping but did not include bloc member Myanmar.Benar News quoted Georg Sparber, deputy permanent representative at Liechtenstein’s mission to the UN, as saying there was “no reason given in the letter” for the request. However, he declined to release a copy of the letter.A high-ranking official from one of the resolution’s sponsor-countries, meanwhile, told Benar News that Asean wanted the draft revised because the bloc believes it should take the lead in resolving the crisis in Myanmar.A spokesman for Indonesia’s foreign ministry said he was unaware of the letter and referred Reuters to Asean. A spokesman for Asean did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Asean is leading the diplomatic effort to end bloodshed in Myanmar and promote dialogue between the junta and its opponents.A planned vote on the non-binding resolution by the UN General Assembly was suspended last week, with some diplomats saying the delay was to rally more support.Human Rights Watch denounced Asean for lobbying to remove the arms embargo provision from the UN resolution.“To put it bluntly, Asean is trying to gut the UN General Assembly resolution’s call for an arms embargo against Myanmar, which is absolutely necessary to stop Burmese junta’s violence against its own people,” Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW’s Asia division said via Twitter on Wednesday.Many analysts and rights activists have criticised the Southeast Asian bloc for not taking quick action on Myanmar over the past four months while Myanmar’s security forces have killed over 800 people, mostly anti-coup protesters.Many Myanmar citizens are disappointed with the international community, said Aaron Connelly, an analyst at the Singapore-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.“When I speak to people in Myanmar now, there is extraordinary disillusionment with the US and Europe, and red-hot enmity toward China, and Asean member states,” Connelly said on Twitter.“The reputational damage resulting from the international community’s response will last a long time.”


No court clusters among PN candidates, Azmin tells Kuala Langat voters

Perikatan Nasional (PN) remains the coalition fielding candidates who are free of corruption and court cases for the 15th general election (GE15), information chief Mohamed Azmin Ali said yesterday.
The international trade and industry minister said while all of the contesting pacts were offering a stable, corruption-free government, their line-ups for the polls showed otherwise.
"They talk about being clean and about reforms, but just look at the candidates from Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).
"Some are going back and forth from court, some are embroiled in corruption and abuse of power, but none of them are shy about submitting their nomination forms as candidates," he said on the campaign trail in Kuala Langat, Selangor, last night.
He was referring to a group of Umno leaders facing charges in court who were nonetheless fielded in GE15, including BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Azmin, the Gombak incumbent, said some candidates from Pakatan Harapan (PH) were also involved in ongoing court cases.
"They have not held back in submitting their nomination papers either," he added.
DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng, who is defending his Bagan seat, is also fighting a court case related to the undersea tunnel project in Penang.
Azmin said that PN's candidates, on the other hand, had never been charged in court with abuse of power.
He said this should serve as a guideline for voters who were still uncertain.
PN is contesting 169 parliamentary seats throughout the country.
In Kelantan and Terengganu, the coalition led by Muhyiddin Yassin is contesting on PAS' ticket.


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Over 38 million jabs given, 51.6% of population fully vaccinated

More than 38 million doses of vaccine have been administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme so far, with 16,856,812 people or 51.6% of the total population now fully vaccinated.A total of 38,001,646 doses had been administered as of yesterday, with 21,195,778 people or 64.9% of the population having received at least one jab.In terms of adult population, 72% are fully vaccinated while 90.5% have received at least one dose.A total of 287,059 doses were administered yesterday, of which 111,027 were first doses of a two-dose regimen.


Too soon to lift SOPs for the fully vaccinated, say health experts

Health experts say those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will still need to follow SOPs such as wearing face masks and maintaining a minimum safe distance from others despite a US health agency suggesting that such measures can be relaxed for those who have completed their immunisation regime.Speaking to MalaysiaNow, they said health SOPs would likely remain in place at least until the country achieves herd immunity – a goal the government hopes to attain once it has inoculated 80% of the population by February 2022.Dr Kuljit Singh, president of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia, said it was still too early to consider relaxing SOPs as only frontliners have been vaccinated so far under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme or PICK.He said any recommendations to ease up on health measures should only be discussed once a more sizeable percentage of the population has been vaccinated.According to Khairy Jamaluddin, the minister in charge of PICK, about 90% of the 500,000 frontliners listed in Phase One of PICK had received their first jab as of this week.Speaking on Monday, he said frontliners on the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force targeted list should complete their vaccination by mid-April, with Phase Two for senior citizens and those in the high-risk category slated to begin on April 19.The government is aiming to inoculate nine million people in the second phase. As of Sunday, about two million from the target groups had registered for vaccination through the MySejahtera app.“Relaxing SOPs is something that can be considered once Malaysia achieves herd immunity.”Earlier this month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said people who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 would be allowed to gather indoors without wearing masks.It also said those who are fully vaccinated could visit with unvaccinated people from one other household indoors without masks or social distancing as long as the unvaccinated people are not at high risk for severe Covid-19.The CDC added that fully-vaccinated people who come into contact with someone who has Covid-19 would not need to take a test or quarantine unless they show symptoms of the virus, unless they live in a congregate setting like a nursing home or correctional facility.Kuljit however told MalaysiaNow that the acceptability of such rules would vary from country to country.“The dynamics for each population and each country may differ,” he said. “It depends on the country and the number of people who have been vaccinated.“Looking at Malaysia, we are still very far from that.”As of March 28, a total of 129,110 people had received both doses of Covid-19 vaccine while 451,655 had received the first dose.Kuljit said the type of vaccine given should also be taken into consideration as some have recorded a higher efficacy rate than others.“We are not very sure yet how effective the vaccines will be in the population. Relaxing SOPs is something that can be considered once Malaysia achieves herd immunity,” he said, adding that even this might depend on how the virus reacts to the vaccines.Dr Subramaniam Muniandy, president of the Malaysian Medical Association, said real-world data appears to show that the risk of contracting and transmitting the disease is greatly reduced for those who have been fully vaccinated.He agreed in principle with the CDC’s suggestion that fully-vaccinated people should be allowed to do away with face masks.He said the problem for Malaysia lies in its local circumstances.“At present, very few people have been vaccinated,” he said. In order not to cause uneasiness or anxiety, he added, vaccinated people should continue following the SOPs until at least the end of the year.He also suggested that the government begin relaxing travel restrictions and quarantine requirements for fully-vaccinated people in order to encourage more to come forward for the jabs.


Cambodia vaccinates children aged 3-5 against Covid

Cambodia started vaccinating children as young as three against Covid-19 on Wednesday, becoming one of the first countries to cover the age group of those below five.The Southeast Asian nation has vaccinated more than 90% of its population of 16 million, for one of the highest rates in the region, official data show. In January, it started rolling out a fourth dose for high-risk groups.The inoculation drive for toddlers began in the capital of Phnom Penh, with hundreds of people queueing outside clinics where medical staff in personal protection gear gave doses to teary-eyed or wailing children.“I brought my kid with hope of stopping the spread of Covid-19, and I hope all parents would do so too,” said Heng Davy, a 28-year-old mother, as she shuffled along in a fast-moving queue with her son in her arms.Most countries have yet to start vaccinations for children under the age of five. This month, the US postponed by at least two months consideration of Covid-19 vaccines for children under five.China launched a nationwide campaign targeting those aged three to 11 late last year, as did Bahrain, and Cuba has covered those as young as two.“I would like to thank the government for providing the vaccine for three- to five-year-old kids,” said Hour Nary, a father accompanying his daughter while she received the shot.Cambodia’s tally of pandemic infections stands at more than 127,000, with 3,024 deaths.


Singapore rolling out Covid-19 inoculations, starting with healthcare workers

Singapore’s inoculation programme against Covid-19 kicked off today with a nurse receiving the first jab of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the city-state’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases.“I feel grateful and thankful for being the first to be vaccinated,” Sarah Lim, 46, was quoted as saying by the Straits Times paper.Lim is one of over 30 staff from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases who will be receiving their shots today. The second dose will be administered next month.People aged 70 and above will get the vaccine starting in February. Other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible for vaccination will be next in line, all on a free and voluntary basis.The health ministry announced on Sunday that its expert committee’s recommendations on the Covid-19 vaccination strategy for Singapore, which are specific to the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, have been accepted in full and the jab approved for individuals aged 16 years old and above.The committee recommended that people at high risk of being infected, including healthcare and other front-line workers, should be given first priority.Singapore is the first country in Asia to obtain the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is already being administered in countries including Britain, Canada and the US.The republic received its first shipment of vaccines on Dec 21, with subsequent stocks expected to arrive in batches over several months.The ministry is reminding Singaporeans that vaccination is not a silver bullet which will end the pandemic immediately, but it will work alongside testing and contact tracing and safe management measures, to keep community transmission low.The ministry also noted that comprehensive vaccination coverage in the population will indirectly protect those who cannot be inoculated due to medical reasons.In the longer term, wide-reaching inoculation of the population will at some point enable Singapore to reopen further both as a society and an economy and facilitate its recovery from the pandemic.The expert committee has said that it will make further recommendations on other groups to be prioritised for vaccination, such as those who live or work in settings where there is potential for rapid transmission and large outbreaks, as more vaccines become available.If there are no unforeseen disruptions to vaccine shipments, the inoculation programme is planned to be complete by the end of 2021.


Name change for company behind agarwood investment project in Thailand

Asia Plantation Capital Bhd (APC), the company involved in an agarwood investment scheme in Thailand, recently changed its name to Agarwood Originals Malaysia Bhd, MalaysiaNow can reveal.Documents from the Companies Commission of Malaysia show that APC changed its name on Dec 23, 2021 after being incorporated in November 2011.According to the documents, the company’s registered address is in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur, with a business address in Masai, Johor.Further information obtained by MalaysiaNow shows that the company had previously marketed the agarwood investment scheme under another entity known as Asia Plantation Singapore (APS).The scheme was taken over by Forestry First Sdn Bhd, APC’s marketing arm which has the same list of directors, after being blacklisted by Bursa Malaysia in 2013.On March 3, MalaysiaNow reported that 180 individuals had experienced losses of RM22.6 million as their investments in APC’s agarwood project in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand, never bore fruit.Those who spoke to MalaysiaNow said the investment had promised returns of S$400 for every tola of agarwood oil within a time frame of seven to nine years.The contracts also guaranteed investors their returns regardless of circumstances, stating that they would only have to wait until the plants matured for the harvest to take place.Pamphlets shared by APC said the plants would be insured by UK-based insurance firm Lloyd’s of London.But MalaysiaNow understands that the firm recently denied APC’s claim, saying it had never conducted any business with the organisation.In a separate development, Asia Plantation Capital Pte Ltd (Singapore) has also denied investors’ claims about the agarwood scheme, along with their assertions that the company had tried to avoid meeting with them.It likewise denied having an operation base or assets in Malaysia, and challenged allegations that the company had failed to comply with the business agreements made.The company previously said it was facing a number of lawsuits filed by clients, and that it had directed its lawyers to file a stay of proceedings for all court action under the arbitration clause in the sales and purchase agreement with APC Singapore.“Instead of referring to arbitration in Singapore, clients started taking legal action in Malaysia which violated the arbitration clause,” it told MalaysiaNow.“Several suits filed against Asia Plantation Capital Singapore were quashed and/or upheld pursuant to the arbitration clause.“It is quite strange that we were accused of not complying with the conditions under the sales and purchase agreement when recently there was a winding-up motion filed in a Malaysian court which caused APC Singapore to close despite not having a base of operations or assets in Malaysia,” it added.Its statement appears at odds with MalaysiaNow’s checks of several documents and advertisements stating that APC had moved its regional headquarters from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur in 2016.The agreements signed by Malaysian investors also showed that business was conducted with APC Singapore before the documents were submitted to APC Malaysia.This meant that investors would have to visit the office at G Tower in Kuala Lumpur in order to handle any matters.The company assured its clients that despite the winding-up order issued by the Malaysian court, APC Singapore had yet to close.It also described the move as a tactic to prevent the company from defending itself from the allegations against it.APC Singapore said it had also filed an application to set aside the winding-up order so that it would be able to answer the accusations, but that this was opposed on technical grounds by the same individuals who had applied for the order.“Regardless, our lawyers have filed an application to the Court of Appeal against the decision,” it said, adding that the matter was still pending.It also said that the company had directed its lawyers to file a new application to set aside the winding-up order in Malaysia.“We expect this to be filed in the near future,” it added.Since the matter was ongoing in court, it said, the company was unable to communicate directly with the clients involved as they were now represented by lawyers.


Over 100 Niger villagers killed in suspected Islamist attacks

At least 100 people, including women and children, were killed on Saturday in attacks on two villages in western Niger, following one of the deadliest days in recent memory for a country ravaged by Islamist violence.Prime Minister Brigi Rafini announced the death toll on national television on a visit to the zone on Sunday. He did not say who was responsible, according to Reuters.Security sources said on Saturday that the victims were killed in simultaneous raids by suspected Islamist militants on the villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye near the border with Mali.Niger’s Interior Minister Alkache Alhada said the attacks are believed to be in retaliation for the earlier killing of two fighters by villagers.Saturday’s attacks came on the same day that the electoral commission announced the results from the first round of the election to replace President Mahamadou Issoufou, who is stepping down after a decade in power.Ruling party candidate Mohamed Bazoum, who finished first, expressed his condolences on Sunday to the victims. The attacks, he said in a video he posted on social media, “remind us that terrorist groups constitute a grave threat to cohesion within communities unlike any other”.The area has been characterised with high level of insecurity. Three years ago, US and Nigerian special forces soldiers were killed there by jihadists.The country has also seen tit-for-tat killings between rival ethnic communities that have been heightened by the jihadist violence and competition for scarce resources.Travel by motorbike is banned in the region in a bid to prevent lightning attacks by highly mobile rebel fighters on two wheels.Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world, shaken by numerous coups d’état since independence from France in 1960, has never experienced a democratic succession between two presidentsThe sub-Saharan country has suffered repeated attacks by militants linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State near its borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.The violence is part of a wider security crisis in West Africa’s Sahel region that has unnerved Western allies like France, who have poured troops and resources into the region.


World food prices hit 10-year high

Global food prices jumped to a 10-year high in October, a UN agency announced Thursday as it said the world’s cereal stocks were set to contract.The Food and Agricultural Organization said its food price index, which tracks changes in the international prices of a basket of food commodities, rose 3% over the month to 133.2 points.The third consecutive monthly rise in the index brought it to its highest level since July 2011.The sub-index for vegetable oils soared 9.6% to an all-time high.The cereals sub-index rose 3.2%, driven by a 5% gain in wheat prices as availability tightens due to reduced harvests in major exporting nations.Meanwhile, the FAO said that despite an expected 0.8% gain in overall cereals production this year to a record level, global inventories are expected to contract as consumption rises by 1.7% on population growth and higher use for agriculture and industry.


US says Iran govt behind ransomware attacks

Iran’s government is backing a hacker group responsible for recent ransomware attacks on targets in the US and Australia, the US cybersecurity agency said Wednesday.“The Iranian government-sponsored APT actors are actively targeting a broad range of victims across multiple US critical infrastructure sectors, including the Transportation Sector and the Healthcare and Public Health Sector,” the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) said in an alert.It said that experts in the FBI, the Australian Cyber Security Centre, and Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre had jointly reached the conclusion on Tehran’s support for the “APT” group, or “advanced persistent threat,” a designation often given to state-backed hackers.Since at least March 2021, the group has exploited vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange and Fortinet software to hack into systems, including those of a city government and a children’s hospital, CISA said.“These Iranian government-sponsored APT actors can leverage this access for follow-on operations, such as data exfiltration or encryption, ransomware, and extortion,” it said.CISA did not identify any specific targets for the group in the US or Australia, or say how successful they have been.The US Department of Homeland Security estimates that ransomware attackers extorted at least US$350 million from victims last year.


Johnny Depp was jealous, controlling, says actress Ellen Barkin

Johnny Depp was jealous, controlling and frequently drunk, and once threw a wine bottle in his hotel room in Las Vegas, his former girlfriend, the actress Ellen Barkin, said in pre-recorded testimony Thursday.Barkin, 68, testifying as a witness in the defamation suit filed by Depp against his ex-wife Amber Heard, said she had a brief “sexual relationship” with Depp in the 1990s.Barkin’s testimony was videotaped in November 2019 and played for the seven-person jury hearing the defamation case in Fairfax County Circuit Court in Virginia.The jury also heard testimony from Depp’s former talent agent, his former business manager, and the agent for the 36-year-old Heard, who has accused Depp of domestic abuse.The 58-year-old Depp, during his four days on the witness stand, denied ever striking Heard or any other woman and claimed that she was the one who was frequently violent.Barkin said that during the several months they were together, Depp was often drunk and was exceedingly jealous.“He was drunk a lot of the time,” she said. “He was a red wine drinker.”“He’s just a jealous man, controlling – ‘Where are you going? Who are you going with? What did you do last night?'” she said.“I had a scratch on my back once that got him very, very angry because he insisted it came from me having sex with a person who wasn’t him.”Barkin recounted an incident during the filming of the 1998 movie “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.”“Depp threw a wine bottle across the room, the hotel room in Las Vegas,” she said.“I don’t know why he threw the bottle,” Barkin said, although she recalled that Depp may have had an argument with friends or with his assistant.‘Unprofessional behaviour’Depp filed suit against Heard over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in December 2018 in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”Heard, who had a starring role in “Aquaman,” did not name Depp in the op-ed, but he sued her for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking US$50 million in damages.The Texas-born Heard countersued, asking for US$100 million and claiming she suffered “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his hands.Depp’s former agent and business manager testified that the actor’s career and finances were already in serious trouble before Heard first accused him of domestic violence in 2016.Tracey Jacobs, Depp’s former agent, said he “became the biggest star in the world” during the decades she represented him in Hollywood.But his reputation had begun to dim after 2010 because of “unprofessional behaviour,” Jacobs said, including drug and alcohol use and consistently showing up late on set.“Crews don’t love sitting around for hours and hours and hours waiting for the star of the movie to show up,” she said. “It’s a small community and it made people reluctant to use him toward the end.”Jacobs said Depp was in such “financial desperation” in January 2016 that he came to the agency and asked for US$20 million.‘Extremely concerned’Josh Mandel, Depp’s former business manager, said he became “extremely concerned” about Depp’s financial situation in 2015.Depp was spending US$300,000 a month on full-time staff at one point.There were “constant” conversations about curbing his spending, he said, but it “never seemed to happen.”Jessica Kovacevic, Heard’s agent, said the “constant tweets and negativity” against the actress after she accused Depp of abuse have severely damaged her career.Mandel was fired by Depp in 2016 and subsequently sued by the actor. They settled the case in 2018.Jacobs was fired by Depp in 2016.Depp’s lawyers put experts on the stand who testified that the actor lost millions because of the abuse accusations, including a US$22.5 million payday for a sixth installment of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”Depp filed the defamation complaint in the US after losing a separate libel case in London in November 2020 that he brought against The Sun for calling him a “wife-beater.”Depp, a three-time Oscar nominee, and Heard were married in February 2015. Their divorce was finalised two years later.Judge Penney Azcarate has scheduled closing arguments in the case for May 27.


McAfee founder found dead by suicide in Spanish jail

Antivirus software pioneer John McAfee was found dead in his jail cell in Spain on Wednesday, officials said, shortly after a court approved his extradition to the United States where he was wanted for tax evasion.The 75-year-old was found dead in his cell in the Brians 2 penitentiary near Barcelona “apparently from suicide”, a spokesman for the prison system in the northeastern Catalonia region said.A spokesman for the Catalan branch of the legal body which oversees Spain’s courts, the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), also confirmed that McAfee had been found dead in his cell at around 7pm (1700 GMT) of an apparent suicide.McAfee has been in jail in Spain since he was arrested at Barcelona airport in October 2020, just as he was about to board a flight to Istanbul.He is alleged to have deliberately failed to file tax returns between 2014 and 2018, despite earning millions from consulting work, cryptocurrencies and selling the rights to his life story.If convicted, he could have faced up to 30 years in prison.In a statement, Catalonia’s regional justice department said only that an investigation was opened after an unnamed 75-year-old inmate facing extradition to the US was found dead in his cell at the prison.“Guards and medical staff intervened immediately to perform resuscitation measures but doctors eventually certified his death,” the statement added.Spain’s National Court earlier on Wednesday said it had approved McAfee’s extradition to the US.The decision could still have been appealed and the extradition needed approval from the Spanish Cabinet.Crypto guruAccording to the US extradition request filed in November and quoted in the ruling, McAfee earned more than €10 million (US$12 million) in 2014-18, but never filed a tax return.“To conceal his income and assets from the Internal Revenue Service… the defendant ordered part of his income to be paid to straw men and placed property in their names,” it said.Since making a fortune in the 1980s with the antivirus software that still bears his name, McAfee had become a self-styled cryptocurrency guru, claiming to make US$2,000 a day.McAfee in 1987 founded the computer security software company and ran it for seven years before resigning.His life after than became a headline-grabbing mix of controversies involving drugs, weapons and even murder.McAfee had more than one million followers on Twitter, where he described himself as a “lover of women, adventure and mystery”.In a tweet on June 16, he said the US authorities believed he had “hidden crypto”.“I wish I did,” he added. “My remaining assets are all seized. My friends evaporated through fear of association. I have nothing. Yet, I regret nothing.”McAfee’s wife Janice has long complained that he was “not doing well” in jail and had faced delays in getting “proper medical care” in prison in Spain.“The US authorities are determined to have John die in prison,” she tweeted on Sunday.“The media have continued to vilify him, per their narrative, and there is no hope for him ever having a fair trial in America,” she added.Unsolved murderMcAfee made headlines after he moved to Belize and his neighbour in the Central American country was mysteriously murdered in 2012, a crime that remains unsolved.Police in Belize wanted to question McAfee – who claimed he was nowhere near the victim on the night he died – as a person of interest in the case.After the police found him living with a 17-year-old girl and discovered a large arsenal of weapons in his home, McAfee disappeared.“I am not a madman,” said the British-born former Nasa programmer whose anti-virus company was bought by Intel in 2010.“I am eccentric, gracious, attentive, kind, humorous. We humans are funny creatures.”The dead neighbour’s family later filed a wrongful death suit against McAfee and in 2019 a court in Florida found against him, ordering him to pay the family more than US$25 million.A documentary titled “Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee” released in 2016 focused on his life in Belize.McAfee was arrested in the US for driving under the influence in 2015, only to unsuccessfully run for US president the following year.His political stances included ramping up defences against cyberattacks from China and Russia, and ending the war on drugs.


Covid-19 cases top 80 million worldwide

More than 80 million confirmed cases of coronavirus have been detected worldwide since the pandemic began a year ago and 1.76 million deaths, according to an AFP tally based on official figures at 0800 GMT Sunday.In total, 80,145,185 cases and 1,756,060 deaths have been recorded. Last week, an average of 580,000 new cases were registered every day.Europe is the world’s hardest-hit region, passing the 25-million case mark on Friday and with 546,000 deaths.The individual countries with the largest number of infections are the US with 18,945,149 cases and 331,916 deaths, India (10,169,118 cases, 147,343 deaths), Brazil (7,465,806 cases, 190,795 deaths), Russia (3,050,248 cases, 54,778 deaths) and France (2,550,864 cases, 62,573 deaths).After Europe, the US and Canada make up the second worst-hit region with 346,636 deaths out of 19,479,293 cases.Next on the list are Latin America and the Caribbean with 15,139,172 cases and 496,524 deaths, Asia (13,670,958 cases, 215,100 deaths), the Middle East (3,887,085 cases and 88,611 deaths), Africa (2,640,778 cases, 62,234 deaths) and Oceania (30,919 cases and 944 deaths).


Recession in US 'not inevitable', says treasury secretary Yellen

A recession in the US is "not inevitable," treasury secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday, adding that she believes the world's biggest economy is on the right track in lowering inflation.
Her comments come on the heels of a forceful campaign by the US central bank to cool demand this year, walking a tightrope between lowering consumer costs while trying not to tip the economy into a downturn.
For now, many economists expect the US could experience a downturn next year.
On "whether or not we can avoid a recession, I believe the answer is yes," she told reporters during a visit to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing's currency facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
Supply chain bottlenecks are starting to ease and new apartment rents have "essentially peaked," with the labor market cooling slightly as well, Yellen said.
"Without seeing significant net nationwide layoffs, I believe we're on the right track in terms of lowering inflation and a recession's not inevitable," she added.
As businesses tone down their growth expectations and hiring plans, the number of people leaving their jobs has also dipped a little, she said.
Last week, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell added it remains "very plausible" for the US to reach a soft landing, referring to a scenario where unemployment rises but the economy avoids a severe recession.
On Thursday, Yellen said that the US has been "listening very carefully" to allies and trying to understand their concerns on Washington's push to spur climate-friendly technologies in America.
"I think the objective that Congress had was to make sure we have supply chains that are secure, and to try to include our allies in them," she said.
Asked if she had plans to visit China following President Joe Biden's meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Yellen said she had no definite plans yet but was "certainly open to it."


New cases stay under 3,000 as 13 more deaths reported

Another 2,936 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 277,811.Selangor recorded 978 cases followed by Johor (730), Kuala Lumpur (227), Sarawak (199), Negeri Sembilan (191), Penang (188), Perak (155) and Sabah (101).Kelantan recorded 38, Terengganu 37, Kedah 36, Melaka and Pahang 26 each, Putrajaya three and Labuan one.Active cases stand at 36,797 with 220 in the ICU and 104 in need of respiratory assistance.Thirteen more clusters were detected:1. Kompleks Perabut (Kuala Langat in Selangor; 287 screened, 21 positive)2. Jalan Sementa (Petaling in Selangor; 115 screened, 12 positive)3. Jalan Murni 12 (Kulai in Johor; 3,584 screened, 339 positive)4. Jalan Kota Murni (Batu Pahat in Johor; 27 screened, 12 positive)5. Jalan Indah Utama (Kulai, Johor Bahru and Kota Tinggi in Johor; 38 screened, 23 positive)6. Jalan Tun Mutahir (Kota Tinggi in Johor; 124 screened, seven positive)7. Parit Haji Khamis (Batu Pahat in Johor; 54 screened, nine positive)8. Kejatau (Sri Aman in Sarawak; 92 screened, seven positive)9. Jalan Green (Kuching in Sarawak; 148 screened, six positive)10. Jalan Kuchai (Lembah Pantai in Kuala Lumpur; 365 screened, 14 positive)11. Singgahmata (Lahad Datu in Sabah; 77 screened, 11 positive)12. Bukit Petiti (Kuala Terengganu, Marang and Dungun in Terengganu; 40 screened, 15 positive)13. Kubang Jambu (Kuala Nerus, Kuala Terengganu and Marang in Terengganu; 69 screened, seven positive)Eight others ended, leaving 511 active clusters across the country.Another 4,889 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 239,971.However, 13 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,043.


WHO advises against remdesivir for Covid-19 treatment

The anti-viral drug remdesivir should not be used to treat Covid-19 patients no matter how severe their illness as it has “no important effect” on survival chances, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.Scratching one of the few treatments that had shown some initial promise in severe patients, a WHO Guideline Development Group (GDG) of international experts said there was “no evidence based on currently available data that it does improve patient-important outcomes”.The US, the European Union and other countries have granted temporary approval for the use of remdesivir after initial research showed it may shorten recovery time in some coronavirus patients.President Donald Trump was treated with remdesivir among other medicines after he tested positive for Covid-19 in October.Friday’s WHO recommendation was based on four international randomised trials among more than 7,000 patients hospitalised with the virus.Publishing updated treatment guidance in the BMJ medical journal, the panel acknowledged that their recommendation does not mean that remdesivir has no benefit for patients.But based on the latest figures, costs and delivery methods, it advised “against administering remdesivir in addition to usual care for the treatment of patients hospitalised with Covid-19, regardless of disease severity”.Manufacturer Gilead said last month that the drug had boosted 2020 third quarter sales by almost US$900 million.Initially developed as a treatment for the Ebola virus, remdesivir was found in one study published in May to reduce the length of hospital stays for Covid-19 sufferers from 15 to 11 days on average.A subsequent WHO pre-print however found the drug “appeared to have little or no effect” on mortality or length of hospitalisation among more than 11,000 hospitalised patients across 30 countries.


Lessons from Melaka and Mahathir

As Pakatan Harapan (PH) licks its wounds after its staggering defeat in the Melaka election, one thing is fresh in everyone’s minds: the mind-boggling decision to accept traitors in Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to bring in the “Melaka 4” as part of PH’s election campaign.The fact that the only reason there was an election during the dangerous pandemic was because of these four irresponsible politicians should have been reason alone for Anwar and PH to unanimously reject their inclusion in the coalition, no matter how politically advantageous it may have been.PH should have learnt its lesson on accepting traitors – after all, it had its experiences with the matter when it was in power. Looking back, PH should have vehemently opposed the entry of Umno leaders into Bersatu at the time when Dr Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister.But of course, the PH era should have given it more than enough lessons on betrayal, especially when it comes to Mahathir.In order to sustain Mahathir’s political longevity, it was also necessary for Umno, from which he was sacked or which he left more than once, to embed such an ecosystem within the lifeblood of the party. Whether through Umno’s treasury, Umno-linked holding companies, or individual proxies, the party navigated the Malaysian corporate scene to be in line with the demands of nationalist leaders such as Mahathir himself.It was such a structure that allowed Mahathir and Daim to further spread their influence in their political narratives. For example, Kadir Jasin was a proxy to manage the New Straits Times Group, which then included a mainstream TV channel, TV3. Meanwhile, Murad also claimed that MRCB was given the approval to privatise Lumut Independent Power Plan. Interestingly, the authority responsible for approving the project was the Economic Planning Unit, which at that time was under the Prime Minister’s Office (whereby Mahathir himself was the prime minister).Mahathir did more damage to the country than any other prime minister. It was his way or the highway. He was well known for ethnic extremism.But more importantly, it was primarily Mahathir who made the Sheraton Move possible. He might not have been involved in the actual process, but his invisible hand was there.He reduced the PH parties to nothing in his administration. It was he who encouraged the racist forces to undermine PH.What mattered to him was the well-being of the Malays, but the pro-Malay policies ironically ended up benefiting a small sector of the Malays, particularly Umno leaders and their families.Not that his children came up the hard way – they, too, were beneficiaries of the system. Whether the poor and ordinary Malays benefitted or not is a different story.But the constant narrative of the need to catch up with the non-Malays, particularly the Chinese, brought up racial and religious tensions. These racial and religious tensions ensured the accumulation process of the Umno leaders, their families and cronies unimpeded.This will be his legacy for Malaysia, and it is an unfortunate one.Whatever was said and done, DAP did the right thing to oppose the inclusion of the four assemblymen who ditched the Melaka government. The state election would not have been called in the absence of the withdrawal of their support.The acceptance of even one of the four dissidents would have contradicted the need for a national anti-hopping law at the federal level, an outcome of the memorandum of understanding on transformation and political stability.Only time will tell if PH can learn the lessons from its past, lest we see another round of disappointing political moves that masquerade as calls for reform.In the end, it might even lead to another Mahathir.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


More global fashion brands suffering in China after consumer boycott

The Chinese government has warned Swedish clothing brand H&M it will not earn a penny in the country if it refuses to buy cotton from the Xinjiang region.H&M and other popular Western brands are facing a backlash in China after they expressed concern about the alleged use of forced labour in cotton production.China has been accused of forcing members of the mostly Muslim Uighur minority to pick and process cotton in Xinjiang.Beijing denies this and, in recent days, brands voicing criticisms have faced boycotts by Chinese consumers in cities across the country.“I don’t think a company should politicise its economic behaviour,” said Xu Guixiang, a Xinjiang government spokesman, at a news conference on Monday. “Can H&M continue to make money in the Chinese market? Not anymore.”Xu said the decision by some brands to stop buying Xinjiang cotton was “not reasonable”, comparing it to “lifting a stone to drop it on one’s own feet”.The spokesman’s remarks cast doubt on the Swedish company’s future in one of the world’s largest markets.They also indicate Chinese government support for the recent Chinese consumer boycott of products from H&M and other global retailers.China’s boycott initially targeted Nike and H&M, with reports of the latter’s products being withdrawn from major e-commerce platforms including Pinduoduo, JD.com and Tmall, and many of its stores being shuttered across the country.The boycott has now widened to include Burberry, Adidas and Converse, among others.Burberry has lost a brand ambassador, actress Zhou Dongyu, and 27 other Chinese celebrities have cut ties with companies including Adidas, Calvin Klein and Nike.The cotton row erupted after the BBC published an investigation based on new research showing China was forcing hundreds of thousands of minorities including Uighurs into manual labour in Xinjiang’s cotton fields.Xinjiang cotton accounts for 85% of Chinese production and 20% of world supply.“Right now, there is near certainty that any brand sourcing apparel, textiles, yarn or cotton from the Uighur region is profiting from human rights violations, including forced labour,” says the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uighur Region.However, retailers typically only know the first tier in their supply chain. For example, a retailer commissions a shirt from a supplier, who buys the fabric from a mill, which buys the yarn from a spinning mill, which bought the cotton from a broker, who bought cotton from any number of farms, says Clare Lissaman from Common Objective, a sustainable fashion sourcing platform.Tracing cotton back to a specific origin is almost impossible, she says. “If you really want to be confident of the traceability of the cotton in your jeans, you have to look for Soil Association organic cotton or Fairtrade.


Indonesia extends ban on foreign visitors for 2 more weeks

Indonesia has extended its ban on foreign arrivals for another 14 days in a bid to control the transmission of the coronavirus, its chief economic minister said on Monday.The government has said the reason for the stricter measures against international visitors, which were imposed on Jan 1, was to try to keep out the new Covid-19 variants detected in Britain and South Africa.The country is struggling with the worst Covid-19 epidemic in Southeast Asia and authorities are building their hopes on a vaccine to help alleviate the health and economic crises ravaging the country.The inoculation programme will launch in Jakarta, with President Joko Widodo planned to be given the first shot.The government has said Indonesia will be vaccinating its working population first, rather than the elderly, aiming to reach herd immunity fast and revive the economy, in a strategy that will be closely watched by other countries.The government has previously said 1.3 million frontline workers are due to be among the first to receive the vaccines made by China’s Sinovac Biotech. Indonesia has received three million doses of the Sinovac vaccine, named CoronaVac.That vaccine was pronounced halal, or permissible under Islam, by the Indonesian Ulema Council on Friday.Indonesia has also secured over 329 million vaccine doses, most notably from Pfizer and its partner BioNTech , and AstraZeneca.Jakarta has said that it must inoculate 181.5 million people, or roughly 67% of the Indonesian population, to reach country-wide herd immunity.


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Muhyiddin urges concrete, pragmatic response to solve bankruptcy

Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin Yassin has called on the government to implement concrete and pragmatic policies to address the issue of insolvency in the country.
Muhyiddin, who is also Pagoh MP, said the government should emphasise efforts to assist bankrupt individuals to rebuild their economies.
"This is to ensure bankruptcy does not remain a lifelong status and instead motivates the group to contribute to the country's economy.
"One way is to review the bankruptcy discharge process for Malaysians working abroad as it takes a long time to obtain a court order and seek permission from the immigration department," the former prime minister said during the debate on the Insolvency (Amendment) Bill 2023 in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Muhyiddin's administration, in 2020, enacted the Covid-19 Act, which raised the threshold for bankruptcy from RM50,000 to RM100,000.
In the amendment, two categories qualify for bankruptcy discharge, namely individuals with mental illnesses and those aged 70 and above.
The bill was presented by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said for its first reading two days ago.
It aims to strengthen provisions related to automatic discharge, mandatory first creditors' meetings and the use of distance technology in bankruptcy administration funds.
In a statement, Azalina said an average of 16 bankruptcy cases were filed each day in 2022, while the KPI for discharged bankruptcies during the same period was 27 cases per day.
Muhyiddin said 64.8% of bankruptcy cases involved amounts ranging between RM100,000 and RM499,999, while 20.96% involved values from RM50,000 to RM99,000.
"So how does the government plan to resolve bankruptcy cases involving debts exceeding RM50,000, considering that around 130,000 or 50% of the 260,000 cases are eligible for discharge?" he asked.
Muhyiddin then suggested that the government examines the Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services' proposal to extend the repayment period for personal loans and vehicle hire-purchases to 20 years to increase the disposable income of the people.
He also questioned the effectiveness of regulating credit services like "buy now, pay later" (BNPL), which are becoming increasingly popular among people.
"Most BNPL services, especially those related to e-commerce platforms, charge high-interest rates if monthly installments are delayed.
"The interest rates can be considered higher than those for credit cards," he said.
He added that BNPL poses a risk of further exacerbating household debts if there is no intervention from authorities.


Pfizer-BioNTech seek Covid jab approval for teens aged 12-15 in EU

Pfizer-BioNTech said Friday they have asked European regulators to authorise their Covid-19 vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds, a move seen as a crucial step toward achieving herd immunity.The companies already filed a similar request with US authorities earlier this month. Their vaccine is currently only approved for use in people aged 16 and over.In a joint statement, Pfizer and BioNTech said they had submitted a request with the Amsterdam-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) to expand the use of their jab to include “adolescents 12 to 15 years of age”.Ugur Sahin, co-founder and CEO of Germany’s BioNTech, on Thursday said the jab could be available for those age groups from June if EU approval is granted.The move comes after Phase 3 trial data showed that the vaccine provided “robust antibody responses” and was 100% effective in warding off the disease among those aged 12 to 15.“The vaccine also was generally well tolerated”, the statement added.In an interview with Der Spiegel weekly, Sahin said he expected regulators’ evaluation of the data to take four to six weeks.If approved, the green light would apply to all 27 European Union member states.Pfizer and BioNTech added that they also plan to seek authorisations “with other regulatory authorities worldwide”.No coronavirus vaccines are currently authorised for use on children.While children and teenagers are less likely to develop severe Covid, they make up a large part of the population and inoculating them is considered key to ending the pandemic.The prospect of getting older children jabbed before the next school year begins would also ease the strain on parents who are juggling the demands of homeschooling while keeping up with jobs.“It’s very important to enable children a return to their normal school lives and allow them to meet with family and friends,” Sahin told Spiegel.BioNTech and Pfizer are also racing to get their jab approved for younger kids, from six months upwards.“In July, the first results for five- to 12-year-olds could be available, and those for younger children in September,” Sahin said.Ongoing trials so far are “very encouraging”, Sahin said, suggesting that “children are very well protected by the vaccine”.The BioNTech/Pfizer shot is based on mRNA technology and was the first Covid-19 jab to be approved in the West late last year.


310 children fully vaccinated, 15.8 million adults boosted

A total of 310 children aged five to 11 had completed two doses of Covid-19 vaccine under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow website, a total of 1,329,638 children or 37.4% have received a first dose of vaccine.Meanwhile, a total of 2,851,819 teenagers or 91.7% of those aged 12 to 17 have completed their vaccination while 2,948,197 or 94.8% have received at least one dose.In terms of the adult population, 15,808,761 individuals or 67.2% have received a booster dose while 22,953,296 or 97.6% are fully vaccinated.A total of 23,228,967 or 98.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine.A total of 57,199 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, comprising 6,788 first doses, 1,895 second shots and 48,516 booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 68,909,031.


Najib told me not to interfere in 1MDB matters, ex-second finance minister tells court

Former second finance minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah said at the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday that Najib Razak had told him not to interfere in 1MDB matters when he advised the ex-leader on the risks of 1MDB’s plan to invest in a joint venture with PetroSaudi International Ltd.Reading from his witness statement at Najib’s trial for the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds, Husni said he had voiced his concerns at the end of 2009 after learning from a finance ministry official that 1MDB had made a joint venture investment with the oil services and production company.“I went to see Najib in his office and told him that 1MDB should not enter a joint venture with PetroSaudi as the company was still in the process of oil exploration… and if oil was not discovered, then the investment would be ‘burnt’.“I also told the PM (Najib) that 1MDB had no experience in the oil exploration field and that it should be left to Petronas. But since he responded in that way, I kept quiet from then on,” he said.The 20th prosecution witness confirmed that the meeting took place only between the two of them at Najib’s office. Since then, he said, he was not directly involved in any decision or informed of 1MDB’s investments.Earlier, Husni testified that in mid-2009, he offered advice on the risks of setting up 1MDB when he learnt that the government had decided to take over the Terengganu Investment Authority (TIA) and rename it as 1MDB.“I met Najib in his office to tell him that 1MDB should not be established without a feasibility study. The purpose of the feasibility study is to make a practical assessment of a project proposal as well as the risks in terms of business and finance.“This study was very important to ensure that 1MDB’s investment would bring profit to the government. However, when I told the PM about the risk, he simply replied: ‘I will go ahead.’ So I did not say anything else,” Husni said.Husni also said that in early 2015, Najib had called him to resolve problems faced by 1MDB which was said to be heavily laden with debts, but that he did not agree as he had never been involved in the company’s affairs.“When Najib continued to urge me to carry out the task, I met with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Wahid Omar so that he could take over (the task) but Wahid also did not agree to it,” he said.Husni said that he, together with his senior private secretary Imran Yasin Mohd Yusof, drew up a plan called the “1MDB Rationalisation Plan”. Among his main tasks in the plan was to obtain information related to 1MDB, its financial position, assets, debts and matters related to company investments.“Our role was only to draw up a plan. Implementation was under the responsibility of 1MDB’s management and I was not directly involved.“Based on the financial statements that I obtained, I found that 1MDB’s debt on May 20, 2015 was RM48.571 billion while the company’s assets stood at RM49.895 billion,” he said.Najib, 68, faces four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial before judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues today.


China passes tough new online privacy law

China passed a sweeping privacy law aimed at preventing businesses from collecting sensitive personal data Friday, as the country faces an uptick in internet scams, leaks and concerns about tech giants abusing clients’ personal information.Under the new rules passed by China’s top legislative body, state-run and private companies handling personal information will be required to reduce data collection and obtain user consent.The Chinese state security apparatus will maintain access to swathes of personal data, however, and Beijing has long been accused of harnessing big tech to accelerate repression in the northwestern Xinjiang province and elsewhere.The new rules are also expected to further rattle China’s tech sector, with companies like ride hailing giant Didi and gaming behemoth Tencent in regulators’ crosshairs in recent months over misuse of personal data.The law aims to protect those who “feel strongly about personal data being used for user profiling and by recommendation algorithms or the use of big data in setting [unfair] prices”, a spokesman for the National People’s Congress told state news agency Xinhua earlier this week.It will prevent companies from setting different prices for the same service based on clients’ shopping history, a common practice among Chinese online businesses.The law is modelled after one of the world’s strictest online privacy protection laws – the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation.“China’s new privacy regime is one of the toughest in the world,” said Kendra Schaefer, a partner at Beijing-based consulting firm Trivium China. “China is not really looking at the short term with this law.”Instead, she said, it aims “to establish the foundations for the digital economy over the next 40 or 50 years”.The law also stipulates that the personal data of Chinese nationals cannot be transferred to countries with lower standards of data security than China – rules which may present problems for foreign businesses.“The thing we’re all on tenterhooks over is the issue of data transfer,” Schaefer said.“It poses a very interesting geopolitical conundrum, which is the US does not have a national privacy law.”Companies that fail to comply can face fines of up to 50 million yuan (US$7.6 million) or 5% of a company’s annual turnover.Serious violators run the risk of losing their business licenses and being forced to shut down.