Amazon billionaire Bezos headed for space on his own rocket

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has said he will fly into space with his brother on the first human flight launched by his space company, Blue Origin.In an Instagram post, Bezos said space flight was something he had wanted to do “all my life”.Blue Origin is also auctioning off a seat in the six-seat capsule, for someone who will join the pair on the inaugural crewed flight.Bezos is one of the world’s richest people, sometimes the actual richest depending on Amazon share prices. He has a net worth of nearly US$190 billion, according to Forbes magazine.Bidding for a seat on the New Shepard – the name of the Blue Origin vehicle – had reached US$2.8 million when Bezos announced his plan to take the flight himself. The auction will conclude on June 12.The New Shepard booster can land upright on the ground after returning from space. It is named after Alan Shepard, the second person and first US citizen to fly into space.According to Blue Origin’s website the company plans to carry its passengers more than 100km above the Earth’s surface, allowing them to experience microgravity.The flight will take off on July 20, just two weeks after Bezos steps down as CEO of Amazon. He plans to serve as executive chairman of the e-commerce giant he founded 30 years ago in his garage, allowing him “time and energy” to focus on other ventures.In addition to New Shepard, Blue Origin is also working to develop a rocket called New Glenn, which the company hopes will be used to send US government and commercial satellites to orbit, as well as potentially make trips to deep space.“I’m interested in space because I’m passionate about it,” said Bezos. “I’ve been studying it and thinking about it since I was a five.”Bezos is just one of several billionaires headed for space. Fellow American Elon Musk and Briton Richard Branson are also making good headway.Dubbed “NewSpace”, they aim to create cheap, commercialised space travel to take the place of government space bodies.Fuelled by intense rivalries, their ambitions include the development of space tourism and developing permanent human settlement on the Moon and Mars.But emerging space entrepreneurs are also filling a huge void left by governments that have had to cut funding for space missions.As a result, names like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are becoming important parts of the increasingly lucrative space race.


Over 33,600 children fully jabbed, 67.5% of adults boosted

A total of 33,621 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 1,353,774 children or 38.1% have received at least one dose.As for the adult population, a total of 15,876,357 individuals or 67.5% have received a booster dose while 22,954,326 or 97.6% have completed both doses of vaccine.A total of 23,231,749 or 98.8% have received one dose of vaccine.In terms of teenagers, a total of 2,854,230 adolescents aged 12 to 17 or 91.7% have completed their vaccination.Meanwhile 2,950,267 individuals or 94.8% have received a first dose of vaccine.A total of 22,807 vaccine doses were given yesterday, with 2,501 as first doses, 8,670 as second shots and 11,636 as booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of doses administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 69,042,067.


US to authorise Pfizer booster shot for children, report says

US health regulators are expected to authorise a booster shot of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 as soon as Tuesday, the New York Times reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.The companies submitted an application to the US Food and Drug Administration for the authorisation last month.They have cited data from a mid- to late-stage study showing a third dose of their shot increased protection against the original coronavirus version and the Omicron variant among children in the age group.It is unclear how much demand there is for the third dose in the age group. Just 28.8% of children aged five to 11 are fully vaccinated, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.A meeting of outside vaccine experts on an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been scheduled for Thursday, the report said.The FDA declined to comment, while Pfizer and BioNTech did not respond to requests for comment.


San Francisco latest to make Covid jabs a must for city employees

The city of San Francisco has announced it will require all municipal employees to be vaccinated against Covid-19, failing which they could face penalties up to and including dismissal.The new rule, announced Wednesday, will not take effect until the vaccines have received full approval from the US Food and Drug Administration, which has so far green-lit their use on an emergency basis due to the pandemic.San Francisco will then require its 35,000 employees, including police and firefighters, to be vaccinated. Those who fail to comply and do not receive an exemption for medical or religious reasons will be punished or could even be fired.“It’s really a decision for the health and safety of our employees and our public that we serve,” said Carol Isen, the city’s director of human resources.“It’s about protecting the city as an employer from what we deem to be unacceptable risk.”The local branch of the Service Employees International Union, which represents around 20,000 city employees, called the move a “threatening mandate” and said such a requirement must be negotiated and not imposed.This week, more than 150 employees at one of Texas’s largest hospitals were fired or resigned after refusing to comply with a Covid vaccination requirement.Officials at Houston Methodist had told its staff they needed to have received a Covid vaccination by June 7.Some staff members had filed a lawsuit against the hospital, accusing it of “forcing its employees to be human ‘guinea pigs’ as a condition for continued employment”.The lawsuit was dismissed by a judge who said the vaccines’ safety was not at issue.The city of San Francisco, which adopted measures early on in the US coronavirus outbreak to stop its spread, has one of the highest vaccination rates in California: about 80% of residents 12 and over have received at least one dose.


Analysts dismantle PH's 'extremist' label for PN

An ethnic relations expert warns that the narrative of extremism and racism aimed at the Malay community by government parties in attacks against Perikatan Nasional (PN) may backfire over time.
Mansor Mohd Noor from the Institute of Ethnic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said the narrative was used to defend the formation of the government with Umno, which has long been accused of kleptocracy.
"They deny that the Malays have rejected Umno, which is now a symbol of kleptocracy, and then they turn the debate into one on extremism," he said.
Mansor, who studies ethnic relations in Malaysia, said Malay voters had shifted their support to PN as they wanted good governance.
However, he also attributed the change to the nation-state narrative which he said Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders failed to understand.
"Those who voted for PAS are not religious people or 'tok lebai'," he said.
"They are Malaysians like any of us. But they want a clear definition of the nation state and reject the narrative of multiculturalism brought by DAP."
He said PH's move after winning the 2018 election to change institutions such as the National Service Training Centre and the Bureau of National Planning had also affected Malay voters.
"These were all nation-building efforts that were scrapped by PH," he said, adding that the narrative appeared mostly used by PKR and Amanah, with DAP staying out of it for the most part.
Political analyst Nizam Mahshar meanwhile said PH had acknowledged that Malay sentiments were marginalised in its policies and stance, giving the example of PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli who had asked for PH leaders and supporters to look deeper into the issue.
"But it's hard to say whether this was his true stand on the matter or another political sound bite to rally support during the election," he added.
Nizam, who was once CEO of think tank Institut Masa Depan Malaysia, said the coalition government should focus on sectors such as asset ownership, real estate, employment in the private sector, and the make-up of senior management in companies and industries where Malays are the minority.
"This issue involves structural and fundamental matters," he said.
Ismail Sualman of Universiti Teknologi Mara said the Malays did not appear to agree on the formation of the current government, due to the perception that it had come about through force.
He added that PH could not expect the Malays to accept a coalition government as such things were incompatible with the spirit of Malay politics.
Mansor meanwhile said that some political analysts used terms incorrectly, including "extremism", "ethnic cleansing" and "institutional racism".
"They read books about Western thought and apply it to local situations," he said.
"In Malaysia, we have our own way of organising society which is different from the West."


Indonesia, Malaysia summon India envoys over ‘derogatory’ Prophet remarks

Indonesia and Malaysia have both summoned India’s envoys in their countries over “derogatory” remarks made about the Prophet Muhammad by two officials with the South Asian nation’s ruling party, their foreign ministries said Tuesday.It comes as anger spreads across the Arab and Muslim world, with various Middle Eastern nations summoning New Delhi’s envoys and a Kuwaiti supermarket removing Indian products.Remarks by a spokesman for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who has since been suspended, sparked the furore.Another official, the party’s media chief for Delhi, posted a tweet last week about the Prophet that was later deleted.Indonesian foreign ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah told AFP that India’s ambassador in Jakarta, Manoj Kumar Bharti, was summoned on Monday, with the government lodging a complaint about anti-Muslim rhetoric.In a statement posted on Twitter, the ministry said Indonesia – the most populous Muslim-majority country – “strongly condemns unacceptable derogatory remarks” made by “two Indian politicians” against the Prophet Muhammad.The tweet did not mention the officials by name but was an apparent reference to BJP spokesman Nupur Sharma and the party’s Delhi media chief Naveen Jindal, who was expelled from the BJP, according to Indian media reports.Malaysia also “unreservedly condemns the derogatory remarks” by the Indian politicians, the foreign ministry said in a statement late Tuesday, adding that it had conveyed its “total repudiation” to India’s envoy.“Malaysia calls upon India to work together in ending the Islamophobia and cease any provocative acts in the interest of peace and stability,” it said.Modi’s policiesModi’s party, which in the past decade has established dominance in India by championing Hindu identity, has frequently been accused of discriminatory policies towards the country’s Muslim minority.On Sunday, it suspended Sharma for expressing “views contrary to the party’s position” and said it “respects all religions”.Sharma said on Twitter that her comments had been in response to “insults” made against the Hindu god Shiva.But the remarks, which stoked protests among Muslims in India, sparked another backlash from Indonesia’s Muslim community.Sharma’s words were “irresponsible, insensitive, caused inconvenience and hurt the feelings of Muslims worldwide”, Indonesian Ulema Council senior executive Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim said in a statement Monday.He said the remarks also contradicted the United Nations resolution to combat Islamophobia, which was adopted in March.The row follows anger across the Muslim world in 2020 over French President Emmanuel Macron’s defence of the right of a satirical magazine to publish caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.French teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded in October 2020 by a Chechen refugee after showing the cartoons to his class in a lesson on free speech. Images of the Prophet are strictly forbidden in Islam.


PKR woman names Amanah politician in sex assault report

A state assemblyman from a nothern state has been named in a sexual harassment complaint by a 31-year-old PKR activist, who among others accuses the politician from Amanah of fondling her.A police report lodged at a police station in Subang Jaya last week, sighted by MalaysiaNow, states that the alleged incidents took place at a mall in Petaling Jaya as well as in the politician’s car.When contacted, a police spokesman confirmed such a report, but could not give details of its status.The complainant said she first met the politician in January, followed by a second meeting where she agreed to his offer of a dinner treat for her birthday.She said she agreed to go with him as she “felt honoured”.However, she claimed the man tried to hug and fondle her in his car before telling her to keep what had happened to herself.She said she had been “emotionally distressed” since then.Malaysiakini reported that the case is being investigated under Section 354 of the Penal Code, which covers offences regarding the use of criminal force to outrage a person’s modesty.The politician, a senior leader of a political party, is also the son of a late leading political figure from Kedah.Efforts to contact him were of no avail.


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Thousands rally across US for abortion rights

Thousands of activists chanting, banging drums and wielding placards flooded streets across the US on Saturday in a national day of action calling for safe and legal access to abortion.The mass demonstrations were a response to a leaked draft opinion showing the Supreme Court’s conservative majority is poised to overturn Roe v Wade, a landmark 1973 ruling guaranteeing abortion access nationwide.“Nobody has the right to make a decision on somebody else’s body,” said Hanna Williamson, 20, who drove three hours to join several thousand protesters in Washington.Thousands more people assembled in a central square in Brooklyn, New York, to carry a giant pink banner that read: “Our Bodies. Our Futures. Our Abortions.”The protesters, who included Democratic senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and other influential Democrats, were of all genders and ages and many wore green, a symbolic color of abortion rights activism.“We’re gonna keep fighting until we win,” Schumer told AFP. “America is on our side.”Allison Easter, 58, called the turnout “encouraging.”“There’s so many young people, so many mothers wheeling their babies, so many people with their husbands or boyfriends, so many men – so many different kinds of people support this cause,” she told AFP.She said that the political push to restrict or ban abortion was “about power and control.”“There are a lot of people who have very traditional values, and are frightened by women who can make choices about their own body,” Easter said, as a crush of demonstrators flooded into lower Manhattan.“I know there are people who think it’s about religion, but if you look at the things they’ve done in the name of religion, it doesn’t bear true.”‘Contrary to our founding’Thousands of people also rallied in Texas and Kentucky, with smaller events elsewhere in the country.“These are a group of people in this country who are working to dismantle 60 years of civil rights and civil liberties of the US,” Linda Sarsour, a prominent political activist, told AFP in New York.“We respect everybody’s right to hold whatever religious belief or whatever opinion they have on an issue like abortion,” she continued.“What we want you to know is that you can do you – and allow people to still have access to safe, affordable, women’s reproductive rights.”The leak of the draft opinion ignited fury over the potential rollback of abortion rights ahead of November’s key midterm elections, when control of both congressional chambers is at stake.Democrats have pushed to codify abortion rights into federal law, a bid to pin down Republicans on the divisive issue ahead of the polls.The House-passed Women’s Health Protection Act would assure health care professionals have the right to provide abortions and that patients have the right to receive them.But Republicans and one Democrat in the US Senate tanked the effort to advance the measure earlier this week.Nanette Rosenbaum, 64, told AFP she demonstrated in New York as an adolescent: “I never expected that 50 years later I’d be back on the streets again.”Calling the Supreme Court “too politicised and much too partisan,” Rosenbaum said that “in a country like America, who fought for individual rights,” restricting legal abortion access “seems contrary to our founding.”“I feel as strongly now as I did when I was a teenager, and I hope – I fervently hope – that we’ll make a difference.”‘Women want choices’A new Politico/Morning Consult poll has 53% of voters saying Roe should not be overturned, up three percentage points since last week, while 58% said it was important to vote for a candidate who supports abortion access.Republican-controlled states have taken steps to restrict abortion rights in recent months, and overturning Roe v Wade would grant them greater latitude to restrict or ban the procedure.The right to access abortion has long triggered activism, but the Supreme Court leak has spurred an uptick in demonstrations, including outside the homes of justices.The largely peaceful protests have drawn Republican criticism over privacy rights of court members, but activists have responded by pointing to years of often violent protests outside abortion clinics and at the homes of doctors providing the medical procedure.In Washington, protesters, many dressed in pink and wielding placards, marched near the Supreme Court on Saturday.“It’s very important to be here to take a stand and really say to the people who are making these decisions that women want choices and they want freedom to have that choice,” said Viesha Floyd, 32.“The reason I’m here is for those women, the future generations.”


Pakistan police arrest ‘hundreds’ of opposition supporters ahead of major rally

Pakistani police detained hundreds of supporters of ousted prime minister Imran Khan overnight ahead of a major sit-in planned by the former leader, senior party members and police sources said Tuesday, as the government pledged to block the protest.Khan, a cricket star turned populist politician, was kicked out of power last month in a vote of no-confidence, but has since pressured the country’s fragile new coalition government by staging mass rallies across the country.Alleging that he was removed through a “foreign conspiracy”, Khan plans on Wednesday to lead tens of thousands of supporters from his power base in the northwestern city of Peshawar to the capital Islamabad demanding fresh elections.“Tomorrow I will be leading the largest march of Pakistan’s history. I don’t consider it politics but jihad,” Khan said, referring to a term used by Muslims to describe a struggle.Security was being built up across the country, with shipping container roadblocks hauled into place in Islamabad and the government quarter put on lockdown, while many entry and exit points around the city of Lahore – around 380km (236 miles) away – were also blocked.“This (protest) is being done to divide the nation and promote chaos,” Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told reporters. “Nobody should be allowed to besiege the capital and dictate his terms.”“This march cannot be allowed to take place,” Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb added.Opposition arrestsTwo police officials told AFP that more than 200 supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party were arrested in overnight raids in the nation’s most populous province Punjab.They were booked on public order offences and remain in detention, one of the sources said.Fawad Chaudhry, the former information minister in Khan’s government, accused police of not having the necessary warrants and put the number of arrested at more than 400.“More than 1,100 houses were raided overnight. Police entered the houses without any warrants and insulted women and children,” he tweeted.One police officer was shot dead during a raid on a PTI supporter’s house in Lahore, Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shahbaz Sharif said.Police have not officially commented on the arrests or allegations.Attaullah Tarar – a senior leader in new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s PML-N party – said at a press conference that protestors had been planning to join the march “with weapons”.“We have information that they have started collecting ammunition at various places,” he told reporters.Political analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi told AFP that Pakistan’s all-powerful military was currently remaining neutral in the standoff but “they may try to defuse the situation if it gets worse”.On Saturday, senior PTI leader and former minister Shireen Mazari was arrested near her house in the capital over a decades-old land dispute. She was briefly detained before a court ordered her release.In 2018, Khan was voted in by an electorate weary of the dynastic politics of the country’s two major parties, with the popular former sports star promising to sweep away decades of entrenched corruption and cronyism.He was brought down in part by his failure to rectify the country’s dire economic situation, including its crippling debt, shrinking foreign currency reserves and soaring inflation.Sharif is now grappling with the same crisis, as well as rising militancy and soured relations with the West.


Diesel subsidy system to be refined, says PM

The existing diesel subsidy system will continue and will be improved by ensuring that vehicles that transport diesel supplies from gas stations or skid tanks are equipped with a "fleet card" system to monitor diesel consumption and avoid leakage, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking in a press conference after chairing the National Economic Action Council (MTEN) in Putrajaya today, Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the country's diesel subsidy system should be improved following the country's subsidy liability which jumped to RM13 billion last year.
According to him, a review showed that the use of diesel jumped 37.7% at 6.1 billion litres in 2019 to 8.4 billion litres in 2022, while the number of registered vehicles that use only diesel increased by 2.4% which is from 2.08 million in 2019 to 2.13 million in 2022.
"So there is a problem about misuse, smuggling and leakage. This is a leakage of RM10 billion.
"The subsidy on diesel will continue, but it must be through the fleet card. This way we can see who could use it, and don't take diesel to sell to factories as is happening now," he said. He said the government is detailing the types of vehicles that will enjoy the diesel subsidy.
"We are detailing which vehicles need the subsidy and so on, but the diesel subsidy will not be raised.
"We just want to determine who is entitled to get subsidised diesel. We don't want taxpayers' money paid to help the people but used by cartels such as the cooking oil cartels, used for the benefit of a few," he said.
Anwar said the government has implemented a subsidy targeting programme in stages starting from January 2023 when the government will no longer provide full electricity tariff subsidies to large companies that use a large amount of electricity.
He said targeted and sustainable subsidy management is a priority in ensuring government spending is channelled to development needs that can provide higher added value to the national economy. In the meantime, Anwar said MTEN agreed to develop a central database hub (PADU) which aims to combine as much socio-economic information as possible for each household to help the government formulate policies and target subsidies.
He said PADU will help the government to ensure that the subsidy programme implemented is more systematic to avoid any leakage among eligible household recipients.
"Frequency and accuracy of data are important to help formulate government policies that can meet the needs and confidence of the people.
"Issues regarding data security will also be addressed and prioritised, as well as better coordination to reduce aspects of duplication," he said and added that MTEN has been instructed to look into the need of drafting a specific act to enable data sharing initiative to be strengthened.


New Chinese hacking tool found, spurring US warning to allies

Security researchers with US cybersecurity firm Symantec said they have discovered a “highly sophisticated” Chinese hacking tool that has been able to escape public attention for more than a decade.The discovery was shared with the US government in recent months, who have shared the information with foreign partners, said a US official. Symantec, a division of chipmaker Broadcom AVGO.O, published its research about the tool, which it calls Daxin, on Monday.“It’s something we haven’t seen before,” said Clayton Romans, associate director with the US Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). “This is the exact type of information we’re hoping to receive.”CISA highlighted Symantec’s membership in a joint public-private cybersecurity information sharing partnership, known as the JCDC, alongside the new research paper.The JCDC, or Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative, is a collective of government defense agencies, including the FBI and National Security Agency, and 22 US technology companies that share intelligence about active cyberattacks with one another.The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. Chinese officials have previously said China is also a victim of hacking and opposes all forms of cyber attacks.“The capabilities of this malware are remarkable and would be extremely difficult to detect without this public research,” said Neil Jenkins, chief analytics officer at the Cyber Threat Alliance, a non-profit group that brings together cybersecurity experts to share data.Symantec’s attribution to China is based on instances where components of Daxin were combined with other known, Chinese-linked computer hacker infrastructure or cyberattacks, said Vikram Thakur, a technical director with Symantec.Symantec researchers said the discovery of Daxin was noteworthy because of the scale of the intrusions and the advanced nature of the tool.“The most recent known attacks involving Daxin occurred in November 2021,” the research report reads. “Daxin’s capabilities suggest the attackers invested significant effort into developing communication techniques that can blend in unseen with normal network traffic.”Daxin’s victims included high-level, non-Western government agencies in Asia and Africa, including Ministries of Justice, Thakur added.“Daxin can be controlled from anywhere in the world once a computer is actually infected,” said Thakur. “That’s what raises the bar from malware that we see coming out of groups operating from China.”Romans said he did not know of affected organisations in the US, but there were infections all around the globe, which the US government was helping to notify.“Clearly the actors have been successful in not only conducting campaigns but being able to keep their creation under wraps for well over a decade,” said Thakur.


Najib called the shots in 1MDB, not me, says ex-second finance minister

Former second finance minister Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah today told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that Najib Razak had the decision-making power in 1MDB, not him.Husni, 70, said this was evident when the former prime minister went ahead with the 1MDB joint-venture project with PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI) despite the concerns raised by the 20th prosecution witness.“In 2009, I told Najib that 1MDB should not be formed without a feasibility study, to which Najib said that he would continue with it, and he told me to keep the matter out of my mind.“Regarding the joint-venture project with PSI, I told him that there was no oil well yet. If there was no oil, we would lose the investment. Moreover, 1MDB had no track record and no experience in the oil exploration field and it should be left to Petronas.“But he told me not to interfere anymore. It showed that the power was with him because there was no discussion,” he said when re-examined by senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram at Najib’s trial for the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in funds from 1MDB.Previously, Husni testified that he met Najib in his office to tell him that 1MDB should not be established without a feasibility study to make a practical assessment of project proposals as well as the risks in terms of business and finance.Sri Ram: It was put to you that former 1MDB chairman Mohd Bakke Salleh had described former 1MDB CEO Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi as a criminal. Are you aware who Shahrol was taking instructions from?Husni: From Najib Razak.Sri Ram: Najib Razak, you mean the accused?Husni: Yes.Sri Ram: Yesterday, during cross-examination, you were asked about Petronas. It was put to you that the PM had a total monopoly of the business (Petronas). What is the primary business of Petronas?Husni: It deals with petroleum, not only nationally, but also with international investments in the sector.Sri Ram: In the case of 1MDB, does it have anything to do with natural resources?Husni: No.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 Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.


Western New York braces for winter's first major snow storm, schools to close

An early winter storm swept into western New York state on Thursday, prompting school closures and threatening to dump up to 4 feet (1.2 meters) of snow on Buffalo and other areas downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario by late this weekend.
Erie County, which encompasses Buffalo, declared a state of emergency on Thursday and imposed a driving ban starting at 9pm EST for all but authorised emergency travel.
The Buffalo Public Schools district, the state's second-largest, announced it was canceling all classes and closing its central offices on Friday, idling more than 32,000 students.
The region's first major snowstorm of the season also prompted the National Football League to move Sunday's scheduled game between the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns from Buffalo to Detroit.
Snowfall rates of 3 inches (8cm) an hour were forecast in some locations to the south and east of the two Great Lakes starting late on Thursday, said Liz Jurkowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Buffalo.
The squalls could persist through Sunday, creating sporadic bursts of intense snowfall along narrow bands. The heaviest totals were likely in Buffalo, the weather service said on its website, stressing it was difficult to predict exactly where the snow bands would develop.
"What we are talking about is a major, major storm," New York Governor Kathy Hochul, said on Thursday, a day after she declared a state of emergency in the Buffalo area.
"This is considered an extreme weather event. That means it is dangerous. It is life threatening," she told a press briefing.
By Thursday night, snow squalls had already carpeted parts of western New York south of Buffalo with up to a foot of snow, according to the weather service's Storm Prediction Center.
"The heavy stuff is expected to start by 10pm tonight," Jurkowski said. "It will be hard for the snow plows to even keep up with. It's potentially paralysing snow."
Visibility was expected to drop to zero, creating "white-out" conditions and making travel nearly impossible. Motorists were advised to stay off the roads starting late Thursday afternoon.
The storm developed as temperatures for the region, and much of the northern US, plunged 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average for this time of year, said Rich Otto, a Storm Prediction Center meteorologist in College Park, Maryland.
Although the winter season does not officially begin for another five weeks, the NWS posted winter storm warnings, winter weather advisories and lake-effect snow warnings across all western New York areas downwind from the Great Lakes.
The NWS said 1 to 2 feet of snow was expected to pile up in many locations through Sunday, with maximum accumulations likely to exceed 4 feet in or near Buffalo, which lies at the eastern end of Lake Erie and ranks as New York's second most populous city with some 278,000 residents.
Snowfall of such proportions is not uncommon for western New York in November, when the relatively warm waters of the Great Lakes can mix with frigid air in the upper atmosphere dropping down from the Arctic, the NWS said.
While the storm was not expected to break weather records, Jurkowski said it could rank in the top five snow accumulations over the last 20 years.
In November 2014, an epic barrage of lake-effect snow deposited more than 5 feet of powder east of Buffalo but dropped just a few inches of snow a few miles to the north, according to the NWS, illustrating the highly localised nature of the phenomenon.


Ex-banker tells of Jho Low and Malaysian Chinese duo who 'topped up' Najib account

A former AmBank relationship manager told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today she never doubted that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low was the adviser of Najib Razak, who was at that time the chairman of the 1MDB board of advisers.
Joanna Yu Ging Ping, 52, said Jho Low had introduced himself as Najib’s adviser and that other top 1MDB management officials had referred to Jho Low as "boss".
"In all the meetings we had with 1MDB, Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi (then 1MDB CEO), Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, (1MDB chief investment officer) and Terence Geh (then 1MDB deputy chief financial officer) referred to Jho Low as 'boss' and Najib as 'big boss'.
"He (Jho Low) was instrumental in their dealings with 1MDB and for me, I believe he was truly the adviser to Najib. I had never seen Najib at the 1MDB office, but I had seen Jho Low.
"I believe when Shahrol Azral and Nik Faisal talked about deals, they always referred back to Jho Low. So I didn't have a doubt that Jho Low was representing Najib," she said, adding that she was introduced to Jho Low in 2007.
Yu said this during the re-examination by deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib at Najib’s trial on the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds. Asked by Akram if anyone had told her that Jho Low was not an adviser to Najib, the witness said no.
She said other communications by Jho Low which made her confident that he was representing Najib were the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) chats on issues related to the former prime minister's AmBank credit card.
"I did not have reason to doubt him (Jho Low) when he told me (in the BBM chats) that the cheque was written, that the credit card could not be used, that there was a transaction rejected, and when he said there were incoming funds to Najib's accounts, I did not doubt that he represented Datuk Seri (Najib).
"I did not doubt that Jho Low was in contact with Najib, especially on the credit card (issues) in Italy when the bank rejected certain transactions. I felt really bad for rejecting the PM’s credit card transactions. I was worried there would be repercussions and I believed Jho Low communicated with Datuk Seri (Najib) and that he (Low) had received instructions," Yu said.
When asked why she contacted Jho Low regarding Najib’s accounts rather than contacting Najib personally, Yu said: "Because Najib was the prime minister of Malaysia. I didn’t think I could just walk up or call his office, it was not my level."
On how Najib’s accounts were constantly topped up whenever they were overdrawn, Yu said the account received over-the-counter funds from two individuals known as Kee Kok Thiam and Josie.
Akram: Were they Arabs?
Yu: No. As far as I know, they (Kee and Josie) were Malaysian Chinese. Najib, 69, faces four charges of using his position to receive bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering.
The hearing before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues on Feb 27.


Mercurial Mbappe fires France into last 16 after 2-1 win over Denmark

Kylian Mbappe crowned an exhilarating individual performance with two second-half goals to make champions France the first side into the last 16 of the World Cup as they beat Denmark 2-1 in their Group D clash at the 974 Stadium on Saturday.
Mbappe's goals sent France top the group on six points, three ahead of Australia, who beat Tunisia 1-0 earlier in the day, with the Danes and the Tunisians both on one point.
"The first objective has been achieved," French coach Didier Deschamps said of their qualification in a post-match TV interview. "This group is strong, solid and wants to achieve great things."
France take on Tunisia and Denmark meet Socceroos in the final round on Wednesday, with the Danes needing a win to advance.
Having lost twice to Denmark during the recent Nations League campaign, France started cautiously. But it was not long before they realised there were opportunities to be had by taking on the Danish wing backs.
Ousmane Dembele tormented Joakim Maehle and a wave of excitement swept around the stadium, which is made out of 974 recycled shipping containers, every time Mbappe got one-on-one with Rasmus Kristensen on the other flank.
The first half saw France enjoy the better chances as Adrien Rabiot went close with a header and Denmark were forced into a number of last-ditch blocks, but the Danes did go close with an Andreas Cornelius shot that flew just wide.
Their defensive resilience was not to last and Mbappe put the French ahead in the 61st minute, crowning a superb high-speed French counter with a bouncing first-time finish from Theo Hernandez's clever pull-back.
Always a danger from set pieces, defender Andreas Christensen put the Danes level seven minutes later, stealing in behind the defence and stooping to head home with Denmark's first effort on target.
Neither side seemed content with a draw and Rabiot fired a spectacular volley over in the 80th minute, and a minute later Denmark substitute Martin Braithwaite fired a first-time effort of his own just wide of the near post.
The game looked set to end in a stalemate until Mbappe popped up in the 86th minute at the far post to cushion home an Antoine Griezmann cross from close range to restore the lead to send the travelling French fans into raptures.
Denmark threw everything forward looking for a second equaliser, leaving acres of space at the back, but their late attacks lacked precision and the French held on for the win that put them through.
"It was the small things again," a frustrated Kasper Hjulmand told Denmark's TV2. "We had hoped that we could close it out, it was like the game had gone a little bit cold, but it was simply small things."
Mbappe's brace took his international total to 31 in 61 games for France, putting the 23-year-old level with Zinedine Zidane and 20 goals behind Olivier Giroud and Thierry Henry, France's joint record goal-scorers.
"What can I say, I've said it before – he's an exceptional player. He has the ability to be decisive, to stand out from the crowd and make a difference in games," Deschamps said of his goal-poaching star.
"We now have peace of mind going into our third game as we have already sealed our spot in the last 16, and we're hopefully going to finish top of the table," he added.
The French will face one of the teams from Group C – Poland, Saudi Arabia, Mexico or Argentina – in the last 16.
"We are very competitive and there is a great team spirit, both on and off the pitch, and we'll need that for what is waiting ahead," Deschamps said.


Nadma warns of floods due to high-tide phenomenon

The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) has warned residents to brace for the high-tide phenomenon predicted to occur in several areas until Oct 13.
Nadma, an agency under the Prime Minister’s Department, said the National Hydrographic Centre predicted that the areas involved would include Kuala Muda in Kedah, Bagan Datuk in Perak, Port Klang in Selangor, as well as Batu Pahat and Pontian in Johor.
The phenomenon is caused by the gravitational pull exerted on the earth when the moon and sun are aligned, which is likely to cause an overflow of water on land and flooding in low-lying areas along the coast.
"Residents near coastal areas are advised to be more aware and alert when the phenomenon occurs," Nadma said on its Facebook page.
Those who require further information on the 2022 edition of the tide table can visit https://hydro.gov.my/ramalanpasangsurut.


Hundreds arrested in Australia protests as country posts worst Covid rise

Hundreds were arrested after violent clashes between anti-lockdown protesters and police in Australia’s two largest cities Saturday as the country recorded its sharpest rise in daily Covid-19 cases since the pandemic began.Sydney’s state of New South Wales posted 825 infections – a record for the entire country – a day after authorities extended the city’s lockdown until at least September to try to head off the Delta variant.“No matter how hard we work, no matter if 99 percent of people are doing the right thing, there’s an element of Delta that nobody can control,” premier Gladys Berejiklian told media.“The best way we can look forward to freedom is by making sure that we get vaccinated.”An increasing outbreak in Melbourne’s state of Victoria also prompted stay-at-home orders to be extended across the entire state on Saturday.But Melbourne’s public health orders didn’t deter thousands from venting anger in a march against the lockdown rules, with police using pepper spray in violent clashes with protesters.Seven officers were injured and more than 200 people were arrested in the “violent and unlawful” protest, Victoria police said in a statement.“While there were some peaceful protestors in attendance, the majority of those who attended came with violence in mind,” they said.In Sydney more than 1,500 police flooded the city, setting up roadblocks and making dozens of arrests as around 250 gathered there, NSW Police said.Large crowds were also reported at an anti-lockdown rally in Brisbane.Sydneysiders were plunged into lockdown in late June, and restrictions now reach across two states and the nation’s capital, affecting over 15 million people.Under a third of Australia’s population are fully vaccinated, as the arrival of Delta threatens to unwind the nation’s hard-fought pursuit of “Covid zero”.After a glacial rollout, nationwide vaccination efforts have accelerated in recent weeks, with leaders setting a target of over 70 percent vaccination rates before restrictions ease.Sydney’s outbreak has also been linked to a case that sparked a national lockdown in New Zealand.Australia has recorded over 42,000 cases in a population of over 25 million since the pandemic began, with 974 deaths linked to the virus.


No such thing, says Singapore after probe on ‘homeless Malaysians’ claim

A report carried by a local daily claiming that Malaysian workers in Singapore are living like vagrants on the streets of the city-state has come under question following an investigation by the republic’s authorities.Authorities said they had spoken to a Malaysian man who was quoted by the New Straits Times (NST) in its report on Nov 22, adding that he could not provide details of his claim that he had encountered homeless Malaysian workers.Shahruddin Haeal Helmy Mohd Noh, 34, told NST that over 100 Malaysian workers in Singapore had become homeless as they could not afford accommodation, and were forced to take drastic measures due to pay cuts during the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the closure of the border.But according to the republic’s manpower ministry, Shahruddin could not confirm his claims.“He did not know of any Malaysian worker who does not have a place to stay and also stated that he did not tell the reporter from NST that ‘over 100 Malaysians there had become homeless’,” the ministry was quoted as saying by Singapore’s The Straits Times.The NST report had triggered visits by Singapore officials to the places listed by Shahruddin.The manpower ministry said anyone found sleeping in the streets, including foreign workers, would be given assistance.


Malaysian wins tower race up more than 1,500 steps at Empire State Building

Malaysian Soh Wai Ching has won this year's Empire State Building Run-Up, an annual tower race held at the Empire State Building in New York City, clinching the title of world number one.
Soh, who was sponsored by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), finished the climb in 10 minutes and 44 seconds, beating Ryoji Watanabe from Japan (10:57), Fabio Ruga of Italy (11:19), Germany's Goerge Heimann (11:40) and Omar Bekkali of the Netherlands (12:03).
Soh, the previous defending champion, was also named overall champion at the 44th edition of the Oct 6 race.
"We sponsored him because although he is a hardworking and dedicated young man of world ranking, he could not get anyone to sponsor him," MBPJ councillor Derek Fernandez said.
"He has made us proud."
Soh graduated from Universiti Malaya with a degree in sports science.
The Empire State Building Run-Up sees participants racing for the best time up 86 flights of stairs – a total of 1,576 steps.


Sale of KL land to fund 1MDB rationalisation plan, says PAC

The sale of Land Grant 18335, Lot 41, Section 51 in Kuala Lumpur (Land Lot 41) to Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) by the government through special vehicle company Hartanah Mampan Sdn Bhd was for the purpose of funding of 1MDB’s rationalisation plan, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said today.PAC chairman Wong Kah Woh said the acquisition price of RM2.07 billion was made by BNM on Dec 19, 2017 (RM1.035 billion) and Dec 27, 2017 (RM1.035 billion) with the proceeds of the sale used to fund 1MDB’s rationalisation plan on Dec 31 the same year.PAC which held a proceeding on the land issue on Sept 20 concluded among others that BNM did not plan to purchase Lot 41 before the offer was made by the finance ministry.“The Lot 41 acquisition plan did not exist in the annual BNM strategic planning for 2015 to 2017 despite BNM stating the purpose to develop a financial services education hub in the long term,” Wong said in a statement today.Wong said three witnesses called to the proceeding were Deputy Auditor General (Performance) Patimah Ramuji, treasury secretary-general Asri Hamidon and Bank Negara governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus.PAC also found that BNM did not conduct adequate due diligence in the purchase of Lot 41 apart from BNM board of directors making the decision to purchase Lot 41 in nine days after discussions with the finance ministry on Aug 15, 2017 and three days after the offer was made by the ministry on Aug 21 the same year.“The acquisition transaction was completed in a short period of four months. All these raised doubts on whether BNM was under pressure from the government in making a decision,” Wong said.PAC also concluded that the acquisition of Lot 41 amounting to RM2.07 billion based on an evaluation carried out by Tetuan Suleiman & Co was high.“The evaluation of the Malaysia Property Services and Evaluation Department based on the status of the existing ownership status, namely land usage category ‘none’, real condition ‘none’ and the institutional zoning with a plot ratio of 1:2, was RM1,421,650,000,” he said.Wong said the acquisition payment price of RM2.07 billion was inappropriately carried out without earlier changing the land use status from ‘none’ to ‘building’ and the breaking of boundaries/sub-division which was partly owned by the Malaysia Space Agency.PAC said it was important for BNM to be able to make decisions on its investments and developments independently without being influenced by other parties while respecting that the land sale transaction profited the government.BNM also needed to quickly resolve the issue of changing the land use category and sub-division of Lot 41 apart from thorough planning to optimise the use of Lot 41, he said.According to Wong, the issue of land was part of the findings of the National Audit Department in the Auditor-General’s Report Year 2019 Financial Statements and Compliance Audit of Federal Agencies, tabled in Parliament on Dec 10, 2020.


Recoveries stay ahead as new cases still under 3,000

Another 2,461 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 280,272.Selangor recorded 1,001 cases, Kelantan 257, Johor 233, Kuala Lumpur 230, Sarawak 134, Sabah 109, Perak 108 and Kedah 101.Negeri Sembilan recorded 89 cases followed by Penang (87), Pahang (42), Melaka (32), Terengganu (22), Putrajaya (13) and Perlis (three).Active cases stand at 34,468 with 207 in the ICU and 91 in need of respiratory assistance.Ten new clusters were detected:1. Jalan Perusahaan Satu (Hulu Langat in Selangor; 472 screened, 43 positive)2. Perdana Tiga (Gombak in Selangor; 87 screened, 52 positive)3. Jalan Lapangan Terbang (Kulai, Johor Bahru and Pontian in Johor; 482 screened, 41 positive)4. Jalan Tanjung Enam (Johor Bahru in Johor; 341 screened, 17 positive)5. Jalan Wawasan 14 (Batu Pahat in Johor; 70 screened, 17 positive)6. Batu Dua Setengah (Batu Pahat in Johor; 154 screened, seven positive)7. Jalan Pasar (Kota Belud in Sabah; 180 screened, 13 positive)8. Jalan Pelabuhan (Manjung in Perak; 52 screened, 15 positive)9. Batu Sebelas (Kinta and Kuala Kangsar in Perak; 22 screened, 11 positive)10. Tapak Bina Kasia (Seremban in Negeri Sembilan; 155 screened, 51 positive)Eleven others ended, leaving 510 active clusters across the country.Another 4,782 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 244,753.However, eight more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 1,051.


Convicted Bali bomb maker apologises to victims' families

An Indonesian bomb maker convicted for his role in the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub attacks has apologised to the victims' families, after his release from prison was met with outrage in Australia.
Umar Patek, a member of the al Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group, was jailed for 20 years in 2012 after he was found guilty of making bombs that ripped through two Bali nightclubs, killing 202 people, including 88 Australians and 38 Indonesians. He was released on parole last week.
"I apologise to the victims and their families, both at home and abroad, whatever their country, whatever their ethnicity, whatever their religion," Patek said in an interview on Tuesday at a deradicalisation centre in East Java province.
"I apologise to the Australian people who have been deeply impacted by the Bali bombing," he added.
Patek also said he would help the Indonesian government in its counter-terrorism efforts, adding he was "ready to become an ambassador for peace".
Patek will be required to participate in a "mentoring programme" until April 2030, and any violation could see his parole revoked, said Indonesia's justice ministry.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, has pioneered a deradicalisation programme alongside security crackdowns as part of its efforts to counter a resurgence in Islamic militancy.
Patek's release has sparked anger in Australia.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said soon after he was freed that it was a "difficult day" for Australians who lost loved ones and relatives in the attacks.
Paul Vanni, community and partnerships officer at Sydney's Coogee Dolphins rugby team, which lost six members in the Bali attacks, dismissed the apology.
"Words mean nothing. It's a complete slap in the face. He's an assassin, a murderer," said Vanni.


Ex-director tells court he stayed with 1MDB due to confidence in Najib’s leadership

A witness in the 1MDB trial told the Kuala Lumpur High Court today that he did not resign from the company because he had confidence in former prime minister Najib Razak’s leadership due to the sovereign wealth fund’s dealings with the Saudis.Former 1MDB non-executive director Ismee Ismail, 58, who was also CEO of Tabung Haji (TH) from 2006 to 2016, said he thought the joint ventures between the company and the Saudis would have been beneficial.This was despite 1MDB’s management non-compliance involving a joint venture (JV) between the company and Saudi-based oil and gas production company, PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI) in September 2009 which had angered former 1MDB chairman Mohd Bakke Salleh.He told the court this during re-examination by lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram, who referred him to the minutes of a Sept 26, 2009 meeting at which the board of directors had given some stipulations on the JV but the management had not followed through.Bakke resigned shortly after that on Oct 19, 2009.Ismee said that during his early days when he joined 1MDB in 2009, he thought it would be a good initiative for the company because in his capacity as Tabung Haji CEO, it would further enhance the relationship between the company and the Saudis.“That time I had quite a high level of trust in the leadership, in the PM (Najib) himself, trust and loyalty, so I suppose that’s why I didn’t do ‘a Bakke’,” said Ismee, referring to the chairman leaving the company in 2009.Meanwhile, another witness, former 1MDB chief financial officer Azmi Tahir, disagreed with the suggestion of counsel Hariharan Tara Singh that his loyalty was not to the sovereign wealth fund or its subsidiaries, but to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low.The 12th prosecution witness was questioned on the US$1.58 billion transferred out from 1MDB Global Investments Ltd (1MDB GIL) as instructed by Low.Hariharan: Would you agree with me that the loyalty should be to 1MDB, 1MDB GIL not (an) outsider (Jho Low)?Azmi: I believed he (Jho Low) was representing the shareholder (Najib).The court also heard that the US$1.58 billion was used for unspecified “foreign investments”.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 Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues on April 18.


31.9% of children fully jabbed, 47.5% given first dose

A total of 1,131,326 children or 31.9% of those aged five to 11 had been fully vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for Children (PICKids) as of yesterday.According to the CovidNow website, a total of 1,683,567 children or 47.5% have received at least one dose of vaccine.The deadline for children to get their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine under PICKids is May 31.In terms of adolescents aged 12 to 17, a total of 2,910,553 or 93.5% are fully vacinated while 3,007,101 or 96.6% have received at least one dose of vaccine.Meanwhile, a total of 16,084,603 individuals or 68.4% of adults have received a booster dose while 22,973,173 or 97.6% have completed two doses.A total of 23,249,459 or 98.8% have received at least one dose of vaccine.A total of 9,883 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, comprising 3,809 first doses, 3,945 second shots and 2,129 booster jabs.This brings the cumulative number of vaccine shots administered through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 70,826,089.


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Blasts hit Russian base in Crimea as Ukraine targets supply lines

Russia blamed saboteurs for explosions at one of its military bases in Moscow-annexed Crimea while Kyiv hinted it was responsible as Ukrainian officials said their strategy was to destroy supply lines supporting Russia's invasion.
The blasts on Tuesday engulfed an ammunition depot at a military base in the north of the Crimean peninsula, disrupting trains and forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people from a nearby village, according to Russian officials and news agencies.
Plumes of smoke were later seen at a second Russian military base in central Crimea, Russia's Kommersant newspaper said. The action followed last week's explosions at a Russian military air base in western Crimea that destroyed eight warplanes.
Russia's defence ministry said Tuesday's explosions at the ammunition depot were "a result of sabotage". The Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, is the main supply route for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and the base for its Black Sea fleet.
Ukraine did not confirm or deny responsibility for the explosions though its officials openly cheered Russia's setbacks there.
Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak and chief of staff Andriy Yermak both exulted on social media at "demilitarisation", an apparent mocking reference to the word Russia uses to justify its invasion.
"Operation 'demilitarisation' in the precise style of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will continue until the complete de-occupation of Ukraine's territories," Yermak wrote on Telegram.
Podolyak told Britain's Guardian newspaper later that Ukraine's strategy was to destroy Russian "logistics, supply lines and ammunition depots and other objects of military infrastructure. It's creating a chaos within their own forces."
As Kyiv considers a potential counter-offensive in the south, the explosions raised the prospect of new dynamics in the six-month-old war if Ukraine now has capability to strike deeper in Russian-occupied territory or pro-Kyiv groups are having success with guerrilla-style attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Ukrainians to steer clear of Russian military bases and ammunition stores and said the explosions could have a number of causes, including incompetence.
"But they all mean the same thing – the destruction of the occupiers' logistics, their ammunition, military and other equipment, and command posts, saves the lives of our people," he said in an evening address.
In Tuesday's blasts, an electricity substation also caught fire, according to footage on Russian state TV. Seven trains were delayed and rail traffic on part of the line in northern Crimea had been suspended, Russia's RIA news agency said.
Nuclear power plants
The Ukrainian government has ordered mass evacuations in the eastern region of Donetsk, the scene of some of the fiercest fighting.
But for one couple who own a small farm near the city of Kramatorsk, leaving is not an option.
"Grandmother cannot be transported – she is almost 100 years old," Nataliia Ataiantz, 47, said as she checked on the elderly woman.
For her husband Oleksandr the idea of leaving is "scary".
"Our parents are buried here. And this is our land to… where should we go, to foreign country?" he said.
Attention has also focused in recent days on shelling near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear reactor complex, Europe's largest, in a Russian-occupied area of southeastern Ukraine.
Russian-installed officials there, quoted by Interfax news agency, said on Tuesday Ukrainian forces shelled the city of Enerhodar where the plant is located. They accused Ukraine of doing so to provoke Russia into returning fire.
Later on Tuesday, 20 Russian rockets and 10 artillery rounds hit the city of Nikopol on the Ukrainian government-controlled bank of the Dnipro river across from Enerhodar, the Ukrainian regional governor Valentyn Reznichenko wrote on Telegram.
He said four people were wounded.
Reuters could not immediately verify either side's accounts.
Each side has blamed the other for heightened risks to the Zaporizhzhia plant, which Russia seized in March, though Ukrainian technicians continue to operate it.
The Ukraine conflict has caused millions to flee, killed thousands and deepened a geopolitical rift between the West and Moscow, which calls its invasion a "special military operation" to demilitarise its neighbour and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine, which was part of the Russian-dominated Soviet Union until its 1991 break-up, accuses Russia of waging an imperial-style war of conquest.
Grain export progress
There was further progress on a UN-brokered deal for Ukrainian grain exports to resume, after a Russian blockade of Black Sea ports had worsened a global food crisis.
With ports unblocked, the ship Brave Commander left the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi carrying the first cargo of food aid bound for Africa from Ukraine since Russia's invasion.
And the first ship to leave under the July deal, the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, docked in the Syrian port city of Tartous.
Ukraine can export three million tonnes of grain from its ports in September and may eventually be able to export four million tonnes monthly, a government official said.
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres will visit Odesa, Ukraine's main Black Sea port, on Friday while on a trip to the country. He will meet Zelensky and President Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, which helped engineer the grain accord, a UN spokesman said.


Suspects named in Canada stabbings that left 10 dead, at least 15 hurt

Canadian police on Sunday said they were on the hunt for two suspects believed to have killed 10 people and injured at least 15 others in stabbings at 13 locations in the Saskatchewan province.
Police officials named Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson as the two suspects. The officials said the suspects werelast seen travelling in a black Nissan Rogue and last spotted in the city of Regina, about 320km south of the attacks.
Police released photos and descriptions of the suspects but no further information about them.
"It appears that some of the victims may have been targeted, and some may be random. So to speak to a motive would be extremely difficult at this point in time," Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told a news conference.
There may be additional injured victims who transported themselves to various hospitals, police said.
The attacks took place in 13 locations, including the James Smith Cree nation and the city of Weldon, police said.
The stabbings were certain to reverberate throughout Canada, which is unaccustomed to bouts of mass violence more commonly seen across the southern border in the US.
"There are no words to adequately describe the pain and loss caused by this senseless violence. All of Saskatchewan grieves with the victims and their families," Saskatchewan premier Scott Moe said on Twitter.
The stabbings were reported early in the morning, and at 8.20am local time police issued a province-wide dangerous persons alert. By the afternoon, similar alerts were also issued in Saskatchewan's neighboring provinces Alberta and Manitoba.
A police alert issued shortly after midday said they may be in Regina, one of the province's largest cities, where a large police presence was already mobilised because of a Canadian football game at Mosaic Stadium near the center of town.
However, Blackmore said it was unknown where the suspects might be headed or if they had changed vehicles.
"It is horrific what has occurred in our province today," Blackmore said, calling the attacks one of the largest if not the largest in recent history in the province.
Police bulletins urged people to report any suspicious people and to take precautions including sheltering in place, while warning against picking up hitchhikers or approaching suspicious people.
"Do not leave a secure location. Use caution allowing others into your residence," one advisory said.
A spokesman for the Saskatchewan Health Authority in a statement said that the department had called for additional staff to help tend to victims.


Thai king takes the Tube while ‘Bad Students’ march with coffin for education minister

Thai King Maha and Queen Suthida took the Tube as part of the opening of a new station in Bangkok on Saturday.The royal couple sat on padded cushions in what looked to be a normal subway car for the opening of the new extension of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit (MRT) Blue Line.Army officers in white uniforms sat on the car floor in front of them so as to be below the level of the king.Meanwhile, pro-democracy protesters rallied again in the centre of the city at the Democracy Monument under the name “Mob Fest” and called for government and monarchy reforms.Thousands of royalists dressed in yellow also gathered and marched to show their support for the king.In the afternoon, angry high school students calling themselves the Bad Student Movement rallied outside the Thai education ministry, calling on the education minister to resign. They staged a fake funeral for him.“He has failed to reform the education system so he is dead to us,” Anna, 15, said as she put flowers into the fake coffin.The students are calling for an overhaul of the school system, curriculum, strict rules, dress codes and standardised haircuts.


EPF posts lower gross investment income of RM15.85 billion for Q1 2022

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) recorded a total investment income of RM15.85 billion for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 (Q1 2022), lower than the RM19.29 billion recorded in the corresponding quarter in 2021, dragged by a significant decline in worldwide markets.EPF CEO Amir Hamzah said the fund had a strong start in the earliest part of the first quarter, but the situation took a turn as global markets suffered a decline, causing lower returns in bonds and equities throughout the remainder of the quarter.“The decline was attributed to a number of developments stemming from geopolitical tensions, the impact of soaring inflation rates and interest rate hikes.“The Russia-Ukraine war only exacerbated the situation, causing further uncertainty and volatility at a time when countries are still struggling to recover from high debt burdens and stretched public finances from the pandemic,” he said in a statement today.Although earnings generation from equities, which continued to be EPF’s main income contributor, was impacted by the market slowdown, Amir said the EPF had managed to leverage its portfolio position to capitalise on additional gains.During the quarter under review, equities contributed RM10.46 billion in income, accounting for 66% of total gross investment income.“After taking into account the cost write-down on listed equities, net investment income for the asset class generated RM9.37 billion for the period,” he added.A total of RM1.09 billion was written down for listed equities during the quarter, bringing the total net investment income in Q1 2022 to RM14.76 billion.Writing down is an internal policy adopted by the EPF on its eisted Equity investment as a measure to ensure that the portfolios remain healthy.Fixed income instruments, comprising government securities and the equivalent, as well as loans and bonds, contributed a steady income of RM4.75 billion or 30% to the gross investment income.The income recorded was higher than the RM3.89 billion generated in Q1 2021, largely due to the higher market yield in Q1 2022, compared to the same period last year.Real estate and infrastructure registered a decrease in income to RM0.36 billion, from RM0.71 billion in the corresponding period in 2021, whereas income from money market instruments stood at RM0.28 billion, from RM0.38 billion in Q1 2021.As of March 2022, the EPF’s overall investment assets had grown to RM1.02 trillion, of which 37% was invested in overseas investments.In Q1 2022, the EPF’s overseas investments generated RM8.23 billion in income, representing 52% of the total gross investment income recorded.A total of RM1.88 billion of the RM15.85 billion gross investment income was generated for shariah savings and RM13.97 billion for conventional savings.“Shariah savings derived its income solely from its portion of the shariah portfolio while income for conventional savings was generated by a share in both the shariah and conventional portfolios,” Amir added.


Mexico welcomes Biden halt to border wall construction

Mexico on Wednesday hailed US President Joe Biden’s order to halt construction of Donald Trump’s wall along the US-Mexican border, as well as his other immigration-linked reforms.“Mexico welcomes the end of the construction of the wall, the immigration initiative in favour of DACA and a path to dual citizenship,” Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard wrote on Twitter.He was referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme to regularise the immigration status of young people who arrived illegally as children, which Trump tried to shut down.The Republican sparked anger during his 2016 election campaign when he branded Mexican migrants “rapists” and drug dealers, and vowed to build a wall across the southern US border.The order to stop work on the hulking steel fence was one of Biden’s first acts after he was sworn in on Wednesday.The Democrat also plans to send a bill to Congress to revamp immigration policies and give millions of undocumented migrants living inside the country a path to citizenship, according to his aides.Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was one of the last high-profile leaders to congratulate Biden on his election victory, saying he wanted to wait until legal disputes were resolved in Trump’s quest to have the result overturned.Relations between the neighbors have also been strained over the case of a former Mexican defense minister accused by the US of cartel ties.Lopez Obrador on Wednesday wished Biden success ahead of his inauguration and said that he agreed with his policy priorities, including on the migration issue.


Melaka govt on verge of collapse as 4 reps withdraw support

Four assemblymen in Melaka today withdrew their support for Chief Minister Sulaiman Md Ali, leaving the future of the state government uncertain.The four comprise Sungai Udang assemblyman Idris Haron, Nor Azman Hassan (Pantai Kundur), Norhizam Hassan Baktee (Pengkalan Batu) and Noor Effandi Ahmad (Telok Mas).Idris, a former chief minister, said he and the others had lost confidence in Sulaiman as well as the entire state government.“We have submitted letters to this effect to the Chief Minister’s Office,” he said at a press conference today.“We have also resigned (as excos), meaning that the government can no longer stand.”Idris had previously denied talk of switching camps or withdrawing his support.When asked today why they had revoked their support, he said the state government had “flip-flopped” on its decisions.He also said that he and Azman were ready to face disciplinary action from Umno for withdrawing their support.He said cooperation by the four assemblymen to form a new state government with Pakatan Harapan (PH) would depend on the readiness of the coalition itself.Meanwhile, Melaka PH chairman Adly Zahari said the 11 assemblymen from the coalition along with the four independent representatives were seeking a meeting with state governor Mohd Ali Rustam to discuss efforts to restore political stability.This is the second time in one term that the Melaka government has collapsed.The previous administration led by Adly Zahari collapsed in 2020 after the formation of the Perikatan Nasional government at the federal level.


Biden to announce mass vaccine donations as first overseas tour begins

Joe Biden triumphantly announced that “the United States is back!” as he kicked off his first overseas tour as US president, urging global collaboration and consensus to rebuild after Covid and reset diplomatic ties after the divisive isolation of the Trump era.His multilateral charm offensive began even before he touched down in England for a packed week that takes in a G7 leaders’ meeting, summits with Nato and the European Union, and talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.On the way, Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One that the president would kick things off with news of a major vaccine-sharing initiative.Sullivan would not give full details, but US media reports said the Biden administration is set to buy 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for international distribution.Doses will be aimed at developing countries, he added, calling the US-led initiative “the right thing to do”.“It’s what Americans do in times of need. We were the arsenal of democracy in World War II. We’re going to be the arsenal of vaccines,” Sullivan added.The Group of Seven will make a further joint declaration on “a comprehensive plan to help end this pandemic as rapidly as possible”, he said.‘Tight’ transatlantic tiesUS armed forces personnel stationed at British Royal Air Force base Mildenhall in eastern England gave 78-year-old Biden and his wife Jill a raucous welcome after the presidential jet touched down.The US leader is due to meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday and the pair are set to agree a new version of the “Atlantic Charter”, the 1941 pact signed by Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt setting out post-war goals for democracy, trade and opportunity.Biden will attend the G7 gathering in a Cornish seaside resort from Friday to Sunday, alongside the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.Then, in rapid succession, he will visit Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle and fly to Brussels for summits with the Nato military alliance on Monday and the European Union on Tuesday.He will finish in Geneva to meet Putin next Wednesday.With the world still crawling out from under the wreckage of Covid-19, Biden has cast his diplomatic marathon as a return to badly needed US leadership.At RAF Mildenhall, he quoted the Irish poet WB Yeats’ “Easter 1916” – about the Irish rebellion against British rule – to sum up how the world had been “transformed utterly” by the global health crisis.But he added: “At every point along the way, we’re gonna make it clear that the US is back and democracies of the world are standing together to tackle the toughest challenges, and the issues that matter most to our future, that we’re committed to leading with strength, defending our values and delivering for our people.”Bringing together “like-minded nations” is key, he said.Biden’s pitch marks a return to traditional US diplomacy after four years during which his predecessor Donald Trump flirted with autocrats and recast multilateralism as a dirty word.At his meeting with Putin, Biden said he would “let him know what I want him to know”, to loud cheers.‘Wind at back’However, some European partners, stung by Trump, may be sceptical about his pledge.EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis called on the US to “walk the talk” when it comes to resolving lingering Trump-era trade disputes.And there was friction last month when Washington blocked French attempts at the United Nations to demand a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.Biden’s ramping up of vaccine donations also follows what critics saw as a long period of hoarding.The US president’s meeting on the sidelines of Nato with Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan promises to be especially prickly.Biden has irked Erdogan, who was sometimes a Trump ally, by highlighting Turkey’s dire human rights situation and recognising the Ottoman Empire’s genocide against the Armenians. Washington risks “losing a precious friend”, Erdogan has warned.‘More stable?’Expectations for the Putin summit are so low that simply making US-Russian relations “more stable” would be considered a success, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other White House officials say.The White House sees the extension of the New START nuclear arms treaty in February as an example of where business can be done. Biden also needs the Kremlin to make progress with Iran, which is close to Russia.The list of tensions, however, is far longer.Biden blames Russia for the massive SolarWinds cyberattack, election interference, and at the very least harbouring criminals behind ransomware attacks against the vital Colonial fuel pipeline and the US subsidiary of Brazilian meatpacking giant JBS.Biden will also press Putin about sabre-rattling on the Ukrainian border, the imprisonment of opponent Alexei Navalny, and his support for Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarussian strongman who forced a Ryanair airliner to land in Minsk, then arrested an opponent on the flight.


Malaysia among top 60 countries on social progress index

Malaysia has been ranked among the top 60 out of 168 countries in an index compiled by a US-based non-profit group to measure social performance including the relationship between sustainability and social progress.The Social Progress Index 2021, compiled by the Social Progress Imperative, measures social performance based on 53 social and environmental indicators.Among Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia ranked second after Singapore (30) and ahead of other neighbouring countries Thailand (71), Indonesia (94), Vietnam (78), the Philippines (97), Cambodia (128), Myanmar (117), and Laos (145).It scored 90 points for nutrition and basic medical care (91.33), water and sanitation (90.29), and shelter (91.84).It showed the most improvement in health and wellness (67.64 from 66.69 in 2020), with a better score in nutrition and basic medical care as well (91.33, an increase of 0.22).Malaysia’s overall performance was relative to 15 countries of similar gross domestic product per capita including Turkey, Greece, Hungary and Uruguay.However, Malaysia also slipped in some areas such as personal rights (66.22) and access to advanced education (61.26), which declined from last year’s 69.46 and 65.97 points respectively.According to the index, personal rights and inclusiveness are among the areas that saw an overall decline across the world. Some 69% or 116 out of 168 countries saw individual rights rolled back since 2011, with a significant decrease in personal rights (-5.90).The relationship between sustainability and social progress was included in the index for the first time this year, revealing that Costa Rica, Ghana, Jamaica and Sweden have relatively low levels of emission compared to other countries while outperforming them on many aspects of social progress.Michael Green, CEO of the Social Progress Imperative, said countries do not need to choose between tackling climate change and advancing social progress.“Too many countries are choosing a model of development that is not sustainable, but they don’t have to. Other models exist that would allow us to balance the needs of people and the planet. The solutions are already out there,” he said.The index also showed that the Covid-19 pandemic has rolled back the fight against inequalities.“From the growing education gap to health disparities, we have seen how the world’s most vulnerable populations are bearing the brunt of many of the world’s crises, including the climate crisis.“Although different countries are at different places in their sustainability journeys, we all must work together – both governments and business – so that we can face this global issue head-on while also focusing on social, health, and economic outcomes over time,” said Sharon Thorne, global board chair of Deloitte which supported the index.Countries with higher social progress were also found to be more resilient to the non-health-related stresses caused by the pandemic. However, in 44 countries, access to quality healthcare became more unequal during the last year.


Sri Lanka completes return of illegal waste to Britain

Sri Lanka shipped out to Britain on Monday the last of several hundred containers filled with thousands of tonnes of illegally imported waste, officials said.Several Asian countries have in recent years been pushing back against an onslaught of refuse from wealthier nations and have started turning back unwanted shipments.The waste from Britain arrived in Sri Lanka between 2017 and 2019 and was listed as “used mattresses, carpets and rugs”.But in reality it also contained biowaste from hospitals including body parts from mortuaries, according to customs officials.The containers were not chilled and some of them gave off a powerful stench.The 45 containers loaded onto a ship at a Colombo port on Monday were the final batch of 263 containers holding around 3,000 tonnes of waste.“There could be fresh attempts to import such hazardous cargo, but we will be vigilant and ensure that this does not happen again,” customs chief Vijitha Ravipriya said.The first 21 containers holding medical waste were returned to Britain in September 2020, according to customs.A local company had imported the waste from Britain, saying it planned to recover the springs from used mattresses as well as cotton to be reshipped to manufacturers abroad.But customs failed to find credible evidence of such “resource recovery”.A local environmental activist group filed a petition demanding the waste be returned to its sender and Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal upheld the petition in 2020.Customs maintained that all the containers had been brought into the country in violation of international law governing the shipment of hazardous waste, including plastics.A Sri Lankan investigation in 2019 found the importer had reshipped about 180 tonnes of waste brought into the island to India and Dubai in 2017 and 2018.The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia have also returned hundreds of containers of refuse back to their countries of origin.


PAS still open to forming coalitions ahead of GE15

PAS is still open to the idea of forming a coalition with any political party to face the 15th general election (GE15), its secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said today.
He said all parties including PAS could still choose to join or establish coalitions until the day of nomination.
"For me, after the dissolution of Parliament… anything can happen, coalitions can be established until nomination day," he said at a press conference in Kota Bharu.
When questioned by reporters, Takiyuddin who is the Kota Bharu MP, denied claims that PAS' decision to strengthen cooperation with Perikatan Nasional (PN) on the principle of unifying the ummah meant that the party was rejecting Muafakat Nasional (MN).
"The statement refers to the decision to strengthen cooperation with PN… but can you find anything in the statement that says we (PAS) want to sever our relationship with MN?" he said. On the statement by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin that the party was ready to consider the idea of cooperating with Pejuang in GE15, Takiyuddin said PAS had not been informed about it.
"I don’t know if the matter is true or not. If it is true, then we don’t know about it.
"Being in a family, if we want to do something, we discuss it. For example, when PAS wanted to discuss with Umno, we told Bersatu about it officially," he said.


Thai protesters call for release of friends, defy police threats of more arrests

Hundreds of anti-government protesters gathered in Bangkok on Monday in defiance of threats by police to make more arrests.This comes a day after nearly 100 demonstrators were detained on the grounds of breaching public health measures against the coronavirus.“Free our friends,” demonstrators chanted, raising prospects of another confrontation between police and protesters, who are calling for an end to military dominance of politics and reform of the powerful monarchy, reports Reuters.“We have prepared troops to maintain order,” Piya Tavichai, deputy head of the Bangkok police, told reporters.Piya said 99 people were arrested on Sunday, saying the arrests were necessary under a law forbidding large public gatherings to prevent the spread of coronavirus.Thai Lawyers of Human Rights, which is representing those detained on Sunday, said a court had agreed they could be released on bail.The mostly student-led movement is challenging the military for entrenching its role in civilian politics since Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha seized power in a 2014 coup when he was army chief.The activists say elections held in 2019 were designed to cement Prayuth’s hold on power. Prayuth and his coalition government allies say the vote was free and fair.Prayuth on Monday told reporters the weekend arrests were justified.“You have to look at the law. If I don’t take action, there will be disruption in traffic. We are just taking back space. There have been many warnings,” he said.Dozens of people have been detained at protests in recent months under disease control and public order laws, but Sunday’s protest represented one of the largest number of arrests at a single rally.More leaders of the movement are in jail pending trial under a law against insulting the Thai monarchy, which carries a maximum 15-year penalty.


Najib’s adviser Jho Low the man behind the scenes at 1MDB, court told

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur was today told that fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low was the man behind the scenes at 1MDB.Former 1MDB non-executive director Ismee Ismail, 57, said he did not know the capacity of Jho Low’s involvement in 1MDB, adding however that its directors always received his emails detailing various suggestions for them to carry out.“What I and the 1MDB board of directors knew was that Jho Low had a very good relationship with Najib Razak. It was because of the good relationship between Jho Low and Najib that the 1MDB board tended not to ignore his proposals,” he said.Ismee, who is the 13th prosecution witness, said this when reading out his 111-page witness statement at Najib’s corruption and money laundering trial involving RM2.3 million belonging to 1MDB.He said he first met Jho Low at the appointment of members of the steering committee of the Terengganu Investment Board (TIA) at Istana Terengganu in early 2009.TIA was a strategic investment company, which was later known as 1MDB.He said he did not know in what capacity Jho Low was present at the ceremony and initially thought that he was an adviser to the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.It was during the meetings that he came to realise that Jho Low was Najib’s adviser at the TIA steering committee as he always addressed the prime minister as “boss”, he said, adding that Jho Low’s appointment was not documented after TIA changed its name to 1MDB.He also told the court that Jho Low joined Najib, who was on an official trip, to Abu Dhabi to see a model of a mosque that would be built in Malaysia in a joint venture between Aabar and 1MDB.“On one occasion, during the haj season, Jho Low helped to obtain an additional 10,000 haj quota for Malaysians,” he added.Najib, 68, is facing four charges, namely using his position to obtain bribes amounting to RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.The trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah continues.


Should have objected earlier, minister tells Mahathir on Apandi leading Batu Puteh inquiry

Any objection to Mohamed Apandi Ali’s appointment as chairman of the special task force to review the laws relating to the matter of sovereignty over Pulau Batu Puteh (Pedra Branca), the Middle Rocks and the South Ledge should have been raised and brought to the government’s attention earlier, law minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said today.Wan Junaidi, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, added that no issues had arisen regarding the Cabinet’s decision on Oct 29, 2021 to appoint Apandi as chairman, as due consideration had been given to the move to set up the task force.He said this in response to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s decision not to continue with the witness interview session with the task force’s cub-Committee on tort of misfeasance at the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.It was reported that the former prime minister came to the AGC for the interview, but refused to proceed with the session and decided to leave as soon as he found out that Apandi was still the committee’s chairman.“The task force only wanted to hear and get his opinion on the situation which occurred in 2018 when the government decided to withdraw the application to review the case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).“Tun was well aware of the appointment of the task force chairman and he could have turned down the invitation to attend the session at the AGC,” Wan Junaidi said in a statement.Wan Junaidi also said Mahathir’s decision not to cooperate was disappointing and shocking to the panel of interviewers.He said the special task force was formed with the specific objective of reviewing and studying the legal options for Malaysia, as well carrying out investigations relating to the withdrawal of the review application at the ICJ in 2018.“The task force has been carrying out its duties for seven months and will continue until the completion of the interim and final reports. It is also in the midst of preparing follow-up actions.“It is impossible for me to act arbitrarily without any justification to remove Apandi as the task force’s chairman when the decision on his appointment was made by the Cabinet,” he said.Wan Junaidi added that the task force would continue with its commitment and fulfil its responsibility to produce a final report as planned, in line with the objective of its establishment.


Sedition probe for Zahid over speech at Umno meet

The police today said that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is being investigated under the Sedition Act 1948 for his speech at the party’s recent special meeting at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
In a statement, the police said they had initiated an investigation under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“A total of 12 police reports have been received so far,” the statement added.
“The investigation is ongoing.”
In his speech on Aug 27, Zahid said among others that it would come as no surprise if people questioned the prosecution process, given the court's rejection of Najib's request for more time.
"What happened at the Federal Court in Najib's case will set the precedent for other cases to come," he said.
"It will also be referred to by the courts and lawyers in Commonwealth countries."
On the leak of a working draft of the Federal Court's judgment, Zahid said "the fact was that a guilty verdict had already been made".
"The general perception is that the court is only considered independent if people like us are found guilty, and those on the other side are freed."


New cases fall to 6,241 as 87 more deaths recorded

Another 6,241 Covid-19 cases were recorded today, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 616,815.Selangor recorded 2,178 cases, Sarawak 600, Johor 565, Negeri Sembilan 556, Kuala Lumpur 415, Sabah 305, Penang 271, Kelantan 270, Melaka 225, Labuan 212, Perak 174, Terengganu 158, Pahang 155 and Kedah 125.Putrajaya recorded 30 cases and Perlis two.Active cases stand at 86,628 with 890 in the ICU and 444 in need of respiratory assistance.Another 5,133 patients were discharged, bringing total recoveries to 526,809.However, 87 more deaths were reported, pushing the virus toll to 3,378.


Ex-judge Sri Ram to lead Sam Ke Ting’s appeal in ‘basikal lajak’ case

Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram will lead the defence team in clerk Sam Ke Ting’s appeal against her conviction and jail sentence for reckless driving leading to the death of eight teenagers who were riding on modified bicycles commonly known as basikal lajak.Lawyer Harvinderjit Singh, when contacted, confirmed the matter.He said he would appear with Sri Ram to represent Sam and that their appointments were finalised today.Harvinderjit said Sam met Sri Ram at his office today and that he agreed to conduct the appeal for her, adding that her lawyer Faizal Mokhtar would also be part of the legal team.He said he would inform the Court of Appeal deputy registrar of their appointments and ask for the appeal records to be provided for the preparation of the case as well as the petition of appeal.Case management for Sam’s appeal has been set on May 11 before deputy registrar Mohd Khairi Haron.On April 18, the Court of Appeal granted Sam leave to appeal against the six-year jail sentence and RM6,000 fine imposed by the High Court.The Court of Appeal also allowed Sam’s application to stay the execution of the jail sentence and fine imposed by the High Court on April 13 and released her on bail of RM10,000 with one surety pending the hearing of her appeal.High Court judge Abu Bakar Katar had meted out the jail sentence and fine after allowing the prosecution’s appeal to set aside the Magistrate’s Court’s decision on Oct 10 last year, acquitting and discharging Sam.He also ordered her to be jailed for six months if she failed to pay the fine and imposed a three-year driving ban upon completion of her prison term.Sam, who was 22 at the time of the incident, was charged with committing the offence at Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, Johor Bahru, Johor at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017.The eight killed in the incident were Mohamad Azrie Danish Zulkefli, 14; Muhamad Shahrul Izzwan Azzuraimie, 14; Muhammad Firdauz Danish Mohd Azhar, 16; Fauzan Halmijan, 13; Mohamad Azhar Amir, 16; Muhammad Harith Iskandar Abdullah, 14; Muhammad Shahrul Nizam Marudin, 14 and Haizad Kasrin, 16.


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Don’t waste time on elitist debates

It is puzzling that in spite of the various challenges facing ordinary Malaysians such as inflation, unemployment, floods, heat, indiscriminate logging, and the widening gap between the rich and the poor, politicians try to pick and choose their favorite topics of debate, assuming that ordinary Malaysians will be receptive to such political maneuvering.Sadly, the nation is caught up with elitism where elites decide the nation’s discourse and expect Malaysians to be receptive to their tone.News reports that PKR president Anwar Ibrahim has accepted former prime minister Najib Razak’s challenge to debate the financially-troubled Sapura Energy Bhd reveals the shadow of elitist politics in the country.While debates are part and parcel of a democratic system, one has to assess how a particular debate resonates with the overall political, social and economic system where its underlying ideology shapes the minds of the elites.Unless the underlying socioeconomic ideology is challenge through the standards of common good, one would not go far in bringing about substantive reforms. There would only be piecemeal change that tends to protect vested interests.The focus on certain failures of corporate entities could miss the forest for the trees if the economic ideology that underpins it is not exposed for the systemic role it plays in forging a close relationship between political and business interests.In terms of socioeconomic vision there is no fundamental difference between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN). Both parties thrive on the ideology of neo-liberal economics. These is the main reason we do not find major differences between them on environmental and labour issues.For example, raising the minimum wage alone without nurturing an eco-system of human capital development that respects the human right to bargaining, freedom of association, and protection of workers from violence and harassment at the workplace would not lead to substantial change in the lives of workers.BN, Perikatan Nasional and PH have no clear vision on how to green up the country from a holistic dimension.Discerning Malaysians today are looking for debates of distinct vision of competing parties on socioeconomic and ethnic relations that are critical for a nation aspiring to achieve a developed status.Therefore, it is hoped that there will be more debates on substantive issues that will have an impact on Malaysians instead of so much focus on a mere corporate entity.There is a need to stop wasting time on elitist debates. We need debates on distinctive visions among political coalitions so that Malaysians will be well informed before they cast their votes in the next general election.The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of MalaysiaNow.


Firefighters make progress, bring some Quebec wildfires under control

The number of wildfires raging out of control across Quebec dropped on Sunday as firefighters in the Canadian province gained the upper hand in some areas, a provincial minister said on Sunday.
Quebec Natural Resources Minister Maite Blanchette Vezina said told reporters that the number of out-of-control fires in the eastern province dropped to 44 from 72 on Saturday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp reported.
Canada is enduring its worst-ever spring fire season, with 431 active fires as of Sunday, up five from Saturday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
By Monday, around 1,200 firefighters, including more than 100 from France and some from other provinces, are expected to be battling blazes across Quebec.
"With the resources we got from France and New Brunswick, the situation is more safe," Blanchette Vezina said, adding that authorities were not yet ready to send many evacuated residents home.
A federal government meteorologist forecast on Saturday that Quebec could receive light rain on Tuesday in some burning areas.
In Alberta, the provincial government warned that fires were becoming increasingly unpredictable and moving closer to the evacuated town of Edson, 200km west of the provincial capital Edmonton.
A fire south of Edson is growing and now spans 204,000 hectares (504,095 acres), local officials said in an online update on Sunday.
"Last Wednesday, we thought we could close down our emergency control center and come Friday, that idea went out the door when the fires went out of control very drastically," said Luc Mercier, chief administrative officer for Yellowhead County.
The Pacific province of British Columbia is also fighting a large number of fires, including one that has burned within four kilometres of the northeastern BC community of Tumbler Ridge.
Shifting winds have helped firefighters battle that blaze in the Rocky Mountain foothills, but warmer, drier temperatures on Sunday may cause the fire to grow, said Karley Desrosiers, information officer for BC Wildfire Service.


New infections at 513 as one more death reported

Another 513 Covid-19 cases were recorded yesterday, taking total confirmed infections in the country to 5,026,677.
There were 833 recoveries, taking total recoveries to 4,977,822.
There are now 12,002 active cases, of which 11,349 or 94.6% are undergoing home quarantine.
Meanwhile, 0 (0%) are at quarantine centres while 620 (5.2%) have been hospitalised.
A total of 33 are in ICU with 15 in need of respiratory assistance.
One more death was reported, taking total deaths to 36,853.