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Russia’s President Vladimir Putin attends a United Russia ruling party’s congress in Moscow on August 24, 2021. – AFP photo
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered law enforcement officers and army staff receive $200, as he seeks support for his unpopular United Russia party ahead of parliamentary elections next month.
The cash handouts follow earlier one-time payments for pensioners of $135 ahead of lower house State Duma polls in September, with United Russia’s ratings hit by rising prices coupled with falling wages.
Russia’s legal information portal showed Putin had signed decrees ordering one-time cash payments of 15,000 rubles ($200) for members of the military and law enforcement bodies to be handed out in September for their “social protection”.
While Russia has not announced how many people will receive the payments, the country has some 42 million pensioners and 1.7 million members of the military, police and national guard, according to official statistics.
The Interfax news agency cited lawmaker Andrei Makarov, who heads the budget committee of Russia’s lower house of parliament, as saying that the payments will total more than 500 billion rubles ($6.8 billion).
The payments come as Russian authorities have struggled to curb soaring inflation, with Putin ordering his government several times since late 2020 to take measures to bring prices under control.
Annual inflation has reached 6.5 percent, according to the central bank, which in June hiked its key interest rate to the same figure — its biggest increase since a currency crisis in 2014.
United Russia has seen its ratings fall in recent years after the government passed a controversial pension plan in 2018 and as the country’s economy has stagnated.
The ruling party is polling around 30 percent, according to state-run pollster VTsIOM — a 10-point drop from the last lower house elections in 2016.
It currently controls 75 percent of seats in the State Duma, with the rest held by parties widely seen as doing the Kremlin’s bidding.
Ahead of the September vote, Russian authorities have pursued a crackdown on the opposition and independent media.
Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny has seen his organisations declared “extremist” and banned in the country, while all of his top allies have fled.
Meanwhile, leading independent media outlets including the Meduza news website and the Dozhd TV channel have been designated “foreign agents”, while investigative outlet Proekt was declared an “undesirable organisation”. – AFP
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War planes at Kabul airport supplied by the US to the ousted Afghan government are now in the hands of the Taliban. – AFP photo
NATO allies face tough questions about what went wrong in Afghanistan but will not forget the Afghans left behind, nor the fight against terror, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told AFP in an interview Tuesday.
Speaking after the last US military flight left Kabul, Stoltenberg warned the victorious Taliban not to interfere with Afghans trying to flee the country.
After 20 years of fighting the Islamist rebels are now once again in charge of the vast majority of Afghanistan and celebrating victory over the collapsed Western-backed government.
But Stoltenberg insisted all was not lost for the allies, as their intervention had at least prevented international terror groups from launching attacks from Afghanistan on Western targets.
Now, however, he stressed the need for Kabul’s new leaders to work with the international community to reopen their airport, allow Afghans who worked with the allies safe passage and to keep a lid on extremist groups.
“It’s essential to keep the airport open, both to enable humanitarian aid to the Afghan people and also to make sure that we can continue to get people out — those who wished to, but were not able to be part of the military evacuation,” he said.
“We will not forget them.”
His remarks echoed those made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who warned earlier that the airport “is of existential importance for Afghanistan because without it no medical or humanitarian aid can get there either”.
The Taliban are in talks with Turkey and Qatar to take a role in running the airport, the scene in recent weeks of an extraordinary exodus of desperate refugees and US and allied troops.
But Afghans who worked with the US or NATO members are nervous of crossing Taliban checkpoints to reach the facility, which US officials say is in bad shape.
– ‘Hard questions’ –
Senior European officials have suggested that British or EU civilian experts could help keep the airport running, but it is not clear whether the Taliban are willing to accept them.
The last US military flight departed from Kabul’s airport late Monday after a rushed airlift to rescue more than 123,000 allied personnel and Afghans who worked alongside them during the conflict.
Stoltenberg swore the allies would maintain diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to allow the remaining Afghans, and their families, who worked to help the Western effort and now feel at risk, to leave the country.
He praised Turkey, a NATO member, for offering to take a role in running the airport as the Taliban try to get it open, and thanked roughly 800 NATO civilian staff for their help in managing the airlift.
“We will continue to work with NATO allies, with other countries to help people to leave,” he promised.
“Taliban has clearly stated that people will be allowed to leave, we will judge Taliban not on what they say, but by what they do.
“And we will use our political, diplomatic, economic leverage to ensure that people are able to leave. This is important because the NATO allies have been there for so many years.”
Looking forward, Stoltenberg said the 30-member Western alliance would have to look carefully at what went wrong in their mission to build an Afghan government and military capable of holding off the Taliban advance.
“These are among the hard questions we have to ask, when we now will have a process where we’re going to assess, analyse, and have our lessons learned process in NATO,” he told AFP.
“Because we need to understand better, both what went wrong, but also to analyse achievements we made in Afghanistan, not least when it comes to fighting terrorism.” – AFP
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Kenya has a total of 36,280 elephants, a 12-percent jump from the figures recorded in 2014. – AFP photo
Kenya has hailed its efforts to crack down on poaching as it released the results of the country’s first-ever national wildlife census, calling the survey a vital weapon in its conservation battle.
According to the census released late Monday, the country has a total of 36,280 elephants, a 12-percent jump from the figures recorded in 2014, when poaching activity was at its highest.
“Efforts to increase penalties on crimes related to threatened species appear to be bearing fruits,” the report, which counted 30 species of animals and covered nearly 59 percent of Kenya’s land mass, said.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warned in March that poaching and habitat destruction, particularly due to land conversion for agriculture, was devastating elephant numbers across Africa.
The population of African savanna elephants plunged by at least 60 percent in the last half century, prompting their reclassification as “endangered” in the latest update to the IUCN’s “Red List” of threatened species.
The census said the numbers of lions, zebras, hirolas (Hunter’s antelopes) and the three species of giraffes found in the country had also gone up, but did not provide comparative figures from earlier years.
The state-funded survey counted 1,739 rhinos including two northern white rhinos, 897 critically endangered black rhinos and 840 southern white rhinos, and said the tourist magnet Maasai Mara National Reserve was home to nearly 40,000 wildebeest.
“Obtaining this level of information… allows for better policy, planning and assessment of areas that require focus in our interventions to maintain or improve our national conservation efforts,” Wildlife Minister Najib Balala said in the report.
President Uhuru Kenyatta applauded conservation agencies for successfully clamping down on poaching and urged them to find newer, inventive approaches to protect wildlife.
“The reduction in losses in terms of elephants, rhinos and other endangered species is because of the great work that KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service), its officers and men are doing”, he said late Monday.
– ‘Our children’s legacy’ –
Special attention should be given to antelope species such as sable antelopes and mountain bongos which already number less than 100 each, the report said, warning that they could become extinct unless urgent action was taken.
Exponential growth in human population and the accompanying rise in demand for land for settlement as well as activities such as livestock incursions, logging and charcoal burning are threatening to put brakes on the recent gains, it added.
Kenya, like several of its African peers, is trying to strike a balance between protecting its wildlife while managing the dangers they pose when they raid human settlements in search of food and water.
“(Wildlife) is our heritage, this is our children’s legacy and it is important for us to be able to know what we have in order to be better informed on policy and also on actions needed as we move forward,” Kenyatta said.
“It being a national heritage, it is something we should carry with pride”, he added. – AFP
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The Taliban have insisted they want to keep the civilian airport open. – AFP photo
With the Taliban in possession of Kabul’s airport after the United States completed its withdrawal on Tuesday, the focus will now shift from the mammoth Western evacuation operation seen in the past two weeks to the group’s plans for the transport hub.
The symbolism of the airport was underlined Tuesday when the Taliban’s top spokesman stood on its runway and declared victory over the United States. But what happens next remains unclear. Here is a look at the future of Hamid Karzai International Airport:
Who is going to run security?
Attacks in the past week have shown the airport is a target for terrorists, so security is the primary concern.
The United States took control of the airport to manage the evacuation of tens of thousands of people with help from other countries, coming under attack from the Islamic State group’s Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter.
Turkey had offered to run security following the withdrawal of foreign troops, but the Taliban repeatedly said they would not accept any foreign military presence after August 31.
“Our fighters and special forces are capable of controlling the airport and we do not need anyone’s help for the security and administrative control of the Kabul airport,” Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi told AFP on Monday.
However, Michael Kugelman, a South Asia specialist at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington, said a foreign security presence would be necessary if airlines were to return, and that a deal could yet be struck.
“You’re looking at a very volatile environment security-wise,” he told AFP.
“There are all kinds of alarm bells that should be sounding for commercial airlines that I imagine would not be comfortable getting into the airport.”
Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, told the Financial Times the Gulf state was urging the Taliban to accept foreign help.
“What we are trying to explain to them is that airport safety and security requires a lot more than securing the perimeters of the airport,” he said.
Who will operate the airport’s logistics?
As far as the United States is concerned, State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Friday that it was “essentially giving the airport back to the Afghan people”.
In recent weeks, NATO has played a key role, with civilian personnel taking care of air traffic control, fuel supplies and communications.
As with security, there were discussions with Turkey over running logistics.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country was still assessing the Islamist group’s offer, but with the Taliban insisting on controlling security, Erdogan appeared to drop the idea.
“Let’s say you took over the security, but how would we explain to the world if another bloodbath takes place there?” he said.
Running and maintaining an airport is complex and requires expertise. With thousands of skilled workers believed to have fled the country — despite Taliban pleas for them to stay — questions remain over whether there will be enough trained workers left in the Afghan capital.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said keeping the airport open was of “existential importance”, adding Berlin stood ready to provide technical assistance to keep it operational.
French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, speaking on France Television, said that a solution must be found, adding that “there are discussions underway today with the Qataris and the Turks”.
What state is the airport in?
US officials have said the airport is in a bad condition, with much of its basic infrastructure degraded or destroyed.
A pilot told AFP the terminal building was trashed by passengers during the chaos of the early days of the Taliban takeover.
As well as the passenger halls, critical infrastructure has been destroyed, including air traffic control terminals, which will need to be replaced for commercial flights to run again.
On the plus side, the two-week mass evacuation campaign has shown that the airport’s runways are at least operational, if in poor condition.
Will commercial flights restart?
The Taliban have insisted they want to keep the civilian airport open, but without guarantees over security, commercial airlines simply won’t operate out of Kabul.
“You’re looking at a perfect storm of risks for airlines,” Kugelman said.
A key incentive to operate a functional airport would be the boost it would give to the Taliban’s international image.
“If the Taliban’s looking to get recognition and legitimacy from governments around the world, then it has to have a working, safe, trusted airport in place,” Kugelman added.
But it is likely to take time.
Will people even be allowed to leave the country?
The Taliban have insisted Afghans will be able to come and go.
The group’s deputy chief negotiator, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, said those with passports and visas can go abroad “in a dignified manner and with peace of mind” after commercial flights open.
However, many are sceptical about the Taliban’s claims that they will not seek revenge against those who worked for the collapsed government or foreign forces.
And Kugelman said he believed the Afghans who did not manage to be evacuated before August 31 may now be too afraid to travel to the airport.
“I think that for many of them who already have reason to fear the Taliban, the prospect of trying to escape the country by going to an airport controlled by the Taliban will be a very unpalatable thought.” – AFP
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Guterres expressed his “grave concern at the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country,” adding that basic services threatened to collapse “completely.” – AFP photo
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned Tuesday of a looming “humanitarian catastrophe” in Afghanistan as he urged countries to provide emergency funding following the departure of US forces.
Guterres expressed his “grave concern at the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country,” adding that basic services threatened to collapse “completely.”
“Now more than ever, Afghan children, women and men need the support and solidarity of the international community,” he said in a statement, as he pleaded for financial support from nations.
“I urge all member states to dig deep for the people of Afghanistan in their darkest hour of need. I urge them to provide timely, flexible and comprehensive funding,” the secretary-general said.
Guterres announced that the UN would release details of a flash appeal for Afghanistan next week.
The information will detail the “most immediate humanitarian needs and funding requirements” needed over the next four months, he said.
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths will coordinate “the entire UN system” in preparation of the appeal, Guterres added.
He said almost half of the population of Afghanistan — 18 million people — need urgent humanitarian assistance to survive.
“One in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. More than half of all children under five are expected to become acutely malnourished in the next year.
“People are losing access to basic goods and services every day. A humanitarian catastrophe looms,” said Guterres.
He added that severe drought and coming harsh winter conditions meant extra food, shelter and health supplies “must be urgently fast-tracked” to Afghanistan.
“I call on all parties to facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access for life-saving and life-sustaining supplies, as well as for all humanitarian workers — men and women,” he said.
Guterres said the commitment of humanitarian agencies to stay in Afghanistan and deliver aid “will not waver.” – AFP
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Badri 313 unit special force paraded the Taliban flag at Kabul airport the morning after the last US troops left. – AFP photo
President Joe Biden on Tuesday mounted a fierce defense of his exit from Afghanistan as the “best decision for America,” the day after the US military withdrawal celebrated by the Taliban as a major victory.
“This is the right decision. A wise decision. And the best decision for America,” Biden said in an address to the nation in Washington, after he stuck to an August 31 deadline to end two decades of bloodshed that began and ended with the hardline Islamists in power.
He spoke after the United Nations warned of a looming “humanitarian catastrophe” in Afghanistan, underscoring the daunting challenges that the victorious Taliban face as they transform from insurgent group to governing power.
For America, Biden argued, the only choice in Afghanistan was “leaving or escalating.”
And the president, whose critics have savaged him for his handling of the withdrawal, said the frenzied airlift — which saw the United States and its allies fly more than 120,000 people fleeing the new Taliban regime out of Afghanistan — was an “extraordinary success.”
“No nation has ever done anything like it in all of history; only the United States had the capacity and the will and ability to do it,” he said.
The Taliban also saw the airlift as a success: a mark of their astonishing comeback and defeat of a global superpower.
Taliban fighters fired weapons into the sky in Kabul in the early hours of Tuesday in jubilation after the last US plane flew out. Later, they swept into the capital’s vast airport.
“Congratulations to Afghanistan… this victory belongs to us all,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told reporters hours later on the airport runway.
Mujahid said the Taliban’s victory was a “lesson for other invaders”.
In Kandahar, the spiritual birthplace of the movement and the country’s second-largest city, thousands of celebrating supporters swept onto the streets.
– ‘Darkest hour’ –
All eyes will now turn to how the Taliban handle their first few days with sole authority over the country, with a sharp focus on whether they will allow free departure for those wanting to leave — including some foreigners.
The US has said that “under 200” of its citizens remained in the country, and Britain said the number of UK nationals inside was in the “low hundreds.”
Thousands of Afghans who worked with the US-backed government over the years and fear retribution also want to get out.
Talks are ongoing as to who will now run Kabul airport, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned was of “existential importance” as a lifeline for aid.
Many Afghans are terrified of a repeat of the Taliban’s initial rule from 1996-2001, which was infamous for their treatment of women and girls, as well as a brutal justice system.
The group has repeatedly promised a more tolerant brand of governance compared with their first stint in power, and Mujahid persisted with that theme.
“We want to have good relations with the US and the world. We welcome good diplomatic relations with them all,” he said.
Mujahid also insisted Taliban security forces would be “gentle and nice”.
But UN chief Antonio Guterres gave a stark assessment of the challenges they face as they build their new regime.
He expressed his “grave concern at the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country,” adding that basic services threatened to collapse “completely.”
He pleaded for financial support from the international community for the war-ravaged country, which is dependent on foreign aid.
“I urge all member states to dig deep for the people of Afghanistan in their darkest hour of need,” Guterres said in a statement.
– ‘Not done’ with IS-K –
Authorities from several countries have already begun meeting with Taliban leadership, the latest being India.
Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, urged the Taliban to combat terrorism after the US withdrawal, and called for an inclusive government.
Some Afghans also appealed to the Islamist movement to keep its promise of a softer rule.
Fawzia Koofi, a rights activist and former negotiator for the ousted government who has twice survived assassination attempts, called on the Taliban via Twitter to include all Afghans as they turn to ruling.
“Taliban, hear us out: we must rebuild together!” she wrote. “This land belongs to all of us.”
Other activists struggled to find hope.
“If I let my thoughts linger on what we have lost, I will lose my mind,” Muska Dastageer, who lectured at the American University of Afghanistan, said on Twitter.
The US-led airlift began as the Taliban completed an astonishing rout of government forces around the country and took over the capital on August 15.
The withdrawal came just before the August 31 deadline set by Biden to end the war which began with the US invasion in the wake of 9/11 — a conflict that claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Afghans and more than 2,400 American service members.
The slightly early finish came amid a threat from the regional offshoot of the Islamic State group, rivals of the Taliban, to attack US forces at the Kabul airport.
Thirteen US troops were among more than 100 people killed late last week when an IS suicide bomber attacked the perimeter of the airport, where desperate Afghans had massed in the hope of boarding an evacuation flight.
Biden said Tuesday that the United States would continue the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and other countries, and warned IS: “We are not done with you yet.” – AFP
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A police photo shows the deceased’s vehicle at the scene.
KUCHING (Sept 1): A 33-year-old woman was killed after the car she was driving was rear-ended and turned turtle at the Jalan Batu Kawah-Matang traffic light intersection around 11.30pm last night.
Sarawak Traffic Investigation and Enforcement chief Supt Alexson Naga Chabu identified the deceased as Lee Suk Phin from Jalan Sungai Moyan, Batu Kawah.
“It is believed that the deceased’s vehicle was rear-ended by a vehicle driven by a 39-year-old male as they were heading towards Bau from Batu Kawah,” Alexson said in a statement today.
Lee, who suffered serious head injuries, was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel from Sarawak General Hospital.
The driver of the other vehicle did not suffer from any physical injuries.
Police later took a blood sample from him for the investigation.
At the scene, police noted that the area is under construction and poorly lit.
The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
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Ida inflicts catastrophic destruction on Louisiana. – AFP photo
Louisiana and Mississippi took stock Tuesday of the disaster inflicted by powerful Hurricane Ida, as receding floodwaters began to reveal the full extent of the damage along the US Gulf Coast and the death toll rose to four.
New Orleans was still mostly without power nearly two days after Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 storm, exactly 16 years after devastating Hurricane Katrina — which killed more than 1,800 people — made landfall.
Four deaths have been confirmed as crews began fanning out in boats and off-road vehicles to search communities cut off by the giant storm. A man was also missing after apparently being killed by an alligator.
Images of people being plucked from flooded cars and pictures of destroyed homes surfaced on social media, while the damage in New Orleans itself remained limited.
New Orleans Airport said all incoming and outgoing flights scheduled for Tuesday were canceled, while airlines had scrapped nearly 200 flights on Wednesday.
One person was killed by a falling tree in Prairieville, while a second victim died trying to drive through floodwaters some 60 miles (95 kilometers) southeast in New Orleans, officials reported.
Ida knocked out power for more than a million properties across Louisiana, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.us, most of which still out Tuesday afternoon as late-summer temperatures rose.
But power provider Entergy told New Orleans City Council members Tuesday morning that some electricity could be restored as early as Wednesday, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported.
The first to see power would likely be hospitals — many of which are dealing with a surge of Covid patients — and sewage and water treatment centers, the paper reported, saying it could still be days before average customers were reconnected.
Entergy had initially said it could take days to even assess the full extent of the damage.
In Mississippi, which has been buffeted by torrential rain, a road collapse left two people dead and 10 more injured, including three in critical condition, the state’s highway patrol said.
The death toll is expected to rise further, Louisiana Deputy Governor Billy Nungesser warned Tuesday, especially in coastal areas directly hit by Ida where search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Meanwhile in St. Tammany Parish, police said a 71-year-old man was attacked and “apparently killed by an alligator while walking in flood waters following Hurricane Ida.”
– Ida heads northeast –
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for Louisiana and Mississippi, which gives the states access to federal aid.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said his state had deployed more than 1,600 personnel for search and rescue operations, while the Pentagon said over 5,200 personnel from the military, federal emergency management and National Guard had been activated across several southern states.
As Ida — which has now been downgraded to a tropical depression — travels northeast, considerable heavy rain and flooding is expected to threaten the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys and move onward into the mid-Atlantic through Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Scientists have warned of a rise in cyclone activity as the ocean surface warms due to climate change, posing an increasing threat to the world’s coastal communities. – AFP
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A puma removed from a home in New York City is seen at the Bronx Zoo, where it was taken before being sent to an animal sanctuary in Arkansas. – AFP photo
US authorities have rescued from a New York apartment a feline that was no house cat — she was an 80-pound wild cougar.
The 11-month-old puma — called Sasha — was living inside a home in the Bronx, officials said.
She was rescued last week in a joint operation by police, the Humane Society of the United States, city officials and Bronx Zoo personnel.
The owner “surrendered” the big cat and was present during the removal, the groups said in a statement Monday.
The mountain cat was taken to the Bronx Zoo, where veterinarians examined her over the weekend.
Sasha was then transported to Turpentine Creek animal sanctuary in Arkansas, which cares for neglected big cats.
“This cougar is relatively lucky that her owners recognized a wild cat is not fit to live in an apartment or any domestic environment,” said Kelly Donithan, director of animal disaster response for the Humane Society.
“The owner’s tears and nervous chirps from the cougar as we drove her away painfully drives home the many victims of this horrendous trade and myth that wild animals belong anywhere but the wild,” she added.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said the case was under investigation and no further information, including about the owner, was immediately available.
Sasha isn’t the first big cat or exotic pet to have come to the attention of authorities in New York.
Police removed a 425-pound adult tiger called Ming from an apartment in Harlem in 2003 while in 2004, an eight-year-old boy on Long Island was attacked by his father’s pet leopard.
Animal rights activists want Congress to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which would strengthen laws prohibiting the breeding and possession of species such as lions, tigers, cheetahs and jaguars.
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Health workers conduct Covid-19 case detection. — Bernama photo
KUCHING (Sept 1): Sarawak has recorded the highest number of Covid-19 cases involving the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) in the country with a total of 178 cases detected from Aug 16 to 29, according to the statistics released by Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
In a Facebook post last night, Dr Noor Hisham said there were altogether 265 cases involving a Variant of Concern (VOC) – Delta variant, which was identified throughout the country during the same period by three research institutes.
He also disclosed in a table that as of Aug 29, the accumulative number of cases involving the Delta variant detected in Malaysia was 978 of which 696 cases (including one import case) were in Sarawak.
This was followed by Selangor with 80 cases (including three import cases), Pahang with 38 cases and Penang 32 cases (including one import case).
In another table, it was detailed that most of the cases involving the Delta variant were identified through screening at work places at 18, followed by community screening (16) and death screening (12).
A table on the clusters also disclosed that four clusters in Sarawak recorded the most Delta cases, namely the Balai Ringin Melayu cluster with 15 cases, Jalan Demak Laut (15), Tanjung Tuang (12) and Sentosa 2 (11).
According to Dr Noor Hisham, the three research institutes involved in carrying the ongoing studies were Institute of Medical Research (IMR), Integrative Pharmacogenomics Institute (iPromise) of Universiti Teknologi Mara, and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak’ Institute of Health and Community Medicine (IHCM).
For the studies from August 16 to 29, IHCM had identified 178 Delta cases, IMR (39) and iPromise (48).
“This brings the total cases involving the SARS-CoV-2 virus categorised as VOC and Variant of Interest (VOI) to 1,221 cases.
“From the total detected, 1,201 cases are VOC while 20 cases are VOI,” he said.
Dr Noor Hisham said overall, till now, for the VOC category, there have been 978 cases of Delta variant, 209 cases of Beta variant and 14 cases of Alpha variant.
For the VOI category, 13 cases were of Theta variant, four cases of Kappa variant and three cases of Eta variant.
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Dr Zainal said PICK should prioritise getting as many people as possible to be vaccinated before considering booster shots. – Malay Mail file photo
KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 1): The debate over booster shots of the Covid-19 vaccine is heating up globally on concerns that the contagious Delta variant is capable of infecting fully vaccinated people.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) argues that it may be too early to push for Covid-19 booster shots, especially when many people around the world have not even received their first dose.
On Aug 26, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that the booster shots for those who have completed their Covid-19 vaccination will not curb the highly contagious Delta variant.
He said the current Covid-19 vaccines used in Malaysia have proven effective against the Delta variant, which resulted in the reduction of hospital admissions, intensive care unit (ICU) bed usage, and ventilators for its patients.
Currently, there are five vaccines approved under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK), namely Pfizer-BioNTech, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, CanSino Biologic, and the Janssen vaccine of Johnson & Johnson.
Focus on those unvaccinated
The Malaysian Public Health Physicians’ Association (PPPKAM) president, Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said PICK should prioritise getting as many people as possible to be vaccinated before considering booster shots.
He said giving a booster shot to increase the efficacy for someone who already has protection should not be prioritised over those who have zero protection.
“There is no need to rush into giving booster shots to ward off the more transmissible Delta strain amid concerns over the mutation which has been categorised as a variant of concern (VoC).
“The mass vaccination must be prioritised before consideration can be given for a booster shot and that no one will be safe until everyone is,” he told Bernama recently.
As of Aug 28, some 61.1 percent of the country’s population or 14,297,962 individuals have completed both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV).
Dr Zainal said some countries provide the third dose for their citizens because they have sufficient supply and have achieved herd immunity.
But in Malaysia, he said there are still many people who have yet to be vaccinated.
“Some states, like Kedah and Kelantan have not reached even 40 per cent of the fully vaccinated individuals… some also have been facing shortages of the vaccine.
“We have to focus on getting them vaccinated at least two shots to prevent the spreading of VoC. Yes, we have new variants now and might have other variants coming soon.
“But to achieve herd immunity we must get as many people to be vaccinated. Later on, when there is enough data and vaccines, then only we could consider to give them booster shots,” he said.
Still under study
With the spread of VoC, many countries consider giving booster shots or a third dose to prevent the mutation of the virus in the future, even for those who have completed the two-dose regimen.
Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine co-developer, Prof Dr Teresa Lambe said this is not yet necessary, as it is more important to prioritise the first doses for as many people as possible globally.
“That’s actually one of the areas that I am working on in the lab and what we have done is to give a third dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to a small number of people, in the hundreds.
“What we are looking to see is whether the immune response is boosted and we have seen that with the third shot.
“But my interest will be to get first doses across the world to individuals who haven’t had any vaccine yet before we consider boosters.
“There is an onus on us to make sure the world is protected before we start looking to deliver boosters,” she said in a keynote address at the Third International Conference of Pharmacy and Health Sciences 2021 held virtually.
Proper plan on booster, mix-matching vaccines
On getting the different brands of the second dose in Covid-19 vaccines, Lambe said it does produce potent immune responses in mixing and matching regimes.
“I think when it comes to mixing regimes, priority should be given to those who have already received their first dose. Then, the second dose later (if they wish to get mixed vaccines, according to the time frame given),” she said.
(The timeframe for Pfizer is three weeks after the first dose, while AstraZeneca is between 9-12 weeks after the first dose).
“I have been involved in some studies looking at administering the Pfizer-BioNTech jab first or the ChaAdOx1 nCoV-19 (Oxford-AstraZeneca) first, then doing the other second (dose),” said Lambe.
“One regime is slightly more reactogenic but the immune responses in the mixed regimes do look good,” she said.
Dr Zainal said there is a need to have proper planning from the government whether to give mix-matching vaccines and booster shots to prevent the VoC of the virus.
“Right now, achieving herd immunity of two-dose vaccines should make it a priority. It might be confusing people if we implement either mix-matching vaccines or booster shots for now.
“If the government decides to kick-start such programmes, they should make preparation and proper planning to purchase enough vaccines for the boosters or mix-matching regime, as well as to avoid supply shortages,” he said.
Lambe advises the public to trust the regulator and take whatever brand of approved Covid-19 vaccine is offered to them without judging.
“For me, you need to look at the real-world effectiveness data, trust the regulator and trust the safety monitoring board et cetera to make the recommendations of the best vaccine for the people in your country.
“Take the vaccine you were offered, get the vaccine in your arm, make yourself safe and make the world safe,” she said. – Bernama
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A nurse administers a dose of Covid-19 vaccine. — Bernama file photo
KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 1): A total of 15,032,301 individuals or 64.2 per cent of the country’s adult population have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 as of yesterday, according to the Special Committee on Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV).
JKJAV, in a Twitter post today, said 19,741,754 individuals or 84.3 per cent had received their first dose, bringing the cumulative figure for vaccines administered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) to 34,752,340 doses as of yesterday.
It said 60.5 per cent of the country’s overall population had received the first jab of Covid-19 vaccine while 46 per cent had completed both doses.
On the daily vaccination rate, it said 261,768 doses were administered yesterday, with 115,473 for first dose recipients and 146,295 for second-dose jabs.
PICK was launched last Feb 24 to curb the spread of Covid-19 in the country. – Bernama
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Malaysian Cabinet ministers wave the Jalur Gemilang during National Day celebrations in Putrajaya August 31, 2021. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 1): The unprecedented joint statement from the prime minister and senior Opposition figures showed that Malaysia was taking its first steps to bipartisanship after decades of zero-sum politics, according to analysts.
However, they cautioned that the nascent movement ushered in by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the heads of Pakatan Harapan parties would not yet lead to lasting cooperation across the political aisle without serious efforts from the rival politicians.
According to Jayum Jawan, professor of politics and government at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), the seeds of bipartisan politics were planted after the 14th general election, the “profound” results of which made it difficult for any ruling party to legislate unilaterally.
This was evident when the Pakatan Harapan government at the time had to convince Opposition lawmakers to support some of its key reform initiatives, such as lowering the voting age to 18 by way of a constitutional amendment.
“Before this, a ruling party did not need bipartisan support as they always had a clear majority and at times, a two-third majority, which is needed to push through legislation,” he told Malay Mail.
“It is also good for a prime minister to be able to secure bipartisan support for national interest.”
Jayum explained that bipartisanship was an unavoidable characteristic of mature democracies, noting the necessity for even bitter rivals such as the US Democrats and Republicans to cross political lines to pass legislation, regardless of which was in power.
Politicians must learn and adapt to the nation’s current predicament by working as partners for nation building and to put the country ahead of themselves, he added.
Bipartisanship also need not mean solidarity between the government and the Opposition, he said when noting that this could simply be a willingness to compromise on matters of national importance.
Malaysia already took its first steps last year when lawmakers agreed to pass the national budget at a time when then-prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s majority was already in doubt, Jayum noted.
“This is something our parliamentarians need to learn. They don’t have to disagree all the time. The agreement to work together between the prime minister and PH leaders was meant to address immediate concerns, after all,” he said.
Despite the progress in this area, senior researcher at think tank O2 Malaysia Anis Anwar Suhaimi said Malaysian politicians must reach more milestones before it could be said that there was real bipartisanship in the country.
“Firstly, the key to bipartisanship success lies in establishing a common ground regarding the people’s and nation’s agenda. Secondly, any cooperation must stand based on honesty and sincerity.
“Next, there must be no such importance where political popularity overrides the national agenda, and finally, supporters from each political party must abandon their prejudices against their rival parties,” he explained.
While the opposition’s criticism of Ismail Sabri’s Cabinet selection suggested there was still intractability in these areas, he said the Covid-19 pandemic has presented opportunities for political rivals to find common ground.
Among others, he noted that the pandemic has put Umno and PH on the same side on topics such as reviving the economy and improving Malaysians’ welfare, which gave the Malay nationalist party opportunities to reach out to its rivals.
“So, all that remains is the political will to realise this bipartisanship. Given that the prime minister agreed in principle with the guidance from Umno during the Umno Supreme Council meeting, the opportunity for a successful bipartisan venture could be manifested during the 2022 Budget at a later parliamentary session,” Anis added.
Even before that, political analyst and associate professor Kartini Aboo Talib @ Khalid said there would also be an early litmus test in the government’s proposal to include opposition lawmakers in its National Recovery Plan (NRP) task force committee.
“If the government forms the special task force committee to implement the National Recovery Plan, the members of the committees can consider having a formula of five partisan, two bipartisan and three non-partisan members to uphold the committee appropriately and allow members to make a decision and carry out their duties for the people with less struggle,” she said.
Kartini noted that an undertaking of such magnitude would require diverse input that would invariably include the elected representatives of each constituency, without which the country would remain mired in costly political instability.
After an atypical meeting among them, the prime minister and leaders of the country’s main Opposition parties released a combined statement announcing the common ground they have found on addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, protecting Malaysia lives and wellbeing, and alleviating the economic crisis.
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who was involved in the meeting, also indicated that the PH coalition would not complicate an expected confidence vote on Ismail Sabri if the PM would commit to policies that were pro-Malaysian and managed the pandemic well.
Ismail Sabri’s coalition has control of just 114 seats from the 222 in Parliament, or marginally above the minimum needed for a simple majority. – Malay Mail
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MIRI (Sept 1): The authorities are keeping a close tab on commercial pig farms in the state for fear of African Swine Fever (ASF) after three divisions are said to be infected and placed under control.
Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail said the state Veterinary Services Department (DVS) was monitoring the development and would act accordingly in protecting the industry.
“DVS has conducted surveillance and monitoring of all pig farms in Sarawak,” he said in response to public queries on actions taken by the authorities following the declaration of Kapit, Miri and Limbang divisions as ASF-controlled areas in the state following the spread of the virus in Sabah and North Kalimantan (Indonesia).
State DVS director Dr Adrian Susin Ambud in a statement on Aug 30 said in the declaration enforced under Section 35 (1) of the Veterinary Public Health Ordinance 1999, the public is not allowed to move out live pigs, pork, or pork products from the controlled areas.
The public is also not allowed to bring in, shop online or use postal services for pork or its products without a permit. Buying, selling or having wild boar meat is also prohibited.
Dr Abd Rahman, meanwhile assured the people that there would no meat shortage in the market as supply from other divisions to the affected areas is permitted if they have movement permits issued by the department.
There are over 100 commercial pig farms with over 450,000 pigs in Sarawak. It exports over 1,500 pigs weekly to Singapore.
A ban on the import of pork and pork products from ASF-infected countries has already been imposed by the state government.
On the extent of ASF affecting farms in Limbang Division, Dr Abd Rahman said only one backyard farm at Buduk Bui in Ba Kelalan had been detected to be ASF-infected.
Meanwhile, Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau is saddened by the hardship brought about by ASF as pork consumption is synonymous with the lifestyle of Baram folk.
“We the rural folk depend very much on pork, especially wild boar meat from the jungle. The villagers are shocked how this could happen,” he said.
He, however, advised the local people to temporarily avoid wild boar meat and look for other alternative meat sources such as fish or meat from domestically reared pigs.
Villagers in Long Moh, Long Terawan, Long Win and others have reported coming across wild boar carcasses, and Dennis has urged the local people not to sell such meat to unsuspecting people for short-term gain.
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Willie delivers his speech for the virtual ‘Ratu kebaya’ pageant, hosted by Nang Ori.
KUCHING (Sept 1): Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities would continue all efforts meant to increase the prices of black pepper and white pepper, said its Deputy Minister II Datuk Willie Mongin.
He observed that the prices of commodities, particularly pepper, had gone up after Perikatan Nasional (PN) took helm of federal government in March last year and in this respect, he hoped that this would continue under the ‘Malaysian Family’ administration headed by the new prime minister, Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakub.
“Since we have a new government under Perikatan Nasional and now known as the ‘Malaysian Family’ government, pepper prices have gone up by 70 per cent.
“Before this, the price of black pepper was around RM5 per kilogramme, but today, we are grateful that the price has gone up to RM18.50 per kilogramme.
“White pepper price is now between RM26 and RM28 per kilogramme.
“I, as a deputy minister for the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities, would continue to make sure that commodity prices would keep going up because this would greatly benefit the smallholders,” he said in his remarks for the virtual ‘Ratu Kebaya’ pageant finale yesterday, hosted by a pepper-based company Nang Ori.
Willie, who is Puncak Borneo MP, held the same ministerial post when the PN-led federal government was formed in March last year, under the leadership of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who had resigned as prime minister on Aug 16 this year.
Meanwhile, Willie commended Nang Ori and its founder Awaeng Kwasin for producing innovative products based on Sarawak pepper.
He acknowledged that the company had also been promoting women’s entrepreneurship through its ‘Wanita Berjaya’ (Successful Women) initiative.
“Nang Ori is a brand from Borneo. It has opened opportunities to many and encouraged them to venture into online businesses.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we can see the establishment of many online entrepreneurs,” he said.
In his remarks, Awaeng said the virtual Ratu Kebaya pageant was amongst many activities organised and run under the ‘Wanita Berjaya’ programme in celebration of National Day 2021.
She said it had always been her dream to help more women venture into entrepreneurship by reinforcing their self-confidence and courage.
“My wish is to develop 3,000 successful women in online business by the end of this year,” she said, adding there are already 2,624 online entrepreneurs under Nang Ori.
The pageant was divided into two categories – Miss Kebaya Nang Ori Online 2021, and Mrs Kebaya Nang Ori Online 2021.
Sarvirna Serose, 25, from Kuching was crowned winner of Miss Kebaya Nang Ori Online 2021, while placing respective first to fourth runner-up were Elviana Alis Bolia, 21, from Bau; Husna Afiqah Nahar, 29, from Kuching; Debby Alissandra Unyi Jampi, 22, from Selangau; and Jesse Diana Jantai, 23, also from Kuching.
For Mrs Kebaya Nang Ori Online 2021, Rini Kana, a 39-year-old contestant from Marudi clinched the crown. Receiving prizes for second to fifth place, respectively, were Felicia Wong Siew Yien, 39, from Sri Aman; Jennifer Andrew Tiga Paet, 39, from Bau; Lumah Madai, 53, from Miri; and Gertrude Susie Robert Jiom, 36, also from Bau.
Sarvirna also won the subdiary title of ‘Miss Best Video’, while Elviana and Rini were voted ‘Miss Popular’ and ‘Mrs Popular’, respectively.
The event also held the launch of an online incubator and entrepreneurs development centre by Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) Sarawak director Dr Azmi Amat Murjan.
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(Standing from third left): Chin, Wee and others in a group photo in front of a pile of food items meant for the poor people.
SIBU (Sept 1): Five hundred needy families received food aid from Sibu branch of The Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) and court premises here yesterday.
According to a press statement from its chairman, Wee Wui Kiat, the recipients comprised single mothers, rural folk, the unemployed as well as poor families.
“AAS Sibu together with the court, collaborate to hold a charity drive in the form of food aid to provide relief and assistance to the needy in Sibu who are suffering from the hardship wrought by the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic.
“Due to the overwhelming support and outpouring of donations from both the legal profession and officers from the Sibu judiciary, we have raised about RM45,000 worth of donations,” Wee said in a statement yesterday.
He added the charity drive was initiated by Judicial Commissioner Christopher Chin to alleviate the suffering of the people here caused by the Covid-19.
He hoped their initiative would raise greater social awareness on Covid-19 induced poverty.
He also hoped that it would set an example to inspire more people to come forward to lend a helping hand to those who are in grave need of assistance.
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