No immediate Cabinet announcement from Malaysia PM Ismail Sabri after audience with King in Kuantan - The Straits Times

KUANTAN (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob will unveil his new Cabinet line-up on Friday (Aug 27), his office said after the newly-appointed premier's audience with the King on Thursday.

The Prime Minister's new Cabinet will be sworn in on Monday.

"The swearing-in of Federal ministers and deputy Federal ministers will take place on Aug 30, at 2.30pm," said the Prime Minister's Office.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Ismail had met the King in Kuantan.

Mr Ismail, Malaysia's ninth Prime Minister had left the Istana Abdulaziz in Kuantan around 1.40pm, having arrived around 10.54am and it is believed the audience was to discuss Mr Ismail's proposed Cabinet list.

Malaysia's King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, later consented to the presentation of the list of new Cabinet members by Prime Minister Ismail, the National Palace said in a statement on Thursday.

"During the royal audience which lasted about an hour and 30 minutes, the King had accepted the presentation of the new Cabinet list from the Prime Minister, following his swearing-in as the ninth Prime Minister," the statement read.

The newly-minted premier was supposed to have presented the list to the King, for approval on Wednesday before announcing the new ministers.

However, the audience with Sultan Abdullah was postponed with the King in Kuantan.

Sources have said that Mr Ismail is pressed to form a Cabinet before Aug 31 as a government needs to be formed in time for Hari Merdeka, or Independence Day.  Malaysia has never been without a government during Independence Day.

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2021-08-26 10:15:02Z
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Preparing for the next pandemic requires 'new way of thinking about international cooperation': Tharman - CNA

Mr Tharman also spoke about repurposing international financial institutions – both to bolster countries’ preparedness in normal times and to respond quickly when a pandemic happens.

Noting that the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and multilateral development banks have the ability to catalyse domestic investments by national governments and leverage private sector investments, he said: “We have to make financing of global public goods for resilience against climate change as well as pandemic security, part of the core mandates of these international financial institutions”.

Mr Tharman noted that current funding for global health is raised by the individual global health organisations on a “siloed” basis. It is also “largely dependent” on discretionary bilateral aid.

“The result is a non-system of complex, inefficient, unpredictable, and greatly inadequate funding,” he explained.

The panel he co-chairs has therefore proposed the establishment of a new multilateral funding mechanism for global health security called the Global Health Threats Fund.

It is aimed at mobilising at least US$10 billion (S$13.5 billion) a year from the international community, Mr Tharman said.

“That sounds like a large sum but US$10 billion spread across a large number of countries on a fair and equitable basis means national contributions that are less than one-thousandth of the annual budgets of almost all countries,” he said.

The Global Health Threats Fund will fund existing institutions and networks, as well as prioritise and reprioritise based on the “needs of the times”, he added.

To ensure financial oversight and better governance, the panel proposed an inclusive, G20-Plus board comprising health and finance ministers.

Mr Tharman stressed that the world cannot prevent recurring pandemics through incremental reforms to individual institutions.

"We must instead strengthen multilateralism," he said.

“The collective investments required as part of this deal are affordable. They will help us avoid blundering into pandemics again and again," he added. 

"We’ll have to proceed with urgency. It will be economically and politically myopic and morally indefensible to defer the collective actions and investments that are in both the global interest and the national self-interest everywhere.”

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2021-08-26 07:50:23Z
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What is the Islamic State threat in Afghanistan? - CNA

What kind of attacks has it carried out?

The Islamic State's Afghanistan-Pakistan chapter has been responsible for some of the deadliest attacks of recent years.

It has massacred civilians in both countries, at mosques, shrines, public squares and even hospitals.

The group has especially targeted Muslims from sects it considers heretical, including Shiites.

Last year, it was blamed for an attack that shocked the world - gunmen went on a bloody rampage at a maternity ward in a predominantly Shiite neighbourhood of Kabul, killing 16 mothers and mothers-to-be.

Beyond bombings and massacres, IS-Khorasan has failed to hold any territory in the region, suffering huge losses because of Taliban and US-led military operations.

According to UN and US military assessments, after the phase of heavy defeats IS-Khorasan now operates largely through covert cells based in or near cities to carry out high-profile attacks.

What is IS-Khorasan's relationship with the Taliban?

While both groups are hardline Sunni militants, there is no love lost between them.

They have differed on the minutiae of religion and strategy, while claiming to be the true flag-bearers of jihad.

That tussle has led to bloody fighting between the two, with the Taliban emerging largely victorious after 2019 when IS-Khorasan failed to secure territory as its parent group did in the Middle East.

In a sign of the enmity between the two jihadist groups, Islamic State statements have referred to the Taliban as apostates.

How has the Islamic State reacted to the Taliban victory in Afghanistan?

Not well.

Islamic State had been highly critical of the deal last year between Washington and the Taliban that led to the agreement for withdrawing foreign troops, accusing the latter of abandoning the jihadist cause.

Following the Taliban's lightning takeover of Afghanistan, a number of jihadist groups around the world congratulated them - but not Islamic State.

One Islamic State commentary published after the fall of Kabul accused the Taliban of betraying jihadists with the US withdrawal deal and vowed to continue its fight, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant communications.

What is the threat at Kabul airport?

US officials say Kabul airport, with thousands of US-led foreign troops surrounded by huge crowds of desperate Afghans, is under high threat from IS-Khorasan.

A flurry of near-identical travel warnings from London, Canberra and Washington late Wednesday urged people gathered in the area to move to safer locations.

They have not provided any specific details about the threat.

"ISIS-K is a sworn enemy of the Taliban, and they have a history of fighting one another," Biden said Sunday.

"But every day we have troops on the ground, these troops and innocent civilians at the airport face the risk of attack from ISIS-K."

Some military transports taking off from Kabul airport in recent days have been seen launching flares, which are normally used to attract heat-seeking missiles.

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2021-08-26 04:05:00Z
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Taliban asked Turkey for support to run Kabul airport, Turkish officials say - Yahoo Singapore News

By Orhan Coskun and Tuvan Gumrukcu

ANKARA (Reuters) - The Taliban have asked Turkey for technical help to run Kabul airport after the departure of foreign forces but insist that Ankara's military also withdraw fully by the end-August deadline, two Turkish officials told Reuters.

The conditional request by the Islamist Taliban, who swept back to power in Afghanistan 20 years after they were ousted in a U.S. invasion, leaves Ankara with a difficult decision over whether to accept a hazardous job, one official said.

Mainly Muslim Turkey was part of a NATO mission in Afghanistan and still has hundreds of troops at Kabul airport. The officials say they are ready to withdraw at short notice.

But President Tayyip Erdogan's government has said for months that it could keep a presence at the airport if requested. After the Taliban seized control of the country Turkey offered technical and security assistance at the airport.

"The Taliban have made a request for technical support in running Kabul airport," a senior Turkish official said, adding however that the Taliban demand for all Turkish troops to leave would complicate any prospective mission.

"Ensuring the safety of workers without the Turkish Armed Forces is a risky job," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Talks with the Taliban on the issue were ongoing and, in the meantime, preparations for a troop withdrawal had been completed, he said.

It was unclear whether Turkey would agree to give technical assistance if its troops were not there to provide security.

Another Turkish official said a final decision would be made by the Aug. 31 deadline for foreign forces to leave the country and end a 20-year military involvement in Afghanistan.

Keeping the airport open after foreign forces hand over control is vital not just for Afghanistan to stay connected to the world but also to maintain aid supplies and operations.

"It's going to be a critical lifeline for the humanitarian action in Afghanistan," Mary Ellen McGroarty, World Food Programme director in Afghanistan, said last week.

'GOOD RELATIONS'

Turkey has praised what it described as moderate statements by the Taliban since they captured Kabul, and has said it is open to engaging with them once a new government is formed.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said on Tuesday the group sought good ties with Ankara,

"We want good relations with Turkey, the Turkish government and the Muslim people of the Turkish nation. As for Turkish forces stationed in Afghanistan, we are not in need of them in our country and once the evacuation is completed we will secure the airport by ourselves," Mujahid said.

Turkey had been responsible for securing Kabul airport under the NATO deployment and has been involved in evacuation efforts over the last two weeks.

The United States says it is coordinating with regional partners, as well as the Taliban, about the future operation of Kabul airport.

"A functioning state, a functioning economy, a government that has some semblance of a relationship with the rest of the world, needs a functioning commercial airport," State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday.

"We are in discussions with the Taliban on this very front. They have indicated to us in no uncertain terms that they seek to have a functioning commercial airport."

(Addional reporting by Humeyra Pamuk in Washington; Writing by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Dominic Evans and Giles Elgood)

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2021-08-25 15:26:23Z
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Man who raped daughter 20 years ago gets 33 months' jail for molesting granddaughter - CNA

WHAT HAPPENED

The court heard that his older granddaughter would periodically stay over at his two-room Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Tampines.

In October 2019, when his wife - who worked night shifts - was out for work, he approached the girl who was lying on a sofa in the living room. He then suddenly kissed her on the mouth and made her perform a sex act on him.

She complied with his demand to keep silent about the matter as she was afraid of him.

Two months later, she moved into his flat after her mother chased her out of their house over a quarrel. She had sought refuge there because she had nowhere else to stay, Deputy Public Prosecutor Chee Ee Ling told the court.

Another time, when he and the girl were alone in the flat again, he asked her to perform a sex act on him, kissed her on the mouth and touched her chest over her clothes.

The victim’s younger sister also began living with them. He became their de-facto guardian from then on.

At various times, he walked around naked when their grandmother was not around.

Court documents showed that sometime that year, he insulted the younger girl’s modesty by asking her for sex.

In January 2020, the older girl could no longer keep the sexual abuse a secret and confided in her aunt, who in turn told the accused’s wife. She reprimanded him and he apologised, promising not to sexually assault the victim again, but soon persisted in his actions.

On the evening of Mar 12, 2020, the girl was having a meal in the living room when he showed her a pornographic video on his mobile phone, the prosecutor told the court.

When he molested her, she pushed his hands away and left the flat.

She lodged a police report two days later.

‘EGREGIOUS’ OFFENCES: JUDGE

In court, the prosecutor said that the man's criminal history stretched back to 1987 when he was fined S$1,500 for possessing obscene videos. 

In 1999, he was convicted of two charges each of rape, molestation and carnal intercourse against the order of nature. The latter offence falls under the 1985 revised edition of the Penal Code that was repealed in 2007.

These were committed against his daughter and four of her female friends, then aged 13 to 17.

At the time, 81 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. These comprised 63 of molestation, two of aggravated molestation, seven of rape, five of carnal intercourse, and two each of possessing uncensored films and obscene films.

He was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

The prosecutor noted that his antecedents “show his proclivity … for taking advantage of his biological descendants who are reliant on him”.

The man’s lawyer did not have anything to submit in terms of sentence, merely saying that he was a heart and diabetes patient who was seeking leniency.

District Judge Luke Tan agreed that imprisonment in lieu of caning was necessary due to the “really egregious nature” of his offences. “(It’s appropriate) for someone who has been through this system and was sentenced before to caning, no less.”

He noted that even before the victims sought refuge in their grandfather’s home, there was already a “clear breach of trust and familial relationship”.

Those convicted of outrage of modesty can be jailed for up to two years or fined or caned, or receive any combination of the three.

For exploitative sexual communication with a minor, he could have been jailed for up to two years or fined, or both.

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2021-08-25 12:29:00Z
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Carbon dilemma: How can electric vehicles become more eco-friendly? - CNA

RECYCLING AND REUSE

Such battery problems could be resolved through recycling and the reuse of the battery raw materials.

Such initiatives are still not widespread though.

Industry statistics show that only 5 per cent of all lithium-ion batteries are currently recycled.

Experts say this boils down to costs.

There are two main ways to deactivate the lithium-ion battery – smelting and leaching. As both methods are costly, this is a major barrier to recycling.

Existing methods of recycling are also not environmentally friendly.

“The majority of batteries are still recycled using pyrometallurgy – furnaces and smelting, and trying to separate the metals using heat. This has a massive energy and carbon footprint. The gas emissions are considerable - you can imagine firing a furnace the size of two HDB flats or two condos, 24 hours a day,” said Mr Leon Farrant, CEO of Green Li-ion.

Green Li-ion hopes to address these challenges with its lithium-ion recycling technology.

This utilises a hydrometallurgical process, or a chemical process to rejuvenate the battery materials so that they can be recycled infinitely.

The startup says it is able to continually recycle the battery materials and maintain almost the full lifespan of the battery.

Mr Farrant said: “We are taking in spent lithium-ion batteries, we're stripping it back to the absolute natural form of the chemistry and then rebuilding it. There is a 2 per cent loss. So if you had 100 kilograms of cathode material, you would then have 98 per cent - 98 kilograms of cathode material at the end.”

In this manner, Green Li-ion has been able to create a circular economy around the electric vehicle  battery - retrieving, recycling and re-circulating the raw materials such as cobalt, copper, nickel and lithium into new batteries.

It is a closed loop technology, meaning that nothing is discharged other than what can be sold, and everything else is reused.

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2021-08-25 09:02:00Z
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Malaysia's new PM Ismail Sabri Yaakob offers rivals reforms in return for support - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob met top leaders of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition pact on Wednesday afternoon (Aug 25) to offer reforms and wider measures to combat a deepening Covid-19 crisis, in exchange for their support in Parliament.

Official sources told The Straits Times (ST) that the leaders discussed a confidence and supply agreement (CSA), whereby PH's 88 lawmakers will vote in favour of the newly appointed Premier in an upcoming confidence motion and support Bills relating to government expenditure.

However, it is unclear if an accord was struck during the 90-minute meeting.

The meeting was attended by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu and Democratic Action Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

Although Datuk Seri Anwar did not specifically mention a CSA, he told reporters after the meeting that the leaders discussed "pro-public" programmes and steps to tackle Malaysia's deadliest Covid-19 wave, as well as "reducing the political temperature".

"We gave our assurances that if these programmes are more effective, then we have no issues ensuring the (political) situation is better controlled. In the current climate, and if there are pro-people programmes, we will not complicate it," the Parti Keadilan Rakyat president said, when asked about the Premier's expected confidence vote in Parliament.

A joint statement by the Prime Minister and the three PH chiefs said the meeting was to "realise the King’s decree" for politicians to unite and focus on current issues.

"An agreement was reached to empower Parliament... as a check and balance on the executive. We also agreed and understand the importance of judicial independence, institutional reforms and good governance to ensure a more conducive environment for the people and nation in the context of the Malaysian family," it said, referencing the phrase used by Datuk Seri Ismail in his inaugural address on Sunday.

Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin had made similar overtures to the opposition on Aug 13, after about 15 Umno MPs withdrew support for him, depriving him of a parliamentary majority.

But the proposal was unanimously rejected, forcing the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president to resign on Aug 16.

Reforms offered then included an anti-party hopping Bill to stem defections, term limits for the prime minister and equal financial allocation for all government and opposition politicians, while an additional RM45 billion (S$14.5 billion) was pledged to the fight against Covid-19. 

It is understood that PH is now asking for wider reforms beyond these.

Umno vice-president Ismail, like Tan Sri Muhyiddin, has a slim majority, as the government bench has only 114 MPs in the 222-member Parliament, where two seats are vacant.

ST reported on Tuesday that just days after Mr Ismail's Umno party decided to unanimously back him for the premiership, various factions are at loggerheads again over prized Cabinet appointments.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's camp, which includes influential former premier Najib Razak, has made several demands, including in the choice of finance minister, the most coveted position aside from the premiership itself.

The party’s information chief Shahril Hamdan lauded Mr Ismail's offer to rival parties on Wednesday, calling it “an early testament to Datuk Seri Ismail’s ability to gain an understanding from the opposition... that it’s important for the country and its economy that the political turmoil not be extended any further”.

“I hope this ushers in a period of stability and cooperation which facilitates the kind of bold policy interventions required. If so, it augurs well for investors and the people,” he told ST.

A tussle between top Bersatu figures to be made deputy prime minister is also putting further pressure on Mr Ismail's efforts to mollify allies, who earlier this month clashed over whether Mr Muhyiddin should continue to lead government.

"If the deal is agreed, then that is the end of Azmin Ali and Zahid's leverage over the PM," a PH source told ST, referring to the CSA.

Datuk Seri Azmin, a senior minister in the Muhyiddin Cabinet, has been vying for the deputy premiership, along with Bersatu secretary-general Hamzah Zainudin, and was reportedly threatening to pull support for Mr Ismail, along with 10 other MPs. His aide has denied such a threat was made.

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2021-08-25 10:18:22Z
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