OTTAWA: Canada will soon unveil measures to crack down on online extremism following the killing of a Muslim family, a crime that police said was inspired by hate, a government minister said on Wednesday (Jun 9).
Four members of the family were killed on Sunday when a pickup truck jumped the curb and ran them over in London, Ontario, 200km southwest of Toronto. A 20-year-man has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder.
"Our government is continuing to do what is necessary, obviously working with the social media platforms, to combat online hate and we'll have more to say on specific measures in the coming weeks," Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc told a news conference. He did not give details.
There is no evidence that the suspect, Nathaniel Veltman, had any connection to hate groups.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, facing complaints from religious and ethnic communities that Ottawa has not done enough to combat bigotry and racism, promised on Tuesday to intensify efforts to fight far-right groups, in part by cracking down on online extremism.
"We don't yet know all the causes or reasons, but there is probably an element of online incitation to violence," Trudeau told a virtual conference on digital governance on Wednesday.
In January, he asked Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault to work with Public Safety Minister Bill Blair "to take action on combating hate groups and online hate." Neither minister's office was immediately available for comment.
Guilbeault has said for months that legislation to address online hate is coming. But even if the government introduces a Bill, it has no chance of being adopted by Parliament before legislators rise for their summer break later this month.
In February, Canada named the far-right Proud Boys a terrorist entity, saying it posed an active security threat.
Stephanie Carvin, an assistant professor and security expert at Ottawa's Carleton University, said the most likely option in the short term was to ban more extremist organisations.
"The problem with targeting these ideologically motivated violent extremist groups is that they just resurface," she said by phone, calling for policies to target the far-right movement as a whole.
Another important element was addressing the role played by social media platforms and ensuring they adhere to their own policies on various kinds of hate speech, she said.
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden on Wednesday (Jun 9) revoked executive orders from his predecessor Donald Trump seeking to ban Chinese-owned mobile apps TikTok and WeChat over national security concerns, the White House said.
A statement said that instead of banning the popular apps, the Biden administration would carry out a "criteria-based decision framework and rigorous, evidence-based analysis to address the risks" from Internet applications controlled by foreign entities.
Trump had claimed the apps posed national security risks and had sought to force the sale of TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance and remains one of the world's most popular social media apps, to US investors.
The effort by the Trump administration prompted a series of legal challenges which delayed the efforts to ban or force the sale of the applications, which heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing.
There was no immediate comment from the two companies.
Biden issued a new executive order citing an "ongoing emergency" related to "the continuing effort of foreign adversaries to steal or otherwise obtain United States persons' data" and calling for a four-month review.
University of Texas law professor Bobby Chesney, who follows national security issues, called the Biden order "a good middle path".
"They affirmed the nature of the threat and the propriety of using sanctions to address it, and they have held the door open for reimposing some version of these sanctions ... but likely with a far stronger and more defensible record," Chesney tweeted.
But officials said that Biden's order stopped short of rescinding a review of the 2017 acquisition of TikTok forerunner Musical.ly by ByteDance.
"It would be premature to celebrate; Bytedance remains subject to an entirely separate CFIUS divestment order," Chesney said in a blog post, referring to the intergovernmental Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which is carrying out the review.
"Today's action by President Biden does nothing to change that. Of course, it could be that this too will change," he added.
FINDING 'UNACCEPTABLE RISKS'
Biden's order seeks to identify any "connected software applications that may pose an unacceptable risk to US national security and the American people" including "applications that are owned, controlled, or managed by persons that support foreign adversary military or intelligence activities, or are involved in malicious cyber activities, or involve applications that collect sensitive personal data."
The new order calls for the Commerce Department and other federal agencies to develop guidelines "to protect sensitive personal data ... including personally identifiable information and genetic information" from misuse.
TikTok is believed to have some one billion users worldwide including more than 100 million in the United States, and is especially popular with young smartphone users.
Last September, US District Judge Carl Nichols issued a temporary injunction at the request of TikTok blocking the effort to ban downloads of the app in the United States.
Trump had given his blessing to a plan that would have given TikTok to US tech giant Oracle with investments from retail powerhouse Walmart, but that deal failed to win approval in Beijing.
WeChat, part of the Chinese tech giant Tencent, is a massively popular "super app" which includes social networking, messaging, e-commerce and more.
The ban on WeChat was also delayed by a lawsuit from users based in the United States claiming the ban infringed on their rights.
The Biden move comes a day after the US Senate passed a sweeping industrial policy bill aimed at countering the surging economic threat from China and pumping more than US$170 billion into research and development.
The package, a key provision of which addresses a shortage of semiconductors that has slowed US auto production this year, will help American industry bolster its capacity and improve technology, in an effort to avoid being outmanoeuvred by Beijing as the adversaries compete for tech leadership.
SINGAPORE: Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison will make an official visit to Singapore on Thursday (Jun 10) for a leaders’ meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
Mr Lee will meet Mr Morrison at the Istana, and the pair will hold a virtual joint press conference after the meeting, said MFA on Wednesday.
This is the sixth Singapore-Australia Leaders’ Meeting between the two countries. Mr Lee and Morrison held their previous meeting in March last year by video conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Morrison's trip to Singapore will be the first official visit by a foreign leader since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Visitors from Australia, except Victoria state, are allowed to enter Singapore with a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test at the airport, in lieu of a stay-home notice that applies to most other countries.
Australian media have reported that no exemption has been made for Mr Morrison, but that his aides have been investigating how the process can be fast-tracked and whether Mr Morrison can instead undergo an antigen rapid test (ART).
Test results from ART tests take typically around 30 minutes, but it can take up to 48 hours for PCR tests, as the samples have to be sent to laboratories to be tested.
Both Mr Lee and Mr Morrison are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Leaders’ Meeting was established under the Singapore-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Australia to meet annually to discuss bilateral cooperation and exchange views on regional and international developments.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed in March that Australia and Singapore were in talks on a possible travel bubble that would allow residents to travel between both countries without having to quarantine.
The two countries were also in discussions on the mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and resuming travel with priority for students and business travellers, MFA said in response to media queries at the time.
Singapore has already opened its border to some countries including Australia, and officials have said the country would like to establish reciprocal travel corridors.
Australia closed its borders to non-nationals and non-residents in March last year and has since been allowing only limited international arrivals, mainly citizens returning from abroad.
It also has a quarantine-free travel arrangement with New Zealand, although the scheme has been suspended several times in response to virus outbreaks.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday (Jun 9) after a royal audience that he has pleaded for the king to not extend the state of emergency in the country.
Speaking to reporters after leaving the palace, he noted that when the ruling coalition first proposed enacting a state of emergency, King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah did not accept the suggestion. The ruler had only agreed after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin raised the issue for a second time.
“We have voiced our opinion that continuation of the emergency will result in losses to the country, not help in the management of COVID-19 and will affect the economy especially for the rakyat (people) in the lower-income groups," Mr Anwar said.
"We see that all the steps that can be done to help the situation do not require the state of emergency. So we pleaded with the king to prevent the continuation of the emergency as much as possible.”
Mr Anwar added that it was right for the king to say that he has enacted the state of emergency to comply with the spirit of the constitutional monarchy and in accordance with the prime minister’s advice.
The Parti Keadilan Rakyat president also touched on the issue of parliamentary sitting, which has been suspended since the declaration of emergency.
He noted that the king had earlier indicated that the parliament may convene on an appropriate date, based on the advice of the prime minister. Despite this, parliament has not been convened, he said.
"There are varying perceptions as though these things are not done,” Mr Anwar said.
When asked by reporters on whether there was any discussion on the formation of a new government, Mr Anwar said: “That is a matter that does not arise for now.”
Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah (right) grants an audience to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Jun 9, 2021. (Photo: Facebook/Istana Negara)
In a Facebook post, the palace said the meeting lasted an hour. "The pre-Cabinet meeting is among the weekly activities or main routine of Al-Sultan Abdullah to discuss and exchange views with the prime minister on government affairs and issues," it said.
Other political leaders also received an invitation to meet the ruler. Amanah's president Mohamad Sabu and Democratic Action Party's secretary-general Lim Guan Eng were both at the palace on Wednesday afternoon.
Mr Lim told reporters after the meeting that the king is very concerned about the COVID-19 crisis and its economic impacts on people.
"His Majesty is the hope now. Because parliament is now not sitting, there is no space for the people to voice their issues," he said.
"We also hope ... that they get assistance, especially in terms of economic assistance ... and the vaccination aspect, which should be speeded up to all people in Malaysia."
According to media reports, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is the chairman of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, would be called for an audience with the king on Thursday, while Parti Islam Se-Malaysia confirmed that its president Abdul Hadi Awang had received the invitation letter on Jun 4.
Prior to the Wednesday meetings, it was reported that discussions on the current political landscape and the COVID-19 situation were are likely to be on the agenda.
In January, the king had declared a state of emergency across the nation to curb the spread of COVID-19. It is set to end on Aug 1 or earlier depending on the state of the pandemic.
Opposition MPs and activists set up a Committee for Ending the Emergency Declaration in March and launched a petition to appeal for an end to the state of emergency.
A general view of Malaysia's parliament issued by the Department of Information AFP/KHIRUL NIZAM ZANIL
Mr Muhyiddin, who is under pressure from the opposition parties as well as coalition partners to prove the parliamentary support he commands, has reiterated that he would advise the king to dissolve parliament once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.
Malaysia is currently under renewed movement restrictions as record high daily new infections and deaths were recorded.
A statement issued by the national palace on Wednesday afternoon said the king will hold a special meeting with the other Malay rulers on Jun 16.
The meeting is related to Malaysia's efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and its implementation during the state of emergency, said the statement.
The special meeting is the second of its kind held at the national palace since Sultan Abdullah ascended the throne in January 2019. The first meeting was held on October 25, 2020 at the national palace.
Additional reporting by Vincent Tan and Amir Yusof.
However, the palace clarified later that the King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, met the Premier for their regular pre-Cabinet briefing on Wednesdays, and Tan Sri Muhyiddin, who is also Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia president, left after an hour.
"The pre-Cabinet meeting is among weekly activities or main routine for Sultan Abdullah to discuss and exchange views with the Prime Minister concerning matters and issues relating to government," the palace said in a short statement on its Facebook page.
It is unclear if Mr Muhyiddin will meet the King, who is also ruler of Pahang, again later.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was next to enter the palace gates, the first among opposition party heads who have audiences on Wednesday, although former premier Mahathir Mohamad is slated for Thursday.
Datuk Seri Anwar, who is also Parti Keadilan Rakyat president, said he pleaded for the King not to extend the state of emergency due to expire on Aug 1, as the move has not helped poorer Malaysians.
“I gave my view that continuing the Emergency will cause losses to the country, and does not aid in tackling the Covid-19 problem. All the steps that can be implemented do not need for an emergency to be in place."
He added that the King has also been consulting experts on the pandemic.
When reporters asked if there were discussions about forming a new government, Mr Anwar said: “That question does not arise at this point.”
Democratic Action Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, whose party has the most Members of Parliament, also had an audience on Wednesday afternoon.
The government had said the emergency proclaimed in January was to fight the coronavirus pandemic, yet the nation is in the throes of another lockdown after record highs of cases and deaths were reported in recent weeks.
Political and government sources, as well as media reports since Monday, have indicated that the constitutional monarch is meeting party chiefs across the political divide over the rest of the week.
The state of emergency suspends the requirement for Parliament to reconvene within six months of its last sitting and also secures the Muhyiddin administration in power.
A member of the opposition's committee lobbying for an end to the emergency, Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan, had earlier said the meetings with the King would be on "uniting the country".
The Council of Rulers, made up of the nine state monarchs, is also expected to meet on June 16, amid speculation that the King is seeking views on the emergency and solutions for the pandemic, such as forming a bipartisan body.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah is granting an audience to leaders from both sides of the political divide, with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin being the first to arrive at the palace on Wednesday morning (Jun 9).
Mr Muhyiddin's official vehicle was seen entering the main gate of Istana Negara at 7.50am, according to Bernama. His official car later left the palace grounds at 8.56am.
Malaysian media reported that other political leaders have also received an invitation to meet the ruler.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was seen entering the palace at 10.37am, Astro Awani reported.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is the chairman of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air, would be called for an audience with the king on Thursday, while Parti Islam Se-Malaysia confirmed that its president Abdul Hadi Awang had received the invitation letter on Jun 4.
Democratic Action Party's national organising secretary Anthony Loke confirmed in a Facebook post that party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng would meet the king on Wednesday afternoon.
Discussions on the current political landscape are likely to be on the agenda, according to the Star.
Malay Mail, citing an anonymous source earlier this week, reported that the COVID-19 situation will also be discussed.
In January, the king had declared a state of emergency across the nation to curb the spread of COVID-19. It is set to end on Aug 1 or earlier depending on the state of the pandemic.
Opposition MPs and activists set up a Committee for Ending the Emergency Declaration in March and launched a petition to appeal for an end to the state of emergency.
Mr Muhyiddin, who is under pressure from the opposition parties as well as coalition partners to prove the parliamentary support he commands, has reiterated that he would advise the king to dissolve parliament once the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.
Malaysia is currently under renewed movement restrictions as record high daily new infections and deaths were recorded.
WASHINGTON: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has eased travel recommendations for more than 110 countries and territories, including Singapore.
The CDC's new ratings, first reported by Reuters and posted on a CDC website on Monday (Jun 8), include 61 nations that were lowered from its highest "Level 4" rating that discouraged all travel to recommending travel for fully vaccinated individuals, the agency confirmed on Tuesday.
An additional 50 countries and territories have been lowered to "Level 2" or "Level 1", a CDC spokeswoman said. Countries ranked lowest for COVID-19 risks now include Singapore, Israel, South Korea, Iceland, Belize and Albania.
Among those now listed at "Level 3", are France, Ecuador, the Philippines, South Africa, Canada, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, Honduras, Hungary and Italy.
The US State Department said it had updated its recommendations to reflect the recent methodology update, but noted not all ratings were revised because of other factors including " commercial flight availability, restrictions on US citizen entry, and impediments to obtaining COVID test results within three calendar days".
The State Department eased its ratings on 85 countries and territories, including Japan.
On May 24, the State Department had urged against travel to Japan, citing a new wave of coronavirus cases before the Tokyo Olympics are set to begin on Jul 23.
The State Department warning raised concerns and prompted the White House to reaffirm its support for Tokyo's plan to hold the Games this summer and for US athletes competing there despite a new wave of infections and a low vaccination rate in the host country.
Foreign spectators have been banned, and organisers are expected to make a decision late this month on domestic spectators.
REVISED CRITERIA
The CDC said the change came after it revised its criteria for travel health notices. The CDC said it also revised its rating for the United States to "Level 3" from "Level 4".
The agency said the new criteria for a Level 4 "avoid all travel" recommendation has changed to 500 cases per 100,000 from 100 COVID-19 cases per 100,000.
The agency added that many countries have lower ratings "because of the criteria changes or because their outbreaks are better controlled". The CDC said it expects more countries to get lower, more favourable travel ratings.
Other countries being lowered to "Level 3" include Honduras, Indonesia, Jordan, Libya, Panama, Poland, Denmark and Malaysia.
Many of the countries that now have lower ratings remain on the US government's list of countries subject to severe travel restrictions - and most have been subject to the restrictions since early 2020.
The United States bars nearly all non-US citizens who have within the previous 14 days been to China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, India, South Africa, Brazil, Iran and the 26 Schengen nations in Europe without border controls.
Asked why the United States is maintaining the restrictions even though some countries that now have low infection rates are subject to them, while others with high rates are exempt, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Tuesday the issue was subject to "an interagency conversation, and we are looking at the data in real time as to how we should move forward with that".
Reuters reported on Tuesday the Biden administration is forming expert working groups with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and the UK to determine how best to restart travel safely after 15 months of pandemic restrictions, citing a White House official.
