Suspect arrested after man found dead in Genting Highlands hotel with hands and feet tied - The Straits Times

The body of a 51-year-old man was found topless with his hands and feet tied up in a hotel room in Genting Highlands on Dec 22.

A suspect has been arrested for the alleged murder.

Malaysian Chinese-language news outlet China Press reported that hotel staff had contacted the police after finding the man’s body in a hotel room.

The deceased is believed to be a security guard who was reportedly working for a loan shark.

China Press said the 45-year-old suspect, a Chinese national, had arrived in Malaysia on Dec 6 and lost RM50,000 (S$14,300) gambling at the casino. He then borrowed a similar amount from a loan shark and lost it gambling.

Unable to repay the money, he was detained in a hotel room by the loan shark and put under the watch of a security guard for three days.

China Press reported that on the morning of the incident, the guard had kicked the suspect, who was sleeping at the time, and demanded that he repay the money.

A fight broke out, and the suspect allegedly strangled the guard, using cloth strips, towels and belts to restrain him.

When he realised the guard was unconscious, the suspect performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on him. He then informed medical staff, who confirmed the guard had died, China Press said.

The suspect was arrested on the spot and escorted to the police station for investigation.

China Press said the police are looking for two other suspects involved in the incident.

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2023-12-23 06:10:00Z
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Stepping up tone, US says Iran 'deeply involved' in Houthi ship attacks - CNA

DRONES, MISSILES AND MONITORS

The White House said that US visual analysis found nearly identical features between Iran's KAS-04 drones and the unmanned vehicles fired by the Houthis, as well as consistent features between Iranian and Houthi missiles.

The Houthis are also reliant on Iranian-provided monitoring systems at sea, the White House said.

"Moreover, Iranian-provided tactical intelligence has been critical in enabling Houthi targeting of maritime vessels since the group commenced attacks in November," Watson said.

Despite the findings presented by the White House, there have been doubts among some US and allied policymakers on whether the Houthis are acting at the behest of Iran.

One diplomat from a US ally who follows the region noted that Lebanon's Hezbollah - which has much closer ties with Iran - has been comparatively restrained in the face of US warnings including a show of naval might in the Eastern Mediterranean.

"Of Iran's proxies in the region, the Houthis have the weakest link to Tehran. And it is hard to see how the attacks serve their or Iran's interests," the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

The Biden administration had initially kept a low-key tone on the Houthi attacks, in part out of an interest in preserving a fragile peace in Yemen.

The Houthis and the Saudi-backed government have effectively maintained a UN-brokered truce since April 2022, halting a devastating war that triggered a humanitarian crisis in which most of the population relies on aid.

In a recent research paper, Michael Knights, a fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that the Houthis shared the "paranoid" mindset of Iran's ruling clerics.

The United States should think of the Houthis as a sort of North Korea, "an insular, aggressive, well-armed player that is hostile to the United States and sitting on key geography", he wrote.

Iran's religious leadership openly supports Hamas, whose gunmen broke through Gaza's militarized border on Oct 7 and killed around 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducted around 250 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

US officials have said they have no evidence that Tehran had previous knowledge or directly planned the attack.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas. Its relentless bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza has killed more than 20,000 people, most of them women and children, according to Hamas authorities.

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2023-12-23 07:21:00Z
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UN Security Council demands Gaza aid deliveries 'at scale' - CNA

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations Security Council approved on Friday (Dec 22) a watered-down resolution that demands all sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict allow the "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale".

After days of delays, the resolution also called for the creation of "conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities" but did not call for an immediate end to fighting.

Russia and the United States, which both could have vetoed the measure as permanent members of the council, abstained, meaning it passed with 13 votes in favour.

Nonetheless, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called the resolution "a strong step forward".

"This council provided a glimmer of hope among a sea of suffering," she said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said in the wake of the vote that Israel's offensive was the "real problem" and that the country is "creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid" as he reiterated his call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. 

Palestinian militant group Hamas said the resolution was "insufficient" and "does not respond to the catastrophic situation created by the Zionist (Israeli) war machine".

The Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour said using humanitarian aid "as a method of war has to end now".

"You need to stop the killer to save the patient," he said, calling the resolution a "step in the right direction".

Diplomatic wrangling at United Nations headquarters in Manhattan - causing the vote to be postponed several times this week - has come against the backdrop of deteriorating conditions in Gaza and a mounting death toll.

Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzya condemned the United States for "blocking an extremely weak call for cessation of hostilities."

"If this document weren't supported by a number of Arab states we would of course have vetoed it," he said.

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2023-12-22 21:19:16Z
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Malaysian anti-corruption agency seizes ex-finance minister Daim Zainuddin’s 60-storey building - South China Morning Post

According to a notice by the MACC, the anti-corruption agency seized the tower after it found an offence under the MACC Act 2009.

“Take notice that according to Section 38(5) of the MACC Act 2009, whereby anyone that goes against this notice or carry out any actions that is against this notice, has committed an offence that can be fined no more than twice the amount of the said value, or 50,000 ringgit (US$10,789), or whichever higher amount, and can be jailed for a period no longer than two years,” the notice read.

The agency placed the notice in a local media advertisement dated December 18.

Malaysia’s corruption rating stagnates with many accused leaders still in power

A staff member in Menara Ilham said that despite the MACC seizure notice, it was still “business as usual”.

“No comments. But it was business as usual,” the unnamed staff member said briefly.

A receptionist at Element Hotel, which operates out of the building, also said the hotel was operating as usual with rooms available.

Attempts to get Daim’s comments on the matter is ongoing.

Meanwhile, Singapore-based Channel News Asia (CNA) quoted financial executives close to Daim as saying that the seizure was effected on Thursday after Daim’s refusal to submit to MACC’s petition to declare his and his family’s financial holdings.

CNA claimed that Daim told MACC officials that he had nothing to do with the Renong-UEM deal and in early December, the former finance minister was told by MACC that he would no longer receive any extension.

It was reported that Daim maintained that the deal which involved UEM acquiring a 33 per cent interest in Renong was purely a corporate transaction between companies that were governed by their respective managements, board of directors and shareholders.

Former Malaysian finance minister Daim Zainuddin. File photo: AP

As at press time, The Star was trying to reach out to MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki.

Menara Ilham, built at an estimated cost of US$580 million, is located in the prime commercial and high-rise residential property area around the Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

In May this year, MACC had said it was gathering information involving alleged misappropriation of 2.3 billion ringgit (US$496 million) by a former minister and a businessman.

Malaysia’s Anwar vows no let-up on anti-graft drive after key ally walks free

Sources said the probe was a continuation to the disclosure of confidential documents by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICJ), also known as the Pandora Papers, over transactions carried out at offshore financial centres.

The Pandora Papers refer to millions of leaked documents made public in 2021, which allegedly revealed offshore accounts of present and past leaders from around the world, including presidents, prime ministers, billionaires, and prominent businesspeople.

This article was first published by The Star

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2023-12-22 05:11:41Z
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Red Sea attacks disrupt world trade, more ships vow to avoid waters - CNA

A crisis at a single point in the supply chain can cause ships to bunch up, upending arrival and departure schedules at seaports and cascading delays throughout the system, said Christian Sur, executive vice president of ocean freight at Unique Logistics.

The cost to ship a container from China to the Mediterranean was up 44 per cent in December alone to reach US$2,413, due to the Red Sea disruptions, Freightos said earlier this week.

If the conflict persists or intensifies those so-called "spot" prices for cargo that isn't under contract "could double or triple from current levels," Sur said.

Global furniture seller IKEA is among the shippers warning of potential cargo delays and product shortages. Elsewhere, Finnish elevator maker Kone estimated that some shipments could be delayed by two to three weeks.

While goods that travel by container, including apparel, toys and food, are most at risk - other products are being affected.

US soybean exporters, who were already switching shipments from the drought-stricken Panama Canal to the Suez Canal, are weighing whether to start putting crops on trains to the West Coast to access ships that go directly to China and other Asian markets to avoid significantly longer alternate voyages around South America or Africa.

"You've got all these imperfect options available," Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition.

Analysts warned that some retailers could start running low on some goods by February, though after the COVID-19 pandemic more companies have sought resilience in supply chains by buying from exporters in different regions.

"We are more experienced having gone thru COVID," said Sur, whose firm counts retailers among its clients.

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2023-12-21 22:34:00Z
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Explainer: How serious is JN.1, WHO's latest COVID-19 variant of concern that is dominating Singapore cases? - CNA

WHY IS JN.1 SO EASILY SPREAD?

Dr Tambyah said that Singapore's COVID-19 case spike is most likely fuelled by the evolution of the coronavirus.

"This is known to happen with influenza and common cold (rhinovirus) viruses," he added.

"The reality is that these viruses are well adapted to avoiding the human immune system ... Most viruses that have adapted well to humans are constantly evolving to avoid the immune response generated by infection or vaccination."

Inertia in keeping up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and the growing time since a previous infection have also resulted in the increasing number of cases, the experts said.

Dr Leong said: "In both these cases, the longer it has been, the more likely they will fall sick (because of) the relative lack of immunity.

"Even though there is hybrid immunity, it is not sufficient for this strain because of the multiple mutations since."

Hybrid immunity is a combination of the effects of past infections and vaccination, which provides stronger immunity against subsequent infections.

Dr Tambyah said that it is not clear if the current COVID-19 vaccines are effective against JN.1, but WHO has said that protection from vaccines that fight the Omicron XBB variant "are likely to be effective".

WHO said in its Tuesday statement that its technical advisory groups are monitoring this.

"Certainly if the vaccine uptake was much better - like in earlier vaccination rounds - we would see much fewer cases and less hospital admissions," Dr Leong said.

MOH considers the minimum protection for persons five years and older as three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Moderna-Spikevax or Novavax (Nuvaxovid) vaccines, or four doses of Sinovac.

On its website, the ministry recommends an added dose of the updated vaccine a year after the last dose for people aged 60 years old and above, those who are medically vulnerable and residents of aged care facilities.

WHAT OTHER FACTORS ARE BEHIND THE RISE IN COVID-19 CASES?

Experts told TODAY that besides the new variant, winter conditions in the northern hemisphere and more people choosing not to wear masks have fuelled the increase in COVID-19 cases.

Dr Leong said that more cases are recorded also because people are getting more than one viral infection at once.

"People are more symptomatic because they may be positive for COVID-19, but have another viral infection in the background that is not diagnosed," he explained.

With a more severe illness, people are more likely to see a doctor or be admitted to hospital. This would cause the recorded number of cases to rise.

Increased travel is another factor, Dr Tambyah said, since travel helps mix and spread different virus strains that have developed in different locations.

On this point, Dr Leong said that this is like any epidemic, where cities and countries better connected with the rest of the world will be the earliest to be hit with an upswing of COVID-19 cases.

This article was originally published in TODAY. 

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2023-12-21 03:26:28Z
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China warns Philippines against South China Sea 'miscalculation' - CNA

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has told the Philippines to address through dialogue serious difficulties in their relations over the South China Sea, warning that any miscalculation would prompt Beijing to defend itself and "respond resolutely".

Beijing and Manila have traded sharp accusations in recent months over a succession of run-ins in the South China Sea.

The Philippines has accused China's coastguard of intentionally colliding with its vessels and using water cannon and a military-grade laser against them, while China has accused the Philippines of trespassing in its territory.

The souring of ties this year coincides with Manila's moves to boost military ties with Japan and the United States, its former colonial power and defence ally of seven decades.

"China-Philippines relations are at a crossroads," Wang told his Philippine counterpart Enrique Manalo in a call on Wednesday (Dec 20), according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.

"The top priority is to properly handle and control the current maritime situation."

If the Philippines misjudges or colludes with "ill-intentioned" external forces, China would defend its rights and respond resolutely, Wang was quoted saying, without elaborating. It was not immediately clear who initiated the phone call.

His remarks could intensify a dispute that has simmered for years, with the Philippines pushing back at what it sees as a Chinese campaign to prevent it from accessing fossil fuel and fisheries resources in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

An escalation towards an armed confrontation, while unlikely, would be a significant raising of the stakes, with the United States bound by a 1951 treaty to defend the Philippines should it come under attack, including in the South China Sea.

Manalo said in a statement that he had a frank and candid exchange with Wang, adding both "noted the importance of dialogue".

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2023-12-21 04:39:00Z
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