The health ministry has announced that 13 Covid-19-related cases were discharged from hospital today, bringing the total cumulative number of recoveries to 8,499 cases or 97.9 per cent of all total cases.

Its director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that as of noon today, six new Covid-19 cases were reported, bringing the total number of reported cases in Malaysia to 8,683 with 63 cases currently active.

“Fortunately, all six cases are import cases where the infection occurred abroad, including five Malaysians and one non-Malaysian who is a permanent resident. There were no domestic infection cases today,” he said in a statement.

Currently, there are two Covid-19 positive cases being treated in Intensive Care Units, with one of them requiring breathing assistance.

No deaths have been reported today, leaving the total number of Covid 19-related casualties at 121 cases, or 1.39 per cent of the total number of cases.

Meanwhile, Dr Noor Hisham also announced the latest statistics on the work-related clusters detected and identified by the ministry. Of the 15, 11 have since been declared as ended.

“As of 12pm today, all 15 clusters have seen 10,362 people screened for Covid-19. Of this number, 4,242 or 40.9 per cent are Malaysians, while 6,120 or 45.3 per cent are non-Malaysians.

“The total number of positive cases detected in these clusters is 722 cases, involving 122 Malaysians or 16.9 per cent, and 600 non-Malaysians or 83.1 per cent,” he said.

The breakdown of the non-Malaysians infected by Covid-19 by nationality include 234 Bangladeshis, 212 Nepalis, 109 Indonesians, 36 Myanmar nationals, seven Indians, and one Cambodian and Vietnamese, respectively.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/09/dr-noor-hisham-six-new-covid-19-cases-in-malaysia-today-total-recoveries-hi/1883022

 

Category: Malaysia

A 56-year-old suspect was apprehended by the police earlier today for questioning in relation to a report lodged against him for alleged sexual harassment that happened in November last year.

Kuala Lumpur police chief, Commissioner Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim, through a brief statement today confirmed the arrest.

“The suspect, who is wheelchair-bound and paralysed from the waist down, will have his statement taken and be released on (police) bail,” he said.

It is understood that as of 9.30pm, the suspect had completed recording his statement and was subsequently released.

Earlier today, Mazlan confirmed that the police received a report by a 27-year-old trainee doctor who alleged incidents of sexual harassment by a suspect, who the police described as a lecturer and founder of a local non-governmental organisation.

Mazlan had explained that the complainant had lodged the report as early as February 17 this year, but then decided not to pursue the case.

“Then, on July 7, the complainant had asked the police to resume their investigations,” Mazlan wrote in a statement today.

The police chief explained the contents of the report alleged the harassment had occurred on the afternoon of November 4 last year, in the alleged victim’s office within a hospital in the capital.

“The complainant was late in making the report because he was worried it would destroy his career, since the suspect was an influential person,” said Mazlan.

He said the case is being investigated under Section 354 of the Penal Code for assault or use of criminal force to a person with intent to outrage modesty.

Earlier today, Malay Mail reported how three former members of Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF) spoke about the sexual harassment they allegedly faced from one of the think tank’s directors

This was following a call by the women’s rights Joint Action Group for Gender Equality (JAG) who urged lRF to initiate an independent investigation into the sexual harassment allegations

The alleged victims claimed that the perpetrator touched them inappropriately on several occasions, including stroking their arms, legs, and hugging them around their waists, and one instance of sexual assault involving attempted kissing and groping.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/09/activist-and-ngo-founder-out-on-police-bail-after-being-arrested-to-have-st/1883097

 

Category: Malaysia

This is a round-up of Covid-19 related matters in Malaysia and globally from July 4 up to 12.30pm today. In Malaysia, case numbers have exceeded 8,000 and globally, the virus has infected more than 12 million people and caused over 550,000 deaths. More than 200 countries and territories are affected by the pandemic.

In Malaysia, the first three Covid-19 cases were detected more than six months ago. Since then the number of confirmed cases has swelled to 8,683 but currently, however, only 2 percent of them or 67 are active cases.

A total of 8,499 cases have recovered fully so far, including the 13 patients discharged over the 24 hours up to noon yesterday.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a media statement yesterday that Malaysia has recorded the second consecutive day of zero local transmissions of Covid-19, with the six new cases reported yesterday comprising imported infections involving five Malaysians and a permanent resident returning from overseas.

On Wednesday, three new Covid-19 cases were recorded and all three were imported ones.

The latest developments clearly indicate that Malaysians are aware of the importance of practising self-discipline, as well as observing the new normal way of life as per the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) standard operating procedures (SOPs) to break the Covid-19 chain of infections.

Also noteworthy is the fact that the dwindling new case numbers were achieved under the Recovery Movement Control Order that was enforced on June 10 and will stretch until August 31.

As for Covid-19 fatalities, the tally still stands at 121, which translates to a recovery rate of 1.39 percent of total cases. No deaths were reported in Malaysia since July 9.

Meanwhile, only two patients are currently being treated in the intensive care unit with one of them requiring ventilatory aid.

Domestic developments

On Wednesday, MOH uploaded the picture of an egg on its Facebook and Twitter accounts to indicate that Malaysia recorded zero local transmission of Covid-19 that day.

The “egg-cellent” news got social media platforms buzzing with excitement with many netisens heaping praises on MOH and its frontliners for a job well done. In fact, the first time Malaysia reported zero local transmission was on July 1 when one imported case was recorded.

During his media briefing on Wednesday, Dr Noor Hisham also announced the end of the nation’s biggest Covid-19 cluster Sri Petaling tabligh cluster.

This cluster was detected after a tabligh gathering that took place from February 27 to March 3 at a mosque in Seri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur. An estimated 16,000 people 14,500 Malaysians and 1,500 non-Malaysians from various countries had attended the event. The first Covid-19 case from that cluster was reported in Malaysia on March 11. As of July 8, a total of 42,023 individuals who attended the tabligh gathering had been screened and 3,375 were found positive.

The Sri Petaling tabligh cluster comprised 38.9 percent of the total Covid-19 cases in Malaysia. Positive cases belonging to this cluster and sub-clusters were detected in seven states, involving 2,550 Malaysian citizens and 825 non-citizens.

Interestingly, 2,187 positive cases (64.8%) from this cluster were asymptomatic. Covid-19 claimed the lives of 34 patients (28.1%) in this cluster.

MOH also announced the end of the Kg Sg Lui, Selangor, cluster on Wednesday. This cluster recorded 211 cases but there were no deaths.

In its press statement yesterday, MOH announced that 11 out of the 15 clusters detected in workplaces have ended. This includes the Kuala Lumpur cleaning company cluster, which was the first workplace cluster to be detected.

Four more workplace clusters that are still active are the Kuala Lumpur construction site cluster (73 positive cases), Pedas cluster (326), cleaning company cluster (34) and Kuching construction site cluster (three).

WHO and global situation

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in his Covid-19 media briefing in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday, said the pandemic is still spreading and has yet to reach its peak.

For the record, in the year 1918, an influenza pandemic (referred to as the Spanish Flu) struck the world, infecting 500 million and killing 50 million people worldwide. The influenza was reportedly caused by the H1N1 virus with genes of avian origin.

Dr Tedros said over the past few months, there has been a lot of discussion about the origins of Covid-19.

He said all preparations have been finalised and WHO experts will be travelling to China this weekend to prepare scientific plans with their Chinese counterparts for identifying the zoonotic source of the disease.

The mission’s objective is to advance the understanding of animal hosts for Covid-19 and ascertain how the disease jumped between animals and humans, he added.

On Tuesday, WHO also said that it would study fresh evidence on airborne transmission of the coronavirus after an international group of scientists concluded it could spread far beyond two metres.

It said it would put out a new scientific brief within days, rounding up the knowledge about how the virus can be transmitted and ensuring its guidance stays in line with the evidence.

Worldwide statistics

According to CoronaTracker (which cites figures from various agencies including WHO), the total number of Covid-19 cases worldwide at the time of writing this article stood at 12.39 million with 557,405 deaths. The total number of recoveries stood at 7.19 million.

The United States continues to head the list of badly-hit nations with 3.22 million cases (2.84 million cases at this time last week) and 135,822 fatalities.

Brazil is on the second spot with 1.76 million cases and 69,254 fatalities. India has replaced Russia at the third spot with 794,842 cases and 21,653 deaths. Russia is fourth with 707,301 cases and 10,843 deaths.

Another 17 countries have recorded cases exceeding 100,000, namely Peru with 316,448 cases (11,314), Chile 306,216 (6,682), Spain 300,136 (28,401), the United Kingdom 287,621 (44,602), Mexico 282,283 (33,526), Iran 250,458 (12,305), Italy 242,363 (34,926) Pakistan 240,848 (4,983), South Africa 238,339 (3,720), Saudi Arabia 223,327 (2,100), Turkey 209,962 (5,300), Germany 199,198 (9,125), Bangladesh 175,494 (2,238), France 170,094 (29,979), Colombia 133,973 (4,714), Canada 106,805 (8,749) and Qatar 102,110 (142).

China, where the outbreak was first reported at end-December 2019, is now on the 22nd spot with 83,585 cases and 4,634 deaths.

In Southeast Asia, Indonesia has the highest number of cases at 70,736 and 3,417 deaths. The Philippines, meanwhile, has taken the second spot (from Singapore) with 51,754 cases and 1,314 deaths. Singapore has reported 45,423 cases and 26 deaths.

Thailand has 3,202 cases (58 deaths), Vietnam 369 cases (0) and Myanmar 317 cases (six).

No new cases were recorded this week in Brunei (141 cases and two deaths), Cambodia (141 cases and no death) and Laos (19 cases and no death).

Covid-19 background

According to the WHO website, its China country office was informed of cases of pneumonia that were detected in Wuhan on December 31, 2019. On January 7, the Chinese authorities confirmed that the novel coronavirus can be transmitted from human to human.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-COV).

A study of the virus’ genetic sequence suggested similarities to that seen in snakes and bats. China health officials identified the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan as the source of the transmission of the coronavirus.

On February 11, WHO announced the official name of the virus, COVID-19, which is an acronym for coronavirus 2019 CO stands for corona, VI for virus and D for disease.

On January 30, WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak as a global emergency. By then, it had spread to 18 countries and caused 170 deaths. On March 11, Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by WHO.

WHO has described the Covid-19 outbreak as 10 times more dangerous than the A H1N1 Influenza, also known as Swine Flu.

Swine Flu, which occurred between January 2009 and August 2010, infected more than 1.6 million people and caused 18,449 fatalities.

The International Monetary Fund has warned that the global economic recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic will be worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/covid19-weekly-roundup-zero-local-transmission-malaysia

 

Category: Malaysia

The Statistics Department said today the absolute poverty rate in Malaysia improved from 7.6 percent in 2016 to 5.6 percent in 2019 following the revision of the national poverty line income (PLI) according to current needs that emphasize on optimal food intake and quality non-food basic requirements.

In a statement today, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said based on the 2019 methodology, the mean value of the national PLI is at RM2,208, which is within the bottom 10 percent of households.

“Meanwhile, hardcore poverty recorded 0.4 percent in 2019 as compared to 0.6 percent in 2016,” Mohd Uzir said in the statement, which was issued in conjunction with the launch of the department’s Household Income and Basic Amenities Survey Report and Household Expenditure Survey Report at Putrajaya today.

At a press conference there today, Mohd Uzir said the mean value of the PLI rose to RM2,208 per household per month in 2019 from RM980 previously. He said Malaysia’s PLI was last measured in 2016 using the 2005 methodology, which valued the PLI at RM980.

Based on the new PLI, he said the number of poor households declined to 405,441 households in 2019 from 525,743 households in 2016.

Based on the old PLI, the number of poor households increased to 405,441 in 2019 from 24,700 in 2016, according to him.

Malaysian household income and expenditure have also risen. In the statement, Mohd Uzir said median income grew 3.9 percent a year to RM5,873 in 2019 while mean income increased 4.2 percent per year to RM7,901.

“Seven states had median income above the national level. Meanwhile, three Federal states, Selangor and Johor recorded mean income higher than the national level of RM7,901,” he said.

He said mean household expenditure grew 3.9 percent in 2019. He said the department’s household expenditure survey findings showed that demand for services by households is increasing.

“The composition for (the) services component increased to 52.1 percent in 2019, he said.

At the press conference, Mohd Uzir said 61.6 percent of Malaysian households’ average income is derived from paid employment, followed by 17.3 percent from self employment, 12.9 percent from property and investments, and 8.2 percent from monetary transfers such as remittances, alimony, pension, and other assistance.

“The survey shows that more people continue to seek self-employment, as this segment rose to 17.3 percent from 15.6 percent in 2016,” he said.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/malaysias-poverty-rate-rises-56-%E2%80%94-chief-statistician

 

Category: Malaysia

Al Jazeera Media Network has strongly rejected allegations made by Malaysian authorities over an investigative documentary aired last week about the arrest of undocumented migrants during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a short film called Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown broadcast on July 3, Al Jazeera’s 101 East documentary strand investigated the plight of thousands of undocumented migrant workers arrested during raids in areas under tight lockdowns.

Malaysian officials and national television criticised the report, claiming it was inaccurate, misleading and unfair. Defence minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob called on Al Jazeera to apologise to Malaysians, adding that allegations of racism and discrimination against undocumented migrants were untrue.

Malaysian police announced an investigation of Al Jazeera staff over potential sedition, defamation and violation of the country’s Communications and Multimedia Act.

In a statement, the Qatar-based broadcaster on Thursday said it stands by “the professionalism, quality and impartiality of its journalism”, and warned of “serious concerns about developments that have occurred in Malaysia since the broadcast of the documentary”.

While the documentary had focused on the plight of foreign migrant workers, it also highlighted Malaysia’s success in containing the virus and the humanitarian efforts of Malaysian organisations to provide direct assistance to migrants in need, the broadcaster said.

The filmmakers sought senior government officials’ comments, but repeated requests for interviews were not accepted, according to the statement. Still, Al Jazeera “produced a balanced film by including comments made by the Defense minister at two press conferences”, it said.

It added that the weekly programme which focuses on the Asia Pacific region, “has a reputation for producing in-depth journalism of the highest quality. Many of its programmes have been internationally recognised with prestigious awards from across the globe.”

Threats against staff

Al Jazeera also said it has “grave concerns” about its staff in Malaysia who have faced abuse online, including death threats and disclosure of their personal details over social media.

“Al Jazeera is deeply concerned that its staff are now subject to a police investigation,” said the statement.

“Charging journalists for doing their jobs is not the action of a democracy that values free speech. Journalism is not a crime,” it added.

It said the network was “concerned for the safety of those interviewed in the documentary who have also been subjected to abusive online harassment and hate speech”.

Regional news websites reported on Tuesday that Malaysia’s immigration department issued a search notice for a Bangladeshi national interviewed in the documentary.

The developments come amid a crackdown by Malaysian authorities on reporters and activists.

Al Jazeera urged Malaysian authorities “to respect media freedom and desist from treating its journalists as criminals”.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/07/al-jazeera-rejects-malaysian-officials-claims-documentary-200709163244473.html

 

Category: Malaysia

Six journalists including five Australians are being interrogated by Malaysian authorities who have accused them of sedition and defamation after the broadcast of a documentary about migrant workers in Kuala Lumpur during Covid-19.

A week after the broadcast of the Al Jazeera English documentary in Malaysia, the journalists were ordered to attend the police station for questioning on Friday morning.

Malaysian police have told them they are being investigated for sedition, defamation and violation of the country’s Communications and Multimedia Act.

Officials have also issued a search notice for a migrant who was interviewed during the documentary, prompting concern that he may be retaliated against. Earlier this week, the immigration department urged the public to come forward with information about the man.

The film documented immigration raids and migrants hiding from officials, events which were covered by the local and international media.

Since the broadcast of Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown on 3 July the documentary team, who are almost all Australian, has been subjected to online abuse and death threats.

Local media and officials say the report was inaccurate, misleading and unfair.

Lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik told reporters that the journalists “refute all the charges”.

“There was no intent by Al Jazeera to create any mischief,” he said.

Al Jazeera said: “Al Jazeera is deeply concerned that its staff are now subject to a police investigation.

“Charging journalists for doing their jobs is not the action of a democracy that values free speech. Journalism is not a crime.

“Al Jazeera also has grave concerns about the sustained online harassment its staff are facing. Reporters have been targeted with abusive messages and death threats.

“The personal details of current and former staff have been published online, in a serious breach of privacy which could potentially expose them to great risk both now and in the future.”

The 25-minute film, by the award-winning 101 East documentary strand, examined why Malaysia’s undocumented foreign migrant workers were at risk in the time of Covid-19.

Malaysian authorities were widely criticised for rounding up and detaining hundreds of undocumented migrants in May, through operations intended to control coronavirus. Police walked people through Kuala Lumpur in single file to a detention building, apparently to prevent undocumented migrants from travelling to other areas and spreading Covid-19. At the time, the UN said the move could push vulnerable groups into hiding and prevent them from seeking treatment.

Australia’s Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has written to the Malaysian high commission urging it to drop the case.

“Since the broadcast, Al Jazeera personnel in Malaysia have been targeted in a sustained campaign of online abuse (‘trolling’),” the union said.

“They have received death threats and, in an extreme threat to their safety, they have been subjected to ‘doxing’ the disclosure of their personnel details on social media platforms in order to enable and provoke further harassment, threats and intimidation. A source used in the story has even been pursued through the use of a ‘wanted’ notice.

“The documentary acknowledged Malaysia’s success in containing the Covid-19 virus. The Al Jazeera crew repeatedly sought Malaysian government input and responses for inclusion in the news story but were repeatedly rebuffed. The documentary featured material that had been reported on by other media outlets, including the South China Morning Post.”

The Malaysian defence minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob, called on Al Jazeera to apologise to Malaysians, saying allegations of racism and discrimination against undocumented migrants were untrue.

Rights groups have expressed alarm at an intensified crackdown on critical voices under the government of Muhyiddin Yassin, who was named prime minister by the king in March, following the collapse of the multiracial reformist coalition that had been elected two years earlier.

Over recent months, prominent journalists, INGO workers, opposition figures and members of the public have faced investigations or charges.

Among them is Steven Gan, editor of the online news platform Malaysiakini, who could face jail time for contempt of court charges over comments posted on the website by internet users, which were apparently critical of the judiciary. Shawn Crispin of the Committee to Protect Journalists said the trial, which begins next week, “reeks of a witch hunt”.

Legal experts have also criticised a decision by officials to investigate Boo Su-Lyn, editor of the health news portal CodeBlue, under the Official Secrets Act. A probe was launched after Boo Su-Lyn published the findings of an independent investigation into a hospital fire that killed six patients in 2016, which she says had been declassified.

Activists have also been pulled in for questioning by police, as have politicians. In one case, Hannah Yeoh, a former women, family and community development minister, was questioned after raised concerns over the new government’s commitment to tackling child marriage. She later said she had handed over her usernames and passwords to police.

Just last week, a 57-year-old man was fined around $470 for posting insulting remarks about the country’s health minister, despite the court noting that his comments were not malicious or excessive. He could face prison if he fails to pay the fine.

The increased use of the country’s notoriously broad laws including the Sedition Act and the Communications and Multimedia Act have added to fears that the country is returning to the repression of previous governments.

The Guardian has approached Malaysia’s high commission in Canberra for comment.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jul/10/police-interrogate-five-australian-al-jazeera-journalists-accused-of-sedition-in-malaysia

 

Category: Malaysia

Five Australian journalists working for Al Jazeera in Malaysia are being investigated for a documentary into why the COVID-19 pandemic forced migrant workers into hiding.

The Qatar-based broadcaster called on Malaysian authorities to “respect media freedom” and “desist from treating its journalists as criminals”.

Six media workers were called to Malaysia Central Police Headquarters in Bukit Aman at 8.50am on July 10, including senior producer and correspondent Drew Ambrose, from Melbourne, producer Jenni Henderson, and the network’s bureau chief, executive producer, cameraman, and digital crew.

They are being investigated for alleged defamation, sedition and violation of the country’s Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) for the 25-minute documentary Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown aired on the station’s 101 East programme on July 3.

The documentary highlights the alleged harsh treatment of migrants during the COVID-19 lockdown and shows raids of migrants handcuffed together while they waited for their documents to be verified, the raids have been widely reported by other media.

Malaysian officials and state television have criticised the documentary as being inaccurate, misleading and unfair, which Al Jazeera strongly refutes.

On July 5, the Malay Mail reported that Health minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said allegations of discrimination were “incorrect” and “the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 was to combat COVID-19 for all”.

Senior minister for Security and minister of Defence Ismail Sabri Yaakob called for Al Jazeera to stop screening the documentary and apologise to the Malaysian people, local outlet Bernama reported.

“Al Jazeera did not wish to know the facts and maliciously accused us of being racist, which is also untrue,” he was quoted as saying.

Al Jazeera said the documentary contained views of a wide range of people from different backgrounds and acknowledged the government’s COVID-19 response had contained the spread of the virus. As of Friday, the country had recorded 8683 confirmed cases and 121 deaths.

“The episode does not contain the personal opinions of any Al Jazeera staff,” the broadcaster’s statement said.

Al Jazeera said it repeatedly sought the government’s view by requesting interviews, but they were denied. Comments made by the minister at two press conferences were used in the documentary to provide balance, despite producers being told they couldn’t attend.

“Charging journalists for doing their jobs is not the action of a democracy that values free speech. Journalism is not a crime,” Al Jazeera said.

The broadcaster has also expressed concern for the safety of staff, who have been harassed online. It said death threats have been made against journalists and interviewees have been harassed online.

“People should feel free to speak with the media and express their views without the fear that they could be targeted,” the statement said.

Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said Malaysian authorities were increasingly responding to criticism of the government by initiating criminal investigations.

“Prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin should recognise that everyone has a right to criticise their government without fear of investigation or prosecution,” Robertson said.

According to the IFJ, since March there have been 19 instances of authorities enforcing the act to intimidate media workers and freedom of expression advocates.

This includes intimidation of online news portal Malaysiakini and its editor Steven Gan. The Attorney-General has filed contempt proceedings against them based on comments posted by the outlet’s readers. The court will hear arguments on the case on July 13.

“Since the new government took office, freedom of speech and the press have faced renewed threats in Malaysia,” Roberston said.

The Australian Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance has written to the High Commission of Malaysia urging it to fulfil its obligations under the UN general Assembly resolution to do its “utmost to prevent violence, threats and attacks targeting journalist and media”.

Al Jazeera English has offered to host a representative of the Malaysian government to respond to the matters raised in the documentary.

https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/calls-to-respect-media-freedom-as-five-australian-journalists-investigated-20200710-p55at7.html

 

Category: Malaysia

The heavy losses sustained by low-cost carrier AirAsia Group due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic have proven to be undaunting for its chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, who remains confident it can be in the black by 2021.

In an interview with Nikkei Asian Review published today, he said the group will also look to raise RM2 billion within the coming six months so as to be in “a very comfortable position”.

“At RM1 billion, we are comfortable. But if we can raise RM2 billion, we would be in a very comfortable position. I know I am ambitious, but I am confident that in 2021 we can be profitable,” Fernandes was quoted as saying.

His remarks came as AirAsia revealed its plans to raise capital, following its external auditor Ernst and Young’s assessment yesterday which doubted the group’s ability to continue as a going concern, resulting in a sharp drop of AirAsia’s shares.

Fernandes added that a portion of the funding would come from a share offering, to occur within the next six months.

He said the new shares will be placed with a third-party investor, and that much interest has been stimulated by this.

On the group’s joint ventures in Japan and India, the chief executive officer dismissed any speculation that it might pull out of them, as both countries are still promising and no plans have been made to withdraw from those markets.

“In Japan and India, we have excellent partners, and there are no plans to exit, at least at the time being. We need to expand in these markets, and maybe in one more year they can be profitable,” he said.With domestic flights resuming at 50 per cent capacity and a load factor of 60 per cent in July alone, Fernandes said this is a sign of growing demand. AirAsia is expecting to be running at 90 per cent capacity domestically by the year’s end, while its international flights will increase gradually.

Other supporting factors include rising air fares, low fuel costs and increased travel demand in countries where AirAsia operates.

Concerning Ernst and Young’s statement assessing the group’s continuity, he called it completely fair as AirAsia was not the only airline facing a tough environment due to the pandemic.

“The lines that Ernst and Young wrote will be on the papers for most companies out there, not only airlines. We are all affected by this unprecedented event,” Fernandes said.

On Monday, the group reported a first-quarter net loss of RM804 million, reversing a RM96 million profit for the year-earlier period. The pandemic has closed the borders of most of its key markets including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, China and India, resulting in only 9.85 million passengers carried by AirAsia in the first quarter, down by 78 per cent from a year earlier.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/09/tony-fernandes-says-he-remains-optimistic-airasia-will-pull-through-covid-1/1883047

 

Category: Malaysia

Bursa Malaysia opened lower today taking the cue from a weaker overnight performance of Wall Street.

The US stocks closed mostly lower yesterday, but was off the low, as investors sought safety in technology and tech-related investments amid rising cases of coronavirus in the United States, a dealer said.

At 9.02am, the benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 8.12 points to 1,575.13 from yesterday’s close of 1,583.25.

The index opened 4.33 of a point weaker at 1,578.92.

Market breadth was negative with losers led gainers 171 to 150, while 300 counters were unchanged, 1,332 untraded and 22 others suspended.

Total volume stood at 324.03 million shares worth RM130.68 million.

In a note today, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd said the FBM KLCI has now turned slightly cautious after the recent streak of gains as penny counters took the lead.

“Given the lack of fresh leads, we see the consolidation to take place as investors continue to monitor the developments of economic recovery.

“At the same time, the renewed volatility on Wall Street might also limit any potential gains,” it said.

As for the sector focus, it said that the healthcare sector will continue to thrive over the foreseeable future as the number of new Covid-19 cases remain on the rise.

On the other hand, the technology sector may also continue its fine form with no signs of abating, in line with Nasdaq hitting the all-time-highs recently, it added.

Among heavyweights, Maybank eased three sen to RM7.88, Public Bank reduced 14 four sen to RM18.36, and Hartalega shed two sen to RM16.58.

Tenaga added two sen to RM11.50 while Top Glove was flat at RM21.18.

Of the most active, VSolar Group slid 1.5 sen to 5.5 sen, Hubline edged up half-a-sen to eight sen, AT Systematisation eased half-a-sen to nine sen while Pegasus warrant and Velesto were flat at one sen and 15 sen respectively.

On the index board, the FBM Emas was 36.67 points lower at 11,124.29, the FBMT 100 Index shed 43.25 points to 10,967.59 and the FBM Emas Shariah Index reduced 35.76 points at 12,698.63.

The FBM 70 eased 1.63 points to 13,788.68 while the FBM ACE gained 6.65 points to 7,244.57.

Sector-wise, the Financial Services Index fell 52.82 points at 13,492.76, the Industrial Products and Services Index slid 0.47 of a point to 139.23 and the Plantation Index slipped 65.87 points to 6,792.95.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/money/2020/07/10/bursa-malaysia-opens-lower-on-weak-wall-street-performance/1883167

 

Category: Malaysia

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has dismissed the MACC’s civil suit against IT firm AGA Touch (M) Sdn Bhd to forfeit RM3 million allegedly from 1MDB.

Justice Muhammad Jamil Hussin made the ruling during open-court proceedings this morning.

AGA Touch is among 41 local groups, companies, and individuals targeted in a MACC suit that seeks the forfeiture of RM270 million that allegedly originated from 1MDB.

In his brief oral ruling, Jamil said that the prosecution failed on a balance of probability to prove that the RM3 million in AGA Touch’s bank account are proceeds from unlawful activities.

The judge noted that the respondent (AGA Touch) never denied having received RM3 million in a cheque from former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak in March 2014.

He said that the court agreed with the respondent that the RM3 million was for services rendered to Umno, which was proven by invoices exhibited during court proceedings. In 2014, Najib was then Umno president and BN chairperson.

The judge further noted that the court agreed with the respondent’s arguments that the RM3 million had all been utilised for business operations by the time the account was seized by the authorities.

AGA Touch’s bank account was frozen on June 29, 2018, via a directive from MACC.

The judge also pointed out that the respondent has shown the money that remained in its account when frozen originated from other corporate bodies for services rendered.

“I find that the monies seized are not from Najib.

“The applicant (prosecution) on a balance of probabilities had failed to prove that the RM3 million is the proceeds of illegal activities. The (forfeiture) application is dismissed,” Jamil ruled.

The judge also denied an oral application from DPP Farah Yasmin Salleh for an interim stay on today’s ruling pending the prosecution’s appeal to the Court of Appeal.

Jamil directed the prosecution to instead file a written application for a temporary stay of today’s ruling pending disposal of their appeal.

When met after proceedings, AGA Touch’s counsel Hariharan Tara Singh said that they would be writing to Public Bank soon to request for the release of the RM3 million.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/court-dismisses-rm3m-1mdb-linked-020000423.html

 

Category: Malaysia