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I was wrong to join MPs’ gathering, admits Dr M

ohman — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 16:38:36 +0800

Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the gathering yesterday. He admitted today that he was wrong to have joined in as there was no social distancing practised.
PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has admitted that he should not have joined the gathering of opposition MPs at Dataran Merdeka yesterday due to the lack of social distancing at the protest.

Mahathir was speaking to an online forum on the importance of complying with Covid-19 SOPs, particularly social distancing of more than one metre, in order to curb the pandemic.

The Langkawi MP then admitted that he was “wrong” for joining the gathering of some 107 MPs, adding that he had wanted to stay and observe from his car when he arrived at Dataran Merdeka.

“But when I reached and saw all of them there and how some of them were giving speeches, I also went and sat among them.

“Thankfully, I tested negative today, but I shouldn’t have done that.

“By right, gatherings like that should not have been held. If we wanted to gather, we could have met on Zoom so that we’re not so close to others,” he said.

A total of 107 MPs from the various opposition parties attempted to march to Parliament from Dataran Merdeka yesterday to protest and call for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet to resign.

The march was shortlived as Federal Reserve Unit personnel armed with riot shields blocked them from going further, though opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said the MPs had made their point.

Later that day, Kuala Lumpur police chief Azmi Abu Kassim said investigations into the gathering had been initiated after two police reports over the matter had been lodged.

Mahathir said the key to effectively bringing down the daily Covid-19 cases was simply for everyone to follow SOPs, especially physical distancing of at least two metres, and vaccinating more people.

The Pejuang chairman said the one-metre physical distancing was insufficient due to the Delta Covid-19 variant, which was more infectious and airborne.

While he applauded the government’s achievement of ramping up vaccinations to more than 500,000 a day, Mahathir said this could be raised further to 800,000 daily.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...ng-admits-dr-m/

Man charged with insulting religion via Facebook

ohman — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:18:49 +0800

TAIPING, Aug 3 ― A former Bersih 2.0 activist was charged at the Sessions Court today with posting insulting comments on Islam on social media last April.

Sarajun Hoda Abdul Hassan, 65, however, pleaded not guilty and claimed trial after the charge was read out before Judge Siti Noraida Sulaiman.

According to the charge sheet, Sarajun Hoda had consciously made and initiated the transmission of offensive communications on Islam on his Facebook page between 9am and 12.52pm on April 26 which was read after about 9am at No 15 Jalan Wawasan 8, Taman Wawasan Jaya in Parit Buntar on April 27.

The charge under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communication and Multimedia 1988 Act provides for a fine of not more than RM50,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year or both, if convicted.

Deputy public prosecutor Sariza Ismail appeared for the prosecution, while the accused was represented by lawyers Datuk Dr Gurdial Singh Nijar, Abraham Au and Manjit Singh Saini.

The court allowed the accused bail of RM8,000 with one surety and ordered him to surrender his passport to the court. He is also required to report to the nearest police station every month.

The case will be re-mentioned on Oct 7. ― Bernama

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...taiping/1994829

old folks should not comment in FB

Cops begin probe into MPs’ demo today

ohman — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 17:23:33 +0800

The MPs being stopped by police who had blocked off all roads leading to Parliament. The MPs who took part in the march are now under investigation. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have initiated investigations into the gathering of opposition MPs at Dataran Merdeka and their attempted march to Parliament today.

In a press conference, Kuala Lumpur police chief Azmi Abu Kassim said roadblocks were set up at all roads leading to Parliament after police were informed through the media that there were plans to protest the temporary closure of Parliament.

He also said a police report had been lodged over the march today.

Investigations are being conducted under Section 9 of the Peaceful Assembly Act (Act 736), Section 269 of the Penal Code and the Prevention and Control of Infectious Disease Act (Act 342).

Section 9 of Act 736 involves notifying the district police chief of an assembly, while Section 269 of the Penal Code involves the offence of committing a negligent act likely to spread infection of any disease dangerous to life.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...mps-demo-today/

which travel blogger do you follow on youtube?

ohman — Mon, 02 Aug 2021 10:33:47 +0800

[YOUTUBE]wxfl_SW80Nc[/YOUTUBE]

Ismail Sabri to be interim prime minister?

ohman — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 15:48:40 +0800

Most Cabinet members are said to be in favour of Ismail Sabri Yaakob (right) taking over from Muhyiddin Yassin as interim prime minister. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: There is a strong push for deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to be the interim prime minister, say party sources close to the discussion on the matter.

One source told FMT that the inner circle of the party leadership had made the move to push for the Perikatan Nasional leadership to name him as the interim prime minister.

“This discussion is ongoing and has apparently been agreed to by the majority of the Cabinet members,” he said.

It is learnt that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was advised on Thursday against stepping down by his Cabinet colleagues but it is not known if he has changed his mind.

“But now there is a stronger build-up for Ismail to lead the pack as the interim prime minister,” he added.

Earlier, there was speculation that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had been granted an audience to meet the Yang di-Pertuan Agong today but this was denied by the Palace.

On Thursday, the Palace had issued a statement stating that the government had not sought consent from the King to revoke the emergency ordinances.

This came after de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan stunned the Dewan Rakyat on Monday by stating that the ordinances had been revoked on July 21.

Ismail, an Umno MP, was appointed as DPM earlier this month.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...prime-minister/

US: Millions at risk of losing home as virus spike

ohman — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:35:06 +0800

Community members protest against evictions outside the Bronx housing court in New York last year. (AFP pic)

WASHINGTON: Millions of Americans could find themselves homeless starting Sunday when a nationwide ban on evictions expires, even as billions in government funds meant to help them go untapped.

The wave of evictions would come as the fast-spreading Delta variant has taken hold in the country and rental housing is in high demand in the hot real estate market.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Congress to extend the 11-month-old eviction moratorium, after a recent Supreme Court ruling meant the White House could not extend the measure through September as intended.

Democratic leaders in Congress were pushing for an extension, but it was unclear if they had the votes, even among moderates in their own party, to prevent the ban from expiring.

Efforts stalled on Friday in the House after a move to pass the extension was unsuccessful, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying in a statement, that “not a single Republican would support this measure”.

The day before, she had said called the extension “a moral imperative”.

She also called on governors and local officials “to take whatever steps are necessary to distribute the rental assistance that Congress already allocated”.

Unlike other pandemic-related aid that was distributed from Washington, such as stimulus checks, it was states, counties and cities that were responsible for building programmes from the ground up to dole out assistance earmarked for renters.

The Treasury Department said that as of June, only US$3 billion in aid had reached households out of the US$25 billion sent to states and localities in early February, less than three weeks after Biden took office.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ordered the eviction moratorium in September 2020, as the world’s largest economy lost over 20 million jobs amid the pandemic shutdowns. The CDC feared increasing homelessness would boost coronavirus infections.

Although more than half of those lost jobs were recovered as businesses were able to reopen, many families still have not caught up on missed rent payments.

The Census Bureau’s latest Household Pulse survey through the first week of July showed that of 51 million renters surveyed, 7.4 million were behind on their rent and nearly half of those said they were at risk of being evicted in the next two months.

Where is the help?

Through the end of June, only about 450,000 households had received aid through the Emergency Rental Assistance programme, and some states and localities have yet to pay out any funds, according to Treasury data.

The Treasury launched a campaign this week to spread the word about the program and help authorities get their systems up and running, modelling those in Virginia and Houston, which have been successful in helping struggling families.

Immediately after taking over, the Biden administration had eased paperwork and eligibility requirements for the programme, but the Treasury says management remains in the hands of state and local officials.

The White House also shifted responsibility to states.

Biden said, “there can be no excuse for any state or locality not accelerating funds to landlords and tenants that have been hurt during this pandemic”.

“Every state and local government must get these funds out to ensure we prevent every eviction we can,” he said in a statement Friday.

And while the White House cannot act, there is nothing preventing state and local authorities from instituting their own protections, Biden added.

‘Pulling out all the stops’

Pelosi called the delays an unjust “bureaucratic situation”.

California Democrat Maxine Waters, chair of the House Financial Services Committee, introduced the bill to extend the prohibition of evictions.

“I’m pulling out all the stops right now,” she tweeted Friday.

But some Democrats oppose the move, and a congressional source confirmed to AFP that several were planning to leave town rather than participate in a vote, making it hard for the party to use their slim majority to push through a bill.

A handful of states and Washington, DC have imposed their own temporary eviction protections, and the White House also asked government departments involved in housing to extend eviction bans for federally-insured properties they control.

Another US$21.5 billion is available in a second round of funding, but it will not go out until the first tranche is spent.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...as-virus-spike/

Yindia > US/China/Israel/ dll

Sg Petani hospital on its knees as cases pile up

ohman — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:27:58 +0800

A surge in Covid-19 cases saw almost all 498 beds in Sungai Petani’s Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim taken up, forcing the conversion of regular wards into Covid-19 wards.

SUNGAI PETANI: It has been a dreadful month for frontliners at Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim here.

Early in the month, it was reported that more than 200 doctors and nurses had contracted Covid-19 and the hospital was forced to close its doors to new patients. However, an official denied this, saying there were only 30 cases and they were all doctors.

Two weeks ago, a surge in cases caused by the Delta variant in the Kuala Muda district saw almost all 498 beds in the hospital taken up, forcing the conversion of regular wards into Covid-19 wards.

Last week, the hospital had to resort to placing 20 beds under the trees at the car park for Category 1 Covid-19 patients. The Tzu Chi organisation, a Buddhist group, came to the rescue by donating 150 foldable beds.

The donated beds will be used for a new ward meant for Category 1 and 2 patients, a doctor speaking on condition of anonymity told FMT.

“While the beds can help meet demand, we are still short of medical officers and nurses,” he said. “What is the use of having extra beds with no one to look after the patients? Ideally, we should have at least 20 medical officers, doctors and specialists on standby.

A Buddhist group, Tzu Chi, has donated 150 foldable beds which will be used for a new ward in Sungai Petani’s Hospital Sultan Abdul Halim.

“Why not bring staff from other states? We are also short of oximeters and other important equipment to support these new beds.”

He said the hospital was under severe stress and most doctors were on shifts of more than 24 hours.

“Mind you,” he said, “we ‘re the main hospital for the Kuala Muda district, which has been a red zone since March last year.”

He added that all 18 intensive care unit (ICU) beds had been taken up and the 28 temporary ICU beds at 11 converted wards have also been filled up.

Non-critical cases have been referred to two nearby private hospitals, effectively making the hospital a Covid-19 hospital.

The doctor said the lack of medical personnel and intensive care unit beds had cost lives. Nearly every Covid-19 patient seeking treatment had deteriorated to Category 4 or 5, he claimed.

“I lost a few patients in a week, all of whom had no underlying major illnesses,” he said.

“I also saw a family of four die. Our hospital has seen the most brought-in-dead (BID) cases in Kedah.

“Close to half of these BID cases are ones we have discharged, only to return dead later. In one case, we had to carry out emergency surgery to remove the baby from a woman who was eight months pregnant. She was gasping for air.”

He said the hospital’s latest plea for containers to store dead bodies was not surprising.

To make matters worse, there are not enough people to help cremate the bodies. Cremation requires at least three people, including a health inspector.

“That is why we can only release five to six bodies a day,” the doctor said. “The rest are backlog.

“Then, there are those who cannot afford a burial. There are non-Muslim funeral touts waiting at the mortuary asking for RM6,000 for caskets.”

Kedah yesterday recorded 1,281 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the grand total to 44,242 with 12,532 active cases.

As of yesterday, Sungai Petani had recorded the worst numbers in Kedah, with 2,333 active cases out of the Kuala Muda district’s 4,879 cases in the past two weeks.

FMT has contacted the Kedah health director for comment.

Hundreds of protesters gather for #Lawan rally

ohman — Sat, 31 Jul 2021 12:25:52 +0800

Some protesters carrying a banner near Masjid Jamek in Kuala Lumpur this morning.

KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of protesters clad in black have gathered outside Masjid Jamek ahead of a march to Dataran Merdeka for the #Lawan protest.

Police have cordoned off roads leading to Dataran Merdeka ahead of the protest seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

Numerous protesters are carrying banners and placards which read ‘Kerajaan Gagal’ (‘Failed Government’).

Chants of “Tolak Muhyiddin”, “Letak Jawatan” and “Bangkit Rakyat” echoed as protesters began to make their way to Dataran Merdeka.

A few protesters carrying ‘bodies’, apparently in reference to the deaths caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua was among the politicians who showed up, saying he was there in solidarity with the protesters, who were mostly youths.

The former Batu MP told FMT that he would like to see more Malaysians and youths speak out against injustice and to push for change in Putrajaya.

A protester urging those gathered to march to Dataran Merdeka.

“We’re seeing the emergence of a new wave of youth activism. This is something that we should be very proud of,” he said when met at the protest.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...or-lawan-rally/

USA asks UK navy to go back to Europe

ohman — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 22:33:45 +0800

Britain ‘more helpful’ closer to home than in Asia, says US defence chief

Lloyd Austin raises issue of use of limited UK military assets as new carrier arrives in region

The US defence secretary said Britain might be more helpful as an ally if it did not focus on Asia, highlighting US concerns that forays by European allies into the Indo-Pacific could weaken defences closer to home.

“We have interests around the globe and we want to make sure that we work together to address all those interests,” Lloyd Austin said in Singapore on Tuesday.

“As we look to balance our efforts in various parts of the world, we are not only looking to help each other in the Indo-Pacific but we are looking to ensure that we help each other in other parts of the world as well,” he added.

Austin said he was “excited” at how the US and UK had demonstrated interoperability between their militaries from Europe to Asia, and applauded the “historic” deployment of the HMS Queen Elizabeth, the new British aircraft carrier, to the Indo-Pacific region.

But he stressed that military resources were “scarce”, which meant that the US and its allies had to work out the best way to share military burdens.

“If for example, we focus a bit more here [in Asia], are there areas that the UK can be more helpful in other parts of the world,” Austin said at an International Institute for Strategic Studies-sponsored event in Singapore.

His remarks will come as a blow to the British government. The HMS Queen Elizabeth and its escorts passed through the Strait of Malacca on Tuesday into the South China Sea, waters disputed between China and several of its neighbours.

The choice of the carrier’s first operational deployment was designed to “fly the flag for Global Britain”, said UK defence secretary Ben Wallace ahead of its departure this year. Last week, the Royal Navy confirmed it was to deploy two warships to the Indo-Pacific region permanently.

Austin is the first US official to openly address doubts on whether Asia-Pacific deployments are the most efficient use of British military assets. Although Washington has welcomed the UK’s foray into the region, privately US officials have said that they would like to see the UK work more closely with its European allies.

After years of cuts, the British armed forces are stretched. The Royal Navy was unable to provide enough warships to escort the carrier, which is also carrying more US F-35B warplanes than British ones as the UK does not yet have enough of the jets. The Royal Navy originally dispatched four warships and a submarine but had to turn to the US and Dutch navies, who augmented the carrier strike group with a warship each.

En route to Asia, one of the British warships, HMS Diamond, was forced to divert to an Italian shipyard for repairs after encountering engine problems. The vessel was just one of two operational Type 45 destroyers, which were designed to protect the carriers from air attacks. The other four are all undergoing various types of maintenance.

“The government made clear its ambition to expand the UK’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Adam Hug, director of the Foreign Policy Centre, a London-based think-tank. He said that while Britain had strong commercial and political interests there, the government needed “to more clearly articulate where it feels it can add value to the work already being done by allies such as the US and Australia who are based in the region”.

The Biden administration has worked hard to increase co-operation with European allies to counter the growing influence of China. Yet while some security experts believe that European navies sailing through the South China Sea sends a strong signal to China about western unity, there is also a debate about the value of having scarce European military assets deployed so far from home.

France has significant naval deployments to Asia under way, while Germany has also sent a frigate to the region.

Eric Sayers, an Asia security expert at the American Enterprise Institute, said US allies in Europe had much to offer in terms of countering China but Washington had been too quick to publicly welcome their desire to have more of a naval presence in Asia.

“It may seem counterintuitive for democracies to shy away from assisting one another, but the best contribution European countries can make to a global alliance strategy for deterring great powers is to prioritise their finite resources for Russia,” said Sayers, who served as an adviser to US Indo-Pacific command.

“Our American partners have concerns that deployments like this will stretch us thin, and they would prefer us to focus closer to home, such as the Mediterranean and Africa,” said a European diplomat.

The Pentagon said Austin had made clear that the UK was making vital contributions to security in the Indo-Pacific as well as worldwide.

“There is no daylight here and certainly no suggestion that the UK should be anything less than engaged in this part of the world,” said John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary. “Quite the contrary, we believe their deployments and modernisation plans align well with our own, and we fully support the initiatives they are pursuing under their Integrated Review.”

Veerle Nouwens, an Indo-Pacific expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said Austin had made clear that the US-UK relationship was still important and that the British contribution in Asia was “valued”.

“At the same, it was a speech recognising the realities in the region, noting that there needs to be a balance struck to achieve long-term aims,” Nouwens added. “No one country has all the resources to do everything, everywhere all the time.”

The UK government said: “The UK and US are indispensable allies and we work hand in hand around the world to defend our values and combat shared threats, including on the [carrier strike group] deployment which has carried out extensive operations in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.”

Austin, on his second visit to the region, is due to visit the Philippines and Vietnam later this week.

Additional reporting by Stefania Palma in Singapore

https://www.ft.com/content/7fb26630-a96a-4d...5c-9a7acb074304

Najib’s ex-PR man to return RM7.1mil linked to 1MD

ohman — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 12:40:26 +0800

Public relations consultant Paul Stadlen left the country before the 2018 general election. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: A British citizen once hired by former prime minister Najib Razak for public relations work has entered into a settlement agreement with Malaysian authorities over money laundering charges.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said Paul Stadlen, who was wanted on money laundering charges, has agreed to return RM7.1 million linked to 1MDB funds.

“The money will be transferred to 1MDB’s trust account,” said MACC in a statement.

As such, it said, it will withdraw its case against Stadlen.

Stadlen’s former company Apco came under scrutiny when it was revealed that the PR firm was paid a huge amount to promote campaigns by the government before it was eventually dismissed from its role.

MACC later confirmed that Stadlen had left the country before the 2018 general election.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...linked-to-1mdb/

11 Covid-19 cases detected in Parliament yesterda

ohman — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 12:39:34 +0800

Fire and rescue department personnel carrying out sanitisation work at Parliament yesterday. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Eleven Covid-19 cases were detected in Parliament yesterday, said health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said 10 cases were detected through RTK-Antigen tests and the other through a RT-PCR test.

This comes after Noor Hisham said yesterday two new Covid-19 cases were discovered on Parliament grounds. The cases saw Parliament adjourned to allow all members of parliament and parliamentary staff present to be tested for Covid-19.

Noor Hisham said the two cases were not linked to any of the positive cases detected during the screening of parliamentary officials done three days before the special sitting started on Monday.

“Following the detection of the positive cases, the health ministry’s team will conduct an investigation, risk assessment, contact detection and take other preventive or control measures, including cleaning and disinfecting the Parliament building,” he said in a statement today.

“All those attending the special sitting of Parliament next week are advised to be screened for Covid-19 first.”

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...ment-yesterday/

Msia: Parliament off again till 5pm, for Covid-19

ohman — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 15:58:18 +0800

Health ministry enforcement officers checking Parliament house to ensure that any incidence of Covid-19 cases is contained. (Bernama pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat sitting has been suspended yet again, this time to facilitate Covid-19 screenings following the detection of positive cases in Parliament.

It was announced that the sitting would resume after 5pm, which would give just about half an hour for debate before the Dewan breaks until Monday – unless the speaker allows an extension.

It was earlier reported that 56 cases had been detected in Parliament.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...d-19-this-time/

Cries of ‘treason’ and ‘resign’ as Anwar reads

ohman — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 13:03:33 +0800

Cries of ‘treason’ and ‘resign’ as Anwar reads King’s statement

Anwar Ibrahim read out the King’s statement in the Dewan Rakyat.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Rakyat erupted into chaos with shouts of “derhaka” (treason) and calls for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to “letak jawatan” (resign) after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong revealed that he had not given consent for the revocation of the emergency ordinances (EOs).

Deputy speaker Mohd Rashid Hasnon compounded matters later when he dismissed the King’s statement as just a “media statement”.

Anwar Ibrahim (PH-Port Dickson), who read out the King’s statement in the Dewan Rakyat today, said this incident showed that Muhyiddin’s administration did not abide by the Federal Constitution or show due respect for the royal institution.

He also said law minister Takiyuddin Hassan had confused the Dewan Rakyat.

“We have not only reached a level of crisis but also betrayal and deceit of Parliament,” he told the House.

Anwar added that Article 150 of the Federal Constitution states that the power to revoke the EOs belongs to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

“The King is extremely disappointed that the EOs have been revoked although they have not been presented (to receive consent),” he said, adding the government has lied.

“He (Muhyiddin) is not speaking the truth. We ask him to resign,” Anwar added.

Gobind Singh Deo (PH-Puchong) meanwhile questioned why Rashid was protecting the ministers from answering on the matter, after the deputy speaker had called for debates on stimulus packages to continue.

Rashid then drew flak from Anwar after saying the King’s statement was “only a media statement”.

Gobind said that if Dewan Rakyat Speaker Azhar Azizan Harun failed to bring the motion he filed yesterday on the revocation of the EOs, he should resign.

More MPs then demanded Azhar, Muhyiddin and Takiyuddin be present in the Dewan Rakyat. All three were not present at the time.

Some government backbenchers then called for the sitting to be suspended for 15 minutes.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...ings-statement/

China tech giants are buying gaming studios global

ohman — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 10:46:43 +0800

Chinese tech giants are snapping up gaming studios around the world

LONDON – After decades of the U.S. and Japan dominating the gaming space, China’s influence is growing as its tech giants snap up gaming studios around the world.

Now, some experts think video games could look a little different in the coming years as a result.

Questions are being asked about whether the Chinese owners of U.S. and European studios will try to influence the games they make, or indeed use them to promote Chinese values. It remains to be seen but subtle changes could happen in the coming years, according to some experts.

“Some of these values might be different from what many expect,” British-Chinese writer Lu-Hai Liang told CNBC. “For example, Chinese female gamers are a massive market (500 million) and there have been many female-focused games and game studios that revel in this sector.”

Thomas David, a semiconductor engineer in the U.S., told CNBC that he thinks gamers could start to see more titles where the “good guy” is Chinese and the “bad guy” is from the West, for example.

China’s own gaming market is heavily regulated. It does not allow games that contain certain political views, gambling, gore, nudity and many other things to be released and sold in its home market. The movie industry is equally strict, with U.S. films having to be adapted before they can be released in China.

Exporting Chinese culture
“This area — how China could use games to export its culture — is incredibly important and largely missed,” Abishur Prakash, co-founder of the Center for Innovating the Future, told CNBC.

“China has several ways it can take its ideals to the world through games, and build a new kind of global power,” said Prakash. “One way is by banning certain topics, like Taiwan or human rights, from being discussed,” he said.

China could also establish “new centers within games that help showcase China’s power,” or use games to build its financial and commercial power, he said. “The next Chinese games might only allow users to purchase items in digital Yuan,” said Prakash. “Or, the Chinese games might have Chinese platforms, like TikTok, embedded into them.”

Others doubt that Chinese owners of Western gaming studios will try to change the games that get sold in the West.

“I would be very skeptical of something like that happening,” Louise Shorthouse, a senior games analyst at Ampere Analysis, told CNBC.

Steven Bailey, principal analyst at Omida, told CNBC that “Chinese companies have had involvement in various Western game companies and content for quite some time, and understand that successfully making games for the West will not be supported by such changes.”

He added: “Conversely, anyone releasing a game in China will need to adapt it for that market.”

Tencent’s sprawling investments
Tencent and NetEase have been snapping up stakes in gaming firms beyond China’s borders for years with little opposition.

“Tencent keeps buying the #1 game in every niche in North America and Europe,” wrote tech investor Rodolfo Rosini on Twitter in February. “This is important because games have cultural influence. And controlling the present and how reality is portrayed is very powerful.”

“If Tencent were to buy a stake in every leading newspaper and TV company people would be up in arms, there would be political hearings etc,” he added. “Instead they play the long game and they are buying the next generation’s media properties without any competition.”

For years, Hollywood has spread American values around the world and championed the country’s military might. Now it could be China’s turn to try to do the same, but through video games. However, while Hollywood often criticizes the U.S. and the actions of Washington D.C., China’s tech giants would not be able to say a bad word against Beijing, which exercises great control over all of its domestic enterprises.

China has more gamers than any other country, making it a highly lucrative market for those that can get in. One of the reasons that U.S. and European gaming firms take investment from Chinese companies is that they’re legally obliged to partner with a Chinese company before their game can be released in the country.

U.K.-headquartered Sumo became the latest gaming firm to sell to a Chinese tech behemoth on Monday, announcing a $1.26 billion deal with Tencent, which is the world’s largest video game publisher.

Neither company immediately responded when CNBC asked how, or indeed if, Tencent will influence the games that Sumo works on.

But Tencent has traditionally taken a hands off approach to its investments and acquisitions, according to Daniel Ahmad, senior analyst at Niko Partners.

“The company could also be an invaluable partner for Tencent as it looks to push into the AAA game space itself with its own projects,” said Ahmad.

“The deal would also help Sumo utilize Tencent’s expertise in regard to games development and publishing within China,” he added.

“Chinese game studios are looking to grow overseas and while organic growth is one option, acquisition allows these companies to build a presence much faster and with local talent,” said Ahmad.

Tencent also invested $150 million in Reddit in 2019, angering some Reddit users in the process who were concerned that the platform may experience more censorship. However, this does not appear to have happened in any significant way.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/28/chinese-tec...-the-world.html

Najib: Nothing we do can bring back the dead

ohman — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 10:13:43 +0800

Najib Razak says it is better to offer constructive criticisms or effective suggestions, instead of kicking up a fuss in the Dewan Rakyat. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: No amount of fuss kicked up in Parliament could bring back those who died from Covid-19, says Najib Razak in again defending his supposed silence in the Dewan Rakyat.

Neither could such “noise” protect Malaysians and guarantee that life would go on, the former prime minister said in a Facebook post tonight.

The Pekan MP added that there was also no point in creating a ruckus in Parliament without offering any solid suggestions to improve the situation.

Najib then took a veiled jab at former minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman who had berated Umno for failing to take the government to task despite being critical on social media.

“Where’s Umno? In social media, they make so much noise, but in the Dewan Rakyat, they’re all quiet, they don’t say anything,” the Muar MP was quoted as saying after the proceedings on the first day of the special sitting in Parliament on Monday.

However, Najib said that wasn’t his way.

“As the saying goes, ‘empty vessels make the most noise’.”

Najib went on to say that there was also no need for one to spend hours defending their “achievements” or criticising others at length.

He said it was better to instead offer constructive criticism or effective suggestions.

“We have work to do. We are not here just to make noise.”

On Monday, Najib defended himself against criticism for his apparent silence, saying he was not usually the noisy one in Parliament, quipping that he was not “Jelutong or Lid” – referring to Jelutong MP RSN Rayer and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad.

He also said there was no point in going all out to defend the government or to just criticise Putrajaya, adding that what was needed was leadership to overcome the health and economic crises.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...ead-says-najib/

medical advise after vaccine shot breast enlargeme

ohman — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 14:26:23 +0800

covid19 : Think out of the box, ini mungkin ka?

ohman — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 13:45:48 +0800

QUOTE(Blofeld @ Jul 28 2021, 10:54 AM)

also, please avoid going to public toilet at this moment.

Shopping mall la, petrol station la...

a lot of ppl like to purposely cough inside the public toilet.

Even before Covid came around, i hate to see ppl purposely cough at the sink area when they are washing their hands.
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QUOTE(cleetoreese @ Jul 28 2021, 01:42 PM)

wow, just look at all the replies here. you guys are so dumb that i had to login just to post this, after so many years of not posting.
so full of fear, so afraid of the virus that it has blocked your ability for critical thinking (if any).
not even one of you guys ever thought of or dared to think that it was the vaccine that caused all this?
oh right, the vax works, so it couldnt be, right?

well, wake up people.
many people died after the vax or now living with permanent health issues after getting it.
the faster you realize that its the vaccine that caused all this shit, the better chances you have of saving your own lives.
to TS, sorry to hear to what happened to your parents. i wish them well and hope for recovery.
you can start to update here in these groups on the adverse effects after vax, see got any similar stories or not. im sure you can find more than a lot:

t.me/aeficovidvax
t.me/msiavaxvictim
just look at how many died after the vax, and all are unreported. still cant connect the dots?
remember, the vaccine is all good and well for you, until the side effects or death happens to your loved ones, or even yourself.
or easy, you can just blame covid, or sporadic case, the delivery guy, whatever.
maybe all of you guys should see for yourself and start following closely those groups. you might be the next one to be featured in there.
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Msia: marijuana ring run by five students #2jobs

ohman — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 18:20:24 +0800

Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid (left) and his team showing the drugs and other items seized from the student drug dealers. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Five Middle Eastern students suspected of distributing drugs to colleges here were arrested after they were found with 11.6kg of marijuana worth nearly RM35,000 last week.

At a press conference today, Petaling Jaya police chief Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid said the students were from private colleges in Sungai Way, Kota Damansara and Shah Alam – where they also supplied the drugs.

“They have been here for four years and they buy, repack and sell (the marijuana) to students in their campus,” he said in a video posted on the Petaling Jaya police headquarters’ Facebook page.

“They would sell (the marijuana) to the people they knew, and all transactions were done in cash”.

Fakhrudin said police nabbed two students at a condominium at around 6.30pm on July 22 before raiding another condominium unit where they arrested another foreigner and a local.

Checks on the first two suspects found 213g of marijuana on them, while the raid on the condominium unit resulted in 5.23kg of marijuana being seized.

Another raid along Jalan Persiaran Golf the next day saw the police arrest two more foreign students and seize over 6.12kg of marijuana in their car.

Fakhrudin said all the suspects have been remanded to assist with further investigations.

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/...-five-students/

UK permanent base 2 ships in Japan to fight China

ohman — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 21:10:24 +0800

checkmate China

no wonder farah ann very hard to compete in Tokyo

ohman — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 20:33:57 +0800

[video]https://thumbsnap.com/i/xBy1ukhW.mp4[/video]

more here

first 20 seconds to 23seconds

00:20 to 00:23
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