The lines have been drawn over the proposed Tobacco and Smoking Bill, the ‘Generational End Game’ law. Health NGOS and civil society are urging MPS to not let this opportunity slip away. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has his work cut out but is prepared to go the distance to get the naysayers and fence-sitters on board.
The Health Ministry said tobacco use contributed to 22% of cancer deaths in the country.
The intensity of the situation across the Taiwan Straits has drastically escalated as the military deployment from the Chinese mainland, ...
Washington will not send troops if there is a military conflict in the Taiwan Straits, because it knows that the US military cannot beat the PLA there, and participating in the war will only mean suicide for the US troops.
Mark Esper Photo: Xinhua
Mark Esper, the former US defense secretary under the Trump administration, landed on the island of Taiwan on Monday, three days after the US government approved a proposed $108 million arms sales of technical and equipment support to the Taiwan authorities, the fifth of its kind under the Biden administration. Chinese mainland experts said despite having been out of the US government for about two years, Esper, who has close ties to the US military-industrial complex, will push for the arms package that Republicans want to see on the island of Taiwan. Esper could also further expand his political clout and obtain generous financial support from the Taiwan authorities. Heading a three-member Atlantic Council delegation, Trump's defense chief is joined by Barry Pavel, senior vice president and director of the US-based think tank Atlantic Council, and Stefano Stefanini, former permanent representative of Italy to NATO, Taiwan-based media reported. During his visit from Monday through Thursday, Esper is scheduled to meet with Taiwan regional leader Tsai Ing-wen on Tuesday, local media said. The delegation will reportedly interact with think tanks and businesses on the island and exchange views on the security and economic situation in the Indo-Pacific region. Taiwan media said it's the fourth Taiwan visit by the Atlantic Council since Tsai took office in 2016, following previous trips in 2016, 2017 and 2018. Analysts said given that the Washington-based think tank is traditionally more about policy research on US-Europe collaboration, China should be wary of the US efforts to push its allies in Europe or NATO to focus on defense and security in the Taiwan Straits. Dubbed "Taiwan's loyal friend" by the island's external affairs authority, Esper has intensified his anti-China stance since leaving office. At a think tank event in June, he hyped the "China threat" and questioned the efficacy of the US' "one-China policy." Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressed strong opposition to the latest US arms sales to Taiwan island. The US arms sales to China's Taiwan region seriously violate the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiqués, especially the August 17 Communiqué of 1982. The sales gravely undermine China's sovereignty and security interests, and severely harm China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, Wang said on Monday. We urge the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three China-US joint communiqués, revoke the above-mentioned arms sales plan, stop arms sales to and military contact with Taiwan and stop creating factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Straits. China will continue to take resolute and strong measures to firmly defend its sovereignty and security interests, Wang said. Chinese Ministry of National Defense on Monday also issued a stern warining to the US over the provocative move, saying that the People's Liberation Army will take resolute and strong measures to firmly defend China's sovereignty and security interests. Diao Daming, an associate professor at the Renmin University of China in Beijing, told the Global Times on Monday that Esper has close ties to US military-industrial interests and to Republican elites, so his Taiwan trip could be seen as an attempt to make further arms sales. Before becoming US defense secretary, Esper served as US secretary of the army from 2017 to 2019. A West Point graduate and a top lobbyist, Esper served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for negotiations policy in George W. Bush's administration from 2002 to 2004. In July 2010, he was hired as vice president of government relations at defense contractor Raytheon. Analysts speculated that Esper's visit may reflect, to some extent, the divisions between US military interests and the Biden administration over arms sales to the island of Taiwan, given that sales to the region during the Trump administration were more about "heavy and large" weapons, while the Biden administration's sales have so far focused more on system maintenance and around the concept of building up asymmetric capacity. Esper is not a member of the Biden administration, and his remarks will be a more direct representation of the ideas of the US military-industrial complex and, to some extent, of the Republican Party, Diao said. "These ideas may be different from the White House's, as selling the big stuff is always more profitable for arms dealers," he noted. The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed an annual defense policy bill for fiscal 2023, approving a $37 billion boost to the budget proposed by President Joe Biden in March. US lawmakers cited "threats" posed by Russia and China for the budget increase, which also contained several Taiwan-related bills with the aim of reinforcing relations. "The communications Esper makes on his trip could then be reflected at the legislative level by Republicans… It is possible that Republicans will add new amendments about arms sales to Taiwan to the bill, given it still has to be passed in the Senate," Diao said. Another analyst who requested not to be named, told the Global Times on Monday that despite Esper's distance from the core of US politics, visiting Taiwan is a sure bet for him. Esper could retain his personal influence through contacts with top officials from the Taiwan authorities, the analyst said. In addition to enjoying a high-level tour reception, Esper could also earn tens of thousands of dollars, based on the appearance fee that his ex-colleague and former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo earned in Taiwan in March, they said.
According to Taiwan media, Pompeo's appearance fee was $150,000, while other fees including flight tickets and reception came to about $184,000.
A line of vehicle-mounted howitzers attached to a combined-arms brigade with the army under PLA Eastern Theatre Command open fire during a live-fire exercise on June 16, 2022. Photo:China Military
The US on Friday (US time) announced the fourth arms sale to the island of Taiwan in 2022 - the fifth total under the Joe Biden administration - despite the Taiwan question has been repeatedly mentioned in several recent China-US high-level meetings which showed consensus for avoiding escalating tension.
Chinese mainland experts on Saturday slammed the latest US deal featuring a package involving spare parts for tanks and combat vehicles plus technical assistance worth $108 million, saying it exposed the US' two-faced nature and its failure to honor its own words. The US State Department has approved the possible sale of military technical assistance to Taiwan for an estimated cost $108 million, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a press release on Friday. The proposed sale will contribute to the recipient's goal of maintaining its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the US and other allies, according to the press release. The figure of $108 million is an unreasonably high price for just spare parts and intangible technical assistance, and it is obvious that the US arms firms are again leeching on Taiwan for its money, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Saturday. Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authority is only paying protection money for things that cannot help them gaining a chance standing up to the Chinese mainland's People's Liberation Army (PLA), the expert said. The approval of the arms sale came after a sequence of frequent interactions between senior officials from China and the US since June, including those between Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as Chief of the Central Military Commission Joint Staff Department General Li Zuocheng and Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Mark Milley. Both sides underscored consensus on avoiding escalating confrontations, and the Taiwan question was repeatedly mentioned especially during meetings between military officials, observers said. But the latest US arms sale to Taiwan, as well as a US warship's recent trespassing into Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea, exposed that the double-faced US is only offering lip services to China, analysts said. The US' strategic goal is very clear now, which is to contain China's development. This means the promises that the US made during high-level talks are not trustworthy, and it will bound to continue provoke China on China's core interests including the Taiwan question, Song Zhongping, a Chinese mainland military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Saturday. China no longer has unrealistic illusions over the US, and the PLA is preparing for the worst-case scenario in which a cross-Straits conflict would take place in order to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, analysts said.Some 10 PLA warplanes, including fighter jets and bombers, entered the island of Taiwan's self-proclaimed southwest air defense identification zone on Friday, the island's defense authority said in a press release on the same day.
'Don't say we didn't warn you!' - a phrase that was used by the People's Daily in 1962 before China ...
US better clear the 'mine' of Pelosi's Taiwan trip beforehand: Global Times editorial
“Those who play with fire will perish by it.” This was said to Pelosi and the Taiwan secessionist forces that support he
Unlike Washington's opportunistic probing, all options are clearly on the table for the Chinese mainland. The noose around the neck of the "Taiwan independence" secessionist forces is tightening, and Pelosi has one foot on the stool of the gallows. If Pelosi, who has always been fond of playing tough on China, wants to insist on this way, we will definitely prepare sufficient "consequences" for her.
Once again, media has reported that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to visit Taiwan in August after an aborted April visit to Asia that might include a trip to China's island due to testing positive for COVID-19, with analysts saying that if she intends to make a blatant provocation against China, she would spark a much more dangerous incident than the Taiwan Straits Crisis in 1996, and it would cause a huge setback for China-US ties.
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MSU Medical Centre’s medical director and consultant neurosurgeon Prof Dr Badrisyah Idris explains, “The brain is a unique organ with three important functions that affect our lives which are, (i) sensory interpretation and movement control; (ii) cognitive, mental and emotional integrity; and (iii) behaviour and social execution.”
Prof Dr Badrisyah Idris
Brain health is becoming an important concept in healthy living which encompasses the ability of the brain to rewire during the life in response to changes in experience and environment. A healthy brain is capable of slowing down cognitive decline and combating any injury or diseases of the brain. There are a number of things that we can make a habit of to maintain our brain health. Regular physical activity can benefit the brain by optimising brain blood flow and reducing loss of brain cells during ageing. Those who exercise regularly can enjoy healthy cognitive abilities and have a lower risk of developing dementia. Exercise also helps lower blood pressure, reducing cardiovascular risks of getting a stroke. Some studies have found that regular exercise increases the level of protein that promotes growth and maintenance of brain cells. Having an active lifestyle such as taking the stairs and participating in sports or physical activities such as brisk walking or aerobic training can have a positive impact on brain health. Quality sleep is important for brain healing and restoration of mental function. Sleep makes our thinking processes sharp and focused with better decision-making. Seven to eight hours of sleep gives the brain adequate time to clear abnormal proteins that accelerate dementia. Several lifestyle measures can be adopted to ensure no alteration in sleep patterns such as increasing time in the sunlight, consistent sleep routines and gaining knowledge about the effects of medications. Even though the brain is only 2% of the body weight, it consumes 20% of energy requirements. Without the right energy and nutrients, the brain will start losing its function. Food which is rich with antioxidants (compounds that have a protective effect on the brain), fibre, unsaturated fats (including omega-3 fatty acids), B vitamins and an adequate amount of complex carbohydrates are important to maintain a healthy brain. A diet rich in processed foods, salt and refined sugars can increase inflammation and free radicals in our body that can have negative impacts on brain health. Cognitive stimulation by learning new skills or knowledge maintain good brain health with the formation of new circuits between brain cells. Challenging the brain increases its cognitive reserve by creating an adequate backup system. With more reserves, the brain can become more resistant to changes that are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Education and learning enhance the cognitive reserve which makes the brain less susceptible to the effects of age and brain-related changes.Depression and anxiety can be detrimental to brain health with their effects on mood and emotion. These conditions lead to slow thinking, memory and concentration difficulties. Social connectivity helps get rid of depression and anxiety. Socialising helps the brain to expand its cognitive reserve. Engaging in conversation trains the brain to increase attention and concentration and helps social judgement. It is important to stay connected with friends and family to maintain healthy brain function. - Star2
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PETALING JAYA: There has been a 51% increase in the number of people being vaccinated over the last two weeks, as new Omicron sub-variants create fears of another Covid-19 wave. According to figures from ProtectHealth, vaccination went up from 38,822 during the week of June 27-July 3 to 50,774 during the week of July 4-July 10, a 31% increase. ALSO READ:Better safe than sorry, say those getting second booster From the week of July 11-July 17, there was a 51% increase to 76,433. As infections and hospitalisations rise across the country, health experts are also calling for Malaysians, especially those over 60 as well as the medically vulnerable, to get their second booster shot. This is because the Omicron sub-variants are highly contagious and can bypass immunity from a past infection or vaccination. Public health expert Prof Dr Moy Foong Ming of Universiti Malaya said the Omicron sub-variant BA.5 could evade antibody responses in people with previous Covid-19 infection and those who had been fully vaccinated and boosted. “Reinfections may be inevitable but boosters will help provide protection against severe symptoms, hospitalisation and even death. “Even though the BA.5 does not seem to cause more severe symptoms compared to BA.1 and BA.2, the elderly and vulnerable groups will likely experience severe symptoms,” Prof Moy said. She cautioned that if the total caseload increases tremendously, even with a low percentage of hospitalisation, the number will be a huge burden on the healthcare system. “We don’t want to lose precious lives if it can be prevented,” she said. For those below 60, it may not be necessary to take the second booster at this moment. “If this group of individuals had received their third dose, they should be well protected from severe symptoms,” said Prof Moy. “When new vaccines are able to bring a stronger immune response against all new variants, then a second booster may be offered to all.” Prof Moy also said Malaysians should consider taking a flu shot if they were in the high-risk group, especially those aged 65 and above, and with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and weakened immune system. Public health expert Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia said sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 were known to evade immunity, hence breakthrough infections could occur. “The risk will be reduced if you obtain another booster,” she said. “The elderly, immunocompromised, as well as people with morbidities and frontliners should be prioritised for a second booster. But now, even those who are young and have received only two doses should get a third jab,” she said. Prof Sharifa Ezat also reminded the public to get tested for Covid-19 and influenza if symptomatic, as these can mimic each other and it is possible to get infected with both. “This impedes recovery. If possible, get vaccinated against both,” she said. “The government should work on obtaining supply for flu tests and pushing the flu vaccine price down.”
Volunteers For Community Engagement and Empowerment For Covid-19 chairman Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar reminded Malaysians to continue with good personal health practices such as wearing a face mask, avoiding crowded places, self-testing and quarantining if positive with Covid-19, as well as observing a good diet.
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PETALING JAYA: MySejahtera has rolled out new features that allow users to check their health records, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. “Health screenings record and our children’s vaccination record can also be seen on MySejahtera. “Update your app starting from today to have these new features,” he said on his Twitter account yesterday. In the two pictures alongside his tweet, the health record of a seven-year-old boy, including his latest health report at a clinic, was shown. In the health report, the boy’s last updated height, weight, body mass index (BMI), cholesterol level, blood glucose level and blood pressure reading were shown, complete with a health screening summary below. The app also listed the boy’s vaccines and his next vaccine appointment date and time. A list of upcoming vaccines yet to be administered was also shown. MySejahtera users can access the features after updating the app on their mobile phones. Meanwhile, in IPOH, Khairy said users’ data in the MySejahtera app would continue to be secured amid its recent upgrade. “The app has never been hacked and since we are adding more features, we have done several things to secure it and will continue to do so to ensure the safety of the data. “The ministry is keeping the data, not others,” he told reporters after launching the Health National Malaysia Agenda road tour at Meru Raya. “The information can only be shared if the users give their permission,” he added. Khairy said no data of MySejahtera users were leaked after investigating complaints and reports of unsolicited one-time password (OTP) text messages and spam email from the Covid-19 app’s helpdesk. Separately, Khairy said more beds would be prepared in hospitals for influenza patients if needed. “Like during the Covid-19 pandemic, we have prepared beds, so if the influenza cases continue to spike, we can supply more beds. “Apart from preparing the beds, we will also ensure that there is sufficient stock of medicine in the market so the public need not be admitted into hospitals to recover at home,” he added. On Friday, Khairy said the ministry had agreed to release the federal stockpile to private hospitals and clinics facing medicine shortages such as for flu and fever, and medication for children. He also advised the public not to overbuy medicines. Khairy also said that the ministry focuses on getting at least 1.5 million Malaysians aged 40 and above to get a health screening. “We believe that’s the figure of those who have not done any health screening before. “They will go for screening from July to December,” he said, adding that more than 50% of the adult population in the country has never done any health screening. “The screening is important to prevent and cure any health problems.
“We realised that many might not have the accessibility to go for a health screening, so we will conduct more outreach programmes,” he added. Join our Telegram channel to get our Evening Alerts and breaking news highlights
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What is the Unification Church and could it be linked to former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s assassination?
A bride poses for a photo before a giant image of the late founder of Unification Church Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han before a mass wedding ceremony in Gapyeong on September 7, 2017. Photo: AFP
The curtains have come down on former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe after the sobering end of his funeral. But the cloud of suspicion surrounding his assassination still looms large in the minds of many around the world. Sentiments of shock continue to be expressed at the fact that Japan's worst political assassination since World War II is related to a cult.
On July 8, Abe was fatally shot while addressing a crowd at a campaign stop in Nara by a 41-year-old man identified as Tetsuya Yamagami, who confessed to the police that he "did not resent Abe's political beliefs," but that his resentment toward the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, known as the Unification Church, a religious movement founded in South Korea, turned into a desire to kill the former national leader. Yamagami believed Abe had promoted a religious group to which his mother made a "huge donation," Kyodo news agency has said, citing investigative sources. His mother subsequently went bankrupt. The police investigation into the assassination prompted the head of the Japanese branch of the Unification Church to confirm on July 11 that Yamagami's mother is a member. Looking back on the history of the Unification Church, people have seen the specter of an extremist religious group looming over the political arena of Japan, South Korea, and even the US. In the mid-1960s, Abe's maternal grandfather and former Japanese Prime Minister, Nobusuke Kishi, would never have imagined that his association with Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, would sow the seed that eventually led to the death of his grandson. Expansion of a cult Moon founded the Unification Church in South Korea in 1954. Within a year, about 30 church centers had sprung up. Moon began organizing the Unification Church on a large scale in the US in the early 1970s. He also sent his church emissaries to Japan in the early days when the Unification Church developed fast. He settled in the US in 1972.One of the activities that the Unification Church likes to practice is Tetsuya Yamagami. Moon claimed that he can complete the unfulfilled task of Jesus: To restore humankind to a state of perfection by producing sinless children, and by blessing couples who would produce them. According to media reports, thousands of couples often attended such mass weddings. But those couples would only meet each other weeks prior and they went into marriage based on Moon's arrangement. Many had to remain separated for several years doing church work.
Thousands of couples attend a mass wedding held by the Unification
Church on August 27, 2018 in Gapyeong, South Korea. Photo: VCG
Thousands of couples attend a mass wedding held by the Unification Church on August 27, 2018 in Gapyeong, South Korea. Photo: VCG
Conservative tone During the Cold War, the Unification Church movement was criticized by the mainstream media for its anti-Communist activism. In 2010, Moon bought the US-based media publication the Washington Times into the New World Communications, an international media conglomerate similar to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, which owns Fox News. The conglomerate was directly affiliated with Moon's Unification Church, the US News reported. The newspaper often plays up claims that the Chinese mainland will "invade" the island of Taiwan, for example, citing US officials who accuse the Chinese military of posing an "acute threat" to the island The New York Times reported that Moon acknowledged that in the two decades since the founding of The Washington Times in 1982, he pumped in more than $1 billion in subsidies to keep it going. In 2002, during the 20th anniversary party for the Washington Times, Moon said, "The Washington Times will become the instrument in spreading the truth about God to the world," the Washington Post reported in 2009. Unification is a political concept, and the Unification Church, which uses this concept as its name, has always been a heretical religious organization with distinct political positions and intentions, Zhou noted.
Unification Church followers hold a memorial service mourning the death of their leader Sun Myung Moon in the church's Seoul headquarters on September 3, 2012.? Photo: AFP
Alarm bells
The cultist elements behind the Abe assassination have set off alarms in China, which has maintained a zero-tolerance attitude toward cults through various efforts. The Unification Church has been classified as a cult since the 1990s in China. In May 1997, the Ministry of Public Security listed the Unification church as a cultic organization, according to chinafxj.com, a website promoting China's anti-cult policies under the State Council. The chinafxj.com website states that the Unification Church has been infiltrating China since as early as the country's Reform and Opening-up in 1978 in the name of investment, sponsorship, and tourism, in a bid to take root in China and expand its influence. In recent years, the cult's infiltration efforts have become more active in China. Its affiliated organization "International Education Foundation," for instance, carried out penetration activities in some cities in the name of cultural exchange and educational cooperation. The church also set up branches secretly in Beijing, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Xi'an, and other major cities to carry out illegal missionary activities. Sunmoon University also tried to absorb Chinese believers via cooperation with China's universities, said the website. Currently in China, the Unification Church is among the list of 18 defined cultist organizations masquerading as Christian churches, according to chinafxj.com. The cults share similar traits and modes of operation, such as deifying leaders or founders, promoting inhumane, antisocial, and immoral theories, and inciting the public to confront the larger society, Yan Kejia, director of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Religious Studies, told the Global Times. "The cults could easily confuse the public by taking advantage of religious beliefs and feudal superstition." China has been cracking down on cults, especially since the late 1990s, Yan noted. "The efforts have been greatly beneficial. The campaigns against cults are widely understood and supported by the public and have brought a breath of fresh air to the society.""The Abe incident proved that governments should pay great attention to issues surrounding cultic activities. It also reminds China that the work to fight cults should be consistently enhanced," he said.
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Worshippers at the World Peace and Unification Sanctuary hold weapons at a service in New Foundland, Pa., on Feb. 28, 201
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