Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Datuk Seri Norza Zakaria is not perturbed by news the association’s secretary-general Datuk Mohd Nazifuddin Najib has to pay RM37.6mil in tax arrears from 2011 and 2017 to the Inland Revenue Board.
The High Court today ordered the son of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to pay the amount. Nazifuddin’s lawyer, Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, said they would appeal the decision.
Norza said: “At the moment, it doesn’t affect OCM as it is a civil action. He is appealing (the decision).”
Nazifuddin defeated incumbent Datuk Low Beng Choo 49-48 in the OCM elections on May 5, 2018. He had previously served as vice-president from 2015-2018.
Here’s the round-up of other news in The News Normal today.
ANWAR GIVEN MANDATE TO DISCUSS PM POST WITH SHAFIE
Pakatan Harapan (PH) announced it is committed to its original stance to back PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as its prime minister candidate.
Its presidential council today said that besides backing Anwar, the former deputy prime minister has “full mandate” to discuss with Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who has been nominated for the same post.
AID FOR MALAYSIANS STRANDED OVERSEAS
A special ministerial meeting has proposed the Covid-19 Fund under the National Disaster Management Agency be expanded to help Malaysians stranded overseas.
It is estimated nearly half a million Malaysians are stranded overseas. Wisma Putra has identified 10,484 students or retrenched workers who may have no way of returning home due to strict standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the respective countries, which made repatriation difficult or impossible.
ISMAIL SABRI DEMANDS APOLOGY FROM AL JAZEERA
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob wants international television channel Al Jazeera to apologise for “false reporting” for its report – Locked up in Malaysia’s Lockdown – which alleged the government arrested illegal immigrants under the guise of public health and safety.
“The report does not contain clear facts and is full of baseless accusations. The immigration laws in most countries are the same as Malaysia’s,” he said.
The video showed an Al Jazeera journalist saying a barbed wire fence set up during the enhanced movement control order (MCO) period in Selayang, Selangor, prevented him from interviewing one of the illegal workers.
DALAI LAMA MARKS 85TH BIRTHDAY WITH ALBUM
The Dalai Lama celebrated his 85th birthday today by releasing an album of mantras and teachings titled “Inner World”.
The release comes five years after Patti Smith led the crowd at Britain’s Glastonbury Festival to sing Happy Birthday to him for his 80th.
U.S. AND CHINA NAVIES HOLD DRILLS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA
Beijing is ready to counter the challenge posed by Washington in the contested South China Sea, as the two powers faced off by holding coinciding military drills in the region.
The United States has sent two aircraft carriers to the disputed waters for military exercises starting on Saturday – when China is also holding drills in the region. These drills are some of the US Navy’s largest in recent years, and it is rare for US and Chinese military drills to take place in the same region at the same time.
COMPOSER ENNIO MORRICONE DIES
Ennio Morricone, the Italian-born musician, who is best known for scoring The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and won an Oscar for The Hateful Eight, died in Rome following complications from a fall last week in which he broke his femur.
The Italian composer scored more than 500 films – seven for his countryman Sergio Leone after they had met as kids in elementary school.
