WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump fuelled controversy on Monday over his decision to kill Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani by saying “it doesn’t really matter” whether Soleimani posed an imminent threat to the United States.

“The Fake News Media and their Democrat Partners are working hard to determine whether or not the future attack by terrorist Soleimani was ‘imminent’ or not, & was my team in agreement,” Trump wrote on Twitter.

“The answer to both is a strong YES, but it doesn’t really matter because of his horrible past!”

Democrats, who are trying to pass legislation to rein in Trump’s ability to wage war on Iran without lawmakers’ approval, have sharply disagreed.

“You cannot take military action against another nation without congressional consent unless to defend against an imminent attack,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said on Twitter.

“It’s clear now this was an illegal action. That also has made America less safe,” he said, noting an NBC News report that Trump authorised the killing of Soleimani seven months ago.

Since confirming Soleimani was killed by a US air strike in Baghdad, administration officials have said they acted because of an imminent risk of attacks on American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.

Soleimani was the head of the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, which handles clandestine operations outside Iran, working closely with militias in the region blamed for attacks on US interests.

But US lawmakers, including some Republicans as well as Democrats, have said the administration has failed to provide evidence that an attack was imminent.

Trump’s fellow Republicans have justified the killing by citing Soleimani’s history, and accuse Democrats of playing politics. Relations between the two parties are at a particularly difficult juncture, given the vote last year to impeach Trump in the Democratic-led House and his upcoming trial in the Republican-led Senate.

Attorney General William Barr told reporters on Monday that the White House consulted with his department before the strike. Barr said Soleimani was a “legitimate military target” and the strike was a “legitimate act of self-defence”.

‘Deterrence’

As he opened the Senate on Monday, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted Democrats for “letting their domestic political grievances pollute their judgment of world affairs” and praised Trump’s “bold action”.

“We appear to have restored a measure of deterrence in the Middle East. So let’s not screw it up,” McConnell said.

Democrats and a few Republicans in Congress have said they have not been given adequate, detailed briefings.

They also argue that the US Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the authority to declare war, and called for the Senate and House of Representatives to act to take that authority back from the White House.

The House voted nearly along party lines last week to pass a war powers resolution that would force the president to seek congressional approval for further military action against Iran.

A companion measure has been introduced in the Senate. McConnell said he expected debate on it to start “very soon” and pledged to strongly oppose it.

Last week Trump posited in an interview that Iran had been poised to attack four American embassies before Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike on Jan 3. But on Sunday US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said he did not see specific evidence that Iran was planning an attack.

“What the president said was that there probably could be additional attacks against embassies. I shared that view,” Esper said.

“The president didn’t cite a specific piece of evidence.”

When pressed on whether intelligence officers offered concrete evidence on that point, Esper said: “I didn’t see one with regards to four embassies.”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called Trump’s foreign policy “erratic, impulsive and without regard for long-term consequences” and argued the attack on Soleimani made Americans less safe.

He urged support for the war powers measure.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 — More than half of those working gig jobs are virtually full-time employees who rely on volatile contract work as their only source of income, a new study that polled over 400 e-hailing and application-based food-delivery service workers found.

The survey underpins the urgent need to relook at laws governing the gig economy, which provides little social protection for its workers, newly-formed think-tank The Centre said in a statement that accompanied its survey.

As more workers see gig jobs as the primary source of income, and with the industry expected to payroll half of the country’s workforce by the next decade, the study said there is a growing need for adequate legal and social protection.

“Gig work is no longer primarily a side hustle for extra income,” it said in a summary of the survey’s key findings.

“Based on the reported number of hours and days spent on gig work, a significant proportion of gig workers work full-time hours or more.”

The Centre said the “The Significance of Gig Work to Gig Workers and their Views on Social Protection” survey is intended to identify to what extent gig work — first conceptualised as a supplementary income source — has become a full-time job.

The study was held from October 15 to November 16, 2019 and sampled over 400 e-hailing and delivery drivers, who make up a major segment of gig workers.

A gig worker is defined as an individual that performs on-demand services using digital gig platforms such as Grab or Foodpanda.

Fifty-eight per cent of the respondents felt they are effectively working full-time, and only one-fifth saw gig jobs as a source of side-income while just a quarter viewed themselves as “casual” gig workers.

But regardless of primary or supplementary income, a whopping 75 per cent of the respondents indicated that gig income is an “important” or an “extremely important” source of income, at 24 and 51 per cent respectively.

The survey also sought to determine how crucial is gig work as a source of income to its workers, and what protection do gig workers have against personal economic shocks.

Nearly two-thirds of respondents were found to earn less than RM3,000 a month, further underscoring the importance of gig jobs as a source of income.

The survey found that the median income of a full-time gig worker was RM2,999, just a few hundred ringgit more than the living wage threshold to survive in a city like Kuala Lumpur, according to a recent estimation by Bank Negara Malaysia.

On social protection, close to one-fifth of those surveyed do not have any of the forms of social protection listed here. Of all forms of social protection, work-related injury or accident insurance is the most held though this is mainly due to PSV licence requirements.

This has sparked concern that more Malaysian workers could become precarious as application-based gig work is expected to become one of the leading payrollers in the near future. 

The Centre said there is a need for a long-term approach to address the conundrum, starting with a policy that accords gig workers some degree of legal and social protection.

“With the growth of gig platforms in Malaysia, more people can be expected to become gig workers or perform some amount of gig work in the future,” the think-tank said.

“The Centre hopes for a long-term approach that recognises the changing nature of employment in Malaysia and that fairly assigns responsibilities on both gig platforms and gig workers in the matter of reasonable gig working conditions and social protection.”

JOHOR BAHRU: Polis semalam mengambil keterangan 3 individu termasuk pengetua yang didakwa terlibat dalam aktiviti “pengantunan seksual” melibatkan pelajar sekolah di negeri ini.

Ketua Polis Johor Mohd Kamarudin Md Din berkata setakat malam tadi, sebanyak 3 rakaman percakapan direkodkan melibatkan pengetua terbabit serta 2 saksi.

“Siasatan akan diteruskan dengan merakam percakapan beberapa saksi lain dan bahan bukti akan dihantar ke Makmal Forensik untuk dianalisis,” katanya ketika dihubungi Bernama.

Kamarudin berkata, 1 laporan polis juga dibuat pada Selasa lepas (9 Jan) dan setakat ini, pihaknya menerima 1 laporan melibatkan pengetua berkenaan.

Kes itu disiasat mengikut Seksyen 11 Akta Kesalahan Seksual Terhadap Kanak-Kanak 2017 dan Seksyen 233 Akta Komunikasi Dan Multimedia 1998.

Kamarudin berkata demikian ketika ditanya sama ada laporan polis dibuat ke atas pengetua sekolah menengah itu dan diambil keterangannya.

Terdahulu, Timbalan Menteri Pendidikan Teo Nie Ching dilaporkan berkata pengetua itu “dikeluarkan” daripada sekolah berkenaan dan ditempatkan di Pejabat Pendidikan Daerah sementara siasatan dijalankan oleh pihak kementerian.

Katanya, tindakan itu adalah bertujuan untuk memastikan suspek tidak mengganggu mangsa atau pelajar ketika siasatan sedang dijalankan.

Tiga hari lepas, tular dalam media sosial mengenai dakwaan seorang pengetua sekolah menengah yang mendapat anugerah pengetua cemerlang, menghantar mesej-mesej berunsur lucah kepada pelajar sekolah, sehingga mewujudkan kebimbangan dalam kalangan netizen.

With Malaysians being more health conscious than ever, many people, young and old, are hitting the gym to shrink their waistlines and build those buns of steel.

But even as you hit the treadmill or strain under the weights, it becomes painfully clear that some gym goers are going to get under your skin soon enough.

So, what is it that annoys Malaysian gym goers the most? Here is a list of the top five most irritating traits:

1. The unsanitary

As to be expected of any physical activity, exercising produces a lot of sweat.

More often than not, this layer of sweat seeps through one’s clothes and stains the exercise machines and weights being used.

Most gyms provide cleaning agents in spray bottles and cloths to clean up after a workout. But many gym goers couldn’t be bothered and leave exercise machines sticky with their disgusting sweat.

In addition to being plain unhygienic, it is also utterly inconsiderate to expect someone else to clean-up your mess.

2. The hogger

It should always be remembered that while a gym membership entitles you to use its equipment, it doesn’t mean only you are allowed to use it.

Some people are oblivious to this as they sit on an exercise bench for unusually long periods of time, idling with their mobile phones.

There’s nothing wrong with checking your messages once in a while, but get off the machine to do this so someone else can use it.

But to many, the equipment is theirs and they don’t like the thought of sharing.

Even if one intends to use a particular piece of equipment for an extended time, they shouldn’t during peak hours when the gym is packed.

3. The grunter

It’s a little strange for someone exercising to be as quiet as a mouse, given the physical strain they’re undergoing. But being quiet is no annoyance compared to grunting loudly during a workout.

Sure, the gym is not a library, but that is no reason to be over-the-top with your grunting or countdowns.

Grunting away like it’s nobody’s business will distract other gym goers and might even affect their concentration.

Even if you’re completely unaware of how loud you are thanks to your earphones, the odd looks others give you should be an indication.

4. The creep

Staring is rude, but apparently someone forgot to pass “the creep” this memo.

You will know them by sight when you feel eyes trained on you, boring holes into your body as you go about your workout.

Sure, the gym might be filled with buff folks in tight clothing, but they’re there to exercise, not be eye candy for one’s pleasure.

“The creeps” ought to learn to respect people’s privacy and personal space and just focus on improving themselves.

It’s not surprising if these gym goers are finally thrown out due to their unacceptable behaviour and the discomfort they cause others.

5. The messy

Possibly the one habit that will get even the most patient gym goer worked up, is leaving used gym equipment strewn about.

The rule of thumb is simple: If you took a dumbbell from a rack, put it back once you’re done with it.

Perhaps it may slip your mind once or twice, but if it happens too many times, fellow gym goers’ impressions of you will sour quickly.

People will be rightfully irritated if it turns out that it’s you who leaves dumbbells and weights to be picked up by others.

It is basic etiquette; so don’t be lazy and do return equipment to where you found them.

6. The mobile musician

What’s a little music to make one’s workout a little more exciting?

It’s normal for gym goers to use their mobile phones to listen to their own tunes or even watch YouTube videos while exercising. But some seem to have missed out on the fact that headphones and earphones have long been invented.

So instead, they blast their music and videos out for the whole world to listen to, whether the world wants to or not.

The world doesn’t care about the songs on your Spotify playlist; just invest in a good set of earphones and you’re good to go!

JOHOR BARU, Jan 12 — Police have recorded statements from three individuals including an award-winning secondary school principal over their involvement in the alleged sexual grooming of a male student in the state.

Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Kamaruddin Md Din said up till tonight, the principal and two witnesses had been called up to have their statements taken, after the issue went viral on social media recently.

“The investigation will continue with the recording of statements from other witnesses, and the evidence will be sent to the forensic lab for analysis,” he told Bernama, when contacted here today.

The case is being investigated under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Mohd Kamarudin said so far, only one police report had been lodged on Thursday and this involved the principal.

Previously, Deputy Education Minister Teo Nie Ching was reported to have said that the principal concerned had been transferred out of the school and placed at a relevant district education office while investigations were being undertaken by the ministry.

The issue came to light after an activist shared a post of the allegation on social media, including obscene messages which had been sent to students. — Bernama