Rightways

Head-of-state diplomacy guides China-Russia relations to ‘new heights’

2026-05-21T15:22:05.637+08:00

Photo: Xinhua

On May 20, Beijing witnessed another important moment in the development of China-Russia relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, with the two sides agreeing to further extend the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation.

President Xi outlined efforts to promote higher-quality development of China-Russia relations in four dimensions, during a joint press meeting with President Putin after the talks: First, Xi called for efforts to consolidate higher-quality political mutual trust and strengthen strategic support for each other; second, Xi stressed the need for China and Russia to empower higher-quality mutually beneficial cooperation and jointly promote their respective development and revitalization; third, Xi stressed the need to promote higher-quality people-to-people exchanges and strengthen the foundation for lasting friendship between the two peoples across generations; and fourth, Xi called on China and Russia to pursue higher-quality international coordination and work together to reform and improve global governance. These four dimensions clearly chart a path for the higher-quality development of China-Russia relations from a new starting point.

This visit yielded fruitful outcomes and carried far-reaching significance. The two heads of state signed a joint statement on further enhancing the comprehensive strategic coordination and deepening good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation between the two countries, and witnessed the conclusion of a number of important bilateral cooperation documents. The two countries also issued a joint statement on promoting a multipolar world and a new type of international relations. In addition, the two heads of state also attended the opening ceremony of the China-Russia Years of Education. In a single day, such an intensive schedule of activities, with so many major outcomes being introduced one after another, is fully evident that, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is characterized by full substance, a high level of mutual trust, a solid foundation, and broad prospects.

Standing at the historical juncture marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia strategic partnership of coordination, the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, and the launch year of the China-Russia Years of Education, the two heads of state once again held face-to-face communication. This not only injects new political momentum into bilateral relations, but also sends a clear signal of stability, cooperation, and mutual benefit to the world. This shows that the two countries regard the development of bilateral relations as a long-term strategic choice, rather than a matter of expediency. As President Xi emphasized, "As permanent members of the UN Security Council and important major countries in the world, China and Russia should take a strategic and long-term perspective, drive the development and revitalization of our respective countries through comprehensive strategic coordination of even higher quality, and work to make the global governance system more just and reasonable."

What does a strategically far-sighted China-Russia relationship mean for the world? First, it means a stronger safeguard for global peace and stability. By upholding the international system centered on the United Nations and adhering to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, China and Russia serve as key forces in opposing hegemony, promoting multipolarity, and stabilizing the global situation. Moreover, the forces defending international fairness and justice have become stronger. China and Russia maintain close ties under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), BRICS, and the G20, jointly safeguarding the legitimate development rights and interests of Global South countries. Both sides remain firmly committed to defending the post-World War II international order and the authority of international law, opposing all forms of unilateral bullying and actions that seek to reverse the course of history, especially provocations that deny the outcomes of World War II and attempt to whitewash and revive fascism and militarism. Together, they are working to build a more just global governance system. History shows that when China and Russia stand firmly together, there is greater hope for international fairness and justice, greater certainty amid once-in-a-century global changes, and greater strength for human progress and development.

At present, the international landscape is marked by turbulence and uncertainty, with various forms of "unpredictability" posing major challenges to peace and development. Against this backdrop, China and Russia's willingness and ability to "take a strategic and long-term perspective" is itself an important contribution to the international community. This strategic resolve demonstrates that the two countries consistently uphold the principles of "non-alliance, non-confrontation, and not targeting any third party." They adhere to equality, mutual respect, good faith, and win-win cooperation. The China-Russia relationship, which transcends traditional military and political alliances, is a model for interactions between major powers and neighboring countries alike. It possesses strong internal momentum and enduring strategic resilience, and has become a key stabilizing factor amid global uncertainty.

Under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Russia relations have reached a new starting point. China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is not about creating confrontation, but about opposing hegemony; not about exclusivity, but about upholding multilateralism; not about zero-sum rivalry, but about promoting common security and shared development. The China-Russia relationship that has entered a new stage of "greater achievements and faster development" aligns with the global trend toward peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit. It benefits both countries and the world.

China and Russia are good neighbors and friends who stand together through adversity; and valuable partners that help each other succeed. Standing at a new historical starting point, China-Russia relations will continue to maintain strategic resolve amid changing global circumstances, unleash potential through mutually beneficial cooperation, and demonstrate responsibility amid international transformation. As the two countries move together toward a future of higher-quality development, they will inject strong momentum into each other's growth and national rejuvenation. China-Russia close strategic coordination on the international stage will also continue to serve as an important stabilizing force in a turbulent world, making irreplaceable contributions as major countries to safeguarding international fairness and justice and to building a more just and reasonable global governance system.

Let 2026 be a historic, landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China-US relations

China US Photo: VCG US President Donald Trump concluded his state visit to China on Friday afternoon and departed Beijing on Air Force

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Banks must rethink fraud controls as AI risks rise

2026-05-21T14:29:20.729+08:00

THE recent Sessions Court ruling ordering a local bank to pay RM166,000 for failing to monitor anomalous transactions represents a critical inflection point for corporate governance in Malaysia.

By holding the institution liable for ignoring sudden, uncharacteristic account activity, the court effectively dismantled the legacy defence that merely having a secure system, such as sending automated SMS alerts, absolves an organisation of its duty of care.

The ruling sets a clear legal baseline: financial institutions cannot remain passive when faced with glaring transactional anomalies. It reinforces the expectation that financial compliance requires active,

However, if our institutions are currently facing legal liability for missing traditional, rudimentary anomalies, they are alarmingly exposed to the incoming wave of Ai-driven financial manipulation. What used to be neatly divided into IT risk versus finance risk is now one combined problem. Cybersecurity and financial compliance can no longer sit in separate rooms.

AI does not necessarily create new categories of fraud; it amplifies existing ones with devastating precision. The 2024 Arup incident, where a British engineering firm lost Us$25mil after an employee transferred funds based on a deepfake video call with fabricated “senior management”, serves as the global anchor case.

It proves an uncomfortable reality: we can no longer trust the channel. Relying on email authenticity or even live video confirmation is now an outdated intelligent monitoring of escalation triggers, particularly when a transaction drastically deviates from established customer behaviour.

assumption.

Furthermore, AI enables virtually undetectable fraud at scale. Instead of a single large, suspicious transfer, malicious actors can execute hundreds of micro transactions over time.

In this modern One Cent Thief (Malaysian television drama) scenario, each transaction sits comfortably below automated detection limits and approval thresholds but aggregates into significant corporate losses.

This is where our current regulatory frameworks face a critical gap. The Cybersecurity Act 2024 provides a strong foundation for strengthening system resilience and reporting breaches.

However, AI introduces a fundamentally different risk. It does not necessarily hack the system; rather, it manipulates how human decisions are made.

While current cybersecurity laws protect the infrastructure, they do not fully address the deception embedded within the financial workflow itself.

To survive this shift, corporate boards and audit committees must recognise that the answer is not simply telling employees to “be careful”. Financial approval systems must be actively redesigned to withstand deception.

High-risk actions, such as large payments, urgent transfers or changes to vendor bank details, must trigger mandatory, independent, out-of-band verification using pre-approved contact channels.

Equally critical is the human factor. Fraud often succeeds not because a policy does not exist, but because an employee is pressured by urgency or perceived authority into bypassing it. Corporate culture must empower people to pause, question and escalate suspicious, time-sensitive instructions.

Crucially, no employee should ever be penalised for slowing down a transaction to exercise independent judgment.

The future of financial security is not just in building stronger firewalls; it is in disciplined human decision-making, better audit trails and structured verification built directly into financial processes.

As the recent court ruling demonstrates, the expectation of accountability is not new. The law is simply evolving to demand that our internal controls are robust enough to manage exactly how decisions are made and acted upon.

By THULASY SUPPIAH Kuala Lumpur

Let 2026 be a historic, landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China-US relations

2026-05-16T16:39:02.327+08:00

China US Photo: VCG

US President Donald Trump concluded his state visit to China on Friday afternoon and departed Beijing on Air Force One. During this historic and landmark visit, mutual respect, valuing peace, and exploring cooperation were the overarching themes of the summit. The agreement reached by the two heads of state to build "a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability" is the most important political consensus and has attracted widespread attention from the outside world. An editorial in the South China Morning Post said this is "a realisation that the China-US relationship is so complex and consequential that they need to keep it stable - not only for the sake of the two peoples, but also for the international community." The article said that the summit in Beijing "heralds the start of constructive, stable relations."

Chinese President Xi Jinping used "four stabilities" to elaborate on the core essence of "a constructive relationship of strategic stability": a positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, a sound stability with moderate competition, a constant stability with manageable differences, and an enduring stability with promises of peace. Some foreign media said that this is a layered structure of premise, pathway, key, and goal. Many analysts believe that the creative use of the concept of "strategic stability" by both sides has transcended the original meaning of crisis management between major powers during the Cold War, and has provided a new strategic framework for expanding pragmatic cooperation through healthy competition among major powers and managing differences in the new era.

It is not difficult to see that "a constructive relationship of strategic stability" has a rigorous theoretical logic and rich practical implications. The "four stabilities" mean that both sides should continuously enhance the resilience of China-US relations through exchanges and cooperation, avoid a zero-sum game, and ensure that bilateral policies do not fluctuate wildly, let alone lead to conflict, confrontation, or even war. These four stabilities are interconnected and organically unified, setting up a crucial protective net for China-US relations when facing storms and reefs, and providing fundamental impetus for this giant ship to sail in the right direction. Under the strategic guidance of this new positioning, this "most important bilateral relationship in the world today" has become more certain and predictable, which in itself is an important public good provided to the international community. It conforms to the trend of the times, responds to the greatest concerns of all parties, and its widespread welcome is inevitable.

The new positioning of China-US relations represents a recalibration of each side's goals and modes of interaction under new circumstances, addressing the overarching question of whether China and the US are rivals or partners. For some time, certain people in the US have viewed China's development as a "threat," defined China as a "rival," made "competition" the dominant framework of their China strategy, and even attempted to promote "decoupling" and the severing of supply chains. Facts have proven this way of thinking entirely wrong. China's growth is part of the historical trend, and any attempt to contain or suppress China is doomed to fail. "Decoupling" and supply-chain disruption ultimately harm both sides. The concept of "a constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability" transcends the narrow zero-sum mindset of "your loss is my gain" or "your rise means my decline." It restores clarity to the true nature of China-US relations and reflects a sense of responsibility toward history, the people, and the world.

Positive cooperation, healthy competition, managing differences, and enduring peace are fully consistent with China's long-standing principles and propositions. These ideas have been widely welcomed by the international community and continuously tested in practice. This also demonstrates that China and the US are moving beyond a cycle of confrontation and negotiation toward gradually building consensus and clarifying direction, while deepening exploration of a new model for major-country relations. Today, dialogue between the two sides is more equal, communication more pragmatic, and red lines clearer, showing the possibility for China-US relations to open a new chapter through resilience.

The proposal to build a "constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability" underscores China's consistent commitment to head-of-state diplomacy and its active efforts to promote a China-US relationship that is strategic, constructive, and stable, so that positive interaction between the two countries can bring greater stability to an unsettled world.

The US side has agreed to define the building of a "constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability" as the new positioning of bilateral ties. US President Donald Trump said that China-US relations will get "better than ever before." Responding to media questions on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that bilateral relations are important and constructive, adding that world stability is in everyone's interest.

A "constructive China-US relationship of strategic stability" should not be a slogan, but must become a shared objective upheld by both sides and translated into joint actions. As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and the world's two largest economies, China and the US should achieve peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation on the basis of mutual respect, and find the right way to get along with each other. This is what the peoples of both countries desire and what people around the world hope to see. Expanding the list of cooperation while reducing the list of problems will require concrete actions to realize "constructive strategic stability" in China-US relations.

China hopes the US side will demonstrate the responsibility expected of a major power through practical actions, work with China along the direction charted by the two heads of state, continue enriching the substance of this new positioning, and translate it into concrete policies and practical measures, jointly opening a new chapter in China-US relations. There is reason to believe that 2026 will become a historic, landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China-US relations.

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Draw the line on blood-taking

2026-05-08T16:18:25.289+08:00

Doctors urge cleaner rules on pharmacy services

Needling concern: Calls are growing for invasive clinical procedures to be carried out at licensed facilities and that consistent enforcement is carried out against premises offering blood-taking services without proper approval.

PETALING JAYA: There is a need to clearly define the scope of services pharmacies can and cannot provide, particularly the distinction between finger-prick screening, venous blood-taking, laboratory testing, diagnosis and treatment, says a doctors’ group.

The Private Medical Practitioners’ Association of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur has also called for consistent enforcement against premises offering blood-taking services without proper approval.

Its president, Dr Eugene Chooi, said clear guidelines should be issued to all healthcare providers to eliminate ambiguity and ensure consistent patient safety standards.

“Patient safety must be protected through enforcement that is timely, transparent and fair,” he said.

Dr Chooi was responding to a statement from the Health Ministry that operators of premises providing blood collection or phlebotomy services without a licence could be fined up to RM500,000, jailed for up to six years, or both.

“Community pharmacists play an important role in medication counselling, health education and basic screening within their professional scope.

“The issue is clear, blood-taking is an invasive clinical procedure.

Refined grace in every step

“It must be performed within properly registered healthcare facilities, under clear clinical governance and accountability,” he added.

He said such procedures carry real risks and must be carried out by trained and authorised personnel in regulated settings, stressing that there should be no shortcuts, grey areas or double standards.

Dr Chooi said Malaysia does not lack healthcare regulations but enforcement has been inconsistent.

He said the public was now confused after years of seeing blood test promotions in non-clinical settings, which may have created the impression that such services are permitted.

He warned that blood-taking involves infection-control risks, proper patient identification, specimen handling and clinical interpretation, adding that blurred boundaries between screening, diagnosis and treatment could lead patients to delay seeking care or misinterpret results.

“That puts public safety at risk.”

Waking Up in Pain? Your Sleep Position May Need Adjusting.

2026-05-08T13:53:46.581+08:00

Stiffness, achy joints, acid reflux, snoring — experts explain the pros and cons of the three main ways people sleep.

Rachel Levit Ruiz

Ever wake up with a crick in your neck or a pain in your lower back? Are you roused from sleep by heartburn, or a partner complaining that you snore?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, your sleep position might be to blame.

There is no one “right” way to sleep, said Dr. Indira Gurubhagavatula, a professor of sleep medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

But if you are waking up with discomfort or stiffness or having restless nights, certain adjustments to your sleeping posture may help. Here are some of the most common issues associated with how people sleep, and what to do about them.

On Your Side

Many of us sleep on our sides with no problem. But for some people — especially those with joint issues or who are older — it can put a lot of pressure on the shoulder, hip and knees, said Dr. Rohan Jotwani, a pain medicine specialist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City.

Those who have a deviated septum may find that sleeping on their side affects how well they breathe, said Dr. Gerald Suh, an ear, nose, throat and sleep specialist in Princeton, N.J. The condition occurs when the thin layer of cartilage and bone that divides the nasal cavity is off-center or crooked. It is common, he said, affecting probably more than 80 percent of people, though only about 30 percent notice an influence on breathing.

For some, it’s easier to breathe when they sleep on the side that the narrower nostril is on, allowing air to flow unimpeded through the wider one, Dr. Suh said.

On Your Back

The goal when sleeping is to maintain the natural curvature of the spine and neck “without creating too many bends and twists and turns,” Dr. Jotwani said. Sleeping on your back is best for maintaining this alignment, he said, but it can also cause or exacerbate other issues.

The symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, for instance — which occurs when the muscles in the throat relax during sleep and cause snoring and temporary pauses in breathing — can worsen when lying face up, said Azadeh Yadollahi, a scientist who studies sleep and airway disorders at the University Health Network in Toronto.

If you have sleep apnea, sleeping on your side can help keep the airway open and let you breathe more freely, Dr. Gurubhagavatula said.

Sleeping on your back may also worsen acid reflux symptoms by allowing stomach acid to seep into the esophagus. And while any sleeping position can lead to nasal congestion, lying face up can cause you to feel even more stuffy, especially when dealing with a cold or allergies, Dr. Suh said.

Propping up the top half of your body with a pillow or a wedge-shaped bolster helps relieve acid reflux, Dr. Gurubhagavatula said. Or try elevating the head of your bed by putting blocks under the legs of your bed frame, she said. Some research also suggests that sleeping on your left side can help, too.

Pregnant women are often told to avoid sleeping on their backs after about 20 weeks to prevent the uterus from putting pressure on a large vein that carries blood from the lower body to the heart. That could restrict blood flow to vital organs or lower blood pressure, leading to lightheadedness.

When pregnant, it’s safest to sleep on your side, especially the left side, as this moves the weight off the vein, Dr. Gurubhagavatula said. This should help with pregnancy-related acid reflux, too, she added.

On Your Stomach

This is the least common sleeping position, Dr. Gurubhagavatula said. It also tends to be the hardest on your spine.

Having your head turned to one side all night strains the neck, Dr. Jotwani said. And that can be compounded by a thick pillow that angles your neck upward.

The position can also hyperextend your lower back. In a review published in 2025, researchers found that sleeping on the stomach is associated with more lower back pain than sleeping on the back or side.

If you enjoy sleeping on your stomach but wake up with low back pain, it can help to put a small pillow under your pelvis. This prevents your abdomen from sinking into the mattress and putting too much arch in your back, Dr. Jotwani said. But if possible, he added, sleep on your back or side for better alignment.

How to Learn to Sleep in a Different Position

Switching to a new position “can be very daunting,” Dr. Jotwani said. He recommended identifying a new position and then trying to spend at least a little time in it each night. Over time, your body will get used to it.

Strategic placement of pillows, special cushions or devices can help keep you in one position throughout the night, Dr. Gurubhagavatula said. To stay on your side, try placing a body pillow behind you, she suggested. There are also cushions that strap onto your back to keep you on your side, and electronic devices that vibrate when they sense that you’ve rolled onto your back. They’re the technological equivalent of getting elbowed by your bed partner, Dr. Yadollahi said.

If you’re new to sleeping on your back, Dr. Gurubhagavatula said you might be more comfortable with a small pillow under your knees, even if it feels awkward for the first few nights.

Your sleep position is just one of many factors that contributes to your overall sleep quality, Dr. Gurubhagavatula said. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, getting adequate exercise and keeping your bedroom dark and cool are all important.

But, she added, if getting a good night’s sleep can be “as simple as turning onto your side, then why not try it?”

A version of this article appears in print on April 7, 2026, Section D, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: Your Sleep Position May Cause You Pain. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Harsh reality about estate planning in Malaysia

2026-05-05T22:21:07.048+08:00

Filepic

OVER Rm90bil of wealth in Malaysia is currently frozen – not lost, not spent, just inaccessible.

Behind this staggering figure are families waiting months, sometimes years, to access money that could otherwise be used for mortgage payments, children’s education or medical bills.

This is the uncomfortable reality of estate planning in Malaysia. While many Malaysians work hard to build wealth through property, savings and investments, far fewer take the final step of ensuring that this wealth can be effectively passed on to their beneficiaries.

Estimates suggest that frozen estates in Malaysia have risen from Rm42bil in 2011 to as high as Rm90bil in recent years. According to a Bernama report in May last year, Rm13.3bil in unclaimed money was recorded by the Accountant General’s Department as of April 2025.

In news reports last year, Amanah Raya Berhad group managing director Ahmad Feizal Sulaiman Khan was quoted as saying that Rm65bil in assets, including real estate and cash belonging to deceased individuals, remain unclaimed due to lack of estate planning.

At the household level, this translates into delays, disputes and financial strain. At the national level, it represents idle capital that could otherwise contribute to economic activity.

Another reality that many overlook is that debts do not end when life does. Before any inheritance can be distributed, all of the deceased’s outstanding liabilities must be settled. This includes mortgages, personal loans, credit card balances and taxes.

In many cases, what appears to be a substantial estate might be reduced significantly after debts are cleared, leaving some families with far less than expected. In extreme cases, there may be nothing left at all.

Estate planning is often misunderstood as something complex or only relevant to the wealthy. In truth, it is a practical step that applies to anyone with dependents or assets.

From a practitioner’s perspective, three elements are critical.

First, legal clarity: A clear will or estate plan ensures that assets are distributed according to intention and reduces delays and disputes.

Second, debt awareness: Managing liabilities ensures that more of the estate can be preserved for beneficiaries rather than being consumed by obligations.

Third, liquidity planning: For families who need immediate access to funds, instruments such as insurance or structured arrangements can provide cash flow when it matters most without being tied up in legal processes.

These are not complicated strategies. They are basic safeguards that determine whether wealth can actually serve its purpose.

One of the biggest barriers to estate planning in Malaysia is attitude. Many people avoid the topic because it feels uncomfortable or premature while others assume they will get their assets without any complications.

But the evidence tells a different story. Failing to plan does not remove risk; it shifts the burden to the family often when emotions are high and urgent decisions must be made.

Estate planning should be viewed as a practical extension of responsible financial planning instead of a morbid exercise.

Ultimately, the true value of wealth lies not in how much we accumulate but in how effectively it protects the people we care about.

ASSOC PROF CHONG WEI YING Taylor’s Business School Taylor’s University

Drugstores not immune to fraud, Beware of cheap fake meds online

2026-05-04T14:37:45.168+08:00

Cases of stolen identity, couterfeit products

PETALING JAYA: What was first a mere question from a friend about discounted products quickly turned into a worrying discovery for pharmacist Rachel Gan May Shiang.

Someone was using her pharmacy’s identity to sell doubtful products.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

“I was sent a screenshot and that was when I knew our pharmacy was being impersonated online.

“The store looked almost identical. The only difference was that one of the letters bore a small alphabet as opposed to mine.

“Unregistered products in the Malaysian market were also sold on that site,” said Gan, who founded a pharmacy in Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam.

This led to complaints being made to the said e-commerce platform. Several of the product postings were then removed.

Days later, however, more fake accounts emerged.

“What’s even more worrying is that these products are being purchased.

“Besides the impersonation, there are wider public health concerns,” she said.

Gan, who is honorary secretary of the Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild, questioned how the said platform vets its sellers, especially for those related to sectors such as pharmaceuticals.

Her case is not an isolated one, as even chain pharmacies are being targeted by fraudulent operators.

“Over the past year, we noticed this becoming increasingly rampant.

“At first, we received customer enquiries, with many also checking the authenticity of the products at our physical stores.

“So we checked the sites daily and lodged reports with the relevant authorities every time our brand name is misused to sell health and supplement products,” said Alpro Pharmacy professional care and development manager Ng Yi Ling.

These stores impersonate the Alpro brand, logo and images, she said.

The only difference was in the capitalisation of the letters in the brand name.

“Our biggest concern is how consuming these products will impact the health of consumers. We do not know the contents of these products,” she said.

Du Kiat Seng and Ng Seng Wei, who are the brand owners and sole distributor of a supplement product in Malaysia, said they have received complaints about counterfeit products as recently as March.

“We tried ordering the product ourselves and found that it was clearly a counterfeit.”

The giveaway was the absence of mandatory hologram tags.

The registration number was also a duplicated one, they said.

Both of them found that posts of doubtful products would be taken down following complaints but they would reappear the next day on the same online store.

“There should be some sense of responsibility from platforms to do their due diligence before allowing anyone to list health products for sale online.”

Brego Life Sciences marketing manager Claris Wong said they discovered such issues happening since 2024.

“We received complaints online. The prices were between 30% and 40% cheaper.

“We purchased the products and saw that they were almost identical with our products, although there were subtle differences in the printing.

“There was even a hologram printed on it. But when we scanned it, we found the product was not registered,” she said.

Sh said there was an instance where a customer was hospitalised after consuming a counterfeit product.

“Counterfeit products are dangerous.

“Our tests revealed that they do not have any of the active ingredients as claimed and may also contain unknown or harmful substances,” she said.

Save a dime, risk a life? Beware of cheap fake meds online

PETALING JAYA: It may seem like a good bargain online. But it comes with serious risks, as counterfeit medicines and supplements are still being sold on e-commerce platforms despite ongoing crackdowns.

TikTok Shop Malaysia said medicines and supplements are subject to requirements, including the need for a MAL number or notification from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), before being listed.

“Through our Intellectual Property Protection Centre, brands or authorised representatives can submit takedown requests for products and monitor their st

“There is no finish line when it comes to safety. Users are encouraged to report these products, content and sellers through the in-app reporting channel,” said a spokesperson.

TikTok Shop Malaysia is working with the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry and Health Ministry to address evolving forms of circumvention.

The spokesperson said continuous investments are made to improve safety tools, technology and personnel, with more than US$1bil committed globally to protect users from fraudulent and dangerous activities.

Automated systems are also used to detect potential fraud, infringement, unsafe content or violative product listings, both before and after products or content are uploaded.

“Sellers must submit official documentation during registration, which is then verified against business and banking details to ensure authenticity.

“Store names are subject to strict guidelines to prevent misrepresentation, including restrictions on terms such as ‘official’, ‘flagship’ or ‘authorised’,” the spokesperson said.

Once approved, new sellers undergo a probationary period where daily orders and product listings are capped as they familiarise themselves with platform policies.

Between January and June this year, it said more than 70 million product listing attempts were rejected globally for policy violations, with a proactive removal rate exceeding 99.5%.

Some 1.4 million seller account registration applications that failed to meet its standards were declined, with more than 700,000 sellers removed during the same period due to shop-level violations.

“More than 900,000 reports from users viewing TikTok Shop videos or live streams were also reviewed,” the spokesperson said.

Shopee strictly prohibits the sale of counterfeit and prohibited items too, requiring all sellers to comply with local regulations and platform policies.

A spokesperson said the platform works closely with the Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) to verify pharmacies and actively remove listings that violate its rules.

“We are committed to building a safe and trusted platform where shoppers can transact with confidence.

“We also use proactive monitoring and work with brands, law enforcement and the Health Ministry to detect and take action against sellers breaching our policies, including account suspension, permanent bans and, where appropriate, legal action.

“Users are encouraged to report suspicious or counterfeit products via the ‘Report this Product’ option.”

Complaints can also be made to the Public Complaints Management System (SISPAA), which is used to manage public complaints, including reports of fake or unregistered medicines.

MPS president Amrahi Buang said all pharmaceutical products sold online must be registered with the Health Ministry and comply with laws including the Poisons Act, Sale of Drugs Act and the Medicines (Advertisement & Sale) Act and Regulations.

“Legitimate products have the Health Ministry hologram tag and the MAL number,” he said, adding that the number can be checked at the NPRA website.

He said MPS also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with an e-commerce platform to curb the sale of counterfeit drugs online.

There are several conditions to be fulfilled when applying to open an online store as per the MOU, including having a licensed pharmacist, ensuring the products sold online can be tied to a physical store and confirming that the pharmacist is an MPS member.

“Pharmacists can check if the product is legitimate and advise you.

“We don’t just sell drugs. We want the best for our customers,” he said

Workshops steering into scams

2026-05-01T01:25:18.451+08:00

Motorists slammed with inflated bills for needless repairs

A mechanic repairing a car at a local workshop in Kuala Lumpur. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star

PETALING JAYA: When Tan Chee Keong noticed unusual noises in his car, he did what any motorists would do – take the vehicle to a nearby workshop for checks.

Then came the shock – he was quoted close to RM20,000 for the repairs.

“They told me the steering rack, suspension system, mounting and several other components were all damaged,” the 69-year-old said.

Tan got suspicious when the mechanic failed to properly explain what the problem was.

“Some of what was pointed out did not match the issues I was having,” he said.

ALSO READ: Upfront pricing on auto repairs just a tap away

So, he sought a second opinion from another workshop.

“The mechanic checked the car, test drove it and found that only a few components needed changing. The repairs cost only RM6,000,” he said.

Tan’s case is not an isolated incident.

Many unscrupulous vehicle workshops are out to make a quick buck by “repairing” problems that do not exist

A Subang Jaya resident who wanted to be known as John took his wife’s sedan to a workshop last year after she complained of hearing some noises under the bonnet.

He said a workshop owner, whom he was familiar with, referred him to someone new, who he said was the chief technician.

“He hoisted the car up and took a cursory look at the absorbers and started to give a long list of parts that he said needed to be replaced.

“Besides the absorbers and the lower arms, he said the steering rack also needed changing.

“The quotation came up to RM7,000!” he said.

John then went for a second opinion with a trusted mechanic who told him only the absorbers needed to be replaced.

“I bought the parts elsewhere and he replaced them for me, charging me just RM300 for workmanship. The car runs fine till today,” he said.

Another motorist who wanted to be known as Raj, also experienced a car workshop trying to rip him off.

“The regular shopowner called in a worker I had not seen before to handle my complaints. The man said he was in charge of repairs and ordering parts.

“He said there were many parts that needed replacing, such as the fuel pump, mass airflow sensor, oxygen sensor and engine mounting.

“The estimate came up to several thousand ringgit. I was not happy and took my car elsewhere. And the car was fixed for a few hundred ringgit.”

This is daylight robbery,” he said.

For MK Leow, 29, his experience was slightly different.

When sending his car for servicing at an official service centre, he was hit with a quotation close to RM400.

“I just paid as I trusted the service advisor.

“But friends pointed out later that my bill was actually inflated with various add-ons that were not part of the mandatory service,” he said.

The add-ons included coolant sprays, ozone treatment service and more.

Chinese scientists discover rare-earth-rich new lunar minerals in Chang'e-5 mission samples

2026-04-24T17:08:36.034+08:00

Ideal crystal structure of magnesiochangesite-(Y). Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology

Ideal crystal structure of changesite-(Ce). Photo: Courtesy of Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences

Chinese scientists have identified two previously unknown lunar minerals from the 1,731 grams of moon samples returned by Chang'e-5 mission, marking another major breakthrough in deep-space research. The findings were announced on Friday at the opening ceremony of the 11th China Space Day. The two newly discovered minerals have been officially approved and classified by the International Mineralogical Association. They are named magnesiochangesite-(Y) and changesite-(Ce).

This marks the second and third lunar minerals discovered by Chinese scientists, following the first discovery of changesite-(Y) in 2022. Globally, they are the seventh and eighth new lunar minerals identified in returned lunar samples.

The release of their ideal crystal structures drew strong reactions at the event. Though only a few micrometers in size, the crystals reveal the microscopic beauty hidden beneath the Moon's barren surface and reinforce the idea that the Moon is a vast and resource-rich body.

Global Times reporters learned that both minerals belong to the rare-earth phosphate category and are embedded within lunar dust. Their crystal structures are unique, with no exact counterparts found on Earth. They are part of the merrillite group, a class of phosphate minerals commonly found in samples from the Moon, Mars, and asteroids, but showing compositional diversity across different planetary bodies.

Magnesiochangesite-(Y) was discovered by a research team led by scientist Li Ziying from the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology (BRIUG). The mineral appears as short columnar crystals, typically 2 to 30 micrometers in size, and is mainly found within basalt fragments in drilled lunar samples.

Researchers said the mineral's Chinese name plays on the homophone for magnesium and "beauty", symbolizing a more beautiful and distinctive form of changesite-(Y). Ge Xiangkun, a researcher at the BRIUG, told the Global Times that magnesiochangesite-(Y) has a unique structure. Magnesium dominates the M site in its crystal lattice, and the particles are extremely small - about one-third to one-thirtieth the diameter of a human hair - making them invisible to the naked eye.

Identifying such a mineral was exceptionally challenging. Scientists analyzed tens of thousands of particles, comparing data repeatedly to isolate anomalies distinct from known minerals. Ultimately, they found only a single ideal crystal - just 20 micrometers wide - suitable for testing.

Handling the sample required extreme precision. Scientists had to transfer it between advanced instruments while carefully controlling airflow to avoid losing the particle. Extracting the crystal using a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope was likened to performing microsurgery, where even slight excess force could destroy the specimen, Ge said.

"As a new member of the merrillite group, magnesiochangesite-(Y) offers a fresh mineralogical sample for studying lunar formation, magmatic activity, and chemical differentiation, helping scientists better understand the Moon's geological history," he said.

Changesite-(Ce) was discovered by a team led by academician Hou Zengqian from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences. It was identified both in Chang'e-5 lunar samples and in a lunar meteorite that fell in China.

"Changesite-(Ce) is a phosphate mineral rich in the rare-earth element cerium, belonging to the merrillite group. Compared with minerals of the same group found in samples from Earth, Mars, and asteroids, it shows a clear enrichment in rare earth elements and thus serves as a 'fingerprint' planetary mineral," Hou told the Global Times.

He added that the newly discovered changesite-(Ce) shares the same structural model as the changesite-(Y) previously identified by Chinese researchers, but differs in rare-earth element occupancy: the former is dominated by the light rare-earth element cerium (Ce), while the latter is dominated by the heavy rare-earth element yttrium (Y).

Hou noted a key difference between samples returned by the Apollo program and those from Chang'e-5: Apollo samples tend to be enriched in heavy rare-earth elements, whereas Chang'e-5 samples show enrichment in light rare-earth elements. This suggests significant differentiation of rare-earth elements during the Moon's magmatic evolution.

The discovery is particularly notable because it is based on two distinct sample sources: lunar soil from the Oceanus Procellarum region collected by Chang'e-5, and a lunar meteorite named Pakepake 005 found in China's Taklimakan Desert in 2024 - the first officially recognized lunar meteorite discovered in the country.

The discovery of changesite-(Ce) was also highly challenging. Wang Yanjuan, the mineral's first discoverer and a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, told the Global Times that during their study of samples from the Chang'e-5 mission and the first lunar meteorite recovered in China, the research team employed a range of advanced in-situ analytical techniques - including nanoindentation, cathodoluminescence, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe analysis, Raman spectroscopy, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and three-dimensional electron diffraction - to systematically determine the mineral's physical properties, chemical composition, and crystal structure, ultimately confirming it as a previously unrecorded natural mineral.

The discovery of changesite-(Ce) not only broadens our understanding of the natural world, but also offers new possibilities for synthetic materials, Qu Kai, a member of the New Mineral Nomenclature and Classification Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Petrology and Geochemistry, told the Global Times. He noted that the mineral exhibits a pronounced luminescent effect, showing strong potential for applications in the development of phosphor materials for white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs).

Academician Hou further explained that the discovery of the changesite-(Y) series minerals not only enriches the diversity of natural minerals - particularly those on the Moon - but also reveals the crystal chemical complexity of merrillite-group minerals in lunar soil, highlighting the diversity of the Moon's material composition and its evolutionary processes. As rare-earth-rich minerals, they also provide fundamental data for assessing the Moon's rare-earth resource potential and future in-situ resource utilization

China will launch Chang'e-6 lunar probe in early May to collect samples from far side of the moon

national on the moon is expected to happen before 2030.brbrWu disclosed on this year's China Space Day...

2024/04/27 Source: Global Times | Author: Fan Anqi | Column: Society

China launches new test satellites for internet technology

China successfully sent a new set of test satellites for internet technology into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern Sichuan Province on Friday.

Mixed property outlook amid higher oil prices

2026-04-23T14:34:21.549+08:00

High-rise and luxury segments seen most vulnerable

PPC International MD Datuk Siders Sittampalam

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s property market remains an appealing investment avenue despite increasing global uncertainties, according to industry experts.

PPC International Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Siders Sittampalam said the local property market remains attractive to investors despite the ongoing West Asia crisis.

“However, the appeal is likely to be selective rather than broad-based, with investment decisions increasingly adopting a sector-led approach.

“It is important to recognise that Malaysia’s property market continues to be driven largely by domestic fundamentals, rather than direct exposure to the Middle East,” he told StarBiz.

An analyst said investing in property during global economic uncertainty “still makes sense,” adding, however, that it is “no longer about riding a broad market upswing”.

“It’s about selectivity, resilience, and long-term thinking. Property remains attractive because it’s a tangible, income-generating asset.”

Amid uncertain times, he said investors often value “stability.”

“Real estate can provide relatively predictable rental income and act as a partial hedge against inflation. Compared to more volatile assets like equities, it tends to be less reactive to short-term global shocks.”

However, he said the current environment has changed the investment outlook.

“Higher construction costs, cautious lending and more price-sensitive buyers mean that not all properties will perform well. Oversupply in certain segments, especially high-density developments, can limit both rental yields and capital appreciation.

“At the same time, global uncertainties can affect job markets and consumer confidence, indirectly impacting demand,” he said.

Compared with many countries in the region, Siders noted that Malaysia’s political neutrality provides a degree of stability.

“As such, the crisis is expected to affect the market only indirectly, primarily through higher oil prices, inflationary pressures and shifts in investor sentiment.

“One key reason the market remains attractive is that, during periods of geopolitical uncertainty, investors tend to rotate away from volatile equities into hard assets such as real estate.”

Siders emphasised that property, particularly income-producing assets, is generally less sensitive to short-term volatility affecting equities and other financial instruments.

“That said, the principal risk lies in a prolonged period of elevated oil prices, which could translate into higher domestic transportation costs, increased steel and concrete prices, pressure on rental affordability and slower take-up rates for high-end residential properties.”

Collectively, Siders said these factors may erode household disposable income and temper overall market momentum.

“In my view, investment strategies should now be anchored on income generation and strong underlying fundamentals, rather than expectations of capital appreciation or speculative gains.”

One market observer said that in times of uncertainty, the key question isn’t whether to invest, but rather “how to invest.”

“Investors should focus on properties with strong fundamentals – good locations, access to infrastructure, proximity to employment hubs and realistic pricing.

“Rental demand is especially important now, as steady income can offset slower price growth. A longer investment horizon also becomes critical, since quick gains are less likely in a cautious market cycle.”

Amid current economic uncertainties, a property analyst said there would be an impact on the market should things escalate further or be prolonged.

In such a situation, he said the impact would vary depending on the property segment. He said high-rise condominiums, especially in Kuala Lumpur, would be the most vulnerable segment.

“This segment would be the hardest hit because buyers here are often investors or middle- to upper-income earners.”

He noted that this segment also tends to be more sensitive to economic uncertainty, rental yields and short-term sentiment.

“Should oil prices spike, investors here will likely pull back and there will be fewer speculative purchases.

“The number of expatriates would also shrink if the global economy slows. Moreover, rental demand for these types of properties could also soften.”

Ultimately, this could lead to slower price growth or stagnation for high-rise condominiums.

“There would be higher unsold inventory. This is already an issue for condominiums within the Klang Valley,” he said.

Similarly, luxury and high-end properties are also at high risk, he noted.

“This segment is highly dependent on foreign buyers and investor sentiment.

“Oil price spikes often come with global uncertainty, which reduces foreign inflows and makes buyers more cautious. In such situations, transactions within this segment could drop significantly and prices may stagnate or correct.”

On the flip side, he said affordable houses (or mass-market properties) would be the most resilient if global economic conditions continue to worsen.

“This segment holds up better because it is driven by genuine need for owner occupation rather than investment.

“It is also often supported by government schemes and financing access. Even if oil prices push up living costs, people still need homes.

“Demand may slow slightly, but the segment still remains relatively stable. Prices may still inch up, albeit more slowly.”

Nevertheless, higher oil prices equals higher fuel costs, he noted. “Therefore, commuting can become more expensive.

“In such cases, locations far from city centres may see reduced appeal, while well-connected areas (especially ones near mass rapid transits and light rail transits) will hold their value better.”

By EUGENE MAHALINGAM eugenicz@thestar.com.my

Be cautious when using chatbots

2026-04-18T18:29:00.003+08:00

Study shows these ai-powered virtual assistants dish out a significant amount of inaccurate medical information.

A SUBSTANTIAL amount of medical information provided by five popular chatbots is inaccurate and incomplete, with half of the answers to clear evidence based questions “somewhat” or “highly” problematic, show the results of a study published in the open access journal BMJ Open.

Continued deployment of these chatbots without public education and oversight risks amplifying misinformation, warn the researchers.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots have been rapidly adopted across research, education, business, marketing and medicine, with many people using them like search engines, including for everyday health and medical queries, explain the researchers.

To gauge the level of accuracy provided in areas of health and medicine already prone to misinformation, and therefore with consequences for everyday health behaviour, the researchers probed five publicly available and popular generative AI chatbots in February 2025: Gemini (Google); Deepseek (High-flyer); Meta AI (Meta); CHATGPT (Openai); and Grok (XAI).

Each chatbot was prompted with 10 open ended and closed questions in each of five categories of cancer, vaccines, stem cells, nutrition and athletic performance.

The prompts were designed to resemble common “information-seeking” health and medical queries and misinformation tropes online and in academic discourse.

And they were developed to “strain” models towards misinformation or contraindicated advice – a strategy increasingly used for stress testing AI chatbots and picking up behavioural vulnerabilities, note the researchers.

Closed prompts required chatbots to provide pre-defined responses, often with one correct answer, that aligned with the scientific consensus.

Open ended prompts typically required chatbots to generate multiple responses in list form.

Responses were categorised as non-, somewhat, or highly problematic, using objective pre-defined criteria.

A problematic response was defined as one that could plausibly direct lay users to potentially ineffective treatment or come to harm if followed without professional guidance.

The information was scored for accuracy and completeness, and particular attention was given to whether a chatbot presented a false balance between science and non-science based claims, regardless of the strength of the evidence.

Each response was also graded on readability, ranging from whether it was written in easy, plain English, to difficult, academic language, using the Flesch Reading Ease score.

Half (50%) the responses were problematic: 30% were somewhat, and 20% were highly problematic.

Prompt type was influential: open ended prompts, for example, produced 40 highly problematic responses – significantly more than expected – and 51 non-problematic responses – significantly fewer than expected.

The opposite was true of closed prompts.

While the quality of responses didn’t differ significantly among the five chatbots, Grok generated significantly more highly problematic responses than would be expected (29/50; 58%).

Gemini generated the fewest highly problematic responses and the most non-problematic ones.

The chatbots performed best intheareaofvaccinesand cancer, and worst in the area of stem cells, athletic perforaccess mance and nutrition.

Answers were consistently expressed with confidence and certainty, with few caveats or disclaimers.

Out of the total 250 questions, there were only two refusals to answer, both of which came from Meta AI in response to queries about anabolic steroids and alternative cancer treatments.

Reference quality was poor, with an average completeness score of 40%.

Chatbot hallucinations and fabricated citations meant that no chatbot provided a fully accurate reference list.

All readability scores were graded as difficult, equivalent in complexity to suitability for a college graduate.

The researchers acknowledge that they only assessed five chatbots and that commercial AI is rapidly evolving, so their findings might not be universally applicable.

And not all real-world queries are deliberately adversarial, an approach they took which may have overstated the prevalence of problematic content.

Nevertheless, “Our findings regarding scientific accuracy, reference quality and response readability highlight important behavioural limitations and the need to re-evaluate how AI chatbots are deployed in public-facing health and medical communication,” they point out. “By default, chatbots do not real-time data but instead generate outputs by inferring statistical patterns from their training data and predicting likely word sequences.

“They do not reason or weigh evidence, nor are they able to make ethical or value-based judgements,” they explain. “This behavioural limitation means that chatcan bots reproduce authoritative-sounding but potentially flawed responses.”

The data chatbots draw on also includes Q&A forums and social media, and scientific content is typically limited to open access or publicly available articles, which comprise only 30-50% of published studies.

While this enhances conversational fluency, it may come at the cost of scientific accuracy, advise the researchers. “As the use of AI chatbots continues to expand, our data highlight a need for public education, professional training and regulatory oversight to ensure that generative AI supports, rather than erodes, public health,” they conclude.

AI chatbots give misleading medical advice 50% of the time ...

The Star

https://www.thestar.com.my › tech-news › 2026/04/15

A major risk to the deployment of chatbots without public education and oversight is that they could amplify misinformation, the BMJ Open study ...Read more

Missing: ~~cautious~~ ‎| Show results with: cautious

Artificial intelligence-driven chatbots are giving users problematic medical advice about half the time, according to a new study, highlighting the health risks of the technology that’s becoming increasingly integral in day-to-day life.

Researchers from the US, Canada and the UK evaluated five popular platforms – ChatGPT, Gemini, Meta AI, Grok and DeepSeek – by asking each of them 10 questions across five health categories. Out of the total responses, about 50% were deemed problematic, including almost 20% that were highly problematic, according to findings published this week in medical journal BMJ Open.

The chatbots performed relatively better on closed-ended prompts and questions related to vaccines and cancer, and worse on open-ended prompts and in areas like stem cells and nutrition, according to the study.

Answers were often delivered with confidence and certainty, though no chatbot produced a fully complete and accurate reference list in response to any prompt, the researchers said. There were only two refusals to answer a question, both from Meta AI.

The results highlight the growing concern about how people are using generative AI platforms, which aren’t licensed to give medical advice and lack the clinical judgment to make diagnoses.

The explosive growth of AI chatbots has made them a popular tool for people seeking guidance on their ailments and OpenAI has said that more than 200 million people ask ChatGPT health and wellness questions every week. The platform announced in January health tools for both everyday users and clinicians, and Anthropic said the same month its Claude product is launching a new health care offering.

A major risk to the deployment of chatbots without public education and oversight is that they could amplify misinformation, the BMJ Open study authors said.

The findings "highlight important behavioral limitations and the need to reevaluate how AI chatbots are deployed in public-facing health and medical communication,” they wrote. These systems can generate "authoritative-sounding but potentially flawed responses,” they wrote. – Bloomberg

Be cautious when using chatbots

2026-04-18T18:25:00.004+08:00