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Key Highlights

• Political chess unhindered by Covid-19
  
  
• Spanish fly stinger
  
  
• Men in blue probe Code Black 
  
  

Political chess unhindered by Covid-19

Covid-19 cases reached another record five-digit high yesterday, but this has not hampered the game of political chess being played in Putrajaya.

Umno's nine ministers made it clear yesterday which side of the board they're on when the cabinet unanimously expressed support for Muhyiddin Yassin to continue as prime minister.

This open rebellion further undermines Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's efforts to oust Muhyiddin.

Zahid had earlier make concessions by giving Umno MPs discretion on which side to be on should there be a vote of no confidence against the prime minister.

Coincidentally, the head of the Umno rebellion, Deputy Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, also announced that a Royal Commission of Inquiry would be investigating Tabung Haji issues from 2014 to 2020.

This would mean that Baling MP Abdul Azeez Rahim's time as Tabung Haji chairperson will be under scrutiny.

Azeez is believed to be aligned to Zahid, as part of the so-called Umno "court cluster".

HIGHLIGHTS

	DAP denies deal with PN  Kulasegaran says such a deal will never take place
	NGOs threaten to protest if PM doesn't quit Muhyiddin is given until Friday to resign
	1MDB seeks RM15.86b from Jho Low The state investment fund amends its writ of summons

Spanish fly stinger

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba's propensity for gaffes has resulted in yet another police report against those poking fun at him.

This time, a lawyer purportedly acting on the minister's behest urged a probe into social media posts and an article which "insulted" and "shamed" Adham over his latest faux pas, where he mistakenly referred to the Spanish flu as the "Spanish fly".

Spanish fly is known as a sexual stimulant - purportedly made from chemicals extracted from an insect bearing the same name.

Police appeared to pass the buck to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, which later said it would not probe the matter.

This is not the first time police have been called in after Adham's image was bruised.

Police are also investigating graphic artist Fahmi Reza for criminal defamation over an unflattering caricature of the health minister.

HIGHLIGHTS

	'Adham must quit over Covid-19 numbers' Tony Pua says pandemic escalation 'is disastrous'.
	Entire country to enter Phase 2 in August DPM says this is based on the vaccination rate.
	Greenlight for Covid-19 self-test kits Two kits have passed the evaluation.

Men in blue probe Code Black

Medical practitioners showing solidarity with contract government doctors appear to have run afoul with the men in blue.

In the latest incident, a dentist who did an explainer video about the Code Black campaign and why some contract doctors were planning to go on strike is being investigated for statements conducive to public mischief.

Bukit Aman CID director Abd Jalil Hassan warned that the police would not compromise with anyone who disturbs public harmony.

This comes a day after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the cabinet would discuss the appeal by contract doctors to be given permanent positions in the civil service.

The Malaysian Medical Association said other doctors involved in the Code Black campaign were also being investigated by police.

HIGHLIGHTS

	'Don't threaten doctors, listen to them' MP says the probe is 'disgraceful'.
	HTAR denies Emergency Dept vacated for PM visit Patients were transferred to accommodate more Covid-19 patients.
	Probe into 'extra' vaccination appointment slots The police investigation is still at the initial stage.

• 11,618 new cases yesterday (July 14), the second day in a row that cases have exceeded 10,000.
  
  
• Active cases have also exceeded the 100,000 mark for the first time.
  
  
• There were another 118 fatalities, pushing the death toll to 6,503.
  
  
• For trends on daily cases, tests, hospital beds capacity, vaccination progress and more, follow our Covid-19 tracker.

What else is happening?

• Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is in a tiff with police after he was told to shut down food bank operations at his parliamentary service centre due to long lines.
  
  
• A former Penang state exco who testified in Lim Guan Eng's undersea tunnel project corruption trial claimed that the former chief minister had directed him to contact two company directors in relation to the project.
  
  
• Malaysiakini breaks down government ventilation guidelines to lower the risk of Covid-19 transmission at homes and businesses.
  
  
• More women have come forward to say they received unsolicited text messages from personnel working at vaccine administration centres.
  
  

HIGHLIGHTS

	'Pemulih, NRP to guide M'sia into resilience' Johan Merican indicates aid packages may not extend to 2022.
	'Local councils powerless to shut down factories' The power lies with the federal authorities.
	Suhakam probing four death in custody cases The deaths occurred in Johor and Selangor, among others.

What are people saying?

	Convert hotels into low-risk quarantine centres By Ong Kian Ming
	In the fight against Covid, what can states do? By Tricia Yeoh
	Soaring vaccine earnings create 9 new billionaires By Anis Chowdhury & Jomo Kwame Sundaram