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BERLIN - The prosecution's closing arguments will be heard on Monday (July 6) in the trial of a 93-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard for complicity in the murder of more than 5,000 people during World War II.

In what could be one of the last such cases of surviving Nazi guards, Bruno Dey stands accused of complicity in the murder of 5,230 people when he worked at the Stutthof camp near what was then Danzig, now Gdansk in Poland.

Dey, who has appeared in court in a wheelchair, denies bearing any guilt for what happened at the camp.

His defence has insisted that he did not join the SS voluntarily before serving at the camp from August 1944 to April 1945, ending up assigned there because a heart condition excluded him from frontline service.

But prosecutors argue that his involvement was crucial to the killings, as his time in the SS coincided with the "Final Solution" order to systematically exterminate Jews through gassing, starvation or denial of medical care.

Dey is standing trial at a juvenile court because he was aged between 17 and 18 at the time.

During his testimony in May, Dey told the court that he wanted to forget his time at the camp.

"I don't want to keep going over the past," he told the Hamburg tribunal.

Judge Anna Meier-Goering had asked whether Dey had spoken to his children and grandchildren about the time he stood guard at Stutthof.

"I don't bear any guilt for what happened back then," Dey said. "I didn't contribute anything to it, other than standing guard. But I was forced to do it, it was an order."

Dey acknowledged last year that he had been aware of the camp's gas chambers and admitted seeing "emaciated figures, people who had suffered", but insisted he was not guilty.

​The Nazis set up the Stutthof camp in 1939, initially using it to detain Polish political prisoners.

But it ended up holding 110,000 detainees, including many Jews. Some 65,000 people perished in the camp.

Dey, who now lives in Hamburg, became a baker after the war.

Married with two daughters, he supplemented his income by working as a truck driver, before later taking on a job in building maintenance.

He came into prosecutors' sights after a landmark 2011 ruling against former Sobibor camp guard John Demjanjuk on the basis that he was part of the Nazi killing machine.

Since then, Germany has been racing to put on trial surviving SS personnel on those grounds rather than for murders or atrocities directly linked to the individual accused.

Ukrainian-American Demjanjuk was convicted of being an accessory to the murder of nearly 30,000 Jews at the Sobibor death camp. He died while his appeal was pending.

The court ruled that as a guard at the camp, he was automatically implicated in killings carried out there at the time.

The case set a new legal precedent and prompted several further convictions of Nazi officers, including that of the "bookkeeper of Auschwitz" Oscar Groening.

He died aged 96 before he could be jailed.

LONDON - Britain's separation talks with the European Union resume on Monday (July 6) with few signs of compromise on a new trade agreement and time running out to avoid a messy split.

London will host EU negotiator Michel Barnier after a round of face-to-face talks ended a day early last week in Brussels because of deep divides in the sides' approaches.

Mr Barnier said after ending the negotiations last Thursday that "serious divergences remain".

His British counterpart David Frost said there were "significant differences" that meant the sides were still searching for basic "principles underlying an agreement".

And German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, upon taking over the helm of the EU's rotating presidency last Wednesday, that both her country and the 27-nation bloc "should prepare for the case that an agreement is not reached".

Britain followed through on the results of a 2016 EU membership referendum and officially pulled out of the bloc in January after nearly half a century.

But a standstill transition period that ends on Dec 31 allows Britain to effectively function as if it were still a member.

London and Brussels are supposed to agree on new trade terms in the meantime that prevent ties from reverting to the minimum standards - and accompanying high tariffs and quotas - of the World Trade Organisation.

British businesses fear that possibility and want Prime Minister Boris Johnson to give them guidance as soon as possible about whether a trade deal is feasible or not.

​This would give them a chance to trigger costly contingency planning aimed at disrupting trade and business activity as little as possible.

But EU officials feel much less pressure to strike a quick agreement and are suggesting that one could still be done by late October.

Brussels has shrugged off Mr Johnson's repeated threats to walk away and accept very distant relations with the bloc that complicated trade but gave Britain broader independence.

The differences between the sides remain vast.

London refuses to accept jurisdiction over trade disputes by the European Court of Justice and wants a much bigger part of fishing waters it now shares with the bloc.

A separate dispute concerns the degree to which Britain must follow EU rules on state aid to important economic sectors as well as labour and environmental rules.

London argues that the entire point of leaving the bloc was to give Britain a bigger say over its own affairs.

Brussels counters that Britain cannot expect to undercut the bloc on price through looser standards and still expect a favourable trade deal.

The talks in London are being held in an intensified format that follows video conference discussion held at the European height of the coronavirus crisis.

PETALING JAYA - Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has paid tribute to frontliners who have worked tirelessly for months to stem the spread of the pandemic.

Muhyiddin said Wednesday was the first time that Malaysia recorded only one case in a day, which saw no local transmission cases among citizens and foreigners.

“Congratulations and thank you to the frontliners who are still working hard at present to control the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

“At the same time, I’m also proud with every Malaysian for giving good cooperation in terms of abiding with (the) SOP,” he said, adding the decreasing rate reflected the society’s level of awareness and knowledge about Covid-19.

“Congratulations to Malaysians,” said Muhyiddin, adding this showed increasing compliance with the standard operating procedure (SOP).

“Such positive development is making us very excited and proud. But we shouldn’t be too comfortable to the extent that efforts in stemming Covid-19 are neglected.”

Muhyiddin stressed Malaysians must continue to be vigilant, take preventive measures and always abide by the SOP.

“During the recovery movement control order (MCO), we are all frontliners,” he said, pointing out that every Malaysian had the responsibility to protect his or her family members, the community and the country from Covid-19.

“God willing, I’m confident that with the cooperation and commitment of every Malaysian, we will successfully defeat Covid-19.

“I’m proud with all of you. I’m proud to be a Malaysian.”

In Putrajaya, health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the number of active Covid-19 cases in Malaysia had dipped below 100 for the first time since early March before the country faced a spike in cases.

Another 62 patients were discharged from health facilities yesterday, which leaves only 85 who are still being treated for the virus.

Since the outbreak began, 8,437 patients have recovered in Malaysia.

“This translates to a recovery rate of 97.6 per cent out of the total number of cases in the country,” he said in a statement.

Two patients are in the intensive care unit and both are intubated with ventilators.

Dr Noor Hisham also announced only three additional cases as at noon yesterday while the death toll remains at 121.

​Of the three new cases, two are local transmissions involving foreigners and one is an import case of a Malaysian returning from Singapore.

One of the two local cases is related to the Bukit Bintang cluster while the other was detected during screening of new detainees at a lock-up in Kota Kinabalu.

Dr Noor Hisham said the Bukit Bintang case was found from a repeat test conducted on 293 individuals under quarantine.

“These individuals who initially tested negative remain isolated and there is no risk of them infecting others in the community,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

With the addition of that one case, there are now 11 positive cases linked to this cluster.

“The source of infection in this cluster is still under investigation.”

A durian plantation in Terengganu has its fruits fully booked even before they have ripened and fallen.
​
Its owner Ismail Tawang said the “Cikgu Wei (CW)” durians, which he created, received good reception every year.

Ismail, who is also known as Cikgu Wei, said the trees were created using durian kampung seedlings and were expected to produce over 300 fruits.

“Many durian fans have booked them and the durians are expected to start falling in September.

“The price of the CW durian is still RM40 (S$13) per kilo as it was two years ago, even though the demand has increased due to the guaranteed quality,” he said at his plantation in Kampung Lingai, Tepoh.

Ismail said he spends RM10,000 yearly on fertiliser so that the 50 trees in his 8ha plantation can produce quality fruits.

“The CW durian is not yellow like the Musang King or Udang Merah varieties but tastes better,” he added.

Ismail said he planted many other durian varieties, but the CW durian has the highest demand.

​PETALING JAYA - Go for the second Covid-19 test or face a potential stint in jail, Bukit Aman warns.

"The police have received information from the Health Ministry that around 620 people who returned from overseas have yet to undergo their second Covid-19 tests.

"We advise them to present themselves and cooperate fully with the Health Ministry to undergo the second test.

"Failure to do so is an offence under Section 22(b) of the Prevention and Control of Infections Disease Act 1998 (Act 342) and Rule 10 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020," said Federal CID director Comm Datuk Huzir Mohamed in a statement on Thursday (July 3).

He added that the police will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to present themselves for the second test.

"Those that refuse can face a jail sentence of up to two years, fined, or both if found guilty under Act 342)," he said.

LONDON - China warned Britain on Thursday (July 2) it could retaliate with "corresponding measures" for London's decision to extend a broader path to citizenship for the residents of Hong Kong.

Britain's offer came in response to a sweeping new security law that China unveiled for the former British territory this week.

Hong Kong was under British jurisdiction until its handover to China in 1997 with a guarantee that Beijing would preserve the city's judicial and legislative autonomy for 50 years.

The Chinese embassy in London said it is "clear… that all Chinese compatriots residing in Hong Kong are Chinese nationals, whether or not they are holders of the British Dependent Territories Citizens passport or the British National (Overseas) passport".

The British offer covered almost three million Hong Kongers who either have a British National (Overseas) passports or are eligible to apply for one.

"If the British side makes unilateral changes to the relevant practice, it will breach its own position and pledges as well as international law and basic norms governing international relations," the embassy said in a statement.

"We firmly oppose this and reserve the right to take corresponding measures," it said without elaborating.

Beijing has never publicly raised the possibility of offering Britons either Chinese citizenship or broader residence rights.

The Chinese statement concluded by urging London to reassess its decision and "refrain from interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any way".

​Britain had sought closer relations with China after ending its decades-long membership in the European Union this year.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government also irritated the US administration in January by allowing the private Chinese telecoms group Huawei to unroll Britain's speedy new data network.

But Britain is now studying ways it can cut Huawei out of its system entirely and build up an alliance of European and Asian providers that reduces China's dominance in the field.

UK media said the Foreign Office summoned the Chinese ambassador on Wednesday to express its concerns about the law.

NEW YORK – British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested in the United States on Thursday (July 2) and charged with sex trafficking minors for her former boyfriend the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell, whose whereabouts had been unknown following Epstein’s suicide while awaiting trial last summer, faces six counts relating to his sex crimes.

FBI agents detained the daughter of late newspaper baron Robert Maxwell “without incident” in Bradford, New Hampshire at 8.30am (9.30pm Singapore time), Kristen Setera, spokeswoman for the agency’s Boston office.

She is due to appear in court in New Hampshire later in the day.

A spokesman for the Southern District of New York, which is investigating whether Epstein had any accomplices, said she had been charged “for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein.”

A copy of the indictment filed in a New York court showed the charges include conspiracy to entice minors to travel in order to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation of minors for criminal sexual activity and perjury.

Prosecutors allege that Maxwell helped Epstein groom girls as young as 14 between 1994 and 1997.

It says she would befriend them by taking them shopping or to the cinema. After building a rapport, she would coax them into giving Epstein nude massages during which they were sexually abused.

“In some instances, Maxwell was present for and participated in the sexual abuse of minor victims,” the indictment says.

She could face life in prison if found guilty.

Epstein, 66, was arrested in July 2019. He hanged himself in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Correctional Centre on Aug 10 last year while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking minors for sex. He had pleaded not guilty.

Several of his accusers have said the 58-year-old Maxwell maintained a network of girls to perform sexual favours for Epstein, a registered sex offender who hobnobbed with the rich and famous.

The allegations sparked a tabloid frenzy to try to track her down, amid rumors that she had fled to Israel or France.

The English socialite is a long-time friend of Prince Andrew and is known to have introduced the British royal to Epstein, with the two becoming friends.

US prosecutors want to speak to the prince about his relationship with Epstein but have accused him of being uncooperative. He denies this.

Andrew, 60, also vehemently denies claims he had sex with a 17-year-old girl procured by Epstein.

Virginia Giuffre alleges she was trafficked for sex with friends of Epstein. She says she had sex with the prince at the central London home of Maxwell in 2001.

LAWSUITS
​
Queen Elizabeth II’s second son was forced to step back from frontline royal duties after he faced outrage over an interview with the BBC late last year in which he defended his friendship with Epstein.

Epstein was a multi-millionaire hedge fund manager who befriended countless celebrities over the years, including US President Donald Trump.

Epstein was charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and another of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.

He was facing up to 45 years in jail if found guilty.

Determined to obtain justice despite his death, dozens of women who say they were abused by Epstein have sued his estate.

In March, Maxwell also launched a suit against his estate seeking compensation for legal fees and security costs incurred by her association with Epstein.

In it, she said she had “had no involvement in or knowledge of Epstein’s alleged misconduct.”

Epstein was convicted in Florida in 2008 of paying young girls for massages but served just 13 months in jail under a secret plea deal struck with the then state prosecutor.

While his death was ruled a suicide, it has also fueled conspiracy theories, mostly speculating he was murdered to stop him revealing compromising information about wealthy acquaintances.

PETALING JAYA - Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has paid tribute to frontliners who have worked tirelessly for months to stem the spread of the pandemic.

Muhyiddin said Wednesday was the first time that Malaysia recorded only one case in a day, which saw no local transmission cases among citizens and foreigners.

“Congratulations and thank you to the frontliners who are still working hard at present to control the spread of Covid-19 in the country.

“At the same time, I’m also proud with every Malaysian for giving good cooperation in terms of abiding with (the) SOP,” he said, adding the decreasing rate reflected the society’s level of awareness and knowledge about Covid-19.

“Congratulations to Malaysians,” said Muhyiddin, adding this showed increasing compliance with the standard operating procedure (SOP).

“Such positive development is making us very excited and proud. But we shouldn’t be too comfortable to the extent that efforts in stemming Covid-19 are neglected.”

Muhyiddin stressed Malaysians must continue to be vigilant, take preventive measures and always abide by the SOP.

“During the recovery movement control order (MCO), we are all frontliners,” he said, pointing out that every Malaysian had the responsibility to protect his or her family members, the community and the country from Covid-19.

“God willing, I’m confident that with the cooperation and commitment of every Malaysian, we will successfully defeat Covid-19.

“I’m proud with all of you. I’m proud to be a Malaysian.”

In Putrajaya, health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the number of active Covid-19 cases in Malaysia had dipped below 100 for the first time since early March before the country faced a spike in cases.

Another 62 patients were discharged from health facilities yesterday, which leaves only 85 who are still being treated for the virus.

Since the outbreak began, 8,437 patients have recovered in Malaysia.

“This translates to a recovery rate of 97.6 per cent out of the total number of cases in the country,” he said in a statement.

Two patients are in the intensive care unit and both are intubated with ventilators.

Dr Noor Hisham also announced only three additional cases as at noon yesterday while the death toll remains at 121.

​Of the three new cases, two are local transmissions involving foreigners and one is an import case of a Malaysian returning from Singapore.

One of the two local cases is related to the Bukit Bintang cluster while the other was detected during screening of new detainees at a lock-up in Kota Kinabalu.

Dr Noor Hisham said the Bukit Bintang case was found from a repeat test conducted on 293 individuals under quarantine.

“These individuals who initially tested negative remain isolated and there is no risk of them infecting others in the community,” said Dr Noor Hisham.

With the addition of that one case, there are now 11 positive cases linked to this cluster.

“The source of infection in this cluster is still under investigation.”

​A durian plantation in Terengganu has its fruits fully booked even before they have ripened and fallen.

Its owner Ismail Tawang said the “Cikgu Wei (CW)” durians, which he created, received good reception every year.

Ismail, who is also known as Cikgu Wei, said the trees were created using durian kampung seedlings and were expected to produce over 300 fruits.

“Many durian fans have booked them and the durians are expected to start falling in September.

“The price of the CW durian is still RM40 (S$13) per kilo as it was two years ago, even though the demand has increased due to the guaranteed quality,” he said at his plantation in Kampung Lingai, Tepoh.

Ismail said he spends RM10,000 yearly on fertiliser so that the 50 trees in his 8ha plantation can produce quality fruits.

“The CW durian is not yellow like the Musang King or Udang Merah varieties but tastes better,” he added.

Ismail said he planted many other durian varieties, but the CW durian has the highest demand.

​PETALING JAYA - Go for the second Covid-19 test or face a potential stint in jail, Bukit Aman warns.

"The police have received information from the Health Ministry that around 620 people who returned from overseas have yet to undergo their second Covid-19 tests.

"We advise them to present themselves and cooperate fully with the Health Ministry to undergo the second test.

"Failure to do so is an offence under Section 22(b) of the Prevention and Control of Infections Disease Act 1998 (Act 342) and Rule 10 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected Local Areas) Regulations 2020," said Federal CID director Comm Datuk Huzir Mohamed in a statement on Thursday (July 3).

He added that the police will not hesitate to take action against those who fail to present themselves for the second test.

"Those that refuse can face a jail sentence of up to two years, fined, or both if found guilty under Act 342)," he said.