24/12/2025

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o Company insists its talc products are safe J&J to appeal US$1.5b award BALTIMORE: A jury here has ordered Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries to pay over US$1.5 billion (RM6.09 billion) to a woman who claimed decades of exposure to asbestos in the company’s talc-based products caused her peritoneal mesothelioma, a form of cancer. “Cherie Craft runs a non-profit where she pours her life into helping others. Her cancer was preventable. She used Johnson’s Baby Powder every day of her life until she was diagnosed with cancer,” said Jessica Dean, a partner at Dean Omar Branham Shirley, which represented Craft. “J&J refused to accept any responsibility and fought at every turn.” contain asbestos, citing decades of studies. “These lawsuits are predicated on junk science,” he said. The company faces lawsuits from more than 67,000 plaintiffs who say they were diagnosed with cancer after using its baby powder and other talc products, a claim J&J has consistently denied.

BEIJING: China yesterday urged the United States to fulfil its nuclear disarmament responsibilities after a draft Pentagon report said China was likely to have loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles in sites near the Mongolian border and showed no desire for arms control talks. “As a super nuclear power with the largest nuclear arsenal, the most urgent task for the US is to earnestly fulfil the special and priority responsibility for nuclear disarmament,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. The US should “substantially reduce its nuclear arsenal to create conditions for other nuclear-weapon states to join the nuclear disarmament process,” Lin said. In a draft report seen by Reuters, the Pentagon said China had probably installed more than 100 solid-fuelled DF-31 ICBMs in the three silo fields near Mongolia. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has said China is expanding and modernising its weapons stockpile faster than any other nuclear-armed power. “We continue to see no appetite from Beijing for pursuing such measures or more comprehensive arms control discussions,” the report said. President Donald Trump signalled last month that he might be working on a plan to denuclearise with China and Russia. Lin said he was not aware of the Pentagon report. – Reuters China reminds US of need to limit arms

diagnosed with mesothelioma in January last year, includes US$59.84 million in compensatory damages and punitive damages of US$1 billion against J&J and US$500 million against Pecos River Talc – a J&J subsidiary, according to court documents. The case follows a California jury decision earlier in December that awarded US$40 million to two women who said the company’s baby powder was to blame for their ovarian cancer. Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare cancer that develops in the lining of the abdomen and abdominal organs. It is most often linked to asbestos exposure. While there is no cure, treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and palliative care can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. A prayer hall linked by a court to a preacher who made statements intimidating others was shut on Monday by local authorities, a move described by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns as an “important step”. Minns said authorities “need to make decisive steps to send the message to those who are intent on putting hate in people’s heart or spreading racism that they will be met with the full force of the law.” The Canterbury Bankstown Council said yesterday it had issued a “cease use” directive to shut down a

It has previously sought to resolve the litigation through a proposed bankruptcy settlement that would allocate billions of dollars to claimants, but those efforts have been rejected by courts. J&J stopped selling talc-based baby powder in the United States in 2020 and globally in 2023, switching to cornstarch-based alternatives. The Maryland verdict adds to a series of large awards against J&J in talc cases, though many have been reduced or overturned on appeal. The company continues to fight claims across the country. – Reuters Reuters the preacher was no longer involved in the management of the centre. Haddad denies any involvement or knowledge of what happened in Bondi, the source said. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said yesterday his government would address hate speech and gun control, working with the states on new laws. A Sydney Morning Herald poll found three-quarters of Australians want tougher gun laws. The Nationals Party opposed the gun reforms, saying the amendments would disadvantage farmers. – Reuters

Johnson & Johnson called the ruling “egregious” and “patently unconstitutional”. “We will immediately appeal this verdict,” Erik Haas, J&J’s worldwide vice-president of litigation, said in a statement, arguing the decision resulted from “gross errors” by the trial court and was “squarely at odds” with most talc cases in which the company has prevailed. Haas reiterated J&J’s position that its talc products are safe and do not “prayer hall” run by Wissam Haddad after surveillance of the Al Madina Dawah Centre showed the premises was being used in violation of planning laws. An official at the centre told Reuters by telephone that Haddad was no longer involved in managing the centre. The Al Madina Dawah centre said in a statement on social media on Dec 15 that Haddad’s involvement was “limited to occasional invitations as a guest speaker, including delivering lectures, and at times Friday sermons”. A source close to Haddad also told

LONDON: Ten people have been helped to safety after a 50m-long sinkhole breached a canal near the border between England and Wales, leaving several boats stranded. Emergency services declared a major incident after receiving reports on Monday of a sinkhole causing large volumes of water to escape onto land in the Chemistry area of Whitchurch. West Mercia Police said: “There are no reports of any casualties.” Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said the incident involved “a significant breach” of the canal. It said: “At about 4.22am, Fire Control received reports of a canal bank collapse with large volumes of water escaping into surrounding land.” “Three boats had been caught in a developing sinkhole approximately 50m by 50m in size and crews helped more than 10 members of the public to safety. Fire service area manager Scott Hurford said: “We can confirm no persons are believed to be on board the canal boats. Twelve residents from nearby moored boats have been relocated.” – Bernama Canal sinkhole leaves boats stranded Fifteen people were killed and dozens injured in the shooting on Dec 14. SYDNEY: Australia’s most populous state is set to pass tougher gun laws, ban the display of terrorist symbols and curb protests in an emergency sitting following the Bondi mass shooting. The amendment Bill is expected to clear the upper house of the New South Wales parliament. The centre-left Labor government has proposed capping most gun licences at four firearms with farmers allowed as many as 10. Jurors in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland, on Monday found the company, two of its subsidiaries and spinoff Kenvue liable for failing to warn plaintiff Cherie Craft that its baby powder contained asbestos. Johnson & Johnson said it will appeal the jury’s decision, which the plaintiff’s law firm said was the largest-ever sum awarded against J&J for a single plaintiff. The award to Craft, who was

New South Wales to pass tougher gun laws

Boats lie stranded along a section of the Shropshire Union Canal. – SHROPSHIRE FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE HANDOUT/REUTERSPIC