KUALA LUMPUR: China said today a flight by 16 military aircraft over hotly contested waters off Malaysia was routine training, after Putrajaya accused Beijing of breaching its sovereignty. Malaysia scrambled fighter jets on Monday to intercept the Chinese air force transport planes that appeared off Borneo over the South China…
PETALING JAYA: A pregnant mother was charged at the sessions court in Kangar, Perlis today under the emergency ordinance for spreading “fake news” that can cause public alarm. Kosmo! reported that 28-year-old housewife Norjannah Rusli pleaded guilty after the charges were read to her before Judge Musyiri Peet. According to…
KUALA LUMPUR: Vegetable traders at the Kuala Lumpur wholesale market in Selayang are crying foul over the lack of enforcement to weed out foreign-run shops at the market, and raised fears of a Covid-19 cluster. Three traders who spoke to FMT said there are about 20 to 40 shops illegally…
PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has urged the government to take another RM4.2 billion from the National Trust Fund (KWAN) to assist the (bottom 40) B40 and (middle 40) M40 groups during the total lockdown. In a Facebook post, he assured that Barisan Nasional would replenish the funds…
PETALING JAYA: Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has questioned the purpose of the emergency if the government cannot exercise its powers to compel banks to implement a blanket loan moratorium. The former youth and sports minister was responding to finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s statement at a press…
KOTA KINABALU: The recently concluded state-level Unduk Ngadau Kaamatan beauty pageant has been hit by controversy after allegations surfaced that a member of the organising team had molested a contestant. Social media was awash with negative comments from netizens lambasting the alleged act after a police report purportedly lodged by…
PETALING JAYA: A lawyer has disputed finance minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s statement that the government does not have any legal power over banks when it comes to imposing loan moratoriums. Derek Fernandez said the minister actually has “tremendous power” to legally compel the banks to agree to provide the moratorium.…
JOHOR BAHRU: A tuition teacher is believed to be the first person to be charged under the emergency ordinance on the publication of fake news. Mohd Nazaruddin Yusoff, 50, was charged at the sessions court here today with posting false news via Facebook. The accused was said to have committed…
PETALING JAYA: Putrajaya must issue the strongest protest and demand an official apology from China over its intrusion into Malaysia’s airspace, the National Patriots Association (Patriot) said today. In a strongly-worded statement, its president Mohamed Arshad Raji called the incident in which China’s military aircraft had entered our airspace on…
PETALING JAYA: Plantation industries and commodities minister Khairuddin Aman Razali claims that some Umno leaders are attacking him over his alleged involvement in the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) “land scandal”. Khairuddin added that a Facebook page accusing him over the MRB issue was “friendly” to some Umno leaders. However, the…
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) has again denied allegations of a “land scandal”, stressing that their decisions had followed the right process, including the involvement of its board of directors. It added that the board will not hesitate to take legal action on allegations by former chairman Ahmad…
IPOH: Getting to your vaccination centre in an ambulance, having wheelchair assistance, being greeted with a buggy and accompanied by volunteers – these are all part of the VIP treatment provided by Perak Community Specialist Hospital (PCSH), the first private hospital chosen as a vaccination centre in the city. The…
PETALING JAYA: A political analyst has suggested that the opposition promise it will not move a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin if Parliament is reconvened. Speaking to FMT, Azmi Hassan said this might pressure the government to call for a Dewan Rakyat sitting. “It’s clear the people…
PETALING JAYA: An economist and two MPs have called for financial contributions from the corporate sector to the fight against Covid-19. Reacting to announcements that ministers and deputy ministers will give up three months of their salaries and 800,000 civil servants will contribute portions from their monthly allowances, they say…
PETALING JAYA: The Bar Council has questioned the absence of law firms under the government’s list of essential services during the total lockdown period. In a circular to the council’s members and pupils in chambers, its secretary Shahareen Begum said this meant law firms would not be able to operate…
KOTA KINABALU: All businesses in Sabah except petrol stations must close shop by 7pm for the next two weeks, the state government announced today. The state’s Covid-19 spokesman Masidi Manjun said the rule applies to all businesses, including those in the “essential” category, such as restaurants, food trucks, stalls, sundry…
PETALING JAYA: The closure of schools and institutions of learning because of the Covid-19 pandemic will cost the economy RM80 billion a year, say two think tanks. In a joint report, the Center for Market Education (CME) and Bait Al Amanah said this is why discussions for a safe reopening…
PETALING JAYA: The two-week total lockdown will fail to curb infections unless the government takes a different approach in implementing restrictions, former deputy health minister Dr Lee Boon Chye has warned. He said the nation is in a critical situation with new cases expected to surge above 10,000 daily, and…
PETALING JAYA: The government should provide a daily vaccination rate instead of only announcing the rate on the days when the numbers are high, former science, technology and innovation minister Yeo Bee Yin says. This comes after national Covid-19 immunisation programme coordinating minister, Khairy Jamaluddin announced that the vaccination rate…
KUALA LUMPUR: The Producer Price Index (PPI) for local production continued to increase with a growth of 10.6% in April, 3.9% higher than 6.7% recorded in March, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM). Higher producer prices mean consumers will pay more when they buy. Chief statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin…