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GEORGE TOWN: The Housing and Local Government Ministry has embarked on a three-pronged strategy to increase the number of vaccinations in the country, says Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin ( pic ). The Housing and Local Government Minister said the government has embarked on calls, mobilisation and outreach units to ensure a higher percentage of vaccinations. "A pilot project under the Voluntary Community Coordination project in Ampang recently was encouraging and we are planning to bring the programne nationwide in phases," said Zuraida after visiting the Balik Pulau Covid-19 Vaccination Centre, the second area identified for the programne here on Saturday (June 19). "Calls will be made by the call centre unit to all who do not turn-up for the vaccination appointments as Malaysians feel the government cares if a call is made," she said. Zuraida said the mobilisation unit will arrange for transport, especially in rural areas where people can be picked up and dropped off to ensure ... » Learn More about Housing and Local Govt Ministry embarks on three-pronged strategy to boost Covid-19 vaccination

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government has allowed taxis, e-hailing drivers and food delivery riders to cross districts within the greater Kota Kinabalu city area from Wednesday (June 23). State Covid-19 spokesman Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said movement would be allowed between Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan districts. He said the decision to allow inter-district travel in the area was made by the Sabah Covid-19 disaster management committee on Tuesday (June 22). He said that they would be allowed to carry only one passenger and more than one allowed for medical reasons. He said all SOPs must be followed and were only allowed to operate from 6am to 8pm. Meanwhile, Masidi said that Sabah recorded 193 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday. Masidi said that though no new clusters were recorded, five existing clusters showed an increase in cases. The clusters, Kampung Bolong Baru had 15 cases, Ocean Blue (nine); Taman Wawasan l (eight); Lot 9 (five); and Serudung Baru (five). ... » Learn More about Taxis, e-hailing vehicles allowed to travel between greater KK districts

PETALING JAYA: An audit has determined that the Yes Altitude Smartphones provided to students for home-based learning are safe to use, says YTL Communications. It said that China Mobile, its manufacturing partner, and battery manufacturer UTime Limited had completed an audit of the production and quality control data from the production run of the Yes Altitude smartphones. "They have confirmed that Yes Altitude smartphones are fully in compliance with all pertinent international health and safety certifications... and are safe for use," YTL said in a statement on Tuesday (June 22). This came after two alleged incidents of the smartphones catching fire went viral on social media. YTL said preliminary investigations of both incidents showed that the screens were undamaged, indicating that the phones did not explode. "In the first incident, the issue appears to be confined to the battery. "The phone's integrity is not compromised and the screen is undamaged. In fact, the ... » Learn More about YTL: Audit conducted shows smartphones given out for home-based learning are safe to use

PETALING JAYA: A vaccine dispensing centre will soon be set up in Yong Peng to serve the constituents at Ayer Hitam, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. The Ayer Hitam MP said that the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee (JKJAV) has approved setting up a vaccination centre at Dewan Persatuan Memperbaiki Akhlak Che Ann Khor (PMACAK) in Yong Peng. "I was informed about this by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry secretary-general Datin Paduka Dr Siti Hamisah Tapsir. "Before this, I had put forward the request to the JKJAV joint chairman Khairy Jamaluddin to set up a vaccination centre in the Ayer Hitam parliamentary constituency. "The place that was suggested was the Dewan PMACAK in Yong Peng, which is strategically located as it is only one to three kilometres from the Yong Peng North and South toll plaza," he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (June 22). He expressed his appreciation to Khairy for the decision which will be beneficial to ... » Learn More about Covid-19 vaccination centre to be set up in Yong Peng

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has offered his condolences to the family of Hashim Selamat, who is the Parit Saleh Khairon Umno branch chief. Dr Wee, who is the Ayer Hitam MP, said Hashim’s death is believed to have been caused by a heart attack. “I have lost a close friend, a staunch supporter, and a grassroots leader who works diligently. He is always by my side when I am in the constituency. “The late Hashim is a friendly person who loves to joke. He is very approachable and is respected by the local community. “I had just wanted to start discussions about the Aidil-Adha programme for next month, but God loves him more. “Condolences to his family and may his soul be blessed,” he said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (June 22). ... » Learn More about ​​​​​​​Dr Wee offers condolences to family of Parit Saleh Khairon Umno chief

PETALING JAYA: Many of us are apart from our parents due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but we can still spend quality and meaningful time with them online with the help of technology, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. The MCA president also wished all fathers a Happy Father's Day on Sunday (June 20) “Thank you for always caring for, protecting and being the pillar of strength of our families,” he said in a Facebook post on Sunday. Dr Wee said he had been blessed with the opportunity to be a father to two beautiful children. "To be able to care, protect and support our children and to see them grow to be the persons that they are is truly a rewarding experience for me," he said. Dr Wee has a son and a daughter who are in their early 20s and late teens, respectively. He also wished all fathers a Happy Father’s Day. Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June, and this year, it falls on June 20. ... » Learn More about Dr Wee: Being a father has its challenges, but will always be a blessing

PETALING JAYA: The last severely injured victim of the LRT train mishap last month has now been discharged from hospital, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. The Transport Minister said the 31-year-old woman was allowed to return home from Hospital Kuala Lumpur on Monday (June 21) night. “She is the last patient whom Hospital Kuala Lumpur allowed to return home, and she will continue her rehabilitation, check-ups and follow-ups that have been arranged by the medical specialists in the hospital,” he said. Over the past two days, he had called up the families of the four passengers who were severely injured in the train collision that took place on May 24. He said that last Thursday, a 52-year-old man, who was also severely injured in the incident, was allowed to return home and is also receiving rehabilitative treatment. “Both victims suffered severe head injuries and they were saved by the medical and surgical staff at Hospital Kuala Lumpur,” he said in a Facebook post on ... » Learn More about LRT mishap: Last severely injured victim returns home, says Dr Wee

PETALING JAYA: Eligible recipients of aid from the Jaringan Prihatin Programme, which enables them to get rebates for mobile devices or data plans, say it will help them to attend online classes and work from home. They said getting digitally connected is still costly to them. Audit clerk Norzilawati Osman, 42, said that having access to a digital connection is important as her four children, aged between seven and 15 years old, have been left behind in their online classes. “I am the only one earning a fixed salary and owning a mobile phone. “When I go to work, the children do not get to follow their classes online and will only resume their studies when I return home. “I will apply for the rebate but I also urge the government to look into the quality of the network connection in areas where B40 families live, ” she added. Single mother Norlaili Aryati, 43, who lives with her four children in a rented People’s Housing Project (PPR) unit in Taman Intan Baiduri, said she ... » Learn More about Beneficiaries of Jaringan Prihatin glad to have more digital access

DUBAI: Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi on Monday (Jun 21) backed talks between Iran and six world powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal but flatly rejected meeting US President Joe Biden, even if Washington removed all sanctions. In his first news conference since he was elected on Friday, the hardline cleric said his foreign policy priority would be improving ties with Iran's Gulf Arab neighbours, while calling on Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia to immediately halt its intervention in Yemen. Raisi, 60, a strident critic of the West, will take over from pragmatist Hassan Rouhani on Aug 3 as Iran seeks to salvage the tattered nuclear deal and be rid of punishing US sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. "We support the negotiations that guarantee our national interests ... America should immediately return to the deal and fulfil its obligations under the deal," he said. Negotiations have been under way in Vienna since April to work out how Iran and the United ... » Learn More about Iran President-elect Raisi backs nuclear talks, rules out meeting Biden

Pattaya, Thailand- Nongprue police raided a pool villa in Pattaya today, catching sixteen alleged gamblers playing card games for reportedly hundreds of thousands of baht in bets. The raid took place at 5:00 P.M. today, June 22nd, at a rented luxury pool villa located on Moo 7 in the Nongprue sub-district in Banglamung. The raid was led by the Nongprue police including the superintendent of investigation and a team of detectives led by Lt. Col Ekarin Sikhakul. The raid followed a tip given by neighbors in the area who reported to police they were constantly seeing people coming and going from the villa in question and that the neighbors were as a result concerned about the potential spread of Covid-19 in their local area. Upon arriving, Nongprue police found a five-room luxury villa with a swimming pool, pool tables, and other amenities. They discovered 13 women and three men gathered around decks of cards and other gambling equipment in a hall in the central part of the ... » Learn More about Nongprue police raid pool villa in Pattaya, catch sixteen alleged gamblers violating Covid-19 rules