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KUALA LUMPUR – The decline in the value of the ringgit against the US dollar is in line with the fall in other global currencies, caused by the global economic uncertainties, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He said among these uncertainties was the trade war between the United States (US) and China. "The currencies of many countries fall (because of the trade war), not just Malaysia," he told reporters after officiating the Cardiac Vascular Sentral Hospital. He said the ringgit’s performance was actually better when compared with other currencies globally. “If (we) compare Malaysia with some other countries, the value of Malaysia’s currency rises,” he said. At the close yesterday, the ringgit was traded at 4.1020/1050 compared with the US dollar from 4.0950/1000 on Tuesday. However, the local unit strengthened against a basket of major currencies, among them the Singapore dollar, Japanese yen, British pound and euro.

KUALA LUMPUR – Efforts are being made to streamline all legislations in the country to set the minimum marriage age limit at 18 years. Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said the measure was being formulated and would be implemented as a long term solution on underage marriage in Malaysia. The Women, Family and Community Development Minister said it would be implemented through the involvement of the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department on Islamic Affairs and legislations, Home Ministry and state governments including Sabah and Sarawak.  The initiative involved laws such as the Islamic Family Law (Federal Territory) Act 1984, Islamic Family Enactment and Ordinance in the states, Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, Native Courts Enactment 1992 in Sabah and various laws on Sarawak pribumi communities, she said during the question and answer session at Dewan Rakyat, Bernama reported. Dr Wan Azi...

BAGAN SERAI -- Kegiatan licik seorang penganggur menyamar sebagai pegawai Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat (JKM) dan Baitulmal dengan menjadikan warga emas sebagai mangsa penipuan tumpas apabila dia ditahan polis, awal bulan ini. Ketua Polis Daerah Kerian Supt Omar Bakhtiar Yaacob berkata wanita yang berperwatakan dan pakaian lelaki itu ditahan di sebuah rumah di Air Kuning, Taiping kira-kira pukul 2 petang pada 3 Ogos lalu hasil siasatan serta laporan seorang mangsa. Katanya semasa ditahan, polis turut merampas empat songkok berwarna hitam dan putih yang digunakan suspek, sebuah beg hitam dan beberapa kad bank. Beliau memberitahu sidang media di Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah (IPD) Kerian di sini hari ini, dalam kejadian pada 27 Jun lalu, seorang wanita warga emas kerugian kira-kira RM12,000 selepas terpedaya dengan suspek yang datang ke rumahnya di Simpang Empat, Semanggol, dekat sini. "Dalam kejadian itu suspek meminta mangsa menanggalkan barang kemas dan menyimpannya...

PUTRAJAYA -- Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's five-day official visit to China will serve as a new milestone in the consolidation of bilateral ties between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said. Wisma Putra said in a statement that it would set new strategic pillars to invigorate the future cooperation between the two countries, especially in the political, trade, investment, agriculture, technology and regional security realms. "Malaysia and China continue to maintain their close and comprehensive bilateral relations," it said. Wisma Putra said the official visit, which is from tomorrow to Aug 21, is at the invitation of China's Premier Li Keqiang. Dr Mahathir will be accompanied by his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali. Also accompanying the Prime Minister are Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah; Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok Suh Sim; International Trade and Industry Minister Ignatius Darell Leiking; Agriculture and Agro-Based ...

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will strive to prove that the private aircraft owned by businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low was bought with money stolen from the country, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said on Thurday. The Prime Minister said it was important that this matter was addressed first before the aircraft, now in Singapore, was brought to the country. “We have to establish that the jet was bought with stolen money. If he (Jho Low) had stolen money from Malaysia, then the jet is ours, just like the boat (Equanimity),” he said to reporters after opening the Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur (CVSKL), one of the region's first private cardiac and vascular specialist hospitals here, Bernama reported. Dr Mahathir had said previously that Malaysia was in talks with Singapore to bring the plane to Malaysia. The Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft, estimated to cost US$35 million (about RM143 million) was allegedly bought with money belonging to 1Malaysia Developm...

SHAH ALAM -- The High Court here on Thursday ordered Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong to enter their defence on a charge of murdering the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader, Kim Chol or Kim Jong-nam, last year. Judge Datuk Azmi Ariffin in his ruling said the prosecution had succeeded in establishing a prima facie case against Siti Aisyah, 26, and Doan, 29 at the end of prosecution case. In his judgment, Justice Azmi said he had taken step back and re-looked at the evidence objectively and viewed the prosecution case from all angles especially the demeanours of the prosecution witnesses during the trial. "I have also carefully considered very strong arguments advances before me by the learned counsels and the learned deputy public prosecutor. "Suffice to say that at the close of the prosecution case, I have undertake a maximum evaluation of the evidence adduced and I find that the whole of the evidence presented by the prosecution at this ...

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government was striving to fulfill the promises in its election manifesto, but indicated that more time was needed to do that. The PH government has come under scrutiny over its 100-day fulfillment of election pledges as the deadline draws near. Dr Mahathir said, however, he was optimistic that most of what was outlined in the document would be resolved within five years. The manifesto was crafted on the basis of what PH knew at that time, he told reporters after launching the Cardiac Vascular Sentral Kuala Lumpur (CVSKL), a private cardiac and vascular specialist hospital here today. "But when we took over (the government)  we found that the situation was much worse, more money had been borrowed," he said, adding that the government found itself working in an environment that was not suited to what it wanted to do. ...

ISKANDAR PUTERI -- Kerajaan Negeri menerusi Yayasan Pembangunan Keluarga Darul Ta’zim (YPKDT) akan melancarkan kempen 'Mama Friendly' yang bertujuan memupuk suasana mesra ibu dan kanak-kanak khususnya bayi dengan menyediakan infrastruktur bilik khas ibu menyusu dalam sektor kerajaan dan swasta di negeri ini. Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Pembangunan Wanita dan Pelancongan Johor, Liow Chai Tung berkata, Kerajaan Negeri akan menyediakan bilik khas untuk ibu menyusu di bangunan kerajaan di Kota Iskandar sebagai langkah menyediakan tempat sesuai bagi lebih 580 penjawat awam wanita mengepam susu badan dalam waktu bekerja. "Menyedari realiti hari ini di mana kekurangan tempat yang sesuai untuk ibu yang bekerjaya ini mengepam susu badan dan ada dalam kalangan mereka yang terpaksa melakukannya di pantri ataupun dalam tandas, maka, Kerajaan Negeri terpanggil untuk menyediakan sebuah bilik khas yang dilengkapi dengan kelengkapan sesuai," k...

MAKKAH – Kerajaan memberi jaminan bahawa jumlah bayaran subsidi bagi jemaah haji muassasah Tabung Haji (TH) yang menunaikan haji akan dikekalkan seperti tahun ini untuk musim haji tahun depan. Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa berkata sesuai dengan asas penubuhan TH untuk memberi khidmat dan memudah cara umat Islam Malaysia menunaikan rukun Islam kelima itu, kerajaan akan memastikan para jemaah tidak akan terbeban oleh kos menunaikan haji. "Kita subsidikan setiap jemaah haji kita sebenarnya lebih daripada jumlah yang dibayar oleh mereka. Mereka cuma bayar RM9,980 manakala yang kerajaan subsidikan lebih kurang RM12,000 bagi setiap jemaah. "Kita juga ada membincangkan sama ada pelan-pelan baik pulih (bagi pengurusan haji) yang telah dijalankan akan membabitkan penambahan kos dan seterusnya membebankan kita. Namun saya diberitahu setiap penambahbaikan tidak akan melibatkan kos yang tinggi untuk para jemaah," katanya pada sidang media di si...

KUANTAN -- A female supervisor of an entertainment centre in Bentong suffered a loss of RM71,600 after receiving a phone call from a man masquerading as a bank officer on Saturday. Pahang Commercial Criminal Investigation Department chief Supt Mohd Wazir Mohd Yusof said the man alleged that the victim, 35, had made a loan of RM50,000. The victim who denied the matter was then linked to a 'policeman' in Perak who mentioned the possibility of the victim's details being misused which could lead her to being jailed. "The call was then transferred to another man who claimed to be a police officer who said that the personal account of the victim would be frozen and asked her to transfer all the money to another account," he told reporters here, Bernama reported. The woman then made several transfers until yesterday involving a sum of RM71,600. He said the woman realised that she had been deceived after the suspect changed his...

KUALA LUMPUR --  Increasingly unhappy with China's "behaviour" in the South China Sea, the United States (US) says it will continue to cooperate with countries in the Indo- Pacific (Asia Pacific) region to ensure the busy maritime trade and resources-rich region remains free and open. The continuing unease with China stems from the latest incident last Friday when a US Navy jet flying over the Spratly chain of islands was issued a warning by the Chinese military and told to leave the area immediately. US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian Pacific Security Affairs, Randall G. Schriver said there had been an increase in that type of "behaviour" from China. “This kind of behaviour from China has been directed not only at US surface and maritime aircraft but to other countries as well, operating lawfully in the area,” he said during a media roundtable here on Tuesday. "It's part of a pattern of behaviour. It started with the line reclamat...

KUALA LUMPUR -- The Pakatan Harapan  government is committed to returning the Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds that were improperly or even “illegally” withheld by the previous government, beginning next year, said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng. He said the commitment was being made despite the huge amount of refunds involved. Apart from the 1Malaysia Development Bhd ( 1MDB )  and related financial scandals, Lim, in a shocking  revelation recently disclosed that as at May 31, 2018, the previous government withheld GST refund payments amounting to RM19.4 billion. He said some of these refunds, stretched as far back as 2015 and deserved answers from former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak . "The government faces a shortfall of RM19.25 billion because there is only RM148.6 million in the GST Refunds Trust account, when it should be RM19.4 billion," he said in a statement. Lim added that the shortfall was confirmed by Customs Director-...

KUALA NERUS -- Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun today said the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP)  is not against the setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and  Misconduct Commission but is firm in protecting its rights as enshrined in the constitution. He said that if the government wanted to implement the IPCMC, it  (government) must ensure the police had their rights as spelled out in the constitution during trials. “If it’s (police’s) rights are allowed, only then it (IPCMC) can be implemented as pledged in Pakatan Harapan’s manifesto for the 14th general election (held on May 9),” he told a press conference after simultaneously opening  the annual general meetings of  Senior Police Officers Association and Junior Police Officers Association,  here. “We have relayed this to the Home Ministry and the Government for their consideration,” he said. The IPCMC was first mooted by The Royal Commissi...

KUALA LUMPUR -- The Dewan Rakyat sitting on Wednesday night passed the Supply (Restructuring Expenditure Allocation) Bill 2018. The Bill was passed after the third reading before Dewan Rakyat Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof and received the majority vote. The Bill, which provides an allocation of RM6.22 billion, was tabled following several restructuring of ministries after the 14th General Election (GE14). Several ministries had been restructured and renamed and several new ministries had been set up while one ministry had been dissolved with its functions transferred to another ministry. It also provided an act to utilise a sum of money from the Consolidated Fund for expenses for services for part of 2018. Earlier, when winding up the Bill for the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, its minister Gobind Singh Deo said he was waiting for the detailed report on the incident of the “technical attack” on handph...

PETALING JAYA -- PAS menamakan bekas anggota Exco kerajaan negeri Selangor, Dr Halimah Ali sebagai calon parti itu bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Seri Setia pada 8 Sept ini. Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang ketika mengumumkan perkara itu berkata, Dr Halimah yang juga merupakan bekas Anggota Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Selat Klang dipilih kerana beliau merupakan seorang pemimpin yang berpengaruh di Selangor. "Dr Halimah juga sudah beberapa kali hadapi pilihan raya dan menang selain beliau berpengalaman dalam kerja-kerja kemasyarakatan. Ini sangat penting bagi wakil rakyat yang bukan kerajaan," katanya, lapor Bernama. Turut hadir pada majlis pengumuman calon itu adalah Timbalan Presiden PAS Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, Setiausaha Agung PAS Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan, Pesuruhjaya PAS Selangor Sallehen Mukhyi dan bekas calon BN bagi PRK DUN Sungai Kandis Datuk Lokman Noor Adam. Pada majlis itu juga, Abdul Hadi menyerahkan watikah penc...

KOTA BHARU -- A man who dresses as a woman or behaves like a transvestite or both, in Kelantan can be fined up to RM1,000 or jailed at least six months or both,  said the State Syariah Chief Judge Datuk Daud Muhammad. He said the sentence would be imposed on local offenders as well as visitors to the state. Speaking to reporters after attending the Syariah Lawyers Certification Ceremony at the Syariah Department in Tunjong here today, Daud said a man who dressed or behaved as a transvestite was committing an offence under Section Seven of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code Enactment  He said he was not sure whether these laws regarding transvestites were the same in the other states, but what he was sure was that the state laws were clear that anyone who wore clothes or behaved like a transvestite in a public place could be fined or jailed under the enactment. “It is up to them (the men) i...

ROMPIN -- The government is studying a proposal to increase the floor price of rubber which is currently set at RM2.20 per kilogram by the Malaysian Rubber Board. Deputy Primary Industries Minister Datuk Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said the government would take into account the proposal from smallholders and rubber tappers to set the floor price at between RM3 to RM4 per kg. "We are studying this proposal and what is more important it would depend on the country's financial capability. "The government wants to avoid a situation where a higher rubber floor price would lead to illegal activities such as smuggling from neighbouring countries," he told reporters after officiating a commodity sector training and career fair at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Selancar, Bergamo reported. Shamsul said the government was committed to championing rubber smallholders and tappers who were saddled by falling commodity prices by expandin...