Day: September 19, 2024

PUTRAJAYA, The Higher Education Ministry has assured that no students from the B40 group will be left behind in accessing education due to registration fee issues. Its deputy minister Datuk Mustapha Sakmud said the ministry has requested the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) to allow students to register at public institutions of higher education (IPTA) for the upcoming October intake first, with financial matters to be addressed later. ‘This proposal comes from the Minister of Higher Education, Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir. We do not want any group, especially the B40, to be deprived of access to education in

KUALA LUMPUR, The gold futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivative ended higher following the expected interest rates cut by the United States Federal Reserve (Fed), analysts said. Gold is priced in US dollars globally and when interest rates are cut, the dollar weakens, making gold cheaper in other currencies and boosting demand. The Fed cut the target range for the federal funds rate by 50 basis points (bps), from 5.25-5.5 per cent to 4.75-5.00 per cent on Wednesday, the first time since 2020. Meanwhile, gold futures on Bursa Malaysia saw the September 2024 contract increasing to US$2,597.60 per troy ounce

ALOR SETAR, A total of 5,388.63 hectares (ha) of padi fields in the Muda Agricultural Development Authority (MADA) areas across Kedah and Perlis have been affected by floods since Monday. In a statetment today, MADA said that according to the Submerged Padi Monitoring Report, the affected areas were 20ha in Perlis Region I, 1,525.6ha in Jitra Region II, 2,206.7ha in Pendang Region III, and 1,636.33ha in Kota Sarang Semut Region IV. ‘MADA will assess damage to padi crops through a census to be conducted once the waters have receded,’ it said. The statement said that, as of Sept 18, 93.6

KUALA LUMPUR, The notion that e-cigarettes and vaping devices are ‘safe to use’ carries significant risks, impacting not only smokers but also those around them. Associate Professor Dr Kow Ken Siong, Consultant Respiratory and Internal Medicine Physician at Sunway Medical Centre and the School of Medicine and Life Sciences at Sunway University, cautioned that viewing e-cigarettes and vaping devices as safer alternatives is dangerously misleading. ‘Vaping and e-cigarette devices heat nicotine extracted from tobacco, along with flavourings and other additives, and users inhale this aerosol into their lungs. ‘While it may eliminate some harmful combustion byproducts, it introduces a new

SEREMBAN, The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Negeri Sembilan branch, arrested two enforcement officers from the Immigration Department, with one suspected of conspiring to facilitate the illegal entry of foreigners, using the ‘counter setting’ method. According to a source, the two men, aged between 30 and 40, were arrested at the Negeri Sembilan MACC Office, at 3 am and 5.40 pm yesterday, when they appeared to have their statements recorded. ‘The two individuals involved are believed to be conspiring with syndicate agents to bring in foreigners, who arrived through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 1 and KLIA2. ‘They are believed to