Day: September 24, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, An overall healthcare allocation increase for the upcoming Budget 2025 is needed to allow more meaningful improvements and reforms in the healthcare system, said the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA). Its president Datuk Dr Kalwinder Singh Khaira said the Health White Paper (HWP) goal of increasing the health budget to five per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) should be met sooner, as over 70 per cent of Malaysians rely on public healthcare services for their healthcare needs. He said the association has proposed several suggestions for the upcoming budget, including creating Khas Untuk Penyandang (KUP) Gred

SUNGAI PETANI, Police have confirmed the arrest of a 62-year-old woman to assist with the investigation into the disappearance of retired civil servant, Sabari Baharom, aged 62, who went missing on Sept 3. ‘We have arrested a 62-year-old woman, and we will keep the public informed of further developments. We want to avoid any misinformation suggesting that the police are inactive when appropriate measures have been taken,’ Kedah police chief Datuk Fisol Salleh told a press conference here today. The woman’s arrest has provided some relief to the elderly man’s family, with Sabari’s eldest daughter, Suraiya Izzaty Sabari, 29, describing

KUALA LUMPUR, The High Court here today ruled that the Magistrate’s Court’s prohibitory order barring Siti Kasim and another individual from a rally demanding Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki’s resignation is legal. The rally, held on Jan 22, 2022, during the COVID-19 lockdown, was mobilised following a shareholding scandal implicating Azam. Today, Justice Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh, who dismissed the bid by Siti and her co-applicant S.Raveentharan for a judicial review over the order made in 2022, ruled that the order was issued to control or prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus

SHAH ALAM, The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, has called for further action, including legal proceedings, related to the GISB Holding Sdn Bhd (GISBH) issue to be expedited, says Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. He said the matter was among those emphasised by the Sultan during their weekly audience today. The Sultan also expressed his view that the investigation team must be more efficient in scrutinising any offences related to GISBH, including criminal cases. “During the audience, the GISBH issue was not discussed in detail, but His Royal Highness has called for swift action by the

KUALA LUMPUR, Crude palm oil (CPO) futures on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives extended their upward trend to close higher for the fifth consecutive day although the gains were smaller, nearly half of yesterday’s on the most active December contract. Fastmarkets Palm Oil Analytics senior analyst Dr Sathia Varqa told Bernama that the December contract retreated to stay below the psychological RM4,000 level during the second session as the ringgit strengthened against the US dollar and the export outlook dimmed. He also noted that significant stimulus measures announced by China’s central bank broadly impacted Asian currencies. ‘A stronger ringgit is negative for