Category: General

VIENTIANE, Laos is in full swing, preparing to host the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits, which will be held from Oct 8 to 11 in the country’s capital. Flags of the participating countries are displayed at famous landmarks around Vientiane, adding vibrant colours to the city’s streets symbolising the unity and cooperation of ASEAN nations during the summit. At the National Convention Centre (NCC), the summit venue, final preparations are underway ahead of the arrival of leaders and delegates from the 10 ASEAN member states and their key dialogue partners who will be attending the event. The

PUTRAJAYA, The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has promptly rectified and enhanced the MyJPJ application after an earlier issue where the message ‘non-Malaysians are ineligible’ was displayed. In a statement today, JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said that B1 and B2 licence holders can now recheck their eligibility status through the app. ‘Those who previously received the message ‘non-Malaysians are ineligible’ are advised to log out and then log back into the MyJPJ app. ‘They can then verify their eligibility status under the Eligibility Check for the Special Transition Programme to Class B tab,’ he said. Yesterday, a portal reported

KANGAR, The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) through Malaysian Crafts is committed to developing more communities skilled in craft to meet the needs of the cottage industry and improve the standard of living in rural areas. MOTAC deputy secretary-general (management) Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot said programmes that provide exposure and upskilling to new communities in handicraft enterprises can help them turn it into a primary or secondary source of income. ‘This effort also indirectly contributes to the government’s direction in eradicating hardcore poverty in this country,’ he said at the closing of the North Craft Festival (FKU) 2024

SHAH ALAM, Continuous efforts by the government to promote Malaysia’s Halal certification globally have resulted in 88 foreign halal certification bodies being recognised by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM). Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said that based on statistics as of May, it covers 49 countries, including China, South Korea and Japan, adding that the bodies are tasked with issuing halal certification for foreign products entering the Malaysian market. ‘The mechanism for halal certification at the international level is accreditation by JAKIM as the authoritative body in the country to foreign

SUNGAI PETANI, The need for renewable energy (RE) in the country is increasing in line with the confidence of foreign investors, especially in establishing data centres. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the situation presents a challenge to the government in ensuring that the demand can be met apart from the need for water supply to draw investors. ‘Right now in Johor alone, the demand for renewable energy is approximately 8,000 megawatts, as it is with the (amount of) water supply to cool the data centre. ‘It means that if we are not ready, then these investors will