General

KUALA LUMPUR, The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) investigated 3,077 cases, with 151 prosecuted in court involving offences related to obscene, indecent, false, threatening and offensive elements, from 2009 until last June 15, the Dewan Rakyat was told today. Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said all these cases were investigated under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA) or Act 588. She said for offences involving obscene content, 72 cases were prosecuted in court with total fines of RM617,050, 15 cases were offered compound fines totalling RM38,000 and 18 cases were issued warning notices. ‘For

KUALA LUMPUR, The International Union of Muslim Scholars president Prof Dr Sheikh Ali Muhyiddin Al-Qaradaghi has stressed that a zakat institution should be transparently managed to solve poverty issue among Muslims in a country. Sheikh Ali Muhyiddin said global zakat collections are estimated to reach US$4 billion annually, which should be sufficient to eradicate poverty within at least 10 years. ‘But with such huge funds, why couldn’t we solve the poverty issue? I can draw two conclusions: zakat collection and distribution are not being done properly,’ he said during his visit to the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Council (MAIWP) headquarters

KUALA LUMPUR, Two reservoirs, one in Kedah and another in Perak, have seen a decrease in their current raw water reserves to critical levels. According to a brief weather status report by the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) today, citing the National Water Services Commission (SPAN), the affected reservoirs are the Muda Dam in Kedah, recording a raw water reserve of 18.37 per cent, and the Bukit Merah Dam in Perak, with 19.97 per cent. The report also notes that five other reservoirs showed current raw water reserves at warning levels. They include the Malut and Pedu Dams in Kedah,

KUCHING, Sarawak’s plan to improve its health facilities will not only benefit its people but will also lessen the burden of people in Sabah and neighbouring countries to seek medical treatment, said Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg. He said Sarawak’s health facilities will be further improved over the next five years following plans to expand its hospital bed capacity, as well as investments from two foreign groups. He said the state-owned Normah Medical Centre would have an additional 300 beds through its expansion plan, while a Singapore-based company had committed to building another private hospital with about

KOTA KINABALU, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun today described the Kinabatangan Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin’s remark that drugs are sold like ‘pisang goreng’ (banana fritters) in Sabah as outrageous and contrary to the hard work of the police in combating the activity so far. ‘Between January and yesterday, the Sabah Narcotics Crime Investigation Department has arrested 8,993 narcotics offenders and, of the total, 88 per cent were charged in court. ‘During the same period, 367 were charged under Section 39C of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, he told a press conference here today. Jauteh said