March 18, 2023

RM300 voucher for Johor flood victims to buy electrical appliances

MELAKA, A total of 1,000 flood victims from the hardcore poor and B40 groups in Johor and parts of Pahang will each receive a voucher worth RM300 under the Payung Rahmah initiative.

Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister (KPDN) Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said the voucher was to help flood-affected people, especially in Batu Pahat and Segamat, to buy electrical appliances such as washing machine and refrigerator that were damaged in the disaster.

“We have also collaborated with companies that produce electrical goods, they will also offer items at discounted prices,” he told a press conference after opening the new office building of the Melaka Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) at Fashion City, MITC Ayer Keroh here today.

Meanwhile, Salahuddin said there was growing awareness among e-commerce business owners and online entrepreneurs to register their businesses with the SSM.

He said this was following various initiatives created by the government including free registration for the youths.

“As of Feb 28, a total of 686,908 online business entities and 10,633 online companies across the country have registered with SSM,” he said.

Salahuddin also encouraged youth entrepreneurs to immediately register their businesses under the free business registration scheme (SPPP) which was started earlier this year.

“We have an allocation of RM10 million for this SPPP programme and since it started on Jan 1, SSM has received 60,273 registrations of which 32,597 are B40 entrepreneurs and 27,676 full-time students,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

March 18, 2023

Five family members found dead in Incheon

INCHEON, Police launched an investigation Saturday after five members of a family were found dead inside their home in Incheon.

Police received a report at 10:37 a.m. that people were lying motionless in an apartment in the Michuhol Ward of the city, 27 kilometers west of Seoul, according to the Michuhol Police Station.

The deceased were identified as the parents and children, and were first discovered by a relative who visited the home, according to sources.

Police said they are investigating the incident based on witness statements.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

March 18, 2023

Papar Syariah Court scheduled for completion in August 2024 – Armizan

PAPAR, The construction of the Syariah Lower Court here involving an allocation of RM18.5 million is scheduled to be completed on Aug 25, 2024, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah, Sarawak Affairs and Special Functions) Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

He said the project approved under the third rolling plan of the 11th Malaysia Plan is running smoothly, and the work progress is 7.98 per cent or six days ahead of schedule.

“The implementing agencies are the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Sabah JKR. Despite being approved in 2018, there was a slight delay, among others, caused by location issues, and the project only started on Aug 29, 2022.

“The site that has been identified is a swampy area which involved additional financial implications. Therefore, the federal government has approved an additional ceiling cost of RM3.5 million, and the latest value of the project is RM18.5 million,” he said in his speech after a visit to the project site here today.

Armizan also called on all parties involved to ensure the project would run smoothly so that it could be completed according to schedule.

“Today’s visit is to see the progress of initial works and gather feedback on any arising issues,” he said.

Armizan added that the development of the new syariah court in Papar proves of the government’s concern for the locals and civil servants involved.

“The new building will enable the people to enjoy a more conducive infrastructure and government service environment, thus improving the effectiveness of the government service delivery system,” he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

March 18, 2023

Former Japanese Lawmaker Pledges to Strengthen Cooperation with National AIDS Authority

AKP Phnom Penh, Former Japanese Vice Minister of Finance and Lawmaker H.E. Yukihisa Fujita has pledged to strengthen cooperation with the National AIDS Authority.

The pledged was made during a courtesy meeting between Cambodian Senior Minister and Chair of the National AIDS Authority H.E. Ieng Mouly and H.E. Yukihisa Fujita here in Phnom Penh on Mar. 16.

H.E. Yukihisa Fujita lauded Cambodia on the achievement in every field, particularly on HIV/AIDS response.

He also spoke highly of the senior minister’s humanitarian commitment to fight against HIV/AIDS.

H.E. Ieng Mouly thanked H.E. Yukihisa Fujita for his willingness to support Cambodia’s HIV/AIDS work.

The first case of HIV infection was reported in Cambodia in 1991.

The Kingdom was one of the seven countries globally to achieve the 90-90-90 HIV/AIDS target in 2017.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse

March 18, 2023

Khazanah, SEG join forces to develop skilled tech talents for Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah) has entered a joint venture with Sunway Education Group (SEG) to establish 42 Malaysia (42MY), an innovative peer-to-peer computer science school aiming to accelerate the development of 10,000 skilled tech talents within the next decade.

According to Khazanah in a statement today, 42MY is a part of a global movement with a network of 47 campuses across 26 countries that offers a unique education opportunity free of charge for individuals aged 18 years and above, regardless of education and socioeconomic background.

“The programme’s innovative and scalable education model focuses on peer-to-peer and practical project-based learning approaches that resemble a real-work environment, providing learners the opportunity to learn to code while working on real-life industry projects with 42MY’s participating corporate partners,” read the statement.

Its managing director Datuk Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir said the investment in 42MY was in line with the commitment to delivering socioeconomic impact for Malaysians through the Dana Impak mandate, a key foundation of the Advancing Malaysia strategic imperative.

He said in line with the Malaysia MADANI Budget 2023, Khazanah was committed to playing an integral role, along with other government-linked companies (GLC) in funding high-growth start-ups in Malaysia to spur the country’s innovation and economic growth.

“The availability of talent is crucial to the continuous development of any industry. To this end, 42MY will further bolster the domestic start-up and tech ecosystem by nurturing and developing Malaysian talents, complementing the nation’s digital economy development agenda, and strengthening its IR (Industrial Revolution) 4.0 capability,” he said.

The joint venture with SEG demonstrates what can be achieved through collaboration and partnership, Amirul Feisal said, adding that Khazanah welcomes the opportunity to work with partners that share a similar vision in developing the nation’s digital and skilled talent supply.

Meanwhile, founder and trustee of the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah said SEG will expand 42MY through new campuses in Johor, Penang and Kuching, and potentially across Malaysia, in the coming years.

“With this expansion, we can provide more students across the country with quality education, discovering and nurturing more tech talents to establish Malaysia as the leading digital economy in ASEAN.

“This partnership also reaffirms our commitment to nation-building and the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),” he said.

The Jeffrey Cheah Foundation owns and governs all entities under SEG and is the largest of its kind, advancing education in Malaysia through a social enterprise model.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

March 18, 2023

UKM determined to play vital role in Malaysia MADANI agenda

KUALA LUMPUR, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) is determined to play an important role in ensuring the Malaysia MADANI concept is executed perfectly for the creation of a society that is advanced, skilled and inclusive.

The university’s vice-chancellor, Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Ekhwan Toriman said the varsity is determined to embellish UKM’s core framework more closely with the Malaysia MADANI agenda so that its progress is always in line with national aspirations.

“We embrace the six main pillars underlined in the Malaysia MADANI framework, namely Sustainability, Prosperity, Innovation, Respect, Trust and Compassion for the sake of creating a society that is advanced, skilled and inclusive.

“The six pillars coincide with the elements contained in UKM’s core framework,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, he also said the varsity launched the UKM 2030 Sustainability Plan to create a green, sustainable and prosperous university campus in accordance with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recommendations regarding the higher education sector.

The plan will see UKM being committed to energy conservation programmes, new energy explorations, more efficient solid waste management and the creation of new policies supporting the universal effort on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

“We (UKM) want to move in tandem with the government, agencies and industries. For that, UKM’s advancement target will be based on three aspects known as ESG meaning the environment, social and governance,” he said.

He added that through the plan, UKM had launched several initiatives like energy conservation under the sustainable energy initiative and the UKM Bangi campus Solar Services Project worth RM24 million that was recently launched by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.

Mohd Ekhwan said the project involved the installation of solar panels on the roofs of 50 buildings on the Bangi campus and it’s expected to help save at least 16 per cent of the total cost spent.

Phase two of the project will involve several buildings in the university’s Kuala Lumpur campus and hospital in Cheras.

He said UKM will also set up a Research Centre for Malaysia-Indonesia Relations (CeMIR) this year as a new centre of excellence that will focus on policy statistics and strategic ties between the two countries.

In its mission to turn UKM into a smart campus, the upgrading of internet facilities and student amenities will continue to be its priority, with the PUSANIKA UKM building set to undergo such a transformation this year.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency