LTAT says 'no plan at this stage' to sell stake in Affin Bank
KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 7): Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) said it has no plan to sell any stake in Affin Bank Bhd at this stage. "LTAT has been playing its role as a shareholder of Affin Bank to enhance the bank's value," LTAT said. "We constantly review our investment portfolio and at this stage has no plan to sell our stake in Affin Bank," the armed forces fund said in an email response to The Edge weekly article on the matter. The Edge in the Nov 8-14, 2021 issue reported that LTAT was said to be looking to sell its controlling stake in local-listed Affin Bank. Affin Bank shares settled down two sen or 1.18% to close at RM1.67 on Friday, giving it a market capitalisation of RM3.55 billion.
Source:The Edge Markets
November 07, 2021 17:38 UTC
Covid-19-driven MySejahtera app administrator apologises for glitch
KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 7): The administrator of Malaysia's Covid-19-driven MySejahtera mobile application to assist in the monitoring of the outbreak in the country on Sunday apologised for errors which allowed random users to be given home surveillance order (HSO) and person under surveillance (PUS) statuses. All incorrect HSOs have been deleted, and incorrect PUS statuses reverted," the MySejahtera administrator said in an update on Twitter. The MySejahtera administrator however did not specify the root cause of the HSO and PUS errors. According to MySejahtera's website, the app was developed to assist the government in managing and mitigating the Covid-19 outbreak and help users in monitoring their health throughout outbreak. The app also aims to assist users in getting treatment if they are infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, which causes Covid-19, and to help users locate nearest hospitals and clinics for Covid-19 screening and treatment.
Source:The Edge Markets
November 07, 2021 15:16 UTC
Son-in-law of Jokowi loyalist becomes Indonesia’s military chief
JAKARTA (Bloomberg): An Indonesian parliamentary commission gave its nod for President Joko "Jokowi” Widodo’s nominee to lead the armed forces as the country seeks increased security to reopen its economy following the pandemic. General Andika Perkasa, 56, will oversee the army, air force and navy, including the marines. His father-in-law, retired General AM Hendropriyono, is a former head of the state spy agency and a Jokowi loyalist since he took office as governor of the capital, Jakarta. As chief of staff, Perkasa will be responsible for defending the world’s most populous Muslim country, which has been the target of a string of terrorist attacks. The commission will submit the results for immediate approval by the plenary meeting, Chairman Meutya Viada Hafid said in a statement on YouTube on Saturday.
Source:The Star
November 07, 2021 11:31 UTC
Six men arrested in connection of moneylender’s murder
KLANG: Six men have been detained to assist with investigations into the murder of a moneylender on Saturday (Nov 6). South Klang police chief Asst Comm Shamsul Amar Ramli said the men were picked-up from Klang and Banting from 6.30pm on Saturday until 2.00am on Sunday (Nov 7). All six men were taken to the Klang Court for a remand order to be obtained. ACP Shamsul Amar Ramli said Klang Magistrate Court registrar Sarina Sulaiman had ordered the six men to be remanded for a day. The man's sons were unharmed, whilst their father tried to escape but collapsed and died in front of a neighbouring restaurant.
Source:The Star
November 07, 2021 10:07 UTC
Maskless 'Karen' identifies herself as Kerry from Manchester
In the two-minute, 20-second video, she starts with a selamat pagi (good morning) and identifies herself as Kerry and says she came to Malaysia from Manchester 20 years ago. "It is a choice, your choice, my choice," she said in the video which was posted on Twitter on Saturday (Nov 6). She then uses the phrase "rumah terbuka" (open house) and says: "Open your eyes, open your hearts, open your souls, open your homes, open house, love, laughter, joy, makanan enak (delicious food). Two videos of the woman have gone viral, both where she does not wear a face mask as required. In the first video, she was barred from entering a luxury boutique for not wearing a face mask.
Source:The Star
November 07, 2021 07:57 UTC
Chong Wei: Junior shuttlers must never be lured by match-fixing
PETALING JAYA: Badminton icon Datuk Lee Chong Wei has served a warning to junior players to stay away from match-fixing activities. Chong Wei applauded the world body for getting them young. While irked that players are involved in the menace at a young age, Chong Wei hoped that Malaysia’s aspiring players would not do such a thing. I truly hope that they will not be lured by any parties to be involved in match-fixing,” said Chong Wei. “Some did well in some tournaments but some didn’t but I hope they won’t be too hard on themselves,” said Chong Wei.
Source:The Star
November 07, 2021 04:29 UTC
My Say: The new normal will be more complicated than we think
A crisis would not be a crisis if it does not generate strong anxiety and powerlessness. Fatalism helpsCitizens have tended therefore to show more support for their government than they would otherwise have done. But lockdowns and closed borders cannot be the basis for a “new normal”. Whichever the case, they will show little patience for collective solutions in the future. It is how a strongly protracted pandemic is handled as a collective matter that we should worry — and worry a lot — about.
Source:The Edge Markets
November 07, 2021 03:32 UTC
N.Korean troops stage artillery fire competition
Much of North Korea's large conventional artillery force http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/NORTHKOREA-MISSILES/010041BR2VH/index.html is deployed along the fortified border with South Korea, where they have the range to reach as far as the heavily populated capital city of Seoul. The drills come "at a time when the enthusiasm to undergo intensive training prevails throughout the Korean People's Army (KPA) for ushering in a new heyday in strengthening the state defence capabilities under the banner of self-defence," KCNA reported. They were overseen by Pak Jong Chon, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Pary of Korea, KCNA said. General Rim Kwang Il, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, and commanders of the participating units, observed the drills with Pak, KCNA said. (Reporting by Josh Smith; Editing by Alistair Bell)
Source:The Star
November 07, 2021 01:24 UTC
58 Covid-19 self-test kits get conditional approval — MoH
KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 6): The Ministry of Health (MoH) on Saturday released the latest list of 58 Covid-19 self-test kits that have been given conditional approval by the Medical Devices Authority (MDA). Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the test kits were only available at community pharmacies and health facilities as well as premises registered with the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP). “The public is advised to purchase the test kists at the said facilities only," he said on his official Facebook page on Saturday. The public can refer to the complete test kit list on the MDA's official portal via https://portal.mda.gov.my or the MDA's Facebook and Instagram pages.
Source:The Edge Markets
November 07, 2021 00:07 UTC
Amphibious acts abound
Four Melaka state assemblymen caused the state government to collapse after they withdrew their support for Chief Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali. The attention is on Datuk Seri Idris Haron – who was sacked from Umno – and his allies. PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has criticised political frogs, seems to be justifying their actions for wanting to join his party. He believes party members need to see the bigger picture, saying the party needs to be tactical to garner support from everyone. Parti Warisan Sabah chief Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has now found that three Warisan elected representatives, so far, have quit the party.
Source:The Star
November 06, 2021 23:56 UTC
Malaysia accepts Covaxin recipients, says Khairy
KOTA BHARU (Nov 6): Malaysia accepts travellers who had received the India-made Covaxin vaccine, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. He said although the country does not use the vaccine as the supply of vaccines is sufficient, in terms of recognition, Malaysia accepts any traveller who had received the Covaxin shot. On Wednesday, WHO approved the Covaxin Covid-19 vaccine developed by Indian pharmaceutical manufacturer Bharat Biotech, for emergency use. Covaxin, which has a 78% efficacy against Covid-19, is suitable for use in low- and middle-income countries for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2-induced Covid-19. Covaxin is the seventh vaccine approved by WHO after Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen, Moderna, Sinopharm and Sinovac.
Source:The Edge Markets
November 06, 2021 22:28 UTC
NSC denies allegations of the closing of Melaka state borders
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The National Security Council (NSC) has denied allegations about the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the closing of the Melaka state borders, which went viral on social media. The viral statement also claimed that the Melaka state borders would be closed for 15 days, from the day before the nomination day until polling day on Nov 20, 2021, including roadblocks, that would be implemented by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). The NSC also stressed that the allegations were false and advised the public not to disseminate any unverified information that could confuse the public.
Source:The Star
November 06, 2021 19:59 UTC
Covid-19: Health Ministry confirms first two cases of Delta subvariant
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Health Ministry (MOH) has confirmed the discovery of the first two cases of Covid-19 subvariant Delta AY.4.2 in the country, involving imported cases of Malaysian students returning from the United Kingdom. Dr Noor Hisham said the AY.4 variant is among 75 types of lineages originating from the Delta variant and among the sublineages of AY.4 is the AY.4.2 variant, which is also known as Delta Plus. "The AY.4.2 variant has two additional mutations to the spike proteins, namely Y145H and A222V and as of the end of October 2021, the AY.4.2 variant represents 10% of the total full genome sequencing conducted in the UK," he said. He said the cumulative number of cases categorised as VOC and VOI (variant of interest) is now 3,782 cases, which is 3,762 VOC cases and 20 VOI cases. To date, the total VOC comprises 3,522 cases of the Delta variant, Beta (226 cases), and Alpha (14 cases) while for VOI, there are 13 cases involving the Theta variant, Kappa (four cases) and Eta (three cases).
Source:The Star
November 06, 2021 17:01 UTC
Tourists trickle into Thailand as borders reopen
Thais and Thai residents abroad have also been eagerly awaiting the easing of border controls to avoid lengthy quarantines upon return to Thailand. Their presence is sorely missed, said tuk tuk driver Prisha, 53, who used to pick up many Chinese tourists along Bangkok's Yaowarat Road, also known as Chinatown, before the pandemic. "Locals don't care about taking a tuk tuk," said Prisha, who goes by one name. Mandatory quarantines for visitors in their country of origin or government travel warnings could also discourage would-be tourists to Thailand. But some, such as Singaporean Peter Tay, 56, who before the pandemic used to travel to Thailand at least once a month, are undeterred.
Source:The Star
November 06, 2021 16:39 UTC
My Say: A new economic paradigm for Malaysia’s multiple challenges
Economic recovery and relief is set to be delayed, with little contained within 12MP to assist in this area. Many prominent Malaysians have called for a new economic paradigm and scrapping of the NEP. Recommendation 5: Safety net assistanceFor those not employed, the solution is putting income into the hands of those who need income assistance and protection. This requires a total overhaul of Malaysian social and economic safety net programmes, which have become so important since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis. A safety net scheme could be partnered by a universal income-tested pension scheme built upon the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) system.
Source:The Edge Markets
November 06, 2021 15:34 UTC