KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 18): The Malaysia My Second Home Consultants Association (MM2HCA) said that it hopes the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) will arrange a dialogue with it and related industry players to revise the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme’s terms. The MM2H programme, which was temporarily suspended for a review and improvement in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, has been reactivated and is slated to allow new application submissions from October 2021. To recap, under the revised terms of the programme, financial requirements have been increased. MM2HCA appreciates the Sultan of Johor’s recognition of the multiplier impact on both Malaysians and the government,” it added. MM2HCA added that the government of Malaysia should ensure public policy consistency to allow MM2H participants to renew their pass for the next 10 years under the existing terms.

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pic) reminded his Australian counterpart that Malaysia upholds the principle of preserving the Asean region as a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN). In a phone call to Ismail Sabri on Friday (Sept 17), Australian premier Scott Morrison informed him of the formation of a three-way cooperative relationship between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS), in efforts to assist Australia in obtaining nuclear powered submarines. Ismail Sabri further stressed the need for respecting and abiding by Malaysia’s stance on nuclear powered submarines being operated under Malaysian waters. This approach was in line with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS) and Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ). Malaysia and Australia also agreed to strengthen cooperative and consultative efforts over several aspects, which included defence matters under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

KULAI: The food security initiative and the agricultural sector will be some of the main points that Budget 2022 will focus on, says Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. “Food security is one of the elements that the government has always emphasised in our economic stimulus packages and Budget 2021,” he said. Tengku Zafrul added that a total of RM3.15bil has been channelled to the agricultural sector through the stimulus package and Budget 2021. Tengku Zafrul also said that Johor is also the state that has contributed largely to the agricultural sector and agro-food sector. “This is in line with the government aim in turning Johor into the ‘Malaysia’s Food Basket’ and develop a competitive agro-food industry.

KULAI: The Finance Ministry is working together with other ministries in finding solutions to the rising cost of chicken feed including the possibility of providing subsidies to the chicken breeders. Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz stated that the government was aware of the resulting price increase in chicken meat and would seek a fair way to stabilise its pricing. The visit was part of his two-day working visit programme to Johor on Sept 18 and Sept 19. Earlier, it was reported that a discussion will be carried out with the Finance Ministry as well as the Agriculture and Food Industry Ministry to search for a long-term solution to stabilise chicken prices. Currently, the price of poultry meat was capped along with a list of other essential food items during festive seasons.

PETALING JAYA: Budget hotel operators want the government to regulate online travel agencies (OTAs), saying that the industry would not be able to sustain itself in the long run without regulations especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Malaysian Budget and Business Hotel Association (MyBHA) also said that there was a need to enforce the short term residential accommodation (STRA) guidelines. MyBHA deputy president Sri Ganesh Michiel said the commissions OTAs charged to the hotel operators meant that they did not get enough profit for the continuity of their business. He said that the price war among the OTAs drove prices of hotel rooms down further. An OTA is an online marketplace that allows consumers to book travel products and services, including hotels and flights.

JAKARTA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua): Floods inundated hundreds of houses in Indonesia's Gorontalo province on Friday, affecting 929 people in 275 households in three villages. The BNPB's Gorontalo office has so far reported no casualties and injuries in the flooding. BNPB data showed that between 2015 and 2020, there were 20 major floods hitting Gorontalo province, leading to four confirmed deaths. In another development, two people died as an Indonesian government ship carrying two trucks sank on Nusakambangan waters in Central Java province, the Ministry of Law and Human Rights said on Friday. The ship was sinking as it was dragged by strong currents towards the middle of a strait, added Faturahman.

PETALING JAYA: A post offering fake vaccine certificates - including scannable QR codes on the MySejahtera app has gone viral on social media. By paying RM1,500, the package promised a vaccine certificate and scannable QR code on the MySejahtera app using their own credentials. According to FMT, a Health Ministry spokesperson said the ministry was investigating the matter. Previously, the ministry had said that stern action would be taken against those who attempt to falsify digital Covid-19 vaccine certificates. An attempt to check the group on Telegram found that it was no longer there.

JOHOR BARU: Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar (pic) has expressed his pleasure in seeing two outstanding Johoreans striking success on the international entertainment scene, namely singer-songwriter Gin Lee and comedian cum actor Ronny Chieng. “I’d like to thank them for bringing glory to Johor in their own way and wish them continued success. “I believe Johor has many talents who have yet to be found and nurtured. Gin Lee emerged champion at Malaysia's Universal Music songwriting competition at just 18-years-old and released her debut Mandarin album titled ‘One & Only’ on Dec 29, 2009. Chieng showcased his use of ‘lah’ and ‘meh’ in his daily conversations and his ability to still order at a ‘kopitiam’ like a pro.

PETALING JAYA: Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat (BPR) financial aid applicants can start checking their eligibility from Saturday (Sept 18), says Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. They can start checking their eligibility from Sept 18 at https://bpr.hasil.gov.my. Payment will start at the end of September, God willing," he wrote in a post on his Twitter account on Friday night (Sept 17). Based on estimates made by the Finance Ministry, a total of RM6.5bil had been set aside in Budget 2021 for BPR. Current GKP recipients do not have to reapply.

(Reuters) - England midfielder Jesse Lingard did not return to West Ham United after his loan spell because Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had no intention of selling him, manager David Moyes said. Lingard flourished last season on loan at West Ham, scoring nine goals in 16 appearances. "Ole made it quite clear to me early in the transfer window that he wanted to keep him (Lingard)," Moyes said on Friday. "So I knew pretty early that he would be staying at Manchester United. West Ham, who are eighth on the Premier League table, host leaders United on Sunday.

PETALING JAYA: A total of 39,923,416 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Malaysia as of Friday (Sept 17). According to figures put out by the Special Committee on Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) on its Twitter account on Saturday (Sept 18), a total of people 21,861,904 (or 92.9% of the adult population) have received their first dose while 18,135,561 (or 77.5% of the adult population) had both doses. It also said that a total of 238,002 doses of Covid-19 vaccines were administered on Friday where 75,986 individuals had received their first doses while another 162,016 people completed their second dose.

When the real estate market is bad, buyers will complain about everything during the property handover. This brings me to the most pressing issue in the real estate world today; China’s Evergrande Group’s (Evergrande) potential collapse. When the 2019-2020 Hong Kong protest (also known as Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Movement) erupted, many with the government of the day blamed the Hong Kong youths as unpatriotic, unappreciative and hateful. Unlike Singapore, the affordable housing schemes in Hong Kong is far from comprehensive due to the expensive land cost which is part of a key revenue stream for the Hong Kong government. Although we are witnessing real estate companies venturing globally to foreign markets, at the end of the day, real estate is still a localised industry.

Fret not, you can also choose from a whole host of other HUAWEI wearable and audio products on the HUAWEI Wearable and Audio Day. HUAWEI Watch GT seriesIf you prefer a watch with a round watch face, you can choose between HUAWEI Watch GT 2e, HUAWEI Watch GT 2, and HUAWEI Watch GT 2 Pro. HUAWEI WATCH 3 seriesA pioneer in its own right, the first HUAWEI Watch series to be powered by Harmony OS allows you to download apps straight to the watch, via the on-device HUAWEI AppGallery, where you can find third party apps for music and fitness. During the Wearable and Audio Day, be sure to check out its HUAWEI FreeBuds Pro and Watch 3 Pro combo at RM1,888. To find out more about the 925 HUAWEI wearable and audio day, visit the HUAWEI online store, its official store on Shopee or flagship store on Lazada.

WITH the acceleration of the nationwide vaccination programme and reopening of more economic and social sectors, a pick-up in property transactions in the near term looks promising. CLICK TO ENLARGEKnight Frank deputy managing director Keith Ooi says while the housing market is on a recovery path, prices, however, are anticipated to remain flat. “Although there was an improvement in transactional activity in the first quarter of this year, the average house price for Kuala Lumpur, a buyer’s market, was lower by 3.1% year-on-year. “Yet, we expect marginal impact on the developers in the near term as foreign buyers account for less than 5% of their property sales. According to Napic data for the first half of 2021, there were 92,017 transactions worth RM34.51bil recorded during the period.

THE government is planning to ease restrictions on foreigners entering the country, possibly within months, once a certain number of its population is fully vaccinated. National Covid-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said that foreigners could visit once “at least 50% to 70%” of the target population were fully vaccinated with both doses. This means that as at that day, only 20% of the target population have been fully vaccinated. If we can vaccinate 70% of the target population of 208 million, if we can hit 140-150 million, 70% with the first dose, then we can gradually start reopening,” he was quoted as saying. “And my calculation is that will be reached by November.”Budi added that border restrictions would be eased even further once 70% of the target population had been fully vaccinated.