KUALA LUMPUR (June 2): Former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak has applied for a stay and the striking out of the bankruptcy notice of RM1.69 billion in taxes purportedly owed to the Inland Revenue Board (IRB). The new government led by my political rivals continued to vilify me by alleging that I amassed billions of ringgit. Najib maintained that he had filed his appeal with the Court of Appeal and also with the SCIT, alleging that there was also double taxation imposed on him. On Feb 4, following the High Court decision on July 22, the IRB applied to enforce a bankruptcy notice on the former premier. Read also:High Court orders Najib to pay RM1.69b in additional taxes to governmentIRB moves to declare Najib a bankrupt ahead of tax claim appeal

KUALA LUMPUR (June 2): Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) today reiterated that all loan borrowers who have suffered a drop in income, including salary, allowances, commissions and household incomes, are eligible for a reduction of monthly instalments according to the reduced income. In a series of tweets detailing the eligibility for reduction of monthly instalments, the central bank clarified that under the latest loan repayment assistance, the B40 recipients of Bantuan Sara Hidup/Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat can choose either a three-month moratorium or reduction of monthly instalments by 50% for six months. “Individual borrowers who have lost their jobs can also choose either a three-month moratorium or reduction of monthly instalments by 50% for six months,” added BNM. The central bank also pointed out that for facilities with approved amounts of up to RM150,000, microenterprises as well as small and medium enterprises which are not allowed to operate during the lockdown can also choose either a three-month moratorium or reduction of monthly instalments by 50% for six months. For further information on the loan repayment assistance, visit http://bnm.gov.my/RA.

The sequence to managing this crisis — a public health crisis — is clear: get the virus under control first, then manage the consequences of the disease. The economic problems originate from the disease and they cannot be solved without first solving the public health issue. The first is a political one and this has not been made better with the way the Emergency was implemented. Now, we are in perhaps the biggest crisis in our history — a health, humanitarian and economic crisis rolled into one. No government should just hold its hands up in the air and say, ‘we are out of money’!

PETALING JAYA: More than 3.1 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine – the first and second dose – have been administered in the country as of Tuesday (June 1). This makes a total of 3,107,218 doses administered so far. Selangor has the most number of vaccine doses administered by state – a total of 285,214 people have received the first dose while 143,797 have received both doses. Labuan has the lowest number of vaccine doses administered with only a total of 13,784 people getting their vaccine, out of whom 11,661 have received both doses. He had said that the country’s order of 12 million Sinovac vaccine doses is expected to be delivered by the end of July, while 25 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are expected to be delivered in the third quarter.

The father, Steven Poust, told Jax4 television station that he anchored his boat in the river while he fished and his children played on Friday. Chase Poust said the current was too strong for his sister Abigail to hold onto the boat, and he also let go to stay with her. "I felt really scared,” Chase told the station. "I told them I loved him because I wasn’t sure what’s going to happen,” their father told the station. "The current was going the opposite way of going to the boat and the shore so it was very hard to swim that way,” Chase said.

KUALA LUMPUR: AmInvestment Research is maintaining its buy recommendation on MISC with an unchanged sum-of-parts based fair value of RM7.75 a share. In its research note on Wednesday, it said RM7.75 reflects a premium of 3% from its ESG rating of four stars. During a briefing by MISC president/CEO Yee Yang Chien, the management expects FY21F petroleum tanker rates to average around the same levels YoY given the continuing low Opec output. MISC plans to avoid over-crowded or commoditized markets that offer unexciting margins, which is in line with its 2011 decision to exit the container business. “While the vessel specifications may change going forward, MISC still expects to remain in the petroleum tanker segment by 2050 given the continuing need for the crude transportation.

While attaining herd immunity via the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive is vital in order to quell the pandemic, voluntarily practising self-lockdown – that is, going out only if it is absolutely necessary– can also go a long way towards reducing infections. This will be the first phase of the lockdown during which only 17 essential economic and service sectors are allowed to operate. In a special discussion on the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic that was broadcast over RTM and Bernama TV on May 23, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin urged the public to practice “self-lockdown” to prevent further surges in new cases. As such, observing self-lockdown is out of the question for them (as they have to go out to earn a living),” she told Bernama. When a hospital reaches maximum capacity, many COVID-19 patients cannot be attended to properly due to the shortage of staff and life-saving equipment.

This move will definitely have a significant effect on reversing the exam-oriented aspect ofour education system in years to come. I believe it would be wise to move away from the obsessive testing system and begin promoting a culture of learning right from the foundation or primary level. Many education systems, such as in France and Japan, expose their students to high-stakes examsonly after establishing a strong learning-oriented culture at the primary level. Similarly, our students should be trained to do meaningful learning instead of rote learning before they encounter their first high-stakes exam, which is the SPM. The employment of formative assessment activities can also take the edge off the exam-oriented education system at SPM level.

Talking of lightning speed, that’s how fast the Finance Ministry removed Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman as Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairman. It was laughable that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak thought it was up to Umnoto decide when Tajuddin should resign. It’s no secret that there are many more like him who gotplum jobs heading government-linked companies (GLCs) based on political expediency. Tajuddin’s self-inflicted implosion pulled the lid off such appointments, prompting Umno’s Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz to ask the Perikatan government to remove other “problematic” political appointees. Hopefully this time, it’s enough because we have the additional weapon of mass vaccinations which are finally shaping up well.

PETALING JAYA: A number of major shopping centres in the Klang Valley have shown interest in participating in the Economic Frontliners Vaccination Programme (retail sector) to achieve herd immunity as quickly as possible among retailers. They are applying for a permit from the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) via Malaysia Shopping Malls Association to allow them to set up a vaccination centre for tenants and workers. Eng Lian Enterprise Sdn Bhd, which manages Bangsar Village 1,2 and 3, as well as a few commercial lots in the surrounding area, also volunteered its space as a vaccination centre. Central i-City Shopping Centre chief operating officer Anthony Dylan said they were ready to play their part in achieving herd immunity the soonest. “We welcome the initiative as we see it as our responsibility to assistin the national vaccination programme by encouraging our tenants to take part in the vaccination drive among retail frontliners, ” he said.

PETALING JAYA: Carolina Marin’s hopes of defending her Olympics women’s singles gold have gone up in smoke. The 27-year-old has announced yesterday that she will not be making her third Olympics appearance in Tokyo next month after being hit by fresh injury concerns which needed surgery. In January 2019, Marin tore her right ACL during the Indonesian Masters final against Saina Nehwal, and she was sidelined for seven months. The latest injury meant that Marin has to forget about emulating former Chinese great Zhang Ning’s record of becoming back-to-back Olympic champion. Zhang Ning has two Olympic gold medals – Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

KUALA LUMPUR: Those working in essential services are given until tomorrow to obtain new authorisation letters from the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti). In the meantime, such workers can provide letters from their respective companies, old Miti letters or letters from relevant ministries when passing roadblocks, said Bukit Aman Internal Security and Public Order Department (Operations) SAC MV Srikumar M Nair.“We are giving them leeway for the first three days of the total lockdown. “Under the orders of the state police chief, we will allow the use of the old letters until June 3. “Two teams will be deployed to conduct the mobile roadblocks within the district. “We will not have static roadblocks, instead we will conduct mobile roadblocks and the locations will change depending on the days and needs.

PETALING JAYA: Teenage rider Hakim Danish will get the chance to spread his wings to Europe. The 14-year-old has been given the nod to make his debut ride in the third round of the European Talent Cup (ETC) in Barcelona. He will ride for Liqui Moly Intact SIC Racing Team alongside Sharul Ezwan as his teammate. Both Sharul Ezwan and Hakim are also competing in the ATC. SIC Racing Team manager Zulfahmi Khairuddin is grateful that Hakim was given the opportunity to participate in the ETC.

When Khe Wei founded the Medalist Badminton Academy, little did she know that Ku Yeun Shyun, who’s one of the coaches she recruited, would turn out to be her hubby. “We’re fortunate to get our registration done just before the full lockdown!” said Khe Wei, who once ranked a career-best world No. He loves badminton a lot, that’s why we click so well, ” said Khe Wei. Besides running an academy, Khe Wei has also successfully transfomed herself into a social media influencer. Now, the sweet-faced Khe Wei boasts close to 89,200 followers on Instagram.

(Reuters) - A court in California on Tuesday dismissed bribery charges against Apple Inc's security chief, writing that a key element of the case was "pure speculation" by prosecutors and unsupported by evidence. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office in November had said a grand jury indicted Apple Chief Security Officer Thomas Moyer and two officers in the Sheriff’s Office. It is illegal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit in California, and county sheriffs have wide discretion over whether to grant them. By then, Geffon wrote, the evidence suggests Moyer believed the permits were already approved and would be issued soon. “This argument is pure speculation, and is not supported by the evidence presented to the grand jury," Geffon wrote.