Latest news with #Sarawak
Malay Mail
15 hours ago
- Health
- Malay Mail
Protect children's health, keep activities indoors, Sarawak minister tells schools
KUCHING, July 29 — Schools in Sarawak have been advised to reduce outdoor activities to avoid the risk of students developing health issues related to the ongoing haze and hot weather conditions. State Women, Children and Community Wellbeing Minister (KPWK) Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said that if there is a need to conduct extracurricular activities involving students, they should be held indoors to avoid exposure to the unhealthy air quality. 'It is common practice during hazy conditions to avoid outdoor activities. The current air quality is not safe due to the haze,' she told reporters after the Petronas Empowering Knowledge 2025 Education Sponsorship Award ceremony today. She emphasised that co-curricular and sports programmes should preferably be conducted indoors, particularly to safeguard students who suffer from respiratory conditions such as asthma. She advised the public, especially schoolchildren, to resume the use of face masks as a preventive measure against the adverse effects of the haze. 'Children with asthma need special attention, and we strongly encourage them to wear face masks as a precaution,' she said. She added that schools have been instructed to continuously monitor the Air Pollution Index (API) readings and take appropriate action based on the latest data. Meanwhile, it is reported that air quality in Sarawak remained at moderate levels across all 18 monitoring stations this morning, according to the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB). As of 8 am, Lundu recorded the highest API reading at 88, up from 79 at 4 pm yesterday. Kuching maintained a reading of 74, unchanged from the same time the previous day. — Bernama
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Malay Mail
‘RM20,000 a head': 15 Bangladeshis held at Kuching Airport in suspected immigration scam
KUCHING, July 29 — A total of 15 Bangladeshi men were detained straight after they arrived at Kuching International Airport (KIA) yesterday afternoon. The Sarawak Immigration Department said in a Facebook post that the men were detained at around 12.50pm upon their arrival on a flight from Kuala Lumpur. 'Initial checks revealed that none of them had valid entry records in the Immigration Department's system. 'Further inspection uncovered immigration stamps suspected to be counterfeit in their passports, believed to have been used to deceive authorities into thinking they had entered the country legally,' the department said. Preliminary investigations found that each man is believed to have paid between RM18,000 and RM20,000 to syndicate agents as a fee to enter Sarawak. 'All the detained illegal immigrants have been taken to the Semuja Immigration Detention Depot and are currently being investigated under the Immigration Act 1959/63,' added the department. — The Borneo Post
Free Malaysia Today
17 hours ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Abolishing tolls would cost billions, says minister
The toll hike freeze was among the initiatives announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on July 23. PETALING JAYA : Abolishing tolls instead of deferring hikes may cost the government billions of ringgit in maintenance, says works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi. Nanta said scrapping tolls was not a straightforward move, and that deferring increases was a more practical and realistic option. Alexander Nanta Linggi. He added that savings from not abolishing tolls could be redirected to benefit Malaysians in states without tolled highways such as Sabah, Sarawak, and Terengganu. 'It's not easy to abolish tolls because the government must find a huge sum for maintenance work if that happens. 'In my view, we don't need to abolish tolls for now. But if these (concession) companies have achieved their returns on investment, and if the toll rates are burdensome, then we can reduce them,' he said during ministerial question time in the Dewan Rakyat. He did not specify the exact amount needed to abolish the tolls. Nanta was responding to Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh (PN–Besut), who asked what had happened to Pakatan Harapan's pledge to abolish tolls during the 15th general election. He reiterated that the government was compensating highway concessionaries with RM568.92 million, or over half a billion ringgit. The deferral on 10 highways would also benefit about 941,000 users, he added. 'We hope this deferment will help ease the cost of living, especially for frequent highway users who commute to work each day,' he said. The toll hike freeze was among the initiatives announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on July 23, as part of what he described as 'appreciation for Malaysians'. The 10 highways involved in the deferment are the Cheras-Kajang Expressway (Grand Saga), KL-Kuala Selangor Expressway (LATAR), North Klang Straits Bypass (NNKSB), Senai-Desaru Expressway (SDE), East Coast Expressway Phase 2 (LPT2), South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE), Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge (JSAHMS), Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE), KL-Putrajaya Expressway (MEX), and Butterworth Outer Ring Road (LLB).
Malay Mail
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Anwar, Abang Johari and Hajiji hold breakfast meeting ahead of Prabowo talks in Jakarta
KUCHING, July 29 — Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg kicked off his official working visit in Jakarta, Indonesia today with a private discussion over breakfast with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. According to a post on Sarawakku, the premier's official Facebook page, the closed-door discussion, held at the prime minister's place of residence in the Indonesian capital, was in preparation for the yearly consultative meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. Also present was Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Mohd Noor. Various matters of bilateral interest and importance with Indonesia including border issues and Asean cooperation on renewable power generation and distribution were believed to have been discussed and expected to be brought up for discussion with the Indonesian authorities. Later, the Malaysian delegation proceeded to the Istana Merdeka where Prabowo Subianto is scheduled to host the visiting delegation. The premier's entourage arrived in Jakarta yesterday morning ahead of the prime minister's delegation which landed later last night. — The Borneo Post
Malay Mail
21 hours ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
All 18 monitoring stations in Sarawak report moderate air quality as of 8am
KUCHING, July 29 — The Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) has detected moderate air quality at all 18 of its stations throughout Sarawak this morning. As of 8am, Lundu recorded an air pollutant index (API) reading of 88 – the highest among the 18 stations — compared to 79 at 4pm yesterday. The lowest API reading at 8am of 52 was recorded in Lubok Antu, which recorded a reading of 45 at 4pm yesterday. Meanwhile, Sibu and Miri registered API readings of 75 and 68 respectively at 8am today compared to 63 and 68 at 4pm yesterday. Kuching's API reading this morning was unchanged from the 74 recorded at 4pm yesterday. An NREB spokesperson said the board uses Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS) in Lundu, Tebedu, Lubok Antu, Lawas, and Bario, while the other 13 stations in the state use the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS) under the Department of Environment (DoE). According to the NREB website, a reading of 0 to 50 is considered good – low pollution without any bad effect on health, while a reading of 51 to 100 is considered moderate — moderate pollution that does not pose any bad effects on health. An unhealthy status of 101 to 200 is said to worsen the health condition of high risk individuals such as those with heart and lung complications. The very unhealthy level of 201 to 300 is said to affect public health, worsening the health condition of those with heart and lung complications. Any reading above 300 is hazardous and will endanger the public, especially that of high risk individuals. — The Borneo Post
