Latest news with #civilservant
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield: Former Northern Ireland Civil Service chief dies aged 94
Sir Kenneth Bloomfield, one of the most distinguished civil servants in Northern Ireland's history, has died at the age of retiring from full-time work, he remained committed to public service and took on roles helping victims of violence and their career as a civil servant started during the Stormont Parliament in the later became cabinet secretary to the short-lived 1974 power-sharing executive and head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service from 1984 to to follow.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The 'freckle' that ended up being terminal skin cancer...doctors say I could have months to live
A mother has been given a terminal skin cancer diagnosis after she was dismissed by doctors who said she had a holiday bug. As a precaution, Katie Cooper, 32, from Greater Manchester, had a small freckle removed from a patch of skin behind her ear around seven years ago. But around four years later, she noticed a small lump had formed in the same place. Subsequent tests revealed it was melanoma—the deadliest type of skin cancer that is on the rise in young Britons. The prognosis for the condition is good, with most patients cured, providing the disease is caught early. Doctors immediately removed Ms Cooper's growth and told her she was cancer free. But the ordeal didn't end there for the civil servant and her family. In March this year, nearly seven years after she noticed the freckle, she developed bizarre aches and pains. But having just returned from a trip to Disneyland Paris, doctors assured her it was most likely 'just a virus' she'd picked up on her travels. Yet it wasn't long until the mother-of-one found herself bedbound and in 'agony'. After five weeks, she didn't get any better and her pain persisted, so doctors performed a scan. They discovered the melanoma had not only returned but aggressively spread throughout her body—reaching her bones, spine, liver, lungs, abdominal wall, and ovaries. 'It's terrifying. We had no idea and we just thought I was unwell. It blindsided us,' said Ms Cooper. 'Finding out subsequently that it was in my other organs as well, I knew it would be quite difficult from here on out.' At stages three and four—when the disease has spread to nearby tissues and organs or bones—the survival rate is as low as 66 and 27 per cent, respectively. She is now undergoing grueling radiotherapy and immunotherapy treatment to manage her incurable condition. Ms Cooper's friend, Abi Smith, said they have been told the prognosis could be as little as a few months if the treatment fails to work. 'If it does work, they may be able to get to a 60 per cent chance of 10 years,' she said. 'She's accepted the cancer, but when she thinks about her three-year-old daughter, Aurora, she gets really upset. 'She's hoping she'll be there for all her milestones.' The devastated mother has encouraged others to 'advocate for themselves' and to get checked if they're unsure about something. She added: 'You know your body best. If you feel like something is not right, then you are within your rights to go and ask and don't be afraid to keep pushing to get those answers.' A GoFundMe has been launched to support the civil servant with medical and living expenses. It takes a scarily low number of sunburns—only five—to make you vulnerable to the condition that kills more than 2,000 people in the UK every year. One in 35 men and one in 41 women in the UK will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in their lifetime. The most harmful type of sunrays are UVB which hit the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) and cause the most sunburn, as well as UVA rays which penetrate much deeper and contribute to ageing. Both are ultraviolet, which means they cause skin cancer. A worrying 90 per cent of skin cancer cases in the UK are a direct result of sunburn and using sunbeds, according to Cancer Research.
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Malay Mail
MACC arrests six, including Datuk civil servant, over RM115,000 bribery linked to govt contracts
KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has arrested six individuals, including a civil servant with the title Datuk, on suspicion of accepting bribes amounting to hundreds of thousands of ringgit linked to development and maintenance contract awards from 2021 to date. According to a source, the other suspects arrested included another individual with the title Datuk, who is also a company director, an engineer from a government department in the federal capital, a married couple, and a contractor. The suspects, comprising four men and two women aged between 20 and 50, were arrested at around 5.30 pm on Tuesday when they appeared to give statements at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya. 'The two prime suspects, a director and an engineer at a government department, are believed to have solicited and accepted bribes from contractors awarded development and maintenance contracts under their supervision since 2021. 'Also arrested were a married couple, a company director with the title Datuk and a contractor, suspected of acting as middlemen in soliciting bribes from contractors,' the source said. The source said that initial investigations revealed that the two main suspects received some RM115,000 from the middleman in the form of cash, payments for home renovations and mobile phones. 'Magistrate Irza Zulaikha Rohanuddin granted a five-day remand until Saturday for five suspects,while another was remanded for three days until Thursday, following an application by MACC at the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court this morning,' he said. The source said that during Op Kepala, conducted yesterday by the MACC Special Operations Division at 10 premises in Klang Valley and Johor, two Toyota Hilux vehicles and about RM165,000 in cash were seized, while 95 bank accounts, said to hold around RM6 million, were frozen. Meanwhile, MACC Special Operations Division senior director Datuk Mohamad Zamri Zainul Abidin, when contacted, confirmed the arrest of all suspects to assist in investigations under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
16-05-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
Johor teacher claims trial to keeping porn on phone
Gusti Ishak Fitri Shah faces a maximum jail term of three years, or a fine, or both, if found guilty. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : A teacher was charged in the Johor Bahru magistrates' court today with possessing pornographic material on his mobile phone. Gusti Ishak Fitri Shah, 30, initially pleaded guilty after the charge was read out by the court interpreter before magistrate A Shaarmini, Harian Metro reported. However, when the magistrate asked whether he understood the nature of the charge and its implications, particularly as a civil servant, the accused merely smiled. 'Don't smile at me. I'm asking whether you want to plead guilty or not. If you're not pleading guilty, you'll need to get a lawyer to represent you,' Shaarmini was quoted as saying. The accused then changed his plea to not guilty and requested to stand trial. According to the charge sheet, Gusti is accused of possessing pornographic content on his mobile phone at Taman Cahaya Masai, Pasir Gudang, at around 7pm on Jan 13, 2024. The charge was framed under Section 292(a) of the Penal Code, which carries a maximum jail term of three years, or a fine, or both, upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor Nur Fatihah Nizam proposed bail at RM10,000 with one surety, but the court granted bail at RM3,000. The case has been fixed for mention on May 30.
Malay Mail
15-05-2025
- Malay Mail
Pasir Mas teacher denies charge of stabbing 11-year-old son with vegetable knife
The court fixed June 10 for mention and document MAS, May 15 — A teacher pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to a charge of attempting to murder his son by stabbing him with a vegetable knife earlier this month. A Singaporean man who was driving a luxury Maserati pleaded not guilty at the Magistrates' Court today to a charge of causing the death of a road user on the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link Expressway (Linkedua) last week. The accused, Muhammad Irshad Abdul Hameed, 27, a civil servant in the republic, entered the plea after the charge was read before Magistrate Nur Fatin Mohamad Farid. He was charged with driving a Maserati in a dangerous manner, which allegedly resulted in the death of A Vasanthraj, 32. The offence was alleged to have taken place at 6.40pm at KM0.6 of the Linkedua Expressway on May 9. The charge was framed under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction. The accused may also face disqualification from holding or obtaining a driving licence for a minimum period of five years from the date of conviction, in addition to having his licence endorsed by the court. The case was prosecuted by deputy public prosecutor Amirah Tasnim Saleh, while the accused was represented by lawyers Baharudin Baharim and Zarina Ismail Tom. The court granted the accused bail of RM12,000 with two local sureties. He is also required to report to the nearest police station once a month and has had his driving licence suspended. Asrolfandi Mohd Ab Suki, 47, entered the plea after the charge was read before Judge Zulkpli Abdullah. He was charged with stabbing his 11-year-old son twice with a knife and seriously injuring him at their home in Kampung Banggol Che Dol, Pohon Tanjung, at 8.55am on May 2. The charge was framed under Section 307 of the Penal Code, which provides for a jail term of up to 20 years upon conviction. Deputy public prosecutor Siti Aiysha Na'ilah Harizan did not offer bail, and the accused was unrepresented. The court set June 15 for case mention to obtain forensic and psychiatric observation reports from Hospital Bahagia in Perak. — Bernama
