Malaysia Morning News For April 22, 2020

Covid-19: 57 new cases bringing total to 5,482, three new fatalities, death toll now at 92
Malaysia reported 57 Covid-19 cases on Tuesday (April 21), continuing its recent trend of double digits in its daily new infections.
— The Star Online

Malaysia’s 5G progress expected despite setback caused by pandemic
The GSM Association (GSMA), which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, is confident of Malaysia’s progress in the rolling out of the fifth generation (5G) technology despite a slight setback caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Two US warships in South China Sea amid China-Malaysia standoff
USS America and USS Bunker Hill sailed near a Chinese research ship spotted close to a Petronas exploration vessel.
— Aljazeera

Malaysia arrests Rohingya in trafficking crackdown
Malaysia has arrested two Rohingya for alleged human-trafficking, authorities said Tuesday (Apr 21), as they ramp up efforts to stop members of the Muslim minority coming to the country amid coronavirus fears.
— Channel NewsAsia

Najib Threatens To Sue Sarawak Report ‘When His Cases Are Settled’
Former prime minister, Najib Razak, has joined a defamation campaign against Sarawak Report, citing a libellous media attack in order to declare the editor a “liar“.
— Sarawak Report

Covid-19: Malaysia’s daily new cases drop below 100 for sixth time
The Ministry of Health announced today that Malaysia’s daily new cases rose to 57, which is higher than the number of recoveries at 54 cases.
— The Edge Markets

Timber industry players donate RM2 mln worth of PPEs to frontliners
The personal protective equipment (PPEs) donated by Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation (STIDC) and Sarawak Timber Association (STA) will be handed over to the State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) tomorrow, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
— The Borneo Post

Sarawak minister starts legal action against critics over food aid allegations
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian today said he has instructed his lawyers to issue legal letters to Sarawak DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen and the party’s other state leaders over allegedly.
— Malay Mail

Distribution of free face masks to Sabah, Sarawak begins today: Ismail Sabri
The distribution of free face masks from the government to the states of Sabah and Sarawak has begun today, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pix).
— The Sun Daily

Covid-19: MOH to continue surveillance, active case detection after cases tested positive
The Ministry of Health’s (MOH) early efforts in detecting patients with influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) have resulted in eight patients detected positive for Covid-19.
— Malay Mail

TM announces completion of maintenance works by consortium
Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) has announced that preventive maintenance works on the Asia-America Gateway submarine cable network linking Malaysia and other Asian countries to the United States and Hong Kong has been completed.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Bursa Malaysia closes at day’s low due to selling pressure
Selling pressure in selected consumer products counters and most of the heavyweights pulled Bursa Malaysia down to end at its day’s low, in line with the performance of regional peers amid growing concerns over the sharp fall in crude oil prices, dealers said.
— The Sun Daily

CM: Sabah to begin collecting 5 pct sales tax on petroleum products by May 28
The Sabah government is expected to begin collecting the five per cent sales tax on petroleum products on or before May 28 for the April sales, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said.
— The Borneo Post

RM2.7b in loans approved for SMEs under BNM fund
Loans totalling RM2.7 billion have been approved for more than 5,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) up to April 15 under the easy financing facility for SMEs administered by Bank Negara Malaysia.
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia’s green zones increase to 56 districts, as Pekan, Bentong, Rembau, Tampin, Kuala Pilah record zero active Covid-19 cases
The number of districts in Malaysia which had Covid-19 cases but are now regarded as green zones — as there are no active cases or cases under treatment — increased to 56 yesterday (April 20), based on the latest.
— Malay Mail

Health D-G: Out of over 12,000 overseas returnees, only 77 tested positive for Covid-19
Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said today that the government’s move to force Malaysians returning home from abroad to be quarantined for 14 days was the right one as they managed to avert having.
— Malay Mail

Penang sets aside RM200,000 grantto back artists in wake of MCO
The Penang state government has set aside an allocation of RM200,000 to assist the state’s art industry.
— Malay Mail

Malaysian cricket first to introduce interactive online course
The Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) has set a precedent to by becoming the first association in the region to introduce a Webinar Series interactive coaching programme.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Covid-19: 3 deaths recorded in Malaysia today, including 1 in Sarawak
Malaysia today recorded three deaths due to Covid-19, bringing the total number of deaths to 92, said Health Director-General Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
— The Borneo Post

Reports lodged over social media posting slandering Penang CM
Two separate police reports have been lodged against a post on social media which allegedly slandered the Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
— Malay Mail

PM thanks M’sian frontliners for earning world recognition in fight against Covid-19
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today recorded his appreciation to Malaysian frontline workers for their tireless efforts in combating the Covid-19 pandemic and in doing so bringing world recognition.
— The Sun Daily

GSMA confident of Malaysia’s 5G progress despite pandemic setback
The GSM Association (GSMA), which represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, is confident of Malaysia’s progress in the rolling out of the 5G technology despite a slight setback caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
— The Sun Daily

Johor govt: Rohingya community in Kulai screened for Covid-19 following allegations of outbreak on social media
The Johor government has taken proactive measures to screen Kulai’s Rohingya community for Covid-19 in response to recent allegations of an outbreak in the area.
— Malay Mail

Medical supplies worth RM2m from China to be distributed to govt hospitals in Sarawak
Personal protection equipment (PPE) and medical supplies from China, worth RM2 million, arrived at the Senari Port here today and will be distributed to government hospitals in the state.
— Malay Mail

Public Bank seen as one of banking sector’s safest bets during economic downturn
Public Bank Bhd is viewed as one of the safest banking stocks to own during the economic downturn, as it is the least sensitive to the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) cuts and has defensive asset quality, said CGS-CIMB Research.
— The Sun Daily

Three ministries in collaboration towards acquiring Covid-19 vaccine
Three ministries, namely the Foreign Ministry, Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) as well as Health Ministry (MOH) would be collaborating to ensure Malaysia take proactive measures to acquire the vaccine for Covid-19.
— The Sun Daily

57 new Covid-19 cases today, 3 more deaths
Fifty-seven new cases of Covid-19 were reported today, bringing the total number of infections in the nation to 5,482.
— The Sun Daily

Reports lodged over social media posting slandering CM
Two separate police reports have been lodged against a post on social media which allegedly slandered the Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
— The Sun Daily

Saifuddin: 205 fake news items ‘busted’ by Communications Ministry over four weeks
The government’s rapid response troop (PRP) has effectively shot down 205 fake news items over the last four weeks, says Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
— The Star Online

KJ: Three ministries working together to ensure M’sia gets ‘first-mover’ advantage for Covid-19 vaccines
The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, Health Ministry and Wisma Putra have officially collaborated in a joint effort to ensure that Malaysia gets the “first-mover advantage when Covid-19 vaccines are made available.
— The Star Online

1MDB-linked forfeiture suit: Kedah Umno, Habib Jewels monies yet to be returned
The Kedah Umno liaison committee and Habib Jewels Sdn Bhd’s monies amounting of RM1.05million and RM100,000, respectively, which were seized by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have not been returned to both entities pending the stay application by the prosecution.
— The Sun Daily

MCO: Tahfiz schools go online
Since the Movement Control Order (MCO) came into force on March 18, many have taken the opportunity to utilise social media platforms to enable their activities continue uninterrupted.
— The Sun Daily

PM thanks Malaysian frontliners over world recognition in fight against Covid-19
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today recorded his appreciation to Malaysian frontline workers for their tireless efforts in combating the Covid-19 pandemic and in doing so bringing world recognition.
— The Borneo Post

Govt to accelerate implementation of small-scale projects
As part of efforts to ensure continuation in economic activities, especially small-scale projects which have been affected by the Movement Control Order (MCO), the government will accelerate the project documentation preparation and initiate an online balloting process.
— The Borneo Post

Declining trend of Covid-19 infections no excuse to stop complying with MCO – Ismail Sabri
The declining trend of Covid-19 infections in the country does not mean that the public can stop complying with the Movement Control Order (MCO), Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said.
— The Borneo Post

Audit report: Road maintenance management in Sabah inefficient, fails to meet objectives
The management of road maintenance in Sabah by road concession holders or maintenance contractors is inefficient and fails to meet the objectives of road maintenance, according to the 2018 Auditor-General’s Report Series 2 released yesterday.
— The Sun Daily

Ekuinas contributed RM10m through Dana Ihsan Covid-19 Iltizam
Ekuiti Nasional Bhd (Ekuinas) has contributed RM10 million through Dana Ihsan Covid-19 Iltizam to provide assistance to hospitals, medical frontliners, affected families and communities, small and medium-sized (SME) businesses as well as eligible staff of its portfolio companies.
— The Sun Daily

RM23,000 raised to assist MCO impacted individuals
Three individuals successfully raised more than RM23,000 by rallying Malaysians together in support of a good cause – helping people who were affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.
— The Sun Daily

1.5 mln EPF i-Lestari applications approved – Tengku Zafrul
As at April 17, 1.5 million out of a total of 2.8 million applications for withdrawal from the Employees Provident Fund’s (EPF) i-Lestari facility for May have been approved, involving withdrawals amounting to RM702 million, says Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
— The Borneo Post

Trader in Kluang detained for alleged bribery
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) detained a trader yesterday for allegedly offering a bribe to a Kluang Municipal Council (MPK) enforcement assistant as an inducement not to take action against him for violating the Movement Control Order (MCO) directives.
— The Sun Daily

Uphold MA63 resolutions made under previous govt, says Sabah CM
Sabah hopes that the federal government under Perikatan Nasional will retain the progress made by the previous Pakatan Harapan administration on the Malaysia Agreement 1963 negotiations with Sabah and Sarawak.
— Malay Mail

Cybercrimes and scams have been successful because of its simplicity: KPMG
Technology, especially access to the internet and social media, has been a saving grace for many during this containment phase in combatting the Covid-19.
— The Sun Daily

MMA: Foreign workers should also be tested
Foreign workers, especially those who are undocumented, should also be tested for Covid-19, especially if they are unwell.
— The Sun Daily

Westports minority shareholders advised to approve land purchase
Minority shareholders have been advised to vote in favour of Westports Holdings Bhd’s proposed acquisition of a 146.4ha land parcel in Klang, Selangor, for RM393.96 million cash at its upcoming extraordinary general meeting.
— The Sun Daily

Feature photo Unit ICT Pejabat Bendahari Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo focuses on International Girls in ICT Day, April 23.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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