MBK tolak permohonan penganjuran festival dijadual diadakan hujung minggu ini kerana tidak penuhi syarat minimum tempoh kemuka permohonan.
Terdahulu, penganjuran Festival Muzik Air Cherating 2026 yang dijadualkan berlangsung pada 1 dan 2 Mei ini undang reaksi negatif masyarakat termasuk pemimpin parti politik. (Gambar Facebook)
PETALING JAYA: Majlis Bandaraya Kuantan (MBK) menolak permohonan penganjuran Festival Muzik Air Cherating 2026 kerana tidak memenuhi syarat minimum tempoh pengemukaan permohonan.
Ketua Bahagian Perhubungan Awam Jabatan Komunikasi Korporat MBK Hani Syazani Kamarudin Arifin berkata, permohonan oleh penganjur program tersebut diterima pada 15 April lepas.
Menurutnya, perkara itu dibincangkan dalam Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Pelesenan MBK pada 23 April, yang memutuskan untuk menolak permohonan itu memandangkan ia tidak mematuhi syarat minimum tempoh pengemukaan permohonan, iaitu sekurang-kurangnya 21 hari sebelum tarikh acara berlangsung.
“Tempoh antara tarikh pengemukaan permohonan dengan tarikh acara tidak mencukupi dan gagal memenuhi syarat yang telah ditetapkan.
“Sehubungan itu, rayuan yang dikemukakan juga tidak dipertimbangkan,” kata pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) itu dalam kenyataan, lapor Bernama.
Beliau berkata, jika acara tersebut diteruskan tanpa kelulusan, tindakan penguatkuasaan bersepadu akan diambil mengikut bidang kuasa setiap agensi terlibat seperti polis, MBK dan Jabatan Agama Islam Pahang.
Terdahulu, penganjuran festival yang dijadualkan berlangsung pada 1 dan 2 Mei itu mengundang reaksi negatif masyarakat termasuk pemimpin parti politik. - FMT
The finance ministry yesterday proposed RM3.06 billion in operational spending cuts for the health ministry to save government funds amid the Iran conflict.
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said core services such as patient treatment and emergency care were ‘non-negotiable’ and would proceed as planned under the 2026 budget. (Freepik pic)
PETALING JAYA: The health ministry will continue discussions with the finance ministry to ensure Malaysia’s healthcare system remains protected despite planned budget realignments.
In a statement, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad stressed that core services – including patient treatment, emergency care, medicine supply and medical devices – are “non-negotiable” and will proceed as planned under the 2026 budget.
Dzulkefly also said recruitment for critical frontline positions such as doctors, nurses and other essential staff will be exempted from any hiring freeze to ensure hospitals and clinics continue to operate smoothly.
“The health ministry will continue to negotiate with the finance ministry to reduce the amount involved in the realignment so that the delivery of healthcare services to the people continues smoothly.
“The realignment will be focused on matters unrelated to service delivery, such as office utilities and the optimisation of non-clinical assets,” he said.
He added that the ministry is committed to ensuring that any realignment is carefully balanced, particularly amid global energy and supply chain pressures.
A Treasury directive yesterday said a total of RM10 billion could be saved across the board, including RM3.06 billion from the health ministry, through proposed operational spending cuts amid the Iran conflict.
In a statement today, the fnance ministry said its proposed adjustments to operational spending for the health and higher education ministries involved only non-critical items, with all core spending to continue as planned under the 2026 budget.
Bernama later reported finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan as saying the adjustments would not affect frontline personnel or the delivery of basic services to the public.
He stressed that critical sectors, including healthcare, education and security, will remain the government’s priority, in line with its commitment to ensure the people’s well-being. - FMT
The service will be rolled out gradually from May 4.
Grab will pilot a new taxi booking service for journeys between any location in Singapore and designated areas in Malaysia, namely Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Forest City, Kulai and Senai. (File pic)
KUALA LUMPUR: Grab has been granted the first cross-border ride-hail service operator licence (CRSOL), allowing operators to provide cross-border services via the ride-hailing platform.
The licence falls under the enhanced Cross-Border Taxi Scheme and was jointly announced by the transport ministries of Singapore and Malaysia.
“This enables Grab to offer cross-border taxi booking services through the Grab app,” the company said in a statement.
With the licence, Grab will pilot a new taxi booking service for journeys between any location in Singapore and designated areas in Malaysia, namely Johor Bahru, Iskandar Puteri, Forest City, Kulai and Senai.
Dubbed Cross-Border JB-SG (Beta), the pilot aims to improve travel across one of the world’s busiest land border crossings.
Passengers in both countries will be able to book door-to-door rides via the Grab app within a 12-hour to seven-day advance window.
The service will be rolled out gradually from May 4.
Grab said it would refine and expand the service as more licensed cross-border taxis are onboarded and based on feedback from drivers and passengers.
To strengthen cross-border connectivity, both governments will each issue 300 licences to taxi drivers in 2026.
In a first for GrabCab – Grab’s taxi fleet launched in 2025 – some drivers have also received licences from Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Agency.
Grab is also onboarding licensed cross-border taxis from GrabCab and other operators, while streamlining backend processes to help drivers manage cross-currency earnings and differing regulatory requirements.
Singapore-licensed taxis can pick up passengers anywhere in Singapore and drop them off within the designated areas in Malaysia.
However, return trips are limited to advance bookings from fixed points – Toppen Shopping Centre, Mid Valley Southkey Mall, Angsana Mall, and Larkin Sentral Terminal.
Similarly, Malaysia-licensed taxis can pick up passengers within the designated areas in Malaysia and drop them off anywhere in Singapore.
Return trips are limited to advance bookings from fixed points near VivoCity, Century Square, Joo Koon MRT station, and Ban San Street Terminal. - FMT
Senior investigations director Hafaz Nazar confirms the process concluded at about 9pm tonight.
James Chai, who is also a political analyst, arrived at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya at 10am today for the third day of questioning.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has completed recording the statement from James Chai, a former aide to ex-economy minister Rafizi Ramli, in connection with an investigation involving leading semiconductor firm Arm Holdings Plc.
MACC senior investigations director Hafaz Nazar confirmed the process concluded at about 9pm tonight – the third consecutive day Chai was questioned.
“The recording of his statement, which entered its third day today, will not be continued for now,” Bernama quoted Hafaz as saying when contacted.
Chai, who is also a political analyst, arrived at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya at 10am today.
The case is being investigated under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009 over a government-funded semiconductor project worth RM1.1 billion.
MACC opened the investigation paper on Feb 16 following complaints from several NGOs, which alleged that the project agreement was rushed and skewed, potentially resulting in financial implications for the government.
The probe is also focusing on the possibility of a conflict of interest involving several individuals who were allegedly appointed to senior positions in the foreign company after leaving their posts in a ministry.
MACC gave Chai several extensions to return and assist in the probe, warning that failure to do so could prompt the agency to seek international cooperation, including through Interpol or foreign enforcement agencies, to locate him and secure his attendance.
Chai said on March 6 that he had appointed two lawyers to liaise with MACC officers to arrange a session for his statement to be recorded.
This followed MACC’s call for him to immediately contact investigators and return to Malaysia to assist in the ongoing probe.
The commission said he had not responded to several attempts by officers to reach him or to appear at its headquarters in Putrajaya.
Chai, however, said he only became aware that MACC wanted his cooperation after the public notice was issued to trace his whereabouts, adding that he was ready to fully cooperate with the agency “in a lawful and professional manner”.
He also criticised the search notice, which included the address of his childhood home, saying it was excessive and appeared to portray him as a fugitive.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki previously said 12 witnesses from various government agencies, including a former minister, had given their statements to assist in the investigation. - FMT
THE Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said unemployment in the Gaza Strip surged to around 68% during the ongoing Israeli war, accompanied by a sharp drop in labour force participation to about 25%, compared to 40% before the war.
Palestinian news agency (WAFA) reported the bureau, in a statement issued ahead of International Workers’ Day, observed on May 1, said unemployment in the West Bank also rose significantly, reaching approximately 28% in the fourth quarter of 2025, up from about 13% in the third quarter of 2023.
The PCBS reported that the number of employed persons in the West Bank declined from 868,000 in Q3 2023 to around 736,000 in Q4 2025—a 15% decrease—mainly due to reduced job opportunities in key sectors such as construction, mining, manufacturing, and transport.
In Gaza, the number of employed workers dropped sharply from about 292,000 in Q3 2023, when labour force participation stood at 55%, to roughly 32% participation in Q4 2024, reflecting widespread job losses during the war.
The data further showed that approximately 74% of those who had been employed in Gaza are now unemployed or outside the labour force. Youth have been particularly affected, with around 74% of individuals aged 15 to 29 not engaged in education, training, or employment.
The impact has extended to the West Bank, where the number of unemployed rose to about 280,000 in Q4 2025, compared to roughly 129,000 in Q3 2023, according to WAFA.
Regarding employment inside Israel, the number of West Bank workers fell dramatically from around 172,000 in Q3 2023 to 25,000 in Q4 2023, before gradually rising to 51,000 by Q4 2025.
The sharpest decline was among permit holders, whose numbers dropped from about 127,000 to 14,000, while workers without permits decreased from 37,000 to 21,000.
Meanwhile, the number of workers holding Israeli, Jerusalem, or foreign IDs increased from about 8,000 to approximately 17,000. ‒ Focus Malaysia
