Yoon Szu-Mae

Rangkaian Segar, which will have sole monopoly over highways come July 1, is facing a supply shortage despite the implementation date for the project being postponed for a year.

If global crude oil prices continue to decline, there will be no reason for retail petrol prices in Malaysia to go up even if the current subsidy is reduced, says an economist.

The cabinet says it will tackle youth indiscipline and the growing crime committed by the young and interest groups hope there will be consultation with the youth before policies are finalised.

Desa Kiara residents say that politicians are trying to bury the controversy surrounding the cemetery project that began seven months ago. They also claim it will pose tremendous health hazards.

The government says media fears about the haze conditions must be put to rest as the air quality is not as bad as other countries. However, it has no plans to release the air pollution index figures.

Four Klang Valley locations marked a decline in air quality today, while visibility in Penang and the northern peninsular improves. Still, the DOE has no plans to release precise figures of the API.

Anwar Ibrahim's lawyer Sankara Nair claims that the general hospital has a history of acting in bad faith, while hospital authorities claim such requests take about two months to process.

Human rights group Hakam says the 17 refugees shouldn't have been held as they were from the troubled Indonesian province. The rights groups further claims that detained Acehnese refugees are being 'forced to accept voluntary deportation'.

Kuala Lumpur has chosen not to recognise refugees for fear that this would encourage economic migrants to swamp the country but UNHCR says Malaysia can still manage this challenge, while providing basic human rights protection to refugees.

MAYC and its leader Syed Hamid Albar recently went on an anti-smoking drive with two big tobacco firms. That action soon came under fire from all sides.

One of eight ISA detainees transferred to a police remand centre has claimed to have come under pressure to admit links with regional terror group Jemaah Islamiah.

With the coming Umno polls in mind, Kelantan Umno deputy chief Zaid Ibrahim reiterates his call that underhanded tactics to influence the election should be reported to the police to ensure a clean and fair party polls.

PAS is considering options to election petitions due to be heard next week over seats being disputed in Kelantan following the general election.

In announcing its decision at the very last minute, the government is trying to show that it can wield its power however it wishes, a detainee's wife said today. The extension was also 'not a surprise' to families of the detainees.

Despite flak from all round, the Malaysian Association of Youth Clubs defends its move to tie-up with tobacco companies for a youth anti-smoking campaign, saying it is 'happy for the chance'.

To overcome the shortage of doctors in public hospitals, Dr Chua Soi Lek is proposing that the private sector considers loaning their doctors to both serve and train in the public health arena.

The secrecy over water-supply policies and tender awards has denied the public the opportunity to debate the pros and cons of the government's privatisation stance.

Two more consumer groups have taken the Malaysian Association of Youth Clubs to task for its plan to launch an anti-smoking campaign with help from two major tobacco companies.

Two experts consider the ramifications of weak government spending on healthcare and the recent proposal that public hospitals accommodate 'private wings' as a move to ensure doctors are better paid.

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appears to be in the dark over the spendthrift habit of his ministries, which have already blown almost 90 percent of the money allocated under the five-year Eighth Malaysia Plan.

The Health Ministry needs to slash its spending by about RM3.8 billion following a Treasury directive emphasising on wise and prudent spending.

The Penang-based Citizens International is upset that the authorities are choosing to ignore the validity of UN papers, returning individuals without making the distinction between conflict-fleeing refugees and illegal migrants.

The Health Ministry finds that it will not be able to meet staff salaries across the country by as much as RM210 million, unless it undertakes cost-cutting measures.

Party president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail says the party will need a few more days to sort out internal matters before going public on whether Abdul Rahman Othman has quit the party.