Day: May 11, 2022

MELAKA, May 11 (Bernama) — Various new attractions and activities have been created at the Melaka Zoo here involving a cost of RM5 million in an effort to lure more visitors.

Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council (MPHTJ) president Datuk Shadan Othman said that among the attractions was the ‘Zoo and Bird Park’ which housed 70 birds from the Sun Conure and Lory species.

In addition, he said the aviary also housed a pair of endangered Birds-of-Paradise worth tens of thousands of ringgit each.

“What’s more, there are also eight wallabies or small kangaroos from Australia which are also placed at the Zoo and Bird Park here.

“Visitors need only pay RM6 for a ticket (to enter the Zoo and Bird Park) and they will have the opportunity to feed the birds in the aviary,” he told a media conference here today.

In addition, Shadan said a new cafe was also established in front of the bird park to provide a larger selection of food to visitors.

He said a cave that would house 20 birds from six Toco Toucan bird species from South America would also be built, and was expected to be completed at the end of this year.

Shadan said all the attractions were a collaboration between MPHTJ and a private company to provide new attractions to visitors to the Melaka Zoo.

He said over 300,000 visitors to the Melaka Zoo were recorded in the first four months of this year.

In another development, he said the main entrance ticket rates for the Melaka Zoo, namely, RM38(adult), RM31 (children) and RM31 (senior citizens) were reasonable, and commensurate with the attractions and facilities available.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) — The retail price of RON97 petrol will increase by 37 sen per litre from RM3.94 to RM4.31, while the prices of RON95 petrol and diesel will remain unchanged for the week from May 12 to 18.

The Finance Ministry, in a statement today, said the new price is based on the weekly retail price of petroleum products in accordance with the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM) formula.

The ministry added that the government will maintain the ceiling price of RON95 at RM2.05 per litre and diesel at RM2.15 per litre, even though the market APM price for RON95 and diesel has increased beyond the current ceiling price.

“The government will continue to monitor the trends of global crude oil prices and take appropriate measures to ensure the continued welfare and well-being of the people,” it said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) — The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) wants the welfare of AirAsia passengers to no longer be affected ahead of several public holidays such as Wesak Day this Sunday and Gawai Festival next month.

Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said he had raised the matter in the recent KPDNHEP-AirAsia engagement session.

“In this issue, KPDNHEP will continue to protect the rights of consumers while the operations will be scrutinised according to the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Aviation Commission (MAVCOM) and the Ministry of Transport.

“The solution taken by AirAsia to reduce operational disruptions is to implement rescue flights for stranded passengers such as KCH-KL (Kuching-Kuala Lumpur) or MYY-KL (Miri-Kuala Lumpur),” he tweeted today.

If Rapid Rail can provide one-way travel coupons to commuters affected by an incident yesterday, he said AirAsia should also come out with an appropriate quantum of compensation for its passengers.

As of May 9, Nanta said the number of passenger complaints sent directly to AirAsia was almost consistent, namely about 60 to 80 complaints per month.

Meanwhile, the number of AirAsia passenger complaints received by MAVCOM between January and April recorded a downward trend, he said.

“According to AirAsia, more than 90 per cent of complaints have been resolved. AirAsia has identified four main causes that contribute to flight delays and rescheduling involving various destinations namely limited number of aircraft, operational and regulatory constraints, technical issues and weather conditions,” he added.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, May 11 (Bernama) — Over 5,000 affordable housing units will be built in Johor for the (B40) low-income group starting this year, said Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.

The houses would be sold at between RM40,000 and RM150,000 per unit, he said in a post on his official Facebook.

“The state government is committed to ensuring that at least 5,033 affordable housing units would be completed by this year and the following year.

“The houses on offer must really be affordable and priced between RM40,000 to RM150,000,” he said.

Onn Hafiz said the state government was also fine tuning its affordable housing plan for the middle-income group (M40).

He said a more comprehensive plan and policy would be presented to the people of Johor soon to enable them to have their own homes.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, May 11 (Bernama) — The Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) 2021 Semester 3 and STPM 2021 Semester 2 repeat examinations have been moved to new dates, according to the Malaysian Examinations Council (MPM).

In a statement today, MPM said the new dates for STPM 2021 Semester 3 exams are now May 25 and 26, June 13,14 and 15, while the STPM 2021 Semester 2 repeat will be on June 16, 20, 21, and 22.

The STPM 2021 exam calendar for the 2021 cohort, examination timetable for STPM 2021 Semester 3 and timetable for the STPM 2021 Semester 2 repeat, which was updated on May 9, can be found on MPM’s website at www.mpm.edu.my.

Any queries can be directed to the MPM’s STPM and MUET operating division via email at stpm@mpm.edu.my or by calling 03-61261600, extension 1661/1662/1663/1664/1665.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KOTA KINABALU, May 11 (Bernama) — Twenty-four schools including a secondary school in Beaufort and Tenom have been ordered to close due to floods following continuous rain since Monday.

Sabah Education director Datuk Dr Mistirine Radin said the temporary closure of the school involved a total of 474 teachers and 4,526 students from the two districts.

She said a total of 17 schools were temporarily closed in Beaufort, namely Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) St Paul, national-type Chinese school (SJKC) Lian Hwa, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Lago, SK Pekan Membakut, SK Bangkalalak.

“Also closed are SK Kabajang, SK Batu 60, SK Batandok, SK St John, SK St Paul, SK Luagan, SK Klias Baru, SK Garama, SK Mempagar, SK Biah Batu 65, SK Suasa, SK Lupak, involving 361 teachers and 3,656 students, ”she said in a statement today.

In Tenom, she said, seven schools have been closed today, namely SK Gumisi, SK Ladang Sapong, SJKC Yuk Syn, SJKC Pada, SK Inubai and SK Sumambu.

Meanwhile, SK Mandalom was closed to be used as a temporary evacuation centre to house flood victims from the nearby villages.

“The temporary closure of schools in the district involves a total of 113 teachers and 870 students,” she said.

Yesterday, the Sabah Disaster Management Committee said that a total of 49 villages in Beaufort and Tenom were affected by the floods due to continuous heavy rain since Monday afternoon.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA BERANG, May 11 (Bernama) — The Terengganu Health Department (JKNT) recorded a total of 782 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) from Jan 1 to May 7 this year.

Its director, Datuk Dr Kasemani Embong, said the number was a sharp increase of over 700 per cent, as only 95 cases were recorded in the corresponding period last year.

She added that the majority of cases involved children aged six and below who were placed in nurseries in the state.

“A total of 19 childcare centres have been identified as the cause of the outbreak. However, none of them was closed as we managed to contain the spread of the disease,” she said after officiating the ‘Gerak Gempur Cakna Ubat’ programme here today.

Dr Kasemani said following an investigation it was found that the failure to take preventive measures or ensure hygiene in the nurseries had been the reasons for the HFMD spread.

Therefore, she reminded all nursery and childcare centre operators to further improve hygiene level including carrying out sanitation at the beginning and end of the operating hours to avoid a recurrence of HFMD cases.

“There must be cooperation between parents and nursery operators. If the children have symptoms, do not send them to the nursery and the nursery operators should not accept HFMD-infected children,” she said.

In a separate development, she said during the festive period, COVID-19 cases in the state had reduced and was under control at around 40 cases per day.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency