Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 (NNN-Bernama) — After dodging the worst of COVID-19 since the pandemic surfaced last year, many of ASEAN member nations now appear to be grappling with the rapid surge in infections following the emergence of new variants especially the Delta variant.

On Friday, Indonesia logged 54,000 new daily cases, while Malaysia (12,541), Thailand (9,692), Myanmar (6,194), the Philippines (5,676), and Vietnam (3,336). All states, except Singapore and Brunei, have witnessed a rising trend in the number of new cases.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (NNN-Bernama) — 263 Malaysians in Saudi Arabia are eligible to perform the haj this year, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri.

Last year, only eight Malaysians in the country were able to perform the haj.

He said Tabung Haji (TH or the Malaysian hajj pilgrims fund board) would provide online haj courses to all the pilgrims.

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), July 14 (NNN-Bernama) — ASEAN and the United States (US) must focus on reigniting their economies and reversing the damages brought by COVID-19, said Malaysian Senior Minister of Foreign Affairs Hishammuddin Hussein.

Speaking at the ASEAN-US Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held virtually on Wednesday, Hishammuddin said both sides should use this opportunity to further enhance their cooperation where two-way trade between US and ASEAN countries total over US$260 billion.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Reuters) - Malaysian cabinet ministers on Wednesday unanimously pledged their support for Muhyiddin Yassin to continue as prime minister, amid a new round of political uncertainty after the premier lost the backing of the country's biggest party.

The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a key ally in the ruling coalition, withdrew support for Muhyiddin last week and called on him to resign for failing to manage the country's COVID-19 crisis. 

Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) Jul 13 (AP-PTI) Malaysia shut down a mass vaccination center Tuesday after more than 200 medical staff and volunteers tested positive for the coronavirus.

Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said it was difficult to determine if the infections occurred at the center, while stressing that swift government action had stopped the cluster.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 (Bernama-NNN) — The upcoming Uzbekistan presidential elections is one of the most important socio-political events this year which is of key importance for further sustainable development of the country and the entire Central Asian region as a whole, in the medium and long term.

In recent years, within the framework of building a democratic, open and competitive New Uzbekistan, huge work has been carried out in ensuring the fundamental rights of citizens to vote and to be elected to representative bodies.

Kuala Lumpur, Jul 7 (AP-PTI) Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Wednesday appointed a lawmaker from his allied party as his deputy, in what is seen as a calculated bid to dissuade the largest party in his ruling alliance from withdrawing its support for his leadership.

The announcement came just hours ahead of the meeting of a top decision-making body of the United Malays National Organization, or UMNO, which has long been unhappy at playing second fiddle to Muhyiddin's Bersatu party and is expected to decide whether to quit the government.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia plunged into a new political crisis Thursday after the largest party in the ruling alliance announced it will withdraw support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and urged him to make way for a new leader.

The announcement could potentially trigger the collapse of Muhyiddin’s unelected government and fresh elections, although they are unlikely during a raging coronavirus pandemic. Muhyiddin and his allies did not comment immediately.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is in stable condition and is expected to be discharged from hospital soon after receiving treatment for a digestive system infection, his office said on Sunday.

Following advice from a team of doctors, Muhyiddin, who was hospitalised for diarrhoea on Wednesday, will remain in hospital for intravenous antibiotic treatment and is expected to be discharged "in a few more days", his office said in a statement. 

KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 (NNN-Bernama) — A total of 2,393,882 individuals or 7.3 per cent of the Malaysian population have completed the two-dose COVID-19 vaccination as of Thursday, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba said.

The COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) targets that 10 per cent of the country’s population or 3.2 million people will be fully vaccinated by the middle of July.