Malaysia ranks first globally for official data availability and openness

Malaysia ranks first globally for official data availability and openness

LIPIS : The national celebration of World Statistics Day 2025 was held in Sungai Koyan to heighten public awareness about statistics for national development. Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said organising the celebration here provided rural communities an opportunity to understand how data and statistics plan health, education and employment facilities. He emphasised that statistics form the foundation for policy decisions impacting people’s well-being and rural development sustainability. “Hospitals and schools are not built spontaneously but are planned based on birth data and educational needs recorded by the Department of Statistics Malaysia,” he explained. Mohd Uzir highlighted Malaysia’s global excellence, ranking first for official data availability, openness and accessibility through digital initiatives like OpenDOSM. He spoke after the official launch by Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail at Laman Sejahtera Jelai in Sungai Koyan. DOSM’s latest innovations include a life expectancy calculator and Minimum Acceptable Living Expenses tool assessing costs based on family profile, age and location. “Such data helps employers and employees understand local living costs, supporting balanced dialogue on wages and productivity,” he said. DOSM is developing the TANYA DOSM mobile application for easier public access to official data interactively. Sungai Koyan was chosen as venue to focus on the growing rural community through the ‘Statistics the Pulse of Life’ themed celebration. Various programmes ran for three days including a Datathon competition, debates and community engagement with university students and local residents. The celebration featured the Prime Minister’s Forum on Islamic Affairs about AI and statistics benefits for the Muslim community. It served as a knowledge-sharing platform on artificial intelligence potential in national data collection and analysis. – Bernama

RM42.25 million in new initiatives for Indian community under MADANI

RM42.25 million in new initiatives for Indian community under MADANI

KUALA LUMPUR : Several new initiatives worth RM42.25 million introduced specifically for the Indian community reflect the MADANI Government’s commitment to ensuring equitable opportunities for all. Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the initiatives aim to improve the socioeconomic status of the Indian community and enhance access to education and digital skills. He stated that the government’s responsibility is to ensure policies are felt by every layer of society, including the Indian community across the country. The event was attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil and other Cabinet members. Gobind said the new initiatives include the Kalvi MADANI free tuition programme, the provision of laptops under the Peranti Siswa initiative, and the maintenance and upgrading of schools under MITRA. The Kalvi MADANI programme will benefit students at 200 Tamil National-Type Schools with an allocation of RM8 million. He added that the hardcore poverty eradication programme involving RM3.5 million will be implemented through Bank Simpanan Nasional. The government also introduced the Dharma MADANI programme to empower places of worship as community centres with an allocation of RM20 million. An additional RM19.09 million was announced under the MADANI Budget 2026 for maintenance works at SJKTs nationwide. Gobind said the government is looking into developing ICT labs and bilingual libraries in selected SJKTs to nurture a digitally literate generation. He emphasised that technological progress must go hand in hand with human values, responsibility and shared prosperity. The MADANI Government remains committed to ensuring no community is left behind in the digital transformation. He noted that the Indian community is an integral part of the nation’s history and an important partner in national development. Prime Minister Anwar announced last Thursday that the government had introduced new initiatives worth RM42.25 million for the Indian community. Themed Cahaya MADANI, Sinar Perpaduan, the event was organised by the Digital Ministry with support from the Ministry of National Unity. It was attended by over 5,000 visitors from various communities. – Bernama

Kelantan influenza outbreak under control with seven school clusters

Kelantan influenza outbreak under control with seven school clusters

KOTA BHARU : The influenza outbreak in Kelantan remains under control with seven clusters detected as of October 15th. These clusters involve several schools across the state according to health authorities. State Local Government, Housing, Health and Environment Committee chairman Hilmi Abdullah confirmed no new cases have been recorded since the last cluster was identified. He stated that control and prevention measures are proving effective in containing the outbreak. “So far, we have seven influenza clusters involving school students. However, the situation is under control and there has been no increase in cases. The state also does not need to implement additional measures such as mass vaccination because the situation is still under control,” he told reporters after opening the national level 2025 World Rabies Day celebration in Tunjong. Hilmi said the state government would continue periodic consultations with the Kelantan Health Department. These consultations will evaluate the need for additional measures should cases rise in any area. – Bernama

Chong Wei terajui Jawatankuasa Prestasi BAM

Chong Wei terajui Jawatankuasa Prestasi BAM

PETALING JAYA: Legenda badminton negara, Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei diberi kepercayaan menerajui Jawatankuasa Prestasi Persatuan Badminton Malaysia (BAM) berkuat kuasa hari ini. Pelantikan bekas pemain No.1 dunia itu diumumkan oleh Presiden BAM, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz selepas mempengerusikan Mesyuarat Ahli Majlis BAM yang berlangsung di sebuah hotel di Petaling Jaya, hari ... Read more The post Chong Wei terajui Jawatankuasa Prestasi BAM appeared first on Utusan Malaysia .

UPKO guna logo sendiri pada PRN Sabah

UPKO guna logo sendiri pada PRN Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Pertubuhan Kinabalu Progresif Bersatu (UPKO) kekal dengan pendirian untuk menggunakan logo sendiri pada Pilihan Raya Negeri (PRN) Sabah. Presiden UPKO, Datuk Ewon Benedick berkata, keputusan itu dicapai selepas mengadakan perbincangan membabitkan kepimpinan PH Sabah. “Tetapi untuk rakan komponen seperti PKR dan DAP, mereka perlu merujuk dan mengadakan perbincangan lanjut mengenainya perkara itu dengan ... Read more The post UPKO guna logo sendiri pada PRN Sabah appeared first on Utusan Malaysia .

PIBG SK Sijangkang Jaya lancar Tabung Bencana Ribut

PIBG SK Sijangkang Jaya lancar Tabung Bencana Ribut

KUALA LANGAT: Persatuan Ibu Bapa & Guru (PIBG) Sekolah Kebangsaan Sijangkang Jaya (SKSJ) melancarkan Tabung Bencana Ribut dalam usaha memulihkan prasarana di sekolah tersebut. Menurut Yang Dipertuanya, Dr. Abdul Razak Khasbullah, sumbangan kewangan itu bertujuan memastikan usaha membaiki kerosakan akibat ribut pada Rabu lalu berjalan lancar. “Bencana ribut atau angin pusar ini amat mengejutkan bukan ... Read more The post PIBG SK Sijangkang Jaya lancar Tabung Bencana Ribut appeared first on Utusan Malaysia .

Peluru Korea Utara ditemukan dalam serangan dron di Ukraine

Peluru Korea Utara ditemukan dalam serangan dron di Ukraine

KYIV: Sebutir peluru Korea Utara ditemukan dalam dron yang digunakan untuk menyerang Ukraine bulan lalu, sekali gus memperkukuhkan bukti penglibatan Pyongyang dalam membantu peperangan Russia. Menurut laporan badan penyiasatan yang berpangkalan di Britain, Conflict Armament Research (CAR), peluru diubah suai itu ditemukan oleh pihak berkuasa Ukraine selepas serangan ke atas bandar pelabuhan Kherson pada September ... Read more The post Peluru Korea Utara ditemukan dalam serangan dron di Ukraine appeared first on Utusan Malaysia .

Pas Johor atur langkah awal perkukuh penyatuan ummah hadapi PRU16

Pas Johor atur langkah awal perkukuh penyatuan ummah hadapi PRU16

JOHOR BAHRU – Pas Johor mula mengatur langkah awal ke arah memperkukuh penyatuan ummah dan memastikan kesiapsiagaan jentera parti menghadapi Pilihan Raya Umum ke-16 (PRU16).Pesuruhjaya Pas Johor, Datuk Dr Mahfodz Mohamed berkata, langkah itu sekali gus memberi isyarat bahawa tumpuan kini bukan sekadar politik dalaman, tetapi juga pembinaan kekuatan peringkat akar umbi."Penyatuan ummah yang melibatkan perpaduan Islam dan Melayu akan terus menjadi nadi kekuatan negara dan negeri."Penyatuan ummah bukan slogan sementara, tetapi asas kepada kestabilan politik dan kesejahteraan rakyat," katanya selepas Mesyuarat Penuh Ahli Jawatankuasa Badan Perhubungan Pas Johor bagi sesi 2025–2027 di Bandar Baru Uda di sini pada Sabtu.Dalam pada itu, Dr Mahfodz berkata, Pas Johor turut menegaskan pendirian untuk kekal bersama Perikatan Nasional (PN) sambil membuka ruang kerjasama rentas parti, termasuk yang pernah berlaku dalam Muafakat Nasional.Di samping itu katanya, Pas juga menyeru pembentukan konsensus nasional yang lebih luas, merentasi kaum dan parti bagi menjamin kestabilan politik serta kemakmuran negara."Selain memberi sokongan penuh kepada calon PN dalam PRN Sabah akan datang, Pas Johor kini menumpukan sepenuhnya kepada gerak kerja PRU16 dengan penekanan terhadap aspek disiplin, strategi dan penyelarasan jentera di semua peringkat."Pendekatan itu dilihat sebagai strategi awal PAS Johor untuk memastikan kemenangan Islam dapat direalisasikan "dengan penuh hikmah dan kebersamaan"," ujarnya.Dalam masa sama, ujarnya Pas Johor menyokong penuh pendirian Presiden Pas, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang yang menentang kehadiran Presiden Amerika Syarikat, Donald Trump ke Malaysia selain terus komited terhadap perjuangan membela Palestin sebagai isu aqidah dan maruah umat Islam.

Agih 40 Peratus Pendapatan Kepada Sabah: Abdul Rahman Harap Kerajaan Pusat Guna Keputusan Mahkamah

Agih 40 Peratus Pendapatan Kepada Sabah: Abdul Rahman Harap Kerajaan Pusat Guna Keputusan Mahkamah

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Okt – Timbalan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan UMNO Negeri Sabah, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan berharap agar Kerajaan Persekutuan menggunakan keputusan mahkamah dalam isu pengagihan 40 peratus pendapatan kepada Sabah. Beliau yang juga Ahli Majlis Kerja Tertinggi (MKT) berkata, keputusan mahkamah tersebut bakal menjadi enjin baharu kepada ekonomi negara. “Alhamdullilah. Saya mengalu-alukan keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi Kota Kinabalu mengenai isu [...]