Be cautious, students told as influenza wave hits schools and kindies

 

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PETALING JAYA: With schools and kindergartens not spared from the current influenza wave hitting the country, the alert is out for children to take extra precautionary measures.

Health experts want special emphasis given to children as most cases have been detected in schools.

Public health expert Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh called for the affected schools to be closed after being sanitised.

She said children with influenza-­like illness (ILI) symptoms should stay home, while those with severe acute respiratory illness (Sari) should seek treatment at the hospital.

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“Children are also encouraged to get a flu jab. Annual vaccination is necessary because influenza viruses change over time and the vaccine is updated each year.

“The vaccine is suitable for individuals aged six months and older,” she said when contacted.

The Health Ministry has repor­ted a nationwide increase in ILI cases, with 97 clusters detected in the latest epidemiolo­gical week – a sharp jump from just 14 the week before.

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Most outbreaks were recorded in schools and kindergartens, mainly in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

On Saturday, the ministry reminded that early treatment was important to prevent serious complications.

It said that while influenza was usually resolved without specific treatment, those who experienced symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, body aches or fatigue should seek medical attention, mainly children and those at high risk.

The ministry also urged the public to practise proper cough etiquette, maintain regular hand hygiene, avoid crowded places when unwell and wear face masks if they were symptomatic.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said his ministry will discuss with the Education Ministry on further action to contain the spread of the virus in schools.

He also sought to reassure the public that the situation remained under control despite a concerning number of outbreaks.

Prof Sharifa Ezat, who is Univer­siti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s School of Liberal Studies dean, said high-risk groups in­­cluded the elderly, those with comor­bidi­ties, cancer patients and pregnant women.

She added that other groups, such as healthcare workers, teachers with high student load and those handling work which involves meeting a lot of people, should also mask up to protect themselves.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Datuk Dr Thiru­navukarasu Rajoo urged the public to take sensible precautions with cases of Influenza A and B continuing to rise nationwide.

He said the increase in flu clusters being detected by the Health Ministry was not unusual during this time of the year, but stressed that vigilance is key to preventing a further spread.

“Good hygiene remains our best defence – wash your hands frequently, cover coughs and sneezes and wear a mask if feeling unwell or in crowded areas,” he said.

Dr Thirunavukarasu advised those with persistent high fever, severe cough, chest discomfort or breathing difficulties to seek immediate medical attention, especially if symptoms did not improve after a few days.

President of the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia Dr Kuljit Singh said the resulting increase in demand for flu vaccines is still manageable.

“We have stock from suppliers, despite the surge in cases,” he said, adding that demand for the jab usually goes up during the flu season.

Former Medical Practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia president Dr Raj Kumar Maharajah also said there is enough stock of the vaccine at the moment.

“Many are coming in for vaccines due to the influenza outbreak,” he said.

Related stories:

• Flu surge puts Penang on alert as authorities urge residents to stay cautious
• Influenza situation in Penang remains under control, says state govt
• Early treatment crucial to prevent severe influenza complications, says Health Ministry
• Health Ministry investigates death of 4-year-old in Sarawak linked to Influenza

Goodbye trade war

 

China seems to be winning the tariff war even as Trump threatens to impose a massive increase of tariffs on Chinese imports in response to the republic's announcement of new export controls on rare earths. — Getty Images/AFP

South-east asia, once only a bruising trade war’s secondary victim, should now have asean showing its mettle as china wins.

BEYOND multiple global uncertainties are two core fundamentals: Us-china relations being the world’s most important bilateral relationship, and economics determining much of everything else.

This makes the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies pivotal to all. Multiple spheres in various regions are impacted accordingly.

That much is the main plot in today’s geopolitics. Problems tend to arise when the script is amended without warning, explanation or acknowledgement.

US President Donald Trump has sought a personal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since last year, but that will happen only next year. Why does it take two years for such a crucial event to occur?

It is precisely because of the summit’s importance that it has to take so long. Unlike MOUS, summits do not set the tone of an intended agreement but to cap what has already been agreed.

Transnational deals are too important to be left to formal summits with their pomp and pageantry. The serious business of negotiations by government experts and specialists differs vastly from the PR theatre of official photo opportunities.

The months and years between signalling interest in a summit and actually holding it are for senior officials to work out sufficiently agreeable terms to constitute a deal. That period of talks by officials began informally last year between the incoming US administration and China’s incumbent team.

It is a period now effectively coming to a close in ending the trade war, but still only unofficially. The basic agreement that is now done in all but writing has the US broadly conceding to China’s terms.

China is the only country that has pushed back on Trump’s tariffs, with resounding effect as recent events show.

After Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s grating condescension about supplying China with only Nvidia’s sub-par microchips, Beijing blocked all of Nvidia’s chips. Nvidia boss Jensen Huang said China’s own chip development is only “nano seconds behind” his company’s best products.

In agriculture, China has stopped buying US soybeans for supplies from Brazil and elsewhere. With US farmers devastated, China again demonstrated considerable leverage.

With Trump clamping down on countries buying Russian and Iranian oil and gas, India was hit with high additional tariffs, but not China. Instead, China raised Russian gas supplies with the Power of Siberia (POS) pipeline and now also POS 2.

China is also importing more than a million barrels of Iranian oil daily, amounting to almost 90% of Iran’s output. These major purchases were never going to be impacted by US restrictions.

Trump declared victory on Tiktok but it was a net gain for China. Beijing refused to sell Tiktok’s proprietary algorithm, the heart and brain of the winning platform.

A copy of the original algorithm was supplied to US investors, and China’s Bytedance owns just under 20% of US Tiktok – yet is entitled to 50% of US profits. US negotiators must have realised that was the most they could get from China’s tough bargaining position and accepted it.

China has introduced new restrictions on rare earth exports, launched an antitrust probe into US chip giant Qualcomm, and will raise port fees for US ships in return. In virtually every sector China is fighting back through tit-for-tat action and new policies.

If there is still any doubt that China is leading the charge of what remains of the trade war, its use of carrots and sticks to access the US market confirms it. Beijing has offered more than a trillion dollars (RM4.2 trillion) of investment in the US through Chinese companies admitted there.

These could include Chinese electric vehicle companies, which Trump last year said he would invite to the US to provide jobs. Only the stronger economy can dish out inducements of such proportions to the relatively subordinate economy.

Such is the substance of a negotiated trade peace. Ultimately, Trump is less concerned about what actually makes a trade victory than what can be interpreted and portrayed as his personal triumph.

He is anxious to gain snatches of a win between trade skirmishes, however fleeting or questionable, and China is only too happy to provide them to win the trade war. More of this can be expected at next year’s summit.

Meanwhile, Louis Gave of Hong Kong’s Gavekal Research has declared China’s trade war victory. South-east Asia should likewise flip the old script to its favour.

Asean countries are not just collateral economies subjected to the whims of a trade conflict. When China takes a beating, South-east Asia was assumed to be beaten also.

But the US still hopes to obtain from this region what it failed to get from China. To do this it needs to keep up appearances that it is winning over China as the centre of global supply chains.

Asean can call that bluff to protect itself.

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Malaysia's Disposable income rises nationwide to RM7,584

 

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s average disposable household income rose by 3.2% to RM7,584 in 2024, according to the latest Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2024 Report.

“In terms of disposable income, the average monthly disposable household income increased by 3.2% to RM7,584 in 2024, while the median rose 5.1% to RM5,999. This represents 82.8% of total gross household income, indicating households’ ability to meet essential expenditure needs,” the report stated.

The report also highlighted that this rise in disposable income was accompanied by a gradual improvement in income distribution.

“Households in the Bottom 40 (B40) group, comprising 3.28 million households, had income of up to RM5,858,” according to the report, which was released yesterday.  

The report comprises 33 official statistical publications, presenting comprehensive findings and analyses of the country’s socioeconomic landscape from the perspective of household income and expenditure.

It also noted that the median household income in Malaysia reached RM7,017 in 2024, growing by 5.1% annually, while the mean household income rose by 3.8% to RM9,155.

Income growth varied by state, reflecting diverse economic conditions, the report added.

Six states recorded median household incomes above the national level, with Kuala Lumpur at RM10,802, followed by Putrajaya (RM10,769), Selangor (RM10,726), Johor (RM7,712), Penang (RM7,386) and Labuan (RM7,383).

“Penang recorded the highest annual growth rate at 6.4% between 2022 and 2024,” the report stated.

The report also noted that the B40 group’s share of total national income rose slightly to 16.7%, up from 16.3% in 2022.

In contrast, the Top 20% (T20), who earned RM12,680 and above per month, saw their share decline to 45.1%, down from 46.3%. The Middle 40% (M40), earning between RM5,860 and RM12,679, made up a significant portion of the remaining income share.

At the event, Economy Minister Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan described HIES in his keynote address as a vital statistical instrument for measuring progress and improving the socio-economic status of Malaysian households.

“It is one of the main sources for shaping the country’s socio-economic and social policies, including poverty eradication programmes, increasing income, reducing income inequality, and addressing the cost of living,” he explained.

Amir Hamzah added that Malaysia has achieved a major milestone, with hardcore poverty nearly eradicated and reduced to just 0.09%.

“This reflects the effectiveness of various initiatives to increase people’s income, empower urban communities economically, and enhance public well-being, all of which will be continued by the government,” he said.

The Gini coefficient improved to 0.390 in 2024, compared to 0.404 in 2022, signalling a narrowing of income inequality.

The national absolute poverty incidence decreased from 6.2% in 2022 to 5.1% in 2024, representing about 416,000 households.

“Poverty in urban areas declined to 3.7%, while poverty in rural areas improved to 12%,” the report noted.

“The hardcore poverty incidence dropped to 0.09%, equivalent to fewer than 8,000 households earning below the Food Poverty Line Income (PLI),” it added

Experts: Rising cost of living dampens income gains

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 — According to the Statistics Department (DOSM), the average monthly disposable household income increased by 3.2% to RM7,584 in 2024, while the .

UN Human Rights Council adopts China-tabled draft resolution on promoting economic, social and cultural rights

 

Photo: CFP

A draft resolution on promoting and protecting economic, social and cultural rights within the context of addressing inequalities was adopted without a vote at the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.

The draft resolution was submitted by China on behalf of nearly 70 countries, including Bolivia, Egypt, Pakistan, and South Africa, according to CCTV News.

Chinese Ambassador Chen Xu, China's permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland, said at the session that as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the UN and the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, China's proposal aims to bridge differences, build consensus and focus on action-oriented cooperation, CCTV News reported.

He called for strengthening multilateralism and international cooperation, holding thematic discussions and interactive dialogues within the Human Rights Council, supporting the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in enhancing its work on economic, social and cultural rights, and making full use of the economic social and cultural rights knowledge hub established under a China-tabled resolution to better provide technical assistance and capacity-building for countries in need.

Various developing countries voiced support, saying the resolution reflects the real needs of people and effectively responds to the strong calls of developing countries for increasing investment in economic, social and cultural rights. Various parties including the EU commended the resolution. After its adoption, many countries and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights extended congratulations to the Chinese mission, recognizing China's leading role in advancing these rights globally, according to CCTV News.

How China’s J-16 drives away foreign stealth jets, deterring them from approaching China’s coastal waters again

 

Li Chao Photo: CCTV news

"My canopy was only about 10 to 15 meters away from his…" In a documentary titled Invincible about the V-Day military parade, aired Thursday on China Central Television, a pilot from the special mission aircraft formation shared his experience of driving away two foreign stealth fighter jets while flying a domestically developed J-16 fighter jet, according to CCTV news.

Li Chao, a pilot with the PLA Air Force under the Western Theater Command, encountered two foreign fighter jets during a coastal training mission in 2024. "They headed straight toward our two aircraft. Their intention was very clear—it was a provocation.With our backs to the territorial sea line, we had to intercept them."

During the first encounter, Li locked onto the foreign fighter jet. Its wingman immediately broke away at high speed, while the other foreign fighter jet exited the combat zone and locked onto Li's jet. Seizing the opportunity, Li pulled up his aircraft and executed a barrel roll, flying inverted directly above the foreign jet.

"At that moment, my canopy was just 10 to 15 meters away from his. After completing this maneuver, I simultaneously locked onto both foreign fighter jets. In the end, both aircraft withdrew," Li said. 

That was the only encounter. Since then, this type of foreign fighter jet has not been spotted again near China's coastal waters, according to CCTV.

Chinese media revealed on Monday how China’s J-20 stealth ...

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After multiple rounds of intensive attack and defense, the foreign military aircraft were finally expelled. (Video: CCTV Military Channel) ...

Financial literacy boost for consumers

Those borrowing more than RM100k to be sent for courses

PETALING JAYA: The new rule requiring personal loan applicants who borrow more than RM100,000 to attend financial ­education courses will help consumers make better decisions, says the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca).

Its chief executive officer Dr Saravanan Thambirajah said the measure announced by Bank Negara is timely, as many borrowers underestimate repayment burdens and the risks of default.

“The modules can help high-risk ­borrowers understand the dangers of over-borrowing, be cautious about ­unsustainable commitments, and better evaluate whether the loan will genuinely serve their financial needs,” he said.

Saravanan added that financial edu­cation is critical for preventing households from being trapped in long-term hardship.

“With effective modules, borrowers will be more informed about interest costs, repayment schedules and the long-term impact on their financial well-being.”

Automotive journalist Caleb Fong said the move is good to safeguard younger or less experienced borrowers.

“For younger people like us, financial decisions can be overwhelming. The modules could be useful, provided they are practical and not filled with information we already know,” he said.

Animal activist Myza Nordin, 57, said the requirement is a brilliant move, noting that many Malaysians were already burdened by loans they could not afford.

“Servicing a large loan can be a major commitment that could take a heavy toll on borrowers and their families.

“This is especially so when people take loans simply because they can, and not because there is an urgent need,” she added.

Self-employed Padma Zachariah, 58, said servicing huge loans could have a lifelong impact.

“Having never taken a personal loan, I can see the value of ensuring people understand the responsibility that comes with borrowing such large amounts,” said Padma.

Finance executive Kamal Kanapathy, 50, said the policy is a significant step forward, but its success would depend on implementation.

“The quality and accessibility of the ­financial education modules will be paramount.

“The provision empowering lenders to recommend the module to high-risk borrowers, for any loan amount, would also be a welcome safeguard that should be applied diligently,” he said.

Entrepreneur Charles Manickam, 58, said the initiative would help individuals and households exercise greater care in managing their finances.

“It will also create greater awareness of potential risks and pitfalls, including legal implications and insolvency if debts are not paid,” he said, though adding the ­success of such a programme was “debatable”.

Accountant Long Paul Lin, 48, said the new policy could help prevent more young people from being declared bankrupt.

“Banks easily give out personal loans and sometimes individuals take the maximum amount they qualify for without worrying about the consequences. As a result, they either live from hand to mouth for years while servicing the loans, or end up bankrupt when they cannot pay,” she said.

Lawyer CR Chua said while financial education is good, most Malaysians do not qualify for a RM100,000 personal loan.

“Those who do are already high net worth individuals who probably know the system better than most of us,” he said.

He suggests that Bank Negara extend the module to all personal loan applicants, since those who end up in trouble are ­usually from lower income groups.

The Star

Multi-agency office to boost financial literacy, help teach M'sians to avoid fraud and debt

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