Teratai cluster now M'sia's largest ever, and other news you may have missed

KINI ROUNDUP | Here are key headlines you may have missed, in brief.

1. The Teratai cluster involving Top Glove’s factories in Meru, Klang, is now the largest Covid-19 cluster ever recorded in Malaysia, after 1,511 cases were detected yesterday, making a total of 4,036 cases in this cluster. The previous record was the Sri Petaling Tabligh cluster with 3,375 cases.

2. A member of the police’s elite Senoi Praaq was killed in a border shootout with suspected smugglers along the Thai border, while another was seriously wounded. Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said this is the first time such a shootout had occurred, while Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin demanded a thorough investigation.

3. Opposition MPs objected when Keningau MP Jeffrey Kitingan turned up in Parliament as he was supposed to be in quarantine. However, Jeffrey claimed to have been granted an exemption by the Health Ministry. The ministry, meanwhile, lifted its 14-day quarantine requirement for travellers arriving from Sabah.

4. A minister and two former ministers sparred in the Dewan Rakyat over the issue of repairing submarine cables that connect Malaysia’s internet infrastructure to the rest of the world, while the Malaysia Shipowners Association gave its assurance that damaged cables would not cause an internet slowdown.

5. Electoral watchdog Bersih warned that Pahang’s creation of five unelected State Assembly seats would give unchecked power to Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

6. Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government plans to revive the National Service programme that was terminated by the Pakatan Harapan administration in 2018.

7. The Alliance of Chin Refugees has urged the government to not classify asylum seekers as undocumented migrants as the Immigration Department continues its crackdown.

8. The Public Accounts Committee has found that immigration depots are unsuitable for children who are being held there, following a visit in February.

9. Health Minister Dr Adham Baba revealed that as many as 28 percent of the 216 people who died of Covid-19 up to Nov 10 had passed away before receiving treatment, while Bukit Gasing assemblyperson Rajiv Rishyakaran is rolling out a scheme to allow Selangor residents to get tested for the disease at a reduced cost.

10. Former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim is suing the law firm he founded in 1987 to stop it from using his name.