'Bubble tourism' allowed and other news you may have missed

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

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1. The government will allow interstate travel between places under the recovery movement control order for tourism purposes, but such trips must be conducted through tour agencies.

2. The third wave of Malaysia’s Covid-19 outbreak continues to show signs of subsiding, but when it first hit, even the nation’s main Covid-19 treatment facility was taken by surprise and quickly ran out of beds.

3. Migrant rights activist Aegile Fernandez has passed away at the age of 72. Malaysiakini had the opportunity to interview her in 2017, where she shared how she became a champion for the vulnerable.

4. Around 114 Myanmar nationals in Malaysia have been given extended court protection from being deported, as part of a lawsuit seeking to prevent refugees and asylum seekers from being persecuted in their home country.

5. Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar is puzzled by Putrajaya’s silence on the proposed project to build Southeast Asia’s largest solar power facility, though the stakeholders and beneficiaries of the project remain a mystery.

6. Steven Choong, who defected from PKR to support the Perikatan Nasional administration, revealed that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin promised him an official position. Meanwhile, the MACC is investigating Sekijang MP Natrah Ismail’s claim that she was offered RM10 million to defect.

7. An MACC investigator told the corruption trial against Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that an RM7.5 million cash-to-cheques scheme amounted to money laundering.

8. The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) has denied allegations that it made a U-turn regarding its treatment of taxpayers who took part in the Special Programme for Voluntary Disclosure.

9. Following an audit, a consultant said there are no longer any signs of forced labour in glove manufacturer Top Glove as of January this year.

10. PKR Youth vice-chief Thiban Subramananiam downplayed concerns of a revolt by Pakatan Harapan Youth members on the appointment of Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin as the coalition’s Youth chief.