#AWANITonight with Faye Kwan
- Full report on Putra Heights fire to be ready by mid-May - Selangor MB
- U.S. tariffs: China hits back with 125% tariffs on American goods
#AWANIEnglish #AWANInews
- Full report on Putra Heights fire to be ready by mid-May - Selangor MB
- U.S. tariffs: China hits back with 125% tariffs on American goods
#AWANIEnglish #AWANInews
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NewsTranscript
00:00The full report on the investigation into the gas pipeline explosion in Pucca Heights
00:16is expected to be completed by the middle of next month.
00:20According to Selangor Menteri Besar, Datuk Sri Amiruddin Shari,
00:23there are still several constraints, including unpredictable weather
00:28and unstable ground conditions, which have delayed the investigation process.
00:35Amiruddin also informed that the frequency of press conferences concerning developments of the incident
00:40will be reduced to once every three to four days.
00:43He said the move would make way for the investigation teams to carry out their duties properly
00:47and allow for recovery works to begin.
00:50Amiruddin also stated that 87 families had registered with the housing options offered by the state government,
00:56such as rental houses and Airbnb homestays.
01:00Meanwhile, 1,402 individuals, including volunteers, would be involved in the mega-cleanup
01:06being organised by the Subang Jaya City Council for two days starting tomorrow
01:10at residential areas affected by the disaster.
01:13The government is looking to review the loan rates and repayment terms under the National Higher Education Fund Corporation or PTPTN
01:38to better support students while keeping the funds sustainable.
01:41Prime Minister Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim says the move comes as PTPTN's outstanding debt
01:47has nearly reached RM40 billion to date.
01:50PTPTN's outstanding debt now, if I'm not mistaken, close to RM40 billion.
02:02And if we increase, it's going to be RM50.
02:06For now, I see we're sensitive to hold on.
02:11We'll help probably students in terms of their needs,
02:17but I think we have to have a discourage to revise.
02:20Again, I reiterate my earlier point that we can resolve this
02:27if we do, for example, tax the very rich.
02:33I mean, those parents who are very rich should pay.
02:36Then at least we can transfer that to the poorer students.
02:39Individuals found guilty of littering offences will soon be required to perform mandatory community service
02:49while wearing a designated green uniform.
02:52Housing and local government minister Nga Koming says the plan has been tabled in parliament
02:57and is expected to be passed in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session in June or July.
03:02Koming added that failure to carry out this punishment under court jurisdiction may result in imprisonment.
03:10He also noted that courts will have the power to impose fines ranging from RM2,000 to RM100,000.
03:17Koming stressed that for Malaysia to become a developed nation,
03:20its citizens must have a first-class mindset
03:23and that there will be no compromise on the issue of public cleanliness.
03:32ASEAN member states have agreed to collectively reject tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.
03:43Prime Minister Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim says they aim to adopt a common position
03:48and to overcome issues collectively.
04:02He added that the decision was made
04:32during last week's special ASEAN Economic Ministers' meeting
04:35and the 12th ASEAN Finance Ministers' and Central Bank Governors' meeting.
04:39The US had earlier imposed a 24% tariff on Malaysia
04:43but later suspended it for 90 days following negotiations requests from many countries affected.
04:50Meanwhile, Malaysia as ASEAN Chair this year
04:53has called for a special summit with the US to discuss the issue of tariffs.
04:58According to Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Sri Zafrul Abdul Aziz,
05:03all ASEAN leaders have agreed to travel to Washington
05:06to meet with President Donald Trump as part of the proposed summit.
05:11In an interview with CNBC, Zafrul said the ASEAN Secretariat
05:16is now waiting for the US to revert with the timing on high-level talks.
05:20He reiterated the bloc's preference of continued engagements with Washington over retaliation.
05:26For Malaysia, Tengku Zafrul said the country planned to take both bilateral and multilateral approaches,
05:32adding that Foreign Minister Datuk Sri Mohd Hassan has been in contact with the US Secretary of State.
05:37In a joint statement issued yesterday,
05:40ASEAN Economic Ministers said they remain committed to safeguard the bloc's economic interests
05:44while preserving mutually beneficial trade relations with the US.
05:49They added that they were prepared to work under the ASEAN-US Trade and Investment Framework Agreement
05:54and the expanded economic engagement work plan to find practical solutions.
06:01We'll head for a quick break. Stay tuned.
06:03In the latest escalation of the trade war between the US and China,
06:32Beijing has raised import taxes on American goods to 125%.
06:37The tariffs, up from 84%, will apply from Saturday.
06:43The hike comes after the White House singled out China for an additional tariff increase of up to 145%,
06:51while pausing most of its reciprocal tariffs on dozens of other countries.
06:55Announcing China's latest decision, Beijing's finance ministry slammed Washington's tariffs as bullying,
07:02coercion and a violation of international and economic trade rules.
07:06The ministry said the repeated tariff hikes on China have turned into a numbers game,
07:11with little real economic value.
07:14It added that China would ignore further tariff hikes by the US
07:17because American goods would no longer make economic sense for importers.
07:22Separately, China's mission to the World Trade Organization said it had filed an additional complaint
07:28to the trade body over US tariffs.
07:32Donald Trump is facing accusations of market manipulation,
07:36with Democrat lawmakers calling an investigation into the US president.
07:40The allegations come after Trump posted on social media that it was a great time to buy stocks,
07:45just hours before making a dramatic U-turn in imposing global tariffs.
07:52Trump's announcement of a 90-day pause on additional trade tariffs for most countries, except China,
07:58saw share indexes soaring worldwide, triggering a market rally.
08:03The S&P 500 index closed up over 9%, while Nasdaq surged more than 12%.
08:09Stocks also continued to rise in Asia and Europe, with Japan's Nikkei index up by 9%.
08:14In response to the timing of Trump's social media posts and subsequent huge share jumps,
08:20New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for all members of Congress
08:25to disclose stocks they purchased in the last 24 hours.
08:29Democratic Senator Adam Schiff also called for a formal inquiry into potential insider trading.
08:35In other news, six people, including three children, have died
08:41after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York.
08:45The victims were a family of five from Spain and their American pilot.
08:51Footage showed the Bell 206 helicopter spinning out of control
08:56before hitting the water near the George Washington Bridge.
08:59Witnesses reported debris falling from the sky and described the crash as sounding like thunder.
09:04Four of the victims were pronounced dead on scene,
09:07while two others were declared dead after being brought to hospital.
09:11According to the Federal Aviation Administration,
09:13the National Transportation Safety Board has now opened an investigation
09:18into the cause of the crash.
09:22Fatou, the world's oldest living female gorilla,
09:25is celebrating her 68th birthday at the Berlin Zoo.
09:28She is presented with a basket of fruit and vegetables ahead of her birthday,
09:32which falls on Sunday.
09:34Fatou was born in 1957 and came to the zoo in 1959 at the age of two.
09:42She lives in her own enclosure apart from the zoo's five more energetic gorillas
09:47who range in age from four to 39.
09:50Zookeeper Andra Schulz said Fatou is doing very well for her age,
09:54though she needs a more refined diet.
09:56Fatou became the zoo's oldest resident last year
09:59following the death of Ingo the Flamingo
10:01that is believed to be at least 75 years old.
10:07More than 122,000 year one students were identified last year
10:13as still struggling with basic reading, writing and counting.
10:17Hani Nuraini Zaini, a Taylor's University student and volunteer with Project Baca Baca,
10:21shares existing gaps in Malaysia's literacy ecosystem.
10:25I noticed that the literacy ecosystem is still very, how should I say,
10:33quite fragmented and unequal
10:36because there are still big gaps that we have to fill.
10:44Since I am from Sarawak and I also have taught privately the underserved children in Sarawak
10:51and for example, the students that I taught, we encountered a word, for example, train.
11:02So they couldn't understand and after that they seemed to not be interested
11:08because in MIRI particularly, we do not have train.
11:13So I think that it is important to fill this fragment
11:17to make the materials particularly to be more inclusive for the students
11:25so that when they can connect, they are able to read better.
11:30Meanwhile, Taylor's University senior lecturer, Himala Cermanan,
11:33shares the importance of instilling confidence in our children
11:37to improve their reading skills.
11:39It takes one person to care and to show up.
11:44What a child needs is consistency.
11:47So when we give that consistency
11:49and simply just show up and believe in the child.
11:53Every child needs a champion.
11:55Most of us are here doing whatever the great things that we're doing
11:59is because we've had at least that one person who believed in us.
12:03Many of these children don't have that one person.
12:07So through Project Baca Baca,
12:09what we give is not just reading skill
12:12but also hope and believe that
12:14you're not, you know, you're not clever.
12:18You can do this and I'm here to do it with you.
12:22And in education, that's actually very important.
12:27Now that report wraps up Awani tonight.
12:30Do check out our web portal
12:31keeping you informed on the critical events shaping our world
12:35all in one place at international.astroawani.com
12:38That's all for now.
12:40I'm Faye Kwan.
12:40Thank you for watching and good night.
12:42I'm Faye Kwan.