Joint interagency task force east

KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will establish a task force to look into long-standing strata issues in the city, including those related to joint management bodies and management corporations. Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah said the task force would comprise technical officers and its commissioner of building department amid rising strata-related complaints within private strata properties in the city. “This (strata) is an issue we are looking at closely at the moment. “It is part of our duty to ensure that residents and strata management are aware of their responsibilities and carry out their duties accordingly. “When issues arise, we need to find a new and more permanent solution,” he said after attending DBKL’s “Majlis Semarak Aidil Fitri Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur” in Cheras yesterday. He said City Hall had received many reports on ineffective strata management as well as those related to maintenance and cleanliness problems which had to be resolved. … [Read more...] about Mahadi: City Hall setting up task force to address strata issues

- A + A RUSKA LOZOVA, Ukraine (May 16): Ukraine counter-attacked Russian forces on the eastern front on Monday with fighting reported near its second-largest city of Kharkiv, after Western military agencies said Moscow's offensive in the Donbas region had stalled. Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Vadym Denisenko said in televised comments that fighting near Kharkiv was "our counter-offensive". "It can no longer be stopped ... Thanks to this, we can go to the rear of the Russian group of forces," he said. The governor of the Luhansk region in the Donbas, Serhiy Gaidai, said the situation "remains difficult", with Russian forces trying to capture the town of Sieverodonetsk. He said leaders of the Lugansk People's Republic, the territory in Luhansk controlled by Russian-backed separatists, declared a general mobilisation, adding it was "either fight or get shot, there is no other choice". In the south, fighting was raging around the city of Kherson and Russian … [Read more...] about Ukraine counter-attacks Russian forces in the east

KUALA LUMPUR: Vice Admiral Datuk Roslan Mohd Yunus has been entrusted as the new National Task Force (NTF) commander to replace Vice Admiral Datuk Aris Adi Tan Abdullah who retires on Thursday (May 19). The Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters’ Public Affairs Division in a statement said that prior to this, Roslan was the Marine Region 2 commander of the Royal Malaysian Navy based in Teluk Sepanggar, Sabah before being promoted to Vice Admiral on Tuesday (May 17). "With his 42 years in the service of MAF and exemplary persona, Aris Adi Tan had been successful in uniting the 19 security and enforcement agencies into a team that could realise the national aspirations smoothly and effectively until today. "Roslan’s appointment as the new NTF commander is to ensure the continuity of Op Benteng until the National Security Council (MKN) is prepared to take over this operation from the NTF as planned, namely, on June 30, 2022," said the statement. The handing over of duties ceremony … [Read more...] about Vice Admiral Roslan is new NTF commander

bpo stock photo MANILA, Philippines—The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has formed a task force that started checking on compliance with the 100-percent return-to-workplace rule among business process outsourcing (BPO) firms who had decided to keep their tax perks. Deputy Revenue Commissioner Arnel Guballa recently reported to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III that the BIR already issued mission orders to conduct ocular inspections at facilities of BPO companies registered with investment promotion agencies (IPAs). The BIR had been tasked with collecting monthly income tax from BPOs whose workforce will fall short of the full-capacity requirement beginning in April. The interagency Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB), which oversees the grant of tax breaks to qualified businesses, earlier ruled that work-from-home among BPO firms operating inside economic zones was only a temporary measure amid lockdowns imposed during the past two years to contain the spread of … [Read more...] about BIR inspects call centers’ compliance with return-to-onsite work order

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur—The military confirmed losing one soldier while two others were wounded in an attack by Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Sulu on Tuesday. First Lieutenant Jerrica Manongdo, spokesperson of the Army’s Joint Task Force Sulu, said they lost Private Joefrazen Tawasil, 25, of the 45th Infantry Battalion when the bandits attacked their truck while moving along Maligay Road, in Barangay Tugas, Patikul town on Tuesday night. Manongdo said the attack was carried out by gunmen under Abu Sayyaf subleader Ellam Nasirin whose forces have been feeling the pressure of continued military operations on their lair. Two of Tawasil’s companions, identified only as Privates Morales and Mulkiri, were wounded and are currently recuperating at the military station hospital in Jolo. The Joint Task Force Sulu said they were saddened over the death of Tawasil, who was among the Tausug graduates of recent military training in 2021, inspired by his brother, who is also a … [Read more...] about Soldier killed, 2 others wounded in Abu Sayyaf attack in Sulu

BANGKOK, May 20 (Bloomberg): Thailand will allow bars, pubs and karaoke clubs to reopen in some regions from next month, ending a more than a year-long shutdown, as the tourism-reliant nation targets more travelers to bolster an economic recovery amid an easing Covid-19 outbreak. Popular tourist destinations including Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Chonburi are among 31 provinces classified as green and blue zones where pubs, bars and karaoke lounges can serve alcohol to patrons until midnight from June 1, Rachada Dhnadirek, a government spokeswoman, said on Twitter on Friday after a meeting of the nation’s virus task force chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha. The gradual reopening of nightlife entertainment venues marks an end of some of the toughest pandemic-era restrictions and is seen as key to luring more foreign tourists in the June-September period, considered a low season for Thai tourism. The South-East Asian nation has seen its omicron-fueled Covid-19 wave ease … [Read more...] about Thailand begins to reopen bars and pubs with aims to woo back tourists

(File image: EAM S Jaishankar with China's Wang Yi) Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s outreach by offering to visit India was the strongest signal to thaw ties, as the two countries find themselves on the same page over resisting United States pressure on the Russian intervention in Ukraine and non-US Dollar oil trade. Europe, West Asia, and the Asia-Pacific are witnessing rapidly shifting alliances over what is perceived as unilateral US pressure to take sides in its geopolitical rivalries. Wang Yi is scheduled to visit India for two days on March 24-25 after attending the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) foreign minister’s meeting in Islamabad. Cracks began appearing after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar evidently pushed back against joining the US, Australia, and Japan in taking a hard line on Russia in the February 11 Quad ministers meeting. This was followed by India abstaining in votes in the United Nations (UN) on the Ukraine crisis. This inspired … [Read more...] about India, China on the same page over Russia, non-dollar oil trade

File Image. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth during a meeting, in New Delhi, Friday, December 6, 2019. (PIB/ PTI Photo) After being the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for India since economic liberalisation in 1991, Mauritius is looking to attract investments from Indian businesses as it attempts to shed the image of being a tax haven. The Indian Ocean island nation also wants to reduce its reliance on China as a development partner and mend a tourism-dependent economy hurt by the global travel shutdown in the aftermath of the pandemic. Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, in India on an eight-day trip, is scheduled to meet with business leaders in Lucknow and other cities. He has already met the Chief Ministers of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, seeking both bilateral partnerships as well as support to push Mauritius as an investment destination in these states, multiple sources in the know said. During … [Read more...] about ​Exclusive| Mauritius seeks Indian investments amid major bid to shed tax-haven image

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines — Barely a week after the May 9 local and national elections, the Abu Sayyaf Group engaged government troops in a gunbattle in Indanan town, Sulu, where three soldiers were wounded. Maj. Gen. Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of the Army’s Joint Task Force Sulu, said the encounter took place in Barangay Tumatangis, Indanan town, at around 11:10 a.m. on Sunday. Patrimonio said that troops of the 100th Infantry Battalion received information of the presence of Abu Sayyaf bandits near the said village, prompting a deployment in the area. On their way, the soldiers encountered the bandits and a firefight ensued, lasting for about 30 minutes, Patrimonio added, citing a report submitted by Col. Giovanni Franza, commander of the 1102nd Infantry Brigade. He said the troops clashed with the men of Abu Sayyaf leader Radulan Sahiron. Of the three wounded soldiers, one was evacuated to the Camp Navarro station hospital in Zamboanga … [Read more...] about 3 soldiers hurt in clash with Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (May 19): The Indonesian government has urged the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) to continue the discussion on digital connectivity. "I believe we have all witnessed the importance of information and communication technology in helping people cope with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Minister of Communication and Informatics, Johnny G. Plate in a statement. The DEWG is part of the Indonesian G20 Sherpa Track. The working group originated with the formation of the G20 Digital Economy Task Force (DETF) in 2017 during the German G20 presidency. The working group was mandated to discuss the implementation of an interconnected, protected, and safe digital technology to develop an inclusive, resilient, and sustainable digital economy. The second DEWG meeting, under Indonesia's G20 presidency, which is being held in Yogyakarta on May 17-19, 2022, discusses the issue of digital connectivity. As the chair of the 2022 G20 … [Read more...] about Indonesia urges G20 DEWG to continue digital connectivity discussion