GEORGE TOWN, June 4 — Penang will implement new water tariff for domestic and non-domestic consumers starting July 1 after its implementation was postponed for 12 months.

State Transport, Infrastructure and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the average domestic water tariff rate for the first 35 cubic metres (m³) of water used per month has been set at RM0.93 per m³.

He said the adjustment involved a maximum increase in water bills of RM2.55 per month for 82 per cent of domestic consumers or households who use 35 m³ of water or less per month, equivalent to about 8.5 sen per day.

“For the first band, which is the first 20,000 litres (20 m³), ​​the increase is only three sen from 62 sen to 65 sen while for the use of 20,000 litres to 35,000 litres (20 m³ to 35 m³), ​​the rate increases by 13 sen from RM1.17 to RM1.30.

“However, the average calculation is made based on the use of the first 35 m³ because that is the benchmark commonly used in the tariff structure," he said at a press conference at Komtar, here today.

Zairil informed that Penang is still among the states with the cheapest water tariffs, in fact the second lowest in Malaysia after Perak (RM0.89) and is still below the national average (RM1.12).

Explaining further, he said that for non-domestic consumers, the average new tariff rate for the first 500 m³ per month is RM2.28 per m³ and the maximum increase in water bills involves 27 per cent non-domestic consumers such as factories, hotels, shopping malls, business premises and government offices that use 500 m³ of water or less per month is RM77.70 per month or RM2.59 per day.

“Therefore, non-domestic consumers who use 500 m³ per month will pay RM1,141.70 per month starting 1 July 2026 compared to RM1,064.00 per month previously. The difference is lower for those who use less than 500 m³ per month,” he said.

He said the tariff adjustment was necessary to ensure sustainable water supply services and support continued investment in the development and maintenance of water infrastructure in the state.

Meanwhile, Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) chief executive officer Datuk K.Pathmanathan said the tariff adjustment only involved domestic and non-domestic consumers while houses of worship and welfare institutions, the shipping sector and other categories would not be subject to any increase with the tariff rates remaining unchanged.

He said for consumers with large households, they could apply for a rebate through the Family Friendly Rebate Scheme offered by PBAPP, which is a rebate of RM20 on each bi-monthly water bill for eligible households.

On July 30, 2025, the federal government gazetted new water rates for Penang as well as nine other states and the Federal Territory of Labuan, however, the State Executive Council had directed PBAPP to postpone the implementation of the new rates for a year until July 1, 2026. — Bernama

KULAI, June 9 — A marketing officer claimed to have lost RM343,190 after allegedly falling victim to a non-existent investment scheme that promised unusually high returns.

Kulai police chief ACP Tan Seng Lee said the 46-year-old woman was lured into participating in the investment programme that claimed to offer profits of between 20 and 30 per cent within 24 hours.

According to him, the woman claimed she was informed that the returns generated from the investment would be credited into her account through an application known as “Shugoa AI Investment”.

Believing the scheme to be legitimate, the victim proceeded to make 13 payment transactions amounting to RM343,190 into 10 different local bank accounts between Sept 14, 2025 and April 18 this year.

“Subsequently, the victim checked the application and found that it showed accumulated profits amounting to RM1.5 million.

“However, when she attempted to withdraw the funds, she discovered that her account had been blocked,” he said in a statement today.

Realising she may have been deceived, the woman lodged a police report yesterday.

Tan said the case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating. — Bernama

Coalition also criticises swift timeline for proposed NDIS changes with Melissa McIntosh saying ‘we cannot forget that there are human lives at the other end’

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State and territory disability ministers have rung alarm bells over the Albanese government’s proposed overhaul of the NDIS, warning they can’t deliver “like-for-like services” for more than 200,000 participants expected to be shifted off the scheme by 2031.

The opposition, which strongly supports making the scheme more financially sustainable, has also criticised the swift timeline for proposed changes, with shadow NDIS minister, Melissa McIntosh, saying “we cannot forget that there are human lives at the other end”.

PUTRAJAYA, June 15 — The Economy Ministry expects Malaysia’s inflation rate to remain under control at between 1.5 and 2.5 per cent throughout this year despite pressure from the energy supply crisis and global geopolitical uncertainties.

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the government is committed to ensuring that inflation does not have a major shock effect on the economy and the people’s cost of living even though price pressures are expected to continue.

He said the country’s latest inflation rate was recorded at 1.9 per cent, much lower than the global inflation forecast of around 4.3 per cent.

“For 2026, our comfortable projection is for inflation to occur between 1.5 and 2.5 per cent. This is our target so that inflation movements remain within the scope that we can handle and do not have a significant impact on the people,” he told the media after the monthly gathering of the Economy Ministry here today.

He said this when asked to comment on the expected inflationary pressure in the second quarter of this year following the disruption of global energy supplies and its impact on the transportation and food sectors.

Akmal Nasrullah said the current inflationary pressure was due to the increase in costs related to oil supplies and input goods needed to maintain economic activity.

In this regard, he said the government is continuing various mitigation measures including the targeted distribution of fuel subsidies, control of logistics costs through the Subsidised Diesel Control System (SKDS), as well as additional financing of RM5 billion through the Business Financing Guarantee Scheme (SJPP) and Bank Negara Malaysia facilities to help small businesses survive.

However, Akmal Nasrullah said inflationary pressures could increase if the global crisis continues.

“So far, we have managed to maintain inflation at around 1.9 per cent, but the pressure will continue to have an impact. That is why we continue to look at official data and the actual situation at the industry level so that intervention measures can be taken earlier,” he said. — Bernama 

Opposition and Greens could team up to extend inquiry into changes but health minister ‘utterly convinced’ federal government’s plan is right

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Mark Butler has doubled down on his plans to pass contentious NDIS changes as early as this month, warning the opposition against using the bill as a “pawn in a bigger chess game” as they consider a potential deal with the Greens.

The Coalition and the Greens have criticised Labor’s truncated timeline to pass NDIS, negative gearing and capital gains changes, and have signalled they could team up against the government in the Senate to extend inquiries into the bills.

Report by Labor-led joint human rights committee says cuts to the $50bn scheme could limit support for those in need

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Sweeping changes to the NDIS appear “retrogressive” and lack alignment with a landmark independent review to improve the $50bn-a-year scheme, a Labor-led committee has found.

The 57-page scrutiny report from the joint human rights committee, released on Friday, examined the proposed changes under the Albanese government ahead of a separate report due next week by a Senate inquiry. The Labor-chaired committee questioned the human rights implications of winding back access for more than 200,000 participants in the coming years, which could leave many without sufficient disability support.

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BNSF 4551 in some nicely weathered H2 leads CSX G103 by the US&S R2 signals at NE Dewey.