4 œ theSun | FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4 2009

PUASA TIMES news without borders

PERLIS Break Fast 7.25pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.44am

KOTA SETAR Break Fast 7.25pm

Imsak (tomorrow) 5.44am
Issues adversely affecting harmony viewed seriously: Hisham
PENANG Break Fast 7.25pm
PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry views seriously “I consider such action as very serious and to Section 23, drew a strong rebuke from the
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.45am
all issues that can adversely affect the peace, should not have been done as I have stated Bar Council.
harmony, security and stability of the country many times before,” Hishammuddin said in a Its president Ragunath Kesavan said in a
KUANTAN Break Fast 7.13pm and its various races. statement yesterday. statement yesterday that, “by not denouncing
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.36am Its minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hus- “As such, I have ordered the police to con- the offensive actions of some of the dem-
sein said that he could not accept the actions of tinue their investigation and take firm action onstrators and instead accepting their weak
KUALA Break Fast 7.14pm some who bore religious symbols, like the head against anyone responsible especially those explanation, he (Hishammuddin) has trivialised
TERENGGANU Imsak (tomorrow) 5.34am of a cow, that clearly offended the feelings and who had marred the protest by the Section 23 the seriousness of the incident”.
religious beliefs of certain groups. residents by bringing the cow head that led to He said it is also disquieting that several
He said this when asked to comment on his a highly sensitive situation,” he said. federal government leaders have made irre-
KOTA BARU Break Fast 7.18pm meeting with the association and representa- Hishammuddin said police had identified sponsible statements that have “politicised and
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.41am tives of residents of Section 23 in Shah Alam those involved and will bring them to justice, exacerbated the situation while not addressing
to find a resolution to opposition towards the reports Bernama. the issues at hand”.
IPOH Break Fast 7.21pm building of a temple there. His statement on Wednesday defending the “The fact that this is a Muslim-majority area
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.42am The residents last week held a protest and protesters’ action, saying they did not mean to is immaterial and should not, in and of itself,
in the incident some persons had brought the offend Hindus but were merely expressing their be permitted to serve as an adequate basis for
PETALING JAYA Break Fast 7.19pm head of a cow and placed it in front of the disappointment with the state government’s rejecting the establishment of a place of worship
/SHAH ALAM Selangor state secretariat building. handling of the relocation of the Hindu temple for any other faith,” Ragunath said.
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.41am

KUALA LUMPUR Break Fast 7.19pm

Two reports

One-dose Chinese
/PUTRAJAYA Imsak (tomorrow) 5.41am

SEREMBAN Break Fast 7.17pm

lodged against
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.40am minister
by Charles Ramendran
MALACCA Break Fast 7.16pm newsdesk@thesundaily.com

vaccine approved
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.39am
JOHOR BARU Break Fast 7.09pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.33am
KUCHING Break Fast 6.44pm
Imsak (tomorrow) 5.09am BEIJING: China granted approval
to its first homegrown swine flu
KOTA KINABALU Break Fast 6.22pm vaccine yesterday, which pro-
ducer Sinovac says is effective
Imsak (tomorrow) 4.42am after only one dose.
www.islam.gov.my/portal/puasa.php The decision could signal a
major breakthrough in the global
fight against Influenza A(H1N1),
as most experts had assumed
that two doses a person would
be needed to provide adequate
protection.
“The Sinovac H1N1 vaccine is
officially approved,” the head of
the State Food and Drug Adminis-
tration’s registration department,
Zhang Wei, told reporters.
“The completion of trials for
Beijing Sinovac’s vaccine has
shown this vaccine to be very
safe,” the regulatory agency said.
Zhang said the SFDA was look-
ing at applications from nine other
companies developing vaccines
against the A(H1N1) virus, with a
decision expected by mid-Sep-
tember.
The World Health Organisation
(WHO) says at least 2,185 people
have died after contracting swine
flu, which has become the most
PETALING JAYA: Several Pakatan
Rakyat leaders lodged police reports
against Home Minister Datuk Seri
Hishammuddin Hussein yesterday for
allegedly abusing his powers when
he made a statement on Wednesday
prevalent strain of influenza. The 80% of production: Sanofi-Pas- apparently defending the actions of the
virus has been detected in nearly teur in France, AstraZeneca and “cow head” protesters.
every country in the world. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Britain, Klang MP Charles Santiago, Kuala
The UN health body has warned Baxter in the United States, and Selangor MP Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad, Kota
of a possible A(H1N1) vaccine the Swiss group Novartis. Raja MP Dr Siti Mariam, Selangor ex-
shortage as the winter – and the But Sinovac announced after ecutive councillor Dr Xavier Jeyakumar,
regular flu season – approaches in clinical trials in mid-August that Selangor PKR Youth chief Khairul Anuar
the northern hemisphere. its one-dose formula had proven Ahmad Zainuddin and a group of PR
“We know that supplies will effective – a major advantage as supporters arrived at the Petaling Jaya
be extremely limited for some the vaccine would be easier to district police headquarters at about
months to come,” WHO chief administer and available to more 12.20pm, where they lodged two police
Margaret Chan said last month. people. reports.
Countries in the northern “We have not found any nega- “We are shocked by the home min-
hemisphere have so far ordered tive side-effects – it is safe and ister’s statement. Despite the ongoing
more than one billion doses of reliable,” Sinovac president Yin police investigations, he had gone
swine flu vaccine, according to Weidong said. – AFP to the extent of meeting the alleged
the WHO. offenders and announcing that they
More than two had no intention to do what they did,”
dozen pharmaceu-
tical companies
Sarawak woman, 25, Jeyakumar told reporters.
“He is the minister in charge of the
around the world is latest fatality police force and has exonerated the
are racing to test, alleged offenders. He also has used his
produce and ship PETALING JAYA: A
25-year-old woman powers to influence the course of the
vaccines before from Betong, Sarawak
is the latest Influenza probe and the final action to be taken
the global pan- A(H1N1) fatality, bringin
g the total number of against the alleged offenders.”
demic enters an deaths to 73.
Siti Mariam said Hishammuddin had
expected second The wo man was admitted abused his powers and the Malaysian
Hospital on Sunday afte to Betong
wave. r having cough, fever Anti-Corruption Commission should
Five of those and sore throat for five investigate him.
days. She had received
firms will account three outpatient treatm
ents in the same hos-
for more than pitals earlier, Health dir Temperature check for
ect
Mohd Ismail Merican sai or-general Tan Sri
The patient was referr
d in a statement. all taking UPSR
ed to Sibu Hospital
for further treatment on JOHOR BARU: Those sitting for the
Mo
was given on the sam nday and antiviral Primary School Assessment Test (UPSR)
e day. She died on
Tuesday due to severe next week will need to have their tem-
pneumonia with H1N1
infection. peratures taken.
Mohd Ismail said 266 The Education Ministry decided at a
new patients with meeting on Wednesday the estimated
influenza-like illness (ILI
) have been admitted
to hospitals, bringing half a million pupils sitting for the UPSR,
the total number of ILI
patients being treated starting on Tuesday must undergo a
in 110 hospitals, includ temperature test and if it shows more
ing 11 private hospitals, -
to 1,211. than 37.5°C, they need to be isolated.
Of the total, only 230
are positive of the These pupils will sit for the papers
virus and 293 have bee
n discharged. in an isolation room, to be set up at all
From the 230 confirm
ed cases, 41 are in examination centres, Deputy Education
the Intensive Care Unit
(ICU), with 31 of them Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, said
from the high-risk gro
up. yesterday.

House comes
down ...
Workers
demolish
a house in
Kampung Buah
Pala yesterday
under the
watchful eyes of
the police light
strike force.
Eighteen people
were arrested
following
scuffles
between the
police and the
villagers and
their supporters.