Latest news with #Amendment
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
No enforcement actions for micro businesses under Ops Gasak, assures Dr Fuziah
JOHOR BARU: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has assured that no enforcement action will be taken under Ops Gasak against micro businesses, such as self-service laundromats and small eateries. Deputy Minister Dr Fuziah Salleh stated that the clarification was made in response to the confusion and concern expressed by small traders who depend on subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for their operations. She said the presence of the ministry's enforcement officers on the premises was solely to collect data and feedback, which would later be presented to the Cabinet as part of a review of the Supply Control Regulations (Amendment) 2021. 'I want to stress that no action will be taken against small food stalls, roadside eateries or self-service laundromats until Ops Gasak concludes on Oct 31. 'When our enforcement team is on the ground, they are mainly there to gather data. Even stakeholder engagement sessions are part of our process to understand LPG usage and its implications for end users,' she added. She said this in a press conference after attending a meeting with Johor LPG industry stakeholders held at a hotel here on Thursday (June 19). Fuziah said the ministry has been carrying out Ops Gasak since May 1 because subsidised LPG has been misused by certain ineligible commercial sectors, particularly hotels. 'I personally visited hotel laundry areas where subsidised gas was used to wash towels and bedsheets. This is an example of leakage. 'We can guarantee that enforcement action will not be taken if micro traders use subsidised LPG until Oct 31. Once we complete data collection, it will be tabled as recommendations for policy consideration,' she said. She added that the Cabinet has agreed to revisit the amendments to the Supply Control Regulations, but no final decision has been made. Fuziah also reminded business owners that those storing more than three cylinders of subsidised LPG must apply for a permit for safety reasons. 'Previously, under the amended Act, permit holders were required to use non-subsidised gas. That is why a review is necessary,' she added. She said the ministry was now reviewing the system to ensure traders still apply for permits, but would not be forced to switch to unsubsidised gas. 'The engagement is valuable because it gave traders a chance to ask questions and raise concerns about licensing. These permits are vital to ensure safety and to prevent leakage of subsidised LPG in the commercial sector,' she said. Ops Gasak was launched on May 1 to tackle the misuse and diversion of subsidised LPG cylinders, particularly involving medium- and large-scale industry players. The operation also targets illegal decanting activities where subsidised LPG was transferred into commercial or non-subsidised cylinders for resale or smuggling purposes. Ops Gasak would run until Oct 31 under the Supply Control Regulations (Amendment) 2021, which came into force on Oct 15, 2021.
Daily Express
3 days ago
- Daily Express
Man faces death penalty for drug trafficking after fatal motorcycle crash
Published on: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jun 18, 2025 By: FMT Reporters Text Size: Chun Kok Keong was charged at the Temerloh magistrates' court with drug trafficking and possession, as well as driving dangerously, leading to the deaths of two teenagers. (X pic) PETALING JAYA: A customer service officer who fatally struck two teenage motorcyclists on June 11 has been charged in the Temerloh magistrates' court with drug trafficking and possession, as well as two counts of dangerous driving. Chun Kok Keong, 38, was accused of trafficking 50.85g of methamphetamine in front of the Temerloh police headquarters at around 12.30am on June 12, reported Berita Harian. Advertisement Chun nodded in understanding when the charge under Section 39B(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 was read out to him. If convicted, he faces the death penalty, or up to 40 years in prison and 15 strokes of the cane if not sentenced to death. No plea was recorded for this charge as the case falls under the jurisdiction of the High Court. Chun was also charged under Section 12(2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act (Amendment 1988) with possessing 0.85g of heroin. The offence was allegedly committed at the same time and location. If convicted, he could face up to five years' imprisonment, a fine of up to RM100,000, or both. He pleaded not guilty to this charge. In the third and fourth charges, Chun was charged with driving dangerously and causing the deaths of Nur Erdina Shaffiya Muhammad Nazri and Aneez Irdiena Sofya Khairul Azman, both 18. The offence allegedly took place at a traffic light on Jalan Tengku Ismail in Temerloh at around 10.50pm on June 11. The charges were framed under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment and a fine of up to RM50,000 upon conviction. Chun, who was represented by National Legal Aid Foundation lawyer Siti Fatimah Mohd Shahril, pleaded not guilty to both charges. The prosecution was conducted by deputy public prosecutors Adriana Azri and Siti Sarah Aqilah Lokman before magistrate Tan Chiew King. The court set Sept 18 for the next mention of the first and second charges, and July 17 for the third and fourth charges. It also imposed an additional condition that Chun's driving licence be suspended until the trial concludes. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Minorities commission amendment bill passed in assembly
Kolkata: The West Bengal Minorities Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was passed in the assembly on Friday, allowing the panel to have two vice-chairpersons for better and more effective functioning. State finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, who placed the bill in the assembly, said minorities constituted around 28.2% of Bengal's population. "The commission conducted 35 visits since 2022-2023. There are six religious communities and seven linguistic minorities in the state," she said. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Karnataka HC strikes down amendment laws on civic body's retrospective levies
BENGALURU : In a major setback for the state govt and more particularly BBMP , the high court has struck down the Karnataka Municipal Corporations and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Acts of 2021 and 2023. These acts aimed to validate previous collections of various fees from Bengaluru residents and builders. The 2021 Amendment Act was enacted to override the high court's earlier decision in the Sundaram Shetty case rendered in 2021, which declared the practice of linking levies to guidance value as illegal. While litigation against the legislation was under way, the govt promulgated a second amendment in Aug 2023, introducing further definitions of "ground rent," "guidance value," and "scrutiny fee," amending Section 240A of the BBMP Act and attempting once again to validate past levies retrospectively. The petitioners, comprising developers and property owners, challenged the levies imposed by BBMP and BDA during the layout and building approval process. These included scrutiny fees, ground rent, licence fees, security deposits, lake rejuvenation fees, and compound wall charges under the BBMP Act 2020, and water supply cess, slum cess, surcharges for mass rapid transit and ring road, administrative charges, and betterment charges under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961 (KTCP Act). In his order, Justice R Devdas noted that after a coordinate bench ruling in Oct 2021 (Sundaram Shetty case) declared these levies unenforceable, the authorities had an opportunity to reconsider the rates. However, they maintained similar rates through govt circulars without proper justification or empirical data collection, as suggested in that order. Development plan The judge also declared the provisions contained in Section 18A of KTCP Act (collection of cess and surcharge by a planning authority), read with rules 37-A and 37-C of Karnataka Planning Authority Rules, 1965, are applicable only in respect of a development plan for construction on plots measuring over 20,000sqm and not for plots measuring less than that. If a fee was earlier collected for a change of land use or while approving a layout plan, a fee shall not be collected for a subsequent development plan, the judge added. While the govt and BBMP retain the right to establish new standards based on empirical data, Justice Devdas also suggested implementing a one-time settlement scheme to resolve the situation. The court highlighted that the fee collection was intended for large construction projects but was being applied indiscriminately. Citizens began objecting after a Sept 4, 2015, circular revised ground rents and linked them to guidance values. The provision made in clause 3.8 of the building by-laws permitting a person to stock building materials on public land/roads/pavements would be directly in the teeth of the statutory provision contained in Section 229(2) of the BBMP Act, 2020, which empowers the zonal commissioner to summarily evict any encroachment, either temporary or permanent, caused on a public street including footpaths, the judge pointed out while emphasising that public safety should not be compromised, particularly regarding road and pavement maintenance. The court noted that the fees should correspond to the services provided by BBMP, following the principle of quid pro quo. The petitioners demonstrated through BBMP's financial records that relevant factors weren't considered when determining fees. The court agreed that service charges should be uniform across localities and vary only based on plot size and construction extent, rather than property's guidance market values.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RadNet Secures $100 Million Incremental Term Loan to Fund Acquisitions and Corporate Initiatives
LOS ANGELES, June 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RadNet, Inc. (NASDAQ: RDNT) ('RadNet'), a national leader in providing high-quality, cost-effective, fixed-site outpatient diagnostic imaging services, today announced that it has entered into Incremental Amendment No. 2 (the 'Second Amendment') to its Third Amended and Restated First Lien Credit and Guaranty Agreement, as amended (the 'Existing Credit Agreement' and, as amended by the Second Amendment, the 'Credit Agreement'). Pursuant to the Second Amendment, Barclays Bank PLC, as lender, committed to provide RadNet an incremental term loan in the aggregate principal amount of $100.0 million (the '2025 Incremental Term Loan'), which will be added to and form a part of the existing term loan under the Existing Credit Agreement (the 'Existing Term Loan,' together with the 2025 Incremental Term Loan, the 'Term Loan'). The 2025 Incremental Term Loan will mature on April 18, 2031—coincident with the maturity date of the $868.4 million balance of the Existing Term Loan under the Existing Credit Agreement. Quarterly payments of principal on the Term Loan will be approximately $2.4 million compared to approximately $2.2 million prior to the entry of the Second Amendment. All other terms and covenants of the Credit Agreement (as amended by the Second Amendment) remain unchanged. The proceeds of the 2025 Incremental Term Loan will be used to finance future acquisitions and for other general corporate purposes, providing RadNet with additional flexibility to pursue strategic growth opportunities across its national imaging center network and technology platforms. Mark Stolper, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of RadNet, commented, 'We appreciate the continued support of Barclays and our relationship banks and term-loan lenders. This incremental financing increases our capacity to execute on a pipeline of acquisition opportunities while maintaining our conservative capital structure. The proceeds of approximately $100 million adds to the $717 million cash balance as of March 31, 2025, positioning us to advance our growth strategy and create long-term value for our stockholders.'RadNet, Inc. is a leading national provider of freestanding, fixed-site diagnostic imaging services in the United States based on the number of locations and annual imaging revenue. RadNet has a network of 401 owned and/or operated outpatient imaging centers. RadNet's imaging center markets include Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Texas. In addition, RadNet provides radiology information technology and artificial intelligence solutions marketed under the DeepHealth brand, teleradiology professional services and other related products and services to customers in the diagnostic imaging industry. Together with contracted radiologists, and inclusive of full-time and per diem employees and technologists, RadNet has a total of over 11,000 employees. For more information, visit
