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Dewan Rakyat Passes Budget 2021

Nov 26, 2020

The Dewan Rakyat has passed Budget 2021, the first budget of the Perikatan Nasional administration. 

It was passed by voice vote, following the Finance Minister's winding-up speech for the budget. 

In the speech, Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz announced that several of the budget's initiatives have been expanded. 

This includes widening the eligibility of the EPF's Account 1 withdrawal scheme, so that it covers anyone who lost their jobs or suffered a loss of income due to COVID-19. 

The withdrawal limit has also been raised to 10 thousand ringgit. 

Meanwhile an automatic moratorium on loan repayments will be given to the B40 group  as well as micro and small-medium enterprises.

M40 applicants only need to make a document-free declaration at their respective banks.

The 50 ringgit e-belia incentive will be raised to 100 ringgit, covering over a million students from public and private institutions of higher learning above the age of 20.

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Today's COVID-19 figures

935 new COVID-19 cases were reported today.

The Health Ministry says Sabah had the highest number of cases at 326, while Selangor had 161 and Negeri Sembilan 158 

3 fatalities were reported, raising the death toll to 348.
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'Quarantine' is Cambridge Dictionary's Word of the Year

Screenshot of Cambridge Dictionary's new definition of 'quarantine' 

'Quarantine" has been named 2020's Word of the Year, by the Cambridge Dictionary.

It was chosen ahead of "Lockdown" and "Pandemic". 

Officials say quarantine was one of the most highly searched words on its website this year, as countries around the world started implementing tough measures to combat COVID-19.

The pandemic also inspired the dictionary to add a new meaning to the word, as seen in the image above