Compiled by C. Aruno, Derek Yong and R. Aravinthan



THE government will use electricity bills to determine those who will be eligible for RON95 petrol subsidies, reported Sin Chew Daily.

Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Chong Chieng Jen said only those who are in the B40 category, with monthly bills of between RM100 and RM200, will be eligible.

“The use of electricity bills is only a reference point, ” Chong said in an exclusive interview with the paper.

The proposed mechanism, he said, will be submitted to the Cabinet in October.

Once implemented, the government’s cap on RON95 prices will be removed.

According to Chong, those eligible can either enjoy a RM30 monthly subsidy or a subsidy of 30 sen for every litre of RON95 petrol capped at 100 litres a month. Motorcyclists will instead be given a subsidy of RM12 each month. The funds will be transferred directly into a recipient’s bank account.

A proposed targeted subsidy for RON95 petrol was initially intended to be rolled out in July this year but was postponed.

At present, the government spends an average of RM133mil each week on fuel subsidies.

> A 22-year-old man from China’s Shandong province was kicked out of a weight-loss boot camp earlier this month for eating a sausage in secret, reported China Press.

Known as Xiao Pei, the 120kg man spent 6,600 yuan (RM3,872) to sign up for a camp in Yangzhou.

However, his cravings got the better of him and he sneaked out of camp to buy a sausage.

His clandestine meal was discovered and he was booted out without a refund.

“I’m so angry. I came all the way here from Qingdao to lose weight. I can’t believe they kicked me out just because of such a minor infraction, ” he reportedly told Jiangsu News.

A spokesperson from the camp said Xiao Pei was not the only one who was kicked out and claimed the camp had to be strict in instilling discipline.

However, after the incident came to light, Xiao Pei and the camp came to an agreement. He was partially refunded and later returned to Qingdao.



The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.