Latest news with #Nanba
The Star
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
13th Malaysia Plan revision not done in haste, says Fahmi
KUALA LUMPUR: The government's move to review the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) is not a hasty reaction but has undergone a discussion process over the past two weeks, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. The Communications Minister said that the discussions began with the draft presented by the Economy Minister Secretary-General to the Cabinet. "We've actually discussed it, and in my press conference a few weeks ago, I mentioned that the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) had given instructions to scrutinise the draft that was presented. "As the public is aware, any policy, programme, or decision made must first be presented at the Cabinet meeting. "So the Prime Minister requested that last Friday (June 27), all ministries review the draft and provide feedback to the Economy Ministry," he said at a press conference after officiating the National Aspirations Pulse Program with the Youth (Nanba) organised by the Community Communications Department (J-KOM) here Saturday (June 28). Fahmi, who is also the spokesperson for the Madani government, said that following this, a special Cabinet meeting was held on Monday (June 23) to review the views from all ministries. "In that meeting, many issues requested by the ministries were considered by the Economy Ministry in forming the 13MP document. "That is one of the reasons why the Cabinet, on Wednesday (June 25), in the last meeting, decided that Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah, was asked to take on the duties and functions of the Economy Minister," he said. Earlier, former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli reportedly questioned the government's move to review 13MP as a hasty reaction to social media criticism. This follows the announcement by the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, on Friday, stating that Amir Hamzah has been tasked with "restructuring and revising" the 13MP while performing the duties and functions of the Economy Minister with immediate effect. - Bernama
The Star
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Only platform providers can block or take down social media content, says Fahmi
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. – Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: Only platform providers can block or remove social media content and accounts, not the government, says Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. "When content is taken down or an account is blocked, it means the platform acknowledges and complies with existing laws and believes that the content has breached these laws," he said at a press conference after launching the Nadi Aspirasi Nasional Bersama Anak Muda (Nanba) programme here on Saturday (June 28). Also present at the event were Community Communications Department (J-Kom) director-general Datuk Ismail Yusop and Batu MP P. Prabakaran, who is also chairman of the Special Task Force Committee for the Indian Community Transformation Unit (Mitra). Earlier, Fahmi said 173,642 pieces of content had been taken down by social media platform providers from Jan 1 until June 28 this year. Fahmi, who is also Lembah Pantai MP, said 51% (more than 90,000 posts) involved online gambling, over 43,000 were scam-related and the remainder were linked to other criminal activities. He said Facebook had the highest number of online gambling and scam advertisements, followed by TikTok. He also said Telegram was the weakest in managing scam-related issues. "Of the content requested for removal on Telegram, half were scams – but the platform did not take down all of them. So we need to be firm with these platforms. "Telegram representatives will be in Kuala Lumpur this week to continue discussions with MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission), covering, among others, scams, online gambling, child sexual abuse material, prostitution content and copyrighted films or TV episodes previously accessible via various Telegram channels," he said. However, Fahmi noted that Telegram operates with limited human resources – around 50 personnel – despite having more than one billion user accounts worldwide. He also said the Nanba programme (inspired by the Tamil word for 'friend') is a strategic J-Kom initiative that reflects the Madani government's commitment to strengthening ties with the Indian community, particularly youth, while expanding the inclusive and effective delivery of government information. The programme also serves as an effective two-way communication platform to enhance public access to information related to policies, initiatives and various opportunities offered by the government, in addition to showcasing ongoing efforts to deliver services and information directly to the people. – Bernama
New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Nation records 188,528 complaints involving social media platforms logged within 6 months
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 188,528 complaints involving various social media platforms were logged between Jan 1 and June 26, with online gambling making up more than half of all takedown requests. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said out of the total, 173,642 resulted in content removals or account restrictions. "Online gambling led the category with 96,240 complaints and 90,770 takedowns, followed by scam-related content with 45,933 complaints and 43,865 takedowns. "Bullying and harassment saw 24,283 complaints, with 19,440 removals, while 74 reports were lodged over obscene content involving children, leading to 21 takedowns," he said in a press conference after attending the Nadi Aspirasi Nasional Bersama Anak Muda (Nanba) Programme at IWK Eco Park here. Fahmi said these figures highlighted the severity of content abuse on digital platforms and the need for stronger cooperation between Malaysian authorities and platform providers. He also confirmed that Telegram representatives were scheduled to meet with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) here soon to discuss enforcement issues. Among the issues to be highlighted in the meeting are online scams, gambling, child sexual abuse materials, pornography and copyright infringement. "Telegram has about a billion users worldwide but only around 50 employees. They rely heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) and automation to moderate content. However, he said legal differences across countries had made enforcement difficult, citing online gambling as an example. "In Malaysia, online gambling is illegal, but in countries like Vietnam it may be allowed. "This makes compliance inconsistent, and that's why discussions with Telegram is important to ensure it follows our laws." He stressed that only the platform itself had the authority to block or remove any content or account. "If the platform does not agree (with a takedown request), unfortunately no action can be taken. "But when content is removed, it means the platform recognises it violates our laws," he said. Fahmi singled out Facebook as the leading platform for online gambling advertisements, calling it the "biggest offender", followed by widespread scam activity on both Facebook and TikTok. "This is not just about Telegram. Every platform is being misused differently by bad actors. The MCMC continues to take strong and comprehensive action against such abuses," he added.
Asahi Shimbun
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Asahi Shimbun
Ex-coach accused of defrauding scholarship students
Nihon University's facility that houses its weightlifting team's practice facility in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward on June 3 (Noriki Nishioka) The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on June 10 arrested Kenji Nanba, 63, a former head coach of Nihon University's weightlifting team, on suspicion of defrauding the parents of scholarship students who planned to join the team. According to investigative sources, in December 2022, Nanba allegedly lied to four parents of prospective team members that he had applied to the university for their children as scholarship students and told them that they would not be charged tuition or other fees after their second year. Then, Nanba, a resident of Komae, western Tokyo, is accused of defrauding them of a total of 2.05 million yen ($14,200) in admission fees, tuition, and facility and equipment funds. Scholarship recipients are determined by the university's headquarters and are essentially exempt from paying admission and tuition fees. According to investigative sources, Nanba collected approximately 38 million yen from 48 parents of scholarship students enrolled from fiscal 2015 to fiscal 2024. According to the university, Nanba spent much of the defrauded money for personal purposes. By last year, the university had refunded the money to the affected scholarship recipients and others. However, in a civil lawsuit filed by the university against Nanba, the former coach claimed that the money he received from the scholarship recipients was a 'donation.' Nanba said, 'Applicants who had difficulty in raising the admission fee or who had potential but had not proven themselves were treated as scholarship recipients if they first paid a donation. I only accepted the donation with the consent from their parents.' The university first disclosed this issue in July 2024. It revealed that Nanba sent an enrollment guide and invoice for payment to the parents of scholarship students with false information, such as 'exemption from payments starts from the second year,' and had them transfer the money to the team's account. The university dismissed Nanba from his position and reported him to Tokyo police. The university's weightlifting team was founded in 1961. It has won the national intercollegiate championships more than 20 times, including back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024. The powerhouse team has also produced Olympic medalists in the past. Nanba had served as the head coach of the team since fiscal 2000. The scandal is the latest to plague sports teams and the administration at Nihon University. A subsequent internal investigation uncovered similar financial irregularities in the university's track and field and skating clubs. The track and field club had improperly collected approximately 44 million yen from 25 students, while the skating club had inappropriately garnered approximately 24 million yen from 29 students. In both cases, the university refunded the money to the victims. The university said its internal investigation did not confirm any personal use of the money by officials of these teams. According to investigative sources, the Metropolitan Police Department has not received any complaints regarding the two teams. After these problems were discovered, the university released a statement on its website, 'We deeply apologize to the affected team members, former team members, and their parents. We are determined to cut off the roots of the scandal and promote improvements and reforms.' In 2018, a malicious late hit on an opposing team's quarterback by a player on Nihon University's American football team became a highly publicized social problem. In 2021, the then university's chancellor was arrested on tax evasion charges. In 2023, the members of the American football team and others were caught up in an illegal drug case accused of cannabis possession and use of other illicit drugs. The scandal prompted the university to disband the football team. (This article was written by Arata Mitsui and Noriki Nishioka.)
10-06-2025
Ex-Manager of Nihon Univ. Weightlifting Club Arrested over Fraud
News from Japan Society Jun 10, 2025 15:42 (JST) Tokyo, June 10 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo police arrested a former manager of Nihon University's weightlifting club on Tuesday for allegedly defrauding the club's scholarship students of money, including in the name of tuition fees. Kenji Nanba, 63, was arrested on suspicion of swindling four scholarship students out of a total of 2.05 million yen in December 2022 by saying that the money included facility costs, from which they were actually exempt. Police believe that Nanba has collected a total of about 38 million yen from 48 students over 10 years by telling similar lies. He is believed to have used swindled money to buy business suits and bags and cover the cost of painting his luxury BMW car. According to the university, Nanba began such scams around 20 years ago or earlier and has earned a total of 53.2 million yen. The university detected the fraud during an investigation into a separate scandal, and it has fully compensated 58 parents of former club members whom it confirmed as victims. Following his arrest, the university said in a statement that it deeply apologizes to society and will continue to fully cooperate with investigative authorities. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
