Latest news with #sexualcrimes
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
DPM Zahid: Govt to roll out multi-ministry blitz to tackle 53pc surge in child sexual crimes in Malaysia
PUTRAJAYA, July 29 — The government will adopt an integrated approach involving various ministries and agencies to address the sharp rise in cases of sexual crimes against children, which have surged by 53.2 per cent over the past four years. Deputy Prime Minister and National Social Council (MSN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it will involve the Home Ministry, Royal Malaysia Police, Youth and Sports Ministry, and Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to tackle the issue comprehensively, firmly and effectively. 'Statistics show that cases of sexual crimes against children rose from 2,541 in 2020 to 3,892 in 2024. 'The number of victims also increased from 2,561 to 3,988 over the same period, a jump of 55.7 per cent,' he said in a statement after chairing the MSN Meeting No. 2/2025 here today. Ahmad Zahid said technological advancements and the industrial revolution have led to increasingly sophisticated criminal modus operandi, including the use of deepfake technology and digital identity theft. Other planned measures include organising the 'Child Protection: Addressing Cyber Threats and Sexual Crimes' seminar in November. The meeting also reviewed the implementation of the National Social Policy 2030 and the development of the 2026-2030 Action Plan, which is in its final phase and will be presented to the Cabinet in October. Ahmad Zahid said the issue of homeless individuals with mental disorders who have not received treatment due to the lack of special placement facilities was also raised. 'The council supports the Health Ministry's initiative to set up a task force to establish a psychiatric nursing care home,' he said. The meeting also discussed the proposed formation of a special committee on Islamic preschool education to coordinate matters related to registration, safety, health, as well as curriculum and teaching staff strategies. In addition, the meeting examined the issue of skills mismatch among graduates, with Department of Statistics data showing that 2.06 million graduates are currently working in sectors not commensurate with their qualifications. 'To address this strategically, the MyMAHIR initiative, led by the Human Resource Ministry and TalentCorp, has been launched. 'To date, 66 industry-driven training programmes have been approved under the MyMAHIR Future Skills Talent Council, covering high-impact sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data analytics and the green economy. 'These programmes not only provide high-skilled training but also come with job guarantees, offering an average starting salary of RM3,000 to RM6,000 per month,' he said. Ahmad Zahid said that starting this year, MSN membership has been expanded to include the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry, Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, and the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) to strengthen policy implementation impact. — Bernama
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
DPM Zahid: Govt to roll out multi-ministry blitz to tackle 53pc surge in child sexual crimes
PUTRAJAYA, July 29 — The government will adopt an integrated approach involving various ministries and agencies to address the sharp rise in cases of sexual crimes against children, which have surged by 53.2 per cent over the past four years. Deputy Prime Minister and National Social Council (MSN) chairman Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said it will involve the Home Ministry, Royal Malaysia Police, Youth and Sports Ministry, and Women, Family and Community Development Ministry to tackle the issue comprehensively, firmly and effectively. 'Statistics show that cases of sexual crimes against children rose from 2,541 in 2020 to 3,892 in 2024. 'The number of victims also increased from 2,561 to 3,988 over the same period, a jump of 55.7 per cent,' he said in a statement after chairing the MSN Meeting No. 2/2025 here today. Ahmad Zahid said technological advancements and the industrial revolution have led to increasingly sophisticated criminal modus operandi, including the use of deepfake technology and digital identity theft. Other planned measures include organising the 'Child Protection: Addressing Cyber Threats and Sexual Crimes' seminar in November. The meeting also reviewed the implementation of the National Social Policy 2030 and the development of the 2026-2030 Action Plan, which is in its final phase and will be presented to the Cabinet in October. Ahmad Zahid said the issue of homeless individuals with mental disorders who have not received treatment due to the lack of special placement facilities was also raised. 'The council supports the Health Ministry's initiative to set up a task force to establish a psychiatric nursing care home,' he said. The meeting also discussed the proposed formation of a special committee on Islamic preschool education to coordinate matters related to registration, safety, health, as well as curriculum and teaching staff strategies. In addition, the meeting examined the issue of skills mismatch among graduates, with Department of Statistics data showing that 2.06 million graduates are currently working in sectors not commensurate with their qualifications. 'To address this strategically, the MyMAHIR initiative, led by the Human Resource Ministry and TalentCorp, has been launched. 'To date, 66 industry-driven training programmes have been approved under the MyMAHIR Future Skills Talent Council, covering high-impact sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, data analytics and the green economy. 'These programmes not only provide high-skilled training but also come with job guarantees, offering an average starting salary of RM3,000 to RM6,000 per month,' he said. Ahmad Zahid said that starting this year, MSN membership has been expanded to include the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry, Agriculture and Food Security Ministry, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, and the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) to strengthen policy implementation impact. — Bernama
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Pilot accused of child sex crimes is taken from cockpit minutes after flight lands in California
Just 10 minutes after a Delta plane landed at San Francisco International Airport, law enforcement and federal agents entered the cockpit and apprehended a pilot, authorities say. The arrest Saturday left passengers agape. The group of officers and agents "were pushing their way up through the aisle" and into the cockpit, where they cuffed the co-pilot before leading him away, one passenger told the San Francisco Chronicle. Rustom Bhagwagar, a 34-year-old Florida resident, was arrested on suspicion of sexual crimes against a minor. Contra Costa County sheriff's deputies and Department of Homeland Security agents apprehended Bhagwagar at about 9:35 p.m. Saturday after the Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis landed at SFO, according to a sheriff's news release. Authorities said Bhagwagar was arrested and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on five counts of oral copulation with a child under the age of 10. His bail was set at $5 million. The investigation into Bhagwagar began months ago after authorities received reports that he had allegedly committed a sexual crime against a child, according to the release. Contra Costa deputies discovered that Bhagwagar was a pilot and — with assistance from Homeland Security, which did not take part in the investigation — apprehended him once the flight concluded. A spokesperson from Delta Airlines said in a statement to The Times that they would cooperate with authorities and have 'zero tolerance' for the alleged unlawful conduct. Deputies said the investigation was ongoing. Anyone with information is urged to contact the sheriff's Investigations Division at (925) 313-2600 or at (866) 846-3592 for anonymous tips. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Health
- Free Malaysia Today
Sex crimes probe into Penang doctor still on, says minister
The suspect had been arrested on four occasions for offences allegedly committed at a hospital and three private clinics, with the most recent arrest on July 21. (Rawpixel pic) PETALING JAYA : Complaints against a Penang doctor accused of sexual crimes are taken seriously and the case is still under investigation by the health ministry, says Dzulkefly Ahmad. The health minister said the case comes under the purview of health director-general Dr Mahathar Abd Wahab and a designated committee tasked with reviewing professional conduct and disciplinary issues concerning doctors. 'If there's a complaint, we will attend to it seriously. Everyone who complains, we will follow through,' he told reporters after launching the 'Crisis and Community: Covid-19 in Malaysia' book at Gerakbudaya here today. On Thursday, the Women's Centre for Change questioned why the doctor based in Penang has yet to be charged when he has been arrested four times over alleged sexual crimes. The women's group questioned why he was still allowed to treat patients and take locum shifts at private clinics despite the multiple allegations. The suspect had been arrested on four occasions for offences allegedly committed at a hospital and three private clinics, with the most recent arrest on July 21. A woman claimed she was molested by the doctor during a medical examination at a private clinic in Bayan Baru on June 29. WCC urged the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) to suspend the doctor's practising licence pending legal proceedings. Acting Penang police chief Alwi Zainal Abidin confirmed the doctor was recently arrested again and later released on bail. He also said prosecutors had ordered the cops to include the recent case in its overall investigation before submitting the probe papers to them.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump says he was never briefed on his name being in Epstein files
President Donald Trump on Friday denied ever being briefed by Attorney General Pam Bondi that his name was in the Jeffrey Epstein files. 'No, I was never briefed. No,' he told reporters after he landed in Scotland to visit his golf courses. But Bondi briefed Trump during a May 2025 meeting that his name was found in the Epstein documents 'multiple times,' according to reports. Other high-profile individuals are also named in the investigation about Epstein's [sexual] crimes. Just because the president is named in the files does not implicate him in any wrongdoing or connect him to Epstein's child [sexual] trafficking crimes. The Wall Street Journal originally broke the news of Bondi's briefing to Trump. The Justice Department told the news outlet that Trump was made aware of the findings of the Epstein files as part of the 'routine briefing.' Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche reportedly said that nothing was found in the files that would mandate an additional investigation - or even prosecution. 'As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings,' they told the Journal. White House communications director Steven Cheung slammed the report as 'fake news' in a statement to the Daily Mail. 'The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about,' he said when the report came out earlier this week. But, try as he might, Trump cannot move on from questions about Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting charges related to [sexual] crimes. His death, ruled to be a suicide, sparked endless conspiracy theories that questioned how he may have really died and who among the rich and powerful would have benefitted from it. The most recent questions came as Ghislaine Maxwell, the only person currently behind bars for Epstein's child [sexual] trafficking ring, wrapped a second day of meetings with the Justice Department. Maxwell, 63, appears to be angling for a pardon from the president after she 'didn't hold back' during secret questioning session. Her attorney David Oscar Markus claimed that she spoke with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche about '100 different people' related to Epstein's child [sexual] trafficking ring. 'They asked about every possible thing you could imagine – everything,' Markus claimed. He also said Maxwell is being used as the 'scapegoat' in the entire Epstein case and has been 'treated unfairly for the last five years.' Her attorney said that they had not put in a formal request with the White House for a pardon for Maxwell following the conclusion of Day 2 of questioning. But Markus didn't rule out taking that action in the future, saying 'things are happening so quickly.' 'The president said earlier he has the power to do so, we hope he exercises that power in the right way,' he said of a potential commutation. Trump refused to rule out invoking his presidential pardon powers for Maxwell when asked on Friday morning. 'I'm allowed to do it, but it's something I haven't thought about,' he said. But, asked again about the matter later Friday, Trump, meanwhile, declined to talk about Maxwell and said 'this is no time to be talking about pardons.' 'I really have nothing to say about it. She is being talked to by a very smart man, a very good man, Todd Blanche. And I don't know anything about the conversation. I haven't really been following it,' he said. 'A lot of people are asking me about pardons. This is no time to be talking about pardons. But a lot of people have asked about pardons. This is just not the time to be talking about it,' he added.
