Lead poisoning is particularly pervasive in poorer countries, affecting one in three children worldwide. The powerful neurotoxin has been linked to lower IQs and increased crime rates.

Lead poisoning is one of the most easily preventable environmental health hazards, yet it remains a major threat to the well-being of babies and children around the world.

As little as five micrograms of lead per decilitre of blood can have a profound impact on children. Those under the age of six are particularly susceptible. About 800 million children have high levels of lead in their blood, according to a study released in July by Unicef and Pure Earth.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Umno’s announced review of its support for Perikatan Nasional (PN) required the party’s ministers to declare if they still supported the coalition, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said.

The Johor Umno deputy chairman and former deputy home minister said it was not tenable for the party’s leaders to still be part of a government that the party did not fully support.

On Tuesday, Umno secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Maslan announced that the party would reconsider its continued support to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s PN coalition.


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KUALA LUMPUR: Any advice by the prime minister to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to suspend Parliament for an untenable reason can be challenged in court, a retired judge said.

Gopal Sri Ram said the same point came up for a decision in the case of Miller v Boris Johnson (the British prime minister), in which the Supreme Court struck down the advice to the queen to prorogue Parliament.

“Here, we have a written constitution and our position is stronger than that in England,” Sri Ram said.

In the UK, he said, it is Parliament that is supreme since it does not have a written constitution like Malaysia.


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KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Islamist party PAS urged all parties that are part of the federal government to emphatically declare their support for the continued leadership of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today.

Following Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong this week, PAS secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan said these parties should inform Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah that they remained committed to the Perikatan Nasional administration.

“As such, PAS urges the parties entrusted with forming His Majesty’s government led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime minister to offer undivided support, without any interference, to enable the proper and effective functioning of the government,” he said today.

Takiyuddin added that the Cabinet comprising leaders from PN, Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Parti Sarawak, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and his own PAS has a collective responsibility to ensure that priority and focus was given to public welfare, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic.


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PETALING JAYA: Umno is presenting to Muhyiddin Yassin and Anwar Ibrahim the same formula for sharing power, according to Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan insiders.

If neither of the two accepts the formula, it will consider triggering snap polls, the sources say.

A BN insider said: “If talks between Muhyiddin and Umno fail, Umno members may push Zahid (party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) to support Anwar when he meets the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.”

Zahid is scheduled to have an audience with the King later today.

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PETALING JAYA: Umno’s decision to review its support for the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government has prompted a political analyst to hazard a guess that it is using Anwar Ibrahim’s claim of majority support in Parliament to pressure for a better deal from PPBM.

Azmi Hassan, formerly of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, told FMT he believed Umno was no longer willing to be “played out” by PPBM and that Anwar’s claim had acted as catalyst for it to demand new terms for its support of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s administration.
It was now trying to stamp its dominance in the PN-led government, he said.


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PETALING JAYA: DAP says it is “shocked” by the reported invitation extended by Johor Pakatan Harapan chief Aminolhuda Hasan to Umno to form a new state government should it review its support for Perikatan Nasional.

In a statement, Johor DAP said the state PH leadership council had stressed that it had always taken a consultative approach in its actions.
As such, it said, a Berita Harian report quoting Aminolhuda as saying PH was ready to work with Umno to form the government had taken them by surprise.

In the report, Aminolhuda said should Umno want to work with PH, it would have to be “gentlemen” in not making “political threats” and be sincere in serving the people.


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