China slashes kids’ gaming time to just three hours a week
China will forbid minors from gaming more than three hours most weeks of the year, imposing their strictest controls yet over entertainment for youths in a blow to the world’s largest mobile gaming arena. The country’s largest games company has said the revenue from minors yields less than 3% of its gross gaming receipts in China. It has proactively reduced the number of hours that minors can play its games, but the company was not nearly as restrictive as the government’s new rules. It limited minors to just an hour during weekdays and no more than two hours during vacations and holidays. “Since 2017, Tencent has explored and applied various new technologies and functions for the protection of minors,” Tencent said in a messaged statement.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 10:41 UTC
FGV aims to resolve withholding order issue by US customs in 6-9 months after auditor appointment
KUALA LUMPUR: FGV Holdings Bhd expects to resolve the withhold release order (WRO) issued by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in six to nine months after the appointment of an independent auditor to assess its operations. Head of group sustainability division Nurul Hasanah Ahamed Hassain Malim said nine proposals from professional audit firms, non-governmental organisations, and organisations familiar with certification audit exercises have been received. The WRO means FGV's products cannot enter and be sold in the US market. She said FGV has also continued to enhance its labour practices to address the WRO issue. The plantation group has outlined several actions to improve labour initiatives under its umbrella activities with a group called Fair Labor Association.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 10:41 UTC
Roar together: in tough times, our Malaysian community spirit becomes our safety net
Families looked forward to the thrill of cheering our national team along with other Malaysians at Stadium Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur. The theatre was filled with the "Stadium Merdeka" roar all over again. Our athletes carried our national pride as they walked into the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, competing in the name of Malaysia with a unified purpose. This Merdeka and Malaysia Day, let’s continue in the same spirit we had during the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. May we find inspiration in the lyrics of our national anthem.Malaysia, it’s time to roar together once again.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 10:30 UTC
Suaram adviser questions Pakatan Harapan's funding from the National Endowment for Democracy
PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan should explain its dependence on funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), says Human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram). "It is up to Pakatan Harapan to explain their dependence on NED funding if they can. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a non-governmental organisation in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by developing political groups, trade unions, deregulated markets and business associations. "NGOs will not be seen to be independent if they accept NED funding," he said. When it comes to taking a stand on anti-imperialism, anti-racism, and national sovereignty, Kua said that one "cannot be neutral on a moving train."
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 10:18 UTC
Director of 'My Love From The Star' returns with new romance K-drama, 'Red Sky'
For television director Jang Tae-yoo, seeing the chemistry between the actors in the upcoming drama Lover Of The Red Sky was a huge pleasure. “Maybe I have done those dramas to shoot Red Sky,” the director joked. The terrestrial network SBS cancelled its drama Joseon Exorcist after just two episodes in late March as the series came under fire for its portrayal of Korea’s past. - The Korea Herald/Asia News Network Lover Of The Red Sky premieres on Aug 31 at 8.10pm on One (Astro Ch 393). Article type: metered User Type: anonymous web User Status: Campaign ID: 46 Cxense type: free User access status: 3Join our Telegram channel to get our Evening Alerts and breaking news highlights
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 09:56 UTC
100 million tree-planting campaign: know the trees, areas before planting - FRIM
For large areas, the planting of just one or two species of trees should be avoided. Instead, a mixture of a variety of tree species would help create a more stable environment. "Many are interested in planting forest tree species in their garden without realising that these trees will cause maintenance problems like uncontrolled growth or trees that can damage public amenities,” he said in a statement. The 100 Million Tree-Planting Campaign 2021-2025 was launched in January and was part of the Greening Malaysia programme. He said that among the natural habitats found in the country included hill dipterocarp forest, upper hill dipterocarp forest, mountain oak forest, mountain ericaceous forest, marine swamp forest, peat swamp forest, freshwater swamp forest, riparian edge forest, coastal forest, swamp forest and limestone forest.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 09:56 UTC
Bursa Malaysia soars above 1,600-level
At 5pm, the 30-stocks index rose 11.22 points, or 0.71% to 1,601.38, its highest since end-April 2021, thanks to buying support in Petronas-linked counters. The Hang Seng index rose 0.5% to 25,539.54 and Shanghai Composite Index closed up 0.17% to 3,528.15. Leading the mover on the index was Petronas Gas, jumping 54 sen to RM16.80, pushing the index up by 1.6237 points. Axiata added 10 sen to RM4.14, lifting the index higher by 1.3939. KESM tumbled 40 sen to RM12.28, Hengyuan shed 35 sen to RM4.12 and Greatech fell 19 sen to RM6.90.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 09:56 UTC
ASNB launches fund focusing on global equities
KUALA LUMPUR: Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) had on Monday launched the ASN Equity Global, the first ASNB fund to focus entirely on global equities. Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) said ASNB, its wholly-owned unit trust management company, is offering the fund for subscription from Sept 1 onwards. ASN Equity Global primarily caters to investors with a high-risk tolerance as the fund employs acapital growth investment strategy that involves a high degree of exposure in the internationalmarkets. ASN Equity Global is managed by PNB’s team of professional fund managers based in Kuala Lumpur as well as its London office, to capture and capitalise on opportunities in more than 50major global stock markets. PNB is one of the largest fund management companies in Malaysia with assets under management (AUM) exceeding RM300bil.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 09:22 UTC
Actor Lee Min-ho is not dating Momoland’s Yeonwoo, says his agency
Lee Min-ho’s agency has denied the report of the actor dating actress-singer Yeonwoo (of K-pop group Momoland). Earlier today (Aug 30) Korean news outlet Dispatch stated that the two Korean stars have been dating for five months and that they celebrated Yeonwoo's 25th birthday at his house. It quoted a close friend who claimed: “Lee Min-ho and Yeonwoo enjoy playing games and movies. Soon after, Lee’s agency – MYM Entertainment – denied this news via Soompi stating: “It is not true that they are in a relationship. What is known of Lee’s past relationship is that the 34-year-old actor dated actress Suzy Bae (Vagabond) for three years.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 09:00 UTC
Johor ruler urges govt to review new MM2H conditions, says too restrictive
PETALING JAYA: Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar is urging the government to review the new conditions set for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme. "This is very disappointing, especially for us in Johor as we have a long history with Singapore and her people. The new requirements will turn them away from investing in Johor," His Majesty said on his official Instagram page. The Johor Ruler added that the government should revert to the programme's old conditions, since it has a proven track record of promoting the country as a retirement destination. On Aug 11, it was announced that the MM2H programme has been reactivated, with several changes made to the policy.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 08:37 UTC
Sarawak CM: Unite to fight Covid-19 and not quarrel over personal interests
KUCHING: Malaysians should unite to fight the Covid-19 pandemic instead of quarrelling over political or personal interests, says Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg. The Chief Minister said Covid-19 was the "common enemy" which must be given full attention to be curbed. Abang Johari said the ruling state coalition - Gabungan Parti Sarawak - wanted to see political stability at the Federal level so that the war against Covid-19 could be intensified and the economy revived. On behalf of the state government, Abang Johari thanked all frontliners for their hard work in curbing the spread of the disease. Abang Johari also thanked Sarawakians for supporting and expediting the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 08:26 UTC
Mah Sing 2Q net profit jumps to RM40.4mil
KUALA LUMPUR: Mah Sing Group Bhd 's net profit for the second quarter ended June 30, more than tripled to RM40.4mil from RM12.82mil in the same quarter last year.Revenue for the quarter under review was up 47% to RM438.7mil from RM298.6mil in the comparative quarter last year.It said in a statement that it has successfully recorded new property sales to-date of about RM1.06bil for the first eight months of 2021.Property sales for the first half of 2021 almost doubled to RM800.9mil from RM418.6mil in the first half of last year. "Our continuous efforts in adopting digital marketing campaigns in the first half of the year have panned out well and put us on track to meet our RM1.6bil sales target this year. "We are confident that they will be well-received as the demand for affordable segment continues to persist. "We believe 2021 would be an exciting year for us as we show out commitment to be a long-term player in the glove business and continue to grow our network globally. "We are also more than ready to receive more orders as we have the capacity to cater to the global glove demand in the near future, said Mah Sing group CEO Ho Hon Sang.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 07:18 UTC
Sinopec plans to spend US$4.6bil on hydrogen energy by 2025
BEIJING/SINGAPORE: China's Sinopec Corp plans to spend 30 billion yuan ($4.6 billion) on hydrogen energy by 2025 as the state oil and gas major pivots to producing natural gas and hydrogen as part of becoming a carbon-neutral energy provider by 2050. Asia's biggest oil refiner said on Monday it plans to become China's largest company to produce hydrogen for use as a transportation fuel, targeting annual capacity of 200,000 tonnes of hydrogen refuelling by 2025. "Sinopec will expand forcefully into making hydrogen from renewable energy, and zero in on hydrogen for transportation fuel and using green hydrogen for refining," acting Chairman Ma Yongsheng said. The company produces about 3 million tonnes per year of hydrogen from non-renewable energy sources that is mainly used in oil refinery and petrochemical processes. Refinery throughput in the second half of the year is forecast to be flat to the first-half and year-earlier periods, remaining at about 126 million tonnes.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 07:07 UTC
Mentri Besar handles Covid-19 issues in Perak, says state health exco
IPOH: The Mentri Besar has been speaking on Covid-19 issues as the state's task force is headed by him, says Perak health committee chairman Mohd Akmal Kamaruddin. “This is the structure used in all other states as well, and that is the reason the Mentri Besar is speaking on behalf of the Health (exco). Matters related to Covid-19 or vaccinations will be answered by the Mentri Besar, so this is not something to be shocked about,” he said. “Are you even going to answer questions related to Covid-19 and vaccines or not,” said Lee. “I am in no way sabotaging the Mentri Besar as our relationship is close, we are not divided, and I continue to assist him wherever possible,” said Mohd Akmal.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 06:56 UTC
New Zealand's Auckland stays in lockdown, officials report Pfizer-linked death
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Monday extended a lockdown in Auckland by two weeks, while officials reported the country's first death linked to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Ardern's tough and swift lockdowns, along with closing the international border from March 2020, were credited with reining in COVID-19 in the country. VACCINE DEATHThe health ministry on Monday announced a woman had died due to myocarditis, which is known to be a rare side effect of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. New Zealand has provisionally approved use of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Janssen and AstraZeneca vaccines, but only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for rollout to the public. Ardern said the country has 840,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine remaining and it continues to receive 350,000 doses each week.
Source:The Star
August 30, 2021 06:45 UTC