MOHR drafting plan to overcome forced labour issue with ILO assistance
PUTRAJAYA (July 28): The Ministry of Human Resources (MOHR), with the assistance of the International Labour Organization (ILO), is in the process of drafting the Malaysian National Action Plan on Forced Labour (NAPFL) 2021-2025 to overcome the issue of forced labour in the country. "The action plan is being developed comprehensively and takes into consideration the true situation in the country,” the ministry said in a statement today. The NAPFL draft document has been uploaded at https://www.mohr.gov.my/index.php/ms/ to obtain feedback and comments from all stakeholders, including the public. "The NAPFL will be launched before the end of the year and serve as a reference to all parties, including employers to ensure that there are no elements of forced labour in their business networking,” the ministry said. The ministry added that the NAPFL will complement the National Action Plan on Anti-Trafficking in Persons 2021-2025 that was launched by the Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (MAPO) on March 31.
Source:The Edge Markets
July 28, 2021 09:45 UTC
'My Roommate Is A Gumiho' star Jang Ki-yong to enlist in military in August
South Korean actor Jang Ki-yong is preparing to enlist for his mandatory military service duties this August, his agency YG Entertainment confirmed. “Actor Jang Ki-yong will enlist as an active duty soldier on [Aug. 23] after concluding filming for his drama Now, We Are Breaking Up," YG Entertainment announced through a statement to Starnews Korea via Soompi on July 26. “Please show support for Jang Ki-yong as he diligently completes his mandatory service and returns in good health.”YG Entertainment’s announcement comes after local industry representatives first revealed that the actor will be fulfilling his military duties next month, as per Donga via Soompi. Jang recently starred opposite actress Hyeri in the romantic comedy series My Roommate Is A Gumiho. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News NetworkArticle 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
July 28, 2021 07:52 UTC
Property market expected to rebound in 2022
In the session titled “Strategic outlook and trends in the property sector”, the panellists were optimistic about the market outlook in 2022. This also resulted in very good sales (1Q21 compared to 4Q20). There was a drop of 10% in volume but an increase of 4% in value in 1Q21 compared to 1Q20,” said Previndran. During pre-pandemic days, the office structure was rigid, with the headquarters (HQs), satellite offices, offices on project sites, and [now] flexi (flexible) spaces have been adopted. Moving forward, offices will rely more on technology, prop tech (property technology) and others.
Source:The Edge Markets
July 28, 2021 06:45 UTC
Sepanggar MP: Why not vaccinate first, register with MySejahtera later?
KUALA LUMPUR: People should be allowed to get their Covid-19 vaccination first and register under the MySejahtera app later, says Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman. The Sepanggar MP said that in Labuan, people had received Covid-19 vaccine doses without going through the MySejahtera application. The lawmaker added that Sabah is facing various issues that are delaying the state's vaccination process, including infrastructure and transportation challenges. "My other question is, why are those who had already registered under MySejahtera still waiting for appointment dates. Until today, many of them have yet to receive their first Covid-19 vaccine dose," he said
Source:The Star
July 28, 2021 06:00 UTC
Lawyer claims police used excessive force on client during arrest
PETALING JAYA: A lawyer is claiming that excessive force was used during the arrest of his client. Wong Khai Pun, representing Too Kim Yoong, said that during his client's arrest on July 22, the police fired multiple shots at his car. A group of plainclothes policemen rushed his car near the security guard's checkpoint here. They tried to forcefully open his car door and my client, thinking that they were robbers, tried to drive off. The footage shown to the media showed several shots being fired at the fleeing car, before a short chase ensued.
Source:The Star
July 28, 2021 05:26 UTC
Olympics-Archery-S.Korea's Jang knocked out in surprise loss to Japan's Nakamura
TOKYO (Reuters) - South Korean archer Jang Minhee, already a gold medallist in the team competition and ranked second-top seed for the women's individual matchplay contest, suffered a surprise knockout on Wednesday, losing to unheralded Japanese athlete Miki Nakamura. Miki Nakamura beat Jang by 6-2, shooting more perfect 10s in their match-up, in hot, blustery conditions in Tokyo. Wind was helping too, but I am going to be humble for the next round," Nakamura said, speaking after her win. After the loss, South Korea's Jang choked up and was unable to answer reporters' questions before leaving the event. Her defeat came after teammate Kim Je Deok, nicknamed the 'archery genius', who won two golds in teams' events, also suffered a defeat in the men's individual round on Tuesday.
Source:The Star
July 28, 2021 05:03 UTC
Greek TV presenter fired after racist comment about Korean Olympic athlete
Greek state television broadcaster ERT fired a presenter from its Olympic morning show on Tuesday (July 27) due to a racist comment. Immediately after the comment, a wave of indignation against Karmoiris broke out on social media. A few hours later, the management of the state television announced Karmoiris' dismissal on the grounds that racist comments would not be tolerated. Karmoiris had already been criticised on Monday, when he said that Greek shooter Anna Korakaki had "messed it up" at these Olympic Games. The 2016 Olympian finished sixth in the 10-metre air pistol shooting competition.
Source:The Star
July 28, 2021 01:52 UTC
Olympics-Hockey-Spain's women's coach Lock confined to hotel after positive COVID test
TOKYO (Reuters) - Spain's women's hockey coach Adrian Lock was expecting to be bawling out instructions at his players from the sidelines at the Tokyo Olympics but has instead been left watching their progress on a laptop in a quarantine hotel after a positive COVID-19. Briton Lock's saliva test came back positive half an hour before he was expected to hop on the team bus for a match against Australia early on Sunday. "We're still doing exactly the same team meetings to prepare the matches," Lock told Reuters via WhatsApp on Tuesday. He added that he relies on a four-way telephone call with other staff members to allow him to coach the team during matches. Lock said Spanish medical officials thought the positive saliva test may have been a result of him testing positive for the virus in June, about a week after having his second COVID-19 vaccine dose.
Source:The Star
July 28, 2021 01:41 UTC
Flocking to coconut stalls to stay hydrated
GEORGE TOWN: Penangites are flocking to coconut stalls amid the heatwave to quench their thirst and to stay hydrated post-vaccination. I am not a big fan of coconut water but do realise its benefits, especially on a hot day. I felt dehydrated after the second dose and the coconut water helped with my fatigue,” she said when met at a popular coconut stall here. Lim Seong Kee, who has been selling coconut water at his shop along Island Glades, said business has picked up lately. “There have been times when there was a high demand for coconut water but it has never been this high,” he said.
Source:The Star
July 27, 2021 22:41 UTC
Former 1,500m champ Makhloufi out of Games
ALGIERS: Algerian middle-distance runner Taoufik Makhloufi, the 1,500m Olympic champion in 2012, has pulled out of the Tokyo Games with a knee injury. The 33-year-old was an outside contender for a medal in Japan after winning 800m and 1,500m silvers at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 1,500m silver at the 2019 Doha world championships. “I find myself forced to listen to my body and this knee that has long disrupted my preparation, just like the Covid-19 that I contracted last year,” Makhloufi said in a statement. Makhloufi also said he had “long been trying to postpone the deadline to make a final decision”. “Living up to expectations isn’t always easy, especially bringing the hopes of such a formidable people,” added Makhloufi, who said his “frustration would have been greater” if he had competed and returned empty-handed.
Source:The Star
July 27, 2021 21:56 UTC
Soccer-Lee Carsley appointed England U-21 manager with Ashley Cole as assistant
(Reuters) - Former Everton midfielder Lee Carsley has been named head coach of the England Under-21 side, with former England international Ashley Cole coming on board as his assistant, the Football Association said on Tuesday. Carsley, who was previously in charge of the Under-20s, replaces Aidy Boothroyd, whose contract was not renewed following England's group-stage exit at the European Under-21 Championship earlier this year. "We have a great opportunity to help the senior side by developing the best young talent in this country... these lads want to compete at the highest level," said Carsley, who was capped 40 times by Ireland. "I want to do my best to help young players to develop, and also learn from some brilliant people at the same time," said Cole. England travel to Bucharest to face Romania on Sept. 3, before kicking off their Euro Under-21 qualifying campaign against Kosovo four days later.
Source:The Star
July 27, 2021 17:03 UTC
Olympics-Gymnastics-Biles uncertain if she will continue at Tokyo Games
TOKYO (Reuters) -Simone Biles was left weighing her Olympic future on Tuesday after dropping out of the women's gymnastics team final at the Tokyo Summer Games after one disappointing vault saying she had to focus on her mental health. The retirement from the team competition has left Biles' future participation at the Tokyo Games in limbo. "I do not trust myself anymore," said Biles, fighting back tears as she met with the world's media. Biles, however, appeared to be more than simply disappointed, leaving the arena with the trainer as her team mates warmed up. The pressure of chasing medals continued to build in Tokyo, Biles posting on social media after Sunday's uninspired qualification effort that she felt she was carrying the weight of the world.
Source:The Star
July 27, 2021 12:23 UTC
GIC-backed clinical trial firm WCG eyes up to US$6.45bil valuation in US IPO
BENGALURU (Reuters) - WCG Clinical Inc, a clinical trial solutions company backed by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, said on Tuesday it was aiming to raise up to US$765 million in its US initial public offering. WCG, which also counts buyout firm Leonard Green & Partners LP among its investors, plans to sell 45 million shares as part of its IPO. WCG's revenue jumped by a third to US$137.6 million in the three months ended March 31, the filing showed. However, it incurred a net loss of US$20.6 million in the same period, compared with a loss of US$30.1 million a year earlier. The company plans to list its shares on the Nasdaq under the symbol "WCGC".
Source:The Star
July 27, 2021 12:22 UTC
Nexgram unit gets govt nod to operate SafeTravelPass Malaysia
In a stock exchange filing with Bursa Malaysia today, Nexgram said the TracAPM registration system, or better known as SafeTravelPass Malaysia, is the country’s official portal for Covid-19 entry registry and the booking of quarantine hotels. Nexgram said qualified hotels nationwide can apply and register quarantine stations (hotels) at the TracAPM QS Partner programme (https://tracapm.com/qspartner/). “Quarantine hotel lists will be updated on the TracAPM portal at https://tracapm.com,” it said. Booking agents and travel agencies can apply and resell quarantine stations with convenient live access to room availability under the TracAPM QS Agent programme (https://tracapm.com/qsagent/). Nexgram said travellers coming to Malaysia can visit the SafeTravelPass portal at https://safetravelpass.com.my, and gain access to real-time hotel offerings and room availability.
Source:The Edge Markets
July 27, 2021 11:26 UTC
‘Made in China, sold on Amazon’ merchants scramble to minimise losses after US platform closes over 50,000 Chinese shops
Amazon’s crackdown on review abuse and other violations has hit some of the biggest Chinese sellers on the platform. While Amazon officially banned “incentivised reviews” in 2016 and has regularly taken action against such violations, the scale of the recent crackdown is unprecedented. “Many merchants have tried reaching out to Amazon but to no avail,” Zhang said. Since suspending the merchant’s stores for alleged fake reviews, Amazon has held onto US$4mil (RM16.92mil) of the company’s funds and US$10mil (RM42.32mil) worth of inventory, Zhang said. “Amazon required that the frozen funds be held up for 90 days, which completely paralyses the operation of my client’s business,” Zhang said.
Source:The Star
July 27, 2021 10:52 UTC