India's pandemic-hit lunchbox men battle food delivery start-ups
After the pandemic shut offices and put Mumbai's renowned lunchbox deliverymen out of work, the 130-year-old "dabbawala" network has tied up with a trendy restaurant chain to take on India's billion-dollar start-ups. Instantly recognisable in his traditional Gandhi cap and white Indian attire, Shinde is one of 5,000 dabbawalas – or "lunchbox men" in Hindi – who have gained global recognition for delivering home-cooked food with clockwork precision. "I used to love working as a dabbawala," he told AFP, describing it as "the best job". They are the original deliverymen of Mumbai," he told AFP. "The dabbawalas could become delivery agents for last-mile delivery not just for restaurants but also for any e-commerce business," she told AFP.
Source:The Star
July 23, 2021 02:03 UTC
Getting more people tested
PENANG is targeting 2,000 screenings to be conducted with the third week of its mass Covid-19 screening programme (PSC-19) held across six locations on the island and mainland from today. “On Sunday, it will be held at the State Stadium in Batu Kawan and Tanjung Bungah food court and market complex. Penangites who want to register for PSC-19 can visit penangsaring.selangkah.myJagdeep said up to now, PSC-19 had received 7,986 registrations and among those, 6,603 individuals were tested with 6,452 testing negative for Covid-19. “The remaining 151 tested positive in the Antigen Rapid Test (RTK-Ag) but these individuals will go through subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. “As of yesterday, 81 among the 151 have tested positive after their PCR tests, while 48 individuals are awaiting results.
Source:The Star
July 23, 2021 00:04 UTC
Robbed of hard-earned sen
I HAVE always wanted to highlight the “rounding” mechanism (to the nearest multiple of five sen) for over-the-counter payments that was implemented by the government on April 1, 2008. Through the rounding mechanism, the total amount of a bill ending in one, two, six and seven sen will be rounded down while the total bill ending in three, four, eight and nine sen will be rounded up to the nearest multiple of five sen. I have been paying most of my bills online, and I have noticed many statements showing a “rounded” total amount. Thirdly, for those who pay their bills online, they should pay the amount to the very sen and not the rounded-up sum. Until then, we, the rakyat, are being robbed daily of our hard-earned sen.MARTIN GOMES ,Melaka
Source:The Star
July 23, 2021 00:00 UTC
Klang man loses RM10,000 in sugar mama scam
Compiled by JUNAID IBRAHIM, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHANA 49-YEAR-OLD man from Klang paid RM10,000 in a bid to “secure” a sugar mama, only to later find out that it was all a scam, Sin Chew Daily reported. The man, who visited the daily’s Klang bureau to warn others not to fall for the scam, also brought along a police report he had made. He claimed that a rich woman had offered to pay up to RM15,000 a night for him. “I hope to release my own Spanish song in the future. If I ever do interviews on (Spanish) TV programmes, I will need to be able to speak fluently in Spanish,” she told the daily.
Source:The Star
July 23, 2021 00:00 UTC
Brickfields stakeholders want bridge removed
BARELY two months after an underutilised pedestrian bridge in front of Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) in Brickfields was demolished, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) received a request to take down another pedestrian bridge in the neighbourhood. Another stakeholder in the area, N. Panchacharam, who owns the building next to where the pedestrian bridge is located, affirmed that the bridge was not used. The MAB bridge was demolished last month at a cost of RM300,000 following public complaints that it was unsafe and posed a threat to the blind community. A second bridge — located at Wisma Harapan and connecting to SK (P) Methodist Brickfields in Jalan Tun Sambanthan 4 — which had also been considered for demolition, was spared but its lift shaft was removed. Among the concerns raised about the MAB bridge include the placement of the structure, which posed a safety hazard, and difficulty faced by pedestrians using the bridge.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 23:26 UTC
It’ll be a quiet opening ceremony but Liu Ying’s still beaming
But for Liu Ying, it will still be a proud moment. The mixed doubles star Liu Ying and Zii Jia are Malaysia’s flag bearers for the Games. “There are all kinds of emotions as I get ready for this task but mostly, it will be just an honour to lead the team,” said Liu Ying. On whether it was good to see more women participation in the Games, Liu Ying said gender did not matter. My only hope is that we will have a bigger team at the next Olympic Games (2024 Paris),” said Liu Ying.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 23:15 UTC
‘Superman’ cheers up crowd at vaccination centre
GEORGE TOWN: To cheer up the frontliners, Calvin Aeria dressed up as a superhero to get his Covid-19 vaccination at Setia Spice Arena. The 37-year-old hotelier said he decided to wear the suit to liven things up. “I bought a Superman suit complete with the cape through an online platform. “As there is a zipper at the back of my suit, it was not a problem getting the vaccination done,” he said. “It took me a lot of courage to wear the Superman suit as it could draw unnecessary attention.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 23:03 UTC
Malaysia's vaccination rate speeds past the US
A positive development in Malaysia. The country is now vaccinating very rapidly. pic.twitter.com/kgPVYwwQcl — Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) July 20, 2021PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's daily Covid-19 vaccination rate is now higher than the fastest rate recorded in many countries including the United States.According to Oxford University's Our World in Data website, Malaysia's daily vaccination rate per 100 population reached a high of 1.27 on July 19.This is higher than the United States, which peaked at 1.01 vaccine doses per 100 people on April 13.Malaysia's vaccination drive got off to a slow start but things ramped up dramatically this month with the arrival of large amounts of vaccine that the country had purchased.In some developed countries, vaccination rates slow down after a sizeable portion of their people have got their jabs or due to other factors.The United States is an example of this. Its daily vaccination rate is going down, but then again, nearly half (48.48%) of its population has been fully vaccinated as at July 19.In comparison, only 14.44% of Malaysia's population got both their vaccine doses as at July 19.While Malaysia still has some ground to cover in order to get 80% of its population vaccinated, its current pace puts the country in good stead.Our World in Data's figures show that the 1.27 vaccination rate Malaysia recorded on July 19 is higher than the fastest level ever achieved by all but four countries whose population size is roughly similar or larger than ours.Other than the United States, Malaysia's fastest rate is still ahead of the highest figures reached so far by other notable countries including South Korea (1.27), Spain (1.24), Japan (1.04), Germany (1.03), France (0.92) and the United Kingdom (0.89)Malaysia's rapid vaccination caught the attention of Oxford University researcher and Our World in Data founder Max Roser, who tweeted about it on Tuesday (July 20):
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 23:00 UTC
Syed Saddiq vows to clear his name in court
KUALA LUMPUR: Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has vowed to fight his corruption charges, saying that he has full faith in the legal system to clear his name. “If you think the threats will weaken my spirit, you are wrong. Syed Saddiq, who is the co-founder of the yet-to-be-registered Muda (Malaysian United Democratic Alliance), also questioned the timing of the charges, saying that the order to charge was given in August last year. Syed Saddiq added that he had declared his assets to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission when he became a minister. Several of his fellow opposition politicians were at the court yesterday in a show of solidarity with him.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 22:52 UTC
Blot on vaccination exercise
I’VE made two trips to the vaccination centre (PPV) and received my two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine. I’m pretty sure that, like me, most people who went for their vaccination did not scrutinise the whole process. And the only way to do this is by video recording the injection process. Even then, most PPV won’t allow any sort of video recording in the booth. To restore the faith and confidence of Malaysians in the vaccination programme, conduct antibody tests on those who are claiming to be victims.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 22:41 UTC
Badminton: Your time to shine
The badminton action begins tomorrow and hopes are on Lee Zii Jia (men’s singles), Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik (men’s doubles), Soniia Cheah (women’s singles), Lee Meng Yean-Chow Mei Kuan (women’s doubles) and Chan Peng Soon-Goh Liu Ying (mixed doubles) to strut their stuff. “I believe we have a strong chance in the men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles. If Lee Zii Jia can play like how did at the All-England, I believe that no one can stop him,” said Ewe Hock. “Everyone will start on an equal footing,” said Kien Keat, who competed at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London editions with Tan Boon Heong. Malaysia did well at the last Olympics when they won three silver medals through Lee Chong Wei (men’s singles), Goh V Shem-Tan Wee Kiong (men’s doubles), and Peng Soon-Liu Ying.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 22:30 UTC
Act on report of Royal Commission
What were they thinking and how did the officer in charge of the station (OCS) find it in his police veins to participate in such an irresponsible act on police premises? In an organisation that’s involved in the detection of crime and wrongdoing, this breach of the public’s trust is truly worrisome, more so when the person concerned is a higher-ranking officer. The Royal Commission report had clearly stated suggestions and remedies to enhance the operation and management of our police force back in 2005. There are really no words to describe the monumental damage this incident has inflicted on the force and the public’s trust and confidence in our police personnel. The top brass must now take stock of the immensity of the problem and consider going back to the recommendations made by the Royal Commission as soon as possible.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 22:18 UTC
Maskless man charged with insulting nasi lemak seller
KUALA LUMPUR: The man seen in a viral video scolding and hurling insulting words at a nasi lemak seller has been charged at the Magistrate’s Court here with the offence and also for not wearing a face mask in public. J. Shyamalan (pic), 33, pleaded not guilty to both charges, which were read out separately before magistrate Wong Chai Sia yesterday, according to Bernama. On the charge of insulting the nasi lemak seller, the businessman and father of three is alleged to have intended to insult the modesty of the 23-year-old woman, an offence under Section 509 of the Penal Code. Later, when walking out of the court complex, Shyamalan asked the press if they wanted his signature. And unlike in the viral video, he was wearing a mask.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 14:37 UTC
After being charged, Syed Saddiq advises politicians not to become ‘frogs’
KUALA LUMPUR: After facing charges at a Sessions Court here on Thursday (July 22), former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman claimed more Members of Parliament will be called up when he was at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office. The Muar MP also advised Umno MPs and other political parties not to become "frogs". “My message to them is, don’t bow to the threatening party, don’t be afraid but be brave because of what is true. Syed Saddiq said he was confident that all MPs, both in the government and the opposition, had integrity, principles and dignity. Syed Saddiq was commenting on the “court cluster” statement made by Datuk Seri Najib Razak through his Facebook page, Thursday morning, after the Muar MP was released on bail over charges of breach of trust and misuse of 14th General Election (GE) contributions in court.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 11:03 UTC
Malaysian researcher connects the dots in Asian railway heritage project
What do you get at the crossroads of railway heritage and community? “For the uninitiated, the Japanese railway is a continually evolving meeting point of transportation, history, culture and community,” says Mahen, a photographer, filmmaker and writer. Photo: HandoutThat led to doors opening for Mahen’s Longing And Belonging: Railway Heritage In Japan And South-East Asia research project, which ran from December 2019 to May 2020. I decided to apply the same approach in exploring railway heritage around the region the following year. “The discourse on railway heritage around the world is commonly focused on economic, historical, and even tourism perspectives, but rarely considers people as the main constructive agents,” he says.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 09:22 UTC