Syed Saddiq vows to clear name in court over corruption charges
KUALA LUMPUR: Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has vowed to fight his corruption charges, saying that he had full faith in the courts and judges to clear his name. "The threats will no way weaken my morale but in reality, will only strengthen it," he told reporters after facing corruption charges at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Thursday (July 22). The 29-year-old pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out by a court interpreter before Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi. Syed Saddiq was also charged with misusing RM120,000 in contributions for the GE14 campaign raised through a Maybank Islamic Berhad account belonging to Armada Bumi Bersatu Enterprise. Have the faith in the court and judges to clear your name," he said in a message to other parliamentarians.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 08:26 UTC
My Pet Story: Little Blanket keeps our hearts warm
We have a small yet mischievous, white-and-orange cat with a long tail and a pair of long ears, which we named Blanket. The initial plan was to bring along my blue-eyed, white-furred cat named Purnama which I had rescued a few days before my engagement day. That is when my husband said, “Blanket.” I agreed with the name as it is cute. Did I mention that its best friend is an old female stray cat named Meemaw? Call us biased but our cat is the cutest even though Blanket is just a domestic short-haired cat.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 07:00 UTC
Man in viral video with nasi lemak seller charged with failing to wear mask
PETALING JAYA: A 33-year-old man pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to wear a face mask in public. If found guilty of the offence, Shyamalan faces a maximum five-year jail term, a fine at the discretion of the court or both upon sentencing. Deputy Public Prosecutor Wan Ahmad Hakimi Wan Ahmad Jaafar appeared for the Attorney-General's Chambers, while John Das acted for Shyamalan. Later, when walking out of the court complex, the man asked the press if they wanted his signature. He was wearing a yellow t-shirt with the words "we don't care" and unlike in the viral video, he was wearing a mask.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 06:19 UTC
Billionaire who missed out on TikTok is trying to beat it
His company aims to reach 250 million monthly users outside China this year, after tripling that base in just the past six months. About half of its 150 million monthly overseas users now hail from Latin America, one of TikTok’s key markets. By mid-2016, it had garnered 50 million monthly users, according to QuestMobile data. That success – it has about 100 million monthly users in the US alone – drew the hostility of the Trump administration, which argued that its Chinese parent posed a potential national security threat. Kuaishou won’t become another Douyin or TikTok, Su says.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 05:00 UTC
Covibesity: The dangerous combo of obesity and Covid-19
Obesity has been found to be one of the medical conditions associated with a worst outcome for Covid-19. Studies have found that obese Covid-19 patients face a higher risk for intensive care unit (ICU) admission and poorer outcomes. About 85% of Covid-19 patients with obesity required mechanical ventilation and 62% of such patients died of the infectious disease. In Shenzhen, China, overweight patients had an 86% higher risk of experiencing severe Covid-19, and obese patients, a 142% higher risk. Similar to how Covid-19 has become a global health crisis, “Covibesity” should also be tackled as a global health problem.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 05:00 UTC
My Say: Searching for an appropriate approach to foreign worker dependence
It is clear that we need to revise the policy on foreign worker dependence. Or should we adopt a model that combines both the self-sufficient approach and foreign worker dependence as an optimal solution? Levels of dependence on foreign workersAlmost all Malaysians notice the size and level of foreign worker dependence in the economy. The introduction of the minimum wage is likely to have had a marginal effect on reducing foreign worker dependence. Policies to reduce foreign workers are more effective in sectors where foreign and local workers can be substituted for each other, meaning local workers can directly replace the foreign workers.
Source:The Edge Markets
July 22, 2021 03:32 UTC
Ready for jab but app isn’t cooperating
A FEW days ago, I went to two different hospitals in an attempt to get my first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. My first appointment – for AstraZeneca – had been scheduled for June 7 at a mega vaccination centre. Since then, I have been checking the MySejahtera app on my phone more than 10 times a day, hoping to get notification of a new appointment. It was then that I decided to try my luck at the walk-in vaccination centres. I heard that the second hospital, which is further away from my house, allowed walk-in vaccination for senior citizens.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 01:18 UTC
Some pointers from one who was scammed
In my case, the portal was a platform for buying and selling new and second-hand goods. A guy posed as a car owner selling his used vehicle on the platform. After I transferred the money into his account, he could not be contacted. A second police report/statement will be required and any material/evidence that the victim can provide is submitted with it. In this case, the victim must request the scammer to repay the amount via the account the latter had used in the earlier transaction.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 01:07 UTC
Win a car, laptops, TVs, and more in Star's anniversary giveaway
PETALING JAYA: Fabulous prizes are up for grabs daily in the 50 days leading up to Star Media Group's (SMG) 50th anniversary on Sept 9. Every day starting today, fantastic prizes such as TVs, laptops, cameras, watches, home and kitchen appliances will be given out under the 50 Days of Giveaways Contest. You stand a chance to win the daily prizes just by answering a few simple questions on the contest's microsite bit.ly/star50days. For a chance to join the 50 Days of Giveaways Contest, go to the microsite bit.ly/star50days and click "Join Now". Every entry the participants have made over the 50 days prior to the anniversary boosts their chances of winning the Mazda2 hatchback.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 00:56 UTC
Malaysian experiences a special Onam festival in Kerala before pandemic
My husband and his friends used to make a yearly trip to Kerala in India for the Calicut Medical College Alumni Meet. I was happy about this because I had always wanted to be part of the Onam celebrations in Kerala. Onam is one of a few major festivals in Kerala. There were also “pookalams” which are concentric circles of colourful flowers, typical of Onam decor, and a tiered Kerala brass lamps (kuthu vilaku) near that. Bestowed with an equable climate throughout the year, most of Kerala is a tropical paradise where one can rejuvenate surrounded in nature.
Source:The Star
July 22, 2021 00:00 UTC
Malaysian fans there in spirit for Olympic athletes
PETALING JAYA: From obtaining tickets to live matches to ending up watching it from their sofa at home, Malaysian fans will surely find Tokyo Olympics memorable. Yap, 33, had bought flight and Games tickets in January last year before the pandemic overshadowed everybody’s plans. While he received refunds for his flight and Games tickets, he had to forego the deposit for his accommodation and transport amounting to more than RM1,000. For retiree Mansor Abd Khoni, 63, the Tokyo Games was also supposed to be his first Olympics. The president of the Famemas Malaysia Supporters Club hoped everyone would lend their support to the team, even from afar.Malaysia will be represented by 30 athletes from 10 sports in the Tokyo Olympics.
Source:The Star
July 21, 2021 23:37 UTC
Theory to gauge Covid-19 situation
IN HIS bid to help the country contain the Covid-19 virus, Penangite Dr David Lim has come up with a programme to better gauge the situation at the district level. “The reopening criteria for this model are the extent of the problem (number of cases) and its growth rate (R0 value). “But this would not show a proper representation of the situation in the state as a whole. “The same analogy can be said about Malaysia as some states have a far higher number of cases than others, like Selangor. “In this situation, the average is not an accurate representation of the net worth of a randomly selected person from this group,” he said.
Source:The Star
July 21, 2021 23:32 UTC
Spider-Man swings by with special treat for children
“In addition to the food packs, we have also prepared this ‘happy meal’ with chocolates, drinks and a craft pack. Welcome aid: Ngang (left, in Spider-Man suit) and his team handing out the care packages to the needy in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. The aid distribution was done in an orderly manner, with recipients forming two lines to receive the care packages at a makeshift stall set up at a parking lot near a supermarket. This was not the first time Ngang helped to distribute aid while wearing his Spider-Man suit. On July 6, he swung into action by the Hang Tuah flats in Kuala Lumpur to deliver essential items to 24 families living there.
Source:The Star
July 21, 2021 23:26 UTC
‘Let us see our families again’
Thousands of Malaysians in the island republic have either been fully vaccinated or have received at least one dose of the vaccine. Currently, a person returning to Malaysia and going back to Singapore will need to be quarantined for 28 days (14 days in Malaysia and 14 days in Singapore) at a designated facility. Part-time worker Tan Sheau Hui, 48, who has been in Singapore since October last year, said she, too, has been fully vaccinated and hoped border restrictions would be eased for those who have been fully vaccinated. She said as both countries recorded a high number of people being fully vaccinated, the quarantine period should be reviewed. “Even my elderly parents in Johor Baru are fully vaccinated,” she said.
Source:The Star
July 21, 2021 23:20 UTC
Wholesale market closure not causing price hike elsewhere
“I usually get groceries such as onion, potato, garlic and dried chillies from a wholesaler at the Pulau Mutiara wholesale market. Rina Azlina said she was worried when she got to know that the Macallum wholesale market would be closed. “Since the Macallum wholesale market is closed, the number of market-goers here has increased a little. The Pulau Mutiara wholesale market in Gat Lebuh Macallum has been closed since July 3 due to the detection of Covid-19 cases among the traders. There are 145 units in the wholesale market and more than 30 stalls at the wet market next to it.
Source:The Star
July 21, 2021 23:15 UTC