Insight - Aid to battle evolving Covid-19 situation
AGAINST an evolving outlook on Covid-19, banks are facing the challenge from this crisis head-on, with a focus on providing flexible loan repayment and restructuring packages with speedy approvals. In the case of Public Bank Bhd customers, customers can choose to take part or opt-in for the moratorium with no submission of documents required. (pic above)“Access to funds and financial advisory support is crucial to economic recovery,’’ said Standard Chartered Malaysia managing director and CEO Abrar A. During this six-month period of assistance, Standard Chartered customers are not required to make any repayment; no late payment charges, penalties or compounding interest or profit will be imposed. Financial aid by Standard Chartered is extended to manage cash pressures of its clients and to support local communities.
Source:The Star
July 19, 2021 00:33 UTC
All aboard the hyperloop: How your commute could be changing
The chief executive and co-founder of Virgin Hyperloop foresees us zipping between cities in minutes, a future not as far off as you may think. Giegel sat down with Reuters to talk about how this budding technology could change the way we live and work. Q: Humanity is facing all sorts of transportation challenges, so why do you think hyperloop is the right solution? Q: How does the hyperloop work? The biggest piece of that test was that the world saw two people get on a hyperloop, and saw two people get off.
Source:The Star
July 19, 2021 00:16 UTC
Making a living on Shopee and filling tummies
According to Shopee, sales for MSMEs in the “groceries” category grew four times in the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same period last year. The increased demand for fresh produce resulted in close to 170,000 new product listings in Shopee’s Fresh and Frozen Food segment. With the manager’s help and guidance, we now have over 35,100 followers on the Shopee store and maintain an average rating of 4.9 stars,” says Yana. I did not have many expectations when I set up my Shopee store. What Chaang found challenging in this entire process was managing customer orders for frozen food, since not all logistics providers support fresh and frozen food deliveries.
Source:The Edge Markets
July 19, 2021 00:00 UTC
Closer look dispels alarm
I REFER to the report “Daily cases at 12,541 but not many had serious symptoms” (The Star, July 17). At first glance, the number of new Covid-19 infections at 12,541 cases on July 17 looked alarming. But a closer examination of the daily new infections reveal that there’s no cause for unnecessary panic. Of the new cases on that day, 98.5% involved those with either no symptoms (classified as Category 1 by the Health Ministry) or mild symptoms (Category 2). With that in mind, the Health Ministry should continue with its daily breakdown report on the various categories of Covid-19 infections.
Source:The Star
July 19, 2021 00:00 UTC
Hassles for senior citizen without a smartphone
I have often been stopped and questioned either by security guards or auxiliary police personnel as to my purpose, which is none of their business. The most frequent issue is that I do not have a smartphone to scan the MySejahtera QR code. At a mega mall and KL Sentral, I have been denied access at one entrance but I managed to enter through another after writing down my particulars. Walking the underground from KL Sentral to exit near the National Museum, I was interrogated about my purpose. So I backtracked to KL Sentral, exited and made my way around the skyscrapers to the park.
Source:The Star
July 19, 2021 00:00 UTC
Prerequisite for safe school reopening
ONLINE education has certainly served its purpose during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but home-based learning and teaching (PdPR) cannot substitute for in-person attendance in school. But the persistently high number of new Covid-19 cases recorded daily could affect the reopening of schools nationwide. Vaccinating all teachers, exam and non-exam students will reduce the risk of infections in schools. Since a significant segment of our population is not vaccinated yet, students who have not had their jabs could become the agent of transmission from their community to the school where they study. As such, vaccinating students aged 12 and above and teachers is a prerequisite for safe school reopening in August or September.
Source:The Star
July 19, 2021 00:00 UTC
Quest for a missing child
WITH very little cash and carrying a small bag, a farmer embarked on a journey in search of his missing son. In real life though, the father who inspired the movie, tractor driver Guo Gangtang, 51, and wife Zhang Wenge, were reunited with their son, Xinzhen, on July 11. Xinzhen said his adoptive parents treated him like their own. In addition, Tong revealed that 2,609 missing children have been found since the launch of Tuanyuan (Reunion) operation this year. There is still no news whether police would go after Xinzhen’s adoptive parents.
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 23:48 UTC
Science teacher’s essay wins in global astronomy project
Astronomy buff Vadivelan Sinnasamy, a science teacher from SJK (Tamil) Jugra, Kuala Langat, Selangor, recently bought something online that he thought would achieve the magnification required to observe the planets and stars. However, Vadivelan is now at his happiest after being notified by the National Planetarium that he was the Malaysian winner of the Telescope for All 2021 project. In a statement, the Planetarium said Malaysia snagged one of the 12 telescopes donated by the International Astronomical Union’s (IAU) global outreach project to spur interest in the subject. A joint effort between IAU and National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) under the auspices of Japan’s National Institutes of Natural Sciences, IAU’s Office for Astronomy Outreach aims to engage the public in astronomy by providing access to astronomical information and communication of the science of astronomy. At the country level, the National Planetarium acted as Malaysia’s national outreach coordinator by collaborating with the National STEM Centre and Universe Awareness Malaysia to organise the Telescope for All 2021 project from May 3-24.
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 23:45 UTC
Resetting our political construct
He carried no baggage nor expectations of any political party unlike his other colleagues in Selangor. I am more confident now of looking beyond political parties in electing MPs and state representatives. They despised how political parties are spending too much time jostling for power. You can’t just “retake political powers from political parties” that easily. Taking into consideration most political parties have well-oiled machinery and a strong grassroot support, any attempt to fight against them is a gargantuan task.
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 23:37 UTC
This is our Aidiladha sacrifice this year, say volunteers
PETALING JAYA: Hari Raya Aidiladha, which is synonymous with sacrifice, has extra significance this year for the volunteers at vaccine dispensing centres (PPV), which will be open throughout the celebration. The Health Ministry recently announced that all PPV would continue operating during Hari Raya Aidiladha tomorrow. For Sara Qahar, who is stationed at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium mega PPV, her Aidiladha sacrifice was “doing whatever is right for someone else”. In my case, volunteering at a PPV during the holiday period is my sacrifice,” she said. “At least by volunteering under the Malaysia Vaccine Support Volunteers (MyVAC), I can contribute something to the country,” said the 24-year-old, who has been volunteering at the centre for about a month now.
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 23:15 UTC
Just a regular life will do
“In my opinion, interstate travel should be put on hold first because the vaccination rate is not the same for every state, so there should not be a blanket rule imposed. “Meanwhile, inter-district travel restrictions should be relaxed a bit,” said Harris, who was fully vaccinated. Daniela is among the almost five million people or about 14% of the Malaysian population who are fully vaccinated as at yesterday. But interstate travel should be allowed. “We have been staying inside for so long and I have been fully vaccinated for over a month, but life is still restricted.
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 22:52 UTC
‘Speed up vaccination, increase testing before entering Phase Two’
JOHOR government has been urged to ramp up its vaccination efforts before moving to Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP). A Johorean, Ariff Mohammad Nizam, 29, said speeding up vaccination and conducting mass Covid-19 testing should be the main focus now. “With the current number of Covid-19 cases in the state, it is likely to slip back to Phase One. “The state government should instead focus on ramping up the vaccination process, which has also been highlighted by the Johor royal family several times. Lee also hopes that the government would use more mobile vaccine dispensing centres (PPV) to speed up the process of vaccination in Johor.
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 16:18 UTC
Retired nurse loses RM326,000 in love scam
ALOR SETAR (Bernama): A retired civil servant lost RM326,586 to a 'love scam' syndicate between March and April this year. Kedah Police Headquarters Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief Supt Elias Omar said the 62-year-old former nurse from Mergong, here, had met an individual named ‘Lucas Cai’ on Facebook. "Initially, the victim thought the user named 'Lucas Cai' was her nephew, and had started contacting the man. "The victim lodged a police report in Alor Setar on Saturday (July 17). If you are not sure, please check the (banking or contact) information (given by the individuals) at https://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/," he said.
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 12:33 UTC
Covid-19: Swab tests done at Melaka's Portuguese Settlement, 150 under quarantine
MELAKA: The Health Ministry has conducted Covid-19 swab tests on 150 people at the Portuguese Settlement here and placed them under quarantine, says Save The Portuguese Action Committee chairman Martin Theseira (pic). He said the tests were done on Sunday (July 18) after the Settlement's former headman Peter Gomez was rushed to the Melaka Hospital on Saturday (July 17). “However, there are still many residents who have yet to be screened and many families can't afford to pay for the swab tests due to the price," he added. Theseira said many from the community have voiced concern over the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in recent days. "We are a small community and the impact could be devastating if it's not contained effectively," he said.
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 10:30 UTC
Yes, words have power: mind your language
So, while we think that we are using words to describe our reality, in truth, our words are creating our reality. The positive energy generated by the chants and uplifting words had changed the physical structure of the water molecule! The increasing interest, both in science and religion, about the impact of words has affected the way I use language. I also understand the detrimental effect of sarcasm, unkind language and negative phrases and the uplifting impact of positive words, prayers and affirmations on people. Are those words positive or negative?
Source:The Star
July 18, 2021 09:11 UTC