CAP: Here's how the government can do more to prevent suicide
IN 2020, 266 people took their own lives between March 19 and Oct 30, while there were 1, 080 suicide attempts according to the Health Ministry. The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is concerned because these figures are just the tip of the iceberg and on the rise. The government needs to incorporate suicide prevention in the National Recovery Plan (NRP). Of these, 25% were attributed to debt; 24% to family problems; and 23% to marital problems. > Government ministries and agencies should work with NGOs to prevent suicides.
Source:The Star
July 02, 2021 00:56 UTC
Euro 2020 gives local football fans something to look forward to amid challenging times
With dining in and gatherings not allowed at the usual haunts, football fans have no choice but to catch the live-telecast matches at home throughout the NRP. While the extension of phase one until mid-July is difficult to deal with, Jay welcomes the distraction these football matches offer. “The downside of the late matches is definitely the need to stock up on food as we are often hungry after the matches and there are no shops open at the time, ” said Goh. Sanjivpal, also 49, said watching Euro matches was a tradition and he had always taken the opportunity in the past to gather with good company to enjoy the games. Sanjivpal said events like Euro 2020 had helped to keep him occupied and level-headed since the movement restrictions began in March last year.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 23:48 UTC
Empowering young learners online
Assoc Prof Phawani A. Vijayaratnam and lecturer Wan Noor Farah Wan Shamsuddin from Inti International University’s Centre of Liberal Arts and Languages, in their separate findings, said online learning had its own set of positives and negatives. Her research revealed that educators designed comprehensive and creative plans to keep students continuously engaged with course content besides giving room for remote collaboration among classmates. “Apart from its flexibility and accessibility, Blackboard has helped students easily grasp new information taught in their online classes, ” she elaborated. “However, the study I conducted with my colleagues also found the drawbacks of online learning during the lockdown. Both findings concluded that during these challenging times, online learning was a means of empowering young learners for education continuity.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 23:48 UTC
Helping before flags flew
IPOH: White flag or not, many non-governmental organisations here are already rendering their assistance to the needy. “I don’t think many NGOs are into this white flag movement. “There may be other people who need help and they can always reach out to us and we will try our best to help them. Lions Club of Perak Silver State president Dr Richard Ng said his team had presented food packs to two households with a white flag in Pasir Pinji. “Each MP is allocated RM300,000 while the state assemblymen received RM200,000 to help those impacted by the pandemic,” he added.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 23:15 UTC
TikTok maker ByteDance finds new success in US with CapCut, a hit video editing app
Video editing app CapCut has become the latest app from TikTok owner ByteDance to become a breakout hit in the US, despite Washington’s scrutiny of the Beijing-based company and its apps amid privacy concerns. CapCut’s sudden success has made it ByteDance’s second app, behind TikTok, to make Sensor Tower’s most-downloaded chart this year. As with many mobile apps, CapCut collects identifiable information such as how a person uses a device, network data, device manufacturer, and even user content. This potentially leaves TikTok in Washington’s cross hairs, along with many other Chinese apps. Many of the app’s users appear more concerned with functionality, though.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 19:41 UTC
Boost and Lazada help MSMEs shift businesses online
KUALA LUMPUR (July 1): Homegrown e-wallet Boost is bringing merchant solutions at zero cost to further support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) shift online via the Go-eCommerce Onboarding Campaign. MSMEs interested to onboard with Boost under the Go-eCommerce Onboarding Campaign can sign up by visiting http://myboost.com.my/business/campaign/go-ecommerce and upon signing up, a Boost Merchant team representative will get in touch within five working days. “Since then, there has been a more than 300% increase in new MSMEs onboarding our eCommerce platform, future-proofed thousands of local businesses and enabled local MSMEs to adapt and pivot into recovery and growth mode,” he added. The Lazada’s Shop Malaysia Online campaign would offer additional incentives to consumers when they shop local online with 50 per cent discounts on vouchers and crazy flash sale and daily free shipping all day. Meanwhile, the Go-eCommerce initiative, jointly funded by Lazada and MDEC, would help nearly 40,000 local MSMEs to start their digital journey and increase their exposure and sales through the program’s curated incentives.
Source:The Edge Markets
July 01, 2021 16:49 UTC
Cover Story: Can Anuar Taib turn around Sapura Energy?
Fielding questions at the interview was Datuk Anuar Taib, non-independent executive director and CEO of Sapura Energy. He took over from Tan Sri Shahril Shamsudin, who retired after leading Sapura Energy and its predecessor, Sapura Crest Petroleum, since July 2003. The key question, however, is, will the change at the helm translate into better results at Sapura Energy? Many are optimistic that he will turn things around at Sapura Energy. To put things in perspective, Sapura Energy had accumulated losses of RM4.62 billion as at end-January this year (see “Sapura Energy has its work cut out” on Page 68).
Source:The Edge Markets
July 01, 2021 06:00 UTC
Popular travel YouTuber 'The Food Ranger' Trevor James has left Malaysia
Trevor James, the popular food and travel vlogger known as The Food Ranger, posted on June 28 a goodbye clip on his Facebook page and YouTube channel. In the video, James tells fans that he is on his way to Dubai, where he will be based next. Unfortunately, with the pandemic came travel restrictions, and as The Food Ranger, James' work mainly revolves around travelling. In fact, in December, Tourism Malaysia even honoured James for his efforts in promoting food and travel in the country to a global audience. Like James, Wiens is a popular travel and food vlogger, and blogger.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 05:52 UTC
Selangor tops list of suicide cases between Jan-May this year, says Bukit Aman
KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 631 suicide cases were recorded last year and 468 cases between January and May this year, says Bukit Aman CID director Comm Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan. Comm Abd Jalil said an average of two suicide cases occurred every day from 2019 until May this year. He added that Selangor recorded the highest number of suicide cases between January and May this year with 117 cases, while Johor topped the list of suicide cases for 2019 and 2020 with a total of 101 cases. Comm Abd Jalil said three main factors for suicide cases are family problems, depression and financial troubles. "75.1% of suicide cases are hanging, followed by jumping off a building (13.6%) and drinking poison (5.7%).
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 05:26 UTC
Hotel Istana closes down for good on Sept 1
KUALA LUMPUR: Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur in Jalan Raja Chulan is set to cease operations on Sept 1. In a statement to the hotel’s associates on Wednesday, its general manager Noorazzudin Omar said they decided to close the hotel after considering the present circumstances and all available options. “The hotel had lost its competitive advantage over the years with the insurgence of new or neighbouring hotels and serviced apartments,” he said. The situation has been aggravated by the pandemic, he said, which continued to impact the hotel industry and its ability to achieve normality. “After a proper evaluation of the hotel and its viability, we have decided to cease operations,” he said.Noorazzudin said they would offer their staff the Voluntary Separation Scheme, which would be announced in the next few days.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 00:56 UTC
Horses are dying at Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh’s most popular resort district
More than 20 horses have died of starvation in just one month at Bangladesh’s most popular resort district, the animals’ owners said recently, as the country’s tourism industry reels from the pandemic’s economic fallout. The horses’ owners said they were struggling to afford fodder for their animals, which are used for tourist rides at Cox’s Bazar beach – one of the world’s longest. “Once coronavirus hit, tourist numbers... sharply dropped to a trickle, ” Farida Begum, spokesperson of the Cox’s Bazar Horse Owners Association, said. But unless the tourists start arriving in Cox’s Bazar, I can’t pay back the money, ” Begum said, adding that she had borrowed 100, 000 taka (RM4, 950). “But no tourists means no income for us.”The government administrator for Cox’s Bazar, Sumaiya Akter, said she had only heard of four to five horses dying in the past eight months.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 00:00 UTC
Foundation gets RM20,000 boost
NP642 Charity Foundation and Star Media Group (SMG) chairman Tan Sri Chor Chee Heung have donated RM10,000 each to the Star Foundation for its charitable programmes. NP642 Charity Foundation chairman Johnsen Lim said its contribution would be channelled to the underprivileged community through Star Foundation. “I hope that more corporations or individuals can come forward to contribute to Star Foundation and enable the foundation to continue playing an effective role for good causes. Chor said Star Foundation acknowledged the many sacrifices of frontliners looking after thesafety of the Malaysian public, especially those who had contracted Covid-19. As the charitable arm of SMG, Star Foundation aims to support impactful initiatives to help a diverse group of beneficiaries.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 00:00 UTC
B40 and M40 groups welcome govt aid
GEORGE TOWN: Hawkers and food operators in the B40 and M40 groups here are hoping that the latest aid from the government can help them sustain their business. Hawker Chu Kam Lin, 62, whose household falls under the B40 category, said she looked forward to the RM500 and RM300 payout in August and December. Chu said apart from the aid, they were most grateful for the six-month loan moratorium. Hoping for better days: Chu said she looks forward to the RM500 and RM300 payout in August and December. With the aid, her family could receive RM250 on top of the six-month loan moratorium for all borrowers.
Source:The Star
July 01, 2021 00:00 UTC
Press corps euphoric after receiving first dose of vaccine
MY PENANG media family received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine over the weekend and if I were to describe the atmosphere in one word, it would be joy. Not one to fear needles, I did not worry about the jab nor did I feel anything when injected. Watching the Penang press corps — with relief shining on their faces as they acquired the shield to protect them in this pandemic — made me feel mushy. We all feel a wave of pleasure in seeing state and Federal governments working on the vaccination programme hand in hand, political differences cast aside. “There are 192 media practitioners in Penang, and 117 have been vaccinated, which is a great step forward,” he said.
Source:The Star
June 30, 2021 23:48 UTC
On a job that delivers satisfaction
IT WAS by chance that Tharama-lingam Shanmugam, 67, found his way into the newspaper delivery business some 31 years ago. The hardware store where he was employed had closed down and he suddenly found himself without a job. However, after around 15 years, he decided to deliver newspapers full-time in Petaling Jaya. “The job may seem easy, but it is not. “I was unable to contact my fellow vendors to help out as there were no handphones back then,” he recalled.
Source:The Star
June 30, 2021 23:48 UTC