No manual sign-in at malls a gesture of discrimination
A shopping mall in Taiping has also done away with the manual sign-in mode for entry into the premises since May 20. I was told the ruling was made by managers at the headquarters of the shopping mall. Not content with the explanation, I went to the Taiping police station to ask if the shopping mall’s operator was doing the right thing in terminating the manual sign-in option. Rather surprisingly, I was told that the police have no jurisdiction over the ruling made by the management of malls. Can management of shopping malls make a unilateral ruling that negatively affects patrons, especially those without smartphones?
Source:The Star
May 27, 2021 00:33 UTC
Train up to help victims of cyberbullying
Victims of cyberbullying are often depressed and display signs of anxiety, hostility or aggression, stress or distress. My research team and I conducted a study on the effects of cyberbullying on the victims and their coping strategies. One crucial finding from our study is that there is low intention among victims to report and seek help from those who are older than them. Adolescents need to know how to protect themselves and where to get resources that can guide them to seek help. Besides working with the school administrators, parents and members of the community must also build a safe place for victims to seek support and help.
Source:The Star
May 27, 2021 00:33 UTC
Getting durians to consumers
The council is inviting durian traders and farm owners to do online business through its Jom Beli Online (JBO@MBPP) platform. A durian store in Balik Pulau which had to close down during the first movement control order last year. The council has upgraded its JBO@MBPP platform in an effort to help small-time traders engage in online business. A roadside stall hawker selling durians in George Town a few years ago. Yew said the platform, which was introduced last year during the first movement control order, received a good response.
Source:The Star
May 27, 2021 00:30 UTC
Approval for citizenship should be given sooner
It raises hope for an estimated 290,000 others caught in a similar situation. The other question is: If Pua could be granted citizenship now, why was he not granted it earlier? The injustice of denying them their right to be called Malaysians these many years is accentuated by the fact that, as it is widely known, thousands of foreigners have been granted citizenship. In this context, Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin should set up a special task force to study and once and for all resolve this outstanding issue. The task force should be given a time frame within which to recommend steps to be taken to expedite the approval of citizenship for this group, some of whom have been waiting for over 60 years.
Source:The Star
May 27, 2021 00:22 UTC
Detention of ‘Dr Nur’ in Israel; Wisma Putra needs info to assist
Wisma Putra in a statement on Wednesday (May 26) night said any individuals with information on the identity and whereabouts of Dr Nur have been told to come forward and furnish information via email at bkrm@kln.gov.my. "Further information on the matter is important for the ministry to seek solution to assist Dr Nur,” it said. According to Wisma Putra, the ministry acknowledged the sharing which went viral on social media on the detention of a Malaysian known as Dr Nur by Israelite authorities. At the same time, according to the statement, the Foreign Ministry has already contacted the authorities in Malaysia to help identify Dr Nur and his whereabouts. Malaysian representatives abroad are always ready to help if Malaysian citizens abroad are in trouble,” according to Wisma Putra.
Source:The Star
May 27, 2021 00:11 UTC
Good response shows people’s confidence in AZ
PETALING JAYA: The latest round of AstraZeneca registration which saw almost one million slots being taken up in an hour shows the people’s increasing confidence in the vaccine. “I was informed that the registration was going fast and at its peak, hundreds of thousands were logging in per minute. It was an overwhelming response which shows the rakyat is keen to be vaccinated as soon as possible. “People have gained confidence, that is why they are registering for the vaccine, ” she said when contacted yesterday. “It’s impossible for all one million slots to be taken up in around 40 minutes.
Source:The Star
May 27, 2021 00:00 UTC
Second round of opt-in over in an hour despite glitches
PETALING JAYA: Within an hour, nearly one million of the AstraZeneca vaccination slots were taken up in the second round of registration. The opt-in, which is an offshoot from the mainstream National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, saw about a million slots up for grabs for those living in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang, Johor and Sarawak. Close to 1pm, CITF tweeted that more than 300,000 of the vaccine slots had been taken. “Appointment booking for the second round of the AstraZeneca Voluntary Vaccine Initiative is now closed. Comparatively, registrations closed after about three-and-a-half hours in the first round of the AstraZeneca opt-in programme with all 268,800 slots taken and some applicants being put on a waiting list.
Source:The Star
May 26, 2021 22:41 UTC
Proactive communities earn praises from ministers
“The Health Ministry is using every resource to fight the pandemic, and every bit of support from the communities is welcome. Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said he would provide assistance, including financial help to NGOs, to assist resident associations of PPRs. “We hope with this, communities will be empowered and not need to rely solely on the government to keep themselves safe, ” said Annuar. Under this policy, resident associations can request to be trained to conduct and facilitate disinfection. “However, we welcome resident associations should they want to assist with disinfection of their respective areas.
Source:The Star
May 26, 2021 22:27 UTC
Detention of 'Dr Nur' in Israel; Wisma Putra needs information to assist
Wisma Putra in a statement tonight said any individuals with information on the identity and whereabouts of 'Dr Nur' have been told to come forward and furnish information via email at [email protected]. “Further information on the matter is important for the Ministry to seek solution to assist 'Dr Nur',” it said. According to Wisma Putra, the Ministry acknowledged the sharing which went viral on social media on the detention of a Malaysian known as 'Dr Nur' by Israeli authorities. At the same time, according to the statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already contacted the authorities in Malaysia to help identify 'Dr Nur' and his whereabouts. Malaysian representatives abroad are always ready to help if Malaysian citizens abroad are in trouble,” according to Wisma Putra.
Source:The Edge Markets
May 26, 2021 17:37 UTC
Syed Saddiq called up by cops again, this over tweet about Tajuddin
PETALING JAYA: Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has been summoned again to give his statement to the police on Thursday (May 27). Police have said they are investigating Tajuddin for violating the movement control order standard operating procedure (SOP). The Pasir Salak MP did not wear a face mask but had a face shield on during his press conference on the LRT Kelana Jaya line train collisison on Tuesday (May 25). On the same day, Syed Saddiq had tweeted, pointing out that wearing a face shield without a face mask was a violation of SOPs under the current MCO. Last Saturday (May 22), Syed Saddiq gave a statement to police after he commented on the death of A. Ganapathy in police custody.
Source:The Star
May 26, 2021 14:26 UTC
Tajuddin terminated as Prasarana chairman effective immediately
PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman has been terminated from his post as Prasarana Malaysia Bhd chairman effective immediately, according to the Finance Ministry. This comes after he was widely criticised on social media for his performance at a recent press conference following the LRT Kelana Jaya line train collision incident. In a letter seen by The Star dated Wednesday (May 26), Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz informed Tajuddin of the termination and thanked him for all his contributions since he was appointed non-executive chairman. An officer from the Finance Ministry, when contacted, had confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
Source:The Star
May 26, 2021 11:37 UTC
Penang DAP lawmaker in the soup after picture of him allegedly dining-in at hawker centre goes viral
KEPALA BATAS: Penang DAP lawmaker Soon Lip Chee is in hot water after a picture of him dining-in at a hawker centre went viral on social media. "We are in the midst of investigating the matter; the politician will be called to provide a statement on the matter on Wednesday (May 26) evening," he said when contacted. The Bagan Jermal assemblyman, however, denied that he had violated the SOP and said the photos that went viral were only to promote the famous "yau char kwai" (Chinese crullers) at Sin Tat Garden Food Court in his constituency of Bagan Jermal. He said it has been a routine for him to post famous hawker food in his constituency on his Facebook page. "I was not eating there, you can see it on my Facebook, I was there to help promote the stall only," he said.
Source:The Star
May 26, 2021 09:33 UTC
Online opt-in for AstraZeneca vaccine fraught with frustration
PETALING JAYA: The latest round of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine registration proved to be a bumpier ride than the first time on May 2. Instagram user @memoiramelia said she tried booking many times but her efforts proved to be in vain when the registration site closed at around 1.30pm on Wednesday (May 26). But even at the revised time, applicants complained about receiving a notification telling them they had been blocked from the registration site. Barely half an hour later, the high hopes of applicants came crashing down as the CITF announced that registration was closed. “Appointment booking for the second round of the AstraZeneca Voluntary Vaccine Initiative is now closed.
Source:The Star
May 26, 2021 08:26 UTC
Tech: Remaking journalism’s business model
Clearly, the traditional business model of news has long been under severe strain, if it is not already completely broken. The top 10 writers at Substack make over US$15 million (RM61.6 million) annually after paying a 10% fee to the platform’s management. Put it another way, top Substack writers are making on aggregate US$1.5 million a year each and they are just getting started on monetising their work. With a growing base of writers and readers, Substack is now building a network of sorts that writers and readers can use to their advantage. Competition means fees that journalists pay Substack and its ilk will fall and the huge million-dollar advances they command will only grow.
Source:The Edge Markets
May 26, 2021 08:03 UTC
EC should draw up plans for safe state polls, say Sarawak civil society groups
KUCHING: Civil society groups in Sarawak are calling on the Election Commission (EC) to come up with standard operating procedures (SOP) for the next state election to be held safely once the state legislative assembly is dissolved. However, she said the EC should speed up its preparations for the state to face an election safely if the pandemic continues. "This can include planning and adopting robust absentee voting mechanisms to reduce voter movement, such as postal voting and advance voting. Teo also expressed concern over the concentration of power in the executive during the Emergency as the state legislature's sittings were suspended. Siah also cautioned that prolonging the Emergency would give the ruling coalition "unfettered powers" over the state.
Source:The Star
May 26, 2021 07:07 UTC