The terrific art of terrarium
JOHOR BARU: Janis Ng Swee Inn has taken her love for plants and passion for art to the next level by conducting terrarium-crafting classes. A former artist, Ng said a terrarium is an “aquarium” where items such as stones, moss and small plants are arranged in a glass container to create miniature gardens suitable as indoor decorations. “My husband has been teaching and selling bonsai plants for over 15 years. I would post information about my class online, and frequently attend art fairs and exhibitions. “Customers can opt to have the kit with or without a glass container, with a basic kit selling for RM80 while the one with a glass container goes for RM160, ” she said.
Source:The Star
May 16, 2021 00:00 UTC
Eid and money in Pakistan
This father’s dilemma is on my mind on Eid (Aidilfitri) this year. It is a good time to reflect on the meaning of money and exchange for a child versus an adult. The grown-ups tried to tell us that Eid is not about money, but about the festivities, the food, the spending of time together with the whole extended clan. It was my first lesson in what we might call customary forms of exchange versus market exchanges. But let them also know scarcity, which is as much a part of the world of trade and exchange as an investment of time and money.
Source:The Star
May 16, 2021 00:00 UTC
Experts: Fear leads to overcrowding at PPV centres
Universiti Malaya professor of occupational and public health Prof Dr Victor Hoe said it was an act of desperation stemming from the fear of contracting Covid-19. He also called on elected representatives to stop politicking and start working for their constituents as a united front to “reduce the people’s anxiety and fear and discourage them from flocking to the vaccine centres. “People should not flock to the vaccine centres. “It is advisable not to crowd outside these centres as the system would contact and verify the attendance of all those at the vaccine centres, ” he said. It is improper to converge at the vaccine centres because every dose is being accounted for.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 23:26 UTC
INTERACTIVE: Teachers a class above in difficult times
But in rural schools, more often than not, the situation is far from ideal. With the closure of schools, teachers had to get creative and find novel ways to deliver their lesson modules to their students, he told The Star. Sabah Teachers' Union (STU Sabah) vice-president Susan Atau said online learning was a “huge challenge” for her and her rural students last year. Unsurprisingly there are no rural schools in the federal territories - Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan. “I think that urban schools would be fine conducting PdPR but the rural schools will have problems, ” said Subramaniam.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 23:00 UTC
Besiktas clinch Turkish title on goal difference
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Besiktas seized the Turkish Super Lig title for the 16th time on Saturday with a 2-1 win away to Goztepe, clinching the title on goal difference ahead of their Istanbul rivals Galatasaray in a tense end to the season. The win lifted Besiktas to 84 points, level with Galatasaray who beat Yeni Malatyaspor 3-1. Croatian defender Domagoj Vida put Besiktas ahead in the 10th minute in Izmir, only for Alpaslan Ozturk to equalise for hosts Goztepe 14 minutes later. Besiktas last won the Super Lig title in the 2016-17 season but their fortunes revived this season under coach Sergen Yalcin, a former star player at the club. Besiktas have the chance to claim the domestic double on Tuesday when they play Antalyaspor in the Turkish Cup Final.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 20:29 UTC
Soccer-Tuchel laments Chelsea's bad luck after final loss
"I think today we were unlucky and we’ve never hidden that we need to have that to win at this level. "I think we defended well, counter-pressed well, didn’t allow counter-attacks by one of the best counter-attacking sides in Europe," he said. We have a chance from Mason (Mount), an offside goal that was very close. We were unlucky today," he concluded. The London club face Manchester City in the Champions League final on May 29 in Porto.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 20:23 UTC
A Gentle Giant
To us at The Edge Malaysia, Mike has been our long time contributor and a good friend. And if we're in Penang, the meet would consist of a good cup of kopi and great food. But the unforgettable memory for that particular trip was when he also had a site visit set and it couldn't be rescheduled. But my siblings and I do remember Mike appearing with a huge wreath that day. We will have a good meal & a drink to honour you & your life when all this madness slows down, Mike.
Source:The Edge Markets
May 15, 2021 14:48 UTC
Soccer-Zenlike Zidane 'only focusing on present' at Real Madrid
MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane exuded Zenlike calm about his future with the club on Saturday, saying that he is not focusing on the future although at some point he may feel the need to depart for the benefit of everyone. I'm here, we're playing tomorrow and next week but I don't know what happens after that because this is Real Madrid," Zidane told a news conference ahead of Sunday's trip to Athletic Bilbao. Zidane unexpectedly left the club in 2018 just after winning a third consecutive Champions League crown, only to return 10 months later. He also quit the club unexpectedly as a player in 2006 when he retired from the game. But the Frenchman said he had made those decisions in the best interests of the club and stressed that his commitment to Real Madrid had never wavered.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 14:15 UTC
Malaysians in favour of move to extend quarantine period for returnees from India to 21 days
PETALING JAYA: Many Malaysians were in favour of a move to extend the quarantine period to 21 days for those returning from India. Following the government's announcement that it was considering whether to extend the period from the normal 14 days to 21 days, many said authorities should not hesitate to do so as the measure could stunt the growing number of local cases. “Please quarantine for 21 days. The discovery affected all 92 adults and 40 children who were brought back from India on a special repatriation mission on May 12 who had to spend another week in quarantine instead of just 14 days. "The ministry will carry out an immediate risk evaluation to determine if the 14-day mandatory quarantine period of Malaysians arriving from India should be extended to 21 days," he said.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 10:52 UTC
Soccer-'Our turn to win' says Hansen, as Barca head for CL final with Chelsea
"It's never fun to lose a final, so on Sunday I'm going to do all I can, because it's our turn to win." The only thing missing is a Champions League crown. "We are a very good collective, good at holding on to the ball, great players technically with great game intelligence. But it will be fantastic to play in a Champions League final," she said. "My feeling at the moment is that we're good and we're ready and we're just looking forward to the final."
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 10:31 UTC
Budapest mayor launches bid to challenge Orban next year
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony on Saturday announced his bid to become the prime minister candidate for Hungary's six opposition parties which are trying to forge an alliance to take on Prime Minister Viktor Orban in national elections next year. I can declare that I will run for prime minister candidate in the opposition primaries," Karacsony said in a video on Facebook. Karacsony, as the candidate of a small green liberal party, unseated the Fidesz incumbent in municipal elections in 2019. He has said that the opposition cooperation in those elections could serve as a blueprint to unseat Orban. A survey by the pollster Median published earlier this week put support for Orban's ruling Fidesz party at 40% of all voters, while the joint opposition party list was backed by 36% of the electorate.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 08:48 UTC
My Say: Sustainable finance a lever for growth
To accelerate the transition, increased mobilisation of sustainable finance is needed to fund mitigation initiatives such as clean energy, energy efficiency and sustainable transport, and adaptation initiatives such as disaster management, infrastructure upgrade and sustainable land use. As markets advance in factoring ESG into risk-adjusted returns and more sustainable funds build competitive performance records, the lingering doubts about sustainable finance will diminish. ChallengesThe challenges in driving sustainable finance lie in having a clear direction and incentives to pivot from traditional investing strategies. Successful sustainable finance strategies will be those that are actionable. It is not just a matter of figuring out the right policies, but of identifying the right actions to make sustainable finance a lever for growth.
Source:The Edge Markets
May 15, 2021 04:24 UTC
China is relaxing its rules on household registrations
“My classmates don’t think much about the hukou [household registration] issue now when they are looking for jobs, because it is easy to settle down anywhere except in Beijing, and we mainly consider career prospects and personal interests,” Liao said. The household registration system has been blamed for dividing the population into two social groups – urban and rural residents – and restricting people’s mobility. “They do not have urban hukou or residency, and cannot enjoy basic public services that are available to their urban counterparts,” he said. While the household registration system may no longer be as restrictive as it was, it can still have significant bearing on individual families, especially those who want to become homeowners. More from South China Morning Post:For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 02:55 UTC
Venezuelan court seizes newspaper office in defamation case
CARACAS: A Venezuelan court on Friday seized the headquarters of the El Nacional newspaper, after it failed to pay a $13 million defamation award to top socialist party official Diosdado Cabello, both Cabello and the paper's leaders said. "This afternoon, the corresponding courts, in response to my lawsuit against El Nacional, have placed signage and notified of the seizure, and have initiated the process of paying the indemnization. Cabello wrote on his Twitter account. Jorge Makriniotis, El Nacional's manager, called the move "a new attack on democracy, freedom of expression, private property." "With this measure they will not break our critical editorial stance on the government," Makriniotis wrote on Twitter.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 02:03 UTC
Despite many differences, life is 'simple' for this cross-cultural family
Although being a cross-cultural family means adjusting to each other's differences, life is pretty "simple" for Jessica Ong, her husband Federico Michieletto and their two children, Giacomo, 7, and Francesco, 5. “Even though we’re a cross-cultural family, life is simple for us. During Christmas, he’s very particular about keeping the “Italian family tradition”. “We must eat at home with Italian food - turkey, panettone and wine, with nice table decorations," he says. Christmas is always celebrated at home with homemade Italian food - turkey, panettone and wine - with nice table decorations.
Source:The Star
May 15, 2021 02:00 UTC