We’re exhausted, so stay home and stay safe
FRONTLINERS who have been working tirelessly are now experiencing physical and mental exhaustion. I am thankful that my family members understand my work commitments and have prepared for not celebrating together this year. It has now come to a point where Malaysians have to help us frontliners by taking care of themselves and not taking the SOP lightly. For parents, make sure to keep your children indoors to prevent them from being exposed to the deadly virus. Do not be selfish and cross state borders without permits and forgoing other SOP like having social gatherings at this time.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 23:46 UTC
Hopefully, we can have our lives back next year
They live with me here and have not been able to see their father for over a year. They miss him dearly and are sad that he will not be here for Hari Raya for the second year running. It was not introduced to make their lives difficult but to protect all Malaysians. I understand the pain of being apart from loved ones, especially during the festive season, but if we do this right and continue following the SOPs, hopefully next year we can all have our lives back together. – Asst Supt Arba’ Ahtul Arnida Adam, 38., Johor police headquarters
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 23:37 UTC
‘Don’t let our sacrifices be a waste of our efforts’
However, in view of the rising cases of Covid-19, my colleagues and I have to cut short our leave and continue working. I am glad that all of us in the hospital work as a team, from doctors to nurses, medical assistants, health care assistants and right down to drivers, cleaners and others. The only way to reduce the risk is to adhere to the standard operating procedures strictly and have adequate personal protective equipment when treating Covid-19 patients. Frontliners have been working round the clock for more than a year, risking their lives, keeping their distance from their families, to treat patients. — Dr Tan Tze Yang, 27, medical practitioner at Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Baru and Johor Doctors Association secretary
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 23:37 UTC
Fighting monsters with a mask on
Some of these bad guys are monsters who sexually abused their own family members. As the Melaka CID chief, I need to ensure my team submit an airtight case on each abuse case involving children. Sometimes, I get emotionally upset when face to face with these monsters. And I only trust my face mask to give protection whenever I am interrogating the suspects as well as visiting the hospital to get the outcome of medical examinations. I am willing to face any risk of being on ground zero during the pandemic to make sure such monsters no longer harm their own.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 23:37 UTC
‘We don’t want to decide who lives and who dies’
However, my greatest fear is that I may have to choose who lives or who dies when there are more patients than beds. Currently, such a situation is not just at the Penang Hospital. I thought of my colleagues who were pregnant, breastfeeding and living with toddlers in the team fighting the virus, and hence,I volunteered. So as to protect them, I moved out and stayed away until the cases in Penang cleared last May. — Dr Shamesh Baskaran, 33, medical practitioner at Penang Hospital
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 23:37 UTC
Making health a higher priority
The last 16 months have been turbulent for Malaysia, with the Covid-19 pandemic and political instability affecting our public health, society and economy. Higher priorityThe first realisation is that health should be a higher priority for Malaysia’s national agenda. Here are other proofs: traditionally, health ministers are any party leaders who happen to have a health or science background. But it should be higher, and what Covid-19 has done is to elevate health higher as a priority. Public health is based on science and evidence, but it is also based on good political choices and good government.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 23:26 UTC
All aboard on compliance
KUALA LUMPUR: Random inspections will continue on users of public transport in the Klang Valley, whether on the MRT, LRT, BRT, monorail or buses, to ensure compliance to the protocols of the movement control order. No compound notices were issued but ACP Mohamad Zainal said his officers reprimanded several commuters for not wearing face masks properly. The paperwork of each of the 160 passengers who boarded the 10.30am northbound ETS from Gemas to Padang Besar was carefully scrutinised. “We ensure all passenger documentation is in order, other than ensuring they check in using MySejahtera and also measure their temperature. Ridership on KTM Komuter also declined by 60%, from 83,000 riders a day in 2019 to 33,000 last year.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 23:15 UTC
Dr Wee congratulates Rosida Ismail, first M'sian to work at ICAO
PETALING JAYA: Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong offered his congratulations to Rosida Ismail (pic), who is the first Malaysian to work at the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as an air transport officer. She is specialising in economic policy under the Air Transport Bureau at the organisation, which is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. “She was previously the senior manager of Aviation Development in the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) and had also served in the Transport Ministry. According to a news article accompanying the Facebook post, Rosida said the permanent position was offered to her on April 19, after she received an email and phone call from ICAO secretary-general Dr Fang Liu. She added that she will be tasked to redevelop policies and guidance materials for the economic regulations of air transport.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 14:21 UTC
Tennis-Nadal casts doubts over Olympic participation with wait-and-watch approach
"I don't know yet. Honestly I can't give you a clear answer because I don't know. I don't know my calendar," Nadal told a news conference at the Rome Masters. "Under these circumstances, I don't know. Tomorrow is going to be a tough start, one of the toughest possible against Sinner," Nadal said.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 14:16 UTC
German regulator bans Facebook from processing WhatsApp user data
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's lead data protection regulator for Facebook is banning the social network from processing personal data from WhatsApp users because it views the messaging app's new terms of use as illegal, it said on Tuesday. WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, said the action by the Hamburg data protection authority rested on a fundamental misunderstanding of the purpose and effect of its update and therefore had no legitimate basis. Since 2018, online privacy has been subject to a European Union rulebook, called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Caspar said he was using his power to impose a three-month freeze on Facebook's collection of WhatsApp user data under extraordinary powers foreseen in the GDPR. He said he would also seek an EU-wide ruling at the European Data Protection Board, a forum that groups regulators from the bloc's 27 member states.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 12:11 UTC
Hackers find easy prey as US ignores one warning after another
The assault on Colonial Pipeline Co last week was a particular affront. Colonial was hit on day 37 of a 60-day push by the Department of Homeland Security to confront such attacks. The administration’s campaign is the latest in a long series of cyber strategies offered by presidents and lawmakers from both parties to curb hackers. The Colonial pipeline was idled for the third consecutive day on Monday, as fuel suppliers increasingly worry about the possibility of gasoline and diesel shortages along the US East Coast. The result is uneven protection: Some companies, including major banks, have invested heavily in cybersecurity.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 11:00 UTC
Syed Md Najib steps down as Pos Malaysia group CEO
KUALA LUMPUR (May 11): Syed Md Najib Syed Md Noor is stepping down as Pos Malaysia Bhd's group chief executive officer (CEO) with effect from June 1, after serving the company for close to three years. Pos Malaysia, in a statement, said the company is now searching for a suitable replacement. Commenting on his journey with Pos Malaysia, Syed Najib said working at Pos Malaysia with its postmen and Pos Laju employees has been a humbling experience. "My sincere thanks to the board, management and everyone in Pos Malaysia for the incredible support while I was group chief executive officer," added Syed Najib. Pos Malaysia shares closed two sen or 2.29% lower at 85.5 sen apiece today, valuing the group at RM669.27 million.
Source:The Edge Markets
May 11, 2021 10:49 UTC
Time for change: Queen sets out UK Johnson's post-pandemic agenda
LONDON (May 11): British Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to tackle inequality and "level up" the country on Tuesday with a post-pandemic raft of laws presented by Queen Elizabeth to parliament. In the 18 months since Johnson's Conservatives were re-elected with a big parliamentary majority, his agenda has been eclipsed by the pandemic, which caught his government off guard and has absorbed many of its resources for making policy. Much of Tuesday's 'Queen's Speech' comprised policies and proposals already flagged, prompting the opposition Labour Party to challenge the government to turn its "rhetoric into reality". "This piecemeal approach won't deliver the fundamental change our country needs. Instead, we must today see meat on the bones of a proper, ambitious plan to deliver the change people across the country deserve."
Source:The Edge Markets
May 11, 2021 10:41 UTC
SOP for MCO available on NSC website, says Ismail Sabri
PUTRAJAYA: The National Security Council (NSC) technical meeting has detailed a uniform standard operating procedure to be implemented during the movement control order, says Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. Ismail Sabri also said that information on activities in the negative list is also available. “The information is available at the NSC website https://www.mkn.gov.my as well as websites of the respective ministries. “We have come up with SOPs that are to be used nationwide so as not to cause any confusion, ” he said on Tuesday (May 11). Ismail Sabri said that ministries have been directed to activate their hotlines to respond to queries by the public.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 10:18 UTC
Are Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck dating? Bennifer spotted on romantic getaway
Former Hollywood power couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck - famously known as Bennifer before they broke off their engagement in 2004 - appear to have rekindled their romance. An anonymous source told entertainment magazine People: "(Jennifer) spent several days with Ben out of town. One of the biggest celebrity couples at the time, Lopez, 51, and Affleck, 48, were engaged in 2002 and starred together in romance comedy Gigli (2003). Last month, Affleck spoke about Lopez when she appeared on the cover of InStyle magazine's May Beauty Issue. In a 2016 interview with People magazine, Lopez had opened up about their relationship: "I think different time different thing, who knows what could've happened, but there was a genuine love there."
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 09:00 UTC