No ban on goods vehicles during Hari Raya, says Transport Ministry
PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): Goods vehicles are allowed to travel on public roads during this Aidilfitri festive season, says the Transport Minister (MOT). "Due to a blanket ban on all interstate and inter-district travel nationwide from May 12 to June 7 to curb Covid-19 transmissions, the ministry will not implement any road ban on goods vehicles during the upcoming Aidilfitri festive season," it said in a statement on Tuesday (May 11). The MOT has implemented bans on goods vehicles from travelling on public roads during the yearly Hari Raya Aidilfitri season previously in a measure to reduce traffic congestion and raise road safety in anticipation of high volumes of road users returning to their hometowns for celebrations. MOT also reminded road users to stay updated on the latest information by the National Security Council (MKN) at https://www.mkn.gov.my/ or Telegram channel at https://t.me/MKNRasmi and comply with the standard operating procedures against Covid-19 wherever applicable.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 06:56 UTC
Sri Ram to defend himself against Rosmah’s bid to disqualify him as lead prosecutor
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The High Court was told that former Federal Court Judge Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram (pic) will represent himself against Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's application to disqualify him as the lead prosecutor in her corruption trial linked to the RM1.25bil solar hybrid project in Sarawak. "My Lord, Datuk Seri Sri Ram himself will lead the submissions because he said this affects him personally, so he will come and submit, that is my instruction," said the DPP. To this, counsel Datuk Jagjit Singh, who leads Rosmah's legal team stood up and objected to it, saying that there was no locus standi for Sri Ram to do so. "Sri Ram cannot argue on his own cause, although this is not a judge in his own cause, it affects him personally. Mohamad Mustafa further cited the case of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whereby Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah's appointment as a DPP was challenged and he (Muhammad Shafee) appeared himself to defend his appointment.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 06:33 UTC
Facebook, looking to curb misinformation, is starting to prompt users to read articles before sharing
LOS ANGELES: Facebook is hoping to cut the spread of misinfromation on its platform by prompting users to read a news story before they share it on the massive social platform. Starting May 10, Facebook said, it is testing “a way to promote more informed sharing of news articles. The move comes after Twitter made a similar change ahead of the 2020 US president election, asking users whether they wanted to read an article before they retweeted it. Twitter said it found the total number of people opening articles before retweeting them increased by 33% because of the prompt. Then President Trump gave a speech... calling on people to fight.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 06:00 UTC
China demographic crisis looms as population growth slips to lowest ever
"From the trend of population development in recent years, the population growth will continue to slow in the future," said Ning Jizhe, head of the National Bureau of Statistics, speaking after the release of the census results. "China's population will reach a peak in the future, but the specific time is still uncertain. Last year, China recorded 12 million births, Ning said, sharply down from 14.65 million in 2019. By 2020, local media reported that the cost had risen to as high as 1.99 million yuan - four times the 2005 number. "Secondly, the cost of raising a kid is outrageous (in Shanghai)," she said, in comments made before the 2020 census was published.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 05:48 UTC
Tennis-Change is coming to the rankings, it's inevitable, says Djokovic
(Reuters) -The recent success of younger players on the men's tour points to an "inevitable" shift at the top of the ATP rankings, said world number one Novak Djokovic. Djokovic, 33, told reporters at the Rome Masters on Monday that the results showed there was a generational shift underway. The change on the men's rankings, top of the rankings is coming. But I'm going to keep fighting for the things. I'm going to fight to try to play well there."
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 05:37 UTC
Tony Pua lauds 1MDB civil suits but asks why KPMG excluded
"Where is the 1MDB suit against its former auditor KPMG ?” said Pua, who is DAP's national publicity secretary. The US$1 billion included at least US$700 million that was siphoned to Jho Low's company, Good Star Ltd, he claimed. “The [KPMG] auditors were satisfied that the US$1 billion investment, which was converted into a [Islamic-compliant] murabaha loan, was sufficiently backed by a corporate guarantee from PSI. Since Deloitte Malaysia has settled the matter more than two months ago, 1MDB must commence the legal suit against KPMG immediately,” he said. Read also:Finance Ministry confirms 1MDB, SRC filed civil suits for a combined US$23b, as per The Edge reports1MDB and SRC file multibillion-dollar civil suits against those alleged to be responsible for fraud1MDB files multibillion-dollar suits against Deutsche Bank, Coutts, JP Morgan, Wong & Partners and othersNajib, Shahrol, Ismee and Ibrahim Ali among those named in 16 suits by SRC
Source:The Edge Markets
May 11, 2021 03:00 UTC
Time to do things differently or face the consequences
It is getting out of hand and if the Government does not do things differently, we may experience untold damage with disastrous repercussions. Many people have approached me to provide my views since I handled the SARS crisis in 2003. The current Health director-general, with due respect to him, needs to do more and be open to views from other stakeholders. > The economic sector should be allowed to continue but with very strict SOPs. > The rakyat must adhere to the strict SOPs and not be lackadaisical, as what is observed now.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 01:07 UTC
Big Smile, No Teeth: If we don’t vaccinate we’ll never be done with Covid-19
Five months into the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic and most countries have got vaccinations going full swing. Younger people don’t want to get vaccinated and Israel has turned to offering free beer and pizza to get them into vaccination booths. We’re looking at a new normal where some countries are not going to let you enter unless you’re vaccinated. That makes me think of a great line from the movie Magnolia: “You might be done with the past, but the past isn’t done with you.” And if we don’t vaccinate to get rid of Covid-19, Covid-19 isn’t going to be done with us. Big Smile, No Teeth columnist Jason Godfrey – who once was told to give the camera a ‘big smile, no teeth’ – has worked internationally for two decades in fashion and continues to work in dramas, documentaries, and lifestyle programming.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 01:02 UTC
Shop Safely, Wisely And Rewardingly This Raya
Interested shoppers can now enjoy the convenience of shopping at CapitaLand malls – all seven – within a digital space in the comfort of their homes and enjoy rewards offered by the malls. Here are five reasons how you can shop safely, wisely and rewardingly at CapitaLand malls:1. At The Mines till May 23, redeem raya e-deals like Cutiecle Nail Expert RM10 cash voucher with 2,000 STAR$ and Jefferson RM10 cash voucher with 2,000 STAR$. By paying for one delivery fee, your purchases are eligible for both Grab points and STAR$ exclusively via Malls by GrabMart at CapitaLand malls. Shoppers who have made purchases via Malls by GrabMart at CapitaLand malls would need to upload the participating stores’ receipts to the CapitaStar app.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 00:45 UTC
New ideas for education
We need an education system that will produce a new generation of students and graduates who value differences and possess questioning minds. TODAY, I would like to revisit our national education philosophy and propose some ideas and perspectives that might lead us to consider rewriting or changing the objectives altogether. The first is, of course, the idea of education that prepares children for this country and not for a global existence. I would like to propose two objectives as our nation’s education philosophy. I do think our national education philosophy has served its purpose well because it was constructed in a certain context of time and need – but I believe it has outgrown its purpose.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 00:45 UTC
We have no profits only heavy losses, say bazaar traders
KUALA LUMPUR: The abrupt order to close the Ramadan bazaar at Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman here has left a very bitter taste among traders. He revealed that traders were questioning the government’s decision to close the bazaar at such short notice. When contacted, Federal Hawkers and Petty Traders Association president Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman urged Kuala Lumpur City Hall to give a one-off aid to the traders. In Selangor, Persatuan Peniaga Kelana Jaya vice-president Nur Sharizain Ahmad said the 150 traders at the Kelana Jaya Ramadan bazaar accepted the state government’s decision to close Ramadan bazaars in the six districts affected by the movement control order. The Kelana Jaya bazaar traders, who started operations on April 13, had adopted risk mitigation measures such as not overstocking.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 00:33 UTC
Shop owners keeping a close eye on customers’ SOP compliance
Those who have their own shops said they would be imposing stricter SOP on customers. Among them is songkok maker Mohd Tajjuddin Yahya, 38, who will be keeping a close watch on his customers. “Tighter SOP will be put in place in the hypermarket to avoid being ordered to close and most importantly, to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission between customers and traders. Norashidah said she and other traders gave customers all kinds of discount on Sunday night to clear stock. Mubarak said he would keep a close eye on SOP compliance among his customers.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 00:32 UTC
Frequently asked questions (FAQ) on HIDE
A The seven days after your premises is listed on the HIDE list are crucial (Day 1 begins when your premises is listed on HIDE). These pre-emptive actions are best practices to prevent the spread of Covid-19Q How do I get my premises off the HIDE list? We will publish a daily list of premises that have been taken off the HIDE list. There is a possibility of a premises being listed on the HIDE list more than once, which is usually an indication that controls have been inadequate. For the publicQ What should I do with the HIDE list that is published daily?
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 00:22 UTC
Explaining violence in the news to kids
How do I talk to my children about shootings and all the other violent acts in the news lately? After any major act of violence that dominates the news, families struggle with what they should say to children to help them cope with the information. No matter what age or developmental stage children are, parents can start by asking what they’ve already heard. Older children, teens and young adults might ask more questions, and may request and benefit from additional information. Watch for trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, nightmares or other sleep disturbances.
Source:The Star
May 11, 2021 00:00 UTC
Stop blaming others for Hari Raya under MCO
THE day after tomorrow is Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the most joyous occasion after fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. As a journalist, I was frequently asked by my editors to get reactions and watch how Ramadan bazaars operate under the MCO. One thing is for sure: a lot of us have been letting our guard down and honestly, I think we should stop blaming others and start blaming ourselves. It is sad that most of us have to spend Hari Raya again this year without our loved ones. To all my Muslim friends out there, stay safe and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilifitri.
Source:The Star
May 10, 2021 23:51 UTC