Athletics-World champion Coleman's ban reduced but still misses Olympics
(Reuters) -World 100 metres champion Christian Coleman had his two-year ban for breaching anti-doping whereabouts rules reduced to 18 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Friday but will still be ineligible for the Tokyo Olympics. The sprinter had been handed a two-year suspension by an independent tribunal of track and field's Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in October last year. Three failures in a 12-month period to be at a location provided to anti-doping officials is considered a doping violation. He said he would now focus on next year's world championships, which will be staged in the United States for the first time. Coleman also narrowly escaped a ban in 2019 for whereabouts failures.
Source:The Star
April 16, 2021 07:41 UTC
MCMC to take action against viral Raya-themed gambling ad
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has reached out to various social media companies with requests to remove a Raya-themed advertisement made by a gambling website from their platforms. MCMC in a statement on April 16 said gambling activities and online gambling promotions are subjected to Common Gaming Houses Act 1953 which is under the jurisdiction of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM). “Content production is subject to the Communications and Multimedia Content Code to be complied with by those involved with the production and distribution of content. Social media users are also urged to report content with offensive material such as promoting online gambling directly to the authorities instead of sharing the content. “The act of disseminating the content will only directly help the parties involved in spreading their message to promote online gambling which can be detrimental to Malaysian society,” MCMC said.
Source:The Star
April 16, 2021 05:48 UTC
New Zealand's Willis, Adams eye medals at fifth Olympics
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Middle distance runner Nick Willis will become the first male New Zealander to compete on the track at five Olympics after being named in the country's athletics team for the Tokyo Games on Friday. The 37-year-old won bronze in the 1,500 metres at the Rio Games in 2016, eight years after taking silver in Beijing. He is joined in the 15-member squad by shot putter Valerie Adams, who will join former sailing gold medallist Barbara Kendall as the only two New Zealand women to compete at five Olympics. Men's shot putter Tom Walsh will also head to Tokyo after clinching the bronze at Rio. Athletics is one of the country’s most successful Olympic sports, with the team claiming four medals at Rio.
Source:The Star
April 16, 2021 03:44 UTC
Armed with phones and seeds, jobless Kenyans tackle illegal logging
KWALE, Kenya: Standing under a thick green canopy in coastal Kenya’s Shim Hills, Mohamed Mwaramuno squints at his fellow forest ranger’s smartphone. Patrick Kilelu, a forest protection officer in Kwale, said the system is helping to ease the environmental and economic damage of Covid-19. “The pandemic had a very negative impact on conservation efforts, on social life and economic well-being,” he said. Tech potentialNasiri Maulidi, chairman of a local forest restoration group in Kwale County, said the project is also helping tackle unemployment in the villages. When he heard in October that the KFS was recruiting locals for a forest restoration project, he enlisted right away.
Source:The Star
April 16, 2021 02:01 UTC
Ramadan is a time of togetherness for this family
Seven-year-old Gabriel Zambri is excited because it is the Ramadan month. The couple have been teaching their children about journaling and this Ramadan, the young ones will continue to journal their feelings, goals and dreams. Family bondFor the young family, Ramadan is also a time of family togetherness. Photo: Deelaila RamziLike most Muslim families, they have a few special Ramadan traditions to look forward to every year. Photo: Deelaila RamziBecause of the pandemic, Zambri, Deelaila and their children aren’t able to spend Ramadan with their loved ones who live in Kuala Lumpur.
Source:The Star
April 16, 2021 01:52 UTC
Breaking fast with city views
Those looking for a memorable spot to break fast during Ramadan can head over to Trace Restaurant and Bar on the 40th floor of Element Kuala Lumpur. Going by the theme “Desa Vibes”, the chef has incorporated kampung dishes such as nasi dagang, which is a popular staple in his hometown of Terengganu. My grandmother would incorporate suhun which is a type of transparent noodles in her nasi dagang. “This nasi dagang dish takes a lengthy process to prepare and is ideally eaten with fish curry. TRACE Restaurant and Bar, Element By Westin, Element Kuala Lumpur, Ilham Tower, No.8, Jalan Binjai, Kuala Lumpur.
Source:The Star
April 16, 2021 00:11 UTC
Support for restful sleep
HOME-GROWN natural latex mattress brand Getha has launched three radiation protection mattresses at a week-long roadshow in Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur. The event themed “Time to wake up” is being held at the mall’s Centre Court until April 18, showcasing the Getha Compass Collection, namely Compass Star, Compass Green and Compass Gold 100. All Getha mattresses consist of 100% natural latex that conform to the natural curves of the body, giving the best support and comfort for sleep. “When you sleep comfortably, the possibility of achieving deep sleep is higher and your body’s restoration process will happen more quickly to grow muscle, repair tissue and synthesise hormones, ” she said. Tan highlighted her current favourite bedding product — the 100% multilayer natural latex mattress Compass Gold 100 — which comes with a complimentary Biocare Silk Duvet.
Source:The Star
April 16, 2021 00:09 UTC
Man kills his lover who is a mother of two young boys
IPOH: Two young boys who saw their mother being stabbed ran to a neighbour’s house to seek help. “They came to my house and told me that ‘uncle’ is stabbing their mother. She claimed that she saw a woman lying still on the floor with a man nearby. He said the police had yet to determine whether the wounds on the man were self-inflicted or were caused by someone else. “The man has been harassing the victim and was arrested by the police earlier in March for trespassing into her house.
Source:The Star
April 16, 2021 00:00 UTC
Man wrecks mum’s home to get half share
“What I want is half of what the house sells for... HK$3mil (RM1.59mil). > A fan of Taiwanese rock band Mayday got a second chance at owning a signed guitar after his first one was stolen, Sin Chew Daily reported. Monster then signed the guitar with a gold sharpie. Photos of the guitar were posted online and captured the attention of Monster’s fans. Mayday debuted in 1999 and continues to be one of the best-selling rock bands in the Chinese-speaking world.
Source:The Star
April 15, 2021 23:37 UTC
‘Get second phase up and running’
PETALING JAYA: Various parties are gearing up for the launch of the second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme on April 19, though much remains to be done to hit the ground running. Under the second phase, the elderly, chronically ill and people with disabilities are prioritised for vaccination. As such, the government said that economic frontliners as well as people in phase three may be bumped up the vaccine queue. However, while authorities, care facilities and private hospitals are raring to get the second phase kick-started, there will be great challenges as the country rolls out the second phase which is expected to end in August. He said, however, that registrations were still relatively slow among private hospitals in the states outside the Klang Valley.
Source:The Star
April 15, 2021 23:28 UTC
Two Malaysians headed to Harvard College
Jarell Cheong Tze Wen and Muhammad Hamdi Ahmad Hakimi have been accepted into Harvard College in Massachusetts, whose 3.43% admission rate was at its lowest this year. Harvard College is the undergraduate school of Harvard University. “I was numb and my jaw dropped when I read the acceptance letter from Harvard College. Harvard College alumni Wan Nadiah Wan Mohd Abdullah Yaakob, who was one of the two alumni interviewers, said three Malaysian students were shortlisted for an interview from which only Cheong and Muhammad Hamdi were accepted. As for Muhammad Hamdi, she said: “He is wise for someone his age and because of all that he’s been through in life, he thinks deeply about things.”Both of them will leave for Harvard College in August.
Source:The Star
April 15, 2021 23:26 UTC
Served well by old faithful
GEORGE TOWN: There isn’t an inheritance more precious for Penang songkok maker Haja Mohideen Mohd Shariff than the sewing machine he received from his father. It had served his father many years after he opened Kedai Songkok OSM Mohd Shariff in King Street in 1936. Haja Mohideen can be seen working tirelessly with the black sewing machine every day. Haja Mohideen, third in a family of seven children, said his father passed down the skills only to him. “This year, the demand is high, unlike last year when people were under a strict movement control order, ” said Haja Mohideen.
Source:The Star
April 15, 2021 23:26 UTC
Bitcoin tumbles after Turkey bans crypto payments citing risks
ANKARA (Reuters) -Bitcoin tumbled more than 4% on Friday after Turkey's central bank banned the use of cryptocurrencies and crypto assets for purchases citing possible "irreparable" damage and transaction risks. The decision could stall Turkey's crypto market, which has gained momentum in recent months as investors joined the global rally in bitcoin, seeking to hedge against lira depreciation and inflation that topped 16% last month. Bitcoin was down 4.6% at $60,333 at 1117 GMT after the ban, which was criticised by Turkey's main opposition party. In a statement, the central bank said crypto assets were "neither subject to any regulation and supervision mechanisms nor a central regulatory authority", among other security risks. Last week, Turkish authorities demanded user information from crypto trading platforms.
Source:The Star
April 15, 2021 23:16 UTC
Malaysian artist's fiery artwork used for 'Time' magazine cover on climate change
Malaysian contemporary artist Red Hong Yi has created a stunning installation work that has made the cover of the latest issue of Time magazine (April 26). For this artful commission, Red Hong Yi (known as Red) practically turned in a fiery conversation surrounding global climate change. The artwork features a 2.3m x 3m world map brought into topographic focus by 50,000 green-tipped matchsticks. Layers of fire retardant paint were also sprayed both on the front and back of the "world map" board to control the flames, while a fire truck was on-site. “The motivation behind it came from the urgency of having to tackle (climate change) together, ” adds Red in a recent Time interview.
Source:The Star
April 15, 2021 21:45 UTC
Amazon tells Indian court: Reuters story is no reason to resume antitrust probe
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc told an Indian court on Thursday a Reuters special report into the e-commerce giant's business practices should not be considered as evidence, as India's competition watchdog sought to lift an injunction on an anti-trust probe. The CCI also submitted media clippings, including the Reuters story, as part of its submission to the court. The CCI read "the Reuters article like gospel from top to bottom to say this merits investigation. Newspaper articles are treated as secondary hearsay, not even primary hearsay," Subramanium told the High Court in Karnataka. In the Reuters special report, Amazon said it was confident that it was in compliance with Indian law, adding that it "does not give preferential treatment to any seller on its marketplace," and treats all sellers in a "fair, transparent, and non-discriminatory manner."
Source:The Star
April 15, 2021 16:49 UTC