‘RM10k fines may lead to complications’
PETALING JAYA: The issuance of RM10,000 compounds for standard operating procedure (SOP) violations has perplexed many people. “I believe stringent action should be taken against repeat offenders. “For repeat offenders, the maximum amount could be imposed as per the Emergency Ordinance. But if they are repeat offenders, Dr Sundramoorthy said the penalty should be increased proportionately. Avran also argued that imposing the maximum fine, then allowing it to be reduced, may lead to more complications.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 23:26 UTC
Chronic loneliness high among disabled during Covid-19 pandemic
Nearly two-thirds of disabled people are experiencing chronic loneliness during lockdown, a new study in the United Kingdom has found. The number is even higher among young disabled people – 70%, according to research by UK disability charity Sense. Of the 1,011 disabled people surveyed between Jan 20-22 (2021), 37% said they were chronically lonely before the pandemic, rising to 54% for 16 to 24-year-olds. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of disabled people said they were now chronically lonely, after they described feeling lonely “always” or “often”. Sense chief executive Richard Kramer said: “Throughout the pandemic, the needs of disabled people have been overlooked and they have often felt forgotten.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 23:15 UTC
George Floyd's family receives $27 million settlement from Minneapolis over his death
(Reuters) - The city of Minneapolis on Friday agreed to pay $27 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of George Floyd over his death in police custody, a case that stirred national protests over racial injustice and police brutality. Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the Floyd family, said the agreement was the largest pre-trial settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit in U.S. history. Floyd's family was "pleased that this part of our tragic journey to justice for my brother George is resolved," his sister Bridgett Floyd said in a statement. "While our hearts are broken, we are comforted in knowing that even in death, George Floyd showed the world how to live," her statement said. "Every American remembers where they were when they first saw it," Frey said of the video showing Floyd's death.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 18:54 UTC
Blackmailed over nude videos and scammed within a week
BUTTERWORTH: A 24-year-old man who was blackmailed over nude videos on the Internet and conned in a phone scam in the space of a week is urging social media users to be extra careful. She introduced herself as a 25-year-old woman and began sending me nude videos of herself," said the man, who only wants to be known as Tan. Tan added that she then requested a nude video of his full body to see his private parts and said that he was initially reluctant but eventually obliged. Tan added that a list of his family members identified through his Facebook was included in the message. He said he has lodged police reports on both incidents and informed his family members about it.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 18:46 UTC
Maxis brings Spark Engage back with 'Innovate to Accelerate' forum
KUALA LUMPUR (March 12): Maxis Business' Spark Engage series is back with a Spark Engage Forum to inspire businesses through insights and real-life experiences of business leaders across different industries. Themed "Innovate to Accelerate", Maxis said in a statement that the event, to be launched on March 25, plans to address critical needs to innovate in today's competitive landscape, the role of technology and what it takes to drive business transformation for better efficiency and effectiveness. "We are thrilled to be organising our Spark Engage series for the third year running with continued success as a result of the tremendous response. To learn more and register now for the Spark Engage event, visit www.maxis.com.my/spark. Maxis shares closed five sen or 1.09% lower at RM4.53 today, giving the group a market capitalisation of RM35.44 billion.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 12, 2021 13:52 UTC
Tuchel says Pulisic part of his plans despite lack of game time
Pulisic has played 134 minutes and is yet to start a league game under Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard in late January and has led the London club on an unbeaten run of 11 games. "He is in my plans, he is an important player," Tuchel said before Saturday's trip to Leeds United. "There are big teams out there with big history, strong players, strong history. Defender Thiago Silva will miss Saturday's game following an injury and striker Tammy Abraham has been ruled out due to ankle pain. Chelsea are fourth with 50 points after 28 games, 15 points above 11th-placed Leeds, who have played a game fewer.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 12:37 UTC
Figure skating: Chen more anxious about travel than world championships
"I can't lie and say I'm not (anxious))," said Chen. "Number one (concern) is making sure everyone is being responsible about wearing their masks, social distancing, taking this seriously," said Chen. Due to the pandemic Chen has not competed much in the last year, skating in just two events. "I think that not having competitions is actually kind of a loss just because you learn so much at competitions," said the mop-topped skater who has a haircut on his to do list. "Not having competitions makes you kind of forget that sort of rhythm," he added.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 12:29 UTC
Irish foreign minister says UK guilty of 'perverse nationalism' over U.S. trade
LONDON (Reuters) - Ireland's foreign minister Simon Coveney said on Saturday that Britain was demonstrating "perverse nationalism" by seeking to reach a trade deal with the United States before the European Union and questioned whether it was a trustworthy partner. It's a perverse nationalism when actually Britain and the EU should work together as partners," he said in an interview with The Times newspaper. Coveney advocated Britain working with the EU and Canada to reach a joint trade deal with the United States, although the EU does not currently have plans for a major U.S. trade deal. Prime Minister Boris Johnson views the ability to strike trade deals as one of the main benefits of Brexit and sees a deal with the United States as a big potential prize. "My position and the government's position in terms of the grace period we've got for chilled meats at the moment is not that at the end of that grace period there is a cliff edge; it's that we use the grace period to get a permanent solution to ensure that those products can continue to flow," Lewis said.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 11:04 UTC
Disgruntled Paire hits out at 'ridiculous' ATP Tour after Chile exit
(Reuters) - Playing matches in empty stadiums and following strict COVID-19 protocols has made the ATP Tour "sad, boring and ridiculous", France's Benoit Paire said after he was knocked out of the Chile Open by Danish teenager Holger Vitus Nodskov Rune. Barring the swing in Australia in February, tournaments continue to be played in front of a handful of fans at most. The lack of spectators has affected players who thrive on a febrile atmosphere, while also impacting tournament finances. "The ATP circuit has become sad, boring and ridiculous," the 31-year-old, who last month criticised Australian Open organisers for their treatment of players during quarantine, wrote on Instagram. "Tennis (has) become a tasteless job...I need time to adapt to this pseudo ATP circuit but I will make the efforts to try to just rediscover the pleasure of playing tennis."
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 10:42 UTC
Starchild: Malaysian children enjoy eating healthy and nutritious food
Astrid Bek-Nielsen, 11, thinks it is important to eat clean and healthy food. Asher Wang Qi Chuen, 3 “It's important to eat healthy food because these foods have nutrients to keep my eyes, teeth, bones, nails and hair strong and healthy. "It is important to eat fruits regularly because they help the body protect against diseases. "It is important to eat fruits regularly because they help the body protect against diseases. “My teachers at school always ask us to eat healthy foods so we can grow up strong, ” writes Teng Ee Loyse, six.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 09:56 UTC
Bilibili: How a Chinese site dedicated to anime subculture grew up with its Gen Z users to become a mainstream success
His latest discovery was a scrappy anime streaming site named Bilibili. Once a niche platform reserved for anime nerds like Lin, Bilibili today has larger ambitions. Despite being known as a video site, Bilibili makes the most of its money from mobile games, which made up 40% of its revenue last year. She used to spend hours watching anime music videos and other anime, comics and games (ACG) content on the site. “In the past Bilibili [content] was unapologetically outspoken and diverse, with all sorts of bizarre subcultures – whether it was taboo relationships or even violence,” Guan said.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 09:45 UTC
Don’t punish whistleblowers, Khairy tells IGP
The Coordinating Minister for the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme said Abdul Hamid understood as he was “also a whistleblower”. “I don’t want to be seen interfering with the work of the police, nor can I. Khairy also said he has not revealed the identities of any whistleblowers who e-mailed him directly. "As far as police reports are concerned, due process follows but I have asked IGP not to punish whistleblowers, ” he said in another tweet. On Feb 28, he said whistleblowers could e-mail him anonymously at kj@mosti.gov.my to report on vaccine queue jumpers.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 08:58 UTC
Taking to the streets to sell coffee the Aussie way
Wan Mohd Naim Wan Mohd Ghazi, 35, said the idea of selling cups of coffee on the streets from a van came about after he was laid off in June last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “I was inspired by my vacation in Australia in 2013 where the street concept was popular, ” he said when met by reporters at his Van’s Street Coffee business in Jalan Bayam. Wan Mohd Naim invested about RM20,000 to start the business including buying a coffee-making machine and other equipment. “For this Chinese New Year celebration, I introduced ‘Coffee Orange’s Street’ and ‘Oranged Street’, ” said Wan Mohd Naim, who employs two assistants. “Van’s Street Coffee allows coffee lovers to enjoy high-quality brews that are on par with those sold at cafes.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 08:40 UTC
Everton's Calvert-Lewin learning to feed off the criticism
(Reuters) - Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is on course for his best ever season in the Premier League and the 23-year-old said proving his critics wrong has been a big motivation. Calvert-Lewin is on 13 league goals, matching his output from the previous season, with 11 games left. "It does motivate me to prove people wrong, even to this day," Calvert-Lewin, who joined Everton in 2016 from Sheffield United, told Sky Sports. "No matter how good you are, or what level you get to, there's always going to be people that don't think you are very good or have their opinion to say. "For me, when I don't score goals, it's about affecting games like I have been doing more often than not ...
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 07:56 UTC
AI meets real friendship: US college students are bonding with robots
Billy and other “chatbots” were launched at California State University campuses in 2019 to help students stay on track to graduate. “And the bot, of course, has no judgment.”If the bots don’t understand or don’t know the answer, they forward the message to a human being. Ekhobot became an empathetic friend, available at all hours to answer students’ questions, let them vent or cheer them on. “The students don’t tell their professors – they tell the bot,” Hughes said. As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have questions – and if I don’t know, I’ll get my humans to help.” Heart heart heart.
Source:The Star
March 12, 2021 07:52 UTC