POOR Covid-19 patients who are forced to be warded in private hospitals can receive financial assistance from the Health Ministry, says Khairy Jamaluddin. He said the ministry has a special relief fund for needy Covid-19 patients who have had to be treated at private hospitals due to the lack of beds in public hospitals. He gave assurance that negotiations on increasing outsourcing capabilities between the Health Ministry and private hospitals were ongoing. “RM40mil was allocated to 14 states; 38 public hospitals and 72 private hospitals are involved in the outsourcing approach,” he said. Delta has thrown out the herd immunity calculation and it is difficult to say when we can achieve herd immunity.

Since its launch, the LUMOS RAY projector has received hundreds of five-star reviews from many satisfied users on its website. Unlike traditional projectors, LUMOS RAY has smart features like its own Android operating system which makes it a plug and play device. Since its launch, the LUMOS RAY projector has received hundreds of five-star reviews from many satisfied users on its website. Pricing and availabilityThe LUMOS RAY projector is priced at RM599 while the higher end RAY Smart costs RM798 with one-year local warranty. The LUMOS RAY home cinema projector is available for purchase directly from the Lumos website (www.lumosprojector.my/ray).

PETALING JAYA: Eighth seed Addeen Idrakie (pic) may be ranked higher but he is not planning to ignore the threat from lower ranked Karim Elbarbary of Egypt in the Cincinnati Queens Open. The world number 112 Addeen faces the 19-year-old Elbarbary in the second round in the US. While the 27-year-old Addeen received a first round bye, the 173rd ranked Elbarbary came through the opening round on Wednesday after defeating Mark Broekman of England 11-8, 11-6, 11-6. Although they will be playing for the first time, Addeen says all the Egyptian players’ games are about the same. But I am more focused on my game plan and will not let other elements affect me,” said Addeen.

“A capital gains tax would not stop the capital outflows we have seen recently and the prospects of such a tax might make investors, especially foreign investors, wary of the Malaysian market. “Malaysia doesn’t have capital gains taxes at the moment and this is one of the few advantages it has over regional competitors. Williams concurred with this, adding that nothing has changed since then to make a windfall tax more appealing. He also said the proposed windfall tax will not raise “as much as people think.”“Apart from glove makers and Covid-19-related activities, there are not many excess-profit targets actually. Williams emphasised that tax reform, whether capital gains tax or the goods and services tax, should be put off until the economy has recovered.

PETALING JAYA: News about the extended opening hours for restaurants drew mixed reactions from the food and beverage (F&B) industry, with some ready to welcome late night customers while others in need of more time to prepare for the shift. “We welcome the extension as this allows more customers to have a meal even later in the night or after work. “From a business perspective, my team has been prepped since restaurant operating hours were gradually extended, from 8pm to 10pm and now, midnight. A quick check with a few five-star hotels in Kuala Lumpur revealed that their lounges are not ready to extend their business hours just yet. It’s mostly the business crowd that comes in for a meal and they don’t linger for drinks after that,” said a representative from Hilton Kuala Lumpur.

PETALING JAYA: Small and medium enterprise (SME) associations are calling for a clearer and more comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) in light of further relaxations for several business sectors. Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) treasurer Koong Lin Loong said a clearer SOP would minimise the possibility of misinterpretation among consumers, business operators, and the authorities. “The government should strive to come up with an SOP that is easily understood by all members of society,” he said. “Crafting an SOP that is easy to understand also increases the confidence of the public and business operators to go about their daily rounds,” he said. Both Koong and Kang also said a clear SOP would also enable a gradual return to normalcy for business operators and members of the public.

MELAKA: Tourism players in the historical city are excited about the impending reopening of doors to visitors but have called for a clear set of “dos and don’ts” first. Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Melaka Chapter chairman Goh Hock Gin said Tuesday’s announcement by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri to resume domestic tourism for Melaka, Pulau Tioman and Genting Highlands comes as a huge relief. Goh also voiced concern over SOP compliance by short-term rental providers in the state. Hotels have a standardised SOP and are able to manage any influx of guests accordingly,” he said, adding that tourism players should start preparing for the reopening. Jonker Walk management committee deputy chairman Datuk Gan Tian Loo said the iconic night market will not be reopened despite the travel bubble granted to Melaka.

27 Pang Ron-Yee See are looking forward to their baptism of fire in Vantaa, Finland, with an open mind. As the new kids on the block, the duo know that it would be hard to break the stronghold of the top 10 pairs in the world. The pairs to assume the main roles for their respective nations in the mixed team event are world No. They gave eventual champions Dechapol-Sapsiree a good fight before losing in the first round of the Thailand Open 1 before going on to stun world No. 8 Hafiz Faizal-Gloria Widjaja of Indonesia en route to the semi-finals of the Thailand Open II.

Christina Xie, who works in export in the bustling southern city of Shenzhen, fears Evergrande has swallowed her life savings. I worked day and night saving, now it's game over," said Xie, who was told that the wealth management product that she bought would yield 7.5% a year. "Evergrande is one of China's biggest real estate companies ... my consultant told me the product was guaranteed." ProtestsAngry homebuyers and retail investors launched protests in several cities in recent weeks — anathema to China's stability-obsessed ruling Communist Party. Meanwhile, roughly 40 billion yuan of the group's WMPs are outstanding, a sales manager at Evergrande Wealth told Reuters previously.

These foreign companies set up operations in Malaysia, most of them in Penang, with some starting as early as the 1970s. On one hand, the MNCs bring in more businesses for local equipment players when they develop the local supply chain. According to him, Inari had purchased more than RM2.5 billion worth of equipment from local companies over the last five years. “For local ATE companies, we need to move up the value chain from test assembly packaging equipment to include wafer fabrication equipment. “ATE companies design our own equipment and machines, whereas OSAT companies do not own any intellectual property.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): A total of 150 counsellors and psychologists have been involved in monitoring the mental health of students at all public universities in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic. Rohani had wanted to know the ministry’s measures to monitor students’ mental health and reduce their stress due to coursework, tight lecture time and strict assessment method during the pandemic. Ahmad Masrizal said 160 online stress management programmes and activities had been organised by public universities last year, along with two programmes organised by MOHE, with five more programmes lined-up for this year. MOHE has also organised similar programmes at polytechnics and community colleges nationwide and has planned 10 psychological programmes at the national level and 118 programmes at the institution level for this year, he added. - BernamaArticle type: free User access status:Join our Telegram channel to get our Evening Alerts and breaking news highlights

This does not only relate to headphones, but also to earbuds that you connect to your laptop or phone. The trouble with headphones is that they are capable of producing very loud sounds very close to your eardrums. The hair cells will translate these movements into electrical impulses that get transmitted to our brain via our eighth cranial nerve. Ultimately, with long-term exposure to long noises – and thus, strong vibrations – these hair cells will eventually lose their sensitivity to the vibrations. Earbuds and headphones are exposed to germs, especially when you do not keep them away properly, but just leave them lying around.

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 23): Petroliam Nasional Bhd's (Petronas) subsidiaries, such as Petronas Chemicals Group Bhd and Petronas Gas Bhd, are well positioned to begin investing in natural gas-to-hydrogen production, which could diversify their revenue stream, said AmInvestment Bank. It noted that recently Petronas signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tokyo-based ENEOS Corp to explore the production of low-carbon hydrogen by Petronas' petrochemical facilities and green hydrogen from renewable energy sources. The MoU also covers a technical-commercial joint study to develop a competitive clean hydrogen supply chain between Malaysia and Japan. The study, which will be eligible for funding from the Japanese government's Green Innovation Fund, includes hydrogen production, transportation in methylcyclohexane form and conversion from its original gaseous state into a liquid form to enable large volume deliveries. The investment bank said while blue and grey hydrogen costs the lowest at US$1.50-US$2.50 per kilogramme currently, green hydrogen will become more competitive over the coming decades.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): No Malaysians were adversely affected by the magnitude 6.0 earthquake which struck near Melbourne, Australia on Wednesday (Sept 22), saysConsul General of Malaysia in Melbourne Mazita Marzuki. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck near Melbourne on Wednesday, which is said to be one of the country's biggest quakes on record, causing damage to buildings in the country's second-largest city and sending tremors through neighbouring states. Commenting on the current situation in Melbourne, the Consul General said the current situation is under control with basic needs, infrastructures and necessities intact. "Property damage was reported in Mansfield and within Melbourne, with 46 reports of damage were recorded. For further information and updates, Malaysians are urged to contact the Consulate via email at mwmelbourne@kln.gov.my, through the landline at +613 95735400 or emergency line at: +61403 859 500 or the portal at www.kln.gov.my.

PORT DICKSON: Search and rescue teams have found the body of a 61-year-old man who is believed to have fallen off his boat while fishing at sea. Negri Sembilan/Melaka MMEA director Maritime Captain Haris Fadzillah Abdullah said the victim's remains were found in waters off Lukut. "Local fishermen found a body floating at sea early today and it is believed that it was the victim who was reported missing yesterday. Haris Fadzillah said the MMEA had received a report that the victim had gone out fishing alone early yesterday but failed to return. The victim's friend later claimed that he found an unmanned fishing boat in waters offLukut around 10am which was believed to have been used by him.