KUALA LUMPUR: Shares in Opcom Holdings Bhd continued its uptrend in early trade Wednesday, rising to its highest in over six years. The fibre optic cables manufacturer jumped 10.81%, or 12 sen to RM1.23, its highest since April 2015 at 9.21am. The counter also saw brisk trading with 37.7 million shares done. Opcom returned to the black in the first quarter ended June 30, with a net profit of RM2.64mil against a net loss of RM752,000 a year ago. Revenue for the quarter jumped 192.95% to RM22.93mil against RM7.83mil in the same period a year earlier.

The Health Director General said that all parties should refer to and adopt the ventilation system guides suggested by the Health Ministry, Human Resource Ministry and the World Health Organization. He added that there are generally three types of ventilation systems namely natural ventilation, air cooling system without mechanical ventilation and air cooling system with mechanical ventilation (MVAC). "Apart from that, upgrade the air filter in the existing air intake unit to at least MERV-14 as well as using air purifiers with HEPA technology," said Dr Noor Hisham. He then said that for the government's Indoor Air Ventilation and Quality Guidance Manual for Residential/ Non-Residential/ Public Area Settings During the Covid-19 Pandemic, one can refer to https://www. Dr Noor Hisham also said that the WHO Roadmap to Improve And Ensure Good Indoor Ventilation in The Context of Covid-19, March 2021 is at https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240021280.

A new Telegram update has been released. Telegram Chat Themes are being introduced and they bring "coordination and decoration" together. If both you and your chat partner have the chat open, the animations and vibrations play simultaneously on your devices. Notably, your chat partner will only see the effects if they are using the latest version of Telegram. The new Telegram update also includes a big change for groups.

(Sept 23): Cathie Wood would sell Tesla Inc. if its price hit her five-year target in the coming year. The electric-vehicle maker’s stock is now roughly US$750 and her base price target in five years is US$3,000, she said. At the session, she debated veteran investor Rob Arnott, who has been skeptical of high valuation growth stocks like Tesla. Arnott, the chairman of Research Affiliates, asked Wood how investment managers should decide when to get out of positions. It’s been a dramatic year for Wood after her firm’s exchange-traded funds beat most of the U.S. market last year.

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s Covid-19 death toll has reached 24,565 after the Health Ministry reported 487 more coronavirus deaths on Wednesday (Sept 22). Of the reported deaths on Wednesday, 161 were fatalities classified as “brought-in-dead” (BID) cases, bringing the total of BID cases in the country up to 4,809. Based on the latest graphs on the ministry’s CovidNow website, the country’s death cases are still on a declining trend. Out of the 487 reported deaths on Wednesday, 222 of them were Klang Valley cases. On Wednesday, Malaysia reported 14,985 new Covid-19 cases and 19,702 recoveries and recoveries have outnumbered new cases for six days in a row.

ALOR GAJAH (Bernama): The police have arrested a Nepalese woman for allegedly concealing the birth of her baby, who was found dead at a hostel for foreign workers of a factory here. Alor Gajah district police chief Supt Arshad Abu said police went to the scene following a report lodged by one of the factory workers at 9.10 am on Wednesday (Sept 22). Supt Arshad said in a statement on Thursday (Sept 23) that the 28-year-old woman had requested to be sent to a clinic at about 1.30 am last Monday (Sept 20). "Suspecting the woman had a miscarriage, the clinic referred her to the Alor Gajah Hospital which then transferred her to Melaka Hospital,” he said, adding that police arrested the woman at about noon yesterday. He said the police were now looking for the woman’s boyfriend, believed to be a Nepalese, to assist with the investigations.

RECENTLY, I was scolded by my lecturer for not getting vaccinated against Covid-19. Besides hurling harsh words at me, he also sarcastically wished me all the best for being the only unvaccinated person in my class. This happened when students were asked to show proof that they were fully vaccinated before their return to campus for face-to-face classes. The Higher Education Ministry recently announced that colleges and universities could resume classes from Oct 15 but only for students and staff who are fully vaccinated. I know there are individuals who are totally against getting vaccinated, but there are also others who have phobias about the immunisation process.

The contrasting High Court decisions pertaining to Section 13 of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) illustrate this point well. Despite the two opposing counsels adopting a common stand, the High Court judge was not to be moved. Much as we applaud the decision of High Court Judge Akhtar Tahir, who ruled that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers are entitled to citizenship by operation of law, another High Court judge may decide differently. If then Attorney General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas had appealed against Justice Nazlan’s decision, a higher court – Court of Appeal – would have decided on the matter. That decision would have been binding unless appealed against to the Federal Court whose decision would be the final binding decision on the matter.

Since then, governments across the world have depended on public health data in formulating policies to protect their populations. In that time, humans made great strides in the realm of data analysis, vaccine development and bridging the gap between governments and the people. According to Unicef, schools for more than 168 million children globally have been shut for more than a year, leading to profound effects on their academic and social development. Will they ever lead a normal childhood, let alone a normal life? Guidelines must be enforced at all levels of society to ensure that a truly new normal way of living is adopted.

Opcom Holdings Bhd, which manufactures fibre optic cables, saw its shares hit limit up, rising 29.5 sen or 36.2% to a multi-year high of RM1.11. It was the seventh most active counter on Bursa Malaysia with 95.92 million shares — or 41.6% of its share base of 230.59 million shares — traded. Trading volume surged three times its six-month average to 17.96 million shares. Another telecoms tower builder Rohas Tecnic Bhd closed up four sen or 13.33% at 34 sen, after touching 34.5 sen earlier. Some 17.33 million shares, or 11 times its six-month average, changed hands.

A proposal to evaluate the mental state of prospective candidates seeking to join the police force will be taken into consideration, says Jonathan Yasin. Ramli had asked whether prior mental evaluation was conducted for those applying to join the police force. “As far as I know, in my 34 years in the police force, no prior mental evaluation is carried out on candidates. Earlier, Jonathan told lawmakers that a study was carried out in 2019 related to mental health of police personnel. He said the study was used as a reference to draft preventive measures including improving existing standard operating procedure to deal with mental health issues affecting police personnel.

PETALING JAYA: Favelle Favco Bhd ’s net profit jumped by almost 79% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the second quarter ended June 30, 2021, driven by stronger sales. The construction crane manufacturer said it posted a net profit of RM13.55mil as compared to RM7.57mil in the previous corresponding quarter. Cumulatively, for the first half of financial year 2021 (H1), net profit improved by 30.28% y-o-y to RM25.37mil from RM19.48mil a year earlier. “With the global economic slowdown for the year 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the slow order intake of 2020 will be felt in 2021. “Even though we expect the order intake will improve in 2021, the overall situation is expected to remain challenging.

PETALING JAYA: In efforts to promote reading and alternative methods of learning, UOA Group (UOA) has contributed RM90,000 worth of Kuntum magazines and The Star Digital Access for students in the Klang Valley. The remaining RM30,000 will be utilised to provide secondary schools students with The Star Digital Access, a paid digital membership for full access to all articles on TheStar.com.my and its app. This was received by SMG chief executive officer Alex Yeow and chief revenue officer Lydia Wang. With the sponsorship, Chan said UOA hoped to provide primary and secondary school students with the educational resources to enhance their learning experience that extends beyond the classroom. “We appreciate SMG’s efforts on the meaningful cause as we recognise the importance of educational programmes for children and youths,” she said.

PETALING JAYA: Negri Sembilan, Pahang and Johor will move on to the next phases of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) effective tomorrow, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (pic). He said the Special Committee on Pandemic Management agreed yesterday that Johor would move from Phase One to Phase Two while Negri Sembilan would go from Phase Three to Phase Four. Ismail Sabri added that grocery stores, mini markets, restaurants, petrol stations and convenience stores would be allowed to operate from 6am to midnight from today. “The government hopes the easing of these restrictions will be fully utilised by the people with full discipline and a sense of responsibility. Adhere to every SOP, wear a face mask, practise physical distancing, and always maintain personal hygiene and safety,” Ismail Sabri said.

Hishammuddin said he planned to make a short working visit to China soon to discuss the matter. China immediately denounced Aukus when its foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian described it as a Western allies partnership which “seriously undermines regional peace and stability as well as intensifying arms race”. Hishammuddin also said he had expressed Malaysia’s position and concern to his Australian counterpart Peter Dutton during a phone conversation two days ago. “And I have conveyed Malaysia’s stance as stated by our Prime Minister, which is, the newly established trilateral security pact between Australia, UK and US had created some concerns. “This is because it has the potential to disrupt security and stability in South-East Asia region.