PETALING JAYA: Malaysians should show more empathy to people struggling with mental health issues and stop looking down on them, says MCA Beliawanis.Its chief Ivonne Low Yi Wen said the stigma faced by these sufferers made them feel ashamed to seek professional help. “The Covid-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the people’s mental health and the recent number of suicide deaths is worrying. “However, the pandemic is not the only reason for mental problems. Citing a study done by Malaysian think-tank The Centre, Low said more single women aged below 35 had experienced mental health issues during the pandemic. Low also advised those struggling with mental health to seek professional help instead of bottling up their problems.

"I would have given Sommer the MVP," Simon was quoted as saying by Spanish daily Marca after Spain booked a semi-final berth against either Belgium or Italy at Wembley on Tuesday. "I had a flashback when we conceded the goal because it was the same as the one we conceded here against Sweden three years ago," Sommer told UEFA's official website. Former Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas tweeted "The Outstanding Simon" and the country's former defender Gaizka Mendieta also heaped praise on the keeper. "Some great goalkeeping there from Unai Simon and this time Spain were a bit luckier than Switzerland," said Mendieta. It’s going to be a very tough game but for now let’s enjoy the fact that we made it through."

In a statement, BNM said it will also increase the allocation for the All Economic Sector (AES) Facility, which aims to enhance access to financing for SMEs, by RM2 billion to RM6.5 billion. The two enhancements were previously announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin under the PEMERKASA+ and PEMULIH packages respectively. Besides that, the TRRF and PENJANA Tourism Financing (PTF) facilities now also allows SMEs to utilise part of their financing proceeds to repay existing business loans. “The PTF aims to support SMEs in the tourism sector by preserving their capacity and assisting them to adjust and remain viable post pandemic,” said BNM. It said interested SMEs can directly apply for these facilities from participating financial institutions, and may refer to bnm.gov.my/covid19 or contact the Central Bank at bnm.my/LINK if there are any queries relating to the financing facilities.

At the facility, passengers travelling through KLIA will undergo Covid-19 screening tests. BP Clinical Lab Sdn Bhd - through its collaboration with Malaysia Airports - will be providing state-of-the-art Covid-19 screening facilities at KLIA which includes an onsite Covid-19 laboratory in the airport itself. Chief executive officer of BP Clinical Lab and executive director of BP Healthcare Garvy Beh said: "This collaboration is timely as the nation prepares to reopen its borders. BP Clinical Lab was appointed by Malaysia Airports to provide the services and facilities at KLIA after a stringent tender exercise. To date, BP Clinical Lab has conducted multi-million COVID-19 RT-PCR screening tests.

KUALA LUMPUR (July 2): RHB Bank Bhd does not expect the recently announced Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) to have a significant impact on Malaysia’s economy. “In my observations, these district-wise types of tightening measures are really not effective in the sense that it’s very difficult to police. It’s just more stringent and the SOPs (standard operating procedures) are going to be much more stringent,” said Jha. The bank maintains its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast at 5.4%, despite Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz saying the government will be revising the official economic growth forecast down from the current 6% to 7.5% range. Asked if exporters in Malaysia would be able to benefit from the weaker ringgit, Jha said that might not be the case.

Schizophrenia changed the path I had so carefully planned out and wanted to take. Looking back now, I was failing but didn’t know it. Besides, I had low energy, and I didn’t know how I could pull off working 9 to 5 in an office after graduation. I didn’t know what to do. But now I have a new doctor and I think I’m getting better.

KUALA LUMPUR: Homegrown e-wallet Boost is offering business solutions at zero cost to enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) shift from offline-to-online via the Go-eCommerce onboarding campaign. Boost said the initiative was to help the MSMes sustain their businesses via the campaign from July 1 to Dec 31. Additionally, Boost will also help MSMEs reach a new base of customers online and regenerate their income with the hopes of stimulating the local economy. GTV for payments done at online merchants alone grew by 40% in 2020. Users can earn this cash back by simply paying with Boost via the Boost DuitNow QR or the Boost Business Payment Link at any local merchants.

Older sibling Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, six, “Postal stamps were first introduced in Britain in 1860. Jayden Tan Li Sheng, 8“I love cars and motorcycles therefore I will design the stamps with vehicle pictures. I am excited when I receive postcards from them with the beautiful stamps," says Jayden Tan Li Sheng, eight. Sophie Yap Jyn Qing, 8Eight-year-old Sophie Yap Jyn Qing wants to design stamps with daisies, unicorns and rainbows. As for the unicorn and the rainbow, they are magical.”Claire Yap Jyn Wei, 6Younger sibling Claire Yap Jyn Wei, six, designed a stamp with the theme, ‘Flowers in My Garden’.

PETALING JAYA: Star Media Group Bhd (SMG) has been alerted to a scam site and Facebook advertisements illegally using the company’s images, templates and logo. The site has also posted a fake news item quoting former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as promoting “a new cryptocurrency auto-trading program called Bitcoin Loophole.”SMG, which publishes TheStar.com.my, advises our readers to ignore such posts and sites. The company has lodged a take-down request with Facebook and has lodged a police report on the matter.

(July 2): Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he’s still considering a vice-presidential run in the 2022 elections, again signaling his intention to stay in a top post after his term ends next year. Duterte said a vice presidential run would also help him retain political leverage. Duterte’s political party earlier urged him to seek the vice-presidency after his single term ends in 2022. Duterte also hit back at boxer-turned-Senator Manny Pacquiao, a possible presidential contender in 2022, who earlier criticized his government for alleged corruption. “When you are a champion in boxing, it does not mean to say that you are a champion in politics, so he is blabbering his mouth,” Duterte said of Pacquiao.

LOS ANGELES: Donald Trump may or may not be joining “Gettr”, a newly launched social app from the ex-president’s ex-spokesman. Miller confirmed his involvement with Gettr on Twitter, tweeting that the app’s “Official kickoff is 10am Sunday – Independence Day!! Another fake account on Gettr was @OfficialDTrump, which insisted in one post, “FOR THE RECORD: This is the OFFICIAL account of Donald J. Trump. This is the description of Gettr (presumably pronounced “getter”) on the Apple App Store: “Gettr is a non-bias social network for people all over the world. Last month, Facebook said Trump’s accounts on its platforms will be suspended until at least January 2023 and will only be reinstated “if conditions permit”.

KOTA KINABALU: A plan is being drawn up to gazette Aug 31 as Sabah Day, apart from just observing the date as Merdeka Day, says Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan. The Deputy Chief Minister said Sabah gained its independence on Aug 31, 1963, and it should be commemorated in the state. “Sabah Day, a day to commemorate Sabah’s independence, could be observed for the first time next year,” he said on Friday (July 2). “I have already prepared the Cabinet paper to gazette Sabah Day, which has been one of the main annual celebrations for my party, Sabah STAR,” said Jeffrey, who is the party president. Jeffrey said Sabah STAR has always celebrated Sabah Day and now wants all Sabahans to join in to commemorate this important day.

One could continue the joke and say chimneys are also too generous a metaphor. One should at this point ponder over what criteria there can be which can be used to disqualify merit as a key factor in employment. So, it is difficult to decide when some employment policy is faulty or when a specific employment is biased. What we should really be worrying about is whether the employer with clear purpose shuns merit as the criterion for employment. Petty territorialism is bound to set in; in other words, silos within silos start to form — the constant shrinkage that gradually creates the “chimneys” that Rafidah refers to.

KUALA LUMPUR (July 2): Oral submissions for former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s criminal breach of trust (CBT), corruption and money laundering trial is slated to resume on Aug 5, 2021 , according to his lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik. Hisyam told theedgemarkets.com that High Court Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah yesterday set Aug 5, 6, 9, 11, 13 and 24 for the prosecution and defence to make their oral submissions. Once the submissions are complete, Justice Sequerah will announce the date of his decision on whether Zahid will need to enter his defence against the CBT, corruption and money laundering charges, according to Hisyam. In legal context, the Latin phrase prima facie indicates a situation where there is enough evidence for a trial to proceed. The 47 charges comprise 27 for money laundering, eight for corruption and 12 for CBT.

SHANGHAI: Chinese chipmaker Loongson Technology is banking on its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai to beef up its research and production of advanced semiconductor technologies. Loongson’s plans dovetail with Chinese technology companies’ efforts to strengthen the security of supply chains and achieve self-sufficiency in crucial technologies. Loongson’s journey as a business started in 2001 with a research team under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The rest of the proceeds, expected to be around 1.2 billion yuan (RM771mil), might be used as liquid capital. Loongson’s 2020 revenue hit 1.08 billion yuan (RM694mil), a five-fold increase from 2018.