MARANG: The widespread misinformation on Covid-19 vaccines made Maimun Abu Bakar really afraid of getting vaccinated, leading her to skip her vaccination appointment early last month. However, the 78-year-old woman’s perception changed after three of her five children who had completed both doses did not experience any severe side effects. Not wanting to miss this second chance, she decided to get herself vaccinated and agreed to receive her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The wheelchair-bound Maimun, who also has diabetes and had a hearing problem since last year, was thankful that the vaccination process that took less than 30 minutes went smoothly. Mohd Kamal said so far, two PPV had been opened in Marang, namely at Dewan Utama Majlis Daerah Marang dan Dewan Sivik Bukit Payong.

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 1,612,974 individuals have received both doses of their Covid-19 vaccine jabs as of Sunday. In a Twitter post, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said 4,202,601 individuals or 12.9% of the population in the country had received their first dose, which brings the total number of doses administered so far to 5,815,575. Selangor has the highest number of recipients who have completed both doses at 208,031 people, followed by Sarawak (186,008), Johor (167,469), Perak (150,000) and Kuala Lumpur (141,094). On the daily vaccinations under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme, Dr Adham said a total of 140,573 doses were administered on Sunday, involving 116,514 first-dose recipients and 24,059 second-dose recipients. Based on the daily report on www.vaksincovid.gov.my, a total of 15,426,982 vaccine registrations were also recorded as of Sunday.

I informed my boss that I’ll be taking two days leave to get my shot,” he said at Bukit Jalil Stadium mega vaccination centre (PPV), which began operations yesterday. Khairy visited the mega PPV in the Klang Valley to monitor its first day of operations. With the opening of the mega PPV at Bukit Jalil Stadium, the National Sport Complex in Bukit Jalil, the goal looks to be within reach. At the same time, the government was also looking to open smaller scale mega PPVs, known as Tier 2 mega PPVs, that would cater to 3,000 and 5,000 recipients. Khairy also clarified that the mega PPV at Bukit Jalil could not be opened earlier because the government did not have the supply.

Knowing that this public university had recently achieved new heights in world rankings, I gave it a try. Lo and behold, the quality of its lecturers is astonishing – not in a good way. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s Labour Force Survey Report 2020, Malaysia’s skills-related underemployment has grown from 27.2% in 2010 to 38% in 2020. Underemployment is defined as a person accepting a job that he or she is overqualified for. If an institution sometimes dubbed the crown jewel of Malaysia’s tertiary education has questionable education quality, what about the rest?

As soon as it was released, the video had gone viral, causing a stir among women and a great number of men nationwide. In her video, Prof Dr Muhaya had made three main statements:“As women we must always appreciate men as they are leaders. To say women shouldn’t be doing what men do, shouldn’t be ambitious or independent indicates that the Professor herself doesn’t reflect what she is preaching. To give a specific reason as to why women are not married, and in that tone, is simply showing narrow- mindedness. Prof Dr Muhaya plays a pivotal role in our society.

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs' rules, which were released in a government statement, come amid complaints by brick-and-mortar retailers that foreign e-commerce players bypass Indian laws by using complex business structures. The changes could impact business structures used by Flipkart and Amazon in the fast growing Indian e-commerce market, industry sources and lawyers said. Foreign e-commerce players must not make direct sales to consumers, and can only operate a marketplace for sellers. Amazon and Flipkart are also regulated under India's foreign investment rules for e-commerce, and it was not clear if the proposed consumer ministry rules will supersede them or not. Amazon and Flipkart are separately locked in a court battle with federal antitrust watchdog to stall an investigation into their business practices.

Honda, through the startup Ashirase, Inc, is developing a new kind of GPS navigation system that would create vibrations at the level of the feet and toes to guide the wearer along a precise route and reach their destination without any hitches. It is precisely pedestrians that Honda is now addressing with a very original GPS navigation system. Through the creation of Ashirase, Inc, the first startup of its Ignition new business creation program, the Japanese manufacturer has revealed that a navigation system implanted in shoes is in development. “An accident suffered by one of my family members motivated me to take action to realize safer and more free mobility for visually impaired people. The navigation system could be commercially available by the first quarter of 2023.

KUALA LUMPUR (June 21): Nine individuals aged between 23 and 62 were arrested on Saturday (June 19) on suspicion of being involved in investment scam schemes involving losses amounting to nearly RM1.9 million around Kedah, Kuala Lumpur and Johor. Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said all the local suspects were detained under Ops Nuri on suspicion of being involved in bogus investment schemes – the Banker Capital Investment Scheme (BKC) and Wow Exchange OU Investment Scheme. Mohd Kamarudin said the Wow Exchance OU scheme was a cryptocurrency-based investment scheme, whereby the syndicate promoted a cryptocurrency platform and e-wallet called WOWX token. He said the bogus investment schemes, which are advertised via social media such as on Facebook, YouTube, WeChat, WhatsApp, proved attractive as they promised high profits, as well as affordable investment packages, more so when many affected economically due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Mohd Kamarudin advised the public to check with relevant government agencies regarding the status of investment schemes and companies offering these investments by verifying the account and telephone numbers on http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Walmart's Flipkart sees nothing wrong in offering to cut charges for sellers on its platform if they lower product prices, its lawyer told an Indian court on Monday, drawing protest from a retailer group challenging the practice. Flipkart and Amazon are in a court battle against the Competition Commission of India's (CCI) bid to restart an investigation into their business practices, after a judge in early June dismissed the companies' pleas. Both Flipkart and Amazon have for years battled accusations from brick-and-mortar Indian retailers that they bypass the foreign investment law by favouring some sellers and influencing prices of products, which are prohibited. India's foreign investment law for e-commerce says "entities providing (a) marketplace will not directly or indirectly influence the sale price of goods or services". Amazon has said it "does not give preferential treatment to any seller" and prices are only decided by sellers.

PUTRAJAYA: Nearly 70% of Covid-19 infections recorded in the country this year are sporadic cases, with almost half of them detected in the Klang Valley alone, says Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. The Health director-general said from Jan 1 to June 19, the country recorded 578,105 Covid-19 cases, of which 398,846 (69%) are sporadic cases. “There are 151,725 (38%) sporadic cases recorded in Selangor and 44,517 in Kuala Lumpur (11.2%). “Sporadic cases mean cases that have been detected in the community, and cannot be linked to any existing clusters. “The Klang Valley is an area with high density population, and the people there are not only exposed to sporadic cases in the community, but also asymptomatic cases.

Unflattering details spilt out, including a report that Larson, the mastermind behind Cascade Investment, had allegedly harassed and bullied some employees. Part of Larson’s job was to help Bill Gates uphold his image as a wonky billionaire devoted to fixing the world’s challenges, rather than make bold moves that could draw scrutiny. “The price some of these guys are willing to pay to stay out of the news is high,” said Tayyab Mohamed, co-founder of family office recruiting firm Agreus Group. Larson, often clad in a pink shirt, shies from the limelight and rarely attends conferences for family office professionals. “When people find out that Cascade has made an investment in something, that’s not Bill Gates,” he said in the Fortune interview.

PETALING JAYA: Members of the public, including relevant stakeholders, have been invited by the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) to participate in a public consultation on a market review of selected transportation sectors in the country. MyCC said they are welcome to contribute opinions, input and feedback on the review under the Competition Act 2010 for "Selected Transportation Sectors in Malaysia (Port Logistics Ecosystem and Motor Vehicle Warranty)". “In line with the powers given to MyCC, the market review will also study in detail the structure of both markets, the conduct of market players, suppliers and consumers, and other matters such as regulatory and policy issues. A copy of the market review has been made available on the MyCC website since June 18 and will be open for viewing until July 2. Interested parties are, however, required to register their attendance through MyCC website at www.mycc.gov.my by Wednesday (June 23).

KUALA LUMPUR (June 30): All tax service counters at branch offices, satellite centres and revenue service centres (PKH) of the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) will operate by appointment from tomorrow (July 1). In a statement today, the IRB said the counter operating hours will be from 8am to noon, subject to the working days in each state. Appointments can be made via e-Janji Temu at www.hasil.gov.my, it said. “The IRB would like to advise customers who have appointments to always update their Covid-19 risk status on the MySejahtera application and comply with every standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the government to curb the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said the statement. All enquiries can be directed to the Hasil Care Line at 03-8911 1000/603-8911 1100 (overseas) or the HASiL Live Chat or feedback form on the IRB's official portal at https://maklumbalaspelanggan.hasil.gov.my/MaklumBalas/ms-my/.

LONDON (June 27): Britain's new health minister Sajid Javid said on Sunday that his priority was to oversee a return to normal from the Covid-19 pandemic, and praised his predecessor Matt Hancock who was forced to resign after breaking social-distancing rules. Javid, a former finance minister, starts his new role with a pressing to-do list – coronavirus cases are rising, hospitals are warning of a growing backlog of people needing care and staff are battling burn-out in their fight against the disease. "We are still in a pandemic, and I want to see that come to an end as soon as possible, and that will be my most immediate priority to see that we can return to normal as soon and as quickly as possible," he told BBC News. Javid said later: "Thanks to the fantastic efforts of our NHS (National Health Service) and social care staff who work tirelessly every day, and our phenomenal vaccination programme, we have made enormous progress in the battle against this dreadful disease."

Amazon’s long-awaited Fresh grocery store in Bellevue, Washington, opened June 17 to crowds – and a twist. But rather than rely exclusively on cashierless checkout, the Factoria Fresh store has a hybrid model, according to Amazon spokesperson Rachel Hass. The company said last month it was ditching its Amazon Go Grocery branding for larger grocery stores with cashierless technology. Bloomberg reported in April that Amazon was installing ceiling cameras at an under-construction Connecticut grocery, and a vacant storefront in Ballard, Washington, also bears signs of a cashierless Amazon Fresh location to come. In Washington state, in addition to its two Amazon Fresh grocery stores, Amazon also operates six Amazon Go cashierless convenience stores, 11 Whole Foods locations and a handful of other physical retail storefronts, including Amazon Books and Amazon 4-star stores.