THE nation’s youth was inspired to stand up for their rights thanks to one courageous girl who refused to be silenced. Our male teachers are a minority and most of them always maintain a good distance, especially from their students. One of the days, I was alone in the toilet when two students came in and began chatting with me. The teacher also set up a box outside the counselling room where students could write anonymous letters about their problems. If anything does go wrong, I hope teachers and other adults in the school take the necessary steps to protect us.

THREE students have won a grand prize worth RM100,000 for coming up with an online business model. Calling themselves Team Blue Star, the students from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) will now use the money to execute their business concept. Encouraged by their lecturer Noraini Ahmad, the team comprising APU first year students, took part in the challenge. DIYC challenge programme coordinator Rehhahn Tudball said the DIYC movement will provide the winning teams with continued access to funding and capacity development opportunities. This will be especially so in Blue Ocean Strategy training.

It was much like most of my season has been so far, where a lot of great things were happening but I have not found a steady groove yet. In my first round after three weeks without playing, I came out firing on all cylinders and shot a four-under-par 67. I have always loved playing in Major championship golf and being privileged to play at such great golf courses is awesome. But I will continue to do my best to provide positive news, and hopefully with some success, for Malaysian golf. So, until next month, stay safe and healthy.

And this month the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has created a strategic surprise to beat the band: the SocialSim sarcasm detector. Only now, Darpa will know, deep in its twisted little AI bones, that you mean the diametric opposite: We don’t need this sarcasm detector at all. Long have users of Twitter complained that there’s no font for sarcasm, which can lead to misunderstandings, sometimes trivial, sometimes grievous. Darpa’s new AI is founded in something called sentiment analysis, which automates the detection of emotion, intention and torque in online language. As a former comedian, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) might understand Darpa's latest invention.

CASES of poaching in the Belum-Temenggor forest complex continue to be low during the movement control order. CLICK TO ENLARGEWWF-Malaysia says it conducts extensive patrols in Belum-Temenggor and the occurrence of snares in the forest has remained consistently low compared to recent years. Concurring, Perak State Park Corporation director Mohamed Shah Redza Hussein says poaching activities in the Royal Belum State Park has been on a decline since 2019 until today. He says the decrease is due to more frequent patrolling and better collaborations with non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including the creation of an Orang Asli wildlife patrolling team. “At the minimum, online shopping channels need to have codes of conduct to ban wildlife related items on their webpage.

QUARANTINES and travel restrictions do not necessarily have to be a barrier to going green. There’s not much we can do from our own homes so these are the things that we can have control over, ” Nur Afifah explains. After reading up on sustainable fashion and discovering how the fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, Suria Zurina decided to switch up her style. “She makes us recycle our plastic bottles and cans and makes her dad drive her to the recycling centre whenever the bags are full. “I feel that as long as our children are interested in doing something good, support them in any way you can.”

Actions that do not make sense at first can still work if they are based on logic, not politics. Counterintuitive actions often work because although they seem strange to the bystander, there is a logical basis underlying them. It seems that the logical scaffolding for the emergency declaration and the suspension of Parliament is not holding up. How happy would the virus be when politicians who have been exposed are not required to isolate themselves at home? But people still rely on them to get to work, those who cannot stay home for one reason or another.

The Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister rejected the allegation that he was having an affair with the woman, said to be the ex-wife of a popular actor, adding that it was being spread to smear his image and reputation. “The matter has been handed over to the Bukit Aman CID Special Investigation Unit, ” he said yesterday. Acting Bukit Aman CID director Deputy Comm Datuk Dev Kumar MM Sree said police had opened an inquiry paper on the matter. Meanwhile, Khairuddin’s special officer Kamal Nazmi Kamaruddin denied allegations linking the minister to two land deals involving the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB). In a statement on Friday, Kamal said the MRB had also denied the allegations involving the plots in Jalan Ampang.

KUALA LUMPUR: It is unimaginable to feel the pain felt by Abdul Rahim Daim who has had to endure the loss of two of his family members due to Covid-19 within a short period of time. Abdul Rahim said he never expected this year would be the last Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration for his mother and brother. “We went for screening at a private clinic and the thing I dreaded the most finally happened when my mother and other family members tested positive for Covid-19. “They had tried their best to save him but Allah loves him more, ” said the Media Prima Berhad staff member. Less than 24 hours later, Abdul Rahim said he received another phone call from Sungai Buloh Hospital, informing him that his mother was in a critical condition.

PETALING JAYA: While many Malaysians agreed with the two-week nationwide full lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, some are urging the government to speed up the vaccination programme. Internet user Jennifer Chung said the implementation of a full lockdown was “way overdue”. “I hope this is a REAL lockdown this time, ” she said when commenting on the news article on The Star’s Facebook page. Vinodh Selvarajoo said he hoped only genuine essential services would be allowed while other businesses should be shut during the period. “Just hope Manjaku (that is) selling baby diapers (is) still open, (I can’t remember if) it’s under essential services or not, ” she commented.

GEORGE TOWN: Fearing they may sport the Chewbacca 2.0 look again, many people are rushing to have their hair cut before the start of the full lockdown. Factory operator Andy Goh said he had to wait for half an hour to get his locks trimmed at his regular barber shop in Sungai Ara. “If I don’t go for a cut now, my hair will surely look unkempt during the lockdown, ’’ said the 50-year-old. A check at another barber shop in Ayer Itam at 11am saw a smaller crowd. All sectors will not be allowed to operate during this period except for essential economic and service sectors.

But how did the inexperienced BBC reporter Martin Bashir get his scoop of a lifetime? Diana, as I knew from meeting her, liked to brief journalists but was wary of having her fingerprints on stories. — BBC screencaptureFront pages of UK newspapers following the television interview with BBC journalist Martin Bashir. If this were only a story about one rogue reporter, the BBC would still be hanging its collective head in shame. He is a director of the Times Newspapers board.

The researchers chose to take a genetic approach to milk consumption by examining a variation in the lactase gene associated with the digestion of milk sugars known as lactose. Published in the International Journal of Obesity, the study reveals that people who regularly drink milk in significant quantities have lower levels of both good and bad cholesterol. The researchers note that the study did not find “strong evidence” for an association between high milk consumption and increased likelihood of diabetes. It also failed to identify the mechanism that leads to lower cholesterol levels in high milk consumers. “The study certainly shows that milk consumption is not a significant issue for cardiovascular disease risk, even though there was a small rise in BMI and body fat among milk drinkers.

PETALING JAYA: There are changes in timing for AstraZeneca vaccine appointments on Sunday (May 30) at two vaccination centres to avoid possible congestion. The two centres involved are the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) and Ideal Convention Centre Shah Alam. JKJAV said the changes are to accommodate a longer time gap between appointments. “It is also to reduce the headcount at such centres at one time to avoid congestion, as seen on Saturday, ” it said. The JKJAV also advised the public to arrive at the centres only 30 minutes earlier before the scheduled appointment.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Prices of Gardenia bread will remain the same, as there will be no price hike beginning June 1. As such, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Deputy Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said there is no need for the public to worry and panic buy, following a viral letter which claims that prices of Gardenia bread will go up from June 1. Nonetheless, he said, the price increase only involved other products from the company such as kaya spread. The new prices will come into effect simultaneously on the first day of the implementation of the 14-day full lockdown. Do not panic buy because the supply of health products such face masks and disinfectants is adequate, ” he said.