Durian Tunggal Dam close to critical level
MELAKA: Concern over water shortage is looming in the state after the level at the main Durian Tunggal Dam is close to reaching the critical mark, says a source. Both the main entrance and the back access to the Durian Tunggal Dam have been closed off. Top officials of Melaka Water Works Company (SAMB) held meetings with various agencies on Friday to look into contingency plans should such a situation arise. Last September, low water levels in the dams and water retention ponds caused 12 areas to face water disruptions. Melaka faced its worst water crisis 28 years ago, which was then blamed on a mistake in monitoring the level of Durian Tunggal Dam.
Source:The Star
January 18, 2020 23:37 UTC
Johor plans cloud seeding
MURALI, LO TERN CHERN and CHEONG JIN WEIKULAI: Although the Johor government is planning to have cloud-seeding operations in early February as a proactive measure against water shortage, the public is urged to be prudent in their daily use of the natural resource. Puah said the planned cloud-seeding operations in early February were a proactive measure in case of a possible water shortage due to a lack of rainfall as the country moved into the later phase of the northeast monsoon. “The operations will be conducted by Bakaj and Ranhill SAJ at a strategic location depending on the weather and cloud conditions. “We will also try to ask the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry to join in the cloud-seeding operations, ” he said. “There are a few places that recorded good levels such as the Machap dam, Sungai Lebam dam and Congok dam, ” he said after launching the Rumah Mampu Biaya Johor C Kulai open ballot process here yesterday.
Source:The Star
January 18, 2020 23:37 UTC
Hot weather up north may trigger heatstroke
Soo Tek Wei, a salesperson from Kedah, said although it was expected that there would be hot weather at the start of the year, he was worried about being sick during the festivities. “The weather during the first two months are usually hot. The hot weather, he said, could also take a toll on the environment, as padi fields could dry up. Housewife Kok Siew Mei from Penang, however, said the hot weather was good news for her. The Malaysian Meteorological Department said the rainfall in Perlis, Kedah and Langkawi was expected to be under 50mm, which was below average.
Source:The Star
January 18, 2020 23:37 UTC
She takes care of those with Alzheimer's disease, including her mother
Oanh Meyer is no stranger to Alzheimer’s disease – her everyday life revolves around caring for those who suffer from the ailment. Meyer’s office is at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Sacramento, California in the United States. But her care goes beyond the clinic: Her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a progressive disease that commonly causes dementia and has no cure. But that was when Le started showing symptoms of cognitive impairment and was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014. The registry will gather information from 10,000 API participants, who could be recruited to enrol in research and studies on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia.
Source:The Star
January 18, 2020 23:26 UTC
Sanctity of human life demands discretion, prudence
Robert Phang, from Social Care Foundation Malaysia, also said the government should not make Malaysia “a paradise for criminals”. To date, there has not been conclusive evidence that the death penalty deters crime. What places these countries in common is the proactive prevention of crimes and effective law enforcement that deters crime. It has nothing to do with whether the death penalty in itself deters crime. The uniqueness of human life and dignity, which is sacred, demands discretion and prudence, and certainly should not be decided by popular will.
Source:New Strait Times
January 18, 2020 17:03 UTC
Dr M taking right stand
LETTER: There has recently been much debate over Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s criticism of India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019. Regardless of the politicking and Malaysia’s domestic allegiances, Dr Mahathir’s remarks were necessary. A right is provided for the citizenship of the Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian religious minorities but denied to Muslim minorities. The debate surrounding the citizenship rights of existing Muslim citizens in India aside, the law itself discriminates against those seeking citizenship. The remarks by Malaysia’s prime minsiter reflect a country’s standpoint, which makes it a collective stand.
Source:New Strait Times
January 18, 2020 16:41 UTC
'Have a nose for news'
Follow your nose, I say. I got his story in spite of an official statement that no Malaysians were affected in the riots. My nose suddenly picked up something newsworthy here. Many residents were saved when people who were coming back from terawih prayers saw the burning tower and called the fire brigades. To do this, I will continue to trust my nose.
Source:New Strait Times
January 18, 2020 16:30 UTC
Sustainability and palm oil
And now, they are throwing the ball into our court and telling the world to boycott our palm oil. They say palm oil must be sustainable and that land conversion for agricultural use must not adversely impact the environment. Demand for sustainability must be met and dealt with to enable Europe and other wealthy countries to use certified palm oil. Some say certification of sustainable palm oil is always seen as just another requirement to gain access to the European market. Over the years, various certification schemes have been set up to ensure sustainable cultivation of oil palm and production of palm oil.
Source:New Strait Times
January 18, 2020 16:17 UTC
NST Leader: Still crazy after all these years
ON Jan 27, the world will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Red Army of the Soviet Union. Come Jan 27, we hope the world will not only remember anti-semitism, but also other forms of racism. It is true the majority of the 1.1 million who died at the cruel hands of the Nazis were Jews. The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) identifies the far-right political parties, neo-Nazi movements and apolitical protest groups as sources of racism. One world view against another world view.
Source:New Strait Times
January 18, 2020 16:07 UTC
Speed up reforms in education
HOW much would parents be willing to spend on their children’s education? Many high-income parents place a premium on their children’s education. The target is to further their children’s education by enrolling them in foreign universities, including top and prestigious ones in the United States or the United Kingdom or other parts of Europe. Enter the new acting education minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who is not new to the portfolio. What reforms would Dr Mahathir bring to the education system?
Source:New Strait Times
January 18, 2020 16:07 UTC
Bamford misses penalty as Leeds slump continues
LONDON: Patrick Bamford’s missed penalty summed up Leeds’ day as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat away at Queens Park Rangers with their poor run of form in the Championship showing no sign of stopping. Leeds’ wretched day ended on a suitably low note with Kalvin Phillips facing a three-match ban after a straight red card in the dying minutes. Defeat left Marcelo Bielsa’s side a point off leaders West Brom who can extend that to four on Monday if they beat Stoke. “I think it hit my hand but not intentionally and sometimes you need that bit of luck,” Wells told Sky Sports. “I never had much to do aside from the penalty save,” Kelly told Sky Sports.
Source:New Strait Times
January 18, 2020 15:00 UTC
Deeney misses penalty as Watford and Spurs draw 0-0
WATFORD: Watford stretched their unbeaten run in the Premier League to six matches but missed out on a fourth successive when Troy Deeney’s second-half penalty was saved in a 0-0 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday. Skipper Deeney stepped up to take the spot kick in the 69th minute after Jan Vertonghen handled Gerard Deulofeu’s shot, but his effort was saved by Spurs keeper Paulo Gazzaniga. Tottenham, who are now winless in four league matches, edged a scrappy first half with Lucas Moura having their best chance, but Watford came back strongly after the break. Abdoulaye Doucoure fired wide shortly after halftime although Spurs did threaten on occasions too with Dele Alli heading one half chance over. Tottenham almost nicked three points late on when Erik Lamela’s close-range effort was shown to have been cleared off the line.
Source:New Strait Times
January 18, 2020 14:26 UTC
Shanghai-built Tesla popular in China after new tax break
SHANGHAI: Tesla stores across Shanghai have been crowded with customers after a new tax break earlier this month, with most orders coming for the most affordable electric vehicle, the Model 3 sedan built at the city's Gigafactory. The Model 3 orders spiked amid a cooling electric vehicle market in China after authorities gave dozens of electric vehicle makers a new tax break which lowers the cost of buying a Tesla in China to less than 300,000 yuan (US$43,745). "We have more customers these days looking for test drives and more information," said a salesperson in a Tesla store in Shanghai. Tesla's sales in China will help push domestic carmakers to speed up technological upgrading, Cui added. Tesla has started a big push for Chinese players and they will benefit from increased customer enthusiasm for smart, driverless cars, said Cui.
Source:The Star
January 18, 2020 14:03 UTC
FIFA to choose four Indonesian stadiums for 2021 U-20 World Cup
JAKARTA:The world's football governing body, FIFA, will select four of the ten Indonesian sports stadiums prepared for the 2021 U-20 World Cup in the country, an Indonesian minister said (Jan 18). Indonesia has been granted the right to host the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup and has prepared the ten sports stadiums in the country's capital of Jakarta and the provinces of West Java, South Sumatra, Yogyakarta and Bali, according to the Youth and Sports Ministry. Indonesian Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali said that the decision would be made next Saturday. "On Jan 25, FIFA will determine four stadiums and their locations," he said. Should FIFA need improvement on the stadiums after the selection, Minister Zainuddin stated that the government was ready for that.
Source:The Star
January 18, 2020 13:41 UTC
Police: Five Indonesian nationals abducted by Abu Sayyaf
JAKARTA: The Abu Sayyaf terrorist group has held hostage five Indonesian citizens in waters off Sabah in Malaysia, not far from the area where three other Indonesian sailors had been previously kidnapped. The abduction took place on Thursday night when eight Indonesian nationals were fishing there, but three of them were released with their boat, according to a police statement obtained by Antara on Saturday (Jan 18). Kidnapping groups under the control of Abu Sayyaf gunmen Salip Murah and Mike Apo have been lurking along the sea borders between Sabah and the Philippines' Tawi Tawi chain of islands in their hunt for value targets. On Jan 5, Indonesia and the Philippines jointly freed 27-year-old Muhammad Farhan, one of the three Indonesian nationals abducted by Abu Sayyaf group since September 2019. The latest kidnapping has raised the number of Indonesian citizens kidnapped by the group to 41 since 2016, and most of them were released, according to the Indonesian Foreign Ministry.
Source:The Star
January 18, 2020 13:30 UTC