M’sians want clear advice
JOHOR BARU: Malaysians in Singapore seeking home quarantine here want the Malaysian health authorities to address issues that have been affecting their request. “The main confusion is whether they have to provide a PCR test result when they apply for home quarantine. “Some were told that they need to provide a negative PCR test result three days before departure. “On Thursday, I received a reply saying that he would need to take a PCR test and submit a negative result within three days before his departure date. “My fiance has paid about S$200 (RM600) to do the PCR test and we’re unsure if he can actually home quarantine.
Source:The Star
September 04, 2021 23:26 UTC
V Shem toys with idea of reuniting with Wee Kiong for world meet
PETALING JAYA: Goh V Shem is open to reuniting with his Rio Olympics silver medal-winning partner Tan Wee Kiong for the World Championships in Huelva, Spain, from Dec 12-19. V Shem and Wee Kiong had announced their separation last month after seven glorious years together, with both seeking a fresh challenge with new partners. In terms of tournament commitment, V Shem will not have any tournament to play with Juan Shen during the world meet week. Only upon confirmation of the qualification, will I speak to Wee Kiong about it,” said V Shem. 1, V Shem-Wee Kiong have never done well in all their previous world meet appearances.
Source:The Star
September 04, 2021 23:03 UTC
Vaccination certs and the rule of law
Two weeks ago, The Star reported on private clinics rejecting requests from anti-vaxxers offering up to RM1,000 for fake vaccination certificates. Other unscrupulous parties forge vaccination certificates, steal others’ certificates, or ask friends to “lend” them their vaccination statuses to gain access to premises. If a copy of your vaccination certificate was stolen and used by dishonest individuals, then you are a victim of identity theft. If you took someone else’s vaccination certificate, then you have committed the crime of impersonation. “JPDP would like to advise Malaysians to protect their digital vaccination certificate by following the simple rule of not posting pictures of the certificates on social media.
Source:The Star
September 04, 2021 22:52 UTC
Mee goreng stalls cook up a storm despite pandemic
GEORGE TOWN: Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, a popular mee sotong (squid noodles) stall here in Jalan Padang Kota Lama continues to receive orders from as far as Johor. Shahul Hameed’s flavourful mee sotong has received rave reviews from food writers and bloggers all over the world. Over at the Jelutong Market, Thahir Hussain Syed Ibram Shah, 58, credits the popularity of his mee goreng and mee rebus to being cooked over a charcoal stove. “I have not changed a single thing in my uncle’s mee goreng recipe. “Mee goreng tastes the same hours later which is great for those on the go or who pack it home,” she said.
Source:The Star
September 04, 2021 22:41 UTC
Weekly rotation minimises Covid-19 transmission risk
The best way to keep Covid-19 cases out of businesses and schools, while maintaining some in-person presence, is to create two rotating groups, a French study showed on Sept 2 (2021). They then used the networks to simulate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus from a single case, testing what method of partial teleworking would most efficiently mitigate an outbreak. They looked at scenarios in which an entire population would alternate its presence daily or weekly, as well as scenarios in which populations would be divided into two groups rotating daily or weekly. For all three settings, two groups rotating weekly work best to slow transmission of an infection, the study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology concluded. The researchers used information on real-world interactions between individuals and simulated the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus using known information about the virus’ behaviour.
Source:The Star
September 04, 2021 22:41 UTC
Golf-Koepka withdraws from Tour Championship with wrist injury
(Reuters) - Brooks Koepka withdrew from the Tour Championship on Saturday after injuring his left wrist hitting a ball out of the rough, prompting questions about whether the American will be fit enough to compete at the upcoming Ryder Cup. Koepka injured his wrist on the 10th hole at East Lake when his club hit a tree root on his approach shot. He finished the hole and the next two before withdrawing with a score of one-under for the season-ending tournament, placing him well out of contention. "Same wrist I had issues with back in '17, '18, so just making sure it's all good," Koepka said, according to Golfweek. Stricker is set to name his six picks at a news conference on Wednesday, according to Golfweek.
Source:The Star
September 04, 2021 22:07 UTC
Penangites back at their favourite food haunts
GEORGE TOWN: With more places offering dine-in for those who are fully vaccinated, Penangites are coming out in droves again to enjoy their favourite local cuisine but with caution. At a popular nasi kandar restaurant, a family of three was seen tucking in plates of nasi kandar after almost a year. Ummi Amirah said their first meal out had to be nasi kandar. “Certain food like nasi kandar is nice to eat out. “But we are still cautious and glad to observe strict SOP with physical distancing in place,” she said.
Source:The Star
September 04, 2021 21:11 UTC
Motor racing-Echoes of Silverstone as F1 rivals renew front row duel
This time Verstappen has home advantage, as well as pole position again, and a crowd of 70,000 almost entirely on the Red Bull driver's side in the first Dutch Formula One race in 36 years. The 23-year-old is three points adrift of seven times Formula One world champion Hamilton but set to wrest back the overall lead at a fast track where overtaking is likely to be difficult. The opening corners could be critical but Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said there was no reason to assume a repeat of Silverstone, were Hamilton won and Verstappen ended up in hospital, was on the cards. Verstappen has won six races so far this year, and started six of the last seven on pole position, while Hamilton has won four and had only three poles but been more consistent than his rival. Wolff said he would not be discussing the strategy for turn one and two with Hamilton.
Source:The Star
September 04, 2021 17:37 UTC
Khairy to discuss with Education Ministry on making vaccination compulsory for teachers
PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): A discussion on the vaccination mandate for teachers will be held with Education Minister Datuk Dr Radzi Jidin, says Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. He said the mandate on whether to make vaccination compulsory for teachers has its own legal implications. "I have to discuss with the Education Ministry (MOE). There are legal implications, so we have to discuss with the MOE minister later on the sectoral mandate and whether it can be made compulsory," he said in a special interview at his ministry here on Friday (Sept 3). He said there are 2,500 teachers who have not been vaccinated, and that 96.7% have received at least one shot, while 85.26% have completed both shots.
Source:The Star
September 03, 2021 14:03 UTC
Muhammad Ziyad's coach: I am responsible for disqualification
SEPANG (Bernama): National shot put coach Mohd Faizol Harun has taken full responsibility for the disqualification of Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Mohd Faizol said that as the athlete’s coach, he was the one closest to Muhammad Ziyad during the Games. He also denied there was any sabotage involved, adding instead that it was a technical mistake while insisting that he and Muhammad Ziyad arrived on time at the call room. “We reached on time and the Ukraine coach was still there. However, he said Muhammad Ziyad was finally allowed to enter after a discussion between the chief judge and a Ukraine coach.
Source:The Star
September 03, 2021 13:52 UTC
Singapore takes pause on reopening, moves onto vaccine boosters
SINGAPORE, Sept 3 (Bloomberg):Singapore’s government will hit pause on its reopening plans for the economy after a recent rise in virus cases, and plans to start vaccine booster shots soon for vulnerable groups as highly-contagious variants remain a concern. With one of the world’s best vaccination rates, Singapore plans to boost testing and allow infected people with mild symptoms to recover at home. The government is also targeting to start booster shots for those above 60 years and people who are immunocompromised this month. Singapore Airlines flight crew members walk along the transit hall of the Changi International Airport in Singapore on Friday (Sept 3, 2021). For the immunocompromised, they are recommended to get a third dose two months after their second shot, officials said.
Source:The Star
September 03, 2021 11:48 UTC
Thava Sagayam case: Justice will be served, says PM
"I’m saddened and shocked by the tragedy that befell the family of S. Thava Sagayam,” the Prime Minister said in reply to Ipoh Barat MP Kulasegaran’s tweet on Friday (Sept 3). Kulasegaran, in his tweet, expressed gratitude to Ismail Sabri for spending his time yesterday to contact and pay his respects to Thava Sagayam’s family. The 64-year-old security guard breathed his last at his house last Friday. Police had reclassified the case on the day the victim died under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, and the suspect could face a death penalty if found guilty. Meanwhile, Ismail Sabri also thanked Kulasegaran for his concern over the case.
Source:The Star
September 03, 2021 11:03 UTC
CITF updates walk-in vaccination initiatives for several states
PUTRAJAYA: The Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) has updated the latest walk-in initiatives for states, including allowing individuals in Sabah who are above age 18 to walk in for their vaccination. The list, updated on Friday (Sept 3), also states that walk-ins will be allowed at all public and integrated vaccination centres in Terengganu for individuals and residents of the state beginning Sept 5. Senior citizens and disabled individuals residing in Pasir Puteh and Jeli would be allowed to walk-in while pregnant mothers, senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities in Tumpat are also allowed to walk-in for vaccination. In Perlis, walk-in vaccinations have been available to PPV Kubang Gajah since Sept 1 for all citizens and non-citizens. Non-citizens who are in Langkawi are also allowed to walk-in for vaccination.
Source:The Star
September 03, 2021 10:41 UTC
Juniper breach mystery starts to clear with new details on hackers and US role
Further details were scant, but Juniper made clear the implications were serious: It urged users to download a software update “with the highest priority”. Customers included major banks and nine of the 10 top global telecommunications companies, according to a Juniper investor presentation. But because NIST had validated the algorithm, Juniper went forward with the proposal to satisfy a big customer, they said. The hackers’ tweak involved changing the Q value that the NSA algorithm used – the very same vulnerability that Microsoft researchers had identified years earlier. Because of their central role in telecommunications systems, Juniper products have been a longtime target for intelligence agencies, according to a 2011 document leaked by Snowden.
Source:The Star
September 03, 2021 09:56 UTC
MetMalaysia: Thunderstorms, heavy rain expected throughout inter-monsoon season
MetMalaysia also expects four to six episodes of heavy rains to occur during the northeast monsoon season from early November till March next year. Muhammad Helmi said that throughout the northeast monsoon season, the east coast states are expected to receive slightly above average rainfall in November and December, while other states are expected to receive average rainfall. According to him, the monsoon season is expected to bring more rain to Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang in November and December, while Johor, Sabah and Sarawak will experience more rainfall from December to January next year. "In November, the estimated total rainfall is expected to exceed 600mm in Kelantan and Terengganu, while for Pahang it will be between 200mm and 400mm. "In December, Kelantan and Terengganu are expected to receive more than 600mm of rain, while Pahang is expected to receive between 300mm and 600mm,” he added.
Source:The Star
September 03, 2021 09:56 UTC