Are Malaysian women facing an increased risk of suicide?
The impact of the pandemic on women appears to be particularly harmful, as suggested by the increase of suicide rates among females. Police statistics from 2019 to May 2021 show that suicide rates are now five times higher among women compared with men. Sunday Star has approached the police for a detailed breakdown of suicide cases for a better understanding of the situation and at-risk demographics. Not only has the overall rate of suicide increased, but more women have been dying of suicide. “These factors may make them more vulnerable to mental health issues which may contribute to a higher risk of suicide,” says Dr Anita.
Source:The Star
July 11, 2021 00:11 UTC
Rise up, reach out and never give up
WHEN homemaker Rania*, 36, started hearing whispers in her ear and experiencing visual hallucinations last year, she realised that her mental health had deteriorated amidst the crushing Covid-19 pandemic. People aren’t even talking about me but I would feel that they were saying bad things about me, ” she says. Since then, I have a follow-up every month at the clinic and I’m also taking four different medications to treat my mental health, ” she says. It made me feel really helpless and depressed, ” he says. “She really helped me to cope and also referred me to a counsellor.”So now whenever he gets down, he tries to do some of the coping exercises that he has learnt.
Source:The Star
July 11, 2021 00:08 UTC
The psychics of TikTok, Cameo and Clubhouse are seeing – and making – fortunes
“I went, ‘Oh, just give it a go; I’ll try and do a bit more online work, because I have time,’” she said in an interview. That’s also how she wound up pulling tarot cards on Cameo, an app where people buy and sell short, personalised video messages. Maria Gonçalves, a psychic medium based out of Canada, turned to another app – Clubhouse – in an effort to keep doing tarot readings while socially distanced. “You can be someone who’s never had a psychic reading, and hop into a room and listen to me giving a reading to a total stranger, and it kind of demystifies the idea of what to expect and what a psychic reading really is, ” she said. “At risk of sounding crazy, time and space don’t exist in the spirit world,” said Macintyre, the Cameo clairvoyant.
Source:The Star
July 11, 2021 00:00 UTC
Many prefer to continue servicing their loans
PETALING JAYA: While the moratorium will give borrowers a break from their financial obligations, many do not plan to completely stop paying all their loans. Food deliveryman Jackson Sadiwal, 47, said he planned to service his housing and car loans while deferring payments on his van. “As long as I can afford to pay the loans, I will. While Maniam can still pay off all his loans, that would mean living month to month on the little savings he has. He said Cuepacs previously proposed a moratorium on the LPPSA loan and would continue to push for it.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 23:26 UTC
Risky yet humbling job
JOHOR BARU: Despite having to handle funeral preparation for the remains of up to 18 Covid-19 patients a day, Faizah Hamezah has never considered her task difficult. “Prior to this, I have managed HIV patients, but I think managing Covid-19 patients is an extra ‘struggle’ for me. “At first, my family members disallowed me from continuing this job. The mother of five said her family now understood and supported her.“For handling Covid-19 patients, I have to wear personal protective equipment. Apart from the HSA, she also carries out a similar task for Covid-19 patients at Hospital Sultan Ismail here since March last year.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 23:15 UTC
Penang mainland mass screening off to a great start
His wife L. Selvamary, 37, said the mass screening was carried out smoothly and it took them less than half an hour to be tested. State exco member Jagdeep Singh Deo said that as many as 1, 500 people were expected to participate in the Penang government’s two-day Covid-19 mass screening exercise on the mainland. Jagdeep said Penangites were encouraged to take part in the mass screening as this could help the government prevent new clusters. Also present yesterday were Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud, state assembly deputy speaker Datuk Dr Amar Pritpal Abdullah, Permatang Pasir assemblyman Muhammad Faiz Fadzil and central Seberang Prai OCPD Asst Comm Shafee Abd Samad. Rozali said MBSP had sent notices to traders and hawkers in Seberang Prai to encourage them to take part in the programme.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 23:03 UTC
18,000 Sabah workers to get jab
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is targeting to vaccinate 18,000 workers from 407 manufacturing factories in the state under the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas). Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (pic), said for the initial stage, the workers will be those from factories located here and in the nearby districts of Putatan, Penampang, Papar and Tuaran. “Under Pikas, the government will roll out the Covid-19 vaccines for free while the private sector will manage the PPV, including private medical services, ” he said while observing the first day of Pikas PPV operations at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) here yesterday. “While Pikas is being implemented, the government is committed to ensuring the most vulnerable groups are vaccinated and those who have registered under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme remain a priority, ” he said. Companies interested in participating in Pikas – an initiative by the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) to speed up the country’s vaccination process – can get more information from www.miti.gov.my.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 23:03 UTC
Why China’s Gen Z is embracing Mao
Chairman Mao is making a comeback among China’s Generation Z. The Mao fad lays bare the paradoxical reality facing China’s Communist Party, which celebrated the centenary of its founding on July 1. “The new generation is lost in this divided society, so they will look for keys to the problems,” a Maoist blogger wrote on the WeChat social media platform. Today’s Gen Z in China are harking back to the feelings a much older generation had for Mao. ‘Who are our enemies?’Many social media users like to quote the first sentence of the first volume: “Who are our enemies?
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 22:30 UTC
Biden vow to tackle industry giants confronts consolidation wave
(July 10): Joe Biden’s vow to take on the US economy’s most dominant companies faces a monumental task: combating years of consolidation that have left industry after industry controlled by a handful of firms. “Between them, the two Roosevelts established an American tradition, an antitrust tradition,” Biden said. “It’s how we ensure that our economy isn’t about people working for capitalism, it’s about capitalism working for people. Industry analysts are skeptical about how far-reaching the Biden order will be on companies. Biden took pains to frame the executive order as an effort to bolster — rather than counter — capitalism.
Source:The Edge Markets
July 10, 2021 12:45 UTC
Saifuddin: Differing opinions should be celebrated and respectful
KUANTAN (July 10): Differences in opinion, debates, exchanges of views and criticism, either in the mainstream media or social media, should be celebrated to enable better understanding and to allow democracy to mature, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah. “To me, we should allow a healthy exchange of thoughts and opinions, whether we support it or not… and both parties should accept (that view). We are always open to criticism and clashes of ideas will result in fresher and better (ideas). He said the development of social media has given birth to a digital community that is free to use various online platforms to express its views. If there is instability, this will disrupt the ongoing efforts to control and address the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as continue to survive economically,” he said.
Source:The Edge Markets
July 10, 2021 10:30 UTC
UK visa centre at Jalan Ampang to reopen from Monday (July 12)
PETALING JAYA: The VFS Global UK visa application centre in Jalan Ampang will resume operations from Monday (July 12). "VFS Global operates strictly in accordance with the directives of the central and local government authorities and the diplomatic mission of the country for which a visa is being applied,” it said. "All other VSF Global visa application centres in Malaysia remain closed due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation and directives from the government," added VFS Global in a statement on Saturday (July 10). They expressed worry that the delay in their visa application would affect their travel arrangements. To questions by customers about the processing time for their visa, VFS Global said the duration depends on the visa category.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 08:03 UTC
Man found hanged from ceiling fan in KL house
AMPANG: A 58-year-old man was found hanged from a ceiling fan in his house in Taman Putra here. Ampang Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohamad Farouk Eshak said the victim's body was discovered by his wife at about 1.45pm on Friday (July 9). "The victim's wife had just returned from buying necessities when she discovered the victim in their bedroom. Initial investigations revealed that the victim was suffering from depression as his business had closed down during the movement control order, he added. ACP Mohamad Farouk said the victim's body had been sent to a nearby hospital for a post-mortem.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 07:18 UTC
Almost 1.3 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to arrive in Johor this month, says TMJ
JOHOR BARU: Some 1.293 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine are expected to arrive in Johor through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme this month, says Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim. He said that this included some 583,000 doses of Pfizer, 637,000 doses of Sinovac and 73,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines. "I would like to share with my fellow Johoreans that 1.293 million vaccine doses will arrive in July 2021 through the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. “I am confident we will get more Johoreans vaccinated in the next few weeks as we head towards achieving herd immunity. I would also like to remind all Bangsa Johor to register for the vaccine and get vaccinated," he said.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 06:00 UTC
Bedridden senior citizen transported to vaccination centre in ambulance
PUCHONG MCA and Civil Defence Force (APM) officers helped an 86-year-old get her Covid-19 vaccine at Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) in Seri Kembangan. Kong Sung Thai, who is bedridden and suffers from knee pain, was unable to get to the vaccination centre from her apartment at Putra Permai Apartment in Equine Park, Seri Kembangan. Kong’s daughter, Liew Yat Ngo, asked APM for help and together with Puchong MCA, they helped transport Kong to MIECC. “My brothers live in Kuala Kangsar, Kuantan and Semenyih and they could not come back to bring her to the vaccination centre,” she said. Kong and her family have Puchong MCA Volunteer Bureau head Wong Jung Lik and New Media head Soon Mon Huay to thank.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 01:18 UTC
Different realities of staying home
Before the pandemic, my husband and I relied on part-time cleaners, childcare facilities, the schooling system and even tuition centres and home tutors. Learning from home rather than at school is not a straightforward switch to the digital platform as one may surmise. Sometimes, I tell him to skip his morning online session because I, especially, am too exhausted to help him. But one thing is obvious — the experience of staying at home is not the same for all. I envy those who live in beautiful villas and upload cute videos of themselves with their children as the main cast.
Source:The Star
July 10, 2021 01:18 UTC