Inside the young, rich and racy lives of livestreamers in South Korea
That puts him well into the top one percent of earners in South Korea, but has not affected his lifestyle. Livestreamers, known as “Broadcast Jockeys” or BJs in South Korea, are hard-wired to the digital infrastructure of youth culture. There is regular controversy in South Korea over a lack of regulation on livestreaming, from undisclosed product promotion to “lewd””behaviour – a bar set relatively low in a conservative culture. YouTube said it saw saw huge spikes in global viewership last year, including in South Korea. “Now with YouTube, anyone can have their own channel.”Some livestreamers have moved into the mainstream, including appearances on TV variety shows and sports commentating.
Source:The Star
March 26, 2021 03:44 UTC
Facebook, Google CEOs blasted in Congress over apps for kids
The bipartisan attack from lawmakers about the effect of social media on kids marked an escalation in one front of broader effort to rein in the tech giants. In another exchange, he sought to highlight the good social media can do when it enables meaningful interactions. Representative Bill Johnson, an Ohio Republican, likened Facebook’s and Google’s products aimed at kids to tobacco companies selling cigarettes to youth. She questioned Zuckerberg over whether Facebook would enable “endless” scrolling and the ability to add filter effects on photos on the new Instagram app for kids. The FTC has also spoken with Facebook after it was revealed a flaw allowed some kids to chat with people their parents hadn’t approved.
Source:The Star
March 26, 2021 01:35 UTC
Soldiers on a different front line
Deploying military personnel on the streets to help enforce Covid-19 SOP has enabled the armed forces to show a side not often seen by the Malaysian public. IT is always a pleasure to address members of our armed forces, an institution about which many Malaysians have misconceptions. But as it turns out, it has become an opportunity for the armed forces to show a side not often seen by the Malaysian public: in being on the front line, risking their own health, soldiers have become humanised and appreciated. I suggest that highlighting the historical contributions made towards fighting communist terrorism, and participation in UN-mandated peacekeeping around the world, would further combat negative assumptions about our armed forces. This article is distilled from the author’s speech and interactive session with Lieutenant Colonels attending the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College on March 24,2021.
Source:The Star
March 26, 2021 00:41 UTC
A policewoman and her reluctant mum
“At that time, my mother asked how could I catch a thief when I was such a thin and frail girl? Her mother warmed up to her career choice soon after and often visited her in Penang where she was posted. Lee recalled how she was interested in entering the force after joining and training as an army reservist. Lee is currently planning to pen her autobiography detailing the interesting parts of her career in the police force. She was promoted to the rank of Deputy Commissioner in May 2015 before being promoted to Commissioner of Police on March 12.
Source:The Star
March 26, 2021 00:39 UTC
Malaysian plant parents turn balconies into green paradises
Affendi started adding leafy plants to his balcony garden during the first movement control order last March. Before he knew it, he had hundreds of succulents under his care and had to buy more racks, shelves and pots to set them up nicely. “To adapt to the small and limited space I have, I chose suitable racks, shelves and hangers for the pots. Affendi notes that the best thing about a high-rise balcony garden is that you don’t have to worry so much about pests like mosquitoes. But the best thing about his balcony garden?
Source:The Star
March 26, 2021 00:00 UTC
Olympics-Injury ends champion racewalker Tallent's bid for Tokyo swan song
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's former Olympic champion racewalker Jared Tallent announced his retirement on Friday after injury stymied his bid to qualify for a fourth Summer Games in Tokyo later this year. "I am very proud of my career and what I achieved but the one frustration or regret I have is I didn't become a world champion," Tallent, the 2010 Commonwealth Games champion, told the Sydney Morning Herald. "I should be the world champion but the Russian who beat me still has it. "That's the one regret or frustration out of my career that I didn't become a world champion as well and get the complete set." The event has been dropped from the schedule for the 2024 Paris Games because there is no equivalent race for women.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 21:57 UTC
Insight - In 2020, the ultra-rich just got richer
IN 2020, as the world convulsed under Covid-19 and the global economy faced its worst recession since World War II, billionaires saw their riches reach new heights. Forbes, which tracks publicly known fortunes, estimated billionaires had gotten 20% richer in 2020 by mid-December. Inquiries in such strategies tripled during the first seven to eight months of the pandemic, according to Cain, who works for US-based wealth advisory Boston Private. The number of calls from US-based clients surged 206% in 2020 from the prior year. Yet for UK-based millionaire Gary Stevenson, a former trader at Citibank, any plan to tackle inequality must include a wealth tax.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 21:54 UTC
The pits before the peak
Zii Jia battled not only with his own guilt, but also struggled to cope with criticisms hurled against him by keyboard warriors. I cut myself off from everyone, I became anti-social, ” revealed Zii Jia in a virtual interview with the media yesterday. Zii Jia said he was proud to win the title for Hendrawan and silence their critics. “He was in tears while telling me that we got through this, ” said Zii Jia. It’s important for me and I want to get good results on home soil, ” said Zii Jia.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 19:14 UTC
Biden compares Xi to Putin, Republican voting restriction plans to segregation-era laws
Amid the worst U.S.-Chinese relations in decades, Biden compared Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling them both supporters of autocracy. But he said the United States was not looking for confrontation with China over differences on trade, Beijing's rollback of democracy in Hong Kong, treatment of minority Uighurs and military buildup. No previous administration had refused care and shelter to children coming over from Mexico, except that of Trump, Biden said. Rather than leaving those children to "starve to death" at the border, Biden said his administration would care for them. Pyongyang wants the United States and other nations to ease economic sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons program.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 18:56 UTC
Mixed Martial Arts: UFC middleweight champ Adesanya apologises for 'rape' remark
(Reuters) - UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has apologised after he said on social media he would "rape" fellow fighter Kevin Holland. Nigerian-born Adesanya posted an expletive-laden video on Instagram earlier this week directed at Holland, who had targeted him in a series of remarks. The 31-year-old, who currently resides in New Zealand, later deleted the video and said he had "crossed the line". Adesanya's apology came after Grant Robertson, New Zealand's deputy prime minister and minister of sport and recreation, condemned his comment. Adesanya was undefeated in MMA with a 20-0 record until he was beaten by Jan Blachowicz in a light heavyweight title match at UFC 259 on March 6.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 18:54 UTC
Insight - Let’s cut capitalism some slack after Covid
IN the annals of 21st Century capitalism, Covid-19 will go down as a pressure cooker. The pandemic has put enormous strains on livelihoods, individual well-being, healthcare systems, the viability of firms and the stability of public finances. As the former Morgan Stanley strategist Gerard Minack noted last year, our pre-pandemic world was primed to maximise financial returns on the assumption that nothing would go wrong. This bump is happening even as 30% of employers in the financial centre aren’t planning to increase pay at all. Capitalism in the 21st Century will self-insure by cutting itself some slack.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 18:11 UTC
Factbox: North Korea, immigration, re-election top agenda at Biden's first White House news conference
That's real money into people's pockets, bringing relief instantly and millions more will be getting their money very soon." He said there was always a seasonal increase in people arriving at the U.S. border at the start of every year. "All the (Trump) policies that were under way were not helping at all, did not slow up the amount of immigration. "A majority of economic forecasters have significantly increased their projections on the economic growth that's going to take place this year. That’s not going to happen on my watch, because the United States is going to continue to grow and expand,” Biden said.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 15:07 UTC
Amazon calls on India not to alter e-commerce investment rules - sources
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Amazon asked the Indian government on Thursday not to change e-commerce foreign investment rules until investigations into its business practices had been concluded, two sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters. The commerce ministry met e-commerce players after allegations by retailers, which are a crucial part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's support base, that Amazon and Walmart's Flipkart create complex structures to bypass federal foreign investment rules and damage small traders. New Delhi has been considering revising e-commerce foreign investment rules for weeks. Amazon told Reuters in a statement it welcomed the government consultation process and the foreign investment policy "needs to be stable and predictable for investor confidence". The rules also place other restrictions on the foreign players, which are locked in a battle with Reliance as it expands its e-commerce operations.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 12:22 UTC
Tennis-Wawrinka faces spell out after having foot surgery
(Reuters) - Three-times Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka faces a few weeks on the sidelines after having an operation on his left foot for a niggling problem, the Swiss said on Thursday. "After having some problems in my left foot for a while, I have decided to do a small procedure on it," Wawrinka said in a tweet accompanied by a picture of him on a hospital bed. I will be out for a few weeks but can't wait to start practising again soon." Wawrinka underwent knee surgery following his last ATP title in 2017 and had trouble with injuries through 2018, during which his ranking fell to 263. Wawrinka lost in the Australian Open second round last month before losing in the last-32 at Rotterdam and Doha earlier this month.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 12:11 UTC
Tennis-Wildcard Draper collapses during opening round match in Miami
(Reuters) - British teenager Jack Draper's ATP Tour debut ended abruptly after he collapsed on court during his first round match at the Miami Open against Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin on Thursday. With Kukushkin leading the set 6-5, Draper appeared distressed and he had his heart-rate checked courtside by medical staff before deciding to continue. With Kukushkin sealing the set 7-5, Draper retired. "At the changeover, I was starting to feel my body a bit," said Draper. Draper had an ice pack placed on his neck at the end of the first set before he walked off court.
Source:The Star
March 25, 2021 11:14 UTC