Unrepentant: Two weeks after arrest, 16 busted again for ketum
BUTTERWORTH: The urge for ketum juice among a group of 16 people was so strong that they were again busted in the same wooden house in Kampung Bagan Jermal here, where just two weeks earlier they had been arrested for a similar offence. They found the group gathered inside with bottles and packets of ketum juice. North Seberang Prai OCPD Asst Comm Noorzainy Mohd Noor said police recognised most of them as they were the same people who were arrested and slapped with a RM1,000 fine two weeks earlier. "Among the 16 arrested, aged between 17 and 30, was a civil servant and a Form Five student. They will also be investigated under Section 30(1) of the Poisons Act 1952 for possession of ketum juice.
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 13:18 UTC
Music industry hits pause to reflect as U.S. protests rage
"We stand with the black community," Universal Music, part of Vivendi, said on its Twitter account, which featured the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused. "The music business at WMG will not go on as usual," Warner Records wrote on its account, referring to Warner Music Group. Sony Music made a similar announcement, while Interscope Geffen A&M, part of the Universal stable, said it would release no new music this week. If you are white, black, brown or anything in between I am sure you feel (left) hopeless by the racism going on in America right now." "Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart!
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 12:11 UTC
Berjaya Corp to buy home appliances distributor Singer from major shareholder
KUALA LUMPUR (June 1): Berjaya Corporation Bhd (BCorp), which made a request to suspend trading of its shares, will be taking over home electronic appliances distributor Singer (M) Sdn Bhd, several sources say. Last year, Berjaya group made known that there might be a plan to inject Singer into Berjaya Media Bhd — the publisher of The Sun newspaper — as part of the latter’s regularisation plan. However, with the latest move to inject Singer into BCorp, it is unclear how this would impact the regularisation plan for Berjaya Media. The media company has until June 20 to submit its regularisation plan to the relevant authorities for approval. Singer, which was then known as Berjaya Singer Bhd, was once housed under a former listed entity, Berjaya Retail Bhd, which also owned 7-Eleven Bhd then.
Source:The Edge Markets
June 01, 2020 08:22 UTC
Short run-up goes a long way for India's Bumrah
The right-arm quick consistently bowls above 140kph despite his relatively brief run-up, and batsmen find him particularly tricky because of his unorthodox sling-arm action. "The run-up is because of playing in the backyard," the 26-year-old said in the International Cricket Council's 'Inside Out interviews' video series. This was the longest run-up you could have, so maybe that could be a reason. "... when I'm bowling my fourth spell, fifth spell, I'm relatively more fresh than the bowlers who play with me and have a longer run-up. "The grounds are getting shorter and shorter, the wickets are becoming flatter and flatter," he added.
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 05:15 UTC
Selangor Sultan decrees daily congregational, Friday prayers at mosques in the state will remain suspended
KLANG: Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah decrees that daily congregational and Friday prayers in mosques in the state will remain suspended. However, the 39 selected mosques that were allowed to hold congregational prayers with not more than 12 people, beginning mid-May, will be allowed to continue. Sultan Sharafuddin had allowed the 39 mosques to have congregational prayers in mid-May, after there was a decrease in Covid-19 infections in the state. “The decision to prohibit Friday and daily congregational prayers in mosques and surau is a difficult and heavy decision for His Highness to make. Even though congregational prayers cannot be conducted, the daily calls to prayer will continue with the presence of the Imam, bilal and siak (assistant) in mosques and surau in Selangor.
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 03:22 UTC
Nutrition in Malaysia is bad
Today, 20 years later, the answer is clear: we have not been able to halt the rise in these diet-related diseases; the nutrition of Malaysians has deteriorated. In the 1999 paper, I highlighted the importance of implementing the 1st National Plan of Action for Nutrition (NPAN) (1996-2000). It is imperative that we identify the shortcomings of the implementation so that the next NHMS will report a better nutrition status for Malaysians. The Nutrition Society of Malaysia calls for the immediate implementation of the Allied Health Professions Act to strengthen the nutrition profession for them to play this role. DR TEE E. SIONGPresident, Nutrition Societyof Malaysia
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 00:56 UTC
NFC for you and me
During an office hackday recently, I learned that the Chrome browser on Android introduced limited/experimental Web NFC support, which means I can now build web apps that let my digital code interact with the physical world, by tapping my phone on objects with NFC tags. Alright, let me clarify: NFC (near-field communication) technology is a kind of tech that lets electronic devices communicate data between each other (or with compatible NFC tags), but only at really close distances (about ~5cm). Anyway, Web NFC is the new, still-being-explored system that gives websites and web apps access to your phone’s NFC functionality, and this has some very exciting potential! Wait, at this point you might be asking: doesn’t enabling Web NFC sound like a bit of a faff? As for me, I’m going to buy a bunch of cheap NFC tags and stick them to various things around my apartment.
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 00:56 UTC
Easing the burden of residential electricity customers
Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) is now offering its residential customers the option to make instalment payments for their electricity bills amongst its other relief measures. Named the Easy Payment Plan (EPP), the relief package is aimed at easing the burden of residential customers during the Covid-19 pandemic. As such, the EPP is introduced to ease the burden of residential customers going through difficult times due to pandemic’s impact on the economy. EPP will be automatically available for all residential customers from the first actual monthly bill they receive with meter reading from May 15. Upon receiving this first actual monthly bill, customers can opt to either make full payment or pay the EPP amount.
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 00:22 UTC
The future is now: Companies need to future-proof their business with technology, say experts
Vilhelm Bjermeland, founder and chief operating officer of IT and business consulting company Symprio, said that it’s time for more companies to future-proof their business with hyper-automation. — HandoutAccording to RPA consultant Daniel O’Connor, RPA is about executing processes on a computer. In essence, RPA helps to create a virtual workforce which is able to process transactions 24/7 with fewer errors than humans,” said O’Connor, adding that process-heavy industries like insurance companies and government bodies would benefit from adopting the RPA process. You can learn more about the technology from Bjermeland and O’Connor, as they will be speaking at the Hyper-Automation: Bringing AI + RPA Together online course via Cisco Webex, organised by the Star Media Group in partnership with Symprio. Topics that will be covered include Introduction To RPA, The Future Of Work With Automation and Setting Up A Team For Hyper-automation.
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 00:00 UTC
In virus-hit eastern France, masked dancers get back to work
In Mulhouse in eastern France, particularly hard hit by the coronavirus, professional dancers are getting back to work, practising pirouettes in their long-abandoned studio – but no pas de deux. Every time the dancers touch something – their mask, the barre or their water bottle – they are required to disinfect their hands. "But honestly, one can adapt," said the dancer, insisting he was pleased to be back at work. The Opera du Rhin in Mulhouse is one of the first in France to resume training after lockdown, and is producing its own masks for its ballet company. The dancers hope their first post-lockdown performance will be "Chaplin" by German choreographer Mario Schroeder on September 5.
Source:The Star
June 01, 2020 00:00 UTC
Debt-free family terrorised by loan sharks
JOHOR BARU: For the past week, he has been living in dread of loan sharks harming him or his family. The irony is that Gabriel Tan, 48, said that none of them had taken any loans from loan sharks. Tan, a manager in an education company, said the nightmare began last Tuesday when loan sharks splashed red paint on his house near Masai here. He said the loan sharks were so brazen they even sent him a video via WhatsApp of them throwing the Molotov cocktail. Tan urged the loan sharks to leave his family alone as they had never borrowed money from them.
Source:The Star
May 31, 2020 23:26 UTC
Waiting for MCO to be lifted
That’s the date when the conditional movement control order (MCO) is scheduled to end. “It was my regular practice and recreation place with my friends before the MCO started, ” said Kang, 29, adding that he used to go there three times a week. Nick Honegar Mokulou, an education officer, said he would bring his children to visit interesting places as that was what the youngsters wanted. Josie Paul, a media executive, said she couldn’t wait to go back to church to celebrate and give thanks. For other Malaysians, the lifting of the MCO would be a time to reconnect with their families.
Source:The Star
May 31, 2020 23:26 UTC
CMCO breakers arrested
He said a team of policemen on patrol saw the group enjoying durian at the stall at 6.30pm on Saturday. “When they saw policemen arriving, some tried to run but were ordered to stay put, ” he said in a statement. Birthday bust: A group of friends celebrating a birthday were arrested by police after a raid at an apartment in Jalan Harbour Place. At sea, there was a high-speed boat chase near Pulau Aman involving marine police and a fishing boat carrying several anglers on Saturday. The boat skipper tried to outrun the enforcers but the patrol boat was so fast.
Source:The Star
May 31, 2020 23:26 UTC
Dining-in with peace of mind in Penang
GEORGE TOWN: Families can now dine-in with peace of mind at a coffee shop in Taman Pekaka, which has set up acrylic screens to allow four people to dine on each table. “We have not seen any coffee shop allowing more than four people per table so far and this is a pleasant change. Now, people can come in and sit with their families instead of ordering takeaways, ” said Lim when met at the coffee shop in Sungai Dua yesterday. “This is definitely a nice way to encourage families to dine in and use less plastics, ” he added. “Although there is extra work following the installation of the screens such as double cleaning work and time spent to sanitise, I think it allows people to eat with peace of mind, ” he said.
Source:The Star
May 31, 2020 23:26 UTC
Restriction on ATM operating hours lifted
PUTRAJAYA: The restricted operating hours for automated teller machines (ATMs) implemented during the movement control order (MCO) and conditional MCO will be lifted, says Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He said ATM operating hours would revert to normal from today as per banks’ practices. The operating hours had been restricted to between 8am and 8pm during the MCO and conditional MCO as part of the government’s efforts to break the Covid-19 infection chain. “I hope that the public will heed the conditional movement control order (MCO) regulations to avoid being compounded, ” he said. He added that police also detained and remanded 157 individuals for breaching the conditional MCO with another person released on police bail.
Source:The Star
May 31, 2020 23:20 UTC