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GUA MUSANG: Penduduk Orang Asli suku Batek di Kampung Kuala Koh di sini, memotong bekalan air tadahan bukit sejak seminggu lalu kerana mendakwa ia tidak selamat untuk digunakan.Mereka mendakwa bekalan air tadahan bukit disediakan Jabatan Kemajuan Orang Asli (Jakoa) itu dipercayai menjadi punca serangan demam campak di kampung berkenaan sehingga menyebabkan 15 kematian, baru-baru ini.Penduduk, Mamat Ong, 30, berkata, penduduk memotong paip daripada tadahan air bukit itu kerana dikhuatiri tercemar dan bimbang serangan penyakit berkenaan berulang.

“Kami sanggup pergi ke anak sungai berhampiran kampung untuk membasuh pakaian dan mandi selepas air tadahan bukit dipotong.“Penduduk bimbang untuk guna air bukit bagi mengelak kejadian sama berulang,” katanya.Ani Ong, 35, berkata, dia bersama lima anaknya tidak dapat mandi dan membasuh pakaian sejak kelmarin berikutan air di dalam tangki simpanan sudah habis digunakan.“Kini, kami berdepan masalah bekalan air bersih selepas air tadahan bukit dipotong dan berharap pihak berkaitan turun padang untuk selesaikan masalah kami,” katanya

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MELAKA: People's personal data seems to be widely available to insurance agents and even loan sharks, according to Melaka Pakatan Harapan's youth vice-chief Naqiuddin Nazrin.He said feedback received from the grassroots suggested that callers claiming to represent insurance firms and loan providers had personal details of individuals."We need to look into a more comprehensive data protection law to protect innocent people from being scammed," he said in an interview on Tuesday (July 9).Naqiuddin said many were still waiting for the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) 2010 to be amended."I have been informed that the government is reviewing the law to enhance personal data protection.

"Such leaks are risky and could jeopardise the safety of individuals," he said.Naqiuddin, who is also Melaka PKR vice-youth chief, said calls from unknown parties had been rampant recently, including from online sales agencies."How come personal data is available to strangers?" he asked.Naqiuddin urged the authorities to take stern action in curbing the illegal sales of data.Meanwhile, those who have received calls from unknown people are alleging that the callers even had their Mykad details. M. Krishna, 50, said he received a call from insurance agent detailing his old home address at Kota Baru, Kelantan."I used to work in Kelantan between 2002 to 2006 but the caller could give me the exact details on the house I lived in previously," he said, adding that he was upset upon receiving the call.

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KUALA LUMPUR, 9 Julai — Rang Undang-Undang (RUU) Perlindungan Pengguna (Pindaan) 2019, bertujuan antaranya bagi meningkatkan hukuman terhadap mana-mana orang yang gagal mematuhi ‘award’ dibuat Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna (Tribunal), diluluskan sebulat suara di Dewan Rakyat, semalam.Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna Chong Chieng Jen ketika menggulung perbahasan RUU itu berkata pindaan terhadap Akta Perlindungan Pengguna 1999 (Akta 599) berkenaan, secara tidak langsung akan memaksa peniaga bertindak lebih adil kepada pengguna.

“Mana-mana peniaga yang gagal selepas 14 hari untuk mematuhi sesuatu award yang dibuat oleh Tribunal melakukan satu kesalahan, apabila disabit boleh didenda tidak melebihi RM10,000 atau dipenjara tidak melebihi dua tahun, atau kedua-dua sekali,” katanya.Beliau berkata peniaga yang enggan membayar jumlah award yang dikeluarkan Tribunal, boleh dikenakan penalti tambahan iaitu tidak kurang daripada RM100 dan tidak melebihi RM5,000 setiap hari.Tribunal yang ditubuhkan sejak 15 November 1999 berperanan menyediakan saluran alternatif kepada pengguna, untuk menuntut hak secara tebus rugi dan menyelesaikan pertikaian dengan cara lebih mudah.Terdahulu, ketika membentangkan RUU itu bagi bacaan kali kedua, Chong berkata RUU itu juga bertujuan meningkatkan had nilai bidang kuasa Tribunal daripada RM25,000 kepada maksimum RM50,000.

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PARIT BUNTAR, July 7 (Bernama) -- Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) traders affected by the sugar tax on sweetened drinks which came into effect this month, can file a postponement appeal to the relevant authorities.Deputy Entrepreneur Development Minister Datuk Dr Mohd Hatta Md Ramli, however, said that every appeal must provide reasonable grounds for proper consideration.“The implementation of the sugar tax has caused traders to suspend their businesses as they claim the tax is too high.“I hope the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPNDHEP) will resolve the issue when it receives the appeals from the traders,” he told a press conference after officiating the 2019 Entrepreneurship Seminar and Dialogue organised by the Ketian District Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Association (PPKM) here today.

He was commenting on complaints by SME traders on the implementation of the sugar tax of 40 sen per litre (on sweetened beverages containing more than five grammes of sugar) which came into effect on July 1.Mohd Hatta added that the implementation of the tax was aimed at controlling excess sugar intake among the public for health reasons.Meanwhile, Mohd Hatta proposed for the National Entrepreneur Group Economic Fund (Tekun Nasional) to take the initiative to expand its loan method based on the Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) loan model that had been in place since 2015.He said the method involved group loans with five participants in each group which could impact positive loan repayments.Through this method, the process of loan application approvals can be reduced to help entrepreneurs get loans easily, in addition to getting back the loan repayments easily.

-- BERNAMA

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PADANG BESAR, 3 Julai (Bernama) -- Pengeluar gula bertapis, MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd, anak syarikat 51 peratus milik FGV Holdings Bhd, akan memperkenal produk berasaskan gula yang mengandungi manfaat kesihatan, dalam usaha meningkatkan lagi perolehan syarikat.Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Kumpulan MSM, Datuk Khairil Anuar Aziz berkata produk itu bagaimanapun masih di peringkat kajian bersama pasukan penyelidikan dan pembangunan syarikat induk.“Produk berkenaan dijangka diperkenalkan pada suku ketiga atau suku keempat tahun ini. Kita tahu masyarakat telah bersedia dan mahukan produk berasaskan kesihatan. Ramai yang mahu produk gula yang tidak menyebabkan kencing manis, obesiti dan sebagainya,” katanya ketika ditemui Bernama di sini, hari ini.

MSM mengeluarkan gula bertapis putih pelbagai saiz sehingga gula perang halus yang dijual dalam pelbagai bentuk pilihan pembungkusan di bawah jenama Gula Perai.Khairil Anuar berkata produk baharu tersebut dijangka membawa kepada peningkatan perolehan syarikat.Beliau berkata, selain itu, perbincangan secara berterusan dengan kerajaan mengenai masalah yang dihadapi pengeluar industri akan dipergiatkan dari semasa ke semasa sebagai pengeluar gula di negara ini.“Kerajaan menentukan segala bentuk dasar negara. Jadi kita akan terus berunding dan mengadakan perbincangan dengan mereka (kerajaan). Kerajaan sentiasa mendengar masalah pengeluar industri,” katanya.

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THE recent statement by the chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, that the authorities concerned should identify illegal dump sites should be taken seriously. Illegal dump sites,if left uncleared, would become a serious health hazard to the people living in the surrounding areas. They are also eyesores on the land.Open burning, which is being done at these illegal dump sites to create space for more waste or by scavengers to recover scrap metals, is polluting the air.It would be a wasted effort if these illegal dump sites are only identified but no action taken is taken against the operators.Most of these illegal rubbish dumping grounds are operated by contractors who are involved in the disposal of construction and municipal waste. Most of the operators have underworld connection and display thuggish behaviour when confronted.They offer their services based on two categories – disposal of rubbish at licensed dump sites (for which receipts are issued), and illegal dumping at any available space they can find. Some irresponsible customers choose the latter for cost and convenience, thus creating a never-ending presence of illegal dump sites.

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SUNGKAI (July 4): A plastic processing factory here was ordered to close with immediate effect today, following an inspection by authorities who found that terms of the conditional approval granted by the Tapah District Council had not been complied with.Perak Health, Consumer Affairs, Civil Society, National Integration and Human Resources commitee chairman A. Sivanesan said the factory owner, believed to be a foreign national, had not obtained approval from the Department of Environment (DOE) to operate, and the factory was suspected of processing plastic materials brought into the country illegally.Checks of the premises surrounding the factory found the area dirty and smelling, with authorities also concerned that contamination may have occurred, he said, explaining that the inspection was conducted following complaints from residents that river water in Kampung Baru Kuala Bikam had an odour, besides being so dirty that it had turned black.

Sivanesan was speaking to reporters at today’s inspection which was carried out jointly by several bodies including the DOE, district council, police, Immigration Department, Labour Department, Irrigation and Drainage Department and the Land and Mines Office.He said the exercise which began at 11am also involved an inspection of another factory nearby which was found to be in a satisfactory state.The factory was eventually ordered shut, and during the inspection, many factory workers believed to be foreigners, were not present, and this had cast a suspicious light on the matter, Sivanesan said.He explained that the closure would also enable the authorities to further investigate several concerns related to health, cleanliness, foreign workers and the plastic materials.Sivanesan added that the DOE would also be testing samples of the river water.

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SHAH ALAM: Development of groundwater resources for water supply must be high on the national agenda, says Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar.Speaking at the National Groundwater conference 2019 here, Xavier cited a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency in 1982 which showed that Malaysia has groundwater reserves of five trillion cubic metres; of which 2.0 trillion cubic metres are in Peninsular Malaysia, 1.1 trillion cubic metres in Sabah and 1.9 trillion cubic metres in Sarawak.However, he said that due to the abundance of surface water in river systems, groundwater for irrigation use had not been much exploited except in North Kelantan and some parts of Sabah and Sarawak.

“It is estimated that groundwater constitutes less than 3% of the water supply in Malaysia, with the remainder sourced from surfaced water,“ he said.He compared local groundwater utilisation to that of other countries - Denmark has 100% utilisation, Austria 97%, Thailand 80%, China 78%, USA 50%.“Why is this the case for Malaysia? Groundwater resources in Malaysia face many serious problems that relate back to the absence of an adaptive and comprehensive management regime, research and development, manpower, human resources issues, resource data collection, public awareness and stakeholder participation,“said Xavier.He said that it may be necessary to revisit the National Water Resources Policy and the national need to meet future potable and irrigation water demands.“Any new water policy must take into consideration the use of groundwater and its integration into the water supply system,“ he said.

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When someone sets out to improve their health, they usually take a familiar path: starting a healthy diet, adopting a new workout regimen, getting better sleep, drinking more water. Each of these behaviors is important, of course, but they all focus on physical health—and a growing body of research suggests that social health is just as, if not more, important to overall well-being.One recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE, for example, found that the strength of a person’s social circle—as measured by inbound and outbound cell phone activity—was a better predictor of self-reported stress, happiness and well-being levels than fitness tracker data on physical activity, heart rate and sleep. That finding suggests that the “quantified self” portrayed by endless amounts of health data doesn’t tell the whole story, says study co-author Nitesh Chawla, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame.

“There’s also a qualified self, which is who I am, what are my activities, my social network, and all of these aspects that are not reflected in any of these measurements,” Chawla says. “My lifestyle, my enjoyment, my social network—all of those are strong determinants of my well-being.”Chawla’s theory is supported by plenty of prior research. Studies have shown that social support—whether it comes from friends, family members or a spouse—is strongly associated with better mental and physical health. A robust social life, these studies suggest, can lower stress levels; improve mood; encourage positive health behaviors and discourage damaging ones; boost cardiovascular health; improve illness recovery rates; and aid virtually everything in between. Research has even shown that a social component can boost the effects of already-healthy behaviors such as exercise.

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NILAI - Sebuah kawasan hutan berkeluasan hampir setengah hektar bersebelahan Kawasan Perindustrian Taman Melur, Batang Benar, Mantin dekat sini musnah akibat dicemari cecair dipercayai mengandungi bahan kimia.Cecair berkenaan dipercayai dilepaskan ke kawasan hutan tersebut secara haram dari sebuah kilang memproses aluminium yang terletak di kawasan perindustrian itu.Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Bertindak Kesihatan, Alam Sekitar, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan negeri, S Veerapan berkata, perbuatan tidak bertanggungjawab kilang itu mengakibatkan pokok di kawasan hutan itu mati dan tanahnya tercemar."Cecair yang dihasilkan kilang itu disalurkan ke luar kawasan kilang. Kilang ini mempunyai mesin untuk merawat cecair itu, tetapi rosak dan mereka lepaskan ke kawasan hutan.

"Kita dapati kawasan hutan itu ditenggelami cecair tersebut sedalam satu meter menyebabkan pokok-pokok di situ mati," katanya ketika ditemui pemberita selepas melakukan pemeriksaan di kilang berkenaan dan meninjau kawasan hutan yang terjejas di sini hari ini.Veerapan menegaskan, hasil buangan dari kilang itu sepatutnya dilupuskan di tempat yang dibenarkan oleh Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) Negeri Sembilan seperti di Pusat Kualiti Alam.Sementara itu, Pengarah JAS Negeri Sembilan, Norhazni Mat Sari berkata, pihaknya mengesan pencemaran itu semalam menggunakan dron semasa melakukan pemeriksaan berkala di kawasan perindustrian tersebut.Menurut beliau, kilang itu diarahkan menghentikan operasinya selama 14 hari bermula semalam bagi membolehkan siasatan dilakukan oleh JAS Negeri Sembilan dan jika perlu arahan tersebut akan dilanjutkan.

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