Details

SEREMBAN: Syarikat bas ekspres yang menawarkan perkhidmatan laluan Kuala Lumpur-Seremban kini perlu menyediakan perkhidmatan bas khas untuk penumpang wanita pada waktu puncak.Menteri Pengangkutan, Anthony Loke Siew Fook, berkata arahan itu berikutan permintaan tinggi khususnya daripada kalangan penumpang wanita.“Buat masa ini, ada tiga syarikat yang menawarkan perkhidmatan bas ekspres laluan Kuala Lumpur-Seremban dan kita sudah memberitahu mereka untuk menyediakan empat ‘trip’ (perjalanan) bagi setiap jam antara jam 5 hingga 7 pagi khas untuk wanita.“Ini bagi memastikan keselesaan penumpang wanita yang menggunakan perkhidmatan itu untuk ke tempat kerja setiap pagi,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas mengadakan lawatan di Stesen Bas Terminal 1, di sini, hari ini.

Mengulas lanjut, Loke berkata jumlah trip yang sama juga perlu disediakan syarikat bas ekspres antara jam 5 hingga 7 petang dari Kuala Lumpur ke Seremban.“Kira-kira 2,000 orang menggunakan perkhidmatan bas ekspres antara dua destinasi itu pada waktu puncak. Sebab itu syarat ini hanya dikenakan kepada syarikat bas ekspres di laluan ini,” katanya.Dalam perkembangan lain, Loke turut memberi amaran kepada syarikat bas untuk mengurangkan kos tambang sehala daripada RM7 ke RM6.50 seperti yang ditetapkan sebelum ini.“Saya dimaklumkan mereka menaikkan tambang daripada RM6 kepada RM7 sejak 1 Jun lalu.“Disebabkan kadar harga siling yang ditetapkan adalah RM6.50, mereka perlu mematuhinya atau berdepan tindakan,” tegasnya.Pada masa sama, beliau turut berpuas hati apabila arahan itu dipatuhi syarikat bas ekspres apabila kos tambang itu dikurangkan.

Details

PASIR GUDANG: Terdapat 274 kilang di sepanjang jajaran Sungai Kim Kim, di sini, yang dikenal pasti penyebab masalah pencemaran di sungai berkenaan sukar dikawal.Sumber memberitahu jumlah itu direkodkan dalam bancian yang dilakukan sebelum dan selepas isu pencemaran sisa kimia berbahaya di sungai berkenaan yang menggemparkan negara, Mac lalu.Katanya, kawasan lembangan Sungai Kim Kim sepanjang 15 kilometer itu antara sungai yang padat dengan kawasan perindustrian di bahagian hulunya menyebabkan penguatkuasaan undang-undang sukar dilaksanakan dengan berkesan.“Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) boleh keupayaan mengesan pemilik kilang yang melepaskan sisa berbahaya tidak dirawat ke sungai kerana memiliki sistem khas latar belakang syarikat, termasuk bahan diproses di kilang kerana ia syarat utama sebelum dibenarkan beroperasi.“Cuma, yang sukar dikawal kewujudan kilang haram kerana agensi kerajaan tiada maklumat mengenai operasi mereka dan apa yang diproses, apatah lagu sisa apa yang mereka lepaskan ke sungai kita,” katanya.

Justeru, penguatkuasaan bersepadu perlu dilaksanakan secara berterusan di kawasan perindustrian yang terletak di sepanjang Sungai Kim Kim kerana jajarannya berada berdekatan penempatan manusia, termasuk taman perumahan, kampung tradisional serta kampung nelayan menjadikan pencemaran mampu mendatangkan ancaman.Semalam BH melaporkan selepas tiga bulan diisytiharkan bebas dan selamat daripada pencemaran sisa kimia berbahaya, Sungai Kim Kim, di sini berdepan pula masalah pencemaran sampah sarap, selain menjadi semakin cetek hingga menjejaskan kehidupan komuniti nelayan setempat.Penduduk setempat mendakwa walaupun sungai itu tidak lagi berbau busuk dengan sisa kimia, namun tahap kebersihannya masih diragui disebabkan ada pihak tidak bertanggungjawab membuang sampah sarap ke dalamnya.

Details

GUA MUSANG: Police have declared Kampung Kuala Koh, where several Oramg Asli from the Batek tribe died recently, a “red zone” area.This effectively serves as a ban on entry into the village to all except those who have permission to do so.District police chief Superintendent Mohd Taufik Maidin said the move was for the safety of not only the Orang Asli villagers, but also officers of the various government agencies as well as outsiders.“Except for the special officers who are on duty for the operation to locate the 12 graves (of Orang Asli said to have died over the past month), others are banned from entering the area.“The agencies that are allowed to be in the area include the police forensic unit, members of the General Operations Force and a few others,” he said.

Taufik said strict checks would be carried out on vehicles entering the village.Asked whether police had started the operation to locate the grave, he said the operation might not start yet due to a “certain matter”.However, he did not disclose any information about it.Kelantan police chief Datuk Hasanuddin Hassan visited the district police headquarters and is scheduled to have a meeting with Taufik and his officers later today.Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waytha Moorthy had disclosed on Sunday that 14 Batek villagers had died over the past month.Two died of pneumonia on Sunday, but cause of death for the other 12 is not known.

Details

OF late, a great deal of attention has been placed on the issue of malnutrition in Malaysia. How­ever, there has been very little discussion on its impact on mental health.Considering that approximately one in three Malaysian adults suffer from a mental illness, the far-reaching implications of malnutrition on mental health needs to be examined closely.Growing research literature indicates that nutrition has both direct and indirect effects on mental health, well-being and mood.A 2017 study found the consumption of a Mediterranean-style diet for over three months was associated with improved mental health outcomes in the form of lower levels of depression and anxiety, improved ability to cope with stress and better quality of life. This diet involves a high intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, grains, fish and unsaturated fat, and low consumption of processed foods such as snacks.

Greater diversity of vegetable intake was associated with higher positive emotions and reduced depression, anxiety and negative emotions, while diversity of fruit intake was additionally correlated with better mental health, happiness, relationships and overall quality of life. Reduced intake of processed snacks was associated with improved mental health, coping skills and quality of life.The effects of nutrition on children and adolescent mental health are especially significant. Most studies conclude that a poor diet (be it low consumption of nutritional foods or high consumption of refined carbohydrates) is linked to worsening cognition (for example, difficulty concentrating), increased risk of mental disorders and poor emotional regulation, which have long-lasting consequences in adulthood.

When one considers the extensive effects of nutrition on mental health, recent report findings on the situation of nutrition in Malay­sia are particularly alarming.The 2018 Global Nutrition Report states that Malaysia faces the triple burden of malnutrition: overweight, anaemia and childhood stunting. These conditions are being seen in both B40 and M40 population groups.This suggests serious barriers or obstacles in accessing good nutrition among the general public, an unacceptable situation for an upper-middle income country like Malaysia.A Khazanah Research Institute report last year showed that rising food prices resulted in lower-income households (those earning below RM5,000) spending more on food at home but affording and consuming less of it.

Details

I REFER to the letter “Tough road for the elderly to traverse” (The Star, June 13). I fully agree with the writer, who has plainly laid out the problems we oldies face in today’s environment. Certainly, with better healthcare and living conditions, many of us are able to live much longer compared to our own parents and their ancestors.But this situation is not confined to Malaysia alone. It’s a global phenomenon wherein the more advanced the country, the longer the lifespan of its people. It’s how we tackle the “new world” that we suddenly find ourselves in that befuddles many of us. How do we cope with the IT world that has taken over?Take my own case as an example. I am 82 years of age and was deeply involved with the overall global warming/climate change business model until I threw in the towel when I turned 80. I gave up because of my age, the total collapse of the carbon market and also to care for my stroke-stricken wife.

Until then, I was doing okay and secured some lucrative contracts with a public listed company. Despite my departure from the business world, I still think that there are ample opportunities for like-minded entrepreneurs in developing biofuels, methane and carbon capture for energy generation (the solar field is too crowded already) plus other initiatives like using waste as alternative fuel.What I have in mind is to go beyond global warming. We have a core of fully qualified professionals whose expertise is still valid and vital. We also have some very well-trained teachers in English, Maths and Science. Many of these retirees are available to us if we can access those who are still keen to teach.For years, I have been toying with the idea of forming a corporation (I have even chosen the name “The Sunshine Club”) to organise this new work force to make their services available. Why are we talking about hiring foreign English language teachers when we have some available locally who retired before their time?

Details

JOHOR BARU: Johor should emulate other countries which have managed to control the use of plastic bags.Green Earth Society Johor president P. Sivakumar said many developed nations had done this and that local businesses and consumers must support the move for zero plastic usage as it was a good initiative.He said in certain countries, retailers were allowed to sell only reusable bags to consumers at a reasonable price as part of measures for zero plastic usage.“Affordable reusable bags will encourage more users to stop using plastic and bring their own bags when out shopping,” Sivakumar said in response to the Penang government’s move in asking businesses in the state to stop dis­pensing plastic bags on Mondays starting from next month.

The latest move is an expansion of Penang’s initiative towards zero plastic bag usage which began in July 2009 and has since widened to charges of 20sen per bag.Sivakumar hoped Johor government would discuss with stakeholders on how much to charge for a bag to discourage consumers from even buying them.“A grace period of three months should be given to all hypermarkets and supermarkets to sell only reusable bags to consumers,” he added.

Details

THE pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) was first made available in our country in 2005. Within a few years, healthcare professionals in Malaysia had begun calling for the inclusion of PCV into our national immunisation programme (NIP) following the growing practice in other countries.This move reflected widespread recognition of the vaccine’s importance in preventing some of the most devastating diseases caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium. Based on Malaysian studies, its impact is profound, as shown below:

1. Pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) kills about 10.2 in 10,000 children under five years of age;

2. S. pneumoniae is believed to cause 23.4% of bacterial meningitis (inflammation of the brain membrane) cases in our country;

3. Bacteraemia (blood infection), which may lead to shock and organ failure, occurs in about 30 in 100,000 children under five years old in Malaysia; and

4. There are about 500,000 cases of pneumococcal otitis media (middle ear infection resulting in deafness) in children under two years old every year.

For the parents and other family members, there is untold grief and trauma when any child becomes permanently disabled or dies as a result of pneumococcal disease. Parents not only have to care for their sick children, but most low- or middle-income families will also have to struggle with debilitating hospital bills. Their livelihood may be put at risk if they have to take time off work, leading to salary cuts or even job loss. This can put tremendous stress on the individuals, disrupt everyday lives and even break some families apart.As a children’s health advocacy initiative by parents, we in MyHealth Outreach were very moved by the plight of all parents and children affected by pneumococcal disease. Thus, we decided to play our role and actively advocate for the inclusion of PCV in the NIP. In 2013, we ran a “Say YES to Pneumococcal Disease Protection” petition. Over 20,000 parents and paediatricians expressed their desire to have PCV in the NIP. We presented the results to our former health minister but were sorely disappointed that the ministry was unable to fulfil the public’s wish.

Fast forward to 2018, we were very encouraged when Pakatan Harapan pledged, in its election manifesto, to provide PCV to all Malaysian children under two years old. Inspired by our current Health Minister’s passion and commitment to realise the promise, MyHealth Outreach started an online petition in English (http://chng.it/D9nB4zYxc6) and Bahasa Malaysia (http://chng.it/p7kshMBsG4) in April.

Details

New dumping ground Heaps of plastic waste piled two storeys high and packed in sacks at an industrial plot opposite Taman Sri Wang across the railway track in Sungai Petani, Kedah. — LO TERN CHERN/The Star

Unscrupulous plastic recyclers have resorted to devious means to continue their business in the dark. Garbage is being moved from areas of trouble and dumped elsewhere and it is being buried or burnt to give the impression that it is being dealt with. Instead, it’s creating a bigger problem.SUNGAI PETANI: Penang did not want them, so plastic waste processing factories have moved here.After a major crackdown “shooed away” illegal plastic waste processing facilities from Penang, many of them moved south, just 30 minutes from Butterworth.Checks revealed that industrial plots as large as 4ha and vacant warehouses have become processing facilities for plastic waste that needed to be sorted by quality and cut into bits before being recycled.

The Kedah government is on alert and has ordered the closure of several illegal factories.A few factories in the Sungai Petani Industrial Area had their gates sealed with yellow tape by local authorities.However, forklifts on the factory grounds could still be seen shifting large sacks of shredded plastic piled two storeys high.Kedah environment and climate change committee chairman Simon Ooi said so far, 14 illegal plastic waste factories in Sungai Petani had been ordered to cease all operations, but he was disappointed that some of them were still running.“We have stopped issuing new licences for recycling plastic, and more drastic action will be taken very soon.

Details

KEPALA BATAS: A 51-year-old senior bank officer was cheated of approximately RM3.38mil in a love scam which began when the victim met a man on a dating app.The victim had met the man named John Eric Chen through the Coffee Meets Bagel app in August 2018.He then offered the victim an opportunity to work together in a project worth USD$25mil but the victim was requested to make a pre-payment of USD$38,000 (RM157,624).

North Seberang Prai OCPD ACP Noorzainy Mohd Noor said the suspect had also promised to marry the victim in the near future.He added that the victim made 19 bank transfers into three accounts given by the suspect between August 2018 and September 2018."As the victim believed the suspect, she had made transfers amounting to USD$815,331 which is equivalent to RM3.38mil. After the victim transferred the money, the suspect could no longer be reached," said ACP Noorzainy.He added that this led the victim to make a police report on June 4 for further action.He added that the money was a combination of her salary, savings and money borrowed from family members.ACP Noorzainy advised people to be alert and not be deceived by the tactics of online love scam syndicates.He reminded the public to not easily fall in love or be persuaded with people using social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Wechat."The case is now being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating," he said.

Details

S:Boleh bagi tip sesuai yang boleh diamalkan supaya kita lebih berhati-hati berbelanja di musim perayaan?

J: Ada beberapa tip. Pertama, kita kena pastikan berapa jumlah wang yang kita perlukan untuk sambut perayaan. Biasanya kita sudah boleh agak setiap tahun berapa jumlah wang berdasarkan keperluan keluarga. Biasanya akan lihat perbelanjaan beli keperluan seperti juadah raya, persiapan pakaian dan seterusnya kalau balik kampung perbelanjaan seperti minyak, tol dan duit raya. Jadi kita kena siapkan berapa jumlah diperlukan, contohnya RM3,000, bagaimana nak dapat jumlah itu. Kalau kita tidak rancang, kita akan guna gaji pada bulan itu untuk perbelanjaan raya. Ini yang sebenarnya masalah sebab biasanya pendapatan bulanan sudah ada perbelanjaan tetap seperti bayaran kereta dan rumah. Bagi yang berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana, gaji bulanan biasanya memang ‘cukupcukup’ sahaja. Jadi kalau guna sejumlah wang gaji untuk perbelanjaan raya, ia akan mengganggu perbelanjaan tetap. Sebab itu ada yang tidak dapat menyelesaikan bayaran rumah dan kereta... jadi tertunggak. Ada juga yang meminjam dengan along, dapat cepat, kalau pinjam dengan bank, lambat diluluskan.

Ini akan jadi perangkap mereka.

Kalau boleh buat persiapan awal atau menyimpan sedikit demi sedikit dan akhirnya menjelang raya, duit sudah cukup. Seterusnya belanja berdasarkan keperluan dan sepatutnya kalau pakaian, peralatan masih elok, gunakan atau yang kreatif perabot boleh letak sarung baharu. Jadi tidak membabitkan perbelanjaan besar. Apa yang berlaku sekarang kebanyakan pengguna menganggap bila hari raya, semua benda nak baharu, kereta, perabot dan pakaian semua serba baharu. Ini akan menyebabkan mereka terbelenggu dengan masalah kewangan. Kita melihat ini lebih kepada pengguna yang pendapatan rendah dan sederhana. Yang pendapatan tinggi tiada isu kerana ada kemampuan untuk berbelanja. Yang berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana akan terbeban dengan masalah kewangan jika tidak dapat merancang kewangan dengan baik.

  1. ‘Educate public on tackling e-waste’
  2. TNB BERI JAMINAN AKAN PULANGKAN WANG JIKA TERLEBIH CAJ
  3. Health scheme needs a shot in the arm
  4. DoE gets tough on e-waste
  5. Crude recycling methods bad for health and environment
  6. Five-year warranty a gimmick to spur sales
  7. Price: What You See Is What You Get Policy
  8. Malaysia Will Ship A Total Of 3,000 Tonnes Of Plastic Waste Back To Its Origin Countries
  9. Serious water pollution in Penang
  10. Today's Statistics by DOSM at 12.00pm, 24th May 2019 (Release Series 096/2019):