Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by wankongyew

PRC ambassador to Nepal Twitter account

wankongyew — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 09:20:15 +0800

[twt]https://twitter.com/PRCAmbNepal/status/1211914509914230784/[/twt]

China not releasing info about virus outbreak

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 22:17:35 +0800

QUOTE

Health authorities in the central China city hit by an outbreak of viral pneumonia are not doing enough to keep people up to date, according to local media reports citing relatives of those affected by the mystery illness.

Authorities in Wuhan said on Tuesday that 27 people had been taken into hospital in December suffering from the virus, of whom seven were in a serious condition.

The circumstances of the outbreak show similarities to the Sars and bird flu epidemics that killed hundreds of people in mainland China and Hong Kong between 2002 and 2004. Most of the people affected in Wuhan worked at the Huanan seafood market in the city, which was later found to have also sold other animals, including birds and rabbits.

When contacted on Thursday, the Wuhan Health Commission declined to give an update on patient numbers or their condition, saying such information would be published on its website and WeChat social media account.

The Beijing News said on its website on Thursday that the 27 patients had been transferred to Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital, which specialises in treating infectious diseases.

The report quoted a female relative of one of them as saying that families were in the dark as neither the hospital nor its doctors would tell them what was going on.

“They only told the families the disease is under control and stabilising. It’s not getting better or worse,” she said.

The World Health Organisation said yesterday it was in contact with Chinese authorities and efforts were under way to identify the virus.

WHO officials in Beijing did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.

Police in Wuhan said on Wednesday they had spoken to eight people with regards to spreading rumours online about the pneumonia outbreak. They urged the public to abide by the law and not fabricate or spread unverified information.

The statement drew criticism from some social media users, however.

“How is this a rumour?” a person wrote on the police’s Weibo account. “This outbreak happened. The public was spreading information because there was nothing from the officials for an entire day.”

Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s health authority said on Thursday that a local woman was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital on her return from Wuhan after displaying symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection.

Initial tests, however, came back negative for Sars and bird flu, it said.

“As the patient said she had been to Wuhan before developing symptoms, Tuen Mun Hospital immediately arranged for her to stay in an isolation ward for treatment,” a spokesman for the hospital authority said.

A hospital source said the woman had a fever but it had subsided, adding she was in Wuhan during the Christmas break.

Another source from the authority quoted the woman as saying she had not been to the seafood market.

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung from the University of Hong Kong said next-generation sequencing, a technology that can give insight into DNA details, was still being conducted on the woman’s sample to understand the cause of her illness.

“At the moment we still haven’t identified anything significant,” he said, adding that the result would possibly be available on Friday or Saturday.

The health authority said on Tuesday it was monitoring the situation in Wuhan and had stepped up checks at border controls and hospitals.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/art...being-kept-dark

Tumbleweeds trap cars

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 22:04:15 +0800

[twt]https://twitter.com/wspd3pio/status/1212403363326779392[/twt]

QUOTE

A handful of travelers spent the waning hours of the new year trapped inside a massive pileup of tumbleweeds that shut down a highway in eastern Washington for 10 hours.

State Route 240 was closed in both directions at mile point 10 near West Richland as Washington Department of Transportation workers cleared the road -- using what appeared in photos to be a snow plow.

The Associated Press quoted Washington State Trooper Chris Thorson, who said five cars and one 18-wheel semi truck were trapped in the tumbleweeds over New Year’s Eve night. The road did not reopen until about 4:30 a.m. New Year’s Day.

“People were still stuck at midnight and rung in the new year trapped under the weeds,” Thorson said.

Thorson posted on Twitter that tumbleweeds were piled 20 to 30 feet in places.

By 8 a.m. Wednesday, officials reported that one abandon car was still trapped in the tumbleweeds, but no one was found inside.

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwes...washington.html

Kesian one person eaten by tumbleweeds.

Satu lagi Myvi terbang

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 15:51:39 +0800

[YOUTUBE]fQNFWhNB4hY[/YOUTUBE]

High-rise hostel for foreign workers in Penang

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 15:02:40 +0800

QUOTE

A plan to build a 29-storey hostel to house an estimated 12,000 foreign workers in Kampung Bagan has got the local fishing communities along Teluk Kumbar and Gertak Sanggul worried.

The fishermen who called a press conference today expressed bewilderment about the late notice given to residents about the project, which they fear will flood their tiny seaside village with outsiders and possibly cause social problems.

Gertak Sanggul Fishermen Unit chief Datuk Chooi Sooi Kong said last week, the city council issued notices to inform residents of the project.

“We found out that the whole project involves three blocks of high-rise buildings — one commercial and one residential to compensate affected residents here and one to house foreign workers,” he said.

He said the fishermen and affected residents are not against the whole project but are strongly against the foreign workers’ hostel component.

“A total 623 units in the 29-storey block will be for foreign workers and this could potentially bring in close to 12,000 foreign workers to this area,” he said.

He said Teluk Kumbar and the adjacent Gertak Sanggul are mostly fishing villages with agricultural lands and aquaculture businesses and questioned the decision to construct a hostel for foreigners who would mostly work in factories.

“This is not a heavy industrial zone with big factories, this whole area is made up of fishing villages and farms so there was no justification to locate a foreign workers’ hostel here,” he said.

He added that the narrow roads leading into Teluk Kumbar and Gertak Sanggul that are already suffering from traffic gridlock during rush hour will worsen in future once the hostel is running.

“If the hostel is here, there will be factory buses coming into this area and causing more congestion here,” he said.

Teluk Kumbar fishermen unit chief Roslizan Ramli said the state government should consider the social and safety aspects of residents in the area before allowing a foreign workers’ hostel to be built there.

He added that there were also no reassurances that the foreign workers brought to live in the hostel are free from contagious diseases that could spread to residents.

A search on the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) website showed that the developer had submitted its application for planning permission on November 20, 2019.

The proposal was for three high-rise buildings on Lot 1435 and Lot 1437 along Lorong Gertak Sanggul.

The first block will be a 28-storey apartment consisting of a multi-storey carpark and 986 units of affordable housing, the second block is a 21-storey commercial building consisting of 200 units of duplex offices and the third block is a 29-storey building consisting of 623 units for foreign workers’ hostel.

A total 37 houses and a temple, the Qian Sui Gong, in the fishing village will be demolished to make way for the project that covers up to 13 acres of land.

When contacted, MBPP Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said the application for planning permission is still under consideration.

“We will look into all necessary aspects technically under the rules and regulations when processing the application and we will take into consideration the concerns raised by the residents,” he said.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...r-for-1/1823846

Kelantan terima RM400 juta daripada Tun M

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 14:40:56 +0800

QUOTE

Kerajaan Kelantan menerima wang 'one-off' daripada Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad sebanyak RM400 juta pada bulan lalu.

Menteri Besar Kelantan, Datuk Ahmad Yakob berkata, wang 'one-off' berkenaan adalah pertama kali diterima Kelantan daripada Perdana Menteri.

Menurutnya, pihaknya menerima surat rasmi daripada Tun Dr Mahathir sendiri pada 17 Disember lalu berhubung pemberian terbabit untuk kesejahteraan rakyat Kelantan dan peningkatan ekonomi negeri.

“Kerajaan terima surat khas pada 17 Disember dengan nama one-off kepada Kelantan untuk tahun 2019 sebanyak RM400 juta daripada Tun sendiri.

“Wang berkenaan sudah diterima selepas 25 Disember lalu. Jadi kita mengucapkan penghargaan yang tidak terhingga kepada Tun,” katanya kepada media hari ini.

Ahmad berkata, dalam surat berkenaan tidak menyatakan sama ada wang itu berkaitan royalti dituntut daripada kerajaan Pusat ataupun tidak.

“Setakat ini dinamakan sebagai 'one-off' daripada YB Tun Mahathir sendiri dan saya tidak boleh kata wang royalti. Pertama kali dari Tun sendiri,” katanya.

Terdahulu, Ahmad menyampaikan Amanat Tahun Baru 2020 kepada kakitangan awam di Kompleks Kota Darul Naim.

Hadir sama, Timbalan Menteri Besar, Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah dan Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan, Datuk Nazran Muhammad.

https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/6428...-daripada-Tun-M

Cash is king.

CPO jumps after India cuts import duties

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 12:34:01 +0800

QUOTE

Crude palm oil (CPO) for third month delivery rose to a high of RM3,080 per tonne on Thursday, extending its rally from 2019 after India cut import duties.

At 11.22am, CPO was up RM24 to RM2,076 per tonne.

India's lowering of import duties on the commodity raises demand expectations, says Anilkumar Bagani, head of research at vegetable oil broker Sunvin Group, according to Dow Jones wire report.

PublicInvest Research said that as part of a bilateral agreement, India’s Ministry of Finance cut import duties on CPO and refined palm oil from Southeast Asian countries effective Wednesday.

The duty on CPO was lowered to 37.5% from 40% while a tax on the refined CPO was cut to 45% from 50%.

The research house believed this latest tax revision is set to boost Malaysia’s refined palm oil exports to India in the coming months as the duty gap between CPO and refined CPO has narrowed to 7.5% from 10% previously.

"The favourable move should help drive down Malaysian palm oil inventories and provide support to the current strong CPO prices. We maintain our bullish stance on the plantation outlook with a CPO price assumption of RM2,600/mt for this year. Our top three picks are Sarawak Plantation, Ta Ann Holdings and TSH Resources," it said.

Part of the bilateral agreement. India, the world’s largest palm oil buyer, has cut import duties on CPO from 40% to 37.5% and slashed duties on refined CPO from 50% to 45%. The lowering of import duties follows the trade agreement between India and Asean in 2009.

India has been cutting the import duty on CPO and refined CPO as well as a number of other key export commodities from Asean countries on an annual basis between 2010 and 2020.

"Malaysian refiners set to reap the gain. The latest Indian tax revision has made palm oil more competitive against the alternatives such as sunflower oil and soybean oil, which have the narrowest spread in 10 years. The narrower duty differential between CPO and refined CPO from 10% to 7.5% will likely see Indian buyers switching their demand from CPO to refined CPO, namely, palm olein.

"Currently, refined palm oil imports in India account for 18.5% of consumption, and are expected to see a boost in the coming months. Supported by the duty disparity between CPO and refined palm oil products following the resumption of export duties in Malaysia, coupled with the latest tax move from India, Malaysian palm oil refiners are set to enjoy better margins than its counterparts.

"Malaysian palm oil market share in India is expected to jump higher from the current level of 49.8% meanwhile," PublicInvest Research said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/business/2020/01...s-import-duties

Cukur, Zakir Naik not an issue after all.

Captain America, Deadpool sambut murid SK St Paul

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 11:23:21 +0800

QUOTE

Captain America dan Deadpool yang dipilih sebagai ‘penyambut tetamu’ di Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) St Paul di sini dilihat bukan sahaja menggembirakan murid Tahun Satu yang memulakan hari pertama sesi persekolahan hari ini malah menarik menarik perhatian 700 murid dan ibu bapa.

Guru Besar A Santhanasmy berkata, idea menyediakan 'penyambut tetamu' dari watak filem kegemaran ramai itu bermula sejak tahun 2016 selepas perbincangan bersama Persatuan Ibu Bapa dan Guru (PIBG) serta Lembaga Pengurus Sekolah.

“Tahun pertama kita bawa badut sambut murid dan idea itu memang berhasil untuk mewujudkan suasana ceria serta menghilangkan gemuruh murid Tahun Satu yang memulakan hari pertama persekolahan.

“Jadi setiap tahun kita nak tampilkan sesuatu yang lebih menarik dan kehadiran watak adiwira dari filem lebih mengujakan 105 murid baharu," katanya.

Menurutnya, semua murid Tahun Satu juga dipakaikan dengan lencana ditulis ‘Saya seorang yang hebat’ sebagai tanda mereka murid terpilih yang memasuki sekolah berkenaan.

“Guru lebih mudah menguruskan proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran apabila tiada murid yang menangis atau meragam. Ibu bapa juga tidak perlu bimbang meninggalkan anak-anak mereka di sekolah

"Kita memperuntukkan kira-kira RM1,000 untuk menyewa dua kostum termasuk menyediakan lencana itu,” katanya.

Katanya, pihak sekolah perlu kreatif menarik minat murid untuk ke sekolah dan idea seperti itu yang kini menjadi trend perlu diteruskan selagi memberi kesan positif.

https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/6426...urid-SK-St-Paul

Let's all enjoy our time studying in SK.

Health official urges influenza vaccination

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 11:15:25 +0800

QUOTE

Most Malaysians won’t run to their doctors for a jab when they have sore throats and runny noses, thinking it’s just a common cold.

But they should reconsider as they could be infected with influenza, which can have dire effects, including death, public health expert Dr Wan Noraini Wan Mohamed Nor warned in a recent Facebook Live session on the Health Ministry’s page.

“It may seem trivial when you come down with a cold where you can still function normally. But when you are outside interacting with others, you do not know which one of them could well be in the influenza high-risk categories,” the Health Ministry (MoH) official said.

“For example, a child with the flu going to school. Something as mild as that could spread to his or her classmates or even the teachers, leading to a serious infection,” she said.

She added that working adults pose the same health risks to their peers and should seek proper treatment for the best recovery.

Dr Wan Noraini also advocated for yearly vaccinations against influenza.

She said there are currently two types available in the market known as trivalent vaccine and quadrivalent vaccine.

“The reason why you should seek yearly flu shots is due to the constantly-changing nature of influenza’s virus structure,” she said, noting that the World Health Organisation frequently makes adjustments to the vaccination formulation as contagion spreads easily and reinfection is high.

“But of all the high-risk categories, even those normally healthy who have never been vaccinated against influenza before are also at the highest risk. I can only urge them to do so, as it can strike regardless of age, race, or economic status,” she said.

More at:
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...ier-tha/1823858

Heard from American friends that this year's influenza strain is extremely nasty, capable of laying people down for weeks at a time. Be careful.

Singapore GDP grows 0.7% in 2019

wankongyew — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 09:15:19 +0800

QUOTE

Singapore’s export-focused economy expanded a steady 0.7 per cent in 2019, data released on Thursday showed, as solid growth in the construction and services sectors helped compensate for weakness in manufacturing.

The flash estimate, while markedly lower than the 3.2 per cent growth Singapore registered in 2018, was within the government’s 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent range.

Fourth-quarter growth came in at 0.8 per cent compared to the same period a year ago, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said. It was, overall, Singapore’s slowest growth over the course of a year for the decade.

Notwithstanding Singapore’s long-standing status as a bellwether for Asian economic health, the city state’s economy is under particular scrutiny with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expected to call a general election in the first half of 2020.

Lee’s designated successor, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, will deliver the 2020 budget statement on February 18.

The latest figures showed the manufacturing sector fell 2.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, extending a 0.9 per cent decline in the July-September period.

On a quarter-to-quarter annualised basis, the drop appeared even more acute: the sector shrunk 7.3 per cent, reversing growth of 8.9 per cent in the third quarter.

“The contraction was due to output declines in the electronics, chemicals and transport engineering clusters, which more than offset output expansions in the precision engineering, biomedical manufacturing and general manufacturing clusters,” MTI said.

Annualised growth of 2.1 per cent in the construction sector was supported by public sector construction activities, it said.

The services sector grew by 1.4 per cent year on year supported by the finance insurance industries, the ministry said.

https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-as...nt-2019-heading

Cukur, no recession.

Glove maker suspends operations due to US ban

wankongyew — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 21:42:39 +0800

QUOTE

Glove maker WRP Asia has suspended its operations with immediate effect just three months after the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency announced it was banned on suspicion of using forced labour.

In a company-wide circular to its employees and workers, WRP Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd, which has appointed interim liquidators, announced a 'temporary suspension of business operations."

Dated Dec 30, 2019, the circular, which was made available to Malaysiakini, said: "Please take note that due to financial constraints faced by the company, the business operations of the company will be suspended immediately until further notice."

It is credited to interim liquidators Ong Hock An and Mak Chew Yin.

On Oct 1, 2019, the CBP announced that it had issued Withhold Release Orders on five different products imported from five different countries that were suspected of using forced labour.

These included blocking the import of disposable rubber gloves by CBP from WRP Asia Pacific as it believed the company was involved in forced labour.

Last January, WRP Asia made headlines after nearly 2,000 Nepali migrant workers staged a three-day strike claiming that they were not paid three months' worth of wages.

The Labour Department, under the Human Resource Ministry, launched an investigation into the company and found that it had withheld the salaries of its workers, did not pay overtime, had made unfair pay cuts and had wrongful working hours during breaks and public holidays.

WRP Asia has not responded to Malaysiakini's attempts to contact them.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/505551

US really powerful.

No-smoking lawbreakers in Melaka mostly foreigners

wankongyew — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 21:36:31 +0800

QUOTE

Most of the people caught smoking in prohibited premises on the first official day of the no-smoking ban were foreigners, says state Health and Anti-Drug Committee chairman Low Chee Leong.

He said these offenders were aware of the full enforcement of no-smoking law beginning Wednesday (Jan 1) under the Regulation 11 (1) (d) of the Tobacco Control Regulation (PPKHT) Regulations 2004 (amended) 2018.

“However, most of them thought that there would be no enforcement and were caught by surprise when the state Health Department officers appeared at these eateries during breakfast, ” he said when contacted.

Low said 10 fines were issued on the first day of the new ruling requiring eatery owners to ensure that their premises are completely smoke-free.

He said checks also showed that the 154 premises visited on Wednesday had complied with the mandatory no-smoking signs at their restaurants.

He added that all the eateries had also stopped providing amenities for smokers, like ashtrays.

“This reflects the fact that restaurateurs are following the move to gazette eateries as no-smoking zones, ” he said, adding that enforcement operations will be intensified in all areas.

“This is because many people think that enforcement would only be focused on the heart of the city, ” he said.

Low said those caught smoking in no-smoking zones – including all eateries – will be issued a RM250 fine.

Under the new ruling, eatery owners must ensure that the “no smoking” sign is displayed prominently and adequately.

Business owners can be fined RM250 for the first and second offences, and RM350 for the third offence if they fail to comply.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020...stly-foreigners

Habislah, no more tourists.

Polling on whether parents want jawi starts

wankongyew — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 15:07:07 +0800

QUOTE

The Perlis state education department has issued a written survey to parents of Primary Four students in vernacular schools for their views on the teaching of the Jawi script module in the Bahasa Melayu subject, a report has said.

Local daily Sin Chew Daily said the department had in a December 12 meeting with all 11 vernacular primary schools in the state ― 10 SJKC and 1 SJKT using Chinese and Tamil respectively as the main medium of instruction ― provided them with a circular on the teaching of the module in vernacular schools as well as the survey form.

The survey form, which was only available in Malay, must be filled up within 14 days. This meant parents must return the forms before January 16 to schools, Sin Chew Daily said.

Sin Chew Daily said the survey form details to be filled up include the school's name, student's name, parent's or guardian's name, date, indication of agreement or disagreement with the teaching of the module, as well as parents or guardian's signature.

Sin Chew Daily said the school board of all 10 SJKC schools in Perlis have already indicated their rejection of the teaching of the Jawi module, but noted that some of the SJKC schools had during registration day on December 31 already provided explanations about the module to Primary Four students' parents and released the survey forms to them.

The news report said most of the SJKC schools in Perlis have a student population mainly composed of ethnic Chinese students, with the exception of the SJKC Kong Aik where ethnic Malay students form a bigger portion of the student population and which will be issuing the survey forms to parents when school reopens tomorrow.

Sin Chew Daily also said that the Jawi module is the fourth module in the Malay Language subject for Primary Four students in vernacular schools, and said that any teaching of such a module is expected to start from around April or May.

The introduction of the Jawi script module for Primary Four students had met with opposition, particularly from Chinese educationist group Dong Jiao Zong and other Chinese groups which had on December 29 decided to push for respective vernacular school boards to be allowed to decide whether the module would be taught while also accepting the teaching of Jawi in a multicultural context.

In August, the Education Ministry confirmed that it would still introduce the calligraphy as part of the Bahasa Melayu Year Four subject next year as scheduled.

The Education Ministry deputy director-general Habibah Abdul Rahim had last December 27 explained that the Jawi lessons in Primary Four, Five and Six next year will only feature three pages in textbooks for each year, and is meant to teach students about national heritage and artistic beauty of the Jawi script for Bahasa Melayu that has been used on everyday items.

Habibah had said the Primary Four module will feature stamps, banknotes and the national seal which contains the “Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu” wording, while Primary Five students will learn about the national monument, road signs and the word “halal”.

The Jawi module for Primary Six students would be on Hari Raya greeting cards, university signs and historical artefacts.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...awi-int/1823742

Tak suka just vote no, apa susah?

Dego Ride resumes operations as bike-hailing trial

wankongyew — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 13:55:30 +0800

QUOTE

Starting today, local motorcycle e-hailing service Dego Ride will be in full swing throughout Klang Valley.

Founder Nabil Feisal Bamadhaj said he is hopeful the motorcycle ride and delivery service will help reduce congestion during peak hours by providing last-mile connection to major public transportation providers.

“To be able to officially run the motorcycle e-hailing service, it is not just a win for myself, or Dego Ride, but it also for riders who are in search for jobs.

“With this transportation service, we hope to help reduce traffic congestion and also ease commuters daily routine,” said Nabil during his opening remarks at Dego Ride's operation office in Taman Melawati.

Shortly after it was launched, Dego Ride was banned in 2017 by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government over public safety concerns.

The Pakatan Harapan also initially disapproved of the concept, but decided last year to proceed with a six-month trial starting this year.

Targeting 5,000 riders at the moment, Nabil said the service will only be focused in Klang Valley areas from Shah Alam to Putrajaya for the pilot period.

“The response has been good, as we have over 4,000 riders who have registered with us.

“However we have only approved about 700 at the moment due to the busy period,” he said.

Consumers can book Dego’s services using their app, which is available on Google Play and the Apple Appstore.

Price for rides start at RM3 for the first 3km.

Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, a proponent of bike-hailing services, opened today’s event.

“It was bad decision to ban Dego Ride. It did not only affect job opportunities but also the investment made by Nabil to realise a local startup,” the minister said.

“I hope that Dego Ride will one day grow to be as successful as international names like Grab and GoJek.”

Syed Saddiq added that Dego Ride is a good platform for youths searching for jobs or part-time employment.

“I am very proud that this service is brought to realisation by our very own youth,” he said.

He also made a call to encourage all jobseekers below 40 and with motorcycles to apply with Dego Ride and avail themselves to the opportunity to earn up to RM3,500 monthly.

Dego Ride was the first company to launch a motorcycle taxi in Malaysia back in 2016.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/202...-starts/1823763

Wawasan 2020 achieved.

White people make tribe to get Indian contracts

wankongyew — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 11:52:20 +0800

QUOTE

Companies set up by members of a self-described and state-recognized Creek Indian tribe in Alabama have received more than $240 million in federal minority-business contracts, despite a determination by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs that there is no credible evidence the group has Native American ancestry, a Los Angeles Times investigation has found.

Federal contracts worth an additional $273 million have gone to two companies run by a member of a different Native American group in Alabama with no federal recognition as a tribe.

The ability of company owners with questionable Native American identity to obtain more than half a billion dollars in taxpayer funded minority-business contracts reflects a nationwide failure by agencies overseeing programs set up decades ago to help socially and economically disadvantaged minority groups.

Including the Alabama outlays, The Times has found more than $800 million in federal contracts awarded to companies whose owners made unsubstantiated claims to be Native American, although the total is almost certainly higher. The contracts were for construction, computing and other projects in 27 states, including California.

Federally recognized Native American tribes, and other racial and ethnic minorities are the losers.

A Times analysis of Small Business Administration contracts found Native American companies are often overrepresented compared with other minority groups. But the disparity is particularly stark in Alabama, where Native Americans comprise less than 1% of the state’s population but Native American businesses were awarded more than $2 billion through the SBA’s minority program since late 2007.

By comparison, while African Americans make up 26% of the state’s population, black businesses in Alabama received about $827 million in minority business contracts, the records show. Black business owners in Alabama say they struggle to compete against Native American companies, and suspect many are owned by whites.

California and five other states have moved to strip minority status from companies examined in The Times’ earlier reports on the contracting programs.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Transportation has called for a nationwide review of Native American contractors to ensure the owners are members of recognized tribes, and the Small Business Administration’s inspector general has begun an audit of SBA certifications of Native American contractors.

Each year, the federal government reserves 5% of its multibillion-dollar contracting budget for businesses owned by eligible minorities, including U.S. citizens who are Asian, black, Latino or Native American. But the program’s process for vetting applicants is seriously flawed, The Times’ investigation showed.

One major problem is that the SBA considers business owners to be legitimate Native Americans if they belong to a tribe recognized by either the federal government or a state. Many Native Americans have long opposed allowing states to recognize tribes, arguing that the federal government should make the decision because states often fail to properly screen groups.

Alabama has recognized nine tribes, but only one — the Poarch Band of Creek Indians — is recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is part of the U.S. Interior Department.

Members of federally recognized tribes in other states have criticized the claims of the other eight, including the Ma-Chis Lower Creek Indian Tribe and the Echota Cherokee Tribe.

“They found a loophole,” Brenda Golden, an attorney and citizen of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe, said of the Alabama groups. “They’re profiting off the misery of our ancestors.”

Among the beneficiaries of the SBA’s rule in Alabama are Aetos Systems Inc. and its joint venture, Aerie Aerospace. They won contracts worth a total of $273 million, The Times’ analysis found.

The owner of both companies, Donna Coleman, qualified for the federal minority business program by claiming membership in the Echota Cherokee Tribe, according to SBA records.

At the request of The Times, Gene Norris, the lead genealogist at the Oklahoma-based Cherokee Heritage Center, examined records for Coleman’s family and concluded she “has no documentable Cherokee ancestors.” The records showed her ancestors were white, he said.

More at:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/20...ority-contracts

Senarai cukai atau caj dijangka naik tahun 2020

wankongyew — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 10:28:42 +0800

QUOTE

SEHINGGA kini peranan dan kepentingan cukai amat penting bagi pembangunan sesebuah negara. Menerusi pelbagai kutipan cukai inilah membolehkan kerajaan menampung perbelanjaan tahunan di samping meneruskan projek-projek pembangunan awam dan negara.

Tidak terkecuali caj-caj perkhidmatan tertentu bagi menampung pengurusan pembangunan kerajaan. Sempena Tahun Baru 2020, ketahui senarai jenis cukai atau caj yang dijangka naik di Malaysia.

1) Cukai Petak akan dilaksanakan di Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur mulai 1 Januari 2020.

Pelaksanaan cukai petak ini adalah bagi menggantikan cukai tanah bagi skim strata.

2) Penyedia perkhidmatan digital asing bakal dikenakan cukai enam peratus bermula 1 Januari ini.

Antara penyedia perkhidmatan digital popular yang dijangka akan dikenakan cukai ini termasuk Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, pengiklanan di platform media sosial seperti Facebook dan Instagram, pengkomputeran awan, aplikasi dan permainan di telefon pintar.

3) Di sebalik pemberian diskaun 18 peratus di semua lebuh raya milik Plus pada tahun 2020 sebagai usaha merealisasikan penghapusan tol secara berperingkat seperti dijanjikan kerajaan, kadar caj kesesakan turut diperkenalkan.

Caj kesesakan pada waktu sekitar puncak dan waktu biasa diturunkan sehingga 30 peratus berbanding dengan kadar tol semasa serta percuma semasa waktu bukan puncak.

4) Cukai taksiran pihak berkuasa tempatan (PBT) di seluruh negara akan dinaikkan bermula tahun depan.

Bagaimanapun, kajian semakan semula kadar kenaikan itu akan dibuat terlebih dahulu sempena tahun penyelarasan yang akan dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan.

5) Kadar yuran permit mengajar guru-guru persendirian di institusi pendidikan swasta akan dilaksanakan seperti yang ditetapkan dalam Peraturan-Peraturan Pendidikan (Permit Mengajar) 2013.

Menurut Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (KPM), ia akan melibatkan bayaran proses sebanyak RM10 dan bayaran fi permit sebanyak RM30.

Kadar bayaran baharu yuran permit mengajar bagi guru persendirian di semua institusi pendidikan swasta telah diwartakan pada tahun 2013.

6) Kerajaan menyediakan dua skim pinjaman pada kadar faedah dua peratus setahun bernilai RM550 juta bagi menggantikan skim bantuan penanaman semula kelapa sawit dimanfaatkan 15,000 pekebun kecil sawit di seluruh negara sebelum ini.

Menteri Industri Utama, Teresa Kok, berkata skim itu adalah Skim Pinjaman Mudah Tanam Semula Pekebun Kecil Sawit (TSPKS) dengan jumlah dana RM500 juta dan Skim Pinjaman Mudah Input Pertanian Pekebun Kecil Sawit (IPPKS) dengan nilai RM50 juta.

7) Sarawak akan mengenakan Cukai Jualan Negeri pada produk aluminium, dan melaksanakan kenaikan tarif air mentah akan berkuat kuasa mulai 1 Januari 2020.

Bagaimanapun, caj elektrik dan air kepada pengguna daripada industri dan kediaman akan kekal tidak berubah.

8) Kadar baharu tarif air bagi semua negeri kemungkinan diumumkan pada tahun hadapan.

Menteri Air, Tanah dan Sumber Asli Dr Xavier Jayakumar berkata bagaimanapun perkara itu akan dibawa kepada Jemaah Menteri terlebih dahulu untuk dibincangkan.

9) Pengenaan Cukai Perkhidmatan ke atas perkhidmatan yang diimport oleh pengguna Malaysia bermula 1 Januari 2020.

10) Kerajaan akan memperkenalkan kategori cukai pendapatan baru bagi golongan yang mempunyai pendapatan boleh cukai melebihi RM2 juta setahun.

Bagi memastikan struktur cukai pendapatan lebih progresif, banjaran (kategori) baru bagi pendapatan bercukai melebihi RM2 juta akan diperkenalkan dan dikenakan cukai pada 30 peratus iaitu kenaikan dua peratus daripada kadar 28 peratus sedia ada.

Kenaikan ini akan hanya memberi kesan ke atas kira-kira dua ribu orang berpendapatan tinggi di negara ini

11) Buat pertama kalinya sejak beroperasi 70 tahun lalu, kadar caj bayaran masuk ke Taman Negara Pahang akan dinaikkan kepada para pengunjung bermula 1 Januari 2020.

Kadar lama permit masuk Taman Negara yang berharga cuma RM1 untuk setiap seorang tanpa mengira usia bakal dinaikkan kepada kadar baharu iaitu RM10 bagi kanak-kanak di bawah usia 12 tahun, RM30 untuk golongan berusia antara 13 hingga 60 tahun dan RM15 kepada pengunjung berusia 61 tahun ke atas.

12) Kerajaan telah meluluskan cadangan daripada syarikat perkhidmatan pos yang disenaraikan, untuk menaikkan kadar, semakan semula tarif pos baharu yang pertama dalam tempoh sedekad bermula bulan hadapan.

Bagaimanapun, syarikat Pos Malaysia Berhad masih belum menerima butiran rasmi mengenai kadar tarif pos yang baharu, dan tarikh perlaksanaannya daripada kerajaan walaupun penyedia perkhidmatan pos itu menerima surat pengesahan mengenai kelulusan kenaikan tarif berkenaan.

Dilaporkan bahawa kenaikan tarif ini adalah antara 30 peratus hingga 210 peratus pada tahun 2020 dan dinaikkan lagi 50 peratus pada tahun 2021.

https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/6411...naik-tahun-2020

China embassy condemns jail sentence for tourists

wankongyew — Wed, 01 Jan 2020 09:50:32 +0800

QUOTE

The Chinese Embassy in Malaysia has decried the 18-day jail sentence against four of its citizens over what is described as an honest mistake.

According to a report by Oriental Daily yesterday, the embassy said the incident had caused a "strong reaction" in China and many had called to enquire whether it is safe to travel to Sabah.

The embassy said the four people involved were only ordinary tourists and had no intention of entering Malaysia illegally.

“They merely went through the wrong channel and unintentionally didn’t get their passports endorsed but were imprisoned by authorities in Sabah for 18 days.

“Although investigations have determined the circumstances behind the incident early on, they were still locked up and brought to court. The embassy finds this situation unfathomable,” it said.

It added at that since last year, over 20 tourists from China had similarly faced fines and imprisonment for failing to get their passports endorsed.

Based on information from its counterparts in Japan and Brunei, the embassy said such issues had affected citizens of those countries too.

“But the relevant authorities in Sabah did not impose any imprisonment or fine. They merely paid an administrative fee to obtain a special pass and were then allowed to leave,” the Chinese Embassy was quoted as saying.

On Sunday, Bernama quoted Sabah Immigration Department director Muhamad Sade Mohamad Amin as saying that the four women had flown from Shanghai to Tawau via Kota Kinabalu on Dec 4.

However, while transiting to their next flight at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), they failed to get their travel documents endorsed at any of the immigration counters.

All four were detained at the Tawau International Airport on Dec 10 when having their passports checked for their return flight to Shanghai.

On Dec 28, they pleaded guilty at the Tawau Sessions Court to breaching Section 24 (2) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. They were sentenced to 18 days in jail beginning from the day they were arrested.

The provision allows for a fine up to RM10,000, a jail term of up to five years or both upon conviction.

More at:
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/505498

I make mistake in China Xi Jin Ping will forgive me or not?

Malaysians enjoyed ‘shared prosperity’ under BN

wankongyew — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 21:27:33 +0800

QUOTE

Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Raza today lambasted Pakatan Harapan (PH) for what he called a dismal 2019, claiming thousands of people lost their jobs as the government allegedly failed to manage the economy well.

He also claimed that the Shared Prosperity Vision (SPV) 2030 that was launched this year was merely rhetoric, as voters get angrier with each passing day and have voiced their displeasure against PH in the last few by-elections.

“In fact, shared prosperity was truly enjoyed by the people under BN. Now almost every month there are news of national assets being sold and crony was linked to the sell.

“Perhaps shared prosperity means only prosperity with the cronies while the people are ignored, ridiculed as lazy and poor,” he said during his New Year address broadcast live on his Facebook page.

“If 2019 is challenging, 2020 will be worse,” he added.

Launched in October by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, SPV 2030 is the government’s roadmap for Malaysia to restore Malaysia’s economy and provide a decent living standard to all Malaysians ― regardless of their ethnicity, social class and location ― by the year 2030.

Najib, who is also the former finance minister, also blamed PH for failing to take responsibility for the country's current economic state, saying his administration left behind a strong economy.

He said PH can no longer blame the dismal performance on him, saying it has been 600 days since he last helmed the country.

Najib, who is currently facing numerous charges relating to the 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, also called for all Opposition supporters and leaders to continue engaging voters on the ground and use social media to air their concerns.

He said it is important for Opposition to portray itself as a shoulder the people could lean on.

“We have nothing, only the clothes on our backs, PH needs to remember that we have a burning heart.

“We still have the strength that the people give us and we must be brave as we have nothing to lose.

“Imagine if the millions of Opposition members and supporters voiced out in the social media, Putrajaya will be shaking,” he said.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/201...y-under/1823597

Chinese man digs secret basement in apartment

wankongyew — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 14:47:44 +0800

QUOTE

A Chinese man who secretly dug a basement for his ground-floor apartment by working away “like a rat” has angered his neighbours who fear he has now put the whole block at risk.

The owner, identified only by his surname Ding, has doubled the space of his apartment in Shenzhen, one of China’s most expensive property markets, which originally measured 100 square metres, over the past three years.

The project started about four years ago, and Ding persisted despite repeated complaints from neighbours in the tenement block and local officials, who issued several verbal warnings and even cut off his water supply at one point

He has now turned the space into four partitioned units, the Kankanews website reported over the weekend.

Construction of the basement, which is nearly two metres (six and a half feet) deep, has caused one of the building’s major beams to cave in and cracks have appeared on the first floor, according to one of the neighbours surnamed Wang.

“Living here, we are on tenterhooks every day,” Wang said.

He complained that the Ding family “would not listen” to complaints, adding: “They are very arrogant, and asked us to go to court.”

He Wenjiang, an official from the Xixiang subdistrict office, which administers the community, told Shenzhen TV that the family “suspended construction when we paid a visit” and “built [the basement] slowly, secretly, like a rat digging a hole”.

Ding’s father told the television station that he did not think they have done anythingwrong since other residents had built illegal structures too.

“They built upwards. Why can’t I build underground? Some of them have even built two floors – I just dug one,” he said.

Local authorities said a third-party assessment of the building’s safety would be conducted before deciding what to do with the structure and whether to penalise the owner.

Illegal home expansion projects have been common in China, especially in major cities where house prices have rocketed in the past decade.

One of the most ambitious was a siheyuan – a type of traditional household built around a courtyard – in Beijing that collapsed after the owner dug an 18-metre basement.

The owner, a former member of the Jiangsu provincial legislature, was later sentenced to five years in jail.

In 2013, it emerged that a wealthy doctor had spent six years and 800,000 yuan (US$115,000) building a villa complete with garden on the top of a 26-storey tower block in downtown Beijing. It took workers seven months to completely dismantle the structure.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/20...k-will-collapse

Stop sale of headphones reducing blood sugar level

wankongyew — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 09:57:25 +0800

QUOTE

The Health Ministry today ordered a company distributing ‘headphones’ that allegedly reduce and control blood sugar levels to stop sales of the device immediately.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the safety and efficacy of the device could not be verified as a review by the Medical Device Authority found it was not registered under the Medical Device Act 2012 (Act 737).

As such, he said the sales and distribution of the device should be stopped immediately until it was approved under Section 5 of Act 737 and the company obtained a valid establishment licence under Section 15 of the same act.

“According to legal requirements, a medical device to be imported, exported and placed in the market must first be registered under Section 5 of Act 737.

“In the process of registering, the level of safety and its effectiveness will be evaluated and verified. Any medical claim made must be supported by scientific and clinical evidence, than the device must meet the principles of safety and effectiveness,” he said in a statement today.

This was in response to an article titled “Headphones help lower diabetes patients’ sugar levels” reported in a portal dated December 20, prompting a number of public reactions that raised concerns about the safety and effectiveness of the device.

Dr Noor Hisham said the sale and distribution of unregistered medical devices or without a valid establishment licence was an offence and was liable to a fine not exceeding RM200,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three years or both.

At the same time, he said any form of medical claims related to a medical device being aired for advertising purposes must comply with the advertising requirements laid down under Section 44 of the same Act and the Medical Device (Advertising) Regulations 2019.

According to him, any person who makes a false or misleading claim about a medical device in the advertisement is guilty and, upon conviction, could be fined not more than RM300,000 or imprisonment for not more than three years or both.

The public, especially patients receiving medical treatment for chronic diseases are urged to seek the advice of a registered health professional before using any device, in addition to checking the registration status by going to the official Medical Device Authority portal at https://portal.mda.gov.my/.

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/201...inistry/1823413