SEREMBAN: The state government has threatened to revoke immediately the operating licences of businesses caught polluting raw water resources, says Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.Drawing upon the lessons from several recent episodes of river contamination in the Klang Valley which disrupted supply of treated water to tens of thousands of consumers, he said the Negri Sembilan government had decided to issue a warning to would-be-polluters that the state was no longer in a mood to compromise.“There will be no more talking or discussing things because we have been getting many complaints of rivers being polluted here.“If you are found to have contaminated a drinking water source we will take drastic measures as you are not only inconveniencing the state government and the public but the very act can be a potential health hazard, ” said Aminuddin here yesterday.

Aminuddin urged the public to notify authorities if they come across any party releasing untreated effluent into the environment.“I have seen rivers clogged with garbage and other waste, but thankfully, these did not cause the river to be polluted.“I have told all enforcement agencies, including local councils, the Environment Department and the state water regulatory body (BKSANS) to be strict in their enforcement, ” he said after closing a seminar on licensing needs for companies drawing raw water from the state, be it from the sea, rivers or ground water.Aminuddin said all industries, including those involved in sand mining, should take heed of his warning.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) is carrying out a survey on road users’ perceptions on the viability of motorcycle e-hailing services from Thursday (Aug 29) until Sept 7. According to a statement issued by Miros Thursday, the online survey can be accessed via http://its.miros.gov.my/kajianteksimotosikal/ which targets motorcyclists and members of the public to gauge road users’ acceptance of the viability of motorcycle e-hailing services in the country covering several aspects including road safety, legislation, traffic flow, economics, social security, health, culture and shift in transportation modes.

"The findings from this study will be presented to the Transport Ministry to outline the mechanism for the implementation of motorcycle e-hailing services in Malaysia. As such, members of the public are invited to participate in this study to voice their views on the implementation of motorcycle e-hailing services in Malaysia, ” the statement read.

The study was carried out following the Cabinet’s decision on Aug 21 to allow for the implementation of motorcycle e-hailing services in the country based on a Proof-of-Concept (POC). However, the decision will only be finalised after a review of other important aspects conducted. - Bernama

PETALING JAYA: Free breakfast will be served to children in primary schools throughout the country from January next year, Education Minister Maszlee Malik said today.

This will ensure they have the right nutrition to stay healthy and focus on their daily lessons, he said on his Facebook page.

Maszlee said this is part of the ministry’s initiatives to ensure that school children have access to nutritious food.

“In this connection, starting from January 2020, the ministry will launch a special free breakfast programme for children in primary schools across the country.

A Malaysian pharmacist is warning consumers that there are fake versions of paracetamol product Panadol being sold, after he came across a fake version of the popular medicine in the country.

Zeff Tan, who hails from Penang, said in an August 21 Facebook post that he had obtained the fake Panadol after receiving a tip-off from netizens on where to get them.

All Lau Wai Mee wanted to do was to get the windows of her vehicle tinted.However, she has since learnt that what was sold to her may not reflect specifications as she ponders if car owners are being taken for a ride by tinting service providers. Lau, better known as DJ MayZi during her days with a local Chinese-language radio station, went to a tinting service provider in Sungai Besi on April 27 to get her vehicle tinted.“After being told of what I wanted, I was offered a particular model that cost RM2,300 for all the windows, including the front and rear screens,” said Lau.“However, after driving my car for close to a month, I felt it was still hot and informed the sales person at the shop of my predicament. The person in charge told me to return the following month and we got the tint checked with a gadget.”Lau, a content curator and voiceover talent, said a representative from the shop used an LS110A transmission meter and the infrared rejection (IRR) showed 77 per cent.

Transmission IRR
The IRR reading shows 77 per cent.“But before purchasing the tint, I was informed that the IRR is 94 per cent. This was also reflected in a card and sample film that were given to me.“The salesperson said I could upgrade the film if I still felt hot and I would be given a discount. Why should I upgrade the film when I had already paid for what I thought was good enough?”Lau got a second opinion and found out that the infrared (IR) transmission (1,400nm) of the sample film given to her was 87.7 per cent but the IR transmission reading of the film installed on her car was 19.4 per cent.Sample film tint, when tested on another device, shows an IR transmission reading of 87.7 per cent.
sample film tint The film on the vehicle, when tested on another device, shows an IR transmission reading of 19.4 per cent.

KUALA LUMPUR: Helpless victims of botched beauty procedures have turned to various organisations to help them seek justice.MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong has been one of those actively playing a role to save the victims, mostly women, not only from financial ruin but also emotional trauma for almost 30 years.He said many women came to his office seeking help after undergoing bad procedures, mostly leaving them penniless and disfigured, either temporarily or permanently.Chong said since 2017, 10 women had lost more than RM2 million on these treatments.“These 10 women spent a total of RM2,367,998.73, thinking these procedures would make them beautiful. The complaints are made against beauty and slimming centres, skin specialist and reflexology centres,” he said.

He said some of the centres involved were well known and regarded as among “the credible ones”.He said many of the cases received were from women who felt those who were supposed to “beautify” them did a bad job. They were prepared to go to court.However, Chong said it was difficult to catch these perpetrators and prove them wrong due to a lack of evidence and the laws in place.Chong said there were three types of cases he has come across over the past decade.The first were victims seeking treatment at aesthetic clinics run by qualified doctors, but the procedures were not done by the doctors themselves. Instead, the procedures were done by their assistants or staff with no medical background or training.

The second type were beauty and spa centres where the beauticians themselves performed the invasive procedures. Chong said not only were they unqualified or medically untrained, their facilities were also a danger and prone to infection as they were unlikely to be sterilised or able to meet the Health Ministry’s safety standards.The final and most dangerous category, Chong said, involved those who did “house calls” or carried out the procedures at hotel rooms. Those doing this were regular people with no medical background or qualifications at all. He said these were usually recommended by friends and family who had previously engaged their services.

Terdapat jurang yang jelas dalam perlindungan kesihatan mental yang ditawarkan oleh syarikat insurans di Malaysia. Setakat ini syarikat Insurans masih belum menawarkan perlindungan untuk pesakit yang mengalami kesihatan mental.Namun begitu, Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial (PERKESO) telah menawarkan bantuan dan sokongan dalam bentuk kewangan kepada ahlinya yang mengalami gangguan kesihatan mental. Sejak 2006, PERKESO memberi pampasan kepada ahlinya yang mengalami tekanan emosi dan kemurungan akibat dari tekanan di tempat kerja. Garis panduan Skim Perlindungan Keselamatan Sosial, iaitu Skim Bencana Pekerjaan dan Skim Pencen Ilat (edisi kedua). Garis panduan ini digunakan untuk membolehkan pihak penjagaan kesihatan menilai kemenjadian dan mengenal pasti gangguan mental berlaku akibat tempat kerja.

Sistem Insurans Pekerjaan (SIP) yang diperkenalkan oleh PERKESO memberi peluang kepada ahlinya yang kehilangan kerja akibat keilatan, termasuk kesihatan mental menerima elaun, sementara mendapat pekerjaan baru. Sistem ini juga membolehkan ahlinya yang mengalami stres yang tinggi di tempat kerja untuk beralih suasana di tempat kerja atau persekitaran yang baru.Selain dari itu, PERKESO turut menyediakan Skim Keilatan dan juga Pencen Ilat yang dapat membantu ahlinya yang mengalami gangguan mental yang serius, yang menyebabkan mereka tidak dapat bekerja, akan menerima bantuan kewangan untuk menyara kehidupan mereka.Rawatan untuk kesihatan mental ada ditawarkan oleh syarikat insurans Berjaya SOMPO, tetapi rawatan hanya di hospital sahaja dan tidak merangkumi rawatan susulan, seperti terapi selepas rawatan asas.

Sumber: Majalah THE HEALTH.

University College London researchers are suggesting that content posted and viewed on social networks could play a more determining role in incidence of depression in teens than the social platforms themselves.Social media has been associated with negative effects on mental health. An Australian study published in late 2018 in The Australian Journal Of Psychology has compared the abusive use of the platforms to addictions to substances such as alcohol.A January 2019 study published in The Lancet has established a link between excessive social media consumption and teenage depression. But the main problem isn’t with the social networks themselves, but rather the manner in which they are used, according to their study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, which surveyed 12,866 adolescents aged 13 to 16.The participants were interrogated on the frequency of social network usage – with checking one’s phone over three times qualified as “very frequent” usage by the researchers. These indications did not, however, take into account connections from a computer.

Higher risk for cyberbullying

The price of food items in the market place is exorbitant.  Food is certainly the most important expenditure of households.  Malaysians in the Bottom 40 group spent a total of 48% of household expenditure on food.  Certainly the poor will be more effected on high food prices as a greater percentage of their income is spent on basic food items.

Why is food so expensive in Malaysia? Firstly, food production in Malaysia is low. Out of the eight million hectares of agricultural land, six million hectares are planted with palm oil and one million with rubber. Less than one million hectares or just 12% of agricultural land is for food production.

This has resulted in Malaysian consumers depending on imported food. Malaysia imported RM 51.3 billion in 2017 of agricultural and food products for local consumption, an increase from RM 38.9 billion in 2013; and increase of 32% in four years.   For example, Malaysia is only 22% self-sufficient on beef and 39% self-sufficient on ikan kembong. When food is imported, prices would strongly be influenced by global factors, including monopolistic practises as well climate change effects in food producing countries. This could easily affect the price of food in Malaysia.

Next, FOMCA has long advocated for a market review on the local food supply chain.  We have always suggested that one of the key factors of the high price of food was monopolistic practices along the various parts of the food supply chain. The recent report on the market review of key food items by the Malaysia Competition Commission confirms that one of the key reasons for high food prices is distortions and manipulations in the food supply chain.