Deforestation of the Amazon has continued at record levels this year, leading observers to warn the rainforest is disappearing faster than ever before
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https://www.newscientist.com/article/2237048-amazon-deforestation-looks-set-to-hit-a-record-high-in-2020/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home
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KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is considering the possibility of extending the current school holidays and getting the private sector to allow their employees to work from home in order to curb the spread of Covid-19.
In appealing to the people to minimise their movements, including avoiding non-essential travel, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said that more measures might be considered.
“I urge the public to stay calm and fully cooperate with the authorities in order to curb the spread of Covid-19. We can overcome this if we all come together to do our part,” he said in a statement today.
Since the first positive case was detected last week, involving a 58-year-old man in Tawau who was among those who attended the Sri Petaling Mosque tabligh gathering in Kuala Lumpur between Feb 27 and March 1, the Sabah Health Department has identified 49 cases in the state as of today.
Health officials in the state have detected more cases from among those who attended the mosque event and steps are being taken to trace the other participants and also the people they have come into contact with over the past 10 days since their return.
“The Health Department and others have been going all out to locate and identify areas that could have been contaminated.
“They have also taken swift measures, including temporarily closing mosque and suraus in areas that have had Covid-19 cases,” said Mohd Shafie, adding that since Jan 30, the Sabah government had halted the arrivals of tourists directly from countries affected by the virus.
Of the 49 cases reported in Sabah so far, 14 were in Lahad Datu; followed by Kota Kinabalu (nine); Tawau (eight); Kinabatangan (five); Tuaran (three); Kunak, Putatan and Sandakan (two each); Beaufort, Kota Belud; Papar and Sipitang (one each). — Bernama
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https://www.thesundaily.my/local/covid-19-sabah-may-extend-school-holidays-get-private-sector-to-let-employees-work-from-home-HI2129382
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ALOR STAR: E-wallet scammers are now resorting to offering cash amounting to RM100-RM300 to those who submit their identity cards to open their e-wallet accounts
Kedah Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) head Supt Elias Omar said the scammer-appointed agents would prey on victims from low-income groups or drug addicts before asking for their identity cards to help register e-wallet accounts.
“Prior to that, the victims will be promised instant cash of between RM100 and RM300 if their e-wallet registration application is successful, thus compelling the victims to handover their identity cards willingly.
“The agent will fill out the application form using the victim’s name and identity card while the phone number and address will be filled with the scammer’s information. This is to make it easier for scammers to obtain their victim’s Transaction Authorisation Code (TAC) number and have access to the victim’s bank account,” he told a media conference here today.
He said the scammer would then contact another victim and impersonate the police or the court before directing the victim to transfer some money into an e-wallet account that was opened using an identity card obtained from the previous victim.
“The scammer will contact the victims and inform them that they are involved in a drug case and to avoid having their assets frozen, the victims will have to transfer all their money into the e-wallet accounts provided. The scammers use this e-wallet method because it is difficult for the police to detect.
“From Jan 1 to Feb 29, 25 investigation papers involving such cases have been opened involving a loss of RM600,000,“ he said.
He said up to 50 individuals had provided their identity cards for e-wallet account registration but were unaware that their identity cards and personal information have been misused by scammers out for a profit.
Meanwhile, Elias said acting on information, police have arrested two 23-year-old men who were soliciting public identification cards in early March in the Kuala Muda district.
“One of them is a scammer-appointed agent and for each successful identification card, the agent received RM50 as payment. Six mobile phones, 13 telco sim cards and six ATM cards were also seized.
“We are looking for another 34-year-old who is believed to be able to assist with the case and people with information can also contact the Kedah JSJK or the Kuala Muda JSJK. The case is being investigated under Section 420 of the Penal Code,“ he said. — Bernama
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https://www.thesundaily.my/local/e-wallet-scammers-offer-cash-as-latest-modus-operandi-HJ2128999
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Want (or need) to save more this year? Follow these steps.
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https://investornews.vanguard/5-steps-to-save-more/
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LONDON: Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has reportedly told the Premier League he does not believe the domestic football season will be completed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Premier League suspended all fixtures at an emergency meeting on Friday. Matches in the English Football League, FA Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship are also on hold.
“It was unanimously decided to suspend the Premier League with the intention of returning on April 4, subject to medical advice and conditions at the time,“ the Premier League said in a statement.
Clarke said at the meeting that he did not think it was feasible for the season to be completed, according to a report in the Times.
The virus is not expected to peak in Britain for many weeks, raising doubts over an early April re-start for the Premier League.
The Times said it is understood that Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber also questioned the brevity of the suspension.
Richard Masters, the Premier League chief executive, is reported to have said it would at least allow time to consider the potential consequences and debate the possible solutions.
The decision was taken after Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi tested positive for Covid-19.
Arteta welcomed the move to put the season on hold.
“Feeling better already,“ he tweeted. “We’re all facing a huge & unprecedented challenge. Everyone’s health is all that matters right now.”
Liverpool are 25 points clear at the top of the Premier League with nine games remaining, chasing their first English top-flight title for 30 years.
If results had gone their way this weekend they could have wrapped up the title at Everton on Monday but manager Jurgen Klopp said he supported the move to suspend football.
He said in a club statement: “If it’s a choice between football and the good of the wider society, it’s no contest. Really, it isn’t.”
Financial hit
Football clubs at all levels face enormous losses if the season is not completed.
One senior figure in broadcasting told the Times: “The commercial reality for the Premier League and (European governing body) UEFA is that if they don’t complete their seasons then they are in breach of their broadcasting contracts.
“You would have broadcasters from all around the world saying, ‘In that case we are not paying for the season.’ For the Premier League you are talking around £3 billion (RM15.75 billion) income a year from overseas and domestic TV rights. There would also be financial implications if the competitions were squeezed so fewer matches were played.”
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire told the BBC that clubs, especially in the lower divisions, would be hit hard by the disruption.
“I think many clubs are going to struggle significantly,“ he said. “Many clubs are surviving on a match-to-match basis and are reliant on the loyal few thousand turning up.
“We have to consider the staff at clubs, they are reliant on the income they get from football clubs to pay their own bills as well.”
The Premier League clubs are reportedly due to meet again next Thursday.
There are matches taking place on Saturday in the National League – the fifth tier of English football – but a number of games have been postponed, including the Yeovil v Barnet fixture.
“We currently have four staff that are showing symptoms of Covid-19 who are following government advice and self-isolating,“ Barnet said in a statement.
“As a consequence, we have taken measures to put all first-team staff into self-isolation.” — AFP
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https://www.thesundaily.my/sport/premier-league-may-not-finish-says-fa-chief-DC2127566
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KUALA LUMPUR: Police detained 60 female foreign guest relations officers (GROs) donning white ‘fairy’ dresses in a raid at a nightclub here early this morning.
Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Nik Ros Azhan Nik Ab Hamid said 52 Thais, seven Vietnamese and one Laos national aged 19 to 33 were arrested in the 12.30am raid.
“The GROs entertained the customers with a white fairy theme set for the night,” he told reporters at the scene.
He said the customers then gave a sash, which they paid between RM100 and RM5,000, to the woman they wanted for special treatment.
Nik Ros Azhan said they also detained a 49-year-old local man in charge of the premises, as well as three foreign male workers, comprising two Vietnamese and a Bangladeshi.
He said investigations revealed that the night club had a valid operating license until the end of the year but illegally hired foreign women to work as GROs.
He said all those arrested were taken to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters for further investigation under Section 55B of the Immigration Act 1959/63, Regulation 39B under the Immigration Regulations 1963 and Section 4 (1) of the Entertainment (Federal Territory) Act 1992.
The raid by a team 18 enforcers of the Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division (D7) from the Kuala Lumpur police contingent headquarters ended at about 2am. — Bernama
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https://www.thesundaily.my/local/no-fairytale-ending-for-60-nightclub-gros-in-midnight-raid-MC2127358
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KUALA LUMPUR: A Bangladeshi man was arrested for attempting to bribe a police personnel with RM5,000, as an inducement to free his friend who is in police custody for having smuggled cigarettes.
Hulu Selangor district police chief Supt Arsad Kamaruddin said the 32-year-old suspect, was detained at the Hulu Selangor district police headquarters (IPD) at 10.24 pm yesterday.
He said the suspect had turned up to discuss his friend’s detention before trying to bribe the police on duty by taking out some money.
The policeman then warned the suspect that he could be arrested for his action, but the warning went unheeded.
“The complainant (police personnel) warned him again on the offence of giving a bribe and then seized the RM5,000 cash before arresting the suspect,” he told Bernama today.
Arsad said the case was being investigated under Section 21(b) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act (MACC) 2009. — Bernama
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https://www.thesundaily.my/local/police-arrest-bangladeshi-who-ignored-warnings-against-offering-bribe-CC2127334
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Amazon is discussing with local public health leaders how its Amazon Care infrastructure—a medical system that was launched this year for employees in the Seattle area—can be used to support coronavirus response, a spokesperson confirmed Wednesday.
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Twenty-five years ago, two global events – the International Conference on Population and Development and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing – formally recognized that women’s health and reproductive choices cannot be separated from the social context of their lives.
Now, researchers have created a dataset which brings together national surveys from 74 countries, representing 3 million women. For the first time, it allows them to describe trends in demand/use of modern contraceptives alongside social and economic indicators.
The data is published in The Lancet Global Health and is authored by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organization.
It shows that, over time, women are more likely to have their demand for modern contraception met in countries where gender equality and their educational opportunities improve.
Trends in sexual activity and demand for use and use of modern contraceptive methods in 74 countries: a retrospective analysis of nationally representative surveys finds that met need for modern contraception is strongly correlated with positive shifts in social structures.
For every 0.1-point increase in a country’s gender development index, it found a 6.7% rise in women who were sexually active and did not want to conceive. Of those women, an additional 13.5% used modern methods to prevent a pregnancy.
Expectations of every girl’s right to education also made a difference. Each extra year in schooling is linked to an increase of 2.3% in demand, and a 4.7% increase in use of modern contraceptive methods.
“This study shows how every woman must negotiate her reproductive autonomy within the social framework in which she lives, responding to barriers and opportunities as they emerge,” says Dr Lale Say, one of the authors of the study and Unit Head at WHO and HRP.
“Gender equality is both a precondition and a driving force for securing women’s reproductive health and rights – as well as the sustainable development targets, which are our best chance for delivering health and well-being for all.”
Overall, the data reinforce global trends: more time spent sexually-active and single, postponement of parenthood, and the near-universal desire for smaller families.
The study also highlights where action is needed at country-level to avoid family planning services falling behind demand.
Out of the 74 countries analyzed, 42 showed an increase in demand for contraception. Only 37 countries show an increase in use of a modern method to prevent pregnancy.
Although unmet need for contraception declined in 34 countries, it increased in 14 countries. Significantly more progress is needed, and faster, to ensure each girl and woman is able to access the sexual and reproductive health services she needs.
Gender equality can affect contraceptive use in many ways. From the personal and political degree to which women are free to choose their sexual activity, to accessing family planning services it can also shape any power imbalances within personal relationships. This study supports recent efforts by WHO to adopt a broader, integrated concept of sexual and reproductive health – and to translate it into a framework for policy and practice.
The authors argue that family planning targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will not be met without a profound shift: from focus on ‘access to contraception’, to broader aspects of sexual health and social context.
Since reproductive health and women’s empowerment are intertwined, trends in contraceptive use can also reveal progress towards another global target: progress towards gender equality.
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https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/10-03-2020-the-unmet-need-for-social-context-in-family-planning
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Computer scientists at KU Leuven have once again exposed a security flaw in Intel processors. Jo Van Bulck, Frank Piessens, and their colleagues in Austria, the United States, and Australia gave the manufacturer one year’s time to fix the problem.
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