Singapore world’s first to ban sugary drink ads

Singapore world’s first to ban sugary drink ads

SINGAPORE: Singapore, one of Asia’s biggest per capita consumers of sugar, is about to be the first country in the world to implement a total ban on ads for packaged drinks with very high sugar content, according to the Straits Times.

Such drinks as well as medium-to-high sugar content beverages must also carry a label on the front of the pack to signal that it is unhealthy, the report says, citing Senior Minister of State for Health Edwin Tong.

The timing of the new measures and exactly what will be affected is set to be announced next year, with implementation expected to take one to four years,according to the newspaper.Southeast Asian countries including Singapore and Malaysia are among the highest consumers of sugar in the world when measured on a per capita basis, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

That’s led to an increase in health issues, with diabetes and obesity among the city state’s top diseases.

Consumers globally are cutting back on the sweetener with food companies committing to reducing sugar and calorie content, Pablo Sherwell, head of food and agribusiness research for North America at Rabobank, said last month.

These initiatives could accelerate a slowdown in consumption, Sherwell said.

Cred- freemalaysia

Frustrated cabbies want their own man in Parliament

Frustrated cabbies want their own man in Parliament.

PETALING JAYA: A taxi drivers’ group has decried the lack of allocations for the transport sector after the 2020 Budget was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Consequently, the Taxi Drivers Transformation Association (Pers1m) said they will find a way to place a representative for the taxi drivers in Parliament, adding that cabbies can no longer depend on politicians.

Pers1m vice-chairman Kamaruddin Mohd Hussain told FMT that he was not surprised that the 2020 Budget had no allocations for cabbies as the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government had already failed to take care of the welfare of taxi drivers.

He highlighted that Putrajaya has not organised any programmes to improve the taxi industry, accusing the government of creating lop-sided rules in favour of the e-hailing taxi sector.

Cred-fmt

Sabah water chief to stay in post for now despite court ruling

Sabah Water Department director Amarjit Singh speaking at a press conference

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Water Department director Amarjit Singh, whose appointment was ruled illegal by the Kota Kinabalu High Court yesterday, has been told to continue coming to office by the state Cabinet.

Speaking to reporters here today, Amarjit said despite the court ruling, Chief Minister Shafie Apdal rang him up twice yesterday and insisted that he should come to work as usual.

“So, I told him, OK. Even the minister (Infrastructure Development Minister Peter Anthony) told me to go to work because the official judgement has not been released yet,” he said.

He acknowledged that the state Attorney-General’s Chambers had contacted him to inform him about the ruling, which would be made official tomorrow.

Only then, he said, would the A-G’s office decide on the next course of action.

Amarjit pointed out that in the ruling, Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru only ruled that his appointment to the post contravened Section 3 of the state’s Water Supply Enactment 2003.

“He didn’t say I should be removed from my post. So, I can continue. The power to remove me from my post lies with the Public Service Commission. Only they can suspend me or remove me,” he said.

Under the clause, senior posts within the Water Department must only be filled by members of the public service.

Amarjit, who never served in the civil sector before, was appointed to the post in August last year, some two months after Warisan took over the Sabah state government.

Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee and a Tawau businessman filed the suit against the appointment last March on the grounds that it breached the state’s law.

They also believed that Amarjit was appointed due to his position in Warisan, the party leading the Sabah ruling coalition.

Amarjit is the secretary of the Putatan Warisan division.

He was detained in 2017 by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) together with Shafie, who is also Warisan president.

He was freed on RM15,000 bail after spending six days in MACC custody.

Cred-freemalaysiatoday.com

Jealousy leads wife to slash husband's neck and penis in Perak

A woman driven by jealousy this morning attacked her husband and slashed his neck and penis while he was asleep in their house in Meru, Ipoh today.

Ipoh acting district police chief Superintendent Mohamad Nordin Abdullah said in the 12.36am incident, the 40-year-old Sri Lankan victim sustained serious injuries on his neck and penis.

"Initial investigation found a knife believed to be used in the crime. Police are now hunting down the suspect who is a Sri Lankan.

"After the attack, the victim managed to seek the public's help and he is now stable and being treated at Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun," he said.

He said this to reporters after the State Senior Police Officer Pinning the Ranks and Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department Head duty handover ceremony in Ipoh today.

Mohamad Nordin said the case was being investigated under Section 326 of the Penal Code and Section 18 of the Domestic Violence Act 1994.

Cred- Malaysiakini

Haze: 16 schools in Pahang ordered to close

Sixteen schools in Rompin, Pahang were ordered to close today due to the haze, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said in a statement today.

MOE said that as at 10 am this morning, the Pahang Education Department received reports of closures involving one secondary school and 15 primary schools.

The schools involved were Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Sungai Puteri, Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Tanjung Gemok, SK Pontian, SK Kampong Kolam, SK Chenderawasih, SK Leban Chondong, SK Rompin, SK Sungai Puteri and SK Sarang Kedaik.

Also closed were SK Sarang Tiong, SK Pianggu, SK Janglau, SK (Felda) Selendang 1, SK (LKTP) Selendang 4, SK LKTP) Keratong 8 and Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Rompin.

Schools are reminded to follow the standard operations procedure and to prioritise the health of students and teachers at all times,” the statement said.

According to the Department of Environment (DOE) website, the Air Pollutant Index (API) of Rompin reached 204 at 10 pm last night, indicating very unhealthy air quality. The reading however went down to 97 as at 5 pm today.

API reading of 0 to 50 is categorised as good, 51 to 100 (moderate), 101 to 200 (unhealthy), 201 to 300 (very unhealthy) and above 300 (hazardous).

29 schools in S’gor to close tomorrow due to haze

29  in hhS’gor to cose tomorrow due to haze

A total of 29 schools in Klang and Kuala Langat will be closed tomorrow due to haze, up from only five schools today.

The Selangor Education Department, in a statement today, said the closure would affect 24 schools in Klang and five schools in Kuala Langat, involving a total of 45,265 students.

The standard operating procedure is for schools to close once the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in their respective areas hits 200.

An API reading of zero to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy and 300 and above, hazardous.

According to the Environment Department’s website, the API readings at 7pm today at Johan Setia was 189, Klang (116) and Banting (111).

An API reading of zero to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy and 300 and above, hazardous.

Cred- malaysiakini.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HIGH CHIEF ADEOLA ADEJORO

                           PIONEER PRESIDENT OF YORUBA ASSOCIATION MALAYSIA

Today is indeed a special day for us in YCM, please join the entire executives of YCM to celebrate and send a shout out birthday well wishes, messages with prayers and heart felt love to our Honorable and amiable pioneer President/Aare of Yoruba Association Malaysia (which upgraded/metamorphose  into Yoruba Community Malaysia), High Chief Adeola Adejoro, “Adafin of Owo Kingdom, we wish you long life in good health and in wealth, we wish you more peace of mind/heart, more grace, and above all, happiness inside out.



Once again Happy Birthday High Chief Adafin Adeola Adejoro and thank you for servicing your kinsmen and women in Malaysia.

However, We understand you were not able to join us on our last general meeting with information reaching our desk that you were out of town as it was your wife’s birthday, allow us to take the opportunity to merge this special celebration together to include and send our love and birthday wishes to the former First Lady of our community, happy belated birthday to you to you Yeye Adafin of Owo Kingdom, God bless your new age and may Eledumare/Allah/God continue to bless your entire family. Happy belated birthday again. Thank you for allowing your husband to serve his people in Malaysia.



CRD- PRO,YCM.