KUALA LUMPUR: The recovery phase of Malaysia's COVID-19 movement control order (RMCO) will be extended to Dec 31 and tourists will remain barred from entering the country, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
Speaking in a televised address on Friday (Aug 28), the prime minister said even though the number of new cases in the country has fallen, the virus is still raging globally. The RMCO phase was originally scheduled to end on Aug 31.
"I am aware that based on global developments, we will go through a lengthy period before the country can be completely free from the threat of COVID-19," he said.
"For now, the situation is controlled. However, if there is an increase in cases in certain locations, the government will take a targeted approach by implementing enhanced movement control order or targeted movement control order, as previously enforced in several locations."
He added: "This means that the government requires a legal mechanism to continue efforts to curb and control the spread of COVID-19. Hence, for the benefit of you all, the government has decided to extend the recovery movement control order until Dec 31, 2020."
He also emphasised that no individual will be excused from these laws and anyone who breaks the regulations will be punished.
Mr Muhyiddin expressed his support for the Ministry of Health (MOH) to increase the fines for those who break these laws, to twice or thrice the current amounts.
The prime minister also pointed out that the extension will ensure all parties adhere to the standard operating procedures and health protocols that have been outlined.
He added that foreign tourists are still barred from entering Malaysia during this period to prevent the spread of imported cases into the country.
The MCO, first imposed on Mar 18 to control the spread of COVID-19, was previously extended three times until May 12.
It was initially enforced when the number of daily new cases saw an alarming three-figure spike. Under the MCO, domestic and international travel was barred, and people were encouraged to stay at home to break the infection chain.
Subsequently, controls continued to be lifted over time. Daycare centres, hair salons, beauty parlours, open markets and night markets were given the green light to reopen.
Malaysia later entered the RMCO phase from Jun 10, where almost all social, educational, religious and business activities, as well as economic sectors reopened in phases, with standard operating procedures to be adhered to. Interstate travel was also permitted while the country's borders remained closed. The current control order, which began on June 10, was due to expire on Monday.
Four months of efforts seemed to have paid off as Malaysia began to report mostly single-digit increase in daily new cases - and even zero local transmission on a few days - until new clusters emerged.
On the back of 13 new clusters detected during the RMCO phase, Mr Muhyiddin had earlier reminded Malaysians to comply with social distancing rules and warned the public not to be complacent.
On Aug 3, Malaysia's Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the wearing of face masks was compulsory in crowded public areas, including markets, supermarkets, tourist areas, cinemas and on public transport.
Penang Smart Parking Apps is now the latest method to pay your parking fees.
Here are a step by step guide on how to use it as it will be a mandatory starting from the year of 2021.
If you like this video, do give this video a thumbs-up, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE to this channel for more and be safe while driving!
Majlis perbandaran/bandaraya di Pulau Pinang telah memperkenalkan aplikasi (app) Penang Smart Parking (PSP) yang membolehkan kita membayar caj kupon parking tempat letak kereta menggunakan smartphone secara online dengan mudah.
Saya tunjukkan bagaimana cara untuk daftar (register), tambah nilai kredit (reload) dan membuat bayaran parking kereta (Park N Pay) menggunakan apps Penang Smart Parking (PSP).
Penang Smart Parking is a platform to park and pay in Penang. It upgrades the conventional way of parking using parking coupon automatically eliminates the hassle of searching for parking coupon booth and scratch your coupon.
Penang Smart Parking
is a platform to park and pay in Penang. It upgrades the conventional
way of parking using parking coupon automatically eliminates the ...
Wreckage of a US-made U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft is on
display at the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in
Beijing. The military on the island of Taiwan used U-2s to conduct
reconnaissance missions on the Chinese mainland since January 1962, and
the PLA Air Force shot down the first U-2 on September 9, 1962 in the
suburbs of Nanchang, East China's Jiangxi Province. Photo: Military
Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution
China’s military exercise announcements send clear message: analysts
Armored vehicles mounted with Tor anti-aircraft missile systems attached to an air defense brigade under the PLA Eastern Theater Command fire at mock aerial targets during a whole-process live-fire test in northwestern China's Gobi desert on July 26, 2020. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang
By sending an RC-135S ballistic missile-detection plane to spy on Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills in the South China Sea on Wednesday, the US has deployed its spy aircraft to gather intelligence on two separate PLA exercises two days in a row, following another occasion on Tuesday that saw a U-2 high-altitude aircraft provocatively trespass into a no-fly zone of a live-fire drill by the PLA Northern Theater Command that risked a misfire accident.
China announced on Wednesday another navigation restriction zone for military exercises, a move providing transparency to the public and designed to send the US a clear message that the US would need to assume all responsibility if its reconnaissance aircraft got mistakenly shot down by the PLA should they conduct close-up reconnaissance on Chinese drills again, analysts said.
An RC-135S of the US Air Force, designed to gather data on ballistic missile launches, re-entry and electronic information, flew across the South China Sea on Wednesday morning, according to monitoring from the Beijing-based think tank the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) on the same day.
The aircraft crossed the Bashi Channel from the east, headed southwest into the South China Sea, and returned on the same route, according to a flight trajectory drawn by the SCSPI. It approached near an ongoing PLA exercise in waters off Hainan Island's southeast coast.
The PLA drills are being held in the waters from Monday to Saturday, according to a navigation restriction notice released on Friday by the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, which did not provide further details regarding the drills.
It is possible that the US believes the PLA would launch anti-ship ballistic missiles like the DF-21D or the DF-26 in the drills, so it sent the RC-135S to gather intelligence, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Wednesday.
The missiles are extremely threatening to US warships, particularly to its aircraft carriers, the expert said, noting that the US must be anxious and eager to find out how to counter them.
Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China is the only country in the world that has the technology to develop anti-ship ballistic missiles, and the US is eager to learn about China's methodology.
China usually tests ballistic missiles inland to keep confidential intelligence away from the prying eyes of other countries, and the PLA also has many other types of exercise subjects that it conducts in the South China Sea, so the ongoing drills do not necessarily feature anti-ship ballistic missiles. If the PLA drills did not feature ballistic missiles, the RC-135S can still attempt to gather intelligence on other types of weapons and equipment with its wide selection of sensors, Fu said.
The RC-135S's close-up reconnaissance of the PLA drills in the South China Sea came only one day after a US U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft trespassed into a no-fly zone that was hosting a live-fire drill by the PLA Northern Theater Command on Tuesday.
The U-2 incursion is a blatant, provocative act that could have easily caused misunderstanding and misjudgment, and even triggered an air and maritime accident, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a routine press conference on Wednesday.
When first making the announcement on Tuesday, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian also made similar statements to strongly denounce the dangerous move made by the US.
Chinese military experts said that the U-2 could have been mistakenly shot down by the PLA.
China has lodged solemn representations with the US, and demanded the US to stop such provocative acts immediately, Zhao said.
Amid the two provocative close-up reconnaissance operations from the US on PLA drills, China on Wednesday announced yet another set of live-fire military exercises.
The exercises will be held from Thursday to Sunday in the waters of the East China Sea, read a navigation restriction notice the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration released on Wednesday.
Giving the exact coordinates of the military exercise zone, the notice, released in both Chinese and English, said that any act of trespassing would be prohibited.
China openly introduced restriction zones for its drills, as setting similar zones are a common practice for many militaries around the world, including the US. This would leave the US with no excuse to trespass, and if it continues to do so, it should be the one that should be held accountable if any accident were to occur, analysts said.
According to a report by the Beijing Daily on Wednesday, China has held at least 22 military exercises in all of its four sea regions, namely the South China Sea, East China Sea, Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea, in the past month. All exercises were announced together with clearly formulated restriction zones.
Odds of misfire
While China did not announce many details regarding the exercises, Chinese military experts have predicted that many of them could feature anti-ship, air defense and anti-submarine drills.
In live-fire air defense exercises, anti-aircraft missiles and close-in weapon systems could be fired, and an aircraft suddenly appearing on radar could be mistaken for a training target, because in realistic drills, troops often do not know how the drills will transpire and can only rely on their own judgments to pass the tests, the above-mentioned expert said.
With an exercise zone being restricted, anything on radar that is not friendly is likely to be hostile, the expert said, noting that the PLA must have carefully identified the U-2 and exercised restraint not to let an accident happen, but US planes might not be so fortunate next time.
US aircraft could also accidentally stumble into the trajectory of target drones or PLA aircraft, which could risk collision and escalation, analysts said.
Unbearable consequences
The US keeps playing the dangerous game of testing China's bottom line and stirring up provocations as it is pushing for a cold war against China. But at the same time, the US does not want the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis to repeat again since this time it could not bear the consequences, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing, told the Global Times on Wednesday.
US provocations against China would do nothing to solve its domestic problems. But the more severe domestic turmoil it suffers, the tougher it wants to act with the hope to deter strategic competitors and maintain dominance with its allies especially in Asia to keep the order it wants, Lü noted.
Aside from sending reconnaissance planes, US politicians and military officials also voiced tough rhetoric against China. For example, on Monday, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper released an article in the Wall Street Journal headlined "the Pentagon Is Prepared for China." He also hyped up the PLA threat and said the US and its allies are ready to defend on every front.
Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times that Esper is repeating US mainstream strategies against China - attacking the Communist Party of China and the PLA, which are the cornerstones of ensuring China's security and stability.
Esper expressed on July 21 his hope to visit China within the year, which was interpreted by some media as sending a friendly signal. However, Li said that both the remarks in July and in the Wall Street Journal show that "the US' long-term strategy of suffocating China and remodeling the global order by using military competition has never changed."
A US RC-135S reconnaissance aircraft on Wednesday flew
near ongoing Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) drills in the South
China Sea, one day after another US spy plane, a U-2, trespassed into
another PLA exercise restricted zone. The US is increasing the frequency
of its close-up reconnaissance of PLA drills in order to pry about the
PLA's capabilities, which is provocative, brings the risk of accidents,
and could lead to escalation, Chinese experts warned.
The imposition of illegal sanctions on two dozen Chinese
firms over false accusations of China militarizing the South China Sea
reflects the hegemonic logic and power politics of the US, Chinese
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at Thursday's media
briefing.
Despite political tensions between the US and China that
will likely continue for a while, there is no need for the 10-member
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to take ...
The US on Wednesday sought to further escalate tensions
with China, as it moves to sanction two dozen Chinese companies that it
claims help build artificial islands in the South China Sea, compounding
several hot-button issues in the bilateral relationship, from the South
China Sea to military to trade.
China’s military launches a drill on nuclear emergency rescue operations
Without a blink, most people are likely to say the US will reign over China as America is a more advanced military/defence power with vast combat experience in the many past and present wars it has provoked or created in various parts of the world.
“In terms of military strength, it must be the US,” said Global Times’ editor-in-chief Hu Xijin in an Aug 7 comment piece on South China Sea. As the official media outlet of the Communist Party of China (CPC) headed by President Xi Jinping, Global Times’ comments are closely monitored by China watchers.
However, the influential journalist remarked that if military clashes occur off China’s coastal waters, the outcome may be “uncertain” as China’s maritime strength combined with onshore combat power may pose challenges to the US navy. But if the showdown occurs in East China Sea and it involves Taiwan, then there will be “a contest of wills as well as a contest of strength”.
Taiwan, though permitted to self-rule after 1949, is jealously guarded as part of China’s territory.
“Whoever commands a upper hand (in clashes involving Taiwan) will be decided by a combination of military strength plus morality plus the will to fight,” said Hu in his comment.
In Chinese social media, the US and its allies are reminded that present-day China cannot be bullied. It is no longer the sick man of Asia, as perceived in the 19th century. Chinese commentators often end their YouTube clips stating that a modern and powerful China will win against aggressors at all cost, with the support of 1.4 billion strong-willed and patriotic Chinese.
The will to drive the aggressor off is an important element in warfare. The withdrawal of the US from the Vietnam War (1955-1975) has shown that its military might was not enough to defeat and kill the fighting spirit of the Vietnamese people.
It is clear to many people that intensifying military exercises in South China Sea is part of the US global strategy to contain a rising China, seen by Washington as the most serious threat to its economic, technological and military superiority. With Donald Trump gearing up for a presidential election in November that many polls have indicated he is likely to lose, nobody dares rule out that this unpredictable leader may start a war outside America as a ploy to win more domestic support within the US.
Former Australian premier Kevin Rudd has warned in an article in the Foreign Affairs journal of an “especially high” risk of armed conflict between the two powers as Trump seems hell-bent to win at all cost.
“The once unthinkable outcome – actual armed conflict between the US and China – now appears possible for the first time... We are confronting the prospect of not just a new Cold War, but a hot one as well,” he wrote early this month.
There has been a greater frequency of the deployment of US warships conducting military exercises in the South China and East Seas. In response, China has also increased its drills.
Indeed, tension in the South China Sea has escalated after Washington announced on July 13 that Beijing’s claims to most parts of South China Sea are “unlawful”.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had declared in a statement: “The world will not allow Beijing to treat the South China Sea as its maritime empire. America stands with our Southeast Asian allies and partners in protecting their sovereign rights to offshore resources.”
The harsh tone of the US on the South China Sea has drawn support from its Western allies – particularly Australia and the United Kingdom. But within Asean – the biggest trading bloc of China since early this year, most nations have taken a neutral and cautious stance.
These states, some of which have overlapping claims with China over certain parts of South China Sea, are concerned they will become pawns and suffer when the two superpowers actually fight.
On Aug 8, Asean foreign ministers issued a joint statement calling on “all countries to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability, to refrain from the threat or the use of force, and to resolve differences and disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law”.
The statement reiterates the grouping’s commitment to maintaining South-East Asia as a region of peace, security, neutrality and stability.
Many analysts believe that Pompeo’s tough talk is a ploy to help Trump’s re-election and partly an effort to divert attention from Trump’s bungled response to the Covid-19 pandemic and his falling poll numbers.
Pompeo’s tough stance on China, though not openly supported by Asean, is quietly welcomed by some anti-China quarters within the blog. It is to be noted that China’s construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea in recent years has caused discomfort among Asean members.
Though China has often said the construction is carried out on their waters and mainly for civil purposes, it has also built and placed defence facilities on them.
Regardless of the reaction from China and Asean, Washington has not lessened its military manoeuvres.
According to the mainland’s think tank, the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative, the US military has significantly increased large reconnaissance aircraft activities to 67 in July, compared to 35 in May and 49 in June.
For the first half of this year, the US has conducted more than 2,000 military exercises and drills in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Straits and the East Sea.
US spy aircraft reportedly made intensive flights when the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was conducting operations.
In July, US reconnaissance aircraft entered areas within 70 nautical miles of China’s territorial sea baseline nine times, six times within 60 nautical miles, and in the closest event, about 40 nautical miles away from China’s sea baseline.
The close-up spying is seen by China as a demonstration of military muscle and a provocation by the US, which reportedly has all-round, advanced spying technologies and high frequency aerial reconnaissance.
Hence, based on military strength alone, a Forbes magazine writer shares the view of most military analysts that the
US has an upper hand.
On Aug 9, Forbes’ aerospace and defence writer David Axe wrote: “The US military probably has enough warplanes to win a war with China in the western Pacific.”
But he cautioned a caveat. He noted the US doesn’t have enough bases in that faraway part of the world as a battleground.
“The amount of air power China and the US can bring to bear in a war over the South China Sea depends in large part on how many bases each country can set up, supply and protect within 500 miles of the major battle zones.
“Distance is the greatest destroyer of tactical airpower. Most modern fighters can fly no farther than 500 miles from their bases. Refueling tankers realistically can add a few hundred miles to a fighter’s combat radius.”
The writer suggested that the US army could create bases by “dropping paratroopers or landing marines” on some of China’s islands and reefs.
However, in the same breath, he conceded that this strategy may not succeed as China has since 2013 built unmoving aircraft carriers in the form of outposts in the Spratly and Paracel island chains.
The island bases, plus the airfields along the coast in southeast China, allow Beijing to disperse its warplanes. This dispersal can help to protect planes from US missile and bomber raids, he wrote.
But if the US military really occupies China’s islands and reefs, it will spark the start of a full scale war with China, Global Times’ editor warned.
“The US troops will have to face an all-out counterattack from the PLA and will certainly pay a heavy price for their reckless decisions,” warned Hu in his comment in Global Times.
According to a South China Morning Post report dated Aug 9, America is looking to outgun PLA in the Indo-Pacific and its military chiefs are reviewing their deployments to ensure they have sufficient firepower and troops.
However, Beijing-based naval expert Li Jie believes the PLA has sufficient firepower to take on American fleets in the event of an offshore battle.
“China’s Type PCL191 multiple launch rocket systems, which have a range up to 400km, and other rocket launchers are the most efficient low-cost option for dealing with head-to-head conflicts,” the Post quoted Li as saying.
Despite facing all kinds of insults from the US, political interference in Hong Kong and military incitement in the South China Sea, China has exercised restraint.
It may not fire the first shot, most reports indicate.
China has told its service personnel “not to fire the first shot” in the increasingly frequent stand-offs with US planes and warships, South China Morning Post reported on Aug 12 citing sources familiar with Chinese thinking.
But still, the combat-ready PLA armed with its advanced equipment is always on its highest alert, said military experts last week on China’s CCTV Mandarin channel.
Due to the tense situation, countries in the region are worried that there may be “accidental clashes” that could lead to full-scale war that will hurt regional and global trade.
As a vital artery of trade for many of the world’s largest economies, about US$4-5 trillion (RM16.7-RM20.9 trillion) worth of goods transits through the waterway annually. Hence, if a war erupts in South China Sea, all will be losers – including the US and China.
It certainly will not boost Trump’s electoral chances if the war drags on to become another “Vietnam War” for the US and Americans.
Admiral Zheng He (aka Cheng Ho, c. 1371-1433 CE) was a Chinese Muslim eunuch explorer who was sent by the Ming dynasty emperor Yongle (r. 1403-1424 CE) on seven diplomatic missions to increase trade and secure tribute from foreign powers.Feb 7, 2019
With the increased stress of being in the midst of a pandemic, people might be acting out more than they usually do.
FOR months, the nation has been assaulted by an invisible enemy that has the upper hand.
The stress of the Covid-19 pandemic has many wondering, how is this affecting the mental health of the populace?
At their best, Americans are feeling distracted, forgetful, disorganised and helpless.
At their worst, there are highly publicised incidents of deniers who have screaming meltdowns in stores when they are told to wear face masks.
Yale University professor of neuroscience and psychology Dr Amy Arnsten says that all psychiatric disorders have a neurobiological basis.
In short, it isn’t psychological weakness, it’s a prefrontal cortex overloaded with chemicals.
“If you understand the neurology behind it, you feel forgiveness for yourself.
“It’s self-freeing. It allows you to be better,” she says.
“There is no difference between a mental health issue and a neurological issue.”
She has created a YouTube video that teaches how “arousal chemicals” released in times of uncontrollable anxiety inhibit a person’s insight, reasoning, empathy, conscience, patience, judgment, and control of emotions, thoughts and actions.
Speaking over the phone from her home in Bethany, Connecticut, Prof Arnsten answers some questions on the topic:
Are people acting in ways that reflect the change in their brains?
You really see this in some places.
Connecticut is doing so well. It’s really a “prefrontal” state.
A simple way of saying that is that they are being thoughtful.
You see (US) states where there’s been poor leadership and people are encouraged to be reactive rather than thoughtful; where so many people are dying; (and) where people say, just go out and party, don’t wear a mask, just do what you want to do, don’t be thoughtful about consequences.
They want the right to act like that even though it kills others.
Can you give some behavioural examples?
The prefrontal cortex controls wisdom and judgment.
When it goes “offline”, control goes to our primitive brain circuits. We can get angry very easily. We can say things that we later regret to people we love. Anger can get the best of us. Rather than being thoughtful, you yell at a store clerk and throw groceries in his face.
Is this change in brain chemicals from stress ever useful?
A: Yes. It can orchestrate a response in an unconscious, primitive way that could save your life.
For example, if what is stressing you is that you are suddenly being cut off on the highway.
You stop thinking about your plans for going to a party on Saturday night and slam on the brakes really fast.
But if the stressor is an invisible virus, losing your prefrontal function is extraordinarily unhelpful and more dangerous.
Why does the stress from the pandemic feel uncontrollable?
This has been studied in families.
If a child feels a parent is in control, even though something terrible is happening, the kid is OK.
Part of what is so stressful right now is the feeling that there’s no parent in the room taking charge of this pandemic, so we’re all at the mercy of this random destruction.
... Our current government makes us feel out of control, and that is the exact thing that increases the stress response and impairs our prefrontal function.
That’s an uncontrollable stress.
Q: Can long-term uncontrollable stress cause permanent neurological change?
A: Yes. With chronic stress, along with the chemical changes, there are also architectural changes where you lose the connections between brain cells and the prefrontal cortex.
Research on young rats indicates that with sufficient time spent being nonstressed, connections grow back. We didn’t see that in old rats. Resilience seems to be age dependent, but maybe we need to wait longer.
How can people control their stress and reduce these chemicals in the brain?
Exercise if you can. Get that oxygen.
Eat healthy.
Get plenty of sleep.
Those things truly matter. The prefrontal cortex is the Goldilocks of the brain. It likes to have everything just right.
It’s also good to help other people. It makes you feel better yourself.
Listen to your favourite music. Give yourself experiences of beauty.
... So often people don’t think to give these things to themselves.
Try to be your own cheerleader.
Stress can create changes in the brain that inhibits our judgement, empathy, reasoning and self-control. — TNS
Are there wrong ways to control stress?
I think a very natural thing to do, but that ends up being counterproductive, is abusing substances.
Alcohol makes you feel better for a little bit, but in the long run, it makes you feel worse.
The same thing goes for drugs. And the same thing goes for eating a lot of fattening foods, afterwards you hate yourself and then eat more.
It’s the same old same old as before the pandemic, but now it’s often intensified, because there you are home alone with your refrigerator. – The Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service
Top 4 Most Common Causes of Your Headache
“A bad headache can destroy all plans for the day.”
These are few common type of headache:
1. Cervicogenic Headache
Commonly having one sided headache from the back of the head until
forehead and eyes, it will involve with shoulder pain and soreness too.
It will last for one hour or several weeks
Moderate to severe intensity
2. Migraine
One sided headache involving eyes and head mostly with gradual onset.
It will last for 4-72 hours
Moderate to severe intensity of headache
3. Tension Headache
Most common headache which involve bilateral side during the attacks.
It will last half an hour to several hours
Mild to high intensity
Normally can be resolved by OTC medication or Panadols.
4. Cluster Headache
Intense and explosive headache which involve at one side eye area more.
It can last for 3 hours or sometimes weeks follow by remission period for months or years.
High intensity of pain
5. Sinus Headache
Headache that involve forehead, eyes, eyebrows, cheek and ear due to inflammation of the sinus.
It will last days to weeks (resolved faster if treated)
Mild to moderate intensity
Pain pattern of cervicogenic headache
Work from home has become a
lifestyle recently due to Covid-19, work at home will need to use
computer or other electronic devices for longer period. Will this become
one of the causes of your headache?
Check out the video below, it might give you an answer for your current headache !!
