Sunday, November 29, 2020

Cuti-Cuti Malaysia RM50 e-Voucher Redeemable Via AirAsia Website Starting Today At 2PM

 


AirAsia has announced that the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia RM50 e-voucher is now redeemable via its official website starting today. At the same time, the airline has also revealed that it is expanding its domestic network with eight new routes for essential and future travels.

As reported last week, AirAsia is distributing a total of 24,000 e-vouchers to its eligible customers in Malaysia as part of a collaboration with the Ministry of Arts, Tourism and Culture (MOTAC). It added that distribution is done on a first-come-first-served basis, and is redeemable via the airline’s official website at 2pm.


The e-voucher will allow customers to claim a discount of RM50 on any AirAsia Malaysia’s domestic flights booked between 30 November to 13 December 2020. In addition to this, the expected travel periods are required to be set between 7 December 2020 to 31 Mark 2021.

As mentioned earlier, the airline has revealed that it has expanded its domestic network by including eight new routes. These include Langkawi – Ipoh, Langkawi – Kota Bharu, Johor Bahru – Bintulu, Johor Bahru – Kota Bharu, Penang – Sibu, Penang – Kota Bharu, and Kuching – Langkawi. AirAsia says that each route will operate with three weekly flights which will commence in December 2020, while flights between Kota Kinabalu and Kuala Terengganu are set to begin in February 2021.

For further information regarding the e-voucher redemption details and the airline’s domestic routes, please refer to the official AirAsia website






A Malaysian Buddhist Journey To Islam

 


Its quite rare these days to find a Malaysian Chinese Buddhist to convert to Islam.

Mr. Jared shares his experience for converting to Islam. An interesting POV from someone local especially.

The real take up point from this is that Islam is easy, not a religion based on race (malays/arabs), but its for all humanity, and there's no barrier between humanity as long as you have the same beliefs.

US and Chinese tech giants all eyeing Indonesia

Southeast Asia is increasingly becoming a battleground for tech giants from the United States and China vying for investment opportunities in the region, amid slow growth in the West and heightened political tensions between Washington and Beijing.

At the centre of their battle is Indonesia, the region’s largest digital market. This year, four American tech juggernauts – Google, Microsoft, Facebook and PayPal – have invested in the country’s unicorns, or private tech firms valued at over US$1 billion, and the trend is not expected to abate any time soon, analysts say.

“Indonesia, specifically, is the fourth-largest internet population in the world, has a high number of exciting tech start-ups and is the largest market by population,” said Pinn Lawjindakul, vice-president at Lightspeed Venture Partners in Singapore.

“These investments in Indonesia signal the importance of the country and the wider region in the eyes of these global tech giants. This vote of confidence will have a positive ripple effect. More international companies will be driven to follow suit and invest here, which will encourage more innovation and the creation of more start-ups,” she said.

“It is a very exciting time for founders and investors in Indonesia and the Southeast Asia region as a whole.”

While Indonesia is the obvious place for investors to make regional inroads, “countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines are also natural candidates for high investment interest in the next few years” owing to their high GDPs and first-time internet user growth, Lawjindakul said, highlighting the bullish nature of tech investors in the region despite pandemic-related headwinds.

Earlier this month, Indonesian e-commerce company Tokopedia announced that it had raised an undisclosed amount of investment – reportedly around US$350 million – from Google and Temasek, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund. Tokopedia, valued at US$7 billion, is already backed by Chinese tech giant Alibaba, alongside Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group and venture capital firm Sequoia Capital India. Alibaba owns the Post.

Microsoft has also partnered with an Indonesian unicorn, announcing an undisclosed investment this month in e-commerce firm Bukalapak, which put the company’s valuation at US$2.5 billion to US$3 billion. Bukalapak’s existing investors include China’s Ant Group, which holds a 19.4 per cent share stake in the company. Microsoft is also an investor in Singapore’s ride-hailing and food-delivery behemoth Grab, which rates Indonesia as its major market.

In June, Facebook and PayPal invested an undisclosed amount in Indonesia’s Gojek, Grab’s arch rival. Gojek, which also counts Google as an investor, in a statement said the investment would mainly be used to strengthen GoPay, its payments and financial arm, as it seeks to expand its digital payment business in the cash-reliant region. The 10-year-old Indonesian company is valued at US$10 billion, and has prominent backers such as China’s Tencent and Temasek.

The Gojek investment is Facebook’s first real foray into investing in Indonesia, where it will try to introduce mobile payment services through its ubiquitous WhatsApp messaging application.

Seattle-based tech mammoth Amazon has also set its sights on operating in Indonesia, with West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil announcing on November 16 that the company will invest around US$2 billion to build a data centre for its cloud computing service in the province.

While details on the deal were vague, the investment is expected to pave the way for Amazon to set up an operation in Indonesia, where the US$32 billion domestic e-commerce market is now dominated by local and regional firms.

Chinese academics say coronavirus spread in India MONTHS before Wuhan outbreak

 


The coronavirus did not start in Wuhan but instead emerged in India last summer, Chinese academics have boldly claimed, as tensions continue to flare between the two states amid the ongoing search for the origins of Covid-19.

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences claim the pandemic actually originated in India, explaining that a heatwave there from May to June 2019 spawned a water crisis, which in turn led to increased close contact between humans and wild animals such as monkeys. 

In a preprint paper with the Lancet medical journal – meaning it has yet to be formally peer reviewed – the Chinese researchers outline their explanation of the “zoonotic transmission” of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from monkeys to humans as they shared water resources.

The researchers also say that India’s poor hygiene conditions and “less efficient” public medical system, as well as its “tropical climate” and “very young population,” were all contributing factors in the virus’s spread. 

They estimate that the first “human-to-human transmission” of Covid-19 in India was in July or August.

Back in March, Chinese officials blamed the coronavirus outbreak on US soldiers visiting Wuhan, while last week China pointed the finger at Italy after a study from Milan suggested the virus had been circulating locally since last year.

The identification of India as the possible source of the virus comes after New Delhi last week fortified its military capabilities in Eastern Ladakh, the region by the Chinese border, by building camps for tens of thousands of soldiers. In June, 20 Indian soldiers and an undisclosed number of Chinese troops were killed as the two sides engaged in a skirmish in the contested border area.

The fresh accusations that coronavirus was first spread in India won’t help relations, and on Friday the Chinese Foreign Ministry appeared to back the claims.

“Although China was the first to report cases, it doesn't necessarily mean that the virus originated in China,” spokesperson Zhao Lijian said during his regular press conference, in response to a question about the claims against India.

The researchers’ findings have been panned by some Western academics, including Professor David Robertson from Glasgow University, who described their approach as “inherently biased.” 

“The authors have also ignored the extensive epidemiological data available that shows clear emergence in China and that the virus spread from there,” he told the Daily Mail, “This paper adds nothing to our understanding of SARS-CoV-2.” 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has tipped the “Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market in Wuhan City” as the likely source of the novel coronavirus, though the UN special agency is still investigating the pandemic’s origins.


Is Samsung A Hypocrite ? Follow Apple’s Lockdown?, What Is Anti Repair Design?

 What Is Anti Repair Design?


Apple has introduced serialisation by pairing component parts to phones. The result is that independent repairers are not able to repair devices with spare parts – even genuine parts that have been removed from the same Apple product. This way, only Apple will be able to repair the iPhones.

iPhone 12 Anti Repair Design Video Below:


Is Samsung A Hypocrite?
Is Samsung Following Apple’s Industry Standard To Lockdown 3rd Party Repairs?
Are Component Parts In The Samsung S20 Digitally Paired To The Logic Board?



Let's Find Out
Galaxy S20 Teardown and Repair Assessment





Trump: Hard to get cases to Supreme Court

President Donald Trump acknowledged his vanishing path to overturning the results of the 2020 election in court on Sunday during his first full interview since losing to President-elect Joe Biden earlier this month.


“Well, the problem is, it’s hard to get into the Supreme Court,” Trump said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” after host Maria Bartiromo asked him when he expected his challenges to make it to the justices.

“I’ve got the best Supreme Court advocates, lawyers, that want to argue the case, if it gets there. They said, ‘It’s very hard to get a case up there,’” Trump added. “Can you imagine, Donald Trump, president of the United States, files a case, and I probably can’t get a case.”

Trump said that his cases, which legal experts have described as far-fetched, should make it to the high court, but did not predict that they would.

“It sounds like if you can’t be heard by the Supreme Court, you lose. Do you believe you will win this?” Bartiromo asked at one point.

“We should be heard by the Supreme Court. Something has to be able to get up there, otherwise, what is the Supreme Court?” Trump said. Asked if he still had a path to victory, Trump said he hoped so.

Trump has refused to concede although NBC News and every other major outlet has called the race for Biden. Biden is projected to win 306 Electoral College votes, well above the 270 needed to win.

The president’s assessment on Sunday was more downcast than public statements from his legal team, and seemed to suggest that he is inching closer to acknowledging his loss, if not offering a concession.

On Thursday, Trump said for the first time that he will leave the White House if the Electoral College votes for the Democrat. Electors will cast their ballots on Dec. 14. Trump did not say on Sunday when he might relinquish his challenges.

New Mercedes-Benz X-Class, Carlex Racing Green Edition

 


The Mercedes Benz X-Class pickup has been around some times. This big Truck is it self a massive one and now as the 10th Carlex Design on the Mercedes Benz X class is here. The Racing Green Edition has the most aggressive look than ever.

Calex designers by overhauling the Mercedes Benz X-Class, did not change the exterior of it but also considered some updates inside the car, made this big truck more aerodynamic and also the significant point the color of the green. Ninja turtles would fall in love with the color.



Exterior Look

For the exterior, Carlex used the special carbon body kit. Moreover, the side sills and for making it more aerodynamic (or at least for just a cover of aero-friendly Car) the carbon bed bar is added to the body too. As sad before the green color is much on the spotlight. It is obvious it took much efforts to have such a perfect hue of green spectrum.

Green, Green, White

This product stands among the other re-faced cars of Carlex Design Racing Green Line so don’t get surprise of the pattern of the brush on the body as its is actually a hand brushed car. it is actually company’s trick to create a harmony of colors. The white line has the duty of the attention attraction by the contrast. You can see the white colors on the wheels too. That gives the big news, “make way, its Carlex Design”.


Interior

By stepping in the car, you feel the Sporty environment. The black and white combination matches good with the car’s soul. Also, the vertical lines and the new seatbelts are very impressive. They are also in green. The steering wheel has a new look. It is covered with leather. Dashboard and door panels are also covered with carbon.










Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon Available For Pre-Order in Malaysia; Starting Price Remains At RM 4399

 

Originally scheduled for October release in Malaysia, the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon has finally available for pre-order in our market earlier this week. For those who are not familiar with the laptop, it is one of the company’s latest thin and light notebook to date.

Weighing at just 966g, the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon features a chassis that is made from carbon fibre and magnesium alloy. Despite its lightweight nature, Lenovo stated that the laptop is designed to be durable to the extent that it is able to survive MIL-STD-810G military-grade tests.


The Malaysian unit comes standard with a 13.3-inch IPS display that has native resolution of 2560×1600 and 100% sRGB colour gamut coverage. Customers can choose to equip it with up to Intel Core i7-1165G7 processor, 16GB LPDDR4X-4266 RAM, and 1TB NVMe PCIe Gen4x4 solid state drive.

In terms of pricing, nothing has changed though as the Yoga Slim 7i Carbon starting price remained at RM 4399 as per our report back in OctoberLenovo Malaysia is now offering a Fitbit Inspire 2 alongside a Targus backpack, and HDMI cable as a freebie bundle for customers that purchase Yoga Slim 7i Carbon from now until 31 December. The laptop will also be pre-installed with the full version of Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019.


Based on the info Lenovo Malaysia’s website, it currently takes at least six weeks before the laptop is shipped to customers though which means if you are planning to buy this laptop as a Christmas present, do note that the laptop will likely not arrive in on time. Nevertheless, do head on to the website or the nearest Lenovo Exclusive Stores and authorized Lenovo dealers for further information.





Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince’s Foundation To Buy 51 Percent Stake In SNK

 

Japanese fighting game developer SNK is as important a name in the scene as Capcom or Bandai Namco. If you know games like Samurai Shodown and the King of Fighters, then you should know the name. But a controlling stake in the company is about to be acquired by one of the most unlikely entities. And it’s the Mohammad bin Salman Charity Foundation.

According to the announcement by the foundation, it has invested around SAR813 million (~RM882 million) in SNK. This gives the foundation a 33.3% stake in the company. Though as part of the deal, the foundation will be buying another 17.7% of the game dev’s shares. The final result, when it happens, is a 51% controlling stake in the company.

Mohammad bin Salman is the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. As for his Charity Foundation, its goal is to invest in initiatives that will help “cultivate and encourage leaning and leadership in youth for a better future in Saudi Arabia”.


A possible reason by the foundation chose to invest in SNK is because the foundation’s subsidiary, called the “Electronic Games Development Company”, has previously worked with the Japanese fighting game dev, with training programs that saw many young Saudis visiting Japan.

At any rate, it’s an odd turn of events, to be sure. And it remains to be seen if the Mohammad bin Salman Charity Foundation will be exercising its control over the company’s direction.




Beats Flex Wireless Earphones Now Available In Malaysia For RM 219

 


Even though this particular division of Apple is rather more low-key these days, that doesn’t mean the audio company has nothing new under its sleeves. Around the same time that Apple decided to stop supplying wired EarPods for new iPhones, Beats Flex made their appearance in the market.

Hence, some may see Flex as an attempt to fill the space as an entry-level first-party wireless audio option for Apple users. We recently noticed that the new wireless earphones are now available for purchase through Apple Malaysia’s online store.

In case you not familiar with them, the Flex wireless earphones are powered by the Apple W1 chip which is the same chip inside 1st generation AirPods. Said to have a battery life of up to 12 hours, the Fast Fuel feature allows them to obtain 1.5 hours of playback through just 10 minutes of charging.

The magnetic body on Flex’s earbuds which are connected together via Nitinol-based Flex-Form cable would secure them in place when they are not in use. They also come with Auto-Play/Pause feature which would activate the music playback when they are being put on and vice-versa.


As per our previous report, the Beats Flex are priced at RM 219 on Apple Malaysia’s online store. You may able to find them through local Apple dealers such as MachinesAll IT, and Thunder Match as well, in case you prefer to check the Flex at physical stores.





China's first domestically made nuclear reactor go

 


Photo shows the exterior of the No.5 nuclear power unit in the city of Fuqing, southeast China's Fujian Province, Nov. 26, 2020. China's first nuclear power unit using Hualong One technology, a domestically developed third-generation reactor design, was connected to the grid at 00.41am on Friday and started to generate electricity, according to the China National Nuclear Corporation. 

BEIJING, Nov 28 : China has powered up its first domestically developed nuclear reactor -- the Hualong One -- a significant step in Beijing's attempts to become less dependent on Western allies for energy security and critical technology.

The reactor, which was connected to the national grid on Friday, can generate 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year and cut carbon emissions by 8.16 million tons, according to China National Nuclear Corporation.

"This marks China breaking the monopoly of foreign nuclear power technology and officially entering the technology's first batch of advanced countries," CNNC said in a statement.

Nuclear plants supplied less than five percent of China's annual electricity needs in 2019, according to the National Energy Administration, but this share is expected to grow as Beijing attempts to become carbon neutral by 2060.

Reducing its dependence on Western allies in critical high-tech sectors such as power generation is a key goal in Beijing's "Made in China 2025" plan.

Billions of dollars in state subsidies have been given to Chinese companies to speed the process -- a move that has angered China's trade partners and sparked a protracted trade row with Washington.

Work on the Hualong One reactor started in 2015 and there are currently six other reactors under construction at home and abroad, state-owned plant operator CNNC said.

The Hualong One, deployed at a plant in east China's Fujian province, will be put into commercial use by the end of the year after undergoing tests.

China has 47 nuclear plants with a total generation capacity of 48.75 million kilowatts -- the world's third highest after the United States and France.

Beijing has invested billions of dollars to develop its nuclear energy sector in recent years as it struggles to wean its economy from coal.

Thirteen nuclear plants are under construction, more than in any other country, despite environmental and safety concerns.

In August 2016, officials were forced to shelve plans for a nuclear waste facility in Lianyungang, a city in eastern Jiangsu province, after a rare public protest by thousands of residents.

Single mom insurance agents., Sex and party for potential clients


SOME insurance companies in Johor are recruiting female agents to have sex with potential customers, Guang Ming Daily re-ported.

The companies also arranged for the agents to party with the would-be clients at nightclubs and karaoke outlets.

Sources told the newspaper that the female agents were recruited among divorcees, single mothers or those helping their boyfriends repay debts.

“These are women who will do anything for money,” the sources said, adding that the agents went after middle-aged small entrepreneurs who were not very highly educated.

Agents who failed to “hit” their targets would be punished by having to “showcase” themselves in adult diapers or lingerie.

They were also forced to pay fines of between RM1,000 and RM3,000 to their company.

> China Press reported that Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung’s name was used in a RM7.52mil cheating case in China.

It said a company in China had tricked 16 corporations into believing that it was organising a concert tour for the singer in the country.

The company then signed contracts with the firms to co-organise the event and collected deposits from them.

Cheung’s manager Florence Chan clarified that they had not authorised any company or individual to collect the deposits.

Other News & Views is compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a sub-heading, it denotes a separate news item.

Samsung Teases Possible Tri-Folding And Rollable Smart Devices

 


Korean tech giant Samsung may have indirectly teased two possible new products via its Samsung Display blog. What makes these interesting is that one device appears to be a smartphone with a tri-folding form factor, while the other is a tablet that exhibits a rollable design.

The tri-folding device is a possible reimagining of the brand’s Galaxy Fold series, where one third of the display would remain as a main screen even when the phone is in its folded form. This eliminates the need of having an external display, as seen on both the Fold and Fold 2 models. And would also provide a seamless experience for the user when using the device in both folded and unfolded modes. It’s also worth noting that a Samsung patent of this tri-folding concept was first discovered by Patently Apple back last month.

The other concept, on the other hand, imagines a tablet-like smart device featuring a cylindrical body that can roll out its display when in use. Amusingly, this rollable design harkens back to message scrolls from olden times. Although the concept is somewhat bizarre to a point, you can’t deny its value in terms of portability. Interestingly enough, a patent of this approach was first discovered in 2017 by Dutch tech site LetsGoDigital, which reveals the same design.

If anything, these indirect teasers are probably nothing more than just concepts that Samsung are mulling over. But at the same time, they could also act as a sign of exciting things to come from the Korean brand.





Facebook Libra To Launch In A Limited Form Next Year

 


Facebook officially announced its cryptocurrency known as Libra last year. It lost a number of partners on the way, but the social media company says that its cryptocurrency will finally launch as early as January next year. Though the launch may be initially limited to only the US and a few countries in Latin America

The Financial Times reports that the Libra Association plans to launch a single stablecoin that’s worth exactly US$1 (~RM4.07). For those unfamiliar with the term, stablecoins are cryptocurrencies that do not fluctuate in value against real-world money.

Overall, this launch is very small in scale, at least compared to what the Libra Association initially planned. Initially, the association wanted to release more stablecoins based on other currencies too, such as the Euro and the British Pound. These will instead come at a later date, rather than alongside the US Dollar equivalent.


The Libra wallet, Novi, will likely launch at the same time. As per the initial announcement, the Libra cryptocurrencies can be used via this wallet, or through Messenger and WhatsApp.

But after launch, it remains to be seen what the remaining partners will do with the Libra cryptocurrency. The Financial Times reports that the partners will take a wait and see approach before investing in use cases.




Xiaomi Unveils Upgraded Redmi Note 9 Series; Pro 5G Model Features A 108MP Main Camera

 


Xiaomi has recently launched three new Redmi Note 9 models in China which features updated hardware and 5G support. These consist of a new Note 9 5G, a Pro 5G model and a more affordable 4G variant. If you may recall, the series’ original models debuted in Malaysia earlier this year in May.

The Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G features a 6.67-inch display with a top centered punch-hole cutout, 1080p+ resolution, and an adaptive refresh rate that offers 6 different settings ranging from 30Hz to 120Hz. The screen also comes with a touch sampling rate of 240Hz and has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Under its hood is a Snapdragon 750G chipset, paired with up to 8GB RAM and UFS 2.2 storage of up to 256GB.


Powering the phone is a 4,820mAh battery with 33W fast charging support that is claimed to fully charge the device in just 58 minutes. Other features include WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, NFC support, an IR blaster, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

One of the major highlights for the Note 9 Pro 5G model is its quad rear camera setup, which includes a 108MP main camera via a 1/1.52-inch Samsung ISOCELL HM2 – the first Redmi phone to feature a sensor of this size. Alongside that is a 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor. Housed in the punch-hole cutout is a 16MP selfie camera.

Next up is the standard Redmi Note 9, which features a 6.53-inch LCD display with a punch-hole cutout on the upper left corner, 1080p+ resolution, standard 60Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The phone packs a MediaTek Dimensity 800U chipset, paired with RAM of up to 8GB and UFS 2.2 storage of up to 256GB.

Powering it is a larger 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. Other features included on the phone are almost similar to the ones found on the Pro 5G model, sans the IR blaster.

Naturally, the rear camera setup on the non-Pro variant is different as well. This model instead features a triple camera setup which consists of a 48MP main sensor, 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro. In the punch-hole cutout on its front display is a 13MP selfie camera.

Finally we have the 4G version of the Redmi Note 9 which features the same display as the 5G variant, but with a waterdrop notch and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Unlike the earlier models released in May, this non-Pro version of the phone packs a Snapdragon 662 chipset, up to 8GB RAM, and UFS 2.2 storage of 128GB.

Equipped on the phone is a 6,000mAh battery that is claimed to last over two and a half days on a single charge, and includes 18W fast charging support. The other features found on this model includes WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Just like the 5G version, the Redmi Note 9 4G also comes with the same triple camera setup. Housed in the waterdrop notch on its front display is an 8MP selfie camera, however.

All three updated Redmi Note 9 models and their configurations are slated to be released in China on 1 December 2020. The Pro 5G variant starts at CNY1,600 (~RM990) for the base 6GB/128GB model, CNY1,800 (~RM1,114) for the 8GB/128GB, and CNY2,000 (~RM1,238) for 8GB/256GB. Whereas the standard 5G model is priced at CNY1,300 (~RM804) , CNY1,500 (~RM928) and CNY1,700 (~RM1,050) respectively.

The 4G version starts at CNY1,000 (~RM618) for the 4GB/128GB configuration, CNY1,100 (~RM680) for the 6GB/128GB, and CNY1,300 (~RM804) for the 8GB/128GB. Xiaomi has not revealed any plans to release the new Redmi phones outside of China at this time.











The 'Fatty' Chinese Zodiac Forecast in 2024 (Iverson Lee)

Interesting topic for 2024 years that you have on your bazi chart that you have it you will be surprised that you will become the fatty anim...