Pandemic

WELL-organised and friendly – that was the verdict by those who turned up for their vaccination at the KL Tzu Chi Jing Si Hall in Kepong, Kuala Lumpur, under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme. Lee Cal Vin, who took his grandparents to the centre, said he was relieved to find a team of volunteers waiting at the front entrance to offer assistance while he parked his car. The couple were among hundreds who had been inoculated at the hall belonging to the Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia. The foundation had offered its premises for free to the Health Ministry (MOH) to carry out and expedite the government’s vaccination programme. Revealing that his grandparents were late for their appointment as they had not checked their MySejahtera app earlier, Their next appointment is scheduled for July. “I also found the doctors on duty to be very knowledgeable. Overall, the volunteers were kind and helpful,” said Lee. Giving an in-depth view into the operating procedure, Ee ... » Learn More about Thumbs up for service at NGO’s vaccination venue

Nokia Oyj plans to redesign its offices globally, adapting workplaces in 130 countries to a more flexible post-pandemic work environment. The Finnish company is seeking to capture the benefits of having had virtually all staff work remotely for the past 15 months. Starting next year, roughly 70% of office space will be dedicated to collaboration and team work and staff will have the flexibility to work as many as three days a week remotely, the Finnish supplier of 5G network equipment said on Tuesday. “The pandemic forced organisations to change. Technology gave people the tools to innovate. In many cases, the results have been too good to go back to the old way of doing things,” chief executive officer Pekka Lundmark said. “We are accelerating our transition to become a fully hybrid global workplace.” The new rules will apply to all staff – 92,000 globally last year – who will have a “smart-office app” for booking work spaces and office amenities. The policy follows a survey ... » Learn More about Nokia will redesign offices as it adapts to more flexible work

PETALING JAYA: Many of us are apart from our parents due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but we can still spend quality and meaningful time with them online with the help of technology, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. The MCA president also wished all fathers a Happy Father's Day on Sunday (June 20) “Thank you for always caring for, protecting and being the pillar of strength of our families,” he said in a Facebook post on Sunday. Dr Wee said he had been blessed with the opportunity to be a father to two beautiful children. "To be able to care, protect and support our children and to see them grow to be the persons that they are is truly a rewarding experience for me," he said. Dr Wee has a son and a daughter who are in their early 20s and late teens, respectively. He also wished all fathers a Happy Father’s Day. Father's Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June, and this year, it falls on June 20. ... » Learn More about Dr Wee: Being a father has its challenges, but will always be a blessing

Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding are among the top 10 most valuable brands in the world as Chinese consumer Internet companies continue to mature despite antitrust scrutiny and intense competition at home. Kantar, a London-based data and consulting company, published its annual BrandZ report on June 21, evaluating 18,500 brands in 51 markets around the world, ranking the top 100 using a calculation based on the financial value of the parent company and the ability of the brand to grow sales. The top 100 brands were worth a combined US$7.1 trillion (RM29.52 trillion), according to Kantar. Tencent, owner of Chinese super app WeChat, took fifth spot, up from seventh last year, with a brand valuation of US$241bil (RM1 trillion), while e-commerce giant Alibaba (owner of the Post ) fell from sixth to seventh with a valuation of US$197bil (RM819.32bil). Amazon retained its position as the world’s top brand with an estimated value of US$684bil (RM2.84 trillion), followed by ... » Learn More about Chinese tech names among the fastest growing valuable brands in the world but US companies still dominate

PETALING JAYA: Eligible recipients of aid from the Jaringan Prihatin Programme, which enables them to get rebates for mobile devices or data plans, say it will help them to attend online classes and work from home. They said getting digitally connected is still costly to them. Audit clerk Norzilawati Osman, 42, said that having access to a digital connection is important as her four children, aged between seven and 15 years old, have been left behind in their online classes. “I am the only one earning a fixed salary and owning a mobile phone. “When I go to work, the children do not get to follow their classes online and will only resume their studies when I return home. “I will apply for the rebate but I also urge the government to look into the quality of the network connection in areas where B40 families live, ” she added. Single mother Norlaili Aryati, 43, who lives with her four children in a rented People’s Housing Project (PPR) unit in Taman Intan Baiduri, said she ... » Learn More about Beneficiaries of Jaringan Prihatin glad to have more digital access

REUTERS: Li Tie will continue to lead China's national team after steering his side into the final round of Asia's preliminaries for the 2022 World Cup, the president of the Chinese Football Association confirmed on Tuesday. The former Everton midfielder, who took over as head coach following Marcello Lippi's resignation, led the Chinese to four straight wins this month to secure a berth in the next round of qualifying for Qatar. "We evaluate the coaching staff every year and as long as the team is making progress, the coaching staff will stay as they are," CFA president Chen Xuyuan told state news agency Xinhua. "We won't change the coach for just losing a game or two. "Li is now focusing on the team's preparations for the final round of the World Cup Asian qualifiers." China will join 11 other Asian nations in the draw on July 1 for the final phase of the continent's preliminaries, when four guaranteed places in Qatar will be at stake. A potential fifth berth is ... » Learn More about Soccer-CFA president confirms Li to remain at China’s helm

Ferrari's French Grand Prix problems showed a long-standing weakness with front-tyre wear has not gone away and they need to fix it for next season, according to team boss Mattia Binotto. Sunday's (Jun 20) race at Le Castellet was the first time Ferrari had failed to score this year, with Spaniard Carlos Sainz 11th and Monegasque Charles Leclerc 16th. They had qualified fifth and seventh respectively, with Leclerc on pole at the two previous races in Monaco and Azerbaijan, but Ferrari ended the weekend dropping from third to fourth overall in the constructors' championship. "We have not been capable of making the tyres work as we should have done and I think our performance was really strictly linked to the tyres, the way we made them work," Binotto told reporters. Le Castellet did not host a race last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic but Binotto said hot conditions and high speed corners putting a lot of energy into the tyres had been a problem in the past. "We should ... » Learn More about Formula 1: Ferrari grappling with excessive front-tyre wear problem

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on UEFA on Tuesday (Jun 22) to act responsibly regarding plans to hold the final of the Euro 2020 football tournament in London due to safety concerns over the spread of COVID-19 in England. "I hope that UEFA will act responsibly with regard to the Euro matches. I would not like to see packed stadiums there, and I support all efforts made by the British government to enforce the necessary hygiene measures," Merkel said. She was speaking at a joint news conference with European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen, who said that the spread of the Delta variant was worrying. BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram ... » Learn More about Football: Merkel urges UEFA to act responsibly for London Euro 2020 matches

GLASGOW: Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday (Jun 21), dealing a huge blow to Scotland's hopes of making it beyond the group stages of a major tournament for the first time at Euro 2020. Gilmour picked up the man-of-the-match award in Friday's 0-0 draw against England at Wembley in his first international start. But he will miss Tuesday's clash against Croatia at Hampden Park with Scotland needing to win to have any chance of progressing to the last 16. "The Scottish FA can confirm that a member of the Scotland national team playing squad, Billy Gilmour, has tested positive for COVID-19," the Scottish Football Association said in a statement. "Having liaised with Public Health England since the positive test was recorded, Billy will now self-isolate for 10 days and therefore miss tomorrow's UEFA Euro 2020 Group D match against Croatia at Hampden." No other members of the squad have been required to self-isolate as a result of coming into ... » Learn More about Football: Scotland’s Gilmour tests positive for COVID-19, misses Croatia clash

BRUSSELS: The final of the Euro 2020 football tournament should not be played in London due to safety concerns over the faster spread of the coronavirus in Britain, the European Union's top lawmaker on health issues said on Tuesday (Jun 22). On Monday, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called for the match to be moved from England due to rising COVID-19 cases there, but European soccer's governing body UEFA said it had no plans to replace Wembley as the host stadium for the semi-finals and final. However, the pressure on UEFA is continuing. "Our health is priority. The spread of the Delta variant makes it impossible for 40,000 spectators to view the final match in London's stadium," Peter Liese said in a statement on Tuesday. Britain is seeing a spike in cases due to the spread of the more contagious Delta variant, which was first identified in India. READ: UK records 10,633 new COVID-19 cases READ: Merkel urges UEFA to act responsibly for London Euro 2020 ... » Learn More about Football: EU’s top health lawmaker urges UEFA to move Euro 2020 final from London