Singgang, Kari Tidak Boleh Rawat COVID-19 - Pakar

Foto: MSTAR

KUALA NERUS: Menu ikan singgang dan kari tidak boleh merawat COVID-19.

Demikian ditegaskan oleh Pengarah Pusat Penyelidikan dan Pendidikan Penyakit Berjangkit Tropika (TIDREC) Universiti Malaya (UM), Prof Dr Sazaly Abu Bakar, berikutan penularan pelbagai dakwaan berkaitan menu yang didakwa boleh mengubati COVID-19.

Beliau berkata bukan sahaja menu ikan singgang tetapi kari juga antara menu yang kini tular kononnya mempunyai potensi merawat COVID-19 itu.

“Ikan singgang didakwa mempunyai potensi merawat COVID-19 kerana alasan mengandungi bahan tertentu seperti kunyit dan lengkuas yang boleh melawan mikrob.

“Menu kari pula didakwa berkhasiat dan mampu mencegah dan merawat COVID-19 kerana penduduk di India yang suka makan kari setakat ini tiada kes dijangkiti penyakit berkenaan,” katanya ketika ditemui pada Forum COVID-19 antara Spekulasi dan Realiti di Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) di sini, hari ini.

Turut hadir dan menjadi panel pada forum itu, Pakar Kesihatan Keluarga Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Terengganu, Dr Darisah Lah dan Pengarah Pusat Kesihatan UMT Dr Arnie A Rahim.

Dr Sazaly berkata, virus SARS Coronavirus Dua itu masih baru oleh itu tiada sebarang kajian dan penyelidikan yang dibuat ke atas ikan singgang atau kari bagi membuktikan keberkesanan masakan itu melawan penyakit.

“Tiada mana-mana pihak yang pernah atau sedang menjalankan kajian klinikal ke atas menu ikan singgang ke atas COVID-19 itu dan tiada pihak yang boleh mengesahkan dakwaan berkenaan.

“Oleh itu saya meminta supaya menghentikan sebarang maklumat tidak benar berhubung COVID-19 dan memberi tumpuan terhadap langkah pencegahan yang dikeluarkan Kementerian Kesihatan.

“Bagaimanapun, jika suka dan gemarkan ikan singgang atau kari, boleh teruskan untuk makan kerana kedua-duanya memang hidangan yang sedap,” katanya.

Tambahnya, virus SARS Coronavirus Dua itu dijangkiti melalui tiga saluran utama iaitu mata, hidung dan mulut.

“Orang ramai perlu memastikan tangan tidak selalu menyentuh bahagian muka selain kerap mencuci tangan.

“Bagi yang mempunyai tanda penyakit seperti batuk, mereka perlu memakai penutup hidung dan mulut serta mendapat rawatan segera di klinik.

“Semua orang perlu bertanggungjawab dan memainkan peranan penting bagi mencegah penularan wabak dengan membuat pemeriksaan sekiranya berisiko dijangkiti COVID-19,” katanya.

Menurutnya, penggunaan alat penghawa dingin juga boleh dikurangkan kerana virus SARS Coronavirus Dua gemar pada suhu yang sejuk.

“Bukan tidak boleh menggunakan alat penghawa dingin tetapi pastikan peredaran udara di dalam sesuatu bangunan itu baik dan sentiasa bertukar ganti,” katanya.

SUMBER: BH ONLINE

The 4 Most Important Economies In The World For Startups

BY: Georg Chmiel · 

I believe the countries that provide the best growth environment for startups today are in Southeast Asia.

Usually, the US, China, and India get all the attention, but for startups, Southeast Asia is where the real action is. Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia have just the right mix of economic growth, population size, investment, and entrepreneurial ferment to make them the critical countries in the world for these companies.

Southeast asia

These markets are among the fastest growing in the world, and together, they have an average gross domestic product growth rate of 5.3%. Vietnam has the fastest growth, with 7.1% in 2018.

These countries have large populations where the young make up a significant share. Combined, they have a total population of more than 460 million, with tech-oriented under-25s accounting for two out of every five citizens.


This is partly why the internet economies in these four countries are rapidly growing. Research by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company puts internet economy growth in Indonesia as high as 49% per year since 2015. Even Malaysia, which is at the lower end of the regional spectrum with 20% annual growth rates, is a standout compared to most other countries in the world.

One for all

Business models that work well in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, or Malaysia will often be transferrable to other countries inthe region. That’s not to say that you can afford to underestimate local conditions. Indonesian unicorn Gojek is expanding via local “founder teams” and brand names in other countries, for instance.

But in all four economies, startups are helping solve problems that are common to their populations. That might mean bringing financial services to the previously unbanked or helping farmers get better prices for their goods. It could also mean serving the large fast-growing middle-class market with entertainment, delivery, travel, and other services.

“If you are growing in any one of these countries, you can use the same marketing channels to expand into the others,” Duco van Breemen, general manager of Sydney-based startup hub Haymarket HQ, told me. With his experience in the field, he has advised hundreds of founders.

If your business is located in one of these countries, you could also get a helping hand worth at least US$50,000 a year for an early-stage startup, said van Breemen. Local governments are aggressively courting startups with visas, grants, free co-working spaces, and networking programs.

The Malaysia Digital Hub, for example, offers free or easy visas, company registration, banking, housing, and connections to mentors and entrepreneurs. They make it extremely easy for foreign founders to grow their businesses in Malaysia as well.

Similar programs are on offer in the other countries. In Thailand, for example, the Board of Investment promotes investment with a range of support and services. Indonesia hopes its programs, which include workshops, hackathons, bootcamps, and incubation programs, will help startups succeed in its vast market.

Malaysia
Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, has the country’s best startup climate. The successes that have been born there include ride-sharing giant Grab, wedding portal Wedding.com.my, deal site Sale Duck, and fintech firm iMoney.

One of Malaysia’s biggest advantages is that English is the country’s second-most spoken language. Most locals speak it fluently.

Compared to nearby Singapore, labor, housing, and office expenses are significantly cheaper. Statistics on Numbeo show that rent is 308% higher in Singapore than in Kuala Lumpur, eating out costs 120% more, and overall consumer prices are 90% higher. Your funding will go much further in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Singapore and its wealthy investors are only a 60-minute flight away.

Thailand

Thailand is no longer just a great place for a beach vacation. Its fast-growing internet economy, high quality of life, low cost of living, and regional connectivity provide startups with tremendous opportunities. Thailand has Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.

Its capital Bangkok is by far the most favorable city for a startup. Personally, I think it has the best pool of recruits, largest investor community, and most extensive startup ecosystem in the country. Regional center Chiang Mai is a distant second.

You can rent a high-quality co-working space in central Bangkok for about US$12 per day, and the monthly cost of living for a single person can be as little as US$650. Your bootstrapping can go much further with lower expenses.

It’s good to note though that Thailand doesn’t have the fastest-growing economy among its Southeast Asian peers. It does offer a large market that’s full of opportunities and a government eager to use startup grants and other assistance to push its country into a future that it calls “Thailand 4.0.”

Vietnam

A 2019 report from StartupBlink shows that of the countries discussed here, Vietnam has the least developed startup ecosystem, and I believe that is true. Despite this, its economy is thriving, thanks to the investment displaced from China due to the trade war.

Foreign direct investment jumped 7.2% in fiscal year 2019 as manufacturers moved production to Vietnam to avoid higher costs and tariffs in China. The northern port city of Haiphong, home to at least 90 companies with Greater China investment, saw its gross domestic product surge by 16% in 2019 alone.

Vietnam has a large population of 95 million. Despite its communist past, I believe the country has an almost national obsession for technology and entrepreneurship.

Take Vietnamese coder Dong Nguyen’s story, for instance. In 2013, the Hanoi native created the game Flappy Bird, which still has the Apple App Store record for the most downloads in a single month. CNET recently named Flappy Bird one of the 25 most important apps of the decade, alongside such giants as Twitter, Facebook, and Google Maps.

Because of success stories like this, Vietnam’s startup ecosystem attracted triple the investment in 2018 and 2017, hitting almost US$900 million. There are huge opportunities in the market. In fintech alone, a recent survey found 120 Vietnamese companies operating in the space. The mobile payments market could also expand by 18% a year to reach nearly US$71 billion by 2025.

Indonesia

In a region full of unpolished gems, Indonesia is the largest of all. Yes, it struggles with poor governance and infrastructure. Even so, it has a bigger population and economy than Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia put together, offering businesses unparalleled opportunities.

Francisco Widjojo, managing partner at private investment firm Arkblu Capital, told me that smart entrepreneurs see the challenges of doing business in Indonesia as a barrier to entry. The business environment protects you from new competitors, especially from offshore rivals.

“We focus on businesses that target the mass market,” he said. “Price point is very important. You can build brand loyalty not just in the major cities like Jakarta, but right across the country.”

Mass market strategies make sense in Indonesia because of the huge size of its population, the fourth largest in the world. The country already has four unicorns -Bukalapak, Tokopedia, Traveloka, and Ovo – in addition to the decacorn ride-hailing company, Gojek (see my analysis here). The government wants three more unicorns by 2024, and the internet economy is forecast to grow to US$100 billion by 2025.

For founders, it helps that Indonesia is the second-largest recipient of venture capital in Southeast Asia, behind only Singapore. The government’s push to eliminate poverty and become a prosperous country by 2045 provides many opportunities as well.

Whether you choose Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, or Vietnam, or choose to operate across all of these large Southeast Asian economies, I believe they provide the best growth environment in the world today.

SOURCE: https://www.techinasia.com/

Turkish drones game-changer for Russia in Syria: Report

Turkish military's "devastating display of power" with its effective domestic drone program against the Syrian regime in Idlib has changed the military equation against Russia, NATO officials said, according to a report.

American news site, Insider, said Tuesday that security officials stressed Turkey has "a new ace up its sleeve" with new weapons that forced Russia to think twice about escalating against the Turkish government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The report called Turkey's 100 domestically produced drones, which was used in offensives, "cheap guided munitions with deadly efficiency."

"The Turks have been developing their own drone program for almost a decade now and Idlib highlights how successful they have been," a NATO military official, who has been regularly based in the region in the past 10 years, told Insider anonymously.

"By domestically producing them with commercially available technology, they managed to build a very large and effective fleet far more cheaply than purchasing them from the US or other allies.

"And because of their conflict with the PKK [terror group], they've had years to practice and hone their capability without concerns about human rights conditions," the official said.

The source said the U.S. restriction on arms sales helped Turkey's development with drone technology.

"By 2007 the Turkish military had tired of limitations on what it could buy from the Americans. Disappointed by the poor performance of Israeli drones on the market, it then began to develop their own program," the official said.

"Flying dozens of these drones over Idlib and dropping these bomblets on Syrian regime tanks all night got [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's attention," the NATO official added.

Turkey realized its program for developing and producing drones over a short span of 10 years. With these products, the Turkish armed forces have gained serious experience through operations in Syria and Iraq.

Ankara has the most extensive operational capabilities and experience in the use of drones among European countries.

Idlib escalation

Erdogan and, Putin agreed on a new cease-fire in Idlib starting after March 5.

Under the deal, all military activities are to end in Idlib with the establishment of a security corridor 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) to the north and south of the key M4 highway.

Joint Turkish-Russian patrols will also begin March 15 along the highway from the settlement of Trumba -- 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to the west of Saraqib -- to the settlement of Ain al-Havr, under the deal.

Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield on Feb. 27 after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred in an Assad regime airstrike in Idlib province, and after repeated violations of previous cease-fires.

Under a 2018 deal with Russia, Turkish troops were in Idlib to protect civilians from attacks by the regime and terrorist groups.

Idlib is currently home to 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.

In recent months, upwards of 1 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks by the Assad regime and its allies.

SOURCE: Anadolu Agency

Harga Minyak Dunia Jatuh Enam Peratus Kepada AS$33.67

TOKYO: Harga minyak mentah merosot semula hari ini di tengah-tengah kemerosotan pasaran yang lebih luas selepas Amerika Syarikat (AS) melarang perjalanan dari Eropah berikutan perisytiharan bahawa wabak COVID-19 kini menjadi pandemik.

Ancaman kebanjiran bekalan murah memburukkan lagi kebimbangan pasaran kerana Arab Saudi berjanji untuk meningkatkan pengeluaran minyak ke rekod tinggi.

Minyak mentah Brent didagangkan rendah AS$2.12 atau 5.9 peratus kepada AS$33.67 pada sekitar 0214 GMT, yang berlegar antara turun naik sebelum pengumuman AS.

Kontrak penanda aras minyak mentah global itu merosot hampir 4.0 peratus pada Khamis.

Minyak AS susut AS$1.87 atau 5.7 peratus kepada AS$31.11 selepas susut 4.0 peratus pada sesi sebelumnya.

Harga minyak jatuh sekitar 50 peratus daripada paras tinggi yang dicatatkan pada Januari.

-Reuters