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A CENTRE to produce local snacks is being considered for each of the 10 districts in Johor to boost small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for women. State youth, sports, entrepreneur development, cooperatives and human resources committee chairman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said these centres would be in line with the state government’s efforts to provide women entrepreneurs opportunities to make extra income. “The initiative will be implemented through the Johor Entrepreneurs Development Council as our way of focusing on continuous skills and training programmes. “If possible, I would like the snack centres to be realised by next year. “But if it involves construction, it may take more time,” he told the Johor state assembly. He was replying to Datuk Sharifah Azizah Syed Zain (BN-Mahktota) who asked about the state’s efforts in making Johor a snack hub and its assistance for women entrepreneurs. Mohd Hairi said the state, through the Darul Ta’zim Family Development Foundation, was … [Read more...] about Snack production centres seen as way to help women entrepreneurs

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 6 As a brand, Asian carp have two big problems: The name strikes many as both racially insensitive and decidedly unpalatable -- a trash fish. How about some "copi" instead? In a marketing event Wednesday, Illinois officials announced the focus-group-approved name for the prolific invasive species. With the fresh consumer brand, they are seeking to gut the fish's numbers and reduce the looming ecological threat it poses to the Great Lakes. Soon, they hope, folks will be noshing on copi sliders and cooking up copi tacos, eating into the invader's population. " 'Copi' rose to the top. It's kind of fresh, maybe kind of Mediterranean," Kevin Irons, assistant fisheries chief at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, said of the two-year name search. "Copi sounded like a fish." That's copi as in copious, which from an environmental perspective is the problem … [Read more...] about Asian carp threaten the Great Lakes. Will calling them ‘copi’ help?

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 27 MEXICO CITY (AP) — Even after five years of living together in the Pacific resort city of Acapulco, something as simple as holding hands or sharing a kiss in public is unthinkable for Dayanny Marcelo and Mayela Villalobos. There is an ever-present fear of being rejected or attacked in Guerrero, a state where same-sex relationships are not widely accepted and one of five in Mexico where same-sex marriage is still not allowed. But this week they traveled the 235 miles (380 kilometers) to Mexico’s capital, where the city government hosted a mass wedding for same-sex couples as part of celebrations of LGBT Pride Month. Under a tent set up in the plaza of the capital’s civil registry, along with about 100 other same-sex couples, Villalobos … [Read more...] about Mass same-sex wedding in Mexico challenges discrimination

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 29 HONOLULU (AP) — Megan Kau takes occasional weeklong hunting trips to the Hawaiian island of Lanai, where she enjoys watching the sunrise and hearing the distant rustle of deer and mouflon sheep in the tropical wilderness, a rifle ready at her side. As a gun owner, she also goes to shooting ranges several times a year. Those outings are the only times the attorney and Oahu native sees others with guns in this tourist mecca where strict laws make it harder to purchase firearms and restrict carrying loaded guns in public. Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning New York's concealed weapon law will likely change things in Hawaii, too, where it's now highly unusual to see people carrying loaded weapons in public. Some … [Read more...] about Guns in paradise: Ruling could undo strict Hawaii carry law

Inspired by fireflies, researchers from MIT have created insect-scale robots that can emit light while flying and enable motion tracking and communication. (Sign up to our Technology newsletter, Today’s Cache, for insights on emerging themes at the intersection of technology, business and policy. Click here to subscribe for free.) “This is a major step toward flying these robots in outdoor environments where we don’t have a well-tuned, state-of-the-art motion tracking system,” Kevin Chen, head of the Soft and Micro Robotics Laboratory in the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE), MIT, said in a research report. These robots weigh barely more than a paper clip, and they can be tracked using the light they emit and three smartphone cameras. Fireflies use their luminescence for communication — to attract a mate, ward off predators, or lure prey. Researchers have used the same concept to build these robots which are said to communicate with each other through the … [Read more...] about MIT researchers create firefly-like light emitting robots

Maria Isabel Cipple Leon, a cancer patient at UNC Hospitals in Charlotte, the United States, was supposed to get married in a wedding at her church earlier this month. But when it became unclear if she would be healthy enough to leave the intensive care unit, her medical team and UNC’s chaplain’s office rallied together in under a week to put on a wedding at the hospital’s own chapel. A medical student on her team brought a cake. Residents brought a bouquet of flowers, which they used to decorate the bride’s wheelchair. The physical therapy team and the bride’s nurses helped her, with all her lines and tubes, into a wedding dress. The chaplain’s office coordinated with her pastor on scheduling, paperwork and logistics. Food Services made sure there were enough cupcakes to go around. The result was a true wedding ceremony — one that surrounded the couple with family, loved ones and medical staff who had cared for the bride, and that enveloped the hospital in a kind of joy and love … [Read more...] about She was too sick to make her wedding, so hospital staff brought it to her

WASHINGTON - There appeared to be no let-up Saturday as Americans angered by the Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade hit the streets for a second day of mass protests. From Washington, D.C., where the conservatives on the court Friday swept aside a half-century of precedent to do away with the law, all the way to the West Coast, there were angry, raucous protests against a ruling that almost immediately made access to abortions all-but-impossible in half the country. Those protests were, at times, met with counter-protests by anti-abortion activists elated by the ruling and determined to stop abortions from happening everywhere in the country. Outside the Supreme Court building, a small-but-growing group of protesters chanting "Women's rights are human rights" confronted a preacher who had waded into the mix and appeared to be trying to drown them out. "Listen to me, our religious convictions inform everything we do," the Rev. Jonathan Tremaine Thomas said. … [Read more...] about Supreme Court abortion ruling touches off second day of raucous protests nationwide

Protests continued in cities across the country Saturday after the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that had guaranteed the right to abortion in the United States. As states began to enact abortion bans and clinics stopped offering the procedure, large crowds gathered in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Atlanta, some jubilant, others dismayed at the decision that stripped away women’s constitutional right to abortion. Both sides predicted the fight over abortion would continue. Key highlights: President Joe Biden called it a “sad day” for the U.S. and said it would be up to voters in November to select candidates who would protect a host of rights — not just abortion but also marriage equality and the right to contraception. Centrist Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, suggested they were misled by Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, two key votes in the decision to overturn Roe. SEE NEW … [Read more...] about Protests and celebrations as Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade: Live updates

The Star Education Fair KL is back, with rebates, discounts and more BUKIT JALIL: The Star Education Fair 2022 is back with a bang, with scholarships in tow for prospective students. Some of the biggest education institutions are gathering once again under one roof to dish out rebates, discounts and scholarships to prospective students, as well as answer questions about studying locally and abroad. Mahsa University Centre for Pre-university Studies director Masitah Mat said students who register on the spot with the varsity stand a chance to receive rebates. “Students who register during the fair, depending on their qualifications, can receive conditional offer letters on the spot along with a special rebate of RM700. “There are multiple discounts and rebates up for grabs at our booth throughout the weekend. “There are special scholarships, too, depending on the programme,” she said yesterday. She said the varsity has various courses apart from medical programmes, such as … [Read more...] about Scholarships are up for grabs

KUALA LUMPUR: After a hiatus brought upon by the Covid-19 pandemic, jobseekers and recruiters alike relished the opportunity of participating in a physical career fair with the return of the myStarJob Fair. The 2022 edition held at the Pavilion Bukit Jalil Exhibition Centre saw thousands of jobseekers mingling with potential employers and also attending talks on career tips by industry personalities. Khairul Adlan, 49, arrived at around 10am and was first in line in a queue of visitors to the job fair. The jobseeker from Shah Alam visited several of the 44 booths at the career fair, and was even able to secure a walk-in interview with one of the companies there. “I have been unemployed for about seven months now, so when I found out about myStar Job Fair from social media, I decided to register online and join. It is also free!” said Khairul, who was looking for opportunities in customer service. Tejvinder Singh, managing consultant at human resources company Great Pyramid, … [Read more...] about Valuing in-person interactions at job fair