Raya Vibes Are Here!

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri! 

Raya vibes are here! Wishing a joyful celebration to those celebrating and rapturous happiness to all!

This year, I picked Mekdi's Hari Raya reel titled "Pulang":

[If you're wondering what I mean, it's my own small way of celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri on my lonesome. 😊].

I came across this news report from The Star on March 19.  

A woman on an evening walk in Macau, China appeared to have suffered from small 't' trauma and was briefly hospitalised after a humanoid robot startled her, police told AFP on Wednesday. 

Police said they had received a call for assistance for the woman, who “was startled when she suddenly noticed a robot behind her while using her mobile phone”. 

Video widely shared online showed a woman angrily confronting a robot as it waved its metallic arms at her, while a crowd of curious onlookers gathered around. 

“With so many other things to do, why bother me? Are you crazy?“ the woman yelled at the unperturbed bot in Cantonese, as she gestured agitatedly towards it. 

The woman wasn't harmed in any way; there had been no physical contact with the robot, but she required hospital treatment, police said in a statement.

“She has since been discharged and has not pressed charges regarding the incident”, which took place earlier in March, the statement said. 

Social media videos showed officers leading the robot away, though police made a point to stress they “did not seize” the bot.

The robot was operated by a Macanese man in his 50s, who said he was conducting a test and intended to use it for promoting his business.

😆😆😆

2019-nCoV Spreads Far and Wide

According to an Al Jazeera news report, the tally of confirmed deaths from China's viral outbreak has risen to 106 and at least 4,520 people have been infected as of today. 

China has already put in place a host of measures to curb the spread of novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV – and these include setting up screening stations at bus, train and plane terminals nationwide; deploying 450 army medics to Wuhan, the virus epicenter; banning the wildlife trade; and extending the Lunar New Year holidays for three days until February 02. Furthermore, Hong Kong has suspended train and ferry services to the mainland. 

And the director-general of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, himself, is currently in China. 

More countries affected and more cases confirmed: Australia (5), Cambodia (1), Canada (1), France (3), Germany (1), Hong Kong (8), Japan (6), Macau (7), Malaysia (4), Nepal (1), Singapore (7), South Korea (4), Sri Lanka (1), Taiwan (7), Thailand (14), United States (5), and Vietnam (2) – as far as I can keep track of, given the very fluid situation on the ground.

World Speech Day is nearing. Thirteen registrations in fourteen days, despite the fact that it is the Lunar New Year period and we have yet to finalize the Kuala Lumpur venue:

unexpectedvoices #worldspeechday

2019-nCoV Spreads Quickly

In this photo taken on January 25, 2020, medical staff in protective clothing arrive with a patient at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital in Wuhan, China 

The coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV that is spreading around the world after originating at a seafood market that also sells live animals and animal parts in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province – is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans. 

FYI, coronaviruses are common, and typically cause mild respiratory symptoms, such as a cough or runny nose. But some are more serious – such as the deadly SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

The World Health Organization have acknowledged that the respiratory illness is an emergency in China – although they have not yet classed the virus as an "international emergency", partly because of the low number of overseas cases. 

The gravity of the health crisis is said to be still an open question. It is not clear just how lethal the virus is, or even whether it is as dangerous as ordinary flu, which kills tens of thousands of people every year in the US alone. 

Scientists say it is also not clear if it spreads as easily as SARS, its genetic cousin, which also originated in China and killed about 800 people in 2002-2003.

But one thing’s for sure – the speed at which 2019-nCoV is spreading is accelerating! 

In China, 56 people have died, nearly all in the Hubei province, but officials have confirmed four deaths elsewhere – one in Hebei province, one in northeastern Heilongjiang province, one in Henan province and the fourth in the city of Shanghai. 

As at yesterday, a total of 1,975 cases were recorded. as the country steps up its response to the crisis by restricting movements and closing tourist sites. 

The countries that have so far confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV: Australia (4), France (3), Hong Kong (6), Japan (4), Macau (5), Malaysia (4), Nepal (1), Singapore (4), South Korea (3), Taiwan (3), Thailand (8), United States (3), and Vietnam (2).

Deaths During Lunar New Year

Medical staff at Central Hospital in Wuhan, China treat patients

The coronavirus is casting a pall over Lunar New Year, China’s biggest and most festive holiday. 

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus across the country climbs sharply to more than 1,287, with at least 41 deaths reported as of this morning. Eighteen cities are in lockdown as the authorities scrambled to contain the rampaging infection. 

Worldwide, the total stands at 1,321 confirmed infections, according to Al Jazeera's count, with cases also reported in Australia (1), France (3), Hong Kong (5), Japan (2), Macau (2), Malaysia (3), Nepal (1), Singapore (3), South Korea (2), Taiwan (3), Thailand (5), United States (2), and Vietnam (2). 

On the security front, Malaysia is being embarrassed because ESSCOM (or the Eastern Sabah Security Command), which was established in 2013 as a Malaysian security area blanketing 1,400 km of the east coast of Sabah from Kudat to Tawau had seen yet another breach. 

On January 16, five fishermen, part of an eight-man crew aboard a Sabah-registered fishing vessel (above pic) were abducted from the eastern edge of Sabah waters off Lahad Datu by a kidnap-for-ransom group linked to the notorious Abu Sayyaf from southern Philippines. 

The kidnapped crewmen were the trawler's skipper Arsyad Dahlan, 41, La Baa, 32, Riswanto Hayano, 27, Edi Lawalopo, 53, and Syarizal Kastamiran, 29 – all are Indonesians working for a Sandakan based fishing company. 

The latest incident underscored the poor security in the tri-border area between Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. Are ESSCOM even effective? 

The Indonesian government couldn’t keep silent anymore and so their Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar on Monday expressed disappointment in the inability of Malaysia's authorities to secure its borders. 

He also expressed the hope that our government would work swiftly to take the necessary steps to handle the fresh kidnappings to ensure the safety of the hostages. 

Furthermore, he urged Malaysia to strengthen its commitment to protecting Indonesian fishermen operating in its waters. 

The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta were not immediately available for comment. 

On Thursday, the Malaysian Armed Forces issued a statement: “The MAF views the incident, which occurred within Tambisan (Sabah) waters seriously”. So, what are you going to do about it? 

Enough of words lah. I think it’s always better to attack than to defend, if you understand what I'm alluding to. I repeat, the best defense is a good offense.

China Screw-ups

Many companies seem to be getting it wrong about China. And paying the price. 

Versace had T-shirts that implied the Chinese territories of Hong Kong and Macau were separate countries. Image credit: Sina Weibo 

China claims self-ruling Taiwan as its own territory – and Coach claims ignorance or oversight. Image credit: Sina Weibo 

Global brands such as Versace, Coach, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, ASICS, and Swarovski all faced similar angry criticisms for listing Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan as separate countries or regions – not part of China – on their official websites or branded T-shirts. 

Even Huawei got careless. Taiwan was listed as its own country when the default language in Huawei's smartphone setting was set to traditional Chinese – which is the script used in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Know that mainland China mostly uses simplified Chinese. 

These brands have upset Chinese consumers because of either their ignorance and/or oversight. It’s not only negative publicity but boycott campaigns, if they are initiated can harm the companies’ sales and profits, even if temporary. 

Not only that but there’s also what is called “celebrity brand flight” – and this has the effect of accentuating the negativity surrounding the delinquent brands. 

This week saw Chinese actress Jelly Lin, Calvin Klein's brand ambassador for the Asia Pacific region, announce an immediate termination of collaboration with the American fashion house. Chinese star Yang Mi also ended her relationship with Versace, while Chinese singer Jackson Yee and supermodel Liu Wen terminated their partnerships with Givenchy and Coach respectively. And Chinese actress Jiang Shuying, also known as Maggie Jiang, announced on Tuesday that she would be ending her co-operation with Swarovski.

China Fashion Week responded to the controversies this week, writing that "all brands doing business in China should respect its national sovereignty and territorial integrity". 

In the light of the ongoing Hong Kong protests which don't seem to be going away any time soon and having demonstrated pronounced anti-China sentiments – it becomes even more necessary for companies which market to China to exercise extra vigilance and due care.