Day: May 24, 2024

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today congratulate the governments of Ireland, Norway and Spain for being on the right side of history, humanity and justice of Palestinians.

Anwar said their intention to recognise the state of Palestine, as announced by their prime ministers yesterday, is an acknowledgment of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, sovereignty and dignity.

“This milestone moves us closer to achieving a just peace in the Middle East. For all other governments who have not done so, know this: the world is waking up to the Palestinian cause, and their pursuit of justice will not be denied.

“Join us in righting the course of history,” he said in a post on Facebook today.

Yesterday, several international media reported that the three countries have announced they will formally recognise a Palestinian state, from May 28.

Report by Al Jazeera noted that globally, 143 of the 193 United Nations member states recognise a Palestinian state.

Source: BERNAMA News
Agency

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s first artificial intelligence (AI) portal, MY-AI Portal, developed by MIMOS Berhad, will serve as a primary reference in the field by providing access to knowledge resources, support tools, and the latest training programmes.

Deputy Science, Technology, and Innovation Minister Datuk Mohammad Yusof Apdal said access to this portal will become a platform for High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources, particularly benefiting researchers, students, and professional scholars in the field.

“With the launch of the MY-AI Portal, MOSTI hopes that AI innovation in Malaysia can be enhanced, thereby contributing to economic development and community well-being.

“This portal also aligns with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s vision for the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) to become the primary reference for AI knowledge and development in the country,” he said when launching the portal here today.

As a temporary measure, Mohammad Yusof said the portal will provi
de links to existing Cloud Service Providers (CSP) for any users requiring such services.

‘A committee comprising all HPC stakeholders will be formed to evaluate proposals from qualified parties seeking access to cloud services, ensuring resources are not wasted,’ he said.

Mohammad Yusof said MOSTI is also developing the Guide on AI Governance and Ethics (AIGE) which will help inform policymakers about the potential risks and benefits of AI technology, assisting them in creating effective governance and regulations.

The public can now access the portal at my-ai.my.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUCHING: The media industry in Sarawak has come a long way with significant progress since the 1980s and 1990s, according to veteran journalist Toman Mamora.

The former Sarawak Press Group editor said during that time, the media landscape was one in which gathering and analysing news and stories was time-consuming and tedious, especially in a vast geographically challenging state like Sarawak.

‘Outstation news reports were sent to the newsroom by fax and we frequently had to use photos and stories from Bernama (the Malaysian National News Agency) and the Information Department. Against all the odds, we made it in time for the newsroom deadline.

‘Where accessibility was a problem, we would appoint a few freelance reporters to provide us with basic community news stories and many of them were teachers.’

He said this during a recent interview in conjunction with the 2024 National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) celebration scheduled to be held here from May 25 to 27.

Toman who has worked in the journalism industr
y for more than 30 years, said the unmatched cooperation of other journalists on the ground had also helped during the early days.

‘This spirit of cooperation always helps as we frequently shared the accounts of events when we lacked the personnel to cover them in remote areas or when our people were unable to get there due to transportation issues that would have required them to take an express boat or, in the case of a lucky few, a helicopter ride,’ he said.

He said all of these are now history as the arrival of the internet in the newsroom has made the gathering and processing of stories faster and more efficient.

Equipped with a laptop, tablet or even just a handphone, a reporter could send his or her story and pictures from the location without the hustle of rushing to a nearby place where communication facilities were available to dispatch the story, he added.

Meanwhile, commenting on HAWANA 2024, Toman said it should be held as a grand affair to celebrate the role and contributions of all communic
ators including journalists, editors, TV producers and teachers of communication.

He said the media industry should also remember and honour veteran journalists who have either retired or died and who have left an indelible mark in the annals of the Malaysian media industry.

‘Whilst we will benefit from the deliberations of some of the invited Western academics at the conference, it would be good if we had invited some media academics from the local universities to share the stage and speak of their local experiences and hopes for the future of Malaysian media,’ he said.

HAWANA 2024, themed ‘Etika Teras Kewartawanan Mapan’, is the largest gathering of Malaysian journalists, and the highlight of the celebration will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on May 27.

It is organised by the Communication Ministry in collaboration with the Sarawak state government, with Bernama as the implementing agency.

HAWANA was first held in the federal capital in 2018, followed by subsequent celebratio
ns in Melaka (2022) and Perak (2023).

The date of May 29 was chosen as National Journalists’ Day to commemorate the first publication of the Utusan Melayu newspaper on May 29, 1939.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MELAKA, Insurance coverage for part-time or ‘stringer’ journalists is very important because the group is exposed to various risks when they are in the field to gather news and information.

Conscious of the need, Melaka Health, Human Resources and Unity Committee chairman Ngwe Hee Sem took the initiative to help fund the insurance coverage contributions under the Social Security Organisation (Socso) for more than 40 part-time journalists of various media agencies in the state.

He said that each part-time journalist received insurance coverage under a contribution plan worth RM232.80 per year and he financed 20 per cent of the amount since last year.

“The rest is borne by the government through subsidies offered under the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme and it is hoped that this will help the part-time journalists who contribute if they suffer any accidents while working,” he told Bernama.

He said the initiative, which also aimed to appreciating the services and contributions of media personnel, wi
ll continue for the third year after the current insurance plan expires in October this year.

Meanwhile, Melaka RTM’s part-time cameraman Lufty Ahmad, 40, said the protection plan offered is very important because every day he has to cover different programmes and locations that might be exposed to various risks.

“People see media work, especially cameramen, as easy, but they don’t know the challenges and obstacles that need to be faced to get an interesting ‘angle’ for the public to watch.

“At least if there is an accident while working, I am still protected,” he said, who hoped there would be good news for them at the 2024 National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA).

HAWANA 2024 will take place in Kuching, Sarawak for three days starting tomorrow and the culmination of this year’s fourth edition will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on May 27.

Various programmes are planned including the HAWANA 2024 Tour with Students which will be inaugurated by the Minister of Communications Fahmi Fad
zil at the Sarawak State Library in Kuching, tomorrow besides the HAWANA 2024 Exhibition at the Main Atrium of Plaza Merdeka Shopping Centre for three days also starting on Saturday.

Another event of HAWANA 2024 is the Sarawak Media Conference (SMEC) 2024 themed ‘Evolution of Media in the Digital Era’ over two days starting Sunday and will be inaugurated by Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

In order to get to know the unique culture and latest development of Bumi Kenyalang more closely, HAWANA 2024 participants will visit iconic locations around Kuching including the Borneo Cultural Museum, Darul Hana Bridge, Mother Earth Square through the ‘Juh Raon’ or ‘let’s go sightseeing’ programme in Sarawak Malay language on Sunday.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

JOHOR BAHRU, The variety of traditional foods available in Malaysia can unite the country’s multi-ethnic society, says National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.

He said this aspect should be promoted not only at the national level but also internationally.

“In Malaysia we can see people of different races sitting and eating together. There are no differences or boundaries between us.

“Therefore, the ministry wants to promote this matter as a way of fostering unity for all of us,” he told reporters after attending the National Security, Unity and Harmony Sustainability Discourse in conjunction with the 2024 National Unity Week (SMP) celebration at the Angsana Johor Bahru Mall here today.

He said among the traditional foods that can be promoted is the ‘kacang pool’ dish which is very popular among the Malay community in Johor.

“To celebrate this dish, today we set a new Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) record for the largest number of participants eating kacang pool together, with 2,400 people from v
arious backgrounds.

“Last year, we promoted Sarawak laksa in conjunction with the national-level SMP in Kuching, Sarawak. So this year, we are highlighting the local menu here,” he said.

Aaron said the government always strived to raise the identity of Malaysian food as a symbol of national heritage, which was among the initiatives of the Ministry of National Unity (KPN).

Commenting on the national-level SMP 2024, which began yesterday and runs until this Sunday, he said the ministry was confident of achieving the target of 200,000 visitors.

The second annual SMP organised by KPN aims to strengthen unity among the people and will be officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at 8 pm tomorrow.

Various activities are held starting from 10 am to 10 pm including the KAMI house exhibition (22 ethnic houses); Orang Asli villages of the Seletar, Mahmeri and Semai ethnic groups; the Longhouse village of the Iban; exhibitions by government departments and agencies and the private sector, as well as Rah
mah sales.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency