Month: June 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, The University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music has been honoured in the prestigious QS World University Rankings for 2024, ranking third in North America and 11th globally, alongside other leading music institutions from around the world.

Commenting on the school’s ethos and its recent accolade, Dean Jamal J. Rossi said the Eastman School of Music is a vibrant community where some of the world’s best musicians come together to make each other better.

‘Our century-long dedication to the core values of artistry, scholarship, leadership, and community has served as the foundation upon which our alumni have built impactful careers in all aspects of music, and they have enriched the world through their music.

‘This recognition by the QS World Rankings reaffirms our commitment and mission to shape the future of music through artistic and scholarly excellence and innovative leadership,’ he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, its Vice Provost for Global Engagement, Jane Gatewood said: ‘This reco
gnition is a testament to our faculty’s dedication and our students’ talent, reflecting our leading role in preparing the next generation of world-class musicians.’

For over a century, the Eastman School of Music has been a beacon of excellence in music education and performance, and has cultivated a diverse environment where music thrives not only within its halls but also reverberates beyond, enriching lives and fostering engagement.

The school is renowned for its holistic approach to music education, integrating rigorous musical training with humanities studies, leadership education, and interdisciplinary experiences.

In its inaugural inclusion of the music category, the QS World University Rankings considers evaluations of academic reputation and employer reputation, which contribute 80 per cent and 20 per cent to the total score, respectively with criteria such as research quality, strategic partnerships, innovation, and employability play pivotal roles in this assessment.

Source: BERNAMA News Agenc
y

KUALA LUMPUR, Residents in areas of the Klang Valley affected by the scheduled water cuts set to begin tomorrow have begun preparations by storing water to last till Thursday.

Checks by Bernama found several business premises, especially eateries, have made preparations well ahead, some since last week.

Kampung Baru steamed chicken rice seller, Ahmad Zulfaqarullah Mohd Zuhdi, 29, shared that he and his business colleagues began storing clean water in their water barrels since Sunday.

‘Even though there’s talk that my area is unaffected, we need to be ready for any possibility, especially since I’m selling food. Water is really important for drinks and washing cutlery,’ he said.

A food eatery operator in Puchong, Zaiton Abd Hamid, 65, meanwhile said that besides preparing early, she needed to be prudent with the use of water to ensure that whatever she kept was enough to last throughout the duration of the water disruption.

‘Its times like these that more people will choose to eat out,’ she said.

The sc
heduled water cuts announced by Air Selangor has caused demand for water storage products to rise around Kuala Lumpur, as evidenced by an uptick in customers at various household goods shops around the capital city.

A worker at a household goods shop, Justice Poh, 24, shared that sales of water containers and pails were brisk throughout the last week.

‘There are a lot of people buying. We had to restock this week because everything’s gone,’ she added.

Mohd Idzham Dzulkifly, 39, a customer at the shop said that these items were at the top of his list during such water disruptions.

‘It’s my first time facing this situation. So I’m here to buy some containers to store water for my family’s use,’ he said.

Fellow shopper, retiree Jamaliah Bahadur Hisham was also browsing through the items looking for several containers to store water for her family’s use.

‘This Thursday I’m headed to Makkah, I can’t just let my children sit at home without water, so I’m here to buy four for my home as well as theirs as they
live in affected areas as well,’ she said.

Air Selangor issued a statement last month announcing water cuts that would affect seven areas in the Klang Valley, Kuala Lumpur, Gombak, Hulu Selangor, Klang, Kuala Selangor, Petaling and Shah Alam, with water supply being disrupted from tomorrow till June 7.

The schedule water cuts were due to maintenance work and replacement of assets at the Sungai Selangor Phase 1 water treatment plant, and consumers can expect to receive water in stages from 3am, June 6.

Further information on the scheduled water cuts will be updated periodically through Air Selangor’s official communications channel at https://waterupdates.airselangor.com/ or via the Air Selangor app, Facebook, Instagram and X account, or by contacting Air Selangor at 15300.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

PUTRAJAYA, Only the Malut Dam in Kedah is still showing a danger-level drop in raw water storage (28.50 per cent) following the dry spell, according to the National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA).

Quoting the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) in a statement today, NADMA said as of yesterday the raw water storage at four other dams was at the alert level namely the Muda Dam in Kedah (32.17 per cent), Timah Tasoh Dam in Perlis (47.43 per cent), Sembrong Barat Dam in Johor (47.64 per cent) and Teluk Bahang Dam in Penang (47.90 per cent).

It said that on May 30, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage forecasted droughts over the Muda River Basin in Kedah.

On the heatwave status, Nadma said that from June 1 to 3, no districts recorded a Level 1 status, with a daily maximum temperature between 35°C and 37°C for three consecutive days. However, Mukah in Sarawak recorded a Level 1 heatwave status on June 1.

‘Throughout the period until June 3, no areas recorded a heatwave level in Malaysia. Betwee
n June 4 and 10, it is expected that the same weather pattern will occur, with the maximum alert level issued being only Level 1,’ said NADMA.

Meanwhile, it said from May 29 until today, two locations recorded unhealthy air quality, namely Alor Setar in Kedah, with an air pollutant index reading of 104 and Kuala Dungun, Terengganu, with a reading of 180.

Based on its monitoring, NADMA said as of yesterday, the cumulative number of heat-related illnesses rose to 93 cases from 88 cases on May 27, with 21 cases of heatstroke, 67 cases of heat exhaustion and five cases of heat cramps.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

TOKYO, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul and his wife Puan Sri Datin Noraini Mohd attended a dinner hosted by Speaker of the Japan’s House of Representatives Fukushiro Nukaga tonight.

Fukushiro’s wife, Meiko Nukaga, also attended the dinner, held at the Speaker’s Official Residence at Chiyoda, here, with Malaysian Ambassador to Japan Datuk Shahril Effendi Abd Ghany and his spouse Datin Suriyah Abdullah also in attendance.

Johari is leading a Malaysian parliamentary delegation to Japan on a five-day visit that began on Monday.

Diplomatic relations between Japan and Malaysia was established in 1957.

According to 2023 statistics, Japan has been Malaysia’s fourth largest trading partner for nine successive years since 2015.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KUALA LUMPUR, The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) will establish the Post-CEDAW Action Plan Committee this year, said its Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

She said the committee is to be set up to record the actual situation of women in the country and the policies that have been updated to prepare the Malaysian delegation to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in the future.

“After CEDAW, we have a summary observation to see what needs to be addressed, we need to formulate a strategy. So, with the Post-CEDAW Action Plan, it will facilitate us to record information from time to time,’ she said after appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s ‘Ruang Bicara’ programme tonight.

Nancy said the committee would comprise representatives from the 12 ministries involved and would meet twice a year.

Last month, Nancy led the Malaysian delegation to the dialogue session on the presentation of the sixth CEDAW periodic report from May 18 to 26
in Geneva, Switzerland.

The main aim of CEDAW is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in the political, economic, social and cultural fields and Malaysia’s acceptance is with the understanding that the provisions in the Convention do not conflict with the Federal Constitution and the Syariah law.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency