Nabil Luqman

71ae91dc3b1a84099376c66b53daea9d4bfb25a2eed6bd60aba27158de545a0d

Social Justice

China

Covid-19

Issue

Protest

Lockdown

Strict

University Students

It seems like the protests in China is getting pretty bad. Now, if you&rsquo;re in China, you&rsquo;ll know that media censorship in the country is heavily done in order to maintain &ldquo;peace&rdquo; among the citizens.
Unfortunately, the media censorship is now triggering many in China and they have been taking to banned apps such as Instagram, Twitter and Telegram to spread the message of what is really happening in the country.
Ever since the Zero-Covid policy was introduced in the country, it&rsquo;s said that many have lost their &ldquo;youth&rdquo; and are worried of the country going backwards since other countries worldwide have now transitioned to the endemic phase of life.
University Students Involved In The Protests
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/405d2d4197e491ee2cfb94474269868a3daa023254ff6d919d2d3243c213e3c3" />
&nbsp;
Aside from the riots happening in major cities across the country, students from China&rsquo;s top university, Peking University (PKU) had also recently held a protest against the government.
What they done is that graffiti was scrawled across a ladder at the Jia Yuan canteen and it wrote:
&ldquo;No more lockdowns, we want freedom; No more PCR tests, we want food; Pragmatism is not lying flat; Open your eyes and see the world; Zero-Covid is a lie; Revert it back, while there&rsquo;s still time.&rdquo;
Aside from the message left to the government, a protest of more than 70 students had happened as the gathered around the graffiti as they sang &ldquo;The Internationale&rdquo; which is a commonly used anthem for socialist movements.
However, the protest fell short as the graffiti was immediately removed after the school authorities had caught attention of it.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/fc21dbc943fb954488754ecaac2b6f7e2156875503c83cceb85018a776d71764" />
&nbsp;
After the incident, the school had returned back to normal operations as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, students in other universities such as those in Beijing were allowed to return home and continue on online learning.
University Lockdowns
In a report, it&rsquo;s told that PKU had been under lockdown for a total of 10 days after someone had tested positive. Due to that, all of the students had been barred from leaving the campus and had to be tested regularly.
Meanwhile, for those students both locally and internationally staying outside of the campus, they too had been affected and had to undergo the quarantine for 3 days after a staff member at the OKU Global Village had tested positive.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/78dfff9fd2efa7de34b0365762bcb59e6d40b08c8497a1b427a2a0c2422f4d12" />
&nbsp;
As a precaution, China&rsquo;s health authorities had built a mobile cabin quarantine hospital inside the Khoo Teck Puat Sports Centre. Those who are tested positive will be sent there.
Nation Wide Protest Started All Due To A Fire
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/5d12edada2b824aec6945ff62ee1008579a6f4634c12bd454a114610213d9af2" />
&nbsp;
The initial protests around China was all started by a fire that happened in Urumqi leaving 10 people dead and 9 injured.
Read: <a href="https://myc.my/articles/1994/china-citizens-protest-over-zero-covid-policies-leading-to-rare-riots">China Citizens Protest Over Zero-Covid Policies Leading To &ldquo;Rare&rdquo; Riots</a>
Due to the Zero-Covid-19 policy, fire trucks had issues heading to the scene of the fire and there were also reports that those stuck in the homes were actually locked in due to their docks being locked from the outside by metal wires.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, CNN &amp; various cross references for context.
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A protest had happened on university grounds and they even drew graffiti to express their dissatisfaction. 

108b1364e3174d79352849ed76d41aff2673446519c2b885b1a683a446dc86a1

China’s Top Uni Students Protest Over Govt Lockdown Measures

Sometimes we have to be thankful for the invention of Artificial Intelligence (AI). It&rsquo;s one of the best things that have been introduced in recent times but it&rsquo;s also arguably one of the worse too as it could potentially make people jobless.
For those who&rsquo;ve been sitting under a rock or perhaps isolating themselves from the world in a cave, there&rsquo;s an AI tool called ChatGPT. It&rsquo;s an AI Language model that was developed by OpenAI.
The chatbot is capable of generating human-like text based on the input it is given as it is trained on a large corpus of text data and can generate responses to questions, summarize long texts, write stories and much more. It is often used in conversational AI apps as a way to simulate a human-like conversation with users.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/7c93603ad97de11dd12513724aafb0af8c3c50415becc0c693308f4d09e28d36" />
So, what can ChatGPT do? The real question is what can it not do but it&rsquo;s hands down the most popular and best-working bot out there. It can:
<ul>
<li>Write essays</li>
<li>Create malware</li>
<li>Compose emails</li>
<li>Write code</li>
</ul>
And the list continues on and on. But lately, the chatbot has been gaining popularity online, especially on TikTok. If you search #ChatGPT, the tag shows that it has over 1 billion views on the app. It&rsquo;s also been increasingly gaining popularity among students as they have been utilising the writing essays feature to cheat on their assignments.
OpenAI Introduces Tool To Distinguish Text By Human &amp; AI 
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/18c504b7d17c0da8c43a40fdba11d6466c106eaad474d9817a191d26825ba829" />
The new free tool released called Classifier recently can now distinguish if a text is written by a human or by AI. Although useful, it does warn the users that it&rsquo;s &ldquo;not fully reliable&rdquo; and &ldquo;should not be used a primary decision-making tool&rdquo;.
Classifier allows you to paste the text into a box and once you click a button, it will tell you whether the text was unclear if it is, possibly, unlikely, very unlikely or likely AI-Generated. OpenAI says that the in a test conducted, Classifier had identified 26% of AI-written text as &ldquo;likely AI-written&rdquo;.
They trained it by using &ldquo;pairs of human-written text and AI-written text on the same topic.&rdquo; But despite how good AI can be, there are some limitations;
<ul>
<li>Requires a minimum of 1,000 characters (150-250 words).</li>
<li>Classifier isn&rsquo;t always accurate.</li>
<li>AI-generated text can be edited easily to evade detection.</li>
<li>Classifier will likely get texts by children and texts that are not written in English wrong.</li>
</ul>
How Does It Fare Against Articles Online?
Upon testing the feature, there are some surprising results. If you all remember the company Buzzfeed which has pretty much gone down the rabbit hole due to many of their loved staff and stars leaving, the company has resorted to writing some articles in AI.
This <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katienotopoulos/cnet-articles-written-by-ai-chatgpt-article">article </a>states that it was written fully in ChatGPT and later reviewed by a human editor. Classifier stated that it was unclear if it was written in AI. Meanwhile, for some <a href="https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/banking/overdraft-fees-vs-nonsufficient-funds-fees-whats-the-difference/">articles</a> written by CNET Money, the results of it returned as &ldquo;unclear&rdquo; and many others got &ldquo;unlikely&rdquo;.
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/Cc2EQtVXcTUAAAAC/how-interesting-coffee.gif" />
So far, OpenAI is not the first to come up with a tool to detect AI-generated text. A student name Edward Tian coded a site called GPTZero which can detect AI plagiarism shortly after ChatGPT was released.
The demand for an AI plagiarism detector is at an all-time high now and it&rsquo;s likely that in the not-so-near future, we&rsquo;ll be seeing many people and even companies turning towards this tool. As of now, companies such as Turnitin are now actively working on detection tools that can assist lecturers to identify assignments which were written with the assistance of the ChatGPT.
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/3wF1hwb2GeUAAAAM/sweating-hot.gif" /> Students who use ChatGPT be like...
Have you ever used ChatGPT to help you with work and what are your thoughts on it? Let us know in the comments!
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, CNN, The Verge &amp; various cross-references for context.
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Looks like students will have a hard time with Turnitin soon. 

95e5659b7dee691333a3b76e1b2e96dbabd32eb3e415064ffd14780f226b302e

Creator Of ChatGPT Releases An AI Text Detector Tool

A Singaporean man is suing his former female friend for RM9.7 million, saying that rejection has left him emotional damage. K. Kawshigan, the man, is the CEO of the drone racing business D1 Racing, and he first met Nora Tan, which is the woman he sue, at a social gathering in 2016. Before September 2020, when they started to have different expectations for their relationship, they were good friends.
<img src="https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1175607811/photo/attractive-happy-amazed-young-asian-couple.jpg?s=612x612&amp;w=0&amp;k=20&amp;c=j81eIP2bhIQ9-kJwakgmSPohmALtrpJ-pnGOMA66O9c=" alt="Attractive Happy Amazed Young Asian Couple Stock Photo - Download Image Now - Asian and Indian Ethnicities, Couple - Relationship, Happiness - iStock" width="363" height="242" /> Image by iStock&nbsp; (For illustration purposes only)
Court records state that Kawshigan thought Tan was his "closest friend" even though she merely saw him as a "friend." Tan claimed she was "taking a step back in the relationship" when she cut down on her interactions with Kawshigan, which infuriated him.&nbsp;
The problem got worse when Tan told Kawshigan to be "self-reliant," which prompted him to send her a "letter of demand" demanding "monetary damages." Kawshigan was given the benefit of the doubt by Tan, who claimed that her "discomfort was genuine," but he persisted in his insistence that she cooperate or "suffer irrevocable consequences."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://st2.depositphotos.com/2860187/11240/v/600/depositphotos_112405024-stock-video-relationship-difficulties-silhouette-close-up.jpg" alt="Couple fighting at home. Relations with quarrels. Silhouette. Close up &mdash; Stock Video &copy; KinoMasterDnepr #112405634" width="494" height="278" />Image by Deposit Photos&nbsp; (For illustration purposes only)
He texted back as a form to guilt trip Tan, "And psychologically, till the day I die, you are the source of my trauma."
Two weeks later, Tan consented to meet with a counsellor Kawshigan hired in the hopes that he would respect her choice. But after a year and a half, she stopped going to the sessions since she saw no improvement in him despite his continued invitations to meet up in person.
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoJndUvqlW5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
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<p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CoJndUvqlW5/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by WORLD OF BUZZ (@worldofbuzz)</a>
</div>
</blockquote>

<script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

On May 14, 2022, Tan cut off all contact with him due to his "inability to respect personal boundaries" and "inability to deal with his outrageous requests."
Kawshigan filed an RM9.7 million lawsuit against Tan on July 7, 2022, alleging that she "hurt his brilliant reputation" with "defamatory words." On August 27, 2022, he also filed a second lawsuit for RM17,000 for allegedly "breaching their commitment to mend the relationship."
Tan's comments, according to Kawshigan, cost him business chances and possible investments. He said that the money would pay for the depression and suffering her actions brought on, which required "additional psychological assistance."
Tan further asserted that during the same month, Kawshigan and an unidentified woman were outside of both her home and place of business and would not leave.
Lewis Tan, Deputy Registrar of the State Court, spoke out against the lawsuit, accusing Kawshigan of using the legal system to "oppress" Tan for his own personal advantage. Lewis assured Tan that Kawshigan would not abuse the legal system to harass her after she finally chose to stand up for herself after obediently complying with his requests for a year.
Currently, Tan is suing Kawshigan for RM4,183 in security costs for her residence. She also requested that the latter lawsuit be dismissed, which was granted because Mr. Kawshigan's claims were "manifestly baseless and without foundation."
The Singapore High Court has scheduled a pre-trial hearing for the $3 million (RM9,751,983.86) claim for Thursday, February 9.
While this issue is ongoing in Singapore, netizens all over the world start to give different kinds of emotions regarding this friend zone thing. Here are some of them that represent our mood too!&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://r2.myc.my/77be229bfba5d2c33fcb7c8185306be6ed97bfaee04f2ae328949ba7c0f21071" alt="" width="402" height="70" />
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/dd0ef7a912b0e6247e8a2c29b6d0af6b9f835d04fbc7b5de9c40f750f0115ff0" alt="" width="379" height="62" />
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/047a8f764afd9d1a0dc599e72ffebd3074a4eb1efd1fc10d06f6157a5068e562" alt="" width="425" height="70" />
Any thoughts on this? Let us know in the comment section!&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to WOB, MSN &amp; various cross-references for context.
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Use that RM 9.7 million to pay a therapist, man.

10c5640c208119ad85ffae8311802911e9cba51ed629e91ac786177bfa90b153

Singaporean Man Sue His Close Friend RM9.7 Million For Friendzoning Him

In this day and age, everyone is hooked to their mobile devices or even computers as everything we need or want is just at the palm of our hands or even at the touch of our fingertips.
Gone were the day days when we used to sit in front of the TV and watch movies with a DVD player. Everything is now available online and that&rsquo;s thanks to streaming services such as Netflix.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/e1fe7d61fc319b6200f49db441bf8eceded67164d6237df34c19f35c657a8a63" />
But over the years, the streaming platform has been losing money thanks to the issue of users sharing their passwords with others. In March 2022, Netflix announced that they will be charging extra to users who share their accounts.
Read: <a href="https://myc.my/articles/1124/alamak-netflix-to-charge-users-for-sharing-your-account">#Alamak : Netflix To Charge Users For Sharing Your Account</a>
Netflix Accidentally Leaks Guidelines
As the company begins cracking down on the password-sharing issue, it looks like they had accidentally launched a set of guidelines to its global users.
The guideline is currently being trailed in Chili, Costa Rica and Peru and the guideline was posted up on the company&rsquo;s help centre pages including the one in the US on Wednesday (1 Feb). Since the mishap, the guide has been taken down.
The Intellectual Property Office states that sharing passwords on video streaming platforms is considered a breach of copyright law, therefore, making it illegal. Companies have the option to take action to court but so far, none have resorted to doing so.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/146bc31766f93fff5da9f56ddc972493b01f5a400a27b19597f894857818d3a4" />
For those who don&rsquo;t know, a single Netflix account can host up to five individual profiles and everyone can enjoy a customized algorithm which is based on recommendations and viewing history. It was designed for members of a single household to enjoy content without needing to pay a monthly fee.
Although the terms and conditions state that the service must be used within the same household, many users have taken it out of their homes and broken the term.
Netflix&rsquo;s Solution To The Issue
In the new rules stated by Netflix, people using someone else&rsquo;s Netflix account will need to create their own login and pay for their own accounts as soon as march 2023. Alternatively, they can also sign up to &lsquo;paid sharing&rsquo; which cost them a couple more dollars.
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/1kVUCFQTU0wAAAAC/spongebob-meme.gif" />
In countries such as South America, Netflix users who opt for paid sharing roughly pay about RM10 &ndash; RM15 per profile on top of the monthly subscription which ranges from RM17- RM55 a month. All in all, it just means that Netflix will be monetizing password sharing rather than stopping it.
If users are caught sharing passwords when there is an unusual IP address change as well as the device's IDs location change, Netflix will simply send warning emails and messages on the screen till the user activates the paid sharing system.
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/73hnzmCiM1QAAAAM/risitas-frape-sur-la-table.gif" />
To make more profit from the amount of money that they have lost, Netflix has introduced &lsquo;Basic with Ads&rsquo; where an ad will play before and while viewing the content. Ads will average between 15-30 seconds in length and there could be up to 4-5 adverts per hour.
In our opinion, this won&rsquo;t stop people from sharing passwords but there&rsquo;s a chance that others might think of smarter ways to outsmart their system. But of course, that would probably take some time.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, The Guardian &amp; various cross-references for context.
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Freeloading on an account? Prepare to pay extra per user. 

85d0ec2766d63a3cac677214066f4767e4feaeaf65d79ca48fdfa26002d34247

Netflix Accidentally Leaks Guidelines For Those Who Share Passwords

&ldquo;No one has ever become poor by giving.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Probably we have heard this quote countless times from our relatives, or even social media. But isn&rsquo;t &lsquo;reducing&rsquo; what we have right now the main point of giving? How come we won&rsquo;t become poor when we give to someone else?&nbsp;
Well, to answer your question, let&rsquo;s take a look at this wholesome story that comes from the Sabahan influencer, Adrian Edy <a style="color: #e03e2d;" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@adrianedy7">(@adrianedy7)</a> who is famous for helping people in need with his generosity.&nbsp;
This time, Edy helps a Foodpanda rider named Mohd. Khairudin or Khai, by giving him a bicycle after knowing that Khai has to travel kilos to deliver food from one place to another by foot. Yes, you heard us right. By foot. Walking. Without any transportation, unless the distance is not walkable then he takes a Grab ride to deliver the food to the customer&rsquo;s home.&nbsp;He posted it on his TikTok account which has gained more like 36K likes and thousands of positive reactions from netizens.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@adrianedy7/video/7192911238819597595" data-video-id="7192911238819597595">
<section><a title="@adrianedy7" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@adrianedy7?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@adrianedy7</a> Hadiahkan basikal buat Abang Khai, Foodpanda pejalan kaki yang viral di tiktok, dia memang lama sudah niat mahu beli basikal tapi belum mampu, asal Semporna Sabah. Ayah abang Khai sudah meninggal dunia sejak dia berumur 12 tahun. Mengalir air mata bila dia dapat basikal baru 😭 <a title="fyp" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fyp?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#fyp</a> <a title="adrianedy" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/adrianedy?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#adrianedy</a> <a title="♬ Tercipta Untukku - UNGU" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Tercipta-Untukku-6683336365020547077?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ Tercipta Untukku - UNGU</a></section>
</blockquote>
Khai became famous after one of his customers recorded a video of Khai delivering their food from the restaurant to the hotel they are staying at, which was located around 6-7 kilometers away.&nbsp;
After getting notified by the netizens, Edy made the initiative to find Khai and tried to reach him. After a week of searching, he finally managed to get in contact with Khai.
Edy finally meets Khai and had a talk with him before he gives the bike as a surprise. Edy stated in his TikTok video that Khai uses Foodpanda service as his main livelihood. He always spares some money to send to his family in Semporna while he lives in an RM380 rental room in Kota Kinabalu.
The whole scene was so wholesome! After Khai saw the bike, he burst into tears and thanked Edy a lot because of the bike he gave him. However, Edy asked Khai if he had a driver's license before they even met because he wanted to give him a motorbike as a gift.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn4D-l2yqFQ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14">
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"Do you know how to ride a motorcycle? Have you got a license?&rdquo; asked Edy to Khai. But Khai himself merely requested a bicycle. He stated that he is unsure of when he will receive his driver's license. Additionally, getting a license costs some amount of money, including motorbike maintenance and petrol.
Well, that&rsquo;s very kind of you, Edy! Hope we all can learn from him how to humanize humans and empathize with people in need. Like Edy said, &ldquo;bila kita rasa kita susah, ada lagi yang susah daripada kita&rdquo; (If we think that it&rsquo;s not enough for us, there are people that needs more than us.)
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to TikTok &amp; various cross-references for context.
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The fact that he has to walk daily to deliver his order or book a Grab ride if the location is too far is heartbreaking. 

ab11c60a8db6ba27a64e930d8bf91dd51cca7f6331842de92099f1932d26ca67

#Heartwarming: Sabahan Influencer Gifts FoodPanda Rider A Bicycle 

Ever since the lockdown era has ended, many countries around the world have reopened their borders to encourage tourism in the country and Malaysia is one of them.
It&rsquo;s a known fact that tourism plays a big role in Malaysia&rsquo;s economy with it contributing up to 6.7% to the country&rsquo;s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019. It is also the industry which offers the largest sector of employment in Malaysia which consist of a quarter of the workforce.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/77477fd8bd707bce88f2ca889abd8109b5c46c12e45c94dc4ae1ae1019d99caa" />
Thankfully, our country's tourism is starting to recover and the beauty of our country is attracting many tourists again. But it looks like we are starting to face a problem that&rsquo;s always happening in Southeast Asia.
Begpackers Are Back
For those who don&rsquo;t know what &lsquo;Begpackers&rsquo; are foreign tourists who typically consist of Caucasians who come to Malaysia to travel and later resort to begging locals on the streets after they have run out of money. Typically, you can find them in along the streets of Bukit Bintang, Central Market and Jalan Sultan Ismail.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Ni patut report PDRM ka, DBKL? Atau Imigresen? <a href="https://t.co/mR2JEbEtZI">pic.twitter.com/mR2JEbEtZI</a>
&mdash; 🏴Mi$&cent;ha $elamat🏴 #REVOLUSIS (@Michellelanious) <a href="https://twitter.com/Michellelanious/status/1620345504084406272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Recently, there had been sightings of &lsquo;begpackers&rsquo; sitting on the streets of Bukit Bintang as they held up a sign asking for money to get food and a return flight ticket in Malay.
Twitter user Mischa Selamat (@Michellelanious) posted the video of a couple who sat in front of Public Bank next door to the Grand Millennium Hotel Bukit Bintang. But instead of helping them out, the Twitter user questioned the public opinion of whether it should be reported to the DBKL or Immigration.
At the time of writing this, the tweet had gained over 1.5K Retweets and over 1.7K likes on the social media platform. Many Malaysians had shared their thoughts about the begpackers and many of them expressed hate towards them.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/67c01dd96ec757efc71534431a40d12ebfd5256d43c1a93f05f01eb5cd357bae" />
Netizens say that they are trying to take advantage of our kindness as the money they get from the public is likely for them to fund their tickets to travel. Unlike our very own local baggers, all they are only asking for money to purchase themselves a meal.
Within Mischa&rsquo;s Twitter thread, it was understood that the issue had been reported to the immigration and DBKL.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Report DBKL done ya PDRM ni sia malas mau masuk balai, kena dress code bagai 😑 Imigresen ada e-aduan nda? <a href="https://t.co/2KqgrSzvhh">pic.twitter.com/2KqgrSzvhh</a>
&mdash; 🏴Mi$&cent;ha $elamat🏴 #REVOLUSIS (@Michellelanious) <a href="https://twitter.com/Michellelanious/status/1620697522837815301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Imigresen done! <a href="https://t.co/VXL0qoPwb7">pic.twitter.com/VXL0qoPwb7</a>
&mdash; 🏴Mi$&cent;ha $elamat🏴 #REVOLUSIS (@Michellelanious) <a href="https://twitter.com/Michellelanious/status/1620720041779171328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The Couple Have Been Around For Quite A While
In another tweet by Twitter user @HolyCannoli09, she states that these begpackers have been around for quite a while now as the tweet also dated from 17 January 2023.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Nature is healing. The begpackers are back 💕 📍Bukit Bintang <a href="https://t.co/IDVrapEQOK">pic.twitter.com/IDVrapEQOK</a>
&mdash; DuckyMomoStanAcc (@HolyCannoli09) <a href="https://twitter.com/HolyCannoli09/status/1615246381454856200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2023</a></blockquote>

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In her tweet thread, she highlighted that those who want to travel should be able to afford it, if they can&rsquo;t then don&rsquo;t attempt it.
Back in 2022, local influencer Reina Lum who is also an ex-lawyer shared her thoughts on the issue on TikTok and highlighted that the begpacker issue is a massive problem in Malaysia.
<blockquote class="tiktok-embed" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@reinalum/video/7176641034372304155" data-video-id="7176641034372304155">
<section><a title="@reinalum" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@reinalum?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@reinalum</a> <a title="stitch" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/stitch?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#stitch</a> with @olalala9099 Org Msia ni mmg terlalu baik spi mkn diri 😅 <a title="viralmalaysia" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/viralmalaysia?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#viralmalaysia</a> <a title="fypmalaysia" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/fypmalaysia?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#fypmalaysia</a> <a title="tiktokmalaysia" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tiktokmalaysia?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#tiktokmalaysia</a> <a title="begpacker" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/begpacker?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#begpacker</a> <a title="whiteprivilege" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/whiteprivilege?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#whiteprivilege</a> <a title="traveltiktok" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/traveltiktok?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#traveltiktok</a> <a title="tourismindustry" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tourismindustry?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#tourismindustry</a> <a title="♬ original sound - Reina Lum" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-Reina-Lum-7176641070162643739?refer=embed" target="_blank" rel="noopener">♬ original sound - Reina Lum</a></section>
</blockquote>
Unlike other countries the laws there are strict. For those who travel, many would know that you&rsquo;ll need to declare how much you have brought to travel and the immigration officers will deem if you have sufficient funds to travel the country effortlessly.
According to theMalaysian Law, begging in public spaces is considered a crime. According to Section 27(C) of the Minor Offences Act 1955, anyone found begging in a public place when he or she is capable of earning a living can be fined up to RM100 or imprisoned.
Here&rsquo;s some of the comments of netizens about the whole begpacker situation:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Ni immigration kena buat kerja. Deport je balik negara dia. Kos ditanggung embassy.
&mdash; Azli Azimi (@azliazimi) <a href="https://twitter.com/azliazimi/status/1620616751334690817?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Tiap2 minggu ku busking di Mcd selalu jak dua palui ni ada . Kimbet aku penat2 cari duit ni dua orang boleh travel jauh2 . Aku mau cuti pun duduk rumah jak
&mdash; juanmalia&otilde; (@sedeksegaraga) <a href="https://twitter.com/sedeksegaraga/status/1620638101222858753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Immigration cause they cannot work with tourists visa&hellip; also kena ada insurance incase of emergency like being robbed or something&hellip; takkan masuk Negara takde backup pun mcm credit card or something I have seen these kind of tourists depa take our ehsan and go to next holiday je
&mdash; Thayanand (@thaya79) <a href="https://twitter.com/thaya79/status/1620665735751307264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
I see them everyday when I go lunch. Pakai iPhone 12 Pro Max tuuuu 👀
&mdash; Adam J. (@ad4mjohnston) <a href="https://twitter.com/ad4mjohnston/status/1620408865077743617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Lawakkan. Nak masuk negara depa kena check visa apa semua, ada some country nak tgk bank statement la, background check la. Depa mai negara kita senang2 begpacking.
&mdash; Fiona 🏴 (@Shades_Salvator) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shades_Salvator/status/1621066126498353152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 2, 2023</a></blockquote>

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Now comes the question, what are our authorities doing to overcome this situation? The streets where the begpackers are &ldquo;camping out&rdquo; are littered with police officers&hellip;
If you ever face a situation where you&rsquo;ve run out of money in another country, it is advised to head to the nearest embassy and they will help sort out the issue and you&rsquo;ll be on your way home in no time. 
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Michellelanious &amp; various cross-references for context.
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Aside from inflation, looks like the country has another issue to solve.

a8fbc9fad0fc994d4e8f1f622a2eb95f010e25465584c40fb5deed39cdced502

Malaysians Furious At ‘Begpackers’ Who Take Advantage Of Our Kindness

Malaysia is full of historical landmarks. Whether you&rsquo;re in Melaka seeing the remains of the Portuguese Fortress before our country&rsquo;s independence to the historical and incredible architecture of the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, there&rsquo;s always a sight to see.
Unfortunately, despite how historical a building may represent as a landmark that&rsquo;s known by many, some times are bound to come to an end. This time around, the Rex Cinema along Burmah Road in Penang is set to be demolished.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/0bec3475611f2b1f4eebadbd9e8c963d2f7ec09d379b7537af410809c362cca5" />
The cinema was designed by Charles Geoffrey Boutcher, a London-born architect and partner of the architectural firm Stack &amp; McNeill in Malaya. He was also involved in projects such as the Kedah House in Penang and the Zahir Mosque in Alor Star.
It was constructed in 1939 and cost a total of 70,000 Straits Dollars at the time and it was dubbed as the best cinema in the region. It had an Art Deco architectural style that originated in France and featured chairs imported from America. Plus, the cinema had centralised air-conditioning which can cool off 1,00 people and it was something unheard of at the time.
The cinema was operated until the early 2000s before it was taken over by a furniture shop.
Demolition Questioned By Many
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) announced the approval of a 27-story condominium project. If the developers were to follow MBPP&rsquo;s guidelines on the project, then the building plans will be given the green light said Komtar assemblyman The Lai Heng.
A <a href="https://www.change.org/p/save-rex-penang-mbppinang?source_location=search">petition</a> was created on change.org where over 1,700 people had signed for the town council to save the cinema. The description states that the cinema is located within the UNESCO wider setting and listed in the state government&rsquo;s very own 2013 Built Heritage inventory.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/a3d65ea1a8ac973294e0710ca9d868246e5a013c66bddd247f119dbe5ac719d6" /> Image for illustration purposes
Currently, the Rex Cinema building is not listed in George Town&rsquo;s UNESCO World Heritage Site. &ldquo;The local authorities should reserve its judgement on the demolition of any site that is thought to have heritage value,&rdquo; said Mark Lay, founder of George Town Heritage Action Group.
Fond Memories Of The Cinema
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/40c3361d5271ed437f000a9cb7c8849b07beffcb09baa9805eaad4308512c884" />
Many shared the stories they had as they remember the cinema being one of the most iconic landmarks in the area. A businessman, Gary Nair, recalled the time he watched &ldquo;Ben-Hur&rdquo; at the cinema and it only costs 40 cents in the 60s. &nbsp;
&ldquo;There is a great kopitiam shop next to the cinema too, where we would eat to our heart&rsquo;s content with friends. The Rex Cinema is a Penang icon and it is a pity to see a piece of Penang&rsquo;s heritage chiselled away,&rdquo; he said.
Other Penangites also recalled how they used to head to the cinema with their family for movies in the 1980s and 1990s. They described the building to have beautiful architecture and was definitely one of the most state-in-the-art cinemas when it opened back in the day and remained so for quite a while too.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/705d3f77cf8142daa6fe617d483432e2ad92c3df8bc3d4cfb443b4eaa612cfe5" />
Penangite Nor Azan had expressed disgust as he showed concern for the several incidents of the demolition of architecture in Penang being torn bit by bit.
"We are talking about a Class A heritage building, which is really magnificent and a marvellous piece of art and architecture. We need to preserve all our heritage buildings,&rdquo; he said.
Others who signed the petition had also stated that the building should be resuscitated and turned into a community and cultural centre, event or even retail space.
As of now, the MBPP mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang had not released any comments about the demolition and petition.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, Change.org, New Straits Times &amp; various cross-references for context.
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The town council has approved to make way for a 27-story condominium project in the area. 

32f19db198e0077500998bb06b560c204497ad8c69d7358c397706bf54dcba2d

Penangites To Bid Farewell To The Iconic Rex Cinema Building

We all know and understand that inflation has really affected many Malaysians over the past few years and we can clearly see it when it comes to purchasing food.
On average, the majority of restaurants or even mamak stalls charge a fair amount for a meal. These days, an average meal can cost over RM15 and if you were to include a nice or &ldquo;fancy&rdquo; drink, it can range between RM4 to RM20 for a drink alone.
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/FQHKew3K9jcAAAAM/no-money-wallet.gif" />
Introducing RM5 Meals
Despite the inflation issue, it looks like many Malaysians, especially those who are categorised under the B40 category can now have a sigh of relief thanks to the RM5 Menu Rahmah initiative that began implementation at 15,000 food outlets across the country.
The initiative was launched as a way to overcome the increasing cost of living in Malaysia. The RM5 &ldquo;Menu Rahmah&rdquo; will be serving lunch and dinner meals at a price of RM5 only. Each meal will include rice, a protein of our choice (chicken or fish), vegetables and rice. Meals like Nasi Paprik and Chicken Rice are also available and a bottle of mineral water will be provided.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/ca6be3b95a5ebdaf3164aa76da68e7fde6d8d7ccda72627ba7ae6eabdcfaecf3" />
The food choices don&rsquo;t only cover meals with rice as there are a variety of choices such as kebabs, shawarma's or even rojak and it will all depend on where you choose to dine in. To find a restaurant that provides this, a Menu Rahman sticker will be posted outside outlets to indicate that the Menu Rahmah is now available.
During the launch of the initiative, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said that he hopes that the B40 group will be able to purchase food and no longer go hungry.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think others who aren&rsquo;t from hardcore or poor households will take advantage of the Rahmah Menu served. However, they are free to do so if their money runs out by the middle of the month,&rdquo; he said.
&nbsp;A good thing to note about the initiative is that the food portions were not compromised as they believed in helping the people.
<img src="https://media.tenor.com/yQ_XPWFWwBcAAAAM/spiderman-defoe.gif" />
Mydin Offers Food From RM4.90 
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/59cd2beb38006de242fce986b5d7f7feae6de650078a7e5dfd83301396e37ad8" /> Image via Mydin <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MydinMalaysia/posts/6276866739014543">(Facebook)</a>
Meanwhile at Mydin, during the launch of the Menu Rahman, the supermarket had labelled their food to cost only RM4.90. The menu rotates daily offering different types of dishes every day.
<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FMydinMalaysia%2Fposts%2Fpfbid02NkoCUf1o4BgUtKHWrSX7eWdCZtL7A9Z8DV2GWQQVABmqtDujFYK1PWt7FKqUcpFdl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500" width="500" height="735" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Ever since the announcement, netizens had praised the company as they have been helping many Malaysians in the country since the pandemic happened.
Here&rsquo;s some of the comments:
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://r2.myc.my/edeffdf9f1eb97452bd51fd137757b5a571edfb3266fda43e1533d7edca6baf3" />
2023 is looking good so far! Hopefully, initiatives like this keep up and with the leadership of our new Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, perhaps he can help shed light and solve or even reduce the inflation issue in the country.
What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, NST, Mydin &amp; various cross-references for context.
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No need to worry about expensive food anymore🙏🏽

b485f8e1a3b6b566da883bca3fc8ba6c2013524ce26b4f218f864492aeb6b47b

A Sigh Of Relief For B40 M’sians As 15,000 Eateries To Offer RM5 Menu Rahmah Meals 

For many of us in Malaysia, Petaling Street is known as a very popular landmark in town. It&rsquo;s not only a marketplace but also known as the local Chinatown and is bustling with activities throughout the day and night.
Despite how much culture or heritage the name has as a tourist hotspot in Malaysia, Petaling Street is also known for its growing reputation for selling counterfeit items.
United States Govt Names Petaling Street As A Notorious Counterfeit Goods Market
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/ad7e2a22422d2f7dc10196c5cde9c5adc441962b5d895d465cf11eb58264be3b" />
Recently, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published the findings of its <a href="https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/2022%20Notorious%20Markets%20List%20(final).pdf">2022 Review of Notorious Markets For Counterfeiting and Piracy (the Notorious Market List)</a>.
It listed 39 online markets, including AliExpress, Shopee and Tabao which are commonly used among Malaysians and many others worldwide. They also listed a total of 33 physical markets consisting of 18 countries which included the likes of China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
USTR shared that the markets listed had reportedly engaged in or facilitated substantial trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy. These markets are well known for selling large volumes of counterfeited items ranging from handbags, wallets, watches, shoes, sunglasses and consumer goods.
&ldquo;Although market activity has not returned to pre-pandemic levels because foreign tourism remains depressed, the majority of goods that are currently available appear to be counterfeit,&rdquo; wrote the report.
Blames Local Authorities Over Slow Response
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/5f04f3743a993942d780ae36cde6514412427a0ae0f8991269af1e99e8235331" />
Aside from listing Petaling Street on their list of Notorious Market Lists, USTR had slammed the local authorities over the lack of enforcement activity without the right holders&rsquo; initiative. They state that even when right holders attempt to initiate enforcement activities, they are difficulties due to local favouritism due to the involvement of organized crime in the market.
Despite what the USTR report claims about local authorities, Malaysia has taken a step towards this issue. Between 2019 and 2022, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) made 1,160 seizures of counterfeit goods which are estimated to be worth RM94.7 million.
The seizure was done across the country with the help of 14,187 inspectors to stamp out the production of fake goods under the Trade Description (Amendment) Act 2019 following complaints from trademark owners.
Those guilty under the Trade Descriptions Act 2019 will face a fine of up to RM15,000 for each fake item on the first charge and RM30,000 for each item on the second charge and so on.
<img src="https://r2.myc.my/ee31a3721cc1f24177bb232d81c04ea88f9f8445cf6de9dfa72087b92d8241aa" alt="Datuk Ang Say Tee at Petaling Street" width="316" height="422" /> Datuk Ang Say Tee at Petaling Street
Datuk Ang Say Tee of the Kuala Lumpur Hawkers and Petty Traders Association also commented on the report stating that it was untrue.
&ldquo;This is an exaggeration and we doubt the relevant authorities have actually conducted research on Petaling Street. Only 10-20% of the hawker stalls on the street are selling counterfeit goods,&rdquo; he said.
The USTR report has been published annually since 2011 and its purpose is to increase awareness and help governments and market operators to prioritize intellectual property enforcement efforts that protect American businesses and their workers.
Despite what the reports claim, our own local authorities in Malaysia do try their level best to combat the issue of counterfeited items. Hopefully one day with their hard work, we can eliminate this issue.
What are your thoughts on the report? Let us know in the comments.
&nbsp;
*Sources: Visual and Reference Credits to Social Media, USTR, Malay Mail &amp; various cross-references for context.
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“Only 10-20% of the hawker stalls on the street are selling counterfeit goods” 

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