CNA Explains: The dangers of volcanic ash to planes

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When Airlines halted flights on Wednesday ( Nov 13 ) after a nearby volcano erupted, causing a 9 km ash tower to fall into the sky, hundreds of travelers were stranded or had their Bali vacations cancelled.

The next day, however, many flights were quick to resume airlines to the Indonesian vacation place, with some providers noting “improved” conditions.

What does geological dust do to an airport?

Volcanic dust contains great ash and strong glass-like particles. That can seriously harm a jet engine and possibly cause it to malfunction.

Air is drawn in by aircraft engines, compressed, mixed with energy, and ignited. High-pressure exhaust gases are produced by this method, which propel the aircraft and the engine forward.

To function effectively, motors rely on a specific balance of gas and airflow. Disrupting this air, as geological dust does, may create problems.

Aviation security consultant Michael Daniel told CNA that in the worst-case situation, the abrasiveness of volcanic dust on the website swords can cause an motor “flame-out”, or stoppage.

And indeed, he continued, there have been instances where engines blew up as a result of flying through clouds of volcanic ash.

Flame-outs, among others, can result in lower force, engine, and altitude drops.

Moreover, the high temperature inside the motor also melt the volcanic cup in the ashes, causing it to adhere to and jam engine parts, &nbsp, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Meanwhile, the International Civil Aviation Organization ( ICAO ) reported in a publication that volcanic ash can block plane sensors, leading to inaccurate airspeed predictions and errors.

Windscreens may become partially or completely opaque, which causes an immediate presence risk, and yet pollute the cabin air.

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‘Wallaby nasi lemak’: How an Australian military camp kitchen whips up Singapore fare

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SHOALWATER BAY, Queensland: In a flawless home tucked away in a military station in Queensland, Australia, a handful of restaurants occupied themselves preparing breakfast for the day. &nbsp,

At one end, chicken feathers coated in flour are dropped into heavy grills, at another, greens stir-fried and dish prepared. &nbsp,

It culminates in nasi lemak&nbsp, – but this is no common manifestation of the corn meal.

It’s a” completely various” sambal paste made from Bee Bee Jan Abdul Kadir’s secret recipe, and it comes with vegetables on top of the typical vegetables. &nbsp,

Soldiers here in the camp, in particular those from the Singapore Armed Forces ( SAF ), call it” Wallaby nasi lemak”, Madam Bee Bee told reporters on Monday ( Nov 11 ) evening. &nbsp,

And it’s just one of many dishes prepared by restaurants from the expanded Shoalwater Bay Training Area, including SATS Food Services at the novel Camp Tilpal, SATS Food Services at the restaurant.

The camp is provide 2, 000 persons, and hosts the SAF, Australian Defence Force and another visiting forces for activities.

These include Exercise Wallaby, the SAF’s largest international practice which runs for nine months. &nbsp,

A diplomatic military training between Singapore and Australia that took place between November 6 and November 15 is the last phase, known as Exercise Trident. &nbsp,

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3 reasons to watch Inside Woodlands Checkpoint, at world’s busiest land crossing

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However, it turned out to be one of the ICA’s largest busts, according to research and investigation official Mohd Masri Mohd Rahman. Finally, about 3, 250 boxes of illicit tobacco were extracted from the car.

The officers were unable to rule out the possibility of additional hidden illegal because the cartons had various presentation than the ones that had been declared consigned.

Therefore, they had to take the vehicle to a safe location for a thorough evaluation, with officers in the operations space locking down the area to stop the motorist from departing while being escorted.

As customers is stopped, any lockdown affects other cars, which “makes us want to get this quarantine and escorting done as quickly as possible,” Erica said.

The recovery required more labor and was challenging given the volume of the containers of beverages. ” But at the same moment, I feel it’s fulfilling because we managed to extract but little contraband”, Erica added.

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Meet the 39-year-old woman who donated her bone marrow to save the life of an elderly leukaemia patient

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There are currently 123, 866 donors registered with the Bone Marrow Donor Programme ( BMDP ), as of June. Based on Singapore’s people size, the registration needs at least 350, 000 sponsors to increase the probability of finding a local benefactor for a local person.

Who is record: Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-stay immigrants aged 18 to 49 years old who are in great health. People with coronary artery disease, thalassaemia big, stroke, Hepatitis B and HIV, are never available to donate.

How to become a benefactor: Register at the BMDP site. You will receive a brush system and enrollment form via email. Finish the brush, complete the form, and mail the system back to BMDP in accordance with the instructions.

What happens after you file? The registry’s addition takes three to five times. Your swab is sent to the laboratory for tissue typing during this time to find out your particular human leukocyte antigen ( HLA ) and blood type. HLA may vary greatly depending on the individual’s immune answer. It is crucial.

When you may be a suit: When your title is in the registry, it will be there until you age out at 60 years or be medically unsuitable. Being matched to a person may get a year, 10 times, or not at all.

Who might be a fit for you: A person of comparable ethnicity. Based on the HLA tissue type, donors are matched with people. A patient’s best chance of finding a match is from a benefactor with the same cultural background because you can gain HLA signs from your relatives and through your race. However, the chances of native people finding a native donation is less than half for every tribal group – 40 per cent for Taiwanese, 20 per cent for Malays, and two per cent for Indians.

Malay and Indian patients are more difficult to find a match because Malays account for 8 % of the registry’s donors and Indians for 9 %, respectively.

To find out more about the Bone Marrow Donor Programme, go to www. bmdp. org

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Home detention could be answer to Malaysia’s prison overcrowding woes, but needs proper guidelines: Analysts

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“FULL-TIME” Crooks STUCK IN THE Method

According to Mr. Dobby Chew, the chief executive officer of HAYAT, a human rights organization, the home confinement plan may serve as a reduction in the prison population by expanding the pardon program. &nbsp, &nbsp,

According to Mr. Chew, this option might be successful in preventing people from entering prison and allowing them to lead and reintegrate into society in combination with promising employment opportunities.

” In the long term, it would be to keep people from going back to prison, particularly those who are younger. We do n’t want them to be stuck in the system and become a’ full-time’ criminal”, he told CNA.
  
Mr. Chew argued that it was logical for prisoners to begin in prison after their convictions had not yet been proven. &nbsp,

After an arrest, while awaiting trial or other legal trials, an individual is temporarily in custody. If a person is denied bail or unable to pay the loan set by the court, they may be placed on trial.

Although the Home Minister had the sole authority to choose and specify any site as a confinement center under the law, criminal lawyer Salim Bashir claimed that Malaysia lacks certain laws to employ home detention. &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp,

According to him, any new laws should give the judge the authority to decide whether convicts or those on remand may be placed in residential incarceration based on the facts and other pertinent factors. &nbsp,

Home incarceration has made advance in some local nations in Asia, he said, adding that the government needs to construct guidelines for eligibility, but that each specific fact that led to convictions must be evaluated by the courts separately. &nbsp, &nbsp,

Countries in the region that have household confinement include Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the head of the opposition, is one of the important political figures held in detention in Myanmar.

Over the past few years, the prisons office in Malaysia has spearheaded a number of initiatives to address the problem of prison overcrowding.

The prisons department also introduced the Licensed Release of Prisoners ( PBSL ) program, which, according to a report from the News Straits Times, granted an additional 31, 742 early release from 2022 to June of this year in addition to the original parole system that was first implemented in 2008. &nbsp,

After serving at least half of a word that is at least one year in Malaysia, a slave may qualify for pardon.

If captives have served at least one-third of their words and have received words between three and three times, they may be eligible for PBSL.

According to the New Straits Times, they also need a promise from an company, a family, or a non-governmental organization to give them a place to live and work following their discharge. &nbsp,

In a statement released on November 6, the prisons ministry claimed that lower overcrowding may be avoided by lowering government costs and reduce government costs. &nbsp,

According to a report in 2021, past home minister Hamzah Zainudin claimed that the government’s prison would cost them almost RM5 billion over a five-year time from 2016 to 2021, with the regular daily value for a second inmate being around RM50. &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp,

In Parliament, Mr. Saifuddin stated that those who were awaiting confinement for serious crimes that deserved death or life phrases could not be held in a home setting. &nbsp,

He further stated that, for example, crimes involving children’s safety, human trafficking, domestic violence, and other crimes would not be available for home confinement. &nbsp,

He claimed that about 20 000 of the 28 000 inmates currently being held on trial may be put to sleep, and another 8 000 were deemed to be guilty of serious crimes. &nbsp,

Dr Sundramoorthy said house arrest may just apply to first-time, non-serious, and non-violent offenders. He hoped that besides those in remand, first-time prisoners would also get a chance for household confinement. &nbsp,

” The same rules do apply for both”, he said.

He claimed that sending first-time criminals who had n’t committed serious crimes to prison would do them more harm than good. &nbsp,

Who will you be collaborating with while you’re incarcerated? You do n’t want them to network and socialize with criminals of mass murder. According to his assertion, “research has shown that those given prospects are not possible to reoffend.” &nbsp,

The prisons office stated in a statement that the level of repeat insulting under related programs like pardon is 0.24 percent, compared to 17.6 percent for those who only go through treatment in facilities or prisons.

Dr. Sundramoorthy suggested that an separate body of professionals be established to examine the approaches used in other nations, including Singapore. &nbsp, &nbsp,
&nbsp, &nbsp, &nbsp,
For example, the home confinement program in Lion City aims to encourage inmates ‘ reintegration into society with the assistance of their families and local communities. &nbsp,

The individuals will offer their remaining phrases at their dwellings under specified problems, which include midnight monitoring, urine testing and counselling. &nbsp,

They may be employed, studying, or performing community service, but they will have an electronic tag to be able to track their movements.

According to Mr. Saifuddin, Malaysians who are in home confinement will also need to use digital devices. &nbsp,

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CNA Explains: How punishments for dangerous and careless driving are set to change

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If road traffic laws are amended, the selection of fines for dangerously or careless drivers may change.

The law’s proposed changes, which were introduced to parliament on Monday ( Nov 11 ), aim to give the prosecution more choice when pursuing errant driver punishment.

What are the important modifications being proposed?

The driving-related sentence making process is being proposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs ( MHA ).

1. Required minimum punishments

Through the elimination or reduction of mandatory minimum sanctions, the authorities will have more room to decide what is ideal.

The proposed changes will eliminate the requirement for a first-time offenders to receive a maximum sentence and dismissal period for hazardous or careless driving that result in fatal or grievous harm.

The amended law may reduce the required minimum jail sentences for unsafe driving that causes severe harm from two years to one year and for unsafe driving that causes severe harm from two years to one year.

But, criminals who drive while intoxicated or under the influence of alcohol or drugs will continue to face the strictest penalties.

These offenses may also receive the same utmost penalties as these.

2. How the criminal is charged

The trial will have more room to pursue a command against the driver that takes into account the victim’s level of harm.

Specifically, prosecution will be able to deal with a cost of causing “hurt” and no “grievous harm”, even if the defendant’s injuries meet the legal description of grievous hurt.

According to Section 320 of the Penal Code, “grievous harm” is defined. When a sufferer is unable to pursue their normal daily activities for at least 20 times, it may also contain fractures or dislocations.

The change may improve and, in addition, make it easier for the trial to consider the severity of the damage and whether other road users are equally responsible for the incident.

3. ” Follow perpetrator” of speeding

There will be fewer definitions for duplicate offenders of speeding offenses.

Now, a car is a duplicate criminal if he or she has been convicted previously&nbsp, of any one of the following: Hazardous or careless moving, conducting unlawful speed trials, or speeding.

A car will only be regarded as a repeat offender of speeding offenses if the modifications are passed:

  • has at least two previous convictions for speeding, including one where the vehicle drove past the speed limit or 40 kilometers per hour.
  • Within the previous five years, the driver was currently facing a driving crime because at least two of those convictions had occurred.

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Sabah government pledges cooperation with MACC over alleged bribery claims by whistleblower

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Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor called on the regulators to investigate the matter after it was claimed that there had been a corruption scandal involving many local elected assemblymen. &nbsp,

According to political analysts who spoke to CNA on Wednesday ( Nov 13 ), the saga could have an impact on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, which views Sabah as a political ally, and the prime minister’s commitment to combating corruption. &nbsp,

A whistleblower’s allegations that a group of Sabah state assemblymen reportedly negotiated hundreds of thousands of rupiah in bribes in exchange for funding a state project were first brought to attention over the weekend.

Malaysiakini reported on Saturday that it had” sighted” the clips- each featuring a unique assembly. Since the state project’s license was revoked, one of the alleged legislators, whose face was not apparent in the videos, may be audibly heard discussing conditions for the payment of the allegedly bribes. &nbsp,

A voice recording and a video that were not included in the first eight were then allegedly sent to Malaysiakini, implicating a” leading leader” of the state. &nbsp,

According to a report released on Tuesday, former Sabah Mineral Management ( SMM) CEO Jontih Enggihon accused Mr. Hajiji of abusing his authority. &nbsp,

SMM is a government-linked firm, chaired by Mr Hajiji. &nbsp,

Additionally, it was shown documents relating to the canceled venture and online banking information about the alleged bribes, according to Malaysiakini. However, the journalist has urged Malaysiakini to refrain from publicly exposing the legislators who were the subjects of the first eight videos.

On Tuesday, Mr. Hajiji revealed to the local press that he was aware of the allegations. &nbsp,

” We urge the government to investigate, we will cooperate but do check to the pay creator, he has a malicious intent to get something from the state and when he could not get it, &nbsp, ( the audio recording ) comes out so for me, to be fair, arrest him first”, Mr Hajiji told investigators. &nbsp,

” The Sabah state is operating smoothly and in good shape. The ( audio clip ) is just an accusation. He claimed that Free Malaysia Now that he had nothing to hide.

On November 8, according to local media reports, senior officers from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ( MACC ) met with a lawyer who represented the alleged whistleblower. &nbsp,

A prosecutor allegedly recorded a 17-second sound recording in which several people, including a man allegedly working as a politician, were reportedly audible in a money talk.

According to Malaysiakini, it involved an assembly discussing returning some” RM500, 000″- or about US$ 112, 000- he had received in trade for supporting a state job.Continue Reading

Airlines cancel Bali flights due to ash from erupting volcano

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Three Jetstar planes from Bali to Singapore were canceled on Wednesday, according to the site for Changi Airport. The planes were actually scheduled to arrive at 2.15am, 1.30pm, and 9.15pm.

A flight from Singapore Airlines ( SIA ) that was scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m. on Wednesday was also postponed, as well, while SIA’s low-cost carrier Scoot, operated between Singapore and Bali, had several cancellations or re-timed.

CNA has contacted SIA and Scoot for more information.

AirAsia claimed in a speech on Wednesday that the region’s aircraft was likely to be impacted by the “extensive volcanic ash skies.” &nbsp,

This has caused the withdrawal or postponement of some AirAsia Malaysia, AirAsia Thailand, AirAsia Indonesia, AirAsia X Malaysia airlines to and from Bali, Lombok and Labuan Bajo since Nov 4, it added. &nbsp,

Without naming the roads, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali’s worldwide airport, claimed in a speech on Wednesday that 12 regional and 22 international flights had been affected by the change.

He did never provide information about disturbed planes on Wednesday’s plan.

” Due to this natural occasion impacting trip operations, carriers are offering affected travellers the choices of refunds, postponement, or re-routing”, he added.

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IN FOCUS: How banks and telcos try to deliver top-notch customer service

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Although telephone amounts have decreased over the years, the majority of banks and telcos have stated that they still receive a lot of customer inquiries.

DBS said its 500-strong customer support agent workforce, which is based in Singapore and comprises mainly Singaporeans, manages over 250, 000 answers from consumers each month. More than 3 million answers are generated annually, according to this figure.

Singtel, which offers numerous programs for customers to reach them, including Whatsapp communications and its client line, reported that it handles more than three million customer queries annually. OCBC reported that it has received 1.4 million calls this time.

In addition, the volume of inquiries may rise during significant events, such as service problems, putting more stress on customer service staff.

” In a ( mobile network ) outage, you must understand that the volume and the traffic ( of calls or chats ) that comes to us is not five times or ten times, it’s probably 100 times more than normal”, said M1’s director of customer experience and retail Stamford Low.

We rely heavily on our machines to grow, so we can upgrade them with the status of the interruption. So if you called us because you were experiencing company difficulties, the voicebot would be able to inform you, he said.” Our specialists are aware of this and are working on it,” he said.

” So we can do that so that the customer does n’t have to wait for a while before speaking with an agent and then hearing the same thing anyway.”

OCBC said it schedule more officers to work during the busiest times of the month, when they are typically asked for more inquiries about bank accounts and credit card statements, while DBS said it has real-time tracking screens and early warning signals to help its groups quickly ramp up resourcing to maintain spikes in call volumes.

Companies CNA spoke to said they do not avoid calls because some clients complain that they ca n’t reach a customer service representative in these circumstances.

According to OCBC’s Mr. Indra,” We make our very best effort to clear as many calls as possible,” adding that staff members from other divisions may also be stationed to handle customer calls.

There could be delays as a result of a rise in calls, according to Singtel’s deputy chief executive officer Anna Yip, who is a customer service representative who some users complain they ca n’t reach during significant incidents.

” When incidents happen … it’s not just the ( customer service ) agents ‘ role, it’s actually a whole team that crosses many departments like networks, customer agents, marketing is also involved”, she said.

” It’s basically like a war room situation… because we do n’t want to give customers wrong information. We want them to … know that they’re being taken care of, but we also need to give them correct information whenever we can, because if we really do n’t know what’s going on, we ca n’t lie”.

” So that’s why the coordination is very, very tight, and it’s not just about the front-end messaging, but all the way to the back, those people who are fixing things and turning things around, giving us the update. It must remain a single team, please.

” We do n’t stop any calls or … say ‘ we do n’t take any calls because we have nothing new to tell people’.

” It could be that, in the very, very rare situation where we do have a call surge, then of course, there is a bit of delay for people to come through, but we never stop communication, and we certainly never stop people from contacting us at all.”

RISING CUSTOMER EXPECTATIONS

Assoc Prof Cheah believes that as consumers become more digitally savvy, this could have contributed to higher expectations for customer service.

Studies conducted a few years ago indicated that consumers were still alright if they had to wait a while for their issue to be resolved, she said.

However, many people today are intolerant to even a quick refresh of the screen that takes longer than a minute or a call that is not resolved within ten minutes.

” It’s the digital age that we’re living in, where a lot of information is being provided very quickly, so … to a certain extent, we are being conditioned to expect a fast response”.

OCBC said it has implemented a number of internal procedures to shorten the average handling time for its customer service officers in order to keep up with rising expectations.

This includes allowing its customer service representatives to approve requests for loan waivers as soon as they are satisfied, as well as handling disputes involving credit card transactions.

Previously, they were not able to do this and had to raise such requests to another team to process.

The bank’s efforts appear to be working, with the bank now exceeding its 60-second call-return goal of 80 %.

In comparison, it picked up 40 to 50 per cent of calls within the target last year.

We obviously had a fair bit of catch up last year when I started this new position, but we’ve been using data to improve our ability to be more proactive, according to Dennis Lee, OCBC’s head of service channels and transformation.

” ( We ) want to be proactive, to ( be able to ) tell customers that the moment they face an issue, we ( already ) know and before they call us, we are able to educate them on how to self-help so that they can resolve an issue … without having to call us or wait on the phone”.

The bank is currently testing out push notifications to explain why payments made after a customer’s card is rejected, as well as free web call services for customers who have credit card issues while traveling abroad.

After realizing that inquiries about account balances and credit card issues accounted for the most calls, it developed this plan.

” What I’m trying to do is whenever they tap at a failed transaction straightaway, we will detect why their transactions were rejected … so we’re trying to proactively inform customers … and this is where they can go and self-help immediately”, said OCBC’s Mr Lee.

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