WHO decries Africa’s growing diabetes burden amid lifestyle changes
NAIROBI: Diabetes is taking a toll on Africa’s population due to rapid urbanisation, sedentary lifestyle, poor dietary habits, and alcoholism, said a senior official of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Tuesday during World Diabetes Day. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO regional director for Africa, said the continent has 24 million adults living with diabetes, and the […]
The sweet surrender
Michael Pilo’s last hurrah This is the last of a two-part series on Michael Pilo Gangga’s quest for a better future. Temenggong Michael Pilo Gangga has spent nine decades on Earth, which has taken him over many uncharted waters. He was born before World War II and experienced the Japanese occupation, vividly recalling how a black […]
Starting with a single stitch
Razorlyn Geoffrey turns to embroidery as a hobby and a business because she acknowledges that housewives nowadays cannot rely only on one breadwinner. She does this in the aim of generating a side income she can spend guilt-free while still helping to support the household. Hobby turns into embroidery business Housewives are often encouraged to […]
Final refrain for iPod as Apple stops production
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple on Tuesday put out word it is no longer making iPods, the trend-setting MP3 players that transformed how people get music and gave rise to the iPhone. Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs introduced the devices nearly 21 years ago with his legendary showmanship flare, and the small, easy to operate players helped […]
Social factors draw people to unhealthy activities
BY MUHAMMAD BASIR ROSLAN The sugar baby-sugar daddy issue was thrust into the limelight early last month after media reports emerged that Malaysia held the dubious distinction of having the third-highest number of sugar daddies in Asia. In this third of four articles on this issue, experts discuss the sociology of sugaring. Many people dream […]
Lecturer gives back to Sarawak after a decade in Japan
KUCHING: While furthering one’s studies abroad or locally each have their pros and cons, studying in another country certainly provides more opportunities to experience different cultures and lifestyles first-hand. Dr Lidyana Roslan had such an opportunity to truly immerse herself in the Japanese way of life, having spent 10 years undertaking her three degrees at […]
Thailand’s ‘Golden Son’ dolls bring believers luck and protection
NAKHON PATHOM, Thailand: Smearing clay mixed with the dust of cremated bodies onto the base of a figurine, a Thai Buddhist monk chants incantations to invite lucky spirits into a relic dubbed the “Golden Son”. Thailand is overwhelmingly Buddhist but beliefs are entwined with strains of animism and superstition, especially among older generations who venerate […]
Pac-Man turns 40
TOKYO: Forty years ago, a new video game featuring a bright yellow, dot-chomping, ghost-dodging character called Pac-Man appeared in Tokyo. It would become the most successful arcade game of all time. The hero — shaped like a mouth opening and closing — races around a maze noisily gobbling dots and occasionally fruit for extra points, […]
India’s ‘superfood’ jackfruit goes global
By Abhaya Srivastava THRISSUR, India: Green, spiky and with a strong, sweet smell, the bulky jackfruit has morphed from a backyard nuisance in India’s south coast into the meat-substitute darling of vegans and vegetarians in the West. Part of the South Asia’s diet for centuries, jackfruit was so abundant that tonnes of it went to […]
Defying the odds
Limb amputation is a life-changing event that signifies long-term physical, social, psychological, and environmental change. And that is exactly what Manny Lobrigo Jr. had to experience, when he lost his left leg in a tragic accident. This is the heart-warming story of how Manny manages to bounce back and achieved more than he could ever […]
