PETALING JAYA: The National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam) has urged the government to play a bigger role by setting up a special committee to protect both airline businesses and staff from an economic downturn.

In a statement today, Nufam said this would help airlines and thousands of employees survive at a time when Covid-19 travel restrictions have greatly impacted the industry.

The union said it was waiting for a response from the transport ministry and those in the aviation sector to discuss the matter.

It warned the ministry not to make any decisions without consulting workers’ unions and associations first, and urged the government to avoid merging airlines as it would further impact airline staff.

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SEPTUAGENARIAN Ooi Beng Soon is the man to seek out if you are suffering from aches and pains.

With his muscular arms and well-built physique, the 70-year-old former sales manager is well known for his superb massaging skills and he does it for free.

Regular hikers at the Moon Gate Point Five trail can attest to that.

Ooi, who goes up the trail near the Penang Municipal Park every day at about 4.30pm, is much sought after before and after his hike. At times, he is even stopped by hikers seeking relief during his hike.

“The type of massage that I give is known as ‘The Origin-Point Therapy’, which was created by a Taiwanese massage master.

“This treatment is aimed at increasing blood circulation, particularly at body points that are ‘blocked’ and reduce the pain. Basically we are taking care of the root problem.

“It is able to cure sickness besides alleviating various types of pains and sores,” he said.

Ooi, who has been practising the skill for eight years, said he usually massages the head, neck, back and buttocks.

One man he has helped is avid badminton player Chieh Kon Foor who had to stop playing badminton last year due to pain in his right arm.

The 61-year-old retired product design engineer had sought treatments from traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and medical doctors for a cure to the pain but to no avail.

“I even had acupuncture and saw a renowned orthopaedic surgeon but the pain remained.

“The pain, which was centred in my right shoulder was so severe that lifting my arm was difficult. I had to stop playing badminton then,” he said.

Enters Ooi.

“After about five massage sessions, I was able to play my favourite sport again,” said Chieh, a regular hiker at Penang Municipal Park.

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PETALING JAYA: Analysts have not dismissed the possibility of DAP putting its past grievances aside and working with Umno MPs in a new government led by Anwar Ibrahim.

Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya said this was because DAP had been willing to work with Dr Mahathir Mohamad to form the Pakatan Harapan government, although the former prime minister and the party were once sworn enemies.

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(CNN) The global push to develop a coronavirus vaccine is gathering pace, but much to the likely frustration of US President Donald Trump, caution exercised by American drug makers and regulators has put China out in front ... for now.

Moderna, a leading coronavirus vaccine maker, said this month it will not be ready to apply for emergency use authorization until at least November 25. Meanwhile, the US-based trial sites of another frontrunner, AstraZeneca, have placed testing on hold after a participant in Britain developed a serious illness last month, further undermining Trump's hopes that a vaccine would be ready in time for Election Day on November 3.

The stringent US safety protocols have shifted the so-called vaccine race in China's favor, where -- for better or worse -- political will holds a much larger sway over state, commercial and individual actions, potentially bending rules or norms as needed.

China's leader Xi Jinping has repeatedly urged the country's scientists to accelerate the research and development of coronavirus vaccines. Chinese drug makers have also been told to treat their work as an "important political task" -- and they are doing everything they can to follow that directive.


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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airlines Bhd is continuing talks with leasing companies about a restructuring plan as it tries to weather the coronavirus pandemic.

Malaysia Aviation Group, the holding company for the country’s flag carrier, is pleased with the level of support it has received from lessors and is “confident that there are appropriate legal mechanisms available should that support not be universal”, it said in a statement Saturday.
Reuters reported on Friday that a group of leasing companies had rejected the restructuring plan put forward by Malaysia Airlines, citing people familiar with the matter and a letter from a London law firm.

The airline, wholly owned by Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Bhd, announced earlier this month that it had embarked on an “urgent” restructuring exercise that involves renegotiating with lessors, as it sees little sign of the pandemic easing.


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KOTA KINABALU: Countless people have been affected by the movement control order (MCO) since it was first implemented last March, many even losing high-flying jobs.

One of them is Helen Leong Siau Phing, a 20-year-old Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight attendant who was laid off after the MCO dealt a blow to the aviation industry.

What Leong does for a living now is a far cry compared to the days she was soaring the skies in the iconic MAS kebaya outfit, but she has not lost any sleep over it.

She is selling hinompuka, a traditional Kadazan delicacy of glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves, as well as health products online for income after she lost her job in August.


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