JOHOR BAHRU: The Immigration Department has chosen four states and two Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) as part of a pilot programme to issue passports renewed via the 'MyOnline Passport' system, beginning Sep 1.

Homemade ice cream sandwiches are already pretty simple to make. You bake a dozen cookies, you fill them individually with ice cream, and then you freeze them to enjoy later. The only problem is the time it takes to individually scoop and portion all that cookie dough, and then you have to do the same thing with the ice cream. There is a much faster (and much better) way to make ice cream sandwiches for a crowd.

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I had my fair share of travel in Asia & U.S. this month and don’t know where to start but the attire in which some guests are attending meals in hotel restaurants leaves everything to be desired in many cases.

I’m not sure if there is even a question of the sort if someone should attend the buffet breakfast in a bathrobe and slippers.

As I was visiting the W Taipei this week where I had a very comfortable stay in a nice suite I encountered the young lady pictured above one morning while having breakfast at The Kitchen Table.

Now, the restaurant is right adjacent the swimming pool so she might not necessarily just have gotten out of the bed but the absence of swimwear and PJ’s instead says otherwise.

Not that I’m complaining about young ladies in rather casual wear moving throughout the hotel (especially this property) but there seem to be little inhibitions to just swing by the breakfast in this attire. I seriously wondered though why the restaurant staff didn’t step in to ask the lady to change. This hotel commands rates of more than 350$ per night so it shouldn’t be too much to ask restricting the guests at least a little bit to upkeep some standard.

Conclusion

This particular guest was definitely from mainland China as she spoke to her friend in a Shanghainese dialect but this isn’t even the point of the article. I also detest any sort of Pyjama or Juicy Couture being worn in restaurants (or or airplanes) which is something you see more frequently than one would like.

The hotel should enforce a light dress code in such cases. It isn’t even a dress code to ask guests to please wear regular clothes. For a hotel like W Taipei even shorts and T-Shirt is totally fine as it has a really relaxed party atmosphere.

PETALING JAYA: An 18-year-old in Sabah has married a 42-year-old single mother of five boys, according to a news report.

The groom’s father Alin @ Matalin Utam, 52, of Kuala Penyu, did not object, saying: “They are mature enough to make their own decisions, including getting married,” Harian Metro newspaper reported him as saying.

He said his son, Mohd Sufie Alin had married Dayang Sopiah Gusti, 42, at the Beaufort district mosque on Tuesday, attended by both families.

A photograph of Mohd Sufie placing a gold ring on Dayang Sopiah’s finger during the solemnisation ceremony was widely shared online.

The newspaper said that Alin was told about his son’s decision just days before the wedding. He advised his son to be a responsible husband, not only having to care for his wife but also his five stepsons.

However, he said “what is important is that Sufie did not disturb someone else’s wife and they wish to continue their relationship the Islamic way. Therefore, I have no problem and consider Sopiah to be the soulmate of Sufie, which has been decided by God,” he was quoted as saying.

The wife of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels had a Jewish father, according to a new document discovered in the Berlin archives. The document was published in the German newspaper Bild, the London-based Jewish Chronicle reported last week. It shows that the father of Magda Goebbels was a...

PETALING JAYA: Badminton men’s doubles pair Tan Wee Kiong and Goh V Shem, who won a silver medal in the recently concluded Rio Olympics, will soon be given houses worth more than RM1 million each by one of their sponsors.

Property developer JL99 Group, in a recent Facebook posting, said two units of the Lakepark Residence in Pusat Bandar Utara, in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, would be presented as a token of appreciation and encouragement to the duo.

JL99 Group Chairman Jeff Lee said in the post: “Congratulations! We are proud to be one of your sponsors. You bring us pride. Malaysia Boleh!”

The message also contained an invitation to the duo to be present at the developer’s new show gallery near the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 this weekend, presumably to “officially” receive the reward.

Tan and Goh fell to Fu Haifeng-Zhang Nan from China in the finals, but not without a fight.

This is not the only incentive that awaits them. By winning the silver medal, they will receive a RM300,000 cash reward and RM3,000 monthly pension announced by the National Sports Council.

They will also drive home a new Proton Suprima each, courtesy of DRB Hicom.

PETALING JAYA: Being wounded in a scuffle with a criminal or in a shootout are expected job hazards for a policeman.

But being bitten by a rowdy couple would be the last “hazard” any cop would expect in the line of duty. But that’s exactly what two policemen experienced in Kuching, Sarawak.

According to Kuching police chief ACP Abang Ahmad Abang Julai, the incident occurred about 2am in Jalan Matang Baru, when policemen flagged down a couple in a Perodua Kancil, during a road block.

When the cops checked the vehicle’s boot, the couple got abusive and started scolding the policemen using vulgar words.

The 44-year-old male suspect even tried to snatch the HK-MP5 held by a Lance Corporal manning the roadblock, while his 41-year-old wife unbuttoned her shirt and flashed at them, daring them to arrest her. She was then arrested with the help of a policewoman.

It was during the process of arrest that the suspects bit the hands of two policemen – a Lance Corporal and a Constable.

The police believe the jobless couple were intoxicated, and have remanded them for four days to facilitate investigations.

The case is being investigated under Section 186 of the Penal Code for obstructing a public servant in the discharge of his public functions.

 

ZHANGJIAJIE: Tourists who suffer from vertigo need not apply. The world’s highest and longest glass-bottomed bridge opened Saturday in China’s spectacular Zhangjiajie mountains — the inspiration for American blockbuster Avatar.

Some 430 metres (1,400 feet) long and suspended 300 metres above the earth, the bridge spans the canyon between two mountain cliffs in Zhangjiajie park in China’s central Hunan province.

Six metres wide and made of some 99 panels of clear glass, the bridge can carry up to 800 people at the same time, an official in Zhangjiajie — a popular tourist destination — told the Xinhua news agency.

Tourists can walk across the bridge, designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, and the more adventurous will be able to bungee jump or ride a zip line.

“I wanted to feel awe-inspired by this bridge. But I’m not afraid — it seems safe!” Wang Min, who was visiting the new structure with her husband and children, told AFP Saturday.

Following an alarming glass bridge cracking incident at the Yuntai mountain in northern Henan in 2015, authorities in Zhangjiajie were eager to demonstrate the safety of the structure.

They organised a string of media events, including one where people were encouraged to try and smash the bridge’s glass panels with a sledge hammer, and another where they drove a car across it.

“It’s crowded today and a bit of a mess. But to be suspended 300 metres in the air, it’s a unique experience,” said Lin Chenglu, who had come to see the bridge with his colleagues.

Only 8,000 people each day will be allowed to cross the bridge, Xinhua said, and tourists will have to book their tickets a day in advance, at a cost of 138 yuan ($20).

People wearing stilettos will be banned, it added.

Local authorities have said that one of the summits in Zhangjiajie Park inspired the floating mountain which appears in the American blockbuster Avatar.

A Hollywood photographer visited the area in 2008, taking images which were used for the film, according to media reports.

UMW Oil & Gas Corp Bhd (short name: UMWOG; Code: 5243) was on the downtrend slightly more than three months after its maiden listing on Bursa Malaysia Main Market on Nov 1, 2013, spooked by the meltdown in global crude oil prices.

TUMPAT:Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has told former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad not to cross the line as it is un-Islamic.

It's back-to-school time, and that means making sure you have plenty of after-school snack ideas ready for hungry kiddos. Frozen chicken nuggets were a staple of my childhood, but these baked popcorn chicken bites — breaded in crushed potato chips! — would've made 8-year-old me much happier.

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Here are nine of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

We shared the first deal on these Rubbermaid FreshWorks containers a few weeks ago, and on a couple of occasions since, and you guys have bought thousands of them, to the point that Amazon has often killed the deal within hours of our posting it. If you missed out, or just want more of them, the two-pack is back on sale for $17 today, down from $20.

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Are you on the fence about your feelings for cauliflower? Like, you want to like it, but you're just not sure? Served with a simple yet punchy peanut sauce, we're sure this version will win you over forever.

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NEW DELHI: Two children and a man have died in the Indian capital after their throats were slit by glass-covered strings used for flying kites during Independence Day celebrations, police said Wednesday.

The tragedies prompted the Delhi government to this week issue an immediate ban on the production, sale and storage of the razor sharp strings which are used to try to cut down competitors’ kites.

The government said anyone caught with the strings, known locally as manjha, faced a five-year jail term and a 100,000-rupee ($1,500) fine.

The children, aged four and six, died in separate incidents in New Delhi on Monday after they looked out of the sunroof of their cars.

“The children were looking out of the sunroofs when they entangled in the deadly threads,” Pushpender Kumar, west Delhi’s deputy police commissioner, told AFP.

A 22-year-old man also died in the same way while he was riding his motorbike on a flyover in the capital, another officer said.

No one has been arrested over the deaths.

Another five-year-old child and a policeman were badly injured in other incidents involving the strings, reports have said.

Kite flying is hugely popular on Independence Day, with the sky dotted with ones often painted in the colours of the Indian flag and attached to long strings.

The Delhi High Court last week directed the city government to raise awareness of the dangers of the strings, saying there had been a raft of deaths in recent years in Delhi and two neighbouring states.

Some states have already banned such strings following accidents.

The move, currently being deliberated by the House of Representatives, could spell a different kind of vacation for holidaymakers in Bali, the country’s most popular tourist destination.

That is, a dry one.

As a predominantly Muslim country, alcohol in Indonesia is already heavily taxed and expensive.

But the bill, introduced jointly by two Islamist parties, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), would ban the production, distribution and consumption of drinks with an alcohol content of one to 55 percent, reports The Jakarta Post.

The bill claims its purpose is to “protect citizens from the negative impacts of alcoholic beverages, to raise awareness of the dangers of the beverages, and to ensure order and peace in society, free from disturbances caused by consumers”.

As outlined by a recent piece in The Sydney Morning Herald, bootleg alcohol has been a scourge for Indonesian health authorities, contributing to the deaths of 12 people in May who died within 24 hours of drinking the poisonous liquor, and another 26 people in February.

But a nationwide alcohol ban isn’t the answer, warns the hotel industry, which pointed out that such a drastic move would lead to disaster for the tourism sector, particularly as many Bali visitors hail from European countries with a strong drinking culture.

Alcohol is already banned in the province of Papua and the Surabaya in Java.

The government is expected to vote on the bill in the coming weeks.

-AFP Relaxnews

KUALA LUMPUR: Former de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim filed a statement of claim at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday to recover USD731 million and RM42 million banked into the prime minister’s accounts.

He filed the claim as a citizen and taxpayer, through lawyer Americk Sidhu’s law firm, complete with charts supporting his application.

Zaid said he was taking the action, which would benefit the second and third defendants – 1MDB and the Malaysian government – as they are not in a position to do so.

The first defendant, Najib Razak, he claimed, would not allow the second and third defendants whom he controls, to take any action against him.

“Najib as trustee of 1MDB has a duty to protect and preserve the assets of the state and not convert them for his own use.”

Zaid sought orders directing Najib to repay RM42 million to the government of Malaysia, plus compound interest at 2% per month from the date the money was first received to the date of full and final settlement.

This amount, he said, was received from SRC International and deposited in Najib’s private account and was tantamount to a breach of his fiduciary duties.

“Najib received the RM42 million, as a bribe or inducement, to use his influence over Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Retirement Fund Inc) to make a loan to SRC International,” claimed Zaid.

He also wanted orders directing Najib to repay 1MDB, the second defendant, USD731 million by way of restitution, plus 2% compound interest per month from the date when the money was first received to the date of full and final settlement.

He said the USD731 million comprised USD681 million deposited in Najib’s personal account in March 2013 before the general election that year, USD20 million that he allegedly received from Good Star Ltd, between February and June 2011, as well as USD30 million he allegedly received from Aabar BVI between October and November 2012.

Further, Zaid wanted orders directing the fourth defendant, Riza Shariz Abdul Aziz (Najib’s stepson), to repay the second defendant, 1MDB, all money he had received from it, either directly or indirectly.

He also wanted Riza Shariz to transfer all properties, movable or immovable, that he had acquired with money from 1MDB, and held under his name or held under his agents, including one Jho Low.

 

Buffet promo at hotel’s Chinese restaurant on until end of the month.

When it comes to breakfast art, you're probably more familiar with the incredible things people make with pancakes. We've seen everything from colorful pancakes that look like sharks, to pancakes shaped like Star Wars characters. But all-around cool dad Adam Perry found a different breakfast medium to great creative with: toast!

Every day Perry creates fun sculptures made out of two pieces of toast for his kids' breakfast. Usually the things he creates are just everyday objects — like sandals or sunglasses — but sometimes he gets topical, like with the Olympics. I've listed some of my favorites below, but you can also just check out Perry's Instagram where he shares all his creations.

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Season three of the Great British Baking Show wrapped up last Friday for the United States, and Nadiya Hussain was named the winner. The season actually concluded earlier this year, and since that time Hussain has been busy cooking up her own projects. She released her first cookbook, Nadiya's Kitchen, baked a birthday cake for Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday, and starred in another TV show called The Chronicles of Nadiya, which looks at her roots in Bangladesh.

Her latest project, however, might be the most exciting.

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PETALING JAYA: Muslim families in Malaysia will find it more difficult to get maids with a “new” rule that only Muslim maids can work for them, The Star reported.

The organisation representing employers of maids, Malaysian Maid Employers Association (Mama), criticised the move saying it would limit the supply of maids for Muslims.

“Religion should not be an obstacle. When you work in an office, you don’t base it on religion and likewise, this should not be the case for the maid in the home,” Mama President Engku Ahmad Fauzi was quoted as saying by the local daily.

He also questioned the Immigration Department over its rationale for imposing such a rule, adding that it could lead to some families not getting any maid at all.

The move to impose the condition has also taken maid agencies in the country by surprise.

One agency owner in Selangor reportedly told The Star that her application for non-Muslim maids for Muslim families, had been rejected via the online process available under the Immigration Department.

“When I called, I was told to go to the counter to submit the application. But at the counter, the officers said that the policy was a directive from the director-general,” she was quoted as saying.

According to the agency owner who declined to be named, the Immigration officers informed her the rule was always in place.

“If they did not allow Muslims to hire non-Muslims from the beginning, why did they allow it earlier?

“There was no circular to inform us about this,” she said, according to The Star.

She also questioned how countries like Saudi Arabia and Qatar could allow for non-Muslim maids from Sri Lanka and the Philippines to be hired, yet Malaysia does not let local Muslims the opportunity to do the same.

The owner of another agency based in Kuala Lumpur explained that the rule by the Immigration Department had been in place always, but previous director-generals had not enforced it strictly.

Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy commissioner Mustafar Ali was transferred to the Immigration Department as director-general from the beginning of the month.

Meanwhile, some Muslim families are concerned if the new rule would apply for renewals as well.

“He said it was not easy to get a good and reliable maid these days and asked why it should be based on religion and race,” Faiz Abdullah, 42, told The Star, adding he feared his application for renewal would be rejected.

Another Muslim employer addressed the issue of reliability among maids, saying that it was the reason why he preferred Filipinos to those from Indonesia.

PETALING JAYA: It is raining puppies on canine welfare project Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better ( MDDB).

Singapore Airlines posted earlier today on their Facebook page about Joseph Schooling, the first ever Olympic gold medalist from Singapore, and it popped up on my newsfeed.

The airline is giving the Gold medalist Joseph one million KrisFlyer miles and Gold status (not sure how long this one is valid for).

You can access the Facebook page here.

Here’s one Facebook comment that caught my eye:

I was also surprised that they didn’t give him lifetime Solitaire status to celebrate this special occasion. KrisFlyer Gold wouldn’t even get you into the Singapore Airlines business class lounge at Changi if flying in economy.

Also, this Olympic medalist is currently living in the US. This means that he is likely liable for taxes based on the value of the miles and the status. Nice gesture from the Singapore Airlines, nevertheless.

Conclusion

If you ask from me what is going on with the Olympics, couldn’t tell. Haven’t followed these games at all considering how corrupt the entire IOC is.

Will be back in Rio de Janeiro, however, in early September, after the games are over. Hoping that everything is back to normal by then.

It’s not enough that urban dwellers on the East Coast are looking at record highs in heat and humidity this weekend, but entomologists are warning they can also expect to see flying cockroaches as the ever-present vermin take to the air for some exercise. According to DNAinfo, the...

TPG reader Marjorie sent me a message on Facebook to ask about changing seats:

“Can I request another seat if I get on a plane and the row behind me has a toddler in it? I just had an awful trip from Frankfurt to LAX that involved the children behind me screaming the whole flight and kicking my chair.”

If you want to start an argument about the airline industry, ask a group of people how they feel about children on airplanes. It’s a contentious issue: Some travelers consider children among the worst types of passengers, and have little tolerance for them. Personally, I see adults misbehaving in the air far more often than children, and I have no problem with kids flying (even in first class). That said, younger children are sometimes given a pass for conduct that would get most people booted from the plane, and it’s good to have a strategy for dealing with unruly passengers of any age.

To answer Marjorie’s question specifically, there’s no harm in asking to be moved to another seat in your cabin. If the flight is wide open, you might be able to switch once boarding is complete, but don’t be surprised if flight attendants ask you to wait until after takeoff. I don’t recommend changing seats on your own unless you’re swapping with another passenger or just moving to another seat in your row.

More generally, if you’re being bothered by another passenger, you may want to try and work through it amicably before getting the flight crew involved. Flying doesn’t bring out the best in everyone, but most people are reasonable, and asking nicely will have good results more often than not. Parents can be sensitive about strangers talking to their kids, but I think it’s okay to politely correct a child’s behavior yourself. You can always interact through the parent if you feel that’s more appropriate.

If you can’t get any traction on your own, then feel free to ask a flight attendant to intervene. Some amount of noise goes with the territory, but nonstop screaming should be checked, and kicking the seat in front of you repeatedly is not acceptable at any age. Marjorie would have been perfectly justified in asking for assistance, whether that involved relocating to a new seat, instructing the parents to be more alert or some other solution.

One other suggestion is to try and establish a friendly relationship with the people seated near you before takeoff. A lot of flyers just slip their headphones on and try to ignore one another, but even if you don’t feel like socializing, a simple “good morning” or “how’s it going?” will give you something to work with when you need a favor later.

If you’re worried about a toddler seated behind you, you can direct those positive vibes toward the parents. Telling someone they have a cute kid can help if there’s a problem later on, since you’ll seem more like a friendly and familiar face instead of an irritated stranger.

If you have any other questions, please tweet me @thepointsguy, message me on Facebook or send me an email at info@thepointsguy.com.

GEORGE TOWN: A unilateral move by an NGO to send a letter to Unesco may cost George Town its World Heritage Site status, a state heritage agency said today.

George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) General Manager Dr. Ang Ming Chee said the Penang Forum had sent a letter to Unesco’s offices in Paris claiming there was “danger” to the heritage site.

It is learnt that the Penang Forum had sent the letter over fears that the proposed Penang Transport Master Plan might endanger heritage areas.

Ang said it was regrettable that the Forum did not contact her agency before going to Unesco.

“I wish to emphasise that GTWHI recognises that various parties might have differences in views, but we believe all stakeholders can contribute to the betterment of Penang.

“I also respect the rights of individuals or NGOs submitting their views to Unesco.

“However, I feel there are alternatives in managing differences,” she said at a press conference Friday.

At the time of writing, the Penang Forum steering committee members were not available for comment.

Meanwhile, Ang said as a result of the letter, National Heritage Department representatives met her in Penang to discuss the matter.

“We were caught off guard by the news. Dr Lim Mah Hui of the Penang Forum, who also attended the meeting, agreed to share the letter sent to Paris with us,” Ang said.

Ang said if George Town were to be delisted, it would not be a straightforward process.

She said it would first be listed in the “endangered heritage sites list” then subsequently removed from the list altogether. She added only two sites had voluntarily opted-out — the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman and the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany.

Ang said GTWHI would cooperate with the National Heritage Department to respond to the letter from the Penang Forum.

We're pretty sure that boring salads are what started the whole "sad desk lunch" trend on the internet — and rightfully so; there are a lot of mediocre salads out there — but the good news is that there are just as many delicious and satisfying salads out there. Unlock your lunch's potential with one of these 20 anything-but-sad salad recipes.

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Adult slushies are a thing, and I for one completely support their existence. In summer, when I'm looking for an ice-cold drink to beat the heat, a slushie is just the ticket. And a slushie with wine and fresh fruit? Now you're really speaking my language.

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Here are nine of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.