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Uqasha Senrose: I Took Off Tudung Because I Felt Like Hypocrite

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 ― Local celebrity Uqasha Senrose who came under fire from fans earlier this week after going bareheaded has finally shared her reasons for removing the Muslim headscarf after covering up her tresses three years ago.

Born Nik Zaris Uqasha Senrose, the 24-year-old actress told Malay daily Berita Harian that she took off her tudung as she no longer wanted to lie to herself.

“Three years is not a short time. It’s different if I remove the tudung after wearing it for three months.

“During that period I was also not consistent in terms of wearing the tudung. I feel as if I was constrained and restrained,” she said in the interview published today.

The stage star of Ombak Rindu confessed that she might have been hasty when she decided to go for a new look after her engagement ended and having had her heart broken.

She recounted that the desire to wear the tudung was strong in the initial stages, but as time passed, she felt like she was becoming more of a hypocrite as she no longer really felt a “sincere’ desire to do so.

“It was as if I was afraid with what others say and think. But I don’t want to live based on what others think anymore. Let this decision be between me and God,” the Kelantan-born told Berita Harian.

She also admitted peer pressure from her bareheaded girlfriends may have contributed to her removal of the tudung, a Muslim symbol of modesty in women.

Uqasha said she is fully aware that she will continue to get flak for taking off her tudung as her face is well known to Malaysians.

“But I only want to be myself. Hate or like, I am ready. After three years, only now have I plucked up the courage to remove the tudung,” she was quoted saying.

She was criticised by social media users after removing the headscarf and had previously been criticised after photos of her uncovered head while on holiday in Koh Lipe, Thailand surfaced online.

But Uqasha also said she may yet put on the tudung in future.

“Who knows in the future or after marriage, I will cover up the aurat whole-heartedly,” she was quoted saying.

Aurat refers to the parts of a Muslim woman’s body that must be covered, but the extent of which varies in interpretation according to schools of Islam.

Last June, Muslim women’s rights group Sisters in Islam (SIS) said that the Muslims’ holy book al-Quran does not specifically mention hair as part of a woman’s “aurat”.

SIS told Malay Mail Online then that the interpretation of the “aurat” in Malaysia has become increasingly influenced by Arab culture since the 1980s, noting that most Malay-Muslim women did not wear the tudung during the 1950s and 1960s, including the wife of the then Kelantan mufti and the spouse of Indonesian ulama, Prof Dr Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, better known as Hamka.

“This very narrow and conservative interpretation of ‘aurat’ has also been directed mainly to women and as a result, the growing obsession with controlling women’s bodies by making wearing the hijab compulsory,” SIS had then said.

Source: www.themalaymailonline.com

September 2, 2016
9-Month Old Baby Scalded At Learning Vision@Vista Point, Parents Considering Compensation

A nine-month-old boy was scalded after his buttocks was rinsed with hot water at a childcare centre.

The New Paper understands that the infant sustained second-degree burns on his buttocks and thigh, and may require plastic surgery.

The incident occurred at Learning Vision @ Vista Point in Woodlands on Aug 19 while a carer was changing the baby’s diaper.

Mr Ronald Kwong, director of operations of Busy Bees Asia, the operator of Learning Vision, confirmed the incident.

“We want to express our heartfelt apologies to the parents of the infant who was scalded at the Learning Vision childcare centre,” he said.

“We take full responsibility for the incident.”

Mr Kwong said that only two of the 22 Learning Vision centres were fitted with a water tank heater system, with Vista Point being one of them.

The heater system should not have been fitted and this has since been rectified, he added.

According to Mr Kwong, the carer had scalded the infant after rinsing his buttocks with hot water dispensed from the tank.

He said there was one carer to every four infants at the time of the accident.

But he did not address TNP’s queries whether the carer was certified and trained in the proper standard operating procedures.

He mentioned that the carer was receiving additional help from another carer who has worked in other childcare centres.

“Having relief carers is not a common occurrence at Learning Vision centres. We have reviewed and tightened our standard operating procedures,” Mr Kwong said.

MEDICAL CARE

The centre has contacted the infant’s parents to ensure the child receives medical care.

When TNP contacted the mother, she declined to comment because she has hired a lawyer to seek compensation for the incident.

An Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) spokesman said it was aware of the incident but was unable to comment as police investigations are ongoing.

The spokesman added: “ECDA is working with the centre to ensure the safety and well-being of the other children at the centre.”

Madam Lee Ling Ling, a 33-year-old mother of a six-month-old girl, was shocked to hear of the incident.

The senior manager at a public relations company places her in the care of a childcare centre when she and her husband are at work.

She said: “Had it happened to my daughter, I would have been horrified. Infants are helpless, so we rely on the expertise of carers to make sure their needs are met.”

Kindergarten manager Ng Yan Ming, a mother to a six-year-old girl, said: “Clearly, the helper should have tested the water first.”

While Madam Ng, who is in her 40s, acknowledged that accidents do happen, she stressed that anyone minding a child must be accountable for the child’s welfare.

Stressing that those working in the childcare and kindergarten business must be certified and trained in handling children, she said: “If I put my child in somebody’s hands, someone has to be responsible.”

We want to express our heart-felt apologies to the parents of the infant who was scalded at the Learning Vision childcare centre. We take full responsibility for the incident.

– Mr Ronald Kwong, director of operations of Busy Bees Asia, the operator of Learning Vision

Source: www.tnp.sg

September 2, 2016
Juliana Johari – Satu-Satunya Guru Melayu Terima Anugerah Presiden

Seorang guru bahasa Melayu menerima Anugerah Presiden bagi Guru yang disampaikan oleh Presiden Tony Tan Keng Yam di Istana hari ini (1 September).

Cik Juliana Johari dari Sekolah Rendah Qihua merupakan salah seorang daripada enam penerima anugerah tersebut.

Mereka dipilih daripada 2,557 guru yang dicalonkan untuk anugerah tersebut pada tahun ini.

Para penerima anugerah diiktiraf atas dedikasi mereka kepada pembangunan holistik murid-murid mereka melalui pendekatan yang inovatif.

Sebagai peran contoh, mereka juga berkhidmat sebagai pelajar sepanjang hayat dan mentor kepada rakan-rakan sekerja mereka.

Penerima anugerah itu dipilih oleh sebuah panel yang dipengerusikan oleh Cik Denise Phua, pengerusi Jawatankuasa Parlimen Pemerintah bagi Pendidikan.

Source: http://berita.mediacorp.sg

September 2, 2016
When Does Zika Reach Epidemic Levels In Singapore?
Another 31 new cases of locally-transmitted Zika infections were confirmed as of noon yesterday, including that of a second mother-to-be.

Perhaps more worrying, three cases not linked to any existing clusters have been identified. The three patients live at Tagore Avenue off Upper Thomson Road, Yishun Street 81 and Harvey Crescent near Simei.

As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote on Facebook last evening: “We must assume that Zika is elsewhere in Singapore.”

In his post, he reminded everyone to take precautions and get tested if they experience symptoms of the Zika virus.

He said Singapore has been tracking Zika for a while and knew that it was only a matter of time before it reached our shores.

ACTION: NEA started vector control operations and outreach efforts in Bedok North Avenue 3, Punggol Way and Joo Seng yesterday. TNP PHOTO: PHYLLICIA WANG

He said: “Scientists are still learning about this new disease. But we know that for most people, it is mild and often causes no symptoms at all.

“Pregnant women are at risk, as they are with other viral infections like dengue and chicken pox.

“The cases so far have been in Aljunied and Bedok, but we must assume that Zika is elsewhere in Singapore, too.”

PM Lee added that our best defence is to eradicate mosquitoes and destroy their breeding habitats all over Singapore.

“Do the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout. Let’s all do our part to fight Zika, and dengue as well.”

The new cases confirmed yesterday raises the total to 151 since the first case was discovered on Saturday.

Like the first pregnant woman infected with Zika, the second mum-to be is also linked to the original Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive cluster.

“Her doctor is following up closely with her to provide support and counselling,” said a Health Ministry spokesman in a statement last night.

Apart from her and the three cases in new areas, MOH did not detail where the rest of the new cases were.

The existing Zika clusters include the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive cluster, which has now extended to Kallang Way and Paya Lebar Way, and a potential cluster at Bedok North Avenue 3.

Five other cases were detected as a result of MOH’s look-back testing of previous cases, which is now complete.

In light of the rise in infections and the spread to new areas, perhaps it was inevitable this question was raised at the press conference yesterday: Is there a number for Zika to become an epidemic in Singapore?

Dr Derrick Heng, group director for Public Health at MOH, said that because Zika is new to Singapore, we have not had enough experience to calculate the epidemic threshold.

The Zika situation needs to be monitored to determine the calibration for an epidemic, added Professor Leo Yee Sin, director of the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology at Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

She said: “At this point in time, we call it an outbreak because we’ve never had it before. We’re seeing so many cases right now and we’re actively dealing with the issues.”

Going by the experience of Colombia, which had 6,000 cases of infection a week at its peak earlier this year, Singapore is some distance away from epidemic levels.

The South American nation declared an end to the epidemic in late July when the number of new infections dropped to 600 a week.

Singapore authorities said that as of Wednesday, two rounds of thermal fogging had been completed at the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive cluster, including the cluster in Paya Lebar Way and Kallang Way.

All drains have been flushed and another round of fogging will be conducted this week. A total of 49 breeding habitats – 26 in homes and 23 in common areas or other premises – have been detected and destroyed.

Indoor spraying, misting and oiling have also been conducted and daily misting of common areas is ongoing.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) started vector control operations and outreach efforts in Bedok North Avenue 3, Punggol Way and Joo Seng yesterday.

As of Tuesday, NEA has served notices on more than 500 inaccessible premises in the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive cluster to require the owners to contact NEA to arrange for an inspection, failing which NEA will proceed with forced entry.

The cases so far have been in Aljunied and Bedok, but we must assume that Zika is elsewhere in Singapore, too. Do the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout. Let’s all do our part to fight Zika, and dengue as well.

– PM Lee Hsien Loong, in a Facebook post last night
TACKLING ZIKA

Vector control efforts by the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force

National Environment Agency: Worked with the members of the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force to step up vector control operations within the Zika clusters.

Town councils: Stepped up their cleaning and larviciding of potential breeding habitats.

Ministry of Education: Geylang Methodist primary and secondary schools activated their pest control operators and conducted fogging.

Land Transport Authority: Stepped up vector control measures at all work sites and flushed the drains along the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway.

Public Utilities Board: Conducted checking and sealing of chambers.

National Parks Board: Cleared palm fronds and checking of tree holes at green verges.

Housing Development Board, Singapore Contractors Association, Singapore Pest Management Association and Jurong Town Corporation: Sent advisories to all their contractors and members to step up vector control and preventive measures.

SPREAD OF ZIKA IN THE REGION

SINGAPORE

Of the 115 cases tested positive for Zika virus infection on Wednesday, 57 are foreigners who live and work here, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday.

Seven nationalities are affected, including 23 China nationals, 15 Indian nationals, 10 Bangladeshis, six Malaysians, an Indonesian, a Myanmar national and a Taiwanese.

“All had mild illness. Most have recovered while the rest are recovering well,” said MOH.

A Malaysian woman living and working in Aljunied was identified as the first known case of a person being infected locally on Saturday.

The number of people who contracted Zika in Singapore has increased to 115 on Wednesday, MOH said.

A pregnant woman and her husband, who live in the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive area, were among the cases confirmed.

– The Straits Times.

MALAYSIA

Malaysia recorded its first case of Zika infection on Wednesday after a 58-year-old woman in Klang was suspected to have been infected by her daughter in Singapore.

She and her husband had visited their daughter on Aug 19 and returned on Aug 21. The daughter was confirmed as being infected on Aug 30.

The Health Ministry said the woman started exhibiting symptoms on Aug 28 and sought medical attention at a private clinic in Klang on Aug 30.

Full confirmation via blood tests is pending. – The Star.

INDONESIA

An Indonesian woman has been infected with the Zika virus in Singapore, in the first case of the disease affecting an Indonesian, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry confirmed yesterday.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said the patient had tested positive for Zika.

The woman, whose name and age were not disclosed by officials, is currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Singapore.

– Jakarta Post.
Source: www.tnp.sg
September 2, 2016
MOH: 50% Of Zika Cases Involve Foreign Nationals

Half of the Zika cases in Singapore are foreigners who live or work here, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Sept 1).

Out of 115 cases, 57 are foreigners. The largest group is 23 people from China, followed by 15 from India and 10 from Bangladesh. Six cases are Malaysians, and one case each from Indonesia, Myanmar and Taiwan.

“All had mild illness. Most have recovered while the rest are recovering well,” said the MOH spokesperson.

Earlier on Sunday (Aug 28), the MOH said that 36 foreign workers at a construction site at 60 Sims Drive had been infected.

The ministry announced Singapore’s first case of locally-transmitted Zika on Saturday, involving a 47-year-old Malaysian woman who lived in Block 102 Aljunied Crescent.

Meanwhile, Malaysia reported its first Zika case on Thursday, involving a 58-year-old woman who visited her daughter in Singapore on Aug 19. Her daughter, a resident in Paya Lebar which has seen Zika cases, was confirmed as being infected with the mosquito-borne virus on Aug 30.

In Singapore, efforts to contain Zika’s spread continued on Thursday morning with thermal fogging operations observed in the areas surrounding Aljunied Crescent and Bedok North Ave 3, which has emerged as a potential cluster after three confirmed cases were reported. Health and environment officers were also spotted lifting drain covers to check for any breeding sites.

Residents in Bedok who spoke to TODAY on Thursday were largely unruffled by the latest development.

“Life still goes on… It’s just a pity that the virus has hit our island and spread like wildfire,” said Mr Stephen Gomez, 61, a resident at Blk 402 Bedok North Ave 3.

Housewife Madam Zhao Hai Ying, 27, said she would take more precautions by checking if her two young children had any mosquito bites. “But you can’t be so (fixated) on this, we just have to be a little more careful,” she added.

Office manager Sally Lim, 43, said that Zika was not “as serious” as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), and that there was “nothing to be worried about”.

However, she noted that some of her relatives who had originally intended to visit her this weekend at her home in Bedok had decided to cancel the visit.

Source: www.todayonline.com

September 2, 2016