VP Hot Takes is our weekly roundup of tech and digital lifestyle news in Malaysia.You can also check out more in this segment by clicking here.
Once again, Malaysia is in international headlines again. However this time it isn’t our ex-prime minister but one of his best buddies, Jho Low. The Billion Dollar Whale Book was just released this week and reportedly sold out in one bookshop chain. Jho Low and his lawyers tried their best to stop the sale of the books by sending threatening letters to bookshops around the world in an attempt to block distribution of the new book written by Wall Street Journal reporters Bradley Hope and Tom Wright.
Certain parties have even released a PDF version of the book and circulated it throughout social media and WhatsApp. However please don’t go looking for it as Tom Wright, one of the book’s authors, urged members of the public from disseminating the leaked copy and said the publishing company would take legal action against anyone who forwarded the book since the copy has an embedded digital footprint.
The book describes how Malaysian Jho Low has been accused by the US government of masterminding the theft of billions of dollars from the Malaysian state-owned investment fund 1MDB, which was sent to bank accounts in Switzerland, Singapore and the Virgin Islands.
Image Credit: Elite Readers
Thanks to social media now, we get to see the ugly side of Malaysians who like to stand in empty parking spaces and say that they are waiting for their friend, father, mother or even grandmother to park.
PDRM has come to save the day by announcing that it is illegal for unauthorised personnel (that means you, auntie), to “cop” a parking spot and divert traffic away from the empty space. If found guilty, the offender can be fined up to RM2,000 or face a maximum six months jail term.
Image Credit: Pexels/Christopher
The Malaysian government has announced that plastic straws will be banned in all the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan from Jan 1 next year.
Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Adnan Mohd Ikhsan said businesses which are still found to be using plastic straws in 2019 risk having their business licence terminated. For those who don’t follow the rules they might be be fined, lose their deposits, have their trading items confiscated or even be imprisoned.
Image Credit: Android Authority
New York real estate agent Diane Chung’s Note 9 caught fire on 3 September, less than two weeks after the smartphone’s launch. According to New York Post, Chung told the Queens Supreme Court that she had burned her fingers in the attempt to remove the smoking phone from her bag, then dropped it on the elevator floor and kicked it out.
As the burning phone allegedly destroyed all the contents of her bag, she has filed for unspecified damages. On top of that, she also filed for a restraining order that could bar the sales of the Galaxy Note 9 altogether.
Image Credit: ABCNewsGo
In the next general elections, Malaysians can exercise their rights to vote even if they are aged 18, said Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. It was decided following a Cabinet decision this week, Syed Saddiq said he would work closely with youth leaders from all political parties and members of the Youth Parliament to discuss and gather views on the matter.
Under the country’s laws, 18 is the legal age of adulthood, and is considered an age to take full responsibility of one’s actions, such as being eligible for a driving test, get married or to sign contracts.
Feature Image Credit: New York Post