Roti john is an omelette sandwich founded by a Malay who lived in Singapore during the British colonial times before being widely popular throughout the Malay Peninsula in present-day Malaysia.
Roti is the Hindi, Urdu and Malay word for bread, and more generally for any bread-based or bread-like food, including sandwiches and pancakes. The origin of john in the name is allegedly due to the Western origin of the baguette and British colonial rule in British Malaya and Singapore island.
The ingredients include minced meat (chicken or mutton), onion, egg, tomato-chilli sauce and a baguette-type loaf.
~Wikipedia~
Ministry: Eateries nationwide to be smoke-free from next year
Smoking in all restaurants, coffee shops and hawker centres nationwide will be banned starting next year, even in open-air eateries.
Apart from the existing smoke-free zones in public places and government buildings, the new ruling under the Health Ministry will encompass all restaurants and eateries, including open-air hawker centres and street stalls, according to Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye.
Those caught smoking at prohibited areas will be fined up to RM10,000 or face two years’ jail.
Eateries found to allow their patrons to light up will be fined up to RM2,500.
“This time, all restaurants regardless whether they are an enclosed area, air-conditioned or open-air will need to comply with the ruling from next year,” he said after opening a conference at the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology yesterday.
Dr Lee said smokers or restaurant owners who violated the ruling would face action under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 under the Food Act.
He added that the ruling was not only to encourage smokers to kick the habit, but also to protect non-smokers from the effects of secondhand smoke.
“We are ready to face objections from smokers and restaurant owners, but we will not compromise when it comes to looking after the health of the people.
“No doubt smokers will say they have the right to smoke, but non-smokers also have the right to enjoy their food without being harmed by cigarette smoke.
“Business operators and traders need not worry about getting fewer customers as we are confident that more non-smoking customers will eat at places without the presence of cigarette smoke,” said Dr Lee.
He also said imposing the ban on roadside and illegal eateries was still a challenge and that the ministry had yet to decide on the details.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Melaka takes over zoo and aviary park
The Melaka Zoo and Safari in Ayer Keroh here has been closed for two weeks following the transfer of its management to the state government.
The state has also taken over the management of a nearby Melaka Bird Park, putting it under the care of the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council (MPHTJ).
Both sites were closed since Sept 28 to facilitate internal audits and facelifts.
They will be reopened on Oct 11.
State Housing, Local Government and Environment committee chairman Tey Kok Kiew was at the zoo yesterday to observe the transfer.
Also present were state and MPHTJ officials, and also the private concessionaire.
In a press statement released by MPHTJ, both the menageries were taken over after the previous concessionaire, KKW Sdn Bhd, had violated the agreement signed on Dec 31, 2012, to facilitate the privatisation exercise.
However, Tey declined to elaborate whether the main reason for state government’s takeover was due to the negligence of the animals’ well-being.
He only disclosed the rationale was meant to safeguard the interest of both sites.
On Saturday, Tey told The Star that the 60-year agreement sealed with the concessionaire in 2012 had been nullified through an amicable bilateral discussion.
Meanwhile, MPHTJ’s president Mahani Masban said the two-week auditing exercise would cover the number of animals still alive and those that died since the privatisation six years ago.
The zoo has currently 554 animals compared to 600 in 2015.
~News courtesy of The Star~
Malaysia eyes 30 million tourist arrivals by 2020
The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is targeting 30 million tourist arrivals by 2020.
Deputy Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said this would increase the contribution of tourism to the Gross Domestic Product from 14.9 per cent last year, when there were 26.1 million tourist arrivals, to 15.1 per cent.
He said the increase in tourist arrivals proved that tourism promotions had been successful.
“We are now asking for a bigger budget for tourism promotion because it is key to the sustainability of the tourism industry,” he told reporters after flagging off the 2018 Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride Penang, here, today.
He said there was a need to go all out to promote the country’s tourism industry as there was stiff competition from neighbouring countries.
He urged tourism organisations to use the tagline, Malaysia Truly Asia, in their promotions as it had proved to be effective in wooing tourists.
Bakhtiar said the ministry was working with the Education Ministry to introduce staggered school holiday breaks according to states to distribute the domestic tourist load.
~News courtesy of New Straits Times~
