The Shiba Inu coin, a meme coin inspired by Dogecoin, recently hit an all-time high and climbed the charts to have the 11th biggest market cap of any cryptocurrency. According to CoinGecko, the Shiba coin now has a market value of more than US$19 billion (~RM78.8 billion) after climbing up almost 42% just this week.

As a matter of fact, that growth seems paltry compared to how much the coin’s value has increased in the span of one year, which is a staggering 4.5 million percent. To put it into perspective, if you had bought US$100 (~RM415) worth of Shiba coin back in October 2020, you would now have roughly US$45 million (~RM186 million).

While the price did fall by about 10% after Elon Musk tweeted that he didn’t own any of the meme currency, it didn’t knock Shiba Inu off its 11th place ranking. That being said, it still has a ways to go before it can surpass its senpai, Dogecoin, which has a market value of US$35 billion (~RM145 billion) and currently ranks 9th.

The altcoin has made a meteoric rise in the crypto world, making ordinary people millionaires overnight and now there’s an online petition to officially add the coin to the trading app Robinhood. Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, even donated US$1 billion (~RM4.15 billion) worth of Shiba Inu to an Indian COVID-19 relief fund.

Cryptocurrencies, in general, are seeing a rising trend as the value of Bitcoin hit an all-time high of US$67000 (~RM278000) last week. Bitcoin was even officially adopted as an official currency in El Salvador earlier this year. Of course, crypto trading is still risky and volatile, so you should do your own research before making any investments.

(Source: CNN)

The Perfect Choice for Home and Investment

The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has established a special complaint channel dedicated exclusively to the food delivery service or known to many as p-hailing. Open to both consumers and eateries, it comes in the form of a dedicated e-mail address.

According to the Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Rosol Wahid, the ministry received 1,903 complaints regarding Foodpanda and 30 complaints regarding GrabFood in 2020. On the other hand, Foodpanda and GrabFood garnered a total of 946 and 43 complaints respectively from January to August this year.

KPDNHEP has apparently been in talks with key players within the p-hailing industry to resolve all issues, including delays in payment of food sales to traders and high commission charges. “Some p-hailing companies claim that the delay in payment is due to problems with their system. They promise to improve their system. There are also companies that want to lower their commission rates,” said the minister.

Earlier this year, the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) said that it was closely monitoring food delivery platforms for charging excessive commission fees after local food vendors aired out their frustrations on social media. Food delivery riders have also been proven to be a menace on the road, as a study by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) revealed that 70% of riders disobey traffic rules when they are on a delivery run.

As for the special channel that we have mentioned earlier, you can channel any complaints that you have a the moment regarding p-hailing to [email protected]. However, the turnaround time for each complaint received by KPDNHEP through the e-mail address was not revealed by the minister.

(Source: The Vibes.)

SITE PROGRESS: Urban Suites (Oct 2021)

First unveiled at the Frankfurt motor show in 2019, Jaguar Land Rover has now brought the all-new Defender here in Malaysia. It’ll be offered only in the 110 five-door form at launch, with two engine options on offer.

Pricing for the 2021 Land Rover Defender starts at RM798,800 for the entry-level P300 2.0-litre model, moving up to RM998,800 for the P400.

Learn more about the 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 here in our launch-day coverage.

The P300 variant is equipped with a 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engine with 300 hp and 400 Nm of torque. The higher-end P400 meanwhile comes with a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline six with 48V mild hybrid technology, good for 400 hp and 550 Nm of torque.

Both variants send their power to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox, with a low-range transfer box for trickier terrains.

Equipment wise, both variants are based on the global Land Rover Defender’s HSE trim, which means they come as standard with automatic LED matrix headlights with signature DRLs, 20-inch five-spoke wheels in Gloss Sparkle Silver (with full-sized spare), as well as a sliding panoramic sunroof.

Watch the Land Rover Defender get dirty in the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die.

Inside, the Land Rover Defender in Malaysia is equipped with a fully-digital instrument cluster with head-up display, alongside a 10-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system that’s paired to a Meridian professional sound system.

Although, for most people, the most attractive aspect of the Defender for most people is its retro-inspired styling – you’d be surprised to find out it’s not just all style and no substance! Learn more in the video above.

GALLERY

Source: Bernama

Penang’s Bukit Kukus paired road, touted to be the highest elevated route in the country, will be partially open to traffic by year’s end.

The road, which rises 55m from the pile caps, links Bandar Baru Air Itam and Relau and hugs the slopes on the southern reaches of the Penang Hill range.

Officially called the Paya Terubong Paired Road, it spans 5.5km, with the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) building a 3.3km stretch.

The remaining 1.4km and 800m stretches are being built by developer PLB Land Sdn Bhd and Geo Valley Sdn Bhd, respectively.

State infrastructure and transport committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the city council’s 3.3km stretch was 96% complete, pending final work on a 1.6km stretch on the main route and a 500m flyover linking Jalan Tun Sardon and Balik Pulau.

Zairil said the road was supposed to be completed last year, but work was delayed due to the movement control order (MCO), five extensions of time (EOTs) due to land acquisition issues, slope stabilisation work, the relocation of utility lines as well as landslide and blasting permits.

Construction work on the road began on Jan 14, 2016, by main contractor Syarikat Yuta Maju Sdn Bhd. The project was put on hold on Oct 19, 2018, following a landslide that killed 13 workers, and resumed on Jan 28 the following year.

The cost of the road is RM545 million, with the city council forking out RM275 million. PLB Land will spend RM150 million for its stretch and Geo Valley will spend RM120 million, a state assembly reply showed.

Zairil said despite the delays, the city council’s cost to build its portion of the road remained at RM275 million.

Zairil added that as of now, PLB’s road building progress was at 15% and Geo Valley, at 12%. He said Geo Valley’s portion was stalled due to an objection hearing, while PLB Land, as a white knight contractor, would build according to its cash flow.

Source: FreeMalaysiaToday.com

Starting from George Town Penang eight years ago, the folks at Mugshot Cafe have finally ventured out on its second new space named Crumbz. Located inside City Junction, a new shopping mall in the township of Tanjung Tokong, Crumbz is giving communities a great space to check in for coffee, breakfast, brunch, and light lunch. 

You will be seeing a bunch of young faces managing this huge-sized bright cafe with modern contemporary outlook. Currently, its menu offers freshly baked pastries, cakes, sandwiches, a range of tasty beverages, and also remaining firmly with Mugshot’s items and Rainforest Bakery’s breads.

There is the buttery flaky croissant, and one can savour it on its own as a simple snack or as a full meal with filling choices such as ham cheese, tuna, and egg salad. If you are looking for something sweet, try the peach croissant or the chocolate croissant.

Other savories are the egg salad sandwich, avocado egg sandwich, and the ham egg cheese brioche. As for bagels, there are filling options such as cream cheese & smoked salmon, bacon & egg, and turkey ham & blueberry sauce. ⁠

At Crumbz, visitors will certainly be in for a dessert experience with its variety of creative cakes – orange almond, pistachio lemon curd, lemon drizzle chocolate chips, chocolate bundt, pistachio lemon curd, fudgy brownie, banana upside down cake, spiced apple sultana, cheesecake, milk pound cake and more.

Apart from these, they also serve the onde-onde cake – coated with coconut shavings and with creamy concoction infused with gula Melaka. This cake is a delicious way of eating the local onde-onde malay kuih.

A must-try is the Belgium Marquise, a delectably flavorsome chocolate dessert prepared with the richness of fine chocolate, fruits, and nuts.

The best way to enjoy the cake is to pair it with a cup of freshly brewed black coffee. Customers can choose to add on an extra shot for just RM3 or milk of preference (almond/oat milk) at an additional cost of RM2. Beyond their coffee, the cafe also offers tea, hot chocolate, smoothies, fresh juices, and yogurts loaded up with mouth-watering toppings (jackfruit is my personal favorite).

Now with Crumbz’s new location (steps from the upscale Village Grocer), it’s never been easier to infuse your day with the flavors at downtown Mugshot and Rainforest. The cafe is open daily from early 7am till 8pm.

Crumbz
2-1-5 (Lot A & B) City Junction
Persiaran Lengkuas 2
10470 Tanjung Tokong
Penang

This weekend, Sepang International Circuit is hosting Round 2 of the 2021 Toyota Vios Challenge. The race recommences after a seven-month hiatus as a result of the full lockdown imposed due to the worsening daily COVID-19 cases.

Although we are moving towards a great recovery, unfortunately for fans of racing and their favourite celebrities, the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival will again be held behind closed doors without the presence of spectators in adherence to strict SOPs.  

Similar to Round 1 that was held back in March, Round 2 will also use the Sepang North Track for this entire weekend of October 23rd and 24th. With a high average speed combining two long straights and tight corners, plenty of Toyota Vios racing action is guaranteed across all four categories.

Qualifying sessions in the morning will set the pace for Saturday before moving to the first race of Round 2 scheduled at 2:45 P.M. The battle of the rookies from the Gazoo Racing Young Talent Development Program is currently led by Naquib Azlan, who won both races in Round 1, will be in hot pursuit by his fellow rookies who are 14-year old Putera Adam, Jwan Hii, Amer Harris, Mika Hakimi and Troy Eimann.

The rookies will start their 2:45 P.M. Race 1 together with Malaysia’s top motorsport athletes in the Super Sporting category. Big names such as Mark Darwin, Keifli Othman, Syafiq Ali and Brendan Paul Anthony will be pushing their hardest to close the point gap that current championship leader Tengku Djan Ley has built up thanks to his dominance at March’s Race 1. Tengku Djan is also carrying a success ballast of 40 kg entering Race 1 of Round 2.

Fans of local celebrities such as Nabila Razali, Nabil Ahmad, singer-songwriter Talitha Tan as well as Ahirine Ahirudin will get to watch racing action of the Toyota Vios GR Sport machines from 3:35 P.M. The entertainment personalities will then take centre stage from 5:08 P.M. for their respective performances.

The ever-competitive Sporting category which has a field of 19 Toyota Vios Challenge cars will begin racing at 4:25 P.M. The category with varied skill levels has representatives from Toyota dealers, budding racing drivers as well as amateurs competing for top honours.

Sunday will see the second day of racing action, starting with the Race 2 of the Super Sporting and Rookie categories at 1:15 P.M., followed by Sporting category at 2:15 P.M. and the Promotional category ending the weekend and Round 2 from 3:15 P.M. All times as subject to change, as the weather plays a significant effect as seen in March’s first race of the weekend.  

All the two days of racing action of Round 2, plus entertainment during the break, will be broadcast live on the Toyota Gazoo Racing Malaysia Facebook and Youtube pages, the Toyota Malaysia Facebook page and the UMW Toyota Motor website.

Round 2, Race 1, Saturday

• 2:45 – Super Sporting and Rookie
• 3:35 – Promotional
• 4:25 – Sporting
• 5:08 – Off the grid performances by TGR Celebrities and friends

Round 2, Race 2, Sunday

• 1:15 – Super Sporting and Rookie
• 2:15 – Sporting
• 3:15 – Promotional
• 3:52 – Off the grid Finale performances