Compiled by C. ARUNO, RAZAK AHMAD and R. ARAVINTHAN

       CHINESE vernacular schools have carried out preparations to reopen on Oct 3, said the National Union of Heads of Schools.

       Sin Chew Daily reported the union’s president Lim Bee Khim as saying that more than 99% of teachers at SJKCs have been fully vaccinated.

       She assured parents that all the schools had implemented Covid-19 standard operating procedures and urged them to send their children back to school on Oct 3.

       The headmaster of SJK(C) Taman Connaught added that the decision to send their children back to school still falls on the parents.

       The United Chinese School Teachers’ Association, however, urged the government to consider reopening schools based on the local pandemic situation rather than doing it across the board.

       Its president Cheah Lek Aee said the severity of the pandemic where schools were located should be considered before reopening.

       “It is important for the government or the Education Ministry to conduct a risk assessment, make all necessary preparations to ensure the safety of teachers and students before deciding to reopen a school.

       “In short, the safety of teachers and students must be a priority,” he said.

       The Education Ministry has announced that schools will reopen in stages from Oct 3 onwards, beginning with examination classes.

       > In China’s latest crackdown on “effeminate styles” in the entertainment industry, a list of guidelines for celebrities released by a TV station has sent Internet users into fits of laughter, reported China Press.

       The list, which was released by Hunan TV, reminded guests on the programme Call Me By Fire that they were not allowed to bite their lips, wink, twist their hips or even grimace when on stage.

       “Refrain from grimacing, and your coolness will receive great praise,” the first guideline read.

       It was earlier reported that Chinese broadcasting regulator The National Radio and Television Administration said it will ban “effeminate” aesthetics in entertainment shows and that “vulgar influencers” should be avoided.

       They pledged to promote what it defined as more masculine images of men and criticised male celebrities who use lots of makeup.

       > A food delivery rider in Japan stunned Internet users when he revealed that he managed to earn ￥2.64mil (RM99,747) by working non-stop for three months, reported Sin Chew Daily.

       The delivery rider claimed he worked from 9am to 10pm every day between June and August 2021 and had only taken one day’s leave in between.

       He clocked more than 90 hours each week on his 50cc motorcycle and has made 3,706 deliveries throughout the three months.

       This meant he made an average of 40 deliveries per day.

       The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.