Latest from Egyptians Abroad
Barnama
20 minutes ago
- Automotive
- Barnama
Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza Fully Reopened
BATU PAHAT, June 26 (Bernama) -- The entry and exit lanes of the Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza near here have been fully reopened after a temporary closure following an incident involving a drum containing hazardous and corrosive chemicals that fell off a trailer yesterday evening. PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS), in a post on its PLUS Malaysia Facebook page, said that the route has been reopened and accessible to all vehicles from 2.44 am today. 'The latest update is that the incident has been resolved, and all lanes have reopened. The entry lane to Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza is now open. Traffic is under control. Please be informed,' it said in the post. Earlier, PLUS had informed via Facebook that the route was temporarily closed by the Fire and Rescue Department for safety reasons after the incident was reported at 6.41 pm. Checks conducted by Bernama at the location at 9 am found that traffic at the Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza was smooth and operating as normal. Meanwhile, Ayer Hitam Fire and Rescue Station (BBP) Senior Operations Commander, PPgB Muhammad Syakir Jamal, said the incident involved a 40-tonne container lorry transporting Urea Formaldehyde. According to him, as the vehicle was negotiating a bend in front of the Ayer Hitam Toll Plaza, three of the drums fell onto the road, and one of them, with a 1,000-litre capacity, ruptured and spilled its contents. 'Initial action taken was to cover the chemical spill with soil while awaiting the arrival of the Hazmat team from BBP Larkin. 'Detection work by the Hazmat team was then carried out using a pH meter, pH paper, GFG and Gasmet devices, and the spill was contained with soil to prevent it from spreading, with the chemical then transferred to a safe location,' he said.
CNA
21 minutes ago
- Business
- CNA
More ad-hoc durian vendors popping up on e-commerce platforms ahead of peak harvest
SINGAPORE: With peak durian harvest just around the corner, more enterprising ad-hoc vendors are popping up online, mainly on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Carousell. Many such vendors jump on the bandwagon during increased seasonal demand to make a quick profit. However, veteran durian retailers warned that the gamble could backfire, as recent erratic weather could squeeze supply and push up prices. COMPETITIVE MARKET Royal Durian, which has been selling the king of fruits online for the past six years, said the Singapore durian market is crowded. During the harvest season, there could be about a dozen durian sellers doing TikTok livestreams at the same time, said the business' owner Jeremy Chew. The local durian industry is 'very easy' to enter, he added. But he questioned if such sellers are able to maintain their venture: 'The fact is, can you do it well? Are you doing it as a hobby or can you really do it long term?' Besides selling the fruit to consumers, the company also sells durian products such as desserts and mooncakes. Additionally, it supplies durians to other vendors. 'It sounds very weird that I'm still supplying my competitors. In other industries, it doesn't make sense, but (in ours) it is very common,' said Mr Chew. 'Let's say I have fruits but you do not, I can give you some. And we help each other out.' Meanwhile, home-based stall Dukrian gets its customers from e-commerce platforms as well as delivery apps such as Grab. The shop said it sets itself apart by buying directly from plantations instead of wholesalers. 'It makes a very big difference in terms of the durian quality,' noted the firm's owner Daren Chan. 'For example, the plantation owner will choose the good ones first for his direct customers, like me, and then the rest will be thrown to the market for wholesalers.' Mr Chan also gets requests from other businesses, which buy his durians and resell them. 'It happens quite a lot, especially when the prices are very cheap. That's when they can make a profit,' he added. ONLINE COMPETITION The online durian game has grown partially due to the convenience of delivery, said Dr Samer El Hajjar, a senior marketing lecturer at the National University of Singapore's Business School. 'The key to stand out is trust (and) to give good prices, good photos, honest descriptions (and) good reviews,' he added. 'So, a reliable online source with good prices … will stand out in this competitive online space now.' He warned that there are downsides to online retail, as consumers cannot see, touch or smell the pungent fruit before making a purchase. 'No one wants to pay a premium for an item that's not good enough, and that's actually the fundamental of purchasing behaviours in the online game,' Dr El Hajjar told CNA. 'That's why they go to the more trusted sellers.' Physical businesses such as Combat Durian appear unfazed by online rivals. The family-run firm, which has been selling durians for 60 years, said it is more than just price and quality – it is also about giving customers an experience. 'For online (vendors), they don't have physical shops. For us, people can come into our shops, sit down, relax, and (enjoy the) feeling of opening a durian,' said Combat Durian owner Linda Ang, who is not looking to venture online. 'If there's anything wrong, we can change (the fruit) immediately, whereas online, I heard that you can complain but no replacement is done,' she added. 'It's a one-time business. For us, it is long-term.'
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Where did Jeremiah Fears land in USA TODAY Sports final NBA Mock Draft?
The 2025 NBA Draft commences on Wednesday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, and everything is trending toward Sooners point guard Jeremiah Fears going inside the top 10 of the draft. Fears, who played just one season for Oklahoma, was the catalyst to OU's return to the NCAA Tournament. It was Oklahoma's first trip to March Madness since 2020-2021. Fears led the Sooners in points, assists, and steals in his true freshman season and, in the process, catapulted both the Sooners to their best season under Porter Moser and Fears into the draft lottery. Advertisement In USA TODAY Sports final NBA mock draft, the experts have Fears going No. 6 overall to the Washington Wizards. Solid start to his freshman season; quick on the dribble; has strength going to the rim and can finish; operates well in the pick-and-roll as a scorer and passer; needs to improve his 3-point shot but potential is there. Fears scored a season-high 31 points and added five assists and four rebounds in a win against ranked Missouri. Fears had a strong SEC tournament, producing 29 points, six rebounds and five steals plus five turnovers in a victory against Georgia and 28 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals (just one turnover) in a loss to Kentucky. He generated 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in a NCAA Tournament first-round loss to UConn. - USA TODAY Sports Fears was a fast riser in draft circles throughout the 2024-2025 season. He's a dynamic guard that's able to get into the paint consistently and is a good finisher at the rim. Fears has great speed and is a good distributor of the basketball. He's going to make a really good NBA player and has a really high ceiling as he continues to develop his game. The last time the Oklahoma Sooners had a player taken in the first round of the NBA Draft was Trae Young in 2018. Blake Griffin in 2009 and Buddy Hield in 2016 are the only other first-round selections since Mookie Blaylock went No. 12 to the New Jersey Nets back in 1989. Advertisement Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams. This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Jeremiah Fears going top 10 in USA TODAY Sports final NBA mock draft
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mariska Hargitay reveals psychic predicted Law & Order career
Mariska Hargitay has revealed a psychic predicted her career on Law & Order. The Law & Order: SVU star had always planned to live in Los Angeles and work in comedy, but a trip to a psychic was her first clue she would end up famous for dramatic acting. In an interview with the Call Her Daddy podcast, Mariska, 61, explained that a friend pressed her to visit the clairvoyant. "I used to go to New York twice a year and just see theatre," Mariska told host Alex Cooper. "I was 34, and I come to New York, and a friend of mine said, 'You have to go to this psychic on Long Island'." Expecting the fortune-teller to leverage existing knowledge of her Hollywood star mother Jayne Mansfield, the actress was sceptical. "Because my mom was famous, I was like, you are just probably going to Google me, you know, Jayne Mansfield's daughter, and then come up with some bulls**'," she recalled "So I sit down with this guy and he says, 'You see that face?' I have this on recording. 'You see that face right now?' I said, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'You're going be famous for that face, that serious face.'" When Mariska pushed back against the idea, the psychic was blunt. "This is my favourite thing I think anyone's ever said to me," Mariska said. "He goes like this: 'I don't give a rat's a*s what you think. You're going to be famous for that face.' And then he says to me, 'And you're moving to New York.'"
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
RHOM's Larsa Pippen Reveals Real Problem With Lisa Hochstein
Season 7 of The Real Housewives of Miami featured the friendship breakdown between Larsa Pippen and Lisa Hochstein. When Larsa and her boyfriend, Marcus Jordan, broke up, Larsa demanded loyalty. She didn't want Lisa and Lisa's boyfriend, Jody Glidden, to socialize with Marcus. Unfortunately, Marcus and Jody share friends in common, so this was a bit of an ask. Still, Larsa slammed Lisa for not maintaining complete control of Jody and his social life. Now, Larsa is sharing all the other ways that Lisa has disappointed her. Of course, Larsa let Lisa know that she was there for her during her messy divorce from Dr. Lenny Hochstein. 'With this past breakup of mine, I needed her to be a friend,' Larsa told Parade. 'It just sucks when you are there for someone and it's not reciprocated. I felt really hurt by it all.' She continued, 'When my friends are down and out, I am so there for them. I try to do more than I normally would, because I feel like they need it. I can't relate … it's hurtful when other people don't reciprocate the way that I do,' Larsa added. According to Larsa, newbie housewife Stephanie Shojaee is already one of her friends. 'I love Stephanie. She's one of my closest friends. I knew that she would hit it off with most of the girls,' Larsa stated. 'We're very comfortable with each other, and I think when you add a new person to the mix, it definitely changes the dynamics.' Meanwhile, Lisa doesn't seem to be crying any tears over her crumbling friendship with Larsa. She claimed that she and Larsa hadn't touched base 'for months' before Season 7 began to film. Lisa alleged that Larsa may have been trying to stir up trouble to create 'a storyline' for the season. The Real Housewives of Miami airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo. The show streams on Hayu in the UK and Ireland. TELL US – IS LARSA EXPECTING TOO MUCH FROM LISA? IS LARSA FEUDING WITH LISA FOR A STORYLINE? The post RHOM's Larsa Pippen Reveals Real Problem With Lisa Hochstein appeared first on Reality Tea.
