Ratusan Lagi Pekerja AirAsia Dijangka Diberhentikan

 

KUALA LUMPUR: Syarikat penerbangan tambang rendah, AirAsia Bhd berkemungkinan melaksanakan pusingan terbaharu langkah pemberhentian beratus-ratus pekerjanya dalam usaha untuk terus bertahan dalam industri yang terjejas teruk akibat krisis COVID-19.

Pada awal Jun lalu, AirAsia telah mengurangkan lebih 250 pekerjanya akibat penularan COVID-19 berkenaan.

Bercakap kepada Bernama, sumber enggan dikenali yang mempunyai akses terhadap kenyataan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) AirAsia Riad Asmat pada dialog awam bersama pekerja hari ini berkata, tiada butiran lanjut diumumkan kecuali pekerja terbabit akan dimaklumkan paling lewat dalam tempoh 72 jam ini.

Pada sesi itu, Riad dipetik sebagai berkata : "Kita sedang menghadapi situasi yang amat sukar. Dalam keadaan semasa ini, sukar untuk kita bertahan mengikut keadaan sebelumnya.

"Ya, keadaan ini amat mencabar dan tidak mudah. Kita berusaha gigih untuk mengekalkan kelangsungan perniagaan dan (pada masa sama) cuba untuk mengekalkan khidmat semua pekerja.
"Apa yang pasti, kita berusaha sedaya upaya untuk mengekalkan khidmat seramai mungkin pekerja mengikut (jumlah) pesawat yang digunakan. Kita amat berhati-hati (dalam membuat keputusan) hari ini namun malangnya, kita telah memutuskan untuk melepaskan segelintir daripada anda."

Menurut sumber itu lagi, pasukan pengurusan AirAsia akan memberi bantuan sewajarnya kepada pekerja terbabit seperti ganjaran perubatan, penebusan kupon penerbangan sehingga akhir tahun ini selain kaunseling.

Riad juga dipetik sebagai berkata, pekerja terbabit akan dipanggil untuk berkhidmat semula selepas syarikat penerbangan itu berjaya mengatasi kesukaran terbabit.

"Untuk mereka yang berkenaan, saya mohon maaf. Anda perlu tabah...kita akan menyokong anda dan membantu anda mengharungi (keadaan ini). Ini bukanlah sesuatu yang saya banggakan, namun sebagai CEO syarikat ini, saya bertanggung jawab penuh dan menggalas kebertanggungjawaban ini.

"Kita telah mencuba sedaya mungkin tetapi syarikat ini perlu terus bertahan...semuanya menyentuh aspek kelangsungan itu," kata Riad, sekali gus menunjukkan bahawa langkah pengurangan pekerja itu dijangkakan selesai menjelang akhir bulan ini.

Selain itu, kata sumber berkenaan, pekerja yang tidak terbabit dengan langkah itu juga tidak akan dikenakan potongan gaji.
Menurutnya, Riad juga berkata kumpulan syarikat penerbangan itu telah memaklumkan mengenai keadaan yang dialami syarikat kepada kerajaan namun belum mendapat sebarang maklum balas.

"Kita bertahan secara sendirian. Ini bukanlah perkara baharu. Kita adalah 'survivor' (pemandiri) dan belum menerima sebarang bantuan secara langsung," katanya.

Sementara itu pada sesi berasingan, CEO AirAsia X Bhd (AAX) Benyamin Ismail pula mengumumkan bahawa syarikat penerbangan jarak jauh itu turut meneliti langkah pemberhentian yang lebih meluas dan membabitkan pekerja segmen teknikal sehingga anak kapal.

Beliau dipetik sebagai berkata, keputusan itu berdasarkan prinsip 'pekerja terakhir masuk, diberhentikan dahulu,' sekali gus membayangkan bahawa ini dijangka membabitkan ratusan pekerja dengan hari terakhir bekerja mereka jatuh pada akhir Oktober.
Menurut sumber itu, segelintir pekerja akan turut ditawarkan cuti tanpa gaji yang berkemungkinan besar membabitkan tempoh selama enam bulan atau sehingga keadaan kembali pulih.

"Saya tidak tahu bila kita dapat meneruskan semula penerbangan. Kita beranggapan, pemberhentian pekerja ini adalah yang sewajarnya dan berharap dapat memberi sedikit kepastian kepada orang ramai," kata Benyamin.

Sumber itu berkata, AAX juga akan turut melakukan semakan semula gaji pokok pekerja di segenap peringkat.

-BERNAMA/ 28 SEPT 2020

Most in Demand Tech Skills for 2021 and Why You Should Learn Them

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are two very hot buzzwords that have become synonymous with innovation. Today, AI and ML are used in a vast number of services and tools.

According to LinkedIn 2020 Emerging Jobs Report, hiring growth for the role of Artificial Intelligence Specialist has increased by 74% annually in the last 4 years.
According to Indeed’s best jobs of 2019 study, Machine Learning Engineer job openings increased by 344% between 2015 and 2018. Also, according to Indeed, the current average salary of a Machine Learning Engineer is $140,502 per year in the United States.

Skills such as TensorFlow, Python, Java, R, and Natural Language Processing are skills that you should learn today to improve your chances of getting hired for an AI or ML job as these skills now have the highest demand.

Learning to build chatbots is also one of the most in-demand skills that come under AI and ML. You must have noticed that AI deals with customer service interactions and queries on many websites and that chatbots pop up when you visit these websites. AI-operated chatbots are being deployed extensively by several major industries.

Due to the current popularity, IT employees who started learning AI and ML themselves are sure to earn the highest salaries and demand in 2021.

2. Cloud Computing

Cloud computing jobs are on the rise because more and more companies are switching from the traditional server infrastructure to cloud solutions. Many AI and ML services are also provided by cloud platforms.

According to Indeed, Cloud Computing job openings in the USA increased by 107% between 2016 and 2019.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is currently the leading cloud service provider on the market. So learning AWS before 2021 will be very useful to improve your demand as an IT professional.

AWS-certified IT professionals earn more than their non-certified counterparts. It is one of the most profitable skills IT employees can learn to level up their tech career as AWS certified developers earning an average of $130,272 (the highest of all certifications in the United States and Canada). The current average salary of an AWS Could Solution Architect in the United States is $139,055.

Some other most in-demand cloud skills are Microsoft Azure, Docker, DevOps, and Kubernetes.

Cloud Engineers will likely continue to have a long-term need across the technology industry as more companies move to cloud platforms.
3. Cybersecurity
It’s very important for any company that collects sensitive customer information or deals with sensitive data of its own, to keep their networks secure. Almost every major company today stores customer and company data in databases, making cybersecurity one of the top technology trends in 2020 and beyond.

Cybersecurity Specialist job position has a 30% annual growth rate in the US, according to LinkedIn 2020 Emerging Jobs Report. Cloud security experts also have a high demand due to the growing number of cloud services.

Cybersecurity, Information Security, Network Security, and Vulnerability Assessment are the best skills to learn to land a job as a Cybersecurity Specialist. You also need a good knowledge of the basics of programming languages.

6 out of 15 top-paying IT certifications focus on security, so learning IT security isn’t going to be a waste even if you’re an IT professional.

The cybersecurity labor crunch is expected to reach 3.5 million unfilled jobs by 2021. So the demand for security professionals will be extremely high in 2021.

4. Full Stack Development

While not a new job, the rapid pace of technology change has made full stack developers a valuable asset for any company. Both front-end and back-end developers have high demand in many countries, but full-stack developers have even greater demand.

According to LinkedIn, the hiring rate for the role of Full Stack Engineer has been at an annual growth rate of 35% since 2015 in the USA.

Full Stack Developer job title ranks 2nd in Indeed’s best jobs of 2020 study and ranks top in the growth spotlight at a growth rate of 161.98%.

Currently, most in-demand coding languages across the globe are Go, JavaScript, Java, and Python. JavaScript is also the most commonly used programming language. Go has a high demand but low supply due to fewer developers working with it.

React and Angular, are also at the top of the list of most in-demand front-end tech skills.
Django and Spring are the most demanding back-end framework skills.

Full-stack developers will have a high demand and a high salary in 2021, so learning to become one before 2021 will be most beneficial to you.

5. AR and VR

Also known as Extended Reality (XR) is the collaboration of both Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Many industries, such as entertainment, education, health, manufacturing, and advertising, have already adopted XR technology. So in 2021, XR technicians are sure to be in high demand.
According to Hired’s 2020 State of Software Engineers report, demand growth for the role of AR/VR Engineer was 1400% in 2019.

74% of software engineers predict that we will see the full impact of AR/VR in the next 5 years.

According to Statista, the market size of XR was around $6.1 billion in 2016 but is expected to reach $215 billion by 2021. Top companies like Google, Facebook, Snapchat, NVIDIA, and HTC are now using XR. COVID19 has also played a part in growing the market demand for AR and VR.

If you already have coding skills, learning how to use Unity will help you build your career path to XR as it is the most in-demand XR development platform. You can learn XR from the courses available in Coursera and Udemy.

With this increased demand for XR, learning XR skills is sure to increase your demand in the future.

6. Blockchain
Blockchain comes in the last place of this list due to the rapid decline in the popularity of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. But blockchain is not only used for cryptocurrency, but is also used for peer-to-peer payments, crowdfunding, file storage, identity management, digital voting, and so on. Therefore, more companies need developers who understand blockchain, smart contracts, and can build decentralized applications.

Some of the blockchain skills you should learn are networking, database design, and programming languages ranging from Java, JavaScript, and C++ to Go, Solidity, and Python.

Tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft are working on developing blockchain services.

According to Hired, the current average salary of Blockchain Engineers in the San Francisco Bay Area is $162,000, which is the same as that of ML Engineer. Major banking and other financial institutions are also now using blockchain, making it one of the top tech skills to learn in 2020. You can learn blockchain from the Blockchain Specialization course offered by Coursera.

SOURCE: MC.AI

Putin: Russia Becomes First Country in the World to Register COVID-19 Vaccine

Russia's first vaccine against the coronavirus was developed by the Gamaleya Research Institute. Clinical trials of the vaccine were launched on 18 June and all 38 volunteers developed immunity.

Russia has become the first country in the world to register a vaccine against COVID-19, President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday during a government meeting.

The president also asked Health Minister Mikhail Murashko to keep him informed about the vaccine, while at the same time noting that he knows "it works quite effectively" and "forms a stable immunity".

"I hope we will be able to start mass production of this medication in the near future, which is very important", the president said.

Putin further thanked everyone who worked on the first-ever vaccine against the coronavirus, and described it as "a very important step for the world".

"I hope that our colleagues abroad will also move forward, and there will be quite a lot of products that can be used on the market, on the world market for medicines and vaccines", Putin continued.

The Russian president also revealed that one of his daughters had been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

"In this sense, she took part in the experiment. After the first vaccination, she had a body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius, while the following day it was slightly over 37 degrees Celsius, that's it. After the second injection, the second vaccination, her temperature also rose a little, and then everything cleared up, she feels good and the [antibody] titers are high”, Putin stated.

Meanwhile, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko has said that the first Russian vaccine against the coronavirus will begin to be produced at two sites - the Gamaleya Research Institute and the company Binnopharm.

"The two-stage injection plan helps form a lasting immunity. The experience with vector vaccines and two-stage scheme shows that immunity lasts for up to two years", the Health Ministry said.

Blood samples donated by recovered novel coronavirus patients for plasma extraction, contributing to Israel's new experimental antibodies treatment, are collected by Magen David 

Russian Vaccine Researcher: Only Antibodies Can Relieve Coronavirus Symptoms

The minister also announced that a number of countries are already showing interest in the vaccine, and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) is investing in the production and promotion of the vaccine abroad.

The vaccine is expected to go into civilian circulation on 1 January 2021, according to the registration certificate.

The vaccine was developed jointly by the Gamaleya Research Institute and the Russian Defence Ministry. It has two separately-injected components that together are expected to build a long-term immunity against the virus.

Clinical trials of the vaccine kicked off on 18 June and included 38 volunteers. All of the participants developed immunity. The first group was discharged on 15 July, the second group on 20 July.

RTNEWS/ 11 AUGUST 2020

Harga Emas Dijangka Cecah Paras Tertinggi Awal 2021

KUALA LUMPUR: Harga emas dijangka melonjak ke paras tertinggi dalam sejarah dalam tempoh enam hingga sembilan bulan akan datang, demikian menurut Citigroup.

Kumpulan perbankan itu dalam laporan tinjauan komoditi suku ketiganya berkata, ada 30 peratus kemungkinan bahawa harga emas akan melepasi AS$2,000 seauns atau lebih RM300 segram dalam tempoh tiga hingga lima bulan lagi.

"Harga nominal emas sudah mencatatkan rekod tertinggi baharu dalam setiap pasaran G-10 dan ekonomi mata wang pesat membangun utama lain sepanjang tahun ini.

"Ia hanya menunggu masa untuk mencatatkan paras tertinggi baharu dalam dolar Amerika Syarikat (AS)," kata penganalisisnya.

Harga emas hampir mencecah paras tertinggi dalam tempoh sembilan tahun, apabila kebimbangan terhadap peningkatan kes COVID-19 dan jangkaan inflasi daripada lebih banyak langkah rangsangan ekonomi meningkatkan permintaan ke atas logam berharga itu.

Harga spot emas hari ini meningkat 0.1 peratus pada AS$1,817.23 (RM7,744.13) seauns atau kira-kira RM275 segram selepas mencecah paras tertinggi sejak September 2011 pada AS$1,820.06 kelmarin.

Harga emas meningkat 19.7 peratus, atau kira-kira AS$300 seauns setakat tahun ini.

Kali terakhir harga emas diniagakan di atas AS$1,800 seauns adalah pada September 2011, namun ia mengakhiri tahun itu pada AS$1,565 seauns.

Ketua Penganalisis Mata Wang HYCM, Giles Coghlan, berkata bank pusat AS, Rizab Persekutuan (Fed) dijangka melaksanakan lebih banyak program rangsangan ekonomi, berikutan peningkatan kes COVID-19 di negara itu.

"Pegawai Fed sudah memberi amaran bahawa tinjauan AS semakin buruk dan langkah pelonggaran adalah jawapannya. Bank of England juga dijangka menambah rangsangan ke dalam ekonomi United Kingdom (UK) ketika ia tersepit dengan masalah Brexit dan COVID-19," katanya dalam satu nota.

Emas cenderung untuk mendapat manfaat daripada langkah rangsangan meluas oleh bank pusat kerana tindakan itu kebiasaannya mencetuskan inflasi.

Logam berharga dilihat sebagai pelindung nilai terhadap kenaikan harga dan nilai mata wang.

Peningkatan kes COVID-19 di AS serta beberapa negara lain seluruh dunia pula meningkatkan kebimbangan terhadap pemulihan ekonomi global, sekali gus menambah aliran pembelian aset selamat, seperti emas.

SUMBER: BH ONLINE/21 JULAI 2020

England Isytihar Malaysia Negara Berisiko Rendah

KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia, Thailand, Singapura dan Vietnam merupakan antara negara-negara Asia Pasifik yang dibenarkan kembali atau melawat England tanpa perlu menjalani proses kuarantin 14 hari.

Kementerian Pengangkutan negara itu pada Jumaat mendedahkan lebih 70 negara yang dibenarkan memasuki negara itu tanpa menjalani proses kuarantin bermula 10 Julai ini.

Mereka yang tiba dari negara yang 'berisiko rendah' ini tidak perlu menjalani proses kuarantin.

Ini sekali gus bermakna, rakyat negara itu yang mahu bercuti ke luar negara yang berisko rendah tidak perlu bimbang terhadap proses kuarantin setibanya semula ke England.

Antara negara lain yang dikategorikan sebagai berisiko rendah adalah New Zealand, Australia, Jepun, Korea Selatan, Sepanyol, Itali dan Jerman.

Bagaimanapun, mereka yang tiba dari negara berisiko tinggi masih perlu menjalani proses kuarantin 14 hari.

Negara yang masih dikategorikan sebagai berisiko tinggi adalah Amerika Syarikat, Sweden, Mexico, Brazil, Rusia, Iran, India, Pakistan dan Bangladesh.

Sementara itu, Pejabat Luar dan Komanwel (FCO) negara itu turut mendedahkan senarai negara yang dibenarkan untuk rakyatnya melawat. 

Malaysia merupakan negara Asia Pasifik yang tersenarai bersama-sama dengan Australia, Brunei, Polynesia, Hong Kong, Jepun, Macau, New Zealand, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapura, Korea Selatan, Vietnam dan Wallis & Futuna.

Ini bermakna England membenarkan rakyatnya melawat ke negara-negara yang disenaraikan tersebut berpandukan polisi yang ditetapkan oleh insurans pelancongan. 

Mulai 4 Julai, Malaysia dikecualikan daripada nasihat FCO terhadap semua perjalanan antarabangsa 'tidak penting'.

Menurut laman web FCO, ini adalah berdasarkan penilaian semasa terhadap risiko COVID-19 di negara ini yang semakin terkawal.

Bagaimanapun, perjalanan tertakluk kepada sekatan kemasukan.

Kemasukan ke Malaysia buat ketika ini dilarang, kecuali untuk warganegara Malaysia dan warganegara asing yang memiliki kategori visa menetap dan pas pekerjaan tertentu.

Sesiapa sahaja (termasuk warganegara Britain) yang mendapat kebenaran memasuki Malaysia perlu menjalani kuarantin wajib selama 14 hari dan diminta untuk mendaftarkan alamat untuk kuarantin diri, serta memuat turun aplikasi MySejahtera, dan memakai gelang tangan.

SUMBER: ASTRO AWANI/ 3 JULAI 2020

Honda Malaysia Panggil Semula 55,354 Unit Kereta Ganti Pam Bahan Api

Honda Malaysia memanggil semula bagi 55,354 unit kenderaan keluarannya untuk menggantikan pam bahan api sebagai langkah pencegahan sejajar dengan panggilan semula pam bahan api Honda di peringkat global.

Syarikat automotif itu dalam satu kenyataan berkata, antara model yang terlibat ialah Accord yang dikeluarkan pada 2018, BR-V (2018), City (2019), City (HEV) (2019), Civic (2018), CR-V (2018 dan 2019), HR-V (2018), HR-V (HEV) (2018), Jazz (2019), dan Jazz (HEV) (2019).

"Syarikat yakin keputusan memanggil balik kenderaan ini adalah perlu sebagai langkah pencegahan untuk menangani potensi kemerosotan kuasa enjin atau enjin mati secara tiba-tiba. Semua pelanggan yang terjejas akan dimaklumkan menerusi surat pemberitahuan yang akan memaklumkan perincian mengenai panggilan semula produk.

"Honda Malaysia menyeru pelanggan yang terbabit untuk menghubungi peniaga sah Honda untuk membuat janji temu selepas menerima pemberitahuan bagi menggantikan pam bahan api, tertakluk kepada kesediaan alat ganti," katanya.

Menurutnya, penggantian itu adalah percuma berdasarkan stok yang akan disediakan secara berperingkat dan semua kos membabitkan kerja-kerja penggantian akan ditanggung oleh Honda Malaysia.

"Honda Malaysia memohon maaf kepada pelanggan yang terjejas dan memberi jaminan bahawa semua model keluaran 2020 tidak terbabit dalam panggilan semula produk ini. Setakat ini, tiada sebarang insiden kemalangan atau kecederaan yang berlaku akibat isu ini yang dilaporkan di Malaysia," katanya.

Memandangkan talian bebas tol Honda kini sedang menjalani penyenggaraan teknikal, syarikat itu meminta pemilik kenderaan untuk mendapatkan maklumat lanjut mengenai panggilan semula produk daripada mana-mana peniaga sah Honda atau layari www.honda.com.my untuk menyemak status kenderaan masing-masing. 

SUMBER: BERNAMA/ 18 JUN 2020

Huawei overtakes Samsung as top global smartphone maker – report

Despite US efforts to pressure Huawei, the Chinese tech giant has reportedly clinched the title of the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer in April, surpassing long-time leader Samsung.

For the first time ever, Huawei had a larger market share than its South Korean rival. 

The Vice President of Research at Counterpoint, Neil Shah, revealed to tech outlet Gizmochina that Huawei grabbed 19 percent of the market in April, while Samsung shipments were two percent lower over the same period. 

It is unclear whether the trend persists till the end of the second quarter or further, as both companies’ sales declined due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In the first three months of this year, the gap between the two companies amounted to three percent, with Huawei shipments standing at 17 percent and Samsung at 20 percent, according to Counterpoint Research data. 

However, Huawei dominated the massive Chinese smartphone market in the first quarter of 2020, according to other research firm analysts. 

The rising share on the domestic market can be one of the factors of Huawei’s dominance, as the Chinese economy has been one of the first to reopen after the Covid-19 restrictions. 

US tech giants still doing business with blacklisted Chinese companies, research firm claims.

The advancement in Huawei’s shipments comes despite the company finding itself in the middle of trade and political tensions between Washington and Beijing. 

Last year, the firm ended up on the infamous Entity List that bars American businesses from dealing with Huawei unless they have government approval. 

Washington has also been pressuring its allies to cut ties with Huawei, alleging that the company poses a security threat. 

In its latest action against the Chinese company, the US government has been attempting to thwart Huawei's access to semiconductor supplies.

RT NEWS