Bernama news in brief: May 25

LIBRARIANS URGED TO ENSURE PROGRAMME TO ENCOURAGE READING ACHIEVES GOAL

KUALA LUMPUR: Librarians have been urged to work together to ensure the programme to encourage reading achieves its goal of increasing the literacy rate of Malaysians.

Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the programme is targeted at various levels of society in the country according to age level and institutional groups, including special groups.

"The implementation is in line with the concept of ​​the National Reading Decade (2021-2030) which aims to make Malaysia a reading country by 2030," he said at the launching of the Malaysia Library Annual Conference 2022 here today.

She said the conference, themed "No One Left Behind: Libraries as Agents of Change", was in line with the role of libraries in all local communities across the country as a one-stop centre for teaching, learning, sharing of experience and knowledge.

-- BERNAMA

MIROS-PLUS COLLABORATION TO TEST EFFECTIVENESS OF MCAS

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) have entered into a research collaboration to test the effectiveness of the MIROS Motorcycle Collision Alert System (MCAS) as well as enhance the capabilities and the availability of the system.

In a statement today, MIROS said the research would see 45 units of the MCAS system developed and installed on motorcycles belonging to riders commuting to work.

It said the process of finding the 45 participants for the research is scheduled for June and will be announced officially through social media platforms and media statements, with participants chosen from the Klang Valley, Kedah and Penang.

"The MCAS will be installed on the participants' motorcycles for three months to test the warning system's effectiveness. The results of this study are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2023," the statement added.

-- BERNAMA

STB TO PROMOTE RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL, BORNEO JAZZ 

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) will hold a promotional tour at the Mid Valley Megamall here and The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey in Johor Bahru in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) and Borneo Jazz Festival (June 24-26).

In a statement today, STB said the tour would be held simultaneously from May 27-29 where domestic travel agencies and tour operators from Sarawak will be on the ground to promote both festivals.

According to the statement, the tour will conclude at Gurney Plaza, Penang (from June 3-5).

The June 17-19 RWMF, themed “Legendary Rainforest Celebration,” will take on a hybrid format this year with the physical concert at the Sarawak Cultural Village while viewers can also live stream it from their homes via an online viewing platform.

-- BERNAMA

TOUR BUS CATCHES FIRE ON NSE

SEREMBAN: A tour bus caught fire at Kilometre (KM) 27.93 of the North-South Expressway (NSE) northbound, near here, causing a nine-kilometre congestion today.

Nilai District Police chief Supt Mohd Fazley Ab Rahman said that during the incident, which occurred at about 4 pm, the bus, with five passengers on board, was on its way from Seremban to Bandar Tasik Selatan, Kuala Lumpur.

"It is believed to have developed engine trouble, thus causing it to catch fire. The driver and passengers escaped unhurt but the incident caused an hour-long traffic congestion,” he said in a statement today.

He added that the blaze was extinguished an hour later by a team from the Seremban 2 Fire and Rescue Station.

-- BERNAMA