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Heng can still win despite not a good display

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has emerged as the second-highest user of QR (quick-response) codes globally, trailing only behind China, reflecting the nation’s rapid move towards a cashless society.     According to a recent study by global statistics platform Data Reportal, 66.1% of the population used QR codes on a monthly basis in 2023. The global average stood at 50.8%, with five Asian countries ranking in the top ten for QR code usage.   The study, conducted in 2024, analysed smartphone-based QR code use among individuals aged 16 and above worldwide.   While QR payments are praised for their convenience, cybersecurity experts warn that sharing personal bank QR codes online may expose users to fraud, identity theft and financial loss.   RawSEC Malaysia CyberSecurity Community public communication secretariat Emma Rahim said cybercriminals could exploit QR codes for phishing attacks, unauthorised transactions and impersonation scams.   “If a payment website has security vulnerabilities, hackers could replace the QR code with their own, redirecting payments to fraudulent accounts,” she said. “In social media groups in which users share QR codes, even administrators could alter the codes to misdirect funds.” Malaysian fashion and beauty products Emma added that hackers could extract sensitive data from bank QR codes to create fake websites or apps, tricking users into revealing login credentials and banking details.   “If scammers gain access to a victim’s bank account, they can initiate fraudulent transactions,” she said. “In more advanced scams, they might transfer a small amount to the victim and follow up with a phishing email claiming the transaction is linked to illegal activities such as terrorism financing, creating panic to manipulate the victim.” Despite the risks, QR payments have become a staple at Ramadan bazaars across Malaysia, embraced by both vendors and consumers.   For intern Amir Hakim, 22, cashless payments have made shopping more convenient. “I rarely carry cash anymore because QR payments are so convenient. Almost every stall accepts them, making it easier to buy things without worrying about small change,” he said. However, Amir acknowledged the occasional frustration of technical issues.     On busy nights at the bazaar, slow internet connections can delay transactions, leading to awkward moments while waiting for confirmation. Kuih vendor Zainab Abdullah, 52, said the transition to QR payments has been gradual but inevitable. “In the past two to three years, QR payments have surged. Most of my customers now prefer using them,” she said. Initially hesitant, Zainab and other vendors have adapted by using QR code payment speakers that provide real-time transaction alerts. “It gives us peace of mind because we instantly know when a payment goes through,” she added. As QR code transactions continue to grow, Emma stressed the importance of immediate action if users suspect their QR codes have been compromised. “The first step is to contact the bank, freeze or block the account, and change the password to prevent further unauthorised access,” she advised. She also warned users to avoid downloading banking apps from unofficial sources, such as links shared via social media or messaging apps, which could contain malware designed to steal personal data. “Only use official platforms when downloading banking apps,” she said. Although legal protections are in place to safeguard consumers, Emma stressed the need for personal responsibility. “Users must take proactive steps, such as enabling two-factor authentication and reviewing their bank’s privacy policies to ensure their accounts remain secure.” As QR payments continue to dominate the digital landscape, she urged users to balance convenience with caution. “Convenience should not come at the cost of security. Always verify the authenticity of payment platforms and remain vigilant against unsolicited messages or emails requesting personal or financial information.”     https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/malaysia-ranks-second-globally-in-qr-code-use-EC13881476 https://fintechnews.my/48675/payments-remittance-malaysia/malaysia-ranks-second-in-global-qr-code-payments/

In the world of batteries, duration is king. Whether nestled in the smallest wearable or providing back-up power for the electric grid, a battery that provides reliable energy for longer will always outlast the competition—figuratively and literally. The U.S. led the way in nuclear battery innovation over the past 70 years—and even developed the first battery that ran on nuclear radiation in the 1950s. But in the 21st century, China has become the undisputed champ of nuclear batteries, which make it possible to power endeavors for decades without needing to recharge. They could provide the backbone for whole industries we haven’t even invented yet, like cybernetics, which could enable a truly intelligent robot, or deep space missions that could fly us to the stars. In early 2024, the Chinese company Betavolt revealed a coin-sized nuclear battery named BV100 that uses Nickel-63 as its radioactive source, yielding an estimated 50-year lifespan. But this battery isn’t just a lab innovation—it’s already being mass produced, with the intention to power technologies ranging from medical and aerospace devices to future smartphones. For most of us, better batteries are simply a convenience, but in some cases, battery life that’s more akin to a human lifespan is crucial. We may have no hope of long-term space exploration or life-saving medical interventions without such long-term batteries, which harness energy from a radiation source. Some elements, like uranium, are radioactive, and they have unstable atomic nuclei that spontaneously lose energy. There’s more than one way to capture that energy—in the 1950s and 60s, NASA developed radioisotope thermoelectric generators that transferred the heat from natural radioactive decay into practical energy.   But now, a new generation of batteries can trap energy from beta particles, which are electrons or positrons that fly away from their atomic nuclei during radioactive decay. This acts somewhat like photons hitting a solar panel, but in this case, beta radiation is bombarding a specially designed semiconductor, and this is how Betavolt is powering its batteries. Betavoltaic batteries comprise two parts: a radioactive emitter and semiconductor absorber. As the emitter naturally decays, high-speed electrons (aka beta particles) strike the absorber. This creates an “electron-hole” pair, which generates a small-but-stable supply of usable electric current. Since beta particles can be blocked using simply a thin sheet of aluminum, betavoltaic batteries are safe.   While not producing as much power as NASA’s thermoelectric method, these “betavoltaic batteries” can provide small amounts of reliable power for possibly up to a century—or maybe even longer, depending on the half-life of the material. It may not replace the old, reliable lithium-ion battery that powers most of our gadgets. However, the betavoltaic battery’s long life—coupled with its ability to operate in extreme conditions—makes it perfectly suited for planetary rovers, deep sea sensors, and even pacemakers. Basically, anywhere you desperately want to avoid frequent battery replacement. Nuclear batteries will become even more relevant as the world continues to decarbonize while also becoming increasingly dependent on smart sensors and other internet-connected devices. Several countries are pursuing betavoltaic battery development, including China, the U.S., South Korea, and in Europe. Betavolt isn’t the only China-based company devising nuclear battery advancements. Just last week, Northwest Normal University in Gansu, China, announced its own carbon-based nuclear battery that can last up to 100 years. Although the basis of this battery, carbon-14, is extremely rare, the South China Morning Post reported that China has a carbon-14 commercial reactor in Zhejiang. Mimicking its photovoltaic playbook for solar energy, China is building the entire supply chain for these devices within its own borders. While China forges ahead, the rest of the world is racing to catch up. In the U.S., the Miami, Florida-based City Labs is feverishly working on betavoltaic-based microelectronics for space missions. In November 2024, the company received significant funding from the NIH to develop long-lasting betavoltaic batteries for pacemakers (thanks to their low penetration depth, beta particles can be easily shielded from the body). Instead of Nickel-63, City Labs’ battery uses tritium, which will likely provide a 20-year battery life. Following China’s lead, the company also thinks the supply chain in the U.S. could support the batteries’ production. Scalable production of tritium can happen, because national labs and companies are forging a path, Peter Cabauy, chief executive at City Lab, told Chemistry World. City Lab actually developed the world’s first successful betavoltaic battery called the “Betacel” back in the 1970s, but the battery’s relatively limited lifespan at the time, along with growing nuclear stigma in the U.S., essentially relegated betavoltaic batteries to laboratory research. Now, times are changing. And City Lab isn’t going it alone. Two U.S.-based companies—Kronos Advanced Technologies Inc and Yasheng Group—announced a joint partnership to pursue nuclear battery technology last year. The U.K. joined the betavoltaic fray in September 2024 when the company Arkenlight developed its first carbon-14 battery, made from nuclear waste. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how a battery that truly keeps “going and going” will be a game-changer for a variety of technologies. But one thing is certain—last year’s reveal of Betavolt’s 50-year battery was a wake-up call for companies, laboratories, and governments around the world. More than 70 years after the U.S. developed the world’s first betavoltaic battery, it seems this tech’s time has finally arrived. It just may not be the U.S. leading the charge.

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