Competition, chips, AI on table at first U.S.-EU trade and tech meet
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States and the European Union hope to discuss chip shortages, artificial intelligence and tech competition issues during the first Trade and Tech Council meeting this week, senior U.S. administration officials said on Monday. Earlier this month, the White House announced that the council would meet for the first time on Sept. 29 in Pittsburgh. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis are scheduled to attend along with European Commissioner for Competition Margrethe Vestager. ... We do think as a piece of that we have opportunities to work together with the European Union," an administration official said. Tech trade groups such as the U.S.-based Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) said a lot of attempts to regulate the tech sector has been focused on U.S. tech companies and a handful of European tech companies.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 19:13 UTC
EU lawmakers reject attempts to block green investment rules
BRUSSELS: European Parliament members on Monday rejected three attempts by some lawmakers to block the European Union's proposed rulebook for sustainable investments, as Brussels edges towards completing the first part of the landmark rules. On Monday, Parliament's environment and economic affairs committees rejected three attempts from lawmakers to object to the proposal. A majority of lawmakers or EU countries could block the proposal. Pascal Canfin, chair of the environment committee, welcomed the vote results and said the taxonomy would "strengthen EU leadership on green finance rules". The three motions had attempted to block the taxonomy proposal on grounds that it was not aligned with existing EU laws, or should have included nuclear energy and gas power plants as green investments.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 18:22 UTC
Jordan to fully reopen main crossing with Syria this week
Although the Jaber crossing has been open since 2018 after the Syrian government drove rebels from southern Syria, trade has yet to recover to the $1 billion pre-war level. The pandemic led to measures to try to curb transmission of the coronavirus and those restrictions will be lifted from Wednesday, officials told Reuters. Interior Minister Mazen Faraya said restrictions on Syrian transit cargo to Gulf markets and Iraq through Jordan will also be lifted, which Damascus has been pushing for. Transit cargo from the Gulf will also be allowed from Jordan to Syria along with unrestricted passenger traffic, Faraya told Jordan's Al-Mamlaka public broadcaster. Syria’s only normally operating frontier crossing has been with Lebanon, and in recent years Iraq after the reopening of the Qaim crossing in 2019.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 17:48 UTC
KASA presents climate change tasks, efforts to lower GHG emissions at WCSC 2021
The two-day international conference, which takes place from Sept 27 to Sept 28, will concentrate on topics related to low carbon society. During the first keynote speech “National Low Carbon City Masterplan”, the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) secretary general Datuk Seri Dr Zaini Ujang had enlisted earlier the efforts of the ministry in a bid to achieve net-zero. “As far as the ministry is concerned, we have listed the key climate change tasks for 2021 and 2022.”Zaini said: “[So far], we have established the Malaysia Climate Change Council (MyCAC) with the chief ministers and relevant ministries and we have completed and updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for climate change in July 2021. According to Zaini, based on the Biennial Update Report (BUR-3) Malaysia, the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Malaysia (between 1990 to 2016) include energy (79.44%), industrial (8.57%), and agriculture (3.35%). The four key drivers for a low carbon city in Malaysia are “zero waste to landfill, extensive urban greenery, energy efficiency and renewable energy and low carbon mobility options,” said Zaini.
Source:The Edge Markets
September 27, 2021 11:15 UTC
Teacher cheated of over RM50,000 after revealing banking details
KUALA LUMPUR: A teacher lost over RM50,000 after he inadvertently gave away his banking details to a scammer. "He contacted the number given in the message, which claimed to be a bank officer. The scammer convinced the victim to pass his bank details and security TAC numbers. ACP Mohd Mahidisham urged all to always double check any information, especially if it claimed to be from the bank. He also advised never to share any banking or personal details and to contact the police or bank directly if there were any doubts.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 10:18 UTC
Cult leader calls on followers to repent, return to true teachings of Islam
SHAH ALAM (Bernama): The head of the religious cult Perjalanan Mimpi Yang Terakhir (PMYT), Masitah Ab Jalar, who announced her declaration of repentance (Istitabah) on Monday (Sept 27), has called on her followers to repent and return to the true teachings of Islam. "I repent and will practice the teachings of Islam based on authentic sources of knowledge. "Therefore, I call on all parties or any individual who had listened to, followed, or believed in my ‘dream’ to immediately stop any form of belief built upon my statements, and return to the true teachings of Islam," she said. In the meantime, Mohd Shahzihan said Jais would continue to monitor Masitah, and if she did anything that was against the teachings of Islam, enforcement action would be taken against her. The woman also claimed that she had the privilege and ability to make predictions about the future.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 09:33 UTC
12MP acknowledges more needs to be done to improve transport and logistics
The salient issues that need concerted effort to be tackled under 12MP are inadequate first and last-mile connectivity (for public transport), uncompetitive transport and logistics industry, as well as poor governance of the transport and logistics industry. Describing the utilisation of public transport as remaining "below target", authorities argue that the reluctance to switch from private vehicles to public transport is partly contributed by the relatively low-cost of car ownership. The poor culture of road maintenance was also highlighted. "Whether implemented on a corrective or preventive basis, it (road maintenance) is still an issue due to lack of resources. “However, the adoption of these standards is done voluntarily, resulting in low adoption among the transport and logistics operators.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 08:48 UTC
Over 600 investors lose RM12mil in alleged forex scam
KUALA LUMPUR: An alleged forex scam syndicate is said to have swindled around RM12mil from 629 victims. One of the victims, Eng Keen Niam, said he was approached by an old friend to invest in the scheme. However, in October last year, several investors who enquired about withdrawing money from the scheme encountered difficulties. "When we tried to contact my friend's boss, we were told to deal directly with him (my friend) instead," Eng said. But if it is a scam, my lawyer will go all out to get justice," he said.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 08:15 UTC
EDGE WEEKLY: MM2H: No longer home sweet home?
In The Edge Malaysia this week — The Malaysia My Second Home programme, whose original aim was to help boost the economy through consumption and investment, will resume in October after more than a year of review. The government has decided that it wants high-quality participants, but stakeholders have described the new criteria as restrictive and unfair. What will the impact be?
Source:The Edge Markets
September 27, 2021 07:32 UTC
RM3,000 assistance to be given to Tourism Ministry-registered tour agencies
PUTRAJAYA (Bernama): The government will channel financial assistance of RM3,000 to licensed tour agencies registered with the Tourism Ministry through the National People's Well-Being and Economic Recovery Package (Pemulih). This is the second time similar assistance has been given to registered tourism agencies, after the first one under the Strategic Programme to Empower the People and the Economy (Pemerkasa). The Ministry said in a statement on Monday (Sept 27) that those who received RM3,000 assistance under Pemerkasa are automatically eligible for the Pemulih aid and are not required to make new applications. "The Ministry calls on all licensed tourism companies under the ministry that have never received financial assistance under the PEMERKASA initiative to take this opportunity to submit applications to us,” it said. For more information on Pemulih eligibility requirements, visit the Ministry's official website at http://motac.gov.my/pemulihmotac2021 or contact the nearest state MOTAC office.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 07:18 UTC
Café Joyeux, bringing a smile to the coffee shop
Antoine, Mathilde, Julia and Aymeric work at Café Joyeux in Paris. The first coffee shop run by employees with disabilities has opened its doors in Paris. It's a very different picture at the Café Joyeux, which values direct contact with its clientele and wants to change the way society looks at disability by giving jobs to those we refuse to see. It is during one of these trips out to sea that a young person with autism set himself the challenge of finding a job, an experience that inspired the Café Joyeux franchise. And though Joyeux is an inclusive business, it's also a commercial operation to ensure that the project can continue.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 06:56 UTC
RM3,000 assistance for tourism agencies registered with MOTAC
PUTRAJAYA (Sept 27): The government will channel financial assistance of RM3,000 to licensed tourism agencies under the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) through the National People's Well-Being and Economic Recovery Package (PEMULIH). This is the second time similar assistance has been given to registered tourism agencies after the first one under the Strategic Programme to Empower the People and the Economy (PEMERKASA). MOTAC, in a statement on Monday, said those who had received the RM3,000 assistance under the PEMERKASA initiative are automatically eligible for the PEMULIH aid and not required to make new applications. “MOTAC calls on all licensed tourism companies under the ministry that have never received financial assistance under the PEMERKASA initiative to take this opportunity to submit applications to us,” it said. For more information on PEMULIH's eligibility requirements, visit the MOTAC official website at http://motac.gov.my/pemulihmotac2021 or contact the nearest state MOTAC office.
Source:The Edge Markets
September 27, 2021 06:22 UTC
12MP: Half of growth expenditure to be allocated to six least-developed states
PETALING JAYA: At least 50% of development expenditure will be allocated to six least-developed states - Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis. This is to ensure a more balanced regional growth and reduce development gaps, according to the 12th Malaysia Plan. As part of enhancing budgeting transparency and aligning priorities under the 12th Plan, government allocations will prioritise high-impact projects that generate higher multiplier effects in the economy. “The Act will institutionalise good principles and practices of responsible fiscal management, particularly in managing fiscal risks, establishing fiscal rules and ensuring prudent public debt management,” it said. “The effectiveness of development projects in promoting socio-economic development will be enhanced by improving the delivery mechanism and revising the regulatory framework.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 05:25 UTC
12MP: Digital economy to contribute 25.5% to GDP by 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: The digital economy is expected to contribute 25.5 per cent to the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, according to the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) document released by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) today. The contribution of e-commerce activities to the GDP, meanwhile, is targeted at 10.5 per cent under the country’s digital economy agenda. "Under 12MP, efforts will focus on providing an enabling environment for the growth of the digital economy, strengthening the provision of digital infrastructure and services, developing future-ready digital talent as well as positioning Malaysia as the ASEAN digital centre. "The digital economy will change the conventional approach of businesses as well as consumer practices in obtaining information, services and goods," it said. "Policies on the planning and provision of digital infrastructure by both the federal and state governments will be realigned to facilitate investment in state-of-the-art digital infrastructure and to ensure optimum deployment.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 05:03 UTC
Reducing the harm of tobacco for real
There are many studies showing how marketing for menthol cigarettes targets women, youth, ethnic minorities and low-income populations. Heated tobacco productsMore recently, some tobacco companies are promoting the “less harmful” effects of heated tobacco products (HTPs). Controlling tobacco useThe concept of harm reduction is not new to public health. It stands for:M – Monitor tobacco use and prevention policiesP – Protect people from tobacco smokeO – Offer help to quit tobacco useW – Warn about the dangers of tobaccoE – Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorshipR – Raise taxes on tobaccoThe above interventions have proven to decrease overall use of tobacco across the globe. All these factors need to be borne in mind when pro-tobacco lobbyists come knocking on the door with the “harm reduction” sales pitch for HTPs.
Source:The Star
September 27, 2021 05:02 UTC