Vital 5km wildlife corridor in Lahad Datu being restored
KOTA KINABALU: An ecological corridor in Lahad Datu’s Bagahak area is being restored to give wildlife an unbroken route between the Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Silabukan Forest Reserve. WWF-Malaysia’s orang utan conservation manager Donna Simon said the 5km corridor, which is 200m wide on average, will serve as an important route for elephants, orang utan and other species. WWF-Malaysia Conservation Director Dr Henry Chan added that forest restoration is among the key efforts in conserving the orang utan population. One successful example of forest restoration is the Bukit Piton Forest Reserve, also in Lahad Datu, he said. According to Simon, the restoration efforts took over a decade to complete and by 2019, 2,400ha of Bukit Piton Forest Reserve had been restored.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 07:18 UTC
Telcos' special Merdeka campaign
KUALA LUMPUR: Telecommunications companies (telcos) have launched a special campaign to help accelerate affordable smartphone ownership among Malaysians in conjunction with the upcoming Merdeka celebrations, as well as to support the Pakej Peranti RM1 Malaysia Prihatin. Customers could purchase selected 4Gsmartphones from only RM1 via Digi ’s PhoneFreedom 365 (PF365) when paired with Digi Postpaid 120 (DP120) onwards or Digi Smart Bundle when paired it with Digi Postpaid 60 (DP60). Meanwhile, U Mobile offers its new and existing customers with RM0.99 4G VoLTE-enabled mobile phone from now until Sept 16, 2021. To qualify for the RM0.99 4G VoLTE-enabled mobile phone, customers would have bundled the mobile phone with the Unlimited HERO P79, P99, P139 or Giler Unlimited GX68 postpaid plan. U Mobile customers, who take up the latest offer, would be able to enjoy high definition quality crystal clear calls, quicker call connection, as well as the ability to stay online at 4G data speeds even when on a call.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 07:18 UTC
Upko: New PM must usher in new political paradigm, end winner-takes-all practice
Upko president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau said no government can be stable with just a simple majority in the 220-member Dewan Rakyat. He said there was a need for the new prime minister and government to sign confidence and supply agreements with opposition parties. Upko also backed the 10-point Cross-Party Political Stability Pact proposed by Bersih 2.0, Abim, Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia and the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Halls. Madius said the package is much more comprehensive than Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s seven-point reform package on Aug 13. "The Klang Valley-centred ‘one-size-fits-all’ governance paradigm must be buried together with winner-takes-all politics," added the Opposition party leader.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 06:56 UTC
Asian shares move off near year lows, NZ holds rates steady
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.73%, snapping five successive sessions of decline, but still traded only a little above year-to-date lows touched in July. S&P 500 futures rose 0.08%, and in early European trades, the pan-region Euro Stoxx 50 futures gained 0.23% and FTSE futures were up 0.42%. The New Zealand dollar fell to a nine-month low of $0.6868 after the decision although it soon recovered, climbing back to $0.6933, as investors absorbed projections showing policymakers still expect to raise rates over coming months. Oil edged up in Asian hours after falling for four sessions on worries about the rise in coronavirus cases. The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes rose to 1.2767% compared to its U.S. close of 1.258% on Tuesday.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 06:45 UTC
Carlsberg raises guidance after beating quarterly expectations
COPENHAGEN: Danish brewer Carlsberg raised its full-year earnings guidance on Wednesday after reporting second-quarter sales above expectations but warned that severe coronavirus restrictions in Asia could hit sales. "Although we see a gradual return to a more normal environment in markets across Europe, other markets, particularly in Asia, remain subject to severe restrictions due to new waves of infection." Sales between April and June reached 18.69 billion Danish crowns ($2.94 billion), compared with a 17.97 billion crown forecast in a company-compiled poll of analysts. Carlsberg said it now expects operating profit to grow by between 8% and 11% this year, up from its previous guidance of 5-10% growth. Rival Heineken also beat expectations for first-half beer sales when it reported earnings this month but warned of rising costs and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Asian markets.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 06:33 UTC
Condivergence: Is ESG reporting sustainable?
ESG reporting means a fundamental change in corporate mindset. The objective in the Integrated ESG reporting is to enable all stakeholders to evaluate how ESG issues are incorporated into core business strategy and governance processes, including their implications. There is no doubt that the ESG reporting burden will increase substantially, putting huge stresses not only on boards but also on staff and all operating and reporting processes. In fact, additional ESG reporting is only the beginning of a long journey. A sustainable ESG reporting system has to be fair, efficient and adaptable to local conditions.
Source:The Edge Markets
August 18, 2021 05:26 UTC
Paul Yong rape trial: CCTV footage shows woman leaving residential area a day after alleged incident
IPOH: A woman was seen leaving the Meru Desa Park residential area guardhouse on foot a day after an alleged rape incident involving an assemblyman, the High Court here heard. CCTV footage was shown to witness A. Murugiah, who testified in the trial of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s Tronoh assemblyman Paul Yong on Wednesday (Aug 18). When asked where the woman appeared to be going, Murugiah said she had taken the road leading out of the residential area. Rajpal also asked Murugiah why he stopped working at the residential area at the end of the same month (July 2019). The offence was allegedly committed in a room on the top floor of his house in Meru Desa Park between 8.15pm and 9.15pm on July 7, 2019.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 04:52 UTC
Touch ‘n Go’s GO+ fund now shariah-compliant
KUALA LUMPUR: Touch ‘n Go Group and Principal Asset Management announced on Wednesday that Principal e-Cash Fund, the underlying fund for Touch ‘n Go’s GO+, is now shariah-compliant. GO+ was launched in March 2021 as Touch ‘n Go’s first step into the area of digital financial services. The group CEO of Touch ‘n Go Group Effendy Shahul Hamid said when GO+ was launched, there were calls from its users for the underlying fund to be Shariah-compliant. To date, Touch ‘n Go eWallet’s platform GO+ has surpassed 1.2 million users. GO+ is available to Touch ‘n Go eWallet users who are Malaysian citizens above 18 years old.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 04:41 UTC
'Job offer' scams on the rise in Melaka
MELAKA: Melaka police have received a high number of reports on cheating cases involving employment “offers” through various online shopping platforms. State Commercial Crime chief Supt E. Sundra Rajan said since the beginning of this year until Monday (Aug 16), a total of 48 reports of such scams had been received. "The number of cases relating to such scams is considered high and has raised concerns as the victims are mostly those who are desperately looking for a job," he said on Wednesday (Aug 18). Supt Sundra said his officers had opened investigation papers on the cases, which involved total losses of over RM700,000. Initial investigations revealed that many victims fell prey to such scams due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to many people losing their jobs.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 04:41 UTC
Labour output in 2Q improves but down on-quarter
However, in comparison with the preceding quarter, the labour productivity declined in 2Q, recording a smaller contraction of 1.8% (1Q, 2021: -4.6%),” he said in a statement. Mohd Uzir said the total hours worked in 2Q rose by 33.2% (1Q21: -0.8%) to record 8.3 billion hours worked (1Q21: 8.5 billion hours). He said labour productivity by value added per employment for all economic sector registered a double-digit growth in 2Q except for agriculture sector. As for labour productivity by value added per hour worked, all economic sectors saw a decline in 2Q21. Labour productivity valued added per employmentInfographic of the labour productivity 2Q21
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 04:07 UTC
We need a host of measures to fight this virus
The NA warned: "Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.”Today, it is increasingly being applied to the ongoing fight against Covid-19. Many of them now hold the view that herd immunity should no longer be the main consideration to overcome the scourge. Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, for example, has described herd immunity as "mythical” and "not a possibility”. Warning that vaccinations should not be based around herd immunity, he predicted the advent of "a variant which is perhaps even better at transmitting in vaccinated populations”. Current caretaker Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who announced this last Thursday, again cited achieving herd immunity as the reason.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 03:11 UTC
Health DG: Only four fully vaccinated persons among country's 13,000 Covid-19 fatalities
PETALING JAYA: A clinical audit reveals that only four fully vaccinated individuals had died of Covid-19 out of nearly 13,000 fatalities, says Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah. The Health director-general said a further 80 Covid-19 deaths involved individuals who had received a single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. "Our recent clinical audit data analysis on the 'breakthrough deaths' showed that among the overall 12,993 deaths recorded, 80 cases had been partially vaccinated (0.6%) and four cases had full vaccination (0.03%)," Dr Noor Hisham said in a tweet Wednesday (Aug 18). As of Tuesday (Aug 17), Malaysia had recorded a total of 13,077 Covid-19 fatalities. Dr Noor Hisham has not revealed further details of the study yet.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 03:00 UTC
Two M'sians currently in Afghanistan, says Malaysia's High Commission in India
KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Malaysian High Commission in India, which is accredited to Afghanistan, says there are two Malaysians currently in Afghanistan. The High Commission also said that another Malaysian, who worked for a financial institution in Kabul, had contacted the mission recently and had safely returned to Malaysia earlier this month. "The High Commission encourages them to email mwdelhi@kln.gov.my or call +91-11-2415 9300," it said. Asked on Malaysian businesses in Afghanistan, the High Commission said it is not aware of any Malaysian companies currently operating in the war-torn country. According to media reports, many countries have decided to evacuate their diplomats and citizens from Afghanistan and close their embassies.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 02:26 UTC
New Zealanders begin life in lockdown as Delta COVID-19 cases edge up
The number of COVID-19 cases had risen to 10 on Wednesday, although modelling suggested numbers could rise to 50-100. "From the experience of what we've seen overseas, we are absolutely anticipating more cases," Ardern said. The move to lockdown will put the country "in a much less risky position", she added at a media conference. New Zealand will be in level 4 lockdown, the highest alert level, for at least three days, while Auckland will remain in lockdown for seven days. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said the government will reinstate a wage subsidy from Friday if the country is still in lockdown.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 02:03 UTC
Reaching for greater heights
Hovid has been fortunate to have the support of a dedicated team that works with integrity and humility. Dedication to health: Despite supply chain challenges, Hovid is committed towards delivering on its commitment to patients by ensuring a continuous supply of its products, says Ho. However, it is not all smooth-sailing, as Ho pointed out that the pharmaceutical industry generally faces a shortage of highly-skilled workers. EEA 2021 is organised by Star Media Group in partnership with Standard Chartered, with Matrade as patron. Those keen to apply for EEA 2021 can visit exportawards.com.my, contact Victor at victorcheong@thestar.com.my or Jency at jencyjohn@thestar.com.my.
Source:The Star
August 18, 2021 01:36 UTC