General

Kedah is now the latest state after Selangor to have banned child marriage, after amending its state laws to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls from 16 to 18. But in many states across Malaysia, child marriage is still permissible by law, and the government has stated that there are no plans to ban it yet, despite continued calls by child rights’ activists and NGOs. Consultant urologist Dr George Lee is joined by Dato’ Dr Narimah Awin, technical advisor on sexual and reproductive health and rights with UNFPA Malaysia, to dive into why it matters that we see child marriage as a public health issue. Dato’ Dr Narimah is also the former chairperson of the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) and former director of the Family Health Development Division, Ministry of Health.

Image credit: Shutterstock

在过去一周，大马股市多家银行陆续发布最新一季的业绩受到各界瞩目，如大众银行、联昌集团及丰隆银行等皆取得较高的盈利。虽然其中马来西亚银行及兴业银行业绩走低，但全部银行在Q2总结后都宣布将派发股息，以奖励股东。

尽管国行预期会继续升息以抑制通胀，这将有助于推动银行股成长，但同时高息压力也会为银行的贷款增长带来冲击。在各种不确定因素笼罩下，究竟银行板块接下来一季能否再度取得亮眼表现？在长期规划中，银行领域是否将继续稳坐投资板块中的中流砥柱？

Kasih Hospice is a non-governmental organization focused on palliative care. They provide medical, emotional, and spiritual support for patients and their families, at hospitals or at the patient’s home. Best part is, they do so free of charge. Dr Munirah Ibrahim, who’s a family medicine specialist and a hospice doctor at Kasih Hospice, joins us to talk about the organization and their upcoming charity fair.

Image credit: Kasih Hospice Foundation

In 2020, a video championing social justice by a young Cambodian rapper, Kea Sokun, went viral. Shortly after that, the artist was arrested and accused of inciting criminal activity under an overly broad interpretation of Article 495 of Cambodia’s criminal code, a law that has been increasingly used against citizens expressing political opinion on social media. While the government portrays Sokun as an opposition-funded musician calling for an uprising, his parents argue that he was just a kid making music in his room. The short documentary Not Love Songs follows Sokun’s story, and we find out more from the film's director Jackson Brook, who is also a Cambodia-based journalist with the Southeast Asia Globe. Jackson also discusses the current political environment in Cambodia, under Prime Minister Hun Sen, and the Cambodian People’s Party. The film will be presented as part of the Freedom Film Festival 2022, which will screen films that bring diverse and critical perspectives on the theme of Pandemik Dua Darjat or Pandemic of Inequality, that are often missing from the mainstream.

Image credit: Freedom Film

Grey Scale is a film told through the eyes of filmmaker Evelyn Teh's 79-year-old aunt, who is living alone and growing old in a gentrifying neighbourhood, and whose hardships became more evident because of COVID-19. The story presents the quiet struggles among the elderly in their quest towards independent and dignified ageing, and we speak to Evelyn to discuss her film that is part of this year's Freedom Film Festival, and the issues presented in it. FFF 2022 will screen films that bring diverse and critical perspectives on the theme of Pandemik Dua Darjat or Pandemic of Inequality, that are often missing from the mainstream.

Image credit: Freedom Film

股市Q2迎来经济全面复苏，很多公司今年业绩开始逐渐出现增长。但另一方面，有部分企业在市场重启后反而走下坡，尤其像是科技股的业绩表现就差强人意。市场变幻莫测，欧洲和中国出现能源危机、美联储继续鹰派作风等，让市场开始怀疑，Q2的业绩还能作准吗？

Malaysia is currently beset by a shortage of skilled labour and TVET talents. A report in the Edge detailed how this is actually hampering our pandemic recovery. What has led up to this situation unfolding? We speak to Sofea Azhar, a senior researcher from ISIS Malaysia to understand the issue at hand and how TVET uptake might be the solution to our shortage of skilled labour. 

Image Credit: Shutterstock | Visual Generation

Snackfood closed down back in 2020, and has found itself back in business, in a brand new location: Centrio at Pantai Hillpark. This charming gift emporium prides itself in not just providing the wonders of discovering the perfect gift, but also in elevating the in-store shopping experience for people.  We speak to Adeline Choong, founder and creative director of Snackfood, about this fresh start, and her journey in curating the store.

Image Credit: Snackfood Facebook Page

In todays property show we speak to Wong Hon Chong, a contractor based in Klang, on all the challenges faced when trying to renovate your property post pandemic. I am sure many of us have had our fair share of bad experiences with contractors and Wong helps us navigate the common mistakes we make when we begin renovating our homes

Year to date, STI has remained in positive territory, one of the best markets in ASEAN. Geoff Howie, Market Strategist at Singapore Exchange explains why whilst telling us whether those positive gains will continue for the rest of 2022.