General

In today's roundup of Dewan Rakyat, we look at the naming of Sabah and Sarawak, our hopes for becoming carbon neutral by 2050, and how we measure the poverty line in the country.

Image Source: Frédéric Paulussen, Unsplash

Despite being first isolated and identified back in 1983, HIV - the virus that causes AIDS, has no vaccine or cure till today, although there is treatment for people living with HIV. In conjunction with World AIDS Day today, we check in with Dato’ Prof Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, President of the International AIDS Society, whether we’re close to a HIV vaccine, and if the case of a women from Argentina whose body has rid itself of the HIV virus can point us towards a cure.

Image credit: apcom.org & Shutterstock

From monkeys to millipedes, Layar Liar is a 52-episode online documentary series, aimed at getting more Malaysians to know and love our natural heritage. Mainly targeted at students and presented in Bahasa Malaysia, the series takes us all on a tour to witness our local wildlife wonders, and remind us why our forests and other natural landscapes - and all its inhabitants - must be protected at all costs. We find out more about the series from producers, Lara Ariffin and Harun Rahman, of Nuvista Media Sdn Bhd.

Image credit: Layar Liar Facebook page

The sixth edition of the annual Refugee Festival (Malaysia) is starting this weekend (3rd - 5th December). Just like last year, in light of the pandemic, the festival will be held online. What’s interesting is that this year, for the first time, the festival will be directed by a refugee himself. We speak to the director of the festival, who’s a refugee from Afghanistan, Saleh Sepas.

Image credit: Saleh Sepas Facebook page & Refugee Festival Facebook page

Do you have a school-going child who doesn’t seem to fit into the education system? Every child is different when it comes to learning, so parents and teachers need to know how to support children with these different learning abilities, as well as those with learning difficulties. Our experts are here to help guide you and your children, especially after a challenging year in education and online learning.

This is an edited recording of the 8th BFM Health & Living 2021 webinar* – this webinar series is presented by AIA, Enabling Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.

*Download the exclusive Children’s Playbook here (before 17th Dec) to stand a chance to win the lucky draw.

According to the latest Salary Trends Report by ECA International, Southeast Asian nations will be amongst those countries expected to see the fastest rate of salary increase in 2022 versus 2021, including Malaysia.

Image Credit: Dmitry Lobanov | Shutterstock

Cradle is Malaysia's early stage start-up influencer, incorporated under the Ministry of Finance Malaysia (MOF) in 2003 with a mandate to fund potential and high-caliber tech start-ups through its Cradle Investment. In 2015, they further expanded its role from a grant provider to investor through the establishment of its venture capital arm, Cradle Seed Ventures and soon went into equity investment in early 2017. In 2020, Rafiza Ghazali took over as CEO. She talks to us about her journey to this role, their running programmes and her vision for Cradle.

Image Credit: http://bm.sabahview.com/

Sometimes, your brilliant startup idea needs a little kickstart; whether that’s through a bootcamp for extra knowledge, an investor for extra funding, or a mentor for extra guidance. How do you find all those resources? Usha Perumal, CEO of startup incubation company Bluepreneur Asia, discusses that as well as their dedication to empowering startups who create solutions for ocean-based sustainability.

Image Credit: Rawpixel.com | Shutterstock

Set within the fully integrated Exchange TRX precinct, TRX Residences boasts seamless work-life connectivity and modern urban amenities. It's also being called the first development of its kind in Malaysia. But what does the project have to offer in terms of value creation to the community? We speak to Eric Chan, Residential Director at Lendlease, about building TRX Residences in a new international financial and lifestyle district, redefining city living in the KL metropolitan area, as well as what the development means from an investment perspective.

The Selangor state government has allocated RM2.34 billion for its 2022 budget, focusing on five key priority areas. We get reactions from assemblymen from both sides of the political aisle on the budget, and the main concerns of both rural and urban constituents in Selangor. Image credit: ShamAn77