General

Highlights from today's Dewan Rakyat session includes discussions on MyDaftar OKU, an online registration system for disabled persons, as well as the nearing extinction of the Malayan Tigers. Besides that, the MPs also discussed whether ivermectin has proven to be beneficial in treating Covid-19, and education for the Orang Asli children.

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Malaysia’s diabetes numbers are staggering, and show no signs of reducing, especially as other related risk factors like obesity and hypertension continue to rack up despite the years of healthy lifestyle campaigns. How do we reverse a trend that’s been decades in the making? Leading up to World Diabetes Day on 14 November, Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO of the Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy, joins us to ask public health physician, Dr Arunah Chandran, where our approach to diabetes prevention went wrong.

Image credit: Ministry of Health Malaysia

A few weeks ago, Parti MUDA announced that they’re in the midst of negotiating with Pakatan Harapan and that they will be competing in the Melaka state elections, an announcement that got many young people who are looking for a change in Malaysian politics, excited. MUDA’s discussion with Harapan did not bear fruit and in a press conference they said that they won’t be competing in Melaka with Harapan because Harapan chose to field defectors. But why then didn’t they field a candidate or two anyway in an election that’s set to have multi-cornered battles everywhere? Dr Thanussha of MUDA joins us to discuss.

Image credit: Dr Thanussha Instagram account

Things are brewing, up in the beautiful hills of Frasers, with The Raub Draft District Local Plan 2035 proposing to revive and turn Fraser’s Hill into a major tourist destination. With tourist numbers dropping these past few years, there are calls and major recommendations to revamp the entire area, but will these plans permanently destroy everything this “Little England” in Malaysia is known and loved for? We speak to Nik Jassmin Hew, the Chairman of Persatuan Alam & Warisan Bukit Fraser (PAWBF) about what the draft local plan is proposing, and what the residents of Frasers Hill feel about these new proposals.

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With air travel to be reinstated at the end of the month between Singapore and Johor, we take a look at how that will work, hopes for more links with Sarawak and Penang in the future, and how business travellers can benefit from this.

Image Credit: Tuah Roslan | Shutterstock

Gaming has been on the rise since the start of the pandemic, as people had more time and nothing to do. As the economy and society opens up, there is still growth in the gaming market, especially casual games. In fact, some recent findings from the 2020 Global Games Market Report stated 87% of the 20.1 million gamers in Malaysia alone spent at least some of their money on in-game virtual items in the past six months. Hyper-casual games and hybrid-casual games are entertaining and interactive, with a low barrier to entry for Malaysians - you only need a smartphone. Seeing this opportunity, industry veteran Daryl Lau started Mason Games to tap into the growing industry.

As we inch towards wrapping up 2021, one of the major lessons gained as a result of the pandemic is the importance of digitisation, especially for businesses to build and maintain their presence in the market. However, while implementing digital solutions has indeed been one of the most popular trends for business owners, many are still reluctant to digitise business processes due to a number of factors - lack of familiarity and pricing being the most prominent reasons. To this end, Wilstech, a Malaysian-based business digitalisation company and recent digital solutions partner of Selangor Information Technology & Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC), aims to empower and elevate local SMEs.

Budget 2022 is the largest budget to date at RM332.1 billion. According to the government, no sector has been left out and it will help each and every Malaysian. So what’s in it for you? What should you keep an eye out for? Thanneermalai Somasundaram of Thannees Tax Consulting Services explains.

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美债收益率周一多数上涨，暂时止住了过去两个交易日的大跌态势。美国国会周末通过了一项1万亿美元的基础设施议案，令市场对经济前景的乐观预期重燃。同时，多位美联储官员开始为明年加息造势。除此之外，一项最新研究显示，加密货币投机活动带来的收益可能加剧了美国持续的劳动力短缺，因为各个收入阶层都有很多人放弃了全职工作，转而尝试高风险的“炒币”。

本期节目邀请到分析师奕丰（iFAST）投资组合助理经理李志勇来到我们的节目聊聊本周股市动态。

With a never-ending stream of headlines on monetary policy and inflation, what does this mean for global and the Malaysian bond market. Has this asset class been overlooked and what are the buying opportunities? We ask Hasif Murad, Head of Fixed Income Malaysia of abrdn Islamic.

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