General

Between Fed decisions, China regulation, and of course a global pandemic, how are emerging market currencies faring against the US dollar? We ask Vishnu Varathan, Head of Economics & Strategy, Mizuho Bank to help us understand that, and other market news.

On this week's show, we have Zoee Wong, the project lead of the Food Relief Project, an initiative under Food Aid Foundation. Zoee is a chef who earned her stripes in fine dining restaurants across the world, and now that she's back in Malaysia, she started Food Relief Project to connect restaurants and donors to communities in need, providing food and meal kits to them through a well thought-out model for food aid. For more on Food Relief Project, whether you'd like to donate or join the project, visit here.

IMAGE SOURCE: Food Aid Foundation / FACEBOOK

In the show this week, we take a look at the limited-edition Proton X70 SE, discuss the lockdown woes in the local automotive industry, and make a case for the standardisation of our numberplates. In Part 2, we discuss Ford trademarking the historical 'Skyline' nameplate in the US, before dissecting Mercedes-Benz's big plans in their latest Strategy Update.

Our Used Car Buyer's Guide this week looks at the 2015 Mercedes-Benz A 250 Sport as a considerable alternative to the textbook hot-hatch, Volkswagen Golf GTI. With more than enough power, a playful driving character, a respectable reliability record, and the three-point star proudly on display at the front, it's a used car that many can still consider as an upgrade.

In this sci fi action film starring Chris Pratt, a group of time travellers arrive in present day from the year 2051 to warn mankind of a future global war against a deadly alien species. In response, soldiers and civilians from our time are drafted and sent into the future to fight the alien army. We review the movie and see how well it does on the alien/ invasion/time travel/summer blockbuster scale.

Simone Biles, considered the best gymnast of all time, withdrew from the women’s team final at the Tokyo Olympics yesterday, citing mental health as her reason. We discuss the pressure that athletes face, and the ramifications it has on their mental health.

Image Source: Salty View, Shutterstock

Fresh graduates have been struggling in the job market since the pandemic hit, whether it be with trying to make ends meet or securing a permanent position. We check in with them by first talking about what it is like being a graduate looking for a job during the pandemic. Then, we speak about how the last year changed hiring culture. And finally, we hear from a psychologist to get tips on staying sane when the job hunts get tough.

Image Source: Andre Hunter, Unsplash

The International Monetary Fund has released updated forecasts for the global economy, with revisions highlighting the disparity between wealthier nations and developing countries. Dhanya tells us more.

Image Source: Josh Appel, Unsplash

Today's highlight includes a briefing by Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Khairy Jamaluddin on the national vaccination programme, and the concerns raised by MPs including a shortage of basic supplies at vaccination centres, and the need to vaccinate all staff in the education ecosystem. We also look at the investigation of contract doctors, and the need to update our Covid-19 SOPs.

Image Source: Mufid Majnun, Unsplash

Doctors are bound by the Hippocratic Oath, which spells out several ethical standards, and is where the principle of “First do no harm” is derived from. Other healthcare professionals today are also bound by codes of ethics and conduct to ensure that they carry out their duties in providing care to people without causing harm to them. But there are often situations where conflict arises, leading to ethical dilemmas. What happens when healthcare professionals are not ethical in their conduct, or do not know what is the “right” thing to do? Prof Dato’ Dr Patrick Tan Seow Koon, Consultant Anesthetist and Intensivist, University of Malaya Specialist Centre; and Dr Mark Tan Kiak Min, Lecturer in Medical Ethics & Medical Law, UiTM Faculty of Medicine, join us for a discussion about clinical ethics and shed light on the consultation service provided by Clinical Ethics Malaysia (CEM). (Dr Mark is also Coordinator of the Clinical Ethics Consultation Service at Hospital UiTM in Puncak Alam.)

Image source: Shutterstock

It was International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem On Monday – celebrated annually on the 26th of July - and on Monday's episode of Earth Matters, we did a 101 on the characteristics of mangroves, and why they are so important to people and the planet. (Hint: They are carbon-hoarding, coastline-protecting forests which are sponges for greenhouse gases, among many other things.) On today's episode, we focus on the threats the mangrove ecosystem faces, and look at solutions to preserve what we still have - and why it's better to revitalize than to replant mangrove forests - with Dr. Ahmad Aldrie Amir, a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at the Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, and he is currently heading the Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability Research Centre there as well. He is also the coordinator of the Malaysian Mangrove Research Alliance and Network (MyMangrove).

Image source: Shutterstock