General

In the wake of the deaths of two university students, both of which are believed to be linked to overwork, university students are calling for reduced workloads and more mental health support to be given in this challenging year. We hear from one of these student groups to get a glimpse of their experiences, and speak to a university professor to understand what is needed to be done.

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A kidney transplant offers hope for a better quality of life for people living with kidney failure. But the idea of a transplant can be daunting. At what point will your doctor have that conversation with you, and who can donate a kidney to you? To address patients’ fears and concerns about the transplant process, we’re speaking to consultant nephrologist Dr Rosnawati Yahya and transplant coordinator Jenny Chong from Sunway Medical Centre. 

This is part of our Gift of Life series to raise awareness on living-donor kidney transplants, brought to you by Sunway Medical Centre.

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Sim Wie Boon speaks to Professor Patrice François Boursier, the Professor and Programme Director for the Masters Course in Health Informatics and Analytics at International Medical University to find out how IMU helps you get started in the field of digital health and the kind of lessons you can learn undertaking this course.

For more information, visit www.imu.edu.my/mhia

From January to July 2018, Malaysia became the world's top destination for plastic waste exports. Even today, we are still reeling from pollution and effects caused by other countries’ waste - a sharp rise in illegal recycling facilities and illegal dumpsites, and land, water and air pollution. The C4 Center or the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism's research into the issue found that the problems plaguing the plastic recycling industry include allegations of smuggling, factories operating with no proper license and pollution controls, gangsterism, political-business nexus, and a lack of public access to information. How can Malaysia hope to clean up plastic pollution - and tackle the corruption that's also causing it? In conjunction with Plastic-Free July, we discuss this and more with  Wong Pui Yi, a researcher with the C4 Center.

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You might have heard of this phrase since last year -- “a pandemic within a pandemic.” As we all know, the Covid-19 pandemic isn’t just a health crisis, but indirectly contributes to a whole host of other issues, including the rise of domestic violence and abuse. The first MCO saw a sharp surge in domestic violence against women. One year later and Malaysia is still under various stages of lockdown and NGOs have continued to ring the alarm bells, highlighting intensified domestic abuse. Shazana Agha, Head of Research at WAO, joins us to share suggestions on how the government can attempt to handle the problem. 

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If you are a survivor of domestic violence or know of anyone who needs help, you can call Talian Kasih at 15999, the WAO Hotline at 03 3000 8858 (24 hours) or SMS/WhatsApp TINA at +6018 988 8058 (24 hours).

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Billionaire Sir Richard Branson has successfully reached the edge of space on board his Virgin Galactic rocket plane.

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Department stores in Kuala Lumpur have chosen to shut down temporarily, and Selangor-based shopping malls and other retailers have been calling for targeted lockdowns in an effort to survive the devastating effect of the pandemic on retail outlets.

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According to Page Contracting Malaysia’s “Talent On-Demand” report, 62% of companies have now included contracting roles in their headcount. How has the pandemic encouraged the rise of contract hires?

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Tevis Trower is the founder & CEO of Balance Integration as well as a leadership futurist, greatness advocate, and culture strategist. As the author of the book The Game-Changer’s Guide to Radical Success, she discusses the power of empathy, communication, and introspection in becoming a radically successful individual.

Image Credit: Dmitry Demidovich | Shutterstock

Atome is a leading Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platform in Asia, which found its way to Malaysian shores last quarter of 2020. It is part of Advance Intelligence Group, a Series-C AI-driven technology company in Singapore, which is now working to partner online and offline retailers in the region to increase conversions and grow average orders and customer segments. We speak with Atome Malaysia & Singapore General Manager, Trasy Lou Walsh about the platform’s rapid growth in Malaysia, and how Atome supports the local retail industry to flourish, recover and respond to the growing demands of today’s consumers.

Image Credit: Atome | atome.my