General

The government has announced that a 5-day Parliamentary sitting will be held beginning 26 July to discuss the National Recovery Plan and the state of emergency. This comes amid rumblings of an UMNO mutiny within Perikatan Nasional. How much actual debate can we expect during this sitting, and is PN on the cusp of splintering? We discuss the scenarios with political commentator Dr. Bridget Welsh.

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Abdul Aziz Othman, the CEO/MD of Petronas Gas Bhd., fields questions on moribund growth at the gas utility, its ongoing appeal as a dividend haven and fresh pockets of growth, given its still-amenable capital position.

2012的十一月，16国宣布正式为RCEP 《区域全面经济合作伙伴协定》展开谈判协商。历时8年，经历过31轮谈判和18回部长级别会议，RCEP终于在2020年的11月15日由15国正式签署落实，通过削减关税及非关税壁垒，降低各国市场准入门槛，建立一个15国统一市场的自由贸易协定。只要其中的6个东盟国和3个非东盟国各自通过国会的批准就会正式生效。这份亚太区域自由贸易协定涵盖了约36亿的人口，近乎全世界总人口的一半、15国经济总量约为27万亿美元，占全球GDP的约三分之一，贸易额也约占全球的三分之一，所以那可说是世界上除了世界贸易组织WTO以后最大的自由贸易协定。

RCEP有什么重要意义呢？就个别国家经济而言，那就如同国内市场一下子就成为了拥有全球三分之一人口的市场。从区域发展和经济整合的角度来看，当双边贸易纷争不断，RCEP就为基于规则的多边贸易体系注入一剂强心针；当中美贸易纷争看不见尽头而引发中美经贸脱钩的隐忧的时候，RCEP不仅提供了区域生产链重组一个选项，也是中美经贸关系的衔接者；当RCEP由东盟主导，它就成了强化东协中心性ASEAN centrality的重要机制；当亚太区发达经济体如日本、韩国、澳洲和纽西兰连同中国一并被纳入RCEP，RCEP就能平衡大国经济免于完全支配的地位。

但是自由贸易协定都是双向的，你能够去得了别人的地盘，别人自然也能够进来，过程有赢家就会有输家。问题就在于从商的要如何确保自己的是赢家、做政府的要如何确保失利者能够顺利过渡调整期，并让整体生产结构接力RCEP，往上转型。

这一期做客财今烤问的是马来西亚中华总商会执行顾问兼全国总商会总秘书拿督卢成全，他将告诉大家，本地企业要如何抓住RCEP的契机。

A RM300,000 government allocation for MPs under a food basket initiative has prompted a hailstorm of comments, centring on, amongst others, sufficiency and flexibility.

YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Setiawangsa MP, expounds.

Image credit: Twitter @nikznazmi

Phuket has reopened to tourists from 63 countries who meet certain conditions albeit Malaysia is excluded from that list. Is this the beginning of travel in a post-Covid-19 world? We speak to Brendan Sobie, Independent Analyst at Sobie Aviation for his views and also if digital covid certificates are a viable option.

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A mounting conflict within OPEC+ between the UAE and Saudi Arabia is sending oil prices north, yielding serious global repercussions for inflation and henceforth, an appropriate global central bank response.

Song Seng Wun, Economist, CIMB Private Banking, discusses.

糖尿病——让马来西亚跃上亚洲之冠的「国病」。言简意骇地形容：大马国土上，每十个人便有三人是糖尿病患者。从日常生活着手，国人高热多糖地饮食习惯、久坐少动的生活节奏，进而导致肥胖甚至痴肥问题，都是糖尿病的肇因。实际上，近年来有越发多数企业开始意识到雇员的健康是确保公司生产力的最大财富，纷纷在雇员健康方面积极投资。个人的身体机能，是否处于优质状态，也应当开始成为国人觉醒后深思熟虑的关键问题。常言道：「预防胜于治疗」，所言不差——糖尿病前期患者被根治的机率证实是相当之高的。那么，社区药剂行在其中扮演什么角色呢？马来西亚蒙纳士大学（Monash University）的『糖尿病前期干预、管理与评估（PRIME）计划』的两位学者，对糖尿病患者又有哪些谏言？本期节目，和您一起解开发展事业的财富密码——健康！

With our eyes set on unearthing the freshest flavours from unexpected places, we widen our scope with hand-picked musical gems from all across Asia. This week, we are joined by members of Taiwanese math rock outfit 'Elephant Gym', who have been making waves globally since forming in 2012. The trio tells us more about the derailed plans to collaborate with Japanese band 'Toe', benefits of releasing full length albums, learning how to play their own songs, and more.
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黄宣 YELLOW & 9m88 - 怪天氣
Deca Joins & Rohan Mills - 霧
Elephant Gym - Go Through The Night
Elephant Gym Interview 1
Elephant Gym - Gaze at Blue (Charlie Lim Remix)
Elephant Gym Interview 2
Elephant Gym - 敬啟者 Dear Humans
Everfor - 冰咖啡
DSPS - You'll See (Tizzy Bac Cover) 

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In collaboration with Taiwan Asean Music Action (TAMA), an initiative by The Ministry of Culture of Taiwan and Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia. Head to www.taiwanaseanmusicaction.com for more information.

Alongside ray tracing, Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) technology has been touted as another revolutionary approach to increase graphical fidelity and improve your gaming experience. AMD also recently released their answer to DLSS, in the form of FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR). How different are these two technologies, and how exactly will they benefit the end user? We discuss.

IMAGE SOURCE: AMD GPUOPEN
                                  PCANDOEM

Spain needed extra time and penalties to see off Switzerland. The Italians beat Belgium 2-1 in a titanic match. The Danes continued their fairytale EUROS by getting rid of the Czechs and England made light work of Ukraine. A lookback at the Quarter final and a preview of the midweek semi finals. We are down to the last 4.