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In 2031, vaccine passports and proof of inoculation could be a standard prerequisite for travelers. While on the surface it sounds like a good idea, a vaccine passport isn't without certain ethical concerns. If COVID-19 is far gone and years have passed since the end of the pandemic, will we still need annual vaccinations? Will travel fundamentally change due to an emerging vaccine hierarchy? Will we have vaccine kiosks at the airport for "immunization on-the-go"? Ugur Altundal, Ph.D Candidate in Political Science, expands on his Henley & Partners article outlining the ethical dilemmas of a COVID-19 Vaccine Passport, and how it could shape the way we cross borders in the future.

Spearheaded by the NGO Malaysian Care, the YouTurn project aims to give chances and equal opportunities to prisoners and ex-prisoners, a group that's often marginalised. The project hopes to make an impact and inspire people from all levels of society to change their views, perspectives and actions towards this group. We find out more about this group's mission and goals from Sam Lim, the Manager of the Community Development Department at Malaysian Care, and also Samuel* and Ashraf*, two former inmates who are now volunteers with the YouTurn Project. We also hear the stories of Samuel, who served a prison sentence for 28 years before he was released after obtaining a pardon from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Since his release, he has been helping the homeless, drug addicts and ex-prisoners. Then we learn about Ashraf, who served three years in juvenile prison and took his STPM while he was there, without a teacher. These days, when not working on his day-job, he is actively involved in prison-related programmes to bring awareness and inspire change whenever he can.

*names have been changed to protect their privacy

Image source: Shutterstock

The global call for this year's Earth Day was for everyone to work together to Restore Our Earth. Here in Malaysia, Malaysians are being called upon to plant 100 million trees by 2025 to promote the country's green agenda, but despite this, the degazettement of many forests are still being proposed by local authorities. While contemplating this disconnect, we will also look at how campaigners for environmental causes are getting creative to fight green-fatigue, and zoom in on the Postcards from the Future campaign, another weapon in the arsenal to stop the degazettement of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve.

Image source: Save KLNFR Website

The 93rd Academy Awards were already shaping up to be unusual — delayed because of the pandemic and featuring movies that, for the most part, bypassed theatres for streaming. Then the producers, including Steven Soderbergh and Stacey Sher, were asked to shake up the show.

Young people under 35 are feeling less optimistic that they'll be better off than their parents down the road, according to a report from the Financial Times.

Times are rough, and many have found themselves unemployed due to downsizing, or worse, the complete shuttering of their companies. Now more than ever, it’s important to have a “backup job” just in case, but picking one is harder than it sounds. Is there a way to use the unemployment crossroads to pivot into a more meaningful career?

The unthinkable has happened. Someone in your organisation has tested positive for Covid-19. What do you do? Who do you call? How should you communicate the news to everyone? SHOULD you communicate the news to everyone? 

In conjunction with World Day for Safety & Health at Work 2021, we speak with Certified Occupational Health Doctor from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Malaysia, Dr Rokeshwar Hari Dass about responding, managing and mitigating the risks to your organisation in the event of a Covid-19 case in the workplace.

One of the biggest issues with waste management is the counterproductive carbon footprint it creates. The Asher, developed by Pamarai, solves that issue by creating its own energy and having zero impact on the environment. We speak to Pamarai’s Chairman, Datuk Razeek, and Executive Director, Pang Swee Lei, about exporting The Asher to other countries, creating a self-service model, as well as transforming the waste-turned-ash into a revenue stream. 

Audrey Raj speaks to Mr James Tan, CEO of Suntrack Development, about Tuai Residence, a development aimed at catering to multiple generations. Highlighted are how safety is ensured within the development, whom the target market is, and where to find out more.

Transboundary waters fuel agriculture and support thousands of local communities, but can also be a point of conflict between the countries that share them. But what are the factors influencing these conflicts? It's important to understand this, seeing as we have a transboundary water conflict in our own backyard: the Mekong River Basin. We speak to Dr Naho Mirumachi, Associate Professor in Environmental Politics at King's College London, and co-author of 'Water Conflicts: Analysis for Transformation', to find out.