Taking drugs to control diabetes and lower cholesterol may reduce a person’s risk of developing a common eye disease, a new study suggests. Researchers found that people taking drugs to lower cholesterol had a 15% reduced risk of developing AMD, compared to those who were not taking the drugs. Meanwhile, people taking medicine to control diabetes appeared to have a 22% lesser risk. No such associations were found for the other types of drugs being taken by people involved in the study. “Our study indicates an association of systemic use of LLD (lipid-lowering drugs) and antidiabetic drugs with lower AMD prevalence across several European cohort studies,” the authors wrote.

BEIJING: China’s financial regulators stressed the need for facilitating financing for the real estate sector to ensure economic stability. The programme of “the second arrow” – a risk-sharing scheme to facilitate bond financing of private enterprises, including private real estate enterprises – was also expanded, he said. “We should pay close attention to the difficulties and challenges facing the real estate sector,” Yi Huiman, chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), said at the forum on Monday. The CSRC will support real estate enterprises’ plans to improve their balance sheets, mergers and acquisitions in the real estate sector and equity financing of enterprises that have a certain size of real estate business, he said. As the country ramps up support to stabilise the real estate sector, some experts said the over-five-year LPR still has room to drop in the coming months, which will help shore up home-buying demand and further stabilise the real estate sector.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 22): Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said he will decide on the appointment of the 10th prime minister soon. His Majesty also called on the people to accept the decision on the appointment and the formation of the new Government, whatever it may be. "Let's accept the decision of the people, accept the decision of the people's representatives, and accept the decision of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. "Let me make the decision as soon as possible," Al-Sultan Abdullah told reporters outside Istana Negara Gate 2 on Tuesday (Nov 22). Parti Kesejahteraan Demokratik Masyarakat and Parti Bangsa Malaysia secured one seat each, while two more seats were won by independents.

COP27 takes place amid worsening poverty, hunger and war, and higher prices, exacerbating many interlinked climate, environmental and socio-economic crises. Crossing it, the world faces risks of far more severe climate change effects on people and ecosystems, especially in the tropics and sub-tropical zone. Stronger climate action neededIn international negotiations, rich nations have evaded historical responsibility for climate debt by only focusing on current emissions. Another world is possibleAnother world is possible. The luxury hotels there are charging rates that have put COP27 beyond the means of many, especially climate justice activists from poorer countries.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 21): Bursa Malaysia pared most of its early losses to close marginally lower on Monday (Nov 21), as uncertainty over the formation of a new government continued to weigh on market sentiment. Turnover swelled to 4.29 billion units worth RM2.5 billion versus 2.63 billion units valued at RM1.85 billion on Thursday last week. The Main Market volume surged to 3.6 billion shares worth RM12.33 billion from 1.85 billion shares worth RM1.65 billion on Thursday. Warrants turnover decreased to 322.42 million units valued at RM46.07 million from Thursday's 399.82 million units valued at RM75.64 million. The ACE Market volume slid to 363.97 million shares worth RM121.19 million from 387.19 million shares worth RM120.68 million previously.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 21): Uzma Bhd's wholly owned subsidiary Uzma Engineering Sdn Bhd has bagged a contract from Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd for the leasing, operation and maintenance of a D18 water injection facility. In a Bursa Malaysia filing on Monday (Nov 21), Uzma said the scope of work comprises continuing the facility's operations, which has been at the exact location since July 2016, under operation and maintenance (O&M) by Uzma Engineering. The contract duration, which is valid for five years commencing from the date of the letter until Oct 28, 2027, is expected to contribute positively towards the earnings and net assets per share of the company for the financial year ending June 30, 2023, and onwards until the expiry of the contract. On Monday, Uzma's share price settled unchanged at 39 sen, bringing the group a market capitalisation of RM137.3 million.

A crisis, any crisis, is part of a journey, whether for an individual or a nation. The key response to the 2008 crisis was the loosening of monetary policy in the US and most of the developed economies, as liquidity was pumped into the system. The ringgit has been instead influenced by the monetary policy tightening that is still ongoing. The pent-up demand came online while supply constraints were not yet normalised, which, together with the loose monetary policy throughout the pandemic and even much earlier, created inflationary pressures all over. The Fed, which many opined delayed taking action for too long, started to tighten monetary policy unilaterally and aggressively at the start of the year.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 21): Foreign funds sold Malaysian equities worth RM272 million last week, a reversal from the RM425.62 million inflow the prior week. “Meanwhile, last Monday saw local institutions net selling RM34.3 million worth of equities, followed by RM2.3 million last Thursday,” it said. It said this was a positive reversal in comparison to the RM173.6 million net sold in the week prior. The research firm said retailers started off the week by net selling RM21.3 million worth of equities. “International funds were net buyers for 26 out of 46 weeks of 2022, with a total net inflow of RM5.91 billion.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 19): An iconic election ballot box with the Malaysian flag adorns the Doodle of Google Malaysia's search engine homepage as the country holds its 15th general election (GE15) on Saturday. Visitors to google.com.my will see the ballot box together with the Malaysian flag, Jalur Gemilang in between the Google logo, and a little explanation will appear once the ballot box image is clicked. "The 2022 Malaysian general election, formally the 15th Malaysian general election, is scheduled to be held on 19 November 2022 to elect the members of the Dewan Rakyat in the 15th Parliament of Malaysia. Polling stations in Peninsular Malaysia opened from 8am, and those in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan opened from 7.30am. In Peninsular Malaysia, the stations will close in stages between noon and 6pm.

KUALA LUMPUR: Six states are still affected by the floods as of 4pm Saturday (Nov 19) compared with seven this morning, with 2,701 victims still taking shelter at 46 relief centres. The National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in a statement said that the floods affected 15 districts in the states of Perak, Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Kelantan and Sarawak. "These incidents which occurred in Kedah, Perak, Johor, Kelantan, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu and Pahang involved nine federal roads and eight state roads," the statement added. Road users are urged to take note of warnings and refer to disaster information before starting out on their journey. For information and inquiries, contact JKR's disaster operations room at 03-2610 7727 or refer to the website http://bencanaalam.jkr.gov.my or follow @CSFJ_JKR on twitter.

I wanted to vote for change. This [my IC being used by another person] is not right,” Ainul told The Edge in a phone interview. According to Ainul, she was advised by an EC officer at Sekolah Kebangsaan (2) Taman Keramat (Saluran 6) polling station to lodge a police report. According to her, she was among at least four people who had been turned away at the polling station in the Klang Valley on the same day. The Harian Metro reported another case in Setiawangsa, one involving 36-year-old Aisha Adam, who was not allowed to vote at SK Setiawangsa.

I don’t want to miss any news, especially this month, as the World Cup takes centrestage. But sadly, there is so much negativity surrounding this World Cup in Qatar. It has always been my dream to go to a World Cup and watch matches there. Football is truly global, and it’s not surprising to see so many international fans supporting their teams in the World Cup. The amount of scrutiny in this World Cup is crazy.

What becomes of all the campaign posters, banners and bunting after the 15th General Election ends? “However, we have to send damaged or vandalised campaign materials to waste disposal sites while materials that cannot last long will be sent for recycling,” he said. A Barisan Nasional election machinery volunteer for Cheras, Nick Sim, 31, said not all campaign materials would end up as waste or be recycled. Zero Waste Malaysia (ZWM) co-founder and director Khor Sue Yee said the best way to reduce waste was to reuse the materials. Khor said people needed to get more creative by upcycling the campaign materials or fabric used.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 18): Prasarana Malaysia Berhad (Prasarana) is offering free rides throughout polling day for the 15th general election on Saturday (Nov 19), involving all services under Rapid KL, Rapid Penang and Rapid Kuantan. In a statement on Friday, Prasarana said the services include the Light Rail Transit (LRT), Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), monorail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and stage bus. Prasarana also said that My50 pass holders can use the services as usual, while Touch ‘n Go card users can use their cards without any charge. Meanwhile, token users will be required to go to the customer service office at any LRT, MRT, Monorail and BRT station to obtain a special one-way token. For Rapid Bus services in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kuantan, including MRT feeder buses, users do not need to scan their card when getting onto or off the bus.

Newly minted International Real Estate Federation (Fiabci) Malaysia president Datuk Firdaus Musa is a busy man, especially since the start of his stewardship in August this year. That is my mantra for my career.”Firdaus likens the proverb to his journey at Fiabci Malaysia. Starting off as an ordinary member, he was later appointed the evaluator at the Malaysia Property Award for several years, before becoming treasurer for three terms and now, president. “A few initiatives have been planned to further strengthen Fiabci Malaysia. The federation also conducts study tours, and organises the Malaysia Property Award and Fiabci World Prix d’Excellence Awards to recognise projects in Malaysia and abroad.