Expand insurance coverage to include mental healthcare
Expanding insurance coverage to mental healthcare services is crucial because mental health problems increase risks of medical problems, like heart disease. It requires that health insurance plans include mental health benefits with the same annual and lifetime limits as routine medical care. Thus, expanding insurance coverage to mental health conditions is necessary to improve access to mental health services. Expanding insurance coverage to include mental healthcare services will be a meaningful celebration of World Mental Health Day this year. The World Health Organisation theme for World Mental Health Day 2021 is “Mental Healthcare for All: Let’s make it a reality”.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 07:07 UTC
Distribution of digital devices for online learning questioned
Chan Foong Hin (PH-Kota Kinabalu) claimed that the distribution of the devices to enable digital education access under the initiative had been delayed. The Cerdik programme aims to provide digital access to education by helping students from B40 families adapt to online lessons, e-learning and outside-the-classroom teaching during the Covid-19 pandemic. He also claimed that other constituencies such as Kota Melaka, Seputeh, Bukit Bendera, Cheras and Bukit Bintang are experiencing the same issues. "I urge the government to give an explanation over the distribution and the criteria to receive the devices," he said. Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) also said that none of the B40 students in his constituency had received any of the devices under the initiative.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 07:07 UTC
MARC assigns gold to UEM Sunrise’s sustainability Sukuk
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Rating Corporation Bhd (MARC) has assigned a “Gold” sustainability Sukuk assessment to UEM Sunrise Bhd ’s (UEMS) sustainability Sukuk framework. In a statement on Monday, MARC said the framework will finance green, social or sustainability projects falling under six categories. The rating agency pointed out a key underpinning of the Gold assessment is that the assets, businesses, projects and/or products eligible for financing under UEMS’ framework align and are highly coherent with its sustainability strategy and objectives. The assessment is also supported by UEMS’ overall effectiveness at managing and embedding sustainability in its operations. UEMS is the property development arm of UEM Group Bhd, a unit of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the government’s strategic investment fund.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 06:56 UTC
Promise of easy returns leaves storekeeper over RM40,000 poorer
KUALA LUMPUR: A storekeeper trying to earn some extra income was duped of his savings after scammers cheated him of around RM42,000. Puvanesvaran Muniandy, 44, approached MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong for help after falling for a "shopping scam". She then got in contact with a woman by the name of Tiffany, who offered her an investment job that promised 10% returns after completing certain tasks. "I used my bank account to help her and at first we received our promised commission of around RM110 after an initial RM300 investment. While he was promised returns to his investments after each round, the money never came.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 06:33 UTC
China has won AI battle with US, Pentagon's ex-software chief says
LONDON: China has won the artificial intelligence battle with the United States and is heading towards global dominance because of its technological advances, the Pentagon's former software chief told the Financial Times. Nicolas Chaillan, the Pentagon's first chief software officer who resigned in protest against the slow pace of technological transformation in the U.S. military, said the failure to respond was putting the United States at risk. China was set to dominate the future of the world, controlling everything from media narratives to geopolitics, he said. Chinese companies, Chaillan said, were obliged to work with their government and were making "massive investment" in AI without regard to ethics. Chaillan announced his resignation at the beginning of September, saying military officials were repeatedly put in charge of cyber initiatives for which they lacked experience.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 06:33 UTC
Nikkei gains for third day on weaker yen, economic reopening hopes
TOKYO: Japan's Nikkei share average rose for a third straight session on Monday, extending its recovery from a six-week low marked last week, as a sharp decline in the yen boosted exporters while a drop in COVID-19 infections added to economic reopening hopes. The Nikkei closed 1.60% higher at 28,498.20, gaining more than 1,000 points from Wednesday's six-week low, while the broader Topix rose 1.77% to 1,996.58, marking its second straight winning session. New cases of coronavirus infections in Japan fell to 553 on Sunday, the lowest in almost a year, according to public broadcaster NHK. Meanwhile, the yen slid as far as 112.75 per dollar for the first time since December 2018. Sony Group rose 4.4% amid a report that it might build a new chip plant with TSMC in Japan.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 06:22 UTC
Actor, director and assistant nabbed over suspected drugs abuse
KUALA KANGSAR 11 (Bernama): A 28-year-old actor was among three arrested on suspicion of drug abuse in a raid on a house in Kuala Kangsar on Sunday (Oct 10). Kuala Kangsar district police chief ACP Omar Bakhtiar Yaacob said a drama and film director and an assistant aged 49 and 47 respectively were also nabbed. He said acting on information, they were arrested by a team from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Kuala Kangsar District Police Headquarters (IPD) and assisted by members of the Kuala Kangsar Police Station at 7.15am. Omar said the three suspects were taken to the Kuala Kangsar IPD for further investigation, adding that they were tested positive for drugs. He added further investigation revealed that the director had a previous record related to drugs.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 06:22 UTC
Business councils' urge M'sia and Philippines to come up with policy for seamless trade
KOTA KINABALU: Bimp-Eaga Business Council (BEBC) Sabah and its Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) counterpart have proposed for a policy to facilitate seamless trade. BEBC Sabah chairman Carl Moosom and BEBC BARMM chairman Redentor Lauddin @ Popoy said this in a joint statement in conjunction with a trade mission to Sabah. Sabah and BARMM is separated by a boat ride from Sandakan port to Taganak island in Tawi Tawi. On a business note, they noted that Tawi Tawi was a big producer of seaweed accounting for over 50% of the Philippines' total seaweed production. "BEBC Sabah and BEBC BARMM is desirous to see this investment of Tawi Tawi into Sabah to downstream activities at one of the industrial parks available, (with POIC Lahad Datuk earmarked) as well as utilise its international ports to the world market," they added.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 06:22 UTC
FBM KLCI maintains bullish mood
KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI kept a positive lead amid growing investor sentiment over the country's transition to normalcy.At 12.30pm, the key index was up 9.25 points to 1,573.15, boosted by financial counters and commodities plays.Maybank rose eight sen to RM8.13 to lead the advance while Public Bank added three sen to RM4.11, CIMB jumped eight sen to RM4.98 and Hong Leong Bank gained 10 sen to RM18.70.Some of the leading commodity counters from the ongoing recovery included Press Metal gaining nine sen to RM6.18, Petronas Chemicals rising seven sen to RM8.75 and Sime Darby Plantation adding three sen to RM4.27.Aviation counters meanwhile were buoyed by the government's announcement that inter-state travel was now allowed, while overseas travellers were no longer required to apply for a travel pass.Airport operator MAHB gained 16 sen to RM6.97 while budget airline AirAsia rose nine sen to RM1.28 and AirAsia X added two sen to 10.5 sen.Top active counters were Serba Dinamik rising 4.5 sen to 41 sen, Borneo Oil unchanged at three sen and Kanger adding 0.5 sen to 6.5 sen.Asian shares started shaky on Monday as investors shifted away from equities and into commodities amid rising inflation pressure. However, equities retraced losses, spurred on by expectations that China's tech sector was stabilising.Japan's Nikkei rose 1.6% while South Korea's Kospi dipped 0.1%.China's main index added 0.4% while Hong Kong's Hang Seng surged 2.2% to its highest in nearly a month on speculation that Beijing's crackdown on the tech sector could be coming to an end.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 05:26 UTC
US has lost AI battle to China, Pentagon's ex-software chief says
LONDON (Oct 11): The United States has already lost the artificial intelligence battle to China which is heading towards global dominance because of its advances in emerging cyber capabilities, the Pentagon's former software chief told the Financial Times. Nicolas Chaillan, the Pentagon's first chief software officer who resigned in protest against the slow pace of technological transformation in the U.S. military, said the failure to respond was putting the United States at risk. "We have no competing fighting chance against China in 15 to 20 years. Right now, it’s already a done deal; it is already over in my opinion," he told the newspaper. Chaillan criticised the reluctance of Google to work with the U.S. defence department on AI, and extensive debates over AI ethics, for slowing the United States down.
Source:The Edge Markets
October 11, 2021 05:15 UTC
Face masks no longer compulsory for MPs during proceedings, says Speaker
KUALA LUMPUR: MPs will no longer be compelled to wear face masks when they are speaking in the House, said Speaker Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun. "Based on risk assessment, the Health Ministry is of the opinion that face masks are allowed to be removed during debates. "But, MPs are advised to quickly wear back their face masks after delivering their speeches." Last Monday (Oct 4), several MPs had asked to be allowed to deliver their speeches without wearing face masks. Some argued that MPs struggled to breathe when they delivered their speeches while wearing face masks in the House.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 05:03 UTC
Singapore to forge on with economic recovery, c.bank on hold
SINGAPORE: Singapore's economy will stay on its recovery path in the third quarter but the global spread of the Delta coronavirus variant has clouded the outlook and will likely prompt the central bank to stay on hold, a Reuters poll showed. Eleven of 13 economists forecast the Monetary Authority of Singapore will make no changes to its policy settings on Oct. 14. Two expect the MAS to tighten slightly and begin normalising its policy, in line with other central banks. Most analysts expect the MAS to stay cautious, and see no change in the slope, mid-point and width of the policy band. But many are expecting the central bank could sound more hawkish to prepare markets for a possible tightening at its next meeting in April 2022.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 04:52 UTC
Life insurers’ four proposals in Budget 2022 wish list
Its second proposal is the government increase personal tax relief for life insurance premiums from RM3,000 to RM5,000. As for the fourth plan, it proposed the government extend the RM50 Perlindungan Tenang Voucher Programme for B40 for another year i.e from 2022-2023. LIAM said it wanted to promote financial inclusion and increasing awareness on the importance of financial protection among the rakyat. “The cost of medical insurance for an average family of two adults and three children is about RM2,500 per annum at the lower end. As for the second proposal, Loh said personal tax relief for life insurance premiums should be increased from RM3,000 to RM5,000.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 04:52 UTC
Crude jumps on global energy crunch; US oil at 7-year high
TOKYO/SINGAPORE: Oil prices surged again on Monday, extending multiweek gains as an energy crisis gripping major economies shows no sign of easing amid a pick up in economic activity and restrained supplies from major producers. Brent crude was up $1.18 cents, or 1.4%, at $83.57 a barrel by 0603 GMT, after gaining nearly 4% last week. Coal and gas prices have also been surging as economies recover, making oil more attractive as a fuel for power generation, pushing crude markets higher. Fund managers increased their net long positions in U.S. crude futures and options in the week to Oct. 5, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said on Friday. Drillers in the United States are taking advantage of the increase in prices and added five new oil wells last week, the fifth straight weekly increase in oil and gas rigs.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 04:30 UTC
Solarvest launches Solarvest Innovation Lab 2021
KUALA LUMPUR: Solarvest Holdings Bhd is eyeing further participation in the renewable energy (RE), green technology, and financial technology (fintech) industries through its newly launched start-up programme. The programme called Solarvest Innovation Lab 2021 is split into two rounds of funding: seed funding and accelerator funding. "We are excited to unearth like-minded start-ups with transformational ideas that could potentially spark exponential growth to the RE and fintech industries," he said. "We will also potentially own a stake in these companies," he added at a press conference. The programme will also be providing support initiatives such as special business workshops, business coaching, and physical workplaces to companies that receive the seed fundings.
Source:The Star
October 11, 2021 04:18 UTC