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Service-based scholarships by Eastern Steel Group to groom local talent in steel industry

1 d ago

An under-populated Chinese primary school offers cash aid and tuition for non-Chinese pupils

1 d ago

The need for Clarity on Emissions for PLCs

2 d ago

Earth Day Reflection: Humankind at the Crossroads

4 d ago

South Korea’s foreign policy after the ruling party’s crushing defeat

1 w ago

Rebuilding a “Broken” Rome will take more than a day!

2 w ago

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News

Service-based scholarships by Eastern Steel Group to groom local talent in steel industry

Through a Malaysia-China Talent Grooming Plan, Eastern Steel Group is offering service-based scholarships by collaborating with two local universities and University of Science and Technology Beijing in China to groom local talent in steel industry.

1 d ago

An under-populated Chinese primary school offers cash aid and tuition for non-Chinese pupils

An under-populated Chinese primary school is offering cash aid and tuition for non-Chinese pupils in its bid to increase the number of pupils.

1 d ago

A University Malaya doctorate student from China falls prey to scam for a RM10,000 reward

A Universiry Malaya doctorate student from China has fallen prey to online scam and now in

2 w ago

Vietnamese boat people return to pay tribute to helpful Malaysians

For the Vietnamese once known as boat people who fled by sea at the end of Vietnam War, the visit to Malaysia is a trip to pay tribute to their loved ones during Qing Ming Festival and express gratitude to fellow Malaysians after they start a new lease of life in foreign countries.

2 w ago

Taiwan tours still on for Malaysians

Taiwan tours are unaffected by earthquake in Hualien. Taiwan tour packages signed up by Malaysians are to proceed as planned.

3 w ago

Namewee appears at his “wake” in Nirvana

Controversial Malaysian rapper Namewee or Wee Meng Chee has clarified his death with a photo of him holding a guitar in front of his “wake” posted on Facebook.

4 w ago

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Opinion

The need for Clarity on Emissions for PLCs

“We need a Government authority to set an emission factor for PLCs”. What is happening in the capital markets surrounding climate reporting is causing more angst and confusion than it should. There is so much chatter and noise about what public listed companies (PLCs) should be expected to do in terms of climate reporting. The Advisory Committee on Sustainability Reporting (ACSR) has issued a consultation paper to get views from market participants. To share our thoughts on this subject, we thought that it might be easier to give a more holistic view, instead of answering specific questions, which are difficult to answer. First, we note that the stock exchange here has issued its Enhanced Sustainability Reporting Requirements (ESR Requirements), and the timeline for compliance by PLCs. However, with respect tClimate-Related Reporting, Bursa’s ESR Requirements do not refer to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) S1 and S2, which are currently being promoted for adoption by ACSR. A major part of global climate reporting will be based on IFRS S1 and S2. The rationale for this is based on two factors: Firstly, the European Union (EU) has its own European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). On 22 December 2023, EU issued its first set of 12 ESRS for all entities subjected to the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The effective date for implementation of the said ESRS was 1 January 2024. Secondly, the United States has not adopted IFRS S1 and S2. Instead, on 6 March 2024, the Securities Exchange and Commission (US SEC) – the Federal Government agency that regulates the Securities Market – issued a final Rule to enhance and standardise climate-related disclosures. The said Rule is to be subsequently released to public companies including those undertaking IPOs, although we are not aware of the exact implementation date of the rule. Furthermore, under the Rule, public companies are not required to disclose Scope 3 GHG Emissions. From our understanding, Bursa requires Main Market-listed issuers to disclose climate reporting that corresponds with TCFD (Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures) recommendations from Financial Year End (FYE) 31 December 2025. In the case of ACE Market Listed Companies, disclosure of GHG Emission is required from FYE 31 December 2026 and after, but alignment to TCFD requirements is not mandatory. Instead, Bursa requires disclosure of Transition Plans from FYE 31 December 2026 and after. Here is where the challenges between Bursa and ACSR arise: 1. There is a difference between Bursa’s implementation dates and ACSR’s. 2. Bursa’s ESR covers more than climate-related reporting; and is a good effort to get Malaysia’s PLCs ready for the impending implementation of International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB) Standards. 3. While IFRS S2 integrates TCFD Recommendations and Guide, it is not exactly the same. IFRS S2 requires more detailed information. What this means is that compliance with IFRS S2 would translate into compliance with TCFD, but not necessarily the other way round. Bursa’s Illustrative Sustainability Report dated 18 September 2023 guides PLCs to disclose Governance, Risk Management, Material Matters, Performance […]

2 d ago

Earth Day Reflection: Humankind at the Crossroads

People are now convinced that Climate Change , and extreme weather are caused by human activities especially after the Industrial Revolution. But ironically, not all are aware that literally every single woe and every single problem encountered by the human race today is caused by Climate Change, from mental health to global economy, and every uncertainty you can imagine. Read the global news , if they are fortunate enough to be still in print, all the disasters unfolding before us every second of the day, 365 /366 days a year . It is, I could confidently say, mankind is in the darkest and most unsought period in the entire history of the universe! What is considered the worst in our existence, we have it today. The very worst imaginable! Scorching-oven -heat temperature , or Arctic- like cold is no longer something a novelty. Droughts, famines, torrential rains, uncontrollable floods and wild fires are reported everywhere. Then typhoons , hurricane, and tsunami . The people who bear the brunt are our loved ones, the innocent young children , who will end up getting CANCER, from the toxic haze/smog , pregnant mothers, the medically vulnerable, those with underlying medical conditions and problems, the vulnerable senior citizens. All in the dirtiest polluted countries have their lifespan shortened by at least 5 years and will be burdened by a lifelong lung related diseases and premature death. The medical bills are something even the rich may not afford! It is worst than a convict serving a life sentence, because the notorious convict can still be helped . Then we have the small countries gradually sinking, in the Pacific Ocean. Most polluted Bangkok and Jakarta are sinking. The latter has been relocated to Borneo, care must be taken that the environment is protected in this monumental exercise. Plastic pollution is acknowledged to be a huge global problem today. We all have the responsibility to see to it that huge amounts of plastic waste do not pollute our environment and any part of the planet earth, especially causing harm to basically all forms of living things eg. human beings and the fish we eat when the plastic waste finds its way to the rivers, the seas and eventually the oceans. Micro plastics are found in people. These tiny particles are in our blood and our lungs! Similarly , in bigger proportion in animals. The harm to our health is something which scientists are most concerned and are still studying. It is imperative that stringent law be enacted to stop littering, especially anything made of plastic to save our own health and the planet earth. It is rather sad to note that we have the expected “adventurers “ like those who leave their countries to seek fortune! This group is not interested in a clean environment and, therefore , not helping at this most critical and challenging time in the entire human history. A million Climate Summits can be arranged, but if there is no genuine desire to […]

4 d ago

South Korea’s foreign policy after the ruling party’s crushing defeat

Although the ruling People Power Party (PPP) suffered a crushing defeat in South Korea’s April 10 parliamentary elections, it still managed to win 108 seats out of a total of 300. Most importantly, the opposition parties were denied the two-thirds majority that would have allowed them to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol. Although Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other top government officials have announced their resignations one by one, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has to deal with a “twisted National Assembly,” so it should be assumed that there will be no change in the majority. To begin with, foreign policy and policy toward North Korea have not had much influence on the voting behavior of South Koreans, and this election was no exception. As a former prosecutor, Yoon Suk Yeol seems to have a strong tendency to go his own way. A prime example of this is his consistent emphasis on Japan-Korea relations, despite public backlash over the issue of former civilian workers from the Korean Peninsula. With the loss of unifying force resulting from the crushing general election defeat, it may be difficult to expect further progress in security cooperation with Japan. However, this will set it apart from previous South Korean governments, such as the Roh Moo-hyun administration, which strengthened its anti-Japanese stance as its approval ratings declined. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wants to hold the first Japan-North Korea summit in 20 years with Chairman of the State Affairs Commission Kim Jong Un, and it is hard to imagine that Yoon Suk Yeol, who attaches great importance to Japan-South Korea relations, would oppose this idea. There is no doubt that efforts to strengthen cooperation among Japan, the United States and South Korea will continue as long as Biden is president of the United States. Coincidentally, at the Japan-U.S. summit in Washington on the same day, Kishida asked Biden for his understanding of efforts to hold a Japan-North Korea summit and received his approval. However, this is unlikely to have any particular impact on future Japan-North Korea negotiations. This is because President Biden has expressed support for Japan’s policy toward North Korea, and the Kishida administration has no intention of making excessive concessions to North Korea. Rather, what Prime Minister Kishida should do to make the Japan-North Korea summit a reality is to approach North Korea, be willing to take risks, and make efforts to convince public opinion at home. Getting the cooperation of the United States is just one way to improve the environment. North Korea has repeatedly issued statements rejecting dialogue with Japan, which is reluctant to make major concessions, and it remains difficult for Japan-North Korea negotiations to make progress even with the support of the United States and South Korea. Japan is not the only country with which North Korea refuses to talk. Kim Jong Un has called South Korea the “number one enemy” and has also cut off hotlines to Seoul. Three summits with former President Moon Jae-in have yielded no concrete benefits […]

1 w ago

Rebuilding a “Broken” Rome will take more than a day!

A colonial hang over is a concept that is not easily understood by all. Yet it attests to two very sad and powerful effects, when not properly managed from the very beginning of the country’s independence from the previous colonial master(s). Even the likes of superpowers, such as the United States (US), that was once the colony of the United Kingdom (UK) are not spared from the problem. The two effects are the belief in every country’s own revolution as unparalleled and must be above and beyond the pale of the colonial government. In the case of Malaysia, for that matter, the US, the polity had to adapt to the laws and customs of the UK from the very start. Not surprisingly, Sukarno saw Malaysia as a “colonial creation” that was open to immediate attack during the Konfrontasi in 1962-1965. Malaysia can be firm against foreign power but it cannot crack down immediately on the people who was longing for freedom and prosperity. In the same context, the US embedded the right to bear arms as the second amendment in the bills of rights in 1786. To this very date, the US continues to suffer from an over abundance of powerful hands arms. Secondly, there is also the expectation that everything must be done from the top. But the very essence of the Madani administration is that the civil society must participate in ensuring social harmony too. The very fact that an open and outrageous criticism that the PM of Malaysia has not succeeded barely after 16.5 months of his five year tenure in office implies the existence of a free and open environment to speak up. In the case of the US, it is a given that the NGOs and civil society must do the same to keep the spirit of the American Revolution alive. But as can be seen from the failure of the US Congress and NGOs to agree from the start until at the six month mark after the Gaza Palestine genocide that Israel’s policy of total and massive retaliation and destruction had crossed all manners and forms of the international humanitarian laws, leading to an on going famine in Gaza, the American NGOs themselves had failed. Within the context of Malaysia, multi racial coalition to speak up against one of the worst tragedies to have evolve from the Middle East, which can lead to World War III, is a sign that Malaysians do not understand the national and international obligations thrust upon them. This is what one can infer from a post-colonial hangover. How does it work ? First a simple clarification of the medical and physiological phenomenal would be of utmost importance. A hang over, in generic medical terms, refers to the after effects of heavy drinking from the previous day. Some of the most common symptoms would be headaches and a state of prolonged disorientation as the body/brain tries to purge itself from the excesses of prior inebriation in the entire blood system. […]

2 w ago

Schools And Toilet Cleanliness

Arriving early at SMK Permata last Friday morning, I was ushered by teacher Bhavani into a hall full of Form 4 and Form 5 students, with boys neatly seated on one side, and girls on the other. After being introduced to them, thus began my event as a guest motivational and inspirational speaker to these young minds. I surveyed with questions like “What will you do after your SPM exams?”, “Do you know what to do?”, and “Who influenced you, and what are your existing skill sets?” After they had answered these questions, I started my session on “Why must a student focus in life”, a topic I thought was most critical for the 5th Formers. I selected six students to appear on stage and was most impressed with their answers. Many of the students planned to pursue careers in business, with emphasis on their good language and people skills being their motivating factors. I then asked, “How many of you make your beds in the morning?” A few acknowledged while the majority stayed silent. I then moved on to my favourite topic with the question “Who among you washes the toilet at home? Do you leave the toilet clean for the next person?” There was pin-drop silence among my audience. Why have the sad and shameful conditions of our school toilets remained the same? From my school days till today, government school toilets have been an issue of horror, shame and disgust. The current levels of health hazards placed by their conditions are just unimaginable. The issue of toilets is what I want to emphasise among my readers. 1. Ignorance: The way the school toilet issue has been handled all these years is similar to ignoring an elephant in the room. This is an issue that has been discussed repeatedly in forums either via online media or letters to the editor, among all parents in the Parent Teacher Association (PTA / PIBG), but never in our Parliament. The Minister of Education (MOE) must address this matter as it is of grave concern towards our children’s well-being and health, as well as holding up the status of an educational institution. Such ignorance is inexcusable, and we see this not only within the school toilets, but also several eateries and public lavatories in almost every part of the country. If we do not educate our children from young on how to care for the cleanliness of the toilet at home, it is for certain they will not have this understanding be it in school or anywhere else. 2. Early Education: Japanese children are often taught about cleanliness and hygiene in preschool and early elementary school. The MOE should look upon the Japanese concept and make it compulsory to ensure every child is trained to keep the toilet and surroundings clean, starting from preschool and continuing till the child leaves school. Every school principal must be held responsible for the cleanliness of the toilets, ensure that the cleaners are doing their job […]

2 w ago

The World Demands A Reformed United Nations Now !

Of all the institutions and agencies of the League of Nations to have survived the ghastly end of World War I in 1919, only the International Labor Organization (ILO) could prove itself worthy of being retained. On issues verging on international peace and security, not excluding international humanitarian laws, even genocide —- of which one is in motion in Gaza —- although the world has witnessed others in Myanmar, Darfur, Rwanda and countless others before, the United Nations Security Council is rendered hapless. Why ? As and when a binding resolution has to be passed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the veto power of the five permanent members in the UNSC have been wielded time and again to protect their crony states, even when they are actively pursuing a policy of wiping out either partially or in whole, another population —- ethnic cleansing. The hot button issue of today is Gaza. The problem is it has been triggering countless terror stricken campaigns, as things stand, verging on the likes of Israel, bombing 1.7 million more Gazans, all of whom are concentrated in Rafah. Since the verdict of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 26, 2024, which the judges voted by 14 to 2, that Israel is involved in a plausible genocide and the United States being complicitous, the situation has gone from bad to worse. It was none other than former UN Ambassador of US during the Obama Administration, who has had to admit, what the world has long known, indeed, opposed, that Gaza is facing a triple assault of a no holds barred arms assault from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), deliberate choking off of at least 500 food trucks that are needed to keep the victims well fed and now mass starvation. Malaysia has spoken of the strategic and moral necessity of reforming the UNSC. Instead of allowing each of the five permanent members, therein, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the US from wielding their veto to protect their allies that have gone rogue in murdering tens of thousands without even wanting to countenance a second “ceasefire,” such a formula be permanently altered in these forms. First and foremost, for a veto to work more effectively, to prevent an issue from degenerating into the worst specter of a killing spree by one state against the other, at least three vetoes are needed by the five permanent members to block the UNSC resolution. Secondly, the UN General Assembly, a simple majority from the 197 member states is also needed to approve of what the UNSC had approved of. Without these immediate reforms, the world will be careening to more and more disasters as a genocide fought like a blood feud of Tel Aviv against the Palestinians to have all of them dispossessed of their identity and their rights to have their own separate state, would continue unabated to leave cross generational scars. By accusing the United Nations Relief World Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza […]

2 w ago

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Features

Responding to discipline respectfully

Responding to discipline respectfully.

2 mth ago

Being impacted by tragic news

It seems there’s always another tragedy being reported – even livestreamed. I’m concerned about how such things impact my children.

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Going tough with perpetrators of wildlife crimes

"If we don't save these endangered animals within three years, we may lose them forever!"

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Protecting Malaysia’s biodiversity legacy

PERHILITAN is tasked with a dual mission of conserving not just Malaysian wildlife but also our precious forest resources.

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Cost saving activities during school holidays

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4 mth ago

From hearth to oven: Coal mining history baked into ‘yeontan’ bread

The idea for the yeontan brownie came from students at a local high school club, as part of a project to invigorate the town’s local economy and honour its coal mining legacy.

4 mth ago

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Eight leaders with diverse backgrounds elected to ISCA Council

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Moomoo Wins “Digital CX Awards 2024” by The Digital Banker

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