The Right To Education For Child Refugees

Nearly 30% of refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia are children, but they are barred from access to the public schooling system. On World Refugee Day, we speak to Deborah Henry, founder of the Fugee School to discuss the importance of providing education pathways for refugee children. Image C…

China & Malaysia Mark 50 Years Of Diplomatic Relations

Chinese Premier Li Qiang's official visit to Malaysia to mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, resulted in the exchange of 14 MOUs, covering a wide range of cooperation including the export of fresh durians and visa exemptions. Collins Chong Yew Keat, Foreign …

Malaysia's Drop In The World Competitiveness Ranking Analysed

Malaysia has dropped seven places to 34th in the latest IMD World Competitiveness Ranking, placing us below our neighbours Thailand and Indonesia, with Singapore remaining at the top. Dr Ong Kian Ming, the former deputy international trade & industry minister shares his views on what this means for…

Moscow And Pyongyang Sign Military Pact

President Vladimir Putin was welcomed in Pyongyang this week with much fanfare in his first visit to North Korea in 24 years. Together with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-Un, they signed a strategic partnership to assist each other in the event of aggression against their countries. What does this …

Gaza Ceasefire Plan In Limbo?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dissolved the war cabinet, following the departure of key figures last week over the lack of a post-war strategy. The developments come as the two sides of the war consider a ceasefire proposal presented by US President Joe Biden earlier this mont…

Your Crypto Gains Might Be Taxable

The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) announced that they conducted a special operation to reduce tax leakage in cryptocurrency trading. We speak to SM Thanneermalai, Founder & Managing Director of Thannees Tax Consulting Services as to who and when is a person liable for this based on the guidelines. I…

BRICS A Global Force For Good?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim this week signaled that Malaysia was looking to join BRICS, the bloc of emerging economies led by Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa. We discuss the why and the how with foreign policy analysis from Bunn Nagara, Honorary Fellow at the Perak Academy…

Mandate 24-Hours Day Off For Domestic Workers

June 16th is the International Day of Domestic Workers, a labourforce that many Malaysian households rely on. However despite our reliance on domestic workers, the sector remains under-regulated, and something as basic as mandatory leave days are not guaranteed for domestic workers here. We speak t…

UPM's Food Security Blueprint For Long-term Outcomes

As Malaysia recognises its heavy reliance on food imports and the consequences it brings, it is intensifying efforts to encourage urban farming to address national food security amid global supply chain disruptions that impact food availability. Dato’ Prof Dr Ahmad Farhan Mohd Sadullah, the Vice-ch…

China's Economic Outlook Remains Challenging

China saw a strong start to their economy in the first two months of 2024, but the lustre has faded since. Now, the world’s 2nd biggest economy is seeing deflation, a highly indebted property sector, a gloomy job market, and on top of everything, a new tariff by the EU on China electric vehicles (E…