Day: September 26, 2024

BANTING, The government is considering rehabilitating 420,000 hectares (ha) of abandoned rubber estates by converting them into commercial bamboo plantations, which offer higher commercial value in the global market. Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani said that if the initiative is realised, it could enhance the country’s participation in the commodity market and add value to the economy and national income. He noted that the bamboo industry was valued at about US$70.6 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to around US$100 billion by 2028. “We have about 1.1 million ha of rubber plantations, with 420,000

KUALA LUMPUR, The Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852), which will come into effect next Tuesday, is expected to bring significant benefits to public health and environmental sustainability. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the government is committed to curbing smoking habits among the public through law enforcement and continuous public education initiatives. ‘We cannot provide an absolute guarantee, but with the enforcement and increased awareness driven by Act 852, we are confident that efforts to reduce environmental pollution will succeed,’ he told reporters after officiating the 10th National Environmental Health Action Plan

KUALA LUMPUR, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad hopes the ministry’s proposal to strengthen the Environment Department (DOE) will be included in the Budget 2025. Nik Nazmi said he had met with Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan and his team to discuss the matter, besides explaining the importance of empowering one of the key agencies under the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES). ‘The DOE relies on government funding, so to strengthen the department, a possible approach could be to allow it to retain a portion of the fines it issues —

NEW YORK, billups, the leading independent Out-of-Home (OOH) managed services agency, today announced the appointment of Claudia Valderrama as Global Chief Operating Officer and Ben Milne as Chief Executive Officer for the Asia-Pacific region. Both are new roles and are part of a significant company expansion that has included the launch of new OOH measurement capabilities based on patented technology, the acquisition of four OOH agencies worldwide in the past year, and 123% revenue growth over the past three years. Valderrama, formerly the Global Chief Financial Officer at Wieden+Kennedy, brings to billups an extensive operational expertise and deep understanding of

Highlights More than half of Malaysians (55%) think it’s OK or normal for people to exaggerate their income on loan applications, significantly more than the global average of 39% More than one in six (18%) of Malaysians believe it’s normal for people to deliberately misrepresent their income on mortgage applications Falsifying insurance claims is viewed as the most taboo form of fraud, with close to half (49%) of Malaysian respondents believing it is not acceptable Global analytics software leader FICO today shared its latest global consumer fraud research, revealing alarming attitudes toward first-party financial fraud both globally and in the