Category: General

KUALA LUMPUR, Airbnb hopes that the government will support and endorse the national short-term rental accommodation (STRA) guidelines and recognise the potential of the sharing economy in the hospitality sector in Budget 2025. It also wishes for the promotion of a fair and practical review of the Tourism Industry Act 1992, to ensure a practical regulatory framework that supports sustainable tourism development without stifling the sector’s potential. ‘To ensure all accommodation providers benefit equally, Airbnb calls for key incentives currently available only to traditional tourism players, such as grants and travel incentives, to be extended to STRA hosts (individuals and

KUALA LUMPUR, Bursa Malaysia ended the morning session lower today, mirroring most of the regional markets, as sentiment remained cautious due to the Middle East tensions, said an analyst. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined by 3.70 points, or 0.23 per cent, to 1,635.61, from Wednesday’s close of 1,639.31. The benchmark index, which opened 1.39 points higher at 1,640.70, was continuously in the red after the first 20 minutes of trading. In the broader market, decliners outnumbered advancers 498 to 358, with 464 counters unchanged, 1,092 untraded and nine suspended. Turnover amounted to 1.84 billion

BOSTON, Duck Creek Technologies, the intelligent solutions provider defining the future of property and casualty (PandC) and general insurance, today introduced its latest insurance-focused payments solution, the Duck Creek Payments Facilitator. This modern, end-to-end payment solution caters to the nuances of payments within insurance by providing carriers with access to digital payment methods for both collecting and disbursing funds. Duck Creek Payments Facilitator delivers a global solution, combining real-time capabilities, like FedNow, with traditional payments services and Banking as a Service (BaaS) functionalities, such as transactions via push-to-card or digital wallets. Now insurers can collect or pay out to policyholders

BACOLOD CITY – A provincial government-funded PHP7.9 million solar-powered irrigation system (SPIS) is providing an eco-friendly alternative for water management to a farmers’ cooperative in Barangay Carabalan, Himamaylan City in southern Negros Occidental. The Tara Agrarian Reform Cooperative (TARC), which has more than a hundred members, will manage the project that can serve up to 24 hectares of agricultural area with a total power of 57 kilowatts. ‘We express our gratitude to the farmers for their partnership in advancing the province’s food security and agricultural productivity agenda. I urge them to take diligent care of the project and manage it

MANILA: The United States government is providing an additional PHP485 million (USD9 million) to help expand basic education in the Philippines, the US Embassy in Manila said Thursday. The fund will finance the US Agency for International Development (USAID) project ‘Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines or ABC+,’ which aims to improve literacy and math skills among Filipino children. With a total funding of PHP2.6 billion, ABC+ will extend its reach to new regions, including select areas in Metro Manila, Mimaropa, the Cordillera region, and Soccsksargen. The additional funding will provide 900,000 new books and learning materials, benefiting at least