2016 public holiday malaysia

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This year Aotearoa New Zealand is celebrating what may be the world’s first reintroduced indigenous holiday anywhere in the world, according to Dr. Rangi Matamua, an indigenous studies and Māori cultural astronomy academic of Tūhoe descent. Matariki is the Māori New Year in Te Ao Māori, or the Māori world view, and is signified by the reappearance of the Matariki star cluster in the early morning sky. English speakers may know the star cluster better by its ancient Greek name of the Pleiades, while Subaru drivers will recognize it from the logo on their car. But for Māori people in New Zealand, seeing these stars reappear in the Southern hemisphere’s mid-winter means the past year is coming to a close, and the new one is beginning. Historically, Matariki has been intertwined with harvesting and hunting, with clear stars indicating an abundant season. But there is deeper cultural meaning beyond the changing season. “One of … [Read more...] about Stargazing Stays For Matariki, The Māori New Year, Now Officially A Public Holiday In New Zealand

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Yesterday, as widely expected, President Biden called on Congress to implement a three month suspension of the federal gasoline tax. Observers of all stripes have argued that the move is unlikely to offer consumers much relief, and could even be counterproductive. Economists have suggested that suspending the 18 cent per gallon tax could modestly stimulate gasoline demand at a time of constrained supply, providing a boost to consumption and padding oil company profits. Climate policy advocates worry about the carbon emissions impact of subsidizing consumption. And given the role of the gas tax in supporting the federal Highway Trust Fund, others are raising red flags about starving infrastructure investment of much needed revenue. Still, it’s understandable that policymakers feel compelled to take action as U.S. gasoline prices soar to record highs, threatening the broader economic recovery. It now seems quite … [Read more...] about How To Make A Gas Tax ‘Holiday’ Make Sense For The Long Term

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 24): Inflation in Malaysia is poised to catch up with neighbouring countries in the second half of this year, after relatively benign consumer price index (CPI) readings until April, thanks to the blanket fuel subsidy, low utilities prices and the inclusion of price-controlled items in the CPI basket. Across the Causeway, Singapore’s headline inflation hit 5.6% in May, the highest since November 2011, and up from 5.4% in April. Thailand and Indonesia also reported multi-year high inflation figures in May. In Malaysia, food prices are set to rise further after the removal of price caps for chicken and eggs, and the discontinuation of subsidy for bottled cooking oil, said economists. In addition to food — which has a 29.5% weightage in the CPI basket — the upcoming electricity surcharge review for the July-December period, the planned rationalisation of fuel subsidies and the ringgit’s weakness also post an upside risk to … [Read more...] about Malaysia’s inflation set to catch up with regional peers in 2H

- A + A (June 22): Malaysia’s state-owned investment firm Johor Corp could seek to raise about 1 billion ringgit ($227 million) in an initial public offering of its plantation unit, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The investment arm of the Johor State government is asking bankers for pitches for the potential listing of Kulim Malaysia Bhd, and is targeting a valuation of around US$1 billion for the unit, the people said. An IPO in Kuala Lumpur could happen as early as next year, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the process is private. The Kulim listing would come as a three-year rally in crude palm oil prices has begun to sputter, falling from its peak in March as Indonesia ramps up exports. Deliberations are ongoing and details of the IPO such as size and timing could change, the people said. Johor Corp is continuously reviewing its investments, and is committed to improving the value proposition of Kulim, said Hasnina Hafiz, … [Read more...] about Malaysia state firm Johor Corp weighs IPO for US$1 bil palm oil arm

GEORGE TOWN: The country is ready to move out from the pandemic stage and into endemicity based on current indicators, says a health expert. Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Advanced Medical and Dental Institute Biomedical Science head Dr Muhammad Amir Yunus said several indicators showed that the country has an option to move into the endemic status, which could help manage Covid-19 better without draining too much health and economic resources. “Among others, we are there with the vaccination coverage status, number of new cases per million population globally, and surveillance on virus (no new significant dangerous variants and severity of illness in general). “People should keep in mind that ‘endemic’ status doesn’t mean that there should be zero daily cases, which is totally wrong as it refers to how manageable the number is, without the emergence of new dangerous virus variants. “Endemicity itself doesn’t mean good or safe. It means that the Covid-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) is … [Read more...] about ‘Malaysia hits all the marks of being in endemic phase’

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 24): Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industry Research has revised its fiscal deficit forecast for Malaysia for 2022 to 6.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), from 6.3% previously, with the slight downward revision reflecting a net negative balance between two opposing forces affecting the fiscal situation — higher petroleum-related revenues amid significantly higher oil prices and higher government spending in order to keep inflation at bay. In a report on Thursday (June 23), the firm said that while the government had announced plans to consolidate public finances over the coming months, including a more targeted approach to fuel and food subsidies and a possible reversion back to the goods and services tax (GST) scheme from the current sales and service tax (SST), there are still downside risks to the fiscal forecasts. “To be sure, the government is likely to prioritise shoring up support ahead of the general election that is due by … [Read more...] about Malaysia to see wider fiscal deficit in 2022, says Fitch Solutions

Khairy Jamaluddin - A + A REMBAU (June 26): Cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) in Malaysia are currently under control despite several clusters involving boarding schools being detected, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. He said the public, especially parents, does not have to worry it is only a common infection and would emerge from time to time, apart from patients only needing monitoring and isolation. "Cases of influenza will increase from time to time because the Movement Control Order has been lifted. As we are reducing public health measures such as physical distancing and so on, for sure infectious diseases are increasing. "Perhaps, for the past two years, the number of cases of the disease has decreased because we were confined at home and followed certain public health measures, but whatever it is, it is still under control and there is nothing to worry about," he told reporters after attending the PeKa B40 health screening programme on … [Read more...] about Khairy: Cases of influenza-like illness in Malaysia under control

REMBAU: Cases of influenza-like-illness (ILI) in the country are currently under control despite several clusters involving boarding schools being detected, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin. He said the public, especially parents, did not have to worry it was only a common infection and would emerge from time to time, apart from patients only needing monitoring and isolation. ALSO READ: Another influenza-like illness cluster detected at boarding school in Selangor "Cases of influenza will increase from time to time because the movement control order has been lifted. As we are reducing public health measures such as physical distancing and so on, for sure infectious diseases are increasing. "Perhaps, for the past two years, the number of cases of the disease has decreased because we were confined at home and followed certain public health measures, but whatever it is, it is still under control and there is nothing to worry about,” he told reporters after attending the … [Read more...] about Influenza-like-illness cases in Malaysia under control, says Khairy

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Is too much inflation crushing your summer vacation plans? President Joe Biden has a holiday for you — at the gas pump. Biden is set to request from Congress a three-month, emergency relaxation of the federal tax on gasoline. By removing that tax of 18.4 cents per gallon, and right before the July 4th peak of driving season, Biden hopes to be credited for saving you three or four bucks every time you fill up. It’s not a huge savings. The federal gas tax hasn’t changed since 1993 and is not indexed for inflation. Still, according to the Congressional Budget Office, it brings in $45 billion a year, which covers nearly all the $47 billion last year in federal highway spending. As Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on CNN, “Part of the challenge with the gas tax, of course, is that it funds the roads.” Ultimately, Congress will have to find another pocket to dig in to replace the $10 billion or so in highway funding. The … [Read more...] about Why Biden’s Federal Gas Tax Holiday Would Be Bad For America

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 24): Instant beverage premix manufacturer Orgabio Holdings Bhd's initial public offering (IPO) for the public portion has been oversubscribed by 50.86 times. In a statement on Friday (June 24), the company said a total of 7,562 applications seeking 642.7 million new shares were received from the Malaysian public for 12.39 million new shares that were made available for public subscription. It said the bumiputera public portion of shares was oversubscribed by 45.52 times, after a total of 4,674 applications for 288.3 million shares were received. Meanwhile, 2,888 applications for the remaining public portion amounting to 354.4 million shares were received, representing an oversubscription rate of 56.19 times. Orgabio said the 6.2 million new shares offered to its eligible directors and employees had also been fully subscribed. Orgabio executive deputy chairman Datuk Ean Yong Tin Sin said the response received for the company's IPO … [Read more...] about Orgabio’s IPO public portion oversubscribed 50.86 times