June 20 1920

According to Mustapa, the number of unemployed decreased to 630,600 in June, from 637,700 people the previous month. (Photo by Zahid Izzani Mohd Said/The Edge) - A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 9): The unemployment rate continued to show a downward trend, recording 3.8% in June — the lowest since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country — said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed. He said the number of unemployed decreased to 630,600 in June, from 637,700 people the previous month. Citing the June 2022 Malaysian Labour Force Statistics published by the Department of Statistics Malaysia on Tuesday (Aug 9), Mustapa said the country had reached full employment since April, in terms of the unemployment rate being below 4% as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Therefore, he said the position of the labour force was more stable following an increase in the number of workers of 0.2% to 16.57 million … [Read more...] about Malaysia’s unemployment rate down to 3.8% in June, lowest since Covid-19 pandemic struck

PRO Only Highlights - Quarterly performance largely backed by improved realisations - Medium-term triggers China plus and protectionist measures for tyre industry - Valuations not inexpensive; but improved medium-term outlook The Q1FY23 results of Britannia Industries (BIL; CMP: Rs 3,689; Market capitalisation: Rs 88,850 crore) were below expectations. On a three-year CAGR (compounded annual growth rate), BIL has witnessed a value growth of 11 percent and volume growth of 6 percent. June 2022 quarter performance BIL’s revenue grew 9 percent on the back of a 2 percent decline in volumes, year on year (YoY). Market share gains have now continued for about 36 quarters in a row for BIL. Gross margins declined,... … [Read more...] about Britannia Industries: Higher raw material prices weigh on June quarter

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on August 1, 2022 - August 07, 2022. - A + A WILL it be third time’s the charm for Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd, which launched yet another unconditional takeover offer for Cycle & Carriage Bintang Bhd (CCB) on July 14? Jardine’s bid to acquire the rest of the shares in CCB that it does not already own — at an offer price of RM2.70 per share — marks its third attempt at making CCB a fully owned subsidiary. As with the first two exercises, the current offer is expected to fall short, because even though it is higher than the previous offers of RM2.20 per share followed by another at RM2.40, it is still far from the RM4.65 enterprise value (EV) that the main dissenting shareholder Datuk David Goh contends it is worth. In an exclusive interview with The Edge in July last year, Goh said that the underlying value of CCB — one of the largest Mercedes-Benz dealerships in the country — was at … [Read more...] about Suspense over Jardine’s third attempt at CCB privatisation

Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst, a vice president at New America and a professor of practice at Arizona State University. Bergen's new paperback is "The Rise and fall of Osama bin Laden." from which this article is, in part, adapted. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) In 1961, after a CIA-backed invasion of Cuba failed spectacularly, President John F. Kennedy said of the Bay of Pigs fiasco, "Victory has 100 fathers and defeat is an orphan." Peter Bergen Last week, President Joe Biden took a victory lap when he announced that the US had tracked down and killed its most wanted terrorist, al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who was living in a house in Kabul, Afghanistan. Don't expect a similar celebration on August 30, the first anniversary of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which ended the longest war in American history. Any realistic assessment of that action shows that it … [Read more...] about Opinion: Biden’s Afghanistan exit decision looks even worse a year later

Washington (CNN) After months of internal debate, the Biden administration has offered to exchange Viktor Bout , a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US prison sentence, as part of a potential deal to secure the release of two Americans held by Russia , Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, according to people briefed on the matter. These sources told CNN that the plan to trade Bout for Whelan and Griner received the backing of President Joe Biden after being under discussion since earlier this year. Biden's support for the swap overrides opposition from the Department of Justice, which is generally against prisoner trades. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that "so far, there is no agreement on this issue." Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that the US presented a "substantial proposal" to Moscow "weeks ago" for Whelan and Griner, who are classified as wrongfully detained. Speaking at a press … [Read more...] about CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan

(CNN) Data obtained by CNN from New York's largest health-care provider indicates you're very unlikely to become severely ill with Covid-19 if you're under age 60, up to date on your Covid-19 vaccines and don't have underlying health problems, backing up a government plan expected to be announced this week that will ease up on coronavirus restrictions . If you're young, healthy and vaccinated, "you're going to be in a pretty good place," said Dr. William Schaffner, a vaccine adviser to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "You're going to be well-protected." CDC expected to ease Covid-19 recommendations, including for schools, as soon as this week The data from Northwell Health shows that of the nearly 2,000 people hospitalized there for Covid-19 in May, June and July, about 80% were over 60. Nearly 90% had an underlying health problem such as hypertension or diabetes. Vaccination status was also critically important. … [Read more...] about Under 60, healthy, vaccinated and boosted? ‘You’re in a pretty good place’ with Covid-19

Representative image Impostor syndrome seems to be more common than actually thought, though at a collective level. People may often feel that the groups they are affiliated with may be underperforming in comparison to other groups. Although this self-critical approach may work in certain cases, it may also overlook the positives, and decrease the morale of those affiliated with the group. Many in India seem to have a collective/national-level impostor syndrome. While the Indian economy is much better placed than its peers in the emerging markets, and other economies, the government is being criticised on the economic front. The criticism comes when the fundamentals of the Indian economy are robust, despite the exogenous shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, monetary policy tightening by the US Federal Reserve, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and inflated crude oil prices. India's macroeconomic health remains robust despite external pressures, and ongoing … [Read more...] about Bibek Debroy writes: India’s economy is better placed than its peers, other economies around the world

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. (File photo) Dear Reader , A day before the monetary policy announcement, the yield on the 10-year bond fell sharply on a media report that the MPC would signal a pause after Friday’s hike. Thankfully, the MPC held firm, refusing to oblige the bond markets. Not only did it increase the repo rate by 50 basis points, but also the MPC signalled more rate hikes in future by refusing to tone down its ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ stance. Much is being made of the fact that the policy rate is now at the pre-pandemic level. At 5.4 percent, the repo rate is now back to where it was in September 2019. But that is n​o big deal. GDP growth was a measly 3.7 percent in 2019-20 compared to RBI’s projection of 7.2 percent in 2022-23; retail inflation was a much lower 4.8 percent in 2019-20, compared to a projected 6.7 percent for 2022-23; the current account deficit was a comfortable 0.9 percent of GDP in 2019-20 as against projections of around 3 percent … [Read more...] about Moneycontrol Pro Weekender | Shaktikanta Das refuses to pivot

Rapper Slim Jxmmi, who is part of the rap duo Rae Sremmurd, was reportedly arrested Sunday immediately after his plane touched down in Los Angeles. Slim Jxmmi had outstanding warrants for his arrest issued in Georgia over possession of marijuana with intent to sell , according to TMZ . The rapper is reportedly in custody in L.A. and is being held without bail. Officials in Georgia have already had a judge authorize Slim Jxmmi’s extradition from Los Angeles to Georgia, where he could be facing the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison if he’s found guilty, according to TMZ. Slim Jxmmi, one half of the rap duo Rae Sremmurd — had a not-so-nice welcome home when he touched down in L.A. … after authorities discovered there was an outstanding warrant out for his arrest. https://t.co/hIYZZxXkAW — TMZ (@TMZ) August 9, 2022 Slim Jxmmi had flown to LAX from Canada and was reportedly taken into custody by Customs and Border Patrol agents when they discovered the outstanding … [Read more...] about REPORT: Rapper Slim Jxmmi Arrested Upon Landing In Los Angeles Airport

GAS LINES IN AMERICA… Four Governors Declare States Of Emergency Due To Gasoline Shortage Four governors declared states of emergency in response to gas shortages brought on by the Colonial Pipeline hack. Democratic North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency on Monday due to his state’s gas shortage. Republicans Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Ron DeSantis of Florida, and Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared states of emergency on Tuesday. Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced that he would not declare a new state of emergency because the state was already in one due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kemp suspended Georgia’s gas taxes, while Cooper eliminated transportation regulations. McMaster instituted anti-price gouging laws. Virginia Republicans called on Northam to suspend the state’s gas tax. CBS NEWS… The South was being hit hardest. Late Monday, almost 6.5% of gas stations in Virginia were out of fuel, … [Read more...] about Editor Daily Rundown: Governors Declare States Of Emergency In Response To Gas Shortages