Review

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 27): The High Court on Wednesday dismissed an application by Semantan Estate (1952) Sdn Bhd to re-acquire a 106.7ha land in the city known as the Duta enclave. Justice Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid delivered the decision via email. “The application for judicial review in enclosure 17 is dismissed. There shall be no order as to costs,” the judge said, without providing grounds for the decision. Senior federal counsel S Narkunavathy, who appeared for the federal government, the Federal Territories minister, the federal land commissioner, the director-general of the Land and Mines Department, the director of the Federal Territory Land and Mines Department, the Federal Court Land registrar and the natural resources and environment minister, confirmed the decision when contacted by The Edge . Semantan Estate was represented by counsel Ira Biswas, who also confirmed the decision to The Edge . Justice Ahmad Kamal heard submissions on the …

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T ripadvisor’s latest transparency report is out, revealing many insights into how the online travel company went about the Herculean task of moderating 26 million user reviews last year. Phony reviews, and often pay-for-play, remain a persistent problem, which the company addressed in 2020 by removing or rejecting nearly 1 million fake reviews and identifying a swathe of new sites selling bogus reviews. The report also gives a peek into the enormous challenges of moderating user content not only during a pandemic but in an era of increased polarization and widespread disinformation. The Covid-19 pandemic has been a game-changer for travelers, and “as a travel guidance platform, it is important that the information available on Tripadvisor reflect this new reality,” says the report. “For this reason, we made the decision to update our community standards and moderation processes to ensure travelers had access to the information they needed and businesses were being treated …

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First of all, let's address the show's title. La Brea , the new sci-fi adventure yarn available on HBO GO, is apparently named for the La Brea Tar Pits, a group of asphalt pools in a Los Angeles park that have been a huge source of fossils from the Ice Age (and thereabouts). "La Brea" is also Spanish for "the tar", which kind of makes the name redundant ("the The Tar Tar Pits", which sounds more like a speech and dental issue than a prehistoric relic), and harks back to the hilariously named The La Trattoria from Hugh Grant's Mickey Blue Eyes . Uh-huh. And to be honest, the going does get a little repetitive, tarry and bogged down at times, with the first three episodes of the show relying a lot on very familiar and/or cheesy situations to propel its story along. To give the show credit, it opens with an eye-popping disaster sequence in which a huge sinkhole appears in Los Angeles, swallowing (among other things, the The Tar Tar PIts) buildings, roads, vehicles and people. …

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- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 27): The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) looks forward to the implementation of the ASEAN Investment Facilitation Framework (AIFF) to facilitate the inflow of investment into the region as ASEAN steps up its efforts towards a comprehensive recovery. Among others, the framework is intended to improve accessibility and transparency of investment measures, streamline and speed up administrative procedures and requirements, and create favourable conditions for investment in the region. “This is with a view to enhancing regional economic integration and allowing ASEAN to capture opportunities presented by shifts in global value chains, as well as delivering tangible benefits to stakeholders,” said ASEAN chairman Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei has chaired the 38th and 39th ASEAN summits held on Oct 26 via videoconference. He said ASEAN also welcomed the entry into force of the ASEAN Trade in Services …

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- A + A ALOR SETAR (Oct 27): Kedah is demanding RM100 million a year from the Federal government as Penang land lease royalty payment. Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the Kedah State government is of the view that the value is appropriate and in accordance with the current value as the State government had been receiving an annual royalty of RM10,000 all these years with the special payment of RM10 million a year since 2018. “The current Penang land lease royalty payment is only RM10,000 a year. Ask anyone and he will say that it is unreasonable. “We want the Penang royalty payment to be reviewed and given according to its current value. We demand it to be RM100 million,” he told a press conference after chairing the state executive council meeting here today. He said the RM100 million was actually small compared to the revenue generated by Penang. The Menteri Besar said it was hoped that the demand would be given fair consideration by the Federal …

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This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on October 18, 2021 - October 24, 2021. - A + A Many are eagerly waiting to see what initiatives and incentives the government has for the nation when Budget 2022 is announced on Oct 29. Real estate-related associations are hoping for some help to alleviate the problems faced by their members as a result of the pandemic. Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (Rehda) president Datuk Soam Heng Choon says its wish list includes a reduction in the cost of business and the standardisation of guidelines. “Assistance from the government is needed to reduce the cost of doing business so that development costs remain sustainable, such as not imposing any more new conditions or new charges, or an upward revision of contribution charges by utility companies as well as local authorities. Meanwhile, the federal government should also advocate for standardised …

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- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 27): Pakatan Harapan (PH) has proposed 12 key strategies for Budget 2022, including an immediate injection of the RM45 billion Covid Fund as agreed in the memorandum of understanding between the opposition coalition and the government. The RM45 billion should comprise at least RM4 billion for the Ministry of Health, RM30 billion financial grants and subsidies for the economic sector, RM6 billion in work hiring incentives, and at least RM5 billion for households, said PH. In shadow budget released on Wednesday, PH called for the strengthening of parliament as an effective and genuine bipartisan platform. It said the government should empower the parliamentary special select committees (PSSC) by allowing them to scrutinise and review policies, bills and budgets, prior to tabling in the main chamber. In order to build this foundation, PH stressed it is important that all ministries are shadowed by PSSCs. “Currently, there are only 10 …

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- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 27): Pakatan Harapan has urged the government to stay committed to an expansionary fiscal policy in the coming year to support the economy through public spending. In its Budget 2022 strategy document unveiled on Wednesday, the Opposition coalition said while stronger economic growth is expected in 2022 in view of rising vaccination rates and less need for lockdowns across the country, Putrajaya should be mindful of downward risks. These include the risk of the pandemic reflaring due to mutations, efficacy and distribution of booster shots. “To address the downside risk, the government should adopt a cautionary approach and support the economy through public spending until recovery is properly secured,” said PH. It stressed that premature fiscal consolidation will put recovery in jeopardy. “Fiscal balance can be addressed once recovery is fully secured and that is likely in 2023. For 2022, it is crucial that the government prioritizes …

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- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 27): Sarawak Consolidated Industries Bhd (SCIB), which is facing the risk of trading suspension as it may fail to meet the deadline to issue its annual report, has decided to abort its placement of 91.43 million new shares. The reason given was the uncertainty of current market conditions, said the company, whose share price took a nosedive by 28% on Wednesday, in its bourse filing. “The placement funds received for tranche four of the private placement will be refunded to the respective placees,” it added. This is the final tranche of the private placement, which was targeted to issue a total of 147.16 million new shares to raise RM227.8 million, based on an indicative price of RM1.548. The announcement came on the heels that the stock exchange had rejected its application for an extension of time until Dec 31, 2021 to issue its annual report for the year ended June 30, 2021 (FY21).  The company has appealed against the stock exchange’s …

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(CNN) Colin Kaepernick possesses greater gifts as an athlete and activist than as a TV personality, which becomes apparent watching "Colin in Black & White," a series that -- much like NBC's "Young Rock" -- revisits a famous person's early life, here by awkwardly mixing documentary and dramatic elements. As it happens, the Netflix show premieres the same day as another series connected to a pro athlete, NBA star Kevin Durant , who is among the producers of "Swagger," an Apple TV+ series that looks at the often-unsavory, high-pressured world of youth basketball. "Colin" is the higher-profile project, with Kaepernick having been left off an NFL roster since 2017, after taking a principled position over kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice. Outspoken in the intervening period, the quarterback has teamed here with filmmaker Ava DuVernay , who directed the premiere of the six-episode series as well as the sequences in which Kaepernick speaks …

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