Crisis
Britain became the first western country to authorize the use of Covid-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. The approval granted by the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on December 1 was at lightning speed – just 3 weeks after Pfizer published the first data from its Phase-3 clinical trial. Pfizer claims its vaccine has 95% […]
... written on Dec 03 2020Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) has just announced the criteria or terms and conditions with regard to the withdrawal of retirement savings under “i-Sinar” scheme. A whopping 8 million members are eligible to apply online beginning 21 Dec, 2020. According to EPF (KWSP, Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja), the eligibility criteria can be divided into 2 categories. […]
... written on Dec 02 2020An image of a grinning Australian soldier holding a bloodied knife to an Afghanistan child’s throat has sparked a new problem to the already souring relationship between China and Australia. The fact that the image, which appeared to show the soldier slitting the child’s throat, was posted by Zhao Lijian, a spokesman for China’s foreign […]
... written on Dec 01 2020Following Coronavirus vaccines revealed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna after encouraging late-stage trial results, British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced on Monday that it too has developed a Covid-19 vaccine. Unlike Pfizer and Moderna’s effectiveness of 95% and 94.5%, respectively, AstraZeneca’s vaccine has an average efficacy of 70%. However, depending on dosage, the latest vaccine’s effectiveness could […]
... written on Nov 23 2020Australia was hoping that by signing the China-backed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) deal on Sunday, it will automatically fix, or at least improve the country’s strained relations with China. If only it was so easy. It would take more than an insignificant deal like RCEP, of which the direct economic benefits are limited, to […]
... written on Nov 19 2020After American pharmaceutical Pfizer and the German biotech company BioNTech last Monday that they finally had produced the vaccine, which is more than 90% effective against Covid-19, the stock markets around the globe immediate hit the roof. But soon the stock rally fades away as the vaccine is unlikely to arrive to the mass market fast […]
... written on Nov 17 2020After crossing the 270 Electoral College vote threshold needed to claim victory, President-elect Biden appears to have strengthened his grip on Friday (Nov 13) by winning the state of Georgia. Even though North Carolina may go to President Trump, the final result would see Biden’s 306 votes against Trump’s 232. Interestingly, this is the same […]
... written on Nov 15 2020Introduced in 1951, the EPF (Employees Provident Fund) compulsory retirement savings scheme for private sector workers requires employees to contribute 11% of their salaries to their EPF accounts. Employers, on the other hand, contribute the equivalent of 13% of the salaries of employees earning RM5,000 and below, and 12% if wages are above RM5,000. […]
... written on Nov 05 2020Australia’s economy, already plunged into recession in September – its first recession in 30 years since 1991 – continues to register bad news. And it has nothing to do with Covid-19 pandemic. Rather, it’s a self-inflicted economic backlash after Canberra deliberately campaigned for an international inquiry into the origins of the Coronavirus in April which […]
... written on Nov 04 2020Crude oil prices dropped below zero for the first time in history on April 20, 2020. Many were scratching their head in disbelief as the U.S. oil prices turned negative. Others were amused as they watched the deepest fall in demand for the “black gold” in 25 years. It’s not everyday you get to watch crude […]
... written on Nov 02 2020
