KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 3): Foreign investors are still interested in Malaysia with an increasing focus on other asset classes, particularly the bond market, which saw foreigners flocking to the bond market to the tune of RM8.1 billion in November 2019, according to MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd Research. In a strategy note today, MIDF said […]

In Florida, the 2020 “50 Hottest Companies in the Advanced Bioeconomy” was published today, as voted by invited international Selectors and subscribers of The Digest, the world’s most widely-read bioeconomy daily. The Hot 50 winners are expected to join more than 250 other companies in the advanced bioeconomy for the gala Hot 50 Party, celebrating the […]

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian economy is set to recover in the second half of 2020, with no major economic crisis on the horizon, analysts say. Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd chief economist Manokaran Mottain said he expects the US-China trade talks to be completed by mid-2020, and this could lead to the rollback of additional tariffs imposed […]

WHILE the year 2019 saw significant strides made in higher education — with an emphasis on giving wider access, and inclusion into learning institutions — the sector nevertheless also faced challenges. Among others, it continued to grapple with issues such as graduate employability, funding for research and operations, obsolescence of course content, as well as […]

KUALA LUMPUR, 1 Jan — Bagi mereka yang meraikan kedatangan dekad baharu malam tadi, anda sebenarnya agak ketinggalan kerana golongan millennial, seperti saya, telahpun meraikan 2020 pada tahun 1991 itu sendiri. Ia adalah tahun di mana Malaysia memperkenalkan “Wawasan 2020,” barangkali antara segelintir negara di dunia ini pada masa itu yang mempunyai pandangan jauh kehadapan […]

A mere “The Year in Rewind” as we sail into 2020? Not the good ship Digest! Instead, we dust off our crystal ball and offer our predictions for the year ahead. As the sunset of 2019 gives way to the dawn of 2020, once again roll the dice as we list the Digest’s 10 Top Advanced Bioeconomy […]

2019 saw a new record set for a list price of a prescription therapy—$2.1 million for the gene therapy Zolgensma® launched by AxeVis, a Novartis Company—and resulting renewed concerns over the price of treatments and whether politicos will ever be able to address the issue as the nation’s presidential election campaign season heats up. Also renewed […]

CHICAGO: A Google artificial intelligence system proved as good as expert radiologists at predicting which women would develop breast cancer based on screening mammograms and showed promise at reducing errors, researchers in the United States and Britain reported. The study, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, is the latest to show that artificial intelligence […]

The year was marked by mergers and acquisitions (M&A) both big and small. Although not comprehensive, here’s a look at some of the top deals for 2019. Bristol-Myers Squibb Buys Celgene The year started off in January when Bristol-Myers Squibb announced plans to acquire Celgenefor about $75 billion. Quickly afterwards, the deal hit a snag as one of […]

Researchers at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have identified a previously unknown mechanism by which mosquitoes that carry the malaria parasite can become resistant to the insecticide that is used to impregnate bed nets. The scientists found that pyrethroid-resistant Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii mosquitoes expressed high levels of a chemical binding protein known as sensory appendage protein […]

NUMEROUS factors are pushing the growth of the healthcare sector, from aging and growing populations, greater prevalence of chronic diseases to technological advancement. These will continue to see a rise in healthcare demand and expenditures, says Deloitte in its 2020 global healthcare outlook.

In the EU, biodiesel production has increased for another year, accounting for more than one third of global production, according to a December release by Germany’s UFOP. Global biodiesel, renewable diesel and coprocessed renewable diesel production reached 41 million metric tons in 2018, or roughly 12.3 billion gallons, according to UFOP. The EU’s share was […]

KUALA LUMPUR: Sejumlah RM4.536 bilion diluluskan untuk tawaran pembiayaan menerusi institusi kewangan swasta (PFIs) di bawah Skim Pembiayaan Teknologi Hijau (GTFS) setakat ini. Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Malaysian Green Technology Corporation (GreenTech Malaysia), Shamsul Bahar Mohd Nor, berkata GTFS yang diperkenalkan sejak 2010 itu sudah ditawarkan kepada 344 projek membabitkan 341 syarikat tempatan.

What a year 2019! Butene, bio-isobutene, farnesene – it was a year of biochemicals and innovations, of changing policies and uncertainty of advanced biofuels, increased efficiencies in the world of enzymes, catalysts and more, fascinating developments with meat alternatives, leather without the cow, plastic without the plastic, a huge variety of joint ventures and partnerships, and […]

A new word entered the English language in 2019 – Plastiphobia! This describes the emotional reaction against plastic which spread like wildfire when David Attenborough’s “Blue Planet” programme appeared on the BBC. Environmentalists and politicians leapt instantly to ban plastics all around the world – but they are making a mistake.

The Brazilian biodiesel market is expected to find a balance between offers and demand in 2020 after feedstock prices reached a historic high in 2019. With the country’s implementation of a B11 blend in September, some participants have started to build inventories to meet increasing demand for the biofuel. By law, fuel retailers are obligated […]

PORT KLANG: The Malaysian Department of Quarantine and Inspection Services (Maqis) seized 6,887kg of Chinese traditional herb products worth RM213,145 after a trader failed to comply with the necessary import requirements. Selangor State Maqis director Dr Tarmisal Alimin said the items were seized at the North Klang Port Entrance following inspections carried out by the […]

BUKIT MERTAJAM, Dec 28 — The Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP) has urged the government to place the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (JPS) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (MOA) so that irrigation and drainage problems could be tackled more effectively. LPP chairman Datuk Mazlan Aliman said most of the activities related to […]

SHAH ALAM: Sunzen Biotech Bhd, whose earnings contribution is mainly from palm oil trading, sale of traditional chinese medicine and bird’s nest exports is expanding its animal health business. In a recent interview with the New Straits Times, Sunzen Biotech managing director Datuk Hong Choon Hau said the group will be launching new products suitable […]

SUNGAI BESAR, Dec 24 — The Farmers’ Organisation Authority (LPP) plans to increase the use of the latest technology in paddy cultivation to attract young people’s participation in agriculture. Its chairman Datuk Mazlan Aliman said the use of advanced harvesting and ploughing machines could increase the production, thus improve the income of farmers.

KUCHING: The Ministry of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development aims to encourage as many youths to take up farming as a career in 2020, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who also holds this ministerial portfolio. However, he also points out that it would not be, by any account, ‘the old way […]

FOOD security is a growing issue faced by many countries and therefore, enhancing a nation’s agricultural production is one way to meet local needs. In Malaysia, one area the government is emphasising on is domestic dairy production. Malaysia’s self-sufficiency level (SSL) for fresh milk currently stands at 61 per cent. Through the 2017 National Dairy […]