Author: Press Room

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia unveiled a leaner budget of RM372.3 billion (US$80.06 billion) for 2023 on Friday (Oct 7) amid an uncertain global environment and an expected slow growth. The 2022 budget was touted as its largest when it was tabled last year at RM332.1 billion, but it has since expanded to an estimated RM385.3 billion, after factoring in the fiscal support to protect people and businesses from rising inflation and cost of living. The country’s economy is forecast to expand between 4 per cent and 5 per cent in 2023, slowed from this year’s 6.5 and 7 per cent, according…

The European Union and United Kingdom have resumed Brexit talks with a renewed hope that the long running saga of the Northern Ireland Protocol can be resolved.However, the EU remains sceptical that a deal will materialise, Euronews understands.Teams of technical experts are discussing the plethora of outstanding issues that have marred the implementation of the protocol.The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Maros Sefcovic and UK’s foreign secretary James Cleverly met virtually last Friday for political discussions and are set to meet again soon.EU sources have welcomed the decision by the new British government to return to the table but say they…

October’s half-term break is coming up in the UK, but sky-high airfares make it unlikely that Britons will catch much of a breather.With the pound at its lowest level against the US dollar since 1985, energy bills skyrocketing and winter looming, holidaying abroad has already become an expense many can’t afford.And if, on top of that, you feel that travelling has become more expensive than it used to be, then you’re absolutely right. To be precise, flights during the UK’s half-term break are now 42 per cent more expensive than they were pre-pandemic.Research into flight costs by UK-based consumer champion…

Mark Williams had a nightmare shot to contend with during his hotly-anticipated clash with Neil Robertson at the Hong Kong Masters.The ‘The Welsh Potting Machine’ found himself in a spot of bother with the cue ball rammed up against the jaws of the corner pocket as he was attempting to make hay in the fourth frame of the match.Holding a 2-1 lead after a very fast start with a century in the opening frame, Williams was left in a right pickle as he attempted to claw back a 34-19 deficit to the Australian from about as difficult a spot as…

From: Inside StoryThe UN is warning the nation is facing its worst drought in decades.After years of unprecedented drought in Somalia, a famine is now expected to be declared within weeks. The United Nations says more than a million people have been forced to leave their homes in search of food and assistance since January last year. The UN’s humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, is calling on the international community to deliver aid immediately. But is aid alone enough? Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra Guests:  Adam Aw Hirsi – Somali minister of state for the environment and climate change Martin Griffiths – United…

Effects of COVID pandemic and war in Ukraine make it unlikely for the world to eradicate extreme poverty by decade’s end, World Bank says.The world is unlikely to meet a longstanding goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030, the World Bank has said, citing the effects of “extraordinary” shocks to the global economy, including the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In a new report released on Wednesday, the World Bank said higher food and energy prices had hindered a quick recovery after COVID-19 dealt the “biggest setback” to global poverty in decades. It added it expected the pace…

Max Scherzer’s routine lately has included watching a certain superhero on the screen with his young daughters. “We love ‘Batman’ right now,” Scherzer said Thursday before a Mets workout at Citi Field. “So I feel like I am doing some good parenting.” Gotham City’s fate is intriguing, but the Mets will ask the 38-year-old Scherzer to put aside Batman for a night and become the Bat-misser who was signed to a three-year contract worth $130 million in part because of his postseason pedigree. The Mets will send Scherzer to the mound Friday for the franchise’s first playoff game since 2016.…

A hiker’s nighttime rescue on Crown Mountain in North Vancouver is drawing attention to a limitation that currently exists in British Columbia’s rescue rules. Dr. Jason Clement was scaling the mountain last week and was about three quarters of the way up when he dislocated his shoulder and became stuck in a crevice.“I probably didn’t do as much homework as I should have because it was a little more exposed and technically challenging than I thought it would be,” he told Global News.“It was technically difficult enough that I wasn’t going to be able to climb up with one arm.…

Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says the Labor Party “should deliver on the promises they made” regarding stage three tax cuts. “Those issues of the size of our public debt, the growth in expenditures in the years to come – they were all facts on the table for the Labor Party at the election just five months ago,” Mr Canavan told Sky News Australia. “When we went to the election, the Labor Party said they would implement all of these tax cuts.“For good government … the Labor Party should deliver on the promises they made.” Mr Canavan said there has been…

Cool for the summer! JoJo Siwa opened up about her journey toward discovering her sexuality — and which fellow celebrities helped her get there.  In a TikTok video posted on Tuesday, October 4, Siwa, 19, participated in the “One Thing About Me” social media trend by sharing her “gay awakening story, in which she listened to Demi Lovato’s 2015 hit “Cool for the Summer” on repeat.  “I really, really liked it and listened to it all the time,” the former Nickelodeon star said on the beat. “I did not know what it meant back then but now that I’m much…