Article Related To Astro Awani

Will the hype over Oriental Kopi carry over to the stock market during its ACE Market debut on Jan 23? Astro AWANI Correspondent Faye Kwan breaks down the buzz and what to expect from the F&B chain’s IPO listing.

Astro AWANI is the first Malaysian news brand to enter Syria following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Astro AWANI’s Social Media Editor, Hilal Azmi, reports from Damascus on the current situation and the country’s ongoing recovery.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim engaged in a special dialogue with World Economic Forum founder Professor Klaus Schwab in Davos, addressing crucial topics on technology, trade, and geopolitics. For more insights, Astro AWANI’s Lead Editor, Najib Aroff, reports from Switzerland.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is on the second day of his official visit to the UAE. Astro AWANI correspondent Irfan Faruqi breaks down the key moments of the day in Abu Dhabi and what they mean for Malaysia-UAE ties.

As Malaysia takes the helm as ASEAN Chair in 2025, it steps into a leadership role for one of the world’s most dynamic regions. ASEAN is on track to become the fourth-largest economic bloc by 2030, but it faces immense challenges: from navigating an increasingly fragmented global order to advancing regional integration amid rising protectionism. Can Malaysia’s chairmanship make a lasting impact in just one year? And how can ASEAN strengthen its collective voice and economic clout in a polarised world? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks with Datuk Professor Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah, Chairperson of the Institute of Strategic & International Studies, better known as ISIS Malaysia.

Despite decades of progress, poverty continues to trap millions in cycles of deprivation, and conventional measures often fail to reflect the full scope of their struggles. The Multidimensional Poverty Index, developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, offers a revolutionary way to understand and address poverty by looking at deprivations in education, health, and living standards. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks with Professor Dr Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. Together with Professor James Foster, she developed the Alkire-Foster method for measuring multidimensional poverty.

If there is one lesson in all of this ending 2024, is that friendship goes both ways.

Neil Woods is a former undercover police officer who spent 14 years infiltrating some of the UK’s most dangerous criminal networks. His frontline experience with law enforcement showed him the unintended consequences of drug prohibition—consequences that not only shaped his perspective but have also made him a leading voice for global drug policy reform. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris explores how the war on drugs and prohibition policies have created lucrative black markets, which are often controlled by organised crime groups. Neil Woods is a board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) which is a group made up entirely of serving and former police and other law enforcement, advocating for evidence-based drug policy and criminal justice reforms.

As we wrap-up 2024 and set resolutions for year ahead, this episode of #ConsiderThis explores Malaysia’s state of freedom of expression this year: Are we moving forward? Melisa Idris speaks with Nalini Elumalai, Senior Malaysia Programme Officer at ARTICLE 19 which is an NGO dedicated to freedom of expression, and Wathshlah Naidu, Executive Director of the Center for Independent Journalism, about the recently released 2024 Report on the State of Freedom of Expression in Malaysia.

After 13 years of war, an offensive by Syrian opposition groups has ousted Bashar al-Assad as Syria’s president in just days. This historic moment raises urgent questions: What kind of future awaits Syria—for its governance, for the millions of Syrians, both inside the country and in the diaspora, and for the future for the Arab region? On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks to Samer Abboud, Associate Professor of Global Interdisciplinary Studies at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, US, where his research focuses on warfare in Syria and the emergence of an illiberal post-conflict order in the country. He is also the Director of its Center for Arab and Islamic Studies. In 2018 he authored a book titled ‘Syria’, which explores the outbreak and trajectory of the Syrian uprising, and is currently working on his next book on the country.

To mark International Migrants Day on the 18th of December, today we reflect on the millions of workers who have left their homes and families to cross borders in search of better opportunities. In Budget 2025 the Malaysian government unveiled a bold proposal to extend mandatory EPF contributions to non-citizen workers. The move is seen as a step forward in improving worker welfare and aligning Malaysia closer to international labour standards. But for business owners, the measure raises red flags about increased costs and potential economic impacts. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks with Professor Niaz Asadullah, Southeast Asia Lead of the Global Labour Organisation.

Malaysia is experiencing one of the worst flood crises seen in a decade, with more than 150,000 people evacuated and tragically lives lost. While many have returned to their destroyed homes as floodwaters receded, the Malaysian Met Department has warned of a second wave—a monsoon surge likely to occur from December 8th to the 14th on the east coast. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks with Shah Fiesal Hussain, Head of Global Operations for MERCY Malaysia, which has been providing emergency response efforts to the severe flooding.

Astro AWANI excels after winning five awards at the Malaysia Public Relations Awards 2024 in Kuala Lumpur

Only 2.3% of venture funding currently goes to women-led startups and that figure has remained stagnant at 2% for years. And often, female entrepreneurs receive smaller amounts of funding—enough to survive but not to invest significantly in strategic initiatives that could propel the business forward. The Aurora Tech Award is an international prize founded by the global ride-hailing service, inDrive, and designed to support women founders in IT by helping them gain visibility and attract investment. On this episode of #TheFutureIsFemale Melisa Idris speaks with Shaerine Irwina Kaur, Communications Manager for Southeast Asia for inDrive.

Malaysia is set to be officially recognised as one of 13 nations added to BRICS as a partner country, though not as full members yet. But as Malaysia joins this diverse and at times divided group, questions remain about what the country stands to gain—and what it risks. On this episode of #ConsiderThis Melisa Idris speaks with Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid, Visiting Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Participants would also receive training in soft skills such as professional etiquette and resume writing, says P. Prabakaran.

The estimated compensation for toll concession companies involved is RM20.08 million.

I was more of a politician and somebody in govt, more akin to looking at overall government policy and execution of policy, says Najib.

The holiday, China's biggest, this year falls between Jan. 28-Feb. 4 and marks the arrival of the Year of the Snake.

Cryptocurrencies notch small gains after US President Donald Trump commissioned a report on regulation and potential crypto reserves.

South Korea suspects North Korea may send more troops to Russia to fight in Ukraine, despite past losses and captured soldiers.

The ECHR ruled that the French courts had violated the woman's right to respect for private and family life.

Datuk Mohd Izani Ghani says ongoing technical evaluations are important and expected to be completed by April.

Palm oil consumption tends to rise during Ramadan, which is expected to start in early March, as Muslims gather at dusk to break their fast.

Washington finances 15.8% of the 32-member military alliance's yearly expenditure of around $3.5 billion.