RM6.5bil for Malaysia@Work to create jobs, says Dr M
The government is allocating RM6.5bil to Malaysia@Work to create jobs for Malaysians in the next five years, mainly for fresh graduates, says the Prime Minister. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said young Malaysians must be equipped with the right skills or be prepared for socio-economic turmoil. Dr Mahathir added that the programme would be facilitated by the Finance Ministry through the EPF and assisted by the Ministries of Education, Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Development, Home Affairs and Human Resources. The Prime Minister said that while progress must be made, it should not only benefit a few and sideline the rest, especially fresh graduates, women, youth and those in the 3D (dirty, dangerous, difficult) job sectors. He gave the examples of technology disruption and climate change as something countries must be aware of. (The Star Online)
Decision on Airbnb next year, says Tourism D-G
The task force on short-term residential accommodation, Airbnb will announce its decision by early next year, Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Musa Yusof said. He said the task force was set up to regulate Airbnb accommodations nationwide and would take note of examples from other countries such as France, Singapore and Japan. “We expect to announce the decision early next year and it needs to be regulated. For example, in some locations, Airbnb accommodations are allowed but not in the big cities where there are hotels available,” he said. He said the matter would be looked at as a whole as there were several joint management bodies had disallowed Airbnb to operate in the condominium building as it was viewed as disruption. (NST Online)
Ekovest to buy land in Johor for RM1.05bil
Ekovest Bhd has proposed to buy 20 parcels of freehold development land in Johor Bahru for a total of RM1.05 billion from Iskandar Waterfront Holdings Sdn Bhd (IWH). The company said it has entered into two conditional agreements with IWH, via its wholly-owned unit Timur Terang Sdn Bhd. The first agreement is to acquire 17 parcels of freehold development land measuring a total of 30.49 hectares (75.34 acres) for RM869.69 million. The second agreement is to buy three parcels of land measuring 6.32 hectares (15.61 acres) for RM180.2 million. Currently the group has a total land bank of 214 acres spreading across Kuala Lumpur (41 acres), Danga Bay, Johor Bahru (36 acres), Kuantan, Pahang (12 acres) and Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan (125 acres). (Malay Mail)
(Source: The Sun Daily)
IGB Commercial REIT set to be listed on Bursa
The local stock exchange is set to welcome a new real estate investment trust (REIT) as IGB Bhd is planning to establish and list IGB Commercial REIT on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities. This would be the second REIT under IGB in addition to IGB REIT which has Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens Mall in its portfolio. The initial investment portfolio of IGB Commercial REIT will comprise Menara IGB, Centrepoint South, Centrepoint North, The Gardens South Tower, The Gardens North Tower, Menara Southpoint (excluding the residential units), Boulevard Offices (Blocks 25 and 27). All of them are located within Mid Valley City in Kuala Lumpur. Menara Tan & Tan and G Tower on Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, are also part of the portfolio. (The Sun Daily)
RM300 incentive for Selangor couples to keep marriage alive
Spouses from Selangor will get RM300 to attend a pilot marriage course for couples. The state government initiative called Program Insentif Generasi Muda Selangor (iGems) is an effort to strengthen the institution of marriage. The course would focus on topics such as financial management, emotional needs and parenting, and is only available to couples tying the knot for the first time and those below the age of 40. Selangor youth, sports and human capital development committee chairman Mohd Khairuddin Othman said in order to qualify for the programme, one spouse must be from Selangor. He said statistics showed that divorce cases were common among couples aged between 30 and 40, with Selangor having the highest divorce rates nationwide. The programme is open to couples married between Sept 1,2018 and Dec 31,2019. (The Star Online)
