Journalism Matters
500 news organizations mark World News Day by demonstrating the power of journalism to make a difference. Take a look at the following reports and features that are making an impact in an increasingly complex and uncertain world:
Probing Modi’s decision to buy 36 Rafales at a higher price
In April 2015, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the purchase of 36 Rafale off-the-shelf aircraft jets from France as part of a inter-governmental defence agreement. This decision turned out to be controversial as the Indian Air Force had sought 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft for its strategic needs.
Taxes and more taxes: what to expect from NHI
A sneak peak at the National Health Insurance Bill shows the government is planning a single national pricing regimen and a surcharge on personal income tax, as well as an employer tax, and a minor role for medical aids. The target date for full implementation is 2026.
Malaysia one year after Pakatan Harapan rule
I risk being labelled as a Pakatan Harapan apologist but I’ll say it as it is anyway.
Under the Pakatan Harapan rule, the media in Malaysia is enjoying freedom as never before and that’s a fact.
I agree with a Malay Mail Online report published in May which said that after a year of Pakatan Harapan rule, the Malaysian media is going through some positive developments as the new government repealed or set aside many of the archaic laws seen stifling press freedom in the country.
An armed scam to jeopardise the elderly
Protected by the low supervision capacities of the National Social Security Institute (INSS), financial institutions make new victims every day. Retirees in Brazil are suffering monthly unauthorised discounts that appear in their paychecks as insurances that they had never hired.
Strangers in their own town
At the age of 55, Piak feels as if he is a stranger in Bangkok. He sleeps in Lumpini Park and calls the public park “home”. However, people in his “home” do not want to know him. Before he lost his job and needed to move out of his rental accommodation, he had been working as a vendor in Bangkok’s central business area.
Malaysia polluted by imported waste
Malaysia grapples with hundreds of containers of unclaimed plastic waste from foreign countries such as the United States and Australia each year. The bulk of these imported foreign waste materials are not fit for recycling.
No paid time off for 8 years
Is Taiwan ready for bilingual education? In light of the government’s new policy goal, many foreigners living in Taiwan have expressed concerns regarding the protection of their labour rights. The government aims to turn Taiwan into a bilingual nation over the next ten years by attracting foreign teachers from across the Asia Pacific region. Many cram schools, however, use “deceiving contracts” to deny foreigners rights for paid time off on weekends and national holidays.
September 23, don’t fear
Sometimes we cannot blame people when they react to social media posts on instability and unrest. A post that was circulated online and generated by a Fijian who lives in Australia, caused quite a frenzy amongst Fijians. The instigator plucked the date, September 23, from thin air and sent out a message declaring that there would be unrest on that day.
Three S’porean sisters married to three Indian brothers
Mrs Jaya Lakshmi Kanniyappan, a Singaporean mother of five children (four daughters and a son), had nurtured the hope that her three eldest children – all girls – would get married to boys from one family, like her mother and two aunts had done in the ’60s. Little did she know that it would become reality.
Exposing an international human trafficking network
Undercover journalists in Malaysia uncover a new breed of human trafficker, and help authorities crack down on their operations.
Ghost patients, scammers haunt Philippine health system
Dead patients undergoing kidney dialysis, ghost patients getting cancer treatments and fake members are just some of the fraudulent schemes that led to P154 billion (US$2.94 billion) losses in state insurer Philippine Health Insurance Corp (PhilHealth).
Defying the odds to walk and help others find their feet
Meet Desmond Lim, who was told he could never walk again after a motorbike accident. Not only did Desmond prove his doctors wrong, he went on to start The Prosthetic Company.