Mysterious plane wreckage sparks MH370 speculation

A mysterious piece of plane debris washed up on the island of Reunion on Wednesday, prompting speculation it could be part of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The two-metre long piece of wreckage, which seemed to be part of a wing, was found by people cleaning up a beach on the remote island which is located in the French Indian Ocean near Madagascar.

Reunion is a territory of France in the Indian Ocean, several thousand miles from the international search zone for flight MH370.

TIP report a dis-service to anti-trafficking efforts

MP SPEAKS The US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report elevating Malaysia to tier 2 is laughable to say the least. And it is obvious that the upgrade is motivated by business and trade interests and one that would allow Malaysia to sign on to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA).

The upgrade comes amidst recent protest from human rights groups in Asia and the US, including ranking US senators and congresspersons. And it comes as Malaysians realise the entrenched nature of trafficking in the country. A Wall Street Journal report today noted the widespread use of forced labour and employment of people who are trafficked, in plantations and construction sites in Malaysia.

MALAYSIA:::MTUC:::Clamping Down On Media Is Not the Way Forward For a Democratic Society

MTUC strongly condemn the decision of the Ministry to suspend the publication of Edge for 3 months. MTUC also condemns any restriction on press freedom. It is a duty of any journalist to expose any suspected wrong doing, be it by individual or people in power. The suspension of the media publication only reflects the decrease in the freedom of Information. Every workman has a right to know how public funds are being utilised for the benefit of the public as a whole. The Edge’s publication has done nothing more than alerting the public based on evidence obtained by them that there are high probabilities of misuse of public fund.

MALAYSIA:::‘Do not entertain fare hike request’

KUALA LUMPUR: A workers’ union has called on the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) not to consider the request by Prasarana Malaysia Bhd to raise fares for the LRT and Monorail services.

“If fares are hiked, it will further burden the working class, who are already having it tough with the rising cost of living.

MALAYSIA:::10,000 M'sians lost their jobs so far this year

 About 10,000 people have been retrenched as of July this year, painting a grim picture for the future employment market.

Malaysian Employers' Federation (MEF) president Datuk Shamsuddin Bardan said this was due to numerous factors, including the declining value of the ringgit, escalating prices and the lack of new job openings.

"Also, the government has decided not to employ new staff, save for critical or sensitive posts," said Shamsuddin, adding that this would affect about 10pc of the job market.

MALAYSIA::: ICT sector to grow 14.2% in 2015

KUALA LUMPUR (July 21): The information, communications, and technology (ICT) industry is expected to register a double-digit growth of 14.2% or RM70.9 billion in 2015, according to the National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM).

This is compared to a robust 12.5% growth for the industry in 2014, PIKOM chairman Cheah Kok Hoong said at the launch of PIKOM’s ICT job market outlook report today.

The average basic salary for ICT professionals is also forecast to grow a healthy 7.4% this year to RM8,278 from RM7,706 in 2014, PIKOM's research head Woon Tai Hai said.

Meanwhile, the report showed the ICT sector’s contribution to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) has about doubled from 3.3% in 2000 to 6.4% this year.

MALAYSIA:::Pikom unjurkan purata gaji bulanan naik 7.4% tahun ini

Persatuan ICT Kebangsaan Malaysia (Pikom) mengunjurkan kenaikan sebanyak 7.4% kepada RM8,278 daripada RM7,706 tahun lepas ke atas purata gaji bulanan untuk profesional ICT tahun ini.

Pengerusinya, Cheah Kok Hoong, berkata persatuan itu juga menjangka purata gaji bulanan mereka akan berkembang sebanyak 7.6% pada 2016 dengan penstabilan ekonomi global.

Industri teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi (ICT) tempatan akan kekal kukuh, didorong oleh penggiatkan proses pendigitalan dalam projek transformasi, projek koridor intensif modal, pelaburan dan produk ICT serta perkhidmatan urus niaga, katanya.

"Walaupun pertumbuhan ekonomi dijangka perlahan dalam tahun ini, industri ini diramalkan akan terus mencatat pertumbuhan dua angka iaitu sebanyak 14.2% atau RM70.9 bilion daripada 12.5% atau RM62.1 bilion pada tahun 2014.

"Kami percaya sektor ICT akan terus menjadi pasaran pekerjaan utama di negara ini dalam tempoh lima tahun akan datang," kata Cheah kepada pemberita selepas melancarkan Pikom ICT Job Market Outlook 2015 di Kuala Lumpur hari ini.

Sementara itu, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Penyelidikan Pikom, Woon Tai Hai, berkata profesional ICT dalam bidang sains dan teknologi, aeroangkasa serta sektor bioteknologi akan menerima angka gaji yang lebih tinggi, diikuti oleh sektor minyak dan gas.

"Walaupun terdapat peningkatan dalam purata gaji, bekalan graduan baharu dalam ICT terus merosot. Lebih kurang 56% daripada majikan mencatatkan kesukaran untuk mendapatkan calon-calon yang sesuai," katanya.

Kebanyakan majikan gagal atau tidak berjaya memperoleh ICT dengan bidang yang diperlukan, tambah Woon. – Bernama, 21 Julai, 2015.

sumber:::http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Pengerusi Pikom, Cheah Kok Hoong, berkata persatuan itu juga menjangka purata gaji bulanan mereka akan berkembang sebanyak 7.6% pada 2016 dengan penstabilan ekonomi global.

MALAYSIA:::MTUC wants employers to emphasis safety at workplace

SHAH ALAM: The Malaysian Trades Union Congress has urged employers to strictly abide by the provisions in the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 to prevent workplace accidents and deaths of employees.

Singapore to keep foreign workers at one-third of workforce

SINGAPORE: Singapore today said it aims to maintain the foreign workers' share in the workforce at the current one-third level, a pace that the city state can accommodate. 

"This means that the pace of foreign workforce should grow broadly in tandem with the growth of our local workforce," Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said. 

Lim told the parliament that overall annual foreign workforce growth has moderated from 1,44,500 in 2007 to 34,000 in 2014 .

MALAYSIA ECONOMY SITUATION 2015

Exclusive - U.S. upgrades Malaysia in annual human trafficking report: sources

By Jason Szep, Patricia Zengerle and Matt Spetalnick

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is upgrading Malaysia from the lowest tier on its list of worst human trafficking centres, U.S. sources said on Wednesday, a move that could smooth the way for an ambitious U.S.-led free-trade deal with the Southeast Asian nation and 11 other countries.

The upgrade to so-called "Tier 2 Watch List" status removes a potential barrier to President Barack Obama's signature global trade deal.

MALAYSIA:::Malaysian trade hurt by GST, oil & LNG

Malaysian imports declined for a second consecutive month, indicating the country's new value-added tax is weighing on consumption. Exports slumped.

Imports fell 7.2 per cent from a year ago, versus a (revised) 7.0 per cent decline in April, when the six per cent GST took effect. The last time imports fell more than 7 per cent was in 2009.

The GST is one factor. Another is falling oil prices. Only the former is concerning.