Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz today unveiled Budget 2022 amounting to RM332.1billion, the highest allocation so far. This Budget would also generate more jobs to tackle unemployment and enable the recovery process, returning Malaysia and its economy to the pre-pandemic state but with new norms in place.

The Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) has decided that foreign nationals holding Long Term Visit Pass in Malaysia are allowed to enter Malaysia without having to obtain approval from the JIM through the MyTravelPass (MTP) / MyEntry system provided the person already has a valid pass. This will be in effect from 1 November 2021.

Recipients of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine will be recommended a homologous booster shot. The Health Minister said Pfizer recipients would be recommended the same vaccine six months after their second dose. However, he said Sinovac recipients would be given a Pfizer booster three months after their second dose.

With FDA panel recommending Pfizer jab for five to 12-year-oldsMalaysia will be procuring the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate children aged five to 12 years old. The Health Ministry will also look at other options like Sinovac.

On Thursday (Oct 28), US Trade Representative Katherine Tai stated that her involvement with China is aimed at lowering the temperature of a turbulent trading relationship with Beijing. According to Tai, the US-China relationship feels kind of like a pile of dry tinder, and a misunderstanding is likely to spark simply a gigantic fire with really, really devastating ramifications for all everyone.

As Malaysians continue to live with COVID-19, businesses will need to move quickly to capture new opportunities and to develop a resilient mindset to survive and thrive in a new economic landscape. EY is conducting their business pulse survey 2021: ‘Living with COVID-19 and winning together’ aims to assess business readiness in Malaysia for this transition. To take part in the survey, click on the 'Read More' tab.

Facebook has officially changed its name to Meta according to founder Mark Zuckerberg, the planning for the name change began in 2019 as the company wanted to give people a clearer identity of the name that had more than one product. The name Meta reflects on the journey Facebook is taking, as the metaverse is the next evolution of social technology.

The Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance (MICG) is organizing the "9th Governance In Procurement Conference” on 8 December 2021.

This Conference will bring thought provoking and diverse insights and perspectives from experienced professionals and practitioners across a wide range of industries, on how organizations can be better prepared to step up Governance in their procurement areas.

This daily round-up brings you a selection of the latest news and updates on the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as well as tips and tools to help you stay informed and protected. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 have passed 245 million globally, according to Johns Hopkins University. The number of confirmed deaths stands at more than 4.97 million.