Latest news with #Malaysia-centric
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#NSTviral: Malaysian landmarks recreated in Minecraft, draw widespread praise
KUALA LUMPUR: Photos of iconic Malaysian landmarks built on the gaming platform Minecraft have been making the rounds on Malaysian spaces across the social media application Reddit. User @tovarisch_ak posted a progress update on a personal Minecraft project yesterday, showcasing various Malaysian historical landmarks digitally recreated in impressive detail. Photos featured include the Ubudiah Mosque and mausoleum in Kuala Kangsar, Perak; the Kuala Lumpur Library; the Victoria Fountain in Melaka; and Masjid Ihsaniah Iskandariah in Padang Rengas, Perak. Shared across several Malaysia-centric communities on the platform, the posts have received widespread praise for their detail and have prompted questions about the construction process. "I did use a 1957 map of Kuala Lumpur for the initial reference and to get the scale right, but then I used pictures and Street View to build them," the social media user explained in the comments, adding that the buildings were created at a 1:5 scale rather than 1:1. Further posts on the user's page also showcased a digital version of Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad in Kuala Lumpur.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
National AI Trust Framework in the works: Gobind
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is developing a National AI Trust Framework to guide responsible use, build public trust, and position the country as a regional leader in artificial intelligence (AI) governance. Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the National AI Office began looking into the AI trust framework earlier this year. 'We have engaged with industry players, academia, civil society, ministries and agencies. This is still a work in progress. What we need is a trust framework that is Malaysia-centric and tailored to the needs of our society,' he told reporters at PwC Malaysia's AI Leadership Conference 2025 today. Gobind said Malaysia is exploring a regulatory environment to oversee the ethical deployment of AI, resolve emerging data rights, enforce evolving standards and serve as a trusted custodian of public interest. 'It requires tools such as regulatory sandboxes, algorithmic audits, model registries, and risk-calibrated compliance pathways that reflect the diversity and complexity of AI applications.' Gobind said the government is reviewing global models. 'Around the world, nations are embedding trust into the core architecture of their digital economies.' The European Union, for example, has introduced data portability rights under the General Data Protection Regulation and is pushing for algorithmic transparency through the AI Act. 'China, meanwhile, is developing a sovereign data governance model via its Personal Information Protection Law and national data exchanges, blending centralised control with structured innovation,' he pointed out. Furthermore, Gobind said AI governance must also be addressed regionally. 'The question is how we shape our national policy and then escalate it to the Asean level to identify ways to work together.' As Asean chair this year, Malaysia aims to spearhead regional cooperation on AI governance and trust. 'We will host an Asean AI Summit in August, where we intend to raise these issues and explore how we can jointly develop a framework to support an AI safety ecosystem across the region,' he said. Malaysia calls for stronger Asean collaboration to establish common principles and interoperable frameworks for trusted AI and ethical data governance. 'In a region as dynamic and diverse as ours, alignment is not just strategic – it is essential,' he said. Gobind said Malaysia is well-positioned to serve as a testbed for innovation, a regional convener, and a trusted partner in co-developing governance models that shape Southeast Asia's digital future. Since his appointment, the Ministry of Digital has gazetted the Cyber Security Act 2024 in August 2024 to strengthen Malaysia's cyber defences. It also gazetted the Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2024 in October 2024 to strengthen data protection and align with international standards. In December 2024, the Data Sharing Act 2024 was passed to enable data exchange among public sector agencies.
The Star
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Diversification paying dividends
PETALING JAYA: Integrated plantation companies in Malaysia are poised to record more non-plantation related earnings moving forward, given the emergence of new earnings drivers, analysts say. According to Kenanga Research, PPB Bhd, SD Guthrie Bhd and Genting Plantations Bhd are among the planters that are already seeing early non-plantation earnings for 2025 and 2026. In recent years, many large integrated planters had been getting involved in sectors such as renewable energy (RE), industrial parks, real estate, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and net-zero bio-products as part of efforts to diversify earnings. 'While still early (and small), non-plantation earnings are set to grow, especially among larger planters. 'This could enhance and sustain longer-term earnings growth, thus helping preserve the sector's defensive cash flows and balance sheets,' said the research house in a report yesterday. Kenanga Research also highlighted that SD Guthrie's two new segments – development of industrial parks and renewable energy – were underpinned mostly by having well located land, established business connections and access to financing if required. In real estate, Sime Darby Bhd and IOI Corp Bhd started developing townships back in the 1970s and 1980s that have grown to such a size that their property arms are now separately listed. The current focus is on industrial parks in the case of SD Guthrie and Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd , while Genting Plantations just opened another premium outlet and is venturing into residential developments in Greater Jakarta, Indonesia, the research house said. Meanwhile, solar power started to gain traction a decade ago with planters such as SD Guthrie, which leased out unproductive land to solar farms in 2017. In the FMCG sector, Kenanga Research said larger planters have invested downstream into the manufacture of rubber products, edible oil refining and oleochemicals. PPB and FGV Holdings Bhd , for example, ventured into food-related FMCG products such as cooking oil, margarine and even bread production. While FGV is Malaysia-centric, PPB and its associate Wilmar International Ltd have a sizeable Asia-Pacific presence. Wilmar's Arawana and Fortune brands are among the leading edible-oil names in China and India, while PPB is Malaysia's largest flour miller and Massimo is the country's number two bread brand. As for net-zero bio-products, IOI's investments of about RM150mil in IOI Palm Wood Sdn Bhd and estimated RM250mil in a joint venture with Nextgreen Global Bhd resembles the direction undertaken by Stora Enso, Borregaard or Metsa in Scandinavia. 'Essentially, we suspect IOI is seeking to maximise value from oil palms beyond just extracting and selling the crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel, while keeping its additional environmental footprint to the minimum to ensure long-term sustainability for its entire oil palm operations,' the research house added. Commenting on CPO prices, Kenanga Research said it expects the near term outlook for this year and next is for prices to hold relatively stable. The year-to-date, CPO prices have eased from their elevated position in the fourth quarter of last year, with premiums over soybean oil having disappeared. Overall, a supply deficit remains likely this year with inventory levels expected to drop year-on-year hence, prices are likely to stay firm between RM4,000 to RM4,500 per tonne. Kenanga Research, which maintained an 'overweight' rating on the sector, said: 'Amid current trade tension, tariff uncertainty and economic slowdowns, we like plantations for their defensive earnings.' Its top sector picks are skewed towards larger integrated planters such as IOI with a target price of RM4.30 for its stronger upstream performance, turnaround in downstream margins and net-zero ventures in the longer term.
