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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Drunk man runs over villager with tractor in Panchmahal; booked for murder
Vadodara: A 42-year-old man died and two others were injured after a tractor driven by an allegedly inebriated man ran over them in Dhamai village of Shehra taluka on Thursday night. The accused, Dilipsinh Patel, was arrested after a case of murder was registered against him at Shehra police station. A ccording to the complaint filed by Pravin Baria, a sarpanch candidate in the upcoming village election, the incident was not related to any political conflict. Pravin stated that he was sitting with several men outside his uncle Laxmansinh Baria's residence when Dilipsinh arrived on a tractor. Though known to the group and belonging to the same locality, Dilipsinh unexpectedly accelerated the tractor instead of dismounting to join them. While most managed to get out of the way, three people were caught in the vehicle's path. Hasmukh Patel (42) was critically injured after being run over by the tractor, while Gulabsinh Patel and Kirit Patel sustained minor injuries. Witnesses said Dilipsinh appeared intoxicated when he was pulled down from the vehicle. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Hate Unclear Trade Tips? You're Not Alone Teji Mandi Buy Now Undo His family members, who were present nearby, reportedly took him away immediately after the incident. Hasmukh was rushed first to a hospital in Godhra and then shifted to SSG Hospital in Vadodara, where he succumbed to his injuries later that night. Police registered a murder case against Dilipsinh, who was subsequently taken into custody.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Talent Will Determine Malaysia's High-Tech Ascent
Malaysia is entering a critical phase in its economic trajectory. The government's National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), complementing the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030 anchored by Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI), signals a shift toward deep technology, advanced manufacturing, and innovation-led growth. Malaysia's efforts are already bearing fruit. Apart from record breaking investments in the past year driven by surge in technology and manufacturing sector, our improvement in the World Competitiveness Rankings by 11 spots, from 34 to 23, in the annual ranking published by Institute of Management Development reflects this shift. At the core of this transformation lies the semiconductor industry—a sector that is not only economically strategic but also geopolitically consequential. Malaysia contributes around 13% of global back-end assembly, test, and packaging (ATP). But long-term competitiveness cannot be built on volume alone. Upstream capabilities in chip design, wafer fabrication, and IP creation are now prerequisites for value capture. During the NSS launch, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim set a bold ambition: attract RM500 billion in semiconductor investment by 2030 and train 60,000 high-skilled engineers. NIMP 2030 reinforces this with a broader aim to boost high-tech manufacturing, double median wages to RM4,500, and position Malaysia as a regional tech hub. These plans are well-timed and well-articulated—but they face a critical constraint: human capital. The Talent Bottleneck: Malaysia's Biggest Risk Factor Malaysia has no shortage of university graduates, yet employers continue to report shortages in areas most relevant to frontier tech industries. This talent gap is a major barrier to entry into upstream semiconductor activities, where global competition is fiercest. The problem is not unique to Malaysia. Globally, the semiconductor sector faces a forecasted shortfall of over 1 million skilled workers by 2030, according to reports by research houses. However, countries are responding with decisive and focused interventions. Local Models: K‑Youth and Industry-Led Programmes Malaysia has already begun investing in new workforce development models. One example is government-linked Khazanah Nasional's K‑Youth Development Programme. Having trained over 8,000 participants with an 83% placement rate, the programme combines technical training, soft skills, and paid industry placements, co-designed with employers. RM200 million has been committed to train 11,000 more in 2025. Additionally, 42 Malaysia (42MY)—a free, peer-to-peer coding school established by Khazanah—focuses on digital and programming skills that are increasingly relevant in chip design, embedded systems, and AI-enhanced manufacturing. Apart from GLCs, multinationals are also stepping up. For example, Infineon Technologies, which is investing RM25 billion in Melaka, has partnered with local polytechnics to build a semiconductor talent pipeline with skills-based training. Intel Malaysia's latest RM30 billion expansion in Penang includes a commitment to upskilling over 4,000 local engineers. Internationally, Malaysia can draw useful lessons from peer economies. TSMC's Semiconductor Academy aligns curriculum across universities with the direct needs of chip fabrication and design. Meanwhile, India's Semiconductor Mission is setting up chip design and packaging skill hubs through its IIT system and private sector partners like Vedanta-Foxconn. Without a comprehensive approach to workforce development—backed by industry, GLCs, and academia—Malaysia risks missing the window. Linking Talent to Capital and Capability Beyond training, Malaysia's long-term semiconductor success requires simultaneous investment in ecosystem resilience and industrial capability. And again, capacity building initiatives such as this requires push from government-linked companies with national interest mandate. Through catalytic capital deployment under programs like Dana Impak, also introduced by Khazanah to transform firms and cultivate innovation, Malaysia seeks to unlock high-value segments in the global semiconductor chain. These efforts aim to deepen local value-creation and future-proof Malaysia's position in global supply chains. By aligning talent strategies, capital investment and vendor development, Malaysia is leveraging a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a resilient, innovation-led economy that celebrates the ethos of establishing a nation that creates. Policy Implications and Execution Priorities To convert plans into capabilities, three actions are critical. First is deepening Industry–Talent Integration. Scale up models like K‑Youth and university-industry consortia to target advanced semiconductor roles. Second, is to accelerate R&D–Training Hubs. Fast-track the IC Design Park in Selangor and the Kerian Integrated Circuit Hub in Perak—while ensuring they include training centres in their architecture. Third, and most critical, is to strengthen governance and coordination across stakeholders. A Semiconductor Talent Council—housed within MITI or in collaboration with agencies like HRD Corp—should track skills supply and demand, fund upskilling programmes, and ensure inter-agency alignment across MOHE, MOF, GLICs like Khazanah, EPF, KWAP and other private sector investors in a whole of nation approach. Competing on Talent, Not Tax Incentives Malaysia cannot out-subsidise or out-infrastructure global competitors. But it can out-execute in talent development—if the effort is strategic, coordinated, and industry-driven. Khazanah's K‑Youth, Infineon's polytechnic partnerships, and Intel's upskilling initiative provide promising blueprints. The challenge is to scale fast and deepen specialisation, aligning with NSS goals. Semiconductors are not just a high-value export; they are the gateway to an entire future economy. Malaysia's competitiveness—like its sovereignty—will increasingly depend on its ability to create and retain deep tech talent. GLCs must continue to act as enablers of Malaysia's new economy, giving opportunities to skill local talents who will be the drivers that will lift the ceiling and achieve the lofty ambitions set by the Madani Economic Framework. More GLCs should redirect their effort in cultivating technology sectors and move us up the value chain as nations that innovate and create, securing our economic future. We must act faster. In short: Malaysia as a whole must invest in people as aggressively as we invest in plants. That will determine whether we are merely part of the global semiconductor conversation—or helping to lead it.
Ottawa Citizen
2 days ago
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Senate passes bill to protect supply management from any future trade deals
OTTAWA — The Bloc Québécois' long and often rocky road to protect supply management from any concessions in future trade negotiations has come to a successful end. The Senate has adopted Bill C-202, making it the first bill set to receive royal assent in the new session of Parliament. Article content 'We won,' said Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet enthusiastically, hours after the Senate adopted his party's bill. Article content Article content Article content C-202 sought to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to prevent the minister from 'making a commitment' that would increase the tariff rate quota for dairy, poultry, or eggs in trade negotiations. It would also prevent tariff reductions on these products when they are imported in excess. Article content Article content The Bloc wanted to strengthen the long-standing federal government policy to maintain Canada's supply management system, including its production control, pricing mechanisms and import controls. Article content The House of Commons unanimously passed the bill last week and the Senate did so 'with division' on Tuesday evening. Article content 'The notion of unanimity really weighed heavily. It was all parties and the unanimity of elected officials. So, everyone who speaks for Canadians and Quebecers was in favour,' Blanchet said at a press conference. Article content Article content Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron has been championing this bill for over five years. In an interview with the National Post, Perron expressed his pride. Article content Article content 'We have just demonstrated that the Bloc Québécois serves a purpose. I think we are capable of moving forward on issues and on a scale that is extremely positive for Quebec, but also positive for the rest of Canada,' he said. 'And the rest of Canada has finally understood this.' Article content But the Grain Growers of Canada argued that 'Parliament chose to prioritize one group of farmers over another,' while the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance said it was 'deeply concerned' by the adoption of 'a flawed piece of legislation that sets a troubling precedent, undermining Canada's longstanding commitment to the rules-based international trading system.' Article content Even if the Senate passed the bill, many senators still had some reservations on Tuesday. In a speech in the Senate, Alberta Sen. Paula Simons expressed concerns about what Bill C-202 means for national unity because it was from a Bloc MP, which advocates for the separation of Quebec from the rest of Canada.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Senate passes bill to protect supply management from any future trade deals
OTTAWA — The Bloc Québécois' long and often rocky road to protect supply management from any concessions in future trade negotiations has come to a successful end. The Senate has adopted Bill C-202, making it the first bill set to receive royal assent in the new session of Parliament. Article content 'We won,' said Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet enthusiastically, hours after the Senate adopted his party's bill. Article content Article content Article content C-202 sought to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to prevent the minister from 'making a commitment' that would increase the tariff rate quota for dairy, poultry, or eggs in trade negotiations. It would also prevent tariff reductions on these products when they are imported in excess. Article content Article content The Bloc wanted to strengthen the long-standing federal government policy to maintain Canada's supply management system, including its production control, pricing mechanisms and import controls. Article content The House of Commons unanimously passed the bill last week and the Senate did so 'with division' on Tuesday evening. Article content 'The notion of unanimity really weighed heavily. It was all parties and the unanimity of elected officials. So, everyone who speaks for Canadians and Quebecers was in favour,' Blanchet said at a press conference. Article content Article content Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron has been championing this bill for over five years. In an interview with the National Post, Perron expressed his pride. Article content 'We have just demonstrated that the Bloc Québécois serves a purpose. I think we are capable of moving forward on issues and on a scale that is extremely positive for Quebec, but also positive for the rest of Canada,' he said. 'And the rest of Canada has finally understood this.' Article content But the Grain Growers of Canada argued that 'Parliament chose to prioritize one group of farmers over another,' while the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance said it was 'deeply concerned' by the adoption of 'a flawed piece of legislation that sets a troubling precedent, undermining Canada's longstanding commitment to the rules-based international trading system.' Article content Even if the Senate passed the bill, many senators still had some reservations on Tuesday. In a speech in the Senate, Alberta Sen. Paula Simons expressed concerns about what Bill C-202 means for national unity because it was from a Bloc MP, which advocates for the separation of Quebec from the rest of Canada.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
JS-SEZ key to Johor's rise as regional innovation and investment hub
Johor Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee chairman Lee Ting Han ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) is emerging as a cornerstone of Johor's transformation into a next-generation regional powerhouse, with the state offering a compelling value proposition to global investors in artificial intelligence (AI), data centres and high-value industries. Johor Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee chairman Lee Ting Han said the JS-SEZ, developed in close collaboration with Malaysia's federal government and Singaporean counterparts, aims to harmonise cross-border regulations, unlock trade flows and ease talent mobility between the two countries. "This zone will make Johor even more competitive and connected,' he said during closing remarks on the first day of the Nikkei Forum Medini 2025 here today. He emphasised that Johor is not a passive recipient of federal or foreign policy, but an active agent shaping regional growth through coherent, long-term strategies rooted in clarity, consistency and capacity. At the heart of this transformation is Medini, a flagship smart city that Lee described as a "public-private innovation lab', attracting more than RM13 billion in cumulative investments to date in sectors such as healthcare, education, business services and smart infrastructure. "Medini is more than just real estate, it's a collaborative innovation platform. Now is the time to shift from dialogue to action through MoUs, pilot projects, and enduring partnerships,' he said. Lee urged policymakers and institutions to recognise that sustainable, digital nation-building depends on integrated action across technology, energy, environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks. "What we've built today reflects on the need for cross-sector coherence. Let us now move from consensus to execution,' he added. Lee noted that Johor is undergoing a fundamental shift from a traditional industrial base into a next-generation economic powerhouse, driven by policy innovation, infrastructure readiness and investor confidence. The two-day Nikkei Forum Medini 2025 forms part of broader efforts to position Johor as a regional innovation hub, supporting the JS-SEZ initiative to attract high-quality investments and integrate value chains between Malaysia and Singapore. - Bernama
