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Saturday, August 26, 2023

Reversing declining R&D investments

 The country's gross expenditure on the segment has been on downtrend in the past couple of years. More investments are needed in high-growth areas that will yield strong returns.


SIX decades ago, Malaysia was richer than South Korea and Taiwan.

But today, the country is behind these two technology superpowers and is still trying to break out of the middle-income trap.

Taiwan overtook Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the mid-70s, and not long after that, South Korea overtook Malaysia in the mid-80s.

A major reason for Malaysia lagging behind Taiwan and South Korea is the failure to invest adequately in research and development (R&D) that ultimately resulted in low local technology creation.

This is reflected in the number of patents granted, as mentioned in the World Intellectual Property Indicators report.

In 2022, a total of 6,876 patents were granted in Malaysia, out of which almost 85% were granted to non-residents.

In contrast, South Korea granted 145,882 patents in 2022. Three out of four patents in that year were granted to residents.

Official figures show that Malaysia’s gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) has been declining in the past several years, even before the Covid-19 pandemic.

In fact, the country’s GERD per GDP dropped to just 0.95% in 2020, which was the lowest since 2010.For comparison, countries like South Korea, the United States and Japan spent 4.81%, 3.45% and 3.26% of their GDP in 2020 for R&D, respectively.

Notably, China’s GERD per GDP stood at 2.4% in 2020, significantly higher than Malaysia despite having an almost similar GDP per capita.

It is noteworthy that Malaysia is well behind its GERD per GDP target of 3.5% by 2030. The intermediate target is 2.5% by 2025, which is just two years’ away.


Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Minister Chang Lih Kang

In a reply to StarBizWeek, Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Minister Chang Lih Kang acknowledges that the gap to achieve the 2030 target is “stark and significant”.

He also adds that there is a funding shortfall of RM40bil to achieve the 2025 target.

“The slump in GERD before 2020 primarily stems from a dwindling contribution from the business sector, which started around 2016.

“While the government has consistently provided substantial R&D funding, it’s imperative for the business and industry sectors to substantially participate.

“After all, these sectors stand to gain the most from R&D innovations, utilising outcomes to enhance products, refine business processes, and overall drive competitive advantage,” says Chang.

Malaysia’s long-delayed ambition to become a high-income nation relies on the country’s ability to effectively spend on R&D efforts in high-potential areas.

Increased R&D efforts that would lead to greater technology adoption in the country are highly necessary, considering that Malaysia is set to become a super-aged country by 2056.

Amid declining fertility rates, more of the country’s workforce must be automated and mechanised to avert any crisis in the future.

Mosti Minister Chang also says that a higher expenditure on R&D serves as a foundational indicator in many global indices like the Global Innovation Index (GII) and the Global Competitiveness Index (GCI).

In the Madani Economy framework unveiled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim last month, these two indices were mentioned as some of the key performance indicators (KPIs), moving forward.

Anwar envisages Malaysia to be among the top 20 countries in GII by 2025. As for GCI, Malaysia aims to rank in the top 12 within the next 10 years.

It is understandable why Anwar hopes to improve Malaysia’s ranking in such indices.

“These indices are meticulously scrutinised by foreign investors when determining potential investment destinations,” according to Chang.

Spending it right

A similarity between South Korea and Malaysia is the fact that both governments have in the past invested significantly in building local industries, including for R&D efforts.

“Chaebols” or South Korean mega-conglomerates were once small businesses that received generous support from the government since the early 1960s. This has helped to nurture internationally recognised brands such as Samsung and Hyundai.

Similarly, Malaysia has also channelled billions of ringgit into profit-driven entities such as car manufacturer Proton and semiconductor wafer foundry Silterra.

However, unlike in South Korea, these heavy industrialisation projects that were introduced during the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad failed to sustain commercially and continued to depend on government handouts.

These two projects have since been privatised. Proton Holdings Bhd made a rebound after China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding emerged in the carmaker with a 49.1% stake.

Meanwhile, Silterra was sold to Dagang NeXchange Bhd (Dnex) and Beijing Integrated Circuit Advanced Manufacturing and High-End Equipment Equity Investment Fund Centre (Limited Partnership) – also known as CGP Fund.

Dnex holds a 60% stake in Silterra, while CGP Fund owns the remaining 40%.

An analyst explains that the failure of Proton and Silterra was the result of continued government funding in the past, even if the management did not achieve tangible results.

“South Korea was different. You have a set of KPIs outlined along the timeline. If you don’t perform, you won’t get the money,” the analyst says.

Like it or not, the government has a big role to play in stimulating R&D efforts in the market.

The US government, for instance, is a major funder of R&D and is also a major user of the new innovations that may have yet to receive demand from the public.

It is noteworthy that the Internet and the global positioning system (GPS) began as projects under the US Department of Defence.

It is typical of the private sector to innovate and to create new products only when they foresee market opportunities.

With shareholders’ ultimate focus being on profit, the private sector may have its limitations when it comes to risk-taking.

In the case of Malaysia, businesses do not reinvest an adequate amount of their profits into R&D, despite the fact that Malaysian companies retain high operating profits.

In 2022, the gross operating surplus of businesses constituted 67% of GDP, which increased from 62.6% in 2021.

The easy supply of cheap foreign workers, particularly before the pandemic, has further allowed Malaysian companies to avoid R&D and automating a large part of their operations.

Distinguished professor of economics Datuk Rajah Rasiah agrees that the domestic private sector does not invest adequately in R&D.

“As firms move up the technology trajectory towards frontier innovations, they expect strong support from the embedding ecosystem, especially the science, technology, and innovation (STI) infrastructure.

“Although Malaysia did attempt to create the STI infrastructure after 1991, almost all of them (such as Mimos, Science and Technology Parks and the incubators in them as well as the Malaysian Technology Development Corp) were not effectively governed, and hence, they have become white elephants.

“Given the lack of such support and ineffective governance of incentives and grants in the selection, monitoring and appraisal of their output, private firms are unconvinced that attempts to upgrade to participate in R&D will materialise,” he says.

Techpreneur Tan Aik Keong also points out that Malaysian companies face fundraising difficulties for R&D purposes, especially small and medium enterprises and unlisted companies.

Tan was recently appointed as a member of the National Digital Economy and Fourth Industrial Revolution Council. He is also the CEO of ACE Market-listed Agmo Holdings Bhd.

“Investors and lenders may hesitate to support R&D initiatives due to the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with these endeavours.

“The lack of a guaranteed correlation between R&D investment and immediate revenue generation can lead to doubts about the return on investment (ROI),” he says.Tan opines that the lack of “proven success stories” whereby R&D investments in Malaysia resulted in significant ROIs contributed to the scepticism.

In addition, he says that companies with no prior experience in R&D investments would find it challenging to start investing heavily in R&D.

“For listed entities, there is relatively more flexibility in terms of fundraising for R&D purposes.

“Capital market instruments such as private placements and rights issues can be leveraged to raise larger sums of funds to support R&D initiatives.

“Fortunately, the availability of matching grants from agencies like Mosti, MDEC, Miti, and MTDC can provide much-needed financial support and incentive for companies to invest in R&D activities,” he says.

Acknowledging the challenges, Mosti Minister Chang says that alternative financing mechanisms are being considered

A notable example is the Malaysia Science Endowment (MSE), which has set an ambitious goal of raising RM2bil.

“MSE is more than an alternative R&D funding for the nation.

“The working model is to utilise its interest, which will be generated from the investment.

“The fund would be optimised further through a matching fund mechanism – bringing quadruple helix stakeholders together to focus on solution-driven R&D and prioritising based on the nation’s needs,” he says.

Mosti, with Akademi Sains Malaysia, is currently actively developing a fund-raising mechanism to establish the MSE.

In addition, Chang says the government will continue to deploy a myriad of fiscal incentives that include tax exemptions and double deductions on R&D expenditures.“The overarching goal is to promote a symbiotic relationship where both the private sector and the government collaborate seamlessly to advance Malaysia’s R&D aspirations,” he says.

Lack of quality researchers?

R&D efforts are not just about investing a large sum of money. They will only yield best results if they are supported by qualified, world-class researchers.

Unfortunately, in the case of Malaysia, brain drain has become a major challenge in pushing for greater R&D.

The ongoing decline in interest among schoolchildren in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies will only worsen the situation in the future.

Agmo’s Tan notes that the declining interest in science subjects among students threatens the availability of skilled researchers, scientists, and engineers needed for a thriving R&D ecosystem.

“The potential for brain drain is a legitimate concern if Malaysia does not foster an environment conducive to R&D growth,” he says.

In 2020, Malaysia saw a decline in the number of researchers per 10,000 labour force at only 31.4 persons, as compared to 74 persons in 2016.

At 31.4 persons, this was the lowest level since 2010.

Rajah says that Malaysia lacks quality R&D researchers, as well as engineers and technicians to support serious R&D participation.

“Malaysia’s researchers and R&D personnel in the labour force fall way below that of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and China.

“In fact, this is one of the major reasons why national and foreign firms participate little in R&D activities in Malaysia,” he adds.

When asked about the commercialisation of research done by Malaysian universities, Rajah says the commercialisation ratio against grants received in Malaysia is very low.

This is compared to the Silicon Valley and Route 128 in the US, the science parks in Taiwan, and the Vinnova targeted areas in Sweden.

However, Rajah says the blame for the low rate is mistakenly placed on the scientists.

“Most universities in Malaysia focus on scientific publications, which is a major KPI for them. Malaysia does well on scientific publications.

“Mosti and the Higher Education Ministry should make intellectual property (IP) and commercialisation equally important.

“In doing so, the government must tie grants and incentives to link researchers and firms by offering matching grants so that the research undertaken by the scientists are targeted to the pursuit of IPs and monetary returns.

“Firms in this case will ensure that the 1:1 sharing of funds with the government brings returns for them – widely undertaken successfully in Japan, the Netherlands and Taiwan,” he says.

At the same time, Rajah suggests a critical appraisal of previous grants approved to ensure that mistakes are not repeated.

CLICK TO ENLARGECLICK TO ENLARGE

In further strengthening the country R&D expertise, there are calls to improve universities’ curriculum more holistically.

Technology consultant Mohammad Shahir Shikh said there is a gap and misalignment between industries’ requirements versus theoretical research in new knowledge discovery by the universities.

He calls for greater partnership between universities and the industry, including for improving business operations via the integration of new technologies.

Mohammad Shahir has previously served as an engineer with chipmaker AMD for 11 years.

He raises concerns about the severe shortage of STEM graduates in Malaysia to serve the needs of the industries.

“The country’s target was to have 500,000 STEM graduates by 2020, but we now have only 68,000 such graduates.

“Even then, the highest number of unemployed graduates here is from the STEM stream.

“My proposal to the government is to start assisting potential schools and STEM students become familiar with scientific terms in English and improve their communication skills,” he adds.

Mohammad Shahir points out that about 30% of Finland’s workforce consists graduates from the STEM stream.

“This is a priority that needs to be addressed if we want to achieve our national innovation goals,” he says.

National STEM Association president and founder Prof Datuk Dr Noraini Idris laments that only about 15% of form four students take pure science subjects, namely physics, chemistry, biology and additional mathematics.

The percentage has fallen from abogaut 19% back in 2019.

“This is alarming. We need more students to take pure sciences if we want to create more scientists, data analysts and researchers for the future.

Noraini calls for a complete revamp in the national education system, whereby “STEM culture” is fostered among children from a very young age.

“My team and I have proposed the “cradle-to-career” model which instils the interest for STEM from nurseries and preschool to tertiary education.

“It also needs formal and informal support, whereby informal refers to family, peers and community to foster the interest in STEM.

“For this to happen, we need the effort of various ministries and not just the Education Ministry,” she says.

It is high time, according to Noraini, to set up a department for STEM directly under the Prime Minister’s Department to coordinate the joint-efforts across ministries.As the country works towards improving STEM’s acceptance, Agmo’s Tan says Malaysia must put more emphasis on R&D efforts in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, extended reality and cloud computing, among others.

“We must encourage the establishment of R&D centres by high-tech companies through attractive incentives,” he adds.

Looking ahead, the government has a lot of issues on its plate to address.

To reboot the economy, it is not only about spending more money on R&D.

More importantly, every ringgit invested must be spent efficiently in high-growth research areas that will yield strong ROIs.

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Friday, August 25, 2023

BRICS to welcome six new members, a ‘historical milestone’

Rejecting the US as a guardian! Europe is decoupling itself from US directives!

The Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the 2023 BRICS Summit is hosted, August 20, 2023. Photo: IC

Bigger BRICS family serves as powerful response to West-led hegemony, advocates for fair, multi-polar world

The BRICS countries welcomed six new members from three different continents on Thursday, marking a historical milestone that underscored the solidarity of BRICS and developing countries and determination to work together for a better future, officials and experts said. The expansion of the BRICS, as a new starting point for multilateral cooperation, will play a positive role for more equitable and just global governance, experts said.

The BRICS countries have decided to invite six countries - Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates - to become new members of the grouping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Thursday. It will be the first expansion since 2010 and the new candidates will be admitted as members on January 1, 2024, according to media reports.

With the expansion of the BRICS topping the agenda of the three-day 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, BRICS countries have reached a consensus on guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of the grouping's expansion process, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told a briefing on Thursday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the briefing that the BRICS expansion is historic and a new starting point for BRICS cooperation. It demonstrates the determination of the BRICS countries to unite and cooperate with other developing countries, meets the expectations of the international community, and serves the common interests of emerging markets and developing countries.

The expansion will also inject fresh vitality into the BRICS cooperation mechanism, and further strengthen the forces for world peace and development, Xi said, noting that as long as the BRICS countries pull together, a lot can be achieved in BRICS cooperation, and a promising future awaits the BRICS countries.

The summit also adopted the Johannesburg II Declaration, reaffirming the countries' commitment to the BRICS spirit of mutual respect and understanding, sovereign equality, solidarity, democracy, openness, inclusiveness, strengthened collaboration and consensus. A consensus was reached on partnership for inclusive multilateralism, fostering an environment of peace and development, partnership for mutually accelerated growth, partnership for sustainable development, deepening people-to-people exchanges and institutional development.

The expansion of the BRICS not only demonstrated the vigorous trend of the BRICS mechanism, far exceeding the expectations of some Western countries like the US, but also served as a powerful response to Western-led hegemony, experts said, noting that more developing countries hoping to join the grouping showed the expectations of strengthening their voices and autonomy in global issues, advocating for a more equitable, just, diverse and multi-polar international order.

New members, new momentum

"We are really very happy that this process is accelerating, so I want to thank China and all the BRICS countries for their support," Argentine Ambassador to China Sabino Vaca Narvaja told the Global Times on Thursday.

"Together, we are going to represent the voice of emerging countries, which have historically been neglected in international organizations," Narvaja said.

"The strengthening of the BRICS is essential for the development of the countries of the Global South. I believe that this space represents countries that have the same problems and the same needs, which is why it will be easier to work together to strengthen our development," the Argentine envoy said.

"Expanding this scope is key to building a more harmonious global order where cooperation replaces confrontation; productive development, to financial speculation; the principle of mutual respect, to unilateral interventionism; economic integration, instead of anachronistic sanctions; and the transfer of technology, replacing technological blockades," he said.

Some experts believed that the new members all play important geopolitical roles in different regions, representing emerging economies among developing countries, considering their GDP scales and potential future growth.

"This is a major step forward for the BRICS family, as we will expect a stronger BRICS voice to be heard in global governance, playing an important role for international relations to become more democratic, just and reasonable," Wang Youming, director of the Institute of Developing Countries at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.

An expansion of the group of emerging market powers could help boost its global heft and counter the dominance of the G7, Bloomberg said. The enlargement will see BRICS' gross domestic product rise to 36 percent of global GDP at purchasing power parity and 46 percent of the world's population, US media reported, citing Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Egypt is eager to join the BRICS group of nations with the aim of reforming the global economy for greater fairness in the face of ongoing world fluctuations and economic crises, Hassan Rajab, professor at the Suez Canal University in Egypt, told the Global Times.

He also believes that over time, countries within the BRICS group, including Egypt, will be able to boost their own currency, the Egyptian Pound, thereby easing the pressure of the US dollar.

"Egypt is a member of African trade associations such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which facilitates the entry of Egyptian products and goods produced in Egypt into the markets of these nations. This provides a convenient gateway for Egyptian investments, offering a significant advantage," Rajab said.

"Through collaboration with Egypt, BRICS countries can further deepen their partnerships with Arab and African nations. This collaboration seeks to foster increased economic cooperation and development," he said.

De-dollarization

Besides BRICS expansion, reducing the dependence on the US dollar has also been the focus of the summit, especially after Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Western sanctions in an address on Tuesday, saying "de-dollarization" is an "irreversible" process and "is gaining pace."

Leaders of the BRICS countries have tasked their countries' finance ministries and central banks with considering the possibility of launching national currencies-based payment instruments and platforms, Ramaphosa said on Thursday.

Also, the leaders stressed the importance of encouraging the use of local currencies in international trade and financial transactions between BRICS as well as their trading partners, and encouraging the strengthening of correspondent banking networks between BRICS countries and enabling settlements in local currencies, according to the declaration.

Experts believed that when major oil producers such as Saudi Arabia and Iran join the BRICS, the oil trade will easily "undergo de-dollarization," something the West is worried about.

"The US should not be allowed to use the dollar to put pressure on other countries," Professor Mohammad Marandi, Vice President of the University of Tehran, told the Global Times in a previous interview.

Iran already sells a substantial amount of petroleum using currencies other than the US dollar. "I think for Saudi Arabia, ultimately it will be in its best interests to move away from the dollar as well, in order to make sure that it is not vulnerable or less vulnerable to the US," he said.

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West underestimates BRICS' resolve for solidarity, cooperation: Global Times editorial

As long as the spirit of BRICS is upheld, opportunities for cooperation and progress can be found everywhere. As more like-minded developing countries join BRICS, a stronger collective force will form, emitting a more resounding "BRICS voice," driving the world toward good governance.



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Wednesday, August 23, 2023

The worst sleeping position is sleeping on your back, experts say

 

Experts say side sleeping is probably the better way to sleep. — Dreamstime/TNS


Most people spend a third of their lives either asleep or resting, according to the Sleep Foundation.

During sleep, the body recharges and repairs itself.

And a good night’s sleep often can be determined by what position you are lying in bed.

Back-sleepers beware.

“I know many people find it to be comfortable, because they’re not putting weight on their joints,” says Dr Lois Krahn, a Mayo Clinic sleep specialist.

But experts say sleeping on your back is actually the worst sleeping position, especially if you have sleep apnea.

“Sleeping on the back means that your tongue and jaw can fall down and crowd your airway. And many people snore more on their back,” says Dr Krahn.

Sleeping on your stomach helps keep the airway open, but it can put a strain on your spine and neck.“There’s a host of evidence overall suggesting that probably sleeping on the side is better,” says Dr. Virend Somers, a cardiologist and director of the sleep facility within Mayo Clinic’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

Side sleeping helps prevent the airway from collapsing and can reduce snoring.

“And so, all in all, sleeping on the side – perhaps with their head slightly elevated as long as that’s comfortable – is a good way to sleep,” says Dr Krahn.

Side sleeping is also recommended during pregnancy, especially the last trimester.

And sleeping on the left side is best because it keeps pressure off internal organs and promotes healthy blood flow.

“When you are in that third trimester of pregnancy and when you sleep on your back, the uterus is compressing your inferior vena cava (the largest vein in the body).

“It’s compressing the arterial system,” says Dr Somers.

Sleeping on your side also is considered by the Sleep Foundation as the best for people with neck and back pain, especially if you place a small pillow between your knees.

“Because if you don’t have a pillow between your knees, that stress of sleeping on the side pulls on your hip and can cause some issues,” says Dr Somers. – Mayo Clinic News Network/Tribune News Service

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Sleeping soundly

Are you getting enough sleep?

A good night’s sleep is not a luxury. It is a necessity as it allows your body and mind to recharge and recover from exertion. The average adult needs between seven to nine hours of sleep a day.

There are many reasons you should call it an early night. These include boosting your concentration, improving athletic performance, promoting skin health, enhancing your mood, relieving stress, regulating blood pressure, strengthening immunity and maintaining a healthy weight.

A few hours of sleep loss each night puts a major damper on your quality of life beyond daytime drowsiness. Regularly skimping on sleep can have cumulative impacts, which can be far more severe than you thought. It can interfere with your cognitive abilities and eventually cause reduced concentration, impaired memory and anxiety. Being sleep-deprived will put you at an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes.

How to sleep better?

Synthetic sleeping pills may seem like a quick band-aid. They can help you fall asleep but can cause several side effects including prolonged drowsiness the next day, nausea and dry mouth. Other risks include drug dependence, withdrawal symptoms and rebound insomnia.

For a sustainable solution, consider trying herbal remedies to calm your racing thoughts and ease into restful sleep. Unlike synthetic pills, these herbs are nonhabit forming and do not cause any unpleasant side effects.

Sedating herbs like Chinese dates, passion flowers, hop and valerian root have been used since ancient times to promote tranquillity and improve sleep. These herbs work by increasing the levels and activity of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a chemical messenger which reduces the activity of the neurons in the brain and central nervous system, helping your body and mind to relax and sleep. Together, they may help you fall asleep faster, reduce night-time awakenings and sleep for longer.

Getting adequate sleep is essential for your health and well-being. Nonetheless, the quality of your sleep is just as important. Sleep better and start each day afresh and energised.

This informational article is brought to you by Vitahealth. PressReader.com | Sleep­ing soundly

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Sunday, August 20, 2023

Stand up for yourself

Proper body alignment can help prevent excess strain on your joints, muscles and spine.


Proper posture and body alignment support good health and developing habits to promote them should start early.

 ALTHOUGH it may seem annoying to teenagers that they are often nagged about the need to “stand up straight” and “put your shoulders back”, such advice need to be heeded because good posture supports good health.

And starting good habits early, though it requires conscious effort, can help them throughout their life.

Proper body alignment can help prevent excess strain on joints, muscles and spine – alleviating pain and reducing the likelihood of injury. As a bonus, correct posture can boost productivity and mood, as well as help use muscles more efficiently. And starting good habits now can last a lifetime when they are needed most.

Do the test

To know what does proper posture look like, use the “wall test”:

• Stand so that the back of your head, your shoulder blades and your buttocks touch the wall, and your heels are one to 10cm from the wall.

• Put a flat hand behind the small of your back. You should be able to just barely slide your hand between your lower back and the wall for a correct lower back curve.

• If there’s too much space behind your lower back, draw your belly button toward your spine. This flattens the curve in your back and gently brings your lower back closer to the wall.

• If there’s too little space behind your lower back, arch your back just enough so that your hand can slide behind you.

• Walk away from the wall while holding a proper posture. Then return to the wall to check whether you kept a correct posture.

Unfortunately, ideal posture often is the exception rather than the rule. But poor posture can affect you from head to toe, contributing to several problems no matter your age.

The domino effect

These are among the most common problems resulting from poor posture:

Headache: Poor posture can strain the muscles at the back of your head, neck, upper back and jaw. This can put pressure on nearby nerves and trigger what are known as tension-type or muscle-spasm headaches.

Back and neck pain: Pain and tightness or stiffness in the back and neck can be due to injury and other conditions, such as arthritis, herniated disks and osteoporosis, but poor posture is a common contributor. Though rarely life-threatening, back and neck pain can be chronic and reduce your quality of life.

Knee, hip and foot pain: Muscle weakness; tightness or imbalances; lack of flexibility; and poor alignment of your hips, knees and feet may prevent your kneecap, or patella, from sliding smoothly over your femur. The ensuing friction can cause irritation and pain in the front of the knee, a condition known as patellofemoral pain. Poor foot and ankle alignment also can contribute to plantar fasciitis, a condition in which the thick band of tissue connecting your heel to the ball of your foot becomes inflamed and causes heel pain.

Shoulder pain and impingement: Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that connect your upper arm to your shoulder. Muscle tightness, weakness or imbalances associated with poor posture can cause the tendons in your rotator cuff to become irritated and cause pain and weakness. A forward, hunched posture also can cause these tendons to become pinched, or impinged. Eventually, this can lead to a tear in the rotator cuff tissue, a more serious injury that can cause significant pain and weakness, and limit your ability to carry out daily activities.

Jaw pain: A forward head posture may strain the muscles under your chin and cause your temporomandibular, or TMJ, joint to become overworked. This may result in pain, fatigue and popping in your jaw, as well as difficulty opening your mouth, headaches and neck pain.

Fatigue and breathing problems: Poor postural habits may restrict your rib cage and compress your diaphragm. This can reduce lung capacity, leading to shallow or labored breathing, fatigue and lack of energy, which can affect your overall productivity.

Improve your posture

Here are three ways to improve your posture while standing, sitting and lying in bed:

1. While walking, stand tall. Inhale, roll your shoulders up and back, then exhale and roll your shoulders down, as if you are gently tucking your shoulder blades into your back pockets.

2. Try seated pelvic tilts. Sit on the edge of a chair, place your hands on your thighs and rest your feet on the floor. Inhale and rock your pelvis and ribs forward while you open your chest and look upward. Exhale, rock your pelvis and spine back and look down toward the floor.

3. Do a wake-up or bedtime bridge pose. Lie on your back in bed with your knees bent and your feet resting on the mattress. Inhale, then slowly exhale and curl your tailbone to lift your buttocks and spine, one vertebra at a time, until your shoulder blades bear your weight. Pause and inhale, then slowly exhale as you roll your spine back down.

Improving posture can help prevent or reverse many conditions and teenagers will be amazed to see how their quality of life can improve – simply by standing a little taller.- 


Risks: Sitting for pro-longed periods without a short break can slow blood flow to brain

Risks: Sitting for pro-longed periods without a short break can slow blood flow to brain We regularly spend hours sitting before a computer screen - then, typically, even more time slumped upon the sofa.

But, while that may feel comfortable during the working week, it seems sitting for long, uninterrupted periods may actually be bad for our health.

That's according to new research, which says it slows vital blood flow to the brain - posing potential consequences for our long-term well-being.

Sitting down for long periods increases the risk of Alzheimer's as scientists reveal what to do every 30 minutes to keep your brain healthy

Specifically, decreased flow can affect cognitive function and risks a greater likelihood of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimers.

Fortunately, walking for just 2 minutes every half an hour can off- set this, restoring healthy circulation.

Researchers at Liverpool John Moores University analysed the seating habits of 15 office co- workers over three separate sessions.

During each, they wore ultrasound probes which tracked blood flow through their middle cerebral arteries, which serves the brain directly.

In the first session they sat continuously for four hours, with the exception of brief bathroom breaks. In the second, they performed two minutes of brisk walking on nearby treadmills at 30- minute intervals.

Then, in the third session, they walked for eight minutes every two hours.

Blood flow reduced during the first and last sessions - when activity was minimal or every two hours - but rose considerably when subjects were active regularly.

Sophie Carter, a doctoral student who led the study, said the findings re- assert the need for short - but regular - walking breaks. ' Only the frequent two- minute walking breaks had an overall effect of preventing a decline in brain blood flow,' she says.

They published their findings in the Journal of Applied Physiology, earlier this sum-

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Recession unlikely for global economy but challenges linger on

 

THE global macroeconomic picture is still more sluggish than investors would have liked, particularly when viewed from the gross domestic product (GDP) growth perspective for the first half of 2023 (1H23), although it remains a stretch to say the world is heading for a recession.

A quick glance across the Causeway to Singapore sees the city-state registering a 0.5% yearon-year (y-o-y) growth rate for the second quarter of the year (2Q23), extending marginally from the 0.4% expansion it charted for the preceding quarter.

Elsewhere, such as in major markets like the United States, China and the eurozone, economists are of the opinion that growth has been sturdy during 1H23 but stiff hurdles still remain on the horizon.

While acknowledging that global GDP growth has been slower so far in 2023 due to several familiar factors such as higher interest rates and elevated cost pressures, newly appointed Bank Negara governor Datuk Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour is also not expecting the global economy to slip into recession.

He says resilient domestic demand in advanced economies is providing sufficient support, while also anticipating worldwide trade to improve towards the end of 2023.

Most notably, he perceives China’s slower-than-expected recovery to have limited impact on Malaysia’s own economic expansion and improvement.

“Malaysia’s economy is well diversified in terms of products, services and trade partners, which would cushion the Chinese impact,” says Abdul Rasheed.

According to Bernard Aw, chief economist at Singapore’s Coface Services South Asia-pacific Pte Ltd, although the global economy has been resilient year-to-date, growth outlook in the second half remains challenging, not the least from increasing signals of weakening Chinese economic activity.

Forecasting global GDP expansion to be at 2.2% y-o-y for 2023, and anticipating a similar growth rate of 2.3% growth for next year, he says: “We expect Asean GDP growth (2023: 4.3%; 2024: 4.6%) to be generally faster than advanced economies – at 4.3% and 4.6% for 2023 and 2024 respectively – as tourism recovery and domestic demand drives economic activity.”

Continuing subdued external demand for the region would imply that domestic demand has to continue to partially offset some of the slack, Aw, tells Starbizweek.

“However, the challenging economic environment worldwide, relatively high inflation and interest rates means that even growth in domestic consumption and investment may fall short of expectations,” Aw opines.

Commenting on the overall global interest rate environment, he believes that the trend of disinflation would continue into 2H23, mainly driven by lower energy prices, coupled with China’s deflation having fed into lower export prices, which has also moderated global price pressures.

On the flipside, Aw thinks underlying inflation will remain fairly sticky, despite not being severe enough necessarily for central banks to revert to hiking rates.

“Having said that, they will likely maintain the current restrictive interest rates for a longer-than-expected period,” he says.

Earlier in July, it was reported that the United States economy had grown 2.4% y-o-y in 2Q23, up from the 2% it posted for the first three months of the year and bringing 1H23 GDP to a commendable 2.2%.

“The improved expansion rate had been driven by consumer spending, on top of increases in non-residential fixed investment, government spending and inventory growth.

At the same time, China had registered a 6.3% 2Q23 y-o-y GDP growth rate, which was also an improvement from the 4.5% charted in the previous quarter.

The acceleration however was slower than the expected 7.3% forecast by economists on a Reuters poll, dragged back by tepid demand and sinking property prices which has sapped consumer confidence.

On the same note, chief executive of Centre for Market Education Carmelo Ferlito feels that China’s post “zero-covid” recovery has been fragile since the beginning.

“The economy is not an engine to be switched on and off, but rather it is a living emergent order.

“As such, China is paying the price to a degree with its severe, nation-wide lockdowns while it was implementing the zero-covid policy,” he says.

The decelerating growth in China, says Ferlito, is evidenced by the People’s Bank of China unexpectedly cutting a range of key interest rates on Tuesday, which is seen as an emergency move to reignite growth after new data showed the economy has decelerated further last month.

With Chinese officials from its National Bureau of Statistics also suspending reports on youth unemployment, he says the move would deprive investors, economists and businesses of another key data point on the declining health of the world’s second-largest economy.

Divulging more numbers, Ferlito says the twin moves of cutting rates and holding back unemployment data from the Chinese government has coincided with new data showing a slowdown in spending growth by consumers and businesses.

“Concurrently, factory output grew much less than expected, adding to a recent raft of worrying signals. For the first time since February, China’s headline measure of unemployment rose, climbing to 5.3%.

“The jobless rate for people ages 16 to 24, meanwhile, had marched steadily higher for six consecutive months to hit a series of record highs, culminating in a reading of 21.3% in June,” he says.

Ferlito says an economic trichotomy is emerging on the global scene, before adding: “The United States is still fighting inflation, but countries like Germany and Holland are starting to experience technical recession, while China is facing challenges of its own.

“It is that post-lockdown crisis that the CME predicted two years ago.”

Echoing Bank Negara governor Abdul Rasheed, he re-emphasises that it is important to look beyond GDP figures, making his case that if the GDP of a country declines because of a cut in impractical government spending, that would be positive for a country.

Conversely, he argues if GDP growth were to accelerate due to an increase in spending financed by debt, it ultimately would be a bane to the government’s coffers and the national economy.

Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is predicting a 3% GDP global growth rate for this year and the next, receding from the 3.5% achieved in 2022.

It says the rise in central bank policy rates to stave off inflation has continued to weigh on economic activity, but the good news is that global headline inflation is expected to fall from 8.7% last year to 6.8% in 2023 and 5.2% in 2024.

“The recent resolution of the US debt ceiling stand-off and strong action by authorities to contain turbulence in the US and Swiss banking earlier this year reduced the immediate risks of financial sector turmoil. This moderated adverse risks to the outlook,” the IMF says.

However, it cautions that the balance of risks to global growth remains tilted to the downside, as inflation could remain high and even rise if further shocks occur, including those from an escalation of the Russia-ukraine conflict.

Moreover, the IMF warns that China’s recovery could slow further, partly due to unresolved real estate problems, with negative cross-border spillovers.

On the upside, inflation could fall faster than expected, reducing the need for tight monetary policy, and domestic demand could again prove more resilient

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