Alan Tong

Drug resistant bacterial infections have emerged as one of the greatest threats to public health. The discovery and development of new antimicrobials and anti-infective strategies are urgently needed to address this challenge. Vancomycin is one of the most important antibiotics for the treatment of Gram-positive infections.

HOW much does it cost a fresh graduate to own a car in Australia and in Malaysia? On an average income of A$55,000 per year (RM155,375), a fresh graduate in Australia can easily buy a Honda Civic worth A$25,000 (RM70,625) with half a year of his salary. When I first started to work as an assistant architect in the Kuala Lumpur Municipal Architect Department in the 1960s, earning RM628 per month, I was able to buy my first car, a Peugeot 404 which cost RM7,724 with one year of my salary.

THE World Economic Forum estimates that the global cost of corruption annually is at least US$2.6 trillion (RM10.9 trillion) or 5% of global gross domestic product (GDP). According to the World Bank, businesses and individuals pay over US$1 trillion (RM4.2 trillion) in bribes each year. Corruption adds up to 10% of the total cost of doing business globally and up to 25% of the cost of procurement contracts in developing countries. I gathered these shocking facts at a conference.