China introduced ASEAN Visa for the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Asean observer Timor-Leste, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. The ministry’s spokesperson, Lin Jian, said this new programme offers five-year multiple-entry visas to eligible applicants visiting China for business purposes and their spouses as well as children,…
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation into the killing of 31 and wounding of 176 Palestinians near a US-backed aid centre in Gaza the day before. Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 people and wounded 176 near the aid distribution site in the southern city…
Hamas said yesterday that it was still reviewing a U.S. proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where 27 people were killed in new Israeli airstrikes, according to hospital officials. The ceasefire plan, which has been approved by Israeli officials, won a cool initial reaction Thursday from the Hamas but President Donal Trump…
The business tourism sector is expected to generate RM2.1 billion in the Malaysian economy. With a total number of 562,000 delegates, they would be participating in 193 events that has been secured this year. “The estimated expenditure by delegates stands at RM894 million, which is anticipated to generate an economic impact of approximately RM2.1 billion,”…
Annually the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra) receives an allocation of RM100 million. How much of that is used to transform the community. Mitra committee chairman P Prabakaran revealed that almost half of the allocation are re-allocated for commitments -welfare, dialysis, kindergartens for Tamil schools and university students. Speaking at an event which was later…
A federal appeals court has temporarily reinstated President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington said it was pausing the lower court’s ruling to consider the government’s appeal. It effectively ruled against the US Court of International Trade to delay the implementation of tariffs. The trade…
A US judge on Thursday sentenced a former Goldman Sachs banker central to the 1MDB scandal to two years in prison after prosecutors argued for leniency due to his cooperation. Timothy Leissner, a key architect of the massive bribery and kickback scheme involving a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, will begin serving a 24-month sentence in…
The ringgit opened stronger against the US dollar today, boosted by improved investor confidence in emerging market currencies after a US court temporarily halted a decision to block most Trump-era import tariffs, an analyst said, Bernama reported. At 8am, the local note surged to 4.2180/4.2485 versus the greenback from Thursday’s close of 4.2390/4.2475. Bank Muamalat…
Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, better known as KJ, has dismissed speculations regarding a cabinet comeback as he has his hands full. “I just want to say that I have a lot of unfinished projects and business that I need to take care of. I’m quite happy doing what I’m doing for the time being. “At…
Aging workforce is a growing threat to the agriculture sector and food security since nearly half of the country’s farmers are 60 and above, said deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. This in turn affected productivity and Malaysia’s ability to sustain domestic food production. “To ensure the sector’s sustainability, we must attract more youths…
