Malaysia Morning News Roundup For February 24

Welcome to the Malaysia morning news roundup by AEC News Today, your one stop for Malaysia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities.

Kim Jong-nam Was Killed by VX Nerve Agent, Malaysians Say
Malaysia — The poison used to kill Kim-Jong-nam, the half brother of the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was VX nerve agent, a substance listed as a chemical weapon, the Malaysian police announced Friday.
— The New York Times

Axiata Group reports RM309.4m loss in Q42016
Axiata Group Bhd reported a RM309.4 million loss in the final quarter of 2016, in contrast to a net profit of RM467.2 million that the company reported in 4Q2015.
— New Straits Times

Malaysian palm oil price hits near 4-month low on rising output, weak demand
Malaysian palm oil futures fell on Thursday evening, charting a fifth session of losses in six and hitting their lowest in nearly four months as concerns persisted over rising production and weak exports.
— The Star Online

Thailand’s PTT interested in Petronas offshore gas stake
Thailand’s PTT Plc is interested in bidding for a stake in the SK316 offshore gas block in Malaysia’s state of Sarawak, Chief Executive Thewin Wongwanich said on Wednesday.
— Deal Street Asia

TM targets 4pc revenue expansion this year
Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) is targeting up to four per cent revenue growth for the financial year ending December 31 2017, from RM12.06 billion revenue recorded last year, despite an increasingly challenging business environment.
— New Straits Times

Strategies help sustain Media Prima growth
Media Prima Bhd’s move to optimise printing plant capacity and unlock potential cost savings while investing in digital expansion has helped sustain the group’s long-term growth.
— New Straits Times

Prasarana honoured for public transport infrastructure initiative
Prasarana Malaysia Bhd’s (Prasarana) contribution in the transportation sector was given recognition by the prestigious Middle East Business Leaders Awards (MEBLA).
— New Straits Times

IJM unit secures RM1bil job from MFBBCC Retail Mall
IJM Corp Bhd has clinched a construction job from MFBBCC Retail Mall Sdn Bhd worth RM1.16bil.
— The Star Online

Zeti will cooperate with probe into BNM forex loss probe
Former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz says she is willing to cooperate with the investigation into the alleged foreign exchange (forex)trading loss of US$10 billion by the central bank in the 1990s.
— The Star Online

Maybank remains an Add at CIMB Research, low exposure to O&G
CIMB Equities Research is retaining its Add recommendation for Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) on its expectations of a recovery in earnings per share growth in FY17F.
— The Star Online

Feature photo: AinoTuominen

The Malaysia morning news roundup is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.