Malaysia Morning News For April 11

Malaysia to hold general elections on May 9
Malaysia is set to hold a general election on May 9, the Elections Commission said, in what could be the toughest test of the ruling coalition’s 61-year grip on power.
— Aljazeera

Malaysia’s palm oil fell 6.24% to 2.32 million tonnes in March
Malaysia’s total palm oil stocks in March 2018 slipped by 6.24 per cent to 2.32 million tonnes against 2.48 million tonnes in February 2018.
— The Star Online

Malaysian Mobile App Improves Oil Palm Plantation Management
Malaysian technology company LintraMax (M) Sdn. Bhd., has released a mobile app that it says will allow oil palm planters to streamline work processes at their plantations.
— AEC News Today

Bursa Malaysia mixed in early trade
Bursa Malaysia reversed its gains momentum to open mixed this morning on weak sentiment following the retreat on Wall Street’s overnight performance.
— New Straits Times

Food industry on MyCC’s menu this year
The Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) will look into escalating food prices this year as Malaysians grapple with rising cost of living.
— The Sun Daily

BN has delivered on its promise for cheaper cars
In the 2013 general election, Barisan Nasional (BN) made a promise in its manifesto to reduce the price of cars by 20% to 30% by 2017.
— Free Malaysia Today

AirAsia waives flight change fees for Malaysians for polling day
AirAsia is waiving flight change fees for bookings where the travel date falls on May 9, polling day for the 14th general election.
— The Star Online

BHIC secures RM44.77m contract from Defence Ministry
Boustead Heavy Industries Corp Bhd’s (BHIC) subsidiary Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd (BNS) has secured a RM44.77 million contract from the Defence Ministry.
— New Straits Times

Malaysia Airlines says going ahead with MoU with Boeing
Malaysia Airlines Bhd says the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in September 2017 with Boeing Co. to increase the number of Boeing planes to be purchased is still in place.
— The Star Online

Tackling protectionism
ONCE again, global trade is witnessing the protectionism’s moment in the sun as the political tide in advanced economies seems to move towards greater protectionism.
— New Straits Times

RM800m for KLIA Aeropolis DFTZ
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has allocated RM800 million of its capital expenditure to build infrastructure, facilities, system and equipment for the 32.42-hectare Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Aeropolis Digital Free Trade Zone (DFTZ), which is slated to be fully operational in the third quarter of 2020.
— Daily Express

More income and jobs for youths
Barisan Nasional (BN) has pledged to increase earnings of youths and improving their employability through digital economy.
— New Straits Times

SERC raises Malaysia’s 2018 growth forecast
Think tank Socio-Economic Research Centre (SERC) has revised upward its gross domestic product (GDP) figure for 2018 to 5.5% from the previous estimate of 5.1%, amid signs that the strength of the domestic economy remains intact.
— The Edge Markets

MAHB’s network of airports grow 6.9pc to 32.2m passengers in Q1
Traffic at Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd’s (MAHB) network of airports including Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (SGIA) grew 6.5 per cent to 11.3 million passengers last month.
— New Straits Times

RHB sees greater local retail participation in 2H2018
RHB Investment Bank (IB) Bhd expects greater participation in the stock exchange by domestic retail investors in the second half of this year, after a period of macro and microeconomics uncertainties.
— New Straits Times

All the news that’s fit to fake
The Malaysian Parliament passed the Anti-Fake News Law a week ago on 2 April 2018, just in time for the 14th general elections (GE14) on 9 May.
— New Mandala

World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2018: Malaysia best Singapore, UK in electricity reliability
Malaysia has made it into the top 10 of the World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2018, under the topic, Getting Electricity.
— New Straits Times

Malaysia Market Tipped To Find Continued Support
The Malaysia stock market has climbed higher in four consecutive trading days, gathering more than 40 points or 2.4 percent along the way.
— Nasdaq

Luno Malaysia started processing withdrawals on March 29
Luno Malaysia, which has had transactions for its Malayan Banking Bhd account suspended since last year, started processing withdrawals on March 29.
— The Sun Daily

Prasarana to cut foreign operation and maintenance supplies by 20 per cent in five years
Prasarana Malaysia Bhd aims to reduce its dependence on foreign suppliers for operation and maintenance (O&M) by 20 per cent in five years.
— New Straits Times

Destini, Felcra in joint venture to provide MRO services
Destini Bhd and Felcra Bhd today inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide, among others, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for industrial facilities and equipment for the agriculture and related industries within Malaysia and the Asean region.
— The Sun Daily

Ex-investment banker jailed, fined RM1m for insider trading
Former investment banker Goh Keng Huat was jailed six months and fined RM1mil in default six months imprisonment after he was convicted to insider trading in the shares of Road Builder Holdings Bhd (RBH) in 2006.
— The Star Online

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Malaysia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Malaysia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.