Malaysia Morning News For August 8

Malaysia’s former PM Najib to be charged under anti-money laundering act: agency
Malaysia’s former prime minister, Najib Razak, will be charged in court on Wednesday under the anti-money laundering act, the anti-graft agency said in a statement.
— Reuters

Super yacht at centre of graft probe arrives in Malaysia from Indonesia
A US$250 million super yacht owned by a fugitive Malaysian billionaire and at the centre of a major graft inquiry arrived in Malaysia this afternoon after an approximately 20-hour journey from Indonesia, according to the New Straits Times.
— Thai PBS

Equanimity was properly seized under the laws of Malaysia, says AG
The Equanimity was properly seized under Malaysian laws, says Attorney General Tommy Thomas.
— The Star Online

Malaysia shuts down Saudi-backed anti-terrorism centre
Defence minister gives no reason why but says the King Salman Center to combat ‘terror’ would close immediately.
— Aljazeera

Najib: Malaysia to suffer 4 ‘great blows’ without GST
Former prime minister Najib Razak has summarised the four “blows” Malaysia will suffer once the goods and services tax (GST) that he introduced in 2015 is abolished.
— FMT

Malaysia to explore new markets aggressively for palm oil
The Primary Industries Ministry is in the midst of exploring new markets for palm oil via good connections with several nations as Malaysia is striving to tackle anti-palm campaign issues.
— New Straits Times

Don’t reject Dr M’s automative strategy for Malaysia
The prime minister’s main concern is that our National Automotive Policy, developed after he left the government in 2003, is not up to scratch.
— FMT

KING GONE! Sabah’s ‘Chief Conservator’ Of Forests Booted Out At Last
After years posing as a great defender of Sabah’s fast depreciating forests, Sam Mannan has now been exposed as one of the main drivers of destruction, issuing licences for illegal clear cutting in supposedly protected areas across the state.
— Sarawak Report

Proposal to tax imported cooking oils and rubber products
Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok said imposing import taxes on select cooking oils and rubber products is among suggestions from the industry stakeholders for Budget 2019.
— New Straits Times

Malaysia seeks Toyota and Nissan’s help for national car project
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday that assistance had been sought from Japanese automakers including Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor for a potential third national car project.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Thai e-commerce enabler Sokochan to expand to Malaysia via JV
Following its recent pre-Series A round, Thailand-headquartered e-commerce fulfilment startup Sokochan is looking to expand into Malaysia this October, its co-founder and chief strategy officer Adrian Stewart told Deal Street Asia.
— Deal Street Asia

Airbus A380 remains relevant in the commercial aviation
European airframe manufacturer Airbus SE expressed confidence its superjumbo, the A380, will remain relevant in commercial aviation, particularly in the secondary market where the aircraft can be leased or acquired at attractive rates.
— New Straits Times

Think tank’s work in Malaysia a direct interference, says Najib
Former prime minister Najib Razak has called for a probe into ties between Pakatan Harapan (PH) and a US think tank which said it had been engaging with the coalition before the historic general election which brought down Barisan Nasional (BN) in May.
— FMT

Hong Kong suspends imports of chicken, eggs from Malaysian state after bird flu outbreak
Hong Kong has ordered traders to suspend imports of poultry meat and poultry products like eggs from the Tuaran District of Sabah State in Malaysia, said the city’s Centre for Food Safety on Tuesday.
— The Star Online

Malaysia container throughput posts growth
Malaysia’s container throughput is registering growth as compared to 2017, even as global shipping companies leave Malaysian ports for Singapore, said deputy transport minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaafar.
— The Borneo Post

AirAsia unveils fifth route to Vietnam
AirAsia Bhd has unveiled its fifth route into Vietnam yesterday, as the low-cost carrier launched its direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Phu Quoc, Vietnam.
— The Star Online

Bank Negara’s international reserves at RM104.5bil as of July 31
Bank Negara Malaysia’s international reserves amounted to US$104.5 billion as at July 31 this year.
— New Straits Times

Saudi Aramco, Petronas tap banks for jumbo financing
Saudi Aramco and Petronas have approached banks to replace a short-term US$8bil loan raised earlier this year for a joint venture with long-term financing of approximately the same size, banking sources familiar with the matter said.
— The Star Online

Webe Digital to begin housing startups
Webe Digital Sdn Bhd, which welcomes startups to its premises through its partnership with World Startup Festival (WSF), hopes to tap into them to solve some of its problems including parking.
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia Business Events Week is focusing on the future
The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau has unveiled the fourth edition of the Malaysia Business Events Week.
— Exhibition world

Hartalega’s Q1 profit up 29.6% on higher sales
Hartalega Holdings Bhd’s net profit soared 29.6% to RM124.87 million for the first quarter ended June 30 compared with RM96.39 million, driven by higher sales volume and additional production capacity.
— The Sun Daily

Honor Play has officially launched in Malaysia starting from RM1249
Honor’s most anticipated gaming smartphone, the Honor Play has been officially launched in Malaysia starting from RM1249 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage model of the device.
— TechNave

Singapore, Malaysia shares advance in broad rally
Singapore shares advanced further Tuesday while Malaysia rebounded in a broad rally as strong corporate earnings lifted investors sentiment recently battered by the ongoing global trade war.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Malaysia Should Find ‘Right Path’ on LGBT Rights
Malaysia’s new government has put out a series of mixed messages on where it stands with regard to the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
— Human Rights Watch

Inta Bina awarded RM62m construction job
Inta Bina Group Bhd has secured a construction contract worth of RM62.64 million.
— The Sun Daily

The Best Malaysian Restaurants in NYC
The Southeast Asian country of Malaysia has a few faithful representatives on the New York restaurant scene, but these few are mighty.
— City Guide

Feature photo Conny Sandland

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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.