Malaysia Morning News For July 23

AirAsia X’s expanded order for A330 ‘sends positive signal to investors’
MIDF Research is positive on AirAsia X Bhd’s (AAX) recent commitment to expand its fleet size with the addition of 100 A330neo long-haul aircraft, making it the first Asian airline to operate the model.
— The Sun Daily

Mahathir, 93, Aims to Lower Malaysia Voting Age to Empower Youth
Malaysia’s youth are likely to get more power after backing 93-year-old Mahathir Mohamad to topple a regime that ruled the Southeast Asian nation for six decades.
— Bloomberg

Malaysia denounces call for Sabah to become Philippine state
Malaysia on Saturday denounced repeated suggestions by an adviser to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that Sabah should be designated as the 13th state of the Philippines.
— The New Paper

Malaysia pledges to further intensify operations against illegal immigrants
Malaysia’s immigration department will further intensify operations to detain illegal immigrants from Aug 31, said its director general Mustafar Ali.
— Channel NewsAsia

Taib’s Secret Interest In Sarawak’s Petros Venture! EXCLUSIVE
On the afternoon of 20th March 2016, in the dusty heat of the desert kingdom of Oman, two far eastern visitors set about finalising a major deal with the local Bank Nizwa to raise a $150 million financing arrangement (Sharia compliant, of course) to enable investment in Oman’s massive new oil exploration Block 17.
— Sarawak Report

Malaysia, Indonesia team upto guard palm oil sector
Malaysia and Indonesia have agreed to work together to promote oil palm products and counter attacks against the palm oil industry by Europe, says Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.
— The Star Online

World Vision Malaysia raises more than RM2mil in 30-Hour Famine Countdown
Around 30,000 people gathered and raised RM2.2mil for charity through World Vision Malaysia’s 30-Hour Famine Countdown at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam here.
— The Star Online

Nearly 1,000 jobs lost as fallout from Malaysia’s suspended East Coast Rail Link project digs in
The fallout from Malaysia’s suspended East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) that is currently being renegotiated with China, together with two other pipeline projects, is being felt on the ground.
— Channel NewsAsia

Malaysia is exploring opportunity for Asean-wide trading link
The government, together with Bursa Malaysia and the Securities Commission (SC), is exploring plans to link with other regional bourses after shelving initial plans to link Bursa Malaysia with Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX).
— New Straits Times

Malaysia will repeal security law, says Dr Mahathir
Pakatan is committed to restoring rule of law flouted by Najib administration, says prime minister.
— The Malaysian Insight

Durian Crisis In Malaysia: Prices For The Fruit Fall As Low As To 1RM
Durian prices have dropped dramatically in Malaysia due to an oversupply caused by hot weather, vendors say.
— Investvine

HLB celebrates movie lovers with new HLB GSC Credit Card, GSC Mastercard
If you love watching the latest blockbusters on the big screen complete with immersive surround sound experience, coupled with a bucket of popcorn and soda, then the updated Hong Leong Bank (HLB) GSC Credit Card and the newly launched HLB GSC Mastercard Credit Card, is a must-have for you.
— The Borneo Post

Malaysia stumbles in rapprochement with China
Malaysia’s bid to reset its testy relations with China hit a nasty bump last week.
— The Straits Times

Online hiring slows down in 2Q from GE14, uncertainties
Malaysia’s overall online hiring activity plummeted during the start of the second quarter (2Q) of this year, reporting a six and 12 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) decline in April and May 2018 respectively, according to the latest Monster Employment Index (MEI).
— The Borneo Post

Foreign outflow from equities market dissipating
Foreign outflows in the local equities market remain contained and have been gradually dissipating, according to analysts and market observers alike.
— The Sun Daily

Report tells of RM185 mil scam over Nepali workers
Nepal affiliates of Malaysian firm are implicated in scheme to collect extra fees from Nepalis seeking work in Malaysia.
— FMT

AI in financial services — digital transformation or disruption
When was the last time we visited a physical bank branch? It will be a long pause before you can recall the date or the month. It is not that individuals are no longer using financial services or do not need banks to complete their financial need. It is how the banks are transforming their basic services.
— New Straits Times

How Malaysia can save Singapore from itself
Mahathir Mohamad wasted no time reminding Singapore why it was happy to see the back of him in 2003.
— Nikkei Asian Review

EY: Strong M&A appetite and robust market confidence seen among SEA corporates
After record-high deal intentions six months ago, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) outlook across Southeast Asia (SEA) has tempered slightly but confidence remains strong for the local M&A market.
— The Borneo Post

Malaysians going for haj will enjoy air-conditioned tents
After the pre-clearance programme at the point of departure, Malaysian pilgrims will enjoy another new facility.
— The Star Online

Muslims failing, really?
A response to an opinion piece criticising dogmatism, orthodoxy and fundamentalism among some Muslim scholars and leaders.
— FMT

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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.