Malaysia Morning News For May 7

Houses priced RM300,000 and above are unaffordable: BNM
Houses in the price range of between RM300,000 and RM500,000 should not be categorised as affordable housing for households earning the median income, said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM).
— New Straits Times

New Era For The Phnom Penh Post Under Malaysian PR Co. Ownership (video) *Updated
Cambodia’s oldest newspaper The Phnom Penh Post is set to enter a new phase after its parent company was sold yesterday (May 5) to a Malaysian public relations company with links to the Cambodia government and rival Cambodian publisher Mohan Tirvgmanasam Banddam, better known as T Mohan, publisher of the rival Khmer Times.
— AEC News Today (video)

Overseas Malaysians frustrated at late ballot papers; volunteers to fly votes home
In Nottingham in the UK, Malaysian student Ana (not her real name) has just found out the ballot paper she needs to vote in nationwide polls is only arriving on May 9 – the day of the elections.
— Channel News Asia

Maybank sets aside for RM30m for FutureReady digital upskilling plan
Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) has allocated RM30mil for its mandatory “FutureReady” digital upskilling programme.
— The Star Online

Malaysia’s tense vote fuels damaging ethnic ‘brain drain’
Malaysia’s racially divisive elections are fanning resentment among minorities, and risk escalating a “brain drain” of disillusioned ethnic Chinese and Indians in an exodus experts say is hurting the nation’s economic ambitions.
— Business Standard

Singapore-Kuala Lumpur is world’s busiest international air route
Singapore: The trip between Singapore and the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur is the world’s busiest international air route, with more than 30,500 flights between the cities in the year to February, a new study showed.
— New Straits Times

Malaysia’s election may not be a done deal after all
In financial centres around the world, it looks like Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will easily win re-election this week.
— Business Times

Singapore recalls Malaysia-made kaya over suspected contamination by pest droppings
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has recalled a brand of kaya or coconut jam over suspected contamination.
— The Star Online

Malaysian workers surely deserve better
Malaysia is potentially on the cusp of something revolutionary, where there is a real chance that a party other than Barisan Nasional (BN) would be elected to rule the country.
— Free Malaysia Today

Najib Announces 18 Initiatives To Propel Langkawi Tourism To New Paradigm
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has unveilled 18 initiatives to take the Langkawi tourism sector to greater heights in the next five years.
— Malaysian Digest

Manufacturers urged to embrace new technologies
Manufacturers, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), must embrace new technologies in improving designs, research and development to bring their businesses to the next level.
— The Borneo Post

AZRB’s subsidiary gets RM100m banking facilities
Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd’s (AZRB) 51 per cent-owned subsidiary, Matrix Reservoir Sdn Bhd, has secured banking facilities worth RM100 million from Affin Bank Bhd.
— New Straits Times

TH Properties plans foray into Bangkok market
TH Properties Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH), is expanding its business by venturing into the property market in Bangkok, Thailand, after growing rapidly in Australia.
— The Sun Daily

NSTP sells entire stake in MNI for RM14.15m
Media Prima Bhd subsidiary The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP) and Hong Leong Industries Bhd (HLI) are disposing of their entire stakes and all their redeemable preference shares in Malaysia Newsprint Industries Sdn Bhd to Asia Honour (Hong Kong) Ltd.
— New Straits Times

Malaysia halts people-smuggling ship bound for Australia, NZealand
Malaysia has arrested more than a dozen members of an alleged people trafficking syndicate after intercepting a ship carrying 127 Sri Lankan migrants believed to be bound for Australia and New Zealand, authorities have said.
— The Jakarta Post

Limited improvement for Malaysia’s debt burden in absence of further fiscal reform: Moody’s
Moody’s Investors Service expects only limited improvement for Malaysia’s public indebtedness and debt affordability, in the absence of further fiscal reform.
— The Sun Daily

Fishermen benefited from RM43m breakwater
Barisan Nasional candidate for Pengkalan Berangan A. Latiff Awang believes one of his biggest achievements as the assemblyman in the past five years was getting the Federal Government to solve problems associated with the Sungai Merchang estuary.
— New Straits Times

Malaysia stops tanker heading to Australia
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton says any move by Bill Shorten to soften Labor’s support for Operation Sovereign borders would “play into the hands of the people smugglers” after Malaysian authorities smashed a people smuggling ring.
— The Australian

Khazanah recognised in Bretton Woods II Leaders List
Khazanah Nasional Bhd has been recognised in the Bretton Woods II Leaders List as one of the 25 Most Responsible Asset Allocators globally, a testimony to Malaysia’s solid economic progress.
— New Straits Times

Total of 82 Curtin Malaysia students receive industry awards for excellence
A total of 82 students of Curtin University Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) received excellence awards from a diverse range of industry sponsors at the recent Curtin Malaysia awards ceremony.
— The Borneo Post

Gibbons’ hope: The city girl who gave up all to save victims of pet trade
Two hours into our journey by truck through a landscape of palm oil plantations and pockets of deforested countryside, we pulled up to a small side road leading to our destination, and our host, Ms Mariani Ramli, asked us to turn off our cameras.
— Channel News Asia

50 live crocodiles from Malaysia seized at London airport
British officials have seized an illegal shipment of 50 live crocodiles at London Heathrow Airport, the UK Border Force said Friday.
— The Nation

Feature photo OXLAEY

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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.