Malaysia Morning News For March 14

Not guilty, Najib says it again on money laundering charges
Former prime minister Najib Razak today maintained his plea of not guilty to three counts of money laundering amounting to RM27 million of SRC International funds five years ago.
— FMT

All 111 schools in Pasir Gudang closed indefinitely
All 111 schools in Pasir Gudang, Johor, have been ordered to close effective today until further notice, said Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik. Maszlee in a statement tonight said the action was based on current situation and information received from the State Disaster Management.
— The Borneo Post

Most Malaysians debt-ridden from uncontrolled spendings
A research by the Universiti Malaya Social Well-being Research Centre (SWRC) shows that the majority of the people of this country are burdened with debt due to uncontrolled spending.
— The Sun Daily

South Korea, Malaysia to bring Look East Policy, New Southern Policy in a harmonious way
South Korea and Malaysia have agreed to bring the Look East Policy and New Southern Policy in a harmonious way, said South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in today.
— The Borneo Post

Domestic Trade Ministry to take action against online traders who fail to disclose product details
To ensure that consumer rights are better protected, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) will get cracking on online traders by making sure that they display all product details, before finalising.
— Malay Mail

‘No 737 Max 8’s in AirAsia, Malindo fleets’
Passengers of AirAsia Group Bhd (AirAsia) and Malindo Air can rest easy knowing that there are no Boeings or Boeing 737 MAX 8’s in the airlines’ fleets.
— The Borneo Post

AirAsia to benefit if govt does away with Malaysia Airlines, says HLIB Research
Low-cost carrier AirAsia Group Bhd stands to benefit from greater market dominance if the government decides to do away with national carrier Malaysia Airlines Bhd, according to Hong Leong IB Research (HLIB Research).
— The Edge Markets

Petronas to start offering oil products from new refinery in April
Malaysia’s state energy firm Petronas expects to start offering oil products from its new refining-petrochemical complex in April as the project moves toward full commercial production in October, a senior company official said.
— The Star Online

New targeted fuel subsidy mechanism not finalised yet, says dep minister
The new mechanism for a targeted fuel subsidy has not been finalised so far, as the government is now devising a measure that could also include Malaysians who use boats as their primary transportation mode and rural communities that use diesel for electricity generators.
— The Edge Markets

Malaysia has its eye on all terrorists, says IGP
Malaysia’s fight against terrorism is not only focused on citizens from certain countries but in totality, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said.
— New Straits Times

MoE allocates RM17.3 mln for first degree scholarship programme this year
An allocation of RM17.3 million has been set aside by the Ministry of Education (MoE) for undergraduate degree scholarship programme this year, Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching said.
— The Borneo Post

Evaluate Malaysian market on full-year basis, says Guan Eng
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has urged the public to evaluate the Malaysian capital market on a full-year basis before drawing any conclusion on its performance.
— The Edge Markets

Malaysia-China Amazing Trip: Proton X70 owners drive 2,909 km in five days, convoy en route to Hangzhou
Sometimes, the spirit of adventure can truly embolden. Take for example this group of Proton X70 owners who embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to China – by land. That’s right, a total of nine units of the SUV are en route to Hangzhou, China, where they will visit the headquarters of the Zhejiang Geely Holding Group before making the round trip back.
— Paultan

Weak El Nino to mostly affect Sabah, Sarawak: Malaysia Met Dept
Impact of weak El Nino will mostly be felt in Sabah and northern Sarawak, and be less significant on weather patterns in Peninsular Malaysia, according to Fariza Yunus, Director of National Climate Center at the Malaysian Meteorological Department.
— The Edge Markets

Malaysia to remove bauxite ban only once all parties follow SOP
The restriction on bauxite mining activity will only be withdrawn once all parties adhere to standard operating procedure, Malaysia’s Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources says in statement.
— The Edge Markets

Analyst: No reason to keep bleeding Malaysia Airlines afloat
The survival of national carrier Malaysia Airlines has been in the limelight lately as parent shareholder Khazanah Nasional Berhad suffered a whopping RM6.3 billion loss last year for the first time since 2005.
— Daily Express

Vacuum in Bank Rakyat as stakeholders clash over choice of new MD
A disagreement among stakeholders in the government-controlled Bank Rakyat is stalling the appointment of a new managing director, creating a vacuum at the management level, FMT has learnt.
— FMT

SAE targets to service 700 cumulatively scheduled maintenance for commercial aircraft by year-end
European aircraft manufacturer Airbus unit Sepang Aircraft Engineering Sdn Bhd (SAE) is targeting to reach a cumulative 700 scheduled maintenance for commercial aircraft by end of 2019.
— New Straits times

Malaysia keeps April crude palm oil export duty at 0%
Malaysia kept its export duty on crude palm oil for April at 0%, according to a circular on the Malaysian Palm Oil Board’s website on Wednesday that cited Customs.
— FMT

Govt to restore Malaysia’s image as nation of integrity: Dr M
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Tuesday the government will continue to work towards restoring Malaysia’s image as a nation of integrity and improving that identity over time.
— Daily Express

Airbnb women hosts earned RM159mil in 2018
Women hosts on Airbnb nationwide earned a combined RM159 million in 2018, an increase of 50% compared with 2017.
— The Star Online

Rubber smallholders urged to register for PAT-G card
Rubber smallholders have been urged to register for the Rubber Transaction Authorisation Permit (PAT-G) card with the Malaysian Rubber Board (LGM) to enable them to make claims under the Rubber Production Incentive (IPG) scheme.
— The Borneo Post

Heineken to hike prices by up to 5% from April 1
Heineken Malaysia Bhd has clarified that the price adjustment effective April 1, 2019 to its portfolio is between 0% to 5% and not up to 12%.
— The Star Online

MoH implements cluster hospital initiative to reduce patient density
The Health Ministry is implementing its cluster hospital initiative in a bid to reduce overcrowding and patient density in state and specialist hospitals.
— The Borneo Post

KESM top loser after earnings plunge in Q2
KESM Industries Bhd was the top loser on the stock exchange this morning after its net profit for the second quarter ended Jan 31, 2019 plunged 95.76% to RM474,000 from RM11.18 million a year ago due to a 78% drop in other income during the quarter.
— The Sun Daily

Rakuten Trade affirms buy call on newly listed Techbond
Newly listed Techbond Group Bhd (Techbond) who was the last company to join the ranks of the Bursa main board in 2018 has received a buy call from analyst Rakuten Trade Sdn Bhd (Rakuten Trade) who reckoned that the stock is now trading at attractive levels.
— The Borneo Post

Dayang in oil and gas, construction MoU with Melaka govt
Dayang Enterprise Holdings Bhd said today its wholly-owned subsidiary Dayang Enterprise Sdn Bhd (DESB), had yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Melaka government-owned PKNM Energy Sdn Bhd and Main Velocity Sdn Bhd (MVSB) to jointly undertake projects, including oil and gas and construction-related work in Melaka.
— The Edge Markets

UPS optimistic of export growth in Southeast Asia
United Parcel Service (UPS), a global leader in logistics, is optimistic of the export growth in Malaysia and Southeast Asia on the back of a robust economic and trading environment within Asean, says its president for South Asia District Michelle Ho.
— The Borneo Post

Malaysia Airports planning new cargo facility at Kuching Airport
CAPA publishes more than 400 global News Briefs every weekday, covering all aspects of the aviation and travel industry.
— CAPA

Sangeet urges Putrajaya to finalise RCI into judicial misconduct
Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo has called on the government and the Attorney General (AG) to quickly finalise the terms of reference for the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the allegations of purported judicial misconduct made by Court of Appeal judge Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer.
— The Edge Markets

Power to drop charge rests with AG, says Liew
The decision to proceed with or dismiss any charges against an accused person rests with the Attorney-General (AG), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law) Datuk Liew Vui Keong said.
— The Sun Daily

WTO action, Asean-EU relations review planned over palm oil discrimination
A complaint to the World trade Organisation (WTO) and a review of Asean-European Union (EU) relations are among the more drastic measures to be taken if discrimination against palm oil by the latter does not end.
— The Borneo Post

Miti: No limit to number of approved permits to be issued
There is no limit to the number of approved permits (AP) to be released throughout the year under the new open AP policy implemented from January 1, 2019, said the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti).
— Malay Mail

Singapore says prepared to settle water spat through third-party procedure
A day after Malaysia’s foreign minister took a swipe at his Singaporean counterpart for “reckless” comments in an ongoing tit-for-tat over water prices.
— Malay Mail

101 government agencies apply to set up nurseries
The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development have received 101 applications from government agencies to set up nurseries in the work place. Its deputy minister Hannah Yeoh said the application was opened from Jan 24 until Feb 7 in line with a RM10 million allocation .
— The Borneo Post

Feature photo Dennis Sylvester Hurd

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