Malaysia Morning News For November 21, 2019

Malaysia in talks with partners to produce palm oil-based bio-jet fuel
Malaysia aims to start producing palm oil-based bio-jet fuel within five years and is in talks with several potential partners about setting up a plant, the head of the industry’s marketing board said on Wednesday.
— Arab News

Malaysian terrorist with links to 9/11, Singapore bomb plot released
Convicted Malaysian terrorist Yazid Sufaat, who acquired four tonnes of ammonium nitrate in 2000 in preparation for a foiled bombing plot in Singapore, was freed from prison yesterday, anti-terrorism police told The Straits Times (ST).
— The Straits Times

Malaysia Airlines rationalisation plan will not affect rural services in Sabah, Sarawak
The Transport Ministry today gave an assurance that any rationalisation plan undertaken by Malaysia Airlines Berhad so far, and in the future, will not affect existing rural air services provided by MASWings in Sabah and Sarawak.
— The Sun Daily

Sarawak tells Petronas to pay 5% sales tax or else
Sarawak says Petronas must comply with the state’s laws and pay the 5% state sales tax on petroleum products.
— The Star Online

Malaysia’s Mahathir says Cabinet reshuffle on cards after by-election loss
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Wednesday (Nov 20) he would consider a Cabinet reshuffle to address growing public discontent over his young government’s handling of the country, days after a stinging by-election loss.
— Channel NewsAsia

Sarawak to gazette one million hectares as fully protected area, says deputy CM
Sarawak aims to continue to place high priority on conservation, with one million hectares of land to be gazetted as totally protected areas by 2020.
— Malay Mail

Ministry to intensify promotion of local products via e-commerce — Saifuddin
The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry will intensify efforts to promote local products via e-commerce in a bid to enhance the Buy Malaysian Products Campaign.
— The Borneo Post

Salaries in Malaysia rise by 5.1% in 2019, to jump by 5.3% in 2020
Salaries in Malaysia rose by 5.1 percent in 2019 and are expected to jump by 5.3 percent in 2020, according to the Malaysia 2019 Salary Increase & Total Compensation Measurement Survey by Aon plc.
— The Edge Markets

Toilet cleanliness complaints at KLIA down by 80%
KLIA registered an 80% drop in complaints related to toilet cleanliness since refurbishment works at the facility took place two years ago.
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia, Singapore to explore cooperation in R&D to address regional haze issue
Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to explore cooperation in Research and Development (R&D) in the area of peatland fire prevention and mitigation to find innovative solutions to address the haze issue in the region.
— The Edge Markets

Petronas Gas Q3 earnings down 13.6% on lower revenue, higher costs
Petronas Gas Bhd’s (PetGas) net profit fell 13.6% to RM431.59 million in the third quarter ended Sept 30, 2019 against RM499.81 million in the same period of the previous year, attributed to lower revenue from the gas transportation and utilities segments as well as higher finance, repair and maintenance costS.
— The Sun Daily

Ministry mulls security framework to ensure dam safety
The Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources plans to establish a security framework governing the safety and design of building of dams in Malaysia.
— The Sun Daily

Housing Ministry to release wakaf land framework in Jan
The Housing & Local Government Ministry is set release the wakaf land development framework in January next year.
— The Sun Daily

Lower tax expense lifts Malakoff’s Q3 profit
Malakoff Corp Bhd reported a 13.2% increase in net profit to RM94.49 million for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 compared with RM83.5 million in the previous corresponding period, thanks to lower income tax expense.
— The Sun Daily

Ways to woo Singaporean tourists to Malaysia
Quality food, outdoor recreational activities, shopping and evening entertainment are what Singaporeans look for when they visit Malaysia.
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia’s last Sumatran rhino dying
The last Sumatran rhinoceros in Malaysia, a female named Iman, is terminally ill and may have only a few more weeks to live, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew disclosed today.
— Malay Mail

Malaysia’s Oct inflation rises 1.1%
Malaysia’s consumer price index (CPI) expanded 1.1% in October 2019 to 122.0 against 120.7 in the same month of the preceding year.
— The Sun Daily

Report: Putrajaya’s proposed new economic corridor could revive HSR project sooner
The federal government could resume the postponed high-speed rail (HSR) project with Singapore sooner than expected if a new planned development blueprint is passed by the national Economic Action Council (EAC), according to.
— Malay Mail

Rationalisation committee formed to restructure total number of civil service positions
The Government has set up a committee to restructure the number of positions in the public service, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Mohamed Hanipa Maidin.
— The Sun Daily

Sedco, KKIP make RM12 mln loan repayment to State Govt
Two agencies under the Trade and Industry Ministry handed over loan repayment cheques to the State Government yesterday.
— The Borneo Post

No summonses will be issued first six months of CRS enforcement
No summonses will be issued to parents who fail to use the Child Restraint System (CRS) or child safety seats within the first six months of its mandatory implementation beginning next year.
— The Sun Daily

Reversal of US stance on Israeli settlements absurd: Malaysia’s PM Mahathir
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday (Nov 19) that the United States’ reversal of its position on Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory is an absurdity amounting to legalising land grabs by neighbours of the country.
— CNA

Police can check handphones of criminal suspects, not randomly
The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) can confiscate the cell phones of suspects and those involved in any ongoing investigation, but not conduct random checks on the public, according to Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman.
— The Sun Daily

Kuala Lumpur Kepong net profit rises 36.7% in Q3
Kuala Lumpur Kepong (KLK) Bhd saw a 36.7% increase in net profit for its fourth quarter ended Sept 30, to RM175.02 million from RM127.99 million in the previous corresponding quarter, thanks to higher contribution from the manufacturing segment.
— The Sun Daily

Azmin will continue to cause trouble until sacked, says PKR Youth secretary
PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Azmin Ali will continue to create issues until the party is forced to sack him, says PKR Youth secretary Ahmad Syukri Che Ab Razab.
— The Star Online

AI will make billions of humans unnecessary, says Russian forecaster
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will irreversibly change the world by making billions of humans unnecessary, inclusive of creative workers, according to Russian physicist and philosopher, Sergei Pereslegin.
— The Sun Daily

1MDB audit tampering trial: Audio clip of meeting to amend report played in court
An audio recording said to be of a coordination meeting to amend the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) audit report was played for the High Court here on Wednesday (Nov 20).
— The Star Online

Pharmaniaga’s Q3 earnings dive 96.8% on higher operating expenditure
Pharmaniaga Bhd’s net profit plunged 96.8% to RM481,000 for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 against RM15.05 million in the same quarter a year ago, due to higher operating expenditure as a result of non-recurring expenses.
— The Sun Daily

Govt agrees to reappoint Pan Borneo contractors
State Government has in principle agreed to reappoint contractors whose contracts ended when the Pan Borneo Highway project was taken back by the federal government from the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) in September.
— The Borneo Post

House ownership campaign among focus of Dewan Rakyat today
The Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) for foreign home buyers and how it can overcome the issue of high-end luxury homes glut is expected to be among the focus of the Dewan Rakyat today.
— The Sun Daily

As Malaysia’s voter disenchantment grows, time for Pakatan to get the economy moving
Yes, it is true the government needs time to fix a lot of structural issues plaguing the country, and yes, it is true that many things cannot change overnight.
— Malay Mail

MTUC: Improving workers plight is key for Pakatan’s grip on power
The government has been urged to help the people in achieving a better quality of life.
— The Borneo Post

DNex unit bags RM42.75m Inland Revenue Board contract
Dagang Nexchange Bhd, through subsidiary company Innovation Associates Consulting Sdn Bhd (IAC), has been awarded a contract to re-engineer the tax self-assessment system by the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia.
— The Sun Daily

Govt to introduce sex education programme for boys at national schools
The government plans to introduce sex education solely for boys at all national schools.
— The Sun Daily

Sunway Construction Q3 net profit at RM33.48m
Sunway Construction Group Bhd (Suncon) posted an 8% decline in net profit to RM33.48 million for its third quarter (Q3) ended Sept 30, 2019 against RM36.39 million in the same quarter a year ago.
— The Sun Daily

Compliance, lending are the most popular fintech sectors among banks in Malaysia
Banks in Malaysia are keeping up with some of the most popular global trends in fintech, with compliance and lending being the two components that they are looking to tap into, according to Alvin Gan, Executive Director of Management Consulting for IT-enabled Transformation at KPMG in Malaysia.
— e27

Confrontation at PBAPP counter was actually role play, says CEO
The viral video of a confrontation at a Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP) customer care counter was actually role play.
— The Sun Daily

Putting Malaysian academic journals on the world map
There are plans for Malaysian academicians and lecturers to publish international journals in three major specialisation fields that could potentially put the country’s education on the world map.
— The Sun Daily

Full-time APM volunteers to get Socso coverage
Full-time Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) volunteers will receive Social Security Organisation (Socso) benefits which expected to be introduced next year.
— The Sun Daily

Selangor Sultan expresses concern over hike in sexual crime cases
The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (pix), has expressed his concern over the growing number of sexual crime cases in the state.
— The Sun Daily

Dead-end: Rohingya in Malaysia warn against fleeing from Bangladesh
Before he flew to Thailand on a fake Bangladeshi passport and then crossed into Malaysia, Mohammed Imran was one of the most influential Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
— Malay Mail

Vietnamese fishermen held, 200 kg sea cucumbers seized
The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) yesterday apprehended a fishing boat and detained four Vietnamese for trespassing and illegal fishing off Kinabatangan waters.
— The Borneo Post

Berjaya Sports Toto posts RM67m net profit in first quarter
Berjaya Sports Toto Bhd (BToto) recorded a net profit of RM66.96 million for the first quarter ended Sept 30, 2019, mainly contributed by the number forecast operation (NFO) business by Sports Toto Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
— The Sun Daily

Feature photo WPF Malaysian National Branch

This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo focuses on World Philosophy Day, November 21.

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).

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