Malaysia Morning News For January 23, 2020

Miti imposes anti-dumping duties on steel concrete from Singapore, Turkey
The government decides to impose final affirmative anti-dumping duties on imports of steel concrete reinforcing bar from Singapore and Turkey after concluding its investigation on the matter.
— The Sun Daily

EC aims for automatic voter sign-up to start mid-2021
The tender for the computerised automatic voter registration system has been awarded and is targeted for implementation by the middle of next year, Election Commission (EC) chairman Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun said.
— Malay Mail

Najib admits in court to having no plans of his own to retrieve SRC funds frozen in Switzerland
Datuk Seri Najib Razak admitted today that he did not have any plans of his own to retrieve monies belonging to SRC International Sdn Bhd from its Swiss account that was suspended in 2013 for suspected money laundering.
— Malay Mail

MAA expects flattish TIV in 2020
The Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) has projected the total industry volume (TIV) for 2020 to increase marginally by 0.5% to 607,000 units from 604,287 units in 2019.
— The Sun Daily

Grab Malaysia hopes to entice new drivers with RM800 in bonus and subsidies
Grab Malaysia is offering RM800 in value to any Malaysian that signs up as a new driver-partner from now until March 31, 2020. On top of that, they have also introduced an all-new GrabBenefits for drivers which offers.
— Malay Mail

Marine police seize over 600,000 sticks of smuggled cigarettes
The Sarawak Region Five Marine Police (PPM) seized 610,000 sticks of smuggled cigarettes and a car worth a total of RM518,000 in Kota Sentosa here yesterday.
— The Sun Daily

Planning for Malaysia’s long term economic outlook
After admitting that Malaysia did not fully achieve the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020 as expounded in Vision 2020, its architect Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysia has made a lot of progress since the launch of the vision in 1991.
— The Borneo Post

BNM lowers OPR to 2.75%
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has decided to lower the Overnight Policy Rate to 2.75% from 3% previously, following the meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee meeting.
— The Sun Daily

EC moves to teach Form 4 students about voting process
The Election Commission (EC) has made voter education its primary mission for the year 2020, and will conduct voting simulation so that Form 4 students are made aware of the voting process.
— The Sun Daily

DiGi.com sees 9.2% slide in 4Q net profit to RM342.92m
Digi.com Bhd’s net profit declined by 9.2% to RM342.92 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2019 compared to RM377.8 million in the same quarter of the previous year attributed to flow through in EBITDA , depreciation, amortisation cost, finance cost and restructuring cost.
— The Sun Daily

EC: Complex issues to be addressed before e-voting can be introduced
Several concerns need to be addressed before a decision can be made to introduce electronic-voting or e-voting in Malaysia, says the Election Commission (EC).
— The Star Online

Berjaya Corp pledges support for Malaysian palm oil
Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok has enlisted support and commitment from Berjaya Corp Bhd (BCorp), via the group’s chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan, as part of the ongoing Love My Palm Oil campaign.
— The Sun Daily

Malaysia’s hand-made incense craftwork a declining art
Thousands of giant incense sticks, many decorated with dragon heads, line the walls at a Malaysian business where they are made by hand ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday.
— The Borneo Post

Air France-KLM says not involved in Malaysia Airlines sale talks
Air France-KLM said yesterday it had previously held talks with the owners of Malaysia Airlines but was not engaged in current efforts to find new investors for the carrier.
— Malay Mail

CPI increased 1% in Dec 2019
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 1% in December 2019 to 122.3 as against 121.1 in the same month of the preceding year, the Department of Statistics revealed.
— The Sun Daily

Are fears over China’s citizens in Malaysia justified? What the numbers tell us
Fears of China’s citizens flooding Malaysia illegally have cropped up repeatedly over the past year, but are these concerns justified when we actually look at the figures?
— Malay Mail

Singapore denies Malaysian legal group’s ‘preposterous’ claim of brutal hangings in Changi Prison
Malaysia’s rights group Lawyers for Liberty’s (LFL) recent allegations of Singapore officials using unlawful methods to carry out executions on prisoners is “untrue”, Singapore’s Home Affairs Ministry (MHA) said.
— Malay Mail

Standard Chartered report: 64% of Malaysians halfway to wealth goals by age 60
Malaysian savers should think for their retirement and have sufficient funds for their golden years amid the rising cost of living.
— The Sun Daily

Tesla shares may reach US$960 in early 2021
Company is expected to sell 2 to 3 mil cars per year after 2025 at industry-leading margins.
— FMT News

Cops bust drug syndicate in Cheras, seize RM800k worth of Ecstasy
Police have seized almost RM800,000 worth of Ecstasy after crippling a drug syndicate here.
— The Star Online

No more public talk on power transition, Anwar tells Pakatan
PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today urged all Pakatan Harapan (PH) members to stop insisting on a timeline for Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to transfer power.
— Malay Mail

Malaysian haj quota increases to 31,600
The official haj quota for Malaysian pilgrims for this year’s haj season has been increased to 31,600 from 30,200 last year, according to Datuk Seri Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa.
— The Sun Daily

Mujahid: Malaysian Haj quota increases to 31,600 from 30,200
The official Haj quota for Malaysian pilgrims for this year’s Haj season has been increased to 31,600 from 30,200 last year, according to Datuk Seri Mujahid Yusof Rawa.
— Malay Mail

HRDF to fund skills training for youths
Human Resource Development Bhd (HRDF), which was allocated RM30 million in the 2020 Budget, will fund skills training for youths from low-income families, Human Resources Minister M. Kula Segaran said.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Automatic voter registration should start in mid-2021, says EC
Automatic registration to enable eligible Malaysians to vote from the age of 18 is expected to be implemented by mid-2021, now that the tender for the computer system for the process has been awarded.
— The Star Online

Single mum charged with killing two-year-old daughter in JB
An unemployed woman was charged with murdering her two-year-old daughter at the Magistrate’s Court here today Nurul Shamira Mazlan, 22, was accused of causing the death of Nur Shahana Abdul Quddus.
— Malay Mail

Report: Country Garden Malaysia cuts hundreds of jobs in restructuring move
Property developer Country Garden Malaysia has let go hundreds of staff since last month amid a restructuring exercise, news portal EdgeProp.my reported today.
— Malay Mail

Plans to revive Seremban-Port Dickson rail line being studied: Loke
The Ministry of Transport is currently conducting a study to revive the railway line from Seremban to Port Dickson.
— The Sun Daily

Sabah govt urged to stop flights to Wuhan amidst virus outbreak
The State Government has been urged to exercise greater caution and responsibility in handling the outbreak of the mysterious Coronavirus in Wuhan and seriously consider suspending all daily direct flights from the Chinese city to Sabah.
— The Sun Daily

‘Missing’ documents, ignored calls when dealing with Putrajaya: Dr Sim
Sarawak as an opposition state has encountered its share of difficulties when dealing with the federal government on matters involving money, Local Government and Housing Minister Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian (pix) claimed.
— The Sun Daily

TYT to appoint judicial commissioners
The powers of Sabah and Sarawak’s Heads of State (TYT) in appointing judicial commissioners to hear cases in Borneo will be restored.
— The Borneo Post

Govt has no plans to abolish religious status on IC
There are no plans to carry out a study on abolishing the religious status of a person on the identity card, the Ministry of Home Affairs (Moha) said yesterday.
— The Sun Daily

Factory technician loses RM155,401 to Macau scam
A factory technician lost RM155,401 to a Macau scam here after she was duped into believing that she was involved in a fatal accident that killed a man.Balik Pulau OCPD Supt A.
— The Sun Daily

42 affordable Spektra houses in Jemoreng constituency
The Sarawak government will be building 42 houses under the Rumah Spektra Permata (Spektra) affordable housing programme in the Jemoreng constituency.
— New Sarawak Tribune

Coronavirus lends a helping hand to glove stocks
Glove stocks were among the top gainers on Bursa Malaysia today, as investors likely anticipate a surge in demand for gloves, following news of a coronavirus outbreak in China recently.
— The Sun Daily

Reach Energy’s Kazakhstan asset secures long-term production deals
Reach Energy Bhd’s Emir-Oil asset in Kazakhstan has obtained production contracts for the North Kariman and Yessen fields, which would allow for commercial production of oil and gas from these fields for a period of 16 years and 25 years respectively starting from Jan 1.
— The Sun Daily

December inflation rate to pick up to 1.2%: RAM Ratings
RAM Ratings expects Malaysia’s overall inflation rate for December 2019 to accelerate to 1.2%, from 0.9% the preceding month, primarily due to a larger contribution from the food component amid low-base effects from the previous year.
— The Sun Daily

Low income likely reason for high number of unsold properties in Perak
Low household income could be the cause of unsold properties in Perak, says Paul Yong Choo Kiong.
— The Star Online

Stop discussing leadership transition openly, urges Anwar
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged all parties in Pakatan Harapan to not discuss the transition of power issue openly and to honour the consensus on the matter reached in January 2018.
— The Star Online

Rebutting Najib, Pua says Pakatan scored ‘triple win’ with new PLUS deal
The Pakatan Harapan (PH) government achieved a “triple win” by giving Malaysians lower toll rates on PLUS highways without needing to compensate the concessionaire or harm its value to shareholders, Tony Pua told Datuk.
— Malay Mail

No price hike for locally assembled cars in 2020
There will be no increase for on-the-road (OTR) price of locally assembled vehicles this year arising from the transparent reporting of the open market value (OMV).
— The Sun Daily

Powerwell kicks off ACE Market’s first listing for 2020 on positive note
Powerwell Holdings Bhd debuted on Bursa Malaysia’s ACE Market at 25.5 sen, a 2% premium over its offer price of 25 sen.At 11:46am, its shares were traded at 28.5 sen per share, a 14% premium from its issue price with over 220.12 million shares exchanging hands.
— The Sun Daily

Ringgit slips at open due to market jitters on coronavirus
The ringgit extended yesterday’s loss to open lower today due to market jitters about the outbreak of coronavirus in China and the first confirmed case in the United States.
— The Sun Daily

Report: Sungai Buloh Hospital hit by IT breakdown
An IT system breakdown at the supposedly high-tech Sungai Buloh Hospital over the past few days has forced patients to reschedule their appointments.
— Malay Mail

Local animation works now world class: Gobind
Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo today held talks with animation industry players and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).
— The Sun Daily

No trace of coronavirus detected in Malaysia — Lee
No traces of coronavirus have been detected in the country, said Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye.
— The Borneo Post

Scomi Group receives letters of demand from two shareholders for RM42m
Scomi Group Bhd has received letters of demand from its two shareholders Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah and Gelombang Global Sdn Bhd for the total payment default of over RM42 million.
— The Sun Daily

Malay lion dance troupe will be busy as a bee during CNY
With their lively execution of technical movements, great drum beats and almost perfect acrobatic feats, spectators should be forgiven for thinking that the Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Jerong lion dance troupe is made up of Chinese students.
— The Sun Daily

Feature photo My English Matters

This week’s Malaysia morning news feature photo focuses on International Day of Education, January 24.

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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