Day: September 19, 2024

KOTA BHARU, Malaysia will remain firm in defending its territorial sovereignty, including the waters of the South China Sea, as a free zone for economic and trade activities, said Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari. However, he said that if any conflicts or issues arise in the area, Malaysia will resolve them through discussion, diplomacy and dialogue. “Recently, we conveyed our position at a forum held in Beijing, particularly regarding security in the South China Sea. “We want to emphasise that we will defend our national sovereignty, and all involved countries are well aware of this,” he told reporters after the

KUALA LUMPUR, The ringgit has continued to strengthen against the US dollar, hitting a 28-month high versus the greenback after the United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) kept to its words and delivered a 50-basis points interest rate cut last night, an analyst said. At 6 pm, the local note surged to 4.2025/2105 versus the greenback from Wednesday’s close of 4.2410/2460, retaining its position as one of the top performing currencies in the Asian region. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the Fed’s announcement has alleviated market uncertainties, adding that the Fed seems to

KUALA LUMPUR, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s defence counsel told the High Court here today that testimonies from witnesses relying on hearsay should be disregarded as their validity cannot be verified. Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the hearsay specifically refers to statements concerning the former premier’s principal private secretary, the late Datuk Azlin Alias and fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, whom the prosecution contends was Najib’s alter ego in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal. Muhammad Shafee was referring to the testimony by Najib’s former special officer, Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazarudin who alleged Azlin and Jho

KLUANG, The government plans to establish a new MARA Junior Science College (MRSM) specifically for the children of Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) personnel, aiming to provide more educational opportunities for them. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said this new addition will increase the total number of MRSMs in the country to 58. It will be the second MRSM dedicated to MAF families following the one at Terendak Camp, Melaka. ‘We will discuss with the Defence Ministry (Mindef) and its minister (Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin) to determine a suitable location. ‘We will decide whether to utilise

ARAU, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today made a personal donation to flood victims housed at four relief centres in Arau and Kangar. Perlis Federal Development Office director Maznah Musa said the contribution was handed over to 14 heads of households at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Sena in Kangar, as well as 12 heads of households at SK Dato Ahmad Musa, SK Kubang Gajah (13), and SK Arau (seven) here. ‘We are providing two forms of assistance, one being the personal donation from the Prime Minister himself, and the other is the financial aid from the relief fund allocated under