Category: General

Malaysia has called for an early conclusion to the review of the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) during the 21st ASEAN-India Summit, here today. In his remarks, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasised the need to foster a conducive business environment and strengthen two-way trade and investment. He further called on ASEAN and India to leverage digital transformation and related technologies to expand the existing marketplace, capitalising on India’s expertise in software development and digital innovation. The ASEAN-India Summit, attended by regional leaders and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took place in Vientiane, Laos, as part of the

Legazpi: A total of 3,605 individuals from Legazpi City and Ligao City, both in Albay province, received financial assistance on Friday through the Ayuda sa Kapos Ang Kita Program (AKAP) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Bicol (DSWD-5). Leslie Benbing, DSWD-5 crisis intervention section information officer, said a total of PHP16.8 million was distributed to the beneficiaries from the informal sector. “Each beneficiary in the ongoing payout in Legazpi City will receive PHP5,000, while in Ligao City, they will receive PHP3,000 that can help in their livelihood,” Benbing said in an interview. The beneficiaries are fishers, market vendors, construction

A total of 56 buses, through the Stage Bus Service Transformation (SBST) Programme, will be deployed throughout Kuching city, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke. He said the programme would involve an allocation of RM79.2 million over five years. He added that the public transport system, which is set to begin next year, will also be equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and cater to the needs of persons with disabilities (PwD). “The bus operator will be paid by us (the government) and we are budgeting about RM16 million a year, so we know how much we need to pay

The ‘Gateway to Borneo’ campaign being held in Penang for the first time is aimed at introducing a tourism market segment and attracting more tourists from the Pearl of the Orient to Borneo, particularly Sarawak. Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chairman Datuk Dennis Ngau said the campaign which is being held at a shopping complex in Bayan Lepas, near here, began yesterday and will end on Oct 13, The event will promote the unique culture of the ‘Land of the Hornbills’ directly to Penang residents. “I am confident that with Penang’s population of over one million residents and as a state

The ringgit rebounded against the US dollar to end marginally higher today, as the greenback retreated after key United States (US) inflation data came in above expectations. At 6 pm, the local note rose to 4.2865/2910 versus the US dollar compared to Thursday’s close of 4.2910/2940. Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid noted that the higher-than-expected US consumer price index (CPI) of 2.4 per cent in September suggests that inflation rate remains sticky. Nevertheless, rising initial jobless claims to the highest of the year at 258,000 last week indicates signs of weakening labour market, he