Category: General

MANILA: The Philippine economy likely grew at 6 percent in the second quarter of the year, an economist said on Friday. In a Viber message, Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation chief economist Michael Ricafort said drivers of growth include the higher consumer and government spending. “Faster consumer spending, which accounts for at least 70 percent of the economy, as many businesses and industries recover further with no more Covid restrictions for more than a year already or since June 22, 2023, especially those hit hard by the pandemic, going back or even exceeding [their] pre-pandemic levels,” he said. He said the

PUTRAJAYA, Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (YADIM) needs to multiply efforts to spread values of compassion and love in its da’wah activities, says Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar. He said that community activities and cross-religious and cultural programmes should continue to foster harmony in society based on MADANI values. Mohd Na’im added that YADIM had been appointed to lead the National Da’wah Programme throughout this month and September, in collaboration with agencies in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs). “I am confident that the National Da’wah Programme will invigorate the da’wah arena in

KOTA KINABALU, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) has strongly refuted allegations that its two coalition members, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) plan to contest independently in the next state election. GRS information chief Datuk Joniston Bangkuai said in a statement here today that both component parties remain firmly committed to the local GRS coalition and to working together as a united front in the upcoming electoral battle. “It is a desperate attempt by certain irresponsible quarters hell-bent on breaking GRS because of the increasing support for local parties to continue leading the state government. Irresponsible parties

KUALA LUMPUR: The decision to remove Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s social media posts relating to the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh was probably done by those at the higher level at Meta Platforms Inc (Meta) and not by their team in Southeast Asia, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil. He said in a series of discussions he had with the management of Meta at the Southeast Asia level so far, they hinted that they were not the ones who removed the Prime Minister’s posts from Facebook and Instagram. ‘There is a possibility that it involved a higher-level

PUTRAJAYA, Tourism Malaysia aims to welcome one million Indian tourists by the end of this year, following AirAsia’s new direct flights connecting Guwahati and Kozhikode (Calicut) to Kuala Lumpur. The new routes, commencing today, will be operating thrice weekly, according to the country’s tourism promotion board. Tourism Malaysia director-general P. Manoharan said the expansion strengthens air connectivity between India and Malaysia, offering greater convenience for tourists and fostering closer ties between the two nations. ‘We are excited to partner with AirAsia to enhance accessibility for travellers from Guwahati and Kozhikode. We are confident these routes will boost tourist arrivals and