Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia is prepared to collaborate with Turkey to develop COVID-19 vaccine and related medicines, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said.

Muhyiddin said he and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had also agreed to fully utilise the strength of the two countries in combating the spread of the coronavirus and facing the challenges post-COVID-19.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 30 (NNN-BERNAMA) — In line with the reopening of the economy which saw nearly 70 per cent of the workforce returning to work in various sectors, Malaysia has the capacity that is set to spur economic recovery in 2021, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said.

“We must rise again and record a positive Gross Domestic Product growth as opposed to the negative GDP forecast for this year in line with the global economic growth,” he said in an exclusive interview for a Bernama TV documentary on “Malaysians United Against COVID-19”.

PUTRAJAYA, May 28 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Foreigners whose visa or social passes expired during the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) will not face any legal action, said Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said they had two options, namely, the first one, for those who wanted to return to their countries of origin, they could do so by showing their flight tickets at the airport.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia successfully chaired the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Virtual Extraordinary Senior Officials’ Meeting (VESOM) on COVID-19, in a four-hour meeting which began 7 pm Malaysian time Wednesday.

The VESOM brought together 21 APEC Economies from eight different time zones, into a single virtual platform.

KAJANG, May 20 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said the government has always been sensitive to consumer complaints and has been monitoring the price of goods from the start of the Movement Control Order (MCO).

He said this when commenting on complaints that the government has been slow in controlling the prices of essential goods ahead of Aidilfitri.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) member economies need to adopt an open trade policy to safeguard food security in the region amid COVID-19, says a new policy brief by the APEC Policy Support Unit.

The recent policy brief on export restrictions and food security in the context of the pandemic shows that the variety of movement restrictions implemented across borders has affected the supply of food, especially perishables such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, seafood, and meat.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The High Court here has set 15 days beginning June 15 to resume the trial of former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)  former chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy on alleged tampering with the 1MDB final audit report.

Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan  fixed the dates — June 15 to 18; July 27 to 30; Aug 10 to 13; and Aug 24 to 26 — when the case came up for mention.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today officiated the opening of the third session of the country’s 14th Parliament sitting.

His Majesty was welcomed by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof and Dewan Negara President Tan Sri SA Vigneswaran.

The King delivered the Royal Address shortly after that.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Offshore oil and gas (O&G) exploration activities is expected to remain muted in 2020, given the current lower oil price and demand environment amidst the COVID-19, says Bumi Armada Bhd.

Its chairman, Tunku Ali Redhauddin Ibni Tuanku Muhriz said the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy.

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia’s king on Monday said the appointment of Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister during turmoil this year was proper and constitutional, days after parliament put off a vote on an opposition challenge to his leadership.

Muhyiddin’s appointment on March 1, at the end of a week of political wrangling that led to the collapse of the ruling coalition, has been challenged by the opposition who say it was not clear that Muhyiddin had majority support from among the 222 members of parliament’s lower house, the Dewan Rakyat.