All posts tagged: Malaysia

Malaysia Aviation Group to cut flight capacity by 20% this year

Malaysia Aviation Group to cut flight capacity by 20% this year

Published by Sam

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), the parent of national carrier Malaysia Airlines, said on Thursday (Aug 29) it would reduce network capacity by 20 per cent across its airlines this year amid a shortage of planes, labour and parts. The group, which also operates carrier Firefly and Muslim pilgrimage service provider Amal, said in a statement the reduction would involve domestic flights as well as routes in Southeast Asia, North Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Greater China, South Asia and the Middle East. “While it is a difficult decision, our focus is to prioritise customers first, ensuring we can deliver credible flight schedules and ensure the best possible customer experience moving forward,” MAG said. MAG said this month it would temporarily reduce flights across all of its carriers until December following a string of service disruptions this year. Malaysia’s civil aviation regulator this week cut the duration of Malaysia Airlines’ air operator certificate to one year from three years following a probe that found significant technical issues at the state carrier, including a shortage of …

Search for tourist who plunged into 8m-deep sinkhole in Malaysia enters third day

Search for tourist who plunged into 8m-deep sinkhole in Malaysia enters third day

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: The search for an Indian tourist who fell into an 8m-deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur’s city centre entered its third day on Sunday (Aug 25). The 48-year-old woman was walking on a pavement when it suddenly caved in on Friday morning, sparking a search-and-rescue operation. However, the operation was halted on Saturday evening due to a lack of new leads, and resumed on Sunday morning.  Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed his sympathy and condolences to the family on Sunday, and instructed the Kuala Lumpur City Hall to meet with them, according to the New Straits Times. “The search-and-rescue mission continues. There are still issues with the soil that we need to address,” he told reporters. Earlier, the authorities had inspected all six manholes from Jalan Masjid India – where the incident happened – to a sewerage pond in Pantai Dalam. However, there were no signs of of the woman, except for a pair of slippers belonging to her. Source link

Apes to stay at home as Malaysia tweaks ‘orangutan diplomacy’

Apes to stay at home as Malaysia tweaks ‘orangutan diplomacy’

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On Sunday (Aug 18), plantation and commodities Minister Johari Abdul Ghani said any gifted orangutans will stay in Malaysia, the official Bernama news agency reported. “All conservation activities will be carried out in forest areas or forest patches in oil palm plantations with high conservation value,” he said, according to Bernama. “These … areas provide space for orangutans to move freely, find food, and reproduce without interference from humans or other activities.” China has long used panda diplomacy as a form of soft power. It loans pandas to foreign zoos under strict conditions, including returning any offspring to join China’s breeding programme. Palm oil is used in foods such as cakes, chocolate and margarine, as well as cosmetics, soap and shampoo. Malaysia and Indonesia together produce the majority of global output. Source link

Singapore drivers rush to Malaysia’s VEP information counter in Woodlands industrial park to seek help

Singapore drivers rush to Malaysia’s VEP information counter in Woodlands industrial park to seek help

Published by Sam

QUEUE BEGAN TO FORM PAST LUNCHTIME When CNA returned to the information centre at about 1.40pm, a queue had formed outside the office. There were about 25 people inside, and another 15 queuing outside. One driver, who only wanted to be known as Steven, told CNA that he took half-day leave from work to get his queries settled. He got to know about the location of the information centre following the publication of this article. The 42-year-old mechanical designer said that he arrived at about 1.30pm and got a queue number about 10 minutes later. “I was at home when I saw the news and decided to come down. I had to come today, otherwise, it would be crowded later on.” According to Mr Steven, his RFID tag was pending activation after he submitted a photo of his car on Jun 29 online, and he had come down to the information centre to check on its status. “I did not expect so many people today because it’s only the first day.” As of 2.15pm, more …

Malaysia’s Johor starts coastal cleanup following reported spread from Singapore oil spill

Malaysia’s Johor starts coastal cleanup following reported spread from Singapore oil spill

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SINGAPORE: Johor has started coastal clean-ups and activated coastal patrols and monitoring activities in Kota Tinggi district following an oil spill in Singapore last week that released around 400 tonnes of fuel into the sea.  Clean-ups began on Friday (Jun 21) morning at two beaches, Sungai Rengit and Teluk Ramunia, said state health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon in a Facebook post. Earlier, he said related agencies will continue monitoring pollution from the incident at the waters off Pengerang from time to time, news outlet Malay Mail reported. Sungai Rengit and Pengerang are sited east of Changi, tens of kilometres from areas in Singapore such as East Coast Park and the beaches of Tanah Merah that have been affected by the oil spill.  The spill was caused by a Netherlands-flagged dredger, Vox Maxima, hitting and rupturing one of the oil cargo tanks of Singapore-flagged bunker vessel Marine Honour at the Pasir Panjang Container Terminal (PPT) on Jun 14. Mr Ling said that his department received information from Singapore’s National Environment Agency regarding the …

‘Still a lot of work to be done’ at home and abroad: PM Wong on GE timing

‘Still a lot of work to be done’ at home and abroad: PM Wong on GE timing

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OPTIMISTIC IN RESOLVING OUTSTANDING ISSUES Mr Wong said he is optimistic about working with his Malaysian counterpart to settle outstanding bilateral issues, and noted that there are positive areas of cooperation between the two sides, along with new areas that can be identified down the road. During a joint press conference earlier in the day, Malaysian Prime Minister and Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim had said it would be “marvellous” if issues, such as water, airspace and maritime boundaries, could be resolved by the next Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat at the end of this year. Mr Wong told the media that these are longstanding issues, but he nonetheless is approaching the negotiations with good faith and hoping for the best outcomes. “My predecessor Senior Minister Lee (Hsien Loong) had hoped to resolve them before he handed over to me, but it didn’t materialise,” he said. “Still, I think he had a very good leaders’ retreat last year with PM Anwar and they agreed or they discussed how to move forward on each of these issues. There are …

‘Do what brings you joy’: Meet the woman who ran 1,000km from Thailand to Singapore in 12 days

‘Do what brings you joy’: Meet the woman who ran 1,000km from Thailand to Singapore in 12 days

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SINGAPORE: A day after her achievement of running 1,000km from Thailand to Singapore over 12 days, Natalie Dau looked remarkably relaxed. Perhaps it is because she has had seven hours of sleep instead of her usual two. Or that she is finally enjoying the air-conditioning in a hotel room instead of baking in 39 degrees Celsius heat or dodging wild dogs. Dau’s legs are swollen – she plans to see a doctor later in the day – but she looks at ease. After all, the 52-year-old has accomplished what she set out to do.  Her feat through Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore on foot has earned her the Singapore record for the “Fastest 1,000km Thailand-Singapore Ultramarathon”. Her entry to the Guinness World Record for the “Fastest Crossing of Peninsular Malaysia on Foot” is pending official certification. Plus, she has raised about S$50,000 (US$37,000) for GRLS, a charity which works to elevate women and girls through sport and exercise, as well as help them develop leadership skills. “A lot of people didn’t believe I could do it,” Dau told …

Malaysia’s chip industry falls in crosshairs of US sanctions on Russia | Technology

Malaysia’s chip industry falls in crosshairs of US sanctions on Russia | Technology

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Bangkok, Thailand – The United States’ efforts to cripple Russia’s war machine in Ukraine have ensnared an unlikely target far from Moscow: Malaysia’s multibillion-dollar semiconductor industry. Malaysian semiconductor maker Jatronics SDN BHD is among nearly 300 entities that Washington slapped with US sanctions last month over their alleged links to Russia’s military suppliers. Jatronics, based in Kuala Lumpur, is accused of shipping electronic parts and components to Russia that Moscow needs to sustain the conflict. Russian customs data shows that one of the Russian companies Jatronics has supplied since Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 was already sanctioned by Western governments for its alleged ties to Russia’s defence industry. The latest sanctions, announced on May 1, freeze any US assets held by the targeted entities and bar anyone under US jurisdiction from dealing with them, effectively shutting them out of the US financial system. US officials have not said that they know for certain that components shipped by Jatronics have actually been used in military equipment. “Jatronics supplied these components to companies based in Russia …

Google to invest US billion in data centre and cloud services in Malaysia

Google to invest US$2 billion in data centre and cloud services in Malaysia

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KUALA LUMPUR: Google will invest US$2 billion in Malaysia to develop its first data centre and Google Cloud region in the country, the unit of Alphabet said on Thursday (May 30), the latest in a wave of expansion by global tech firms into Southeast Asia. The government said the investment would advance Malaysia’s digital ambitions, and the artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and other advanced technologies would help local industry move up the global value chain. With a young tech-savvy population of 670 million, Southeast Asia has been attracting plenty of interest and investment recently from technology giants including Microsoft, Amazon, Nvidia and Apple. Google said in a statement the data centre and cloud region will be located in Sime Darby Property’s Elmina Business Park in central Selangor state. The data centre will power services including Search, Maps and Workspace, and will help deliver AI services, while the cloud centre will offer services to local firms and public sector organisations, it said. “Malaysia and Google are partnering to advance our shared work to create a supportive …