JAKARTA: Over the last weekend in August, after her house was ransacked by looters, Indonesia’s then-Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati travelled to President Prabowo Subianto’s country estate in the Hambalang hills in West Java. She planned to resign. The country had just been rattled by its worst unrest in years. This was at least her second...
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump told European officials he’s willing to impose sweeping new tariffs on India and China to push President Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table with Ukraine - but only if EU nations do so as well. Trump made the ask when he called into a meeting with senior US and EU officials in...
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Law Society (SLS) has welcomed the passing of the Gig Workers Bill 2025, describing it as a landmark step in providing long-overdue legal protection to platform-based and freelance workers. SLS president Datuk Mohamed Nazim Maduarin said the Bill filled a longstanding gap in Malaysia’s employment laws by recognising gig workers as a...
IPOH: Perikatan Nasional is appealing for Perak PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria's six-month suspension from the state assembly to be reduced. Acting state Opposition whip Zainol Fadzi Paharudin (PN-Sungai Manik) said a motion was submitted to the Speaker about an hour before the sitting on Tuesday (Sept 9) and hoped that it would be considered. "It was his...
KUALA LUMPUR: Follow-up audits have successfully recovered RM159mil since last year, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister said the Madani government had implemented various reforms to ensure greater accountability and restore public confidence. "We also established a Serious Irregularities Commission to deal swiftly with critical breaches. "Since 2024, follow-up audits have already recovered and safeguarded RM159mil,"...
KUALA LUMPUR: Robust governance and strong accountability are essential to addressing long-standing issues such as financial leakages, mismanagement, and corruption, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Prime Minister said the values of good governance and accountability must be promoted at all levels, especially among internal auditors, and that such values should not be seen as a...
PETALING JAYA: It is a big red flag if people in the country’s top income group – the T20 – are starting to use public hospitals because private insurance is just too expensive, says the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations. The federation’s senior manager Saral James Maniam said this is an indication how healthcare costs are...
Singaporean musicians JJ Lin, Taufik Batisah, Benjamin Kheng, Shabir Sulthan and Awi Rafael have each signed and donated a guitar to Gift A Guitar, a charity initiative that seeks to provide underprivileged youth with the gift of music. The guitars will be auctioned, with proceeds going to The Business Times Budding Artists Fund. Lin, 44, who donated...
SEREMBAN: Eleven individuals were fined RM3,000 each in default six months' jail by a Magistrate's court here after they pleaded guilty to committing criminal conspiracy by inducing others to apply for nonexistent loans. They did not contest the charge after it was read to them separately before Magistrate Nurul Saqinah Rosli on Monday (Sept 8). Willie Ngam...
KUALA LUMPUR: Approximately 500 visitors flocked to the National Planetarium as early as 9pm last night for its Observation Programme to witness the total lunar eclipse, or 'blood moon'. Although the phenomenon was not fully visible due to overcast skies, the public still had the opportunity to view the penumbral lunar eclipse around 11.30pm. A penumbral eclipse occurs...
