Umno withdraws support for Malaysia PM Muhyiddin, calls on him to resign

Malaysia's biggest political party and key ally in the ruling coalition withdrew support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin late on Wednesday (July 7) and called on him to resign for failing to manage the Covid-19 pandemic. The decision by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) to pull support came just hours after Muhyiddin appointed a senior...

Malaysia PM appoints new deputy amid coalition infighting

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Wednesday (July 7) named defence minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as his deputy, in a move that could ease tensions with a key ally in the ruling coalition. Muhyiddin's tenure since he came to power in March last year has been plagued by tensions with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)...

As Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination drive revs up, sceptics threaten to spoil the party

In the interior of Malaysia’s Sabah state, two thirds of which remains under forest cover, citizens are deeply sceptical about Covid-19 vaccinations. The state has experienced its fair share of trauma during the pandemic, stemming from its experience as the “ground zero” of the nationwide third wave of infections that stretches back to September. Despite having witnessed...

Malaysia PM announces $48b aid package amid extended lockdown

Malaysia Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday (June 28) announced a 150 billion ringgit (S$48 billion) aid package, including cash aid and wage subsidies, a day after extending a nationwide lockdown indefinitely to tackle a stubborn Covid-19 outbreak. Lockdown measures originally set to end on Monday would not be eased until daily reported cases fell below 4,000,...

Creditors can’t sue AirAsia X for another 9 months, says Malaysia court

The Malaysian high court has granted AirAsia X Bhd a nine-month extension on a restraining order which prevents creditors from filing any legal proceedings against it, the airline said in a stock exchange filing. The filing on Thursday (June 17) said the extension runs nine months from the day of the announcement. The court had granted a restraining...

Axiata, Telenor seal $20b deal to form Malaysia’s biggest mobile operator

Malaysian telecoms firm Axiata Group Bhd and Norway’s Telenor ASA will merge their mobile operations in Malaysia in a US$15 billion (S$20 billion) deal, forming a new market leader in the competitive Southeast Asian nation. The companies had said in April they were in advanced talks to merge Celcom Axiata Bhd and DiGi.Com Bhd, and each party...

Namewee Vows To Help Allegedly Extorted Hawkers; “Justice May Be Late, But Never Absent!”

Earlier this month, two young hawkers from Kepong had reportedly been blackmailed by police on their way to work. They told their story to Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng who posted the incident on Facebook. It then caught the police’s attention. Initially, the police stated that their complaint was authentic. However, on 17th June, the hawkers retracted their...

Family In Kedah Spent Father’s Day Handling Their Parents’ Cremations

Father’s Day was yesterday, 20th June. Most people would have spent it with their dads, some may have reminisced about their dads. However, not everyone was as fortunate to do so. A family in Kedah spent Father’s Day handling their parents’ funerals. Their parents, aged 60 and 45 years old respectively passed away on 11th and...

Malaysia to procure 12.8m more doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Vials with a sticker reading, "Covid-19 / Coronavirus vaccine / Injection only" and a medical syringe are seen in front of a displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken Oct 31, 2020.Reuters Malaysia will procure an additional 12.8 million doses of coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech in a bid to ramp up its...

Malaysian transport operator head fired after response to train crash

A view of the station of two metro light rail trains that collided in an underground tunnel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 25, 2021.Reuters Malaysia's finance ministry said on Wednesday it had terminated the services of the chairman of the public transport operator amid an outcry over his response to a train accident in which...