Ringgit hits 18-month high amid US recession fears

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit reached an 18-month high today, driven by concerns of a potential recession in the United States, said an analyst. At 6 pm, the ringgit strengthened to 4.3805/3850 against the US dollar, marking its best performance since Feb 14, 2023. On Friday (Aug 16), the ringgit closed at 4.4295/4350 against the greenback. Bank Muamalat Malaysia...

Man allegedly behind global insider trading scheme arrested in S’pore; US says he pocketed millions

SINGAPORE: A Singaporean man accused of being the leader of an international insider trading and money laundering scheme has been arrested here, following a request in June from the US. Ge Zhi (pic), 33, was apprehended on July 3 and taken to the State Courts the next day, where he was ordered to be held under...

M’sian cadet chosen for US Air Force academy

KUALA LUMPUR: Cadet Akmal Musyrif Mohd Shariff is the sole Malaysian admitted to train with the United States Air Force Academy this year. The 20-year-old from the National Defence University of Malaysia is among 15 international cadets from 45 countries chosen to head to the academy based in Colorado Springs where he will spend four years...

US lawmakers urge SEC to fix cybersecurity after X account hack

U.S. lawmakers have urged the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to review its cyber security preparedness after the financial regulator's X account posted market material information earlier in the week due to a hack. Someone briefly accessed its X, formerly called Twitter, account on Tuesday, the agency had confirmed, and posted a fake message saying it...

US appeals court upholds tribunal decisions in Apple-Masimo patent dispute

A U.S. appeals court on Friday upheld two earlier decisions by a patent tribunal that favored Masimo in its intellectual property dispute with Apple over blood oxygen sensors in newer Apple Watch models. The decisions by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit concern findings by the Patent and Trademark Office and come as Apple...

One million targeted to join the million people rally for Palestine

SHAH ALAM: Approximately one million Malaysians are targeted to participate in a massive rally as a gesture of solidarity with Palestine, scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 24 next year. Malaysian Islamic Organisations Consultative Council (Mapim) president Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid stated that the programme, known as "Perhimpunan Sejuta Rakyat Untuk Palestin" (the...

Biden and Modi to announce rail and shipping project to link India to Middle East and Europe

NEW DELHI (AP): President Joe Biden and his allies plan to roll out plans on Saturday for a shipping corridor that would connect India with the Middle East and ultimately Europe - a possible game changer for global trade to be announced at the Group of 20 summit. The proposed memorandum of understanding for a shipping...

US, South Korea, Japan express concern over North Korea’s ‘malicious’ cyber activities

The US, South Korea and Japan expressed deep concern over North Korea's "malicious" cyber activities to support its weapons programmes, in comments released in a joint statement on Friday (April 7). Crypto currency funds stolen by North Korean hackers have been a key source for financing the sanctions-stricken country's weapons programmes, officials and experts in the US...

What US-China row over Pelosi and Taiwan means for Asian region

As a possible Taiwan visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparks explosive rows between Beijing and Washington, the reaction from Southeast Asian nations has been more muted, including calling upon the two rival powers to defuse tensions. International relations and defence experts say it is understandable that Beijing sees Pelosi's likely trip as a "provocation",...

US funeral home owner who sold body parts pleads guilty to fraud

A former Colorado funeral home owner pleaded guilty on Tuesday (July 5) to a federal charge of defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting their family members' corpses and selling the body parts without permission, a practice exposed in a 2018 Reuters investigative report. Megan Hess, who operated a funeral home called Sunset Mesa and a...