Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Jan 12 (NNN-Bernama) — The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat scheduled for Jan 18 and 19 in Cambodia has been indefinitely postponed, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah.

He said he was informed of the postponement on Wednesday after several ASEAN foreign ministers were unable to attend the meeting for certain reasons.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 (NNN-BERNAMA) – Malaysia reported another 123 cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and 88 of them are those returning from the Umrah (Minor Hajj) pilgrimage, in Saudi Arabia, Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin said, today.

Khairy said, the country has detected 245 Omicron cases, of which 233 are imported and 12 are local transmissions. Some 157, or 64.08 percent of the total, are those returning from Saudi Arabia, he told a press conference.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (NNN-Bernama) — The United States (US) has pledged some RM420,000 (US$100,534) for flood relief efforts to the Malaysian Red Crescent Society.

The US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said the aid made through the United States Agency for International Development will support the provision of health services to flood affected households in Malaysia, including medical treatment, disease prevention, and mental health services.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 (NNN-Bernama) — The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) has seized various types of drugs weighing 27 metric tonnes, worth almost RM1 billion (US$239.4 million), during the period from January to Nov 30 this year.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Razarudin Husain said among the drugs seized were 7.9 tonnes of methamphetamine and 5.6 tonnes of ephedrine.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian Ambassador to Bahrain Shazryll Zahiran presented his letter of credence to King Hamad Isa Al Khalifa on Tuesday.

The Malaysian Embassy in Bahrain in a statement on Wednesday said during the audience, Shazryll affirmed his commitment to continue strengthen the existing bilateral relations, further intensify cooperation and explore new economic, trade and investment opportunities between both countries.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (NNN-Bernama) — The number of COVID-19 cases in Malaysia increased slightly with 2,897 from 2,757 on Monday, bringing the cumulative figure to 2,746,833.

Health director-general, Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that out of the new cases, 50 per cent were in categories 3, 4 and 5 while the rest were in categories 1 and 2, having slight or no symptoms.

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 28 (NNN-Bernama) — The Malaysia’s Health Ministry (MOH) is of the view that it was still too early to impose a travel ban for the Umrah pilgrimage in Mecca following an increase in Omicron variant cases, its minister Khairy Jamaluddin said.

He said the ministry was currently monitoring case trends for the COVID-19 variant, besides making it mandatory for those returning from Umrah pilgrimage to undergo the seven-day home surveillance order (HSO) and to wear digital monitoring wristbands.

“We do not want to make a hasty decision in restricting Umrah travel.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 28 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia’s total trade surpassed the RM2 trillion (US$478 billion) mark for the first time in history, expanding 24.6 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM2.01 trillion (US$480 billion) from January to November 2021.

Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) said during the period, exports increased by 25.7 per cent y-o-y to RM1.11 trillion (RM1=US$4.184), imports rose by 23.3 per cent y-o-y to RM894.42 billion and trade surplus edged up by 36.2 per cent y-o-y to RM221.53 billion.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 25 (NNN-Bernama) — The Malaysian ringgit is expected to extend its uptrend momentum against the US dollar next week, riding on positive market sentiment as fears over Omicron subside.

Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd chief economist Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the latest news that the Omicron variant might be less lethal than its predecessors suggested that the reopening of the economy would continue to progress well, resulting in more lively economic activities.

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 21 (NNN-Bernama) — The Year 2022 will be an important milestone for the Ukraine-ASEAN relationship with the former focusing on acceding to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), says Ukraine Ambassador to Malaysia Olexander Nechytaylo.

In an interview with Bernama, Nechytaylo said Ukraine has applied to join the treaty relying on the support of Malaysia and other ASEAN members, adding that it intends to contribute more in the area of food security and cyber security via the treaty.