The Malaysian
The government expressed its commitment to find the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 on Thursday, as efforts to solve one of the largest mysteries in human aviation history enters the fifth year.
Transport Minister Dato Sri Liow Tiong Lai, after attending an event at Port Klang, said that the newly launched search for MH370, led by US firm Ocean Infinity, has completed 16,000 square km out of the total 25,000 square km search area, Xinhua reported.
"So far we haven't got any details or anything of the wreckage of MH370," said Liow, noting that they will continue the search for the next three months.
In January, the Malaysian government signed Ocean Infinity to continue the search efforts, giving the US firm 90 days to locate the wreckage of the Boeing 777 aircraft.
A Malaysian official said earlier that due to refuel and supply reasons, Seabed Constructor, the vessel the company uses for the search, has to report to the port roughly every 26 days, leading the search to finish in early June or mid-June.
Liow also said that a relevant report pertaining to the investigation of MH370 will also be released.
Flight MH370, carrying 239 people onboard, disappeared when it was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014.
A KVH SatNews service.
JAKARTA - A luxury yacht linked to allegations that USD4.5 billion (MYR17.5 billion) was looted from Malaysia's state investment fund 1MDB is being handed over to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which is probing the scandal, Indonesian police said on Thursday.
US and Indonesian authorities last week searched the Cayman Island-registered Equanimity, reportedly worth some USD250 million (MYR974.7 million), which was moored off the Indonesian tourist island of Bali.
"(The handing over) is in the process of being done," national police senior detective Daniel Silitonga told AFP.
The US Justice Department alleges in civil lawsuits that $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB - set up by Prime Minister Dato Sri Najib Tun Razak - in a campaign of fraud and money-laundering. Najib and the fund deny any wrongdoing.
The suits list USD1.7 billion (MYR6.628 billion) in assets allegedly bought with the stolen funds, which US officials are seeking to recover.
Those assets include the 300-foot (90-metre) yacht which US officials said was purchased by Malaysian financier known as Jho Low, an unofficial adviser to 1MDB.
The ship's captain and about three dozen crew had been questioned but no one has been arrested so far, Silitonga said. (AFP)
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SANTIAGO - Eleven Asia-Pacific nations on Thursday are to sign a slimmed-down trade pact to lower tariffs just as US President Donald Trump seeks to raise them after withdrawing from the deal last year.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which would have represented 40% of the global economy and nearly one-quarter of its trade, was left for dead after Trump pulled out to pursue his "America First" agenda before the TPP could take effect.
But the revamped deal, now known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), is still a significant achievement that sends a message of openness, its supporters said ahead of the signing ceremony in Santiago, Chile.
The pact will include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, representing together 13.5% of global gross domestic product.
The 11 states form a market of 500 million people, greater than that of the European Union's single market.
"While taxes are going to be applied to certain products and there is a threat of a trade war, we are going to give a signal of openness," said Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz.
The deal will be finalized in the same week that Trump has risked a global trade war over his decision to introduce tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. (AFP)
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MANILA - The Philippines on Thursday said economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its free trade partners are eager to fulfil the ASEAN Leaders' Instruction in 2017 to conclude the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila.
Philippine Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez represented Manila during its 4th intersessional ministerial meeting, held alongside the 24th ASEAN Economic Ministers Retreat and the 16th ASEAN Economic Ministers- European Union Trade Commissioner Consultations in Singapore from February 28 to March 3, the Philippine News Agency reported.
The RCEP Intersessional Ministerial Meeting held on March 3, noted the progress made since the Preparatory RCEP Ministerial Meeting for the 1st RCEP Summit on November 12, 2017 in Manila.
The RCEP negotiations were conducted by leaders from 10 ASEAN member states, namely, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, and six ASEAN partners Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand in November 2012.
"The ministers reaffirmed their resolve to meet the Leaders' instruction to intensify efforts in 2018 towards its conclusion and welcomed progress made in the discussion on the tariff modality and its parameters," the DFA said in a statement.
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The Ministry of Finance confirmed on Thursday that it will jointly develop the Exchange 106 tower at Tun Razak Exchange (TRX Tower) with Indonesian property developer Mulia Group after acquiring a 51% stake in a Mulia subsidiary.
The Minister of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc.) said in a statement that it had agreed with the Mulia group to jointly develop the TRX Tower, whose construction work is expected to finish by the second half of 2018, Xinhua reported.
TRX Tower is part of Malaysia's upcoming financial district TRX project, which is estimated to have a gross development value of MYR40 billion.
The construction of the tower has been awarded to China State Construction Engineering Corp Ltd's (CSCEC) unit China State Construction Engineering (M) Sdn Bhd.
The MOF also confirmed it took over the 51% stake in Mulia Property Development Sdn Bhd via its wholly owned subsidiary MKD Signature Sdn Bhd (MKD) in July last year. The Mulia Group will still own the remaining stake in Mulia Property Development.
A KVH SatNews service.
News from around Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya over the past seven days. (In tomorrow's issue: Johor/Melaka)
KUALA LUMPUR - A tram service system in Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Kajang and Bangi has been suggested by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to provide Malaysians a more efficient transportation.
The proposed 53-kilometre network will be reportedly linked to the MRT1 line in Kajand as well as the MRT 2 and High Speed Rail lines, which are currently on the works.
SPAD CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Shah said the government has already given a go signal to initiate a request for proposal (RFP) exercise for the project within the next three to six months.
Speaking at SPAD's annual review of public transportation for 2017, Azharuddin added that the tram network was considered as it is eco-friendly and relatively cheaper, The Malay Mail Online reported.
"Based on our feasibility study, in terms of capital expenditure and operational expenditure, trams are 50 and 30 percent cheaper compared to conventional rail public transportation. If this takes off, it will be the first modern tram system in the country," he noted.
The chief did not specify whether the project will be open to local companies or multinational corporations but said the matter will be later discussed with the government.
"For now, any multinational corporation interested in submitting a proposal must do so in partnership with a local company. All applicants must also comply with SPAD's stringent construction and operations standards," Azharuddin said.
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BERLIN - Kuala Lumpur ranked second in top Asian cities for millennials, according to a latest list release by Nestpick.
In the 2018 Millennial Cities Ranking, the city placed 54th in global rankings, while Hong Kong ranked 57th and Singapore 84th.
The index ranked the cities according to a number of criteria, including start-up, tourism, housing, food, transport, health, internet speed, university, access to contraception, gender equality, immigration, personal freedom and choice, LGBT-friendly, nightlife, beer and festival rankings.
Kuala Lumpur earned 9.3 points on employment based on the data by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Eurostat and US Bureau of Labour.
"Millennials grew up in a shrinking world, where the internet opened doors their parents never could have dreamed of, and budget airlines made those avenues real possibilities. It's now possible to live and work anywhere in the world, and these opportunities are shaping how our planet will look to future generations," Nestpick managing director Omer Kucukdere said, stressing that the needs of younger people must be met to have a thriving economy.
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KUALA LUMPUR - Police in Kuala Lumpur cracked down on Wednesday a scam syndicate after a victim who was swindled MYR21,800 lodged a complained.
Two Nigerian men and a local women were arrested at a condominium in Cheras, The Star reported. Three laptops, 25 mobile phones and several bank cards that were believed to have bee used in their scam were also seized by the police.
Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Ali Tamby said the women handled a Facebook account named Sandra Wang. It was through there that the victim met her, who claimed to be from the US.
"The woman told the victim that she would be coming to Singapore on January 12. However, on January 17, the victim received a phone call from the woman claiming that she had been detained at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport by a customs officer for carrying a lot of money," Mohd Ali said, adding that the "customs officer" told the victim to deposit MYR21,800 in two different bank accounts in exchange for the woman's release.
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WASHINGTON - The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea after determining
The Pyongyang government used the chemical warfare agent VX to assassinate the half-brother of leader Kim Jong-un.
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement: "The United States strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons to conduct an assassination.
"This public display of contempt for universal norms against chemical weapons use further demonstrates the reckless nature of North Korea and underscores that we cannot afford to tolerate a North Korean WMD (weapons of mass destruction) programme of any kind," the statement added as reported by the Press Association.
The US' finding, just over a year after Kim Jong Nam, 45, was attacked at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, comes amid an increase in diplomacy between North and South Korea.
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WASHINGTON - The US Holocaust Memorial Museum said on Wednesday that it was stripping Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi of a prestigious human rights award, accusing her of doing little to halt the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.
Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her long campaign against the country's military dictatorship, was awarded the Holocaust Museum's Elie Wiesel award six years ago "for her courageous leadership and great personal sacrifice in resisting tyranny and advancing the freedom and dignity of the Burmese people."
But the Museum said it was rescinding the award due to her inaction over what it called "mounting evidence of genocide" committed by the Myanmar military against civilians from the Rohingya minority. (AFP)
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PARIS - A third woman has accused prominent Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan of rape, a month after he was indicted over claims he assaulted two women and remanded into custody, judicial sources told AFP on Wednesday.
The French Muslim woman, who wants to remain anonymous and uses the pseudonym "Marie," claims to have suffered multiple rapes in France, Brussels and London between 2013 and 2014.
She has accused Ramadan, 55, of subjecting her to violent and sexually degrading acts during a dozen meetings, often in hotels on the sidelines of conferences.
"I had to obey him, be available 24 hours a day, do whatever he told me, take pictures in submissive positions, on my knees to ask for forgiveness, call him 'master'," she told Europe 1 radio.
"At first, there were feelings, otherwise I would not have agreed to see him," she added. "I had difficulty saying the word: rape. Today, I can say it."
A judicial source said: "'Marie' tried in vain to escape the influence of Mr Ramadan who did not stop threatening her," during a period between February 2013 and June 2014.
Ramadan, a prominent TV pundit and Oxford University professor whose grandfather founded Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood movement, was detained on February 2 over charges he raped two Muslim women in France, which he denies. (AFP)
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NEW YORK - Indian architect Balkrishna Doshi, a pioneer of low-cost housing design, won the prestigious Pritzker Prize on Wednesday, considered architecture's Nobel equivalent.
The 90-year-old Doshi - one of the last living architects to have apprenticed with the Franco-Swiss trailblazer Le Corbusier - distinguished his work by committing to sustainable architecture and inexpensive housing, bringing modernist design to an India rooted in traditionalism. He is the 45th Pritzker laureate and the first from India.
"Balkrishna Doshi has always created an architecture that is serious, never flashy or a follower of trends," said the Pritzker jury, which said Doshi "has continually exhibited the objectives" of architecture's highest honour.
Over the course of his career spanning six decades Doshi developed an architectural style that considered human needs as well as sociocultural context, all while infusing his designs with Modernist elements that reflected what he called "contemporary expression for a sustainable holistic habitat." (AFP)
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Min Max Condition
Kuala Lumpur 23c 32c Cloudy
Johor Bahru 23c 29c Cloudy
Petaling Jaya 23c 31c Cloudy
Sandakan 26c 27c Thunderstorm
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USD 1 = MYR3.9055
Source: Bank Negara MalaysiaBURSA MALAYSIA
Wednesday closeTOP 5 GAINERS
NAME PREVIOUS CHANGE
NESTLE(S) 140.000 +3.000
DLADY(S) 67.700 +0.740
PETRONM(S) 9.450 +0.420
KESM(S) 19.500 +0.340
CARLSBG(S) 19.980 +0.280TOP 5 LOSERS
NAME PREVIOUS CHANGE
TGUAN-LA 3.000 -0.900
HSI-C1W 1.810 -0.220
BKAWAN(S) 18.400 -0.220
TGUAN-WA(S) 1.380 -0.190
HLIND(S) 10.980 -0.160MAGNUM 4D RESULTS
Wednesday draw (March 7)
1st Prize: 7242
2nd Prize: 2402
3rd Prize: 1406
Special
5405 4312 1359 9969 3528
7826 8583 9306 3849 2947
Consolation
0923 7236 4113 2029 3314
7147 3070 3250 6273 1980
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KUALA LUMPUR - Pop singer Dato Jamal Abdillah has finally presented his wife to the public after almost a year since their marriage.
He married Datin Zai Izzati Khairuddin on April 1 last year - Jamal's fourth marriage. The celebrity was previously married to Basariah Abdul Latiff, Noraina Mohd Yusof and Fatimatuzahrah Samad.
Jamal said he only met his wife once in two months before they decided to wed, The Star reported.
"For me, to be married at the age of 59 is the greatest gift from above," he said, adding that he would do everything to protect his wife given the 35-year age difference.
When asked about the personality of his wife that made him fall in love, the "bad boy" pop singer said that the gentleness ofIzzati made him interested to her.
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Manchester City 1 - Basel 2 (Agg 5-2): Manchester City secured their place in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday, but did little to enhance their tag as favourites to win the competition as a much-changed side suffered a shock home defeat by Basel.
Despite losing for just the fourth time all season, the runaway Premier League leaders still cruised through on aggregate after doing the hard work in Switzerland three weeks ago.
City manager Pep Guardiola could afford the luxury of making six changes from Sunday's dominant 1-0 win over Chelsea, but still saw his side extend their aggregate advantage early on when Gabriel Jesus tapped home after just eight minutes.
However, Mohamed Elyounoussi exposed some slack City defending to smash in an equaliser for the Swiss champions nine minutes later before Michael Lang rocketed home a spectacular winner 19 minutes from time.
City could have the Premier League mathematically wrapped up by the time they are next in Champions League action in early April.
And on this evidence they will need the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne and David Silva to be well-rested and in-form if they are to deliver the dream of their Abu Dhabi owners by winning the European Cup for a first time as a number of youngsters and fringe players failed to impress. (AFP)
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MOSCOW - Russia coach Stanislav Cherchesov has brushed aside fears that racism and hooliganism in domestic football are serious enough to mar the World Cup later this year.
But his reassurance came as 10-time champions Spartak Moscow received a suspended stadium ban on Wednesday for abusive chants at a weekend derby against city rivals Lokomotiv.
"I do not think that we have racism on a scale that needs to be fought," Cherchesov told Brazil's Globo TV.
"Hooligans? I have not seen any serious displays of it," the former Soviet and Russian national team goalkeeper added.
Racism and violence are being monitored closely by organizers and the global football governing body FIFA as Russia prepares to host sport's most watched event for the first time.
The Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) anti-discrimination network reported 89 racist and far-right incidents at Russian games in the 2016-17 season.
The problem became especially acute in the last decade as richer clubs began purchasing Brazilian and African players.
FARE noted a more serious anti-racism campaign being waged by Russian authorities in the run-up to the June 14-July 15 competition. But it said players and fans still risked abuse. (AFP)
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BARCELONA, Spain - Australia's Daniel Ricciardo highlighted his status as a potential world champion on Wednesday when he clocked a new lap record at Montemelo in his Red Bull while former superpower McLaren suffered another breakdown.
Ricciardo, who racked up 165 laps, timed one minute and 18.47 seconds, bettering the previous record set by Felipe Massa in a Ferrari 10 years ago.
"It was a good day today. I survived," said Ricciardo, who was scheduled to drive on Tuesday but was forced to sit out the session due to illness.
"Today's was an optimistic run plan and I didn't think we'd get that much done but we got through all of it, so that was good. I think I'll sleep well tonight. I would have liked to get into the 17s, but we'll save that for the racing. In terms of the shape we're in, I think we're getting there, we're in a decent place," he added.
World champion Lewis Hamilton was second fastest in 1:18.400 with Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas just behind on 1:18.560.
While Red Bull and Mercedes dominated the time charts, it was another day of misery for former champions McLaren. One day after three breakdowns suffered by Stoffel Vandoorne, it was two-time world champion Fernando Alonso's turn to be left in frustration.
The Spaniard completed only 47 laps before an oil leak forced his McLaren back to the pits where mechanics worked furiously for six hours to change the Renault engine. Alonso managed to return to the track just moments before the end of the session, completing 10 more laps. McLaren have now completed the fewest number of laps in testing of all the teams on the grid with the new season starting in Australia at Melbourne on March 25. (AFP)
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MIAMI, USA - Tiger Woods is drawing inspiration from fellow veteran Phil Mickelson's win in Mexico last weekend as he plots the latest stage of his comeback this week ahead of next month's Masters.
The 42-year-old former World No1 will tee off in the Professional Golfers Association Tour's Valspar Championship on Thursday hoping to get more rounds under his belt heading into Augusta in three weeks' time.
Woods has endured mixed results since returning to the tour this season, finishing tied for 23rd at Torrey Pines in January before missing the cut at Riviera in Los Angeles last month. He followed that up with a 12th-place finish at the Honda Classic and is playing the Valspar at Tampa, Florida this week in an attempt to hone his game before the Masters.
Woods missed all of 2016 and most of 2017 because of debilitating back trouble that culminated in spinal fusion surgery last April. He said the 47-year-old Mickelson's victory at the WGC Championship in Mexico on Sunday encouraged him to believe he could still add to his collection of 106 professional wins.
"What Phil's doing is showing that we can still do it later on in our careers," Woods told reporters on Wednesday. "Davis won at 51, Phil at 47," he said, referring to Davis Love III. "There are a few guys who can do it late in their career."
Woods, who has missed the last two Masters, is also not ruling out a member of the old guard prevailing at Augusta next month. (AFP)
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INDIAN WELLS - Roger Federer, who regained the World No1 ranking last month, is on a quest to make history in the California desert by winning an unprecedented sixth Indian Wells title, Agence France-Presse reported.
The 36-year-old Swiss marvel continues to defy the ageing process, claiming his 20th Grand Slam title and sixth Australian Open crown in January.
He has enjoyed a perfect start to 2018 by winning both events he has competed in and taking his career singles title tally to 97.
"He shows there is no limit," said third-seeded Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday. "He keeps on proving it every year on the tour."
Federer opens the defence of his Indian Wells title by playing a second-round match against either American Ryan Harrison or Federico Delbonis of Argentina. He also won this tournament three straight years beginning in 2004, and in 2012 as well as last year.
Federer comes into the elite event as the oldest ATP No1 in history. In the Open era, only American Jimmy Connors has won more titles than Federer, with 109. Federer has played two tournaments this year and won both - the other being the Rotterdam Open.
Federer is not alone in his hunt for a sixth Indian Wells crown when the men's draw kicks off on Thursday. Serbian Novak Djokovic, who is making his first return to the Tour since the Australian Open, is also a five-time Indian Wells champion and would like nothing more than to announce his return from an elbow injury by going all the way.
Both players are in opposite halves of the draw so they would not meet each other until the final. Djokovic won Indian Wells in 2008, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Djokovic, who is seeded 10th, has a bye and will face the winner of a first-round match between two qualifiers in his opener. He is in the same half of the draw as Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro, who is fresh off a win in the Mexican Open in Acapulco last weekend. (AFP)
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Alay 3-6 Altyn Asyr
Istiqlol 1-0 AhalGroup E
Abahani 0-1 New RadiantGroup G
Bali Utd 3-1 Thanh Hoa
Yangon Utd 3-0 GlobalGroup I
April 25 1-0 Hwaebul
Benfica 3-2 Fu JenUEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Tottenham 1-2 Juventus
(3-4)
City 1-2 Basel
(5-2)BASKETBALL
Chong Son KF 113-95 Mono Vampire
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SEPANG - Malaysian budget carrier Air Asia and CEO Tony Fernandes were hit with fake news again after false reports about his resignation quickly spread, which was strongly denied.
The 52-year-old millionaire, known to be tech savvy, shared on his Twitter account a screenshot of what appeared to be a CNN headline saying that Fernandes has left Air Asia Group.
"Had many scams on me. This is the best fake news. The reality is (long) way to go before I leave AIRASIA and AirAsia is investing big in Fintech. Some very valuable assets coming," he tweeted along with the screenshot.
The airline also released a statement on Monday to reject the hoax.
It advised the public and media to disregard the reports, adding that Fernandes will continue to oversee AirAsia's strategic direction and business operations.
Last December, news announcing that Fernandes would be retiring also circulated on social media. The CEO also denied the hoax on Twitter, saying that such rumours were "laughable."
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