New Zealand said Tuesday that next year’s APEC summit of Asia-Pacific leaders will be held online, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern warning there is no guarantee the global coronavirus pandemic would be over by late 2021. The annual 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation gathering was due to be held in Auckland in November 2021, attracting thousands […]

Mary Kay Donates Hand Sanitizer in Asia Pacific Region to Support COVID-19 Pandemic Relief Efforts and Support Frontline Heroes Videos by journalists in Dakar, Bogota, Beirut, Kuala Lumpur and Paris bureaus by Yassine Khiri with AFP bureaus across the world With their art, technology know-how, creative social networking skills or political commitment, post-millennials, known as […]

ADDS Somalia by Anuj Chopra with AFP bureaus Muslims around the world began marking a sombre Eid al-Fitr Sunday, many under coronavirus lockdown, but lax restrictions offered respite to worshippers in some countries despite fears of skyrocketing infections. The three-day festival, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is traditionally celebrated with […]

RECASTS with Twitter calling Trump tweets ‘unsubstantiated’; changes dateline by Glenn CHAPMAN Twitter labelled two Donald Trump tweets “unsubstantiated” and accused him of making false claims Tuesday, a first for the social network which has long resisted calls to censure the US president over truth-defying posts. The move came amid a growing storm after Trump […]

Malaysia’s economy grew at its slowest pace in more than a decade during the first three months of the year as the coronavirus pandemic battered the country, but still managed to beat forecasts, data showed Wednesday. Gross domestic product grew 0.7 percent on-year in January-March, the central bank reported, compared with 3.6 percent growth in […]

Malaysia has deployed the army to support police in enforcing tough restrictions to halt the spread of the coronavirus as cases in the country surged above 1,000. People have been told to stay at home and all schools and most businesses have closed, while Malaysians are barred from travelling overseas and foreigners from entering the […]

Malaysia will ban its citizens from travelling overseas and foreigners from entering the country in drastic measures announced by the prime minister Monday aimed at curbing the spread of the deadly new coronavirus. Schools will also be closed under the rules that will be in place for two weeks from Wednesday, Muhyiddin Yassin said. Large […]

Malaysia has announced a nationwide Travel Restriction Order from 18th to 31st March 2020. This is made to control the ongoing spread of Covid-19, the ever-sprawling problem of the coronavirus. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a televised speech at 10pm Monday (16th March). Muhyiddin stressed that this is not a […]

by Heather SCOTT Faced with a growing economic shutdown from the coronavirus pandemic, the US Federal Reserve on Sunday announced drastic emergency measures to shore up confidence and keep the financial sector running, including slashing the key interest rate to virtually zero. The Fed made its second emergency rate cut in less than two weeks, […]

Malaysia said Sunday that more than half the country’s 428 coronavirus cases were linked to an international Islamic gathering held last month.  The Southeast Asian nation announced a spike of 190 new infections over the weekend, mostly linked to a global Islamic event attended by almost 20,000 people. “Of the 428 cases, 243 are participants […]

Zafrul Aziz, currently the CEO of Malaysia’s second biggest lender – CIMB – has just been announced as the new Finance Minister of Malaysia. This announcement was made by the new Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a press conference on Monday in Putrajaya. The appointment of Zafrul in the cabinet would mean he has to […]

by Liz Thomas Olivia Cotes-James wants us to talk about menstrual health. Properly.  No more euphemisms, no more opaque marketing, no more superstitions, and no glossing over cramps, bleeding, or pain: Reframing current attitudes is vital for female empowerment and health, as well as the environment, says the 29-year-old founder of LUÜNA Naturals, which hails […]

Malaysia’s central bank cut its key interest rate on Tuesday to the lowest level since 2010 to combat the impact of the new coronavirus, which has battered economies worldwide. Bank Negara Malaysia slashed the rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 percent, as expected by economists, in its second cut this year. It came as […]

by Sam Reeves Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned Monday in a shock move as his alliance that came to power less than two years ago unravelled, but he was reappointed as interim leader by the king. It came after months of rising tensions in his “Pact of Hope” coalition, which toppled a corruption-mired government in […]

A Malaysian MP sounded the warning bells that the Malaysian economy is going to drag even further following the dismal GDP figures presented by the Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM) earlier today. Wong Chen, MP of Subang Jaya, an urban seat near the capital, argues that not only is the 2019 figures the slowest growth […]

Hindus gathered in temples across Malaysia on Saturday to celebrate the annual Thaipusam festival, with many piercing their bodies with hooks and skewers, despite concerns about the deadly coronavirus outbreak. Massive crowds descended on the Batu Caves temple complex on the outskirts of capital Kuala Lumpur to participate in the event, where Hindus showcase their […]

Goth-inspired pop innovator Billie Eilish cleaned up at Sunday’s Grammys, winning all four major awards including the prestigious Album of the Year prize. The 18-year-old beat out stiff competition from viral hitmaker Lil Nas X and the year’s most-nominated artist Lizzo. Eilish soared to mainstream stardom over the past year, after having won a fervent […]

After identifying the first three cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Malaysia, the Health Ministry now announces the fourth case. This fourth case is independent from the first three. The 40 year-old man is a resident of Wuhan, China, and entered the country through Johor Bahru, via Singapore, using a tourist bus. He exhibited […]

A SARS-like virus that has claimed 41 lives since emerging in a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan has spread around the world. Here are the places that have confirmed cases of 2019 Novel Coronavirus: China As of Saturday, almost 1,300 people have been infected across China, the bulk of them in and around […]

Malaysia Airports has prepared mitigation plans in close collaboration with Ministry of Health. Malaysia Airports is stepping up its efforts to combat the outbreak of the deadly SARS-like Coronavirus. This comes after Malaysia announced the confirmed first three cases of this disease. Read: Malaysia’s first cases of the deadly coronavirus is working closely with the […]

A 65-year-old women, and her grandsons (11, and 2) are the first three confirmed positive cases of the deadly SARS-like, Coronavirus. The Malaysian Health Minister confirmed. The three entered Malaysia from the southern state of Johor, via Singapore. According to Malaysia’s Health Ministry, when the three entered Johor, they did not display any signs of […]

by Helen Roxburgh As China locks down the city at the epicentre of a new viral outbreak, countries around the world are scrambling to prevent the spread of the deadly disease. Here’s what we know so far about the illness that has killed 17 people and infected at least 570, most in Wuhan: It’s entirely […]

by Nina Larson More than 470 million people worldwide are currently unemployed or underemployed, the UN said on Monday, warning that a lack of access to decent jobs was contributing to social unrest. The global unemployment rate has remained relatively stable over much of the past decade, according to the UN’s International Labour Organization. But […]

by Aurélia End Like others approaching middle age, the World Economic Forum turns 50 insisting it has matured, that it has moved on from hard partying and wants more meaningful relationships. The focus for this week’s annual meeting in Davos will be as much on hearing from climate change activists as on rapid-fire corporate dealmaking […]