- China says it support HK Leader after pro-democracy win in local elections
- Anwar reiterates he won’t join the Cabinet but will wait to be PM
- MATRADE to assist Malaysian firms eyeing Middle East construction projects
- AirAsia hopes for low-cost terminal to develop tourism in Sarawak
- Singapore invokes ‘fake news’ law for first time over Facebook post
- Uber stripped of operating licence
China says it support HK Leader after pro-democracy win in local elections
China said it supports Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam, after the pro-democracy camp scored a crushing victory in community-level elections in the city. The result was a humiliating rebuke to Beijing and Lam, who has dismissed calls for political reform and had repeatedly suggested that a silent majority supported her administration and opposed the protest movement. China’s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular media briefing, “China’s central government resolutely supports chief executive Carrie Lam’s leadership of the Special Administrative Region government”. Hong Kong’s democrats on Monday scored a landslide majority in the district council elections, which saw a record turnout after six months of anti-government protests. Pro-democracy candidates grabbed 388 seats – a stunning net gain of 263 – according to local media, with the establishment holding on to only 59. Five went to independents. This translates to 17 of the 18 district councils coming under the control of the democrats, local media reported. Almost 3 million people voted, a record turnout of more than 71 per cent was almost double the turnout at the last district elections four years ago. A
Anwar reiterates he won’t join the Cabinet but will wait to be PM
PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim reiterated that he does not plan to be a member of the federal Cabinet led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the event of a revamp. Instead, the Port Dickson MP said he will bide his time to succeed Dr Mahathir as prime minister, as has been promised. Last Thursday, Dr Mahathir hinted at a possible change in his Cabinet line-up before Malaysia hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting next year. Datuk Seri Anwar reaffirmed PKR’s commitment to Dr Mahathir’s leadership.
MATRADE to assist Malaysian firms eyeing Middle East construction projects
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) is promoting Malaysian companies in construction and building materials sector at the Big 5 show in Dubai, to attract potential buyers from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that are working on projects for World Expo 2020. The three-day initiative, which starts today, is timely given that Dubai will be hosting World Expo 2020 and the World Cup Qatar 2022, the national trade promotion agency said in a statement today. Its director of construction and business services section, Rusiah Mohamed, said the event would not only highlight high-quality and innovative made-in-Malaysia products but would also attract strategic partners from a number of construction projects in the Middle East. “MATRADE aims to attract the attention of mega project owners in Dubai such as Dubai Metro Red Line Extension, Container Terminal 4 of the Jebel Ali Port Expansion project, the Royal Atlantis Resort and Residences located in Palm Jumeirah, and the Dubai Harbor Creek project, among others, at the event. This year marks MATRADE’s 19th participation in Big 5, the largest and most influential building and construction exhibitions in the Middle East, with 25 Malaysian companies taking part and showcasing their various products including facade, water heaters, sanitary wares, switches, kitchenware and water tanks. Apart from the showcase, MATRADE’s trade office in Dubai is also coordinating a series of business meetings to match Malaysian companies and potential buyers at the event.
AirAsia hopes for low-cost terminal to develop tourism in Sarawak
AirAsia hopes for more low-cost terminal and cheaper facilities to develop tourism in Sarawak. Group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said if the airline gets low-cost airports, then the tourism industry will boom. He said AirAsia is now looking for new places to promote and bring more tourists and jobs and lauded Sarawak for having done a good job in terms of domestic tourism. “We have limited success in international. Only Singapore has been consistently going on well. In the next round of our expansion, Sarawak is very crucial. Tan Sri Fernandes said since AirAsia started 18 years ago, the airline had carried 60 million people to Sarawak and fly-through increased by 43 per cent this year, with 73,000 people coming from different countries via Kuala Lumpur. “We want to reinvest, we want to partner with the Sarawak government… a win-win scenario.
Singapore invokes ‘fake news’ law for first time over Facebook post
Singapore political figure Brad Bowyer on Monday corrected a Facebook post questioning the independence of state investment firms following a government request, in the first use of the country’s new “fake news” law. Bowyer used “false and misleading” statements alleging the government influenced decisions made by state investors Temasek Holdings and GIC, according to a statement on the official government fact-checking website. Bowyer said he had placed a correction notice with a link to the government statement above his Facebook post following a request to do so under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Ppfma). A spokesman for the newly-created Pofma office said the correction requested by the minister for finance was the first case under the new law, which came into effect in October.
Uber stripped of operating licence
Uber has been stripped of its London operating licence for the second time in just over two years after the city’s regulator said a “pattern of failures” on safety and security meant the taxi app was not fit and proper. A change to Uber’s systems allowed unauthorised drivers to upload their photos to other driver accounts, meaning they could pick up passengers as if they were the booked driver, which happened in at least 14,000 trips, Transport for London (TfL) said. The Silicon Valley-based company, which has faced pushback from authorities and existing operators in several countries, has 21 days to appeal and can continue to take rides during the process, which is likely to include court action and could drag on for months.
