Author: Daud Ishak

Washington, DC, [US], October 29 (ANI): As hostilities between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea escalates, US President Joe Biden said that the US military is willing to fight nuclear-armed China on behalf of the Philippines after ships from the two Asian countries collided near a disputed unpopulated island in the South China Sea, New York Post reported. “The United States defence agreement with the Philippines is ironclad. Any attack on the Filipino aircraft, vessels or armed forces will invoke our mutual defence treaty with the Philippines,” Biden said during a joint press conference. According to the 1951 mutual defence pact, the US and the Philippines will jointly “defend themselves against external armed attack.” Earlier on Sunday, two of Manila’s…

JOHOR BARU: Local traders at the Deepavali bazaar in Jalan Ungku Puan are hoping to see a boom in sales with the Festival of Lights nearing. The traders, who have opened up their stalls since Oct 11, said that they have yet to see a significant influx in customers despite the strength of the Singapore dollar against the ringgit. S. Sures, 51, said that he was expecting a large crowd at the bazaar this year with the pandemic now a thing of the past and the strong rate of Singapore dollar. “The currency exchange plays a huge role as it…

The conflict between Israel and Hamas will potentially have a major impact across the Middle East, and will be another factor for both China and the United States to consider in their long-term thinking. Analysts said Israel had been disappointed by China’s response to the attacks by Hamas that killed hundreds of people, mainly civilians, but questioned whether this would have a serious impact on relations in the longer-term. The attacks coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur war, and were the deadliest assault on Israel since then. But many diplomatic observers have questioned whether it was also an attempt…

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has been elected as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong for a five-year term, effective Jan 31, 2024. Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Tan Sri Syed Danial Syed Ahmad, in a statement, said the election was held at the Special 263rd Meeting of the Conference of Rulers at Istana Negara. Sultan Ibrahim will replace Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah whose reign will end on Jan 30 next year. The Malay Rulers elected the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah as Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the same term. The…

BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) — The Nepal-China Business Summit was held in Beijing on Sunday, with about 200 business representatives from the two sides gathering together to discuss new opportunities for practical economic and trade cooperation. Nepal will make every effort to attract Chinese investors, Prime Minister of Nepal Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda said at the summit, hoping Chinese investors to make full use of the unique opportunities in Nepal to expand their businesses. He also looks forward to further strengthening exchanges and cooperation between the two sides to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results. Zhang Shaogang, vice chairman of…

Exco: State in ‘sweet spot’ to benefit from a number of Federal Government policies Federal Government’s New Industrial Master Plan 2030 (NIMP 2030), which is an industrial policy for the manufacturing and manufacturing-related services sector, can help the state realise its Maju Johor 2030 vision. Johor investment, trade, and consumer affairs committee chairman Lee Ting Han said paired with the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), the policies would make the state a strategic area for investors. “The government, through the Mid-Term Review of 12th Malaysia Plan 2021-2025, has made it clear that the country will now focus on high-growth, high-value…

BEIJING, Sept 6 (Reuters) – China sent a senior official to Vietnam to enhance “political trust” between the two countries, ahead of a scheduled visit by U.S. President Joe Biden designed to boost diplomatic ties between Washington and Hanoi. The Chinese Communist Party’s international department head Liu Jianchao met with Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency reported. During his three-day trip, which ends on Wednesday, Liu also had talks with his Vietnam counterpart and met think tanks and media in Vietnam, Xinhua said. Both sides said they had agreed to solidify their mutual political…

KUALA LUMPUR: The Iskandar Malaysia (IM) property market in Johor has recovered from the supply glut, but not all areas are flourishing. Only projects that are strategically located and commercial properties that are well managed are popular among property buyers, investors, and tourists. Despite the fact that things have changed and the momentum has increased significantly in Johor, particularly in the areas surrounding the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link) station at Bukit Chagar, some completed projects in IM are still selling for 40 per cent less than the initial launching price, said RHB Research analysts Loong Kok Wen.…

JOHOR BAHRU – Malaysia’s Home Ministry is seriously looking into the possibility of reopening a “shortcut” to Johor’s checkpoint to give pedestrians a shorter route for passport clearances before entering Singapore. Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, said on Tuesday a joint committee, chaired by him and Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi, has been formed to look into matters related to overcoming the traffic congestion on the Causeway connecting Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI CIQ) with Singapore’s Woodlands Checkpoint. “Among matters that were discussed in the committee were initiatives to ease the congestion, which includes components…

MOSCOW, August 18. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden is ready to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without preconditions, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby told the Kyodo News agency. “We are willing to sit down and negotiate without preconditions,” the US official was quoted as saying on Friday. In his words, North Korea has not yet responded positively to that offer. According to Kyodo, it was the first time that the Biden administration openly declared its readiness for top-level talks with North Korea. Prior to that, Washington negotiated with Kim Jong-un during the…