Now, PM Mahathir Mohamad plans to give Malaysia a new 'national car'

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is reviving his dream of a new national car after the automaker he started in the 1980s was privatized and a stake was later sold to a Chinese company. “Our ambition is to start another national car, perhaps with some help from Southeast Asia,” he said at a Nikkei conference in Tokyo, his first official overseas trip since being reinstalled as premier last month. “Malaysia has the capacity to do almost 100 percent of the development of a new automobile. 

This can be obtained by having foreign partners.” Proton Holdings Bhd., the carmaker Mahathir started in 1983 during his first stint as premier, faltered over the years even with billions of dollars in grants and subsidies. It was taken private in 2012 by DRB-Hicom Bhd., a conglomerate controlled by Malaysian billionaire Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary. Last year, China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. bought a 49.9 percent stake in Proton. Mahathir saw it as an insult to national pride, and viewed the carmaker as collateral damage from his ongoing feud with then-premier Najib Razak. He criticized the government for the sale, saying that the administration “seems to be set on bankrupting Proton and selling it off, because I think it is regarded as my baby.”

Palm oil producers fear looming EU environment law will hurt millions

Millions of people running small-time oil palm plantations will suffer if the European Parliament goes ahead with “unfair” measures that could curb palm oil use, the world’s two largest palm oil producers said on Wednesday.

In April, the European Parliament backed a call for greater vetting of palm and other vegetable oils used in biofuels to prevent the European Union’s renewable transport targets for post-2020 leading to deforestation.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak and Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the resolution by the European Parliament singles out palm oil, even as the production of other vegetable oils has “shown to contribute to the deforestation”.

They said restricting market access for palm oil would also work against the United Nations’ goal of eradicating poverty and raising income levels.

“Any discriminatory measures arising from the Resolution will not only be seen as unfair practices to trade but will also affect the livelihood of millions of palm smallholders in Indonesia and Malaysia,” the two leaders said in a joint statement.
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Kuala Lumpur school fire kills 25 in country's worst blaze in last 20 years

Twenty-five people, most of them students, were killed today when a blaze tore through a Malaysian religious school, in what officials said was one of the country's worst fire disasters for years.

The blaze broke out before dawn in the two-storey building, Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah, located in the centre of the capital Kuala Lumpur.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and the blaze was out within an hour but not before it wreaked terrible devastation -- pictures in local media showed ash-covered, fire-blackened beds.

"It really does not make sense for so many to die in the fire," Khirudin Drahman, director of Kuala Lumpur's fire and rescue department told AFP.

"I think it is one of the country's worst fire disaster in the past 20 years."

He said that the number confirmed dead was 23 students and two adult wardens, adding that they could have died due to smoke inhalation or got trapped in the fire.

"We are now investigating the cause of the fire," he said.

Loga Bala Mohan, the government's federal territories deputy minister, said: "We sympathise with the families. It is one of the worst fires involving so many lives in the capital in recent years.
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LGBT issue: Malaysia, Indonesia Muslim groups call for Starbucks boycott

Muslim groups in Malaysia and Indonesia have called for a boycott of Starbucks because of the coffee chain's support for LGBT rights.

Malaysian group Perkasa this week called on its more than 500,000 members to stay away from Starbucks coffee shops.

This week and last, leaders of Indonesia's second largest Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, with an estimated 29 million members, denounced the chain.

The groups are apparently reacting to comments made several years ago by former CEO Howard Schultz in support of gay rights that drew renewed attention amid an increasingly anti-LGBT climate in both countries.

Shares of the company that operates Starbucks in Indonesia fell this week but its stores in the capital Jakarta appeared as popular as ever.
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AirAsia flight 'shaking like washing machine' had technical faults

An AirAsia flight to Malaysia was forced back to Australia on Sunday due to a technical problem, with one passenger saying the plane was "shaking like a washing machine".

The Airbus A330 from Perth to Kuala Lumpur experienced problems about 90 minutes into the journey.

It landed safely, with Perth Airport reporting a "technical issue".

"The pilot identified technical issues, turned around and returned," an airport spokesman told AFP, adding that emergency crews were put on standby but not needed.

The Malaysian low-cost carrier said only that "flight crew are taking precautionary measures to check the aircraft".

It was the second scare involving an Airbus A330 in Australia this month, with a China Eastern plane making an emergency landing in Sydney after a huge hole appeared in one of its engine casings.

Terrified passengers on that flight described a very loud noise soon after it left Sydney for Shanghai. No one was hurt.

The West Australian newspaper cited passengers on Sunday's flight as saying they heard a bang and then the plane started shuddering.

"You could tell by the cabin crew's reaction that it was really bad," said Sophie Nicolas, who said she heard a small explosion from the left wing. "It was terrifying."

Another passenger, Brenton Atkinson, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the whole plane started shaking, far more than standard turbulence.
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TPP trade deal members seek to move ahead without US

Remaining members of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement are working on a statement to reaffirm their commitment to it, despite the withdrawal of the United States, sources close to the discussions said.

Some still hope for the eventual return of the United States to the deal ditched by US President Donald Trump, because of his readiness to shift position on other issues, Malaysia's trade minister said.

Talks are happening on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meeting, the biggest trade gathering since Trump upended the world order with his "America First" policy.

The competing visions are evident at this weekend's Apec meeting of ministers from countries that account for well over 40 per cent of world trade.

While new US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will hold bilateral talks with key countries, China will be pushing its favoured Asian trade agreement as it puts itself forward as a global free trade champion.

Japan is leading the countries that still want to persist with the much more comprehensive TPP agreement, abandoned by Trump in one of his first acts in office and which does not include China.

Sources close to the discussions said the so-called TPP-11 nations - the 11 left after the United States withdrew - were planning a statement of commitment to the pact.

"There will be two main points: 1. To aim for an early entry into force of the TPP-11 2. To bear in mind an environment where a signatory country can return," said one source close to the discussions who was not authorised to speak to the media.

The agreement is due to take effect next year.

CHALLENGES

Among the challenges is keeping on board Vietnam and Malaysia, which would have been big beneficiaries from the agreement if it included the United States.

Some renegotiation would be needed for the deal to proceed without the United States, Malaysian Trade Minister Mustapa Mohamed told Reuters. A Vietnamese official expressed a similar view.

Mustapa said there was optimism the United States would return one day, because Trump had shown readiness to shift his position on other matters, such as softening his stance towards China.
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Donald Trump signs twin executive orders, now targets trade 'cheaters'

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking a comprehensive review of the massive trade deficit totaling more than $500 billion per annum with 16 countries, including China and India.

He also signed a second order that seeks to strictly enforce anti-dumping laws. It would ensure that the US fully collects all duties imposed on foreign importers that "cheat", Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The announcement, which comes just days ahead of Trump's first meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, is widely seen as targeting China, even though US officials have insisted that it does not single out that country.

"They're cheaters. From now on, those who break the rules will face the consequences and there will be very severe consequences," Trump said without naming any country.

The first order directs the Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative to examine the factors causing the trade deficit that totals more than $500 billion per annum and submit a report within 90 days.

The review of the factors and violations behind the trade deficits will be led by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Trump said.

"We're going to investigate all trade abuses, and based on those findings, we will take necessary and lawful action to end those many abuses. I'm not beholden to any political or financial interest. I don't care. I'm here to do a job," he said while insisting that he was acting for the "American worker". (READ MORE)