World Bank loans $200m

JCorp says it does not own or operate any plantations outside Malaysia.

Indonesia could gain critical defence technology, investment and export opportunities through a new multi-nation defence pact with Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan, but analysts warn its success hinges on turning high-level ambition into concrete projects. The four Muslim-majority nations signed the Badr Memorandum of Understanding in Doha on Wednesday. The agreement outlines a framework for defence “cooperation and integration” across joint research and development, training exchanges and industrial...

PARLIAMENT | Loke says govt revenue collections cannot be used as company operational funds, payment delay serious agreement breach.

The collision of two Philippine Air Force training aircraft that killed four pilots has raised questions about whether the service’s training, maintenance and safety systems can keep pace with Manila’s ambitions to acquire more advanced combat aircraft. The crash, which occurred during a fly-by rehearsal at Fernando Air Base in Lipa City, Batangas province, south of Manila, on Friday has renewed calls for a comprehensive review of the Air Force’s ageing fleet, pilot instruction, maintenance...

MCA president hopes to achieve a breakthrough soon.

PARLIAMENT | Minister denies lawyers being targeted, says due process should be followed.

Team maintains that the cat has been released; netizens demand proof of life.

A bus fitted out ⁠with oxygen tanks is ⁠providing a sanctuary in a ⁠city on Indonesia’s Borneo island, where people are choking from forest-fire-induced haze and the blazes show no sign of letting up. Indonesia regularly battles seasonal forest fires, predominantly on Sumatra and Borneo islands, but this year the infernos are the most intense in ‌more than a decade. An intense El Nino weather phenomenon has driven up temperatures, leaving the country’s vast forests and peatlands more vulnerable...

We will see how situation develops, Ismail adds.

UPDATED 4.03PM | They are unconvinced by assurances of a thorough probe and support calls to establish IPCMC.

More than one in 10 Malaysian men have borrowed money to pay for dates, while nearly six in 10 usually pick up the entire bill, a survey has found. The findings come as rising living costs place a financial strain on romance in Malaysia, where money worries are increasingly complicating plans for marriage and starting a family. According to the Dating Expenditure Survey in Malaysia, released on Tuesday by independent policy research firm LEGASI Research, 13.2 per cent of male respondents...

Police have recorded statements from nine people, Alwi says.