KUALA LUMPUR: Khazanah Nasional Bhd is intensifying efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s industrial capabilities, talent pipeline and strategic infrastructure as global supply chains continue to shift amid geopolitical tensions and trade fragmentation.In The Khazanah Report 2025, managing director Datuk Amirul Feisal Wan Zahir said Malaysia’s next phase of development would depend not only on attracting investments but also on ensuring they translate into stronger domestic capabilities, deeper industrial linkages and higher-value economic activities.”The next phase of development, however, will depend not on attracting more investment alone, but on whether those investments strengthen firms, deepen industrial linkages and build higher-value capabilities.“Otherwise, the…
Author: Isla
Regional shipping specialist PT Samudera Indonesia Tbk (SMDR) has announced a strategic expansion of its intra-Asia container network with the launch of a new weekly liner service through the Port of Kuala Tanjung in North Sumatra. The deployment is engineered to upgrade industrial freight connectivity across western Indonesia by establishing a direct maritime pipeline to the key regional transshipment hubs of Singapore and Malaysia. The addition of the North Sumatran gateway addresses growing industrial demand for streamlined supply chain operations outside the congested marine terminals of Jakarta. Optimizing Export-Import Efficiency Along the Malacca Strait Kuala Tanjung is positioned adjacent to…
JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities need to provide firm policy guidance and unveil concrete steps to improve sentiment after last week’s sell-off that pummelled stocks and the currency, according to analysts, who say investors will remain unconvinced by assurances alone.Market participants will largely be in a wait-and-see mode ahead of Bank Indonesia’s interest rate decision on June 18, and MSCI Inc’s review of the country’s investability later this month, analysts said.In the meantime, suggestions of a reshuffle of policymakers will add to uncertainty, they said, even as the Finance Ministry and central bank unveiled another measure over the weekend to support bond…
Authorities in Hong Kong have issued a warning to citizens against gambling on foreign betting websites during the World Cup, reiterating that those doing so can be prosecuted under the city’s Gambling Ordinance. In comments reported by the South China Morning Post, Chief Inspector Wong Yu-fai said, “Some online gambling websites claim they are legally registered overseas, but anyone gambling on these so-called legal websites in Hong Kong may already have committed the offence of betting with a bookmaker.” According to the SCMP, Wong also warned against the use of VPNs or other means to access foreign sites, noting that…
Emirates Shipping Line (ESL) has announced the launch of its new China Subcontinent Express 2 (CSX2) container service. This new weekly direct link is engineered to connect major manufacturing ports across China with critical maritime gateways in the Indian Subcontinent, providing a reliable transportation alternative to handle accelerating bilateral trade volumes. The service expansion updates ESL’s regional liner infrastructure, offering specialized routing for industrial, automotive, and consumer electronics trade flows. Strategic Port Rotation and Mid-Year Commencement The regular weekly service relies on an optimized port rotation designed to secure competitive transit windows between East Asia and South Asia’s major commercial…
The bustling metropolis of southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality, known as the “Mountain City,” has launched a large-scale lighting plan to create an even more dazzling night-time cityscape aimed at boosting tourism and consumption. The city, known for its steep terrain, spectacular skyscrapers and towering river bridges, gives planners unusual scope to shape an even more distinctive skyline view. As part of the project, a more than 16-square-kilometer core area has been designated, where brightness, color and timing are synchronized to form a spectacular nightscape. “This graphic shows the brightness zones. In the past, buildings operated their lights independently. Now, we’re…
The Pentagon on Monday added some of China’s biggest companies to a blacklist of firms accused of aiding Beijing’s military, a move likely to stir tensions between the superpowers. The entrants to the 1260H list include tech giants Alibaba and Baidu, EV behemoth BYD, a leading robot-maker, and a top biotech firm. While the list doesn’t automatically trigger sanctions, it complicates companies’ ability to work with the US government, and creates reputational risk. Washington had previously released the list in February, only to unpublish it minutes later, underscoring how the Trump administration has proven “at odds with itself” over its…
Lowndes County Schools is opening a new Agricultural Education Food Processing Center near Lowndes High School, giving community members access to industrial food preservation equipment for a fraction of what it would cost commercially.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: Lowndes County Schools opens food processing center to fight hunger and boost ag education Families can bring in fruits, vegetables, soups, jams, and other homegrown or purchased foods to be canned, preserved, or processed — all while following safe food preservation techniques guided by agricultural educators.School leaders say the facility is about more than preserving food — it’s about fighting food insecurity.Through USDA-supported…
A tragic road accident on Dubai’s Emirates Road has claimed the lives of seven people and left nine others injured after a minibus crashed into a stationary truck, according to Dubai Police. Authorities said preliminary investigations revealed that the truck had developed a technical fault and came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the highway. The minibus driver reportedly failed to maintain a safe following distance or notice the obstruction in time, resulting in a rear-end collision. Confirming the incident, Brigadier Juma Salem bin Suwaidan, Director of the General Department of Traffic at Dubai Police, said the Command…
By Michael Martina and David Shepardson WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. on Monday issued an updated list of Chinese companies it believes are aiding Beijing’s military, including e-commerce group Alibaba, Internet search provider Baidu and automaker BYD. The long-awaited update supersedes a list from early 2025, and comes less than a month after President Donald Trump met China’s Xi Jinping on a visit to Beijing, where the two leaders maintained a delicate trade war truce. In February, when Trump’s trip to China had been pending, the Pentagon briefly posted an updated list, known as the 1260H or CMC…