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☆ Malaysia to allow visa-free entry to Chinese, Indian nationals from Dec. 1
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Malaysia will grant visa-free entry to citizens of China and India for stays of up to 30 days starting on Dec. 1, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. According to government data, Malaysia recorded 9.16 million tourist arrivals between January and June this year, with 498,540 from China and 283,885 from India. That compared to 1.5 million arrivals from China and 354,486 from India in the same period of 2019, prior to the pandemic. The move follows similar measures implemented by neighbouring Thailand to boost its vital tourism sector and stimulate its sluggish economy, with Chinese and Indian nationals among those exempted this year. Currently, Chinese and Indian nationals must apply for visas to enter Malaysia.

Persons: Lai Seng, Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar, Danial Azhar, Martin Petty Organizations: Kuala, Kuala Lumpur International, REUTERS, People's Justice Party, Malaysia, Thomson Locations: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Singapore, Sepang, KUALA LUMPUR, China, India, Thailand

☆ Jailed Malaysia ex-PM Najib discharged from hospital after testing negative for COVID-19 - spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks to journalists outside the Federal Court during a court break, in Putrajaya, Malaysia August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has been discharged from hospital and returned to prison after testing negative for COVID-19, a spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday. Najib, 70, is serving a 12-year prison sentence after being found guilty of graft and money laundering in a case related to a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal. He was admitted to hospital last week after testing positive for COVID-19. Reporting by Rozanna LatiffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Najib Razak, Lai Seng, Najib, Rozanna Organizations: Malaysian, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Putrajaya, Malaysia, KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysian

☆ Malaysia fails to appeal ex-PM Najib's acquittal in 1MDB audit tampering case
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks to journalists outside the Federal Court during a court break, in Putrajaya, Malaysia August 23, 2022. Najib, 70, is serving a 12-year jail sentence for another corruption case linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The attorney-general's chambers was expected to appeal Najib's acquittal earlier this year of a charge of abusing his position as prime minister to amend a government audit into 1MDB . But Najib's lawyers at Shafee & Co said in a statement, "the prosecution evidently found no grounds for appeal" and did not file the petition. Anwar has maintained that the move to drop the case, which triggered a widespread public backlash, was made without his interference.

Persons: Najib Razak, Lai Seng, Anwar Ibrahim, Anwar, Najib, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Danial Azhar, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Malaysian, REUTERS, 1Malaysia Development, Shafee, U.S . Justice Department, Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, Thomson Locations: Putrajaya, Malaysia, KUALA LUMPUR, 1MDB

☆ Malaysia's Muhyiddin, Anwar race to form government as turmoil drags on
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Malaysian former Prime Minister and Perikatan Nasional Chairman Muhyiddin Yassin waves as he leaves after Malaysia's 15th general election in Shah Alam, Malaysia November 20, 2022. Anwar's multi-ethnic coalition won the most number of seats in the Saturday election with 82. King Al-Sultan Abdullah, whose largely ceremonial role includes the power to appoint as prime minister a lawmaker he believes will command a majority, could play a decisive role. Massive corruption, mostly related to the looting of billions of dollars from sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (IMDB), for which former prime minister Najib Razak was jailed earlier this year, seriously wounded UMNO's image. During his time in opposition, Anwar spent a decade in jail on convictions for sodomy and corruption, which he says were politically motivated.

☆ Malaysia votes in general election, Anwar seen leading tight race
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( A. Ananthalakshmi | Rozanna Latiff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Malaysian Caretaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob stands in a line to vote during Malaysia's 15th general election in Bera, Pahang, Malaysia November 19, 2022. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s ruling Barisan coalition and another bloc led by former premier Muhyiddin Yassin are other leading contenders. Muhyiddin’s alliance was a junior partner in Ismail’s coalition government, and the two could come together again to block Anwar. That was on par with turnout at the same time in the previous election in 2018, reflecting the increase in voters, political analyst Bridget Welsh told Reuters. Anwar was the top choice for prime minister at 33%, followed by Muhyiddin at 26% and Ismail at 17% in the Merdeka survey.

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Reuters) - A new coalition led by former Malaysian prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin was leading a hotly contested general election on Saturday, with opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim a close second, early results from the Election Commission showed. The other main contender - Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition - was losing ground in traditional strongholds to Muhyiddin's bloc, the results showed. As of 1630 GMT, the Election Commission had announced results for 123 of the 222 parliamentary seats. [1/6] Malaysian Caretaker Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob stands in a line to vote during Malaysia's 15th general election in Bera, Pahang, Malaysia November 19, 2022. The top issues are the economy, along with corruption, as several leaders from the Barisan Nasional coalition face graft accusations.

[1/5] The supporters of The National Front coalition, Barisan Nasional, shout slogans outside a nomination centre on nomination day in Bera, Pahang, Malaysia November 5, 2022. REUTERS/Lai Seng SinKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Malaysian political leaders began their election campaigning on Saturday for what is set to be a close race, with incumbent Prime Minister Ismail Sabri facing off with veterans Anwar Ibrahim and Muhyiddin Yassin. The election comes as the Malaysian economy is expected to ease due to a global slowdown, impeding a recovery from a pandemic-induced slump. Inflation is also rising, with the Malaysian central bank increasing interest rates this week for the fourth straight time. The leaders are not working together in this election.

☆ Malaysia's Mahathir fears Najib would walk free if graft-tainted party wins polls
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks to journalists outside the Federal Court during a court break, in Putrajaya, Malaysia August 23, 2022. REUTERS/Lai Seng SinKUALA LUMPUR, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Malaysia's veteran politician and opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad predicted on Tuesday that disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak would be released from jail if his graft-tainted ruling party wins an upcoming general election. "Should they be able to win and form the government, that is the first objective, not about the welfare of the people," Mahathir, who had two stints as prime minister, told a news conference. They were both prosecuted, along with other party leaders, after UMNO lost the 2018 election for the first time in Malaysia's history as voters punished the party for 1MDB and other corruption scandals. Investigators have said some $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB - co-founded by Najib during his first year as prime minister in 2009 - and that over $1 billion went to accounts linked to Najib.

☆ APPEC: Vitol CEO says Russian fuel to come to Asia and Mideast
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterVitol CEO Russell Hardy speaks during the 20th Asia Oil & Gas Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia June 24, 2019. REUTERS/Lai Seng SinSept 26 (Reuters) - Russian fuel is expected to come to Asia and the Middle East and fuels produced there are expected to flow to the West, said Russell Hardy, chief executive officer of Vitol, at the 38th Annual Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) 2022. More than a million barrels per day of U.S. crude is expected to go to Europe to fill the gap in Russian supplies, he said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Chen Aizhu and Jeslyn Lerh; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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