GEORGE TOWN, May 12 — The Penang state government is ready to host a music rave festival in the state with appropriate locations, budget and sponsors, said state exco Wong Hon Wai.

The state tourism and creative economy committee chairman said the state is open to hosting a variety of music festivals provided it is in a suitable location, with an appropriate budget and sponsors.

“In fact, back in 2024, during the Penang Bridge International Marathon, we held a rave music festival in Batu Kawan but it was mostly attended by the runners,” he told the state legislative assembly today.

“Many people may not have known about it because it was held around 9pm to 10pm, but participants who attended were able to enjoy the experience of running alongside entertainment and music elements,” he added.

Wong (PH - Paya Terubong) was replying to an additional question by Joseph Ng Soon Siang (PH - Air Itam) on whether the state plans to organise a rain rave festival.

In 2024, a Run Rev Carnival was held at Aspen Vision City in Batu Kawan on December 14 between 6pm and 1am before the start of the marathon.

The carnival featured performances by Bunkface, Rabbit Mac as well as DJs Tick Lim and Blink with live band performances.

Wong said Penang is focused on promoting experiential tourism to visitors on top of promoting the existing tourism attractions in the state.

“Visitors can have good experiences such as a visit to Penang Hill is not only about visiting the hill but can also include other experiences such as hiking up the trails, camping overnight and going for night walks,” he said.

He said the state also aims to focus more on interactive visitor experiences based on heritage, culture and nature to attract various segments of domestic and international tourists.

He said this is why the state is open to organising music festivals to attract visitors and enliven the tourism and sporting events in the state.

“With the appropriate budget, suitable location and the right organiser, I think we can continue with more music festivals in the future,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wong said the Penang government, through Penang Global Tourism (PGT), is planning various strategic initiatives to strengthen the state’s tourism attractions in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

He said among the new attractions in the state included the Penang State Museum Board Automotive Gallery, Guar Kepar Archaeological Gallery, Ferringhi Bay and the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre.

He added that the Lin Xiang Xiong Art Gallery, Penang History Gallery, Penang Indian Heritage Gallery and Cultural Centre, Penang Ferry Museum and Straits Oriental Museum have also been introduced.

“In addition, several tourism products based on interactive experiences are also being developed such as the Penang River Cruise, Entopia by Night, Penang Hill Gallery @ Edgecliff, Umi Umi and Forest Island,” he said.

He said PGT is intensifying various marketing efforts domestically and internationally, including through digital campaigns via the Penang Travel Deals platform.

Wong said other efforts include familiarisation trips involving media representatives and travel agents, as well as participation in trade missions and tourism exhibitions in key and emerging markets such as China, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and India.

He added that strategic collaborations are also being forged with airlines, online travel agencies and media partners to promote Penang as one of the country’s leading tourism destinations.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today congratulated Tamil actor C. Joseph Vijay for becoming the new chief minister of Tamil Nadu following his stunning political debut recently.

Hailing Vijay as his “friend”, Anwar said the 51-year-old actor’s Oru Viral Puratchi — or “one-finger revolution” in Tamil — is currently “on the cusp of creating history”.

The Oru Viral Puratchi refers to Vijay’s 2018 political blockbuster, Sarkar, which depicted Vijay as a prominent business magnate entering politics to take down a corrupt government.

“For many years, his adoring fans watched him defeat corrupt politicians and assorted villains within three hours, usually after a short interval.

“The people of Tamil Nadu have now entrusted Vijay with a responsibility far greater than any role performed on screen,” Anwar said in a Facebook post today.

Anwar also expressed hope to work closely with Vijay, saying that Malaysia and Tamil Nadu share deep historical, cultural and people-to-people ties across generations.

Vijay’s party, the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), won 108 seats and emerged as the single largest party in its first election attempt last month.

However, it fell short of the 118-mark required to form the government but managed to secure the support of 120 assemblymen with the help of the Indian National Congress and smaller, left-wing parties.

Vijay was sworn in as the state’s chief minister on Sunday, making him the first movie star to rule the southern Indian state in a decade.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin has cautioned that it is the “wrong time” to remove RON95 fuel subsidies for higher-income Malaysians, warning of broader inflationary and economic risks.

She said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement that the government has agreed in principle to remove subsidies for higher-income groups raises fundamental questions that must be addressed before any final decision is made.

First, she questioned whether the timing is appropriate given risks of inflation, contracting consumption, and a potential economic slowdown.

“Fuel price hikes are never contained within a single demographic; they ripple through the entire supply chain,” she said.

She added that many in the T15 and T20 categories are small business owners, service providers and employers, meaning higher transport and operational costs would likely be passed on to consumers.

“This creates a secondary wave of inflation for essential goods and services, ultimately hurting other lower-income groups,” she said.

Yeo said the T15 and T20 groups are also key drivers of domestic private consumption, and higher fuel costs could dampen demand in retail, hospitality and services sectors.

She warned that the combined impact of inflation and weaker domestic consumption could worsen an already fragile economic outlook amid global uncertainties, including tensions in the Middle East.

She said subsidy rationalisation must be carefully managed to avoid unintended macroeconomic consequences, noting that the government is likely to introduce stimulus measures to cushion economic pressures.

“Putrajaya must answer this: is there truly a net positive impact on the economy when the government uses one hand to remove subsidies—effectively increasing inflation and reducing demand—and the other to cushion it through a supplementary budget?” she said.

Yeo said the government must consider the broader fiscal impact, including potential stimulus spending required to offset economic slowdown.

She added that the worst time to remove subsidies is during a crisis when expansionary fiscal policy, rather than contractionary measures, is needed to support the economy.

Even if subsidy removal proceeds, she questioned how eligibility would be determined fairly beyond a simple income threshold.

Yeo said gross household income alone is a blunt instrument, noting that living costs vary significantly by location and household obligations.

She said a household earning RM13,000 may live comfortably in rural areas but struggle in the Klang Valley when factoring in housing, childcare, education and elderly care.

She also warned that if the T15 threshold is implemented, nearly one-third of households in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, and 40 per cent of households in Putrajaya, could be affected.

“This policy risks further squeezing the urban middle class, many of whom are already struggling to keep up with the high cost of living,” she said.

Yeo said using household income as the sole criterion is fundamentally unfair as it ignores geographical cost differences and household responsibilities.

She also warned that any implementation system, whether through ID verification or tiered pricing, could lead to congestion at petrol stations and create opportunities for a grey market and corruption.

In conclusion, Yeo said the removal of RON95 subsidies carries major structural implications and should not be rushed.

“Putrajaya must prove with data that this move will not trigger an inflationary spiral or a net economic loss before asking the people to bear this burden,” she said.

“Fiscal reform should not become a code word for squeezing the urban middle class to their breaking point,” she added.

She said Malaysia should be strengthening the economy during volatile global conditions, not risking a self-inflicted cost-of-living crisis.

LOS ANGELES, May 12 — A woman who served as mayor of a California city has been charged with acting as an illegal agent of the Chinese government, the Department of Justice said yesterday.

Eileen Wang, 58, the mayor of Arcadia, a city just north of Los Angeles with a population of about 50,000, has agreed to plead guilty to the felony charge, the department said in a statement.

Wang resigned from her post as mayor on Monday, according to the Arcadia City Council’s website.

Acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government carries a maximum term of 10 years in prison in the United States.

The Justice Department said Wang and an accomplice, Yaoning Sun, promoted pro-Chinese propaganda through a website they operated called US News Center serving the local Chinese American community.

“Wang and Sun received and executed directives from (Chinese) government officials to post (pro-Chinese) content on the website,” it said.

Sun pleaded guilty in 2025 to acting as an illegal agent of a foreign government and is serving a four-year prison sentence.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing this week and meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. — AFP

NEW YORK, May 12 — The top prosecutor in Texas filed a lawsuit against Netflix yesterday, accusing the streaming giant of improperly collecting users’ data and designing its platform to be addictive.

“When you watch Netflix, Netflix watches you,” reads the opening section of the 59-page lawsuit filed in state court at a Dallas-area courthouse by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton describes the streamer as a giant data repository where it tracks and logs users’ viewing habits, preferences and “other sensitive behavioral data,” according to a press release that describes Netflix as spying on Texas kids and consumers.

Netflix provides these inputs to advertisers so they can better target the company’s subscribers, the suit alleges.

The lawsuit also accuses Netflix of employing techniques that would make young viewers become addicted to the platform.

These include an “autoplay” function that activates on the default setting, including for children, meaning once one show ends, another episode automatically begins.

“This lawsuit lacks merit and is based on inaccurate and distorted information,” Netflix said in a statement to AFP.

“Netflix takes our members’ privacy seriously and complies with privacy and data?protection laws everywhere we operate.”

Paxton, who is engaged in a tight primary contest for US Senate against incumbent John Cornyn, said in a statement: “Netflix is not the ad-free and kid-friendly platform it claims to be.”

“Instead, it has misled consumers while exploiting their private data to make billions,” he added.

The suit asks for injunctions prohibiting Netflix from collecting or disclosing data on consumers during the litigation.

The complaint also seeks civil penalties of up to US$10,000 (RM39,308) for each violation of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, a Texas state law. — AFP

WASHINGTON, May 12 — President Donald Trump warned the ceasefire in the Middle East war was on “life support” yesterday after rejecting the latest counteroffer from Iran, which said its military stood ready to respond to any act of aggression.

The president’s angry reaction to Iran’s position—delivered in response to a US proposal—sent oil prices soaring and dashed hopes that a deal could be quickly negotiated to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping.

After slamming the reply as “TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE,” Trump insisted the United States would see a “complete victory” over Iran, adding that the truce which has largely halted fighting in the Gulf for over a month was on its last legs.

“The ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a one percent chance of living,’” he told reporters on Monday.

Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who served as chief negotiator in previous talks with Washington, said shortly afterwards that his country was prepared “for any eventuality.”

“Our armed forces are ready to respond and to teach a lesson for any aggression,” he wrote on X. “A bad strategy and bad decisions always lead to bad results—the world already understands this.”

The developments unnerved global energy markets already thrown into chaos by the war and the overlapping blockades imposed by Iran and the US in the Strait of Hormuz—a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments.

“The energy supply shock that began in the first quarter is the largest the world has ever experienced,” the CEO and president of Saudi oil giant Aramco, Amin Nasser, told investors.

“If the Strait of Hormuz opens today, it will still take months for the market to rebalance, and if its opening is delayed by a few more weeks, then normalisation will last into 2027.”

Hunger and starvation 

Aside from energy, the world also faces a shortage of fertiliser—much of which comes from Gulf ports—and hence food for tens of millions of people.

Jorge Moreira da Silva, executive director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), told AFP there were just a few weeks left to avert a potentially “massive humanitarian crisis.”

“We may witness a crisis that will force 45 million more people into hunger and starvation.”

Trump did not say what had offended him in Iran’s response, but Tehran’s foreign ministry said it had called for an end to the US naval blockade of its ports and to the war “across the region”—implying a halt to Israel’s strikes targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Crucially, ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told reporters Iran demanded the “release of assets belonging to the Iranian people, which have for years been unjustly trapped in foreign banks.”

This would be not just a return to the status quo before the US and Israel launched the war on February 28, but a victory in the Islamic republic’s long-standing campaign against its economic isolation.

“We did not demand any concessions. The only thing we demanded was Iran’s legitimate rights,” Baqaei said.

An end to international sanctions would diminish Washington’s leverage over Tehran as it tries to secure a lasting end to Iran’s nuclear enrichment.

The US, Israel and their allies have long accused Iran of seeking atomic weapons, an accusation Tehran has repeatedly denied.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the conflict would not end until Iran’s nuclear facilities were destroyed.

The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the matter, said Iran’s counterproposal had included the possibility of diluting some of its highly enriched uranium, with the rest transferred to a third country.

‘Restraint over’ 

The lack of a path to a resolution has focused concern on the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran is restricting maritime traffic and setting up a payment mechanism to charge tolls for crossing ships.

US officials have stressed it would be “unacceptable” for Tehran to control the international waterway.

Trump told Fox News that he was considering reviving a short-lived US operation to guide oil tankers and other commercial ships through the Hormuz, but that he had not yet taken a final decision.

Saudi sources previously told AFP that Saudi Arabia had prohibited the US from using its airspace and bases for the operation the first time around, fearing “it would just escalate the situation and would not work.”

Seeking to increase economic pressure on Iran, the United States issued sanctions against 12 individuals and entities that it said facilitated the sale and shipment of Iranian oil to China.

It listed three Iran-based individuals and nine companies—based in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates—as being subject to the new sanctions.

As part of its blockade, the US Navy has at times fired on ships to disable them, or boarded and diverted them.

In a social media post on Sunday, the spokesman for the Iranian parliament’s national security commission warned Washington: “Our restraint is over as of today.”

“Any attack on our vessels will trigger a strong and decisive Iranian response against American ships and bases,” Ebrahim Rezaei said. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Police have busted an online investment scam syndicate operating through a call centre following three separate raids in Sitiawan and Lumut on May 8, according to Sinar Harian.

Manjung police chief ACP Hasbullah Abd Rahman said the raids were carried out by officers and personnel from the district police headquarters’ Commercial Crime Investigation Division and Narcotics Criminal Investigation Division.

He said the operation led to the arrest of 10 Chinese men and three Chinese women, aged between 23 and 46, believed to be involved in non-existent online investment scams.

“Also seized during the operation were two vehicles, 44 mobile phones, 11 laptops, two WiFi modems and an access card for the premises,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Hasbullah said initial investigations found the syndicate was using the premises as a “calling centre” to run online investment scams.

According to the report, the group targeted victims from the United States and several European countries using Telegram and WhatsApp to search for potential customers.

He said the syndicate is believed to have deceived victims by offering investment opportunities through fake websites before persuading them to make financial transactions.

He said all suspects have been remanded for six days until May 14 to assist investigations under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating and Section 120B of the Penal Code for criminal conspiracy.

Hasbullah advised the public to remain cautious and not be easily deceived by online investment offers promoted on social media.

He said the public should verify investment schemes with authorities such as the police, Bank Negara Malaysia and the Securities Commission Malaysia before participating.

He also urged those with information related to commercial crimes to contact the nearest police station or the Manjung district police headquarters operations room at 05-688 6222 or via WhatsApp hotline at 017-682 8005.

MAY 12 — Tourism is a vital pillar of Malaysia’s economy, contributing approximately 15 per cent to GDP. It is a major source of foreign exchange, jobs, and infrastructure development. It drives growth through the multiplier effect in hospitality, transport, and retail, while diversifying the economy beyond manufacturing. It serves as the second-largest foreign exchange earner, significantly strengthening the national balance of payments. 

The industry is labour-intensive, creating numerous jobs directly in hotels and travel agencies, as well as indirectly in retail, food, and handicraft sectors. Money spent by tourists circulates through the local economy, benefiting small and medium enterprises (SMEs), such as local restaurants, tour operators, and transportation services. To support the industry, the government invests in better transportation, public amenities, and facilities, which also benefit local residents. As part of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), tourism remains a key focus for long-term sustainable growth in Malaysia. 

This year 2026 is Visit Malaysia Year. The world travel industry has spent the last two years in survival mode, lurching from crisis to crisis. But a recent white paper forces us to stop firefighting and look at the horizon. Titled “Four Scenarios for the Future of Travel and Tourism”, the analysis isn’t just another trend forecast. It’s a stark map of four distinct destinations where we might end up, depending on the collective choices we make today. Having read through the findings, one thing is clear: the old “build it and they will come” model is dead. But what replaces it is terrifyingly uncertain.

Tourists crowd the area around the KLCC area, reflecting how global travel continues to surge — but raising questions about whether tourism is becoming more about volume than meaningful experience. — Picture by Hari Anggara

There are four scenarios in the paper. One is the “Tech-Topian” Bubble. In this scenario, technology solves everything. Biometrics speed you through airports, AI curates the perfect personalised itinerary, and virtual reality previews eliminate the risk of a disappointing vacation. On the surface, this is the dream of every Silicon Valley boardroom. Efficiency is king. But reading this scenario, there is anxiety. If we optimize the process of travel to perfection, do we sterilise the soul of it? The white paper hints at this frictionless future, but it fails to scream loudly enough that friction is where memory lives. Getting lost, struggling with a menu, and navigating a chaotic market — that is the travel we actually remember. If we cede control to algorithms entirely, we risk turning the planet into a series of perfectly curated, but utterly hollow experience.

Next is the “Recalibration”. This is the post-pandemic dream that many of us bought into. We travel slower, stay longer, and prioritize community impact over Instagram likes. The high cost of carbon force us to explore closer to home. The white paper presents this as a viable, even noble, path. But we must be honest about the economic reality of this “Recalibration.” It is a luxury product. To travel “slowly” requires time — a commodity most of the global workforce does not have. This scenario risks creating a two-tiered system: the wealthy, who can afford a month-long sustainable retreat in Tuscany, and everyone else, who gets the leftovers. If we push this too hard without addressing economic inequality, “sustainable travel” becomes just another status symbol.

Perhaps the most terrifying scenario is the price war. Consumers chase the absolute lowest price. Airlines unbundle until there is nothing left to unbundle. This is the “budget airline” mentality applied to the entire planet. It is exploitative, extractive, and exhausting. The white paper correctly identifies that this path leads to cultural homogenisation and worker burnout. Yet, we see signs of it everywhere: the rise of dynamic pricing that feels like price gouging, the nickel-and-diming of hotel guests, and the gigification of the tourism workforce. We are sliding into this scenario because we are addicted to volume. The fragmented world is another scenario. This is the geopolitical nightmare. Travel is weaponised. Borders slam shut based on political whims, visa regimes become punitive, and data localisation laws trap travellers in digital bubbles. You can only go where your passport — and your government — allows.

The white paper doesn’t tell us which scenario is “right.” If there is one takeaway, it is this: The future is a consequence of our investments. The industry — from policymakers in Brussels to hoteliers in Bali — must decide which scenario to bet on. If we keep investing in technology solely for cost-cutting, we get the soulless price war. If we invest in technology for cultural connection and accessibility, we might just salvage the Tech-Topia. The next decade will not be decided by tourists. It will be decided by the boards, the bureaucrats, and the builders who read papers like this and finally realise that the goal isn’t just to move more people. It’s to move them better.

** The author is affiliated with the Tan Sri Omar Centre for STI Policy Studies at UCSI University and is an Adjunct Professor at the Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, Universiti Malaya. He can be reached at ahmadibrahim@ucsiuniversity.edu.my.  

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.  

OAKLAND, May 12 — Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said today he was “very proud” of his company’s profitable early investment in OpenAI, as he took the stand in Elon Musk’s blockbuster lawsuit against the leaders of the AI giant behind ChatGPT.

Musk—an early benefactor of the original nonprofit company—claims Microsoft knowingly helped OpenAI’s creators betray their philanthropic mission and turn the firm into a cash cow.

The trial has laid bare strife within a circle of elite Silicon Valley engineers, investors and executives in the years leading up to the high-profile launch of the ChatGPT chatbot in 2022.

In his lawsuit, Musk accuses OpenAI of betraying its original nonprofit mission and misappropriating his founding donations totaling US$38 million (RM149 million) to build an empire now valued at over US$850 billion.

The Tesla and SpaceX founder is calling for OpenAI to revert to its original status as a nonprofit—a move that would impact its position in the global artificial intelligence race against Anthropic, Google and China’s Deepseek.

OpenAI counters that Musk, who is now an AI competitor with his xAI, is motivated by petty revenge, having stormed off in a huff after failing to seize majority control.

Nadella told a jury in Oakland, California, on Monday that Microsoft’s investment in the nonprofit arm, which now owns around a quarter of OpenAI Group PBC—the firm behind ChatGPT—had helped create “one of the largest, most well-funded nonprofits in the world.”

Musk’s attorney said internal Microsoft documents showed the computer behemoth actually had its eye on profit, rather than on helping to nurture a philanthropic AI service, having seen its initial US$13 billion investment balloon to be worth US$92 billion four years later.

“It has worked out well because we took the risk,” said Nadella, of a stake that is now estimated to be worth US$135 billion.

“If the pie became larger, obviously the nonprofit would benefit as well with their mission - and that’s what in fact it’s proven out,” he said.

Musk’s lawyers suggested Microsoft was instrumental in OpenAI’s pivot toward being a commercial company, citing Nadella’s 2023 boast: “We have the people, we have the compute, we have the data, we have everything.”

That year, when several members of OpenAI’s board ousted company founder Sam Altman, citing a tendency to obfuscate, Nadella moved to shore him up.

“I would also try to make sure that Sam and Greg (Brockman, his co-founder) don’t create a competing company and they would join Microsoft,” he told the court.

The morning after Altman was fired, Microsoft had already established a subsidiary company to welcome them and acquire the equity stakes of any employees who chose to follow them - a move one of the co-founders estimated would have cost approximately US$25 billion.

After a five-day crisis, Altman was ultimately reinstated at OpenAI.

‘Making money’ 

Altman is expected to take the stand today or tomorrow, ahead of closing arguments later in the week.

An advisory jury is expected to reach a verdict on any actual wrongdoing by the week of May 18.

Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will then make the final ruling on both liability and remedies after hearing the jury’s opinion. She has indicated she will likely follow their advice.

If Gonzalez Rogers ultimately sides with Musk, OpenAI’s initial public offering could be jeopardized.

The trial has already heard gripping testimony.

Last week, co-founder Greg Brockman—whose stake in OpenAI is valued at US$30 billion—came under fire about his 2017 diary entries including one in which he appeared keen on “making money for us.”

Musk’s lawyers seized on the entries to portray Brockman as a calculating opportunist.

Brockman also told lawyers that Musk physically threatened him in 2017 after Musk was refused absolute control of OpenAI.

Musk on Wednesday announced a major partnership with Anthropic, OpenAI’s top rival, to allow it to use the compute capacity at SpaceX’s largest data centre. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman Mohd Kamri Kamaruddin has urged for the immediate completion of Section 2 of the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) for the safety and comfort of residents.

He said delays to the project are causing residents to continue facing traffic congestion, unsafe road conditions and safety risks at construction sites, including mudflow and the potential for landslides.

“Residents in my constituency have waited far too long, and they want the project completed quickly for the sake of daily convenience, smoother traffic flow and the safety of those living near the project area,” he told reporters during a working visit to the highway here yesterday.

The visit was also attended by the Malaysian Highway Authority director-general Mohd Hadzmir Yusoff, the Prime Minister’s Department Public-Private Partnership Unit director-general Muhammad Razman Abu Samah and WZR Group executive chairman Wan Nadzir Wan Mohamad.

The eight-kilometre project was originally due for completion in 2019, but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It was later rescheduled for completion in March this year before being pushed back again to the end of the year.

Mohd Kamri said a site visit yesterday showed that much of the construction work was still incomplete, with work reportedly halted for the past week.

“I still remember when the Prime Minister officiated EKVE Phase 1 previously, PMX (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) said in his speech that ‘Fasa 2 kena jaga… kalau lambat, kamu jaga!’ (Phase 2 must be properly taken care of… if it is delayed, you will be held responsible).

“If the delays continue, the risk of rising project costs will increase and it will ultimately affect the overall implementation of the project, including the interests of the public,” he said.

Meanwhile, WZR Group Legal and Corporate Affairs director Ahmad Fazli Ahamad Nordin said the delay in completing the highway was due to cash flow issues as well as a sharp increase in the cost of key construction materials such as bitumen, premix, concrete and crusher run.

“Due to cash flow constraints faced by the concession company, WZR, as the main contractor, had no choice but to halt construction activities at the site temporarily.

“If the issue can be resolved quickly by the bank, we will be able to resume work at the project site as soon as possible and complete the highway as scheduled,” he said. — Bernama 

ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 12 — Police have confirmed receiving reports of four houses in Bukit Indah here that were set ablaze, believed to have been targeted in petrol bomb (Molotov cocktail) attacks on Friday and Saturday.

In a statement, Iskandar Puteri district police headquarters said investigations are being carried out under Section 5(2) of the Moneylenders Act 1951 and Section 435 of the Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Iskandar Puteri Member of Parliament Liew Chin Tong visited the scene of the incident, which is believed to have been carried out by an unlicensed moneylending syndicate (Ah Long) from Singapore.

In a Facebook post, Liew expressed his appreciation to Bukit Indah police station chief Inspector J.M. Alvin Sudesshen for his swift action upon receiving the report.

The Perling state assemblyman also expressed support for the residents’ initiative to enhance safety facilities.

He added that welfare assistance will be channelled to those affected and follow-up actions will be taken. — Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — The ringgit opened higher against a basket of major currencies, including the US dollar, ahead of the release of key United States (US) economic data later tonight that could reinforce expectations for the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to keep interest rates unchanged, said an analyst.

At 8am, the local unit inched up to 3.9200/9300 against the greenback, compared with yesterday’s close of 3.9220/9260.

Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chief economist Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid said the US consumer price index (CPI) for April will be announced tonight, with headline and core CPI expected to increase by 3.7 per cent (March: 3.3 per cent) and 2.7 per cent (March: 2.6 per cent), respectively.

“Hence, the Fed may keep the rate steady while the odds for an interest rate cut this year would stay low.

“As such, the ringgit is expected to remain in sideways trading mode in the near term as the geopolitical risks remain heightened with a high-stakes meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set to take place this week,” he told Bernama.

At the opening, the ringgit traded mostly higher against a basket of major currencies.

It appreciated against the Japanese yen to 2.4925/4990 from 2.4955/4983 at Monday’s close and strengthened versus the British pound to 5.3312/3448 from 5.3331/3383 yesterday, but eased against the euro to 4.6162/6280 from 4.6150/6197 previously.

At the same time, the local currency was traded mixed against regional peers.

It was up against the Singapore dollar to 3.0883/0964 from 3.0887/0921 at the close yesterday, and gained against the Indonesian rupiah to 225.1/225.7 from 225.2/225.5 previously. 

However, the ringgit was almost flat against the Philippine peso to 6.41/6.43 from yesterday’s close of 6.41/6.42 and weakened versus the Thai baht to 12.1374/1759 from 12.0900/1083 previously. — Bernama