Latest news with #MALAYSIA
The Star
22-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Korea Import Fair 2025 boosts trade opportunities for Malaysian exporters
The People & Pixel team connecting with Matrade officer Ainul Zahra Ahmad Razei (left) at the Korea Import Fair 2025. Following its successful ventures into Germany, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand, the company is now looking to expand into South Korea. MALAYSIA made a notable debut at the Korea Import Fair 2025, held from July 7 to 9 at COEX, Seoul. Spearheaded by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade), the Malaysia Pavilion showcased 12 companies and one government agency, securing over RM120mil in exports prospects. Malaysia recorded the highest participation among Asean nations, highlighting its commitment to strengthen its foothold in the Korean market. The participation followed a strategic collaboration between Matrade and the Korea Importers Association (Koima), supporting efforts to boost exports under the Look East Policy and ahead of the anticipated Malaysia-Korea Free Trade Agreement (MKFTA).
The Sun
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Malaysia Ganyang Macau 110-59 di BAJC 2025
MALAYSIA got off to a strong start in the 2025 Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) mixed team event, beating Macau China in their Group B opener in Solo, Indonesia, today. The Malaysians thrashed their opponents with a score of 110-59 in the match held at the Manahan Indoor Stadium. The national team is scheduled to face Myanmar, followed by Singapore, in their next Group B matches tomorrow. This year's BAJC edition features a new format in which each team must play 10 matches — comprising two men's singles, two women's singles, two men's doubles, two women's doubles and two mixed doubles. Each match consists of one game of 11 points, and the first team to reach 110 points is declared the winner. Only the champion in each group qualifies for the quarter-finals. In the last edition in Yogyakarta, Malaysia won bronze - BERNAMA
The Sun
18-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
BAJC 2025: Malaysia crush Macau China in group B opener
MALAYSIA got off to a strong start in the 2025 Badminton Asia Junior Championships (BAJC) mixed team event, beating Macau China in their Group B opener in Solo, Indonesia, today. The Malaysians thrashed their opponents with a score of 110-59 in the match held at the Manahan Indoor Stadium. The national team is scheduled to face Myanmar, followed by Singapore, in their next Group B matches tomorrow. This year's BAJC edition features a new format in which each team must play 10 matches — comprising two men's singles, two women's singles, two men's doubles, two women's doubles and two mixed doubles. Each match consists of one game of 11 points, and the first team to reach 110 points is declared the winner. Only the champion in each group qualifies for the quarter-finals.
The Sun
12-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
MA target better gold medal haul in Thailand
MALAYSIA Athletics (MA) are targeting to surpass the five-gold medal tally achieved in the previous edition at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand this December. MA president Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said the association already have a specific target, which will be announced by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh ahead of the biennial Games. 'The minister will speak on behalf of all Malaysian sports, including MA... we've already discussed the target during our meetings. 'Of course, on our part we want to do better than in 2023 — if we win less, that would be unacceptable,' he told a press conference at Wisma OCM here today. For the record, the national athletics squad brought home five gold, three silver and 11 bronze medals at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia. The five gold medals were contributed by Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin in the men's discus throw, Andre Anura Anuar (men's triple jump), Umar Osman (men's 400 metres), Grace Wong (women's hammer throw), and Shereen Samson Vallabouy in the women's 400m. Meanwhile, Shahidan also announced the list of athletes currently qualified under Category A, including sprint ace Muhammad Azeem Fahmi, Umar Osman, Andre Anura, Muhammad Irfan, Jonah Chang Rigan (shot put), and Wan Muhammad Fazri Wan Zahari (800m) for the men's team. He said the four female athletes are Shereen, Grace, Queenie Ting Kung Ni (discus throw), and Nani Shahirah Maryata (shot put), while both the men's and women's 4x100m relay teams are being considered as potential Category A qualifiers. 'Category A means the athlete is among the top three in the ASEAN region. Athletes in Category A will be fully funded by the National Sports Council (NSC),' he said, adding that 20 athletes currently fall under Category B. The 2025 SEA Games are scheduled to be held from December 9 to 20. In addition, Shahidan stated that the NSC have agreed to appoint six new athletics coaches, namely Andrew Lulham, Jorge Luis Alfaro Quinones, Yunaika Crawford Rojer, Muhammad Hakimi Ismail, Mohd Robani Hassan and Lo Choon Sieng.
Straits Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Malaysia moves to clean up its street food scene with shiny new kiosks topped with solar panels
While the project has generally been given the thumbs up by the public, criticisms include low traffic and poor earnings at some locations. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT MALAYSIA/FACEBOOK Malaysia moves to clean up its street food scene with shiny new kiosks topped with solar panels KUALA LUMPUR - Mr Syed Nurul Fakhri was selling nasi kandar under a flimsy canopy in Petaling Jaya city for five years, setting up his stall in the mornings and packing things up in the evenings to avoid his utensils from being stolen overnight. That routine changed a month ago when he received the keys to a new kiosk, solar-powered with LED lights and a lockable door, in the same area. 'I am very thankful for the kiosk,' the 45-year old told The Straits Times. 'I can lock up my things. They won't go missing.' The clean surroundings where similar kiosks have also been set up by the Malaysian government has helped sales of his nasi kandar, or rice served with curries and other dishes. The monthly rent of RM120 (S$36) is 'reasonable', he said, adding that it's early days yet. His takings were as much as RM500 a day previously. He is among thousands of Malaysian street hawkers who are giving these shiny new food kiosks a try, with the government sinking RM150 million into MyKiosk. The project was launched in 2023 to give small traders the opportunity to run their businesses legally, in a standardised, safe and hygienic environment, as well as relocating them to more strategic locations. After selling nasi kandar under a canopy for five years, Mr Syed Nurul Fakhri now runs his business at a brand-new MyKiosk in the same area. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN The project's main promoter is the hard-charging Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, who said the government is giving a leg up to small traders, many of whom operate in unregulated conditions. Street hawkers all over the country often set up makeshift stalls by the roadside, selling drinks, banana fritters and fried noodles, among other things. 'With MyKiosk, we are 'legalising' their businesses by offering free rental for the first six months and (thereafter) a maximum rental rate of RM10 per day,' Mr Nga said earlier in May . Vendor Mohd Azizan, who rents a kiosk in the same location in Selangor state as Mr Syed Nurul, said: 'Customers say the place looks clean and attractive. This is better and more comfortable for me too.' Since moving into his kiosk on May 14, daily sales for his rojak buah (Asian fruit salad) have jumped from RM100 to between RM180 and RM200. Still, not everyone has had such a positive start. Ms Jamilah (not her real name), used to sell nasi lemak near bustling Jalan Tun Razak in capital Kuala Lumpur for two years, setting up her stall under a shady tree. There was no rent to pay, so she enjoyed good earnings. But like other street vendors in Malaysia, operating without a licence could get her into trouble when the municipal authorities conducted their regular checks. 'I used to sell nasi lemak by the roadside. Sales were better, but I got chased away by the authorities. I applied for this (kiosk) because it's legal,' she said. Ms Jamilah moved to her RM300-a-month kiosk in the Klang Valley area in September 2024, more than 5km away from her former spot. Business is still 'quite slow', she says, with daily sales of around RM300 to RM400 a day compared to about RM500 prior to the move. While the MyKiosk project has generally been given the thumbs up by the public for cleaning up the street food scene, criticisms include low traffic and poor earnings at some locations, as well as shortcomings about water and electricity supply. Mr Nga, the Cabinet minister, had praised the solar panels atop each kiosk, saying these eliminated electricity bills, but some vendors have posted on social media and spoken to reporters about the solar power generated lasting for only about four hours in the evenings. Others pointed to the lack of water supply or even a sink for washing, and that some kiosks were in low-traffic areas, which resulted in poor sales. 'The location is not so good. I advertised on Facebook, but some people (still) couldn't find my kiosk,' said Ms Jamilah. She said the solar power generated at her kiosk usually lasts for four to five hours from 6pm, and there is no piped-in water or available supply nearby. 'I have to bring my own mineral water supply and a power bank for additional lights,' she added. The ceiling has also been leaking and there was what looked like mould growth in her kiosk, she said. 'I was told I had to fix it myself. I painted over the 'mould', but it came back. It isn't safe for the food,' she added. Another vendor in that same location closed shop after just a month due to poor sales, she noted. In Selangor's Pandan Jaya township, of the 10 kiosks available for rent, only one was rented out and that, too, was shut when ST visited on an afternoon on May 27. In Selangor's Pandan Jaya township, of the 10 kiosks available for rent, only one was rented out and that, too, was shut when ST visited on an afternoon on May 27. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN Mr Mike Chong Yew Chuan of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a member of the multi-coalition government, told ST there were concerns over transparency, pricing discrepancies, procurement, and overall governance of the MyKiosk programme. He said that Mr Nga has said kiosks in the Perak cities of Taiping and Ipoh were built at RM13,000 each. But in Melaka state, the same kiosk model cost up to RM22,000. 'Even after accounting for transport and local logistics, such a price gap is indefensible,' he said. On May 22, the housing ministry submitted documents related to the MyKiosk initiative to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, insisting that no funds were misused. Mr Nga said that a RM25,000 kiosk was be the ceiling price per unit for the project, and that some kiosks had been constructed for as little as RM13,000 through open bidding by local councils. He said MyKiosk was managed by local municipal councils, with 795 contractors participating in the project, thereby ruling out allegations of cronyism. He said price differences also stemmed from major upgrades in the improved version of the kiosks, rolled out under MyKiosk 2.0. These include larger solar energy capacity, improved electrical systems such as LED lighting, hydraulic windows and better-designed modules. 'These are Malaysia's first green energy kiosks,' Mr Nga said, noting that the new solar panels could generate electricity for up to 12 hours compared to four in the previous version. According to his ministry, the MyKiosk 1.0 project achieved a 87.74 percent uptake, while MyKiosk 2.0 that was launched in December 2024 has a 65.44 per cent take-up rate. A row of MyKiosks in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, yet to be occupied. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN Responding to criticisms that the kiosks were located in poor low-traffic areas in Johor, state housing and local government exco member Mohd Jafni Md Shukor said it would review the MyKiosk locations. 'I have told the 16 local councils statewide to brainstorm and relocate those kiosks to more strategic places. We should help to promote the locations and offer training courses to the traders in need so they can improve their food products,' he was quoted as saying on May 23 by The Star daily. In a separate venture to clean up street hawking, the government has also been boosting the food-truck scene by setting aside car parks and open areas for open-air dining in the evening, all over Malaysia. The Covid-19 pandemic led to a boom in the food truck industry as many jobless Malaysians scrambled to find ways to stay afloat. Hazlin Hassan is Malaysia correspondent at The Straits Times. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
