Latest news with #ambassador
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Malaysia taps career diplomat as new US ambassador
Shahrul Ikram Yaakob served for 34 years in the diplomatic service, including two stints in the US. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia has tapped a career diplomat as its new ambassador to the US, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks tariff relief from Washington. Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, who retired as the secretary-general of Malaysia's foreign affairs ministry in 2022, will be the new envoy, although his appointment has yet to be ratified by Washington, the people said, asking not to be identified because they're not authorised to speak publicly. The 64-year-old is currently an independent non-executive director at state-controlled conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd. The foreign affairs ministry, the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur and Sime Darby couldn't immediately comment on Friday. The position has been vacant for more than three months even as Malaysia negotiates with the US to bring levies on the Southeast Asian nation down from the 24% that President Donald Trump has pledged to impose. The previous ambassador, Nazri Aziz, ended his two-year stint in Washington in February. The outcome of the tariff talks will be crucial for trade-reliant Malaysia, which counts the US as its largest export market and China as its biggest trading partner, making it vulnerable to the trade war between the world's two largest economies. Shahrul served for 34 years in the diplomatic service, including two stints in the US. He was first secretary to the embassy in Washington in the 1990s, and was the country's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York from 2017 to 2018, according to his professional biography on Sime Darby's website. He also had stints as Malaysia's ambassador to Qatar and Austria.
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Malaysia Taps Career Diplomat as New US Ambassador Amid Tariffs
Malaysia has tapped a career diplomat as its new ambassador to the US, according to people familiar with the matter, as the Southeast Asian nation seeks tariff relief from Washington. Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, who retired as secretary-general of Malaysia's Foreign Affairs Ministry in 2022, will be the new envoy, although his appointment has yet to be ratified by Washington, the people said, asking not to be identified because they're not authorized to speak publicly.
CNN
3 days ago
- General
- CNN
‘Unbearable': Palestinian envoy breaks down at UN discussing children in Gaza
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN made an emotional address, saying more than 1,300 children have been killed in Gaza since Israel ended the ceasefire in March.
Al Arabiya
5 days ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Finland summons Russian ambassador over suspected airspace violation
Finland's foreign ministry said on Monday it had summoned Russia's Helsinki ambassador to ask for an explanation regarding a suspected violation of Finnish airspace that took place last week. The Baltic Sea region is on high alert after a string of power cable, telecom link and gas pipeline outages since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, with the NATO alliance boosting its presence in the area with frigates, aircraft and naval drones.
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump nominates Darryl Nirenberg as new US ambassador to Romania
WASHINGTON, May 21 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has chosen Darryl Nirenberg, a lawyer and former U.S. Senate staffer, to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Romania. The White House and State Department have yet to comment on the outcome of Romania's presidential election on Sunday, which was won by the centrist mayor of Bucharest, Nicusor Dan, who defeated a far-right candidate. Nirenberg, a longtime Washington lawyer currently at Steptoe & Johnson law firm, was chief of staff for late Republican Senator Jesse Helms, a conservative who died in 2008, and was a counsel for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The nomination requires approval by the U.S. Senate, which is dominated by Trump's fellow Republicans.
