<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>PENANG: PAS only needs a simple majority to push through its hudud bill in Parliament. The Islamist party’s aim to implement hudud or the Syariah Criminal Enactment in Kelantan depends on whether it can get Umno to support a private member’s bill in the Dewan Rakyat. Political analyst Dr Wong Chin Huat of the Penang Institute said the bill required only a simple majority of all MPs in the Dewan Rakyat at the time of voting. This means PAS can get it through if all Umno MPs also say yes to it. Parliament has 222 members. PAS has 21 MPs and Umno 88 and if the latter support it, then it would bring the number of MPs who support the bill to 109. In order to defeat the bill, there must be at least 110 votes against it. This means almost all PKR, DAP and other Barisan Nasional MPs opposed to the bill must vote against it. “If you abstain from voting on the bill, it is giving passive consent without responsibility,” said Wong. — The Malaysian Insider</div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>&nbsp;</div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on March 23, 2015.</div><div class=inPageAd id=div-gpt-ad-inpage></div>

PENANG: PAS only needs a simple majority to push through its hudud bill in Parliament. The Islamist party’s aim to implement hudud or the Syariah Criminal Enactment in Kelantan depends on whether it can get Umno to support a private member’s bill in the Dewan Rakyat. Political analyst Dr Wong Chi...

Only simple majority needed to pass bill

WASHINGTON (April 16): US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday warned that the US intends to hit Iran with new sanctions in coming days over its unprecedented attack on Israel, and these actions could seek to reduce Iran’s capacity to export oil.

US to hit Iran with new sanctions in ‘coming days’, Yellen says

KUALA LUMPUR (April 16): The Unity Secretariat meeting, held on Tuesday night, discussed preparations to strengthen machinery and the working mechanism of parties within the Unity Government, in preparation for next month’s Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election.

Saifuddin Nasution: Unity Secretariat discussed machinery preps for Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election

WASHINGTON (April 16): Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone strike on Israel is unlikely to prompt dramatic sanctions action on Iran’s oil exports from the Biden administration due to worries about boosting oil prices and angering top buyer China, said analysts.

Biden unlikely to cut Iran’s oil lifeline after Israel attack

KUALA LUMPUR (April 16): Here is a brief recap of some business news and corporate announcements that made the headlines on Tuesday:

MyEG, HeiTech Padu, Apex Healthcare, Globetronics Technology, Kossan Rubber, Tomei, GDEX, Serba Dinamik, Alpha IVF and Comfort Gloves

KUALA LUMPUR (April 16): The 14-year-old daughter of Lahad Datu police chief ACP Dzulbaharin Ismail was found dead in a pool of blood, in a room at her home in Taman Tabanak, Lahad Datu on Tuesday.

Teen daughter of Lahad Datu police chief found dead in pool of blood

KUALA LUMPUR (April 16): The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) plays an instrumental investment facilitator role in removing obstacles for prospective investors, said Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.

Zafrul: Mida a vital instrument to remove obstacles for prospective investors

NEW YORK/BENGALURU (April 16): The Dow Jones Industrial Average outshone its peers on Tuesday, following upbeat results from health insurer UnitedHealth, while higher Treasury yields and conflict in the Middle East kept investors on edge.

Dow up on UnitedHealth boost; higher bond yields, Mideast tensions cap gains

KUALA LUMPUR (April 16): Comfort Gloves Bhd said two subsidiaries of the group have commenced legal action over an additional tax demand totalling RM99.3 million by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

Comfort Gloves’ units go to court over RM99 mil additional tax demand

Tesla Inc shares extended their decline for 2024, pushing the electric-vehicle (EV) maker’s market valuation below US$500 billion (RM2.40 trillion), as a round of job cuts this week further soured sentiment around the company.

Tesla’s value declines below US$500b as risks pile up

Federal Reserve (Fed) vice chair Philip Jefferson said he expects inflation to continue to moderate, with interest rates at their current level, but persistent price pressures would warrant holding borrowing costs high for longer.

Fed’s vice chair sees steady rate helping to push down inflation

Datuk Abdul Rahman Ahmad will return to Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) as its president and group chief executive effective July 1, 2024, the government-linked investment company said.

CIMB’s Abdul Rahman Ahmad returns to PNB as president, group chief executive

Analysts are positive on Malaysia’s pilot green power exports to Singapore using existing infrastructure in both countries, following establishment of the platform enabling cross-border trading of green electricity, the Energy Exchange Malaysia (Enegem).

Analysts positive on pilot green power exports to Singapore; name Tenaga, YTLP as top picks

The Ministry of Transport clarified on Tuesday that the higher contract value of RM190.01 million awarded to HeiTech Padu Bhd for Road Transport Department (JPJ) services was only due to a longer extended contract duration.

Loke: Higher contract value awarded to HeiTech Padu due to longer extended duration

Outsourced semiconductor assembly and testing (OSAT) player Globetronics Technology Bhd is in the final stages of discussion with two prospective clients interested in leveraging advanced packaging technology.

Globetronics in final talks with two potential customers for advanced packaging

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said his ministry has no objection to MMC Corp Bhd divesting a stake in MMC Port Holdings Sdn Bhd, including to foreign entities, as long as it does not contravene the government's policy that requires 51% ownership of major national assets to remain with local companies.

Loke says MMC Port free to sell stake to foreign firms, but govt has to be notified of shareholding changes

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is unleashing a barrage of trade restrictions against China as she seeks to follow through on a pledge to make the EU a more relevant political player on the global stage.

EU goes on China trade offensive after getting ‘played’ 

China’s rapidly expanding petrochemicals industry is making life increasingly difficult for producers in Asia’s next-biggest exporter of the building blocks for making plastics. 
&nbsp; 
Asia’s largest economy used to be the major market for South Korean companies like LG Chem Ltd and Lotte Chemical Corp. But the exporters of the chemicals used to make everything from nylon to disposable bottles and car interiors are now being forced to downsize their operations after a frenzy of petchem-plant building in China over the last few years created a supply glut. &nbsp;

China’s growing plastics dominance is squeezing out Asian rivals

Gold is set to reach US$3,000 (RM14,381.71) an ounce over the next six to 18 months on increasing investor inflows amid expectations that the Federal Reserve will eventually cut interest rates, Citigroup Inc said, adding to a roll call of Wall Street banks that have raised forecasts.

Gold seen hitting US$3,000 at Citi as investor inflows juice rally

Practice Note 17 (PN17) company Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd said it had been granted an extension of time until May 15 by Bursa Malaysia to submit its regularisation plan.

Bursa grants Serba Dinamik second extension of time until May 15 to submit regularisation plan

ISKANDAR PUTERI (April 16): The Johor government wants to develop a multi-tiered Automated Rapid Transit (ART) system in Johor Bahru to address traffic congestion in the city.

MB: Multi-tiered Automated Rapid Transit system planned to overcome Johor Bahru congestion

The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) will draw up a comprehensive semiconductor strategic plan to ensure that Malaysia continues to be the chosen investment destination for this strategic industry, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar: Miti to draw up comprehensive semiconductor strategic plan

HSBC Holdings plc has started a new round of job cuts at its Asia investment bank amid a slump in dealmaking across the region, according to people familiar with the matter.

The London-based lender cut around a dozen bankers across its investment banking division in Asia on Tuesday, one of the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter.&nbsp;

HSBC slashes a dozen investment bankers in Asia on deals slump

Workers in Singapore can now ask for four-day work weeks, more work-from-home days and staggered work timings starting from Dec 1, underscoring the global trend of governments and companies relaxing office arrangements in order to retain talent.

Singapore orders all employers to consider employees’ flexi-time requests

Bursa Malaysia ended lower for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, tracking the weak global sentiment due to the Middle East conflict, said an analyst. &nbsp;

Bursa closes lower, tracking weak global sentiment

Most central banks across Asia are likely to begin cutting interest rates later in the year — if at all, according to economists at Morgan Stanley, as the Federal Reserve delays its own policy easing.

Morgan Stanley sees US Fed cut delay pushing back easing in Asia

Tesla's global job cuts include reducing staff in the US&nbsp;and China, the automakers' two biggest markets, across sales, tech, and engineering, five sources briefed on the matter said.

Chief executive officer Elon Musk on Monday told staff in an&nbsp;internal memo&nbsp;seen by Reuters that the company is laying off more than 10% of its global workforce, as it grapples with falling sales and an intensifying price war for electric vehicles.

Tesla's global job cuts include leading markets US, China

KUALA LUMPUR (April 16): Malaysian airlines will be hurt by higher fuel costs, even as escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are not expected to dent ticket sales, analysts said.

Local airlines may feel heat from rising oil prices as Middle East tensions simmer — analysts

Here’s a quick look at some of the stories that made headlines today.

EVENING 5: Five things you need to know today

1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) on Tuesday failed to transfer its case concerning its US$6.59 billion (RM31.58 billion) suit against its former president Arul Kanda Kandasamy and former Treasury secretary general Tan Sri Dr Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah from the Civil High Court to the Commercial High Court.

1MDB fails to transfer suit against Arul Kanda and Irwan to another court

MIDF Research expects crude palm oil (CPO) prices to moderate in the second quarter of 2024 (2Q2024), yet predicts a month-on-month (m-o-m) increase of 4.6%&nbsp;to RM4,410.5 per tonne in April due to&nbsp;mild El&nbsp;Niño events.&nbsp;