<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 28): Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Bakar, the current Treasury Secretary-General, has been appointed as the new and 14th Chief Secretary to the government, effective tomorrow.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Ismail replaces Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, who held the post since 2012 and is due for retirement tomorrow.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>In a Twitter post, Ali said: “I am presenting a Nota Serah Tugas (handover note) to @IsmailBakar60 who will replace me as the 14th Chief Secretary to the government. Congratulations and good luck, DS (Ismail)!”</p></div><div class=inPageAd id=div-gpt-ad-inpage></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>In June, Ismail was named as the Treasury Secretary-General, replacing Tan Sri Irwan Serigar whose tenure&nbsp;was cut short not long after the Pakatan Harapan coalition was installed as the government following a resounding&nbsp;victory in the 14th general election on May 9.</p></div>


KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 28): Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Bakar, the current Treasury Secretary-General, has been appointed as the new and 14th Chief Secretary to the government, effective tomorrow.

Ismail replaces Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, who held the post since 2012 and is due for retirement tomorrow....

Ismail Bakar named as new Chief Secretary to govt

Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to Azerbaijan's president for a "tragic incident" which happened in Russian airspace involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that crashed after air defences were used against Ukrainian drones.

Putin apologises to Azerbaijan's Aliyev over 'tragic incident' with plane in Russian airspace

Former tycoon Lim Oon Kuin has been declared bankrupt in Singapore, following the collapse of his oil trading empire.

Singapore oil mogul declared bankrupt after empire collapsed

The recent Court of Appeal decision in the case of Zuraida Bte Kamaruddin v Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail stirred interest not just within the legal fraternity but caused public disquiet due to its wide-reaching implications on the political scene and society at large.

Establishing the reasonable price of disloyalty

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has asked the country's regulators, including the financial and competition watchdogs, to remove barriers to growth in an effort to revive a sluggish economy, Sky News reported on Saturday.

UK's Starmer asks regulators to prioritise economic growth — report

The next interest rate cut by the European Central Bank could be longer in coming after a recent uptick in inflation, ECB Governing Council member Robert Holzmann was quoted as saying on Saturday.

Next ECB rate cut could be longer in coming, Holzmann says

China’s central government urged local authorities to offer handouts to people struggling with the cost of living, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a notice from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

China urges local govts to give cash handouts for New Year — report

All applications for pardons related to offences committed in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya must be submitted to the Pardons Board, which is chaired by the King, said the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC).

AGC: All applications for pardons in Federal Territories must be made to Pardons Board

The future of gas transit through Ukraine is at a turning point. If a last-minute deal isn’t struck by Wednesday, billions of cubic meters in gas flows could come to a halt.

Ukraine-Russia gas transit deal faces critical moment of truth

Japan’s financial regulator ordered AEON Bank Ltd to fix its anti-money laundering system, saying it failed to detect and report suspicious activities by clients.

Japan's regulator orders AEON Bank Japan to fix money laundering gaps

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain filed a RM3 million defamation lawsuit against blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo.

IGP files defamation suit against Papagomo

<p>Former tycoon Lim Oon Kuin has been declared bankrupt in Singapore, following the collapse of his oil trading empire.</p>


<p>The year 2024 has been a blockbuster one for Malaysia in terms of investment announcements, as global big names Microsoft Corp, Google LLC and more recently Oracle Corp disclosed multi-year billion-ringgit investments into the country.</p>


A blockbuster year for foreign investment

<p>China will reduce import tariffs on ethane and certain recycled copper and aluminium raw materials from next year, the government said on Saturday.</p>


China to cut import tariffs on some recycled copper and aluminium raw materials

<p>Thailand and Malaysia are strengthening bilateral relations with an aspiring plan to achieve US$30 billion (RM134.22 billion) bilateral trade target by 2027, while prioritising greater cross-border trade promotion and facilitation in key sectors.</p>


Thailand, Malaysia set sight on US$30b trade by 2027, greater cross-border ties

<p>The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a continuous rain warning at the alert level for several areas in Sabah until Dec 30.</p>


MetMalaysia warns of continuous rain across four states

<p>All applications for pardons related to offences committed in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya must be submitted to the Pardons Board, which is chaired by the King, said the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC).</p>


<p>Rapid KL’s rail services will operate until 3am, while selected bus routes will run until 3.30am on Jan 1 to ease congestion during New Year’s Eve celebrations for 2025.</p>


Rapid KL extends operating hours for New Year's Eve celebrations

<p>Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain filed a RM3 million defamation lawsuit against blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo.</p>


<p>The future of gas transit through Ukraine is at a turning point. If a last-minute deal isn’t struck by Wednesday, billions of cubic meters in gas flows could come to a halt.</p>


<p>China’s central government urged local authorities to offer handouts to people struggling with the cost of living, <em>Xinhua News Agency </em>reported, citing a notice from the Ministry of Civil Affairs.</p>


<p>Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to Azerbaijan's president for a "tragic incident" which happened in Russian airspace involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that crashed after air defences were used against Ukrainian drones.</p>


<p>Jeff Bezos’ aerospace firm Blue Origin fired up the engines on its massive new rocket, the New Glenn, on Friday — a last critical test needed to pave the way for the vehicle’s debut launch to space.</p>


Blue Origin fires up engines on new rocket ahead of debut launch

<p>The recent Court of Appeal decision in the case of <em>Zuraida Bte Kamaruddin v Saifuddin Nasution bin Ismail</em> stirred interest not just within the legal fraternity but caused public disquiet due to its wide-reaching implications on the political scene and society at large.</p>


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<p>British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has asked the country's regulators, including the financial and competition watchdogs, to remove barriers to growth in an effort to revive a sluggish economy, <em>Sky News</em> reported on Saturday.</p>


<p>The next interest rate cut by the European Central Bank could be longer in coming after a recent uptick in inflation, ECB Governing Council member Robert Holzmann was quoted as saying on Saturday.</p>
