MALAYSIANS would be familiar with the fact that the bumiputeras form the biggest proportion of households in the bottom 40% in terms of income. Data from the Economic Planning Unit for 2014 shows that bumiputera households accounted for 44.7% of those in the B40 category, defined as households wi...

Cover Story: Income gap between rich and poor Chinese widens

ARE you willing to pay more than double the price of a washing machine or refrigerator as interest payment? While the figure may seem exorbitant, these are the prices the poor have been paying for many consumer durables.

The annual percentage rate (APR) or annualised interest charged on...

Cover Story: Higher interest rates disadvantage the poor

YANTI (not her real name) was afraid to let her teenage daughter go to school. The night before, a schoolgirl had been found hanged in their neighbourhood, a dense collection of low-cost flats in Bandar Sunway, a prosperous township in Selangor. She had been raped and then killed, the mother of t...

Cover Story: The growing wealth gap - A fate we can’t afford

JAKARTA (March 30): Authorities have urged both the local government and the public to remain vigilant for potential aftershocks, following a 5.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, on Sunday morning.

Authorities urge vigilance, calm after 5.4 magnitude quake hits Indonesia’s Banda Aceh

KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): Malaysia has pledged an initial sum of RM10 million in humanitarian aid to support the people of Myanmar who were affected by Friday's devastating earthquake, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

PM: Malaysia pledges RM10m in humanitarian aid for earthquake-hit Myanmar

BANGKOK (March 30): The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has urged building owners and occupants across the capital to appoint certified inspectors to assess structural integrity and carry out any necessary repairs, reinforcements, or upgrades to ensure public safety.

Earthquake: Bangkok urges building owners to conduct safety inspections

Aid rushes into Myanmar after earthquake kills over 1,600, ravages cities

SEOUL (March 30): South Korea, China and Japan held their first economic dialogue in five years on Sunday, seeking to facilitate regional trade, as the three Asian export powers brace for US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

South Korea, China, Japan agree to promote regional trade as Trump tariffs loom

KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): Three Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officers involved in an altercation with a balloon vendor on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman last Friday (March 28) have been temporarily relieved of their duties.

DBKL officers relieved of duties pending probe into balloon vendor incident

PUTRAJAYA (March 30): The rising trend of individuals declaring bankruptcy voluntarily is becoming a growing concern, signalling that many are struggling with severe financial difficulties.

Insolvency DG warns of rising trend in self-declared bankruptcy

SUBANG (March 30): Fifty members of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) left for Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on Sunday morning on a humanitarian aid mission and to participate in the search and rescue (SAR) operations for earthquake victims.

Earthquake: 50 SMART team members leave for SAR mission to Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): All parties are urged to stop and always be mindful of making comments, or expressing views that may lead to tension and disrupt the harmony of the country's multi-racial society.

Dewan Rakyat speaker urges all parties to refrain from making racist comments

(March 29): President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine expected a strong response from Western countries to the nearly daily Russian drone attacks on its territory.

Zelenskiy says Ukraine expects strong Western response to Russian drone attacks

KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): Kota Kinabalu’s property landscape continues to evolve — this time with The Peninsula, a 14.85‑acre mixed‑use development built on reclaimed land. In this week’s cover story, City &amp; Country sits down with Trillium Development Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Clement Chu to explore the vision and masterplan behind the project.&nbsp;

Making a bold move in Kota Kinabalu

KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): Established by Sardinian-born entrepreneur Renzo Frau in 1912, luxury Italian furniture maker Poltrona Frau is the definition of a heritage brand. Through its use of the finest materials and painstaking craftsmanship, the 113-year-old company is a mainstay in the high-end interior décor industry, celebrated for its opulent and distinctly European look.&nbsp;

Man of the house

BANGKOK (March 29): Myanmar's military rulers let in hundreds of foreign rescue personnel on Saturday, after an earthquake killed more than 1,600 people, the deadliest natural disaster to hit the impoverished, war-torn country in years.

Myanmar quake death toll passes 1,600, as junta lets in foreign rescuers

KOTA KINABALU (March 29): A young man from Keningau, who was a victim of a job scam syndicate in Cambodia, was rescued early Friday morning and repatriated to Malaysia that night.

Young man rescued from Cambodia job scam repatriated to Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA (March 30): The rising trend of individuals declaring bankruptcy voluntarily is becoming a growing concern, signalling that many are struggling with severe financial difficulties.

SUBANG (March 30): Fifty members of the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (SMART) left for Naypyidaw, Myanmar, on Sunday morning on a humanitarian aid mission and to participate in the search and rescue (SAR) operations for earthquake victims.

SEOUL (March 30): South Korea, China and Japan held their first economic dialogue in five years on Sunday, seeking to facilitate regional trade, as the three Asian export powers brace for&nbsp;US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

Aid rushes into Myanmar after earthquake kills over 1,600, ravages cities

KUALA LUMPUR (March 29): Festive season airfares have remained lower and controlled this year, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook..

Festive season airfares to Sabah, Sarawak remain low, controlled — Loke

HOUSTON (March 29): The US government has notified foreign partners of Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA of the imminent cancellation of authorisations that allow them to export Venezuelan oil and byproducts, sources close to the decision by US President Donald Trump's administration said on Saturday.

US to revoke authorisations to foreign partners of Venezuela's PDVSA — Reuters

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Hamas agrees to Gaza ceasefire proposal, the group's chief says

KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): Three Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) enforcement officers involved in an altercation with a balloon vendor on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman last Friday (March 28) have been temporarily relieved of their duties.

(March 29): President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Saturday that Ukraine expected a strong response from Western countries to the nearly daily Russian drone attacks on its territory.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 30): All parties are urged to stop and always be mindful of making comments, or expressing views that may lead to tension and disrupt the harmony of the country's multi-racial society.

BANGKOK (March 30): The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has urged building owners and occupants across the capital to appoint certified inspectors to assess structural integrity and carry out any necessary repairs, reinforcements, or upgrades to ensure public safety.

JAKARTA (March 30): Authorities have urged both the local government and the public to remain vigilant for potential aftershocks, following a 5.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, on Sunday morning.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 30):&nbsp;Malaysia has pledged an initial sum of RM10 million in humanitarian aid to support the people of Myanmar who were affected by Friday's devastating earthquake, said Prime Minister&nbsp;Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Rash Behari Bhattacharjee and Samantha Ho