KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Bhd has entered into a conditional share purchase agreement to acquire Permodalan Nasional Bhd’s (PNB) entire 61.2% stake in UMW Holdings Bhd for RM3.57bil cash or RM5 per share. Once the agreement becomes unconditional, the group said it will undertake a general offer for the remaining …

MOSCOW (Reuters) -U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich had his pre-trial detention extended by three months by a Russian court on Thursday, Interfax reported, on charges of espionage that he denies. The Moscow court extended the detention of the Wall Street Journal reporter to Nov. 30 from Aug. 30. Gershkovich was present …

(Reuters) – Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen will continue with Haas next year in an unchanged lineup, the U.S.-owned Formula One team said on Thursday. The German and his Danish team mate have both scored points this season, with Hulkenberg’s seventh place in Australia in April their best result of …

YANGON: Myanmar authorities have handed over two men suspected of involvement in online scams targeting Chinese citizens to Beijing authorities, state media reported Aug 24. Criminal syndicates are accused of kidnapping or luring citizens of China and other countries to lawless enclaves along Myanmar’s northern and eastern borders and forcing …

PASIR GUDANG: The air quality reading in Pasir Gudang was normal as of noon Thursday (Aug 24) following a gas leak at PLO 408, Idemitsu (M) Sdn Bhd in Jalan Pekeliling the day before. The Johor Environment Department said it had also placed monitoring equipment in the surrounding residential areas …

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin discussed overcoming political divisions with predecessor Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday, in his first meeting as premier as he prepares to form a cabinet from a crowded 11-party alliance that includes fierce rivals. Srettha sailed through a parliamentary vote to become premier on …

HONG KONG: Asian shares rallied on Thursday after blockbuster results from tech darling Nvidia boosted Wall Street and a retreat in U.S. bond yields eased pressure on borrowing costs globally. A round of soft manufacturing surveys had also revived hopes central banks were done tightening, though that might change depending …

KOTA KINABALU: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is not a “debt trap”, says a Chinese diplomat. China’s consul general in Kota Kinabalu, Huang Shifang, said this allegation spun by certain quarters was untenable. “China has always carried out investment and financing cooperation with developing countries based on the principle …

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea appears to have made progress in its space program, despite a second rocket failure on Thursday, but its unusually quick launch pace may be causing problems, analysts said. North Korea’s second attempt to place a spy satellite in orbit failed after the booster experienced a …

NEW DELHI: Oil prices eased on Thursday amid disappointing economic data from key economies and as investors await a speech by U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday for clues on interest rates. Brent crude fell 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $83.02 a barrel by 0619 GMT, while U.S. …