US: Hope Fire Rages Near Kettle Falls, Washington, Burning About 7,000 Acres

The Hope Fire continued to rage between Kettle Falls and Northport, Washington, burning nearly 7,000 acres with no containment of the fire as of Thursday, July 10. Level 3 evacuations have been in effect and the fire cause is currently under investigation.

Malaysia's manufacturing PMI remains subdued in April

STORY: Malaysia's manufacturing PMI remains subdued in April DATELINE: May 3, 2023 LENGTH: 00:03:12 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 2. various of Kuantan Port 3. various of visuals at the factory areas in Klang Valley STORYLINE: The seasonally adjusted S&P Global Malaysia Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was unchanged at 48.8 in April, signaling that business conditions remained challenging for firms. S&P Global Market Intelligence said in a statement on Tuesday that the index has been at its joint highest level since September last year, suggesting a tentative recovery in operating conditions since the turn of the year. According to the research house, the latest PMI reading suggested that Malaysia's gross domestic product (GDP) growth is running at a similar level to that seen in the final quarter of 2022, as well as modest year-on-year improvements in official industrial production data. While the

Economists see slower growth for Malaysia in 2023 amid weak external demand

STORY: Economists see slower growth for Malaysia in 2023 amid weak external demand DATELINE: Feb. 14, 2023 LENGTH: 00:03:31 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Malaysia's national flag and street views of Kuala Lumpur 2. various of paddy field 3. various of palm oil plantation 4. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 5. various of offshore oil rigs STORYLINE: Economists said on Monday that Malaysia's growth is to moderate in 2023 amid weak external demand after the country registered an economic growth of 8.7 percent in 2022. Hong Leong Investment Bank Research said in a note that in view of the external headwinds and diminishing base effect, it maintained its expectation for Malaysia to grow at a more moderate pace of 4 percent this year. Nonetheless, it said China's recent reopening is anticipated to help push the recovery in tourist arrivals and lend some support to export growth. Domestic demand is also expected to continue to support g

Malaysia's manufacturing sales rise 8.6 pct in December

STORY: Malaysia's manufacturing sales rise 8.6 pct in December DATELINE: Feb. 8, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:42 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Malaysia's national flag and Kuala Lumpur street views 2. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 3. various of factories and trucks on the road STORYLINE: The sales value of the manufacturing sector in Malaysia expanded by 8.6 percent year-on-year in December 2022 to record 156.3 billion ringgit (36.3 billion U.S. dollars) while the overall performance reached 1.8 trillion ringgit (418.4 billion dollars) in 2022, official data showed on Tuesday. The Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement that the expansion of the sales value in December 2022 was reinforced by the double-digit growth in transport equipment and other manufacturing subsectors (10.9 percent), particularly in the manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers industries. The growth was also attributable to the strong in

Malaysia's IPI up 3 pct in December

STORY: Malaysia's IPI up 3 pct in December DATELINE: Feb. 8, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:15 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Malaysia's national flag and Kuala Lumpur street views 2. various of traffic 3. various of trucks on road 4. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor STORYLINE: Malaysia's industrial production index (IPI) rose 3 percent in December 2022, spearheaded by expansion in manufacturing and mining sectors, official data showed Tuesday. The mining index and manufacturing index grew 4.1 percent and 3 percent, respectively in December 2022, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement. The electricity index, however, turned downward to negative 1.1 percent during the month. In terms of month-on-month comparison, the IPI weakened by 0.6 percent as against the expansion of 0.9 percent registered in the previous month. Overall, for the final quarter of 2022, the IPI grew at a slower rate of 4.1 percent as compared to 12.2

Malaysian economy recovers with expectations to deepen cooperation with China

STORY: Malaysian economy recovers with expectations to deepen cooperation with China DATELINE: Jan. 1, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:07 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Kuala Lumpur street views 2. various of Malaysian Central Bank and bank notes counting machines 3. interior of an investment bank 4. various of customers doing groceries shopping 5. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 6. various of workers at the construction site 7. various of tourist and tourism spots in Malaysia 8. various of Kuala Lumpur International Airport STORYLINE: Malaysia's economy recovered steadily in 2022 thanks to improved labor conditions, increasing trade with foreign countries, among other factors. However, according to some research agencies, Malaysia faces such challenges as a sluggish economy and weaker exports in 2023. Malaysia's central bank said the Malaysian economy expanded by 9.3 percent in the first three quarters of 2022. It also estimates that the country's

Malaysia's exports up 15.6 pct in November

STORY: Malaysia's exports up 15.6 pct in November DATELINE: Dec. 20, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:40 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST 1. various of Malaysia's national flag and Kuala Lumpur city views 2. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 3. various of container yard at Port Klang, Selangor STORYLINE: Malaysia's exports rose by 15.6 percent year on year to 130.24 billion ringgit (29.46 billion U.S. dollars) in November, official data showed Monday. Export expansion was underpinned by strong exports of electrical and electronic (E&E) products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products as well as crude petroleum, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) said in a statement. According to the statement, E&E products, valued at 53.16 billion ringgit (12.03 billion U.S. dollars) and accounted for 40.8 percent of total exports, increased by 32.1 percent from November 2021. Petroleum products, valued at 12.33 billion ringgit (2.79 billion U.S. dollars)

Malaysian economy to moderate in 2023: economists

STORY: Malaysian economy to moderate in 2023: economists DATELINE: Dec. 15, 2022 LENGTH: 00:04:42 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Malaysia's national flag and Kuala Lumpur city views 2. various of customers shopping in store 3. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 4. various of workers at construction site 5. various of palm oil plantation and oil trucks on road 6. various of customers doing grocery shopping at a supermarket 7. various of tourists and tourism spots in Malaysia STORYLINE: The Malaysian economy will moderate in 2023 amid challenging external conditions and slowing domestic demand, economists said. The Maybank Investment Bank Research said in its recent report that it expects Malaysia's full-year growth to moderate to 4 percent in 2023 from 2022's growth forecast of 8 percent, mainly reflecting moderation in domestic demand. The research house sees slower growth in private consumption next year as pent-up spending from full

Malaysia's leading index remains stable at 109.5 points in July

STORY: Malaysia's leading index remains stable at 109.5 points in July DATELINE: Sept. 23, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:25 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of container vessels at Penang Port, Malaysia 2. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 3. various of container yard at Port Klang, Selangor 4. various of container truck on road STORYLINE: Malaysia's leading index (LI) which predicts the economic direction on average of four to six months ahead, remained stable by registering 109.5 points in July, as compared to 105.2 points a year ago. This corresponds to LI growth of 4.1 percent year-on-year, lower than 5.3 percent in June, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement. Real imports of other basic precious and other non-ferrous metals persisted as the main impetus to the growth due to an increase in demand related to platinum-based metals. Looking at month-on-month performance, LI posted a negative 2 percent in the reference month as

Malaysia's manufacturing sales value surges 23.4 pct, IPI rises 12.1 pct in June

STORY: Malaysia's manufacturing sales value surges 23.4 pct, IPI rises 12.1 pct in June DATELINE: Aug. 10, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:40 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Kuala Lumpur Twin Towers 2. various of container located at yard 3. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 4. various of Malaysia's National Flag 5. various drone and time-lapse shots of Kuala Lumpur landscape 6. various of container located at yard STORYLINE: Malaysia's manufacturing sales value surged 23.4 percent year on year to a record high of 153.5 billion ringgit (about 34.5 billion U.S. dollars) in June, and the Industrial Production Index (IPI) increased 12.1 percent in June as compared to the same month of the previous year, official data showed Tuesday. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), in the second quarter, sales value of the manufacturing sector grew 17.4 percent to 443.5 billion ringgit as compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Th

Malaysia's producer price index eases to 10.9 pct in June

STORY: Malaysia's producer price index eases to 10.9 pct in June DATELINE: July 29, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:25 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of lorries and container trucks at the entrance of Port Klang 2. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 3. various of container yard at Port Klang, Selangor STORYLINE: The growth in Malaysia's Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures the prices of goods at factory gate, eased to 10.9 percent in June from 11.2 percent in May, official data showed Wednesday. All sectors recorded a double-digit increase except for utility sectors, the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement. The manufacturing sector, which is the highest weight in the PPI (81.6 percent), posted a 10 percent increase in June. Although the sub-sectors from the manufacturing sector recorded a two-digit increase, the magnitude of the increase has slowed down, according to DOSM. Meanwhile, the index for agriculture, forestry and

Malaysia's exports rise 20.7 pct in April

STORY: Malaysia's exports rise 20.7 pct in April DATELINE: May 20, 2022 LENGTH: 00:02:27 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. Malaysia's national flag 2. various of landscape of Kuala Lumpur city center 3. various of container vessels at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 4. various of container yard at Port Klang, Selangor 5. various of container truck on road STORYLINE: Malaysia's exports surged 20.7 percent year-on-year to 127.49 billion ringgit (28.96 billion U.S. dollars) in April, marking the ninth straight consecutive month of double-digit growth, official data showed Thursday. The export growth was contributed mainly by shipments of electrical and electronic products mainly semiconductors driven by global digitalization trends, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) said in a statement. Meanwhile, exports to major markets notably the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, the United States, the European Union (EU) and Japan recorded double-di

Malaysia's March industrial output rises 5.1 pct on higher manufacturing growth

STORY: Malaysia's March industrial output rises 5.1 pct on higher manufacturing growth DATELINE: May 12, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:42 LOCATION: Kuala Lumpur CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: 1. various of bridge cranes transporting containers at Northport of Port Klang, Selangor 2. various of the container yard at Port Klang, Selangor STORYLINE: Malaysia's Industrial Production Index (IPI) in March rose 5.1 percent from a year ago supported by the manufacturing sector, which grew 6.9 percent, official data showed Tuesday. The expansion of IPI was contributed by the increment in manufacturing index at 6.9 percent, electricity index at 0.8 percent, and mining index at 0.3 percent, the Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement. On a month-on-month basis, the IPI increased by 8.6 percent supported by expansion in all components of indices. For the first quarter, the IPI climbed 4.5 percent from the same period last year underpinned by the growth in the manufacturing index at 6.3 percent, and the electricity