THREE young Malaysian ministers on Wednesday welcomed Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's week-long visit to the country, saying it showed he shared their concern about relations between neighbours.
The three, Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein, Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi and Land and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal, are UMNO vice-presidents. UMNO's top leaders have traditionally been drawn from the ranks of the party's vice-presidents.
They called on Mr Lee at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the evening, and later told the media that they appreciated the elder statesman's candour and advice during their 45-minute meeting.
WASHINGTON - CHRYSLER and Fiat announced on Wednesday they have finalised a global strategic alliance, forming a new Chrysler Group that will begin operations immediately.
The move completes a quick restructuring of the troubled number three US automaker in a plan orchestrated and backed financially by the administration of US President Barack Obama and the Canadian government.
UNITED NATIONS - WORLD powers on Wednesday agreed to expand sanctions to punish North Korea for its recent nuclear test and weapons program, as Russia said it expected the North to launch another provocative missile test.
The five permanent UN Security Council members, plus Japan and South Korea, agreed on a draft resolution to be discussed on Friday, a diplomat said.
WASHINGTON - The US trade deficit widened for the second consecutive month to US$29.2 billion (S$42.3 billion) in April as exports decreased more than imports amid a global economic slowdown, the government said on Wednesday.
The deficit, in line with expectations, rose from a revised $28.5 billion in March, when the gap started to widen after seven consecutive months of decline, the Commerce Department said.
