Morning Brief: Top 5 News (February 28)

The Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) is aware of the existence of two North Korea-linked companies reportedly operating an arms business in Malaysia.

However, both the companies are in the process of being struck off, said Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar.

King Salman Abdul Aziz Al-Sa'ud's maiden visit to Malaysia will not only further cement bilateral ties but also draw the oil-rich gulf nation to high-impact investments and the halal sector.

The President of the Arab Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Mohamed Fauzy Abdul Hamid said the Saudi Arabian government was expected to announce several exemptions to Malaysians starting business especially in Mecca.

Malaysia will not interfere in other country's internal affairs, which includes a court case involving a Malaysian death row inmate in Singapore.

"We are aware that there is an effort to put pressure to bring a particular court case here to a higher profile," Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore Datuk Ilango Karuppannan told Bernama here.

President Donald Trump is seeking what he called a "historic" increase in defence spending, but ran into immediate opposition from Republicans in Congress who must approve his plan and said it was not enough to meet the military's needs.

The proposed rise in the Pentagon budget to US$603 billion (485 billion pounds) comes as the United States has wound down major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and remains the world's strongest military power.

At the climactic final moment of the 89th Academy Awards, when Faye Dunaway read the name of the film printed on the card in front of her - "La La Land!" - there were two people, standing on either side of the stage, who knew immediately that a different film, "Moonlight," was the actual winner of the Oscar for best picture.