(Feb 9): Copper rose on Monday, as investors bought the dip after a volatile week, and the dollar turned softer. The most-active copper contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) rose 1.78% to 101,780 yuan (US$14,679.24) a metric tonne as of 0308 GMT. The benchmark three-month copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME) added 0.40% to US$13,046.50 a tonne, sustaining above the US$13,000 mark. Last week, SHFE copper lost 7.70%, the steepest weekly fall since July 2022, and the LME copper declined 1.24%. Aluminium rose 1.11%, zinc climbed 0.67%, lead nudged 0.21% higher and nickel gained 1.46%.

Compiled by MARTIN CARVALHO, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHANA MAN in Xinjiang, China, who bears a striking resemblance to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, used his Internet fame to promote local cuisines after going viral, reported China Press. When interviewed, Iliyata, a local from Xinjiang, said he started making naan when he was just 15. “After many people on the Internet watch my videos, I hope more will come to like naan from Xinjiang,” he said. With gold prices at an all time high, Ma said she plans on selling the one-gram gold bar and share the proceeds with her friend. It was reported that Baixiang launched a promotion last Dec where it hid 2,026 customised one-gram gold bars in its cup instant noodles.

PUTRAJAYA: With fascism and right-wing ideologies appearing to gain ground in the West, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has stressed the importance of maintaining unity in Malaysia. Anwar said there also seems to be a strong wave of racism and Islamophobia spreading in the United States and Europe at present. This country must be safe and we must not underestimate this," he said during the National Unity Ministry's monthly assembly here on Monday (Feb 9). "Fascism and racism are on the rise... (as well as) Islamophobia, hatred of minorities, of different races and other religions," he added. "This Ministry must emerge as the best example (of unity)," he stressed.

According to climatologist Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah, the heat up north was due to the monsoon trough having shifted to the southern South China Sea. ALSO READ: Unidentified explosions disrupt efforts to extinguish peatland fireA monsoon trough is a low-pressure belt where converging winds can cause prolonged rain. Explaining further, Azizan said the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) weather system, which usually supports thunderstorms and wet conditions in the north, was also in a dry phase. The heat up north, he said, was expected to last up until about April when the inter-monsoon period sets in. At press time, the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) had issued a Level 1 heatwave alert for Pokok Sena and Padang Terap in Kedah.

Based on records, Meteorology Department director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the island had gone without rain for 38 days as of Feb 7 since Dec 31 last year. He said the longest period without rain in the northern states was 77 days, recorded from 1979 to 1980 and from 2004 to 2005. Although dry, he added that no hot spots have been detected in Langkawi based on the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre. He advised residents in Langkawi to take precautions during the dry spell, such as ensuring an adequate water supply and avoiding open burning activities. > Local actress Zarina Anjoulie said the concept of “in good times and hard times” was an idealistic narrative that rarely occurred in real life, especially for women.

IN recent weeks my 80-year-old Asian American parents have started to carry their passports each time they leave their suburban townhouse. Neighbours on their Ring doorbell app will alert users when ICE agents are spotted on nearby roads. A practical woman, she says she’s in a game of “cat and mouse” with federal agents, and she’ll be damned if she gives them the upper hand. We’ve seen the picture of five-year-old Liam, with his Spider-Man backpack and animal snow hat, before he and his dad were taken by ­federal agents. He was helping document the actions by federal agents so that the truth could be preserved.

PETALING JAYA: Despite deca­des of travelling around the world to fulfil his passion as an artist, Cheng Peng Sia heads home to keep traditions alive during the Chinese New Year period. With his calligraphy brushes, Cheng produces hand-drawn Chinese New Year paintings that reflect blessings of prosperity, peace and longevity. Throughout the festive period, Cheng sets up a small booth where curious onlookers often gather to watch him work. They would observe me when I’m painting, sometimes asking questions about what I’m painting. “What matters most is that people can take a piece of it home with them for Chinese New Year,” he added.

PUTRAJAYA: The Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) programme, which begins on Monday (Feb 9), has been expanded to include frozen food items, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said the latest phase of Sara will also involve more than 10,000 stores nationwide. “The government has agreed to expand the category of Sara products to include frozen food,” he said. Anwar said the Sara aid is funded through savings from the government’s fiscal reforms. This means that, for example, a household with a husband and wife and two adult children would receive RM400,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 9): Foreign investors remained net buyers on Bursa Malaysia (KL:BURSA) for a fifth consecutive week, recording a modest RM15.0 million in net foreign inflows, roughly similar to the RM12.8 million recorded a week earlier, according to MBSB Investment Bank Bhd. “The top three sectors that recorded net foreign inflows were financial services (RM162 million), plantation (RM37 million) and construction (RM34.2 million). MBSB noted that average daily trading volumes declined broadly, with local retailers down 19.7%, local institutions down 17.7%, and foreign investors down 23.5%. Regionally, foreign investors extended their net selling streak to a third consecutive week, totalling US$9.84 billion. Other tracked markets recorded net foreign inflows, led by India, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia.

SYDNEY (Feb 9): Australian artificial intelligence (AI) company Firmus said on Monday that it had finalised a US$10 billion debt funding package led by global private equity firm Blackstone and Coatue Management, a New York-based technology investor. Firmus said the funding would be used to build the next phase of its Project Southgate, the company's initiative to develop AI training and inference infrastructure, which includes data centres, across Australia. The initiative, done in collaboration with CDC Data Centres and US chip giant Nvidia is expected to reach a capacity of up to 1.6 gigawatts over the next three years. "AI is driving one of the most significant infrastructure build-outs in decades, and we believe Australia can play a central role in that transformation." Firmus raised A$830 million (US$582.41 million) in two separate equity placements last year that were backed by Nvidia and Australian investor Ellerston Capital, Reuters reported.

Due to steady rainfall and good sunlight last year, the fruit is chea­per, juicier and naturally sweeter. Sunshine Group marketing com­munications senior manager Bryan Wong said mandarins are about 9% cheaper on average this Chinese New Year due to a bumper crop. “Our mandarins are imported from Yongchun in China, and the quality is better this year with higher juice content. Chloe Koay, a business development manager for a fresh fruit importer and distributor, said this year’s mandarins are sweeter due to good growing conditions. Chloe Koay, a business development manager for a fresh fruit importer and distributor, said this year’s mandarins are sweeter due to good growing conditions.

JOHOR BARU: The strengthening of the ringgit against the Singapore dollar has little impact on Chinese New Year sales here, say local traders. “This shows that the strengthe­ning of the ringgit had little impact on businesses here,” he said in an interview. “The Singapore dollar is still stronger compared to the ringgit, making it cheaper for Singa­po­reans to shop here. “The crowd is slightly smaller this year, but I do not think it has anything to do with the ringgit. “The strengthening of the ringgit against the Singapore dollar has been apparent since last year; nevertheless, we still saw a good crowd during Christmas.

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and India have agreed to accelerate wide-ranging bilateral initiatives, with a strong focus on strategic sectors such as semiconductors and digital trade, following the exchange of 11 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between the two countries. Anwar also highlighted that Malaysia and India had witnessed 11 documents, including MOUs, in 10 exchanges of letters, which extended beyond normal bilateral arrangements. Malaysia and India, Anwar added, also agreed to expedite the use of the ringgit and rupee in bilateral trade and investment. Anwar said Malaysia, in the Asean context, would benefit immensely if the region could secure more ways and opportunities to collaborate with India. Anwar added that Malaysia supported India in opening a consulate in Kota Kinabalu.

KUALA LUMPUR: Financial safeguards will be in place when India’s Unified Payments Inter­face (UPI) system is introduced in Malaysia, says India’s External Affairs Ministry Secretary (East) P. Kumaran. He said the safeguards will be directly built into the system to ensure that UPI is not abused by unintended parties. Kumaran added that there is currently no timeline for the introduction of UPI to Malaysia due to various complicated technical steps that need to be completed first. The move comes after Modi announced during a reception here on Saturday that India’s UPI system will enter the Malaysian market, as Malaysia and India seek to deepen their longstanding economic ties. Regulated by the Reserve Bank of India, UPI is a real-time digital payment system that enables instant peer-to-peer and person-to-merchant transactions directly by linking user bank accounts to the UPI application on their phone.

PUTRAJAYA: The deepening friendship between India and Malaysia is expected to enhance bilateral cooperation in key areas, particularly the digital economy and semiconductor industries, says Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi described the relationship between India and Malaysia as “truly special”, saying that both nations are maritime neighbours whose peoples have shared deep, close and enduring ties for centuries. “Alongside artificial intelligence and digital technologies, we will advance partnerships in healthcare, agriculture and food security,” he noted. He said both Malaysia and India also shared the view that reform of global institutions is essential to address today’s challenges. Modi said tourism and people-to-people exchanges have also continued to strengthen, with both sides agreeing to further elevate their partnership.