KUALA LUMPUR: CIMB Research has revised its gross domestic product (GDP) forecast for this year upward to 4.4% from 4.1 % previously, supported by continued growth momentum in the services and construction sectors but balanced by moderation in manufacturing. The research house said in a note that the advanced estimate for the fourth quarter growth last year (4Q25) surprised again, showing a year-on-year (y-o-y) increase of 5.7%, leading to overall growth of 4.9% for the full year. “We expect the strong momentum in the services sector to be carried into this year on the back of the second round of a salary hike for civil servants, the February disbursement of Sumbangan Asas Rahmah aid, as well as the Visit Malaysia Year. “This will likely be tempered by a slowdown in the manufacturing sector as demand for exports, particularly in non-electric and electronics categories, weakens, leading to average GDP growth of 4.4% this year,” it said.

KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia X Bhd has completed the acquisition of AirAsia Bhd (AAB) and AirAsia Aviation Group Ltd from Capital A Bhd , marking the final step in the consolidation of the group’s aviation businesses. “The transaction was settled via the allotment and issuance of 2,307,692,307 new ordinary shares in AirAsia X to Capital A and its entitled shareholders, together with AirAsia X’s assumption of RM3.8bil previously owed by Capital A to AAB,” the group said in a statement.

Just as investors seek dividends in an uncertain market, plantation companies are turning their attention inward, focusing on boosting fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yields, analysts said. On the forecast for CPO prices, Kenanga Research said it expects it to average RM4,000 per tonne this year, down from RM4,308 last year. With average CPO prices ending firmer last year, he expects plantation companies to reinvest in mechanisation and replanting programmes to boost estate efficiency and maximise long-term planted acreage. “With exports still soft and inventories elevated, we see limited upside for CPO prices in the near term, which supports a more tactical, profit-taking stance for the sector,” the analyst said. According to Kenanga Research, plantation sector valuations have largely normalised and are now in line with the broader market after a late-year rally.

IPOH: A Taiwanese woman was found drowned after she went snorkelling at Pantai Teluk Nipah near Pulau Pangkor on Sunday (Jan 18). Manjung district police chief ACP Hasbullah Abd Rahman said the victim, 72, was found by a tour guide at about 12.30pm. "The victim was believed to be snorkelling at Pulau Giam with other members of her family,” he said. A post-mortem will be conducted at Seri Manjung Hospital on Monday (Jan 19), and the case has been classified as a sudden death report.

While acknowledging the policy’s long-term aim of accelerating local talent development, he said a rigid rollout could raise costs and weaken competitiveness. In the short term, Foo said uncertainty or restricted access to specialised talent could slow foreign professional inflows and innovation, particularly in advan­ced manufacturing, digital technology and specialised services where local talent depth is still developing. “As companies focus on hiring more local talent, they will see that the cost of employing Malay­sians is often more affordable. The government will raise minimum salaries for expatriates and limit the duration of their work passes from June 1, aiming to prioritise local talent. The policy, approved by the Cabi­net last October, restructures salary bands for Expatriate Employ­ment Passes and sets defi­ned employment durations, ­balancing foreign expertise with local workforce development.

PUTRAJAYA: A migrant smuggling syndicate known as “Iqbal” was crippled following a raid by a team of immigration officers on a safe house, says Datuk Zakaria Shaaban. “The safe house was located in a remote village, as a tactic to evade the authorities. “It was used as a transit to house migrants who were recently smuggled into the country,” he said in a statement yesterday, Bernama reported. The raid, he added, was led by a special team from the department’s Prevention Division based at its headquarters in Putrajaya, in coordination with Kelantan’s Immigration Enforcement Divi­sion. The illegal migrants were taken to a temporary safe house to settle outstanding entry fees before being transported to their final destinations.

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 3,545 impure gold items were seized from a business premises at the Kuchai Lama Business Centre by enforcement officers from the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry recently. Investigations revealed that the premises served as a supplier to a retailer marketing the same gold products online. The items on display at the premises matched those advertised on social media, the statement added, Bernama reported. Tests carried out on the seized items revealed that their gold content varied between 80% and 98% for each piece weighing 0.01g. The ministry said it would intensify enforcement operations to curb misleading and deceptive business practices, especially involving the sale of precious metal products.

IF I were an ageing oil palm tree, I would rise each dawn like an old maestro – baton in hand, heart still full of rhythms once played, but muscles increasingly worn. When crude palm oil prices are high, my planters pat my trunk and say, “Hold on, old friend – your fruits are fetching a fine price.”Replanting is deferred, as short-term gains are chased in a market that feels generous today. An ageing oil palm is not a venerable oak growing wiser with time; it is a declining biomechanical unit governed by a biological clock. This interlocking web – ageing trees, labour shortages, mechanisation gaps and disease pressure – forms the inconvenient truth of the oil palm industry. The future of oil palm will not be decided by how long we hold on, but by how wisely - and how bravely - we choose to let go.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa (pic) said statistics showed a significant rise in property agent-related scams since 2023 with total losses amounting to RM6.49mil. Overall, a total of 52 property agent scam cases were recorded over the three-year period, he added. “The modus operandi typically involves individuals impersona­ting property agents and adverti­sing properties on Facebook Marketplace. To overcome such scams more effectively, he said CCID has esta­blished strategic cooperation with the Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Mana­gers Malaysia. He advised the public to remain vigilant, stressing that anyone could fall victim to property scams.

Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.7% and those for the Nasdaq 100 Index fell almost 1% as trading started. Treasury futures also rose. Equity-index futures pointed to declines in Japan and Hong Kong when markets reopen, after US shares inched lower on Friday. Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.7% and those for the Nasdaq 100 Index fell almost 1% as trading started. Eyes will then shift to the European open, with the region’s equities likely to bare the brunt of any selloff, according to strategists.

Compiled by FAZLEENA AZIZ and C. ARUNOA STRAY dog which fell into an open grave during a burial in Penang was deemed good luck after one of the deceased’s family members won the lottery, Oriental Daily reported. A brief video shared online showed a man then lowering himself into the burial spot and picking up the dog. “The puppy fell onto mother’s coffin at the grave,” wrote one Hong Wendy, who posted the video on Facebook last Wednesday. Hong Wendy later wrote: “It was a good omen. Our family member won second prize (in a lottery).”Many netizens echoed similar sentiments, commenting that the dog brought good luck.

SIBU: A husband and wife perished, while six others escaped unhurt after a fire destroyed a plantation workers' quarters at the Woodman Estate in Baram, Miri, early on Sunday (Jan 18). A spokesman for the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department Operations Centre identified the deceased as Berain Skam and Terit Lenjau, both 37, residing in Unit A of the quarters. "The survivors, comprising five adults and one child who occupied Unit B, managed to escape the burning building in time. "The semi-detached single-storey quarters measuring approximately 40 x 30 square feet was completely razed in the incident," the spokesman said in a statement on Sunday. Before the firefighters arrived, plantation workers had initiated firefighting efforts and put out the blaze using 30 fire extinguishers and three water pumps.

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded members of Parliament from the unity government of their responsibility to engage in constructive debate during the First Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Parliament, which begins Monday (Jan 19). Madani government spokesperson Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the reminder was delivered by the Prime Minister during a pre-sitting briefing with unity government MPs at the Seri Perdana Complex here on Saturday (Jan 18). "The Prime Minister reminded us to stay focused on our duties. He also confirmed that four Bills have been identified as government priorities for tabling during the parliamentary session. Earlier, the Prime Minister left the Seri Perdana Complex at 4.20pm after chairing the briefing and took time to greet members of the media gathered here for updates.

KULIM: A man and his two children were killed today in a road crash involving a Perodua Viva and a Proton S70 on Jalan Kulim-Mahang, near SMK Sungai Kob. DSP Tengku Mohd Faisal said the bodies had been sent to the Kulim Hospital Forensic Unit for a post-mortem, and the case was being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. "Five personnel from the Kulim Hi-Tech BBP were dispatched to the scene, where the driver of the Perodua Viva was found pinned to his seat, with two boys inside the car. "The Proton S70 reportedly caught fire at the scene, but the driver escaped with minor injuries and was taken to Kulim Hospital. "The two boys in the passenger seat of the Perodua Viva were removed with the help of members of the public, while fire personnel used special equipment to extricate the driver.

DUBLIN, Jan ‌18 (Reuters) - The European Union will ‌retaliate if U.S. tariff ‌threats against European allies over Greenland materialise, but it is premature to consider ‍using the bloc's "Anti-Coercion ‍Instrument", Ireland's prime ‌minister said on Sunday. "The tempo here ‍has ​increased very dramatically, very quickly. Be in ⁠no doubt that Europe will obviously ‌retaliate if these tariffs are imposed, ⁠and that ‍will lead to a very serious situation globally," Micheal ‍Martin said. "Obviously, dialogue has to ‌happen to prevent that from occurring... We're not getting into specifics just yet, and I think that (the Anti-Coercion Instrument) is a bit premature today but ‌of course it may be put on the table," Martin added in ​an interview with national broadcaster RTE. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)