KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): Malaysia’s anti-graft agency will propose charging at least three senior officers of the armed forces over corruption in military procurement. Investigation on a former army chief is expected to be completed and sent to the prosecutors on Monday, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said during a press briefing on Thursday. Probes on other senior officers are expected by the end of next week, he said. Both are related to procurement by the armed forces and the misappropriation of public funds, he noted. The remarks follows last week’s remand of former Malaysian Army chief Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan and his two wives over alleged irregularities in military procurement tenders.

KUCHING (Jan 15): AirBorneo has completed its Departure Control System (DCS) cutover and now operates under its own flight code, MY, marking a critical milestone in the airline’s transition to full operational independence. The first flight operating under the MY code was from Miri to Labuan at 6.15am on Wednesday (Jan 14). According to the statement, the cutover represents one of the most significant operational achievements since AirBorneo began operations on Jan 2, 2026. It said the successful DCS migration enables AirBorneo to operate with full technical autonomy from MASwings’ systems. “The simultaneous deployment across 21 airports — serving rural communities including Twin Otter operations to remote airstrips — demonstrates AirBorneo’s operational readiness and technical capability,” it added.

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno’s Youth wing must continue speaking for what is right and play the role of a “constructive opposition” from within the government, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. The Umno deputy president also brushed aside criticism that the youth wing, led by Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh, was rude in his approach. To Dr Akmal, continue making your voice heard. The Umno deputy president also called for the Youth Wing to wrest the narrative of being the Rakyat’s heroes from the Opposition. “Prove that Permuda is the one who works hardest for the Malays and not those who only excel at playing up sentiments,” Tok Mat said.

FRANKFURT (Jan 15): Amazon's AWS launched a new cloud service located entirely in Europe on Thursday, addressing user concerns about the data security delivered by mainly US-based providers by offering the continent's own independent alternative. The AWS European Sovereign Cloud's data centres are physically and legally separate from the US-based company's other servers, the world's largest cloud provider said. The Cloud Act requires US-based providers to grant authorities access to data even if it is stored abroad. The other two major US cloud providers, Microsoft and Alphabet's Google, are also vying for customers with heightened data security requirements. Microsoft, upon request, stores the data of European customers exclusively in data centres located within Europe, while Google announced investments of 5.5 billion euros (US$6.41 billion) in German data centres last year.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): A regulatory sandbox is being conducted to test regulatory mechanisms for social media platforms, including age limits, before any full implementation is introduced. He said several social media platforms have proactively engaged with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on the regulatory sandbox, particularly on age-limit measures. “The regulatory sandbox process and a series of discussions with social media platforms are ongoing. Fahmi said findings from CERT’s research, involving diverse community groups and stakeholders, including research bodies from Southeast Asia, will be presented to the Cabinet. Fahmi noted that the economic impact of newer technologies, including social media, has been “very debilitating” for legacy media organisations, with reporters losing their jobs and once-dominant companies facing serious financial pressure.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): Malaysia has lowered its February crude palm oil reference price, a change that cuts the export duty to 9%, a circular on the Malaysian Palm Oil Board website showed on Thursday. The world's second largest palm oil exporter set a reference price of RM3,846.84 per metric tonne for February. The January reference price was RM3,946.17 a tonne, and incurred a duty of 9.5%. The export tax structure starts at 3% when crude palm oil prices are within the RM2,250 to RM2,400-per-tonne range. The maximum tax rate is set at 10%, when prices exceed RM4,050 a tonne.

Thailand's transport minister said construction firm Italian-Thai Development PCL, whose crane fell onto the train in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province a day earlier, was also involved in the crane accident near Bangkok. Italian-Thai declined to immediately comment on the latest incident and did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Images from the scene showed a mangled green crane and huge pieces of concrete that had crushed the vehicles below. Video from news outlet Thai Rath showed cars reversing to avoid the wreckage amid a cloud of dust from the collapsed concrete. Thailand, Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy, has been undergoing significant infrastructure development, from elevated highways and high-speed rail lines to major expansion of its elevated rail network in Bangkok.

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he gave his personal blessings for Khairy Jamaluddin to attend the Umno Youth convention. When asked about the presence of former leaders also present here, Ahmad Zahid responded with “the door is still open”. Khairy was among the former Umno Youth chiefs who attended the wing’s assembly on Thursday. Separately, Ahmad Zahid said Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh’s resignation from his exco post in the Melaka state government was his personal decision. Earlier on Thursday, Dr Muhamad Akmal announced his resignation at the Umno Youth Assembly, saying it would take effect next week.

The Bursa Malaysia Emas Index, which tracks Main Market stocks, declined by 2.2%, while the ACE Market Index suffered a steeper fall of 9.4%. Against this muted backdrop, The Edge’s stock picks for 2025 delivered a commendable performance, with eight out of 10 selections generating positive returns. Pentamaster also staged a strong rebound, bringing total returns of 33.3% over the same period, supported by improved profitability. Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd (KL:PMETAL) emerged as another standout performer, rising more than 50% during the year, underpinned by elevated aluminium prices and easing alumina costs. Over the same period, AMMB Holdings Bhd (KL:AMBANK) and Hap Seng Plantations Holdings Bhd (KL:HSPLANT) advanced 25.2% and 19.7% respectively.

PUTRAJAYA (Jan 15): The Ministry of Human Resources (Kesuma) is conducting further studies to refine the new expatriate employment policy before it takes effect on June 1, said minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan. Ramanan explained that Kesuma is finalising the framework, with ongoing discussions since the start of the year amid a heavy schedule of Cabinet and post-Cabinet meetings. Commenting on the current 10-year cap on expatriate employment passes, Ramanan highlighted the importance of succession planning to ensure that high-value positions are ultimately filled by Malaysians, particularly after long-serving expatriates complete their tenure. He said Kesuma is also reviewing Category 1 expatriates to ensure a comprehensive approach, noting that decisions must be made carefully as they have significant implications on workers’ livelihoods. In media reports on Wednesday (Jan 14), the Home Ministry announced that the new expatriate employment policy will come into force on June 1, allowing employers and industry players sufficient time to prepare.

(Jan 15): Hong Kong-based financial technology firm WeLab Ltd has secured US$220 million (RM891.11 million) from investors including HSBC Holdings plc and Prudential Hong Kong Ltd in its largest round of funding. Other investors include Fubon Bank (Hong Kong), Hong Kong Investment Corp, Allianz X and TOM Group, which counts billionaire Li Ka-shing’s CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd as its largest shareholder, WeLab said in a statement. WeLab last tapped markets in 2021, when it raised US$75 million in a funding drive led by Allianz X, the digital investment unit of the German insurer. The company operates two digital banks, including WeLab Bank in Hong Kong and Bank Saqu in Indonesia. It has over 70 million individual users and more than 700 enterprise customers.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysiakini has issued an apology after what it claimed was an error in one of its Malay social media posts on Wednesday (Jan 14). The news portal said that the error featured unrelated news and images. "We deeply regret the error and understand that it may have offended some," the portal said on Facebook on Wednesday. It added that as soon as the error was noticed, it was immediately deleted and a correction was made. "Malaysiakini sincerely apologises for the error, and we are committed to ensuring greater editorial accuracy in the future," it said.

(Jan 15): Citigroup Inc chief financial officer Mark Mason said the lender wants to cooperate with US President Donald Trump’s affordability push but doesn’t support his proposed cap on credit card fees. Trump has taken aim at Wall Street’s credit card businesses. Last Friday, he announced a 10% cap on card interest rates, with a deadline of Jan 20. “Studies in the US have shown a vast majority of consumers and businesses would lose access to credit cards,” Citigroup chief executive officer Jane Fraser said on call with analysts. “They would be forced to pursue more predatory alternatives, and you would only be left with the wealthy having access to credit cards.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 15): theedgemalaysia.com highlighted eight stocks with negative momentum at Bursa Malaysia’s afternoon close on Thursday. It merely tells you which stocks are seeing higher-than-normal volume and price movements. But the “+ve” (suggesting a rising price trend on volume) and “-ve” (suggesting a falling price trend on volume) indicators should give readers a better idea of what the market is buying and when to sell. Note also that momentum generally only persists for a short period of time. However, each stock has an accompanying fundamental score and valuation score to help readers evaluate the attractiveness of the stocks if they want to ride the momentum.

PUTRAJAYA: The government has directed the relevant agencies to take firm enforcement action against the misuse of social visit visas for illegal employment and business activities, says Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim. This includes strengthening the monitoring of unauthorised employment and business activities. "Following complaints from local traders, I raised this matter, and the government has directed the relevant agencies to take firm enforcement action, including strengthening the monitoring of unauthorised employment and business activities. "I will work closely with the Home Affairs Minister and the relevant agencies to ensure that follow-up actions are implemented without delay. "This step is important to protect micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and local small traders, and to ensure that the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem remains orderly and competitive," he said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 15).