The reshuffle involves six senior civil servants, most notably the Royal Malaysian Customs Department director general Datuk Wira Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin, who has been appointed secretary general of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability. Other key appointments include:Datuk Seri Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad, secretary general of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti), who moves to the Ministry of Health as its new secretary general. Datuk Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu, who leaves the Ministry of Youth and Sports to take over as Mosti secretary general. Datuk Rahimi Ismail, previously the Perlis state secretary, who has been named new secretary general of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Datuk Noor Azman Abdul Rahman, currently secretary of the Human Resources Division at the Ministry of Health, who will succeed Rahimi as Perlis state secretary.

The amount of dollar sales declined throughout the week with no such transactions observed on Thursday, they said. As a result, the lira has stayed calm at a time when most other emerging-market currencies tumbled. ‘Small exit door’The Turkish central bank’s net foreign-currency reserves, excluding swaps lines it has with lenders, stood at US$78.4 billion last Friday. The central bank declined to comment on foreign-exchange policy. “The central bank has large enough reserves to continue” for now, but the stance would become “less sustainable” if the shocks continue, they added.

(March 6): Leonardo Maria del Vecchio is nearing a deal to buy out two of his siblings from the family holding company Delfin, which controls EssilorLuxottica, the heir told the Financial Times in an interview published on Friday. "We are close to agreeing a price," Leonardo Maria del Vecchio told the FT, adding that he was in talks to triple his holding to 37.5%. The ownership of Luxembourg-based family holding Delfin is split equally among the eight heirs of Ray-Ban eyewear maker Luxottica's founder Leonardo Del Vecchio, who died in 2022. Aside from being the biggest shareholder in EssilorLuxottica, Delfin holds stakes in Covivio, Banca Monte dei Paschi, Generali and UniCredit. Delfin and EssilorLuxottica did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): Immediate action must be taken against any party that tries to topple the government to ensure that political stability is not affected, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He said efforts to undermine political stability through the use of the media or outside influence should not be allowed to continue. “Political stability should not be undermined for someone who feels that the media and outside parties can be used to damage political stability in our country,” he said. "So we leave it to the authorities to conduct an investigation as mentioned by the Inspector-General of Police and the statement issued by the Prime Minister earlier," he said. Last Tuesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim revealed that there was an attempt to overthrow the government which was allegedly supported by locals by leveraging the influence of the media and international institutions, including involving prominent Zionist groups.

Israel has intervened in Lebanon repeatedly over decades, most recently in a bombing campaign that seriously weakened Hezbollah in 2024. Israel ordered residents to evacuate the entire southern section of Beirut, home to hundreds of thousands of people. Iran has cast the war as an unprovoked attack and describes the killing of its leader, Khamenei, as an assassination. Iranian officials initially said the new leader could be chosen soon and the leading candidate was Khamenei's son, Mojtaba, a powerful hardliner. Two Iranian drone attacks targeted an Iranian opposition camp in Iraqi Kurdistan on Thursday, security sources said.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): Political appointments continue to dominate leadership positions in Malaysia’s federal statutory bodies, with 78% of chairpersons appointed based on political connections rather than competence, according to a report by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS). The findings were based on Pantau Kuasa, an initiative by IDEAS to monitor political appointments in federal statutory bodies and government-linked companies (GLCs) across various governmental administrations. Up to October 2025, 238 political appointments were made under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s reform government. IDEAS said recent administrative measures, including a circular governing the appointment and composition of boards in federal statutory bodies, have not addressed deeper governance issues. IDEAS said political influence on boards weakens independence and accountability and raises the risk of conflicts of interest, corruption, and political interference.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): ICT Zone Asia Bhd (KL:ICTZONE) has clinched a RM17.75 million purchase order to supply information and communication technology hardware. In a bourse filing, the company said the order was placed by FK Technology Sdn Bhd, which specialises in computer disaster recovery, installation of personal computer and software services. The scope covers electronic display systems and related ICT hardware, along with mounting structures and supporting infrastructure. It also includes ancillary works such as electrical installation, ICT infrastructure, consultancy services, and the procurement of local authority licences. ICT Zone plans to finance the order through bank borrowings and/or internally generated funds.

In a research note on Friday, Nomura said Malaysia’s position as a net energy exporter provides some insulation against rising oil prices, helping to support external balances. “Despite rising oil prices due to the Iran conflict, we think external balances and growth will be resilient, as Malaysia is a net energy exporter,” said the investment bank. With its cautiously optimistic outlook on Malaysia, Nomura revised its forecast for headline consumer price inflation in 2026 to 2.1% from 2%, to reflect the impact of higher crude oil prices. It added that there may be a boost to government revenue if higher oil prices are expected to increase subsidy spending. “We pencil in higher subsidy and social assistance spending, owing to the lack of additional subsidy reforms, which we expect to be offset by lower-than-budgeted gross development expenditures,” said Nomura.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): Seven Harimau Malaya players have been banned from official matches for 12 months after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed wrongdoing in the falsification of eligibility documents to play for Malaysia’s national squad Harimau Malaya. In their appeal, FAM accepted the existence of 'institutional shortcomings' and did not dispute that it may bear responsibility in violating the Fifa Disciplinary Code. FAM appeal requested to set aside the decision by the Fifa Appeal Committee and that FAM should be sanctioned with a fine not exceeding 50,000 Swiss francs. The appeals by the players requested to annul the Fifa Appeal Committee decision in its entirety, or in the alternative, issue a proportionate sanction, as the players did not act with intent or negligence. The decision was later upheld by the Fifa Appeal Committee on Nov 3, 2025.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 6): Malaysian banks are expected to deliver stronger dividends in 2026, underpinned by solid capital buffers and steady earnings growth, according to RAM Ratings. “System capital ratios moderated but remain comfortably above regulatory requirements and closer to pre-pandemic norms,” Wong Yin Ching, a senior analyst at RAM Ratings, said in the statement. Malaysian banks have announced their plans to step up capital distributions at a time of strong capital positions. Smaller rival Public Bank Bhd (KL:PBBANK) is preparing to raise its dividend payout ratio guidance to 60% for 2025, while AMMB Holdings Bhd (KL:AMBANK) seeks to double payouts within five years. In addition, banks operating under the so-called Standardised Approach for credit risk are expected to benefit from capital savings once the Basel III international capital standards come into effect in July 2026, RAM Ratings noted.

PETALING JAYA: Second seeds Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah are eyeing revenge as they aim to go one step better in the All-England. The World Championships silver medallists checked into the women’s doubles quarter-finals on Thursday (March 5) in Birmingham after securing a 21-14, 21-14 win over South Korea’s Lee Seo-jin-Lee Yeon-woo in 43 minutes. Pearly-Thinaah believe the key to clearing the quarter-final hurdle is simple - enjoy the game. Thinaah admitted that the pair have been trying to rediscover the joy in playing despite the pressure and expectations. "That’s something we have been wanting to do for a long time - enjoy the game despite the ups and downs.

PETALING JAYA: A serious non-communicable and chronic disease (NCD) problem is looming, with an acute shortage of dietitians at government health clinics nationwide. “Most NCD patients have diet related causes, which is why early nutritional care and education management are so important. “NCD medication must be combined with lifestyle modifications under the guidance of a dietitian for permanent improvement of a patient’s health. “Just relying on medication alone could lead to further complications such as kidney failure, and other NCDs in the long term,” she said, adding that NCD medication was also expensive. “This has left primary care teams without the multidisciplinary support they need to effectively help NCD patients.

PETALING JAYA: Greater access to affordable childcare could help more women remain in the workforce, but working mothers say employers and policymakers still need to do more to address the burden of unpaid care work at home. Aina Nasa, 35, who works in the private financial sector, said affordable childcare would make a meaningful difference for many families. “But this shows employers need to step up with concrete and sustainable support such as safe and affordable childcare centres,” she said. While workplace policies have improved over the years, Aina said support for working mothers still varies widely between employers. She said that workplaces could do more to support working mothers, which would ultimately encourage more women to remain in the workforce.

KOTA TINGGI: A 33-year-old local car driver was killed on the spot after being involved in an accident with a lorry at KM64, Jalan Sungai Rengit-Kota Tinggi. Kota Tinggi OCPD Supt Yusof Othman said the police received information on the incident which happened near here on Thursday (March 5) at 8.30pm. "The victim was travelling from Mersing to Kota Tinggi and veered into the opposite direction before hitting the lorry," he said in a statement. Supt Yusof said the victim suffered severe head and body injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene while the 51-year-old local male lorry driver escaped unhurt. He said the body of the victim was referred to the Kota Tinggi Hospital for post-mortem and the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

"The key advantage is that PetChem purchases its gas feedstocks from sources within Malaysia, and does not rely on gas sourced from the Middle East. Naphtha, a key petrochemical feedstock, has surged 26%, while spot LNG prices have "risen more than 50%". The situation has been further compounded by Iranian drone attacks on a Saudi refinery and Qatar's LNG production facility. "Also, a Saudi refinery and Qatar’s LNG production facility were attacked by Iranian drones. Meanwhile, naphtha has surged 26%, and spot LNG prices have risen more than 50%, with both naphtha and LNG serving as key petrochemical feedstocks.