KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's Head of State, Tun Musa Aman, has urged all citizens to reflect on their accomplishments throughout 2025 as they prepare for a better year ahead in 2026. “As we welcome the New Year, it is a timely moment for reflection and renewal,” he stated. Musa encouraged the state government to continue striving for sustained, inclusive socio-economic development by strengthening infrastructure, addressing longstanding issues, and further enhancing citizens' welfare and quality of life. Musa reminded the people that Sabah's unity remains its greatest strength, and that its rich religious and ethnic diversity is a blessing to be cherished and protected. “With collective effort, wisdom, and unity of purpose, I am confident that we can move forward together towards a brighter future.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur rubber market closed higher yesterday, supported by steady crude oil prices and mixed trends in regional rubber futures, according to a dealer. “Japanese rubber futures rose for an eighth straight session today, supported by firm downstream demand. Downstream demand for rubber has remained positive, while supplies of raw materials from major overseas producing countries have not been smooth,” he told Bernama. At 3pm yesterday, Standard Malaysian Rubber 20 rose two sen to 754 sen per kg, while latex-in-bulk added one sen to 576 sen per kg. The Kuala Lumpur rubber market will be closed today and tomorrow.

KANGAR: There will be no by-elections for the Bintong, Chuping, and Guar Sanji state seats despite the vacancies following the sacking of three assemblymen from Pas. Perlis State Assembly Speaker Rus'sele Eizan said the seats would remain vacant until the next general election. "The Perlis menteri besar's statement, which reaffirmed the coalition still held 11 of the 15 state seats, was also considered. Rus'sele said that the withdrawal of the notice for by-elections was conveyed to the Perlis EC yesterday. "However, the casual vacancies for Chuping, Bintong, and Guar Sanji remain in effect as per my letter dated Dec 29."

SEREMBAN: A man who was high on drugs has crashed into and killed a motorcyclist at KM23 Jalan Seremban-Kuala Pilah here. Kuala Pilah district police chief Supt Muhamad Mustafah Hussin said in the 11.10pm incident on Wednesday (Dec 31), the 28-year-old motorcyclist, who worked as a restaurant assistant, was confirmed dead at the scene. "Initial investigations found that the accident occurred when a car driven by a 23-year-old man from Seremban towards Felda Keratong lost control of his car before veering into the opposite lane. The driver of the car sustained minor injuries and tested positive for cannabis. He was detained under Section 44(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 and the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

PUTRAJAYA: The Federal Government has officially gazetted Thaipusam and Federal Territory Day as public holidays for next year, with both celebrations falling on Feb 1, 2026. In a statement issued by the Peninsular Malaysia Labour Department’s communications unit on Wednesday (Dec 31), it mentioned that the Federal Territory Day is classified as a mandatory public holiday. “However, since Feb 1 falls on a Sunday, employers who designate Sunday as the weekly rest day must provide a replacement holiday on the following working day (Monday),” the statement read. “Alternatively, with the employee’s consent, employers may grant any other working day as a paid replacement public holiday under Section 60D(1A). “Employees who are instructed to work on a public holiday are entitled to receive the holiday pay rate as stipulated in Section 60D(3) of the Act,” the statement added.

So, my parents were the ones who really shaped me into who I am today,” said Shalby. So, he began his career at contractor companies serving both oil and gas (O&G) and non-O&G projects in Malaysia and Thailand. In a way, the transition was very important, and there was a lot of engagement with stakeholders and partners,” he said. Looking ahead, Shalby envisions Sarawak Asset as a benchmark for excellence, delivering efficient, sustainable operations while nurturing local talent. This is the story of a reserved boy from Miri who found his way home - not just to the place of his roots, but to the responsibility and privilege of shaping Sarawak’s energy future through PETRONAS.

Police have obtained a seven-day remand against two men held to assist investigations into an attack at a restaurant in Sungai Bakap yesterday, which left one man dead and two others seriously injured. - NSTP/AUDREY DERMAWANNIBONG TEBAL: Police have obtained a seven-day remand against two men held to assist investigations into an attack at a restaurant in Sungai Bakap yesterday, which left one man dead and two others seriously injured. "The magistrate has allowed my client to be remanded for one week to assist in investigations," he said when met. The two other injured men, aged 31 and 42, received treatment at the hospital. Several videos went viral on social media showing the injured victims, including one in critical condition.

The chaos in train services carrying passengers and vehicles between London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam — one of Europe's busiest international rail corridors — hit at the height of the New Year travel season. Eurostar, which runs passenger rail services, said on Wednesday morning that services had resumed following "a power issue in the Channel Tunnel on Tuesday and some further issues with rail infrastructure overnight". "We plan to run all of our services today [Wednesday], however due to knock-on impacts there may still be some delays and possible last-minute cancellations," it said. One train, Eurostar 9152, arrived in the northern French city of Lille from London at 0630 GMT, 11 hours later than its expected arrival time. "The tunnel has recovered its full capacity," said Getlink GETP.PA, which operates the tunnel infrastructure and the Le Shuttle service.

(Dec 31): Emerging Asian equities traded mixed on the last day of 2025 on Wednesday but were set for their strongest annual gains in years, buoyed by strong fundamentals and rising capital flows into growth markets, amplified by an AI-driven investment boom. Taiwan's stock market was another major beneficiary of the global AI phenomenon and its related flows, soaring 26% in 2025, its third consecutive year of robust growth. "The artificial intelligence investment cycle is still the dominant narrative," Anthony Doyle, chief investment strategist at Pinnacle Investment Management in Sydney, wrote in a note. The Thai baht was set to close 2025 around 9% stronger against the US dollar, driven by online gold trading as bullion soared. On the final trading day of 2025, most currencies were trading mixed: the rupiah ticked higher to a 10-session peak, while the Thai baht hovered around a one-week low.

Since taking office, Anwar has visited China four times, demonstrating his strong will to promote China-Malaysia relations. Exchanges at various levels increased significantly, yielding impressive achievements to boost the cultivation of a high-level strategic China-Malaysia community with a shared future. Built on a foundation of mutual respect and shared benefits, the China-Malaysia cooperation has prospered in various fields, laying the foundation for its continued prosperity in the long run. As the year draws to a close, we are reminded to embrace the new year with continued trust and cooperation to develop a China-Malaysia community with a shared, prosperous future. Together, these efforts could bring greater benefits to the people of Malaysia, China and the broader Asean region, contributing to lasting world peace, stability and common prosperity.

KUCHING: Several areas around Kuching city were hit by floods this morning after heavy rains continued since midnight. "The caller informed that their home area had been flooded and needed assistance to evacuate them to a safe place," according to the statement. It is understood that currently there are two temporary evacuation centres (PPS) that will be opened but detailed information has not yet been updated. Earlier, the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) issued a continuous rain warning at alert level for several areas in Sarawak starting Wednesday until Jan 1, 2026. MetMalaysia announced that among the areas expected to be affected are Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Sri Aman and Betong.- Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia closed the morning session lower, weighed down by continuous profit-taking amid a lack of fresh catalysts, tracking the softer regional market movement. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) fell 10.19 points, or 0.6 per cent, to 1,674.34 from Tuesday’s close of 1,684.53. On the index board, the FBM Emas Index slid 56.81 points to 12,271.73, the FBMT Top 100 Index declined 59.61 points to 12,076.78, and the FBM Emas Shariah Index fell 35.74 points to 12,083.83. The FBM Mid 70 Index went down 20.11 points to 16,810.34, and the FBM ACE Index lost 12.03 points to 4,849.27. -- BERNAMATAGS: Bursa Malaysia, FBM KLCI, Wall Street, Public Investment, midday

Chew said the syndicate offered various fraudulent schemes, including bogus investment opportunities, love scams and the sale of non-existent items. Chew said he and other Malaysians were then taken to Thailand, where they were handed over to Malaysian Embassy officials. On Dec 20, Sinar Harian reported that 31 Malaysians who fell victim to an online job scam syndicate in Myawaddy had been safely repatriated. Wisma Putra said the Foreign Ministry, through its embassies in Bangkok and Yangon, successfully facilitated the repatriation of 31 Malaysian nationals. "Their identities were confirmed earlier by officials from the Malaysian embassy in Bangkok during a previous repatriation operation in early December.

NIBONG TEBAL: Police have detained two men to assist in the investigation into a fatal attack at a Sungai Bakap restaurant on Thursday (Dec 30), in which a group of masked men armed with sharp weapons killed one man and injured two others. Penang police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the two men were detained in the state several hours after the incident. "The detained men are assisting with the case, which has been classified as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code," he told Bernama on Wednesday (Dec 31). Based on preliminary investigations, the victims were attacked by more than 15 masked men wielding sharp weapons. On Thursday, the media reported that a group of armed masked men attacked the victims around 4.30 pm, allegedly over a debt issue.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Smelting Corp Bhd (MSC) has appointed Nicolas Chen Seong Lee and Lam Hoi Khong as co-group CEOs, effective Jan 1, 2026. They will succeed Datuk Patrick Yong Mian Thong, who retires as group CEO on Dec 31, 2025, but will remain on the board of directors and in a supporting role as an advisor, providing strategic guidance and overseeing new projects. "Under the new leadership structure, Chen and Lam will jointly lead the group, with the co-leadership model designed to strengthen operational effectiveness, reinforce the group’s governance and enhance strategic execution, while ensuring continuity and sustainable growth. "In their respective roles, Chen will focus on the group’s operational, corporate and institutional matters, while Lam will oversee the group’s financial, sales/marketing, commercial and governance-related functions," said MSC in a statement.