Fernando Martin, a coach with Valencia CF, has died along with three members of his family after their boat capsized, Spanish football clubs said. Valencia said in a statement yesterday that they were “deeply ‌saddened by the passing of Fernando Martin, coach of Valencia CF Femenino B, and three ​of his children, in the tragic boat accident in Indonesia, as confirmed by local authorities”. Indonesian and Spanish authorities said on Saturday that Martin and three of his children were missing after the boat carrying ‍11 people sank ‍in ​extreme weather on Friday in the Padar Island Strait. His wife and daughter, as well as four crew members and a tour guide, were rescued and ‍safe, SAR said in a statement.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 29): AwanBiru Technology Bhd (KL:AWANTEC) has secured two contracts worth RM16.42 million from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to provide Google artificial intelligence (AI) tools to public universities. AwanBiru Technology is the managed service provider for Google Cloud Malaysia. The contracts cover the provision of NotebookLM Enterprise and Gemini for Google Workspace to students, lecturers and administrators at public universities. AwanBiru Technology said the contracts have a tenure of 13 months, commencing on Jan 1, 2026 and expiring on Jan 31, 2027. The group added that the deployment of the AI tools is designed to enhance public universities’ existing Google Workspace for Education ecosystem by integrating advanced AI-driven learning and productivity features.

Rapper turned-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, known as Balen, a popular elected official, joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) or national independent party, led by a former TV host-turned politician Rabi Lamichhane on Sunday, party officials said. The election commission says nearly 19 million of Nepal’s 30 million people are eligible to vote in the elections. Balen was in the spotlight after the protests and was an undeclared leader of the youngsters who led the September protests. Some critics have questioned Balen's role during the protests, saying he rarely appeared in public and only addressed supporters on social media. Lamichhane formed the RSP ahead of the 2022 elections and is popular for his anti-corruption campaign as a TV host.

Leapmotor aims to sell one million cars in 2026, supported by a global expansion strategy in partnership with Stellantis, Zhu said in Hangzhou, where the company is based. With its best-selling C10 electric SUV priced from 142,800 yuan, Leapmotor has also been eroding the market share of industry leader BYD in terms of EVs priced under US$25,000. In contrast, BYD's domestic sales declined 5.1% to 3.1 million units during the same period. Separately, Leapmotor on Monday said it would issue 74.8 million shares to state-owned automaker FAW at 50.03 yuan a share. Neither FAW nor Stellantis, which invested in Leapmotor in 2023, intends to seek control of Leapmotor, said chief financial officer Li Tengfei.

(Dec 29): SoftBank Group Corp agreed to acquire private equity firm DigitalBridge Group Inc in a deal valuing the data centre investor at US$4 billion (RM16.19 billion) including debt. The acquisition is part of SoftBank’s push to invest in the digital infrastructure fuelling the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. SoftBank’s billionaire founder, Masayoshi Son, aims to capitalise on soaring demand for digital infrastructure, driven by the AI boom. SoftBank has also held discussions with closely held Switch about a possible acquisition, which specialises in designing and operating energy-efficient data centres, Bloomberg reported this month, citing people familiar with the matter. In January, SoftBank announced the US$500 billion Stargate project, alongside OpenAI, Oracle and Abu Dhabi’s MGX, to build data centres in the US.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 29): Malaysia’s total industry vehicle (TIV) sales could decline for a second year in 2026, CIMB Securities said, on the back of potential hike in vehicle prices and excise duties in 2026. Sales could come in at 774,000 units in 2026, lower than the projected 790,000 this year, the research house said. Softer consumer sentiment amid inflationary pressures could also weigh on demand, it said in a sector note. CIMB, which is 'neutral' on the industry, said the projected slowdown in 2026 will be driven by the expiry of tax exemptions for fully imported electric vehicles (EVs) from January 2026. That said, TIV in the first 11 months of 2025 hit 727,834 units, down 1.2% from a year ago.

BANGKOK (Dec 29): Thailand's manufacturing production index unexpectedly dropped 4.24% in November from a year earlier due to lower petroleum output, the strong baht and a border conflict with Cambodia, the industry ministry said on Monday. The November figure compared with a year-on-year rise of 0.8% forecast in a Reuters poll, and followed a revised increase of 0.04% in October. The index dropped 1.09% compared to a year earlier in the first 11 months of 2025. The strong baht pushed up export prices and eroded Thailand's competitiveness, the ministry said in a statement. The currency has gained about 10% against the dollar so far this year, making it Asia's second-best performing currency.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 29): Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd’s (KL:HIBISCS) associate has paused drilling at the Charlemont-1 exploration well off Australia after encountering gas at a shallower-than-planned depth. Drilling was paused on Dec 25 after higher-than-anticipated pressures were encountered at a depth of about 2,552 metres measured depth. 3D Energi holds a 20% participating interest in the Charlemont-1 well. The operator, ConocoPhillips Australia, is currently assessing potential adjustments to the well design, including options to continue drilling to the primary Waarre A target. 3D Energi holds 100% participating interest in the three exploration blocks.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Producer Price Index (PPI) eased further by 1.8 per cent in November 2025 from a 0.1 per cent decrease in October 2025, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). In contrast, he said the electricity and gas supply sector grew by 4.1 per cent, while the water supply sector rose by 10.1 per cent. Comparing Malaysia’s PPI for November 2025 with selected countries, Mohd Uzir said the selected countries showed mixed trends, with Japan’s PPI increasing by 2.7 per cent, maintaining a similar pace as in the previous month. "Similarly, Thailand’s PPI contracted by 1.6 per cent, following a 1.4 per cent decline in the previous month. "This marked the ninth straight month of year-on-year negative producer inflation, a similar trend in Malaysia,” it added.

We are in deficit, we are borrowing money from foreigners and we are spending it. One thing we need to be mindful of is that there is still a lot of money on the sidelines. If you look at the money market funds, we are talking about trillions of US dollars basically sitting on the sidelines. This is one reason why whenever you see a 10% to 15% pullback in the US market, investors, especially retail investors, are seeing it as a good stock on discount and they are flooding their money into it, capitalising on that opportunity. And if you look at the rest of the equity market, valuations are not that heightened.

So I rolled up my sleeves and served palm oil milling sunny-side up, by doing something mildly mischievous: imagining that we are the oil palm fruit bunches themselves. Just curiosity, a sense of humour, and a willingness to see sustainability through the eyes of a very hardworking fruit bunchLife on the treeOnce upon a time, I was an oil palm fresh fruit bunch – spiky, heavy, and hanging proudly from an oil palm like a trophy that knew its own worth. Oil palm fruit is no different. Palm oil mills, like kitchens, reveal character in how clean their floors are. Once upon a time, we were oil palm fruit bunches and we learned that sustainability begins not with slogans, but with systems that work.

1 men’s singles shuttler Roslin Hashim has warned against placing hopes on uncertainty. That was his reminder amid talk of relying on former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia to bolster Malaysia’s Thomas Cup campaign in Horsens, Denmark, in April. Only when he is ready should he be called up, rather than giving indications now that he will be absorbed into the Thomas Cup squad. He said the main focus should be on ensuring Jun Hao and Justin perform well. It is understood that Zii Jia is currently undergoing intensive training in preparation for the Malaysian Open from Jan 6-11.

The brokerage, which has maintained a “neutral” rating on automotive stocks, said sales would also be supported by the launch of new Proton and Perodua models despite total industry volume (TIV) declining in November on a month-on-month basis after record passenger- and -commercial vehicle sales in October. It highlighted two automotive stocks under coverage with “buy” calls – HI Mobility Bhd , with a target price (TP) of RM3.10 and Sime Darby Bhd , with TP of RM2.24. Other national models launched recently include Perodua’s first EV, the QV-E in the beginning of this month, followed by the Trax sport utility vehicle on Dec 17. “Collectively, we expect these new model launches to support near-term demand and provide a positive carryover effect into 2026,” it said. This policy would have more of an impact on firms with higher exposure to locally assembled vehicles but would benefit Japanese and European marques.

THE property market is expected to continue growing in 2026, with the industrial sub-sector remaining a key segment, anchored by the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ). Zerin Properties chief executive officer Previn Singhe says growth is expected to be more focused, with activity driven by clearer economic catalysts rather than a broad sector-wide momentum.

AT first glance, the government’s exit from Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) looks like a quiet admission that Malaysia’s 5G experiment has gone wrong. The single wholesale network (SWN) – later reshaped into a dual-network model – now leaves the country’s largest telcos facing a loss-making national platform.