KUALA LUMPUR: A weak magnitude 3.4 earthquake occurred in Bukit Kepong, Pagoh, Johor at 8.55am, on Sunday (Dec 28). In a statement on Sunday, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) said the epicentre of the earthquake was located 2.4°North and 102.7° East with a depth of 10km, 16km Southwest of Segamat, Johor. ALSO READ: Minor 2.7-magnitude earthquake recorded in Segamat, says MetMalaysia“Tremors were felt in several areas in Johor and Melaka. “The Malaysian Meteorological Department will continue to monitor the situation,” it said in the statement.

KUALA LUMPUR: A video showing the alleged abuse of two babies by a caretaker has led to the arrest of a suspect. Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Aidil Bolhassan said police received three reports over the alleged abuse of two babies at a nursery. “Cheras police confirm that reports of abuse involving two babies aged six and nine months have been lodged. “A total of three reports were received, and investigations led to the arrest of a 26-year-old Malaysian woman on Dec 16,” he said, adding that the suspect is a staff member of the nursery. Several CCTV videos uploaded on social media by one of the victim’s parents allegedly show a caretaker manhandling and slapping two babies.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia is expected to trade largely sideways this week, as holiday conditions continue to dampen market activity, says an economist. IPPFA Sdn Bhd director of investment strategy and country economist Mohd Sedek Jantan noted that with most major macroeconomic and corporate catalysts already priced in, the year-end rally is likely to lose momentum, while trading volumes should remain subdued. He said the market will be closed on Thursday for the New Year holiday, and Friday’s session is likely to be broadly flat. “Even so, the FBM KLCI is on track to close the year above the 1,643 level, delivering a positive outcome for 2025. “This would represent the first instance in the post-pandemic period of two consecutive years of market gains, reinforcing the view that Malaysia’s equity market has moved onto a firmer structural footing,” he said.

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(Dec 29) : Global capital is coming back to Southeast Asia’s stock markets this month, positioning the cohort as one of the must-watch pockets of global finance for 2026. Asean markets have “very different growth engines behind them,” he said. Some Asean markets like Vietnam are also seen gaining from global supply-chain shifts away from China and the Federal Reserve’s expected interest-rate cuts. In Indonesia, investors are wary about President Prabowo Subianto’s populist policies. At the same time, should the AI theme continue to win favor among investors, Asean markets will struggle to shake their underperformance.

KOTA KINABALU: The state government must explain the continued presence of stateless children begging along main roads in the state capital, despite an allocation of RM250,000 meant to address the issue. “What is the status of the RM250,000 allocation approved in 2022 to address the issue of Palauh children or stateless minors who continue to beg around Kota Kinabalu City? “These children are still seen at traffic lights near Wawasan Plaza, Wisma Merdeka, and the Post Office, begging from motorists. This reflects a poor image of Kota Kinabalu that sees so many foreign tourists,” he said in a statement Sunday (Dec 28). However, after the initial pilot project, the state has yet to announce any fresh initiatives, though James had indicated that more guidelines were needed from state and federal governments in handling stateless children.

PETALING JAYA: Several PAS leaders have made cryptic remarks on social media following the appointment of Perlis Bersatu chief Abu Bakar Hamzah as the new Mentri Besar. Meanwhile, Dato Nik Amar suggested that loyalty and friendship were “difficult concepts” for Bersatu in a Facebook post. The appointment follows a political crisis in Perlis, where eight Perikatan Nasional assemblymen – three from PAS and five from Bersatu – reportedly submitted statutory declarations (SDs) to withdraw their support for Shukri. The three PAS assemblymen, Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong), and Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji), subsequently had their memberships terminated and their seats declared vacant. Both PAS and Bersatu reportedly submitted one candidate each for the Mentri Besar position.

Together at last: Master Hoo conducting a ritual wedding during the funeral wake of a young couple who died in a motorcycle accident in Johor. Instead, those in attendance at the ghost wedding ceremony would be dressed in mourning attire as the bride and groom had died. However, he presided over such a ceremony just two months ago for a young couple – aged 18 and 20 – who were killed in a motorcycle accident near Tangkak, Johor. Loo said the wedding ceremony took place during their funeral wake. He explained that ghost weddings originated in China thousands of years ago and that some Chinese families in Malaysia still observe the practice.

PETALING JAYA: MN Holdings Bhd can expect a RM1.2mil boost to its profit after tax (PAT) over financial year 2026 (FY26) and FY27 after its recent contract win. MN Holdings, via a consortium, secured a TNB contract to upgrade the 132kV submarine power cable system between Kuala Perlis and Langkawi, adding an effective RM17.7mil to its order book. TNB’s projects currently account for 44% of MN Holdings’ total order book. This contract marks MN Holdings’ second TNB contract win in FY26, bringing year-to-date (y-t-d) new wins to 7.7% of Phillip Capital Research’s RM600mil order replenishment assumption for FY26. Both Phillip Capital Research and Maybank IB retained their earnings forecast for MN Holdings, as the contract win aligns with their existing assumptions.

PETALING JAYA: Analysts are mostly positive about Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd ’s (KLK) strategic joint venture (JV) with Mah Sing Group Bhd to develop an industrial park in Kulai, Johor. Meanwhile, MBSB Research said it expects the partnership between KLK and Mah Sing to be mutually beneficial and strategically positioned to enhance KLK’s industrial business. The collaboration capitalises on KLK’s sizeable land holdings, while leveraging Mah Sing’s proven development capabilities and strong brand equity in Johor. The proceeds may enhance shareholder value, either through a potential special dividend payout or via reinvestment into new brownfield estates,” said MBSB Research. The research house kept its “neutral” call on KLK with an unchanged TP of RM20.23 per share.

Institutions use Jibor to determine interest rates for bank deposits, swaps and consumer loans, among other things. “Indonia is considered to better reflect interest rate movements in the market,” said Benny Aroeman, the head of markets at Citibank Indonesia. While the central bank has lowered the benchmark interest rate by 125 basis points so far this year, lending rates have only fallen 24 basis points. Jibor, for instance, is determined by quotations from 17 contributing banks, while Indonia is based on all transactions that occurred in the overnight interbank money market. Average daily interbank transactions reached 15.4 trillion rupiah — or around 63.5% of total money market transactions — throughout 2025, according to the central bank.

Corporate general manager Mohd Norlisam Mohd Nordin said the waste management company had initiated early preparations to ensure services remained uninterrupted, particularly in flood-prone areas throughout the northeast monsoon season. He added that the company would continue to work closely with the state government, local councils and Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) in implementing flood preparedness operations. “The collaboration also covers preparations at temporary evacuation centres, including ensuring there are enough wheelie bins and that waste collection is carried out on schedule. Mohd Norlisam also highlighted the importance of proper wheelie bin management during the rainy season to prevent bins from collecting rainwater, which could disrupt solid waste collection operations. He advised residents and business owners to keep their wheelie bins covered and avoid placing them in areas prone to water accumulation.

PETALING JAYA: Former men’s doubles shuttler Lim Khim Wah may be best known for his exploits on the badminton court, but he has taken a different path since retiring, choosing not to stay in badminton and instead opening a snooker training centre. Khim Wah, who retired in 2023, now runs The J Trick Snooker and Cafe in Klang, Selangor, which has been operating since August.

(Dec 29): Global stocks held at record highs on Monday, while silver rallied to a new peak before turning sharply lower as trading winds down heading into year end. Silver retreated after smashing through US$80 (RM324.20) an ounce for the first time, turning volatile following a historic rally powered by a structural imbalance in supply and demand. “We are witnessing a generational bubble playing out in silver,” Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG Australia, wrote in a note on Sunday. With silver inventories near their lowest on record, there’s a risk of supply shortages that could impact multiple sectors. The gauge of global stocks has risen nearly 22% in 2025, headed for a third straight annual gain and the biggest since 2019.

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit is expected to trade in a narrow range next week, hovering between 4.03 and 4.05 against the US dollar amid a holiday-shortened week. The local currency traded mixed this week, opening at 4.07 before strengthening to as high as 4.0410 on Friday morning, then easing to close the week at 4.0470. Earlier this week, the local currency was mainly influenced by expectations of a US interest rate cut and by weaker US consumer confidence. On a weekly basis, the ringgit strengthened against the greenback, closing higher at 4.0470/0535 compared with 4.0740/0785 at the end of last week. However, the local currency depreciated vis-a-vis the Thai baht to 13.0212/0484 from 12.9428/9620 previously.