KUALA LUMPUR (March 13): Sunway Bhd (KL:SUNWAY) has invested a cumulative RM23 million in SJK (C) Cheah Fah as the Chinese national-type primary school begins the second phase of its expansion in Johor’s southern corridor. Enrolment has grown to more than 820 students in under four years, pushing existing facilities close to the school’s current capacity of 1,000 pupils. Sunway pledged RM5 million towards the project following a 2025 fundraising dinner that attracted more than 900 donors and raised RM1 million. SJK (C) Cheah Fah is one of eight schools nationwide adopted by Sunway and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, Malaysia’s largest education-focused social enterprise. Sunway and the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation have contributed more than RM62 million towards the development of these schools to date.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 13): The Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar and Public Service director general (KPPA) Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz will review the proposal to implement work-from-home (WFH) arrangements for the public sector. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, who is also the Madani government spokesperson, said the outcome of the discussions will be decided at the Cabinet meeting next Tuesday. Also present were Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan and Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu. Several Asean countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, have announced precautionary measures such as WFH arrangements as part of government efforts to mitigate the impact of the conflict in West Asia. Similarly, he said, the outcome of discussions from these sessions will be presented at the Cabinet meeting next Tuesday.

OTTAWA, March ⁠12 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers ⁠from the Group of ‌Seven will have detailed discussions on diplomatic efforts related to ​the war in ⁠Iran when they ⁠meet near Paris at a ⁠scheduled ‌meeting at the end of ⁠March, Canada's foreign minister said on ​Thursday. France, ‌which is currently chairing ⁠the G7, ​will host the first of two foreign ministers ⁠meeting on March ​26-27 at the Vaux de Cernay abbey, some 50km southwest ⁠of Paris. "We will be having a full-fledged conversation about the diplomatic efforts ​relating to ⁠the war," Anita Anand told ​reporters on ‌Thursday. (Reporting by David Ljunggren, ​editing by Promit Mukherjee and Toby Chopra)

KUALA LUMPUR (March 13): The banking sector continues to offer defensive qualities and remains well buffered, despite the heightened geopolitical uncertainty, according to CIMB Securities Sdn Bhd. It said the sector remains supported by robust capital buffers, with sector CET1 ratios comfortably above regulatory requirements and well-anchored liquidity positions. “Nonetheless, prolonged uncertainties (with elevated oil prices) could pressure the broader economy, eventually affecting the banking sector. “Consequently, we have raised our core net profit forecasts for both Alliance and HLB,” it said. CIMB Securities added that it maintains an "overweight" stance on the banking sector.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling new ways for users to explore information, discover products and interact with brands. This enhances value for our consumers and for our advertisers.”The company integrated search with AI to keep pace with shifting consumer behaviour, starting with AI Overviews. AI Overviews match ads not just to what the person is searching for, but the context of that AI Overviews snapshot that's generated,” said Taylor. “The search team provides the results that you see when you do a search on google.com and whether it's an AI Overview or an AI Mode. One early example is direct offers, a pilot within AI Mode that surfaces sponsored deals at the moment a high-intent shopper appears ready to make a purchase.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 13): Malaysia’s impressive economic performance in 2025 is expected to continue driving the country’s economic momentum this year, despite global uncertainties and geopolitical challenges. Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan said last year’s growth, which exceeded the government’s target, shows that the country’s economic fundamentals remain solid, supporting the growth outlook for this year. “Alhamdulillah, we can see that Malaysia’s economy has truly rebounded. In the fourth quarter of 2025, gross domestic product growth was 6.3%, and for the whole of 2025 it was 5.2%, driven by ongoing economic reforms, domestic investment and domestic spending. Insya-Allah, we are starting from a more stable and stronger position than before,” he said at a post-Cabinet meeting press conference chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here on Friday.

KIGALI, March 12 (Xinhua) -- A total of 74 Burundian refugees were voluntarily repatriated to their home country on Thursday through the common land border post in Rwanda's Bugesera District, according to Rwandan authorities. The Rwandan Ministry in charge of Emergency Management said in a post on X that the repatriation was facilitated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. An official at the ministry told reporters that the group included 62 people who were living at Mahama Refugee Camp in eastern Rwanda's Kirehe District, and 12 from the Rwandan capital, Kigali. They were handed to Burundian authorities at the Nemba border post between Rwanda and Burundi. Latest data from the ministry shows that more than 30,000 Burundian refugees have returned home since 2020, while Rwanda continues to host over 50,000 others.

MADRID, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The only negative news surrounding Real Madrid's 3-0 win at home to Manchester City in the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night was the news that left-back Ferland Mendy suffered yet another muscle injury. The injury means Mendy will certainly miss this weekend's home game against Elche in La Liga as well as the trip to Manchester next Tuesday, although Alvaro Carreras could recover in time to help Madrid defend its first leg advantage. The Frenchman has had a long list of injuries since joining Madrid in 2019 and has played just five games this season - starting the campaign with a thigh injury and then suffering other muscle issues. Speaking after Tuesday's game, Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa admitted he had taken a risk in playing Mendy in consecutive games after such a long absence. "It doesn't look good and I am grateful for his efforts," commented Arbeloa in his post-match press conference.

KUALA LUMPUR (March 13): Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) said the airlines under its portfolio are continuously reviewing airfares and fuel surcharges in response to prevailing market conditions. The group, which operates Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and AMAL, said such reviews are part of ongoing efforts to manage operational costs while ensuring stable connectivity across its network, the statement said. According to the notice dated March 9, shared by Pemburu Tiket Murah, the adjustment on Firefly will be implemented in two stages. Malaysia Airlines said it will implement the adjustments in two stages. Jet fuel prices, which previously hovered between US$85 and US$90 per barrel before the US-Iran conflict, have surged above US$100 per barrel in recent days.

March 12 (Reuters) - One person ⁠has died following a Thursday morning shooting at Old Dominion ⁠University in Norfolk, Virginia, while two others remained in stable ‌condition, the university's police chiefsaid at a press conference. The university, founded in 1930, serves some 24,000 students, according to the school's website. University President Brian Hemphill said in a statement to the school community that Old Dominion had "faced a ​tragedy" and thanked police and emergency responders for ⁠swift intervention. Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger wrote on Facebook that she had ​spoken with university leadership and was mobilizing ‌state support to assist with the ​situation. (Reporting by Rich McKay and Steve Gorman; Writing by Julia Harte; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Will Dunham and David Gregorio)

KUALA LUMPUR: A former Malaysian diplomat and his son walked away as free men after the Temerloh High Court acquitted them of three drug-related charges, including the planting of 102 cannabis plants, four years ago. High Court judge Justice Roslan Mat Noor, in his ruling on Thursday, found that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against Datuk Zainal Abidin Alias, 82, and Mohamed Rizal Zainal Abidin, 56. In June 2022, the father and son were charged with three charges related to drug trafficking of 989.6 grams of cannabis, possession of THC-based oil, and the cultivation of 102 cannabis plants at a house in Janda Baik. "The High Court ruled that the prosecution failed to prove that the accused had exclusive control over the premises. He said the judge ordered that both Zainal Abidin and Mohamed Rizal be acquitted and discharged of all three charges without being called to enter their defence.

(March 13): Bitcoin rose in early Asia trading on Friday while oil hovered around US$100 a barrel, even as tensions with Iran showed no signs of abating. Bitcoin climbed as much as 2.6% to briefly top US$72,000, despite ongoing market angst over the conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted trade and threatened higher inflation. The original digital asset was trading around US$71,500 as of 10.30am in Singapore, while US stock index futures also pointed slightly higher. US-listed spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds are now on track for a third consecutive week of net inflows, the longest stretch since July. The ETFs have attracted US$529 million in inflows so far this week, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The current approach risks focusing on producing certified AI users when the nation also needs more AI builders, said Leslie Teo, a senior director at AI Singapore, the national AI research and development program established in 2017. The US, China and other major economies are investing heavily in AI research, computing power and talent development to build domestic capabilities. Countries that rely entirely on AI systems developed elsewhere risk having little influence over how the technology evolves or whose interests it serves. Its AI Singapore program has developed SEA-LION, a large language model designed for Southeast Asia and used by regional companies including GoTo Group. Still, the question facing Singapore is ultimately about capability rather than participation: whether the country can develop enough people capable of building AI systems, rather than simply train workers to use them, Teo said.

KPDN director-general (enforcement) Datuk Azman Adam said this commitment is to ensure that every issue affecting consumers can be addressed swiftly and effectively. For the record, he said the ministry received 46,815 complaints in 2024, compared with over 46,200 last year. Our commitment, specifically regarding issues related to price, supply, and misappropriation, is that we will investigate them within 24 hours,” he said, in a recent interview with Bernama. In this regard, he encouraged the public to use the various channels provided by KPDN to report information, including the WhatsApp hotline at 019-848 8000. Complaints can also be lodged via the KPDN e-Aduan Portal, at http://eaduan.kpdn.gov.my, the call centre at 1-800-886-800, or the Ez ADU KPDN smartphone application.

AMSTERDAM, March 12 (Reuters) - Prosecutors ⁠at the International Criminal Court said on Thursday ⁠they had opened an investigation into whether the ‌government of Belarus committed crimes that led to deportations of its opponents. Belarus is not a member of the ICC, but the case ​was brought by Lithuania, which is a ⁠member. Prosecutors determined that at ⁠least part of the alleged crimes by Belarusian authorities ⁠were committed ‌on Lithuania's territory, giving them jurisdiction. The prosecutors said there ​was reason to ‌believe the actions of Belarus were targeted against "actual or ⁠perceived opponents" ​of the Belarusian government. That justice will prevail, ​that those responsible will be ‌held accountable, and that the victims ​will finally receive truth and justice."