KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): The provision of protection and rewards for whistle-blowers is among the proposed new provisions under the Competition Act 2010 (Act 712), which is in the final stage of amendments, said Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali. He said the Cabinet had given policy approval for the amendments, while the draft bill (Blue Bill) is in its final stage of refinement before being resubmitted to the Cabinet. “I expect to bring this Blue Bill to the Cabinet either as soon as possible or towards the end of Ramadan. He said Act 712 currently had no specific provisions on whistle-blower protection, while the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 (Act 711) does not apply to enforcement by MyCC. This is because action under the Competition Act 2010 is civil in nature, whereas Act 711 only covers exposes relating to disciplinary and criminal offences.

The IMF’s executive board rubber-stamped the deal on Thursday (Feb 26), following a staff-level agreement reached between the Fund and Kyiv in late November. “Ukraine and its people have weathered a long and devastating war for over four years with remarkable resilience,” Kristalina Georgieva, IMF managing director, said in a statement Thursday. However, it comes as Hungary holds up a €90 billion (US$106 billion) European Union loan package to Ukraine. Donors’ support is key for Ukraine, as the IMF calculated a financing gap of around US$136.5 billion over the programme period. This is the second IMF programme for the country since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Wellness influencer Gabriela Martins Santos de Moura has died at 31 following complications during an in vitro fertilization procedure. The Brazilian therapist reportedly suffered cardiorespiratory arrest at the private Sao Paulo clinic where she was undergoing the procedure, according to local outlet G1. Her family said Santos de Moura was hospitalised in a coma for eight days before her death on Tuesday (Feb 24). “Today the world became a little quieter; we lost a great friend, godmother, therapist, family member!” he wrote, according to a translation. They say life is short, but Gabi proved that life can be immense if we have the courage to pursue our dreams.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): AirAsia has advised its guests to expect possible flight delays following the temporary closure of Runway 3 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). In a travel advisory issued on Thursday, the airline said Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd had announced the temporary closure of the runway to facilitate ongoing rectification works. “As a result, some flights may experience delays due to operational and runway capacity adjustments at the airport,” AirAsia said in a post on X. The airline said guests would be notified directly if and when there are changes to their flights. “Guests are encouraged to check their flight status on the AirAsia MOVE app or visit airasia.com/flightstatus for the latest updates,” it said.

HERE’S what I noticed recently. We now “wave” our smartphones more often than we wave hello. This is simply because we have gone cashless. E-payments have taken over our lives to the extent that the smartphone is now your most important possession.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Sales of Proton and Perodua cars will continue to dominate the domestic market at around 61% for the period 2020 to 2025, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) said. However, it began to show a downward trend on average to 26.2% from 2023 to 2025. "Although the overall market share for the four Japanese vehicle brands was almost the same for the years 2021 and 2022, the total vehicle sales value for all brands increased by RM9.5 billion. "This situation directly affects Japanese vehicle manufacturers which do not offer EV models," it said. "Based on Chery's annual sales value record, the average sales value per unit of Chery vehicles also increased from RM116,000 to RM127,000.

THE Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) recently launched the Strategic Technology Driver Fund (Pemacu 2.0), a RM100mil initiative to advance the country’s technology landscape. This initiative marks an important shift in Malaysia’s innovation approach. For many years, national success in research was often measured by publications and prototypes. The new focus emphasises something more practical; research must translate into technologies that can be deployed in industry and generate economic value.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 27): The Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) is offering research and development (R&D) grants of up to RM100,000 per project to support high-impact research in Malaysia’s business and corporate sectors. Funded research will cover corporate governance, legal compliance, accounting and auditing, digital transformation, entrepreneurship, and policy studies relating to SSM’s functions, roles and responsibilities. SSM encourages collaborative applications between academic institutions and the public and private sectors to ensure comprehensive, practical and high-impact outcomes. All research conducted under the grant must adhere to ethical standards, integrity principles and SSM’s prescribed guidelines. Completed applications must be submitted by email to the SSM R&D grant secretariat at [email protected].

The company is seeking to raise up to HK$1.97 billion by offering 26.7 million H shares at a maximum price of HK$73.68 each. Proceeds will be used for business expansion and technology development, according to its filing. Separately, industrial robot maker Estun Automation is looking to raise as much as HK$1.65 billion by offering 96.8 million H shares at up to HK$17.00 apiece. Reusable‑packaging service provider Alsco Pooling Service is seeking up to HK$285 million by offering 20.3 million shares at a cap price of HK$14.00 each, its filing showed. Their scheduled debuts are March 9 for Zhaowei, Estun and Alsco, and March 10 for MeiG, according to the respective filings.

While all three major US stock indices are on track for modest weekly losses, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq are poised to close lower on the month. Nvidia's fourth-quarter results, posted after Wednesday's closing bell, were better than analysts expected, and the chipmaker provided above-market estimates. "The S&P itself is being dragged down by Nvidia and the Magnificent 7, and the Nasdaq is really getting hammered." On the Nasdaq, 2,439 stocks rose and 2,237 fell as advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 1.09-to-1 ratio. The S&P 500 posted 37 new 52-week highs and one new low while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 88 new highs and 88 new lows.

HOUSTON: Oil prices settled lower after a choppy session on Thursday as investors tracked developments in talks between the United States and Iran over the Opec member's nuclear programme, weighing potential supply concerns if hostilities escalate. The United States and Iran held indirect talks in Geneva on Thursday over their long-running nuclear dispute to avert a conflict after US President Donald Trump ordered a military build-up in the region. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi described Thursday's talks as the most serious exchanges with the United States yet, saying Iran clearly laid out its demand for lifting sanctions and the process for relief. Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi earlier said significant progress was made in Thursday's talks. "The crude selloff is simply the market removing a geopolitical risk premium," Shohruh Zukhritdinov, a Dubai-based oil trader said.

"The next Olympic cycle after ⁠the ‌2028 Los Angeles Games may be the best period for French players," Gombrowicz told Reuters. "Over a ​long period of time, we had to ‌develop a culture of performance," Gombrowicz said. PROFESSIONAL APPROACHFormer French women's singles player Pi Hongyan noted the role of international coaches in shaping ⁠the national programme. "Now, young players say they want to be world champions or Olympic champions," said Chinese-born Hongyan, who coaches young players in Marseille after retiring in 2012. Officials and analysts say that sustaining national momentum after the 2024 Paris Olympics and enhancing women's badminton will be critical in the coming years.

(Feb 27) : Software default rates are at risk of soaring into double digits as disruption from artificial intelligence spreads and loans come due, according to Bain Capital. “We’re going to see real stress in the market,” said Angelo Rufino, head of special situations in North America and corporate special situations in Europe. Software default rates could jump to “high-single digits, low-double digits,” according to Rufino. Rufino’s comments echo those of Marathon Asset Management LP Chairman Bruce Richards, who said earlier Thursday that private credit software defaults could hit 15%. The investment firm didn’t give an overall figure on software debt holdings but said that the special situations group has less than 5% exposure.

(Feb 27) : Wall Street traders lifted stocks away from session lows as oil erased its gain amid signs of progress in US nuclear talks with Iran. Chipmakers sank as Nvidia Corp.’s results failed to inspire investors seeking reassurances about artificial intelligence. Even after giving a bullish forecast, Nvidia tumbled 5.5%, dragging down almost every company in a key semiconductor gauge. In late hours, Dell Technologies Inc. gave an outlook for sales of its AI servers that exceeded estimates. After soaring for much of the past few years, Nvidia has gone cold amid questions about massive AI spending.

But recent fears about the disruptive potential of artificial intelligence (AI) have battered stock prices and investor sentiment so much that a reality check is warranted. The original post on X has been viewed nearly 10 million times. This followed the nearly 5,000-word piece Something Big Is Happening by Matt Shumer, chief executive officer and co-founder of AI firm Otherside AI, published on Feb 9. If an “AI doom bubble” is growing, perhaps it’s time to deflate it. These prices indicate that either current AI fears are excessive, or the previous blind optimism was overdone.