Robotic tech boosts USM medical training
KOTA BARU: Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM) is now offering training in robotic technology for knee surgery as part of efforts to advance medical practice in line with current technological advancements. “It also offers the Arthroplasty Fellowship Programme for advanced training in joint replacement surgery,” he told the media, which included Bernama, after launching the Robotic Total Knee Replacement Surgery Service at Dewan Utama Kampus Kesihatan USM in Kubang Kerian, here yesterday. Elaborating further, he said the training is conducted by three instructors: Prof Dr Amran Ahmed Shokri, Dr Muhammad Rajaei Ahmad Mohd Zain, and Assoc Prof Dr Shaifuzain Ab Rahman. “So far, about 80 postgraduate students have enrolled in the programme, in line with HPUSM’s commitment as an academic hospital to train more specialists, particularly in robotic surgery,” he said. In a related development, Abdul Rahman said HPUSM also offers robotic total knee replacement surgery using the Rosa Knee System, which functions as a surgical assistant.
Source:The Star
February 03, 2026 11:50 UTC
Mudajaya gets High Court nod to wind up power producer THB Power
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 3): Mudajaya Group Bhd (KL:MUDAJYA) said the High Court has allowed its winding-up petition against THB Power Sdn Bhd after the independent power producer again failed to make the final tranche of payment totalling RM27.9 million with interest. This marks the second instance THB Power has missed the same final tranche, after the company failed to meet the earlier Aug 29, 2025 deadline. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia on Tuesday, Mudajaya said the court delivered its decision last Wednesday and allowed the winding-up petition, following which THB Power filed both a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal and an application to stay the winding-up order. The winding-up petition followed an adjudication decision in April 2024 and a supplemental settlement agreement in October 2024, though specific details of these were not disclosed. The group said aside from the non-receipt of the final RM27.9 million tranche, no further financial impact is expected at this juncture.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 10:51 UTC
Chinese energy drink maker Eastroc fails to pop in subdued Hong Kong debut
HONG KONG/SINGAPORE (Feb 3): China's Eastroc Beverage, a maker of energy drinks, made a muted Hong Kong trading debut on Tuesday after raising about US$1.3 billion in a share sale. Its shares closed at HK$251.8, just 1.5% higher than their offer price of HK$248 each, giving Eastroc a market capitalisation of around HK$141.2 billion (US$18 billion). China's biggest pig breeder Muyuan Foods aims to raise US$1.4 billion in an offering and will debut on Friday. Kenny Ng, a securities strategist at China Everbright Securities International, said investor enthusiasm in Hong Kong listings leans toward new-economy, smart-manufacturing and technology firms due to their stronger growth prospects. "In contrast, stocks from traditional economic sectors, such as Eastroc, often exhibit more stable trends following their listing," he added.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 10:51 UTC
200 MAF veterans to join border control agency this quarter
PUTRAJAYA (Feb 3): About 200 veterans of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) are expected to join the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) starting in the first quarter of this year, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. He said currently, a number of positions for MAF veterans to join AKPS have been approved by Public Service Department (JPA) and the recruitment process will be carried out in the near future. Also present were Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Awang Alik Jeman and AKPS director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain. Saifuddin Nasution said the recruitment of MAF veterans would involve former Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and Royal Malaysian Air Force personnel. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, when presenting Budget 2026, earlier announced that priority would be given to MAF veterans to fill AKPS' manpower needs to get the agency in full readiness.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 10:41 UTC
Johor dam levels under control, four locations monitored during current hot spell
ISKANDAR PUTERI (Feb 3): Water levels at all 16 dams in Johor remain at safe levels and are operating well despite the state facing prolonged hot weather over the past month. Johor Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said overall dam capacity in Johor currently exceeded 70%, indicating that raw water supply remained sufficient to meet current needs. “In Johor, we have 16 dams — 10 operated by the Johor Water Regulatory Body (Bakaj), four by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID), one by PETRONAS and one by Singapore’s PUB [National Water Agency]. However, Mohamad Fazli said four dams had recorded water levels below 60% and required close monitoring, although they were not yet at critical levels. The dams are the Upper Layang Dam at 46.89%, Pulai 1 Dam (47.63%), Gunung Pulai 2 Dam (56%) and Lower Layang Dam (60.33%).
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 10:25 UTC
Dollar risk premium is rebuilding
But a dollar risk premium appears to be rebuilding regardless — most clearly in last week's sudden swoon. Like all attempts by Wall Street to model measures of risk, there are many different ways to slice and dice what a dollar risk premium might look like and even what it might represent. Once again, a risk premium seemed to reopen and the euro surged up through US$1.20 even though the US two-year yield gap in favour of the dollar had climbed some 20bps through January. Writing before Friday's nomination of Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair steadied the dollar ship somewhat, strategists at Morgan Stanley detailed how they view this dollar risk premium. Risk premia and the anti-dollarBarclays currency analysts also reckon dollar risk premia have jumped again this year after the Greenland row and the joint US-Japan currency action, and this has offset other dollar positives from economic and wider market performance.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 10:15 UTC
Reservoir Link explores developing gas power plant with Sabah state govt, Propel Global
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 3): Reservoir Link Energy Bhd (KL:RL) has signed an initial pact with a Sabah state agency and an engineering services firm to explore development of a gas-fired power plant. Under the terms of the non-binding agreement, Reservoir Link, together with Sabah Energy Corp Sdn Bhd and Propel Global Bhd (KL:PGB), will undertake feasibility studies and other analysis related to the proposed project that may integrate regasification, gas distribution and power generation. The project is aimed at delivering a cost-efficient, lower-emission and rapidly deployable energy solution, using available gas supplies in line with government allocation and availability, Reservoir Link said in a bourse filing. Sabah Energy Corp serves as Sabah’s principal energy utility and infrastructure arm, overseeing the development and commercialisation of the state’s natural gas resources. A joint working group comprising representatives from all three parties will be set up within 30 days to coordinate project planning and oversee the feasibility phase.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 10:15 UTC
Tanker rates spike as Iran tensions run up against tight supply
(Feb 3): Tankers moving crude from the Middle East to China have charged the highest fees in two months this week, after nervousness over Iran tensions combined with tight vessel supply to drive up prices. The daily earnings of a vessel on the benchmark TD3C route gained 5.1% on Monday to nearly US$129,000 (RM508,135) per day, the highest since late November, according to data published by the Baltic Exchange. Last week’s speculations about escalating tensions between Iran and the US prompted a rush from charterers to secure vessels ahead of any potential supply disruption, shipbrokers said. As a result, the global Worldscale index, which captures the cost of transporting oil through a complex analysis of freight routes, jumped from 105 to 140 on Friday due to disruptions affecting the TD3C route, brokers said. The possibility of easing tensions prompted a slide in prices of crude futures this week.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 10:00 UTC
Spain to ban social media access for under-16s, PM Sanchez says
MADRID (Feb 3): Spain plans to ban access to social media for minors under 16 and platforms will be required to implement age-verification systems, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday as he announced several measures to guarantee a safe digital environment. Sanchez's left-wing coalition government has repeatedly complained about the proliferation of hate speech, pornographic content and disinformation on social media, saying it had negative effects on young people. Australia in December became the first country to ban social media for children under 16, a move being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures, such as Britain and France. Sanchez said Spain had joined five other European countries that he dubbed the "Coalition of the Digitally Willing” to coordinate and enforce cross-border regulation. Spain will also introduce a bill next week to hold social media executives accountable for illegal and hate-speech content, as well as to criminalise algorithmic manipulation and the amplification of illegal content, Sanchez said.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 09:55 UTC
Bank of England to consult on alternatives to debit and credit cards
LONDON (Feb 2): The Bank of England (BOE) said on Monday that it will launch a public consultation in the coming months on how consumer payments should work in the future, including making it easier for people to pay electronically without using a debit or credit card. Cash is used for less than 10% of payments in Britain while debit and credit cards account for nearly two thirds of transactions, making US firms Mastercard and Visa effective gatekeepers most day-to-day financial activity. Breeden said greater competition might lower transaction fees for smaller retailers — which typically pay four times as much as the largest chains — and provide greater resilience against cyber attacks and other risks. She gave the speech at a conference hosted by financial events company City & Financial Global, and was asked by one audience member if Britain's strategy echoed sovereignty and security concerns elsewhere in Europe. Any new payment options were unlikely to fully displace debit and credit cards, as other countries such as Sweden, India and Brazil had multiple options co-exist, she added.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 09:50 UTC
Malaysia frees ships it says conducted unlicensed oil transfer
(Feb 3): Malaysia released two ageing tankers it detained for conducting a ship-to-ship transfer of oil without permission on a bond, following a request from a representative for the vessels, according to maritime authorities. The supertanker Nora was transferring crude oil to Rcelebra at the time of the arrest, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said in a statement Tuesday. They were detained by the group’s Penang unit for conducting a cargo transfer without permission and anchoring in a non-anchorage area, it added. The vessel had arrived in waters off Penang island, in Malaysia’s west, in the last week of January, and conducted a ship-to-ship transfer in that area with Nora, tracking data and satellite images show. Read also:MMEA Penang detains two tankers transferring RM512 mil crude oil
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 09:50 UTC
Refiner Eneos to expand oil-trading portfolio outside of Japan — Bloomberg
(Feb 3): Eneos Holdings Inc plans to expand its team to handle more oil-derivative trading at its overseas offices including Singapore, as Japan’s largest refiner looks to increase its presence at major trading hubs. Eneos will hire traders, as well as other executives in supporting roles, said headhunters with knowledge of those plans. Kenneth Quek, a former trader from Mercuria Energy Group, recently joined in Singapore to focus on crude and related derivatives. Bloomberg previously reported that Eneos was a frontrunner in the process, ahead of rivals including trading houses Glencore plc and Vitol Group. India’s state-owned refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp is also planning to set up a trading arm in Singapore this month.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 09:45 UTC
Rolls-Royce defends pricing after airlines bash engine industry
SINGAPORE (Feb 3): A senior Rolls-Royce executive on Tuesday defended recent price rises and improvements in performance after airlines accused engine makers of profiting from supply chain problems. Rob Watson, president of Rolls-Royce's civil aerospace division, said engine pricing reflected supply chain disruptions and the fallout from geopolitical instability. "I think that our pricing reflects supply chain disruption coming out of Covid," Watson said in an interview on the sidelines of the Singapore Airshow. We're reflecting raised costs, which are driven by all those supply chain challenges that everybody talks about," he added. Watson said the British engine maker was "on track" with a programme of improvements in the durability of its largest engine for the long-haul Airbus A350-1000.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 09:40 UTC
China eyes secure copper supply with plan to boost reserves
(Feb 3): China wants more copper in its state stockpiles, according to a senior metals industry official, a move that would add to upward pressure on prices and highlight a growing push by governments to bolster supply security. The country will expand the size of its strategic copper reserves and also work with major state-owned producers to boost commercial inventories, Duan Shaofu, deputy secretary general of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, said at a press conference on Tuesday. The plan comes just days after copper prices spiked to a record high, and is the latest sign that copper is becoming even more of a strategic asset as major economies fret about supply-chain risks. China already maintains strategic stockpiles of commodities such as copper, oil and cobalt to support industrial activity and protect Asia’s biggest economy from supply disruptions. The country is also assessing the possibility of adding copper concentrate into its reserves, Duan said, without elaborating.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 03, 2026 09:30 UTC
S’gor folk cry foul over irregular rubbish removal
“I was told that this is also due to frequent breakdowns of rubbish lorries, forcing KDEBWM to bring in lorries from other areas, causing delays. Yip urged residents to lodge formal complaints through the Public Complaints Management System (Sispaa) whenever there are delays in rubbish collection. Mike Chong said Puchong Hartamas 1, where he lives, had also been facing inconsistencies in rubbish collection. “This would disrupt the rubbish collection at households,” he said. Puchong resident Chong said this regulation should be reviewed pragmatically as waste management is a critical public service.
Source:The Star
February 03, 2026 09:09 UTC