PETRONAS to safeguard production supply
In the upstream segment, PETRONAS said its near-term priority is to revitalise Malaysia’s exploration and production landscape, intensifying exploration in both new and mature areas and accelerating appraisal of recent discoveries. Looking ahead to the medium and long term, PETRONAS said upstream operations are committed to safeguarding production supply while embedding decarbonisation across the value chain. Operationally, PETRONAS’ upstream footprint includes 405 offshore platforms, over 3,000 wells and a fleet of FPSOs, FSOs and floating liquefied natural gas (FLNGs). Its floaters asset base includes eight FPSO units, nine FSO units, five mobile offshore production units (Mopus), two FLNG facilities and several other specialised structures. “The health and competitiveness of Malaysia’s OGSE sector is not ancillary to our mission – it is fundamental to it.” it said.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 07:35 UTC
South Korean police to question Coupang's interim CEO in data breach probe
SEOUL (Jan 30): South Korean police will question on Friday the American head of e-commerce firm Coupang Inc's local unit over a data breach that exposed the personal information of millions of customers. Interim chief executive Harold Rogers pledged to cooperate with all probes into the data leak. Rogers became interim CEO after former executive Park Dae-jun resigned in December, taking responsibility for the data breach, which was disclosed in November. South Korean officials said regulators were handling the case in the same way they would with any Korean company. The company said it became aware of the data breach in November.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 07:34 UTC
Penang waterfront makeover set to wow
There are plans to revitalise the waterfront stretch from Penang’s Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal to Tanjung City Marina into a commercial promenade. Penang Port Commission staff with the organisation’s commemorative 70th anniversary gold coin. “This is where the state government, Penang Port Commission, Transport Ministry and all other related agencies including the Railway Asset Corporation and Penang Port Sdn Bhd must hold a meeting and come together to realise this vision,” he said. “We want to expand that walkway to connect to the Swettenam Pier Cruise Terminal. Loke said there would be no construction of permanent structures as the entire area has to be maintained as a heritage zone.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 07:11 UTC
Stocks fall as Microsoft revives AI spending angst
Microsoft Corp. tumbled 12% – the most since 2020 – on concern it could take a while for AI investments to pay off. The "Magnificent Seven” tech giants have led the stock market higher for much of the past three years. "The AI theme is overcrowded, and investors are revaluing the AI trade, so they are re-weighting big-tech stocks in their portfolios,” said Matt Maley at Miller Tabak & Co. This week brought the first wave of major tech earnings, and a clear theme is emerging, according to Angelo Kourkafas at Edward Jones. Meta will double capital spending to as much as US$135 billion this year, an all-in bet on AI.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 07:04 UTC
Retired Sarawak teacher grows vanilla into a rewarding retirement venture
The venture has since proven to be a lucrative business for the retired teacher from Bau, Sarawak. The 68-year-old has since sold more than 500 vanilla cuttings, earning over RM11,000 in sales. Luke purchased vanilla cuttings from Phua, attended a hands-on training course, and gradually ventured into vanilla farming. According to Luke, vanilla farming involves lighter work and is more about caring for the flowers, making it well-suited for seniors. He also earns additional income by selling vanilla cuttings at RM15 each.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 07:01 UTC
Why is Germany sitting on US$599bil of gold?
I’ve a better solution: Why not sell some of the hoard, taking advantage of soaring prices and rampant demand? I don’t know whether gold prices are nearing a peak or will keep rising. Nagel said in 2024 he hadn’t considered selling gold for a “nanosecond” and he’s said similar more recently. Although the central bank isn’t a returns-obsessed hedge fund, it might be a good moment to take profits. To recap, central bank demand is contributing to skyrocketing gold prices, together with feverish retail speculation and the so-called debasement trade.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 06:56 UTC
Find out what are Malaysia’s favourite exercises
In terms of strength training, women are picking up the pace, recording 6% more sessions than men. They haven’t yet found the extra cash to join a gym, so strength training was not on their agenda. : Unsurprisingly, the youngest age group did the most amount of running, both outdoors and on the track. Ages 40–49 : Fresh off from being a youth, they did the most trail running of any age group. Ages 70+: When you’re in this age group, you take things slower, so these septuagenarians spent the most time swinging their clubs on the golf course.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 06:32 UTC
BNM imposes penalties on four institutions
KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) has taken enforcement actions, with penalties and compounds imposed, on two financial institutions and two firms for their failures to comply with anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) requirements. In statements yesterday, BNM said the institutions involved were MBSB Bank Bhd, Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Bhd (SME Bank), Boardroom Corporate Services Sdn Bhd and Ilham Secretarial Services. MBSB Bank paid RM560,000 for the AMP imposed by the central bank on Dec 3, 2025. Separately, BNM said it imposed an AMP of RM460,000 on SME Bank for failing to submit an STR promptly. BNM had also imposed a compound of RM8,625 on Ilham Secretarial Services for failure to promptly submit an STR, and the company paid the compound on Dec 15, 2025.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 06:30 UTC
Dry spell keeping firemen busy
JOHOR BARU: The present dry spell has seen firemen responding to five times more calls to fight fires this month, compared with the same period in 2024 and 2025. Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad said the department has responded to 3,194 fires in January. He said Kedah alone has four major fires while Johor saw one in recent days, involving some 136ha in Johor and Kedah combined. Nor Hisham added that previously there was also large scale open burning in Johor totalling 315ha, Selangor (7.24ha) and Sabah (5.66ha) which has since been put out. “We have presently deployed helicopters to carry out water bombing activities in Kedah and Johor,” he said.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 06:29 UTC
Cafe worker charged with raping teen
SEREMBAN: A cafe worker has claimed trial at the Sessions Court here to a charge of raping a girl who was a month short of turning 16. Abu Suffian Hashim, 23, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to him before judge Surita Budin on Friday (Jan 30). He was charged with committing the offence around 5.30pm on a day in May last year along a road near Taman Bahagia Delima in Kuala Pilah. The accused, who was unrepresented, pleaded for a low bail amount. Judge Surita then set bail at RM12,000 with one surety.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 06:18 UTC
DOE DG, deputy remanded a week in e-waste probe
PUTRAJAYA: The Department of Environment (DOE) director-general, his deputy and an officer have been remanded for seven days to assist investigations linked to alleged irregularities involving electronic waste (e-waste). The remand order, which will last until next Thursday, was granted by Magistrate Ezrene Zakariah following an application by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at the Magistrate’s Court here on Friday (Jan 30). Another individual was remanded for three days, until Sunday, in connection with the same probe.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 06:02 UTC
Immigration raid sees over 200 arrests in Kajang
KAJANG: A sweep by the Immigration Department here led to over 200 arrests. Immigration deputy director-general (operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli, at the operation scene tonight at Taman Emas, said that the operation saw over 1,000 inspections. “From that number, a total of 220 foreigners were detained for various immigration offences, including having no valid passes to enter the country. Earlier at the scene, there had been several tense moments when chases ensued between enforcement officers and suspects. Outside, at least one foreigner was seen trapped on the rooftop of a building after being surrounded by immigration officers.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 06:00 UTC
Malakoff gets extension till Dec 2029 for operations of three gas power plants
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 30): Malakoff Corporation Bhd (KL:MALAKOFF) said the Energy Commission has given the nod for its three gas power plants with an aggregate capacity of 2,082MW to continue operations until December 31, 2029. The extensions cover the two plants in Lumut, Perak: the 1,303MW Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant owned by Segari Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd (SEV), and the 429MW Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) power plant owned by GB3 Sdn Bhd (GB3) as well as the 350MW CCGT Prai Power Plant in Pulau Pinang, owned by Prai Power Sdn Bhd (PPSB). The SEV Lumut power plant has been in operation since 1996. The GB3 Lumut power plant commenced operations in 2001 while the Prai power plant commenced operations in 2003. These gas plants represent a long-standing generation base that has consistently supported electricity supply in Peninsular Malaysia over the years.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 05:23 UTC
Copper sinks as frenzy in China ebbs at close of turbulent week
Benchmark three-month futures dropped almost 4% to near US$13,000 (RM51,191.68) a tonne on the LME, after peaking above US$14,500 on Thursday. Still, copper remains on course for a solid weekly gain, the sixth in the past seven. Copper traded 1.7% lower at US$13,383 a tonne on the LME at 12:36pm in Singapore. The rush into copper — as well as other base metals — lifted the catch-all LMEX Index to a record on Thursday, topping the peak that was set in 2022. The spread between cash prices and three-month futures is more than US$90 a tonne in contango, a bearish pattern.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 05:03 UTC
NRES: Malay reserve land area in peninsula increases to 4.95 mil hectares in 2024
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 30): The total area of Malay reserve land (MRL) in Peninsular Malaysia increased to 4.95 million hectares in 2024, up from 4.82 million hectares in 2020. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES), the net increase amounted to 135,063.46 hectares over a five-year period. “The total area of MRL in Peninsular Malaysia excludes Penang and Melaka, which do not have a Malay Reservation Enactment (MRE),” NRES said, in a written reply published on Parliament’s official website. Based on data from state authorities, the ministry said that Kelantan recorded the largest MRL area at 1.36 million hectares, followed by Perak (953,212.43 hectares), Kedah (809,142.22 hectares), Johor (561,802.60 hectares), and Pahang (444,074.90 hectares). In addition, Negeri Sembilan recorded 224,483.22 hectares, Selangor (164,743.96 hectares), Perlis (33,554.48 hectares), Kuala Lumpur (1,004.00 hectares), while Terengganu involved an area of 2,378.89 hectares, with Malay holdings in the state amounting to 401,129 hectares.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 04:53 UTC