LHDN to adopt fairer and equitable approach for tax refunds
KUALA LUMPUR: The Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) will adopt a fairer and equitable approach this year to ensure more timely settlement of excess tax refunds with a focus on older cases and small businesses, says the Finance Ministry. The ministry said LHDN would first adopt the First In, First Out principle in which older refund arrears are prioritised for this year. LHDN’s priority this year is to settle corporate excess tax refunds for the 2023 year of assessment in the first quarter of 2026, followed by refunds for the 2024 year of assessment, which are to be completed by the end of the year. With this additional review facility, the estimated tax payments required are expected to be closer to the actual tax liability payable by companies, which in turn will help reduce cases of excess tax refunds. The ministry also revealed that LHDN settled RM22.45bil in total excess tax refunds cases for 2025, which involved 3.6 million taxpayers, including micro, small and medium enterprises, making it the highest level in the past five years.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:44 UTC
Oil prices rise as Trump warns Iran to make deal
NEW YORK: Oil rose to a fresh four-month high after US President Donald Trump threatened another attack on Iran, urging Tehran to negotiate a nuclear deal. The potential risk to Iranian supplies has injected a premium into oil prices and led futures to start the year on a strong footing, up more than 10% this month, despite forecasts for a glut. West Texas Intermediate futures settled above US$63 a barrel after Trump’s post, the highest level since the end of September, extending a 2.9% jump in the previous session. The uptick in the dollar made commodities priced in the currency less attractive. That bullish data point was offset by increases in refined product stockpiles, with gasoline rising to the highest since 2020.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:35 UTC
Nasdaq ends slightly up as Fed brings little surprise
After the statement, traders boosted their bets that the Fed would cut short-term borrowing costs in June – but not before then. "Employment and inflation risks have downsized, but inflation overall remains stubborn. The benchmark S&P 500 index had briefly topped the 7,000 points milestone for the first time earlier in the day but couldn't hold its gains. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors the biggest decliners were real estate, consumer staples and healthcare. The S&P 500 posted 38 new 52-week highs and 14 new lows while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 102 new highs and 125 new lows.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:24 UTC
All immigration systems to be streamlined into one
The Home Minister said it is part of the transition aimed at streamlining operations at all entry points nationwide. The single system Saifuddin Nasution was referring to is the National Integrated Immigration System (MyNIISe). He added that 635 autogates will be installed at entry points to enhance border security and curb document fraud. “MyNIISe is being developed as a single, integrated digital platform to consolidate Malaysia’s immigration transactions and services under one application. “The platform forms part of the department’s broader transformation agenda through the National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe), which will gradually replace existing legacy systems,” he said in a statement.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:17 UTC
Woman injured after falling into open manhole in Sandakan
SANDAKAN: A routine walk outside Wisma Persekutuan Sandakan turned into a frightening ordeal when a woman plunged about five feet into an uncovered manhole at about 1pm on Tuesday (Jan 27). The incident, which occurred near the pedestrian walkway of the building, caused alarm among members of the public who rushed to assist before emergency responders arrived. Sandakan District Civil Defence officer Captain (PA) Sulaiman Salama said the woman, a trainee at Taska Al Furqan of the Sandakan Inland Revenue Board, had stepped out to buy food when she fell into the open manhole. Following a distress call, a Civil Defence Force rescue team was dispatched to the scene, where they conducted an immediate safety assessment before carefully extricating the victim from the manhole. The incident has raised safety concerns over uncovered manholes in public areas frequented by pedestrians.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:05 UTC
Zii Jia expects tough encounter with Indian in second round
PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia knows he cannot afford to take India’s Mithun Manjunath lightly if he hopes to advance to the quarter-finals of the Thailand Masters. Their last encounter two years ago in Sydney also saw Zii Jia pushed hard before he edged Mithun 21-13, 12-21, 21-19 in the second round. Adding to the concern, Zii Jia admitted that his performance in the first round yesterday was still far from convincing despite securing a straight-game victory over Belgium’s Julien Carragi 21-19, 21-11. I need to stay more focused moving forward,” said Zii Jia in a post match interview with SNE Sports. Joining Zii Jia in the second round today is Justin Hoh, who will face China’s Zhu Xuanchen.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:05 UTC
Sony, Singapore’s GIC to invest US$2 bil in music catalogues
(Jan 29): Sony Music Group and Singapore’s GIC Pte Ltd sovereign wealth fund are forming a joint venture to acquire music copyrights, with plans to invest US$2 billion (RM7.86 billion) to US$3 billion in the project. Universal Music Group NV announced a similar deal with Dundee Partners in early 2024, while Warner Music Group Corp set up a partnership with Bain Capital last year. “Partnering with GIC brings together long-term capital and Sony Music Group’s operational capabilities to acquire and manage premier catalogues, creating new opportunities for artists’ and songwriters’ music globally,” Kevin Kelleher, Sony Music’s chief operating officer, said in the statement. Sony has been buying high-profile music catalogues, often with third-party financing. Sony owns the second-largest record label group and is the largest music publisher in the world.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 29, 2026 02:04 UTC
Tourist centre plan for Port Klang
KLANG Royal City Council (MBDK) is planning a tourist information centre to promote the city and its attractions to cruise travellers arriving at Port Klang, Selangor. He said the information centre had to be in a central location, close to landmarks or high-traffic areas. “It is easily accessible to landmarks like Sultan Abdul Aziz Royal Gallery, Gedung Raja Abdullah – the oldest surviving building in Klang – worship houses and Royal Klang Town Heritage Walk route,” he added. After the meeting, he presented three Modenas Kriss motorcycles to grand-prize winners of the 2026 MBDK lucky draw. Those who paid up their 2026 taxes by Dec 15 last year were eligible to participate.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 01:44 UTC
Lee finalises appointments of coaches Harry, Yeoh and Zakry
PETALING JAYA: Harry Hartono, along with Yeoh Kay Bin and Mohd Zakry Latif, are expected to be officially announced by the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) as the new coaching line-up for the national squad tomorrow. This was confirmed by BAM performance committee chairman Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei, who finalised the appointments yesterday. 1 also expressed relief that the plans to secure new coaches have finally been finalised, with only the official announcement pending. This now allows BAM to begin implementing a long-term plan to rebuild the country’s badminton ecosystem, starting from the grassroots level. “First of all, we are happy that these coaches are coming to Malaysia.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 01:28 UTC
‘Captain Praba’ gang trio brought back and charged
SEPANG: Three key members of the “Captain Praba” gang have been extradited back to Malaysia and charged in court. The suspects, believed to be in their 30s, were detained by Indian authorities at the Mumbai airport after turning violent upon their arrival there on Jan 25. After landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), the suspects were brought to Sepang district police headquarters for the purpose of documentation. In the afternoon, they were brought to the Sepang court where they were charged with being members of an organised crime group. The suspects are believed to be involved in various violent crimes, including murder, armed assault, gang robbery and arson.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 01:20 UTC
Malaysia tightens borders after Nipah virus hits India
PUTRAJAYA: Health surveillance and border controls have been stepped up amid renewed concerns over Nipah virus infections in India, according to the Health Ministry and border control agency. Cross-sector and inter-agency cooperation has also been reinforced to safeguard public health and prevent any re-emergence of Nipah disease, a Bernama report quoted the ministry. “To date, no Nipah virus has been detected in domestic or wild animals.”The ministry advised the public, particularly travellers to high-risk areas, to maintain good personal hygiene and avoid contact with sick animals or consuming contaminated products to prevent Nipah virus infection. Nipah disease is classified as a notifiable disease under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342). Nipah disease is a zoonotic infectious disease resulting from infection with the Nipah virus (NiV), with flying foxes/fruit bats as its natural reservoir.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 01:15 UTC
Rare falcons living on the ledge
IPOH: The presence of peregrine falcons in Peninsular Malaysia is closely tied to one critical and increasingly threatened habitat –tall limestone cliffs. Trained as a biologist and now a statistical modeller at the Swiss Ornithological Institute, he has spent decades studying peregrine falcons, from Europe’s limestone cliffs to Malaysia’s karst hills. He said falco peregrinus ernesti is the darkest of all peregrine subspecies and looks strikingly different from those in Europe, with nearly 20 recognised peregrine subspecies globally. Before the coordinated surveys began, only about 20 breeding sites were known, a figure that has since increased to 42. Perak MNS committee member Robert Percival said falcons are elusive birds and tend to keep to high limestone hills and seldom come down to the ground.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 01:15 UTC
MACC obtains remand orders for five 'cronies' of Navy officer
KUALA LUMPUR: Five people, said to be "cronies" of a senior Navy officer, have been remanded over an investigation into several companies suspected of corrupt practices. The remand orders were issued by Magistrate Ezrene Zakariah at the Putrajaya Magistrate's Court on Wednesday (Jan 28). The court allowed four to be remanded until Jan 29 and another until Jan 30. Sources said those remanded comprised company directors, managers and business owners with links to firms that had secured projects at the Lumut navy base. Meanwhile, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) intelligence division senior director Datuk Saiful Ezral Arifin confirmed the development, adding that investigations were being carried out professionally in accordance with the law.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 00:39 UTC
JB condos now scam bases
JOHOR BARU: Scam syndicates are taking advantage of the booming high-rise property market in the city to hide their operations. A police official said they seized dozens of mobile phones, routers, name lists and other items worth over RM100,000 from the scam centres. “Two of the apartments were used as centres to offer stock picks and other investments to wealthy people abroad. At press time, the Commercial Crime Investigation Department was still trying to determine if all the scam centres are linked to a single syndicate. “The documents provided by the suspects are fake and were not issued by our office,” said Comm Ab Rahaman.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 23:53 UTC
New AI laws to arrest deepfakes
Even His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, has not been spared with deepfakes being made using the King’s image. ALSO READ : AI Bill to iron out usageAgainst this worrying backdrop, the upcoming AI Governance Bill aims to form a coherent national framework that addresses safeguards in artificial intelligence (AI) production. “It aims to consider the responsibilities of actors across the lifecycle of AI systems. On cybersecurity threats and deepfakes, Gobind described such generative AI as “increasingly serious”, noting how the threat profile shifts from purely technical intrusion to trust exploitation aimed at manipulating victims into transferring funds or disclosing sensitive information. This, he said, gives both Malaysian and foreign firms greater confidence to invest, scale and deploy AI solutions in Malaysia.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 23:31 UTC