BofA employee charged with arranging drug gathering in Singapore
(Dec 26): An employee of Bank of America was charged in a Singapore state court for arranging a Christmas Eve gathering where controlled drugs were consumed. Shawn Loo Zhi Jian allegedly met with M Ravi, a former lawyer, to consume methamphetamine, according to a charge sheet on Friday. The charge sheet didn’t connect Loo to Ravi’s death. Loo is an assistant vice-president at the US bank in Singapore, according to his LinkedIn profile. Loo is out on bail of S$20,000 (US$15,575 or RM62,907) and is scheduled to be back in court on Jan 2.
Source:The Edge Markets
December 26, 2025 08:19 UTC
Surveyor charged with murdering mum and adopted sister
BUTTERWORTH: A surveyor has been charged with killing his mother and adopted sister in a house fire earlier this month. Daniel Quyyum, clad in a blue T-shirt, nodded that he understood the charges. On the second charge, he is alleged to have murdered a six-year-old girl in the same house at the same date and time. Daniel Quyyum was injured after part of the roof collapsed on him during the fire. When met outside the court, his father Kamalrolzlan Muhammad, 57, said he has yet to claim his ex-wife and adopted daughter's remains for burial pending DNA test results.
Source:The Star
December 26, 2025 07:42 UTC
Teacher duped out of RM140,000 by bogus Scam Response Centre officer
KUALA BERANG: A teacher has lost RM144,152 after being scammed by a man posing as an officer from the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) last month. He said the suspect instructed the victim to hand over her ATM card and PIN, purportedly for police investigations. "On Dec 4, the suspect contacted the victim again and told her to place the ATM card at a signboard behind a school. Supt Sharudin said the victim realised she had been scammed after discovering that RM144,152 from her savings was missing. Checks showed that five unauthorised withdrawals were made by unknown individuals between Dec 4 and 8.
Source:The Star
December 26, 2025 07:40 UTC
Kajang drug bust uncovers major scam call centre
KAJANG: A drug raid in the area resulted in an unexpected discovery: a scam call centre. Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the Dec 21 raid in Kajang uncovered a scam operation. "We believe the drug syndicate was also moonlighting as a scam syndicate," he told reporters at Semenyih police station on Friday (Dec 26). The suspects have since been handed over to the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID), he added. "The drug syndicate is really capitalising by running a scam syndicate as well," he added.
Source:The Star
December 26, 2025 07:35 UTC
Over RM1bil worth of drugs seized in Klang Valley
The raids, carried out on Dec 21, targeted remnants of the syndicate that was initially crippled in an earlier operation on Dec 16, during which drugs worth RM1.53bil were seized and six suspects detained. Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) director Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the latest operation was a follow-up to the earlier raid, codenamed Ops Gaharu. “We conducted the latest raids at Selesa Jaya Industrial Park in Seri Kembangan and an industrial area in Kepong on Dec 21. Comm Hussein said the drugs seized in the latest operation could have been supplied to as many as 20.7 million users. The syndicate used Malaysia as a processing hub before distributing the drugs to several overseas destinations, including Hong Kong and Australia,” he said.
Source:The Star
December 26, 2025 07:30 UTC
High Court: Umno not a ‘rookie’ political party, lack of ‘donation’ record raises questions
PUTRAJAYA (Dec 26): Despite former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's insistence that the funds in focus in his 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trials were political donations, the lack of official records made the claims dubious, the High Court said on Friday. Reading his judgment in the 1MDB -Tanore trial, judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah found that this portion of Najib's defence was not tenable as Umno — the party the ex-PM had led — "was not some fly-by-night rookie political institute". "The party, at the time was Malaysia's largest political party, having its roots established as far back as 1946. In this trial, Najib is accused of gratifying himself of RM2.27 billion of 1MDB funds, and faces four abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges. The court had earlier broken for Friday prayers and resumed with the judge continuing to deliver his judgement at 3.15pm.
Source:The Edge Markets
December 26, 2025 07:23 UTC
Najib supporters deny being paid, insist their presence is voluntary
PUTRAJAYA: Supporters of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who gathered outside the Palace of Justice on Friday (Dec 27), denied claims that they were paid to be there, insisting their presence was voluntary and driven by sincere support for Najib. The atmosphere outside the court turned lively as supporters chanted slogans such as “Hidup Bossku”, “Bebas Najib” and “1Malaysia”, while maintaining that they had come at their own expense. One supporter, Mohammad Rafie, 42, from Sabah, dismissed allegations that the crowd had been paid, saying their attendance was motivated by appreciation for Najib’s past leadership. These are the faces of loyal supporters who have stood by Datuk Seri Najib from the beginning,” he said. The decision is being delivered at the Palace of Justice by Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who is now a Federal Court judge.
Source:The Star
December 26, 2025 06:50 UTC
10-year-old boy killed in motorcycle-lorry crash
KUALA KRAI: A 10-year-old boy was killed after the motorcycle he was riding with his uncle collided with a lorry at Jalan Kampung Chenis, Pahi, on Thursday (Dec 25). “The motorcycle collided with the right side of the lorry coming from the opposite direction. “The victim, who was the pillion rider, sustained head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, while his uncle suffered minor injuries,” he said. The victim’s body was taken to the Forensic Unit of Sultan Ismail Petra Hospital for a post-mortem, and the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. Members of the public with information regarding the accident are urged to contact the Kuala Krai district police headquarters or investigating officer Insp Nurhasmira Tajol at 09-9666222.
Source:The Star
December 26, 2025 06:50 UTC
High Court rejects Najib’s defence of Arab donations in 1MDB trial
PUTRAJAYA: The High Court has shot down Datuk Seri Najib Razak's defence of the Arab donation in the RM2.28bil 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial, calling it “not meritorious”. He claimed that four donation letters from Arab leaders issued between Feb 1, 2011, and June 1, 2014, pledged donations of US$100mil, US$375mil, US$800mil, and UK£50mil, respectively. All these donation letters were addressed to Najib's residence in Jalan Langgak Duta, Taman Duta, Kuala Lumpur. “There was no evidence of any formal acknowledgement by the government or any political party to the purported donor, and for that matter, by the accused himself. “The alleged donation letters were addressed to the accused's private residence rather than to any official party address,” Justice Sequerah said.
Source:The Star
December 26, 2025 06:30 UTC
Profit-taking hits FBM KLCI on thin Boxing Day trade
KUALA LUMPUR: The local market opens lower on Boxing Day as profit-taking sets in after the recent rally amid thinner trading conditions. The FBM KLCI is down 4.34 points, or 0.26%, to 1,673.97 at 9.27 am, after opening 0.81 of a point lower at 1,677.50. Berjaya Research Sdn Bhd said the FBM KLCI is expected to trade on a firmer footing on the final day of the trading week, supported by continued window dressing activities and sustained buying interest in selected blue-chip counters. Nevertheless, the research house noted that gains may be capped by potential profit-taking following the recent rally. “While the FBM KLCI has formed another bullish candlestick after recovering all its intraday losses, the RSI indicator is increasingly overbought, highlighting potential pullback in the interim.
Source:The Star
December 26, 2025 06:20 UTC
Stocks with momentum on Dec 26, 2025: AmFIRST REIT, Apex Healthcare and Paragon Union
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 26): theedgemalaysia.com highlighted three stocks with momentum at Bursa Malaysia’s afternoon close on Friday. Two showed positive momentum, while another one showed negative momentum. The algorithm differentiates between stocks that exhibit positive (+ve) momentum and negative (-ve) momentum. It merely tells you which stocks are seeing higher-than-normal volume and price movements. But the “+ve” (suggesting a rising price trend on volume) and “-ve” (suggesting a falling price trend on volume) indicators should give readers a better idea of what the market is buying and when to sell.
Source:The Edge Markets
December 26, 2025 06:13 UTC
MYFutureJobs records over 620,000 job placements since 2023 — Ramanan
KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 26): A total of 622,283 job placements were recorded under the MYFutureJobs initiative from 2023 to Dec 19, reflecting the effectiveness of active labour market policies and the country’s economic resilience amid global uncertainties. Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R Ramanan said the achievement was in line with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) positive assessment of Malaysia’s economic performance and resilience. “Economic growth must go hand in hand with the creation of quality jobs. “This approach includes active job matching, skills development, social security protection, implementation of the Progressive Wage Policy and more competitive wage offerings to ensure that the country’s economic growth translates into quality job opportunities, sustainable income and a competitive workforce,” said Ramanan. The IMF said on Dec 19 that Malaysia remained resilient despite global trade tensions, underpinned by strong domestic demand, solid economic policies and prudent macroeconomic and financial management.
Source:The Edge Markets
December 26, 2025 04:38 UTC
China pledges to control steel output during 2026-2030 period
BEIJING (Dec 26): China on Friday said it will continue to regulate crude steel output and prohibit the addition of illegal new capacity from 2026 to 2030. In 2021, the world's largest steel producer and consumer put an end to growth in crude steel output as part of a plan to limit carbon emissions. In the first 11 months of 2025, China's crude steel output fell 4% from a year earlier, keeping the annual total on track to fall below one billion tons, the first time in six years. Since 2023, China's steel exports have been robust, partly offsetting falling demand at home. Last week, Beijing unveiled a plan to roll out a licensing system from 2026 to regulate exports of some 300 steel-related items.
Source:The Edge Markets
December 26, 2025 04:23 UTC
Tokyo inflation cools more than expected, weakening yen
The yen weakened to as much as 156.49 per dollar after the release, after trading around 155.80 before the data came out. Last week the BOJ’s board voted unanimously to lift the policy rate to 0.75%, the highest level since 1995. In its latest policy statement, the bank said inflation is expected to meet the bank’s target in the latter half of its projection period through fiscal year 2027. The deceleration was partly driven by fading food inflation, and the trend will likely continue going ahead. “If in June or July underlying inflation looks reasonably firm, then a rate hike could come under consideration.”
Source:The Edge Markets
December 26, 2025 03:58 UTC
Copper hits record in China, jumps in New York on supply concern
In China, prices gained 2.7% to 98,780 yuan (US$14,090 or RM56,722.79) a ton on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, while contracts rose 3% to hit US$5.743 (RM23.18) a pound on the Comex. The London Metal Exchange will reopen on Monday after the Christmas break. Comex contracts spiked to a record earlier this year in anticipation that US President Donald Trump would put tariffs on the metal. A continued rush of metal into the US has spurred concerns buyers elsewhere may end up scrambling for supplies. Futures were at 98,370 yuan a ton in Shanghai at 10.25am local time, while on the Comex, copper was at US$5.7205 a pound.
Source:The Edge Markets
December 26, 2025 03:43 UTC