(Jan 26): Volkswagen AG’s plans for a possible Audi factory in the US aren’t progressing as President Donald Trump’s tariffs weigh and talks for local incentives haven’t yielded results, chief executive officer Oliver Blume told Handelsblatt. Talks for an Audi plant have been ongoing, initially encouraged by subsidies making an investment economically viable. President Trump’s tariffs have exposed carmakers relying on global production networks. The company also builds VW brand vehicles in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and is constructing a US$2 billion (RM8 billion) plant in South Carolina that will make rugged offroaders under the resurrected South Motors nameplate. Blume said the company had several options for an Audi plant, also pointing to ownership of “a large plot of land” in South Carolina.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): Coastal Contracts Bhd (KL:COASTAL) said a consortium led by its Mexican joint venture has secured an emergency job from Mexico’s national oil and gas firm Petróleos Mexicanos to immediately design and build a gas sweetening plant at the Ixachi Field to curb excessive gas flaring. In a bourse filing on Monday (Jan 26), the group said the consortium has already commenced full-scale work following the receipt of an “emergency work instruction” (EWI) from Pemex on Jan 23. Gas flaring at the Ixachi Field had escalated into an emergency situation, requiring immediate action and prompting the company to bypass the standard open tender process. The consortium comprises its 50%-owned JV Coastoil Dynamic SA de CV, Sistemas Integrales de Compresión SA de CV and Nuvoil SA de CV. Last month, the consortium clinched a RM4.64 billion gas processing contract from Pemex, sending its shares up nearly 20%.

PUTRAJAYA (Jan 26): Digital infrastructure development under Phase 1 of the National Digital Network (Jendela) plan is 99.1% complete, with 1,646 new communication towers constructed nationwide as of Dec 31 last year. In a statement on Monday, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said a total of 1,661 new shared communication towers using the Multi-Operator Core Network (MOCN) and Radio Access Network (RAN) sharing approach were targeted under Jendela Phase 1. MCMC noted that premises passed by network coverage increased from 4.96 million before Jendela to 9.81 million as of the end of December last year, exceeding the target of nine million premises. Network coverage and capacity have also been expanded at 18 IPTA campuses and 17 event venues, including Sepang Circuit, SPICE Arena Penang, Sabah International Convention Centre and Borneo Convention Centre Kuching. “MCMC will continue to monitor implementation to ensure sustainable and continuous improvements in internet coverage and service quality, in line with the objectives of Jendela Phase 2 to extend access to low-density areas and major transport corridors,” the statement said.

PARIS (Jan 26): French food and beverage maker Vitagermine has recalled specific batches of baby formula as a precautionary measure, it said on Sunday, as a toxin contamination scare continued to spread. Babybio, a brand of privately-owned Vitagermine, said on its website it had recalled three specific batches of infant formula. "The results we have just received have led us to take the decision today to withdraw three batches strictly limited to Optima 1 infant formula for newborns." French investigators are examining the deaths of two infants who had consumed baby formula products that were recalled. Read also:Danone recalls certain baby formula batches produced in Ireland as toxin scare widens

KUALA LUMPUR: New appointments have been made to the Parliamentary Special Select Committees (PSSC) to replace MPs who have been appointed to the Cabinet as ministers and deputies following the reshuffle last month. Dr Zaliha (PH-Sekijang) will be replacing Sim Tze Tzin (PH-Bayan Baru), who has been appointed as the Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry during the reshuffle. Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad (BN-Simpang Renggam) will replace Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-Paya Besar) in the Finance and Economy PSSC, following the latter’s appointment as Deputy Economy Minister. Shahar was the previous chairman of the Finance and Economy PSSC. In the Security PSSC, Jimmy Puah (PH-Tebrau) will be replacing Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim bin Syed Noh, who is now the Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability.

MELAKA (Jan 26): Police have recorded statements from a number of Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) officers in connection with the dissemination of information related to the MAF’s strategic posting matters on social media. Also present were Mindef secretary general Datuk Lokman Hakim Ali; Army Chief Gen Datuk Azhan Md Othman; Army Western Field Commander Lt Gen Datuk Malek Razak Sulaiman; and 3rd Division Commander Maj Gen Datuk Mohamad Suria Mohamad Saad. Mindef had previously stressed that it would not hesitate to take legal action against any party found to be disseminating confidential information related to the MAF strategic posting matters on social media. Meanwhile, Mohamed Khaled said that Mindef would consult the government on any procurement that, if frozen, could affect MAF operations, including procurement related to the welfare of officers, personnel and their families. We believe that matters involving welfare should, in some cases, continue,” he said.

SEOUL (Jan 26): US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby and South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back agreed during talks on Monday to deepen cooperation on Seoul's pursuit of a nuclear-powered submarine, South Korea's defence ministry said. Colby is visiting Seoul on his first overseas trip in the post, which comes as Washington signals it expects South Korea to take a more leading role in deterring North Korea. The Pentagon's new National Defense Strategy released on Friday said that it expects a "more limited" US role in deterring North Korea, with South Korea taking the primary responsibility. Colby, the Pentagon's top defence and foreign policy official, said in a post on X on his arrival that South Korea is a "model ally" committed to increasing defence spending in line with US' regional strategy. South Korea hosts about 28,500 US troops and last year pledged to lift defence spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), a move that Colby and other US officials have praised as strengthening Seoul's role in deterring North Korea.

(Jan 26): Asian mining stocks climbed with metals prices as investors rotated into hard assets, driven by a weakening dollar and growing unease over currencies, geopolitics and global fiscal risks. A group of materials producers led gains Monday (Jan 26) on MSCI Inc’s broadest index of Asia Pacific equities. Korea Zinc Co shares climbed as much as 14% in Seoul while Zhongjin Gold Corp’s jumped 10% in Shanghai. Mining stocks have climbed with metals on safe haven appeal as well as demand for copper and other materials required for the AI buildout, yet they remain relatively cheap. The MSCI Asia materials gauge trades at 14.6 times forward earnings estimates, compared with 15.4 times for the broader index.

They trust what they feel in their wallets, not what they read in reports on economic growth. For this category of Malaysians, economic survival is judged by one simple test: How much money is left at the end of the month? At its core, the People Economy measures and manages the economy based on how people live alongside traditional macro indicators. Placing the People Economy front and centre reconnects economic policy with daily human realities. Both policy and messaging must shift from programmes to outcomes, and must link GDP growth to broad-based impact.

While the initiative marks one step towards recovery since founder Shigenobu Nagamori stepped down from the board in December, a third-party probe into accounting issues is still underway and could reveal more details. Nagamori’s growth-at-all-costs approach is under scrutiny following a growing number of suspected cases of improper accounting, which have triggered filing delays, credit downgrades and the risk of delisting in Tokyo. Since June, Nidec repeatedly disclosed accounting issues that have spanned subsidiaries in Italy, Switzerland and China. The Tokyo Stock Exchange has put Nidec on notice for a potential delisting, unless it can erase concerns over corporate governance. A few months earlier, Nidec had launched a third-party committee to investigate the origin and breadth of the scandal.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): Former federal territories minister Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa has been named a new member of the Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). According to the minutes of the Dewan Rakyat Select Committee released on Monday, the appointment was made during a committee meeting held on Jan 22, which was chaired by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul. A first-term MP, Zaliha was appointed health minister by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim after the formation of the unity government following the 2022 general election. The other was the then minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs, Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar. Separately, the Dewan Rakyat Select Committee has also agreed to appoint Simpang Renggam MP Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad as the new chairman of the Dewan Rakyat Select Committee on Finance and Economy.

AI-related products currently account for around 20% of MPI’s industrial revenue,” CGS said in a note on Monday (Jan 26). MPI has increased its AI server production lines from 17 to 28 to meet growing demand from key customers. With multiple AI server product generations in production, the risk of obsolescence is expected to be low over the next 12–18 months, it said. CGS sees higher-than-expected AI server demand, strong recovery in global automotive semiconductors and a stronger US dollar as potential upsides. Downside risks include weak global industrial demand, challenges integrating Thai operations and a weaker US dollar affecting earnings.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): The government will review the standard operating procedures (SOP) to improve licensing processes in Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) and Labuan over the next few months, said minister Hannah Yeoh. “I am committed to making business transactions easier in Kuala Lumpur. I am also committed to running the federal territories with more transparency and more cooperation from the private sector. In conjunction with FMC Kuala Lumpur & Selangor’s 58th anniversary, she also extended her congratulations and expressed her hope for closer collaboration in the future. "Happy 58th anniversary to FMC Kuala Lumpur & Selangor.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 26): RHB Investment Bank lifted Press Metal Aluminium Holdings Bhd’s (KL:PMETAL) earnings forecast to account for its latest spot aluminium (LME) assumptions, amid a structurally weaker US dollar. RHB raised Press Metal’s FY2025-FY2027 forecasts by 5%, 17% and 18%, respectively, highlighting the multi-year high aluminium price and favourable aluminium-to-alumina cost ratio. RHB said that aluminium LME prices rose 17.5% in 2025 to US$2968 per tonne, and are expected to move further up to US$3100. RHB raised its aluminium LME assumptions from US$2700/tonne to US$2950/tonne forecasted in 2026, and US$1850/tonne in 2027. At press time on Monday, Press Metal’s shares were traded slightly higher at RM7.4, valuing the company at RM61.71 billion.

Side jobs, once associated with freelancers or those between jobs, have quietly become a defining feature of young adulthood in South Korea. As the number of young South Koreans taking on side jobs increases, so has the diversity in the side job market. Lost faith in traditional career laddersExperts say the trend also reflects a deeper shift in how young South Koreans view work and careers. The apparent lack of desire for more authority at work was found in a 2023 survey of young workers by job-search platform Job Korea. “Unlike past generations, young workers now know they can earn income outside the office through social media or e-commerce,” said Kim.