KUALA LUMPUR: An average of 3,169 new HIV cases were recorded annually between 2018 to 2025, the Dewan Rakyat was told. The Health Ministry said that while there was a 50% drop in cases between 2000 to 2009, a gradual 32% increase was recorded from 2010 to 2025. According to the ministry, some 3,293 cases were recorded in 2018 followed by 3,564 in 2019, 3,146 in 2020, 2,760 in 2021, 3,177 in 2022, 3,220 in 2023, 3,185 in 2024 and 3,004 preliminary cases in 2025. "Between 2021 to 2025, up to RM223mil was spent for 25 antiretroviral medication at Health Ministry healthcare facilities," it said in a written reply on Thursday (Jan 22). The ministry was responding to a question by Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff of Perikatan Nasional, who asked about the number of HIV patients between 2018 to 2026 and the estimated cost spent for HIV treatment.

KOTA BHARU (Jan 22): The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has remanded six company owners found to be involved in the smuggling of electronic waste (e-waste) into the country and frozen 14 accounts amounting to RM7.2 million. MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the commission is in the process of detaining two more company owners suspected of involvement in the same offence, with arrests expected to be made soon. “So far, seven companies operating in Selangor have been identified as masterminding the entry of e-waste into the country. Two more company owners are currently being tracked for further action. The MACC will calculate the profits obtained by the companies involved based on the duration of the activities for follow-up action,” he said.

JAKARTA (Jan 22): Indonesia's energy ministry was not consulted before President Prabowo Subianto decided to revoke the permit of a China-backed hydroelectric power plant on the island of Sumatra, an official at the ministry, Eniya Listiani Dewi, said on Thursday. The government said on Tuesday that it had revoked the permits of 28 firms accused of environmental breaches that worsened last year's deadly floods in Sumatra. The firms include PT North Sumatra Hydro Energy (NSHE), which runs the Batangtoru hydropower facility. The company is controlled by China's state-run SDIC Power Holdings Co Ltd.Eniya Listiani Dewi told reporters that she hadn't been informed why the permit for the plant had been cancelled, or what kind of permit it was. The energy ministry is part of the forestry task force and must have been involved in the decision making process, the task force's spokesperson Barita Simanjuntak told Reuters on Thursday.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 22): KomarkCorp Bhd (KL:KOMARK) has proposed a share capital reduction of RM148.7 million to offset its significant accumulated losses. At the group level, KomarkCorp recorded accumulated losses of RM118.36 million as at end-September 2025. Following the capital reduction, the group will have retained earnings of RM30.34 million. At the company level, its accumulated losses stood at RM148.76 million, which will be slashed to just RM59,327 with the capital reduction. As at Jan 15 this year, KomarkCorp’s issued share capital stood at RM173.27 million, comprising 230.92 million ordinary shares.

The gunman charged with killing Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was found guilty and jailed for life, as the judge declared the broad- daylight assassination “despicable and extremely malicious”. As he handed down the sentence at a court in the city of Nara, judge Shinichi Tanaka said Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, had been “determined” to shoot Abe. The fact he “shot him from behind and did so when (Abe) was least expecting it” points to the “despicable and extremely malicious” nature of his act, he said. A queue of people waited yesterday morning for tickets to enter the courtroom, highlighting inten­se public interest in the trial. Prosecutors had argued that the defendant’s motive to kill Abe was rooted in his desire to besmirch the Unification Church, to which his mother’s blind donations plun­ged his family into bankruptcy.

Ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (pic) became the first Yoon administration official convicted of rebellion charges in related to Yoon’s martial law imposition in December 2024. The court sentenced Han for playing a key role in Yoon’s rebellion by trying to give procedural legitimacy to Yoon’s martial law decree by getting it passed through a Cabinet Council meeting. The court also convicted Han of falsifying the martial law proclamation and destroying it and lying under oath. The court said Han, then prime minister, neglected his respon­sibilities to protect the constitution, choosing instead to take part in Yoon’s rebellion with the belief that it might succeed. Yoon, who has already been in jail for months, faces eight criminal trials including his rebellion case over the martial law decree and other allegations.

DAVOS (Jan 22): The world needs to more than double oil production, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Thursday, while criticising the European Union and the US state of California for wasting money on what he described as inefficient green energy. In recent years, the World Economic Forum's discussions on energy have centred on ways to boost lower-carbon policies. But during Wright's discussionwith energy company Occidental's CEO Vicki Hollub in Davos, they emphasised that the world will depend on oil for decades to come. "These regulations could threaten you (US producers) liability-wise to send gas to Europe," Wright said. After months of pressure from companies and governments, the European Union agreed last month to sharply scale back two flagship laws, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

KOTA BHARU (Jan 21): Two more senior officers of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), both with the title ‘Datuk’, are expected to be charged next week. Confirming the matter, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the charges are subject to the approval of Attorney General (AG) Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar. “If the attorney general agrees, we will proceed with charging two more individuals. “This is a responsibility that I have fulfilled, and the attorney general also has a responsibility to discharge. On Dec 23, 2025, a team of MACC officers arrived at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef), to conduct preliminary investigations into several army-related projects dating back to 2023.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has recorded the statements of the editor-in-chief and online editor of China Press over online posts in regards to the King’s Royal Address in Parliament. KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has recorded statements from two China Press editors over online posts allegedly containing false information in relation to the King's Royal Address in Parliament. It said it is probing the content, published via China Press' official online media accounts, under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. The commission said it takes seriously any publication involving the King's Royal Address and matters concerning Bahasa Melayu as the national language, and reminded media organisations to conduct rigorous fact-checking and uphold responsible journalism. Yesterday, federal police Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk M. Kumar had said investigators from the Classified Crime Investigation Unit had recorded statements from the editor-in-chief and a sub-editor over the same matter.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has entered a new era of local defence development with the launch of the National Defence Industry Policy (DIPN), seen as a key driver of the Defence Ministry’s strategic transformation. Mohamed Khaled said the main objective of DIPN is to reduce reliance on foreign technology while strengthening local capabilities through close collaboration between the public and private sectors, shifting the focus from maintenance to high-value manufacturing and technological innovation. As part of DIPN’s rollout, the Malaysia Defence Industry Portal (PIPM) was also introduced as an integrated digital platform serving as an information hub for the national defence industry ecosystem. “It will serve as a one-stop centre for industry players to collaborate, access technology, and develop competitive defence products,” he added. Mohamed Khaled highlighted several national defence projects, including the development of local defence satellites, laser defence systems, ground vehicle chassis manufacturing capabilities, weapon systems, passive radar, loitering munition systems (kamikaze drones), and defence simulators.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 22): BWYS Group Bhd (KL:BWYS) will sell its leasehold industrial land with buildings in Bukit Changgang, Kuala Langat, Selangor, for RM67 million and acquire freehold industrial land in Tanjong Duabelas, Kuala Langat, for RM94.5 million. The sheet metal products manufacturer and scaffoldings supplier said the proposed Bukit Changgang property disposal enables the group to unlock the value of a non-core asset and strengthen its financial position. “The cash proceeds are expected to be utilised for, among others, repayment of bank borrowings, working capital requirements and partial funding of the proposed Tanjong Duabelas land acquisition. Meanwhile, the proposed land acquisition aligns with the group’s long-term operational and expansion plans, providing additional capacity for future development to support the construction of new manufacturing facilities and warehouses, thereby expanding the group’s core operations. BWYS Group managing director Kang Beng Hai said the approval of both the disposal and acquisition reflects the group’s disciplined approach to asset management and long-term planning.

DATUK Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (BN-Ayer Hitam) has been hospitalised for a lung infection since Jan 19. In a Facebook post yesterday, the MCA president said he is ­currently undergoing treatment and will be on medical leave for a week. Dr Wee said he has informed Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul of his absence. During Question Time, Deputy Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor said the House would skip Dr Wee’s question due to his absence. Dr Wee was supposed to ask the Transport Ministry about the impact of the Road Transport Department’s policy on ­overloaded lorries implemented last October on supply chains, logistics and cost of living.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 22): Kimlun Corporation Bhd (KL:KIMLUN) has successfully issued Islamic commercial papers (ICP) with a nominal value of RM10.81 million pursuant to its ICP programme. The construction company said the proceeds raised from the issuance of the ICP will be utilised by Kimlun and its subsidiaries for shariah-compliant general corporate purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures and the refinancing of existing group financing. “The tenure of the ICP issued is one year,” it said in a Bursa Malaysia filing on Thursday. OCBC Al-Amin Bank Bhd is the lead manager for the issuance of the ICP. The ICP is issued under Kimlun’s ICP programme, which together with its Islamic medium-term notes programme carries a combined limit of up to RM800 million.

PUTRAJAYA (Jan 22): Members of the public are allowed to apply for a physical printout of a Malaysian driving licence (LMM) without submitting proof of overseas travel starting Friday, Jan 23. Based on existing regulations, drivers can apply for a physical LMM card by showing proof of leaving the country such as a flight ticket. "As a measure to reduce bureaucracy, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) has been instructed to no longer ask for proof of leaving the country," the statement said. The MOT informed that senior citizens aged 60 and above, Class A and A1 licence holders and disabled persons card holders registered with the Department of Social Welfare can continue to obtain physical LMM prints for free. "Drivers who choose the LLM digital card will continue to be able to access a free digital driving card which can be renewed via the MyJPJ application without having to go to any office," according to the statement.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 22): Three individuals, including two immigration officers, were detained during two separate operations in Johor and Sabah on Monday and Wednesday, for their alleged involvement in the abuse of the online Malaysian passport application facility. Immigration director general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said that during a raid on a residential premises in Simpang Renggam, Johor, authorities detained a man believed to be involved in providing false declarations to obtain Malaysian passports. Both are immigration officers believed to have acted as the main masterminds and "facilitators" for the syndicate. "Initial investigations revealed that the syndicate's modus operandi was to offer International Malaysian Passport (PMA) renewal services online to Malaysians abroad without following established procedures. Authorities also seized two Malaysian passports and online application documents believed to be directly linked to the syndicate's activities.