Documentation requirements delay aid for Kinabatangan residentsKINABATANGAN: Aside from complaints on roads, water and electricity, bureaucratic red tape in accessing government assistance remains a major concern among many Kinabatangan voters. They said these difficulties are compounded by unresolved land status issues, which weaken eligibility for assistance and leave long-settled communities repeatedly applying without clear outcomes. The land remains under the jurisdiction of the Kinabatangan district council, leaving residents without formal land tenure. Residents want their elected representative to cut through red tape and ensure assistance reaches genuine recipients. We just want fairness, recognition and a system that does not leave long-settled communities behind,” said Masni.

Visitors, shoppers and business owners celebrate Ponggal in grand fashionKLANG: Little India in Jalan Tengku Kelana here is a commercial centre that always buzzes with shoppers. Yesterday, though, it turned into a colourful little village with grand harvest festival celebrations. To new beginnings: Devotees carrying out prayers during the Ponggal festival held at Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Taman Universiti, Johor Baru. — THOMAS YONG/ The StarVikash Sdn Bhd proprietor T. Barthiban, 56, said this year’s Ponggal celebrations in the commercial area was grander than last year. The sweet rice is cooked with milk, ghee, jaggery, raisins, cashew nuts and cardamom.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 16): MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has reaffirmed that the party remains with Barisan Nasional (BN) as one of the founding members of the coalition. “As far as MCA is concerned, we are a founding party of BN. So the founding party is still there,” he told reporters after the president’s policy speech at the Umno General Assembly 2025 here Friday. Commenting on Zahid’s speech, Wee said efforts to strengthen the party should be viewed as a process of rebuilding public confidence and support. He said that for MCA, the party would work hard to win back public support ahead of GE16.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 16): Police are conducting a comprehensive investigation, including examining the possibility of negligence, following the air conditioning gas explosion at the Help University campus in Bukit Damansara last Monday. Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus stated that although there is no preliminary evidence of negligence so far, this aspect remains a primary focus of the ongoing investigation. “Typically, in cases involving disasters or incidents of this nature, the investigation involves all relevant parties and examines every aspect, including the possibility of negligence. Fadil added that if elements of negligence are identified, the police will not hesitate to take appropriate action against the responsible parties in accordance with legal provisions. The deceased victim has been identified as Soo Yu Juan, 24, a third-year Mechanical Engineering student from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar).

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said X must comprehensively demonstrate that Grok can no longer produce video or image content that could be misused before the restriction is removed. On Jan 11, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) ordered a temporary block on access to Grok for users in Malaysia, effective the same day. Elaborating, Fahmi stated that the ministry also took note that X had disabled several prompts that enabled the creation of inappropriate images via Grok. He said the government is pursuing a cooperative approach through established legal and regu­latory channels, in line with the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2025, which will be advised by the Online Safety Committee. Fahmi said concerns over Grok are not limited to Malaysia, ­noting similar positions taken by other countries, including Indo­nesia and several European nations.

The board is also anticipating Malaysia’s palm oil production to soften this year, projecting output of 19.5 million to 19.8 million tonnes, down from a record 20.3 million tonnes last year, as estates enter a biological tree-rest phase following last year’s yield rebound. On the other hand, MBSB Research is forecasting marginal production growth of 1%, reflecting natural yield limitations after two years of recovery. It said palm oil exports fell 9.7% year-on-year (y-o-y) last year to 15.3 million tonnes, largely due to a narrower discount against competing vegetable oils and weaker imports from major buyers. This contributed to ending stocks surging to 3.05 million tonnes, the highest level since February 2019. Given the outlook, MBSB Research has kept a “neutral” stance on the plantation sector, citing limited upside from current price levels and a disconnect between plantation share prices and CPO fundamentals.

“There is some possibility of that, so we are factoring in some US dollar strength further down the line,” he said. Based on recent US labour market figures, there is a possibility of a pause before the two expected rate cuts are delivered. “The ringgit remains among Asia’s better-positioned currencies in 1H26. “In terms of the outlook for consumer spending, income growth remains the key driver. The slower growth in China will to some extent affect Asean’s growth, although the region’s growth remains fairly resilient at well over 4%,” he said.

PETALING JAYA: The requirement to register for MyDigital ID for Malaysians travelling abroad and the potential usage of this platform for age verification for social media restriction could create a new revenue stream for Zetrix AI Bhd. “We believe this could open up a new revenue stream for Zetrix by accelerating the MyDigital ID user base towards the government’s initial 15 million target in 2025,” BIMB Research says. “At this juncture, we have yet to factor in any earnings upside from MyDigital ID, due to its early-stage rollout and limited visibility,” the research house added. While signing up for MyDigital ID is not mandatory from a regulatory standpoint, authorities are encouraging adoption by embedding the platform into high-traffic services. Officials are also exploring the use of MyDigital ID for age verification by restricting social media access for users below 16, involving platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

A crafter by trade, Tan transforms recycled paper into paper bead accessories such as earrings, necklaces and bracelets. “By creating paper beads from upcycled paper, we can lessen our carbon footprint,” says Tan, who has been making paper beads since 2020. Creating paper beads encourages people to upcycle unused paper that would otherwise be discarded. A 2025 study, entitled Towards Sustainable Paper Waste Management: Insights from Source-Level Composition Studies, examines the challenges of paper waste management in Malaysia and finds that, while paper is highly recyclable, it still makes up a significant portion (15.3%) of domestic waste. To make paper beads, she rolls each strip of paper from the wide end to the tip, securing it with a dab of glue.

WASHINGTON, Jan ‌15 (Reuters) - The U.S. ‌Commerce Department's 25% ‌national security tariff on certain high-end semiconductors announced ‍on Wednesday is ‍a "phase one" ‌action to protect the sector ‍and ​could be followed by ⁠other announcements pending negotiations with ‌other countries and companies, ⁠a ‍White House official said on Thursday. The ‍official, speaking on condition ‌of anonymity, said President Donald Trump has previously threatened a 100% tariff on chips not made in ‌the U.S. as he seeks to build ​up semiconductor manufacturing. (Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Chris Reese)

KUALA LUMPUR: After 41 years of distinguished service, Leftenan Jeneral Datuk Johnny Lim Eng Seng has called it a day on his illustrious career. The first Chinese Leftenan Jeneral in the Armed Forces, Lim was honoured in a retirement ceremony at Kem Wardieburn in Sungai Besi on Tuesday (Jan 13). Lim's promotion represents a significant moment not just for the Armed Forces, but also for the broader narrative of diversity and unity in Malaysia’s defence institutions. ALSO READ: Johnny Lim is first Chinese officer to be appointed three-star general in Armed Forces"His rise to Leftenan Jeneral is a testament to the Armed Forces' commitment to meritocracy and excellence. "The promotion also reflects the Armed Forces' inclusive policies, offering equal opportunities to all Malaysians regardless of ethnic background.

Hong Kong actress Teresa Cheung has opened up about her past marriage with renowned singer Kenny Bee, which lasted from 1988 to 1999. In a recent interview with Hong Kong media, Cheung, 62, said she regrets marrying Bee, 72, so early in life, adding that she "trapped" herself by settling down so soon. For the record, Bee divorced Cheung in 1999 when he discovered her having an affair with billionaire businessman Edmund Chan. To make matters worse, the pair fell into debt after a failed Hong Kong real estate investment. Bee remarried in 2014 to a non-celebrity named Fan-chiang Su-zhen, while Cheung has stayed single ever since.

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhammad Akmal Saleh will be called to clarify the “combative” remarks he made after announcing his resignation as Melaka exco member, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic). Dr Muhammad Akmal had announced that he would resign as state rural development, agriculture and food security committee chairman effective next week. “Perhaps with this, Akmal will have enough time and space to go down to the grassroots, especially to all the divisions,” he said. “He can present his suggestion to the Umno supreme council when we hold a meeting,” Ahmad Zahid said. Meanwhile, Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusof said he will wait for an official resignation letter from Dr Muhammad Akmal before deciding on the latter’s position in the state government.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 16): The construction sector is expected to see robust job flows in 2026, amid healthy contract flows anchored by infrastructure projects and sustained data centre roll-outs, according to Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd (HLIB). In a note on Friday, HLIB anticipated that headline job flows will run at a similar pace to 2024-2025, which remains adequate to expand the sector’s order book. “In our view, the key anchor remains hyperscale data centres where 2026 could see larger campuses begin to take shape — contractors broadly can still add to their order books from the data centre segment as well as infrastructure projects. “Alongside data centres, we see the water segment as another order book driver in 2026, with multiple large schemes at different stages of roll-outs,” it said, while maintaining its 'overweight' rating on the sector. Additionally, the investment bank also believes that the Penang Light Rail Transit project should continue to generate more job flows via subcontracts, segment 2 and system works, with the latter two potentially amounting to around RM8 billion.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 16): Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd expects crude palm oil (CPO) to trade around RM4,000 per tonne over 2026 from RM4,308 in 2025 on the back of still-tight global edible oil supply despite a supply uptick with inventories unlikely to improve significantly. The investment bank said in a research note on Friday some cost uptick is due but the upstream margin is expected to stay contained. Hence, among integrated plantation groups, enhancing asset yields is now increasingly the focus,” the investment bank said. It said poor Indonesian yields in 2024 had driven CPO prices to RM4,700-RM4,800 per tonne over the fourth quarter of 2024 (4Q2024) and 1Q2025, with prices settling to around RM4,000 since. “Smaller players offer good value but larger integrated and diversified players may better endure softer palm oil prices,” it said.