(Jan 14): US wholesale inflation picked up slightly in November from a month earlier on a jump in energy costs, even as prices for services were unchanged. The producer price index (PPI) rose 0.2% after climbing 0.1% in the prior month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The report, which included the first estimate of October wholesale price data, was delayed by the 43-day federal shutdown. The Bureau of Economic Analysis will issue November PCE price data, along with income and spending figures, on Jan 22. The PPI report showed wholesale goods prices rose 0.9%, the most since February 2024, with 80% of the increase due to energy.

(Jan 14): Opec’s first detailed assessment of 2027 projects that global oil demand will continue to increase at a steady pace. World oil consumption will grow by 1.3 million barrels a day in 2027 — fractionally lower than this year — and average 107.9 million barrels a day, according to a report from Opec’s secretariat seen by Bloomberg News. However, demand estimates from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries have proven excessively bullish side in the past. In 2024, Opec slashed demand projections by 32% over the course of six monthly downgrades. The country’s output fell by 237,000 barrels a day to 1.52 million a day, amid attacks on the key export terminal for Kazakh crude.

The former prime minister said that he merely approved the names of directors given to him for approval, and he was not involved in selecting the candidates. Asked by Kwan if he knew who initiated the selection of the board members, Najib said he did not know. Najib: Not binding, unless the board thought it was in the best interest of the company. Only to give due consideration to specific matters and best interest of the company,” he said. The lawyer referred to Article 117, which states that SRC directors would have to refer to the prime minister for major decisions on investments or expenditure.

(Jan 14): US mortgage rates slid last week to one of the lowest levels in years, sparking a flurry of purchase and refinancing activity that offers hope for a plodding housing market. The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped seven basis points to 6.18% in the week ended Jan 9, according to Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) data released on Wednesday. That’s the lowest reading since September 2024 and one of the lowest since 2022. The rate on a five-year adjustable mortgage plunged nearly a half percentage point to 5.42%, the second-lowest since May 2023. The MBA survey, which has been conducted weekly since 1990, uses responses from mortgage bankers, commercial banks and thrifts.

PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei suffered a surprise first-round exit from the Indian Open after losing to China’s Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi. The reigning world champions struggled to raise their game and went down 16-21, 19-21 to the world No. 16 pair at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi on Wednesday (Jan 14). It was Tang Jie-Ee Wei’s first defeat to Cheng Xing-Zhang Chi after beating the pair in their sole encounter previously in the 2024 Korean Open. 3 pair's first early-round loss since their defeat in the second round of the Singapore Open in May last year.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 14): Malaysia’s logistics and transport sector continues to grow, valued at approximately RM117.36 billion and projected to be around RM153.78 billion by 2030. Lin said these shifts are driving stronger demand for logistics partners that can support both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) needs. I think for more cost-effective services, customers also look at reliable services that have consistently delivered within a certain time frame and with low damage rate,” he said during his presentation at the Ninja Van Malaysia Logistics Outlook 2026. “For cold logistics, previously there were no real B2C solutions to transport across Peninsular Malaysia. The logistics company will also be looking to expand its B2C cold chain logistics and expand its cross-border logistics with Singapore first.

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - British technology ‌minister Liz Kendall said on Tuesday the government was seeking a "reset" ‌on plans to overhaul copyright rules to accommodate artificial intelligence, pledging ‌to protect creators while unlocking AI's economic potential. Creative industries worldwide are grappling with legal and ethical challenges posed by AI systems that generate original content after being trained on popular works, often ‍without compensating the original creators. Britain, which Prime Minister ‍Keir Starmer wants to turn into ‌an AI superpower, initially proposed relaxing copyright laws to allow developers to train ‍models ​on any material they could lawfully access, with creators required to opt out. Kendall told a committee ⁠of lawmakers that the publication of the government's review - ‌due in March - would be a "genuine reset moment". She said the creative industry's two main ⁠concerns - reward for ‍their work and control of their art - were incredibly important.

“When approached by stran­gers, always keep a safe distance when communicating with them. In the 30-second video, Lim was chasing after two women, said to be Chinese nationals, while recor­ding the incident with his mobile phone. Lim recalled that a man and a woman had approached his ­girlfriend Sharon Ng at the shopping mall during the incident on Jan 6. When contacted, Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said the incident was a cheating attempt but no losses were incurred. ACP Abang Zainal Abidin said police were investigating the case under the Immigration Act.

PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao was forced to retire from his opening round match against Japan’s Yushi Tanaka in the Indian Open due to a high fever. Men’s singles coach K. Yogendran said that the 26-year-old was suffering from a high fever. “Jun Hao started having a fever on Tuesday (Jan 13), and it got worse today,” said Yogendran. The 26-year-old’s exit meant that Malaysia’s challenge in the men’s singles in the competition had ended. Earlier, Justin Hoh also bowed out after going down 17-21, 15-21 to China’s Lu Guangzu

(Jan 14): Taiwan’s richest households will see their wealth grow about 10% a year through 2029 as a global technology race lifts markets and stokes income for the island’s cutting-edge companies. The combined assets of Taiwan’s wealthy will reach about NT$59 trillion (RM7.56 trillion) in 2029, according to a report by Boston Consulting Group and CTBC Bank. “This means more opportunities and responsibility for financial institutions to serve Taiwanese wealth clients.”Total household wealth will grow by about 6%, on average, over the next four years, reaching NT$279 trillion, the report said. Geopolitical concerns are seen as the biggest risk among Taiwanese wealthy individuals, pushing them to increasingly allocate assets offshore. Exchange rate volatility such as Taiwan dollar’s surge last year also made overseas assets more attractive.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 14): Boustead Heavy Industries Corp Bhd (KL:BHIC) said it has entered into a non-binding collaboration agreement with France’s Défense Conseil International (DCI) to explore a potential strategic partnership. DCI serves as the French Ministry of Armed Forces’ official operator for transferring French military expertise and technical know-how to international partners. BHIC’s 51%-owned subsidiary, BHIC AeroServices Sdn Bhd, provides maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the French-built EC725 helicopters in the Royal Malaysian Armed Forces’ hangars. The remainder stakes in BHIC AeroServices is owned by Prestige Pillar Sdn Bhd (30%) and Airbus Helicopters Malaysia Sdn Bhd (19%). BHIC is 72.4%-owned by the Armed Forces Fund Board, better known as Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera or LTAT, via Boustead Holdings Bhd.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 14): Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA) has signed a Phase 2 energy wheeling agreement (EWA) to facilitate the transmission of electricity from Laos to Singapore. Under Phase 2, the agreement allows for the sale, transmission and purchase of electricity ranging from a minimum of 30MW to a maximum of 100MW. The agreement is effective for two years, starting Jan 14, 2026, TNB said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia on Wednesday (Jan 14). Wheeling refers to the transportation of electric energy from a generator to a separate electrical grid using a third-party's transmission lines. The original EWA for the Laos–Singapore electricity transmission was first signed by TNB on June 22, 2022, for an initial two-year period.

(Jan 14): Chinese authorities have told domestic companies to stop using cybersecurity software made by roughly a dozen firms from the US and Israel due to national security concerns, two people briefed on the matter said. Broadcom-owned VMware, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet are among the US firms whose cybersecurity software has been banned, while Check Point Software Technologies is among the Israeli companies, they said. China's internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication. While its efforts to build up its semiconductor and artificial intelligence sectors have dominated headlines, it has also sought to replace Western computer equipment and word processing software. Chinese analysts have also said that Beijing has become increasingly concerned that Western equipment could be hacked by foreign powers.

IT is an unprecedented moment in Malaysia’s military history. For the first time ever, a former Army Chief was remanded for seven days, while his two wives were remanded for six and three days, respectively, over corruption involving Army procurement tenders. They were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on Jan 8. Seventeen others, including company directors linked to procurement firms, have also been remanded.

The yen strengthened to ¥158.76 after Katayama spoke, having reached ¥159.45 per dollar in the morning, its weakest since July 2024. The yen strengthened to ¥158.76 after Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama spoke, having reached ¥159.45 per dollar in the morning, its weakest since July 2024. The finance minister has ramped up her language on the yen since late last year. In December she said that Japan has a “free hand” to take bold action against currency moves that are not in line with fundamentals. The finance minister spoke with her US counterpart Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier this week.