NEW YORK/LONDON: Oil prices surged by more than 2% on Tuesday as the prospect of disruptions to Iranian crude exports overshadowed possible increased supply from Venezuela. "The oil market is building in ‌some price protection against geopolitical drivers," said PVM Oil Associates analyst John Evans, highlighting the ⁠potential exclusion of Iran's exports, trouble in Venezuela, talks on Russia's war in Ukraine and US interest in taking control of Greenland. China is the biggest customer for Iranian crude. "Unrest in Iran has added about US$3-US$4 ⁠a barrel in geopolitical risk premium in oil prices, in our view," Barclays analysts said in a note. Markets are also grappling with concern over additional crude supply hitting the market with a resumption in Venezuelan exports.

PETALING JAYA: Men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia was left frustrated after missing out on his first win of 2026 at the Indian Open. Zii Jia, who was making his second competitive appearance after an injury-riddled 2025, showed glimpses of his old self against Denmark’s world No. In the decider, Zii Jia came as close as 18-19 but could not overtake Gemke at the end. Zii Jia suffered ankle and back injuries which restricted him to only five tournaments in 2025. For myself, I’m going through a very tough process and as I said, I will try my best to come back again,” said Zii Jia.

PETALING JAYA: Mixed doubles shuttlers Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing pulled off an impressive win over Japan’s two-time Olympic bronze medallist Yuta Watanabe and his young partner Maya Taguchi to reach the Indian Open second round. Watanabe used to be known as one of the best mixed doubles players in the world and reached No. The 28-year-old also won two World Championships silver medals with Igarashi before the pair decided to go their separate ways shortly after the 2024 Paris Olympics. Fellow independent pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie are also through to the second round after ousting Taiwan’s Wu Guan-xun-Lee Chia-hsin 21-17, 21-17. Meanwhile, reigning world champions Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei will play China’s world No.

“I think it’s fine what I’m doing,” Trump said. “Everyone we know believes in Fed independence,” Dimon said. Trump also defended his proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10% for a year, which will likely require congressional legislation. “I think that people that are paying 28% interest should be protected,” Trump said. “We’re talking about for a one-year period.”Trump added that he did not think it was right for “Jamie Dimon or anybody else” to charge customers high interest rates on credit cards.

(Jan 14): President Donald Trump nominated David MacNeil to be a US federal trade commissioner (FTC), according to statement posted on the White House website on Tuesday. Last year, Trump nominated MacNeil to be the ambassador at large for industrial and manufacturing competitiveness. At WeatherTech, founded in 1989, MacNeil has been a prominent supporter of American manufacturing, producing nearly all products in the US. WeatherTech brought in US$900 million in revenue in 2024, according to an interview MacNeil gave last year with CBS Evening News. FTC chair Ferguson congratulated MacNeil, writing on X, “I look forward to working with this outstanding businessman and great patriot.”

AFTER two years of significant underperformance, the European automotive sector is finally showing signs of a turnaround. Since the start of 2024, the Stoxx Europe 600 Automobiles & Parts Index has underperformed the Stoxx Europe 600 by 35%. I have previously explained the building-block approach to earnings growth I use for long-term earnings forecasts. For the companies in the Stoxx Europe ‌600 Automobiles & Parts Index, that would amount to 4.5% revenue growth in 2026 compared with 4.3% for the Stoxx Europe 600 overall. But there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel in the European automotive ‍industry.

PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia will remain actively involved in international humanitarian efforts to defend the rights of the Palestinian people amid the worsening crisis in Gaza. Anwar said the Madani government would be directly involved in the Global Sumud Flotilla 2.0 as part of a broader international moral struggle that demands courage in upholding justice and humanitarian rights, regardless of borders, race or religion. “We will mobilise all our efforts to help and defend the rights of the Palestinian people. Anwar said he had earlier received a courtesy call from Sumud Nusantara Command Centre (SNCC) director-general Datuk Sani Araby, who is also the chief humanitarian activist of Mapim, together with Nadir Al-Nuri, founder of Sumud Nusantara, at Perdana Putra. “Datuk Sani and Nadir also shared the achievements of the Sumud Nusantara Mission, which has succeeded in breaking the silence of the world and elevating the voice of Gaza onto the international stage,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says there is no doubt that he has the support from Umno’s grassroots for the party to remain in the unity government. This is not about my stand, this is the party's stand," he told reporters at the World Trade Centre (WTC) here on Tuesday (Jan 13). He was asked whether he has the full support of the party to remain with the unity government and will not "pull the plug" until the next general election. Ahmad Zahid said that he had brought the matter to the political bureau and the supreme council as well as the party's general assembly three years ago. The unity government should be strengthened by efforts not just by our party members but also our MPs," he added.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court has been told that there was a project advisory agreement between MKM Solutions Sdn Bhd and Nexuscorpgroup Sdn Bhd related to a maintenance services and spare parts supply project for the police. MKM Ticketing Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd director Nik Shazni Farhan Nik Mohammad Shah, 43, said the agreement was on assistance by MKM Solutions to Nexuscorpgroup to prepare tender documents for the project. "The value of the agreement was 5% of the total contract (if awarded) and it was determined by Datuk Seri Khairi (director and shareholder of MKM Solutions Datuk Seri Khairi Mat Yahya) himself. The document was signed by Khairi and Wan Azhar Mohamed Yusof, the managing director of Nexuscorpgroup Sdn Bhd. Meanwhile, Nik Shazni said he knew Sayed Amir from around 2018 when he came to his former office in Bandar Seri Damansara.

(Jan 13): Citigroup is set to cut about 1,000 jobs this week, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday, as part of a plan announced two years ago to reduce the workforce by 20,000 by the end of this year. The New York-based bank had about 229,000 full-time employees as of December 31, 2024, according to its latest annual report. The bank did not disclose the number of jobs to be cut, but said in a statement it would continue to reduce the headcount in 2026. CEO Jane Fraser, who took the helm in 2021, has been reshaping the firm to close a performance gap with rivals. Citi's U.S. retail footprint is much smaller than bigger rivals; it has about 650 branches concentrated in six major metropolitan areas.

PETALING JAYA: Expansion of stores and product offerings will drive Eco-Shop Marketing Bhd ’s earnings prospects, helped by the stronger ringgit. The retailer stated the acceleration in expansion has not led to cannibalisation in sales and it is planning the expansion strategically with around 90% of new stores to be located more than 15km away from an existing store. RHB Research added that Eco-Shop’s management is also looking to better fit into the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) government assistance programme. Sara sales remain insignificant at 1% to 2% of its total sales at present. RHB Research has upgraded Eco-Shop to a “buy” from “neutral” with a target price of RM1.81 a share from RM1.63 after raising its FY27 and FY28 earnings forecasts by 3% and 5%, respectively, following an upward revision of its new store-opening assumption.

The victim's family was seen arriving at the Forensic Department of the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) at approximately 2:45pm before leaving the premises at 3:55pm. The Dean of UTAR's Electrical and Electronic Engineering Faculty, Prof Chang Yoong Choon was also seen arriving at 3:22pm to meet with the victim's family. "The family does not authorise me to disclose the location of the funeral. Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Fadil Marsus reportedly said that the deceased had been identified as 24-year-old Soo Yu Juan. The victim was a third-year mechanical engineering student and was scheduled to complete his industrial training this Thursday (Jan 15).

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Police are tracking a local man who has gone missing for allegedly intimidating and beating his girlfriend last December. Iskandar Puteri OCPD Asst Comm M. Kumarasan said the incident took place on Dec 28, 2025, and the police report was only lodged on Jan 10, 2026. “In the report, the 36-year-old Malaysian woman claimed that the act of violence was committed by the suspect on Dec 28, at 10pm,’’ he said in a statement. ACP Kumarasan said the complainant alleged that her 35-year-old boyfriend had accused her of stealing his belongings, which the victim denied. He said the case is being investigated under Section 322 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing grievous hurt aSection 506 of the Penal Code for criminal intimidation.

For Shakilla Khoriri, the chance to educate her daughter in Man­darin was too good to pass up. First-day nerves: A pupil crying on the first day of school at SJK(C) Ladang Regent, Elmina. “But when I heard that a Chinese school was opening up here, I immediately enrolled (her),” she said. Happy tummies: Pupils posing as they finish their breakfast during recess at SJK(C) Ladang Regent, Elmina. Yesterday marked not only the first day of the 2026 school year but also the launch of SJK(C) Ladang Regent, Elmina.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 14): Any discussion related to the recognition of education certificates, including the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), must be based on the Constitution and the national education philosophy, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. He said the UEC issue concerned the future of Bahasa Melayu as a language of knowledge and the unifying language of the nation. When Bahasa Melayu is weakened, Malay children who go through the national stream will be the most affected. “... therefore any recognition must be anchored in the Constitution and the national education philosophy... and the use of Bahasa Melayu and History must be mandatory if they want the government to recognise the UEC,” he said. Also present were Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki as well as Umno Supreme Council member and chairman of the convention’s Secretariat, Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi.