(Jan 9): Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd aims to cut administrative costs by 20% by the end of 2030, according to people familiar with the plan, as the Asian carrier seeks to protect profitability in the face of increased competition and the rise of artificial intelligence. In particular, Lam has asked all departments to identify savings and efficiencies of 5% for this year as Cathay prepares for a slower rate of growth for 2026. Cathay has said it plans to hire 3,000 people this year, pushing headcount beyond the 34,000 at the end of 2025. Analysts expect Cathay, which includes its main brand plus low-cost HK Express, to grow capacity by 7.7% this year. “Cost discipline will be critical for Cathay to sustain profitability as capacity growth slows,” Eric Zhu, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst, said.

(Jan 9): Elon Musk’s XAI has limited Grok’s image-generation tool to paid subscribers on the X social media platform, after the tool drew condemnation for generating undressed images of women and children. As of Friday, Grok told X users that image generation and editing are available only to paying subscribers. The standalone Grok app, which operates separately from the social network, still allows users to generate pictures without subscribing. More users capitalised on the feature to create sexualised images of women and children on X. The tool was used to generate thousands of undressed images of people per hour, many without the subject’s consent.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 9): Thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds are expected to prevail until 7pm on Friday in four states, as well as the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department. It said in a statement that the bad weather is expected to affect Perak (Kinta, Kampar, Batang Padang and Muallim) and Selangor (Hulu Selangor, Gombak, Petaling and Sepang). Similar conditions are forecast to hit Limbang in Sarawak, and the interior, the West Coast (Papar, Putatan, Penampang, Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran and Kota Belud) and Kudat (Kota Marudu and Kudat) in Sabah.

DHAKA: A politician of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Azizur Rahman Musabbir (pic), was shot and killed in the capital Dhaka on Wednesday night (Jan 8), a senior police official said on Thursday, reported Xinhua. Md Fazlul Karim, an additional deputy commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Tejgaon Zone), told Xinhua, "Two people were shot. They were rushed to a nearby hospital, but one of them was already dead on arrival." According to the official, the incident occurred around 8 pm local time in the Karwan Bazar commercial district in Dhaka. He said the deceased had previously been a senior official of Dhaka Metropolitan North Swechchhasebak Dal, the volunteer wing of BNP.

PETALING JAYA: The decision by the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) not to take further action in the Yayasan Akalbudi case involving Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi raises questions over the investigation of the matter, says DAP legal bureau chairman Ramkarpal Singh. He said the AGC's statement on the decision mentioned a comprehensive review of materials, but did not say if it had reviewed the prima facie findings of the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2022. ALSO READ: AGC decides NFA on Zahid's 47 charges linked to Yayasan Akalbudi"With respect, it must be stressed that this is not a case in which no findings were made. ALSO READ: NFA in Zahid's case AG's call, says Home MinisterRamkarpal said the AGC's decision does not inspire confidence, and it must explain why, in its view, the prima facie findings carry no weight. "The AGC’s statement clearly lacks substance and amounts to a mere general statement that it is now satisfied that the matter ought not to be proceeded with.

(Jan 9): India’s economy is not showing signs of a robust recovery and the risk of higher US tariffs as well as increased dumping of low-cost Chinese goods could weaken the outlook, former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian said in an interview. Data released this week as part of government advance estimates show the economy expanding 7.4% in the year ending in March, extending India’s world-beating growth streak. Risks from US trade policy also remain high. President Donald Trump’s punitive 50% tariffs on Indian goods, partly linked to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil, added to the uncertainty. Subramanian sought greater flexibility in currency policy, arguing that exporters need support amid external shocks.

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed concern over the health of former Malaysian prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in conjunction with the latter's official visit to the country. Anwar said Erdogan had enquired about Dr Mahathir's health, and he conveyed the information based on updates provided by the doctors treating the former fourth and seventh prime minister of Malaysia. According to Anwar, Erdogan also extended his regards and prayers for Dr Mahathir to be granted good health, well-being and safety. The Prime Minister undertook a three-day official visit to Turkiye starting Tuesday (Jan 6), at the invitation of Erdogan, as part of efforts to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral relations between the two countries. Dr Mahathir, who was admitted to the National Heart Institute (IJN) on Tuesday after reportedly falling at his residence early that morning, was confirmed to have suffered a fracture to his right hip and is expected to remain at the hospital for several weeks for treatment and observation.

KUALA LUMPUR: Some 49.5kg of watermelon seeds worth more than RM100,000 were seized following an inspection at the Free Commercial Zone, KLIA Cargo, on Thursday (Jan 8). The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) said the seizure was made at about noon following an inspection. It found discrepancies between the declared import details and the actual agricultural commodity in the shipment. "The consignment, believed to have been imported from Taiwan by a local company, comprised 49.5kg of watermelon seeds with an estimated total value of RM141,143.15. The AKPS said it remains committed to tightening controls and inspections at the country’s entry points to safeguard national biosecurity and ensure compliance with existing laws.

PARIS/LONDON (Jan 9): Strong winds battered France and Britain on Friday as Storm Goretti hit northern Europe, leaving hundreds of thousands of households without power. In France, some 380,000 households lost power, mostly in the Normandy region and in Brittany, the Enedis power provider said. In Britain, 57,000 homes were without power, according to the National Grid, after Storm Goretti brought more snow to the country following a week of freezing weather. Hundreds of schools are expected to be closed across Scotland and parts of central England, which has been particularly badly affected by Goretti. Rail operators in that part of England have warned customers not to travel, and some services are suspended.

(Jan 9): Emerging Asian stocks ticked up on Friday, with Taiwan and South Korea notching weekly gains, while regional currencies slipped as the dollar held firm ahead of closely watched US jobs data later in the day. The MSCI emerging Asia equities index and the broader global EM gauge were little changed, but were on track for a third consecutive weekly rise. In East Asia, South Korea's Kospi index closed up 0.8%, recouping early losses on the back of a 0.1% rise in chipmaker Samsung Electronics. Currencies in emerging Asia were on the back foot as the dollar index rose for a fourth consecutive day. Taiwan's dollar slipped to 31.668 against the dollar, its weakest point since early May last year.

VIENTIANE: Laos aims to achieve an annual economic growth rate of six per cent between 2026 and 2030, Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone said at a key meeting. Sonexay made the remarks on Tuesday (Jan 6) while presenting his report on the 10th five-year socio-economic development plan for 2026-2030 at the 12th National Congress of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. He noted that, through the collective efforts of all sectors, Laos has made significant progress in achieving the objectives of the ninth five-year plan for 2021-2025. During this period, the national economy recorded sustained, high-quality and stable growth, with an average annual growth rate of 4.24 per cent, surpassing the target of four perc ent. Founded in 1955, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party was originally known as the Lao People's Party before adopting its current name in 1972.

(Jan 9): Crude oil sales from Saudi Arabia to East Asia are set to persist above usual levels after the world’s biggest exporter cut prices for a third month on signs of oversupply in the market. That makes Saudi oil cheap enough to compete against other so-called spot grades, such as those from nearby Abu Dhabi, traders said. China, the biggest importer of Saudi crude, bought about 48 million barrels for loading next month. That’s down slightly from roughly 49 million to 50 million barrels for January. In the wider Middle East crude market, there’s pervasive weakness among sellers of spot crude including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

SEREMBAN (Jan 9): A 63-year-old man pleaded not guilty at the Tuanku Ja'afar Hospital here Friday to five charges related to the improvised explosive device (IED) case in Nilai last month. According to the charge, the man was charged with possessing explosives in a manner that gave rise to a reasonable suspicion with the intent to cause injury at Apartment Desa Palma, Nilai at 12.30pm, Dec 22. Yeoh was also charged with maliciously using an IED explosive to cause injury at 5.55am, Dec 22. The case was handled by deputy public prosecutor Norazihah Asmuni while the accused was not represented by a lawyer. The judge ruled that no bail should be granted to the accused and the case will be mentioned again on Feb 12.

BRASILIA, Jan ‌8 (Reuters) - Brazil's Justice ‌Minister Ricardo Lewandowski resigned ‌from his role, a letter released by the ministry ‍showed on Thursday. Lewandowski ‍attributed his ‌decision to personal and family ‍matters, ​according to the letter, which ⁠was addressed to President Luiz ‌Inacio Lula da Silva. A ⁠former ‍Supreme Court justice, Lewandowski served in Lula's ‍cabinet for nearly two ‌years. Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing sources, that Lewandowski had told advisors and the Presidential Palace that he would leave ‌the role. (Reporting by Ricardo Brito and Lisandra Paraguassu ​in Brasilia; Writing by Andre Romani; Editing by Gabriel Araujo)

PETALING JAYA: A lorry driver lost control of his vehicle before it collided with seven other vehicles along Jalan Puteri 2/1, Bandar Puteri, Puchong on Thursday (Jan 8). Serdang OCPD Asst Comm Muhamad Farid Ahmad said the incident occurred at 1.44pm Thursday when the lorry reportedly suffered brake failure after exiting a construction site, before heading towards Puchong town centre. As a result of the loss of control, the vehicle hit two cars that were stopped at a traffic light and five others parked nearby. “Urine screening tests on the lorry driver returned negative, and all vehicle owners involved have lodged police reports,” he said in a statement. The case is being investigated under Rule 10 LN166/59 (Traffic Rules) for careless driving or failing to control a vehicle.