Overall, near-term price upside remains limited,” KLK said in the notes accompanying its financial results. KLK said its plantation segment recorded a year-on-year increase of 10% in pre-tax profit to RM635mil in 1Q26, driven mainly by stronger fresh fruit bunch (FFB) yields and firm palm kernel prices. Meanwhile, its manufacturing segment recorded a pre-tax profit of RM42mil in 1Q26, compared to a pre-tax loss of RM53mil in the corresponding period last year. The group said that following the completion of its major capacity expansion projects, it is now focused on driving earnings performance. “Backed by resilient plantation operations and improving downstream contributions, the Group remains confident that it is on track to deliver a better operational performance in FY26,” KLK said.

Homeowners doubt slope stability, await permanent solutionsLingering safety fears are keeping some Block C residents of Taman United flats in Jalan Sepadu 7, Kuala Lumpur, away from their homes, even after temporary stabilisation works were carried out on the slope behind their units. On Nov 24 last year, a 60m stretch of a retention wall collapsed at about 10.30am, affecting residents of Block C along Jalan Sepadu 7 and forcing their evacuation from 52 units. While residents were allowed to return on Jan 1, occupants of two affected landed properties were advised to stay away until further notice. Although DBKL-appointed contractors had completed interim works and Block C occupants were given the green light to return at the start of the year, many held back because of these persistent safety concerns. He said these temporary works aimed to strengthen the slope, control water flow and monitor ground movement.

PETALING JAYA: Bukit Kayu Hitam Malaysian Control and Border Protection Agency (AKPS) commander’s vehicle was shot at during an early morning incident near the Malaysian-Thai ­border. “One of the suspects fired two shots, hitting the rear right door and the front passenger door of the car. Investigations showed that two shots were fired at the victim’s moving vehicle from a distance of about one metre. AKPS, in a statement, said SAC Mohd Nasaruddin was in a “safe and stable condition” following the attempt on his life. “As previously informed, the Bukit Kayu Hitam AKPS has received several threats in recent times.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Malakoff Corporation Bhd's (KL:MALAKOF) power plant woes could hurt its earnings more than expected this year, analysts said, following its first quarterly loss in two years. The research house maintained its 'hold' rating with a target price of 74 sen, implying a downside of almost 11%. The consensus target price is now 94 sen, based on the average of 11 research houses tracked by Bloomberg. It kept its ‘buy’ call with a target price of RM1.29. Therefore, according to various analysts, the full-year core net profit fell sharply to roughly RM96 million to RM146 million, down roughly 43-64% year-on-year, with revenue declining by nearly 20%, close to RM7.2 billion.

The stock has suffered also on account of a wave of new listings by pure‑play AI firms such as chip designers and large language model developers. The Hang Seng Tech Index, which counts Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu among heavyweights, is down 9% over the past month. Baidu’s 12-month forward consensus earnings estimate has also risen over 6% since reaching a more than three-year low late last month. Options traders are pricing in a 5.7% swing in either direction for its American Depositary Receipts after the results. That’s more than the average 4.6% fluctuation seen following the last eight quarterly reports.

LBS has formally revised its dividend policy, which increased its minimum dividend payout ratio from 30% to 40% of its normalised profit after tax and minority interests (Patami). Shares of LBS Bina rose as much as 8.5% or 3.5 sen on Thursday's morning session following the results announcement. For the full-year of FY2025, LBS Bina's net profit from continuing operations rose 27% to RM137.86 million from RM108.47 million in FY2024. Including discontinued operations recorded in the previous year, total net profit for FY2025 declined 48% to RM137.86 million, from RM265.94 million in FY2024. LBS Bina's total 2025 sales of RM1.4 billion surpassed the previous year’s RM1.3 billion, Lim said in a statement.

Yet in practice, education policy and financial hub development are frequently pursued in parallel rather than in alignment. Education, investment promotion and labour mobility are managed by separate agencies with limited integration. While Malaysia has made progress through international schools and bilingual programmes, access remains limited and unevenly distributed. However, unlike physical infrastructure, education investment produces delayed returns. If Malaysia is serious about strengthening its position as a regional financial hub, education policy must be repositioned from social support to strategic investment.

A city hotel here has turned its food waste into compost for farmers, reducing landfill disposal while supporting local agriculture. - NSTP/MOHD ADAM ARININHyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu general manager, Thor Gervasi (right) , said the hotel’s monthly food waste could reach between 500kg and 600kg during peak periods. - NSTP/MOHD ADAM ARININKOTA KINABALU: A hotel here has turned its food waste into compost for farmers, reducing landfill disposal while supporting local agriculture. Hyatt Regency Kota Kinabalu general manager, Thor Gervasi, said the hotel's monthly food waste could reach between 500kg and 600kg during peak periods. Turning it into compost was a practical solution, allowing it to be repurposed and upcycled," he said, adding that food waste volume could be reduced by up to 75 per cent within 48 hours using a composting machine.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 26): Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) recorded 58.7 million digital transactions across 44 universities last year, up from 24.4 million in 2024, under its PayNet Digital Campus 4.0 initiative. It’s the first place where you learn how to live by yourself,” said Praveen Rajan, CEO of PayNet, during the media Q&A at the PayNet Digital Campus Summit 2026 on Feb 25. “What we did with the PayNet Digital Campus was to help students learn how to use digital ayments on campus. Since its inception in 2022, PayNet Digital Campus has reached close to 600,000 students and more than 7,500 merchants nationwide. The campaign period for PayNet Digital Campus 4.0 ran from September to December 2025.

HONG KONG (Feb 26): Hong Kong's Court of Appeal on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling against jailed pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai's conviction and sentence for a fraud offence. Judges Jeremy Poon, Anthea Pang, and Derek Pang said in the judgement that they allowed the appeal application from Lai, and another defendant in the case. "The Court of Appeal gave them leave to appeal against their conviction, allowed their appeals, quashed the convictions and set aside the sentences," the judges wrote in a press summary of their judgement. Lai was sentenced in December 2022 to five years and nine months in jail after being found guilty of breaching the lease terms of Apple Daily’s headquarters by concealing the operation of a private company, Dico Consultants Ltd, in the building. Another Next Digital executive, Wong Wai-keung, 61, was found guilty of fraud and jailed for 21 months.

Japan's Nikkei share average surpassed the 59,000 mark for the first time on Thursday. AFP picTOKYO: Japan's Nikkei share average surpassed the 59,000 mark for the first time on Thursday, led by software-related shares as investor fears over artificial intelligence disruption eased. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Index was up 0.2 per cent at 58,672.37 after climbing as high as 59,332.43 earlier in the day. So far, the Nikkei is up 16.4 per cent for the year. Software-related shares surged, with software test service firm Shift jumping 11.3 per cent to become the largest percentage gainer on the Nikkei.

Shares of Kelington Group Bhd opened at RM5.24 today, 12 sen or 2.34 per cent higher than its previous close of RM5.12, placing the counter among the top gainers on Bursa Malaysia. KUALA LUMPUR: Shares of Kelington Group Bhd opened at RM5.24 today, 12 sen or 2.34 per cent higher than its previous close of RM5.12, placing the counter among the top gainers on Bursa Malaysia. At press time, the shares were trading at RM5.39, up 27 sen, or 5.27 per cent, from the previous close, with 14,775 shares changing hands. The company declared a special interim dividend of 1.5 sen per share, along with a fourth interim dividend of 2.5 sen per share. The growth was supported by higher contributions from its engineering segment, particularly advanced engineering projects in Singapore and general contracting works in Malaysia.

PETALING JAYA: Cristina Chew (pic) was in a foreign country when she began fasting for the first time. Cristina is a full time social media content creator with quite a significant Muslim following. Recounting her journey to becoming a Muslim, she said it had not been an easy decision to make. Unlike many Muslim converts who embrace the religion through marriage, Chew, who was raised a Buddhist, said she chose Islam after much research and reflection. Islam gave me structure and clarity.

(Feb 26): Nvidia Corp failed to impress investors with its latest forecast, signalling that concerns about an overheated AI economy will continue to dog the company. Fiscal first-quarter sales will be about US$78 billion (RM302.9 billion), the chipmaker said in a statement Wednesday. After a remarkable run of sales growth, which turned Nvidia into the world’s most valuable company, investors have proven harder to satisfy. Nvidia said Wednesday that it wasn’t including any China data-centre revenue in its first-quarter sales outlook. “To date, we have not generated any revenue under the H200 licensing programme, and do not yet know whether any imports will be allowed into China,” Nvidia said.

A lorry carrying fruits and vegetables overturned on Jalan Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari, Alam Budiman, yesterday. - Pic courtesy of readerSHAH ALAM: A lorry carrying fruits and vegetables overturned on Jalan Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari, Alam Budiman, yesterday. Shah Alam district police chief, Assistant Commissioner Ramsay Embol, said investigations revealed the accident occurred at 1pm yesterday. "The accident involved a lorry loaded with fruits and vegetables, driven by a local man in his 20s, accompanied by a local assistant in his 30s, travelling from Bidor, Perak, to Shah Alam. Both the driver and assistant sustained injuries to the head and legs and were taken to Shah Alam Hospital for treatment.