SEREMBAN: A 62-year-old male suspect believed to have caused an explosion with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Nilai near here on Dec 22 will be slapped with five charges in court on Friday (Jan 9). Nilai police chief Supt Johari Yahya said that the man would face three charges for possessing explosives with the intent to cause injury. He would be charged under Section 3 of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958 for the alleged offences. He was arrested around Batang Benar in Nilai on Dec 27 with burn marks on his face, body, hands and feet. The suspect is believed to have technical knowledge of explosives after devices and equipment were found and seized from his rented house.

FOR a generation, it seemed a sure thing to short Japanese government bonds (JGB). Betting on JGB yields to rise thoroughly deserves its nickname: the widowmaker. > The data – the labour market, business sentiment (as measured by the regular Tankan survey), and purchasing manager indexes – look strong. > Fiscal policy continues to unfurl in a way likely to push up JGB yields. “Heavy foreign exposure made sense in the past with very low JGB yields, a lagging equity market, and a weakening yen.

Demand globally will reach 42 million metric tons per year by that 2040 mark, up from 28 million metric tons in 2025, the report found. The conflict in Ukraine and moves by Japan, Germany and others to increase defense spending are likely to also fuel copper demand, the report found. "Demand for copper really is inelastic in the defense sector," said Carlos Pascual, an S&P vice president and former US ambassador to Ukraine. S&P published a similar report in 2022 that forecasted copper demand should the world reach carbon neutrality by 2050, a goal described as "net zero." The report released on Thursday uses a different methodology, S&P said, and forecasts demand using a base-case assumption that copper demand will rise regardless of government climate policy.

(Jan 8): Japan’s bond futures held onto gains after the lowest price at an auction of 30-year debt was slightly above forecasts, even though the bid-to-cover ratio showed lacklustre demand. The lowest price at the Ministry of Finance’s bond sale on Thursday was 99.15, compared with 99.10 in a Bloomberg survey. Thursday’s sale came amid persistent fiscal and rate-hike concerns that have pushed long-term yields higher in recent days. This leaves private buyers with more issuance to digest as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) pulls back from its debt purchases. Overnight index swaps have not yet fully priced in two additional BOJ rate hikes this year, implying scope for further repricing if inflation or the yen stays weak.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8): The electric vehicle (EV) momentum is sustained despite tax headwinds as front-loaded EV inventories and open market value (OMV) revision deferral are expected to cushion total industry volume in the first half of 2026, said CIMB Securities. The research firm said in a note on Thursday that this would keep EV prices stable post-completely built-up (CBU) tax expiry while aiding non-national demand. “We believe this reflects front-loaded EV inventories that entered Malaysia before Dec 28, 2025, ahead of the tax holiday deadline. It said EVs accounted for 5.6% of total sales, or 8,890 units, with the e.MAS 7 contributing 8,018 units and emerging as Malaysia’s bestselling EV model. CIMB Securities expects Proton to sustain healthy sales momentum in 2026, underpinned by two new model launches, Proton Saga MC3 and Proton e.MAS 5, with bookings exceeding 30,000 units and 14,600 units respectively.

(Jan 8): The energy trading arm of Sumitomo Corp is considering setting up a liquefied natural gas (LNG) desk in Singapore, the latest move by the Japanese company to strengthen its foothold in the seaborne market for the fuel. Pacific Summit Energy is exploring a LNG desk in the city-state as part of a wider strategy to expand its trading business across Asia, Europe, and the US, according to a Sumitomo spokesperson, who said they had opened a similar operation in London in August. Sumitomo’s energy trading unit has traditionally operated in North America, with offices in California, Texas and Virginia. Japan’s trading houses have been looking to boost their LNG businesses on expectations demand will last for longer than anticipated as the fossil fuel acts as a bridge in the transition to intermittent renewables. The move also comes as Japan — the world’s second-largest LNG buyer — may need more gas in the future as the AI boom lifts power demand.

BENGALURU (Jan 8): Gold prices dipped on Thursday, pressured by a firm dollar as investors geared up for a key jobs report later this week that could provide more hints on US monetary policy moves and while they assess the US pressure on Venezuela. Spot gold lost 0.3% to US$4,440.67 per ounce as of 0344 GMT, dipping from an over one-week high hit in the last session. Bullion is about US$110 away from the record high of US$4,549.71 hit on Dec 29, with gains curbed by a firm dollar and profit-taking. Spot silver lost 0.4% to US$77.85 per ounce, after hitting an all-time high of US$83.62 on Dec 29. Spot platinum was down 0.8% to US$2,288.23 per ounce, after scaling a record peak of US$2,478.50 last Monday.

TOKYO/SINGAPORE (Jan 8): Oil prices rose on Thursday, after two days of declines, as a larger-than-expected draw in US crude inventories provided some impetus for investors to buy futures while they monitor developments in Venezuela. On Tuesday, Washington announced a deal with Caracas to get access to up to US$2 billion worth of Venezuelan crude. Venezuela will be "turning over" between 30 million and 50 million barrels of "sanctioned oil" to the US, Trump wrote in a social media post on Tuesday. This would provide a release valve for Venezuelan oil flows, which have been slowed because of a US blockade on sanctioned tankers leaving and entering the country. Trump and his advisers are planning an initiative to dominate the Venezuelan oil industry for years to come, and the president told aides he believes his efforts could help lower oil prices to US$50 a barrel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8): Malaysia Airlines confirmed that its flight MH21 operating from the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday has returned to the CDG shortly after departure as a precautionary measure following an engine indication anomaly. “The aircraft landed safely at 3.35pm local time in Paris,” the group said in a statement through WhatsApp on Thursday. The replacement flight MH21D is scheduled to depart CDG at 5pm local time on Thursday. “Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets the inconvenience and disruptions to our passengers’ travel plans. A check in Flightradar24, the scheduled time of departure for the A350-941 flight was 11.10am, but the flight’s actual time of departure was at 2.09pm before the emergency landing happened.

MUMBAI (Jan 8): India’s markets regulator has accused a Bank of America (BofA) unit of violating its insider trading rules and breaking internal "Chinese walls" in connection with a 2024 share sale, a notice showed. The investigation found that the bank's deal team, while holding unpublished price-sensitive information on the share sale, contacted potential investors "directly/indirectly", it said. “The conduct highlights the failure of (the bank's) deal team to maintain Chinese walls with broking/research arms, impacting safekeeping of confidential information and internal controls,” SEBI said. The Wall Street Journal first reported the SEBI notice to the bank. In another instance, the deal team requested the Apac syndicate team in Hong Kong — not a part of the deal team — to seek feedback from Norges Bank on its interest in the offering.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 7): Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd has granted property developer Sentoria Group Bhd (KL:SNTORIA) an extension of six months, until June 3, 2026, to submit its regularisation plan. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia on Wednesday, the local bourse said it reserves the right to suspend trading of the company’s listed securities and to delist the company if it fails to submit its regularisation plan to the relevant regulatory authorities on or before June 3, 2026. The bourse may also take action if the company fails to obtain approval from any regulatory authority necessary for the plan’s implementation or fails to carry out the plan within the time frame, or any extended time frame, stipulated by the authorities. Upon the occurrence of any of the events set out, Bursa Securities shall suspend trading of the listed securities of the company on the sixth market day after the date of notification of suspension by Bursa Securities and, subsequently delist the company, subject to the company’s right to appeal against the delisting. At the close on Wednesday, Sentoria was traded flat at two sen.

At the estate level, Mohamad Helmy oversaw significant mechanisation of non-harvesting operations, improving efficiency across the group’s sprawling plantations. Since Mohamad Helmy took the helm at what was then Sime Darby Plantation Bhd, the group’s share price has climbed more than 30%. Mohamad Helmy, who chairs the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, emphasised that this is a deliberate strategy to preserve long-term returns. Notable IPOs during Umar’s tenure include Oppstar Bhd (KL:OPPSTAR), Johor Plantations Group Bhd (KL:JPG) and 99 Speed Mart Retail Holdings Bhd (KL:99SMART). His successor, Captain Nasaruddin A Bakar, 51, will take on the newly designated role of president and group CEO, guiding MAG into its Long-Term Business Plan 3.0 era.

On the other side is Abdul Hamid Shaikh, who maintained that MKLSB and its parent Hydroshoppe had been wrongfully terminated. Still, MKLSB continued running KL Tower through multiple short-term extensions, including a final nine-month one until March 31. A few days later, the Ministry of Communications says MKLSB’s occupation of KL Tower after March 31 is “unlawful”. On April 26, KL Tower finally reopened to the public, under LSHSM, after a week of restoration works by the new concession holder. The main lawsuit filed by Abdul Hamid Shaikh’s camp in March this year remains ongoing with trial dates fixed from June 28, 2027 to July 2, 2027.

MMC Port’s key assets include a 70% stake in Port of Tanjung Pelepas Sdn Bhd, 100% of Penang Port Sdn Bhd, 100% of Johor Port Bhd and 100% of Northport (M) Bhd in Port Klang. If that happens, it would trigger a general offer at Pos Malaysia Bhd (KL:POS), in which the diversified DRB has a 53.49% stake. Nyalas Rubber Estates controls Sungei Bagan Rubber Co (Malaya) Bhd (KL:SBAGAN) through Kluang Rubber Co (Malaya) Bhd (KL:KLUANG). This one will cost him US$7.5 billion (RM30.7 billion), including US$2 billion for 30-year community programmes. On top of that, Genting Bhd (KL:GENTING) launched a voluntary takeover offer at RM2.35 per share to take Genting Malaysia Bhd (KL:GENM) private.

Last October, the group launched its RM430 million Sunway Medical Centre Ipoh, its fifth tertiary hospital, joining Sunway Medical Centre in Sunway City, Sunway Medical Centre Velocity, Sunway Medical Centre Penang and Sunway Medical Centre Damansara. (Photo by Patrick Goh/The Edge)Tan Yu YehCo-founder of Mr DIY Group (M) BhdTan Yu WeiCo-founder and executive vice-president of Mr DIY Group (M) BhdIn six years, the brothers behind home-improvement retail chain Mr DIY Group (M) Bhd (KL:MRDIY), Tan Yu Yeh and Yu Wei, have taken three of their businesses public. Following its RM1.5 billion listing on Bursa Malaysia in 2020, Mr DIY Group also listed its Indonesian arm, PT Daya Intiguna Yasa Tbk, in late 2024. The initial public offering (IPO) of Mr DIY Holding (Thailand) made news in Bangkok, raising THB5.6 billion in proceeds. Notably, the Thai company is run and owned independently of Mr DIY Group in Malaysia, sharing only the same major shareholders — the Tan brothers.