KUALA LUMPUR: Titijaya Land Bhd has appointed Daniel Chow Chee Keng as its group chief financial officer, effective Jan 5, 2026. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the property developer said Chow, 53, brings more than 32 years of experience across professional accounting firms, public-listed companies and private enterprises, with a strong background in the construction, property development and information technology sectors. His expertise covers financial reporting, taxation, compliance and governance, risk management, investor relations and treasury management. He previously held senior finance roles at MTD Capital Bhd, Dataprep Holdings Bhd , Gadang Holdings Bhd , Protasco Bhd and IFCA MSC Bhd , and was most recently an adviser to Vern’s group of companies. Chow is a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Currently, K. Yogendran is overseeing the men's singles under singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, who joined BAM a year ago. While not knowing who will be guiding him soon can be distracting, Jun Hao has vowed to stay focused on his job at hand. "I cannot influence what happens, so for now my focus is on playing my best under Yogendran," said Jun Hao. Jun Hao is already feeling happier after a change in training programme by Jonassen four to five months ago. Jun Hao hopes the return to the old approach can help him rediscover his spark.

PUTRAJAYA: A bill to limit the Prime Minister’s term to no more than 10 years or two full terms has been drafted by the government and will be tabled in Parliament this year, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. “Everyone has a term limit, the Chief Secretary to the Government cannot be up to 10 years. He said the Bill to limit the PM’s term will be tabled when the next Parliament sitting resumes at the end of the month, together with another proposed Bill to separate the powers of the Attorney-General and the Public Prosecutor, the freedom of information bill, and the Ombudsman Bill. Anwar also shared a light moment with civil servants when he announced the bill to limit the prime minister’s term. Historically, Malaysia had no term limits for its prime ministers, allowing them to serve indefinitely as long as they maintain parliamentary support.

Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei know this all too well and are taking a cautious approach in their opening match against world No. Tang Jie-Ee Wei have already been bitten once after suffering a shock defeat to Thailand’s eventual gold medallists Ruttanapak Oupthong-Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat in the SEA Games semi-finals last month despite never losing to the latter in three previous meetings. Tang Jie-Ee Wei will be competing at home for the first time since their historic world title triumph last August in Paris. "It does not matter that we are playing at home before or after becoming world champions," said Ee Wei. Tang Jie-Ee Wei reached the semi-finals last year before going down to China’s world No.

(Jan 5): Tesla Inc’s China factory shipments dropped in 2025, despite a last-minute bump in December, as the Elon Musk-led carmaker struggles with a slowdown in global sales that saw it lose its number one spot. The slump in China underscores the challenges Tesla is facing after it reported a second consecutive annual drop. And despite Musk stepping back from his prominent role in politics, a consumer backlash continues to be a headwind for Tesla. The tough year saw Tesla lose its title as world’s biggest EV maker to China’s BYD Co, despite the latter facing challenges of its own. For the full-year, NEV sales rose about 25%, according to Bloomberg calculations based on association numbers.

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI ended the morning session on a positive note with bank shares leading the rally, as investors started the first full trading week of 2026 with renewed optimism. Following a sluggish year-end, the index jumped 5.65 points to 1,675.41, after easing off an early morning high of 1,681.94. The rally erased losses made in the previous Friday, but has yet to return to 2025's closing price of 1,680. The broader market saw a positive breadth of 518 gainers to 435 decliners, and trading volume of 1.48 billion shares valued at RM1.15bil. Meanwhile, other stocks with notable price increases included Malayan Cement jumping 17 sen to RM7.96 and IJM adding 15 sen to RM2.46.

Wadi El-Hitan, or the Valley of the Whales, located in the Fayoum governorate southwest of Cairo, is famous for being an open-air museum, featuring 40-million-year-old whale fossils. “The demand for this experience is growing every year,” Hassan said as he prepared a powerful telescope for the group. Astrotourism is growing in Egypt, with Wadi El-Hitan being one of the most popular spots for stargazing. Her husband Mostafa, a mechanical engineer, said he first discovered the magic of Wadi El-Hitan through a viral post on social media. As the desert air turns cold, the tourists sit around a crackling wood fire, making tea over the flames.

"They do trade, and we can raise tariffs on them very quickly," Trump said in response to a question on India's Russian oil purchases. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally travelling with him, said US sanctions on Russian oil companies and higher tariffs on India had helped curb Indian oil imports. Graham is backing legislation to impose tariffs of up to 500% on countries such as India that continue to buy Russian oil. Trump's actions were the main reasons India was now buying "substantially less Russian oil," Graham said. "Ambiguity no longer works," Srivastava said, urging India to clearly state its stance on Russian oil.

A PROPERTY developer came to the aid of eight families whose homes were destroyed in a recent blaze in Labu near Seremban, Negri Sembilan. Medical personnel from Mawar Medical Centre also joined in the effort, offering both medical assistance and support to the 51 displaced residents. The Mawar Medical Centre nursing team provided on-site health screenings and immediate medical care to the residents. Matrix Medicare runs the medical centre. “We provided professional medical assistance and compassionate care to help affected families build resilience and move toward recovery with hope,” he said.

Compiled by BENJAMIN LEE, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHANA CLOSE encounter with a tiger as dusk fell sparked anxiety among villagers in nearby areas, Harian Metro reported. The tiger, he said, appeared from the right side of the road. “The tiger then crossed the road and climbed up the hill slope on the left side of the road,” he said, adding that the beast later sat on the hill slope near his car. He also claimed that two cows and a buffalo had been mauled by a tiger. > The song Masuk Lagi by dangdut singer Baby Shima appears to have generated much debate, with critics upset over what they deem are lyrics with a double entendre.

Rather, let me serve you some educated guesses at where we’re all headed, through the lens of how we eat. Restaurateurs are seeing the value of informed, personal service that feels genuine, not scripted, and to that end some chefs are scaling down, say food forecasters. — JULIE GOLDSTONE/ Filepic/ The New York TimesExtra textureTaste and nutrition have long been the leading reasons people crave particular foods. Homegrown produce like pawpaws, yaupon tea and juneberries, also called service berries or Saskatoons, will be popular in 2026, say food forecasters. Food forecasters say that most people will be more discriminating.

PETALING JAYA: Leaders from several local non-governmental organisations and activists have called on the United States to immediately cease military actions against Venezuela. In a joint statement yesterday, the group condemned the move, calling it an unprovoked and illegal military attack against Venezuela. The group called on the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly to address the breach of international peace and security, while holding the United States accountable. It said an immediate and unconditional cessation of all hostile military actions against Venezuela is needed, including the full withdrawal of US forces from Venezuelan territory and airspace. The group claimed that the attack was not an isolated incident, but part of a broader histo­rical pattern of intervention by the United States in the Global South.

(Jan 5): MiniMax plans to price its Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) at the top of the marketed range, people familiar with the matter said, reflecting investor enthusiasm for Chinese start-ups that are increasingly challenging US rivals like OpenAI. At the top of the range, MiniMax will raise at least HK$4.2 billion. MiniMax’s IPO drew demand from investors for several times the shares on offer, the people said. The company is expected to begin trading on Friday, fuelling a busy start of the year for Hong Kong. They are the first of the so-called Chinese AI dragons to list, emerging from a field that includes fellow start-ups Moonshot and Stepfun.

BEIJING (Jan 5): Chinese and South Korean companies signed nine cooperation agreements, authorities said on Monday, during a state visit by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, their second meeting in just two months. South Korea's Trade Ministry announced the nine agreements on Monday and said Alibaba International, Lenovo and South Korean retailer Shinsegae were among the companies that signed deals. However, South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said in a radio interview on Monday that Beijing was unlikely to lift its unofficial ban on Korean culture anytime soon. China and South Korea are expected to discuss matters such as supply chain investment, the digital economy and cultural exchanges during Lee's visit, China's state broadcaster CCTV said. South Korea and Beijing's ties have warmed as China and Japan navigate a diplomatic spat.

GEORGE TOWN: A government retiree recently lost more than RM1mil to an online investment scam, says the Penang police chief. He said the man initially befriended a woman on Facebook in August last year where she introduced him to an online investment scheme via WhatsApp. “He was interested in the investment scheme and was asked to download an app by the woman to register his membership before investing,” Azizee said in a statement yesterday. He added that the man made 22 payments totalling RM760,200 to six different bank accounts between Aug 8 and Dec 10 with a promised returns of RM7,488,492. He also paid an advance of 3% of his profits if he wished to withdraw his investment.