BENGALURU (Feb 25): The Thai baht trimmed early gains, while equities extended their rally on Wednesday after the central bank cut interest rates by a quarter point in a surprise decision. The baht was last trading 0.1% firmer at 31.04 per dollar, after gaining as much as 0.3% earlier in the session. Thai equities jumped as much as 2.2% to hit their strongest level since late September, extending gains to a third straight day. Thailand's central bank cut rates again as economic growth remains weak and below potential, because of a recent one-off fiscal spending, while underlying demand is soft and inflation is deeply subdued with core prices barely rising. The Taiwan dollar gained 0.5% in its third straight day of advances and hit its highest since Jan 29.

TOKYO (Feb 25): Japan's Fair Trade Commission raided Microsoft Japan's offices on Wednesday as part of an investigation into whether it improperly restricted customers of its Azure platform from using rival cloud services, the Nikkei business daily reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Musang King durian is uniquely Malaysian and other countries cannot market their produce under the same name, says Mohamed Sabu. The Agriculture and Food Security Minister, popularly known as Mat Sabu, said this is because Musang King is protected under Malaysia’s Geographical Indication (GI) registration. Other countries cannot call their durians Musang King. He added that the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) ensures Musang King durians carry official FAMA and MyBest labels. Mat Sabu also stressed the importance of educating Chinese consumers that only GACC-approved Musang King durians bearing the MyBest stamp are authentic Malaysian exports.

(Feb 25): South Korea’s equity market has surged past France to become the ninth-largest in the world, propelled by gains in technology shares riding the global boom in artificial intelligence. The Asian nation’s stock market climbed to a valuation of US$3.76 trillion (RM14.64 trillion) after adding roughly US$2.23 trillion since the start of 2025, according to Bloomberg-compiled data as of Tuesday (Feb 24). In 2024, Korea ranked 12th globally in gross domestic product while France held seventh place, according to World Bank data. And with recent French political upheaval now easing, some expect the country’s equity market to regain momentum after almost 18 months of underperformance. The French market would likely benefit from capital flows as investors diversify from US equities and tech stocks, he added.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 25): The Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) confirmed Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin’s transfer from his role as director of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s legal and prosecution division, but said he will continue prosecuting ongoing cases. Wan Shaharuddin’s placement in this division is suitable with his expertise and he would continue to contribute in the handling of appeal cases which are more complex and have a higher profile,” the statement said. The AGC states that Wan Shaharuddin’s transfer would not affect his ongoing cases that he handled with the MACC. Datuk Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin (Photo by Low Yen Yeing/The Edge)“He is capable of continuing with the responsibility of handling those cases, and he is given an opportunity to handle appeal cases in the upper courts. Earlier, it was reported that Attorney General Tan Sri Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar had issued a transfer letter dated Feb 24 (yesterday) on Wan Shaharuddin to his new post.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 25): Globaltec Formation Bhd (KL:GLOTEC) has been told to explain unusual market activity on Wednesday that sent the stock to its daily lower limit. Shares of Globaltec opened two sen or 2% lower at 98 sen and hovered above the 90-sen level through most of the morning session. The stock then tumbled as much as 30 sen or 30% to limit down at 70 sen on the back of a spike in volume just before the noon trading break. Globaltec ended the day at 81 sen after nearly eight million shares changed hands. Revenue for the quarter was down 14.11% year-on-year to RM38.7 million.

KUALA LUMPUR: Higher Education Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir has urged for calm over an alleged incident involving a copy of the Quran at a university, as authorities investigate the matter. “I would like to urge all parties to stay calm as this issue is being addressed. He said the university concerned had lodged a police report immediately after the incident surfaced. The university also filed a report right away, and appropriate steps have been taken. The alleged incident came to public attention following a post on Threads depicting an individual’s foot on a Quran, prompting outrage.

KOTA TINGGI: A 35-year-old Rohingya man was charged in the Magistrate’s Court here with murdering his pregnant wife and causing the death of their unborn child two weeks ago. According to the charge sheet, he is accused of murdering Fazanah Eskar, 34, at a house along Jalan Haji Mustafa in Kampung Makam here at about 3am on Feb 13. In the same court, the accused, who works as a barber, also faced a second charge of committing an act that caused the death of his wife’s full-term unborn baby. After indicating that he understood the charges and possible penalties, the accused broke down and apologised. Magistrate Nurkhalida Farhana fixed March 18 for an interpreter to ensure that the accused fully understands the charges before any further decision is made.

(Feb 25): Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese evacuated his official residence in Canberra for a few hours on Tuesday evening following a bomb scare connected to a religious group that’s banned in China, according to a report in the national broadcaster ABC. A series of threats directed towards Albanese were emailed to members of the “Shen Yun” dance troupe in February, according to a newspaper connected to the Falun Gong religious group, which runs the dance company. The messages threatened violence against Albanese and other “high officials” if the dance troupe didn’t call off the performances planned for this year in Australia. The threats were forwarded to Australian police on Tuesday by people related to Shen Yun, according to the Epoch Times. Falun Gong is banned in China, with the government in Beijing calling it a cult.

(Feb 25): Lynas Rare Earths Ltd has overtaken Australian blue-chip stalwart Qantas Airways Ltd by market capitalisation, as concerns about China’s dominance of critical minerals lift the miner’s stock. Both companies are set to report annual results on Thursday (Feb 26), with net income estimates for the airline of A$1.03 billion (RM2.85 million) set to dwarf the A$112 million forecast for Lynas. However, the miner’s shares have surged more than a third this year — compared with a tepid 2% rise for Qantas — to make it the more valuable company. Lynas produces a small volume, by mining standards, of rare earths used in electric vehicle motors, smartphones and defence technology from a mine in Western Australia, which it refines in Malaysia. “Lynas is quite different from your typical mining company,” Reg Spencer, a metals and mining analyst at Canaccord Genuity Australia Ltd, said by telephone.

KUALA LUMPUR: Trading on Bursa Malaysia is expected to remain cautious on Wednesday as investors have their eyes peeled for corporate earnings, with the heavyweight banks yet to release their results. A deluge of earnings results is expected to offer trading leads over the remaining three days of the fourth-quarter reporting season. On the external front, Apex Securities said global markets remained cautious as investors focused on upcoming earnings from Nvidia, a barometer of future AI demand. Stocks that saw selling pressure after disappointing results included PETRONAS Gas falling 40 sen to RM18.20 and Gas Malaysia shedding 17 sen to RM4.58. Pharmaniaga was flat at 30 sen and Advance Synergy slid 0.5 sen to eight sen.

GEORGE TOWN: Two outfalls in Batu Ferringhi jutting 120m out to sea have prevented beach erosion at this spot and led to significant beach growth. A recent visit showed that the stretch of beach has even expanded past the end of one of the outfalls, much to the delight of beach goers. When beach erosion became visible in 2021, the two outfalls had the unintended effect of ­protecting that stretch of the beach. “The surf hitting Batu Ferringhi during spring tide last year were recorded at over 50cm higher than in the past. “This is important because many stakeholders mistakenly believe that Batu Ferringhi’s beach erosion is caused by reclamation works near Persiaran Gurney, over 10km to the east.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 25): UOA Development Bhd (KL:UOADEV) posted a 50.3% jump in fourth-quarter net profit, lifted by a sizeable revaluation surplus on its investment properties, despite weaker revenue from slower progress billings. For the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (4QFY2025), net profit rose to RM192.76 million from RM128.21 million a year earlier. A revaluation surplus of RM169.2 million was booked on investment properties, sharply higher than RM44.24 million a year ago. For the full year, net profit surged 65% to RM474.04 million from RM287.3 million, while revenue climbed 23.6% to RM674.29 million from RM545.7 million, a bourse filing showed. New property sales totalled RM672.9 million, driven by Bamboo Hills Residences, Duo Tower, Aster Hill, and Laurel Residence.

“Our songkok tinggi, songkok lojong and songkok rata are the bestsellers so far. Ricayanti said even non-Muslims take the opportunity to buy songkok during Ramadan as there are more designs on display. She said those who want specially stitched songkok, such as with hand-stitched seams lined with cotton to absorb sweat, will have to wait longer to get their headgear. “If they want slight adjustments made such as having ventilation holes, then we have the expertise to do it on the spot,” she said. She said customers are often spoilt for choice as there are newer designs available during Ramadan.

Visitors rediscover ancient clan traditions at annual festivalGEORGE Town’s heritage enclave was transformed into a living stage of culture and tradition during Penang Miaohui 2026. A specially choreographed dance number celebrating the local ‘rotiman’, performed during the opening ceremony of the event. Complementing these were 16 street stages that hosted high pole lion dance displays, swirling dragon dances, Chinese orchestral music and folk dance routines. “Year after year, I see the same strong spirit and dedication from local clans and associations, whose efforts ensure our traditions remain alive on the streets of George Town. It is organised by the Penang Chinese Clan Council in collaboration with the Penang Cultural Inheritors Society.