(Dec 29): Despite surging demand for office space in Dubai, one tower on the edge of the city’s financial district has stood empty for about a decade. Abbas Sajwani, the 26-year-old son of billionaire developer Hussain Sajwani, bought the building last year for US$120 million (RM485.64 million). Despite its prime location, the tower had remained vacant after its previous owner fell behind on debt repayments to Commercial Bank of Dubai PSC. The tower, built around the time of the global financial crisis that upended Dubai’s property market, was beset by delays and disputes, leaving it unfinished for years. Once refurbishment is complete, the building — now rebranded as AHS Tower — will lose the clock-face design that earned it the “Big Ben” moniker.

For the quarter ended Oct 31, 2025 (3QFY2026), the group's net profit fell to RM70.3 million or 8.35 sen per share, compared to RM101.3 million, or 12.08 sen per share, in the previous year. The group declared a special single-tier dividend of six sen per share, payable on Feb 10, 2026. This raised its year-to-date payout to seven sen, as opposed to seven sen in the same period last year. This segment generated RM201.7 million in revenue and RM85.5 million in operating profit, accounting for over 78% of group revenue and 81% of operating profit. Net profit fell to RM93.70 million from RM523.72 million in the corresponding period last year, as revenue fell 66% to RM362.76 million from RM1.08 billion.

Political parties in the country have registered their candidates for the next prime minister, marking the unofficial start of campaigning for the Feb 8 general election. The election is seen as primarily pitting Anutin’s conservative party against the progressive People’s Party, which under a different name and leadership won the highest number of House seats in the 2023 election. The populist Pheu Thai Party, backed by billionaire former Prime Minister Thaksin Shina­watra, is another major contender. However, the People’s Party at the same time insisted on acting as an opposition party. The Pheu Thai party is fielding 46-year-old Yodchanan Wongsa­wat as its main candidate for prime minister.

Fernando Martin, a coach with Valencia CF, has died along with three members of his family after their boat capsized, Spanish football clubs said. Valencia said in a statement yesterday that they were “deeply ‌saddened by the passing of Fernando Martin, coach of Valencia CF Femenino B, and three ​of his children, in the tragic boat accident in Indonesia, as confirmed by local authorities”. Indonesian and Spanish authorities said on Saturday that Martin and three of his children were missing after the boat carrying ‍11 people sank ‍in ​extreme weather on Friday in the Padar Island Strait. His wife and daughter, as well as four crew members and a tour guide, were rescued and ‍safe, SAR said in a statement.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 29): AwanBiru Technology Bhd (KL:AWANTEC) has secured two contracts worth RM16.42 million from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to provide Google artificial intelligence (AI) tools to public universities. AwanBiru Technology is the managed service provider for Google Cloud Malaysia. The contracts cover the provision of NotebookLM Enterprise and Gemini for Google Workspace to students, lecturers and administrators at public universities. AwanBiru Technology said the contracts have a tenure of 13 months, commencing on Jan 1, 2026 and expiring on Jan 31, 2027. The group added that the deployment of the AI tools is designed to enhance public universities’ existing Google Workspace for Education ecosystem by integrating advanced AI-driven learning and productivity features.

Rapper turned-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah, known as Balen, a popular elected official, joined the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) or national independent party, led by a former TV host-turned politician Rabi Lamichhane on Sunday, party officials said. The election commission says nearly 19 million of Nepal’s 30 million people are eligible to vote in the elections. Balen was in the spotlight after the protests and was an undeclared leader of the youngsters who led the September protests. Some critics have questioned Balen's role during the protests, saying he rarely appeared in public and only addressed supporters on social media. Lamichhane formed the RSP ahead of the 2022 elections and is popular for his anti-corruption campaign as a TV host.

Leapmotor aims to sell one million cars in 2026, supported by a global expansion strategy in partnership with Stellantis, Zhu said in Hangzhou, where the company is based. With its best-selling C10 electric SUV priced from 142,800 yuan, Leapmotor has also been eroding the market share of industry leader BYD in terms of EVs priced under US$25,000. In contrast, BYD's domestic sales declined 5.1% to 3.1 million units during the same period. Separately, Leapmotor on Monday said it would issue 74.8 million shares to state-owned automaker FAW at 50.03 yuan a share. Neither FAW nor Stellantis, which invested in Leapmotor in 2023, intends to seek control of Leapmotor, said chief financial officer Li Tengfei.

(Dec 29): SoftBank Group Corp agreed to acquire private equity firm DigitalBridge Group Inc in a deal valuing the data centre investor at US$4 billion (RM16.19 billion) including debt. The acquisition is part of SoftBank’s push to invest in the digital infrastructure fuelling the artificial intelligence (AI) boom. SoftBank’s billionaire founder, Masayoshi Son, aims to capitalise on soaring demand for digital infrastructure, driven by the AI boom. SoftBank has also held discussions with closely held Switch about a possible acquisition, which specialises in designing and operating energy-efficient data centres, Bloomberg reported this month, citing people familiar with the matter. In January, SoftBank announced the US$500 billion Stargate project, alongside OpenAI, Oracle and Abu Dhabi’s MGX, to build data centres in the US.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 29): Malaysia’s total industry vehicle (TIV) sales could decline for a second year in 2026, CIMB Securities said, on the back of potential hike in vehicle prices and excise duties in 2026. Sales could come in at 774,000 units in 2026, lower than the projected 790,000 this year, the research house said. Softer consumer sentiment amid inflationary pressures could also weigh on demand, it said in a sector note. CIMB, which is 'neutral' on the industry, said the projected slowdown in 2026 will be driven by the expiry of tax exemptions for fully imported electric vehicles (EVs) from January 2026. That said, TIV in the first 11 months of 2025 hit 727,834 units, down 1.2% from a year ago.

BANGKOK (Dec 29): Thailand's manufacturing production index unexpectedly dropped 4.24% in November from a year earlier due to lower petroleum output, the strong baht and a border conflict with Cambodia, the industry ministry said on Monday. The November figure compared with a year-on-year rise of 0.8% forecast in a Reuters poll, and followed a revised increase of 0.04% in October. The index dropped 1.09% compared to a year earlier in the first 11 months of 2025. The strong baht pushed up export prices and eroded Thailand's competitiveness, the ministry said in a statement. The currency has gained about 10% against the dollar so far this year, making it Asia's second-best performing currency.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 29): Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd’s (KL:HIBISCS) associate has paused drilling at the Charlemont-1 exploration well off Australia after encountering gas at a shallower-than-planned depth. Drilling was paused on Dec 25 after higher-than-anticipated pressures were encountered at a depth of about 2,552 metres measured depth. 3D Energi holds a 20% participating interest in the Charlemont-1 well. The operator, ConocoPhillips Australia, is currently assessing potential adjustments to the well design, including options to continue drilling to the primary Waarre A target. 3D Energi holds 100% participating interest in the three exploration blocks.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s Producer Price Index (PPI) eased further by 1.8 per cent in November 2025 from a 0.1 per cent decrease in October 2025, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). In contrast, he said the electricity and gas supply sector grew by 4.1 per cent, while the water supply sector rose by 10.1 per cent. Comparing Malaysia’s PPI for November 2025 with selected countries, Mohd Uzir said the selected countries showed mixed trends, with Japan’s PPI increasing by 2.7 per cent, maintaining a similar pace as in the previous month. "Similarly, Thailand’s PPI contracted by 1.6 per cent, following a 1.4 per cent decline in the previous month. "This marked the ninth straight month of year-on-year negative producer inflation, a similar trend in Malaysia,” it added.

We are in deficit, we are borrowing money from foreigners and we are spending it. One thing we need to be mindful of is that there is still a lot of money on the sidelines. If you look at the money market funds, we are talking about trillions of US dollars basically sitting on the sidelines. This is one reason why whenever you see a 10% to 15% pullback in the US market, investors, especially retail investors, are seeing it as a good stock on discount and they are flooding their money into it, capitalising on that opportunity. And if you look at the rest of the equity market, valuations are not that heightened.

So I rolled up my sleeves and served palm oil milling sunny-side up, by doing something mildly mischievous: imagining that we are the oil palm fruit bunches themselves. Just curiosity, a sense of humour, and a willingness to see sustainability through the eyes of a very hardworking fruit bunchLife on the treeOnce upon a time, I was an oil palm fresh fruit bunch – spiky, heavy, and hanging proudly from an oil palm like a trophy that knew its own worth. Oil palm fruit is no different. Palm oil mills, like kitchens, reveal character in how clean their floors are. Once upon a time, we were oil palm fruit bunches and we learned that sustainability begins not with slogans, but with systems that work.

1 men’s singles shuttler Roslin Hashim has warned against placing hopes on uncertainty. That was his reminder amid talk of relying on former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia to bolster Malaysia’s Thomas Cup campaign in Horsens, Denmark, in April. Only when he is ready should he be called up, rather than giving indications now that he will be absorbed into the Thomas Cup squad. He said the main focus should be on ensuring Jun Hao and Justin perform well. It is understood that Zii Jia is currently undergoing intensive training in preparation for the Malaysian Open from Jan 6-11.