PETALING JAYA: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, safely arrived at Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday (Dec 22). The Royal aircraft landed at 11:45am UAE local time (3.45pm in Malaysia) and His Majesty was welcomed on arrival by Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Minister of State at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also present was Malaysia's ambassador to the UAE Tengku Datuk Sirajuzzaman Tengku Mohamed Ariffin. The visit marks Sultan Ibrahim's first official trip to the UAE, undertaken at the invitation of the UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Earlier, the Royal aircraft departed the Royal Hangar at Senai International Airport at 9am Malaysian time.

Separately, some Saks lenders have held confidential talks in recent days to assess the company’s cash needs, according to other people familiar with the matter. Saks raised billions of dollars from bond investors late last year to finance a bold turnaround plan centred on the acquisition of Neiman Marcus, betting that scale would revive the struggling luxury retailer. Instead, the deal deepened the company’s debt burden and failed to resolve long-running issues with vendors, many of whom halted shipments amid missed payments, accelerating losses. Even those securities have since plunged, underscoring concern among investors that the turnaround effort is running out of time. Saks faces interest payments of more than US$100 million due Dec 30, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The rules will only apply to future drone imports and sales, not those that have already been sold or are in use. Banning at least one Chinese drone maker, DJI, has been a years-long priority for Carr, who pushed for the move in 2021. Congress passed a law last year that said DJI would be added to the FCC’s covered entity list by Dec. 23, 2025, barring intervention from national security officials. DJI said in a statement that it is “disappointed” in the FCC’s decision to block new drone sales. The company and its peers “are ready to meet the call for service to rebuild the American drone industry”, Brinc said in an emailed statement.

The region’s stock markets have beaten the US and Europe this year, credit markets are strong, currencies are strengthening, and investors expect the momentum to carry into 2026. In dollar terms, the MSCI Asia Pacific Index of the region’s equities is up 27% this year including dividends. It’s also the first time since 2020 that Asian shares have outpaced both US and European benchmarks in the same year. The resurgence reflects Asia’s expanding appeal to investors seeking faster growth as the US and Europe slow. In China, stocks are heading for their strongest year since 2020, driven by the excitement around artificial intelligence.

(Dec 23) : Stocks in Asia were primed for a mainly positive open after bullish momentum lifted shares on Wall Street. Equity index futures for Australia, Hong Kong and mainland China rose in early Tuesday trading, while those for Japan edged lower. An index of global stocks rose for a third session Monday to set a fresh closing record. “If a Santa Claus rally does kick in this year, St. Nick’s gift bag will likely need to be full of positive tech sentiment,” he noted. It’s been a strong year for stocks and the big question is whether investors will carry that positive mood into 2026.

LONDON (Dec 22): Wall Street banks strengthened their lead in European investment banking in 2025, as clients stayed loyal despite global market turmoil and President Donald Trump's trade tariffs. Some bank bosses had anticipated European Union governments and companies would sideline American investment banks in favour of their home lenders when Trump on April 2 announced his "liberation day" tariffs. In some products, such as equity offerings, they even ceded market share in Europe. U.S. banks have claimed a 37% market share in investment banking fees in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region so far this year. The one area where European banks outshone was in share price performance, although that in part reflects how badly European lender stocks have fared since the financial crisis.

The driver recording the video, who was travelling home to Kota Tinggi via the old Kota Tinggi-Kluang road, clearly felt uncomfortable with the situation unfolding ahead. Verdict:FALSEPolice have confirmed that the alleged attempted robbery involving two vehicles on Jalan Bandar Tenggara in Kota Tinggi, as went viral on social media, is not true. Kota Tinggi OCPD Supt Yusof Othman said that based on the viral video, the incident was believed to have occurred at 8pm on Nov 14. "The claim of attempted robbery that was spread is not accurate. "Kota Tinggi police are committed and will take stern action against any individual or group involved in criminal activities or acts that violate the law," he said.

HANOI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Senior ‌officials of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party began a two-day meeting ‌on Monday that is set to select candidates for the ‌country's leadership positions for the next five years. Party chief To Lam ‌opened the meeting saying the plenum of the party's central committee is ‍tasked ​with finalising the selection of state and party leaders, according to his speech published on the government portal. The names of candidates shortlisted in previous party meetings have not been disclosed. Lam, 68, is seeking a second term as party chief, the country's most powerful job which he assumed in August last year after his predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong died. Alongside the party chief, delegates will also select candidates for the other ​four "pillars" of the state: president, prime minister, chairman of the parliament, and the standing member of the party's secretariat.

NILAI: Residents in Desa Palma here experienced a brief panic due to the sound of an explosion early Monday (Dec 22) morning, Sinar Harian reports. Nilai OCPD Supt Johari Yahya told the Malay language daily that the police received an emergency call at around 6:30am Monday. A screengrab of a viral video showing investigators at the scene of the blast. - Image courtesy of Sinar Harian"We have also sought assistance from the Fire and Rescue Department to aid in the investigation. Supt Johari also urged the public not to speculate about the incident.

(Dec 22): Daiwa Securities Group Inc is resuming an expansion of its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) business to capitalise on a dealmaking boom at home and lift its standing abroad. Since then, Daiwa has reported strong growth in M&A-related earnings thanks to a jump in transactions in Japan. The Tokyo-based brokerage is considering raising its revenue target for its mergers advisory business for the year ending March 2031 to ¥100 billion (RM2.58 billion) from the current ¥70 billion, Ogino said. Daiwa remains on course to increase the number of its M&A bankers worldwide to 900 by March 2031, from about 640 currently, he said. It launched a four-member team focusing on cross-border transactions in April, and has recently added two more to the group.

(Dec 22): A suspected cyberattack disrupted services provided by French postal service La Poste on Monday, delaying package deliveries and online payment systems during the holiday season. La Poste did not immediately respond to a message from Bloomberg News seeking comment. In a November press release, La Poste said it was anticipating handling nearly 180 million parcels through November and December during the peak season for its deliveries. Hackers are known to have targeted mail services in the past. In 2023, a criminal group used ransomware to shut down computers operated by the UK’s Royal Mail, causing significant disruption to deliveries of international packages.

(Dec 22): Federal Reserve governor Stephen Miran said the US central bank risks sparking a recession unless it continues lowering interest rates next year. “If we don’t adjust policy down, then I think that we do run risks,” Miran said during an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday. Miran added he doesn’t foresee an economic downturn in the near term, though rising unemployment should push Fed officials to continue cutting rates. Miran, whose term at the Fed ends in January, has argued for larger cuts since he joined the Board of Governors in September. “You sort of get into territory where you can start micromanaging instead of big cuts,” the Fed governor said.

(Dec 22): Cocoa rebounded from the lowest in almost two weeks in New York, amid expectations of looming index-related buying and lingering uncertainty over supplies. Futures gained as much as 2.7%, after earlier on Monday touching the lowest since Dec 9. Peak Trading Research estimates it could lead to purchases of about 31,190 contracts. Cocoa futures are among the most oversold agricultural markets, according to Peak Trading Research founder Dave Whitcomb, making them vulnerable to a rebound. While cocoa prices have dropped from a record high set a year ago, they remain historically high — and chocolate isn’t expected to get much cheaper any time soon.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Magistrate's Court on Monday (Dec 22) acquitted and discharged rapper Wee Meng Chee, better known as Namewee, of the charge of administering drugs into his body. Magistrate S. Arunjothy ruled this after deputy public prosecutor Amritpreet Kaur Randhawa informed that the pathology results were negative and the prosecution had withdrawn the charge. "The court acquits and discharges the accused from the charge and the bail money (RM2,000) is returned," said Arunjothy. Earlier, lawyer Joshua Tay representing Namewee said that since the pathology report was negative, there was no prospect of prosecuting the accused and his client should be discharged and acquitted of the charge. However, the he still faces a charge of possessing drugs suspected to be ecstasy weighing approximately 5.12 grammes in a hotel room at Jalan Conlay here, at 4.30 pm, Oct 22.

KUALA LUMPUR: A monsoon surge is expected to occur from Dec 25 to 29, potentially bringing continuous rain to the eastern parts of Peninsular Malaysia. Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said analysis of the latest weather models also indicates strong winds and rough seas over the South China Sea. "The public is advised to refer to MetMalaysia's website at www.met.gov.my and social media platforms, and to download the myCuaca application for the latest and verified information," he said in a statement shared on MetMalaysia's Facebook page on Monday (Dec 22).