KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick hopes that the concept of this year’s state-level Christmas celebrations will be kept and continued in 2026. “I will suggest to the Chief Minister and state Cabinet to continue this concept next year,” he said, adding that past celebrations were organised by the Council of Churches with the cooperation of the city hall. This Christmas carnival was closed by Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam, representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. Ewon, the organising chairman, hopes such programmes would continue to act as unifying agents in this multi-cultural and multi-religious nation. Ewon said with Hajiji’s leadership, the state government will continue to grow towards a more peaceful, united, prosperous and developed future.

WITH seven trading days left till the end of 2025, the FBM KLCI has clocked in a marginal gain of 1.4%. This would undoubtedly be considered as a disappointing year for many investors who had high hopes of further gains following the 12.9% on-year returns witnessed in 2024 for the 30-stock benchmark index. Bullish analysts were predicting the benchmark to close above the 1,750 mark in 2025 at the start of the year, but unfortunately this was not to be. (The FBM KLCI closed at 1,665.90 on Friday.)

KUALA LUMPUR: Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's legal team is steadfast in its stance that the prosecution’s appeal against the Muar MP's acquittal is without merit. The letter, dated Dec 18, came as a response to an instruction by Court of Appeal president Justice Abu Bakar Jais. In the previous proceedings on Dec 12, the Federal Court "paused" the proceedings and told the parties to reassess their positions in the case. Federal Court judges Justices Che Mohd Ruzima Razali and Collin Lawrence Sequerah also sat on the bench. The following day, the Attorney General's Chambers filed an appeal to the Federal Court.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) has issued a statement asserting that all matters raised by Datuk Seri Najib Razak's defence team in a recent press conference concerning the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case had been fully presented and adjudicated during the trial. In a statement on Friday (Dec 19), the AGC clarified that these issues were raised throughout the trial proceedings, which spanned from Aug 28, 2019, to Nov 4, 2025. It reiterated the department's commitment to conducting prosecutions with independence, fairness, and integrity, adding that all its decisions are based solely on the law and available evidence to ensure justice and uphold the public interest. The statement served as a direct response to a press conference held on Thursday (Dec 18) by Najib's lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, during which he raised several issues pertaining to the case. The verdict on the 1MDB case will be delivered by Judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah on Dec 26, 2025.

SoftBank has multiple sources of capital it could tap, including margin loans, cash on its balance sheet, stakes in listed companies, and corporate bonds or bridge loans, sources said. SoftBank secured a deal to invest in OpenAI at a US$300 billion valuation in April. A major pool of capital for SoftBank is its undrawn capacity of margin loans borrowed against its ownership of British semiconductor and software design company Arm Holdings. SoftBank recently expanded its margin loan capacity by US$6.5 billion, bringing the total undrawn capacity to US$11.5 billion. SoftBank promised in April to invest up to US$30 billion in OpenAI — US$10 billion of which the start-up would receive the same month.

In a fine example of this, a viral video has surfaced showing a policeman in Telipok, Sabah, seemingly ripping a car door apart to apprehend two criminals. He said the suspects attempted to flee but the car skidded off the road and both men were arrested. In the video, a police vehicle can be seen pursuing the suspects in a black car. Two policemen get out of their car and run toward the suspects' vehicle. He repeatedly pulls at the door, bending the window frame pillar and folding the door almost in half.

But those robots will be long gone and mostly conveniently forgotten.”His blog post kicked off a furore in the small world of robotics. The humanoid arms raceThe physical appearance of a robot, Brooks likes to say, makes a promise about what it can do. Still, even by the turn of the century, humanoid robots were unready for commercialisation. It developed two robots, Baxter and Sawyer, designed to do industrial work but safe enough for humans to work alongside. Humans don’t have a language for gathering, storing and communicating data about touch, the way we do for language and imagery.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 20): The Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) has appointed Abu Bakar Yusof as its chief executive officer effective Saturday. “I pledge to ensure that Matrade continues to be the driving force behind trade and export growth. Abu Bakar succeeds Datuk Seri Mohd Mustafa Abdul Aziz, who is retiring after 35 years in service, of which 32 years were with Matrade. Abu Bakar has over 30 years of experience in international trade and export promotion. This gave him vast experience and expertise in developing Malaysian exporters’ capacity as well as formulating export promotion strategies.

(Dec 20): US consumer sentiment rose in December by less than expected, remaining depressed amid lingering affordability concerns. The high cost of living and angst about the job market are keeping consumer sentiment near record lows. Payroll growth remained sluggish in November and the jobless rate rose to a four-year high of 4.6%. To help guard against a deterioration in the job market, Federal Reserve officials earlier this month lowered interest rates for a third straight meeting. However, policymakers are divided about the rate outlook for next year as they look to balance support for the job market with concerns about inflation.

(Dec 19): Union Pacific Corp’s takeover of Norfolk Southern Corp will create a stronger competitor to long-haul trucking and take about two million truckloads off US roads each year, the companies said as they pursue regulatory approval for the combination. Creating a continuous, coast-to-coast railroad will also reduce the need to transfer cargo between the companies by truck at interchanges. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern are pitching the US$72 billion (RM294.09 billion) cash-and-stock transaction that would significantly consolidate the US freight rail industry as a means to spawn a stronger competitor to trucking. The companies argue shifting cargo to rail from trucks will reduce pollution and the burden on taxpayer-funded roads. Long-haul trucking “dominates” the market, the companies said, citing US government data showing the rail industry saw a nearly 10% decline in market share between 2014 and 2023.

A weekly round-up of tanker and dry bulk market (Dec 19, 2025)This report is produced by the Baltic Exchange. In the Atlantic, rates dropped with gusto from the US Gulf, an ultramax fixing in the mid-twenties for a trans-Atlantic run. The TC14 38kt US Gulf/UK-Continent voyage is currently at WS167.5 with the Baltic round trip TCE for the run at US$23,400/day. On the BLPG1 Ras Tanura–Chiba route, rates edged higher by US$1.50 to US$80.08 per tonne. Disclaimer:While reasonable care has been taken by the Baltic Exchange Information Services Limited (BEISL) and The Baltic Exchange (Asia) Pte.

CYBERJAYA (Dec 19): The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) has processed RM17 billion in tax refunds covering 3.53 million cases between Jan 1 and Dec 18, 2025. In a statement Friday, the IRB said the refunds included an additional RM2 billion allocation recently announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. “RM2 billion has been processed and credited between Dec 9 and Dec 18, 2025, covering 7,819 cases. On Dec 7, 2025, Anwar said the government had increased the tax refund allocation from RM2 billion to RM4 billion to accelerate outstanding payments to taxpayers. The IRB confirmed it will continue to ensure refunds are disbursed systematically and progressively, prioritising the largest amounts and outstanding refunds involving SMEs.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 19): Financial services and IT company Pacific & Orient Bhd (KL:P&O) said its US-based subsidiary has secured a US$67 million (RM273.16 million) construction loan to finance the group’s property development project in Miami, Florida. The loan exceeds P&O’s market capitalisation of RM170.29 million, based on its last closing price of 57.5 sen. According to bourse filings, the property is owned by Pacific & Orient Properties LLC (POPLLC), a Delaware-incorporated subsidiary of Pacific & Orient. POPLLC also granted a mortgage lien over the property and pledged 100% of its membership interest to the financier. Pacific & Orient said the loan will not affect its issued and paid-up capital or the shareholdings of substantial shareholders.

KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 19): Australia looks forward to working closely with Malaysia in 2026 to foster stability and promote shared regional prosperity, said Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia, Danielle Heinecke. She emphasised that as close friends and partners, Australia and Malaysia share a vision for a stable, prosperous and sustainable region. Malaysia hosts one of Australia’s largest overseas alumni communities and remains one of Australia’s most significant partners in Southeast Asia. Heinecke also reflected on how the relationship continues to deepen across key sectors such as education, defence, trade and investment, climate, technology and innovation, and people-to-people links. Australia and Malaysia also co-chaired the Asean Maritime Cybersecurity Conference with the Defence Ministry.

JAKARTA (Dec 19): SumiSaujana Group Bhd (KL:SUMI) plans to expand its footprint into Indonesia after wholly owned subsidiary SumiSaujana TCM Chemicals Sdn Bhd (SSTCM) entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly explore the development of a wet gas sulphuric acid (WSA) facility at PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional’s (KPI) refinery units in Indonesia. The proposed facility will convert acid gas produced during refinery operations into commercial-grade sulphuric acid, while recovering heat to be reused, helping reduce emissions and comply with environmental regulations. “Indonesia is a net importer of sulphuric acid. “So this refinery plant is expected to produce sulphuric acid from WSA which will help reduce the country’s reliance on imported sulphuric acid,” he said. Besides, SumiSaujana executive director and chief operating officer Ramli Mohamad said the collaboration represents the first Malaysian-led green technology initiative in the country.