The result — not exactly calming but not overly concerning — comes after investors have been unnerved by setbacks for Southeast Asia's biggest economy, putting the bond market and rupiah under the microscope. On Thursday, the currency softened 0.3% to 16,933 as the US dollar firmed ahead of a Bank Indonesia policy decision later in the day. Foreign sentiment for bonds seen stableIndonesia raised a higher-than-targeted 40 trillion rupiah (US$2.4 billion) from its regular bond auction on Wednesday in its first bond offering since Moody's downgrade. "Foreign sentiment for rupiah bonds has remained largely stable," said Winson Phoon, the regional head of fixed income research at Maybank. "No sign of a drastic change in foreign positioning although foreign holdings have dipped slightly over the past one week."

Gates, facing questions over his ties to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, withdrew just hours before his speech to "ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit's key priorities", the Gates Foundation said. The AI Impact Summit is the fourth annual international gathering focused on the rapidly advancing field, following previous summits in Paris, Seoul and Britain's wartime code-breaking hub Bletchley. Another Gates Foundation official will take the place of Gates, who said this month he regrets "every minute" he spent with Epstein. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is in town to attend the AI summit and hold talks with Modi, including on rare earths. Some say the broad focus of the event and vague promises made at previous global AI summits mean that concrete commitments are unlikely.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian-born actress Michelle Yeoh, who has made a name for herself in Hollywood, continues to bring pride to the nation. Yeoh's name was immortalised on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on Wednesday (Feb 18), in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the international film industry. The 64-year-old actress graced the red carpet in an elegant yellow gown with minimal accessories, radiating sophistication throughout the prestigious event organised by the Hollywood film community. In an Instagram post, Yeoh reflected on her journey from Malaysia to Hollywood, acknowledging that it was far from easy and full of challenges before reaching her current status. "The star may carry one name, but it represents so many people who made this journey possible.

KUANTAN: Three Vietnamese nationals, including two siblings, have been fined a total of RM128.9mil million and given jail terms ranging from 15 months to 12 years for illegal possession of wildlife parts. Sessions judge Maimoonah Aid handed down the sentences on Bui Thi Ngan, 56, her brother Bui Van Noi, 48, and a male friend, Bui Van Anh, 38, after finding the trio guilty of the offences on Thursday (Feb 19). She also ordered that they serve the prison sentences concurrently from the date of their arrest. The accused will also serve an additional eight years and six months’ jail if they fail to pay the fines. They were jointly charged with committing the offences at a residential premises in Jalan Sungai Lembing, Kampung Sungai Charu, Panching here at 7pm on Nov 15, 2023.

In Johor Baru, that alignment is now taking shape at the RM5bil integrated Coronation Square, spanning 9.6 acres, where urban redevelopment meets the RTS. For decades, Johor Baru has lived in the long shadow of its neighbour across the Causeway. Coronation Square’s direct integration with it, offers a chance to rewrite that narrative, and give Johor Baru better optics. When Johor Baru is connected by fast, reliable rail, movement becomes predictable and almost everything evolves. The shopping mall at Coronation Square should not be another retail outlet but as social infrastructure.

Compiled by DIVYA THERESA RAVI and TAN SIN CHOWWHAT began as a simple fishing hobby at the age 25, has grown into an international business crafting handmade wooden fishing lures, Sinar Harian reported. Mohd Abdullah Said, 46, also known as Pak Tam, has expanded his Kuantan business into Indone-sian, Brunei and Singaporean markets. “At first I followed my friends and saw how Thais made wooden bait and attempted to make it too. “Among the designs produced include lizards and frogs that are adapted to local fishing techniques,” he explained, adding that prices range from RM15 to RM40. > For nearly two decades, Norida Akmal Ayob has not been able to spend Ramadan in Malaysia, but this year, she’s coming home, Kosmo!

SIBU: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) handled more than 8,000 tourist arrivals within two hours on the first day of Chinese New Year (CNY), said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing. Speaking to reporters at his CNY open house at Pulau Li Hua Commercial Centre on Thursday (Feb 19), Tiong said KLIA recorded about 6,500 arrivals at Terminal 1 and 1,500 at Terminal 2 during that period. The surge in arrivals underscores the growing momentum of the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, which is being actively promoted. On tourism development in Sarawak, he said the ministry plans to deepen collaboration with the state government and Tourism Sarawak. Tourism Malaysia has also been instructed to take a more aggressive approach in promoting travel across all states nationwide," he said.

PETALING JAYA: Twelve police personnel, four of them from Bukit Aman headquarters, have been arrested for allegedly stealing about RM200,000 in cryptocurrency. It is learnt that the suspects, including one Inspector and six koperal, are aged between 24 and 47. The raid was reportedly on a suspected scam operation, but the complainants claimed they were not involved in such activities. Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Shazeli Kahar confirmed the matter when contacted on Thursday (Feb 19). The case is being investigated under Section 395 of the Penal Code," he said.

NEW DELHI: An Indian professor has sparked ridicule after falsely suggesting a Chinese-made robot dog displayed at a major AI summit in New Delhi was developed by her university. The silver mechanical dog – a model sold by Chinese startup Unitree – appeared at a booth run by the private Galgotias University at this week's AI Impact Summit. "This has been developed by the centres of excellence at the Galgotias University," Singh said, touting the institution's investments in artificial intelligence technology. Under fire for her comments, Singh told reporters on Wednesday that "things may not have been expressed clearly". In the ongoing AI summit, Chinese robots are being displayed as our own," the party wrote in a post on X.

TOKYO (Feb 19): Oil prices rose on Thursday as the US and Iran attempted to ease a standoff in talks over Tehran's nuclear programme while both sides heightened military activity in the key oil-producing region. "Oil prices are rallying as the market becomes increasingly concerned over the potential for imminent US action against Iran," said ING analysts in a Thursday note. "For oil markets, the concern is clearly what action would mean not only for Iranian oil supply, but also broader Persian Gulf oil flows, given the risk of disruption to shipments through the Strait of Hormuz." About 20% of the world's oil supply passes through the waterway. "US President Donald Trump does not want a sharp rise in crude prices, and even if military action occurs, it would likely be limited to short-term air strikes," Kikukawa added.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 19): Government-backed impact investment firm VentureTECH Sdn Bhd has invested RM28 million in Delta Spike Asia Sdn Bhd and IX Telecom Sdn Bhd, reinforcing Malaysia’s cybersecurity and cross-border digital infrastructure capability. In a statement, it said the investment in Delta Spike will support the continued development of Delta Spike’s cybersecurity platform, strengthen operational capacity, and support regional expansion, reinforcing Malaysia’s cybersecurity ecosystem amid increasingly complex digital threats. As for the investment in IX Telecom, it said this will support IX Telecom’s regional scaling and platform commercialisation, strengthening Malaysia’s position as a regional digital connectivity hub while enabling enterprises to access seamless cross-border connectivity. “Both Delta Spike and IX Telecom operate in sectors that are critical to national resilience — from strengthening cybersecurity readiness to enabling seamless digital connectivity across borders. “By supporting bumiputera-owned companies with clear commercial pathways and scalable capabilities, VentureTECH plays a catalytic role in strengthening Malaysia’s long-term capacity, while positioning local companies to compete regionally and globally,” he said.

A separate statement from the local search and rescue agency said one worker died in the incident. Indonesia accounts for more than half of the world’s output of nickel, but its smelting sector has been plagued by industrial accidents. A fatal landslide last year disrupted output from QMB, which operates a high-pressure acid leach, or HPAL, plant in the park. Last year the Ministry of Environment launched an audit into IMIP, seeking large fines against smelting firms alleged to have broken environmental laws. Production by HPAL plants allows the extraction of a form of nickel used in electric vehicle batteries from low-grade ore.

The Main Market-listed electronic manufacturing services (EMS) provider posted a net profit of RM7.04 million for the second quarter ended Dec 31, 2025, reversing a net loss of RM48.84 million recorded in the same quarter last year. As part of this shift, the group is positioning itself to capitalise on Johor’s rapid emergence as a data centre hub. Tee noted that Johor’s rise as the nation’s primary data centre hub, alongside the momentum of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, provides significant strategic tailwinds. “Cape EMS is positioning itself as a critical infrastructure partner supporting energy resilience, smart mobility, and digital infrastructure operations within this high-growth corridor,” she added. Plans are also underway to establish a Data Centre Academy in Johor to address talent shortages in mission-critical facilities, supporting the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 goals.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 19): theedgemalaysia.com highlighted two stocks with positive momentum and three stocks with negative momentum at Bursa Malaysia's afternoon close on Thursday. The algorithm differentiates between stocks that exhibit positive (+ve) momentum and negative (-ve) momentum. It merely tells you which stocks are seeing higher-than-normal volume and price movements. But the “+ve” (suggesting a rising price trend on volume) and “-ve” (suggesting a falling price trend on volume) indicators should give readers a better idea of what the market is buying and when to sell. Note also that momentum generally only persists for a short period of time.

"And now it’s not.”Years of steadily climbing coffee prices have some in this country of coffee lovers upending their habits by nixing café visits, switching to cheaper brews or foregoing it altogether. Coffee prices in the U.S. were up 18.3% in January from a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index released on Friday. Over five years, the government reported, coffee prices rose 47%. Two-thirds of Americans drink coffee daily, according to the National Coffee Association. Growing up, Donelson watched enviously as her mother made a daily coffee jaunt (also to McDonald’s, also 10 sugars and five creams), and she duplicated the habit.