In the case of ECRL, it is where there’s rail, there’s Internet,” he said in his speech after witnessing the handover of the letter of appointment from Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) to Maxis Bhd as the preferred telecommunications provider for the ECRL alignment that stretches from Kota Baru to Port Klang. On the new train sets, Loke affirmed the government’s focus on ensuring that national infrastructure projects will continue to be rolled out in a sustainable manner. On the ECRL project, Loke said it has recorded 91.7% construction progress as of January, with the focus now shifting to operational preparations. The 665km ECRL project has allocated 11 six-car EMU train sets for passenger services and 12 E-Loco for cargo purposes. So far, two EMU train sets and two E-Loco have arrived in Malaysia at the end of last year and were officially launched yesterday.

(Feb 12): A US warship and a Navy supply vessel collided during refuelling Wednesday afternoon, the US Southern Command told Reuters in an emailed statement on Thursday. The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Truxtun and the Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Supply collided during a replenishment at sea, said the statement from the Southern Command, whose areas of responsibility include Central and South America and the Caribbean. "Two personnel reported minor injuries and are in stable condition," it said. The incident is currently under investigation and both ships have reported sailing safely, the statement added. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the collision took place near South America, saying the cause was not yet clear.

PETALING JAYA: The door remains open for women’s doubles shuttler Go Pei Kee to return to the national set-up. Chong Wei said he wants to give her some space, especially with Chinese New Year just days away. I hope that after Chinese New Year she will return and we can sit down and talk," said Chong Wei. Chong Wei also stressed that Pei Kee has no behavioural issues and is keen to see her back in the national team. Moreover, he is also open to pairing Pei Kee with a new partner if needed.

BERLIN (Feb 12): Hundreds of Lufthansa flights were cancelled on Thursday as pilots and flight attendants went on strike at Germany's largest airline, which has for years struggled to rein in costs at its core brand. The company said in a statement that close to 800 flights had been cancelled, disrupting the travel plans of about 100,000 passengers. German airport association ADV estimated that more than 460 flights will be cancelled, with almost 70,000 passengers affected. Departure boards for Frankfurt and Munich, Lufthansa's hubs in Germany, showed most flights were cancelled for the day, including to overseas destinations. "The simultaneous industrial action by pilots is a coincidence, but one that is welcome," said UFO union representative Harry Jaeger.

MOSCOW (Feb 12): Russia is preparing to send crude oil and fuel cargoes to Cuba in the near future, Izvestia newspaper said on Thursday, citing the Russian embassy in Cuba. Cuba is grappling with fuel shortages after the US moved to choke off its oil supplies. "Supply of crude and oil products is expected from Russia to Cuba in the near future as humanitarian aid," a Russian embassy diplomat told the newspaper. Izvestia said Russia last sent oil to Cuba in February 2025, delivering 100,000 metric tons. Russia also said on Wednesday it would suspend flights to Cuba once Russian tourists leave the island.

Harrison Ford seems to have retirement on his mind, identifying his acclaimed role on Shrinking as an adequate way to end to his storied career. The Oscar nominee, 83, said during an Apple TV press day on Feb 3 that, “if it was all over here, that would be sufficient,” per The Hollywood Reporter. The kind of work that we’re able to do is remarkable given the tools we have to work with and the notion that lies behind this series,” Ford said. “This has been a very different kind of job for me, and I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Ford noted. I look for that in my life and I’m happy to have found it here.” – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service

KUALA LUMPUR: Renowned high-performance transformation coach Syed Mohammad Murad Syed Naseem, better known as Murad "Baddestcoach” Zaidi, has been granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) over a charge linked to an alleged injury involving a former staff member last year. Shah Alam Magistrates’ Court Magistrate Ameera Mastura Khamis made the ruling after the 47-year-old complainant, M Vijendrakumaraan, informed the court that he no longer wished to pursue the case. The development was confirmed by counsel R Morhaneraj, representing the complainant, and Aizzat Mustafa, acting for the 39-year-old Murad Zaidi. Murad Zaidi had been charged under Section 324 of the Penal Code over an incident that allegedly occurred at Persiaran Seksyen U1, Shah Alam, at about 8am on June 15, 2025. Meanwhile, Murad Zaidi said in a statement that following the withdrawal of the case, he would initiate civil proceedings against the complainant, citing significant damage to his professional and business reputation.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 12): Wasco Greenergy Bhd’s (KL:GENERGY) reported a 13.3% higher net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (4QFY2025), as better profit margins and lower expenses helped to cushion lower revenue from its renewable energy and industrial energy and equipment segments. Net profit for 4QFY2025 rose to RM7.5 million from RM6.6 million a year earlier. Net profit was RM22.7 million, which was 33.8% lower versus RM34.3 million a year earlier. Looking forward, Wasco Greenergy said its order book is expected to support performance in the coming quarters. As at end-December 2025, its order book stood at RM241.3 million, comprising RM215.1 million from the renewable energy segment and RM26.2 million from the industrial energy and equipment segment.

(Feb 12): Thailand plans to seize US$420 million (RM1.6 billion) in assets linked to alleged cyber scam operators as authorities intensify a crackdown on a global online fraud network. The assets, including luxury condominiums, yachts and cars, were frozen by the Anti-Money Laundering Office in December after preliminary investigations found wrongdoing. The agency has now asked the public prosecutor to seek court approval to have them declared state assets, it said in a statement late Wednesday. A review of requests to revoke the temporary freeze found insufficient evidence to show the assets were unrelated to criminal activity, AMLO said. His government has “signed a blank check” to support efforts to dismantle scam operations, human-trafficking networks and drug rings, he said in November.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 12): Critical Holdings Bhd (KL:CHB) has secured a RM34.97 million contract to build a cleanroom production floor at a manufacturing plant in the Batu Kawan Industrial Zone, Penang, for an undisclosed US-based multinational corporation (MNC). The job is expected to be completed by June 30, the group said in a bourse filing on Thursday. It described the undisclosed MNC as a renowned US-based MNC that offers computer memory and computer data storage systems for industrial Internet of Things solutions. Critical Holdings is a Penang-based company that specialises in mechanical, electrical and process utilities (MEP) design and engineering services. Its shares ended two sen or 2.47% lower at 79 sen on Thursday, valuing the group at RM293.67 million.

SINGAPORE (Feb 12): Saudi Arabia's crude oil exports to China are set to touch a multi-year high in March after the kingdom cut its official selling prices to Asia for a fourth month and attracted more demand, several trade sources said. State oil company Saudi Aramco will ship at least 58 million barrels to China in March, or about 1.87 million barrels per day (bpd), a tally of allocations to Chinese refiners from trade sources showed. The allocation volume marks a jump from the previous two months, when it stayed under 50 million barrels, and is the highest since October 2022, Reuters records show. Companies that planned to increase Saudi crude liftings next month included PetroChina, Rongsheng Petrochemical and Sinochem, the tally showed. Hengli Petrochemical will lift zero volume for a third consecutive month, the sources said.

China is looking to narrow the technological gap with the US in advancing artificial intelligence-related sectors, though the lack of advanced chipmaking tools is hobbling China’s advances. China says it supports global cooperation on AI governance and has previously rejected Western accusations that its technology exports enable censorship. Illegal fishing is frequently linked to other transnational crimes including forced labour, trafficking and smuggling, Perry said. Perry noted that China's revised Fisheries Law is due to take effect from May. “They’re saying all the right things and we want to see if they’re going to follow through with those actions.”

UBS declined to say whether the two developments were connected, and sources close to the bank said there was no link. It has said around 3,000 Swiss jobs will be cut, most likely later this year. In India, where UBS already has several offices, the bank is opening an additional site in Hyderabad, where it plans to add 2,000 to 3,000 roles in the coming months. "We're looking forward to further expanding our tech capabilities, including AI, while enhancing our operations footprint in the location," said Matthias Schacke, who heads UBS' operations in India. "It is extremely important to us that as many jobs as possible remain in Switzerland," she said.

HONG KONG (Feb 12): The central bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) has joined Hong Kong's debt depository network as the Chinese offshore market seeks to boost its role as a leading offshore Renminbi business hub. CBUAE has plugged into Hong Kong's core central securities depository for debt securities, Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU), which allows investors in the Middle East market greater access to Chinese assets, Hong Kong's central bank said on Thursday. The connectivity provides "direct and cost-effective access" to Chinese mainland’s capital markets and financial assets, according to Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), leveraging Hong Kong’s established financial infrastructure. The UAE central bank's membership in the Hong Kong-based network supports "diversifying investment opportunities for market participants in the United Arab Emirates", CBUAE's governor Khaled Mohamed Balama said in a statement.

(Feb 12): Sanofi abruptly replaced chief executive officer Paul Hudson after a massive research spending boost failed to deliver rapid results, appointing Merck KGaA’s Belén Garijo to succeed him. “Investors remain frustrated with the repeated R&D (research and development) failures,” said Abhishek Raval, an analyst at AlphaValue. Garijo’s term at Merck was ending soon and the Spanish executive knows Sanofi well, having spent 15 years there. Her priority will be to strengthen the productivity, governance, and innovation capacity of R&D, it added. “If you’d have asked me back in 2020, will it take between five and seven years for Sanofi?