Gold rebounds from near one-week low; US inflation data in focus
(Feb 13): Gold rebounded on Friday, recovering from a nearly one-week low in the previous session, as investors await key US inflation figures for cues on the direction of interest rates following robust jobs data. Spot gold was up 1.2% at US$4,979.49 per ounce as of 0814 GMT, and has gained 0.4% so far this week. US gold futures for April delivery climbed 1% to US$4,998.30 per ounce. Gold dropped about 3% to a near one-week low on Thursday, breaking below the US$5,000-an-ounce key support line as selling pressure intensified after an equities rout. Asian shares retreated from record highs on Friday as worries about shrinking margins in the tech sector hit the likes of Apple.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 13, 2026 09:13 UTC
Cops probing murder of teenager in Lundu
KUCHING: A teenager is believed to have been murdered in an incident in a rented house in Lundu on Thursday (Feb 12) morning. Lundu OCPD Supt Sudirman Kram said police were informed of the incident at 7.12am by a medical officer at the Sarawak General Hospital. Preliminary investigations found that the victim and several colleagues are believed to have attended a social gathering and consumed alcohol. "The victim reportedly lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital by the suspect," he said. Supt Sudirman said police are tracking down a fourth suspect who is believed to have fled after sending the victim to hospital.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 08:30 UTC
Nova sees 15x3 favouring Europeans, Ee Wei stays ready
PETALING JAYA: National mixed doubles head coach Nova Widianto believes the proposed 15x3 scoring system could favour European players over their Asian counterparts. Nova believes his charges, including Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei and Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Hui, are also capable of adapting well. "For my players, I think Tang Jie and Ee Wei, as well as Pang Ron, will be fine with 15 points because their strength is in attack. If international tournaments do adopt the 15x3 format, Nova is already preparing to incorporate it into their daily training sessions. In line with her coach, Ee Wei is ready to accept any changes and will try to adapt if the 15-point system is introduced.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 08:16 UTC
Russia's Nornickel to shift part of nickel output to copper plant during repairs
MOSCOW (Feb 13): Russian metals producer Nornickel plans to start experimental nickel smelting at its copper plant this year to maintain output during a major furnace reconstruction scheduled for 2027, a company vice-president said. The innovative move will allow the company to keep up nickel production during the overhaul. To offset the outage, Nornickel plans to convert part of its copper plant to produce nickel matte instead of copper — an "unconventional solution", Leonov said. Nornickel said in 2024 that it intended to close its Arctic copper plant and move copper production to China by mid-2027. The company expects nickel output of between 193,000 metric tonnes and 203,000 tonnes in 2026, roughly in line with 2025.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 13, 2026 08:13 UTC
Five begin community service under new anti-littering law
JOHOR BARU: Five litterbugs have become among the first people in the country to carry out community service under the newly imposed anti-littering law. "Of the number, five were charged in court and began their community service today," he told a press conference after an inspection around the Stulang Laut area here on Friday (Feb 13). He added that of the 89 cases, 52 involved locals and 37 were foreigners, from Bangladesh, Indonesia and Singapore among other countries. Full enforcement of offences under Section 77A of the Act was implemented from 12.01am on Jan 1. Under the law, offenders may be fined up to RM2,000, and the court may also impose a community service order within a timeframe of up to six months, involving work not exceeding 12 hours in total.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 08:05 UTC
Azam probe should not derail MACC's work, says PM
SHAH ALAM: Any investigation of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki should not stop the graft buster's fight against corruption, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. When met after Friday prayers here, Anwar had been asked to comment on the decision by the Cabinet earlier in the day to form a special taskforce to probe Azam's alleged share ownership. ALSO READ: Special task force to probe Azam Baki, says Fahmi"We have discussed this matter and agreed that the probe must be transparent. "The investigation should not disturb the work and role of the MACC, especially when there are always efforts to derail it. ALSO READ: I’ve nothing to hide: Azam Baki says ready to face independent probe over share ownershipIn response, Azam said on Tuesday (Feb 10) that his acquisition of shares was conducted transparently and did not violate any laws.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 07:58 UTC
Sabah achieves medical milestone with first 'awake' brain aneurysm surgery
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has reached a significant medical milestone following the successful performance of an "awake" brain aneurysm clipping surgery, the first of its kind in Borneo. The historic procedure was carried out on Feb 6 through a collaboration between Hospital Queen Elizabeth II (HQE II) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). The highly specialised surgery was led by consultant neurosurgeon Dr Mohd Sofan Zenian, while neuroanaesthetic management was handled by Dr Yeap Boon Tat from UMS. Dr Sofan explained that the awake approach provides instant feedback during the placement of the surgical clip. Dr Yeap noted that the success of such surgery relies on meticulous anaesthetic planning to maintain patient comfort while preserving brain function.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 07:44 UTC
Prostitution ring busted in KL luxury bungalow raid, 40 arrested
KUALA LUMPUR: Forty foreign nationals, including the mastermind of a prostitution syndicate, were busted following a raid on a three-storey bungalow at a luxury residential area in Desa Pahlawan here. "Others detained were 11 Chinese men and 19 Chinese women, five Vietnamese women, two Myanmar women and two Japanese women," he said in a statement on Friday (Feb 13). Initial investigations revealed that the alleged mastermind and another Chinese man possessed valid employment passes, he said. "Six Chinese men, 19 Chinese women, two Japanese women and five Vietnamese women were found to be holding social visit passes. "The remaining foreign nationals did not have any valid travel documents or passes to remain in the country," he said.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 07:44 UTC
Prosecution withdraws appeal against Big Blue Taxi founder’s acquittal
KUALA LUMPUR: The prosecution has withdrawn its appeal against the acquittal of the late Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail, founder of Big Blue Taxi Premium Services, on charges of cheating a company director over a cleaning contract at the KLCC building seven years ago. Deputy Public Prosecutor Anis Wahidah Mohamad informed High Court judge Nurulhuda Nur'ain Mohamad Nor that the prosecution was withdrawing the appeal following Shamsubahrin's death at the age of 60 on Wednesday (Feb 11). "Since the respondent's death has been formally notified with a death certificate from Kuala Lumpur Hospital, the prosecution sees no point in proceeding with the appeal. Accordingly, the appeal is withdrawn," said Anis Wahidah. Judge Nurulhuda Nur'ain subsequently struck out the appeal.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 07:40 UTC
Higher quarterly net profit for Johor Plantations
PETALING JAYA: Johor Plantations Group Bhd has achieved a better quarter – its profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 came in at RM87.9mil, higher than the RM80.5mil posted in the same quarter a year ago. According to the group, its better earnings were supported by resilient processing volumes across crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel (PK), despite softer market pricing towards year-end. A higher OER translates to the extraction of more oil from each tonne of fresh fruit bunch (FFB) processed. The year 2025 was a year of disciplined execution translating into strong financial outcomes. He added the higher volumes of FFB processed across its mills reflect both operational strength and effective engagement with independent smallholders, including both Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certified suppliers.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 07:35 UTC
One Credit debuts smart fintech system
“Credit is the bedrock of any modern economy, and Malaysia thrives on credit,” Liew remarked in his address. As a tech-driven data hub, the platform uses predictive analytics and intelligent decision tools to support informed credit and risk decisions across commercial and personal contexts. “We’ve built a recommendation engine that suggests companies to you based on its nature of business, revenue, and geo-proximity to your business,” Liew explained. “If your debts or credit terms go south, you can contribute to our credit ecosystem, which will affect the credit scores of the individual or company that you submit,” he added. Built upon a three-tiered foundation of data, intelligence and technology, One Credit combines a wide range of business, credit and contextual data points, reducing reliance on fragmented sources while applying analytics to uncover patterns, risks and relationships.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 07:34 UTC
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Strong domestic demand boosts Malaysia’s GDP, narrows fiscal deficit to 3.7% — MOF
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 13): Strong domestic demand helped Malaysia outperform expectations, lifting fourth-quarter 2025 GDP to a three-year high of 6.3% and full-year growth to 5.2%, above the government’s forecast, said the Ministry of Finance (MOF). The MOF said this momentum pushed full-year 2025 GDP growth to 5.2%, up from the 5.1% achieved in 2024, putting it well ahead of the government’s official forecast range of 4% to 4.8%. The MOF said the economy is expected to remain on a steady trajectory in 2026, supported by resilient domestic demand, firm household consumption, and continued investment momentum. Higher tourism activity under Visit Malaysia 2026, alongside increases in the minimum wage and civil servant salaries, will further reinforce consumer spending. “At the same time, the Madani government will continue to uphold fiscal discipline to safeguard long-term sustainability while supporting growth momentum,” the ministry added.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 13, 2026 07:33 UTC
Stay safe this festive season by looking out for TB symptoms
PETALING JAYA: With ten new active tuberculosis (TB) clusters detected in seven states, health experts have warned those travelling to mask up. Those with possible symptoms should also seek medical treatment early. Watch out for the symptoms below.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 07:32 UTC
China's yuan set for longest weekly winning streak in 13 years
SHANGHAI (Feb 13): China's yuan dipped on Friday, but is set for a 12th week of gains in its longest winning streak in 13 years, as exporters rushed to bring home receipts from booming trade ahead of the Lunar New Year. Some analysts also see the rising yuan and China's buoyant stock market feeding each other, but say the central bank has enough tools up its sleeves to forestall the currency appreciating too quickly. For the week, the yuan has gained roughly 0.4% in its best weekly performance this year. Trading typically thins ahead of the Spring Festival holiday, but the stock market has held at a relatively high level "without pulling back", the brokerage said in a report. "The recent strength in yuan's exchange rate is contributing to the stock market resilience."
Source:The Edge Markets
February 13, 2026 07:23 UTC
MACC stands firm against Bloomberg report
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has rejected allegations of a breach of government regulations within the Commission, as reported by Bloomberg media. “All investigations undertaken by MACC are conducted strictly in accordance with the law, guided by evidence, and carried out independently, without fear or favour. As an enforcement agency, MACC’s functions and roles are governed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2009 and are subject to oversight by five independent bodies. Chairman of MACC’s advisory board, Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din, said any media reports on MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki’s personal shareholdings should be based on facts, not perceptions. “The board takes serious note of the Bloomberg report involving Azam and its implications for the integrity and credibility of the institution as a whole.
Source:The Star
February 13, 2026 07:10 UTC