QuickCheck: Does 'ayam gepuk' style fried cabbage cause cancer?
But a viral TikTok video has claimed that eating this darkly fried cabbage can cause cancer, specifically ovarian and kidney cancer. But is it true that eating blackened fried cabbage can really cause cancer? Verdict:FALSEEating fried cabbage that has been cooked until blackened does not directly cause cancer, according to the Health Ministry and toxicology experts, though frequent and excessive consumption may increase cancer risk. The post, which received more than 15,000 likes and 6,000 shares, claimed that fried cabbage can cause ovarian and kidney cancer. Enjoy your ayam gepuk with fried cabbage occasionally, but don't make it a daily staple.
Source:The Star
March 02, 2026 10:49 UTC
EXSIM Hospitality secures RM55m water park contract
KUALA LUMPUR (March 2): EXSIM Hospitality Bhd (KL:EXSIMHB) has clinched a RM54.5 million turnkey contract for water park development works. According to its bourse filing on Monday, the contract was awarded to its unit EXSIM Concepto Sdn Bhd by Aqua Empire Sdn Bhd. The scope covers design, supply, construction and commissioning, as well as maintenance and guarantee of the project. The one-year contract also carries a 12‑month defect liability period. EXSIM Hospitality said the contract is expected to contribute positively to its net assets per share, earnings and gearing throughout the contract period.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 10:31 UTC
Bursa Malaysia ends morning session lower due to Middle East conflict
KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia ended the morning trading session in the red, in tandem with regional markets, as risk appetite for equities was dampened by the ongoing Middle East conflict. At 12.30 pm, the FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) declined 17.59 points or 1.02 per cent to 1,699.02, from Friday’s close of 1,716.61. The benchmark index opened 27.97 points lower at 1,688.64 and fluctuated between 1,684.28 and 1,703.90 during the session. Mirroring Wall Street’s Friday selloff, the FBM KLCI faced a rocky start to March amid rising Middle East conflicts, said Hong Leong Investment Bank in a note today. "Investors also weighed February results and tariff uncertainty following the United States Supreme Court’s International Emergency Economic Powers Act ruling.
Source:The Star
March 02, 2026 10:08 UTC
Take PM's use of 'howling' in the right context, PKR youth chief tells critics
PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's use of the term "melalak" (howling) must be taken in context and not manipulated for narrow political purposes, said Angkatan Muda Keadilan. The PKR youth wing's chief Muhammad Kamil Abdul Munim said AMK took a serious view of attempts to exaggerate Anwar's use of the term in a social media post concerning an alleged desecration of the Quran. "The term must be understood in its proper context and not taken in isolation to create a misleading perception. He urged all parties to stop manipulating the issue for political gain and allow the authorities to complete investigations without pressure or interference. "As a multiracial nation, stability and national harmony must not be sacrificed for cheap rhetoric that inflames religious or racial sentiments.
Source:The Star
March 02, 2026 09:55 UTC
China boy defends aunt who faces pressure to marry, says she ‘only wants a man with eight-pack abs’
BEIJING: A woman in southern China who was being pressured by her family to marry has been defended by her nephew, leaving relatives speechless. The clip showed a family gathering during Chinese New Year, where she was introduced to a man in his 30s and urged to marry. “Whether to marry or not is my aunt’s choice, and she only wants a man with eight-pack abs,” the boy declared. During Chinese New Year, many young people face pressure from family to marry, with some even renting partners. One online observer said: “During this holiday, I noticed many men do not want to marry.
Source:The Star
March 02, 2026 09:52 UTC
MyTax portal experiences technical disruption
PUTRAJAYA (March 2): The MyTax portal is currently experiencing a technical disruption, making it temporarily inaccessible to taxpayers. The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) said it is taking immediate steps to restore services so that operations can resume as normal. “We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused,” it said in a Facebook post on Monday. The MyTax portal is an official digital platform developed by the IRB to facilitate tax affairs for Malaysians. This portal brings together various online tax services under a single portal to improve access, transparency, and efficiency of the country's tax system.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 09:21 UTC
China's annual parliament meet to unveil roadmap for tech race with the West
Last year, AI models received a mention for the first time while embodied intelligence — the technology that powers humanoid robots — was also highlighted. That strategy, however, is also expected to reshape China's industrial structure. Supply chains and leverageAnalysts say the five-year plan will also be scrutinised for how Beijing intends to protect the industrial foundations beneath its technology push, as supply chains themselves become instruments of geopolitical pressure. Over the past year, China has expanded its use of export controls into rare earths and low-end semiconductors, disrupting global supply chains and underscoring Beijing's economic leverage. Other supply chains crucial to the global economy are vulnerable to China dependencies, according to Doug Friedman, CEO of US biomanufacturing institute BioMADE.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 09:16 UTC
Japan faces risks from Iran conflict that complicates BOJ rate path
"Even if market volatility is high or when there's uncertainty, we need to decide what's necessary," Himino told a news briefing, playing down the view market turbulence alone would be enough reason to delay a rate hike. Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities estimates a 10% increase in oil prices to shave around 0.1% point off Japan's real gross domestic product (GDP). "The BOJ is likely to adopt a more cautious stance, further reducing the probability of a near-term rate hike," he said. That, in turn, could push household and corporate inflation expectations above 2%," said Ryutaro Kono, chief Japan economist at BNP Paribas. "Given such economic and price backdrop, I don't think the BOJ will choose to put off a rate hike easily," he said.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 09:06 UTC
Rupee falls to one-month low, equities slump as Iran war jolts markets
The rupee fell 0.3% to 91.2350, its weakest level since early February, while benchmark stock indexes Nifty 50 and BSE Sensex were down about 1% each. Asian equities and currencies fell in response as investors dashed towards safe havens, looking to assess how a rise in oil prices could impact economies in the region. Brent crude oil futures were last up nearly 6% on the day, after touching a peak of US$82 per barrel in earlier trade. "Higher oil prices present a compounded risk on top of the weak capital flows which have already been weighing on the rupee," said Dhiraj Nim, an economist and FX strategist at ANZ. "If oil prices remain elevated for a while, they could raise troubles for Indian government bonds as well which have already been struggling with concerns over elevated fiscal supply," ANZ's Nim said.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 08:56 UTC
Swiss National Bank reports annual profit of US$34 bil
ZURICH (March 2): The Swiss National Bank (SNB) reported an annual profit of 26.1 billion Swiss francs (US$34 billion, or RM133.53 billion) for 2025, the central bank said on Monday, confirming its earlier provisional figures. The SNB said in January that it expected to make a profit of around 26 billion francs last year, a figure that was boosted by a sharp increase in gold prices as investors sought safe-haven assets amid global trade turmoil triggered by US President Donald Trump's tariffs. The SNB made a valuation gain of 36.3 billion francs on the 1,030 metric tonnes of gold it holds, it said on Monday, as the precious metal increased by nearly 46% in value during the year. This meant the SNB's total annual profit declined to 26.1 billion francs, from 80.7 billion in 2024. The profit meant the SNB will be able to pay a dividend of 15 francs per share, the legal maximum, to its shareholders, as well as four billion francs to the Swiss central and regional governments.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 08:11 UTC
National semicon strategy draws RM59.8m investments from January 2024 to September 2025, Senate told
KUALA LUMPUR (March 2): The implementation of Malaysia’s National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) has recorded an inflow of investment for the sector worth RM59.85 billion for the period from January 2024 to September 2025. Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Sim Tze Tzin said the amount comprised foreign direct investment of RM56.8 billion and domestic direct investment of RM3.05 billion. He added that NSS has a strategic focus on shifting Malaysia’s position from back-end activities to high-value front-end activities such as integrated circuit design and wafer manufacturing. “In line with this aspiration, the development of NSSV has been integrated into the NSS as a new growth engine in Phase 1. He said the government had allocated nearly RM2 billion for activities related to semiconductor development under the 2026 budget to support the comprehensive implementation of the NSS.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 08:05 UTC
DNeX, Mara ink MOU to explore AI-driven digital initiatives
KUALA LUMPUR (March 2): Dagang NeXchange Bhd (KL:DNEX) announced that it has entered a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) for a three-year collaboration to explore artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital transformation initiatives. DNeX and Mara will also explore building a digital platform powered by AI for the government agency to boost its data management and system connectivity, according to the proposed collaboration. These initiatives would provide Mara with upgrades to its digital infrastructure in order to build a more digitally skilled talent pool and support its start-ups, according to a separate statement. She added that the collaboration would provide DNeX with exposure to new market segments through joint programmes involving start-ups and small businesses. DNeX named the initiatives as: Google AI Program for Start-Ups, Google Trailblazer Program, and the Modern and Integrated Platform.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 07:51 UTC
Study on proposed amendments to Federal Capital Act will not touch powers of the Agong, Rulers — Hannah Yeoh
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said historical considerations would be respected throughout the study process. “We will wait for the results of the study first, and I will ensure it is brought to the Cabinet for discussion. We will not touch on the powers of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or those of the Rulers. “I assure you there is no cause for concern because whatever is created in the administration of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will be based on the law, not only the existing Federal Capital Act. “This study was given to IIUM before I entered the ministry, before I was appointed as the federal territories minister.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 07:41 UTC
Bonds rally in rush from risk over Middle East war
SINGAPORE: Investor fears of a drawn-out Middle East conflict triggered a rush into U.S. Treasuries on Monday, in a broad risk-off move that pushed yields to multi-month lows. The benchmark 10-year yield fell to an 11-month low of 3.9260% early in the Asian session, while the two-year yield slipped to 3.3650% - its lowest since August 2022, before recovering slightly. Bond yields move inversely to prices. Israel launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran on Sunday, and Iran retaliated with more missile barrages, a day after the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei pitched the Middle East and the global economy into deepening uncertainty. "While yields are falling on risk-off sentiment this morning, all of the above is inflationary, just as it was when Russia invaded Ukraine," said analysts at Rabobank in a note.
Source:The Star
March 02, 2026 07:40 UTC
US tariffs have minimal impact on Malaysia's palm oil exports — minister
KUALA LUMPUR (March 2): The latest tariffs imposed by the United States have only a minimal impact on Malaysia’s palm oil exports, according to Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad. She said the US is not a major market for Malaysian palm oil, with exports to the country accounting for only 1.1%, unlike key markets such as India, Kenya and China. The senator wanted to know about the direct impact of the latest tariffs announced by the US on Malaysian rubber and palm oil. Noraini said there is stable demand from industries in the US, particularly in the bakery and cosmetics sectors requiring palm oil, which is difficult to be substituted with other vegetable oils. As such, she said the tariff decision has had a relatively minimal effect on the country’s palm oil export performance.
Source:The Edge Markets
March 02, 2026 07:36 UTC