Corporate News

COP30: TNB a critical enabler to advance regional energy cooperation via Asean power grid

KUALA LUMPUR: As one of the key utilities within the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) initiative, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) will remain as a critical enabler of ASEAN's shared energy transition, positioning cross-border interconnection as a vital driver of regional energy integration.

World

US pledges $2 billion in humanitarian support to UN, State Department says

GENEVA, ‌Dec 29 (Reuters) - The United States has made a $2 ‌billion pledge for U.N. humanitarian aid, a U.S. ‌State Department official said on Monday, following major foreign aid cuts by the Trump administration in 2025.

World

Families demand answers a year after South Korea's Jeju Air crash

MUAN, South Korea, Dec 29 (Reuters) - A year ‌after the worst air disaster on South Korean soil, families of the 179 people who died gathered around ‌the battered concrete embankment where Jeju Air Flight 2216 crashed, demanding answers and a thorough investigation.

Nation

Man attacks ex-wife, daughter after fight over alimony

GOMBAK: A man allegedly attacked his ex-wife and daughter after a fight over alimony money.

Vietnam

In Vietnam's Van Lam Village, there's a story behind every stitch

HANOI: Just beyond the hum of tour boats and souvenir stalls in Tam Coc–Bich Dong, Van Lam embroidery village unfolds at a different pace. For more than seven centuries, needles have moved steadily here, stitching stories of labour, belief and quiet endurance into cloth.

World

Three Turkish police, six Islamic State militants killed in clash, amid national crackdown

YALOVA, Turkey, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Three ‌Turkish police officers and six Islamic State militants were killed in a gunfight in northwest Turkey on Monday, ‌the Interior Minister said, a week after more than 100 suspected IS members were detained for planning ‌Christmas and New Year attacks.

Forex

Ringgit ends slightly lower vs greenback on Fed rate outlook caution

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit ended marginally lower against the US dollar and other major currencies on Monday as traders and investors remained cautious ahead of the United States Federal Reserve (US Fed) interest rate outlook for next year.

Corporate News

Powerwell to expand into East Malaysia via strategic M&A

KUALA LUMPUR: Powerwell Holdings Bhd is set to expand into East Malaysia via the proposed acquisition of 49% stakes in Tenaga Kenari Sdn Bhd and Tenaga Kenari Marketing Sdn Bhd, for a combined purchase consideration of RM16.7mil.

Nation

Floods: Pahang hit again, Johor see rise in evacuees

KUALA LUMPUR: Floods hit Pahang again on Monday (Dec 29) following continuous heavy rain in Rompin while the number of flood victims in Segamat, Johor rose as of 4pm Monday.

Philippines

Missing Filipina bride-to-be found; fiance now a person of interest in her disappearance

MANILA: Missing bride-to-be Sherra de Juan was found in Pangasinan province, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said on Monday afternoon (Dec 29).

World

Kremlin says Ukraine should withdraw troops from Donbas, and a Putin-Trump call expected soon

MOSCOW, Dec 29 (Reuters) - The ‌Kremlin said on Monday that Ukraine should withdraw its troops ‌from the part of Donbas that it still controls if ‌it wanted peace, and that if Kyiv did not strike a deal then it would lose yet more territory.

Markets

Bursa Malaysia's key index ends higher near 16-month peak

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia's key index recovered from intraday losses to close 0.23 per cent higher on Monday, edging closer to a 16-month peak amid steady institutional demand.

Corporate News

Velesto unit disposes of entire stake in Velesto Workover for RM16.5mil

KUALA LUMPUR: Velesto Energy Bhd said its wholly-owned subsidiary Velesto Malaysian Ventures Sdn Bhd has entered into a Share Sale Agreement (SSA) with Enviros Survey & Consultancy Sdn Bhd to dispose of its entire equity interest in Velesto Workover Sdn Bhd (VWSB) for RM16.5mil cash.

Corporate News

Kim Loong anticipates satisfactory FY26 performance

KUALA LUMPUR: Kim Loong Resources Bhd is expecting a satisfactory performance as it enters the final quarter of its financial year.

Nation

MyCC issues proposed decision against 31 childcare operators over alleged price fixing

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) has issued a proposed decision against 31 childcare service enterprises in Kelantan for alleged price fixing.

Nation

Police record 18 witness statements over Nilai explosion

SEREMBAN: Police have recorded statements from 18 witnesses in connection with an explosion involving a homemade or improvised explosive device (IED) at Desa Palma, Nilai, on Dec 22.

Thailand

Top diplomats of China, Cambodia and Thailand meet as Beijing seeks stronger role in dispute

HONG KONG: Foreign ministers from Cambodia and Thailand convened with their Chinese counterpart on Monday (Dec 29) as the Beijing government, building on its expanding presence in global diplomacy, sought to play a stronger mediating role in the violent border dispute between the two South-East Asian countries.

Technology

Russian billionaire Potanin acquires minority stake in cloud provider Selectel

MOSCOW, Dec 29 (Reuters) - A ‌joint venture controlled by Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin has ‌acquired a 25% stake in IT infrastructure provider Selectel, ‌one of the venture's partners said on Monday, as Moscow seeks to boost development of home-grown artificial intelligence models.

Myanmar

Myanmar pro-military party claims huge win in first phase of junta-run poll

YANGON: Myanmar's dominant pro-military party claimed an overwhelming victory in the first phase of the country's junta-run elections, a senior party official told AFP, after democracy watchdogs warned the poll would entrench military rule.

Family

Childhood loneliness may increase dementia risk later in life

A team of doctors based in Australia, China and the United States has found evidence that the effects of early-life loneliness are not limited to childhood, with the worst impact possibly occurring long after the parents have died.