<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p><span style="font-style: italics;">This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on June 14, 2018 - June 20, 2018</span></p></div><div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>KUALA LUMPUR: Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), the financier described as the mastermind behind the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, is in Dubai and has offered to meet the 1MDB task force in the Gulf city, a news portal reported yesterday.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>His lawyers are first expected to discuss with Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officials here on how Low can assist in the 1MDB probe, said The Malaysian Insight.</p></div><div class=inPageAd id=div-gpt-ad-inpage></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>A spokesman for the Penang-born billionaire issued a statement last week saying Low has instructed his lawyers to get in touch with the MACC, after the commission said it wants to question him about former 1MDB unit SRC International Sdn Bhd.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Low’s whereabouts have not been established. Nanyang Siang Pau reported last month that he could be hiding in Taiwan. Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had earlier said Putrajaya “roughly knows” where to find Low.</p></div>


KUALA LUMPUR: Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), the financier described as the mastermind behind the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, is in Dubai and has offered to meet the 1MDB task force in the Gulf city, a news portal reported yesterday.

His lawyers are first expected to discuss with...

‘Jho Low has offered to meet 1MDB investigators in Dubai’

China named a new political commissar for its large ground forces, an unexpected move that signals President Xi Jinping is tightening military discipline.

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China’s finance ministry reaffirmed it will increase public spending with a greater focus on boosting consumption to support the economy next year, ahead of growth headwinds from looming US tariffs.

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A US national security panel has deadlocked on its review of the sale of US Steel Corp to Japan's Nippon Steel Corp, a procedural development that opens the door for President Joe Biden to block the transaction.

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Japan is pushing through a new target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2035, even as the plan faces criticism as lacking in ambition.

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Defaulted Chinese developer Shimao Group Holdings Ltd has slashed the asking price for a Sheraton-branded hotel property near Hong Kong’s airport by a quarter, according to a person familiar with the matter.

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Permodalan Nasional Bhd’s (PNB) wholly owned unit trust management company, Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB), has announced a total income distribution of 5.75 sen per unit for Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2024 (FY2024).

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Taiwan’s lawmakers blocked all of President Lai Ching-te’s nominees for the Constitutional Court, widening the opposition’s efforts to derail his agenda.

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The Covid-19 and influenza situation in Malaysia remains under control, with no increase in cases requiring intensive care unit (ICU) treatment and no fatalities reported.

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Coastal Contracts Bhd’s (KL:COASTAL) maiden foray into the renewable energy (RE) sector is timely while providing long-term income visibility for the oil-and-gas services firm, said RHB Investment Bank (RHB IB).

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<p>Singapore forged ahead with efforts to formulate a digital-assets hub in 2024, while rival financial center Hong Kong has struggled to gain traction.</p>


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<p>Corporate services provider Amicorp Group has denied allegations it knowingly facilitated more than US$7 billion (RM31.43 billion) in fraudulent transactions related to the misappropriation of funds from scandal-hit Malaysian state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).</p>


Amicorp Group denies alleged fraud of over US$7b in 1MDB scandal

<p>The High Court has dismissed Muar Member of Parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman's leave (permission) application to commence legal action against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the government over RM730,300 in allocations for his constituency.</p>


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<p>Malaysia’s utilities stocks still have room to run as electricity demand surges from the proliferation of data centres and electric vehicles, Apex Securities said and told investors to "overweight" the sector.</p>


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<p>Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) shares touched a record high, as the world’s largest contract chipmaker is poised to cap its best annual stock performance in 25 years.</p>


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<p>Stocks in Asia traded in tight ranges amid relatively thin holiday trading after a rally in some of the world’s largest technology companies boosted US benchmarks.</p>


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<p>Rain and thunderstorms are expected to hit Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah, and Sarawak on Christmas morning.</p>


Rain, thunderstorms expected to hit four states on Christmas morning — MetMalaysia

<p>Permodalan Nasional Bhd’s (PNB) wholly owned unit trust management company, Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB), has announced a total income distribution of 5.75 sen per unit for Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2024 (FY2024).</p>


<p>China’s real estate woes look set to get worse before they get better, raising the prospect of a miserable year for property shares despite a recent bounce.</p>


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<p>A rally in some of the world’s largest technology companies spurred a rebound in stocks, following a brief slide fueled by weaker-than-expected data on US consumer confidence.</p>

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US stocks get boost from tech at start of Christmas week

<p>Honda Motor Co’s shares climbed over 17%, the most since August, after the carmaker said it would repurchase up to ¥1.1 trillion (US$7 billion or RM28.58 billion) in shares by next December, ahead of a deal that amounts to an acquisition of ailing peer Nissan Motor Co.</p>


Honda shares jump 17% as buyback eases concern over Nissan deal

<p>British confectionery giant Cadbury has lost its status as supplier to the British Royal Family after 170 years and six monarchs, reported <em>Sputnik/RIA Novosti</em>, citing the <em>Daily Mail</em>.</p>


Candy maker Cadbury loses royal supplier status after 170 years — reports

<p>Bitcoin is flagging in the last leg of a record-breaking year.</p>


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<p>BYD Co has severed ties with a construction firm after Brazilian authorities halted construction of a new electric vehicle (EV) plant where workers were found working and living in “slavery”-like conditions.</p>


Brazil halts BYD site after workers found in ‘slave’ conditions

<p>Agrochemicals giant Syngenta Group Co signed a US$4.5 billion (RM20.2 billion) sustainability-linked loan, according to a company statement on Monday, in Asia’s largest such dollar facility this year.</p>


Syngenta signs US$4.5b ESG loan, Asia’s biggest this year — Bloomberg

<p>Social media app Telegram is profitable for the first time after paying down “a meaningful share” of some US$2 billion (RM8.97 billion) in debt, CEO Pavel Durov said in a post on X Monday (Dec 23).</p>


Telegram profitable for first time after app pays down debts

<p>South Korea's consumer sentiment dropped sharply this month to hit the weakest level in more than two years on growing worries about political uncertainty following parliament's impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.</p>


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<p>Saks Global completed its US$2.7 billion (RM12.11 billion) acquisition of Neiman Marcus, creating what the company says is a multibrand luxury giant that’s powered by the technology of its high-profile investors, Amazon.com Inc and Salesforce Inc.</p>


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<p>Australia’s balance of risks is tilted to the downside, including a potential stall in disinflation, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said, calling on the government to avoid excessive spending.</p>


Australia’s risks tilt to downside, IMF says, urging restraint

<p>Panama President Jose Raul Mulino rallied support from former presidents in defence of the country’s canal following threats from Donald Trump to reimpose US control over the waterway.</p>
