At the recent Semicon Southeast Asia 2024 conference in Kuala Lumpur, while launching the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim made an ambitious remark about wanting the country to attract RM500 billion worth of semiconductor investments.

The lo...

Spotlight: Malaysia’s final push to support its semiconductor dreams

Kering reported on Wednesday a bigger-than-expected decline in first-quarter revenue, the latest set of disappointing results from the luxury group as its star label Gucci continues to struggle amid a worsening economic environment.

Kering reports 14% sales drop in first quarter as Gucci sales slide further 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that President Donald Trump hasn’t offered to take down US tariffs on China on a unilateral basis.

Bessent says no unilateral US offer to cut tariffs on China

Bank Negara Malaysia will support Malaysia’s Asean chairmanship theme of “Inclusivity and sustainability” by focusing on two areas: Financing for energy transition projects in Asean, and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in their journey on the low-carbon transition.

These ...

Finance: Bank Negara Malaysia to work with Asean on the green transition

Malaysia is not short of policies and plans to tackle climate change. However, for these initiatives to be effective, climate change and its related impacts must be considered in the country’s public financial management processes.

These are among the suggestions that Marco Larizza, sen...

Climate: World Bank: Malaysia has to strengthen institutions to adapt to climate change

Public-listed companies (PLCs) in Malaysia are now required to use Bursa Malaysia’s Centralised Sustainability Intelligence (CSI) platform as their official sustainability reporting channel. This follows the regulator’s late-March announcement that the CSI platform is fully equipped to support di...

Reporting: Bursa aims to address companies’ sustainability reporting burden

Malaysia’s passing of the Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) Bill in March has left many questions unanswered about the bill’s place in contributing to the country’s climate goals. Yet, it is a step forward in implementing a flagship catalyst project under the National Energy Transiti...

Cover Story: Who benefits from CCUS in Malaysia?

US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on imports from all countries has sparked concerns about the future of the low-carbon energy transition, as products such as solar panels, battery storage and electric vehicles (EVs) rely heavily on global supply chains.

The global clean energy supply chain

Devoting years of one’s life to repopulating an endangered species, only to see the numbers dwindling until nothing was left, is a terrible outcome to witness.

This was the experience of John Payne, who was part of WWF-Malaysia’s programme to save the Sumatran Rhinoceros in the 1980s. T...

Biodiversity: Keeping the wild banteng alive

When asked how bad the pollution in Kota Kinabalu (KK) was, Marine Research Foundation (MRF) founder and executive director Dr Nicolas Pilcher could not find the words. Instead, he showed ESG a video of MRF’s boat sailing through the rivers of KK, pushing through plastic waste that encompassed th...

Waste: Ray of hope in cleaning up Malaysian seas

Toyota Motor Corp is planning to spend US$88 million (RM386.41 million) at an engine factory in West Virginia to boost production of gas-electric hybrid vehicles, an effort to widen its manufacturing footprint in the US as the Trump administration moves to impose tariffs on auto imports.

Toyota invests US$88m in West Virginia plant to boost hybrid vehicle output

A longtime board member of City Developments Ltd, the property giant controlled by Singapore’s wealthiest family, lashed out at several other directors on Wednesday over a recent feud that rocked the developer and the billionaire Kwek clan.

Singapore Kwek clan’s CDL investor meeting turns acrimonious

The Kedah government has been alerted to an&nbsp;encroachment along a section of Petronas’&nbsp;gas pipeline route in the Pendang district, believed to have been taking place for several years.

Encroachment detected on Petronas gas pipeline route in Kedah — exco

foodpanda will cease its operations in Thailand next month after more than a decade of losses, local newspaper The Nation reported on Wednesday citing the food delivery platform social media post.

The Thai operations will cease on May 23, 2025, the newspaper reported citing the company’s Thai language post. foodpanda was reported as saying that Thailand’s current market conditions no longer align with the company’s long-term strategy.

foodpanda Thailand calls it quits after 13 years of losses — report

IGB REIT and IGB Commercial REIT reported higher earnings in the first quarter ended March 31, 2025, but warned investors of challenges ahead.

IGB REITs report higher 1Q earnings but warn of challenges ahead

Here is a brief recap of some business news and corporate announcements that made the headlines on Wednesday.

Ramssol, MCE, MN, United Plantations, IGB REIT, IGB Commercial REIT, Axis REIT, AME REIT, Sarawak Consolidated Industries, Iconic Worldwide

Apple was fined €500 million (US$570 million or RM2.5 billion) on Wednesday and Meta €200 million, as European Union antitrust regulators handed out the first sanctions under landmark legislation aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech.

Apple, Meta fined as EU presses ahead with tech probes 

Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd, the master developer of Putrajaya, is partnering with Sunway Healthcare Holdings Sdn Bhd, the healthcare arm of conglomerate Sunway Bhd (KL:SUNWAY), to develop a multi-speciality tertiary medical centre in Putrajaya.

Putrajaya Holdings partners Sunway Healthcare to develop advanced medical centre

United Plantations Bhd's (KL:UTDPLT) net profit rose 22.87% to RM163.26 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2025 (1QFY2025) from RM132.87 million a year earlier, on higher prices and production enjoyed in the plantation segment.

United Plantations 1Q profit up 22% on upstream boost

KUALA LUMPUR (April 22): Below is a summary of how key Bursa Malaysia indices and the ringgit performed on Tuesday:

<div class="pb-5 imgw-800 mx-auto d-block"><a class="mobx embedimg-icon" data-rel="ceolightbox" href="https://myassets.theedgemalaysia.com/pics/2025/table-market-closing-web-...

FBM KLCI closes above 1,500-level on April 23, 2025

MN Holdings Bhd (KL:MNHLDG) said it has&nbsp; been appointed by Sunview Group Bhd (KL:SUNVIEW) to supply interconnection facilities for two solar power plant projects in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

MN Holdings to undertake interconnection job for solar power plants in Sungai Petani

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that President Donald Trump hasn’t offered to take down US tariffs on China on a unilateral basis.

Penang-based property developer Iconic Worldwide Bhd (KL:ICONIC) on Wednesday announced that the Penang High Court ruled in favour of its medical unit, Iconic Medicare Sdn Bhd (IMED), in a dispute with its glove machine supplier, Latex Form Sdn Bhd’s (LFSB).

Iconic Worldwide wins RM10.1m award in legal dispute with glove machine supplier

With the latest inflation coming at a four-year low, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) will have room to cut interest rates to prop up economic growth under threat from international trade tensions.

BNM has room for rate cuts to prop up growth, economists say as inflation eases to four-year-low

BYD Sime Motors, the official distributor of BYD cars in Malaysia, has partnered with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) to provide electric vehicle (EV) test-drive and usability experience for personnel of the ministry.

BYD Sime Motors, MOT unveils EV test-drive programme to promote low-carbon transport

Sarawak Consolidated Industries Bhd (KL:SCIB) on Wednesday clarified that its subsidiary’s RM19.72 million recovery claim against Awana JV Suria Saga Sdn Bhd has not been withdrawn, but has instead been consolidated into a main suit to streamline litigation proceedings.

SCIB clarifies suit against developer Awana JV over scrapped Perak project still on

Malaysia and China on Wednesday agreed to strengthen their aviation ties by accelerating the development of a ‘twin hub’ cooperation between the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport, in pursuit of a smoother and more efficient Asean-China Air Silk Road.

Loke: Malaysia, China to boost aviation ties via ‘twin hub’ cooperation 

Axis Real Estate Investment Trust (Axis REIT) net income rose 16.2% to RM49.13 million in its first quarter ended March (1QFY2025) from RM42.27 million in 1QFY2024, as new acquisitions, tenancies and rental rates boosted its property income.

Axis REIT 1Q income jumps on new acquisitions, tenancies and rental rates

Wall Street's main indexes rallied to one-week highs on Wednesday on hopes for a de-escalation in the US-China trade war and as President Donald Trump scaled back his threats to fire Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell.

Tariff optimism spurs Wall Street rally as Trump softens tone on Powell 

Türkiye’s largest city of Istanbul was hit by a 6.2-magnitude earthquake, the US Geological Survey said, though no damage or injuries were immediately reported by authorities.

Türkiye’s largest city Istanbul hit By 6.2 magnitude earthquake

The basic technology behind Ambient Photonics’s solar cells is so simple that it’s routinely assembled as a high school science experiment. In labs across the US, students sandwich blackberries’ potent pigment between glass to create dye-sensitised cells capable of harnessing energy from the sun.

Raja Hamzah and Y C Ng