BANGKOK (Sept 21): Thailand is considering an oil tax cut, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said on Monday.

Thailand considering oil tax cut, finance minister says

Opposition to data centres continues to mount in the US.

New data centres worth US$68 billion disrupted in US, data show

DHAKA (Sept 21): Bangladesh has raised fuel prices by up to 17.4%, piling fresh pressure on consumers and businesses, as the government moved to stem mounting losses from surging global oil prices and higher shipping costs linked to the Middle East conflict.

Bangladesh raises fuel prices as Middle East conflict drives up costs

Qantas Airways Ltd and Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd are charging between double and quadruple typical prices to fly to Melbourne for Saturday’s AFL Grand Final, invoking anger from fans and underscoring their grip on the market.

Qantas, Virgin hiking fares for AFL grand final shows duopoly’s grip

US spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded chunky inflows at the end of last week, fully reversing earlier outflows and helping to drive the original cryptocurrency back above US$81,000 (RM330,285.60) for the first time in a fortnight.

Bitcoin ETFs swing positive as token holds jump above US$81,000

Singapore's retrenchment rate in the second quarter of 2026 hit its highest level since the height of the Covid pandemic in late 2020, driven by business reorganisation and restructuring, the manpower ministry said on Monday.

Singapore's retrenchment rate at highest level since 2020 in 2Q this year, ministry says

Tens of thousands of workers across Germany plan to stage protests on Monday, seeking protection for jobs and factories after Volkswagen AG delivered another stark demonstration of the depths of the country’s auto-industry downturn.

VW warning deepens German automakers’ gloom as workers protest

The average monthly salary and wage of Malaysians increased by 4.1% to RM3,803 in 2025, compared with RM3,652 the previous year, according to the Salaries and Wages Survey Report 2025 published by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) on Monday.

Malaysians’ average monthly salary up 4% to RM3,803 in 2025 — DOSM

Gold prices slipped on Monday as market participants assessed developments in the Middle East and their implications for inflation and interest rates.

Gold slips as focus remains on Middle East, rate outlook

As global supply chains are reshaped and geopolitical competition intensifies, Malaysia has made the ability to maintain strategic flexibility a valuable economic asset. The future of the Indo-Pacific is being shaped not only in Washington and Beijing. Across the region, middle powers are increasingly influencing the partnerships, institutions and economic networks that will define the emerging regional order. Malaysia offers a particularly instructive example.

My Say: How Malaysia is creating strategic space in a fragmenting world

China's yuan strengthened to more than a 3-1/2-year high against the US dollar on Monday as the central bank softened its curb on currency appreciation ahead of the meeting this week between the leaders of China and the US.

Yuan hits fresh multi-year peak as PBOC eases curb ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Barely six weeks out from the midterm elections, housing costs that many Americans have long said are too high are looking even more out of reach.

US housing costs rise further out of reach ahead of mid-terms

Australia forecast on Monday that deaths would exceed births for the first time in the 2060s, a demographic shift with far-reaching implications for an economy grappling with an ageing population, declining births and cuts to immigration.

Australia warns of risks from ageing population, falling birth rates

When the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) decided to invest in semiconductor research and development (R&D) and capability-building, many critics pointed to how concentrated advanced packaging already is. Taiwan has the world’s most advanced packaging processes, and South Korea holds a commanding share of high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production. Malaysia, they said, is at zero. Why enter a race this far along? Why start running when the other runners are almost home?

My Say: Why we must invest in the next semiconductor frontier

BURSA Malaysia Bhd (KL:BURSA) will welcome three new ACE Market listings this week, spanning upstream oil and gas (O&G) services, industrial engineering, and food and beverage manufacturing.

Upstream O&G services provider United Asiapac Energy Bhd (KL:UNIPAC) is slated to join t...

IPO Watch: Three distinct companies set for ACE Market debut

BENGALURU (Sept 20): Meta's social media platforms Facebook and Instagram recovered after a brief outage disrupted service for thousands of users in the US on Sunday, according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com.

Meta's Facebook, Instagram recover after brief outage in US

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21): South Korean universities are now offering company-linked degrees that provide financial aid and pathways to jobs at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix years before students graduate.

Sogang University’s Department of System Semiconductor Engineering is teaching a ...

South Korean universities offer linked degrees with pathways to Samsung, SK Hynix — report

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 19): Malaysia Airlines won the Best Airline Staff in Asia at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards, with its cabin crew placing third in the World’s Best Airline Cabin Crew category.

Malaysia Airlines staff and crew win big at the 2026 Skytrax World Airline Awards

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21): Gamuda Bhd (KL:GAMUDA) and Australian construction group BMD Constructions Pty Ltd have secured a A$624 million (RM1.8 billion) contract to upgrade two roads in Western Sydney.

Gamuda JV secures RM1.8 bil Western Sydney road upgrade contract

Last Friday, Tenaga Nasional Bhd’s (KL:TENAGA) share price came under selling pressure, falling as much as 52 sen to an intra-day low of RM12.80 in the final trading hour.

Frankly Speaking: Easy to give but hard to wean off

PINDUODUO’s growing presence in Malaysia has yet to leave a big dent in the earnings of major bricks-and-mortar retailers, but signs that consumers are becoming increasingly price-conscious as the cost of living rises could point to a more subtle challenge ahead.

The Chinese e-commerce ...

Will Pinduoduo eat listed retailers’ lunch?

Last Friday (Sept 18), Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) made an unusual and shocking announcement. The company was unable to proceed to pay to shareholders a cash dividend which was due on that day.

The Edge Says: Bursa must get Zetrix to disclose name of substantial shareholder who blocked cash dividend payment

Zetrix AI Bhd (KL:ZETRIX) was a darling of the stock market when it was still called MyEG Services Bhd. It was the pioneer in online government services transactions such as road tax and foreign maid renewals. At its peak, it had a market capitalisation of over RM6 billion. But once it lost its m...

Frankly Speaking: Zetrix AI must explain the RM3.7 bil development cost

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21): Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook will deal with matters related to his resignation after completing his official trip to China.

Loke to deal with resignation after China trip

Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA) extended its decline as investors and analysts weigh the impact of additional subsidy on the national electric utility’s earnings.

Tenaga extends slide as analysts, investors digest impact of subsidy burden

Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar (MB) Datuk Seri Ismail Lasim said on Monday he was not consulted or advised on the termination of the state’s ten executive council (exco) members.

Negeri Sembilan MB says exco removal unconstitutional, will not submit new lineup

AirAsia Group Bhd’s (KL:AAGB) pursuit of US$1 billion (RM4.08 billion) in financing from international debt markets has inevitably raised questions about whether its balance sheet can support borrowings of that magnitude and whether the government may ultimately have to step in.

Frankly Speaking: Isn’t AirAsia too big to fail?

WE are a country of laws. Yet several events of the past few days have wrought chaos upon the sanctity of the rule of law and the institutions established under the Federal Constitution. 
&nbsp; 
On Sept 16, 2026, Malaysians were shocked by the news that His Royal Highness the Yang di...

Opinion: An assault on the constitutional sovereignty of the Negeri Sembilan monarchy and the rule of law

Two Fridays ago, MyEG Capital Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Zetrix AI Bhd, disposed of its 16.9% stake in Heitech Padu Bhd (KL:HTPADU).

Frankly Speaking: Hazy shareholding structure at Heitech Padu

For years, the people building the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence systems have warned us that AI could eventually become dangerous. Yet, they continued to race ahead, building companies now worth hundreds of billions — and, in some cases, associated with technology groups worth trillions — of US dollars each.

Tong's Portfolio - First, win the AI race. Then, stop the race?

SINGAPORE (Sept 21): Oil prices slid on Monday as investors eyed a recovery in shipments from Saudi Arabia despite ongoing attacks by Yemeni Houthis that have escalated tension in the Middle East, while the US and Iran remain in a stalemate.

Oil slips as investors assess Saudi export recovery

Share markets edged higher in Asia on Monday as AI's insatiable demand for data buoyed chipmakers, and oil eased on reports more oil was finding its way out of the Middle East than previously thought despite the ongoing conflict in the Gulf.

Tech leads shares higher in Asia as oil slips

Citigroup Inc chief executive officer Jane Fraser said that companies are racing to build up their defences as artificial-intelligence models become even more powerful and risk spurring cyber attacks.

Citi CEO sees ‘tsunami’ of patches in race to defend against AI

Here's a heads up on what to look out for today.

YOUR DAY AHEAD: Sept 21, 2026 

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21): Unisem (M) Bhd (KL:UNISEM) is approaching an earnings inflection point that could see its profit after tax growth outpace revenue growth, according to CIMB Securities.

Unisem nears point where profit growth outpaces revenue, says CIMB Securities

Artificial intelligence (AI) is causing a shift in many industries, especially in the property sector, where the technology, alongside recurring digital services, can affect the way investors value properties.

The future relationship between AI and property

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 21): Gamuda Bhd (KL:GAMUDA) and Australian construction group BMD Constructions Pty Ltd have secured a A$624 million (RM1.8 billion) contract to upgrade two roads in Western Sydney.

Qatar expects inaugural output from its massive liquefied natural gas expansion next year as shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz slow projects across the country’s economy, Energy Minister Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said.

Qatar’s energy chief sees LNG expansion startup in 2027

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) took first place in state elections in northeastern Germany on Sunday, voting projections showed, delivering the worst result for Chancellor Friedrich Merz's mainstream conservative party since 1949.

AfD leads as Merz rues 'disaster' in worst state election result in postwar Germany

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent lauded “very successful” talks with his Chinese counterparts that spanned artificial intelligence, trade and investment ahead of this week’s summit between leaders Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Bessent hails ‘very successful’ China talks on AI, trade

KOTA BHARU (Sept 21):&nbsp;A former TH Properties deputy general manager of construction projects pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here on Monday to abetting a criminal breach of trust involving RM14,000 in penalty funds collected from a contractor for a commercial building project owned by Tabung Haji (TH).

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