EVENING 5: Five things you need to know today

Here’s a quick look at some of the stories that made headlines today.

WASHINGTON (April 18): U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday to extend a federal hiring freeze, which was set to expire this month, through July, the White House said.

Trump first imposed a hiring freeze through an executive order on January 20, his first ...

Trump to sign order to extend federal hiring freeze, White House says

An assistant human resources manager in Negeri Sembilan has lost RM579,110 to scammers behind a bogus online investment scheme.

Nilai district police chief Supt Abdul Malik Hasim said the victim, a woman in her 50s, lodged a report at the Nilai police station at 10.58am on Thursday after realising she had been conned.

HR assistant manager scammed of over RM500,000

TikTok Shop, a trusted e-commerce platform in Malaysia, has partnered with the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living to raise awareness about safe online shopping through the #ShopSafe initiative.

Held in conjunction with World Consumer Rights Day, the campaign also aims to curb online scams.

TikTok Shop and Domestic Trade Ministry unveil #ShopSafe tips to combat online scams

The High Court has ordered religious preacher Mohd Rasyiq Alwi to pay former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar RM2.5 million for defamatory statements the preacher had made about the Covid-19 vaccination at the height of the pandemic.

Court orders preacher to pay RM2.5 mil to KJ for defamatory statements on Covid-19 vaccination

The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project has always been more than just a transport initiative — it is a grand vision of connectivity, economic integration and geopolitical relevance. On paper, it is a transformative artery linking two of Southeast Asia’s economic powerhouses, pro...

My Say: Crossroads: Malaysia’s HSR dilemma

LONDON/WASHINGTON (April 18): The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's mass layoffs included senior negotiators in talks with the pharmaceutical industry over renewing the user fee programs that fund the regulator's drug review system, six sources familiar with the matter said.

The firin...

FDA fires most negotiators for pharma user fee talks, sources say

A Boeing jet that arrived at a completion plant near Shanghai last month was returning to the US, flight tracking data showed on Friday, in a sign that at least one Chinese airline could be halting deliveries due to US tariffs.

Boeing jet returns to US from China amid tariff war

Malaysia has dispatched a medical team from the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) to Myanmar as part of a humanitarian relief effort under Operation Starlight III following the devastating earthquake that struck the country last March 28.

ATM Health Services Director-General Lieutenant General Datuk Dr Zulkeffeli Mat Jusoh said the 69-member team comprised 16 officers and 53 members from various specialisations, including the Forward Anaesthesia and Surgical Team (FAST) from the Malaysian Field Hospital, an element from the Royal Engineers Regiment (RAJD).

Armed Forces medical team leaves for Myanmar on humanitarian relief mission

CIMB Securities has widened the valuation discount for construction and property group WCT Holdings Bhd (KL:WCT), citing growing uncertainty over its order book.

CIMB Securities widens WCT's discount as order book challenges mount, keeps 'hold' call

WASHINGTON (April 18): The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency created to serve as a watchdog for American consumers against predatory business practices, said on Thursday it planned to dismiss as much as 90% of its remaining workforce, resuming mass firings less than a week aft...

US consumer watchdog says it will lay off most remaining staff

President Donald Trump said he was reluctant to continue ratcheting up tariffs on China because it could stall trade between the two countries, and insisted Beijing had repeatedly reached out in a bid to broker a deal.

Trump says he is reluctant to keep raising tariffs on China

A rebound in US stocks evaporated this week after Chair Jerome Powell pushed back on the idea of the Federal Reserve stepping in to bolster markets, rankling President Donald Trump who touted a smattering of deals Thursday.&nbsp;

The S&amp;P 500 slumped 1.5% over the four-day span, briefly trimming losses after Trump said there would be a trade deal with the European Union, without giving details or a timeline on when an agreement would be reached

US stock rebound fizzles as Trump goes on offensive

The Trump administration took steps to impose levies on Chinese vessels docking at US ports, threatening to shake up global shipping routes and escalate the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.

Trump moves to levy Chinese vessels in widening trade war

Shares of Chagee Holdings Ltd jumped 16% in their debut session after the Chinese tea chain raised US$411 million (RM1.81 billion) in its US initial public offering (IPO), defying a market besieged by trade-war volatility.

Chinese tea chain’s US shares rise 43% as IPO defies volatility

New applications for unemployment benefits filed by federal employees increased for a second week, hovering near levels seen in January before the Trump administration started to fire workers across agencies.

US jobless claims by federal employees ticked up last week

Alphabet's Google illegally dominated two markets for online advertising technology, a judge ruled on Thursday, dealing another blow to the tech giant and paving the way for US antitrust prosecutors to seek a breakup of its advertising products.

Google holds illegal monopolies in ad tech, judge finds, allowing US to seek breakup

The High Court has ordered religious preacher Mohd Rasyiq Alwi to pay former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar RM2.5 million for defamatory statements the preacher had made about the Covid-19 vaccination at the height of the pandemic.

The chairman of a US congressional committee on China is calling on Bank of America Corp and JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co to withdraw from working on the Hong Kong first-time share sale of battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd, which could be the year’s biggest listing.

House China committee urges US banks to drop CATL listing roles

The US Federal Reserve is solidifying plans to overhaul its stress tests of big banks, presenting a proposal for public comment that would average the results over two years.&nbsp;

The Fed said in a statement Thursday that it intends to delay the effective date of the annual stress-capital buffer requirement from Oct. 1 to Jan. 1 of the next year, giving banks more time to adjust to the new capital requirements.

Fed unveils plan to overhaul stress tests for big US banks

Hong Leong Investment Bank has raised its earnings forecast for MN Holdings (MNH) after its subsidiary, Mutu Nusantara Sdn Bhd's latest data centre contract pushed its order book to an all-time high of RM1.1 billion.

In a note on Friday, the firm raised their FY2025, FY2026 and FY2027 forecast earnings by 0.9%, 16%, and 0.7% respectively, based on higher win order assumption of RM1.07 billion for FY2025, up from RM850 million previously.

HLIB raises earnings outlook for MN Holdings after order book hits new record

The US Justice Department said Thursday it may review a potential sale of 23andMe users’ genetic data for potential national security risks, an action that the company had previously anticipated and said it was prepared to accept.

US says 23andMe deal could prompt national security review

Japan’s consumer inflation picked up last month, bolstered in part by surging rice prices, supporting the central bank’s stance on a gradual rate hike path before US tariff measures clouded the economic outlook.

Japan’s inflation quickens as rice prices gain most in 50 years

Asian stocks notched up small gains as investors largely adopted a wait-and-watch approach on tariff negotiations before taking long-term bets.

Asian stocks trade in tight range, Japan edges up

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday met Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of Myanmar's State Administration Council, in Bangkok to discuss efforts to restore normalcy in the country following the devastating earthquake on March 28.

Anwar holds talks with Myanmar leader on earthquake relief efforts

A Boeing jet that arrived at a completion plant near Shanghai last month was returning to the US, flight tracking data showed on Friday, in a sign that at least one Chinese airline could be halting deliveries due to US tariffs.

CIMB Securities has widened the valuation discount for construction and property group WCT Holdings Bhd (KL:WCT), citing growing uncertainty over its order book.

Ancom Nylex Bhd’s (KL:ANCOMNY) earnings will pick up in the months ahead and catch up with expectations, analysts said after the latest quarterly results missed forecasts.

Ancom Nylex's earnings will catch up with forecasts, analysts say after weaker-than-expected 3Q

WASHINGTON (April 18): The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency created to serve as a watchdog for American consumers against predatory business practices, said on Thursday it planned to dismiss as much as 90% of its remaining workforce, resuming mass firings less than a week aft...

Japanese brokerages have reported at least 1,454 cases of hacked trading worth almost ¥100 billion (US$700 million or RM3.1 billion) since February, as phishing scams soar in the country, the nation’s financial regulator said.

Japan's financial regulator says hacked online trading reaches about US$700 mil

LONDON/WASHINGTON (April 18): The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's mass layoffs included senior negotiators in talks with the pharmaceutical industry over renewing the user fee programs that fund the regulator's drug review system, six sources familiar with the matter said.

The firin...

EVENING 5

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