<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>SINGAPORE (Dec 4): The 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat, scheduled for Dec 8 to Dec 9 in Malaysia, has been postponed after Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Wong said the two sides are currently in the process of finding new dates for the meeting.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>"I was supposed to go to KL for our annual Leaders' Retreat, but had to postpone it due to my Covid infection. We are in the midst of finding new dates. I look forward to meeting again soon!" he posted on social media on Wednesday.</p></div><div class=inPageAd id=div-gpt-ad-inpage></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Wong also thanked Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, for sending him a "Get Well Soon" package to wish him a speedy recovery from the virus.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Earlier, Anwar, while presenting the second reading of the Supply Bill 2025 in Dewan Negara, said the signing of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) agreement, originally scheduled for Dec 9, has been postponed to January due to Wong’s Covid-19 diagnosis.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p><em>Uploaded by Lam Seng Fatt</em></p></div>


The 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat, scheduled for Dec 8 to Dec 9 in Malaysia, has been postponed after Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.

Malaysia-Singapore Retreat postponed as Singapore PM contracts Covid-19

China's industrial profits fell at a slower clip in November, official data showed on Friday, but the annual decline in earnings this year is expected to be the worst in over two decades due to persistently soft domestic consumption.

China's November industrial profits narrow decline but 2024 likely worst year in decades

theedgemalaysia.com highlighted four stocks with momentum at Bursa Malaysia’s afternoon close on Friday. Two stocks showed positive momentum, and another two stocks showed negative momentum.

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Two sailors died after being struck by sail booms in separate incidents during the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race as crews grappled with treacherous conditions across the notorious Bass Strait.

Two dead in Sydney-Hobart yacht race after being struck by sail booms

AmInvestment Bank expects UOA Real Estate Investment Trust (KL:UOAREIT) to post a 14.3% quarter-on-quarter increase in its distributional income, on slightly higher gross rental income and lower property operating expenses.

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The proposed adjustment in Peninsular Malaysia’s base electricity tariff under the Regulatory Period 2025-2027 (RP4) is mainly a “rebasing exercise” to reflect higher fuel costs assumption, said Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA).

Base electricity tariff adjustment reflects higher fuel costs, won't burden vulnerable groups, says Tenaga

PUC Bhd’s (KL:PUC) photography associate Pictureworks International Holdings Ltd has filed for a listing on Nasdaq in the US.

The initial public offering (IPO) of its 27.53%-owned associate has been registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission though the terms such as pricing, number of shares to be offered, and timetable for the public offering were not disclosed.

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Major European energy companies doubled down on oil and gas in 2024 to focus on near-term profits, slowing down — and at times reversing — climate commitments in a shift that they are likely to stick with in 2025.

Big Oil backtracks on renewables push as climate agenda falters

On Nov 20, the Kuala Terengganu Shariah High Court handed down the sentence of six lashes in public for repeated offences of khalwat (close proximity) against a carpenter named Mohd Affendi Awan.

Shariah whipping in public — does it exceed the Shariah Courts’ jurisdiction?

The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) expresses its deep concern over the decision of the Terengganu Shariah Court in the case of Mohd Affendi Awang, a 42-year-old carpenter, who was sentenced to six lashes in public, after being convicted of repeated khalwat (close proximity) offences under Section 31(a) of the Shariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) (Terengganu) Enactment 2022. This punishment undermines human rights, dignity, and the rule of law. The commission takes note that whipping under shariah laws is different from civil law. Be that as it may, the sentence not only constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, but also raises serious questions regarding the legality of public whipping under the Federal Constitution and federal law.

Public whipping in Terengganu: A violation of human rights and rule of law

Ride-hailing unicorn inDrive has made a strategic investment in Pakistan’s grocery delivery startup Krave Mart, part of an effort to explore opportunities in emerging markets.
 
The Mountain View, California-based company created a venture capital arm last year with an aim to invest as much as US$100 million (RM446.71 million) in startups in emerging markets.

Ride-hailing unicorn inDrive invests in Pakistan’s grocery startup Krave Mart

<p>Shares of Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA) rose on Friday to their new record high as analysts flagged potential earnings upside from implementation of Regulatory Period 4 (RP4).</p>


Tenaga Nasional shares hit new record high as analysts flag upside from RP4

<p>The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) has ordered Bybit Technology Ltd to disable its website and mobile applications in the country as part of enforcement actions against the cryptocurrency exchange.</p>


SC orders Bybit to disable website, apps in Malaysia for operating illegal crypto exchange

<p>Shares of MyMBN Bhd (KL:MBN) fell on Friday to their lowest since listing 17 months ago, and below the initial public offering price, after the Malaysian government temporarily suspended bird's nest exports to China.</p>


MyMBN shares slip to lowest on record after govt suspends bird's nest export to China

<p>The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday its analysis of samples from the first severe case of bird flu in the country last week showed mutations not seen in samples from an infected backyard flock on the patient's property.</p>


Bird flu virus shows mutations in first severe human case in US, CDC says

<p>Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet on Friday approved a record US$730 billion (RM3.26 trillion) budget for the next fiscal year, while limiting new bond issuance to the lowest in 17 years on the back of record tax revenue.</p>


Japan's cabinet approves record budget, faces tough parliament fight

<p>Asian stocks wobbled on Friday while the dollar was steady, keeping the yen rooted near five-month lows in thin year-end trading as investors looked ahead to 2025, when the Federal Reserve is expected to be measured in its interest rate cuts.</p>


Asian stocks drift, yen at five-month low in thin year-end trading

<p>The proposed adjustment in Peninsular Malaysia’s base electricity tariff under the Regulatory Period 2025-2027 (RP4) is mainly a “rebasing exercise” to reflect higher fuel costs assumption, said Tenaga Nasional Bhd (KL:TENAGA).</p>


<p>US soybean futures rose more than 1% on Thursday and soymeal futures touched a two-month high as worries about dry weather in parts of Argentina prompted speculators to exit short positions ahead of the new year, analysts said.</p>


Soybean futures up as weather spurs short-covering; corn at six-month high

<p>South Korea's acting president faces an impeachment vote on Friday, intensifying a political crisis as the Constitutional Court meets for its first hearing on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declared on Dec 3.</p>


South Korea's acting president faces impeachment as Yoon set for trial

<p>Oil edged lower in light holiday trading on soft US jobs data and a retreat in natural gas futures.&nbsp;</p>


Oil prices dip in thin trading on soft US data, natural gas outlook

<p>PAS'&nbsp;move to 'politicise' the recent Christmas celebration&nbsp;at the Ministry of Housing and Local Government was&nbsp;disrespectful to the rights of Malaysia’s multiracial and multi-religious society, according to three DAP leaders.</p>


DAP leaders criticise PAS for 'politicising' Christmas celebration

<p>A less-than-perfect debut for the new season of Netflix Inc’s blockbuster series Squid Game sent shares of related South Korean companies sharply lower Friday.</p>


‘Squid Game’ stocks tank in Korea on Netflix new season letdown

<p>Chinese workers at a construction site in Brazil for a factory owned by China's electric vehicle producer BYD are victims of human trafficking, Brazilian labour authorities said on Thursday in a growing controversy in BYD's biggest overseas market.</p>


Brazil says workers at China's BYD site are victims of human trafficking

<p>The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) expresses its deep concern over the decision of the Terengganu Shariah Court in the case of Mohd Affendi Awang, a 42-year-old carpenter, who was sentenced to six lashes in public, after being convicted of repeated khalwat (close proximity) offences under Section 31(a) of the Shariah Criminal Offences (Takzir) (Terengganu) Enactment 2022. This punishment undermines human rights, dignity, and the rule of law. The commission takes note that whipping under shariah laws is different from civil law. Be that as it may, the sentence not only constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, but also raises serious questions regarding the legality of public whipping under the Federal Constitution and federal law.</p>


<p>The Inland Revenue Board (IRB) has received 114 million e-invoices from 9,000 taxpayers as of Thursday.</p>

<p>IRB corporate services department director Noraini Mustafa said that the response has been very encouraging, particularly in Phase 1, with some companies originally scheduled for Phases 2 and 3 voluntarily participating earlier than required.</p>


IRB says 114 million e-invoices received as of Dec 26

<p>As Covid swept across California in early 2020, pediatric infectious diseases physician Karin Nielsen grew alarmed by the crisis erupting in maternity wards. Pregnant women were placed on life support, undergoing emergency C-sections as the virus triggered severe complications. Some died.</p>


Covid pregnancies may have boosted autism risk, small-group study shows

<p>Penang, Johor, Selangor, Sarawak, and Kuala Lumpur dominated Malaysia’s exports, accounting for 83.8% of the total in November, said the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).</p>


Penang, Johor, Selangor, Sarawak and KL the top exporters in November, data show

<p>Stocks wavered in a quiet post-holiday session as mixed jobless claims data did little to alter bets on the Federal Reserve outlook.</p>


US stock rally stalls in sleepy session

<p>The Netherlands, Hong Kong and Japan are the top three foreign investors in Melaka, said Chief Minister&nbsp;Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh.</p>

<p>He said the Netherlands had invested RM8.4 billion, creating 2,505 job opportunities,&nbsp;while Hong Kong invested RM1.7 billion (1,230 jobs), and Japan invested RM1.296 billion (7,359 jobs).</p>


Melaka getting strong investment from Netherlands, Hong Kong and Japan, says CM

<p>PUC Bhd’s (KL:PUC) photography associate Pictureworks International Holdings Ltd has filed for a listing on Nasdaq in the US.</p>

<p>The initial public offering (IPO) of its 27.53%-owned associate has been registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission though the terms such as pricing, number of shares to be offered, and timetable for the public offering were not disclosed.</p>
