<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p data-qa-component="item-headline" data-rc-highlight="headline">GDANSK/BERLIN (Oct 8): German exports fell unexpectedly in August due to sharp decline in exports to the United States.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Exports fell by 0.8% compared with the previous month, data from the federal statistics office showed on Thursday.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>The result compared with a forecast 0.6% increase in a <em>Reuters</em> poll.</p></div><div class=inPageAd id=div-gpt-ad-inpage></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Imports were up 0.9% on a calendar and seasonally adjusted basis compared with July.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>As a result, the trade surplus narrowed to €19.5 billion (US$21.82 billion) in August from €21.6 billion in July.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Exports to EU countries dropped by 0.6% on the month, while exports to countries outside the EU decreased by 1.1%.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Exports to the United States fell by 6.3% on July, while exports to the United Kingdom increased by 16.7%.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p>Meanwhile, exports to China rose by 4.7% but imports increased by 11.0%.</p></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner><p><em>Uploaded by Liza Shireen Koshy</em></p></div>


GDANSK/BERLIN (Oct 8): German exports fell unexpectedly in August due to sharp decline in exports to the United States.

German exports fall unexpectedly in August

Isaias strengthened to a Category 2 hurricane on Thursday as it headed toward the US Gulf Coast, the US National Hurricane Center said, prompting mandatory evacuations and disrupting oil and gas production.

Hurricane Isaias strengthens en route to US Gulf Coast

Malaysia is proposing a full stamp duty exemption on loan agreements and instruments of transfer for first homes priced up to RM500,000.

Govt proposes full stamp duty exemption for first homes priced up to RM500,000

Malaysia plans to open up investment in government sukuk to retail investors through a tokenised retail savings sukuk initiative, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday.

Malaysia to open up government sukuk to public via blockchain

Bets for who will take home the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize surged overnight on Polymarket, echoing similar events a year ago when a website hacking likely leaked the winner’s name.

Nobel Peace Prize bets for Navalny widow surge on Polymarket

US officials said they seized seven internet domains in a new effort to disrupt hackers working with Chinese IT firm Integrity Technology Group.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Justice Department said the domains were being used to help Chinese hackers scan and hack US and foreign critical infrastructure systems.

US announces effort to disrupt hacking infrastructure run by China's Integrity Tech Group

The government on Thursday has announced key individual tax reforms aimed at reducing the cost of living for the middle 40% of earners (M40).

Income tax relief level raised to RM12,000, tax rate cuts to put RM1,600 into pockets of people 

BENGALURU (Oct 9): OpenAI fired three of its researchers last week after an investigation found they violated policies on handling sensitive information, the AI major said in a post on X on Friday.

OpenAI says it has fired three researchers for violating sensitive information policy

Andy Burnham's Labour Party won an election for a parliamentary seat vacated by former leader Keir Starmer on Friday, fending off a strong challenge from the left-wing Green Party in a boost for the British prime minister.

Burnham's Labour fends off left-wing Greens in London

NEWS: PM Anwar tables Budget 2027 today

Emerging Asian equities edged higher on Friday after a sell-off in the previous session, while Singapore stocks recouped some losses after hitting three-month lows as concerns over the impact of higher bond yields on bank earnings persisted.

Emerging Asian equities edge higher; Singapore shares off three-month lows

<p>Follow our live coverage of Budget 2027 as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim tables it.</p>


Highlights of Budget 2027

<p>KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 8): Klang member of Parliament (MP) V Ganabatirau has filed a defamation suit at the High Court here against independent preacher and activist Firdaus Wong over social media postings questioning the lawmaker's loyalty to the country.</p>


Klang MP Ganabatirau sues Firdaus Wong over social media posts questioning his loyalty to Malaysia

<p>KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 9): A former company director of a property development company has been charged with criminal breach of trust (CBT) for transferring RM100,000 of company funds to himself for a non-existent "director fee".</p>


Former property development company director charged with CBT for transferring RM100k to himself for non-existing 'director fee'

<p>KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 9): Dagang NeXchange Bhd (KL:DNEX) could see renewed investor interest after settling its long-running legal dispute over semiconductor subsidiary SilTerra Malaysia Sdn Bhd, removing a major uncertainty that has weighed on the stock, according to TA Securities.</p>


DNeX's SilTerra legal settlement clears path for growth, says TA Securities

<p>Oriental Kopi Holdings Bhd (KL:KOPI) could see its share price rise by more than 50%, according to CGS International Securities (CGSI), which expects the cafe operator's expansion and growing packaged food business to drive stronger earnings over the next few years.</p>


CGSI sees over 50% upside for Oriental Kopi on expansion, earnings growth

<p>Oil declined after President Donald Trump said the US would not attack Iran before November’s midterm elections, signalling a period of more than three weeks for no offensive military action against Tehran.</p>


Oil retreats as Trump rules out attacks on Iran before US midterms

<p>SINGAPORE (Oct 9): Asian stocks slipped on Friday and were poised for a second straight weekly drop as investors fretted about elevated energy prices, bond market ructions and the huge sums needed to fund AI investment.</p>


Tech stocks struggle on AI spending worries, elevated yields

<p>Malaysia is expected to spend 82% of its forecasted record RM459.84 billion budget on operating expenditure (opex) in 2027, leaving RM83 billion, or 18%, for development expenditure (devex).</p>


Budget 2027 expected to hit record RM459.84b, 82% for operating expenditure

<p>The government on Thursday has announced key individual tax reforms aimed at reducing the cost of living for the middle 40% of earners (M40).&nbsp;</p>


<p>The worsening haze in Malaysia could disrupt manufacturing operations, affect worker attendance and drive up business costs, according to the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturing (FMM).</p>


Haze threatens manufacturing productivity, raises business costs — FMM

<p>A selloff in chipmakers weighed on stocks as speculation around OpenAI’s revenue revived worries that the artificial-intelligence spending spree is becoming harder to justify.</p>


S&P 500 falls as reports on OpenAI sink chipmakers

<p>Unisem (M) Bhd (KL:UNISEM) and its subsidiary plans to invest RM396 million to expand its semiconductor manufacturing plant in Gopeng, Perak, as the group seeks to capture growing demand for advanced chip packaging used in artificial intelligence (AI) and data centres..</p>


Unisem plans RM396 mil second phase of Gopeng plant expansion

<p>首相拿督斯里安华提呈2027年财政预算案重点摘要：</p>


2027年财政预算案重点摘要

<p>Despite raising the minimum wage and the economy's recovery since the pandemic, wage progression remains weak beyond the minimum wage floor, according to the Economic Outlook 2027 report.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Minimum wage lifts the floor, but Malaysia's 'missing middle' remains

<p>Singapore’s Formula 1 race will go ahead this weekend despite haze from Indonesian wildfires that has choked the city for weeks, pushing it to the top of the global rankings for air pollution.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


F1 says Singapore race will go ahead despite Indonesia haze

<p>BENGALURU (Oct 8): OpenAI has told investors its annualised revenue for September was almost US$50 billion, a drop from what it signaled earlier, a person familiar with the matter told <em>Reuters</em> on Thursday.</p>


OpenAI's September annualised revenue nears US$50 bil, less than previously indicated — Reuters

<p>The collapse of Nvidia-backed data centre operator Firmus' US$5 billion IPO is a blow to Australia's capital markets which are already facing a shrinking pool of listed entities, investors said.</p>

<p>Australia's benchmark share index is heavily skewed to the Big Four banks and huge mining companies, so some money managers had hoped a big tech listing would make the market more attractive by offering more choice to investors.</p>


Firmus US$5 bil float failure deals blow to Australia's shrinking share market

<p>KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 9): Malaysia's fiscal deficit is projected to narrow to 3.3% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2027, even as the actual shortfall remains elevated at RM77.5 billion.</p>


Malaysia's fiscal deficit to narrow to 3.3% in 2027, but shortfall remains above RM77 bil

<p>The tabling of Budget 2027 on Friday is expected to further strengthen the national economy, ease the people's cost-of-living burden, and safeguard national peace and stability.</p>


Budget 2027 expected to strengthen economy, ease people’s burden, says Saifuddin

<p>KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 9): Lestari Cooling Energy Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between KJTS Group Bhd (KL) and infrastructure-focused investment firm Stonepeak Partners, aims to use its capital expenditure (capex) model to adopt new energy-efficient technologies as they become commercially viable.</p>

...