<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>PUTRAJAYA (Nov 1):&nbsp;The Malaysian passport renewal service through the MyOnline passport system will offer a choice of five- or 10-year validity periods starting from Monday.</div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>The Immigration Department said in Facebook post on Sunday that the new facility allows applicants to choose the validity period of their passports.</div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>"This initiative provides more flexibility and convenience for Malaysians to choose the validity period of their passports according to their individual needs," according to the department.</div><div class=inPageAd id=div-gpt-ad-inpage></div>

<div class=newsTextDataWrapInner>Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee</div>

The Malaysian passport renewal service through the MyOnline passport system will offer a choice of five- or 10-year validity periods starting from Monday.

Five- and 10-year passport renewal options available from Monday via MyOnline system

Opec+ oil-producing countries kept December production targets steady on Sunday, confirming expectations that more policy adjustments will not occur until next year, as the group continues to struggle with export disruptions from the Iran war.

Opec+ keeps December oil output targets steady ahead of tougher call for 2027

Gold rose as lower oil prices offered some respite from inflationary pressures and dip buyers were drawn by the metal’s slide Friday to the lowest in a year.

Gold climbs back from one-year low as dip buyers arrest slide

Three companies linked to businessman Datuk Ng Meng Kee took a nosedive last Thursday and Friday, prompting Bursa Malaysia to issue them with unusual market activity queries.

Frankly Speaking: Will the nosedive of three stocks trigger a wider speculative sell-off?

MELAKA (Nov 2): Pakatan Harapan (PH) will review several abandoned projects in the state, including the monorail service, if given the mandate in the 16th Melaka state election on Nov 14, as part of efforts to ensure the proper management of public funds.

Adly Zahari: PH to review Melaka's abandoned projects, including monorail, if it wins state polls

BENGALURU (Nov 2): Shares of Reliance Industries jumped 6% on Monday as strength in its oil-to-chemicals (O2C) business and steady growth at Jio outweighed weakness in retail, boosting confidence in the Indian conglomerate's earnings outlook.

India's Reliance set for best day since January 2024 as oil-to-chemicals recovery, Jio growth lift outlook

(Nov 2): Global investment firm Brookfield has tapped KB Kookmin Bank to be lead arranger for South Korea’s largest-ever syndicated loan that will help finance the purchase of AI chips to be used by domestic tech giant Naver Corp.

Brookfield taps KB Kookmin Bank to lead Korea’s first GPU loan at US$8 bil

CelcomDigi Bhd’s (KL:CDB) core earnings for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2026 (FY2026) to FY2028 are expected to take a small hit, between 1% to 4%, following an assignment to boost its network capacity and coverage, according to CIMB Securities.

CIMB Securities trims CelcomDigi’s FY2026-FY2028 earnings forecasts on spectrum cost

The state government is still conducting a conceptual design study for the proposed Penang Third Link Bridge as an alternative to the undersea tunnel, before presenting it to the Penang Port Commission (PPC) for feedback.

Penang Third Link Bridge proposal under study, to be submitted to port commission for feedback — exco

A night of Broadway excellence

TOKYO (Nov 2): Japan's government and ruling coalition are considering nearly doubling defence spending over the next five years as part of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's push to strengthen the country's military capabilities, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Japan weighs US$500 bil defence spending plan — Reuters

More than one-third of Malaysian tertiary graduates are working in jobs that do not fully utilise the qualifications they spent years earning. At the same time, employers are saying they cannot find workers with the skills they need. These two phenomena may appear contradictory. Yet, both are true at once. In Part 2 of our three-part series on education in Malaysia this week, we examine what this skill mismatch reveals about our education system.

Tong's Portfolio — More degrees, wrong skills: Malaysia’s graduate mismatch

A sell-off in stocks eased during early Monday trading as Asian equities fell less than their Wall Street peers and US equity futures turned higher. Oil declined.

Stock sell-off eases in Asian trade as oil declines

RHB Bank Bhd's (KL:RHBBANK) dividend payout appears secure for the year with the fourth-largest bank by assets unfazed by rising bond yields, an analyst said on Monday.

RHB Bank’s dividends intact, not swayed by rising bond yields — analyst

President Donald Trump said a US-Canada trade deal is “very close” after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said both sides would work on a “mutually beneficial” outcome in the weeks ahead.&nbsp;

Trump says US-Canada trade deal is close after talks with Carney

Are Malaysian workers underpaid? It is an important question. But citing a relatively low labour share does not answer it.

Tong's Portfolio — We repeat: A smaller share of GDP does not mean workers are underpaid

Oil dropped on Monday after a report said US President Donald Trump wants to give diplomacy more time before deciding whether to resume strikes on Iran following Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Oil falls as report says Trump to give Iran diplomacy more time

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): The government will reject applications for new manufacturing licences that perpetuate heavy reliance on low-skilled foreign labour, according to Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.

Govt to reject new manufacturing licences premised on heavy foreign labour reliance — trade minister

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

YOUR DAY AHEAD: Nov 2, 2026 

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): October saw renewed growth in output and new orders, signalling a fresh improvement in Malaysia's manufacturing health, according to the latest S&amp;P Global purchasing managers index (PMI) data.

Malaysian manufacturing sector regains growth in October — PMI data

The Sabah portion of the Pan Borneo Highway (PBH) will go down in the Malaysian record books as one of the costliest road infrastructure projects in the region.

Frankly Speaking: The mind-boggling cost of Sabah’s Pan Borneo Highway

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) is actively advancing key strategic projects to build capacity and accelerate commercial expansion.

Malaysia Aviation Group advances strategic projects to drive commercial expansion

Foreign institutions returned to net buying on Bursa Malaysia, recording US$323.1 million (RM1.3&nbsp;billion)&nbsp;in net inflows, according to MBSB Investment Bank Bhd (MBSB IB).

Foreign investors return to net buying with US$323 mil net inflows last week — MBSB IB

The Penang government has received no fresh request from Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) to reauction a six-acre (2.42-hectare) plot of land near Gurney Drive after an earlier auction failed to attract bidders.

CZC no longer cash-strapped, no request for reauction of land near Gurney Drive, says Penang CM

The main event for the week ahead locally is Bank Negara Malaysia’s policy decision on Thursday (Nov 5). Eight of nine economists polled expect the overnight policy rate (OPR) to stay at 2.75%. UOB economists Julia Goh and Jasrine Koke expect a 25-basis-point (bp) hike to 3%, citing the policy guidance shift in September, stronger-than-expected 3Q2026 advance gross domestic product (GDP) and the expansionary Budget 2027, which includes a higher minimum wage, more cash assistance and tax relief.

The Week Ahead: All eyes on Bank Negara’s OPR decision and US midterm elections

The Malaysian passport renewal service through the MyOnline passport system will offer a choice of five- or 10-year validity periods starting from Monday.

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 2): TSH Resources Bhd (KL:TSH) has voluntarily offered to engage with&nbsp;the Singapore government's assessors panel to evaluate its operations, corporate relationships&nbsp;and supply chains in connection with the fires in Indonesia that have contributed to the transboundary haze.

TSH Resources volunteers to engage with Singapore agency's independent assessors over haze

BEIJING/Hong Kong (Nov 2):&nbsp;Five of China's largest state-owned banks reported quarterly profit growth of between 6% and 11%, supported by stabilising net interest margins (NIM) and steadier asset quality, even as a slowing economy continued to weigh.

Each of the five lenders posted...

China's big banks post fastest quarterly profit growth in years as margins stabilise

FRANKFURT/PEISSENBERG, Germany (Nov 1): German ministers threatened tough penalties for looters and rioters who damaged stores and injured more than 100 police officers in Frankfurt overnight, while praising security forces for preventing wider violence.

Frankfurt emerged as the main fl...

German ministers vow tough response to Frankfurt riots and looting

CelcomDigi Bhd’s (KL:CDB) core earnings for the financial year ending Dec 31, 2026 (FY2026) to FY2028 are expected to take a small hit, between 1% to 4%, following an assignment to boost its network capacity and coverage, according to CIMB Securities.

(Nov 1):- The stock market got a long-awaited jolt of volatility late last week after disappointing earnings from technology giants added to angst around the AI-driven rally.

Now traders are bracing for further shocks this week from the US midterm elections and Nvidia Corp. earnings lat...