Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc banker Roger Ng Chong Hwa can testify as a defence witness in the ongoing 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB)-Tanore criminal trial of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Ex-Goldman banker Roger Ng can testify as Najib's defence witness, court rules

KUALA LUMPUR (April 23): Johor Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee chairman Lee Ting Han announced that Forest City’s Special Financial Zone (SFZ) has welcomed its first family offices, CMY Capital Family Office and Yow Kee Family Office, and attracted interest from 32 companies to set up operations in Johor Bahru.

Forest City SFZ welcomes first family offices, sees interest from 32 companies

US President Donald Trump said he plans to be “very nice” to China in any trade talks, and that tariffs will drop if the two countries can reach a deal, a sign he may be backing down from his tough stance on Beijing amid market volatility.

Trump floats cutting China tariffs ‘substantially’ in trade deal

Permira Holdings Ltd is overhauling its Asia strategy, closing offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai and shuffling senior leadership to India, where it sees stronger momentum and a more robust pipeline for deals, people familiar with the matter said.

Permira closing Hong Kong, Shanghai offices in pivot to India, Bloomberg reports

KUALA LUMPUR (April 23): Malaysia’s exports are likely to be impacted by the imposition of any direct tariffs, global growth slowdown, or possible recession, but the longer-term outlook remains bright, as there is room for the country to benefit from supply-chain diversification, said Franklin Templeton.

Direct tariffs may likely impact Malaysia’s exports; outlook bright on supply-chain diversification — Franklin Templeton

ISTANBUL (April 23): Malaysia and Türkiye are working to move beyond an exchange of letter of intent related to energy sector cooperation, particularly in renewable and nuclear energy for power supply purposes, into a memorandum of understanding (MOU), said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Malaysia-Türkiye to strengthen energy sector cooperation — Fadillah

(April 23): Tesla Inc’s production of Optimus, a robot that promises to take over household chores, has been disrupted by China’s curbs on rare earth exports, introduced by Beijing earlier this month, in an escalating trade war with Washington.

Tesla’s plan on humanoid robot Optimus disrupted by China rare earth curbs

Malaysia’s headline inflation slowed to 1.4% in March, mainly due to slower price increases for restaurants, personal goods, and water.

Inflation down to 1.4% in March as price increases for restaurants, personal goods, and services slow

Major Russian banks have set up a netting payments system dubbed "The China Track" for transactions with China, aiming to reduce their visibility to Western regulators and mitigate the risk of secondary sanctions, banking sources told Reuters.

'China Track' bank netting system shields Russia-China trade from Western eyes

(April 23): Bitcoin continued to climb after US President Donald Trump said he had no intention of firing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, easing concerns over the central bank’s autonomy.

Bitcoin climbs higher as US seeks to ease trade, Fed tensions

US President Donald Trump said he plans to be “very nice” to China in any trade talks, and that tariffs will drop if the two countries can reach a deal, a sign he may be backing down from his tough stance on Beijing amid market volatility.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told a closed-door investor summit on Tuesday that the tariff stand-off with China cannot be sustained by both sides, and that the world’s two largest economies will have to find ways to de-escalate.

US Treasury Secretary Bessent expects tariff stand-off with China to de-escalate

SYDNEY (April 23): Stock markets were enjoying a much-needed relief rally in Asia on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump&nbsp;said he had no plans to fire the head of the Federal Reserve, and hinted at lower tariffs for&nbsp;China.

Stocks, dollar rebound in Asia as Trump steps back

(April 23): It’s 8am and already sweltering at the&nbsp;Pomina Flat Steel JSC&nbsp;plant outside Ho Chi Minh City, as&nbsp;the night shift’s last pour of molten metal is shaped, cooled and cut into rods. Down the road, at a Vietnam Steel Corp facility, a&nbsp;long strip is uncoiled into an acid bath and fed through a powerful press, making it thinner but tougher.

In China’s backyard, steel buyer Vietnam is trying to stem a tide of cheap metal

(April 23):&nbsp;Chinese corporate and government borrowers have pushed issuance of dollar and euro bonds to a record proportion of all such note sales in emerging markets (EM) this month, in one sign of resilience to the&nbsp;trade war.

Chinese foreign bond sales mark record share of total in emerging markets

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has downgraded its real gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for Malaysia to 4.1% this year, from its January estimate of 4.7%, in line with a broader reduction in regional projections.

IMF cuts real GDP growth forecast for Malaysia to 4.1% in 2025

Several areas in Selangor were affected by flash floods following heavy rainfall since early Wednesday morning.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director of operations&nbsp;Ahmad Mukhlis Mukhtar&nbsp;said the affected areas were&nbsp;Sungai Buloh, Petaling Jaya&nbsp;and Subang Jaya.

Flash floods hit several areas in Selangor, no evacuations reported

KUALA LUMPUR (April 23): Malaysia will likely miss some economic and policy targets held back by fiscal constraints, bureaucratic drag, and global macro headwinds, said BIMB Securities.

Malaysia will miss some targets amid fiscal, bureaucratic drag, macro headwinds — BIMB

Ferrotec Holdings Corporation, a Japanese advanced materials and component company, will be investing RM1 billion for the construction of its second manufacturing facility in Kulim, Kedah.

Japan's Ferrotec to invest RM1 bil in second plant in Kedah

KUALA LUMPUR (April 23): Bumi Armada Bhd (KL:ARMADA) is expected to report strong earnings in first quarter of 2025 (1QFY2025), but foresees a drop in the following quarters as its floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) Kraken vessel sees a steep cut in its daily charter rates.

Bumi Armada to post strong 1Q earnings, later quarters impacted by FPSO Kraken rate cut — Maybank IB

(April 23):&nbsp;The dollar advanced against its major peers after US President Donald Trump said he had no intention of firing Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.

Relief rebound for dollar as Trump cools rhetoric on Powell

The imposition of US duties on solar panels from Southeast Asia&nbsp;will have far-reaching implications for&nbsp;the manufacturing base across the region, according to the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM).

US solar duties threaten Malaysia's role in global clean energy supply chain, says FMM

Malaysia’s headline inflation slowed to 1.4% in March, mainly due to slower price increases for restaurants, personal goods, and water.

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp&nbsp;on Tuesday signed an agreement to establish a wholly owned electric vehicle (EV) plant in Shanghai, in a strategic move to bolster its presence in China, the world's largest automotive market, Xinhua reported.

Toyota signs deal for US$2b EV project in Shanghai

(April 23):&nbsp;US equity futures surged and the dollar strengthened after President Donald Trump said he had&nbsp;no intention&nbsp;of firing Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, and as optimism grew that trade tensions may be easing.

US futures, dollar rise on Trump’s Fed backtrack

(April 23): Intel Corp is poised to announce plans this week to cut more than 20% of its staff, aiming to eliminate bureaucracy at the struggling chipmaker, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Intel to announce plans this week to cut more than 20% of staff — Bloomberg

This year marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore. Since the latter separated from the Federation of Malaya on Aug 9, 1965, trade, investment and tourism between the two countries have remained robust.

Six decades of strong ties between Malaysia and Singapore

Major Russian banks have set up a netting payments system dubbed "The China Track" for transactions with China, aiming to reduce their visibility to Western regulators and mitigate the risk of secondary sanctions, banking sources told Reuters.

KUALA LUMPUR (April 23): Johor Investment, Trade, Consumer Affairs and Human Resources Committee chairman Lee Ting Han announced that Forest City’s Special Financial Zone (SFZ) has welcomed its first family offices, CMY Capital Family Office and Yow Kee Family Office, and attracted interest from 32 companies to set up operations in Johor Bahru.

The year 2024 marked the&nbsp;50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the People’s Republic of China. In 1974, then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein cemented an official diplomatic relationship during a visit to Peking (now Beijing).

Ushering in another 50 golden years in Malaysia-China relations

The need for a new world order is a recurring theme in the era of an emerging multipolar world. For the US, the current global hegemon, it involves adjusting to the reality of a shifting balance of power, which the US must come to terms with.

Lim Teck Ghee