Finance and Economy
Russia is arguably the “only winner”, if not one of the biggest winners, in the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. Not only does the conflict trigger a spike in oil prices, which translates into stronger revenues for Russia, which remains one of the world’s largest oil exporters despite Western sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine, […]
... written on Mar 10 2026Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had thought that it was safer to be on friendly terms with a hostile Iran rather than confront it. When China brokered a deal in March 2023 to restore diplomatic relations between two bitter rivals in the Middle East, Saudi and Iran, the peace proposal […]
... written on Mar 09 2026For three years, like a Mafia Godfather, PM Anwar Ibrahim watched proudly as leaders in the multi-coalition Unity Government kissed his ring. He loves the symbolic gesture of respect, loyalty and more importantly – submission. Leading the packs was the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), whose president – Ahmad Zahid Hamidi – was Anwar’s former […]
... written on Mar 07 2026Azerbaijan, which borders Iran to the north and has nothing to do with the Middle East conflict, has now become the latest country dragged by Iran into the war. The former Soviet republic promised a response after it said Iran’s regional attacks had spread to its territory, injuring two people thanks to Iranian drones. The […]
... written on Mar 05 2026Desperate people do desperate things. The war has spread after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 40 senior Iranian commanders were killed by the Israel Air Force (IAF) in less than a minute in the opening wave of Operation Roaring Lion. That’s a humiliation of the highest order, and the Iranian regime is seeking revenge, or […]
... written on Mar 04 2026For most of the day on Saturday, despite the stunning military strike unleashed by the U.S. and Israel on Iran, tourists and residents relaxed on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah, tanning on the man-made beaches and throwing birthday parties for their children. Even incoming Iranian missiles being intercepted over the Persian Gulf did not create any panic. […]
... written on Mar 02 2026All eyes will be glued to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) announcement this Saturday (February 28, 2026), The retirement fund will announce its annual dividend rate. Experts believe that it could maintain the dividend rate for conventional savings at 6.3% or possibly reach 6.5%. For 2024, both the conventional and shariah EPF funds reported dividends […]
... written on Feb 26 2026China’s attempt to show humanoid robots during last year’s Chinese New Year Spring Festival Gala was laughed at by the West. Around that time, public demonstrations of the humanoids often drew scepticism, such as a robot marathon in April that made headlines for stumbles, crashes and breakdowns. It was the same scenario when Elon Musk laughed at China […]
... written on Feb 24 2026Politics is all about perception, and the public perception now isn’t positive for the Anwar administration. The Madani government is perceived as increasingly untrustworthy, racist, radical, double-faced, double-standard, hypocritical and worse – even anti-Chinese and anti-Hindu. That’s really bad for Anwar-led Pakatan Harapan alliance, which depends on ethnic Chinese and Indian votes. The Malaysian […]
... written on Feb 21 2026Facing the risk of losing the next 16th General Election, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has started his campaign to appease angry ethnic Chinese – the core vote bank that put him in power after the Nov 2022 national polls. From visiting TAR UMT to announce a 10-year income tax exemption for the university and presenting a RM40 […]
... written on Feb 15 2026
