65 h. ago ‘No longer contentious’: Malaysia to weigh Singapore’s water project plan

Malaysia said on Thursday that it would consider a proposal by Singapore to jointly develop water infrastructure in southern Johor, signalling the intention of both sides to move beyond decades of rancour over the vital resource. The two countries have for years disagreed over various issues related to water supply, ranging from prices to the interpretation of the 1962 water agreement signed by them. Malaysia has argued that Johor’s water is sold too cheaply to Singapore. With Johor experiencing...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Out of ICU’: Hong Kong’s quarterly real estate deals triple to US$4.9 billion

Investment in Hong Kong’s commercial property more than tripled in the third quarter from a year earlier, making it the second-fastest growing market in the Asia-Pacific region amid rising confidence in the city’s bruised real estate sector, according to MSCI. Some US$4.9 billion was pumped into offices, data centres, retail spaces, hotels and senior housing in the September quarter, a year-on-year increase of 231 per cent, according to the data services provider, which compiled deals worth at...

Economics

2 w. ago Data centres in Malaysia’s Johor told to wait for water ‘until mid

Investors in Malaysia’s fast-growing data centre hub of Johor have been asked to postpone water-cooled expansion projects for at least 18 months, as authorities grapple with drought and mounting pressure on the state’s water supplies. Officials say the temporary deferral will apply to developers whose facilities depend on water for cooling servers that run around the clock, amid growing unease among residents and environmentalists that billions of dollars in tech investment are colliding with...

Politics

3 w. ago Anthropic commits US$50 billion to build AI data centres in US

Anthropic plans to spend US$50 billion to build custom data centres for artificial intelligence work in several US locations, including Texas and New York, the latest expensive pledge for infrastructure to support the AI boom. The new sites, which Anthropic is developing with UK-based Fluidstack, would start coming online throughout 2026, the company said Wednesday in a statement. The project marks the first major data centre buildout that the AI firm has taken on directly, rather than through...

Economics

3 w. ago ‘Wicked extortionists’ hound woman, torch Malaysia home for loan she never took

Loan sharks in Malaysia’s Johor state set fire to a house in Kluang belonging to the parents of a 33-year-old assistant manager after she changed her mind about taking a 10,000 ringgit (US$2,407) loan. The victim, who only wanted to be identified as Lam and works in Singapore, said she was harassed by the loan sharks who demanded S$20,000 (US$15,348) after she decided not to take the loan. Speaking at a press conference organised by MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Michael...

Politics

last month Sam Altman says OpenAI does not want a government bailout for AI

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman pushed back at the idea that the company would seek federal guarantees to reduce the risk of its artificial intelligence infrastructure spending spree, one day after a top executive at the ChatGPT maker suggested there may be a role for the government to help finance the technology. “We do not have or want government guarantees for OpenAI data centres,” Altman wrote in a lengthy social media post on Thursday. “Taxpayers should not bail out companies that make bad business...

Politics