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By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s fuel subsidy bill could approach RM50bil in a prolonged oil-price shock scenario, according to an economist. Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) research associate Dr Mikhail Rosli estimated Malaysia’s fuel subsidy bill could cost between RM45bil and RM50bil next year if Brent crude prices remain above US$100 per barrel. He said the estimate would be broadly in line with the KRI’s Beyond The Pump report which estimated fuel subsidies will cost around RM48 billion per year when the crude oil prices exceed US$100 per barrel and remain at that level. However, he stressed that this remained a “tail scenario” rather than the most likely outcome. “This remains an unlikely scenario, as the US Energy Information Administration’s base case projects Brent crude to average US$74 per barrel in 2027, while the World Bank forecasts US$70 and the IMF’s severe scenario at between US$110 and US$125,” he said. The wa...

Sub-head: Ahead of Budget 2027, which is due to be tabled on Oct 9, we look back at how allocations are spread between ministries. By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Education, Finance and Health are the top three ministries when it comes to budget allocations. An analysis of Budgets tabled between 2016 and 2026 shows these three ministries consistently in the top three, receiving about half of all ministerial allocations each year. In Budget 2026, for instance, the three ministries received a total of RM159.7bil or 52% of the RM306.9bil allocated to the country’s 28 ministries.   From 2016 to 2026, the top spot in terms of allocations often changed hands between the Education and Finance ministries. The Education Ministry held the top spot from 2016 to 2018, reclaiming it in 2020 and 2021, and returned to the top spot in 2025 and 2026. The Finance Ministry topped the list in 2019 and agains from 2022 and 2024. The Health Ministry remain...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Ahead of Budget 2027, which is due to be tabled on Oct 9, The Star looks back at a decade of federal expenditure. An analysis of 11 budget tablings between 2016 and 2026 shows that the Education Ministry, Finance Ministry, and Health Ministry have remained among the three largest recipients of federal allocations. The crown for the highest-funded portfolio, however, has changed hands between the Education and Finance ministries over the years. The Education Ministry held the top spot from 2016 to 2018 before reclaiming it in 2020 and 2021, and again in 2025 and 2026. The Finance Ministry, meanwhile, rose to the top in 2019 and dominated the rankings from 2022 to 2024. The Health Ministry, meanwhile, remained at number three spot throughout all 11 years. At the other end of the ranking, the bottom three positions were more frequently, with the National Unity, Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development, and P...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has retained its position as the Asia-Pacific region’s most connected airport, ahead of major hubs in Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore. KLIA also maintained its fourth-place global ranking in the OAG Megahubs 2026 report, ranking behind Istanbul Airport, London Heathrow Airport and Amsterdam Airport. According to the report, AirAsia remained the dominant carrier at KLIA, accounting for 34% of all flights at the airport. The airport has increased the number of destinations it serves from 151 to 154, while overall capacity grew 6.9%. This was the highest growth among its Southeast Asian peers, apart from Hanoi’s airport, which recorded an 11.8% increase. KLIA also topped the Low-Cost Megahubs index, offering almost 15,000 possible low-cost connections to and from 154 destinations. Seoul’s Incheon International Airport ranked sixth globally, followed by Tokyo’s Haneda Ai...

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By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Almost 15,000 hotspots were detected in Indonesia's Kalimantan and Sumatra between January and August this year, according to data from the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC). As of Aug 28, of 14,964 hotspots detected across the two regions, 11,697 were in Kalimantan, accounting for 78.1% of the combined total. Meanwhile, Sumatra recorded 3,267 hotspots.  Most of Kalimantan’s hotspot activity occurred in July and August, rising from 1,339 detections in July to 9,334 in August. Together, the two months accounted for 10,673 hotspots, or 91.2% of Kalimantan’s January-to-August total. The 9,334 hotspots recorded in August alone were 72.7% higher than the 5,406 detected in Kalimantan in the whole of 2025. Sumatra also recorded its highest monthly hotspot count of the year in August, with 1,596 detections. However, the increase in Sumatra was less pronounced, with August accounting for 48.9% of...