Berita Desk delivers breaking news, politics, business, sports and lifestyle coverage from Malaysia and Southeast Asia — trusted, timely and independent.
Fuel theft across British petrol stations has soared dramatically since the Iran conflict began in February, with drivers now stealing an estimated £194,000 worth of fuel daily. The spike reflects broader affordability pressures affecting Southeast Asia's energy markets.
While Negri Sembilan's state election focuses on the 36-seat threshold, retirement policy at age 65 deserves equal political attention. Post-pandemic economic pressures and demographic shifts make flexible work extension crucial for millions of Malaysians.
Malaysia's Jualan MADANI KUSKOP programme is expanding across Sabah's rural and village areas to deliver affordable essential goods to underserved communities, with cumulative nationwide sales exceeding RM8 million since 2025.
Negeri Sembilan voters are prioritizing accessibility and tangible results from political candidates as the state election approaches, with cost-of-living pressures and rural development emerging as key electoral issues.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has committed to raising the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (SARA) assistance programme in the coming months, responding to persistent public concerns over the cost of living despite existing government support schemes.
Andy Burnham became UK Prime Minister on Monday, removing senior figures loyal to his predecessor while pledging a 10-year economic plan to address living costs and steering policy leftward.
Britain's incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham has scrapped a proposed digital ID scheme originally designed to combat illegal migration, instead redirecting the allocated budget towards alleviating the country's persistent cost-of-living pressures.
Andy Burnham, known as the 'King of the North', has become Britain's seventh prime minister in ten years, vowing to fundamentally restructure the nation's approach to governance and tackle the cost-of-living emergency.
Malaysia's trade ministry will expand Rahmah MADANI Sales Programmes, offering discounted essentials at 10-30% below market rates. Minister Armizan Mohd Ali says frequency can increase based on regional demand.
Britain's incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced plans to abandon the UK's digital ID programme, pledging to redirect allocated resources towards alleviating the cost-of-living crisis instead.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has indicated that the government is evaluating a larger budget allocation for the Sumbangan Asas Rahmah (Sara) cash assistance programme in 2027, contingent upon Malaysia's economic trajectory and fiscal capacity.
Small companies and local contractors nationwide will receive 300 litres of subsidised diesel monthly through fleet cards, targeting micro-entrepreneurs excluded from the main subsidy system following the July 1 rollout.
Malaysia's government has expended RM238.64 million on the MADANI Rahmah Sales Programme during the first seven months of 2024, processing more than 21 million customer transactions nationwide.
Malaysia's parliamentary watchdog has identified serious inefficiencies in the cooking oil subsidy programme, recommending a 60,000 metric tonne monthly quota reduction and a shift to digital targeting to plug leakage in a scheme that has cost RM10.879 billion since 2019.
Malaysia's SARA cashless assistance programme has achieved a 99% utilisation rate among nearly nine million monthly recipients, with spending totalling RM3.45 billion year-to-date, the Ministry of Finance has confirmed.
The Finance Ministry is examining a proposal to exempt elderly care centres from the 8% Sales and Service Tax, addressing concerns that the levy has increased costs for families already struggling with living expenses.
Malaysia's government is deploying the Basic Living Expenditure (PAKW) framework to design location-specific policies addressing significant cost-of-living differences between urban and rural areas, with online tools helping citizens track spending patterns.
Malaysia's government will maintain all existing subsidies for citizens, including cash assistance programmes, despite projecting RM40 billion in petroleum product support costs this year due to Middle East tensions.
Pakatan Harapan's Johor election manifesto focuses on practical solutions to rising living costs rather than one-off handouts, featuring housing assistance, healthcare schemes and youth development programmes with public monitoring.
Malaysia has opened applications for diesel subsidies covering company-owned jeeps and pickup trucks under the SKDS programme. Eligible micro and small businesses registered as sole proprietorships or partnerships can apply through MySubsidi portal starting today.
Voters in Johor's Bukit Batu constituency are calling on candidates to address rising living costs, create quality employment, and upgrade aging infrastructure ahead of the state election on July 11.
Parti Sosialis Malaysia's only candidate in the Johor state election is centering his Skudai campaign on the rising cost of living and wage equity, citing his decades of grassroots activism as his credential.
Malaysia's Parliament is examining proposed amendments to strengthen SUHAKAM's financial independence and addressing the disconnect between official inflation figures and rising living expenses facing households.
Malaysia's expanded BUDI Diesel programme launches tomorrow, extending subsidised diesel at RM2.10 per litre to approximately 700,000 private vehicle owners across the country, significantly expanding from the previous 180,000 recipients.
Malaysia's Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living has conducted 15,881 Rahmah MADANI Sales events nationwide in the first half of 2025, reflecting a significant expansion of the government's initiative to ease living expenses for ordinary Malaysians.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced plans to construct additional housing for civil servants on government-owned land at reduced rental rates, aimed at easing the financial pressures facing the nation's public sector workforce.