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Indonesia

Indonesian President returns home with US$10bil deals from East Asia tour

JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto returned to home soil late on Wednesday (April 1) after wrapping up his official tour to Japan and South Korea, where he engaged in high-level meetings to discuss the impacts on Asian countries from the United States-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Nation

Married couple among three charged with trafficking over half a tonne of meth

KANGAR: Three people, including a married couple, have been charged at a Magistrate's Court here with trafficking 510kg of methamphetamine in Wang Kelian last month.

Japan

Geisha spectacle in Japan's Kyoto celebrates arrival of spring

KYOTO: Against a backdrop of blooming cherry blossoms, a group of geishas elegantly shuffle onto a stage in Japan's Kyoto city to begin a centuries-old performance celebrating the arrival of spring.

Nation

Man nabbed with over 1kg of syabu in Temerloh

KUANTAN: Police arrested a 42-year-old man and seized more than 1kg of methamphetamine in a raid in Charuk Puting, Temerloh early Thursday (April 2).

China

‘Don’t tell others how to do their jobs’: Inaction, disregard for safety led to Hong Kong’s deadly fire

HONG KONG: Thoughtless actions by multiple parties and the possible rigging of a renovation bid led to Hong Kong's deadliest disaster in decades, a public inquiry into the Nov 26 Wang Fuk Court fire has heard.

Nation

DOE D-G claims trial to RM100,000 corruption charge

KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar has claimed trial at the Sessions Court to a charge of bribery involving RM100,000 linked to a proposed road project in Penang.

Nation

Cops arrest nine in Penang over RM3.6mil gold robbery

GEORGE TOWN: Penang police say they have crippled an armed robbery gang with the arrest of nine suspects linked to a RM3.6mil gold robbery.

India

India graveyard raid uncovers hidden cooking gas canisters amid shortage

HYDERABAD, India: Indian police this week seized 414 cooking-gas canisters hidden in a graveyard in Hyderabad city and arrested those involved in trying to sell them on the black market amid shortages due to the Iran conflict, a government official said on Thursday (April 2).

AI

Survey shows Germans divided over AI's impact on future

Public opinion in Germany is divided over the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), according to a survey released on Wednesday that revealed both optimism and concern about the technology's future.

Africa

Morocco aims to add 25,000 hotel rooms for the 2030 FIFA World Cup

The country aims to boost hotel capacity nationwide to prepare for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Comment

The invisible backbone: Help M40 before it breaks

IN the halls of Putrajaya and within politicians' speeches, Malaysia's Middle 40 per cent (M40) is often celebrated as a success story - proof of a maturing economy and an expanding consumer class.

South Korea

Online sex trade targeting foreign tourists uncovered in Seoul crackdown

SEOUL: South Korean police said on April 2 they cracked down on 95 prostitution and other illicit establishments in Seoul in the first quarter, including venues that allegedly marketed sex services to foreign tourists through online platforms.

Singapore

Singapore teen arrested after allegedly licking iJooz straw and placing it back in machine

SINGAPORE: An 18-year-old student has been arrested after he filmed himself allegedly licking a straw from an iJooz machine and putting the contaminated straw back.

Commodities

Aluminium slips on firmer dollar, but heads for biggest weekly gain in a month

BEIJING: Aluminium fell on Friday, as a stronger dollar and mounting concerns over a potential economic recession after dimming hopes of a quick end to the Iran war outweighed supply fears that kept prices of the metal on track for a weekly gain.

Nation

MCMC probes 17 over false info on fuel prices, electricity tariffs

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is investigating 17 people for allegedly spreading false information on fuel price hikes and new electricity tariffs that have gone viral on social media platforms.

Economy

Matrade wraps F&B showcase in Chengdu food fair

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia External Trade Development Corp (Matrade) in collaboration with Mess Worldwide Sdn Bhd has concluded Malaysia's participation in the 14th China Food and Drinks Fair (CFDF), held from March 26 to 28, 2026, in Chengdu in Sichuan, China.

Nation

Malaysia, Turkmenistan to explore new markets for local agri products

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Turkmenistan have agreed to explore more market opportunities for local agricultural products and boost bilateral trade for mutual benefit.

Climate

Illegal gold mining surges into new parts of Peru’s Amazon, threatening rivers and lives

The surge marks a new phase for one of the Amazon's most destructive industries, as operations move beyond long-established hot spots into previously untouched regions.

Internet

Goodbye ‘Geeky Hunk’? Gmail users can now change their usernames.

Users who have been saddled with now-cringe email handles since the mid-2000s can now change them without losing any data under a policy Google announced on Wednesday.

Positive Parenting

Chickenpox: Myths vs facts 

Most of us would be familiar with this infectious disease, but do we know the facts from the myths?