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Singapore

Over 80 evacuated after fire at Boat Quay eatery in Singapore

SINGAPORE: About 80 people were evacuated as a precaution after a fire broke out at a Boat Quay eatery late on Tuesday (Jan 20) night

Nation

Customs orders KLIA staff rotation to enhance integrity, work culture

KUALA LUMPUR: The Customs Department has implemented a comprehensive duty rotation of its staff posted at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in a major step to strengthen integrity and transparency.

Tennis

Tennis-Ruthless Gauff cruises past Danilovic into Australian Open third round

MELBOURNE, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Third seed Coco ‌Gauff beat Olga Danilovic 6-2 6-2 to move into the third round of ‌the Australian Open on Wednesday, denying the Serbian the chance to knock out ‌a second American Grand Slam champion after she eliminated Venus Williams.

Markets

ACE Market-bound Kee Ming Group to raise RM31.50mil from IPO

KUALA LUMPUR: Kee Ming Group Bhd aims to raise RM31.50 million from its initial public offering (IPO) ahead of its listing on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd on Feb 12, 2026.

World

India to withdraw diplomats' families from Bangladesh, source says

NEW DELHI, Jan ‌21 (Reuters) - India will withdraw its diplomats' families and ‌dependents from Bangladesh in the face of ‌security threats as tension rises ahead of a February 12 general election, an Indian official said on Wednesday.

Markets

Bursa Malaysia continues uptrend at midday, CI stays above 1,700

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia's benchmark index extended its gains at midday, holding above the 1,700 level, on sustained buying interest in selected heavyweight stocks despite mixed performances in regional markets.

World

Trump row over Greenland derails Ukraine postwar deal, FT reports

Jan 21 (Reuters) - ‌European opposition to ‌U.S. President Donald ‌Trump's bid to acquire Greenland and his proposed "Board of ‍Peace" initiative ‍has disrupted plans ‌for an economic support ‍package ​for postwar Ukraine, the ⁠Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

World

South Korea court finds ex-PM Han Duck-soo guilty of key action of insurrection over martial law

SEOUL, ‌Jan 21 (Reuters) - A ‌South Korean court ‌on Wednesday found former Prime Minister ‍Han Duck-soo ‍guilty of ‌engaging in a key ‍action ​of insurrection ⁠concerning ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol's ‌short-lived declaration of ⁠martial ‍law in December 2024.

World

Surging in polls, Thailand's reformist opposition tests new election playbook

BANGKOK, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Three years ago, a ‌party of reform-minded progressives swept Thailand's election in the wake of mass anti-establishment protests only to be blocked from taking power and forced to disband.

World

How an Islamist party is gaining ground in Bangladesh, worrying moderates

DHAKA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Long vilified for opposing independence and barred from ‌electoral politics for over a decade, Bangladesh's biggest Islamist party is reinventing itself and attracting new support ahead of parliamentary polls next month, unsettling moderates and minority communities.

Sabah & Sarawak

E-hailing waiting areas and toilets to get upgrades at Kuching airport

KUCHING: Improvement works are ongoing at Kuching International Airport (KIA), including toilet renovations and designated waiting areas for e-hailing passengers.

Thailand

Thailand's reformist People's Party leads in polls, tests new election playbook

BANGKOK: Three years ago, a party of reform-minded progressives swept Thailand's election in the wake of mass anti-establishment protests only to be blocked from taking power and forced to disband.

Nation

RM40bil in housing financing guarantees available for 100,000 first-time homeowners, says Nga

KUALA LUMPUR: The Housing Credit Guarantee Scheme (SJKP) aims to help over 100,000 individuals own their first homes by the end of this year, with RM16bil in financing guarantees open for applications.

Vietnam

2,000-year-old brick tomb unearthed Vietnam's Quang Ninh province

QUANG NINH: An ancient tomb covering a total area of 150sq m has been excavated in Vang Danh Ward in the northern province of Quang Ninh, revealing many major archaeological findings.

Nation

Anwar flags ‘songlap and sakau’ culture in defence procurement industry

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim warned that the defence and security procurement industry has become a hotbed with "songlap and sakau" (embezzlement and misappropriate) culture.

Nation

Cops nab local for robbing Vietnamese of RM8,000

KUALA LUMPUR: A man who allegedly robbed a Vietnamese woman here was arrested within a day of the incident.

Commodities

Gold crosses US$4,800 for the first time as US, EU spar over Greenland

GOLD prices surged to a record high above $4,800 per ounce on Wednesday, buoyed by safe-haven demand and a softer dollar as U.S. President Donald Trump's pursuit of Greenland threatened to reignite a trade war with Europe and upend the NATO alliance.

Technology

Gates and OpenAI team up for AI health push in African countries

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The ‌Gates Foundation and OpenAI are setting up a $50 million partnership to help several African countries use ‌artificial intelligence to improve their health systems and mitigate the impact of international aid cuts, ‌Bill Gates said on Wednesday.

Commodities

Oil prices fall as risks from Kazakh production halt subside

TOKYO: Oil prices fell on Wednesday as an expected build-up of U.S. crude inventories outweighed a temporary halt in output at two large fields in Kazakhstan and geopolitical pressure from U.S. threats of tariffs over its bid to gain control of Greenland.

Global

Europe is 2025's top travel destination; arrivals in North America down

UN Tourism says global tourism hit new record level in 2025 despite "weak" US results.