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Japan

Japan urges Russia to release detained journalist in rare meeting

TOKYO: Japan's foreign minister urged Moscow to release a detained journalist in his first formal face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart in five years, Tokyo said Saturday (Oct 31).

Cambodia

More than 5,000 attempt to illegally enter/exit Cambodia; 373 charged

PHNOM PENH: Officials at Cambodia's immigration checkpoints identified almost 3,000 criminal violations in the first nine months of the year, with the majority involving the use of forged documents.

Myanmar

Myanmar to have 34 public holidays in 2027, including nine-day Thingyan break

YANGON: Myanmar will have a total of 34 public holidays in the 2027 calendar year, including a nine-day break for the traditional Thingyan New Year celebrations, according to an announcement published in the State Gazette.

Sabah & Sarawak

Second Pink Haven home will help ease burden of out-of-town cancer patients, says Hajiji

KOTA KINABALU: Lower-income families, caretakers and cancer patients who had to pay extra for accommodation during their treatment period here can now have their burdens slightly eased with the launch of the second Pink Haven house.

Nation

Media layoffs should be last resort, says Fahmi

PETALING JAYA: The Madani government is willing to help any media companies experiencing financial difficulties and laying off media personnel should be a last resort, says Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.

Vietnam

Vietnam's Long Thanh airport set to begin commercial operations Dec 24

DONG NAI, Vietnam: Vietnam's Long Thanh International Airport is expected to begin commercial operations at midnight on Dec 24, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported, citing a notice recently sent by the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV) to the Dong Nai City People's Committee.

Philippines

Philippine Airlines cancels and reschedules flights Nov. 14-18, when delegates arrive for Asean summit

MANILA: Philippine Airlines (PAL) has announced the cancellation or rescheduling of several domestic and international flights to and from Manila from Nov. 14 to 18 amid the arrival of delegates to the 49th Asean Summit and Related Summits in Manila.

True Or Not

QuickCheck: Are scammers targeting motorists with fake police parking fine SMSes?

TRAFFIC summonses and parking fines have long been a routine part of driving, but receiving an unexpected text message about an unpaid compound can easily trigger anxiety and prompt rushed reactions.

Indonesia

No resting on fleeting rain in Indonesia: Comment

JAKARTA: After months of choking on toxic haze and enduring obscured skies from forest and peatland fires, residents across Sumatra, Kalimantan and other wildfire-stricken islands have finally received welcome news from above.

Arts

Belle Sisoski takes traditional Malaysian sounds across Asia with Toyota project

Belle Sisoski is part of Toyota's 'Move Your World Beat', a music project bringing together artistes from across Asia

Beauty

Vanity Fare: Ready to glow? These bronzers bring warmth to your beauty look

A light touch of a bronzer is enough to add warmth, dimension and a healthy, sun-kissed glow to any complexion.

Family

Study finds that adults with a parent who lived to 100 have lower health risks

Although healthy behaviours remain an important factor in ensuring life longevity, those with at least one centenarian parent have lower risks of death, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Metro News

Make AI support accessible to all SMEs, urges PUMM

RESTAURANTS, retailers and other everyday businesses must have access to artificial intelligence support to help them manage rising costs and improve productivity, says the Malaysia Entrepreneurs Development Association (PUMM).  

Singapore

‘Better late than never,’ says Singapore FM on first Pakistan visit by Singapore leader in two decades

SINGAPORE: Greater bilateral trade, investment flows and technological upskilling were among the topics discussed during Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan's official visit to Islamabad, Pakistan, on Oct 30.

Thailand

Anutin and Bhutanese PM seek closer economic ties through FTA

BANGKOK: Thailand and Bhutan are seeking to strengthen their longstanding friendship and turn closer bilateral relations into tangible economic benefits, with both sides looking to maximise opportunities under their free trade agreement (FTA).

Nation

Woman tricked into transferring RM486,000 of company funds in impersonation scam

JOHOR BARU: A 35-year-old woman lost RM486,000 to a scammer who impersonated her employer and instructed her to transfer company funds into a bank account.

China

China says stealth attack drone makes first takeoff, landing on amphibious ship

BEIJING: China's first carrier-based stealth reconnaissance and strike drone, the GJ-21, recently completed its first takeoff and landing on the Sichuan, the country's first Type 076 amphibious assault ship, state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday (Oct 30).

Cricket

Cricket-India add pacer Nabi to squad for first three New Zealand ODIs

Oct 31 (Reuters) - Pacer ⁠Auqib Nabi has been added to India's ⁠squad for the first three one-day internationals ‌against New Zealand, the country's cricket board said on Saturday.

India

Helicopter crashes on pilgrimage flight in Himalayan state, killing six

LUCKNOW, India: A helicopter carrying five passengers and a pilot on a pilgrimage flight crashed in the northern Indian hill state of Uttarakhand on Friday (Oct 30) killing all six people on board, officials said.

World

After Louvre heist and string of thefts, Europe's smaller museums are on guard

PARMA, Italy, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Two men wearing ⁠head torches climbed through a forced-open window at the Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum near Parma on the night of March 22 and calmly lifted artworks by Cézanne, Renoir and Matisse from the walls.