Brunei

Seasonal boost pushes Brunei business sentiment into positive territory

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Brunei businesses ended 2025 on a cautiously positive note, with overall sentiment edging into expansionary territory in December, according to the latest Business Sentiment Index (BSI) released by the Brunei Darussalam Central Bank (BDCB)

Cricket

Cricket-Trott unsure of future but England coaching role appeals

Feb 20 (Reuters) - Jonathan Trott ⁠enjoyed a victory in his last game in charge of ⁠Afghanistan on Thursday and while he does not know ‌what the future holds he said he would jump at the chance to coach England if the opportunity arose.

Badminton

Chong Wei meets Zii Jia, Jin Wei at BAM over Thomas-Uber Cup talk

PETALING JAYA: Professional men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia sprang a surprise when he showed up at the Academy Badminton Malaysia in Bukit Kiara on Friday (Feb 20).

Sabah & Sarawak

Unity and harmony vital to preserve Malaysians' well-being, says Tiong

SIBU: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has stressed the importance of preserving racial harmony and unity, describing it as a unique strength that must be safeguarded for the people's well-being.

World

Exclusive-Ukraine's 2026 defence exports could hit 'several billion dollars', official says

KYIV, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine could export several billion ⁠dollars of military goods and services this year after authorising its first wartime foreign sales and is considering introducing a ⁠tax on those exports, a senior Ukrainian defence official said.

Nation

Steven Sim hospitalised for extreme fatigue

GEORGE TOWN: Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong has been admitted to the hospital after experiencing extreme fatigue due to a hectic work schedule over the past few weeks.

World

South Korea's ex-President Yoon apologises after life sentence over martial law

SEOUL, Feb 20 (Reuters) - ⁠Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol apologised on Friday for his ⁠short-lived declaration of martial law in December 2024, a day after a ‌Seoul court sentenced him to life in prison for masterminding an insurrection.

True Or Not

QuickCheck: Will housewives and single mums be getting RM1,500 in govt aid this month?

A POST circulating on social media platform Threads claims that the government has approved financial assistance of RM1,500 for housewives, senior citizens and single mothers.

Singapore

CBD or Genting? Chilly and wet weather in Singapore as temperature drops to 21 deg C

SINGAPORE: It almost felt like winter in Singapore as the mercury fell on Thursday (Feb 19) following days of incessant rain.

Thailand

Ukrainian woman arrested in Phuket over US$340mil ponzi fraud case in US

BANGKOK: Thailand's Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) has arrested a Ukrainian woman wanted for extradition after allegedly fleeing a major Ponzi/pyramid scheme fraud case in the United States and hiding in a condominium in central Phuket, police said at a press conference on Thursday (Feb 19)

Sabah & Sarawak

Two men arrested for domestic violence and intimidation in Tawau

KOTA KINABALU: Two men were arrested in separate cases involving alleged domestic violence and criminal intimidation in Tawau on Friday (Feb 20).

Badminton

New coach Zakry seeks stronger back-up behind Pearly-Thinaah

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia stand to gain plenty if they can have more than two top class women's doubles pairs.

Entertainment

Eric Dane, Dr. McSteamy of 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'Euphoria' star, dies of ALS at 53

The actor publicised his ALS diagnosis in April 2025. ALS is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's disease.

Video games

Sony shuts down video-game studio Bluepoint

Sony Group Corp is shutting down Bluepoint Games, the PlayStation subsidiary responsible for developing remakes of video games such as Demon's Souls.

South Korea

Ex-South Korean president Yoon apologises for martial law crisis

SEOUL: South Korea's disgraced former president Yoon Suk Yeol apologised Friday (Feb 20) for the "hardship" caused by his 2024 martial law decree, one day after he was sentenced to life in prison for insurrection.

Philippines

Four in family die in landslide in Philippines' Mati city

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur: A pre-dawn landslide buried a family of four in Purok Matingo in Mati City, Davao Oriental, on Friday (Feb 20), prompting a swift retrieval operation involving the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)–Mati City Fire Station.

Japan

Japan's Takaichi vows to break with 'fiscal austerity' to spark economic revival

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Friday (Feb 20) pledged to break with "excessive fiscal austerity" and boost long-term investment through a multi-year budget framework, underlining her administration's commitment to revitalising the economy.

Commodities

Oil heads for first weekly gain in three as US-Iran tensions brew

OIL prices rose on Friday, headed for their first weekly gain in three, on growing concerns a conflict may erupt between the U.S. and Iran, after Washington said Tehran will suffer if it does not agree a deal on its nuclear activity in a matter of days.

Arts

Royal Shakespeare Company to adapt 'Game Of Thrones' for theatre

The production will be based on the books by George RR Martin and will be adapted for the stage by playwright Duncan Macmillan

Laos

Lao Health Ministry outlines plans to advance nursing

VIENTIANE: The Ministry of Health has spelled out goals under the National Nursing Development Plan to 2030 and summarised achievements to date in continuous professional development for nurses and midwives