Sabah & Sarawak

Over 20,000 turn out for Bella-Syed Saddiq 'Kenduri Rakyat' in KK

KOTA KINABALU: Crowds began gathering at Padang Merdeka here as early as 5.30am Saturday (Oct 31), eager to join celebrity Bella Astillah and Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman in celebrating their marriage at a "Kenduri Rakyat".

Motorsport

Marquez stretches overall lead with second place finish in MotoGP sprint

SEPANG: MotoGP world championship leader Marc Marquez extended his lead after finishing the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix sprint race in second place behind compatriot Pedro Acosta on Saturday (Oct 31).

India

Modi’s mass detentions stoke anger among young Indian protesters

NEW DELHI: When Indian police closed in on young protesters in New Delhi this month, Simran locked hands with a friend. They made a quick pact: if they were getting hauled away, they were going together.

China

Parents demand answers after needle reused on 78 pupils in China

BEIJING: A medical worker in north-eastern China used the same needle to test multiple pupils for tuberculosis, potentially exposing 78 children to infectious diseases, local authorities said, according to the German Press Agency (dpa).

AseanPlus News

Australia launches new biodiversity restoration method to expand Nature Repair Market

CANBERRA: The Australian government has launched a second method under its national Nature Repair Market, expanding opportunities for landholders to participate in biodiversity conservation and restoration projects.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

Nepal

Fire breaks out at Nepal hotel along route to Everest base camp

KATHMANDU: A fire broke out on Oct 30 at a hotel at a Sherpa village that lies on the trekking route to the Mount Everest base camp.

Cycling

Motorcycling-MotoGP title 'already lost' after Sepang withdrawal, says Martin

SEPANG, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Aprilia's Jorge ⁠Martin said on Saturday his MotoGP title challenge was effectively over ⁠after withdrawing from the Malaysian Grand Prix to continue his recovery ‌from a wrist fracture.