Nation

Elderly woman living in fear after loan sharks splash paint at her house over son's debts

JOHOR BARU: A 71-year-old woman is living in fear after loan sharks splashed red paint at her home and repeatedly harassed her over debts owed by her estranged son.

China

Beijing vows to 'safeguard' rights if EU bans telecom suppliers

BEIJING: Beijing vowed on Wednesday (Jan 21) that it would "safeguard" the rights and interests of Chinese businesses if the European Union pushes on with plans to ban "high-risk" foreign telecoms suppliers, a move seen as targeting China.

Nation

Perhilitan relocates wild elephant damaging residents' crops in Hulu Besut

JERTIH: The Terengganu Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) successfully relocated a male wild elephant on Wednesday (Jan 21) that was found damaging oil palm crops around Kampung Felcra Keruak in Hulu Besut near here.

Vietnam

Vietnam under To Lam eyes China-style strongman model, 10% growth push

Vietnam's 14th Communist Party Congress puts To Lam in focus, amid talk of power centralisation and an ambitious target of at least 10% GDP growth.

Nation

Bukit Aman records statement from two local daily editors over error in translating King's speech

PETALING JAYA: Bukit Aman has recorded statements from two China Press editors regarding the alleged mistranslation of a royal address made by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, during the opening of Parliament's new session.

Nation

More tourists flocking to Malaysia than expected, says Tiong

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's tourist arrivals have exceeded expectations, prompting the government to consider revising its targets under Visit Malaysia 2026 and intensifying global promotional efforts.

South Korea

How a South Korean YouTuber racked up 100 million subscribers without saying a word

SEOUL: After a decade spent directing live shows for in-person audiences, Kim Dong-jun moved his stage online — and ended up building the world's most-watched YouTube channel of 2025.

Pakistan

With monitors and lawsuits, Pakistanis fight for clean air

KARACHI: With pollution in Pakistan hitting record highs in recent years, citizens clutching air monitors and legal papers are taking the fight for clean air into their own hands.

AseanPlus News

Nepal's rapper-turned-mayor challenges ousted PM

KATHMANDU: Nepal's rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah will go into a head-to-head election battle with the veteran prime minister he helped unseat, as he champions youth demands that toppled last year's government.

Singapore

US Embassy in Singapore says asking businesses for ‘financial contributions’ is standard practice

SINGAPORE: It is not out of the norm for US embassies around the world to ask for donations, the US Embassy in Singapore said, after a letter seeking donations drew criticism online.

World

Former South Korean PM Han jailed for 23 years in martial law case

SEOUL, Jan 21 (Reuters) - ‌A South Korean court jailed former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo for 23 years on Wednesday, on charges that included insurrection relating ‌to ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law in December 2024.

Cambodia

Over 1,400 Indonesians left Cambodian scam groups in five days: Embassy

PHNOM PENH: More than 1,400 Indonesians have left cyberscam networks in Cambodia in the last five days, Jakarta said on Wednesday (Jan 21), after Phnom Penh pledged a fresh crackdown on the illicit trade.

Nation

Bukit Bintang to host Water Musical Festival for Visit Malaysia 2026

PETALING JAYA: In conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026, a Tourism Labour Day celebration and a Water Musical Festival in Bukit Bintang will be among the key events lined up by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.

China

US uranium producer Energy Fuels to expand rare earths supply chain with Australian Strategic Materials deal

MELBOURNE: US uranium producer Energy Fuels has agreed to pay a large premium for Australian Strategic Materials (ASM), as the United States bolsters efforts to secure Western supply chains for rare earth elements.

Vietnam

Vietnam plans to expand unilateral visa waivers to attract high-quality tourists

HANOI: The Ministry of Public Security will work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to study and propose more open visa policies, with a focus on expanding unilateral visa exemptions for major and high-potential source markets in order to attract high-quality international visitors.

Japan

Japan's LDP set to announce election pledges, consider pause on consumption tax for food

TOKYO: A draft of the Liberal Democratic Party's official pledges for the House of Representatives election indicates that it will accelerate discussions on exempting food items from consumption tax for two years.

Nation

Indonesian religious teacher sentenced to six years imprisonment, whipping for physical sexual assault on student

KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian religious teacher was sentenced to six years in prison and five strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court here Wednesday (Jan 21) after pleading guilty to committing physical sexual assault on a male student last year.

China

China wedding goes viral as twin brothers marry twin sisters and both sides have twin uncles

BEIJING: A highly unlikely set of nuptials has taken place in China with a pair of twin brothers marrying twin sisters.

Nation

Arresting Rex Tan goes against freedom of speech, says Suhakam

KUALA LUMPUR: The detention of former FMT reporter Rex Tan is too harsh and an overkill, says Human Rights Commission (Suhakam).

Badminton

Aaron-Wooi Yik's first-round exit not due to fatigue, insists Rexy

PETALING JAYA: National doubles coaching director Rexy Mainaky has dismissed claims that national men's doubles pair Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik's shock first-round exit at the Indonesian Masters on Tuesday (Jan 20) was due to exhaustion.