Technology

Exclusive-Netflix has ample room to increase its offer in battle for Warner Bros, sources say

Feb 19 (Reuters) - Netflix has ⁠ample cash and could bump up its offer for HBO Max owner Warner Bros Discovery if competing bidder Paramount Skydance increases its ⁠own offer, two people with knowledge of the matter said. 

World

North Korea's Kim opens 9th Party Congress citing economic achievements

SEOUL, Feb ⁠20 (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his reclusive country had overcome recession and accomplished major ⁠economic goals over the past five years as he opened the Ninth Party Congress, state media KCNA ‌reported on Friday.

Technology

New York Governor Hochul pulls robotaxi expansion proposal

Feb 19 (Reuters) - New York ⁠Governor Kathy Hochul has pulled her proposal to allow commercial ⁠robotaxi services in smaller cities outside New York, a spokesperson ‌for the governor said on Thursday.

World

1st LD Writethru: U.S. trade deficit in goods hits record high in 2025

NEW YORK, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States posted a record 1.24 trillion U.S. dollar trade deficit in goods in 2025, up 2.1 percent from the previous year, according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

World

Share of cashless payments in Russia hits 88 pct in 2025

MOSCOW, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The share of cashless payments in Russia reached 88 percent at the end of 2025, Bank of Russia's director of the National Payment System Department Alla Bakina said Thursday.

Hockey

Olympics-Ice hockey-United States earn gold, revenge in OT win over Canada

MILAN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - The United States tasted revenge ⁠sweeter than maple syrup as they came from behind to beat defending champions Canada 2-1 to win gold in an overtime thriller in women's ice hockey at the Milano ⁠Cortina Olympics on Thursday.

Thailand

Bid to bring Myanmar back

The kingdom hopes to bring Myanmar back into Asean nearly five years after a military coup, Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said after meeting his Myanmar counterpart.

Indonesia

Operations halt after nickel hub landslide kills one

A landslide has hit a mine waste zone at a nickel processing hub managed by PT Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) on the island of Sulawesi, IMIP's spokesperson Dedy Kurniawan said, killing one worker and halting operations.

Nation

KLIA receives 8,000 visitors in two hours

SIBU: Kuala Lumpur Internatio­nal Airport (KLIA) handled 8,000 visitor arrivals in just two hours on the first day of the Chinese New Year.

Philippines

Sara Duterte faces fourth ouster bid over graft allegations

Vice-President and freshly declared presidential candidate Sara Duterte is facing a fourth impeachment case against her, documents show.

China

Fireworks blast kills 12, including five kids

Five children were among the 12 people killed in an explosion at a general store selling fireworks in China during the Lunar New Year holiday, state media said.

Nation

Cops arrested over crypto theft

PETALING JAYA: Twelve policemen have been arrested following investigations into the alleged extortion of foreigners.

South Korea

Yoon gets life term for insurrection

A court sentenced former president Yoon Suk-yeol to life in prison, after finding him guilty of masterminding an insurrection, stemming from his December 2024 attempt to impose martial law.

Nation

El Nino return could spark record temperatures

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia could be in for a hotter year ahead – maybe even the hottest on record – with an El Nino possibly materialising in the second half of 2026.

Nation

Duo nabbed with RM1.5mil syabu disguised as tea

SEREMBAN: Police have arrested two childhood friends and seized some 30kg of drugs believed to be methamphetamine during an operation at KM236.9 of the North-South Expressway near Pedas.

Focus

Saffron robes on a path of peace

THE roads were slick with ice, the ground was caked with hardened snow, and the stiff winds made an already brutally cold day in the Virginia suburbs feel below zero. Yet people came out by the hundreds.

Nation

MMA calls for stronger action against illegal clinics in Kuala Lumpur

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has expressed deep concern over the recent discovery of illegal clinics operating in the capital, where foreign nationals allegedly pose as doctors and dispense controlled medicines without proper qualifications or registration.

Nation

Flash floods in Manjoi caused by intense rainfall

IPOH: Flash floods in Manjoi and several areas here since last Friday were caused by intense rainfall rather than overflow from Sungai Perak, says Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.

Nation

Dual-threat drug rings crushed

SHAH ALAM: Two drug syndicates running on land and at sea have been crippled in two operations by Bukit Aman, with more than RM20mil worth of narcotics and a loaded pistol seized in a sweeping crackdown.

Thailand

Birth control to tame wild elephants

The country has begun using a birth control vaccine on elephants in the wild to try and curb a gro­wing problem where human and animal populations encroach on each other – an issue in areas where farms spread into forests and elephants are squeezed out of their natural habitat.