China

China Covid-19 cases goes three digit again - 115 new local cases, 15 imported cases

BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua); The Chinese mainland on Friday reported 130 newly confirmed Covid-19 cases, of which 115 were locally transmitted and the rest arrived from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

Nation

Police issue timely SOP reminders via graphics on FB

KUALA LUMPUR: The police has released a graphic on its official Facebook page to remind people to always wear face masks properly while in public, especially in crowded areas.

AseanPlus News

British man and Singaporean fiancee charged over breaking Covid-19 rules

SINGAPORE, Jan 16 (dpa): A British man and his Singaporean fiancee will be charged with breaking coronavirus quarantine, the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on Friday (jan 15).

Commodities

CPO futures to trend lower on profit taking next week

KUALA LUMPUR: The crude palm oil (CPO) futures contract on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives is expected to retreat from this week’s gains, driven by profit taking due to higher prices, a dealer said.

Analysis Premium

Zahid told to go on garden leave again

IT came like a bolt out of the blue for Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Indonesia

Over 800 injured, 15,000 forced to flee home, at least 42 dead in Indonesia's latest tragedy

JAKARTA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua): More than 800 people were wounded and about 15,000 others took shelters as a 6.2-magnitude quake, which hit Indonesia's West Sulawesi province on Friday, massively destroyed houses and infrastructures, a disaster official said here on Saturday.

Nation

Private hospitals to insurance firms: Extend coverage for Covid-19 treatment

PETALING JAYA: Insurance coverage should be extended for existing policyholders if they need to be treated for Covid-19, said the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM).

AseanPlus News

Global Covid-19 death toll passes two million

PARIS, Jan 15 (AFP): The global death toll from Covid-19 passed two million on Friday night (Jan 15), with the World Health Organization (WHO) urging mass vaccinations as the pandemic progresses at a record rate.

AseanPlus News

Researchers discover H5N8 strain of bird flu in Hong Kong for first time

Two samples of bird droppings taken from Mai Po nature reserve tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N8 strainUniversity professor says the virus might have been brought into Hong Kong through migratory birds

AseanPlus News

China and European ‘17+1’ nations ‘revive summit plans, aiming for February’

Long-delayed meeting could happen early next month, with end of negotiations on EU investment deal having cleared the wayBeijing wants to signal its ties with Europe to the new US administration, European diplomat says

World

U.S. health secretary Azar resigns, cites Capitol attack - CNN

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has resigned, citing last week's attack on the Capitol, CNN reported on Friday.

World

U.S. imposes fresh sanctions on Iran in final days of Trump presidency

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on companies in Iran, China and the United Arab Emirates for doing business with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and on three Iranian entities over conventional arms proliferation.

TECH

Crack a window! This smart home smoke alarm will tell you it’s stuffy

To help us reduce the risk of infection in shared spaces during the pandemic, Bosch developed a smart home smoke detector that reminds users when it’s time to open a window.

World

Two U.S. military bases in South Korea shelter in place as coronavirus curbs extended nationwide

SEOUL (Reuters) - The U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK) said on Saturday it has imposed a shelter-in-place order on two of its largest bases - U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan and Camp Humphreys - until Tuesday after a cluster of coronavirus infections.

Nation

Cops arrest two men in connection with snatch theft case

KUALA LUMPUR: The police have arrested two men in connection with the snatch theft of a woman's necklace at Old Klang Road.

World

Mexico president backs dropping of drug case against ex-defense minister

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday backed the decision by his country's attorney general not to charge ex-Defense Minister General Salvador Cienfuegos with drug crimes, in a case that has roiled U.S.-Mexico diplomatic relations.

Social media

As WhatsApp loses users over new terms, Signal rolls out new features

WhatsApp's rival Signal has a number of major upgrades coming to the messenger’s functionality in the next few days.

Nation

Former Lord President Tun Salleh Abas passes away, aged 91

PETALING JAYA: Former Lord President Tun Dr Mohamed Salleh Abas has passed away just days after testing positive for Covid-19. He was 91 years old.

Asia & Oceania

Let’s get beefed up for wagyu, the meat that melts in your mouth

The columnist talks about one of the best meats in the world, Japanese wagyu.

Living

Car parts could be made from rice husks in the future

The prototype car interior trim elements are currently being made using Oryzite, a renewable and sustainable material made using rice husks.