World

Spanish citizens released from Venezuela prison arrive in Madrid

MADRID, Jan 9 (Reuters) - ‌Four Spanish nationals and a prominent Venezuelan-Spanish rights ‌activist arrived in Madrid on Friday a ‌day after they were released from prison in Venezuela in the aftermath of the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro.

Football

Cricket-Not pitch-perfect; Italy go into bat for soccer-mad compatriots in T20 World Cup debut

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Italy are gearing up for their Twenty20 ‌World Cup debut, hoping a strong showing next month will help the sport break into popular culture in a soccer-obsessed nation that does not have a natural cricket ‌pitch.

World

EU grants Syria $722 million for recovery, humanitarian aid, von der Leyen says

BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - ‌The European Union will grant Syria ‌around 620 million euros ($722 million) this year ‌and next for post-war recovery, bilateral support and humanitarian aid, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ‍on Friday.

AseanPlus News

Hong Kong police searching for mainland Chinese man, 47, missing for 3 days

Force says Ye Zhihui last seen at Tai Au Mun in Tseung Kwan O on Monday

Football

Soccer-Snow, freezing temperatures force cancellation of games in Germany, England

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Saturday's Bundesliga match ‌between St Pauli and RB Leipzig in Hamburg has been postponed due ‌to large amounts of snow and ice blanketing the pitch, while ‌a third-round FA Cup match on Saturday has been postponed due to freezing conditions in the UK.

World

Warsaw summons Hungarian envoy to protest after Budapest grants two Poles asylum

WARSAW, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Polish ‌Foreign Ministry has summoned the Hungarian ambassador after Budapest granted asylum ‌to two as-yet-unidentified Polish citizens, a spokesperson said on Friday, as ‌relations deteriorate between countries once seen as allies.

Other Sports

Rallying-Qatar's Al-Attiyah wins stage six for Dacia, retakes Dakar lead

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah will ‌lead the Dakar Rally into its second and final week after winning the sixth ‌stage in the Saudi Arabian desert on Friday to take over at the top ‌from South African rival Henk Lategan.

Badminton

Aaron-Wooi Yik stand tall as Malaysia's last pair in home Open

BUKIT JALIL: World No. 2 men's doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik lifted the spirits of the national badminton camp by becoming Malaysia's sole representative to reach the semi-finals of the home Open in style.

World

ANALYSIS-Putin sends warning to Ukraine and West with weapon not used since 2024

LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's launch of ‌an Oreshnik hypersonic missile appears aimed at intimidating Ukraine and sending a signal of Russian military might to Europe and the United States at a crucial juncture in talks to end the war.

Nation

Dr Wee pays tribute to late MCA veteran Wang Choon Wing

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has paid tribute to party veteran Wang Choon Wing @ Wong Soon Joong, who passed away.

Technology

Germany plans measures to combat harmful AI image manipulation

BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Germany's justice ‌ministry plans to present measures in the near future that would ‌allow authorities to more effectively combat the use of artificial intelligence to ‌manipulate images in ways that violate personal rights, a spokesperson said on Friday.

Badminton

Still too strong as Korean world No. 1 deny Wei Chong-Kai Wun again

BUKIT JALIL: Men's doubles pair Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun were left disappointed once again after losing again to world No. 1 and Malaysian Open defending champions Kim Won-ho-Seo Seung-jae of South Korea in the quarter-finals on Friday (Jan 9).

Technology

DeepSeek to launch new AI model focused on coding in February, The Information reports

Jan ‌9 (Reuters) - ‌Chinese AI startup ‌DeepSeek is expected to ‍launch ‍its next-generation ‌AI model V4 ‍that ​features ⁠strong coding capabilities ‌in February, ⁠The ‍Information reported ‍on Friday, citing ‌people familiar with the matter.

Football

Soccer-Heavy snowfall forces postponement of St Pauli v Leipzig

BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - ‌Saturday's Bundesliga match between St Pauli ‌and RB Leipzig in Hamburg has ‌been postponed due to large amounts of snow and ice blanketing the pitch, the German Football League (DFL) ‍said on Friday.

Football

Soccer-Tapsoba to miss Bundesliga restart, says Leverkusen coach

BERLIN, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Bayer ‌Leverkusen defender Edmond Tapsoba will miss Saturday's Bundesliga ‌match against visitors VfB Stuttgart despite his return this ‌week from Africa Cup of Nations duty, coach Kasper Hjulmand said on Friday.

Other Sports

Olympics-Meylemans claims second European skeleton title with win in St. Moritz

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Belgium's ‌Kim Meylemans clinched her second European Championship skeleton ‌title in St. Moritz on Friday, as the ‌countdown to next month's Milano Cortina Winter Olympics gathers pace.

Nation

Army graft probe: Gold bars, cash, among items worth RM6.9mil seized

PETALING JAYA: Gold bars, a high-performance sports utility vehicle and cash in various foreign currencies totalling about RM6.9mil were seized following investigations into the cartel allegedly involved in the Army procurement project.

Tennis

Tennis-Swiatek leads Poland to victory over Australia in United Cup quarters

SYDNEY, Jan 9 (Reuters) - ‌Iga Swiatek brushed aside Maya Joint ‌and Katarzyna Kawa and Jan Zielinski won ‌the mixed doubles as Poland beat hosts Australia 2-1 in the United Cup quarter-finals on Friday, setting ‍up a last-four clash with ‍defending champions the ‌United States.

AseanPlus News

Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Friday (Jan 9, 2025)

Here's a look at the news highlights from Asean countries in the Star-AseanPlus section for Friday (Jan 9, 2025.

Thailand

Thailand tightens controls on agricultural burning to curb PM2.5 pollution

The Thai government has tightened controls on agricultural burning as part of broader efforts to tackle PM2.5 pollution, setting a nationwide target to reduce burned farmland by at least 15 per cent.