Philippines

Filipino woman worships green statue for four years, finds out it is animated character Shrek

Woman treats green ogre figure with great reverence; says she will continue to worship 'kind-hearted' cartoon statue

Nation

Campus blast: Family claims body of student killed in explosion

KUALA LUMPUR: The family of the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) intern who died in an air-conditioning gas explosion at HELP University in Bukit Damansara on Monday (Jan 12) claimed his remains on Tuesday (Jan 13) for funeral arrangements.

Nation

Organisers cancel controversial glamping programme over safety concerns, death threats

PETALING JAYA: Civil society group Jejaka has cancelled its "Glamping with Pride" programme following what it described as serious and escalating safety concerns.

Singapore

SIA passengers stuck on plane for five hours after flight returns to Hokkaido over technical issue

SINGAPORE: More than 300 Singapore Airlines (SIA) passengers were stuck for several hours on a plane at Hokkaido's New Chitose Airport on Saturday (Jan 10) after the aircraft had to turn back due to a technical issue.

Brunei

Brunei, Singapore mark 50 years of defence ties

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Singapore's Chief of Defence Force, Vice-Admiral (VADM) Aaron Beng, hosted a commemorative dinner with current and former defence leaders from Brunei Darussalam to mark the 50th anniversary of defence relations between the two countries.

Markets

FBM KLCI hits multi-year high, banking stocks lead rally

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI closed above the 1,700-point psychological level on Tuesday, as improving risk appetite and largely positive regional cues lifted sentiment, pushing the benchmark to a multi-year high.

Badminton

Indian Open: Denmark's Gemke denies Zii Jia in first round

PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia's hopes of claiming his first win in 2026 were dashed after he went down to Denmark's Rasmus Gemke in the Indian Open first round.

Cambodia

Report: More than 50% of Cambodia’s imported goods now Chinese

PHNOM PENH: China is increasingly playing a crucial role as a major supplier to Cambodia. In 2025, the value of Chinese imports exceeded US$18 billion, an increase of more than 30% compared to 2024. Imports from China accounted for over 50% of Cambodia's total import expenditure.

AseanPlus News

Hong Kong surveyor’s undeclared role prompts rule review after deadly Tai Po fire

Arrested surveyor's undeclared link to Wang Fuk Court triggers move from the government to tighten potential conflict of interest rules

Vietnam

Regional rivals await fate and are primed for Asean Hyundai Cup draw in Jakarta on Thursday (Jan 15)

Reigning champions Vietnam will discover their 2026 Hyundai Cup Group Stage opponents in Jakarta on Thursday (Jan 15) during the official draw for the tournament takes place.

Singapore

Singapore passport again named world’s most powerful: Henley Passport Index

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans continue to hold the world's most powerful passport, with access to more than 190 destinations without having to obtain a visa before travel.

Asia & Oceania

You can soon fly direct to Busan from KLIA T2

AirAsia X will resume direct flights from KL to Busan, South Korea's second largest city.

Business

China extends tariffs on solar-grade polysilicon imports from US, South Korea

BEIJING: China will maintain anti-dumping tariffs of up to 113.8% on solar-grade polysilicon imported from ‌South Korea and the ⁠U.S. as well as anti-subsidy tariffs ​of up to 2.1% on U.S. imports for another five years, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday.

Nation

Trio freed of drug trafficking charge

SHAH ALAM: Three men have been acquitted and discharged by the High Court here on charges of trafficking more than 96kg of drugs into the country.

Social media

MCMC to take legal action against X over explicit AI photos involving women and minors

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) says it is pursuing legal action against X (formerly Twitter) over the social media platform's failure to address user safety concerns regarding the Grok Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot.

Nation

Dr Akmal to make announcement on status tomorrow, says Zahid

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh will make an announcement on his status Wednesday (Jan 14), says Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka seeks Chinese aid to rebuild after deadly cyclone

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka asked China to help rebuild key infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Ditwah, which killed at least 641 people and caused extensive damage, the island's foreign minister said on Monday (Jan 12).

India

India's Karur stampede: Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam chief Vijay questioned by CBI in Delhi for over six hours

NEW DELHI: Months after the Karur tragedy in Tamil Nadu, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) leader Vijay on Monday (Jan 12) appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at its New Delhi headquarters in connection with the case.

Laos

Laos maps development path to 2030

VIENTIANE: The government has set out a detailed strategy to develop Laos through economic reform, social improvements and environmental protection under its new five-year plan.

Nation

Campus blast: Three victims still hospitalised, says KL chief cop

KUALA LUMPUR: Three of the injured victims from the explosion at HELP University are still being treated at the hospital, says the police.