Thailand

Thai Transport Minister orders fresh review of 997bil-baht land bridge study

BANGKOK: Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn has ordered a fresh review of the feasibility work on Thailand's land bridge project—valued at about 997 billion baht—saying the findings need to be clarified again as objections persist.

World

Trump wishes 'best of luck' to Hungary's Orban in election campaign

BUDAPEST, Jan ‌9 (Reuters) - U.S. ‌President Donald Trump wished 'best ‌of luck' to Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, ‍a long-time ‍ally, in ‌his election campaign in a ‍letter ​posted by Orban ⁠on his Facebook page on ‌Friday.

Investment

PMB Investment declares RM2.65mil income distribution for two funds

KUALA LUMPUR: PMB Investment Bhd, the Islamic fund management arm of Pelaburan MARA Bhd, has declared total income distributions of 9.96 sen per unit, amounting to RM2.65mil, for Amanah Saham MARA and PMB Amanah Saham MARA Wholesale Sukuk Fund for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2025.

Entertainment

DiCaprio? Chalamet?: Who will host Nikki Glaser roast at this year's Golden Globes?

Glaser says she is struggling to find a Julia Roberts joke.

Nation

Man pleads guilty to raping 16-year-old girl

SEREMBAN: A 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court here to raping a 16-year-old girl.

Vietnam

Vietnam ensuring equity in access to knowledge through a single textbook set

HANOI: From the 2026–27 school year, Vietnam will move to a single, uniform set of textbooks for general education nationwide, a shift the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) says will cut costs, improve equity and bring greater stability to classrooms from grade 1 to grade 12.

Nation

Early schooling aid to be disbursed earlier from next year, says Fadhlina

PUTRAJAYA: The Education Ministry has expressed its commitment to distribute the Early Schooling Aid (BAP) much earlier, starting next year.

Badminton

Roy King-Arif may just pip pros Sze Fei-Izzuddin for Thomas Cup slot

KUALA LUMPUR: Men's doubles shuttlers Yap Roy King-Wan Arif Wan Junaidi are determined to fight for of a spot in the Thomas Cup Finals from April 24-May 3 in Denmark.

Vietnam

Rare cold spell surprises locals in Ho Chi Minh City

HCM CITY: HCM City experienced unusually cold weather on Friday (Jan 9) morning, as temperatures dropped to around 16–17 degrees Celsius, the lowest level recorded in nearly a decade.

Gadgets

'Worst in Show' CES products include AI refrigerators, AI companions and AI doorbells

The promise of artificial intelligence was front and centre at this year's CES gadget show. But spicing up a simple machine like a refrigerator with unnecessary AI was also a surefire way to win the "Worst in Show".

Arts

'Busana' exhibition unveils the rich textile legacy of the Malay world

Running until April 12, the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia's show celebrates the heritage and cultural significance of Malay traditional attire

Living

Durian growers scent opportunity as Chinese demand spikes

Durian, the world's most controversial fruit, smells somewhere between rotting flesh and old, sweaty clothes. And yet it's currently booming amid a spike in demand from China.

Fashion

Inside the new season: The fashion campaigns shaping what we’ll wear

From K-pop stars in Seoul to Parisian library halls, these newly released campaigns offer a first glimpse at the accessories and silhouettes set to shape the season ahead.

Family

Does excessive screen time affect the older generation?

Study finds spending time online may contribute to better mental health among older people, but warns it is a 'double-edged sword'.

Sabah & Sarawak

Man sentenced to 12 years' jail, three strokes of cane for raping teen

SIBU: A 27-year-old man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison and three strokes of the cane by the Sessions Court after being found guilty of raping a teenage girl.

World

Russia says it fired its Oreshnik hypersonic missile at Ukraine

Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Russian military ‌said it had fired its hypersonic Oreshnik missile at a target in Ukraine in response to what it ‌described as an attempted Ukrainian drone strike on one of President Vladimir Putin's residences last month, which ‌Kyiv has denied.

Sabah & Sarawak

BN told not to be complacent despite sympathy sentiment, says Ahmad Maslan

KINABATANGAN: Barisan Nasional has warned its election machinery against being complacent ahead of the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections, stressing that sympathy for the late incumbent should not be taken for granted.

Markets

Stocks bide time before jobs report, tariff ruling

SINGAPORE: Asian stocks drifted lower and the dollar firmed on Friday ahead of a crucial jobs report, while investors girded for a Supreme Court ruling on the legality of President Donald Trump's sweeping global tariffs that jolted markets last year.

Sabah & Sarawak

Possible sabotage compounding Kinarut's water supply issues, says Armizan

KOTA KINABALU: Sabotage could have caused the severe water disruption in Kinarut and its surrounding areas that has affected thousands of families since December 2025, says Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

Philippines

Devotees in Philippines join massive 'Black Nazarene' procession

MANILA: Hundreds of thousands of Philippine devotees joined an annual procession of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ on Friday (Jan 9), one of the world's largest displays of Catholic faith that this year served as a platform to criticise corrupt officials in the graft-weary nation.