Commodities

MSPO certification helps Malaysia meet sustainability requirements in FTAs, says MPOB

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification has helped Malaysia meet sustainability requirements increasingly incorporated into free trade agreements (FTAs), according to the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB).

Nation

Border agents seize RM78,180 in undeclared cash at Rantau Panjang ICQS

KOTA BARU: The Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) seized RM78,180 in cash from a 35-year-old local lorry driver at the Rantau Panjang ICQS Complex on Sunday (Jan 11) after he failed to declare the money.

World

European commissioner says U.S. military takeover of Greenland would be end of NATO

SALEN, Sweden, ‌Jan 12 (Reuters) - It ‌would be the end ‌of NATO if the U.S. took Greenland by force ‍and European Union ‍member states ‌are under obligation to come ‍to ​Denmark's assistance if it ⁠was faced with military aggression, ‌the European Commissioner for Defence ⁠and ‍Space said on Monday.

Nation

Kelantan told to postpone travel to southern Thailand following bomb attacks

KOTA BARU: Residents in Kelantan have been advised to postpone travel to southern Thailand following bomb explosions at several petrol stations in the region on Sunday (Jan 11).

Nation

Biker dies in multi-vehicle crash near Ayer Hitam, Johor

KULAI: A motorcyclist was killed after losing control while attempting to overtake a car, causing him to crash into another vehicle before being run over by a four-wheel drive.

Thailand

Thai official links Narathiwat petrol-station bomb attacks to gold heist network

The commander of Thailand's Fourth Army Area said the Jan 11 attacks on 11 petrol stations across three of the country's southern border provinces appear to be linked to the same broader network behind a high-profile gold shop robbery in Sungai Golok, Narathiwat.

Nation

Blast victim an intern scheduled to finish training in three days

KUALA LUMPUR: The man who died in an explosion at a private university here was an intern from another private university undergoing industrial training with an air conditioning maintenance company.

Markets

Teamstar signs underwriting agreement with TA Securities for ACE Market IPO

KUALA LUMPUR: Teamstar Bhd has signed an underwriting agreement with TA Securities Holdings Bhd for its proposed initial public offering (IPO) on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd.

Technology

Duolingo CFO Matt Skaruppa to step down after nearly six years

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Duolingo ‌said on Monday that Chief Financial Officer Matt ‌Skaruppa will step down after nearly six ‌years in the role, marking the departure of a key executive who helped the language-learning app maker go public.

Technology

UK tech minister welcomes Ofcom's investigation into X over Grok sexualised imagery

LONDON, Jan ‌12 (Reuters) - British technology ‌minister Liz Kendall ‌said on Monday she welcomed the media regulator ‍Ofcom's investigation into ‍X over ‌sexualised imagery produced by the ‍Grok ​AI chatbot

Comment

University Malaya leading development of affordable diagnostics and therapeutics for Malaysia and Asean

NEARLY half of the world's population still lacks access to even basic diagnostic tests. Currently, diagnostics account for only a tiny fraction of global health spending despite their central role in clinical decision-making. At the same time, the World Health Organization now treats access to medicines and health products as a core pillar of universal health coverage. This underscores that without affordable solutions, the wider population will never benefit from most medical innovations.

AseanPlus News

South Korean researchers find way to remove nanoplastics from water in 10 minutes

Pusan National University said on Monday (Jan 12) its researchers have developed a water-treatment method that removes microscopic plastic pollution in minutes by drawing the particles together with a magnetic field, offering a potential route to cleaner drinking water and wastewater systems.

Football

Soccer-CAF to investigate post-match violence at Africa Cup of Nations

TANGIERS, Morocco, Jan ‌12 (Reuters) - Violent confrontations at the conclusion of two of the Africa Cup ‌of Nations quarter-finals at the weekend are to be investigated with possible ‌sanctions to be imposed, the Confederation of African Football said.

Nation

Former political aide Sayed Amir demanded RM19mil 'lump sum' bribe, witness tells court

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sessions Court has heard that Sayed Amir Muzzakkir Al Sayed Mohamad demanded a RM19mil 'lump sum' payment from Nexuscorpgroup Sdn Bhd (NSB) after it secured a maintenance and spare parts tender for the police.

Comment

Medical sovereignty: Malaysia should not automatically accept US FDA approvals

Malaysia's National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has been working hard towards achieving WHO's stringent Listed Authority status, leveraging its status as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Regulatory Control of Pharmaceuticals to reach the highest global standards of regulatory practice for approving medical products.

Nation

Sultan Sharafuddin decrees for firm action against LBGT activities in Selangor

PETALING JAYA: Selangor's Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has decreed for firm action to be taken against any activities in the state with lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender (LGBT) elements.

Corporate News

Melati Ehsan redesignates COO to CEO

PETALING JAYA: Melati Ehsan Holdings Bhd has redesignated its chief operating officer, Datuk Cheah Jit Peng, to chief executive officer.

Singapore

Man in Singapore jailed over 23 months for repeatedly hitting wife, flinging her to the ground after disagreement

A father of three young children who hit his wife repeatedly and flung her onto the ground after a disagreement has been sentenced to 23 months and two weeks' jail.

World

Swiss court keeps bar owner in custody after deadly fire, SRF reports

GENEVA, Jan ‌12 (Reuters) - A Swiss court ‌ordered to keep in ‌custody the co-owner of a bar in the upscale ski resort ‍of Crans-Montana after ‍a fire ‌killed 40 people there on New ‍Year's ​Day, Swiss broadcaster SRF reported on ⁠Monday.

Arts

David Bowie's childhood home in London is set to open to the public next year

Heritage of London Trust said the 19th-century railway worker's cottage in Bromley will be restored and open next year