Compiled by OON JUN-YANG, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHANIt took 10 hours and careful manoeuvring before a baby elephant that fell into a well in India could be rescued, Malaysia Nanban reported. Upon investigation, they found that a calf had fallen into the plantation’s deep well and three adult elephants were trying to rescue it. Forestry officials tried to rescue the calf but were kept at a distance by the adult elephants. The officials then decided to demolish part of the well’s wall for the elephant to climb out. As the heavy machinery was brought in, the adult elephants began showing aggression and started chasing the rescuers.

With the rise of childhood obesity worldwide, understanding what insulin resistance is and what can be done about it is essential. Identifying and managing insulin resistance early can change a child’s health trajectory for the rest of their life. In insulin resistance, the body’s cells, especially muscle, fat and liver cells, don’t respond normally to insulin. In adolescents, insulin resistance exists on a spectrum, from mild to associated metabolic problems. Furthermore, certain ethnic groups including South Asian, Hispanic and African American populations statistically show a higher predisposition to insulin resistance at lower weights.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Election Commission (EC) is engaging with political parties as it studies proposals to improve voting access for Malaysians living overseas, including the possible introduction of an e-voting system ahead of the next general election, says Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) said based on input received from the (EC), the Commission is currently examining all matters related to efforts to improve the management of overseas postal voting, including both short-term and long-term solutions. Malaysians living overseas are currently allowed to vote through the overseas postal voting system, which is administered by the (EC). Eligible voters include Malaysians residing, working or studying abroad, as well as civil servants and students posted overseas. Under the existing system, overseas voters must register in advance and submit their ballots by post, either through Malaysian diplomatic missions or by international mail, within a specified timeframe.

Investors said Stripe was worth US$107 billion in a deal last year. Terms of the latest tender offer could change, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. Stripe recently acquired two companies to bolster its efforts to weave stablecoins into its core payments business. Last year, Stripe cut about 300 employees, or about 3.5% of its workforce, as part of what the company described as a restructuring. Stripe has said it plans to keep hiring and grow its headcount despite the layoffs.

Artists uses 12,000 matchsticks to create zodiac masterpiecesGEORGE TOWN: Galloping into the Year of the Horse, artist Jason Min’s latest body of work moves beyond conventional Chinese brush painting. Taking centre stage are three embossed horse artworks, painstakingly constructed from about 12,000 matchsticks. Meanwhile, greeting visitors at the gallery entrance is a 2m-tall prancing horse crafted from recycled cardboard and papier-mache. “My aim is to promote Chinese culture and usher in the festive celebrations through my passion for art,” he said. “I just want to explore different ways of expressing and sharing joy through art for the public to see and appreciate, without any intention of profit.

“We noticed some extra 20 to 25% of customers spending the RM100 Sara aid. Thumbs up: A customer using his MyKad to redeem the RM100 Sara aid. The number of products eligible to be purchased using Sara credit is now 140,000,” it said. With an allocation of RM2.2bil, more than 22 million adult Malaysian MyKad holders can benefit from the RM100 Sara aid, which is valid for use until Dec 31. The Communications Ministry has announced that the MyKasih Foundation has upgraded its system, including bandwidth capacity, to ensure the Sara programme runs smoothly.

Visit Johor 2026 officially kicked off last month. Using Kuala Lumpur as the starting point, a car ride takes a little more than four hours to Johor Baru. You can look forward to returning events like the Johor International Outdoor Festival, Amazing Tangkak Festival, and Ombak Festival – a music and culture festival in Desaru Coast. There are also extreme sport events making a return this year, like the Viper Challenge Johor and Gunung Arong Challenge. Island hopping is possible in the Mersing district, which usually includes islands like Pulau Rawa, Pulau Tengah and Pulau Besar.

“However, parking fees were suddenly imposed in January 2024. Lim: Decision to impose parking fees is to address disorder and reduce congestion. Lee also objected to the implementation of parking fees along Jalan Selingsing in Taman City, which is a residential area. “The number of parking bays allocated by the condominium’s management to each owner was already fixed when we bought our units. DBKL encouraged residents parking in the commercial area to obtain the RM140 monthly parking pass, which is 56% cheaper than the hourly parking rate.

(Feb 10): President Donald Trump’s trade wars are contributing to UK inflation as China raises prices on exports to Britain to recover the cost of US tariffs, Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann said. It has lowered prices to retain a presence in what continues to be a vital export market, Mann argued. “Prices going into the US market have fallen and prices going into other markets have increased,” she said, citing evidence in the trade data. Her comments contradict assumptions made shortly after Trump launched his trade war in April last year. Mann said the BOE has embedded the assumption that the US trade war with China is pushing up UK prices in its latest forecast, which shows import prices adding to inflation.

Crypto and fintech firms now rely on partner banks for access and compliance infrastructure like anti-money laundering monitoring. The “skinny account” proposal would let stablecoin issuers like Circle Internet Group Inc. and payment firms like Stripe Inc. bypass that intermediation. “The provision of payment accounts by the Fed is very likely to be implemented despite any comments to the contrary,” Better Markets CEO Dennis Kelleher wrote. The new payment account shouldn’t be used as a stepping stone to a master account, which should require a separate application, the banking trade group said. Offering payment account holders access to FedACH would be subject to the development of controls to prevent overdraft, Circle wrote in its letter.

He was in the midst of pursuing his case before the US Supreme Court. By ending the case in this way, the justices won’t rule on the merits of Bannon’s challenge to his conviction. Although Bannon served his sentence in 2024, his case remained open as he appealed the jury’s guilty verdict. He lost before a federal appeals court in Washington and filed a petition in October with the Supreme Court. The case is US v. Bannon, 21-cr-00670, US District Court, District of Columbia.

(Feb 10) : Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said initial optimism that lifted crypto markets after President Donald Trump was elected may now be fading amid a selloff that has rattled the asset class. “Some of the euphoria that came into the crypto world with the current administration, some of that’s kind of fading,” Waller said Monday in La Jolla, California, during a conference hosted by the Global Interdependence Center. The Fed governor said ups and downs are common in the crypto market, and recent volatility could be driven by regulatory uncertainty and risk-management moves by larger financial firms. Waller’s comments underscore how crypto markets are becoming increasingly entangled with the broader financial system. Last week’s sharp drop in Bitcoin to US$60,033 — its lowest since October 2024 — triggered the biggest spike in volatility since the 2022 collapse of cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

“When markets sell off like certain areas in tech have, there’s often knee-jerk rallies,” said Sameer Samana at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. The team led by Michael Wilson said revenue growth expectations for the biggest tech stocks have reached “multi-decade highs,” while valuations have declined after recent market volatility. We maintain our June 2026 and December 2026 S&P 500 price targets of 7,300 and 7,700.”The gauge closed at 6,964.82 Monday. He noted that an area like consumer staples that has done so well this year is quite “overbought” while non-software tech stocks remain “very crowded” not only with institutional investors but retail as well. “We’re watching whether early-year price pressures will be contained after strong core inflation in January,” said BlackRock Investment Institute strategists.

KUALA LUMPUR: There are no plans to roll out or expand the Automated Rapid Transit (ART) system in Putrajaya after its projected 10-year cost of RM211.95mil was deemed too high, the Dewan Rakyat was told. "Preliminary studies found that the estimated cost of implementing the ART system, including infrastructure development, systems, operations and maintenance, was very high at RM211.95mil over a 10-year period. Zaliha had asked the government to provide the latest status and the official operational date for the Automated Rapid Transit (ART) system in Putrajaya, given that a pilot phase had previously been conducted. Lo however, said PPJ remains open to considering future public transport planning needs, subject to financial capability and funding approvals, particularly to support a 70:30 public transport modal share target, 70% public transport usage and 30% private vehicles. It also implemented centralised traffic management through the Putrajaya Control Centre (PCC) and integrated new public transport initiatives, such as Demand Responsive Transit (DRT), implemented in stages to ease congestion, alongside the preparation of the Transport Masterplan Study and Action Plan 2050.

She said the one-off Sara assistance received by her and her husband helps cover part of their overall Chinese New Year expenses, which usually reach around RM500. "I found out about the one-off Sara aid for all Malaysians in early February. "Therefore, RM200 from the Sara aid was used to buy essential items as preparation. "The Sara aid for all is good news. He added that the disbursement of the Sara aid was timely as most supermarkets are offering promotional discounts, enabling families to buy more necessities.