Huizinga, who will ‍compete in the 5,000m and team pursuit at the Milano ‍Speed Skating Stadium when racing begins ‌on Saturday, recognises the high standard of competition in the distance event. "It is a bit frustrating ‍that ​other speed skaters are performing so well," Huizinga said. In the team pursuit, the 28-year-old remains cautiously optimistic. He won bronze in the team pursuit at the 2025 World Single Distances Championships in Hamar and also secured bronze in the team pursuit at the 2024 European Championships in Heerenveen. As he settles into his ‌first Olympics, Huizinga says he is embracing the atmosphere.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 6): The Financial Market Ombudsman Service (FMOS) has received 3,253 complaints, with 2,268 disputes successfully resolved through mediation and adjudication since it began operations on Jan 17, 2025. The Ministry of Finance (MOF) disclosed this in a written reply to the Dewan Rakyat, which was published on the Parliament’s website on Thursday. The ministry was responding to a question from Chong Chieng Jen (PH-Stampin) on the legal authority of FMOS and how it is funded. “The government takes note of this and wishes to stress that it is committed to ensuring FMOS operates in a transparent, fair, and effective manner to protect consumer rights. The MOF also said that the majority of board members and adjudicators are independent and have no interests in the financial industry, in order to ensure the integrity and transparency of the dispute resolution process.

Ye’s wife, Bianca Censori, repeatedly “tried to get out of” their widely polarising marriage before he entered rehab in recent months, according to a new report. The Yeezy architectural designer “had been very unhappy in their marriage for a while and tried to get out a number of times,” an insider told People. Censori and the Heartless rapper – once known as Kanye West but now legally known as Ye – wed on the heels of his November 2022 divorce from Kim Kardashian. The New York Daily News has reached out to a rep for Censori for comment. Despite Ye then releasing a song seemingly confirming his split from Censori, multiple sightings appeared to show that they had reconciled.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 5): Berjaya Corp Bhd (KL:BJCORP) has announced the redesignation of its joint chief executive officer (CEO) Nerine Tan Sheik Ping, to CEO, effective immediately. In a bourse filing, the group also announced its joint-CEO Vivienne Cheng Chi Fan has retired. Berjaya True Ascend is the private vehicle of Chee Yioun and the stake was acquired via a direct business transaction last Friday (Jan 30). Based on back-of-the-envelope calculations, the shares in the Berjaya Corp were purchased at about 27 sen apiece, which would require Chee Yioun to fork out RM98.28 million. Following the stake acquisition, Chee Yioun has upped his stake in Berjaya Corp to 27.106% — up from 20.864% previously — with a direct stake of 8.469% and an indirect stake of 18.637%.

BERLIN, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Firefighters ‌are responding to a large blaze that broke ‌out at a leading accelerator facility for research purposes ‌in the south-western German city of Darmstadt on Thursday morning, according to police. The fire has been brought under control but extinguishing work is expected ‍to continue until the evening, police told ‍Reuters. According to the Hessenschau news outlet, the ⁠fire broke out in the area where the ‌institute's particle accelerator is located. Pictures of the GSI Helmhotz Centre in Darmstadt showed huge, billowing clouds of smoke pouring out ‍of the building. It operates an accelerator facility for heavy ions, which are ions of especially heavy atoms such as gold or lead.

PETALING JAYA: A car driver lost control of his vehicle after falling asleep at the wheel before crashing into the wall of a school here. Luckily, no injuries were reported in the incident that occurred early Thursday (Feb 5) morning. Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Asst Comm Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa, in a statement Thursday, said that the incident occurred at around 1.50am along Jalan Kampung Pasir. “Preliminary investigations found that the incident occurred when the driver, who is in his 40s, was believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel leading to the vehicle losing control and crashing into the stone wall of the school. The driver has since presented himself to the police to lodge a report and provide further statements,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: A businessman has been sentenced to two years' jail and a RM300,000 fine for illegally possessing a framed tiger skin. It read that judge Mohd Zaki Mohd Salleh ordered the fine to be paid, the bail raised and Ng's passport to be withheld. The framed tiger skin was seized in August 2022 following a public tip-off. In delivering his sentence, judge Zaki acknowledged the importance of the government policy to protect wildlife including tigers. Tigers are heavily targeted by poaching and trafficking worldwide, with Malaysia estimating its population of wild tigers to be less than 150 individuals.

KUALA LUMPUR: Heavy goods vehicles will be barred from roads during specific periods before and after the Chinese New Year celebrations, says the Road Transport Department (JPJ). Its director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said the bans will be on Feb 14 and 15, and Feb 21 and 22. All road users are also advised to adhere to traffic laws, ensure their vehicles are in safe working order, alongside planning their journeys in advance," he said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 5). An 8am to 8pm ban will apply to container lorries transporting goods as well as vehicles transporting electronic items or chemical produce from ports or airports to industrial areas within the same state, and vice versa. The ban also applies to lorries transporting palm oil produce, rubber and more.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued an advisory on Tropical Storm Penha, which is moving west at 25kmh, about 1,065km northeast of Kinabatangan, Sabah. MetMalaysia said the storm has recorded maximum wind speeds of 65kmh but has so far posed no significant impact on Malaysia. It added that as of 5pm on Thursday (Feb 5), the storm was located at 8.6°N latitude and 127.4°E longitude, roughly 250km northeast of Davao, Philippines.

KUALA LUMPUR: Nearly 4,700 sports associations and clubs in Malaysia were recorded as inactive or facing problems between 2020 and 2025, says Mordi Bimol (pic). Some of these organisations faced governance-related issues, including breaches of their constitutions and violations of the Sports Development Act 1997, he said. “To strengthen sports bodies, a governance enhancement programme has been implemented, focusing on guidance and training to improve management efficiency,” Mordi told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Feb 5). Onn also raised concerns over the declining influence of youth organisations, saying many were struggling to engage Gen-Z members, and asked what steps the government was taking to revitalise them as platforms for youth advocacy. Mordi said RM2.5mil was allocated last year to support 431 youth organisations under the Youth Development and Rakan Muda Assistance Fund, adding that the allocation would continue this year.

BANGKOK: Heir to a construction fortune and hobbyist jet pilot Anutin Charnvirakul is widely expected to remain Thailand's prime minister after this weekend's general election, regardless of the result. "I came into office with a majority in the parliament," Anutin told AFP on the campaign trail in Bangkok. But no overall majority is forecast, and analysts expect Anutin to emerge from the post-election negotiations at the head of a new coalition. His father was acting prime minister during a 2008 political crisis and went on to spend three years as interior minister. Three months after taking office, and before a late December ceasefire, Anutin dissolved parliament and called the election.

(Feb 5): German factory orders unexpectedly rose at the fastest pace in two years, supporting expectations of a recovery in the key manufacturing sector. Even without large-scale orders, the gauge would have improved 0.9%, the statistics office said on Thursday. Domestic demand was primarily responsible for the jump in factory orders, the Economy Ministry said in a statement. German industrial production numbers are due on Friday, with economists predicting a slight decline of 0.3%. Both industrial and factory production fell from a month earlier as aeronautical manufacturing slumped, statistics office Insee said.

PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles player Lee Jan Jireh has turned down an offer from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) to return to the national squad. In a post on his social media, Jan Jireh expressed his appreciation for the invitation but said he was more comfortable pursuing his career independently. "This wasn't an easy decision, but I want to keep growing, learning, and giving my absolute best every single day," said Jan Jireh. Despite choosing the professional path, Jan Jireh remains committed to supporting his fellow national players and contributing to Malaysia’s success on the international stage. "National team or not, I hope we can all keep pushing each other, inspiring one another, and making our country proud," he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have submitted investigation papers to the Attorney General's Chambers (AGC) on the 171 local men detained in a raid on a "men only" wellness centre in the city's Chow Kit area last year, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. The Home Minister said the probe was made under several provisions of the law. ALSO READ: 'Men only' spa raid: 171 get off scot-free after court rejects remand bid in 'victimless' case"Investigations were conducted under Section 373 of the Penal Code for trafficking in persons for the purpose of prostitution; Section 5(2) of the Film Censorship Act 2002 for possessing or distributing obscene material without approval from the Film Censorship Board; Sections 377B/511 and 377D of the Penal Code for attempted carnal intercourse against the order of nature or attempted commission of an offence; as well as Sections 269 and 270 of the Penal Code for negligent and malicious acts likely to spread dangerous diseases," he said in a parliamentary written reply dated Wednesday (Feb 5). Saifuddin Nasution said the investigation papers were referred to the AGC on Dec 17 and that police are awaiting further instructions. Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN-Kota Baru) had asked the Home Minister to state the government’s next steps regarding the 171 local men who were detained in November and later released without any prosecution because of insufficient evidence.

Singapore Exchange reported its highest half-year profit on Thursday since going public in 2000, aided by strong trading volumes across all its business segments, and flagged robust stock market activity alongside a growing IPO pipeline. The company's net revenue from fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) increased 12.5% to S$178.9 million ($140.61 million), accounting for nearly 25.7% of total revenue. The city-state's bourse operator has seen a steady rise in foreign exchange and commodity derivatives volumes, reflecting the volatility in iron ore and currency markets. Singapore Exchange reported an adjusted net profit of S$357.1 million for the six-month period ended December 31, up from S$320.1 million a year earlier. SGX declared an interim quarterly dividend of 11 Singapore cents per share, higher than 9 Singapore cents declared last year.