In contrast, snark communities centre on gossiping about the lives of celebrities. While criticism of influencers exists on every social media platform, snark communities often arise on Reddit as there are few other alternatives for discussion-oriented communities to form at scale. Some snark communities also form around specific individuals. Even niche creators on TikTok and YouTube can have their own dedicated snark communities. For snark communities, anything – and everything -– is fodder.

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is giving government enforcement officers one week to decide if they are ready to take on greater responsibility in the fight against corruption or they can request for a change in duties. The Prime Minister said it was unacceptable that enforcement officers still tolerate wrongdoing such as smuggling, bribing and gangsterism. "So I am giving one week… I will respect you if you choose lower responsibilities or positions. Anwar said it is important for all relevant enforcement agencies and departments to work as a team and ensure that the nation's borders are protected from smuggling. Anwar said it is unacceptable for enforcement officers to be so to be so accepting of wrongdoing.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd-backed Moonshot AI released an upgrade of its flagship model, heating up a domestic arms race ahead of an expected rollout by Chinese sensation DeepSeek. The model, known as K2.5, joins a flurry of upgrades rolled out over the past month, reflecting a rush by China’s biggest AI players to get in ahead of the next unveiling by DeepSeek, which has teased a major release in recent weeks. That comes after recent initial public offerings by Chinese AI rivals Zhipu and MiniMax Group Inc. collectively raised more than US$1bil (RM3.95bil) in Hong Kong. The next day, its fintech affiliate Ant Group Co. announced a spatial perception model for robots developed by Robbyant, a subsidiary. Moonshot was founded by former Tsinghua University professor Yang Zhilin, who had earlier stints working on AI projects at Meta Platforms Inc and Google.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 28): IGB Real Estate Investment Trust (KL:IGBREIT) and its sister trust, IGB Commercial REIT (KL:IGBCR) posted stronger net property income (NPI) for the fourth quarter (4Q), driven by higher rental income. IGB Commercial REIT declared a distribution of 95% of its distributable income, amounting to RM26.4 million or 1.10 sen per unit. IGB Commercial REIT’s full-year NPI grew 17.5% to RM153.32 million from RM130.53 million, as revenue rose 12.5% to RM259.87 million from RM230.99 million. Meanwhile, IGB Commercial REIT said its performance continues to be supported by effective leasing strategies, with portfolio occupancy at 92% during the quarter. AskEdge data shows IGB REIT has the highest price to earnings ratio among its peers at 29.5 times, followed by Pavilion REIT (KL:PAVREIT) at 20.8 times and IGB Commercial REIT coming in at 15.8 multiples.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 28): The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested five more individuals to assist in investigations into the companies believed to be linked to the appointment of a crony company involving a senior Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) officer. According to sources, those detained comprised company directors, managers and business owners believed to have links to a crony company of a senior RMN officer that had secured projects at the Lumut navy base. "The court allowed one of them to be remanded for three days until Jan 30, while four others were remanded until Jan 29,” he said. According to sources, the MACC Intelligence Division, through "Op Layar", also sealed two hotels owned by the senior officer, estimated to be worth RM2 million. Previously, the MACC arrested a company director and a senior RMN officer on suspicion of corruption related to the recommendation and appointment of a crony company to obtain quotation work at the officer’s workplace.

KUALA LUMPUR: Penang nurse Nur Deena Nadzhiefa has been praised by an MP for embodying the qualities of a true Malaysian. Nur Deena recently received recognition from the Health Ministry for her empathetic care of a senior citizen that recently went viral. ALSO READ: Nurse receives Health Ministry recognition for viral act of kindness in Penang hospital"She did not want the patient to have difficulties with the food," Rayer said. Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said it was a serious matter involving the service of a nurse. Rayer then said the Opposition MPs should be proud of Nur Deena's act and emulate it.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry has assured that all citizenship applications received this year will be decided within one year. It added that between 2022 and 2025, the ministry had assessed and decided on 52,444 applications, including backlogged cases. “Of this total, 34,423 applications were approved, while 18,021 applications were rejected. These decisions encompass applications submitted under various provisions of Part III of the Federal Constitution, including Article 15A, Article 15(2), Article 19, and Article 30,” it said. As at Dec 31 last year, there were 3,738 citizenship applications remaining for which a decision had yet to be made.

(Jan 28): Kia Corp said US tariffs cost it 3.3 trillion won (RM9 billion) last year and the South Korean automaker will roll out incentives to boost sales as competition intensifies. Tariffs totalled about one trillion won in the fourth quarter alone, Kia said Wednesday (Jan 28), driving a 32% slump in operating profit from a year earlier to 1.8 trillion won. That missed analyst estimates for 1.9 trillion won and came despite the company reporting its highest-ever fourth-quarter revenue on strong demand for electric and hybrid cars. It’s previously been said tariffs had caused a 1.8 trillion won hit in the third quarter. In the US, the new Telluride hybrid sports utility vehicle and Seltos compact SUV are expected to spur 5% sales growth, Kim said.

JOHOR BARU: A joint operation conducted by the Johor Immigration Department and the police led to the arrest of 64 undocumented immigrants, including 55 women of various nationalities. “This joint operation is carried out firmly and without compromise to address the presence of illegal immigrants, the misuse of Immigration passes and violations of existing laws. Mohd Rusdi said a total of 64 individuals were detained for various Immigration offences. Also arrested were 17 Thai women, 33 Indonesian women, three Chinese women and two Ugandan women. Mohd Rusdi added that the department would not tolerate activities that violate Immigration laws and will continue to mount operations to curb such offences.

KUALA LUMPUR: Children must not be detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma), says the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam). Its chief children’s commissioner Dr Farah Nini Dusuki has called for the immediate repeal of any Sosma provisions allowing the detention of minors without trial. “This overriding safeguard was disregarded, resulting in a clear violation of the child’s rights,” she said. Farah Nini said Suhakam is deeply concerned that the child was denied the safeguard provided under Section 13(2)(a) and (b) of Sosma. “As the Act permits detention without trial, it is fundamentally incompatible with child rights standards and any provision allowing for the detention of children under Sosma should be repealed in its entirety,” she said.

(Jan 28): China has resumed purchases of Canadian canola, an early sign of a revival in the trade after the nations reached a deal this month to mend ties. Crushers in the country have booked cargoes of Canadian rapeseed, known locally as canola, for loading in the next few months, according to people with knowledge of the shipments. Importers also booked some canola meal for loading between April and June, said other people involved in the deals. Beijing has not confirmed the specific level but verified it would adjust its measures on Canadian canola and other agricultural products, including canola meal. With the tariff cuts, crushing a tonne of Canadian canola would generate more than US$40 (RM156.70) in profit, according to the traders.

(Jan 28): Nidec Corp delayed the release of its quarterly results and pledged to overhaul the company’s growth-at-all-costs culture in the wake of an accounting scandal that’s seen its debt rating cut to junk and put it at risk of delisting. The company said on Wednesday it hasn’t determined when it will release third-quarter (3Q) results and it’s also unclear if past accounts will need to be corrected. Details of that pressure-cooker culture were revealed in an almost 80-page document also released on Wednesday and submitted to the Tokyo Stock Exchange to address their concerns about Nidec’s management. “We recognised that these issues are not isolated incidents but are vital themes across the entire Nidec Group,” the company said. The crisis has also seen the Tokyo Stock Exchange warn that it may delist Nidec if the company can’t show that it’s improved its internal management system.

SEOUL: A South Korean court will pass judgement Wednesday (Jan 28) in the case of former first lady Kim Keon Hee, with prosecutors demanding a 15-year prison term over alleged stock fraud and corruption. Prosecutor Min Joong-ki also said South Korea's institutions were "severely undermined by abuses of power" committed by Kim. The former first lady has denied all the charges, claiming the allegations were "deeply unjust" in her final testimony last month. Yoon vetoed three opposition-backed bills to investigate allegations against Kim, including the Dior bag case, with the last veto in November 2024. A Seoul court will additionally sentence top lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, also accused of taking bribes from the sect, on Wednesday.

Taiwan's air force scrambles on an almost daily basis to monitor and warn off Chinese aircraft which routinely fly around the island. An AIM-7 Sparrow Launcher at an annual military exercise ahead of the Lunar New Year in Chiayi, Taiwan on Jan 28. Pilot Shih Shun-de said it was important to let people know just how fast the air force can react. "The scramble drill lets the public see the results of the air force's realistic, combat-oriented training," he said. The repeated scrambling to see off China's air force also gives real-life experience for Taiwan's fighter pilots in terms of seeing China's air force and tactics up close.

KUALA LUMPUR: The people of Kedah support Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s bid to claim Penang, says a Perikatan Nasional MP. This is in line with the law," Langkawi MP Datuk Suhaimi Abdullah said when debating the motion of thanks on the Royal Address on Wednesday (Jan 28). "Even the Chief Minister of Penang (Chow Kon Yeow) said we will meet in court. During his debate on Tuesday (Jan 27), Chow (PH-Batu Kawan) had said that Kedah’s claim to Penang was akin to the one made over Sabah by the so-called Sulu heirs. He said Sanusi’s challenge to Penang's sovereignty was unconstitutional and the state boundaries had already been determined through the Kedah and Penang (Alteration of Boundaries) Act 1985.