Compiled by RAHIMY RAHIM, TAN SIN CHOW AND R.ARAVINTANA Form One student in Perak received a new laptop from the Prime Minister to help with his studies, Makkal Osai reported. The boy, Sanjeevan from Tambun, received the laptop from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s ­senior special officer Datuk Suresh Kumar Ramachan­dran at the constituency service centre. The student’s mother Nandini said he has been ill since he was two years old and depends on a device to breathe normally. Suresh Kumar also provided the family with a device to help the boy breathe. > The Tamil community in Malaysia will not accept efforts to turn the Ponggal celebration into a Hindu religious event, Makkal Osai reported an NGO as saying.

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Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka gestures to the crowd after losing to USA's Taylor Fritz in their men's singles match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24.--AFP PICMELBOURNE: Stan Wawrinka reflected on an "amazing journey" as the 40-year-old said a heroic final farewell to the Australian Open on Saturday in a battling third-round loss to Taylor Fritz. On Thursday Wawrinka became the first player aged 40 or over to reach the men's third round at a Slam since Ken Rosewall at the Australian Open in 1978. Wawrinka defied his veteran status to make a fast start in the second set and forge a 3-0 lead. Wawrinka saved two break points to go 5-2 up and broke Fritz to pocket the second set in 33 minutes. Wawrinka, now ranked 139, peaked at world number three in 2014, winning the French Open a year later and the US Open in 2016.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic celebrates victory over Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp after their men's singles match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24.--AFP PICMELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic escaped the heat and doused Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) at the Australian Open on Saturday to reach the fourth round and add another line in the record book during his bid for a standalone 25th Grand Slam title. With his 102nd match victory at Melbourne, the evergreen Serb equalled six-times champion Roger Federer's record at the year's first major and also became the first player to secure 400 wins at the Grand Slams. He endured minor turbulence following that point, but had no trouble taking full flight again as he broke in the opening game of the second set when a deflated Van de Zandschulp fired his backhand long. Djokovic briefly lost his cool while up 4-2, striking a ball that flew close to a ball kid stationed near the net. Though the Serb avoided a code violation, the incident triggered memories of his 2020 U.S. Open default for striking a line judge.

- AFP FILEPICBEIJING: China said on Saturday the senior vice chairman of its powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) and another high-ranking official were under investigation for suspected "serious violations of discipline", a common euphemism for corruption. "Following a review... it has been decided to initiate an investigation into Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli," the defence ministry said in a statement. Zhang Youxia, 75, is China's highest-ranked general as the more senior CMC vice chairman. Rumours of a probe swirled this week after Zhang Youxia and Liu appeared to miss an official meeting chaired by Xi and attended by second-ranked CMC vice chairman Zhang Shengmin. They were He Weidong, the former second-ranked CMC vice chairman, and Miao Hua, the former head of the military's political work department.

The Muda Agriculture Development Authority (Mada) has assured that water levels in its main reservoirs remain sufficient to support irrigation for the second season of this year’s padi planting, despite the prolonged hot and dry weather. - Pic courtesy of MADAALOR STAR: The Muda Agriculture Development Authority (Mada) has assured that water levels in its main reservoirs remain sufficient to support irrigation for the second season of this year's padi planting, despite the prolonged hot and dry weather. Mada said records as of Jan 23 showed that storage levels at its three major dams — Pedu, Muda, and Ahning — remained at satisfactory levels to sustain padi cultivation across the Muda irrigation area. Muda Dam stood at 89.304 million cubic metres, or 72,400 acre-feet (57.92 per cent), while Ahning Dam registered 171.854 million cubic metres, equivalent to 139,324 acre-feet (62.48 per cent). "Mada will continue to closely monitor dam levels and implement scheduled and prudent water distribution management to ensure the sustainability of padi production and safeguard the welfare of farmers," it added.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 24): Barisan Nasional is leading in the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election by a majority of 4,777 votes, says Umno secretary general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki. BN is also ahead in the Lamag by-election by a majority of 538 votes, he said.

The Perak government has warned that strict action will be taken against business operators found selling single-use plastic bags once the ban comes into effect on March 1. - NSTP file picIPOH: The Perak government has warned that strict action will be taken against business operators found selling single-use plastic bags once the ban comes into effect on March 1. "Once the directive is finalised, traders will be prohibited from selling single-use plastic bags. This is a crucial step to ensure environmental sustainability and curb plastic pollution," he said when announcing the ban at Aeon Big Falim today. He said that the full ban across Perak, initially scheduled for January, had been postponed to March 1 to give the public more time to prepare.

BUTTERWORTH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today reminded all parties not to continue the cartel practices that burden the people through excessive price hikes across various sectors, including defence, healthcare, and construction. Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said the existence of cartels not only puts pressure on the public but also causes wastage of government funds, hindering efforts to improve public facilities and essential services. The prime minister highlighted the need for integrity in the national defence sector, stressing that procurement management must remain free from cartel influence. He also cautioned against using isolated incidents as a justification for penalising the entire Armed Forces or security forces. The prime minister reiterated that the integrity and credibility of the security forces must be upheld, as they are vital to national stability and investor confidence in Malaysia's economic outlook.

Poland's Iga Swiatek hits a shot against Russia's Anna Kalinskaya during their women's singles match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24.--AFP PICMELBOURNE: World number two Iga Swiatek was given an almighty scare by Russian Anna Kalinskaya before earning a 6-1 1-6 6-1 victory on Saturday and advancing to the Australian Open fourth round. Swiatek recovered well from her shaky second set to seal the win in one hour and 44 minutes, as she continued to build momentum in her hunt for a career Grand Slam. But a role reversal in the second set saw six-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek drop serve three times as Kalinskaya controlled proceedings, capitalising on a number of errors off the Pole's racket. Swiatek took a medical timeout between the second and third sets before returning with a vengeance, winning five straight games to stamp out Kalinskaya's resistance. Swiatek next faces Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, who progressed to the fourth round after her third-round opponent Naomi Osaka, twice Australian Open champion, pulled out of the Grand Slam due to an abdominal injury.--REUTERS

Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei hit a return during their mixed doubles semi-final against China's Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin at the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta on Saturday. 2 Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin 21-17, 21-12 in just 33 minutes, booking their place in the final at the Istora Senayan. The victory echoed their Paris triumph, where Tang Jie-Ee Wei bounced back from a difficult spell to stun the same pair and claim Malaysia's first mixed doubles world title. After a slow start to the season, Tang Jie-Ee Wei once again rose to the occasion, asserting control early and never allowing Zhen Bang-Ya Xin to settle into the match. Aside from a few close exchanges early on, Tang Jie-Ee Wei were in complete control, dictating the pace and keeping Zhen Bang-Ya Xin at arm's length throughout the match.

(Jan 24): China's Communist Party has decided to open an investigation into senior military officials Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, China's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday. Zhang is a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), while Liu is chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department, according to the ministry. He is one of two vice-chairmen of the CMC, China's supreme armed forces command organisation. He had served under Xi and alongside Zhang on the Central Military Commission. The crackdown is slowing procurement of advanced weaponry and hitting the revenues of some of China's largest military firms.

Japan's Naomi Osaka speaks during a press conference after winning her women's singles match against Romania's Sorana Cirstea on day five of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 22.--AFP PICMELBOURNES: Two-time champion Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Australian Open injured ahead of her third-round clash on Saturday, saying "it breaks my heart." The Japanese superstar made the announcement on Instagram just hours before she was due to meet Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis on centre court in Melbourne. The four-time major champion, who won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, left a huge mark on the tournament. "Thanks for all the love and support," Osaka added in her Instagram message. "And thank you to my whole team for always having my back and the tournament organisers for being so kind."

Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka reacts after a point against USA's Taylor Fritz during their men's singles match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24.--AFP PICMELBOURNE: Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka bowed out of his final Australian Open on Saturday, the three-times Grand Slam winner losing 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 6-4 to American Taylor Fritz and soaking up warm applause as a much-loved former champion. The 40-year-old, who made his Grand Slam breakthrough in Melbourne by winning the 2014 title before adding trophies at the French Open and the U.S. Open in subsequent years, had announced that 2026 would be his farewell season. After battling past Laslo Djere in his opener and edging a five-set marathon against a much-younger Arthur Gea in the last round, Wawrinka mounted another valiant effort but ran out of gas against Fritz on John Cain Arena. Wawrinka shrugged off losing a tight opening set tiebreak and cruised through the next, only to surrender the third set before taking a medical timeout, after which he struggled at times to keep up the pressure. Ninth seed Fritz edged in front in the fourth set and there was no stopping the 28-year-old, who withstood a barrage of late backhand missiles from Wawrinka to book a clash with Italian Lorenzo Musetti for a place in the quarter-finals.--REUTERS

(Jan 24): Several European airlines have suspended flights to and over countries in the Middle East as tensions between the US and Iran raise concerns of wider disruption across the Persian Gulf. Air France cancelled flights between Paris and Dubai on Friday and Saturday, temporarily suspending service to the emirate “due to the current situation in the Middle East”, the airline said in a statement. KLM also halted flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia and Tel Aviv until further notice. Several European and American carriers had paused operations to Gulf countries in June, before Iran fired missiles at a base in Qatar. The missile strikes forced Qatar and surrounding countries to close their airspace, causing widespread disruption for international airlines.