BALIK Pulau durian farmers take immense pride in the varieties grown for generations in Penang. They include the Ang Hae (Red Prawn), Hor Lor, Ang Bak and XO varieties of the fruit. In order to avoid disappointment and paying a premium price for sub-par fruit, Southwest District Agriculture Department officer Mat Suaid Sapiyin advised durian lovers to learn to recognise the physical traits rather than trusting a seller’s claims. “Do not to be swayed by irresponsible traders or middlemen when buying the fruit. He said it could be a long-term solution for surplus durian.

Illegal banners and bunting, strung on lamp posts, trees and road dividers without approval, have become a common eyesore marring the capital’s image and cluttering public spaces. Jane: Tourists form impressions within minutes of arrival, and the clutter of illegal banners shows weak enforcement. “Littering is a civic crime and so is illegal signage,” said Anand. Senior tourist guide Jane Rai warned that visitors often form impressions within minutes of arrival and the clutter of illegal banners showed weak enforcement. A former co-chair of DBKL’s Illegal Advertisement Taskforce, Pardip highlighted that illegal ads ranked among the top three concerns for foreign investors.

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KINABATANGAN: Police have issued a total of 128 permits for ceramah or political talks and campaign activities for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and Lamag state by-elections as of Monday (Jan 19). Kinabatangan OCPD Supt Ravi Duraisamy said the permits were issued to the candidates from Barisan Nasional (BN), Parti Warisan (Warisan) and an independent candidate, contesting in the two by-elections which were called following the death of the incumbent, Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, 66. "To date, no applications for permits have been rejected and all parties are adhering to the guidelines that have been issued," he told reporters here. Ravi said police had so far received one complaint during the campaign period, which has been referred to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Election Commission (EC). "I would also like to remind all the candidates, their agents, and supporters to comply with the standard operating procedures issued by the authorities.

Tributes are pouring in for Hong Kong martial arts star Bruce Leung, who passed away on Jan 14 at the age of 77. Chow's post was accompanied by a photo of the late actor striking a classic martial arts pose. Photo: Stephen Chow/InstagramMeanwhile, action legend Jackie Chan revealed on Weibo that he was shocked to hear of Leung's passing. In my memory, he has always been a true kung fu master, skilled in traditional martial arts," Chan, 71, wrote. On X (formerly Twitter) one user commented: "Bruce was a legendary Hong Kong martial arts actor whose powerful screen presence shaped a generation.

At the recent Google Cloud Export Summit in Beijing, Oppo outlined its strategic roadmap, made possible through its collaboration with Google Cloud, focusing on “Memory Symbiosis” and “Privacy Protection,” to guide the industry toward a native and fully intelligent future. To improve information retrieval, Oppo and Google Cloud have also enhanced AI Search with improved natural language understanding, allowing users to search across apps seamlessly using everyday language. To deliver cloud computing power with privacy, Oppo introduced Private Computing Cloud (PCC) architecture, a secure cloud extension of the AIOS. The PCC is a globally distributed, end-to-cloud collaborative system that deeply leverages Confidential Computing by Google Cloud, enabling data usability without visibility. Its work with Google Cloud exemplifies this commitment, uniting developers worldwide to break down app barriers and build a seamless, cross scenario intelligent service network.

KOTA BARU: The General Operations Force has arrested 15 illegal immigrants from Myanmar in a raid on Jalan Pasir Mas Salor, Kampung Kota, here. He said police raided a house along Jalan Pasir Mas Salor and arrested the foreign nationals, comprising 13 men and two women aged from 19 to 37. "All failed to produce valid travel documents," he said in a statement on Monday. Ahmad Radzi said the foreigners were referred to the Kota Baru police headquarters Criminal Investigation Division for further action and the case was being investigated under Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63. He also called on the public to provide information to the authorities on any smuggling activities in their respective areas.

(Jan 19): Three U.S. Catholic archbishops on Monday decried the direction of American foreign policy, saying the country's "moral role in confronting evil around the world" was in question and that military action must only be used as an extreme last resort. Leo, the first U.S. pope, has previously criticized some of U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, in particular on immigration. Citing recent developments in Venezuela, Russia's war in Ukraine and the threats against Greenland by the Trump administration, the archbishops said rights of nations to self-determination appeared "fragile". "The events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace," the clerics said. Saying that the U.S. needs a "genuinely moral foreign policy," the archbishops renounced "war as an instrument for narrow national interests" and said that "military action must be seen only as a last resort in extreme situations, not a normal instrument of national policy."

A NEW site for the Dewi Sri Pathrakaliamman Temple has been prepared as part of plans linked to the development of Masjid Madani and the temple’s relocation, said Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh. She said the mosque project and the relocation process are being carried out in an orderly manner, based on the law and with consideration for interfaith harmony. She said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (Dbkl) approved all building plans for the temple on Sept 17, 2025. "Approval to construct on the land was issued by the Federal Territories Kuala Lumpur Land Working Committee on Jan 14," she added. Yeoh also thanked the role of former minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa and former Kuala Lumpur mayor Sharif in securing the new site.

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit edged higher against the US dollar at Monday’s close and was mixed against its ASEAN peers, supported by signs of Malaysia’s economic resilience after advance gross domestic product expanded a stronger-than-expected 5.7 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2025. At 6 pm, the local currency inched up to 4.0520/0570 against the greenback from 4.0555/0605 at last Friday’s close. "This is particularly as Bank Negara Malaysia’s Monetary Policy Committee decision on Thursday will be closely watched,” he told Bernama. "Markets remain uneasy over the (US President) Trump administration’s economic policies, especially its continued use of import tariffs to pursue policy objectives,” he added. It declined against the Singapore dollar to 3.1521/1562 from 3.1479/1521 and slid versus the Thai baht to 12.9623/9845 from 12.9115/9332.

KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (PETRONAS) has appointed Mohd Jukris Abdul Wahab as chief operating officer (COO) with effect from Feb 1, 2026. In a brief statement today, the global energy company said the appointment was in line with its pursuit of transformation ambitions amid a dynamic global energy environment. "Mohd Jukris’ appointment as COO is concurrent with his role as executive vice president and chief executive officer of upstream at PETRONAS,” it added.

It left 122 people injured, with 48 still in ‍hospital and 12 in intensive care, according to emergency services. Firefighters later rescued her sister from the train and took ‍her to hospital, where she is in intensive care. Outside the ‌crash site, sirens echoed through the night as emergency vehicles flooded the narrow roads. Residents of Adamuz said the whole town mobilised, bringing water, blankets and food to help the stranded passengers. (Reporting by Nina Lopez, Michael Gore, Leonardo Benassatto, Susana Vera, writing by Jesus Calero, editing by Andrei Khalip and Sharon Singleton)

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The combination of the region's ongoing economic importance, developing financial markets and regulatory environment is creating opportunities in derivatives, as the global market shifts its focus eastward. Growth in derivatives trading in the Asia-Pacific region is being driven in part by its rising middle-income group. Embrace derivatives mktsThe ongoing development of China's derivatives market is a significant highlight in the Asia-Pacific derivatives sector. The provisions aim to enhance the regulation of program trading, standardize its development and maintain order in futures trading. Looking aheadAsia's growing importance on the global economic stage looks set to drive significant growth in its derivatives market.

THE proposed amendments to the Federal Capital Act (FCA) 1960 are being reviewed following calls by Kuala Lumpur MPs to have a bigger say in the capital's planning and management. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh said this would be carried out by the Federal Territories Department. In November 2025, seven Kuala Lumpur MPs headed by Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad submitted a Private Member's Bill seeking to amend the FCA to introduce greater democratic oversight in the capital's management. PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said that DBKL's advisory board, which was provided for under the existing Act, had played a limited role. This, she noted, led to poorly regulated developments in the capital and violations involving DBKL's city planning guideline, namely the Kuala Lumpur Local Plan.