KOTA KINABALU: A dog that was believed to have got its head stuck inside a tyre rim while chasing rats or sniffing around was finally freed after hours of distress. Owner Charles Teo said he discovered his dog, Bento, trapped inside the rim and struggling to breathe at about 5.15am on Monday (Jan 19). Bento became increasingly stressed and weak over the next few hours, prompting his owners to turn to social media for help. Help eventually arrived after a representative from the Civil Defence Department saw Teo’s social media post and offered assistance. “Initially, Bento was aggressive, but after some persuasion and with the patience of the Civil Defence officers, he calmed down,” Teo said.

(Jan 19): Tencent Holdings Ltd, Fidelity International Ltd and Temasek Holdings Pte are planning to invest in the Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) of Chinese snack retailer Busy Ming Group Co, according to people familiar with the matter. Busy Ming is planning to start taking investor orders as soon as Tuesday, they said. Representatives for Busy Ming, Tencent and Fidelity didn’t respond to requests seeking comment. Busy Ming’s IPO comes as Hong Kong heads towards a record January for first-time share sales, with companies seeking to list before the Lunar New Year holiday in February. Busy Ming traces its roots back to 2016.

SEOUL, Jan 19 (Reuters) - ‌South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Italian ‌Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed on Monday ‌to expand cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, chips and critical minerals, according to the Blue House. Meloni is ‍visiting South Korea for summit talks ‍with Lee. Italy is one of South Korea's four largest trading partners in the European Union, the Blue House said. Meloni, who is on an Asian tour also taking in Japan and Oman, is on the ‌first state visit by an Italian leader to South Korea in 19 years, it said. The Italian Prime Minister renewed ​expectations that Lee may pay a state visit to Italy this year.

(Jan 19): Inflation accelerated in Canada by more than expected as a federal tax holiday at the end of 2024 pushed yearly price comparisons higher, offsetting falling gasoline costs. Headline inflation quickened to 2.4% in December, Statistics Canada data showed on Monday. That was above the median projection in a Bloomberg survey of economists, who were expecting yearly price pressures to stay at 2.2%. On a monthly basis, the consumer price index fell 0.2%, missing economists’ expectations for a 0.3% decrease. The breadth of inflationary pressures widened, with about 46% of items in the consumer price index rising above a 3% yearly pace, from 44% previous.

In addition, some instant coffee products may contain additives, preservatives or artificial flavouring agents that are prohibited in certain countries or regions. There is a possibility that instant coffee may contain higher levels of acrylamide compared to freshly ground coffee. One of the first steps the public should take is to carefully select the instant coffee products they intend to consume. Hence, consumers are encouraged to consider sugar-free options, as some brands offer sugar-free or low-sugar instant coffee mixes for those seeking healthier alternatives. It is important for consumers to carefully check the ingredient lists of instant coffee.

(Jan 19): France is seeking to convene a meeting of Group of Seven (G7) finance chiefs as soon Wednesday to discuss US President Donald Trump’s threat to hit allies with additional tariffs for opposing his bid to annex Greenland. “The meeting is obviously to review the G7 agenda, but also to have a frank discussion with all G7 members including the US concerning this regrettable situation,” Lescure said speaking to journalists ahead of a meeting with euro-area peers in Brussels. France has held the rotating presidency of the G7 since the start of January, but so far given little indication of its priorities. Last week, the US called ministers from G7 countries and a handful of others to Washington to discuss how to counter China’s dominance in rare earths. The meeting of finance ministers this week would take place by video conference, a French official said.

(Jan 19): The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is building a venue using blockchain technology to allow for trading tokenised stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) around the clock. The company is looking to launch the new digital trading platform later this year, pending regulatory approval. Round-the-clock accessNYSE’s main competitor in the US, Nasdaq, asked regulators in September to let investors trade tokenised versions of stocks on its public exchange. NSYE already outlined its path to extend trading hours on its Arca equities venue, with plans to offer trading 22 hours on weekdays. NYSE’s new digital venue could be another push towards non-stop trading, and help bridge the gap between traditional markets and digital finance.

But is the government really distributing RM300 in Sara aid through Touch 'n Go? Verdict:FALSEThe claim that the public will receive a one-off Sara payment of RM300 through Touch 'n Go is false, according to fact-checking website MyCheck.my. The actual amount of the one-off Sara payment that Malaysian citizens aged 18 and above will receive is RM100, not RM300. Kelantan Police issued a warning regarding the RM300 Sara aid SMS in a post uploaded on the Kelantan Police Contingent Facebook page on Jan 7. The government provides an official portal to check Sara aid eligibility at sara.gov.my, whether for the one-off Sara payment for citizens aged 18 and above or monthly Sara for the poor.

KINABATANGAN (Jan 19): Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Lamag state by-election, Mohd Ismail Ayob, said close cooperation between the state and parliamentary elected representatives from the government would be key to resolving basic infrastructure issues faced by residents in the Lamag constituency. “That is why voters should support the BN candidate for the Kinabatangan parliamentary seat, Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar,” he said during a community programme with Lamag constituents in Kampung Sungai Lokan here on Monday. Mohd Ismail also gave the assurance that efforts to provide a clean water supply to villagers, who currently rely on rainwater harvesting, would be realised within the next five years. The Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election is a three-cornered contest involving Mohd Kurniawan Naim, Warisan candidate Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman and an independent candidate Goldam Hamid. Meanwhile, the Lamag state by-election will be a straight fight between Mohd Ismail and Mazliwati Abdul Malek, of Warisan.

KUALA LUMPUR: National Service Training Programme (PLKN) recruits are expected to increase to around 100,000 a year with the addition of higher education institutions (IPT) being used for training. Defence Ministry Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said at a press conference at a housing project key handover ceremony on Monday (Jan 19) that the target was to have around 25,000 recruits at camps and the remaining 75,000 at various IPTs. "For the IPT they will start this year, especially at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris and at other polytechnics involving 6,000 recruits. "So this year the total is around 10,000 but next year it will increase to around 100,000. So we are looking at a minimum of 100,000 recruits with around 25,000 being trained at the territorial army camps," he said.

Hong Kong martial arts actor Bruce Leung Choi-sang has died at the age of 77. In the letter, dated Jan 14, Leung used a film metaphor to bid his final goodbye. The actor joined showbiz the 1970s and was known for his roles in The Dragon Lives Again (1977), Magnificent Bodyguards (1978) and Kung Fu Hustle (2004). In 1975, Leung married Hong Kong singer Irene Ryder and had a daughter with her. In 1995, Leung married a Chinese woman named Song Xiang, with whom he had two children, who are said to be skilled in martial arts.

KUALA BERANG: A cake factory worker lost RM166,000 after falling victim to an online investment scam recently. Hulu Terengganu OCPD Supt Sharudin Abdul Wahab said the 43-year-old woman met a man on the Litmatch app on Jan 15. He said the suspect persuaded her to join an investment scheme he claimed could yield quick and high returns. "Convinced, she sold her jewellery and inherited property and also withdrew her savings before making 16 online transactions worth RM166,000 into several bank accounts as instructed," he said in a statement on Monday (Jan 19). Sharudin said the woman, however, realised she had been deceived when the suspect refused to return her investment capital and the profits she made.

PETALING JAYA: A tricky path once again awaits former Asian champion Lee Zii Jia as he faces world No. Prannoy is no stranger to Zii Jia, having dashed the Malaysian’s hopes in the battle for a semi-final spot at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago. However, Zii Jia could take confidence from his recent rise in the world rankings ahead of their clash. Zii Jia, who has only recently recovered from a back injury, has set his sights on breaking into the world’s top 20 by the end of the year. Zii Jia will also be joined by Leong Jun Hao and Justin Hoh, with both eager to secure wins in the opening round.

1 Viktor Axelsen experienced, describing the major achievements he enjoys today as the result of a breakthrough in his career 10 years ago. He capped the year by winning the Super Series Finals (now known as the World Tour Finals) in Dubai, his first Super Series title, defeating Tian Houwei in the final. "Before that victory, I had already reached six Super Series finals and lost every single one of them. My confidence grew, and from that point on I started winning more and more tournaments,” recalled Axelsen, looking back on a decade of memories. At the moment, Axelsen has yet to compete in any tournament this year as he continues to recover from a back injury.

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