PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail will be briefed by Bukit Aman this week on the purported existence of a cult from South Korea believed to be operating in the country. Perlis Mufti Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin had earlier claimed that a deviant cult from South Korea was active in Malaysia. On another matter, Saifuddin Nasution said that police have been told to pay special attention to rising scam cases in the country. ALSO READ: Home Ministry still collecting information on alleged South Korean cult, says Saifuddin"The trend of cheating is increasing. Saifuddin Nasution noted that the police will be further empowered to fight scams with the upcoming launch of NSRC's new headquarters.

Gleaming structures rise over 23m above ground and leaves peek out of several racks in the world’s tallest indoor vertical farm that was unveiled here on Jan 7. With 69 patents behind innovations that help to optimise crop growth and minimise costs, the farm is powered by AI, robotics and automation technologies. The official opening of the farm, which was attended by Singapore President Tharman Shanmu­ga­ratnam, comes at a time when the prospects of some vertical farms, here and globally, have been looking grim. The challenges affecting high-tech vertical farms include high capital and energy costs, supply chain breakdowns following the Covid-19 pandemic, and weakened investor confidence. High energy costs have been hurting the profitability of indoor farms, but Greenphyto managed to leverage its research and development to reduce its energy use by 30%.

Jan 7 (Reuters) - ‌The British government ‌said on Wednesday Prime ‌Minister Keir Starmer spoke with United States President Donald ‍Trump this evening ‍and also ‌set out his position on ‍Greenland. Both ​leaders discussed the joint operation ⁠to intercept the Marinera tanker, ‌recent progress on Ukraine and ⁠the ‍U.S. operation in Venezuela, the statement said. Starmer ‍had earlier said he ‌stood with Denmark in its defence of Greenland, saying no one else should determine the future of the vast ‌territory after Trump said he needed it for ​defence. (Reporting by Preetika Parashuraman in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese)

This is the first phone call between the two presidents since Trump said on Sunday that a U.S. military operation focused on Colombia's government "sounds good" to him. Trump added "arrangements are being made" for a ⁠meeting in Washington between himself and Petro, though he did ‌not indicate when the meeting may take place. Relations between Trump and ‌Petro have been frosty since the Republican returned to the White House. Petro has vocally denounced the ‌Trump administration's strikes across the Pacific and Caribbean, which Washington claims are focused on suspected drug trafficking vessels. The Trump administration has carried out more than 30 strikes against suspected drug boats since ​September, in a campaign that has killed at least 110 people.

RESIDENTS of Kampung Naparan Gadong in Sabah's Beaufort district not only had to contend with rising floodwaters recently, but also an unexpected danger in the form of a crocodile. It was said that a recent sighting of the reptile prompted residents to flee their homes and seek refuge at a temporary relief centre. VERDICT:TRUEBernama reports that thigh-deep floodwaters drew a crocodile into the area, with one resident saying that it attacked two dogs there on Wednesday (Jan 7). Siti Nortinah Tangkim, 33, whose house is near Sungai Padas, told the news agency that the attack on the dogs led her to fear for her children. "So, for our safety, we evacuated here (the Kampung Padas Damit hall)," said the mother of three, who is expecting her fourth child, when met at the relief centre.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8): Oil and gas services company Alam Maritim Resources Bhd (KL:ALAM) has secured a RM29 million contract to provide free-span rectification works for a gas pipeline. The contract, awarded by Vestigo Petroleum Sdn Bhd, covers the 60km Tembikai Non-Associated Gas pipeline offshore Terengganu, according to a bourse filing on Thursday. The rectification works are expected to be completed within six months. Alam Maritim and Vestigo were previously embroiled in a legal battle over unpaid work under a 2019 contract for the Tembikai gas development project. The case came to an end in April last year, after Vestigo agreed to drop its suit challenging a RM52.79 million adjudication award granted to Alam Maritim.

Lawyer Haresh Mahadevan, who represents Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 31, said the petition was filed on Monday at the High Court here. “Although the appellant was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglect, the Sessions Court convicted the appellant on the basis of failure to provide reasonable supervision. “This, in fact, constitutes a separate offence under Section 33, which carries different elements and punishment. “Therefore, the appellant was convicted of an offence for which she was never charged,” he said when contacted by the media, Bernama reported. Zayn Rayyan was reported missing in Damansara Damai on Dec 5, 2023, and was found dead the next day.

Sounds are heard with our ears, while looking for things, we use our eyes for. Verdict:TRUEStudies have found that loud noises can indeed affect how we see things. A study by Jamal Williams and his colleagues at UC San Diego investigated whether naturalistic sounds can influence how ambiguous objects are perceived. a cat's meow) while an ambiguous object was slowly revealed (e.g. When asked to recreate the observed ambiguous object using a slider, participants were significantly biased to produce an object more similar to the sound-congruent category (i.e.

BEIJING (Jan 8): China's industry ministry said on Thursday it had urged battery manufacturers to optimise industry capacity and mitigate risks of overcapacity. Energy storage system integrators Beijing HyperStrong Technology, Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric and Trina Solar — also a top solar manufacturer — also attended, according to the report. The industry ministry said it convened the meeting along with the state planner and energy and market regulators. Demand for energy storage batteries has surged as a result of the construction of data centres around the world. The industry has blindly built out manufacturing capacity, the ministry said, echoing criticism of the solar sector where ballooning capacity led to sinking prices and industry-wide losses.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8): Sunway Bhd (KL:SUNWAY) said on Thursday that its unit has proposed a sukuk wakalah programme of up to RM10 billion to fund working capital and refinancing of borrowings. Sunway Treasury Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sunway City Sdn Bhd, which is in turn wholly-owned by Sunway, has lodged the required documents with the Securities Commission Malaysia for the sukuk programme, according to a bourse filing. The sukuk programme has a perpetual tenure, while each issuance will carry a tenure of more than one year, to be determined prior to issuance. Proceeds from the sukuk will be used for capital expenditure, investments, general corporate purposes, working capital requirements, refinancing existing shariah-compliant or conventional borrowings, covering programme-related fees, and providing inter-company advances within the Sunway Group. Last month, another Sunway unit, Sunway Cochrane Sdn Bhd, proposed a sukuk wakalah programme of up to RM2 billion to support working capital and expansion plans.

Malaysian actor and heartthrob Zizan Nin has addressed recent social media chatter regarding his changed appearance, stating that he embraces ageing gracefully. Some users compared his current look to that of the late Jaafar On, while others jokingly likened him to a Tamil film hero or an "uncle" from India. In a post on the social media platform Threads, Zizan addressed the critiques directly. One user, @Tini_zubir, commented: “This look is fine … I always thought Zizan Nin was the macho type, but it turns out he’s really relaxed.”Another follower, @yang.06, wrote: “Ageing is a privilege, not a flaw. He has been single since his divorce in 2016 from newsreader Fazilah Hani Harun, whom he married in March 2010.

PETALING JAYA: Former Army chief Jen Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan has been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over graft allegations. Also arrested were his two wives after they presented themselves at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya yesterday to have their statements recorded in an ongoing probe involving military contract tenders. Another couple was also arrested earlier in the day over the same probe and remanded for seven days. Muhammad Hafizuddeain and his two wives will be brought to the Putrajaya courthouse today for remand. MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki, when contacted last night, confirmed the arrests.

KUALA LUMPUR: Mixed doubles shuttlers Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei overcame teammates Hoo Pang Ron-Cheng Su Yin to book their spot in the Malaysian Open quarter-finals. Tang Jie-Ee Wei were behind 16-20 in the second game but banked on their experience to claw their way back to come away with a 21-13, 23-21 win in 41 minutes at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil on Thursday (Jan 8). 8 Tang Chun Man-Tse Ying Suet next for a place in the last four. Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei celebrate after winning their second round match. - IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The StarIt was all over though for independent pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie after they went down 9-21, 17-21 to Americans Presley Smith-Jennie Gai.

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI fell in morning trading as investors took profit from financials after a weak showing by Wall Street's large-cap banks overnight. In energy-related plays, Tenaga Nasional, PETRONAS Gas and PETRONAS Chemicals were also targets of selling. Of actively traded stocks, Zetrix AI rose 1.5 sen to 83 sen, Tanco gained two sen to RM1.22 and MMAG was flat at 7.5 sen. Elsewhere in the region, traders were also cashing out of financial stocks. China's blue-chip CSI300 lost 0.59% as financial stocks were routed on prfit-taking activities.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 8): Proton Holdings Bhd said a fire broke out at a body and paint (B&P) dealership facility operated by Proton Salient Progress in Sungai Buloh on Wednesday evening, but no injuries or loss of life were reported. In a statement on Thursday, the national carmaker said the incident occurred at about 5pm on Jan 7 at the dealer’s B&P facility in Kampung Baru Sungai Buloh. The Salient Progress Kepong 4S showroom is not affected by the incident and continues to operate as usual. Proton said the cause of the fire and the extent of damage are still under investigation by the relevant authorities. It added that there is currently no indication that the incident was caused by any product-related issue.