Football

Soccer-Leverkusen hunt second place before winter break in turnaround under Hjulmand

BERLIN, Dec 18 (Reuters) - When Kasper Hjulmand took over as Bayer Leverkusen coach after two Bundesliga matches this season, few would have predicted his team could have a shot at second place by the end of the year with a win over hosts RB Leipzig on Saturday.

South Korea

South Korean president’s remarks open up debate about coverage – in more ways than one

SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's suggestion that the country expand public health insurance coverage for hair loss treatment has sparked a backlash, with critics questioning whether the insurance service's strained funds should be used for conditions that are not life-threatening.

Nation

Dewan Negara passes 13 bills, adjourns sine die

KUALA LUMPUR: The Dewan Negara, which convened from Dec 1, was adjourned sine die on Thursday (Dec 18) after approving 13 bills.

Entertainment

Local actress Uqasha Senrose accuses Kamal Adli of abuse amid divorce case, denies she's crazy

Meanwhile, Kamal firmly denies the abuse allegations and has questioned the authenticity of the photo presented by Uqasha.

Wellness

Are you having problems with your wrists? 

Weakness or pain in the wrist can have a significant impact on our ability to carry out daily activities.

Technology

Accenture beats quarterly revenue estimate on strong demand for AI services

Dec 18 (Reuters) - Accenture beat Wall Street expectations for first-quarter revenue on Thursday, buoyed by robust demand for its artificial intelligence-driven IT services as the company advances its AI strategy to capture greater market share.

Sabah & Sarawak

Warisan's Saifulah still keen on contesting Lamag by-election

SANDAKAN: Saifulah Lokman, Warisan's candidate for Lamag in the 17th Sabah Election, says he remains keen to contest the upcoming Lamag by-election.

Books

Hong Kong comics set to rock Comic Fiesta again

Hong Kong's best comics creators will once again be rocking Comics Fiesta, Malaysia's largest comic exhibition, for the fourth year running.

Boxing

Boxing-Fame and followers to the forefront as Paul faces Joshua

Dec 18 (Reuters) - Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua will bring another year of seismic shifts in boxing to an end in Miami on Friday night in a mismatch that illustrates how much the sport has changed, with online fame now almost as important as punching power. 

World

Taiwan rattled by 5.1 magnitude quake, no immediate reports of damage

TAIPEI, Dec 18 (Reuters) - A 5.1 magnitude earthquake struck 18 km (11 miles) off eastern Taiwan's Hualien city on Thursday, the island's weather administration said, with no immediate reports of damage.

Singapore

Former pre-school teacher in Singapore gets 10 months’ jail for ill-treating two-year-old girl

SINGAPORE: A pre-school teacher, assigned to a nursery class in 2022, lifted a two-year-old girl by her shoulders and placed her on the floor.

Brunei

Employer in Brunei probed for requiring staff to work on rest days

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The Labour Department has launched an investigation into an employer in the Belait District for allegedly requiring employees to work on their designated rest days, following an enforcement operation carried out last week.

Other Sports

Kabaddi heroes clinch maiden SEA Games gold

BANGKOK: The national men's kabaddi team have captured a historic gold in the SEA Games.

Nation

Collision claims lives of father, son in Jeli

JELI: A father and his teenage son were killed when their multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) overturned and fell down a roadside embankment after colliding with another car in Kampung Batu Melintang on Thursday, (Dec 18).

Technology

Trump Media bets on fusion energy with $6 billion TAE deal

Dec 18 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump ‌is getting into the fusion power business through a $6 billion merger of his social media firm and Google-backed TAE Technologies, announced just days after industry leaders met with U.S. Energy ‌Department representatives to urge federal funding. 

Metro News

Selangor MB: Bt Caves village's redevelopment will realign boundaries according to land titles

THE Kampung Indian Settlement in Batu Caves, Selangor, needs to be developed in a more organised manner because some of the houses have been built on road reserves, says Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

Corporate News

Haily secures RM97.99mil construction contract st Setia Tropika, JB

KUALA LUMPUR: Haily Group Bhd's wholly owned subsidiary, Haily Construction Sdn Bhd, has secured a RM97.99 million construction contract from Setia Indah Sdn Bhd.

Technology

Meta's Yann LeCun targets $3.5 billion valuation for new AI startup, FT reports

Dec 18 (Reuters) - Meta's outgoing chief artificial intelligence scientist Yann LeCun is holding early talks to raise 500 million euros ($586.00 million) for a new startup that would value the AI firm at about 3 billion euros ahead of its official launch, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Nation

Almost 2,000 reports lodged over viral animal neglect case, says DVS

PETALING JAYA: A total of 1,920 reports have been received in connection with the deaths of two animals allegedly left inside an abandoned veterinary clinic in Damansara Damai here, says the Veterinary Services Department (DVS).

Technology

UPS company deploys AI to spot fakes amid surge in holiday returns

LOS ANGELES, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Nearly one in every 10 retail items that are returned for a refund in the U.S. is fraudulent, according to a UPS-owned reverse logistics company that says it plans to combat the $76.5 billion problem for the country's retailers with artificial intelligence.