Indonesia

A 5.0-magnitude quake hits south-west of Sumatra

BEIJING: An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 jolted 21 km south-west of Meulaboh, Indonesia at 1629 GMT on Tuesday (Oct 20), the US Geological Survey said.

Thailand

Thailand approves extra funds for flood victims

BANGKOK: Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday (Oct 20) approved an additional 10.51 billion baht (about US$312.4 million) to compensate around 1.48 million households hit by floods since September, alongside relief measures including soft loans and tax breaks.

Singapore

Teen assisting in investigations after attempt to smuggle controlled weapons, ammunition into Singapore

SINGAPORE: A 19-year-old is assisting with police investigations following an attempt to smuggle controlled weapons and ammunition into Singapore on Oct 1.

Nation

Bukit Aman and Singapore police arrest 30 suspects in cross-border crackdown

PETALING JAYA: A joint operation between Bukit Aman and the Singapore Police Force led to the arrest of 30 suspects after a crackdown on cross-border crimes.

AI

China defends DeepSeek after US ban of its AI from government systems

China hit back on Oct 20 at a US ban on the use of Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek's products by federal civilian agencies and warned of retaliatory measures as the two AI powers race to develop the technology.

Nation

AKPS chief thanks public for support after court appearance over KLIA incident

SEPANG: Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency director-general Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain has thanked members of the public for their prayers and messages of support following an incident involving two policemen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1.

Nation

AKPS chief Shuhaily pleads not guilty to assault

SEPANG: Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency director-general Commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain has claimed trial at the Magistrate's Court here for allegedly assaulting two policemen in an incident at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Technology

Australian AI data centre operator NextDC shares shed 44% on revenue delay

SYDNEY Oct ⁠21 (Reuters) - Australian data centre operator NextDC shed nearly half of its market capitalisation on Wednesday after sharply ⁠cutting revenue forecasts for the year ahead and putting future developments on hold, extending the burst ‌of negative sentiment towards global AI stocks.

Vietnam

Vietnam eyes remote work, online classes as air quality worsens

HANOI: Vietnam has proposed new measures to combat severe air pollution, including work-from-home arrangements for government employees and online classes for students when the highest-level red alert is issued, as it braces for another winter of worsening air quality.

Markets

FBM KLCI idles near 1,600 in wait for positive catalysts

KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI made a slow start on Wednesday as the prevailing risk-off environment meant traders were hesitant to capitalise on Wall Street's positive overnight performance

Entertainment

M'sian TVB star Jacquelin Ch'ng opens up about divorce, says ex-husband failed to keep promises

The actress says she and her ex-husband had understood each other better while dating than they did after getting married.

Forex

Ringgit opens higher on strong domestic data

KUALA LUMPUR: The ringgit opened higher against the US dollar on Wednesday, supported by strong domestic economic data that strengthened expectations of a possible normalisation of the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR).

Nation

Thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast for three states, Labuan until 10am

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a warning of thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds across three states and the Federal Territory of Labuan, effective until 10am on Wednesday (Oct 21).

Economy

Japan's September exports rise 16.7%, helped by chip demand

TOKYO: Japan's exports in September rose 16.7% from a year earlier, government data showed on Wednesday, as strong demand for semiconductors and AI-related products offset weakness in other sectors.

Nation

Haze eases as unhealthy areas fall to 22, Bukit Rambai highest at 174

PETALING JAYA: Haze eased with 22 areas recording unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings as of 8am on Wednesday (Oct 21), down from 25 as of 6pm on Tuesday (Oct 20), according to the Air Pollutant Index Management System (APIMS).

Nation

Sixteen MA63 matters resolved, 13 still under discussion, says PM

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 16 matters under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) implementation framework have been resolved, while 13 others remain under discussion, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Nation

Rohingya crisis requires Myanmar to address root causes, says Tok Mat

KUALA LUMPUR: Resolving the Rohingya crisis should not rest solely with Malaysia, as Myanmar must address its root causes to enable the safe and sustainable repatriation of the ethnic minority, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Markets

Dow leads Wall St gains on healthcare boost

The Dow rose 1% on Tuesday, outperforming the benchmark S&P 500 while the healthcare sector provided Wall Street's biggest boost and technology was its biggest drag.

Commodities

Brent slips amid Iran mediation talks

Oil prices settled down after touching a five-month high on Tuesday as traders weighed a meeting between the Iranian president and Pakistan's army chief, a key US-Iran mediator, against continued Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and reports of vessel attacks in the Gulf.

Nation

No AirAsia financial aid deal yet, says ministry

NO agreement or commitment has been made to provide financial support to AirAsia through guarantees, loans or injections of public funds, says the Finance Ministry.