AI

Study says AI chatbots need to fix suicide response, as family sues over ChatGPT role in boy's death

A study of how three popular artificial intelligence chatbots respond to queries about suicide found that they generally avoid answering questions that pose the highest risk to the user, such as for specific how-to guidance. But they are inconsistent in their replies to less extreme prompts that could still harm people.

Nation

Malaysia, Turkiye ink MOU to boost cooperation between national archival institutions

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Turkiye on Wednesday (Aug 27) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) aimed at strengthening cooperation between their national archival institutions.

Commodities

Oil steady as investors eye Ukraine war, US tariffs on India

NEW DELHI: Oil prices steadied on Wednesday, after falling in the previous session, as the market watched for fresh developments in the Ukraine war and investors weighed hefty new U.S. tariffs on India, the world's third-biggest crude consumer.

Nation

Police: School staff among those quizzed over student's fall from dormitory building

SHAH ALAM: School staff were among those called by police to give statements regarding the case of a Form Three student who fell from a school dormitory building in Sabak Bernam on Tuesday (Aug 26).

Nation

MP calls for independent probe into UTM Palapes cadet’s death

KUALA LUMPUR: An independent and transparent investigation is urgently needed into the death of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Reserve Officers' Training Unit (Palapes) cadet Syamsul Haris Shamsudin, says Klang MP V. Ganabatirau.

Nation

Green jobs to power Malaysia’s future, says Steven Sim

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia's transition to a green economy is already reshaping the labour market, with more than 120,000 related job opportunities recorded since the launch of the MyFutureJobs portal in 2020, says Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.

Movies

'Kpop Demon Hunters' is now Netflix’s most-watched movie of all time

Netflix Inc. said 'KPop Demon Hunters', an animated musical about a fictional female singing group, is now the streaming service's most-watched original film of all time.

Nation

Fella Design Johor gets a farmhouse makeover

Furniture legacy player's latest collection launched in Peninsular South.

Robotics

Cyborg roaches for disaster relief? Singapore team’s 68-second feat says yes

Fast automated system shows the way to mass-produce remote-controlled cyborg roaches for future disaster search missions.

Philippines

Streets of Mindanao city explode in colour, beats at ‘friendship feast’

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: The streets of this capital city of Northern Mindanao exploded in colours and vibrant beats on Tuesday (Aug 26) as 10 contingents took part in a street dancing competition to mark the Higalaay (Friendship) Festival.

Metro News

DBKL pledges cooperation amid graft investigation into senior officer

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will fully cooperate with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in an ongoing investigation into one of its top officials.

Japan

Tokyo logs record 10 days of 35 deg C or more: Weather agency

TOKYO: Tokyo experienced a record 10 consecutive days of temperatures 35 deg C or above, the weather office said on Wednesday (Aug 27).

Nation

Azalina: Legal hurdles must be cleared before live telecast of corruption cases

PUTRAJAYA: The proposal to broadcast live proceedings of high-profile corruption trials must first be examined against existing legal provisions before it can be implemented, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

China

China condemns Vietnam over island-building in South China Sea

BEIJING: China condemned Vietnam over a report it had sped up island-building in an area of the disputed South China Sea that Beijing claims as its own.

Nation

Cross-border e-hailing group urges government action on Singapore enforcement

KUALA LUMPUR: A memorandum has been submitted to the Transport Ministry by a cross-border e-hailing rental association operating between Johor and Singapore.

Corporate News

MDV approves RM122.65mil under national energy transition facility

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Debt Ventures Bhd (MDV) has approved RM122.65 million in financing for six technology-based companies that are undertaking energy transition projects under the National Energy Transition Facility (NETF).

Sabah & Sarawak

Contraband worth RM2.3mil seized in Sibu

SIBU: The Royal Malaysian Customs Department seized smuggled goods worth RM2.3mil, inclusive of duties, in operations here late last month.

World

Taiwan to appoint Kung Ming-hsin as new economy minister, Central News Agency says

TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's government will announce the appointment of Kung Ming-hsin as the new economy minister after his predecessor resigned for health reasons, the island's official Central News Agency said on Wednesday.

Nation

Residensi Hektar project resumes with new contractor, fresh funding, says Nga

KUALA LUMPUR: The stalled Residensi Hektar project has been revived with new funding and will continue under a new main contractor, says Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming.

Nation

Anwar, Sultan of Brunei hold talks at Seri Perdana

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, held discussions in conjunction with the 26th Malaysia-Brunei Annual Leaders' Consultation (ALC). Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who arrived at Seri Perdana at 10.30 am on Wednesday (Aug 27), accompanied by Prince 'Abdul Mateen Bolkiah, was received by Anwar.