Singapore

Nine to be charged over alleged sexual exploitation of minors

SINGAPORE: Eight men and one woman have been arrested for their suspected involvement in the sexual exploitation of two minors, police said.

Indonesia

Mixed-marriage families urge priority in Indonesia's dual citizenship plan

JAKARTA: The government's proposal to grant dual citizenship only to adults with expertise needed by the state has drawn criticism from mixed-marriage advocates, who say it lacks clear eligibility criteria and unfairly overlooks children with stronger legal claims under Indonesia's citizenship law.

Thailand

Rescued wild elephant calf in critical condition after being found alone in Kanchanaburi

KANCHANABURI: A very young male wild elephant calf was found alone, weak and stranded on a riverbank in Sai Yok district, Kanchanaburi, after being separated from its herd.

Nation

Selangor DVS assures thorough, fair probe into Rocky’s death

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has assured that its investigation into the death of a dog during a stray dog-catching operation in Taman Teluk Gedung Indah, Port Klang, will be conducted thoroughly, fairly and without prejudice to any party.

Nation

Saleswoman loses nearly RM300,000 to investment scam

KUALA TERENGGANU: A women's clothing saleswoman lost RM290,910 after falling victim to an investment scam syndicate.

Nation

Barisan victory a mandate to serve rakyat with integrity, says Zambry

PETALING JAYA: Barisan Nasional's victory in Negri Sembilan is not just a form of recognition but a mandate to serve the rakyat with integrity and sincerity, says its secretary-general Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.

Internet

Google rolls back new satellite image AI tool after backlash

Google rolled back on July 31 a new feature allowing Google Earth users to generate AI visualisations on top of the service's satellite imagery, following a furious backlash from researchers and open-source intelligence experts about the potential for disinformation.

Social media

The breakup loop: Why the TikTok algorithm may keep you heartbroken

As social media companies face scrutiny over addictive design features, mental health experts cite a stream of breakup content as an example of the failure to protect users.

Nation

Barisan biggest winner in Negri state polls, says EC chairman

SEREMBAN: Barisan Nasional emerged as the biggest winner in the 16th Negri Sembilan state election after securing 18 of the 36 seats contested, while Pakatan Harapan won 11 seats and Perikatan Nasional took seven, according to the Election Commission (EC).

Sri Lanka

Easter bombing judgment

A court sentenced a former police chief and a former top Defence Ministry official to death after finding them guilty of criminal negligence that allowed Islamic State-inspired bomb attacks on Easter Sunday in 2019, which killed more than 260 people.

Nation

Pilot’s alleged drug run probed

PETALING JAYA: Bukit Aman is combing through CCTV footage and other leads to determine how a Malaysian pilot had allegedly smuggled out drugs before being caught in Indonesia, says Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan.

Nation

Loke and Aminuddin beaten

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan's heavyweights Anthony Loke and Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun are among the biggest casualties in the Negri Sembilan polls.

Nation

Zahid: New govt to be built on Barisan-Perikatan understanding

PETALING JAYA: The new Negri Sembilan government will be built on an understanding between Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional, while upholding the mandate given by the people, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Singapore

Govt takes possession of Lee Kuan Yew’s historic residence

THE city-state's founding father's home is now in possession of the government, officials said, ending a close-to-decade-long family dispute over the property.

India

Hostile Modi clips trigger probe

Police in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad have registered a case against the head of Meta India, Arun Srinivas, over multiple videos posted on the company's Facebook platform that depicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an "abusive manner", a senior police officer said.

India

Modi forgives protesters who abused him

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he wanted to "forgive" protesters who abused him during recent youth-led demonstrations that dealt a rare political setback to his government.

Nation

Five held, RM1.9mil duty-unpaid liquor seized

PETALING JAYA: More than RM1.9mil worth of duty-unpaid liquor was seized as police busted a smuggling and distribution syndicate during raids in Puchong and Klang, Selangor, arresting five suspects.

Indonesia

Prabowo willing to go to North Korea to open talks

President Prabowo Subianto said that South Korean President Lee Jae-myung asked him whether he could visit North Korea to open dialogue, adding that he would go.

Nation

Stunning comeback for MCA

PETALING JAYA: The MCA staged a dramatic return to Negri Sembilan by winning two of the seven seats it contested in the polls with first-time election candidate John Siow Kong Choon ousting DAP secretary-general and Transport Minister Anthony Loke in Chennah.

South Korea

BTS reignites debate over Grammy categories

BTS' ann­ouncement that the group would not submit its music for consideration for next year's Grammy Awards has reignited debate over whether music should be judged beyond region and language – or whether race- and region-based award ­categories promote diversity or undermine the principle of ­evaluating music on its artistic merits.