The Perak government has warned that strict action will be taken against business operators found selling single-use plastic bags once the ban comes into effect on March 1. - NSTP file picIPOH: The Perak government has warned that strict action will be taken against business operators found selling single-use plastic bags once the ban comes into effect on March 1. "Once the directive is finalised, traders will be prohibited from selling single-use plastic bags. This is a crucial step to ensure environmental sustainability and curb plastic pollution," he said when announcing the ban at Aeon Big Falim today. He said that the full ban across Perak, initially scheduled for January, had been postponed to March 1 to give the public more time to prepare.

BUTTERWORTH: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today reminded all parties not to continue the cartel practices that burden the people through excessive price hikes across various sectors, including defence, healthcare, and construction. Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said the existence of cartels not only puts pressure on the public but also causes wastage of government funds, hindering efforts to improve public facilities and essential services. The prime minister highlighted the need for integrity in the national defence sector, stressing that procurement management must remain free from cartel influence. He also cautioned against using isolated incidents as a justification for penalising the entire Armed Forces or security forces. The prime minister reiterated that the integrity and credibility of the security forces must be upheld, as they are vital to national stability and investor confidence in Malaysia's economic outlook.

Poland's Iga Swiatek hits a shot against Russia's Anna Kalinskaya during their women's singles match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24.--AFP PICMELBOURNE: World number two Iga Swiatek was given an almighty scare by Russian Anna Kalinskaya before earning a 6-1 1-6 6-1 victory on Saturday and advancing to the Australian Open fourth round. Swiatek recovered well from her shaky second set to seal the win in one hour and 44 minutes, as she continued to build momentum in her hunt for a career Grand Slam. But a role reversal in the second set saw six-times Grand Slam champion Swiatek drop serve three times as Kalinskaya controlled proceedings, capitalising on a number of errors off the Pole's racket. Swiatek took a medical timeout between the second and third sets before returning with a vengeance, winning five straight games to stamp out Kalinskaya's resistance. Swiatek next faces Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis, who progressed to the fourth round after her third-round opponent Naomi Osaka, twice Australian Open champion, pulled out of the Grand Slam due to an abdominal injury.--REUTERS

Malaysia’s Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei hit a return during their mixed doubles semi-final against China's Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin at the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta on Saturday. 2 Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin 21-17, 21-12 in just 33 minutes, booking their place in the final at the Istora Senayan. The victory echoed their Paris triumph, where Tang Jie-Ee Wei bounced back from a difficult spell to stun the same pair and claim Malaysia's first mixed doubles world title. After a slow start to the season, Tang Jie-Ee Wei once again rose to the occasion, asserting control early and never allowing Zhen Bang-Ya Xin to settle into the match. Aside from a few close exchanges early on, Tang Jie-Ee Wei were in complete control, dictating the pace and keeping Zhen Bang-Ya Xin at arm's length throughout the match.

(Jan 24): China's Communist Party has decided to open an investigation into senior military officials Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli for suspected serious violations of discipline and law, China's Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday. Zhang is a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), while Liu is chief of staff of the CMC Joint Staff Department, according to the ministry. He is one of two vice-chairmen of the CMC, China's supreme armed forces command organisation. He had served under Xi and alongside Zhang on the Central Military Commission. The crackdown is slowing procurement of advanced weaponry and hitting the revenues of some of China's largest military firms.

Japan's Naomi Osaka speaks during a press conference after winning her women's singles match against Romania's Sorana Cirstea on day five of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 22.--AFP PICMELBOURNES: Two-time champion Naomi Osaka pulled out of the Australian Open injured ahead of her third-round clash on Saturday, saying "it breaks my heart." The Japanese superstar made the announcement on Instagram just hours before she was due to meet Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis on centre court in Melbourne. The four-time major champion, who won the Australian Open in 2019 and 2021, left a huge mark on the tournament. "Thanks for all the love and support," Osaka added in her Instagram message. "And thank you to my whole team for always having my back and the tournament organisers for being so kind."

Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka reacts after a point against USA's Taylor Fritz during their men's singles match on day seven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 24.--AFP PICMELBOURNE: Swiss veteran Stan Wawrinka bowed out of his final Australian Open on Saturday, the three-times Grand Slam winner losing 7-6(5) 2-6 6-4 6-4 to American Taylor Fritz and soaking up warm applause as a much-loved former champion. The 40-year-old, who made his Grand Slam breakthrough in Melbourne by winning the 2014 title before adding trophies at the French Open and the U.S. Open in subsequent years, had announced that 2026 would be his farewell season. After battling past Laslo Djere in his opener and edging a five-set marathon against a much-younger Arthur Gea in the last round, Wawrinka mounted another valiant effort but ran out of gas against Fritz on John Cain Arena. Wawrinka shrugged off losing a tight opening set tiebreak and cruised through the next, only to surrender the third set before taking a medical timeout, after which he struggled at times to keep up the pressure. Ninth seed Fritz edged in front in the fourth set and there was no stopping the 28-year-old, who withstood a barrage of late backhand missiles from Wawrinka to book a clash with Italian Lorenzo Musetti for a place in the quarter-finals.--REUTERS

(Jan 24): Several European airlines have suspended flights to and over countries in the Middle East as tensions between the US and Iran raise concerns of wider disruption across the Persian Gulf. Air France cancelled flights between Paris and Dubai on Friday and Saturday, temporarily suspending service to the emirate “due to the current situation in the Middle East”, the airline said in a statement. KLM also halted flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia and Tel Aviv until further notice. Several European and American carriers had paused operations to Gulf countries in June, before Iran fired missiles at a base in Qatar. The missile strikes forced Qatar and surrounding countries to close their airspace, causing widespread disruption for international airlines.

Penang plans to install 5,000 CCTVs across the state, including 1,000 in Seberang Perai, by October to enhance public safety. - NSTP file picBUKIT MERTAJAM: Penang plans to install 5,000 CCTVs across the state, including 1,000 in Seberang Perai, by October to enhance public safety. Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the initiative aligned with the use of smart technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) to create a safer and more responsive urban environment. In terms of technology and infrastructure, Space is built on fibre optic networks as its system backbone and is equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to monitor vehicle movements. So far, 11 hotspots have been identified and are actively monitored under the MBSP city control system, he added.

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday (Jan 24) refuted media reports claiming Malaysia had handed over 5,207 hectares of land to Indonesia as compensation for three villages in the Nunukan area near the Sabah-Kalimantan border. However, Anwar said Malaysia would engage in amicable negotiations on the land compensation issue in the near future. Present were the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Steven Sim, who is the Bukit Mertajam Member of Parliament, and Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid. Media reports recently claimed that three villages in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, have now moved to Malaysia, but the boundary dispute in the Pulau Sebatik area remains unresolved, while Indonesia was reportedly gaining an additional area of 5,207 hectares from Malaysia. According to him, the finalisation of the land boundary measurement was sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Malaysia and Indonesia on February 18, 2025, following more than 45 years of comprehensive and transparent technical negotiations.

Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, today stressed that corruption was not a minor offence, but a grave betrayal of the nation. - PIC CREDIT: FB//istananegaraofficialKUANTAN: Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, today stressed that corruption was not a minor offence, but a grave betrayal of the nation. He said that many nations had fallen not due to external attacks, but as a result of internal betrayal through corruption, abuse of power and unchecked greed. The Sultan urged young people to reject corruption and abuse of power, and to rise as a generation that breaks the cycle of moral decay. The discourse brought together 500 participants, including leaders of youth organisations, students from institutions of higher learning, and stakeholders in youth and national development.

Terengganu Cycling Team's (TSG) Nur Aiman Rosli (left) and Fergus Browning started strong at the Pune Grand Tour. - Pic courtesy of TSGKUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian road cycling teams got a chance to test their legs at the inaugural Pune Grand Tour which concluded in India on Friday (Jan 23). UCI Continental squads Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) and Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) as well as the national development squad all saw action in the new UCI 2.2 tour. Browning won the opening prologue in Pune in which teammate Nur Aiman Rosli placed 15th to move into the Asian Riders' classification jersey. TSG, who have a bigger squad, have also sent riders to the Tour of Sharjah (Jan 23-27) and will also compete at the Alula Tour (Jan 27-31).

BEIJING: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is in Shanghai, a person briefed on the matter said on Saturday, as the US chip giant faces fierce competition from local rivals and scrutiny from Chinese authorities. Huang visited China at least three times last year and in July met with China's commerce minister. Nvidia is waiting for Beijing to decide whether to let the company sell its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chip to Chinese customers, a step already approved by Washington. Chinese authorities have told customs agents that the H200 chip was not permitted to enter China, people briefed on the matter told Reuters this month. The H200, Nvidia's second most powerful AI chip, has emerged as one of the biggest flashpoints in US-China relations.

KUALA LUMPUR: Third time proved the charm for Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei as they finally overcame long-time nemeses Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin to storm into the final of the Indonesia Masters on Saturday. After two recent defeats, the reigning world champions appeared to have cracked the code against their world No. 2 rivals, producing a commanding 21-17, 21-12 victory to secure just their third win in eight meetings. Tang Jie-Ee Wei will next face either Indonesia's Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu or Denmark's Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje in the final as they chase the fifth title of their career. The win also sends Tang Jie-Ee Wei into their 10th World Tour final.

K Letshanaa lost in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta on Saturday. - NSTP FILE PICKUALA LUMPUR: K. Letshanaa's ambitious bid to become Malaysia's first women's singles shuttler to reach a Super 500 final in the World Tour era came to an end at the Indonesia Masters on Saturday. 42 found Thailand's rising star Pitchamon Opatniputh a class above, going down 21-15, 21-17 in 41 minutes at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta. In their first career meeting, the gap between the two players was evident, with Pitchamon, the world No. Letshanaa led only once — at 3-2 in the opening game — before spending the remainder of the match playing catch-up.