Fascinating duel as Zii Jia faces former coach Indra’s protege Alwi in quarters
PETALING JAYA: Today’s Thailand Masters quarter-finals between Lee Zii Jia and Alwi Farhan of Indonesia promises to be a fascinating contest, with more than just a place in the semi-finals at stake. Alwi, the tournament’s second seed, reached the quarter-finals by defeating Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko 21-14, 21-10, while Zii Jia had to fight back from a game down to beat world No. A victory for Zii Jia would see him reach the semi-finals for the first time since the Paris Olympics in August 2024. Letshanaa and Jin Wei have assured a semi-final ticket for Malaysia as they will take on each other. RESULTS(Malaysians only)Second roundMen’s singles: Lee Zii Jia bt Mithun Manjunath (Ind) 11-21, 21-16, 21-12; Zhu Xuanchen (Chn) bt Justin Hoh 21-17, 20-22, 21-9.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 13:03 UTC
Unemployed man nabbed for molesting, assaulting nine-year-old
HULU SELANGOR: A nine-year-old girl was attacked and molested by an unknown man at a night market along Jalan Bakawali, in Bukit Sentosa here. In a statement on Friday (Jan 30), Hulu Selangor OCPD Supt Ibrahim Husin said police were notified of the incident on Thursday (Jan 29) by the victim and her siblings. "They were suddenly approached by the suspect, who dragged the victim into his house before assaulting her, causing injuries," he said. Investigations led to the arrest of a 23-year-old unemployed man, who has been remanded until Feb 2. A urine test returned positive for drugs.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 12:59 UTC
Porn site fraudsters caught with pants down in Cheras raid
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have busted a fraud syndicate that managed pornographic websites targeting victims in Hong Kong following a raid at a condominium in Maluri, Cheras. Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Rosdi Daud said the raid was carried out by a team from the Commercial Crime Investigation Division of the Cheras district police headquarters at about 3pm on Wednesday (Jan 29). ACP Mohd Rosdi said initial investigations revealed that the syndicate operated a live-streaming platform offering pornographic or nude content for limited viewing. During the raid, police also seized several mobile phones, with the total value of the items seized estimated at about RM25,000. ACP Mohd Rosdi said the case is being investigated under Section 420 and Section 120B of the Penal Code for cheating and criminal conspiracy.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 12:50 UTC
Woman critically injured as gas tank explodes in Ipoh house
IPOH: A 63-year-old woman has been critically injured after a gas cylinder exploded in her house in Taman Kledang Emas here. Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said before the incident occurred around 4am on Friday (Jan 30), the victim's daughter, who was on the top floor of the house, detected a strong smell of gas. He said the daughter then asked her mother and younger sister to evacuate the house as a precaution. "However, before getting out of the house, the elderly woman tried to shut off the gas cylinder valve and the explosion occurred," he said here on Friday, reported Sinar Harian. He said the explosion could have been caused by the accumulated gas in the house.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 12:44 UTC
Placing Malaysia Airlines in a better position
The confidence in Malaysia Airlines was then at its lowest ebb. They arrived with one clear purpose — to position themselves early to finance Malaysia Airlines’ next wave of aircraft acquisition. As Captain Datuk Izham Ismail steps down tomorrow, Malaysia Airlines will close an important chapter in its long and often turbulent history. But he proved the cynics wrong by defining his tenure as group managing director of MAG and chief executive officer of Malaysia Airlines from 2017 onwards. That is perhaps Captain Izham’s most enduring contribution: leaving Malaysia Airlines better positioned to take flight.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 12:44 UTC
Woman loses nearly RM100,000 to fortune-telling scam
TANGKAK: A 69-year-old local woman lost RM98,000 after allegedly being duped by a scammer posing as a traditional healer. He said the suspect allegedly performed a fortune-telling ritual and told the victim that she would face misfortune in the near future. “To avert the impending bad luck, the suspect instructed the victim to hand over cash and her jewellery for a ritual meant to ward off the misfortune. “After the ritual, the suspect returned the plastic bag to the victim and instructed her not to open it for a month. “However, three days later, the victim opened the bag and discovered that the cash and jewellery were missing.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 12:24 UTC
Parliament gets major security and tech boost
KUALA LUMPUR: A cornerstone of Malaysia’s democracy, the Parliament building has undergone notable technology and security upgrades aimed at future-proofing its operations and ensuring it continues to serve the people efficiently for years to come. Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi (pic) said two key projects – an upgrade to Parliament’s conference system and its CCTV security network – have been completed and are now fully operational. The conference system upgrade includes the installation of a new backup system for both the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara, allowing proceedings to continue uninterrupted even if the main system experiences disruptions. Nanta also unveiled a RM5.2mil upgrade to Parliament’s CCTV security system, completed over 12 months. Further upgrades are still underway.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 12:20 UTC
Loke: Encouraging response as BAS.My ridership up
KOTA BARU: The federal government spends more than RM200mil annually for the implementation of Stage Bus Service Transformation or BAS.My nationwide. Transport Minister Anthony Loke (pic), who disclosed this, said public response to the service has been encouraging and continues its upward trend including in Kelantan, where BAS.My has been running for over six months. For Kelantan, Loke said the government allocated more than RM21mil annually to ensure continuity of the BAS.My service. While ridership nationwide has generally been encouraging, he noted that usage rates varied by state depending on travel patterns and public acceptance. The BAS.My Kota Baru service covers 16 routes across 11 local authority areas, including Kota Baru Municipal Council and district councils of Bachok, Gua Musang, Ketereh, Kuala Krai, Machang, Pasir Mas, Pasir Puteh, Tanah Merah, Tumpat and Jeli.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 12:20 UTC
From humble cave temple to global holy landmark
“Last year, we saw about 2.5 million visitors,” he said during a press conference held at Batu Caves management office. At the centre of the celebrations here is Sri Subramaniar Swamy Devasthanam cave temple, which is reached via 272 vibrant steps. “His son took over the task and found a suitable site in the main cave of Batu Caves. Letchumanan (right) with (from left) Thanesh, Darwin, Deevesh and Mahaletchumy visiting Batu Caves for the first time. Early devotionMany devotees have started fulfilling their vows to avoid the huge crowd expected at Batu Caves on Thaipusam day.
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 11:31 UTC
Trump says he is planning to talk to Iran
Jan 29 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was planning to talk to Iran amid rising tensions. “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn't have to use them,” Trump told reporters Thursday at the Kennedy Center. (Reporting by Bo Erickson, Writing by Christian Martinez, Editing by Jasper WArd)
Source:The Star
January 30, 2026 11:25 UTC
Pekat unit secures 21-year PPA for RM239 mil solar PV, BESS project in Pahang
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 30): Pekat Group Bhd’s (KL:PEKAT) unit, Pentas RE Sdn Bhd, has secured a 21-year power purchase agreement (PPA) from an industrial energy off-taker to develop a 25 megawatt (MWac) solar photovoltaic (PV) facility with a 40MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Pahang, with the project valued at about RM239 million. "The 40MWh BESS is designed to support energy optimisation by managing peak demand requirements through the discharge of stored energy during high-demand periods. In tandem, the onsite solar PV facility will generate clean, renewable energy and contribute towards emissions reduction," the company said in a statement. Pekat chief executive officer Tai Yee Chee said the project further strengthens Pekat’s positioning in Malaysia’s expanding clean energy market. By enabling our customers to lower maximum demand charges while adopting renewable energy solutions, we are delivering both economic and environmental value.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 10:54 UTC
Wall Street futures fall as Trump set to announce Fed chair pick
Bloomberg News reported that the White House is preparing for Trump to nominate Warsh as the next Fed chair. Reuters reported that Warsh went to the White House for a meeting with Trump on Thursday. Trump said he intends to name his choice to replace Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Friday. Futures tracking the small-cap Russell 2000 index, which is more sensitive to interest rates, fell 1.63%. The CBOE volatility index — Wall Street's "fear gauge," continued to hover at over one-week highs touched in the previous session.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 10:39 UTC
Taiwan completes first undersea trial for domestically made submarine
TAIPEI (Jan 30): Taiwan completed the maiden underwater sea trial for its first domestically developed submarine on Thursday, a big milestone in a project aimed at strengthening deterrence against the Chinese navy and protecting vital sea lanes in the event of war. The submarine programme has drawn on expertise and technology from several countries, including the US and Britain, a breakthrough for diplomatically isolated Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's territorial claims. "Due to constraints in the international environment and pressure from the Chinese communists, Taiwan's indigenous submarine programme has faced various difficulties and challenges from the beginning to the present," CSBC said. Taiwan has said it hopes to deploy at least two such domestically developed submarines by 2027, and possibly equip later models with missiles. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te announced in November 2025 that his government would spend an additional US$40 billion (RM157.02 billion) on defence.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 10:34 UTC
Opec+ set to keep oil production pause for March as prices jump — Reuters
Three of the five Opec+ delegates, who all asked not to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media, said Sunday's meeting was unlikely to take any decisions beyond March. Opec and authorities in Saudi Arabia and Russia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Also on Sunday, a separate Opec+ panel called the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee is scheduled to meet, delegates said. Washington has imposed extensive sanctions on Tehran to choke off its oil revenue, a crucial source of state funding. Oil prices have also been supported by supply losses in Kazakhstan, where the oil sector has suffered a series of disruptions in recent months.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 10:24 UTC
Senior citizen loses RM98,000 in ritual healing scam
TANGKAK (Jan 30): An elderly woman lost RM98,000 after being deceived by a face-to-face ritual healing offer involving fortune-telling on Jan 23. Tangkak District Police Chief Supt Roslan Mohd Talib said that the 69-year-old victim was offered the healing method and was told she would be struck by misfortune soon. He said the victim was required to hand over her cash and jewellery for a ritual prayer intended to ward off evil and eliminate bad luck. Roslan added that the suspect then went to the back of the car before returning the black plastic bag to the victim, instructing her not to open it for a month. "However, the victim opened the bag after just three days only to find that her cash and jewellery were gone.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 30, 2026 10:24 UTC