Alliance Bank’s top shareholder Vertical Theme is said to consider sale to DBS

Investment management firm Vertical Theme Sdn. is planning to seek approval in the coming weeks to start talks about selling its stake in Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd., according to people familiar with the development. Vertical Theme, a Malaysian holding company, is considering selling its roughly 29% stake in Alliance Bank to Singapore’s biggest lender, DBS Group Holdings...

Albania approves luxury resort project linked to Jared Kushner’s company

TIRANA (Reuters) - Albania's government has granted strategic investor status to a company linked to Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to build a luxury resort on an uninhabited Mediterranean island that was once a military outpost. The Balkan country's Strategic Investment Committee, headed by Prime Minister Edi Rama, on Dec. 30 accepted a proposal by Atlantic...

China shop becomes favourite for hundreds of students who flock there to watch TV for free

SHANGHAI: A snack shop in southern China has gone viral online because of the number of primary school students who flock to it after school as part of their daily routine. Feijuan Snack in Suixi county, Guangdong province, is always crowded with young customers dressed in school uniforms, the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald reported. Students go there because...

Hong Kong mogul Jimmy Lai grilled over US, Taiwan ties

HONG KONG: Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai testified on Thursday (Jan 160 that he brokered meetings between former Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen and American establishment figures, with prosecutors alleging that he colluded with foreign forces. Lai is one of the most prominent figures to be prosecuted under Hong Kong's national security law, which Beijing...

Companies Commission introduces three new criteria for private companies’ audit exemption

SHAH ALAM: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry through the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) has introduced three criteria to exempt companies from financial statement audits, effective Jan 1. Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said private companies seeking an audit exemption must meet two of the three criteria, with one of them being that...

QuickCheck: Was a flasher terrorising Dengkil caught on camera?

A SHOCKING incident in Dengkil has residents on edge, as a flasher was reportedly caught in the act on video. The unsettling footage, which shows a man exposing himself to a woman, quickly went viral, sparking outrage and concern. Has the suspect behind this disturbing act been apprehended? Verdict: TRUE A building maintenance employee was arrested for flashing himself at...

One dead in blaze at Jakarta shopping centre Glodok Plaza, several missing

JAKARTA: A massive fire engulfed one of Jakarta’s oldest malls, Glodok Plaza, in Taman Sari, West Jakarta, on Wednesday (Jan 15) night, with the city’s Fire and Rescue Agency deploying more than 47 fire trucks and 200 personnel to the site. The remains of the fire were being extinguished on Thursday evening, and one person has...

Nintendo says Switch 2 will be released in 2025

TOKYO (Reuters) -Japanese gaming company Nintendo will launch the Switch 2 console, successor to its hit Switch device, this year, it said on Thursday. The Kyoto-based company did not release pricing for the new device and said it would provide more details at a Nintendo Direct event on April 2. The company has said that existing Switch...

Najib’s youngest son Norashman welcomes first child

PETALING JAYA: Norashman Najib, the youngest son of Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, has welcomed his first child. "Celebrating the arrival of Ardan, born to Ashman and Nikola," said the former prime minister in a Facebook post on Thursday (Jan 16). Najib, who is currently serving a prison sentence, expressed his sadness at...

Thailand urges its citizens in Malaysia to return home, explore new job opportunities

NARATHIWAT: The Thai government has urged its citizens working in Malaysia to return home and take advantage of new job opportunities available within the country, says Narathiwat Governor Trakul Thotham (pic). He noted that previously, many Thai nationals, especially from southern provinces such as Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani, migrated to Malaysia for work, particularly in the...