KUALA LUMPUR: The FBM KLCI finished higher on Tuesday for a third straight trading day, buoyed by gains in banking counters while the ringgit weakened against the US dollar. The 30-stock index closed up 4.92 points, or 0.33% to 1,496.11, with 20 out of the 30 constituent counters ending higher. …

AYODHYA, India (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of Hindus braved biting cold on Tuesday to pray at a new temple to Lord Ram in India’s northern city of Ayodhya, a day after its inaugural by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a site believed to be the god-king’s birthplace. Hindu groups, …

KOTA KINABALU: State opposition Parti Warisan has set up a watchdog to keep tabs on utility company Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) amid daily concerns over insufficient power supply in the state. The outfit called the Sabah Electricity Watchdog (SEW) will be headed by Sri Tanjung assemblyman Justin Wong who …

TOKYO: The Bank of Japan maintained ultra-easy monetary settings on Tuesday but signalled its growing conviction that conditions for phasing out its huge stimulus was falling into place, suggesting that an end to negative interest rates was nearing. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda gave no hints on whether the bank could …

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by three people to challenge the then Pakatan Harapan cabinet’s decision to grant Lynas Malaysia an extension of licence in 2019 to operate its rare earth processing facility. A three-member panel of judges comprising Justices Datuk Supang Lian, Datuk Seri Mariana Yahya …

Chinese education blogger Zhang Xuefeng was direct and damning when a woman asked him during a livestream whether her son should choose to study liberal arts at university. Zhang, who has more than 24 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, is a regular source of advice for …

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India have not lost a test series at home in more than a decade but that formidable record will be under threat when Rohit Sharma’s side take on England in a five-match series beginning in Hyderabad on Thursday. Ben Stokes returns from knee surgery to skipper …

The viral new video game Palworld, referred to by fans as “Pokémon with guns”, is attracting players by the millions. It’s also got fans of Japan’s legendary pocket monster franchise outraged over perceived similarities. Japanese developer Pocketpair Inc. sold 5 million copies of Palworld in three days, the company announced …

SINGAPORE: Oil prices were little changed on Tuesday as traders weighed a host of conflicting supply and demand worries, from rising tensions in the Middle East to cold weather woes disrupting production in the United States. Brent crude futures added 2 cents to $80.08 a barrel by 0702 GMT, while …

PETALING JAYA: The government’s decision to increase digital services tax (DST) is the latest upsetting news for consumers, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. “It is increasing by two percentage points from 6% to 8% starting March 1, on top of a slew of taxes people are going to …