17+ min ago (405+ words) The visit comes just a month before an election in Myanmar that has been criticized as neither free nor fair. Lukashenko's visit is seen by critics as giving the appearance of support to the polls. Since Myanmar's military takeover, Belarus has been a major supporter and supplier of its government, along with China and Russia. It is one of only a few countries that have been visited by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar's military government, who traveled there in March and June. Like Myanmar, the government of Belarus is widely seen as authoritarian. Myanmar's military leaders have been shunned and sanctioned by many Western nations for ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, and for committing major human rights violations in trying to crush the resistance to army rule. The only other…...

46+ min ago (176+ words) GEORGE TOWN: Pacific West Dragon Boat Club showcased their prowess at the Penang International Dragon Boat Regatta (PIDBR) 2025, winning two major categories to reinforce their status as one of the event's leading crews. The team won both the Malaysia Premier Open 400 and the International Premier Open 400, securing the TYT Challenge Trophy and the Penang International Dragon Boat Festival (PIDBF) Challenge Trophy, respectively. Penang Governor, Yang di-Pertua Negeri (TYT) Tun Ramli Ngah Talib, was present at the event to present the prizes to the winners. State tourist committee chairman Wong Hon Wai accompanied the governor during the prize-giving ceremony. Organised by the state government, PIDBR 2025 was held at Strait Quay from Nov 28 to 30. "We are proving that Penang is an international city, where heritage and modernity coexist, and where every visitor can feel our warmth, vibrancy, and professionalism," said Wong. The…...

57+ min ago (198+ words) VIENTIANE (Xinhua): A handover ceremony for the China-aided Lao national seismic monitoring network project was recently held in the Lao capital, Vientiane. The project, which was launched in 2017, has established 15 modern integrated seismic stations across Laos, as well as the country's first national earthquake data centre. The project has also trained Lao technical personnel in network operation and maintenance, data processing, and information dissemination, enabling the country to independently and quickly report earthquakes of magnitude 3 and above, thereby enhancing its disaster prevention, mitigation, and emergency response capabilities. Speaking at the ceremony, Lao Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Saynakhone Inthavong noted that Laos had lacked a nationwide earthquake monitoring system for many years. He said the aid project is highly significant, as it will greatly strengthen the country's earthquake monitoring capacity, allowing Laos to obtain earthquake information quickly and in…...

1+ hour, 3+ min ago (288+ words) UNDERGROUND mapping of a 300m stretch of Jalan Masjid India in Kuala Lumpur will be carried out to determine its safety, following two sinkhole incidents since last year. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories), Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, said the mapping would be conducted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and Ikram. "This is to determine where the utility infrastructures, including sewage and water pipes, are located and identify areas where the possibility of sinkholes could happen again," she said after a site visit to Jalan Masjid India on Sunday (Nov 30). She added that the study would take one month to complete, including proposed upgrades. Dr Zaliha also said the public report of the Masjid India sinkhole last year would be published by the end of the year. "The public report is ready, but we need to make…...

1+ hour, 14+ min ago (569+ words) Brief, controlled bouts of oxygen deprivation " essentially moments of safe suffocation " can alleviate severe depression as effectively as electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine, two of the most powerful treatments known to psychiatry, Chinese scientists have concluded. This radical new approach, called acute intermittent hypoxia, harnesses a natural mechanism triggered by a temporary drop in oxygen in the brain and activates a naturally occurring compound known as adenosine, which acts as a biochemical "master switch" that rapidly reverses depressive symptoms. The research team has developed a prototype device and is now conducting clinical trials involving 30 patients in collaboration with Beijing Anding Hospital, a renowned psychiatric institute affiliated with Capital Medical University. Their discovery may also solve one of psychiatry's longest-standing mysteries: how established treatments such as ECT and ketamine affect the brain, as well as help researchers develop alternative and safer…...

1+ hour, 15+ min ago (280+ words) Monday, 01 Dec 2025 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa co-hosts, with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (not pictured), a summit on the Global Fund on November 21, 2025, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS Nov 30 (Reuters) - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa dismissed on Sunday U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to exclude Pretoria from next year's G20 summit, reaffirming South Africa's status as a founding member of the group. Washington boycotted the Group of 20 leaders' summit held under South Africa's presidency in Johannesburg on November 22-23, with Trump repeating allegations, widely discredited, that the host country's Black-majority government persecutes its white minority. Trump said last Wednesday that South Africa would not be invited to the summit to be held in Florida next year because it had refused to hand over the G20 presidency to a senior representative of its embassy who was at the closing ceremony....

1+ hour, 37+ min ago (558+ words) Monday, 01 Dec 2025 Soccer Football - Premier League - West Ham United v Liverpool - London Stadium, London, Britain - November 30, 2025 Liverpool's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS/Tony O Brien Nov 30 (Reuters) - Liverpool's marquee signing Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for the champions as they beat 10-man West Ham United 2-0 on Sunday following a dire run of nine defeats in 12 games. Manchester United ended Crystal Palace's nine-month unbeaten home run with a 2-1 comeback victory, Aston Villa climbed to third with a 1-0 victory over lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Brighton & Hove Albion won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to go fifth. Leaders Arsenal visit fourth-placed Chelsea later on Sunday with a chance to extend their advantage at the top. Liverpool had endured their worst spell in over 70 years, and manager Arne Slot took drastic measures, leaving Mohamed Salah out of his starting line-up…...

1+ hour, 51+ min ago (894+ words) THE signs were already there even before campaigning for the 17th Sabah state elections entered its final lap. At a recent DAP ceramah at a food court in Tanjung Aru, which began at 7.30pm, the crowd was thin. There were mostly party workers and members. The rain didn't help and by 9.30pm, the talk had ended. In the last few days before polling, local DAP candidates politely told the federal party leaders to stay away. However, it seemed that the federal leaders didn't listen, as political heavyweights arrived thinking they could swing the results. By then, my media friends had told me that the DAP and PKR could get zero seats. Others said PKR could do better by winning at least two seats. I shared the bad feedback with a DAP federal minister, but he told me the speculation was "harsh" as he…...

2+ hour, 21+ min ago (808+ words) KUALA LUMPUR: Behind every success is a great support system, especially if someone is going through the rigorous process of earning a PhD. More so if they do not have the same capabilities as everyone else. Dr Noorilham Ismail, 35, who is visually impaired, said it was thanks to the help he got that he had managed to complete his PhD. While he could manage writing a big part of his thesis on his own, he said his wife, Zarifah Arsani, 31, helped him with the technical parts, including the footnotes and bibliography. She also followed him on his research trips to the United States of America (US) and the United Kingdom in 2023 to scour the archives there for information on his thesis. Noorilham had become visually impaired about eight years ago when a severe fever damaged his eyes. He was conferred…...

2+ hour, 22+ min ago (143+ words) Monday, 01 Dec 2025 ON World AIDS Day today I would like to remind everyone that health is deeply linked to economic progress. When a country protects its people from long-term illness, it protects its future growth. The conversation about HIV/AIDS and public health should not be limited to medicine and awareness. It should also be linked to productivity, human capital, and the economic cost of inaction. First, health shocks reduce productivity and labour force participation. A person who faces repeated illness often struggles to remain in stable employment. Repeated illness leads to absenteeism, lower work performance, and a higher chance of job loss. When this pattern repeats across a population, the economy loses valuable workers and valuable time. Billed as RM 6.95 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter. Billed as RM 74.00 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter....