KUALA LUMPUR: The Perdana Fellows Programme, an initiative under the Youth and Sports Ministry, will be revived after a two-year hiatus and will run from June to October 2026Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Mordi Bimol said the programme, introduced in 2013, was suspended in 2024 and 2025 to allow the Institute for Youth Research Malaysia to conduct a comprehensive study. Iskandar Dzulkaranain had asked the ministry when the Perdana Fellowship Programme would be resumed and the improvements introduced. Mordi said that 88.7% of participants said the programme aided their career development, while 80% noted a positive impact on professional networking. On improvements, Mordi said 62 participants would be selected as mentees and given four-month placements in four key offices namely the Minister's Office, Deputy Minister's Office, Office of the Chief Secretary to the Government and the Public Service Department director-general's office. The Perdana Fellows Programme aims to provide high-potential youth with early exposure to policy-making, governance and leadership at the highest levels.

SEREMBAN: Two friends died when their scooter crashed into a stalled lorry at KM254.6 of the North-South Expressway (NSE) near here. "The lorry driver had stopped along the emergency lane after his vehicle developed engine problems," he said in a statement. ACP Azahar said the rider died on the spot while his friend passed away while receiving treatment at Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar. The two were employed at an eatery near the Melaka market. ACP Azahar urged witnesses to contact investigating officer Insp Syakinah Ahmad at 06-6032222 or the nearest police station.

(Feb 11): Bombardier Inc won a 40-plane order for its Challenger 3500 aircraft from Vista Global Holding Ltd, one of the world’s biggest operators of business jets, amid growing global demand for private aviation. Vista’s purchase agreement with the Canadian aircraft manufacturer is worth about US$1.2 billion (RM4.71) at list price, although buyers tend to get large discounts for bulk purchases. Bombardier will deliver the planes over a decade, Vista said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 11). Vista’s aircraft order comes as Bryan Bedford, the head of the US Federal Aviation Administration, said Tuesday that he expects Canada’s aviation regulator to approve Gulfstream jets soon. Last year, Bombardier landed a large order from Bond Aviation Holdings LLC, a private jet company backed by KKR & Co that agreed to buy 50 aircraft in a deal worth US$1.7 billion.

KUALA PILAH: A 21-year-old motorcyclist was killed after he was run over by a trailer lorry transporting cement at KM4 Jalan Kuala Pilah-Batu Kikir near here. Kuala Pilah OCPD Supt Muhamad Mustafah Hussin said the victim, a mechanic, was heading home to Seremban when the accident happened around 10.30pm on Tuesday (Feb 10). "Based on a preliminary probe, the motorcyclist was overtaking the lorry when a car suddenly appeared on the opposite lane. "His bike grazed the oncoming car, causing him to lose control and fall under the lorry," he said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 11). The case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by reckless or dangerous driving.

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 327 criminals were shot and killed by police in 193 cases between 2015 and 2025, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. He said 2016 saw the most cases at 32, followed by 2018 (26), 2024 (25), 2017 (23), 2015 (21), 2025 (20), 2019 (16), 2021 (11), 2020 (eight), 2022 (six) and 2023 (five). In 27 other cases, the nationality of the criminal could not be determined, he told the Dewan Rakyat in a written reply on Wednesday (Feb 11). Saifuddin Nasution added that no action was taken against the police personnel involved in these shooting cases. Lim Lip Eng (PH-Kepong) had asked about fatal shooting cases involving the police since 2015.

KUALA LUMPUR: Crackdowns on illegal gambling will continue to intensify, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said seizures have already exceeded billions of ringgit and assured that the government will not relent in its efforts. However, it will not be an easy feat, as illegal gambling operators may be based abroad. This includes stronger enforcement measures to tackle illegal gambling activities, alongside efforts to enhance public accountability and awareness of actions that contravene the country’s laws. He was responding to Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang), who had asked whether the government views action against illegal gambling operators as a complementary measure to plug revenue leakages.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 11): Perdana Petroleum Bhd (KL:PERDANA) posted a net loss of RM1.81 million in the fourth quarter, reversing a net profit of RM29.55 million a year earlier, as revenue nearly halved to RM48.37 million. Accommodation work barge utilisation plunged to 26% from 59% in 4QFY2024, as catering revenue fell to RM4.5 million from RM7.6 million. Perdana said higher depreciation charges from drydocking further weighed on earnings, though its lower cost of sales and stronger net finance income provided some offset. Managing director Jamalludin Obeng said domestic offshore support vessel (OSV) demand has remained steady, supported by PETRONAS’ upstream commitments, though project timing remains uncertain. Perdana said it plans to navigate market uncertainties with measured fleet strategies and efficiency improvements to support long-term sustainability.

PETALING JAYA: Authorities are prepared for a high number of vehicles on roads under the latest iteration of Ops Selamat. "We are ready in terms of manpower and logistics," he said at a press conference for Ops Selamat 25 at the Sungai Buloh R&R area on Wednesday (Feb 11). He said around 6,543 police personnel would be deployed on crime prevention duties nationwide during Ops Selamat. "Strict enforcement will be carried against traffic offences identified as the main causes of fatal accidents. Ops Selamat 25 will be conducted from Feb 11 to Feb 24.

The number of Super 1000 tournaments has also been increased from four to five with the Denmark Open being upgraded from Super 750. The four others that will retain their status are the Malaysian Open, All-England, China Open and Indonesian Open. “First of all, we are very happy that the Malaysian Open is being maintained as Super 1000. We want to thank BWF for maintaining our tournament’s status,” said Kenny when met at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday. “I can understand why BWF want to extend the Super 1000 tournaments to 11 days.

PETALING JAYA: The balik kampung exodus from the Klang Valley is expected to peak on Friday ahead of the Chinese New Year super weekend and start of Ramadan, creating one of the heaviest traffic movements of the year. The overlap of the Chinese New Year and start of the month of Ramadan is expected to intensify at both outbound and return traffic flows, with Muslims also beginning early balik kampung journeys as Ramadan approaches. PLUS said travel timing will be the key factor to determining the travel experience during the festive period, reminding that motorists who travel outside recommended time windows were likely to face significantly longer delays. “This shows how greatly journey times are influenced by travel timing,” it said. PLUS said the return-to-Klang Valley flow was expected to build from Feb 20 and 21, as festive travellers head back to the capital with Ramadan travel continuing to gain momentum.

PETALING JAYA: With 10 new tuberculosis (TB) clusters reported as of Feb 7, experts are advising those travelling during the festive rush to take safety measures. People should put on face masks while travelling and seek medical treatment early if they show symptoms, says Universiti Malaya Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Prof Dr Rafdzah Ahmad Zaki. ALSO READ:“The other thing is to wear a mask to prevent bacteria or virus from spreading, especially in public transport. “Since TB is an infectious disease, once you have a case, it will spread if transmission isn’t controlled. “This is an important public health layer that helps identify cases early and links individuals to care.

According to Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) consultant endocrinologist Prof Dr Rohana Abdul Ghani, food noise is a medical term used to describe persistent thoughts about food, even when the body isn’t physically hungry. These hormones work together to regulate food intake and body weight, explains Prof Rohana. Understanding the journeyConstantly thinking about food can lead to impulsive eating and make it harder to maintain healthy habits. “The goal is to empower patients to understand that obesity is not a failure of willpower,” Prof Rohana explains. Reducing food noiseClinical data shows that certain weight-loss medications can significantly reduce food noise.

Trade experts and economists questioned whether US$100 billion a year in imports was feasible without an explicit policy push that steers companies towards American suppliers. Indian markets steadied after staging an initial relief rally, but economists said investors appear wary of the US$500 billion headline. "The markets seem to be treating the US$500 billion purchase intention with a degree of scepticism," said Dhiraj Nim, an economist at ANZ. If exports hold near pre-tariff levels and imports rise sharply, India's largest bilateral surplus could shrink and widen its overall trade deficit. "If it is a US$100 billion every year, it will completely upset India's trade balance," said independent trade expert Biswajit Dhar.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 11): CIMB Group Holdings Bhd (KL:CIMB) has received approval from Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to participate in the central bank’s Digital Asset Innovation Hub (DAIH). This will enable the banking group, Malaysia's second-largest by asset, to test regulated digital asset payment and settlement use cases within a supervised, secure ecosystem. The DAIH, launched in June last year, provides a structured environment for financial institutions to evaluate digital asset applications under strict safeguards. The initiatives onboarded were tokenised deposits for payments by CIMB and Malayan Banking Bhd (KL:MAYBANK), and ringgit stablecoins for business-to-business settlements by Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia and Capital A Bhd (KL:CAPITALA). These tokenised deposits are envisioned as a foundational settlement layer.

(Feb 11): Almost all major banks that have pledged to finance low-carbon steel are backing initiatives that will lead to additional greenhouse gas pollution. And with global demand for steel growing, the race is on to develop “green steel,” with companies exploring a plethora of newer, cleaner manufacturing techniques. Between 2016 and mid-2023, 354 banks provided US$429 billion to the 100 biggest steel producers, suggesting that finding capital isn’t the main challenge. And only seven of the 20 banks assessed by BankTrack have explicit sustainable-finance frameworks for steel decarbonisation that define which projects and technologies qualify under emissions-reduction standards. BankTrack has developed its own taxonomy to distinguish between what it considers “real” and “false” solutions for decarbonising steel.