IPOH: Some of the main dams in Perak are experiencing low water levels due to limited inflow of water from retention areas, says Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin. The Perak water committee chairman said the water level at Temenggor Lake is now low, as the amount of rainfall has lessened recently. "This has caused a chain reaction to other dams in Tasik Bersia, Tasik Kenering and Tasik Chenderoh, which all are operating at minimum capacity. He also said the water level at Tasik Bukit Merah was at 6.4m, with the water storage of around 10.8 million cubic meters or 19.9%, which is at the Level 2 Critical Irrigation Level. "Water supply operations for the purpose of irrigating rice fields in the Kerian Irrigation Scheme will be carried out on a rationed basis, while domestic water supply to public users remains as per existing demand.

PETALING JAYA: Police are investigating a case of alleged physical sexual assault involving a 13-year-old boy. Wangsa Maju OCPD Asst Comm Mohamad Lazim Ismail said they received a report at 12.27pm on Tuesday (Feb 3) from a 40-year-old man, who is the boy’s father. He said the victim claimed that he knew the suspect, a teacher, and alleged that he had been sodomised several times by the suspect. ACP Lazim said the case is being investigated under Section 14(d) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017. He added that the suspect has been arrested.

A NEW Cybercrime Bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament next month to combat a surge in online fraud and cybercrimes over the last two years, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic). The Deputy Prime Minister emphasised the need for a new law to address the growing risks of cybercrimes and the increasingly sophisticated methods used to perpetrate them. He noted that the proposed law will adopt a technology-neutral approach aligned with international standards, including the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime and the United Nations’ Convention on Cybercrime. Ahmad Zahid said the Bill is currently being finalised by the National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa), which comes under the purview of the National Security Council. Besides the Bill, he said Nacsa is also considering broader measures to safeguard Malaysia’s digital security and sovereignty.

BUTTERWORTH: Police have arrested two men to assist with the investigation into the murder of a woman at her first-floor residence in Flat Sri Murni, Sungai Dua here, yesterday. "The two suspects have been remanded today to assist the investigation, which is ongoing," he said when contacted by Bernama. The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder. It is understood that the incident was reported to police by a neighbour at 1.40pm after the victim, a single mother, was unresponsive. She was reportedly employed to ferry several students living at the flat to school and lived with her 15-year-old son.

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) has detained a tanker off Kuala Sungai Besar after its captain failed to produce anchoring authorisation papers. Selangor MMEA director Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh said the vessel was stopped at around 12.30am on Wednesday (Feb 4), 18.9 nautical miles (35km) south-west of Kuala Sungai Besar. However, the captain failed to produce anchorage authorization documents," he said in a statement on Thursday (Feb 5). Both the captain and the ship's chief engineer have been brought to the state headquarters for further investigations, he added. In an unrelated incident on the same day, a small boat was detained after a man failed to produce a valid fishing licence.

Police conducting checks at the Flat Sri Murni unit in Sungai Dua. -- NSTP/TVNBUTTERWORTH: Police have detained two men to assist in investigations into the case of a woman, who was found dead, believed to have been murdered, at her first-floor unit at Flat Sri Murni, Sungai Dua, here yesterday. Penang police chief Datuk Azizee Ismail said the duo were arrested several hours after the incident yesterday in the district. The New Straits Times yesterday reported that a 41-year-old woman was found dead, lying on a bed in one of the bedrooms with a slash wound to her neck. Preliminary examinations found a single slash wound on the victim's neck, believed to have been inflicted with a sharp weapon.

“We carried out an investigation immediately after a clip of a worker of the restaurant washing unsold food containing chicken, mutton and bean curd went viral on Tuesday. The department said it viewed food safety and hygiene at eateries seriously. “Restaurant owners and food handlers are duty-bound to ensure that the food served is safe for consumption at all times,” it said. It said compromising food safety or resorting to unhygienic food preparation practices can cause food poisoning. When contacted, a Seremban City Council spokesman said the restaurant owner was issued another three compounds for flouting its bylaws.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Selangor has granted pardons to many convicts, though the Ruler has never met any of them. One exception is Dr Malik Yatam, the country’s first inmate to earn a PhD while serving a prison sentence. He was granted a royal pardon on Dec 11, 2024, in conjunction with the Sultan’s birthday. Today, the now 39-year-old Sabahan runs a chilli farm in Selangor with several former convicts as his partners. Tears flowed as he hugged His Royal Highness, who had promised to sponsor Malik’s umrah trip with his wife, a civil servant.

Secluded property: Police tape sealing the front gate of the area with the abandoned houses. Also spotted at the site was an animal shed, which Woo said had previously housed cattle reared by the former owner. The gated area, estimated to be about 0.40ha, is located in a remote area in Kangkar Pulai, about 3km from the Skudai-Pontian road. The narrow and uneven road leading to the murder site is ­surrounded by oil palm plantations, orchards and farms. Earlier, two brothers were charged at the Johor Baru Magistrate’s Court with murdering one of the six victims whose skeletal remains were found in Kangkar Pulai.

Some software companies added to recent losses amid worries that rapidly advancing AI could disrupt industry incumbents. The S&P 500 value index gained for a fifth straight session, while the S&P 500 growth index dropped. Even as the S&P 500 lost ground, seven of the 11 S&P 500 sector indexes rose, led by energy, up 2.25%, followed by a 1.8% gain in materials. Limiting losses in the S&P 500, shares of the drugmaker Eli Lilly rallied about 10% after the company forecast 2026 profit above Wall Street expectations. The S&P 500 posted 93 new highs and 23 new lows; the Nasdaq recorded 218 new highs and 318 new lows.

GEORGE TOWN: The auspicious day of Li Chun, which marks the beginning of spring in East Asian cultures, drew crowds of believers to banks here as they deposited money in hopes of ushering in prosperity. Li Chun falls annually on either Feb 3 or 4 and marks the first of the 24 solar terms. Another tradition commonly observed during Li Chun is standing eggs upright, believed to symbolise the smooth reception of the Earth’s yang energy and to promote prosperity. Children at a kindergarten in Farlim here had the opportunity to try the activity under the guidance of their teachers. Dressed in red, they decorated the eggs with auspicious words before attempting to balance them upright on the floor.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian women’s badminton team have reached the quarter-finals of the Asia Team Championships but their display was far from convincing, with the singles players giving a lacklustre display against China yesterday. While the result was largely expected, hopes of seeing singles players like K. Letshanaa and Wong Ling Ching continue their excellent form from last week’s Thailand Masters were dashed. Letshanaa, fielded as the first singles, went down to Han Qianxi 18-21, 10-21, marking her fifth loss to the Chinese player since 2019. But overall, the singles players did not play at their best, and we need to reset ahead of the quarter-finals on Friday,” he said. The women’s team now await the quarter-final draw, which will determine their opponents for tomorrow’s knockout stage.

“For all educational bodies and foundations, the government has approved a 10-year tax exemption. So we approve the tax exemption,” the Prime Minister said, drawing loud cheers and applause from the audience at TAR UMT’s main campus in Setapak yesterday. He said the university was “doubly grateful” as Anwar had also presented a RM40mil matching grant to the institution. The second was Anwar’s announcement of a 10-year tax exemption for non-profit education institutions like TAR UMT under Section 44(6) of the Income Tax Act 1967. “Our party may have founded this institution, but its objective is broader, which is to help everyone,” he said, adding that TAR UMT also supports students from rural and lower-income backgrounds.

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 42 deaths in custody were recorded in 2025, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. He said the figure comprised eight cases in prison and 34 under police care including 22 deaths while under police detention and 12 in police lock-ups. Investigations found the cases were mainly due to health factors such as heart attacks, strokes and complications from chronic illnesses, he added. He was responding to Hassan Abdul Karim (PH–Pasir Gudang), who had asked about the recent number of deaths involving suspects in police lock-ups and inmates in prison, and the measures taken to prevent such incidents. He stressed that the ministry is committed to safeguarding the safety and welfare of detainees and will not compromise on any misconduct.

According to the ministry’s public consultation document on the RIS impact study, the review focuses on water pollution, effluent management, waste management and soil subsidence. “Although the number of polluted rivers has declined, overall pollution levels have increased when the reduction in clean rivers and the rise in moderately polluted rivers are taken into account,” the document said. Of the 672 rivers monitored in 2023, 487 (72%) were classified as clean, 161 (24%) as moderately polluted and 25 (4%) as polluted. Root causes identified include high compliance costs for industrial effluent treatment systems (IETS), limited awareness, poor management and inadequate technology. In addition, the ministry has proposed closer collaboration between the National Solid Waste Management Department and local authorities to strengthen regulatory enforcement and jointly implement waste segregation at source.