KUALA LUMPUR: Police have arrested a Bangladeshi man after finding a fake firearm during a raid in Razak City Residence here. Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Rosdi Daud said during the arrest at about 11.30 am on Monday (Feb 2), the police also seized a fake 9mm HK VP9 pistol from the suspect, who is unemployed. He said police are still looking into the suspect's motive for owning the firearm, adding that he was remanded for four days until Feb 6. The case is being investigated under Section 36(1) of the Arms Act 1960 and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, he added.

KEMAMAN: Another critically endangered river terrapin (Batagur affinis) has been found dead, trapped by fishing gear in the Kemaman River here. A local fisherman reported the death to the Turtle Conservation Society's (TCS) patrol team on Jan 29. In a statement, TCS said the 18kg sub-adult male terrapin measuring 47cm in length, was snagged by a fish trap, with fishing lines entangling its feet and neck. "Our team removed the weighted fish trap. Founded in 2011 and based in Kemaman, Terengganu, TCS (www.turtleconservationsociety.org.my) is the first Malaysian non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to freshwater turtle conservation.

(Feb 4) : A tech selloff dragged down stocks from near-record levels amid a rotation into more economically sensitive industries. In fact, a violent rotation has taken place in 2026, with value shares far outpacing growth. At the same time, AI investing has become less monolithic in the tech sector, with investors starting to choose winners and losers. While results from tech megacaps were in line or better than expected, market reaction to their spending plans varied wildly. The announcement — and a subsequent bond sale Monday — coincided with persistent fears about whether massive AI-linked investments by tech companies will pay off.

When we arrive, Dr Shatishraj is attired in his personal protective equipment (PPE) and Wellington boots. With soiled hands, Dr Shatishraj beckons me to come in, as he is about to saw the head open. Dr Shatishraj says: “The brain matter is naturally soft and mushy, so when there is no blood, it turns porridge-like. A heart attackA heart tissue specimen from another post-mortem, which has been prepared for microscopic inspection in the laboratory. From examining the heart, Dr Shatishraj finds a significant build-up of scar tissue (fibrosis) in the heart muscle.

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has set aside drug trafficking convictions and 30-year sentences of two accused and remitted their case back to the High Court for a full retrial. Consequently, Justice Azmi held that the convictions and sentences against Muhammad Zarif Mohd Noor Ajala and Mohd Najmi were to be set aside and the case remitted to the Seremban High Court for retrial. He fixed Feb 24 for a case mention at the Seremban High Court and issued warrants of remand for both appellants pending the new trial. On Aug 18, 2023, the High Court had convicted Muhammad Zarif, 48, and Mohd Najmi, 38, of trafficking 768.9g of methamphetamine, sentencing each to 30 years' imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane. Deputy Public Prosecutor Abdul Malik Ayob, however, submitted that other qualified counsel had also represented Mohd Najmi during the High Court trial.

(Feb 4): An oil tanker that’s part of a US-military fuel procurement programme was hailed by small armed ships in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast on Tuesday, amid heightened tensions between the two countries. The US-flagged Stena Imperative was hailed over radio while transiting the vital waterway, according to multiple maritime security companies, who declined to be named citing sensitive information. Iranian media said the country’s naval forces warned a vessel to leave Iranian territorial waters after failing to produce the necessary legal documents. Last year, it diverted a ship called the Talara to its waters, before unloading its cargo and releasing it. Late last week, Greece, the world’s largest tanker-owning nation advised its ships to exercise caution while transiting the strait.

ALOR SETAR (AFP): A French national facing a possible death sentence in Malaysia on eight drug-related charges, was acquitted Tuesday (Feb 3), freeing him after nearly two and a half years in detention. "The accused is, therefore, released and acquitted," Alor Setar High Court judge Evawani Farisyta Mohammad said. Felix, in court wearing a white shirt and trousers, his hands cuffed, looked visibly pleased as the judge delivered the decision. It's finally the end of a nightmare, and we are so happy," Sylvie Felix told AFP. Felix and his parents were at the Malaysian immigration office in Alor Setar on Tuesday afternoon, where he was expected to be handed his passport before being freed.

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday that he does not interfere in aircraft certification, but he has communicated with the manufacturers in this case. Trump threatened last week to impose a 50% tariff on aircraft from Canada sold in the US and decertify all new Canadian-made planes until Ottawa agreed to approve certain jets made by Gulfstream, a unit of General Dynamics. Canada had “wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700, and 800 Jets,” he said in a social media post on Thursday. Transport Canada has declined to comment on the certification status of these models, despite multiple requests. The firm’s shares have been recovering since a drop on Friday, and were up 2.67% at 11.12am Toronto time on Tuesday.

(Feb 4): The yield on German 30-year bonds has climbed to the highest level since 2011 as investors demand higher compensation in response to a surge in government debt issuance. The additional premium demanded to hold 30-year notes over five-year peers has risen to 108bps, close to a seven-year high. Japan’s 30-year yield rose to an all-time high last month, and analysts are watching closely to see whether US peers will breach 5% for the first time since July. A number of euro area nations also received record orders for their bonds last month. A Bloomberg gauge of German debt is up 0.3% this year, lagging French and Italian peers.

KOTA KINABALU: Files and confidential documents, including government tender applications and official letters, have been found strewn by the beach in Putatan, kicking up a storm among locals. It is believed that these discarded documents involved the Putatan district office, Putatan district council and Putatan Works Department. Putatan MP Datuk Shahelmey Yahya (pic) said he contacted Putatan district officer Masawi Salleh on Sunday after learning of the matter from social media. “Whoever is responsible for it does not seem to know the procedure of handling official documents. He said a review would be conducted for an update on disposal procedures of important documents.

DUBAI, Feb ‌3 (Reuters) - Talks ‌with the U.S. should ‌be pursued to secure national interests as ‍long as "threats and ‍unreasonable expectations" ‌are avoided, President Masoud ‍Pezeshkian posted ​on X on ⁠Tuesday. "Taking into account demands from ‌friendly regional countries to ⁠respond ‍to the U.S. President's suggestion ‍for talks, I instructed ‌the foreign minister to prepare the ground for equitable and fair negotiations ... should an atmosphere free ‌of threats and unreasonable expectations arise," Pezeshkian ​said. (Reporting by Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Tom Hogue)

SHAH ALAM: Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) has created history by successfully releasing its second nanosatellite, UiTMSAT-2, into orbit from the International Space Station (ISS) at 6.52 pm Malaysian time on Tuesday (Feb 3). The lecturer from UiTM Electrical Engineering Faculty said the UiTMSAT-2 project carries the primary mission of an Earth observation camera and the secondary mission of a space-based Internet-of-Things. She said this to reporters at the Live Viewing Ceremony for the launch of the UiTMSAT-2 nanosatellite, which was broadcast from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) at 7.52pm Japan time. The event was also attended by UiTM vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Shahrin Sahib at the Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Chancellery Building, UiTM on Tuesday. It is a symbol of local expertise, a manifestation of confidence in the talent of Malaysian children, and proof that public universities are capable of being a driver of the country's strategic technology," he added.

Ifunanya Nwangene, who is known for her appearance on season 3 of The Voice Nigeria, has died after a snake bite. Nwangene’ choir director Sam C. Ezugwu confirmed the news in a Facebook post on Sunday (Feb 1), saying Nwangene died Saturday at a Nigerian hospital, describing her death as a “sudden demise.”“Amemuso Choir regrets to announce the sudden demise of our beloved Soprano, Ifunaya Nwangene,” the post read. After looking for help at a nearby clinic, The Voice star was forced to move to another hospital because of the unavailability of antivenom. The singer’s death came three days after teasing a new song with musician Tbrass, who shared a behind the scenes clip of Nwangene recording the track. “An irreplaceable loss to the Abuja music society and Nigeria at large,” he wrote on Instagram.

KUALA LUMPUR: A social media influencer has been charged in two Sessions Courts here with raping and sexually assaulting two teenage girls. Muhammad Iman Hazriq Azizan, 23, pleaded not guilty after the two charges against him were read out before Judges Tasnim Abu Bakar and Mohd Kafli Che Ali on Tuesday (Feb 3). He was charged before Tasnim with raping a 15-year-old girl in a condominium room in Wangsa Maju between 1pm and 8pm on Jan 22. Before Judge Mohd Kafli Che Ali, the accused was charged with committing physical sexual assault on a 16-year-old girl for sexual purposes at the same location, date, and time. Tasnim and Mohd Kafli granted the accused bail of RM10,000 each with one surety, along with the additional conditions requested by the prosecution.

Sultan of Pahang says power must be exercised constitutionallyKUANTAN: The Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has stress­ed that the power to grant royal pardon under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution must not be regarded as a political gift or an act of personal sympathy. Instead, Al-Sultan Abdullah said the power of pardon is a legi­timate constitutional mechanism that serves as a final consideration in a justice system that is punitive in nature. “The power of pardon provided under Article 42 of the Federal Constitution should be assessed with calm emotions and a clear mind, not with excessive sentiment or clouded judgement,” His Royal High­ness said in a post on the Kesultanan Pahang Face­book page. “The granting of pardons and sentence red­uc­tions is also not exclusive to any individual, party or position. According to the post, the Sultan made the remarks when atten­ding the 120th Meeting of the Pahang Council of Regency here.