Penang plans to install 5,000 CCTVs across the state, including 1,000 in Seberang Perai, by October to enhance public safety. - NSTP file picBUKIT MERTAJAM: Penang plans to install 5,000 CCTVs across the state, including 1,000 in Seberang Perai, by October to enhance public safety. Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the initiative aligned with the use of smart technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) to create a safer and more responsive urban environment. In terms of technology and infrastructure, Space is built on fibre optic networks as its system backbone and is equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to monitor vehicle movements. So far, 11 hotspots have been identified and are actively monitored under the MBSP city control system, he added.

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday (Jan 24) refuted media reports claiming Malaysia had handed over 5,207 hectares of land to Indonesia as compensation for three villages in the Nunukan area near the Sabah-Kalimantan border. However, Anwar said Malaysia would engage in amicable negotiations on the land compensation issue in the near future. Present were the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Steven Sim, who is the Bukit Mertajam Member of Parliament, and Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid. Media reports recently claimed that three villages in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, have now moved to Malaysia, but the boundary dispute in the Pulau Sebatik area remains unresolved, while Indonesia was reportedly gaining an additional area of 5,207 hectares from Malaysia. According to him, the finalisation of the land boundary measurement was sealed through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Malaysia and Indonesia on February 18, 2025, following more than 45 years of comprehensive and transparent technical negotiations.

Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, today stressed that corruption was not a minor offence, but a grave betrayal of the nation. - PIC CREDIT: FB//istananegaraofficialKUANTAN: Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, today stressed that corruption was not a minor offence, but a grave betrayal of the nation. He said that many nations had fallen not due to external attacks, but as a result of internal betrayal through corruption, abuse of power and unchecked greed. The Sultan urged young people to reject corruption and abuse of power, and to rise as a generation that breaks the cycle of moral decay. The discourse brought together 500 participants, including leaders of youth organisations, students from institutions of higher learning, and stakeholders in youth and national development.

Terengganu Cycling Team's (TSG) Nur Aiman Rosli (left) and Fergus Browning started strong at the Pune Grand Tour. - Pic courtesy of TSGKUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian road cycling teams got a chance to test their legs at the inaugural Pune Grand Tour which concluded in India on Friday (Jan 23). UCI Continental squads Terengganu Cycling Team (TSG) and Malaysia Pro Cycling (MPC) as well as the national development squad all saw action in the new UCI 2.2 tour. Browning won the opening prologue in Pune in which teammate Nur Aiman Rosli placed 15th to move into the Asian Riders' classification jersey. TSG, who have a bigger squad, have also sent riders to the Tour of Sharjah (Jan 23-27) and will also compete at the Alula Tour (Jan 27-31).

BEIJING: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is in Shanghai, a person briefed on the matter said on Saturday, as the US chip giant faces fierce competition from local rivals and scrutiny from Chinese authorities. Huang visited China at least three times last year and in July met with China's commerce minister. Nvidia is waiting for Beijing to decide whether to let the company sell its powerful H200 artificial intelligence chip to Chinese customers, a step already approved by Washington. Chinese authorities have told customs agents that the H200 chip was not permitted to enter China, people briefed on the matter told Reuters this month. The H200, Nvidia's second most powerful AI chip, has emerged as one of the biggest flashpoints in US-China relations.

KUALA LUMPUR: Third time proved the charm for Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei as they finally overcame long-time nemeses Jiang Zhen Bang-Wei Ya Xin to storm into the final of the Indonesia Masters on Saturday. After two recent defeats, the reigning world champions appeared to have cracked the code against their world No. 2 rivals, producing a commanding 21-17, 21-12 victory to secure just their third win in eight meetings. Tang Jie-Ee Wei will next face either Indonesia's Jafar Hidayatullah-Felisha Pasaribu or Denmark's Mathias Christiansen-Alexandra Boje in the final as they chase the fifth title of their career. The win also sends Tang Jie-Ee Wei into their 10th World Tour final.

K Letshanaa lost in the semi-finals of the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta on Saturday. - NSTP FILE PICKUALA LUMPUR: K. Letshanaa's ambitious bid to become Malaysia's first women's singles shuttler to reach a Super 500 final in the World Tour era came to an end at the Indonesia Masters on Saturday. 42 found Thailand's rising star Pitchamon Opatniputh a class above, going down 21-15, 21-17 in 41 minutes at the Istora Senayan in Jakarta. In their first career meeting, the gap between the two players was evident, with Pitchamon, the world No. Letshanaa led only once — at 3-2 in the opening game — before spending the remainder of the match playing catch-up.

The Shah Alam High Court found Rabbi Hosen guilty under Section 26H of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Act 670) for concealing and protecting four Bangladeshi migrants. - COURTESY PICPUTRAJAYA: A 21-year-old Bangladeshi man has been sentenced to two years' jail after being convicted of acting as a caretaker for a migrant safe house used as a transit point in a smuggling operation. The Shah Alam High Court found Rabbi Hosen guilty under Section 26H of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (Act 670) for concealing and protecting four Bangladeshi migrants. Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the sentence was handed down on Jan 22 and ordered to take effect from the date of his arrest. "The Immigration Department will continue to strengthen enforcement operations to ensure national sovereignty and security are always safeguarded," he said.

KUANTAN (Jan 24): Sultan of Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on Saturday stressed that corruption is not a minor offence, but a grave betrayal of the nation. Al-Sultan Abdullah noted that many nations have fallen not because of external attacks, but due to internal betrayal through corruption, abuse of power and unchecked greed. Abuse of power is not a weakness of ordinary people, it is a crime of office. Al-Sultan Abdullah urged young people to reject corruption and abuse of power, and to rise as a generation that breaks the cycle of moral decay. The discourse brought together 500 participants, including leaders of youth organisations, students from institutions of higher learning and stakeholders in youth and national development.

PETALING JAYA: Men's doubles shuttlers Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun's run in the Indonesian Masters ended in the quarter-finals after the duo went down to homesters Sabar Gutama-Moh Reza. Defending champions Wei Chong-Kai Wun lost narrowly 20-22, 19-21 at Istora Senayan in Jakarta on Friday (Jan 23). It was the world No. 6 pair's sixth defeat at the hands of the world No. Independent player Goh V Shem's hopes of advancing with his South Korean partner Choi Sol-gyu were also dashed after the combo were beaten 21-15, 20-22, 14-21 by Denmark's Daniel Lundgaard-Mads Vestergaard.

Contracts for three major traffic system management projects in the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) 2026 budget will be reviewed to ensure their effectiveness. Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said the three projects were the RM42mil smart traffic light system, the arti­­ficial intelligence (AI) powered traffic management system as well as the plan to double the number of closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras from 10,000 to 20,000 units. Lim, who chairs the committee to monitor the Traffic and Systems Management, said the committee would also release an audited report for the three projects to ensure they worked efficiently. “For example, we will see how many existing CCTV cameras are actually functional and whether the smart traffic lights and AI-powered traffic management systems went through the proper tender process, or if city dwellers find them relevant. When contacted, Zahir said he would look into the projects listed in the budget to ensure the projects prioritised key areas in the city.

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who is the counsel of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has made known that his client continues to maintain that the RM42mil deposited into the former prime minister’s personal bank account was a donation from a Saudi monarch. “He (Najib) answered based on the court’s decision (regarding the earlier criminal proceedings), but based on his own knowledge, he continues to believe that all the money he received – not just the RM42mil – came from Saudi Arabia. He said this during re-examination by his counsel Muhammad Shafee in the RM42mil civil suit filed by SRC and its subsidiary, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd, against him. Muhammad Shafee: Now, it is important in this context to consider how the issues involving both 1MDB and SRC became public, or rather, matters of public concern. Muhammad Shafee: During that period, did you at any time stop or obstruct those investigations?

KUALA LUMPUR: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) plans to conduct a site visit to Lumut to assess the progress of the Royal Malaysian Navy’s (RMN) littoral combat ship (LCS) construction project, following earlier proceedings related to the project. PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the Jan 30 visit aims to allow the committee to see the project’s actual progress on the ground and to assess information and reports previously received. She said the PAC monitors the construction of the vessels from time to time, and that the visit will be the committee’s third to the site in Perak. Mas Ermieyati was met by the media after the opening ceremony of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee Conference with State Public Accounts Committees nationwide here yesterday. In February 2024, Bernama reported that the PAC had expressed concern over continued delays in the LCS project.

KINABATANGAN (Jan 24): Two polling centres for the Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election were closed at noon on Saturday. The two centres are Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Inarad in Tongod, which has two polling streams, and SK Sri Ganda in Litang, which has one polling stream. A total of 36 polling centres with 117 polling streams opened simultaneously at 7.30am for the Kinabatangan parliamentary and the Lamag state by-elections. The Election Commission said the remaining 34 centres will close in stages from 1pm to 5.30pm. The Kinabatangan parliamentary by-election is a three-cornered contest among Mohd Kurniawan Naim Moktar of Barisan Nasional (BN), Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman (Warisan) and Goldam Hamid (Independent), while the Lamag state by-election is a straight fight between Mohd Ismail Ayob (BN) and Mazliwati Abdul Malek (Warisan).

FOR A2 Automation Sdn Bhd, regional expansion is not driven by boardroom bravado or aggressive land grabs. “So when they expand or operate in other countries, they invite us along.”Because A2 Automation operates in sensitive environments involving security systems and cybersecurity infrastructure, customer identities remain confidential. FOR A2 Automation Sdn Bhd, regional expansion is not driven by boardroom bravado or aggressive land grabs. While artificial intelligence (AI) is now central to modern security and automation systems, Aru rejects the idea that technology should replace people. This philosophy shapes how A2 Automation invests heavily in its workforce.