JOHOR BARU: Three grade KP2 immigration officers and a restaurant owner were charged at the Sessions Court here for receiving bribes related to counter-setting issues between two and three years ago. The offences were allegedly committed at a bank in Simpang Renggam, Kluang, between July 16, 2024, and Feb 24 last year. The offence was allegedly committed at the Pasir Gudang Immigration Office at about 7pm on Aug 28, 2024. He allegedly committed the crime at a toilet near the immigration counter at the Pasir Gudang Ferry Terminal between April and August 2023. The offence was allegedly committed at a restaurant in Muar in Nov 2024.

Fahmi said further clarification on the matter will be provided during the Minister's Question Time (MQT) session in Parliament Thursday (Jan 22). Meanwhile, Fahmi said current MCMC data showed that takedown requests involving content on X stood at about 50% as of Wednesday, which he described as a moderate figure. Fahmi said he has also instructed his team to establish closer cooperation channels with X to ensure a safer Internet environment, particularly for children and families. On Jan 11, MCMC imposed a temporary restriction on access to Grok for users in Malaysia following repeated misuse of the AI to generate pornographic and sexually explicit content. Following the move, Fahmi was reported as saying that MCMC was reviewing possible legal action against X over its AI application Grok's failure to comply with Malaysian online safety laws.

PETALING JAYA: Shin Yang Group Bhd has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with DESB Marine Services Sdn Bhd for the construction, build and sale of a 91M maintenance / work vessel worth RM117.7mil. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, Shin Yang, which is primarily involved in shipping loose bulk and container cargoes, said the delivery date of the vessel shall be between Jan 2, 2028 to Jan 10, 2028. “The purchase consideration was arrived at on a willing buyer-willing seller basis taking into account the vessel’s specifications, construction costs and prevailing market rates and conditions.”Shin Yang said risk factors affecting the agreement include execution risks such as availability of materials, changes in prices of materials, availability of skilled manpower, changes in economic and regulatory conditions. “The company ensures strict compliance with all relevant conditions and procedures in the performance of its obligations under the agreement.”DESB Marine Services is principally engaged in the provision of marine vessel chartering services.

KUALA LUMPUR: Two deputy ministers were told off by Deputy Speaker Datuk Ramli Mohd Nor for having a chat while the Parliament session was ongoing. It started when Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail was giving his answer regarding a question on the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS). During that time, Ramli saw two deputy ministers, including Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu, talking in the House. "To the deputy minister and the deputy housing and local government minister, are you having a meeting too in this House? The ongoing Parliament session, which began on Monday (Jan 19) will take place until March 3.

Now her snap election seeking a mandate for debt-fuelled growth and tax cuts has triggered bond market tumult. With her political platform on the line, she can't drop her spending pitch to voters now. And as with Truss, it's an entirely self-made trap. That would increase the cost of funding for the government and could force a quicker showdown between Takaichi and central bank governor Kazuo Ueda. With all this on the docket, expect more market ructions in the run-up to elections, and possibly after.

KOTA KINABALU (Jan 22): Former principal of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama Tun Datu Mustapha, Shaharom Hashim, 51, told the Coroner’s Court on Wednesday that she was unaware of written statements from five students concerning the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir. The 47th witness, who was recalled to testify, said she only learned about the five students’ written statements after they were handed over to the police. “I was only made aware of the students’ witness statements on July 16 and 17 after they were handed over to the police,” she told the court when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Mohd Fairuz Johari before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan here. Asked by the coroner if any minister or deputy minister had visited the school after the incident, Shaharom said that, to her knowledge, there had been none. On Aug 8, the Attorney General’s Chambers ordered her remains to be exhumed for a post-mortem before announcing an inquest into her death on Aug 13.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 22): The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Malaysian Parliament will organise the first All-Malaysia PAC Conference, beginning Thursday until Jan 24 here. PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the conference aimed, among others, to enhance the image of the PAC as a check and balance body on executive functions at both the federal and state levels. The Masjid Tanah MP said the conference also sought to understand the implementation methods of the PAC system in state legislative assemblies nationwide, in addition to providing benchmarks for more standardised PAC proceedings and meetings at both parliamentary and state levels. Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul is scheduled to officiate the conference on Friday. The PAC expects the conference to produce practical resolutions and recommendations, align financial oversight approaches between the Federal Government and the states, and strengthen the effectiveness of the PAC’s role at all levels of administration.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Defence Ministry (Mindef) has reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and integrity following a courtesy call by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki at Wisma Pertahanan on Wednesday (Jan 21). Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said Azam's visit reflected a clear signal of shared commitment between the ministry and the MACC to strengthen integrity and governance. "It is in line with the need to bolster public confidence in the nation’s defence institutions," he said in a statement on Wednesday. He stressed that the ministry would extend its full cooperation to the MACC in all ongoing investigations related to corruption cases, in keeping with the principles of transparency, accountability and integrity. Mohamed Khaled said the MACC also expressed its agreement to offer advisory services to help enhance and improve procurement governance within the ministry and the Malaysian Armed Forces.

An index of contract signings decreased 9.3% to 71.8 last month, according to data released on Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). “The housing sector is not out of the woods yet,” NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement. While NAR adjusts the data for these patterns, the drop was still the largest for any December in data back to 2001. Pending-homes sales tend to be a leading indicator for previously owned homes, as houses typically go under contract a month or two before they’re sold. Wednesday’s report showed contract signings dropped in all four regions, including double-digit slides in three.

(Jan 21): Johnson & Johnson’s fourth-quarter (4Q) sales beat expectations, led by strong growth for several newer cancer treatments, while it issued higher-than-expected 2026 guidance. Sales are projected to be in a range of between US$100 billion (RM405.12 billion) and US$101 billion this year — above the average of analyst estimates. It expects growth despite a deal with the White House to give discounts on some of the company’s key drugs. J&J said 4Q earnings of US$2.46 a share excluding certain items were reduced by 10 cents due to the company’s US$3.05 billion deal to buy Halda Therapeutics. Sales growth was 7.1% excluding the impact of currency translation.

KUALA LUMPUR: As Lee Zii Jia broke his losing streak at the Indonesia Masters in Jakarta on Wednesday, his former coach, Wong Tat Meng, arrived in Malaysia for a short visit. Four months ago, I survived a serious accident. Tat Meng has been based in Sydney where he serves as the coaching and programmes director of the Roketto Badminton Club. He was greeted by close friend, Lim Joe Heang, a former physical conditioning coach for Zii Jia, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Thursday. "Welcome home, coach Tat Meng.

Abuse of power and corruption continues despite the crackdown by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. No less than His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, is after you. Calling them traitors in his hard-hitting Royal Address at the opening of the current session of the 15th Parliament on Monday, Sultan Ibrahim told the august house that they "will continue to be pursued until they are found". Sultan Ibrahim has called on the people to become the eyes and ears and report any form of corruption and crime. It is unfortunate that those who are tasked with curbing corruption had to wait for a royal reprimand.

Chinatown could soon see more foot traffic and fewer cars, if a proposal to extend vehicle- free hours at two stretches of roads is accepted by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). Currently, the iconic shopping area’s pedestrian-­friendly zone along Jalan Petaling and Jalan Hang Lekir in Kuala Lumpur is vehicle-free from 6pm to 11pm to facilitate night market operations. However, Jalan Petaling stakeholders are suggesting that these hours be increased, from noon to 11pm daily. “The vehicle-free hours here started about three decades ago and has benefitted both shoppers and traders.”Ang: Limiting vehicle access will improve visitor experience. “What’s left is to increase the awning height of the 40 stalls located near the Jalan Petaling and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock junction.

IPOH: A businessman has been charged at the Magistrate's Court here for cheating a factory owner of about RM38,943. Lee Wooi Siong, 54, pleaded not guilty after the charge under Section 420 of the Penal Code was read before Mohd Harith Mohd Mazlan here on Wednesday (Jan 21). The offence was said to have occurred at a factory in the Bercham light industries area from Aug 28 to 30 between 10.28am and 12.38pm last year. While pleading for a lower bail, lawyer S. Vinesh said the accused is a divorcee but is supporting his child, aged 21. Mohd Harith set bail at RM5,000 with one surety and April 7 for mention and submission of documents.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s tourist arrivals have exceeded expectations, prompting the government to consider revising its targets under Visit Malaysia 2026 and intensifying global promotional efforts. The Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the original target for Visit Malaysia 2026 was 35.6 million arrivals. “This has created new challenges for us, but it also shows that promotion works,” he said after launching the strategic cooperation between Tourism Malaysia and Oriental Kopi for the “Rasa Malaysia” promotion in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026 yesterday (Jan 21). To sustain the momentum, Tiong said the ministry has instructed Tourism Malaysia to step up worldwide promotional activities, focusing on high-spending markets such as China, Singapore, Asean countries and Europe. Tiong also said Malaysia is targeting second-tier cities in China by working closely with airlines to reduce transit times, which previously discouraged travellers.