PETALING JAYA: Encounters with snakes are never fun, especially when you're minding your own business at home or getting work done at the office. Is it true that on average, over 30 reports about snakes are made to authorities every day in Kelantan? Verdict:TRUEThe Malaysian Civil Defence Force (APM) in Kelantan recorded a total of 11,641 snake captures in 2025 – an average of almost 32 per day. Kelantan APM deputy director Lt Col (PA) Mohd Farid Ishak said the Kota Baru district recorded the highest number of 5,327 cases, followed by Bachok (2,914) and Machang (2,749). He also advised the public not to take matters into their own hands when faced with dangerous animals, but to immediately contact the APM emergency hotline.

BENGALURU/NEW YORK (Jan 15): Wall Street's investment bankers expect to stay busy this year after reaping a windfall from big-ticket deals and stock market listings in 2025. Top US banks reported stronger fourth-quarter profits this week, with Goldman Sachs' investment banking fees jumping 25% on a dealmaking boost and rival Morgan Stanley reporting a 47% surge in investment banking revenue. Bank of America's investment banking fees rose a marginal 1% in the quarter. Global investment banking revenues crossed US$100 billion (RM405.45 billion) in 2025, Dealogic's data showed. CEO Scharf said the bank advised on two of the largest M&A deals of 2025 and climbed to eighth in announced M&A rankings from 12th a year earlier.

PUTRAJAYA: The Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) has introduced a new information search platform using the WhatsApp application. In a statement on Thursday (Jan 15), LHDN said taxpayers would be able to receive tax updates, payment reminders, notifications on arrears and compliance alerts through the WhatsApp application via their registered mobile numbers. Meanwhile, an enhanced enquiry platform known as Tanya Hafy will replace the previous version, Tanya@HKC, on the official LHDN portal. "This information search feature offers a self-service approach that is more systematic, relevant and efficient," it said. LHDN said the introduction of the Hasil WhatsApp application and the Tanya Hafy platform is expected to add value for taxpayers by improving access to important tax-related information.

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says he will meet Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh to seek clarification over his combative remarks after his resignation as a Melaka executive committee member. On a separate matter, Ahmad Zahid said Dr Muhammad Akmal's proposal to cooperate with PAS was merely a suggestion, adding that only the top Umno leadership can make the decision. "He can present his suggestion to the Umno supreme council when we hold a meeting," he said. In his policy speech, Dr Muhammad Akmal proposed the formation of a "tekad ummah (community resolve)", beginning with cooperation between Umno and PAS and welcomed participation from other Malay-based parties. The Umno Youth chief said this was not for political gain but arose from a sense of responsibility as Malays needed to be united.

PUTRAJAYA: The Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) is ready to assist victims of the recent explosion at HELP University, said Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan. According to Ramanan, while the Federal Territories Ministry and the Higher Education Ministry are currently assisting victims, PERKESO and the Human Resources Ministry will also provide additional support. “But, in terms of help, let the Higher Education Ministry handle this because this is under their purview. But, don’t worry, we are providing the needed support from time to time,” said Ramanan to reporters after his New Year address at Menara PERKESO on Thursday (Jan 15). The explosion, believed to have been caused by a ruptured air-conditioning compressor, occurred on Monday at the university’s Bukit Damansara campus.

(Jan 15): The US pressured Italy to cancel government contracts with Chinese security equipment supplier Nuctech over national security concerns, according to people familiar with the matter. The American concern is that images acquired at customs ports could be accessed by Chinese authorities, jeopardising both US and Italian national security. “All data generated by our security equipment belongs to our customers who retain full control over it,” the Nuctech representative said in an emailed statement. Italian officials told the US that it wasn’t possible to cancel the tenders because it would create legal risk as well as possible diplomatic problems with Beijing, according to the people. In a separate situation, Italy’s Pirelli & C SpA sidelined Sinochem representatives to its board last year, declaring the Chinese company no longer had control.

PETALING JAYA: Men’s doubles pair Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani failed to defend their Indian Open title after suffering a surprise defeat to Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei-Yang Po-hsuan in the second round on Thursday (Jan 15). Sze Fei-Izzuddin took to the court at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi with a psychological edge, having won six of their previous seven meetings against Jhe-huei-Po-hsuan. However, the Malaysians struggled to impose themselves and were eventually shown the exit after going down 14-21, 21-17, 14-21 in 46 minutes. The husband and wife pair will next face world No. Earlier, the Chinese pair had beaten Jimmy Wong-Lai Pei Jing 18-21, 21-17, 21-10.

Despite the airspace reopening, many airlines, including Singapore Airlines and TUI, continued to use alternative routes, according to FlightRadar24, as experts warned that the risk of further instability was still present. "KLM is currently avoiding Iranian airspace as a precaution — a route we already rarely use. Last night's closure of Iranian airspace therefore had no effect on our operations," a KLM spokesperson said. Finnair has stopped flying through Iraqi airspace, travelling to Doha and Dubai over Saudi Arabia instead, the company told local media on Thursday. Carriers like Ryanair have moved routes away from the Middle East in recent months and others including Air France have long avoided Iranian airspace.

KUALA LUMPUR: Eight locals, including an Immigration Department officer, have been arrested in an operation to dismantle a syndicate involved in illegally obtaining Malaysian passports. Those arrested included an Immigration officer suspected of facilitating the syndicate’s activities, a Malaysian believed to be a syndicate member, as well as four men and two women aged between 32 and 61. “During the raids, several items were seized, including four birth certificates, one Malaysian passport, eight mobile phones and 13 copies of Malaysian passport application forms,” Zakaria said in a statement on Thursday. Zakaria said the syndicate, believed to have been active since January last year, allegedly received between RM5,000 and RM7,000 for each passport successfully obtained. “All those arrested are being investigated under the Passport Act 1966 and have been taken to Immigration offices for further action.

The labour market remains in a holding pattern, with layoffs still low and hiring sluggish. "The picture of the labour market from the claims data, as noisy as it has been in recent weeks, is one of at least stable labour market conditions," said Nancy Vanden Houten, lead US economist at Oxford Economics. Claims are difficult to adjust for seasonal fluctuations around the year-end holiday season and the start of the year. Seasonal factors, the model that the government uses to iron out seasonal fluctuations from the data, had expected applications to increase by 45,652 last week. Labour market stasis was underscored by the Federal Reserve's (Fed) Beige Book report on Wednesday, which showed "employment was mostly unchanged" in early January.

PETALING JAYA: The Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project connecting Malaysia and Singapore is progressing smoothly and is expected to be completed on schedule by the end of this year, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke. He said most physical infrastructure works are complete, with the project now in the process of installing RTS systems. "Without this law, we cannot establish co-located customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) stations, which would allow Singaporean officers at Bukit Chagar and Malaysian officers at Woodlands North. On the Bukit Chagar Integrated Development, he said it should adopt Hong Kong's Central-style model, connecting surrounding buildings through pedestrian walkways linked to JB Sentral. "JB Sentral and Bukit Chagar are nearly 300m apart, so integration between the two is needed for people to easily access buses and trains," he said.

SUNWAY Velocity Mall was transformed into a vibrant arena of colour and movement as Sunway Malls launched its Chinese New Year campaign, “Galloping Into Prosperity”, in conjunction with the Year of the Horse. The main atrium was redesigned into a circular layout symbolising continuity, movement and togetherness, reflecting the forward momentum associated with the horse. The month-long celebration was launched by Sunway Malls chief executive officer HC Chan, who said the Year of the Horse represented energy, resilience and progress. “The Year of the Horse symbolises strength and forward movement. A display of 15 supercars, including Ferraris, Porsches and Mustangs, surrounded parts of the mall, reflecting the theme of speed, strength and momentum.

KUALA LUMPUR: BMI maintained its view that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) will leave the overnight policy rate (OPR) unchanged at 2.75 per cent for the rest of 2026 amid support from resilient domestic demand. "We are aligned with the bank and expect growth to slow from an estimated 4.6 per cent in 2025 to 4.1 per cent in 2026, the lower end of the BNM’s forecast of 4.0 per cent-4.5 per cent,” BMI said. BMI noted that the central bank had minimal concerns about inflation for now, as headline inflation has largely turned out as expected, averaging 1.4 per cent between January 2025 and November 2025. The research firm has also revised its foreign exchange forecast, now expecting the ringgit to reach RM4 per US dollar by the end of 2026. "With BNM standing pat, this means that yield differentials should move in the ringgit’s favour,” BMI said.

PETALING JAYA: Four factories in an industrial area along Jalan 5, Kampung Olak Lempit, Banting, were affected by a fire on Wednesday night (Jan 14), with two destroyed. He said the fire involved an oil-processing factory and that defensive firefighting operations were carried out due to explosions on the premises. According to Ahmad Mukhlis, the fire destroyed two factories. He added that three victims were found charred inside one of the destroyed factories, and their identities have yet to be identified. He said the operation involved personnel from the Banting Fire and Rescue Station, with assistance from stations in KLIA, Dengkil, Cyberjaya, Bangi, Petaling Jaya, Precinct 7 (Putrajaya) and Nilai, Negri Sembilan.

A crane at a construction site of a high-speed rail project collapsed onto the passenger train below, causing it to derail. I helped pull the injured out from a carriage," said Penporn, whose family-run restaurant is just across the road. At the scene, Penporn saw fire and fuel leaking from the tilted carriages. Penporn said she ultimately helped pull "20 or 30 people" from the wrecked train, some with minor injuries and others with serious head wounds. "My husband climbed down inside a carriage and helped a couple of people before rescue teams arrived."