KUALA KANGSAR: A woman was found dead, lying face down, inside a locked house in Kampung Cheh Hilir here on Sunday (Jan 11), Sinar Harian reports. He said personnel from the Kuala Kangsar Fire and Rescue Station were dispatched to the scene and found the house door locked from the inside. “Once the door was successfully opened using specialised equipment, a woman, believed to be about 55 years old, was found lying face down in the kitchen, unconscious. “Further examination by Health Ministry officials, who were also at the scene, confirmed that the victim had died,” he said on Monday (Jan 12). “The operation, involving 12 personnel and two fire engines, ended at 9.35pm,” he said.

PETALING JAYA: Women’s doubles pair Low Zi Yu-Noraqilah Maisarah Ramdan opened the new season in style after clinching their first international title by winning the Estonian International Challenge on Sunday (Jan 11). The match, held at the Kalev Sports Hall in Tallinn, saw the reunited Zi Yu-Noraqilah cruise past the American pair Audrey Chang-Jasmine Yeung, 21-14, 21-19, in 35 minutes. As champions, Zi Yu-Noraqilah received 1,000 euros (RM4,744.80) in prize money. They will next head to Uppsala to compete in the Swedish Open, which begins on Thursday (Jan 15). Zi Yu-Noraqilah are scheduled to face home pair Miranda Johansson-Ashwati Pillai.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 12): Investigations into 21 Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) officers allegedly involved in immoral activities linked to the so-called ‘Yeye’ culture, which recently went viral on social media, will move to the legal process soon, said Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin. He said all the officers concerned are still performing their duties as usual and will have the right to defend themselves once the legal process is initiated. “They are being investigated and once the investigation is completed, it will move to the legal process. Mohamed Khaled stressed that prohibitions related to the consumption of alcohol and bringing non-family guests into mess facilities have long been clearly stipulated in Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) regulations. In his message, Mohamed Khaled said the Defence Ministry and MAF have long banned immoral activities at all camps nationwide.

(Jan 12): US and India are close partners and will resolve their differences, including over a long delayed trade deal, said Sergio Gor, the new US ambassador to India appointed by President Donald Trump’s administration. Officials from the two nations are scheduled to talk about the deal in a call on Tuesday, he added. Washington has targeted India with tariffs of 50% — among the highest in the world — partly over its purchases of Russian oil. India remains one of the last major economies without a trade deal with the US despite months of negotiations and multiple phone calls between Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. New Delhi is also miffed by comments from US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick’s last week suggesting the trade deal failed to materialise as Modi did not call the president to seal the pact.

RHB Research said that the narrowing price spread between CPO and soybean oil in the third quarter of last year made palm oil less competitive, prompting importers to switch to alternative oils. This was also reflected in trade data, with Malaysia’s palm oil exports being down 10.2% up to last November. China and India’s palm oil imports fell 16% and 14% y-o-y, respectively, up to last October. RHB Research said that by last November, China’s palm oil imports were only 3% lower y-o-y, while India’s decline narrowed to 5%. It also pointed to the possibility that the US Environmental Protection Agency may delay the implementation of tighter biofuel policies, which would ease demand for soybean oil and weigh indirectly on palm oil prices.

KUALA LUMPUR: Police confirm that there has been one fatality after an explosion occurred at a private university here. Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Fadil Marsus said the deceased was a 24-year-old contractor who was working on an air conditioning unit. Two foreign workers, who are canteen workers, suffered light injuries," he said in a statement on Monday (Jan 12). Comm Fadil said there were not many students at the area at the time of the explosion as many are on holiday. He also said that the police and the Fire and Rescue Department conducted inspections to mitigate the risk of a secondary explosion.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 12): Former Army chief Tan Sri Muhammad Hafizuddeain Jantan wants to take early retirement from the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF), effective Jan 1, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said. He said this was conveyed through Muhammad Hafizuddeain’s lawyer on Monday, allowing the Armed Forces Council to begin the process of identifying a new candidate for the post of Chief of Defence Force (CDF). “I have received a letter from Hafizuddeain’s lawyer, stating that he expressed his intention to retire early from the Armed Forces, specifically the Army, effective Jan 1 this year. As is known, the Armed Forces Council had previously decided to appoint him as Chief of Defence Force,” he said. “The Armed Forces Council will submit its recommendation to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim, as the Supreme Commander of the Malaysian Armed Forces, for consent, and this process will take some time,” he said.

(Jan 12): China is restarting soybean auctions — after a three-week pause — in an apparent attempt to clear storage space as it keeps buying from the US following the trade truce between the two countries. Sinograin will put 1.13 million tonnes of soybeans up for sale on Tuesday (Jan 13), according to a statement published on the website of the National Grain Trade Center late Friday. The state-run grain stockpiler held several auctions in December, the first such sales since Beijing and Washington reached an agreement at a meeting in South Korea in late October. China has stepped up purchases of American soybeans and committed to buy at least 12 million tonnes by the end of February, according to officials in Washington. State firms returned to buying from the US from late October and have booked a flurry of cargoes since then, putting the world’s biggest importer on track to meet the apparent target.

KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 12): The Defence Ministry (Mindef) will carry out a major overhaul of its anti-corruption plan this year, as part of efforts to restore public trust and strengthen integrity and governance in the national defence sector. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said all tender and procurement processes will also be reviewed and improved in line with best practices. “Mindef and the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) must eradicate corruption and abuse of power that have taken root in the national defence system. “Corruption erodes the character of personnel trained in discipline and undermines our ability to compete as a middle-power nation. As such, the minister said that Mindef will continue to strictly strengthen enforcement of regulations and disciplinary measures to curb corruption and abuse of power.

KUALA TERENGGANU: The body of a five-year-old boy who drowned after being swept away by waves while washing his feet at Pantai Batu Rakit in Kuala Nerus has been found. Kuala Terengganu police chief ACP Azli Mohd Noor said the body of Muhammad Zarif Hazahari was found by rescue teams washed up on the beach, about 6km from the location where he fell last Friday. He said the body of the fifth of six siblings was later retrieved by rescuers with the assistance of local residents yesterday following a two-day search and rescue operation. “The police advise the public to exercise caution and avoid app­roa­ching the sea or bodies of water during the ongoing north-east monsoon season,” he said in a statement, Bernama reported.

BUKIT JALIL: After several heartbreaks, Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn finally clinched his first men’s singles Super 1000 title by winning the Malaysian Open at Axiata Arena yesterday. “I knew if we had long rallies, it would have been very tough for me to win,” said Kunlavut. Nothing was sweeter for Kunlavut than receiving his trophy and prize from his idol, Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei. Ironically, Chong Wei had held a meal session with Kunlavut just before the start of the Malaysian Open. “I might ask him (Chong Wei) for a bak kut teh session again.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians residing in or visiting Narathiwat are urged to abide by the curfew imposed by the Thai government following a spate of violent incidents in three southern provinces on Sunday (Jan 11). The Consulate-General of Malaysia in Songkhla said in a statement that the curfew requires individuals to stay home from 9pm until 5am. "In light of this development, Malaysians residing in or visiting the Province of Narathiwat are advised to abide by the curfew order, and those intending to visit the concerned provinces to defer it until the situation permits," the statement read. It advised Malaysians currently in these provinces to register their presence with the Consulate-General via phone number: +6674-311 062/ +6674-316 274 or +6693-657 0707 (for emergencies only) or email: mwsongkhla@kln.gov.my. Thai authorities imposed the security measure following a spate of violent incidents in which 11 petrol stations across the southern border provinces of Narathiwat, Yala and Pattani were simultaneously hit by coordinated bomb and arson attacks in the early hours of Sunday, injuring four people.

PETALING JAYA: Fraudulent property rental cases involving identity theft have spiked drastically – from merely 184 cases in 2023 to over 900 last year, a jump of over 400% in only three years. “They avoid physical meetings or property viewings, using various excuses,” said Comm Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa (pic) in an interview. The Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department’s (CCID) director warned that syndicates are exploiting the emergence of various social media platforms and new applications due to their wide reach, low costs and difficulty in tracking. “We have also detected a trend of rapid digital identity changes among scammers, including switching phone numbers and bank accounts, using temporary social media accounts and rotating mule accounts to avoid detection,” he lamented. Losses from fraudulent rental cases have spiked since 2023, particularly last year, he said.

PETALING JAYA: The surge in property rental fraud is due to the shift to social media platforms and high housing demand in areas like the Klang Valley, say experts. They say social media platforms are favoured by rental scammers for their broad and targeted reach, inadequate moderation and ease of anonymous posting. Veteran property agent Soma Sundram said rental frauds have evolved in the past years with scammers currently utilising the social media platforms as their main base. It is because of social media that it becomes much easier to gain prospective tenants (for illegal brokers or online scammers),” he said in an interview. Real estate transactions, stressed the former Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents CEO, are not being taken seriously enough.

(Jan 12): Copper rose toward a record, as base metals opened the week in bullish form, aided by concerns over supplies and a weaker dollar. Investors have been piling into hard assets seen as possible winners from US monetary easing, a weaker dollar and the fracturing of supply chains. Copper was 0.9% higher at US$13,116.50 a tonne on the London Metal Exchange at 11.14am in Shanghai (same time as Malaysia). Among other metals, aluminium was up 0.7%, set for the highest close since April 2022 in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Tin rose more than 3%, taking gains since the start of the year to 16%.