Drivers who refuse testing may face up to five years in prison or fines of up to 20 million won (US$13,800). Those found to have been driving under the influence of an illegal substance now face harsher penalties, with the maximum prison sentence increasing from three to five years, and maximum fines rising from 10 million won to 20 million won. Expanded child care benefitsTo ease the burden of child care, monthly subsidies of 100,000 won, currently provided to children under age 8, are extended to children under age 9. To address gaps in child care, nighttime care hours at some child care centers will be extended. Starting Jan 5, a total of 360 child care centers, including community child care centers and “Together Care” centers, will participate in nighttime care programmes.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Madani government remains committed to ensuring that harmony in diversity continues to be the foundation of the nation's progress, while also strengthening the economy for the wellbeing of the people. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government will move forward with full confidence alongside the people as they embrace new hopes this year. "This is the Madani government's commitment to Malaysia. In the same post, Anwar shared a one-minute, 47-second video showing him celebrating the New Year with Malaysians last night, which also served as the initial catalyst for the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign. The VM2026 campaign officially began with the Visit Malaysia 2026 Countdown Festival, a large-scale New Year's Eve celebration held at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

JOHOR BARU: Over 9,000 summonses were issued, and 17 individuals were arrested for various offences during the year-end festive period following a statewide police operation in Johor. He said the traffic investigation and enforcement department conducted roadblocks from Dec 25 to Dec 31 to ease traffic congestion and ensure road safety. “As a result of the checks, 17 individuals aged 14 to 46 were arrested for various offences, while 9,356 summonses were issued for traffic offences,” he said. Comm Ab Rahaman said a total of 130 vehicles were also seized, comprising 126 motorcycles, two cars, one van, and one lorry. He added that a total of 1,681 officers and personnel were deployed across the Johor police contingent for the operations.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a continuous rain warning at the alert level for several areas in Sarawak until Saturday (Jan 3). MetMalaysia director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 1) that the affected areas include Kuching, Serian, Samarahan, Sri Aman, Betong, Sarikei (Pakan, Sarikei and Meradong), Sibu (Sibu and Selangau), Mukah, Bintulu and Miri (Subis, Beluru, Miri and Marudi). He said the public can obtain the latest weather updates through MetMalaysia’s official website, the myCuaca mobile application and the department’s official social media platforms. Enquiries can also be made via the MetMalaysia hotline at 1-300-22-1638.

PETALING JAYA: Kedah PAS commissioner Datuk Ahmad Yahaya supports the proposal for Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor (pic) to replace Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Perikatan Nasional chairman. "I see that some parties are proposing that YAB Sanusi be the new Perikatan chairman. It is an interesting proposal, which I agree with," he wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday (Jan 1). Muhyiddin, the Bersatu President, resigned as Perikatan chairman earlier this week, along with Datuk Seri Azmin Ali (secretary-general and Selangor chairman), Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu (Perak), Mohamad Hanifah Abu Bakar (Negri Sembilan), Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal (Johor) and Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian (Sarawak). PAS secretary-general Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan recently said that the party was willing to take the helm of the coalition following Muhyiddin's resignation.

GEORGE TOWN: A consultant has lost RM690,500 to an online investment scam in November, says Penang police chief Comm Datuk Azizee Ismail. The victim, a woman aged 71, lodged a police report on Dec 29 about being scammed after she contacted the woman suspect via WhatsApp after seeing an advertisement about an investment scheme offering high returns on TikTok in mid-November, he added. "She was added to a WhatsApp group named QNTCX Invest and was promised 100 per cent profits in a short period based on the amount invested. The victim was attracted by the investment and was asked to download a ‘QNTCX’ app to register and invest. "The victim made 20 cash deposit transactions to four different company bank accounts from Nov 10 to Dec 23, 2005 totalling RM690,500,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 1).

JOHOR BARU: A Chinese manufacturer specialising in superalloys has stated its commitment to invest RM900mil in Johor, says Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi. He said this followed the state delegation’s visit to Jiangsu Longda Superalloy Co Ltd in Shanghai on Dec 17. “During the meeting, Jiangsu Longda through its Malaysian subsidiary, Singda Superalloy (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, stated its commitment to invest about RM900mil in Johor." Onn Hafiz said this is expected to create over 200 high-skilled job opportunities in the engineering and modern technology fields. Onn Hafiz said the delegation also discussed the formation of industrial supply chain clusters with strategic ecosystem partners.

MOSCOW (Jan 1): Russia accused Ukraine on Thursday of killing at least 24 people, including a child, in a drone strike on a hotel and cafe where civilians were seeing in the New Year in a Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's southern Kherson region. Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of the region, first made the accusation about the strike in a statement. Russia's Foreign Ministry and senior Russian politicians later accused Ukraine of carrying out "a terrorist attack". Russia's Foreign Ministry said initial information indicated that 24 people, including one child, had been killed, and that 50 people had been injured, including six minors who were being treated in hospital. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement on Telegram that Ukraine's backers in the West were ultimately to blame.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bukit Aman fully supports the government’s announcement on the implementation of the Online Safety Act 2025 (Onsa) given the spike in online crimes resulting in huge losses. "Online crime threats have become increasingly serious and have a direct impact on the well-being of society. "Malaysians suffered losses amounting to RM2.77bil due to online scam crimes between January 2023 and November last year,"During the same period, cases involving online child sexual exploitation showed a worrying rise, with 688 cases recorded from January 2021 to November 2025. In addition, cases related to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) totalled 351 cases between January 2021 and October 2025," he said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 1). “This approach is in line with the commitment to protect the people and ensure they remain safe in the future cyber environment,” he added.

PEKAN: An object suspected to be debris from space was discovered along the coastline of Kampung Tanjung, Nenasi, here last Tuesday (Dec 30). Pekan OCPD Supt Mohd Zaidi Mat Zin said the object was found by local residents at about 5pm, before the matter was reported to the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry. "Initial investigations found that the debris is believed to have fallen from space into the sea and was later washed ashore by currents to the coastal area in Nenasi,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 1). For safety purposes, the object was moved to the Nenasi Police Station for temporary storage before further investigations are carried out by the relevant ministries. Checks by Bernama at the police station found that police lines had been placed around the object, and the debris, believed to weigh several hundred kgs, was covered in barnacles, with some of its surfaces peeled off and damaged.

Rescuers and fire-fighters work at the site of an explosion that ripped through a bar in Crans-Montana. (Photo by MAXIME SCHMID / AFP)LENS, Switzerland: Around 40 people have been killed and 100 injured, most of them seriously, after an explosion tore through a crowded bar during a New Year's Eve party in the upmarket ski resort of Crans-Montana, Swiss officials said on Thursday. A fire broke out at 1.30 a.m. (0030 GMT) in a bar called "Le Constellation" in the resort in south-western Switzerland. "I cannot hide from you that we are all shaken by what happened overnight in Crans," Gisler told the press conference. Several people were killed and others injured when an explosion ripped through a bar in the luxury Alpine ski resort town of Crans Montana, Swiss police said early on Jan 1.

PETALING JAYA: Lagenda Properties Bhd has designated Jasrinderjit Singh Dhillon, 35, as the company’s chief executive officer, effective today. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia, the property group said Jasrinderjit has been appointed to the role to support Lagenda’s executive leadership and board of directors. Prior to the appointment, he served as the Lagenda’s head of investments, strategy and corporate relations. He joined Lagenda in 2018 and rapidly advanced through successive leadership roles within the company. “His progression within the group reflects the board’s confidence in his leadership capabilities, strategic judgement, and deep understanding of the group’s business and operating environment,” Lagenda said.

SUBANG: Travellers arriving at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport or Subang Skypark were thoroughly surprised with the warm Malaysian welcome as part of Tourism Malaysia's nationwide celebration across major international gateways and transportation hubs. Marking the official launch of the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, travellers were greeted with vibrant Malaysian cultural performances and contemporary showcases infused with heritage elements, alongside appearances by the official mascots, Wira and Manja. The nationwide welcome celebrations were made possible through close collaboration with state governments, airlines, airport authorities, tourism industry players and strategic partners. Airports across Malaysia marked the start of VM2026 at midnight on 1 January with coordinated arrival activities held at 19 airports nationwide, including KL International Airport (KLIA). Recognising that the VM2026 experience begins at every entry point, Malaysia Airports also accelerated upgrades at other airports, including Penang International Airport, Kota Kinabalu International Airport and selected domestic gateways.

Both victims were rescued about 100m from the shoreline. Pic Credit: Fire and Rescue DepartmentMary Victoria DassKOTA TINGGI: Two siblings, a nine-year-old boy and an 18-year-old girl, were rescued after nearly drowning when they were swept away by waves while swimming at Batu Layar beach today. A Johor Fire and Rescue Department spokesman said they received a distress call at 2.41pm and dispatched a team to the scene. "One victim was rescued by members of the public, while the second was saved by firefighters. Both were rescued about 100m from the shoreline," the spokesman said.

WASHINGTON: A record of the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) December 2025 meeting shows most officials see additional interest rate cuts as appropriate if inflation declines over time as expected. Yet, some officials made clear they believe rates should remain on hold “for some time” after the December gathering. But they included a small change in their post-meeting statement that suggested officials were less certain about when the FOMC might cut rates again. Six officials signalled their opposition to the rate reduction by recommending the benchmark rate should stand at 3.75% to 4% at the end of 2025 – where it stood before the December meeting. In addition, the median projection pointed to one rate cut in 2026, though individual projections ranged widely.