KUALA LUMPUR: Police have arrested five suspects after a man was injured in a mob attack involving weapons. Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Rosdi Daud said police were alerted to the fight on Feb 21 after receiving a report from the complainant. “Five suspects, aged between 18 and their 40s, were subsequently arrested on Feb 21 and Feb 23 in the same area," he said in a statement. He added that the complainant suffered injuries to the hand and was still being treated at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital. "Investigations showed that the fight started after one of the suspects had used abusive language toward the complainant's wife," he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: The 6.8 magnitude earthquake that struck off the coast of Sabah early yesterday morning is the strongest to hit the country in recent memory. Malaysian Meteorological Depart­ment (MetMalaysia) director-­general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said that based on the department’s records, the previous strongest earthquake in Malaysia occurred on June 5, 2015, in Ranau, Sabah. In a statement earlier, MetMalaysia reported that a powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Sabah at 12.57am, but posed no tsunami threat. The epicentre was located about 49km west of Kudat, Sabah, and tremors were felt across parts of Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. He advised residents in nearby areas to stay alert, follow instructions from the authorities, remain calm and avoid panic.

The doctors told me that it was a result of my chain smoking,” said the widower, who has been smo­king since he was a teenager. To save his life, doctors quickly operated on Ismail, performing a laryngectomy that left him permanently without his voice. “Now, I feel lonely as I can no longer hear my own voice. It makes me sound funny, but at least I can speak,” said Ismail. But on one occasion, the can blew up in shreds and a shrapnel hit my right eye and damaged the cornea.

KUCHING: A 57-year-old man lost more than RM1.1mil after falling victim to a non-existent stock investment scheme promoted via the WhatsApp application. Kuching District Police Chief, ACP Alexson Naga Chabu, said that on Dec 9, the victim received a message offering an investment opportunity with lucrative returns within a short period. "Attracted by the offer, the victim joined a WhatsApp group named 'FYCMAX VIP' and was instructed to download an application known as 'FYC' and deal with several individuals acting as group administrators. "The victim, becoming increasingly confident after seeing displayed profits within the app, carried out 23 money transfer transactions into four different bank accounts. Alexson added that the victim only realised he had been cheated when he failed to withdraw his investment funds and the profits he had supposedly earned.

PETALING JAYA: Over 7,000 undocumented migrants have been arrested since the beginning of the year, according to the Immigration Department. Department deputy director-general (Operations) Datuk Lokman Effendi Ramli said that from Jan 1 to Feb 19 the department had conducted 1,855 operations, with around 30,177 people being inspected. "From this total, 7,043 arrests of undocumented migrants of various nationalities were recorded," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Feb 24). He added that the department recorded 4,804 cases involving those found without valid travel passes and documents, with a further 1,250 cases of overstaying. "The Immigration Department emphasised that enforcement operations will continue to be intensified consistently and in a focused manner, without compromise, against any individual who violates immigration laws," he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: A government backbencher called for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to probe the Bloomberg reports on the corporate mafia and the allegations of Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission(MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki’s shareholding. Hassan Abdul Karim (PH-Pasir Gudang) said it's time for the government to heed the people’s call. He said the special investigation committee established by the government will not be enough because its scope is limited. It is a different matter, if gold bars, cash, luxury bags and jewellery were found in Pandan (Rafizi’s) safe house. Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar had previously said that the Special Investigation Committee convened on Thursday (Feb 19) to record Azam's explanation about his alleged shareholding.

Yet in a world increasingly enamoured with grand industrial strategies and splashy technology investments, Sara helps with something more fundamental – improving public health through everyday economics. Choice allows families to align purchases with their own health needs, which is an under-appreciated feature of effective social policy. This is a central lesson of social policy: good intentions must be matched by fiscal reality. Lessons beyond MalaysiaWhat Sara illustrates is that effective social protection does not require endless bureaucracy or ideological purity about cash versus in-kind aid. Sara does by recognising that rice, soap and school stationery are as much part of public health as clinics and hospitals.

KUALA LUMPUR: An unemployed man pleaded not guilty in the Magistrate’s Court here on Tuesday (Feb 24) to a charge of threatening to kill his younger brother. K. Charaniyathevan, 25, is accused of criminally intimidating his 22-year-old sibling by placing a knife to the victim’s neck and verbally threatening to kill him. The offence was allegedly committed at an apartment unit in Kampung Baru Air Panas, off Jalan Genting Kelang, at 4.49am on Feb 21. Earlier, the unrepresented accused told the court he was suffering from mental health issues and emotional distress. Magistrate Farah Nabihah Muhamad Dan allowed the application and ordered the accused to be sent to the hospital for a psychiatric report.

LONDON (Feb 24): Copper prices rose to their highest level in more than a week on Tuesday, propelled by positive sentiment and firmer demand in top metals consumer China, where markets reopened after a holiday. Benchmark three-month copper CMCU3 on the London Metal Exchange gained 1.8% to US$13,100 a metric ton in official open-outcry trading after touching its highest since February 12 at US$13,196. Munro noted there were signs that physical demand in China is also picking up, with the Yangshan copper premium, which reflects demand for copper imported into China, jumping 60% on Tuesday to US$53 a ton. Copper inventories in LME-registered warehouses rose another 1,350 tons to 243,175, data showed on Tuesday, the highest since March 2025, having surged by 71% so far this year. "What's going to be crucial is for us to start to see those stocks start to dissipate, maybe not this week or next week, but in the next three, four weeks," Munro said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia slipped in early trade as profit taking emerged, while losses in PETRONAS-linked heavyweights added to the pressure following Wall Street’s overnight selloff. The benchmark FBM KLCI fell 5.26 points, or 0.31%, to 1,752.51 at 9.13 am, after opening 1.99 points lower at 1,755.99. Berjaya Research said the FBM KLCI is poised to consolidate going forward with a mild positive bias, underpinned by its recent streak of gains and improving market breadth. “Technically, the FBM KLCI has gapped up and formed another doji candlestick. “Meanwhile, the immediate support is envisaged at 1,734 points, followed by 1,720 points,” Berjaya Research said.

He called for the expansion of open tender systems and the publication of detailed information on government contracts and project costs for public scrutiny. "Investigative agencies such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must be empowered to act without fear or favour, and cases involving public funds must be fast-tracked in court," he added. The AG’s Report flagged RM183.11mil in unreturned research grant balances involving 7,904 projects across four ministries. The first series of the AG’s Report this year mentioned that the figure mostly consisted of 7,823 projects involving RM110.67mil of unreturned research grants from the Higher Education Ministry. The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry (KPKM), meanwhile, has two projects involving unreturned research grants amounting to RM2.47mil.

PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Lee Chong Wei has welcomed Lee Zii Jia with open arms, expressing relief over the independent shuttler’s willingness to strengthen Malaysia’s Thomas Cup campaign and waive his image rights fees. Chong Wei also urged all parties to rally behind not only Zii Jia but the entire Malaysian camp as they attempt to end the country’s 34-year-wait since last lifting the Thomas Cup in 1992 in Kuala Lumpur. “We now have a good team and everyone wants Malaysia to end the 34-year-wait to win the Thomas Cup. But my task now is to reduce the pressure on the players because this is a huge responsibility,” said Chong Wei when contacted. This year’s Thomas Cup will be held in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24-May 3.

Those reference prices will be set by the US Department of Defense's Open Price Exploration for National Security (Open) AI metals program, according to the sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly. An antimony price set by the AI program and backed by the trade block could boost profits for companies developing U.S. antimony projects, for example. The plan to create a minerals reference price and support it with tariffs has sparked questions about whether the tariff would apply to all products containing critical minerals. The Open program comes amid private industry efforts to boost transparency. "I would want to make sure any reference price is above that."

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Learning Matrix (MPM) for Year Four pupils is set to begin this October, with Form Three students following suit next year, says Fadhlina Sidek. She said the ministry is focused on integrity and intervention goals, in line with the School-Based Assessment domain under the National Education Assessment System. “The Learning Matrix is focused not on school rankings or unhealthy competition, but on identifying students’ mastery levels to provide support and early intervention,” she said, Bernama reported. Fadhlina also said teachers would not have to prepare any instruments for the learning matrix or for Ujian Akhir Sesi Akademik (UASA) as it will be done by the Examinations Board. She said the assessment results will help boost students’ literacy, numeracy and science skills while ensuring a holistic evaluation.

The UAE, which accounts for 4.1% of JPMorgan’s global diversified EM bond universe, will make its exit in four equal decrements beginning March 31, the New York-based bank said in a statement. The country will also fully leave the euro-denominated bond grouping — where it has a 1% weight — on March 31. The growing riches of Middle Eastern countries have contrasted with their developing-market status in recent years, pushing JPMorgan to remove Kuwait and Qatar from its EM bond indices last year. That spread, which represents the extra yield investors demand to own EM bonds rather than US Treasuries, stood at 247 basis points on Monday. The spread on UAE bonds is currently about 65 basis points.