KOTA KINABALU: Residents of Kota Kinabalu and nearby Putatan faced a tense 10 seconds of fear at midnight as an earthquake rattled the waters off the coast, sending waves of panic through the area. The ceiling fan in the living room swung violently, and picture frames shook. The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) reported a 6.8-magnitude earthquake off Kota Kinabalu at 12.57am Monday (Feb 23), with no tsunami threat. "The tremor lasted around 10 seconds, but the swaying forced me to hold onto the corridor railing. The tremor was widely felt by residents in Kota Kinabalu and surrounding areas, especially those living in high-rise buildings.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): Individuals filing reports at police stations in emergencies or situations requiring immediate assistance are now exempt from the dress code, the Dewan Rakyat was told on Monday. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said a circular issued on Dec 29 made the exemption effective immediately, ensuring that the rights of complainants or victims in urgent cases are fully protected. “In such cases, the welfare and safety of complainants take priority and should not be constrained by dress code requirements. He was responding to Ramkarpal Singh (Pakatan Harapan-Bukit Gelugor) regarding a proposal to introduce a law requiring all police stations nationwide to accept reports from the public regardless of their attire. Commenting further, Shamsul Anuar said the ministry considers the existing administrative directive sufficient and sees no need to enact new legislation on the matter.

JOHOR BARU: Four company owners have been arrested by the Customs Department for allegedly violating vehicle import laws involving 42 cars. Johor Customs director Aminul Izmeer Mohd Sohaimi said the arrests were made following statewide operations from Jan 5 to Feb 6. He said that the vehicles, which do not have licence plates, were stored in bonded warehouses. "However, our inspections found that some of the vehicles had exceeded the permitted storage period, thus violating the law. He added that imported vehicles stored in bonded warehouses are subject to taxes and duties immediately upon being removed from the premises.

KUALA LUMPUR: It costs around RM3mil to treat a thalassemia patient from infancy up to the age of 40, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad. The standard treatment for thalassemia patients in Malaysia includes regular blood transfusions, chelation therapy to control iron overload, and other supportive clinical care. “A one-time curative treatment costs between RM10mil and RM13mil per patient,” he said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (Feb 23). He added that the ministry has also been using Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) to treat patients. “A total of 212 thalassemia patients have been cured through HSCT since 2007.

IDFC First Bank, a mid-sized lender, has attracted investments from the likes of Warburg Pincus and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority last year. The government notification did not share any information on why AU Small Finance Bank has been removed from the list. AU Small Finance said Haryana had sought information on transactions in an account, which has been submitted. "Based on available facts at this stage and preliminary review, there is no indication of any financial impact or any fraudulent activity towards the Bank," AU Small Finance Bank said in a statement to exchanges. Shares of AU Small Finance Bank fell as much as 7.74% in their steepest percent loss in more than a year.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) said its domestic network saw 9.4 million passenger movements in January, the opening month of Visit Malaysia Year 2026. "As traffic grows, we remain focused on upgrading infrastructure, strengthening network connectivity, and delivering consistent service standards across all our airports. "These enhancements are part of our proactive approach to ensuring capacity, reliability and service quality keep pace with growth," he said. Meanwhile, MAHB said service enhancements continued in January with the launch of RIMBA @ KLIA at the Satellite Building of KLIA Terminal 1, offering passengers a calm, nature-inspired rest area. "These services connect to Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau and Penang, supporting tourism and regional economic growth," it said.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): The strengthening of the ringgit is not expected to have a significant impact on Malaysia’s export performance and trade balance, said Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah. He said the country’s trade balance increased by 9.2% to RM151.8 billion in 2025, recording a surplus for 28 consecutive years since 1998. “The ringgit’s strengthening reflects strong economic fundamentals, including resilient export performance, a continuous trade surplus, and sustained external demand for Malaysia’s goods and services. “Malaysia’s trade balance performance remained strong even when the ringgit was at RM3.80 against the US dollar during the implementation of the ringgit peg from 1998 to 2005,” he said in a Dewan Negara question-and-answer session on Monday. Therefore, these strategic measures are expected to support efforts to maintain the trade surplus and subsequently achieve export growth of 5.8% annually during the 13MP.

PORT DICKSON: A five-year-old girl died after a car driven by her father crashed into a PLUS emergency response team lorry at KM16.6 of the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway. Port Dickson OCPD Supt Maslan Udin said the incident happened at 6.55pm on Sunday (Feb 22) during a downpour. "The father is believed to have lost control of the car and crashed into the rear of the lorry. "The lorry then moved forward and crashed into another PLUS-owned four-wheel-drive patrol vehicle," he said in a statement on Monday (Feb 23). The victim, who was seated in the front passenger seat of the car, died while receiving treatment in hospital about an hour later.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): Bursa Malaysia Securities Bhd said AutoCount Dotcom Bhd (KL:ADB) will be transferred from the ACE Market to the Main Market under the technology sector, effective 9am, Feb 25, this Wednesday. The exchange said the stock short name and stock number for the company remain unchanged. At 11.43am on Monday, the financial management software provider's shares were down half a sen at 70.5 sen, with 169,800 shares traded. Read also:Autocount gets greenlight for Main Market transfer

He advised residents in nearby areas to remain alert to instructions from the authorities, stay calm and not panic. "Obtain verified information from the Disaster Portal or the official social media channels of the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), National Disaster Management Agency and other relevant agencies. MetMalaysia, in a statement Monday morning, said a strong earthquake measuring magnitude 6.8 struck off the coast of Sabah at 12.57 am, but it posed no tsunami threat. The epicentre was located 49 km west of Kudat, Sabah, and the tremors were felt in Sabah as well as in several areas in Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. Ahmad Zahid said MetMalaysia will continue to monitor the situation.

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia remains free of the Nipah virus, with the situation continuously monitored through preventive measures and ongoing preparedness, says the Veterinary Services Department (DVS). "Surveillance measures include annual monitoring of domestic and wild pigs for early detection. Last year, more than 2,000 samples from domestic pigs and 48 samples from wild boar were tested, all returning negative results for the Nipah virus," the statement read. DVS also controls pork imports, permitting only countries certified as Nipah-free to export to Malaysia. Nipah virus is a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): Foreign investors ended their six-week net buying streak last week, recording net outflows of RM65.7 million in the shortened trading week due to Chinese New Year holidays, according to MBSB Investment Bank Bhd. “The top three sectors that recorded net foreign inflows were financial services (RM138.4 million), utilities (RM79.2 million), and energy (RM17.1 million). “Meanwhile, the top three sectors that recorded net foreign outflows were consumer products and services (-RM177.4 million), property (-RM37.7 million), and healthcare (-RM37.1 million),” it said. According to MBSB, local institutions recorded a net outflow of RM50.2 million, marking their third consecutive week of net selling. Regionally, MBSB said foreign investors returned to net selling, with total net outflows of US$549.3 million (RM2.14 billion), driven mainly by South Korea, India, and Malaysia, while Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines recorded net inflows.

“We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all non-essential travel,” Mamdani said in a news conference. Streets will be closed to most cars, trucks, electronic bikes and scooters, though there are exceptions for emergency vehicles and essential workers. New Jersey Transit bus and light rail service is suspended after 6pm on Sunday and trains are expected to stop by 9pm. Private bus company Boxcar, which has routes from the Jersey suburbs into the city, cancelled all routes on Monday. — NJ TRANSIT (@NJTRANSIT) February 22, 2026New Jersey also restricted travel during the storm, starting at 9pm Sunday and running through 7am Monday morning.

The department is not merely a communications outfit but an agency entrusted with protecting the country’s political security, said director-general Datuk Ismail Yusop. ALSO READ: Creating a critical bridge to win public trust“We must take responsibility for what is called political security. “There has been no single dominant political party since 2022. Ismail believes that maintaining political stability is crucial for uninterrupted country governance. Ultimately, he said, safeguarding political security was about upholding the Federal Constitu­tion and ensuring that differences in opinion do not fracture the nation.

Jalan Sri Manja stretch, especially at the Taman Buana Perdana/Jalan PJS 3/25 junction and the NPE Exit 1005, near Taman Dato’ Harun, have frequently been identified as flash flood hotspots. Ong: Flooding at KM18.9 near Jalan Sri Manja is caused by long-standing up­­stream drainage limitations, maintenance issues. The area around Jalan Sri Manja including the retention pond, is badly in need of maintenance. “Whenever there is a downpour, floodwaters enter my home near Jalan PJS 3/40,” said long-time resident Malar Muniandy. Nearby, the Sri Manja retention pond appeared shallow and poorly maintained, with dark, stagnant water covered in patches of floating silt and debris.