PETALING JAYA: Each person in Malaysia produces an average of 12.2kg of electronic waste (e-waste), the third highest in Asean. The figure is also well above the global average of 7.8kg, according to data from the Global E-waste Monitor 2024, published by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. ALSO READ : Free pick-up services could boost e-waste recycling participationEngineer Termizi Muhamad, 33, said he sorts his used electrical and electronic items before sending them to recycling centres or mall kiosks. “More collection facilities should be set up closer to residential communities and private companies should be encouraged to allocate space for e-waste collection in housing area. To help the public properly dispose of e-waste, the Department of Environment e-waste portal lists registered e-waste collection centres and authorised points at https://ewaste.doe.gov.my/index.php/about/list-of-collectors.

Authorities have uncovered a growing number of uninsured luxury vehicles on Malaysian roads, raising concerns over public safety and accountability. In Penang alone, the state Road Transport Department (JPJ) said that it impounded 73 luxury vehicles worth more than RM10mil last year. One case involved a Rolls-Royce with an annual road tax of RM54,000, while others included 23 BMWs, a Porsche Taycan and a Lotus Eletre S models. While luxury cars draw attention, motorcycles account for the highest number of vehicles with lapsed road tax and insurance. Criminologist Datuk P. Sundramoorthy said the seizure of the Bentley with road tax and insurance lapsed since 2018 was far from an isolated case.

GEORGE TOWN: Sweet, sticky glutinous rice cakes (nian gao) are must-haves as offerings to Zhao Jun (Kitchen God) as it is believed that only then will he report good things about a household to the Jade Emperor. For many in the Chinese community, they believe that the deity has a “direct line” to the ruler of heaven. “We offer food in the form of nian gao, mandarin oranges, candied melon and Chinese tea,” she said when met at her house in Air Itam. Teh said these offerings do not include meat or cooked food other than the nian gao. “This year in particular, I am praying for my family’s health and career success, and favou­rable weather in the new year,” said the traditional Chinese ­medi­cine practitioner.

KOTA KINABALU: The dismembered body of a woman was found at a dump site in Indah Permai near here early Thursday (Feb 12). Workers clearing rubbish found the body at around 7am and lodged a police report. Meanwhile, Sinar Harian reports that the body had been chopped into pieces before being stuffed into black garbage bags. Police are on site, investigating the matter. MORE TO COME

VIENTIANE: Lao and Japanese agricultural experts have discussed the use of satellites in rice farming and the evaluation of rice harvests in Laos using space-based technologies. The application of satellite technology is an efficient way to assess rice planting areas, cut costs, and gather useful data. In 2023, they organised a meeting on the assessment of rice cultivation areas in the provinces of Vientiane and Champasak using satellite imagery. A meeting was later held to assess the rice planting area in 2023 using satellite imagery and the INAHOR programme, involving key technical staff throughout Laos. Tuesday’s workshop was based on an assessment of the rice planting area in 2025 using satellite images.

Customers choosing door mats to welcome Chinese New Year at the Johor Jaya Chinese New Year market. “I will be taking my family to the Johor Zoo, as my children love animals,” he said. A Johor Zoo staff member, who declined to be named, said the zoo was expecting between 3,000 and 5,000 visitors during the festive period. The Johor Zoo in Johor Baru is expecting between 3,000 and 5,000 visitors daily during the long public holiday break. Teh had pitched in to help her parents at the festive market from the age of 10.

KLUANG: A local man was killed on the spot after the car driven by him crashed and turned turtle at Jalan Kahang Barat near here on Thursday (Feb 12). Kluang Fire and Rescue Department station chief Mohd Fauzi Mohd Nor said they received an emergency call on the incident at 12.02am“Our men arrived at the scene located about 20km from the station at 12.38am," he said in a statement. Mohd Fauzi said the victim, identified as Mohamad Amer Hamzah Abdullah, 26, was trapped in the driver’s seat and declared dead by the Health Ministry paramedic team. “The body of the deceased has been handed over to the police for further action," he said. Mohd Fauzi said the operation led by operation commander senior officer I Jusoh Mohd Salleh with nine firefighters, a light rapid fire tender (LFRT) and an emergency medical response services (EMRS) vehicle ended at 1.32am.

The paper is a wonderful snapshot of how the younger generation got to know their grandparents. Most also reported that family WhatsApp groups strengthened relationships. While some mentioned that modern grandparenting is tiring, many also pointed out that the trade-off is a strong emotional bond between generations. So part of modern grandparenting is self-care. After all, we might not remember how to solve algebraic equations, but we sure know how to add love and support into their lives.

While some use old notes that are still fit for circulation, many believe it is best to give new bank notes in red packets. To get it right, many are willing to endure long queues at banks, although e-ang pow are also gaining popularity. A retiree from Klang, who wanted to be known only as Yeo, 58, said she uses a mix of e-ang pow and cash. “I started giving e-ang pow to my children in 2024, but I still give cash to my nieces, nephews, distant relatives and non-family members,” she said. Jane Wong, 24, a student from Cheras said she does not mind receiving e-ang pow, as she uses digital transfers in most transactions.

IPOH: These are hectic days for florists such as Lim Kar Yee with Valentine’s Day just three days apart from Chinese New Year. Lim, 42, said she expects orders to arrive even until this Sunday, which is a day after Valentine’s Day. “We’ve received more than 40 orders for flower bouquets for Valentine’s Day so far. As Valentine’s Day gets closer, he is expecting to get more calls and walk-in customers. “There was once that we worked for about 23 hours on the last few days before Valentine’s Day,” he said.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 12): theedgemalaysia.com highlighted four stocks with positive momentum and four stocks with negative momentum at Bursa Malaysia's afternoon close on Thursday. The algorithm differentiates between stocks that exhibit positive (+ve) momentum and negative (-ve) momentum. It merely tells you which stocks are seeing higher-than-normal volume and price movements. But the “+ve” (suggesting a rising price trend on volume) and “-ve” (suggesting a falling price trend on volume) indicators should give readers a better idea of what the market is buying and when to sell. Note also that momentum generally only persists for a short period of time.

PETALING JAYA: It has only been four months, but Iskandar Zulkarnain Zainuddin has already managed to lift the performances of the women’s singles players, who were previously labelled as the weakest department in the national squad. Women’s singles shuttler Wong Ling Ching, one of the players who has shown improvement under Iskandar, said the new coach has transformed the atmosphere in the women’s singles training sessions into a more positive environment that is well received by all the players. Ling Ching and compatriot K. Letshanaa delivered encouraging performances at the Thailand Masters two weeks ago, with Ling Ching reaching the semi-finals before going down to Goh Jin Wei. The whole women’s singles team have shown improvement. As such, following discussions with Iskandar and national singles coaching director Kenneth Jonassen, Ling Ching will spend the next few weeks going back to basics to rebuild her fundamentals.

PETALING JAYA: With the current coaching appointments now finalised, the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) are looking at selecting a coordinator to lead a pilot project for the national body. Chong Wei explained that the newly created position will serve as a liaison between BAM and all state affiliates. “He (Kenn Lim) has applied for the position, but we have also received applications from several other candidates. Kenn was part of the national junior squad that won the bronze medal in the team event at the 2004 Asian Junior Championships in Hwacheon, South Korea. Earlier, BAM had just completed the appointment of three new coaches – Yeoh Kay Bin, Harry Hartono, and Mohd Zakry Latif – alongside a restructuring of the national badminton coaching line-up.

18 men’s doubles player Yap Roy King has welcomed the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) sweeping changes to the 2027 World Tour calendar, describing the introduction of rest days at Super 1000 events as a major boost for players. “Super 1000 tournaments are the biggest events, so the intensity is extremely high. I think this change is very good for the players,” said Roy King. He singled out the decision to extend Super 1000 tournaments such as the Malaysian Open, All England, China Open and Indonesian Open to 11 days as particularly significant. Prize money will also see substantial increases, with Super 1000 events offering US$2mil (RM7.85mil), up from US$1.45mil (RM5.69mil).

JOHOR BARU: A public university engineer has claimed trial at a Sessions Court here to charges of accepting bribes worth RM23,500. The accused, Muhammad Iqbal Sarman, 40, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read before judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Arifin Ismail on Thursday (Feb 12). According to the charge sheets, Muhammad Iqbal, a public servant attached to the university's development and maintenance office, had accepted bribes of between RM1,000 and RM6,000, amounting to RM23,500. The offences were alleged to be linked to his official duties involving services for the PA system and LCD projectors at the university. The court allowed Muhammad Iqbal bail of RM10,000 with one surety and set March 16 for case mention.