Four nabbed for tearing down illegal temple without authorisation
PETALING JAYA: Four people have been arrested by police after they allegedly destroyed part of an illegal temple based in Rawang without authorisation from the authorities. Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Shazeli Kahar said that part of the building was torn down without permission or notice from the local authorities. Follow-up investigations led to the arrest of four local suspects, aged between 26 and 39 years old. "The public is urged to not speculate on the issue, to remain rational and not issue any statements that could lead to racial and religious tensions and disturb public peace. "The police assure all that investigations will be conducted professionally, honestly and based on the laws at hand," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Source:The Star
February 11, 2026 19:59 UTC
Outgoing US envoy Kagan meets with PM Anwar in Putrajaya
PETALING JAYA: Outgoing US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan visited Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Wednesday (Feb 11). The visit, according to Anwar, was an opportunity for him to voice his appreciation of Kagan's efforts in strengthening the strategic relationship between Malaysia and the United States. "The close ties between both countries are vital in driving economic growth and expanding cooperation to benefit the people," Anwar said on Facebook. Kagan is set to end his tenure in February as he retires from the U.S. Foreign Service. US President Donald Trump has nominated Nick Adams to succeed Kagan as the next US ambassador to Malaysia.
Source:The Star
February 11, 2026 18:14 UTC
'Spiderman' viral video: Mum says unaware daughter was begging
MELAKA: The mother of the young girl who went viral wearing a ‘Spiderman’ superhero costume and soliciting sympathy from the public at a petrol station here recently, denied that her child is a beggar, and claimed to be unaware of the matter. Nor Hafika Mohd Shamsul, 30, said she had no idea that her eldest child was taken out by her foster father, whom she had known for almost 20 years, until she was informed by the Melaka Social Welfare Department (JKM). The woman said her seven-year-old child had only followed her foster father, known as "Uncle Awe," wearing the costume a few times. "I thot she was just sitting behind my foster father, I didn't know she was there as a mascot (wearing the costume to elicit sympathy). Nor Hafika, who hails from Masjid Tanah and works as a caregiver, said her child likes the Spiderman character and the costume was found at a second-hand clothing collection centre in Tangga Batu in December.
Source:The Star
February 11, 2026 17:56 UTC
Fimi draws RM2.75bil in foreign investment, creates 31,000 jobs
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has attracted RM2.75bil in foreign investment through the Film in Malaysia Incentive (Fimi) between 2013 and 2025, creating over 31,000 job opportunities, said Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching. Wan Saiful had asked the ministry to explain Fimi’s impact and the efforts taken to help local creative content reach global streaming platforms. She said the United States, China, India and Australia were the top sources of foreign investment in Malaysian film projects during the same period. Teo added that Finas continues to promote Malaysian films internationally through participation in film markets and festivals, while reviewing Fimi requirements to encourage foreign productions to hire more local crew. “Our local productions have also earned international recognition, with films such as Abang Adik, Mechamato and Ejen Ali The Movie 2 receiving positive reception, including overseas,” she added.
Source:The Star
February 11, 2026 17:36 UTC
Houses of worship: Do not take the law into your hands — Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 12): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emphasised that no one has the right to take matters into their own hands outside the framework of the law in issues related to houses of worship. He said that Malaysia is a country founded on the rule of law and that all parties must respect this principle. "This country is a nation that must abide by the law, [it is] a nation of laws. The prime minister reiterated that all parties must comply with the laws and regulations regarding the construction of houses of worship and sensitive issues in the country to ensure harmony and stability are maintained. Referring to issues related to houses of worship built not according to regulations and the proposal to build a pig farm in Selangor, Anwar said these matters need to be handled properly and respectfully by all parties.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 11, 2026 17:16 UTC
Federal, Sarawak govts to finalise special grant review this year
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 12): The federal government will hold negotiations with the Sarawak state government this year to review the amount of the special grant under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said. On the special grant for Sabah, the federal government continued negotiations with the state government on Nov 17, 2025 and Jan 28, 2026, to review the amount under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution. The MOF was responding to a question from Rodiyah Sapiee (GPS-Batang Sadong) on the latest status of finalising the new special grant formula for Sabah and Sarawak under Article 112D of the Federal Constitution. It added that the Sabah state government and the federal government are committed to concluding the negotiations within the stipulated timeline. The discussions also include the implementation schedule and the federal government’s commitment to the principle of fiscal equity as provided under the Malaysia Agreement 1963.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 11, 2026 17:11 UTC
MOF: No penalty imposed on MSMEs during e-invoice transition period
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 12): Micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will not face any penalties for any non-compliance with e-invoicing requirements during the transition period, provided that they adhere to the specified guidelines. In a written reply published on Parliament’s website on Wednesday, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said that during the transition, businesses are allowed to take certain steps, including issuing consolidated e-invoices for all activities and transactions, as well as consolidated self-billed e-invoices for all self-billed transactions. “Businesses are also permitted to include transaction descriptions in the ‘Product or Service Description’ field. If a buyer requests an e-invoice, the business may issue a consolidated e-invoice without having to generate separate e-invoices for each transaction,” the ministry said. The MOF also said that the government has announced additional facilitation measures for Phase 4 of the e-invoicing implementation, which began on Jan 1, 2026, where businesses are granted an extended 12-month transition period, from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2026, compared with the previous six-month transition period in the earlier phases.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 11, 2026 17:06 UTC
Trump meets Netanyahu, with US-Iran nuclear diplomacy topping agenda
Trump says no to Iranian nuclear weapons, missilesTrump told Fox Business that a good deal with Iran would mean "no nuclear weapons, no missiles," without elaborating. "I will present to the president our perceptions of the principles in the negotiations," Netanyahu told reporters before departing for the US. Iran says its nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes, while the US and Israel have accused it of past efforts to develop nuclear weapons. While Trump and Netanyahu have mostly been in sync and the US remains Israel's main arms supplier, Wednesday’s meeting could expose tensions. "I am against annexation," Trump told Axios, reiterating his stance.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 11, 2026 17:01 UTC
Engineer loses RM1.195mil to gold investment scam
KUALA LUMPUR: An engineer lost RM1.195mil after falling victim to a gold investment scam. "The woman later took the opportunity to befriend the victim and a few days later invited him to join an online gold investment scheme with promises of lucrative returns,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 11). He said the victim initially invested RM3,000 into a company account before making 20 additional transactions to eight different company accounts, resulting in him losing a total of RM1.195mil. He advised the public to be cautious of any investment offers made by newly acquainted individuals on social media or messaging applications and to verify bank account numbers or company names via the CCID Semakmule Portal at semakmule.rmp.gov.my before carrying out any transactions. Another 10 scam reports each were linked to CVC Grow Star Sdn Bhd, CVCMax Building Sdn Bhd, CICC Vano Trading and AEP Global Enterprise Sdn Bhd.- Bernama
Source:The Star
February 11, 2026 16:50 UTC
GIC mulls selling 80% stake in European data centre JV for up to €1 bil — Bloomberg
(Feb 12): GIC Pte is considering a sale of its 80% stake in a European data centre joint venture (JV), a potential deal that could value the business at about €2 billion (RM9.34 billion) including debt, people with knowledge of the matter said. The JV operates data centres under the xScale brand. Its JV partner Equinix Inc, which owns the remaining 20% stake, plans to stay invested, they said. Deliberations are at an early stage and GIC could decide to keep the asset for longer, the people said. Equinix and GIC announced in 2019 that they had set up the xScale venture to develop and operate hyperscale data centres in Europe for users such as AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 11, 2026 16:36 UTC
AstraZeneca's ex-chief in China formally charged with insurance fraud
(Feb 12): AstraZeneca plc’s former China head Leon Wang has been formally charged with medical insurance fraud, unlawful collection of personal information and illegal trade, with the case heading to court. It will not face the more serious charge of insurance fraud. Chinese authorities have been investigating some of Astra’s current and former employees over alleged law breaches around drug imports, data privacy and insurance reimbursement. The company confirmed separately the information in its financial statement, which didn’t include names, referred to Wang. Wang’s arrest in late 2024 threatened to become a major stumbling block to the British drugmaker’s ambitions in China.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 11, 2026 16:22 UTC
Trainee doctor accused of filming a woman bathing claims trial
KUALA KRAI: A trainee doctor has pleaded not guilty to outraging a woman's modesty and possessing obscene material. Ahmad Hilmi Zulkeflee, 26, was accused of secretly recording a woman bathing at the medical officer trainee hostel at 6.30am on Sept 13, 2025, and storing obscene images and videos on his phone. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and a fine for outraging modesty and up to three years' imprisonment and a fine for possessing obscene material. Deputy Public Prosecutor Mazlinda Mohd Nor offered RM5,000 bail per charge, while the defence sought lower bail, citing his youth and that this was a first offence. The court set bail at RM6,000 for both charges with one surety and barred the accused from harassing the victim.
Source:The Star
February 11, 2026 16:15 UTC
Poorly performing co-ops to lose access to new financing, Parliament told
KUALA LUMPUR: Cooperatives with poor repayment records will be barred from receiving new financing, Parliament was told. Deputy Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin said the move is intended to ensure public funds are managed responsibly and benefit all cooperative members. Mohamad said that in 2025, 66 cooperatives received financing under the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission’s Revolving Capital Fund (TMP-SKM), totalling RM75.32mil. He said 78 cooperatives benefited from business development assistance grants totalling RM8.59mil, aimed at supporting working capital and the purchase of business assets. He added that some cooperatives have become overly reliant on government assistance and incentives, without making serious efforts to grow their businesses.
Source:The Star
February 11, 2026 16:05 UTC
US budget deficit to grow to US$1.853 tril in FY2026, CBO says
WASHINGTON (Feb 11): The US budget deficit will grow slightly in fiscal 2026 to US$1.853 trillion (RM7.3 trillion), the Congressional Budget Office forecast on Wednesday, showing that on balance, President Donald Trump's economic policies are worsening the country's fiscal picture amid low economic growth. The CBO said that the deficit for fiscal 2026 will be about 5.8% of GDP, about where it was in fiscal 2025, with a deficit of US$1.775 trillion. Trump administration officials have said in recent days that first- quarter 2026 growth could top 6% due to rising investments in factories and artificial intelligence data centres. The fiscal 2026 deficit is about US$100 billion or 8% more in CBO's current projections than it was in the agency's January 2025 projections, and the cumulative deficit over the 2026-2035 period is US$1.4 trillion, or 6% greater. Added revenue from Trump's tariffs will reduce deficits by about US$3 trillion, including economic effects and lower debt payments, CBO said.
Source:The Edge Markets
February 11, 2026 15:16 UTC
Grass fire near mosque razes 44 vehicles
PETALING JAYA: A grass fire that broke out in front of a mosque in Taman Putra Perdana, Puchong, spread to a nearby open vehicle storage facility, destroying 44 vehicles on Wednesday (Feb 11). Selangor Fire and Rescue Department operations division assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said the department received an emergency call at 2.40pm. He said firefighters from the Cyberjaya Fire and Rescue Station, with assistance from the Bangi station, arrived at the scene at 3.10pm, about 20km away. “Upon arrival, the fire was found to have involved about four acres of lalang (grassland) before spreading to an open-structured storage facility for scrap vehicles belonging to the local council. “A total of 44 vehicles parked at the site were affected,” he said in a statement.
Source:The Star
February 11, 2026 15:14 UTC