Retiree cleaned out of RM250,000

BATU PAHAT: A retired teacher who went online looking for a cleaner paid an initial fee of only RM15 but ended up losing her life savings of RM250,000.It is learnt that the teacher, who was expecting guests at her home, sourced for cleaning services on social media earlier this month. Sources said the teacher clicked on...

Two injured after ambulance plunges into ravine in Semenyih

PETALING JAYA: An ambulance fell into a 6m-deep ravine in Semenyih, injuring two individuals. When contacted, Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said the incident occurred along Jalan Sungai Lalang at 2.07pm on Saturday (April 27). "A 30-year-old man suffered light injuries while a 21-year-old woman injured her hand. "Both have been rescued,"...

Japan town to block Mount Fuji view from troublesome tourists

TOKYO (AFP): A huge black barrier to block Mount Fuji from view will be installed in a popular photo spot by Japanese authorities exasperated by crowds of badly behaved foreign tourists. Construction of the mesh net -- 2.5 metres (8 feet) high and the length of a cricket pitch at 20 metres -- will begin as...

Xi Jinping tells Blinken US and China must be ‘partners, not rivals’

BEIJING (Reuters): Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 26 told the United States’ top diplomat Antony Blinken that the world’s two biggest economies should be “partners, not rivals”, adding that there were a “number of issues” to be resolved in their relations. “The two countries should be partners, not rivals,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster...

Zoo, forced to close over animal cruelty, reborn as rehab centre

Before it was forced to close over its “intolerable” treatment of animals, the Islamabad Zoo was home to neglected elephants and underfed lions pacing back and forth behind the bars of their enclosures. Now, four years later, it is a rehabilitation centre for Pakistani wildlife, providing a refuge for motherless leopard cubs, tigers seized from owners...

Man nabbed for posing as Singapore Airlines pilot at Delhi airport

NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Police in India arrested a man at the New Delhi international airport on April 25 for impersonating a Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilot, after he was found walking around the airport dressed in full pilot gear. In a fashion not dissimilar to the semi-fictional Hollywood film Catch Me If You Can starring...

New York returns 30 pillaged relics to Cambodia and Indonesia

PHNOM PENH/NEW YORK (AFP): New York prosecutors said Friday they had returned to Cambodia and Indonesia 30 antiquities that were looted, sold or illegally transferred by networks of American dealers and traffickers. The antiquities were valued at a total of US$3 million, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. Bragg said in a statement that he had returned...

Kedah welfare home in viral elderly abuse videos not registered, says Nancy

KUCHING: The welfare home in Taman Desa Aman, Padang Serai, Kedah, seen in viral videos of an old man being beaten by a woman believed to be an employee at the centre, is not registered with the Social Welfare Department (JKM), says Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri. The Women, Family and Community Development Minister said this was...

Thaksin-linked Thai TV broadcaster to shut down after 15 years

BANGKOK (Bloomberg): Voice TV, a Thai media company owned by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s family, said it will cease operations next month and lay off about 200 employees including journalists. Voice TV is known for its television channel with programs reaching about 22 million households nationwide through digital terrestrial, satellite, and cable TV, according to...

Man arrested, yaba pills worth over RM12,000 seized

KOTA BARU: Police have arrested a man and seized 823 yaba pills, estimated to be worth RM12,345 in Kampung Taman Wira, Kampung Kedap, Rantau Panjang. Pasir Mas district police chief Kama Azural Mohamed said the man was detained during a midnight raid on a wooden shed in the village. "The police also seized a car and a...