Travel fund shortage leads Chinese student to scam 63 hotels with dead roaches, used condoms

BEIJING (SCMP): A man in eastern China spent his university tuition on travel instead of enrolling and scammed multiple hotels by placing dead cockroaches and used condoms in rooms when his funds ran out. He employed this scheme to blackmail 63 hotels, seeking free accommodation and compensation, which ultimately led to his arrest and sparked public...

More than 5,000 SPM candidates evacuated, exam to proceed as scheduled

PETALING JAYA: A total of 5, 377 SPM candidates were being evacuated in Kelantan, Kedah, and Terengganu, says Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek. "Affected candidates are being relocated to alternative centres and hostels to ensure their comfort and to provide a more organised environment for their studies," she said during a special press conference on Sunday (Dec...

Rivers in eight states exceed dangerous levels

PETALING JAYA: Water levels at eight rivers in TERENGGANU breached the dangerous mark on Sunday (Dec 1), says the Drainage and Irrigation Department. The rivers are Sungai Telemong in Hulu Terengganu; Parit Utama in Padang Kamunting (F1) and Sungai Nerus in Kuala Nerus; Sungai Marang in Jambatan Pengkalan Berangan and Jambatan Pengkalan Berangan (F2), Marang; Sungai Terengganu along...

‘The nation is greatly embarrassed’

KUALA LUMPUR: The prevalence of corruption, mismanagement, abuse of power and breaches of trust is akin to cancerous cells eroding the nation’s anatomy, placing immense burden on its people, says Sultan Nazrin Shah (pic). To address this, he said, the administrative systems, governance and management practices must be anchored in values, principles and trustworthiness, transcending ethnic,...

Agricultural losses from floods estimated at RM16mil, says Mat Sabu

PASIR MAS: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry estimates that flood-related agricultural damages across the country amount to approximately RM16mil this year. Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu stated that the damages, which include rice, vegetables, and fisheries, may increase once the assessment is fully completed. He identified the five worst-affected districts as Kota Baru, Pasir Mas, Tumpat,...

Vietnam approves whopping RM298bil cross-country high-speed railway project

HANOI (dpa): Vietnam’s National Assembly on Saturday approved an ambitious cross-country high-speed railway project, which will cost an estimated US$67 billion (RM298 billion), the National Assembly said in a statement. Passengers in the future will be able to travel by high-speed train from the capital Hanoi in the north of the country to the metropolis of...

‘I don’t want to know how much I’ve lost’: Singaporean scam victim who transferred S$1.19mil to syndicate

SINGAPORE: When told by a “police officer” that she might be implicated in money laundering, a woman feared she would be dragged into the S$3 billion case. Wanting to be known only as Grace, the retiree, 67, said that even though she was never involved in crime, she thought about Singapore’s biggest money laundering case that...

Singapore’s popular eatery ABC Nasi Kandar being investigated for illegal employment offences

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Popular eatery ABC Nasi Kandar in Singapore, which shut its chain of food stalls abruptly in the last few months, is under probe by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for possible illegal employment offences. In reply to queries from The Straits Times, an MOM spokesperson said it is investigating ABC Nasi Kandar...

South Korea star Jung Woo-sung apologises after baby scandal

SEOUL (AFP): One of South Korea's top actors apologised after it was revealed he fathered a child with a woman he is not married to, sparking nationwide scrutiny in a country where births outside marriage are still seen as taboo. Jung Woo-sung, an A-lister in South Korea's competitive film industry since his debut in the 1990s,...

Woman stabbed to death at shopping mall in Cheras

KUALA LUMPUR: A 49-year-old woman was stabbed to death at a restaurant located in a shopping mall in Cheras. Cheras OCPD Asst Comm Aidil Bolhassan said the incident occurred between 3pm and 4pm on Friday (Nov 29). "There were four to five stab wounds on her body. "We have detained seven of her colleagues to assist with the...