Education Ministry extends PISMP intake to STPM, STAM, matriculation grads

KUALA LUMPUR: The Education Ministry will extend the intake of candidates for the Bachelor of Teaching Degree Programme (PISMP) to include Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM), Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM), and Matriculation Programme graduates starting this year. In a statement on Saturday (April 13), the ministry announced that this initiative will provide opportunities for more...

Mother, baby killed in accident with tanker lorry in Johor

KOTA TINGGI: A mother and her three-month-old daughter were killed in an accident at Jalan Tanjung Balau - Bandar Penawar here. Penawar Fire and Rescue Department operation commander Azlan Mat Sani said they received a distressed call about the accident involving a car and a tanker lorry at 1.38pm on Friday (April 12). "Upon arriving, we found...

Employers help prisoners turn over a new leaf

BUTTERWORTH: Inmates get a second chance at life after being offered employment leading up to their release. The Prisons Department's initiative to help prisoners build a better life after being released has received good cooperation from employers willing to hire convicts and parolees. K. Suraindran, 41, the owner of a carwash and office-cleaning services in Perai, here...

King and Queen convey Vaisakhi, Tamil New Year greetings

KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty the King of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim, and Her Majesty the Queen, Raja Zarith Sofiah conveyed Vaisakhi and Tamil New Year greetings to the Malaysian Sikh and Tamil communities respectively on Saturday (April 13). On his official Facebook page, the King emphasised that tolerance and mutual respect have always been the pillars of...

LONDON: Instagram says it’s deploying new tools to protect young people and combat sexual extortion, including a feature that will automatically blur nudity in direct messages. The social media platform said in a blog post April 11 that it’s testing out the features as part of its campaign to fight sexual scams and other forms of “image...

Israeli ‘spy’ claims trial to charges of possessing, trafficking firearms

KUALA LUMPUR: Alleged Israeli hitman Shalom Avitan has been charged at the Sessions Court with possession of six pistols and 158 bullets. The 38-year-old claimed trial to charges under Section 7 of the Firearms (Increased Penalties) Act with trafficking firearms and Section 8(a) or the Arms Act for possession of firearms or ammunition after the charges...

Malaysia’s Graphjet Technology to set up graphite facility in Nevada

Malaysia's Graphjet Technology said on Monday it would build a commercial artificial graphite production facility in Nevada, as the U.S. looks to reduce its dependence on China for the electric-vehicle battery component. Graphjet, which holds patents in producing graphite and graphene from agricultural waste, said the facility could produce 10,000 metric tons of battery-grade graphite -...

HK actor Francis Ng spotted buying ice cream in Penang, shop owner fails to recognise him

With over 40 years of experience in the entertainment scene, award-winning actor Francis Ng is one of Hong Kong’s most prominent movie stars. Despite his accolades, which include a Golden Horse Award for Best Actor, there are still instances where people may need to do a double take before recognising him. An ice cream stall owner in...

Raya rush: Traffic flow smooth on several major highways on Monday night

KUALA LUMPUR: Traffic flow on several major highways was reported to be smooth as of 9pm on Monday (April 8), with no severe congestion reported. A spokesperson from the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) said the traffic situation at the Jalan Duta Toll Plaza (northbound) and Sungai Besi Toll Plaza (southbound) was under control, although there was...

Late mother’s unclaimed money missing from account, says retiree

SIBU: A retiree was shocked to find out that his late mother's unclaimed money has gone missing from the unclaimed money accounts. The victim, Lau Kah Lee, 65, had earlier found out via the eGumis portal at https://egumis.anm.gov.my/ that there was RM116,000 belonging to his late mother, who passed away in 2008. "On Dec 25 last year, I submitted...