Thunderstorm wreaks havoc in Ipoh

IPOH: A two-hour thunderstorm has wreaked havoc in several areas here. A makeshift garage at Jalan St John collapsed, causing injuries to four people, while a tree fell on a car at Jalan Raja Ashman Shah, near the Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital, on Saturday (May 17) at about 5.45pm. At Kampung Dato Ahmad Said, roofs of two...

MetMalaysia warns of thunderstorms in several states tonight (May 17)

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has warned about thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds in several states until 9pm on Saturday (May 17). In a statement at 5.55pm on Saturday, MetMalaysia said the states affected are Perlis; Kedah (Kubang Pasu, Kuala Muda, Sik, Baling, Kulim and Bandar Baharu); Penang; Perak (Kerian, Larut, Matang and...

Bear necessities: Animal searching for food captured in Pekan house

KUANTAN: A sun bear has been captured by after it wandered into a house in Taman Tanah Putih, Pekan here. Pekan Civil Defence Force officer Capt (PA) Ahmad Azmi Nafiah said in the 4.30am incident on Saturday (May 17), the bear damaged several items in the house while searching for food. "The bear is believed to be...

Apology not enough, admits PAS after own Jalur Gemilang gaffe

PETALING JAYA: PAS agrees that an apology alone is insufficient without concrete action on Jalur Gemilang gaffes as it would be seen as normalising the issue. "The party welcomes internal action by affected parties and supports the action taken by the authorities in a fair and firm manner to ensure no repetition of negligence and error. “As...

Penang assembly sitting opened by new Governor Ramli Ngah Talib

GEORGE TOWN: Newly-appointed Penang Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Ramli Ngah Talib has officially opened the state legislative assembly sitting at Lebuh Light on Friday (May 16). The ceremony was attended by various state leaders, including Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and Speaker Datuk Seri Law Choo Kiang. It began with an inspection of the guard of...

Ex-airman’s haunting last message

PETALING JAYA: A former air force personnel took to social media to share his views on va­ping just days before he died. Mohd Radzi Mustaffa, better known as Abang Rock by his followers on the video-sharing platform TikTok, urged people to quit the habit just days before his pas­sing on May 7. In a six-minute TikTok video...

Civil servants apply for WFH during Asean Summit

KUALA LUMPUR: Several ministries, departments and government agencies have started receiving work from home (WFH) applications from civil servants in view of the Asean Summit at the end of this month. Public Service Department (PSD) director-general Tan Sri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz did not reveal the number of applications but noted that some had already been approved. “What’s...

Time’s ticking for fraudulent watch reseller

KUALA LUMPUR: Multiple police reports have been filed, as at least 20 people have alleged that they lost over RM15mil in luxury timepieces to a watch reseller. MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Seri Michael Chong stated that clients had entrusted their luxury watches to a shop run by a woman, who was to...

‘Legal woes if ban is not consistent’

Experts call for unified policy across all states to halt sales of vape products PETALING JAYA: Some states, in contrast to the Federal Government, are making a decisive move to ban vaping. Among those that have banned vaping or stopped issuing licenses to traders are Johor, Terengganu and Perlis. Other states are considering a similar proposal. Now, calls are...

Mineral licence approval now takes one week instead of 61 days, says ministry

PUTRAJAYA: The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES), through the National Minerals and Geoscience Department (JMG), has successfully reduced the approval time for the Mineral Licence (Without Storage Premises) from 61 days to just seven days under its Bureaucratic Red Tape Reform (RKB) project. According to NRES, the reform is expected to lower compliance costs for...