Diver Bertrand becomes first Malaysian to qualify for Olympics on merit

PETALING JAYA: Teenager diver Bertrand Rhodict delivered a big surprise when he became the first Malaysian athlete to qualify on merit for 2024 Paris Olympics. Not much was expected from the 18-year-old in his debut World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan but Bertrand gave an early indication of his promising potential when he qualified at the third...

Asymptomatic Covid-19 is due to a specific gene variation some lucky people have

Even during the confusion of early 2020, when the coronavirus was indeed novel and images of lines of coffins being unloaded from Italian hospitals spread fear throughout Europe and beyond, it was apparent that some people who caught the virus either ended up with mild symptoms or none at all. It was always difficult to get...

TikTok signs payments pact with Advance Intelligence in Malaysia

TikTok’s ecommerce arm struck a partnership with Advance Intelligence Group, a financial technology startup, to expand its online retail push in Malaysia. Advance Intelligence, backed by Warburg Pincus, will offer its Atome “buy now, pay later” service as a payment option on TikTok Shop in Malaysia, it said in a statement on July 21. The service...

‘Mr Fixer’ syndicate busted in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: A syndicate that purportedly promised it could close graft cases being investigated by the authorities has been busted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Six men and a woman, who posed as MACC and Home Ministry personnel, are believed to have cheated victims of hundreds of thousands of ringgit by offering to “settle” cases. “They...

Hunting a man-eating croc

KOTA KINABALU: A process of “deduction and elimination” helped wildlife rangers pick out and kill a man-eating crocodile in Tawau. Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said the rangers were surveying the crocodile-infested area around Kg Sungai Mas Mas for a while and zoomed in on the largest reptile in the area. The rangers shot the crocodile...

PM arrives to pay last respects to Salahuddin

PONTIAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has arrived at Kampung Serkat here to pay his last respects to the late Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub. Anwar arrived with his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail at about 11am Monday (July 24). They were greeted by Parti Amanah Negara...

Penang launches Merdeka campaign

GEORGE TOWN: A crimson fire engine stood out among the roughly 40 vehicles that took part in the Kembara Merdeka and Jalur Gemilang 2023 convoy at the Esplanade. A sea of Jalur Gemilang could also be seen being waved by participants here as the state launched the National Month and Fly Jalur Gemilang 2023 campaign yesterday. The...

Cop praised for helping elderly woman to cross busy road

GEORGE TOWN: Last Sunday was like any other wet weekend for Kpl Arif Mohamed as he and his partner patrolled the streets near the Cecil Street market to ensure traffic moved smoothly. That was when the 54-year-old senior policeman and Kons Mohammad Saiful Sudirman saw an elderly woman, with two quad canes in her hands, struggling...

Pupil traumatised after toilet mishap

IPOH: A nine-year-old pupil is so fearful of having a ceramic toilet fall on her again that she wants a friend to accompany her to the school loo. Nur Alisha Adawiyah Mohd Yusri, from SK Perpaduan, said she was scared after the falling cistern hit her head and shoulder. “I’m a bit afraid now and I will...

Kuching to test smart tram

PETALING JAYA: The world’s first hydrogen-powered tram, developed in China, is on its way from its production site in Hunan province to Malaysia where it will be a prototype for Kuching’s urban transport system. It will be shipped from Shanghai to be used as part of Kuching’s autonomous rapid transit (ART) system, China Global Television Network...