Verdict in Aliff Syukri offensive content case put off to March 14

SEPANG: The Sessions Court here has postponed its decision in the case of cosmetics entrepreneur Datuk Seri Aliff Syukri Kamarzaman, who faces four charges of uploading obscene content on his Instagram account in 2022, to Friday (March 14). Sessions judge Ahmad Fuad Othman set the new date for the verdict, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday...

China’s top universities expand enrolment to beef up capabilities in AI, strategic areas

Several of China's top universities have announced plans to expand their undergraduate enrolment to prioritise what they called "national strategic needs" and develop talent in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI). The announcements come after Chinese universities launched artificial intelligence courses in February based on AI startup DeepSeek which has garnered widespread attention. Its creation of AI...

Malaysian court orders government, analyst to pay damages in Mongolian murder case

A Malaysian court has ordered the government and a political analyst, Abdul Razak Baginda, to pay a total of more than RM9 million (S$2.72 million) to the family of murdered Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu, media said on Wednesday (Feb 12). The victim of one of Malaysia's most gruesome murders, her body was blown up with military-grade explosives in...

Malaysia’s ex-PM Ismail declares wealth to anti-graft agency amid seizure of assets

Malaysia's former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has declared his wealth to authorities as part of an ongoing corruption and money laundering probe, the anti-graft agency said on Sunday (March 2), following the seizure of nearly US$40 million (S$54 million) in assets allegedly linked to him. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said its investigation is focused on...

Ceiling collapses at KSL City Mall in JB, viral videos show

Multiple videos circulating online show scenes of chaos in Johor Bahru's KSL City Mall after a ceiling in the building had collapsed. The incident is believed to have occurred on Saturday (Mar 8) evening, reported Malaysian media outlets Oriental Daily and China Press. As of the time of writing, it's not immediately clear which floor was affected or if...

Finance Ministry has no plans to increase RM9,000 tax relief rate

PETALING JAYA: The Finance Ministry has no plans to increase the RM9,000 tax relief rate for individuals and dependents which has not been reviewed since 2010, according to a written reply. In a Facebook post on Monday (March 10), Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said he received a written reply from the ministry...

Road ban on goods vehicles two days before and after Aidilfitri

KAJANG: Goods vehicles will be banned from roads for four days in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri. Transport Minister Anthony Loke stated at a press conference on Monday (March 10) that the ban would be enforced on March 29 and 30, as well as on April 5 and 6. “The purpose of the ban is to prevent...

Trump administration scraps over 80% of USAID programs, top diplomat Rubio says

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration has canceled more than 80 percent of all the programs at U.S. Agency for International Development following a six-week review, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Monday. "The 5200 contracts that are now cancelled spent tens of billions of dollars in ways that did not serve, (and in some...

Putrajaya considers reinstating travel ban for PTPTN loan defaulters

KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya is considering whether to reinstate the overseas travel ban against blacklisted National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) loan defaulters, says Datuk Mustapha Sakmud (pic). “When the travel ban was previously in place, it had a positive impact on repayment. However, the ban was scrapped,” the deputy higher education minister said during Question Time...

Cops investigating report of man mistreating dog in Perak

IPOH: Police have confirmed receiving a report regarding an incident in which a man is suspected of mistreating a dog in Menglembu, as recently circulated on social media. Ipoh OCPD Supt Mohamad Sajidan Abdul Sukor said the authorities received the report at about 12.30am on Friday (March 7) and are in the process of completing the investigation before referring...