SEGAMAT: A local man lost his left leg after fireworks he had set up exploded in front of his house. Segamat OCPD Supt Mohd Jumazanzahir Chek Ismail said the incident occurred at Taman Damai Jaya, Bukit Siput here at about 12.30am on Tuesday (Feb 17). “He was rushed to the red zone of Hospital Segamat to receive treatment. “Medical officers confirmed that he suffered a below-the-knee amputation of his left leg and is currently in stable condition,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 18). Supt Mohd Jumazanzahir advised the public to only use approved fireworks in open areas and to practise safety measures, as misuse can lead to serious injuries as well as legal action.

Restaurant JieAddress: 73-M, Jalan Setia Bakti, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala LumpurTel: 012-325 0885Open Tuesday to Saturday: 6pm to 11pmPerched on the first floor of a quiet row of shop lots in the salubrious Kuala Lumour neighbourhood of Damansara Heights is Restaurant Jie. Wong was inspired to open Jie after dining at famed modern Chinese restaurant Wing in Hong Kong, ranked #3 in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list. I saw that there was a lot of potential for Chinese cuisine presented in a more plated, more refined approach,” says Wong. The kitchen at Jie is helmed by affable, seasoned chef Lee Kook Siong, who has spent decades honing his skills in Chinese cuisine. At Jie, Wong and Lee work hand-in-hand to reinterpret traditional Chinese cuisine, giving it new shapes and margins while still paying tribute to the roots it sprouted from.

"On the North-South Expressway (PLUS) E1, northbound traffic is moving slowly from Changkat Jering to Taiping Utara and from Taiping Utara to Bukit Merah. Meanwhile, he said on the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), southbound traffic was reported to be slow from Sungai Buloh to Bukit Lanjan. Traffic flow on the Johor Causeway southbound is also slow from the middle of the bridge towards the Woodlands Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Singapore. "On the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link Expressway (LINKEDUA) southbound, traffic is slow from the Tanjung Kupang Toll Plaza to the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ Complex, Johor Bahru,” he said. On the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (E8), eastbound traffic is slow from the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) interchange to the Gombak Toll Plaza, while westbound traffic is slow from Bentong Timur to the Bentong Toll Plaza as well as from the Gombak lay-by to the Gombak Toll Plaza.

Feb 17 (Reuters) - ⁠YouTube said on Tuesday it ⁠has resolved an issue that briefly ‌affected access to the video-sharing platform, after outage-tracking website Downdetector reported widespread global disruptions. YouTube ​said that an issue ⁠with its recommendation ⁠system had prevented videos from appearing ⁠across ‌YouTube surfaces. "The issue with our recommendations system has been ⁠resolved, and all of our platforms (YouTube.com, ​the ‌YouTube app, YouTube Music, Kids, and ⁠TV) ​are back to normal," YouTube said in an update. YouTube also faced outages in countries ​including India, Britain, Australia, ⁠and Mexico, according to DownDetector. (Reporting by ​Fabiola Arámburo in ‌Mexico City and Devika ​Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona and Rashmi Aich)

PETALING JAYA: Two foreign nationals were rescued after a double-storey terrace house caught fire in Taman Bayu Perdana, Klang, on Wednesday (Feb 18). Selangor Fire and Rescue Department operations division assistant director Ahmad Mukhlis Mokhtar said the department received an emergency call at 4.39pm and fire engines from BBP Sri Andalas arrived at the scene nine minutes later. “The fire involved a 20x60sq ft Class C double-storey terrace house, with about 70% of the structure destroyed. He added that both victims were successfully rescued by firefighters and the blaze was brought under control at 5.10pm. A total of 14 firefighters from BBP Sri Andalas and BBP Pelabuhan Klang were involved in the operation.

LONDON (Feb 18): Oil prices gained over 1% on Wednesday after falling in the previous session as investors assessed developments in Russia-Ukraine and US-Iran talks. Keeping a risk premium on prices was the abrupt end of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva on Wednesday after only two hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that the discussions had been difficult and accused Russia of deliberately seeking to delay progress towards a deal to end the four-year-old war. Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said the talks had been difficult but business-like, and that a new round of talks would be held soon. Analysts polled by Reuters estimated that US crude oil stockpiles likely rose last week, while distillate and gasoline inventories probably fell.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 18): Increasing tobacco excise duties is among the most effective measures to curb the smoking habit, alongside comprehensive enforcement to ensure the "Endgame 2045" goal of reducing the use of smoking products can be achieved, says the Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC). Its president Prof Dr Murallitharan Munisamy said tax increases were among the most effective public health policy instruments to reduce smoking, particularly among the youth and low-income groups who were more price-sensitive. MCTC also added that taxes on tobacco products had not been raised since 2015, and therefore, a review of the fiscal policy was urgently required to achieve the “smoking product endgame” target by 2045. In this regard, MCTC urged the government to ratify the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products to strengthen licensing mechanisms, track-and-trace systems, and cross-border cooperation in accordance with Article 15 of the FCTC. “Without a solid enforcement foundation, the positive impact of tax increases would be eroded by the illicit market,” he said.

KUANTAN: The bodies of five family members involved in a tragic murder at the Cerating Damai housing estate here were claimed by relatives this evening after post-mortem examinations were completed. Kuantan police chief ACP Ashari Abu Samah said all procedures at the Forensic Medicine Department of Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital were concluded at about 4pm on Wednesday (Feb 18). "The bodies have been released to family members for burial in Cherating,” he said when contacted. Four of the bodies were taken to the Cherating Mosque for the funeral rites and prayers, while another was brought to the Sungai Ular Mosque for the same purpose. All the bodies are expected to be buried at the Kampung Budaya Cherating Islamic Cemetery.

He added that Ramadan is the time for Muslims to strive to understand its deeper wisdom and the objectives of the Islamic faith. In this context, he said the motivation in performing acts of worship during the Ramadan month should be driven by the spirit of mujahadah (to strive against sins). On Tuesday (Feb 17), Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad announced that Muslims will begin the Ramadan dawn-to-dusk month-long fast starting Thursday. The sighting of the new moon for the commencement of Ramadan took place on Tuesday. The fasting month also overlaps with Chinese New Year, which was celebrated on Feb 17, signalling a double “celebration” for Malaysians in the country.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has forecast significant weather with the monsoon wind gusts expected to enter the country from Feb 19 to 23. MetMalaysia director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the situation has the potential to result in wetter weather conditions, bringing thunderstorms and heavy rain for a longer period of time in Sabah and Sarawak. "This situation has also caused strong winds and rough seas in the South China Sea. "In this regard, MetMalaysia has issued a strong wind and rough sea warning for the waters of the LCS effective from Feb 18 to 21, ” he said in a post on Facebook. The public is advised to always refer to the website www.met.gov.my and MetMalaysia’s official social media as well as download the myCuaca application for the latest and most accurate information.

U.S. investor and former ⁠White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was ​also among those ‌whose identity documents were exposed, the FT said. Howard declined ⁠to comment, ​while Cameron and Scaramucci did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. ADFW, in a statement to Reuters, said, "a vulnerability ⁠in a third-party vendor-managed storage environment ​relating to a limited subset of ADFW 2025 attendees." The data was accessible to anybody using a simple web browser, the FT reported, citing freelance ​security researcher and consultant Roni Suchowski, ⁠who discovered it. The server was made secure after the ​FT approached ADFW about the leak ‌on Monday, the report added.

“We always have dinner together before the Lunar New Year itself,” she told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Monday (Feb 16). The last time such a rare overlap occurred was in the late 1990s, when the Lunar New Year fell in the middle of Ramadan. Despite differences in faith, Aprillia described the “joyful” connection with her extended family, noting how her relatives accepted her practices. “Since becoming Muslim, my relatives aren’t close anymore,” the 53-year-old, who still uses her Chinese name, told the Post on Monday. Floods damaged homes in Aceh Tamiang regency, including those of Aling’s extended family.

A viral AI-generated video of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise fighting atop a building is causing a stir online. The 15-second video comes from the latest AI video-generation platform, Seedance 2.0. As the video circulates online, the Motion Picture Association and other industry stakeholders have called out the video for its unauthorized use of copyrighted works. "In a single day, the Chinese AI service Seedance 2.0 has engaged in unauthorized use of US copyrighted works on a massive scale," wrote Rivkin. As SAG-AFTRA reentered contract negotiations with the studios earlier last week, AI is still one of the union's highest priorities.

TOKYO: Japan's lower house formally reappointed Sanae Takaichi as prime minister on Wednesday (Feb 18), 10 days after her historic landslide election victory. Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily if Beijing sought to take Taiwan by force. Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that forces in Japan were seeking to "revive militarism". In a policy speech expected for Friday, Takaichi will pledge to update Japan's "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" strategic framework, local media reported. "Removing the consumption tax (on food) would weaken the tax revenue base, since the consumption tax is an important way to raise revenues without creating distortions in the economy," Anand said.

KLUANG: The cracks within Bersatu continue to deepen, with 11 of the party’s divisions in Johor announcing their dissolution here. Isa said this at a press conference in Simpang Renggam, attended by some 100 party members, including division chiefs. He also did not rule out the possibility of more divisions following suit. He said that the party constitution does not grant power to any party member, including division chiefs, to dissolve a division. Last Friday (Feb 13), Bersatu sacked 17 members, including several supreme council members, comprising MPs and state assemblymen, among them Opposition Leader Hamzah.