PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s children are facing a rising tide of anxiety disorders, which experts say shows no clear signs of ebbing. Figures from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) show that anxiety disorders shot up in many countries since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. He said the increase in mental health burden among 10 to 14-year-olds involves multiple, diverse factors and causes. They know, especially teenagers.”In Asean, anxiety disorders accounted for 31% of total DALYs attributed to mental disorders, followed by depressive disorders at 29.6%. Together, these conditions made up more than 60% of the region’s mental health disease burden.

Compiled by C. ARUNO, DIVYA THERESA RAVI and R. ARAVINTHANDESPITE his age, an 82-year-old man in Taiwan sparked heated discussion online for punching a bus driver for poor driving skills, China Press reported. A viral video of the incident showed Bus 847 heading to the Banqiao district on the evening of Jan 8. Standing beside the driver’s seat, Huang continued to complain and accused the driver of not paying attention to the road. When the bus arrived at the station, Huang did not get off. Insisting on using a traditional wood fire stove, Wang, 68, steamed 54 egg and chive dumplings before going to rest.

Six years ago, Romero founded a women’s lowrider club. Tired of hearing others say "that’s your boyfriend’s car” or "that’s your daddy’s car”, she named the club Duenas – meaning "female owners” in Spanish. "That’s how all of us fell in love with the car culture, the lifestyle,” she said. As cruising was pushed out of the limelight, much of lowrider culture faltered, including the legacy of all-woman car clubs. After decades of clubs being relegated to the shadows, Ricardo Cortez, Historian for the United Lowrider Council of San Jose, calls Duenas the most prominent all-woman lowrider club since the ’70s.

Earlier, Governor Gavin Newsom wrote a post calling on Bonta "to immediately investigate the company and hold xAI accountable". The comments from Newsom and Bonta were the most serious so far by any US official addressing the explosion of AI-generated nonconsensual sexualised imagery on Musk's X platform. On Wednesday, Musk said he was not aware of any "naked underage images" generated by Grok. "I [am] not aware of any naked underage images generated by Grok. xAI did not answer questions from Reuters about the announcement by California officials or Musk's statement that he was unaware of sexualized imagery of minors.

KUALA LUMPUR: Cooperation for upcoming elections, calls to revive Muafakat Nasional and rebuilding party unity were key messages by Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to delegates attending this year’s general assembly. Party vice-president Datuk Seri Johari Ghani said Ahmad Zahid, at a closed-door presidential briefing, also touched on political unity and stability.

KUANTAN: A lecturer lost RM493,600 after being duped by a non-existent online investment scheme in September last year. He said the victim made 22 money transfers to five different bank accounts totalling RM493,600, using her own savings and loans from family members. "The victim then realised she had fallen victim to a scam and subsequently lodged a police report," he said. Yahaya advised the public to consult the nearest police station before making any investment to avoid falling victim to fraud. He also reminded the public to verify bank account numbers via the link https://semakmule.rmp.gov.my/ before carrying out any transaction.

A debut entry clinched first place in the Penang Green School Award that fosters a green culture in education. SK Tanjung Bunga took top spot in the island-level primary category at the annual competition among Penang schools, organised by Penang Green Council. (Above) SMK Datuk Hj Mohamed Nor Ahmad showing some miniature potted plants and (below) a pupil from SJKC Union demonstrating his school’s green project. A pupil from SJKC Union demonstrating his school’s green project. Law said that it was not an easy win, as awareness of green culture within the school in Gelugor was initially very low.

“There are not many secondhand bookstores in Johor Baru; I want to make books accessible to as many people as possible,” she told StarMetro. Khaleena arranging books on the shelves at her used bookstore within a cafe in Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Johor Baru. “About 70% of my customers are Singaporeans visiting Johor Baru for cafe-hopping. “We gathered preloved school uniforms and school supplies for those in need to take for free. “If the item only needs to function well, buying preloved fits naturally into a smarter budgeting strategy,” he said.

DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology on Wednesday unveiled a strategy to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies across all levels of education. She said digital transformation has become a necessity, as outlined in Tanzania's Development Vision 2050, noting that the country's future development depends on a workforce equipped with digital skills. The implementation of the strategy will begin with strengthening digital infrastructure, including internet connectivity, access to digital devices, and reliable electricity in schools, teacher training colleges, TVET institutions, and universities. Nombo said the strategy also promotes the use of approved digital learning platforms and encourages blended and online learning, while emphasizing the role of teachers through enhanced training in digital pedagogy, information and communication technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and data skills. She also urged universities and research institutions to promote innovation in AI-enabled education to improve access to quality learning.

Compiled by C. ARUNO, DIVYA THERESA RAVI and R. ARAVINTHANA SANITATION worker in Tamil Nadu, India, received a lot of praise after returning 360 grams of gold jewellery she found on the street, Malaysia Nanban reported. Padma, who works as a street sweeper in Chennai, found a bag full of jewellery near Pondy Bazaa and immediately brought it to a nearby police station. The police established that the bag belonged to a man named Ramesh, who had filed a report after losing his bag with the same amount of jewellery. > SJK(T) Ladang Byram welcomed its pupils with cultural dance and music on their first day of school in 2026, Makkal Osai reported. The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies).

JASIN: An unexploded 227kg aerial bomb believed to date back to the Second World War was uncovered at a construction site here on Wednesday (Jan 14). According to him, the man came across an object suspected to be a bomb while carrying out earthworks at a project site in Kampung Air Panas in Bemban, here. Supt Lee said his team from the Weapons Unit was deployed to the location after the report, and initial checks confirmed the object was an aerial bomb. "The bomb measures between 27cm and 36cm in circumference and is about 1.15 meters in length. He advised the public not to speculate on the incident in a manner that could cause unease or concern within the community.

PARIS, Jan 14 (Reuters) - ‌France is looking into sending Eutelsat satellite terminals ‌to Iran to help citizens after Iranian authorities ‌imposed a blackout of internet services in a bid to quell the country's most violent domestic unrest in decades. Backed ⁠by the French and British governments, Eutelsat ‌owns the only other low Earth orbit constellation, or group of ⁠satellites, besides ‍Elon Musk's Starlink. These satellites are used to beam internet service from space, providing broadband connectivity to businesses, governments ‍and consumers in under-served areas. Still, some Iranians have managed to connect to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service, three people inside the country said. Even ‌Starlink service appears to be reduced, Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks said earlier this week.

JOHOR BARU: A 65-year-old man lost RM668,800 after falling victim to a fake investment scheme. Kulai OCPD Asst Comm Tan Seng Lee said the victim claimed he was cheated by an investment scheme promoted through an app promising profits of between 10% and 20% within 24 hours. The victim made 25 transactions into 17 different bank accounts bet­ween Nov 28 last year and Jan 6. “The app showed that profits reached US$102,303.64 (RM415,000) but when he tried to withdraw the money, the transaction was blocked. “The victim then lodged a police report on Tuesday,” ACP Tan said in a statement.

JOHOR BARU: A woman’s attempt to order nyonya kuih online ended with her losing about RM10,000 after scammers apparently hijacked her mobile phone and drained her bank accounts. The 51-year-old victim, who wanted to be known only as Teoh, said the incident happened after she clicked on an online advertisement for nyonya kuih last Dec 25. Teoh did as instructed but still could not find the kuih she wanted. The man then sent her another document via WhatsApp and told her to accept it by clicking the link. After that, her phone screen went dark, so she immediately removed her SIM card.

It (the recommendation) has to come from somebody who would submit it to the prime minister, but before it formalises, the prime minister has to give approval,” he said here yesterday. He was also shown a letter relating to the appointments of SRC directors, including Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, who became the managing director. “I could exercise (my power) if I wanted to, but it’s not the same as the prime minister appointing it. On Nik Faisal’s appointment, Najib said he was “not familiar” with him but he was recommended because he was “suitably qualified”. The court had previously heard that Nik Faisal was a mandate holder to one of Najib’s bank accounts.