At UTAR, campus life plays a central role in shaping well-rounded graduates who are not only academically capable, but grounded in teamwork, resilience, cultural pride and a holistic outlook. Some days, when evening falls over Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik at UTAR Kampar campus, you will be greeted with various sightings of club activities. It becomes clear that the scenes from both venues belong to the same collective: the long-standing UTAR Kampar campus Wushu Club. The UTAR Kampar campus Wushu Club was established in 2007. Yet for the UTAR Kampar campus Wushu Club chairperson Kong Shao Xuan, the responsibility is not a burden, but a journey of shared growth – one marked by pride, perseverance and belonging.

KOTA KINABALU: The number of flood victims in Sabah remains at 75 people, involving 23 families, as of 8am on Friday (March 13). The Sabah State Disaster Management Committee Secretariat, in a statement, said that 30 villages in the Paitan district are still affected by the floods, and two relief centres have been activated to accommodate the victims. According to the statement, the centres, which were opened on March 10, are the Batagon Darat Community Centre and Surau Nur Hikmah Kampung Kaindangan. It said that the authorities continue to monitor the situation and provide assistance to affected residents to ensure the safety and welfare of flood victims.

Free for 14 days, it emerged after Baidu Inc released its own Android app this week for OpenClaw, which helps users shop online and book travel, among other things. From Tencent Holdings Ltd to Minimax Group Inc, China’s biggest AI players are competing to offer OpenClaw services — feeding a nationwide frenzy dubbed “raising lobsters”. They are hoping to lower barriers to entry and tap a phenomenon named after OpenClaw’s animal mascot, in which students and retirees across the nation are experimenting with agentic AI. But Beijing has also moved to restrict state-run enterprises and government agencies from freely running OpenClaw AI apps on office computers, acting swiftly to defuse potential security risks. For agentic AI like OpenClaw to be really useful, it needs wide access to users’ data and their various apps.

NEW YORK, March 12 (Xinhua) -- A synagogue in the U.S. state of Michigan was attacked and the suspect has been killed, local media reported Thursday. Preliminary investigation found that the suspect came to the temple and engaged in a gunfight with the security of the temple. A video of the scene issued by local media shows a massive police response and black smoke coming out of a part of the synagogue. The Jewish Federation of Detroit posted on social media after the attack, saying that their Jewish agencies were in precautionary lockdown protocol. Later, the federation said that "all other Jewish organizations are no longer required to be in lockdown or lockout protocol."

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has instructed top civil service leaders to conduct a comprehensive review of the work-from-home (WFH) proposal to ensure administrative consistency across the board, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. According to the unity government spokesman, Anwar tasked the Chief Secretary to the Government and the Public Service Department director-general with examining the policy's feasibility and coordination. Fahmi, who is also Communications Minister, confirmed the directive during a press briefing on Friday (March 13), adding that the move aims to streamline operations while maintaining public service efficiency. "The Prime Minister asked the Chief Secretary and Public Service DG to look into the WFH proposals to ensure several matters are coordinated," Fahmi said. "The results of these discussions will be tabled and a decision reached this coming Tuesday (March 17)," he said.

KOTA TINGGI: A Pakistani man died on the way to the Tanjung Sedili Health Clinic after being involved in an accident. Kota Tinggi OCPD Supt Yusof Othman said the incident took place on Thursday (March 12) along Jalan Kuala Sedili–Tenggaroh Selatan at about 7.05pm. “The car, driven by the 42-year-old victim with two other passengers, also Pakistani nationals, skidded on its own,” he said in a statement. Supt Yusof said the victim suffered severe bodily injuries, while the 25- and 35-year-old passengers sustained major injuries and were admitted to Kota Tinggi Hospital. Supt Yusof said the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.

(March 13): BYD Co, China’s largest car manufacturer, is actively considering building a plant in Canada while also keeping its options open to acquire a more established global automaker. While Canada has been courting investment from Chinese carmakers, its government is pushing a joint venture with one or more Canadian companies. In January, Canada agreed to exempt as many as 49,000 Chinese-built electric vehicles (EVs) annually from a 100% tariff imposed in 2024, part of a shift away from the country’s previous policy of keeping Chinese cars out. More recently, some Western automakers have stepped up efforts to tap Chinese carmakers for technological assistance and production capacity. Stellantis NV is considering tapping EV technology from its Chinese partner Leapmotor and is exploring deals with Chinese carmakers for investment in Europe.

GEORGE TOWN: The hike in quit rent in Penang has affected smallholders who rely on agricultural land to sustain their families, says Penang MCA. He said the sudden increase in quit rent had significantly raised their financial burden, making them the immediate victims of the policy. They are ordinary grassroots farmers who work hard to manage orchards and agricultural land. “Introducing a quit rent increase at such a time will undoubtedly place even greater pressure on them. “These farmers depend on their land to earn a living, yet they now face greater economic strain because of the higher quit rent.

LONDON, ⁠March 12 (Reuters) - The ⁠U.S. Navy, perhaps ‌with an international coalition, will escort ​vessels through the ⁠Strait ⁠of Hormuz when it ⁠is ‌militarily possible, U.S. Treasury ⁠Secretary told Sky News ​in ‌an interview on ⁠Thursday. "My ​belief, that as soon ⁠as it is ​militarily possible, the US Navy, perhaps with ⁠an international coalition, will be escorting vessels ​through," ⁠Bessent said. (Reporting by ​William James ‌and Ismail ​Shakil; Editing by Caitlin Webber)

(March 13): Hong Kong plans to expand its “name-and-shame” regime for sloppy listing applications to include law firms and auditors, stepping up a campaign to improve the quality of initial public offerings (IPO) in the city. Currently, the exchange only identifies the listing applicant and sponsoring banks when a filing is returned. The move comes as Hong Kong seeks to bolster its reputation as a global financial hub by ensuring higher disclosure standards. Others that would be singled out are industry consultants, experts who have consented to include their comments in the listing applications and promoters of SPAC transactions. The audit regulator also urged the industry to better safeguard quality of IPOs.

MOSCOW, March ⁠12 (Reuters) - The director general of ⁠the U.N. nuclear watchdog discussed ‌non-proliferation issues on Thursday with the head of Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear energy ​corporation ahead of other ⁠meetings with ⁠officials, the company said. Emmanuel Grossi, head ⁠of the ‌U.N. 's International Atomic Energy Agency, is due ⁠to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei ​Lavrov ‌on Friday, TASS news agency ⁠reported earlier. "On ​the eve of the meeting, the head of the state ⁠corporation (Rosatom) Alexei Likhachev and ​the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi discussed strategic issues concerning ⁠the enforcement of the non-proliferation regime and the development of nuclear energy in the world," ​Rosatom said. (Reporting by Reuters; ‌Writing by Maxim Rodionov; ​Editing by Jan Harvey, Ron Popeski and Chizu Nomiyama)

Khuzairi Yahaya, 55, pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out before Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud. The offences were allegedly committed at a restaurant in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, a hospital in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya and a fast food restaurant in Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya between July 2017 and June 2018. On Thursday, Khuzairi pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on a charge of receiving RM50,000 without consideration from the son of former home minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, eight years ago. “We also requested that the same bail amount as set in Kuala Lumpur be applied to this case,” said Muaz, who was assisted by Deputy Public Prosecutor Asmaa’ Zamri. Judge Awang Kerisnada then allowed the case to be transferred to the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court and set April 20 for mention.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will oppose the federal Attorney General’s application for a stay of the Oct 17 High Court ruling requiring the federal government to settle with the state its 40% “lost years” revenue entitlement from 1974 to 2021. State Attorney General Datuk Brenndon Keith Soh (pic) said the state government has been cooperating and working with the federal government following the judgment, and there has been no delay in complying with the Kota Kinabalu High Court order. The High Court had directed the federal government to review Sabah’s entitlement to the 40% special grant within the constitutional framework for the “lost years”. “In this regard, the state government has also put forward proposals and working frameworks to assist the parties in progressing towards an agreement. Political parties across the political divide in Sabah have also called on the federal government not to proceed with the stay application, which was filed on March 3.

PUTRAJAYA: The government has agreed to standardise application procedures and technical requirements for renovation works involving residential and commercial premises nationwide. The council meeting is a forum for the formulation of policies and legislation related to local government matters between the federal and state governments. Issues discussed at this meeting will be brought to the attention of the state governments before being officially implemented at the local authority level nationwide. Also present were the Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming; state government executive councillors; federal ministers; and senior government officers. The ministry also called for stronger enforcement at the local government level to ensure that every policy, regulation and guideline formulated can be implemented more consistently, wisely and effectively.

PUTRAJAYA (March 13): The government has assured that the country’s rice supply is sufficient after the Cabinet on Friday agreed to increase the national rice stockpile to cover a period of up to nine months to ensure food security amid uncertainty caused by geopolitical conflict in West Asia. “The Cabinet has agreed that the national rice stockpile will be increased to cover the next nine months. This is an early step to ensure the country’s food supply remains secure,” he said. In this regard, he advised the public not to speculate about food supply or prices, as the government is constantly monitoring the situation and taking the necessary intervention measures. Insya-Allah, the country’s food supply is sufficient and well secured,” he said.