PUTRAJAYA: A complacent or lackadaisical attitude must be eradicated, stressed Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki. His reminder was directed at the commission’s senior leadership in the Public Service Premier Posts (JUSA) C grade, who are participating in the Premier Transformational Leadership Development Programme (PTLDP) JUSA C Series 5 No. He urged them to stay prepared in facing increasingly challenging responsibilities and not to take management aspects lightly. “When faced with a crisis situation, the principle of ‘no delay’ is paramount,” he said at the event held at the MACC headquarters here on Friday (Feb 27). Azam said leadership should not rest solely on theory but must be translated into the ability to solve problems, build confidence, make firm decisions and prioritise outcomes.

MELAKA: Three secondary school students were killed and another was seriously injured in a collision involving three motorcycles at Jalan Paya Tambak here. Melaka Tengah OCPD Asst Comm Christopher Patit said the victims died on the spot due to multiple head and bodily injuries in the 4am accident on Saturday (Feb 28). He said an 18-year-old unemployed youth was seriously injured and is currently receiving treatment at Hospital Melaka. He identified the deceased as 16-year-old Muhammad Azmi Abdul Rahim, a student of SMK Bukit Katil; his pillion rider, 16-year-old Nur Khairiah Mat Mazlin, who studied at SMK Air Molek; and 15-year-old Muhammar Adiff Farihin Mohd Anuar, also a student of SMK Bukit Katil. "The weather was fine at the time of the incident," he said, adding that investigations are ongoing.

DUBAI (Feb 28): Global airlines suspended flights across the Middle East on Saturday after the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, plunging the region into a renewed military confrontation. Flight maps showed the airspace over Iran virtually empty as Israel said it struck Iran and the US military initiated a series of strikes against targets in the country. The Russian Ministry of Transport said on Saturday that Russian air carriers had suspended flights to Iran and Israel. Iberia also cancelled flights to Tel Aviv, while Wizz Air suspended flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman with immediate effect until the same date, it said. Only one flight to Tel Aviv had been scheduled for Saturday.

KUANTAN: The remand order against a higher education institution (IPT) student suspected of uploading content touching on issues related to religion, race and royal institutions (3R) on social media has been extended for another three days. "The police also seized a copy of the Quran believed to have been used by the student,” he said when contacted. On Friday (Feb 27), Pahang police chief Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman said the investigation paper has been completed and referred to the DPP for further action. On Feb 25, a Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) student was detained to assist in investigations for allegedly insulting Islam on social media. Prior to that, an image showing an adult male’s foot stepping on the Quran, along with a screenshot of a social media post allegedly by the UMPSA student, had gone viral online.

(Feb 28): Opec+ will consider the option of a larger supply increase when key members meet on Sunday, after Israel launched airstrikes on targets in Iran, according to a delegate. The group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia was expected to resume modest production increases from April after a three month supply freeze, several delegates said earlier this week. In recent days, Riyadh and some other producers — including Iran — accelerated oil exports. Saudi Arabia, de facto leader of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, temporarily surged supply last year amid the US bombardment of Iranian nuclear facilities. While Iran sounded upbeat about the trajectory of the talks, US Trump said on Friday he wasn’t happy with how they were unfolding.

SHAH ALAM: There were two factors contributing to the lower dividend payments for this year, says Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) chief executive officer Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn. ALSO READ: EPF investment assets grew 12.8% to RM1.409 trillion in 2025The EPF declared a dividend rate of 6.15% for conventional savings for 2025, with the total payout amounting to RM67.1bil. Meanwhile, the dividend rate for syariah savings was 6.15% with the payout totaling to RM12.5bil. ALSO READ: EPF to launch i-Legasi for parents to share savings with childrenBoth the conventional and syariah savings recorded lower dividends than the previous year. For 2024, EPF declared a dividend rate of 6.3% for conventional savings with a total payout amounting to RM63.05bil, as well as a 6.3% dividend for syariah savings, with a payout amounting to RM10.19bil.

SHAH ALAM: The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will introduce the i-Legasi scheme, enabling contributors aged 55 and above to pass down their retirement savings to their children. Speaking at the pension fund’s 2025 dividend briefing, EPF chief executive officer Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn said the scheme would allow members to transfer their savings "intergenerationally" to their children. EPF chief operating officer (COO) Sazaliza Zainuddin said an announcement on the initiative will be made soon. This scheme will allow members to transfer part of their savings directly to their children's accounts,” he said on Saturday (Feb 28). At present, EPF members aged 55 and above are allowed to withdraw their savings.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 28): Thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong winds are expected to hit eight states until 6pm on Saturday. In a statement, the Malaysian Meteorology Department (MetMalaysia) said the weather warning covers Perlis, Kedah (Langkawi and Kubang Pasu), Pahang (Cameron Highlands), and Selangor (Kuala Selangor, Gombak, and Petaling). The same forecast has also been issued for Negeri Sembilan, covering Seremban, Kuala Pilah and Rembau, as well as Johor (Kluang, Mersing and Kota Tinggi). In Sarawak, the affected areas include Serian, Samarahan, Sri Aman (Lubok Antu), Sarikei, Sibu, Mukah (Matu) and Kapit (Song). Over in Sabah, the warning covers the West Coast (Ranau), Tawau (Tawau and Semporna) and Sandakan (Tongod).

KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, is currently unwell due to musculoskeletal pain (involving muscles and bones) affecting his back and hips. In a statement yesterday, Istana Negara said His Majesty was advised by medical experts to rest and refrain from attending official engagements to allow for proper treatment and recovery. Istana Negara also announced that the opening ceremony of the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) Sultan Ibrahim Mosque, which was scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed to a later date. Following the announcement, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim extended his prayers and well-wishes to Sultan Ibrahim. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil urged all Malaysians to join in prayer for the health of Sultan Ibrahim.

OpenAI declined to comment on whether the firm’s services for the department would replace the work previously done by Anthropic. The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comments late on Friday night. Just hours earlier, the Pentagon declared Anthropic a supply-chain risk, a move that could have profound consequences for the company’s business and escalated a feud between the AI start-up and defence officials over safeguards on its technology. In a post on X, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth outlined a six-month period for Anthropic to hand over AI services to another provider. Anthropic raised US$30 billion in a funding round earlier this month from some of OpenAI’s same investors.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 28): Malaysia Airlines has confirmed that its flights, the MH160 operating from Kuala Lumpur to Doha (KUL-DOH) and MH156 from Kuala Lumpur to Jeddah (KUL-JED) on Friday, conducted air turnbacks to Kuala Lumpur and diverted to Chennai respectively. These turnbacks followed a mid-flight advisory concerning heightened airspace risk and were executed in accordance with established conflict-area diversion protocols, it said in a statement on Saturday. Both flights have now safely returned to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The situation continues to be monitored closely and all necessary measures will be taken to ensure safe and reliable operations, said the carrier. It added that the safety of its passengers and crew remains the highest priority.

The Starbase, Texas-based firm expects to submit its draft IPO registration to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in March, the people said. Considerations are ongoing, details could change and SpaceX could still delay its filing, the people said. SpaceX could seek a valuation in the IPO of more than US$1.75 trillion (RM6.81 trillion), some of the people said, asking not to be identified as the deliberations are private. In a confidential filing, companies can receive feedback from the regulator and make changes before the information becomes public. The world’s most prolific rocket launcher, SpaceX dominates the space industry with its Falcon 9 rocket that lifts satellites and people to orbit.

PETALING JAYA: There were strategies outlined during a meeting involving some members of foreign media and a local family, according to a document circulating on social media. The document supposedly outlines a communications strategy aimed at defending the reputation of a prominent family. Daim’s family is currently in a legal battle with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over the freezing of the former finance minister’s assets. It said the public relations strategy “must be supportive of legal strategy and not in conflict”. It also suggested a social media campaign featuring life achievements, early business successes and important quotes.

The Transport Minister said to date, most train sets have already completed the Fault-Free Run (FFR) tests, which is a crucial component before LRT3, which connects Shah Alam and its surrounding areas, begins operations. Under the FFR test, the trains are required to travel at least 4,000km without a single glitch. To date, two train sets, involving 14 of the 22 trains, have completed the 22-day FFR testing process. Spanning 37.8km, the LRT3 line connects Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya to Johan Setia in Klang. On the recent incidents of disruption involving the Kelana Jaya LRT Line service, Loke said his ministry is working hard to address the issue.

BAGAN DATUK: Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has called for calm following an incident in which a university student alle­gedly uploaded an image of someone stepping on the Quran on the Threads platform. The Deputy Prime Minister said the people should leave it to the authorities to investigate the case and not act based on emotion. “I hope that the action being taken by the authorities will help to calm the situation,” he told reporters after officiating the opening of Mydin Mart Bagan Datuk here yesterday, Bernama reported. Ahmad Zahid said the incident should never have occurred, especially involving university students. Pahang police chief Comm Datuk Seri Yahaya Othman had said the male student was arres­ted to assist in investigations after provocative content went viral on Tuesday.