PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will charge a Terengganu executive councillor in court Tuesday (Feb 24). In a notice Monday (Feb 23), the MACC confirmed that the exco member will be charged on Tuesday at the Kuala Terengganu Sessions Court. Previously, an exco member was detained by graft busters for allegedly abusing his position to secure jobs for his two children in state-linked companies. Sources said the man, in his 60s, was detained at about 11.15am on Sunday (Feb 22) when he turned up to give his statement at the MACC office in Kemaman, Terengganu. Terengganu MACC director Hazrul Shazreen Abd Yazid confirmed the arrest when contacted at the time.

6 men’s doubles player Man Wei Chong’s preparation for the world’s oldest badminton tournament, the All-England from March 3-8, has been disrupted by a right knee injury. It is a gamble as Wei Chong revealed that the medical team had actually advised him to take a longer break, including skipping the All-England. Last year, Wei Chong-Kai Wun suffered a first round exit at the hands of China’s He Jiting-Ren Xiangyu. "This injury is on my right knee, and I had previously injured the same leg. The draw for this year’s All England will only be known on Tuesday (Feb 24), with Malaysia fielding eight men’s doubles pairs, including Wei Chong-Kai Wun.

KLUANG: A 54-year-old man died after collapsing while hiking at Gunung Lambak here on Monday (Feb 23). He said the victim, identified as Loh Yeong Keong, had begun the hike at around 11am with his 53-year-old sister-in-law. “He was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel,” he said in a statement. The victim’s body was sent to the forensic unit at Hospital Enche Besar Hajjah Khalsom, with a post-mortem scheduled for 8am on Tuesday to determine the cause of death. “Health Ministry personnel provided initial treatment before he was pronounced dead.

KUALA LUMPUR: Teresa Kok’s car was broken into while she was jogging at Bukit Kiara, with her handbag stolen in the incident. In a Facebook post on Monday (Feb 23), the Seputeh MP said she discovered the break-in when she returned to her car at about 7pm on Sunday. Kok added that she lodged a police report at the TTDI police station shortly afterwards. She said forensic officers later arrived to photograph the vehicle and lift fingerprints, and she only left the station at around 9.30pm. "Three fingerprints were found on the car and have been sent to Bukit Aman for analysis and identification," he said.

KUALA LUMPUR: Businessman Datuk Ranjeet Singh Sidhu pleaded not guilty on Monday (Feb 23) at the Sessions Court here to a charge of offering an RM8mil bribe to the former president of a bank 14 years ago. The 56-year-old is accused of providing a bribe to the former president and managing director of the bank through an intermediary, as an inducement to approve a RM400mil loan application by V Telecoms Bhd. The loan was intended to finance the development of a coastal fibre optic network covering the entirety of Peninsular Malaysia. The offence is alleged to have occurred at a bank on Jalan Sultan Ismail, here, on June 29, 2012. Judge Rosli Ahmad granted bail of RM150,000 with one surety, imposing the additional conditions as requested by the prosecution, and fixed March 30 for the next case mention.

BUKIT JALIL: No charges will be imposed on professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia should he wish to seek treatment at the National Sport Institute (NSI). Typically, BAM players enjoy free treatment at the NSI, while professional players bear their own medical expenses as they operate independently. "We are aware that Zii Jia and his team are not under BAM, so they are a separate entity. The NSI have also opened their doors to Zii Jia for any assistance required, including the use of gym facilities to help him regain peak condition. Zii Jia, who struggled with injury issues last year, sparked concern after withdrawing from this week’s German Open.

(Feb 23): President Donald Trump threatened higher tariffs on goods from countries that “play games” with their existing US trade agreements following the Supreme Court’s decision quashing his global duties. The European Union on Monday froze the ratification process for its agreement with the Trump administration. Officials in the European Parliament said they want to seek clarity on Trump’s tariff program before moving forward. But after the court’s decision, he has less flexibility to do so. “As President, I do not have to go back to Congress to get approval of Tariffs,” Trump wrote in a subsequent post.

(Feb 23): The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Inc said they will be operating their markets as normal on Monday as a winter storm sweeps through the New York area. The two largest US stock exchange operators said they don’t expect any changes to Monday’s market open despite blizzard conditions that have caused travel restrictions interrupting businesses across the East Coast. We expect normal operation,” Nasdaq said in an emailed statement. NYSE, which is owned by Intercontinental Exchange Inc, also said it will be operating normally. Normal US market hours are from 9.30am to 4pm in New York.

(Feb 23): A UK government proposal to remove King Charles III’s brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, from the line of succession to the monarchy gained momentum as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed the plan. “In light of recent events concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, I am writing to confirm that my government would agree to any proposal to remove him from the line of royal succession,” Albanese wrote in a letter to UK premier Keir Starmer released by Downing Street on Monday morning. The former prince was arrested last week following revelations contained in emails with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein released by the US Department of Justice. While he was always unlikely to become king, Mountbatten-Windsor is still eighth in line to the throne. King Charles III stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of his remaining titles — including “prince” — in September.

PETALING JAYA: Professional men’s singles shuttler Lee Zii Jia has agreed to help Malaysia in the Thomas Cup campaign without making any demands from the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). However, in a show of commitment to ending the nation’s 34-year wait for the Thomas Cup title, Zii Jia has agreed to set those matters aside. "It is with great pleasure to announce that Lee Zii Jia has reached an agreement with the Badminton Association of Malaysia to be part of Malaysia’s 2026 Thomas Cup squad. "Zii Jia has also agreed to waive his image rights fee in order to represent the country at the upcoming Thomas Cup, reflecting his commitment and dedication to Malaysia," Team LZJ said in a statement on Monday (Feb 23). "We hope this marks a new dawn for Zii Jia and BAM, moving forward together in the best interest of Malaysian badminton."

BEIJING: A 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit Yuli County, Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Bayingolin of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, at 12.12pm local time on Monday (Feb 23), according to the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC). The quake struck at a depth of 15km and its epicentre was monitored at 40.88 degrees north latitude and 84.17 degrees east longitude, according to the CENC.

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has dismissed an application by UK law firm White & Case LLP to stay a High Court ruling allowing a lawsuit filed by 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) to proceed in Malaysia. The firm had sought to halt the High Court proceedings pending the disposal of two appeals scheduled to be heard by the Court of Appeal on May 20. He then ordered the law firm to pay RM30,000 in legal costs. Last year, the High Court rejected White & Case’s challenge, ruling that it could hear the lawsuit because the trial witnesses are located in Malaysia. The law firm then appealed this decision to the Court of Appeal.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ashwad Ismail has been appointed as the new Broadcasting director-general (DG) together with Dr Sharifah Adlina Syed Abdullah as his deputy. Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil has extended his congratulations to Ashwad, the former Astro Awani editor-in-chief and Sharifah, the former Plantation and Commodities Ministry (strategic planning and management) deputy secretary-general. "May the leadership you bring continue to strengthen the national broadcasting industry, drive innovation and deliver accurate and trustworthy information for the well-being of the people," he said. Ashwad, 40, succeeds Datuk Suhaimi Sulaiman who stepped down on Feb 22 after nearly three years at the helm of the government's broadcasting agency. Ashwad was also among the Malaysian delegates on the Global Sumud Flotilla in 2010, aboard the MV Mavi Marmara, which was seized by Israeli forces during the Gaza Freedom Flotilla mission.

KUANTAN (Feb 23): The Pahang Palace has denied claims that the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, is offering government financial aid to the public through social media. Through a Facebook post by the Pahang Sultanate, the Palace stated it has detected the recirculation of several fake video clips produced using artificial intelligence technology. The post also clarified that the Sultan of Pahang does not have any personal social media accounts. All official activities or royal addresses are only broadcast through the Pahang Sultanate's Facebook platform, which currently has approximately 758,000 followers. “On other social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, only the name 'Kesultanan Pahang' is used, while the official portal of the Pahang Palace is istanapahang.my,” according to the post.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 23): Media Chinese International Ltd (KL:MEDIAC) on Monday (Feb 23) reported a lower third-quarter net loss, bolstered by a robust performance in its travel division that offset continued headwinds in its publishing business. The group attributed the revenue growth primarily to its Hong Kong travel operations. Beyond the travel segment's contributions, Media Chinese highlighted that its cost-saving measures, particularly in paper costs, depreciation charges and bad debt provisions, helped cushion the bottom line. Net loss expanded to RM29.41 million from RM16.76 million a year ago, as revenue slipped 1.9% to RM496.39 million from RM505.93 million. Management cited "prolonged structural challenges facing the print media industry" as the primary driver behind its nine-month revenue dip.