Compiled by FAZLEENA AZIZ and C. ARUNOA STRAY dog which fell into an open grave during a burial in Penang was deemed good luck after one of the deceased’s family members won the lottery, Oriental Daily reported. A brief video shared online showed a man then lowering himself into the burial spot and picking up the dog. “The puppy fell onto mother’s coffin at the grave,” wrote one Hong Wendy, who posted the video on Facebook last Wednesday. Hong Wendy later wrote: “It was a good omen. Our family member won second prize (in a lottery).”Many netizens echoed similar sentiments, commenting that the dog brought good luck.

January 18, 2026 23:22 UTC

SIBU: A husband and wife perished, while six others escaped unhurt after a fire destroyed a plantation workers' quarters at the Woodman Estate in Baram, Miri, early on Sunday (Jan 18). A spokesman for the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department Operations Centre identified the deceased as Berain Skam and Terit Lenjau, both 37, residing in Unit A of the quarters. "The survivors, comprising five adults and one child who occupied Unit B, managed to escape the burning building in time. "The semi-detached single-storey quarters measuring approximately 40 x 30 square feet was completely razed in the incident," the spokesman said in a statement on Sunday. Before the firefighters arrived, plantation workers had initiated firefighting efforts and put out the blaze using 30 fire extinguishers and three water pumps.

January 18, 2026 19:50 UTC

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reminded members of Parliament from the unity government of their responsibility to engage in constructive debate during the First Meeting of the Fifth Session of the 15th Parliament, which begins Monday (Jan 19). Madani government spokesperson Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the reminder was delivered by the Prime Minister during a pre-sitting briefing with unity government MPs at the Seri Perdana Complex here on Saturday (Jan 18). "The Prime Minister reminded us to stay focused on our duties. He also confirmed that four Bills have been identified as government priorities for tabling during the parliamentary session. Earlier, the Prime Minister left the Seri Perdana Complex at 4.20pm after chairing the briefing and took time to greet members of the media gathered here for updates.

January 18, 2026 19:33 UTC

KULIM: A man and his two children were killed today in a road crash involving a Perodua Viva and a Proton S70 on Jalan Kulim-Mahang, near SMK Sungai Kob. DSP Tengku Mohd Faisal said the bodies had been sent to the Kulim Hospital Forensic Unit for a post-mortem, and the case was being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. "Five personnel from the Kulim Hi-Tech BBP were dispatched to the scene, where the driver of the Perodua Viva was found pinned to his seat, with two boys inside the car. "The Proton S70 reportedly caught fire at the scene, but the driver escaped with minor injuries and was taken to Kulim Hospital. "The two boys in the passenger seat of the Perodua Viva were removed with the help of members of the public, while fire personnel used special equipment to extricate the driver.

January 18, 2026 18:23 UTC

DUBLIN, Jan ‌18 (Reuters) - The European Union will ‌retaliate if U.S. tariff ‌threats against European allies over Greenland materialise, but it is premature to consider ‍using the bloc's "Anti-Coercion ‍Instrument", Ireland's prime ‌minister said on Sunday. "The tempo here ‍has ​increased very dramatically, very quickly. Be in ⁠no doubt that Europe will obviously ‌retaliate if these tariffs are imposed, ⁠and that ‍will lead to a very serious situation globally," Micheal ‍Martin said. "Obviously, dialogue has to ‌happen to prevent that from occurring... We're not getting into specifics just yet, and I think that (the Anti-Coercion Instrument) is a bit premature today but ‌of course it may be put on the table," Martin added in ​an interview with national broadcaster RTE. (Reporting by Padraic Halpin;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

January 18, 2026 17:23 UTC





PETALING JAYA: Japan's shuttlers Hiroki Midorikawa-Kyohei Yamashita are fast emerging as a thorn in the side of Malaysian men's doubles pairs. 2 Aaron-Wooi Yik 21-10, 13-21, 21-11 in the Indian Open semi-finals at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi on Saturday. The Japanese pair eventually went down in three games to South Korea's reigning world champions Seo Seung-jae-Kim Won-ho in the final. Aaron-Wooi Yik could next face a quick re-match against Midorikawa-Yamashita in the second round of the Indonesian tourney. "In the match against the Japanese pair in India, Aaron-Wooi Yik were slow in their rotation on court and their quality of shots were not consistent enough," said Kim Wai.

January 18, 2026 16:59 UTC

PETALING JAYA: Men's singles shuttler Leong Jun Hao has an opportunity to reignite his season with a positive performance in the Indonesian Masters starting on Tuesday in Jakarta. Jun Hao was struck by misfortune in the Indian Open when high fever forced him to retire from his first round match against Japan's Yushi Tanaka in New Delhi. If Jun Hao can overcome Hyeok-jin, he will face the winner of the all-Taiwanese match between world No. Zii Jia, who is still finding his feet after an injury-hit 2025, has a tricky first round match against India's world No. Taiwan's Wen Chi-hsu stands in Letshanaa's way in the opening round while Ling Ching will start from the qualifying round against Japan's Kaoru Sugiyama.

January 18, 2026 15:25 UTC

Firemen putting out the fire on one of the vehicles involved in the crash near Sungai Kob. District deputy police chief, Deputy Superintendent Tengku Mohd Faisal Tengku Yeng, said the victims were Muhammad Syazwan Mohd Surodjidin and his sons, Muhammad Aqeel Afnan Muhammad Syazwan, 4, and Muhammad Affan Mikhael, 2. Tengku Mohd Faisal said the case is being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. "The vehicles involved in the accident were later taken to the Kulim Traffic Police Station for Puspakom inspection," he said. It was reported earlier that two children were among the three people killed in the collision.

January 18, 2026 15:21 UTC

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Ewon Benedick has responded to criticisms regarding his appointment as the new KKIP Sdn Bhd chairman. This follows backlash against his appointment to the post, with politicians and non-governmental organisations calling him greedy for holding various portfolios in the government. Apart from the Deputy Chief Minister position, Ewon is also Kadamaian assemblyman, Penampang MP, the Sabah Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship, and Transport Minister, and the Upko party president. Ewon later claimed he was misquoted, stating his stance was that GLC appointments should balance political and corporate figures. KKIP Sdn Bhd, a strategic state-owned company responsible for managing and developing key industrial areas in Sabah, including attracting investments and developing the industrial ecosystem, falls under the jurisdiction of Ewon’s ministry.

January 18, 2026 15:07 UTC

KUCHING: A 40-year-old woman has lost RM339,486 after she was allegedly defrauded by a non-existent stock investment scheme. Kuching police chief, ACP Alexson Naga Chabu, said the victim was enticed by an investment opportunity advertised on Facebook in December last year. "She received a link to download an investment application via the website naviscapital.co before being added to a WhatsApp investment group. "She then made a series of payments into three different company bank accounts, involving 22 online money transfers," he added in a statement issued on Sunday (Jan 18). Alexson explained that the victim realised she had been scammed when she was unable to withdraw the investment profits.

January 18, 2026 14:54 UTC

KUANTAN: Another Bangladeshi oil palm plantation worker has been reported dead after the lorry he was travelling in skidded off the road in a crash along Jalan Selancar-Redong near Kampung Perwira Jaya, Rompin, on Saturday (Jan 17). Rompin District Police chief Supt Sharif Shai Sharif Mondoi said the man was identified as Mohamad Askar, 41, at 4.15pm today at Segamat Hospital, Johor. His death brought the total number of fatalities from the crash to three. Urine screening tests on the 45-year-old Bangladeshi driver were negative for drugs. The crash is believed to have occurred when the lorry driver, who was ferrying the three passengers, attempted to overtake a car but lost control, causing the lorry skid to the left side of the road and overturn.

January 18, 2026 14:45 UTC

But what if we could prevent potentially dangerous drivers from driving in the first place? This, it seems, is also how the government is starting to think about artificial intelligence (AI) tools. This is directly related to the Malaysian government’s push to regulate who can use social media, including proposals requiring platforms to verify users using government-issued IDs. Please note this is not quite the same as requiring drivers to hold licences before they’re allowed on the road. Yes, it’s right that we can punish the Ferrari driver and, if necessary, take away his ability to drive.

January 18, 2026 14:33 UTC

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January 18, 2026 14:24 UTC

He dropped his favourite Ultraman toy, he feels “tight” being strapped in the child seat, and he wants to get out. While we worry about dengue or influenza, the silent killer on our doorstep is the road. According to the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), we lost an average of 434 children each year between 2014 and 2023 to road traffic accidents. The statistics are terrifying: three in four road deaths among children aged 11 to 15 years occur when they are operating the vehicle. It is the conviction to wrestle a crying toddler into a car seat because you love them too much to risk their life.

January 18, 2026 14:04 UTC

PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has denied claims that Bersatu has held discussions with Umno and PAS on forming a new “grand collaboration” to unite the Malays. However, the party president said Bersatu remained open to hearing Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s proposal through proper party channels. He stressed that any cross-party talks involving cooperation between Bersatu and Umno must be conducted via official party channels and attended by the top leadership of both parties. Nevertheless, Muhyiddin said Bersatu would adopt an open stance and consider any proposal put forward by Zahid once clearer details are provided. “Bersatu will consider the proposal submitted by the Umno president after receiving more comprehensive input and clarification,” he said.

January 18, 2026 13:25 UTC