Melaka cops uncover fake investment scam run by Chinese nationals
MELAKA: Melaka police busted a fake investment scam run by four Chinese nationals after raiding an apartment in Taman Kota Laksamana here on Tuesday. The syndicate was targeting Chinese nationals, offering non-existent investment schemes through a mobile application. "During the raid, police seized various items, including a laptop and six mobile phones, worth about RM10,000," he said in a statement on Thursday (Jan 29). Dzulkhairi warned the public to be cautious of investment schemes promising quick profits and to verify before investing by checking suspicious phone numbers or bank accounts through http://semakmule.rmp.gov.my. "The public can also report scams to the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) at 997 for immediate action to block transactions,” read the statement.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 05:45 UTC
Foreigners barred from buying subsidised cooking oil from March 1
KUALA LUMPUR: Regulations prohibiting the sale of subsidised packaged cooking oil to foreigners are expected to come into force on March 1, says Datuk Seri Armizan Mohd Ali. He said the Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation Scheme (eCOSS), which digitally records data across the entire distribution chain, enables the government to effectively enforce the ban on the sale of subsidised cooking oil to non- citizens. He explained that the system tracks purchases and transactions, helping to curb leakages of subsidised packaged cooking oil through diversion and smuggling activities that have long persisted. The rollout of the Mobile eCOSS application has been expanded gradually since May 2025. He said the QR Code on the newer version of the MyKad could also be used to verify purchases of subsidised cooking oil.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 05:37 UTC
Lawyer questions AGC’s decision to halt probe into Apandi
In a statement, Sangeet said recent information showed that investigations into Apandi were closed as early as October 2022, just months after they were reportedly initiated. “It has recently emerged that investigations into Apandi Ali [were] classified as NFA as far back as in October 2022. “This is not a small matter,” she said, adding that questions must now be asked about whether the police investigations were conducted with sufficient scrutiny. The High Court judgementThe High Court decision was delivered in 2022 by Datuk Azimah Omar, now a Federal Court judge, who dismissed Apandi’s defamation suit against Democratic Action Party veteran Lim Kit Siang. The suit concerned articles written by Lim in 2019 on the 1MDB scandal, which Apandi claimed implied he had abused or neglected his duties as AG.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 29, 2026 05:25 UTC
Enough, crack down on graft, says PM
He has now given enforcement officers one week to decide whether or not they want to go on an all-out war against graft. According to Anwar, it is unacceptable that top civil servants are still tolerating wrongdoings such as smuggling, bribing and gangsterism activities. Anwar said he gave the one-week ultimatum to enforcement officers because his patience has run thin. Anwar also said it is unacceptable for enforcement officers to take a careless and forgiving attitude towards wrongdoing. He also said he was ready to evaluate any request by enforcement officers to reduce their responsibilities.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 05:10 UTC
Chinese national claims trial to abetment charge
SEREMBAN: A 43-year-old Chinese national claimed trial at the Sessions Court here to a charge of abetting a local individual to offer a RM50,000 bribe to a Department of Environment (DOE) officer. The bribe was allegedly meant to prevent action from being taken against the local individual, Soon Kein Chong, for allegedly breaching several provisions of the Environmental Quality Act 1974. Jiang Fanjun pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to him before Judge Mohamad Kamil Nizam. MACC prosecuting officer Muhammad Arif Asyraf Mohd Khairi then told the court his team was offering the accused bail of RM20,000 with two local sureties pending next mention. Judge Mohamad Kamil then fixed bail at RM20,000 with two local sureties and allowed the other applications by the prosecution.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 05:05 UTC
Philippine growth slumps, trailing Emerging Asia on scandal
“The flood control corruption scandal weighed on business and consumer confidence,” Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said at a briefing, estimating that 2025 growth would have come in at 5.5% without the scandal. But the government’s probe of the irregularities in public spending “had to be undertaken” to come up with reforms, he added. Despite the holidays, household consumption — a main driver of the economy — decelerated further to its slowest pace since the pandemic. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who revealed irregularities in public spending and insisted he will root out graft, is now facing impeachment complaints in connection with the scandals. Stocks have also recovered some ground since retreating at the height of the scandal, but foreign investors remain wary of domestic risks.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 29, 2026 04:30 UTC
Couple from China nabbed after raid on luxury condo drug lab
KUALA LUMPUR: Police busted a drug processing syndicate following a raid at a luxury condominium unit here. Sentul police chief Asst Comm Ahmad Sukarno Mohd Zahari said a couple from China, aged 46 and 39, were arrested in the raid last Thursday after police found a packet containing ketamine weighing 34.90gm. ACP Ahmad Sukarno said seized drugs included ketamine (1,878.90g), methamphetamine (380g), cocaine (62gm) and MDMA powder (7,151g). He said investigations showed that the syndicate is believed to have been active over the past three months and rented the luxury apartment unit for drug processing purposes. “A urine test found that the female suspect tested positive for drugs while her husband tested negative,” he said, adding that both had valid passports and visit visas.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 03:44 UTC
Full steam ahead for all-night ETS for festive travel
PUTRAJAYA: The Electric Train Service (ETS) will run 24 hours during festive periods, starting this Chinese New Year, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke. “The 24-hour ETS service will be implemented during all major festive seasons,” he added during a press conference after his New Year message event here yesterday. Loke said previously, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB), did not fully optimise its train sets during festive periods, as they usually kept spare sets as a precaution in case of breakdowns, so not all sets were deployed. “With upcoming festive periods such as Chinese New Year or Aidilfiltri celebrations and other public holidays, when demand is high, we will increase services. “With ETS, the journey is comfortable as passengers don’t have to struggle on the road.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 03:25 UTC
Corruption in Armed Forces threatens national security
“Substandard defence acquisitions, overpriced procurement and budget shortfalls weaken the national defence system and endanger the lives of our soldiers. Khaled said restoring the trust and confidence in the Armed Forces was the government’s top priority. Khaled assured that the national defence system remained robust, fully functional and unaffected by the recent scandals with no disruption to operations. Corruption and malpractice are not synonymous with the Malaysian Armed Forces or national defence system. The Armed Forces continues to function as a strong, exemplary national defence institution, contributing directly to the country’s stability, economic prosperity and peace,” he said.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 03:25 UTC
Hock Soon Capital’s IPO price overvalued by nearly 27%, says TA Securities
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 29): Hock Soon Capital Bhd’s listing price overvalued the poultry producer by nearly 27% even as its earnings growth would remain resilient, according to TA Securities. The fair value should be 44 sen for Hock Soon, which values the company at seven times this year’s earnings and is in line with the poultry industry, the research house said. Hock Soon is now accepting applications for its IPO until Jan 30, and the Perak-based family-run company is scheduled to list on the Main Market on Feb 13. Both siblings are also executive directors in Hock Soon. Eggs are also the most affordable staple protein in Malaysia, making its business robust and resilient to economic downturns, the research house noted.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 29, 2026 03:24 UTC
Govt, EPF in talks to allow account 2 withdrawals for new base MHIT cover
KUALA LUMPUR: Discussions are ongoing with the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to explore whether withdrawals from the retirement fund can be allowed to purchase the new Base Medical and Health Insurance/Takaful (MHIT) product, says Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan. “We are discussing with EPF to see whether the Base Plan concept can be accepted as part of the i-Lindung products where withdrawals are allowed." He was responding to a supplementary question by Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) on whether the government will allow EPF withdrawals to purchase the Base MHIT. The Base MHIT framework, released by Bank Negara on Jan 22, introduces a standardised, voluntary insurance product for Malaysians who are uninsured or facing steep premium increases. It is intended to standardise baseline coverage across insurers and takaful operators, improving portability and price transparency.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 03:14 UTC
Chinese tourists avoid Japan amid concerns
BEIJING: Chinese tourist numbers to Japan have plummeted amid diplomatic frictions, security warnings, large-scale flight cancellations, and growing concerns over natural disasters and disease outbreaks, experts said on Tuesday (Jan 27). Chinese carriers have cancelled nearly half of all flights from the Chinese mainland to Japan this month. Since Nov 15, 2025, Chinese carriers have cancelLed a large number of flights to Japan. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday issued a travel advisory warning that public security in Japan has deteriorated in recent months, highlighting a rise in criminal cases targeting Chinese citizens. Yang said Chinese traveLlers may consider alternative destinations for the holiday period, as uncertainty surrounding flights and safety conditions continues to influence travel decisions.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 03:04 UTC
Johor towns reap ETS benefits
QUIET corners of Johor are slowly shedding their sleepy image, with the Electric Train Service (ETS) drawing people, businesses and weekend activity into former pass-through towns. “I believe more people will visit once the frequency of the train service is increased,” he said. “I think many people, especially those outside Johor, are still not aware of the small towns that ETS passes through,” she said. With speeds of up to 140km/h, travel time between Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur is about four-and-a-half hours. Currently, there are a total of eight trips between Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur, with four trips in each direction.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:50 UTC
Melaka army officer remanded over storage scandal
MELAKA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has detained a senior army officer serving in an army camp here over alleged bribery. A six-day remand order until Feb 2 was issued against the suspect by Magistrate Uthman Abd Ghani following an application made by the MACC at the Magistrate’s Court in Ayer Keroh here yesterday. The male suspect, believed to be in his 40s, was detained at about 12.15pm on Tuesday when he turned up to give his statement at the MACC Melaka headquarters in Alai here. A source said that the preliminary investigations suggest that the suspect, who was serving as the commanding officer at an army camp in the state, allegedly committed the offence about two years ago. Meanwhile, Melaka MACC director Datuk Adi Supian Shafie, when contacted, confirmed the arrest and said the case is being investigated under Section 16(a)(B) of the MACC Act 2009.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:50 UTC
Counting down to Thaipusam
GEORGE TOWN: As thaneer panthal (refreshment) stalls are set up across the city ahead of Thaipusam, traffic has slowed to a crawl on several major roads. The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has urged road users to plan their journeys around the island. Rajendran said about 100 tonnes of solid waste were produced during Thaipusam each year, with 50% to 55% being food waste. “We have set up 27 rubbish bins across the island and provided special bins for food waste. Consumers Association of Penang senior education officer NV Subbarow urged devotees, temple authorities, spectators, tourists and charity groups to help make this year’s Thaipusam a zero-waste celebration.
Source:The Star
January 29, 2026 02:47 UTC