Over RM100,000 worth of illegal fireworks seized in Sitiawan
IPOH: Marine police here arrested a local man and seized various types of fireworks, estimated to be worth RM105,400, during a raid at a house in Taman Rasa Sayang near Sitiawan on Tuesday (Jan 27). Its commander Asst Comm Jaffri Bidin said the 44-year-old man was detained at 4pm following a public tip-off. Further inspections found several boxes of fireworks stored in the kitchen area of the house as well as inside a van. "Among the types of fireworks seized were 'happy boom red cracker', 'happy boom assorted celebration cake repeater', 'happy boom shoot cake' and 'happy boom celebration red fire cracker'," he said in a statement on Wednesday. "The police welcome information from the public to curb any illegal fireworks trading activities.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 22:36 UTC
Stocks, bonds waver as Powell signals Fed on hold
(Jan 29) : The Federal Reserve’s decision to leave rates steady sent stocks and bonds wavering, with Jerome Powell refraining from signaling any imminent resumption of rate cuts amid a solid economy. Powell talked up a “clear improvement” in what’s expected for the economy in the year ahead. “And with the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropping last month, the Fed feels confident enough to remove any reference to downside risks. The Fed paused, but the “pivot is still alive,” according to Gina Bolvin at Bolvin Wealth Management Group. At the same time, AI investing has become less monolithic in the tech sector, with investors starting to choose winners and losers.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 28, 2026 22:14 UTC
Bomba drops 33,000 litres of water over Johor peat fire
KOTA TINGGI: The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department has conducted 21 water-bombing sorties and dropped 33,000 litres of water to extinguish a peatland fire spanning nearly 100ha at Jalan Sungai Kapal, Taman Bayu Damai in Pengerang. He added that the operation faced challenges due to the proximity of residential areas and strong sea winds, which increased flight safety risks. Mohd Ruzaidi added that another flight is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, with an expected 40 water bombing sorties involving an additional 50,000 litres of water. An aerial survey revealed that several residential areas remain blanketed in thick smoke, with visible fire damage at multiple locations. On Tuesday, operations in Sector B focused on fire suppression using 152.4m hose reels, assisted by breaching and nozzles, alongside the construction of fire breaks to prevent further spread.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 21:34 UTC
ECB says uncertainty may rise
EUROPEAN Central Bank (ECB) executive board member Piero Cipollone has warned that global turbulence could hit the eurozone, according to an interview in El Pais. “Uncertainty may increase and this may affect the strength of the recovery, as it would jeopardise investment,” he told the Spanish paper. “This could have an impact, especially on growth, and would obviously have an effect on inflation. If this uncertainty is prolonged, it will have an impact on the real economy.”The ECB hasn’t cut interest rates since June and – with inflation hovering around the 2% goal – investors and most economists expect it to stay on hold through 2026. “Gross domestic product has been resilient and we expect figures that could even be better than forecast,” Cipollone said.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 21:05 UTC
Three 'Captain Praba Gang' members charged with organised crime
SEPANG: Three men have been charged at the Sessions Court here with being members of an organised crime group. No plea was recorded from the accused after the charges were read in Tamil before Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman as organised crime cases fall under the jurisdiction of the High Court. They are accused of being members of an organised crime group in Jenjarom, Kuala Langat, between December 2023 and September 2025. On Sept 11, police launched a multi-state operation, codenamed "Ops Jack Sparrow", targetting the gang, which has 33 members and led by an individual known as Captain Praba. They are believed to be involved in various violent crimes, including murder, assault with dangerous weapons, gang robbery and arson.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 19:36 UTC
Probe of Apandi classified as NFA, Saifuddin tells Parliament
KUALA LUMPUR: Police investigations of allegations that former attorney general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali covered up crimes committed by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak have been officially classified as "No Further Action" (NFA), says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. "The investigation was completed and referred to the Attorney General’s Chambers on Oct 5, 2022, with the (decision of) NFA," he told Pang Hok Liong (PH-Labis), who wanted to know the status of the probe. Separately, Saifuddin Nasution declined to provide information on the investigation of the attack on Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli’s son. Therefore, the request cannot be accommodated," Saifuddin Nasution said. The 12-year-old son of the former economy minister was attacked at a shopping mall in Putrajaya in August last year.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 19:15 UTC
Abolishing Perikatan chairman post never discussed, agreed to, says Hadi
PETALING JAYA: The abolition of the Perikatan Nasional chairman's post was never discussed with or agreed to by PAS, says Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang. The PAS president said on Wednesday (Jan 28), that the issue had never been discussed or agreed to, including at a meeting with former Perikatan chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Jan 16. This comes following the circulation of an internal letter to the presidents of Perikatan component parties. In the letter, dated Jan 27, Muhyiddin said that PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang had agreed to this during a meeting at Muhyiddin's house on Jan 16. He said that two councils were mooted during the meeting - a presidential council led by Bersatu and an executive council led by PAS.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 16:45 UTC
Dec 2025 supplementary electoral roll open for review - EC
Any queries regarding the review of DPT BLN12/2025 can be submitted to the EC via the official portal or by calling the EC hotline at 03-8892 7218 - NSTP FILE PICKUALA LUMPUR: The December 2025 Supplementary Electoral Roll Review (DPT BLN12/2025) is now open for 30 days starting today until Feb 26, said Election Commission (EC) secretary Datuk Khairul Shahril Idrus. He said the DPT BLN12/2025 which was certified and gazetted today contains 44,042 names of citizens aged 18 and above from Dec 1 to 31, 2025 who were automatically registered as new voters. Apart from that, Khairul said it also contains 16,699 registered voters who changed constituencies and 4,872 voters who changed voter categories or status. "The EC calls on citizens aged 18 and above between Dec 1 and 31 2025 and any registered voters who have applied for a change of constituency or change of voter category or status to check their names in the DPT BLN12/2025," he said in a statement here tonight. Visit EC portal at https://www.spr.gov.my or https://mysprsemak.spr.gov.my, the official portal of the State Election Office at http://ppn.spr.gov.my, online application https://myspr.spr.gov.my, MySPR Semak mobile application or call 03-8892 7218.
Source:New Strait Times
January 28, 2026 16:02 UTC
QuickCheck: Did a lorry move on its own and crash into five vehicles in Kajang?
Recently, a video of a lorry without a driver ramming several vehicles went viral on social media. Verdict:TrueA lorry parked on the shoulder moved on its own and crashed into five other vehicles on Jalan Persiaran Damai Perdana on Tuesday (Jan 27). Kajang OCPD, Asst Comm Naazron Abdul Yusof, said the accident occurred at about 12.45pm. "The public with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the investigating officer, Inspector Ahmad Zahrein Muhd Suod, at 017-381 8422. "Road users are advised to practice prudent driving, obey road rules and always be careful while driving," he said.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 15:50 UTC
Trump tells Iran to make nuclear deal or next attack will be 'far worse'
President Donald Trump urged Iran on Wednesday to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or the next U.S. attack would be far worse. "Hopefully Iran will quickly 'Come to the Table' and negotiate a fair and equitable deal - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS - one that is good for all parties. Trump wrote in a social media post. The Republican U.S. president, who pulled out of a 2015 multination nuclear deal with Tehran during his first White House term, noted that his last warning to Iran was followed by a military strike. Don’t make that happen again," Trump wrote.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 15:44 UTC
Oil options on longest bullish run since 2024 as Iran risk looms
(Jan 28): Oil traders are paying a premium for bullish call options for the longest stretch in about 14 months as they huddle in the options market to protect against the risk of a new confrontation between the US and Iran. The global Brent benchmark has registered a call skew for 14 consecutive sessions, while the equivalent US marker has seen such a pattern for the 13 most recent trading days. “The focus on Iran continues,” said Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at A/S Global Risk Management. “The market will likely remain nervous over the coming days.”The uncertainty is leading to chunky additions of bullish options contracts. It follows the busiest ever day of Brent crude call options trading earlier this month.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 28, 2026 15:43 UTC
Indian heritage thriving in Malaysia, says Modi
NEW DELHI: India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has praised the thriving Indian cultural heritage in Malaysia and acknowledges the significant role the Malaysian Indian community plays in this. Indian festivals are celebrated with great enthusiasm and joy in every corner of the world," Modi said in the latest episode on the eve of India's Republic Day on Wednesday (Jan 28). Our Indian community in Malaysia is also doing commendable work in this regard," he said. The Indian prime minister is expected to visit Malaysia in early February. Malaysia and India elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership during Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's visit to New Delhi in August 2024.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 15:24 UTC
AI optimism pushes S&P 500 past 7,000 points for the first time
(Jan 28): The S&P 500 breached the 7,000-point mark for the first time on Wednesday, driven by unrelenting optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) and expectations of strong Big Tech earnings as well as monetary policy easing. It took about three years for the S&P 500 to rise to 5,000 points from 4,000, but only about nine months to jump from 5,000 to 6,000, which it reached in November 2024. Technology stocks account for nearly 50% of the S&P 500. The Fed is, however, widely expected to hold interest rates at its meeting later in the day. The S&P 500 has rebounded nearly 45% from its lows in April 2025, when US President Donald Trump's tariffs had roiled global markets.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 28, 2026 15:23 UTC
Spotify says it made record payout of more than US$11 bil to music industry in 2025
BENGALURU (Jan 28): Spotify said on Wednesday it had paid out more than US$11 billion (RM43.11 billion) to the music industry last year, adding that it was the largest annual payment to music from a retailer in history. YouTube said in October it had paid out more than US$8 billion to the music industry in the 12 months between July 2024 and June 2025. "Since Spotify pays out two-thirds of all music revenue to the industry — almost 70% of what we take in — as Spotify revenues grow, music payouts have grown as well," the blog said. The company reinvests the money it keeps into the platform, it said, as it looks to grow various content formats such as podcasts, videos and audiobooks. Spotify recently raised the prices for its premium subscription plans in several markets to boost profits and leverage its large user base to drive growth.
Source:The Edge Markets
January 28, 2026 14:53 UTC
Woman runs amok in Ipoh eatery, two workers injured
IPOH: The police have arrested a 29-year-old woman who ran amok at an eatery in Taman Tasek Damai and injured two workers there. Ipoh OCPD Asst Comm Abang Zainal Abidin Abang Ahmad said the incident occurred after a worker behind the counter at the premises had rejected her request to transfer money into her account on Wednesday (Jan 28) at about 6.26am. "The woman proceeded to injure the worker behind the counter and another worker with a dangerous object. ACP Abang Zainal Abidin said the woman would be investigated under Sections 324, 427 and 380 of the Penal Code for causing hurt using weapons, mischief and theft in a building. "The people are advised not to speculate on the incident and spread unverified information that could impact investigations," he added.
Source:The Star
January 28, 2026 13:10 UTC