14 cases of fallen trees reported across Seberang Prai after heavy rain

 

Seberang Prai City Council workers clearing one of 14 fallen trees following heavy rains yesterday. FACEBOOK/MAJLIS BANDARAYA SEBERANG PERAI

BUTTERWORTH: Fourteen fallen tree incidents were reported in various parts on mainland Penang, with cleanup operations ongoing at several locations.

The Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) said works to clear fallen trees and other debris were being carried out to ensure public safety and minimise disruption to road users and residents.

"Cleanup operations at some locations have been completed, while work at others are ongoing," it said in a statement on its Facebook page.

Heavy rain was reported in several parts of the mainland yesterday, resulting in flash floods.

MBSP said the efforts were aimed at restoring affected areas, ensuring smooth traffic flow and safeguarding the well-being of residents.

The city council advised the public to exercise caution when travelling through areas where cleanup operations were still underway and to cooperate with personnel on the ground.

"Public safety and the comfort and well-being of Seberang Prai residents remain our priority," it added. - NST

Thunderstorms to lash Klang Valley, Penang, and six other states tonight

 

The Petronas Twin Towers are shrouded in rain clouds in Kuala Lumpur on November 18, 2025. — Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) has issued a severe thunderstorm warning, forecasting heavy rain and strong winds across several states and federal territories until 9 pm today.

Issued at 5:50 pm, the alert covers the entire Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Putrajaya, alongside Penang.

Up north, the warning extends to Kedah (Sik, Kuala Muda, Baling, Kulim, and Bandar Baharu). Meanwhile, Perak is set to take a battering, with alerts plastered across Kerian, Selama, Larut Matang, Manjung, Bagan Datuk, Perak Tengah, Hilir Perak, Kampar, Kinta, and Kuala Kangsar.

Over in East Malaysia, Sarawak’s Limbang division is on high alert. In Sabah, the stormy weather targets the interior divisions of Sipitang, Tenom, and Pensiangan, sweeping across to the Sandakan division, which includes Tongod, Labuk, Sugut, and Kinabatangan.

The national weather bureau triggers these short-term alerts when radar detects imminent thunderstorms with rainfall intensity expected to exceed 20 millimetres per hour. These warnings are highly specific and valid for a maximum of six hours.

Residents in the affected zones should stay indoors, avoid parking in low-lying areas prone to flash floods, and steer clear of open spaces. Keep an eye on MetMalaysia’s official channels for real-time updates as the evening progresses. - malaymail

Ambiga's rebuke: Leaders court global respect, but lawyers seeking truth probed at home

 

When former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan read Malaysiakini’s report that police had questioned lawyers for more than three hours over the custodial death of Noorizwan Zulkefly, her reaction was immediate and unfiltered.

“I am so angry,” she texted.

But Ambiga’s indignation went beyond the questioning of the lawyers. She argued that something far more fundamental was at stake, as it involved the rule of law itself and the quest for justice.

In a subsequent statement to Malaysiakini, she reminded the government that “every civilised society is built upon the pursuit of truth”.

She did not mince words about Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration, describing the latest developments as a “new low”.

Malaysia, she pointed out, has sat on the United Nations Human Rights Council several times, but the lawyers’ treatment and the persistent issue of deaths in custody stand in stark contradiction to the universal principles the council is meant to uphold.

“In other words, we know better, but we do not do better. We never do. Our leaders seek credibility in the eyes of the world but do not bother about their credibility at home. It is time they did,” she added.

Suspicious behaviour

Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) revealed on Tuesday that its founders, Latheefa Koya and N Surendran, along with Dina Zamri, who represents Noorizwan’s family, were being investigated for allegedly pressuring Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz to release post-mortem photographs documenting 21 horrific injuries on the deceased’s body.

For Ambiga, the implications are deeply troubling.

She stressed that a lawyer’s right to defend a client robustly and pursue the truth in the discharge of professional duties is sacrosanct and indispensable to the rule of law.

“The system of justice cannot work if these values are not respected. In fact, these actions by the authorities serve to raise more suspicion about this death in custody.

“I will not repeat the troubling features about this case that cannot be hushed up and should not be hushed up,” she added.

Ambiga said when the target of an investigation is the lawyers acting for the deceased’s family who are seeking the truth, rather than the death in custody itself, something is wrong.

Generic lawyer lawyers attire court formal 191119 1

“Which means this case must receive greater scrutiny,” she added.

Calling on Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to account for what she described as unprecedented actions and ensure an immediate investigation into the brutal circumstances of Noorizwan’s death, Ambiga warned that targeting the lawyers would only deepen public suspicion.

She said such actions would “serve to confirm the impression that something rotten is happening in our places of detention which is being hurriedly swept under the carpet, yet again.”

‘Absurd’ investigation

In her Oct 22 statement, LFL director Rania Aljunied said that Latheefa, Surendran, and Dina were questioned over a visit by Noorizwan’s family and their lawyers to the hospital’s pathology unit to seek clarification on the medical evidence from the autopsy.

“Since when is this a criminal offence in Malaysia?” she asked.

Rania said the investigation bordered on the absurd, noting that two senior Bukit Aman officers had also been present when the family and lawyers sought a briefing on the extent of Noorizwan’s injuries and requested to view the post-mortem photographs.

The pathologist, she said, had agreed to their request.

“The investigation is unlawful, high-handed, and interferes with the duties of lawyers acting for their clients,” Rania said.

She argued that had the family and their lawyers not pressed for the photographs to be disclosed, the public might never have learnt the full extent of the injuries Noorizwan sustained.

A day after LFL released the photographs, Kuala Lumpur police chief Fadil Marsus said investigators were awaiting the Chemistry Department's full report and the official pathology results before completing their probe. - Mkini

Court grants PN reprieve from ROS deregistration

 

Perikatan Nasional can proceed with its plans to contest the Malacca state election using its own logo after the Kuala Lumpur High Court today granted a stay on the Registrar of Societies’ (ROS) decision to deregister the opposition pact.

The court decision came after the ROS revoked PN’s registration on Tuesday after deeming the coalition’s response to its show-cause notice unsatisfactory.

The stay was granted as PN’s previous application sought to restrain the ROS from taking further action against the coalition.

The court found that the deregistration risked undermining the judicial review application before it could be decided upon.

Judge Azizan Arshad said the stay would remain in force pending PN’s judicial review challenging the deregistration.

“At this stage, the court will not decide whether the respondent’s action of deregistering is valid, or whether it is exempt from judicial review.

“The implications or the validity of the exercise of such power may still be challenged in a separate proceeding.

“A stay on the deregistration is granted until the substantive matter is dealt with in the judicial review proper,” Azizan said today after hearing the arguments from both sides' lawyers.

The high court judge said that exceptional circumstances warranted the stay, taking into account PN’s role in politics and the potential implications for its rights as elected representatives and state governments.

“The court finds that there is no prejudice if the stay were granted, as the ongoing oversight of PN’s political activities can still be maintained and enforced,” he added.

30-day deadline

Earlier, senior federal counsel Nurhafizza Azizan argued that PN needed to file a fresh judicial review application, as the ROS had not deregistered the coalition when the original application was filed, rendering the matter academic.

However, PN’s counsel Azhar Azizan Harun maintained that the application remained relevant, as one of the reliefs sought was an order restraining the ROS from deregistering the coalition pending the judicial review’s disposal.

Azhar also argued that the ROS had acted prematurely by deregistering PN before the 30-day period stipulated in its show-cause notice had expired.

“In their haste to halt these proceedings, they breached their own timeline of 30 days stipulated in the notice. The deregistration should take place 30 days after the notice date. This is a statutory requirement,” Azhar said.

PN’s deregistration stemmed from a complaint from Bersatu, which was at loggerheads with PAS over the coalition’s direction.

In an immediate reaction, PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan said the coalition will hold a meeting following today’s developments.

Bersatu will also be summoned.

“We will call Bersatu to the meeting. It is still a member party,” he was quoted as saying during a press conference at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex today.

On Sept 22, PN received a show-cause notice from the ROS for failing to invite Bersatu to a coalition supreme council meeting on July 16. The following day, it was ordered to suspend activities under the PN name.

Takiyuddin slammed ROS on Sept 24, saying the deregistration notice was issued in bad faith to apply political pressure.

PN secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan

PN then filed a judicial review at the Kuala Lumpur High Court to seek clarity on its status and quash the ROS actions.

Among the applicants are Takiyuddin, alongside the secretaries-general of its component parties, including Saifuddin Abdullah (Wawasan Negara), Sazmi Miah (Pejuang), Wong Chia Zhen (Gerakan), and Satish Kumar (MIPP).

ROS director-general Zulfikar Ahmad and Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail were named as respondents. - Mkini

When a pro-Modi Indian media 'stings' Zakir in Putrajaya

 

On Oct 13, a senior journalist from India’s The Republic Media Network, widely regarded as sympathetic to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), travelled to Putrajaya to meet Zakir Naik.

The Indian-born Muslim preacher, who resides in Malaysia, remains a wanted man in India, where he faces allegations that have fuelled a protracted legal and diplomatic saga between the two countries.

The journalist, Anirudda Bhakat, claimed that Zakir, his associates, and family members occupy the entire 21st floor of a condominium tower.

The Republic described the meeting between its journalist and the preacher as a “sting”.

Their conversation appeared to be secretly recorded, and the subsequent report portrayed Zakir as sympathetic to India’s opposition All India Congress Party and supportive of demonstrations in New Delhi.

The demonstrations were organised by the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), a satirical political movement that has since grown into a wider campaign against the government.

The movement has been at the forefront of protests over alleged manipulation of voter rolls and calls for the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner.

'BJP goes first'

Asked by the journalist when he intends to return to India, Zakir was blunt about what needs to happen first.

“After BJP goes… Before that, if I come home, I won’t be able to come out of the country,” he said.

Addressing the allegations against him, including money laundering charges and hate-speech cases, the preacher maintained that they were baseless.

“They are allegations. There is no proof,” Zakir said, adding that he was willing to provide a witness statement via video, but Indian authorities insisted that he do so in person.

“If I come in person, I won’t come out... I will be inside only; they won’t give me (a) trial,” he added.

Turning to the protests sweeping India, Zakir said mounting public anger would spell trouble for the ruling BJP.

“I don’t think BJP will survive till the next elections. If it survives, it won’t win (the elections). Inshallah. Elections are due in 2029; they may go before that also. Next year,” he said.

Asked whether he hoped Congress would return to power, Zakir said the party led by Rahul Gandhi was preferable to the BJP.

But he stopped short of offering an unqualified endorsement of Rahul’s leadership, describing him as not yet a “seasoned or experienced” politician.

“But he is better than Modi. He is one person who is honest; he is not corrupt, and he doesn’t cheat. That simple.

“The country is in a very bad situation, economically, financially... too much unemployment… the rupee has devalued a lot,” he added.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Towards the end of the conversation, Zakir told the journalist that he expected to deliver his next sermon in Bangladesh soon.

It remains unclear whether the preacher knew he was speaking to a journalist, as the circumstances surrounding their meeting were never made clear.

Permanent resident

Zakir was granted Malaysian permanent resident status in 2015.

His relocation to Malaysia came amid mounting scrutiny in India over his sermons and the activities of his Islamic Research Foundation, which Indian authorities declared unlawful in 2016.

Indian authorities subsequently pursued money laundering allegations against him and sought his extradition. 

In 2018, then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad defended Malaysia’s decision not to send Zakir back, saying the country had the right to refuse extradition. The government’s position was that he could remain as long as he did not cause problems in Malaysia.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad

Last month, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he had discussed Zakir’s extradition with representatives from India.

According to Indian news site New Delhi Television, Anwar confirmed that engagements on the matter had been held in “private discussions” believed to have taken place in New Delhi. 

“We thought we should keep it very private to protect the interests of both nations. But we, of course, put it on the priority list for building trust and relationship between our countries,” he was quoted as saying.

He added that any potential action on India’s extradition request must be done “very cautiously”, in a way that respects the rule of law and the importance of bilateral relations. - Mkini

NSC: Civil servants who defy Waze ban could face disciplinary action

 

Civil servants who defy the immediate ban on navigation app Waze could face disciplinary action, National Security Council (NSC) director-general Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin said.

He said department heads would oversee compliance with the directive, issued through a circular by Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

“The directive takes effect immediately. Its implementation will generally be left to individual department heads.

“Any breach of a directive issued by the chief secretary carries disciplinary implications,” he told a briefing on national security issues today.

Nushirwan (above) therefore urged civil servants to stop using Waze immediately to prevent external parties from exploiting their movement data.

He said the government had adopted a phased approach, prioritising public education while balancing national data security concerns with individual freedoms.

Rather than imposing an outright ban on the public, the government wanted Malaysians to understand the security risks and make informed choices.

“We must always balance security concerns with human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of choice.

“Under this approach, we leave it to Malaysians to make their own decisions,” he said.

Periodic assessment

Nushirwan said the government would periodically assess the effectiveness of the approach before deciding whether further measures were necessary.

He cautioned that an immediate nationwide ban on Waze could send a negative signal to application developers and the broader information and communications technology sector.

Meanwhile, Nushirwan also encouraged Malaysians to uninstall Waze and switch to local alternatives such as TuJu, developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM).

Yesterday, the government announced a ban on Waze use by all civil servants, citing concerns over the potential misuse of government information and users' personal data by the Israeli regime.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the decision took into account Waze Mobile Ltd's status as a user data controller incorporated and operating under Israeli law.

He also urged Malaysians to reduce their reliance on the app to strengthen personal data protection.

- Bernama

Women shoulder six hours of unpaid care work daily, says deputy minister

 

PARLIAMENT | Malaysian women spend more than six hours a day on unpaid domestic and care work, shouldering a disproportionate burden that continues to keep many out of the workforce.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Lim Hui Ying said the work, largely involving childcare, elderly care and household responsibilities, has an estimated economic value of RM379 billion.

Citing Statistics Department (DOSM) findings, Lim (above) said women spend an average of six hours and seven minutes daily on such activities, compared with about four hours and 20 minutes for men.

This accounts for 25.5 percent of women's daily time, against 18.1 percent for men.

"Findings from DOSM's study among women aged 25 to 59 who are outside the labour force show that caregiving responsibilities are the main factor influencing their decision," she told the Dewan Rakyat during Minister's Question Time today, in response to Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah), who asked how many women aged 25 to 59 remained outside the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities.

The RM379 billion estimate, based on a 2024 study by the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia, represents the potential market value of unpaid domestic and care work performed within households.

According to DOSM's labour force statistics released on Oct 9, about 7.11 million Malaysians were outside the labour force in August 2026, with housework and family responsibilities accounting for 43.6 percent of the total.

Women made up 69.5 percent, or 4.89 million, of those outside the labour force in 2025.

Lim further said the government is developing the care economy under the Malaysia Care Strategic Framework and Action Plan 2026–2030, launched last November.

"The government does not view the establishment of a care economy as a project or programme with a specific beginning and end, but as a transformation of the national care ecosystem to be implemented progressively from 2026 to 2030 and beyond," she said.

Supporting caregivers or creating jobs?

In a supplementary question, Mas Ermieyati challenged the government's policy direction, asking whether it was prioritising support for unpaid caregivers or developing an industry that employs professional care workers.

"Are we developing an economy that supports caregivers, or are we merely developing an industry that employs care workers?" she asked.

Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin

Citing the government's target of producing 50,000 skilled care workers by 2030, she argued that the two objectives should be evaluated separately.

Lim replied that the government's approach covered both care services and employment opportunities.

"We are now entering an era in which caregiving is increasingly essential.

"This is not solely about providing care services. We are also taking seriously the need to establish caregiving as a source of employment, business and entrepreneurial opportunities for everyone," she said.

Responding separately to Vivian Wong Shir Yee (Harapan-Sandakan), Lim outlined initiatives to help women return to employment, including affordable childcare, skills training and recognition of caregiving qualifications.

Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee

These include an RM180 monthly childcare subsidy for eligible children and RM3,000 in tax relief for childcare expenses involving children up to 12 years old.

Under Budget 2027, tax relief will also be expanded to cover general care expenses for parents and grandparents, not just healthcare costs.

Lim said approximately RM40 million had been allocated through the Human Resources Development Corporation (HRD Corp) to train 8,000 care workers, while another 3,000 caregivers would be trained to support persons with disabilities. - Mkini