'Costlier CNY celebration this year due to rising prices’ — Association chief

KUCHING - Expensive imported goods and the wet weather will result in the Chinese community having to spend 20 per cent more for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration.

Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sarawak president Hu Yu Siang, who stated this, said the weak Ringgit and exchange rate have caused the prices of many imported commodities to increase.

Citing mandarin orange, a must-have for the Chinese community when celebrating Chinese New Year, as an example, Hu said the price for the commodity has increased by 30 per cent.

“A box of 40 to 50 mandarin oranges last year was sold for RM35. This year, the price is RM47 on average. That is an increase of 30 per cent,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Huge 7.2 magnitude quake in Celebes Sea felt in Sabah

No tsunami warning from underwater quake, but seismologists warn of possible aftershocks

Construction sector will suffer an additional RM2 billion with implementation of new foreign worker levy

KUALA LUMPUR - The construction sector may have to bear an additional cost of above RM2 billion, annually, following the new ruling that employers will now be responsible to pay the levy of their foreign workers, effective Jan 1, 2017.

Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) President Foo Chek Lee said the impact included the increase in levy to RM1,850 per foreign worker hired from RM1,200 less than a year ago.

Philippine Armed Forces vows to destroy Abu Sayyaf, other terror groups ‘in 6 months’

The Armed Forces of the Philippines is targeting to destroy Abu Sayyaf and other terrorist and lawless groups in six months’ time, defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Monday, January 9.

Aside from Abu Sayyaf, the military is also targeting to defeat the Maute Group, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Ansar Al-Khilafah Philippines.

“For the record, our goal is to defeat the Abu Sayyaf, the Maute etc.,” Lorenzana said in an interview shortly after the joint DND–AFP New Year’s Call 2017 at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. “That was the target given by chief of staff Gen. [Eduardo] Año. Let’s see if we could do that in the next six months. But if not, we can extend it by the end of the year.”

Lajim's party to team up with Gabungan Sabah

KOTA KINABALU - Datuk Lajim Ukin's Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah is teaming up with other local opposition parties within the United Sabah Alliance.

Lajim said on Sunday that his party will join as a "component" of the currently three-party coalition, and not as part of a loose electoral pact.

This adds a fourth member to the coalition, which is currently made up of Parti Cinta Sabah, the State Reform Party and the  Sabah Progressive Party.

With this, the only local Opposition party currently out of the alliance is Parti Warisan Sabah headed by former Umno vice president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.

PTI just out of jail is shot over attack

KOTA KINABALU - Police shot and wounded a habitual criminal after he swung a meat cleaver and a knife at one of them in a parking space at Taman Bukit Setia, Jalan Sepanggar, here, Saturday.

The 35-year-old paperless Filipino, who is responsible for 13 criminal cases in the city and at least one burglary in Keningau between December last year and January, was shot below his armpit and ribs.

The foreigner who was released from prison last October after serving three months for a drug offence, was warded and reported to be in stable condition.

Kuching construction workers unearth Chinese relics

Pottery pieces found at construction site in Kuching believed to be from Qing Dynasty era

KUCHING - To a group of construction workers here, it was just another routine day as they were carrying out work to build a drainage system.

Little did they know that while digging near a police station in Jalan Khoo Yeang here, they would unearth pieces of ancient Chinese pottery.

The workers stumbled upon broken parts of a ceramic plate and a bowl, believed to be about 200 years old, on Friday.

Shapiee Said, 42, said the workers at first thought the ceramic pieces were nothing unusual and continued with their work.

Duterte reiterates desire to finish Daesh-linked group

Interior and Local Government Secretary says local terrorist groups may target popular Jan. 9 religious event

ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines - President Rodrigo Duterte has reiterated his desire to put an end to a Daesh-linked group which continues to pose a serious threat to peace in the country's south.

McDonald reportedly removed halal-only cake notice in Miri outlets

McDonald's Malaysia instructed its outlets in Miri, Sarawak to remove the notice allowing only halal cakes on its premises, claimed a political secretary to Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem.

The aide, Michael Ting, said this followed Miri branches of McDonald's being the only outlets in Sarawak that have followed Peninsular Malaysia in putting up the notice.

"They had received an instruction from their headquarters to take down the notice to complement the tolerant spirit in Sarawak,” he was quoted as saying by Borneo Post.

MH370 search to end in two weeks

The hunt for missing flight MH370 will end in two weeks, Malaysia's transport minister said on Friday, as relatives of passengers demanded authorities push on with the search.

"We're at the final lap within these two weeks," the minister, Liow Tiong Lai told reporters.

"We hope we can find the plane."

Liow did not specify a date but said that a tripartite meeting will be held after a final report is released when the 120,000 square kilometre (46,000 square mile) search ends.

Authorities had previously said the search will end early this year. The last search vessel embarked on its final sweep across the southern Indian Ocean last month.

The Malaysian Airlines jet disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 passengers and crew.

53 of 158 inmates accounted for after Philippine jailbreak

MANILA, Philippines - More than 50 of the 158 inmates who escaped in the biggest jailbreak ever in the Philippines have been caught or killed, officials said Friday, with a manhunt underway for the others.

Of the prisoners who escaped after suspected heavily armed Muslim rebels stormed a jail in the country’s south, 43 have been recaptured and eight were killed.

'Mastermind' of Bangladesh cafe siege killed

DHAKA - An Islamist extremist accused of being one of the masterminds of last year’s deadly siege at a Bangladeshi cafe was killed during a pre-dawn raid Friday in the capital Dhaka, police said.

The bodies of Nurul Islam Marzan and another suspected extremist were found after officers raided a property in Dhaka’s Rayer Bazar neighbourhood, a spokesman for the Dhaka Metropolitan Police told AFP.

No "non-halal cake" ban for Sarawak McDonald's

SIBU - Political secretary to Sarawak chief minister Michael Tiang has urged the McDonald's management not to bring the "non-halal cake" ban to the state.

He said in a statement that the ban issued by McDonald's management in Peninsular Malaysia was not suitable for multicultural and multi-religious Sarawak.

Ministry Sec-gen, his two sons remanded in corruption probe

PUTRAJAYA - Rural and Regional Development Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman and his two sons have been remanded for seven days in a case involving abuse of power, corruption and money laundering.

The 59-year-old secretary-general and his sons, aged 29 and 34, arrived at the magistrate’s court here in separate cars at 9.40am on Thursday.

They were clad in orange coloured t-shirts bearing the words “LOKAP SPRM” and had their faces covered.

Ministry: S'wak employers exempt from new levy law

It is believed that the new rule could not apply in the state due to Sarawak's autonomy in immigration issues, including in the issuance of permits for foreign workers.

Employers in Sarawak are exempted from having to pay the levy for foreign workers under the home ministry’s newly-introduced Employer Mandatory Commitment (EMC), the Borneo Post reported.

10 villages flooded and 7 schools closed in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU - Seven primary schools were closed in Sabah’s northern Pitas district as overnight rains triggered flooding in 10 villages, cutting off main roads.

The affected schools, involving 1,203 pupils and 131 teachers, are SK Pandan Mandamai, SK Sosop, SK Pinggan-Pinggan, SK Mandurian, SK Pinapak, SK Nibang and SK Rokom.

Sabah Civil Defence Department director Col Mulliadi Al-Hamdi Ladin said the situation, however, remained under control.

Court of Appeal reverses High Court decision on transsexual man

PUTRAJAYA - The Court of Appeal has overturned a High Court decision made last July which declared that a person who had gender reassignment surgery is legally a man.

A three-member Court of Appeal panel chaired by Datuk Seri Zakaria Sam allowed the appeal by the National Registration Department director-general after finding that there was merit to it.

Stateless children: A boy's dream comes true

CHANGLUN - Stateless boy Tan Yao Chun’s hope of wearing a crisp white and dark blue school uniform will become a reality when he begins his first day at school next Sunday.

His prayer was answered when Kedah agreed to allow all stateless children aged 7 and above to enrol in school. Tan, who will be 8 this Aug 29, will join Year 2 pupils at SJKC Yit Min here.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah’s political secretary, Datuk Shaiful Hazizy Zainol Abidin, conveyed the good news to Tan and his grandmother, Rose Mary Chin, 77, at their house in Taman Sayang here yesterday.

Ex-Water Dept boss still undecided on high bail appeal

KOTA KINABALU - Lawyer P J Pereira has been unable to act so far on the RM10 million bail imposed on his client, the main accused, in the Sabah water scandal case.

He said Ag Mohd Tahir Ag Mohd Talib, his client, had not decided whether to appeal against the RM10 million bail imposed on him and the RM2 million imposed on his wife.

Both are in jail after failing to post bail in what has come to be known as the Sabah watergate case.

Philippine Coast Guard thwarts Abu Sayyaf attempt to seize container vessel

Philippine Navy forces foiled on Tuesday afternoon an attempt by alleged members of the Abu Sayyaf Group to hijack a container vessel off Sibago Island in Basilan province, the military said Wednesday.

Major Felimon Tan, spokesperson for Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), said that ship's crew vigilance and quick response by naval forces pressured the Abu Sayyaf members to abandon their hijack plot and to flee towards the Moro Gulf.

Elderly man suffers stroke while driving

KOTA KINABALU - A man in his 80s was believed to have suffered a stroke while driving his car along Jalan Lintas near the BSA futsal arena in Kolombong yesterday morning.

In the 10.20 am incident, the elderly man was driving his Mercedes Benz car heading to Kolombong when he reportedly suffered a stroke.

Lintas Fire and Rescue Services Department chief, Laupen Nuar, said a distress call was received at 10.28am and a fire engine was immediately deployed to the location arriving there within minutes.

“Upon our arrival, we found an elderly man in a weakened state sitting in the driver’s seat. With the assistance of the police, we knocked on the car window but no response was forthcoming. We had no choice but to break the window of the car to attend to the man,” Laupen said yesterday.

Duterte killed eight persons in Davao, claims confessed hitman

MANILA – Edgar Matobato, a confessed killer and member of the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS), said he witnessed President Duterte kill eight times, seven at the infamous Ma-a quarry in Davao City, when Mr. Duterte was mayor there.

“In Ma-a perhaps seven times,” Matobato told an Inquirer.net team on Monday in an interview in a safe house, referring to a district in Davao City.

More than 150 prisoners escape in S. Philippines after gunmen storm jail

More than 150 inmates of a southern Philippine jail escaped after suspected Muslim rebels stormed the dilapidated facility in a pre-dawn raid on Wednesday, killing one guard, authorities said.

A two-hour firefight broke out when more than 100 armed men believed to have been led by a local Muslim rebel commander attacked the jail in Kidapawan city at about 1am, jail authorities said.

Massive flooding in northern Sabah

KOTA KINABALU - Several areas in Sabah’s northern Pitas district are flooded due to continuous overnight rain.

As many as 27 families from two villages -- Kg. Bilangau and Kg. Rukum -- have already evacuated the area.

It is unclear how bad the situation is at the moment as authorities, including firemen, are still at the scene.

Cheongsam pageant during CNY Carnival on Jan 26

Organizing chairperson of the Chinese New Year Carnival, Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen (centre) with the organizing team

KOTA KINABALU - A cheongsam pageant will be held at Padang Merdeka on January 26 in conjunction with the Chinese New Year Carnival that is jointly organized by The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) and Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK).

6.5% economic growth for China according to think tank

SHANGHAI - China's economic growth could slow to 6.5% this year from about 6.7% in 2016, a government-run think tank said on Tuesday, while suggesting a one-off devaluation could help stabilise the yuan currency.

In an article in the Shanghai Securities News, the forecasting department at State Information Center (SIC) said momentum from new technology would continue to stimulate economic growth but could not stop the broader slowing trend.

More than 50 killed in Brazil prison riot - Globo

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Drug gangs sparked a prison riot that killed 56 people, with decapitated bodies thrown over prison walls in the bloodiest violence in more than two decades in Brazil's overcrowded penitentiary system, officials said on Monday.

Sergio Fontes, the security chief for Amazonas state, told reporters several decapitated bodies were thrown over the wall of the prison in the Amazon city of Manaus, with most of those killed coming from the Sao Paulo-based First Capital Command (PCC) drug gang.

S'wak consumer group condemns McDonald’s halal cake policy

A consumer group in Sarawak has joined the chorus of voices speaking up against the latest policy by McDonald’s in allowing only certified halal cakes into its outlets, The Borneo Post reported today.

Consumer Voice of Sarawak (Covas) president Michael Tiong said that the fast-food chain should not even think about enforcing such a policy in the state as it was “nonsensical”.

He believed any such rule would cause greater segregation and destroy the multi-cultural and multi-religious environment that the people of Sarawak had been living in all this time.

Turkish, Russian aircraft destroy Islamic State targets in Syria

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish warplanes and artillery have struck Islamic State targets in Syria, killing 22 of the group's militants, while Russian aircraft hit jihadists near the Islamic State-controlled town of al-Bab, Turkey's military said on Monday.

In a round-up of its military operations over the past 24 hours in support of rebels in northern Syria, the army said the Russian aircraft destroyed Islamic State targets in the area of Dayr Kak, 8 km (5 miles) southwest of al-Bab.

Daesh believed to be behind Istanbul nightclub attack

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish media reports say that authorities believe that the Islamic State group is behind the attack on a popular Istanbul nightclub during New Year's celebrations.

Hurriyet and Karar newspaper reports Monday cited unnamed security officials saying that authorities have determined that the gunman who killed 39 people comes from a Central Asian nation and is believed to be either from Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan.