IPOH, May 8 — A 28-year-old fireman was charged at the Sessions Court here today with seven counts of sexual offences involving a 14-year-old boarding school student in Parit, Perak.
Muhammad Aidilafifi Muhammad claimed trial before judge Jean Sharmila Jesudason, several local news outlets including The Star and the New Straits Times reported.
He is also accused of committing the offences at multiple locations between February and May 1.
The charges are framed under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, punishable with a maximum jail term of up to 20 years and whipping.
Muhammad Aidilafifi is also facing a separate charge for possessing an obscene image of the teenage girl.
The court set bail at RM9,000 for all charges with additional conditions, including monthly police reporting and a prohibition on contacting the victim or witnesses.
PUTRAJAYA, May 8 — Claims for compensation involving an Indian woman tourist who died after falling into a sinkhole at Jalan Masjid India, Kuala Lumpur, will be left to the court to decide, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh.
She said the victim’s family could submit their claim through the courts as Kuala Lumpur had never faced such a case before.
“What I can say here is, firstly, we sympathise with the family over the incident, and I am sure they are relieved now that the death certificate has been issued.
“For compensation claims, I believe they need to settle the matter through court proceedings and for this, their lawyers can file a claim in court and we leave it to the court to decide the amount of compensation required. We have never had a case like this in Kuala Lumpur,” she told reporters here today.
She said discussions had been held with Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud on the matter and it was understood that the victim’s family would first return to India before meeting her.
The media previously reported that the family of the woman tourist, G Vijaya Lakshmi, 48, was seeking appropriate compensation and planning to meet Hannah and Fadlun within two weeks to one month after Vijaya’s death certificate was issued yesterday.
On August 23, 2024, Vijaya fell into a sinkhole that suddenly formed while she was walking along Jalan Masjid India.
Although a large-scale search and rescue operation involving various agencies was carried out, the victim was never found.
On February 27 this year, the victim’s family urged the government to issue a death certificate to enable compensation claims to proceed.
Previously, Vijaya had still been classified as a missing person and for that reason, a death certificate could not be issued. — Bernama
IPOH, May 8 — An elderly man was killed while his wife was injured after they were allegedly assaulted with a hard object during a robbery at a house along Jalan Melayu, Ayer Tawar near Sitiawan, yesterday.
Manjung police chief ACP Hasbullah Abd Rahman said police received a call from a member of the public at about 5.30am informing them of the robbery.
“The elderly couple were attacked by a man, causing both victims to suffer serious injuries after being struck with a hard object.
“The suspect fled after taking two mobile phones and the victims’ wallets. Neighbours who heard the commotion came to assist the victims and took them to Seri Manjung Hospital for treatment,” he said in a statement today.
Hasbullah said the 84-year-old male victim was later pronounced dead while receiving treatment, and a post-mortem examination will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
He said police intelligence and investigations led to the arrest of a 27-year-old male suspect, who has seven previous criminal records, at about 7.45pm yesterday.
He said the suspect has been remanded for seven days, from today, to assist investigations under Sections 302 and 394 of the Penal Code.
“Witnesses or members of the public with any information related to the incident are urged to contact the Manjung district police headquarters operations room at 05-688 6222 or WhatsApp at 017-682 8005 to assist in investigations,” he said. — Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 — The Kuala Lumpur Festival (KL Festival) is now a permanent fixture in the city’s yearly calendar in a bid to transform the city centre into a thriving cultural hub.
Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh, who announced it last night, said that the KL Festival will be held annually starting from May next year, adding that it is also in support of the Visit Malaysia 2027 campaign and to further strengthen its status as a Unesco Creative City.
“For far too long, many people experienced Kuala Lumpur only as a city to work in, drive through, and rush home from. We want to change that.
“We want Kuala Lumpur to be a city people slow down to enjoy. A city that feels alive beyond office hours. A city where public spaces are activated with culture, creativity, and community.
“Because a city should not only feel alive inside shopping malls. Our streets, our heritage buildings, and public spaces must feel alive too,” Yeoh said during the launch.
Returning for its second edition this year, the KL Festival 2026 will run from May 6 to May 31 with over 80 programmes across 26 venues transforming heritage buildings, streets, and public spaces in Downtown KL into a network of cultural experiences.
This includes traditional arts like the wayang kulit reimagined, contemporary dance, immersive installations, outdoor cinema and theatre as well as community programmes.
As part of the Warisan KL national initiative, KL Festival is also focusing on heritage-led urban rejuvenation by encouraging people to rediscover urban spaces while fostering a deeper sense of belonging, collective pride and national identity.
“KL Festival is part of a long-term effort to strengthen Downtown Kuala Lumpur as a place people actively choose to spend time in — where culture, community and commerce come together to bring the city to life.
“It demonstrates how heritage and public spaces can be activated through curated programming, storytelling and partnerships, creating experiences that are meaningful and sustained over time.
“This is something we are building deliberately and systematically – working across the public, private and creative sectors to shape a more vibrant, liveable and culturally confident Kuala Lumpur,” said Think City’s managing director Datuk Hamdan Abdul Majeed.
KL Festival 2026 is organised by Think City along with the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) with support from the Ministry of Finance and Federal Territories Department while Maxis is one of their main sponsors.
The festival, also held in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2026, opened yesterday evening with a gala performance coined as ‘Irama Pusaka – Akar Tradisi, Nadi Baharu’ at the DBKL Auditorium in Jalan Raja Laut.
Guests were treated to an evening musical feast featuring Orkestra Kuala Lumpur alongside leading ensembles including Gangsapura (gamelan), Lee Rubber Chinese Orchestra, EKAM Ensemble, and sape virtuoso Leslie Eli.
Communication Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, and KL Mayor Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud were also present at the KL Festival 2026 opening night.
The evening was also graced by the appearance of several other prominent Malaysians such as former national squash player Datuk Nicol David, singer and musician Loque as well as theatre doyenne Jo Kukathas.
More information on the KL Festival 2026 is available here.
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