It’s Wednesday, October 7, and these are the updates for you.
Firstly, Laotian authorities have seized 521 kg of crystal methamphetamine in a major drug operation involving a private jet that had flown from Malaysia.
The drugs were found in 21 suitcases at Luang Prabang International Airport last Thursday.
The Learjet had arrived from Subang.
Thirteen people have been detained, including one Malaysian national.
However, Malaysian police have stressed that the Malaysian suspect was not aboard the flight.
Bukit Aman also confirmed that neither the pilot nor the co-pilot was a Malaysian citizen.
The aircraft had flown from Subang to Luang Prabang, and authorities are now investigating how the Malaysian connection fits into the wider drug operation.
The seizure followed a tip-off received by Lao authorities about a planned cross-border syndicate.
Police found 23 suitcases during the operation, with 21 containing what was believed to be crystal methamphetamine.
Malaysian police are now working with their Laotian counterparts.
They are also looking into whether the case could be connected to other recent aviation-related drug investigations in the region.
For now, police say it is too early to establish any connection.
Secondly, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has acknowledged that Malaysia’s current measures to keep students safe in schools are still not enough.
He told Parliament that 5,681 bullying cases were reported between January and August this year.
The cases include physical, verbal and non-verbal bullying, as well as cyberbullying.
But Anwar warned that the actual figure could be higher because some incidents may go unreported.
This could happen particularly when schools or administrators are worried about damaging their reputation.
The admission comes just days after the death of 16-year-old Irene Sofiya at a school in Yong Peng.
Anwar said the Education Ministry has already introduced measures including hostel monitoring, safety audits, counselling and mental health support.
The government is also planning to allocate another 15 million ringgit next year for CCTV systems in 1,000 schools.
But Anwar himself acknowledged that simply adding more cameras will not solve the problem.
The government is also increasing the number of counselling teachers and trained wardens, while police are being given greater access to schools.
The bigger issue now is whether warning signs are being identified and acted on before incidents become serious.
Anwar also urged schools not to hide bullying cases or other safety concerns, saying the government needs to learn from previous failures.
Thirdly, haze has reached a level serious enough to shut down schools in Batu Pahat.
All schools, kindergartens and childcare centres in Batu Pahat have been ordered to close today.
The district recorded an Air Pollutant Index, or API, reading of 203 at 8pm yesterday.
That places the air quality in the very unhealthy category.
Around 200 schools, kindergartens and nurseries are affected.
Schools have been told to implement home-based learning if instructed by the Education Ministry and Johor education authorities.
The decision comes as haze conditions worsen across Malaysia.
As of yesterday evening, 31 areas nationwide had recorded unhealthy API readings, with Johor among the worst affected.
The haze has been linked to smoke from hotspots in parts of Indonesia.
Dry weather and wind conditions are allowing the smoke to spread across the region.
Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation.
Batu Pahat schools will only reopen based on the latest air-quality readings and official instructions.
Fourthly, police in Kuantan are investigating the death of a 19-year-old female student, with her boyfriend remanded for seven days over the case.
The victim was found unconscious in a rented house in Air Putih early yesterday morning.
Police were called at about 4.32am by the 19-year-old boyfriend himself.
He reported that the couple had been involved in a dispute.
When officers arrived, they found the woman unconscious in a room.
A forensic examination found signs of pressure on her neck.
She was later pronounced dead.
The boyfriend was arrested at the scene and has since been remanded until October 12.
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
Both the victim and the suspect were students at Politeknik Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah.
They were living in the house with two other female students.
Police are recording witness statements and conducting forensic investigations.
A post-mortem will also be carried out to establish the exact cause of death.
Police have urged the public not to speculate or circulate unverified information while the investigation is ongoing.
Fifthly, a proposed amendment to Malaysia’s Sports Development Act would give the Youth and Sports Minister new powers to deregister sports bodies deemed harmful to national security, public order or morality.
The Sports Development Amendment Bill 2026 was tabled in Parliament this week.
Under the proposed provision, the minister could declare a sports body unlawful and cancel its registration through a gazetted order.
The powers would apply if a sports organisation is being used for purposes considered harmful to national security, public order or morality.
The bill would also give enforcement officers and police powers to record statements and seize documents during investigations.
But the proposal has raised concerns over how much power would be concentrated in the minister’s hands.
Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari says there are safeguards.
He said the minister must first consult the Sports Commissioner.
Sports bodies would also be given 30 days to explain themselves.
Any deregistration could then be challenged in court.
Taufiq also stressed that deregistration would be a lengthy process, rather than something that could simply be done at the minister’s discretion.
If the bill becomes law, it would significantly strengthen the government’s ability to act against sports organisations it believes are being used for unlawful or harmful purposes.
Sixthly, DAP lawmaker Teresa Kok is calling for refugee children to be allowed to enrol in government schools.
She told Parliament that an estimated 65% of refugee children registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, are not receiving formal education.
That works out to more than 41,000 children.
Kok said the figure could be even higher when unregistered refugee children are included.
She backed a UNHCR recommendation for refugee children to be allowed to register in government schools with support from UNHCR and education partners.
The proposal would also involve reviewing the rules governing alternative learning centres, which currently provide education for some refugee children outside the national school system.
Kok argued that leaving large numbers of children without formal education risks creating a generation of young people growing up in Malaysia without basic educational opportunities.
The issue comes as Malaysia continues to debate how to balance refugee protection, immigration control and access to public services.
Seventhly, moviegoers in Malaysia will not be seeing Robert Pattinson’s latest film in cinemas after Primetime was banned by the Film Censorship Board.
The psychological thriller was originally scheduled to open on October 1.
Its release was later pushed back to October 8.
But local distributor Antenna Entertainment announced yesterday that the film had been banned by the Film Censorship Board, or LPF, and would not be released in Malaysia.
Golden Screen Cinemas also confirmed that the film had been removed from its schedule.
The film stars Pattinson as a fictionalised version of American television journalist Chris Hansen, who became known for the controversial programme To Catch a Predator.
The programme confronted suspected sexual predators targeting minors.
The film explores the darker side of that world, including the pursuit of sensational television and the consequences of turning investigations into entertainment.
However, neither the distributor nor the Film Censorship Board has publicly stated exactly why the film was banned in Malaysia.
That has left Malaysian viewers speculating about the decision, particularly given the film’s sensitive subject matter.
For now, the only confirmed position is that the LPF has prohibited its local release.
Eighthly, moving to Penang, visitors can now get RM20 off their hotel bill for every night they stay as part of a new tourism campaign.
The Hello Penang campaign runs from today until October 27.
It is targeting 10,000 hotel room bookings.
The campaign covers participating one- to three-star hotels in Penang, with bookings made through Trip.com.
The discount is RM20 per night.
Bookings made during the campaign period can be used for stays until April 30 next year.
The campaign is a collaboration between Tourism Malaysia, the Malaysian Budget and Business Hotel Association, and Trip.com.
Penang was selected as the pilot state.
The initiative could potentially expand to other states, including Perak.
The campaign is aimed particularly at price-sensitive domestic travellers, as Malaysia competes with cheaper holiday destinations in neighbouring countries.
Finally, France has seen its biggest wave of school protests yet, with more than 250,000 students, teachers and parents taking part in demonstrations nationwide.
The protests are being driven by concerns over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, deteriorating school infrastructure and heavy workloads for students.
What began with school blockades and student protests has now grown into a wider movement involving teachers, parents and unions.
Most demonstrations have been peaceful.
However, some cities have seen violent clashes between protesters and police.
Hundreds of people have been injured, including students, school staff and police officers.
Hundreds more have been arrested.
The French government has promised to address problems including school maintenance, staffing and school hours.
But the government is also facing severe financial constraints as it prepares its budget.
That has made the protests more difficult to resolve.
Many of the demands require significant new spending at a time when France is already under pressure to control its public finances.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has acknowledged the seriousness of the protests and promised action on the issues raised by students.
But with demonstrations spreading across the country, the government now faces growing pressure to show that those promises will translate into concrete changes.
And that’s it for today’s catch-up with Newsenz.
Stay informed. Stay ahead.