Compiled by OON JUN-YANG, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
UNHAPPY over his wages, a renovator in Tawau, Sabah, allegedly vandalised his employer’s home by smashing floor tiles, walls and a washbasin, reported China Press.
The incident occurred in December at a house in Kampung Kau Sing, Tawau, where a man in his 40s was hired to install lights.
However, the homeowner returned to find his floor tiles, bathroom tiles, walls, washbasin and toilet doors damaged.
He estimated the loss at RM1,500 and made a police report over the matter.
Police arrested the suspect, a foreign national, to assist with the investigation.
“In view of this, police are investigating the case under Section 427 of the Penal Code for committing mischief that causes loss or damage and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for illegal entry,” Tawau OCPD Asst Comm Jasmin Hussin said.
Initial investigations revealed that the suspect had committed the act because he was dissatisfied with his salary.
> A zoo in China’s Guizhou province, once dubbed “the most rundown zoo in history”, welcomed its first visit from a tour group earlier this month, reported China Press.
The zoo, which houses more than 20 species of protected animals, including leopards, lions and tigers, had been kept alive for a decade by retired school principal Feng Yuanyong.
Feng, who is in his 70s, took over as the caretaker of the zoo in 2016.
He used his own retirement pension to subsidise animal feed and grew vegetables in the zoo to feed herbivores.
Located in a remote area in Kaili city, there was poor access to the zoo. Feng built the first pavement into the facility himself.
After a decade of perseverance, the zoo saw unexpected success in 2025 after videos of animals that were well-cared for went viral online despite the zoo’s simple facilities.
Visitor numbers surged in the second half of 2025, peaking at around 1,000 a day on weekends.
Seeing its success, the local culture and tourism authorities helped improve facilities in the zoo and built two main access roads into the place.
On Jan 3, the zoo welcomed its first tour group since opening, made up of 80 visitors, marking an end to years of obscurity.
Feng thanked the public for their support and donations, saying that the zoo can now sustain its operations via ticket sales.
“I am no longer struggling. Please do not send me any more money,” he said.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
