KINI SNAPSHOT | What’s going on in the news today, with updates at 9am, 2pm, 6pm, and 9pm.

Latest:

Jho Low must be extradited - PKR leader; C4 Center wants reforms from new MACC chief

2pm

Jho Low’s pardon

  • Malaysia must send a diplomatic protest to the United States over attempts by Low Taek Jho to seek a pardon from US President Donald Trump for crimes linked to the 1MDB scandal.

    Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said the government cannot afford to wait until next week to discuss the fugitive financier’s pardon application in the cabinet.

    “In this issue, Malaysia cannot be seen to be slow and calculative. An official protest must be sent through diplomatic channels to the US.

    Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng

    “The country’s stance is clear. Low cannot be pardoned. He must be arrested, extradited, and brought back to face the law in Malaysia,” Lim wrote in a statement today.

    He added that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak should not be granted any pardons after he was convicted for graft in two cases involving 1MDB.

READ MORE: SNAPSHOT | Jho Low seeks Trump pardon; Rafizi to submit additional evidence to MACC

Elephants in Japan

  • The Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment, Science, and Plantation Industries proposed a visit to Japan to check on three Asian elephants transferred from Taiping Zoo and Night Safari to Tennoji Zoo.

    The 12-member committee, chaired by Kuala Terengganu MP Ahmad Amzad Hashim, said it wants to independently evaluate Dara, Amoi, and Kelat, following growing public concern.

    Malaysian elephants in Japan zoo

    “The committee views this matter seriously and believes this step is important to ensure any decisions made afterwards are grounded in accurate information and capable of restoring public confidence,” said the committee today, as reported by Bernama.

    The committee also met with a delegation from the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, led by its deputy secretary-general (Natural Resources) Mas Rizal Hilmi, at Parliament on Monday.

    Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup previously said the elephants’ transfer on March 10 was part of a long-term conservation plan initiated more than a decade ago under an agreement between the zoos.

READ MORE: Amid criticism, Japanese zoo shares M’sian elephants’ latest ‘happy’ photos

Fuel subsidies

  • The government is looking at ways to incentivise transport operators to adopt electric trucks as part of long-term efforts to reduce the country’s diesel subsidy burden, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke.

    “This is something which I think is necessary, not just because we have to achieve our net-zero target by 2050, but also in terms of fuel efficiency and costs to the government.

    “It is better for the government to incentivise operators to operate EV trucks because our diesel subsidy bill is especially high right now,” he said when officiating the Malaysia Commercial Vehicle Expo (MCVE) 2026 in Kuala Lumpur today.

    However, Loke said the high cost of EV trucks remains one of the biggest barriers, and the ministry will present proposals on overcoming this at the EV Task Force meeting next week.

Previously at 9am | K’tan deputy MB against subsidies for megacorps; NRD says no Budi95 disruption