SNAPSHOT | MetMalaysia warns of 'Super El Ninõ'; cargo monitoring process at KLIA tightened

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

9pm

Weather

• There is a greater than 90 percent chance that the ongoing El Ninõ phenomenon will strengthen into the “very strong” or “Super El Ninõ” category by the end of the year.

  Bernama quoted Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Hisham Anip saying that the 2026-2027 El Ninõ event could rank among the most extreme weather events ever recorded, potentially matching or exceeding the El Ninõ episodes of 1997-1998 and 2015-2016.

  

  This means hotter and drier conditions, particularly towards the end of the northeast monsoon and during the inter-monsoon period between February and May next year.

  Previously, temperatures reached as high as 40.1°C in Chuping, Perlis, in April 1998; and 39.3°C in Jerantut, Pahang, in April 2016 amid the Super El Ninõ phenomena.

Wildlife smuggling

• The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) said it has tightened cargo monitoring at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, with its K9 Wildlife Detection Unit conducting joint operations with the Border Control and Protection Agency for almost a month since middle of July.

  “The ongoing Cargo Compliance Operation demonstrated the capability of the Perhilitan K9 squad in detecting hidden scents,” Bernama quoted it as saying in a statement.

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  READ MORE: COMMENT | Border integrity crisis: Why does KLIA keep falling short?

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  Malaysia is considered a major transit point for the trafficking of endangered animals to other parts of Asia. Last year, a special report by The New Indian Express named KLIA as one of the top wildlife smuggling hubs into three of India’s major airports.

  Meanwhile, Perhilitan said it has uncovered a wildlife crime case after raiding an exotic food restaurant near Banting, Selangor, on Aug 13, with RM15,000 worth of goods being seized.

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