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Borneo Post
4 days ago
- Borneo Post
Kluang man nabbed for lewd act in public caught on camera
Photo for illustration purposes only. — Photo by Kindel Media/Pexels KLUANG (July 18): A man has been arrested for behaving indecently in public here last Wednesday, after a video of the incident went viral. Kluang district police chief ACP Bahrin Mohd Noh said that upon receiving a report, police launched an investigation and found that the incident took place in front of a supermarket on Jalan Batu 4 at 4.16pm. He said the 55-year-old man was arrested by the roadside at Jalan Besar Mersing at around 5pm yesterday. Checks revealed that the suspect had two prior criminal records, but his urine test came back negative for drugs. 'The case is being investigated under Section 377D of the Penal Code, which carries a sentence of up to two years' imprisonment upon conviction,' Bahrin said in a statement today. Earlier, a 12-second video went viral on social media showing a man performing an indecent act while holding a mobile phone by the roadside. — Bernama Bahrin Mohd Noh Kluang police lead
Borneo Post
15-07-2025
- Borneo Post
Police arrest man in Bau village for drug possession, abuse
Photo for illustration purposes only. — Photo by Kindel Media/Pexels KUCHING (July 15): A 29-year-old man was arrested for alleged drug possession and abuse during an Ops Tapis raid in Kampung Stenggang, Bau yesterday morning. Bau police chief DSP Dr Daram Ruer said the suspect, who is unemployed, was apprehended at around 11.30am by Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (NCID) personnel. He said the suspect attempted to flee but was successfully detained. 'The suspect was arrested for possessing 10 transparent plastic packets, each containing a white crystalline substance believed to be syabu, concealed in the front pocket of his jeans. 'The total weight of the seized drugs was 5.40 grammes, with an estimated value of RM540,' Daram said in a statement yesterday, adding a urine test on the suspect returned positive for drugs. A remand application will be submitted to facilitate further investigation, he said. The case is being investigated under Section 39A(1) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 for drug possession, as well as Section 15(1)(a) of the same Act for drug abuse. daram ruer Kampung Stenggang lead ops tapis
IOL News
11-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
South Africa's homebuying activity declines in the second quarter of the year: what you need to know
Four regions experienced positive year-on-year increases in average home prices during the first half of this year with the Eastern Cape leading the pack followed by the North West. Image: Kindel Media/Pexels South Africa's homebuying activity during the second quarter of this year could not match the performance of the first quarter, according to the July 2025 BetterBond Property Brief. This was despite a fairly active month in May, as well as a marginal decline in the prime lending rate. Fortunately, however, the year-on-year(YOY) increase in the number of home loan applications did increase with the bonus of an increase that outpaced the rise in the latest consumer price index (CPI), namely 7.4% (CPI was at merely 2.8% at the end of May). 'The residential property market still has a long way to go before breaching the levels of activity experienced at the beginning of 2021-prior to the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) embarking on a restrictive policy approach that saw the prime rate climb to a 15-year high,' says Bradd Bendall, BetterBond's International head of sales. 'The index for the 12 months ending in May 2025 is now 28% lower than four years ago. Fortunately, a measure of stability has returned to the residential property market, with the latest index reading 4.5% higher than two years ago. "With the CPI remaining below the MPC's target range for inflation, there is an excellent chance for another rate cut at the end of July,' he said. The brief showed that after reaching an all-time high of R1.3 million during the first quarter of this year, the average house price for first-time buyers (FTBs) declined marginally to R1.28 million in the second quarter. It showed that the subdued level of activity in homebuying has manifested itself in YOY declines for all buyers and FTBs alike, both in nominal and real terms. 'During Q2 2025, the average house price for all buyers amounted to R1.58 million, confirming the continued presence of a buyer's market for houses, as do the declines of 6.4% and 8.3%, for real house prices for all buyers and FTBs, respectively, since Q1 2022. "After this date, the relentless rise in interest rates started to bite into the pockets of prospective homeowners. "With the debt service costs as a percentage of household income having moved rapidly from 6.7% in 2021 to 9.1% in 2024, the dampening effect on residential property market activity was no surprise. Fortunately, the latter has started to decline and is now at 8.9%.' For the first half of last year, the brief showed that the average deposits required for home loan approvals reached a peak, but this trend has now been reversed, with a YOY decline of 17% for FTBs and 11% for all buyers having been recorded in the second quarter of this year. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ After moving to over R300 000 since the end of 2023, this value declined to an average of R272 000 during the second quarter. FTBs are said to have benefited even more, with a decline in the average deposit from just below R200 000 a year ago to R165 000 in this period. 'After a gradual increase until Q1 2024, the ratio of bank credit impairments to total bank assets has declined marginally to 2.5%. The deceleration in the growth of credit impairments at South African banks is a welcome development and confirms a high level of effective credit risk management.' The regional composition of home loans granted showed a YOY increase of 13.6%. The reasons for this positive trend were the marginal interest rate relief, with the prime lending rate now at 10.75%, compared to 11.25% at the beginning of this year. Bendall said that although criticism has been levelled against the monetary policy authorities for not lowering interest rates at a faster pace, any lowering immediately raises the affordability of home purchases, especially for FTBs. 'Another reason has been the declining trend of real home prices (after adjustment for inflation). Combined with sustained increases in real incomes of home loan applicants, this has also enhanced the attractiveness of buying a house. Johannesburg's South-Eastern suburbs came in at number one for loans granted,' Bendall said. The Brief showed that over the 12 months from June last year to June this year, only two regions experienced a decline in the number of home loans granted. These were the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga. Two other regions that also underperformed relative to the rest of the regions and the national average increase of almost 14% were the North West and Johannesburg's North-Western suburbs. Greater Pretoria fared exceptionally well, with an increase in the number of home loans granted of 26.7%, possibly because of being home to the largest residential University in the country and also a number of motor vehicle manufacturers, which have spawned a large and diversified component manufacturing supply chain, the brief said. Predictably, it said the Western Cape continues to expand its home loan activity, with YOY growth of 14.7% for loans granted. Bendall said the first four months of the year have revealed striking differences in the values of houses and flats that were built in South Africa's provinces, with a spread of 100 percentage points between the worst and best performers. He said KwaZulu-Natal ruled the roost, with a YOY increase of 53.6%, whilst the Eastern Cape disappointed with a decline of 46.5%. The Western Cape was second best, with an increase of 32%, which he said is not surprising, given the ongoing phenomenon known as semigration, mainly due to superior standards of public service delivery at the provincial and municipal level. Building activity in Gauteng declined by 20% YOY, likely due to long-standing and serious deficiencies with basic service delivery, especially with water, electricity and roads. The continued demise of capital formation, especially in the area of infrastructure, has also contributed to a decline in the Afrimat Construction Index in the first quarter of this year, which reflects the lethargy of building activity, says Dr Roelof Botha, an economist and advisor to the Optimum Investment Group and Currencies Direct. 'Unless interest rates start declining at a faster pace, South Africa will continue to experience sub-optimal economic growth, due to the excessively high cost of credit and capital,' Botha said. Independent Media Property
Borneo Post
16-06-2025
- Borneo Post
Ex-con nabbed in connection with viral assault at Kuching's Jalan Patingan
Photo for illustration purposes only. — Photo by Kindel Media/Pexels KUCHING (June 16): Police arrested a 44-year-old former convict yesterday in connection with the assault of a 57-year-old man by the roadside at Jalan Patingan here. Kuching police chief ACP Alexson Naga Chabu said the suspect was not under the influence of drugs. 'Early investigations revealed that the suspect has confirmed his involvement in the case and that the suspect has one prior criminal record. 'He also tested negative for drugs,' Alexson said in a statement today. He said the case is being investigated under Sections 323 and 506 of the Penal Code for voluntarily causing injury and criminal intimidation respectively. Section 323 provides for a sentence of up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of RM2,000; while Section 506 stipulates a maximum prison sentence of seven years, a fine, or both upon conviction. Alexson called for the public to share information on the incident. 'Those with further details may contact assistant investigating officer Sgt Mancha Gubak on 013-5958260 or reach out to the nearest police station,' he added. A video purportedly showing the suspect beating up the victim went viral after it was uploaded on Facebook yesterday. Alexson Naga Chabu Jalan Patingan lead Mancha Gubak
Scotsman
05-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
The new rule affecting everyone in the UK with a driveway, which could save you £1,100 a year
Drivers across the country could benefit from the change From gorgeous Georgian town houses to jaw-dropping penthouses, converted campervans to bargain boltholes. Take a peek at the finest homes across the UK. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Planning rules have been relaxed to help EV drivers It says the move could help motorists save up to £1,100 a year Grants of up to £350 are also available EV drivers across the UK could benefit from a major change to planning rules | Photo by Kindel Media: Drivers with electric vehicles no longer need to submit a planning application to install an EV charging point. The new rule, which only came into force on May 29, also applies to public charging points and those at workplaces. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Government says that its move to slash paperwork will make it much quicker and cheaper for EV drivers to install a private charging point and power up their cars at home. The change, it claims, will help more people save up to £1,100 a year by switching from a petrol or diesel car to an electric vehicle. Businesses will also be able to install new EV charging points faster and cheaper, thanks to the relaxed planning rules, which it is hoped will dramatically increase the number of sockets available to drivers around the country. There have been reports of planning permission for public charging points taking up to nine months to secure. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad How many EV charging points are there? The Department for Transport says there are now nearly 80,000 public EV charging points available across the UK, with 3,000 added in April this year alone. The new rule comes on top of existing Government support enabling EV drivers, including those renting a property and with on-street parking only, to get up to £350 off the cost of installing a home charging point. How much does an EV cost? The Government says that EVs are getting cheaper all the time, with two in five now priced under £20,000. It says they cost as little as 2p per mile to run and most new EVs have a range of nearly 300 miles - enough to get you from London to Newcastle on a single charge. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: 'We're cutting down on paperwork to power up the EV revolution so that drivers, businesses and those looking to make the switch will have more chargepoints to power from and less red tape to deal with. 'We continue to make the switch to EVs easier, cheaper and better by investing over £2.3 billion to support drivers and back British carmakers through international trade deals – creating jobs, boosting investment and securing our future as part of our Plan for Change.' Lewis Gardiner, operations director at Osprey Charging Network, welcomed the change, saying it which he said would 'save months of delays, reduce costs and accelerate the delivery of the rapid charging hubs drivers need'. Do you have a house hunting story or tips to share? You can now send your stories to us online via YourWorld at It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
