Elephant breaks into Malaysian school, causes panic
Kuala Lumpur: An elephant broke into a school in the Malaysian province of Sabah on Thursday, forcing the eviction of teachers and students.
The elephant appeared to be foraging for food at the SMK School in Telupid, a small town in the region, and stomped through several classrooms in the building while people were still inside, as seen in a video published on the Facebook profile of the Sabah Police.
Authorities indicated that this was the second time this year that an elephant entered the educational centre. On Wednesday, 10 elephants demolished a fence to access the premises of the Beluran police station, about 5 km from the school.
A team of veterinarians and forest guards were trying to redirect the animals into the forest and were analyzing ways to keep animals away from residential areas.
Rapid deforestation affecting the ecosystems of Borneo Island is threatening the survival of elephants in the region with an estimated population between 500 and 2,000.
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Bengaluru: Karnataka mulls ban social media for children below 16, says Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government is considering a ban on the use of social media for children below the age of 16, taking inspiration from steps taken by countries such as Australia and Finland, The New Indian Express reported.
Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and IT-BT, Priyank Kharge, informed the Assembly on Friday that the issue is under discussion. Responding to senior BJP leader and MLA S Suresh Kumar, who expressed concern over the abuse of social media, Kharge admitted that it is a serious issue.
Finland has taken action, the UK is considering similar steps, and Australia imposed a ban two months ago. “We too in the state have launched a digital detoxification programme for responsible use of AI and social media. The IT-BT department, in collaboration with Meta, has been running it by involving over three lakh children and one lakh teachers,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
Kharge said that in March 2025, the government launched the ‘Beyond Screens’ programme to help people dealing with digital addiction. The initiative was announced during the GAFX 2025 summit, along with the opening of a ‘Beyond Screens’ digital detox centre and the launch of an official website.
The detox centre serves as a dedicated hub for resources, counselling and intervention programmes for healthier digital habits.
During the Assembly session, Suresh Kumar also referred to the Economic Survey 2025-26, which was presented in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The survey recommended that governments consider age-based restrictions on social media use for children.
