Compiled by GERARD GIMINO, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN

       DESPITE coming in second in Season 8 of the Gegar Vaganza (GV8) singing contest, singer Nikki Palikat (pic) will go ahead with her plans to renovate her parents’ house in Tambunan, Sabah, Utusan Online reported.

       Nikki, 36, expressed her intention before heading onto the stage.

       “Although I came in second, I will still use my winnings of RM50,000 to help my parents.

       “Even before this, I was already determined to renovate the house and make room for them downstairs,” she said.

       GV8 saw Aliff Aziz declared the winner, taking home a cash prize of RM100,000 and a trophy.

       Nikki came in second while Suki Low was third with RM30,000.

       > Cosmetic entrepreneur Datuk Seri Vida, who claimed through a TikTok video that singer Anuar Zain was gay, is facing a public backlash, Harian Metro reported.

       The 15-second video showed Vida answering a user’s request for her to get into a relationship with Anuar.

       A recording of this was uploaded by another social media user who saw the comment section flooded with criticism towards Vida.

       Anuar’s sister Ziana Zain also voiced her displeasure and described the act as “extremely rude”.

       Many Internet users urged Anuar to take legal action against Vida for going overboard.

       Currently, the post has garnered more than 300,000 views on TikTok.

       > Actor and comedian Zizan Razak has bought a four-wheel-drive to help flood victims in the future, Kosmo! reported.

       Zizan said he was very troubled by the recent floods in the Klang Valley and the fact his busy schedule did not allow him to actively help the victims.

       “I was very worried during the floods as it happened during a shooting session.

       “This caused me to feel uneasy as I was unable to lend a hand to the needy.

       “Besides, I have wanted to own a 4WD, now I can use it to help flood victims in the future,” he added.

       Zizan said he preferred to do noble deeds in a quiet manner.

       “If I do have this opportunity to help, I will gladly do so, but I won’t tell anyone about it.

       “This is to prevent people from saying that I want to show off,” he said.

       Previously, Zizan uploaded a video showing his new 4WD on social media.

       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.