Nation

Open burning flares across states

JOHOR BARU: There are at least seven major open burning cases nationwide, with at least five of them in the state, says the Fire and Rescue Department.

Nation

Long wait for a lifeline

PETALING JAYA: Kevin Hng is a retired accounts clerk but for the last few years, his retirement has been all about waiting for a call that has yet to come.

Short Position

Credibility is Malaysia’s 2026 test

The ringgit has strengthened about 17% since early 2024, foreign investors poured US$6.5bil into local currency bonds in 2025, and the benchmark equity index is up 12% year-on-year, hitting levels last seen in 2018.

Squash

Path clear for Sivasangari to reach quarters in Chicago

PETALING JAYA: The road is clear for national squash player S. Sivasangari (pic) to reach the quarter-finals of the Windy City Open after pulling off a superb opening round victory in Chicago.

Motorsport

Keep the motor running

PETALING JAYA: Former MotoGP rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah and Qabil Irfan Azlan won the top honours at the 2025 Aeon Credit Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) Awards Night in Bukit Kiara on Thursday.

Nation

Finding joy in simpler celebrations

PETALING JAYA: As rising costs reshape festive habits, some celebrants are placing greater emphasis on quality food and family time rather than lavish decorations.

Sports Box

Fast and furious action in January – and the whole year

JANUARY came and went in a flash – not quite as fast as Jamaican Usain Bolt but close enough to make you realise you hardly had time to blink.

Nation

RM200mil in drugs seized

KUALA LUMPUR: A series of anti-narcotics operations by Bukit Aman have led to seizures of drugs worth about RM200mil.

Nation

Toll discounts, price caps for CNY

PUTRAJAYA: The Cabinet has agreed to provide highway toll discounts and implement price controls on selected food items in conjunction with the Chinese New Year period, government spokesperson Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said.

Nation

Online joke ends in homework avalanche for six-year-old

A PLAYFUL joke about being bored during the school holidays unexpectedly escalated for a six-year-old girl in China, who ended up receiving many exercise books from online strangers.

Star Biz7

Big Tech’s mammoth AI spend

Four of the biggest US technology companies together have forecast capital expenditures that will reach about US$650bil in 2026 – a mind-boggling tide of cash earmarked for new data centres and the long list of equipment needed to make them tick, including artificial intelligence (AI) chips, networking cables and backup generators.

Short Position

PNB sticks to value in IJM takeover

The proposed takeover of IJM Corp Bhd by Sunway Bhd has stirred one of the most talked-about corporate debates in the Malaysian market this year.

Football

Trying to stay paw-sitive

PETALING JAYA: Kuching City slipped up once against Brunei in the local football scene last year. And that painful defeat will be a reminder as they get ready to face the club from Borneo in the Malaysia Cup quarter-finals first-leg match at the Bandar Seri Begawan Stadium today.

Star Biz7

Indonesian hiccup or structural concern?

Despite the recent sharp decline, the outlook for Indonesian equities still leans towards recovery rather than long-term damage, with policy support, earnings growth and structural reforms expected to reassert themselves once near-term volatility fades.

Diving

Russian coaching power to fuel Malaysia’s Olympic diving revival

PETALING JAYA: Russian coaches are set to bolster Malaysia's diving team, sparking hopes of ending a 10-year Olympic medal drought.

Nation

Proposal offers a ray of hope

PETALING JAYA: Cancer survivor Cheryl Eng, 57, has spent the past few years calculating the cost of illness and ageing – and coming up short.

Nation

HRD Corp suspends three officials

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Resource Development Corp (HRD Corp) has suspended three of its top management following adverse reports from three ­bodies.

Nation

India PM’s visit to further boost bilateral relations

KUALA LUMPUR: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (pic) will arrive here today on an official visit at the invitation of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Nation

AKPS chief ready for tough challenges in reforming border security

PETALING JAYA: Tasked with cleaning up Malaysia's porous entry points and years of entrenched corruption, Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) director-general Datuk Seri Comm Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain is under no illusion about the enormous job he has inherited.

Insight

Stepping out of shadow AI

You may have seen the viral video of a professor screaming at his students at the top of his lungs. "Do you think I can't tell that you're all using ChatGPT?" he yells, throwing their assignment papers into the air in rage. "How immature," we judge silently.