LONDON: Britain's Prince William opened up Wednesday (Feb 18) about his mental health strategies, the heir to the throne revealing he takes "a long time trying to understand my emotions". Joining a panel discussion on the BBC's youth-focused Radio 1 station, William called for "more male role models" to help normalise mental health discussions, noting it was vital to "be kind to yourself". The 43-year-old prince and his wife Catherine have long made mental health support one of their signature causes, with their philanthropic foundation last year launching a new national suicide prevention network. His comments came as the president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists urged the government to address a "silent mental health pandemic" affecting people across England. Last year, in a video released to mark World Mental Health Day, the prince fought back tears as he discussed the impact of suicide with a woman whose husband took his own life.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs a Philippines Consulate rather than an Indian Consulate, says former deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan. "Sabah also does not need to take in Indian workers because it has more than enough foreign workers from Indonesia and the Philippines, who also speak Bahasa Malaysia. "Therefore, we do not support the establishment of an Indian Consulate in Sabah," stressed Kitingan in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement of support for the proposed Indian Consulate, here. In short, while there may be a few who welcome the opening of the Indian consulate, the majority of responses on social media show concern regarding the necessity and priority. Kitingan also proposed that Anwar Ibrahim engage diplomatically with the Philippines President to establish their consulate in Sabah.

SYDNEY: Life savers have released chilling helicopter footage of a 4.5-metre (15-foot) great white shark that was circling two unsuspecting divers in Western Australia. "Unaware of the danger, our crew sounded the siren, alerting the divers who exited the water onto their jet ski and headed to safety," Surf Life Saving Western Australia said in a social media post this week. Western Australia's government says shark encounters are rare but people should take precautions including using a SharkSmart mobile app that gives near real-time alerts of shark activity. There have been more than 1,280 shark incidents around Australia since 1791, of which more than 250 resulted in death, according to a database of the predators' encounters with humans. The most recent fatality was a 12-year-old boy who died after being attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour in January.

KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, King and Queen of Malaysia, today sent their Ramadan greetings to Muslims in the country. In a Facebook post shared on the King’s official page, Their Majesties urged the people to make the most of the blessed month by increasing acts of worship, strengthening unity, and fostering a spirit of mutual assistance. "We pray that Malaysia continues to be blessed and that all its citizens enjoy well-being, peace, and harmony,” Their Majesties said. Muslims in Malaysia will begin fasting on Thursday (Feb 19).- Bernama

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Pakatan Harapan (PH) machinery has been asked to begin early preparations for the next general election (GE). Penang PH Leadership Council chairman Chow Kon Yeow said, with this in mind, the current focus of the coalition is on internal strengthening, including restructuring party machinery, work strategies, and organisational enhancement at all levels. "Time will pass very quickly, so we need to start preparations for the upcoming election. Also present were PKR Wanita chief and Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, State Leadership Council chairman Datuk Mohamad Abdul Hamid, who is also Deputy Chief Minister I, and members of the state party leadership. In a press conference later, he also said the decision on whether the GE and state election would be held simultaneously rests with the central leadership, and Penang PH would abide by any decision made.

IPOH: Residents at a care centre run by the Sri Annapurani Alayam temple in Buntong are appealing to the public and relevant agencies for assistance after their premises were hit by a flash flood last Monday (Feb 16). Temple staff member Gayathri, 35, said the 45 residents, comprising families, children and orphans, are now facing hardship as nearly all their belongings were destroyed by flood waters. "We are now in urgent need of community support to help restore the centre. Many of the residents are children and some are orphans who rely entirely on this care facility." The upper reaches of Sungai Kinta and Sungai Pari experienced heavy rain, recording 83.5mm, causing Sungai Pari to overflow and flood low-lying areas in Manjoi, Buntong, Taman Hock Aun and along Jalan Kuala Kangsar.

People are twice as likely to inherit their lifespan than was previously thought, according to a team of researchers led by scientists at the Weizmann Institute in Israel. The “genetic contribution” to how long a person lives is around half, the team found, following a trawl of health databases in Denmark and Sweden. “For many years, human lifespan was thought to be shaped almost entirely by non-genetic factors, which led to considerable scepticism about the role of genetics in ageing and about the feasibility of identifying genetic determinants of longevity,” said study lead author and Weizmann Institute PhD student Ben Shenhar. Other recent research has pointed to a potential role for taurine, an amino acid, in slowing the ageing process. Still other scientists have pointed to the 200-year lifespan of the bowhead whale – a longevity that has been put down to the Arctic giant having a protein in its cells that protects from carcinogenic mutations.

KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has warned the public that Dataran Merdeka and the surrounding areas are off-limits to petty traders and hawkers. The images sparked criticism among internet users who expressed concerns over cleanliness and the image of central Kuala Lumpur. In a statement on Wednesday (Feb 18), DBKL said personnel were dispatched to the location on Sunday to carry out enforcement actions. "This is to preserve the image, cleanliness and heritage value of the area, which is a source of pride for city residents," it said. DBKL also reminded the public to play a role in keeping the city clean and refrain from buying from illegal traders in the capital.

KUALA LUMPUR: Traffic flow on all major highways nationwide was reported to be smooth as of 10am Wednesday (Feb 18), but the number of vehicles is expected to increase after noon. However, we anticipate a gradual increase in volume after noon or following Zohor prayers,” he said when contacted. The spokesperson added that weather conditions could also impact traffic flow, as heavy rain is forecast in several areas. "Based on Tuesday's (Feb 17) trend, continuous heavy rain from morning until evening contributed to higher traffic volume. Highway users are also encouraged to plan their trips by referring to the Travel Time Advisory (TTA) schedule via the MyPLUS-TTA application.

FRANKFURT, Feb ⁠18 (Reuters) - The CEO ⁠of Infineon Technologiestold daily ‌Handelsblatt that the German semiconductor maker is well-positioned to ​benefit from a ⁠future boom in ⁠the market for microchips ⁠used in ‌humanoid robots. "This could become ⁠a growth market like the ​one ‌today for high-performance semiconductors ⁠in AI ​data centres," Jochen Hanebeck was quoted as ⁠saying on Wednesday. He ​added that Infineon could already produce many microchips for ⁠human-like robots, partly because its business in autonomous driving, and the ​need for ⁠new in-house technology development ​was limited. (Reporting ‌by Myria Mildenberger ​and Ludwig Burger, editing by Thomas Seythal)

LONDON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - British ⁠police are assessing whether Jeffrey Epstein trafficked women through two London airports on private flights ⁠as part of a now nationally-coordinated effort to investigate the late sex offender's ties to ‌Britain. NATIONALLY-COORDINATED EFFORTSTheir assessments, which do not constitute ⁠a ‌full investigation,follow the establishment of a national coordination group to support individual police forces in examining Epstein's ties to Britain or British people. Documents in the Epstein files show multiple references to ⁠Stansted, including one that discussed whether a Russian woman with ​a U.S. visa could switch planes at the airport. Stansted Airport said in a statement that private flights were not managed by the terminal it operates, and ⁠that Border Force was responsible for immigration and customs checks. The Epstein files suggested both had forwarded confidential government ​documents to the late U.S. financier.

Children who had more screen exposure as infants showed faster development in brain areas linked to visual processing and self-control. This allowed them to see how brain networks developed over time rather than relying on a single scan. "Accelerated maturation happens when certain brain networks develop too fast, often in response to adversity or other stimuli," says Dr Huang Pei, the study's first author. "During normal development, brain networks gradually become more specialised over time. However, in children with high screen exposure, the networks controlling vision and cognition specialised faster, before they had developed the efficient connections needed for complex thinking.

SEGAMAT: A local man lost his left leg after fireworks he had set up exploded in front of his house. Segamat OCPD Supt Mohd Jumazanzahir Chek Ismail said the incident occurred at Taman Damai Jaya, Bukit Siput here at about 12.30am on Tuesday (Feb 17). “He was rushed to the red zone of Hospital Segamat to receive treatment. “Medical officers confirmed that he suffered a below-the-knee amputation of his left leg and is currently in stable condition,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 18). Supt Mohd Jumazanzahir advised the public to only use approved fireworks in open areas and to practise safety measures, as misuse can lead to serious injuries as well as legal action.

Restaurant JieAddress: 73-M, Jalan Setia Bakti, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala LumpurTel: 012-325 0885Open Tuesday to Saturday: 6pm to 11pmPerched on the first floor of a quiet row of shop lots in the salubrious Kuala Lumour neighbourhood of Damansara Heights is Restaurant Jie. Wong was inspired to open Jie after dining at famed modern Chinese restaurant Wing in Hong Kong, ranked #3 in the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list. I saw that there was a lot of potential for Chinese cuisine presented in a more plated, more refined approach,” says Wong. The kitchen at Jie is helmed by affable, seasoned chef Lee Kook Siong, who has spent decades honing his skills in Chinese cuisine. At Jie, Wong and Lee work hand-in-hand to reinterpret traditional Chinese cuisine, giving it new shapes and margins while still paying tribute to the roots it sprouted from.

"On the North-South Expressway (PLUS) E1, northbound traffic is moving slowly from Changkat Jering to Taiping Utara and from Taiping Utara to Bukit Merah. Meanwhile, he said on the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), southbound traffic was reported to be slow from Sungai Buloh to Bukit Lanjan. Traffic flow on the Johor Causeway southbound is also slow from the middle of the bridge towards the Woodlands Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Singapore. "On the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link Expressway (LINKEDUA) southbound, traffic is slow from the Tanjung Kupang Toll Plaza to the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ Complex, Johor Bahru,” he said. On the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (E8), eastbound traffic is slow from the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) interchange to the Gombak Toll Plaza, while westbound traffic is slow from Bentong Timur to the Bentong Toll Plaza as well as from the Gombak lay-by to the Gombak Toll Plaza.