KUALA LUMPUR: Laughter, ­traditional Chinese music and the aroma of freshly steamed ­dumplings filled the Chinese Embassy here as it opened its doors for a Spring Festival open day celebrating culture, exchange and friendship. One of the most popular attractions was the hanfu experience, where students queued to try on traditional Chinese attire and ­capture the moment on their phones. Cultural crafts: Syarafana Elissa Sabirin (left) and Nor Amalia Saupi from Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia admiring wind chimes they made during the open day. “The Spring Festival symbolises reunion, joy and renewal,” he said, adding that it is not only the most important traditional ­festival in Chinese culture but also an increasingly global celebration. Striking a personal note, Ouyang said the upcoming Year of the Horse would be his sixth Spring Festival in Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR: Actress Nadia Kesuma (pic), who was reported missing, is said to have left the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan. He said this finding is based on latest immigration records, which showed that she had left the premises. The minister said he spoke with the Malaysian consulate in Jeddah and was informed that a missing persons report could only be lodged there once 24 hours have lapsed. The actress, whose real name is Nadia Kasumawati Abdul Karim, was reported missing after she could not be traced while transiting at King Abdulaziz Inter­national Airport during her flight from Kuala Lumpur to London on Jan 15. On another matter, Mohamad said Malaysia is not a direct trading partner with Iran and conducts any trade through a third party.

WHAT does a paku (nail) have to do with the political fortunes of Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh? Earlier this week, I had coffee in Kuala Lumpur with Ilham Centre executive director Hisomuddin Bakar. We discussed the shifting political landscape, touching on Dr Akmal, Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ), and former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam, as well as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s investigation into a former minister and the 2025 Sabah elections.

PETALING JAYA: Police have arrested a 38-year-old local man here after a video of him physically abusing children went viral on social media. Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Shamsulmuddin Mamat confirmed that a police report was lodged on Saturday (Jan 17) at around 1.21pm regarding the incident. “Investigation found that the incident happened at a house in Petaling Jaya, where the suspect in this case was the children’s own uncle. ACP Shamsulmuddin added that the 35-second video showed the suspect whipping the children with a rotan and throwing a chair at them. A remand application for the suspect will be made at the Petaling Jaya Magistrate's Court today," he said.

PETALING JAYA: Japan’s Yuki Fukushima-Mayu Matsumoto are fast turning into a major threat to women’s doubles shuttlers Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah. 6 pair in the Indian Open semi-finals at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex in New Delhi yesterday. The defeat ended Pearly-Thinaah’s hopes of making it to their first final in the competition. The pair also reached the last four last year but were denied by South Korea’s Kim Hye-jeong-Kong Hee-yong. 6 Wei Chong-Kai Wun have still not found a way to overcome their world No.

The health of Malaysia’s property sector is more than just buildings. Behind every high-rise and residential project, there is a delicate balance between local authorities, private developers and the public. How well these groups work together determines not only the sector’s growth but also whether Malaysians can afford to live in safe, sustainable and well-planned homes. In recent years, policymakers have been pushing for better collaboration as the backbone of Malaysia’s housing industry. The Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) has been at the forefront, trying to have closer engagement with developers to ensure that policies, market realities and public needs are all aligned and met.

JAKARTA (Jan 18): Large debris believed to be from a missing ATR 42-500 aircraft has been discovered on Bulusaraung Hill in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, Sunday morning, near the area where the patrol aircraft was reported to have lost contact with air traffic control. Makassar search and rescue (SAR) operations chief Andi Sultan said the SAR ground team located the debris suspected to be the fuselage and tail sections of the aircraft at 7.49am local time. The Indonesian Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry confirmed that the missing aircraft is its patrol aircraft. The aircraft carrying seven crew and three passengers was reported to have lost contact with air traffic control around noon on Saturday (Jan 17) over Maros District en route from Yogyakarta to Makassar. He added that approximately 500 personnel are currently on standby to assist in the ongoing SAR.

The second half of 2025 (2H25) marks a watershed moment for Malaysia’s property landscape, indicating a shift away from speculative volume toward a disciplined framework centred on capital discipline, asset purpose and structural alignment. This shift, highlighted in Knight Frank Malaysia’s Real Estate Highlights (REH) 2H25 report, marks a clear inflexion point for the nation’s property landscape.

IPOH: Members of the public should use their birthday as a reminder to undergo regular annual health screenings to prevent undetected health complications in the future, says Dr Feisul Idzwan Mustapha. The Perak Health director said many people often delay health check-ups when they are not experiencing any health issues, but seek medical attention later when complications arise. He encouraged those who do not get regular medical check-ups to use their birthday as a reminder to do so. He said dengue is a cyclical disease that can surge if preventive measures, particularly keeping surroundings clean, are neglected. “When surroundings are not properly maintained and breeding sites are allowed to form, a rise in cases is inevitable,” he said.

But for national swimmer Steve Khiew Hoe Yean, who is also a computer science undergraduate, the discipline has shaped the way he approaches his sport – by focusing on fine adjustments rather than drastic overhauls, much like improving a system step by step. That mindset paid off at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Thailand 2025 in December, where Khiew clinched gold medals in the men’s 400m freestyle and 200m freestyle events, a silver in the 4×200m freestyle relay, and a bronze in the 4×100m freestyle relay. “It definitely feels great, especially since I’ve been aiming for this since the Vietnam SEA Games. “The last two SEA Games (Vietnam in 2022 and Cambodia in 2023) didn’t go as planned, but I kept my hopes up and continued training. Reflecting on his journey, Khiew shared that the past few years had been challenging, teaching him patience and resilience.

ALOR GAJAH (Jan 18): The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) has launched a comprehensive investigation, according to strict internal procedures, into Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) personnel associated with a "Yeye" or hedonistic culture. “Mindef does not tolerate any conduct that conflicts with military culture in any of our service branches, regardless of whether the case is isolated,” he emphasised. He added that personnel under investigation are guaranteed the right to defend themselves and establish their innocence before judgement. On Saturday, Army Chief General Datuk Azhan Md Othman said that 15 army officers have been identified as involved in immoral activities linked to the "Yeye" culture, which recently circulated on social media. These army cases come in the wake of a separate investigation into 21 Royal Malaysian Air Force officers linked to similar misconduct.

ACCESS to globally recognised degrees at lower costs is a major draw for international students to Malaysia, say stakeholders. In 2024, about 40% of international students came from China, with numbers rising over 30% annually over the past five years to 65,000. Keeping growth momentumvalue-driven global education strategies must be in place if Malaysia hopes to realise the 8.5% international student growth projection by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). Attracting international students is not about short-term numbers, but also about building a globally competitive institution anchored in the region. Monash University Malaysia president and pro-vice-chancellor Emerita Prof Datuk Dr Adeeba KamarulzamanInternational students create a dynamic and globally relevant learning environment.

Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 35 years in various capacities and roles. He is now group editorial and corporate affairs adviser to the group, after having served as group managing director/chief executive officer. On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.

KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, granted an audience to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Istana Bukit Tunku here. According to a post on Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s Face­book, His Majesty consented to a briefing on current developments on national affairs during the meeting yesterday. His Majesty was also briefed on matters related to administration and the well-being of the people, Bernama reported. Anwar said in a post on his Facebook page that during the meeting with His Majesty, he presented matters related to government administration and ongoing efforts to ensure that the well-being of the people are always maintained. “May this beloved country continue to be blessed with lasting peace, prosperity and well-being,” he added.

KUCHING: Sarawak has fully recovered from floods following the closure of the last temporary evacuation centre (PPS) at the Sebauh Community Hall in Bintulu at 4pm Saturday (Jan 17). In a statement, the Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) said all 24 victims from 15 families housed at the centre were allowed to return to their respective homes after conditions were deemed safe. The closure of the final PPS marks the end of all relief operations activated during the flood disaster in the state, with centres being shut down in stages as water levels receded and weather conditions improved. The Sarawak JPBN said the flood victims at the Sebauh Community Hall, which had been operational since Jan 9, were residents from several areas in Bintulu, including Taman Tedeum, Kampung Hilir Sebauh, Kampung Hulu Sebauh and Kampung Pandan. Flooding in Sarawak began on Dec 31 following continuous heavy rain, which inundated several areas around the state capital.