What were once simple festive adornments have evolved into elaborate thematic displays, turning cultural heritage into social media-worthy spectacles. Cherry blossom trees add a touch of softness while a grand pavilion serves as a stage for festive performances. Wander among the pavilions and you will find a golden horse majestically posed atop a floral platform, ready to stride ahead. Straits Quay Retail Marina’s “Steeds Bring Fortune” display is crowned by a grand 9m-tall golden fortune tree – its branches laden with gold coins and ingots. “We wanted to give traditional Chinese New Year symbolism a resplendent modern twist.

Former national women's singles player Soniia Cheah has been appointed as the Sports Director of the Kuala Lumpur BA (KLBA). NSTP FILE PICKUALA LUMPUR: Former national women's singles player Soniia Cheah has been appointed as the Sports Director of the Kuala Lumpur BA (KLBA). Soniia, 33, is also KLBA's first sporting director, which is a newly created ful-time position. Soniia retired as a player in December, 2022 following an injury, ending a 13-year international career. She has been grooming shuttlers at the Sunheart Badminton Academy with her elder sister Lydia Cheah, who is also a former national singles shuttler.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4): IOI Properties Group Bhd (KL:IOIPG) said it has signed a deal to sell 136 acres of land at its industrial park in Banting, Selangor to a data centre developer for RM740.68 million. The acquisition of the land by Bridge Data Centres Malaysia VII Sdn Bhd (BDC) reflects continued demand for the group’s industrial park offerings, said IOI Properties group CEO Datuk Lee Yeow Seng in a statement on Wednesday. "And by having a complete and ready infrastructure at our IOI Industrial Park @ Banting, the burden of setting up has eased." IOI Industrial Park @ Banting was launched in December 2025 with a gross development value of RM1.8 billion. Besides IOI Industrial Park @ Banting, the group also owns the 250-acre IOI Industrial Park @ Melaka, and the 1,100-acre IOI Industrial Park @ Iskandar Malaysia located within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone.

European and Asian stock markets struggled for direction Wednesday following a tech-fuelled sell-off on Wall Street, while precious metals recovered further. LONDON: European and Asian stock markets struggled for direction Wednesday following a tech-fuelled sell-off on Wall Street, while precious metals recovered further. London's FTSE 100 index rose one per cent, with drugmaker GSK gaining more than three per cent after reporting a sharp rise in annual net profit. "The dust settled on Wednesday after a dramatic session for tech-related stocks amid new AI disruption," said Dan Coatsworth, head of markets at AJ Bell. Wall Street investors were spooked Tuesday by news that AI startup Anthropic - which created the Claude chatbot - had revealed a tool that could be used by firms to carry out legal work.

The woman was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance for treatment. - Courtesy picGEORGE TOWN: A woman who is believed to be in her 60s was rescued after she fell into a 1m-deep drain in a residential area in Tanjung Bungah here this morning. "A team from the Bagan Jermal station arrived at the scene and found a woman who had fallen into a drain that is about 1m deep." "She was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance." The woman is believed to be in her 60s.

DOHA (Feb 4): Malaysia's PETRONAS has signed a deal to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Thailand's PTT for five years, starting in 2028, an executive told Reuters at the LNG2026 conference in Doha, QatarPETRONAS will supply PTT with four or five LNG cargoes a year, added Shamsairi Ibrahim, vice-president of LNG marketing and trading at PETRONAS. This will be the second contract between PETRONAS and PTT. An existing contract between PETRONAS and PTT runs from 2017 to 2032 for 1.2 million metric tons of LNG per year. Read also:PETRONAS to buy natural gas from QatarEnergy for 20 years

Musk, though, known for betting on seemingly far-out theories and getting them to work, may finally be laying the groundwork to make data centres in space a reality. "Compute in space isn’t sci-fi anymore," said David Ariosto, the author and founder of space intelligence firm The Space Agency. Old idea meets new economicsAdvocates argue space-based data centres would be a cheaper alternative to data centres on Earth, thanks to constant solar energy and the ability to dump heat directly into space. Even with Musk's ambitions, data centres in space may not be achievable for another decade, some experts have said. Bombarding chips with radiationAmong the biggest challenges facing space data centres are radiation and cooling.

After such a highly scrutinised and prolonged CEO search, the choice of D’Amaro is both unsurprising and anticlimactic. For the Disney board, D’Amaro was therefore the safe and obvious choice — and in keeping with the Iger mold. But what D’Amaro lacks is sweeping experience across an increasingly complex company that includes a relationship-driven entertainment business. Despite the strength in his own division, D’Amaro inherits a company facing a weak growth forecast and a stock that has well underperformed the market since Iger returned. The company said Iger would step down in March and remain a senior adviser and board member until his retirement at the end of the year.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4): Proton has expanded its electrification strategy by going into the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) segment, positioning the new Proton e.MAS 7 PHEV as a key offering to widen market reach beyond full electric vehicles. Proton chairman Tan Sri Syed Faisal Albar said the company’s move into the PHEV segment reflects its multi-pathway approach to electrification, aimed at addressing practical mobility needs while supporting the country’s transition towards cleaner transportation. “PHEV technology serves as an effective bridge between conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and full battery electric vehicles, particularly as charging infrastructure continues to be rolled out nationwide,” he said at the launching ceremony of Proton e.MAS 7 PHEV here Wednesday. The Proton e.MAS 7 PHEV was launched by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry (Miti) Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani. While no specific sales target has been set for the PHEV model, the model is expected to gain positive market traction, supported by strong demand for its earlier electric vehicle offerings.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4): Singapore-based clean energy technology company Kelle Energy launched mobile electric vehicle (EV) chargers integrated with battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Malaysia on Wednesday, which it claims to be the first in the country. Jason Koh, CEO of Kelle Energy, said the mobile EV chargers are meant to complement the existing EV charging system in Malaysia, while providing flexibility in reaching areas where the infrastructure to build new charging stations is not available. The target to reach 10,000 EV chargers by 2025, according to Low-Carbon Mobility Blueprint 2021-2030, was not achieved last year. Kelle Energy introduced mobile EV chargers integrated with battery energy storage systems in Malaysia. It also signed a MOU with EV Connection Sdn Bhd, an EV charging point operator in Malaysia, to deploy and expand its mobile EV charging solution nationwide.

A media pool report cited Xi as saying China backed Latin American and Caribbean nations in upholding sovereignty, security and development interests, to help defuse a volatile international situation and “escalating unilateral bullying”. China and Uruguay should “work together to advance an equal and orderly multipolar world and an inclusive, universally beneficial economic globalisation,” Xi said ­yesterday. Uruguay would like to increase trade in goods, especially through diversification, and invest more strongly in services and investment, the pool report added. China “is willing to work with Uruguay and other regional countries to deepen and solidify the building of a China-Latin America community with a shared future,” Xi said. It backs Uruguay in taking on the rotating presidency of the Group of 77+, he added, aiming to boost solidarity in the developing Global South.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 4): The Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) will submit an application to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in his capacity as finance minister, regarding the release of procurement funds for the forces' operational expenditure. “When procurement is frozen or temporarily withheld, it will affect operations, whether in terms of development planning or operational activities. However, the immediate impact is on operational expenditure, which supports the routine daily tasks currently being carried out. Malek Razak said the application would be submitted within a week and that the MAF would appeal to the prime minister to at least release operational expenditure so that the force can move forward. Elaborating further, Malek Razak said the operational expenditure involved is estimated at around RM2 billion for the army, with about RM1.5 billion each for the Navy and the Air Force.

(Feb 4): Euro-area inflation sank further below the European Central Bank’s 2% target as officials weigh their next steps on interest rates. Core inflation, excluding volatile food and energy costs, unexpectedly eased to 2.2%, while the closely watched services gauge slowed to 3.2%, Eurostat said Wednesday. After falling short this year and next, inflation is projected to return to the ECB’s goal and policymakers generally consider themselves well placed. While German inflation of 2.1%, just exceeded expectations, France unexpectedly recorded a five-year low of 0.4%. In light of such lingering uncertainty, ECB policymakers called for total flexibility on rates at their December meeting.

The man who went on a violent rampage at a house in Bandar Teknologi Kajang, where he slaughtered a pet chicken, doused two women with petrol and set a car on fire, will be charged with attempted murder tomorrow. —KAJANG: The man who went on a violent rampage at a house in Bandar Teknologi Kajang, where he slaughtered a pet chicken, doused two women with petrol and set a car on fire, will be charged for attempted murder tomorrow. Kajang police chief Assistant Commissioner Naazron Abdul Yusof said the suspect will be brought before the Sessions Court here at 9am. "The suspect will face charges under Section 307 and Section 435 of the Penal Code for attempted murder and mischief by fire," he said when contacted. He then picked up one of her two pet chickens and slaughtered it before pouring petrol on the car and setting it ablaze.

WB Electronics has grown exponentially since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with its drones used extensively on battlefields. WB Electronics calls itself the bloc’s largest UCAV producer. Based in the Warsaw suburb of Ozarow Mazowiecki, WB Electronics has seen its revenues jump to three billion zloty (RM3.3 billion) in 2024 from 343 million zloty in 2021. Wojciechowski owns 45.49% in WB Electronics, deputy CEO and fellow co-founder Adam Bartosiewicz 28.07% while PFR has 26.44%, according to the company’s website. Representatives from WB Electronics and PFR were not immediately available for comment.