27 Leong Jun Hao, who is expected to spearhead Malaysia’s singles challenge at the prestigious team event in Denmark, had another disappointing outing after crashing out in the first round of the German Open in Mulheim on Wednesday. 27 Leong Jun Hao, who is expected to spearhead Malaysia's singles challenge at the prestigious team event in Denmark, had another disappointing outing after crashing out in the first round of the German Open in Mulheim on Wednesday. Jun Hao went down 18-21, 21-5, 22-20 to Taiwan's world No. 38 Justin Hoh, Malaysia's second-highest ranked men's singles player, was also sent packing following a defeat to Hong Kong's world No. With Zii Jia still working his way back up the rankings and the supporting cast struggling for consistency, Malaysia's singles department remains a pressing concern.

SUNGAI BULOH: Authorities insist border enforcement will be further strengthened after a senior officer was shot at in Bukit Kayu Hitam. Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) deputy director-general (management) Ismail Mokhtar said the agency would not compromise when it comes to threats against its personnel. Ismail stressed that AKPS, a newly established agency consisting of multiple enforcement bodies at entry points, would not compromise when it comes to threats against its personnel. “There might be a special team to ensure the safety of officers, like other people have. We are looking to intensify our forces, our research teams and the teams under our control,” he said.

- NSTP/MOHD FADLI HAMZAHKUALA LUMPUR: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is developing a dedicated National Food Security Indicator and Index to provide a more holistic, Malaysia-specific assessment of the country's food security status. Wee Jeck Seng (BN–Tanjung Piai) had asked about national strategies to boost domestic food production, reduce reliance on imports of critical raw food commodities, and outline production targets and food security benchmarks. Mohamad said the framework would measure four key dimensions of food security — availability, accessibility, utilisation and stability. Mohamad added that the system would enable rapid and orderly food distribution to safeguard continuity of supply for the people. "This will support increased domestic food production and reduce import dependency, ensuring sustainable national food security," he said.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must undergo a high-level investigation into alle­ga­tions of a “corporate mafia” within the agency to prove that it is “whiter than white”, says Anthony Loke. The Transport Minister said that only such an investigation can clear the name of the MACC and that the “corporate mafia” allegations cannot be dismissed as hearsay or swept under the rug. “They should welcome a high-level investigation to clear the name of the MACC. He reiterated that the current probe by a special committee into the MACC is insufficient, as it is limited to shareholding issues involving its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki. “This is a very serious allegation because our institutions cannot be used as a tool by anyone,” he said.

THE RM22.45bil in tax refunds for overpaid taxes in 2025 was the highest in five years, the Finance Ministry said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday. “All outstanding tax overpayment cases for 2022 and earlier that were eligible for payment were fully settled in 2025. The settlement of these refunds involved 3.7 million cases in 2025, compared with 2.7 million cases in 2024. “Refunds for tax overpayments for 2024 are targeted to be completed before the end of this year. “The government remains committed to ensuring that tax overpayment refunds are fully implemented fairly, transparently, and equitably, taking into account the interests of all taxpayers and strengthening business confidence,” it added.

The three-and-a-half-hour failure, which occurred between 3am and 6.30am yesterday, not only knocked out the immigration system but also affected other agencies, as it was due to a network problem. Stuck in place: Passengers waiting to clear immigration manually following the latest network outage at the BSI in Johor Baru. At press time, no official statement had been issued by the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) regarding the outage. The Star had earlier reported that in January, foreigners were advised to use the new National Integrated Immigration System (NIISe) when clearing immigration at BSI following a system failure involving autogates. AKPS said in a statement then that, besides NIIse, foreigners could also use the manual counters to clear immigration.

PETALING JAYA: Allegations of a “corporate mafia” network linked to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have triggered calls from leaders across the political divide for a probe into the anti-graft agency and its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic) said that the latest “corporate mafia” issue demands serious public attention, as corruption must not be taken lightly. The report later described this situation as a “corporate mafia” network. A Special Investigation Com­mittee led by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Bakar was recently set up to investigate the allegations against Azam. On Feb 24, the MACC also strongly denied allegations of a “corporate mafia”.

Australia’s landmark social media ban for children under 16 officially took effect on Dec 10 last year. "What concerns me most are the unhealthy elements on social media, because we cannot fully control children's activities there. "I think what needs to be improved is ensuring proper age verification for all accounts registered in social media platforms," he added. It was reported that the government was expected to enforce a minimum age limit of 16 for social media use as early as July. The measure will be carried out under Onsa, with ongoing discussions with social media platform providers to determine the most effective approach.

KUALA LUMPUR: Her Majesty, Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia attended a breaking of the fast ceremony with members of the Cabinet and foreign delegates at Istana Negara here on Wednesday (Feb 25). Also present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as well as the two deputy prime ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. Among the Cabinet members present were Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and deputy ministers. Also present were chairman of the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj and acting deputy editor-in-chief of the Economic News Service Harlina Samson. Her Majesty also performed Maghrib prayers with invited guests led by Federal Territories Mufti Ahmad Fauwaz Fadzil at the Istana Negara Main Surau.- Bernama

PETALING JAYA: The big question among Employees Provident Fund (EPF) contributors is whether the 2025 dividends expected to be announced soon will be better than the 6.3% for conventional savings in 2024. For 2025, experts believe EPF could maintain the dividend rate for conventional savings at 6.3% in 2025. For 2024, both the conventional and syariah funds reported dividends of 6.3%, the fund’s strongest performance since 2017. What do you think will be the dividend rate for 2025? What do you think will be EPF's Conventional Savings dividend rate for 2025?

SHAH ALAM: The High Court here has sentenced a businessman to four months’ jail, effective immediately, for causing hurt and making death threats to a senior citizen in a recent road rage incident along Jalan Cheras-Hulu Langat. Justice Datuk Aslam Zainuddin delivered the ruling on Wednesday (Feb 25), setting aside the Kajang Magistrate’s Court’s Feb 10 decision to impose a RM5,500 fine on 52-year-old Saiful Adli Yusof. Aslam said the High Court, under Section 323 of the Criminal Procedure Code, recalled the case, overturned the lower court’s decision, and imposed a custodial sentence in its place. During the proceedings, the 70-year-old victim, Liew Khoon Foo, read his impact statement in Mandarin, describing severe trauma. ALSO READ: Businessman fined RM5,500 for assaulting, threatening senior citizen after accidentSaiful Adli’s lawyer, Muhammad Syakir Haznal, submitted that his client did not immediately lunge to assault the victim.

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 25): PMB Technology Bhd (KL:PMBTECH) expects margins to remain under pressure in the near term after sliding into its first-ever quarterly and full-year net losses, weighed down by tumbling metallic silicon prices and unfavourable foreign exchange movements. For the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (4QFY2025), the metallic silicon manufacturer recorded a net loss of RM18.37 million — its first quarter in the red — a sharp reversal from a net profit of RM45.15 million a year earlier. This was despite revenue surging 61.9% to RM283.1 million from RM174.87 million, its bourse filing showed. No dividend was proposed by PMB Tech for FY2025, citing its ongoing silicon plant expansion. “Against this backdrop, the group expects margin conditions to remain tight in the near term,” the group said.

KANGAR (Feb 25): Perlis state assembly Speaker Rus’sele Eizan has filed an application to strike out an originating summons filed by three former state assemblymen at the Kangar High Court here. Lawyer representing Rus’sele, Wan Rohimi Wan Daud, said the application to strike out was filed on Monday. “The court also fixed April 15 for the defendant’s further reply. On Jan 2, the three former state assemblymen — Mohd Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) and Saad Seman (Chuping) — filed an originating summons against Rus’sele over his declaration of casual vacancies in the seats they formerly represented. On Dec 25 last year, Rus’sele announced that casual vacancies had occurred in the Chuping, Bintong and Guar Sanji seats after the membership of the three PAS assemblymen for those constituencies ceased with immediate effect in accordance with Clause (1)(a)(ii) of Article 50A of the Perlis State Constitution.

KOTA KINABALU: Flooding in Sabah has shifted towards the south-western districts, affecting areas including Sook, Sipitang, Beaufort, Membakut and Tenom. Road access to many affected areas has been nearly or completely cut off. To date, more than 1,000 people remain at temporary shelters in Pitas, although all are expected to return home soon. Earlier on Wednesday, Sabah Education Department director Datuk Raisin Saidin said 27 schools across six districts remain closed due to flooding. Beaufort recorded the highest number, with 14 schools affected.

BUKIT KAYU HITAM: Security at the Bukit Kayu Hitam border checkpoint cannot be taken lightly following a shooting involving unknown assailants on Wednesday, says the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS). “One of the issues here is that AKPS officers are not supplied with firearms. He was speaking after meeting Bukit Kayu Hitam AKPS commander Senior Asst Comm Mohd Nasaruddin M Nasir, who narrowly escaped being shot by two men on a motorcycle near Masjid Al-Muhajirin early Wednesday. ALSO READ: Border agency to intensify security after Bukit Kayu Hitam shootingShuhaily also held a closed-door meeting with all AKPS personnel in Bukit Kayu Hitam following the first such incident involving the enforcement agency. He was not injured and attempted to chase the suspects, who fled towards the Bukit Kayu Hitam Industrial Area.