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By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA : Malaysia is named among the fastest-growing tourist destinations worldwide, according to United Nation Tourism.  In its World Tourism Barometer report, international tourist arrivals to Malaysia rose by 9% in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period last year.  This placed Malaysia alongside Indonesia (9%), and ahead of Hong Kong, Mexico and the Netherlands, which each saw 7% growth. Japan and Vietnam led the growth chart with 21% each, followed by Morocco (+19%) and South Korea (+15%). Nearly 690 million tourists travelled internationally in the first half of 2025, marking a 5% increase or 33 million more than in the same period last year.  In terms of regional, South East Asia ranked sixth among global regions for international tourist arrivals in the first half of 2025, recording a 5.5% growth. Northeast Asia led the global tourism rebound with a 20.1% jump in arrivals, followed ...

  By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Malaysian scam victims lost an average of US$1,035 per person last year, the second highest in South East Asia after Singapore, according to a new study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (Gasa). Its State of Scams in South East Asia 2025 report found that Singaporeans recorded the biggest losses, averaging US$2,132 per victim in 2024, followed by Malaysia and Thailand at US$354. Across the region, an estimated US$23.6bil was stolen by scammers, or an average of US$660 lost per adult. “Over one-fifth or 22% of South East Asian adults have had money stolen by scammers in 2024,” Gasa managing director Jorij Abraham said in the report. Malaysia ranked highest in the region in terms of scam prevalence, with 32% of its adults losing money to scams, followed by the Philippines (31%) and Singapore (21%). The study also revealed that Malaysians were most often tricked into transferring funds directly, with 55% ...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA : Singaporean scam victims lost an average of US$2,132 per person last year, the highest in South East Asia, according to a new study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (Gasa). Its State of Scams in South East Asia 2025 report put Malaysia in second place with losses averaging US$1,035 per person, followed by Thailand at US$354. Across the region, an estimated US$23.6bil was stolen by scammers, or an average of US$660 lost per adult. “Over one-fifth or 22% of South East Asian adults have had money stolen by scammers in 2024,” Gasa managing director Jorij Abraham said in the report. Malaysia ranked highest in the region in terms of scam prevalence, with 32% of its adults losing money to scams, followed by the Philippines (31%) and Singapore (21%).   The study also revealed that Malaysians were most often tricked into transferring funds directly, with 55% of victims using bank transfers.  Another 22% pai...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI  PETALING JAYA: Malaysians lost an average of US$1,035 (RM4,967.60) per person to scams last year, the second-highest in Southeast Asia after Singapore, according to a new study by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (Gasa). Its State of Scams in Southeast Asia 2025 report found that Singaporeans recorded the biggest losses, averaging US$2,132 per victim in 2024, followed by Malaysia and Thailand at US$354. Across the region, an estimated US$23.6bil was stolen by scammers, or an average of US$660 lost per adult.   “Over one-fifth or 22% of Southeast Asian adults have had money stolen by scammers in 2024,” Gasa managing director Jorij Abraham said in the report. Malaysia ranked highest in the region in terms of prevalence, with 32% of its adults losing money to scams, followed by the Philippines (31%) and Singapore (21%). The study also revealed that Malaysians were most often tricked into transferring funds directly, w...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI   PETALING JAYA: Kota Marudu in Sabah has become Malaysia’s hottest location with the biggest number of high temperature alerts so far this year. The district located 130km north of the state capital Kota Kinabalu has received nine alerts since January. They comprise eight Level 1 Alerts and one Level 2 Alert, according to figures from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). Limbang in Sarawak received the second highest number of alerts (8) and followed by Machang in Kelantan (6). Six locations each recorded five heat alerts, namely Baling (Kedah), Kampar (Perak), Marudi and Sibu (Sarawak), and Sandakan and Telupid (Sabah). A Level 1 (Yellow) alert is issued when the temperature in a particular location hits between 35 to 37 degrees Celsius for at least three consecutive days. A Level 2 (Orange) alert means a location is in a heatwave with temperatures going above 37 but remaining below 40 degrees Ce...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Kota Marudu recorded the highest number of heat alerts in the country this year, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). The district in Sabah logged a total of nine heat alerts as of Aug 3, followed closely by Limbang in Sarawak (8) and Machang in Kelantan (6). Nationwide, a total of 121 heat alerts were issued so far this year. This marks a dramatic drop from the 1,597 alerts recorded during the same period in 2024. MetMalaysia’s data also showed that Sabah topped the list of states with the highest number of alerts in 2025, recording 35 alerts.  This was followed by Sarawak with 29 alerts and Kedah with 17. Last year, Kedah led the heat alert chart with 472 alerts, followed by Kelantan (274) and Pahang (188). The majority of alerts issued this year were Level 1 at 120 alerts. Level 1 alert indicates a maximum daily temperature between 35°C and 37°C for at least thre...