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By DIYANA PFORDTEN & SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI   PETALING JAYA: Malaysian student arrivals to the US have taken a recent hit, with experts attributing the decline to rising costs, political uncertainty, and shifting global preferences. Educational consultants said students are now looking closer to home or to countries offering shorter, cheaper, and more secure options. According to US National Travel and Tourism Office, Malaysians arriving to US with student visa from January to April this year dropped by 7% compared to same period last year. Malaysia's 7% drop is the biggest among Asean countries. This was followed by Thailand with a 3.1% decrease and Indonesia with a 2.3% decline over the same period. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, annual Malaysian student arrivals to the US typically averaged around 8,000.  However, the number has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, as it stood at just 5,223 last year.  When approached for c...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Last year turned out to be the fourth hottest year on record for Malaysia, but no extreme dry conditions are expected this year, says the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). Although Malaysia is currently experiencing more dry days than rainy days due to the South-West Monsoon, heavy rains with thunderstorms and strong winds may still occur occasionally. “The majority of forecasts produced by the latest international weather models do not expect extreme dry weather phenomena to occur throughout this Southwest monsoon season,” said MetMalaysia director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip. Mohd Hisham said current ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation) conditions, which affects global weather patterns, are neutral and are expected to remain so throughout the year.  “Therefore, the country is also expected to experienc...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Last year turned out to be the fourth hottest year on record for Malaysia, but no extreme dry conditions are expected this year, says the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). Although Malaysia is currently experiencing more dry days than rainy days due to the South-West Monsoon, heavy rains with thunderstorms and strong winds may still occur occasionally. “The majority of forecasts produced by the latest international weather models do not expect extreme dry weather phenomena to occur throughout this Southwest monsoon season,” said MetMalaysia director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip. Mohd Hisham said current ENSO (El Nino-Southern Oscillation) conditions, which affects global weather patterns, are neutral and are expected to remain so throughout the year.  “Therefore, the country is also expected to experience the inter-monsoon transition from late September to early November, along with the Nort...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s temperatures have been soaring to new highs over the past decade. According to figures from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), seven of the 10 warmest years over the past four decades were recorded since 2015. MetMalaysia director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said 2016 was the hottest year the department observed, with the county’s average annual temperature at 27.84°C. “For 2024, the country’s average temperature was 27.55°C… This value is the fourth highest over our 43-year observation period (1981-2024),” Mohd Hisham told The Star. He said that Chuping, Perlis, had the highest temperature recorded last year (2024) with the mercury rising to 39.0°C on March 23. The same location recorded 52 consecutive days without rain in 2024, making it the site with the longest dry stretch last year. Mohd Hisham said that the country experienced 45 days under a Level 2 high tempe...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI   PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s temperatures have been soaring to new highs over the past decade. According to figures from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), seven of the 10 warmest years over the past four decades were recorded since 2015 (see graphic). MetMalaysia director-general Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said 2016 was the hottest year the department observed, with the county’s average annual temperature at 27.84°C. “For 2024, the country’s average temperature was 27.55°C… This value is the fourth highest over our 43-year observation period (1981-2024),” Mohd Hisham told The Star. He said that Chuping, Perlis, had the highest temperature recorded last year (2024) with the mercury rising to 39.0°C on March 23. The same location recorded 52 consecutive days without rain in 2024, making it the site with the longest dry stretch last year. Mohd Hisham said that the country experienced 45 days under a ...

By SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI PETALING JAYA: The year 2024 marked Malaysia’s fourth hottest year in over four decades, according to the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). The department said over the 43-year observation period (1981–2024), six of the ten hottest years were recorded since 2015, all occurring within the past decade. Last year’s national average temperature stood at 27.55 degrees Celcius, ranking it fourth behind 2016, 1998, and 2019. Malaysia recorded its highest national average temperature in 2016 at 27.84 degrees Celcius, followed by 1998 (27.70 degrees Celcius) and 2019 (27.63 degrees Celcius). The highest temperature of 2024 was logged in Chuping, Perlis, which saw the mercury climb to 39.0 degrees Celcius on March 23, 2024. The same location endured 52 consecutive days without rain, making it the most prolonged dry stretch recorded nationwide last year. In 2024, for lowland areas, the monthly average temperature...