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thestar.com.my Paid content

Categories: News

Get the latest Malaysia news stories and opinions with focus on National, Regional, Sarawak and World News, as well as reports from Parliament and Court.

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Updated: 2026-09-21 00:19 Language: English (default) Access: Normal

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Editorial Review

Website Review

What is The Star?

The Star is an English-language Malaysian news website published by Star Media Group. Its coverage centres on national affairs, with additional sections for regional news, Sarawak, and world news, plus reporting from Parliament and the courts.

What it covers

  • National and political news: Malaysian government, policy and parliamentary reporting.
  • Regional and Sarawak news: stories relevant to specific states and to East Malaysia.
  • World news: international events summarised for a Malaysian readership.
  • Opinion and commentary: columns and views alongside straight news.
  • Courts and Parliament: dedicated reporting on legal and legislative proceedings.

Who it suits

Readers who want a daily overview of Malaysian current affairs in English, including expatriates, researchers, business readers tracking policy, and Malaysians abroad following domestic news. The mix of hard news and opinion supports both quick scanning and deeper reading.

Practical notes

Some content sits behind a subscription, and the site lists package and pricing pages, so full access may require payment after any free allowance. The Star is one of several major Malaysian outlets; readers wanting broader perspective often pair it with Malaysiakini or international sources such as BBC News. Its strength is breadth of national coverage rather than specialist depth in any single field.

What types of news does The Star cover?

The Star is a Malaysian English-language news outlet covering national, regional and world news, with additional reporting from Parliament and the courts.

Its coverage typically includes:

  • National news – Malaysian politics, government policy, public affairs and current events.
  • Regional news – developments across Southeast Asia and neighbouring countries.
  • World news – international events and global affairs.
  • Sarawak and East Malaysia – dedicated reporting on Borneo states, which distinguishes it from outlets focused mainly on Peninsular Malaysia.
  • Parliament and court reports – legislative debates, hearings and legal proceedings.
  • Opinion and commentary – columns and analysis alongside straight news.
  • Business, sport and lifestyle – standard sections found in a general-interest daily.

This mix suits readers who want a broad national picture plus international context in one place. The legal and parliamentary reporting may appeal to professionals tracking policy or litigation, while regional coverage is useful for anyone following Southeast Asian affairs. Because it is a general news site rather than a specialist publication, depth in niche subjects such as science or technology is typically lighter than in dedicated outlets.

Subscription options are available, though pricing details are not specified here.

How can I subscribe to The Star?

Subscription information for The Star is available directly on its website. The publication lists a dedicated subscriptions page and a package-and-pricing page, which are the appropriate starting points for anyone considering paid access.

Typical steps

  1. Open The Star's website and locate the subscription section, usually linked from the top navigation or footer.
  2. Review the available packages on the pricing page, since options may differ by term length or access level.
  3. Select a package and follow the on-screen prompts to create or sign in to an account.
  4. Complete payment through the provided checkout process.

What to consider

  • Content focus: The Star covers Malaysian national news alongside regional, Sarawak and world reporting, plus Parliament and court coverage. Readers seeking that mix are the natural audience.
  • Access model: Some articles may be free while others sit behind a subscription; the pricing page should clarify which.
  • Trade-offs: A subscription typically removes limits on premium reporting, but commitment length and renewal terms matter. Casual readers satisfied with free headlines may not need it.

Exact prices, package names and payment methods are not specified here, so check the subscription and pricing pages for current details before committing.

What are the subscription plans and pricing for The Star?

The Star's own site indicates subscription options exist, with pages labelled "Subscriptions" and "Package & Pricing" at The Star. However, the supplied information does not include actual plan names, tiers, or prices, so no specific figures can be given here.

What can be said

  • The Star is a Malaysian English-language news outlet covering national, regional, Sarawak and world news, plus Parliament and court reporting.
  • Some form of paid access or membership is offered, since subscription and pricing pages are present.
  • Exact rates, billing periods and included benefits are not stated in the available material.

Who it suits

Readers who want Malaysian political, legal and regional coverage in English, including diaspora readers following home news. A subscription is typically most useful for those who read regularly rather than occasionally.

Trade-offs

  • A paid tier may offer fuller access or fewer restrictions, but the extent is unclear from the given information.
  • Free articles may still be available, so casual readers might not need a plan.
  • Prices can change and may vary by promotion or region.

For current tiers and costs, check the subscription and pricing pages directly on The Star.

Does The Star offer a digital-only subscription?

The Star publishes Malaysian news in English, covering national affairs, regional stories, Sarawak, world news, parliament and court reporting. Its site includes subscription and package/pricing pages, which indicates paid access options exist alongside free articles.

On the specific question of a digital-only subscription: the available information lists subscription and pricing links but does not name or describe the individual plans. So a digital-only option may exist, but it cannot be confirmed from this material alone. The absence of a named plan is not proof that no such plan is offered.

For readers, the practical distinction is between full access and limited free reading. A digital-only plan, where offered, typically suits:

  • Readers outside Malaysia who want the news without print delivery
  • People who mainly follow national, regional and court coverage online
  • Households that do not want a physical newspaper

A print-plus-digital bundle, by contrast, is usually aimed at local readers who value the paper edition. To confirm what is actually available, check the subscription and package pages directly, since plan names, access levels and terms can change.

How does The Star report on Malaysian politics and current events?

The Star is an English-language Malaysian news outlet that covers national, regional and world news, with dedicated reporting from Parliament and the courts. Its political coverage typically focuses on legislative proceedings, government announcements, party developments and policy debates, alongside opinions and analysis.

What readers can expect

  • National politics: Reports on Parliament, ministries, coalition parties and federal-state relations.
  • Regional news: Separate attention to states and regions, including Sarawak, which the site highlights.
  • Courts and legal affairs: Coverage of court proceedings and legal developments.
  • Opinions: Columns and commentary that sit alongside straight news.
  • World news: International stories selected for Malaysian readers.

Audience and trade-offs

The Star is suited to readers who want Malaysian news in English, from breaking updates to parliamentary and court reporting. Its breadth means political stories may appear as short news items rather than long-form investigations, and opinion pieces are clearly separate from reported news. Readers seeking deep policy analysis may need to supplement it with specialist outlets.

Access is generally free, though subscription and pricing pages exist, suggesting some content or features may require a paid plan. The exact boundaries between free and subscriber content are not specified here.

Related questions

More questions →
What is thestar.com.my?
Get the latest Malaysia news stories and opinions with focus on National, Regional, Sarawak and World News, as well as reports from Parliament and Court.
Does thestar.com.my offer paid content?
Paid content or plans are available. Check the website for current prices and included features.
What languages does thestar.com.my support?
Primary language: English.
How can I visit thestar.com.my?
Use the Visit website link to open the website in a new tab.
What are some alternatives to thestar.com.my?
Related websites include zerohedge.com, zdnet.com, zarm.uni-bremen.de, yvfd8.org, ypct.com.au, yourvalley.net. Compare their features and pricing for your needs.

Website Overview

An established domain and managed infrastructure suggest continuity of operations and may support dependable delivery, although neither guarantees service quality. Page metadata, canonical configuration and social previews work together to provide more consistent search and sharing presentation.

Domain and Registration

Registered in 1996, this domain has about 30 years of history. That suggests continuity, although ownership and purpose may have changed. The domain uses the common .my extension, which is not an independent safety signal.

DNS and Email

The lowest TTL is 60 seconds, supporting rapid record changes at the cost of more frequent lookups. Nameservers are provided by Amazon Route 53, indicating managed DNS hosting. MX records point to the Google Workspace email service. No CNAME was found; the observed records resolve directly to addresses. SPF and DMARC are configured. DKIM status is unknown.

TLS and Certificates

The certificate uses an RSA 2048-bit public key, offering broad client compatibility. The server supplied a complete certificate chain. No organization name is present in the certificate; the available fields are consistent with domain validation. The certificate was issued within the Amazon cloud or CDN ecosystem. The certificate is valid for about 197 days in total, with 163 days remaining.

HTTP and Browser Security

The response lacks these common security headers: CSP, X-Content-Type-Options, Permissions-Policy. No X-Powered-By header was found, reducing one common source of backend fingerprinting information. The x-cache, via response header indicates a CDN or caching proxy in the delivery path. CORS permits the specified origin https://dev-smebizhub.starmediagroup.my. No obvious internal addresses or debug information were found in the headers.

Technology Stack Analysis

The public page identifies jQuery, Bootstrap, Google Tag Manager, Amazon CloudFront, nginx without precise versions, leaving fewer clues for version-specific scanning.

Search and Social Sharing

Twitter Card metadata is configured. The title has 59 characters, within a common display range. A meta description is present, with 153 characters. The observed directives allow indexing and link following. No Generator meta tag is publicly exposed.

Hosting and Email

DNSAmazon Route 53
HostingAmazon CloudFront
EmailGoogle Workspace
Location United States flagUnited States 13.227.65.128

User reviews (0)

  • No reviews yet.

Pages, Search and Sharing

Meta descriptionGet the latest Malaysia news stories and opinions with focus on National, Regional, Sarawak and World News, as well as reports from Parliament and Court.
Canonical URLhttps://www.thestar.com.my
LanguageEnglish (default)
Twitter Cardsummary_large_image
All bots 0 allowed · 8 disallowed
  • Disallow*utm_source
  • Disallow/bin/
  • Disallow/temp/
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  • Disallow/dailyalert/
  • Disallow/search?
  • Disallow/news/latest?pgno=*
  • Disallow/subscribe/?tracking_id=*
diffbot 0 allowed · 1 disallowed
  • Disallow/
ahrefsbot/6.1 0 allowed · 1 disallowed
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cutbot/+1.5 0 allowed · 1 disallowed
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Registration details RDAP / WHOIS

RegistrarFirst Online (M) Sdn Bhd
Registered1996-05-28
Expires2027-05-28
Domain statusok https://icann.org/epp#ok
Nameserversns-1282.awsdns-32.org、ns-1635.awsdns-12.co.uk、ns-415.awsdns-51.com、ns-525.awsdns-01.net
DNSSECunsigned

DNS records

TypeNameValueTTLPriority
Awww.thestar.com.my13.227.65.12860—
Awww.thestar.com.my13.227.65.12960—
Awww.thestar.com.my13.227.65.7160—
Awww.thestar.com.my13.227.65.8060—
MXthestar.com.mysmtp.google.com30010
NSthestar.com.myns-1282.awsdns-32.org172800—
NSthestar.com.myns-1635.awsdns-12.co.uk172800—
NSthestar.com.myns-415.awsdns-51.com172800—
NSthestar.com.myns-525.awsdns-01.net172800—
TXTthestar.com.myMS=E8FDBF5385F8B3B29DC273378C47031854BA4F38300—
TXTthestar.com.mygoogle-site-verification=-HcGVJdNjnmfxHLdzl7gHuXdekQYGUraCxPDKueFNm4300—
TXTthestar.com.mygoogle-site-verification=K21L1_MQC5w-itAoK_iuvvIVoOfxT4YkdOhexgloBXY300—
TXTthestar.com.myv=spf1 include:eh1kl06qgw.powerspf.com include:mailgun.org ip4:88.99.80.190 ip4:52.15.139.151 ~all300—
DMARC_dmarc.thestar.com.myv=DMARC1; p=none; sp=quarantine; rua=mailto:[email protected],mailto:[email protected],mailto:[email protected];ruf=mailto:[email protected];fo=1;60—

TLS and certificates

AssessmentNormal configuration
Supported protocolsTLSv1.2、TLSv1.3
Negotiated protocolTLSv1.3
Certificate subject*.thestar.com.my
IssuerAmazon
Valid until2027-03-03T23:59 · Remaining when checked: 163 days
Verification detailsCertificate trust: Passed · Hostname match: Passed

HTTP response headers

HeaderValue
content-typetext/html; charset=UTF-8
cache-controlno-cache, private
servernginx
strict-transport-securitymax-age=31536000; includeSubDomains
x-frame-optionsSAMEORIGIN
referrer-policyno-referrer-when-downgrade
access-control-allow-originhttps://dev-smebizhub.starmediagroup.my
set-cookieRedacted

Identified technologies

jQueryBootstrapGoogle Tag ManagerAmazon CloudFrontnginx