3 h. ago Why China may be better placed than US in tussle for rare earths

During his Southeast Asia trip in October, US President Donald Trump sealed deals with Malaysia and Thailand on the same day – both aimed at securing and diversifying America’s supply chains for critical minerals and rare earths. Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to step up cooperation on building and expanding critical minerals supply chains, according to a White House statement. They also agreed to strengthen the security of critical minerals and rare earths supplies in...

Politics

8 h. ago EU hits Musk’s X with US$140 million fine, risking Trump’s ire

The European Union hit Elon Musk’s X with a €120 million (US$140 million) fine on Friday for breaking its digital rules, in a move that risks a fresh clash with US President Donald Trump’s administration. The high-profile probe into the social media platform was seen as a test of the EU’s resolve to police Big Tech. US Vice-President J.D. Vance fired a warning against “attacking” US firms through “censorship” before the penalty was even made public. Imposing the first fine under its powerful...

Events

9 h. ago Hong Kong government hits out at US politicians’ ‘absurd’ resolution on Jimmy Lai

Hong Kong authorities have hit back at US politicians’ “absurd and fact-twisting” allegations over the health of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and their call for his unconditional release from prison. A spokesman for the Hong Kong government described the resolution introduced in the United States House of Representatives as an attempt to pressure the city’s courts over Lai’s ongoing trial, accusing the body of “blatant hypocrisy and double standards” given the country’s own suspected...

Politics

9 h. ago Hong Kong government hits out at US politicians’ ‘absurd’ Jimmy Lai resolution

Hong Kong authorities have hit back at US politicians’ “absurd and fact-twisting” allegations over the health of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and their call for his unconditional release from prison. A spokesman for the Hong Kong government described the resolution introduced in the United States House of Representatives as an attempt to pressure the city’s courts over Lai’s ongoing trial, accusing the body of “blatant hypocrisy and double standards” given the country’s own suspected...

Politics

13 h. ago Singapore organisers in limbo over work visa ban on foreign performers

For about two years, six nights a week, performers from mainland China, Taiwan and Malaysia have entertained hundreds of guests at the HaveFun Live Show in Singapore, but its organisers are now in a fix ahead of coming work permit changes. On Monday, the manpower ministry announced that a scheme allowing foreign performers a work permit of up to six months at public entertainment outlets in Singapore would cease in June after enforcement operations uncovered syndicates abusing the scheme. A...

Politics

15 h. ago Malaysia under pressure to explain police shooting of trio as outcry mounts

Malaysia’s government is under mounting pressure to explain the fatal police shooting of three men in the southern state of Melaka, after an audio recording and forensic claims released by the families appeared to contradict the police account of a violent confrontation with the suspected robbery gang members. In the latest case, the three – Puspanathan Murulitharan, 21; Poonesvaran Tiagarajan, 24; and Logeswaran Georgie, 29 – were killed on November 24 during a police operation in Durian...

Events

35 h. ago Specialized, sophisticated SMEs listed with Beijing Equity Trading Center hit 1,000

Specialized, sophisticated SMEs listed with Beijing Equity Trading Center hit 1,000  Xinhua

Events

38 h. ago ‘No longer contentious’: Malaysia to weigh Singapore’s water project plan

Malaysia said on Thursday that it would consider a proposal by Singapore to jointly develop water infrastructure in southern Johor, signalling the intention of both sides to move beyond decades of rancour over the vital resource. The two countries have for years disagreed over various issues related to water supply, ranging from prices to the interpretation of the 1962 water agreement signed by them. Malaysia has argued that Johor’s water is sold too cheaply to Singapore. With Johor experiencing...

Politics

38 h. ago Hong Kong scaffold nets come down after deadly fire as residents get more help

Construction firms began removing scaffold netting from buildings across Hong Kong on Thursday to meet a three-day government-imposed deadline following the city’s deadliest blaze in decades. Authorities also doubled a living allowance for households at fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and promised to help its residents with long-term housing issues. To meet Saturday’s deadline, contractors at more than 200 buildings under renovation started taking down scaffolding mesh to allay public...

Events

39 h. ago Malaysian man stranded by Thai floods with ‘colleagues’ exposed holidaying with lover

A Malaysian man who informed his wife that he was on a business trip with colleagues was discovered to be stranded with his mistress amid severe floods in Thailand. Heavy flooding, triggered by torrential rains, has struck southern Thailand, claiming over 80 lives and affecting three million people across 12 provinces, including Hat Yai, the largest city in southern Thailand. On November 24, a Malaysian woman, who had been sharing rescue updates in Hat Yai, posted that a distressed Malaysian...

Events

41 h. ago Significant Magnitude 6.1 Quake Hits 141 km Northwest of Tumxuk, China Early Afternoon

Significant Magnitude 6.1 Quake Hits 141 km Northwest of Tumxuk, China Early Afternoon  Volcano Discovery

Events

44 h. ago Families ‘hope truth will come out’ when hunt for missing flight MH370 resumes

Malaysia’s announcement that the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 will resume was welcome news for Jiang Hui, whose mother was a passenger on the plane. “I hope the truth will come out soon, the wait has been such a torment for the families,” he wrote in a social media post sharing the news. Malaysia’s transport ministry made the announcement on Wednesday, more than a decade after the Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in...

Events

44 h. ago Chinese families ‘hope truth will come out’ when search for flight MH370 resumes

Malaysia’s announcement that the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 will resume was welcome news for Jiang Hui, whose mother was a passenger on the plane. “I hope the truth will come out soon, the wait has been such a torment for the families,” he wrote in a social media post sharing the news. Malaysia’s transport ministry made the announcement on Wednesday, more than a decade after the Boeing 777 carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in...

Politics

61 h. ago Living to 79: China’s record longevity puts economic wrinkles in focus

China’s average life expectancy hit a record 79 years in 2024, edging closer to developed-nation levels as the country grapples with a deepening demographic crisis and scrambles to improve aged-care resources. In discussing the all-time high, which broke the 2023 record of 78.6 years, National Health Commission (NHC) head Lei Haichao reiterated on Monday that the country’s newborns should be expected to live an average of 80 years by 2030 – a key metric in President Xi Jinping’s “Healthy China”...

Economics

62 h. ago Filipino helper on her second day of work when Tai Po fire hit; escapes with baby

Filipino domestic helper Rhodora Alcaraz arrived in Hong Kong on Tuesday last week and went straight to work at her employer’s flat in Tai Po, finding herself battling flames a day later to make a miraculous escape with a three-month-old baby in her arms. The 27-year-old is now in an intensive care unit, unable to speak above a whisper, after suffering injuries, including to her throat, which made her feel like she had “poison pouring down her throat”. Last week, she arrived from her Central...

Events

63 h. ago Beijing tightens political direction in Catholic theology as Sinicization drive accelerates

Beijing tightens political direction in Catholic theology as Sinicization drive accelerates  Herald Malaysia Online

Politics

63 h. ago Trafigura says growth in China oil demand to hit multiyear low in 2026

Trafigura says growth in China oil demand to hit multiyear low in 2026  Financial Times

Events

64 h. ago Asia’s floods kill over 1,000, lay bare human cost of climate inaction

More than 1,400 people have been killed across South and Southeast Asia in a week of catastrophic floods, exposing how rising global temperatures are amplifying extreme weather, even as international negotiations to phase out fossil fuels stall. Successive storms, cyclones and relentless rains have triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, overwhelming local authorities already operating at the limits of their capacity. While...

Events

64 h. ago Top Fabrication Yards in Asia: Why China, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are Key to Project Success

Top Fabrication Yards in Asia: Why China, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are Key to Project Success  Onrec

Politics

65 h. ago Thailand, Cambodia clash at UN mine ban talks as ‘fragile’ border truce teeters

Thailand and Cambodia have brought their renewed border row to a meeting of the United Nations’ mine ban treaty in Geneva in a race to gain international support as their ties continue to unravel. Bangkok and Phnom Penh have appealed to the international community on their divergent positions at the meeting of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, which is running from Monday to Friday. On the sidelines of the convention, Cambodian Senior Minister Ly Thuch reportedly met International...

Politics