2 h. ago Hong Kong 47: court expected to rule on appeals in 9 months’ time

A Hong Kong appellate court is expected to rule in nine months’ time on appeals arising from the city’s largest national security trial, as lawyers wrapped up their verbal submissions on Thursday after 3½ days of hearings. Legal counsel urged three Court of Appeal judges to impose lighter sentences on 11 appellants for what the trial court found to be their “active participation” in a subversive scheme to “undermine, destroy or overthrow” the government. Prosecutors opposed the applications by...

Events

6 h. ago ‘One too many deaths’: missing Myanmar student found dead in Malaysia

A Myanmar student who had been missing since last week has been found dead, his university confirmed late Wednesday, the latest in a string of tragic incidents involving students at Malaysian private colleges. Sithu Hpone Maw, a 20-year-old architecture student at UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur, was last seen on July 9 at a rented flat near the campus. His disappearance was reported by the university, prompting a police investigation. Cheras police chief Aidil Bolhassan said in a statement on...

Events

8 h. ago Charting a course in AI seas: why barristers are still captains of legal ship

The full title of “barrister at law” apparently traces back to 16th century England, providing pleading and advocacy services. Since then, little has changed. Around that time, in the mid-16th century, something else happened in Europe: the Scientific Revolution. Since then, everything has changed. The name and the services of barristers have not changed, but in the last quarter of a century, digitisation and the internet have brought about evolutionary changes to the way barristers provide...

Politics

20 h. ago In no rush to judge: Malaysia’s rulers leave out naming new justices

Malaysia’s rulers ended a key meeting on Wednesday without naming new senior judges, prolonging a leadership vacuum at the top of the judiciary that experts warned could damage public trust in the country’s legal system. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had earlier said the country’s rulers were expected to make a “clear announcement” on the appointment of a new chief justice on Wednesday, after mounting public criticism over alleged executive interference in the selection of judges. “The issue...

Events

20 h. ago In no rush to judge: Malaysia’s rulers forgo naming new justices

Malaysia’s rulers ended a key meeting on Wednesday without naming new senior judges, prolonging a leadership vacuum at the top of the judiciary that experts warned could damage public trust in the country’s legal system. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had earlier said the country’s rulers were expected to make a “clear announcement” on the appointment of a new chief justice on Wednesday, after mounting public criticism over alleged executive interference in the selection of judges. “The issue...

Events

23 h. ago Kuok Hui Kwong, daughter of Malaysia’s richest man, to lead Shangri

Kuok Hui Kwong, daughter of Malaysia’s richest man, Robert Kuok Hock-nien, has been named CEO of luxury hotel group Shangri-La Asia, effective August 1. Kuok, 47, has been serving as Shangri-La Asia’s executive director since June 2016 and chairman since January 2017, according to a Wednesday filing with Hong Kong’s stock exchange. Shangri-La Asia is listed in Hong Kong and Singapore. The Harvard-educated Malaysian, the sixth of Robert Kuok’s eight children, took the helm of the luxury hotel...

Politics

24 h. ago China family has funeral as Indian neighbours host wedding in show of communal unity

A Chinese funeral and an Indian wedding took place on the same street on the same day in Malaysia, but the two families managed to coexist and show mutual respect, winning applause online. Both ceremonies took place on July 5 in Tampin, in the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan. The funeral was that of the mother of a local Democratic Action Party politician of Chinese origin. On the other side of the street, an Indian family rented a hall to host a wedding. Funerals are usually considered...

Society

29 h. ago Meet Apoh: the ‘chonky’ panther captivating the Malaysian internet

Malaysia’s internet has fallen in love with Apoh, a black panther at the National Zoo in Kuala Lumpur whose portly figure has prompted both laughter and reassurance from zookeepers. Apoh celebrated his 15th birthday on Tuesday, but it was last week that he shot to online fame after a visitor shared a 15-second TikTok clip of the panther rolling onto his back, his belly prominently displayed. A text overlay in Malay asks the zoo to explain how Apoh got “so chonky and cute”. The video attracted...

Politics

48 h. ago Chinese firms rush to buy Nvidia AI chips as sales set to resume

Chinese firms rush to buy Nvidia AI chips as sales set to resume  Reuters

Economics

49 h. ago Malaysia to seek lawyers’ views as anger over judge selection process mounts

Malaysia’s government on Tuesday invited the Bar Council to take part in a review of the country’s judicial appointment process, in a bid to quell public discontent over alleged executive interference that has thrown the judiciary into crisis. The move comes just a day after nearly 1,000 lawyers marched to the Prime Minister’s Office demanding urgent reforms and greater transparency in the selection of judges amid a shortage at the top of the courts and warnings of further institutional...

Politics

49 h. ago For Brics, it’s a big leap from talk shop to institution of power

“Golden brick countries” – that’s how Brics is translated in Chinese, a name that speaks volumes about its founding aspirations. But as the expanded bloc emerged from its Rio de Janeiro summit, it projected something more potent than aspiration. The message was loud and clear: the era of unipolar global dominance is drawing to an end. Brics leaders spoke with growing confidence, condemning “coercive” economic tactics, effectively calling for de-dollarisation and rejecting US...

Politics

52 h. ago Anwar’s big surprise? Malaysians sceptical over ‘tribute’ teaser post

A cryptic promise from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has become the latest lightning rod for Malaysia’s restless public, whose patience is wearing thin after months of new taxes, political scandals and economic anxiety. Late on Monday, Anwar posted a stylised silhouette and the words Akan Datang (Coming Soon) across his social media accounts, promising a special gesture of “extraordinary” appreciation for all Malaysians. The post, which was met with widespread derision, appeared just hours after...

Events

67 h. ago Malaysia’s PKR in bind over judicial crisis, Anwar’s daughter at protest march

A fresh quandary may be brewing in Malaysia’s ruling People’s Justice Party (PKR), after Deputy President Nurul Izzah Anwar joined a march calling for judicial independence while her party weighs disciplinary action on her peers for demanding an investigation into alleged meddling in the country’s judiciary. Nurul Izzah, the daughter of Prime Minister and PKR President Anwar Ibrahim, joined nearly 1,000 lawyers in a march on the prime minister’s office on Monday afternoon to protest against...

Events

3 d. ago China exports surge 5.8% in June as business rush through orders during U.S. tariff reprieve

China exports surge 5.8% in June as business rush through orders during U.S. tariff reprieve  Fortune

Economics

3 d. ago Malaysia’s judicial crisis deepens with leaked memo from classified meeting

Malaysia’s judicial crisis deepened over the weekend after a leaked memo revealed serious allegations against Federal Court Judge Terrirudin Salleh, ahead of a lawyers’ march to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s office on Monday to protest against alleged executive interference in the judiciary. Anwar has come under mounting pressure over the scandal, with lawmakers from his own party breaking ranks to demand that he “clear the air”, warning that judicial integrity is now “the biggest issue” facing...

Events

3 d. ago Malaysia controls AI chip exports as U.S. targets China smuggling

Malaysia controls AI chip exports as U.S. targets China smuggling  The Japan Times

Events

3 d. ago China's exporters rush to beat Trump's next big tariff deadline

China's exporters rush to beat Trump's next big tariff deadline  Reuters

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Not welcome here’: Malaysia lashes out at ‘Zionist’ US envoy pick Nick Adams

The Trump administration’s selection of Nick Adams, a self-styled “Alpha Male” author and social media provocateur, as the next US ambassador to Malaysia has triggered outrage in the Muslim-majority nation, with critics questioning the motives behind the decision. Washington announced on Thursday that Adams, who has a history of inflammatory remarks, had been selected for the diplomatic post. The decision has prompted alarm among diplomats and Southeast Asian observers, many of whom see...

Politics

3 d. ago China's exports jump 5.8% in June as tariffs reprieve prompts a rush of orders

China's exports jump 5.8% in June as tariffs reprieve prompts a rush of orders  Yahoo Finance

Politics

3 d. ago Teacher, teen arrested at Hong Kong airport in ‘Ice’, ketamine drug cases

A teacher who arrived from Germany and a teenager on a flight from Malaysia have been arrested at Hong Kong airport for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs worth more than HK$23 million (US$3 million) into the city in two separate cases. The Customs and Excise Department revealed on Sunday that the two suspects had been arrested the previous day. In the first case, customs officers stopped a 58-year-old female passenger who had arrived from Frankfurt for inspection. Officers discovered about...

Events