4 h. ago Malaysian woman who tried to hug Perak’s sultan charged with assault

A 41-year-old woman has been charged with assault in Malaysia after she attempted to embrace the Sultan of Perak last month. The incident, which took place in front of the Ipoh Town Hall at 8.20am on August 31 during Independence Day celebrations, has prompted scrutiny of security arrangements surrounding Malaysia’s royalty. Nurhaswani Afni Mohamad Zorki from Kampung Manjoi appeared before Magistrate Mohd Harith Mohd Mazlan on Monday, where she was formally charged under Section 352 of the Penal...

Events

11 h. ago The tariff trap: Why America’s protectionist gambit only tightens China’s grip on global manufacturing

The tariff trap: Why America’s protectionist gambit only tightens China’s grip on global manufacturing  Yahoo News Malaysia

Economics

57 h. ago Reflections | After Fan Bingbing’s Malaysia award, a history of Chinese official honours

Reflections | After Fan Bingbing’s Malaysia award, a history of Chinese official honours  South China Morning Post

Politics

58 h. ago ‘Nobody said anything’: Malaysia confronts its deadly school bullying problem

The guilt hangs heavily over Jerry* whenever his mind drifts back to his school days in Kota Kinabalu and that quiet “awkward kid” he once tormented. Sitting at the back of the classroom, the boy was an easy target for Jerry and his friends, who delighted in humiliating him by stealing his shoes, tugging down his trousers or meting out the occasional beating. They were only 12, behaving as children do, he once thought. But more than two decades later, Jerry feels the weight of what those moments...

Events

4 d. ago In too deep? Filipino couple under scrutiny in flood control scandal

As public furore mounts over the revelation of widespread corruption in flood control projects in the Philippines, few names have captured public attention more than Cezarah “Sarah” Discaya and her husband Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya. The couple, once virtually unknown, emerged in the spotlight after Sarah Discaya ran against popular Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto in the May midterm elections – only to lose by a landslide. Her biography has since become a lightning rod for scrutiny. Born in London in...

Events

4 d. ago China’s power bank scandal leads to supplier’s lawsuit against Romoss

The ramifications of China’s power bank scandal, which prompted an emergency ban of substandard models on domestic flights, have extended to a mainland court, where troubled manufacturer Romoss Technology was slapped with a lawsuit for unpaid funds. Shenzhen-based electronics contract manufacturer Zowee Technology filed the lawsuit at the People’s Court of Pengjiang district in Jiangmen, a city in southern Guangdong province, where it sought 136.26 million yuan (US$19 million) in damages against...

Economics

4 d. ago China starts aviation training for Southeast Asia amid C919, home

China is training representatives from Southeast Asia this month in an effort to promote its home-grown civilian aircraft, as the region leads the world in accepting Chinese deliveries despite Airbus and Boeing’s dominance. Twenty participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are taking part in the 2025 China-Asean Civil Aviation Management Capacity Enhancement Workshop in Beijing, which started Monday. Organised by the Civil Aviation...

Politics

4 d. ago Photos show wildfire burning through historic California Gold Rush town settled by Chinese miners

Photos show wildfire burning through historic California Gold Rush town settled by Chinese miners  CBS News

Events

4 d. ago Malaysia’s Anwar signals support for China’s global vision during 4

Following two days in Tianjin for a regional bloc summit and another day of meetings with top Chinese leaders, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stood on the rostrum at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square to witness a spectacular military parade. His appearance underscored Malaysia’s alignment with China’s push for a multipolar global order. Over the past week, China has showcased its growing diplomatic clout and military strength, culminating in Wednesday’s parade, which followed the two-day annual...

Events

5 d. ago Did scam call centres lure missing British teen to Malaysia?

A British teenager who went missing in Malaysia in June may have become the victim of a scam call centre operation, an anti-fraud group has warned, as concerns rise over the country becoming a new hub for the criminal industry. David Balisong, 17, was reported missing after he secretly took a flight from the UK to Malaysia on June 6, carrying nothing but a backpack. Malaysian police said he was last seen by eyewitnesses at the KL Sentral transport hub in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur a day...

Events

5 d. ago 2 arrested for alleged theft of HK$40,000 in cash on Hong Kong

Two men have been arrested by the city’s police for allegedly stealing property on two Hong Kong-bound flights from Malaysia and Switzerland, including local cash and foreign currency valued at HK$40,000 (US$5,100). The force said on Wednesday that it made the arrests at Hong Kong International Airport on Tuesday after receiving reports from three passengers. According to the passengers from the two flights, they had placed their carry-on bags in the overhead compartments in their cabins, but...

Economics

5 d. ago As China exports to Russia dip on less car demand, new deals show ‘room to grow’

Despite a slowdown in automotive shipments from China to Russia, there is room for them to advance trade settled in yuan and roubles as both countries continue to be pressured away from the US market, analysts said on Tuesday during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the world’s second-largest economy. Russians want consumer goods, personal electronics and common machinery that are difficult to import from the West because of trade sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began...

Politics

5 d. ago Hong Kong official urges ‘heightened alertness’ among staff after water scandal

Hong Kong’s logistics chief has issued a set of guidelines to senior civil servants, urging them to “heighten their alertness” and conduct due diligence to prevent potential fraudulent acts by tenderers and contractors, following a recent drinking water procurement scandal. “In light of the recent incident on procurement of bottled drinking water for which fraud elements involving the contractor are revealed, it is of utmost importance for bureaus and departments to step up efforts to prevent...

Politics

5 d. ago Malaysia summons TikTok, Meta over slow response to fake news, immoral content

Malaysian authorities have summoned TikTok’s top management over the social media company’s alleged delays in tackling fake news on its platform, state news agency Bernama reported on Tuesday, citing Malaysia’s communications minister. Minister Fahmi Fadzil said TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, had been too slow in responding to requests for help in police investigations, prompting him to ask the firm’s chief executive for help, Bernama reported. Fahmi cited a recent case where a man had...

Politics

6 d. ago On shaky ground: is Malaysia prepared for future earthquakes?

A rare series of earthquakes in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor has prompted calls by engineering experts for an overhaul of national building standards, as they warn the country can no longer consider itself safe from seismic risk. Seven tremors were recorded between August 24 and 31, including a magnitude 4.1 quake centred around the quiet inland town of Segamat in Johor’s northern region, according to data from the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). Further tremors, albeit...

Politics

6 d. ago Filipinos target ‘nepo babies’, Malaysia’s electric train: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. What Vietnam’s South China Sea island-building spree means for Asean Vietnam’s rapid expansion of artificial island construction in the disputed Spratly Islands has put it on track to surpass China’s land reclamation in the South China Sea, according to new satellite...

Events

6 d. ago JPMorgan says NWD controlling shareholder may need to provide liquidity support

Debt-laden New World Development’s (NWD) controlling shareholder may eventually have to offer the firm liquidity support by either buying properties or providing loans if the developer cannot sell assets to other parties, according to JPMorgan. But an injection of capital, as suggested by a recent media report, was less likely, the US investment bank said in a report on Tuesday. NWD stock dropped on Tuesday after the property developer said it had not received a proposal from its controlling...

Politics

6 d. ago Local AI models will live and die by the quality of their data sets

At Asean’s first ever artificial intelligence summit in Kuala Lumpur recently, YTL AI Labs, in partnership with the University of Malaya, launched a large language model (LLM) called ILMU – which translates from Malay into English as “knowledge” but is used in this instance by the developers as a Malay acronym. Billed as Malaysia’s first, fully sovereign AI model with data locally hosted, managed and governed, ILMU has been trained on local, contextualised data and outperforms global...

Events

6 d. ago What Southeast Asia needs to succeed in building local AI models

At Asean’s first ever artificial intelligence summit in Kuala Lumpur recently, YTL AI Labs, in partnership with the University of Malaya, launched a large language model (LLM) called ILMU – which translates from Malay into English as “knowledge” but is used in this instance by the developers as a Malay acronym. Billed as Malaysia’s first, fully sovereign AI model with data locally hosted, managed and governed, ILMU has been trained on local, contextualised data and outperforms global...

Politics

7 d. ago Flood of anger: why Filipinos are turning to social media to expose corruption

As public scrutiny intensifies over anomalous flood control projects in the Philippines, Filipinos have turned to social media spaces such as Reddit to expose the lavish lifestyles of the children of the contractors and public officials linked to the ongoing investigations. Social media accounts and online communities have emerged over the past week, reuploading and collecting videos and posts of certain individuals flaunting their lavish lifestyles, from riding private jets and expensive...

Events