2 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

15 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

15 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

19 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

19 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

24 h. ago US and China are ‘creeping’ towards a trade deal, former ambassador Burns says

Washington and Beijing are on a “creeping path towards some kind of a deal”, former US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said on Tuesday, while offering some rare support for US President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy towards China. Burns, who served as envoy to Beijing under former president Joe Biden from 2022 until this year, told a crowd at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado that both sides had strong economic incentives to reach a trade agreement. He also pushed back against the...

Events

24 h. ago Former US envoy backs Trump tariffs, says China deserves ‘tough

Washington and Beijing are on a “creeping path towards some kind of a deal”, former US ambassador to China Nicholas Burns said on Tuesday, while offering some rare support for US President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy towards China. Burns, who served as envoy to Beijing under former president Joe Biden from 2022 until this year, told a crowd at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado that both sides had strong economic incentives to reach a trade agreement. He also pushed back against the...

Politics

25 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

33 h. ago Trump’s pick for United Nations ambassador wants to ‘make the UN great again’

Mike Waltz, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for United Nations ambassador, vowed on Tuesday to make the world body “great again” – and that he would do so by confronting Beijing’s expanding influence while leading an overhaul of what he described as a bloated, favouritism-plagued institution. “Countering China is critical,” the former Florida congressman said during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Waltz called it “absurd” that China, the world’s...

Politics

44 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

48 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

63 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

2 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

2 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 ‘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, imports pick up as Trump tariff deadline looms

China's exports, imports pick up as Trump tariff deadline looms  Reuters

Politics

3 d. ago China’s exports, imports pick up as Trump tariff deadline looms By Reuters

China’s exports, imports pick up as Trump tariff deadline looms By Reuters  Investing.com

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

4 d. ago ‘He destroyed me’: Nick Kyrgios reveals how his Beijing revenge plot involved forging Rafa Nadal’s signature on hotel bills

‘He destroyed me’: Nick Kyrgios reveals how his Beijing revenge plot involved forging Rafa Nadal’s signature on hotel bills  The Indian Express

Politics

5 d. ago Naked dancing, ‘holy baths’: Malaysian police investigate Muslim family motivational event

Malaysian police are investigating a complaint about deviant activities such as naked dancing and “holy cleansing baths” being performed during a family motivational event. Police said the report was filed at the end of February over an incident that was held at a convention centre in Shah Alam, a predominantly Malay-Muslim enclave about 30km (19 miles) from the capital of Kuala Lumpur, last September. “We have called in the wife of the complainant as well as other participants of the event for...

Events