President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sent condolence letters to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang following Jiang Zemin’s death at age 96.

Hope lingers for Anwar to emerge as PM after Muhyiddin reportedly rejected the king’s proposal for a ‘unity government’.

Sultan Abdullah will interview all 30 MPs from Barisan Nasional on Wednesday after Muhyiddin rejected his proposal of a unity government.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is ‘very optimistic’ about leading a coalition government with corruption-tainted Barisan Nasional, after a Monday meeting between top BN, PH leaders.

Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said there are indications China will emulate a ‘Hong Kong model’ in its zero-Covid policy, with an easing of restrictions by the middle of 2023.

Singapore will raise the goods and services tax from 7 to 8 per cent from January 1, with a further hike to 9 per cent from January 1, 2024.

Singapore’s People’s Action Party, which has won 15 consecutive general elections, highlighted US-China tensions, and a possible recession in the West as key risks to the city state during its annual conference.

Flippancy or nonchalance in the face of attacks on politicians and their families, as in the case of Paul Pelosi, is akin to playing with fire. Malaysia could learn much from the US’ experience, as could Asia’s media.

Hong Kong is not a ‘zero-sum competitor’, an ex-Chinese official said at the Post’s inaugural Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2022.

Singapore’s ex-foreign minister George Yeo is hopeful that China will ‘have the wisdom and the statecraft to avoid entering’ the Ukraine war as it would put the world ‘in jeopardy’.

Joe Biden promised to make Saudi Arabia a ‘pariah’ for Jamal Khashoggi’s murder, but facing an oil crisis, the US president sought Riyadh’s help to increase output.

Singapore’s media regulator says the film ‘denigrates a religious community’ and has the ‘potential to cause enmity and social division’.

China, India, Thailand, Pakistan and Vietnam were among the 35 nations that declined to vote during the UN General Assembly on Russia’s ‘attempted illegal annexations’ of four Ukrainian regions.

There have been increased calls to expand the United Nations Security Council during this year’s UN General Assembly, due to Western frustrations over Russia ’s veto power, but the prospects of expanding the council seem unlikely.

In this issue of Global Impact, we look back at a whirlwind time for Malaysian politics and provide the latest on the 1MDB scandal that sent shockwaves around the world. 

Singapore earned a leg up on Hong Kong this week, when the city state unveiled a new five-year visa to lure foreign nationals, consolidating its status as Asia’s pre-eminent post-Covid city.

Nearly eight decades since nuclear weapons were first used in anger, the world again finds itself at a crossroads. Complete disarmament is a fantasy, but atomic technology can be used for good – as Singapore and the Philippines are finding out.

Apart from BTS, actor Lee Jung-jae from Squid Game and globally renowned soprano singer Sumi Jo, are also ambassadors for Busan’s bid to host the 2030 world fair.

Singapore and Malaysia shouldn’t have been used as an opening act to a provocative Nancy Pelosi tour overshadowed by Taiwan tensions.

Najib used the Indonesian president’s trip to Beijing to take aim at critics who had accused him of ‘selling the country’ when he made similar overtures during his leadership.

Australian journalist John Pilger also said that the role, future of journalism are at stake if Julian Assange loses his extradition fight in Britain.

Abe’s assassination during a campaign event triggered a global outpouring of shock, with world powers from China, the US to Russia offering condolences to Japan.

Johnson had earlier said he would “of course” remain as prime minister, despite facing pressure to quit from senior ministers and amid a mounting rebellion within his ruling Conservative Party.

Malaysian Kalwant Singh and Singaporean Norasharee Gous were hanged at Changi Prison on Thursday morning, and their families have collected their death certificates and belongings, said anti-death penalty activist Kirsten Han.

Hong Kong’s transition to a new chapter is an opportunity to make the city a better home for all who have stayed.

While some Singaporeans accused Mahathir of fomenting ill will between the neighbours, observers in Malaysia said the remarks were likely a veiled jab at the sultan of Johor.

Five Asean states retain capital punishment, so speaking out against the junta’s plan to hang pro-democracy activists might jeopardise their own right to impose the death penalty.

Jose Ramos-Horta says his country wants to maintain an equal distance from all major powers while keeping the door open to trade and investment. Analysts say it’s going to be a tough balancing act.

Rudd’s comments come as Western nations criticise the Solomon Islands-China security deal that they believe will lead to Beijing bolstering its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.