https://www.scmp.com/rss/323054/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 1. Trump’s ‘tariff tantrums’ threaten Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam as US protectionism sparks global trade fears Donald Trump’s return stokes fears of “more crazy” tariffs and disruption to global trade, with Southeast Asian nations potentially facing the brunt of his protectionist policies. Once beneficiaries of the US-China trade war, the likes of Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam now brace for potential economic fallout, with investors possibly retreating and exports at risk. 2. Philippines’... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3287848/trump-tariff-tantrums-duterte-assassination-threat-japans-first-kiss-crisis-5-reads-week-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3287848/trump-tariff-tantrums-duterte-assassination-threat-japans-first-kiss-crisis-5-reads-week-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:08:21 +0000 Negotiations between Hong Kong and Singapore over their much-delayed travel bubble are being hobbled by disagreements over antibody tests and vaccination rules against Covid-19, the Post has learned. Sources familiar with the discussions on Tuesday said it was proposed that a unilateral decision by Hong Kong to require all of its residents to have had two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine at least a fortnight before departure be extended to Singaporeans. Under the bubble, travellers from both cities... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3140989/travel-bubble-trouble-hong-kong-singapore-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3140989/travel-bubble-trouble-hong-kong-singapore-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jul 2021 14:18:31 +0000 In January, Malaysian media professional Wong had just marked two years of working in Singapore when she realised she had to leave in 30 days. Her employment pass – covering executive, managerial and specialised roles – was about to expire, and changes to the city state’s foreign labour rules introduced last year meant the 34-year-old no longer earned enough to be eligible for the same pass. Her employer did not want to increase her monthly salary by more than S$1,000 (US$742) – as was required... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3128135/one-eighth-singapores-foreign-workforce-lost-jobs-last-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3128135/one-eighth-singapores-foreign-workforce-lost-jobs-last-year?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Apr 2021 04:30:16 +0000 Singapore’s Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat has made no secret of wanting some normalcy this year after a coronavirus pandemic-riven 2020 in which he unveiled four budgets – and two supplementary sets of stimulus measures – that added up to nearly S$100 billion (US$75 billion). “My wish for this year is one budget,” the minister quipped during an interview with The Straits Times in January, recalling how he had addressed parliament on spending plans an unprecedented six times last year. On... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3121575/what-heng-swee-keats-2021-singapore-budget-has-store-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3121575/what-heng-swee-keats-2021-singapore-budget-has-store-city?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Feb 2021 00:00:17 +0000 “I think people come to me with a stereotype – some probably expect me to be gentle, obedient and kind,” Youngbee Dale said. Dale was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States in 1996, when she was only 16. She is now a US-based human trafficking expert who has worked with vulnerable communities including Asian women subjected to sex trafficking. “Feminism is in my blood … perhaps after talking to me some people realise that Asian women can be vocal,” Dale said. Stereotypes... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3047605/evelyn-yang-spoke-out-against-sexual-violence-what-does?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3047605/evelyn-yang-spoke-out-against-sexual-violence-what-does?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Jan 2020 04:00:09 +0000 Malaysia had pushed through fresh pacts to revive two stalled China-backed projects worth billions to ensure the two countries went into this week’s Belt and Road Forum in “renewed spirits”, Foreign Minister Saifuddin ­Abdullah said on Sunday. In an interview with the Post, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s top diplomat dismissed talk that the government had only grudgingly given the green light for resumption of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project and the Bandar Malaysia... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/3007090/malaysia-revived-china-deals-boost-belt-and-road-forum?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/3007090/malaysia-revived-china-deals-boost-belt-and-road-forum?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2019 01:18:56 +0000 FRAMED PHOTOGRAPHS LINE the television console of a 1,450 sq ft flat in central Singapore. One shows a large group of family members in a rented villa in Bali several months ago, another is of a beaming couple and a third has the couple and their son. A two-metre-tall Christmas tree stands on the right, with three bears – two large with a smaller one tucked between them – all sharing a red scarf. It is Friday in the home of James, Shawn and their five-year-old son Noel. The family made the news... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2179207/huge-load-our-shoulders-singapore-gay-couple-open-after-landmark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2179207/huge-load-our-shoulders-singapore-gay-couple-open-after-landmark?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Dec 2018 07:00:45 +0000 It was a year of adjustments for Asia as it was dragged deeper into the rivalry between the United States and China, a rift that culminated in a showdown at the Apec summit in Papua New Guinea. For the first time in the summit’s history, there was no joint communique issued. And even as countries tried to position themselves to benefit from changing geopolitical realities, they grappled with their own domestic highs and lows. Here’s a brief recap of the stories that shaped Asia in 2018. TRUMP... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2179066/trump-and-kims-handshake-1mdb-eight-stories-shaped-asia-2018?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2179066/trump-and-kims-handshake-1mdb-eight-stories-shaped-asia-2018?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Dec 2018 06:18:43 +0000 Political loyalties are in flux in Malaysia. Inter-coalition and inter-party strife has led to unprecedented resignations and defections in the months since the former ruling coalition’s 61 years in power came to an end, making way for Pakatan Harapan, led by current premier Mahathir Mohamad. The People’s Justice Party (PKR), a key Pakatan Harapan component led by democracy icon and prime minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim, endured its own turbulence on Monday when Nurul Izzah Anwar, Anwar’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2178431/malaysias-political-turbulence-deepens-anwar-ibrahims-daughter?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2178431/malaysias-political-turbulence-deepens-anwar-ibrahims-daughter?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Dec 2018 01:30:30 +0000 Singapore’s High Court has made a landmark ruling allowing a gay couple to adopt their five-year-old son conceived through a surrogate in the United States, on the basis of prioritising the child’s welfare. In a 145-judgment released on Monday, a panel of three judges led by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon ruled the adoption bid, rejected by a lower court last year, should go through because it would “increase the child’s prospects of acquiring Singapore citizenship and securing long-term... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2178279/singapore-allows-same-sex-fathers-adopt-their-surrogate-son?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2178279/singapore-allows-same-sex-fathers-adopt-their-surrogate-son?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Dec 2018 04:15:15 +0000 THERE WAS A high-five from Vladimir Putin. And for Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi it was business as usual. At home, Saudi Arabia’s media trumpeted Mohammed bin Salman’s meetings with world leaders, tweeting pictures of his encounters, which also included the presidents of South Korea, Mexico, and South Africa. However, Western leaders appeared to avoid the crown prince during the family photo at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires – after almost two months of global outrage at the murder of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2176027/royal-road-ahead-saudi-prince-leaves-g20-confident-turning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2176027/royal-road-ahead-saudi-prince-leaves-g20-confident-turning?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Dec 2018 11:27:59 +0000 The history of Singapore cinema has been rewritten by two films from two eras going by the same title: Shirkers. The tumultuous and abortive production of the first film, a surrealist fiction written by Sandi Tan and shot in 1992, is chronicled defiantly in the second, a documentary which earned Tan a Best Director award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. But before the success of its second manifestation, the original Shirkers was born out of the efforts of three pioneering film... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2171592/shirkers-no-more-three-trailblazing-women-stake-their-claim?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2171592/shirkers-no-more-three-trailblazing-women-stake-their-claim?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 04 Nov 2018 08:15:15 +0000 President Donald Trump is a game-changer and in so many ways. While Southeast Asia rarely features on his agenda, the Trump-initiated “trade war” could well end up resetting global manufacturing and the all-important supply chains as exporters seek to lessen their exposure to China. For the three giants of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) with populations of over 90 million – Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam – this could be a major opportunity. Essentially, each of the three... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/2164280/chinas-loss-trumps-trade-war-aseans-gain-look-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/2164280/chinas-loss-trumps-trade-war-aseans-gain-look-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Sep 2018 10:00:00 +0000 Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will be welcomed as an “old friend” of China when he visits President Xi Jinping next month, according to Daim Zainuddin, the 93-year-old leader’s special envoy to Beijing. The two governments have accelerated preparatory work for the highly anticipated meeting. Guo Yezhou, a senior official of the Chinese Communist Party, met Mahathir on Sunday, ahead of a scheduled visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday. Mahathir is due to visit the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2157347/malaysian-prime-minister-mahathir-mohamad-be-greeted-old-friend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2157347/malaysian-prime-minister-mahathir-mohamad-be-greeted-old-friend?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Jul 2018 10:16:09 +0000 Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir on Monday said he will replace the country’s attorney general and anti-corruption chief, as officials stepped up a probe into alleged widespread graft in the Barisan Nasional government defeated in last week’s general election.  Mahathir said attorney general Apandi Ali, appointed by former premier Najib Razak, would be put on indefinite leave as his tenure was assessed, with solicitor general Engku Nor Faizah Engku Atek standing in for him.  “There... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2146083/malaysian-pm-mahathir-begins-big-government-clean-his-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2146083/malaysian-pm-mahathir-begins-big-government-clean-his-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 May 2018 13:25:40 +0000 A summit between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week will mark a significant geopolitical shift as the leaders of the two estranged regional powers join forces amid a growing threat of US protectionism. It could lead to agreements on connectivity, investments and the border, sources said, although both China and India have billed it as an “unofficial” summit with no stated goals. “Both sides have agreed not to sign an agreement or release any joint document but... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2143161/trump-border-belt-and-road-and-investments-xi-modi-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2143161/trump-border-belt-and-road-and-investments-xi-modi-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Apr 2018 01:30:29 +0000 Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak on Friday called a long awaited general election that will pit him against opposition chief Mahathir Mohamad, the 92-year-old former strongman premier who hand-picked him for the top political job.  Najib, 64, is expected to win the contest, according to recent nationwide surveys but the opposition is banking on pulling off some surprises.  In a televised statement, Najib said he had received consent from the country’s constitutional king to dissolve... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2140541/malaysias-najib-razak-fires-starting-gun-battle-royale-one-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2140541/malaysias-najib-razak-fires-starting-gun-battle-royale-one-time?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Apr 2018 04:28:43 +0000 Malaysia’s opposition coalition is known as Pakatan Harapan, or Pact of Hope. It’s fitting for a group that has pinned its hopes on a nonagenarian former prime minister to wrest power from the ruling Barisan National (BN) coalition in a general election due by August but expected to be called as early as the end of the first quarter this year. The naming of Mahathir Mohamad as its prime ministerial candidate, along with Wan Azizah as a deputy prime minister, at last week’s national convention... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2128065/92-does-mahathir-have-enough-left-him-defeat-najib-and-stun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2128065/92-does-mahathir-have-enough-left-him-defeat-najib-and-stun?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jan 2018 04:30:30 +0000 In South Asia, there is one clear winner from Donald Trump’s tweet tantrums this week: China, which suddenly finds its leverage over Pakistan multiplying as a result of the US president’s mood swings. Alongside his provocative tweets about North Korea, Trump opened the year by letting fly at Pakistan, which he attacked for not doing enough to root out jihadists. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2126998/thank-you-trump-tweet-was-just-what-china-needed-tame-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2126998/thank-you-trump-tweet-was-just-what-china-needed-tame-pakistan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jan 2018 08:15:45 +0000 Hiroji Yamashiro describes himself as a “rough country boy from Okinawa” and does not seem the type who might be given to overt displays of emotion. June 23, however, marked the 72nd anniversary of the end of the fighting on Okinawa and even now – more than six months later – it is clear he is furious about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to attend an event commemorating the battle of Okinawa in the prefecture. “I was completely against his presence at the event because of his belligerence... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2122287/meet-rough-country-boy-standing-us-base-plans-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2122287/meet-rough-country-boy-standing-us-base-plans-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jan 2018 02:17:03 +0000 President Moon Jae-in met top aides on his trip to China this month, touting a “more mature” relationship between Seoul and Beijing despite his treatment during the official visit widely being seen as humiliating. Moon arrived in the Chinese capital on December 13, hoping his first visit to China since taking office in May would repair fractured relations. China wins its war against South Korea’s US THAAD missile shield – without firing a shot To defend against the looming threat of a North... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2125443/did-beijing-just-give-south-koreas-moon-cold-shoulder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2125443/did-beijing-just-give-south-koreas-moon-cold-shoulder?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Dec 2017 04:47:16 +0000 A Seoul appeal court has slapped a heavy fine on an academic for publishing politically incorrect research, suggesting that despite the success of the candlelight protests that removed Park Geun-hye from the presidency, South Korea still has a long way to go when it comes to free speech and democracy. On October 27, the Seoul High Court overturned the acquittal of Park Yu-ha, a Sejong University professor and expert in Japanese-Korean relations, fining her US$8,846 for defaming victims of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2118358/south-korean-professor-fined-book-about-comfort-women-proving?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2118358/south-korean-professor-fined-book-about-comfort-women-proving?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Nov 2017 11:30:38 +0000 Five years ago when China completed its once-a-decade power transition from the president-premier combination of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao to the current Xi Jinping-Li Keqiang leadership at the 18th congress of the ruling Communist Party, state media scrambled to trumpet the country’s power succession system. Calling it similar to the historical “abdication system” – under which China’s emperors voluntarily handed power to chosen members of the next generation, an article in the party magazine... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2118353/flaws-xi-jinpings-no-designated-successor-gambit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/2118353/flaws-xi-jinpings-no-designated-successor-gambit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Nov 2017 10:00:34 +0000 Trump administration rebrands Asia the ‘Indo-Pacific’ in swipe at China US President Donald Trump isn’t just remaking American foreign policy in Asia by tearing up trade deals and getting tough on North Korea, his administration is giving the region a new name. As Trump prepared to arrive for a five-nation tour, White House officials and even the president ditched Asia-Pacific and were using “Indo-Pacific” instead. In the past few days, national security adviser H.R. McMaster boasted that the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2118350/asia-3-minutes-trumps-new-lingo-japanese-firm-rewards-non-smokers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2118350/asia-3-minutes-trumps-new-lingo-japanese-firm-rewards-non-smokers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Nov 2017 13:00:00 +0000 The South China Morning Post was a big winner at this year’s prestigious Asian Digital Media Awards, bagging four golds, two silvers, and a bronze in four categories at a prize ceremony in Singapore on Wednesday. The Post took gold, silver, and bronze prizes in the data visualisation category, with the top honour going to a comprehensive explainer on five major projects featured in China’s Belt and Road Initiative to open up foreign trade along a new Silk Route. Infographic feature “The Power of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2118020/south-china-morning-post-wins-big-asian-digital-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2118020/south-china-morning-post-wins-big-asian-digital-media?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Nov 2017 13:45:15 +0000 Malaysia’s religious divisions were laid bare this week after a self-service laundromat in Johor attempted to ban non-Muslims, provoking scathing criticism from the state’s monarch. The launderette’s owner incurred social media outrage for turning away non-Muslims over “hygiene factors”, and leaders from the Malay Muslim-dominated government initially kept quiet on the issue. But that changed when Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor tore into the business. “I cannot accept this nonsense. This is... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2113449/what-royal-rebuke-and-politicians-silence-over-muslim-only?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2113449/what-royal-rebuke-and-politicians-silence-over-muslim-only?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Sep 2017 12:33:35 +0000 Election officials on Monday confirmed intense speculation that Singapore’s presidential poll will be a one-horse race, as it disqualified two contenders and approved a government-backed candidate who looks set to be the city state’s first ever female head of state. Halimah Yacob, who was speaker of parliament until she resigned in August, was the only one of three candidates to get a “certificate of eligibility” to run in the September 23 election, that had been reserved only for ethnic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2110716/running-unopposed-ethnically-reserved-poll-can-singapores-next-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2110716/running-unopposed-ethnically-reserved-poll-can-singapores-next-president?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Sep 2017 13:45:15 +0000 Somnuk Krodsua still remembers the layer of black dust that used to cover his garden every morning two decades ago. His house, located in the Thai southern province of Krabi, sat only a couple of kilometres from a coal plant that produced energy day and night. “There was a lot of pollution. Often we couldn’t see more than 20 metres ahead because there was a thick smoke,” said the lawyer. The plant closed 20 years ago, but when Somnuck heard in 2014 that the government was planning a new coal... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2102934/thailand-chases-chinese-money-what-cost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2102934/thailand-chases-chinese-money-what-cost?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Jul 2017 00:30:30 +0000 When officials from Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) swooped in to nab Ridwan Mukti, the former governor of Bengkulu, on corruption charges, few there were surprised. Mukti was after all the third governor to have been arrested this way in five years. Well into his second year as governor, he had done little about the crumbling schools and roads in his corner of Sumatra. Nevertheless he and his wife Lilly Maddari were nabbed on suspicion of accepting 1 billion Indonesia rupiah... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2103395/how-agency-waging-war-against-corruption-indonesia-and-winning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2103395/how-agency-waging-war-against-corruption-indonesia-and-winning?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jul 2017 06:30:30 +0000 He has the liver spots, dewlap and grey-fringed bald spot of virtually all men of 82, but Shigeo Tokuda is unique among his Japanese contemporaries. While they are often content with the occasional round of golf with their cronies, genteel hikes in the mountains or lavishing gifts on their grandchildren, Tokuda is still hard at work. It is a source of great pride that his stamina, know-how and work ethic are still in demand in a country that was built on the labour and sacrifices of the post-war... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2102943/meet-japans-82-year-old-porn-star?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2102943/meet-japans-82-year-old-porn-star?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jul 2017 05:00:45 +0000 It has been more than 10 years since Aye Min fled Myanmar amid the fighting between the military and the Karen nationalist forces. With nothing but the clothes on her back, Aye Min boarded a boat in 2006 and crossed the Moie river to Mae Sot, a district located at the border of Thailand and Myanmar. Now 43, Aye Min lives in a house in Mae Sot where she works as a cleaner, receiving 300 baht (US$8) at most in a week. She hardly goes out though, afraid that she may be caught by the police and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2103651/who-bears-brunt-thailands-crackdown-migrant-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2103651/who-bears-brunt-thailands-crackdown-migrant-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jul 2017 03:48:16 +0000 The world economy is steaming into uncharted and potentially hazardous waters. At some point in the coming months, very likely in September, America’s central bank, the Federal Reserve, will begin to shrink its balance sheet. That may sound like an obscure and highly technical undertaking, interesting only to monetary wonks. But it is likely to have far-reaching consequences that will be felt especially keenly in Asia. To understand what Fed chair Janet Yellen is proposing to do and why, it is... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/business/article/2102726/why-fed-boss-janet-yellens-slimming-plans-matter-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/business/article/2102726/why-fed-boss-janet-yellens-slimming-plans-matter-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jul 2017 01:32:39 +0000 Nineteen years ago Mahathir Mohamad, while prime minister of Malaysia, denounced his freshly sacked deputy Anwar Ibrahim as “morally unfit” for leadership, following allegations of corruption and sodomy. Now the duo – formerly known for a father-and-son-like closeness – has seemingly reunited to take down a common foe: embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is facing global scrutiny following his alleged involvement in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal. Mahathir, now... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2102723/if-anwar-and-mahathir-have-kissed-and-made-should-najib-be?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2102723/if-anwar-and-mahathir-have-kissed-and-made-should-najib-be?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Jul 2017 00:30:00 +0000 With domestic football seasons across Europe kicking off in just a few weeks, jetting halfway around the world to play friendly matches in Asia’s sweltering summer heat seems like an odd way to prepare for a title run. But top clubs from countries including Britain, Italy and Germany will do just that as they fight for the attentions, and disposable incomes, of the region’s ever-growing legions of football fanatics. Among those heading east, 18-time English league champions Liverpool will... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2102702/liverpool-ac-milan-chelsea-sevillaasia-their-new-goal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2102702/liverpool-ac-milan-chelsea-sevillaasia-their-new-goal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Jul 2017 05:30:36 +0000 “When she came to me, she was 13, had already delivered her first child, and the boy – then 15 – had already divorced her and run off,” said child rights activist Dr Hartini Zainudin, recalling her first case of teen marriage in Malaysia. “Her mother was dead and her father, a security guard, had severe gout. The father would come to me to ask for help to get milk powder and diapers. Eventually I sat the girl down and explained to her that the welfare of her child was her responsibility. She had... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2089196/malaysia-why-child-sex-bad-child-marriage-ok?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2089196/malaysia-why-child-sex-bad-child-marriage-ok?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Apr 2017 03:15:15 +0000 The district of Tebet, in south Jakarta, has an overwhelmingly Muslim character. In both rounds of the election for the city’s next governor, it backed Anies Baswedan. Anies eventually beat incumbent Basuki Tjahja Purnama – the Chinese-Indonesian and Christian politician better known as “Ahok”– in a poll with a strong religious flavour. Tebet is also one of the last redoubts of the Betawi, the city’s staunchly conservative original inhabitants, who were among the area’s first settlers. Back in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2089580/maybe-ahoks-loss-jakarta-election-wasnt-all-about-islam-and-anti?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2089580/maybe-ahoks-loss-jakarta-election-wasnt-all-about-islam-and-anti?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Apr 2017 09:15:00 +0000 Singaporean teenager Amos Yee, who has been held in a Chicago jail since mid-December pending a political asylum bid, could find himself remaining behind bars until March, his lawyer said on Tuesday after an initial court hearing. If the 18-year-old is detained until his next court hearing – scheduled for March 7 – he would have spent almost as many days in an American jail as the total prison time he served in Singapore for various offences linked to his online commentary. Yee is seeking asylum... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2066721/singaporean-asylum-seeker-amos-yee-18-could-remain-us-jail-until?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2066721/singaporean-asylum-seeker-amos-yee-18-could-remain-us-jail-until?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Jan 2017 02:15:00 +0000 The nine Singaporean armoured cars that the Hong Kong government seized and impounded for more than two months returned to the city state on Monday, ending an episode that seriously soured the Lion City’s relations with Beijing. The Singapore Defence Ministry said in a statement: “The nine Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Terrex infantry carrier vehicles and other equipment arrived in Singapore today at 1440hrs and will be transported to an SAF camp for post-training administration.” The vehicles... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2066533/hong-kongs-singaporean-armoured-vehicle-saga-finally-comes-end?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/2066533/hong-kongs-singaporean-armoured-vehicle-saga-finally-comes-end?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jan 2017 11:11:58 +0000 Singaporean teenage dissident Amos Yee, held in an Illinois jail following a US political asylum bid, faces at least several more days behind bars during the holiday lull period – and may have to wait years to find out if American authorities will grant him citizenship, his lawyer said on Saturday. US officials meanwhile confirmed the 18-year-old was detained at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on December 16. Yee was detained and sent to the McHenry County Jail near Chicago after he told... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2057043/teenage-singaporean-asylum-seeker-faces-days-behind-bars-us-during-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/2057043/teenage-singaporean-asylum-seeker-faces-days-behind-bars-us-during-holiday?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Dec 2016 02:30:45 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023385/one-belt-one-road-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023385/one-belt-one-road-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 10:41:34 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023384/top-chinese-cutting-edge-weapons-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023384/top-chinese-cutting-edge-weapons-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 10:33:23 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023383/hungry-ghosts-town-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023383/hungry-ghosts-town-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 10:23:52 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023381/tomb-raiders-china-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023381/tomb-raiders-china-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 10:13:55 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023380/little-dragon-big-influence-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023380/little-dragon-big-influence-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 10:01:58 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023376/powering-delta-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023376/powering-delta-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:47:10 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023371/asia-gone-mad-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023371/asia-gone-mad-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:31:17 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023369/great-size-and-great-ambition-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023369/great-size-and-great-ambition-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:19:39 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023363/chinas-struggle-yangtze-river-flooding?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023363/chinas-struggle-yangtze-river-flooding?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 09:06:42 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023355/trade-between-china-and-other-g20-nations-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023355/trade-between-china-and-other-g20-nations-graphic?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 08:57:38 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023347/one-asian-leaders-plans-hong-kong-chief-executive-leung-chun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/asia-buzz/article/2023347/one-asian-leaders-plans-hong-kong-chief-executive-leung-chun?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Sep 2016 08:42:34 +0000