https://www.scmp.com/rss/328489/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The biggest challenges that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has to tackle following its recent victory in the general election are the country’s sluggish economy, high inflation and unemployment. Speaking at a webinar, panellists said voters would judge the new government on its ability to create jobs, tame inflation and steady relations with key partners, even as they commended the peaceful election. Zafar Sobhan, editor of Counterpoint, said: “Let us not forget this was a key driver in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3344168/bangladesh-faces-daunting-post-election-challenges-economy-garment-sector?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3344168/bangladesh-faces-daunting-post-election-challenges-economy-garment-sector?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:25:11 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan When the US tariffs finally landed on July 31, the 19 per cent rate came as some relief in Malaysia. But in the days since, Malaysia’s government, businesses and confused public are still unpacking the fine print in a deal that gives US companies wide open access to their home market – while restricting its own giant economy to Malaysian exports. The tariff rate puts Malaysia on equal footing with Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, and slightly better off than Vietnam’s 20 per cent. At... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3321029/what-us-tariffs-mean-malaysian-businesses-and-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3321029/what-us-tariffs-mean-malaysian-businesses-and-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Aug 2025 03:14:08 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Jailed for corruption linked to state firm 1MDB, former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is determined to be freed from prison and transferred to house arrest. To do so, he must first prove the existence of a “supplementary decree” that he claims was issued by the former king, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence in the comfort of his own home. The problem is that nobody seems to know if the decree actually exists—and if they do, they are being extremely cautious about... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3295062/what-know-about-najibs-house-arrest-bid-malaysia-and-existence-royal-decree?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3295062/what-know-about-najibs-house-arrest-bid-malaysia-and-existence-royal-decree?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Jan 2025 11:00:26 +0000 Kim Keon-hee, South Korea’s first lady, has become a lightning rod for controversy amid the chaos caused by her husband’s failed attempt to impose martial law last week, with scandals tied to her wealth and influence seen as a major factor in his political misfortunes. There has also been widespread speculation that Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law to protect Kim from investigations by the political opposition However, the controversies surrounding Kim started long before her husband’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3290385/who-south-korean-first-lady-kim-keon-hee-dior-bag-scandal-martial-law-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3290385/who-south-korean-first-lady-kim-keon-hee-dior-bag-scandal-martial-law-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Dec 2024 04:00:17 +0000 Faced with record-low approval ratings and a flailing economy, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced his resignation on August 14, 2024. The island nation slipped into recession in 2024. Consumer confidence and salaries have since remained low, despite reforms started under the late leader Shinzo Abe’s “Abenomics” policies. While Abenomics had some positive impacts, inflation never rose to the expected 2 per cent mark and GDP growth underperformed. Japan’s economy continues to be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3275794/japans-former-leaders-couldnt-fix-economy-will-next-pm-be-able?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3275794/japans-former-leaders-couldnt-fix-economy-will-next-pm-be-able?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Aug 2024 03:07:23 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones As Thailand digests the downfall of another prime minister and the wreckage of another government – after yet another court ruling – here is a look at what may come next in a kingdom locked in a perpetual political crisis: Shinawatras still strong? Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s dismissal at the hands of the Constitutional Court on Wednesday was as unexpected as it was brutal, with the lead judge describing him as lacking ethics. The 5-4 ruling put a nail in the coffin of his administration... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3274576/sretthas-exit-are-thailands-conservatives-rise-democracy-retreat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3274576/sretthas-exit-are-thailands-conservatives-rise-democracy-retreat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2024 07:06:23 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones August has brought fresh political drama to Thailand and judges are at the heart of it. The most popular party, the reformist Move Forward, was dissolved by the nine-member Constitutional Court last week. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of the Pheu Thai party is set for a showdown on Wednesday with the same bench which could see him booted from office after barely a year, an outcome which would also end his government. Here is an explainer of what is going in Thailand, a kingdom where judges and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3274269/thailands-srettha-next-firing-line-country-struggles-shrug-political-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3274269/thailands-srettha-next-firing-line-country-struggles-shrug-political-chaos?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Aug 2024 08:30:19 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand faces fresh political instability with a flurry of potentially decisive court cases driven by conservative powers seeking to banish the radical opposition and undermine the government – perhaps fatally – in the same time frame. The kingdom has been locked in a spin cycle of political chaos, coups and short-lived governments for decades, as the royalist establishment backed by the army refuses to cede power to elected governments. That power struggle often plays out through the courts,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3266946/train-wreck-day-thailand-courts-hold-political-future-their-hands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3266946/train-wreck-day-thailand-courts-hold-political-future-their-hands?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jun 2024 10:05:27 +0000 China, Japan and South Korea have agreed to further talks for a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) but analysts are divided over its prospects with views ranging from a “death knell” to a “protracted” process for the FTA. The FTA might come to fruition if its scope covers less sensitive sectors such as services, the analysts say. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said at their summit in Seoul last month that their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3266464/talks-china-japan-south-korea-fta-merely-symbolic-given-us-and-public-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3266464/talks-china-japan-south-korea-fta-merely-symbolic-given-us-and-public-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jun 2024 08:45:48 +0000 The death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, 63, in a helicopter accident has plunged the Islamic Republic into uncertainty, raising questions about the transfer of power amid escalating regional tensions and a complex political landscape. The wreckage of the helicopter carrying Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and six others was found on Monday in mountains near the Azerbaijan border after a challenging search in a blizzard, according to officials. Raisi, a hardline cleric, was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3263416/how-ebrahim-raisis-death-could-affect-irans-leadership-politics-and-regional-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3263416/how-ebrahim-raisis-death-could-affect-irans-leadership-politics-and-regional-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2024 02:00:19 +0000 India will host the world’s biggest general election on Friday, with nearly 1 billion people casting their ballots over the next six weeks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 73, and his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, are the favourites to win a high-stakes parliamentary election, analysts say. A coalition of over a dozen opposition parties, dubbed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), led by the Congress party, hopes to deny Modi a third consecutive term. Here are some key... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3259564/india-election-what-issues-and-parties-are-challenging-prime-minister-narendra-modis-ruling-bjp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3259564/india-election-what-issues-and-parties-are-challenging-prime-minister-narendra-modis-ruling-bjp?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2024 04:00:21 +0000 The world’s largest single-day election gets under way in Indonesia tomorrow, with 204 million eligible voters determining the successor to President Joko Widodo as the leader of Southeast Asia’s largest economy. After four months of campaigning, opinion polls show Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto as the man to beat. But former governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo, and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan are hoping to deny Prabowo a one-round victory by taking the election to a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3251796/indonesia-election-2024-everything-you-need-know-about-worlds-largest-single-day-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3251796/indonesia-election-2024-everything-you-need-know-about-worlds-largest-single-day-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Feb 2024 05:00:09 +0000 Naimah Abdul Khalid did not mince her words in her rebuke of Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday. “Power is brief,” she said, accusing the prime minister of using a corruption crackdown as a cover to get back at his political rivals. Addressing a mob of reporters at the Kuala Lumpur court, the wife of veteran politician and businessman Daim Zainuddin accused Anwar of co-opting the country’s anti-corruption agency and top prosecutor to pursue a political vendetta. “I say this to you, Anwar... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3249747/what-behind-malaysias-corruption-crackdown-thats-ensnared-daim-zainuddin-and-mahathir-mohamads-son?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3249747/what-behind-malaysias-corruption-crackdown-thats-ensnared-daim-zainuddin-and-mahathir-mohamads-son?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Jan 2024 08:27:37 +0000 Days after a police walkout over pay in Papua New Guinea triggered deadly violence and looting, Prime Minister James Marape appears to have regained control of a dangerous situation. The leader on Thursday imposed a two-week state of emergency with the army supporting police, vowing to bring to justice the culprits for the chaos. On Friday, he ruled out a curfew but imposed limits on “large” group gatherings in the capital, Port Moresby. According to a Reuters report, 20 people were killed. But... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3248274/papua-new-guinea-vows-return-normalcy-after-deadly-riots-and-looting-will-chaos-mar-its-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3248274/papua-new-guinea-vows-return-normalcy-after-deadly-riots-and-looting-will-chaos-mar-its-us-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Jan 2024 12:22:52 +0000 A shocking assault by armed groups across Myanmar’s northeast Shan State has caught the ruling junta off-balance, forcing apparent mass surrenders of its troops and a retreat from key border areas, home to billion-dollar scam centres and crucial trade zones with China. Over 200,000 people have been displaced so far in the affected regions, according to the UN, as fighting between the military and various armed groups escalates across the country. To the pro-democracy rebels who have opposed the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3241929/could-myanmars-military-be-deposed-armed-groups-fighting-across-country?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3241929/could-myanmars-military-be-deposed-armed-groups-fighting-across-country?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Nov 2023 09:30:17 +0000 After this week, there is unlikely to be any major reveals regarding the candidates involved in the Indonesian presidential election or their policy platforms. The three tickets have all filed their nomination papers for the February 14 polls, and unveiled their policy platforms. But open elections are very rarely focused solely on the candidates and their policies. Campaigns often tend to be dominated by major issues of public concern that sometimes the political players hope to skirt around... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3239443/indonesia-election-2024-jokowi-ends-his-term-what-issues-do-3-presidential-hopefuls-face?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3239443/indonesia-election-2024-jokowi-ends-his-term-what-issues-do-3-presidential-hopefuls-face?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Oct 2023 06:00:24 +0000 Diplomatic efforts to avert an Israeli invasion of Gaza look doomed to fail as neither side in the escalating Middle Eastern conflict has indicated any willingness to negotiate. On Wednesday, five days after Hamas carried out its deadliest assault on Israel in half a century – killing more than 1,200 people and taking dozens of others hostage – Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed at a late-night briefing to wipe the Palestinian militant group that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3237704/israel-hamas-war-why-qatar-egypt-and-turkey-are-struggling-mediate-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3237704/israel-hamas-war-why-qatar-egypt-and-turkey-are-struggling-mediate-conflict?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Oct 2023 04:00:19 +0000 Decisions that will be taken in the coming days by Israel and the Iran-led ‘Resistance Front’ will determine if the unprecedented attack launched by Palestinian Hamas will escalate into a destabilising broader conflict in the Middle East. Despite intense diplomatic consultations between all of the region’s powers, there is scant hope among seasoned Middle East observers that Israel’s furious reaction will be limited to air strikes on the densely-populated Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas. With more... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3237447/could-israel-hamas-war-become-multi-front-involving-iran-and-hezbollah?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3237447/could-israel-hamas-war-become-multi-front-involving-iran-and-hezbollah?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2023 11:00:21 +0000 Azerbaijan’s seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian rebels in a lightning military operation this week has set the stage for a shift in the balance of power in the South Caucasus, a region sitting at the junction of Central Asia, Europe and the Middle East. The capitulation of some 10,000 separatist fighters on Wednesday, just a day after Azerbaijan launched its “counterterrorism operation”, came hours after Armenia declined to intervene on their behalf. This seems to have staved off the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3235567/what-you-need-know-about-azerbaijan-armenia-conflict-nagorno-karabakh?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3235567/what-you-need-know-about-azerbaijan-armenia-conflict-nagorno-karabakh?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Sep 2023 08:00:20 +0000 The Malaysian ringgit has endured a torrid year on foreign exchange markets, as the export-focused economy contends with the aftershocks of steep interest-rate increases in the United States, and the slower-than-expected return of top trading partner China from its long self-isolation during the pandemic. The currency has been Southeast Asia’s worst performer so far this year. It hit a seven-month low on Friday last week, ending the week at 4.672 to the US dollar, according to a Reuters... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3226109/why-malaysias-ringgit-slump-and-will-it-affect-pm-anwars-coalition-years-state-polls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3226109/why-malaysias-ringgit-slump-and-will-it-affect-pm-anwars-coalition-years-state-polls?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jul 2023 05:45:08 +0000 As Japan prepares to release treated radioactive waste water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea, opposition to the controversial plan continues to simmer across the region. The country’s nuclear regulator on Wednesday began a final inspection of the water which is currently stored in about 1,000 huge tanks. It will be filtered and diluted before being released through an underwater tunnel that stretches one kilometre into the ocean. But while Tokyo has sought to do its due... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3225789/what-know-about-japans-plan-release-treated-radioactive-water-fukushima-nuclear-plant-sea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3225789/what-know-about-japans-plan-release-treated-radioactive-water-fukushima-nuclear-plant-sea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2023 03:30:15 +0000 The relationship between South Korea and Japan looks set for a thaw as the leaders of both nations meet on Sunday to discuss a range of shared interests, including security and trade. South Korean Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho earlier this week described the situation as a “turning point”, following years of acrimony over historical disagreements related to Japan’s treatment of its former colony. The past was dredged up after a 2018 South Korean court ruling rekindled ill feelings over Koreans... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3219556/turning-point-whats-store-south-korea-japan-ties-yoon-kishida-meet-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3219556/turning-point-whats-store-south-korea-japan-ties-yoon-kishida-meet-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 May 2023 03:30:11 +0000 Thailand’s election is poised to be the most unpredictable in two decades. There are 400 constituency seats in play and another 100 on a proportional basis for the lower house. But an appointed upper house, or senate, of 250 members may tip the balance depending on the maths and will be pivotal in the vote for a prime minister. The magic number for a simple majority across the two chambers is 376, but expect complicated, uncomfortable alliances if no clear winner emerges. Pro-democrats hope to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3218784/thai-election-quick-guide-parties-and-major-candidates-paetongtarn-shinawatra-pita-limjaroenrat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3218784/thai-election-quick-guide-parties-and-major-candidates-paetongtarn-shinawatra-pita-limjaroenrat?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Apr 2023 06:00:14 +0000 Malaysia’s disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak is making another attempt to get out of prison, this time by seeking a royal pardon after having failed to overturn his corruption conviction at the nation’s highest court in late March. The federal court, in a majority ruling by a five-member bench, threw out his appeal to quash his conviction for misappropriating 27 million ringgit (US$6.1 million) in funds from SRC International, a former unit of the scandal-tainted state fund 1MDB. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3216682/malaysias-jailed-ex-leader-najib-razak-seeking-royal-pardon-what-happens-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3216682/malaysias-jailed-ex-leader-najib-razak-seeking-royal-pardon-what-happens-next?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Apr 2023 09:36:56 +0000 The United States, Britain and Australia on Monday announced a plan for Canberra to purchase up to five conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered US submarines, starting in the early 2030s, in an effort to counter China’s influence in the Pacific. Starting this year, Australian military and civilian personnel will integrate with US and British navies and submarine industrial bases. The Aukus pact, which was first sealed in 2021 and has four phases, drew a strong reaction from China which called it a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3213656/what-know-about-australias-aukus-subs-and-why-its-causing-anxiety-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3213656/what-know-about-australias-aukus-subs-and-why-its-causing-anxiety-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Mar 2023 04:00:14 +0000 It has been a busy first three months for Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim, as the prime minister hit the ground running to meet the demands of a nation wracked by an extended period of political upheaval and the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Anwar, 75, has faced an intense period of juggling between the need to restore some sense of political stability in his nascent administration, and implementing policies to help economic recovery especially among vulnerable groups who have yet to recover their... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3212296/anwar-ibrahims-first-100-days-hits-misses-and-roadblocks-ahead-malaysias-pm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3212296/anwar-ibrahims-first-100-days-hits-misses-and-roadblocks-ahead-malaysias-pm?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Mar 2023 04:00:21 +0000 Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the first budget of his administration on Friday, with giveaways for the poor and taxes aimed mainly at the rich, in an effort to help offset soaring inflation. So who will benefit, and will be hurt by the budget? Winners Malaysia’s poorest Pledging to “end extreme poverty”, the government is allocating 750 million ringgit (US$169 million) to upskill workers under a pilot programme dubbed the People’s Income Initiative. To be launched on Sunday,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3211485/winners-and-losers-malaysian-pm-anwar-ibrahims-first-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3211485/winners-and-losers-malaysian-pm-anwar-ibrahims-first-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Feb 2023 01:45:10 +0000 Public housing affordability in Singapore has become a conversation-starter in recent months, as ballooning prices, sky-high rents and a vigorous back-and-forth between the government and its critics on the path ahead for Housing Development Board (HDB) flats – home to over 80 per cent of the population – thrusts the topic to the centre of national consciousness. Public housing also featured heavily in Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s budget speech this week that was heavy on social policy.... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3210639/will-singapores-housing-tweaks-help-families-get-their-first-homes-more-quickly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3210639/will-singapores-housing-tweaks-help-families-get-their-first-homes-more-quickly?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Feb 2023 06:00:21 +0000 Singapore is bracing for its fourth Covid-19 wave of 2022, but any alarm that used to accompany such developments is now long gone. With one of the world’s highest rates of vaccination and an ongoing mass roll-out of “bivalent” booster shots that targets the original strain and the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, the city state is heading into the busy holiday season with a festive fervour. Last weekend, the country’s top dance festival ZoukOut – graced by the likes of Dutch DJ Tiesto and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3202442/what-you-need-know-about-singapores-looming-holiday-season-covid-wave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3202442/what-you-need-know-about-singapores-looming-holiday-season-covid-wave?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Dec 2022 02:30:10 +0000 When Malaysians went to the polls on November 19, observers predicted that a hung parliament was inevitable given such a splintered political landscape. People angered over polarising political rhetoric, corruption and instability looked to pledges of good governance from long-time opposition chief Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance, which eventually won 82 out of the 222 seats. Meanwhile, citizens from mostly rural areas were voting along nationalist and religious lines, with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3201013/who-pas-party-most-seats-malaysias-new-parliament?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3201013/who-pas-party-most-seats-malaysias-new-parliament?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Nov 2022 02:41:57 +0000 Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim has finally become prime minister after some three decades of trying. Now, the reformist leader must overcome several immediate and medium-term challenges to keep his job. Local commentators have suggested keeping the peace within his “Unity Government” – comprising alliances that were spewing vitriol at each other just days ago – will be priority number one. In a country that has had four prime ministers over five years, it is vital for Anwar, 75, to do his best to see... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3201022/malaysian-pm-anwar-builds-cabinet-amid-raft-challenges-economy-us-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3201022/malaysian-pm-anwar-builds-cabinet-amid-raft-challenges-economy-us-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Nov 2022 00:30:10 +0000 Malaysia’s political scene remains extremely fluid after Saturday’s deadlocked election, where none of the main contesting coalitions managed to obtain a simple majority to form the next government. The reformist Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance led by long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim won 82 parliamentary seats, short of the 112 needed for a majority. Coming in second was the fairly new Perikatan Nasional (PN) alliance headed by ex-prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, which won 73 seats. Some... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3200306/malaysia-election-2022-muhyiddin-pole-anwar-still-trying-zahid-under-pressure-what-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3200306/malaysia-election-2022-muhyiddin-pole-anwar-still-trying-zahid-under-pressure-what-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Nov 2022 10:45:50 +0000 Umno’s return to power in 2020 had been marred by a relentless period of feuding among Malaysia’s political elites. And how could it not be? Malaysia’s grand old party saw a crushing defeat – losing an election in 2018 for the first time in over 60 years. It took a series of calculated political manoeuvres for it to find its way back as the country’s de facto ruling party. This time, Umno is calling for “stability and prosperity” in its manifesto as it attempts to consolidate power through a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3200043/malaysia-election-2022-highlights-2-years-political-chaos-leading-saturdays-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3200043/malaysia-election-2022-highlights-2-years-political-chaos-leading-saturdays-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Nov 2022 04:00:11 +0000 After months of anticipation, Malaysia’s November 19 election is now days away with almost 1,000 candidates fighting it out to win a place in the country’s 222-seat parliament. The snap election was only announced in October, after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved parliament following months of pressure from his ruling nationalist Umno party vying for a return to power. This will be Malaysia’s 15th general election and is likely to be the most hotly contested that the country has... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3199685/malaysia-election-2022-quick-guide-what-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3199685/malaysia-election-2022-quick-guide-what-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Nov 2022 00:30:17 +0000 Malaysian politics has been saturated by men for far too long, with wily veterans and the likes of two-time prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and his foe Anwar Ibrahim regularly taking centre stage in local and global discourse. But a number of prominent women have been shaking up the country’s political scene for decades, from top party figures like Nurul Izzah Anwar and Zuraida Kamaruddin to relative newcomers like Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi, Siti Rahayu Baharin, Noraishah Mydin Abdul-Aziz, Yeo Bee... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3199276/malaysia-election-2022-meet-7-women-shaking-political-scene-saturated-men?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3199276/malaysia-election-2022-meet-7-women-shaking-political-scene-saturated-men?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Nov 2022 00:30:09 +0000 Singapore last month introduced a fresh round of property cooling measures, a concept that might not be too foreign to those watching the Hong Kong real estate market. The Hong Kong government has implemented cooling measures for more than a decade, and Financial Secretary Paul Chan in August said there was “no plan or intention” for them to go anywhere. Singapore and Hong Kong, however, have two very different property market environments which inform how and when their governments choose to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3195981/how-singapore-and-hong-kongs-property-cooling-measures-differ?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3195981/how-singapore-and-hong-kongs-property-cooling-measures-differ?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Oct 2022 06:00:23 +0000 As Malaysians head to the polls later this year after Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob on Monday dissolved parliament, political analysts have their eyes on the fight for Malay and youth votes. Malaysia’s Election Commission is expected to meet this week to decide on the polling date, which must be within 60 days from the day parliament is dissolved. The 15th national election comes four years after voters, fed-up over entrenched corruption and rising living costs, unseated Barisan Nasional, a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3195468/malaysia-election-umno-faces-fierce-fight-malay-bloc-youth-vote?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3195468/malaysia-election-umno-faces-fierce-fight-malay-bloc-youth-vote?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Oct 2022 10:53:08 +0000 The deaths of at least 125 people in Indonesia on October 1 was one of the world’s deadliest sporting stadium disasters in recent history. For many, the tragedy was a stark reminder of the 1989 incident at Britain’s Hillsborough Stadium, in which an influx of people caused a severe crush that left 97 football fans dead. More recently, a crowd crush during rap star Travis Scott’s Astroworld music concert in the United States killed at least eight people and injured dozens. The disasters are not... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3194782/how-do-crowd-disasters-indonesias-football-tragedy-happen-and-can?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3194782/how-do-crowd-disasters-indonesias-football-tragedy-happen-and-can?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Oct 2022 08:07:24 +0000 The impact of the British pound’s plunge has reverberated across Asia, presenting opportunities but also posing some challenges for consumers and businesses in the region. The pound fell by as much as 5 per cent against the US dollar to an all-time low of US$1.0327 on Monday, triggering alarm in financial markets over new Prime Minister Liz Truss’ emergency budget measures unveiled last week to jump-start the country’s ailing economy. On Friday, it rebounded to levels last seen before the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3194432/what-does-weaker-british-pound-mean-asian-tourists-students-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3194432/what-does-weaker-british-pound-mean-asian-tourists-students-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Sep 2022 09:47:22 +0000 Travellers from Singapore to Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia can finally start putting together travel plans, as a number of destinations from across Asia look to welcome tourists after a lengthy period of border restrictions. For “zero-Covid” holdouts Taiwan and Hong Kong, the latest removal of tough hotel quarantine measures has meant that outbound travel will be much easier during the holiday season. After Hong Kong’s long-awaited announcement that overseas travellers will no longer need to be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3193852/what-tourists-need-know-about-covid-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3193852/what-tourists-need-know-about-covid-restrictions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Sep 2022 11:45:10 +0000 An archaic law in Singapore criminalising sex between men, which has long been a third rail issue dividing liberals and conservatives, has returned to the fore. Top officials, religious groups and gay rights campaigners have in recent weeks traded views over the controversial legislation – Section 377A of the Penal Code – amid growing indications that the government could soon strike it down. One of the signs included a visit to this year’s Pink Dot pride rally by a lawmaker from the ruling... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3189419/singapores-section-377a-how-attitudes-towards-anti-gay-law-have?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3189419/singapores-section-377a-how-attitudes-towards-anti-gay-law-have?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Aug 2022 02:30:12 +0000 Malaysians have been in an uproar over the past couple of weeks after it was revealed that 6 billion ringgit (US$1.3 billion) had been paid for six naval ships that remain undelivered well past the deadline, adding to the crisis facing Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his nascent administration. Ismail Sabri, who was made prime minister barely a year ago, has been under constant pressure from his former ruling Umno party to call for early elections after strong showings at two state polls... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3189065/day-reckoning-ship-scandal-piles-pressure-malaysian-pm-ismail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3189065/day-reckoning-ship-scandal-piles-pressure-malaysian-pm-ismail?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Aug 2022 09:30:24 +0000 For decades, Hong Kong and Singapore have shared many similarities, among them the many expatriates who rent homes in the thriving Asian financial hubs. However, differing Covid-19 policies have affected rental prices in the two cities. In Hong Kong, rents declined by 1.3 per cent in the first half of the year, as expats unable to tolerate pandemic travel restrictions left the city for jobs elsewhere. But prices are going in the opposite direction in Singapore, which has reopened its borders and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3187808/singapore-still-tenants-haven-rents-heat-and-more-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3187808/singapore-still-tenants-haven-rents-heat-and-more-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Aug 2022 03:00:22 +0000 A dispute over a colonial-era land deal, involving territories in the furthest corners of Malaysia and the Philippines, is back in the spotlight after the heirs of a defunct Philippine sultanate attempted to seize assets belonging to Malaysia’s national petroleum company Petronas worth some US$15 billion. The heirs sought legal recourse in a French arbitration court following Malaysia’s move to stop paying the money granted them under the 144-year-old agreement in which the sultanate surrendered... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3186447/why-are-philippine-heirs-sultan-clashing-malaysia-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3186447/why-are-philippine-heirs-sultan-clashing-malaysia-over?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Jul 2022 04:01:12 +0000 Most Sri Lankans are clear on what they think of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, blamed by so many for mismanaging the economic crisis that has brought the nation to its knees and blighted the lives of millions through food, fuel and medicine shortages. However, his whereabouts have been far less transparent since hordes of desperate protesters, some of them on the streets for weeks, swarmed government buildings in Colombo, including his official home, on Saturday, then refused to leave. The BBC... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3185057/where-sri-lankas-president-gotabaya-rajapaksa-and-why-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3185057/where-sri-lankas-president-gotabaya-rajapaksa-and-why-are?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2022 13:18:23 +0000 Indonesian President Joko Widodo is due to arrive in Russia for talks with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, following a visit to Kyiv on Wednesday. He attended Monday’s Group of Seven summit in Munich, and his pit stops in Moscow and Kyiv make him the first Southeast Asian leader to have face-to-face talks with Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky since the war between the neighbours began in February. “War has to be stopped and global food supply chains need to be reactivated,”... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3183448/what-indonesias-joko-widodo-hoping-achieve-when-he-meets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3183448/what-indonesias-joko-widodo-hoping-achieve-when-he-meets?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jun 2022 03:15:52 +0000 India has been caught in a diplomatic storm over controversial remarks made by the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) spokeswoman Nupur Sharma about the Prophet Mohammed. The comments, made during a television debate in late May, have drawn widespread condemnation from more than a dozen Islamic nations – forcing the BJP to suspend Sharma from the party. The BJP said in a statement last week that it “respects all religions”. The opposition parties have accused Prime Minister... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3181031/how-bjps-nupur-sharmas-prophet-mohammed-comments-pushed-india?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3181031/how-bjps-nupur-sharmas-prophet-mohammed-comments-pushed-india?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jun 2022 08:37:00 +0000 Twenty years ago the first ever Shangri-La Dialogue defence summit was held in Singapore, named after the hotel it took place in. Present at the inaugural session that May were defence officials from 22 countries, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and Britain. Since that initial meeting the event has grown in size and influence, now billed as one of Asia’s most important defence dialogues and one which plays a key role in the region’s security landscape. Robert Gates, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3180919/us-china-fireworks-kishida-speech-singapores-role-key-things?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3180919/us-china-fireworks-kishida-speech-singapores-role-key-things?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jun 2022 02:15:24 +0000 The scale of the global food crisis that has followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cannot be underestimated. The United Nations has said the conflict could precipitate a “hurricane of hunger”–especially in developing countries – given that 30 per cent of the world’s grain exports originate from the warring countries. To compound matters, rising protectionism is severely distorting prices. From India to Malaysia and Indonesia, governments have recently clamped down on the exports of staples such... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3180326/can-world-spend-its-way-out-current-global-food-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3180326/can-world-spend-its-way-out-current-global-food-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jun 2022 02:00:23 +0000 For the first time in more than two years, tourists are returning to Japan as the government there begins to ease some of the world’s strictest border measures amid a drop in Covid-19 cases. From June 10, Japan will allow a limited number of foreign visitors on package tours. Last week a few “test tours” – mainly of overseas travel agents – began arriving, closely monitored and subject to tight hygiene measures. For most of the pandemic, Japan has barred all tourists, allowing entry to only... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3180056/japan-gradually-opens-foreign-tourists-june-10-what-you-need?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3180056/japan-gradually-opens-foreign-tourists-june-10-what-you-need?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jun 2022 02:00:16 +0000