https://www.scmp.com/rss/523282/feed The latest news and top stories on Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), a public research university dedicated to promoting Bahasa Melayu and internationalising knowledge rooted in national culture. Established in 1970, UKM is based in Bandar Baru Bangi in Selangor state with campuses in Kuala Lumpur and Doha. It is recognised as one of Malaysia's largest universities. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele The sounds of passing cars and birds chirping broke the morning stillness at Penang’s Northam Road Protestant Cemetery as visitors began filtering in after 8am. Tour guide Zul Harris arrived in a purple shirt, grey trousers and a black flat cap to greet seven tourists waiting at the gate. Inside, a narrow laterite path ran through the cemetery beneath old frangipani trees, whose dense canopy cast a muted green light over weathered headstones tilting at uneven angles. Zul was leading a cemetery... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3352393/penangs-cemetery-tours-spur-interest-pioneers-colonial-history?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3352393/penangs-cemetery-tours-spur-interest-pioneers-colonial-history?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:21 +0000 Joseph Sipalan,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Joseph Sipalan,Iman Muttaqin Yusof When Malaysia’s government announced a ban on two books in mid-April, the move raised eyebrows, with some questioning the intent of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration and his reformist credentials. The home affairs ministry on April 16 declared that the books – one of which was a memoir of the grandmother to an ally of Anwar – were a danger to national security for containing communist elements and ideologies. The decision triggered immediate pushback, predictably from civil society... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352174/malaysias-book-bans-iran-war-anwars-reform-agenda-faces-sternest-test?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3352174/malaysias-book-bans-iran-war-anwars-reform-agenda-faces-sternest-test?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:15 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Malaysian NGO is demanding more accountability in project approvals in Cameron Highlands after a two-hour downpour on Monday resulted in a “river of mud” gushing through the main road of a town in the popular hill resort. A 15-second clip shows waist-high muddy waters, which social media users likened to teh tarik, surging through Ringlet, swallowing the main road and pushing against cars. Cameron Highlands police chief Azri Ramli said the flood was caused by a heavy downpour that began at 2pm... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350880/river-mud-malaysias-cameron-highlands-prompts-accountability-calls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3350880/river-mud-malaysias-cameron-highlands-prompts-accountability-calls?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:24:02 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Malaysia’s busiest container port has started refusing Middle East-bound cargo unless shipping lines can guarantee prompt pickup, in one of the clearest signs yet that the Gulf crisis is working its way past oil and into the everyday trade that moves across Asia. Longer transit times, missed sailings and sharply higher insurance premiums are now rippling across the region’s logistics chain, with wine, spirits and other time-sensitive goods acting as an early indicator of disruption that analysts... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350711/delays-rising-costs-hit-asias-trade-gulf-crisis-spills-beyond-oil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3350711/delays-rising-costs-hit-asias-trade-gulf-crisis-spills-beyond-oil?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 08:36:22 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Iran’s threat to impose tolls on vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz is stirring concern far beyond the Gulf, sharpening fears that one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints could be used as political leverage rather than governed by international rules. The concern is especially acute in Asia, which remains heavily reliant on Middle East energy supplies and exposed to any disruption in the waterway, through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil passes. Analysts warn that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3349686/irans-hormuz-toll-threat-lays-bare-asias-energy-vulnerability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3349686/irans-hormuz-toll-threat-lays-bare-asias-energy-vulnerability?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 12:23:36 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele The risks of environmental calamity in the Strait of Hormuz are mounting with each passing week of the Iran conflict, conservationists have warned, as giant tankers filled with fuel are trapped in a small area and Iran continues to fire missiles and drones at Gulf oil assets. The potential for catastrophe in the waterway was sharpened on Monday when a Kuwaiti crude tanker was set ablaze at Dubai Port in an Iranian attack that damaged its hull, sparking warnings of a possible oil spill. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348680/environmental-risks-grow-iran-war-traps-oil-tankers-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348680/environmental-risks-grow-iran-war-traps-oil-tankers-strait-hormuz?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 11:00:08 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim In recent weeks, Singaporean Cindy has been troubled by an odour lingering in the air during her evening walks to the gym. “It’s the same situation every year, but I would say that the fogginess and burning smell have been getting stronger for the last year or so,” said the 33-year-old resident who lives in the southern estate of Telok Blangah. “I have a baby, so it concerns me a lot, and I know many other families feel the same,” she said. “I always keep our windows closed, which is not very... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348070/haze-returns-singapore-crisis-quietly-accepted-asean-inevitable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3348070/haze-returns-singapore-crisis-quietly-accepted-asean-inevitable?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 03:00:13 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Several Malaysian civil society groups on Monday accused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government of using a harsh criminal law provision to intimidate critics after police questioned activists, academics and political researchers over an alleged plot to topple the government. The backlash follows an announcement in late February that police were investigating allegations of a conspiracy to “topple the government and sabotage national stability” involving “a local influential figure” and an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346706/malaysias-government-accused-using-law-silence-critics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346706/malaysias-government-accused-using-law-silence-critics?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 04:52:23 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof As soaring copper prices make the metal highly sought after, more cable thieves are targeting some of Malaysia’s busiest urban rail lines, causing significant inconvenience to commuters and headaches for authorities aiming to combat the scourge. Thefts of copper-embedded cables have led to disruption in train services linking Kuala Lumpur’s northern suburbs to the federal administrative capital of Putrajaya in recent weeks. Among the services affected are the high-speed MRT Putrajaya and Kajang... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346489/cable-thefts-key-malaysian-train-lines-soar-amid-coppers-red-hot-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3346489/cable-thefts-key-malaysian-train-lines-soar-amid-coppers-red-hot-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 08:01:29 +0000 David Lam David Lam In late December, Grok – the AI model developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI – released a feature that allowed users to generate non-consensual sexualised images of women and children. Within a few weeks, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines took the unusual step of banning Grok after they deemed xAI’s initial mitigations insufficient. The ban was lifted only after xAI placed new restrictions on Grok’s image-generation capabilities. While this episode was resolved, it underscores the risk that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3344912/southeast-asia-needs-ai-sovereignty-grok-scandal-proved-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3344912/southeast-asia-needs-ai-sovereignty-grok-scandal-proved-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 04:00:16 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is facing mounting pressure from within his own ruling coalition after a key partner called for an independent inquiry into allegations that a “corporate mafia” is operating within the country’s anti-corruption agency, placing his reform agenda under renewed scrutiny. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) – the largest party in Anwar’s uneasy alliance – said it would insist on a royal commission to investigate claims that senior figures in the Malaysian... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344621/pressure-mounts-malaysias-anwar-allies-seeks-new-inquiry-macc-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344621/pressure-mounts-malaysias-anwar-allies-seeks-new-inquiry-macc-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 11:05:56 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof The vapes used to be obvious. Bright displays of flavoured liquid, a shop just down the road, a transaction as unremarkable as buying shampoo. Batrisyia, 28, remembers how easy it was. Those days are gone. Or rather, in Malaysia at least, the trade has moved under the table. “It’s definitely less open now,” said Batrisyia, a Johor native who asked to be identified by a pseudonym for fear of backlash. “You don’t see big vape displays like before, and we can’t buy online any more. But it hasn’t... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3344146/malaysias-vape-ban-plan-leaves-14-million-users-regulatory-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3344146/malaysias-vape-ban-plan-leaves-14-million-users-regulatory-limbo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A government proposal to study whether Kuala Lumpur’s mayor should be elected rather than appointed has triggered what observers describe as a familiar “cultural war” over race, power and who gets to govern Malaysia’s capital. The feasibility study announced by Hannah Yeoh – a minister from the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP) – has also drawn criticism that it is a political project pushed by her party. Yeoh, a minister in the prime minister’s department, told local Chinese daily... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342498/malaysia-study-elected-kuala-lumpur-mayor-triggers-another-race-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3342498/malaysia-study-elected-kuala-lumpur-mayor-triggers-another-race-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Feb 2026 07:51:49 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele A typical day for Aizat Halim begins at 5am, as he sets out on a drive to his fruit farm in Janda Baik, about 50km (30 miles) from his home in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur – a distance that reflects the gap between his current and former lives. Farming, the 31-year-old said, was always his first career choice, despite graduating in marketing from colleges in the US and the United Kingdom. In 2020, he started a pineapple farm on family land, leaving a cushy air-conditioned job as a marketing... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340192/southeast-asias-young-farmers-dig-future-call-return-land?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340192/southeast-asias-young-farmers-dig-future-call-return-land?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 00:00:13 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Malaysian man previously convicted of child abuse has been arrested again on suspicion of forcing his son, 10, to shoplift daily necessities. Police in Bahau, in Negeri Sembilan state’s Jempol district, were alerted to what initially appeared to be a simple case of theft on Wednesday, The Sun newspaper reported. Staff from a wholesale supermarket had caught the boy trying to steal a 200-gram pack of instant coffee. But officers soon uncovered a troubling pattern of child exploitation, Jempol... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340127/malaysian-man-arrested-forcing-son-10-shoplift-regularly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3340127/malaysian-man-arrested-forcing-son-10-shoplift-regularly?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Jan 2026 06:41:09 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words The capture of Nicolas Maduro may be the epitome of Donald Trump’s strategic calculations. The raid was a warning that the United States can project power anywhere, anytime with overwhelming force and conclusiveness. It is regaining control over its own backyard, where China has... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3339672/strategic-calculations-behind-trumps-venezuela-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3339672/strategic-calculations-behind-trumps-venezuela-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:30:08 +0000 Fan Chen,Laura Zhou Fan Chen,Laura Zhou An inherent “asymmetry” of power poses a challenge to resolving South China Sea disputes via the quiet diplomacy traditionally favoured by Southeast Asian nations, a leading Malaysian security expert has said. Chinese analysts said Beijing supported the “Asean way” too, so long as sovereignty claims were resolved bilaterally. They also warned against external interference and “power politics” standing in the way of consensus within the bloc. Ruhanas Harun, an international relations professor at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336082/why-are-south-china-sea-disputes-hard-resolve-power-asymmetry-says-malaysian-expert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336082/why-are-south-china-sea-disputes-hard-resolve-power-asymmetry-says-malaysian-expert?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 01:00:14 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk A Malaysian academic whose claim that the Romans learned shipbuilding from the Malays went viral has defended her assertions, saying that she has been a victim of “media lynching”. Solehah Yaacob, an Arabic language and linguistic associate professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), stood by her theory in a social media post on Sunday. Referring to the lecture, which she delivered in December 2022 and was posted on social media on October 31, she said her statement was... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3332498/malaysian-don-behind-malay-roman-shipbuilding-theory-slams-media-lynching?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3332498/malaysian-don-behind-malay-roman-shipbuilding-theory-slams-media-lynching?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 10:11:45 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words In times of global tension, many of us have hesitated before pressing “post” on social media. Words are chosen carefully, not only to avoid offence, but to ensure our messages are even seen. This quiet form of self-censorship reflects an emerging truth: algorithms, not editors or... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3328481/censorship-social-media-algorithm-chips-away-human-rights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3328481/censorship-social-media-algorithm-chips-away-human-rights?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Oct 2025 03:30:09 +0000 Hadi Azmi,Aidan Jones Hadi Azmi,Aidan Jones Storms uprooted trees and ripped roofs across Malaysia’s capital of Kuala Lumpur on Monday night, as forecasters warned of a potentially dangerous collision between the seasonal monsoon and La Nina climate phenomenon that could dump more rain over the coming weeks. The northeast monsoon brings heavy rains and strong winds to Malaysia all the way through March, while La Nina – a Pacific Ocean climate pattern – amplifies rainfall, compounding the power of storms that hit the region. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3326548/la-nina-monsoon-brew-perfect-storm-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3326548/la-nina-monsoon-brew-perfect-storm-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 09:03:01 +0000 Hadi Azmi Hadi Azmi Malaysia’s university admissions system is facing scrutiny after an ethnic Chinese student with a “near-perfect” academic record was denied entry into six accounting courses, reigniting debate over race-based preferential policies in the country’s higher education system. Edward Wong, a 20-year-old from Penang, had achieved a perfect cumulative grade point average of 4.0, top marks in all subjects, and scored 9.9 out of 10 for co-curricular activities in the national Malaysian Higher School... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325575/ethnic-chinese-top-scorer-rejected-malaysian-universities-reignites-quota-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325575/ethnic-chinese-top-scorer-rejected-malaysian-universities-reignites-quota-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 07:14:57 +0000 Joseph Sipalan Joseph Sipalan 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... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3324042/johor-earthquakes-force-malaysia-confront-no-risk-building-code-myth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3324042/johor-earthquakes-force-malaysia-confront-no-risk-building-code-myth?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 09:06:59 +0000 Letters Letters With Taiwan’s recall campaign, South Korea’s political upheaval and the growing influence of right-wing forces in Japan, it’s clear that people across Asia are grappling with uncertainties. A glimpse of the solution for them might be found right in my dorm’s common room. The gatherings here look like a scene from a school brochure: we’re not only racially diverse, we also represent three continents, five religions, the full spectrum of political beliefs and a range of socioeconomic backgrounds.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3322772/lets-not-agree-disagree-productive-disagreement-what-world-needs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3322772/lets-not-agree-disagree-productive-disagreement-what-world-needs?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2025 03:30:08 +0000 Tham Siew Yean Tham Siew Yean When Malaysia unveiled its National Artificial Intelligence Roadmap in 2022, it promised a future of innovation and prosperity. But as geopolitical tensions mount, the country’s aspirations risk being stifled by forces it struggles to control: tariffs, export bans and a global scramble for the chips that power tomorrow’s technology. That road map for 2021 to 2025 placed particular emphasis on AI applications in supply chains; agriculture and forestry; medical and healthcare; smart cities and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3321266/malaysias-ai-dreams-victim-us-china-tech-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3321266/malaysias-ai-dreams-victim-us-china-tech-war?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Aug 2025 04:00:11 +0000