Malaysia

The Forest City project in Malaysia's state of Johor has been overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, but is still aiming for completion in 2035. Residential apartments under construction are pictured in early 2019.
Property

China-backed Malaysia megacity project struggles to gain momentum

Country Garden's $100bn offshore development still slowed by pandemic headwinds

14 March 2022
Political parties' flags hang at a junction ahead of the Johor state election in Johor Baru, Malaysia.
Politics

Malaysia's UMNO wins in Johor, raising odds of early national polls

State election success expected to embolden party heavyweights to pressure PM

13 March 2022
AirAsia parent Capital A will need to find other sources of funding after failing to qualify for a goverment-backed loan.
Transportation

Capital A outlook clouded by state-backed loan denial

AirAsia's parent raising funds ahead of expected air travel demand increase

11 March 2022
A Singapore Airlines plane at the Singapore Airshow in February: The city-state this week announced a package worth 500 million Singapore dollars to support its aviation sector.
Coronavirus

Singapore weighs air hub reopening as Malaysia charges ahead

City-state plows millions into restoring aviation but remains cautious about border

11 March 2022
Malaysian Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz told parliament the government has already started boosting subsidies, which were up tenfold on the year in January.
Economy

Malaysia oil subsidies could more than double in 2022: finance chief

Tengku Zafrul warns of $6.7bn bill if Ukraine war keeps crude above $100

10 March 2022
Johor Bahru, the capital of Johor: The state is seen as a key political bellwether. (Source Photo by Reuters and Keiichiro Asahara)
Politics

Malaysia's Johor polls offer a window on next general election

An UMNO win on Saturday could hasten national vote

10 March 2022
Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 2020: Still a member of parliament at age 96, he has announced that he does not intend to seek re-election.
Politics

Mahathir declares he will not run in next Malaysia election

Former PM, nearly 97, still wants to 'advise' younger politicians

9 March 2022
A court sketch showing Tim Leissner pointing from the witness stand at his former Goldman Sachs colleague Roger Ng, who is accused of helping to launder hundreds of millions of dollars looted from Malaysia's 1MDB. 
Finance

'A rare, cunning liar': 1MDB trial weighs ex-Goldman star's credibility

Roger Ng defense team hones in on dishonesty of his former superior, Tim Leissner

9 March 2022
Netflix's apocalyptic South Korean series "Hellbound" became the world's most-watched television show on Netflix in a mere 24 hours upon its release in 2021. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Tea Leaves

Asian horror films challenge Western dominance

Global smash hits have raised the bar on quality of future productions

9 March 2022
Malaysia will reopen its international border on April 1, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced, a month later than the national recovery council advised.
Coronavirus

Malaysia to reopen border April 1 in move toward 'endemic' COVID

PM Ismail Sabri says transition phase will help restore 'an almost normal life'

8 March 2022
A 1Malaysia Development Berhad billboard in Kuala Lumpur, pictured in February 2016: it takes a warped, opaque and stuck-in-time political system to produce a scandal like 1MDB.
Opinion

1MDB trial shows the depths of Malaysia's economic woes

Martin Scorsese would bow in face of scandal playing out in New York

2 March 2022
Tim Leissner, the former chairman of Southeast Asia for Goldman Sachs, leaves federal court in New York on Feb. 15. 
Finance

Ex-Goldman banker's love life takes center stage at Ng 1MDB trial

Tim Leissner cross-examined over lies to investigators and to spouses

2 March 2022
Tony Fernandes says investors are confident in his vision for Capital A even as stock market auditors raise concerns. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
Business Spotlight

AirAsia parent Capital A faces scrutiny over recovery plan

Malaysian bourse angers airline boss Tony Fernandes with restructuring demand

25 February 2022
Southeast Asia's biggest banks, all based in Singapore, are hoping the worst effects of the coronavirus pandemic are behind them.
Finance

From ASEAN to Taiwan, Singapore banks tap Asia growth post-COVID

Southeast Asia's largest lenders snapping up Citi's assets as profits surge

23 February 2022
Ex-Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng arrives at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, on Feb. 22. 
Finance

1MDB: Ng trial witness details links between Goldman and Najib

Leissner hoped others in Asia 'would take notice' by dealing with ex-Malaysia PM

23 February 2022
Ex-Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng arrives for his criminal trial at U.S. federal court in Brooklyn on Feb. 16.
Finance

Ex-Goldman banker outlines scheme to bribe Malaysian, Abu Dhabi officials

Bank's former Southeast Asia chair testifies in trial over 1MDB scandal

17 February 2022
Moderna, which developed one of the main COVID-19 vaccines used worldwide, is looking to begin production in Asia. (Source photo by Akira Kodaka and Reuters)
Interview

Moderna taps Singapore, Hong Kong for COVID era expansion

Taiwan, Malaysia also picked; CEO Bancel eyes vaccine plants in Asia

16 February 2022
Sunrise in Penang as seen from The Habitat Penang Hill, with the twinkling lights of the town in the distance. (Courtesy of J&A Productions)
Tea Leaves

Pandemic unlocks a city dweller's love of nature

Malaysian biodiversity project offers conservation lesson for Asia

16 February 2022
Kuala Lumpur's central business district, pictured on Jan. 30: the shortfall of homegrown, dynamic Malay enterprises remains unfinished business.
Opinion

Ismail Sabri's Malay action plan is a big deal

Policy is not a game changer but it can make a difference

15 February 2022
Suntory will begin exporting Japanese gin to other counties in Asia in April. (Photo courtesy of Suntory) 
Food & Beverage

Suntory takes shot at spirits market in India, Southeast Asia

Japanese distiller looks to region's growing middle class for growth

15 February 2022
Ex-Goldman Sachs banker Roger Ng exits after the first day of his criminal trial, at the U.S. courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, on Feb. 14.
Finance

U.S. says Goldman banker took millions in kickbacks in 1MDB scandal

Trial of Roger Ng to feature business dealings of bankers' wives

15 February 2022
Four decades after its "Look East Policy" deepened ties with Japan, Malaysia is increasingly seeking economic cooperation with China.
Asia Insight

Malaysia eyes China 40 years after it 'looked east' to Japan

Nation faces COVID, 1MDB and value chain hurdles on path to high-income status

15 February 2022
Kuala Lumpur in January: Malaysia's pandemic-hit economy has returned to growth.
Economy

Malaysia GDP up 3.1% for 2021 after return to growth in Q4

3.6% rise in last quarter caps roller-coaster year under COVID

11 February 2022
Capital A Group CEO Tony Fernandes says demand for air travel will pick up by the end of the year, although he does not expect China to open up anytime soon. (File photo by Reuters) 
Transportation

Tony Fernandes says Capital A to be profitable next year

Chief of former AirAsia Group says travel demand will return by end of 2022

11 February 2022
Capital A is seen turning to Malaysian business veteran Jamaludin Ibrahim for a key AirAsia post as international travel is expected to increase. (Source photos by AP and P Prem Kumar)
Transportation

Capital A to tap telecom stalwart as AirAsia chairman: source

Former head of Malaysia's Axiata to help steer carrier out of COVID troubles

10 February 2022