Malaysia

Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin inspects an honor guard: He has taken on a prominent role in managing the nation's fractious politics.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysian king presses Muhyiddin to reopen parliament immediately

Palace and state rulers oppose COVID emergency extension beyond Aug. 1

16 June 2021
King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin is to hold a special conference with state rulers to discuss COVID-19 and the country's political situation.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia king to host special rulers huddle with high stakes for PM

COVID emergency up for debate; Muhyiddin says parliament could restart in September

15 June 2021
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad waves as he leaves an audience with the king on June 10.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysian king confers with Mahathir and peers on COVID emergency

With expiry weeks away, all parties given a say ahead of key rulers meeting

11 June 2021
Malaysia's Top Glove says a ban on its products in the U.S. has hurt sales.
Companies

Malaysia's Top Glove Q3 earnings dented by US import ban

But net profit and sales surge from same period last year as pandemic worsened

9 June 2021
Sagi Karni, Israel's ambassador to Singapore, defended his country's handling of the recent Gaza conflict in an interview. (Source photos by Embassy of Israel in Singapore and Reuters) 
Interview

Israel envoy pans 'megaphone diplomacy' after ASEAN outcry on Gaza

Ambassador to Singapore says possible Netanyahu exit won't stop Asia outreach

7 June 2021
Malaysian artist Hong Yi -- better known as "Red" -- sits in front of her artwork featuring 50,000 matchsticks that she set fire to for Time magazine in April. (Photo by Annice Lyn and Jessie Lyee)
Arts

Malaysian 'painter without a brush' sees a better future

Art and politics of 'Red' Hong Yi highlight climate change, race and ethnic heritage

4 June 2021
Axiata Group and RHB are aiming to win a digital banking license in Malaysia. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Finance

Malaysia's Axiata and RHB Bank team up for digital bank license

Lagging Hong Kong and Singapore, country aims to hand out 5 permits by mid-2022

2 June 2021
Stream article image
South China Sea

Malaysia to summon Chinese envoy over airspace intrusions

Activity of 16 planes 'a threat to national sovereignty,' foreign ministry says

2 June 2021
Malaysia will shut most industries through June 14 as it goes into a nationwide lockdown.
Coronavirus

Toyota and Honda shut production as Malaysia enters lockdown

Infection surges in Southeast Asia threaten global supply chains

1 June 2021
A Muslim cleric and his team move the body of a coronavirus victim for burial on May 23.
Coronavirus

Malaysia locks down as vicious COVID wave fogs election timing

PM adds $9.7bn of stimulus while hospitals struggle to cope with bodies

31 May 2021
Despite the pandemic-triggered global economic downturn, the residential real estate markets in Singapore and other cities have been heating up.
Business deals

Singapore's PropertyGuru to acquire Malaysia and Thailand rivals

Real estate portal follows Grab and Gojek with Southeast Asia's latest megadeal

31 May 2021
Containerships at a port in Malaysia. The Southeast Asian nation's exports surged 63% in April.
Trade

Malaysia leads Southeast Asia recovery on digital device demand

Vietnam and Singapore also rebound while Philippines mired in slump

29 May 2021
A virtually deserted street in Kuala Lumpur on May 11: The Malaysian government has announced even tighter restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Coronavirus

Malaysia declares total lockdown to stop COVID-19 surge

Economy to shut down for two weeks, except for essential services

28 May 2021
What sets the works of Zen Cho, left, and Joshua Kam apart from other Malaysian and Southeast Asian novelists is their exploration of nonconformist sexual orientations and controversial episodes of their country's history. (Nikkei montage/Source photos courtesy of Zen Cho and Joshua Kam)
28 May 2021
Though its market share in standard models is relatively small, Sony still has a solid position in high-end television sets. (Photo courtesy of Sony)
Electronics

Sony's unmanned Malaysian factory to slash TV production costs

Japanese electronics giant seeks edge with robots to catch up with Samsung and LG

28 May 2021
AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes sees financial recovery from the coronavirus pandemic in two years.
Transportation

AirAsia's pandemic recovery to take two more years, says Fernandes

Budget carrier's 1Q sales drop 87%, net loss improves slightly from year before

27 May 2021
Southeast Asian nations get relatively large proportions of their tax revenues from corporations.
Economy

Southeast Asian nations are stepping up taxation efforts

Moves to increase revenue from companies aim to fix pandemic-ravaged state finances

23 May 2021
Malaysia's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks to Nikkei Asia during an online interview on May 20.
The Future of Asia 2021

'Old' Quad strategy risks provoking China: Malaysia's Mahathir

Veteran leader also urges Beijing to tread carefully regarding Taiwan

20 May 2021
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen speaks during the 26th International Conference on The Future of Asia on May 20. (Photo by Kai Fujii) 
The Future of Asia 2021

Cambodia's Hun Sen: 'If I don't rely on China, who will I rely on?'

PM calls criticism of close Beijing ties 'unjust' at Nikkei forum

20 May 2021
Years after the scandal broke, 1MDB continues to haunt Malaysian politics -- and limit the government's financial maneuvering room.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's 1MDB debt looms over next election and coming decades

Muhyiddin government highlights strain on federal coffers left by rival UMNO

18 May 2021
Mahathir Mohamad, right, raises the hand of Anwar Ibrahim during a rally in Port Dickson in October 2018: the relevance of the electoral tsunami in 2018 cannot be overstated.
Opinion

Whither Malaysia's forgotten revolution?

Infighting and intrigue helped Pakatan Harapan engineer its own downfall

17 May 2021
A recent study found that among publicly listed firms in the ASEAN region, those in Singapore scored lower on corporate governance measures than those in Thailand and Malaysia.
Companies

Singapore companies flagged for lagging ASEAN peers in transparency

Corporate governance bodies highlight reluctance of companies to disclose information

14 May 2021
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, failed to reach an agreement on the "Asian Eurostar" project with his Singaporean peer Lee Hsien Loong. (Source photos by AP and Reuters) 
International relations

Why Malaysia's plan for 'Asia's Eurostar' went off the rails

High-speed rail between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore fell prey to politics

13 May 2021
Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza, as seen from the Israeli city of Ashkelon on May 11.
International relations

Worried Asia watches Israeli-Palestinian fighting escalate

Renewed violence overshadows diplomatic momentum from Abraham Accords

12 May 2021
Volunteers at the Lost Food Project sort fresh produce at a warehouses before sending the food out to charity partners. (Photos by the Lost Food Project)
Tea Leaves

'Lost food' project shows developing Asia how to tackle hunger

Small idea with big impact gives hope and nutrition for Malaysia's poor, and lessons for the world

12 May 2021