Malaysia

A soldier wearing a face mask enforces coronavirus restrictions in Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 13.
Economy

Malaysia holds key interest rate steady despite COVID lockdown

Some economists expected a cut to ease economic pressure as infections surge

20 January 2021
Honda is restarting its Malaysian operations after the government reversed a ban it imposed last Wednesday.
Coronavirus

Toyota and Honda resume production in Malaysia

Automakers allowed to operate after government reverses COVID ban

18 January 2021
A Honda showroom in Malaysia's Johor Bahru: The automaker suspended production at two factories in the country.
Automobiles

Toyota and Honda shut Malaysia plants as lockdown blocks commute

Automakers removed at last minute from 'essential industries'

14 January 2021
A local vendor prepares food in downtown Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 11: the real transgression may be against an ailing economy.
Opinion

Malaysians are aghast at Muhyiddin's craven 'not a coup' moment

Decision to delay elections augurs poorly for nation's economy

14 January 2021
A medical worker collects a coronavirus test sample from a police officer in Shah Alam, Malaysia, on Jan. 7.
Coronavirus

Malaysia COVID emergency measures 'not a coup,' Muhyiddin says

Parliament suspension gives PM respite from pressure to call election

12 January 2021
A medical worker holds a swab sample at a coronavirus testing station in Klang, Malaysia.
Coronavirus

Malaysia doubles Pfizer COVID vaccine order as it locks down anew

Extra 12.2m doses in bag but Kuala Lumpur and 5 states face rule tightening

11 January 2021
Grammatophyllum speciosum, also known as the Tiger Orchid, in bloom on Penang Hill, on the Malaysian island of Penang. (Courtesy of Rexy Prakash Chacko)
Life

Online orchid fever raises alarm in Southeast Asia

Malaysian research sheds light on illegal plant trading on social media

8 January 2021
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, is looking to confidant and Trade Minister Azmin Ali, right, for help in plotting his election strategy, according to a source.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Muhyiddin braces for election with COVID shots in sight

PM negotiates over seat distribution but coalition partners want his job

6 January 2021
Fast Retailing CEO Tadashi Yanai speaks to Nikkei on Dec. 15 in Tokyo. (Photo by Makoto Okada)
Interview

Asia will lead spending recovery, Uniqlo CEO Yanai says

Economizing consumers will prefer reliable, quality everyday clothes

1 January 2021
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, left, shakes hands with then Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in Putrajaya, Malaysia, after the two countries signed an agreement on the now-terminated Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail project in December 2016.
International relations

Singapore and Malaysia terminate high-speed rail project

Governments fail to agree proposed changes to the suspended plan

1 January 2021
A worker holds a palm oil fruit bunch at a factory in Tanjung Karang, Malaysia.
Trade

US blocks palm oil imports from Malaysia's Sime Darby

Forced labor allegations follow those against FGV and Top Glove

1 January 2021
Thai Airways aircraft lined up at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand on May 21. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
Transportation

Asian airlines fly nervously into post-COVID future

Carriers brace for restructuring, but crisis also presents opportunities

31 December 2020
A doctor collects a swab sample from a man in Shah Alam, Malaysia on Dec. 10: building the capacity to test, trace and isolate cases will remain critical.
Opinion

How Asia Pacific can turn COVID crisis into an opportunity

Bold policies needed to boost economic recovery and improve social stability

30 December 2020
A bedding factory in Hanoi: Vietnam has succeeded in curbing both the health and economic impact of COVID-19.
Economy

Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia seen fully recovering in 2021

IMF unveils mixed economic forecasts for Southeast Asia

29 December 2020
TOKYO -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga are losing public support due to criticism of their handling of the pandemic among other factors. (Source photos by Uichiro Kasai, Akira Kodaka and Reuters) 
Politics

Suga and Moon slump in polls as COVID surge spurs criticism

Across Asia, pandemic performance impacts governments' popularity

28 December 2020
The Football Association of Malaysia wants more teams to join Johor Darul Ta'zim in becoming privately owned entities.
Media & Entertainment

Efforts to modernize Southeast Asian soccer collide with COVID

Malaysia hopes to follow Thailand's lead in weening teams off of state support

27 December 2020
Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman is the co-founder of the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance, or MUDA. Muda, in the Malay language, means young. (Photo by Wong Ying Xian)
Malaysia in transition

28-year-old Malaysian aims to upend Mahathir-Anwar game of thrones

Syed Saddiq courts frustrated youth with new party ahead of next election

25 December 2020
iPrice is backed by ACA Investments, a Singapore-based Japanese private equity fund, and Line Ventures, an arm of Japan's Line Corporation. (Photo by Dylan Loh)
Interview

Line-backed iPrice pitches shopping to likes of Grab and Gojek

Comparison shopping startup promises 'real' income right now to ASEAN unicorns

19 December 2020
In his latest book, Sebastian Strangio illuminates the unique challenges facing the countries that are close to China, and exactly what is at stake for each. (Courtesy of Sebastian Strangio)
Arts

BOOKS: 'In the Dragon's Shadow,' by Sebastian Strangio

Southeast Asia's foreign policy challenges in the 'Chinese Century'

16 December 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has formally passed his 2021 budget, keeping opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim at bay.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Muhyiddin narrowly passes final budget vote test

Anwar musters 108 votes against COVID-fighting plan, short of claimed majority

15 December 2020
A detail of the cinematic release poster for "Roh." Completed in 2019, the film did not debut in Malaysian cinemas until August 2020 after they were re-opened following COVID-19-related closures. (Courtesy of Kuman Pictures)
Arts

Malaysian Oscar hopes rest on low-budget horror film

Supernatural focus reflects trend in Southeast Asian literature and cinema

12 December 2020
A Top Glove production line in Shah Alam, Malaysia, in August. Since then a COVID-19 outbreak has hit operations.
Coronavirus

Top Glove still faces weeks of disruption from COVID-19 wave

Malaysian glove producer had factories shut down to try to stem infections

9 December 2020
Stream article image
Asia Insight

Cities after COVID: How Manila and others can 'build back better'

For Asian metropolises, crisis offers chance to emerge cleaner, greener and safer

8 December 2020
Sony is reviewing its production of electronic devices such as audio equipment.
Electronics

Sony to close audio product plant in Malaysia by 2022

Manufacturing functions to be shifted to Kuala Lumpur TV factory

7 December 2020
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had not earned the wrath of Gulf states when he attended this investment conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in October 2018.
International relations

Pakistanis pay price as Islamabad joins Turkey-Iran-Malaysia bloc

UAE blocks key source of income as it refuses to issue work visas to Pakistanis

4 December 2020