Politics

Sweden's Ericsson is promising to help Malaysia "quickly close the digital divide" with its 5G technology.
5G networks

Malaysia picks Ericsson over Huawei to build 5G network

$2.6bn deal comes as country pushes to launch services this year

1 July 2021
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has kept parliament suspended since January under a COVID-19 state of emergency.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia PM to 'heed' call for parliament restart but timing vague

After king intervenes, opposition demands Muhyiddin act now or resign

17 June 2021
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
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
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
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
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
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
A police officer checks documents at a roadblock in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, on May 10.
Coronavirus

Malaysia imposes new nationwide COVID lockdown to curb surge

Muhyiddin announces gathering ban and other rules, warning of 'national crisis'

10 May 2021
A soldier talks to children in a southernmost province of Thailand: A meeting in May will indicate how the peace process is going in the kingdom's Deep South, Muslim majority provinces. (Photo by Toyoaki Fujiwara; insignia blurred out)
Interview

Thailand's Malay Muslim rebel brings core issues to peace talks

BRN envoy wants Bangkok to apply 'values of democratization' in Deep South

3 May 2021
A woman receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Subang Jaya, Malaysia, on April 26.
COVID vaccines

Malaysia defends tapping oil-backed fund to buy COVID vaccines

Finance minister says there is 'no choice' as Najib and others blast move

26 April 2021
A Malaysian ad against "fake news" in 2018: Reporters Without Borders says a new decree banning COVID-19 misinformation allows the authorities "to impose their own version of the truth."
Politics

Malaysia falls 18 spots on press freedom index as ASEAN languishes

Reporters Without Borders warns of COVID providing pretext for censorship

20 April 2021
A medical worker prepares a dose of a vaccine for COVID-19 in Serdang, Malaysia, in March.
COVID vaccines

Malaysia weighs mandatory COVID vaccines as shots enter Phase 2

Inoculations for seniors start Monday but slow registration worries government

16 April 2021
Coastal plastic: Vietnam is among the top five countries that send litter to sea, along with China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, according to Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit based in Washington. (Source photos by Reuters)
Environment

Vietnam tests waters for plastic credits to fight marine pollution

New approach takes page from carbon trading but fears remain of 'greenwashing'

15 April 2021
Zahairi Baharim, Malaysia's ambassador to Myanmar, presents his credentials in 2018.
Myanmar Crisis

Malaysia envoy's meeting with Myanmar junta sparks uproar

Foreign ministry rejects criticism that move lends regime legitimacy

8 April 2021
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak faces dozens of corruption charges and is currently appealing a conviction and 12-year prison sentence.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia ex-PM Najib served bankruptcy notice over $400m tax bill

On Facebook, former leader links move to UMNO split with Muhyiddin

7 April 2021
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives at the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya on April 5.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Najib begins appeal to overturn 1MDB-related jail term

Lawyer vows to make case ex-PM 'was not aware' of illegal funds

5 April 2021
Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, left, bumps elbows with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Nanping, in China's Fujian Province, on April 1.
International relations

China's ASEAN diplomacy pushes back against US 'encirclement'

Beijing backs summit on Myanmar while courting Malaysia and others

2 April 2021
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, pictured in November 2020: his main contribution is increasing religious and social tensions.
Opinion

Malaysia's toxic UMNO gang wants another chance to make things worse

Crises do not change a government, but reveal its true stripes

1 April 2021