Politics

Indonesia is turning to the antiviral drug remdesivir as it struggles to cope with over 4,000 new COVID-19 patients per day. 
Coronavirus

Indonesia adopts remdesivir as Malaysia shops for COVID vaccines

Southeast Asian neighbors reveal their latest steps to tackle pandemic

1 October 2020
People cast votes at a polling station during state elections in the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu, in Malaysia's Sabah state on Borneo island on Sept. 26.
International relations

Malaysia's spat with Philippines over Sabah: Five things to know

Tensions add further complication to sovereignty issues in South China Sea

29 September 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks in a pre-recorded message that was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22.
International relations

Asian leaders hedge bets at UN as Trump throws barbs at China

'When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled flat,' Duterte warns

28 September 2020
Anwar Ibrahim reckons his time has finally come.
Opinion

Malaysia's Mr. Yesterday the wrong man for tomorrow

Anwar Ibrahim should make way for a new generation of leaders

28 September 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. His position was strengthened by his coalition's victory in the state of Sabah.
Politics

Malaysia's Muhyiddin wins crucial victory in Sabah state election

Result takes pressure off leadership challenge by Anwar Ibrahim

27 September 2020
 Malaysia opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim reacts during a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia September 23, 2020.
Malaysia in transition

Anwar's leadership hopes hinge on Malaysia ruling party dissent

UMNO officials worry they will be convicted under Muhyiddin government

26 September 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin waves before his cabinet announcement in Putrajaya, Malaysia on March 9, 2020. Local elections in the state of Sabah on Saturday are poised to affect his political future. (Source photos by Screenshot from Google map and Reuters)
Politics

Malaysian prime minister's fate hangs on Sabah election

Outcome of state legislative contest could lead to snap federal polls

25 September 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, faces a challenge from longtime leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim. (Source photos by AP and EPA/Jiji) 
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Anwar claims 'majority' while PM Muhyiddin demands proof

King's response in focus as ex-leader Mahathir says 'wait and see'

23 September 2020
Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., pictured on Feb. 20: the Philippines' exact motivations are far from certain.
Opinion

Will the Philippines risk war with Malaysia over Sabah?

Manila's bombast more likely an attempt to deflect claims that it's weak on China

18 September 2020
Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal insists his state will remain in Malaysia during an interview with the Nikkei Asian Review. (Photo courtesy of the Sabah Chief Minister's Office)
Interview

Sabah chief looks to ASEAN to quash Philippine territorial claim

Shafie Apdal urges Malaysian government to resolve dispute 'once and for all'

17 September 2020
Rohingya refugees rest after the boat carrying them landed in Lhokseumawe, Aceh province, Indonesia, on Sep. 7: this is sadly nothing new.
Opinion

Rohingya are being left to die at sea. Does anyone care?

Asia's governments must put politics aside to protect the lives of desperate people

16 September 2020
Kinabatangan River winds its way through the forest in State of Sabah: Manila's claim over Sabah is centered on semantics and has no legal merit whatsoever.
Opinion

Manila's hostile Sabah grab is a page out of China's playbook

Philippine actions will encourage Beijing's unfounded South China Sea claims

10 September 2020
Malaysian Tourism Minister Nancy Shukri assumed her role just a week before the government imposed a lockdown. (Photo by Wong Ying Xian)
Most read in 2020

Malaysia likely to remain closed to tourists into 2021: minister

Nancy Shukri says COVID surges in hitherto 'safe' countries have forced rethink

26 August 2020
The view overlooking Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia's gross domestic product plummeted 17.1% on the year in the April-June period.
Economy

Malaysian GDP plunge fuels talk of post-COVID economic remodeling

Experts call for investor-friendly regulations without political 'flip-flops'

22 August 2020
The Subi Reef, a part of the Spratly Islands, pictured in May 2018: China has intensified its attempts to strengthen its claims to the South China Sea.
Opinion

Southeast Asia stands to gain as US hardens South China Sea stance

Region welcomes US support for UN tribunal ruling rejecting China's maritime claims

17 August 2020
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, center, announces that he is forming a new party with his son, Mukhriz Mahathir, left, on Aug. 7. (Photo by P Prem Kumar)
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's Mahathir forms new party to take on Muhyiddin

At 95, former PM declares 'third force' ahead of rumored snap election

7 August 2020
Malaysia's former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, center, arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Aug. 7 to face a corruption charge.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysian ex-minister Lim denies graft amid 'persecution' claims

Key Mahathir aide faces up to 20 years in jail as allies blast PM Muhyiddin

7 August 2020
Many ethnic Malays view Najib as a necessary bulwark against minority rule.
Opinion

It is way too early to celebrate Najib's historic corruption sentence

Former PM's court appeal raises fears that convictions could be overturned

6 August 2020
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, center, was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison on charges connected to the 1MDB scandal.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's ruling parties split by guilty verdict on Najib

Ex-leader's UMNO party touches on withdrawal in power struggle with current PM

4 August 2020
A helicopter takes off from the U.S. Navy's USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier in the South China Sea on July 17.
South China Sea

Malaysia says China's maritime claims have no legal basis

Country uses language similar to US and Australia over South China Sea

31 July 2020
Malaysia controls Sabah, but the Philippines has staked a claim to it since 1961.
International relations

Philippines and Malaysia diplomatic row heats up over Sabah

Envoys from both countries to be summoned to explain territorial claims

31 July 2020
Front row, from left: Muhyiddin Yassin, Mahathir Mohamad and Mukhriz Mahathir are seen in 2018, when they were still on the same side.
Interview

Mahathir eyes new party as Malaysia snap polls loom, son says

Mukhriz Mahathir argues Najib conviction 'doesn't benefit' PM Muhyiddin

30 July 2020
Commuters take the Woodlands Causeway to Singapore from Johor a day before Malaysia imposes a lockdown on travel in Singapore on March 17.
International relations

Malaysia and Singapore greenlight rail link delayed by Mahathir

Muhyiddin and Lee kick off $2.4bn project with meeting across border demarcation

30 July 2020
Muhyiddin's biggest challenge will be taking on the vested interests blocking structural change.
Opinion

Malaysia must use Najib verdict to end corruption once and for all

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin must not squander chance to reboot his leadership

30 July 2020
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak speaks to reporters after being convicted on seven charges and sentenced to 12 years in prison on July 28.
Malaysia in transition

Najib and Goldman 1MDB twists pose risks and rewards for Muhyiddin

Landmark verdict and settlement flip narrative surrounding Malaysia's PM

29 July 2020