Politics

Allies-turned-rivals Muhyiddin Yassin, left, and Mahathir Mohamad in 2018: The former toppled the latter to become prime minister earlier this year.
Malaysia in transition

Muhyiddin and Mahathir rekindle feud as Malaysia looks beyond virus

First no-confidence vote in parliament's history looms over PM

17 May 2020
The streets of Kuala Lumpur on May 4, when Malaysia allowed a majority of businesses to reopen.
Coronavirus

Malaysia extends limits on travel until June 9

Businesses reopen, but interstate movement still restricted amid new infections

11 May 2020
Red palm oil extract bottles are displayed at Sime Darby Palm Oil Experience Centre in Pulau Carey, Malaysia. The country is the world's second biggest producer of palm oil. 
Commodities

Malaysia slams WHO for advising against palm oil use

World's No. 2 producer says agency should come up with new ideas for COVID-19

5 May 2020
Buddhist monks at Bangkok's Wat Matchantikaram Temple wear face masks to shield themselves from the coronavirus. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Coronavirus

Thailand and Malaysia keep guard up after Vietnam lifts lockdown

Bangkok weighs careful easing but extends emergency and curfew for now

28 April 2020
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has been granted sweeping powers that extend to controlling information on the epidemic.
Opinion

Authoritarians are using coronavirus for power grabs in Southeast Asia

From Philippines to Cambodia, politicians take powers and cash to fight pandemic

27 April 2020
Beijing has been accused of using the coronavirus outbreak to renew efforts to consolidate its control over disputed parts of the South China Sea.
South China Sea

New South China Sea tensions rattle Manila and Hanoi amid pandemic

US and Australian warships sail in disputed waters after China bolsters claim

27 April 2020
A man enters a hospital where a special ward has been set up for COVID-19 patients in Mumbai.
18 April 2020
The public service announcements asked women not to wear house clothes but to dress up while working from home.
Opinion

Malaysia's lockdown pays little attention to women's needs

Jokes about men shopping hide serious harm from worsening gender imbalance

14 April 2020
Gravediggers wear protective suits in preparing a plot in Manaus, Brazil.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Apr. 5 to Apr. 11, Global death toll reaches 100,000

Kyoto asks to be put under emergency decree; Vietnam preps $2.66bn safety net

11 April 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin speaks to the media on March 11, amid the coronavirus crisis.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia warms to Muhyiddin and his cold coronavirus cash

$60bn stimulus measures help turn #NotMyPM hashtag into #MyPM8

9 April 2020
Firefighters spray disinfectant to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in Jakarta.
4 April 2020
Police in protective suits spray disinfectant to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the Baiturrahman mosque in Aceh, Indonesia on March 21.
Asia Insight

Coronavirus closes mosques, churches and temples across Asia

Devout turn to livestreaming as social distancing rules tighten

31 March 2020
A man is tested for the coronavirus outside a hospital in Bangkok on Thursday. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Coronavirus

From light touch to total lockdown: How Asia is fighting coronavirus

Countries begin to toughen their approach as infections continue to rise

28 March 2020
Congress gave final approval to the largest economic package in U.S. history. 
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 22 to Mar. 28, US House passes a $2.2tn stimulus

Hong Kong bans gatherings of over 4 people; Trump tweets he is working with Xi

28 March 2020
Malaysian officials patrol the empty streets of Kuala Lumpur amid a lockdown to curb the outbreak.
Coronavirus

Malaysia extends coronavirus lockdown until April 14

Muhyiddin warns public to prepare to stay home even beyond new cutoff date

25 March 2020
New Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, speaks next to International Trade and Industry Minister Azmin Ali during a press conference. The men have upended Malaysia's political order.
Comment

Malaysia's frustrated 'No. 2' leaders pull off political coup

But future for Muhyiddin and Azmin remains murky in country's Byzantine politics

22 March 2020
A freeway sits almost empty in downtown Los Angeles, after California's Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an unprecedented statewide "stay at home order" directing the state's 40 million residents to hunker down in their homes for the foreseeable future during the global outbreak of coronavirus disease, in California, U.S., on March 20, 2020.
Coronavirus: Free to read

Coronavirus: Week of Mar. 15 to Mar. 21, New York orders millions to stay indoors

Mainland China reports zero new local cases for 3rd day; worldwide total surges

21 March 2020
Commuters wait for transport from Malaysia to Singapore on March 17 before the lockdown. 
Coronavirus

Malaysia lockdown complicates business and life in Singapore

City-state offers temporary housing aid for thousands of cross-border commuters

18 March 2020
A sign announces the closing of a mosque due to a disinfection in Kuala Lumpur on March 16.
Politics

Malaysia to enter lockdown, closing border to foreigners

Citizens banned from leaving, while those who return undergo 14-day self-quarantine

17 March 2020
Donald Trump speaks during a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak at the White House on Feb. 29: he said the health crisis may "bring the world closer."
Opinion

Trump's postponed ASEAN summit exposes fragile truce with China

Move has potential to diminish tensions with Beijing during coronavirus crisis

13 March 2020
Malaysian former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks to Nikkei Asian Review in Putrajaya on March 12. (Photo by Wong Ying Xian)
Interview

Mahathir vows comeback if government goes wrong

Malaysia's two-time prime minister says Anwar's impatience cost them both

12 March 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, left, faces an ongoing political challenge from his predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad, over his parliamentary coup. (Nikkei Montage/Source photo by Getty Images and Kyodo)
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia's political mess magnifies its economic malaise

Muhyiddin's new government faces twin threat of coronavirus and oil price fall

10 March 2020
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin arrives for a news conference to unveil his cabinet picks on March 9.
Malaysia in transition

Muhyiddin's new cabinet marks comeback for Malaysia's old regime

UMNO snags 11 posts, while chief of lender CIMB takes finance portfolio

9 March 2020
Muhyiddin Yassin became the 8th prime minister on March 1.
Malaysia in transition

Malaysia PM stalls parliament to block Mahathir reprisal

Muhyiddin fends off no-confidence vote with two-month delay

5 March 2020
Muhyiddin Yassin, Malaysia's new prime minister, waves outside his house in Kuala Lumpur on March 1.
The Nikkei View

Malaysia's political infighting hinders economic progress

Party leaders should focus on policy instead of coalition-building numbers game

4 March 2020