Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is up against it in next month’s Melaka state poll, as his ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition risks yet another electoral wipeout at the hands of its federal partner Umno. The two are competing head-to-head in nearly all of the 28 state assembly seats up for grabs on November 14, in a contest widely seen as favouring an incumbent state administration led by the United Malays National Organisation’s Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Whether BN holds onto...

Malaysia will still lose tens of billions of ringgit to the 1MDB scandal even after further overseas asset recoveries, its second finance minister said on Wednesday, as disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak prepares to move to house arrest. Najib has been imprisoned since 2022 following his conviction for corruption and money laundering tied to SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). The sovereign wealth fund was co-founded by Najib in 2009 during his...

Hong Kong’s government-owned postal service reported a record operating deficit of HK$905 million (US$115 million) in 2025-26, its ninth straight annual loss. In its annual report published on Wednesday, Hongkong Post said the past year showed its “resilience and adaptability” despite a volatile economic environment and an escalating geopolitical situation. “The emergence of protectionism, tightening customs policies in various places, increasing terminal dues and rising operating costs posed...

Malaysian customs said on Wednesday ⁠that it ⁠had seized about 49.5 ⁠million ringgit (US$12 million) worth of advanced artificial intelligence chips this month, as authorities close in on a syndicate suspected of smuggling high-performance semiconductors through the country’s main airport. Malaysia imposed export controls last year on the movement of advanced AI chips of US origin, following pressure from the United States to stem their flow into China. On October 15, authorities found 30 server...

A Chinese investigative blogger who exposed telecoms fraud and other illegal activity was killed by criminals hired on social media, according to Chinese media, as the case prompts calls for heavier punishment for his death. The body of Wu Kai, who used the name “Huijian” on social media and had written for years about telecoms fraud in Southeast Asia, was discovered in southern China in November 2024. His death and details of the case that followed have been revealed this week. In August 2024,...

Israelis voted on Tuesday in their highest turnout for decades, with exit polls showing the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that of his rival are neck and neck. Exit polls from the three mainstream Israeli television networks gave the two blocs around 51 seats each in the 120-member Knesset - well below the 61 needed to govern - after initially giving an edge to the opposition led by ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot. Israeli Arab lists made strong gains, with exit polls showing them...

A Singaporean behavioural therapist who was repeatedly hit in the face by a four-year-old boy with special needs grabbed his hand and dragged him off his chair and onto the floor. Tricia Lee Hsien, 29, was fined S$5,000 (US$3,900) by a court on Wednesday. She pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to a minor. The prosecution sought only a fine, saying this was an “exceptional case” as the harm caused was low and the woman’s culpability was low in this isolated act of...