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POLITICSSep 2Former Malaysian minister arrested in state haj fund corruption probeA former Malaysian minister has been remanded for five days as part of an anti-corruption inquiry into the management of the country’s state haj fund. The suspect, who is in his sixties, was detained at about 4.30pm on Tuesday after he went to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters in Putrajaya to have his statement recorded. MACC confirmed the arrest in a statement on social media but did not release the former minister’s identity. “The arrest was made around 4.30pm and it...South China Morning Post
POLITICSSep 2Malaysian heritage site caught in row over non-local staffImages of a migrant worker apparently guiding visitors around one of Kuala Lumpur’s best-known heritage sites have triggered a backlash in Malaysia, with critics asking why locals were not hired instead. The row erupted after photos and video circulated online showed visitors being shown around the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, a colonial-era landmark that has overlooked the capital’s Independence Square since the 19th century. Sharp-eyed viewers noticed that among the staff in KL City Gallery...South China Morning Post
DISASTERSep 1‘Literally Tasting The Smoke’, Malaysians Lament As Haze WorsensChannels TV
BUSINESSSep 1As rice output falls, Malaysia looks to China’s ‘2 yields, 1 land’ modelMalaysia is looking to China’s rice-prawn farms as a model to extract more from its shrinking paddy land as a slide in rice self-sufficiency has left it increasingly reliant on imports from its Southeast Asian neighbours. The experiment is also part of an attempt to confront other issues such as ageing farmers and more erratic weather, which have dented Malaysia’s rice output. Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu said on Monday that Malaysia needed to raise its rice...South China Morning Post
WORLDSep 1Malaysian police smash cross-border drug ring, seize US$1 million of meth disguised as teaMalaysian police have crippled a cross-border drug syndicate with the seizure of 86.2kg of methamphetamine worth 4.31 million ringgit (US$1 million) in Penang and Selangor. The bust resulted from intelligence sharing between Malaysian and Thai police after Thai authorities seized 166kg (370lbs) of suspected methamphetamine from a Malaysian man in Hua Hin on August 8. Penang police chief Dennis Lim Kwang Keng said the information led to Ops Zoraptera, resulting in the arrest of four suspects –...South China Morning Post
DISASTERSep 1Toxic haze from Indonesian fires chokes Malaysian BorneoRespiratory illnesses surge as smoke settles over Malaysia's Sarawak in the region's worst haze crisis in a decade.Al Jazeera [en]
DISASTERAug 31Malaysia’s air quality turns hazardous as Indonesian wildfires burnSouth China Morning Post
POLITICSAug 31Malaysian state’s cash handouts for teen weddings triggers backlashA proposal in Malaysia’s Perak state to pay young people 500 ringgit (US$124) for marrying for the first time has triggered a backlash after officials confirmed the scheme could apply to children as young as 15. Critics say extending the state-funded benefit to minors risks legitimising child marriage, reigniting a fraught debate in Malaysia over laws that still allow some under-18s to wed. The one-off payment, under consideration for Perak’s 2027 budget, would be open to first-time couples aged...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 31Malaysia PM Anwar unveils measures to tackle living costs , support local businessesMalaysia's Prime Minister Anwar has unveiled new measures aimed at tackling rising living costs and supporting local businesses. These policies represent governmental efforts to stimulate the economy and aid its citizens.businesstimes.com.sg · Singapore
POLITICSAug 30Malaysia’s Anwar unveils cost of living measures as opposition risesMalaysian Prime Minister ⁠Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday ⁠introduced measures to address rising living ⁠costs and support businesses, including restoring higher quotas for subsidised petrol and diesel purchases, as well as more funding for schools and small traders. The measures are expected to take effect on September 1, Anwar said in a televised address. “The economic ‌growth of the country must be returned to the people,” he said. Anwar has been under pressure to tackle higher living costs, even as...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 30Reviving Kuala Lumpur: can Malaysia modernise without pricing out its past?A yellowing receipt, framed behind glass near the entrance of Abdul Razak Gold House, records an address that no longer officially exists: “63 Ampang Street, Kuala Lumpur (Malaya)”. The shop’s modern glass frontage, polished counters and gleaming bullion cases give little away about its history. But step inside and that simple receipt serves as a small window onto pre-independence Malaysia. For six decades, this family business has reinvented itself in step with the city around it. What began as...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 29Malaysian police arrest 7 Yemeni men in Kuala Lumpur after dangerous road stunt goes viralSeven Yemeni men were arrested in Malaysia after they allegedly performed dangerous stunts while travelling in two vehicles along Jalan Sungai Besi early on Friday. Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa said the incident, which occurred at about 12.30am, came to light after a video of the incident went viral on social media. He said preliminary investigations found that both vehicles were travelling along Jalan Sungai Besi towards Jalan Bukit...South China Morning Post
BUSINESSAug 28Why Malaysia’s push for 15 million Muslim tourists is no sure thingMalaysia sees an opening in the Gulf travel disruption caused by the Iran war, pitching itself as a Muslim-friendly destination for travellers seeking halal food, prayer facilities and family-focused holidays. But such gains could be limited because the conflict has not only weakened tourism within the Middle East, but also affected long-haul flight routes that Malaysia depends on to draw Muslim tourists, according to analysts. The push comes as the six-month-old war continues to disrupt travel...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 28Malaysian man kills wife, 2 children and self over love scamA 48-year-old Malaysian man is believed to have killed his wife and their two young children before taking his life at a Kuala Lumpur flat, in a case police said might have been linked to losses from an alleged online love scam purportedly involving the woman. Initial police investigations found a note left by the man, blaming his actions on the scam, which had left the family with US$61,000 in losses and debt, police said on Friday. The 48-year-old father wrote that he was distraught over his...South China Morning Post
DISASTERAug 28Malaysia moves Anwar’s National Day speech indoors as haze spikesChoking haze has forced Malaysia to move its leader’s annual National Day speech to an indoor venue from a public square, the communications ministry has said, underscoring the severity of cross-border pollution from severe wildfires in the region. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, due to address the country on August 30 on the eve of Independence Day celebrations, will speak from a convention centre in the administrative capital Putrajaya instead of at Kuala Lumpur’s Merdeka Square, a historic open...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 28Malaysia to return 1,500 Rohingya refugees next month, despite safety fearsFirst phase of Malaysia's repatriation plan will involve Myanmar nationals who are 'willing to return voluntarily'.Al Jazeera [en]
WORLDAug 27Malaysia to repatriate first group of Myanmar nationals in September, government saysMalaysia hosts more than 215,000 refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UN refugee agency, including more than 126,000 Rohingya from Myanmar, its largest refugee community.EuroNews [en]
POLITICSAug 27Malaysia’s former PM Ismail Sabri charged with concealing assetsSabri, 66, pleaded not guilty to allegedly failing to provide a complete declaration of assets.Al Jazeera [en]
DISASTERAug 27Malaysian airport staff find body in wheel well of plane from JapanThe body of an unidentified person was found inside the wheel well of an aircraft at Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 (KLIA2) on Thursday (Aug 27). The body, whose gender has yet to be determined, was discovered at about 6.55am in the wheel well of a flight from Tokyo, Japan, which landed at about 6.30am. It is learnt that the body, clad in jeans and a white shirt, was found by engineering personnel who were tasked with opening the aircraft’s wheel well. The personnel...South China Morning Post
POLITICSAug 27Another former Malaysia prime minister faces criminal charges after leaving officearabnews.com · Saudi Arabia
POLITICSAug 27Malaysia’s Ismail Sabri denies failing to declare millions in cash, gold barsMalaysia’s former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob pleaded not guilty in a Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Thursday to failing to declare millions of ringgit in local and foreign currencies and gold bars. The 66-year-old is the second ex-leader to face criminal charges since Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim took office in 2022, pledging to root out entrenched corruption. Ismail Sabri’s charge under Section 36(2) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act comes more than a year after he...South China Morning Post
WORLDAug 27In Malaysia, injured elephant Sulong’s 100km trek home ignites logging debateThe lonely journey of a bull elephant trying to return to its jungle home has captured the hearts of Malaysians over the past week, putting a spotlight on the plight of wildlife struggling against deforestation and rapidly expanding human activity. The elephant – dubbed “Sulong” by Malaysians keenly following social media updates on his weeks-long journey – was first spotted by motorists on August 17, walking slowly along the busy East-West Highway in an apparent attempt to reach the...South China Morning Post
POLITICSAug 27Anwar Ibrahim weighs delaying Malaysia general election to late 2027 amid poll setbacksMalaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is looking to push back national elections until the second half of next year, people familiar with the matter said, as state poll defeats and soured partnerships reveal his political vulnerability. That time frame would mark a significant delay. Just months ago, the 79-year-old leader was said to be mulling a snap election as soon as this October, perceiving his greatest risk at the time to be rising fuel prices. But two humbling state election losses...South China Morning Post
DISASTERAug 26Indonesia opens its skies to Malaysian rainmakers as haze crisis deepensIndonesia has allowed Malaysian "rainmakers" access to its airspace as a haze crisis intensifies. This represents international cooperation to mitigate a significant environmental disaster.scmp.com · China