Malaysia mulls law to curb premiership to two terms

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia introduced new legislation Monday to restrict the prime minister’s tenure to a maximum of two terms, a move aimed at boosting accountability and curbing the overreach of executive powers. The Southeast Asian nation currently places no cap on how many terms a premier can serve. Former leader Mahathir Mohamad held office for […]

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Malaysia says no to e-waste dumping but can its ban stop a global trade?

By Ushar Daniele Malaysia has drawn a hard line against becoming a dumping ground for the world’s toxic scrap, but enforcing that pledge means sifting through millions of shipping containers each year – a daunting challenge shared by ports across Southeast Asia. Last week, Kuala Lumpur imposed an immediate ban on e-waste imports, reclassifying the […]

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Malaysia courts US to climb critical minerals value chain while keeping raw export ban

By Iman Muttaqin Yusof As Washington redraws the global map for critical minerals, Malaysia is pitching itself to the United States as a “trusted” link in the supply chain while making clear it will not serve as a quarry shipping out unprocessed resources. Analysts say the stance reflects a careful balancing act: Kuala Lumpur wants […]

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Malaysia risks under-reporting of TB cases as ‘slow-burn epidemic’ persists

By Ushar Daniele The persistent tuberculosis cases in Malaysia are indicative of an outbreak that could be under-reported for a disease that is easy to diagnose and treat, according to medical experts. Malaysia had detected 10 active TB clusters nationwide as of February 7, with a total of 2,571 cases. Four of these clusters – […]

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India, Malaysia renew pledges to boost trade, collaboration

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim renewed pledges on Sunday to bolster trade and explore potential collaborations in semiconductors, defence and other fields. Modi is on a two-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation, his first since the two countries elevated ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in August 2024. […]

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India may raise Zakir Naik’s extradition issue as Modi begins Malaysia visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (7 February) began a two-day official visit to Malaysia, where the issue of the extradition of controversial preacher Zakir Naik, who is wanted in India in connection with alleged hate speeches and money laundering, is expected to come up for discussion between the two countries. Asked about an update […]

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Malaysian waters see return of oil transfer by ‘dark fleet’ of tankers

In the dead of night, officers from Malaysia’s maritime agency boarded two tankers that were transferring millions of barrels of oil in the waters off Penang, as the re-emergence of ageing vessels from a shadow fleet in the country’s waters has put the spotlight on the illegal trade in Asia. The January 29 bust was […]

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Najib’s house arrest row: Malaysian sultan’s comment on royal pardons stirs debate

By Iman Muttaqin Yusof The sultan of Pahang in Malaysia has urged the public to view royal pardons with “calmness of emotion” and not as “a political gift”, in what analysts describe as a pointed reminder that clemency is a constitutional process, amid a furore over a decree supposedly extended to ex-prime minister Najib Razak. […]

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Malaysia’s Anwar brushes off Epstein speculation with queasy emoji post

By Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has sought to douse public speculation after his name appeared in a newly released email exchange involving Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted US sex offender whose web of connections to the rich and powerful remains a source of scandal years after his death. Anwar was among several […]

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Will young Malaysians play a key role in next election through swing votes?

By Iman Muttaqin Yusof Muhammad Syafiq, a 25-year-old banker from Kuala Lumpur, has started noticing something recently that felt like “real politics” compared with the soft sell of an election campaign poster at train stations in the Malaysian capital. “One government programme I think is pretty solid is the People’s Income Initiative, or IPR [Inisiatif […]

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