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by Martin Abbugao Agence France Presse KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s king has agreed to pardon jailed opposition figure Anwar Ibrahim, the newly installed prime minister said Friday, in the latest dramatic development after the opposition toppled the long-ruling regime. Anwar’s expected release paves the way for him to be handed power by Mahathir Mohamad, 92, who was sworn in as the world’s oldest leader Thursday following his alliance’s stunning election victory. Mahathir, who […]
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s defeated leader Najib Razak said Thursday he accepted the will of the people after his long-ruling coalition suffered a shock election loss to 92-year-old former strongman Mahathir Mohamad. “I accept the verdict of the people,” the leader, who looked shattered after his coalition’s defeat, said. But he added that because no single party got a majority in parliament, it was up to the king to decide who will […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysian veteran ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad, 92, said he expected to be sworn in as prime minister later Thursday after his stunning election win, adding there was an “urgency” for him to take office. “We expect today for me to be sworn in as prime minister,” he told a press conference, addressing concerns over a delay by saying that some “confusion” over the process had now been cleared up. “We hope by […]
by M Jegathesan Agence France Presse KULA PILAH, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s opposition hopes a surge of support from disillusioned members of the country’s Muslim majority can carry them to an unlikely victory in Wednesday’s elections. The optimism has been triggered by the decision of 92-year-old former leader Mahathir Mohamad, a champion of the country’s Muslim Malays, to run as the opposition’s prime ministerial candidate. They believe his connection to rural Muslim voters can trigger […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — A leading Malaysian news portal mounted a legal challenge Friday against a law aimed at combating “fake news,” which critics fear will be used to stifle dissent before elections next month. Parliament earlier in April passed the legislation, which makes the dissemination of deliberately misleading information punishable by up to six years in jail and a hefty fine. The government has argued it will safeguard the public, but the opposition […]
by Sam Reeves Agence France Presse KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak Friday announced the dissolution of parliament for a general election that will pose one of the sternest-ever tests for his ruling coalition, due to a massive financial scandal and a challenge from former leader Mahathir Mohamad. After laying out the Barisan Nasional coalition’s recent achievements in a 25-minute speech on state television, Najib announced that parliament would be dissolved […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The Malaysian government Monday proposed a law to combat “fake news” which could see offenders jailed for 10 years, sparking fears authorities aim to stifle criticism as elections loom. Governments in several countries, emboldened by US President Donald Trump’s fulminations against “fake news,” are considering such legislation. But rights groups warn that authoritarian regimes are likely to use the new laws to crack down on dissent. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib […]
by M Jegathesan Agence France Presse SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (AFP) — The Malaysian police’s investigation into the murder of the North Korean leader’s estranged half-brother was “shoddy” and could result in an unfair trial, a court heard Wednesday. Defence lawyers for two young women — Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong — charged with the Cold War-style killing of Kim Jong-Nam sought to discredit the manner in which the police conducted their […]
by Sam Reeves / with Kiki Siregar in Jakarta Agence France Presse KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Trafficked to Malaysia, forced to sleep outside with a dog before dying from serious injuries -– the latest abuse case involving an Indonesian maid highlights a failure to protect domestic helpers despite repeated government pledges, critics say. Adelina Sau died earlier this month in hospital a day after being rescued from her employer’s house in Malaysia’s […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Ten suspected Islamic militants who were trying to establish a Malaysian cell of the Abu Sayyaf have been arrested in Borneo island, police said Wednesday. The alleged extremists, mostly Filipinos, are also accused of trying to help fighters linked to the Islamic State (IS) group travel to the Philippines to join up with militants there, they said. The southern Philippines has long been a pocket of Islamic militancy. A long […]
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) – China’s continued reclamation in the South China Sea has eroded trust among claimants and could raise regional tensions, Southeast Asian foreign ministers said Tuesday. The ministers from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) did not mention China by name in their statement after a one-day meeting in Singapore, current chair of the grouping. Beijing claims nearly all of the waterway and has been turning reefs and islets into islands and installing military […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) – North Korea is flouting UN sanctions by exporting coal, iron, steel and other commodities banned under UN sanctions, earning nearly $200 million in revenue last year, a UN report said Friday. A UN panel of experts also found evidence of North Korea’s ongoing military cooperation with Syria to develop its ballistic missile and chemical weapons programs, and with Myanmar. North Korea “continued to export almost all the commodities prohibited in the […]
