Malaysia

Nearly a 20 per cent decrease in the crime rate in Johor Bahru has been observed in the first half of this year, according to Johor deputy police chief Mohd Kamarudin Md Din. Bernama reported Mr Kamarudin as saying on Sun (12 May) that 761 crime cases were recorded between 1 Jan to 7 May this year, in contrast to …

Malaysia’s 14th General Election went down as one of the most iconic – if not the most iconic – election in the country’s history, as the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition rose to power on 9 May last year, toppling a 61-year-old Barisan Nasional regime in the wake of Najib Razak’s scandal-laden administration. Yet, the most recent survey by research firm …

One year on from being the people’s choice, Malaysia’s Pakatan Harapan administration has introduced a new economic model which advocates shared prosperity with the aim of providing a ‘decent standard of living for all Malaysians’ by 2030 across economic class, race and geographic location. In a special address on the first anniversary of ‘Malaysia Baharu’ which commemorates the country’s first …

Prominent Malaysian activist and Seksualiti Merdeka co-founder Pang Khee Teik recently paid a visit to his friend, an orang asli (indigenous people) activist called Mustafa Along, in his village located at Gua Musang, Kelantan. In a Facebook post yesterday (6 May), Pang shared that he is meeting up with Mustafa, who is the chairman of the Jaringan Orang Asli Kelantan …

A former Goldman Sachs banker has been extradited from Malaysia to the United States to face charges linked to the multi-billion-dollar 1MDB scandal, a source and reports said Monday. Huge sums of public money were stolen from Malaysian state fund 1MDB and used to buy everything from yachts to artwork, in a scheme that allegedly involved former premier Najib Razak, …

Since ancient times, poisoning has been a favoured method of bumping off political adversaries, with historians still debating if Cleopatra, Napoleon and Alexander the Great were assassinated this way. One of the most shocking recent cases was the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea’s leader, who had toxic nerve agent VX smeared in his …

US authorities are seeking to sell a $39-million luxury mansion in Los Angeles allegedly bought by a Malaysian financier with money looted from scandal-hit state fund 1MDB, court documents showed. Billions of dollars were purportedly pilfered from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund by former prime minister Najib Razak and his cronies and spent on everything from high-end real estate to …

A Vietnamese woman accused of assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother will be freed Friday, ending legal proceedings stemming from the shocking hit despite criticism that the real culprits never faced justice. After a lengthy trial, Doan Thi Huong pleaded guilty last month to a lesser charge of “causing injury” over the 2017 assassination of Kim Jong Nam, making her …

A Vietnamese woman who spent more than two years in jail on suspicion of assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother was freed from prison Friday, weeks after her Indonesian co-accused was released. Doan Thi Huong from Vietnam and Indonesian Siti Aisyah had denied murdering Kim Jong Nam, the estranged relative of Kim Jong Un, claiming they were tricked into carrying …

Following the country’s ascension in the latest World Press Freedom Index rankings, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad took to Instagram on Fri (3 May) to congratulate Malaysian media for the improved ranking. Malaysia rose by 22 places at the 123rd spot this year, with a decrease of 10.67 points from 36.74 points last year. A lower score indicates greater press …