A string of suspected gangland shootings that killed four men in just eight days has shaken Kuala Lumpur, stoking public fears and casting doubt on police assurances that the city remains safe.
The shootings took place in the Klang Valley – Malaysia’s most affluent region encompassing Kuala Lumpur and industrialised areas of neighbouring Selangor – after masked gunmen struck in full view of witnesses and CCTV cameras.
The latest shooting on Friday saw a 46-year-old man gunned down in broad…
Asian shippers fear spiralling costs as Iran threatens Strait of Hormuz closure
US air strikes on Iran sent oil prices soaring on Monday, leaving Asian shippers burdened with fresh costs on top of extra insurance premiums of US$1 million more per tanker, as Tehran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and paralyse the crucial sea lane.
Up to 20 million barrels of oil pass each day through Hormuz, one-fifth of global supply, most of it destined for East Asia’s biggest economies – China, South Korea and Japan.
The neck of water is controlled by Iran, whose parliament on…
‘I just felt sick’: how a free shot in Laos cost a British backpacker her life
British national Bethany Clarke still remembers that day in Vang Vieng, Laos – tubing down the river with friends, followed by a sunset happy hour at the Nana Backpackers Hostel. It had all the hallmarks of a classic backpacker afternoon. The vodka and whisky shots were free. The cost would come later.
It was November 12, 2024. The next morning, Clarke and her two companions – childhood friend Simone White and a male friend – set out early for a kayaking trip they had planned the day before. But…
The net tightens: how China squeezes Filipino fishers at Scarborough Shoal
From the decks of battered fishing boats, the struggle over Scarborough Shoal has entered a new, precarious phase.
As China steps up its patrols, Filipino fishers say they are being forced to abandon seas their families have plied for generations – raising fears that what’s unfolding at the reef could become the playbook for Beijing’s wider South China Sea ambitions.
The Chinese coastguard’s intensified enforcement of a controversial anti-trespassing law is the latest move in China’s campaign to…
Pakistan gets caught in Israel vs Iran disinformation crossfire
Pakistan, still on high alert after last month’s brief aerial clash with India, now finds itself swept into the digital maelstrom of disinformation accompanying the escalating hostilities between neighbouring Iran and Israel.
Determined to distance itself from the turmoil unfolding just across its southwestern frontier, Islamabad has offered moral support to Tehran by publicly criticising Israel, while simultaneously backing diplomatic efforts to revive a nuclear deal between Iran and the United…
Crisis calculations: Trump’s America leaves Southeast Asia in a spin
Five months into Donald Trump’s presidency, Southeast Asia finds itself adrift. The foundations of its relationship with the US have been shaken by punitive tariffs and a sudden withdrawal of aid that hurt some of the region’s most vulnerable – even as Washington maintains its military presence with an eye fixed squarely on China.
This volatility has deepened a sense of American “unreliability” across Southeast Asia, according to experts who spoke to This Week in Asia.
Yet a complete rupture…
EPO case confirms how patentability of inventions should be assessed
Assessments of whether inventions are eligible for European patents must factor in the way inventions are described in patent applications and how they are conveyed in any drawings – not just the claims, a new ruling has confirmed.
New pension fund VAT recovery rules require attention from trustees and employers
Employers and pension trustees will want to consider the impact of new rules governing VAT deductions on the management of UK pension funds, experts have said.
Avatars are people too, South Korea court rules in Plave libel case
A recent court decision involving defamation against a virtual K-pop group is prompting fresh legal debate in South Korea over the rights of digital personas – with analysts describing it as a significant shift in how the law defines harm, identity and expression in the age of the metaverse.
The case centred on Plave, a five-member boy band whose anime-style avatars exist solely in the virtual realm but are voiced and animated by real-life performers using motion-capture technology.
Despite…
Malaysia’s Najib discharged over US$6.3 million money laundering case
A judge on Friday discharged disgraced former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak from a US$6.3 million money laundering case after ruling that the prosecution had failed to provide relevant documents to the defence.
The ruling marks the second time a case involving Najib has been dismissed due to prosecutorial inaction, raising fresh questions about the conduct and priorities of the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC).
Najib, who led the country for nine years until his defeat in the 2018…