Cultural exchange is just as important to ties between China and Southeast Asia as economic links and investments in technology and science, according to former United Nations under-secretary-general Noeleen Heyzer.
The social scientist told a panel discussion at the South China Morning Post ’s China Conference in Kuala Lumpur that sustaining cultural and social ties should be considered a soft investment in regional integration.
“Building the infrastructure, economic corridors and…
Malaysian government agrees to abolish death penalty in move hailed by rights campaigners
Malaysia’s cabinet has agreed to abolish the death penalty, a senior minister said on Thursday, with more than 1,200 people on death row set to win a reprieve following a groundswell of opposition to capital punishment.
Capital punishment is currently mandatory for murder, kidnapping, possession of firearms and drug trafficking, among other crimes, and is carried out by hanging – a legacy of British colonial rule.
Communications and multimedia minister Gobind Singh Deo confirmed the…
Constructing stadiums for Qatar 2022: issues for contractors
ANALYSIS: With the main contractors appointed and construction works well underway, the stadiums which will host the 2022 World Cup are beginning to take shape.
Forget the US$23 billion question. China-Malaysia ties are strong
Investors should be bullish regarding the China-Malaysia economic relationship, regardless of the uncertainty surrounding joint projects worth US$23 billion that have been called into question by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
That was the message from top Malaysian businessmen who addressed the South China Morning Pos t’s China Conference in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
Francis Yeoh, the executive chairman of the YTL Group, used the example of the East Coast Rail Link, a US$13…
EU banks need €24.5 billion of capital to comply with Basel III reforms, says EBA
The European Banking Authority (EBA) has found that EU banks require €24.5 billion of capital to comply with the implementation of regulations designed to strengthen banks’ capital requirements.
Chinese investment in Malaysia: don’t judge it by controversies with Mahathir
The poor reputation of the few, controversial Beijing-backed infrastructure projects that Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is seeking to cancel should not detract from the overall benefits of “dynamic” Chinese investments into Malaysia, a prominent local political economist has said.
Unlike the US$23 billion worth of projects Mahathir is seeking to cancel, there are smaller-scale investments from private Chinese investors into Malaysia’s manufacturing sector that are…
Death toll in Indonesia quake passes 2,000 as searches for survivors called off
The death toll from the earthquake and tsunami on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island has climbed past 2,000, the country’s disaster agency said Tuesday, as authorities prepared to end the search for thousands of victims feared buried in mud and rubble in the hardest-hit neighbourhoods.
Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the toll from the September 28 twin disasters had climbed to 2,010. He said authorities will hold prayers on Thursday to mark the end of the search in the Petobo,…
Data protection compensation claim fails to prove ‘damage’
Businesses that breach UK data protection law or misuse personal information are not automatically obliged to pay compensation to people affected by that breach, the High Court in London has confirmed.
Insights in store for Malaysia investors at the Post’s China Conference
International investors in Malaysia are expected to carefully parse comments by government officials in a slew of high-profile business forums taking place in Kuala Lumpur this week. Among them is the South China Morning Post’s flagship China Conference, which is taking place outside the newspaper’s Hong Kong base for the first time ever. The two-day Post event at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton beginning Wednesday will feature a keynote speech by Malaysia’s economic affairs…
Ex-Pakistani PMs Nawaz Sharif, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi face court in treason case
Two former prime ministers of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, facing allegations of treason appeared before a court along with a prominent journalist on Monday in a hearing to determine whether the case should go to trial.
The hearing was adjourned until October 22.
The case related to an interview Sharif gave to the English daily Dawn in which he was quoted as suggesting the Pakistani state played a role in the militant attack on the Indian city of Mumbai that killed 166…