From EVs to steel, how China’s price-setting deals are easing trade tensions

China and South Korea have resolved a trade dispute over hot-rolled steel coils through a price-undertaking deal, mirroring the solution used in China’s electric vehicle (EV) stand-off with the European Union.
Analysts say the deal, which will see exporters raise export prices to avoid anti‑dumping duties, could avert punitive tariffs and safeguard market access for Chinese exports.
The China Iron and Steel Association said in a statement issued on Thursday night that it “welcomed and supported”…

Malaysia considers high-powered commission to probe anti-corruption agency allegations

Malaysia’s government said on Friday it would consider calls for a royal commission to investigate alleged abuses of power within the country’s anti-corruption agency, as pressure grew for the immediate removal of its chief commissioner.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has faced growing pressure from critics and allies alike since news reports earlier this month alleged that Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Azam Baki had bought corporate shares exceeding the limit permitted for…

Malaysian politician Fahmi Zainol charged with hurting wife in domestic dispute

Penang’s youngest executive councillor Fahmi Zainol has been charged at the Magistrate’s Court in the Malaysian state with voluntarily causing hurt to his wife.
The 35-year-old, who is the Pantai Jerejak assemblyman, pleaded not guilty after the charge was read to him before Magistrate Chia Huey Ting.
Based on the charge sheet, he is charged with purposely causing injury to his wife, Nur Hidayah Abd Jabar, 35, at a house in Bayan Lepas at around 10pm on Sunday.
The charge was framed under…

Indonesia’s bid to execute 6 cargo ship crew in drug case sparks liability debate

When 22-year-old Fandi Ramadhan phoned home from detention last May, he told his mother he did not know there were drugs on the ship where he had recently started work as an engine-room oiler.
Indonesian prosecutors, however, allege he was aware of the illicit cargo and are now seeking the death penalty for him and five other crew members of the Thai-flagged vessel Sea Dragon, after authorities said they found nearly two tonnes of methamphetamines on board in what officials described as the…

Cambodia’s Hun Manet denies state profiting from scam centre proceeds

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet said on Wednesday that scam centres were destroying his country’s economy and giving the nation a bad name – pushing back on allegations of government connivance.
The nation has emerged as a hotspot for crime syndicates running a multibillion-dollar fraud industry that sees scammers lure internet users globally into fake romantic relationships and cryptocurrency investments.
“The scam network, what we call the black economy, is destroying our honest economy….

What Deliveroo’s Singapore exit says about the city state’s food delivery wars

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, sales director Sabir Ansari relied on Deliveroo almost daily for burgers and pasta delivered to his door in Singapore.
Over time, the 31-year-old said, it became harder to justify the service’s costs as rival platforms like Grab and Foodpanda offered more food options and aggressive promotions that made “delivery fees way cheaper”.
“It was a no-brainer,” he said.
For Deliveroo, that kind of calculation among consumers became increasingly consequential.
On…