As Malaysian police on Monday pursued a gunman accused of firing a weapon on a street in southern Johor state at the weekend, the country’s sense of safety was rattled by a wave of gun violence that has left five dead in recent weeks.
The series of recent shootings has come as a shock to many in Malaysia, where unlicensed possession of firearms carries extensive jail terms and mandatory flogging. In a number of cases, attackers have brazenly fired upon their targets in full public view.
The…
Asean-GCC economic axis: the Global South’s answer to US volatility?
When Gulf leaders touched down in Kuala Lumpur for a summit with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations this May, the ink was barely dry on their massive investment pledges of some US$2 trillion in the United States to placate President Donald Trump.
But as the summit doors closed, the senior officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) turned their attention eastward, towards forging a pan-Asian economic zone reminiscent of Brics that could shield them and Asean from the…
How Thai monks use sacred saffron rituals to save trees
On the morning of July 11, three saffron-robed monks and a dozen devotees gathered in a dense forest of Thailand’s Chaiyaphum province. After chanting prayers, they encircled a towering tree, draping it in a vivid orange cloth – the same used to robe ordained monks.
This was no ordinary Buddhist ritual, but part of a growing practice called tree ordination – a symbolic act that “ordains” endangered trees as monks to protect them from logging and development.
Part spiritual blessing and part…
Everyone gets a BrahMos? Global interest in missile raises India’s profile
India’s BrahMos supersonic cruise missile system has reportedly drawn interest from at least 15 countries spanning from Asia to South America after its use in cross-border strikes against Pakistan enhanced the global profile of the Indian weapons industry.
While security experts acknowledge the growing clout of the industry, they say sustaining this momentum would require broader expertise, less reliance on foreign technology and more supportive policies to realise India’s potential as a global…
Disinformation and deepfakes drive growing partisan divide in the Philippines
A surge of doctored posts and artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes is sweeping Philippine social media, reinforcing partisan loyalties and exploiting the country’s fraught political divide amid an intensifying rift between the rival camps of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and former leader Rodrigo Duterte.
The flood of online disinformation – turbocharged by new technology and recycled tactics – is thriving in a digital ecosystem where engagement often outweighs accuracy, analysts…
Melamine case could trigger wave of environmental or health claims
E-commerce platforms and other businesses that import products containing melamine into the EU could face environmental- or health-based claims in future if recent rulings by an EU court are upheld.
Fur real? Indonesia’s ‘first cat’ gets presidential security detail
Indonesia’s “first cat” Bobby Kertanegara is entitled to receive state facilities, a minister has said in response to criticisms after a video of President Prabowo Subianto’s pet being given special treatment went viral.
Deputy State Secretary Juri Ardiantoro said that, as Bobby was considered part of the president’s property, the feline was therefore entitled to his security detail.
“It’s not just the president, but the president’s property is also the responsibility of the state to be…
Trump’s tariff deadline spurs frenzy among Asian countries to seal deals
Asian nations are scrambling to strike deals with the United States before President Donald Trump’s August 1 effective date for higher tariffs, with analysts saying some of Washington’s trading partners risk missing the deadline unless they are prepared to offer swift concessions.
Trump recently sent letters to trading partners to warn that new tariffs would be imposed by the date if they failed to offer better terms following an extension of the original July 9 deadline.
His demand has set off…
Carbon capture central to UK path to net zero
The UK must accelerate and scale up carbon capture & storage (CCS) and low carbon hydrogen projects to reach its net zero goals, experts have said.
Businesses ‘must understand’ potential impacts of Covid fraud retrospective legislation
The UK government’s proposals to extend limitation periods for prosecuting Covid-related fraud through retrospective legislation is a major change in law, relevant to both victims of Covid-related fraud and wider businesses, an expert has said.