Top Stories Asia Politics Economics Opinion People Health & Environment Lifestyle & Culture Explained
Top StoriesAsiaPoliticsEconomicsOpinionPeopleHealth & EnvironmentLifestyle & CultureExplained
Why confusion over Australia’s ‘golden visa’ is causing ‘widespread panic’
Why confusion over Australia’s ‘golden visa’ is causing ‘widespread panic’
  • Canberra says the business visa programme remains open despite widespread reports in the past weeks saying it had been ‘axed’
  • Agents said the reports sparked ‘widespread panic’ among applicants, and called out the government over its lack of transparency and communication
4 hours ago
People in the Sydney central business district. Photo: Shutterstock
Australia

Why confusion over Australia’s ‘golden visa’ is causing ‘widespread panic’

4 hours ago
  • Canberra says the business visa programme remains open despite widespread reports in the past weeks saying it had been ‘axed’
  • Agents said the reports sparked ‘widespread panic’ among applicants, and called out the government over its lack of transparency and communication
Lawyers for ex-PM Najib Razak say they will submit a fresh application for a full pardon at the ‘right timing’. File photo: Reuters

Malaysian watchdog warns of protests over leniency for Najib, ‘political elite’

Critics have accused PM Anwar of abandoning his reform agenda as anger grows over the reduced sentence for ex-leader Najib for corruption linked to the 1MDB scandal.

53 minutes ago
Marsha Siagian campaigning for PSI in Jakarta alongside new party chairman Kaesang Pangarep, President Joko Widodo’s younger son. Photo: Handout

Indonesia election 2024: calls for dual citizenship heat up amid ‘brain drain’

Jakarta should also look at improving domestic economic opportunities to avert a brain drain, analysts say.

3 hours ago
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto (left) and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, arrive for the presidential candidates’ debate in Jakarta on February 4. Photo: AP

Indonesia election 2024: will Gibran be hurt by poll body’s scandal?

The head of the General Elections Commission has been found guilty of not amending a rule before accepting Gibran’s election registration.

3 hours ago
An employee works on a steel pipe at a factory in Weifang, in China’s eastern Shandong provinc. The property sector and infrastructure are two of the largest segments fuelling China’s demand for products like steel, copper and aluminium. Photo: AFP

Tough times ahead for Asia’s mineral exporters as weak Chinese demand bites

China’s other sectors like electric vehicles and demand from India are likely to offset some impact, but exporters will have to seek newer markets, analysts say.

6 Feb 2024 - 7:30PM
OPINION
Yanuar Nugroho
4 Feb 2024 - 10:00AM
3 Feb 2024 - 10:00AM
Maria Siow
2 Feb 2024 - 10:00AM
Afra Alatas
28 Jan 2024 - 7:25PM

Malaysia

Anwar’s purge? Malaysia’s corruption crackdown has PM’s rivals in its sights
Anwar’s purge? Malaysia’s corruption crackdown has PM’s rivals in its sights
  • Mahathir Mohamad and Daim Zainuddin are among the old adversaries of PM Anwar Ibrahim to be swept up in a wide-ranging anti-corruption investigation
  • Anwar has denied any involvement in the crackdown, which stems from the Pandora Papers leak. But the timing couldn’t be better, one analyst says
4 Feb 2024 - 10:11AM

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has taken on formidable rivals with the money and motive to come back at him. Photo: Bloomberg

Anwar’s purge? Malaysia’s corruption crackdown has PM’s rivals in its sights

Mahathir Mohamad and Daim Zainuddin are among the old adversaries to be swept up in a wide-ranging anti-graft probe. Anwar denies he’s had a hand in it. Still, at least one observer says it’s a ‘smart move’.

4 Feb 2024 - 10:11AM

Now Malaysia has a new king, will politics finally take a back seat?

Both Sultan Ibrahim and his predecessor have called for Anwar Ibrahim’s administration to be allowed to see through its full term after years of political turmoil and a revolving door of prime ministers.

3 Feb 2024 - 1:35PM

Anwar seeks to soothe Malaysians’ outrage over Najib Razak’s reduced punishment

The decision to halve Najib’s sentence and cut his fine for corruption linked to the plunder of the 1MDB state fund enraged the public and reopened wounds on all sides of Malaysia’s festering political divide.

5 Feb 2024 - 7:57PM
MORE ON This Week in Asia