Malaysia’s Anwar seizes on haj fund report ahead of Negeri Sembilan election

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks at a forum in Tokyo in June. Photo: EPA

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has seized on the release of a long-delayed inquiry into the country’s Islamic pilgrimage fund to revive his anti-corruption message just days before the state of Negeri Sembilan holds an election.
The move is seen as a calculated bid by Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition to turn a governance issue against state rival Umno , although observers are divided on whether it would be damaging enough to hurt Malaysia

Japanese mall is rebuilt to withstand earthquakes. Then it collapses again

Japan ’s Aeon Mall Kumamoto was rebuilt to withstand earthquakes after it was damaged in strong quakes in April 2016. Its June reopening was meant to be a fresh start, the gleaming building a symbol of rebirth for the mall and residents of Kashima town.

Then Tuesday’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook this new-found confidence.

“When this quake hit, I immediately knew the epicentre was close,” 30-year-old Nishiyama told Agence France-Presse. “I didn’


Malaysia’s ‘shocking’ deal to return 5,000 Rohingya to Myanmar triggers refoulement fears

Rohingya refugees sit inside a truck as they are taken by police, in front of the office of the UN Refugee Agency, after being evicted from their homes, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Monday. Photo: Reuters
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As AI spending soars, can China’s tech giants deliver long-term profits?

Chinese tech giants and frontier AI labs are locked in a parallel race, escalating capital expenditure to match US and domestic rivals

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Alibaba Cloud signage is pictured during a tour at the Alibaba office in Beijing on April 1, 2026. Photo: AFP

As US tech giants face growing market scrutiny over their swelling artificial intelligence budgets, China’s top technology firms are confronting a similar reckoning: proving that billions of dollars spent on AI infrastructure will yield sustainable profits.

Here is a run down on how Chinese tech giants are navigating the AI


Singapore Marmite fans salty as local distribution ends and online prices soar

A jar of Marmite alongside one of the preferred vehicles for enjoying the divisive yeast spread: a slice of toast with butter. Photo: Shutterstock

For Singaporeans who grew up stirring Marmite into hot water, spreading it on toast or eating it in local dishes, the famously divisive yeast extract is easy to love, but now it is much harder to buy.

Unilever International, the Singapore distributor of Marmite, has stopped supplying the spread locally, according to CNA, sending prices of the thick, dark yeast extract soaring to more than seven times its usual retail price on some online platforms.

Ex-PLA colonel on US’ decline and China’s nuclear arsenal

Zhou Bo is a retired senior colonel in the People’s Liberation Army, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Centre for International Security and Strategy, and the author of the book Should the World Fear China?SCMP Plus readers get early access to articles in the Open Questions series.The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is approaching its 2027 centenary, a major benchmark set by Beijing to achieve military modernisation. What is that goal actually about?China has set two major military..

BYD to debut first humanoid robots in August as rivalry with Tesla intensifies

Electric vehicle giant BYD plans to unveil its first humanoid robots within the next few weeks, as China’s electric car makers accelerate their push into the embodied artificial intelligence market.

The Shenzhen-based company told the South China Morning Post in a statement that its long-anticipated first humanoid robots would debut in August at the firm’s Di Space experience centres.

The robots will be more than just a concept product and will be able to interact with visitors to its Di Space showrooms, according to the statement issued on


Triassic fish for lunch? Chinese fossil reveals oldest preserved reptile stomach

Specialised features of preserved 240 million-year-old skeleton suggest water-dwelling archosaurs existed earlier than originally thought

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The fossil of the Austronaga minuta allows paleontologists to study how Triassic reptiles evolved from land to sea dwellers. Photo: IVPP/Handout

A Chinese-led team has analysed a 240 million-year-old fossil with the oldest known preserved stomach, liver and intestinal soft tissue in reptiles.

The complete skeleton fossil has highly specialised body

India’s West Bengal shells out for eggs in school meals after outcry

The BJP, elected for the first time in the state in May, often promotes vegetarianism as a part of its broader nationalist agenda

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Students eat their free mid-day meal in Hyderabad. Photo: AFP

India ’s West Bengal state will bring back eggs to free school meals after a backlash against a decision by its Hindu nationalist government to replace them with vegetarian alternatives, officials have said.

The reversal

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East Timor court review of Myanmar war crimes tests Asean’s uneasy approach to junta

This Week in Asia Politics

The case, which alleges abuses in Myanmar’s northwestern Chin state, is now under consideration by the Dili courts

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Fires destroy numerous buildings in the town of Thantlang in Chin state in northwest Myanmar, in December 2021. Photo: Chin Human Rights Organization via AP

East Timor has become an unlikely venue for a case alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity by Myanmar ’s military leadership, as it moves deeper into Dili’s courts and tests Asean’s uneasy approach to the country’s junta.

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