New rifts in Malaysia's political system were exposed this week, three months after Malaysia's opposition party lost its majority standing in Perak state to the National Front coalition. Parliament recommenced for the first time since the staged take-over, with the former speaker of assembly physically removed from the building ...

Just one day after the Malaysian government announced a ban on the religious conversion of children without mutual parental consent, a potentially landmark court ruling took place.

Malaysian Prime Minister Ahmad Badawi resigned on March 26, making way for new leader Najib Razak to become premier, and reinforcing 52 year-old rule by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Abdullah leaves with low ratings, having failed to follow through on government reform and corruption eradication pledges. Najib takes ...

Asian currencies strengthened this week following an announcement that American banks could stand without government buyout, and optimism about new Chinese and Japanese stimulus packages.

The number of websites being shut down is rising in Southeast Asia, where the Internet had once been considered an instigator of democratic change. Previously democratic countries are curbing Internet activity and repressive states are following China's so-called "Great Firewall" censorship model.

Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) to give unified statement against trade protectionism at a summit next week, and will discuss details of a regional foreign reserve fund pool. Finance ministers in the Asia region are holding bilateral talks in the lead up, showing strategic cooperation to prevent trade protectionism.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdulla Ahmad Badawi is expected to step down on March 31 after five years in power as leader of United Malays National Organisation, according to an official close to the PM. The move has not been publicly announced, likely because political tension is in the air: just ...

Malaysia's Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, PAS, has called for a ban on R&B star Rihanna's concert scheduled for February 13, arguing that her clothes and style are an '"insult" to Asian values. "Whether Rihanna realizes it or not, we know that the taxes she has paid also contributed to the ...