In-depth reporting on Malaysia and the region.
Indonesia's President Prabowo has committed to closing over 750 of the country's 1,074 state-owned enterprises by December, targeting what he terms an inefficient and corrupt system. The sweeping restructuring aims to save billions in overhead costs.
Zhu Rongji, China's premier from 1998 to 2003 who spearheaded sweeping economic reforms and facilitated the nation's entry into the World Trade Organization, has died at 98 in Beijing on Wednesday.
Malaysia's six largest government-linked investment companies are deploying RM20.3 billion in 2025 through the GEAR-uP programme—triple the previous year's allocation—to drive socioeconomic reforms and position the nation for industrial growth amid global uncertainty.
A 70-strong European business delegation has concluded talks with Malaysian government agencies on economic reform, green transition and investment opportunities, with both sides aiming to conclude a free trade agreement by 2027.
Cuba's electrical grid collapsed, triggering a nationwide blackout—the first in August and the fourth major outage in recent weeks. The Caribbean nation continues battling severe energy infrastructure challenges as rolling blackouts disrupt daily life.
Malaysia's fiscal deficit has contracted to 3.7% of GDP in 2025 from 4.1% the previous year, marking the fifth consecutive year of improvement. Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong attributes the progress to sustained economic and fiscal reform efforts.
Malaysia's recent US$1.5 billion sukuk issuance attracted nearly five times the offering amount, with record-low spreads demonstrating strong international investor confidence in the country's economic management and reform initiatives.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has directed relevant ministries to resolve the backlog of foreign worker applications within one month, with particular emphasis on clearing permits for the restaurant industry.
Andy Burnham takes office as UK Prime Minister, pledging the most significant political and economic reforms in four decades, targeting regional decline and centralised governance.
%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fpattern%3E%3C%2Fdefs%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%25%22%20height%3D%22100%25%22%20fill%3D%22url(%23ph1r611g)%22%2F%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%25%22%20height%3D%22100%25%22%20fill%3D%22url(%23ph1r611p)%22%2F%3E%3Ctext%20x%3D%2250%25%22%20y%3D%2250%25%22%20text-anchor%3D%22middle%22%20dominant-baseline%3D%22central%22%20fill%3D%22rgba(255%2C255%2C255%2C0.95)%22%20font-family%3D%22Georgia%2C%20'Times%20New%20Roman'%2C%20serif%22%20font-weight%3D%22700%22%20font-size%3D%22320%22%20letter-spacing%3D%22-0.02em%22%3ELim%3C%2Ftext%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E)
DAP politician Lim Guan Eng has challenged Deputy Prime Minister Zahid to demonstrate genuine commitment to Malaysia's micro, small and medium enterprises through tangible policy measures including loan relief and pension fund adjustments.