Malaysia was plunged into a bitter power struggle Wednesday as Mahathir Mohamad sought to form a unity government following his shock resignation, but old foe Anwar Ibrahim also pushed to become premier.The developments deepened a crisis that began when the ruling coalition - which included both men when it stormed to a historic poll victory in 2018 - fell apart after a failed bid to establish a new government without Anwar.Anwar was Mahathir's designated successor, but he would likely h

Malaysia's government has collapsed after the resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, which followed a failed bid by rivals to form a new coalition aimed at stopping leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim from succeeding him.Mahathir, 94, the world's oldest leader, has been appointed interim leader while intense political jockeying is underway to form a new government.Here are some details about the political crisis and what could happen next: How did events unfold?The rul

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned Monday in a shock move as his alliance that came to power less than two years ago unravelled, but he was reappointed as interim leader by the king.It came after months of rising tensions in his "Pact of Hope" coalition, which toppled a corruption-mired government in 2018, and as some manoeuvre to block the ascent of leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim.But there were calls for Mahathir, the world's oldest leader at 94, to stay in of

Malaysia has seen a long period of speculation from a large portion of the public that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad would never hand over the prime ministerial position to his nemesis-turned-ally Anwar Ibrahim.

Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at 94 the world's oldest leader, submitted his resignation to the king on Monday, his office said, after a bid by his political partners to bring down the government.Dr Mahathir "has sent a resignation letter as prime minister of Malaysia", said a statement from his office. – AFP 

Malaysia's leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday denounced "betrayal" in his ruling coalition, saying that some partners were trying to bring down the government and form a new one.The comments came after senior figures from his coalition and opposition politicians met in a Kuala Lumpur hotel amid speculation they were seeking to form a new alliance that excluded Anwar."Even though there is no announcement tonight, the information I get...

Singapore Monday ordered Facebook to block the page of an anti-government website in the city-state, the latest use of a law against online misinformation that critics say stifles free speech.The legislation gives ministers powers to order internet platforms and websites to put warnings next to posts they deem false, as well as order pages blocked from users in the tightly-regulated city.While most have complied with the directives, political website States Times Review (STR) - which regularl

Cambodia's strongman leader Hun Sen said Tuesday his country would not "bow its head" to the European Union (EU) as the bloc prepares to decide whether to cancel trade benefits to the kingdom over its human rights record.But premier Hun Sen warned of economic rough seas ahead for his country, with some garment factories likely to close in the coming weeks as key supply chains from China slow amid the coronavirus crisis. The EU is set to decide on Wednesday whether to s

Philippine government lawyers moved Monday to strip the nation's biggest media group of its operating franchise in what campaigners branded a fresh attack on press freedom under President Rodrigo Duterte.Duterte has repeatedly pledged he would stop the broadcast operations of ABS-CBN, which drew his anger during his rise to power in the 2016 presidential election campaign.The solicitor general's petition filed with the nation's top court alleges ABS-CBN violated provisions of i

The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) 2019 Democracy Index – the 12th edition of the index – saw Thailand’s score jump 38 places in the global rankings to become a "flawed democracy" rather than a "hybrid regime".The upgrade was obviously due to the long-awaited general election finally being held following the May 2014 military coup. "The biggest score change in Asia occurred in Thailand, which finally held an election in March 2019, the first since t