ONE of Australia's key partners in Asia is struggling. Given the way its leaders have taunted Australia over the years, schadenfreude at its plight would be understandable. But this should be resisted, for if Malaysia stumbles, the effects may ripple across the region
Evangelical business network takes Asia
New evangelical, deal-making networks are tiptoeing to the edges of power in south-east Asia
Touted as the next Bric country, Indonesia has avoided the worst of the financial crisis and its economy is powering ahead - but is that despite or because of a vacancy at the head of the country's central bank?
Islamic finance: Hub or hubris?
Shariah banking is becoming big business in Southeast Asia, with Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta battling for the title of regional Islamic finance centre. But even the most optimistic bankers fear further expansion could be stymied by arcane regulation and lack of cross-border consensus
Kuala Lumpur a world financial centre through growth in Islamic banking
Banks run on Koranic principles are very popular, writes Eric Ellis in Kuala Lumpur
THE best Asian budget airline story I’ve heard was in 2006, while taking a short walk in Pakistan’s Hindu Kush to visit the old princely state of Chitral, a Shangri-la where Osama bin Laden is said to be enjoying the alpine air and hospitality
It's been three years since the recalcitrant Mohamed Mahatir left office, but he still has strong opinions, on North Korea, Israel, Iraq and, of course, Australia
The Proton, Malaysia's national car, is losing market share. Can the company be weaned from its government subsidies?
Biographies of Nelson Mandela, Richard Nixon, and Che Guevara sit alongside tomes from ex-Chrysler boss Lee Iacocca and celebrity chef Nigella Lawson on the bookshelves in Abdullah Badawi’s study in Putrajaya.
Malaysia's grandiose economic policies of the past have created a headache for Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi
Our Malaysian peacekeeping allies in East Timor are facing their own internal unrest at home, as their former PM weighs in from the sidelines. Eric Ellis reports that three years after handing the leadership to Abdullah Badawi, 'Dr M' is unhappy with his performance
East & Eden
For a truly inspiring Asian experience step off the well-trodden path. The top
10 must-visit holiday hotspots
Anwar Ibrahim's release could herald the rebirth of democracy in Malaysia
Political favourite freed after six years
Australia and Malaysia should be good friends. With Dr Mahathir gone, they may well soon be
He was one of Mahathir Mohamad's closest business allies. Now a new Prime Minister has cut the mogul down to size
Mahathir tirade at 'Jews ruling world'
Malaysians face the almost unpalatable prospect that their beloved Dr Mahathir Mohamed – who even helped design the loos at one of the country’s leading hotels – will soon step down as Asia’s longest-serving elected leader
Indonesia holds a world record that Jakarta doesn’t like to make public: the most pirate-infested seas on the planet
Singapore's New Straits: Piracy on the high seas is on the rise in South-East Asia
Power behind the throne: Mahathir Mohamad/Abdullah Badawi
Being declared the official successor to Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s prickly prime minister, is like being handed a poisoned chalice
Delegates at last week's summit of the Non-Aligned Movement went out of their way to prove their relevance, or otherwise, writes Eric Ellis
The world's a stage for this flamboyant entrepreneur, writes Eric Ellis
Cheap fares are coming to Asia, writes Eric Ellis
'Why would we jeopardize relations with our customers? That would be stupid.'
With no previous airline industry experience, Tony Fernandes didn't mind breaking the rules at Air Asia
Asian rivalry turns into
a ship fight
Malaysia is tearing at the very soul of Singapore, Eric Ellis reports from
Tanjung Pelepas
A Shot Across Singapore's Bow Dueling Ports
'If we can't add value and offer a superior product at a lower cost, we'll have to lose.'
Here's a challenging brief for a CEO: Raise $735 million for a telecom company in an Islamic country ... after Sept. 11.
That's just what Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan has pulled off for his Maxis Communications. On Sept. 20 he secured Malaysia's largest corporate loan since Asia's 1997-98 financial crisis.
Malaysian Malaise has Investors Running Scared
Whoever said investing in Malaysia is not a political risk is not following affairs in Kuala Lumpur too closely these difficult days.
Generation X lands the spoils - A new wave of ethnic Malays has discovered the delights of yuppiedom
The Led Zeppelin classic Dazed and Confused booms out across Kuala Lumpur's Hard Rock Cafe and the 100-strong line queuing to get in. But inside there is nothing dazed or confused about the way the punters are spending, consuming and partying. We are in the midst of the bumigeois, a thrusting new social class built around Malaysia's majority Malay bumiputra, the princes of the soil.
Asia's Most Outspoken Politician
Asian chauvinist, economic nationalist, and campaigner against the "moral decay" of the West, Malaysia's Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammed reveals in this exclusive interview with the AFR's Eric Ellis why he is Asia's Most Outspoken Politician
New Wealthy Flex Their Muscles
Cute girl in little black dress, male hipster in Armani shirt, Mexican beer with lime, plenty of Quentin Tarantino references ... where are we? London's Bond St? New York's Tribeca?
Driven to Success in the Car Game
Nadzmi Salleh is no ordinary chief executive. It's not his age that sets him apart, although 39 is young by any standard to be steering a multinational carmaker.
Monuments to Mahathir's Vision
Not content to simply rant against the West with increasing vitriol, Dr Mahathir wants to top the West at its own game - development.
Hasham Happy To Come Out In KL
In 1972, a young lawyer named Don Finlayson broke down on the landing of a Paddington apartment building and announced what a titillated Middle Australia suspected for 12 weeks. He was gay.