Controversial Malaysian professor sacked; Marcos’ US$3b estate tax: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. Islamic university sacks professor who claimed Malays could flyA Malaysian Islamic university has formally distanced itself from an academic whose viral claims about ancient Malay civilisation – including that Malays could fly and taught the Chinese “flying kung fu” – have drawn ridicule from historians.2. ‘No bandwidth left’: why many Singaporeans want to be child-freeNearly one in four Singaporeans aged 18 to 44 surveyed by YouGov in July said they had no children and did not intend to have them in the future.3. Marcos slammed over US$3b family estate tax, says ‘very busy’ with governmentPhilippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr answers a question during the Foreign Correspondents’ Association of the Philippines forum in Manila. Photo: AFPPhilippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has put his anti-corruption drive at the centre of his presidency, but questions over his late father’s estate taxes and the family’s past ill-gotten wealth have prompted critics to question his commitment.4. Singapore PM unveils major pro-family measures amid record low fertilityA mother in Singapore feeds her baby in a pram at a park. Photo: ShutterstockSingapore will increase its spending on pro-family measures focusing on easing childcare costs, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong calling them “one of the best investments” as the city state aims to reverse its declining fertility rate.5. ‘I hate Americans’: Malaysian politician’s anti-US rant draws backlashMalaysian politician Mukhriz Mahathir in a still from a video in which he said he “hates Americans, all of them”. Photo: Facebook/MukhrizMahathirFCMalaysian politician Mukhriz Mahathir has triggered a social media storm after declaring in a video that he “hates Americans, all of them”, over Washington’s support for Israel – echoing the fierce anti-US rhetoric long associated with his father, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.6. Why Japan is walking on eggshells over US sanctions on ICC judgeJapan has spent years casting the International Criminal Court as a pillar of the rules-based order. This week, its closest ally sanctioned the Japanese judge who leads it. The move has left Tokyo in an uncomfortable bind: defend Tomoko Akane, the Japanese president of The Hague-based court, and risk antagonising US leader Donald Trump, or temper its criticism and appear weak in the face of an attack on an institution central to Japan’s rule-of-law diplomacy.7. Indonesia takes on Malaysia in battle over palm oil pricingWorkers transfer palm fruits to a truck before being processed into crude palm oil at a palm plantation in Pekanbaru, Indonesia. Photo: AFPIndonesia produces and exports more palm oil than any other country, but when it comes to setting the price, it still plays second fiddle to Malaysia. President Prabowo Subianto wants to change that. On August 14, he announced a new exchange for commodities including palm oil, nickel and coal, targeted to begin operations on January 1.Further Reading