{
  "id": 3217189,
  "title": "Controversial Malaysian professor sacked; Marcos’ US$3b estate tax: 7 Asia highlights",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/controversial-malaysian-professor-sacked-marcos-us-3b-estate-tax-7",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-25T07:30:05.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3365166/controversial-malaysian-professor-sacked-marcos-us3b-estate-tax-7-asia-highlights"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "1. A Malaysian Islamic university has distanced itself from an academic professor whose claims about ancient Malay civilization have drawn ridicule from historians. The professor suggested Malays could fly and taught the Chinese \"flying kung fu\".\n\n2. In Singapore, nearly one in four individuals aged 18 to 44 who do not have children and have no plans to do so in the future.\n\n3. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has faced criticism over the US$3 billion family estate tax imposed on his late father. Critics question his commitment to his anti-corruption drive amidst the controversy.\n\n4. Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has unveiled major pro-family measures in response to the city-state's record low fertility rate. Wong calls these measures \"one of the best investments\" for Singapore.\n\n5. Malaysian politician Mukhriz Mahathir sparked backlash after declaring on video that he \"hates Americans, all of them\". The strong anti-US sentiment echoes the rhetoric associated with his father, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad.\n\n6. Japan is navigating a delicate situation following the US sanctioning of an International Criminal Court judge with Japanese ties. Japan's ally has sanctioned the Japanese president of the court, leaving Tokyo in an uncomfortable position.\n\n7. Indonesia is challenging Malaysia in a battle over palm oil pricing. Indonesia is the world's largest producer and exporter of palm oil, but it still follows Malaysia's lead when it comes to setting prices. President Prabowo Subianto aims to change this dynamic, with a new exchange for commodities including palm oil, nickel, and coal set to begin operations on January 1.",
  "summary": "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 fly A Malaysian Islamic university has formally distanced itself from an academic whose viral claims about…",
  "key_points": [
    "Malaysian university distances itself from controversial professor",
    "Singapore PM proposes pro-family measures amid low fertility rate",
    "Marcos Jr. faces criticism over US$3 billion estate tax on late father"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}