Defamation laws in Scotland would become more closely aligned with those in England and Wales under proposals from the Scottish Law Commission.
No Weinsteins allowed: Bollywood puts mogul on notice over sexual harassment of women
India has issued a rare diktat to its powerful movie moguls, reminding Bollywood to keep women safe from the sort of sex abuse allegations poisoning the US film industry.
India’s minister for women and child welfare Maneka Gandhi wrote to major production houses on Wednesday, asking them to comply with the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, which stipulates a series of processes to protect women at work.
“Bollywood filmmakers are ethically and legally accountable for the safety of…
US pressing Thailand to downgrade its ties with North Korea as part of regional push to isolate Kim regime
The US has urged Thailand to downgrade diplomatic and trade ties with North Korea, a senior Thai official said on Thursday after meeting with an American envoy, as the Trump administration pushes ahead with a global campaign to further isolate the nuclear-armed pariah state.
General Wanlop Rugsanoah, secretary general of Thailand’s National Security Council, said the request was made during his meeting with US special envoy for North Korea Joseph Yun, who arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday…
PSD2: new security guidelines for businesses in the payments market finalised
Businesses involved in the payment services market will be required to have the security measures they put in place audited, under new guidelines set out by the European Banking Authority (EBA).
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte wins extra year of martial law powers
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte won martial law powers across the southern third of the country for one more year on Wednesday to combat Islamic militants and leftist rebels, as Congress brushed aside fears of a looming dictatorship.
Duterte’s request to extend martial law in the Mindanao region until December 31 next year and detain suspected rebels there without charge was overwhelmingly approved by the Senate and House of Representatives.
“The motion to further extend the…
Indonesia corruption trial delayed by accused parliamentary speaker Novanto’s ‘diarrhoea’
Indonesia’s biggest corruption trial in years was derailed on Wednesday after its graft-charged parliament speaker Setya Novanto claimed a bout of diarrhoea had left him too sick to participate, prompting jeers from the courtroom gallery.
The claim was just the latest in a string of manoeuvres – including allegedly faking an injury in a car crash – that critics say the 62-year-old has employed to dodge serious charges.
Novanto – who has faced corruption allegations in…
New regulations expanding personal portfolio bond asset types in force from January
ANALYSIS: New regulations will permit additional property categories to be held within a personal portfolio bond (PPB) from 1 January 2018, making these bonds potentially more attractive to investors.
‘Inside job and a cover-up’: Philippine bank points finger at Bangladeshis over US$81 million heist
A Philippine bank on Tuesday accused Bangladesh’s central bank of a “massive cover-up” over an US$81 million cyber-heist last year, as it rejected allegations it was mostly to blame.
Unidentified hackers shifted US$81 million in February last year from the Bangladesh central bank’s account with the US Federal Reserve in New York to a Manila branch of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corp (RCBC). The money was quickly withdrawn and laundered through Manila casinos.
With only…
Thai police arrest Australian man for smuggling drugs, highlighting growing influence of foreign biker gangs
An Australian man linked to a “Hells Angels” chapter has been arrested in Bangkok for smuggling drugs, police said on Tuesday, as Thai authorities tackle organised crime run by motorcycle gangs in the kingdom.
Immigration officials detained 34-year-old Luke Joshua Cook and his Thai wife Kanyarat Wedphitak at Bangkok’s main airport on Saturday for attempting to smuggle half a tonne of crystal meth into Thailand in 2015.
Cook is accused of trying to bring the drugs to land from…
Sport body’s restrictions on athlete participation in non-affiliated events breach EU competition rules, says Commission
The penalties an international sports body can impose on athletes’ participation in non-affiliated events breach EU competition laws, the European Commission has said.