Investment fund managers will welcome news that a European watchdog is close to completing a major exercise aimed at minimising Brexit-related disruption to their business operations, an expert has said.
Indonesian jailed for blasphemy enduring harsh conditions, says NGO
A rights group says the Indonesian woman imprisoned for blasphemy after complaining about noise from a mosque is sharing a cramped cell with 16 other women and given “terrible” food.
Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said the ethnic Chinese woman, Meiliana, was emotional but tough when he and other supporters visited her in prison in Medan this week.
“She was sobbing when talking to us,” Harsono said Thursday in a statement about the visit. “The cell is…
Thai cave rescue: British divers saved four Thai adults before operation to pull out schoolboys
Two British divers who helped rescue a Thai youth soccer team from a flooded cave had earlier saved four adults stranded in the same complex, according to a new report on a mission that gripped the world.
The 12 boys and coach from the “Wild Boars” club were trapped by rising waters as they explored the zigzagging passages of Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand on June 23.
Officials leading the rescue called on the expertise of the world’s cave diving community – many…
SFO increasingly using power to demand information without court approval
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is increasingly using its powers to demand information from large businesses without the need to ask for court approval, new data has shown.
Thailand’s junta boss appoints new boss to run ‘Sin City’ Pattaya
Thailand’s junta leader has appointed the scion of a notorious political clan to run the country’s money-spinning “Sin City” of Pattaya, as he woos allies ahead of an anticipated run in next year’s elections.
With its beaches, myriad hotels and raucous nightlife, Pattaya is a lucrative tourist hub and the heart of Thailand’s massive sex industry.
Prayuth Chan-ocha, who leads the ruling junta, booted out the current mayor of the freewheeling resort and…
EU calls on member states to act on €150 billion in lost VAT
EU member states lost nearly €150 billion (£134bn) in VAT revenue in 2016, according to new research published by the European Commission.
Senator Antonio Trillanes, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiercest critic, arrested
A Philippine lawmaker fiercely critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war was arrested on Tuesday on previously dismissed charges, a move condemned by watchdogs as persecution of the government’s opponents.
Senator Antonio Trillanes was taken into custody and then posted bail shortly after a court-issued warrant forced him from the Senate building, where he has holed up for weeks to avoid arrest.
Trillanes is the second senator critical of Duterte’s drug war to be…
Singapore diplomat Tommy Koh calls for end to gay sex ban
One of Singapore’s most influential diplomats called Tuesday for the repeal of a law criminalising sex between men, saying it was time for the modern city state to abandon the “antiquated” legislation.
The Indian Supreme Court’s decision earlier this month to decriminalise homosexual sex has sparked fresh debate in Singapore, and a new legal challenge has been lodged against the city’s anti-gay sex law.
Sex between men remains illegal in Singapore under “…
Mongolian herders moved to the capital city but now intense pollution is forcing to reconsider
More than a decade ago, Darii Garam, 76, moved to Ulan Bator with her children so they could go to school and find work beyond herding animals in the countryside. Now, the pollution, set to worsen in the approaching winter, is getting to her.
“Even just going outside for a second, opening your door, your home fills with smoke, your clothes, everything smells like it,” she says moving around her ger, a spacious and neatly kept traditional Mongolian yurt, to make tea.
Darii lives on…
Turkish restrictions on foreign currency transactions tightened
Foreign companies with a presence in Turkey have been advised to renegotiate the price of their contracts with local organisations into the Turkish Lira as soon as possible.