A bomb hidden among bags of potatoes at a Pakistani market killed at least 16 people, half of them ethnic Hazaras, officials said, in an attack apparently aimed at minority Shiite Muslims.At least 30 people were wounded in the blast in the southwestern city of Quetta, capital of Baluchistan province, officials said.The attack came after a lull of at least a year in attacks against Hazaras, though there have been isolated shootings. The blast took place at Hazar Ganji, a fruit and vegetable…
Indonesia election: in Prabowo versus Widodo, it’s Islamic statehood versus tolerance
When Indonesians head to the polls next Wednesday for what is expected to be the world’s biggest direct presidential election, 70 per cent of its 193 million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots in a single day.Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populous country, wears its hard-fought democracy with ease. I witnessed this during each of its previous three presidential elections – in 2004, 2009 and 2014 – and again in recent weeks as I journeyed across rural and urban Java – the…
Geoffrey Rush wins defamation case against Daily Telegraph over reports of inappropriate sexual conduct towards actress
Academy Award-winner Geoffrey Rush won a defamation case on Thursday against an Australian newspaper over reports that he behaved in an inappropriate sexual way to an actress.A front-page story in 2017 claimed that the Sydney Theatre Company received a complaint that Rush had inappropriately touched a female co-star during a staging of King Lear.A judge in Sydney ruled on Thursday that the Daily Telegraph had produced a “recklessly irresponsible piece of sensationalist journalism” and awarded…
Indonesia election: Prabowo Subianto rallies supporters in Joko Widodo’s heartland Solo, claiming he is on ‘holy mission to save the country’
The sun beat down on the city of Solo in Central Java on Wednesday but it did little to prevent thousands of supporters of Prabowo Subianto pouring into Sriwedari Stadium.The former general is seeking to unseat Indonesian President Joko Widodo at next week’s election. One of his supporters, Titiek Handayani, 34, left home with her two young children early in the morning, travelling by bus from Sragen 30km away.“It is important for us to come here,” she said. “I want to see Prabowo and listen to…
Tribunal rules on HMRC’s excise warehousekeeper approval revocation
The UK tax tribunal has found that HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) acted unreasonably in revoking certain approvals of an excise warehousekeeper, in a case concerning logistics provider Kammac plc and ordered HMRC to conduct a further review of its decision.
Redundancy and restructuring in the UAE
Redundancy is a sensitive and challenging topic in any jurisdiction. For companies operating in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the issue is particularly complex as the UAE Labour Law (Law No. 8 of 1980) does not set out any express statutory definition of redundancy or redundancy procedure.
Banking survey shows culture change is an ongoing process
Employee perception of banks’ culture, behaviour and competence has changed little in the past 12 months, showing that embedding cultural change will be an ongoing process for firms, an expert has said.
ASEAN green infrastructure gets $1 billion boost
A $1 billion finance facility to support investment in ‘green’ infrastructure across southeast Asia was announced last week in Thailand.
Pilot promised for new EU ethical guidelines for AI
Businesses in Europe exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will be given a chance this summer to pilot the use of new ethical guidelines, the European Commission has said.
Japanese teen who traded uranium online and even processed it into yellowcake was just a ‘chemistry geek’, analyst says
A 16-year-old Japanese boy is being investigated for dealing uranium online and even processing uranium ore into yellowcake. However, he was likely not a terrorist but rather a “chemistry geek” fascinated by the challenge, according to one security analyst. Kyodo news agency on Wednesday reported the high school student – who was initially referred to prosecutors on Monday on charges of violating the gunpowder control law by creating 2.4 grams of the explosive penthrite at his home last year –…