Malaysia’s biggest political party and key ruling coalition ally Umno on Sunday said it will not cooperate with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s alliance in the next national election, deepening conflict within the ruling pact.Muhyiddin’s 13 months in office have been beset with infighting and a leadership challenge from opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, amid the Covid-19 pandemic that has wrecked havoc on the economy.Umno, or the United Malays National Organisation, is the largest bloc in…
Hundreds protest against Turkey’s withdrawal from landmark women’s treaty
Hundreds of women across Turkey on Saturday took to the streets for the second weekend in a row to protest against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to withdraw from the world’s first binding treaty to combat violence against women.Erdogan last weekend sparked anger with his withdrawal from the 2011 Istanbul Convention that conservatives claim is hurting family unity in Turkey.Justifying the decision to withdraw, the presidency last week claimed the treaty had been “hijacked by a group…
In Cambodia, a property tycoon beats his wife in a Facebook video – and she gets blamed
Sophea* froze when the footage of Cambodian cosmetics entrepreneur Deth Malina being battered by her then-husband flashed up on social media. “It was difficult to watch,” the mother-of-three, 36, recalled. “It reminded me of my home life and what I had to escape.”On March 15, Deth published on Facebook an hour-long compilation of clips that showed displays of violence that have torn the nation in half. In one scene, property tycoon Duong Chhay, 31, lunges across his child to beat Deth, also 31…
Russia seeks stronger military ties with Myanmar amid international condemnation over coup
Russia wants to strengthen military ties with Myanmar, its state media reported on Friday, after a meeting between top defence officials and a junta condemned by Western countries for killing hundreds of civilian protesters.Russia’s deputy defence minister, Alexander Fomin, on Friday met junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who seized power in a February 1 coup that triggered weeks of nationwide protests and a lethal response by security forces.In Naypyidaw, Fomin said Myanmar was a…
Mandatory Covid testing in force in some UAE business sectors
Staff in certain public-facing business sectors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be required to take a Covid-19 PCR test once every 14 days if they have not already been vaccinated, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has announced.
Lease arrears: options for landlords in England and Wales
Commercial landlords in England and Wales must consider their approach to the increasing level of arrears given further extensions to restrictions on remedies.
Rent recovery and protection – what commercial landlords can do
In the Covid-19 world significant restraints have been placed on landlords’ ability to recover outstanding rents. We look here at what options landlords retain and what factors landlords should take account of as another quarter day passes.
‘Please save us’: Myanmar beauty queen speaks out against military violence in her country
Her social media posts are a mix of graphic photos and footage from the unrest back home, protest messages and photos of herself wearing ball gowns. And this week, Myanmar’s Miss Grand International contestant Han Lay made a plea to end the violence in her homeland.The Myanmar junta has unleashed deadly violence as it struggles to quell nationwide protests against the February 1 ouster and arrest of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.Han Lay, in Thailand’s Bangkok competing for the Miss Grand…
‘Umno’s beauty is its embrace of diversity’: Malaysia’s biggest party meets amid divisions over backing PM Muhyiddin
Malaysia’s parliament is suspended, a third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic has yet to abate, and there is no indication that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will press ahead with his previously stated plans to hold an election once the ongoing state of emergency expires in August. Yet there is a palpable sense of an uptick in political activity across the country as heavyweights begin planning for the impending polls. This weekend, the nation’s eyes will be on the annual general meeting of…
Coronavirus: Indonesia plans ‘one-way’ travel bubble for Singapore tourists to visit Batam and Bintan
Soh Yi Da misses his monthly trips to Batam, an Indonesian island that is a 45-minute ferry ride away from his home in Singapore. So when Indonesian officials hinted at the possibility of a one-way travel corridor there, he was thrilled.“The draw is of course the ability to get out of Singapore and feel the fresh air in a foreign place,” said Soh, 32, who works in the financial industry.Before the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a halt and shut international borders, he would travel…