New measures to help UK businesses fund their growth, and develop their digital skills in the process, are welcome steps towards ensuring the UK remains globally competitive, a legal expert has said.
Myanmar coup: 19 policemen seek shelter in India to avoid military junta’s violent crackdown
At least 19 Myanmar police have crossed into India to escape taking orders from a military junta that is trying to suppress protests against last month’s coup, an Indian police official said on Thursday, adding that more were expected.The men have crossed into Champhai and Serchhip, two districts in the northeastern state of Mizoram that share a porous border with Myanmar, the official said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.All the men, who are lower-ranking…
Penang’s durian season will arrive late this year but harvest expected to be high quality
Penang’s durian season will be late this year but better quality fruits are expected when they start falling in May.Tan Chee Keat, who owns orchards in Balik Pulau, Teluk Bahang and Teluk Kumbar, predicted that the durian season would run from May to August.“The yield this year may come later but the fruit quality is expected to be a lot better than last year,” he said. “This is because there was intermittent rain nearly every month last year but since December, we have seen very little…
Mitsubishi withdraws from Vietnam coal plant due to climate concerns
Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation has decided to withdraw from the 2 gigawatts (GW) Vinh Tan 3 coal-fired power plant project in the Binh Thuan province of Vietnam because of concerns about its climate impact.
1MDB scandal: husband of Malaysian central bank’s former governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz under investigation
Malaysian police on Wednesday said they were investigating the husband of the country’s former central bank head for allegedly receiving funds linked to 1MDB, a state fund at the centre of a massive corruption scandal.Malaysian and US authorities have said around US$4.5 billion was stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), in a globe-spanning scandal that has implicated the country’s former prime minister, US investment firm Goldman Sachs, and others.Tawfiq Ayman, the husband of former…
Malaysia’s coronavirus vaccination efforts dogged by accusations of queue-jumping
A week after the launch of its national immunisation plan, Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination efforts have come under scrutiny following allegations that political aides and workers were jumping the queue.Local media reported that doctors had complained these staff were cutting ahead of medical frontliners to receive the vaccine.In a swift response, science minister Khairy Jamaluddin – who is at the helm of Malaysia’s 4 billion ringgit (US$985 million) public health plan – said he would…
Underpaid pensions: ‘stopping the clock’ to prevent forfeiture
Recent rulings in the long-running guaranteed minimum pensions equalisation (GMP) litigation should prompt pension schemes to think again about how their forfeiture rules and the statutory time bar in the 1980 Limitation Act can affect a member’s claim for underpaid benefits where investigations arise.
Most Chinese-Australians feel they belong, but discrimination remains a factor: survey
Most Chinese-Australians feel a great or moderate sense of belonging to Australia, according to the largest survey ever undertaken of the community, but close to four in 10 say they have been “treated differently or less favourably” in the past year due to their Chinese heritage.The study by Australia’s Lowy Institute found that 71 per cent of respondents felt like they belonged “to a great or moderate extent” to Australia, while 65 per cent felt the same way about China.Meanwhile, those who…
Singapore courts provide guidance on claims regarding breaches of natural justice in arbitration
Recent rulings by the Singapore courts provide guidance on how commercial arbitration awards are set aside due to breaches of natural justice.
Myanmar military urged not to ‘invite’ foreign intervention, as Asean foreign ministers meet
Asean foreign ministers held an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon during which the bloc called on Myanmar’s military rulers to stop violence against demonstrators and immediately release civilian leaders as a first step towards quelling the unrest that has followed last month’s coup.Ahead of the talks, police in Myanmar continued to use violence – including the firing of live bullets – to disperse crowds as protests continued in Yangon and across the country, Reuters reported, citing…