Baby Jane Allas, the Filipino domestic worker who was fired in February after being diagnosed with stage-three cervical cancer, has now undergone surgery that may rid her of the disease.The 38-year-old single mother of five is currently recovering from the medical procedure in hospital.“I was told that it went really well and that we can expect her full recovery soon,” said Mary Ann – Allas’ sister, who is also a domestic worker in Hong Kong – on Friday afternoon, just a few hours after the…
Tandoori Junction’s smoky milk tea in Pakistan finds fans – from Chinese to Russians
It’s midnight in Islamabad. Most of the shops in the Pakistani capital’s upscale Jinnah Super Market are closed. But there’s an inexplicable rush at Tandoori Junction, an open-air tea stall at the heart of the market. Nearly a hundred people, including foreigners, are seated in small groups on low stools, sipping on piping hot milk tea served in clay terracotta mugs. Dozens queue patiently nearby for their turn to get a seat at the stall, owned by Sanaullah Javed, a former chartered…
Hongkongers scout properties in Malaysia as political turmoil rumbles on
The ongoing demonstrations in Hong Kong have resulted in a spike in interest in Malaysian property and private international school enquiries.A check with four property consultancies and a couple of international schools suggest that interest rose towards late June and early July this year. SK Brothers Realty (M) Sdn Bhd general manager Chan Ai Cheng said there has been growing interest in Malaysian properties from Hong Kong investors.“The interest is growing and I have heard that there has…
Japan removes South Korea from trusted export list, with Seoul vowing a ‘firm’ response
Japan decided to remove South Korea from a list of trusted export destinations amid escalating tensions between the two US allies that threaten to damage security ties and global supply lines.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet voted Friday to strike its neighbour from a so-called “white list” of countries that benefit from less stringent checks and the removal will take place on Aug. 28, the government said.Explained: what’s driving Japan’s escalating feud with South Korea?Trade…
China ‘taking control’ of vital Mekong river through dam-building spree, Mike Pompeo warns
China is taking control of the flow of Southeast Asia’s most important river through a dam-building “spree”, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned on Wednesday, as water levels along the Mekong reach record lows.The famous waterway starts in China and twists south through parts of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam, feeding 60 million people through its basin and tributaries.But environmental groups fear Beijing-backed dams straddling the river upstream will destroy fish stocks…
Indonesia revs up electric car ambitions to rival Singapore and Thailand
Indonesia is planning a series of incentives for electric-car manufacturers and drivers, to help bolster a sector that has already lured investment from Toyota and SoftBank, according to a draft government strategy.The measures are aimed at accelerating the adoption of battery-powered cars in Indonesia and building a base for the production and export of such vehicles. They include lower taxes for manufacturers and buyers of electric cars, and benefits for EV owners, such as special parking…
Baybayin, an ancient Philippine written script, is making a comeback thanks to millennials
Once confined to history classes, an indigenous script used before Spanish colonisation, is making a comeback among the Philippines’ millennials, young professionals and diaspora.Online clips of calligraphy and digital fonts for Baybayin – a 17-character indigenous script last used hundreds of years ago – have gripped the digital generation and now it is appearing on everything from tattoos and T-shirts to mobile apps.Proponents hail the curvilinear text as a crucial part of Philippine identity…
India outlaws triple talaq and makes it punishable by three years in jail
India’s parliament passed on Tuesday a law against the controversial Muslim practice of “instant divorce”, making it a criminal offence punishable by up to three years in prison.Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government pushed through the bill despite stiff resistance from several opposition parties and a previous failed attempt to move the bill in the upper house.“An archaic and medieval practice has finally been confined to the dustbin of history,” Modi tweeted after the…
Indonesia’s opposition leader Prabowo will ‘mediate’ if authorities ban radical group Islamic Defenders Front
Indonesian opposition leader Prabowo Subianto will play a “mediatory role” between the government and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) if authorities refuse to renew the operating licence of the hardline group, which campaigns for a caliphate in the secular Muslim nation.The offer, which was made through his spokesman on Tuesday, follows hints by the country’s President Joko Widodo over the weekend that the FPI could be banned in an effort to tackle a growing wave of conservatism that has seen…
Five soldiers among 17 killed in Pakistani military plane crash in Rawalpindi
Seventeen people were killed when a small military plane crashed early Tuesday into a residential area in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad, a rescue official said.Five soldiers, including two army pilots, and at least 12 civilians were killed, the military said in a statement.Farooq Butt, an official at the state-run emergency service, said an additional 15 people were injured. Rescue officials said the death toll could rise since some of those injured were critical…