“I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep,” Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, the legendary Napoleonic-era diplomat, once admitted.A direct witness to Napoleon Bonaparte’s audacious military expeditions, which turned France from a besieged revolutionary state into an intercontinental empire, he potently realised the power of leadership in times of crisis.Today, many are wondering what kind of leadership the Philippines has amid…
Malaysian minister: China must treat Southeast Asian neighbours ‘exceedingly well’ to prove its rise is peaceful
If China wants to prove its rise can be peaceful, then treating its Southeast Asian neighbours “exceedingly well” will be a litmus test of its commitment, Malaysia’s deputy defence minister Liew Chin Tong said on Monday.“Much as China believes that it is the victim of bullying by the West, particularly the United States, China needs to do everything possible to prevent the perception of smaller states that China is a bully,” said Liew at a forum in conjunction with the 45th anniversary of…
Indian magician Jadugar Mandrake missing after Ganges escape stunt goes wrong
An Indian magician who entered the Ganges river on Sunday tied up with steel chains and rope is missing, police said.Chanchal Lahiri, known by his stage name “Jadugar Mandrake” (Wizard Mandrake), was lowered into the river by crane as family members, media and police watched from the banks.But the 40-year-old failed to emerge from the water, triggering a frantic search by authorities.“We are still searching,” a family member said.Lahiri earlier said he had successfully pulled off a similar…
Italy’s ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ arrested in Thailand for George Clooney fraud, fake Rolex scams
An Italian who allegedly posed as Hollywood superstar George Clooney to sell clothes online has been arrested with his wife in Thailand after years on the run, police said on Sunday.Francesco Galdelli, 58, and Vanja Goffi, 45, were arrested on Saturday at a house on the outskirts of Pattaya after an operation between Thai and Italian authorities, officials said.“During interrogation, Francesco confessed to claiming to be George Clooney and opening a clothes business to trick people into sending…
On the Singapore media’s run-ins with Lee Kuan Yew, and the newsroom calamity waiting to happen: veteran newsman PN Balji tells all in new book
Reluctant Editor: The Singapore Media as Seen through the Eyes of a Veteran Newspaper Journalist by PN Balji sheds further light on the complicated and at times confrontational relationship between journalists and the government in Singapore’s tightly controlled media environment.Balji spent 40 years working in five newsrooms and oversaw the coverage of some of Singapore’s most significant events. This book also recounts the highs and lows of his career and the behind-the-scenes drama…
Veteran Singaporean newspaper editor PN Balji on press freedom, Lee Kuan Yew and the ‘sin’ of self-censorship
Government dominance over Singapore’s media dating back to the era of Lee Kuan Yew, the city state’s late founding prime minister, will likely continue even as a new generation of leaders prepare to take power, according to one of the country’s most respected former newspaper editors.PN Balji, the former chief editor of the English language newspapers Today and The New Paper, said however that during his decades-long career he found Lee – father of the current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong –…
Malaysia’s Azmin Ali sex scandal: politician Haziq Abdul Aziz arrested at airport after confessing to appearing in video
A politician who confessed to being in a sex video that implicated a Malaysian minister has been arrested at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, local media reported on Friday.Haziq Abdul Aziz, a member of the People’s Justice Party (PKR), was arrested at about 5.30pm. The police have not yet revealed the reason for his arrest.It follows the arrest on Friday morning of two members of the opposition for not cooperating with the police and using abusive language after one refused to hand over his…
Philippine fishermen protest Chinese harvesting of giant clams on Scarborough Shoal in further South China Sea dispute
Beijing has ignored a protest from Manila asking Chinese fishermen to cease harvesting giant clams from the Scarborough Shoal, a group of Filipino fishermen claimed Friday, as bilateral tensions rise anew over the sinking of a Philippine fishing boat by a suspected Chinese trawler.According to Nards Cuaresman – president of local fishermen in the town of Masinloc in Zambales, a province close to the mineral-rich South China Sea – the so-called Chinese maritime militia is using propellers…
UK introduces VAT reverse charge on renewable energy guarantees of origin
The UK is introducing a VAT reverse charge for supplies of renewable energy certificates with effect from 14 June 2019.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets Iranian leadership, tries to ease tensions with United States
Iran will not repeat its “bitter experience” of negotiating with the United States, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tehran on Thursday.Abe was carrying a message to Iranian leaders from US President Donald Trump.“I do not see Trump worthy of any message exchange, and I do not have any reply for him now or in future,” Fars news agency quoted Khamenei as saying.Khamenei also said Trump’s promise not to seek regime change in Iran was “a lie”, adding…