A new push to decriminalise gay sex in Singapore is gaining force three weeks after the Indian Supreme Court struck down a similar colonial-era law, putting liberalising forces in the Lion City on a collision course with conservative religious groups.
A petition to repeal Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code – a law both India and the Lion City inherited from British rule – was submitted to the government on Friday, having gained the signatures of 44,650 Singaporeans and…
Indian fugitive billionaire Nirav Modi’s assets seized in London, New York
Indian authorities on Monday said they had seized assets of fugitive billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi worth some US$87 million, piling pressure on one of the main suspects in a US$1.8-billion fraud at a major state-run bank.
The seized assets included overseas bank accounts and diamond-studded jewellery to the tune of US$3.1 million that had been brought back to India from Hong Kong in 23 shipments, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said.
The jewellery had been shipped out after Indian federal…
Infrastructure investment will be part of China’s US trade war response
China will look to infrastructure investment to insulate its economy from the escalating trade war with the US, according to an infrastructure expert.
Video captures Thai airport security guard hitting Chinese tourist, prompting government to apologise
A video clip of a Chinese tourist being hit by an airport guard in Thailand has prompted a flurry of apologies and vows to take action, as the government went into damage control over the incident.
China is Thailand’s biggest source of tourists, making up about a quarter of its 35 million annual visitors.
But a boating disaster on the popular island of Phuket in July that killed dozens of Chinese holidaymakers has caused a drop-off in visits and put Thailand on alert for problems that…
Crumpled hotel in Palu becomes focus of rescue effort after Indonesia earthquake and tsunami
Squads of orange-clad rescuers clambered over the tangled remains of an Indonesian hotel Sunday, hoping to dig out 50 to 60 guests still feared trapped by an earthquake-tsunami disaster.
Authorities believe the 80-room Hotel Roa-Roa in the city of Palu on Sulawesi island was near capacity when the district was ravaged by a 7.5 magnitude quake and a tsunami wave Friday.
“It is assumed there are still 50 to 60 people trapped under the rubble,” said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo…
Powerful Typhoon Trami batters Okinawa, threatens rest of Japan
A powerful typhoon pummelled Japan’s southern island of Okinawa on Saturday, injuring at least 17 people, as weather officials warned the storm would rip through the country over the weekend.
Typhoon Trami, packing maximum gusts of 216km/h (134mph) near its centre, was forecast to hit the mainland early on Sunday and cause extreme weather across the country into Monday. Television footage showed branches ripped from trees by strong winds blocking a main street in Naha, with massive waves…
Jurong, Singapore’s 2nd CBD, hits a high-speed rail buffer: it’s called Mahathir
In the western part of Singapore, there is a place where people seeking to escape the tropical heat can take things to the extreme. Where there is real snow, sub-zero temperatures and – for the really adventurous – skiing and snowboarding lessons on a purpose-built slope.
Snow City, which markets itself as a fun day out for everyone from winter-sports enthusiasts to families to corporate team builders, seemed a great idea when it first opened its doors in June 2000.
But since then,…
Most UK businesses still to complete Brexit risk assessment
The majority of UK businesses have still to formally assess the risks they face from the UK’s scheduled exit from the EU, a recent survey has found.
Panel’s USS pension report critical of trustee and regulator
Universities and their staff do not need to pay as much money into a sector-wide pension scheme as had been predicted by either the scheme’s trustee or the Pensions Regulator to maintain current retirement benefits that are promised, an independent assessment of the scheme’s 2017 valuation has found.
Slovak paedophile’s conviction a watershed for Vietnam
In a landmark case this week, Roman Zmajkovic became the first person to be prosecuted under a new Vietnamese law on paedophilia.
Zmajkovic, 33, was charged in Hanoi People’s Court for “having sexual intercourse with children” and given three years in prison followed by deportation to Slovakia. The maximum possible sentence was 15 years. Zmajkovic’s prosecution is the first to occur under a new Vietnamese law that recognises non-heterosexual sex with children as a sex…