Author: viking

‘I came here to find love, but it’s not with you, Bachelor … sorry’
Television franchise The Bachelor has had its fair share of dramatic moments the world over but Vietnam’s version this week may have taken the rose for best twist. During a rose ceremony, in which the eligible bachelor keeps or eliminates the female contestants vying for his affections, one of the women, Minh Thu, said she had fallen in love with a fellow competitor Truc Nhu instead. Subtitled…

In his opening statement at the first public hearing before the Committee of Inquiry (COI), Singapore solicitor-general Kwek Mean Luck said that tardy responses and security inadequacies were major causal factors in the massive cyber attack on SingHealth earlier this year.

A Singapore immigration official was on Thursday charged for allegedly receiving sexual favours from Chinese women in exchange for helping them extend their visas, a rare case of corruption in a city state known for its clean image.
Chin Peng Sum was also accused of tipping off the two women about impending raids and obstruction of justice for deleting incriminating text messages he exchanged with them.
Singapore diplomat Tommy Koh calls for end to gay sex ban
The 51-year-old, a staff sergeant…

Investment fund managers will welcome news that a European watchdog is close to completing a major exercise aimed at minimising Brexit-related disruption to their business operations, an expert has said.

A rights group says the Indonesian woman imprisoned for blasphemy after complaining about noise from a mosque is sharing a cramped cell with 16 other women and given “terrible” food.
Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono said the ethnic Chinese woman, Meiliana, was emotional but tough when he and other supporters visited her in prison in Medan this week.
“She was sobbing when talking to us,” Harsono said Thursday in a statement about the visit. “The cell is…

Two British divers who helped rescue a Thai youth soccer team from a flooded cave had earlier saved four adults stranded in the same complex, according to a new report on a mission that gripped the world.
The 12 boys and coach from the “Wild Boars” club were trapped by rising waters as they explored the zigzagging passages of Tham Luang cave in northern Thailand on June 23.
Officials leading the rescue called on the expertise of the world’s cave diving community – many…

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is increasingly using its powers to demand information from large businesses without the need to ask for court approval, new data has shown.

Thailand’s junta leader has appointed the scion of a notorious political clan to run the country’s money-spinning “Sin City” of Pattaya, as he woos allies ahead of an anticipated run in next year’s elections.
With its beaches, myriad hotels and raucous nightlife, Pattaya is a lucrative tourist hub and the heart of Thailand’s massive sex industry.
Prayuth Chan-ocha, who leads the ruling junta, booted out the current mayor of the freewheeling resort and…

EU member states lost nearly €150 billion (£134bn) in VAT revenue in 2016, according to new research published by the European Commission.

A Philippine lawmaker fiercely critical of President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war was arrested on Tuesday on previously dismissed charges, a move condemned by watchdogs as persecution of the government’s opponents.
Senator Antonio Trillanes was taken into custody and then posted bail shortly after a court-issued warrant forced him from the Senate building, where he has holed up for weeks to avoid arrest.
Trillanes is the second senator critical of Duterte’s drug war to be…