Even for a president famed for turning the air blue, it was a colourful way to conduct a press conference. “You are not only throwing toilet paper – you are throwing s*** at us,” snarled Rodrigo Duterte at hapless Rappler journalist Pia Ranada as he brandished a copy of the news site’s latest exposé, railing against what he labelled “fake news”.
It wasn’t hard to grasp why the Filipino president was so angry. Just a day earlier, on January 15,…
Employment rights could be extended in Singapore
Employment rights stipulated in law in Singapore could be extended to all employees in the city state under potential reforms being consulted on by the government.
Takeover at Dundalk FC a sign of new investment strategy in football, says expert
The recent change of ownership at Irish football league club Dundalk FC could mark the start of a new investment strategy in European football, an expert has said.
ONS: large proportion of UK gender pay gap cannot be explained by age or occupation
Almost two-thirds of the UK’s gender pay gap cannot be explained by reference to male and female workers’ age, working patterns or occupation, official statisticians have said.
Asia in 3 minutes: Yabba, dabba, doo for sultan’s Flintstone car; yabba, dabba, don’t for Japan’s fugu lovers
Malaysian sultan channels Fred Flintstone with new car
Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar of Johor, one of Malaysia’s most powerful and wealthiest state rulers, was given a life-size replica of Fred Flintstone’s car from the classic cartoon. The car, which has an engine so he will not have to power it with his regal feet, was a belated birthday gift from a fellow high-ranking royal. The iconic vehicle from The Flintstones, the sultan’s favourite cartoon, is an accurate likeness of…
Public bodies in Northern Ireland could face more challenges under changes to grounds for judicial review, says expert
ANALYSIS: The removal of the reference to ‘promptness’ from the judicial review rules in Northern Ireland may seem subtle, but the change will have a real impact on decision-making in boardrooms across the region.
India can strike anywhere in China with new nuclear-capable missile, government says
India successfully test-fired a long-range nuclear-capable missile on Thursday from an island in the Bay of Bengal.
The test, the fifth of the Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile, was made from a mobile launcher, and “further strengthens our credible deterrence,” the defence Ministry said in a statement.
India has been developing its nuclear and missile systems in recent years amid increasing strategic competition with China. The test was “a major boost to country’…
Populism has emboldened authoritarian leaders around the world but Human Rights Watch hails resistance in annual report
Activists have decried the rise of US President Donald Trump and his embrace of populist strongmen as a blow to the global campaign for human rights, but said they have seen a promising resistance movement.
In its annual report released on Thursday, Human Rights Watch tracked unchecked abuse in unstable states like Syria and Myanmar, authoritarian trends in powers like Turkey and China – and also weighed in on year one of Trump’s White House.
Under Trump, the US cosied up to…
Promise of unified Koreas at Olympics leads to anger in South Korea and concern internationally
The proposal for South Korea and North Korea to present a unified front at the Winter Olympics has excited many – and angered many more. Meanwhile, the international community has raise an eyebrow at Kim Jong-un’s apparent peace offering.
Seoul announced the plan to march together under a pro-unification flag on Wednesday, as well as the proposal of a unified women’s ice hockey team.
That has resulted in a sharp uptick in petitions against the unified team on the website of…
UK universities will be expected to publicly justify high pay ratios under new Code
UK universities would be expected to publish the ratio of vice-chancellor pay to median earnings, and be “prepared to justify” high figures, according to draft guidance on senior staff pay.