A powerful Malaysian royal family called on Thursday for former prime minster Mahathir Mohamad to face a sedition probe for allegedly insulting an ethnic group from which they claim descent.
During a rally last month against a massive financial scandal embroiling the current government, Mahathir had said Prime Minister Najib Razak was descended from “Bugis pirates”.
Political tensions are rising in Malaysia, with Mahathir – who was premier for 22 years – trying to oust…
Australia probes data breach, as Malaysia investigates mobile phone leak affecting millions
Malaysia is investigating the theft of mobile phone records for 46.2 million customers, while an online security lapse in Australia exposed personal details of almost 50,000 employees.
The Malaysian government is working with carriers and police to investigate the issue and identify possible sources of the leak, the state news agency Bernama reported on Wednesday, citing Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak. A spokesman confirmed his comments. The data may last have…
‘Some refugees are very sick’: Australian immigration camp on Papua New Guinea loses power
The 606 men refusing to leave an Australian immigration camp in Papua New Guinea were without power and many of their toilets on Wednesday as reports emerged saying one of them had resorted to harming himself while others needed urgent medical treatment.
The camp inside a Manus Island navy base was declared closed on Tuesday afternoon based on the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court’s ruling last year that Australia’s policy of detaining asylum seekers there was illegal and…
Sole director’s actions could not justify ‘piercing corporate veil’, Privy Council rules
An individual was not liable for rent arrears under a lease granted to his company, even though the company was only formed after negotiations about the draft lease had concluded, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has ruled.
‘The military has got the whip hand’: Thailand’s junta emerges from one year of mourning stronger than ever
Thailand’s military government has emerged from the year of official mourning for King Bhumibol Adulyadej with a firm grip on power and in no apparent rush to hold elections it has repeatedly delayed during the four years since its coup.
The five days of solemn and choreographed spectacle for Bhumibol’s funeral last month was a mostly unblemished propaganda triumph for the junta that underlined its primacy and the sidelining of political parties.
After a reign of seven decades,…
North Korean nuclear test ‘left 200 dead after tunnel collapse’, according to Japanese reports
More than 200 people are feared to have died when a tunnel caved in at North Korea’s nuclear test site after its latest detonation, a Japanese news report said on Tuesday.
A tunnel collapsed at Punggye-ri in early September, days after North Korea conducted its sixth and largest underground nuclear test on September 3, TV Asahi said, quoting unnamed North Korean sources.
Some 100 workers were involved in an initial collapse. Another cave-in occurred during rescue operations, leaving at…
Government to remove administrative barriers to bulk defined contribution pension transfers
Draft regulations which would make it easier for trustees to bulk transfer pensions from one defined contribution (DC) pension scheme to another without seeking the consent of every scheme member have been published for consultation.
Is he poor or is he rich? Thai model probed for using welfare card
By Wichit Chantanusornsiri & Online reporters A male model suspected of pretending to be poor in order to receive a welfare card is being investigated by Thailand’s Comptroller-General’s Department. The department chief, Suttirat Rattanachot, said she has obtained the name of the model, who has been subjected to criticism on social media for obtaining a welfare card despite appearing to live a life of comfort. But the man shamed on social media has come forward to…
Government reiterates plans for EU-UK data flows post-Brexit amidst criticism of Data Protection Bill powers
The UK government has reiterated its plans to establish an agreement with the remainder of the EU member states that will allow personal data to flow across borders unhindered post-Brexit.
Sea current course change could mean worse weather for Japan
The powerful current that sweeps up Japan’s east coast has made a broad turn out into the Pacific for the first time in 12 years, according to scientists, meaning that the country can expect higher tides and elevated levels of snowfall this winter.
Experts also warn that changes in the Kuroshio Current have already begun to affect fish stocks in the usually plentiful waters off the eastern seaboard, with fishermen reporting that catches of bonito and sardine fry are already significantly…