The Himalayan disaster that tore through the China-Nepal border last month was a human calamity before it became a media story. A torrent of ice, rock, mud and debris swept through valleys, destroying key infrastructure, severing roads and communications, and leaving families desperate for news.
In Gyirong county in the Tibet autonomous region, the disaster hit a major border crossing and created a rescue environment as physically difficult as any imaginable. The human toll extends beyond the…
Malaysian woman scuba diving in Bali dies after being swept away by currents
A Malaysian woman has died while scuba diving after she was caught in strong currents in Bali, Indonesia.
According to local media portal Bali News, the victim, Siti Nuraini Rusidi, 40, was on a diving trip with a divemaster, boat captain and several other divers when the incident occurred at 11.10am local time on Wednesday.
The trip’s divemaster, Eugenius Franciso Ray, 33, had reportedly raised concerns over her health when he noticed her coughing when the group was at the first dive site at…
Health crisis grips Indonesians enduring haze: ‘my eyes sting, my head hurts’
Struggling to breathe through the acrid haze emanating from wildfires on Indonesia’s Borneo Island, residents said on Wednesday they feared for their health but had little to do but wait out the foul-smelling hazard.
Indonesia, which shares Borneo with Malaysia and Brunei, is grappling with forest fires that have ravaged swathes of the island, partly caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon that has also affected other countries in Southeast Asia and beyond.
In Pontianak, the capital of West…
Upper Tribunal upholds lifetime ban for financial misconduct
A recent ruling by the Upper Tribunal affirms the UK financial services industry’s zero-tolerance approach to non-financial misconduct, an expert has said.
Von der Leyen links EU competitiveness to reduced dependencies
Efforts to reduce the EU’s dependency on others for economic, military, and energy security will be reflected in new policy businesses can expect to see in the year ahead.
Malaysia to invite Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing for Rohingya repatriation talks
Malaysia will formally invite Myanmar leader Minh Aung Hlaing to visit Kuala Lumpur to discuss efforts to repatriate nearly 200,000 refugees from the war-torn nation that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says have placed a heavy social and economic burden on his country.
Refugees from Myanmar, particularly ethnic Rohingya, have faced worsening hostility in recent months in Malaysia, where they are accused of causing social problems and taking over small local businesses in areas where they have set…
Why I am grateful for Asean’s endless meetings
I remember 2011 well. Indonesia was chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and I was serving as deputy foreign minister for Asean cooperation. I learned a great deal, although if I had to summarise the experience in one word, I would say: meetings.
Asean members meet. They talk. They disagree. They issue statements. Then, quite remarkably, they meet again. We meet in conference rooms, coffee shops and restaurants. We speak by telephone and online. And when matters become…
UK expands sanctions agenda with planned settlement trade ban and tougher Iran measures
Businesses with operations, investments or supply chains connected to the Middle East may need to reassess sanctions compliance risks following UK government announcements concerning Israeli settlement-related activity and new Iran sanctions measures, experts have said.
Who will shoulder the debts behind Indonesia’s China-backed Whoosh railway?
Indonesia’s finance ministry is preparing to absorb debt payments for Whoosh, the China-funded high-speed railway connecting Jakarta and Bandung, in a move officials say will ease financial pressure on the state-owned enterprises that built and operate the line.
The government has argued that the burden is manageable after the debt was restructured over 80 years, requiring annual instalments of about 1 trillion rupiah (US$56.5 million). But the plan has also raised concerns that taxpayers are…
Singapore’s Chan Chun Sing to visit China, speak at defence forum
Singapore’s Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing is set to visit China from Tuesday to Thursday at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun and will speak at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum for the second consecutive year.
His visit comes as defence analysts tell This Week in Asia that ties with Beijing are important for the city state’s balancing strategy with Washington. Singapore and the United States are close strategic partners with deep defence cooperation.
Singapore’s defence ministry…