Nepal’s home minister stepped down on Wednesday over growing criticism of his finances after less than a month in office he won on an anti-corruption platform.
Sudan Gurung, a key figure in the Gen-Z protests last September that toppled Nepal’s previous government, said he was stepping down to ensure a “fair investigation”.
“I have resigned from the position of Home Minister with effect from today,” the 38-year-old posted on his social media accounts.
“For me, morality is greater than a position…
Hong Kong, Malaysia stock exchanges to team up on ETFs, listings, Islamic finance
The bourse operators of Hong Kong and Malaysia are exploring a range of collaborations, from dual listings and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to Islamic finance, to forge closer ties between the city and the Southeast Asian country.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) CEO Bonnie Chan Yiting and Boursa Malaysia CEO Dato Fad’l Mohamed unveiled their joint development plans in a media briefing in Hong Kong on Wednesday as HKEX hosted the 40th Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges Federation (AOSEF)…
Land rights challenges under South Africa’s ITIPP framework
South Africa’s independent transmission programme marks a major step forward for the country’s transmission network, but land rights continue to pose an often underestimated challenge for developers and funders.
World’s top condom maker to raise prices by up to 30% over Iran war impact
Malaysia’s Karex, the world’s top condom producer, plans to raise prices by 20 per cent to 30 per cent and possibly further if supply chain disruptions drag on due to the Iran war, its chief executive said on Tuesday.
Karex is also seeing a surge in condom demand as rising freight costs and shipping delays have left many of its customers with lower stockpiles than usual, CEO Goh Miah Kiat told Reuters in an interview.
“The situation is definitely very fragile, prices are expensive … We have…
Indonesia passes law to protect domestic workers after a wait of over 20 years
Indonesia’s parliament passed a law on Tuesday to protect the rights of domestic workers after more than two decades of deliberations and multiple delays.
The bill was first introduced in 2004 to protect the country’s 4.2 million domestic workers, almost 90 per cent of them women, according to data from the Ministry of Manpower.
They were previously not legally classified as workers, meaning they were forced to operate in an informal and unregulated economy, exposed to exploitation and…
South Korea-US tensions flare over ‘intelligence leak’ claims, Pyongyang policy
A reported US pullback in intelligence-sharing with South Korea has exposed a new trust gap between the allies after Unification Minister Chung Dong-young publicly mentioned a suspected North Korean uranium-enrichment site.
Washington viewed Chung’s remark as disclosing sensitive information about Kusong – a site long discussed in outside analyses, but not previously identified publicly by a South Korean official in such terms – and responded by reducing the intelligence it shared with Seoul,…
Paris court clarifies arbitrators’ scope to determine governing law of agreements
Arbitrators can determine what law governs disputes in circumstances where the parties to arbitration agreements have not made it clear what the applicable law is and did not subsequently agree on it during the arbitration, according to a recent ruling in France.
Philippine army kills at least 10 Maoist rebels during battles on Negros
Government forces in the central Philippines have killed at least 10 Maoist guerrillas in several gun battles, the military said on Monday, in a deadly flare-up of the decades-old insurgency.
Troops were fighting “remnants” of the New People’s Army (NPA) rebel group on Sunday near the municipality of Toboso on Negros island, the regional military command said.
The exact number of dead rebels was uncertain, with Philippine Army spokesman Colonel Louie Dema-ala in Manila saying as many as 19 might…
Can Iran fiasco help China edge out US in key arena of Southeast Asia?
Since America launched its “major combat operation” against Iran, several Nato allies have distanced themselves from Washington. Now America also risks losing ground in strategically important Southeast Asia to China. Could it face an erosion of influence similar to that suffered by Russia in Central Asia as a result of its “special military operation” in Ukraine?
Soon after US President Donald Trump launched massive air and missile strikes on Iran on February 28, it became clear Washington…
Blaze in Malaysia’s Sabah destroys 1,000 homes, displaces over 9,000
Thousands of people have been displaced after a fire destroyed around 1,000 homes in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island on Sunday, the fire department said.
Authorities were notified of the fire in Sandakan district at around 1.32am, the district’s fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung said in a statement.
“Strong winds and the close proximity of the houses caused the fire to spread rapidly, while low tide conditions also made it difficult to obtain an open water…