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…
Japan, Australia finalise contracts to deliver first 3 of planned frigates
Japan and Australia said on Saturday they have finalised contracts to jointly deliver the first three of 11 ships for the Australian navy based on the upgraded Japanese Mogami-class frigate, as the two countries deepen their defence cooperation amid China’s growing assertiveness.
The deal, announced by Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles in Melbourne, comes ahead of Japan’s planned easing of its rules on defence equipment exports, which place…
In Bangkok, Malaysia’s first Mr Bear winner finds spotlight queer life rarely gets at home
On Monday afternoon, amid the heat and chaos of Thailand’s Songkran festival, Gavin Chow was crowned Mr Bear International 2026 – the first Malaysian to win the title at a pageant that has quickly become part of Thailand’s growing queer festival circuit.
Back in Chow’s home country, the climate is very different.
Malaysia criminalises same-sex intimacy under federal law, LGBTQ gatherings have faced police raids and the 34-year-old activist’s own national qualifier earlier this year struggled to…
‘Disappointing’ UK tax ruling will hit projects across sectors, say experts
The costs developers commonly incur in carrying out surveys and studies needed to move forward with major projects do not qualify for tax relief in the form of capital allowances under UK tax law, the UK Supreme Court has ruled.