Oil and gas distributing company Glencore Energy’s application for judicial review of the issue of a diverted profits tax (DPT) charging notice by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been rejected for a second time.
Asia in 3 minutes: Trump’s new lingo, Japanese firm rewards non-smokers, poisoned lassis and the man who may succeed Duterte
Trump administration rebrands Asia the ‘Indo-Pacific’ in swipe at China US President Donald Trump isn’t just remaking American foreign policy in Asia by tearing up trade deals and getting tough on North Korea, his administration is giving the region a new name. As Trump prepared to arrive for a five-nation tour, White House officials and even the president ditched Asia-Pacific and were using “Indo-Pacific” instead. In the past few days, national security adviser…
Call for new right to ‘basic infrastructure’ to be written into new UK industrial strategy
Every person in the UK should have a right to access “basic infrastructure”, such as transport links, utilities, schools and broadband, an independent body set up to make recommendations on the shape of a new industrial strategy in the UK has said.
Modern masters meet at Museum MACAN, Indonesia’s first contemporary art gallery
Indonesia’s first international gallery of contemporary art opens on Saturday, bringing together works by Ai Weiwei, Mark Rothko and Indonesian masters in a free-flowing modern space overlooking the Jakarta skyline.
The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Nusantara (Museum MACAN) holds nearly 800 paintings and sculptures, and aims to provide a world-class gallery to a country starved of quality museum infrastructure. The collection, mostly acquired by businessman Haryanto…
The shape of a London taxi not valid for trade mark protection, rules Court of Appeal
The shape of a London ‘black hack’ taxi is not distinctive enough to be eligible for trade mark protection, the Court of Appeal has ruled.
Malaysian royals call for Mahathir to be focus of sedition inquiry
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,…