About 6,000 people have been evacuated following a landslide in Tibet that blocked the flow of one of the region’s key rivers, China’s emergency services said on Thursday.
A barrier lake was formed on the Yarlung Tsangpo, the headwater of India’s Brahmaputra River, after the Wednesday morning collapse of a cliff in the deep valley through which the river flows, the local emergency response bureau said in a report carried by state media.
No deaths or injuries have been reported…
‘China calls it fishing, Indonesia calls it crime’: Pudjiastuti finds her target for Oceans summit
Susi Pudjiastuti, Indonesia’s minister for fisheries and maritime affairs, has a strong message for China, owner of the world’s largest fishing fleet.
“What they are doing is not fishing, it is transnational organised crime,” she tells This Week in Asia after a press conference in Jakarta. “You should write that. They need to understand.”
The straight-talking, self-made businesswoman, who is known as much for her chain-smoking and tattoos as her no-nonsense…
Singapore unveils new regulations to halt the spread of tiny ‘shoebox’ flats
Singapore on Wednesday announced stricter guidelines on the maximum number of units in new blocks of private flats and condominiums in a move to tackle what authorities have called “excessive development of shoebox units” in the island-state.
The guidelines, which apply to applications for developments outside the central area received on or after January 17 next year, tighten rules first introduced in 2012.
Malaysia considers reviving Mahathir’s ‘crooked bridge’…
Universities must prioritise support for student mental health
ANALYSIS: There is growing pressure on universities to improve how they support students with mental health problems.
Ex-Buddhist monk who scandalised Thailand with lavish lifestyle convicted of child rape
A former Buddhist monk who sparked outrage in Thailand over his lavish lifestyle and is already serving time for fraud was sentenced to a further 16 years in prison on Wednesday for abducting and raping a child.
Wirapol Sukphol, formerly known by his monastic name of Luang Pu Nenkham, was sentenced in August to 114 years in prison after a court found him guilty of fraud, money laundering and computer crimes.
Thai police dismiss British tourist’s claim of being raped on popular resort…
Pension charges and governance reporting in practice
ANALYSIS: As UK policymakers and regulators begin to better understand their role in relation to workplace pensions and safeguarding members’ money, the charges and governance regime continues to evolve.
Koreas, US-led UN Command hold talks on demilitarising tense inter-Korean border
The two Koreas and the US-led United Nations Command held talks on Tuesday on demilitarising a section of the heavily fortified border dividing the peninsula, as a diplomatic thaw gathers pace.
“The three parties examined the progress in removing landmines at the Joint Security Area (JSA) … and discussed other practical matters regarding steps toward disarming the area,” Seoul’s defence ministry said in a statement.
The JSA, also known as the truce village of Panmunjom…
Thai police dismiss British tourist’s claim of being raped on popular resort island
Police in Thailand said on Tuesday that they have dismissed a 19-year-old British tourist’s claim that she was raped on a Thai resort island after their investigation revealed no supporting evidence.
Police said at a news conference that three officers were sent to England to debrief the woman, who had told some news outlets that she was raped on the southern Thai island of Koh Tao in June. They said she was not able to provide key details such as where the alleged rape occurred, a…
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe announces sales tax rise to finance snowballing welfare bill
Japan on Monday announced a much anticipated sales tax increase in 2019 to address the nation’s huge public debt, despite warnings it could hobble growth in the world’s third-biggest economy.
The point-of-sale tax will rise from eight per cent to 10 per cent from October next year as ageing and heavily indebted Japan battles to finance snowballing social security bills – especially medical fees.
The tax rise was originally planned for October 2015 but was pushed back twice…
Malaysian PM-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim makes official return to politics
Malaysia’s reformist icon Anwar Ibrahim, jailed twice since 1998 in politically charged prosecutions, cemented his return to frontline politics on Monday when he was sworn in as a lawmaker, fresh from a sweeping by-election victory.
The eyes of the country’s commentariat were on parliament proceedings as Anwar took his seat in the legislature’s government benches alongside Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad – who two decades ago had booted him from cabinet over sodomy and…