Month: September 2021

Companies still need to improve their level of reporting on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, with more clarity required in annual reports, according to the UK’s Financial Reporting Council (FRC).

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s coalition and the main opposition bloc on Monday signed a cooperation pact to ensure stability during the Covid-19 pandemic, an agreement that could also help him win a confidence vote.Ismail Sabri took office last month with a slim parliamentary majority, becoming the third prime minister in as many years, but the constitutional monarch has called for him to face a vote of confidence to prove he has majority support in parliament.The legislature…

A recent photo of Britain’s High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis eating vada pav – a golden potato patty sandwiched inside soft bread with a zingy garlicky masala on top – has drawn attention to the origins of the famous Mumbai street snack.Vada pav, which is topped with tempered curry leaves, mustard, green chutney and blistered green chillies, had its roots as a food of the working class as it was carb-heavy, affordable, filling and could be eaten on the go. But it also has a connection to…

A recent Australian court decision on arbitral enforcement brings it more into line with the position in Hong Kong, which has over the years developed a line of authorities guiding the application and limits of the courts’ discretion.

Sittichai Komam did not waste time once Thailand in late August decriminalised kratom, a coffee-like plant native to Southeast Asia that can give users a mild high. Within hours, the entrepreneur was on Facebook selling freshly picked kratom leaves, sourced from his neighbourhood in southern Thailand, to local consumers.Popular in the United States, where advocates say it is an opioid alternative but critics say it is a dangerous drug, kratom is the latest herb the Thai government has legalised…

Newly installed Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s proposal for sweeping institutional reforms will be in focus as Malaysia’s parliament convenes on Monday for the first time following a bitter political crisis that led to his predecessor Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation last month. Political analysts said the manner in which Ismail Sabri treats the legislature could determine the staying power of his government, after Muhyiddin met his downfall partly by sidelining lawmakers during his 17…

Diaries and documents have come to light that support suggestions Japan’s Emperor Hirohito was more in favour of the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1945, and the subsequent invasion of the Allies’ territories across the Asia-Pacific, than is detailed by the country’s post-war history. The family of the late Admiral Saburo Hyukutake have handed over to academics more than 20 volumes of diaries and notepads covering the eight years from 1936 that he spent as grand chamberlain to the emperor,…

Typhoon Chanthu slammed into the northern Philippines on Saturday, forcing hundreds to flee their homes amid heavy rains and strong winds, officials said.Chanthu was packing maximum sustained winds of 205km/h as it made landfall over Batanes province, 678km north of Manila, the weather bureau said.It was moving northwest at 15km/h, and was expected to cross over Batanes into the sea east of Taiwan on Saturday night, it added.The national disaster agency said 415 people were forced to evacuate…

The UK government is considering withdrawing the requirement for consent to cookies from UK law.

Singapore on Friday said the country was entering a “critical period” amid a soaring increase in Covid-19 infections, with the city state registering 457 new cases on Thursday – up from just 76 new daily cases two weeks ago.Officials said they were monitoring whether there would be a corresponding increase in demand for intensive care and had instructed hospitals to reserve beds in case of a need to ramp up capacity.Hospitals have also been told to defer non-urgent elective cases to free up…