Updated guidance issued by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) on international transfers of personal data provides welcome clarity on the steps that organisations must take to determine whether they are making a “restricted transfer” of personal data to countries outside the UK, according to data protection law experts.
Bangladesh’s student leaders ‘sidelined’ by Islamist allies in poll pact
Bangladesh’s student leaders, one of the main driving forces behind the mass protests that brought down former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024, now face an uncertain political future.
Despite their central role in the uprising, the youth movement has been granted only a small share of parliamentary seats under a new electoral alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami – an Islamist party that was long politically marginalised but has re-emerged as a central player.
Under the agreement, the student-led…
Singapore’s retail ownership data sparks debate about foreign chains’ influence
When Singapore’s trade minister Gan Kim Yong revealed that locals owned nearly 90 per cent of registered retail businesses in the city state while Chinese nationals came in second at a distant 3 per cent, the figures drew mixed reactions from the public and analysts.
The discourse online centred on what the statistics implied – critics felt that though the proportion of foreign-owned entities, especially from China, might be minuscule, most could actually be big brands with multiple outlets,…
‘Workable’ AI copyright solutions lacking amidst UK policy ‘reset’
‘Workable” solutions that enable transparency over the content and data used to train AI models and allow rightsholders to opt their works out from being used for that purpose, have yet to be found, UK ministers have admitted, despite the government previously indicating a preference for those measures to be built into a package of AI-related reforms to UK copyright law.
Japan’s Tepco delays Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear restart after alarm glitch
Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) will delay the restart of its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which was originally scheduled for Tuesday, public broadcaster NHK reported on Monday, after an alarm malfunction.
It would have been the first reactor restart for Tepco since its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was hit by a powerful tsunami in 2011.
The company had planned to restart Unit No 6 at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa on Tuesday and Unit No 7 around 2030, as Japan seeks greater energy…
Philippines’ first gas discovery in over a decade offers hope for looming energy crisis
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Monday that a “significant” discovery of natural gas had been made near the country’s sole producing offshore site.
About 2.8 billion cubic metres (98 billion cubic feet) of natural gas was found 5km (three miles) east of the Malampaya Field near the island of Palawan, Marcos said, or enough to provide power to 5.7 million homes for a year.
The Philippines has some of the region’s highest energy costs and faces a looming crisis as the Malampaya…
‘False pride’: Indonesia’s UN rights role clashes with its domestic record
Indonesia begins its tenure as president of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this month under a cloud of contradiction, with officials hailing the prestige of the largely ceremonial role even as activists raise uncomfortable questions about the country’s own rights record.
The 47-member body, a subsidiary of the UN General Assembly, has a mandate to promote and protect human rights globally. Indonesia’s ambassador was elected president on January 8 after being put forward as the Asia‑Pacific…
Missing Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma dies of heart attack in Saudi Arabia
Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma, who went missing upon arrival at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, was confirmed to have died of a heart attack.
The news was announced by her daughter via social media, according to Astro Awani.
“Assalamualaikum everyone, I would like to inform you that my mother, Nadiah Kasumawati Abdul Karim, has returned to Rahmatullah on January 15 at around 8.05am,” she said.
“Thank you to all of you who have not stopped praying for Mama. Please pray that her…
BTS’ comeback concert sees South Korean city’s hotel prices soar by up to 10 times
BTS’ long-awaited full-group comeback concert in Busan is still months away, but hotel prices in the South Korean southeastern port city have already hit exorbitant levels, rekindling anger over “rip-off” room rates whenever mega-events come to town.
Some properties have reportedly hiked prices by up to 10 times and even asked guests with existing bookings to cancel so they could resell at higher prices.
The K-pop group is returning as a full act for the first time since all members completed…
Malaysian reporter arrested for sedition after controversial question at Gaza lecture
Former Free Malaysia Today (FMT) journalist Rex Tan was arrested at about 12.45am on Saturday after being summoned to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur.
The arrest was confirmed by his lawyer, Rajsurian Pillai, who said Tan was detained under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 505(c) of the Penal Code.
It followed a sensitive question alleged to contain racial elements that was raised during a public lecture in Kuala Lumpur.
At…