Category: Uncategorized

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…

Almost a month after Singapore welcomed its first giant panda cub, members of the public will be invited to suggest a name for the baby, who was announced on Friday to be a boy. This was revealed by Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS), which said that the name of the cub would be chosen before it turns 100 days old on November 21.The panda cub was born on August 14 to Jia Jia and Kai Kai, who had succeeded in birthing the cub on their seventh breeding season that began in April.WRS said that as a…

Special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs) are now allowed to list on the Singapore stock exchange.

Changes to the way in which healthcare and social care in England are funded, including a cap on the lifetime amount payable by those requiring care, have been proposed by the UK government.

Kate Dodd tells HRNews why female FTSE 100 directors earn on average 73% less than their male counterparts