Indonesia’s Foreign Ministry apologised Thursday for the manhandling of a Nigerian diplomat and announced it had launched a formal investigation of the incident.Nigeria earlier this week recalled its ambassador to Jakarta and summoned Indonesia’s ambassador in Abuja for talks after a leaked video of Saturday’s incident went viral on social media and prompted outrage.The video shows three Indonesian immigration officials pinning the diplomat, whose name has not been released, into the back seat…
Israel embassy in Singapore slams social media posts comparing Covid-19 policies to Holocaust
The embassy of Israel in Singapore on Thursday said it condemns social media posts comparing the city state’s Covid-19 vaccinations to the Nazi Holocaust that killed 6 million Jews, days after an opposition figure made such an analogy on Facebook and Instagram.Progress Singapore Party (PSP) member Brad Bowyer’s post lambasting vaccinations mirrors similar sentiment being aired within the tiny but vocal anti-vaxxer movement in the island nation.With 72 per cent of its 5.7 million people fully…
India’s scrapping of controversial retrospective tax law given cautious welcome
India’s move to abolish a controversial law that allowed it to tax foreign investments retrospectively has been cheered by analysts, though they remain cautious about how the decision will boost its image as a business-friendly destination.The decision, made by the lower house of parliament last week and approved by the upper house late on Monday, paves the way for Asia’s third-largest economy to settle as many as 17 long-standing tax disputes with foreign investors.The 2012 law had led to…
Singapore’s economy set to grow faster than expected on pandemic rebound
Singapore’s economy is set to expand at a faster clip than the government previously expected as the city state shakes off an uptick in virus cases and looks to reopen more sectors through to the end of the year.The city state revised its forecast for annual economic growth to 6-7 per cent, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said on Wednesday as it reported final second-quarter data. In its initial second-quarter GDP report last month, the agency had left the annual forecast unchanged at 4-6…
Bill makes subtle changes to judicial review in England and Wales
The UK government has introduced its Judicial Review and Courts Bill in Parliament. In doing so, it has stepped back from radical reforms restricting judicial review, and instead focused on a more subtle reform of remedies, expected to come into force in England and Wales in 2022.
New South Wales to reduce gas exploration land by 77%
Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) state government has released its framework of regulation for gas exploration, reducing available land covered by petroleum exploration licences (PELs) by 77%.
In Sydney’s coronavirus lockdown, east-west divide means the vulnerable are hit harder than the wealthy
On the sands of Bondi Beach, one of Sydney’s wealthiest suburbs, surfers and seaside walkers jostle for space, while joggers clog the nearby promenade and fitness buffs huddle around public exercise equipment.To the west, where Covid-19 infections are greatest, stores sit shuttered on empty streets as some of Australia’s most migrant-heavy neighbourhoods endure heightened lockdowns, enforced by high-visibility policing backed up by the military.About three-quarters of New South Wales state’s…
Coronavirus: Singapore hits 70 per cent vaccination threshold as restrictions ease; Sydney faces tougher lockdown rules
Singapore said 70 per cent of its population has been fully vaccinated, and 79 per cent have received at least one dose, giving the city state one of the best vaccination rates in the world as today it starts to ease social distancing restrictions and restart parts of the economy.In an effort to vaccinate the rest, the island trade hub said citizens and long-term residents will no longer need to make an appointment to get the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and can instead walk in to any of the more…
‘Comply or explain’ diversity targets proposed for UK listed company boards
UK listed companies would be subject to new targets and reporting requirements around gender and ethnic diversity at board level under plans put forward for consultation by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
Japan’s local officials have taken to criticising Beijing – and Chinese diplomats aren’t happy about it
Local Japanese officials have in recent weeks called attention to the actions of Chinese diplomats in Japan, accusing them of pressuring city and prefectural governments that adopt resolutions critical of Beijing.Their complaints have surfaced as Tokyo and other allies of the United States increase their public scrutiny of China’s policies in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, and amid escalating tensions in the East China Sea, where Tokyo and Beijing are at odds over a group of Japanese-controlled…