Singapore will recalibrate its foreign worker policies to balance between being accepting of those from other countries and addressing the economic and social concerns of its citizens, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.The government is aware such anxieties over the foreign worker population have worsened because of uncertainties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and authorities are addressing them, Lee said in a televised message on the eve of the country’s 56th National Day.Other tough…
Indonesia’s Mount Merapi erupts with bursts of lava and ash
Indonesia’s most volatile volcano on Sunday erupted on the densely populated island of Java, spewing smoke and ash high into the air and sending streams of lava and gasses down its slopes. No casualties were reported.Mount Merapi unleashed clouds of hot ash at least seven times since Sunday morning, as well as a series of fast-moving pyroclastic flows, a mixture of rock, debris, lava and gasses, according to Yogyakarta’s Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation Center. The rumbling sound…
Indonesians baffled by suspicious 2 trillion rupiah ‘donation’
For the past week, the name Akidi Tio and the hashtags #PrankNasional or #NationalPrank have been trending on social media across Indonesia as the country has been gripped by what appears to be a bizarre hoax. It involves a deceased businessman, a now infamous styrofoam board and a suspicious 2 trillion rupiah (US$140 million) donation meant to help with the Covid-19 pandemic response in the city of Palembang, South Sumatra. The strange sequence of events began on July 23, when the South…
India’s passage to despotism began long before demagogue Modi
Experience teaches us that well-organised despots, unless stopped in their tracks by citizen resistance, robust watchdog institutions, unforeseen outcomes and plain bad luck, can quickly remould sickly democratic institutions into a different political order we call despotism.Despotism isn’t old-fashioned tyranny or military dictatorship, or a single-ruler horror show the ancients called autocracy. It mustn’t be confused with 20th-century fascism or totalitarianism. Despotism is rather a new…
#MakeSchoolASaferPlace: anger and dismay after Malaysia investigates student who called out teacher’s rape jokes
Dozens of influential Malaysian civil society groups have expressed dismay and alarm after a 17-year-old student who took a male teacher to task for allegedly joking about rape in class was served with a defamation suit and called up by police for “breaching the peace”. Ain Husniza Saiful Nizam in April became a national talking point after she called out the teacher – without naming him or her school – and sparked intense conversation about sexual harassment in schools and entrenched misogyny…
FCA issues guide on regulatory sandbox applications
Businesses hoping to trial new ideas in the ‘regulatory sandbox’ run by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have been given guidance from the regulator on how to apply to do so.
Employer reasonable adjustment requirements highlighted in pay dispute
A recent ruling by the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) provides useful guidance for employers about their obligations to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to pay to account for employee disability, an employment law expert has said.
‘Best practice’ 2021 AIAC arbitration rules come into force
The Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) has introduced a new set of rules, designed to reflect contemporary standards in arbitration and international best practice.
Australia’s proposed Magnitsky-style sanctions law could target China: analysts
Australia will introduce new powers to sanction alleged perpetrators of “egregious acts of international concern,” a move likely to put China in the crosshairs and further strain Sino-Australian relations.Under the proposals, Canberra would be able to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on individuals or entities accused of gross human rights violations and other activities such as weapons proliferation, cyberattacks and corruption.Foreign Marise Payne said on Thursday the…
Japan resumes meeting with 5 Mekong countries after suspending it due to Myanmar coup
Japan is expected to use its meeting on Friday with the five Mekong River states to reiterate its commitment to the region, although analysts said it will also aim to reinforce its foreign policy objective of countering China’s influence.Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will hold a videoconference summit with his counterparts from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The agenda includes support for the five countries – all of which are battling with Covid-19 surges due to…