Kim Jong-un’s sister warned that upcoming US-South Korea military drills could jeopardise talks with Seoul, raising doubts about a diplomatic breakthrough less than a week after both sides announced a resumption of communications.Kim Yo-jong on Sunday said the plan to hold annual allied exercises this month “seriously undermines” efforts to restore ties, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. The statement by Kim Jong-un’s sister, one of the prominent faces of Pyongyang’s…
AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes on building the ‘low-cost unicorn’ of Asian super-apps, digibank hopes and possible SPAC listing
In 2009, during the tail end of the global financial crisis, most airline chiefs were reducing capacity and cutting routes as they bemoaned the industry’s biggest slump since the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) crisis.AirAsia’s maverick boss Tony Fernandes, on the other hand, was talking up his expansion plans.With its position as the ultra-low-cost Walmart or McDonald’s of Asian aviation, the downturn was proving to be a silver lining for the carrier: cash-strapped travellers…
Pakistan uses army to protect projects with Chinese workers after Dasu bus blast
Two weeks after a bus blast in northern Pakistan killed 12 people, including nine Chinese nationals, Pakistani security authorities are hunting for two people and the silver Toyota Corolla car they were driving.The pair are thought to have coordinated with a suicide bomber who rammed an explosives-laden silver Honda City car into one of two buses on its way to dam worksites near the remote town of Dasu on July 14.The buses, each carrying more than 30 people, were being escorted by two vehicles…
Antony Blinken to court Southeast Asia in virtual meetings next week
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet virtually with Southeast Asian officials every day next week, a senior state department official said on Saturday, as Washington seeks to show the region it is a US priority while also addressing the crisis in Myanmar.The top US diplomat will attend virtual meetings for five consecutive days, including annual meetings of the 10 foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and other nations and separate meetings of the…
Red tape hinders Indonesia’s vaccination drive, even as Covid-19 cases surge
When Indonesian national Maria Caritas went to the city of Surabaya two weeks ago to get her first shot of Covid-19 vaccine, she was turned away.Staff at the vaccination centre told the 21-year-old fresh university graduate that she needed a “letter of domicile” from the chief of her neighbourhood in Surabaya, as her electronic identity card, or e-KTP, had been issued in Malang, where she lived more than a decade ago. Non-Surabaya residents could not be jabbed without the letter as “the…
Malaysia gears up for the future of finance as AirAsia, Sea Group, Grab face off in bid for digital banking licences
When Pauline Wong misplaced her bank card in the process of moving to Malaysia earlier this year, she was shocked to discover the steps she had to go through to get a new one.“Even after one and half years of Covid-19, they still haven’t made changes,” the 34-year-old media professional said, recounting how she had to visit a branch in person and spend 30 minutes waiting in line just to get a replacement debit card.Unlike in Singapore, where Wong was previously based, many Malaysian banks still…
Amazon faces record GDPR fine
A Luxembourg regulator is planning to issue Amazon with a record fine under EU data protection laws, the company has disclosed.
German court rules on the right to access under the GDPR
Germany’s Supreme Court has specified the scope of the right to access under Article 15 of the GDPR, but has left important questions unanswered.
Beach handball bikini fine highlights gap in UK employment law for athletes
The recent decision by the European Handball Federation (EHF) to fine the Norwegian Handball Federation (NHF) €1,500 for wearing “improper clothing” highlights a gap in UK employment law that could disadvantage British athletes if similar cases arise, an expert in employment law has said.
Samoa’s new PM Mataafa confirms cancellation of US$100 million China-funded port
The new prime minister of Samoa has confirmed she will cancel a China-backed port project, but hasn’t closed the door to the world’s second-largest economy as she navigates a path for the Pacific nation against a backdrop of intensifying regional competition between Beijing and Washington.Fiame Naomi Mataafa indicated she would only approve investments that had clear benefits for her country as she expressed doubts about the upside for the Pacific in being a pawn in a geopolitical tussle…