Thailand approved marijuana for medical use and research on Tuesday, the first legalisation of the drug in a region with some of the world’s strictest drug laws.
The junta-appointed parliament in Thailand, a country which until the 1930s had a tradition of using marijuana to relieve pain and fatigue, voted to amend the Narcotic Act of 1979 in an extra parliamentary session handling a rush of bills before the new year’s holidays. “This is a new year’s gift from the…
Call to ban ‘buy now, pay later’ alcohol sales in Australia
The sale of alcohol using “buy now, pay later” services such as Afterpay and ZipPay should be banned because they encourage alcohol dependence and unmanageable debt, a health organisation has said.
In its submission to the Senate inquiry examining credit and financial services targeted at Australians at risk of financial hardship, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (Fare) said the availability of alcohol at reduced upfront prices was concerning. “Buy now, pay…
Mao more than ever: Filipino communists mark a half century of armed struggle
As Christmas arrives in the Philippines, thousands of guerilla fighters are gearing up for a different kind of celebration the day afterward: Mao Zedong’s birthday, and the 50th anniversary of a home-grown resistance group that was inspired by his ideology.
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) – infamous for its jungle raids, assassination squads and fearsome leaders like Kumander Dante – was founded in 1968 in Mao’s honour, and has been engaged in a peoples…
Ex-Nissan boss Ghosn to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve in jail after detention extended
Former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn will be spending Christmas and the beginning of 2019 behind bars after a Tokyo court on Sunday extended his detention until January 1.
“Today, a decision was made to detain [Ghosn]. The full term of the detention will expire on January 1,” the Tokyo District Court said.
The move by the court came as Tokyo prosecutors continue to grill the automobile tycoon over allegations he shifted a personal investment loss worth more than US$16 million to the…
‘Child of Krakatoa’, the lava bomb-hurling volcano that triggered Indonesia’s latest deadly tsunami
The volcano that apparently triggered a deadly tsunami in Indonesia late Saturday emerged from the sea around the legendary Krakatoa 90 years ago and has been on a high-level eruption watch list for the past decade.
Anak Krakatoa (the “Child of Krakatoa”) has been particularly active since June, occasionally sending massive plumes of ash high into the sky and in October a tour boat was nearly hit by lava bombs from the erupting volcano.
Experts say Anak Krakatoa emerged around 1928…
Philippine lawmaker gunned down at Christmas celebration
A Philippine congressman was gunned down at a Christmas celebration on Saturday, police said, the latest violence in a country notorious for deadly political rivalries.
Rodel Batocabe had just finished handing out presents in the central town of Daraga when the lawmaker and his police bodyguard were shot dead by a gunman hiding in the crowd, said regional police official Arnel Escobel. The motive for the murder was not immediately clear, but authorities said they were looking into whether it…
‘A huge load off our shoulders’: Singapore gay couple open up after landmark adoption case
FRAMED PHOTOGRAPHS LINE the television console of a 1,450 sq ft flat in central Singapore. One shows a large group of family members in a rented villa in Bali several months ago, another is of a beaming couple and a third has the couple and their son.
A two-metre-tall Christmas tree stands on the right, with three bears – two large with a smaller one tucked between them – all sharing a red scarf.
It is Friday in the home of James, Shawn and their five-year-old son Noel. The family…
‘Stateless’ millions in India’s Assam fear for their future as December 31 registration deadline looms
Indian farmer Nur Mohammed can barely sleep for worrying that his wife might soon be made stateless, put in a detention camp and deported.
She is one of four million people left off a draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) published in July in the northeastern state of Assam – provoking accusations of discrimination against Muslim residents and of stoking ethnic tensions.
Those not on the list, who could now face being effectively stripped of their Indian citizenship and rights, can…
Cyber standard developed for driverless cars
The release of a new cybersecurity standard for connected and autonomous vehicles could help inform future legislation to protect the vehicles of the future from hackers, an expert in autonomous vehicles technology and regulation has said.
Utilities regulator opens new consultation on Celtic Interconnector
Ireland’s utilities regulator, the Commission for Regulated Utilities (CRU), has opened a new consultation paper on an investment request by the promoters of the Celtic Electricity Interconnector, a planned project linking the electricity transmission systems of Ireland and France.