India has lodged protests with China and Pakistan over a new bus service from Xinjiang to Lahore, saying it passes through the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, violating its sovereignty. The bus project, linking Pakistan’s second-most populous city with the desert town of Kashgar in China’s far western region of Xinjiang, is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – a cluster of infrastructure ventures underway across Pakistan since 2015 and worth nearly…
China should stick to code of conduct at sea: US Navy chief
United States navy chief Admiral John Richardson on Thursday said China should abide by a code of conduct for unplanned encounters at sea, as this would reduce chances of an incident or potential escalation of tensions if the two navies met.
His comments, made in Australia during his four-country tour of the Indo-Pacific, came a day after his stop in the Philippines, where he made clear the US Navy would continue patrolling the disputed South China Sea as part of its programme of freedom of…
Cryptoassets report hints at UK’s post-Brexit approach to tech
ANALYSIS: A recent report on the regulation of cryptoassets provides clues about how UK authorities will support technological innovation after Brexit while addressing some of the risks that technology presents to consumers and markets.
‘My body also has these parts’: Lion Air rescuers discuss their grim task
Tanjung Priok port in North Jakarta handles more than half the country’s cargo traffic, but for the past few days it has also seen a steady inflow of body parts, debris, and personal belongings from Monday’s Lion Air plane crash in the Java Sea.
Sifting through the remains of flight JT610, which left Jakarta with 189 passengers but never made it to Pangkal Pinang, is Willy, a photographer with Indonesia’s National Search and Rescue Agency, or Basarnas.
As divers and rescuers…
Tighter regulation of cryptoassets coming in the UK
The regulation of cryptoassets is likely to get tighter in the UK, starting from next year, according to a new report by a body tasked with exploring whether new rules are needed to address their growing popularity.
Singapore surveys public on attitudes toward death penalty as rights groups call for its abolition
Singapore will gauge public attitudes towards the death penalty in a survey, the interior ministry said on Wednesday, as human rights groups renewed calls for its abolition.
The city state – which staunchly maintains that capital punishment is a crime deterrent – executed eight convicts last year, the highest number in a decade, according to official data. They had all committed drug offences.
The Straits Times said it is the first time that the MHA, which is in charge of the…
Budget 2018: entrepreneurs’ relief changes ‘ignore commercial share structures’
Changes to entrepreneurs’ relief announced in yesterday’s UK Budget which will restrict the availability of the relief ignore genuine commercial structures, warned tax expert Peter Morley of Pinsent Masons, the law firm behind Out-law.com.
British woman charged with murdering her husband on Malaysian resort island of Langkawi
A British woman was charged Tuesday with murdering her husband, who was found stabbed to death at their home on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi.
Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo said Samantha Jones, 51, was asked by a court official if she understood the charge and that her client said yes.
Police found a blood-stained kitchen knife in the couple’s home, where John William Jones, 62, was found dead on October 18 with a stab wound to his chest.
“She is very, very overwhelmed. It is…
Deadly crashes and near misses: Why does Indonesia have such a notorious air safety record?
Investigators are still trying to piece together why a Lion Air plane plunged into the sea off Jakarta early on Monday morning with 189 people on board, even as Indonesian authorities continue searching for the plane’s fuselage.
The Boeing 737 Max jet had only been in service for two months. The plane’s speed and altitude sensors gave out irregular readings on Sunday but were later tested and cleared for flight, said Geoffrey Thomas, managing director of Airlineratings.com….
US$250 million luxury yacht linked to 1MDB scandal put up for auction by Malaysian government
A US$250 million luxury yacht linked to a multi-billion dollar scandal at Malaysia’s state fund 1MDB has gone up for auction, a government lawyer said on Monday, the first sale of a major asset seized by investigating authorities.
The Equanimity is among US$1.7 billion in assets allegedly bought by fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, and his associates with funds taken from 1MDB, the US Department of Justice has said.
Malaysia and the United States are…