A Syrian man said he has been stranded at Malaysia’s main airport for more than a month after being denied entry to several countries, and begged for help to escape.
Hassan al-Kontar has posted videos on YouTube describing his plight, which began when he arrived at the budget terminal of Kuala Lumpur International Airport 37 days ago.
He had planned to travel from Malaysia to Ecuador, where he hoped he would be allowed in without a visa, but was turned away from the flight to the South…
Expect increase in director disqualifications for competition law breaches, says Lougher
Senior executives of companies that breach UK competition law are at increasing risk of being disqualified from serving as directors at UK businesses, an expert in competition law has said.
South Korea, Japan vow to cooperate on resolving issues with the North, but remain divided on ‘comfort women’
South Korea and Japan on Wednesday vowed to work closely together on North Korea ahead of the looming inter-Korea summit, but their foreign ministers remained divided over long-standing issues of Japan’s wartime crimes and disputed islands.
Japanese foreign minister Taro Kono made a rare visit to Seoul armed with a list of issues Tokyo wants to push onto the agenda of the April 27 summit between North and South Korea.
At a time of frenetic diplomatic activity in northeast Asia – the…
Malaysia declares May 9 election day a holiday after outcry from opposition
The Malaysian prime minister on Wednesday declared voting day on May 9 a public holiday after a decision to hold elections on a workday triggered complaints that it would deter mainly opposition supporters.
The surprise move is seen as a bid to ease public anger a day after the Election Commission announced that voting will be held on a Wednesday, departing from the norm of having it on a weekend.
The weekday vote triggered a flurry of complains that it would deter thousands of Malaysians from…
FCA puts Brexit and consumer protection on the priority list
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released its business plan for 2018/19, focusing heavily on the resources needed to deal with the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.
Communist Party’s crackdown on dissent puts another Vietnam activist in jail for 13 years
A court in Vietnam on Tuesday jailed an activist for 13 years, followed by five years on probation, for threatening the survival of the state, police said, just days after six others were sentenced on the same charge.
Despite sweeping economic and social reform in Vietnam, the ruling Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism. It has been stepping up sentencing and arrests of activists and handing them longer jail terms.
Nguyen Van Tuc, 53, was sentenced for…
Vietnam activists urge Facebook chief Zuckerberg to stop ‘aggressive practices’ of censoring content
A group of 50 Vietnamese activists and rights organisations have written an open letter to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg suggesting his company may be colluding with communist authorities to scrub out online dissent.
Vietnam ranks among Facebook’s top 10 users by numbers and the site is hugely popular among dissidents in a one-party state where independent media is banned and blog sites are routinely removed.
The letter to Zuckerberg comes amid deepening controversy at Facebook over…
UK plans to simplify gaming duty accounting periods
HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has launched a consultation into potential changes to the accounting period for gaming duty paid by casino operators, following up on a promise made in last year’s autumn budget.
Thousands of North Koreans dance ‘with honour and pride’ in tribute to Kim Jong-il
Thousands of North Koreans gathered in locations across Pyongyang Monday to dance in celebration of late leader Kim Jong-il. Men in suits and women in the traditional high-waisted, formless dresses known as hanbok in the South and joseon-ot in the North assembled in formation, squatting patiently until a master of ceremonies gave the command for the party to begin. Moving smoothly into groups of three concentric circles, they gyrated and kicked in time, clapping in unison to tunes lauding…
Mastermind of deadly Jakarta bus terminal bombing says jail sentence ‘unjust’
An Indonesian court on Monday jailed the mastermind behind last year’s Islamic State-linked suicide bombings at a Jakarta bus terminal for nine years.
Kiki Muhamad Iqbal was convicted of organising the twin bombings, in which two men blew themselves up using pressure cookers packed with explosives and killed three police officers and injured 12 at Kampung Melayu bus terminal.
“We find the defendant guilty of planning (the act) and mobilising others to participate and sentence him to…