Malaysia’s government has been forced onto the defensive over its much-touted tariff deal with the United States, after a minister walked back an earlier claim that the agreement had been rendered “null and void” by a US Supreme Court ruling.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration signed the deal in October, promising US$240 billion in investments and purchases of American goods, including beef and aircraft, in exchange for continued access to the world’s largest consumer market at a…
Top of the world: why Indonesian workers are happiest in Asia-Pacific
A survey showing workers in Indonesia as the happiest in Asia-Pacific has prompted discussions about the factors underpinning their positive attitudes relative to their regional peers.
A workplace report published this month by employment marketplace Jobstreet by SEEK found 82 per cent of Indonesian respondents said they felt somewhat or extremely happy at work, the highest level among eight regional markets surveyed.
The headline figure inevitably begs the question: does the result reflect…
Indonesia’s Prabowo ‘surprised’ by Iran war, says US bombing won’t spark regime change
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he was “pretty surprised” by the US-Israel war on Iran, adding that he did not see any “rationality” in the military campaign.
Prabowo, a retired general who now heads the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, said in an interview that Iran recently told him they were wary of entering into negotiations with the US to stop the war because they felt “basically they have been tricked” twice. In an asymmetrical war, he added, “they really just have to…
Iran war fallout puts 9 million Indian workers in the line of fire
When the alert arrives on his phone, Yashwant Deshmukh knows exactly what to do.
The Dubai-based political analyst moves away from the windows, waits for the second message confirming the missile has been intercepted, and then goes back to work.
“It has become a drill,” he said.
For the roughly 9 million Indians living and working across the Gulf, the war on Iran has shattered one of the region’s most durable illusions: that cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Manama would remain apart from…
More Malaysian scammers target Singapore-based victims to pass cash, gold to ‘mules’
Scam syndicates allegedly from Malaysia are increasingly relying on couriers and physical handovers when targeting victims in Singapore, as tighter banking safeguards make fraudulent online transfers harder for them to pull off, according to police and crime experts.
Recent police cases suggest some criminals are turning to cross-border transfers in which victims are pressured into handing over cash or valuables in Singapore before the proceeds are passed through “mules” working for scam…
New rights for families as Britain prepares for major changes to sensitive leave entitlements
British businesses will need to open ‘clear and compassionate’ communication with staff ahead of new rules being introduced over family-related employment rights, an expert has warned.
UK looks to streamline national security and investment rules
New reforms to the UK’s national security rules for screening acquisitions and investment are a “pragmatic evolution” of the regime, according to experts.
Ruling clarifies enforceability of Chinese judgments in England & Wales
A recent ruling by the High Court has clarified that Chinese creditors can enforce Chinese judgments in the English courts despite the absence of reciprocal enforcement treaties between China and the UK.
Cable thefts at key Malaysian train lines soar amid copper’s red-hot demand
As soaring copper prices make the metal highly sought after, more cable thieves are targeting some of Malaysia’s busiest urban rail lines, causing significant inconvenience to commuters and headaches for authorities aiming to combat the scourge.
Thefts of copper-embedded cables have led to disruption in train services linking Kuala Lumpur’s northern suburbs to the federal administrative capital of Putrajaya in recent weeks.
Among the services affected are the high-speed MRT Putrajaya and Kajang…
Vietnam records world-highest trade surplus with US, surpassing Mexico, China
Vietnam produced the largest trade surplus with the United States in January, overtaking both Mexico and China, latest official US data shows, as its exports rose sharply while Chinese direct shipments to the United States fell.
Hanoi has been negotiating a trade deal with Washington for months but no agreement has been reached because of the large trade gap and disagreements over tariff rates the US wants to impose on Vietnamese goods, officials have said.
In January, Vietnam’s trade surplus…