Revised guidance from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) suggest that it has toughened its stance against regulated firms in England and Wales that fail to disclose suspicions of money laundering.
Condoms, vaccines and sport: Tokyo Olympics sending mixed messages about coronavirus safety
The Tokyo Olympics are less than three weeks away. And the pressure is on for the International Olympic Committee (IOC).Japan was just coming out of its fourth Covid-19 wave with about 1,400 new cases every day, but numbers are now rising again. This could turn into a fifth wave.Despite this, the games will go ahead. There will be limited numbers of local spectators allowed in venues filled up to 50 per cent capacity. This means 10,000 spectators wearing masks at all times and who are not allow…
Black box recovered from crashed Philippines military plane
Philippine authorities have retrieved a black box from an air force plane that crashed at the weekend, killing more than 50 people, military chief Cirilito Sobejana said on Tuesday.The pilot in command, who had several years of experience flying a C-130 aircraft, was among those who died in the crash on Jolo island, Sobejana said.The military chief said a black box was retrieved on Monday and should enable investigators to listen to the conversations of the pilots and crew before the plane…
Myanmar forces kill 25, as source reveals raid on Japanese diplomatic staff
Myanmar’s security forces killed at least 25 people on Friday in a confrontation with opponents of the military junta, it emerged on Sunday – the same day a Japanese government source revealed that the Yangon homes of Japanese diplomatic staff had been forcibly entered by security forces earlier in the year.A spokesman for the military did not respond to calls requesting comment on Friday’s violence at Depayin in the Sagaing region, about 300km (200 miles) north of the capital, Naypyidaw.The…
Pakistan blames India for deadly Lahore car bombing
Pakistan’s national security adviser has accused India of orchestrating last month’s deadly car bombing in the eastern city of Lahore, saying on Sunday that an investigation had shown it was organised by an Indian intelligence operative.In a news conference in Islamabad, Moeed Yousuf said the probe showed that the man was an Indian citizen living in India who works for that country’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). He did not name the alleged mastermind.“Through the forensic analysis,…
Tokyo Olympics: pregnant Lindsay Flach joined US track and field trials to ‘prove what women are capable of’
Our Tokyo Trail series looks at key issues surrounding the 2020 Olympics, which are scheduled for late July.When track and field athlete Lindsay Flach from the United States took part in trials for the heptathlon last week, the 31-year-old didn’t think she could qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. But she was determined to prove she could compete in the seven events that make up one of the Games’ most gruelling competitions – while she was 18 weeks pregnant.Flach – who had days earlier revealed on…
Tokyo Olympics: Hmong-American gymnast Sunisa Lee makes history after pushing superstar Simone Biles at trials
Our Tokyo Trail series looks at key issues and athletes in the run-up to the 2020 Olympics, which are scheduled for late July. This is the second in a two-part feature on Asian-American gymnasts who made headlines in the past week.When Asian-American gymnast Sunisa Lee clinched her spot on the US women’s gymnastics team last weekend, members of the Hmong ethnic minority rejoiced in her historic achievement.The 18-year-old will become the first member of the community – which has its roots in…
Coronavirus: Indonesia imposes partial lockdown in Jakarta and Bali; Thailand’s surge tests health care system
Indonesia on Saturday imposed a partial lockdown in Jakarta, across the main island of Java and on Bali as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with an unprecedented wave of coronavirus infections.Mosques, restaurants and shopping malls were closed in virus hotspots around the Muslim-majority country, which recorded more than 25,000 new cases and 539 deaths on Friday, both new daily records.Indonesia’s daily caseload has more than quadrupled in less than a month. But the country’s official tally…
As the West leaves a void in Myanmar, China ignores its own advice to invest
In May, Myanmar media reported that the ruling junta had reorganised committees that work on the country’s joint projects with China, ousting all civilian leaders and replacing them with its own appointees.The personnel changes were made to the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor Joint Committee – which oversees a 1,700km infrastructure development plan that will connect Kunming, the capital of Yunnan in southwest China, with Myanmar’s major economic hubs – and the committee overseeing the Myanmar…
Northern Ireland licensing reform ‘game changer’ for industry
Plans to modernise licensing laws in Northern Ireland, including extended opening hours and the removal of restrictions on trade over the Easter period, will be a “game changer” for the hospitality industry, a Belfast-based legal expert has said.