Asian Legal Review

Malaysia’s total number of coronavirus cases rose to 50 on Wednesday as it confirmed 14 new patients, its largest one-day jump, linked to a local cluster that also infected seven people the day before.The new cases, all Malaysians, were found to have been in close contact with “Patient 26”, a top official at Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah who also serves on the board of a government-linked company.Health Ministry director general Noor Hisham Abdullah described Patient 26 as “an…

Workers snap the miniature rocket’s wings into place as Indonesia’s little-known space agency readies its latest launch on barren scrubland in East Java.With a 3,2,1 blast-off, the two-metre-long projectile belches a trail of fire and then soars a few hundred metres before crashing in a heap – earning a thumbs up from scientists who declared the test a success.It’s a very long way from a Mission Control in Houston, but the Southeast Asian archipelago’s answer to Nasa has big hopes and is now…

German police on Tuesday raided more than 30 properties in seven states as part of an investigation into suspected people smugglers who had brought over 150 Vietnamese into the Western European country illegally.The raids focused particularly on the capital, Berlin, where flats, beauty salons and restaurants in three neighbourhoods were searched, according to a federal police spokesman.“Contact points” of the smuggling ring in the states of Saxony, Lower Saxony, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate,…

Officially, rape hardly happens in Myanmar and domestic abuse is non-existent. The reality? Violence against women is so pervasive it is regarded as normal – and as a result – woefully under-reported, says lawyer and activist Hla Hla Yee.“Domestic abuse in Myanmar is regarded as a family matter and even if it is reported, the police fail to take action,” she explains, adding that many still view it as a normal part of marriage that women must endure.The UN has warned violence against women and…

Singapore reported two new cases of coronavirus on Monday, bringing the country’s total to 108 with 78 recovered and discharged.The new patients are a 68-year-old Singaporean woman who is linked to a previous case and visited Indonesia last month, and a 34-year-old Filipino woman who is a domestic worker and is thought to have contracted the virus from her employer, the city state’s ministry of health said in a statement.It reported four new cases on Sunday, three of whom were part of a new…

Malaysia reported four new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, including a trainee nurse and an employee of the sovereign wealth fund, while neighbouring Singapore also reported four new cases.All of the new cases in Malaysia, bringing the country’s total to 29, were among Malaysian nationals, one of whom had travelled to China while another had travelled recently to Milan, northern Italy, the health ministry said.The nurse, a 20-year-old who had come into close contact with a previous patient…

Malaysia’s King on Sunday swore in Muhyiddin Yassin – a low-lying political operator best known for his competence as a number two leader – as the country’s eighth prime minister.The 72-year-old ardent Malay nationalist leader is assuming the position after seven days of teeth-clenching political turmoil triggered by the collapse of elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad’s Pakatan Harapan coalition last week.The alliance imploded after internal plotters including Muhyiddin – Mahathir’s Home Minister …

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday called on the public to cooperate in a “tough battle” to contain the coronavirus outbreak in coming weeks as the country prepares to hold the Olympic Games in Tokyo as planned.“To be frank, we cannot win this battle through the efforts of the government alone,” Abe told a news conference two days after calling for all schools nationwide to be closed for more than a month. The abrupt decision caught teachers, parents and their employers off guard,…

Malaysia’s king on Saturday appointed Malay nationalist leader Muhyiddin Yassin as the country’s new prime minister, dramatically upending expectations that the 94-year-old elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad would keep his job after cobbling together support at the eleventh hour following a fraught five days of leaderless turmoil and frantic horse-trading in the country.In a statement, the palace said Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah had conducted interviews with all MPs last week and found that…

At least 18 people were killed and dozens more injured when a passenger train rammed into a bus on Friday in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province, officials said.The incident took place in Sukkur district, where the incoming Pakistan Express – on its way from Karachi to Lahore – hit the bus, which was heading to Sargodha in central Punjab province.“At least 18 people have been killed and 55 wounded,” said Rana Adeel, a deputy commissioner in Sukkur, warning that the death toll could rise as some…