Malaysia’s attorney general has withdrawn a criminal defamation charge against the South China Morning Post journalist Tashny Sukumaran, who tweeted about her experience of alleged sexual harassment by a male dermatologist in what some see as a MeToo moment for Malaysia. Attorney General Tommy Thomas told The Malaysian Insight on Tuesday that the defamation charge over a series of tweets last year, alleging inappropriate physical contact during a medical examination, had been withdrawn. “I…
Singapore man on trial for terrorism financing admits to sending money to Isis
The first Singaporean to be charged with terrorism financing began his trial in a district court on Monday by admitting to giving S$450 (US$330) to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis), but claimed trial for his actions because he did not recognise Singapore law.Imran Kassim, a 36-year-old former managing director of logistics firm Novo Logistics, faces one charge under the Terrorism (Suppression of Financing) Act.He is accused of remitting the money on October 31, 2014, through Western Union…
Taal volcano eruption: lava, lightning and a ‘hazardous explosion within hours’, but for some Filipinos, an eerie calm
Fountains of lava and columns of ash illuminated by lightning rising to the sky; once bustling towns reduced to silence; empty streets swirling with dust and houses hastily abandoned; cars driving blindly through dust storms; gardens and orchards reduced to a uniform, eerie grey.It was not the sort of Monday morning Filipinos were planning for.“The scary thing is, right now it’s so dark, the entire sky has become cloudy grey,” said Jonathan Domingo, who lives on a ridge in Tagaytay City, a…
Australia’s Scott Morrison regrets handling of bush fire crisis, proposes high-level inquiry
After weeks of criticism over the handling of the bush fires scorching Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday he will propose a national review into the response to the disaster, as the fires claimed another firefighter’s life.With the Australian bush burning for nearly three months now, killing 28 people, claiming 2,000 homes and raging across millions of acres of land and wildlife, the crisis is becoming increasingly political.“There is obviously a need for a national review…
Manila airport suspends flights, thousands evacuate as Taal Volcano in Philippines spews ash
A volcano just south of the Philippine capital on Sunday spewed ash and steam reaching about 15km high, resulting in flights being suspended and thousands of people in villages nearby being forced to evacuate their homes as a precautionary measure, officials said.A huge cloud of white and grey ash was seen billowing out of the main crater of Taal Volcano in Batangas province, 66km south of Manila, indicating it could lead to a hazardous eruption, while residents reported ash falls and showers…
Protesters condemn Indian prime minister’s visit to Kolkata as citizenship law demos rage
Thousands of angry protesters took to the streets to tell India’s leader he was unwelcome in Kolkata on Saturday, in the latest rally against a citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims.Widespread street demonstrations, and occasionally deadly clashes, have gripped the Hindu-majority nation since the law was approved by parliament last month.Police said nearly 30,000 protesters took to the streets of Kolkata to denounce Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, with many…
How Singapore’s schools prime youth for success in Hong Kong and mainland China
Every time Josh Lim meets up with his friends from secondary school in Singapore, they never fail to ask about his work in China.“There’s always this buzz and excitement when we talk about what’s going on in China,” noted Lim, who heads his own Shanghai-based investment and advisory firm, IJK Capital Partners.“I guess our education has helped foster this affinity with China. They’re curious and it’s very easy for us to connect on the topic – more so than when I talk about the same things with…
Malaysia’s Najib Razak uses phrase from leaked tapes to mock officials over Azmin Ali sex video
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has taken to Facebook to “advise” authorities regarding the sex video, which allegedly implicated Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali.“Can I advise you something, those in authority? It is not difficult for the authorities to identify who are the individuals in the sex video. That is, if you truly want to,” he said in a Facebook post on Thursday.Najib said this sarcastically after several audio recordings were revealed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption…
Australia charges Singapore man with importing childlike sex doll from China
A Singaporean man has been charged in Australia for importing a childlike sex doll.The 26-year-old, who is in Australia on a student visa, was arrested in Perth on Thursday after border officials intercepted a parcel at an air cargo depot on Christmas Eve.The parcel, shipped from China, was X-rayed and found to contain a silicone female childlike sex doll, said the Australian Border Force (ABF) in a news release. The man, who was not identified, was subsequently arrested and charged with…
US-Iran tensions: Soleimani’s death was decades in the making
The assassination by the United States of Iran’s Major-General Qassem Soleimani this week took two seemingly ideologically opposed countries to the brink of war.Yet it was not so long ago that the two countries were allies – democratic ones at that. Indeed, one strand of thought has it that it is America’s strategic mistakes in the history of the Middle East that have created the very problem it now faces.In the early 1950s, Iran was ruled by a democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad…