One of three Australians recently revealed to be detained in Iran was identified by her family on Saturday as a lecturer at the University of Melbourne.Academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert, who specialises in Middle Eastern politics with a focus on Gulf states, has been held for a “number of months” in Iran on charges that remain unclear.“Our family thanks the Government and the University of Melbourne for their ongoing support at this distressing and sensitive time,” a statement released by Australia…
Law that allows Malaysian king to keep child offenders in jail indefinitely is unconstitutional, activists say
As Malaysia makes strides towards reforming its criminal justice system, its national human rights body has begun looking into the issue of child offenders detained indeterminately at the pleasure of the king, something which activists and lawyers say is both unconstitutional and violates human rights.Under the Child Act, minors found guilty of capital offences, such as murder or drug trafficking, can serve a life sentence in place of the death penalty at the king’s discretion. This leaves…
Japan lodges protest with North Korea after boat crew threatened to fire at its coastguard
A crew member aboard a high-speed vessel, likely from North Korea, threatened to fire a rifle at a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat in the Sea of Japan in late August, coastguard officials said on Friday.The Japanese government has lodged a stern protest with North Korea through the Japanese Embassy in Beijing following the incident, chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular press conference.The incident took place near an area known as Yamatotai within Japan’s exclusive economic…
Philippines arrests 277 Chinese accused of running online investment scam in Manila
Philippine officials say immigration agents have arrested 277 Chinese in a raid against an online investment scam syndicate that has defrauded victims in mainland China.Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the arrests on Wednesday in the Ortigas financial district in Pasig city in the Manila metropolis came after the Chinese embassy provided information about the investment fraud, which has victimised more than 1,000 Chinese nationals. The raid was coordinated with China.Morente said on…
Air New Zealand faces backlash over ‘cultural appropriation’ after trying to trademark Maori greeting
New Zealand’s national carrier, Air New Zealand, has offended the country’s Maori people by attempting to trademark an image of the words kia ora; the greeting for hello.The airline applied in May to trademark the image showing the greeting, which is also the name of its in-flight magazine.The Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand, told TVNZ the airline was seeking to protect only the “particular stylised forms” of the greeting, rather than the greeting itself, but Indigenous groups said…
How Indonesia’s Lippo empire fought back from the brink after being crippled by debt
Late last year, when Indonesia’s biggest property developer was sinking under debt, it was crunch time for the Lippo Group’s Riady family.At a meeting to discuss rescue options, tycoon Mochtar Riady, 90, the founder of the group, turned to his young grandson for help. Reluctant at first, John Riady – a Wharton School graduate – said he eventually agreed to run the troubled flagship PT Lippo Karawaci. His salvage plan included a US$788 million rights issue in July, sale of assets and a debt…
Japan’s ‘economic sanctions’ against South Korea will backfire: Chinese ambassador to Seoul
Qiu Guohong, China’s ambassador to South Korea, on Wednesday said Japan’s “economic sanctions” against South Korea would backfire and would have to be retracted, “as other countries will have to do” – an apparent reference to the US-China trade war.Speaking at a forum in Incheon arranged by the Saeul Foundation of Culture, Qiu said Tokyo’s trade moves would founder amid a lack of international support as Seoul upped the ante by filing a complaint with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) about…
Cybersex trafficking spreads across Southeast Asia, fuelled by internet boom. And the law lags behind
US and Australian crime fighters are preparing Cambodia for a spike in online child sex abuse cases but local officials fear that predators are a step ahead of police due to narrow laws.The spread of cheap, high-speed internet and the rise in mobile phone ownership is fuelling cybersex trafficking across Southeast Asia – a form of modern-day slavery where children are abused and raped over live-streams for paying clients worldwide.Agents from the FBI and Australian Federal Police (AFP) have in…
Explained: what is dengue, and why is there a surge in cases in Asia this year?
Dubbed “breakbone fever”, dengue is one of the world’s leading mosquito-borne illnesses and infects as many as 100 million people annually.About half the planet’s population live in at-risk areas, mainly in Asia, Latin America and Africa.Explosive outbreaks have ravaged Southeast Asia this year, with around 670,000 infected and more than 1,800 people dead in the region, according national and World Health Organisation data.At least 622 have died in the Philippines so far this year, cases in…
Goldman Sachs hopes Aramco deal in Saudi Arabia can help it recover from 1MDB fallout
Goldman Sachs is tapping its upper echelons to navigate a notoriously complicated region where it has stumbled of late: the Middle East.After missing out on at least US$25 billion in deals in Abu Dhabi – the emirate that snubbed the US bank for its involvement in the 1MDB scandal – Goldman Sachs is making a push into Saudi Arabia.Chief executive officer David Solomon – the first chief of a Wall Street bank to visit the kingdom following the murder of government critic Jamal Khashoggi – has…