SYDNEY – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is on a historic trip to the Pacific nations of Vanuatu and Fiji to try to bolster ties amid concerns about China’s growing influence in the region. Despite facing a looming general election, Mr Morrison on Wednesday (Jan 16) flew to Vanuatu, the first bilateral visit by an […]
Veteran US diplomat Bill Richardson resigns from panel, calling it ‘a cheerleading squad for the [Myanmar] government’. A veteran US diplomat has resigned from an international panel set up by Myanmar to advise on the Rohingya crisis, saying it was conducting a “whitewash”. Bill Richardson, a former member of Bill Clinton administration, accused Myanmar’s de […]
Malaysia’s Education Ministry has said it shouldn’t have published an infographic in a school textbook that said girls must protect their modesty or risk being shamed and ostracised. The textbook, aimed at nine-year-olds, was distributed to all national primary schools in Malaysia. A picture of the graphic was shared on social media by people who […]
Explosion rips through market in northwestern town of Sopore in Indian-administered Kashmir. Four police officers have been killed in a bomb blast set off by rebels fighting Indian rule in a northwestern town in disputed Kashmir, according to police. The explosion ripped through a market in the town of Sopore on Saturday, police spokesman Harmeet […]
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – The European Central Bank announced greatly expanded conduct rules for policymakers and supervisory board members on Wednesday, regulating a wide range of activities from investments to asset disclosures and even private engagements. Frustrated by leaks, frequent breaches of quiet period rules and – in the case of one governor – accusations of […]
War of words heats up in disputed Kashmir region after Indian army chief threatens cross-border military operation. Four Pakistani soldiers were killed in a mortar attack by Indian forces along the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours continue to rise. The Pakistani troops were conducting maintenance on […]
LONDON (Reuters) – British shares lagged Europe on Wednesday after Prime Minister Theresa May’s resounding defeat in a parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal, but in the face of unrelenting political uncertainty investors shifted their focus to results and M&A news. A defeat had largely been priced in already, though the magnitude of the loss […]
BANGALORE, INDIA (AFP) – Indian devotees led decked-up cows over burning hay to celebrate the Hindu harvest festival in a ritual seeking good fortune and protection from harm. The Makar Sankaranti festival marks the advent of spring and is celebrated by kite-flying and other regional festivities in the month of January. In the southern city […]
TAIPEI (AFP) – Chinese dissident Liu Xinglian marked his 64th birthday on Wednesday (Jan 16) at Taiwan’s Taoyuan airport, one of two refugees who have been trapped in limbo there for more than 100 days, hoping for asylum overseas. Their case has parallels with that of Ms Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, the Saudi teen who was […]
TOKYO (Reuters) – The pound steadied on Wednesday but remained on the backfoot following a volatile overnight session after British lawmakers defeated Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal by a crushing margin. Parliament on Tuesday voted 432-202 against May’s deal, the worst parliamentary defeat for a government in recent British history. Investors’ short-term focus […]