Several Indonesian ministries are banning pregnant, disabled, or LGBT job hunters in favour of what one called "normal" applicants, the Ombudsman said Friday, slammed as "arbitrary and hateful restrictions" by a rights group.The report comes as the world's biggest Muslim majority country takes applications from millions of candidates who are applying for some 200,000 civil-service jobs nationwide.Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of some 260 million, has seen a

China wants to reach an initial trade deal with the United States (US), President Xi Jinping said Friday, but is "not afraid" to fight back when necessary and will enact economic reforms at its own pace. It is rare for Xi to speak so directly about the trade war and his comments come two days after US President Donald Trump complained that Beijing had not made sufficient concessions so far, making him reluctant to conclude a bargain.The world's two biggest economies ha

A cheerful reunion, an interfaith choir and a dazzling dance – here are some of the most striking moments from Pope Francis' four-day trip to Thailand, which ended Saturday when he flew to Japan.Shoeless in BangkokIt was a sight to behold: The head of Thailand's Buddhists, sitting with the head of the world's Catholic church – neither wearing shoes.Pope Francis readily adhered to local custom Thursday when he met Somdej Phra Maha Muneewong, leaving his shoes behind for their fa

On today, the 21 November, the people of Myanmar celebrate their National Day, an annual public holiday for the country, celebrated on the tenth day following the full moon of the month of Tazaungmone, the eighth month of the country’s calendar.

Myanmar's civilian leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi will head up a delegation to the UN’s top court to defend a case accusing the mainly Buddhist country of genocide against Rohingya Muslims, the government said Wednesday, a decision that blind-sided observers.West African nation Gambia is due to open its case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in December on behalf of the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.The complaint accuses Myanm

Gambia will open its case against Myanmar before the UN’s top court in December accusing the mainly Buddhist state of genocide against its Rohingya Muslims, the tribunal said Monday.The small, majority-Muslim African country will ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to make an emergency injunction to protect the Rohingya, pending a decision on whether to deal with the wider case.Gambia’s case at the ICJ accuses Myanmar of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention through a brutal mili

Dozens of suspected Indonesian militants have been rounded up after a suicide bomber linked to the Islamic State group killed himself and wounded six others in a police station attack last week, police said Monday.Some 45 suspects have been arrested since the Wednesday bombing in Medan on Sumatra island, while two bombmakers were shot dead during a raid, according to authorities.“The pair resisted arrest and tried to attack police with sharp weapons and an air gun,” National Police spokesman

Cambodian Princess Norodom Bopha Devi, a former culture minister who helped resurrect traditional Apsara dance from the ashes of the brutal Khmer Rouge rule in the 1970s, died on Monday at the age of 76, premier Hun Sen said.Daughter of late king Norodom Sihanouk and half-sister of current monarch Norodom Sihamoni, Bopha Devi died from an illness in a Bangkok hospital, according to family.In a condolence letter shared on the prime minister's Facebook page, Hun Sen said her death marked &

Earlier this month, Indonesia celebrated its National Heroes Day. The day, which falls on 10 November, is commemorated to honour all the Indonesian fighters killed and injured in the heroic Battle of Surabaya, East Java, on 10 November 1945.

Pro-democracy demonstrators holed up in a Hong Kong university campus set the main entrance ablaze Monday to prevent surrounding police moving in, after officers warned they may use live rounds if confronted by deadly weapons.The violence extended a dangerous new phase of the nearly six-month crisis, which over the weekend saw Chinese soldiers briefly leave their local barracks to clean up streets. China has refused to budge on any of the protesters' key demands, which include f