Taiwan's parliament legalised same-sex marriage on Friday in a landmark first for Asia as the government survived a last-minute attempt by conservatives to pass watered-down legislation.
The United States (US) crackdown on Huawei has made the Chinese telecommunications giant the flashpoint in a monumental economic and technological showdown between the two superpowers that is testing allies of both.One day after the US moved to block Huawei from the US market and banned the export of US technology and materials to the company, China warned Washington on Thursday against further harming trade ties.At the same time, Beijing formally arrested two Canadians who have been detained
Major tech firms on Wednesday pledged to come up with new measures for stamping out violent extremist content on the internet, amid growing pressure from governments pushing for action in the wake of the massacres at two New Zealand mosques in March.Executives from Google, Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft met with the leaders of France, New Zealand and other countries in Paris to unveil the "Christchurch Call" of voluntary commitments for online platforms.It was named for the city wh
Indonesia is worried about being targeted by Donald Trump in a wider protectionist push, as trade tensions between the United States (US) and China continue to escalate, a senior minister said.The Southeast Asian nation’s large trade surplus with the US may invite further scrutiny by the Trump administration even as the spat between the world’s two biggest economies offers potential gains to Indonesia, Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said.
Myanmar's military commanders should be financially "isolated" and brought to trial to face charges of war crimes and genocide against the Rohingya minority, United Nations (UN) investigators said Tuesday.The UN fact-finding mission on the situation in Myanmar called on the international community to cut off all financial and other support to the country's military.Marzuki Darusman, who heads the fact-finding mission which just concluded a 10-day visit to surrounding count
At the turn of the year, Indonesia’s National Police announced that it would increase the allowances of police officers by 70 percent.
The United States (US) prepared to hit China with new tariffs even as President Donald Trump said he’ll meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at next month’s Group of 20 (G-20) summit, an encounter that could prove pivotal in a deepening clash over trade.The US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office Monday released a list of about US$300 billion worth of Chinese goods including children’s clothing, toys, mobile phones and laptops that Trump has threatened to hit with a 25 percent tariff.If
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's allies were poised for victory in midterm polls, unofficial results showed Tuesday, signalling firm approval of his rule and clearing a path for his most controversial plans.Duterte's deadly crackdown on narcotics has drawn international censure, but is central to the populist appeal that has buoyed his remarkable popularity among Filipinos since taking the presidency in 2016.In Monday's vote, administration loyalist candidates for the Sen
Filipinos headed to the polls on Monday in a vote that is expected to strengthen President Rodrigo Duterte's grip on power, opening the way for him to deliver on pledges to restore the death penalty and rewrite the constitution.More than 18,000 positions are at stake, including half of the seats in the upper house Senate, which has served as a bulwark against some of Duterte's most controversial policies.Duterte is known internationally for his foul-mouthed tirades, but remains huge
Duterte Youth, a right-wing youth organisation supporting the administration of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, recently promised that it would push for the revival of the death penalty for heinous crimes if it wins a seat in the House of Representatives in the coming 2019 midterm elections.
Gertrudes Batocabe never wanted to enter the Philippines' cutthroat politics, but after her husband was shot dead, allegedly by a rival in next week's midterm election, she felt bound to take his place."It's not really automatic that the wife takes over, but in this case I cannot see my opponents sitting down (quitting)" she said, holding back tears."I have a lot of things to do for Rodel, for the people of Daraga," she said, referring to her husband and the
United States (US) prosecutors brought additional charges against Jho Low, the Malaysian national accused of looting the 1MDB wealth fund, for campaign-finance violations related to President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election effort.According to an indictment unsealed Friday in Washington, Low transferred US$21.6 million to Pras Michel, a musician and film producer, who spread approximately US$865,000 among 20 people.
