The real reason Boeing’s new plane crashed twice
(VOX) - Two Boeing airplanes have fallen out of the air and crashed in the past six months. On the surface, this is a technical failure. But the real story is about a company's desire to beat…
Widodo leads Indonesia presidential race: Unofficial results
Quick count results show Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has a 10-point lead over long-time rival Prabowo Subianto.
(ALJAZEERA) - Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is on track to win a second term as Indonesia's …
Turkey to face US sanctions for buying from Russia
(Bloomberg) - Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be expecting more from Donald Trump than he’s ready to deliver as the Turkish president tries to defuse his biggest diplomatic spat yet and prevent the…
Ilhan Omar says death threats increased after Trump tweet
Omar accuses Trump of encouraging hate after he tweeted edited video suggesting she had been dismissive of 9/11 attacks.
(ALJAZEERA) - Ilhan Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to the …
Grow more durians Jokowi tells struggling palm oil producers, with rural votes in balance
President Jokowi’s comments were a response to growing concerns about uncertainties rattling through one of the country’s most important sectors. The government is scrambling to find a fast but…
ICC rejects request to investigate war crimes in Afghanistan
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected a request to investigate alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.
(BBC) - In a press release, judges of the court highlighted Afghanistan's instability…
Brunei says controversial Sharia law aimed at ‘prevention’
Brunei's foreign ministry has said implementing Sharia law is about prevention rather than punishment, after intense criticism of its decision to implement the strict Islamic code.
(BBC) - Under…
Russia passes bill to allow internet to be cut off from foreign servers
(The Guardian) - Russian politicians have approved a controversial bill that would allow Moscow to cut off the country’s internet traffic from foreign servers, in a key second reading that paves…
IMF and World Bank urge caution with China loans
(FMT) - Increased lending by China to developing nations is increasingly under the spotlight amid concerns that growing debt burdens and onerous conditions could sow the seeds of a crisis.
The…
Julian Assange: Wikileaks co-founder arrested in London
(BBC) - Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange has been arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Mr Assange took refuge in the embassy seven years ago to avoid extradition to Sweden over a…
Fake News in India and Indonesia’s Elections 2019
(The Diplomat) - As two of the largest democracies in the world gear up for elections in April and May 2019, it is worth paying close attention to the potential impact of fake news. Fake news is a…
Occupy movement leaders found guilty of causing a public nuisance in Hong Kong
(SCMP) - Verdicts have been handed down for nine key figures accused of organising the 2014 Occupy movement, a series of pro-democracy protests that shut down substantial portions of Hong Kong’s…
Rahul Gandhi: destiny’s child or an ’empty suit’?
(AFP) - Rahul Gandhi, vying to become the latest prime minister from India’s most famous dynasty, has worked hard to shed his image as an entitled footloose princeling and political lightweight.…
Hong Kong Occupy leaders found guilty for role in mass rallies
A Hong Kong court found leaders of the 2014 “Occupy” civil disobedience movement (above) guilty on Tuesday of public nuisance charges during the mass protests, in a landmark verdict that comes as…
Taiwan must choose: Chinese cash or American freedom
(SCMP) - As the island’s presidential campaign season begins, its troubled relationship with the Chinese mainland will be front and centre stage.
The heat is on in Taiwan as the start of the…
Gays want Christianity to legalise homosexuality
(Reuters) - Human rights lawyers and gay rights advocates urged the Vatican on Friday to issue a clear and unequivocal statement against the criminalisation of homosexuality.
The request was…
Cows come home to haunt India’s Modi
(AFP) - One of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's signature policies has been protecting cows, but for Raghuvir Singh Meena - a Hindu farmer struggling to protect his crop of chickpeas from…
The mind-boggling challenge of Indonesia’s election logistics
800,000 polling stations, six million election workers, and the most complicated single-day ballot in global history. Altogether, there are more than 245,000 candidates running for more than 20,000 …
World’s biggest water fight canceled in Thai tourist haven for king’s coronation
(Reuters) - The annual festival known as the world’s biggest water fight will be a little smaller this year, as one of Bangkok’s famed tourist districts called off its celebrations to avoid…
Brunei becoming Saudi Arabia of Southeast Asia
(NST) - Brunei’s imposition of harsh sharia laws, including death by stoning for gay sex and adultery, is a bid by the country’s ruler to boost support among conservatives and highlights a steady…
Singapore’s ‘fake news’ bill is bad news for Facebook
(CNN) - Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he welcomed more regulation of big tech, but he probably didn't mean this.
A new bill in Singapore -- which had its first reading Monday -- would give…
Ecuadorean president says Assange violated asylum terms
(Reuters) - Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno on Tuesday said that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has "repeatedly violated" the terms of his asylum in the Andean nation's London embassy,…
Indian satellite destruction endangered ISS
(AFP) - The head of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) on Monday branded India’s destruction of one of its satellites a “terrible thing” that had created 400 pieces of…
Turkey local elections: Setback for Erdogan as his party loses capital
(BBC)- The party of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has lost control of the capital, Ankara, in local elections in a setback to his 16 years in power.
The opposition is also ahead in…
Kim Jong Nam trial: Vietnam woman accepts new charge, likely to walk free
(CNA) - A Vietnamese woman suspected of assassinating the North Korean leader's half-brother accepted a lesser charge Monday and looks set to be freed soon, after her Indonesian co-accused was…
Thailand election: Full vote count in but no winner yet
(BBC) - Nearly a week after Thailand's election, the first since the coup of 2014, it remains unclear which party could form a government.
On Thursday, the Election Commission (EC) released the…
US and China wrap up ‘constructive’ trade talks with pledge to meet again next week
(SCMP) - The US and China wrapped up a full day of “constructive” talks in Beijing on Friday, according to one of the most senior US negotiators, and will resume their discussions in Washington…
Taiwan mulls death penalty for drink driving
(The Sun Daily) - Taiwan plans to ramp up punishments for those who cause a fatal accident when driving while under the influence of alcohol, including the death penalty for the most egregious…
UK lawmakers reject Brexit deal for third time
(AFP) - British MPs on Friday rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU divorce deal for a third time, opening the way for a long delay to Brexit – or a potentially catastrophic “no deal”…
Britain to hold third vote in Brexit crisis
(AFP) - Prime Minister Theresa May will put her twice-rejected Brexit divorce deal to a third parliamentary vote on Friday in a renewed bid to avoid a chaotic split from the European Union in two…