An Indonesian policeman was shot dead and another was seriously wounded near a giant US-owned copper and gold mine on Wednesday, authorities said, the latest in a string of shootings in restive Papua province.
The killing occurred with police and armed separatists locked in a stand-off near Freeport-McMoRan’s mine, one of the world’s biggest, with both sides blaming each other for what police have claimed was a hostage crisis.
Local authorities said unidentified gunman opened fire…
Labour MP’s leasehold reform plans risk penalising freeholders, expert warns
Leasehold reform plans put forward by a Labour MP risk penalising pension funds and other investors who, in good faith, have invested in ground rent income streams, an expert has warned.
Rex Tillerson claims sanctions won’t solve Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis as Aung San Suu Kyi rejects accusations of complicity
Washington’s top diplomat on Wednesday said he would not yet push for sanctions against Myanmar over the Rohingya refugee crisis, but he called for a independent investigation into “credible” allegations that soldiers were committing atrocities against the Muslim minority.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was speaking after a one-day stop in Naypyidaw, as global outrage builds over impunity for a military accused of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya.
His…
Richest 1 per cent own half the world’s wealth, study finds
The globe’s richest 1 per cent own half the world’s wealth, according to a new report highlighting the growing gap between the super-rich and everyone else.
The world’s richest people have seen their share of the globe’s total wealth increase from 42.5 per cent at the height of the 2008 financial crisis to 50.1 per cent in 2017, or US$140 trillion, according to Credit Suisse’s global wealth report published on Tuesday.
“The share of the top 1 per cent has…
EU chief Brexit negotiator says UK decision on business regulation is about ‘fundamental societal choices’
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said that the UK’s decision on whether to adopt business regulation similar to the EU’s is a fundamental societal choice.
Ultra-nationalist Myanmar monk denied bail for Rohingya protest
One of Myanmar’s most prominent ultra-nationalist monks was denied bail on Tuesday after he was arrested on charges of inciting unrest at an anti-Rohingya protest held outside the US embassy in Yangon last year.
The Buddhist abbot, Parmaukkha, was detained over the weekend in a rare move against hardline clergymen who have fanned hatred against the persecuted Muslim Rohingya – a group recently targeted by a deadly military crackdown in Rakhine state.
[I] am just protecting the…
‘Aung San Suu Kyi is handmaiden to genocide and accomplice to murder,’ says Bob Geldof
Irish musician and activist Bob Geldof called Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi “a hand maiden to genocide” on Monday as he returned his Freedom of the City of Dublin award in protest over his fellow recipient’s response to the repression of Rohingya Muslims.
“I don’t want to be on a very select roll of wonderful people with a killer,” Geldof told state broadcaster RTE. “Someone who is at best a handmaiden to genocide and an accomplice to murder.”…
‘We are still refusing to leave’: asylum seekers remain defiant as stand-off at Manus Island detention centre continues
Papua New Guinea Immigration Minister Petrus Thomas said authorities would take steps on Monday to forcibly remove around 450 men who remain in an abandoned Australian detention centre without food or running water.
Hundreds of men have barricaded themselves into the Manus Island centre for more than 13 days without regular food or water supplies, defying attempts by Australia and Papua New Guinea to close the facility, saying they fear for their safety if removed to transit centres.
“We…
EAT rejects Uber appeal against employment rights for drivers
Two Uber drivers should be classed as ‘workers’ entitled to paid rest breaks, holidays and the National Minimum Wage, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has confirmed.
Trump, Duterte meet in Manila at Asean gala dinner
US President Donald Trump is attending a gala in the Philippines celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte greeted Trump and other leaders one by one as they arrived at a convention centre in Manila for the glitzy event. Trump and Duterte shook hands twice and exchanged pleasantries before the leaders posed for a group photo and everyone filed into dinner.
Trump joined his fellow leaders in wearing Philippine formal…