An Indonesian man working for an organisation which helped draft strict religious laws ordering adulterers to be flogged was himself publicly whipped on Thursday after he was caught having an affair with a married woman.Flogging is a common punishment for a range of offences in the deeply conservative Aceh region on Sumatra island, including adultery, drinking alcohol, and having gay or premarital sex.Aceh is the only region in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation that imposes Islamic law…
1MDB scandal: Malaysia to make claim for US$1 billion in assets recovered from Jho Low, Mahathir says
Malaysia will make a claim for the US$1 billion in assets recovered by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) from fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Thursday, as they were bought with money looted from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign wealth fund.“Part of the 1MDB money was used by Jho Low to buy assets in America … worth about US$680 million. He has now decided not to contest against the DOJ. Therefore the DOJ now can freeze the…
‘Disaster’ if US and China decouple, says former vice-premier Zeng Peiyan
China and the United States have a choice: team up and develop the digital economy with technological breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and big data, or decouple and damage the global economy.That was the warning from China’s former vice-premier Zeng Peiyan, as he addressed a regional conference in Singapore on Wednesday.Zeng, who held the post from 2003 to 2008 and was a top economic policymaker in Beijing, said any decoupling of the world’s two largest economies – which are currently…
Rodrigo Duterte Halloween mask being sold on Amazon ‘amusing’ says spokesman for Philippines’ president
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman said on Wednesday he found it “amusing” that online shopping site Amazon was selling a Halloween mask resembling the controversial leader.“It means he has arrived,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters. “Amusing! He really scares the criminals.”The latex mask, called “Rodrigo Duterte Rodi DU30,” was being sold for US$32.99 on Amazon by Caili’s Company, which specialises in different kinds of masks and Halloween props.Social media…
Thailand launches ‘fake news’ monitoring hub amid fears it will be used to censor dissent
Thailand is set to open its first centre to combat fake news, a minister said on Tuesday, becoming the latest Asian country to push for greater cyber scrutiny in what activists fear is a smokescreen for targeting critics.The Anti-Fake News Centre will start work on Friday using artificial intelligence and trained human monitors to flag posts on everything from health care to government policies, digital economy and society minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said.Explained: the rise of fake news…
Indonesia marks anniversary of deadly Lion Air crash with service for victims’ families
One year on from the Lion Air plane crash that killed 189 people, relatives and friends of victims held prayer vigils and cast flower petals into the Java Sea at the site where the Indonesian budget carrier’s Boeing 737 MAX jet disappeared beneath the waves.The almost new Boeing aircraft had been flying from Jakarta to the town of Pangkal Pinang, on the Bangka-Belitung islands off Sumatra, when it crashed, just minutes after take-off.Tuesday’s commemoration came days after Indonesian…
Third confirmed polio case reported in the Philippines
The Philippines on Monday reported the third confirmed case of polio in the country, more than a month after the re-emergence of the highly contagious disease.The patient is a 4-year-old girl from the town of Datu Piang in Maguindanao province, 925 kilometres south of Manila, Health Secretary Francisco Duque said in a statement.The girl was brought to hospital on September 26 after she suffered a sudden onset of paralysis.“On October 23, stool samples sent to the National Institute of…
Putin accepts Duterte invite, just before Manila-Beijing South China Sea oil talks. Coincidence?
The timing of Moscow’s announcement over the weekend that President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to visit Manila has raised eyebrows, as it comes on the eve of crucial bilateral talks between the Philippines and China on joint oil exploration in the South China Sea.In a statement immediately welcomed by the Philippine presidential palace, Igor Khovaev, Russia’s ambassador to the Philippines, on Saturday told reporters Putin had accepted Duterte’s invitation “with gratitude”.No date…
Girl, 12, rescued in Philippines after Sydney man arrested for child abuse
Police have rescued a 12-year-old girl whose abuse was allegedly live-streamed by a Sydney man on social media following a joint investigation between Australian and Philippine authorities.The girl was freed on Friday by Philippine National Police and Australian federal police (AFP) officers at a property in the city of Rizal, about a two-hour drive from Manila. Police also arrested a 39-year-old woman as part of the raid.The investigation into the Sydney man and possible Philippines-based…
Why a coconut boom is bad for Malaysia’s approved permit system
A licensing regime for Malaysia’s import and export firms governing everything from coconuts to cars is threatening to become an Achilles’ heel as the country looks to seal the deal on two regional trade pacts before the end of the year. Critics are taking aim at what they see as a lack of transparency and objectivity in the system and have described it as a gravy train for a select few businesses. The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is awaiting…