Talks on pushing ahead the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal without the United States reached a critical point on Thursday as ministers from the 11 countries discussed a proposed agreement in principle.
Talks on the TPP, ditched by US President Donald Trump in one of his first acts in office, have been held on the sidelines of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) meetings in the Vietnamese resort of Da Nang.
Clear agreement on proceeding without the US would be a boost for the…
‘Chump’ or saviour? Donald Trump divides US veterans living in Vietnam
When US President Donald Trump lands in Danang, once a key US wartime airbase, he’ll receive a mixed welcome from American veterans who fought on Vietnamese soil but now call the coastal city home.
Trump fans among Danang’s community of war vets are keenly awaiting an “America First” clarion call by a man they are proud to have as president when he addresses the APEC summit of world leaders on Friday.
Others are strikingly less enthusiastic. Former marine David E. Clark…
Indian teenager kills schoolmate to postpone exams
India arrested a teenager on Wednesday for allegedly slitting the throat of a seven-year-old schoolmate in hopes the murder would lead to an exam being postponed, federal investigators said.
The 16-year-old is accused of killing his young schoolmate in September at a smart public school near Delhi in an attempt to delay an impending test and parent-teacher meeting.
Police had initially detained a bus conductor over the murder, claiming he killed the boy after the young pupil resisted a sex…
Duterte warns Trump to ‘lay off’ human rights issue during his visit to the Philippines
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he would tell US President Donald Trump to “lay off” if he raises the issue of human rights when they meet. Trump will be in Manila on the last leg of his 12-day Asian trip, which includes visits to Japan, South Korea, China, and Vietnam. The US president will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam, make a state visit to Hanoi and end his trip with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations…
National insurance bill delay will not affect PILON changes, says expert
Changes to the income tax and national insurance position on payments in lieu of notice (PILONs) will still take effect from April 2018, even though the government has announced that the National Insurance Contributions Bill has been delayed and will take effect from April 2019, rather than April 2018, an expert has said.
Why is the US calling Asia-Pacific the Indo-Pacific? Trump to ‘clarify’
US President Donald Trump will offer a clearer picture on why he and other senior White House officials have begun referring to the Asia-Pacific as the “Indo-Pacific” by the end of his 12-day, five-nation tour of the region, Washington’s envoy in Tokyo said on Tuesday.
Trump had discussed the Indo-Pacific “concept” with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, ambassador William Hagerty said following the president’s two-day Japan visit, adding it was too early to draw…
CMA publishes guidance for businesses on new approach to leniency in cartel cases
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance on its new approach to handling applications from businesses seeking leniency from prosecutions and fines for cartel activity.
Indonesia steps up internet obscenity purge following threat to block WhatsApp
Indonesia said on Tuesday it will summon executives of messaging services and search engines, including Google, to demand they remove obscene content, but dropped a threat to block WhatsApp Messenger after a certain image format was taken off the service.
The internet is already partly censored in Indonesia, but the latest steps mark an escalation against a background of growing conservatism in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
“We will call all providers, including…
Australian politicians told they need to prove citizenship
Australian politicians will have to prove they are not foreign citizens under plans proposed on Monday as the conservative government grapples with a constitutional crisis that has cost it a majority in parliament.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a set of measures making it compulsory for MPs formally to declare they are not dual citizens and provide evidence to support it.
“Every member of the [lower] house and every member of the Senate has a personal obligation to ensure that…
Influential executive pay guidance for investors updated for 2018
The Investment Association (IA) has updated its influential ‘Principles of Remuneration’ to provide guidance to remuneration committees on executive pay issues ahead of the 2018 AGM season.