Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has named appointed his main political rival, Leni Robredo, as his “drugs tsar”, after she criticised the high death toll his anti-narcotics campaign has caused, but her camp dismissed the offer as a gimmick.His spokesman on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Leni Robredo as co-chair of an inter-agency panel on drugs and ordered all other agencies to give her their full support.Is Duterte’s ‘drug tsar’ job offer to opposition leader Robredo for real?“If…
Seven years on, still no RCEP trade deal as India holds out
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Monday that “significant progress” had been made on sealing the 16-nation RCEP trade deal, effectively ending hopes that a regional summit would wrap up seven years of negotiations. Earlier, the Chinese deputy vice-foreign minister Le Yucheng had revealed what other leaders only tiptoed around – that India, a major holdout in negotiations on the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) was not ready to sign up to terms agreed by the…
Jho Low has a radical new look, a home in Cyprus and an EU passport. Are the rumours true, or just bear-faced lies?
Has Jho Low, the fugitive Malaysian financier who is accused of being the mastermind behind the multibillion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal, undergone radical plastic surgery to make himself look like a bear?That’s just one of the wild claims made by authorities in the country where he is hiding, according to Malaysia’s Inspector General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador.“Among the excuses they gave was that he supposedly underwent plastic surgery and now resembles a bear,” the police chief was quoted…
Is Duterte’s ‘drug tsar’ job offer to opposition leader Leni Robredo for real?
Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte’s offer of the “drug tsar” cabinet position to his vice-president after she panned his crackdown on illegal drugs has sparked a flurry of discussion on whether Leni Robredo should accept the post. Her allies and independent analysts are divided though, with Robredo’s spokesman Barry Gutierrez dismissing the talk, saying that “short of a serious offer there is really nothing to respond to”. Political analyst Ramon Casiple said there was an element of risk for…
Oksana Voevodina, Russian ex-wife of Malaysian Sultan Muhammad V, posts Instagram photo of baby she says is their son
The Russian beauty queen ex-wife of Kelantan’s royal ruler has posted a photo on Instagram of a baby boy she says is their son. It was the latest twist in the divorce saga of 27-year-old Oksana Voevodina and Sultan Muhammad V, who through his lawyer had previously said it was unclear whether he was the biological father of Ismail Leon, the baby who was born on May 21. The former Miss Moscow posted the photo of the infant on Saturday to a recently created Instagram account using the name…
Tens of thousands of Islamists tell Pakistan’s Imran Khan: ‘we can arrest you if you don’t quit’
Tens of thousands of Islamists remained camped out in the heart of Pakistan’s capital on Saturday in an attempt to force Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign over the country’s economic hardships.The government rolled out tight security measures as demonstrators occupied the centre of Islamabad for a second day, with authorities deploying additional shipping containers and riot police to block access to key government buildings.The protest caravan rolled into town on Thursday led by firebrand…
These Singaporeans won the housing lottery. Did money buy happiness?
Allen Chung, 73, thumbs a rectangular plastic piece bearing the unit number of his old home. He pierces the nostalgia-filled moment with an abrupt admission, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “We actually took this without permission,” he said. His 71-year-old wife Ann, a retired teacher, smiles sheepishly next to him. For 30 years, the unit number adorned the entrance of their 1,600 sq ft family home in Shunfu Ville. The condominium, located in a central suburban neighbourhood, was sold…
Alleged upskirter dies in Singapore after being caught by passers-by
A 46-year-old man collapsed and died on Friday in Singapore after he was caught by five members of the public for allegedly taking upskirt videos of a woman at Little India MRT station.Police officers were alerted to “a case of insulting the modesty of a woman” at about 12.45pm, the police said in response to Today’s queries.“Preliminary investigations revealed that a 46-year-old man had allegedly taken upskirt videos of a woman at Little India MRT station, before he was detained by five…
1MDB fugitive Jho Low not hiding in UAE, insists Malaysia’s top cop
Malaysia’s most senior policeman has dismissed reports the fugitive financier Low Taek Jho is hiding out in the United Arab Emirates, a day after the US Department of Justice recovered US$1 billion in funds linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad corruption scandal.Inspector General Abdul Hamid Bador said it was not possible for Low, who is wanted in several jurisdictions including Malaysia and Singapore for his alleged role in the scandal, to enter the UAE given the country’s tight border…
Indonesian ulema council member flogged for breaking religious laws he helped draft
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…