Allies of Thailand’s exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra are seeking to woo voters with a plan to revive economic growth after a failed bid to run King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s sister as a prime minister candidate in next month’s election.
Kittiratt Na Ranong, a former finance minister and deputy leader of Pheu Thai – one of several parties backed by Thaksin along with Thai Raksa Chart – said his colleagues are “going forward in full gear” ahead of the…
Five years on, Canada’s dumped garbage is still causing a big stink in the Philippines
“Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, please repatriate your garbage: it stinks.”
That’s the message from activists in the Philippines and Canada as thousands of tonnes of malodorous household waste continue to rot away on Manila and Subic docks.
The pressure mounted this week when an array of Canadian and international environmental groups threw their support behind the EcoWaste Coalition of the Philippines, a local network leading the fight against foreign waste.
The campaign…
Pensions Regulator to have extra powers in mismanagement crackdown
The UK government is planning to introduce new criminal offences and increase civil penalties against employers and pensions trustees who fail to comply with pensions rules.
Middle Eastern states have lessons to learn from Asean in building friendship with China, say experts at Singapore conference
Rivalry among countries in the Middle East is an obstacle to the region building closer ties with China, and they should take a leaf out of Asean’s playbook, experts said at a conference on Monday.
Nasser Saidi, who heads consultancy firm Nasser Saidi & Associates, said if Middle Eastern states could behave like the 10-member regional trading bloc, it could pave the way for a regional free-trade agreement with China to further improve trading volumes and future infrastructure…
‘He is free’: refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi heads home to Australia after Bahrain drops extradition bid and Thailand releases him
A refugee Bahraini footballer with residency status in Australia boarded a flight for Melbourne early on Tuesday after Bahrain dropped its bid to have him extradited from Thailand, bringing to an end a case that had drawn international criticism.
Hakeem al-Araibi, 25, who fled Bahrain in 2014 and received refugee status in Australia, was arrested in November last year at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport while on his honeymoon, following an Interpol notice issued at the Gulf state’s…
New forfeiture order powers used to recoup £500,000 from Moldovan student
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has secured a forfeiture order amounting to nearly £500,000 on frozen bank accounts belonging to the son of Moldova’s former prime minister, in one of the first uses of new powers.
Rahul Gandhi’s plans to end Indian poverty work economically, just not politically
Call it competitive populism. As the campaigning gains pace ahead of an Indian general election that must be held by mid-May, the governing BJP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the opposition Congress party are locked in an epic struggle to win over voters.
In recent weeks, each has rolled out plans to ramp up public welfare spending on the country’s rural poor. But while some of these are simply the same old failed policies warmed up and worked over, others are remarkably innovative…
Indonesia police admit using snake to terrorise Papuan man
Indonesian police have acknowledged officers terrorised a Papuan man with a live snake after a video of the incident circulated online showing the man screaming in fear and his interrogator laughing.
Police in Indonesia’s easternmost Papua region apologised but also tried to justify the officers’ actions by saying the snake was not venomous and they had not resorted to beating the man, who was suspected of theft. Disturbing new #torture footage has emerged from #WestPapua showing…
US-led backlash against China’s Huawei, Hikvision seen giving higher-cost rivals an opening to win contracts
Increasing resistance by the US and other governments to Chinese hi-tech companies such as Huawei Technologies and Hikvision is providing opportunities for suppliers from other countries to win business from their lower-cost competitors. In Australia, Chinese security camera makers Hikvision and Dahua have faced increased scrutiny after a report by Australian Broadcasting Corporation cited concerns raised by experts about the potential for these networks to be used for espionage. The two…
‘Free Hakeem al-Araibi,’ say Australian divers who helped rescue Thai cave boys
Two Australian divers who helped save 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach from a flooded cave have written to the Thai prime minister to ask for the release of a Bahraini footballer with refugee status in Australia, media reported on Saturday.
The case of Hakeem al-Araibi, 25, has drawn international criticism as a Thai court considers an extradition request from Bahrain for him to serve a 10-year sentence related to the Arab spring uprising of 2011. He denies the charges.
He was arrested at a…