A US aircraft carrier arrived on Monday in Vietnam for the first time since the end of the Vietnam war, dramatically underscoring the growing strategic ties between the former foes at a time when China’s regional influence is rising.
The grey and imposing silhouette of the USS Carl Vinson could be seen on Monday morning from the cliff tops just outside the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang, where the 103,000-tonne carrier and two other US ships begin a five-day visit.
The arrival of the…
In historic first, a Hindu woman has been elected to the senate in Pakistan
A woman from Pakistan’s marginalised Hindu minority has been elected to the senate for the first time ever in an election over the weekend in which a Taliban-linked cleric was defeated.
Krishna Kumari, a member of the Pakistan People’s Party, hails from the so-called untouchables, the lowest rung of the caste system that still prevails in Pakistan and neighbouring India.
Lawmakers in national and four provincial assemblies on Saturday elected half of the 104-member Senate to six-…
This man cleaned up a ‘City of Pigs’. But for Indonesian voters, he needs to be pious, too
When Ridwan Kamil took over as mayor of Bandung in September 2013, bureaucrats like Tammi Lasmini, who would be responsible for executing plans to rebuild the city centre and spruce up its parks, admitted to having their doubts.
Just a month earlier Kamil’s predecessor, Dada Rosada, had been arrested on suspicion of bribing judges – charges that ultimately led to a 10-year prison sentence. A Dutch colonial hill top town and capital of Indonesia’s West Java province, Bandung…
Cambodia’s PM accuses US of lying about aid cut
Cambodia’s prime minister on Saturday accused the US government of being dishonest in its announced suspension of aid to the Southeast Asian nation, saying Cambodia had already stopped receiving aid from Washington in 2016.
The White House said on Tuesday it was suspending or curtailing several Treasury, USAID and military help programmes that support Cambodia’s military, taxation department and local authorities – all of which, it said, shared blame for recent political…
Indonesia considers house arrest for Muslim cleric who Bali bombings ‘ideological leader’
The Indonesian government is considering house arrest or other forms of clemency for the ailing radical cleric who was the ideological leader of the Bali bombers and is now in prison for helping to fund an extremist training camp.
Wiranto, the government’s top security minister, said on Friday that a meeting of security ministers and police will make a recommendation on Abu Bakar Bashir’s treatment to President Joko Widodo.
“Clemency, pardon, house arrest or just hospital…
Carney: UK central bank digital currency not likely in short term
The Bank of England is not likely to issue a central digital currency for the UK in the short term, according to the Bank’s governor, Mark Carney.
All workers to benefit from SAYE contribution break plans
All employees who contribute to a save as you earn (SAYE) employee share plan will be able to benefit from the planned 12-month contribution break, not just those on maternity or parental leave, the government has announced.
Supreme Court backs solicitor in careless misrepresentation case
A Glasgow solicitor who made an incorrect statement about her client’s affairs in an email to a lender is not liable for any loss suffered by the lender, the UK’s highest court has ruled.
Australian prosecutor drops a sex charge against Cardinal George Pell after alleged victim dies
Prosecutors on Friday withdrew one of several historical sexual offence charges against Vatican finance chief Cardinal George Pell before his committal hearing next week.
The 76-year-old, a top adviser to Pope Francis, has taken leave to fight the allegations which relate to incidents that allegedly occurred long ago.
The exact details and nature of the accusations have not been made public, other than they involve “multiple complainants”.
A preliminary hearing at Melbourne…
Dozens of new political parties register for Thai election
More than 30 new Thai political parties submitted names and logos on the opening day of party registration in Bangkok on Friday, an early step in the junta-ruled kingdom’s halting return to democracy.
Thailand has been under army rule since a 2014 coup toppled an elected government that was accused of corruption and installed a military government.
The generals have banned all political activity and repeatedly postponed a promised return to democracy.
Yet this week the junta chief vowed…