Police arrested the leader of Cambodia’s main opposition party in a surprise raid on his home in the capital early Sunday, and the government issued a statement accusing him of treason.
The arrest of Kem Sokha dealt a major blow to the opposition ahead of elections due next year and was sure to raise political tensions in the volatile country.
The move comes amid a push by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the world’s longest serving rulers, to shutter critical news…
North Korea’s latest missile launch stirs discussion of pre-emptive strikes in Japan
Japan is debating whether to develop a limited pre-emptive strike capability and buy cruise missiles – ideas that were anathema in the pacifist country before the North Korea missile threat. With revisions to Japan’s defence plans under way, ruling party hawks are accelerating the moves, and some defence experts say Japan should at least consider them.
After being on the back burner in the ruling party for decades, a possibility of pre-emptive strike was formally proposed to Prime…
Thailand’s king endorses annual reshuffle of 990 military leaders
Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Friday endorsed the annual reshuffle of 990 senior military officers, with a balance of officers from different factions moving into top positions.
The reshuffle is always scrutinised carefully for indications as to which factions within the powerful military are in the ascendancy.
A 2014 coup reinforced the military’s authority and although elections are promised next year, a new constitution gives the generals an important say for years to…
NEC4: a more collaborative approach
On 22 June 2017, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) updated its existing suite of standard form New Engineering Contracts with the issue of NEC4.
Non-dom taxpayers account for £9.3bn of UK tax receipts
Non-domiciled taxpayers contributed £9.3 billion to the UK economy in 2014/15 through a combination of income tax, capital gains tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs), according to newly-published figures.
Survey raises questions about transparency over use and storage of smart meter data
Most smart meter customers do not recall being given any information about how their energy supplier stores consumption data from their meters, according to a new survey.
Boats carrying Rohingya fleeing from violence sink in Bangladesh, leaving 26 dead
Three boats carrying ethnic Rohingya fleeing violence in Myanmar capsized in Bangladesh and 26 bodies of women and children have been recovered, officials said on Thursday.
Bangladesh border guard commander Lieutenant Colonel S.M. Ariful Islam said at least three boats carrying an unknown number of Rohingya Muslims sank in the Naf River at Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday. He said the bodies of 15 children and 11 women were recovered, and it was unclear whether anyone was still missing…
Dozens of Philippine men accused of attempting to join Marawi insurgency have charges dismissed
Philippine prosecutors have dismissed rebellion complaints against 59 men who were stopped by police and army troops at two checkpoints in the south and accused of attempting to join militants linked to Islamic State (IS) who laid siege to a southern city.
Senior government prosecutor Peter Ong said on Thursday the complaints filed by the military against the Muslim men were dismissed because of a lack of strong evidence, and authorities were ordered to free all the men.
“It is clear that…
Rise noted in number of requests for data made to tech companies by US and UK governments
Major technology companies received nearly double the number of requests to disclose data from the US and UK governments on average last year compared to in 2013, according to analysis conducted by Deloitte.
On North Korea, Trump declares ‘talking is not the answer’ – but his defence chief Mattis swiftly disagrees
President Donald Trump on Wednesday declared “talking is not the answer” to the tense stand-off with North Korea over its nuclear missile development, but his defence chief swiftly asserted that diplomatic options remain and Russia demanded US restraint.
Trump’s comment, a day after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan that drew UN and other international condemnation, renewed his tough rhetoric toward reclusive, nuclear-armed and increasingly isolated North Korea….