News

Threats with razor blades mailed to Angela Merkel, other German MPs

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 22 01:19 AM

Anonymous threatening letters in Arabic containing white powder and razor blades have been sent to politicians before Sunday's election, police said. Read more »

China’s probes of rights lawyers ‘alarming’: Human Rights Watch

Reuters
Posted at Sep 20 06:13 PM

China has arrested, jailed or detained thousands of rights lawyers and activists since President Xi launched a crackdown in the summer of 2015. Read more »

With China in mind, Japan and India agree to deepen defense

Amit Dave and Sanjeev Miglani, Reuters
Posted at Sep 14 09:43 PM

Relations have deepened between Asia’s second and third largest economies as Abe and Modi increasingly see eye-to-eye to balance China as the dominant Asian power. Read more »

'Fairly close' on deal allowing undocumented immigrants to stay: Trump

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Sep 14 09:26 PM

Trump said he and opposition Democrats are "fairly close" to a deal that would allow young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children to remain in the US. Read more »

At Frankfurt auto show, Merkel urges car industry to restore trust

Agence France Presse
Posted at Sep 14 07:16 PM

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged car giants to win back the trust of "deceived" drivers as she opened the Frankfurt auto show Thursday, walking a fine line between berating the scandal-hit industry and praising its role as the backbone of the German economy. Read more »

Cambodian opposition blocked from holding service honoring 1997 attack victims

Prak Chan Thul, Reuters
Posted at Sep 14 01:24 AM

The US embassy urged its citizens to exercise caution after Prime Minister Hun Sen's government accused the US of conspiring with opposition leader Kem Sokha. Read more »

Myanmar's Suu Kyi to address nation on Rakhine crisis next week

Agence France-Presse
Updated as of Sep 13 08:38 PM

The UN said some 379,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state for Bangladesh since new violence erupted last month.  Read more »

Japan's ‘Dennis Rodman’ urges world to lower tensions over North Korea

Linda Sieg, Reuters
Updated as of Sep 13 07:07 PM

Antonio Inoki proposed that Japan’s ruling party send a delegation to Pyongyang, perhaps as a first step toward a visit by Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. Read more »

Singapore names first female president, raising eyebrows over election process

Fathin Ungku, Reuters
Posted at Sep 13 06:21 PM

Aiming to strengthen a sense of inclusivity, Singapore had decreed the presidency would be reserved for candidates from the minority Malay community this time. Read more »

Trump welcomes scandal-hit Malaysian PM Najib Razak to White House

Andrew Beatty, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 13 02:58 AM

In an editorial, the Washington Post said Najib's visit "sets a new low" for the Trump administration. Read more »

Hope Hicks, 28, named White House communications director

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 13 01:21 AM

The White House communications director is responsible for shaping the administration’s message. Read more »

US calls for release of Cambodian opposition leader charged with treason

Prak Chan Thul, Reuters
Posted at Sep 12 10:53 PM

US envoy makes statement in response to the arrest of Kem Sokha, accused of plotting with the US to take power from Prime Minister Hun Sen. Read more »

Anger in Singapore as no election for president

Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 12 10:43 PM

Halimah Yacob will be the first woman to hold the largely ceremonial role if -- as expected -- she is formally nominated to the presidency Wednesday. Read more »

In campaign memoir, Hillary Clinton says won't 'sulk or disappear'

Ivan Couronne, Agence France-Presse
Posted at Sep 12 06:39 PM

In her memoir, the 69-year-old assumes her share of responsibility for her shock loss — “My mistakes burn me up inside.” Read more »

N. Korea marks founding anniversary with adversarial words to US

Takuya Karube, Kyodo News
Posted at Sep 09 05:04 PM

BEIJING - North Korea marked Saturday the 69th anniversary of its founding boasting of its status as a world-class military power and taking an explicitly adversarial stand against the United States, as the international community struggles to rein in the secretive country following a series of weapons tests. Read more »

Trump makes US 'less respected, less secure,' Clinton aide says

Kyodo News
Posted at Sep 09 05:01 PM

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has been making the United States "less respected, less secure," and proving himself -- as Democrats and possibly some Republicans feared -- temperamentally unfit to serve as commander-in-chief, according to an aide to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Read more »

‘Lips and teeth’ no more as China’s ties with North Korea fray

Philip Wen and Christian Shepherd, Reuters
Posted at Sep 08 11:06 PM

Ties between the allies have deteriorated so sharply that some diplomats and experts fear Beijing may become, like Washington, a target of its neighbor’s ire. Read more »

'Playing' with impeachment may cause political crisis, warns analyst

Patrick Quintos, ABS-CBN News
Posted at Sep 05 10:10 AM

A political analyst on Tuesday warned against "playing" with the impeachment process, which may result to a political crisis or even destabilization. Read more »

Cambodian opposition leader arrested over alleged plot with US

Prak Chan Thul, Reuters
Posted at Sep 03 01:33 PM

Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was arrested in a police raid on his home early on Sunday and veteran Prime Minister Hun Sen accused him of treason with the backing of the United States. Read more »

No evidence Obama wiretapped Trump Tower: US Justice Dept

Agence France Presse
Posted at Sep 03 12:38 PM

The US Justice Department has confirmed there is no evidence to back up President Donald Trump's claim that his predecessor Barack Obama wiretapped Trump Tower during the 2016 election campaign. Read more »