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HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Police in central Vietnam have seized more than half a ton of methamphetamine in one of the largest drug busts in recent years in the communist country where synthetic drug use is on the rise. Four people were arrested after police stormed a house in central Nghe An province where they found 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) of meth, some of it stuffed in speaker boxes. The meth shipment was “about to […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s heavy metal-loving leader Joko Widodo faces off against ex-military general Prabowo Subianto in the race to lead the world’s third-biggest democracy Wednesday, a re-run of the 2014 election contest narrowly won by Widodo. A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office from the presidency down to local legislator positions, including an Olympic gold medallist, a pop diva, a frontman who lost his bandmates and wife in a killer tsunami […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia said Friday a major Chinese-backed railway had been revived following a deal to cut costs, lifting a suspension slapped on the project when a corruption-plagued regime lost power last year. The railway was among several infrastructure projects in Malaysia supported by Beijing but put on hold after the shock defeat of a coalition that had ruled the country for six decades. Critics said the projects lacked transparency, could […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s government did a U-turn Friday on its decision to join the International Criminal Court, the prime minister said, after a backlash from a powerful Islamic ruler and opposition politicians. The Southeast Asian nation announced in March it was joining the world’s only permanent war crimes tribunal after a reform-minded government came to power last year. But the move sparked an outcry from opposition politicians and the powerful sultan […]
by M. Jegathesan Agence France Presse KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s disgraced former leader Najib Razak pleaded not guilty to all charges against him as he went on trial Wednesday over a multi-billion-dollar fraud. The 65-year-old faced the first of several trials over his alleged involvement in the looting of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, a state investment vehicle established to develop the economy of the Southeast Asian nation. The former premier and his cronies […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s disgraced former leader Najib Razak will go on trial Wednesday over a multi-billion-dollar financial scandal that contributed to his long-ruling coalition’s downfall last year and sent shockwaves around the world. The 65-year-old will face the first of several trials over his alleged involvement in the looting of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, a state investment vehicle established to develop the economy of the Southeast Asian nation. The former premier and […]
by M JEGATHESAN SHAH ALAM, Malaysia (AFP) — A Vietnamese woman suspected of assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother accepted a lesser charge Monday and looks set to be freed soon, after her Indonesian co-accused was released last month. Doan Thi Huong smiled and said “I’m happy” after prosecutors presented her legal team with the new charge in a Malaysian court and they announced the details. She has been on trial since 2017 for the […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Indonesia (AFP) — A Vietnamese woman on trial for assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother is expected to learn next week whether her second bid for freedom has succeeded, her lawyer said Thursday. Doan Thi Huong is accused of murdering Kim Jong Nam with nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur airport in 2017, in a Cold War-style hit that shocked the world. Her co-accused — Siti Aisyah from Indonesia — was unexpectedly released […]
by Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI and Joe FREEMAN Results of Thailand’s first election since the 2014 coup were expected to trickle out Monday, with the junta primed to retain its grip on power after a vote that saw its main rival diminished, but vaulted a new pro-democracy force into the kingdom’s politics. The Election Commission delayed without explanation a full announcement of preliminary results on Sunday night as a blizzard of complaints mounted over apparent mistakes in […]
by Joe Freeman Thailand’s election results were due Monday, with the junta appearing poised to hold on to power in a vote that saw its main rival diminished but vaulted a new pro-democracy force into the kingdom’s politics. Sunday’s poll — seen as a referendum on the military — was the first since a 2014 coup, and was held under new rules written by the junta to ease its transformation into a civilian government. Despite […]
A 6.1-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of North Maluku province in eastern Indonesia Sunday, US seismologists said, but no tsunami warning was issued. The quake was 150 kilometres (92 miles) northwest of the coastal town of Ternate at a depth of 37 kilometres, according to the US Geological Survey. The quake was felt in Ternate but residents were unconcerned, a local said. “I was watching TV when the earthquake suddenly happened, the jolt was […]
by Sippachai KUNNUWONG / Joe Freeman Polls opened Sunday for the first Thai election since a 2014 coup, with a high turnout expected among a public who received a cryptic last-minute warning from the Thai king to support “good” leaders to prevent “chaos.” All television stations repeated the rare statement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn moments before polls opened across the politically turbulent country. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and the palace is ostensibly above the […]
