International

Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suffered huge losses in the local elections last weekend, losing 7 of 13 cities that it won in 2014 including two strongholds Kaohsiung and Taichung, both which well to the opposition, Kuomintang (KMT). Kaohsiung was a particularly sharp loss as the city has been a power base for pro-independence DPP for over two decades. This …

The Straits Times published a news report saying that it “continues to be Singapore’s best read newspaper”. Quoting the latest annual Singapore Media Index Report released by Nielsen, ST said that 29.8 per cent of Singapore residents aged 15 and above read ST everyday. “It marks a percentage point improvement from last year,” ST proudly proclaimed. However, when compared with …

In a 9-4 historic ruling by South Korea’s apex court on Thursday (1 Nov), South Korea has declared that conscientious objection against military conscription based on religious grounds is now considered “justifiable grounds,” and has subsequently removed its status as a crime in the eyes of the law. The landmark decision will result in the acquittal of more than 900 …

Approximately 18 deaths were recorded after a train in Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan went off its track, resulting in five out of its eight carriages being overturned in a crash on Sunday (12 Oct), according to Taiwanese authorities. The Puyuma Express No. 6432, which was carrying 366 passengers on board, was en route to the southeastern county of Taitung …

Deputy Secretary of State of the United States of America John J. Sullivan has stated that ASEAN countries and the U.S. jointly believe that international law ought to be followed in disputes surrounding the South China Sea instead of “a unilateral decision by one country”. Speaking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting at Lotte New York Palace …

Singaporean luxury hotelier Ong Beng Seng was accused of being involved in what was dubbed by reporters of the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) as “an orgy of corruption” in the Maldives. Ong, who is the co-founder and managing director of Hotel Properties Limited (HPL), which owns the Four Seasons and Hilton hotels in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United …

Following a protest by Reuters journalists and editors outside their Asia-Pacific headquarters at 18 Science Park Drive on Monday (3 Sep), Singapore Police Force (SPF) has issued a warning to the public regarding organising and/or participating in a public assembly without a police permit, stressing that doing so would be illegal. Persons who are found guilty of organising a public …

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.7 has hit Hokkaido, an island in the northernmost prefecture of Japan, around 2 a.m. Singapore time today (6 Sep). According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake had struck at a depth of 40km at around 3 a.m. local time. NHK World announced that “two people have been confirmed dead, 140 are …

Former United States Defense Secretary and CIA director under President Barack Obama’s administration, Mr Leon Panetta, has expressed his lack of confidence in US President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Singapore in June regarding the looming nuclear threat, stating that it was “doomed to failure from the beginning”. “I’m very worried about the situation because frankly, I …

A UN backed fact finding mission, mandated by the Human Rights Council to investigate allegations of abuse of the Rohingya in Myanmar, have called for the leaders of Myanmar’s military to be prosecuted for genocide in the Rakhine state as well as for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Rakhine and northern Myanmar. The group of investigators issued the …