(Reuters) – Malaysia’s highest court rejected on Tuesday an appeal by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim against a 2014 sodomy conviction, sending the politician who poses the greatest threat to the long-ruling party back to prison for five years. Human Rights Watch condemned the court decision, decrying what it called Anwar’s persecution which it said put at risk the democratic freedom of all Malaysians. Anwar, the ruling party’s rising star in the mid-1990s before he fell […]
Asia
Bombs at Bangkok’s Siam mall stir tensions
Plane falls down a river in Taiwan
In Taiwan, 31 were reported dead when an airplane fell down a river.
At least 11 dead as Taiwan plane cartwheels into river on take-off
BY FAITH HUNG AND MICHAEL GOLD Rescuers pull a passenger out of the TransAsia Airways plane which crash landed in a river in New Taipei City, February 4, 2015. CREDIT: REUTERS/PICHI CHUANG (Reuters) – At least 11 people were killed and up to 19 were missing after a Taiwanese TransAsia Airways plane with 58 passengers and crew on board crashed into a river shortly after taking off from a downtown Taipei airport on Wednesday, officials […]
Abe says government will do everything it can to protect citizens
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe assured the Japanese people that the government will ensure their safety whether at home or abroad.
Islamic State says beheads Japanese hostage Goto, Japan vows justice
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned on Sunday (February 1) the apparent killing of journalist Kenji Goto by Islamic State, after the militant group released a video purporting to show the beheading of the veteran war correspondent. Islamic State insurgents said on Saturday (January 31) they had killed Goto, after the apparent failure of sustained international efforts to secure his release through a prisoner swap. The video showed a hooded man standing over Goto with […]
ISIS DEADLINE TO SAVE JAPANESE HOSTAGES EXPIRES
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia dies at 90
The sixth King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah dies at age of 90 due to pneumonia. He was replaced by his brother, Salman.
Analyst says video of Japanese hostages is manipulated
A video released online on Tuesday (January 20), purporting to show two Japanese captives being held by the Islamic State, gives clues about the type of technology the militant group is using and raises suspicions that the video is highly manipulated, according to a group that analyzes militant violence. The clip showed a figure wearing black clothing and holding a knife, standing along with two kneeling men wearing orange clothes. The man, with his face […]
Indonesia rejects clemency plea of convicted drug offender from Australia
Indonesia rejected a clemency plea submitted by A convicted Australian drug trafficker on Thursday (January 22), a step that could further strain the tense relations between the two countries. Andrew Chan was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesian and sentenced to death in 2006. He was arrested along with Myuran Sukumaran, in 2005. Sukumaran was also sentenced to death. His clemency appeal was rejected last month. Both were members of the so-called Bali 9, a […]
No terror attacks connected to AirAsia flight
In Indonesia, investigators stand by their findings that there are no terrorist attacks connected to the ill-fated AirAsia flight.
Former Korean Air executive in court over ‘nut rage’ incident
A former executive for Korean Air Lines who delayed a flight because she didn’t like the way she was served her snack in first class arrived in court for the first day of her trial. A bus carrying Heather Cho who is accused of violating aviation safety rules, entered a district court in Seoul Monday. Last December, Cho was on a flight from JFK in New York when a first class flight attendant served her […]
