Ousted Thai PM’s rice scheme lost $15.8 billion, say Finance Ministry
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A rice-subsidy scheme introduced by Thailand’s ousted former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra lost 518 billion baht ($15.8 billion, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday.
China CNOOC executive under probe for suspected graft: prosecutor
BEIJING (Reuters) – A senior official of China National Offshore Oil Company (CNOOC) is under investigation suspected of having received bribes, China’s top prosecutor said on Thursday, the first executive from the offshore oil and gas firm embroiled b…
Russian Supreme Court delays hearing on rights group’s closure
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Supreme Court agreed on Thursday to delay a hearing on the closure of rights group Memorial, Interfax reported, a small victory for a group that has made its name criticizing Kremlin’s rights abuses since the fall of the Sov…
Indonesia to create new coastguard, boost defense spending
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will launch a new coastguard next month to crack down on piracy and smuggling which can disrupt commerce in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, the chief security minister told Reuters on Thursday.
Protesters over missing students in Mexico burn state assembly
CHILPANCINGO Mexico (Reuters) – Demonstrators set fire to the local legislature building on Wednesday in the capital of the southwestern state of Guerrero in protests over the apparent massacre of 43 students by corrupt police and thugs from drug gangs…
U.S. says Myanmar should draft new plan to give Rohingya citizenship
NAYPYITAW (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday urged Myanmar to draft a new plan to allow the ethnic Rohingya minority to become citizens and to scrap a proposed plan to send them to detention camps if they decline to identify themselves as Bengal…
Afghan power struggle seen delaying formation of new government
KABUL (Reuters) – Weeks after a new Afghan president was sworn in, a tussle for power means it could be weeks – if not months – before a cabinet is in place, the last thing his government needs as it gears for foreign troops to leave after 13 years of …
Turkey’s role in Libya adds to pro-Islamist perception
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s effort to play a role in resolving Libya’s deepening conflict risks further damaging its strained relations with Western allies, by fuelling suspicions that it is doubling down on a pro-Islamist regional agenda.
Vietnam confidence vote offers more than political theater
HANOI (Reuters) – When lawmakers casting ballots are nearly all Communist Party members and “no confidence” is not among the options, a parliamentary censure vote on Vietnam’s top leadership might seem like a pointless exercise.
Russian PM says sanctions must be lifted for ties with West to improve
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev was quoted as saying on Thursday sanctions must be abandoned to overcome problems in relations with the West after meeting U.S. President Barack Obama on the sidelines of a meeting in Asia.
