Malaysian ex-deputy PM charged with money laundering, graft
Malaysian former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was charged on Friday with 45 offences including money laundering and graft amid a widening crackdown on corruption.
Italy’s Salvini says there is no government crisis over tax amnesty row
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said there was no government crisis after a row broke out in the ruling coalition over a tax amnesty draft bill, Il Messaggero said on Friday citing Salvini.
Afghan election commissioners recommend suspending Kandahar vote
Afghan election commissioners have recommended suspending Saturday’s parliamentary election in the southern province of Kandahar following the assassination of the powerful local police chief, officials said on Friday.
Aging Japan: Unclaimed burial urns pile up in Japan amid fraying social ties
Unclaimed urns containing ashes of the dead are piling up by the thousands across Japan, creating storage headaches and reflecting fraying family ties and economic pressures in a rapidly aging nation.
Cameroon court rejects all petitions calling for re-run of elections
Cameroon’s Constitutional Council on Friday rejected the last of 18 petitions calling for a re-run of an Oct. 7 election that the opposition said was marred by fraud, paving the way for results expected to extend President Paul Biya’s 36-year rule.
Hindu groups again block women from entering Indian temple
Hundreds of hardline Hindu protesters blocked two women from entering a south Indian hill temple on Friday in a third day of heated protests against the lifting of a ban on women of menstrual age.
Briton, Canadian arrested in Thailand for graffiti on wall
Two tourists charged with vandalism for spray painting graffiti on a wall in northern Thailand face up to 10 years in prison if found guilty, police said on Friday.
In China’s Catholic heartland, Vatican deal brings Communist Party closer
In 1996, a tiny village with a huge Gothic-style church in China’s Catholic heartland of northern Hebei province was the scene of a tense stand-off between the ruling Communist Party and the faithful.
Southeast Asia hails world’s first multilateral air encounter code
Southeast Asian countries agreed on Friday to guidelines to manage unexpected encounters between their military aircraft, with host Singapore calling the pact a world first and saying they would encourage their international partners to join.
Date for Putin’s meeting with North Korea’s Kim being discussed: RIA
A date for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is being discussed, Russian state news agency RIA cited Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov as saying on Friday.
