Cambodia calls EU trade threat ‘extreme injustice’
Cambodia’s foreign ministry on Thursday said a decision by the European Union to ramp up trade pressure on Cambodia over human rights concerns was an “extreme injustice”, adding it risked destroying decades of development progress in the country.
Taiwan pledges to boost national security amid Chinese pressure
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen vowed on Wednesday to boost national security, saying her government would not submit to Chinese suppression as Beijing ramps up pressure to assert its sovereignty over the self-ruled island.
Trump says South Korea will not lift North Korea sanctions without U.S. approval
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday South Korea will not lift sanctions on Pyongyang without U.S. approval, after the South Korean foreign minister softened earlier comments that some of its unilateral sanctions were under review.
World Bank launches ‘human capital’ rankings based on health, education
The World Bank Group unveiled a new system on Thursday to rank countries based on their success in developing human capital, an effort to prod governments to invest more effectively in education and healthcare.
Fastidious Flattop: Japanese helicopter carrier wages daily war on dirt and grime
Japan’s Kaga helicopter carrier is not the biggest, fastest or most powerful warship to sail the seas, but its 500 crew wage a daily war on dirt and grime to keep it the cleanest.
Pompeo says release of American pastor by Turkish court would be right thing to do
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that the release of U.S. evangelical pastor Andrew Brunson by a Turkish court at his next hearing on Friday would be an important step and the right thing for Turkey to do.
Peru opposition leader detained, cries ‘political persecution’
Peruvian opposition leader Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of former autocrat Alberto Fujimori, was arrested on Wednesday as part of a far-reaching campaign financing probe, striking a fresh blow to the country’s most powerful conservative movement.
Economic guru for Brazil’s presidential front-runner faces fraud probe
The chief economic advisor to Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s far-right presidential front-runner, is being investigated over accusations of fraud tied to the pension funds of state-run companies, federal prosecutors told Reuters on Wednesday.
Quake kills three people in Indonesia’s Java, rattles Bali
A magnitude 6 earthquake struck off the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said, killing three people in Java and damaging some buildings while causing panic among residents.
U.S. asks investigators to probe whereabouts of millions in Liberian cash
The U.S. Embassy in Liberia said on Wednesday it had asked forensic investigators to carry out a preliminary probe into the possible disappearance of $100 million in newly printed notes in the impoverished West African nation.
