• Politics

    Malaysia: South China Sea should remain sea of peace and trade

    PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s position regarding the South China Sea has been clear and consistent, with views that it should remain a sea of peace and trade, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said. “Malaysia holds the view that the South China Sea should remain a sea of peace and trade,” he said.…

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  • Politics

    Cyber path for Singapore in holding general election on July 10

    By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: A unique first for Singapore: a “Cyber-Election’’ with the Republic deciding firmly to go to the polls on July 10 amid the on-going COVID-19 crisis. Instead of outdoor political mass rallies, the battle for the hearts and minds of 2.65…

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  • Politics

    Trump threatened to pull troops if South Korea didn’t give $5 billion: Bolton memoir

    WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to pull American troops from South Korea if Seoul did not pay US$5 billion under a defense cost-sharing deal, his former National Security Adviser John Bolton said in his memoir. In “The Room Where It Happened,” set to be published Tuesday, Bolton recalled an…

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  • Politics

    Vietnam, Japan agree on gradual easing of travel restrictions

    HANOI: Vietnam and Japan have agreed to gradually ease travel restrictions between the two countries, the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced. The two governments have worked closely together in COVID-19 prevention and control, the ministry said. Vietnam and Japan spoke highly of each other’s efforts in the fight…

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  • Politics

    Moon accepts unification minister’s resignation

    SEOUL: President Moon Jae-in accepted Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul’s resignation Friday, Cheong Wa Dae (the President’s office) announced, two days after he offered to step down to take responsibility for strained relations between the two Koreas highlighted by the North’s demolition of a joint liaison office. Keen attention is being…

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  • Politics

    North Korea blows up joint liaison office in Kaesong

    SEOUL: North Korea blew up the inter-Korean joint liaison office in its border town of Kaesong on Tuesday, sharply escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula after near-daily threats to punish Seoul over anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets. The surprise explosion sparked concern that the communist nation could put other threats against the…

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  • Politics

    The symbol of Democrats’ resistance and the controversies

    By Peter Jaegeul Song Staff Reporter at The Asia N SEOUL: On Monday, June 8, a few dozen Congressional Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, tried to honor George Floyd’s memory by kneeling in the Capitol’s Emancipation Hall for 8 minutes and 46 seconds;…

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  • Politics

    Singapore eyes July or September to hold general elections

    By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: General elections as early as in July, or latest in September. This is what Singapore’s ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) appears to have set its mind on as it sees the Covid pandemic outbreak in the Republic as stabilising, with restrictions…

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  • Politics

    In second setback this year, Dr Mahathir loses party membership

    Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been dismissed from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), the political party he founded in 2016 A letter signed by the party’s executive secretary Muhammad Suhaimi Yahya said that the party memberships of Dr Mahathir, Bersatu deputy president Mukhriz Mahathir, Bersatu…

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  • Politics

    Some leaders win virus bonus; whammy for million$ skippers

    By Ivan Lim Former AJA President, Contributor to AsiaN SINGAPORE: Feared as the Evil Genie everywhere, the Coronavirus is displaying almost mystical abilities to impact the fortunes of politicians across the globe, for better or for worse. Take South Korea’s Moon Jae-in. The president’s political fate took an unexpected upswing…

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