The European Union has presented Cambodia with a new trade scheme called the “Everything But Arms” (EBA) trade clause. The European Union is waiting on an acceptance of the trade clause by Cambodia, and they have warned Cambodia that the clock is ticking on the offer. The scheme would allow for Cambodia to export all goods, excluding guns or weapons,… Read more »
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – The European Union has warned Cambodia that the “clock is ticking” after it officially launched the process of suspending the country’s valuable trade privileges over rights concerns, paving the way for a move that analysts warn would be “catastrophic” to its economy. The so-called Everything But Arms (EBA) trade scheme allows Cambodia to export products other than weapons to the EU… Read more »
President Tsai Ing-wen has said Taiwan will not accept any deal that damages its sovereignty and democracy after the island’s China-friendly party said it might sign a peace agreement with Beijing if it won next year’s presidential elections. The Chinese government claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own and has vowed to bring it under its control – by force if necessary. While China has… Read more »
Tens of thousands of Mongolians have taken to the streets to protest against corruption in the top echelons of politics, braving temperatures that dropped below minus 20 degrees Celsius in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. Organisers estimated nearly 25,000 people turned out for the protest on Thursday. Local media described the gathering as the second largest after a riot in 2008. Protesters focused their anger on Mongolia‘s parliamentary… Read more »
Voters on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa have rejected the relocation of a controversial US military base elsewhere on the island, but Japan’s government said it would press ahead with the plan. Local authorities said the vote on Sunday saw some 72 percent of voters opposing moving the US Marines Futenma airbase, with 19 percent in favour. Turnout was… Read more »
President Donald Trump has announced that the US will delay imposing further trade tariffs on Chinese goods. The rise in import duties on Chinese goods from 10% to 25% was due to come into effect on 1 March. Mr Trump said both sides had made “substantial progress” in trade talks, which sent Chinese stocks up nearly 5%. He added that… Read more »
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said plans to relocate a US military base on the island of Okinawa will continue, despite a referendum rejecting the move. Some 72% of voters in the non-binding poll opposed the construction of a new base to replace the one at Futenma. In recent years, a number of accidents and crimes have led to… Read more »
Manila (AsiaNews) – Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte handed over the reins of power in the new Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to Al Hajj Murad Ebrahim (pictured), leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Yesterday in Manila, Duterte attended the symbolic swearing-in ceremony with which Murad became BARMM’s interim Chief Minister. From now on, it will be… Read more »
Following up on the analysis post I wrote last week, the 13 gay couples have now filed their lawsuits against the Japanese government in an attempt to have same sex marriage legalized. While the previous article focused on the legal side of things, this article talks more about the less official offense against same sex marriage. It dives into how… Read more »
A Japanese spacecraft has touched down on an asteroid in an attempt to collect a sample of rock from the surface. The Hayabusa-2 probe was trying to grab the sample from a pre-chosen site on the asteroid Ryugu just before 23:00 GMT on 21 February. The spacecraft reached asteroid Ryugu in June 2018 after a three-and-a-half-year journey from Earth. Hayabusa-2… Read more »