Al Jazeera–Governments across Southeast Asia have been using laws and the judiciary to curb press freedoms – now, they have found a handy crutch to lean on as they intensify clampdowns: US President Donald Trump’s “fake news” mantra. Most worrying to media rights advocates is that several countries are promoting new legislation or expanding existing regulations to make publishing fake news an offence…. Read more »
Al Jazeera–The Philippine Congress has vowed to fast-track a long-delayed bill establishing self-rule for Muslims in the southern island of Mindanao, in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s warning that another war could break out if the legislation collapses. Three House of Representatives sub-committees are consolidating their reports on Muslim autonomy, and public consultations in seven communities have been scheduled before the… Read more »
BEIJING (Reuters) – Russia held firm as China’s top crude oil supplier in December for the 10th month and racked up its second year as the No.1 supplier to China in 2017, customs data showed on Thursday, leaving rival exporter Saudi Arabia in second place once more. Shipments from Russia hit 5.03 million tonnes in December, down 0.2 percent from… Read more »
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Defence Ministry on Thursday denied that it was planning to build a military base in Afghanistan, branding such reports “groundless”. Russian news agency Ferghana News, which focuses on Central Asia, has reported that China will build the base in northern Afghanistan. The report was picked up last week by U.S. magazine The Diplomat and then in… Read more »
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia plans to launch in January a new automated system using 44 servers to help block websites displaying content such as pornography or extremist ideology, a communications ministry official said on Wednesday. The world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation has stepped up scrutiny of online content following a surge of hoax stories and hate speech, as well as… Read more »
GUANGZHOU, China (Reuters) – China is depending too much on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for cobalt, a crucial component in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, and should take steps to ensure security of supply, delegates said at an industry conference on Tuesday. China, the world’s top cobalt consumer, is “over-reliant” on the African country, which accounts for around half… Read more »
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan will impose additional sanctions on North Korea in response to the continuing threat posed by its missile and nuclear programs, Japan’s top government spokesman said on Tuesday. The sanctions, mentioned by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a joint news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, will freeze the assets of nine organizations and 26… Read more »
(Reuters) – Cuts in OPEC output that have led to a surge in U.S. oil exports to Asia may prove a godsend for struggling global shippers, driving rates for large crude shipments to China, India and other major oil importers sharply higher over the next year. Operators such as Frontline Ltd (FRO.OL), Euronav (EUAV.BR) and Gener8 Maritime (GNRT.N) are still… Read more »