Archive: Jul 2017



STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 25, 2017 • 3 min read

Duterte confronts protesters following blunt State of the Nation Address

By Will Feuer • Jul 25, 2017
The Philippine leader doubled down on his war on drugs, confronted US colonial influence and defended his handling of Communist peace talks, prompting outrage among thousands of protesters, who he then approached Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures to protesters in Quezon City, Philippines 24 July 2017. Duterte spoke to protesters after delivering his second State of the Nation Address (SONA). Photo: EPA/Mark R. Cristino

STORY OF THE DAY • Jul 25, 2017 • 3 min read

Malaysia's PM offers millions to farmers ahead of crucial election

By Madeleine Keck • Jul 25, 2017
The offer from the incumbent Najib Razak, embroiled by scandal in the halls of power, highlights the importance of winning the rural vote Malaysian prime minister and ruling United Malays National Organisation president, Najib Razak (C), with his cabinet ministers at the party's 71st anniversary at National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 11 May 2017. Photo: EPA/Ahmad Yusni

Jul 24, 2017 • 2 min read

Vietnam stops drilling in South China Sea after threats from Beijing

One week after China threatened to attack its bases in the Spratly islands, Hanoi has ordered a private oil company to stop drilling in the contested territory A Vietnamese naval soldier standing guard next to a Vietnamese flag on Thuyen Chai Island, one of the Spratly Islands, Vietnam 17 January 2013. Photo: EPA/STR
By Euan Black • Jul 24, 2017

Jul 21, 2017 • 7 min read
Thailand's richest woman

Iron butterfly

Thai Malls magnate Supaluck Umpujh talks about fighting gender discrimination and staying on top in a marketplace now bustling with online competition 
By Claire Knox • Jul 21, 2017

Jul 20, 2017 • 4 min read

Jokowi begins clampdown on critics in Indonesia, but will it backfire?

After his close ally lost the bitterly contested Jakarta election, president Joko Widodo is clearing the path for his re-election bid, starting by disbanding a prominent Islamic group Indonesia's President Joko Widodo waits for delegates at the Indian Ocean Rim Association summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, 07 March 2017. Photo: EPA/Mick Tsikas
By Euan Black • Jul 20, 2017

Jul 19, 2017 • 6 min read
Indonesia

Solving our plastic bag nightmare

The creator of Bali’s biodegradable cassava starch bags says they have had “enquiries from almost every country on earth”, but some question the viability of large-scale production
By Ana Salvá • Jul 19, 2017

Jul 19, 2017 • 3 min read

Duterte says martial law must be extended to ensure ‘public safety’

The Philippines leader has requested an extension to martial law on the island of Mindanao as the conflict with Islamic State-linked rebels nears its end Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during the turnover ceremony of pistols at the Malacanang Palace in Manila, Philippines, 18 July 2017. Duterte handed over 3,000 units of caliber .45 pistols to the military, stressing the need for soldiers to be equipped with more than service firearms during drugs operations. Photo: EPA/Mark R. Cristino
By Euan Black • Jul 19, 2017

Jul 18, 2017 • 7 min read
Whatever happened to

The tyrant Than Shwe?

Six years after handing over control of Myanmar, the former dictator’s corrosive spirit still haunts the nation's politics
By Sean Gleeson • Jul 18, 2017