North Korean defector artist relishes freedom in time of tensions
SEOUL -- These days, artist Oh Sung-cheol is thinking about what kind of message he wishes he could convey to people in North Korea, the country of his birth.
Freedom asian news
South Africa's Ramaphosa re-elected as ANC strikes coalition deal
The African National Congress and its largest rival, the white-led, pro-business Democratic Alliance, agreed on Friday to work together in South Africa's new government of national unity, a step change after 30 years of ANC rule.
Will Japanese women be able to keep their maiden names after marriage? Major lobby demands change
TOKYO (AP) — A powerful Japanese business lobby is calling on the government to allow married couples to keep dual surnames, saying the lack of freedom to do so hinders women’s advancement and has even become a business risk.
A British judge who resigned from Hong Kong’s top court says the rule of law is in ‘grave danger’
LONDON (AP) — A British judge who resigned from Hong Kong’s top court last week said he stepped down because the rule of law in the city is in “grave danger” and judges operate in an “impossible political environment created by China.”
At least 9 dead after suspected militants in Kashmir fire at Hindu pilgrims, sending bus into gorge
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Suspected militants in Indian-controlled Kashmir’s Jammu province fired at a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims on Sunday and at least nine were killed after the vehicle fell into a deep gorge, officials said.
Norway wealth fund to vote against Musk's $56 billion Tesla pay package
Norway's $1.7 trillion sovereign wealth fund said on Saturday it will vote against ratifying Tesla CEO Elon Musk's $56 billion pay package, which is up for a shareholder vote next week, after a Delaware judge invalidated it earlier this year.
Freedom of expression groups urge Vietnam to free critical journalist reportedly detained last week
BANGKOK (AP) — Three well-known freedom-of-expression organizations have appealed to the Vietnamese authorities to release veteran journalist and historian Truong Huy San, a well-known government critic who reportedly was detained last week in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi.
What the Dutch right-wing election surge tells us as Europe heads to the polls
Sweeping gains for Dutch nationalist Geert Wilders' anti-immigration party on Thursday are expected to foretell a wider shift to the right in this week's European elections.