Thursday Briefing: Evan Gershkovich’s Trial
Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter and a U.S. citizen, has already endured 15 months in a notorious Moscow prison. Yesterday, his trial finally began.
Reports asian news
China has cut off some Vietnamese durian imports. Is a ‘gold rush’ tarnishing quality?
The General Administration of Customs told officials in Vietnam in a June 11 letter that it would stop shipments from 18 durian plantations and 15 packers over excessive amounts of “heavy metals” in the fruits.
Thai banks are the top suppliers of financial services to Myanmar’s military, UN expert says
BANGKOK (AP) — Thai banks have become the main supplier of international financial services for Myanmar’s military government, enabling its purchases of goods and equipment used to carry out its increasingly bloody war against pro-democracy resistance forces and armed ethnic minority groups, a U.N. expert said in a report issued Wednesday.
Will Dutertes’ Philippine Senate ambitions threaten Marcos Jnr or is it just a media stunt?
Analysts say the announcement should be treated cautiously since it could be part of a strategy meant to gauge the Duterte clan’s political strength as they prepare to challenge President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his family’s dynasty.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returns to Australia a free man after US legal battle ends
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his homeland Australia aboard a charter jet on Wednesday, hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga.
Saipan, placid island setting for Assange’s last battle, is briefly mobbed — and bemused by the fuss
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands (AP) — It was a peculiar setting to the final act in a legal drama that has now spanned the globe: a rural Western Pacific island, where visitors are usually tourists — attracted by laid-back resorts, snorkeling, diving and golf — and the furthermost reach of the United States.
Malaysians angry over 'cheap-looking' Olympic kit, sport chiefs say public to design next attire
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Olympic chiefs will ask fans to help design the country’s next Olympic kit, after the national attire for the Paris Games received flak online.
‘Close window shades’: Plane passengers ordered to do so by China’s anti-spy agency at military-civilian airports
SINGAPORE: China’s anti-spy agency has urged plane passengers to keep window shades down during take-off or landing at military-civilian airports, warning of potential national security risks if this is not followed.