DOF chief: Mighty lawyers blocking efforts to find out tax deficiencies

FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III has accused the lawyers of cigarette manufacturing firm, Mighty Corporation, of "obstructing" government efforts to look into company's business activities. President Rodrigo Duterte has earlier ordered the Department of Finance and the Bureaus of Internal Revenue and Customs to determine the correct amount that Mighty should pay in deficiency taxes after it allegedly used fake stamps.

Hong Kong doll maker toys with Trump

In this photograph taken on February 3, 2017, a prototype figurine replica of US President Donald Trump, made by toymaker Dragon in Dream , is seen in Hong Kong toy shop Seven. AFP / Anthony WALLACE Hong Kong: A Hong Kong doll maker with a history of creating figurines of controversial world leaders has launched a replica of US President Donald Trump complete with replaceable heads and hands.

Cambodia says China not behind scrapped US military drill

Cambodia has cancelled upcoming military exercises with the United States, the defence ministry said Tuesday, denying the decision was made to appease regional ally China, with which it conducted joint drills last month. American and Cambodian troops had been due to take part in the annual "Angkor Sentinel" joint exercise this summer, which has been held for the past seven years.

‘I’m glad we’re both alive’: John Kerry’s emotional stop in Vietnam on final trip

Ca Mau, Vietnam: It could have been 1969 again as US Secretary of State John Kerry stood on the bow of the small boat chugging up the Bay Hap River on Saturday, the wind billowing his sleeves and his eyes darting left and right toward banks shrouded in dark foliage. As a young Navy lieutenant, Kerry commanded a Swift boat along this stretch of churning brown waters in the middle of a free-fire zone.

Kerry defends trade pact on last trip abroad as top US diplomat

Secretary of State John Kerry, making his last trip as the top U.S. diplomat, on Friday defended the 12-nation trade pact that the incoming administration said it would scrap and urged countries to refrain from provocative acts in the South China Sea. "I can't predict what the new administration is absolutely going to do with the trade, but I can absolutely tell you that the fundamental reasons for the TPP haven't changed," Kerry told students of University of Technology and Education in southern Ho Chi Minh City, referring to the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement.

How do other countries elect presidents without an electoral college?

Now that the long, ridiculous campaign for "Hamilton Electors" to flip the presidential election has ended, so has the debate about why the Electoral College exists. For our collective sanity, this is a good thing - rarely are debates less edifying and more circular than this one.

Exclusive – Japan seeks to win Thai air defense radar contract: sources

FILE PHOTO: A F-16 fighter jet from the Thai Royal Air Force performs during a media demonstration at the Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand, November 24, 2015. Japan is seeking to win a contract to supply Thailand with an air defense radar system built by Mitsubishi Electric Corp, as it looks to counter growing Chinese influence in the Southeast Asian nation, according to four Japanese government officials and one industry source.

Philippines cancels visit by U.N. rapporteur on extrajudicial killings

The Philippines has canceled a trip next year by the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings to look into the rising death toll in its war on drugs, the country's foreign minister said on Wednesday. Perfecto Yasay said the United Nations could not pursue its investigation because special rapporteur Agnes Callamard had declined to accept the conditions set by the government of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Indonesia says 2 militants arrested in Myanmar Embassy plot

Indonesia's anti-terror squad has arrested two militants who were planning to attack prominent places in the country's capital, including the Myanmar Embassy, police said Sunday. An interrogation of suspected bomb maker Rio Priatna Wibawa, who was arrested this past week, led authorities to the men, said national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar.

Sad, shocking and most embarrassing that there is not a word to…

Sad, shocking and most embarrassing that there is not a word to refute Malaysia's infamy as a global kleptocracy as a result of 1MDB global financial scandal in 2017 Budget The very fact that the question "Was it a budget speech, or a three-ring circus ringmaster's pitch?" was asked testifies to the fact that Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's 2017 Budget speech in Parliament yesterday was the most weird, unorthodox and even unbudgetary speech in the nation's 59-year history - including Najib's previous seven budgetary speeches from 2009 to 2015.

Myanmar blames Islamist group for attacks in Rakhine state

Myanmar's government yesterday said that a group inspired by Islamist militants was behind attacks on police border posts in its ethnically riven northwest, as officials said they feared a new insurgency by members of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The sudden escalation of violence in Rakhine state poses a serious challenge to the six-month-old government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, who was swept to power in an election last year but has faced criticism abroad for failing to tackle rights abuses against the Rohingya and other Muslims.

The Latest: China praises Thai king’s friendship

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Bhumibol worked to strengthen ties between China and Thailand and "made an irreplaceable contribution to cementing the two people's friendship and expanding bilateral cooperation." "China deeply mourns King Bhumibol's passing and expresses sincere condolences to the Thai people and government," the ministry said.

Duterte to visit China amid strained Philippine ties with US

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte will visit China next week, China's foreign ministry said on Wednesday, as the Southeast Asian leader's relationship with its traditional ally the United States frays. President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a meeting with banana production businessmen in Davao city, in southern Philippines, October 7, 2016.

Duterte rated ‘very good’ in first 90 days: Philippines poll

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has been rated "very good" in an opinion poll on his first 90 days in office, which has been defined largely by his deadly war on drugs and vitriol against Western leaders. Only 11 percent of 1,200 Filipinos surveyed by the Social Weather Stations agency said they were dissatisfied with his performance.

Duterte: After tough talk, damage control prevails

The new Philippine president uses an expletive to warn key ally Barack Obama not to lecture him on human rights and, in another impromptu speech, declares a dramatic policy change in policy such as removing U.S. counterterrorism forces out of his country's volatile south. His key officials walk back the remarks and say everything is normal.

Isolated workers catch fish for U.S.

Hawaii's high-quality seafood is sold with the promise that it's caught by local, hardworking fishermen. But the people who haul in the prized catch are almost all foreign workers, confined to American boats for years at a time without basic rights or protections.