Tallinn / AFP Estonia’s Prime Minister Taavi Roivas on Tuesday refused to step down a day after his three-party coalition collapsed, opting instead to face a confidence vote in parliament, reports said. The small Baltic eurozone and NATO member that is due to assume the EU’s rotating presidency in the second half of 2017 plunged into political chaos on …

  Seoul / AFP South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Tuesday agreed to dump her nominee for prime minister and cede control of some state affairs in a major climbdown forced by a corruption scandal battering her administration. The same scandal saw prosecutors carry out a morning swoop on the offices of South Korea’s largest conglomerate Samsung Electronics, looking for incriminating …

  Colombo / AFP Sri Lanka slammed China’s ambassador on Tuesday for criticising Colombo’s attitude to aid in the local media, as the island nation distances itself from its once-close ally and economic lifeline. Colombo took exception to ambassador Yi Xianliang’s comments at a press conference last week, where he said his host nation should stop criticising “expensive” loans granted …