July, 2016

• 18 July

  EU, Indonesia launch free trade talks

  

    AFP The EU’s 28 member states agreed on Monday to launch free trade talks with Indonesia, despite growing public doubts in Europe about two major transatlantic deals. The deal with Indonesia will build on pacts with other Asian powers such as Singapore and Vietnam. “The EU and Indonesia represent a huge market of 750 million consumers. These negotiations are ...

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• 18 July

  Malaysia’s US$30billion fund goes long as Islamic plan progresses

    Bloomberg Malaysia’s second-largest pension fund plans to buy more bonds with maturities of 10 years and above to hedge against another interest-rate cut as it moves further toward becoming a full-fledged Islamic entity. Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan), which manages about 120 billion ringgit (US$30 billion), is considering lowering its 5 percent minimum return target because of the uncertainty in ...

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• 18 July

  Reliance Jio’s plan launch triggers mobile data rate cut

    Bloomberg Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s plan to begin mobile services at Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd by August has caused incumbent operators led by Bharti Airtel Ltd to cut data tariffs to stem defections. Airtel will offer prepaid customers as much as 67 percent more data for the same fees, according to a statement from India’s largest mobile company Sunday. Idea, ...

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• 18 July

  Temasek to weigh Buyout of Singapore rail operator SMRT

  

    Bloomberg Singapore state investment company Temasek Holdings Pte is considering a buyout offer for SMRT Corp, the city-state’s biggest subway operator, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Temasek is weighing an offer to buy all the shares it doesn’t already own in SMRT, according to the person, who asked not to be identified as the information is ...

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• 18 July

  Amid Western alarm, Turkey sacks 9,000 officials in post-coup purge

  

    Istanbul / AFP Turkey launched fresh raids and sacked almost 9,000 officials on Monday in a relentless crackdown against suspects behind an attempted coup that left over 300 people dead, as Western allies warned against reinstating the death penalty. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to wipe out the “virus” of the putschists after facing down the coup bid ...

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• 18 July

  Beijing to hold South China Sea war games after tribunal ruling

  

    Beijing / AFP Beijing will close off access to part of the South China Sea for military drills, officials said on Monday, after an international tribunal ruled against its sweeping claims in the waters. An area off the east coast of China’s island province of Hainan will host military exercises from Tuesday to Thursday, China’s maritime administration said on ...

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• 18 July

  Clashes erupt as Israel destroys Palestinian home over cop’s killing

  

    Nablus / AFP Clashes erupted on Monday as Israel’s military demolished the home of a Palestinian accused of involvement in a February attack outside Jerusalem’s Old City that killed a policewoman, officials said. The family home of Bilal Abu Zeid in Qabatiya, in the north of the occupied West Bank, was destroyed by a bulldozer around 2:00 am (2300 ...

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• 18 July

  Philippines’ Duterte: Not afraid of human rights

    Manila/ AFP Human rights are not a concern in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, he said, as he vowed to ignore due process and compared himself to Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. Duterte’s threat came as the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) joined the chorus of groups criticising Duterte’s advocacy of killing. In the latest of a series ...

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• 18 July

  Myanmar fighting undermines peace talks: Rebels

  

    Yangon / AFP Continuing fighting is undermining Aung San Suu Kyi’s drive for lasting peace in Myanmar, rebel leaders warned Monday as they cautiously welcomed her new civilian-led government’s landmark talks. Suu Kyi has made peace a flagship policy of her new government, which took over in March after decades of brutal junta rule. She has strived to reach ...

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• 18 July

  4 killed in armed attacks on Kazak police station

    Almaty / AFP Three police officers and one civilian were killed on Monday following armed attacks on a police station and a security service office in Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty, the interior ministry said. Parts of the city were in lockdown following the incident with one suspect in custody and a manhunt underway for an accomplice still at large, ...

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