Philippine ministry asks Duterte to clarify military’s role in drug war
MANILA – The Philippine defence ministry has asked President Rodrigo Duterte to issue an order for the military to play a role in his war on drugs, including granting troops…
New Zealand PM calls national election for Sept 23
WELLINGTON – New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English has called an election for September 23 after taking over as premier in December following the unexpected resignation of his predecessor, John…
Trump picks conservative judge Gorsuch for US Supreme Court
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has nominated Neil Gorsuch for a lifetime job on the US Supreme Court, picking the 49-year-old federal appeals court judge to restore the court’s conservative majority…
100 drug addicts escape rehab centre in southern Vietnam
A hundred drug addicts have reportedly escaped a compulsory rehab centre in the southern Vietnamese province of Long An. The break out on Sunday afternoon is the latest in a number of breakouts…
New York City police to wear body cameras under labor settlement
NEW YORK – New York City and its largest police union settled on a tentative five-year labor contract on Tuesday that includes salary increases while also agreeing that all patrol…
US to apply ‘extreme vetting’ in refugee swap deal with Australia
SYDNEY – The United States will apply “extreme vetting” to up to 1,250 asylum seekers it has agreed to resettle as part of an agreement with Australia, a spokesman for…
Toyota’s closure of Altona plant leads to thousands of job losses
MELBOURNE – Car manufacturer Toyota has officially announced that it will close its Altona plant in Melbourne’s west in October, with the loss of more than 2,500 jobs. Following 53…
Fired: Trump dumps top lawyer who defied immigration order
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump has fired top federal government lawyer Sally Yates after she took the extraordinarily rare step of defying the White House and refused to defend new…
May’s Brexit plan likely to survive parliamentary assault
LONDON – Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan to leave the European Union is expected to survive weeks of intense parliamentary scrutiny, despite pro-EU lawmakers’ attempts to force the government to…
Germany sends tanks to Lithuania for NATO mission
Germany has begun sending tanks and other equipment to Lithuania as part of a NATO mission to beef up the defence of eastern Europe and send a signal of resolve…
