Jamaat-ud-Dawah leader found murdered in Pakistan

India Today - Saturday 18th May, 2013

A Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) leader has been found murdered near eastern Pakistani city of Sheikhupura, the group said on Saturday.The body of Khalid Bashir, who was associated with JuD's information wing, was found in Sheikhupura, 40 km from Lahore, on Friday. He was in his forties.JuD spokesman Yahya Mujahid claimed unidentified men kidnapped Bashir while he was on his way to the groups office ...

Imran Khans Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf set to form coalition government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province

India Today - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) is set to form a coalition government in the militancy-hit Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province with the support of the Jamaat-e-Islami and Qaumi Watan Party. After a spell of infighting within Khan's party, the coalition partners have agreed on Pervez Khattak as the candidate for the post of Chief Minister. The candidature of Khattak, the secretary ...

Pakistan judge appeals for online submissions

Times of India - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Sarabjit Singh has appealed to Indian nationals having information about the matter to file written submissions with relevant documents within seven days. ...

Trade mission eyes up Indonesia opportunities

New Zealand Herald - Saturday 18th May, 2013

A 52-strong trade mission is flying to Indonesia this weekend for two weeks of intensive briefings and meetings. It is being led by Maurice Williamson and Sir Ken Stevens, who's chairman of Export New Zealand. Representatives of the food and beverage, education, geothermal and banking sectors are going, along with a large group from the aviation industry. Sir Ken says there's huge potential for ...

Garuda to open new route from Bandung to Denpasar

The Jakarta Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Garuda to open new route from Bandung to Denpasar National flight carrier Garuda Indonesia has introduced its new domestic route from Bandung to Denpasar, which will start on Saturday. The new flight will be available on a daily basis and served by Boeing 737-800 with 156 passengers' capacity. "The flight will depart from Bandung at 12.25 p.m. and arrive in Denpasar at 15.05 ...

New mayor told to focus on environment

The Jakarta Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Paper Edition | Page: 9 Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo swore in Fatahillah as the new mayor of West Jakarta and instructed him to fully support the three main programs of expediting the city's revitalization work, repairing damaged public infrastructure and focusing on solving the problem of trash-filled rivers.Fatahillah, former Central Jakarta deputy mayor, was ...

Jokowi again talks of a new Jakarta

The Jakarta Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Paper Edition | Page: 9 Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo says he does not want to let horrendous traffic and a host of other urban woes blot out the good things about living in the capital.While Jokowi might have accepted such talk about Jakarta when he was mayor of the sleepy city of Surakarta, Central Java, the onslaught of bad publicity about Jakarta has apparently ticked him off ...

Retailers hesitant about pay for plastic campaign

The Jakarta Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Paper Edition | Page: 9 Retailers have expressed their reluctance over requiring customers to pay for plastic bags, which are usually provided for free, to support the Pay for Plastic campaign of the upcoming Jakarta Great Sale (JGS) festival.Spokesperson for PT Metropolitan Retail Mart, the company behind Metro Department Store, Mary Victoria Tarore, said on Friday that Metro would take care ...

Governor and human rights body meet on Pluit at long last

The Jakarta Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (center) planked by Chairwoman of the National Commission of Human Rights (Komnas HAM) Siti Noor Laila (right) and monitoring and investigation commissioner Siane Indriani brief the media on their meeting. Jokowi made a visit to the human rights body's office on Friday to explain the eviction of residents in connection with the ongoing Pluit dam ...

RI US reaffirm commitment to build stronger partnership

The Jakarta Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Paper Edition | Page: 12 Indonesia and the United States reconfirmed their commitment to further boost relations and expand their scope through the optimization of a joint commission, as the US underscored Indonesia's critical role in the balance of interests in the region.During a bilateral meeting in Washington, DC on Thursday with Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, the US Secretary of ...

Finland honors 2 Indonesians with medals

The Jakarta Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Paper Edition | Page: 11 People who do menial jobs are rarely recognized for the services they provide. But the Finnish government acknowledges the services of all kinds of people, including foreigners, who work for it. Finnish Ambassador to Indonesia Kai Sauer honored on Friday two Indonesians with first class medals for their meritorious service to the Finnish government."Our government ...

Hopes fade for those still trapped in Freeport Indonesia mine

The Straits Times - Saturday 18th May, 2013

This handout photograph received from Freeport Indonesia shows rescue personnel at the collapse section of a tunnel as they continue rescue operations for trapped mine workers in the tunnel of Big Gossan area at the Grasberg complex on May 17, 2013. Five workers were killed as search teams battled to reach 23 others still trapped in the US-owned mine Freeport-McMoRan, one of the world's ...

Myanmar S Korean firms sign MoU on economic cooperation

Global Times - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Myanmar and South Korean companies will cooperate in manufacturing cosmetics and LED bulbs in the Southeast Asian country, official media reported Saturday.According to a memorandum of understanding signed here Friday, the Long Luck Group of Companies of Myanmar and HANBAEK ITC Co., Ltd. of South Korea will also join hands to offer beauty courses and wedding services and launch a waste to energy ...

British woman may face death in Indonesia for drugs

West Australian - Saturday 18th May, 2013

JAKARTA (AFP) - A British woman could face the death penalty in Indonesia after being arrested for allegedly smuggling crystal methamphetamine into the country from China, an official said on Saturday.The woman, identified only by her initials AR, was arrested at a hotel in the city of Surabaya, East Java province, last month with 1.47 kilograms (three pounds, four ounces) of the drug, the ...

Philippines rejects Taiwan murder claims

West Australian - Saturday 18th May, 2013

MANILA (AFP) - The Philippines on Saturday rejected Taiwan's allegations that its coastguards had intentionally murdered a Taiwanese fisherman whose death has triggered a major diplomatic spat.The 65-year-old fisherman was shot dead by Philippine coastguards who said his vessel intruded into Philippine waters.Chen Wen-chi, head of the Taiwan team investigating the May 9 incident, said most ...

Myanmar youths speak out on democratic transition

The Jakarta Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Paper Edition | Page: 10 For Thinzar Yi, a member of Myanmar's Youth Forum (MYF), a visit to Jakarta was an apprehensive affair.News on the Internet about demonstrations in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta concerned her."I saw pictures of demonstrators in front of the Myanmar Embassy holding signs saying 'we want jihad' and honestly I was concerned for my ...

French President Signs Same-Sex Marriage Into Law

NPR - Saturday 18th May, 2013

the BBC reports , after the Senate and National Assembly approved the bill, it "was quickly challenged on constitutional grounds by the main right-wing opposition UMP party of former president Nicolas Sarkozy." Friday, a ruling by the Constitutional Council cleared the way for the president's signature. The council found the bill in accordance with constitution, ...

The Elders slam Sri Lanka for lacking reconciliation

Sify - Saturday 18th May, 2013

'The Elders', a council of retired global leaders led by Desmond Tutu has slammed Sri Lanka, based on its report, for lacking post-war reconciliation. They also expressed their disappointment over its slow pace of improvement in allowing "proper media reporting". "The ongoing persecution and disappearances of human rights activists, journalists and government opponents ...

Philippines man killed by store security for alleged theft of sandals

wsws.org - Saturday 18th May, 2013

On April 12, 23-year-old Mario Ducayag was killed by store security guards in the Philippines city of Cebu, after being accused of stealing a pair of sandals that cost less than a thousand pesos ($US25). A secondary school graduate, Ducayag was unemployed and had two children, one of them three years old, to support. Like millions of Filipinos confronting the bleak choice of long-term ...

AFP cuts in Jakarta silly opposition

SBS - Saturday 18th May, 2013

The coalition says the federal government's decision to cut two people-smuggling related federal police positions in Jakarta is ...

Azerbaijani ambassador presents credentials to Vietnamese President

News.Az - Saturday 18th May, 2013

Azerbaijani ambassador to Vietnam Anar Imanov has presented his credentials to President of this country Truong Tan Sang. The ambassador conveyed greetings of President Ilham Aliyev to Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang. The Vietnamese President, in turn, asked the diplomat to convey his greetings and best wishes to President Ilham ...

Mary Buffett Reflections of a Modern Thailand

Huffington Post - Saturday 18th May, 2013

When I was growing up, my parents encouraged me to travel globally because so much history happens outside of our borders. The great conflicts of the past century occurred not in Kansas or Illinois, but in faraway places like Europe and the Pacific. While it's wonderful to get lost in those great European cities, it is even more exciting to see the new green shoots of opportunity emerge in ...