Philippines – The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has announced that it will strengthen rules regarding the use of electric bicycles and scooters. We will do this because of the increasing number of motorbike accidents. Victor Núñez, MMDA’s Department of Traffic Discipline, said authorities were tolerant of enforcing regulations on the use of electronic bicycles due to the lack of …

NORTH KOREA: According to a US-based think group, North Korea looks to be expanding work at its nuclear test site to include a second tunnel, as South Korean and US authorities fear North Korea could perform a nuclear test at any time. According to commercial satellite photos, preparation work at the Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Facility’s Tunnel No. 3 was seemingly …

SHANGHAI: China launched its third and most sophisticated aircraft carrier on Friday from Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard, using a new launch technology that experts say is quickly catching up to the US.  The ship, dubbed “Fujian,” is China’s first domestically designed and built catapult aircraft carrier, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies …

Malaysia – During the 2022 Indonesian Open, the winner of the men’s singles event at the national level, Lee Zii Jia, exhibited an energizing performance to earn a victory against Sameer Verma of India and proceed to the quarterfinals of the tournament. At the Istora Senayan Stadium in this city, the fifth and sixth seeds in the world defeated Sameer’s challenge …

ASEAN – Liliyana Natsir, a former great in mixed doubles who hails from Indonesia, was recently admitted into the Hall of Fame of the Badminton World Federation (BWF). On Saturday, the governing body of badminton in the world announced that the former Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion would be formally recognized at a ceremony that will take place …

Malaysia – The national chairman of the DAP has said that the party would not accept any proposal to collaborate with parties or people whose betrayal of Pakatan Harapan (PH) resulted to the coalition’s loss of power in 2020. Lim Guan Eng made this statement. Lim stated to the online news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) that the party would …

Thailand – Thai legislators passed four separate laws on same-sex partnerships in their first reading  on Wednesday, one step closer to becoming the second territory in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. Thailand has the most open and visible lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities in Asia, contributing to the image of tolerance and charm as a generous vacation destination …

ASEAN – Singapore hosts Shangri-La Dialog, an annual rally of senior defense officers across Asia and beyond.  This dialogue, the largest  gathering of senior military officials in Asia, is not actually hosted by the Government of Singapore. Rather, the event is hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, an independent think tank. However, the Government of Singapore is helping …

Beijing – On Wednesday, June 15, President Xi Jinping assured Vladimir Putin of China’s support for Russian “sovereignty and security.” This prompted Washington to warn Beijing that they risked ending up “on the wrong side of history.” China has declined to denounce Russia’s unprecedented military assault on Ukraine and has been accused of providing diplomatic cover for Moscow by criticizing …

Indonesia – Indonesia may be facing another legal crisis as the  controversial draft criminal law is imminent (a complete review of the current criminal law). Deputy Minister of Justice and Human Rights Edward Omar Sharif Heariezi said the  law  should be passed by July this year at the latest, but the date has not been released. A draft of the …