THAILAND: Thailand’s lawmakers passed four pieces of legislation on same-sex unions in first reading on Wednesday, June 15, putting the country one step closer to becoming Asia’s second country to legalize same-gender weddings. However, campaigners claim that Thai laws and institutions have yet to reflect shifting social attitudes and that LGBT people and same-sex couples continue to face discrimination. Each …

INDONESIA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced a cabinet overhaul on Wednesday, June 15, in response to outrage over a series of policy shifts on palm oil exports. During an official ceremony at the presidential palace, the president named Zukifli Hasan, the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and a former forestry minister, as the country’s new commerce minister. The …

THAILAND: Beginning July 1, the ‘Thailand Pass’ system, which requires foreign travelers to obtain permission from Thai officials in advance, will be phased down, removing one of the country’s last remaining travel restrictions. Thailand said on Friday, June 17 that it would end its much-criticized pre-registration process for international tourists and that face masks would no longer be required in …

BRAZIL: Dom Phillips, a freelance journalist who had worked for the Guardian and the Washington Post, and indigenous specialist Bruno Pereira were conducting research for a book when they vanished in the isolated Javari Valley. A forensic examination of human remains discovered in the Amazon rainforest on Friday, June 17, revealed that they belonged to British journalist Dom Phillips, according …

Indonesia – Indonesia has sought aid from G20 member nations to set up a worldwide investment organization to address destiny pandemics, Indonesian spokesperson on the G20, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, has stated.   “Indonesia is pushing for a worldwide settlement to construct fitness resilience thru the established order of a Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) as an attempt to mobilize investment reassets and …

Philippines – The driver who ran over a protection shield directing site visitors close to a mall in Mandaluyong City did not show up on the initial listening to of the homicide grievance filed in opposition to him earlier than the prosecutor`s workplace. Jose Antonio Sanvicente, who fled and went into hiding after the incident, turned into represented with the …

Thailand – A Thai guy who lately fled to Thailand from Taiwan after allegedly murdering  commercial enterprise companions will stand trial withinside the Southeast Asian us of a after turning himself into neighborhood police, a Thai professional stated Friday. Thailand has jurisdiction withinside the case concerning the suspect, who became himself in to police withinside the northern province of Chiang …

CAMBODIA: In a major trial denounced by the United States and rights groups as politically motivated, a Cambodian court sentenced roughly 60 opposition activists to prison on, including famed lawyer Theary Seng, for planning to commit treason. More than 100 members of the defunct Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) were charged with treason and incitement, including Theary Seng, a Cambodian-American …

JAPAN: Following the suicide of a reality show star who had experienced social media bullying, Japan’s parliament passed legislation making “online insults” punishable by imprisonment on Monday. Offenders convicted of internet insults face up to a year in prison or a fine of 300,000 yen (about $2,200) under a modification to the country’s penal code slated to take effect later …

PHILIPPINES: The board of the Philippines’ largest casino has announced that it is suing Kazuo Okada, a Japanese businessman, and his accomplices for coercion and other wrongdoings in the casino’s “violent and unlawful” takeover. Okada’s camp has taken physical possession of the Okada Manila casino since May 31 with the help of private security guards and local police. The decision …