Thailand seizes 4 tonnes of ivory in record bust

More than 700 tusks confiscated days before amnesty for ivory owners to register goods comes into effect.

21 Apr 2015

Poachers have killed tens of thousands of African elephants for their tusks in recent years to meet demand in Asia [AP]

Thailand says it has seized four tonnes of ivory hidden in bean sacks tracked from the Democratic Republic of Congo in what authorities called the biggest bust in the country's history.

Jakarta warned of ‘consequences’ if Frenchman executed

·         © AFP | Serge Atlaoui at his appeal hearing at Indonesia's Supreme Court in March 2015

France’s ambassador to Jakarta warned Indonesia Friday that there would be “consequences” if a Frenchman on death row for drug charges is executed.

"If the execution is carried out, it will not be without consequence for our bilateral relationship," ambassador Corinne Breuze told reporters, adding that France, which abolished the death penalty in 1981, was opposed to capital punishment in all circumstances.

Five Australian teenagers were arrested Saturday on suspicion of plotting an Islamic State group-inspired terrorist attack at a Veterans’ Day ceremony that included targeting police officers, officials said.

The suspects included two 18-year-olds who are alleged to have been preparing an attack at the ANZAC Day ceremony in Melbourne, Australian Federal Police Acting Deputy Commissioner Neil Gaughan told reporters.

Another 18-year-old was arrested on weapons charges and two other men, aged 18 and 19, were in custody and assisting police. All the arrests took place in Melbourne.

ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and commemorates the World War I battle in Turkey on April 25.

China and Vietnam look to bolster ties amid sea dispute (Al Jazeera & Reuters)

China, Vietnam look to bolster ties amid sea dispute

Chinese state agency issued what it called a joint statement pushing for a ‘peaceful’ resolution of the maritime row

April 8, 2015 9:00AM ET

China and Vietnam pledged to bolster diplomatic ties in a meeting this week between the two nations’ heads of state. The latest exchange, publicized in their countries' state media, is a vast departure from the past few years of heated rhetoric over the South China Sea.

China claims more than 90 percent of the South China Sea, displaying its reach on official maps with a so-called nine-dash line that stretches deep into the maritime heart of Southeast Asia — much to the chagrin the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The Interview: Activist' sends DVDs into North Korea by balloon (BBC)

The Interview: Activist 'sends DVDs into N Korea by balloon'

Lee Min-bok said he hadn't found The Interview particularly funny but wanted to "tell the truth" to North Koreans

A South Korean activist says he has flown thousands of copies of controversial Sony film The Interview over the North Korean border.

China's ex-security chief charged with bribery, abuse of power (France24 & Reuters)

China's ex-security chief charged with bribery, abuse of power

 
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Latest update : 2015-04-03

Chinese prosecutors charged former domestic security chief Zhou Yongkang with bribery, abuse of power and intentional disclosure of state secrets on Friday, paving the way for a trial that could expose the inner workings of the Communist Party.

Zhou, 72, is the most senior Chinese official to be ensnared in a graft scandal since the party swept to power in 1949. The decision to prosecute Zhou underscores President Xi Jinping’s commitment to fighting graft at the highest levels.

The indictment accused Zhou of “taking advantage of his position to seek benefits for others”, “illegally accepting other people’s huge assets”, “abuse of power” and “causing heavy losses to public property, the state and the people”, China’s top prosecutor, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, said in a statement on its website.