Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on track for a landslide win in Japan's upcoming election, the latest survey suggested Monday, as a new party founded by Tokyo's popular governor loses momentum. Abe's conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is projected to win as many as 303 of the 465 seats up for grabs in the October 22 election, according to a poll by the Mainichi Shimbun. Its junior coalition partner Komeito is expected to gain more than 30 seats, allowing Abe's ruling camp to have a comfortable two-thirds majority in the powerful lower house, the poll suggested. A two-thirds majority in parliament would allow Abe, 63, to push through an amendment to Japan's pacifist constitution. The hawkish premier has called for changes to the US-imposed law so Japan can turn its self-defense forces into a full-fledged army. Support for Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's newly founded Party of Hope, which has transformed Japan's political landscape and swallowed up the main … [Read more...] about Abe on course for landslide win in Japan vote: poll
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Hillary Clinton blames election loss on sexism during UK book tour
Former U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton blamed her 2016 election loss to Donald Trump on sexism and the "double standards" women are held to in public life during a promotional tour for her new memoir in Britain on Sunday. Clinton said women were held to "maddening" double standards as compared to male counterparts as she encouraged her supporters to get organized to affect change in society. "The only way we'll get sexism out of politics is to get many more women into politics," she said to rapturous applause while promoting her book "What Happened". Women, she said, were more heavily judged and criticized due to sexism - from their physical appearance to their beliefs - and generally disliked in positions of power rather than in supporting roles, she told the Cheltenham Literature Festival. The book fair in southwest England, established in 1949, is thought to be the oldest literature festival in the world and showcases poetry, cookery books and … [Read more...] about Hillary Clinton blames election loss on sexism during UK book tour
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Vietnam to reassign top government inspector as part of large-scale leadership reshuffle
Vietnam’s legislative National Assembly is expected to remove the government's top inspector next week and reallocate him to a different role, the latest move in a series of major personnel reshuffle that have taken place in the country this year. Nguyen Hanh Phuc, the assembly's General Secretary, said at a meeting on Wednesday that Phan Van Sau will be relieved of his position as chief of the Government Inspectorate from October 20. Sau, 58, is answerable directly to the Politburo, the Communist Party's decision-making body. The decision almost certainly means the Politburo has already selected a new job for him, which is likely to be a provincial Party leader, as part of the Communist Party's personnel rotation policy. His successor is also likely to be a top provincial leader. Sau graduated from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, one of the best technology schools in Vietnam. He led several companies in his hometown of An … [Read more...] about Vietnam to reassign top government inspector as part of large-scale leadership reshuffle
China’s Xi looks set to keep right-hand man on despite age
Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to retain his right-hand man, the graft-buster Wang Qishan, in a senior position at a key Communist Party Congress this month even though he has reached retirement age, according to a majority of people with ties to the leadership interviewed by Reuters. The fate of the 69-year-old Wang, who keeps a low public profile but is often described as China's second most powerful politician, has been a source of intense speculation ahead of the Congress, which opens on Oct. 18. Twelve of the 16 people with ties to China's leadership, including former officials as well as relatives, aides and close friends of current and former senior officials, said Wang was likely to retain a leadership role. They said it was unclear what Wang's title would be and whether he would remain on the powerful seven-member Politburo Standing Committee. The other four said he would probably step down. Under one scenario, Wang would become one of two vice chairmen … [Read more...] about China’s Xi looks set to keep right-hand man on despite age
Cambodia’s Hun Sen renews criticism of United States amid escalating row
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday renewed his criticism of the United States, a week after a leading opposition figure fled the country over fears of a widening crackdown on government critics ahead of next year's election. Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years and shows no sign of wanting to relinquish power, has forced the closure of several English-language media and jailed government critics, including opposition leader Kem Sokha. Bombs recently discovered at nine sites in southeastern Svay Rieng province had been dropped by the United States during the Vietnam war, Hun Sen said in a speech to workers at garment factories that export most of their output to the U.S. "These bombs dropped on Cambodia belong to the United States," Hun Sen said in his latest comments in a growing row over his accusations that American agents conspired with Kem Sokha to overthrow the government. Hun Sen accused the United States of double standards, saying … [Read more...] about Cambodia’s Hun Sen renews criticism of United States amid escalating row
Gloves off as Japan election campaign starts
Tokyo's popular governor Yuriko Koike launched a bitter attack on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Tuesday as the gloves came off for the official start of a snap election campaign in the world's third-largest economy. Conservative premier Abe, 63, is facing an unexpected and fierce challenge from the media-savvy Koike, who has upended the sleepy world of Japanese politics with her upstart "Party of Hope." Addressing hundreds of commuters at a busy Tokyo station via loudspeaker, Koike called on supporters to "end the politics of Abe," lashing out at the long-serving premier over recent scandals that have weighed on his popularity. "The political status quo has continued while politics itself has lost the public's confidence," charged the former TV anchorwoman, 65. Abe cut a contrasting figure by kicking off his offensive in the bucolic farming country of Fukushima, signalling his commitment to rebuilding the region hard hit by the 2011 nuclear power plant meltdown. He pledged a major … [Read more...] about Gloves off as Japan election campaign starts
Thai junta sets firm date for election after many false starts
Thailand will hold a general election in November 2018, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday, the most precise date he has given yet for the vote since taking power in a 2014 military coup. Prayuth, head of the ruling junta, said the exact date would be announced in June 2018. The junta has announced election dates at least two times in the past, only to push them back later, citing concerns such as changes to the constitution and security issues. "Around June we will announce the date for the next election," Prayuth told reporters at Bangkok's Government House. "In November we will have an election." Former army chief Prayuth, who led the May 2014 coup widely criticized by Western nations, said it was necessary to end a decade of political turbulence and root out corruption. In April, King Maha Vajiralongkorn signed into law a military-backed constitution that kickstarts the process for an election the junta has promised will restore democracy. The new … [Read more...] about Thai junta sets firm date for election after many false starts
US, Turkey mutually suspend visa services in escalating row
The United States and Turkey on Sunday scaled back visa issuing services in each other's countries in a deepening diplomatic row sparked by the arrest of a Turkish staffer at the American mission in Istanbul. The American embassy in Ankara said that "recent events" forced the US government to reassess Turkey's "commitment" to the security of US mission services and personnel in the country. In order to minimise the number of visitors while the assessment is carried out, "effective immediately we have suspended all non-immigrant visa services at all US diplomatic facilities in Turkey," it said. Non-immigrant visas are issued to all those travelling to the United States for tourism, medical treatment, business, temporary work or study. Immigrant visa services are only for those seeking to live in the US permanently. Turkey responded by suspending "all visa services" for Americans in the US, saying the measures also apply to visas issued online and at the border. In an … [Read more...] about US, Turkey mutually suspend visa services in escalating row
Macron comment fuels ‘out of touch’ image
French President Emmanuel Macron came under fire Thursday after a remark directed against union activists fuelled accusations from opponents that he shows contempt for disgruntled workers. The pro-business president made the comment Wednesday while visiting the central town of Egletons, referring to trade unionists who clashed with police during a rally against layoffs at the region's GM&S auto parts plant. "Some, instead of stirring up shit, would be better off looking for work" at a foundry in Ussel, Macron said. The foundry, 140 kilometers (85 miles) from the auto plant, is struggling to find workers. Macron said Thursday that he was "standing by the substance" of his remarks -- which were made in conversation with a regional official -- and would have chosen his words differently in a more formal context. Government spokesman Christophe Castaner conceded to BFMTV the choice of language used was "surprising coming from the mouth of a president of the … [Read more...] about Macron comment fuels ‘out of touch’ image
Trump hails ‘very strong’ ties with Thailand
Donald Trump welcomed Thai junta leader chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha to the White House on Monday, trying to turn the page after coups rocked one of America's oldest alliances. Describing Prayut's visit as a "great honor," Trump offered a symbolic show of unity with the man behind a 2014 takeover that resulted in Washington cutting aid and cooling relations. "We've had a long and very storied history with Thailand," Trump said as the pair sat in the Oval Office. "We have a very strong relationship right now," he added. "And it's getting stronger in the last nine months." Relations between Bangkok and Washington date back more than 180 years. But Prayut -- who leads Thailand's most authoritarian government in a generation -- is the first Thai leader to visit the White House since 2005. Trump issued the White House invitation after taking office last January, in part because of growing concern over Thailand's closer military relations with China. U.S. military officials are … [Read more...] about Trump hails ‘very strong’ ties with Thailand
