Oscar-winning Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh was among 19 people who were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom here on Friday for their “exemplary contributions” to the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors. U.S. President Joe Biden, presented Yeoh, 61, and her 18 fellow honorees with the medal – the nation’s highest civilian honor – during a ceremony at the White House in the late afternoon. “Over four decades and on and off the screen, [Michelle] Yeoh … has shattered stereotypes and glass ceilings to enrich, enhance American culture,” th ..read more

The U.S. State Department has opened the public review process for proposed changes to export controls that would allow defense contractors in Australia and the United Kingdom to import American military technology without needing to obtain licenses. Australia and the United Kingdom would join Canada as the only countries with exemptions from licensing requirements under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, or ITAR, which is meant to stop U.S. defense technology falling into the wrong hands. Public comment on the proposed exemptions – central to “Pillar 2“ of the AUKUS security pact ..read more

Geopolitical tensions in Southeast Asia have added a new dimension to threats to media freedom in the Philippines including foreign-based “malign influence operations” targeting local journalists, a press watchdog group said Friday. The Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), which was founded in 1974 during the dark days of martial law, paid tribute on World Press Freedom Day to journalists across the globe who were carrying on with their jobs despite increased threats to their lives. At home, FOCAP said that Philippine media workers “remain vulnerable to harassment and ..read more

Fiji’s ranking in a global press freedom index has jumped into the top tier of countries with free or mostly free media after its government last year repealed a draconian law that threatened journalists with prison for doing their jobs.  Fiji’s improvement in the annual Reporters Without Borders index was in contrast to the global trend for erosion of media independence – manifested in the Pacific by Papua New Guinea’s evolving plans for a media law and its prime minister’s threat to retaliate against journalists.   The advocacy group, also known as Reporters sans frontières or ..read more

About one-fifth of Bangladesh’s ready-made garment factories do not meet fire, electrical and structural safety standards 11 years after the collapse of Rana Plaza that left more than 1,100 garment workers dead, according to an industry monitoring body. The collapse of the factory complex was the deadliest disaster ever for Bangladesh’s garment sector, a tragedy that put the spotlight on poor conditions for workers churning out cheap clothing for Western brands and retailers. More than a decade later, many factories are safer thanks to initiatives sponsored by international apparel labels and ..read more

As rival parties align with President-elect Prabowo Subianto, it appears Indonesia will have a stable government when he takes office in October, but analysts warn that the lack of a viable parliamentary opposition may harm this young democracy. Two major parties, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and NasDem Party, backed Prabowo’s rivals in the Feb. 14 election, but both have now endorsed him. If they join his coalition, the president-elect will command a 71% majority in the House of Representatives (DPR). Idil Akbar, a political analyst at Padjadjaran University in Bandung, believes there c ..read more

An Indonesian official on Thursday dismissed as “excessive” an American government commission’s recommendation that the Biden administration put the Southeast Asian nation on a special watchlist for allegedly engaging in or overlooking severe violations of religious freedom. Rumadi Ahmad, a staff expert at the office of the presidential staff, said Indonesia had made regulatory improvements and resolved religious conflicts. He spoke to BenarNews in response to the Wednesday release of an annual report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which alleged th ..read more

The Philippines on Thursday demanded that China pull out immediately from a disputed South China Sea shoal, after the Chinese coast guard fired water cannon at Manila’s vessels near the area this week.  The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said it summoned Zhou Zhiyong, the deputy chief of mission at the Chinese embassy in Manila, over the April 30 incident near Scarborough Shoal that damaged two vessels from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). During Thursday’s meeting, the Philippines “demanded that Chinese vessels leave Baj ..read more

Basco, the capital of the island-chain province of Batanes, is a small town of narrow alleys, green hills and, in spring, bright pink blossoms of bougainvillea. Surrounded by the broad waters where the Pacific Ocean blends into the South China Sea, things tend to move slowly here.  “Batanes is a small place,” says Mayor German Caccam. “It is like living in a paradise, and we do not like being disturbed by conflicts.”  But islanders increasingly fear a conflict could be coming.  SEE RELATED STORIES IN SPECIAL SERIES Scarborough Shoal was a refuge for Filipino fishermen. Then Chin ..read more

“Pon,” a content creator who describes himself as being frustrated with Thai politics, said there was no way to make changes other than to be a part of the system – in this case the country’s 200-member Senate. He is among those in the running to be selected to replace members of the legislative body appointed in 2019 by Thailand’s then-military rulers, and whose five-year term expires on May 10.  “If I had to vote to completely remove the Thai Senate, I would,” the 41-year-old told BenarNews. “But there is no other way to instigate change that I can think of.”  Pon is not this man’s ..read more