INDIANS DECRY EXTRAVAGANT WEDDING FOLLOWING MODI’S CASH CRUNCH
An Indian mining tycoon took over a royal palace and flew in Brazilian dancers at a reported cost of US$75 million to celebrate his daughter’s wedding. Up to 50,000 guests were expected at Bangalore Palace to celebrate the marriage of Gali Janardhan Reddy’s daughter on Wednesday. Indian media criticised the extravagance at a time when many are struggling to find the cash to buy food following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to make 500 and 1,000 rupee bills – 85 per cent of the cash in circulation – no longer legal tender in an effort aimed at tackling tax evaders and “black” money.
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WHAT NEXT: A Reddy aide defended the lavish expenditure. “It is unfortunate that a daughter’s wedding has been made an issue out of envy and rivalry,” Manju Swamy said. “[Her parents] wanted to celebrate the event in a way that befits the family’s status in society.” The 49-year-old Reddy, a former minister with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), spent three years in jail for his alleged involvement in a mining scam before being released on bail last year. The cash policy has hit hundreds of millions of people – mainly the poor and middle class. Critics argue wealthy tax evaders are untouched as they keep their money offshore.
Ships in the Java Sea. Photo: AFP
INDONESIA SAYS IT’S NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOSING SECOND WORLD WAR SHIPWRECKS
Indonesia is refusing to take the blame for the disappearance of at least six British and Dutch second world war shipwrecks - considered war graves - that investigators believe may have been salvaged for scrap. The Netherlands launched a probe into how three Dutch navy ships seemingly vanished from the Java Sea. Divers in 2002 discovered the long-lost wrecks of three Dutch ships, 60 years after they were sunk by Japanese forces.
WHAT NEXT: Indonesian authorities sought to distance themselves from the mystery. “The Dutch government cannot blame the Indonesian government because they never asked us to protect those ships,” said Bambang Budi Utomo, head of the National Archeological Centre under the Ministry of Education and Culture. “As there was no agreement or announcement, when the ships go missing, it is not our responsibility.” Naval warships and war graves are protected under international law and the desecration of such shipwrecks is illegal. Britain, meanwhile, has asked Indonesia to investigate the disappearance of three of its vessels.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila, Philippines on Monday. Photo: AP
PHILIPPINES’ DUTERTE CONSIDERS LEAVING ICC AFTER WEST’S FLAK OVER DRUG WAR
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said he might withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), citing criticism from Western nations over killings unleashed by his war on drugs. Duterte expressed frustration about the West’s criticism of his drug war. Russian President Vladimir Putin removed his country from the ICC on Wednesday and Duterte said he might do the same. “They are useless, those in the international criminal [court]. [Russia] withdrew. I might follow. Why? Only the small ones like us are battered.”
