The Indonesian government is moving ahead to pass a bill to ban liquor, arguing that alcohol has triggered rampant gang rape cases recently.In the wake of horrifying reports about rapes and gang rapes, lawmakers in Indonesia have a lot of support to pass a bill to regulate or ban liquor. Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo has denied earlier reports that he would revoke regional bylaws restricting or banning alcohol. “The ministry thinks that it is important to have bylaws banning alcohol,” Tjahjo was q

A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Sunday finds Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in a virtual tie, with Trump leading Clinton 46 percent to 44 percent among registered voters. That’s an 11 percent swing against Clinton since March.A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, also released Sunday, shows Clinton at 46 percent to Trump’s 43 percent. In April, Clinton had led 50 percent to 39 percent.Polls taken this far ahead of an election don’t tell us much. But in this case, they do raise a se

It is not unusual that talks of -- or actual moves to achieve -- political realignment flourish ahead of a presidential election. Yet, this time they come much earlier than in the past. Now speculations are rife about regroupings of political parties and major politicians for the next presidential election slated for December next year. But there is no outstanding possible scenario since there are so many uncertainties and factors.   For instance, there is no strong potential candidate in the co

President Park Geun-hye’s current tour of three African countries -- Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya -- should be successful in several respects. Most of all, South Korea and Africa had never had greater mutual need to develop close economic relationship than now. The African continent is emerging as a new growth engine for the global economy while the South Korean economy, after decades of stellar growth, is sputtering and needs a boost. In fact, major African countries have been pulling off high ec

As America’s friends and allies look on in astonishment at the all-but-certain prospect of a contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in November’s US presidential election, they need to do more than just wring their hands. They must hope for the best but prepare for the worst.The crucial point about the 2016 election is not just that a reality-TV star and property magnate who has never held elected office has emerged as the presumptive Republican candidate. It is the enormous difference

If we say, “Let’s do some shopping,” do you grab your car keys … or whip out your smartphone? Judged by the numbers, your new favorite mall may be the couch.Internet and catalog sales are up 10 percent over the past year, while department store sales have sagged. Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Nordstrom all say 2016 got off to a terrible start. “Just like bookstores and music stores and hardware stores before them, apparel retailers are underestimating how fast Amazon is going to eat their lunch,” reta

A tour of the war zones in Iraq and Syria with the top American commander ends, appropriately enough, here in Turkey, the strongest power in the region and the place where the modern troubles began a hundred years ago with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.The abiding strategic fact about the current war against the Islamic State group is that it’s part of a bigger process of reordering the post-Ottoman structure of this part of the world. We don’t know yet what the outcome will be or what the

The issue of bank service charges has come to the fore again as major commercial banks are set to raise the fees on a variety of transactions. The banking sector had slashed them amid public criticism over the charges.Participants in the fee hikes include KB Kookmin, KEB Hana and Shinhan, three of the four biggest first-tier banks in the nation.KB Kookmin is taking the initiative as it plans to raise most service fees next month. They include fees on cash withdrawals and transfers on automated t

North Korea has proposed an inter-Korean dialogue again as a hackneyed rhetorical tactic, and the South’s Defense Ministry has responded in a resolute manner that it would firmly keep the position that the prerequisite for any peace talks is the North’s denuclearization.As the two Koreas have repeated their routine between tensions and talks, there is nothing noteworthy in the recent talks offer and the response. Though Seoul has rejected the proposal, it has not completely disregarded the messa