Malaysia bans Bollywood movie
KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysia yesterday banned "Padmaavat", a Bollywood epic that has enraged Hindu radicals in India, saying that it portrayed Islam in a bad light.
The national censorship board said it took the tough measure "because the plot of the movie gave a bad image about Islam through the role played by a (Muslim) sultan," it said in a statement.
In India, the movie has fuelled anger among hardline Hindu activists over its portrayal of a legendary Hindu queen which led to the film sets being vandalised.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Vietnam doctor jailed for 'anti-state' posts
HANOI • A doctor in Vietnam has been sentenced to four years in jail for "anti-state propaganda", state media reported, as part of a fresh wave of convictions in the one-party state accused of waging a crackdown on critics.
The 54-year-old was arrested in November 2016 over a series of blog posts criticising the government. He was sentenced to four years in prison after a one-day trial in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, state-controlled VNExpress reported.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
China eyes military base in Afghanistan
KABUL • Worried about militants sneaking into a restive Chinese region from war-torn Afghanistan, Beijing is in talks with Kabul over the construction of a military base, Afghan officials say, as it seeks to shore up its fragile neighbour.
The army camp will be built in Afghanistan's remote and mountainous Wakhan Corridor, where witnesses have reported seeing Chinese and Afghan troops on joint patrols.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
