by Robert Marin Indonesia’s Papua was hit by fresh unrest Wednesday as more than 1,000 security personnel were sent to the restive region after violent protests that saw buildings torched and street battles between police and demonstrators. Jakarta has called for calm in its easternmost territory — where an insurgency against Indonesian rule has simmered […]
by Aidan JONES / Catherine LAI China has deployed a three-pronged strategy to suffocate pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong — propaganda, economic leverage and intimidation. Here is a look at Beijing’s efforts so far to squash a movement that has refused to die. Shaping the narrative As protests erupted in June, discussion inside authoritarian China […]
More than 2,300 endangered tigers have been killed and illegally trafficked since the turn of the century, according to a report published Tuesday, urging more action to protect the giant cats. With an average of more than 120 illegally trafficked tigers seized each year — which amounts to over two each week — since year […]
US President Donald Trump and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro said Tuesday that talks between senior officials were underway, as the South American country struggles under the weight of US sanctions. “We are in touch. We’re talking to various representatives of Venezuela,” Trump told reporters. He declined to say which officials were engaged in the talks, […]
Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam on Tuesday said she hoped “calm” will prevail after a massive weekend march passed without clashes between police and demonstrators, but again refused to give ground to protester demands. Hundreds of thousands of people marched through the heart of the city on Sunday in a show of peaceful protest […]
Moscow on Tuesday said the United States was ramping up military tensions by testing a medium-range cruise missile weeks after tearing up a pact with Russia. “This is all a cause of regret. The US has obviously taken a course towards escalation of military tensions. We won’t react to provocations,” Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told […]
Twitter and Facebook have accused the Chinese government of backing a social media campaign to discredit Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement and sow political discord in the city. The American tech giants announced Monday they had suspended nearly 1,000 active accounts linked to the campaign, while Twitter said it had shut down about 200,000 more before […]
by Fiachra GIBBONS The star-studded Venice film festival opens Wednesday with a row raging about the inclusion of controversial directors Roman Polanski and Nate Parker. With only two women directors out of 21 in the running for its Golden Lion top prize, campaigners have lashed the festival — now the launchpad for the Oscars. Director […]
by Andrew BEATTY The United States no longer has military primacy in the Pacific and could struggle to defend allies against China, a top Australian think tank has warned. A hard-hitting report from the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney released on Monday said the US military is an “atrophying force” that […]
