Minorities have been drafted into forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region in sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing, a report by an independent UN expert has concluded, in what it said could amount to “enslavement as a crime against humanity”. Beijing has been accused of detaining over a million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in … Read more
Australia’s former leader on Wednesday defended secret arrangements he made to swear himself in to key portfolios including defense and treasury, saying he would only have used the roles in an emergency during the Covid-19 pandemic. Revelations about Scott Morrison’s covert actions — labeled by his successor as the creation of a “shadow government” — … Read more
Republican rebel Liz Cheney lost her seat in Congress Tuesday to an election conspiracy theorist, US media projected, in the latest sign of her party’s break with traditional conservatism to embrace Donald Trump’s hardline “America First” agenda. Once considered Republican royalty, the lawmaker from Wyoming has become a pariah in the party over her membership … Read more
Kenya’s defeated presidential candidate Raila Odinga Tuesday to pursue “all constitutional and legal options” after rejecting the outcome of elections that awarded victory to his rival William Ruto. The 77-year-old veteran politician branded the result of the August 9 race a “travesty” but stopped short of explicitly announcing that he would mount a challenge at … Read more
A Chinese research vessel docked at Sri Lanka’s Chinese-run southern port of Hambantota on Tuesday despite concerns from India and the United States about its alleged spying activities. The Yuan Wang 5 entered the deep-sea port after securing permission to enter Sri Lankan waters on the condition it would not engage in any research, port … Read more
Chinese lithium hub Sichuan province will ration electricity supply to factories until Saturday, state media reported, as a heatwave sends power demands soaring and dries up reservoirs. Temperatures in the province — home to nearly 84 million people — have hovered above 40-42 degrees Celsius (104-108 degrees Fahrenheit) since last week, according to data from … Read more
Deputy President William Ruto was Monday declared the winner of Kenya’s hard-fought presidential poll but the announcement was mired in controversy after several members of the election commission rejected the results. Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati said Ruto had won almost 7.18 million votes (50.49 percent) in the August 9 vote, … Read more
Taliban fighters chanted victory slogans next to the US embassy in Kabul Monday as they marked the first anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan following a turbulent year that saw women’s rights crushed and a humanitarian crisis worsened. Exactly a year ago, the hardline Islamists captured Kabul after a nationwide lightning offensive against … Read more
China said Monday it had organized fresh military drills around Taiwan, as a delegation of visiting United States lawmakers were set to meet the island’s leader just weeks after a similar trip by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi heightened fears of conflict. The unannounced two-day trip came after Beijing sent warships, missiles and jets into the … Read more
Taliban fighters chanted victory slogans next to the US embassy in Kabul Monday as they marked the first anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan following a turbulent year that saw women’s rights crushed and a humanitarian crisis worsened. Exactly a year ago, the hardline Islamists captured Kabul after a nationwide lightning offensive against … Read more