Geopolitics

Geopolitics

Myanmar's Suu Kyi: Prisoner Of Generals

After more than a year under house arrest ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been transferred to solitary confinement in prison, the latest blow struck by the military against the country's democracy figurehead. The Nobel laureate, 77, has been held since a coup ousted her government on 1 February last year, ending a brief democratic interlude for the country and sparking huge protests. Months before, her National League for Democracy (NLD) swept nationwide elections and she had been preparing to begin another five-year term as the nation's de facto leader. The daughter of an

Philippines Ends China Talks For SCS Exploration

The Philippines said on Thursday it has terminated talks with China for a joint energy project in the South China Sea (SCS) after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered an end to negotiations. Manila signed an agreement with Beijing in 2018 to cooperate on oil and gas development as a way to benefit from the resources in the waterway while setting aside the territorial dispute. Duterte, who has taken a softer approach to Beijing's claims over most of the sea, allowed Philippine companies to resume drilling off the country in October 2020. It was hoped that his decision to lift a 2014 moratorium

Ukraine War An ‘Alarm For Humanity’: China’s Xi

Speaking at a virtual business forum, the Chinese president also questioned the utility of sanctions against Russia. The conflict in Ukraine has “sounded an alarm for humanity,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said, but gave no indication on how it could be resolved. Beijing has not condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February and has criticised Western-led sanctions on Russia, even as it has sought to maintain its relationship with Ukraine.  “The Ukraine crisis has again sounded the alarm for humanity. Countries will surely end up in security hardships if they place blind faith in

China To Tout Its Governance Model At BRICS Summit

China will host the 14th BRICS Summit on Thursday in what analysts see as a chance for Beijing to promote its governance and development model at a time of global instability. Chinese President Xi Jinping will join with the leaders of Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa via video link to discuss issues of mutual concern as part of the summit themed around ushering in a “new era” for global development.  Ahead of the summit in Beijing, Chinese state media have praised the BRICS – an acronym for the five emerging economies that together account for about one-quarter of the global economy

Energy

Why Ukraine War May Power Asia's Green Energy Move

For years there have been calls for Asia – which is home to some of the world's biggest carbon dioxide (CO2) emitters – to ditch fossil fuels to help tackle climate change. Countries in the region – including its three…

Thai, Malaysian Firms Pull Out Of Myanmar Project

Thailand's oil and gas conglomerate PTTEP and Malaysia's Petronas announced Friday they would withdraw from the Yetagun gas project in coup-hit Myanmar. There has been an exodus of global energy companies from Myanmar…

Wind And Solar Reach Milestone As Demand Surges

Wind and solar generated 10 percent of global electricity for the first time in 2021, a new analysis shows. 50 countries get more than a tenth of their power from wind and solar sources, according to research from…

Geothermal Key To Philippines’ Energy Demand

Today, there are nearly eight billion people living on the planet. As this number continues to grow, the need for water, food, land, and energy will also rise. The climate is one of the earth’s fundamental life support…

Markets

Recession Fears Send Oil Prices Plunging

Wall Street stocks climbed Wednesday as the United States (US) Federal Reserve (Fed) chief stressed the need to combat decades-high inflation, but elsewhere equities and oil prices tumbled on mounting recession fears as…

Stocks Tank As Central Banks Hike Rates

Stock markets sank Thursday as more central banks hiked interest rates in efforts to tame runaway inflation, actions that raised fears they could spark recessions. One day after the Federal Reserve's (Fed) biggest…

Major Markets Tumble On Heightened Recession Fears

Global equities, oil prices and bitcoin plunged Monday on heightened recession fears triggered by runaway inflation. The dollar, however, gained versus major rivals, benefiting from its status as a haven investment and…

Russia's McDonald's Reopens Under New Name

The restaurant that launched McDonald's in Russia in 1990, heralding Moscow's opening after decades of Soviet rule, reopened Sunday with a new name and logo in a potent reminder of the upheaval sparked by the conflict…

Technology

Indonesia’s ‘Crazy Rich’ Influencers Arrested

Indonesian influencers Indra Kesuma and Doni Salmanan lived the kind of lives most people can only dream of. On his now-deleted Instagram, 25-year-old Kesuma, aka Indra Kenz, regularly posted pictures of himself posing…

How China Is Using AI, Big Data To Fight COVID

Sitting at the entrance of Chengdu’s East Railway Station, Fu Guobin stared at a screen displaying infrared images of people passing through the station’s gates. As each person entered, a number popped up next to their…

Airlines Vs 5G: What Are The Concerns?

Airlines have voiced concern that the rollout of 5G mobile technology in the United States (US) could cause potentially dangerous interference with aircraft systems. Verizon and AT&T were activating their networks…

Pandemic Exploited To Normalise Mass Surveillance?

The COVID-19 pandemic was exploited as an excuse to further normalise surveillance and monitor an increasing number of daily activities of people around the world under the guise of public health, a tech watchdog warned…

Environment

Tangshan And Xuzhou: China's Treatment Of Women

It was a busy Friday night at a barbecue restaurant in the Chinese city of Tangshan. A group of women were having dinner together when one of them was approached by a male diner. Recoiling from his touch, she said "go…

At Least 1,000 Dead In Afghan Quake

A powerful earthquake struck a remote border region of Afghanistan overnight killing at least 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 more, officials said Wednesday, with the toll expected to rise as desperate rescuers dig…

World’s Largest Freshwater Fish Caught In Cambodia

A fisher in Cambodia has caught what scientists say is the world’s largest recorded freshwater fish, a giant stingray. Captured on 13 June, the stingray measured almost four metres (13 feet) from snout to tail and…

India Floods Destroy Millions Of Homes, Dreams

"There was water everywhere, but not a single drop to drink."  That is how Ronju Chowdhary described the scene outside her house on Saturday. She lives in Udiana, a remote village in the north-eastern Indian state of…

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