Geopolitics

Philippines Accuses China Of 'Incursion' In Disputed Sea

The Philippines on Sunday accused China of "incursion" after more than 200 militia boats were spotted near a disputed reef in the South China Sea, in a rare rebuke of its superpower neighbour.The Philippine coast guard detected the boats "in line formation" at the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef around 320 kilometres (175 nautical miles) west of Palawan Island on 7 March."We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our mari

22 March 2021
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Military Make Civilians Break Yangon Barricades

Makeshift barricades of bamboo, brick and burning rubber tyres have lent the streets of Myanmar's largest city the look of an urban warzone, and now the military are forcing civilians to dismantle them, piece by piece...

21 March 2021
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Thais Clash With Police At Grand Palace

Thai police used water cannon and rubber bullets outside Bangkok's Grand Palace Saturday, after demonstrators broke through a barricade of shipping containers to demand reforms to the kingdom's unassailable monarchy. It was the latest night of unrest since Thailand's pro-democracy movement kicked off in July, calling for an overhaul of Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha's administration and a rewrite of a military-scripted constitution.But their most controversial demands

21 March 2021
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BBC Journo 'Missing', Yangon Exodus Starts

A Burmese journalist with the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) Myanmar language news service went "missing" on Friday, as civilians fled the coup-hit country's largest city after the junta's deadly crackdown on dissent. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on 1 February, triggering a mass uprising that security forces have sought to crush with a campaign of violence and fear. The junta has also gon

20 March 2021
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North Korea Cuts Ties With Malaysia

North Korea severed diplomatic ties with Malaysia on Friday, abruptly ending a once-close relationship that soured following the assassination of Kim Jong Un's half-brother in a Kuala Lumpur airport four years ago.Pyongyang's foreign ministry said it was responding to Malaysia's extradition of a North Korean citizen to the United States (US) this week – a move it labelled an "unpardonable crime" carried out under "blind obedience" to US pressure.Malaysia had

20 March 2021
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Myanmar Junta Slaps Suu Kyi With Corruption Charges

Myanmar's ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi faces fresh corruption charges from the ruling junta that her lawyer said Thursday were "groundless" but could ensure she would never be able to return to politics.The 1 February coup that toppled Suu Kyi's government has brought hundreds of thousands into the streets to confront the generals, who have responded with a brutal crackdown that has left at least 200 dead.The new military regime has already issued several crimin

19 March 2021
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Vaccine Jabs Top 400 Million

More than 400 million doses of vaccines have been given around the world as of Thursday, according to a media tally.Despite the suspension of the AstraZeneca shot in more than a dozen countries, vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 continue to pick up speed, the count based on official sources found.In a sign of how the pace is picking up, the last 100 million people vaccinated got their jabs in 11 days - six times faster than it took to give the first 100 million.By Thursday at 1630 GMT, a

19 March 2021
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COVID May Become 'Seasonal': UN

COVID-19 appears likely to develop into a seasonal disease, the United Nations (UN) said Thursday, cautioning though against relaxing pandemic-related measures simply based on meteorological factors.More than a year after the novel coronavirus first surfaced in China, a number of mysteries still surround the spread of the disease that has killed nearly 2.7 million people worldwide.In its first report, an expert team tasked with trying to shed light on one of those mysteries by examining poten

18 March 2021
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Anti-China Outrage Pulls Beijing Into Myanmar Crisis

Chinese factories torched as mainland workers hunker down under martial law - Beijing is being pulled into the ulcerous crisis in Myanmar, an unravelling country it had carefully stitched into its big plans for Asia.During a January 2020 visit to Myanmar, Chinese President Xi Jinping elevated the Southeast Asian neighbour to "country of shared destiny" status, Beijing's highest diplomatic stripe.The aim was to nudge Myanmar decisively towards China - and away from the United St

18 March 2021
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Thai PM Gets AstraZeneca Jab Despite Concerns

Thailand's prime minister on Tuesday received the AstraZeneca vaccine as the Southeast Asian nation began the drug's rollout, lifting a suspension that was triggered by European nations raising safety concerns.The country became the first outside of Europe to temporarily delay the COVID-19 vaccine after several EU nations - including Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark - moved to delay it due to reports that some recipients had suffered blood clots.Thailand is already administering

17 March 2021
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'Ashamed' Myanmar Soldier Joins Anti-Coup Movement

Dressed in his army uniform, Shing Ling flashes a three-finger salute for defiant social media posts after deserting Myanmar’s military to join the democracy movement.The 30-year-old soldier posted the image on Facebook last week as security forces were staging increasingly lethal crackdowns against protesters. It racked up more than one thousand shares as commenters praised his bravery, before his profile went private.Since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi from p

17 March 2021
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Global Alarm Grows As More Myanmar Protesters Killed

The international community pleaded for restraint Monday after at least 11 more anti-coup protesters were killed in Myanmar, as demonstrators returned to the streets to demand restored democracy despite an increasingly bloody crackdown by the military junta.The United Nations (UN), the United States (US), China and Britain all condemned the violence, which the UN said has claimed the lives of at least 138 "peaceful protesters" - including women and children - since the generals oust

16 March 2021
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