Geopolitics

Are The US And China Heading To War Over Taiwan?

Weeks after the United States (US) president warned China over Taiwan, Beijing has delivered its sternest rebuttal yet, saying it would "resolutely crush any attempt" at Taiwan's independence.On Sunday, China's Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe essentially accused the US of supporting the island's independence, saying it was "violating its promise on Taiwan" and "interfering" in China's affairs."Let me make this clear: if anyone dares t

14 June 2022
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France's Left Revives, But Power Unlikely

As the results rolled in for the first round of France's parliamentary elections, the leader of France's new left-wing alliance sounded both hopeful and triumphant.Speaking from a trendy bar in northeast Paris serving as his election night headquarters, Jean-Luc Melenchon said the so-called NUPES – or New Ecological and Social Popular Union – alliance he heads had passed its first test in "magnificent fashion.""Everyone should be thanked who made this alliance possibl

14 June 2022
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Pfizer COVID Vaccine Effective In Kids Under Five

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said the Pfizer COVID vaccine is safe and effective in children under five, ahead of a meeting to weigh its authorization later this week.Children under five are the only age group not yet eligible for vaccination in the United States (US) and most countries, a pressing need since rates of hospitalization and death "are higher than among children and adolescents 5-17 years of age," the FDA said in a document posted on its website Sunday.

14 June 2022
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Thaksin's Daughter Takes Shinawatra Brand To Thais

She has half a million followers on Instagram, leads a glamorous lifestyle and describes herself as the "little girl" of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra – one of the most influential and controversial figures in modern Thai history.The 35-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra, youngest of billionaire tycoon Thaksin's three children, is now launching herself into the country's deeply divided political scene ahead of a national election due by March 2023.The move brings the Shin

13 June 2022
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Cautious Optimism At High-Stakes WTO Meet

The World Trade Organization (WTO) chief voiced cautious optimism Sunday as global trade ministers gathered to tackle food security threatened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, overfishing and equitable access to COVID vaccines.Speaking ahead of the WTO's first ministerial meeting in nearly five years, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala acknowledged that "the road will be bumpy and rocky."But she told journalists she was "cautiously optimistic" that the more than 100 attending m

13 June 2022
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China To Fight Taiwan Independence At All Cost

China will "fight to the very end" to stop Taiwanese independence, the country's defence minister vowed Sunday, stoking already soaring tensions with the United States (US) over the island.The superpowers are locked in a growing war of words over the self-ruled, democratic island, which Beijing views as part of its territory awaiting reunification.Frequent Chinese aircraft incursions near Taiwan have raised the diplomatic temperature, and on Saturday US Defense Secretary Lloyd

13 June 2022
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Is Russia Stealing And Selling Grain From Ukraine?

Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing grain from the country and selling it, while Russia has denied the claims.The allegations come amid fears of a global food crisis over Ukraine’s inability to export millions of tonnes of grain through its blockaded ports.

12 June 2022
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Who Is Nupur Sharma?

Nupur Sharma's remarks, made in a TV debate in May-end, have incensed Indian Muslims and outraged more than a dozen Islamic nations.On Thursday, two weeks after her comments, Delhi police said they had opened investigations against Ms Sharma – and a few others – "on the basis of social media analysis against those trying to disrupt public tranquillity and inciting people on divisive lines".On Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suspended Ms Sharma from the party.

12 June 2022
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Thousands Call For Action On US Gun Violence

Thousands of people took to the streets in the United States (US) on Saturday to push for action on the devastating gun violence plaguing the country, where Republican politicians have repeatedly blocked efforts to enact stricter firearms laws.Protesters of all ages streamed onto the National Mall in Washington, where a gun violence prevention group placed more than 45,000 white vases holding flowers – one for each person killed by a firearm in the US in 2020."Protect People Not Guns,&qu

12 June 2022
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US Blasts China's 'Destabilising' Acts Near Taiwan

United States (US) Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday blasted China's "provocative, destabilising" military activity near Taiwan, as well as Beijing's growing aggression across the wider Asia-Pacific region.Tensions between Washington and Beijing are soaring over democratic, self-ruled Taiwan, which China views as its territory and has vowed to seize one day, by force if necessary.Beijing has conducted dozens of incursions into Taiwan's air defence zone this y

12 June 2022
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China Will 'Not Hesitate To Start War' Over Taiwan

Beijing will "not hesitate to start a war" if Taiwan declares independence, China's defence minister warned his United States (US) counterpart Friday, the latest salvo between the superpowers over the island.The warning from Wei Fenghe came as he held his first face-to-face meeting with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on the side-lines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore.Beijing views democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to one day

11 June 2022
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Muslim Protests In Asia Over India Prophet Row

Muslims took to the streets in huge protests around Asia after Friday prayers, sparked by remarks about the Prophet Mohammed by an Indian ruling party official that embroiled the country in a diplomatic storm.Anger has engulfed the Islamic world since last week, when a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party commented on the relationship between the prophet and his youngest wife on a TV debate show.Around 20 countries have since called in their Indian ambassadors and

11 June 2022
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