Link to Article: Indian Troops Brawl with Chinese Counterparts on Border Indian and Chinese soldiers were injured in another violent clash along the Himalayan border last week, as tensions between the two nuclear powers showed no signs of abating. According to reports, Indian and Chinese troops came to physical blows on Wednesday along the high-altitude border in north Sikkim, a… Read more »
Link to Article: Myanmar Coup: Joe Biden Threatens to Resume Sanctions Joe Biden has threatened to resume sanctions on Myanmar following the military coup and the suspension of democracy, and called for international solidarity in confronting the country’s generals. The US lifted sanctions on Myanmar in October 2016 after it held elections, established a civilian government and took other steps… Read more »
Link to Article: Rihanna Angers Indian Government with Tweet About Farmers’ Protests The pop singer Rihanna has provoked the ire of the Indian government after wading into the debate over protests by farmers in the country, just as heavy police security and “war-like” barricades continue to be built up at demonstration sites around Delhi. This week authorities began cracking down… Read more »
Link to Article: Chinese Labour Schemes Aimed to Cut Uighur Population Density An archived copy of a report by Nankai University adds to the growing body of evidence of Beijing’s concerted efforts to persecute Uighurs in what human rights experts and some governments have labelled cultural genocide. The Chinese government denies accusations of forced labour and labour transfers in Xinjiang,… Read more »
Link to Article: For Sri Lankan Reports, the Ghosts of Violence and Intimidation Loom Again From 2005 to 2015, Mahinda Rajapaksa presided over a systematic assault on the press. The Committee to Protect Journalists estimates that 13 journalists were killed over the decade. Others were threatened, abducted and tortured. Tamil journalists were disproportionately victimised. In 2014, Sri Lanka ranked fourth… Read more »
Link to Article: Dozens Killed in Myanmar’s Worst Day of Violence Since Coup At least 38 people have been killed after Myanmar’s security forces opened fire on peaceful anti-coup protesters in multiple towns and cities, in the worst day of violence since the military coup last month. Police and military have increasingly used lethal violence in an attempt to crush… Read more »
Link: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/18/russia-us-call-on-afghans-to-discuss-ceasefire-after-talks Last Thursday an international peace conference was held in Moscow, Russia. The regional power is hosting a peace conference for Afghanistan, an effort to bring government representatives and Taliban leaders together to jump start the deteriorating peace process. The one day gathering is the first of three before May first, the deadline for U.S. and NATO troop withdrawal… Read more »
Link to Article: ‘Music is my life’: ban on schoolgirls singing in Afghanistan met with protest In a letter to school boards last week, which was leaked to the media, Kabul’s Education Department said girls aged 12 and above would no longer be able to sing at public events, unless the events were attended solely by women. The letter also… Read more »
Link to Article: Yangon becomes battle zone as Myanmar junta enforces martial law Part of Myanmar’s biggest city has turned into a battle zone, with burning barricades and security forces firing at unarmed anti-coup protesters. The junta has increasingly deployed heavier force to quell the demonstrations, with more than 200 protesters reported to have been killed in the crackdown. Sunday… Read more »
Article: UK Covid vaccine supply hit amid rise in cases in India With a surge in Indian cases over the past week, as well as an acceleration of the country’s own vaccination rollout, resulting in a major shortage in Britain that could delay jabs for at least a month for people under the age of 50. As recently as a… Read more »