Saturday, 21 Dec 2024

Asia

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Pakistan’s Powerful Military Faces New Resistance From Courts

For most of Pakistan’s eight-decade history, its courts were largely aligned with the country’s powerful military. They gave three coups a legal stamp of approval, disqualified dozens of politicians who had fallen out of favor with the generals, and turned a blind eye to the disappearances of political dissidents. But with Pakistan in the grip […]

Australia Reckons With TV Host’s Exit Over Racist Abuse

When one of Australia’s most high-profile journalists announced he would step away from his television hosting duties because of racist abuse, it sent shock waves through the country’s media industry. The journalist, Stan Grant, said on Friday in an opinion piece for his employer’s website that he and his family had suffered “relentless” racial abuse […]

A strengthened Zelensky heads to the G7 meeting in search of more military aid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was headed to the Group of 7 summit in Hiroshima, Japan, the Japanese government confirmed on Saturday, bolstered by a major shift from President Biden, who told U.S. allies that he would allow Ukrainian pilots to be trained on American-made F-16 fighter jets. Mr. Biden said he was also prepared […]

Singapore Hangs Man in Second Drug-Related Execution in Three Weeks

Singapore on Wednesday hanged a man for trafficking less than 3.5 pounds of marijuana, its second execution in three weeks for a crime that carries a much lighter sentence in most of the rest of the world. “Capital punishment is part of Singapore’s comprehensive harm prevention strategy which targets both drug demand and supply,” the […]

The Religious Right’s Hidden Sway as Japan Trails Allies on Gay Rights

To millions of Japanese, the Shinto faith is not so much a spiritual practice as a cultural one. Every January, crowds gather at shrines to pray for good fortune for the new year. Families take their children to celebrate rites of passage, and many seek blessings for luck in romance, school entrance exams or job […]

Fire at Hostel in New Zealand’s Capital Kills at Least 6

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — At least six people were killed after a fire erupted overnight Tuesday in a hostel in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said. “It is an absolute tragedy,” Mr. Hipkins told reporters at Parliament on Tuesday. “It is horrific situation.” By The New York Times The cause […]

In Xi’s China, Economic Needs May Take a Back Seat to Security

To revive its sluggish economy, China set out this year to woo foreign investors and stabilize its ties with the West. But these goals are colliding with what China’s leader, Xi Jinping, considers the paramount priority: bolstering national security in a world he sees as full of threats. Mr. Xi has warned that China must […]

A Crucial Question in Thailand’s Election: Can You Criticize the King?

When Thais go to the polls on Sunday, they will be voting in a closely fought election that is seen, in part, as a referendum on whether it is illegal to criticize the Thai monarchy. Thailand has one of the world’s strictest laws against defaming or insulting the king and other members of the royal […]

Pakistan’s Military, Once a ‘Sacred Cow,’ Comes Under Attack by Protesters

A mass of protesters pushing through the gates of the national army headquarters. An angry mob setting a senior military official’s residence aflame. Demonstrators looting a school run by a paramilitary force. Once unthinkable, the scenes of violent protest that broke out across Pakistan on Tuesday after the arrest of the former prime minister, Imran […]

8 Killed in Pakistan Shootings, Including 6 Teachers

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Eight people, including six teachers, were killed in two separate shootings in northwestern Pakistan on Thursday, the authorities said. There were no initial claims of responsibility for the attacks, which took place within a four-mile radius of Kurram, the only Shia-majority town in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, near the Afghan border. According […]