China is manipulating global media through censorship, data harvesting and covert purchases of foreign news outlets, the United States said on Thursday, warning the trend could lead to a “sharp contraction” of global freedom of expression. The US State Department said in a report that Beijing has spent billions of dollars annually on information manipulation […]
Read MoreBy Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The overture Pope Francis made to China earlier this month while he was in Mongolia was “well received” by Beijing’s communist government, which has given a mainland bishop permission to visit Hong Kong, the bishop of Hong Kong said on Thursday. Bishop Stephen Chow, who will be made […]
Read MoreTokyo : Japanese households will see their budgets further squeezed by a new wave of price hikes scheduled for October on food and services, while freelancers and those self-employed may have to shoulder higher tax burdens under a new invoice system. The persisting effects of a weaker yen, which inflates the prices of imported raw materials, […]
Read MoreKabul: There are no talks with the Taliban to negotiate a peace settlement, Afghan anti-Taliban leader Ahmad Massoud said on Thursday, vowing to step up “guerrilla warfare” to bring the hardline Islamists to the negotiating table. Speaking in an interview in Paris, Massoud, the exiled leader of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), said that […]
Read MoreIslamabad, Pakistan – September 29, 2023 The death toll from the devastating suspected suicide bomb blast during a procession to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Muhammad in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has tragically increased to 52, according to official sources and media reports. The powerful explosion occurred near a mosque in the Mastung district of Balochistan, […]
Read MoreIn a small workshop in the bustling northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, a dozen Afghan women sit watching a teacher show them how to make clothes on a sewing machine. The skills centre was set up last year by Peshawar resident Mahra Basheer, 37, after seeing the steady influx of people from neighbouring Afghanistan where […]
Read MoreAs reported by the Guardian, Australia is seeking to strengthen its defence relationship with Indonesia, despite well-documented human rights abuses by the Indonesian military in West Papua. As tens of thousands of West Papuan civilians are turned into refugees in their own land and innocents are allegedly tortured and gunned down by Indonesian soldiers, Australia […]
Read MoreWashington, DC – After more than two months in North Korean custody, American soldier Travis King is returning to the United States, ending a saga that risked further inflaming tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. US officials on Wednesday thanked Sweden and China for facilitating King’s release, but stressed that the move does not represent a […]
Read MoreBankrupt Sri Lanka’s economic recovery was “not yet assured”, the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday, after the first review of its $2.9 billion bailout aimed at repairing the island nation’s ruined finances. The Washington-based lender of last resort said Sri Lanka had been unable to meet its revenue targets and ensure growth although it had […]
Read MorePHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Two of Southeast Asia’s newest national leaders, both in office for just over a month, exchanged congratulations Thursday as Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin paid a one-day official visit to Cambodia for talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet. Although there are currently no major issues of contention between the […]
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