Following days of unrest, the Indonesian government blocked internet access on August 22nd in the provinces of Papua and West Papua (known collectively as West Papua). On August 19th, violent protests started in response to the mistreatment and racial abuse of Papuan students by the police in the Javanese city
Prominent Saudi activist Loujain al-Hathloul rejected a deal for her release. The deal required the women’s rights campaigner to deny being tortured whilst in detention. Al-Hathloul was arrested last May along with ten other activists as part of a government crackdown on critics. They were charged with breaking cybercrime laws
The Indian government revoked Kashmir’s special status by presidential decree on August 5th. Article 370 of the Indian Constitution was abolished, signalling the end to India-administered Kashmir’s autonomy. Article 370 conferred special rights on Kashmir, including the right to its own constitution and decision-making process with the exception of defence,
Ethiopia claimed a new world record on Monday, 29th July when approximately 350 million trees were planted across the country. Getahun Mekuria, Minister of Innovation and Technology, broke the news on Monday evening that the initial goal of 200 million trees had surpassed and that 353,633,660 million trees had been
Boris Johnson became Prime Minister of the UK on Wednesday 23rd July, beating rival Jeremy Hunt—the former Foreign Secretary—in the Conservative Party leadership election. Some are happy with the result. For example, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed the news, exclaiming that Johnson ‘will be great’ and that ‘they call him
Monsoon flooding in South Asia has left 200 people dead and six million displaced in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan in the past week. Over 1,800 villages are swamped in the Northeastern Indian state of Assam after the Brahmaputra River burst its banks and officials estimate that one-third of Bangladesh
On 4 July, an Iranian supertanker, Grace One, was seized off Gibraltar. The tanker was suspected of transporting Iranian crude oil to Syria, which would breach EU sanctions. The following day, the Gibraltar Supreme Court granted a 14-day extension to the detainment, and the ship remains in British custody. Less than
An investigation carried out by The Guardian, New York Times, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Norddeutscher Rundfunk, and Motherboard (VICE News) has revealed the extreme measures Chinese border officials are taking in the western region of Xinjiang. Tourists must hand over their unlocked phones to officials who then install an app called Fengcai
Georgia’s ruling party, Georgian Dream, announced on 24 June changes to the electoral system, making parliamentary elections fully proportional. Currently, only 77 of the Georgian parliament’s 150 seats are awarded proportionally and the rest by single-seat constituencies. The changes were announced in order to appease protesters who started demonstrating outside
June is proving to be a tumultuous month for Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro. Last Friday saw a nationwide general strike, largely protesting against proposed pension reform which would raise the minimum retirement age to 62 for women and 65 for men. It would also increase workers’ contributions and require workers
Over 100 protesters jailed in connection with last year’s protests have been released this week in Nicaragua. They have been granted amnesty following a new law backed by President Ortega and passed by Ortega’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) MPs in Congress on 8 June. More than 700 people were
Hong Kong has proposed a controversial bill which would allow extradition to mainland China. A series of protests have taken place against the bill since late April when 1.03 million people attended a demonstration, the most since 2014’s pro-democracy Umbrella movement. Hong Kong’s will to oppose the legislation does not
Following the tragic terrorist attack on a mosque in Christchurch, the New Zealand government has introduced a ban on all military style semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles. The government will hold an amnesty, followed by a buy-back scheme which could cost the government up to NZ$ 200m. Prime Minister Jacinda
