Politics

  Islamabad / AFP British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson called for an end to violence in Kashmir during a visit to Islamabad on Thursday, warning tensions between India and Pakistan are holding the region back from becoming an “incredible boomzone”. Johnson, who said he was visiting Pakistan for the first time, spoke a day after at least nine people were killed ...

  Brussels / AFP Germany’s Martin Schulz said on Thursday he would step down as head of the European Parliament and return to national politics, where analysts say he could emerge as a rival to Angela Merkel. The outspoken former bookseller from Aachen will quit after four years in office, during which he became one of the European Union’s most high-profile ...

  Sydney / AFP An unprecedented “thunderstorm asthma” event has left four people dead and three fighting for their lives in Australia, with authorities on Thursday scrambling to review their procedures after emergency services were overwhelmed. Some 8,500 people have presented to hospital emergency departments, mostly in Melbourne, since a thunderstorm coincided with a high pollen count on Monday, causing ...

  Teknaf / AFP Horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder are emerging from among the thousands of desperate Rohingya migrants who have pushed into Bangladesh in the past few days to escape unfolding chaos in Myanmar. Up to 30,000 of the impoverished ethnic group have fled their homes, the United Nations says, after troops poured into the narrow strip ...

  Washington / AFP Donald Trump signaled his campaign trail dismissal of the threat of climate change may have been hot air after all, saying he was “open minded” on supporting global accords. The US president-elect emerged from cabinet-building talks in his Trump Tower headquarters and traveled ten minutes across town to The New York Times to give a wide-ranging interview ...

  Beijing / AFP The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said on Wednesday he had “no worries” about US President-elect Donald Trump and looked forward to meeting him—a prospect which would anger Beijing. The Nobel laureate called the US “a leading nation of free world” at a press conference on a visit to Mongolia, where he met with Buddhist ...

  Seoul / AFP Japan and South Korea on Wednesday signed an agreement to share defence intelligence about North Korea, despite protests from opposition parties and activists in Seoul and strong criticism from China. South Korea’s defence ministry said the accord was necessary in the face of growing military threats from Pyongyang, which has conducted two nuclear tests and more than ...

  Berlin / AFP German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Wednesday against the power of fake news on social media to spur the rise of populists, after launching her campaign for a fourth term. Speaking in parliament for the first time since her announcement Sunday that she would seek re-election next year, Merkel cautioned that public opinion was being “manipulated” on ...

  Manila / AFP Philippine fishermen on Wednesday criticised President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision to ban them from a rich South China Sea fishing ground, part of his efforts to ease tensions over disputed waters controlled by China. Duterte’s aides said he had made a “unilateral” declaration to make the lagoon at Scarborough Shoal a protected marine sanctuary, after raising the issue ...

  Harare / AFP A Zimbabwe court on Wednesday indefinitely postponed the trial of five war veteran leaders charged with insulting longtime President Robert Mugabe, citing bungling by the prosecution. The five were facing charges for authoring a highly-critical statement accusing Mugabe of “dictatorial” behaviour, and were arrested earlier this year in a crackdown on critics of the 92-year-old leader. ...