Kabul : President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to US troops in Afghanistan – his first time in the country – for the Thanksgiving holiday. During the brief appearance at Bagram Airfield, Mr Trump served turkey to soldiers, posed for photographs, and met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. In a speech to troops, Mr Trump…
BEIJING : Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for efforts to cultivate a new type of military personnel who are competent, professional and possess both integrity and ability. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the requirement at the opening…
New Zealand : It remains New Zealand’s worst peacetime disaster. On 28 November 1979, a sightseeing aircraft carrying 257 people crashed head-on into the side of a volcano in Antarctica. The tragedy of flight TE901 was a shock for New Zealand, affecting almost everyone in the country in some way, and led to years of…
America : US President Donald Trump has signed into law a bill that supports pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The Human Rights and Democracy Act mandates an annual review, to check if Hong Kong has enough autonomy to justify its special status with the US. Mr Trump said he signed the law “out of respect…
America : US Defence Secretary Mark Esper has fired Navy chief Richard Spencer over his handling of the case of a Navy Seal demoted for misconduct. The case of Edward Gallagher, who was convicted for posing with a corpse, had sparked tensions between President Donald Trump and military officials. The Navy officer had been due…
Hong Kong : Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam has said the government will listen to the public with an open mind, after pro-Beijing candidates were resoundingly defeated in local elections. According to local media counts, 17 of the 18 councils are now controlled by pro-democracy councillors. The election saw an unprecedented voter turnout of more…
Hong Kong : Voters have turned out in record numbers to cast their ballots in Hong Kong’s district council elections. By lunchtime, the number of voters had already surpassed the final total in the 2015 elections. The election is seen as a test of support for Hong Kong’s embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Pro-democracy protest…
Bolivia : Bolivian opposition senator Jeanine Áñez has declared herself interim president of the South American country following Evo Morales’ resignation. Ms Áñez said she was next in line under the constitution and vowed to hold elections soon. Her appointment was endorsed by Bolivia’s Constitutional Court. Lawmakers from Mr Morales’ party boycotted the session, and…
Bolivia : Evo Morales has accepted an offer of political asylum in Mexico a day after resigning as president of Bolivia amid election fraud protests. In a tweet, he said it hurt to be leaving Bolivia but he would return with more “strength and energy”. Mexico’s Foreign Minister, Marcelo Ebrard, confirmed Mr Morales had boarded…
Australia : Two Australian states have declared a state of emergency as bushfires bring a “catastrophic” threat to heavily populated areas of the nation’s east. At least three people are dead and thousands have been displaced by three days of dangerous weather conditions in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland. But officials say the worst…
