Algeria referendum: A vote 'to end years of deviousness'

The referendum is to cement democratic reforms but some activists say real change is not being made.

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Two dead and five wounded in Quebec stabbing, police say

Police confirm at least two people have died and say they have arrested a man in his mid 20s.

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Super Typhoon Goni batters Philippines, one million evacuated

Weather agency forecasts 'catastrophic violent winds' and intense rains as Goni slams into eastern Philippines.

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Georgia’s governing party ‘leads in early vote count’

Opposition protests as early count shows governing Georgian Dream leading in Saturday's parliamentary vote.

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Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Human cost of two nations fighting for 'Motherland'

The stories of families who have lost sons in the latest territorial war over Nagorno-Karabakh.

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How the controversial Nile dam might fix Sudan's floods

Egypt and Ethiopia are at loggerheads over the mega dam, with Sudan literally stuck in the middle.

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India couple bullied for intimate wedding photoshoot

Indian couple trolled for intimate post-wedding photoshoot refuses to give in to bullies.

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'My parents had hearts of gold, they didn't deserve it'

How people are dealing with the effects of coronavirus in one New York neighbourhood.

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The Miraculous Love Kids: Street kids changing their lives with guitars

The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson is just one star who's recorded with a group of girls from Afghanistan.

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Belarus protests: The turtle 'anthem' protesters sing in Belarus

How music has featured prominently in the protests calling for President Lukashenko to step down.

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US Election 2020: Biden and Trump in last weekend dash round swing states

Joe Biden is in Michigan while Donald Trump arrives in Pennsylvania, both key to the White House race.

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US election: The big issue that could hurt Trump

Just ahead of the election, the US is seeing what could be the largest outbreak of the pandemic so far.

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US election 2020: 'It just makes me feel like a nobody'

Former prisoner Davion Hampton from Florida wants to vote in this US election. But he can't.

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US election: 'All Republicans should marry Democrats'

Chenren and Cathy Shao haven't let political differences get in the way of their eight-year marriage.

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US election 2020: The great dividing line of this campaign

For some Americans, civil unrest after police shootings is driving their support for Donald Trump.

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Georgia goes to the polls in test of ruling party’s dominance

Opposition hope significantly modified electoral system will prevent Georgian Dream from securing third term.

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Taiwan celebrates LGBTQ rights after virus lockdown lifts

While Taiwan's borders remains closed to most foreigners, organisers still expect to attract more than 100,000 people.

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Philippines orders evacuation as strongest typhoon in 2020 nears

With sustained winds and gusts of up to 265 kph, Typhoon Goni is the strongest storm to hit the Philippines since 2013.

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Ivory Coast elections: Voters go to the polls amid opposition boycott

President Alassane Ouattara is running for a third term which his opponents say is illegal.

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How social media is preparing for US election chaos

Social media companies are making plans in case of unrest after election day.

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Thai pro-democracy leader taken to hospital after ‘chokehold’

Panupong Jadnok fainted after being subjected to a 'chokehold' by plain-clothes police, who tried to rearrest him.

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Far from home, Rohingya refugees face a new peril on a remote island

Bangladesh has begun relocating hundreds of refugees to a small remote island, against their will.

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US election 2020: The Asians who are rooting for Trump to win

Some people in Asia see Donald Trump as their man to stand up to China - and nervously hope he'll be re-elected.

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The Kashmir journalists 'harassed' and 'questioned' for doing their job

The BBC speaks to journalists in the region who say doing their job has become increasingly difficult.

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The 400,000 seafarers who can't go home

Unions say Covid has in effect trapped thousands of seafarers on ships - waiting to go home.

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Climate change: You've got cheap data, how about cheap power too?

The iPhone transformed mobile phones in just 10 years. Could green energy see a similar revolution?

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US election 2020: Trump is in the fight of his political life

In the throes of an epoch-defining election, those looking for a healing process will be disappointed.

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US election 2020: Fact-checking Trump and Biden's final week

The presidential campaigns are coming to an end. We've fact-checked the candidates' latest claims.

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Journalist murdered in Mexico, sixth this year: governor

49-year-old journalist and TV host, Arturo Alba Medina, was assassinated a few minutes after the end of his show.

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Coronavirus: Slovakia holds national test but president calls for delay

Everyone in Slovakia over the age of 10 is to be tested for Covid - but the president is sceptical.

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Covid: Belgium announces return to national lockdown

Non-essential shops will close until mid-December to help curb the highest infection rate in Europe.

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New Zealand Supports The Right To Die, But Rejects The Right To Get High

The country voted to allow assisted dying for the terminally ill but no to legalizing marijuana. Two separate referendums were held along with the general election won Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

(Image credit: Mark Baker/AP)

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US claims Iranian hackers accessed voter information

Iranian officials have denied hacking claims, saying it makes no difference whether Trump or Biden wins US elections.

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Twitter unfreezes NY Post’s account after Republican backlash

Social media platform had blocked the newspaper's ability to tweet after it published articles about Joe Biden's son.

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Glimmers of Hope for a Winter With Tropical Travel

Canada’s public health experts are researching approaches to testing and quarantine that could make travel abroad more feasible.

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US election: What Latino first-time voters want

Every 30 seconds, a Latino in the US turns 18 and becomes eligible to vote.

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Berlin airport opens... 10 years late

Berlin's new airport is finally opening to the public, 10 years behind schedule and billions over budget.

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Scared but socially distant in a Tokyo 'haunted house'

Could this zombie-inspired experience be for people who want to be frightened but be Covid-19 safe?

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North Korea blames Seoul for killing of fisheries official

The South Korean man was fatally shot by the North's military while adrift in the North Korean side of the Yellow Sea.

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UBS gives 3 reasons for why the Chinese yuan is 'attractive' right now

UBS Global Wealth Management's Dominic Schnider says "the stars are really lining up" for the Chinese yuan to strengthen against the dollar.

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‘Madman’ digs for decades to bring water to dry Indian village

Laungi Bhuiya ignores taunts by villagers to dig a 3-km canal from nearby hills to bring water to his parched village.

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New Zealand Votes To Legalize Euthanasia but Not Marijuana

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealanders voted to legalize euthanasia in a binding referendum, but preliminary results released Friday showed they likely would not legalize marijuana.

With about 83% of votes counted, New Zealanders emphatically endorsed the euthanasia measure with 65% voting in favor and 34% voting against.

The “No” vote on marijuana was much closer, with 53% voting against legalizing the drug for recreational use and 46% voting in favor. That left open a slight chance the measure could still pass once all special votes were counted next week, although it would require a huge swing.

In past elections, special votes — which include those cast by overseas voters — have tended to be more liberal than general votes, giving proponents of marijuana legalization some hope the measure could still pass.

Proponents of marijuana legalization were frustrated that popular Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wouldn’t reveal how she intended to vote ahead the Oct. 17 ballot, saying she wanted to leave the decision to New Zealanders. Ardern said Friday after the results were released that she had voted in favor of both referendums.

Conservative lawmaker Nick Smith, from the opposition National Party, welcomed the preliminary marijuana result.

“This is a victory for common sense. Research shows cannabis causes mental health problems, reduced motivation and educational achievement, and increased road and workplace deaths,” he said. “New Zealanders have rightly concluded that legalizing recreational cannabis would normalize it, make it more available, increase its use and cause more harm.”

But liberal lawmaker Chlöe Swarbrick, from the Green Party, said they had long assumed the vote would be close and they needed to wait until the specials were counted.

“We have said from the outset that this would always come down to voter turnout. We’ve had record numbers of special votes, so I remain optimistic,” she said. “New Zealand has had a really mature and ever-evolving conversation about drug laws in this country and we’ve come really far in the last three years.”

The euthanasia measure, which would also allow assisted suicide and takes effect in November 2021, would apply to adults who have terminal illnesses, are likely to die within six months, and are enduring “unbearable” suffering. Other countries that allow some form of euthanasia include The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Canada, Belgium and Colombia.

The marijuana measure would allow people to buy up to 14 grams (0.5 ounce) a day and grow two plants. It was a non-binding vote, so if voters approved it, legislation would have to be passed to implement it. Ardern had promised to respect the outcome and bring forward the legislation, if it was necessary.

Other countries that have legalized or decriminalized recreational marijuana include Canada, South Africa, Uruguay, Georgia plus a number of U.S. states.

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New Zealand votes ‘yes’ to legalisation of euthanasia

Preliminary results show more than 65.2 percent in favour of allowing people with terminal illnesses to end their lives.

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New Zealand euthanasia: Assisted dying to be legal for terminally ill people

Early referendum results show 65.2% voted "yes" to enforcing a law allowing assisted dying.

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Australian on Qatar flight where women ‘invasively examined' left 'terrified'

A woman on the same flight as "invasively examined" female passengers feared a "hostage situation".

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Africa's week in pictures: 23 - 29 October 2020

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent and beyond.

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Why the humble text message is still a campaign weapon

Every election campaign uses more sophisticated tech, but the text message still cuts through.

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Indian brands reckon with a new challenge: hate

It's an unusual moment for India's corporate culture, which has shied away from political activism.

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Oil firm whistleblower trapped in Croatian holiday hell

A British lawyer exposed huge oil industry corruption - and now Monaco wants him extradited.

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Quiz of the week: Which Borat slogan did Kazakhstan embrace?

How closely have you been paying attention to what's been going on during the past seven days?

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'We asked Trump to stop playing YMCA' - Village People singer Victor Willis

Village People's lead singer says he doesn't endorse the US president, who regularly plays the classic at rallies.

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On Alibaba's Singles Day, Chinese shoppers are set to splurge on foreign brands as fewer travel overseas

With fewer Chinese going abroad, foreign brands are likely to be a big hit on the annual Singles Day shopping festival, an Alibaba executive told CNBC.

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The Stream election special: A live preview of US 2020

We look ahead to polling day with some of the people most impacted by the outcome.

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US Election 2020: Trump and Biden duel in critical state of Florida

Mr Biden's lead over the US president is narrower in must-win states, with Florida a key prize.

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Covid-19: Record traffic out of Paris as second French lockdown begins

Traffic stretched more than 430 miles (700km) in total just hours before new measures came into force.

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Walmart pulls guns from display over 'civil unrest' concerns

Walmart has removed gun and ammunition displays from its stores citing concerns of "civil unrest".

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United Airlines to trial airport Covid testing

The airline's boss Scott Kirby tells the BBC passenger testing is "key to reopening the world economy".

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Armenians on the front line in Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenian mothers fear for sons on the front line in Nagorno-Karabakh as both sides suffer heavy casualties.

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Coronavirus hardship in Mexico, Nigeria and Bangladesh

Three people from around the world who lost their jobs during the pandemic explain how it has affected their lives.

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Asia-Pacific stocks mixed; investors monitor Apple suppliers in the region

Shares of Apple suppliers in Asia-Pacific were mixed in Friday morning trade after the Cupertino-based tech giant reported fourth-quarter earnings.

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Moderna says it's preparing global launch of Covid vaccine as it takes in $1.1 billion in deposits

Moderna is prepping for the global launch of its potential coronavirus vaccine, already taking in $1.1 billion in deposits from governments.

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Pakistan’s top Islamic body approves Hindu temple construction

Council of Islamic Ideology approves new temple in Islamabad, ruling Islamic law allows Hindus a place of worship.

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Germany does not believe Thai king breached state business ban

Thai protesters have accused the king of conducting state business, including signing royal decrees, on German soil.

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‘We Share the Ideals of Democracy.’ How the Milk Tea Alliance Is Brewing Solidarity Among Activists in Asia and Beyond

On China’s National Day this year, Thai student Bunkueanun “Francis” Paothong performed a song outside the Chinese embassy in Bangkok. “Arise! Ye who would not be slaves again,” a video posted on Twitter showed him operatically singing into the humid evening.

The words famously open China’s national anthem, “The March of the Volunteers.” But they also appear in “Glory to Hong Kong”—the unofficial anthem of Hong Kong’s democracy movement—and it was this that Francis was singing at the Oct. 1 protest. “For Hong Kong, may glory reign!” he intoned.

Written and composed anonymously last year, the song has come to represent Hong Kong’s youth-driven rebellion against Beijing. But its four stanzas are now also sung in Thailand where protesters against the military-backed government and the monarchy are not only adopting tactics of resistance from their Hong Kong counterparts but are also cross-promoting causes.

Though their demands may be different, solidarity between the movements has been building for months. Activists have now joined forces in a so-called “Milk Tea Alliance,” a loose, transnational network of youth who see themselves as engaged in similar fights against authoritarianism and who have mostly come of age amid China’s growing influence in the region.

Named for a beverage popular in Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan, the #MilkTeaAlliance was forged in the crucible of a meme war in April that pitted Chinese nationalists against democratically minded young people in those places. But it has since spilled into something bigger.

“In each of our countries we face different issues, but when it comes down to it, we share the ideals of democracy,” Francis tells TIME.

Online, the hashtag has been used to push a boycott of Disney’s remake of Mulan and to raise awareness about China’s human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Tibet. Offline, the solidarity its has inspired has increasingly driven real-world action.

Romeo GACAD—AFP/Getty Images Bunkueanun “Francis” Paothong sings during a Milk Tea Alliance protest outside the Chinese embassy in Bangkok on Oct. 1, 2020.

In Thailand, demonstrators have chanted “Free Hong Kong,” and waved Hong Kong democracy and Taiwan independence flags. In Taipei, activists, dissidents and students have gathered to show their support for the Thai protests.

On Hong Kong’s LIHKG, a Reddit-like platform used by protesters, threads have highlighted the benefits of cross-promotion. Hongkongers can support Thai protesters’ without being subject to harsh lèse majesté laws that criminalize defamation of the king, and Thai protesters can promote Hong Kong’s struggle without facing potential repercussions under a draconian new national security law.

“The idea is that we can speak for each other’s values within a relatively safer environment,” says Ted Hui, a Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmaker who organized an Oct. 19 rally outside the Thai consulate in support of Thai protesters.

Other politicians have taken notice. Taiwan’s vice president has used the hashtag, as has the spokesperson from India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

“I think this kind of pan-Asian collaboration and solidarity will just enhance the unity of the youth movements and also help China realize their soft power expansion and Wolf Warrior diplomacy is not working,” says prominent Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong.

The alliance, he tells TIME, has vast potential to expand. “If anyone believes in democracy and freedom and is against the authoritarian crackdown, they could also recognize themselves as part of the Milk Tea Alliance.”

Read more: Meet the Lawyer Trying to Reform the Thai Monarchy

What is the Milk Tea Alliance?

The hashtag #MilkTeaAlliance first sprang up on Twitter in April, to counter attacks by pro-Beijing trolls and bots on a Thai celebrity perceived to have slighted China. Actor and teen idol Vachirawit Chivaaree, known as “Bright,” had liked a tweet showing four different cities, including Hong Kong, with a caption that referred to them as “countries.” (Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous territory but being under Chinese sovereignty is not independent.)

Soon, he was bombarded by the kind of jingoistic outrage normally reserved for foreign brands like the N.B.A., Apple and Gap that have irked Beijing. In Bright’s case, patriotic Chinese social media users surmounted the country’s internet firewall to correct the record on Hong Kong’s status.

His apology failed to mollify the internet horde. They dug up more geopolitical offenses in social media accounts belonging to his girlfriend, Weeraya “Nnevvy” Sukaram, including an Instagram post that appeared to suggest the independence of self-ruled democratic Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.

Bright and Nnevvy’s fans shot back with humorous memes and other counterattacks. Then, the Chinese trolls misfired: they focused their criticism on the Thai government, economy and monarchy, much to the delight of young Thai social media users who enthusiastically agreed. Hong Kong and Taiwanese users started chiming in too, sensing an ideological affinity with the Thais in the fight against autocracy and Beijing’s Twitter army.

“The authoritarian Thai government has censored us for decades … and now certain Chinese nationalists are trying to use [Chinese Communist Party] CCP propaganda to tell us what we can and cannot think about Hong Kong and Taiwan. That’s unacceptable to those of us who believe in freedom of thought and speech,” the Taiwan Alliance for Thai Democracy, a group of Thai students living in Taiwan, stated in an email to TIME.

Once the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok weighed in with a statement insisting “the recent online noises only reflect bias and ignorance,” the resistance solidified.

“While the movement started as a trend, state opposition to it has turned it into a cohesive movement for change which is spreading beyond young people alone,” says Paul Chambers, a Thai politics expert at Naresuan University’s College of Asean Community Studies.

What are the goals of the Milk Tea Alliance?

The preparation of milk tea varies in Thailand (where a food dye gives it its signature bright terracotta color), Hong Kong (where a combination of Sri Lankan black tea and tea dust give it extra potency), and Taiwan (where the addition of tapioca pearls was popularized). In similar fashion, the political struggles in each of these places have their own characteristics.

In Thailand, students have taken to the streets demanding fresh elections under a new constitution, as well as curbs to the powerful monarchy’s prerogatives. In Hong Kong, protesters fear the loss of their city’s political freedoms under an ever-encroaching Beijing. And in Taiwan, activists are anxious over the CCP’s pledge to reunify the island by force if necessary.

Yet each of these struggles also share in the existential battle between democracy and dictatorship.

“I think the alliance proves that democracy is a universal [not just Western] value,” says Tattep “Ford” Ruangprapaikitsere, one of the Thai protest organizers. “Democracy is the only form of government that gives the opportunity for all people to fulfill their dreams.”

Asian activists have also found a common adversary in Beijing—a key ally of Thailand’s military-aligned government.

“The milk tea alliance could potentially turn into a genuine transnational anti-authoritarian movement—a rejection of the Chinese authoritarian model,” says Roger Huang, a politics lecturer at Sydney’s Macquarie University. “There may be some repercussions for China: governments could justify any backlash against China’s more aggressive actions in the region by citing popular opinion.”

Lauren DeCicca—Getty Images Pro-democracy protesters gather at Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand on Oct. 21, 2020.

The coalition has come into existence as negative views of China reach fresh highs in many advanced economies, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. While the coronavirus pandemic—which emerged in China late last year—caused a reputational hit, recent trade and diplomatic disputes with neighboring countries have also prompted anger.

According to Sitthiphon Kruarattikan, director of the Institute of East Asian Studies at Bangkok’s Thammasat University, the formation of the Milk Tea Alliance “reflects that China is still unsuccessful in cultivating soft power or winning hearts and minds of their Taiwan compatriots and neighboring countries.”

What does China say about the Milk Tea Alliance?

China’s foreign ministry has dismissed the coalition. “People who are pro-Hong Kong independence or pro-Taiwan independence often collude online, this is nothing new. Their conspiracy will never succeed,” spokesman Zhao Lijian told Reuters.

But supporters of the alliance say they are not anti-Chinese per se—instead they are simply finding affinity in their shared pursuit of liberal democracy.

Joshua Wong, in Hong Kong, insists the aim goes beyond opposition to any one country. “It’s not about being anti-Chinese government only, but [about] anti-authoritarian rule everywhere,” he says.

Read more: Why This Thai Billionaire Is Risking It All to Back Reform

Activists say the outpouring of solidarity makes them feel less alone in their struggle. Social media has also made it much easier for like-minded protesters to band together and find strength in numbers, says Veronica Mak, a sociology professor at Hong Kong Shue Yan University.

“The young people know that their political capital is weak because they don’t have money, and not many of them have political connections. But they have found support and political resonance online,” she says, and that has given them more influence.

Photo by Isaac Wong/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images A man wearing a face mask walks past “#StandWithThailand” graffiti in Hong Kong on Oct. 18, 2020.

Their camaraderie has also opened up a vital pipeline for sharing tactics.

“[We’re] not only talking, we’ve also gotten a lot of knowledge and information from the movement in Hong Kong,” says Ford, the Thai protest organizer.

From tips on staying safe on the barricades to extinguishing smoking tear gas canisters and conducting leaderless rallies that melt away before police can effectively counterattack, Hong Kong has exported its decentralized protest techniques around the world. Activists in the United States, Catalonia, Nigeria and Indonesia have all borrowed from Hong Kong’s playbook.

Some supporters of the Milk Tea Alliance see an opening to join forces across all these movements.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” self-exiled Hong Kong activist Nathan Law recently tweeted, quoting Martin Luther King while expressing support for Thailand and the Milk Tea Alliance.

And while the alliance remains a fledgling movement for now, it has potential for growth.

“We are connected via these common dreams,” says Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, a prominent Thai activist. “It empowers us to have more energy to fight.”

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No Matter Who Wins the U.S. Election, Relations With China Are at a Crossroads

In a speech last week to commemorate 70 years since China’s entry into the Korean War, President Xi Jinping launched a thinly-veiled attack on the U.S. “No blackmailing, blocking or extreme pressuring will work” for those seeking to become “boss of the world,” Xi told veterans and cadres crammed into Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. The 1950-53 Korean War, he went on, “broke the myth that the U.S. military is invincible.”

With U.S.-China relations at a decades-long nadir, it was fitting that Xi threw down the gauntlet on the anniversary of one of the only times the People’s Liberation Army and U.S. troops have faced off on the battlefield—a conflict still known in China as the “War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.”

The upcoming U.S. election on Nov. 3 could be a turning point for American foreign policy, particularly regarding Beijing, which has borne the brunt of the Trump Administration’s sledgehammer approach to diplomacy. Chinese trade practices, tech companies, diplomats and even students have been in the crosshairs, feeding Beijing’s paranoia that the U.S. is pursuing a Soviet-era policy of containment.

Much hangs in the balance: economics, nuclear proliferation, the climate crisis, human rights as well as possible military confrontations. Whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden controls the White House may decide if the last four years of rancor was an aberration or the new normal for relations between the world’s top two economies.

“China, of course, is very concerned about the election,” says Wang Yiwei, director of the Institute of International Affairs at Renmin University in Beijing. “If Biden wins, he may take a multilateral approach, more coherence with U.S. alliances. If Trump wins, he’ll definitely continue harsh policies toward China.”

But whoever sits in the Oval Office in January, a return to fulsome engagement appears off the table.

AFP via Getty Images Containers are stacked at the port in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province on November 8, 2019. – China’s exports suffered their third month of decline in October, and while the drop was less than expected there were warnings on November 8 of more pain to come as the US trade war rumbles on.

Global rivalry between the U.S. and China

Washington’s attempts to isolate Beijing from an integrated and interconnected global economy have forced U.S. companies to relinquish established supply chains in China. Senior administration hawks like Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have also openly questioned the legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and called for regime change.

As a result, the U.S. is losing the goodwill of ordinary Chinese, with moderate voices within society replaced by resurgent nationalism. Meanwhile, the vacuum created by the Trump Administration’s America First approach has allowed Beijing to co-opt international institutions. China now sits on the U.N. Human Rights Council despite detaining one million Muslims in its far west region of Xinjiang. It champions the Paris Climate Accords and free trade despite, being the world’s worst polluter and propping up key industries with state funds.

This has allowed China to develop a narrative that it is reasserting its rightful place in global leadership while the U.S is in terminal decline—riven by income inequality, political polarization, racial injustice and toxic nativism. That has been strengthened this year by Trump’s inability or unwillingness to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S. while China has successfully controlled the coronavirus within its borders and is the only major economy heading for growth this year.

At the same time, China has torpedoed some of its relationships around the world as it seeks to swell its influence. When the normally urbane Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Europe late August—ironically to smooth trade tensions—he threatened Norway with reprisals were it to give the Nobel Peace Prize to Hong Kong protesters, and swore that the president of the Czech senate would pay a “heavy price” for visiting the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China regards as a breakaway province. (The affront prompted the Mayor of Prague to brand Chinese diplomats “rude clowns.”) On Oct. 21, China responded to Sweden’s decision to ban Huawei from its 5G network by threatening a “negative impact” on Swedish companies.

Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Xi Jinping, China’s president, shake hands during a news conference at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017.

China’s military capability

Worryingly, Beijing’s hawkish Wolf Warrior diplomacy has gone beyond rhetoric and strayed into saber-rattling with U.S. allies. In recent months, China has ramped up military drills around Taiwan, sailed a record number of sorties into Japan’s territorial waters and engaged in deadly Himalayan border clashes with India. This appears to be more than mere chest-thumping; analysts suspect that China may be pitting its formidable yet untested military against unprepared foes in order to better gauge its own capabilities as well as the likelihood of an international backlash.

“India is a perfect target because it’s not a treaty ally of anybody,” says John Pomfret, a former Beijing bureau chief for the Washington Post and author of The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present. “You push the Indians around a little bit, declare victory and leave. That would signal the rest of the world that China’s big and bad and can do this type of stuff so watch out.”

Beijing insists that it is the victim of Indian aggression in the recent Himalayan skirmishes. But it is less meek about designs for Taiwan, which split politically from the mainland following China’s 1927-1949 civil war and is by far the CCP’s most coveted prize. Xi considers reuniting the island with the mainland a historic “mission” and analysts agree it is the most likely issue to force a military confrontation between the superpowers.

Read more: How TikTok Found Itself in the Middle of a U.S.-China Tech War

In an Oct. 10 speech, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen called for “reconciliation and peaceful dialogue” with Beijing. Instead, Beijing responded within hours by releasing previously unseen footage of a large-scale military exercise simulating the invasion of an unidentified island, as well as video of a staged confession from a Taiwanese businessman charged with spying on the mainland.

Oriana Skylar Mastro, a specialist on China’s military at Stanford University’s Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, says that up until 2015 the main consideration of Chinese military leaders was Washington’s resolve to defend Taiwan. Now, however, she says they tell her: “It doesn’t matter. We would still win.”

The veracity of those sentiments is a matter of hot debate, but concerningly, “China has a remarkable tendency to overestimate its power,” says Pomfret. In September, the PLA Air Force released a video on its official social media showing nuclear-capable H-6 bombers carrying out a simulated raid on what looks like Andersen Air Force Base on the U.S. Pacific island of Guam. In a clear reference to U.S. support for Taiwan, Xi told the Great Hall of the People last week that any attempt to invade or separate China’s “sacred territory” will be met “with a head-on blow!”

Photo by Andrea Verdelli/Getty Images Soldiers of the People’s Liberation Army march during a parade to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, at Tiananmen Square on October 1, 2019 in Beijing, China.

Sino-U.S. relations after the election

It’s a precarious situation in need of deft diplomacy. Some China hawks in the Trump Administration are calling for Taiwan to be provided with an explicit U.S. defense guarantee. But that would be “provocative and expensive,” says Benjamin H. Friedman, policy director for the nonpartisan Defense Priorities think tank. “I’m not in favor.”

Trump’s distaste for multinational institutions like NATO, and dislike of U.S. troop deployments overseas, has made America’s allies take their own security more seriously. On Monday, the U.S. State Department approved the sale of 100 Boeing-made Harpoon Coastal Defense Systems to Taiwan in a deal worth as much as $2.37 billion, prompting China to impose sanctions on the U.S. companies involved.

“Taiwan could do more, Japan could do more,” says Friedman. “They could buy more defensive systems, particularly mobile missiles and radar that will make it harder to be invaded.”

Biden, by contrast, has voiced support for a multilateral approach in the region, restoring America’s role in global governance and re-establishing a liberal democratic order. Writing on Oct. 22 in World Journal, America’s largest Chinese-language newspaper, Biden vowed to “stand with friends and allies to advance our shared prosperity and values in the Asia-Pacific region … That includes deepening our ties with Taiwan, a leading democracy, major economy, technology powerhouse—and a shining example of how an open society can effectively contain COVID-19.”

Biden has railed against Trump’s trade war—which studies estimate has trimmed 0.7% from U.S. GDP—and would likely rollback many tariffs. He also said that he would organize and host a global Summit for Democracy to “renew the spirit and shared purpose of the nations of the free world” during his first year in office.

Read more: What Happens Next With the U.S.-China Rivalry

Reasserting such historic alliances could cause Beijing much heartburn. “We are 25% of the world’s economy,” Biden told the audience at the final presidential debate Oct. 23. “We need to have the rest of our friends with us saying to China, ‘These are the rules, you play by them or you will pay the price for not playing by them, economically.’”

While there’s no doubt that Biden would be tougher on China than Obama, many in diplomatic circles hope he could reopen lines of communication with Beijing to seek pragmatic solutions on trade, the environment, human rights and other issues. America still has many tools. The dollar’s role as global reserve currency has become more important during the pandemic. And the U.S. still boasts the world’s biggest economy, spearheading innovation.

But the U.S. has never faced a rival that can compete economically and militarily as China can. In the week before his Korean War anniversary speech, Xi addressed the nation on state-run television: “We Chinese know well we must speak to invaders with the language they understand,” he said. “So we use war to stop war, we use military might to stop hostility, we win peace and respect with victory. In the face of difficulty or danger, our legs do not tremble, our backs do not bend.”

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New Zealand euthanasia bill set to get nod after referendum

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US Election 2020: Trump slams lockdowns, Biden accuses him of insult

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US election: 'Our kids died in the Parkland shooting, but we disagree on guns'

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Samsung predicts fourth-quarter decline in profits due to weak demand and growing competition

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Dr. Fauci warns of a ‘whole lot of pain’ due to coronavirus pandemic in the coming months

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Cuba Says US Restrictions Will Force Western Union Offices to Close, Limit Remittances

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Al-Qaeda still 'heavily embedded' within Taliban in Afghanistan, UN official warns

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US election 2020: What to look out for on election night

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'None Of This Has Been Easy': Melbourne, Australia, Ends Its 111-Day Lockdown

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(Image credit: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

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Shares in Australia lead losses as Asia-Pacific markets slip following overnight Wall Street plunge

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Vote cancellations trigger outrage among Myanmar minority voters

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'Anonymous' Trump administration critic identifies himself

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Mali Radisson Blu attack: Two Islamists sentenced to death

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Facebook, Twitter and Google face questions from US senators

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US Election 2020: Will America's race issue decide the next president?

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Animal Crossing: 'My sister lives on in a video game'

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End Sars protests: 'I felt I was going to die there'

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Protests in Italy over anti-virus measures turn violent

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India will get access to U.S. satellite data that can make military missiles more precise

U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and India's defense minister, Rajnath Singh, announced the signing of the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) between the two countries.

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In the UK, young, non-white people likelier to lose jobs: Survey

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Australia says women on 10 flights subjected to Qatar body search

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North Korea is going to be a major headache for whoever wins the US election

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India could contribute up to 20% of Amazon's growth in next 5 years, tech investor Gene Munster says

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Thai PM Prayuth says he will not resign despite protests

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Last-minute drama as Real Madrid avoids yet another defeat in the Champions League

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Orange County wildfires 'may have been started by electrical equipment'

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Surviving a week in Afghanistan

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US election: The Taiwan-sized challenge facing the next US president

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Seychelles elections: How a priest rose to become president

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US election: The sinking island voting for Trump

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US election 2020: The five Senate races to watch

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US election: A generational divide over Trump among Vietnamese-Americans

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Asia-Pacific stocks slip as sentiment remains cautious on coronavirus risk

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Walter Wallace: Philadelphia calls National Guard after unrest

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Democrats, Trump confirm no US stimulus before Election Day

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'Invasive' exams affected women from 10 flights says Australia

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Hear from doctors inside an ICU in northern Italy

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Vietnam prepares to evacuate 1.3 million people as typhoon approaches

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Uyghurs are desperate for action in Xinjiang. Some say only Trump can help

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Amy Coney Barrett confirmed to US Supreme Court

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France targets radical Islam amid row with Turkey

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Qian Xuesen: The scientist deported from the US who helped China into space

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The inventor inspired by wanting to keep his daughter safe

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Trump and Africa: How Ethiopia was 'betrayed' over Nile dam

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Protests Against an Abortion Ban Continue for a Fifth Day in Poland

WARSAW, Poland — Women’s rights activists and many thousands of supporters held a fifth day of protests across Poland on Monday, defying pandemic restrictions to express their fury at a top court decision that tightens the predominantly Catholic nation’s already strict abortion law.

In Warsaw, mostly young demonstrators — women and men — with drums, horns and firecrackers blocked rush-hour traffic for hours at a number of major roundabouts. Some of them took off their shirts and stood topless on top of cars. Many held banners with an obscenity calling on the right-wing government to step down.

A group of far-right supporters held a counter-protest in front of a church and police in riot gear kept the two groups apart, using pepper spray at one point. Some of the people protesting the court ruling were detained and others sat down in the street to stop the police van taking away the detainees.

A protesting woman was taken to hospital with slight injuries after she and another woman were hit by a car. The other woman was not injured.

Organizers said people joined their protests in more than 150 cities in Poland, including Poznan, Lodz and Katowice. It was one of the biggest protests against the government in recent years.

In Krakow protesters chanted “This is War!” — a slogan that demonstrators have repeated often in recent days. They also shouted obscenities against the country’s traditionally respected Roman Catholic bishops.

Krakow archbishop Marek Jedraszewski said the protests were marked by “aggression unknown so far in Poland, when the sanctity of churches, of sacred places is being violated.”

Protesters defied a nationwide ban on gatherings intended to halt a spike in new coronavirus infections.

They have taken to the streets each day since the Constitutional Tribunal ruled Thursday that it was unconstitutional to terminate a pregnancy due to fetal congenital defects. The ruling effectively bans almost all abortions in the country.

The ruling has not taken effect yet, because it has not been officially published, which is a requirement of a law’s validity.

The head of a doctors’ group, Dr. Andrzej Matyja, speaking on Radio Zet, criticized the ruling’s timing during the pandemic, saying it amounted to an “irresponsible provoking of people to rallies” where social distancing cannot be maintained.

Poland’s conservative leaders have also come under criticism from professors at Krakow’s reputed Jagiellonian University who said that announcing such a ruling during a pandemic was an “extreme proof of a lack of responsibility for people’s lives.”

In a letter to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and to President Andrzej Duda, who is infected with the coronavirus, the professors appealed for a “way out of the situation … to be urgently found.”

Many gynecologists have also criticized the ruling. Dr. Maciej Jedrzejko said the ban will result in a rise in the number of dangerous, illegal abortions, arguing that sex education and access to contraceptives are the best ways to limit abortions.

The ruling by the government-controlled court overturned a provision of the 1993 law forged by the country’s political authorities and church leaders after the fall of communism. That law permitted abortion in only limited cases, becoming one of Europe’s strictest abortion regulations.

When the ruling takes effect, the only permitted abortions will be if a pregnancy threatens the woman’s health or is the result of rape or incest.

Among those who support the ruling is European Parliament lawmaker for the conservative ruling party, Patryk Jaki, who is the father of a child with Down syndrome. He warned on Twitter that abortions can also eliminate healthy children “because you rarely are 100% sure.”

Jaki also argued that abortions contribute to the nation’s low birthrate and said that they could be a “threat to Poland’s state.”

Health Ministry figures show that 1,110 legal abortions were carried out in Poland in 2019, mostly because of fetal defects. The non-governmental Federation For Women and Family Planning estimates that Polish women undergo some 100,000 to 150,000 abortions a year, some illegally in Poland and others abroad.

Women’s Strike, the key organizers of the past day’s protests, says that forcing women to carry through pregnancies involving fetuses with severe defects will result in unnecessary physical and mental suffering for the women.

Group leader Marta Lempart said there will also be a nation-wide strike Wednesday and a protest march Friday in Warsaw, the seat of the government, the constitutional court and the right-wing ruling Law and Justice party behind the court’s decision.

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US election 2020: Indian and Pakistani diaspora rally together

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Passengers ‘strip searched’ after baby found at Doha airport

Australian media says female passengers on flight to Sydney were subject to invasive internal exams at Doha airport.

from Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera https://ift.tt/35wcBmp
via Dear Immigrant