October 2, 2019

Hong Kong flash-mob rallies erupt as anger mounts over shot protester

by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Flash-mob rallies broke out in Hong Kong on Wednesday as anger mounted over police shooting a teenage protester who attacked officers in a dramatic escalation of the violent unrest that has engulfed the territory for months. A large crowd of demonstrators, including office workers in shirts and suits, mustered […]

October 1, 2019

With exhibit and selfies, Russians mark 100th birthday of Kalashnikov

by Andrea PALASCIANO Dozens of cadets and youngsters from Russia’s Youth Army have been getting up close and personal with perhaps the world’s most iconic firearm as their country prepares to mark the centenary of the birth of Mikhail Kalashnikov, maker of the legendary rifle. At Victory Museum in western Moscow, visitors including the young […]

October 1, 2019

Bike riding courses offer Finland’s immigrants new freedom

It’s a skill you never forget once learnt, as the saying goes: Now immigrants to Finland can receive free cycling lessons to help them better integrate into life in the bike-loving nation. On a sunny September morning a group of around eight students have taken time out from their Finnish lessons to come to an […]

October 1, 2019

Hong Kong defies China anniversary with ‘Day of Grief’ rallies

by Jerome TAYLOR / Yan ZHAO Strife-torn Hong Kong marked the 70th anniversary of communist China’s founding with defiant “Day of Grief” protests on Tuesday as pro-democracy activists ignored a police ban and took to the streets in multiple neighbourhoods. The international finance hub is on edge as protesters vow to overshadow Beijing’s festivities, stepping […]

October 1, 2019

Tougher penalties to protect Sri Lanka elephants after mass deaths

Sri Lanka announced harsher penalties in a bid to protect wild elephants on Tuesday, as investigators probed whether seven jumbos found poisoned over the weekend were killed by villagers. Wildlife and Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said he will impose tougher sanctions on offenders to boost laws enacted three years ago but not yet implemented due to […]

September 30, 2019

Taiwan shrugs as communist China hails 70th anniversary

by Sean CHANG Communist China’s creation seven decades ago irrevocably changed Taiwan, but Beijing’s huge celebrations this week will be met with a collective shrug on an island where people increasingly see themselves as distinct from the mainland. After the People’s Republic of China was declared on 1 October 1949, its rival, the Republic of […]

September 30, 2019

Strife-torn Hong Kong braces for China anniversary day violence

by Jerome TAYLOR / Jasmine LEUNG Ripped-up paving stones lay scattered around the graffiti-scarred streets of Hong Kong  after one of the most violent days in a summer of rage, as protesters ready for fresh clashes on Tuesday’s 70th anniversary of communist China’s founding. The protest-wracked financial hub witnessed its fiercest political violence in weeks […]

September 29, 2019

Over half of Europe’s endemic trees risk extinction: experts

by Nina LARSON More than half of Europe’s endemic tree species, including the horse-chestnut, risk extinction, conservationists warned Friday, blaming invasive species, unsustainable logging and urban development for their decline. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said out of the 454 tree species native to Europe, 42 percent could disappear from the continent. […]

September 29, 2019

Designer calls out fashion’s richest man on Thunberg attack

by Fiachra GIBBONS Vivienne Westwood designer Andreas Kronthaler hit out Saturday at fashion’s most powerful man Bernard Arnault for attacking Greta Thunberg. The French billionaire and head of the LVMH conglomerate that owns labels like Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, and pop idol Rihanna’s new brand Fenty, said the teenage climate activist was “surrendering to total […]

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