Showing 1 - 10 of 10
Asia's century, China's year
Asia focus, Published on 30/12/2019
» Way back when 1999 was winding down, pundits were telling us that the Asian Century was about to dawn. That prediction has not yet been fully realised, but few would disagree that 2019 belonged to China. Over the past 12 months, the top headlines have been about the bruising trade war with America, defiant protests in Hong Kong against Beijing's tightening grip, and the rise of a surveillance state that is herding hundreds of thousands into "re-education" camps on its western fringes. Below, the Asia Focus team looks back on a busy and sometimes troubling 2019.
Don't back Uighur abuse
News, Editorial, Published on 23/11/2019
» Secret Chinese government documents leaked to The New York Times have provided chilling details about its "no mercy" approach to repression of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in the northwestern region of Xinjiang. The revelation should serve as a reminder to Thai admirers of Chinese President Xi Jinping of the brutal and paranoid reality of his regime.
Isis foiled
Life, Bernard Trink, Published on 15/02/2019
» Until a few years ago, no Western publisher dared say a word against Isis, the Muslim terrorist extremists infamous for taking umbridge and reacting violently. No longer. Isis is now targeted by the media and by novelists with impunity.
Patton Oswalt credits late wife in Golden State Killer case
Life, Published on 04/05/2018
» 'You did it, Michelle."
Tana French's ingenious new murder mystery
Life, Published on 14/10/2016
» Tana French, the superb Irish novelist who happens to write avidly about crime, used to link her books by having a minor character in one become the beleaguered protagonist of the next. Since the books all involved the Dublin Murder Squad, the beleaguered part came easily. But in her sixth novel, The Trespasser, she breaks that pattern to reunite the same pair of detectives who waded through The Secret Place, her fifth. That one took place at a swanky private school, a grating milieu where the girls' teen language ("Um, duh?") wasn't easy for the detectives, Antoinette Conway and Stephen Moran, to take.
Solo attacks are expected to grow
News, Eli Lake, Published on 18/07/2016
» After the horror at Nice, perhaps the most depressing comment came from France's prime minister. Calling for unity in the face of terror, Manuel Valls observed: "Times have changed, and we should learn to live with terrorism. We have to show solidarity and collective calm."
Jeb carries the war sins of his brother
News, Published on 18/05/2015
» It isn't about what we know now. It's about what we knew then. It is simply not true, as Republican presidential aspirant Scott Walker said on Friday, that "any president would have likely taken the same action Bush did with the information he had".
Andaman Appeal
Asia focus, Published on 20/10/2014
» Krabi, a peaceful paradise in southern Thailand, has become an alluring destination for international tourists in recent years due to its distinctive charms and plentiful natural attractions.
'Rambo' led international team of hitmen
Published on 28/09/2013
» NEW YORK - The American arrested in Phuket on drug trafficking charges led a group of former military snipers who killed people for money, US officials say.
China clears way for Bo Xilai prosecution
AFP, Published on 26/10/2012
» BEIJING - Disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai has been expelled from the country's parliament and stripped of his legal immunity, clearing the way for his prosecution, state media said Friday.