Day: July 22, 2023

Cambodians Head to Polls With Hun Sen Set to Win

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PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — Cambodians go to the polls Sunday with incumbent Prime Minister Hun Sen and his party all but assured a landslide victory thanks to the effective suppression and intimidation of any real opposition that critics say has made a farce of democracy in the Southeast Asian nation. The longest-serving leader in Asia, Hun Sen has steadily consolidated power with his strongarm tactics during the last 38 years. But, at age 70, he has suggested he will hand off the premiership during the upcoming five-year term to his…

Modi crackdown leaves top Indian think-tank struggling

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Receive free Indian politics & policy updates We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Indian politics & policy news every morning. One of India’s best-regarded public policy think-tanks is struggling to continue its work after authorities stripped it of its tax-exempt status and permission to raise foreign funds as part of an intensifying crackdown by the Modi government on civil society.  The New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, which conducts grassroots data collection, publishes research and organises talks, had its licence to raise money abroad…

As Taiwan prepares for anti-invasion exercises, PLA sends dozens of warplanes towards the island

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Mainland China sent dozens of warplanes, including fighter jets and bombers, towards Taiwan, the island’s Defence Ministry said on Saturday, marking a forceful display days before the self-ruled island plans to hold military exercises aimed at defending itself against a possible invasion. Taiwan is due to hold its annual Han Kuang exercise next week, during which its military will hold combat readiness drills for preventing an invasion. It will also conduct the annual Wan’an exercises aimed at preparing civilians for natural disasters and practising evacuations in case of an air…

Chances Dim for Swift Return of American From North Korea

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Any hope of a speedy return of the American soldier who illegally crossed into North Korea earlier this week appears all but dashed by the silence from the hermit state on the whereabouts of Pvt. Travis King. “We have channels of communication. We’ve used them,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday at the Aspen Security Forum, explaining that Washington has been trying to establish dialogue with North Korea since the early days of the administration. “Here’s the response we got: One missile launch after another,” he said. As Washington…

Who are the 18 parties running in Cambodia’s election?

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Eighteen political parties will compete in Cambodia’s parliamentary election on July 23 – the country’s seventh national vote since the United Nations organized and ran the 1993 election two years after the Paris Peace Agreements. The National Election Committee in May ruled that two parties – the main opposition Candlelight Party and the Khmer United Great Nation Party – could not appear on the ballot, citing inadequate paperwork. The Candlelight Party is widely believed to be the only party that could have mounted a serious challenge to Prime Minister Hun…

‘Disgraceful’: Former Australian foreign minister on Cambodia’s election law changes

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Radio Free Asia spoke with former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans on Wednesday, ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary election in Cambodia.  Evans is the architect of the 1991 Paris Peace Accord, which ended war in Cambodia and promised democratic freedoms and human rights. It led to the 1993 U.N.-sponsored election that was contested by multiple political parties.   Thirty years later, Prime Minister Hun Sen’s relentless campaign to co-opt dissenting voices and effectively ban the main opposition Candlelight Party from participating in this year’s vote has been a “shameless, disgraceful, indefensible” development,…

Quantum entanglement: how US-led sanctions are turning Russia’s genius scientists to China for collaboration

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The three men were among hundreds of Russian scientists who met their international colleagues in Moscow at the Future Technologies Forum this month to share the latest breakthroughs in quantum research. To the surprise of many participants, Russian President Vladimir Putin even showed up at one of the panel discussions at the Moscow World Trade Centre on July 13. “This is the first time I have seen the head of state in a quantum meeting. People formed long lines to enter the conference room to see him in person,” said…

Kiss Between 2 Male British Band Mates Brings Halt to Malaysia Performance

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A music festival in Malaysia’s capital was canceled Saturday after two male band members of a British band kissed on stage in defiance of the country’s anti-LGBT laws. During a performance at the Good Vibes Festival on Friday in Kuala Lumpur, Matty Healy, the frontman of The 1975, delivered a profanity laden speech before the kiss. “I made a mistake. When we were booking shows, I wasn’t looking into it,” he said. “I don’t see the (expletive) point … of inviting The 1975 to a country and then telling us…

Taiwan VP’s US Transit to Test Already Tense China-US Ties

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TAIPEI – Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai, a front-runner in the island’s planned January presidential elections, announced this week that he plans to make transit stops in the U.S. next month on his way to Paraguay, sparking swift protest from China. Beijing objects to any action that could raise Taiwan’s international profile and has pledged to keep the transit stops from happening. Analysts say that while it is unlikely that China will succeed, the transit stopovers are likely to test already tense ties between Beijing and Washington. “Beijing will try…

US-China cultural exchange at low point after tensions and Covid, data shows

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Cultural ties between the US and China are at a low point after several years of decline, according to Guardian analysis of official figures. The Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, coupled with the continuing trade war between the two countries, is diluting cultural exchanges, with visitor numbers, students and even the world of literature all affected. During the late 2000s and early 2010s there was an increase in cultural exchange between the US and China. Since then, tensions between the two countries – which rose under Donald Trump and have…