Protests

2021-01-25

'Criminals protecting criminals': violent crackdown in Russia draws world rebuke

Moscow's violent response to massive protests and the detention of opposition leader Alexei Navalny have prompted world leaders to mull new action against the Putin regime.

Crime & Justice

2021-01-22

Documentary spotlights Putin's billion-dollar Black Sea 'bribery' palace

Putin's property is 39 times the size of Monaco and features a casino inside a 17,691-square-metre mansion, along with an ice rink and vineyards.

Economy

2021-01-22

Looking back on 2020, Russia and China proved fickle friends to Central Asia

Vulnerable Kyrgyzstan has been particularly hard hit during the pandemic, and neighbouring Russia and China -- despite vows of support -- have made things worse.

Health

2021-01-21

China's 'triumph' over COVID-19 marred by new outbreaks, lockdowns

One year after the Wuhan lockdown, Beijing is eager to promote its narrative of how it contained the pandemic, but history tells another story.

Politics

2021-01-20

Russian National Liberation Movement stokes anxiety in Kazakhstan

The pro-Kremlin organisation that is recruiting Russian Kazakhs openly states large swathes of Kazakhstan should be annexed by Moscow.

Analysis

2021-01-20

Peaceful transfer of power underscores resilience of US democracy

The United States continued its over 200-year-old tradition of handing over presidential power peacefully, as the US military remains steadfast in its commitments to allies around the world.

Politics

2021-01-19

Putin is 'so afraid': arrested Navalny calls for protests across Russia

Faced with waning popularity, Russian President Vladimir Putin may have miscalculated the ramifications of arresting opposition leader Alexei Navalny, as Russians take to the streets.

Health

2021-01-18

International probe reaches Wuhan, but what evidence will it find?

Beijing's history of secrecy, disinformation and delays raises concerns that the team of World Health Organisation specialists will find a cold trail more than a year after COVID-19 first emerged.

Health

2021-01-15

COVID-19 pandemic clarifies Russia, China's true intentions in Central Asia

Dramatic Chinese and Russian rhetoric about an alliance of fraternal states and mutual support with Central Asian countries amounts to mere words on paper, observers say.

Economy

2021-01-14

C5+1 initiative aims to lift partners out of COVID-19 economic slump

The $1 billion Central Asia Investment Partnership is aimed at developing regional co-operation and increasing regional security.

Energy

2021-01-14

Turkmenistan, Afghanistan open new rail, power and communication links

The agreements aim to boost transportation and trade between the two countries and highlight Turkmenistan's dedication to rebuilding Afghanistan's economy.

Energy

2021-01-13

China's pivot to clean energy is more talk than action, say analysts

Beijing's pitch to be the global leader for climate change is undermined by its heavy investment in coal, and is the latest example of the regime's tactics in the global information war.

Human Rights

2021-01-12

China spins population drop in Xinjiang to fit counter-extremism narrative

Muslim women in Xinjiang are 'no longer baby-making machines' thanks to the eradication of extremism, Chinese diplomats say. Forced sterilisation is at play, reply independent researchers.

Elections

2021-01-11

Japarov vows to fight corruption, bring transparency to government

In just 3 months, Sadyr Japarov has risen from prisoner to president of Kyrgyzstan.

Human Rights

2021-01-11

Film about Kazakh famine in the running for an Oscar

The filmmakers set out to depict the horrors of the Stalin-induced famine of the 1930s through real stories of survivors.

Elections

2021-01-08

Turbulent Kyrgyzstan braces for another election

Voters in Kyrgyzstan will choose a new president and possibly a new system of government on January 10 as the country seeks to move on from an October political crisis.

Health

2021-01-07

China blocks entry of international probe investigating origins of COVID-19

Beijing barred WHO specialists from entering China at the last minute, highlighting the regime's continuing cover-up and attempts to whitewash the origin of the novel coronavirus.

Human Rights

2021-01-07

Russia, China spin election strife in US to justify domestic oppression

The regimes eagerly jumped on the news of electoral problems in the United States, but their reactions and attempted manipulations further exposed their human rights failures.

Human Rights

2021-01-06

Beijing attempts to extinguish flame of democracy with mass arrests in Hong Kong

Chinese security forces rounded up dozens of opposition figures in what is deemed as 'the largest single attack upon democracy in Hong Kong yet'.

Security

2021-01-05

China ramps up incursions into Taiwanese airspace

Chinese jets made a record 380 incursions into Taiwan's defence zone last year, posing a threat to regional and national security, a defence official said.

Human Rights

2021-01-05

China builds more than 100 new detention facilities for Muslims in Xinjiang

Factory buildings inside detention camps in the northwestern region indicate forced labour on a 'vast scale' is taking place, a new report finds.

Analysis

2021-01-04

Tehran continues to pose threat to region a year after Soleimani killing

Any further Iranian miscalculation or provocation could have devastating consequences, US military sources say, as the one-year anniversary of Qassem Soleimani's killing passes.

Terrorism

2021-01-04

Tajikistan to repatriate women, children from Syrian camps

The Tajik government plans to bring home hundreds of its citizens from Kurdish-controlled camps in Syria.

Crime & Justice

2021-01-02

A year on, Iran yet to hold anyone accountable for downing of Ukrainian airliner

One year after a Ukrainian airliner was shot down by Iranian forces, killing all onboard, Tehran continues to obfuscate the details of what happened and shield culpable, top commanders.

Analysis

2021-01-01

Soleimani's legacy to Iran: diverting citizens' money to costly proxy wars

While the Iranian people grapple with a worsening economic crisis, the Iranian regime continues to pursue Soleimani's failed legacy of spreading 'revolution' throughout the region.