Japan PM Shinzo Abe: 'I have great confidence in Trump'
Japan's PM Shinzo Abe has said he has "great confidence" in US President-elect Donald Trump and he believes they can build a relationship of trust.
Mr Abe described the 90-minute meeting in Trump Tower, New York, as "candid", with a "warm atmosphere".
Some of Mr Trump's campaign rhetoric cast doubt over long-standing US alliances, including with Japan.
The meeting was Mr Trump's first face-to-face with a world leader since winning the presidential election.
The US and Japan have been key allies since the end of World War Two, when the US helped Japan rebuild its economy.
Bhutan journalist hit by defamation suit for sharing Facebook post
Namgay Zam, who faces a fine or jail, says case involving prominent businessman risks further subduing deferential media
It is known as the land of gross national happiness, a country that puts contentment before the trappings of wealth and power. But discontent is growing in Bhutan after one of the country’s best-known journalists was hit with a defamation suit for sharing a story on Facebook.
In a case that will test the boundaries of freedom of speech in the tiny Himalayan kingdom, independent journalist Namgay Zam, a former presenter on the state-run broadcaster Bhutan Broadcasting Service, faces imprisonment or a fine equivalent to 10 years’ salary if she is found guilty of defaming a prominent businessman.
South African political parties quick to capitalise on racist attack
A horrifying, 20-second video showing a white South African farmer forcing a black man into a coffin has provoked outrage over the past few days in South Africa. It is a searing reminder of the brutal racial tensions still present in the country, especially in rural areas among farmers. South African political parties have been quick to rush to the side of the victim… but one journalist asks if they are really putting his needs first.
According to the South African media, the video was filmed by another white farmer who was also participating in the torture, which took place on August 17 near the town of Middelburg, in the Eastern Cape. However, the footage only recently surfaced.
The video shows a white man forcing a young black man, Victor, into a coffin and trying to shut the lid on him. The man who is filming shouts threats at the victim, as well. Victor moans in pure terror as the two attackers tell him to cooperate or they will put a snake inside the coffin with him or pour petrol on the coffin and set it alight.
Protests as Philippine dictator Marcos given hero’s burial
Human rights groups and politicians criticize hidden ceremony almost 30 years after ousted leader's death
NOVEMBER 18, 2016 3:57 PM
Former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was buried with military honors at a heroes’ cemetery in the capital Manila on Friday, almost 30 years after his death in Hawaii, amid protests by human rights groups and opposition politicians.
Many in the Philippines were angered by the way Marcos’ family had kept the timing of the burial secret, with Vice President Leni Robredo likening the ceremony to “a thief in the night.”
“This is nothing new to the Marcoses — they who had hidden wealth, hidden human rights abuses and now a hidden burial — with complete disrespect for the rule of law,” Robredo said in a statement.
Why do some Brazilians want military rule?
A group of right-wing protesters stormed Brazil's Congress yesterday, calling for a return to military dictatorship. Support for democracy is on the decline, but authoritarianism may not address many of protesters' issues.
Groups of Brazilians expressed their ongoing dissatisfaction with the government during protests on Wednesday. Some of the participants advocated a surprising solution: a return to military rule.
In BrasÃlia, the capital, about 60 protesters stormed the lower chamber of Congress. They took over the podium, calling for military rule as an answer to government corruption. It took more than three hours for police to disband and arrest them.
Financial instability, the corruption of the democratic government, and a sense that Brazil was safer during its military dictatorship – which lasted from 1964 to 1985 – have spurred some Brazilians to support a return to military rule. That’s a concern for some in government, though observers say authoritarianism does not currently enjoy mass support.
Who is affected by climate change, and how?
Some are affected by drought, others by extreme wet conditions, some by heat and others by harsh winters.
Where will the climate refugees go?
No one can be sure just how many people will be displaced by climate change by the middle of this century. In fact, the estimates vary widely, with some putting the number at 25 million and others suggesting it could hit the one billion mark .
This, however, is not the biggest challenge. Terms and ideas such as "climate refugee" or "environmental refugee" have not yet become recognised classifications and thus "this amorphous, global population of refugees does not have any international legal protection or agency upholding their human rights or helping to keep them safe.
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