An exclusive look inside Russia's Arctic military base
Updated 0655 GMT (1455 HKT) April 5, 2019
Six time zones east of Moscow, on the frozen landscape of the New Siberian Islands, a new military race is taking shape.
The Northern Clover military base on Kotelny Island is one of Russia's newest military outposts, in one of the most forbidding environments on the planet. The trefoil-shaped complex -- painted in the scheme of the Russian tricolor -- is built to house up to 250 servicemen, and has enough supplies for them to survive and operate for over a year, with no help from the outside world.
Christchurch attacks: NZ suspect ordered to undergo mental health tests
The man accused of killing 50 people in last month's attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, has been ordered to undergo mental health tests.
He would be seen by experts to decide if he was fit to stand trial or insane, said high court judge Cameron Mander.
The suspect faces 50 murder charges and 39 attempted murder charges.
Australian Brenton Tarrant, 28, appeared in the courtroom - packed with relatives of some of the victims - via video link from prison.
He was not required to enter a plea.
Hong Kong's push to allow extraditions to China prompts protests
Legal amendments put before legislative council despite fears for judicial independenceLily Kuo in Beijing
Hong Kong is pushing forward with plans to change its laws to allow for the extradition of criminals to China for the first time, prompting widespread protests and fears for the territory’s judicial independence.
Proposed amendments to Hong Kong’s extradition were introduced at the city’s legislative council on Wednesday, after thousands of demonstrators took to the streets at the weekend.
The Hong Kong chief executive, Carrie Lam, defended the proposal, which would give her the power to order the transfer of suspects to China. Current Hong Kong law bars any renditions to China or other jurisdictions of the People’s Republic of China.
Libya's military strongman orders forces 'to advance' on Tripoli
In a video posted online, Libyan military General Khalifa Haftar has ordered his forces to advance on Tripoli. The order came just hours after his forces took control of Gharyan, a town about 100 kilometers from Tripoli.
Libya's military strongman General Khalifa Haftar on Thursday announced the launch of an operation to seize the capital Tripoli from a rival government backed by the United Nations.
It comes amid rising tensions in the oil-rich country — without a stable government since Western military intervention in 2011 — and just hours after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged calm and restraint in Libya.
Seoul declares national disaster as winds fan giant forest fire
A giant forest fire swept across swathes of South Korea Friday, as authorities declared a rare national disaster, deploying 900 fire engines and tens of thousands of personnel to bring it under control.
Apocalyptic images on television and social media showed walls of flame lighting up the night, buildings engulfed in flames, and clouds of smoke billowing across hillsides during the day.
The blaze broke out late Thursday alongside a road in the town of Goseong, in the far northeast of the country and only around 45 kilometres (28 miles) from the border with the nuclear-armed North.
Democracy and human rights are in retreat in south-east Asia. Here's why
By James Massola
An election run by a junta that delivered victory to a military strong man. A new set of laws allegedly to target fake news, but which allow the government to issue "corrections". Death by stoning for extra-marital or gay sex. A job ad for "moral" hangmen. And statues of topless mermaids covered up - after 15 years on display - to respect "eastern norms".
Welcome to south-east Asia, where almost every day it seems another example emerges of the erosion of either the political and civil rights of individual citizens, or the diminution of democratic institutions.
No comments:
Post a Comment