ISIS-linked preacher released as Indonesia navigates extremist pressures
Indonesian radical cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir has been released from prison 8 years into his initially 15-year-long sentence. The 82-year-old was imprisoned for supporting terrorism in the country following the discovery of a terrorist military training camp in Aceh Province.
Assange denied bail by London court in dangerous precedent for press freedom
Westminster magistrates court has denied WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange bail despite having already blocked his US extradition this week.
China remembers Nanjing massacre as the region’s years of peace look increasingly fragile
China marked the 83rd anniversary of the Nanjing massacre last Sunday in a formal remembrance of the atrocities suffered in the country’s east under Japanese occupation.
Argentina on the brink of passing historic abortion legislation
Feminists across Latin America have been celebrating for the last few days as Argentina’s lower house of parliament brought abortion rights one step closer to fruition in the country.
Humanitarian situation worsens in Ethiopia as PM Abiy focusses elsewhere
As a humanitarian crisis threatens to spiral out of control in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ignored the conflict to open a new highway in the south of the country. Ahmed won huge praise and a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating peace agreements for long-standing conflicts against internal rebel forces in Ethiopia and against their neighbours Eritrea. International praise of him has made way for criticism since the beginning of November however. His heavy-handed response to tensions with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) has led to an outbreak of violence.
Australia comes under pressure as China highlights report’s findings
The investigation, led by the Maj Gen Justice Paul Brereton, found that Australian special forces were involved in the murder of 39 Afghan civilians and subsequent planting of weapons and phones.
