Author: ALJAZEERA

Taipei, Taiwan – As Hong Kong moves forward with controversial new national security legislation, its foreign business community is expressing reservations – albeit quietly – about how new rules concerning “state secrets” could affect the international financial hub’s competitiveness and ease of doing business. Until February 28, the Hong Kong government is canvassing views on its plans to implement “Article 23” of the Chinese territory’s mini-constitution, which stipulates the need to ban crimes including treason, secession, sedition, subversion and theft of state secrets. After meeting foreign diplomats and business representatives last week, Justice Secretary Paul Lam reported that “everyone is…

Long, cold months have passed since an earthquake levelled Abdallah Oubelaid’s impoverished village in Morocco’s High Atlas mountains. Every day, he or other villagers come to inspect the debris. They hope to find pieces of wood for heating and cooking or even to recover objects of value that have so far escaped their searching, and all the while, a bitter Oubelaid wonders when he will get the government aid that he applied for. “Every time I ask, they tell me it’s going to happen,” Oubelaid, 35, said. “But I have children to feed and to clothe.” Moroccan authorities said about…

A number of scholars, politicians and advocates have condemned the United States Senate’s passage this week of a foreign funding bill that would provide billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan while American social programmes are in need of funding. It is unclear when – or even if – the House of Representatives will vote on the measure, which includes $9bn in international humanitarian assistance, some of which could go to besieged Palestinians in Gaza. But in passing the $95bn emergency aid package on Tuesday by a margin of 70 to 29, analysts say the Senate…

For decades, Gaza has been gripped by a chokehold. Life in the enclave has often been described as an open air prison. No one leaves without the express permission of its neighbour. This is nothing new. But in the weeks and days leading up to October 7, the feeling on the ground was changing. Dareen Abughaida presents this new digital series.Pinch Point, where geography and politics collide. Source link

Britain’s gross domestic product shrank by 0.3 percent in the last three months of 2023, after contracting 0.1 percent in the third quarter.The United Kingdom slipped into a technical recession in the second half of last year after its economy registered two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth, official figures have shown. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement on Thursday that Britain’s gross domestic product (GDP) shrank by 0.3 percent in the last three months of 2023, after contracting 0.1 percent in the third quarter. A technical recession is commonly defined as back-to-back quarters of contracting…

As Israel threatens to launch offensive in Rafah, the US has drafted a UN resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire.Here’s how things stand on Tuesday, February 20, 2024: Fighting and humanitarian crisis Israel’s assault in Gaza has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians since October 7, the territory’s Ministry of Health said on Monday, marking another grim milestone in one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history. Footage verified by Al Jazeera shows Palestinian people fleeing to take cover after coming under attack from Israeli forces as they waited for humanitarian aid in northern Gaza. The Israeli…

Bangkok, Thailand – Bangkok’s Chinatown, lit up by red-lanterns and decorative banners to celebrate the Lunar New Year holidays, is bustling. As the region welcomed the Year of the Dragon last weekend, ethnic Chinese Thais thronged temples to light candles and pray for good fortune. Inside the glowing red interior of Wat Mangkon Kamalawat – the largest Chinese temple in Bangkok – women wore traditional cheongsam dresses and took photos with their loved ones. Outside, in the hustle and bustle of Yaowarat Road, lion dancers performed as visitors – Thais and legions of tourists – crowded the street, sampling the…

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Biennial air show opens to the public for the first time since the onset of the COVID-pandemic in 2020.China’s C919 jetliner is being showcased at Asia’s biggest airshow, as its Beijing-backed manufacturer seeks buyers for the country’s first homegrown passenger jet. Chinese state-run aerospace firm COMAC has touted the C919 as a challenger to the A320 and the 737 MAX, manufactured, respectively, by long-standing industry leaders Airbus and Boeing. The C919 made its inaugural flight outside China on Sunday at a media event ahead of the Singapore Airshow, which opened to the public for the first time since the onset…

UN’s International Court of Justice holds public hearings on consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.The International Court of Justice is hearing submissions on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories. It will consider the legal consequences of Israel’s ongoing breach of Palestinians’ right to self-determination as well as how Israeli policies impact not only the occupied areas but also other countries and the United Nations. Advisory opinions by the UN’s top court are nonbinding, but they carry significant moral and legal authority. When a decision is announced, will it have global implications? Presenter: Adrian Finighan Guests: Riad Malki – foreign…