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In Congo’s Cobalt Belt, a Chinese Miner’s Waste Leaves Villages Poisoned and Furious

By Camille Lafont Carrying her sore-pocked daughter across her decaying field, Helene Mvubu says she is one of thousands to have fallen victim to the toxic waste defiling the Democratic Republic of Congo's mining capital. ...

East Africa Court Dismisses Activists’ Case Over Massive Franco-Chinese Oil Project

The East African Court of Justice has dismissed a case challenging TotalEnergies' massive oil project in Uganda and Tanzania, after civil society groups sought a full trial over the controversial development. Four civil society groups first filed a petition in 2020 ...

The Trump Administration in Southeast Asia: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Derek Grossman U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Malaysia in October for the annual ASEAN summit, along with his Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s engagements throughout the region, offers fresh evidence of how the administration is faring on its Southeast ...

WEEK IN REVIEW: Chinese Navy Destroyer Baotou Docks at Kenya’s Mombasa Port

China and Russia led efforts within the United Nations to weaken and defund human rights-related investigations, according to a new report by the NGO International Service for Human Rights. The report said the attempts to use budget cuts to redirect or blunt human rights intelligence happened in closed-door ...

S.Africa Court Jails 7 Chinese Nationals for Human Trafficking

A South African court sentenced seven Chinese nationals to 20 years in prison Wednesday for forcing more than 90 Malawians, some as young as 14, to work in a Johannesburg sweatshop. Africa's most industrialised nation is a magnet for undocumented migrants ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

The G20 Summit and the Half-Life of a Joke

When it was announced in 2023 that the African Union would become a full member of the G20, I darkly joked on a podcast that the AU’s entry into the body could very well mark the moment the G20 lost its status as one of the most important global coordination forums. Mark my words, I said, soon The Economist will be like “Uhhh, the G20 is OVER – it’s the ...

Indonesia Deepens Ties With Xinjiang Despite Human Rights Concerns

When the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) opened its doors to Xinjiang’s state-linked conglomerates this month, the event was billed as a milestone in deepening trade ties. Executives from Jakarta and Urumqi spoke glowingly of “mutual respect” ...

Gay Chinese Couple Fulfil Wedding Dream in ‘Freer’ Thailand

By Sarah Lai When Wang Zengyi, 41, and Song Jihan, 29, first met at a friend's dinner party in China, it was love at first sight. "I thought he was handsome and pure," says Wang. ...

Brazil Sues China’s BYD Over ‘Slavery’ Conditions on Build Site

Brazilian prosecutors are suing Chinese electric car giant BYD and two contracting companies for human trafficking and alleged slave labor conditions at a build site, according to legal documents seen by AFP Thursday. The case concerns 220 Chinese workers found last ...

Thai Ministers Travel to Xinjiang to Visit Deported Uyghurs

Two senior Thai government ministers traveled to China's northwestern Xinjiang region on Wednesday to assess the conditions of dozens of Uyghurs deported from the kingdom last month. Thailand last month sent at least 40 Uyghurs back after they had spent years ...

China Appears to Confirm Uyghur Deportations From Thailand

By Matthew Walsh China appeared to confirm on Thursday that dozens of Uyghurs had been deported from Thailand, despite warnings from human rights groups that they face persecution on their return. Beijing is accused of ...

UN Urges Thailand Not to Deport Uyghurs to China

The UN indicated Friday it was urging Thailand not to send dozens of detained Uyghurs to any country where they risk "significant" harm, after reported plans to deport them to China. Rights groups have warned that Bangkok is preparing to deport ...

Thailand Denies Plans to Send 48 Uyghurs Back to China

Thai authorities denied Wednesday there was an immediate plan to send back to China 48 Uyghurs held in the country's detention centers after UN experts warned the group could face torture if they return. The Uyghurs fled China -- which has ...
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