Using tech to close the education gap in China

Pretoria's Western allies are upset by South Africa hosting upcoming joint naval exercises with Russia and China. Historical ties between Moscow and the ruling ANC may explain President Ramaphosa's stance.

US intelligence chief William Burns says there appear to be doubts in Beijing about China's ability to successfully invade Taiwan. However, he said it was still important to take the threat to the island very seriously.

VW's chief of China operations says he "verified the facts" about accusations that one of the company's car plants in Xinjiang relied on the forced labor of Muslim Uyghur workers.

The chancellor addressed parliament one year after promising to upgrade Germany's armed forces with a massive one-off fund. In a speech to parliament, he called on China to push for Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine.

As the National People's Congress opened this year's session, China set an economic target of "around 5%" — one of the lowest in decades — and announced a 7.2% increase in its defense budget.

In recent years, China has rigorously criticized unilateral sanctions as a foreign policy mechanism. At the same time, there are multiple examples of China doing the very same thing.

In his first press conference as China's top diplomat, Qin Gang said US policies risk "conflict and confrontation" with Beijing. From the "spy balloon" spat to Russia's war in Ukraine, Qin outlined where China stands.

UN Human Rights Council head Volker Turk has highlighted the scale of Russia's war in Ukraine and Moscow's crackdown on internal dissent. He also warned about the rights of minorities in China — and some Western nations.

The iPhone maker's top supplier Foxconn plans to boost production in India, with a new facility in Bengaluru. But the move westward could be beset by red tape and quality control issues.

Since the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021, thousands of Afghan families have found refuge in neighbouring Pakistan. Many Afghans decided to flee their country in order for their daughters to have an education, the Taliban having imposed a ban on secondary and higher education for girls. Pakistan does not offer real prospects of integration or employment to refugees.

A number of countries, from Japan and South Korea to the Philippines, have been increasingly wary of Beijing's growing assertiveness and influence in the region.

In a letter to the Dutch parliament, the country's trade minister has said exporters of chip technology will have to ask for licences to do business abroad, citing concerns over international security. The Netherlands is home to one of the leaders in chipmaking equipment, ASML.