News

Yang Hengjun, a Chinese-Australian blogger and writer, was detained by Chinese authorities on 19 January and charged with “endangering national security.” He was detained after arriving to Guangzhou with his wife and son on a flight from New York, where he is currently living and working as a visiting scholar at Columbia University. The China-born writer, blogger and political commentator is an Australian citizen since 2000. Before moving to Australia, … Read more →

New figures show that Iran arrested over 7,000 people in a sweeping crackdown last year that led to hundreds being jailed or flogged, at least 26 protesters being killed and nine people dying in custody amid suspicious circumstances, according to a new report published on 24 January by Amnesty International. Among those arrested were journalists, lawyers, minority rights activists and anti-hijab protesters. Managers of channels on the popular mobile messaging … Read more →

The partial US government shutdown caused by Trump’s demand for the funding of a border wall has continued longer than any in American history and left many federal workers without a paycheck. A total of 800,000 workers have not been paid since the shutdown began on 22 December. The number is including 380,000 who are furloughed and 420,000 who are working without salary. Trump decided to shut down the government … Read more →

The annual women’s march took place this Saturday 19 January and saw thousands of women gathered across the globe. An estimated 89 women’s marches took place on 19 January 2019 in around 30 countries worldwide, marking the 3rd anniversary of the first women’s march that first took place in 2017 and saw up to 6 million gather the day after the inauguration of President Trump to voice concerns over his … Read more →

Turkish prosecutors are seeking an international arrest warrant for basketball player Enes Kanter, accusing him of membership in a terrorist organisation. The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office has also prepared an extradition request as well as requested an Interpol red notice for Kanter, a Turkish citizen who has been a vocal critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The New York Knicks centre did not travel to London this week for his … Read more →

The British-Iranian charity worker who has been jailed for 1,000 days has now started hunger strike in response to escalating pressure to become a spy for Iran. Her husband Richard revealed in a press conference at the Frontline Club in London, that as of 14 January, Nazanin has officially started a 3-day hunger strike. Mr Ratcliffe said that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers who visited his wife in prison on … Read more →