An unpopular new law that critics say will remove power from landowners has triggered political and social upheavalFiji has experienced escalating political tensions over the past fortnight, with opposition politicians arrested, extra police deployed a…
Macaques at Japan reserve get first alpha female in 70-year history
Yakei took top spot after roughing up Sanchu, the alpha male who had been leader of ‘troop B’ on the island of Kyushu for five yearsIn a rarely seen phenomenon in the simian world, a nine-year-old female known as Yakei has become the boss of a 677-stro…
Belarus athlete who refused to fly home is granted Polish visa
Krystsina Tsimanouskaya filmed arriving at Polish embassy in Tokyo, as husband flees to UkraineThe Belarus Olympic athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya has received a humanitarian visa from Poland upon seeking asylum after she was threatened with being bund…
Will Taiwan’s Olympic win over China herald the end of ‘Chinese Taipei’?
Victory in Tokyo has reignited debate over a decades-old compromise with the island’s goliath neighbourIn the hours between Taiwan winning gold and silver in Olympic badminton on the weekend, local courts in Taipei were packed with enthusiastic young p…
China floods death toll rises to 302 with 50 people still missing
Authorities in Henan province more than triple the confirmed number of people killed in disasterChinese authorities have raised the official death toll in last month’s devastating Henan floods to 302, with at least 50 still missing.The announcement mor…
Millions under strict lockdown in China after Covid outbreak
Fast-spreading Delta variant has reached more than 20 cities in biggest outbreak in monthsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMillions of people have been confined to their homes in China as the country tries to contain its larg…
Hong Kong singer and activist arrested over ‘corrupt conduct’
Anthony Wong accused of breaking law by singing at a pro-democracy rally three years agoA prominent Hong Kong singer and pro-democracy activist has been arrested by the city’s anti-corruption watchdog over accusations he broke the law by singing at a p…
Fiji’s emergency Covid-19 hotline fell silent during the rugby sevens final: we really needed this win | Sheldon Chanel
The men’s gold and women’s bronze medals meant everything to Fiji, which has the highest per-capita Covid infection rate in the worldWhen the Fijian men’s sevens team beat New Zealand to win gold at the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, the entire nation ce…
Home Office challenged over ‘sped-up’ removal of Vietnamese nationals
Signs that detainees were victims of trafficking are being overlooked, say campaignersLawyers are challenging the Home Office policy of deporting people to Vietnam who could be victims of trafficking after the UK sent a second charter flight to the cou…
The Observer view on the Royal Navy’s operation in the South China Sea | Observer editorial
Sailing into imperial delusions is no way to run foreign policyWhat would Jack Aubrey have made of it? When Patrick O’Brian’s fictitious Royal Navy hero sailed HMS Surprise to the far side of the world, the enemy was the USS Norfolk, a lone American fr…