Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of outgoing Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, has been sworn in as the country’s 15th vice-president, calling for national unity following a divisive election campaign. “The days ahead may be full of challenges that call for us to be more united as a nation,” she said on Sunday in an inauguration address in her home town of Davao, …

A youth in India’s Kashmir has been arrested for posting a video threatening to behead a former spokesperson of India’s ruling party who had made derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammad, according to officials. The video, circulated on YouTube, has been withdrawn by authorities as part of a wider attempt to curb religious unrest that has spread across the country. Muslims …

Pacific Island countries have agreed not to sign a region-wide trade and security deal with China after a high-level meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his counterparts from 10 Pacific nations in Fiji. China was seeking a wide-ranging deal that covered free trade, police cooperation and disaster resilience. Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said Pacific nations were united in their approach after the decision …

Allies of the presumptive next president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, appear set to dominate both chambers of Congress after the late dictator son’s apparent election victory restored his family to the seat of power. Ongoing counts from Monday’s vote show they’re set to capture most of the 300-seat House of Representatives and half of the 24-seat Senate that …

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says there is no rush to deal with the issue of Russian President Vladimir Putin attending the next G20 leaders’ summit. Labor frontbencher Jim Chalmers said he also shared concerns about Mr Putin’s attendance at the summit. “The membership of the G20 is a matter for the G20, but we’ve made our views on Mr Putin …

China’s financial hub Shanghai has reported over 27,000 coronavirus cases, setting a new record. On Thursday, Shanghai reported a record 2,573 total symptomatic cases for the previous day, up from 1,189 a day earlier. Asymptomatic cases, meanwhile, reached 25,146, up from 25,141. The numbers came a day after President Xi Jinping said the country must continue with its strict “dynamic …

A federal government frontbencher says a new security agreement being negotiated by China and Solomon Islands is “deeply concerning” as fears grow in Australia that Beijing could establish a military presence in the Pacific Island country. A draft official document – which emerged on social media on Thursday – lays down a framework which could permit Beijing to deploy forces …

One good thing can be said about 2021: it wasn’t as tumultuous as 2020, which put in a claim to be the worst year ever. That, however, may be damning with faint praise. Yes, the past twelve months did bring some good news. Indeed, for a moment in early summer it seemed that COVID-19 was in the rearview mirror. However, it isn’t. And 2021 …

Chinese police officers and equipment will soon be sent to Solomon Islands to help defuse months of civil unrest, a move that is already causing anxiety for Australian officials. On Thursday Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare’s besieged government announced it would accept Beijing’s offer of assistance to strengthen its anti-riot policing capabilities. In a statement the government said it was “mindful of …

At least 12 people have died in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, the disaster agency said on Friday, after the storm swept across the archipelago uprooting trees, toppling power poles and flooding villages. More than 300,000 people fled their homes and beachfront resorts as Typhoon Rai pummelled the southern and central regions of the country, knocking …