Last week, the government of Yemen started to administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The vaccination campaign has become the latest source of dispute in a country that has been at war since 2014.

The Australia-China relationship is in a parlous state. Claims and counter-claims are made about whether China or Australia is most at fault, and there is debate about what is ultimately the root cause of this decline. 

Australia is assisting its near neighbours, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea, in their fight against COVID-19. Beyond a humanitarian response, Australia’s support also reflects a deeper motive in an increasingly strategically challenged region.

The news that Facebook would launch a corporate human rights policy and fund human rights defenders facing online threat is welcome. While it is a march in the right direction, the context of the decision should be examined.

Eliminating malaria from the Asia Pacific by 2030 is an ambitious but achievable goal. It will require sustained political commitment combined with renewed investment in research and development to overcome the unique complexities of malaria in our region.

America’s decision to pull out its remaining troops from Afghanistan and thus facilitate a probable Taliban military take-over is bad news for Pakistan and the region in the long-term. It may result in a resurgence of terrorism, rise in refugees, and tensions across borders.

It is now 20 years since the routing of the Taliban government following the September 11 terrorist attacks against the US. The withdrawal of US and allied forces from Afghanistan represents the failure by stakeholders in finding a durable political solution. 

Now is the time for those who like to play war games or develop notional military strategies. There have seldom been so many rich pickings from which to choose.

The unexpected election results in Peru signalled voter disillusionment. Pedro Castillo, a rural schoolteacher, and radical left trade unionist, didn’t appear in the polls a month before the election but got the highest percentage of votes.

In Timor-Leste, floods and landslides after cyclone Seroja, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic, have created a dangerous dynamic. The next stage of the crisis will be hard to navigate as poverty-stricken Timorese struggle with fresh water, health services, and sufficient nutrition.