This Copper Mine Led to a Civil War. Can Reopening It Fund a New Nation?

New York Times - Oct 13, 2026

Rising demand for copper has fueled interest in Bougainville’s Panguna mine, which has been shut for four decades. Yet some fear a rush to reopen risks return to violence.

Read full article

More News

At Least 6 Injured in Stabbing in South Korea
Oct 13, 2026
At Least 6 Injured in Stabbing in South Korea

The police in the city of Incheon said they had arrested one man and were investigating his motive.

What to Know About the Protests in India
Oct 13, 2026
What to Know About the Protests in India

Protests against sweeping revisions to India’s voter rolls have broken out in New Delhi. The police met earlier protests with an extraordinary show of force.

How a detour saved a Malaysian trekker from jaws of deadly Nepal floods
Oct 13, 2026
How a detour saved a Malaysian trekker from jaws of deadly Nepal floods

It was a detour that saved his life. Malaysian Low Hock Meng, a 71-year-old veteran trekker, had set off on his own in Nepal. He wanted to explore the Tamang trail, Langtang Valley and Gosaikunda. Along his journey, he made the decision to visit the Nagathali viewpoint for a glimpse of Tibet on August 25. Low then made his way down towards Thuman en route to Lingling in Nepal’s Bagmati province on August 26. That is when he realised that something was seriously wrong. When he looked at Syapru...

After Lockdown, Sea of Protesters Flows Through India’s Capital
Oct 13, 2026
After Lockdown, Sea of Protesters Flows Through India’s Capital

The raucous demonstrations by opposition groups on Monday followed days of an effective lockdown and mass detentions of young protesters by security forces.

Mainland Chinese traders boost Hong Kong stock buying for fourth month as AI bets surge
Oct 13, 2026
Mainland Chinese traders boost Hong Kong stock buying for fourth month as AI bets surge

Mainland Chinese investors bought more Hong Kong stocks than they sold for a fourth consecutive month in September, with purchases accelerating despite persistent headwinds from elevated US Treasury yields and oil prices. Onshore traders poured a net HK$60.8 billion (US$7.7 billion) into Hong Kong’s stocks via the Stock Connect programme last month, up from HK$10.4 billion in August, according to financial data provider Wind. Net buying reached HK$134.1 billion in the third quarter. Mainland...

Can Singapore engineer love on dating apps? From public service to private romance
Oct 13, 2026
Can Singapore engineer love on dating apps? From public service to private romance

For Singaporean civil servant Clare*, finding a suitable lifelong partner has been an uphill battle. Swiping on dating apps soon became a chore after multiple unsuccessful first dates, so when the government launched its own platform, the 32-year-old was all for it. “It’s like: ‘Why not?’, and I think it does have a few screening procedures so it might save you some trouble like having to deal with impersonators or people who do not match with their advertised profiles,” she said. Singapore...

Thailand’s deepening labour shortage roils harvest as unpicked fruits rot
Oct 13, 2026
Thailand’s deepening labour shortage roils harvest as unpicked fruits rot

Ripe mangosteen and rambutan hang unpicked from trees in eastern Thailand, where a shortage of migrant workers is forcing growers to decide which crops are valuable enough to harvest and which will be left to rot. For Jomsak Putirattana, who also grows durian in Chanthaburi province, the departure of his five Cambodian workers after a border dispute disrupted crossings has intensified competition for labour. Daily wages have more than doubled in some cases, from about 350 baht to 400 baht (US$10...

China Mobile triples capacity at mega Inner Mongolia computing hub amid nation’s AI push
Oct 13, 2026
China Mobile triples capacity at mega Inner Mongolia computing hub amid nation’s AI push

China Mobile, one of the country’s state-backed telecoms giants, has tripled the capacity of its largest intelligent computing hub in northern Inner Mongolia, amid Beijing’s push to boost digital infrastructure to power the country’s artificial intelligence ambitions. The expansion of its data centre in Hohhot was recently completed, with total processing capacity increased to 20,100 petaflops, according to a report by Inner Mongolia Daily on Monday. That was triple its previous capacity of...

Not just about tax: why Australia’s tech entrepreneurs are moving to Singapore
Oct 13, 2026
Not just about tax: why Australia’s tech entrepreneurs are moving to Singapore

Investor Ben Lindsay relocated from Sydney to Singapore in March, with wife and dog in tow – his sights set on growing venture capital firm Investible from an Australian outfit into an Asia-Pacific one. Lindsay is among a growing number of investors, businessmen and tech founders from down under who are setting up bases and relocating to Singapore, Dubai and San Francisco to expand their company’s reach. For example, Australian billionaire Adrian Portelli, founder of savings and rewards platform...

Don’t leave Asia’s ageing debate until it’s too late
Oct 12, 2026
Don’t leave Asia’s ageing debate until it’s too late

Last month, Japan’s internal affairs ministry released its yearly data ahead of Respect for the Aged Day. People aged 65 and over now make up a record 29.6 per cent of the population. But the figure I keep coming back to was this: 9.43 million Japanese workers were 65 or older last year, about 13.8 per cent of everyone with a job. Members of Japan’s older population are not simply retired. A large part are still at work and some of those people are the ones businesses depend on. The Asia-Pacific...

Europeans Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Chinese Cars
Oct 12, 2026
Europeans Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Chinese Cars

Consumers across the continent increasingly want to buy low-cost Chinese vehicles. Policymakers are seeking to slow them down.

Indo Inquirer

Indo Inquirer is the leading online news network in Indonesia, providing daily breaking news with in-depth news coverage and the best photojournalism. We deliver compelling and diverse engaging stories around the world.

Newsletter