Free Republic

How can a thinking person thrive in Taliban-terrorized Afghanistan? The short answer is he – or she – can’t. The country is now run by simple-minded Muslim fanatics, and they are determined to transform the country’s universities into academies of ignorance, appointing those just as troglodytic as themselves, the graduates of madrasas, to head the country’s remaining institutions of higher education. More on this latest demonstration of the terror group’s determination to destroy what life of the mind still exists in Afghanistan can be found here: “Afghan Professors Say Taliban-Appointed Clerics Taking University Jobs,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, July 19,...

A YouTube video of Xinjiang detention facilities has rekindled concern over China's crackdown on ethnic minorities. Researchers say the videos offer new evidence, but many fear for the vlogger's safety.A 20-minute video featuring more than a dozen detention facilities in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has offered fresh evidence and renewed the discussion around China's large-scale crackdown on ethnic minorities in the region. The video was filmed by a Chinese man named Guanguan, who went to Xinjiang after reading a series of articles from US news outlet BuzzFeed News, indicating the locations of several detention centers in the region. His...

China has denied reports that it tested a nuclear-capable hypersonic missile earlier this year, insisting instead that it was a routine spacecraft check. The initial report in the Financial Times newspaper prompted concern in Washington, where US intelligence was reportedly caught by surprise. Hypersonic missiles are much faster and more agile than normal ones, meaning they are more difficult to intercept. It comes as concern grows around China's nuclear capabilities. On Monday, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a media briefing that a routine test had been carried out in July to verify different types of reusable spacecraft technology. "This...