“There are already a dozen cases piling up against me,” she said. “I’m a journalist. One murder case is enough to frame me.”

Rupa, a former chief correspondent at privately owned broadcaster Ekattor TV, now faces nine murder cases. Her husband, Shakil Ahmed, the channel’s former head of news, is named in eight.  

A year ago, Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge of Bangladesh’s interim government after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country following weeks of student-led protests, during which two journalists were killed.

Yunus promised media reform and repealed the Cyber Security Act, a law used to target journalists under Hasina. But in a November 2024 interview with newspaper The Daily Star, Yunus said that murder accusations against journalists were being made hastily. He said the government had since halted such actions and that a committee had been formed to review the cases.

Still, nearly a year later, Rupa, Ahmed, Shyamal Dutta and Mozammel Haque Babu, arrested on accusations of instigating murders in separate cases, remain behind bars. The repeated use of such charges against journalists who are widely seen as sympathetic to the former regime appear to be politically motivated censorship.

In addition to such legal charges, CPJ has documented physical attacks against journalists, threats from political activists, and exile. At least 25 journalists are under investigation for genocide by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal – a charge that has been used to target figures linked to the former Hasina government. 

“Keeping four journalists behind bars without credible evidence a year on undermines the interim government’s stated commitment to protect press freedom,” said CPJ Regional Director Beh Lih Yi. “Real reform means breaking from the past, not replicating its abuses. All political parties must respect journalists’ right to report as the country is set for polls in coming months.”

A CPJ review of legal documents and reports found that journalists are often added to First Information Reports (FIRs) – documents that open an investigation – long after they are filed. In May, UN experts raised concern that over 140 journalists had been charged with murder following last year’s protests.

Shyamal Dutta’s daughter, Shashi, told CPJ the family has lost track of how many cases he now faces. They are aware of at least six murder cases in which he is named, while Babu’s family is aware of 10. Rupa and Ahmed’s family told CPJ that they haven’t received FIRs for five cases in which one or the other journalist has been named, which means that neither can apply for bail.

Shafiqul Alam, Yunus’s press secretary, and police spokesperson Enamul Haque Sagor did not respond to CPJ’s emailed request for comment. 

Violence and threats

In 2025, reporters across Bangladesh have faced violence and harassment while covering political events, with CPJ documenting at least 10 such incidents, most of which were carried out by members or affiliates of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its student wing, Chhatra Dal. In several instances, journalists sustained serious injuries or were prevented from reporting after footage was deleted or phones seized, including Bahar Raihan, Abdullah Al Mahmud, and Rocky Hossain.

Responding to the allegations, Mahdi Amin, adviser to Acting BNP Chair Tarique Rahman, told CPJ that while isolated misconduct may occur in a party of BNP’s size, the party does not protect wrongdoers. 

Others have faced threats from supporters of different political parties and the student groups that led the protests against Hasina. Reporters covering opposition groups like Jamaat-e-Islami or its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, have come under particular pressure. On June 9, Hasanat Kamal, editor of EyeNews.news, told CPJ he’d fled to the United Kingdom after being falsely accused by Islami Chhatra Shibir of participating in a violent student protest. Anwar Hossain, a journalist for the local daily Dabanol, told CPJ he’d been threatened by Jamaat supporters after publishing negative reports about a local party leader. 

CPJ reached out via messaging app to Abdus Sattar Sumon, a spokesperson for Jamaat-e-Islami, but received no response.

Since Hasina’s ouster, student protesters from the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement (ADSM) have increasinglytargeted journalists they accuse of supporting the former regime, which in one case led to the firing of five journalists. Student-led mobs have also besieged outlets like Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. 

CPJ reached out via messaging app to ADSM leader Rifat Rashid but received no response.

On July 14, exiled investigative journalist Zulkarnain Saer Khan, who fled Bangladesh after exposing alleged high-level corruption under Hasina and receiving threats from Awami League officials, posted on X about the repression of the media: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.”

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Kunal Majumder/CPJ India Representative.

People with disabilities are among those most heavily impacted by Trump’s cuts to Medicaid. “I know so many people like me, disabled adults living and thriving now, who were able to get to adulthood because Medicaid existed,” says Maria Town, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities. We feature additional testimonies from disabled members of the advocacy group Caring Across Generations, and speak to Town, who says she fears “so many kids [will] not get a chance to make it to adulthood,” while countless adults “will not be able to live into old age because of these cuts.”

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

This week, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) boarded the Handala, a ship associated with the Flotilla Freedom Coalition, that was attempting to reach Gaza with supplies for starving Palestinians. The IDF detained 20 activists, who had their hands held up, in graphic images that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition captured.

Among those on the ship was Chris Smalls, who gained fame when he led a successful union drive at Amazon in Staten Island in 2022. Not only was Smalls detained, but he was physically beaten by the IDF. He was the only Black member on the Handala.

“The Freedom Flotilla Coalition confirms that upon arrival in Israeli custody, U.S. human rights defender, Christian Smalls, was physically assaulted by seven uniformed individuals,” wrote the Freedom Flotilla Coalition on Instagram. “They choked him and kicked him, leaving visible signs of violence on his neck and back”.

Despite Smalls having been profiled by every major media outlet in the U.S. when he successfully led the union drive at Amazon, not a single major media outlet has covered his beating at the hands of the IDF.

In 2022, The New York Times even ran a Style section profile on his fashion choices among more than a dozen pieces that they ran on his organizing efforts, but the paper has not said anything about the beating of a high-profile labor activist at the hands of the IDF. Only three smaller, left-leaning outlets, Zeteo, The Grio, and Jezebel, covered it.

“This totally makes sense,” wrote University of New Brunswick Professor Nathan Kalman-Lamb on Bluesky. “A notable public figure in the US (Amazon labor organizer Christian Smalls) is illegally arrested by Israel and subjected to severe physical violence while on a hunger strike… and not one US media outlet of any type has decided that is news.”

This article is a cross-post from Payday Report and is a developing story. Payday Report will update it as more information becomes available.

You can donate to help Payday Report Cover Labor Activists for a Free Palestine.

This content originally appeared on Dissident Voice and was authored by Mike Elk.

The Norwegian Refugee Council, one of the largest independent aid organizations in Gaza, says it has been unable to bring new supplies into the territory as starvation grows more dire for Palestinians. Democracy Now! speaks with Jan Egeland, NRC’s secretary general, who says Western powers who have been complicit in Israel’s blockade of Gaza have their “fingerprints … all over a crime scene, and history will judge.”

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

The video went viral after many claimed that Congress leaders Pappu Yadav and Kanhaiya Kumar were snubbed at a rally in Bihar on July 9. The two were reportedly stopped by security personnel from joining Rahul Gandhi and Tejashwi Yadav in his vehicle. Yadav later clarified that it was not an ‘insult’ but part of security protocols.

X user @Bitt2DA posted the viral clip on July 9. (Archive)

पप्पू यादव की आँखों में आँसू क्यों है ??

किसने इसकी बेइज्जती की है ? कोई बताएगा pic.twitter.com/MbXLASHUIg

— Hardik Bhavsar (@Bitt2DA) July 9, 2025

The video was also shared by X user @ajeetbharti. At the time this article was written, the post had gathered more than 375,000 views. (Archive)

किस तरीके से ‘मारा’ कि बता नहीं सकते! बाघ का करेजा का ये हाल है बिहार में? pic.twitter.com/a5DZ7F6guZ

— Ajeet Bharti (@ajeetbharti) July 9, 2025

The video was also shared by BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla. (Archive)

Bahut Bura hua Vro https://t.co/d29UJaigbU

— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) July 9, 2025

Several other users on X, such as @krazyxuser, @voice_of_hindu2 and @PNRai1, among others, also shared the video with similar comments. (Archives: 1, 2, 3)

Fact Check

To verify the authenticity of the narratives amplified on social media, we broke down the viral video into key frames and did a reverse image search on some of them. This led us to an article published by Zee News on September 6, 2018.

On September 6, 2018, Congress leader Pappu Yadav was attacked by Bharat Bandh supporters in the Sadar area of Khabra village, in Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He alleged that a group of demonstrators stopped his car, questioned him and the others in his vehicle, enquiring about their caste, and then went on to abuse and physically assault them. At the time, too, the video of Yadav in tears over the incident was viral.

Yadav had also posted about the incident on X in 2018. The translated text reads: “During the #SaveWomenMarch in Madhubani, our convoy was attacked by goons in the name of #BharatBandh, and workers were brutally beaten while being asked about their caste. Is there any governance in Bihar, or not!”

#महाजंगलराज का नंगा नाच#नारी_बचाओ_पदयात्रा में मधुबनी जाने के दौरान हमारे काफिले पर #BharatBandh के नाम पर गुंडों ने हमला किया,कार्यकर्ताओं को बुरी तरह जाति पूछ-पूछकर पीटा है। आखिर बिहार में कोई शासन-प्रशासन है, या, नहीं!CM @NitishKumar आप किस कुम्भकर्णी नींद में सोये हैं।

— Pappu Yadav (@pappuyadavjapl) September 6, 2018

Several news articles from that time by NDTV, ABP News, Aaj Tak, The Telegraph, and others also corroborated the incident.

We also found a longer version from which the now-viral clip was extracted. It was uploaded on September 6, 2018.

In this video, Pappu Yadav says that he was abused by the attackers, who may have even killed him if the guards weren’t around. He also claims that his phone calls to the police and chief minister went unanswered. After that, he breaks down in front of the cameras. The portion that is now viral begins around the 0:31-minute mark.

Thus, the video showing Pappu Yadav in tears while speaking to reporters is not recent, but from 2018.

The post After Cong leader Pappu Yadav stopped from entering Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi’s car in Bihar, old video of him crying viral appeared first on Alt News.

This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Prantik Ali.

The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests.

The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of economic, security, and diplomatic priorities with PNG, taking full advantage of its position as the biggest, most strategically placed island player in the Pacific.

An examination of the key outcomes reveals a partnership of mutual benefit, reflecting both PNG’s strategic diversification and France’s own long-term ambitions as a Pacific power.

• READ MORE: Other France in the Pacific reports

A primary driver is the shared economic rationale. From Port Moresby’s perspective, the partnership offers a clear path to economic diversification and resilience.

But many in PNG have been watching with keen interest and asking: how badly does PNG want this?

While Prime Minister James Marape offered France a Special Economic Zone in Port Moresby (SEZ) for French businesses, he also named the lookout at Port Moresby’s Variarata National Park after President Emmanuel Macron drawing the ire of many in the country.

The proposal to establish a SEZ specifically for French industries is a notable attempt to attract capital from beyond PNG’s traditional partners.

Strategically coupled
This is strategically coupled with securing the future of the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project.

Macron’s personal undertaking to work with TotalEnergies to keep the project on schedule provides crucial stability for one of PNG’s most significant economic ventures.

For France, these arrangements secure a major energy investment for its national corporate champion and establish a stronger economic foothold in a strategically vital region between Asia and the Pacific.

In the area of security, the relationship addresses tangible needs for both nations.

PNG is faced with the immense challenge of monitoring a 2.4 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone, making it vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The finalisation of a Shiprider Agreement with France provides a practical force-multiplier, leveraging French naval assets to enhance PNG’s maritime surveillance capabilities. This move, along with planned defence talks on air and maritime cooperation, allows PNG to diversify its security architecture.

For France, a resident power with Pacific territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia, participating in regional security operations reinforces its role and commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Elevating diplomatic influence
The partnership is also a vehicle for elevating diplomatic influence.

Port Moresby has noted the significance of engaging with a partner that holds permanent membership on the UN Security Council and seats at the G7 and G20.

This alignment provides PNG with a powerful channel to global decision-making forums. The reciprocal move to establish a PNG embassy in Paris further cements the relationship on a mature footing.

The diplomatic synergy is perhaps best illustrated by France’s full endorsement of PNG’s bid to host a future UN Ocean Conference. This support provides PNG with a major opportunity to lead on the world stage, while allowing France to demonstrate its credentials as a key partner to the Pacific Islands.

This deepening PNG-France partnership does not exist in a vacuum.

It is unfolding within a broader context of heightened geopolitical competition across the Pacific.

The West’s view of China’s rapid emergence as a dominant economic and military force in the region has reshaped the strategic landscape, prompting traditional powers to re-engage with renewed urgency.

increased diplomatic footprint
The United States has responded by significantly increasing its diplomatic and security footprint, a move marked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Port Moresby to sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement.

Similarly, Australia, PNG’s traditional security partner, is working to reinforce its long-standing influence through initiatives like the multi-million-dollar deal to establish a PNG team in its National Rugby League (NRL), a soft-power exercise reportedly linked to security outcomes.

This competitive environment has, in turn, created greater agency for Pacific nations, allowing them to diversify their partnerships beyond old allies and providing a fertile ground for European powers like France to assert their own strategic interests.

A strong foundation for the relationship is a shared public stance on environmental stewardship. The agreement on the need for rigorous scientific studies before any deep-sea mining occurs aligns PNG’s national policy with a position of environmental caution.

This common ground extends to broader climate action, where France’s commitment to conservation in the Pacific resonates with PNG’s status as a frontline nation vulnerable to climate change.

This alignment on values provides a durable and politically important basis for cooperation, allowing both nations to jointly advocate for climate justice and ocean protection.

For the Papua New Guinea economy, this deepening partnership with France is critically important as it provides high-level stability for the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project and creates a direct pathway for new investment through a proposed SEZ for French businesses.

Vital economic resource
Furthermore, by moving to finalise a Shiprider Agreement to combat illegal fishing, the government is actively protecting a vital economic resource.

For Marape’s credibility in local politics, these outcomes are tangible successes he can present to the nation as he battles a massive credibility dip in recent years.

Securing a personal undertaking from the leader of a G7 nation, gaining support for PNG to host a future UN Ocean Conference, and enhancing national security demonstrates effective leadership on the world stage.

This allows him to build a narrative of a competent statesman who, through “warm, personal relationships”, can deliver on promises of economic opportunity and national security while strengthening his political standing at home.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests.

The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of economic, security, and diplomatic priorities with PNG, taking full advantage of its position as the biggest, most strategically placed island player in the Pacific.

An examination of the key outcomes reveals a partnership of mutual benefit, reflecting both PNG’s strategic diversification and France’s own long-term ambitions as a Pacific power.

• READ MORE: Other France in the Pacific reports

A primary driver is the shared economic rationale. From Port Moresby’s perspective, the partnership offers a clear path to economic diversification and resilience.

But many in PNG have been watching with keen interest and asking: how badly does PNG want this?

While Prime Minister James Marape offered France a Special Economic Zone in Port Moresby (SEZ) for French businesses, he also named the lookout at Port Moresby’s Variarata National Park after President Emmanuel Macron drawing the ire of many in the country.

The proposal to establish a SEZ specifically for French industries is a notable attempt to attract capital from beyond PNG’s traditional partners.

Strategically coupled
This is strategically coupled with securing the future of the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project.

Macron’s personal undertaking to work with TotalEnergies to keep the project on schedule provides crucial stability for one of PNG’s most significant economic ventures.

For France, these arrangements secure a major energy investment for its national corporate champion and establish a stronger economic foothold in a strategically vital region between Asia and the Pacific.

In the area of security, the relationship addresses tangible needs for both nations.

PNG is faced with the immense challenge of monitoring a 2.4 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone, making it vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The finalisation of a Shiprider Agreement with France provides a practical force-multiplier, leveraging French naval assets to enhance PNG’s maritime surveillance capabilities. This move, along with planned defence talks on air and maritime cooperation, allows PNG to diversify its security architecture.

For France, a resident power with Pacific territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia, participating in regional security operations reinforces its role and commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Elevating diplomatic influence
The partnership is also a vehicle for elevating diplomatic influence.

Port Moresby has noted the significance of engaging with a partner that holds permanent membership on the UN Security Council and seats at the G7 and G20.

This alignment provides PNG with a powerful channel to global decision-making forums. The reciprocal move to establish a PNG embassy in Paris further cements the relationship on a mature footing.

The diplomatic synergy is perhaps best illustrated by France’s full endorsement of PNG’s bid to host a future UN Ocean Conference. This support provides PNG with a major opportunity to lead on the world stage, while allowing France to demonstrate its credentials as a key partner to the Pacific Islands.

This deepening PNG-France partnership does not exist in a vacuum.

It is unfolding within a broader context of heightened geopolitical competition across the Pacific.

The West’s view of China’s rapid emergence as a dominant economic and military force in the region has reshaped the strategic landscape, prompting traditional powers to re-engage with renewed urgency.

increased diplomatic footprint
The United States has responded by significantly increasing its diplomatic and security footprint, a move marked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Port Moresby to sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement.

Similarly, Australia, PNG’s traditional security partner, is working to reinforce its long-standing influence through initiatives like the multi-million-dollar deal to establish a PNG team in its National Rugby League (NRL), a soft-power exercise reportedly linked to security outcomes.

This competitive environment has, in turn, created greater agency for Pacific nations, allowing them to diversify their partnerships beyond old allies and providing a fertile ground for European powers like France to assert their own strategic interests.

A strong foundation for the relationship is a shared public stance on environmental stewardship. The agreement on the need for rigorous scientific studies before any deep-sea mining occurs aligns PNG’s national policy with a position of environmental caution.

This common ground extends to broader climate action, where France’s commitment to conservation in the Pacific resonates with PNG’s status as a frontline nation vulnerable to climate change.

This alignment on values provides a durable and politically important basis for cooperation, allowing both nations to jointly advocate for climate justice and ocean protection.

For the Papua New Guinea economy, this deepening partnership with France is critically important as it provides high-level stability for the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project and creates a direct pathway for new investment through a proposed SEZ for French businesses.

Vital economic resource
Furthermore, by moving to finalise a Shiprider Agreement to combat illegal fishing, the government is actively protecting a vital economic resource.

For Marape’s credibility in local politics, these outcomes are tangible successes he can present to the nation as he battles a massive credibility dip in recent years.

Securing a personal undertaking from the leader of a G7 nation, gaining support for PNG to host a future UN Ocean Conference, and enhancing national security demonstrates effective leadership on the world stage.

This allows him to build a narrative of a competent statesman who, through “warm, personal relationships”, can deliver on promises of economic opportunity and national security while strengthening his political standing at home.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests.

The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of economic, security, and diplomatic priorities with PNG, taking full advantage of its position as the biggest, most strategically placed island player in the Pacific.

An examination of the key outcomes reveals a partnership of mutual benefit, reflecting both PNG’s strategic diversification and France’s own long-term ambitions as a Pacific power.

• READ MORE: Other France in the Pacific reports

A primary driver is the shared economic rationale. From Port Moresby’s perspective, the partnership offers a clear path to economic diversification and resilience.

But many in PNG have been watching with keen interest and asking: how badly does PNG want this?

While Prime Minister James Marape offered France a Special Economic Zone in Port Moresby (SEZ) for French businesses, he also named the lookout at Port Moresby’s Variarata National Park after President Emmanuel Macron drawing the ire of many in the country.

The proposal to establish a SEZ specifically for French industries is a notable attempt to attract capital from beyond PNG’s traditional partners.

Strategically coupled
This is strategically coupled with securing the future of the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project.

Macron’s personal undertaking to work with TotalEnergies to keep the project on schedule provides crucial stability for one of PNG’s most significant economic ventures.

For France, these arrangements secure a major energy investment for its national corporate champion and establish a stronger economic foothold in a strategically vital region between Asia and the Pacific.

In the area of security, the relationship addresses tangible needs for both nations.

PNG is faced with the immense challenge of monitoring a 2.4 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone, making it vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The finalisation of a Shiprider Agreement with France provides a practical force-multiplier, leveraging French naval assets to enhance PNG’s maritime surveillance capabilities. This move, along with planned defence talks on air and maritime cooperation, allows PNG to diversify its security architecture.

For France, a resident power with Pacific territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia, participating in regional security operations reinforces its role and commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Elevating diplomatic influence
The partnership is also a vehicle for elevating diplomatic influence.

Port Moresby has noted the significance of engaging with a partner that holds permanent membership on the UN Security Council and seats at the G7 and G20.

This alignment provides PNG with a powerful channel to global decision-making forums. The reciprocal move to establish a PNG embassy in Paris further cements the relationship on a mature footing.

The diplomatic synergy is perhaps best illustrated by France’s full endorsement of PNG’s bid to host a future UN Ocean Conference. This support provides PNG with a major opportunity to lead on the world stage, while allowing France to demonstrate its credentials as a key partner to the Pacific Islands.

This deepening PNG-France partnership does not exist in a vacuum.

It is unfolding within a broader context of heightened geopolitical competition across the Pacific.

The West’s view of China’s rapid emergence as a dominant economic and military force in the region has reshaped the strategic landscape, prompting traditional powers to re-engage with renewed urgency.

increased diplomatic footprint
The United States has responded by significantly increasing its diplomatic and security footprint, a move marked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Port Moresby to sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement.

Similarly, Australia, PNG’s traditional security partner, is working to reinforce its long-standing influence through initiatives like the multi-million-dollar deal to establish a PNG team in its National Rugby League (NRL), a soft-power exercise reportedly linked to security outcomes.

This competitive environment has, in turn, created greater agency for Pacific nations, allowing them to diversify their partnerships beyond old allies and providing a fertile ground for European powers like France to assert their own strategic interests.

A strong foundation for the relationship is a shared public stance on environmental stewardship. The agreement on the need for rigorous scientific studies before any deep-sea mining occurs aligns PNG’s national policy with a position of environmental caution.

This common ground extends to broader climate action, where France’s commitment to conservation in the Pacific resonates with PNG’s status as a frontline nation vulnerable to climate change.

This alignment on values provides a durable and politically important basis for cooperation, allowing both nations to jointly advocate for climate justice and ocean protection.

For the Papua New Guinea economy, this deepening partnership with France is critically important as it provides high-level stability for the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project and creates a direct pathway for new investment through a proposed SEZ for French businesses.

Vital economic resource
Furthermore, by moving to finalise a Shiprider Agreement to combat illegal fishing, the government is actively protecting a vital economic resource.

For Marape’s credibility in local politics, these outcomes are tangible successes he can present to the nation as he battles a massive credibility dip in recent years.

Securing a personal undertaking from the leader of a G7 nation, gaining support for PNG to host a future UN Ocean Conference, and enhancing national security demonstrates effective leadership on the world stage.

This allows him to build a narrative of a competent statesman who, through “warm, personal relationships”, can deliver on promises of economic opportunity and national security while strengthening his political standing at home.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests.

The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of economic, security, and diplomatic priorities with PNG, taking full advantage of its position as the biggest, most strategically placed island player in the Pacific.

An examination of the key outcomes reveals a partnership of mutual benefit, reflecting both PNG’s strategic diversification and France’s own long-term ambitions as a Pacific power.

• READ MORE: Other France in the Pacific reports

A primary driver is the shared economic rationale. From Port Moresby’s perspective, the partnership offers a clear path to economic diversification and resilience.

But many in PNG have been watching with keen interest and asking: how badly does PNG want this?

While Prime Minister James Marape offered France a Special Economic Zone in Port Moresby (SEZ) for French businesses, he also named the lookout at Port Moresby’s Variarata National Park after President Emmanuel Macron drawing the ire of many in the country.

The proposal to establish a SEZ specifically for French industries is a notable attempt to attract capital from beyond PNG’s traditional partners.

Strategically coupled
This is strategically coupled with securing the future of the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project.

Macron’s personal undertaking to work with TotalEnergies to keep the project on schedule provides crucial stability for one of PNG’s most significant economic ventures.

For France, these arrangements secure a major energy investment for its national corporate champion and establish a stronger economic foothold in a strategically vital region between Asia and the Pacific.

In the area of security, the relationship addresses tangible needs for both nations.

PNG is faced with the immense challenge of monitoring a 2.4 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone, making it vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The finalisation of a Shiprider Agreement with France provides a practical force-multiplier, leveraging French naval assets to enhance PNG’s maritime surveillance capabilities. This move, along with planned defence talks on air and maritime cooperation, allows PNG to diversify its security architecture.

For France, a resident power with Pacific territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia, participating in regional security operations reinforces its role and commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Elevating diplomatic influence
The partnership is also a vehicle for elevating diplomatic influence.

Port Moresby has noted the significance of engaging with a partner that holds permanent membership on the UN Security Council and seats at the G7 and G20.

This alignment provides PNG with a powerful channel to global decision-making forums. The reciprocal move to establish a PNG embassy in Paris further cements the relationship on a mature footing.

The diplomatic synergy is perhaps best illustrated by France’s full endorsement of PNG’s bid to host a future UN Ocean Conference. This support provides PNG with a major opportunity to lead on the world stage, while allowing France to demonstrate its credentials as a key partner to the Pacific Islands.

This deepening PNG-France partnership does not exist in a vacuum.

It is unfolding within a broader context of heightened geopolitical competition across the Pacific.

The West’s view of China’s rapid emergence as a dominant economic and military force in the region has reshaped the strategic landscape, prompting traditional powers to re-engage with renewed urgency.

increased diplomatic footprint
The United States has responded by significantly increasing its diplomatic and security footprint, a move marked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Port Moresby to sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement.

Similarly, Australia, PNG’s traditional security partner, is working to reinforce its long-standing influence through initiatives like the multi-million-dollar deal to establish a PNG team in its National Rugby League (NRL), a soft-power exercise reportedly linked to security outcomes.

This competitive environment has, in turn, created greater agency for Pacific nations, allowing them to diversify their partnerships beyond old allies and providing a fertile ground for European powers like France to assert their own strategic interests.

A strong foundation for the relationship is a shared public stance on environmental stewardship. The agreement on the need for rigorous scientific studies before any deep-sea mining occurs aligns PNG’s national policy with a position of environmental caution.

This common ground extends to broader climate action, where France’s commitment to conservation in the Pacific resonates with PNG’s status as a frontline nation vulnerable to climate change.

This alignment on values provides a durable and politically important basis for cooperation, allowing both nations to jointly advocate for climate justice and ocean protection.

For the Papua New Guinea economy, this deepening partnership with France is critically important as it provides high-level stability for the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project and creates a direct pathway for new investment through a proposed SEZ for French businesses.

Vital economic resource
Furthermore, by moving to finalise a Shiprider Agreement to combat illegal fishing, the government is actively protecting a vital economic resource.

For Marape’s credibility in local politics, these outcomes are tangible successes he can present to the nation as he battles a massive credibility dip in recent years.

Securing a personal undertaking from the leader of a G7 nation, gaining support for PNG to host a future UN Ocean Conference, and enhancing national security demonstrates effective leadership on the world stage.

This allows him to build a narrative of a competent statesman who, through “warm, personal relationships”, can deliver on promises of economic opportunity and national security while strengthening his political standing at home.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

The recent series of high-level agreements between Papua New Guinea and France marks a significant development in PNG’s geopolitical relationships, driven by what appears to be a convergence of national interests.

The “deepening relationship” is less about a single personality and more about a calculated alignment of economic, security, and diplomatic priorities with PNG, taking full advantage of its position as the biggest, most strategically placed island player in the Pacific.

An examination of the key outcomes reveals a partnership of mutual benefit, reflecting both PNG’s strategic diversification and France’s own long-term ambitions as a Pacific power.

• READ MORE: Other France in the Pacific reports

A primary driver is the shared economic rationale. From Port Moresby’s perspective, the partnership offers a clear path to economic diversification and resilience.

But many in PNG have been watching with keen interest and asking: how badly does PNG want this?

While Prime Minister James Marape offered France a Special Economic Zone in Port Moresby (SEZ) for French businesses, he also named the lookout at Port Moresby’s Variarata National Park after President Emmanuel Macron drawing the ire of many in the country.

The proposal to establish a SEZ specifically for French industries is a notable attempt to attract capital from beyond PNG’s traditional partners.

Strategically coupled
This is strategically coupled with securing the future of the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project.

Macron’s personal undertaking to work with TotalEnergies to keep the project on schedule provides crucial stability for one of PNG’s most significant economic ventures.

For France, these arrangements secure a major energy investment for its national corporate champion and establish a stronger economic foothold in a strategically vital region between Asia and the Pacific.

In the area of security, the relationship addresses tangible needs for both nations.

PNG is faced with the immense challenge of monitoring a 2.4 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone, making it vulnerable to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

The finalisation of a Shiprider Agreement with France provides a practical force-multiplier, leveraging French naval assets to enhance PNG’s maritime surveillance capabilities. This move, along with planned defence talks on air and maritime cooperation, allows PNG to diversify its security architecture.

For France, a resident power with Pacific territories like New Caledonia and French Polynesia, participating in regional security operations reinforces its role and commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Elevating diplomatic influence
The partnership is also a vehicle for elevating diplomatic influence.

Port Moresby has noted the significance of engaging with a partner that holds permanent membership on the UN Security Council and seats at the G7 and G20.

This alignment provides PNG with a powerful channel to global decision-making forums. The reciprocal move to establish a PNG embassy in Paris further cements the relationship on a mature footing.

The diplomatic synergy is perhaps best illustrated by France’s full endorsement of PNG’s bid to host a future UN Ocean Conference. This support provides PNG with a major opportunity to lead on the world stage, while allowing France to demonstrate its credentials as a key partner to the Pacific Islands.

This deepening PNG-France partnership does not exist in a vacuum.

It is unfolding within a broader context of heightened geopolitical competition across the Pacific.

The West’s view of China’s rapid emergence as a dominant economic and military force in the region has reshaped the strategic landscape, prompting traditional powers to re-engage with renewed urgency.

increased diplomatic footprint
The United States has responded by significantly increasing its diplomatic and security footprint, a move marked by Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to Port Moresby to sign the Defence Cooperation Agreement.

Similarly, Australia, PNG’s traditional security partner, is working to reinforce its long-standing influence through initiatives like the multi-million-dollar deal to establish a PNG team in its National Rugby League (NRL), a soft-power exercise reportedly linked to security outcomes.

This competitive environment has, in turn, created greater agency for Pacific nations, allowing them to diversify their partnerships beyond old allies and providing a fertile ground for European powers like France to assert their own strategic interests.

A strong foundation for the relationship is a shared public stance on environmental stewardship. The agreement on the need for rigorous scientific studies before any deep-sea mining occurs aligns PNG’s national policy with a position of environmental caution.

This common ground extends to broader climate action, where France’s commitment to conservation in the Pacific resonates with PNG’s status as a frontline nation vulnerable to climate change.

This alignment on values provides a durable and politically important basis for cooperation, allowing both nations to jointly advocate for climate justice and ocean protection.

For the Papua New Guinea economy, this deepening partnership with France is critically important as it provides high-level stability for the multi-billion-dollar Papua LNG project and creates a direct pathway for new investment through a proposed SEZ for French businesses.

Vital economic resource
Furthermore, by moving to finalise a Shiprider Agreement to combat illegal fishing, the government is actively protecting a vital economic resource.

For Marape’s credibility in local politics, these outcomes are tangible successes he can present to the nation as he battles a massive credibility dip in recent years.

Securing a personal undertaking from the leader of a G7 nation, gaining support for PNG to host a future UN Ocean Conference, and enhancing national security demonstrates effective leadership on the world stage.

This allows him to build a narrative of a competent statesman who, through “warm, personal relationships”, can deliver on promises of economic opportunity and national security while strengthening his political standing at home.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

After the biggest manhunt in Minnesota history, authorities have detained 57-year-old Vance Boelter, who is accused of fatally shooting democratic lawmaker and former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in their Minnesota home early on Saturday in what authorities say were politically motivated assassinations. He is also accused of wounding state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their home in a separate shooting.

“Melissa Hortman was an outstanding leader that was very loved and respected by many people, and what this means for us is that we lost a leader that was very important to us,” says Patricia Torres Ray, a former Minnesota state senator and a former colleague of both Hortman and Hoffman.

Police say they found three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm handgun and a hit list written by the gunman that contained the names of about 70 people, including prominent Democratic lawmakers and abortion providers and advocates. Flyers for Saturday’s No Kings rallies were also found, prompting many organizers in Minnesota to cancel their protests.

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Fighting between Israel and Iran has entered a fourth day, after Israel launched a sweeping, unprovoked attack. Iran’s Health Ministry reports a total of 224 people have been killed, with 1,277 people hospitalized, by Israeli attacks. Iran has responded by launching a wave of missile attacks on Tel Aviv, Haifa and other Israeli cities, killing at least 24 people and injuring more than 500.

We speak with Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, who says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “basically bombed away President Trump’s only possibility for a diplomatic win early on in his second term.” Vaez also argues President Trump is the only world leader with the ability to “stop this cycle of escalation from expanding into a much more disastrous regional conflagration.”

Iranian-born Israeli political activist Orly Noy says Netanyau launched strikes on Iran to salvage his dwindling political popularity. The Israeli people are very susceptible to believing “the imaginary threats that Netanyahu uses,” says Noy.

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Local press freedom groups said those abducted between May 21 and 23 included:

• Abduljabbar Zayad, freelance photographer
• Hassan Ziyad, journalist with London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
• Abdulaziz Al-Noum, Director of the Soorah Media Production Center,
• Walid Ali Ghalib, deputy head of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate

On May 24, the Specialized Criminal Court in the capital Sanaa sentenced well-known Yemeni journalist Mohamed Al-Miyahi to 1½ years in prison for criticizing Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi online. Al-Miyahi was also ordered to sign a pledge not to resume his journalistic work and to pay a guarantee of 5 million riyals (US$20,500), which he would forfeit if he were to resume publication of material critical of the state.

“The kidnapping of at least four Yemeni journalists and media workers and the sentence issued against Mohamed Al-Miyahi exemplify the Houthis’ escalating assault on press freedom,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “We call on Houthi authorities to immediately release all detained journalists and stop weaponizing the law and courts to legitimize their repression of independent voices.”

The Iranian-backed rebels, who control Sanaa and govern more than 70% of Yemen’s population, have been fighting a Saudi-backed coalition since 2015. The group is designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

Al-Miyahi criticized the Houthis in his last article prior to his September abduction and enforced disappearance for over a month. In January, he appeared in court, accused of “publishing articles against the state.” 

Al-Miyahi’s prosecution violates Article 13 of Yemen’s press law, which protects journalists from punishment for publishing their opinions, unless these are unlawful.

CPJ has criticized the establishment of parallel justice systems by non-state groups, like the Houthis, as they are widely seen as lacking impartiality.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

Local press freedom groups said those abducted between May 21 and 23 included:

• Abduljabbar Zayad, freelance photographer
• Hassan Ziyad, journalist with London-based newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
• Abdulaziz Al-Noum, Director of the Soorah Media Production Center,
• Walid Ali Ghalib, deputy head of the Yemeni Journalists Syndicate

On May 24, the Specialized Criminal Court in the capital Sanaa sentenced well-known Yemeni journalist Mohamed Al-Miyahi to 1½ years in prison for criticizing Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi online. Al-Miyahi was also ordered to sign a pledge not to resume his journalistic work and to pay a guarantee of 5 million riyals (US$20,500), which he would forfeit if he were to resume publication of material critical of the state.

“The kidnapping of at least four Yemeni journalists and media workers and the sentence issued against Mohamed Al-Miyahi exemplify the Houthis’ escalating assault on press freedom,” said CPJ Regional Director Sara Qudah. “We call on Houthi authorities to immediately release all detained journalists and stop weaponizing the law and courts to legitimize their repression of independent voices.”

The Iranian-backed rebels, who control Sanaa and govern more than 70% of Yemen’s population, have been fighting a Saudi-backed coalition since 2015. The group is designated a terrorist organization by the United States.

Al-Miyahi criticized the Houthis in his last article prior to his September abduction and enforced disappearance for over a month. In January, he appeared in court, accused of “publishing articles against the state.” 

Al-Miyahi’s prosecution violates Article 13 of Yemen’s press law, which protects journalists from punishment for publishing their opinions, unless these are unlawful.

CPJ has criticized the establishment of parallel justice systems by non-state groups, like the Houthis, as they are widely seen as lacking impartiality.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

His followers say the Buddhist leader, who had been missing for over eight months, had fled to Vietnam to escape Chinese government persecution for his work as an educator and promoter of Tibetan language and culture.

(Tenzin Woser/RFA Tibetan)

Tulku Hungkar Dorje, who was the 10th abbot of Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade county in Golog, died, aged 56, on March 29, 2025, in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, his monastery said in a statement. Chinese authorities forbid the monastery and local residents from holding public memorial services and prayers for the abbot, sources told RFA.

The 49th day prayer service is particularly significant in Tibetan Buddhism as it marks the end of bardo, or the period between death and rebirth. Elaborate rituals and prayer offerings are made to guide the consciousness of the deceased through bardo and into rebirth.

(Tenzin Woser/RFA Tibetan)

Rights groups and various Tibetan associations, including the Dhomay Cholka Association which is a non-governmental organization representing Tibetans from the historical Amdo region, have decried the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death while he was in Chinese custody in Vietnam and have called for an independent probe.

A separate memorial service – titled ‘Tulku Hungkar Dorje Lives’ and organized by Tibetan rights groups – was held later that same day in Dharamsala to pay tribute to the Buddhist leader’s lifelong contributions as a religious teacher, philanthropist, educator, and environmentalist.

At the event, Tibetan scholars, activists, and former political prisoners highlighted Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s relentless efforts in ensuring the preservation of Tibetan language, culture, and religion, and vowed to continue to urge the Vietnamese government to allow a transparent and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

(Tenzin Woser/RFA Tibetan)

Edited by Tenzin Pema and Mat Pennington

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Tenzin Woser for RFA.

His followers say the Buddhist leader, who had been missing for over eight months, had fled to Vietnam to escape Chinese government persecution for his work as an educator and promoter of Tibetan language and culture.

(Tenzin Woser/RFA Tibetan)

Tulku Hungkar Dorje, who was the 10th abbot of Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade county in Golog, died, aged 56, on March 29, 2025, in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, his monastery said in a statement. Chinese authorities forbid the monastery and local residents from holding public memorial services and prayers for the abbot, sources told RFA.

The 49th day prayer service is particularly significant in Tibetan Buddhism as it marks the end of bardo, or the period between death and rebirth. Elaborate rituals and prayer offerings are made to guide the consciousness of the deceased through bardo and into rebirth.

(Tenzin Woser/RFA Tibetan)

Rights groups and various Tibetan associations, including the Dhomay Cholka Association which is a non-governmental organization representing Tibetans from the historical Amdo region, have decried the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death while he was in Chinese custody in Vietnam and have called for an independent probe.

A separate memorial service – titled ‘Tulku Hungkar Dorje Lives’ and organized by Tibetan rights groups – was held later that same day in Dharamsala to pay tribute to the Buddhist leader’s lifelong contributions as a religious teacher, philanthropist, educator, and environmentalist.

At the event, Tibetan scholars, activists, and former political prisoners highlighted Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s relentless efforts in ensuring the preservation of Tibetan language, culture, and religion, and vowed to continue to urge the Vietnamese government to allow a transparent and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

(Tenzin Woser/RFA Tibetan)

Edited by Tenzin Pema and Mat Pennington

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Tenzin Woser for RFA.

We look at President Donald Trump’s diplomatic visit to the Middle East and discuss his administration’s foreign policy in the region with Akbar Shahid Ahmed, senior diplomatic correspondent for HuffPost, and Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of DAWN. As Trump sells U.S. military power in the Gulf in exchange for investments in U.S. businesses, they warn that Trump’s transactional business philosophy is spreading to the administration’s dealings around the world. As Whitson puts it, “if you can pay, then you can play.” This approach extends to the new Syrian government, as Trump pledges to lift sanctions on the country. However, explains Ahmed, while the thawing of relationships between the U.S. and Arab states has the added effect of divergence from tight-knit U.S.-Israel coordination, these changes can be attributed to Trump’s “America First” agenda, rather than any concern for Palestinians, whom Trump is happy to allow Israel to “pummel.”

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

The leader of the Pacific Conference of Churches (PCC) has reacted to the election of the new pope.

Pope Leo XIV was elected by his fellow cardinals in the Conclave on Thursday evening, Rome time.

Leo, 69, formerly Cardinal Robert Prevost, is originally from Chicago, and has spent most of his career as a missionary in Peru.

• READ MORE: Pope Leo XIV faces limits on changing the Catholic Church − but Francis made reforms that set the stage for larger changes
• What’s in a name? The history of the papal name Leo
• Other Pope Leo XIV reports

He became a cardinal only in 2023 and has become the first-ever US pope.

PCC general secretary Reverend James Bhagwan said he was not a Vatican insider, but there had been talk of cardinals feeling that the new pope should be a “middle-of-the-road person”.

Reverend Bhagwan said there had been prayers for God’s wisdom to guide the decisions made at the Conclave.

“I think if we look at where the decisions perhaps were made or based on, there had been a lot of talk that the cardinals going into Conclave had felt that a new pope would need to be someone who could take forward the legacy of Pope Francis, reaching out to those in the margins, but also be a sort of a middle-of-the-road person,” he said.

Hopes for climate response
Reverend Bhagwan said the Pacific hoped that Pope Leo carried on the late Pope Francis’s connection to the climate change response.

He said Pope Francis released his “laudate deum” exhortation on the climate shortly before the United Nations climate summit in Dubai last year.

“The focus on care for creation, the focus for ending fossil fuels and climate justice, the focus on people from the margins — I think that’s important for the Pacific people at this time.

“I know that the Catholic Church in the Pacific has been focused on on its synodal process, and so he spoke about synodality as well.

“I know that there were hopes for an Oceania synod, just as Pope Francis held a synod of the Amazon. And I think that is still something that’s in the hearts of many of our Catholic leaders and Catholic members.

“We hope that this will be an opportunity to still bring that focus to the Pacific.”

Picking up issues
New Zealand’s Cardinal John Dew, who was in the Conclave, said the new pope would not hesitate to speak out about issues around the world.

He said they were confident Pope Leo would pick up many of the issues Francis was well known for, like speaking up for climate change, human trafficking and the plight of refugees; and within the church, a different way of meeting and talking with one another — known as synodality — which is an ongoing process.

“I think any pope needs to be able to challenge things that are happening around the world, especially if it is affecting the lives of people, where the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer.”

Pope Leo appeared to be a very calm person, he added.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

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The ranking member of the House Oversight Committee is launching an investigation into whether the General Services Administration has given preferential treatment to a technology startup competing for a lucrative government contract. The startup is backed by some of President Donald Trump’s most influential Silicon Valley allies.

The committee’s action follows reporting by ProPublica last month that revealed the GSA was eyeing New York-based payments company Ramp to remake a massive, $700 billion federal credit card program known as SmartPay. Our reporting showed that senior GSA officials met with Ramp executives at least four times before publicly opening up a SmartPay contract opportunity.

Ethics experts flagged the early meetings as unusual and potentially problematic. Insiders at the GSA told ProPublica that, internally, Ramp was seen as the clear favorite for an initial $25 million pilot contract, which could act as an introduction to larger SmartPay work. The contract for the pilot program hasn’t been awarded yet.

A letter sent Friday to the GSA by Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., and reviewed by ProPublica says Democrats on the committee want information about the GSA’s dealings with “Ramp, a company with zero federal contracting experience that is backed by prominent Trump supporters, Trump family connections, and allies of Elon Musk.”

Connolly’s letter demands an array of GSA documents, including “all communications between any GSA official, contractor or subcontractor and any representative of Ramp.”

Ramp did not respond to a request for comment about the investigation.

The GSA did not respond to questions Friday. Asked about Ramp for a previous article, a GSA spokesperson told ProPublica that the agency “refutes any suggestion of unfair or preferential contracting practices” and that the “credit card reform initiative has been well known to the public in an effort to address waste, fraud, and abuse.”

SmartPay, which provides Visa and Mastercard charge cards to government employees, enables the federal workforce to purchase office supplies and equipment, book travel and pay for gas. The cards typically are used for purchases up to $10,000.

Sources within the GSA say Trump appointees at the agency, including acting Administrator Stephen Ehikian and Commissioner Josh Gruenbaum, the nation’s top procurement officer, came into their roles saying SmartPay and other government payment programs were rife with fraud or waste.

Yet both GOP and Democratic budget experts call this view inaccurate, saying SmartPay has implemented effective safeguards and monitoring tools.

SmartPay has been worth hundreds of millions of dollars in fees for the financial institutions that currently operate it, U.S. Bank and Citibank. The GSA will decide by year’s end whether to extend SmartPay with the current contract or to remake the program more fundamentally.

Ramp’s investors include some of Silicon Valley’s most powerful figures, such as Peter Thiel, the billionaire venture capitalist who provided crucial early support to Trump and spent millions on Vice President JD Vance’s Ohio Senate run. Other major backers include Keith Rabois of Khosla Ventures, who sits on Ramp’s board; Thrive Capital, founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner; and 8VC, a firm run by Musk and Trump allies.

In late April, as the GSA received a flurry of business pitches on the SmartPay pilot program, Ramp’s CEO, Eric Glyman, and Rabois appeared at a high-profile conference in Washington that brings together tech entrepreneurs, lawmakers and other senior government officials.

During a livestreamed panel titled “First Principles for a Smarter, Leaner Government,” the pair touted Ramp as a transformational solution for government payments. Later, during an interview, Rabois pointed to the fact that SmartPay issues more charge cards than there are total government employees as evidence of fraud.

But SmartPay experts say this betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of how the program works. Employees are issued separate cards for different types of purchases and often hold multiple cards at once.

Rabois did not respond to questions from ProPublica on Friday. In his response for an earlier story, Rabois said he had “no involvement in any government-related initiatives for the company.”

In the oversight committee’s letter to the GSA, Connolly writes that “the Trump Administration’s false claims about the SmartPay program may be an attempt to discredit the program to provide a new, Trump-affiliated contractor with a lucrative contract.”

This content originally appeared on ProPublica and was authored by by Christopher Bing and Avi Asher-Schapiro.

Global Tibetan rights groups on Monday condemned the cremation and called on governments to pressure Vietnam and China to clarify the circumstances of Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death.

The 56-year-old monk was the 10th abbot of Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade county in Golog prefecture in Qinghai province. He died on March 29 at Ho Chi Minh City, his monastery said in a statement on April 3.

(Citizen photo)

His followers say the abbot, who had been missing for over eight months, had fled to Vietnam to escape Chinese government persecution for his work as an educator and promoter of Tibetan language and culture.

They say he died in custody after he was arrested in a joint operation by Vietnamese police and Chinese government agents, and have made repeated calls for an independent probe into this death.

More than 30 Chinese officials and over 40 Vietnamese police and government officials reportedly supervised the transportation of the body to the crematorium, said Ju Tenkyong, director of the Amnye Machen Institute, a Dharamsala-based Tibetan center for advanced studies.

They were under pressure to complete the cremation by noon on Sunday with authorities confiscating the phones of all the people involved in the cremation, Tenkyong told RFA, citing sources familiar with the matter.

(Citizen photo)

A delegation of monks of Lung Ngon Monastery, who had travelled to Vietnam on April 5 to collect the remains of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, were prevented from seeing documents related to the cremation, nor were they able to meet with any Vietnamese government officials to discuss it, the sources told RFA. It was not immediately clear if they were allowed to be present at the cremation.

The cremation took place at Long Tho Cremation Park in northern Ho Chi Minh City, located about 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from Vinmec Central Park International Hospital, where his body was kept after his death. The park, constructed in 2014, is in the same location where a Tibetan Buddhist temple now stands.

“This deeply disrespectful act strongly suggests an attempt to eliminate crucial evidence and prevent the truth from emerging. We fear a coordinated effort to cover up the circumstances of his arrest and death, potentially involving Chinese authorities,” said Dr. Zoe Bedford, executive officer of Australia Tibet Council.

“The world must call this what it is: a potential cover-up of what could be a state-sanctioned killing,” she added.

The Vietnamese and Chinese governments have not made any public statements about the abbot’s death, nor have they responded to RFA’s requests for comment.

Through this month, the global Tibetan community and rights groups have staged protests outside Chinese embassies in India and elsewhere, and submitted appeals to the Vietnamese government, urging a transparent investigation and the handover of Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s body to his monastery.

(Tenzin Woser/RFA Tibetan)

In Tibet, Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s monastery and local residents in Gade county have been barred from holding public memorial services for the abbot, while several Tibetans who shared his photos or messages mourning his loss on social media have been interrogated and detained, underscoring the sensitivity of his death.

“Even now, Lung Ngon Monastery is facing immense difficulties, and forwarding and disseminating photos and information about Rinpoche is strictly forbidden. The monastery has been threatened with shutdown if it violates orders from the Chinese government,” said Tenkyong.

Edited by Tenzin Pema and Mat Pennington

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan and RFA Vietnam.

Photo by Markus Spiske

Your community needs leaders who care about the environment. As climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity threaten our planet’s health, we can’t afford to wait for governments or corporations to solve these problems. We need individuals who are willing to take action, inspire others, and make a difference. And those differences need to happen right in our backyards.

That’s why we need people like you. You know your community best, which means you can see right through the politics in community meetings and get to the heart of the issues.

Becoming an environmental leader is not easy. It requires knowledge, skills, values, and habits that go beyond recycling, using reusable bags, and turning off lights. It demands a deep understanding of the root causes of environmental issues, the ability to communicate convincingly and inspire action, the courage to challenge the status quo, and the resilience to overcome obstacles and failures.

However, you may understandably feel like you can’t make a significant impact on environmental issues if you don’t have enough time, resources, or expertise in the field. Despite these common challenges, pursuing environmental advocacy as a personal passion can provide you with a sense of purpose, fulfillment, and identity. It can also help you develop essential skills, such as leadership, communication, and resilience. Your actions may also inspire and influence others around you.

Leadership is not a fixed trait but a continuous learning process that can be fostered and shared. By cultivating specific skills, knowledge, and qualities, you can join the growing community of environmental leaders shaping the future of our planet.

Finding Your “Why”

Before getting started on your path to environmental leadership, it’s important to ask yourself the following questions: What motivates you to care about the environment? What drives you to take action, make sacrifices, and overcome obstacles for the sake of nature? What is your “why” for environmental advocacy?

Without a clear sense of purpose, it’s hard to sustain environmental advocacy in the long term. It’s easy to get discouraged by setbacks, overwhelmed by complexity, or distracted by other priorities.

Finding your “why” is not a one-time event. It’s a continuous process of self-discovery, reflection, and alignment. It requires you to challenge your assumptions, biases, and limiting beliefs while expanding your horizons and possibilities.

Understanding the Qualities of a Good and Equitable Environmental Leader

Some qualities that are often associated with successful environmental leadership include:

– Vision: Having a clear and inspiring vision of a sustainable and just future

– Courage: Being willing to take risks, face opposition, and speak truth to power

– Collaboration: Building partnerships and coalitions across sectors and disciplines

– Empathy: Understanding and respecting the perspectives and needs of diverse stakeholders

– Adaptability: Being flexible, agile, and able to learn from failures and feedback

– Ethics: Upholding ethical principles and values, such as honesty, transparency, and accountability

– Inclusivity: Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in decision-making and outcomes

By fostering these qualities, environmental leaders can become effective change agents and role models for future generations.

Finding Ways To Serve Your Community

Environmental leadership is not just about global issues or distant ecosystems. By engaging with our local communities, we can make tangible and meaningful impacts on environmental health, equity, and resilience. Here are some ways to promote environmental advocacy locally:

1. Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to meet like-minded people, learn new skills, and contribute to positive change in your community. It can also expose you to diverse perspectives, strategies, and challenges.

Numerous environmental organizations and initiatives depend on volunteers to support their missions. You can volunteer for beach cleanups, tree plantings, habitat restoration, environmental education, or policy advocacy.

Here are a few more ideas for you to consider:

– Organize an Earth Day (April 22) or Arbor Day (last Friday in April) event in your community

– Conduct energy audits or weatherization projects for low-income households

– Serve as a water quality monitor for your local streams and rivers

– Help organize a plastic bag reduction campaign

– Work on public transit issues to improve accessibility and reduce carbon emissions

– Help organize a community recycling initiative

– Work with local schools to promote environmental education and sustainability

– Join or create a community-supported agriculture program

2. Activism

If you’re passionate about a particular environmental issue, you can join or create a local activist group. Activism can take many forms, including protests, rallies, petitions, letter-writing campaigns, or civil disobedience. Activism requires courage, persistence, and collaboration, but it can also generate attention, momentum, and impact on environmental policy and public opinion.

Here are some ideas on how to get started:

– Attend public hearings on environmental issues

– Contact companies about their environmental practices

– Participate in boycotts of businesses that have poor environmental records

– Start an environmental club at your school or workplace

– Host a film screening or educational event about environmental issues

– Write op-eds for local newspapers or online platforms

– Create and share educational videos or infographics on environmental issues

– Host educational booths at community events to raise awareness about the environment

3. Entrepreneurship

You can start your own environmental business or social enterprise if you have an innovative idea or solution for an environmental challenge. Entrepreneurship can provide unique opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and impact on environmental sustainability and social justice. It can also give you autonomy, creativity, and scalability in pursuing your environmental vision while producing jobs, wealth, and community benefits.

Here are some environmentally themed businesses to consider exploring:

– Eco-friendly cleaning service using non-toxic and sustainable products

– Sustainable fashion brand using environmentally friendly materials

– Rainwater harvesting system installation and maintenance services

– Zero-waste grocery store

– Green transportation companies using electric or hybrid vehicles

– Solar panel installation and maintenance services

– Reusable water bottle or food container brand

– Environmental research and development company

Considerations for Choosing the Right Activity

When choosing a service that fits your skills and interests, it’s important to consider factors such as your availability, resources, and goals. You can assess your strengths and weaknesses, your network and affiliations, your learning and growth opportunities, and your potential impact and outcomes. You may also seek advice or feedback from others who have experience in the field.

Remarkable Environmental Leaders

Here are some individuals who have made a powerful impact on the planet and are sure to inspire future generations of eco-defenders:

– Wangari Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement in Kenya and planted over 50 million trees to empower women, restore degraded land, and promote democracy.

– Greta Thunberg initiated the school strike for the climate movement and inspired millions of young people to demand urgent action from politicians and businesses on climate change.

– Bill McKibben co-founded 350.org and launched the fossil fuel divestment campaign to challenge the power and influence of the fossil fuel industry and accelerate the transition to renewable energy.

– Vandana Shiva founded Navdanya and promotes agroecological farming and seed-saving to preserve biodiversity, food sovereignty, and cultural heritage.

You, too, may already be seen as an environmental leader in your day-to-day activities. When we become proactive environmental leaders, we make a positive and lasting impact on the environment and society. We can inspire and mobilize others to join us and create a more sustainable and just world for all.

This adapted excerpt is from Every Wild Voice: For Environmental Leaders, Both Present and Future by Sam Davis (2024). It is published with permission from the author and was adapted and produced for the web by Earth | Food | Life, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

The post Guide to Becoming an Environmental Leader and Inspiring the Next Generation of Eco-Defenders appeared first on CounterPunch.org.

This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Sam Davis.

The reduction in the number of provinces to 34 from 63 was approved on Monday by the Communist Party’s central committee. The same day, the Politburo, the party’s highest decision-making body, issued a directive for the appointment of new provincial leaders under the guidance of a close Lam ally.

Lam, who became secretary general of the Communist Party in August last year, faces a key hurdle in maintaining his position in Vietnam’s one-party state – he will surpass the age limit to remain in office.

To secure a full term, the party must either grant him an exemption or amend its charter, both of which can only be decided by a majority of delegates at the National Congress.

Rewriting the map of provinces will also serve to significantly reduce the number of delegates at the upcoming congress, from 1,500 previously, strengthening Lam’s ability to control the outcomes.

Since becoming leader, Lam has made several moves to consolidate power and shake up governance, an overhaul he says will make the economy more efficient.

Five of 21 state ministries were eliminated and some state and party offices and institutions were shuttered. The consolidation of provinces will be accompanied by a downsizing of lower level administrative divisions.

To bolster his high-level support, Lam has filled the ranks of the 18-member Politburo with allies from his long career as a top police official and from his native Hung Yen province, an hour south of the capital Hanoi.

Lam’s moves to consolidate power also come at a time when Vietnam’s export reliant economy faces an ever more difficult balancing act between China and the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened a 46% tariff on Vietnam’s exports, which would cause substantial pain for industries such as electronics and garment manufacturing that employ millions.

The U.S. says Vietnam has become a conduit for Chinese exporters seeking to avoid U.S. tariffs.

Edited by Stephen Wright and Taejun Kang.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Vietnamese.

The reduction in the number of provinces to 34 from 63 was approved on Monday by the Communist Party’s central committee. The same day, the Politburo, the party’s highest decision-making body, issued a directive for the appointment of new provincial leaders under the guidance of a close Lam ally.

Lam, who became secretary general of the Communist Party in August last year, faces a key hurdle in maintaining his position in Vietnam’s one-party state – he will surpass the age limit to remain in office.

To secure a full term, the party must either grant him an exemption or amend its charter, both of which can only be decided by a majority of delegates at the National Congress.

Rewriting the map of provinces will also serve to significantly reduce the number of delegates at the upcoming congress, from 1,500 previously, strengthening Lam’s ability to control the outcomes.

Since becoming leader, Lam has made several moves to consolidate power and shake up governance, an overhaul he says will make the economy more efficient.

Five of 21 state ministries were eliminated and some state and party offices and institutions were shuttered. The consolidation of provinces will be accompanied by a downsizing of lower level administrative divisions.

To bolster his high-level support, Lam has filled the ranks of the 18-member Politburo with allies from his long career as a top police official and from his native Hung Yen province, an hour south of the capital Hanoi.

Lam’s moves to consolidate power also come at a time when Vietnam’s export reliant economy faces an ever more difficult balancing act between China and the U.S.

President Donald Trump’s administration has threatened a 46% tariff on Vietnam’s exports, which would cause substantial pain for industries such as electronics and garment manufacturing that employ millions.

The U.S. says Vietnam has become a conduit for Chinese exporters seeking to avoid U.S. tariffs.

Edited by Stephen Wright and Taejun Kang.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Vietnamese.

Officials in Gade county in Golog prefecture of Qinghai province have placed the monastery of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, who died aged 56, under round-the-clock police surveillance, conducting random inspections of locals’ phones to curb information sharing about his death, said the sources. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

On April 3, Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade county confirmed that its abbot, Tulku Hungkar Dorje, had died on March 29 in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City. His followers say the Buddhist leader, who had been missing for over eight months, had fled to Vietnam to escape Chinese government persecution for his work as an educator and promoter of Tibetan language and culture.

Since April 2, authorities from Golog prefecture and Gade county have been conducting inspections at the monastery and local village, imposing tight restrictions and forbidding public memorial services for the abbot, the sources told RFA.

“After Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death, local Tibetans have faced comprehensive restrictions. Many local residents who expressed condolences or shared photos of the Rinpoche on social media have been summoned for questioning by Chinese authorities,” said the first source.

“Several Tibetans have also been detained, although detailed information cannot be obtained due to the strict controls and scrutiny,” he added.

Tulku Hungkar Dorje was renowned as a philanthropist, educator and environmentalist, who promoted Tibetan language and culture. Followers and rights groups say he was a victim of transnational repression by China and have demanded the Vietnamese government allow an independent investigation into his death, which they say took place under suspicious circumstances after he was arrested in a joint operation led by local Vietnamese police and Chinese government agents.

Vietnamese authorities have not publicly commented about the case.

Monks from Lung Ngon Monastery who travelled with Chinese officials to Vietnam on April 5 to retrieve the Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s body were initially refused permission to view the body of their abbot and from participating in meetings held at the Chinese embassy in Vietnam, Tibetan rights groups said, citing sources familiar with the matter in the region.

However, on April 10, the monks were allowed to view Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s face, but were not allowed to view the rest of his body, said Ju Tenkyong, director of the Amnye Machen Institute, a Dharamsala-based Tibetan center for advanced studies.

Currently, there is no clear information about the status of Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s body, which is reportedly at Vinmec Central Park International Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Tenkyong said.

Tibetans across the globe have united in their call for a thorough probe into the death of the respected Buddhist teacher, holding peaceful marches in several countries, including in India and the U.S., with demonstrations outside the Chinese and Vietnamese embassies and consulates in New Delhi and New York as well as candlelight vigils, prayer ceremonies, and formal petitions.

Closure of Tibetan language schools

Tulku Hungkar Dorje was a renowned Tibetan educator in a region where Chinese authorities are accused of stifling Tibetan language and culture and seeking to assimilate Tibetan children into the larger ethnic Han culture.

The abbot founded several schools and vocational centers to provide free education for children of local nomadic families. These schools, which included the Hungkar Dorje Ethnic Vocational High School and Mayul Center for Studies, were reportedly shut down shortly after he went missing last year, sources told RFA.

In another indication of the trend of Chinese authorities suppressing Tibetan education, a prominent school, also in Golog prefecture, announced Tuesday it was reopening but would not be teaching Tibetan language and culture as before.

In July 2024, Chinese officials shut down Ragya Gangjong Sherig Norbuling School, a reputed Tibetan vocational school run by prominent Buddhist teacher, Jigme Gyaltsen, citing lack of compliance with provincial communist party standards. The closure sparked widespread concern among Tibetans at the time over Beijing’s efforts to eradicate Tibetan language and culture.

On Tuesday, Gyaltsen told hundreds of monks, students, and local Tibetans at a public event that the vocational school will focus on providing practical training on technology and technical skills to enable Tibetans to keep pace with the current tech-driven era.

Tibetan netizens welcomed the reopening and praised Gyaltsen as “invincible” and “indestructible.” One also expressed hope that the “glory of Tibetan language and script will shine as before.” However, sources told RFA the school will reopen without its Tibetan language and cultural departments, which it was famed for.

Translated by Tenzin Norzom. Edited by Tenzin Pema and Mat Pennington.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.

In Dharamsala, dozens of Tibetan devotees marched in the streets for a candlelight prayer and vigil.

(Manish Swarup/AP)

The Tibetan government-in-exile called Tuesday for an independent investigation into the death.

Human rights groups contend that Tulku Hungkar Dorje was arrested from his hotel room in Ho Chi Minh City in a joint operation by local police and Chinese government agents. He was reportedly transferred to Chinese custody where he mysteriously died the same day, they added.

On April 3, Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade county (Gande in Chinese), Golog prefecture, Qinghai province, issued a statement confirming that its revered 56-year-old abbot, had died in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City due to poor health.

The monastery’s statement gave no further details. His followers say he had been missing for eight months.

“I am troubled to learn of the mysterious death of Tibetan religious leader Tulku Hungkar Dorjee in Vietnam,” said U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern in a post on X.

The Massachusetts Democrat said the State Department “must urge Vietnam to do a full and transparent independent investigation.”

I am troubled to learn of the mysterious death of Tibetan religious leader Tulku Hungkar Dorjee in Vietnam. He had been harassed by authorities in China for running his monastery and schools. @StateDept must urge Vietnam to do a full and transparent independent investigation. https://t.co/YR0HlxynfL

— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) April 11, 2025

Tulku Hungkar Dorje was a renowned religious teacher, philanthropist, and educator. He disappeared in August 2025 after he called at a public teaching in July for the preservation of Tibetan language and culture.

Chinese authorities forbid the monastery and local residents from holding public memorial services and prayers for the abbot, underscoring the sensitivity of his death, three sources from the region told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.

The sources requested anonymity because they feared reprisals.

(RFA Tibetan)

(RFA Tibetan)

(RFA Tibetan)

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Staff.

In Dharamsala, dozens of Tibetan devotees marched in the streets for a candlelight prayer and vigil.

(Manish Swarup/AP)

The Tibetan government-in-exile called Tuesday for an independent investigation into the death.

Human rights groups contend that Tulku Hungkar Dorje was arrested from his hotel room in Ho Chi Minh City in a joint operation by local police and Chinese government agents. He was reportedly transferred to Chinese custody where he mysteriously died the same day, they added.

On April 3, Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade county (Gande in Chinese), Golog prefecture, Qinghai province, issued a statement confirming that its revered 56-year-old abbot, had died in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City due to poor health.

The monastery’s statement gave no further details. His followers say he had been missing for eight months.

“I am troubled to learn of the mysterious death of Tibetan religious leader Tulku Hungkar Dorjee in Vietnam,” said U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern in a post on X.

The Massachusetts Democrat said the State Department “must urge Vietnam to do a full and transparent independent investigation.”

I am troubled to learn of the mysterious death of Tibetan religious leader Tulku Hungkar Dorjee in Vietnam. He had been harassed by authorities in China for running his monastery and schools. @StateDept must urge Vietnam to do a full and transparent independent investigation. https://t.co/YR0HlxynfL

— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) April 11, 2025

Tulku Hungkar Dorje was a renowned religious teacher, philanthropist, and educator. He disappeared in August 2025 after he called at a public teaching in July for the preservation of Tibetan language and culture.

Chinese authorities forbid the monastery and local residents from holding public memorial services and prayers for the abbot, underscoring the sensitivity of his death, three sources from the region told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday.

The sources requested anonymity because they feared reprisals.

(RFA Tibetan)

(RFA Tibetan)

(RFA Tibetan)

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Staff.

Tibetans inside Tibet took to social media platforms on Thursday to mourn the loss of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, 56. He was the 10th abbot of Lung Ngon Monastery in Gande County of Golog in Qinghai province. He was renowned as a philanthropist, educator and religious teacher.

(Citizen photo)

“As learned leaders depart like this, one after another, we are left behind like a flock of sheep without a shepherd,” wrote one Tibetan netizen.

The sources, who live inside Tibet and spoke to RFA on condition of anonymity because of fears for their own safety, said that Chinese officials on Wednesday summoned seven monks from the Lung Ngon Monastery and informed them about Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death. The officials provided no information about when or where he had died, nor the cause of his death, the sources said.

Tulku Hungkar Dorje, whose title “Tulku” refers in Tibetan Buddhism to someone who has been reincarnated, disappeared shortly after a public teaching he gave on July 21, 2024.

Chinese officials subsequently imposed strict restrictions on the monks of the monastery and local Tibetans, forbidding any public discussions about the disappearance and prohibiting the sharing of his teachings in audio or video format, the sources said.

Fears for Tulku Hungkar Dorje deepened in December 2024 when a source told RFA Tibetan that Chinese authorities were detaining well-known Buddhist lamas from across Tibet for questioning and there were fears that he had died in Chinese custody.

When the monks on Wednesday were informed of his passing, they were made to sign an official government document confirming his death, but the Chinese officials failed to disclose what had happened to the abbot’s remains, nor where he had been located during the months he had been missing, the sources said.

Chinese authorities closely scrutinize prominent Tibetan Buddhist lamas and businessmen involved in philanthropy, as well as poets, writers, and religious teachers who advocate for the preservation and promotion of Tibetan language and culture.

Such figures often face strict surveillance and are vulnerable to arbitrary detentions and long prison terms.

In 2005, Tulku Hungkar Dorje founded the first Buddhist nunnery in Golog history and also established several schools and vocational centers of learning, including the Hungkar Dorje Ethnic Vocational High School and the Mayul Center of Studies, to provide free education to Tibetan children from local nomadic families, the two sources said.

The sources said most of these schools were shut shortly after his disappearance, although one was believed to have been shut in 2021.

(Citizen photo)

The schools taught children Tibetan history and language, Chinese and English language, mathematics and moral education. They also offered vocational training in Thangka painting, Tibetan medicine, tailoring and carpet weaving.

During a visit to the United States in 2012, Tulku Hungkar Dorje wrote: “Tibet has a rich history and culture that could benefit the entire world. It is the responsibility of each successive generation to preserve this ancient tradition of knowledge. We are united in motivation and action in enthusiastically preserving and spreading our culture.”

He also spearheaded many welfare programs for local Tibetans, including free distribution of food, clothes, and medicine to thousands of Tibetan people, including monks, nuns and the aged, through the Gesar Shenpen Foundation, which he founded in 2004.

His father, Padma Tumdag Dorje, also known as Orgyen Kusum Lingpa, was a master of the ancient Tibetan Buddhist sect of Nyingma, and was also reputed as dedicating his life to working for the benefit of others.

(Citizen photo)

Tibetans on social media mourn loss

On Thursday, Tibetans inside Tibet took to social media platforms to mourn his loss and pen emotional tributes, recalling his contributions to preserving Tibetan culture, supporting thousands of underprivileged people and establishing private schools in Tibet.

“At a time when the red wind blows strongly and frequently, the news that the brightness of your being, like the snow mountains, has dimmed fills us with great sadness,” wrote the Tibetan netizen cited earlier in this article.

“As I heard about the passing of another person who wholeheartedly served the political and religious cause of Tibet, it pains (me) from the bottom of my heart,” wrote another.

Others raised suspicions around the circumstances of his death.

“How is it possible for an individual as strong as gold to have died just of sickness?” wrote a third Tibetan netizen.

Born in 1969 to a nomadic family in Gande county, Tulku Hungkar Dorje grew up with five siblings and survived the Cultural Revolution in Tibetan under Mao Zedong in the 1960s and 1970s.

After completing his monastic education from Lung Ngon Monastery from 1980 to 1989, he pursued further education at Drepung Monastery in southern India where he received the prestigious title of Rabjampa, or scholar. He then studied in the United States for a few years before assuming responsibility as the 10th abbot of Lung Ngon Monastery in 2002.

Tulku Hungkar Dorje wrote several books, including “Tangkas in Golog: The Tangka Album of Lung Ngon Monastery” and “The Melodious Sound of the Laughter of the Vidyadharas of the Three Lineages.”

RFA Tibetan journalists Tenzin Norzom and Tenzin Dhonyoe in Dharamsala, India contributed reporting. Edited by Mat Pennington.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Tenzin Pema and Tenzin Tenkyong for RFA Tibetan.

Technically, she was convicted by the court in Chongqing of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” a vague, catch-all charge often used by Chinese authorities to punish government critics or dissidents.

The case stems from a dinner last May attended by Chen and more than 20 other rights activists in Chongqing, said Weiquanwang, or the Rights Protection Network, a loose network of volunteers in China and abroad seeking to promote legal reforms in China.

They were later summoned by authorities, several were detained and Chen was arrested on July 4, over a month later. She was held in detention until her trial last month, was sentenced on March 26, Weiquanwang said.

After the ruling was announced, Chen expressed shock and anger, insisting on her innocence and immediately appealed, according to Weiquanwang.

She argued that her activities, including celebrating Taiwan’s election and past protests against alleged fraud by a natural gas company and hosting a reception for fellow rights activist Liu Fuxiang, were all protected by China’s Constitution.

Chen has appealed the decision, and her family and supporters hope that the international community will continue to pay attention and pressure the Chinese government to uphold the rule of law and release her and other detained rights activists.

Chen’s son, Yuan Chang, was present during the trial. Upon learning about this mother’s sentence, he became emotional, saying he had been deceived and threatened by the police, according to Weiquanwang.

A Chongqing resident who asked only to be identified as Zhou said that whether people were celebrating Lai’s election or criticizing Russian President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, expressing such opinions was increasingly getting people in trouble.

“This shows the fragmentation and atomization of protests in China is becoming more widespread. To deal with this situation, the authorities are expanding their crackdown, arresting more people who express dissatisfaction,” he said.

History of activism

Chen’s activism stems from a personal tragedy. 25 years ago, her brother, Chen Minghua, was shot and killed by police over a land dispute, and his body was forcibly cremated. His ashes have yet to be returned.

In 2014, the local government demolished her family’s home, prompting Chen to petition extensively, which led to authorities trying to suppress her.

Anyone who speaks out against the Chinese government or engages in activities deemed critical of are typically placed on a “blacklist” by state security and punished under the charge of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble,” said Chinese dissident Guo Min, who now lives in the United States.

Human rights organizations have criticized the ruling, arguing that it highlights the absurdity of China’s repression of free expression. The severe punishment for a private gathering to celebrate Taiwan’s election is seen as a clear instance of political retaliation under the guise of legal measures.

Edited by Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Lian Qian for RFA Mandarin.

A stoush between the Chief Human Rights Commissioner and a Jewish community leader has flared up following a showdown at Parliament.

Appearing before a parliamentary select committee today, Dr Stephen Rainbow was asked about his recent apology for incorrect comments he made about Muslims earlier this year.

“If my language has been injudicious . . .  then I have apologised for that,” he told MPs.

• READ MORE: Sh’ma Koleinu – Alternative Jewish Voices (NZ): When you think of the Jewish community, assume diversity
• Jewish groups call for for resignation of Dr Rainbow
• Racism and Islamophobia at the Office of the Human Rights Commission — Report
• Chief Human Rights Commissioner apologises to Muslim community

“I’ve apologised publicly. I’ve apologised privately. I’ve met with FIANZ [The Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand] to hear their concerns and to apologise to them, both in person and publicly, and I hold to that apology.”

The apology relates to a meeting he had with Jewish community leader Philippa Yasbek, from the anti-Zionist Jewish groups Alternative Jewish Voices and Dayenu, in February.

Yasbek said Rainbow claimed during the meeting that the Security Intelligence Services (SIS) threat assessment found Muslims posed a greater threat to the Jewish community in New Zealand than white supremacists.

In fact, the report states “white identity-motivated violent extremism [W-IMVE] remains the dominant identity-motivated violent extremism ideology in New Zealand”.

Rainbow changed his position
Rainbow told the committee he had since changed his position after receiving new information.

He said was disappointed he had “allowed [his] words to create a perception there was a prejudice there” and he would do everything in his power to repair his relationship with the Muslim community.

“Please be assured that I take this as a learning, and I will be far more measured with my comments in future.”

But Rainbow disputed another of Yasbek’s assertions that he had also raised the supposed antisemitism of Afghan refugees in West Auckland.

“It’s going to be really unhelpful if I get into a he-said-she-said, but I did not say the comments that were attributed to me about that. I do not believe that,” Rainbow said.

“I emphatically deny that I said that.”

‘It definitely stuck in my mind’ – Jewish community leader
Yasbek, who called for Rainbow’s resignation yesterday, was watching the select committee hearing from the back of the room.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Yasbek said she was certain Rainbow had made the comments about Afghan refugees.

“It was particularly memorable because it was so specific and he said that he was concerned about the risk of anti-semitism in the community of Afghan refugees in West Auckland.

“It’s very specific. It’s not a sort of detail that one is likely to make up, and it definitely stuck in my mind.”

Yasbek said the race relations commissioner and two Human Rights Commission staff members were also in the room and should be interviewed to corroborate what happened.

“There were multiple witnesses. I am concerned that he has impugned my integrity in that way which is why there should be an independent investigation of this matter.”

Raised reported comments
Speaking to RNZ later, FIANZ chairman Abdur Razzaq said he raised the commissioner’s reported comments about Afghan refugees when he met with Rainbow several weeks ago.

“I raised it at the meeting with him and he did not correct me. At my meeting there were other members of the Human Rights Commission. He did not say he didn’t [say that].”

Razzaq said it was up to the justice minister as to whether or not Rainbow was fit for the role.

“When you hear statements like this, like ‘greatest threat’, he has forgotten it was precisely this kind of Islamophobic sentiment which gave rise to the terrorist of March 15, rise to the right-wing extremist terrorists to take action and they justify it with these kinds of statements.”

“[The commissioner] calls himself an academic, a student of history. Where is his lessons learned on this aspect? To pick a Muslim community by name… he has to really genuinely look at himself as to what he is doing and what he is saying.”

Minister backs Rainbow: ‘Doing his best’
Speaking at Parliament following the hearing, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said he backed Rainbow and believed the commissioner would learn from the experience.

“The new commissioner is doing his best. By his own admission he didn’t express himself well. He has apologised and he will be learning from that experience, and it is my expectation that he will be very careful in the way that he communicates in the future.”

Goldsmith said he stood by his appointment of Rainbow, despite the independent panel tasked with leading the process taking a different view.

“There’s a range of opinions on that. The advice that I had originally from the group was a real focus on legal skills, and I thought actually equally important was the ability to communicate ideas effectively.”

Speaking in Christchurch on Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said Rainbow had got it “totally wrong” and it was appropriate he had apologised.

“He completely and quite wrongfully mischaracterised a New Zealand SIS report talking about threats to the Jewish community and he was wrong about that.

“He has subsequently apologised about that but equally Minister Goldsmith has or is talking to him about those comments as well.”

‘Not elabiorating further’
RNZ approached the Human Rights Commission on Thursday afternoon for a response to Yasbek doubling down on her recollection Rainbow had talked about the supposed antisemitism of Afghan refugees in West Auckland.

“The Chief Commissioner will not be elaborating further about what was said in the meeting,” a spokesperson said.

“He’s happy to discuss the matter privately with the people involved,” a spokesperson said.

“Dr Rainbow acknowledges that what was said caused harm and offence and what matters most is the impact on communities. That is why he has apologised unreservedly and stands by his apology.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

The surveys, conducted among Democrats and Independents who lean Democratic, find that voters want a party leadership focused on fighting back against Trump and advocating for working-class Americans.

A strong majority of Democratic voters (61%) say Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is not doing enough to oppose Trump, and 51% believe he lacks a clear, long-term strategy. After reading about Schumer’s vote in favor of the Republican spending bill, a majority (51%) of Democratic voters believe Senate Democrats should select a new leader, compared to just 34% who think Schumer should remain in his role.

"Democratic voters are sending a clear message: they want leaders who will fight Trump and put working people first,” said Danielle Deiseroth, Executive Director of Data for Progress. “The base is tired of weak opposition and business-as-usual politics. This level of discontent is unsustainable for a Party looking to build back in the wake of major losses — at a certain point, Democratic leaders will need to show voters that they are taking a stronger stance against Trump, or step aside for someone who will.”

Additional key findings:

• Democratic voters are divided on who they believe leads the party, with 17% naming Vice President Kamala Harris, followed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (15%), former President Barack Obama (15%), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (11%), and "no one" (11%).

• 66% of Democratic voters prefer a Senate leader who will fight harder against Trump and the Republican agenda, while only 14% prioritize bipartisan compromise.
• By a +44-point margin, Democratic voters support older leaders retiring to make way for the next generation.
• Democratic voters overwhelmingly support funding programs like health care and housing, even if it increases the deficit (63%-34%), and prioritize fighting for the working class over corporate interests.
• While Democratic voters strongly support legal challenges (81%), public engagement, and voter registration drives to oppose Trump, they are less supportive of tactics such as interrupting major Republican speeches.

.

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

This seismic transformation, while the Trump administration is instituting deep cuts in funding for research and shutting down the Department of Education, underscores not only China’s scientific prowess but also its strategic vision for global leadership in innovation and technology. To fully appreciate China’s meteoric rise, one must look back at the academic landscape a decade ago. When the Nature Index Global rankings were first released in 2014, only eight Chinese universities made it into the top 100. Today, that number has more than quintupled, with 42 Chinese institutions now ranking among the world’s best, surpassing the 36 American and four British universities in the list.

Among these institutions, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has emerged as a formidable research hub. It now ranks second worldwide, boasting a total of 2,585 high-impact research papers and a contribution share of 835.02. Similarly, Zhejiang University, Peking University, and Tsinghua University have cemented their positions as leaders in the global academic arena, producing groundbreaking research in fields ranging from quantum computing to renewable energy.

A closer look at the Nature Index data reveals that China’s dominance is particularly pronounced in chemistry, physical sciences, and earth and environmental sciences. In chemistry alone, Chinese universities occupy all 10 top spots, a staggering feat that reflects the country’s commitment to fundamental research. Similarly, in physical sciences, eight of the top 10institutions are Chinese, signaling a shift in global research priorities.

While the United States continues to lead in biomedical and translational research, China is rapidly closing the gap. Institutions such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are making significant inroads into biotechnology, genetics, and pharmaceutical sciences, fields traditionally dominated by Western universities. The contrast in research emphasis—China’s focus on engineering and applied sciences versus the West’s strength in medical research—illustrates how different regions are positioning themselves for future technological supremacy.

China’s transformation into a research powerhouse has not happened by chance. It is the result of deliberate policy decisions, substantial financial investment, and systemic reforms aimed at enhancing academic quality. According to China’s National Bureau of Statistics, the country’s research and development (R&D) expenditure reached an all-time high of 3.61 trillion yuan (approximately $500 billion) in 2024. This represents an 8.3 percent year-on-year increase and accounts for 2.68 percent of China’s GDP, a percentage that continues to rise steadily. Unlike in the past, where research funding was spread thinly across many projects, the Chinese government has adopted a more strategic approach, channeling resources into key areas such as artificial intelligence, materials science, and space exploration.

One of the most notable policy shifts has been the move away from publication-based evaluation metrics. Previously, Chinese academics were incentivized to publish as many papers as possible, often at the expense of quality. However, recent reforms have introduced a more rigorous peer-review system that prioritizes impactful and innovative research over sheer volume. This shift has resulted in a significant improvement in the credibility and global influence of Chinese scientific output.

Another crucial factor in China’s academic resurgence has been its aggressive talent acquisition strategies. The “Thousand Talents Program,” launched in 2008, has successfully attracted thousands of top Chinese and foreign researchers to the country’s leading universities. By offering competitive salaries, state-of-the-art research facilities, and substantial funding, China has reversed the long-standing “brain drain” phenomenon and created an environment where top-tier researchers can thrive.

Additionally, universities have been given greater autonomy in hiring decisions, curriculum development, and international collaborations. This decentralization has enabled institutions to be more dynamic and responsive to global scientific trends, further accelerating China’s rise as an academic superpower. China’s growing influence in academia is not merely an intellectual achievement; it has significant geopolitical ramifications. The country’s advances in areas such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology have raised concerns in the West, particularly in the United States, where policymakers see China’s scientific rise as a challenge to American technological supremacy.

In response, Washington has implemented a series of restrictive policies, including export controls on advanced semiconductor technology and visa limitations for Chinese researchers. However, rather than stifling China’s progress, these measures have only intensified the country’s push for self-sufficiency. The recent unveiling of the DeepSeek R1 AI model, which rivals OpenAI’s GPT-4 despite being developed with domestic chips, is a testament to China’s ability to innovate under pressure.

Moreover, China’s research collaborations are extending beyond the West. Increasingly, Chinese institutions are forming partnerships with universities in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, fostering a new academic order that challenges the traditional Western-centric model of scientific exchange. This shift is not only strengthening China’s influence in emerging markets but also reshaping the global research landscape in ways that were unimaginable just a decade ago.

As China continues to consolidate its position as a leader in academic research, questions arise about the future balance of power in global science. Will the United States and Europe be able to regain their former dominance, or will they have to adapt to a multipolar academic world where China plays a central role? Although Western institutions still lead in many areas, China’s rapid ascent demonstrates that scientific excellence is no longer confined to a handful of elite universities in the United States and Europe. The shift is not just about numbers. It is about influence, innovation, and the ability to set the agenda for the future of science and technology.

This first appeared on FPIF.

The post China Dethrones the US as the Global Leader in Research appeared first on CounterPunch.org.

This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by Imran Khalid.

North Korea has dialed up its criticism of the U.S. and two of its key Asian allies – South Korea and Japan – in recent weeks, denouncing their recent joint naval drills as well as warning of an “overwhelming” and “decisive” response to any provocations from “hostile countries.”

Its nuclear program has also advanced significantly, with recent developments including hypersonic missile tests, enhanced uranium enrichment, and the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine.

“Kim has no intention of negotiating away his strategic weapons programs, which he perceives as a guarantor of regime security and national pride, because they threaten the [U.S.] homeland, U.S. forces in the region, and U.S. allies like South Korea and Japan,” said the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Last year’s edition of the report said that Kim “almost certainly” had no intentions of negotiating away his nuclear program.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that Kim was pursuing stronger strategic and conventional capabilities that can target U.S. forces and allies in the region, as well as the U.S. mainland, to achieve “at least tacit recognition as a nuclear weapons power.”

“North Korea is probably prepared to conduct another nuclear test on short notice and continues to flight test ICBMs to demonstrate their increasing capabilities as leverage in future negotiations,” said Gabbard at the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Concern over Pyongyang-Moscow ties

The report also pointed out that Russia was increasingly supporting North Korea’s nuclear status in exchange for Pyongyang’s support for Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

“Kim’s newly cemented strategic partnership with Russia is yielding financial benefit, diplomatic support, and defense cooperation. The partnership with Moscow also helps reduce Pyongyang’s reliance on Beijing,” said the report, referring to a comprehensive treaty between two countries.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea for talks with Kim in June last year when they announced the treaty, agreeing to offer each other military assistance “without delay” if either were attacked. They also underscored their shared defiance of Western sanctions and expanded cooperation in various sectors.

“North Korea’s advancing strategic weapons capabilities and increasing access to revenue are enabling Kim’s longstanding goals of securing international acceptance as a nuclear power, reducing U.S. military presence on the Korean Peninsula, expanding state control over the North’s economy, and blocking foreign influence,” the report said.

The report also warned that Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine poses several risks to the U.S., including the chance of the conflict escalating into a larger war, the potential use of nuclear weapons, increased anxiety among NATO allies, and a more confident stance from China and North Korea.

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The report said Kim would threaten to use force when he perceives U.S. and allied actions as challenging the North’s sovereignty, undermining his power or aiming to curb his nuclear and missile ambitions.

In particular, the report raised the possibility of Kim challenging the Northern Limit Line, or NLL, a de facto inter-Korean sea border.

The North has disputed the NLL as it was unilaterally drawn by the U.S.-led U.N. Command after the 1950-53 Korean War.

“Kim in the past has challenged South Korea’s de facto maritime boundary claims and may do so again, raising the prospects of renewed clashes along the NLL,” the report said.

Gabbard also noted concerns about collaboration between China, Russia, Iran and North Korea against U.S. interests.

The intelligence community “sees China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea engaging in activities that could challenge U.S. capabilities and interests, especially related to our security and economy,” she said. “These actors are, in some cases, working together in different areas to target U.S. interests and protect themselves from U.S. sanctions.”

Edited by Mike Firn and Stephen Wright.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Taejun Kang for RFA.

Despite his pre-election, patently false statements that he knew nothing about it, much less who wrote it,[2] Trump is presently using the 900-page Project 2025, chapter and verse, to do exactly what Hitler did in Germany, only to our own American government and democracy[3]— dismantle and destroy our government, its system of checks and balances, and its Constitution.[4]

This Constitutional crisis[5] has become daily news, as he and Elon Musk (Trump’s version of Hermann Goring) run roughshod and mindlessly through every government agency and department firing career federal employees who have tirelessly and faithfully done the dog-work of government for years, and, all the while, dismantling those agencies and departments in favor of – oligarchical, fascist tyranny.

Though not quite as quickly as Hitler destroyed his Country’s government, Trump and Musk are doing exactly the same thing to ours.

 Where did American go wrong? In 2024 voters elected to the Presidency the most mentally deranged, self-centered, incompetent, toxic, venal, draft-dodging, and corrupt insurrectionist ever to serve in that office. America elected to the highest and most powerful public office on earth, a man with the emotional maturity of a spoiled two-year old; a self-proclaimed dictator; a man who refers to our wounded and dead veterans as “suckers” and “losers;” a man who defiled Arlington Cemetery for a photo-op; a President whose oval office is now decorated to look like the foyer of a cheese and sleaze brothel—but then, aptly so, as it turns out.

 Donald Trump is neither a leader nor a governor.  Rather he is a ruler who dictates by fiat and order, and by trashing the norms, sideboards and protocols that have epitomized—and controlled–Presidents since George Washington. He makes a mockery of the rule of law as a matter of habit and on a daily basis.

Tellingly, every time after he signs one of his silly orders or edicts with his big sharpie, he displays the document for photo-ops like some three-year-old holding up a refrigerator picture for his mother’s approval: “See, I put 200,000 people out of work today and ruined their worthless lives. I’m a Big Boy now! I’m a dictator just like Adolph, Vladmir and Viktor.”

While Trump is usually wrong, he is never in doubt. And, he has surrounded himself with incompetent loyalists, sycophants and lickspittles whose main job is to stroke his massive ego and tell him what he wants to hear.

In truth, though, four things motivate each and every decision Trump makes: (1) Will it make me look good? (2) Will I make money doing it? (3) Will it make me more powerful? And, (4) Can I punish my enemies doing it?

And, God help us, he is toying with a way to be elected to a third term—even though the 22^ndAmendment to the federal Constitution forbids it.

In the final analysis, however, Trump—obviously no believer in history—should take note that every dictator from Mussolini on has been either forced into exile, assassinated, or arrested, tried, convicted and imprisoned or executed. It’s just a matter of time.

Indeed, against every fascist regime from Mussolini on there has been a resistance movement fighting the imposition of tyranny and authoritarianism.[6] There will be one against Trump and his “unified Reich,”[7] too. Count on it.

The official motto of United States is “In God we Trust.”[8]

Now’s the time to do so–because we can’t trust America’s Hitler.

Notes.

[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/01/hitler-germany-constitution-authoritarianism/681233/

[2]https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/11/politics/trump-allies-project-2025/index.html;       https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-debate-denies-involvement-project-2025/story?id=113569516

[3]https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-project-2025-democrats-fight-rcna190846  https://www.americanprogress.org/article/project-2025-would-destroy-the-u-s-system-of-checks-and-balances-and-create-an-imperial-presidency/

[4]https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-rw/?trackId=5e4078f39bbc0f63264e3909&s=67aa8439f8493542e6082ce2&utm_campaign=wp_the_5_minute_fix&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&linknum=5&linktot=55

[5] https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ogbl#inbox/FMfcgzQZTCqXKXrMNbMVwWVMHjBMLsnG

[6] See, generally, Strongmen, Mussolini to the Present, by Ruth Ben-Ghiat,, W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York, 2021, 2020.

[7] https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/24/media/trump-unified-reich/index.html

[8] https://www.google.com/search?q=motto+of+the+united+states&sca_esv=bc42cc976f7b3cc2&sxsrf=AHTn8zoFbIyeD4geTUPH5ZN-26lLLVSRKw%3A1742512263289&source=hp&ei=h6DcZ8-gD_DL0PEPkpKZqAU&iflsig=ACkRmUkAAAAAZ9yul-4DXbXIcTTo8yfEyGVH_8NIOXxQ&oq=Motto+of+the+&gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ig1Nb3R0byBvZiB0aGUgKgIIADIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgAQyBRAAGIAEMgUQABiABDIFEAAYgARI7TRQAFj0GXAAeACQAQCYAckBoAHvDaoBBjAuMTIuMbgBAcgBAPgBAZgCDaACnw7CAgQQIxgnwgIKEC4YgAQYQxiKBcICDhAAGIAEGLEDGIMBGIoFwgILEAAYgAQYsQMYgwHCAg0QLhiABBhDGNQCGIoFwgIIEAAYgAQYsQPCAggQLhiABBixA8ICEBAAGIAEGLEDGIMBGEYY-wHCAhAQABiABBixAxiDARiKBRgKwgITEC4YgAQYsQMY0QMYQxjHARiKBcICCxAuGIAEGMcBGK8BwgIOEC4YgAQYsQMY0QMYxwHCAhQQLhiABBjHARiYBRiZBRieBRivAZgDAJIHBjAuMTIuMaAH7nOyBwYwLjEyLjG4B58O&sclient=gws-wiz

The post Trump: a Ruler Not a Leader appeared first on CounterPunch.org.

This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by James C. Nelson.

Ataullah Abu Jununi, leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, was arrested on Tuesday at an apartment near Dhaka where he had been staying for four months.

The Rapid Action Battalion, an elite security force, said it took him into custody on suspicion of terrorism and illegal entry. Nine suspected accomplices were also arrested that day from northern Mymensingh district, RAB said.

Mohammad Shahinur Alom, the officer-in-charge of Siddhirganj police station, said Ataullah and his accomplices were being interrogated for 10 days under a court order.

“He is behaving in a very modest way. He has yet to give any significant information. Let us see what happens in the next several days,” Shahinur Alom told RFA affiliate BenarNews on Friday.

Ataullah’s arrest occurred the same day that Southeast Asian NGO Fortify Rights released a 76-page report alleging that ARSA and another group had committed potential war crimes through killing, abducting and torturing Rohingya who were sheltering at refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh.

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The report also alleges that ARSA under Ataullah’s leadership carried out coordinated attacks on government security outposts in Myanmar in August 2017, prompting the Myanmar military and Buddhist vigilante groups to launch a brutal offensive against the entire Rohingya population in Rakhine state.

The crackdown forced about 740,000 to flee to the Bangladesh camps, which are home to about 1 million refugees.

“As the commander-in-chief of ARSA, Ataullah is responsible for ordering and overseeing egregious violations of international law, including targeted killings, abductions, and the torture of Rohingya civilians,” Fortify Rights CEO Matthew Smith said in a news release on Thursday, after Ataullah was arrested.

“This is a critical moment. Bangladesh has taken the important step of arresting Ataullah and others, and we encourage the ICC prosecutor to seek an arrest warrant for Ataullah to prosecute him in The Hague,” Smith said, referring to the International Criminal Court.

(ARSA)

Who is Ataullah?

Born in a refugee camp in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi in 1977, Attaulah and his parents moved to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where he was enrolled in an Islamic religious school, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).

As a young boy, he worked at a mosque in Saudi Arabia and attended the Rohingya community meetings where his speeches impressed Saudis, who backed his efforts to gain rights for Rohingya Muslims.

ICG said Ataullah became leader of ARSA in 2016. In 2017, he posted a video vowing to fight for the rights of the persecuted Rohingya in Rakhine, Myanmar.

In the Aug. 28 video statement, Ataullah stated that ARSA was established in response to Burmese government and paramilitary abuses against the stateless Rohingya community.

“Our primary objective under ARSA is to liberate our people from dehumanized oppression perpetrated by all successive Burmese regimes,” he said.

What is ARSA?

ARSA, a Rohingya insurgent group formerly known as Al-Yaaqin, gained international notoriety after it launched coordinated attacks on government security outposts in Rakhine state in August 2017, leading to the bloody crackdown against the Rohingya people.

In September 2021, popular Rohingya leader Muhib Ullah, who had visited the White House in Washington as part of his advocacy for Rohingya to be repatriated to Myanmar, was assassinated at his office in a refugee camp.

After years of denying an ARSA presence in the camps, Bangladesh authorities in June 2022 said Ataullah had ordered ARSA members to kill Muhib.

In 2023, ARSA joined forces with the Myanmar government, according to the ICG.

“Despite the Myanmar military junta being responsible for genocide and crimes against humanity against Rohingya, ARSA and the junta have joined forces to fight the Arakan Army, one of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed organizations based in Rakhine state,” the ICG said.

How are Rohingya reacting?

After hearing the news of the ARSA leader’s arrest, refugee camp resident Mohmmad Amin said he had paid a 300,000 taka (U.S. $2,467) ransom to be released after members of the Rohingya militant group abducted him.

“Ataullah sold the Rohingya people for his personal gain. We are happy for his arrest. We hope Bangladesh will give him tough punishment,” Amin told BenarNews, adding, “Ataullah was involved in the murder of Muhib Ullah.”

In the same camp, a group of Rohingya circulated a video asking Bangladesh’s interim government to release Ataullah, terming him a leader fighting for the rights of the Rohingya.

(Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters)

Meanwhile, Imtiaz Ahmed, a professor of international relations at Dhaka University, questioned the report that Ataullah lived in an apartment near Bangladesh’s capital for months without being arrested, saying it was not believable. Still, the arrest is a significant development in relations with Myanmar, he said.

“Ataullah Jununi’s arrest is a significant signal from Bangladesh to the Arakan Army and the central government that ARSA is under control,” Ahmed told BenarNews.

Across the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Rakhine state, the anti-junta Arakan Army rebels have made significant gains in battles with junta troops to gain control of the region.

“The U.N. secretary-general has stressed that Bangladesh should talk to the Arakan Army. Ataullah’s arrest could create a congenital atmosphere for probable repatriation of the Rohingya refugees, provided that Arakan Army and the central government agree,” he said.

Abdur Rahman in Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, contributed to this report.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Kamran Reza Chowdhury for BenarNews.

The letter comes in response to Schumer and nine other Senate Democrats’ recent support for the Republican-led budget bill that prioritized tax cuts for billionaires while enabling Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s plans to gut critical investments in healthcare, education, attack immigrants and trans people, and dismantle climate action.

“Chuck Schumer’s cowardice is inexcusable. Donald Trump and Elon Musk are hurtling our country toward disaster while young people are watching their future go up in flames,” said Aru Siney-Ajay, Executive Director of Sunrise Movement. “Today, Donald Trump is announcing plans to dismantle the Department of Education while Chuck Schumer sits on the sidelines. His failure to act is a betrayal, and he has no business leading if he won’t fight for our future”.

"We demand that Democrats stand up for their values and push back against Republican extremism — not enable it. This is a reckoning for a new generation of Democratic Leadership, said Sohali Vaddula, Vice President of College Democrats of America.

“As young people, the stakes for our future couldn’t be higher,” said Jackson Hurley, Senior Director for Strategy and Outreach at Voters Of Tomorrow. “We already feel like the deck is stacked against us. Trump and Elon are attacking public education, the climate, and our democracy, all for the sake of lining their pockets. And Democratic Senate leadership is not doing nearly enough to stop them. We’ve had enough. We are organizing and mobilizing to fight for the future we deserve, but we can’t win alone. It’s past time for leaders to take a stand and fight for our futures”.

The full letter can be read here.

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

Immigrant rights activist Jeanette Vizguerra, who has lived in the U.S. for more than 30 years, was arrested by ICE agents in Colorado on Monday. She was ambushed during her work break by ICE officials and is now being held in a private prison in Aurora. Vizguerra rose to fame during Trump’s first term when she evaded immigration officials by staying in a church basement with her four children and was named one of the 100 most influential people of the year by Time magazine in 2017. “The courts may not save us, but we save each other,” says Jennifer Piper, program director at the American Friends Service Committee, Colorado. “Only the people can save each other and make justice and democracy real.” We also speak with Vizguerra’s 21-year-old daughter Luna Báez, who says her mother had felt under surveillance before her arrest, including by people in unmarked vehicles. “It’s something that is very, very scary,” she says.

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Reddy, who is a member of the Congress party, made the comments on March 15, while condemning two Pulse News journalists who were arrested on March 12 for an interview with a citizen who criticized the chief minister. Police described the social media-based outlet’s interview as “abusive” and said it could incite social divisions and unrest.

On March 17, reporter Thanvi Yadav and managing director Revathi Pogadadanda were granted bail after being held for five days, their lawyer Jakkula Laxman told CPJ. The journalists, expected to be released on Tuesday, could face jail if found guilty on charges of criminal conspiracy, publishing a statement with intent to promote hatred, and intentional insult likely to break the peace under India’s criminal law Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and publishing obscene material under the Information Technology Act.

“The bail for the two Pulse News journalists is a relief, but the criminal case against them is completely unreasonable, as are Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy’s obscene threats to use violence against his critics and to muzzle the press,” said CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi. “The Congress party’s national leadership must take a clear stand against such attacks in order to defend the press freedom that it vows to respect.”

Reddy told the state assembly that it was time “to define who is a journalist” by getting media organizations to submit a list of names to the government. Those not on the list would be “treated as criminals,” he said.

On March 12, Hyderabad Police posted mugshot photographs of Yadav and Pogadadanda on the social media platform X, treatment usually reserved for hardened criminals, as well as detailing the charges they faced, one of which was struck down by the court.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

Communist Party of Vietnam General Secretary To Lam has been streamlining government since becoming the top leader on Aug. 3, 2024.

He combined and abolished some ministries and agencies before turning his attention to local government. The impact of eliminating districts and merging provinces may seem only to affect local politics and infrastructure but it goes right to the top of the party and the state, analysts told Radio Free Asia.

Where does the power lie?

Ever since Ho Chi Minh picked Le Duan as his successor, making him first secretary in 1960 and then general secretary, the communist party’s central committee has had little real power. Major decisions were made by the politburo, closely controlled by Le Duan, who filled it with his supporters. He gave his appointees responsibility for specific areas of government, while the central committee served as a rubber stamp for politburo decisions.

The power of the politburo continued after Le Duan’s death in 1986, but shifted at the 12th National Party Congress in 2016 when then-general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong gave more power to the central committee.

What does streamlining state apparatus mean for decision-making?

Vietnam holds a National Party Congress every five years, the next in 2026. Delegates to the meeting look at how effectively existing policies are being implemented, decide on any new political direction and policies and elect the members of the new term’s central committee. The central committee elects the party general secretary and members of the politburo.

The institutional reforms carried out by General Secretary To Lam in recent months could lead to changes in the selection of representatives for the 14th National Party Congress from localities and government agencies.

Currently, delegates attending congresses from various localities are elected at the local level. If district-level authorities are abolished and provinces are merged, it is likely to have an impact since new provinces – and fewer of them – will be picking delegates to attend the congress.

Will Lam’s position be strengthened or weakened?

Lam is not guaranteed re-election as general secretary at the party congress, according to political journalist Van Tran. Rapid and intensive restructuring of Vietnam’s state apparatus has always been difficult to implement, he told RFA. Lam is making changes as a matter of political survival that will also determine the political fate of his subordinates and supporters, he said.

Carl Thayer, emeritus professor at the University of New South Wales, Canberra, said if Lam wants to be re-elected general secretary, he will need support from various factions and interest groups. These include not only central committee members but also delegates to the next congress, and most importantly, support from the new central committee. Lam must build alliances to secure this support, Thayer said.

What is the significance of Vietnam’s anti-corruption campaign?

Lam’s predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong spearheaded a campaign to stamp out corruption in the party and government known as the “blazing furnace.” As then-head of the public security ministry, Lam was responsible for executing the campaign.

Critics of Trong said he used the campaign – introduced in 2013 – to consolidate power. He targeted political opponents close to Nguyen Tan Dung, who served as prime minister from 2006 to 2016.

As public security minister, Lam also used the “blazing furnace” to target opponents, leaving allies likely to support his bid to become general secretary, according to Nguyen Van Chu, former head of the economics faculty at Houston University.

Vietnamese kindergarten teachers issue “good child cards” noting students' mistakes and achievements. Nguyen Van Chu said Lam – as public security minister – issued metaphorical “good child cards” to every politburo member, determining who would stay or go.

How will regional reform impact national government?

According to an independent Australia-based political analyst, the most critical issue in Vietnamese politics is the composition of delegates attending the 2026 congress. Previously about 1,500 delegates attended so there would be a big impact if the number was cut as a result of regional government reforms, said the analyst, who didn’t want to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.

(Nhac Nguyen/AFP)

Vietnam has previously only added delegates. Lam is targeting his cuts to clear away critics and ensure only supporters attend the meeting, the analyst said. This creates the risk of political power being concentrated in the hands of one person, he added.

“At present, this is definitely the most discussed and debated issue within the party,” the analyst said.

“The outcome of these discussions will reveal which path To Lam’s reforms will follow: streamlining the apparatus and enhancing democracy, or streamlining the apparatus and concentrating power.”

How will the Central Committee change?

With the impending announcement of plans to merge provinces and eliminate district-level agencies, numerous questions have come up regarding Vietnam’s political superstructure.

Two key questions are: Will the Central Committee maintain its current composition of 180 official members and 20 alternate members as established at the 13th Party Congress? If so, how will the allocation of these positions among various agencies and localities be determined?

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Lam’s low-level reforms will have a tangible impact on Hanoi’s political superstructure, according to Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington.

Since Vietnam’s Doi Moi reforms began in 1986, to create a socialist market-oriented economy, approximately one-third of central committee members have been provincial leaders. Consequently, the consolidation of provinces and cities could reduce provincial representation in the Central Committee or lead to a shrinkage of the Central Committee, he said.

Although there are 180 official and 20 alternate members of the central committee, Article 12 of the party constitution does not specify a fixed number but stipulates that “the number of Central Committee members shall be determined by the National Party Congress.”

Similarly, for lower levels, “the number of members of any level shall be decided by the congress of that level, according to the guidance of the Central Executive Committee.”

This gives the general secretary the flexibility to select personnel for the Central Committee, according to Abuza.

“My back of the envelope calculation is that there are only 400 or so positions in the country, the Communist Party of Vietnam, army, and state owned enterprises that make one eligible for membership on the Central Committee,” he said. “My guess is that To Lam might want greater representation from the business sector.”

The year before a party congress there are usually no changes to government, said Abuza, but Lam is pushing through major structural reforms.

“That speaks to his confidence,” he said. “I think if you look at the way he has stacked the Central Committee, removed adversaries, and stacked the Politburo with allies, it seems likely that he is going to run the tables at the 14th Congress, similar to what Xi Jinping did at the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.”

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Vietnamese.

The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, released a set of images taken during a recent inspection tour by leader, Kim Jong Un, to North Korea’s key shipyards, including one where the first nuclear submarine is being built.

In two photos, the leader and his entourage were seen next to the large body of a ship, believed to have been taken at a submarine facility in the port city of Sinpo on the east coast.

KCNA quoted Kim saying that “the development of the naval force into an elite and nuclear-armed force constitutes an important content in the strategy for the development of the national defense.”

(KCNA/via Reuters)

Pyongyang has a fleet of around 70 aging submarines, most of them are classified as “midget” for their small size.

In September 2023 it launched the first so-called “tactical nuclear attack submarine,” a modified Soviet-era Romeo-class submarine, which North Korea acquired from China in the 1970s.

Despite the name, it is not nuclear-powered but fitted with diesel-electric propulsion, relatively noisy and slow, hence vulnerable to modern anti-submarine warfare. The “nuclear” component refers to the possibility of nuclear missile armament yet analysts have raised doubt about its capabilities.

The KCNA report didn’t say when the construction of the new submarine would be completed.

North Korea’s largest warships

Kim Jong Un also visited some other shipyards where North Korea’s largest warships are being constructed.

“Only when there is a powerful naval force that no one can provoke, is it possible to defend the security of the country,” he said.

(KCNA/via Reuters)

Pyongyang is believed to be building two new warships with displacement of 3,000 to 5,000 tons at Nampo shipyard on the west coast and Chongjin on the east coast.

Several of KCNA’s photos show the North Korean leader inspecting the upper structure of a ship, likely at the Nampo shipyard, with details of the deck being blurred.

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North Korea has a substantial surface fleet in numbers but it is predominantly composed of smaller patrol and coastal vessels of limited capability.

The two ships under-construction are expected to be fitted with a vertical launch system for missiles, a first for a North Korean surface vessel. A report by the British think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said that such a ship could be carrying ballistic or surface-to-air missiles yet their capabilities remain to be seen.

The North Korean shipyards’ ability to replicate the performance of the world’s latest combat systems and other associated capabilities is deemed by the report as being “limited.”

Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Staff.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who flew to Moscow on Monday, thanked Putin for delivering six fighter jets to the junta, which has been embroiled in a civil war of its own ever since it ousted a civilian government in a February 2021 coup.

Russia has been a steady supplier of weapons to the military.

“I believe that victory must be yours under your strong and decisive leadership,” Min Aung Hlaing told Putin, according to Agence France-Presse.

Putin in turn expressed thanks for a gift of six elephants marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations, Russian media reported.

Military analysts have dubbed the present as part of “elephant diplomacy” between the two governments that have faced diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions.

“Relations between our countries are indeed developing steadily,” he said, noting bilateral trade rose 40% last year, Reuters reported.

“And of course, I cannot but thank you for your very warm gift: You brought us six elephants last year, and they have already been given to the Moscow Zoo,” Putin said, according to Reuters.

(Pavel Bednyakov /AFP)

Trade amid sanctions

It was Min Aung Hlaing’s fourth visit to Russia since the coup, but his first official visit with the Russian president.

Video from Russian media showed a hug between the two leaders as they greeted one another. Seven other junta officials can be seen seated at Min Aung Hlaing’s side.

Putin first met the junta leader in 2022 in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Myanmar’s junta has also faced sanctions and widespread condemnation and has defended Russia’s actions since the invasion.

“Despite the illegitimate sanctions against Russia and Myanmar, our trade and economic cooperation is developing successfully, and mutual trade is growing,” Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said during an earlier meeting with junta officials, according to the Interfax news agency.

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Myanmar’s junta leader heaps praise on Putin at meeting in Russia

This week’s visit was scheduled after the junta approved Russian investment in the Dawei port and industrial trade zone on the Andaman Sea in Myanmar’s Tanintharyi region

The Dawei port project stalled in 2013 after it failed to attract enough investment.

Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development said on Feb. 23 that Russian investment in the revived project will go toward port construction, a coal-fired power plant and an oil refinery.

The two sides also agreed to build a small nuclear plant in Myanmar, Reuters reported. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear power corporation, said the plant would have a capacity of 100 megawatts with the possibility of tripling that capacity.

Edited by Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Matt Reed.

It fired two cruise missiles on Wednesday, both flying just over 1,500 kilometers (1,000 miles) in two hours and twelve minutes, the North’s Rodong Sinmun reported.

North Korea’s description of the missiles as “strategic” implies they have the ability to carry nuclear warheads, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

The launch was “to inform adversaries, who are severely threatening the security environment of the DPRK and escalating confrontational tensions, about the retaliatory capabilities of the Korean People’s Army in any space and the readiness of its various nuclear operational means,” Rodong Sinmun said.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK, is the North’s official name.

Kim “expressed satisfaction” over the drill, the North’s Korean Central News Agency reported.

“What is guaranteed by powerful striking ability is the most perfect deterrence and defense capacity,” Kim said, adding that the nuclear and armed forces had a responsibility to defend the country with a “reliable nuclear shield by getting more thorough battle readiness of nuclear force and full preparedness for their use.”

(KCNA/Reuters)

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was keeping a close eye on North Korea with its U.S. ally.

“Our military is closely monitoring various North Korean activities under the firm South Korea-U.S. combined defense posture so that North Korea does not misjudge the current security situation,” the South Korean military said in a statement to media..

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It is just over a month since North Korea last launched cruise missiles, coming shortly after the inauguration of Donald Trump for his second term as U.S. president.

Trump has hinted that he wants to resume direct talks with Kim Jong Un, although three meetings with the North Korean leader during his first term failed to get any commitment on ending North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs in exchange for sanctions relief.

On Friday, marines from the U.S. and South Korea began a 10-day reconnaissance exercise, Yonhap said, citing the South’s Marine Corps. Next month, the two militaries take part in the Freedom Shield joint exercise, which is likely to further antagonize North Korea.

Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Staff.

But the claim is false. The video, which has been digitally altered, in fact shows a Russian dancer who goes by the name “Vusaaal” on TikTok.

The 19-second video showing a man, who appears to be Zelenskyy in a red outfit dancing to fast music, was published on Weibo and X on Feb. 20.

Social media users said the man seen in the video is indeed Zelenskyy, with some echoing online criticism about his past career as a comedian, thus not qualified to lead Ukraine.

(Weibo and X)

Zelenskyy, who was a comedian, actor, and producer before becoming president, gained fame as the star of the popular Ukrainian television series Servant of the People, where he played a high school teacher who unexpectedly becomes president.

While his background in comedy and entertainment played a significant role in his rise to political office, critics mocked Zelenskyy for his lack of political experience, arguing that a comedian couldn’t lead a country effectively.

Some also pointed to his past performances, including satirical and risqué skits, claiming they were unpresidential, while others dismissed him as merely playing the role of a leader rather than being one, suggesting his presidency was an extension of his TV persona.

But the claim about the video is false.

A reverse image search of screenshots from the clip led to an identical video featuring a different man’s face, which was published by a TikTok user “Vusaaal” in January 2022.

(Weibo and TikTok)

Keyword searches found that the user “Vusaaal” is a Russian dancer who posts his videos on different social media channels.

Vusaaal told the Reuters news agency in January 2024 that he was the man in the video.

Siwei Lyu, a professor of computer science at the State University of New York in Albany, also told Reuters that the online video featuring Zelenskyy dancing was an AI-generated deepfake, pointing to color and border discrepancies around the face as several commonly seen flaws in such videos.

The claim about the video has been also debunked by AFP and India’s fact-checking organization Boom.

Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Taejun Kang.

Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Zhuang Jing for Asia Fact Check Lab.

Party Chairman Lo Kin-hei told journalists that the topic will be up for discussion at the meeting, describing the topic as “inevitable” in the current climate.

The party’s central committee will also discuss many other matters, including its suggestions ahead of the government’s budget on Feb. 26, Lo told a news conference on Wednesday.

The news came just weeks after a court in Hong Kong sentenced 45 democratic politicians and activists to jail terms of up to 10 years for “subversion” after they took part in a democratic primary in the summer of 2020.

The ongoing political crackdown has already seen the dissolution of the Civic Party, which disbanded in May 2023 after its lawmakers were barred from running for re-election in the wake of the 2020 National Security Law.

The pro-democracy youth activist party Demosisto disbanded in June 2020.

(Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Lo has previously suggested that the Democratic Party, which was formed in 1994, should try to hold on despite the threat of being targeted by national security police.

“I have no baggage here,” Lo said. “If we really need to [disband], then we will.”

“I’ve said publicly many times over the past two or three years that if the day comes, we will just have to face up to it.”

Few remaining options

A person familiar with the workings of the party told RFA Cantonese that the Democratic Party can only be formally dissolved after multiple discussions and procedures involving the members and the central committee, and after a general assembly vote with 75% attendance.

Exiled former Democratic Party lawmaker Ted Hui said there are few options left for his former party.

“I understand that a lot of party members and central committee members are becoming more and more worried about their personal safety,” Hui said. “They run the risk of arrest at any time.”

He said if the party does eventually disband, the move would show “the total destruction of any democratic process in Hong Kong.”

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The government has blamed several waves of pro-democracy protests in recent years on “foreign forces” trying to instigate a democratic revolution in Hong Kong.

Recent electoral reforms now ensure that almost nobody in the city’s once-vibrant opposition camp will stand for election again, amid the jailing of dozens of pro-democracy figures and rule changes requiring political vetting.

The last directly elected District Council, which saw a landslide victory for pro-democracy candidates amid record turnout that was widely seen as a ringing public endorsement of the 2019 protest movement.

The first Legislative Council election after the rule change saw plummeting turnout, while Chief Executive John Lee was given the top job after an “election” in which he was the only candidate.

Since Beijing imposed the two national security laws banning public opposition and dissent in the city and blamed “hostile foreign forces” for the resulting protests, hundreds of thousands have voted with their feet amid plummeting human rights rankings, shrinking press freedom and widespread government propaganda in schools.

‘Not surprised’

Democratic Party founding chairman Martin Lee, who has been dubbed the “father of Hong Kong democracy,” told the Ming Pao newspaper that he hasn’t heard from the central committee on the matter, but that he was “not surprised” by the talk of dissolution.

The Communist Party-backed newspaper Ta Kung Pao said the party was heading for dissolution, accusing it of having “committed many evil deeds over the years.”

“If this political cancer isn’t completely eliminated, it will inevitably endanger national security and bring disaster to Hong Kong,” the paper warned.

The party has survived threatening op-eds before.

A 2022 article in the Ming Pao by Lu Wenduan, who plays a leading role in the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front influence operations, warned that the party would be doomed if it “turns a deaf ear to warnings issued by the Wen Wei Po and the Ta Kung Pao.”

Following the jailing of 45 opposition activists in December 2024, the Wen Wei Po said the party was incompatible with the principle of “patriots ruling Hong Kong,” adding that “disbandment is the only option.”

The party has made some nods toward the new political climate, trying to demonstrate its “patriotism” and and being careful not to run afoul of security laws.

But the calls for its demise haven’t let up.

Party members have received harassing and threatening emails and text messages from people describing themselves as “patriotic, Hong Kong-loving citizens,” Lo told the news conference.

And its attempts to hold fundraising events have been forcibly canceled by venues, likely under pressure from the authorities, putting it under financial strain and limiting the scope of its activities.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Ha Syut and Yam Chi Yau for RFA Cantonese.

• Grassroots leaders’ calls for Senate Democrats to place a blanket hold on all Trump nominees, utilizing every procedural tool at their disposal
• The glaring lack of qualifications among many of Trump’s cabinet picks, particularly the grave risks of advancing Kash Patel to lead the FBI
• Elon Musk’s ongoing corporate coup and the failure of Democratic leadership to rise to the occasion and operate as an effective opposition party

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

We speak with NDN Collective founder and CEO Nick Tilsen, who was with Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier as he was released from a federal prison in Florida Monday after nearly half a century behind bars, and returned home with him to North Dakota. Peltier has always maintained his innocence for the 1975 killing of two FBI officers, and many activists have noted inconsistencies in his trial. In the final days of his presidency, former President Joe Biden granted Peltier clemency, commuting his life sentence. Peltier will remain on house arrest in the Turtle Mountain community in North Dakota. “Today I am finally free! They may have imprisoned me but they never took my spirit!” Peltier told supporters once he was released. “Thank you to all my supporters throughout the world who fought for my freedom.” Tilsen said it was “absolute pure joy” seeing him out of prison. “The release of Leonard Peltier is something that touches all of us, because all of us see a little bit of ourselves in Leonard Peltier.”

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

But the claim is misleading. The video, taken out of context, ignores interactions between the two leaders earlier in the event.

The 22-second video was shared on X on Feb. 11.

“Macron ignores Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Paris AI summit,” the caption of the post reads.

In the clip, Macron is seen greeting and shaking hands with summit participants, including U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance. However, as he passed by Modi, Macron appeared to skip him and moved on to the next participant.

The Paris AI Action Summit, held on Feb. 10-11 in Paris, was a significant international gathering focusing on the future of AI. Co-chaired by Macron and Modi, the summit was attended by more than 1,000 participants from over 100 countries.

The same video with similar claims was shared on Weibo here and here. Some media outlets, including the Hong Kong Commercial Daily, echoed the claim.

(Weibo, X and Hong Kong Commercial Daily)

But the claim is misleading. The footage was taken out of context.

A review of live footage of the event published by the Indian media outlet Firstpost shows that Macron interacted with Modi throughout the event.

For instance, at the video’s six-minute and 38-second mark, both leaders can be seen walking together towards the venue, chatting, shaking hands and posing together for photos.

(YouTube)

At the eight-minute and 30-second mark, Macron and Modi can be seen entering the venue together, individually greeting other leaders before taking their seats.

Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Taejun Kang.

Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Zhuang Jing for Asia Fact Check Lab.

"This administration has abused the probationary period to conduct a politically driven mass firing spree, targeting employees not because of performance, but because they were hired before Trump took office.

"These firings are not about poor performance -- there is no evidence these employees were anything but dedicated public servants. They are about power. They are about gutting the federal government, silencing workers, and forcing agencies into submission to a radical agenda that prioritizes cronyism over competence.

"Despite OPM's guidance earlier this week advising agencies not to engage in sweeping terminations, the administration has plowed forward. Employees were given no notice, no due process, and no opportunity to defend themselves in a blatant violation of the principles of fairness and merit that are supposed to govern federal employment.

"Agencies have spent years recruiting and developing the next generation of public servants. By firing them en masse, this administration is throwing away the very talent that agencies need to function effectively in the years ahead.

"AFGE will fight these firings every step of the way. We will stand with every impacted employee, pursue every legal challenge available, and hold this administration accountable for its reckless actions. Federal employees are not disposable, and we will not allow the government to treat them as such."

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he would back a deal for Japan’s Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel rather than purchasing the company, potentially creating an avenue for the two allies to overcome a growing irritant in their relationship.

Trump announced the deal after talks at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who became the second world leader to meet with Trump since he returned to office in mid-January.

In one of his final acts as president, Joe Biden last month blocked Nippon Steel’s planned purchase of U.S. Steel, citing national security concerns. Trump said last year he was “totally against” the sale.

But at a press conference following talks with Ishiba, Trump said he and the Japanese prime minister had agreed to a slate of changes in the trading relationship between the two countries, including for Nippon Steel to formally drop its effort to purchase U.S. Steel.

(Kent Nishimura/Reuters)

“Nissan is going to be doing something very exciting about U.S. Steel. They’ll be looking at an investment rather than a purchase,” Trump said, mistakenly referring to the Japanese automaker.

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Trump said selling what was once “the greatest company in the world” to a foreign company was “psychologically not very good,” but attracting more foreign investment could be counted as a victory.

He said he would oversee a meeting between executives of the companies next week to help hash out the revised deal.

Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel are currently suing the American government for blocking the sale. They have alleged illegal political interference, and not genuine national concerns, undergirded Biden’s decision.

The blocking of the deal has also served as an irritant in ties between the United States and Japan, a close ally and trading partner that is also the largest source of foreign investment in America.

Compliments and compromise

Trump and Ishiba swapped gushing compliments during the press conference, with Trump saying that the Japanese prime minister “had the qualities of greatness” and was a “very strong person” about whom former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe “thought the world.”

“I wish he was a little bit weaker than that, but that’s what I got,” Trump said of Ishiba to laughs. “I have to get strong guys all the time.”

The Japanese premier was even more effusive about Trump.

“For many years, I watched him on television,” Ishiba said, describing the experience of finally meeting the “celebrity” as “quite exciting.”

“I was so excited to see such a television celebrity in person,” he said. “On television, he is frightening, and he has a very strong personality but, when I met with him, he was actually very sincere and very powerful, with a strong will for the United States and the world.”

Ishiba told the press conference that he had pledged to Trump to increase Japan’s foreign investment in the United States even further –- from around $800 million to $1 trillion.

He also said Japan would buy more liquified natural gas, or LNG, from the United States to ease the trade surplus it has with America -– a perennial bugbear for Trump.

(Kent Nishimura/Reuters)

Japan is also in the process of doubling its defense spending from 2022 levels by 2027 to 2% of GDP, Ishiba said.

Trump has wanted allies pay more to help ease strains on U.S. defense spending.

Ishiba said the increase was in line with Tokyo’s own desires to beef up its military posture and take more responsibility for its defense.

“It is not that we are told by the United States to do so. Japan on our own, on our own decision, on our own responsibility, we need to increase our defense expenditures,” Ishiba said. “But of course, we need to communicate and consult with the United States.”

You get a tariff

Yet it was trade that dominated the bulk of Ishiba and Trump’s comments. The U.S. president even forthrightly responded “yes” when asked if he was prepared to impose tariffs on imports from Japan if the approximately $68 billion trade deficit was not ultimately reduced.

It’s a rare wrinkle in ties between the two allies that has not come to the fore of ties since the 1980s, when Japan’s surging car and electronics sectors appeared destined to crush American competitors.

Speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the talks, a senior Japanese government official told Radio Free Asia that despite Trump’s statements, Tokyo would not be rushing to any conclusions about how he will treat Japan during his second presidency.

Ishiba was treating Friday’s talks as a chance to build a baseline for ties with Trump, he said, and was waiting to see what the president puts into practice before evaluating any changes in bilateral ties.

(Mandel Ngan/AFP)

“We have to wait and see what are the real policies taken by the U.S. government,” the official said. “Not only the tariff measures, but also other economic policies, we’d firstly like to analyze their impact on not only the Japanese economy, but also the international economy.”

Japanese officials, he added, had communicated to their American counterparts that blocking Nippon Steel’s purchase in U.S. Steel could lead Japanese businesses to reevaluate the wisdom of investing in the United States in future, but were likewise playing wait-and-see.

“At this moment, we have not prepared any kind of reaction or counter measures to statements made by President Trump,” he said. “During today’s meeting, the primary objective is to firstly establish the personal relationship between leaders and a relationship of cooperation.”

The stance was repeated by Ishiba when asked if Japan would consider introducing reciprocal tariffs on U.S.-made products if Trump imposed tariffs on Japanese exports to the United States.

“I am unable to respond to a theoretical question. That’s the official answer that we have,” Ishiba said to laughter from reporters.

“Wow, that’s very good. He knows what he’s doing,” Trump responded, ushering Ishiba off stage to call and end to the press conference.

Edited by Malcolm Foster. Updated to correct the United States trade deficit with Japan.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Alex Willemyns.

Sun Chanthy, the president of the Nation Power Party, said that an appeal would “be a loss of time” and not worth the effort.

“I know clearly that the present court is not independent, unjust, gravely corrupted, and does anything according to the order of the government to suppress opposition activists, human rights defenders, unionists, environmental activists, land dispute victims, and independent media,” he wrote from Pursat Provincial Prison.

The two-page letter was dated January 2025, with no specific date. Radio Free Asia confirmed its authenticity with Rong Chhun, an adviser to the party and a longtime labor activist.

Sun Chanthy was arrested in May at Phnom Penh International Airport after returning from meeting Cambodian overseas workers in Japan.

Charges against him stemmed from critical comments he made on social media about the government’s policy on issuing “poverty cards” for the poor to receive free medical treatment or subsidies.

The government said he had “twisted information” to suggest that the cards would only be distributed to those who join the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, or CPP.

Sun Chanthy was sentenced by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Dec. 24 to two years in prison for inciting social disorder. He was also hit with a 4 million riel (US$1,000) fine to be paid to the plaintiff –- the government –- and was banned from participating in politics for the rest of his life.

‘Obliterate’ the opposition

The Nation Power Party and Sun Chanthy’s wife condemned the conviction and sentence as politically motivated. His lawyer, Choung Chou Ngy, told reporters just after the sentence was announced that the case lacked strong evidence, adding that he would talk to Sun Chanthy about filing an appeal.

But Sun Chanthy in his letter said that the court was “gravely corrupted” and targeted him because the CPP-led government “wants to obliterate the genuine opposition voice from Cambodia.”

“I am not dispirited since I have already been prepared mentally and physically, and I knew in advance that grave dangers would happen to me since I first entered political struggles for the sake of genuine freedom, justice and democracy in Cambodia, which will not be covered by fresh roses,” he wrote.

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Choung Chou Ngy confirmed to RFA on Tuesday that an appeal won’t be filed.

Neither government spokesperson Pen Bona nor Justice Ministry spokesperson Chin Malin could be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The Nation Power Party was formed in 2023 after the main opposition Candlelight Party was prevented from competing in that year’s general election.

Just days before Sun Chanthy’s conviction in December, the party was forced to move out of its Phnom Penh headquarters after the landlord was threatened by local authorities.

Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Khmer.

• Medicaid faces challenges under Trump administration, changes could hurt patients
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The post Congo fighting threatens civilians and rights; Democrats mull last election as they choose new leader – January 31, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

Immigrant rights activists are urging the Biden administration to pardon longtime activist Ravi Ragbir, who has been targeted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for potential detention and deportation since 2001. Ragbir has been subject to regular ICE check-ins for over two decades, each time facing the possibility of being taken into custody by the agency. “Once you go into that building, your family, your friends, your community don’t know if you’ll walk back out,” says Ragbir. We speak to Ragbir, his wife Amy Gottlieb and his lawyer Alina Das about his case and why they are calling on Biden to take action before the new Trump administration, with its promises to carry out mass deportations, has the opportunity to pose an even bigger threat to immigrants like Ragbir. A presidential pardon “will ensure that as a green card holder, Ravi will be able to remain here in the U.S.,” says Das.

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Uyghurs in Kazakhstan bade farewell to Riza Samedi, a journalist, Uyghur nationalist and influential community leader who died from an illness on Dec. 29 at age 86.

Samedi, also known as Riza Samed, was a prominent figure in the Uyghur resurgence and independence movements of the late 20th century in Kazakhstan and internationally.

Uyghurs and Kazakhs alike recalled Samedi with great respect.

Dolkun Isa, former president of the World Uyghur Congress, an advocacy group, said Samedi was a national leader of the Uyghur people.

“He was someone who had witnessed the birth of the East Turkestan Republic in 1944 and enjoyed living in our independent country,” Isa said. “Not only did he taste the joy of our independence, but he also suffered under [Chinese] colonization.”

“He became our leader and educator in passing the spirit of independence to the next generation after fleeing into Central Asia with the family,” he said.

East Turkestan is the Uyghurs' preferred name for their homeland, which was absorbed by China in 1949 and today is known as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. There were two short-lived independent East Turkestan republics, from 1933-34 and again from 1944-49.

(Abdulhakim Idris/Center for Uyghur Studies)

During a funeral prayer service in Kazakhstan’s capital Almaty, Azad Ibrahimov, head of the city’s Auezov district, told mourners that Samedi made great contributions to the development of Uyghur national media and the Uyghur nationalist movement by exposing China’s atrocities against the mostly Muslim group.

“The names of national heroes like Riza Samedi will never be forgotten in the hearts of the Uyghurs,” he said.

Son of a colonel

Born in 1938 in Ghulja, or Yining in Chinese, Samedi was the eldest son of Ziya Samedi, a prominent writer and a colonel in the East Turkestan armed forces during a period of rebellion against the Chinese government in the mid-20th century.

After China took over East Turkestan, Ziya Samedi fell victim to a purge of “local nationalists” in 1957 and 1958 and spent a year in a forced labor camp. He later fled with his family to Soviet Kazakhstan in 1961 during a period of heightened tension between China and the Soviet Union.

Riza Samedi worked as a middle-school teacher in Ghulja. After moving to Almaty, he taught for a couple of years and then worked in Uyghur-language TV and radio broadcasting in the Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan Soviet republics until 1968, according to his sister, Beliqiz Samedi.

During the next two decades, Samedi worked as a journalist in the Uyghur service at the State Committee of Television and Radio Broadcasting of the Soviet Union in Moscow.

He also was a member of the Union of Journalists of Kazakhstan and had served as an advisor to the World Uyghur Congress.

After Samedi retired in 2002, he devoted himself to serving the estimated 2 million Uyghurs who live in Kazakhstan, advocating for Uyghur rights and the preservation of Uyghur culture in the diaspora.

Beliqiz Samedi recalled that her brother followed in the footsteps of their late father through his work to preserve the Uyghur people’s national identity.

(Abdulhakim Idris/Center for Uyghur Studies)

She said he would often discuss the Uyghur cause and expressed hope about young Uyghurs who lived and studied in Europe and the United States.

“My brother worked in good places and did a lot of work,” she told Radio Free Asia.

‘That day shall come’

Abdulhakim Idris, executive director of the Center for Uyghur Studies, a Washington-based think tank, interviewed Samedi during a visit to Kazakhstan in June 2024.

“He was always proud of the young people advocating for Uyghurs on the international stage,” Idris recalled.

Samedi told him that he encouraged other Uyghurs, especially the young, to never lose hope that the world would rally to the Uyghur cause and gain a renewed understanding of Uyghurs once they formed an independent nation.

“That day shall come,” Samedi said during the interview. “Therefore, let’s all live with prayer and hope each day knowing that our homeland will be free today or tomorrow.”

Samedi was active in various groups that advocated in Kazakhstan and other Central Asia countries for a Uyghur homeland, said Kahriman Ghojamberdi, a political analyst and historian who is chief advisor to the World Uyghur Congress.

“Since Riza grew up in East Turkestan and went to college, he understood the cause to free our homeland well,” Ghojamberdi said. “We learned a lot from him. Therefore, I paid close attention to his opinions.”

Samedi also organized numerous interviews on Uyghur advocacy topics as a reporter for Kazakhstani radio, he said.

Abdugopur Kutlukov, Kazakhstan’s honorary writer and a famous poet, said with Samedi’s death, Uyghurs had lost a distinguished individual.

Deeply affected by his passing, Kutlukov, also born in Ghulja, wrote a poem about Samedi:

Goodbye, my friend Riza, I’ve lost you,
As though I’ve lost a wing,
We’re scattered across the world like threads,
Is this why we’re born, to feel such sting?

Tell me, who cries, if not me?
The sorrow won’t release its hold,
My cries don’t reach God’s ears,
No one hears the pain I’ve told.

No one cares for the refugees’ plight,
Each day becomes a harder fight.
Tell me, who cries, if not me?
Our elders leave, one by one,
While the rest of us are lost,
Wandering beneath a fading sun.

In our homeland, they struggle each day,
Shot down while seeking love their way.
Tell me, who cries, if not me?

Translated by Alim Seytoff for RFA Uyghur. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Oyghan and Ekrem for RFA Uyghur.

Former Nation Power Party president Sun Chanthy was also hit with a 4 million riel (US$1,000) fine to be paid to the plaintiff — the government — and was banned from participating in politics for the rest of his life.

Sun Chanthy was charged with inciting the public to oppose the government of Prime Minister Hun Manet in May by spreading false information on social media.

Critics said his conviction is the latest example of how the government uses the judicial system to prosecute political opponents.

“This is a decision based on political influence,“ said National Power Party advisor Rong Chhunhe. ”Those who are being jailed in Cambodia are those who want to restore Cambodia’s reputation and respect of human rights and democracy.”

Sun Chanthy’s lawyer, Choung Chou Ngy, told reporters outside the courthouse that the case lacked strong evidence to charge the politician. He said he would talk to Sun Chanthy about filing an appeal.

Arrested at airport

Authorities arrested Sun Chanthy at Phnom Penh International Airport in early May after he returned from meeting Cambodian overseas workers in Japan.

His charged stemmed from a comment Sun Chanthy made on social media that criticized the government’s policy on issuing “poverty cards” for the poor to receive free medical treatment or subsidies. The government said he had “twisted information” to suggest that the cards would only be distributed to those who join the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

Nation Power Party officials and Sun Chanthy’s wife called the conviction by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court unfair, saying the politician is innocent and that alleged statements he made were meant only as constructive criticism.

Sun Chanthy’s wife, Yan Sreyyan, told Radio Free Asia that she was disappointed with the verdict, issued while she was in the hospital after giving birth.

She said her husband, who was convicted in absentia because he chose not to attend the trial, was a good man and had not committed any of the crimes alleged by the court, She urged judicial authorities to drop the charges and release him.

Complete mockery

In a joint statement issued Monday, the opposition Candlelight Party and Khmer Will Party said the verdict violated voting rights and the right to run for an office, which are protected by Cambodia’s constitution. They urged the court to drop the charges against Sun Chanthy and release him.

RFA could not reach Phnom Penh Municipal Court spokesman Y Rin for comment.

Phil Robertson, director of the consultancy Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates, posted on social media Monday that the Cambodian government’s repression of the political opposition is now systemic and widespread, and that Cambodia has made a complete mockery of the idea of “democracy.”

Am San Ath, operations director at the human rights group Licadho, said the verdict would further expose Cambodia to criticism by international rights groups that it restricts freedoms and political rights.

Cambodia should return to restoring democracy and fully opening up the space for freedoms for its citizens and opposition politicians, he said.

Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Khmer.

Three activists with the Uhuru Movement will be sentenced by a Florida judge Monday as part of a legal saga that began when the FBI raided the group in 2022, accusing the antiwar Black liberation group of working as Russian agents. The “Uhuru 3” are Omali Yeshitela, chair of the African People’s Socialist Party, and white solidarity activists Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel. A jury acquitted them in September of acting as illegal agents of the Russian government, but convicted them on the lesser charge of conspiracy to act as agents of a foreign government — something they reject. The activists face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine but plan to appeal the ruling. Yeshitela spoke with Democracy Now! ahead of the sentencing hearing and called it “ridiculous” that prosecutors suggested the movement’s antiwar position was inspired by Russia. “The Black liberation movement in this country has historically been opposed to those wars, and that’s been a strategic problem for the United States,” Yeshitela said. “It’s a thought crime that they have convicted us for, and we fought it all along, and we continue to fight that.”

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

A leader of a major West Papuan political movement has praised the recent judgment of the Permanent People’s Tribunal on the Melanesian region colonised by Indonesia for the past 63 years.

“Indonesia knows they have lost the political, legal, and moral argument over West Papua,” said United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) interim president Benny Wenda.

“Their only remaining tactics are brutality and secrecy — brutality to crush our struggle and secrecy to hide it from the world.”

• READ MORE: PNG’s Parkop tells exiled Papuans ‘don’t lose hope – keep up the freedom struggle’
• West Papuans in Port Moresby host family day
• Other West Papua reports

Saying he welcomed the release of the judgment of the Permanent People’s Tribunal (PPT) on West Papua, he added: “Our independence is not only urgent for West Papua, but for the entirety of Planet Earth.”

After testimonies from West Papuans on the ground and from legal and academic experts, the tribunal found Indonesia guilty on all four counts:

• Taking by various means the ancestral land of the Indigenous Papuan people against their will, employing racial discrimination which leads to the loss of culture, traditions and Indigenous knowledge, erases their history and subsumes them into the Indonesian national narrative;
• Violent repression, including unlawful detention, extra-judicial killing, and population displacement in West Papua as a means of furthering industrial development;
• Organised environmental degradation, including the destruction of eco-systems, contamination of land, the poisoning of rivers and their tributaries and of providing the permits, concessions and legal structure of non-compliance for national and foreign companies to invest in West Papua in a way that encourages environmental degradation; and
• colluding with national and foreign companies to cause environmental degradation, population displacement and sustain violent repression in West Papua.

The Hague,has hosted a Climate Change gathering prior to hearing the ICJ meeting where Koteka Wenda, fwpc spoke person from West Papua spoke, about WP being the 3rd largest rainforest after the Amazon and the Congo. “If you save West Papua, you save the lungs of the world” pic.twitter.com/aUJzV354qG

— Benny Wenda (@BennyWenda) December 7, 2024

“This judgment is a total vindication of everything the West Papuan liberation movement has been saying for decades. We are not safe with Indonesia,” said Wenda.

“If we continue to be denied our right to self-determination, everything that makes West Papua unique will disappear.”

Guilty of ‘ecocide’
The PPT had found the Indonesian state guilty of ecocide, of “rapidly destroying our forest” and “poisoning our rivers” through mines, plantations, and huge agribusiness food estates.

“But not only this: the judges also linked Indonesia’s ecocidal destruction to the systematic destruction of West Papua as a people,” said Wenda.

“As they put it: ‘ecological degradation can’t be disaggregated from state and corporate projects which are tending toward the obliteration of a people, or what was called by more than one witness a ‘slow genocide’.”

The PPT found in West Papua everything that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights would also find — ecocide, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and mass displacement, said Wenda.

“That is why Indonesia continues to deny the UN access to West Papua, despite more than 110 countries demanding their visit.”

Wenda said thde ULMWP considered this judgment a “significant step forward in our quest for liberation”.

‘Nothing left to save’
“The case for self-determination presented by the PPT is comprehensive and undeniable. We already know that our people want freedom — the West Papuan People’s Petition for self-determination was signed by 1.8 million Papuans, more than 70 percent of our population.

“Now the PPT has shown how urgently we need it.,” Wenda said

“Our independence is not only urgent for West Papua, but for the entirety of Planet Earth.

Because Papuans are the stewards of the third largest rainforest in the world, the Indonesian occupation is one of the most severe threats to a habitable global climate.

“If Indonesia continues to destroy our forest at its current rate, there will soon be nothing left to save.”

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

American officials have discussed the merits of removing a $10m bounty on Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, whose rebel group swept into Damascus and toppled the government of Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, a senior Arab official briefed by the Americans told Middle East Eye.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, commonly known as Jolani, has been designated as a terrorist by the United States since 2013, while his organisation, HTS, was proscribed by the Trump administration in 2018 when a $10 million bounty was placed on his head.

For years, HTS lobbied to be delisted, but its pleas largely fell on deaf years with the group relegated to governing just a sliver of northwest Syria.

• READ MORE: Caitlin Johnstone: Assad is out, woke Al-Qaeda is in
• ‘Israel taking advantage of Syria chaos, seeks leverage’
• Other Syrian reports

But the lightning blitz by the rebels, which saw Assad’s iron-grip rule end in spectacular fashion on Sunday, has since forced Washington to rethink how it engages with the former al-Qaeda affiliate.

The senior Arab official, who requested anonymity due to sensitivities surrounding the talks, told MEE that the discussions had divided officials in the Biden administration.

Meanwhile, when asked about the discussions, one Trump transition official disparaged the Biden administration.

Jolani, 42, gave a rousing victory speech in Damascus’ iconic Umayyad Mosque on Sunday and is widely expected to play a key role in Syria’s transition after 54 years of Assad family rule.

“Today, Syria is being purified,” Jolani told a crowd of supporters in Damascus, adding that “this victory is born from the people who have languished in prison, and the mujahideen (fighters) broke their chains”.

He said that under Assad, Syria had become a place for “Iranian ambitions, where sectarianism was rife,” in reference to Assad’s allies Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah.

The fact that the CNN journalist here had to wear a hijab to conduct this interview is everything you need to know about the new Islamist group taking over Syria. pic.twitter.com/05jH4GBzet

— Donna Miles دانا مجاب (@UnPressed) December 8, 2024

‘Saying the right things now’
Speaking several hours after the fall of Damascus, US President Joe Biden called the rebel takeover a “fundamental act of justice,” but cautioned it was “a moment of risk and uncertainty” for the Middle East.

“We will remain vigilant,” Biden said. “Make no mistake, some of the rebel groups that took down Assad have their own grim record of terrorism and human rights abuses,” adding that the groups are “saying the right things now.”

“But as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions,” Biden said.

Later, a senior Biden administration official, when asked about contact with HTS leaders, said Washington was in contact with Syrian groups of all kinds.

The official, who was not authorised to publicly discuss the situation and spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the US was focused on ensuring chemical weapons in Assad’s military arsenal were secured.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reported that US intelligence agencies were in the process of evaluating Jolani, who it said had launched a “charm offensive” aimed at allaying concerns over his past affiliations.

Jolani was born to a family originally from the occupied Golan Heights and fought in the Iraq insurgency and served five years in an American-run prison in Iraq, before returning to Syria as the emissary of Islamic State founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

‘Charm offensive can be misleading’
“A charm offensive might mean that people are turning over a new leaf and they think differently than they used to so you should hear them out. On the other hand, you should be cautious because charm offensives can sometimes be misleading,” the US official said.

“We have to think about it. We have to watch their behaviour and we need to do some indirect messaging and see what comes of that,” the official added.

But, US President-elect Donald Trump, who will be entering office in just five weeks, has left few doubts where he stood on the conflict, saying Washington “should have nothing to do with it [Syria].”

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump wrote that Assad “lost” because “Russia and Iran are in a weakened state right now, one because of Ukraine and a bad economy, the other because of Israel and its fighting success”.

Trump used Assad’s fall as an opportunity to call for an end to the war in Ukraine, without mentioning the Syrian opposition or the Syrian allies of the US.

Israel has “seized” territory in Syrian-controlled areas of the Golan Heights, as its military warned Syrians living in five villages close to the Israeli-occupied portion of the strategic area to “stay home” https://t.co/NSkn6tTxIc

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) December 8, 2024

Jordan lobbies for Syrian Free Army
Assad’s ousting has seen Nato-ally Turkey cement its status as the main outside power in Syria at the expense of a bruised and battered Iran and Russia.

But the US holds vast amounts of territory in Syria via its allies, who joined a race to replace the Assad regime as its soldiers abandoned villages and cities en masse.

The US backs rebels operating out of the al-Tanf desert outpost on the tri-border area of Jordan, Iraq and Syria.

The Syrian Free Army (SFA) went on the offensive as Assad’s regime collapsed taking control of the city of Palmyra.

The SFA works closely with the US and its financing is mainly run out of Jordan. The SFA also enjoys close ties to Jordanian intelligence.

A former Arab security official told MEE that Jordan’s King Abdullah II met with senior US officials in Washington DC last week and lobbied for continued support for the Syrian Free Army.

However, maintaining stability in post-Assad Syria will be key for Jordan as it looks to send back hundreds of thousands of refugees and ensure a power vacuum does not lead to more captagon crossing its border, the former official said.

900 US troops embedded with Kurds
In northeastern Syria, the US has roughly 900 troops embedded with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Arab tribes linked to the SDF swept across the Euphrates River on Friday to take a wide swath of strategic towns, including Deir Ezzor and al-Bukamal. The latter is Syria’s strategic border crossing with Iraq.

The US support for the SDF is a sore point in its ties to Turkey, which views the SDF as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

The PKK has waged a decades-long guerrilla war in southern Turkey and is labelled a terrorist organisation by the US and the European Union.

Turkey’s concerns about the PKK led it to launch an invasion of Syria in 2016, with the aim of depriving Kurdish fighters of a quasi-state along its border. Two more military forays followed in 2018 and 2019.

The SDF is already being squeezed in the north with Turkish-backed rebels called the Syrian National Army entering the strategic city of Manbij.

During Syria’s more than decade long war, the US slapped sanctions on Assad’s government, enabled Israel to launch strikes on Iran inside Syria, and backed opposition groups that hold sway over around one-third of the country.

Republished from Middle East Eye under Creative Commons.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by Pacific Media Watch.

Nepal referred to Tibet as “Xizang” in a statement issued after its new Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli completed a four-day visit to Beijing this week, his first trip outside the country after his election -- not India, as is traditionally the case.

Xizang is a term promoted by Beijing, but Tibetan advocates say it is yet another attempt by China to erase their distinct cultural heritage.

Both moves highlight China’s growing influence in Nepal -- and its hopes to reap the economic benefits of closer ties to Beijing, experts and Tibetan advocates said.

“The joint declaration between Nepal and China in which the word ‘Xizang’ is used instead of Tibet shows the lengths to which Nepal is willing to go to appease China,” said Sriparna Pathak, an associate professor of China studies at the O.P. Jindal Global University in Haryana, India, and a former consultant at India’s foreign ministry.

“This is a complete disregard of the Tibetan cause, the struggle and the history,” she told Radio Free Asia.

“This does not augur well at all for Tibetans living in Nepal.”

China experts cite the promises of millions of dollars of Chinese investment as a reason for the Nepalese government restricting Tibetan activities in the country.

Oli’s extended visit, which ended Thursday, also included an agreement related to China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative, or BRI, a grand plan to boost global trade through infrastructure development.

In other signs of China’s influence, Nepali police regularly detain Tibetans in Kathmandu for “questioning” during high profile visits by Chinese officials.

Authorities also increase surveillance on Tibetan refugee settlements during cultural celebrations like the Tibetan New Year or the birthday of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama.

Stalled BRI projects

In the joint statement issued this week by Nepal and China, the two sides emphasized the importance of “law enforcement cooperation.”

China said it is “willing to provide support for Nepal to the best of its capacity through capacity building, including trainings in the field of combating cyber crimes, and assistance of police supplies.”

Nepal signed an initial agreement to join the BRI in 2017, but highway construction and other projects have stalled since then.

Oli’s visit included the signing of a framework agreement to get those projects off the ground with feasibility studies.

China has previously promised to transform Nepal from a “landlocked nation into a land-linked hub.”

Nepal, in turn, has reaffirmed its allegiance to China, particularly on issues related to Taiwan and Tibet, with the use of Xizang in official documents as the latest example.

‘Serving Beijing’s agenda’

The term “Xizang” was first used in official Chinese government diplomatic documents in 2023. Chinese Communist Party scholars had advocated for the use of “Xizang,” which they have said would help promote China’s legitimate occupation and rule of Tibet.

In this week’s joint statement, Nepal “reiterated that Xizang affairs are internal affairs of China, and that it will never allow any separatist activities against China on Nepal’s soil.”

That was another example of China “using its power to make a smaller country serve its political agenda,” said Tencho Gyatso, president of Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet.

“Whatever name is used does not alter the fact that the Tibetan people are suffering under China’s misrule,” she told RFA.

Economic diplomacy

The previous prime minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, visited Beijing in September 2023.

The joint statement issued afterward only referred to Tibet – not Xizang – but it did state that Nepal would “never allow any separatist activities against China on Nepal’s soil.”

Similarly, just after Xi Jinping’s visit to Nepal in 2019, Nepal reiterated its “determination on not allowing any anti-China activities on its soil.”

“Over the years, the space for Tibetans in Nepal has continued to remain constrained,” said Manoj Kewalramani, a China Studies fellow at Bengaluru, India-based Takshashila Institution.

“I think this trend is likely to continue. Beijing has always used economic diplomacy to serve such political ends,” he said. “These are among the strings that come with Chinese money.”

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The BRI framework cooperation agreement highlighted Nepal’s preference for grants instead of loans to fund the projects. That issue delayed the signing of the deal for a day, but both countries eventually agreed on Wednesday to a combination of grants and loans in the framework.

Critics have accused China of “debt diplomacy” – trapping nations with financial liabilities for major infrastructure projects they can ill-afford and which then could might be leveraged for Beijing’s political benefit.

Additional reporting by Dorjee Damdul, Abby Seiff, Tsering Namgyal and Dickey Kundol. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Tenzin Pema and Tenzin Norzom for RFA Tibetan.

The video was shared by verified X user @SaffronSunanda who claimed that it was Rahul Gandhi who had fallen asleep. She remarked, in her post, “…Rahul Gandhi is just a Joke in Indian Politics”. (Archive)

This man sleeps during Parliament proceedings and debates and he wants to become Prime Minister of India.

Rahul Gandhi is just a Joke in Indian Politics. pic.twitter.com/paANOZnWv1

— Sunanda Roy (@SaffronSunanda) December 3, 2024

The post was then amplified by actor Paresh Rawal. Resharing the video, he wrote, “He is like a Bad joke with no Punch line!” referring to the Leader of Opposition. The post was later deleted. (Archive)

Several other Right-wing influencers amplified it. (Archives, 1, 2, 3, 4)

Upon checking, we found that this was not the first time this video went viral. In August, media outlet WION published a similar video as a Facebook reel titled, “Rahul Gandhi Caught Sleeping in Lok Sabha?”

On August 9, news channel NDTV published a video on its official YouTube channel with the title “Rahul Gandhi Sleeping In Lok Sabha | Giriraj Singh Reacts After Opposition MP Caught Sleeping In LS”. The previous day, Kerala-based media outlet Asianet News also published the same with the headline “Viral | Rahul Gandhi Caught Sleeping During Waqf Discussion? Rijiju & Giriraj Singh React”. However, neither of the videos shows Rahul Gandhi.

Who Was Kiren Rijiju Addressing?

Alt News found that the viral video had been been clipped from Parliamentary proceedings of Lok Sabha’s Monsoon session held on August 8 where the Union minister of parliamentary and minority affairs  introduced the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. A nine-hour-long video of the proceedings is available on news agency ANI’s YouTube channel. The chain of events seen in the viral video took place at the 4:01:13-minute mark.

Here, Rijiju was defending the Bill, against which Opposition leaders had raised concerns. “Dada was asking me if there are any Muslims in my constituency. There are many Muslim voters in my constituency…” he says just as BJP MP and Union minister of textiles Giriraj Singh, seated nearby, quips, “So gaye, so gaye…” (He has fallen asleep). This prompted laughter and ridicule from the treasury benches. Rijiju then jested, “This is why I tell you, dada, don’t talk all the time—you’ll fall asleep.”

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also commented, “If there’s a speech going on, will you go to sleep in the House?”

Rijiju further quipped, “I am not going to ask him what he was doing last night,” which led to uproar and protests from the Opposition.

During this entire exchange, not once did the camera focus on Rahul Gandhi.

In its fact-check report, Kerala-based publication Mathrubhumi contacted its Delhi bureau chief, Manoj Menon, who was present during the session. Menon said that it was senior Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy who had dozed off. However, it should be noted that the camera did not pan to any Opposition member while Rijiju spoke.

However, it is worth noting that ‘Dada’ is a term of endearment generally used for Bengali men.

Rahul Gandhi’s Clip From the Same Day

After carefully watching that day’s Parliamentary proceedings, Alt News found that the clip of Rahul Gandhi that is seen in the viral video is from same day (August 8). At the 3:17:45-minute mark of the ANI video, Rahul Gandhi can be seen sitting in the same position—head tilted to the side and arm stretched out against the backrest. In the viral clip, Gandhi’s image from this portion has been highly magnified, resulting in a noticeable degradation of image quality. This makes it hard to determine whether the Congress leader was simply looking down or asleep. Below is a screengrab of the moment.

Also, the three-second clip was looped repeatedly in the viral video, creating the false impression that the moment lasted longer than it actually did.

It’s also important to remember here that the camera focuses on Rahul Gandhi in the above position during Rijiju’s speech on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. However, in the viral video, the Opposition leader’s clip has been juxtaposed with Rijiju’s responses on the Bill, which actually happened later in the day. For clarity, look at the screengrabs below. The image on the left, showing Rahul Gandhi, is from 14:17 hours. The image on the right, where Rijiju and Giriraj Singh are pointing to the sleeping MP is from 15:01 hours.

So, the incidents happened at different times but were edited to make it seem like they were unfolding at the same time.

Also, Rahul Gandhi is the leader of the Opposition—a position that is often under constant scrutiny—and seated prominently at the front of the Opposition benches. It’s unlikely that him falling asleep during proceedings would have gone unnoticed by cameras in the House. We found no reports or videos since August that can conclusively show or indicate that it was Rahul Gandhi who had fallen asleep. Reports by news outlets such as The Indian Express as well as news agency ANI referred to whoever had fallen asleep simply as MP or an ‘Opposition MP’.

To sum it up, the video of Kiren Rijiju addressing and ridiculing an Opposition MP for falling asleep during House proceedings with the claim that the sleeping MP is Rahul Gandhi is misleading. A clip of Gandhi was edited into the video to create the false impression that Rijiju’s remarks against a sleeping MP were addressed to him.

The post Not Rahul Gandhi – MP who Kiren Rijiju ridicules in viral video for sleeping in House is not the leader of Opposition appeared first on Alt News.

This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Shinjinee Majumder.

Pro-independence Kanak leader Christian Téin will remain in a mainland French jail for the time being, a Court of Appeal has ruled in Nouméa.

This followed an earlier ruling on October 22 from the Court of Cassation, which is tasked to rule on possible procedural mistakes in earlier judgments.

The Court of Cassation found some flaws in the procedure that justified the case being heard again by a Court of Appeal.

• READ MORE:  Kanak leader Christian Tein’s jailing in France overturned in new legal twist
• Tjibaou’s party unveils plan for New Caledonia’s future ‘independence’
• Mixed reactions to Tjibaou’s election to key Kanak pro-independence party
• Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

Téin’s lawyer, Pierre Ortet, confirmed his client’s detention in a mainland prison (Mulhouse jail, north-eastern France) has been maintained as a result of the latest Court of Appeal hearing behind closed doors in Nouméa on Friday.

But he also told local media he now intends to bring the case to the European Court of Human Rights, as well as United Nations’ human rights mechanisms — especially on the circumstances that surrounded Téin’s transfer to France on 23 June 2024 on board a specially-chartered plane four days after his arrest in Nouméa on June 19.

Nouméa Public Prosecutor Yves Dupas told local media in an interview on Friday that in this case the next step should happen “some time in January”, when a criminal chamber of the Court of Cassation is expected to deliver another ruling.

Reacting to recent comments made by pro-independence party Union Calédonienne, which maintains Téin is a political prisoner, Dupas said Téin and others facing similar charges “are still presumed innocent”, but “are not political prisoners, they have not been held in relation to a political motive”.

Alleged crimes
The alleged crimes, he said, were “crimes and delicts related to organised crime”.

The seven charges include complicity as part of murder attempts, theft involving the use of weapons and conspiracy in view of the preparation of acts of organised crimes.

Téin’s defence maintains it was never his client’s intention to commit such crimes.

Christian Téin is the head of a “Field Action Coordinating Cell” (CCAT), a group created late in 2023 by the largest and oldest pro-independence party Union Calédonienne.

From October 2023 onward, the CCAT organised marches and demonstrations that later degenerated — starting May 13 — into insurrectional riots, arson and looting, causing 13 deaths and an estimated 2.2 billion euros (NZ$3.9 billion) in material damage, mainly in the Greater Nouméa area.

“The judicial inquiry aims at establishing every responsibility, especially at the level of ‘order givers’,” Dupas told local Radio Rythme Bleu on Friday.

He confirmed six persons were still being detained in several jails of mainland France, including Téin.

3 released under ‘judicial control’
Three others have been released under judiciary control with an obligation to remain in mainland France.

“You see, the manifestation of truth requires time. Justice requires serenity, it’s very important”, he commented.

Late August, Téin was also chosen as president of the pro-independence umbrella FLNKS at its congress.

The August 2024 Congress was also marked by the non-attendance of two other main pillars of the movement, UPM and PALIKA, which have since confirmed their intention to distance themselves from FLNKS.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

In Part 2 of our special broadcast, we look at a recent victory for Indigenous communities in Ecuador, where people overwhelmingly voted to approve a referendum last year banning future oil extraction in a biodiverse section of the Amazon’s Yasuní National Park — a historic referendum result that will protect Indigenous Yasuní land from development. But the newly elected president, Daniel Noboa, has said Ecuador is at war with gang violence and that the country is “not in the same situation as two years ago.” Noboa has said oil from the Yasuní National Park could help fund that war against drug cartels. Environmental activists and Indigenous peoples say they’re concerned about his comments because their victory had been hailed as an example of how to use the democratic process to leave fossil fuels in the ground. “Amazonian women are at the frontlines of defense,” says Nemonte Nenquimo, an award-winning Waorani leader in the Ecuadorian Amazon who co-founded Amazon Frontlines and the Ceibo Alliance. Her recent piece for The Guardian is headlined “Ecuador’s president won’t give up on oil drilling in the Amazon. We plan to stop him — again.” Nemonte has just published her new memoir titled We Will Be Jaguars: A Memoir of My People. We also speak with her co-author and partner, Mitch Anderson, who is the founder and executive director of Amazon Frontlines and has long worked with Indigenous nations in the Amazon to defend their rights.

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

With just weeks left in President Joe Biden’s term, we speak with Amnesty International USA executive director Paul O’Brien, who has written to the outgoing president urging him to “change course on critical human rights” before the end of his term in office. One of his key demands is for Biden to free Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier, who has been imprisoned for decades and repeatedly denied parole. Peltier recently turned 80 and has always maintained his innocence for the 1975 killing of two FBI agents in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation. His conviction was riddled with irregularities and prosecutorial misconduct. “It’s time to give him a chance to spend his last days with his family and with his community,” says O’Brien. “He’s been incarcerated as long as Joe Biden has been in national politics.”

This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.

Peng Daxun, the leader of the insurgent Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, traveled to Yunnan last month for medical treatment and was still receiving care, spokesperson Lin Jian said at the ministry’s regular news conference.

Lin did not provide details about Peng’s condition or his exact whereabouts.

Sources close to the MNDAA told Radio Free Asia on Monday that Peng was being prevented from returning to Myanmar after meeting with Deng Xijun, China’s special envoy for Asian Affairs.

A source close to the military junta regime told RFA that Peng was being held at a hotel in Yunnan that’s owned by his father.

The MNDAA captured Lashio, northern Shan state’s biggest city, on Aug. 3. Since then, Beijing has put pressure on the rebel army to withdraw from the city, an important commercial gateway near the Chinese border.

Over the last year, the rebel army has seized control of more than a half dozen other towns in the area that serve as significant border trading hubs.

Border gate backlog

Also in Shan state, Chinese authorities on Tuesday morning reopened the Hsin Phyu border gate in Muse, allowing more than 300 delivery vehicles stuck in China’s Kyegong town for more than a week to enter Myanmar. Muse is about 170 km (108 miles) north of Lashio.

“Trucks loaded with potatoes and a variety of goods have entered this morning unexpectedly and immediately, while the road was repaired near the gate,” a border trade merchant told RFA.

Muse’s two other border connections with Kyegong remain closed to vehicles, merchants said.

China’s restrictions on small-scale, informal trade with northern Myanmar over the last few weeks increased in the wake of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing’s early November visit to China, but it wasn’t immediately clear if the two were linked. The recent border closures have resulted in price hikes in the region.

The military junta has yet to release any information about the status of the border gates.

The conditions under which Hsin Phyu – also known as the White Elephant gate – was reopened were unknown, another border trader said.

“It is not clear whether only the trapped cars will be allowed into Myanmar, or if the gate will be opened normally,” he said. “However, cars from the Myanmar side are not allowed to enter China.”

‘Kyaukpyu has been surrounded’

On the other side of the country, armed conflict between ethnic Arakan Army insurgents and junta troops has intensified in Rakhine state’s Kyaukphyu township, a seaside city where Chinese-funded projects include a deep sea port complex, a special economic zone and energy pipelines that could eventually stretch across Myanmar to the Chinese border.

Additionally, a 620 km (1,000 mile) high-speed railway and road network known as the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor is planned to run from Kunming city in Yunnan province through Myanmar’s major economic hubs and on to the port.

The corridor would ultimately give China crucial access to the Indian Ocean at Kyaukphyu.

The military junta has been reinforcing troops and tightening security in some neighborhoods and nearby areas of Kyaukphyu township, residents said on Tuesday. Junta authorities also ordered the closure of all private banks on Nov. 15.

“They have set up the defensive walls with concrete structure,” one Kyaukphyu resident told RFA. “These junta forces are not from the bases in Kyaukphyu, but from other battalions.”

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The AA has blocked all land routes up to 10 kilometers (six miles) away from Kyaukphyu as fighting has taken place in nearby Taungup and Ann townships, residents said. Ann township is home to the junta’s Western Region Command headquarters.

An analyst on Rakhine military affairs who asked for anonymity for security reasons told RFA that the AA is expected to eventually advance toward Kyaukphyu town once it takes control of Toungup and Ann townships.

“Kyaukpyu has been surrounded for quite a long time,” he said.

The Arakan Army, or AA, has been fighting the junta for control of Rakhine state. The group is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic armies that also includes the MNDAA and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army. The alliance launched an offensive against the junta in October 2023.

Attempts by RFA to contact Hla Thein, the junta’s spokesman and attorney general for Rakhine state, were unsuccessful on Tuesday.

Translated by Kalyar Lwin and Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Burmese.

The insurgent Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, captured the junta’s military headquarters in Lashio in July. In August, it took full control of the town, which serves as an important commercial gateway near the Chinese border.

The MNDAA’s leader, Peng Daxun, traveled to Yunnan province in late October for medical treatment and was later detained by Chinese authorities, according to the source, who requested anonymity for security reasons.

“He is under detention to negotiate withdrawal of his troops from Lashio,” the source said.

The detention followed a meeting in Yunnan in late October between Peng Daxun and Deng Xijun, the special representative for Asian Affairs at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, according to another source.

A source close to the military junta regime told RFA that Peng Daxun was being held at a hotel in Yunnan that’s owned by his father.

China’s interests

The MNDAA is part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, a group of three ethnic minority insurgent forces that launched its highly effective Operation 1027 offensive in October 2023, which has since captured vast swathes of junta-held territory.

A renewal of the offensive in June led to the capture of the junta’s northeastern command headquarters near Lashio – the only one of 14 such regional military command headquarters to fall into rebel hands.

The MNDAA took control of Lashio on Aug. 3, one of the most significant victories for the three-party alliance. Junta efforts to recapture the town have focused on frequent airstrikes and shelling.

China has since tried to protect its interests in the region by brokering several temporary ceasefires between the junta and alliance members.

On Aug. 27, Deng Xijun invited Zhao Guo-ang, the vice-chairman of the United Wa State Party – Myanmar’s largest ethnic army – to Yunnan province to ask for help pressuring for the withdrawal of MNDAA forces.

The UWSA vowed last year to remain neutral as the Three Brotherhood Alliance began its large-scale operation against junta forces. But in July, its troops entered Lashio without incident after MNDAA forces had taken over most of the city.

China has also cut off shipments of fuel, medicine and food items through its border into the MNDAA-controlled areas in Shan state.

In September, the MNDAA said it had cut ties with Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government. It said it would work with China to bring peace, but days later the junta bombed Lashio and peace talks never took place.

Beijing has recently stepped up its support for the military junta, and earlier this month, junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing traveled to Kunming – the capital of Yunnan – for talks with provincial officials.

RFA has reached out via email to the Chinese Embassy in Yangon and the MNDAA’s information team for comments but neither immediately responded.

Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Matt Reed.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Burmese.

But the claim is misleading. The video has been digitally edited to appear as if there was tension between the two officials. In the original video, Wang and Netanyahu can be seen shaking hands amicably.

The video was shared on X on Oct. 27 by China’s consul general in the Japanese city of Osaka, Xue Jian.

The 41-second clip shows the two officials staring at each other for more than half a minute, as if there was tension, interspersed with an occasional nod or turn of the head, after which Netanyahu reaches out to shake hands with Wang.

The caption of the video reads: “[I] come from a big country. If you don’t reach out first, I won’t reach out either,” hinting that Wang refused to shake hands until Netanyahu reached out, a gesture seemingly intended to assert his authority over the Israeli leader.

The identical video was also circulated in Weibo and Facebook posts, with users touting it as a symbol of a “strong motherland,” emphasizing that Wang projected power.

But the claim is misleading.

A reverse image search found the original video of Wang and Netanyahu taken during a diplomatic meeting in Jerusalem in 2013, as published by the Associated Press and the Israeli Prime Minister’s office.

The scene used in the latest social media posts starts at the original video’s five-minute and 50-second mark.

A review of the original clip shows that the new video was digitally edited, apparently to mislead, by making the two men appear to stare at each other for a few seconds longer.

The meeting was in fact held in what appeared to be an amicable mood, with Netanyahu extending his hand to Wang and saying: “Welcome to Israel. Welcome to Jerusalem.”

Both parties maintained a respectful and cooperative tone throughout the exchange.

Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang.

Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Dong Zhe for Asia Fact Check Lab.

National Federation Party president Parmod Chand has described Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry as a “self-professed champion of the poor” and criticised him over “hallucinating” about the country.

Chand made the comment when responding to remarks made by Chaudhry during FLP’s Annual Delegates Conference in Nadi on Saturday.

Chaudhry described Fiji’s coalition government leadership as self-serving and lacking integrity, transparency and accountability.

“As the un-elected Finance Minister in the regime of Frank Bainimarama after the 2006 coup, [Chaudhry] famously stated that people must learn to live with high prices of basic food items essentials,” said Chand.

“The coalition government has been for the past 23 months re-establishing the foundation for genuine democracy, accountability, transparency and good governance dismantled firstly by the regime that Chaudhry was an integral part of for 18 months”.

“The likes of Mahendra Chaudhry can continue hallucinating”.

The current Coalition Finance Minister is Professor Biman Prasad, who is leader of the NFP.

Republished with permission.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

Lam became the first general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party to visit Bach Long Vi island in the Gulf of Tonkin since 2000, when Hanoi and Beijing finally signed an agreement to clearly demarcate their boundary there after nine years of negotiations

Last March, China unilaterally announced a new baseline that defines its territory in the northern part of the gulf called Beibu in Chinese, drawing concern from the Vietnamese government. Some analysts said that Beijing may use it as a pretext to push Hanoi to renegotiate the boundary agreement.

During the visit on Thursday, To Lam called on local government officials to develop Bach Long Vi island, “ensuring that it becomes a fortress for defending Vietnam’s maritime sovereignty,” according to media reports.

“The Party chief praised the island’s strategic importance, pointing out that Bach Long Vi serves as a key maritime gateway, controlling vital shipping lanes in the Gulf of Tonkin and providing logistics services for military activities at sea,” the Vietnam News Agency reported.

“General Secretary To Lam’s visit to Bach Long Vi was billed as a trip to learn about the living and working conditions of local residents,” said Carlyle Thayer, emeritus professor at the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.

“However, the sub-text of his visit was to underscore the importance of the island’s infrastructure to national security and defense of Vietnam’s sovereignty over islands and sea.”

‘Normal practice’

“Media coverage highlighted that Bach Long Vi was located 15 nautical miles from the boundary line delimiting the Gulf of Tonkin,” noted Thayer. The distance means the island sits entirely inside Vietnam’s waters.

Bach Long Vi is Vietnam’s furthest island from its mainland and the largest habitable island in the South China Sea, with an area of more than 3 square kilometers (1.2 square miles). It is about 110 km (68 miles) from Haiphong in Vietnam and 120 km (75 miles) from China’s Hainan Island.

Bach Long Vi was transferred to Vietnam in March 1957 by a friendly China, which occupied it at the time, allowing Hanoi to establish a radar station there for early warning against U.S. air attacks.

Vietnamese historians said Beijing “returned” the island to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but some Chinese sources criticized the government of then-premier Zhou Enlai for “ceding” it.

In December 1992, it became an island district under the municipal government of Haiphong City.

“The Vietnam-China Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement for the Gulf of Tonkin signed in 2000 recognized that Bach Long Vi was a Vietnam’s island,” said Vu Thanh Ca, former director of the Vietnam Institute for Sea and Island Research, “There’s absolutely no dispute over its sovereignty.”

“Given the importance of Bach Long Vi as one of Vietnam’s frontier islands, Party chief To Lam’s visit is a normal practice,” he added.

Before the general secretary, Vietnam’s presidents Nguyen Minh Triet and Truong Tan Sang visited the island in 2010 and 2014 respectively, where they made strongly worded statements about “defending every inch of our country’s sea and islands.”

The year 2014 saw heightened tensions between Vietnam and China after the latter moved a deep-water oil drilling platform to near the Paracel archipelago that both countries claim. Beijing, however, did not officially react to the visits.

“China’s government does not and cannot dispute Vietnam’s sovereignty over it,” said Huy Duong, a Vietnamese South China Sea researcher. “But this does not stop some overly nationalistic Chinese regretting that China ‘gave away’ Bach Long Vi to Vietnam.”

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Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Staff.

“Millions of Americans should brace for massive cuts to benefits and services they rely on for their survival under plans to target government spending and operations.

“On Tuesday, President-elect Trump announced he had appointed business executives Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a private commission tasked with recommending drastic changes to the federal government’s programs and operations, which Musk has said could cut federal spending by $2 trillion.

“Budget cuts of this magnitude, coupled with the massive tax reductions Trump has said he will implement, will affect vital programs that tens of millions of Americans currently rely on for their financial security and their health and safety. This includes Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, food assistance for low-income families, veterans’ benefits and health care, and so much more.

“By their very nature, cuts of this size also would require slashing spending on our military, homeland security, federal law enforcement, and virtually every aspect of our government operations. This kind of financial pressure would lead to painful, widespread reductions in services that will affect Americans from every walk of life.

“To really attack government waste, the administration should target private contractors who are price gouging American taxpayers to deliver poorer service at higher cost while their corporate profits and executive pay skyrocket.”

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

• South Dakota’s John Thune elected next Republican Senate leader.
• President-elect Donald Trump meets with President Joe Biden at White House, pledging a smooth transition.
• Senate Judiciary Committee debates gun legislation on bump stocks and conversion devices, with Chair Durbin calling the Supreme Court’s overturn of bump stock bans “wrong-headed.”
• San Jose health advocates rally at city hall, urge HCA Healthcare to prioritize community needs over profit in Good Samaritan expansion.
• Ahead of planned strike, UCSF healthcare and technical workers hold picket sign party, citing unfair labor practices.

(U.S. Senator John Thune speaking with attendees at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s 2023 Annual Leadership Summit at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. / Gage Skidmore, flikr)

The post South Dakota’s John Thune elected next Republican Senate leader – November 13, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

An exiled West Papuan leader has called on supporters globally to show their support by raising the Morning Star flag — banned by Indonesia — on December 1.

“Whether in your house, your workplace, the beach, the mountains or anywhere else, please raise our flag and send us a picture,” said United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) interim president Benny Wenda.

“By doing so, you give West Papuans strength and courage and show us we are not alone.”

• READ MORE: Other West Papua reports

The plea came in response to a dramatic step-up in military reinforcements for the Melanesian region by new President Prabowo Subianto, who was inaugurated last month, in an apparent signal for a new crackdown on colonised Papuans.

January 1 almost 63 years ago was when the Morning Star flag of independence was flown for the first time in the former Dutch colony. However, Indonesia took over in a so-called “Act of Free Choice” that has been widely condemned as a sham.

“The situation in occupied West Papua is on a knife edge,” said the UK-based Wenda in a statement on the ULMWP website.

He added that President Prabowo had announced the return of a “genocidal transmigration settlement policy”.

Indigenous people a minority
“From the 1970s, transmigration brought hundreds of thousands of Javanese settlers into West Papua, ultimately making the Indigenous people a minority in our own land,” Wenda said.

“At the same time, Prabowo [is sending] thousands of soldiers to Merauke to safeguard the destruction of our ancestral forest for a set of gigantic ecocidal developments.

West Papuan students in Wamena reject the settler-colonial transmigration plan today (13/11/24).

Bigger rallies are coming. pic.twitter.com/Vt4tjBAe8Y

— Veronica Koman 許愛茜 (@VeronicaKoman) November 13, 2024

“Five million hectares of Papuan forest are set to be ripped down for sugarcane and rice plantations.

“West Papuans are resisting Prabowo’s plan to wipe us out, but we need all our supporters to stand beside us as we battle this terrifying new threat.”

The Morning Star is illegal in West Papua and frequently protesters who have breached this law have faced heavy jail sentences.

“If we raise [the flag], paint it on our faces, draw it on a banner, or even wear its colours on a bracelet, we can face up to 15 or 20 years in prison.

“This is why we need people to fly the flag for us. As ever, we will be proudly flying the Morning Star above Oxford Town Hall. But we want to see our supporters hold flag raisings everywhere — on every continent.

‘Inhabiting our struggle’
“Whenever you raise the flag, you are inhabiting the spirit of our struggle.”

Wenda appealed to everyone in West Papua — “whether you are in the cities, the villages, or living as a refugee or fighter in the bush” — to make December 1 a day of prayer and reflection on the struggle.

“We remember our ancestors and those who have been killed by the Indonesian coloniser, and strengthen our resolve to carry on fighting for Merdeka — our independence.”

Wenda said the peaceful struggle was making “great strides forward” with a constitution, a cabinet operating on the ground, and a provisional government with a people’s mandate.

“We know that one day soon the Morning Star will fly freely in our West Papuan homeland,” he said.

“But for now, West Papuans risk arrest and imprisonment if we wave our national flag. We need our supporters around the world to fly it for us, as we look forward to a Free West Papua.”

• Wenda appealed to people to send their flag-raising pictures to: office@freewestpapua.org

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

On November 4, the interim information ministry announced that the Cyber Security Act would be repealed within a week. The law was passed in 2023 and replaced the Digital Security Act, which was repeatedly used to crack down on journalists under the previous government.

Currently, dozens of journalists perceived to be supportive of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ousted Awami League party face police investigations in apparent retaliation for their work. In late October and early November, the interim information ministry revoked the press accreditation of several of these journalists, four of whom remain jailed.

Read the full letter here.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Committee to Protect Journalists.

Chinese authorities in Tibet have denied to retry an envirnomental activist who is serving a seven-year sentence for campaigning against government corruption, his lawyer said on social media.

Anya Sengdra, 53, a resident of Kyangchu township in Gade (in Chinese, Gande) county in the Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture has already served six years of his sentence for “disturbing social order” after he complained online about corrupt officials, illegal mining and the hunting of protected wildlife.

He was convicted and sentenced in 2019, and has attempted to appeal the decision twice before, his lawyer Lin Qilei said in a post on X on Tuesday.

“This marks the third appeal for a retrial submitted to the Sixth Circuit Court of the Supreme People’s Court in Xi’an,” Lin said on X.

“As usual, I filled out the necessary forms and waited in line. After some time, a judge came out and informed me that they had decided not to review Sengdra’s case,” Lin said. “He advised me not to return to the court regarding this matter in the future.”

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In 2020, a group of UN human rights experts appealed to the Chinese government, urging them to dismiss the charges against him.

Earlier this month, the Chinese authorities detained Tsogon Tsering, a Tibetan environmental activist from Sichuan province after he made a rare public appeal on social media for action against a company he accused of illegally extracting sand and gravel from a river.

Tsering has remained in custody since then and his whereabouts are still unknown.

Edited by Tenzin Dickyi, Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Tibetan.

She’s had enormous success: She led a lawsuit against planned oil drilling and won, protecting half a million acres of Amazon rainforest. She helped push for a national referendum to ban oil drilling in Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, which won resoundingly. Her work also set a legal precedent defending Indigenous rights. 

This fall, she released a memoir called “We Will Be Jaguars,” chronicling her life story. The book has just been named this month’s pick for actress Reese Witherspoon’s book club. Nenquimo is also continuing to fight Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa’s efforts to continue oil extraction.

Grist spoke with Nenquimo to learn more about her work. Her answers were translated from Spanish and have been condensed for clarity. 

Q. How is climate change affecting your people? 

A. The trees that normally fruit that feed and nourish the monkeys are not fruiting, and the monkeys are now raiding the gardens of the village. The river turtles, because of changes in the seasons, aren’t finding the right time to lay eggs on the beaches. My people notice very small and important changes in their ecosystem that the rest of the world doesn’t understand. The rest of the world needs huge hurricanes or big floods to think, ‘This is the climate crisis.’ But my father always told me that the climate crisis is the language of Mother Earth. It’s Mother’s way of communicating to the people about what she’s experiencing, how she’s changing, what she’s suffering.

Everyone is speaking about the urgency of the climate crisis, but it’s really just the world leaders and the business leaders that are in the rooms making decisions. There isn’t really a true understanding that Indigenous peoples and local communities on the front lines are stewarding and protecting their lands. They need to be not only involved with seats at the table but need to be guiding and steering those conversations. 

Q. Can you tell us more about your impression of those international climate conversations and their connection to what’s happening in your home country? 

A. I was at COP and saw there were Indigenous leaders that were there, but they were there without spaces to speak. They traveled very far but they weren’t really able to get into the conference. And at the same time, it was a space where nearly 200 countries made an agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. And when I returned to the Amazon, the first thing that I saw in the Amazon was my government, who had agreed to transition away from fossil fuels, doubling down on oil and making plans to launch another oil auction across the entire southcentral Amazon. 

That just confirmed that in the climate conferences, it’s still a colonial structure where world leaders and governments and businesses are the ones steering the conversation and making decisions. A lot of the promises are false promises. I’m very convinced that world leaders and the economic system are hell bent on continuing to extract oil for as long as they can extract oil. 

Q. What lessons do you think other Indigenous activists can take away from your advocacy? 

A. First, it’s important to dream with your people, and to really build a vision for many generations of your people, because ultimately to win and to confront the forces that are threatening our lands and our livelihoods, we need to be unified and we need to be a powerful collective, and that starts with really listening and building a strong vision and a strong dream for your community and the people. 

The second piece of advice I would give to young Indigenous activists is to focus on your own spirituality and your own connection to the earth and to your culture and to your territory, because we carry a lot of traumas. The world is very confusing and the world is very powerful and it’s easy to get wrapped up and sucked up, churned up, spit out by the world outside your territories. And so to really have a strong spiritual foundation and spiritual fortitude is a really powerful and important component of being a powerful and successful Indigenous warrior. 

And then finally, to really look to build honest, authentic and powerful collaborations with non-Indigenous people, not to allow and permit outsiders to design and lead and propose top down solutions, but to really seek out harnessing and building really truthful collaborations with folks from outside your territory or Western organizations and activists. Really make sure that they’re committed to listening and learning and respecting your vision, your dreams and your rhythms. 

Q. What tools would you say have been critical to your success thus far? 

A. Firstly, leveraging our rights — our international rights to require informed consent, our right to decide what happens in our territories — was a really powerful strategy to protect our lands because we were able to challenge the government’s designs over our territories and their efforts to auction off our lands without our permission. 

At the same time, we needed to leverage communication strategies and social media and networks of allies, including celebrities, Indigenous rights experts, and people from around the world to support us, stand in solidarity with us, and shine a spotlight on the judicial system to ensure that we could protect outcome and protect the integrity of the process. 

Also, building out the capacity of Indigenous organizations to manage resources is another important tool, for the protection of our homelands and to really build out and design strategies that work for us.

And then ultimately it was the leveraging of new technologies and combining that with our own people’s knowledge and wisdom of our own forests and our territories. The governments and the companies tend to see our homelands as just a place to extract resources, our homelands as commodities, as almost sort of empty places waiting to be turned into productive zones, when in reality our territories are an intricate web of life that sustains our cultures and that sustains our planet’s climate and biodiversity. And so we created intricate territorial maps using new technologies, walking with the elders and the youth in the forests to tell the story of our land and ultimately show that our land is ours and to provide depth to the rights that we already have to decide what happens in our land. 

Q. What prompted you to write your book?

A. My people come from a long tradition of oral storytelling stories that have been passed down for centuries across the generations. But the reason I decided to write a book was because for many years, we have been working to build a movement to protect Indigenous territories and cultures from extractive violence and from conquest and colonialism, and have won a lot of important victories, but the threats continue to come. My father said the elders always say that the outsiders always destroy what they don’t understand and that the story dies when no one tells it. 

It’s an important time for me to write my story and for it not to be people from the outside telling the story but my own voice and as a way to create an opportunity for the outside world to learn about my people and the connection they have with the land. Because the people that come from the outside, they either destroy what they don’t understand or they try to help what they don’t understand. And either way, they cause harm. 

And it was also an effort to create a story that the Waorami children could listen to, and feel proud of.

Q. As you continue to fight oil drilling in your territories, how would you characterize what is at stake? 

A. Life is at stake. Our culture, our knowledge,  our connection with the land and water, the forest, the wildlife. Ultimately, if the governments and the companies achieve what they want to achieve, which is the destruction of our cultures and of our lands, they’ll also create a worsening climate crisis and trigger these tipping points around the world. And what I’m trying to do is share my story and my people’s story with the world, to wake up the world so they can understand that what’s at stake is life itself and that if we continue to build economies based on infinite growth and endless consumption then we’re going to destroy the very Mother who is giving us life. 

I really do believe in the power of the people and civil society and citizens around the world to wake up and realize the stakes of the climate crisis and to realize that action needs to happen now and in their own communities. It starts with each and every one of us  in our communities building community, building the power to change the system. 

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline A Q&A with Indigenous leader Nemonte Nenquimo who fought oil drilling in the Amazon — and won on Nov 5, 2024.

This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Anita Hofschneider.

A Myanmar insurgent group claimed responsibility for dropping a bomb on the airport in the capital, Naypyidaw, on Tuesday when junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing was scheduled to fly to China, the group said.

There were no reports of any injuries and Min Aung Hlaing and his delegation arrived in the southern China city of Kunming for talks on investment opportunities later in the day, military-controlled media reported.

“We bombed the airport today because the junta leader is going to China. We can confirm the bombing,” a spokesperson for an anti-military Naypyidaw People’s Defense Force told Radio Free Asia, adding that a drone had been used to drop the bomb.

“Those who carried out the mission on the ground are out of danger.”

Military authorities have not released any information about the attack and attempts to contact the junta’s main spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, went unanswered.

People posting on junta-run channels on the Telegram messaging app said the bomb was dropped between the airport’s runway and parking lot at 8:20 a.m. and an initial inspection determined it was made with a PVC pipe.

Since the military seized power in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021, rebel groups have increasingly focused attacks in urban centers, including on administrative centers in the largest city, Yangon, on ceremonies attended by Min Aung Hlaing, regional military bases and the Chinese embassy.

A Naypyidaw resident near the airport told RFA that he heard a blast at around 8 a.m. and security forces immediately began blocking off roads.

“We could hear the explosion loud and clear. Now the airport and all the connecting roads are closed and being inspected,” said the resident, who declined to be identified for security reasons.

Min Aung Hlaing met Chinese businessmen at Kunming’s Hualuxe Hotel to discuss opportunities for foreign investment in Myanmar, the development of electricity projects, the electric vehicle sector and other sectors, a state-run publication reported.

Min Aung Hlaing was scheduled to attend regional meetings from Wednesday to Thursday, including the 8th Greater Mekong Subregion, 10th Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy Summit and the 11th Cambodia-Lao-Myanmar-Vietnam Summit, junta media reported on Monday.

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Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Burmese.

Junta forces damaged a church in the home village of Myanmar’s most prominent Christian, Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, one of several religious buildings destroyed in fighting between the military and pro-democracy forces, residents told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.

Bo, Myanmar’s Roman Catholic leader, lives in the main city of Yangon and was not in Mon Hla village, in the central Sagaing region, when a junta drone bombed St. Michael’s Church on Wednesday night.

“They’ve destroyed an entire side of the church, the whole right side,” said one woman in the village, who declined to be identified in fear of reprisals.

The church’s bell tower and nave were also damaged, she said.

Opponents of the junta have accused the military of targeting Christian and Muslim places of worship, destroying hundreds of them in its campaign against insurgent forces and their suspected civilian supporters.

Bo has in the past called for attacks on places of worship to end and in 2022, he called for dialogue after a raid by junta forces on his home village.

The junta’s spokesman in the Sagaing region said he “didn’t know the details of the situation yet.”

About a third of Mon Hla’s population are Roman Catholic, rare for a community in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar’s central heartlands. Its residents trace their origins back to Portuguese adventurers who arrived before British colonial rule.

Residents said it was not clear why the military attacked the village as there was no fighting with anti-junta forces there at the time. Thirteen people were wounded in two previous attacks on the village in October, they said.

There were no reports of casualties in the Wednesday night attack on Mon Hla. Many villagers fled from their homes the next day when drones reappeared in the sky, the woman said.

“We had to flee yesterday. Then today, the drones retreated so we could return. Now, we’ve fled again,” she said.

The Sagaing region has seen some of the worst of the violence that has swept Myanmar since the military overthrew an elected government in early 2021.

Insurgents groups set up by pro-democracy activists are waging a guerrilla campaign in many parts of Sagaing, harassing junta forces with attacks on their posts and ambushes of their convoys. The military has responded with extensive airstrikes, artillery shelling and, increasingly, drone attacks.

In Kanbalu township, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the north of Mon Hla, junta forces attacked two villages, Kyi Su and Kyauk Taing, torching about 400 homes including two Buddhist monasteries and two mosques, residents there told RFA.

“Our people had to run from the bombs dropped by drones,” said one resident of Kyi Su. “But for those who ran, their homes were raided and burned.”

“Two monasteries are in ashes and two of our Muslim mosques are unusable.”

Residents said many of the destroyed homes were simple, thatch huts, put up to replace homes destroyed in earlier fighting.

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Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by RFA Staff.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by RFA Burmese.

The Israeli military killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Gaza Strip on October 17, and it didn’t take long for the usual media suspects to line up with their anti-eulogies.

Reuters (10/18/24) called October 7 “the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust”; no similar Nazi comparisons were offered for the (probably far more than) 42,000 Palestinians killed by Israel.

Reuters (10/18/24), for example, produced an obituary headlined “Yahya Sinwar: The Hamas Leader Committed to Eradicating Israel Is Dead”—a less than charming use of terminology in light of the genocide Israel is currently perpetrating in Gaza.

Since last October, more than 42,000 Palestinians have officially been, um, eradicated—although according to a Lancet study (7/20/24; Al Jazeera, 7/8/24) published in July, the true death toll could well exceed 186,000. Per the view of Reuters, this is really the fault of Sinwar, a “ruthless enforcer” who, we are informed in the opening paragraph,

remained unrepentant about the October 7 attacks [on Israel] despite unleashing an Israeli invasion that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, laid waste to his Gaza homeland and rained destruction on ally Hezbollah.

Never mind that Sinwar’s elimination will have no impact on the genocide, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear: “Today we have settled the score. Today evil has been dealt a blow, but our task has still  not been completed.”

Delegitimizing resistance

The New York Times headline (10/21/24) seems to express surprise that assassinating a negotiating partner is not a pathway to peace.

Further down in the obituary, Reuters journalist Samia Nakhoul managed to insert some biographical details that hint at reasons besides “evil” that Sinwar chose to pursue armed resistance:

Half a dozen people who know Sinwar told Reuters his resolve was shaped by an impoverished childhood in Gaza’s refugee camps and a brutal 22 years in Israeli custody, including a period in Ashkelon, the town his parents called home before fleeing after the 1948 Arab/Israeli war.

This, too, is a rather diplomatic way of characterizing the ethnic cleansing and mass slaughter that attended the 1948 creation of the state of Israel on Palestinian land—an enterprise predicated on perpetual killing, as we are now witnessing most acutely. By portraying Sinwar’s actions as stemming from an intrinsic diabolicalness that made him hellbent on “eradicating” Israel—in contrast to Israel’s actions, which are implicitly restrained until “unleashed” by Sinwar—the corporate media delegitimize resistance while effectively legitimizing genocide.

This longstanding commitment to laying nearly all responsibility for the conflict at Palestinian feet also leads to bizarre headlines like the New York Times‘ “Yahya Sinwar Is Dead, But a Palestinian State Still Seems Distant” (10/21/24). It is the Biden administration’s alleged hope that Sinwar’s killing could “help pave the way for the eventual creation of a Palestinian state.” The idea attributes the failure to create a Palestinian state to Sinwar rather than Israel, and ludicrously imagines that genocide, along with the massive destruction of housing and basic infrastructure that Israel is committing in Gaza, are logical ways to go about state-building.

That report came on the heels of another Times intervention (10/19/24) that critiqued “Hamas’s single-minded focus on the Palestinian struggle, which had dragged the whole region into the flames”—even while acknowledging that Israel is the party presently responsible for perpetuating the conflict. This particular effort bore the headline: “Despite Sinwar’s Death, Mideast Peace May Still Be Elusive.” Well, yeah.

‘Terrorist Hamas leader’

Fox News (10/17/24) labeled Sinwar a “terrorist,” but didn’t use the word when noting that he “rose to the top positionthe killing of previous leader Ismail Haniyeh in the explosion of a guesthouse in Tehran”; in fact, it couldn’t even bring itself to mention that Israel had carried out the assassination.

For its part, Fox News (10/17/24) deployed predictable lingo in its memorialization of Sinwar, describing him in the obituary headline as “The Israeli Prisoner Turned Terrorist Hamas Leader.” Indeed, the “terrorist” label never gets old, even after decades of being wielded against enemies of Israel and the United States, the Israeli military’s partner in crime and the primary financial enabler of the current bloodbath. Lost in the linguistic stunt, of course, is the fact that both the US and Israel are responsible for a great deal more acts of terrorism than are their foes.

But pointing out such realities goes against the official line—and so we end up with Sinwar the “Hamas terrorist leader,” as ABC News (10/17/24) has also immortalized him. Time magazine (10/18/24) opted to go with a front cover featuring Sinwar’s face with a red X through it.

CNN (10/17/24), meanwhile, offered space in the second paragraph of its own reflections on Sinwar’s demise to Israeli officials’ spin on the man, noting that they had “branded him with many names, including the ‘face of evil’ and ‘the butcher from Khan Younis,’” the refugee camp in southern Gaza where Sinwar was born.

Given the Israeli butchery to which Khan Younis is continuously subjected these days, it seems CNN might have refrained from taking Israel’s word for it. On just one bloody day this month, October 1, at least 51 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on a tent camp in Khan Younis (BBC, 10/2/24)—a space that had been designated by Israel as a “humanitarian area.” Israel killed 38 more there yesterday (AP, 10/25/24).

‘The threat remains’

Time (10/18/24): “The corpse of Yahya Sinwar was found in the landscape he envisioned—the dusty rubble of an apocalyptic war ignited by the sneak attack he had planned in secret for years.”

Sinwar is not the only Middle Eastern resistance leader to have been recently eliminated by the Israelis. On July 31, Israel assassinated Sinwar’s predecessor Ismail Haniyeh with a bombing in Tehran, and on September 27, it killed Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, in an operation that entailed leveling an entire residential block. (What was that about terrorism?)

On the latter occasion, the Jerusalem Post (10/6/24) got its panties in a bunch over the allegedly “unnerving eulogy of the terror chief” that appeared in the New York Times (9/28/24), whose authors had not only had the audacity to call Nasrallah a “powerful orator…beloved among many Shiite Muslims,” but had also mentioned that the man had helped provide social services in Lebanon.

(That Times article also reported that some Lebanese “felt he used Hezbollah’s power to take the entire country hostage to his own interests,” and it linked to another Times piece—9/28/24—about those who “welcomed Mr. Nasrallah’s death.”)

The Washington Post (9/28/24) went with the noncommittal headline “Hasan Nasrallah, Hezbollah Leader and Force in Middle East, dies at 64,” while simultaneously running an op-ed by Max Boot (9/28/24): “Nasrallah Is Gone. But the Threat of Hezbollah Remains.”

Now that Sinwar is gone, too, rest assured that Israel will continue to exploit all manner of threats to justify unceasing slaughter—and that the media will be standing by with disingenuous and reductionist narratives all the way.

This content originally appeared on FAIR and was authored by Belén Fernández.

Activists living in Vietnam and abroad have sent a letter to Communist Party General Secretary To Lam asking him to honor the United Nations Charter and its commitment to “fundamental human rights” and “the dignity and worth of the human person.”

The call, signed by dozens of people and groups, was posted on the change.org site on Oct. 20, after Lam’s official visits to the U.S. and France. 

In meetings with President Joe Biden and France’s Emmanuel Macron, and in an address to the U.N. General Assembly, Lam spoke of a new era for Vietnam with the government promoting and protecting human rights.

“We, the Vietnamese people at home and abroad who aspire for freedom, democracy and human rights, acknowledge the above statement and believe that these commitments must be materialized in practical actions,” the activists said in their open letter.

“Vietnam's development cannot be based solely on political or diplomatic declarations, but must be based on respecting and implementing the fundamental rights of all people.”

The letter called on the government to: release all political prisoners; protect fundamental freedoms of speech, the press, association, assembly, demonstration, religion and movement; carry out legal reforms to protect people’s rights and comply with international agreements; reform political institutions by bringing in a multi-party system; and organize free and internationally supervised elections.

“This is an opportunity for Vietnam to have a transition under the leadership of General Secretary To Lam,” U.S.-based engineer Nguyen Dai Ngu, one of the letter’s initiators, told Radio Free Asia. “We expect and demand that Vietnam's leaders will grant the legal rights and all the things To Lam almost officially promised to respect.”

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Activist Nguyen Tien Trung, who signed the statement, said he realized the demands were unrealistic because the forces of democracy were weak compared with the power of the Communist Party.

“However, we still have to continuously speak up so that the Vietnamese people can see, so that the Communist Party of Vietnam can see and see that the opposition always exists and that we continue the process of democratizing the country even though we are in a weak position,” said the former political prisoner, who fled Vietnam to avoid rearrest, and now lives with his family in Germany.

Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Vietnamese.

France’s Supreme Court has overturned a judgment imprisoning pretrial in mainland France Kanak pro-independence leader Christian Tein, who is widely regarded as a political prisoner, reports Libération.

Tein, who is head of the CCAT (Field Action Coordination Unit) in New Caledonia was in August elected president of the main pro-independence umbrella group Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS).

He has been accused by the French authorities of “masterminding” the violence that spread across New Caledonia in May.

• READ MORE: Can New Caledonia’s first female congress president bridge the divide amid civil unrest?
• Kanak activist Christian Tein’s imprisonment reversed by France’s highest court
• Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

The deadly unrest is estimated to have caused €2.2 billion (NZ$3.6 billion) in infrastructural damage, resulting in the destruction of nearly 800 businesses and about 20,000 job losses.

In this new legal twist, the jailing in mainland France of Tein and another activist, Steve Unë, was ruled “invalid” by the court.

“On Tuesday, October 22, the Court of Cassation in Paris overturned the July 5 ruling of the investigating chamber of the Noumea Court of Appeal, which had confirmed his detention in mainland France,” reports NC la 1ère TV.

“The Kanak independence activist, imprisoned in Mulhouse since June, will soon have to appear before a judge again who will decide his fate,” the report said.

Kanak activists’ cases reviewed
The court examined the appeal of five Kanak pro-independence activists — including Tein – who had challenged their detention in mainland France on suspicion of having played a role in the unrest in New Caledonia, reports RFI News.

This appeal considered in particular “the decision by the judges in Nouméa to exile the defendants without any adversarial debate, and the conditions under which the transfer was carried out,” according to civil rights attorney François Roux, one of the defendants’ lawyers.

“Many of them are fathers, cut off from their children,” the lawyer said.

The transfer of five activists to mainland France at the end of June was organised overnight using a specially chartered plane, according to Nouméa public prosecutor Yves Dupas, who has argued that it was necessary to continue the investigations “in a calm manner”.

Roux has denounced the “inhumane conditions” in which they were transported.

“They were strapped to their seats and handcuffed throughout the transfer, even to go to the toilet, and they were forbidden to speak,” he said.

Left-wing politicians in France have also slammed the conditions of detainees, who they underline were deported more than 17,000 km from their home for resisting “colonial oppression”.

Total of seven accused
A total of seven activists from the CCAT separatist coalition are accused by the French government of orchestrating deadly riots earlier this year and are currently incarcerated – the five in various prisons in France and two in New Caledonia itself.

They are under investigation for, among other things, complicity in attempted murder, organised gang theft with a weapon, organised gang destruction of another person’s property by a means dangerous to people and participation in a criminal association with a view to planning a crime.

Two CCAT activists who were initially imprisoned have since been placed under house arrest in mainland France.

Tein, born in 1968, has consistently denied having incited violence, claiming to be a political prisoner.

This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.

Together with another young math teacher, Rong Chhun — who later became a prominent labor activist — they formed a teachers' union to combat what they viewed as injustices at the school.

“We were called ‘democratic teachers,’” Chea Mony, 55, told Radio Free Asia in an interview. 

“I did not like corruption. I did not like to see an exploitation of our schoolteachers’ hours,” he said. “I did not like to see the students having to cross a river to go to school, and when they did not have the money to pay the boat fares, they were not allowed to take the boats to school.”

“Because of that, we organized a protest,” he said.

Chea Mony went on to become a leader of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, or CITA, which he founded with Rong Chhun. It worked closely with the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, led by his brother Chea Vichea.

After Chea Vichea, a popular union labor organizer and outspoken critic of former Prime Minister Hun Sen, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2004, the workers’ union elected Chea Mony as president. 

Now, he faces the greatest challenge of his life as president of the National Power Party, or NPP, formed in 2023 to oppose the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, or CPP, led by Prime Minister Hun Manet, son of longtime ruler Hun Sen.

Squashing opposition

For years, the CPP has acted to suppress any political opposition. 

In 2017, the country’s top court dissolved the main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party. The subsequent opposition Candlelight Party was barred from participating in 2023 elections on a technicality. 

Police have arrested activists and political opponents — including Sun Chanthy, the NPP’s previous chief, who was jailed on incitement charges.

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“I have many years of experience as a civil society leader, and my struggle is fighting for freedom, for the benefit of justice,” he said. 

”So, for me as the current leader of the National Power Party, I am not paying attention to [anything else] because my struggle is to focus on freedom and people, and it is not illegal [to do so]."

The NPP contested in Cambodia’s 2024 senate elections and the 2024 provincial elections, but none of its candidates won seats.

Humble roots

Born in Kratie province, in eastern Cambodia, Chea Mony grew up in Kandal province, which surrounds Phnom Penh, with his four brothers and two sisters.

His father was a former civil servant during the Sangkum Reastr Niyum period, also known as the First Kingdom of Cambodia from 1955 to 1970 when Prince Norodom Sihanouk ruled.

His mother, a housewife, died of an illness when he was young.

His father was killed in 1976 by the Khmer Rouge, the radical communist movement that ruled Cambodia from 1975 to 1979 and killed an estimated 2 million people through overwork, starvation or executions.

After he graduated with a degree in chemistry from the Royal University of Phnom Penh in 1993, he taught at Hun Sen Saang High School in Saang district of Kandal province until 2000, when he transferred to Boeung Trabek High School in Phnom Penh.

That was where he met Rong Chhun, who became chairman of the teachers’ union they founded, CITA.

“Rong Chhun and I have the same character,” Chea Mony said. “We do not like oppression, exploitation and violation of rights.”

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, CITA and the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia engaged in many demonstrations to demand higher wages for teachers and factory workers, and to pressure the government to respect human rights.

Though his nonviolent activism resulted in dozens of lawsuits, authorities never arrested him. 

“We are the union leaders; we have to sue for justice [for the workers],” he said. “I've always [led] strikes [by] demanding that a labor court to resolve labor disputes,” he said. “It is better to take the labor case to an arbitration tribunal.”

2017 lawsuit

One of the most significant lawsuits against Chea Mony was filed by 120 pro-government unions in late 2017. 

They accused him of inciting the European Union and the United States to inflict economic sanctions against Cambodia after Chea Mony gave an interview to RFA about the impact of such sanctions on government and factory workers, if imposed. 

This occurred after Hun Sen repeatedly invited the international community to immediately impose sanctions on his regime. The court proceeded quickly, deciding to summon and charge Chea Mony, who instead fled abroad to escape harassment by the court. 

The case was dropped after Cambodia's Labor Ministry settled it outside the court, following intervention by the International Labor Organization and a request by major garment buyers that the government drop the charges against Chea Mony and other union leaders.

Rong Chhun, also 55, who is now an adviser to the NPP, described Chea Mony as a liberal and strong-willed advocate for democracy and respect for human rights.

“He is also a sharp advocate, strong in the face of adversity, when leading demonstrations and strikes,” he said.

Rong Chhun was granted conditional release from jail in September, but he cannot travel or participate in political meetings and must keep authorities informed of his whereabouts.

Chea Mony, who is married and has a daughter and a son, said that his new role is a heavy burden for him, but he is determined to do a good job.

Translated by Sum Sok Ry for RFA Khmer. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Yang Chandara for RFA Khmer.

South Korea’s spy agency said last Friday that North Korea had dispatched 1,500 special forces troops to Russia’s Far East for training.

NATO and the United States said they could not confirm the report, while North Korea had remained silent at time of publication.

Speaking in his nightly video address on Sunday, Zelenskyy said there was ample satellite and video evidence that North Korea was sending not only equipment to Russia, but also soldiers to be prepared for deployment.

“I am grateful to those leaders and representatives of states who do not close their eyes and speak frankly about this cooperation for the sake of a larger war. We expect a normal, honest, strong reaction from our partners on this,” he said. 

“If the world remains silent now and we have to engage soldiers from North Korea on the front line in the same way we have to defend ourselves from [Iranian] Shahed drones, this will certainly benefit no one in the world and only prolong the war,” Zelenskyy added. 

“Unfortunately, instability and threats can significantly increase after North Korea becomes trained for modern warfare.”

Zelenskyy’s remarks came after South Korea’s National Intelligence Service released detailed satellite images it said showed a first deployment, saying it estimated the North could send about 12,000 soldiers.

South Korea’s presidential office said North Korea’s troop movement to Russia was being closely tracked in coordination with its allies, and the South would continue to monitor the situation and take all necessary measures proactively.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday he could not confirm reports that North Korea had sent troops to Russia ahead of a possible deployment, but added that it would be concerning, if true.

NATO chief Mark Rutte said Friday the alliance could not confirm the South Korean intelligence agency’s report but it was in “close contact” with its partners. 

The foreign ministers of France and Ukraine said on Saturday that the involvement of North Korean regular troops to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would be a serious escalation of the war. 

In South Korea, the ruling People Power party warned of the possibility of North Korea using the advanced military technology Russia is expected to provide in return for the deployment to provoke South Korea.

“The party will actively support our government’s policies and put the safety of our people first,” it said on Monday. 

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North Korea and Russia have moved noticeably closer over the past year or more amid widespread suspicion that North Korea has supplied conventional weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance. Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

A day before South Korea’s announcement, Zelenskyy cited Ukrainian intelligence reports saying that North Korean personnel had already been deployed in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, with an additional 10,000 troops being prepared to join the fight.

He suggested that Russia was relying on North Korean forces to compensate for its substantial troop losses, as many young Russians seek to avoid conscription. The Ukraine government estimated that, as of Sunday, Russian casualties were almost 680,000 since the start of the war.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-Hyun told lawmakers in early October that North Korea was likely planning to send troops to Ukraine to fight alongside Russia. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Oct. 10, however, dismissed that as “fake news.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly submitted a bill to the lower house of parliament on Monday to ratify a treaty to raise its relationship with North Korea to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was agreed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 19 in Pyongyang after  summit talks during the Russian president’s state visit.   

The new partnership includes a mutual defense assistance clause that would apply in the case of “aggression” against one of the signatories.

Edited by Mike Firn.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.

• The Israeli military has confirmed that its forces killed Hamas’ top leader, Yahya Sinwar, in Gaza. Troops reportedly encountered him during a battle on Wednesday, later identifying his body in the rubble as the man Israel had been pursuing for over a year.
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• Berkeley voters to decide on taxing large buildings for natural gas use in November.

Yahya Sinwar, head of Hamas in Gaza, chairs a meeting with leaders of Palestinian factions at his office in Gaza City, on April 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)

The post The Israeli military confirms killing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza battle – October 17, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

This content originally appeared on KPFA - The Pacifica Evening News, Weekdays and was authored by KPFA.

Police said they heard complaints from four victims between 13 and 15 years old and have also spoken with four witnesses. Kamarudin Suhaimi was arrested on Tuesday, denied the charges in a court appearance and was being detained as police continue their investigation, according to Fresh News.

Suhaimi is the son of Sos Kamry, the chairman of the Highest Council for Islamic Religious Affairs in Cambodia. Kamry told the Khmer Times that the allegations were “a rumor” and that his son hasn’t committed any crimes.

Suhaimi had been the manager of security, hygiene and health at the girls’ dorm for the An-Nikmah Al-Islamiyah Phnom Penh Institute, which lists itself as an elementary school on its Facebook page.

He was relieved of those duties following complaints from students of inappropriate behavior and language directed toward students, the school said in an Oct. 12 statement.

The aunt of one of the alleged victims told Radio Free Asia on Wednesday that Suhaimi sexually assaulted her niece “a few times.”

“But my niece didn't dare to tell because she was threatened,” she said.

RFA was unable to contact Kamry for further comment on the charges against his son. National Police Chief Sar Thet was also unavailable for comment on Wednesday. 

Ny Sokha, president of human rights group Adhoc, praised the authorities’ actions and told RFA that he hopes police and prosecutors will give justice to the victims regardless of the suspect’s influential father. 

“We want to see justice for both sides. Authorities should be working on the case to show that it isn't under the influences of powerful people,” he said. 

Translated by Yun Samean. Edited by Matt Reed.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Khmer.

Sam Hou Fai, a former president of Macau’s Court of Final Appeal who was born in neighboring Guangdong province and served as a lawyer in the mainland Chinese judicial system, was chosen in a near-unanimous vote by a hand-picked election committee of around 400 Beijing loyalists on Oct. 13. 

Sam was “elected” as Chief Executive-designate with 394 votes in favor, 0 votes against, and 4 blank votes, or nearly 99% of the vote. He was the only candidate.

Speaking after the results were announced on Oct. 13, Sam vowed to continue the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s clampdown on dissent, vowing to “safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests.”

Sam also said he would try to diversify the economy of the former Portuguese enclave, which has long been driven by its status as a regional casino hub.

Beijing’s Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macau expressed “warm congratulations to Sam Ho Fai for being elected with a high percentage of the vote,” while Hong Kong leader John Lee congratulated Sam, saying he hoped he would “lead Macau to new heights.”

What’s different about Sam Hou Fai?

Previous leaders of Macau have been born in the city, and picked from among its prominent business families, like incumbent Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng. 

While Sam’s “one-horse” election follows that of Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee in 2022, he is the first leader of a former colony to have been born and raised in mainland China. 

By contrast, much of Lee’s earlier career as a police officer was served under British colonial rule, starting in the late 1970s.

Many of Macau’s 687,000 residents appeared fairly indifferent to Sam’s selection, the Associated Press reported, saying they didn’t have the right to vote for him anyway.

Why has Sam Hou Fai been chosen?

Political commentators told RFA Cantonese that unlike the prominent business chiefs who have previously led the city, Sam, a graduate of Peking University, isn’t well known by the general public in Macau.

Sam was put forward as the only candidate by Beijing after officials decided they wanted someone with a more intuitive understanding of where the political lines were drawn than a native Macanese might, according to Au Kam San, one of only three pro-democracy lawmakers in Macau’s legislature.

“He understands mainland China better, so [Beijing believes that] he is less likely to do any harm,” Au told RFA Cantonese in a recent interview, adding that Beijing could see him as a better option than a leader like Hong Kong’s John Lee.

Sam isn’t the first mainlander to hold high office in Macau: the city’s current Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak was also born in Guangdong and attended Peking University, while Secretary for Justice André Cheong was born in Beijing and also attended university there.

Political commentators say the trio are among a group of 13 Chinese officials groomed by Beijing to hold top jobs in the city in what is effectively a progression toward direct rule of the formerly semi-autonomous territory.

Sam also has a background in law enforcement, and dealt with a number of politically sensitive cases while serving as a judge in Macau, including rejecting an appeal on a police ban on a vigil for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre.

A decision to bar opposition candidates from running in 2021 elections to the city’s legislature was also upheld on his watch.

Why the need to tighten control of Macau?

Beijing insists that repeated waves of mass popular protest movements in Hong Kong calling for fully democratic elections and other freedoms in recent years were instigated by “hostile foreign forces” seeking to undermine its rule by fomenting dissent in Hong Kong.

It first imposed a draconian national security law on Hong Kong in the wake of the 2019 protest movement, ushering in an ongoing crackdown on peaceful dissent and political opposition that has seen more than 1,000 arrests under the law, with thousands more under colonial-era public order and sedition laws.

The government recently passed a second law, known as Article 23, to broaden the scope of the crackdown.

Macau never experienced the same levels of mass political opposition that were seen in Hong Kong, and enacted its security legislation in 2004, five years after the 1999 handover to Chinese rule.

However, it passed legal amendments that broadened the reach of its security law to “prevent interference by external forces” in May 2023, suggesting that China remains concerned about future political opposition in the city.

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Luisetta Mudie for RFA English, Ha Syut for RFA Cantonese.

Junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing accused ethnic political groups and former ceasefire members of “destroying national peace” in a speech Tuesday to commemorate the now largely meaningless Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement.

The agreement, commonly known as the NCA, was implemented in 2015 by the administration of President Thein Sein and signed by ethnic political groups including the Arakan Liberation Party, Chin National Front, Democratic Karen Benevolent Army, Karen National Union/ Karen National Liberation Army Peace Council, Pa-O National Liberation Organization and Arakan Liberation Party, along with the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front.

After the junta overthrew a democratically elected government in a 2021 coup, at least five parties withdrew and entered into active conflict with the military.

The junta’s mass arrests, along with daily airstrikes and raids that killed and injured tens of thousands across the country, have brought condemnation from local and international rights groups and criticism from other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Despite ASEAN’s calls for peace talks, Min Aung Hlaing maintained in a speech on the ninth anniversary of the NCA that the junta would not concede to demands made through armed conflict.

“Conflict can only be solved by coming to the political table peacefully, not by asking for your desires through armed violence,” he said. “We won’t compromise with violent terrorists.”

Ongoing armed conflicts have been used to justify acts of terrorism, he said, adding that some ethnic armed groups had destroyed and exploited the NCA and for their own political self-interest. 

China’s interest in trade, investment and a stable shared border has spurred its leaders to broker several short-lived ceasefires this year with the ethnic armies in the Three Brotherhood Alliance that has been taking territory off the junta since it launched its Operation 1027 almost a year ago.

Despite an offer by alliance member the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army to work with China to stop the fighting and end its advance on northern Shan state towns, near-daily junta bombings of the area have left it ill inclined to join peace talks.

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Min Aung Hlaing also accused several ethnic armed and political groups, including the Pa-O National Liberation Organization, Kachin Independence Army and Karen National Union, as well as People’s Defense Force militias under the civilian shadow National Unity Government, of destroying peace and stability.

Former NCA signatories have made significant gains in townships in their respective territories, which have often been followed by junta bombings and civilian deaths. 

Khun Myint Tun, chairman of the Pa-O National Federal Council, which represents the second largest ethnic group in Shan state, told Radio Free Asia that the junta is not qualified to implement the NCA, calling Min Aung Hlaing’s claims impractical and unrealistic.

“The junta is not a legal body to implement the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. The public’s elected, appointed government must discuss it in parliament,” he said. “Ceasefires, jailed political parties, elections – from the revolutionary groups’ point of view, it’s just ridiculous.”

In September, the junta invited rebel groups to contact it and “solve their political issues” ahead of a planned 2025 election, to which several ethnic political parties have already been denied entry leading them to dismiss it as a sham.

Translated by Kiana Duncan. Edited by Mike Firn. 

This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.

“The 72.6 million Americans who rely on their earned Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits will certainly benefit from this modest cost-of-living increase. However, for far too many Americans, it will come up short.

“The increase amounts to an additional $48 per month for the average retired worker. We welcome the news of an increase, but many older Americans struggle to make ends meet and afford even the most basic necessities like housing, food, and prescription drugs.

“We need a COLA that better reflects how seniors spend their money. Strengthening Social Security and increasing benefits must be a national priority. If billionaires and the top 1% pay their fair share into the system, we can afford to increase benefits across the board and ensure Social Security is there for our children and grandchildren.

“Many Republicans in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail continue to propose cuts to the benefits we’ve earned over a lifetime of hard work. Some of them do it more openly than others, but there is no doubt the threat exists.

“Raising the retirement age, slashing benefits and privatizing the program are among retirees’ top concerns. Older Americans should pay close attention and make sure they support candidates who will protect the benefits they have earned — and even increase them — in the fast approaching November elections.”

This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.

“We are very concerned about the threats made against AyiboPost’s editor-in-chief Widlore Mérancourt by the Haitian gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier,” said CPJ U.S., Canada, and Caribbean Program Coordinator Katherine Jacobsen. “Haitian journalists are already working in unimaginably difficult conditions. They should not be intimidated simply for doing their jobs and covering matters of public importance.” 

In the September 18 article, Mérancourt, editor-in-chief of the independent Haitian news site AyiboPost, described how Cherizier posted on his WhatsApp channel on September 14 a video, which has since been removed, bragging about the gifts. Mérancourt questioned the ethics of providing gifts to Cherizier, who heads an alliance of gangs called the G9 Family and has been sanctioned by the U.S. and the United Nations for alleged human rights atrocities.

In a September 25 video, Cherizier threatened Mérancourt, saying; “I’m coming for you. Mark my words: there are people you don’t want to mess with. You could be in your bathroom and a car could come crashing into you.”

Mérancourt, who is also a contributor to the Washington Post, told CPJ that he feared for his safety and urged the Haitian government and its international partners “to protect all journalists in Haiti, end the culture of impunity, and ensure that those responsible for wrongdoing are held accountable.”

Reuters, one of the world’s largest multimedia news providers, was quoted as telling AyiboPost that it has “a strict code of conduct” for its staff and the gifts were “an error of judgment” that was under investigation.

Haiti is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for the media and ranks third on CPJ’s 2023 Global Impunity Index, which spotlights countries where the killers of journalists are most likely to go free.

This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by CPJ Staff.

It’s the third rooftop installation of a solar-powered water heating system that Petros Mihali and his assistant, Soteris, have made in the Cypriot capital since their working day began at 7am.

The process is perfectly choreographed and almost always the same: in the searing midday sun, the crane bolted on to the truck hoists the boiler up first, then the black-paned solar panels, then the galvanized steel mount on which the entire system will stand. Within two hours of the thermal technology being set up, the household, say the Thriamvos company employees, will have “gone solar.”

“We do around four installations a day across Cyprus,” says Mihali. “And each takes little more than two hours at most because, like the system itself, it’s all so easy.”

Cyprus has outstripped all other EU member states in embracing hot-water solar systems, with an estimated 93.5 percent of households exploiting the alternative energy form for domestic needs.

EU figures show the eastern Mediterranean island exceeding renewable energy targets set in the heating and cooling of buildings thanks to the widespread use of the solar thermal technology.

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“There are many areas where Cyprus has not achieved greenhouse gas emission goals,” says Charalampos Theopemptou, the island’s first environment commissioner. “But in terms of renewable energy resources being used for the sustainable heating and cooling of buildings, we’ve met the target easily, precisely because of such extensive utilization of solar water heaters for so many years.”

Theopemptou, a Green Party MP who heads the Cypriot parliament’s environment committee, can still vividly recall seeing the first solar water heating system installed on the rooftop of his wife’s family home almost 60 years ago.

“It was in the late 1960s that the water heaters were introduced to Cyprus, and I can still remember the very first system here because it happened to be erected on the roof of that building in Nicosia,” he recalls. “The Israelis were the ones to introduce the technology to us and it quickly took off because it’s so simple. All you need are solar panels, a tank and copper pipes. Ever since, it’s been a wonderful solution to the hot water needs of households here.”

The solar thermal systems not only collected solar energy as heat – usually generated through electricity and the burning of fossil fuels – they were extremely cost-effective and had helped spawn an entire industry, he explains.

“It’s been great for low-income families and then there’s the jobs: so many have been generated,” the MP says. “There are the local manufacturers who produce the parts and then all the people who are trained to install them. It’s big business.”

In his role as environment commissioner, Theopemptou pushed hard to make the solar systems obligatory on all newly constructed residential and commercial buildings – a move instituted by Israel back in the 1970s.

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“In my role as commissioner it was a priority,” he says. “Architects now have to make sure that rooftops not only have enough space for the installations but that they can also carry the weight.”

The popularity of the water heaters is such that a union of local solar thermal industrialists was established in 1977. Since then, more than 962,564 square cubic meters of “solar [panel] collectors” have been installed, the union says.

Increasingly, the country’s vibrant tourist industry has also resorted to the green solution with solar-powered hot water systems deployed in, they say, close to 100 percent of hotels.

Electricity was slow to reach households across Cyprus. It wasn’t until 1903 that electricity was introduced by the British colonial government to the island. In 1952, eight years before the country won independence, its Electricity Authority was eventually established. In fact, in remote areas the solar systems were often put on to village rooftops before the arrival of the power grid.

With most of the network still running on mazut fuel oil or diesel, Cyprus is among the cohort of EU countries forced to buy emission quotas from other member states to meet legal objectives – an obligation that accounts for up to a third of the monthly cost of electricity bills, much to the ire of Cypriot households. That has also played a role in homeowners installing solar water heating systems.

For Demetra Asprou, a retired engineer, it’s obvious that a region blessed with more than 300 days of sunshine a year should embrace solar energy. “It reduces electricity costs, increases the efficiency with which hot water is provided and is kind to the environment,” she says. “Why would anyone use other, more traditional means to heat up water when only a few hours of sunlight, between 11am and 2pm, is enough for a 200-liter [44-gallon] tank to be filled with warm water that will last 48 hours? On days when there is no sunlight, which is rare, you always have electricity as a backup if necessary.”

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Now in her 70s, Asprou, who lives in a Finnish-style log house in the foothills of the Troodos Mountains, a 30-minute drive from Nicosia, was a convert to the thermal system nearly 40 years ago.

“Installation costs may be three times higher today, but there are EU-funded grants that the government hands out and within a year it’s all paid off,” she says. “After that, you basically have free hot water and see your electricity bills greatly reduced. In a country like Cyprus, it’s a no-brainer.”

Theopemptou accepts that the solar systems have one drawback: they’re not good for the skyline. “There’s no way about it, they’re ugly on a rooftop,” he laments. “If I have one regret its that we didn’t manage to introduce regulations to improve the aesthetics of the installations. That said, I still believe they should be mandated on all buildings across the region, given the great number of days we have sunshine in the Mediterranean.”

This story was originally published by Grist with the headline ‘You basically have free hot water’: how Cyprus became a world leader in solar heating on Sep 28, 2024.

This content originally appeared on Grist and was authored by Helena Smith, The Guardian.

Vietnam has released two prominent political prisoners, a day before its top leader To Lam headed to the United States to speak before the United Nations General Assembly.