China stages military drills off Taiwan in warning to ‘separatists’
China’s military has launched a new round of military exercises around Taiwan in its latest “warning” to Taipei’s democratic government. The People’s Liberation Army said on Tuesday that the drills served as a “powerful deterrent” to “separatist forces” advocating Taiwanese independence. The exercises are intended to test the “combat readiness” of China’s army, navy, air force, and rocket force and their ability to work together during a joint military operation, the Eastern Theater Command said in a statement. The drills will be carried out from multiple directions around Taiwan and focus on “sea and air combat readiness patrols, seizing comprehensive control, sea and land strikes, and blocking key areas and roads,” the Eastern Theater Command said. China considers Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, part of its territory and has pledged to take control of the island by force if necessary. Wen-ti Sung, a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub, told Al Jazeera that the military exercises seemed to be focused on containing and isolating Taiwan. Advertisement “One of the scenarios that analysts have always been concerned about is the prospect of the Chinese military launching a quarantine or an embargo against waterways near Taiwan and how that may enable the PLA to squeeze Taiwan and starve Taiwan and thereby force it into submission,” he said. “This time around, that very maneuver of quarantine of key passageways around Taiwan is one of the main items on the PLA to-do list.” Beijing’s Communist Party views Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te and his Democratic Progressive Party as “separatists”, and has increasingly staged military exercises in response to their activities. The latest round of military exercises follows a speech made by Lai last month when he called Beijing a “foreign hostile force” and laid out a 17-point plan to curtail its ongoing political infiltration, espionage, and influence operations in Taiwan. The PLA also took the unusual step of releasing multimedia along with the announcement, including a short animation depicting Lai as a “parasite poisoning Taiwan” and then held to a fire with a set of chopsticks. Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office blasted Lai in a statement on Monday, and accused the president of stirring up “anti-China sentiment” and intensifying tension in the Taiwan Strait. Despite the uptick in military exercises, Sung told Al Jazeera that Lai’s “cross-strait policy towards China enjoys majority support in Taiwan” and Beijing’s response to his actions are seen as “regrettable.” The latest public opinion polling by the Taiwanese website My Formosa found that public trust in Lai and overall approval rose to 6.2 percent and 7 percent, respectively, following his “17 point speech.” Advertisement Trust in the president now stands at 56.7 percent with his approval rating at 55.6 percent, in the latest polls. The website linked the uptick to Lai’s speech rather than Taiwan’s tumultuous domestic politics. China last held a small round of military exercises near Taiwan in December after Lai visited Taiwan’s few diplomatic allies in the Pacific and transited through Hawaii and Guam, according to the Prospect Foundation, a Taiwan-based think tank. Larger drills were held in May and October 2024 to coincide with Lai’s inauguration and Taiwan’s national day. Beijing has stepped up its use of military drills since August 2022, when then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made a historic trip to Taiwan as the highest-ranking US official to visit in 25 years. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump administration reviews billions in Harvard contracts and grants
The administration of President Donald Trump has announced it will undertake a “comprehensive review” of federal contracts with Harvard University, as part of its crackdown on anti-Semitism in the United States. But critics fear the prestigious Ivy League university is the latest target in a purge of pro-Palestinian voices. On Monday, three departments under Trump’s control — the Department of Education, the General Services Administration and the Health and Human Services Department — issued a press release saying that $255.6m in Harvard contracts and $8.7bn in multi-year grants are slated to come under the microscope. “Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. “Harvard’s failure to protect students on campus from anti-Semitic discrimination — all while promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry — has put its reputation in serious jeopardy.” The announcement follows similar actions taken against another private Ivy League campus, Columbia University in New York, which saw millions in contracts revoked. Advertisement The Ivy League — and Columbia in particular — were an epicentre of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the US, after Israel launched a war against Gaza in October 2023. Student encampments on Columbia’s lawn in April and May 2024 inspired similar protests around the country, as campus activists denounced school ties to Israel and called for an end to human rights abuses in Gaza. Human rights groups and experts at the United Nations have accused Israel of using tactics consistent with genocide in the Palestinian territory. The organisers behind the campus protesters have largely rejected accusations of anti-Semitism, arguing that being critical of Israel’s government is not the same as spreading anti-Jewish hate. They have likened attempts to smear their protests as a form of censorship, designed to dampen free speech. But critics have accused the protesters of creating an unsafe learning environment. There have also been isolated reports of anti-Jewish attacks, including the alleged assault of one 24-year-old Columbia student who was hanging pro-Israel flyers in October 2023. Still, the protests have been, by and large, peaceful. And free-speech experts have denounced the Trump administration as blowing accusations of anti-Semitism out of proportion in order to exercise control over top universities. A list of demands In the case of Columbia University, the Trump administration stripped the school of $400m in grants and contracts on March 7, effective immediately. It accused Columbia of allowing “relentless violence, intimidation, and anti-Semitic harassment” on its campus. Advertisement A week later, on March 13, the Trump administration issued a list of demands Columbia would need to comply with to earn back the $400m. They included banning face masks, ensuring law enforcement could arrest “agitators” on campus, and adopting a controversial definition of anti-Semitism that could include criticism of Israel. The Trump administration also called for the Department of Middle East, South Asian and African Studies to be placed under the control of an external “receivership“. Critics denounced the measures as an attempt to corrode academic freedom. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) called the administration’s move “a blueprint to supercharge campus censorship”. “The letter goes far beyond what is appropriate for the government to mandate and will chill campus discourse,” the organisation wrote in a statement. “Civil rights investigations should not be handled through ad hoc directives from the government.” But the US has long been an ally of Israel’s since the country’s founding, and the Trump administration has backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing campaign in Gaza, even proposing that the US “take over” and “own” the Palestinian territory — turning it into a “riviera of the Middle East”. Critics said Trump’s proposal amounted to a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians who call Gaza home. On March 22, Columbia University agreed to comply with most of Trump’s demands. Law school speaks out The Trump administration touted those concessions as a victory in its news release announcing the review of Harvard’s federal contracts. Advertisement It also indicated that Harvard has signalled it would cooperate with Trump’s priorities. “We are pleased that Harvard is willing to engage with us on these goals,” Sean Keveney of the Health and Human Services Department said in the statement. But the announcement that Harvard was the next school to be singled out comes on the heels of an open letter from its law school, one of the oldest in the nation. More than 90 professors signed the document, which denounces actions taken to “punish people for lawfully speaking out on matters of public concern”. While the letter does not mention Trump or the pro-Palestinian protesters outright, its publication comes after students have been arrested for deportation as the result of their activism. The letter does, however, make note of attempts to “threaten law firms and legal clinics” for their legal work or prior government services — a reference to actions Trump has taken. Trump, for example, has issued executive orders punishing firms like San Francisco’s Perkins Coie LLP, which represented his 2016 election rival Hillary Clinton, and he has fired career prosecutors at the Department of Justice. The Harvard Law professors warned this violates the constitutional right to free speech — and creates an atmosphere of fear. “Whatever we might each think about particular conduct under particular facts, we share a conviction that our Constitution, including its First Amendment, was designed to make dissent and debate possible without fear of government punishment,” the letter reads. Advertisement “Neither a law school nor a society can properly function amidst such fear.” Still, the Trump administration pledged “swift action” if Harvard failed to comply with its demands. “We mean business,” Secretary McMahon posted on social media. Adblock test (Why?)
Palestinians flee Rafah after new displacement order
NewsFeed Israel has displaced Palestinians again with a new order to evacuate Rafah in southern Gaza. At least people two were killed in an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people during Eid. Over 900 have died since Israel broke the ceasefire on the March 18. Published On 31 Mar 202531 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
White House dismisses investigation calls, says ‘case closed’ on Signalgate
The White House has said that it is moving on from recent controversy over the mistaken sharing of war plans on commercial messaging app Signal, declaring that the “case has been closed”. Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that steps had been taken to ensure that the same scenario – which made Jeffrey Goldberg, editor of The Atlantic, privy to a group chat on planned US strikes on Yemen’s Houthis – was not repeated in the future. But she did not elaborate on the measures. Leavitt said the US was “moving forward”, her statement appearing to end speculation that National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who invited the journalist to the chat, and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who shared the sensitive information, would be punished. Democratic lawmaker Madeleine Dean accused Republicans of showing a “weakness of thought” by deflecting away from the “blunders” of the so-called Signalgate controversy. “The Trump Administration’s mishandling of sensitive military plans was a staggering failure,” she wrote in a social media post. “Republicans have devolved into ‘what-about-ism.’ It’s time for accountability. It’s time for answers.” The Trump Administration’s mishandling of sensitive military plans was a staggering failure. Republicans have devolved into “what-about-ism.” It’s time for accountability. It’s time for answers. pic.twitter.com/nxclTrDEyQ — Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (@RepDean) March 31, 2025 Advertisement ‘Real pain to come’ As the White House attempted to close the embarrassing chapter, US President Donald Trump renewed his threats to the Houthis, targeted over attacks against Israel and Red Sea shipping lanes conducted in support of Gaza, promising to hit them “harder and harder”. Houthi leaders have denied US claims that their capabilities have been degraded by attacks, saying that the strikes have only managed to kill civilians and administrative officials. “The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you,” said Trump in a social media post. “Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.” Iran, for its part, responded to Trump’s previous message that it will face heavy US bombardment if it fails to reach a nuclear weapons deal. “They threaten to attack us, which we don’t think is very probable, but if they commit any mischief, they will surely receive a strong reciprocal blow,” said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of the US and its ally, Israel. On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned a Swiss diplomat “acting as protector of US interests” to pass on a “warning note” to the US, emphasising its “firm and immediate resolve” to respond to “hostile acts”. ‘No specific progress’ Trump intends to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May to discuss a range of topics, including Russia’s three-year-old war in Ukraine, the war in Gaza and investments, according to sources cited by the Reuters news agency and Axios. Advertisement Saudi Arabia recently hosted US-mediated talks with Russia and Ukraine aimed at ending the war, but prospects of a ceasefire appeared to dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, lacked the legitimacy to sign a peace deal, prompting Trump to declare in an interview with NBC that he was “very angry, p***** off” with the Russian leader. Trump added that if he were unable to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine and determined Russia was to blame, he would impose a 25 percent secondary tariff on all Russian oil. Addressing the state of US-Russian relations on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated in comments carried by Russia’s Interfax news agency that Moscow was “working on implementing certain ideas related to Ukrainian conflict resolution”, though there was “no specific progress” to report yet. Peskov also said Putin is still open to speaking with Trump and that a conversation could be “arranged as needed”, according to TASS news agency. Attending a meeting of European foreign ministers in Madrid to discuss the conflict, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Russia owed a clear response to the US on whether it wants to pursue peace at all. Adblock test (Why?)
Fire destroys over a dozen Teslas at Rome dealership
NewsFeed Elon Musk says “terrorism” was behind a fire at a Rome Tesla dealership that reduced 17 vehicles to burned out shells. The cause of the fire is under investigation but occurred the same day dealerships in at least two other countries were vandalised. Published On 31 Mar 202531 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
US slaps sanctions on top Chinese, Hong Kong officials for rights abuses
Secretary of State Rubio says Beijing ‘broke promises’ to Hong Kong residents, depriving them of their freedoms. The United States has imposed sanctions on six Chinese and Hong Kong officials to punish China for its ongoing crackdown on democracy advocates in the financial hub, which was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The US Department of State announced the sanctions on Monday. They target prominent figures, including Hong Kong Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam for playing a role in efforts to “intimidate, silence and harass 19 pro-democracy activists”. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that Beijing had “broken its promises” after pledging to allow the territory a high degree of autonomy, “depriving Hong Kongers of freedoms” and engaging in “acts of transnational repression targeting activists on US soil”. .@StateDept’s latest Hong Kong Policy Act Report demonstrates that Beijing has broken its promises to the people of Hong Kong. The United States is imposing sanctions on six individuals for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy, depriving Hong Kongers of freedoms, and in being… — Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) March 31, 2025 Advertisement The sanctions, marking a rare foray into human rights by the administration of President Donald Trump, will block any interests held by the six individuals in the US and generally criminalise financial transactions with them under US law. They also target Dong Jingwei, a former senior official at China’s main civilian intelligence agency who is now the director of Beijing’s Office for Safeguarding National Security in Hong Kong; along with senior security and police officials Sonny Au; Dick Wong; and Margaret Chiu. ‘Aggressive’ crackdown Beijing promised a separate system for Hong Kong when Britain handed over the financial hub in 1997. But it then went on to launch major crackdowns on dissent, imposing draconian national security rules after large and at times destructive protests in favour of democracy swept the city in 2019. The State Department’s latest Hong Kong Policy Act Report, published on Monday, pointed to two laws – the Beijing-imposed 2020 National Security Law and the Hong Kong government’s Safeguarding National Security Ordinance – which it said had been used to “aggressively” prosecute pro‑democracy and media freedom advocates. Targets included the two former chief editors of the now-defunct independent news outlet Stand News – Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam – who were last year jailed on charges of conspiring to publish seditious publications. Chinese and Hong Kong authorities said the National Security Law – which punishes subversion, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism with up to life in prison – has brought stability to the Chinese-controlled territory since the 2019 protests. Advertisement The six sanctioned officials were targeted in line with a US law that champions Hong Kong democracy. Hong Kong’s top official, Chief Executive John Lee, is already under US sanctions. Adblock test (Why?)
Spanish mine explosion kills five workers, injures four
Investigation launched as relatives accuse mining companies of doing ‘less and less’ to guarantee safety. A blast at a mine in Spain’s northern Asturias region has killed at least five workers and injured four others, according to local emergency services. The accident occurred Monday morning at the Cerredo mine in Degana, some 450km (280 miles) northwest of Madrid, killing five people from the neighbouring Leon region ranging from the ages of 32 to 54 years old. Adriana Lastra, a representative of the central government in Asturias, told reporters at the scene that initial indications showed the blast may have been caused by methane forming an explosive mixture in the mine, a phenomenon known as firedamp. “Police are already investigating what happened, they are already at the scene,” said Lastra. The injured were taken to hospitals in nearby cities, two of them by helicopter, suffering burns and, in one case, a head injury. As news of the blast spread, workers’ families flocked to the site, which was surrounded by police and emergency services vehicles. “It’s scandalous. Companies used to guarantee safety, but they are doing it less and less,” Jose Antonio Alvarez, a relative of one the miners who died, told regional newspaper El Comercio. Family members and workers gather following the accident at the Cerredo coal mine in Degana, Asturias [Cesar Manso/AFP] Local newspaper La Voz de Asturias said the mine is owned by a recently created local company called Blue Solving, which was trying to repurpose the site for the extraction of “high-performance minerals” for industrial use. Advertisement Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent his “sincere condolences” to the families of the victims and wished a “speedy recovery” to the injured, in a message posted on X. The head of the regional government of Asturias, Adrian Barbon, declared two days of mourning “as a sign of respect for the deceased”. Mining has for centuries been a major industry in Asturias, a densely forested mountainous region. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump’s ‘America first’ policy is complicating business of making cars
United States President Donald Trump’s latest tariffs on the auto sector have made one thing clear, experts say: The US is no longer a beacon of free market trade, and businesses need to switch to the reality of “America first”. On Wednesday, Trump announced 25 percent tariffs from this Thursday on all cars, light trucks and auto parts imported into the US, a move experts called “devastating” for the industry. Almost half of the 16 million cars sold in the US last year were imported with a total value exceeding $330bn, according to news reports quoting Goldman Sachs analysts. It is not clear whether the tariffs will go into effect as laid out in Trump’s latest announcement or if there will be exceptions or any rollback. “But one thing we know for sure”, said Ilhan Geckil, senior economist at the Anderson Economic Group (AEG), is that “Trump’s policies are protectionist and not free market and free trade the way that the US has done [things] for decades. Now that’s shifting. … That’s the new rule, and companies have to play accordingly and will have to increase business presence in the US.” Advertisement Some car manufacturers, including South Korea’s Hyundai and Kia, have announced plans to boost production in the US. While that gives the impression that Trump is right to argue tariffs will force manufacturers to produce more in the US, the full picture is more complicated, Geckil said. “The US really is the best in terms of the size of the market” and accounts for nearly 25 percent of global auto sales, Geckil said, explaining why automakers do not want to lose access to the US market. But the reason a lot of manufacturing moved out of the US was to take advantage of lower prices and cheaper goods. Bringing manufacturing back to the US will lead to higher prices for their products, hitting demand, he said. “Prices are going to go up significantly, and that will have a spillover effect,” Geckil said, adding that he expects to see higher sticker prices within a month or so of the tariffs kicking in. “A $50,000 vehicle will become a $75,000 to $80,000 vehicle in a couple of years, and that price hike is going to stay there forever,” he said. That, in turn, will eventually lead to job losses, contrary to Trump’s stated goal of protecting American workers, Geckil said. As per an earlier estimate by AEG, tariff proposals floated by Trump in February would raise the price of a car assembled in the US, Canada and Mexico from $4,000 to $10,000 for most vehicles and $12,000 or more for electric vehicles (EVs) The estimate did not include the impact of retaliatory tariffs that other countries might impose. Advertisement In addition, Trump’s 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium, which kicked in on March 12, are expected to increase prices of conventional engine vehicles by $250 to $800 and those of EVs by $2,500 or more, AEG previously said. AEG said the measures unveiled on March 26 would be “much more costly” for European- and Asian-manufactured cars than its previous estimate and potentially more expensive or less expensive for North American-produced vehicles. Ford CEO Jim Farley told employees in an email on Friday that “the impacts of the tariffs are likely to be significant across our industry – affecting automakers, suppliers, dealers and customers,” the Reuters news agency reported. He gave the warning even though about 80 percent of Ford vehicles sold in the US are assembled domestically. Integrated industry One reason auto tariffs have such a wide-ranging impact is because the industries of different countries are so deeply intertwined. In North America, the US and Canadian auto industries have been broadly integrated since the 1965 signing of a pact that facilitated the duty-free movement of vehicles and parts, said David Adams, president and CEO of Global Automakers of Canada. That was followed by free trade agreements in 1989 and 1994 that bound the industries of the two countries and that of Mexico more closely together. Over the years, the three countries have built up specialisations for certain auto parts, partly driven by costs, Adams said. For instance, the Canadian dollar is typically lower than the US dollar and since Canada has a public healthcare system, employers usually do not have to bear health insurance costs for their workers, making it cheaper to do some work in Canada over the US. Advertisement For a vehicle made in Canada, half the parts would come from the US, and for one made in Mexico, 30 percent to 35 percent of its parts would be from the US on average. “By tariffing Canadian vehicles you’re effectively tariffing American suppliers,” Adams told Al Jazeera. Since Canada and Mexico – and all other nations that the latest tariffs apply to – are likely to retaliate, prices will almost certainly spiral further. “We don’t want to cut off our nose to spite our face, but what we’re looking at hurts everybody. … Because of the high degree of integration, the impact will be to a same degree on both sides,” Adams said. The tariffs on auto parts, which do not apply to components deemed to be “US content”, complicate things even further. In car production, raw materials are typically turned into a component in one jurisdiction before being folded into a larger component or components elsewhere. It is common for parts to cross borders three to five times per vehicle. In practice, this means the tariff burden may vary wildly for different companies and different vehicles. “It is highly confusing and complex,” Adams said. “Trump’s desire seems to be not to have a Canadian auto sector. But that would cost $50bn to $60bn to relocate everything to the US. This is not a short-term proposition. We’re ultimately looking for a long-term solution that creates stability not just in the auto sector but in the North American economy, so we can focus on doing business.” That
France’s far-right Marine Le Pen banned from 2027 presidential election
NewsFeed A French court found Marine Le Pen guilty of embezzlement, ordering a five-year ban on running for office and two years of electronic tracking. Her far-right National Rally party must now decide on a new candidate for the 2027 presidential elections. Published On 31 Mar 202531 Mar 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Children in Gaza among Palestinians killed on Eid
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Palestinian children were dressed in shrouds covering their new clothes after Israeli bombing in Gaza killed them on Eid