Young men trapped between war and conscription in Myanmar’s Rakhine
Since war resumed in his native Rakhine State last November, Thura Maung has seen his options narrow. The 18-year-old, from the state’s ethnic Rakhine majority, first fled his home in the coastal town of Myebon in December, when clashes between the military and autonomy-seeking Arakha Army – formerly known as the Arakan Army – seemed imminent. He and his family escaped by boat, travelling along river inlets at night to avoid being seen by the military. They returned a few days later, but fled twice more over the following months as the fighting escalated. By February, the military and AA were battling for control over Myebon, and Thura Maung could hear shelling from the village where he had taken shelter. The military had also blocked the movement of goods and shut down the internet in areas affected by the conflict, leaving his family struggling to make ends meet. With his university effectively closed due to the fighting, he felt his dreams slipping away. “There were no opportunities for my life to develop, and I saw no future,” he said. It’s a feeling shared by Zubair, an ethnic Rohingya from Rakhine State’s northern Maungdaw township. The 24-year-old was doing an internship with a civil society organisation focused on peacebuilding when the fighting broke out and his office closed. Soon, he was running from the war as well as a military conscription drive targeting Rohingya men. “We weren’t able to stay at home, go to work or even sleep on time,” he said. “Time that we could’ve spent working on our futures was wasted.” Zubair and Thura Maung are part of a new generation of young people across Myanmar whose lives have been turned upside down by the 2021 military coup. In Rakhine State, people had already lived through years of communal conflict and a brutal 2017 military crackdown on the mostly Muslim Rohingya. The escalating violence between the military and AA has only made matters worse, according to Karen Simbulan, a human rights lawyer specialising in conflict sensitivity in Rakhine. “With the most recent renewed fighting and the looming threat of forced conscription, many who had persisted and stayed in Rakhine despite everything are seeing their futures taken away from them,” she said. “Many are taking significant risks to flee to safety, often putting themselves in highly vulnerable situations just to survive.” Al Jazeera spoke with four young men from Rakhine State about the effects of the conflict on their lives. They have all been given pseudonyms to protect their safety. ‘Stirring up communal tensions’ The renewed fighting is the latest crisis to hit Rakhine State, home to Daingnet, Mro, Khami, Kaman, Maramagyi, Chin and Hindu minorities as well as the Rohingya, and the mostly Buddhist Rakhine majority. A category four cyclone hit the region last May, following successive waves of violence in the decade leading up to the coup. In 2012, mobs of ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya people attacked each other with sticks and knives and burned each other’s homes, leaving dozens dead and some 140,000 forced from their homes. Afterwards, the military imposed tough restrictions on Rohingyas’ movement and access to services, while continuing to deny them citizenship under a discriminatory 1982 law. The situation deteriorated dramatically in 2016 and 2017 when the military killed thousands of Rohingya civilians and committed widespread sexual violence and arson following attacks on military outposts by a Rohingya armed group. Its “clearance operations” in northern Rakhine State drove more than 750,000 people into neighbouring Bangladesh, and the crackdown is the subject of continuing genocide proceedings at the International Court of Justice. The AA stepped up its fight for autonomy in late 2018; over the next two years, Rakhine State endured some of the most intense armed clashes seen in Myanmar in decades. The military also indiscriminately bombed and shelled civilian areas, committing what Amnesty International identified as war crimes. The military and AA reached an informal ceasefire in November 2020, just three months before the generals seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Weeks later, the military cracked down on peaceful protests across Myanmar with gunfire and arrests. An armed uprising soon followed; by mid-2021, all-out war had erupted across the country. Existing ethnic armed organisations trained and fought alongside anti-coup People’s Defence Forces (PDF), but the AA mostly stayed out of the fray, instead focusing on establishing governance mechanisms in its territory through its administrative wing, the United League of Arakan. That changed last October, when the AA joined ethnic armed groups fighting on Myanmar’s eastern border with China to launch Operation 1027 declaring their intent to eradicate “oppressive military dictatorship”. Within weeks, they had seized strategic territory and undertaken other resistance offensives across the country, and on November 13, the AA brought the war to Rakhine soil with coordinated attacks on military positions. Thousands have been forced from their homes in escalating violence since November [AFP] The AA and its allies have since driven out the military from most of central and northern Rakhine State as well as Paletwa township in neighbouring Chin State. Following tactics it has long used to punish communities harbouring armed resistance, the military has retaliated with full-scale attacks on AA-controlled and contested areas by air, land and water while cutting off transit routes, communication channels and access to medical care for entire populations. Hundreds of civilians have been injured or lost their lives and more than 185,000 people displaced across Rakhine State and Paletwa since November out of more than three million that the United Nations says have been displaced across the country, mostly as a result of the coup. Through its forced conscription of Rohingya men as well as by demanding they protest against the AA, the military is also deliberately working to threaten years of fragile progress towards reconciliation between Rakhine and Rohingya communities, according to Simbulan, the conflict sensitivity specialist. “The military is once again resorting to stirring up communal tensions because it is desperately losing ground in
TikTok says US refused to engage in serious settlement talks
ByteDance said US government prefers to shut down than work on an ‘effective solution’ to protect US users. TikTok and Chinese parent ByteDance have urged a United States court to strike down a law they say will ban the popular short video app in the US on January 19 next year. In details released on Thursday, the two companies said the US government has refused to engage in any serious settlement talks since 2022. Legislation signed in April by President Joe Biden gives ByteDance until January of next year to divest TikTok’s US assets or face a ban on the app used by 170 million Americans. ByteDance says a divestiture is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally”. ByteDance recounted lengthy negotiations between the company and the US government that it says abruptly ended in August 2022. The company also made public a redacted version of a 100-plus page draft national security agreement to protect US TikTok user data and says it has spent more than $2bn on the effort. The draft agreement included giving the US government a “kill switch” to suspend TikTok there at the government’s sole discretion if the company did not comply with the agreement and the draft says the US demanded that TikTok’s source code be moved out of China. “This administration has determined that it prefers to try to shut down TikTok in the United States and eliminate a platform of speech for 170 million Americans, rather than continue to work on a practical, feasible, and effective solution to protect US users through an enforceable agreement with the US government,” TikTok lawyers wrote the Justice Department in an April 1 email made public on Thursday. The Justice Department declined to comment on the email but said last month the law “addresses critical national security concerns in a manner that is consistent with the First Amendment and other constitutional limitations”. It said it would defend the legislation in court. The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will hold oral arguments on lawsuits filed by TikTok and ByteDance along with TikTok users on September 16. TikTok’s future in the US may rest on the outcome of the case, which could impact how the US government uses its new authority to clamp down on foreign-owned apps. “This law is a radical departure from this country’s tradition of championing an open Internet, and sets a dangerous precedent allowing the political branches to target a disfavored speech platform and force it to sell or be shut down,” ByteDance and TikTok argued in asking the court to strike down the law. Driven by worries among US lawmakers that China could access data on Americans or spy on them with the app, the measure was passed overwhelmingly in Congress just weeks after being introduced. Free speech rights Lawyers for a group of TikTok users who have filed a lawsuit to prevent the app from being banned said the law would violate their free speech rights. In a filing on Thursday, they argued it is clear there are no imminent national security risks because the law “allows TikTok to continue operating through the rest of this year – including during an election that the very president who signed the bill says is existential for our democracy.” TikTok says any divestiture or separation – even if technically possible – would take years, and it argues that the law runs afoul of Americans’ free speech rights. Further, it says the law unfairly singles out TikTok for punitive treatment and “ignores many applications with substantial operations in China that collect large amounts of US user data, as well as the many US companies that develop software and employ engineers in China”. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump was blocked by the courts in his bid to ban TikTok and Chinese-owned WeChat, a unit of Tencent, in the US. The White House says it wants to see Chinese-based ownership ended on national security grounds, but not a ban on TikTok. Earlier this month, Trump joined TikTok and has recently raised concerns about a potential ban. The law prohibits app stores like those of Apple and Alphabet’s Google from offering TikTok. It also bars internet hosting services from supporting TikTok unless it is divested by ByteDance. Adblock test (Why?)
Sweden court acquits former Syrian general of alleged war crimes
Verdict says prosecution failed to prove that Mohammed Hamo’s division was involved in the cited ‘indiscriminate’ attacks. A court in Sweden has acquitted a former Syrian general of playing a role in alleged war crimes committed more than 10 years ago in his home country. In a statement announcing its verdict on Thursday, the Stockholm District Court said that while the Syrian military had used “indiscriminate attacks” at that time, the prosecution had not proved that former Brigadier General Mohammed Hamo’s division was involved in those attacks, or that he had a role in providing arms for the assaults. The 65-year-old, who lives in Sweden and was one of the highest-ranking Syrian military officials to have been tried in Europe, stood accused of “aiding and abetting” war crimes in the first half of 2012. In June 2012, he was transferred to northern Syria, and the following month he decided to leave the army and fled to Turkey. There, he joined a group that was fighting against the Syrian regime. He travelled to Sweden in 2015, where he sought asylum, which was granted. But the Swedish Migration Agency informed the government that Hamo was previously “a senior officer within the framework of an army that was systematically considered to have committed violations of human rights”. Hamo was living in central Sweden when he was arrested on December 7, 2021. A court at the time released him two days later, saying there was not enough evidence to keep him in jail. He has since been free. Prosecution’s case The prosecution had argued that in his role as brigadier general and head of the 11th Division’s armament unit, Hamo allegedly helped coordinate the supply of arms and ammunition to units involved in attacks near the towns of Homs and Hama. “The main issues in the case are whether the 11th Division of the Syrian Army participated in indiscriminate attacks in certain areas and whether the defendant participated in arming the division in those attacks,” judge Katarina Fabian wrote. “According to the District Court, there is no evidence to clarify these issues. The evidence presented by the prosecution has therefore not been deemed sufficient to convict the defendant of a criminal offence,” Fabian said. The war between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and armed opposition groups, including the ISIL (ISIS) group, erupted after the government repressed peaceful pro-democracy protests in 2011. The war has killed more than half a million people and ravaged Syria’s economy and infrastructure. Half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million have fled the country, igniting a wave of migration in the Middle East and Europe. However, few Syrian officials have been brought to trial. The prosecution argued that the Syrian army’s “widespread air and ground attacks” caused damage “at a scale that was disproportionate in view of the concrete and immediate general military advantages that could be expected to be achieved”. Hamo denied criminal responsibility and his lawyer, Mari Kilman, told the court the officer could not be held liable for the actions “as he had acted in a military context and had to follow orders”. “What is noteworthy about this case is that this is the first trial concerning the Syrian military’s warfare. That is, how the warfare was carried out,” said Aida Samani, senior legal adviser at rights group Civil Rights Defenders, which has been monitoring the trial. No European court has previously dealt with this issue and the impact on civilian lives and infrastructure, she added. Adblock test (Why?)
Kenya police use tear gas, water cannon as hundreds protest over tax hikes
Controversial but watered-down finance bill that many fear will up cost of living is due to be debated in parliament. Police in Kenya have fired tear gas and used water cannon to disperse protesters gathering near parliament in the capital to demonstrate against planned tax hikes that many fear will worsen the cost-of-living crisis. Tense scenes played out in Nairobi on Thursday as hundreds took to the streets in opposition to a finance bill, which proposes introducing new taxes and levies that would increase the price of basic goods. The tax increases were projected to raise 346.7 billion shillings ($2.7bn), equivalent to 1.9 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), and reduce the budget deficit from 5.7 percent to 3.3 percent of GDP. The cash-strapped government of President William Ruto agreed to make concessions on Tuesday, watering down the bill after hundreds of mostly young protesters clashed with police. But the government will still go ahead with some tax increases and has defended the proposed hikes as necessary for filling its coffers and cutting reliance on external borrowing. Protesters have decided to stage demonstrations across the country, including in the Indian Ocean city of Mombasa and the lakeside city of Kisumu, both opposition bastions. In Nairobi, lawmakers were debating the bill on Thursday in its second reading before parliament. The final version must pass before June 30. Meanwhile, authorities blocked several roads near parliament and made a heavy police deployment. Reporting from Nairobi’s city centre, Al Jazeera’s Malcolm Webb said demonstrators outnumbered the police in the streets. “Police are firing a lot of tear gas here this morning … and there is a thick smell of tear gas in the air where we are,” he said. Around him, some people chanted: “Ruto must go!” “A lot of protesters here are young people, social media users. It looks very different from the kinds of protests that we saw in Kenya just over a year ago called for by the political opposition also about the rising cost of living,” Webb said. “The cost of living has been going up, on and off, since the global [COVID-19] pandemic.” Tensions were high in the Kenyan capital as hundreds took to the streets in opposition to a finance bill, in Nairobi, Kenya, on June 20, 2024 [Monicah Mwangi/Reuters] ‘Targeting the poor’ Kenyans are “fed up of the increased taxation”, Stella Agara, a Kenyan tax justice activist, told Al Jazeera, adding it “especially increased austerity measures that keep on targeting the poorest of citizens and is becoming very uncomfortable for most of them”. “But there is now a very interesting group that has been brought to the fore, which is Generation Z … They have been extremely disinterested in the elections, in voting, etc. But for some reason, this time they are very keen and are the ones on the streets protesting increased taxation – especially because of some of the taxes that are going to be imposed on digital content creation, which is a space that they dominate.” Agara said younger Kenyans have also seen their parents’ financial struggles under “a government that is completely insensitive to their needs”, which is also causing them to react this way. The presidency announced on Tuesday the removal of proposed levies on bread purchases, car ownership as well as financial and mobile services, prompting a warning from the treasury of a 200-billion-shilling ($1.5bn) shortfall as a result of the budget cuts. The government has now decided to increase fuel prices and export taxes to fill the void left by the changes, a move critics say will make life more expensive in a country already battling high inflation. The East African economic powerhouse relies heavily on diesel for transport, power generation and agriculture, while kerosene is used by many households for cooking and lighting. Tuesday’s protest was largely peaceful, although police also fired volleys of tear gas. At least 335 people were arrested, according to a consortium of lobby groups, including the human rights commission KNCHR and Amnesty Kenya. Adblock test (Why?)
China’s slave fishermen
101 East investigates alleged human rights violations in China’s seafood industry. Fish caught by Chinese vessels and processed in Chinese factories end up on dinner plates around the world. China’s seafood industry is the world’s biggest, accounting for a fifth of international fishing trade. But onboard China’s ships and in its processing plants, alleged human rights abuses and labour trafficking are rampant. With footage filmed over several years on the high seas and additional reporting on land, 101 East investigates the deadly secrets of China’s massive fishing fleet, and the price we pay for seafood. Adblock test (Why?)
Attacks and rhetoric: Israel, Hezbollah could plunge Lebanon into war
A threat from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to strike Cyprus has ratcheted up tensions even further in the eastern Mediterranean, as the Lebanese Shia group’s conflict with Israel continues to threaten to turn into an all-out war. Nasrallah said on Wednesday that Hezbollah did not want an expanded war, but that it was ready – along with its regional allies – to match Israel’s increased aggression. The threat towards Cyprus is a result of what Nasrallah said was the Israeli use of bases on the eastern Mediterranean island. “The Cypriot government must be warned that opening Cypriot airports and bases for the Israeli enemy to target Lebanon means that the Cypriot government has become part of the war and the resistance [Hezbollah] will deal with it as part of the war,” Nasrallah said. Although the United Kingdom has two bases in Cyprus, there has been no officially acknowledged Israeli use of Cypriot land or airbases. Israel has used Cypriot airspace to conduct drills in the past. The heightened rhetoric from Nasrallah comes a day after Hezbollah published footage it said was taken by one of its drones above the Israeli city of Haifa. The footage, which Nasrallah said only showed a small part of the footage captured, appeared to be a warning to Israeli authorities of Hezbollah’s reach, should Israel continue to threaten an expansion of its attacks on Lebanon. Israel had announced on Tuesday that operational plans for a military offensive in its northern neighbour were “approved and validated”. More than 90,000 Israelis have fled their homes in the north of the country since hostilities began with Hezbollah on October 8, a day after the conflict between Israel and Hamas began in Gaza. At least 90,000 people have also fled their homes in southern Lebanon as a result of Israeli attacks. ‘No red lines crossed’ Israel has assassinated a number of Hezbollah commanders, including, most recently, Taleb Abdallah, a senior commander who was killed last week. Hezbollah responded to the attack by firing more than 200 rockets – the most it has fired in a single day towards Israel since October. Since then, Israel has continued its air strikes on southern Lebanon, including the city of Tyr. But despite that, and despite the rhetoric from both sides, there is a belief among observers that both sides are still largely sticking to the rules of engagement, with escalations occurring gradually. “The intensity of hostilities has increased but not their nature,” Eyal Lurie-Pardes of the Middle East Institute said. “No red line has been crossed. A rocket attack on Haifa, for instance, would signal greater capability, so would almost constitute a red line [for Israel].” “Hezbollah have said they’ll stop with a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel just needs to deal with the displaced people of the north. Both are one miscalculation away from conflict.” Diplomatic efforts continue. United States envoy Amos Hochstein, who previously helped mediate a maritime deal between Lebanon and Israel, was recently in Beirut to try and ease tensions at the border, which could still draw in other regional actors. “[Hochstein’s] mission is constrained by the need for a comprehensive agreement that would involve both Hamas and Hezbollah,” said Imad Salamey, a political scientist at the Lebanese American University. “This necessity has not been fully recognised or addressed by either the American or Israeli sides, limiting the effectiveness of Hochstein’s efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability.” Anxiety in Lebanon Although an all-out conflict between Hezbollah and Israel can still be avoided, many Lebanese are growing increasingly worried. “The feeling in Lebanon is one of growing worry and anxiety about the possible breakout of an all-out war,” said Salamey. “The Israeli military’s approval of a war plan is taken very seriously by the Lebanese people, leading to heightened fears of escalation. This approval has significantly undermined plans for tourism and investment in the country, as potential visitors and investors are reconsidering their decisions due to the increased threat of conflict.” Lebanon has had one of the century’s worst economic crises and has been stuck in a political deadlock without a president since October 2022. The country has lacked political and economic stability in recent years, even before the war. Infrastructure is stretched and an expanded war could have a devastating effect on the already struggling nation. Lebanon is not in a position to effectively respond to an Israeli invasion or a wider aerial war on its infrastructure,” Salamey said. “Any significant expansion of conflict would be devastating, as the destruction of infrastructure would be difficult to repair or replace. The Lebanese government lacks the resources for reconstruction, and there are few international donors willing to provide the necessary support, unlike the aftermath of the 2006 war.” The further dissolution of the Lebanese state could have serious repercussions for the region as well, Salamey said, adding that it “could exacerbate existing political and social tensions within Lebanon, making recovery even more challenging”. “The destruction of Lebanon would produce a state of chaos with armed groups pouring into its territory, hence creating a much more unstable situation [for the Israelis, too],” he said. Israelis want answers Should Israel decide to further engage with Lebanon, however, its military and civilian infrastructure could also sustain serious damage. Hezbollah is significantly stronger and better equipped than Hamas and the group has recently unveiled new weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles that have driven Israeli military aircraft out of Lebanese airspace for the first time. “What is particularly worrisome and significant is that the Israelis seem to have learned absolutely nothing after their past experiences in Lebanon,” Karim Emile Bitar, professor of international relations at University Saint Joseph in Beirut, told Al Jazeera. “The announcement they made yesterday that they are about to wage a total war that would annihilate Hezbollah is at best extraordinarily naive and at worst, it shows amateurism.” “Hezbollah could inflict serious and significant and even unprecedented damage on Israel,” he added. Israel invaded Lebanon in 1978 and 1982, where it
Canada lists Iran Revolutionary Guards as ‘terrorist’ group
Ottawa cites the IRGC’s ties to Hamas and Hezbollah, accusing Iran of ‘complete disregard for human rights’. Canada has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist” entity and urged its citizens in Iran to leave. The Canadian government made the announcement on Wednesday, saying that the move will help Ottawa with “countering terrorist financing”. “The decision to list the IRGC through the Criminal Code listing regime sends a strong message that Canada will use all tools at its disposal to combat the terrorist activity of the IRGC, conducted both unilaterally and in knowing association with listed terrorist entities such as Hezbollah and Hamas,” the Canadian government said in a statement. There was no immediate comment from Tehran. For years, the opposition Conservatives in Canada have urged Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to blacklist the IRGC. On Wednesday, Dominic LeBlanc, Canada’s minister of public safety, cited Iran’s human rights record as one of the reasons behind the decision. “The Iranian regime has consistently displayed a complete disregard for human rights, both inside and outside Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilise the international rules-based order,” LeBlanc said in a statement. “Listing the IRGC builds on the Government of Canada’s broader efforts to ensure that there is no impunity for Iran’s unlawful actions and its support of terrorism.” Foreign Minister Melanie Joly urged Canadians not to travel to Iran, citing a heightened risk of “arbitrary detention”. “For those in Iran right now, it’s time to come back home. For those planning to go to Iran, don’t go,” she told a news conference. The listing requires Canadian financial institutions to freeze any IRGC assets and prohibits Canadian citizens from engaging in financial dealings with the group. The United States designated the IRGC as a “terrorist” group in 2019. The IRGC, an elite force that operates with some autonomy and answers directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is an official branch of the Iranian military. Relations between Iran and Canada have been rocky for decades. Ottawa cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 2012, citing its nuclear programme and support for the embattled Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad. The relationship soured further in 2020 after Iran shot down a plane with dozens of Canadian citizens and permanent residents on board. The Ukraine International Airlines flight was bound for Kyiv when it was hit with two missiles shortly after takeoff from Tehran on January 8, 2020. The missile strike came at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the US. Hours earlier, the IRGC had targeted US forces in Iraq after the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad. Iranian officials have said the downing of the Boeing 737 was an accident caused by human error in operating an air defence system. Last year, an Iranian court issued initial sentences for 10 unnamed people accused of playing a role in the incident. They included the operator of the defence system. Iran has also set compensation at $150,000 for each of the victims’ families, and it said last year that it had begun the payments. But in a case at the International Court of Justice, Canada accused Iran of failing “to conduct an impartial, transparent and fair criminal investigation and prosecution consistent with international law”. The listing of the IRGC comes as the Canadian government faces questions over its own commitment to human rights in relation to its close ties with Israel, which has been accused of rampant abuses in Gaza. Adblock test (Why?)
Are Israel and Hezbollah on the verge of full-blown war?
Tensions between the Israeli military and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah are at an all-time high. They have been engaged in low-level hostilities for more than eight months. Israel’s assassination of one of Hezbollah’s most senior commanders last week, however, has led to an escalation. United States President Joe Biden sent a special envoy to the region, hoping to defuse tensions and prevent a wider conflict. But has it worked? And with no sign the Israeli military is close to ending its war on Gaza, is it on the brink of opening up a second front in the north? Presenter: Neave Barker Guests: Nicholas Noe – Editor-in-chief of the Beirut-based Mideastwire.com Robert Geist Pinfold – Lecturer in peace and security at Durham University Mohanad Hage Ali – Deputy research director at the Malcolm H Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center Adblock test (Why?)
Four people killed, at least a dozen missing as extreme weather hits China
At least four people have died after record rains hit parts of southern China while more than a dozen were missing, even as the north of the country suffered some of its highest temperatures this year. Downpours “exceeding historical daily maximums” in some areas of Fujian province caused the four deaths, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday, citing the flood control headquarters of Shanghang county. More than 66,000 people in the county have been affected by the extreme weather, Xinhua said, adding that “communications and electricity infrastructure … has not been fully restored”. The authorities warned of the possibility of more landslides. In nearby Meizhou, in Guangdong province, landslides on Monday killed five people, with 15 missing and another 13 “trapped”, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. CCTV footage showed upturned cars and damaged buildings near Meizhou, with residents in rubber boots picking through muddy, debris-laden streets to salvage their belongings. Other images showed sections of a highway swept away by landslides and rescue workers in orange lifejackets steering dinghies through the floodwaters to reach trapped villagers. Chinese President Xi Jinping called for emergency workers to “make every effort to respond to disaster situations and do a good job of relief and rescue work to combat flooding and drought”, Xinhua reported. He instructed the rescuers to “guarantee the security of people’s lives and property, and overall social stability”. Flooding has also hit the southern and central provinces of Guangxi and Hunan, as well as the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where Xinhua said four people were missing after a flash flood near the city of Changji. At the same time, China’s north is wilting under some of the year’s hottest weather. The mercury was expected to soar to up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) in the capital Beijing and the surrounding areas of Tianjin and Hebei on Tuesday, the National Meteorological Centre said. The authorities have also moved to offer drought prevention and disaster relief in seven provinces across China’s north, east and centre. China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, which scientists say is made more common by climate change. Adblock test (Why?)
Russia jails US soldier as it dangles prisoner swap deal
Sentence expands list of US citizens detained in Russia as Moscow says awaiting response on prisoner swap proposals. A Russian court has handed a United States soldier a jail sentence as Moscow said it is awaiting Washington’s response to prisoner swap proposals. The Pervomaisky District Court of Vladivostok sentenced US staff sergeant Gordon Black to three years and nine months in a penal colony on Wednesday for stealing $113 from his girlfriend and threatening to kill her, according to state-run TASS and Sputnik. The sentencing adds to the list of US citizens jailed in Russia amid the deterioration in relations ushered in by the invasion of Ukraine. A senior official said on the same day that Moscow is waiting for Washington to respond to its latest prisoner swap proposals. ‘Their problem’ Russia is holding at least a dozen US citizens in jail, including corporate security executive Paul Whelan, musician Travis Leake – arrested last year on drug-related charges – teacher Marc Fogel – sentenced to 14 years in prison, also on drug charges – and dual national Ksenia Khavana. On Tuesday, a court turned down an appeal by another twin passport holder Alsu Kurmasheva against the extension of her pre-trial detention. The Radio Free Europe journalist was arrested eight months ago and has been charged with spreading “false information” about the military. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is due to face trial behind closed doors on charges of espionage, which he has denied, on Tuesday. President Vladimir Putin said in February that talks on a prisoner swap involving the journalist were under way, but the Kremlin has not given any details on the progress of the negotiations. “The ball is in the court of the United States, we are waiting for them to respond to the ideas that were presented to them,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told state news agency TASS. “They are well known to the relevant parts of the US administration. I understand that, perhaps, something in these ideas does not suit the Americans. That’s their problem,” he added. Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich stands in a glass cage in a courtroom at the First Appeals Court of General Jurisdiction in Moscow, Russia, on April 23, 2024 [Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo] ‘Tempestuous affair’ Thirty-four-year-old Black was arrested last month in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, where he was visiting his Russian girlfriend Alexandra Vashuk. Vashuk accused Black of stealing 10,000 roubles ($113) and threatening her. The soldier’s family, including his wife and the mother of his child in Texas, have said the pair had a tempestuous affair. Standing in a glass cage in the courtroom, Black pleaded “partially guilty” to theft and not guilty to making death threats. His defence lawyer will appeal the verdict. Black and Vashuk met in South Korea in October 2022 on the dating app Tinder, subsequently dating each other there. Vashuk then invited Black to Vladivostok. Black this year signed out of the Eighth Army at Camp Humphreys in the Republic of South Korea to return to Fort Cavazos in Texas on a permanent change of station, but instead flew to China and then to Russia to meet Vashchuk. The Pentagon said that Black broke army rules by travelling to Russia and China without authorisation. Adblock test (Why?)