Month: February 2024

US Reinstates Sanctions on Yemen’s Houthi Rebels, Effective Friday

Posted on by SeeUS

state department — The United States has reinstated sanctions on Yemen’s Houthi rebels effective Friday, following their continued attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, endangering maritime security. 

The Houthis were first designated as a terror group three years ago and subsequently delisted due to humanitarian concerns. The relisting follows repeated demands from the U.S. and other countries for the Houthis to stop firing on commercial shipping. 

Those demands have been ignored, and attacks have continued despite a series of airstrikes by the U.S. and Britain aimed at taking out radar systems and launch sites used in the attacks. 

Earlier on Friday, a missile was launched from Yemen, hitting the port side of the India-bound Panamanian-flagged M/T Pollux, which was transporting crude oil. The extent of the damage is presently unclear, but the M/T Pollux is continuing its journey south under its own power. 

Houthi leaders have declared that the group will persist in its attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians, as long as Israel continues what the group termed its crimes against them. 

A spokesperson from the U.S. State Department noted that on January 17, Washington announced its intention to relist the Houthis as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, or SDGT, after 30 days, giving the Iran-backed rebels “the opportunity to scale down their attacks” and “to minimize de-risking across the industry.” 

The spokesperson also accused Iran of aiding the Houthis in destabilizing the region. 

“Iran has been deeply involved in planning the operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea. This is consistent with Iran’s long-term materiel support and encouragement of the Houthis’ destabilizing actions in the region. Houthi forces have employed various Iranian-origin missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles against military and civilian targets throughout the region,” the spokesperson said. 

U.S. officials said they have made concerted efforts to mitigate the impact of this designation on the Yemeni people. Washington has actively engaged the shipping industry, financial institutions, banks and humanitarian aid organizations to ensure comprehensive understanding of the broad exemptions associated with this designation. 

In the waning hours of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in January 2021, the Houthis were designated as both an SDGT and a foreign terrorist organization, or FTO.  

In February 2021, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delisted the Houthis as both a foreign terrorist organization and as specially designated global terrorists.  

This action was taken as the Biden administration aimed to facilitate a diplomatic resolution to the long-running civil war between the internationally recognized government of Yemen, based in the southern port city of Aden, and the Houthis, whose capital is Sanaa.  

Additionally, the delisting aimed to make it easier to deliver food and humanitarian aid to the people of Yemen. 

The two designations carry distinct penalties. Being named as a specially designated global terrorist empowers the U.S. Treasury Department to disrupt terrorists’ access to funds within the United States and across the international financial system.  

On the other hand, designation as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department prohibits anyone from providing the group with “material support,” including fighting for the group, or providing financial assistance or training. 

Members of foreign terrorist organizations who are not U.S. citizens are typically banned from entering the United States, except where there is a rare and high-level decision otherwise. The Houthis have not been relisted as an FTO at this time. 

U.S. defense officials said the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels and naval vessels since mid-November, impacting citizens, cargo and vessels from more than 50 countries.  
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Trump Must Pay $354.9 Million, Barred From NY Business for 3 Years

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new york — Donald Trump must pay $354.9 million in penalties for fraudulently overstating his net worth to dupe lenders, a New York judge ruled on Friday, handing the former U.S. president another legal setback in a civil case that imperils his real estate empire.

Justice Arthur Engoron also banned Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation for three years.

Engoron canceled his ruling from September ordering the dissolution of companies that control pillars of Trump’s real estate empire, saying on Friday that this was no longer necessary because he is appointing an independent monitor and compliance director to oversee Trump’s businesses.

In the ruling, Engoron wrote that Trump and the other defendants in the case “are incapable of admitting the error of their ways.”

“Their complete lack of contrition and remorse borders on pathological,” Engoron wrote. “Instead, they adopt a ‘See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil’ posture that the evidence belies.”

The lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Trump and his family businesses of overstating his net worth by as much $3.6 billion a year over a decade to fool bankers into giving him better loan terms.

Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba said in a statement that the ruling was a “manifest injustice” and “culmination of a multi-year, politically fueled witch hunt” against him.

“This is not just about Donald Trump — if this decision stands, it will serve as a signal to every single American that New York is no longer open for business,” Habba said, adding that she plans to appeal.

Trump and his adult sons, Don Jr. and Eric, were defendants in the case. Don Jr. and Eric Trump were each ordered by the judge to pay $4 million.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and called the case a political vendetta by James, an elected Democrat.

The civil fraud case could deal a major blow to Trump’s real estate empire as the businessman turned politician leads the race for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden in the Nov. 5 U.S. election.

During defiant and meandering trial testimony in November, Trump conceded that some of his property values were inaccurate but insisted banks were obligated to do their own due diligence.

Engoron criticized Trump for his behavior during his trial testimony and wrote that the testimony hurt his cause.

“Donald Trump rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial,” the judge wrote. “His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility.”

Trump could be required to deposit his portion of the full judgment plus interest during an appeal, which is standard practice in similar cases.

Trump could also post a smaller amount with collateral and interest by securing a type of loan called an appeal bond. But he may have trouble finding a willing lender after Engoron found he lied to banks about his wealth.

It is unclear how much access to cash Trump has, and estimates of his fortune vary, with Forbes pegging his net worth at $2.6 billion. Trump testified in an April deposition that he had roughly $400 million in cash.

Friday’s ruling came after a contentious three-month trial in Manhattan. The case was decided by the judge without a jury.

Trump used his occasional court appearances as impromptu campaign stops, delivering incendiary remarks to reporters and insisting his enemies are using the courts to prevent him from retaking the White House.

Trump is leading by a wide margin in the race for the Republican nomination despite a host of other legal troubles.

He is under indictment in four criminal cases, including one in New York related to hush money payments he made to a porn actress ahead of the 2016 election. The judge overseeing that case on Thursday set a March 25 trial date over the objections of Trump’s lawyers, who sought to delay it due to Trump’s crowded legal and political schedule.

Trump has also been charged in Florida for his handling of classified documents upon leaving office and in Washington and in Georgia for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.

Trump has pleaded not guilty in all four cases.
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US Blames Moscow for Death of Navalny

Posted on by SeeEU

The United States is blaming Moscow for the death of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny in a remote Russian prison. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports.]
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Zimbabwean VP Issues Threat Toward LGBTQ Group After It Offers Scholarships

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Harare, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwean Vice President Constantino Chiwenga threatened a gay and lesbian group Thursday for offering university scholarships to underprivileged students.

Chiwenga, who is serving as acting president while President Emmerson Mnangagwa is out of the country, said in a statement that the LGBTQ community is “alien, anti-life, un-African and un-Christian.”

He condemned an advocacy group, the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, for offering the scholarships and urged young Zimbabweans to snub the offers. He accused the group of making an “insidious attempt” to advance foreign interests by enticing Zimbabwe’s less-privileged youths into the LGBTQ community’s activities.

“The government sees such scholarship offers as a direct challenge on its authority and thus will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to enforce national laws and to protect and defend national values,” Chiwenga said.

There was no immediate word from Mnangagwa, who is in Dubai, on whether he agreed with his deputy’s statement or whether it was authorized.

Zimbabwean officials did not respond to VOA’s request for comment.

Chesterfield Samba, director of Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, said Friday that his organization’s board was still digesting the vice president’s statement.

Some Zimbabweans had strong reactions on both sides to the vice president’s statement.

Oliver Mutambara, 36, said, “I would like to thank the acting president for the clear message that we are not going to accept those scholarships. We should remember that we are a multireligious community, we have the Christian community, which is the largest chunk. And from our principles, we do not condone such practices.”

He continued, “We are going to seek permission very soon from our government to act upon those people or bring down their banners and act accordingly to them.”

Lloyd Damba, spokesman for Zimbabwe’s opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change, did not entirely disagree with the vice president’s statement.

“As a Christian nation, the Christian community believes that man can only marry a woman and, based on that, I think he is correct in this sense,” Damba said.

Also, he said, “I think [Chiwenga] is basing his communique [on] the laws of the land do not permit such things.”

Treasure Basopo, 28, expressed a different view, arguing that the Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe has been a legal organization in the country since 1990.

He criticized Chiwenga, a former army general before he became a vice president in 2017 after the military coup that ousted former President Robert Mugabe.

“He is a man of misplaced priorities, excitable character,” Basopo said. “General Chiwenga must first give reference to section 78 of the constitution, which talks of people of same sex being banned from getting into a marriage. But the constitution is silent about the conduct and activities of these people before marriage.”

Speaking to VOA, Sally Ncube, a representative for rights group Equality Now in southern Africa, called on the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and other such institutions, as well as the Southern African Development Community, to ensure Harare protects the rights of everyone in the country.

“The statement in tone is contrary to Zimbabwe’s commitment and obligations under international law to uphold the rights of all, including its LBGTQ citizens,” Ncube said. “The government must not only refrain from making discriminatory statements, but actively work toward creating an environment that respects and protects diverse identities within its nation.”
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UN Chief Calls for Investigation Into Reported Death of Navalny

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new york — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed shock Friday on the reported death of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny and called for a credible investigation into his death.  

“The secretary-general expresses his condolences to Mr. Navalny’s family and calls for a full, credible and transparent investigation into the circumstances of Mr. Navalny’s reported death in custody,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.  

Navalny, 47, died Friday in the high-security Arctic penal colony where he was serving a 19-year sentence for extremism, Russia’s prison agency said. Navalny’s family was working Friday to confirm the veracity of the report.    

He was a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, an anti-corruption campaigner, and had run for public office. His death comes less than a month before elections that are likely to give Putin another six years in power.  

The U.N. human rights office said it is “appalled” at the reports of Navalny’s death and called on Moscow to end the persecution of politicians, human rights defenders, journalists and others sentenced to jail for the legitimate exercise of their rights.    

“Last August, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk highlighted that the latest 19-year sentence raised questions about judicial harassment and instrumentalization of the court system for political purposes in Russia and called for Navalny’s release,” spokesperson Liz Throssell said in a statement.  

She said that if a person dies in state custody, “the presumption is that the state is responsible.” Throssell echoed the U.N. chief and urged “an impartial, thorough and transparent investigation carried out by an independent body.” 

Alice Edwards, who is the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, said on the social media platform X that she was devastated by the news. Edwards said she and several other special rapporteurs had tried to intervene on Navalny’s behalf with the Kremlin. 

She also demanded a full investigation and an independent autopsy to determine the cause of his death.  
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West Virginia Senator Manchin Won’t Seek US Presidency in 2024

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WASHINGTON — West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said Friday that he is not running for president, according to his spokesperson Jon Kott. For months Manchin, a centrist Democrat, had been flirting with a campaign that threatened to complicate the 2024 presidential race. 

Manchin announced his decision in a speech at West Virginia University billed as “The Future of American Politics.” 

He often bucked his party’s leadership and while considering a run for the presidency had said he thought it would be clear by March if there was a path for a third-party candidate this year. 

Manchin is not running for reelection in 2024. His Senate seat in a heavily Republican state is expected to be a prime pickup opportunity for the GOP.

The West Virginia senator has had talks with No Labels, a centrist group that has been looking into fielding a possible centrist ticket. 

Democrats feared a Manchin presidential bid would likely peel off moderate voters as its looking more likely that November’s election will present a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. 
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Families of US Volunteers Killed in Ukraine Address Congress

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Families of a number of American veterans killed or wounded in Ukraine met with US Congress members in late January to appeal to lawmakers to continue providing assistance to Ukraine. Katerina Lisunova and Irina Shynkarenko have the story, narrated by Anna Rice. Camera and edit: Oleksii Osyka 
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Elections in Africa Not Off to Good Start

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NAIROBI, KENYA — The democratic process in sub-Saharan Africa is not off to a good start in what is supposed to be a busy election year.

The small island nation of Comoros was the first to host presidential elections in 2024. Incumbent president Azali Assoumani – a former military officer who first came to power in a coup in 1999 – won a fourth term.  

Sahel Region  

Election results were immediately rejected by the opposition, triggering violent protests that killed one and injured 25.     

Next on the list was supposed to be Mali, followed by Senegal, but elections were postponed in both countries. Mali is ruled by Assimi Goita and right? a military junta that overthrew a democratically elected government in 2020. 

At the time, Goita promised to return the country to civilian rule but eventually had a second coup months later, forcing out the chosen transitional civilian leaders.

Edgar Githua of the United States International University-Africa told VOA  OK? that elections may not take place in Sahel countries that have recently experienced coups.    

“Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, have promised they are going to transition, they will not … All these military juntas are trained military soldiers, they do not know how to govern. The learning curve to learn how to govern is too long.”       

Earlier this month, in an unprecedented move, Senegalese President Macky Sall announced that elections will be delayed because of allegations of corruption in election-related cases and the disqualification of some leading candidates.     

Some in the opposition called the delay a constitutional coup, though in July, Sall said he would not seek a third term after deadly clashes protesting his possible run for another term.  

Lloyd Kuveya, of the University of Pretoria law school in South Africa told VOA it seems like Sall wants to stay a little longer.     

“Can we really trust Macky Sall? Everybody knows that his intentions were going for a third term, and if it hadn’t been for the protests of the people of Senegal, I am quite sure he would’ve gone ahead to change the constitution.”     

On Thursday, Senegal’s top election authority, the constitutional council, ruled that delaying the elections was not in line with the constitution. It is not clear if elections will still be held as previously planned on February 25, as many candidates had suspended their campaigning due to the postponement. 

Senegal has been seen as a beacon of democracy in a region plagued by coups as Momadou Thior, Senegalese journalist and political analyst recently told VOA.

“We witnessed, in 2000, the first change in power with the opposition leader then named Abdoulaye Wade defeating the incumbent President [Abdou] Diouf, who was in power for 20 years, and 12 years later, the current president, Macky Sall, defeating the same Abdoulaye Wade after 12 years in power.”

East Africa

In East Africa, Rwanda has had the same president since 2000. While some analysts credit Paul Kagame for bringing unity and economic development to Rwanda after the country’s OK? genocide, others question his popularity within the country.  

“Rwanda is the paradox of Africa. Paradox of Africa because the Rwandese themselves are afraid to talk about their own elections. If you have a vote where 98% votes for one candidate, that is a red flag. Nobody is that popular in this world,” Githua said.      

He said Kagame will once again win the elections with over 90% of the vote in his favor but said he is more worried about the post-Kagame era.

“Rwandese democracy is not mature because we’ve had some very negative experiences of past leaders who’ve tried to run against Kagame, the system kind of muzzles them. …The bigger question for me in Rwanda is not even the elections they will have right now. Are they ready for that political landscape if Paul Kagame says he’s walking away?”  

A 2022 Human Rights Watch report said the space for political opposition, civil society, and media remained closed in Rwanda.  

Southern Africa

In South Africa, the African National Congress has been governing since 1994, when Nelson Mandela was elected president following the end of apartheid in the early 1990s, but there may not be business as usual, Kuveya says.     

“The ANC will win the elections but not with an outright majority. It’ll be below 50[%],OK? and therefore, the African National Congress must brace for coalition politics although they are saying there will never be [a] coalition, they are going to win outright.”     

He said allegations of corruption, scandals, and disunity within the ANC – as former president Jacob Zuma recently said he will vote for a different party – are already helping the opposition, including the Economic Freedom Fighters party led by Julius Malema, a former ANC youth leader.
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Wars in Israel, Ukraine to Dominate Global Security Summit in Munich

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BERLIN/MUNICH — Leading politicians, military officers and diplomats from around the world gather in Munich on Friday for a security conference that will be dominated by the wars in Israel and Ukraine as well as fears over the U.S. commitment to defending its allies.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are among the top officials attending the Munich Security Conference (MSC), an annual global gathering focused on defense and diplomacy.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh are also expected to attend the conference, which begins on Friday and runs until Sunday at the luxury Bayerischer Hof hotel in the southern German city.

The conference takes place as the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, in which more than 28,000 Palestinians and about 1,430 Israelis have been killed, enters its fifth month with no end in sight.

It also takes place shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine enters its third year.

Both wars have ignited fears that will likely be addressed at Munich about possible regional spillover.

“The world has become more dangerous,” Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of the NATO Western defense alliance told Reuters on Wednesday.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said officials from European countries that help to fund the occupied Palestinian territories and key Arab and Gulf states would meet on the sidelines of the Munich event to start discussing the future for Israel and the Palestinian people after a potential ceasefire.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also expected to join.

“There are lots of things we need to start talking about now,” Cameron said in remarks to Britain’s House of Lords.

“Whether it’s about this question of how you offer a political horizon to people in the Palestinian territories, or indeed, how we deal with Israel’s very real security concerns.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said he would set foot on German soil for the first time to give a keynote speech at the conference, after refraining from doing so as he grew up in a family of Holocaust survivors.

“I will do everything for Israel’s security, securing our future and returning the hostages,” he said.

Ukraine aid bill faces hurdles

Zelenskyy is expected to plead for more support for Ukraine as the U.S. House of Representatives stalls a multibillion-dollar military aid package for the country.

“The stakes couldn’t be higher,” said one senior State Department official, saying the delay was already being felt on the battlefield. “Our support is absolutely essential in achieving the objectives Ukraine has.”

European and U.S. officials are increasingly warning of the risk Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack other countries if his military operation in Ukraine is successful.

“It is clear Putin will not stop at Ukraine,” a second U.S. State Department official said.

No Russian officials were invited to the MSC, for the second year in a row, as they did not seem interested in meaningful dialogue, organizers said.

Trump casts shadow

The event comes as the U.S. commitment to defending its allies more broadly is in doubt as the prospect of a reelection of former President Donald Trump looms.

Such worries have re-ignited a push in Europe for more strategic autonomy. Until recently the idea was championed by only a handful of countries, in particular France, but is gaining traction and will likely be addressed at the security gathering.

Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, suggested last Saturday he would not defend NATO allies who failed to spend enough on defense, prompting consternation in Europe.

Harris is scheduled on Friday to deliver what aides have billed as a major speech on “the importance of fulfilling the U.S. role of global leadership” before meeting with U.S. lawmakers, Zelenskyy and Scholz.

Harris is also likely to be closely watched for her ability to lead after a Department of Justice special counsel report last week described U.S. President Joe Biden, 81, as an elderly man with a “poor memory.” Trump is 77.

Other big international issues will also feature at the conference, such as conflicts in the Horn of Africa increasing food insecurity and displacing millions, and relations between the West and China.
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Russia Highly Unlikely to Put Nuclear Warhead in Space, Analysts Say

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washington — The space-based weapon U.S. intelligence believes Russia may be developing is more likely a nuclear-powered device to blind, jam or fry the electronics inside satellites than an explosive nuclear warhead to shoot them down, analysts said on Thursday.

The intelligence came to light on Wednesday after Representative Mike Turner, Republican chair of the U.S. House of Representatives intelligence committee, issued an unusual statement warning of a “serious national security threat.”

A source briefed on the matter told Reuters that Washington had new intelligence related to Russian nuclear capabilities and attempts to develop a space-based weapon, but added that the new Russian capabilities did not pose an urgent threat to the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken echoed this view on Thursday, saying “this is not an active capability.”

Analysts tracking Russia’s space programs say the space threat is probably not a nuclear warhead but rather a high-powered device requiring nuclear energy to carry out an array of attacks against satellites.

These might include signal-jammers, weapons that can blind image sensors, or — a more dire possibility — electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) that could fry all satellites’ electronics within a certain orbital region.

“That Russia is developing a system powered by a nuclear source … that has electronic warfare capabilities once in orbit is more likely than the theory that Russia is developing a weapon that carries a nuclear explosive warhead,” said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group.

A 2023 U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report said Russia is developing an array of weapons designed to target individual satellites and may also be developing “higher-power systems that extend the threat to the structures of all satellites.”

The Kremlin on Thursday dismissed a warning by the United States about Moscow’s new nuclear capabilities in space, calling it a “malicious fabrication.” 

The nuclear threat

Non-nuclear anti-satellite weapons have existed for years.

Russia in 2021 followed the United States, China and India by testing a destructive anti-satellite missile on one of its old satellites, blasting it to thousands of pieces that remain in Earth’s orbit.

Exploding a nuclear weapon in space would be another matter entirely.

Brian Weeden, an analyst at the Secure World Foundation, said Russia would undermine its credibility if it detonated a nuclear weapon in space, a possibility with profound implications for both military and commercial satellites.

“The Russians have spent 40 years in the U.N. bashing America about wanting to weaponize space, and place weapons in space and pledging that they would never do it,” Weeden said.

“If they do [detonate a nuclear device in space], they’d lose everything. All the countries that are supporting them on Ukraine and getting around sanctions, boom,” he added.

James Acton, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, said for Russia to put a nuclear weapon in orbit would be a “blatant violation of the Outer Space Treaty.”

The 1967 treaty, to which the United States and Russia are parties, bars signatories from placing “in orbit around the earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction.”

Violating the treaty, Acton said, would further undercut efforts to revive U.S.-Russian arms control after Russia’s 2023 decision to suspend participation in the New START treaty, which caps the number of strategic nuclear warheads each can deploy.

Analysts said anti-satellite weapons could cripple military and commercial communications, undermining the armed forces’ ability to operate as well as global positioning systems (GPS) that everyone from Uber drivers to food delivery services use.

“The Russians think we’re blind if we don’t have access to our satellites and it’s probably true,” said a former U.S. intelligence official. “Our ability to rely on satellites is a major advantage in a potential confrontation but also a major vulnerability.” 
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US Sees No ‘Imminent’ War by North Korea Despite Dangerous Activities

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The State Department  — The United States does not see signs of an “imminent” war by North Korea despite “incredibly dangerous” activities in recent months and its refusal to engage in diplomatic talks with the U.S., a top U.S. official told reporters Thursday.

Jung Pak, the State Department’s senior official in charge of North Korea affairs, said U.S. officials “are always watchful for any kind of activity” by Pyongyang and will continue to work with Japan and South Korea to bolster extended deterrence, aiming to shape North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s “calculus” regarding the initiation of direct military action.

“Fundamentally, I don’t think Kim’s posture has changed. We don’t see any signals of any direct action, military action,” Pak said.

“I don’t see an imminent or direct attack at this point,” she said.

Earlier this week, North Korea carried out its fifth cruise missile launch of the year, which came just days ahead of a joint U.S.-Japan missile defense training exercise scheduled for next week.

In Tokyo, a Japanese official issued a cautionary statement regarding North Korea’s escalating capabilities.

“By launching missiles from various platforms such as submarines and vehicle-mounted launch pads, we believe North Korea is making it difficult to identify and detect signs [of its activities] to strengthen its surprise attack capabilities,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a Thursday press conference.

Last month, Pyongyang said it test-fired a solid-fuel intermediate-range missile, equipped with a hypersonic warhead, into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

State Department official Pak said the U.S. estimated there were 69 ballistic missile tests by North Korea in 2022, and 30 ballistic missile tests last year.
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Malawi Police Seize Journalists’ Equipment Over Fake Facebook Account

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Blantyre, Malawi — Police in Malawi have seized mobile phones and laptops from at least 14 journalists working at the state-run Malawi Broadcasting Corporation or MBC. The journalists are suspected of running a fake Facebook account bearing MBC’s name, where they allegedly posted false and anti-government stories. Press freedom groups have faulted the police for invading the journalists’ privacy.

A spokesperson for the Malawi Police Service, Peter Kalaya, told VOA that the probe is in response to complaints from the management of the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation.

“In the process of the investigations, we secured a search warrant in the court of law which we have used to confiscate electronic gadgets from suspects,” he said. “And the gadgets include phones and laptops.”

Kalaya declined to reveal the exact number of people being investigated and how they were identified for allegedly committing cybercrimes.

However, local media reports say that 14 journalists associated with MBC, including some who have left the channel, have had their devices searched.

MBC Public Relations Manager Chisomo Mwamadi refused to comment on the investigation, saying the channel has left everything in the hands of police.

Greyson Chapita, former controller of news for MBC TV in Blantyre, is among the suspects.

He told VOA that on Wednesday, police officers forced him to log into all his devices which have access to the internet.

“They searched my laptop,” he said. “They were so much into my Facebook account. They did not check my emails, but they looked for the passwords and Facebook recovery in the system and other emails that were in the system. They check close to 20 minutes, and they took some screenshots.”

Chapita said police returned his devices after one of the police investigators said they did not find what they were looking for.

Chapita said he stopped accessing all online platforms for MBC long before he stopped working at the state-run media organization.

“In fact, that was four years ago,” he said. “I have nothing to do with MBC anymore. And for them just invading my privacy just like that you know, torturing us, traumatizing my 12- year-old daughter. You know being accused of running a fake Facebook account, that’s absurd. I am a church elder at my church. How are people going to look at me? I am so bitter.”

Some journalists who had their devices confiscated refused to give their names for fear of reprisals but told VOA they fear police will gain access to confidential information they shared with news sources.

“This is something which is worrying because it puts them at a vulnerable position because everything that the police might access or even the management at MBC might access which they were not supposed to access can be used to harm their careers, can be used to harm their sources,” said Golden Matonga, chairperson for the Media Institute for Southern Africa in Malawi.

However, national police spokesperson Kalaya said journalists are not immune from any type of police investigation.

“Some of the people we are following up are not employees of the MBC,” he said. “And you cannot run away from a criminal investigation just because you are a journalist or because you are in this or that profession. No person is above the law.”

Kalaya said police will keep confidential all the private information they find in the confiscated phones and laptops. He said the equipment will be returned after the police are done with their investigation.
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Trump-Biden NATO Spat Reflects Divide on America’s Role Worldwide

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President Donald Trump revisited on Thursday his remarks that if elected, he would not defend NATO members who don’t meet defense spending targets — more evidence of how two American presidents and their constituents are divided over America’s role in the world. White House bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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FBI Informant Charged With Lying About the Bidens’ Ties to Ukrainian Energy Company

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washington — An FBI informant has been charged with lying to his handler about ties between President Joe Biden, his son Hunter and a Ukrainian energy company.

Alexander Smirnov falsely told FBI agents in June 2020 that executives associated with the Ukrainian energy company Burisma paid Hunter and Joe Biden $5 million each in 2015 or 2016, prosecutors said Thursday.

Smirnov told the FBI that a Burisma executive had claimed to have hired Hunter Biden to “protect us, through his dad, from all kinds of problems,” prosecutors said.

The allegations became a flashpoint in Congress last summer as Republicans demanded the FBI release the unredacted form documenting the allegations as they pursued investigations of Biden and his family. They acknowledged at the time that it was unclear if the allegations were true.

Prosecutors say that though Smirnov claimed to have had contact with Burisma executives near the end of the Obama administration, it actually took place after Obama and Biden had left office, when Biden would have had no ability to influence U.S. policy.

“In short, the Defendant transformed his routine and unextraordinary business contacts with Burisma in 2017 and later into bribery allegations against Public Official 1, the presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties for President, after expressing bias against Public Official 1 and his candidacy,” the indictment said.

He repeated some of the false claims when he was interviewed by FBI agents in September 2023 and changed his story about others and “promoted a new false narrative after he said he met with Russian officials,” prosecutors said.

Smirnov, 43, was indicted on charges of making a false statement and creating a false and fictitious record. No attorney was immediately listed for him in court records. He was expected to make his first court appearance in Las Vegas, where he was arrested Wednesday after arriving from overseas, prosecutors said.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

The charges were filed by Justice Department special counsel David Wiess, who has separately charged Hunter Biden with firearm and tax violations.
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