Month: August 2024

China’s proposal to create a cyber ID system faces criticism

Posted on by SeeEA

Taipei, Taiwan — Concern is rising among China’s more than 1 billion internet users over a government proposal portrayed as a step to protect their personal information and fight against fraud. Many fear the plan would do the opposite.

China’s Ministry of Public Security and the Cyberspace Administration issued the draft “Measures for the Administration of National Network Identity Authentication Public Services” on July 26.

According to the proposal, Chinese netizens would be able to apply for virtual IDs on a voluntary basis to “minimize the excessive collection and retention of citizens’ personal information by online platforms” and “protect personal information.”

While many netizens appear to agree in their posts that companies have too much access to their personal information, others fear the cyber ID proposal, if implemented, will simply allow the government to more easily track them and control what they can say online.

Beijing lawyer Wang Cailiang said on Weibo: “My opinion is short: I am not in favor of this. Please leave a little room for citizens’ privacy.”

Shortly after the proposal was published, Tsinghua University law professor Lao Dongyan posted on her Weibo account, “The cyber IDs are like installing monitors to watch everyone’s online behavior.”

Her post has since disappeared, along with many other negative comments that can only be found on foreign social media platforms like X and Free Weibo, an anonymous and unblocked search engine established in 2012 to capture and save posts censored by China’s Sina Weibo or deleted by users.

A Weibo user under the name “Liu Jiming” said, “The authorities solemnly announced [the proposal] and solicited public opinions while blocking people from expressing their opinions. This clumsy show of democracy is really shocking.”

Beijing employs a vast network of censors to block and remove politically sensitive content, known by critics as the Great Firewall.

Since 2017, China has required internet service and content providers to verify users’ real names through national IDs, allowing authorities to more easily trace and track online activities and posts to the source.

Chinese internet experts say netizens can make that harder by using others’ accounts, providers, IDs and names on various platforms. But critics fear a single cyber ID would close those gaps in the Great Firewall.

Zola, a network engineer and well-known citizen journalist originally from China’s Hunan province, who naturalized in Taiwan, told VOA “The control of the cyber IDs is a superpower because you don’t only know a netizen’s actual name, but also the connection between the netizen and the cybersecurity ID.”

Mr. Li, a Shanghai-based dissident who did not want to disclose his full name because of the issue’s sensitivity, told VOA that the level of surveillance by China’s internet police has long been beyond imagination. He said the new proposal is a way for authorities to tell netizens that the surveillance will be more overt “just to intimidate and warn you to behave.”

Some netizens fear China could soon change the cyber ID system from a voluntary program to a requirement for online access.

A Weibo user under the name “Fang Zhifu” warned that in the future, if “the cyber ID is revoked, it will be like being sentenced to death in the cyber world.”

Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Public Security and Cyberspace Administration say they are soliciting public opinion on the cyber ID plan until August 25.
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Violent protests over high cost of living rock Nigeria

Posted on by SeeAF

Abuja, Nigeria — Thousands of people continue to march the streets in Nigeria calling for a reversal of government reforms. Last year, authorities scrapped fuel subsidies and devalued the country’s currency in a bid to fix the economy. The measures sent the cost of living, especially food prices, soaring. On Friday, police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators who say they’re not backing down.

The nationwide protests called Ten Days of Rage were held in many Nigerian cities on Thursday and Friday despite clashes with security.

“We deserve our benefits, we have mineral resources, we have natural resources, nature blessed the people,” said Wisdom Chimuanya, an Abuja protester. “We need a government that will serve the people and not lord over the people. Mr. President should meet the people’s demands, enough is enough.”

President Bola Tinubu announced the end of the fuel subsidy during his inauguration in May. Soon afterward he removed the rate cap on the national currency, the naira.

Authorities also increased electricity tariffs by more than 200%.

Protesters say these policies have made everyday living unaffordable.

Tensions escalated around Abuja on Friday as protesters pushed back against the government order not to march in the streets. Many protesters were injured and say police were firing live rounds.

The police said it only used tear gas to disperse the protesters.

Benneth Igweh, police commissioner of the Federal Capital Territory, which includes Abuja, said a court order was issued to prevent disruptions of normal activities around the city.

Local media reported 13 people have been killed across the country.

Authorities in northeast Borno and northwest Kano state imposed curfews Friday to control the violence.

“Until the government answers us, we’re not going to leave the streets,” said Chikaobi Emmanuel, a protester in Abuja. “The government is trying to disperse the protesters, but we’re not relenting. We’re peaceful protesters, why would the government order their security operatives to start shooting tear gas?”

Last month, Nigerian lawmakers pledged to donate half of their salaries to citizens for six months, and authorities relaxed taxes on certain food imports, including wheat, to lower prices.

On Monday, Nigeria signed a new minimum wage into law. But protesters say these measures are not enough and vow to occupy the streets until fuel prices return to normal.
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US colleges reembracing SAT as admissions requirement

Posted on by SeeUS

The COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to administer the SAT exam to high school students worldwide. In response, US colleges and universities that required the exam for admissions made the test optional. Now, with the pandemic in the rearview mirror, a trend is growing in higher education to again require the SAT. VOA’s Robin Guess has the story.
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6.8 magnitude earthquake hits off Philippines’ Mindanao island

Posted on by SeeEA

Manila, Philippines — A 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the southern Philippines on Saturday, the United States Geological Survey said, but no tsunami warning was issued and there were no immediate reports of damage.

The shallow quake hit just before 6:30 a.m. (2230 GMT) about 20 kilometers from the village of Barcelona on the east of Mindanao island, the USGS said.

Many people would have been sleeping when the strong shaking jolted them from their beds.

It did not trigger a tsunami alert, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System and the Philippine seismological agency.

The local seismological agency also said no damage was expected from the earthquake, but it warned of aftershocks in the region.

In Lingig municipality, where Barcelona is located, local disaster officer Ian Onsing said he was awakened by the shaking.

“The shaking was quite strong. The things around here were moving. I guess, the shaking took around 10-15 seconds,” Onsing told AFP by telephone.

“I’m not expecting any more damages, but we will go around the area again around 8:00 am just to be sure,” he said.

“So far, there are no reported casualties or damages. We are now monitoring the shores for any rough movement.”

In the municipality of Hinatuan, about 25 kilometers north of Barcelona, local disaster officer Jerome Ramirez saw appliances “moving for around 30 seconds” from the strong shaking.

Ramirez said there had been no reports of injuries or damage in coastal communities in the area.

“Now we are just monitoring for possible aftershocks,” Ramirez told AFP by telephone.

Earthquakes regularly strike the Philippines, which sits along the Pacific Ring of Fire, an arc of intense seismic and volcanic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Most are too weak to be felt by humans, but strong and destructive quakes come at random with no technology available to predict when and where they will happen.

In December, a 7.6 magnitude quake struck off Mindanao, briefly triggering a tsunami warning.

That sent residents along the east coast of the island fleeing buildings, evacuating a hospital and seeking higher ground.

At least three people died. 
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Protests turn violent as UK unrest spreads after children’s killings

Posted on by SeeEU

london — Protesters attacked police and started fires in the northeast English city of Sunderland on Friday as violence spread to another northern city following Monday’s killing of three children in Southport. 

Anti-immigrant demonstrators threw stones at police in riot gear near a mosque in the city before overturning vehicles, setting a car on fire and starting a fire next to a police office, the BBC said. 

“The safety of the public is our utmost priority and when we became aware that a protest had been planned, we ensured there was an increased policing presence in the city,” Northumbria Police Chief Superintendent Helena Barron said in a statement.  

“During the course of the evening those officers were met with serious and sustained levels of violence, which is utterly deplorable.” 

Three police officers were hospitalized for treatment, and eight people have so far been arrested for offenses such as violent disorder and burglary, Barron added. 

The protest in Sunderland was one of more than a dozen planned by anti-immigration activists across the U.K. this weekend, including in the vicinity of at least two mosques in Liverpool, the closest city to where the children were killed. 

Several anti-racism counterprotests were also planned. 

British police were out in force on Friday across the country and mosques were tightening security, officials said. 

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of the girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in the northwestern seaside town of Southport, a crime that has shocked the nation. 

Violent incidents erupted in the following days in Southport, the northeastern town of Hartlepool, and London in reaction to false information on social media claiming the suspect in the stabbings was a radical Islamist migrant. 

In an attempt to quash the misinformation, police have emphasized that the suspect  was born in Britain. 

Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a second visit to Southport since the murders.  

“As a nation, we stand with those who tragically have lost loved ones in the heinous attack in Southport, which ripped through the very fabric of this community and left us all in shock,” he said in a statement. 

British police chiefs have agreed to deploy officers in large numbers over the weekend to deter violence. 

“We will have surge capacity in our intelligence, in our briefing, and in the resources that are out in local communities,” Gavin Stephens, chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told BBC Radio. 

“There will be additional prosecutors available to make swift decisions, so we see swift justice.” 

Mosques across the country are also on a heightened state of alert, the Muslim Council of Britain said. 

Zara Mohammed, the council’s secretary general, said representatives from hundreds of mosques agreed to strengthen security measures at a briefing on Thursday. Many at the meeting also reported concerns for the safety of their worshippers after receiving threatening and abusive phone calls. 

“I think there’s a sense within the community that we’re also not going to be afraid, but we will be careful and cautious,” Mohammed said. 

Police in Southport, where on Tuesday evening protesters attacked police, set vehicles alight and hurled bricks at a mosque, said they were aware of planned protests and had “extensive plans and considerable police resources” on hand to deal with any disorder. 

Police in Northern Ireland also said they were planning a “proportionate policing response” after learning of plans by various groups to block roads, stage protests and march to an Islamic Centre in Belfast over the weekend. 
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Ethiopia PM says talks underway with armed groups; one group denies any discussion

Posted on by SeeAF

ADDIS ABABA, ethiopia — Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that negotiations are in progress with armed militias in the Amhara region to peacefully resolve the ongoing conflict there. 

Speaking at a meeting with financial leaders in Addis Ababa on Friday, the prime minister said the federal government has been making efforts to reach out to the rebels but hinted that a lack of unity among the armed groups could be an obstacle. 

“I haven’t revealed this so far but to let you know today, it has been a while since we started talks with armed groups operating in the Amhara region,” he said in Amharic, speaking to participants of the meeting. “The problem so far is that there is no centralized group. When we reach an understanding with one group we don’t agree with the other.”   

The prime minister said efforts have been made to make the groups come together to “create enabling conditions for talks.” 

“But we have started talks with some of the groups; there are groups that have started continuous talks with the government,” he said.

The prime minister did not identify which armed groups were involved in the talks and when the talks started. The format of the talks is also not yet clear. 

Group denies it’s talking to government

A spokesperson for one of the Fano armed groups fighting in the Amhara region denies talks with the government. Fano is an ethnic Amhara militia without a formal structure and there are several groups operating in different parts of the Amhara region.  

Simeneh Mulatu, head of the foreign and diaspora affairs department for the Fano militias in Gojjam, told VOA that there have not been any talks or negotiations they started with the government. 

Leaders of other Fano factions operating in the region could not be reached for comment.

Official unaware of reports of talks   

Despite the prime minister’s remarks, an official with the Amhara region’s peace council set up in June also appears to be unaware of the reports of talks with the armed militias.   

Eyachew Teshale told VOA that they are not aware of any formal peace talks that are going on between the government and the Fano armed group.   

Fighting between federal government forces and Fano broke out a year ago after reports emerged that the government was planning to disarm the regional paramilitary forces to integrate them into other security structures, including the federal army. 

In November last year, the Ethiopian government held talks with the other rebel group fighting in the Oromiya region, the Oromo Liberation Army. The two sides failed to narrow their differences during the two rounds of talks that took place in Tanzania. 

This story originated in the Horn of Africa’s Amharic Service. 
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Increasing wind and heat plus risk of thunderstorms expected in fight against California wildfire

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CHICO, California — Firefighters battling California’s largest wildfire of the year are preparing for treacherous conditions entering the weekend when expected thunderstorms may unleash fire-starting lightning and erratic winds that could erode progress made over the past week. Dry, hot conditions posed similar threats across the fire-stricken West.   

Weather, fuels and terrain will pose challenges for the 6,000 firefighters battling the Park Fire, which has spread over 614 square miles (1,590 square kilometers) since allegedly being started by arson in a wilderness park in the Sierra Nevada foothills east of the Sacramento Valley city of Chico.  

The fire’s push northward has brought it toward the rugged lava rock landscape surrounding Lassen Volcanic National Park, which has been closed due to the threat.  

“Lava rocks make for hard and slow work for hand crews,” Cal Fire said in a situation report. “Crews are being flown into access areas that have been hard to reach because of long drive times and steep, rugged terrain.”  

After days of benign weather, increasing winds and a surge of monsoonal moisture were expected to increase fire activity and bring a chance of thunderstorms Friday night into Saturday, said Ryan Walbrun, incident meteorologist with the National Weather Service.  

“The concern with thunderstorms is any gusty outflow winds that would push the fire itself or create some new fire ignitions within the vicinity of the Park Fire,” Walbrun said. 

Collapse of thunderstorm clouds can blow wind in any and all directions, said Jonathan Pangburn, a fire behavior analyst with Cal Fire.  

“Even if there’s not lightning per se, it is very much a safety-watch-out environment for our firefighters out there,” Pangburn said. 

Walbrun said there was little prospect of beneficial rains from the storms and the forecast for next week calls for continued warming and drying.  

“As we look forward in time, we’re really just entering the peak of fire season in California,” he said.  

The Park Fire, which has destroyed at least 480 structures and damaged 47, is one of almost 100 large fires burning across the western U.S.   

A wildfire on the edge of metro Denver crept within a quarter-mile of evacuated homes, but authorities said Thursday they were hopeful that hundreds of threatened residences could be saved despite sweltering temperatures and firefighters suffering heat exhaustion.  

The Quarry Fire southwest of the Denver suburb of Littleton encroached on several large subdivisions. Neighborhoods with nearly 600 homes were ordered to evacuate after the fire, of unknown origin, spread quickly Tuesday afternoon and overnight when relatively few firefighters were yet on the scene. 

Jim and Meg Lutes watched from an overlook near their house northeast of the fire as smoke plumed up from the ridges. Their community west of Littleton was not yet under evacuation orders, but the couple had been ready to start packing a day earlier when flames could be seen blanketing the mountains.   

“It can come over that hill pretty quick if the wind changes,” said Jim Lutes, 64, pointing to a nearby ridge.  

Five firefighters were injured Wednesday, including four who had heat exhaustion, said Mark Techmeyer, a spokesperson with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.  

The fire was in steep terrain that made it difficult to access but had been held to about a half-square mile (1.4 square kilometers) with no houses yet destroyed, authorities said.  

Miles to the north near the city of Lyons, Colorado, officials lifted some evacuations and reported making progress on the Stone Canyon Fire. It has killed one person and destroyed five houses. The cause was under investigation. 

The fire was among several threatening heavily populated areas of the Colorado foothills, including one in which a person was killed earlier this week.  

New, large fires were reported in Idaho, southeastern Montana and north Texas.  

Scientists say extreme wildfires are becoming more common and destructive in the U.S. West and other parts of the world as climate change warms the planet and droughts become more severe.
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UK police brace for more far-right protests

Posted on by SeeEU

LONDON — Several suspects arrested in violent protests that erupted after the fatal stabbing of three children in northwest England were due in court Friday as officials braced for more clashes that Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned and blamed on “far-right hatred.”

Starmer vowed to end the mayhem and said police across the United Kingdom would be given more resources to stop “a breakdown in law and order on our streets.”

Demonstrations are being promoted online over the coming days in towns and cities that include Sunderland, Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool and Manchester, using phrases such as “enough is enough,” “save our kids” and “stop the boats.”

John Woodcock, the British government’s adviser on political violence and disruption, said there was a “concerted and coordinated” attempt to spread the violence.

“Clearly, some of those far-right actors have got a taste for this and are trying to provoke similar in towns and cities across the U.K.,” he told the BBC.

The attack Monday on children at a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday dance class shocked a country where knife crime is a long-standing and vexing problem, although mass stabbings are rare.

Seventeen-year-old Axel Rudakubana was charged with murder over the attack that killed Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, in the seaside town of Southport in northwest England. He was also charged with 10 counts of attempted murder for the eight children and two adults wounded.

A violent demonstration in Southport on Tuesday was followed by others around the country — fueled in part by online misinformation that said the attacker was Muslim and an immigrant. Rudakubana was born in Britain to Rwandan parents and lived close to the scene of the attack.

Suspects who are under 18 are usually not named in the U.K., but judge Andrew Menary ordered that Rudakubana could be identified, in part to stop the spread of misinformation.

Far-right demonstrators have held several violent protests, ostensibly in response to the attack, clashing with police outside a mosque in Southport on Tuesday and hurling beer cans, bottles and flares near the prime minister’s office in London the next day.

Merseyside Police, which is responsible for Southport, said it had made seven arrests so far and had a team of specialists reviewing hundreds of hours of footage to identify anyone involved.

“If you took part in this disorder, you can expect to receive a knock on your door by our officers,” Detective Chief Inspector Tony Roberts said.

Police officers were pelted with bottles and eggs in the town of Hartlepool in northeast England, where a police car was set ablaze. Seven men ages 28 to 54 were charged with violent disorder and were due in court Friday, the local Cleveland Police force said.

At a news conference Thursday, the prime minister said the street violence was “clearly driven by far-right hatred” as he announced a program enabling police to better share intelligence across agencies and move quickly to make arrests.

“This is coordinated; this is deliberate,” Starmer said. “This is not a protest that has got out of hand. It is a group of individuals who are absolutely bent on violence.”

Starmer said his so-called National Violent Disorder Program would enable police to move between communities — just as the “marauding mobs” do. Officers will harness facial recognition technology to identify culprits and use criminal behavior orders often imposed on soccer hooligans that prevent them from going to certain places or associating with one another.

Starmer put some of the blame on social media companies, although he didn’t announce any measures to address that and said there was a balance to be struck between the value they offer and the threat they can pose.

“Violent disorder, clearly whipped up online, that is also a crime. It’s happening on your premises,” he said.
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US job growth misses expectations in July; unemployment rate rises to 4.3% 

Posted on by SeeUS

Washington — U.S. job growth slowed more than expected in July, while the unemployment rate increased to 4.3%, which could heighten fears that the labor market is deteriorating and potentially making the economy vulnerable to a recession. 

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 114,000 jobs last month after rising by a downwardly revised 179,000 in June, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its closely watched employment report on Friday. 

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast payrolls advancing by 175,000 jobs after a previously reported 206,000 gain in June. Estimates ranged from 70,000 to 225,000. 

Hurricane Beryl, which knocked out power in Texas and slammed parts of Louisiana during the payrolls survey week, likely contributed to the below-expectations payrolls gain. 

The labor market is slowing, driven by low hiring, rather than layoffs, as the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes in 2022 and 2023 dampen demand. Government data this week showed hires dropped to a four-year low in June. 

Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% last month after climbing 0.3% in June. In the 12 months through July, wages increased 3.6%. That was the smallest year-on-year gain since May 2021 and followed a 3.8% advance in June. 

Though wage growth remains above the 3%-3.5% range seen as consistent with the Fed’s 2% inflation target, it extended the run of inflation-friendly data. The employment report sealed the case for a September rate cut from the U.S. central bank. 

The rise in the unemployment rate from 4.1% in June marked the fourth straight monthly increase. That could escalate fears over the durability of the economic expansion. 

 
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Russian drone hits bus in Kharkiv region, injuring six, official says

Posted on by SeeEU

KYIV — A Russian drone hit a bus in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region early on Friday, injuring six construction workers, including one who was in a critical condition, the regional governor said.

Governor Oleh Syniehubov said the incident took place near the town of Derhachi, about 40 km (25 miles) from Hlyboke one of the border settlements where Russia opened a new front in the war in May.

Ukraine’s military halted the Russian offensive there, rushing in reinforcements after Russia pushed up to 10 km (six miles) into the border areas.

Thousands of people have been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine February 2022.

 
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Scenes of joy as American hostages return home

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Three Americans unjustly detained in Russia stepped foot on U.S. soil again late Thursday. Waiting for them, President Joe Biden and their loved ones. VOA’s Jessica Jerreat reports.
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Turkey blocks access to Instagram, gives no reason

Posted on by SeeEU

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday, the latest instance of a clampdown on websites in the country.

The Information and Communication Technologies Authority, which regulates the internet, announced the block early Friday but did not provide a reason. Sabah newspaper, which is close to the government, said access was blocked in response to Instagram removing posts by Turkish users that expressed condolences over the killing of Hama political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

It came days after Fahrettin Altun, the presidential communications director and aide to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, criticized the Meta-owned platform for preventing users in Turkey from posting messages of condolences for Haniyeh.

Unlike its Western allies, Turkey does not consider Hamas to be a terror organization. A strong critic of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, Erdogan has described the group as “liberation fighters.”

The country is observing a day of mourning for Haniyeh on Friday, during which flags will be flown at half-staff.

Turkey has a track record of censoring social media and websites. Hundreds of thousands of domains have been blocked since 2022, according to the Freedom of Expression Association, a nonprofit organization regrouping lawyers and human rights activists. The video-sharing platform YouTube was blocked from 2007 to 2010.
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UN climate crisis chief in Africa to assess drought effects

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The United Nations’ climate crisis coordinator and a top World Food Program official are in southern Africa, assessing a drought-driven humanitarian crisis blamed on the El Niño weather phenomenon and climate change. Columbus Mavhunga joined them in some of Zimbabwe’s most affected places, where water sources are drying up.
Camera: Columbus Mavhunga 
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Historic prisoner swap frees Americans imprisoned in Russia

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Americans Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, Evan Gershkovich, and others are freed from Russian prisons in a deal involving 16 political prisoners exchanged for eight individuals requested by the Kremlin. With Liam Scott and Cristina Caicedo Smit, Jessica Jerreat reports. Patsy Widakuswara contributed. Cameras: Martin Bubenik, Krystof Maixner, Hoshang Fahim.
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North Korea shuns international aid workers amid severe flooding  

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washington — North Korea continues to keep its doors shut to international aid workers as the country struggles with massive flooding that destroyed thousands of homes and covered vast farmlands.

The International Federation of Red Cross told VOA on Thursday that it was  assessing North Korea’s humanitarian situation and needs from the floods as it remained hopeful about reentering the country.

“We are deeply concerned about the impact of the floods and are working closely with the DPRK Red Cross Society to assess the situation,” the IFRC said in a statement to VOA Korean.

“With the recent opening of DPRK borders and increased international cooperation, we are hopeful about the reestablishment of IFRC’s international presence in DPRK,” the statement continued.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is North Korea’s official name.

The U.N. resident coordinator in North Korea, Joe Colombano, told VOA on Thursday that “we stand ready to return to the country to support” North Korea as it recovers from flood damage, “as well as with longer-term resilience work, should the government so request.” He also extended condolences to those impacted by the floods in a written statement from the U.N. Development Coordination Office in New York.

North Korea reopened its borders in August 2023 and lifted draconian pandemic measures put in place since 2020 that blocked all cross-border activities, including humanitarian aid.

No international aid workers are in the country despite the open border, although there was a four-day visit to Pyongyang by the head of the Food and Agricultural Organization in July.

The U.S. State Department told VOA Korean on Thursday that it hoped North Korea “will soon allow international humanitarian workers back into the country” as it stood ready to support international aid efforts.

“We continue to support international efforts to provide critical humanitarian aid to the DPRK,” a State Department spokesperson said.

The U.S. provided $1 million in humanitarian aid to North Korea in 2017 after the country was hit by Typhoon Lionrock the previous year, resulting in flooding. But the U.S. does not currently provide any aid to North Korea.

After being pummeled by heavy rains since last week, North Korea has mobilized officials and residents of several provinces to send relief items such as tents, blankets, garments and medical supplies to the flood-hit areas of North Pyongan and Jagang provinces, according to state-run KCNA on Thursday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held an emergency meeting after inspecting flood-hit areas in North Pyongan province, where the rains flooded more than 4,100 houses and nearly 3,000 hectares of farmland in Sinuiju city and Uiju county that borders China, KCNA said Wednesday.

More than 4,300 people were rescued by North Korean army helicopters from the flood-hit regions, according to KCNA on Monday. But North Korea did not provide an estimated number of deaths or injured from the devastating flood.

North Korea is prone to flooding from summer downpours because the country lacks proper infrastructure to support drainage.

VOA contacted North Korea’s mission at the U.N. and asked whether the country was willing to accept international aid toward flood recovery but did not receive an answer by the time this report was published.

The South Korean Unification Ministry that handles inter-Korean affairs said  Thursday that North Korea seemed to have incurred considerable casualties.  Some South Korean media reported the number of flood victims, including deaths and those displaced, to be more than 1,500.

Jerome Sauvage, who served as the U.N. resident coordinator in North Korea from 2009 to 2013, said the impact of the flood, including an estimated number of deaths, is difficult to assess “from a distance” and should be done from inside the country.

“Without data obtained on the ground and independently,” it is also difficult to assess how much aid is needed, Sauvage said. He suggested North Korea “urgently” let in a staff for an assessment on the impact of the floods, including damage done to crops, houses and facilities.

South Korea’s Red Cross said in a statement released through the Unification Ministry on Thursday that it was willing to provide relief aid to North Korean flood victims.

The Korean Red Cross said it was “ready to discuss details including relief items, amount of aid supplies and delivery methods” with the DPRK Red Cross Society as it looked forward to a “prompt response” from North Korea.

It was uncertain whether Pyongyang would accept help from Seoul amid tense relations between the two.

Keith Luse, executive director at the National Committee on North Korea in Washington, who facilitates engagement between the U.S. and North Korea, said, “If DPRK officials decide to accept assistance from other countries, China and Russia will likely be the initial points of contact.”

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA that “China is paying close attention to the flooding and expresses heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families and those who are affected.”

“We believe that the people of the DPRK are capable of overcoming the impact of the disaster and rebuilding their homes soon,” he said.

Liu added, “In the meanwhile, areas on the Chinese side near the border have also been hit by severe flooding. We hope the two sides will share flooding information in a timely way to better prevent the flooding and ensure the safety of people’s life and property.”

VOA contacted the Russian embassies in Washington and Seoul to ask whether Moscow had a plan to send disaster relief aid to North Korea but did not receive a reply.

Eunjung Cho contributed to this report.
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Mali separatists say they killed dozens of Wagner, government fighters

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Dakar, Senegal — Separatist rebels in northern Mali said Thursday that they killed dozens of fighters from the Russian mercenary group Wagner and government troops near the Algerian border at the end of July.  

The Tuareg-led separatists said Thursday they killed 84 Wagner fighters and 47 Malian soldiers in three days of intense fighting that began on July 25 at a military camp at Tinzaouaten. 

About 30 other troops or fighters, either “dead or seriously injured,” were airlifted to Kidal, a key northern city, the Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad (CSP-DPA) alliance said. 

It said there were also some charred bodies inside armored vehicles and transport trucks. 

Azawad is the generic name for all Tuareg Berber areas, particularly in the northern half of Mali and northern and western Niger. The separatists are fighting for an independent homeland.  

The separatist alliance said it had taken seven Wagner and Malian government fighters hostage and that it had lost nine men in the fighting. 

The al-Qaida-linked group Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) also claimed its fighters had attacked a Malian army convoy and allies from Wagner south of Tinzaouaten. 

AFP could not corroborate the figures from independent sources. The army and the Wagner group had admitted heavy losses in the region. 

Analysts said these were the heaviest losses suffered so far by Wagner in Africa.  

The group spearheaded some of the Kremlin’s longest and bloodiest military campaigns in Ukraine until a short-lived rebellion against the Russian government. It is now active in Africa. 

The CSP-DPA said it had seized five armored vehicles, five pickups and several arms. 

The Wagner Group said the rebels gained the upper hand thanks to a sandstorm, which analysts say would have negated the air support superiority of the Malian forces and their allies.  

The separatists on Thursday claimed more than 50 civilians of Nigerien, Sudanese and Chadian origin had been killed in revenge drone attacks by neighboring Burkina Faso. 

The separatists warned Burkina Faso against getting involved “in fighting that does not concern it.”  

The Malian army on Tuesday said it, along with Burkina Faso, had staged air attacks in the Tinzaouaten region following the fighting. 

Mali has admitted it suffered a “large number” of deaths during fighting in the north last week. 

The West African nation’s military leaders who seized power in a 2020 coup have made it a priority to retake all of the country from separatists and jihadi forces linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State terror group. 

Under Colonel Assimi Goita, the junta broke off its traditional alliance with former colonial ruler France and has turned toward Russia. 

After an eight-year lull, hostilities between Mali and the separatists resumed in August 2023. The army’s offensive culminated in the storming of the northern pro-independence stronghold of Kidal in November. 

Its capture was widely hailed across Mali as a symbolic success. 

But the rebels refused to lay down their arms. Instead, they scattered across the mountainous desert region, with Malian forces in pursuit. 

Near Tinzaouaten, the two sides engaged in three days of intense fighting at the end of July on a scale not seen for months. 
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US, Japan eye warfighting capabilities through alliance upgrade

Posted on by SeeUS

washington — The realignment of the United States armed forces in Japan, announced on the heels of the latest U.S.-Japan security talks, will focus on developing warfighting capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region, former U.S. military officials and experts say.

During a meeting of the Japan-U.S. Security Consultative Committee in Tokyo on Sunday, the two nations agreed to upgrade the command and control of the U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ), converting the current USFJ structure into a joint force headquarters.

The new headquarters will be given “expanded missions and operational responsibilities,” according to a statement released after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with their Japanese counterparts, Yoko Kamikawa and Minoru Kihara.

Jerry Martinez, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general who served as the USFJ commander from 2016 to 2019, said this move is “a gigantic step forward” for the United States, Japan and the alliance at large.

“This action signals the high regard in which both countries view the alliance, as well as the need to ensure Japan is always ready to withstand any threats in the region,” Martinez told VOA Korean via email on Wednesday.

“It sends a strong signal to potential threats that Japan as a whole is trained, prepared and operationally ready to meet any challenges,” he said.

Harry Harris, former U.S. ambassador to South Korea during the Trump administration, told VOA Korean in an email on Tuesday that the USFJ headquarters will take on more operational command responsibilities.

“It greatly expands the heretofore limited role of the existing USFJ,” said Harris, who was also commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command from 2015 to 2018.

“USFJ was not responsible for joint war planning,” he said, adding that the move to set up a new headquarters recognizes “the importance in Japan of effective joint planning between the U.S. and Japan.”

The reconstitution of American forces stationed in Japan, scheduled for March 2025, is widely seen as the most substantial transformation since its establishment in 1957.

“This will be the most significant change to U.S. Forces Japan since its creation and one of the strongest improvements in our military ties with Japan in 70 years,” Austin said in a press conference Sunday in Tokyo.

According to experts in Washington, the changes are aimed at giving USFJ an actual warfighting command, which has, up to now, been largely assumed by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, headquartered in Hawaii.

“It was more of a command that focused on kind of day-to-day management of resources in Japan,” Robert Peters, research fellow for nuclear deterrence and missile defense at the Heritage Foundation, told VOA Korean by phone on Wednesday.

“USFJ is going to have more responsibilities and more capabilities, so they’re going to be able to make their own decisions when a war breaks out,” he said.

Peters, who served as a special adviser in the Office of the Secretary of Defense during the Obama administration, said the new USFJ will be “more relevant to the warfighting.”

James Przystup, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Japan Chair, told VOA Korean via email on Tuesday that the focus of the new joint command will be the closer operational integration of U.S. military assets, which encompass elements of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force.

“USFJ as it stands today serves an administrative function,” Przystup said. “Establishing a joint force headquarters provides for the closer operational integration of U.S. forces deployed in Japan.”

According to the joint statement of the Security Consultative Committee on Sunday, the new U.S. joint force headquarters will serve as a counterpart to Japan’s Joint Operations Command, facilitating deeper interoperability and cooperation on joint bilateral operations.

The USFJ’s cooperation with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) is expected to take a form different from the Combined Forces Command in South Korea, a joint warfighting headquarters consisting of U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and the South Korean military.

Retired U.S. Army General Robert Abrams, who served as the commander of the USFK from 2018 to 2021, told VOA Korean in an email on Wednesday that the USFJ and JSDF are completely separate.

“There is no mention of the newly converted USFJ headquarters becoming a combined command or implying that this USFJ headquarters would have operational control of Japanese Self-Defense Forces,” Abrams said. “Japan’s minister of defense made clear that there was no plan to put JSDF under U.S. command.”

Przystup said the new USFJ Joint Forces Command, along with Japan’s own Joint Operations Command, will facilitate closer U.S.-Japan defense cooperation in dealing with security challenges posed by China as well as North Korea, “in particular with respect to operational integration of Japan’s counterstrike capability within the alliance, thus enhancing alliance-based deterrence.”

While Austin stressed during the Sunday press conference that “our decision to move in this direction is not based upon any threat from China,” the U.S. and Japan made it clear that China’s external stance and military actions pose a serious concern.

In response to an inquiry from VOA Korean, the Chinese Embassy in Washington said Tuesday that China is not a threat to global stability and peace.

“The so-called ‘China threat theory’ is groundless and should not be used as an excuse for military expansion,” Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said in a written statement via email. “U.S.-Japan relations should not target other countries, harm their interests or undermine regional peace and stability.”
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Memes, mudslinging appear on social media in run-up to election

Posted on by SeeUS

In a U.S. election season that has been filled with unexpected twists and turns, social media users have responded in kind … with coconuts and cat ladies. VOA’s Tina Trinh explains.
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Putin welcomes Russians freed in prisoner swap as heroes 

Posted on by SeeEU

moscow — President Vladimir Putin gave Russian nationals freed in a historic prisoner exchange with the West a hero’s welcome on Thursday as they stepped off a plane in Moscow, promising them state awards and a conversation about their futures. 

Eight people were returned to Russia as part of the biggest East-West prisoner exchange since the end of the Cold War, including Vadim Krasikov, a hitman convicted by a German court of killing a former Chechen militant in a Berlin park, and two men convicted of cybercrimes in the United States, Vladislav Klyushin and Roman Seleznyov. 

Among those Moscow also got back: a Russian family, the Dultsevs, including their two children, whom a court in Slovenia convicted of pretending to be Argentinians in order to spy on the EU and NATO member state. The couple are thought to be “illegals” — deep-cover agents trained to impersonate foreigners, who spend years living abroad in their cover identities. 

In return, U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich and ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan were among those released by Moscow in a complex deal negotiated in secrecy for more than a year. 

Putin, a former KGB officer and ex-head of Russia’s FSB security service, met the eight returnees at a Moscow airport and hugged them or shook their hands, giving some of them bouquets of flowers as they came off the plane onto a red carpet flanked by a Kremlin honor guard. 

The first to disembark, wearing a baseball cap and a track suit top, was Krasikov, the hitman, whom Putin hugged. 

Inside the airport building, Putin, who looked visibly pleased, told the returnees: 

“First of all, I would like to congratulate you all on your return to the Motherland. Now I would like to address those of you who have a direct connection to military service. I want to thank you for your loyalty to your oath and your duty to your Motherland, which has never forgotten you for a moment. 

“All of you will be presented with state awards. I will see you again – we will talk about your future.”  

Alexander Bortnikov, the head of the domestic FSB intelligence service; Sergei Naryshkin, the head of the SVR foreign intelligence service; and Defense Minister Andrei Belousov were also at the airport to welcome the group. 

Earlier on Thursday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, commenting on the prisoner exchange, said that traitors to his country should rot and die in prison, but that it was more useful for Moscow to get its own people home. 

“And let the traitors now feverishly adopt new names and actively disguise themselves under witness protection programs,” Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel.
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