Month: January 2025

California firefighters battle wildfires as forecasters warn of dangerous winds

Posted on by SeeUS

Warnings were in place again Wednesday in the Los Angeles area for the prospect of strong winds combining with dry conditions to spread wildfires as firefighters battled a series of blazes in the region that have already killed at least 25 people.

After winds were weaker than expected during the day Tuesday, the National Weather Service said the region was “not out of the woods yet,” with the potential for a surge in winds through early Wednesday afternoon.

Utility companies shut off power to more than 77,000 households to prevent their power lines from sparking new blazes.

The winds threatened to undermine incremental gains that firefighters have made in recent days as they try to control two main fires that have been burning since last week, as well as a smaller fire that sparked Monday.

The California Department of Foresty and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said the Palisades Fire on the western side of Los Angeles had burned 96 square kilometers and was 18% contained as of early Wednesday.

The Eaton Fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains on the east side of the city was 35% contained and has burned 57 square kilometers, Cal Fire said.

About 88,000 people remained under evacuation orders with another nearly 85,000 being warned they might be ordered to evacuate. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna encouraged people to consider leaving when they get a warning without waiting for an order. He said deputies have had to rescue many people who waited until the last minute after receiving orders. 

Authorities said nearly 30 people remain missing, and that the death toll was likely to rise as search crews gain access to areas that have already burned.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters she took an aerial tour of the affected areas on Monday.

“The massive, massive destruction is unimaginable until you actually see it,” Bass said. 

Some information for this report is from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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 Russian missile, drone attacks cause damage in multiple Ukrainian regions

Posted on by SeeEU

Officials in western Ukraine said Wednesday a Russian missile attack hit critical infrastructure facilities in the Lviv region, part of a series of attacks that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said included more than 40 missiles and 70 drones.

Zelenskyy said Russia’s targets included “gas and energy facilities that sustain normal life for our people,” and that Ukrainian air defenses shot down 30 of the missiles.

“Thanks to our air defense forces and all involved units, we’ve managed to maintain the functionality of our energy system,” Zelenskyy said.  “However, we must continue strengthening the capabilities of Ukraine’s air shield. Promises made by partners at the NATO summit in Washington and within the Ramstein format still remain partially unfulfilled.”

Ukraine’s military issued air alerts for regions across the country Wednesday, while the national power grid operator instituted power cuts in six regions.

Cherkasy Governor Ihor Taburets said on Telegram that Russian forces attacked overnight with drones and missiles, with fragments from destroyed drones damaging two houses.

In Dnipropetrovsk, Governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram that Russian attacks included artillery, drones and missiles that damaged an industrial site.

Kirovohrad Governor Andriy Raikovich reported on Telegram what he described as a massive Russian drone attack that damaged several residential buildings.

Officials in the Rivne region also said Russian missiles targeted the area overnight.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod area and another drone over the Tambov region.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that Ukrainian attacks injured one person, while Tambov Governor Yevgeny Pervyshov reported damage to a house.

Some information for this story came from Reuters.
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South Korea’s Yoon detained, in first for country

Posted on by SeeEA

South Korean authorities detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol early Wednesday. The move ends a weeks-long standoff over the current status of Yoon, who is being investigated for insurrection related to his short-lived declaration of martial law. More from VOA’s Bill Gallo in Seoul.
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Trump’s choice for defense secretary faces tough questioning from senators

Posted on by SeeUS

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, faced resistance from Democrats in the Senate Armed Service Committee on Tuesday. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has details.
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Exodus continues from Ethiopia earthquake epicenter

Posted on by SeeAF

AWASH FENTALE, AFAR REGION, ETHIOPIA — A semi-desert plain that lies between two rugged mountains has, for about five months, been the epicenter of volcanic activity in Ethiopia’s Afar region.

From a distance, it looks serene and peaceful. As you approach, however, you’re met with rifts from the strong land vibrations that occur two to three times every week. Smoke billows from a deep hole beneath the ground. Nearby holes spit out hot mud and water. The water smells like sulfuric acid from a kilometer away.

The locals call it “Seganto,” which also means the name of the plant that commonly grows in this small area between the Dofan and Fentale mountains, located in Ethiopia’s Afar region. Both mountains have volcanic activity and small lakes on their peaks. Fentale mountain is distinctive, with smoke billowing from the top.

Nearly two weeks ago, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.8 struck the region. The vibration from the quake was felt in nearby towns such as Awash Sebat Kilo and Awash Arba, about 220 kilometers from the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Many have been displaced so far, and Ado Ali, a resident in Awash Fentale and a mother of four, said it was time to go.

“We heard a big noise from the ground; it sounds like gun salute,” she said. “Our animals get shocked. We were praying to get out safely.”

It was the same story for Hassan Kamil, a Seganto resident who was particularly worried about the potential for a bigger eruption.

“Dofan mountain is the one behind me, and Fentale is the one in front of me; the rift created following the earthquake is now going from Dofan to Fentale mountain,” he said. “The holes through which the explosion is being seen used to be few; now there are more than 10 in this place in Seganto Kebele alone.”

Another resident of Awash Fentale; Ahmed Hisis, said his house was destroyed by volcanic eruptions.

“To this day, the vibration is demolishing homes, creating cracks,” he said.

Hisis said he does not feel safe as the vibration is ongoing.

Evacuations

The explosions in December led to the exodus of the estimated 10,000 community members living in Seganto. Today, Seganto remains empty. Hassan Kamil Konte, a community elder, fled and now lives in a nearby shelter as the community relocates the residents.

The earthquake activity has destroyed most local infrastructure. The shock following the ground shaking demolished 37 schools and forced 5,000 students from their classrooms, according to Moussa Adam, deputy head of the Afar National Regional State Education Bureau. A state-run sugar factory with more than 4,000 employees ceased operation as locals fled the area, the local administration said.

Last week, the Ethiopian federal government announced plans to evacuate at least 80,000 residents from the spots of the active volcano sites in Afar and the nearby localities of the Oromia and Amhara regions.

Officials say the majority of the targeted residents in the most affected Afar region have left the active volcanic sites.

“We have managed to evacuate at least 54,000 people so far, our aim is to relocate the victims from the active volcanic sites, and we are succeeding,” Moussa told VOA.

Humanitarian needs

Residents are now getting into local internally displaced centers at nearby Awash Arba town and waiting for help from the state and humanitarian agencies.

Despite living in the shelter for more than a week, some say they still do not have their basic needs met. Fakir Mohammed is among them.

“The situation is tough as you can see. Many did not get shelters, drinking water is also not adequate,” he told VOA. He said the government is trying to provide resources but the number of the people in need exceeds resources available.

Balli Hasan, a mother of three, also said she is happy to have escaped from the active earthquake spot, but as the shelter is not able to protect her children from the sun, the situation in the camp is still a challenge, she said.

Officials try to meet needs

Moussa, the Afar regional official said the state is trying to fill the need for the people in shelters.

“The Ethiopian Disaster and Risk Management Commission, together with other humanitarian NGOs are providing help. Newcomers may not be able to get food the day they arrive as they have to go through a process of registration, but, we have not encountered human death due to hunger,” Moussa said.

The people displaced because of the earthquake said they still do not feel safe because they are not far from the epicenter of the active volcano. Some newly built shelters for the displaced are just 10 kilometers from the epicenter of the recent eruption.

But the government said the displaced are being relocated to safer areas following strict review by experts from Samara University.

The Ethiopian Disaster and Risk Management Commission said it is working to provide help for the communities affected by the recent active earthquake. According to a statement from the commission, more than $2.2 million (280 million Birr) in food and nonfood items has been dispatched to crisis sites in Afar, and the Oromia and Amhara regions to reach people in need.

This story originated in VOA’s Horn of Africa service.
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South Korea’s Yoon detained, a first for country

Posted on by SeeEA

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean authorities detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol early Wednesday, the country’s anti-corruption agency announced, following a tense, five-hour standoff at his heavily guarded mountain compound in Seoul. 

According to local media broadcasts, Yoon’s motorcade arrived at the anti-corruption office, where he is set to undergo questioning in an insurrection investigation related to his short-lived martial law declaration last month. 

Authorities now have 48 hours to decide whether to file for a formal arrest warrant or release Yoon, whose detention marks the first time a sitting South Korean president has been taken into police custody. 

For weeks, Yoon has been holed up at his presidential residence, which had been fortified with barbed wire fencing and a multilayer barricade of tightly packed buses and other vehicles. 

 

Around 1,000 police officers were mobilized for Wednesday’s detention effort, local media reported. Authorities had also warned they were prepared to use more forceful tactics than they did in their failed attempt to detain Yoon two weeks ago.

The warnings had raised fears of violence, either between security forces or between police and protesters. For weeks, the large street outside Yoon’s compound has been filled with demonstrators — mostly supporters of the embattled conservative president, who has vowed to “fight to the end.”

Early Wednesday, about 30 ruling party lawmakers formed a human chain outside the main entrance of Yoon’s residence to prevent his detention, according to the Yonhap news agency. 

However, the Presidential Security Service, which during the last detention attempt formed a human barricade to protect Yoon, did not put up as much resistance this time, investigators said.

At a briefing, South Korea’s anti-corruption agency said there were “virtually no” clashes on Wednesday.

In a video recording that aired as he was leaving the compound, Yoon called the investigation illegal but said that he was complying to prevent bloodshed.

Yoon was impeached last month following his declaration of martial law. He had justified his decree by citing the need to eradicate “anti-state forces” and “protect the constitutional democratic order.”

The country’s Constitutional Court must uphold the impeachment for him to be removed from office.

Separately, Yoon faces a criminal investigation into insurrection and abuse of power. However, he has defied multiple requests to appear for questioning as part of that probe, leading authorities to seek a detention warrant.

Yoon’s lawyers have slammed the detention effort as politically motivated. They also argue that the court that issued the detention warrant had no jurisdiction to do so, and that the anti-corruption agency leading the investigation has no mandate to investigate the president for insurrection. 
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VOA Russian: Poland approves border securities to deter Russian, Belarusian aggression

Posted on by SeeEU

As Russian President Vladimir Putin and his key ally, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, organize waves of illegal immigration into the EU as a tool of their hybrid war against the West, Poland has been building a wall on the border with Belarus, shielding itself from current and potentially future Russia’s hostile efforts.

The wall, more than 5 meters high, stretches for more than 136 kilometers. However, illegal migrants bused to the border by Russian and Belarusian authorities increasingly use garden ladders to scale the wall and get into Poland.

Click here for the full story in Russian.
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South Korean police raid Yoon’s residence in fresh detention effort

Posted on by SeeEA

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korean authorities are making a fresh effort to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, days after he evaded the first attempt to enforce a court-approved warrant with the protection of presidential security and military forces.

A team of investigators arrived before dawn Wednesday at the heavily fortified presidential compound in central Seoul. Yoon has been holed up there as he pushes against a government insurrection investigation related to his short-lived declaration of martial law.

Reports suggest authorities are prepared to use a much larger force — consisting of about 1,000 police officers — and more forceful tactics to detain Yoon than they did in their previous attempt nearly two weeks ago.

According to Yonhap News Agency, authorities are bracing for an operation that could last up to three days and may use loudspeakers for psychological warfare, as well as cranes and tow trucks to remove any barriers.

The presidential residence, which lies in a sprawling, hilly compound in the Hannam-dong neighborhood, has been fortified with extra barbed wire fencing and tightly packed buses and other vehicles that block the path to Yoon’s residence.

Despite the predawn hour and subfreezing temperatures, police estimate that 6,500 Yoon supporters were gathered in the area early Wednesday.

For weeks, the large street outside the compound has been filled with protesters — mostly supporters of the embattled conservative president, who has vowed to “fight to the end.”

According to Yonhap, some ruling party lawmakers formed a human chain early Wednesday outside the main entrance of Yoon’s residence to prevent his detention.

If Yoon is detained, authorities would have 48 hours to decide whether to file for a formal arrest warrant or release him. It would be the first time a sitting South Korean president has been taken into police custody.

Yoon was impeached last month following his declaration of martial law. The country’s Constitutional Court must uphold his impeachment for him to be removed from office.

Separately, Yoon faces a criminal investigation into insurrection and abuse of power but has defied multiple requests to appear for questioning as part of that probe.

Yoon’s lawyers have slammed the detention effort as politically motivated. They also argue that the court that issued the detention warrant had no jurisdiction to do so, and that the anti-corruption agency leading the investigation has no mandate to investigate the president for insurrection.

Earlier this week, South Korea’s acting president, Choi Sang-mok, warned against the possibility of clashes between security forces, urging both sides to act in a “peaceful and restrained manner.”

The previous detention attempt on January 3 was suspended after a six-hour standoff, with the detention team citing the risk of violence.
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New Orleans attacker had researched similar rampage, and how to access Bourbon Street balcony

Posted on by SeeUS

BATON ROUGE — Before plowing a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans, killing 14 people, the man who carried out the Islamic State group-inspired attack had researched how to access a balcony on the city’s famed Bourbon Street and looked up information about a similar recent attack at a Christmas market in Germany, the FBI said. 

Nearly two weeks after Shamsud-Din Jabbar’s rampage, the FBI continues to uncover new information detailing the extensive planning by the 42-year-old Army veteran who scouted out the area multiple times in the months leading up to the attack. Authorities also have been piecing together a timeline of his radicalization. 

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, Jabbar could be seen on video surveillance placing two containers with explosive devices, which would remain undetonated, in the French Quarter. Shortly after, about 3:15 a.m., Jabbar sped a white pickup truck around a police car blockading the entrance of Bourbon Street, where partygoers continued to wander around the street lined with bars. He drove through revelers before crashing and being killed by police in a shootout. Fifty-seven people were injured, authorities said. 

Just hours before the deadly onslaught, Jabbar had searched online for information about an attack at a busy outdoor Christmas Market in east Germany that occurred just 10 days earlier and where a car was also used as a mass weapon, the FBI said on Tuesday. The attack in Europe left five people dead and more than 200 injured after a car slammed into a crowd. Police arrested a 50-year-old doctor from Saudi Arabia who has renounced Islam and supports the far-right AfD party. 

In other online searches, Jabbar had looked up how to access a balcony on Bourbon Street, information about Mardi Gras, and several recent shootings in the city, the FBI said. 

But Jabbar’s research ahead of the attack was not limited to online: He also made a one-day visit to New Orleans from Houston on Nov. 10, during which he looked for an apartment, the FBI said. While Jabbar applied to rent the apartment, he later told the landlord that he changed his mind. 

That was not his only visit to New Orleans, though. The FBI had previously reported that Jabbar had traveled to the city for a planning trip on Oct. 31, when he used glasses from Meta, the parent company of Facebook, to record video as he rode through the French Quarter on a bicycle. 

In a series of online videos, posted hours before he struck, Jabbar proclaimed support for the Islamic State militant group. The Bourbon Street attack was the deadliest Islamic State-inspired assault on U.S. soil in years. On Tuesday, the FBI continued to draft out a timeline of Jabbar’s radicalization, saying that he began isolating himself from society and became a more devout Muslim in 2022. By the spring of 2024, he began following extremist views. 

While investigations into the attack are ongoing and additional information continues to trickle out about Jabbar’s planning of the deadly rampage, city officials face questions about safety concerns. 

State and local authorities have launched probes into possible security deficiencies that left New Orleans vulnerable. The work is especially urgent since Carnival season, a monthslong celebration that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the French Quarter, began last week. The city is also set to host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
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Rights groups in Kenya blame police for increase in abductions of government critics

Posted on by SeeAF

NAIROBI, Kenya — Human rights groups in Kenya are blaming police for a recent increase in the abductions of critics who have protested government policies. The activists say at least 29 people are missing after raising concerns about poor governance.

Kenyan cartoonist Gideon Kibet said that unknown people trailed him to a bus on his way from a meeting in the capital, Nairobi, in December 2024. He said he was forced into a car by masked assailants, who tore his shirt and used it to cover his eyes and tie his hands. Kibet was eventually released. 

Kibet has drawn cartoons mocking government figures such as President William Ruto. One caricature, which depicted the president in a coffin, went viral. 

Kibet’s experience is among 82 cases of abductions and forced disappearances in just six months, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. Although Kibet and four others have been released, that has not been the case for dozens of others.  

From September 2023 to August 2024, Kenya saw a 44% increase in abductions compared to the same time period from the previous year, according to the national security report. Officials say there were 52 abductions in Kenya from September 2023 to August 2024, compared to 36 the previous year.  

Many of the victims are critics of bad governance, say rights groups.

”What we are seeing is essentially the use of extrajudicial power to course fear among those citizens that are legitimately protesting against bad governance or raising concerns with the government,” said Irungu Houghton, executive director for Amnesty International Kenya.   

Some Kenyans have taken to social media to protest the government on issues including increases in taxes and corruption. However, at a public event Sunday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen referred to such critics as criminals. 

”If the criminals and people with bad behavior have moved … to the digital space, I want to tell you that we will follow you there because that is where we want to ensure that there is law and order,” he said.  

Kenyan lawyers have petitioned the country’s high court to hold the inspector general of police responsible for the abductions. According to the lawyers, the state is evading accountability. 

”Our question has been from July until today, no investigation has been done, no investigation has been cleared, we are not being told the people who are responsible,” said Gloria Kimani, a member of the Law Society of Kenya.  

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Director of Criminal Investigations Mohammed Amin are to appear in court Friday regarding the abductions. The two have snubbed three previous court summonses in the abduction cases.
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US finalizes rules banning Chinese, Russian smart cars

Posted on by SeeEU

The White House says it has finalized rules that crack down on Chinese and Russian automobile technology effectively banning all personal smart cars from the two countries from entering the U.S. market.

In a White House fact sheet detailing the decision, the Biden administration Tuesday said that while connected vehicles offer advantages, the involvement of foreign adversaries such as China and Russia in their supply chains presents serious risks granting “malign actors unfettered access to these connected systems and the data they collect.”

“The Department of Commerce has issued a final rule that will prohibit the sale and import of connected vehicle hardware and software systems, as well as completed connected vehicles, from the PRC and Russia,” the fact sheet said.

PRC is the acronym for China’s official name, the People’s Republic of China.

Connected vehicles are smart cars that are designed to be convenient for consumers and provide safety for drivers, passengers, and pedestrians through the use of many connected parts such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, cellular, and satellite connectivity.

“Cars today aren’t just steel on wheels; they’re computers,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo when speaking on the rule.

“This is a targeted approach to ensure we keep PRC- and Russian-manufactured technologies off American roads,” said Raimondo.

The new rule is the “culmination of a year-long examination” of potential risks posed by connected vehicles and will “help the United States defend against the PRC’s cyber espionage and intrusion operations, which continue to pose a significant threat to U.S. critical infrastructure and public safety.”

The crackdown on cars follows Washington’s announcement earlier this month that the U.S. consider new rules aimed at addressing risks posed by drones that utilize technology from China and Russia.

The U.S. has repeatedly emphasized the need to balance technological progress with the protection of national security interests.
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France’s new prime minister announces renegotiation of contested plan to raise retirement age

Posted on by SeeEU

PARIS — France’s new prime minister, Francois Bayrou, announced Tuesday the renegotiation of a contested plan raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, in a crucial move to seek more stability for his minority government. 

In his first address to lawmakers at the National Assembly, Bayrou said: “I’m choosing to put this subject back on the agenda, with the social partners, for a short time and under transparent conditions.” 

Bayrou vowed to seek “a new path of reform, without any totems or taboos, not even the retirement age,” as long as the financing for the changes is guaranteed. 

President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 unleashed months of mass protests from January to June 2023 that damaged his leadership. 

Bayrou also outlined other top priorities, including key budget decisions, one month after he was appointed by Macron. 

What is Bayrou proposing? 

Bayrou urgently needs to pass a budget bill for 2025. Following the collapse of the previous government, an emergency law has been approved to enable the state to levy taxes from Jan. 1, pay basic expenses and avoid a shutdown. 

But only a proper budget would help reduce France’s deficit and allow key expenses such as defense measures needed amid the war in Ukraine or aid promised to angry farmers. 

Financial markets, ratings agencies and the European Commission are pushing France to comply with EU rules limiting debt and keep France’s borrowing costs from spiraling. That would threaten the prosperity of eurozone countries. 

France’s deficit is estimated to reach 6% of its gross domestic product in 2024. Bayrou on Tuesday said the government was aiming for a deficit of 5.4% this year, with the goal to reduce it to 3% — in line with EU rules — by 2029. 

Can the government be toppled again? 

Bayrou’s Cabinet relies on a fragile deal between Macron’s centrist allies and conservatives of The Republicans party who even together have no parliamentary majority. 

The previous government was in place for only three months before being brought down by opposition lawmakers from both the left and the far right amid a budget dispute. 

To avoid a repetition of that scenario, Bayrou seeks to secure a nonaggression pact with the Socialists so that they wouldn’t support any future move to topple the new government. 

The Socialists said they are open to talks on the condition that they would include negotiations on the pension reform. 

However, the possibility of another no-confidence vote is still looming. 

The hard-left France Unbowed party refused to enter into talks with the government and already announced it would file a no-confidence motion. 

A vote later this week would have little chance of succeeding as the far right appears unwilling to support such a move in the immediate term. 

Yet the question could be raised again during the future budget debate at parliament, with more uncertainty on the result. 

Why are pension reform talks key? 

The pension reform, which was enacted into law in April 2023 despite mass protests, has gradually started being implemented. It also requires people to work 43 years to receive a full pension. 

The Socialists urged Bayrou to announce a “suspension” of the reform with the aim of backtracking on the age of 64 and introducing specific measures for those who have long careers and certain professions considered to be hard work. 

Bayrou on Tuesday stopped short of announcing such a move, yet his proposal to renegotiate it appears as a hand stretched out towards the left. 

He suggested the age of 64, which was the most criticized change, could possibly be decreased depending on the outcome of the negotiations. 

“We cannot deteriorate the financial balance” of the pension system, Bayrou insisted. 

On the other side of the political spectrum, the conservatives had warned against any suspension of the pension changes. 

“If we were to repeal the pension reform, the cost would be 3.4 billion euros ($3.47 billion) in 2025 and almost 16 billion ($16.3 billion) in 2032,” said the president of the Senate, Gerard Larcher, a conservative. 

Does the far right still have leverage? 

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen — Macron’s fiercest rival — was instrumental in ousting the previous government. 

Bayrou consulted her when forming the new government, and Le Pen remains a powerful force. Her National Rally party has the largest single group in the National Assembly, France’s powerful lower house of parliament. 

In recent days, Bayrou’s government sought to sideline Le Pen by negotiating instead with the Socialists, the Greens and the Communists on budget issues. 

The president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella, criticized those talks and warned Monday that his party would oppose any budget that would raise the cost of medication, provide more health care for migrants staying illegally in the country and impose new taxes on businesses. Such measures would justify a no-confidence vote, he said. 

But Le Pen faces her own headaches in the months to come — a March court ruling over alleged illegal party financing could see her barred from running for office.
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Kenyan company turns glass waste into artisanal products

Posted on by SeeAF

A Kenyan company is using the age-old art of glass blowing to recycle waste into sculptures, goblets, beads and more. Juma Majanga reports from Kajiado, Kenya.
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Despite international concerns, doctors say China flu-like virus is no COVID-19

Posted on by SeeEA

China says HMPV infections in the northern part of the country are declining. News of increased respiratory illnesses in China kindled international concerns about another potential pandemic. But, as VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, medical experts say HMPV is nothing like COVID-19. VOA Mandarin contributed to this report.
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Chinese actor’s abduction to Myanmar sign of growing diversity of scams 

Posted on by SeeEA

Bangkok — The recent abduction of a Chinese TV actor to Myanmar and his subsequent release is shedding new light on the lengths to which human traffickers operating online scam centers in the war-torn country will go to in order to lure would-be victims.

Chinese actor Wang Xing went missing on January 3, in Mae Sot, a city in northern Thailand, which borders Myanmar. Two days later his family reported him missing, and with growing cries on social media, the case prompted Thai and Chinese authorities to act.

Last week, on January 7, Thai authorities say they found Wang in Myanmar and brought him back to Thailand.

Thai police said Wang was trafficked across the Thai-Myanmar border and held captive at KK Park in Myawaddy, which is notorious for its illegal scam operations.

According to local media reports, Wang was lured to Thailand under the false pretense of a film audition. He received the job offer via social media platform WeChat. Wang flew to Bangkok and was transported to Myanmar.

Wang’s head was shaved. He was held captive and forced into training on how to perform online scams, according to media reports. He said there were 50 other Chinese nationals in similar circumstances.

After his rescue and return to Thailand, Wang, 31, flew to Shanghai on Friday.

Wang’s rescue has prompted others to speak out and according to state media in China, the families of some 174 individuals have been circulating a joint letter on Chinese social media asking for help. According to the letter, family members say their loved ones are trapped in northern and eastern Myanmar.

Experts say Wang’s case highlights the growing sophistication of the masterminds of scam operations.

“This is a very deliberate form of kidnapping, of hostage taking, that you’re seeing these scam syndicates now go about. The means of trafficking people into these compounds is increasingly changing,” Jason Tower, the Myanmar country director at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), told VOA.

“This shows how these criminal actors are adapting and going to greater lengths to lure people of a wide range of demographics into captivity, to either suck funds out of them directly or get them involved in forced labor criminality,” he said.

At least one other Chinese national, Wu Jiaqi, 21, was also rescued from captivity in Myanmar in recent days, local media report.

The targeting of Chinese citizens by criminal gangs in Southeast Asia has become a growing problem in recent years.

Chen, a Chinese national who withheld his full name for security concerns, toldRadio Free Asia in 2023 that he was a trafficking victim in a scam compound in Myanmar, and that there were at least 1,000 Chinese nationals also trapped, with scam bosses demanding $30,000 per individual for their release. 

Many illegal scam centers in Southeast Asia are linked with Chinese criminal networks operating in the region, experts say. Individuals from all over the world are lured into false business opportunities and forced into scam compounds.

A report in June by the United States Institute of Peace revealed that scam centers operating in Southeast Asia countries, including Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar have swindled billions of dollars. All three countries share borders with Thailand.

“This is becoming a greater and greater problem. These Chinese criminal syndicates are quite deeply embedded in all of Thailand’s neighboring countries, but they are in Thailand as well,” Tower added.

Nikorndej Balankura, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, said last week that combatting cross-border crimes is a national priority.

“Thailand has consistently emphasized the importance of regular cooperation to promote border peace and security and combat cross-border crimes, including illegal drug trafficking, human trafficking, cybercrime, telecom and online fraud. The Thai government attaches great importance to combatting cross-border crimes and considers it a national priority,” he told local media.

But Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a Thai political scientist, told VOA that the fight against transnational crime needs more support from Thai law enforcement and officials.

“Thailand is the vortex and nexus of scam centers and other transnational crimes. It is also a country with endemic corruption and decayed institutions, particularly the police force,” he said.

Scammers are a big problem for China and telecom fraud has been a persistent concern in recent years with Beijing passing a telecom and online fraud law in December 2022.

Chinese authorities have increased public information campaigns and even tried to use draconian tactics to deter its citizens from visiting Southeast Asia, Tower said.

“In 2022, a narrative started to emerge that going to Thailand could result in getting trafficked into Myanmar and losing your kidneys,” he said. “Later on, you started to see that the police will make phone calls to people when they book tickets to ask them what they’re doing in Southeast Asia.”

The Chinese language movie “No More Bets,” released in August 2023, depicts Chinese tourists visiting an unnamed Southeast Asian country, only to be trafficked into a scam compound and forced into labor.

Benedikt Hofmann, the deputy representative Southeast Asia and the Pacific for the U.N. Office for Drugs and Crime, said that despite warnings, individuals are still being fooled.

“We are still seeing a lot of this despite the massive efforts that have gone into raising awareness of the risks — things like the movie “No More Bets” really brought a lot attention to this — which really shows how effective these groups are in creating incentives for young people to go there,” Hoffman said.

Chinese tourism in Thailand could also be affected. Chinese nationals are the biggest visitors to Thailand, with more than 6 million arrivals in 2024.

But reports in Hong Kong say many tourists from China are cancelling their trips ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations which begin on January 27.

Thailand’s tourism bureau has attempted to reassure Chinese visitors, publishing a press release in Mandarin on January 10, stating that Thailand “attaches great importance to the safety of tourists.”

On Sunday, Thai and Chinese authorities held a high-level meeting to discuss strengthening cooperation in combatting transnational crime and human trafficking.

VOA reached out to the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok for comment on the case and growing concerns but did not receive a response.

Vincent Vichit-Vadakan, a Bangkok-based travel analyst, said he doesn’t believe the recent cases will have a long-term impact on Thailand as a tourist destination.

“Hopefully these high-profile cases will prompt Thai and Chinese authorities to find more effective ways to prevent criminals from using Thailand as a hub for their activities,” he told VOA.
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Biden issues executive order for building AI data centers on federal land 

Posted on by SeeUS

— U.S. President Joe Biden issued an executive order Tuesday directing the development of artificial intelligence data centers on six federal land sites, with a special focus on powering them with clean energy and upholding high labor standards. 

Biden said in a statement that the United States is the world leader in AI, but cannot take that lead for granted. 

“We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future, nor should we sacrifice critical environmental standards and our shared efforts to protect clean air and clean water,” Biden said. 

The order calls for the Department of Defense and Department of Energy to each identify three suitable sites where private companies will lease the land, pay for the construction and operation of the data centers and ensure the supply of enough clean energy to fully power the sites. 

The developers will also have to buy “an appropriate share” of semiconductors produced in the United States to help ensure there is a “robust domestic semiconductor supply chain,” the White House said. 

In addition to identifying the sites, the federal government will also commit under the order to expedite the permitting process for the data center construction. 

Senior administration officials, in a phone call with journalists previewing the order, highlighted the national security need for the United States to have its own powerful AI infrastructure, both to protect it for its own use but also to prevent adversaries such as China from possessing those capabilities. 

“From the national security standpoint, it’s really critical to find a pathway for building the data centers and power infrastructure to support frontier AI operations here in the United States to ensure that the most powerful AI models continue to be trained and stored securely here in the United States,” an official said. 

A senior administration official cited the priority of making sure the AI industry had an anchor in the United States to avoid repeating the history of other technologies that moved offshore to areas with lower labor and environmental standards as well. 

AI chip restrictions 

Tuesday’s order comes a day after the Biden administration announced new restrictions on the export of the most advanced artificial intelligence chips and proprietary parameters used to govern the interactions of users with AI systems.    

The rule, which will undergo a 120-day period for public comments, comes in response to what administration officials described as a need to protect national security while also clarifying the rules under which companies in trusted partner countries could access the emerging technology in order to promote innovation.   

“Over the coming years, AI will become really ubiquitous in every business application in every industry around the world, with enormous potential for enhanced productivity and societal, health care and economic benefits,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters. “That being said, as AI becomes more powerful, the risks to our national security become even more intense.”   

A senior administration official said the new rule will not include any restrictions on chip sales to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, the United Kingdom or the United States.   

The rules build on 2023 curbs limiting the export of certain AI chips to China, a strategic competitor in the production of advanced semiconductors. Beijing attacked the new U.S. AI edict as a “flagrant violation” of international trade rules.  

China’s Ministry of Commerce said the Biden administration announcement “is another example of the generalization of the concept of national security and the abuse of export control, and a flagrant violation of international multilateral economic and trade rules.”  

Beijing said it would “take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.” 

Countries that are under U.S. arms embargoes are already subject to export restrictions on advanced AI chips, but a senior administration official said they will now be under restrictions for the transfer of the most powerful closed weight AI models.    

The weights in an AI model determine how it processes the inputs from a user and determines what to provide the user as a response, according to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. In a closed weight system, those parameters are secret, unlike with an open weight system in which users could see the settings the model is using to make its decisions.    

Most countries — those not included in the closed partner or arms embargo lists — will not face licensing requirements for obtaining the equivalent of 1,700 of the most advanced AI chips currently available, nor for any less advanced chips.   

Companies in the United States and allied countries will not face restrictions in using the most powerful closed weight AI systems, provided they are stored under adequate security, a senior administration official said. 

 
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UK’s antitrust regulator to investigate Google’s search services

Posted on by SeeEU

LONDON — Britain’s antitrust regulator said on Tuesday it would investigate Google’s search services using its new powers to see how they impact consumers and businesses, including advertisers, news publishers and rival search engines.

The Competition and Markets Authority, which has gained new powers to examine big tech, said search was vital for economic growth and it was critical that competition was working well.

“Millions of people and businesses relied on Google’s search and advertising services – with 90% of searches happening on their platform and more than 200,000 UK businesses advertising there,” CMA boss Sarah Cardell said in a statement.

“It’s our job to ensure people get the full benefit of choice and innovation in search services and get a fair deal.”

The CMA’s move comes after U.S. prosecutors in November argued to a judge that Google must sell its Chrome browser, share data, and search results with rivals, and take a range of other measures to end its monopoly on online search.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.
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153 winners of Nobel and World Food prizes seek new ways to grow food

Posted on by SeeUS

DES MOINES, Iowa — More than 150 recipients of the Nobel and World Food prizes released an open letter Tuesday calling for a dramatic increase in research and a commitment to new food distribution efforts with a goal of producing more crops and avoiding a global hunger crisis in coming decades.

The letter notes that an estimated 700 million people now are “food insecure and desperately poor” but that without a “moonshot” effort to grow more and different kinds of food, far more people will be in dire need of food because of climate change and population growth.

“As difficult and as uncomfortable as it might be to imagine, humanity is headed towards an even more food insecure, unstable world by mid-century than exists today, worsened by a vicious cycle of conflict and food insecurity,” states the letter, signed by 153 recipients of the two prizes. “Climate change is projected to decrease the productivity of most major staples when substantial increases are needed to feed a world which will add another 1.5 billion people to its population by 2050.”

Corn production in Africa is expected to decline and much of the world could see more soil degradation and water shortages, the letter says.

“We are not on track to meet future food needs. Not even close,” it adds.

The letter grew from a meeting of food accessibility experts last fall. Despite the potential gloom, it holds out hope for an optimistic vision of the future if people take needed actions. The letter says that a dramatic increase in research funding coupled with more effective ways to share information and distribute food could prevent a hunger crisis.

Brian Schmidt, who won the Nobel Prize in physics in 2011, said the need to dramatically increase food production in the coming decades is a huge challenge. He calls it a “destination with destiny,” but one that can be achieved with proper funding to enhance existing knowledge as well as global leadership.

“It is an imminently solvable problem. It is a problem that will affect billions of people in 25 years. It is a problem that to solve it, there are no losers, only winners,” Schmidt said in an interview. “All we have to do is do it.”

Schmidt said he hopes governments in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere can commit to solving the problem, but he thinks private groups like the Gates Foundation may need to take the lead in funding initial steps that will draw attention and prompt action by politicians.

The letter calls for “transformational efforts” such as enhancing photosynthesis in essential crops such as wheat and rice, developing crops that are not as reliant on chemical fertilizers and lengthening the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.

Cynthia Rosenzweig, a climate research scientist at NASA who won the World Food Prize in 2022, said in an interview that researchers are already making progress toward breakthroughs, but their work needs to be turbocharged with more funding and emphasis from world leaders.

“It’s not that we have to dream up new solutions,” Rosenzweig said. “The solutions are very much being tested but in order to actually take them from the lab out into the agriculture regions of the world, we really do need the moonshot approach.”

The term moonshot refers to an unprecedented effort, stemming from President John F. Kennedy’s call in 1962 for Americans to rocket to the Moon. Rosenzweig, noting she works for NASA, said meeting the food needs of a growing population will take the kind of commitment the U.S. made in achieving Kennedy’s goal of reaching the Moon.

“Look at how the scientists had to come together. The engineers had to be part of it. The funding had to come together as well as the general public,” she said. “That base of support has to be there as well.”
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Malaysia eyes greater sustainability in palm oil sector as EU law looms

Posted on by SeeEA

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Malaysia said on Tuesday it will encourage sustainability while maintaining the competitiveness of its palm oil industry ahead of the implementation of the European Union’s anti-deforestation law at the end of this year.

The EU last month approved a one-year delay to the landmark deforestation law, which bans the importation of palm oil, soy and other goods linked to the destruction of forests. The bill now takes effect from Dec. 30 this year.

The law requires companies and traders selling soy, beef, coffee, palm oil and other products in the EU to provide proof their supply chains do not contribute to deforestation.

Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s largest exporters of palm oil, have previously complained that the law and implementation rules are discriminatory.

Malaysia’s Deputy Plantation and Commodities Minister Chan Foong Hin said it was crucial for the country’s palm oil industry to understand the impact of the EU law so that domestic practices could be adapted and market access maintained.

“By aligning our operations with these standards, we bolster our market position and enhance competitiveness,” Chan told an industry conference on Tuesday.

Chan said the success of Malaysia’s palm oil industry depended on the adoption of green initiatives, including advanced agriculture technologies, sustainable farming, and new production methods, to help protect the environment while creating new growth opportunities.

Speaking at the same conference, Malaysian Palm Oil Board director-general Ahmad Parveez Ghulam Kadir said authorities would work with the local industry.

“We are looking forward to a better outlook in 2025,” Ahmad Parveez said.

“The ministry and agencies will continuously collaborate closely to address environmental concerns while also promoting economic stability and social responsibility within the industry to foster a more sustainable and balanced future.”

He said Malaysian palm oil stocks are expected to fall to around 1.6 million metric tons this year, compared with 1.71 million tons in 2024.

Production in the world’s second-largest producer in 2025 should come in at 19.5 million tons, marginally higher than the 19.34 million tons in 2024.

Palm oil exports are expected to be 17.3 million tons in 2025, up from 16.9 million tons in 2024, Ahmad Parveez added.
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Jeff Bezos’ space company tries to launch rocket after last-minute postponement

Posted on by SeeUS

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Blue Origin will try again to launch its massive new rocket as early as Tuesday after calling off the debut launch because of ice buildup in critical plumbing.

The 98-meter New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn Monday with a prototype satellite. But ice formed in a purge line for a unit powering some of the rocket’s hydraulic systems and launch controllers ran out of time to clear it, according to the company.

Founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin said Tuesday’s poor weather forecast could cause more delay. Thick clouds and stiff wind were expected at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The test flight already had been delayed by rough seas that posed a risk to the company’s plan to land the first-stage booster on a floating platform in the Atlantic.

New Glenn is named after the first American to orbit Earth, John Glenn. It is five times taller than Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket that carries paying customers to the edge of space from Texas.

Bezos founded the company 25 years ago. He took part in Monday’s countdown from Mission Control, located at the rocket factory just outside the gates of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

No matter what happens, Bezos said this weekend, “We’re going to pick ourselves up and keep going.”
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Impeachment trial of South Korean President Yoon to begin

Posted on by SeeEA

SEOUL, South Korea — The impeachment trial of South Korea’s suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol begins Tuesday, with the country’s Constitutional Court set to weigh whether to strip him of his presidential duties over a failed martial law bid.

Yoon’s Dec. 3 power grab plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades, after he directed soldiers to storm parliament in an unsuccessful attempt to stop lawmakers voting down his suspension of civilian rule.

He was impeached soon after and suspended from duty, but has gone to ground in his residence since, refusing summonses from investigators probing him on insurrection charges and using his presidential security team to resist arrest.

Lawmakers also impeached Yoon’s stand-in last month, putting the country in further political instability, and the current acting president has appeared unwilling to wade into the standoff, instead urging all parties to negotiate for a solution.

The trial’s first of five hearings is slated to begin at 2 p.m. (0500 GMT). The following sessions take place on Jan. 16, 21, 23 and Feb. 4.

The court will decide mainly two issues, whether Yoon’s martial law declaration was unconstitutional and if it was illegal.

“This impeachment case focuses solely on the martial law situation, so the facts are not particularly complex,” lawyer Kim Nam-ju told AFP.

“Since most of the individuals involved have already been indicted and the facts have been somewhat established, it doesn’t seem like it will take a long time.”

The court has up to 180 days from Dec. 14, when it received the case, to make its ruling on whether Yoon indeed violated the constitution and the martial law act.

Yoon’s legal team said he would not appear at the first hearing over purported safety concerns, saying he would be willing to appear at a later date if security issues were ironed out.

“Concerns about safety and potential incidents have arisen. Therefore, the president will not be able to attend the trial on Jan. 14,” lawyer Yoon Kab-keun told AFP.

The trial will continue in his absence if he does not appear.

Former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye did not appear for their impeachment trials in 2004 and 2016-2017, respectively.

Yoon’s lawyers have argued the court must utilize the full 180 days — specifically to examine what “led to the declaration of martial law.”

 

Separate to the trial, a joint team of investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) — which is probing Yoon over insurrection — and police are preparing a fresh attempt to arrest the president.

An earlier attempt failed after Yoon’s presidential guards blocked access to investigators.

If the new warrant is executed successfully, Yoon would become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.

If eventually convicted in that case, Yoon faces prison or even the death penalty.

As media speculation rose that the second attempt would take place this week, the police, CIO and Yoon’s presidential security service met Tuesday to discuss the arrest warrant, the Yonhap news agency reported.

The CIO said it would “prepare thoroughly” for its second effort to arrest Yoon, with police reportedly preparing 1,000 investigators for the fresh attempt.

Meanwhile, Yoon’s guards have reinforced his Seoul compound with barbed wire installations and bus barricades.

On Tuesday Yoon’s chief of staff Chung Jin-suk said his office was “ready to consider all options for investigation or visits” to the sitting leader “at a third location.”

Yoon’s legal team has also sought to put pressure on police to avoid being involved in the arrest attempt, claiming officers would be in “in violation of multiple laws” if they cooperated with investigators.

Late Sunday, the CIO sent a letter to the defense ministry and presidential security service saying anyone blocking Yoon’s potential arrest “may face criminal charges” for obstruction and abuse of authority.
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Premier of separatist Moldova region says gas cutoff shattered foreign trade

Posted on by SeeEU

CHISINAU, MOLDOVA — The prime minister of Moldova’s separatist Transniestria region said Monday that the abrupt curtailment of Russian gas supplies that plunged the region into an energy crisis has also shattered both its exports and imports.

The cutoff, prompted by Ukraine’s refusal to renew an agreement allowing Russian gas to transit through Ukraine, has led to daily blackouts in the pro-Russian region of some 350,000 people and disruptions in heating and water supplies.

Prime Minister Alexander Rozenberg told local media that the New Year cutoff had triggered a 43% decline in imports and a 60% plunge in exports in the region, which split from Moldova in the final days of Soviet rule.

“The steepest drop in the volume of export operations … has been registered in the metals sector, in manufacture of machines and in the chemical industry,” he said. “Exports of cement have been completely stopped.”

Transniestria depends heavily on assistance from Moscow and its leaders acknowledge that the Russian gas it has long received was provided free of charge as “humanitarian assistance.”

The gas cutoff affects operations at a thermal plant that provides electricity both for Transniestria and much of the area controlled by the central Moldovan government. Its operations have been switched to coal, and Ukraine, Moldova’s eastern neighbor, has offered to provide supplies.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who has spearheaded the country’s drive to join the EU, called a meeting of Moldova’s Supreme Security Council on Tuesday to discuss energy. Both Moldova and Transniestria have proclaimed states of emergency.

Much of Transniestria’s industry has been forced to close or obliged to operate at night, when there is less strain on the power grid.

Among the factories closed are a cement plant and a steel mill in the town of Rybnita, with the latter accounting for 35% of the region’s budget revenue.

The region’s separatist authorities last week said energy savings had enabled them to reduce rolling blackouts from eight hours a day to three by the weekend. But a blackout of five hours had been announced for Monday.

Moldova, which denounces Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, says Moscow fomented the crisis and has suggested shipping gas on a route through Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.

Russian gas giant Gazprom said it will provide no supplies until Moldova settles arrears it estimates at $709 million, a figure disputed by Moldovan authorities.

Transniestria’s leaders say Moldova has done nothing to ease the crisis and reject any notion that Moldova’s government has offered to help purchase power from Western Europe.

More than 30 years after Transniestria waged a brief war against the newly independent Moldovan state, the region continues to exist alongside Moldova with little turmoil. But 1,500 Russian “peacekeepers” remain in the territory and efforts to resolve the separatist dispute have made little headway.
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VOA Mandarin: US and China’s geopolitical battle over undersea cables 

Posted on by SeeUS

Recent incidents, including a Chinese cargo ship allegedly cutting a Taiwanese undersea cable, underscore the vulnerability of global undersea infrastructure. While most damage results from accidents, “gray zone” tactics — which involve deliberate but covert sabotage by states like China and Russia — are becoming a geopolitical threat. VOA China examines the geopolitical battle for undersea cables, which are the backbone of modern communication, handling 98% of international data transfers. 

Click here for the full story in Mandarin. 

 
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In Nigeria, spate of airstrikes killing civilians sparks concern

Posted on by SeeAF

ABUJA, NIGERIA — Human rights groups in Nigeria are condemning a pattern of civilian deaths from airstrikes in the northeast, and are calling for an impartial investigation of the military’s operations. This follows reports from local residents that a weekend airstrike targeting armed gangs in Zamfara state killed at least 15 civilians.

Nigeria’s air force has confirmed it is investigating multiple reports of civilian casualties from the Saturday raid. 

An air force spokesperson, Air Vice Marshal Olusola Akinboyewa, stated Sunday that there is no confirmed evidence of civilian casualties and clarified that the airstrike targeted criminal gangs, resulting in the rescue of several people.  

Local residents in Tungar Kara village, however, told the news media that at least 15 people were killed, including members of a local militia. 

The incident follows a Christmas Day airstrike in nearby Sokoto state that killed 10 civilians. 

Isa Sanusi of Amnesty International condemned the reports of frequent civilian casualties. 

“It is actually unfortunate that the military is repeatedly doing the same thing — striking without proper verification of their target,” Sanusi said. “It has now reached a level that we can no longer call it a mistake. The reason why the military is doing this is because the government could not hold them to account.” 

Amnesty International says it has received testimonies and evidence indicating that the recent airstrike in Tungar Kara killed innocent civilians.  

Nigerian authorities have struggled to curtail the operations of armed gangs and terror groups, often resorting to aerial strikes to fight them. Civilian deaths, however, have become more frequent. 

On Monday, Nigeria’s chief of defense staff, General Christopher Musa, told local media that the military does not intentionally target civilians, and that an investigation into the accident is underway.  

Sanusi, however, insisted on greater accountability. 

“The military should be asked to hand over every detail they have. A panel should be constituted, including experts in military air operations, so that the exact reason why this is happening should be confirmed and avoided in the future,” Sanusi said, adding, “The families of the victims have also approached us.” 

Security analyst Chidi Omeje said the military must exercise caution in its aerial operations. 

“I’m not sure that when you have this type of intensive military operation, you always get it right. That’s why I’m actually not very comfortable with the use of aerial combat in this manner, because I’m not sure we have reached the point where we can be very precise in our attacks,” Omeje said. 

Since 2017, air raids by the military have resulted in the deaths of more than 400 Nigerian civilians, according to SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based research firm. 
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