Month: January 2025

In day steeped with tradition, Donald Trump is sworn in

Posted on by SeeUS

WASHINGTON — Amid frigid temperatures in the nation’s capital, the peaceful transfer of power from one presidential administration to the next took place Monday.

The inauguration events, starting with a church service and culminating in an oath and inaugural speech at the Capitol building, were attended by former presidents and their families, foreign dignitaries, and tech billionaires.

Members of the “press pool” — a group of reporters, photographers and video journalists — were on hand to capture the day’s events for the media outlets that make up the White House Correspondents’ Association.

Through the press pool, accredited journalists take turns covering the president’s daily activities to ensure 24-7 coverage of the American leader. VOA White House correspondent Misha Komadovsky was assigned to Monday morning’s inaugural events.

“Today, I’ll be your eyes and ears during the first steps of Donald Trump’s inauguration,” Komadovsky emailed at around 8 a.m. local time as part of his assignments.

 

The pool report had noted that the inaugural events were to follow a traditional course: a morning church service and a meeting between the outgoing and incoming first families before traveling to the inauguration.

The service at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lafayette Park across from the White House has been a part of inauguration events since 1933, when Franklin D. Roosevelt attended a service before being sworn in as the 32nd president.

Trump, as the 47th U.S. president, followed in his predecessors’ footsteps. He and first lady Melania Trump sat in the front row of the church, alongside his vice president, JD Vance, and second lady Usha Vance.

Melania Trump wore a navy suit by New York-based designer Adam Lippes, paired with a wide-brimmed hat by American designer, Eric Javits.

Dressing the first lady was an honor, Javits said, adding that his background in art has informed his ability to bring “harmony and balance to the face” with his designs.

In Melania Trump’s case, he told the AP, the designing was not difficult because the first lady is “blessed with great bone structure, beauty and a wonderful sense of style.”

Also attending Monday’s service — which took place the same day that the U.S. marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day — were members of the Trump family, including his children Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron Trump. Individuals whom the president has nominated for key roles in his administration also filled the pews, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, Kash Patel and Marco Rubio.

Foreign dignitaries were also present. Leaders seen by the press pool included President Javier Milei of Argentina, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy, and Britain’s former Conservative Party prime minister Boris Johnson.

Some of the world’s richest individuals were also there, including Elon Musk of Tesla, social media platform X, and SpaceX; Apple CEO Tim Cook; and media tycoon Rupert Murdoch.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew attended the service, as did media personality Tucker Carlson.

TikTok had briefly gone offline Saturday evening following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding a law ordering the Chinese social media platform to sell to an American owner. Trump indicated he planned a “joint venture” to allow TikTok to operate.

Service was restored on Sunday, with a message to users that said that “as a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.”

Trump’s former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who earlier this month was held in contempt of court twice over a defamation case stemming from Trump’s failed 2020 election, was also spotted at the service.

Giuliani last Thursday settled the $148 million defamation judgment granted to two election workers in the U.S. state of Georgia.

During Monday’s 25-minute church service, the choir sang “America the Beautiful.” After the service concluded, Trump walked down the aisle, greeting guests along the way. He was seen patting Milei of Argentina on the shoulder.

Next, keeping with tradition, outgoing President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden met with the incoming president and first lady at the White House.

The First Families shared tea in the White House Blue Room before departing together for the U.S. Capitol.

Because of extreme cold weather, the inauguration was held inside the Capitol rotunda, with music from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Combined Choir and the U.S. Marine Band. Opera singer Christopher D. Macchio sang “Oh, America!” and singer Carrie Underwood performed “America the Beautiful” with the Armed Forces Chorus and U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club.

Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were on hand for the inauguration, along with many members of the church service congregation and the Trump family, as faith leaders offered prayers.

Tech billionaires including Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai were spotted at the inauguration, alongside the president’s supporters and U.S. lawmakers.

Chief Justice John Roberts swore in the 47th president, on a Bible held by Melania Trump. The president was flanked by his children.

Following the oath of office, a luncheon took place, followed by a military troop review and parade.

As the ceremonial swearing in took place, new staffers at the White House were seen moving into their new offices and unpacking images of the president and first lady.
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Newly sworn-in President Trump calls for ‘revolution of common sense’

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Donald Trump called for a “revolution of common sense” in his inaugural speech Monday. The swearing in of the 47th president of the United States marked his remarkable return to power since losing his second term bid to Joe Biden in 2020. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report.
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World leaders congratulate Trump on inauguration

Posted on by SeeEU

World leaders on Monday are congratulating President Donald Trump on his inauguration as the 47th president of the United States.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among those who congratulated Trump.

“President Trump is always decisive, and the peace through strength policy he announced provides an opportunity to strengthen American leadership and achieve a long-term and just peace, which is a top priority,” Zelenskyy said.

The third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war is approaching at the end of February.

Trump previously promised to end the Russia-Ukraine war in one day after becoming president, or even before his inauguration. More recently, Trump advisers have said resolving the conflict will now take months or even longer.

Trump has voiced skepticism of continued U.S. military support for Kyiv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated President Trump.

“I believe that working together again will raise the U.S.-Israeli alliance to even greater heights,” Netanyahu said.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began Sunday, just one day before Trump assumed the presidency.

“I look forward to working with you to return the remaining hostages, to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities and end its political rule in Gaza, and to ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel,” Netanyahu added.

Congratulations also rolled in from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as U.S. allies like Germany, Italy and Britain.

“The U.S. is our closest ally, and the aim of our policy is always a good transatlantic relationship,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pointed to the longtime relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

“For centuries, the relationship between our two nations has been one of collaboration, cooperation and enduring partnership,” Starmer said. “With President Trump’s longstanding affection and historical ties to the United Kingdom, I know that depth of friendship will continue.”

And Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who attended the inauguration at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, said she is “certain that the friendship between our nations and the values that unite us will continue to strengthen the cooperation between Italy and the USA.”

But not all of the messages were congratulatory.

Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino rejected a portion of Trump’s inaugural address, in which Trump reaffirmed his desire to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal.

The United States fully ceded control of the strategically important canal to Panama in 1999.

“On behalf of the Republic of Panama and its people, I must fully reject the words outlined by President Donald Trump regarding Panama and its canal in his inaugural speech,” Mulino said in a statement.

Some information in this report came from Reuters.
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East Congo hospital sees ‘influx’ of wounded as conflict escalates

Posted on by SeeAF

GOMA, CONGO — A hospital in Goma has taken in more than 200 wounded since early January as fighting intensifies in eastern Congo, the Red Cross and local sources told AFP Monday. 

In recent weeks, the Congo’s restive east has seen escalating clashes between the Congolese army and the M23 Movement — an armed group backed by Rwanda. 

With the M23 closing in on Goma, the provincial capital’s hospital has had to tend to more and more people hit by the fighting, according to the Red Cross.  

“We have seen an influx of wounded people since the start of January,” Myriam Favier, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in North Kivu province, told AFP. 

“Between the 1 and 21 of December we saw 100 patients (and) between the 1 and 20 January we had 211 patients,” Favier added. 

On Monday the fighting reached the hills of Sake, a town approximately 20 kilometers west of Goma.  

Explosions could be heard from Goma in the morning, according to AFP journalists. 

Since its resurgence in late 2021, the M23 — which claims to defend ethnic Tutsis — has seized vast swathes of the Congo’s mineral-rich east. 

In early January the M23 seized control of Masisi, the administrative capital of Masisi territory located 80 kilometers from Goma.  

‘Most alarming’ 

The Congolese army has since been attempting to retake the city in a counteroffensive that has provoked a fresh wave of displacements. 

More than 230,000 people have fled violence in eastern Congo since the start of the year, the United Nations said Friday, labeling it one of the world’s “most alarming” humanitarian crises. 

Humanitarian charity Doctors Without Borders on Monday said in a statement it was “reiterating” its call for “respect for health and humanitarian facilities.” 

The statement came after two of its workers were “slightly injured when a rocket hit the MSF garage next to the Masisi General Referral hospital [and] … on the same day, another rocket hit a latrine near the hospital.”  

Several security sources told AFP the intensity of the fighting is currently at a level not seen for months, with a high number of deaths and the use of heavy artillery.  

An expert’s report commissioned by the U.N. Security Council said in July that 3,000 to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers had been fighting alongside the M23 rebels and that Kigali had “de facto control” of the group’s operations.
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In photos: Trump inauguration

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Donald Trump swears in as the 47th president of the United States in the Rotunda at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
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Trump seeks return of US military equipment from Afghan Taliban 

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Ayaz Gul  — President-elect Donald Trump says that future financial assistance to Afghanistan will be contingent upon the return of U.S. military equipment by the Taliban leaders currently in power. 

 

Trump’s remarks at a Sunday rally in Washington on the eve of his January 20 inauguration have heightened uncertainty regarding his administration’s stance on the crisis-hit South Asian nation. 

 

“They [Biden administration] gave billions of billions of dollars to the Taliban. They gave our military equipment, a big chunk of it, to the enemy,” Trump said. He referred to the tumultuous and hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August 2021, ordered by President Joe Biden. 

 

“If we’re going to pay billions of dollars a year, tell them we’re not going to give them the money unless they give back our military equipment. … So, we will give them a couple of bucks; we want the military equipment back,” Trump stated without elaborating. 

 

A report issued by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2022 revealed that approximately $7 billion worth of military equipment was left behind in Afghanistan following the completion of the military withdrawal. The equipment in question, which included aircraft, air-to-ground munitions, military vehicles, weapons, communications equipment, and other materials, was subsequently seized by the Taliban.  

 

The de facto Afghan rulers have since repeatedly displayed the U.S. military gear in their so-called victory day celebrations over the past three years. 

 

The foreign troop exit stemmed from the February 2020 Doha Agreement that the first Trump administration negotiated with the then-insurgent Taliban. Biden completed and defended the military withdrawal, saying the choice he had was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban. 

 

Following the withdrawal, the Biden administration largely isolated the Taliban and imposed new sanctions on the group. Washington, however, has continued to be the largest donor to Afghanistan, a country that the United Nations says is suffering through one of the severest humanitarian crises in the world. U.S. officials have also engaged in diplomatic efforts with the Taliban to negotiate the release of certain U.S. detainees and assisted in relocating Afghan allies who had helped American forces. 

US gives cash for humanitarian aid 

The billions of dollars that Trump repeatedly has referred to are likely the cash shipments being channeled through the U.N. and non-governmental organizations to support humanitarian programs in Afghanistan. Washington remains the primary donor and has spent approximately $3 billion in humanitarian aid since the U.S. withdrawal.  

 

Thomas Ruttig from the independent Afghanistan Analysts Network warned of challenges for the Taliban under the Trump administration. He noted that some members of Congress and incoming administration officials took part in the 20-year U.S. mission in Afghanistan and have been highly critical of the Taliban. 

Despite this, he stated that countering regional terrorism is a significant concern in Washington, and it could potentially encourage the Trump administration to seek cooperation with the Taliban to combat terrorist organizations, including the Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist organization known as IS-Khorasan.  

 

Ruttig said that Tim Burchett, Republican vice chair of the U.S. Congress’s Foreign Affairs Committee, recently introduced a bill, the “No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act,” to ensure that U.S. tax money does not end up in the hands of the Taliban.  

 

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan denies that cash shipments for humanitarian programs are financing the Taliban. The mission says the current setup – in which cash is physically brought to Afghanistan and placed in designated U.N. accounts in a private bank – is in place because of a ban on international banking transfers and ongoing liquidity issues.

“All these funds are then distributed directly to the United Nations entities, as well as to a small number of approved and vetted humanitarian partners in Afghanistan,” according to the mission. 

 

Taliban leaders have rejected Trump’s assertions that their government received U.S. financial aid, stating that they do not expect or seek any assistance from Washington. “Instead, it (U.S.) has confiscated and frozen billions of dollars that rightfully belong to the people of Afghanistan,” said a Taliban statement in response to Trump’s remarks earlier this month. 

 

Ruttig warns that punitive measures and sanctions to pressure the Taliban into submission might also provoke them to stop cooperation with international stakeholders. 

 

“Today, the US-Taliban Doha Agreement is still considered valid and obliges the Taliban to restrict ISKP and other groups from using their shelter in Afghanistan to commit terrorist acts in the West. This could be jeopardized by new quasi-sanctions on them,” he said in written comments.  

Taliban hopes for better relations 

Masuda Sultan, an Afghan American advocate for women’s rights, is doubtful the new Trump administration will substantially change its stance on the Taliban. Instead, she expects the U.S. will cut aid contributions to U.N.-funded programs like the World Food Program that have supported the country’s most vulnerable. 

 

At the same time, Taliban leaders appear publicly optimistic about a favorable shift in U.S. policy under the Trump presidency, attributing this to their Doha pact with his previous Trump administration. Kabul promptly welcomed Trump’s election victory just one day after he was declared the winner of the United States presidential vote. 

 

The Taliban foreign ministry issued a formal statement expressing its hope that “the incoming U.S. administration will adopt a pragmatic approach to ensure tangible advancement in bilateral relations, allowing both nations to open a new chapter of relations grounded in mutual engagement.” 

 

Earlier this month, Taliban Deputy Foreign Minister Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai commended Trump as a “decisive” and “courageous” leader. Stanikzai suggested that Trump reconsider Biden’s policy and adopt a new approach. 

 

“We want to build good relations with the international community and the Western countries,” Stanikzai said in televised remarks in local language. “An enemy doesn’t remain an enemy forever, and a friend doesn’t remain a friend forever either,” he added.
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VOA Kurdish: Erdogan will renegotiate relationship with Trump administration

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During Donald Trump’s first presidential term, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan enjoyed a close relationship with the U.S. leader, benefiting from policies such as the withdrawal of U.S. troops from northern Syria. With Trump returning to the White House, Erdogan hopes to revive ties to secure the final U.S. troop withdrawal from Syria and lift the ban on F-35 fighter jet sales.

Click here to see the full story in Kurdish.
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Australian government pledges $1.24 billion in green aluminum push

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SYDNEY — Australia’s Labor government on Monday pledged $1.24 billion in production credits to help support the country’s four aluminum smelters switch to renewable power before 2036.

Aluminum is one of the most polluting nonferrous metals to make, as its current production is mostly powered by coal. Green aluminum usually refers to metal produced using solar, wind or hydropower.

The country’s four aluminum smelters are run by Rio Tinto and Alcoa.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in his latest election pitch, said the smelters would receive government support for each metric ton of low-carbon aluminum they produce. His center-left government has made renewable energy a major theme ahead of a national election, which must be called by May.

The Australian government is targeting 82% of power supply to come from renewables by 2030, but remains well short of the target, at 40% now, even after pledging to underwrite new wind, solar and battery projects with more than $24.5 billion.

“We want Australian workers to make more things here,” Albanese said in a statement.

“We’ve got all the ingredients right here for a world-leading metals industry – from the best solar and wind resources, to the critical minerals and facilities, as well as a highly skilled workforce.”

The Australian Aluminum Council said it had been seeking production credits for the aluminum sector, the sixth-largest producer of the metal in the world, to attract private capital and ensure the industry remains globally competitive amid rising costs and longer regulatory processes.

“These new aluminum production credits should provide some of the transitional support needed as Australia’s energy infrastructure and systems develop, and energy pricing returns to competitive levels,” Council CEO Marghanita Johnson said.
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South African police launch manhunt for gang leader of illegal mine

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JOHANNESBURG — South African police have launched a manhunt for a Lesotho gang member believed to have controlled operations at an illegal gold mine where 78 bodies were recovered last week during a police siege, from which he escaped.

The alleged kingpin, known as “Tiger,” surfaced from the mine in Stilfontein while it was under police surveillance and escaped from custody with the help of officials, a statement on Monday from the South African Police Service said.

“Extensive investigations and tracing operations are underway to find those officials who aided his escape between shaft 11 and the Stilfontein police holding cells,” the statement said.

Police were widely condemned for the months-long operation in which they cut off food and water supplies to the miners in an attempt to force them out of the mine to face arrest.

The stand-off culminated in a state-sponsored rescue operation last week in which 246 survivors were retrieved from the deep mine, many of whom were emaciated and weak from hunger.

But police claim the gang leaders were to blame for the deaths, citing reports from some miners who said there was food underground but the kingpins kept it for themselves.

Thousands of people are believed to be involved in illegal gold mining in abandoned industrial mines in South Africa in search of leftover gold. Some of the workers spend months at a time underground.

The lucrative industry is known to be run by Lesotho-based gangs, and police say some of the workers are illegal immigrants recruited from neighboring countries without knowledge of what they have come to do.

Tiger was named in statements by miners as a ring leader who ran operations, the police statement said.

“He is also being accused by some illegal miners… (as) being allegedly responsible for some deaths, assault and torture that is alleged to have taken place according to videos in police possession. He is also alleged to have hoarded and kept food away from other illegal miners,” it said.
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China unveils plan to build ‘strong education nation’ by 2035

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BEIJING — China issued its first national action plan to build a “strong education nation” by 2035, which it said would help coordinate its education development, improve efficiencies in innovation and build a “strong country.”

The plan, issued Sunday by the Communist Party’s central committee and the State Council, aims to establish a “high quality education system” with accessibility and quality “among the best in the world.”

The announcement was made after data on Friday showed China’s population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024, with the number of deaths outpacing a slight increase in births, and experts cautioning that the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

High childcare and education costs have been a key factor for many young Chinese opting out of having children, at a time when many face uncertainty over their job prospects amid sluggish economic growth.

“By 2035, an education power will be built,” the official Xinhua news agency said, adding that China would explore gradually expanding the scope of free education, increase “high-quality” undergraduate enrolment, expand postgraduate education, and raise the proportion of doctoral students.

The plan aims to promote “healthy growth and all-round development of students,” making sure primary and secondary school students have at least two hours of physical activity daily, to effectively control the myopia, or nearsightedness, and obesity rates.

“Popularizing” mental health education and establishing a national student mental health monitoring and early warning system would also be implemented, it said.

It also aims to narrow the gap between urban and rural areas to improve the operating conditions of small-scale rural schools and improve the care system for children with disabilities and those belonging to agricultural migrant populations.

The plan also aims to steadily increase the supply of kindergarten places and the accessibility of preschool education.
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Civil rights leaders, King family issue call to action as inauguration falls on MLK Day

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WASHINGTON — When President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in as president of the United States inside the Capitol’s rotunda, he will do so facing a bust of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on the federal holiday commemorating King’s legacy.

It’s a disquieting contrast for some civil rights advocates who wish to fulfill the late reverend’s dream of non-violent social revolution.

Events honoring King and advocating for his vision of a just society will occur across the nation as many in the U.S. observe the peaceful transfer of power in the capital. The concurrent events have been met with mixed feelings by civil rights leaders, who broadly reviled Trump’s rhetoric and stances on race and civil rights during his third presidential campaign.

But many leaders, including King’s own family, see the juxtaposition as a poignant contrast and a chance to refocus the work of advancing civil rights in a new political era.

“I’m glad it occurred on that day because it gives the United States of America and the world the contrast in pictures. Is this the way you want to go — or is this the way you want to go?” said the Rev. Bernice King, the late King’s youngest daughter and CEO of the King Center.

“It’s not a day that he can be the star, which he loves to be,” King’s daughter said of Trump. “He has to contend with that legacy on that day, regardless of how he manages it and handles it in his presentation. I hope those around him are advising him well to honor the day appropriately in his speech.”

This is the third time in the nearly 40 years since the federal King holiday became law that it coincides with a presidential inauguration. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also were sworn in for their second terms on the holiday. Both praised King in their remarks; it is yet to be seen if and how Trump — who falsely claimed his first inauguration had larger crowds than King’s March on Washington — will acknowledge the day.

“Will he sound a message of unity and a presidency for all, or will he continue to focus on his base and some of the divisive policies he’s championed, like an anti-DEI stance, rounding up immigrants and cutting important parts of the social safety net through this DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) process?” asked Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League civil rights group.

Morial added that Trump’s inauguration landing on MLK Day represented “a contradiction of values.”

Many civil rights leaders will spend the day commemorating King’s legacy after a week of public and private organizing, giving speeches and strategizing how to respond to the incoming administration’s agenda.

“It’s the best of times and the worst of times,” said Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP, an organization whose members mentored, collaborated and clashed with King throughout the Civil Rights Movement.

“Our mission doesn’t change. Our job is to make democracy work for all, to make sure that equal protection is ensured under the law,” Johnson said. He added that the group “doesn’t want to assume” the Trump administration can’t be a partner on advancing civil rights or racial justice.

On Wednesday, Johnson and other civil rights leaders met with Congressional Black Caucus members on Capitol Hill to discuss how to work with and to oppose the Trump administration. That same day, the National Action Network, a civil rights group founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, hosted a breakfast at which Vice President Kamala Harris urged attendees to stay motivated.

“Ours is a journey,” she said. “Whatever the outcome of any particular moment, we can never be defeated. Our spirit can never be defeated, because when that happens, we won’t win.”

Martin Luther King III, the late King’s eldest son, prayed with Harris on stage. King had campaigned for Harris in the fall and called her an advocate who “speaks to our better angels” and “embodies Dr. King’s legacy.”

Many racial justice advocates are set to organize demonstrations, vigils and community service events to mark the holiday and prepare for what they consider an adversarial administration.

Some groups are reflecting on parallels and differences with how King organized in the face of explicitly white supremacist state and local governments and geopolitical tumult.

“The hostility is similar, particularly in that there is a mobilized, active and aggressive extremist-right hell bent on unraveling rights and any sense of shared purpose, shared problems or shared solutions,” said Maya Wiley, CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. What differs, Wiley said, is the understanding “there has to be opportunity for everyone.”

King himself worried the legal protections he dedicated his life to realizing would not be followed by greater anti-discrimination efforts or social programs. He proposed it would take white Americans embracing a deeper kinship with Black Americans and engaging in economic and social solidarity to see change.

A year before his 1968 assassination, King wrote in his final book that giving a Black person their “due” often required “special treatment.”

“I am aware of the fact that this has been a troublesome concept for many liberals, since it conflicts with their traditional ideal of equal opportunity and equal treatment of people according to their individual merits,” King wrote in the 1967 book, “Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community.” “But this is a day which demands new thinking and the reevaluation of old concepts.”

King’s advocacy for “new concepts” found an heir in the enactment of affirmative action policies in workplaces and schools. Many advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion policies see such programs as realizing his vision, though that argument has come under withering scrutiny from conservative activists.

Trump’s views on race have been criticized for decades. The federal government sued Trump for allegedly discriminating against Black apartment seekers in the 1970s. He was instrumental in promoting the “birther” conspiracy theory that Obama was not born in the U.S. And his campaign rhetoric about immigrants and urban communities since 2015 up to November’s election has been derided as prejudiced.

As president, Trump enacted some criminal justice reform laws that civil rights advocates praised but then proposed harsh crackdowns on 2020 racial reckoning protests.

In April, Trump did not dispute the notion that “anti-white racism” now represents a greater problem in the U.S. than systemic racism against Black Americans.

“I think there is a definite anti-white feeling in this country and that can’t be allowed either,” Trump said during an interview with Time magazine.

Janiyah Thomas, a spokesperson for the Trump transition, said Trump’s inauguration would be “monumental, turning a new leaf and ushering in the golden age of America” and said Americans should remember “wise words” from King: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

At the end of his life, King reflected on the early backlash to civil rights, especially with integrated housing developments, interracial marriage and necessary economic and social programs. He expressed frustration with then-President Lyndon B. Johnson for prolonging the Vietnam War rather than making a greater investment in anti-poverty efforts.

“This is where the civil rights movement stands today. We will err and falter as we climb the unfamiliar slopes of steep mountains, but there is no alternative, well-trod, level path,” King wrote. “There will be agonizing setbacks along with creative advances. Our consolation is that no one can know the true taste of victory if he has never swallowed defeat.”
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Ukraine reports downing 93 Russian drones

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Ukraine’s military said Monday it shot down 93 of the 141 drones that Russian forces launched overnight in attacks targeting regions across the country.

The intercepts took place over the Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Sumy and Vinnytsia regions, Ukraine’s air force said.

Dnipropetrovsk Governor Serhiy Lysak said on Telegram that Russian attacks, which also included artillery and missiles, damaged four high-rise buildings.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday it destroyed more than 30 Ukrainian aerial drones late Sunday and early Monday.

Kaluga Governor Vladislav Shapsha said on Telegram that falling debris from a destroyed drone sparked a fire at a business that was quickly extinguished.

In Belgorod, Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a drone attack hit a car, injuring a woman. The Ukrainian assault also damaged six houses, Gladkov said.

Russian air defense also shot down drones over the Bryansk, Kursk, Ryazan, Oryol and Tatarstan regions.

Some information for this report was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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The state of the economy: What is Donald Trump inheriting? 

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Voters prioritized the economy in the 2024 election, sending Donald Trump back to the White House. But what economic legacy is Joe Biden passing on to the new administration? 

“It’s the economy, stupid.” Coined by political strategist James Carville, these famous words have become synonymous with U.S. election success since 1992. 

Despite the growing influence of issues like immigration, climate change and foreign policy, many voters still prioritize economic factors when casting their ballots. 

President-elect Donald Trump claimed he made “the greatest economy in U.S. history” during his first term and vows to do so again in 2025. But a lot depends on what a president inherits from his predecessors. 

Low unemployment rates and a soaring stock market built under former President Barack Obama’s administration following the 2008 financial crisis gave Trump a strong foundation the first time around. 

So, what economic legacy will Trump inherit from Biden? 

Simply put, high employment rates, strong GDP growth and low inflation often characterize a healthy economy. 

The country was still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic when Biden was sworn in, but the last four years have proven resilient. 

Biden’s administration created almost 16 million new jobs in America — a key sign of positive economic growth. 

That good news was overshadowed for many Americans by inflation, which reached a 40-year high in 2022, with prices increasing by 9.1%. That impacted people’s purchasing power and made everyday items feel expensive. 

 

Annual inflation has now eased to around 3% but is still higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, and prices for many items remain significantly higher than at the end of Trump’s first term.

While real wages have since increased in America, workers may still feel the strain of stubbornly high grocery prices.

This was a global issue linked to supply chain challenges and Russia’s war with Ukraine, and ordinary people paid the price. But massive deficit spending under Biden to head off the threat of a major recession also contributed.

Biden has preferred to emphasize the promising picture of the jobs market he’s passing on, noting that the United States recorded its lowest unemployment rate in more than half a century during his term. 

About 2.7 million jobs were lost during Trump’s first term, partially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, he’ll face pressure to turn that legacy around. But Trump has already suggested mass layoffs across federal departments during his second term, which could increase unemployment rates if implemented. 

Another broad signal of a healthy economy is the increased value of goods and services, or GDP, which shows whether an economy is growing. 

The United States has long had the largest GDP in the world, surpassing nations such as India and China. 

GDP rose 7.6% during Trump’s first administration and increased by 11.8% under Biden, suggesting a strong post-pandemic recovery. 

Generally speaking, Biden’s economic legacy is one of high employment, recovering GDP and declining inflation.

But no president ever inherits a clean slate. The federal debt stands at $36.1 trillion, and public opinion about the economy is, at best, lukewarm. 

Some financial experts predict inflation may continue declining in 2025, but a broader context of geopolitical tensions, trade wars and climate change may also shape America’s financial future. 

Trump’s task will be to sustain economic momentum while navigating the complexities of a rapidly evolving world. 

 
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Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts more than 1,000 times this month

Posted on by SeeEA

Ternate, Indonesia — A volcano in eastern Indonesia has erupted at least a thousand times this month, according to an official report Sunday as efforts were underway to evacuate thousands of villagers living near the rumbling mountain.

Mount Ibu, on the remote island of Halmahera in North Maluku province, sent a column of smoke up to four kilometers (2.5 miles) into the sky in an eruption Wednesday.

Indonesian officials raised its alert status to the highest level and called for the evacuation of 3,000 people living in six nearby villages.

It was one of 1,079 eruptions by the volcano recorded since Jan. 1 by Indonesia’s Geological Agency, sending columns of ash reaching between 0.3 and 4 kilometers above its peak, according to the agency’s data gathered by AFP.

The latest big eruption occurred Sunday at 1:15 a.m. local time as it spewed a towering cloud of ash 1.5 kilometers into the air.

“The ash was grey, with moderate to thick intensity, drifting southwest. A loud rumbling sound was heard all the way to Mount Ibu Observation Post,” the agency said in a statement.

It added that the volcano had erupted 17 times on Sunday alone.

Despite deciding to evacuate affected villagers, local authorities had only managed to evacuate 517 residents as of Sunday, pledging to persuade those who remained to stay in safe shelters.

Many have refused to evacuate, arguing that they were used to the situation and were in harvest season.

“There might be economic considerations, as many residents are in the middle of harvesting crops. However, we will continue to educate the community and encourage them to evacuate,” said Adietya Yuni Nurtono, Ternate district military commander in charge of a safe shelter.

Mount Ibu, one of Indonesia’s most active volcanos, has shown a significant increase in activity since last June.

Residents living near Mount Ibu and tourists have been advised to avoid a five- to six-kilometer exclusion zone around the volcano’s peak and to wear face masks in case of falling ash.

As of 2022, around 700,000 people were living on Halmahera island, according to official data.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity as it lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Last November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-meter (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores erupted more than a dozen times in one week, killing nine people in its initial explosion.

Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times last year, forcing thousands from nearby islands to evacuate.
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Pope calls for Gaza ceasefire to be ‘immediately respected’

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Vatican City — Pope Francis called Sunday for a ceasefire in Gaza to be “immediately respected,” as he thanked mediators and urged a boost in humanitarian aid as well as the return of hostages.

“I express gratitude to all the mediators,” the Argentine pontiff said shortly after the start of a truce between Israel and Hamas began.

“Thanks to all the parties involved in this important outcome. I hope that, as agreed, it will be immediately respected by the parties and that all the hostages will finally be able to go home to hug their loved ones again,” he said.

“I pray so much for them, and their families. I also hope that humanitarian aid will even more quickly reach… the people of Gaza, who have so many urgent needs,” Francis said.

“Both Israelis and Palestinians need clear signs of hope. I hope that the political authorities of both, with the help of the international community, can reach the right two-state solution.

“May everyone say yes to dialogue, yes to reconciliation, yes to peace,” he added.

A total of 33 hostages taken by militants during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel are scheduled to be returned from Gaza during an initial 42-day truce.

Under the deal, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are to be released from Israeli jails.

The truce is intended to pave the way for an end to more than 15 months of war sparked by Hamas’ attack, the deadliest in Israeli history.

It follows a deal struck by mediators Qatar, the United States and Egypt after months of negotiations, and takes effect on the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president.
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23-year-old American loses nearly all eyesight defending Ukraine

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At 23, American Army veteran Manus McCaffery volunteered to join the fight against Russian aggression in Ukraine. In 2022, a Russian shell left him partially blind, but despite his wounds he continues to fight for those on the front lines. Ivanna Pidborska met with McCaffery. Anna Rice narrates her story. VOA footage by Iurii Panin.
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4 Moroccan truck drivers disappear on Burkina-Niger border

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Rabat, Morocco — Four Moroccan truck drivers went missing Saturday as they crossed the restive border area between Burkina Faso and Niger, according to a source from the Moroccan Embassy in Burkina Faso and a Moroccan transport union.

Three trucks, one carrying a spare driver, disappeared as they drove without an escort from Dori in Burkina Faso to Tera in Niger, an area known for jihadi threats, the diplomatic source said.

Junta-led Burkina Faso and Niger are battling Islamist militant groups linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State, whose insurgencies have destabilized Sahel states in West Africa over the past decade.

The Moroccan diplomatic source said the embassy was working together with Burkina Faso authorities to find the drivers.

Authorities in Burkina Faso have been organizing security convoys to escort trucks in the border area to protect against militant attacks, the source said.

The trucks set off after waiting for a week without getting an escort, Echarki El Hachmi, secretary general of Morocco’s transporters’ union, told Reuters.

The trucks, loaded with infrastructure equipment, departed weeks ago from Casablanca heading to Niger, he said.

El Hachmi urged more protection in areas of high risk as the number of Moroccan trucks crossing the Sahel continues to rise.

Earlier this month, a convoy of Moroccan trucks was attacked on the Malian border with Mauritania, although there were no casualties, El Hachmi said.
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Heavy snow, frigid Arctic blast put 70 million across US under winter storm warnings 

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Boston — Tens of millions of residents along the East Coast are bracing for several centimeters of snow Sunday followed by dangerously cold temperatures that will take hold in much of the country from the Northern Plains to the tip of Maine.

Winter storm warnings issued by the National Weather Service have already gone into effect for parts of the Mid-Atlantic through Monday morning, with the forecast projecting up to 15 centimeters of snow. Warnings will begin in New England on Sunday afternoon, with parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut seeing as much as 25 centimeters of snow.

Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland, projected that as many as 70 million residents will be under some kind of winter storm hazards warning in the coming days including in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. Large cities like Philadelphia, New York and Boston could see several centimeters of snow this evening with the highest totals being outside of major cities.

“There will certainly be some more hazardous road conditions anywhere from D.C. up the whole I-95 corridor and then inland from there later today and tonight,” Chenard said. “Then it gets quite cold behind that. By Monday morning, any roads that haven’t been treated or cleared will still likely be some hazardous travel conditions.”

Return of the Arctic blast

But the snow is just the start of a chaotic week of weather.

Much of the eastern half of the United States will be enduring some of the coldest temperatures this winter, if not for several years.

An area from the Rockies into the Northern Plains will see colder than normal temperatures starting Sunday into the coming week, with temperatures dropping to minus 34 degrees C to minus 48 C on Sunday and Monday. Wind chills of minus 40 C were already being clocked in parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. Sub-zero wind chills are forecast to reach as far south as Oklahoma and the Tennessee Valley.

The cold weather forecast for Monday for Washington, D.C., prompted President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural ceremony to be moved inside the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

“It’s going to be a cold day in Washington, D.C. on Monday. That’s for sure,” Chenard said, noting temperatures will be in the 20s with wind gust upwards of 48 kph.

As happened earlier this month, this latest cold snap comes from a disruption in the polar vortex, the ring of cold air usually trapped about the North Pole.

The cold air will moderate as it moves southward and eastward, but the central and eastern U.S. will still be cold with highs in the teens and 20s on Monday into Tuesday, Chenard said. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast also will have highs in the teens and 20s, lows in the single digits and below minus 18 C and wind chills below zero.

Unusual wintry mix

The colder temperatures will reach down into the South early this week, where as many as 30 million people starting Monday could see a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain. The unusual conditions are expected to stretch from Texas into northern Florida and the Carolinas. Impacts are expected to start in Texas on Monday night and spread across the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Tuesday into Wednesday.

A combination of frigid air with a low pressure system over the Gulf is behind the storm, which could bring heavy snow just south of the Interstate 20 corridor across northern Louisiana and into Mississippi and a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain near the Interstate 10 corridor from Houston to Mobile, Alabama.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Saturday issued a state of emergency in advance of the wintry weather. He encouraged Louisianans to be prepared and to monitor the weather forecast.
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Money laundering fears hang over Thailand’s online gambling plans 

Posted on by SeeEA

BANGKOK  — Thailand’s plans to legalize online gambling are raising fears that criminal gangs will use the industry to move and launder their illicit proceeds as they have done with gambling operators in neighboring countries.

Prasert Jantararuangtong, Thailand’s minister of digital economy and society, said last week that a bill could be ready within a month. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, widely seen as a major force behind the current government, led by his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, avidly endorsed the idea as well last week.

The averred impetus for the push has been both economic and legal.

Thaksin claimed a regulated online gambling industry could net the government nearly $3 billion in annual revenue. By bringing an industry already operating in the shadows into the light, Prasert said the move could also drive out the criminals currently behind many of the betting sites.

“The goal is to regulate underground gambling operations, bringing them into the legal framework and ensuring proper taxation,” Prasert told reporters.

The push for online gambling is moving ahead as the government is preparing to legalize physical casinos inside integrated resorts featuring hotels, shopping malls and other entertainment. A related bill is due for debate in the National Assembly soon, after winning approval from the prime minister’s Cabinet on Monday.

Gambling in Thailand is currently restricted to betting on state-run horse races and an official lottery.

Many have been warning that expanding the scope of legal gambling in Thailand, especially online, is rife with risk.

Bringing underground gambling operations under government regulation can do some good, Benedikt Hofmann, deputy representative for Southeast Asia and the Pacific for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, told VOA.

“But it also opens the door for ostensibly legitimate investments and use of the system by criminal actors for their illicit purposes, especially in a region rife with such actors. As we have seen in the Philippines, creating legal licensing and regulatory frameworks for gambling operators, like the POGO scheme, did not prevent the system from being taken over by highly problematic actors,” he said.

The Philippines launched POGO, the Philippines Offshore Gaming Operator, in 2016 to license online gambling operators, but shut down the program last year. In a state of the nation address in July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the industry had morphed into a hotbed of cyberscamming, money laundering and human trafficking.

Hofmann said online gambling sites often spring up from physical casinos and can turbocharge their criminal activities.

“Taking advantage of the online space, these operations function around the clock and are theoretically accessible from anywhere in the world, so the reach and volume of both licit and illicit funds processed are much larger. They also offer easier ways to integrate crypto transactions and reduce customer touchpoints, making them highly attractive for money laundering,” he said.

In a 2023 report, the UNODC said Southeast Asia’s transnational crime syndicates had effectively turned the region’s casinos and online betting sites into their own shadow banking network, using them to move and launder tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars a year in earnings from illegal gambling, drug trafficking, cyberscams and other organized crime.

Besides the Philippines, many of those casinos and betting sites operate just across the border from Thailand in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

Amanda Gore, director of the Center for Global Advancement and a forensic accountant who has investigated financial crime around the world, said Thailand’s neighborhood puts the country at high risk of having its own online gambling industry exploited.

“Because they’ve got the same sort of geographical issues … the drug trafficking, the organized crime; it’s all in that area. So, they’re going to have to be extremely strict, and if they’re not then it’s probably going to end up going the same way as the Philippines,” she told VOA.

Gore said the operators behind these online gambling sites often move from jurisdiction to jurisdiction in search of the most permissive conditions, and warned that some of those recently shut out of the Philippines could look to Thailand next unless it passes strong laws and backs them up with strict enforcement.

“The key is going to be whether they have a strong enforcement presence behind those regulations and laws as well, because if they don’t, I think it’s going to be very, very vulnerable to the criminal groups in the region, particularly from the money laundering perspective,” she said.

Government officials have said they are aware of the risks and insisted they would only roll out the casinos and online gambling licenses with the necessary guardrails, but they have yet to provide any details.

Spokespersons for the prime minister’s office and the ministries of interior and digital economy and society did not reply to VOA’s requests for elaboration.

Rangsiman Rome, an opposition lawmaker in Thailand’s House of Representatives who chairs the committee on national security, told VOA that he supports the legalization of casinos and a limited online gambling industry in principle but believes the government is not yet up to the task of managing either safely.

“The current law, including law enforcement, is not enough to protect Thai society from the gray capital, the mafia or … money laundering,” he said. “Because now the money laundering already happens, it happens every day, and it looks like the Thai authorities don’t know how to stop this.”

Rangsiman said the government should give itself, lawmakers and the public more time to study and debate the pros and cons before pressing ahead, and that it should focus on rooting out the corruption in the agencies that would be tasked with enforcing any new laws on casinos and gambling first.

Thailand has arrested dozens of police officers for running or protecting underground gambling operations in recent years.

“We see a lot of corruption that happens in Thailand, so we have to fix this before we allow the casinos,” Rangsiman said.

Gore suggested Thailand study well-established gambling commissions such as the United Kingdom’s, which she said could offer useful lessons on how to sanction operators that fail to follow the rules.

The UNODC’s Hofmann said Thailand should also focus on making sure its regulators carefully vet casino investors and players, and consider foregoing online gambling and cryptocurrency payments altogether.

“Even then, risks will remain,” he said, “as we have seen with organized crime infiltrating casino sectors around the world.”
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Chili paste heats up dishes and warms hearts at northeastern Tunisia’s harissa festival

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NABEUL, Tunisia — For years, Tunisians have been picking bright red peppers, combining them with garlic, vinegar and spices and turning them into a saucy spread called harissa. The condiment is a national staple, found in homes, restaurants and food stalls throughout the coastal North African nation.

Brick-red, spicy and tangy, it can be scooped up on bread drizzled with olive oil or dabbed onto plates of eggs, fish, stews or sandwiches. Harissa can be sprinkled atop merguez sausages, smeared on savory pastries called brik or sandwiches called fricassées.

In Nabeul, the largest city in Tunisia’s harissa-producing Cap Bon region, local chef and harissa specialist Chahida Boufayed called it “essential to Tunisian cuisine.”

“Harissa is a love story,” she said at a festival held in honor of the chili paste sauce in the northeastern Tunisian city of Nabeul earlier this month. “I don’t make it for the money.”

Aficionados from across Tunisia and the world converged on the 43-year-old mother’s stand to try her recipe. Surrounded by strings of drying baklouti red peppers, she described how she grows her vegetables and blends them with spices to make harissa.

The region’s annual harissa festival has grown in the two-plus years since the United Nations cultural organization, UNESCO, recognized the sauce on a list of items of intangible cultural heritage, said Zouheir Belamin, the president of the association behind the event. He said its growing prominence worldwide was attracting new tourists to Tunisia, specifically to Nabeul.

UNESCO in 2022 called harissa “an integral part of domestic provisions and the daily culinary and food traditions of Tunisian society, adding it to a list of traditions and practices that mark intangible cultural heritage including Ukrainian borscht and Cuban rum.

Already popular across North Africa as well as in France, the condiment is gaining popularity throughout the world from the United States to China.

Seen as sriracha’s North African cousin, harissa is typically prepared by women who sun-dry harvested red peppers and then deseed, wash and ground them. Its name comes from “haras” – the Arabic verb for “to crush” – because of the next stage in the process.

The finished peppers are combined with a mixture of garlic cloves, vinegar, salt, olive oil and spices in a mortar and pestle to make a fragrant blend. Variants on display at Nabeul’s Jan. 3-5 festival used cumin, coriander and different spice blends or types of peppers, including smoked ones, to create pastes ranging in color from burgundy to crimson.

“Making harissa is an art. If you master it, you can create wonders,” Boufayed said.
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ASEAN tells Myanmar junta peace, not election, is priority

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LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA — Southeast Asian nations told Myanmar’s military government on Sunday its plan to hold an election amid an escalating civil war should not be its priority, urging the junta to start dialogue and end hostilities immediately.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations called on the warring sides in member nation Myanmar to stop the fighting and told the junta’s representative to allow unhindered humanitarian access, said Malaysia’s foreign minister as the country takes over chairing ASEAN this year.

“Malaysia wants to know what Myanmar has in mind,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told a press conference after a ministerial retreat on the island of Langkawi.

“We told them the election is not a priority. The priority now is to cease fire.”

Myanmar has been in turmoil since early 2021 when its military overthrew the elected civilian government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering pro-democracy protests that morphed into a widening armed rebellion that has taken over swaths of the country.

Despite being battered on multiple fronts, its economy in tatters and dozens of political parties banned, the junta plans this year to hold an election, which critics have widely derided as a sham to keep the generals in power through proxies.

Malaysia announced the appointment of former diplomat Othman Hashim as special envoy on the crisis in Myanmar, where the United Nations says humanitarian needs are at “alarming levels,” with nearly 20 million people — more than a third of the population — needing help.

Mohamad said Othman would visit Myanmar “soon.”

South China Sea a concern

Othman is tasked with convincing all sides in Myanmar to implement ASEAN’s five-point peace plan, which has made no progress since it was unveiled months after the coup.

ASEAN has barred the ruling generals from attending its meetings over their failure to comply. Myanmar is represented by a senior diplomat.

“We want Myanmar to adhere to the Five-Point Consensus, to stop hostilities and have dialogue, it’s very simple,” Mohamad said. “What we want is unhindered humanitarian aid that can reach all in Myanmar.”

Malaysia takes the chair of the 10-member bloc as it contends not only with the conflict in Myanmar but with Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, the site of heated confrontations between ASEAN member the Philippines and China, a major source of the region’s trade and investment.

Vietnam and Malaysia have also protested over the conduct of Chinese vessels in their exclusive economic zones, which Beijing says are operating lawfully in its waters.

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, a conduit for about $3 trillion of annual shipborne trade. China and ASEAN have committed to drafting a code of conduct for the South China Sea, but talks have moved at a snail’s pace.

Mohamad said ministers welcomed progress so far but “highlighted the need to continue the momentum to expedite the code of conduct.”

The foreign minister of U.S. ally the Philippines told Reuters on Saturday it was time to start negotiating thorny “milestone issues” for the code, including its scope, whether it can be legally binding and its impact on third-party states.  
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US Treasury Department imposes sanctions on Chinese company over Salt Typhoon hack

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday imposed sanctions on alleged hacker Yin Kecheng and cybersecurity company Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co., accusing both of being involved in a series of hacks against American telecom companies.

The intrusions, known under the name Salt Typhoon, have allegedly exposed a huge swath of Americans’ call logs to Chinese spies and rattled the U.S. intelligence community. In some cases, hackers are alleged to have intercepted conversations, including between prominent U.S. politicians and government officials. Some lawmakers have described them as the worst telecom hacks in U.S. history.

In a statement, the Treasury described Sichuan Juxinhe Network Technology Co. as a hacking company with strong ties to China’s Ministry of State Security, an intelligence agency. It said that Yin Kecheng was based in Shanghai, had worked as a hacker for more than a decade, and also had ties to the MSS. It further alleged he was tied to the recent breach at the U.S. Treasury.

Reuters was not immediately able to reach Yin Kecheng or Sichuan Juxinhe. China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Beijing routinely denies responsibility for cyberespionage campaigns. 
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Papua’s noken bag symbolizes knotted legacy of resilience, identity 

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JAYAPURA, Indonesia — The woman carries bananas, yams and vegetables in a knotted bag on her head as she wanders through a market in a suburban area of Jayapura in eastern Indonesia. 

Even in the Papua capital and bigger cities of the province, a noken bag where people carry their daily essentials is a common sight. 

The distinctive bag, handcrafted from natural fibers like tree bark or leaves, is woven and knotted with threads of Papuan heritage. The U.N. cultural agency UNESCO recognized the traditional bag as needing urgent safeguarding in 2012 because there are fewer crafters making noken and more competition from factory-made bags. 

Crafter Mariana Pekei sells her handmade bags daily in Youtefa market in Jayapura, along with other women from her village. 

“It is difficult to craft from the tree bark,” Pekei said. 

They collect the raw materials from melinjo trees or orchids, facing dangers like mosquitoes in the forest. They then process the material into thread fibers, including by spinning the fibers together in their palms and on their thighs, which can cause wounds and scar their skin. 

“If it’s made of yarn, we can craft, knot it directly with our hands,” Pekei said. 

The price of noken depends on the material as well as the craftsmanship. A small bag can be made in a day, but the bigger ones require more creativity from the maker and more precision and patience. 

Sometimes, the noken is colored by using natural dyes, mostly light brown or cream with some yellowish brown. 

“Those are the color of Papuan people and the Papuan land,” Pekei said. 

With its seemingly simple yet intricate winding technique and the symbolism it holds, the noken has become a valuable item passed down from generation to generation. 

For people from outside Papua, noken are much desired and can be found easily at markets or souvenir stores. Despite the high transportation costs, crafters often journey from their remote villages to Jayapura, determined to sell their noken and share their craft with the city. 

But more than just a practical tool for carrying goods or souvenir, Pekei said that a noken serves as a powerful cultural symbol, representing the resilience, unity and creativity of the Papuan people.
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As Trump returns to White House, his family circle looks different

Posted on by SeeUS

When Donald Trump returns to the White House on Monday, his family circle will look a little different than it did when he first arrived eight years ago.

His youngest son, Barron, was in fifth grade back then. He’s now a college freshman who towers over his 1.8-meter-plus dad. Granddaughter Kai, who was 9 in 2017, is now an aspiring social media influencer and impressive golfer. Grandson Joseph, who posed in Trump’s lap with a Lego model of the White House last time, is 11 now.

After working in his first administration, the most prominent relatives in Trump’s political sphere, daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared, are now in Florida.

Family members can provide presidents with a ready source of moral and sounding-board support, companionship and even relief from the world’s problems.

The president-elect has five children — three of whom are married — from his marriages to Ivana Trump, Marla Maples and current wife Melania Trump. He has 10 grandchildren, with an 11th on the way.

A look at Trump’s family circle, then and now:

Melania Trump, Trump’s wife

THEN: She spent the opening months of Trump’s term at the family’s Manhattan penthouse so that 11-year-old Barron wouldn’t have to switch schools in the middle of the year. After moving to the White House, she traveled around the United States and to other countries, alone and with Trump, partly to promote her “Be Best” children’s initiative while fiercely guarding her privacy.

NOW: She avoided active campaigning during Trump’s 2024 run, limiting her public appearances to key moments, such as the campaign’s launch, the Republican National Convention and election night. She released a self-titled memoir late last year and will be the subject of a documentary distributed by Amazon Prime Video that is expected to be released this year. While some doubt that Trump’s 54-year-old wife will spend much time at the White House, she said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends that she has already packed and picked out the furniture she wants to take to the executive mansion.

Donald Trump Jr., Trump’s eldest son

THEN: Trump’s eldest son, now 46, campaigned for his father in 2016 and 2020.

NOW: Trump Jr.’s influence has grown to the point that he lobbied his father to choose close friend JD Vance for vice president. He also pushed for former Democratic Representative Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the president-elect’s picks for director of national intelligence and health and human services, respectively. Trump Jr. helps run the family real estate business and is an honorary chairman of Trump’s transition. He has a podcast and has said his role is to prevent “bad actors” from getting into the administration. He recently flew on his father’s airplane to Greenland; the president-elect has expressed a desire to take control of the mineral-rich Danish territory.

Trump Jr. has five children — or “smurfs,” as he sometimes refers to them — with his former wife, Vanessa Trump. They are Kai Madison, 17; Donald John III, 15; Tristan Milos, 13; Spencer Frederick, 12; and Chloe Sophia Trump, 10.

Ivanka Trump, Trump’s eldest daughter

THEN: Ivanka, 43, campaigned for her father in 2016 and moved her family from New York City to Washington to work in his White House as a senior adviser. She was on the campaign trail in 2020, too, but she and her family moved to Florida and retreated from the spotlight after his loss.

NOW: As Trump geared up for the 2024 run, Ivanka announced that she loved and supported him but was getting out of politics to focus on her husband and their three kids. She did, however, join her father and other family members on election night and when he rang the bell at the New York Stock Exchange in early December after Time magazine named him Person of the Year.

Ivanka and her husband have three children: Arabella Rose, 13; Joseph Frederick, 11; and Theodore James Kushner, 8.

Eric Trump, Trump’s second son

THEN: The 40-year-old helped run the family business and participated in his father’s campaigns.

NOW: Eric is also an honorary chair of the transition and a close adviser to his father. But he continues to focus more on running the family business. In September, he and his brother started a crypto platform called World Liberty Financial, and their father helped launch it in an interview on the X social media platform.

Eric and his wife, Lara, have two children: Eric Luke, 7, and Carolina Dorothy Trump, 5.

Tiffany Trump, Trump’s youngest daughter

THEN: Trump’s daughter with second wife Marla Maples was 23 and a recent University of Pennsylvania graduate who kept a low profile when Trump was first elected.

NOW: She was more present in the 2024 campaign but still largely avoids the spotlight. Tiffany, 31, and her husband, Michael Boulos, are expecting their first child this year. Boulos is a businessman who traveled with Trump in the final stretch of the campaign. His father is Massad Boulos, a Lebanese American businessman who helped Trump with the influential Arab American community in the swing state of Michigan. Trump has named Massad Boulos to be a senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.

Barron Trump, Trump’s youngest son

THEN: At the start of Trump’s first term, Barron and his mother stayed at the family’s Trump Tower penthouse in Manhattan so he could finish his school year. When they got to Washington, his soccer net appeared in what’s known as the first lady’s garden.

NOW: Barron, 18, is a freshman New York University business student. His parents and Trump campaign officials credit him for recommending podcasts popular with young men that the president-elect appeared on during the campaign. Barron will have a bedroom in the White House, Melania Trump said on Fox & Friends.

“I’m very proud of him, about his knowledge, even about politics and giving an advice to his father,” his mother said on the program. “He brought in so many young people. He knows his generation.”

Lara Trump, Trump’s daughter-in-law

THEN: Trump’s daughter-in-law, 42, campaigned for him during all his runs. After Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, she considered running for a U.S. Senate seat from her home state of North Carolina but ultimately decided against it. She became a Fox News commentator.

NOW: As Trump revved up his 2024 campaign, he installed his daughter-in-law as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, where she was a TV-ready advocate overseeing fundraising, voter outreach and the party’s “election integrity” initiative. She stepped down from the RNC after the election and removed her name from consideration as a possible successor to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice for secretary of state.

Lara Trump is passionate about fitness and has her own line of activewear.

Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law

THEN: Kushner, 44, was also a key figure in Trump’s 2016 campaign. He joined his wife in the White House as a senior adviser, a role that included working on U.S. policy toward Israel and the broader Middle East.

NOW: Kushner has stepped out of the political spotlight — but his father could soon step in. Trump announced after the election that he intends to nominate Charles Kushner, a real estate developer, to be U.S. ambassador to France. The elder Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after he pleaded guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions.

Kai Trump, one of Trump’s granddaughters

THEN: Kai was in elementary school when her grandfather became president.

NOW: Donald Trump Jr.’s 17-year-old granddaughter is an aspiring social media influencer. Her behind-the-scenes video from election night garnered 3.7 million views on YouTube. Other posts related to her grandfather have been watched millions more times on TikTok. Kai delivered her first public speech at the Republican convention and is an avid golfer who sometimes plays with her grandfather.

Arabella Kushner, one of Trump’s granddaughters

THEN: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner’s daughter was 6 when her grandfather showed China’s Xi Jinping a video of her, in a traditional Chinese dress, belting out Chinese-language songs.

“It’s very good, right? She’s very smart,” Trump said. Xi responded that Arabella was her grandfather’s “little angel” and a “messenger of China-U.S. relations.”

NOW: Arabella is 13 and enjoys singing, playing the piano, horseback riding and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, according to a social media post from her mother.
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