Rights groups in Kenya blame police for increase in abductions of government critics

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 

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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 

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— 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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 

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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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China’s EV sales surge in 2024; foreign automakers struggle in shifting market

Posted on by SeeEA

A new industry report released Monday shows China made big strides last year toward an EV-driven future, as domestic sales of all types of electric vehicles rose by 40% in 2024. Sales of gasoline powered cars tumbled, including foreign imports.

In 2024, a total of 31.4 million total vehicles were sold in the world’s largest automobile market by sales, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. That marked a 4.5% rise compared with the previous year.

Despite the uptick in sales, foreign automobile importers are increasingly finding it hard to compete with local brands in China who have been offering a wide variety of affordable EVs and intensified market competition.

One example is German luxury car maker Porsche, who closed several of its physical stores in China in 2024. Porsche sales in China were down 29% year on year which marked the third consecutive year of decline.

In addition to Porsche, luxury carmakers BMW, Mercedes, and Audi each saw a drop in their vehicle sales in China in 2024 with BMW sales falling 13.4%, Mercedes sales by 7%, and Audi sales by 11%. 

Tai Chih-yen, an associate researcher at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research in Taipei told VOA’s Mandarin service that a sense of patriotism and support for national brands has created additional pressures that have contributed to the struggles international automakers are facing. 

“Higher-end consumers have started to abandon foreign brands and are turning to comparatively better priced high-end domestic cars,” Tai told VOA. “This is not a so-called consumption downgrade, but more a reflection of the current situation, where many are choosing to be more discreet [in the kinds of cars they drive] and show their patriotism by driving domestic luxury brands.”

The industry report also noted that sales of traditional gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles in China sank 17% in 2024, from 14 million to 11.6 million, a slide that coincides with Beijing’s focus on transitioning to electric vehicles.

At the same time, Chinese vehicle exports were up 19.3% in 2024, according to the report. However, export growth is expected to cool with the report estimating only a 5.8% increase in 2025.

China faced a backlash in 2024 as it moved to expand EV sales overseas, with the U.S., Canada and EU unveiling steep tariffs to stop a flood of cheap electric vehicles into their markets. The U.S., Canada and EU have raised concerns about subsidies that the Chinese government provides EV makers that allows them to sell their cars for lower prices.

They have also voiced concerned that China has too much production of EVs and that cars are being dumped into foreign markets, allegations that Beijing has repeatedly denied. 

China argues that its EV subsidies are similar to those of other countries and that sales of electric vehicles help with climate change. China has filed a complaint at the World Trade Organization over the EU’s tariff decision.

Michael Baturin and VOA Mandarin Service reporter Nai-chuan Lin contributed to this report. Some information came from Reuters. 
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Judge clears way for release of special counsel Smith’s report on Trump’s Jan. 6 case

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WASHINGTON — The Justice Department can publicly release its investigative report on President-elect Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case, a federal judge said Monday — the latest ruling in a court dispute over the highly anticipated document days before Trump is set to take office again.

But a temporary injunction barring the immediate release of the report remains in effect until Tuesday, and it’s unlikely Judge Aileen Cannon’s order will be the last word on the matter. Defense lawyers may seek to challenge it all the way up to the Supreme Court.

Cannon had earlier temporarily blocked the department from releasing the entire report on former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Trump that led to two separate criminal cases. Cannon’s latest order on Monday cleared the way for the release of the volume on Trump’s 2020 election interference case.

She set a hearing for Friday on whether the department can release to lawmakers the volume on Trump’s classified documents case. The department has said it will not publicly disclose that volume as long as criminal proceedings against two of Trump’s co-defendants remain pending.

Smith resigned his position on Friday after transmitting his report to Attorney General Merrick Garland, the Justice Department revealed in a footnote in a court filing over the weekend.

The ruling, if it stands, could open the door for the public to learn additional details in the coming days about Trump’s frantic but ultimately failed effort to cling to power in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.

But even as Cannon permitted the release of the volume on election interference, she halted the Justice Department from immediately sharing with congressional officials a separate volume related to Trump’s hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Lawyers for the Republican president-elect’s two co-defendants, Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira, had argued that the release of the report would prejudice them given that criminal proceedings remain ongoing against them in the form of a Justice Department appeal of Cannon’s dismissal of charges.

As a compromise, the Justice Department said that it would not make that document public but would instead share it with select congressional officials for their private review. But Cannon halted those plans and instead scheduled a hearing for Friday afternoon.

“All parties agree that Volume II expressly and directly concerns this criminal proceeding,” she wrote. “All parties also appear to agree that public release of Volume II would be inconsistent with the fair trial rights of Defendants Nauta and De Oliveira and with Department of Justice Policy governing the release of information during the pendency of criminal proceedings.”
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Russia says Iran’s president will visit this week, sign partnership pact with Putin

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Moscow — Russian President Vladimir Putin will host his Iranian counterpart this week for the signing of a broad partnership pact between Moscow and Tehran, the Kremlin said Monday.

The agreement on “comprehensive strategic partnership” between the countries will be signed during Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to Moscow on Friday, the Kremlin said.

It added that the leaders will discuss plans for expanding trade and cooperation in transport, logistics and humanitarian spheres along with “acute issues on the regional and international agenda.”

Ukraine and the West have accused Tehran of providing Moscow with hundreds of exploding drones for use on the battlefield in Ukraine and helping launch their production in Russia. The Iranian drone deliveries, which Moscow and Tehran have denied, have allowed for a barrage of long-range drone strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure.

Iran, in turn, wants sophisticated Russian weapons like long-range air defense systems and fighter jets to help fend off possible attacks by Israel.

Pezeshkian will visit Moscow three days before the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who has pledged to broker a peace deal on Ukraine.
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At least 40 farmers killed by Islamic militants in northeast Nigeria, official says

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Dakar, Senegal — At least 40 farmers were killed in an attack by Islamic militants in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, a government official said Monday.

The attack Sunday was suspected to have been carried out by extremists from the Boko Haram group and its breakaway faction that is loyal to the Islamic State group in Borno’s Dumba community, said Borno state Gov. Babagana Umara Zulum.

He warned civilians to stay within designated “safe zones” that have been cleared by the army of both extremists and munitions.

Zulum also called for an investigation into the attack by the armed forces.

“Let me assure the citizens of Borno that this matter will be thoroughly investigated for further necessary action. Let me use this opportunity to call on the armed forces to track and deal decisively with the perpetrators of this heinous act of violence against our innocent citizens,” he said.

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadis, took up arms in 2009 to fight Western education and impose their radical version of Islamic law. The conflict, now Africa’s longest struggle with militancy, has spilled into Nigeria’s northern neighbors.

Some 35,000 civilians have been killed and more than 2 million have been displaced in the northeastern region, according to the U.N. The 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in the village of Chibok in Borno state — the epicenter of the conflict — captured the attention of the world.
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Who is Trump’s pick to go after ‘Big Tech’?

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President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Trade Commission has vowed to continue the agency’s drive to break up Big Tech monopolies while adding a new focus: free speech. VOA’s Matt Dibble has the story.
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Magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattles southwestern Japan as tsunami threat declared over

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Tokyo — A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 hit southwestern Japan on Monday, triggering public warnings to stay away from coastal areas because of a tsunami advisory, which was later called off.

There were no immediate reports of damage. Residents in some coastal areas were told to evacuate as a precautionary measure.

One man was slightly injured in Kyushu after falling down some stairs, NHK TV reported. Trains stopped running in Miyazaki Station, stranding passengers.

NHK said a tsunami, estimated to be as high as 1 meter, reached land within 30 minutes of the quake. The waters detected at Miyazaki Port measured 20 centimeters high, the reports said.

Tsunami advisories were issued for Miyazaki prefecture, where the quake was centered, in the southwestern island of Kyushu, as well as nearby Kochi prefecture in Shikoku island, shortly after the quake struck at 9:19 p.m. according to the agency. They were all called off shortly before midnight.

People were warned to stay away from the waters, including rivers. Agency official Shigeki Aoki told reporters that people should watch for landslides as well as falling objects in homes.

Aftershocks can strike over the next week, especially in the next two or three days, he said.

The quake, centered at a depth of 30 kilometers, shook a wide area in Kyushu, the southwestern main island, Japan’s Meteorological Agency said.

Japan is frequently hit by earthquakes because of its location along the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

NHK TV footage showed moving traffic and well-lit streets, meaning that electric power was still working. No problems were detected at the various monitoring posts for nuclear plants in the area.

Experts at the meteorological agency met late Monday to gauge how the latest temblor may be related to the so-called Nankai Trough quakes, but decided not to take any extraordinary measures for the time being.

The term refers to a wide region believed to be prone to periodic major quakes. A Nankai Trough quake off Shikoku in 1946 killed more than 1,300 people. The area was hit by a 7.1 magnitude quake in August last year.
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Mozambique to swear in new parliament after disputed vote

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Maputo, Mozambique — Mozambique is set to swear in its new parliament on Monday, following months of deadly protests over an election in October that the opposition said was rigged.

Opposition leader Venancio Mondlane has called on his supporters to hold peaceful protests from Monday to Wednesday, when Daniel Chapo is due to be installed as president.

Mondlane said he won the presidential vote and that the results were rigged in favor of Chapo’s Frelimo party, which has been in power for 50 years. 

Two opposition parties, Renamo and MDM, announced they would boycott Monday’s session, which will swear in new parliamentarians. Renamo won 28 seats in the 250-seat house and the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM) took eight. 

The opening ceremony “constitutes a social outrage and a lack of respect for the will of Mozambicans” who were deprived of “free, fair and transparent” elections, Renamo spokesman Marcial Macome told reporters Sunday.

The MDM was boycotting to show it aligned itself with demands for “electoral truth,” its representative said.

Frelimo won 171 seats and the Podemos party took 43.

Mondlane, who was backed by the Podemos at the vote, claims he won 53 percent of the votes in the presidential election. The official result says he won 24 percent to Chapo’s 65 percent.

Mondlane returned from more than two months of exile on Thursday last week to push his presidency claims.

Thousands of his supporters rallied in the capital to welcome him, sparking clashes with security forces that left at least three dead, according to an election monitor.

“We must declare a national strike… paralyze activities during these three days,” the 50-year-old said in a Facebook post late Saturday.

Urging supporters to “demonstrate our refusal” of the official election result, he called for a “peaceful mobilization,” adding that “if the assembly takes the oath, it is a betrayal of the will of the people.”

“Let us demonstrate against the inauguration of those who betrayed the will of the people on Monday and against those who stole the will of the people on Wednesday,” Mondlane said.

The post-election unrest has claimed around 300 lives, according to a tally by a local rights group, with security forces accused of using excessive force, including live bullets, against demonstrators.

Some police officers have also died, according to the authorities. 

The unrest has caused major losses to Mozambique’s economy, stopping cross-border trade and affecting shipping, mining and industry.
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‘Exhausted’ Frenchman held in Iran since 2022 reveals identity

Posted on by SeeEU

PARIS — A Frenchman held in Iran since October 2022 on Monday revealed his identity in an audio message broadcast on a French radio station, saying he was becoming increasingly exhausted over his ordeal.

Olivier Grondeau, 34, had previously only been identified by his first name and French authorities had not released details of his case. 

In an audio message aired on France Inter on Monday, Grondeau fully identified himself and warned that he and the other two French detainees held in Iran were “exhausted.”

The other two French nationals currently held in Iran are teacher Cecile Kohler and her partner, Jacques Paris, who were detained in May 2022. They are accused of seeking to stir up labor protests, accusations their families have vehemently denied.

“You, who have the power to influence this matter, hear this truth,” he said in the audio message, apparently addressing the French authorities.

“Cecile’s strength, Jacques’ strength, Olivier’s strength — it is all running out,” he said. “Your responsibility is called upon to ensure the survival of three human beings,” he said.

Grondeau was arrested in Shiraz, in southern Iran, in October 2022, and sentenced to five years in prison for “conspiracy against the Islamic republic,” his mother Therese Grondeau told France Inter.

His family rejects the charges, describing Grondeau as a passionate fan of Persian poetry who was traveling to Iran on a tourist visa as part of a world tour.

On Friday, France summoned the Iranian ambassador to protest Tehran’s holding of the trio, describing them as “state hostages.”

Their “situation is intolerable, with undignified detention conditions that, for some, constitute torture under international law,” the French foreign ministry said.

The tensions have come after an Italian journalist, Cecilia Sala, arrested and jailed in Iran since December, was freed and returned to Rome earlier this month.

Her swift release — in contrast to the prolonged detention of the French nationals —  was the result of “intense work through diplomatic and intelligence channels” by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, her office said. 

Foreign ministries whose nationals have been held by Iran are known to sometimes advise families to keep a low profile and not announce the arrest of their loved ones publicly, in the hope the situation can be resolved behind the scenes.               
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Thai cabinet approves controversial casino bill

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BANGKOK — Thailand’s cabinet approved a controversial bill on Monday to legalize gambling in designated “entertainment complexes” to boost tourism and create jobs.

The proposed law would allow casinos to be set up within tourism complexes that would also include theme parks, water parks, hotels and shopping malls.

Gambling in Thailand is currently only legal on certain state-run horse races and an official lottery, but illicit betting is widespread.

“The objectives are to increase revenue, support investment in Thailand and solve illegal gambling,” Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told reporters.

The bill will go to the Office of the Council of State for drafting before being debated and voted on by lawmakers in parliament — a process that will likely take months.

Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hammered Thailand’s crucial tourism industry, the kingdom has launched numerous strategies to lure more visitors, such as cutting visa requirements for Chinese and Indian travelers.

Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat said the government hopes the entertainment complexes will ultimately boost tourist numbers by 5%-10% and create up to 15,000 new jobs.

The location for the proposed complexes, and the timetable for their construction, have not been announced. 

Conservative forces in Buddhist-majority Thailand have long resisted moves to legalize gambling, even as casino complexes have sprung up in neighboring Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime warned in a report last year that Southeast Asia’s casinos were “foundational pieces of the banking architecture used by organized crime” to launder massive volumes of money.
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