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Beijing — As China seeks to race ahead in humanoid robot development, its supply chains showcased cheaper and innovative parts at the world robot conference in Beijing, but some executives warn the industry has yet to improve product reliability.

Wisson Technology (Shenzhen), known for its flexible robotic manipulators, doesn’t depend on motors and reducers – transmission devices commonly used in robotics – but instead uses 3D-printed plastics and relies on pneumatic artificial muscles to power its robots.

This less expensive form of production allows it to price its flexible arms at about one-tenth that of traditional robotic arms, said Cao Wei, an investor in Wisson through venture capital firm Lanchi Ventures, in which he is a partner.

Pliable technology will usher in robotic arms at a cost of around $1,404, Wisson said on its website.

Wisson’s “pliable arms could be used in humanoids,” said Cao, adding that the company has already provided samples to overseas companies that make humanoid robots, without elaborating.

Yi Gang, founder of Shanghai-based Ti5 Robot, a company specializing in integrated joints, highlighted some of the problems he sees in the robotics supply chain.

“The whole supply chain still needs to address issues with product reliability,” said Yi, adding that, due to defect rates, his company can only make products in volumes of up to 1,000.

Harmonic gear, which refers to machinery that plays a key role in motion-control, was a key issue, he said.

China’s robotics effort is backed by President Xi Jinping’s policy of developing “new productive forces” in technology – a point made in brochures for last week’s event.

Across China, the world’s largest market for industrial robots, the increasingly sophisticated technology is changing the face of traditional industries such as manufacturing, autos, agriculture, education as well as health and home services.

Gao Jiyang, previously an executive director at Chinese autonomous driving start-up Momenta before founding Galaxea AI, a start-up focused on robot hardware and embodied AI, said the ramp-up in smart driving was leading to advances in robotics.

“Autonomous driving means AI-plus cars, which are also a type of robot,” Gao said.

As the conference wrapped up on Sunday, Premier Li Qiang said it was crucial to implement President Xi’s guidelines on the importance of the robot industry.

“The robot industry has broad prospects and huge market potential,” Li said, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency.

Describing robots as an “important yardstick for technical innovation and high-end manufacturing strength,” Li called for efforts to maintain supply chain stability and progress on the international stage.

“It is necessary … to promote the expansion and popularization of robots in various fields such as industry, agriculture and service industry,” he said.
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BEIJING — China fined state stockpiler Sinograin and six more firms a total of about $1.54 million over the use of fuel tankers to transport cooking oil in a scandal that eroded confidence in food safety regulations, state media reported.

A report by local daily The Beijing News in July that fuel tankers had been used to transport soybean oil, cooking oil and syrup without cleaning the tankers in between, rekindled fears about food contamination.

An official investigation in the provinces of Hebei, Tianjin, Inner Mongolia and Shaanxi found the use of unclean tankers was “extremely severe,” state media Xinhua said, citing the State Council Food Safety Office, which was involved in the investigation.

The use of unclean tankers “violated basic common sense and tramples on moral bottom lines and legal red lines,” said the council.

The government issued a fine of some $400,000 to Sinograin Oil (Tianjin) Co. Ltd and some $1.1 million in fines to six other logistics and edible oil firms. Authorities also filed criminal charges against two drivers.

China has struggled to undo the damage done by a string of past food scandals, despite Beijing’s best efforts in the past decade to tighten food safety controls.

The latest scandal created an uproar and prompted shoppers to turn to foreign cooking oil brands despite the higher price tag.
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ISLAMABAD — Authorities in Pakistan reported Monday that insurgents had killed at least 30 people in separate overnight attacks across the turbulent southwestern province of Baluchistan.

The violence started late on Sunday, with armed men blocking an interprovincial highway in Musakhail district and murdering at least 23 passengers after forcing them off multiple buses and trucks, the authorities said. 

Ayub Achakzai, a senior area police officer, told reporters that the victims mostly were from Punjab, the most populous province of Pakistan. He said the attackers inspected the passengers’ identities before executing them and set fire to 10 vehicles before fleeing.

Separately, authorities reported that insurgents had also carried out hit-and-run raids against police targets and clashed with security forces elsewhere in the sparsely populated province on Sunday night. The violence killed at least four security personnel, a pro-government tribal elder, and two civilians, area officials reported. 

An outlawed insurgent group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), took responsibility for the overnight violence, claiming they targeted those working for Pakistani security forces and reported a much higher casualty toll. 

The separatist group often issues inflated claims and is notorious for launching deadly attacks on residents from other parts of Pakistan who come to work or travel through Baluchistan, which is rich in natural resources.  

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Sunday’s terrorist attacks on passenger vehicles and in several other districts of Baluchistan, his office said. 

Pakistan’s official radio reported Monday that security forces had “effectively” retaliated to overnight insurgent raids and killed “12 terrorists.” It did not elaborate. The official claims could not be verified from independent sources. 

The BLA claimed in its statement that its latest attacks are part of a new operation launched across Baluchistan and warned residents of the province to “stay away from the highways and cooperate with the Baloch fighters.”

BLA, listed as a global terrorist organization by the United States, and several other banned ethnic Baluch groups routinely conduct attacks in Baluchistan, claiming to be fighting for its independence from Pakistan. 

The impoverished province shares the country’s border with Iran and Afghanistan. It hosts major China-funded infrastructure projects, including the Chinese-operated deep-water port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea. 

BLA has warned Beijing repeatedly against investing in Baluchistan and allegedly taking away its natural resources. They have targeted Chinese nationals associated with these projects. 

Pakistan and China reject insurgent allegations of exploitation and have pledged to combat the security threat jointly. 
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Manila, Philippines — China’s actions in the South China Sea are “patently illegal,” the Philippines’ defense secretary said Monday following a clash in disputed waters on Sunday over what Manila said was a resupply mission for fishermen.

“We have to expect these kinds of behavior from China because this is a struggle. We have to be ready to anticipate and to get used to these kinds of acts of China which are patently illegal, as we have repeatedly said,” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro told reporters.

Manila’s South China Sea task force accused Chinese vessels of ramming and using water cannons near Sabina shoal against a Philippine fisheries vessel transporting food, fuel and medicine for Filipino fishermen.

The Chinese coast guard said the Philippine vessel “ignored repeated serious warnings and deliberately approached and rammed” China’s law enforcement boat, resulting in a collision.

Asked if the latest incident would trigger treaty obligations between the United States and the Philippines, Teodoro said: “That is putting the cart before the horse. Let us deter an armed attack. That is the more important thing.”

U.S. officials including President Joe Biden have reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad commitment” to aid the Philippines against armed attacks on its vessels and soldiers in the South China Sea.

“Everybody is too focused on armed attack,’’ Teodoro said. ‘’Let’s make ourselves strong enough so that does not happen.”

The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Monday is a public holiday in the Philippines.

The clash on Sunday had overshadowed efforts to rebuild trust and better manage disputes in the South China Sea after months of confrontations.

China claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Brunei.

An international arbitral tribunal in 2016 ruled that China’s claim had no basis under international law, a decision Beijing has rejected.
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Seoul, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a performance test of drones developed in the country, state media KCNA said Monday.

On Saturday, Kim visited the Drone Institute of North Korea’s Academy of Defense Sciences — and viewed a successful test of drones correctly identifying and destroying designated targets after flying along different preset routes, KCNA said.

Kim called for the production of more suicide drones to be used in tactical infantry and special operation units, such as underwater suicide attack drones, as well as strategic reconnaissance and multi-purpose attack drones, KCNA said.

Kim also called for more tests of the drones’ combat application, to equip North Korean military with them as early as possible, KCNA said.

Pyongyang has ramped up its tactical warfare capabilities involving short-range missiles and heavy artillery that are aimed at striking the South, after having made dramatic advances in longer-range ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

Kim also inspected the construction sites of various North Korean industrial factories Saturday and Sunday, KCNA added.
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Islamabad — Two separate bus crashes hours apart in Pakistan on Sunday left at least 36 people dead and dozens more injured, officials said.

The first happened when a bus carrying Shiite Muslim pilgrims returning from Iraq through Iran fell from a highway into a ravine in southwest Pakistan, killing at least 12 people and injuring 32 others, police and officials said. The driver lost control on the Makran coastal highway when the brakes failed, while passing through Lasbela district in Baluchistan province, local police chief Qazi Sabir said. 

Authorities in Baluchistan said that arrangements were being made to send the bodies of the pilgrims to Punjab province for burial. Maryam Nawaz, the chief minister in Punjab, expressed her condolences after the crash.

Hours later, 24 people were killed when a bus fell into a ravine in the Kahuta district of the eastern Punjab province, police and officials said, including two women and a child. Omar Farooq, a senior government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, said there were no survivors.

Initially, local police said that there were seven injured, but later doctors and government officials said that everyone onboard the bus died in the crash. Raja Moazzam, a rescue official, said most of the bodies had been identified.

According to residents, the bus crash happened early Sunday and locals initially took part in the rescue work, and ambulances of emergency service crews arrived later.

The bus was heading to the Pakistan-administrated disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir — claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan — when it fell from the Panna bridge in the Kahuta district, said Sardar Waheed, a senior government official, adding that heavy machinery was used to lift the wreckage to ensure no one was trapped underneath.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in separate statements, offered their condolences and expressed sorrow over the two crashes. They asked authorities to ensure the provision of the best medical treatment for the injured pilgrims.

The crashes on Sunday occurred days after 28 Pakistani pilgrims were killed in a bus crash in neighboring Iran while heading to Iraq. A Pakistani military plane flew the bodies of the victims home on Saturday to be buried in the southern Sindh province.

Thousands of Shiites travel to Iraq’s holy city of Karbala to commemorate Arbaeen — Arabic for the number 40 — to mark the death of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, who became a symbol of resistance during the tumultuous first century of Islam’s history.

Bus crashes are common in Pakistan, mostly because of negligence by drivers, who often violate traffic rules.
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TERNATE ISLAND, Indonesia — Torrential rains caused a flash flood on Indonesia’s eastern Ternate Island, sweeping away residential areas and leaving 13 people dead on Sunday, officials said. 

The deluges cut off the main road and access to the village of Rua in North Maluku province, the hardest hit area, and buried dozens of houses and buildings under the mud. Search and rescue teams worked with locals to recover the bodies and look for those still missing. 

The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency says high-intensity rain is still possible in the Ternate City area and its surroundings in the coming days. Local authorities advised residents to remain vigilant and heed instructions in case of further flooding. 

Heavy rains cause frequent landslides and flash floods in Indonesia, where millions live in mountainous areas and near floodplains. 
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BANGKOK — Thirteen people including a Russian couple died in a mudslide on the Thai resort island of Phuket, the authorities said Sunday, after calling off a search for missing persons.   

Heavy rains last week set off the mudslides near the Big Buddha, a popular tourist destination in the south of the country, said Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat.   

Besides the Russians, nine of the dead were migrant workers from Myanmar and the other two were Thais, Sophon said. About 20 people were injured and 209 households were affected by the mudslide.   

A major cleanup is under way, the governor said, adding that the authorities were getting in touch with relatives and embassies of the victims. 
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Dhaka — Bangladesh’s metro railway in the notoriously congested capital Dhaka resumed Sunday, more than a month after it was closed during the peak of student-led protests that eventually toppled the prime minister.  

Much in the troubled South Asian nation remains in political turmoil since the revolution that ousted Sheikh Hasina and ended her 15-year-long iron-fisted rule, but on Sunday, the trains at least were back on track.

Dhaka is one of the world’s most densely populated cities, and the railway is a critical transport link in the sprawling megacity of some 20 million people.

Banker Shaheen Sultana said she was delighted her commute to work was a “relaxed” affair after weeks of car-clogged gridlock on the roads.  

“I am very happy that it is working again,” 40-year-old Sultana said, as she exited a station near her workplace in the city’s commercial heart. “It is a great relief.”

The elevated train network was closed in mid-July during the student-led protest.

In the deadly violence — which would see hundreds of people killed until Hasina quit and fled the country by helicopter on August 5 — the stations were vandalized by a mob.

Return to normal

The resumption of metro services is a key sign of a return to normal daily life.

Its reopening was ordered by the new caretaker government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, 84.

“In the absence of the metro I had to take the bus to work,” said Kaosar Khan, a speech therapist at a private hospital in the city.

“I faced massive traffic snarls,” Khan, 25, added. “It used to take two hours on the bus, but with the metro, I can reach my destination in 15 minutes.”

Hasina’s government was accused of widespread abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killing of political opponents.

But Dhaka’s metro, inaugurated in 2022, is seen by many as one of the most significant infrastructure endeavors of Hasina’s otherwise tarnished tenure.

It was an instant hit in the congested city where commuting by road is a source of massive frustration.

‘Why hurt the nation?’

Local researchers say the capital’s economy loses upwards of $3 billion each year in lost work time due to traffic jams, often worsened by regular street protests and monsoonal downpours.

Pictures released by Hasina’s office while she was still in office showed her weeping at the sight of a vandalized metro station in an outlying Dhaka suburb.

Hasina had called the line a “matter of great pride” when she opened it in December 2022, and during the protests, she was furious that it had been attacked.

“Who has benefitted… Do I ride on the metro?” she asked at the time. 

But others said Hasina’s government had exploited the attack on the metro, to shut it down as a warning.

“They wanted to say if you go against us, you will have to suffer the consequences,” said Mohammad Hridoy, 28, a technology worker waiting at the platform.

“The shutdown seemed more deliberate than necessitated by circumstances.”

On Sunday, some passengers said the metro attack was a blot on the reputation of the protesters.

“Why hurt the nation and destroy public property?” said Sharmin Sultana, 55, a housewife travelling with her young daughter, a yellow scarf covering her head.

“We should protect our national property, irrespective of party politics.” 
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ISLAMABAD — The Taliban’s new vice and virtue laws that include a ban on women’s voices and bare faces in public provide a “distressing vision” for Afghanistan’s future, a top U.N. official warned Sunday.

Roza Otunbayeva, who heads the U.N. mission in the country, said the laws extend the “already intolerable restrictions ” on the rights of women and girls, with “even the sound of a female voice” outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation.

Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers last Wednesday issued the country’s first set of laws to prevent vice and promote virtue. They include a requirement for a woman to conceal her face, body and voice outside the home.

The laws empower the Vice and Virtue Ministry to be at the front line of regulating personal conduct and administering punishments like warnings or arrest if its enforcers allege that Afghans have broken the laws.

“After decades of war and in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis, the Afghan people deserve much better than being threatened or jailed if they happen to be late for prayers, glance at a member of the opposite sex who is not a family member, or possess a photo of a loved one,” Otunbayeva said.

The mission said it was studying the newly ratified law and its implications for Afghans, as well as its potential impact on the U.N. and other humanitarian assistance.

Taliban officials were not immediately available for comment.

In remarks broadcast Sunday by state-controlled broadcaster RTA, Vice and Virtue Minister Mohammad Khaled Hanafi said nobody had the right to violate women’s rights based on inappropriate customs.

“We are committed to assure all rights of women based on Islamic law and anyone who has a complaint in this regard will be heard and resolved,” he added.

Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said last year that Afghan women are provided with a “comfortable and prosperous” life, in spite of decrees barring them from many public spaces, education and most jobs.

The U.N. has previously said that official recognition of the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan is nearly impossible while restrictions on women and girls remain.

Although no country recognizes the Taliban, many in the region have ties with them.

Last Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates accepted the credentials of the Taliban’s ambassador to the oil-rich Gulf Arab state.

A UAE official said the decision reaffirmed the government’s determination to contribute to building bridges to help Afghans. “This includes the provision of humanitarian assistance through development and reconstruction projects, and supporting efforts that work towards regional de-escalation and stability.”

Otunbayeva is scheduled to report to the U.N. Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan on September 18, three years after the Taliban stopped girls’ education beyond sixth grade.
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sydney, australia — Four people — including a police officer — were injured on Sunday in a mass stabbing in Sydney, Australia, police said. It was the latest in a series of stabbing attacks in the city this year. 

Police said in a statement on Sunday morning that four people were “injured following a crash and suspected stabbing a short time ago.” 

“There is definitely an incident in Engadine,” a police spokesperson said, referring to a suburb in the south of the city of around 5 million people. 

Police said they did not believe anyone was killed in the attack. 

They said a man who allegedly ran from the scene was Tasered and has been taken into custody. 

A police officer was among those injured in the attack, authorities said. 

Sydney has seen a spate of knife attacks this year, prompting the New South Wales state government to toughen its knife laws. The state parliament passed laws in June giving police electronic metal-detecting scanners to check people without a warrant at shopping centers, sporting venues and public transport stations. 

In April, six people were killed and 12 injured in a knife attack at a mall in Sydney’s Bondi area. 
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TAIPEI, Taiwan — Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on a visit to Taiwan Saturday that an isolationist policy isn’t “healthy” and called on the Republican Party to stand with her country’s allies, while still putting in good words for the party’s nominee, Donald Trump.

Haley, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, told reporters in the capital, Taipei, that supporting U.S. allies, including Ukraine and Israel, is vital. She underscored the importance of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, to be brought under control by force if necessary.

“I don’t think the isolationist approach is healthy. I think America can never sit in a bubble and think that we won’t be affected,” she said.

While the U.S. doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s strongest backer and main arms provider. However, Trump’s attempt to reclaim the presidency has fueled worries. He said Taiwan should pay for U.S. protection in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published in July and dodged answering the question of whether he would defend the island against a possible Chinese military action.

When Haley shuttered her own bid for the Republican nomination, she did not immediately endorse Trump, having accused him of causing chaos and disregarding the importance of U.S. alliances abroad. But in May she said she would be voting for him, while making it clear that she felt her former boss had work to do to win over voters who supported her.

On Saturday, she spoke in Trump’s favor. She said that having previously served with Trump’s administration, “we did show American strength in the world,” pointing to their pushback against China and their sanctioning of Russia and North Korea, among other efforts.

“I think that all of that strength that we showed is the reason that we didn’t see any wars, we didn’t see any invasions, we didn’t see any harm that happened during that time. I think Donald Trump would bring that back,” she said.

Trump has claimed that if elected, he would end the conflict in Ukraine before Inauguration Day in January. But Russia’s United Nations ambassador said he can’t. Trump’s public comments have varied between criticizing U.S. backing for Ukraine’s defense and supporting it, while his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, has been a leader of Republican efforts to block what have been billions in U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.

Concerns among Ukraine and its supporters that the country could lose vital U.S. support have increased as Trump’s campaign surged.

Haley criticized Trump’s rival, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she would “do exactly” what President Joe Biden had done. She said Harris was part of his administration when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and when the Hamas-Israel war broke out last year.

“She was in the situation room right next to Joe Biden. She was there making the exact same decisions. Those decisions have made the world less safe,” she said.

Haley added that while the Republicans and Democrats may not currently concur on much, they agree on “the threats of China,” adding that Taiwan is now looking “to make sure that if China starts a fight with them, that they are prepared to make sure that they can fight back.”

She said her party should stand with the country’s allies and make sure that U.S. shows strength around the world. She also said any authoritarian regime and “communists” harming or hurting other free countries should be a personal matter to the U.S.

“We don’t want to see communist China win. We don’t want to see Russia win. We don’t want to see Iran or North Korea win,” she said.

Haley met Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te during this week’s trip. She called for more international backing for the self-ruled island, a coordinated pushback against China’s claims over it, and for Taiwan to become a full member of the United Nations.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that 38 warplanes and 12 vessels from China were detected around the island during a 24-hour period from Friday morning. Thirty-two of the planes crossed the middle of the line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary that’s considered a buffer between the island and mainland.
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QUETTA, Pakistan — A roadside bomb attached to a motorcycle went off near a police office in restive southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least two children and a woman and wounding 15 people, authorities said.

The bomb seemed to have been detonated remotely, and an investigation was ongoing, said police official Mujirbur Rehman. He said the wounded included police and passersby and some were hospitalized in critical condition in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Pishin, a district in Balochistan. Suspicion is likely to fall on separatist groups that have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi denounced the bombing in a statement and mourned the slain children, saying those behind the attack “do not deserve to be called humans.” He also vowed to continue the “war against terrorists and their facilitators until they are eliminated.”

For years, Baluchistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. Although the government says it has quelled the insurgency, violence in the province has persisted.
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ISLAMABAD — Pakistani Minister for Power Awais Leghari says contracts with Chinese power producers that built and run power plants in Pakistan need to be revised.

“I think the terms and conditions that we already have with the Chinese as far as their IPPs [independent power producers] are concerned, they need another look,” Leghari told VOA in an interview this week.

The power projects, set up mostly in the last decade, helped end hourslong blackouts. But contracts require that Pakistan pay for the entire generation capacity of each power plant, regardless of how much electricity is used. A failure to spur industrial growth that could help utilize additional power, and the inability to reduce transmission losses, has left Pakistan with huge bills to pay for unused and wasted power generation capacity in addition to repaying project loans.

Leghari said the Chinese government and companies are engaging with Pakistan on the reprofiling of power sector debt and to convert coal-fired power plants to local fuel.

“Those are changes in the terms and conditions of how the Chinese IPPs are working with us. Those would give us very substantial benefits to harvest in terms of [electricity] tariff reductions,” the power minister said, referring to Pakistan’s efforts to also bring down skyrocketing electricity prices for consumers.

Islamabad owes more than $15 billion to Chinese power plant operators. It is seeking rescheduling of payments to gain financial breathing room in a bid to obtain much-needed financing from the International Monetary Fund.

Leghari and Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb went to Beijing late last month to discuss power sector debt relief.

The trip came days after Islamabad reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF for a three-year, $7 billion loan program. The bank’s board must still approve the deal.

Leghari said China, like the IMF, wants to see broader reforms from Pakistan.

China and the IMF “are wanting to look at the entire economic or power sector reform that we have already authored and embarked upon,” Leghari said. “I think the more the confidence they have in our economic reform agenda, the better would be the response.”

Leghari is leading a power sector reform task force created after his return from China. Reform efforts aimed at cutting power sector losses include auditing all independent power plants.

Independent power plants set up by Pakistani companies in the country also have contract terms similar to those of Chinese-run plants. Experts say across-the-board analysis shows Beijing does not want its companies to be singled out as problematic, nor does it want to be alone in offering concessions to Islamabad.

Beijing has not publicly addressed Islamabad’s request for rescheduling energy sector debt. However, Pakistan’s daily Express Tribune reported it has agreed to convert three Chinese-owned power plants in Pakistan from using imported to local coal.

Pakistan hopes to save hundreds of millions of dollars annually by switching to local coal for power generation.

The change may come at a high cost. Experts say Chinese investors struggling to recover payments may demand higher insurance premiums and profit margins if they are to expand mining operations, reducing savings for Pakistan.

“It’s going to be a win-win situation for everyone,” Leghari said, rejecting the concerns.

“Unless that isn’t there, people will not invest, lenders will not give money.”

Pakistan will also need infrastructure to transport local coal long distances, and power plants may need to make technical design changes to use Pakistani coal, which is known to be dirtier and less efficient than imported coal.

“There has been an overwhelming response to have a look and run technical and financial feasibilities on all the aspects of coal conversion and reprofiling,” Leghari insisted, while rejecting environmental concerns about shifting to local coal.

Leghari played down the possibility of scaring Chinese investors as Pakistan seeks a review of past contracts, saying Islamabad holds relationships with investors “dear to our heart.”

“Whatever will happen, with whomever, will be with mutual consent,” he said.
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Jakarta, indonesia — Thousands of people rallied in several cities in Indonesia on Friday, pressuring its election commission to issue rules for regional voting amid outrage over an attempt by parliamentary allies of President Joko Widodo to change them in their favor. 

The protests followed a day of demonstrations in which 301 people were detained and tear gas and water cannons used to disperse angry crowds outside parliament, which on Thursday shelved its controversial plan to amend eligibility rules on candidates, citing the absence of a quorum. 

The protests were accompanied by fury on social media at the influential Jokowi, as the president is known, who stood to gain from proposed changes that would have allowed his son to seek office in Central Java and blocked an influential government critic from running for the high-profile post of Jakarta governor. 

When asked about the protests, Jokowi said Friday that it was good for people to express their aspirations. 

He said Wednesday that he respected Indonesia’s democratic institutions, when asked about the attempt by parliament to change the election rules. 

The demonstrations capped a dramatic week in politics in which anger has mounted over what Jokowi’s critics say is an attempt to further consolidate his power as he prepares to make way for successor Prabowo Subianto in October. 

Jokowi’s popularity and outsized influence after a decade in charge was instrumental in Prabowo winning February’s election by a big margin, in what was widely seen as a quid pro quo to ensure the outgoing leader retains a political stake long after he leaves office. 

‘This is nepotism’

Student protester Diva Rabiah, 23, was among hundreds of people who gathered outside the election commission in Jakarta urging it to issue clear rules on candidates, concerned that regulations could be changed before registration opens next week. 

“This bothers me because they eased the way for the president’s son to run in the regional elections. This is nepotism,” she said of the earlier plan by lawmakers. 

Demonstrations were also held Friday in the cities of Medan, Makassar and in Surabaya, where students threw rocks and bottles at police, calling for the election commisison to issue the rules. 

It is unclear what role Jokowi will play when he leaves office, but he is expected to wield influence through the Golkar Party, the largest member of Prabowo’s parliamentary alliance, which Wednesday appointed the president’s right-hand man, Bahlil Lahadalia, as its leader. 

The push by lawmakers to change the election rules would have effectively been a reversal of a Constitutional Court decision Tuesday, which upheld the minimum age of 30 for candidates and made it easier for parties to make nominations. 

That ruling opened the door for Prabowo’s presidential election rival, Anies Baswedan, to be nominated for Jakarta governor, a post he held from 2017 to 2022, but meant Jokowi’s son Kaesang Pangarep, 29, could not run in regional polls. 

The election commission will issue rules in line with Tuesday’s court ruling, but after a consultation with parliament next week, its acting chief, Mochammad Afifuddin, said in a news conference.
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Feni, Bangladesh — Continuing floods in Bangladesh have killed 15 people, and more than 4.4 million people have been affected across 11 districts, according to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.  

Kamrul Hasan, secretary of the ministry, told a press conference Friday at the secretariat that the situation has deteriorated — notably in the eastern district of Feni — with other eastern districts also experiencing widespread flooding, including Chattogram, Cumilla, Noakhali, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Brahmanbaria, Lakshmipur, Khagrachari and Cox’s Bazar. 

The floods have submerged 77 upazilas, or boroughs, impacting 584 unions and municipalities. More than 887,000 families are suffering from the devastation, the secretary said. 

The official confirmed that 13 people have lost their lives, including a pregnant woman who was swept away by fast running waters. The casualties include four from Cumilla, one from Feni, two from Chattogram, one from Noakhali, one from Brahmanbaria, one from Lakshmipur and three from Cox’s Bazar. 

The ministry official reports that 3,160 shelters have been set up by the government in response to the crisis, and 188,739 individuals have sought refuge in them. In addition, 637 medical teams have been dispatched to the flood-affected areas to offer crucial health care services.

To support those in need, the ministry has distributed 35.2 million BDT, roughly $300,000 in cash, 20,150 metric tons of rice, and 15,000 food packets. The official said adequate relief supplies are available across all districts to manage the ongoing disaster. 

The floods have devastated eastern Bangladesh at the same time the country is going through political turmoil after a lengthy and violent student protest that resulted in the country’s former prime minister resigning and going into exile. 

The Global Climate Risk Index has listed Bangladesh among the countries most vulnerable to disasters and climate change. 

Meanwhile, across the border in India, Tripura state also has been hit hard by floods that have reportedly taken 23 lives since Monday. 

Rescue operations are underway while locals say conditions are making it hard for rescue workers to reach those in need. 

This story originated in VOA’s Bangla service. Some information in this report came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. 
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Video of floods in Feni, Bangladesh, August, 2024.
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Washington — The Taiwan High Court on Thursday sentenced eight Taiwanese military officers to prison for spying for China in exchange for financial gain. Experts say the case shows a shift in China’s espionage tactics in Taiwan.

The sentences range from 18 months to 13 years in prison, making it one of Taiwan’s largest espionage cases in years.

The court said in a statement that the defendants were “willing to collect intelligence for China that caused the leak of important secrets” and that “they were seduced by money.”

An individual named Chen Yuxin was found to have contacted and recruited the defendants at key military sites to form a spy network for China. Chen was believed to have fled to China and remained there.

The defendants were also accused of planning to fly a CH-47 Chinook military helicopter to a Chinese aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Strait and of shooting a video indicating they would surrender to Beijing in the event of war, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency. Beijing used virtual currency to make payments to the defendants, according to Bloomberg.

Timothy Heath, a senior international defense researcher with the RAND Corporation, told VOA in an email, “The impact could have been severe if Taiwan’s authorities did not stop the espionage and defection of military assets like a helicopter in time.

“It is demoralizing to read of Taiwan soldiers voluntarily making videos that advertise their willingness to surrender to China,” he said.

Other cases of spying

The sentencing of the eight military officers is the latest in a growing number of espionage cases authorities say were carried out by China on the democratically ruled island.

Russell Hsiao, executive director of the Global Taiwan Institute and senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, said the sentences on Thursday reflect a shift in tactics by Chinese intelligence.

“This group of convicted agents involves relatively younger persons than in prior cases that have often targeted older retirees from the military,” he said in an email to VOA.

He said that while the older targets in previous cases were more driven by a mix of ideology reinforced by financial gains, “the motivation of these recent cases appears to be primarily financial.”

He also noted that while the sentences handed down by the court are arguably more severe than in prior cases, given the relatively limited value of the intelligence collected and passed on by these agents, this may be intended to send a deterrent signal to would-be spies.

China claims democratic Taiwan as its territory and has ramped up military and political pressure in the Taiwan Strait in recent years. The two sides have been spying on each other for decades.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said, “This is not a foreign policy issue, but a question concerning the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, which belong to the one and same China.”

Hsiao said there has been an upward trend in espionage cases involving Taiwan military personnel over the past decade.

Taiwan’s Control Yuan, the government’s oversight branch, confirmed this on Thursday. In a statement, it said that in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of espionage-related cases uncovered by Taiwan’s military security units, and the targets and forms of infiltration are different from those in the past.

The Control Yuan statement said that from 2011 to 2023, there were 40 espionage cases, three times the number from 2001 to 2010. Those cases involved a total of 113 military and civilian personnel, and many “top secrets” were leaked.

“This certainly shows that Beijing is intent on penetrating Taiwan’s military and security services, so Taipei will have to stay vigilant against these efforts in the years ahead,” Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told VOA in an email.

A Taiwanese sergeant who worked at a navy training center was indicted last month for allegedly photographing and leaking confidential defense information to Beijing.

In June, the court upheld the sentences given to two retired Taiwanese Air Force officers for helping or attempting to help China recruit intelligence assets in Taiwan.

“The cases show that Chinese-directed subversion and espionage remain major threats to Taiwan,” Heath said. “The biggest impact is the continued erosion of the public’s trust and even U.S. trust in Taiwan’s government and military to control the threat of Chinese subversion and espionage.”

In its statement, the Control Yuan urged Taiwan’s government to increase its defense budget to help prevent China’s espionage activities.

Taiwan’s Cabinet announced Thursday that defense spending for 2025 would increase by 7.7% to $20.25 billion.
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Alina is an Afghan transgender person who fled Afghanistan to Peshawar, Pakistan, after the Taliban took over the country. Alina says her life would be in danger if she returned to Afghanistan, but she is also facing threats in Peshawar. Muska Safi has the report, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.
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Bangkok  — A court in Buddhist-majority Thailand decided Friday to try seven former military and police officials for their roles in the deaths of 85 Muslim men at a protest that took place 20 years ago.

The seven are charged with murder, attempted murder and unlawful detention. The statute of limitations on the charges expires in late October, exactly two decades after the events of the so-called Tak Bai Massacre.

“I feel relieved that the duty of the lawyers and the duty of the plaintiffs is accomplished,” Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, a human rights activist and lawyer representing one of the plaintiffs in the case, told VOA after the court announced its decision.

“We [were] hugging each other … and I think they are very happy,” she said of the other plaintiffs as well.

Lawyers for the accused could not be reached for comment.

The case concerns the events of October 25, 2004, in Tak Bai district, Narathiwat province, in Thailand’s predominantly Muslim and ethnic Malay deep south.

Soldiers and police shot and killed seven people while responding to a protest demanding the release of suspected Islamic militants. Human rights groups say the officers forced many more protesters into police trucks destined for a military camp some 140 kilometers away, leaving them packed inside and forced to lie on top of one another for hours. Seventy-eight of them died.

A state inquest later determined that they had suffocated. It also concluded that security forces used inappropriate measures to disperse the protesters and that commanding officers failed to adequately supervise the movement of the detainees. But authorities did not pursue charges and police claimed force majeure, a legal term referring to events beyond their control.

No one was ever previously charged over the deaths or injuries.

Hoping to change that, 48 survivors and relatives of the dead filed a lawsuit with the Narathiwat provincial court in April against nine officers, all since retired, involved in the security forces’ response to the protest.

Pornpen said the court on Friday decided against taking two of the nine to trial on the grounds they were not responsible for use of force.

Even so, she said the court’s decision to put the other seven on trial was a welcome surprise in a country where senior police, military and government officials are widely seen to act with impunity.

“We had so many times in history that the call for democracy, call for change, anything like [a] protest always ends up with violence and no one is [held] responsible,” she said. “So, to bring the perpetrator to justice according to Thai law is not easy, and I think we did it.”

In a statement, Amnesty International called Friday’s decision an overdue but “crucial first step towards justice” for those who suffered what it called the “excessive use of force” at the 2004 protest.

“The victims and their loved ones have spent almost two decades waiting for justice and accountability for the heinous crimes committed,” the rights group said. “Thai authorities must immediately enforce the court decision and take necessary measures to ensure the case’s statute of limitations does not expire.”

Amnesty International said at least one of the defendants must be brought to court to hear the charges by October 25 for the case to proceed to trial.

Pornpen confirmed that the defendants must still appear in court before the statute of limitations runs out for the trial to proceed.

She said the court would issue subpoenas ordering the accused to appear on September 12, but was concerned they may try to stall and avoid an appearance until the statute of limitations runs out.

Anchana Heemmina, director of the Duay Jai Group, a non-profit that monitors human rights abuses in Thailand’s deep south, said she also worried the accused may yet avoid a trial.

But she welcomed Friday’s decision nonetheless and said it could begin to restore some faith in the courts among southern Thailand’s Muslims.

“They feel like the Thai government, or the military don’t want to protect Malay Muslims who are civilians in the country and feel like we are the second class,” said Anchana.

“Now, for today, for the Tak Bai case, it’s a little bit first step that makes the people believe or trust the justice system,” she added.

Once the seat of a Muslim sultanate, the southern provinces of modern-day Thailand were deeded by the British to the then-kingdom of Siam in 1909. Rejecting the transfer, several armed ethnic Malay Muslim groups have waged a long-running guerrilla war against the Thai state in hopes of winning independence for the provinces.

More than 7,000 people have died in related violence since fighting intensified in 2004.

While bombings, assassinations and shootouts across the south continue to occur alongside police raids and arrests, the pace of the violence has waned over the years, and the government is in talks with some of the rebel groups over terms of a possible cease-fire.
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ISLAMABAD — A group of independent experts from the United Nations raised concerns Friday about Pakistan’s large-scale deportations of undocumented Afghan migrants and called for measures to minimize the dangers faced by vulnerable people among them.

The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued findings of its review of Pakistan at an online news conference in Geneva, saying it was “alarmed by the mass exodus” under the country’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.

Michal Balcerzak, the chair of the committee, said that a staggering 700,000 people, including 101,000 between April and June, were deported or returned to Afghanistan as part of the plan.

Pakistani authorities launched the deportation campaign late last year, attributing a surge in nationwide militant attacks to “elements” residing among undocumented foreigners, primarily Afghans.

“The committee highlighted reports of harassment, forced evictions and the detention of 28,500 Afghans from September to December 2023, which have driven many to return to Afghanistan out of fear,” said Balcerzak.

He emphasized that Pakistan should assess “refoulement risks” and take measures to reduce dangers faced by vulnerable groups, such as the risk of unaccompanied children being trafficked or exploited.

VOA contacted but could not immediately receive a response from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson regarding the U.N. findings.

Islamabad rejects criticism of its deportations of foreigners lacking proper paperwork, stating that the campaign is not aimed at a specific nationality and asserting that most of the Afghan returnees departed voluntarily. However, the returnees and Taliban authorities in Afghanistan have questioned those claims.

Balcerzak stated that the U.N. committee “expressed regret for the lack of a legislative and institutional framework in line with international law” and recommended that Pakistan ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Optional Protocol.

According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Pakistan is not a party to the global convention and has not enacted any national legislation to protect refugees nor has it established procedures to determine the refugee status of people seeking international protection within its territory.

Pakistan also hosts about 1.4 million official Afghan refugees fleeing years of war, persecution and economic hardship in poverty-stricken Afghanistan.

Moreover, nearly 900,000 Afghan citizenship card holders also live in the country. The migrant community received the identity documents several years ago after undergoing a registration process backed by the Pakistani and Afghan governments and financed by the International Organization for Migration.

Last month, Pakistan extended until June 2025 the stay of the 1.4 million Afghan refugees in the country legally.
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KATHMANDU, Nepal — At least 27 people were killed and 16 others injured when a bus carrying dozens of Indian pilgrims drove off a key highway and crashed on Friday in Nepal, officials said.

The bus veered off Prithvi Highway and rolled toward a fast-flowing river. Its roof was ripped open before stopping on the rocky bank just shy of the Marsyangdi’s rushing, murky water.

Rescue workers recovered 27 bodies from the wreckage and flew the 16 injured to the capital Kathmandu for treatment, according to Armed Police Force spokesperson Shailendra Thapa.

The wreckage was found near Abukhaireni, a town about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu and the river. It would be removed only on Saturday as it was already dark and recovery was difficult, Thapa said.

There were 43 people on board the bus and all of them were Indian nationals, confirmed the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. The embassy also said the bus fell about 150 meters (500 feet) from the highway, and they were coordinating with local authorities undertaking relief and rescue operations.

The bus from the neighboring Indian town of Gorakhpur was heading toward Kathmandu from the resort town of Pokhara on Friday when it drove off the highway midway through the journey.

Tens of thousands of Hindu pilgrims from neighboring India visit Nepal every year to visit Hindu shrines. Nepal is a Hindu-majority country. Local news reports said the pilgrims on the bus were also heading toward Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath, the revered temple of Hindu god Shiva.

In July, two buses were swept by landslides not too far from Friday’s accident site. Of the 65 people on board those two buses, only three survived and only about half the bodies were recovered. The wreckage of those buses has not been found yet but authorities have continued to search.

The Monsoon season that begins in June and stretches up to September brings heavy rainfall to Nepal triggering landslides and flooding. The heavy rainfall also swells the rivers and adds speed to the generally fast-flowing rivers due to the mountainous terrain. The season also turns rivers murky brown, making any search mission difficult.

Rescuers used divers, scanners and even heavy magnets to try to locate the wreckage but no traces were found.

Bus accidents in Nepal are mostly due to poorly maintained roads and vehicles and much of the country is covered by mountains with narrow roads.
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LAHORE, Pakistan — The death toll from Pakistan’s deadliest bandit attack on police rose to 12 after one of the wounded officers died at a hospital in the eastern province of Punjab as police pursued the bandits believed to be behind the attack, officials said Friday.

Thursday’s attack with guns and rocket-propelled grenades also wounded eight officers. It took place in the Kacha area in Rahim Yar Khan district, which is known for hideouts along the Indus River where hundreds of heavily armed bandits evade police.

Punjab police chief Usman Anwar said police had killed a bandit leader believed to have been behind the attack named Bashir Shar, and wounded five others, as they pursued the gang. In a statement, Anwar said the operation against the robbers is still ongoing, and it will continue until the last bandit is eliminated in the province.

Senior police and government officials will attend the funerals of slain officers later Friday.

Bandits often rob people traveling on highways in Punjab and elsewhere in the country. Some areas in Punjab are so dangerous that people avoid traveling after sunset to avoid getting robbed, though police have cleared most of the so-called “no-go areas.”

Abdullah Khan, a senior defense analyst and managing director of the Islamabad-based Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, said the bandits were armed with guns, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and pistols.

“These weapons were smuggled to Pakistan from Afghanistan in recent years, and are available to the robbers too,” he told The Associated Press.

According to police, the bandits ambushed police when one of the vehicles carrying officers broke down while passing through flooded farm fields. Pakistan has been lashed by monsoon rains since July.

The attack was denounced by President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who released statements to express sorrow and described the slain officers as martyrs.

Pakistan has witnessed a surge in violence, mostly blamed on militants, in recent years but the death of so many police officers in one attack in unprecedented.

Police said the robbers took advantage of the darkness to attack police. In a statement, they said that the “morale of the police is high, and such cowardly actions by robbers cannot lower the morale of the police.”
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