DRULAP

VOA Uzbek: Uzbekistan reports 2 inmate deaths within a week

The Uzbek authorities confirmed two deaths in the country’s prisons last week. Both incidents occurred in penal colonies in the Tashkent region, adjacent to the capital, Tashkent. One was the death of a 21-year-old man, from what officials said was a heart attack and acute pancreatitis. Uzbekistan’s Chief Prosecutor’s Office said it is investigating. The other death was an inmate who was fatally injured during repair work in the prison kitchen. No further information was available on the case.

Click here for the full story in Uzbek.

…

your ad here

Hong Kong publisher Jimmy Lai’s ‘time is running out,’ son says  

As pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai spoke in his defense at a Hong Kong court Tuesday, his son Sebastien Lai was in Geneva calling for the United States and other world leaders to help secure this father’s release. 

Speaking on Tuesday at the latest hearing in his national security trial, Lai, 77, denied any intention to incite violence among protesters.

He defended an opinion piece published in 2019 in the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper that he founded in which he suggested that pro-democracy protesters establish a leadership structure to weed out those who wished to engage in violence during protests that year.  

“By saying they should choose a leadership group, [it means that] they should put down some principle or bottom line for the valiant acts which, basically, is for them to stop the violence,” Lai said in court.

The British national has been standing trial for more than a year on charges of collusion with foreign forces and sedition under Hong Kong’s national security law.  Lai rejects the charges, which foreign governments and press freedom groups have said are politically motivated. 

Hong Kong authorities deny that the trial is unfair and have previously told VOA that the government respects press freedom and the rule of law.

Lai has been in solitary confinement since late 2020. Sebastien Lai raised concerns about his father’s health as he advocated for him in Geneva.  

“I ask that you join my call to free Jimmy Lai and champion him for all he’s given in the hope of freedom,” the younger Lai said Monday at the annual Human Rights and Democracy summit in Geneva.  

When Beijing’s national security law was enacted in Hong Kong in 2020, Sebastien Lai said his father knew he would be a target.

“But he refused to leave,” he said. “Six decades after landing on the shore of this island in pursuit of freedom, he decided to stay and stand with his fellow protesters.” 

Jimmy Lai was born in Guangzhou, China, and fled to Hong Kong when he was 12. He worked in a garment sweatshop before eventually founding the successful clothing brand Giordano. He later moved into media, founding Apple Daily in 1995.

Both the United States and Britain have criticized Hong Kong’s case against him. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump in October said he would “100%” get Lai released, without specifying details.

Sebestien Lai said Trump’s comment gave the family “a lot of hope.”

But he cautioned that time is running out for his father, who has diabetes. The publisher’s international legal team says he isn’t receiving adequate medical care, which authorities deny.

“His body is breaking down,” Sebastien Lai told Reuters ahead of the summit. “Time is running out for my father.”  

Lai’s international legal team urged global leaders to stand up for press freedom at the U.N. Human Rights Council next week. 

“How the world responds will send a vital message to authoritarians across the world,” Caoilfhionn Gallagher, head of Lai’s international legal team, told Reuters.  

Gallagher and her team at the London law firm Doughty Street Chambers have faced significant harassment for their role defending Lai.

On social media and in email, Gallagher has faced threats of death, rape and dismemberment, The Guardian reported. She has also been targeted with hundreds of attempts to hack her bank account.  

The Bar Council, the representative body for barristers in England and Wales, expressed concern about the harassment.  

Some information in this report came from Reuters.  
…

your ad here

Pakistan set to host first major cricket event in three decades

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is ready to host the International Cricket Council Champions Trophy 2025 on Wednesday, with eight teams coming together for a major cricketing event in the country for the first time in three decades.

Pakistan last hosted a men’s Cricket World Cup in 1996 under the International Cricket Council.

The Champions Trophy will see players from Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand Pakistan, and South Africa compete over almost three weeks, with the final scheduled for March 9.

All the teams except India will play in three stadiums across Pakistan. All matches involving India will be staged in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after the Indian cricket board refused to send the team to the archrival country, citing security concerns.

Afghanistan’s cricket team faced boycott calls from politicians in England and South Africa, who did not want their cricket boards to play the team because of the Afghan Taliban’s severe restrictions on women’s mobility, education and ability to work.

The cricket series begins in Pakistan’s biggest metropolis, Karachi, with the host team playing New Zealand.

Long wait for this opportunity

International cricket dried up in Pakistan after a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan national team in Lahore injured six players. Six Pakistani police officers and two passersby were killed. The incident deprived Pakistan of the chance to host the 2009 Champions Trophy and the 2011 Men’s Cricket World Cup.

International cricket returned with Zimbabwe’s visit in 2015. Since 2019, several major foreign teams have played in Pakistan.

For the nation of cricket lovers, attending a large event at home after more than a decade is nothing short of a dream come true.

“It’s the biggest event for us since 2009, so we are very excited,” said Mohsin Ali. Ali told VOA he paid just over $10 for a ticket to see Pakistan face Bangladesh on Feb. 27 in Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad.

“Pakistani team would play overseas, and we would watch it on TV, which wasn’t much fun,” said Ubaid Hassan, who was a child when international teams shunned Pakistan. Hassan, a captain of the cricket team in his village, has tickets to two matches.

Tight security for the event

Pakistan is deploying almost 20,000 police officials and personnel across Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi for security on game days, with snipers deployed on buildings surrounding the stadiums.

The security situation remains poor in Pakistan with near daily deadly militant attacks in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan provinces. However, the country’s eastern province of Punjab and the southern province of Sindh, where the matches will be played, remain largely calm.

Still, in Karachi, the capital of Sindh, paramilitary troops and the military will be on standby to respond to security emergencies during the event.

Players are receiving state guest-level security. That means a heavy police contingent at hotels where teams are staying, with their travel routes cleared of all traffic. Only personnel with security clearances are allowed to interact with them.

Muhammad Waqas, deputy inspector general of operations for the Punjab police, told VOA that since the 2009 attack, “sports security and security of international events has become very important for us.”

“Even the slightest administrative lapse will cause embarrassment at a very large level, and if we do a good job and manage things efficiently, the same positive impression will go to a billion odd people,” Waqas said. “That is why it’s extremely important and is being planned and monitored at the highest level.”

Fans coming to the stadium will go through several layers of security, including metal detectors and pat downs. Each ticket bears the name and national identity card number of the buyer.

Could be good for nation’s image

While it’s not clear how many visas have been issued to foreign fans, cricket experts in Pakistan say the event will help improve the country’s image, which has suffered partly because of a lack of international exposure.

“When you don’t have tourists, then people will not know how your country is and people will keep thinking poorly of Muslims and Pakistanis,” said Tauqir Zia, former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Although India’s absence from Pakistan’s grounds is a disappointment for many Pakistani cricket lovers who wanted to see the sport’s biggest rivalry play out at home, some say the arrival of other cricketing powers is a vote of confidence.

“Six countries coming to play here is a very big victory for Pakistan. If India doesn’t come, it’s not stopping cricket. The game is still happening,” said cricket journalist Umar Farooq.

The final will be played in Pakistan, unless India qualifies to play the last match, in which case the event will take place in Dubai.

Pakistan has spent millions of dollars in recent months to upgrade the stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.

Former Pakistani cricketer Mushtaq Ahmed said he hopes the arrival of heavyweights will usher in a new era for international cricket in the country.

“It’s the first step,” said Ahmed, who is a spin bowling coach for Bangladesh. “I am very hopeful that this will open more doors.”

VOA Urdu’s Naveed Naseem contributed to this report.
…

your ad here

Vietnam parliament approves radical government cost-cutting drive

Hanoi, Vietnam — Vietnam will cut one in five public sector jobs and slash billions of dollars from government budgets, after the country’s rubber-stamp parliament on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to a radical streamlining drive.

The reform are creating unease in a communist country where working for the state long meant a job for life.

Described as “a revolution” by senior officials, the drive will see the number of government ministries and agencies slashed from 30 to 22.

The National Assembly voted to pass the government’s organizational structure, a statement on the parliament’s website said.

The ministries of transport, planning and investment, communications and labor have been scrapped, and state media, the civil service, the police and the military will face cuts.

As part of the government restructuring, the National Assembly on Tuesday approved two new deputy prime ministers, taking the total to seven.

Almost two million people worked in the public sector as of 2022, according to the government, although the International Labor Organization puts the figure much higher.

One in five of these jobs will be eliminated over the next five years.

The government has said that 100,000 people will be made redundant or offered early retirement, but it has yet to offer clarity on how the much larger target will be reached.

Vietnam’s top leader To Lam, who half a year ago became Communist Party general secretary following the death of his predecessor, has said that state agencies should not be “safe havens for weak officials”.

“If we want to have a healthy body, sometimes we must take bitter medicine and endure pain to remove tumors,” Lam said in December.

He has also said that the plan had received “large consensus from the people”.

But several workers told AFP they were laid off with little notice and were concerned that decisions about which employees to keep were not based on ability.

Thanh, a pseudonym to protect his identity, told AFP his 12-year career as a TV producer was “aggressively” terminated last month.

The state-controlled news channel where he worked was shuttered, one of five broadcasters already closed, and Thanh was given two weeks’ notice.

“It is painful to talk about,” said Thanh, a father who has turned to driving a taxi.

Business impact

Building on stellar economic growth of 7.1 percent in 2024, Vietnam —a global manufacturing hub heavily reliant on exports — is aiming for eight percent this year.

But anxiety is mounting over the country’s potential vulnerability to tariffs under the new Trump administration.

A bloated bureaucracy is also seen as a brake on growth, as is a high-profile anti-corruption campaign that has slowed everyday transactions.

Authorities say savings from the cuts in spending could total $4.5 billion over the next five years, despite costs of more than $5 billion for retirement and severance packages.

Streamlining the bureaucracy has been a Communist Party policy for nearly a decade but Lam is pushing the scheme ahead rapidly.

Lam has also enthusiastically pursued an anti-graft campaign that has swept up dozens of business leaders and senior government figures, including two presidents and three deputy prime ministers since 2021.

Critics accuse him of targeting his rivals through the action, but the drive has proved popular with the public and analysts say Lam may be looking to bolster his legitimacy ahead of the next Communist Party congress in early 2026.

The turmoil, however, has threatened the country’s reputation for stability and there are fears the bureaucratic reforms could also cause short-term chaos.

At a press conference last week, Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson for the foreign affairs ministry, said the drive “would not affect the investment and business environment in Vietnam.”
…

your ad here

Philippines reports intrusions targeting intelligence data

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines has detected foreign attempts to access intelligence data, but its cyber minister said on Tuesday no breaches have been recorded so far.

Attempts to steal data are wide-ranging, said minister for information and communications Ivan Uy. Advanced Persistent Threats or APTs have repeatedly attempted but failed to infiltrate government systems, suggesting the country’s cyber-defenses have held firm.

APTs are a general term for cyber actors or groups, often state-backed, that engage in malicious cyber activities.

“These have been present for quite some time, and threats come from many actors, but a big majority of them are foreign,” Uy told Reuters.

Some of these threats, which Uy referred to as “sleepers,” had been embedded in systems before being exposed by government’s cyber security efforts.

“Why are these things operating in those systems, without even anybody calling it out?,” he said.

So far, the government has not seen any cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure, he said.

“Hopefully it’s because our cyber defenses and cyber security are strong enough,” he said.

Uy acknowledged the difficulty of attributing cyber intrusions to specific attackers, as they sometimes leave misleading digital traces.

However, the government is working through diplomatic channels and sharing intelligence with the military, including with other countries, to validate threats and strengthen defenses, he said.

Last year, the Philippine said it thwarted attempts by hackers operating in China to break into websites and e-mail systems of the Philippine president and government agencies, including one promoting maritime security.

Uy described the escalating cyber threats as part of a global arms race, where nations and criminal organizations exploit digital vulnerabilities for financial or strategic gain.

“World War III is happening and it is cyber,” Uy said. “These weapons are non-kinetic. They are cyber, digital, virtual, but it’s happening. The attacks and defenses are happening as we speak, without any physical manifestation.”

Beyond cyberattacks, Uy has also flagged a surge in deepfakes and what he referred to as “fake news media outlets” aiming to manipulate public opinion ahead of the Philippines’ mid-term elections in May, and the ministry has deployed tools to combat them.

“Misinformation and disinformation are riskier with respect to democracies like ours, because we rely on elections, and elections are based on personal opinion,” Uy said.
…

your ad here

Japan approves new climate, energy and industry policies through 2040

TOKYO — Japan’s government approved on Tuesday new targets to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions through 2040, alongside a revised energy plan and an updated industrial policy for the same period.

The measures, which seek to bolster long-term policy stability for businesses, focus on promoting decarbonization, ensuring a stable energy supply and strengthening industrial capacity to drive economic growth.

Under the new climate policy, Japan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% from 2013 levels by 2035 and by 73% by 2040, extending its 2030 goal of a 46% cut.

The emissions-cutting target sparked calls for deeper reductions from experts and ruling coalition members when it was first proposed, as the world’s fifth-biggest carbon emitter struggles to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

Despite more than 80% of 3,000 public comments supporting a more ambitious target, the environment and industry ministries finalized the goal without changes, citing prior deliberations by climate experts.

As part of global efforts to combat climate change, Japan plans to submit its new target, known as a Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement, to the United Nations this month.

The revised energy policy aims for renewables to account for up to 50% of Japan’s electricity mix by fiscal year 2040, with nuclear power contributing another 20% as the country pushes for clean energy while meeting rising power demand.

Japanese utilities have struggled to restart nuclear reactors since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, limiting nuclear power to just 8.5% of Japan’s electricity supply in 2023.

The new energy plan removes the previous goal of minimizing reliance on nuclear and calls for building next-generation reactors.

A new national strategy integrating decarbonization and industrial policy through 2040, aligned with the emission target and energy plan, was also approved by the cabinet.

It aims to develop industrial clusters in areas rich in renewable energy, nuclear power, and other low-carbon power sources.

However, uncertainties are emerging around Japan’s policies, as the domestic offshore wind market, a key driver of renewable energy growth, faces headwinds from inflation and high costs, recently prompting Mitsubishi Corp to review three domestic projects.
…

your ad here

Taiwan considers multibillion-dollar arms purchase from US, sources say

WASHINGTON/TAIPEI — Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, sources briefed on the matter said, hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as China continues to apply military pressure on the island.

Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters that Taiwan is in talks with Washington.

The package is meant to demonstrate to the United States that Taiwan is committed to its defense, one of the sources said.

A second source said the package would include coastal defense cruise missiles and HIMARS rockets.

“I would be very surprised if it was less than $8 billion. Somewhere between $7 billion to $10 billion,” the source added.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz has said he wants to speed delivery of weapons to Taiwan.

Taiwan’s defense ministry declined to comment on specific purchases but said it is focused on building its defenses.

“Any weaponry and equipment that can achieve those goals for building the military are listed as targets for tender,” it said.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and says only the island’s people can decide their future.

Trump-Taiwan relations

U.S. President Donald Trump unnerved chip powerhouse Taiwan on the election campaign trail by saying the island stole American semiconductor business. This month, he threatened tariffs on chip imports.

But his administration maintained diplomatic support for the Chinese-claimed island.

Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba issued a joint statement on Feb. 7 opposing any attempt to change the current situation in the Taiwan Strait through force or coercion. The U.S. State Department also removed language on its website that it does not support Taiwan independence, a move praised by the island’s government. China has urged the U.S. to “correct its mistakes.”

Taiwan plans to propose a special defense budget that prioritizes precision ammunition, air-defense upgrades, command and control systems, equipment for the reserve forces and anti-drone technology, a third source familiar with the matter said.

During his 2017-2021 term, Trump established regular arms sales to Taiwan, including multibillion-dollar deals for F-16 fighter jets. The Biden administration continued these sales, though often with smaller price tags.

Taiwanese officials see encouraging signs from Trump’s administration even as tariff threats weigh on that optimism.

Taiwan does not believe Trump is looking to make a “grand bargain” with Chinese President Xi Jinping to sell out Taiwan’s interests, one of the sources said. Trump is more concerned with putting tariffs on semiconductors, the source said.

In another sign of U.S. commitment to Taiwan, the top U.S. diplomat in Taiwan, Raymond Greene, will retain his post, three sources told Reuters, even as other U.S. diplomatic postings undergo major reshuffles.

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said Greene remains director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the unofficial U.S. Embassy in Taipei.
…

your ad here

World Bank: Afghanistan’s economic recovery precarious

ISLAMABAD — The World Bank reported Monday that the economic recovery in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan remains precarious, beset by persistent challenges, including policy uncertainty, financial isolation, reduced foreign aid and fragile trade relations with neighboring Pakistan.

The bank assessed in its latest report that persistent high poverty levels, unemployment, limited resources, and weak purchasing power continue to leave millions of Afghans vulnerable in a country reeling from years of conflict and natural disasters.

The World Bank report revealed that Afghanistan’s trade deficit surged by 54% in 2024, reaching $9 billion, which represents 45% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). The report attributes this decline to a 5% drop in exports, totaling $1.8 billion, primarily due to a reduction in coal and textile exports.

In August 2021, the Islamist Taliban regained control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of all U.S.-led Western forces from the country, marking the end of nearly two decades of foreign presence.

The Taliban takeover led to the suspension of international aid and the imposition of sanctions on the financial and banking sectors. These measures were implemented in response to terrorism concerns, as key Taliban leaders were designated as global terrorists by the United Nations for directing years of insurgent attacks on U.S.-led foreign troops.

“Coal exports saw the steepest decline, plunging 64 percent to USD 92 million as Pakistan shifted to its traditional suppliers,” stated the World Bank.

The report highlighted an 11.5% increase in Afghan revenue collection, primarily driven by non-tax revenue and taxes levied at the country’s borders.

“Revenue collection remained strong in the first ten months of FY2024-25 (March 22, 2024 – January 21, 2025), totaling AFN 190.5 billion ($2.5 billion), or 12 percent of annual GDP,” stated the report.

The local currency, the Afghani (AFN), continued its depreciation trajectory for the third consecutive month, falling 12% from November 2024 to January 2025.

The report explained that the central Afghan bank suspended U.S. dollar auctions from Sept. 4 to Dec. 9, contributing to the depreciation of the local currency. The auctions resumed in January 2025, with the bank injecting more than $100 million.

The World Bank noted that Afghanistan, a landlocked nation, is compelled to diversify its export markets due to its precarious trade relations with Pakistan. Consequently, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan each account for approximately 3% of the overall volume of Afghan exports.

“However, Pakistan remains the largest export destination, accounting for 45%, followed by India at 34%,” the report stated.

Afghanistan relies on Pakistani overland routes and seaports for bilateral and international trade.

Allegations that militants on Afghan soil are responsible for the rise in terrorist attacks in Pakistan since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan have strained ties, affecting economic cooperation between the countries.

Pakistani officials have also complained that the Taliban have imposed high taxes and duties on bilateral trade, demanding significantly higher coal prices than international rates, resulting in a decline in mutual trade.

Furthermore, Islamabad asserts that de facto Afghan authorities are delaying the signing of trade-related agreements, thereby hindering the advancement of bilateral economic cooperation.

No countries have recognized the Taliban as a legitimate government of Afghanistan, primarily due to restrictions on freedom of speech and female rights to education and employment.

The Taliban attribute the difficulties in achieving economic recovery in the country to Western financial sanctions and the freezing of more than $9 billion in Afghan central bank assets held in the United States and other Western nations.
…

your ad here

Chinese official tours Thai-Myanmar border, highlights crackdown on scam centers

Bangkok — Efforts to shut down online scam centers in Myanmar appeared to gain momentum Monday as a top Chinese security official visited both sides of the Thai-Myanmar border ahead of expected large-scale repatriations of workers in the illicit industry.

The visit by Liu Zhongyi, China’s vice minister of public security and commissioner of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, was part of a stepped-up effort by the three countries to address the online scam problem, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters.

Areas of Myanmar bordering Thailand have been serving as havens for criminal syndicates employing an estimated hundreds of thousands of people from Southeast Asia and elsewhere who help carry out online scams including false romantic ploys, bogus investment pitches and illegal gambling schemes.

Such scams have cost victims around the world tens of billions of dollars, while the people recruited to carry them out have often been tricked into taking the jobs under false pretenses and find themselves trapped in virtual slavery.

Last week, some 260 people from 20 nations, including many from Africa, crossed from Myanmar into Thailand after they were reportedly rescued from scam centers.

Thailand and China coordinate crackdown on scam centers

On a visit to China in early February, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra vowed along with China’s leader Xi Jinping to crack down on the scam networks. Just ahead of her visit, Thailand cut off electricity, internet and gas supplies to several areas in Myanmar along the border, citing national security and severe damage that Thailand has suffered from scam operations.

The repatriations of foreign workers from Myanmar have been organized by the Border Guard Force in Myawaddy, a militia of the Karen ethnic minority that exercises control over the area. However, critics have accused it of being involved in the criminal activities, at least to the extent of providing protection to the scam centers.

The group’s leader, Saw Chit Thu, denied in a news conference Monday that his group was involved in scam activities, but acknowledged business links to some properties hosting the centers, which he said initially operated simply as resorts.

Thai media reported last week that Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation was considering seeking arrest warrants for Chit Thu and others for alleged human trafficking.

Thousands of workers employed by scam networks

Thai officials have said as many as 7,000-10,000 more people may be repatriated, but Phumtham cautioned that Thailand would only receive those that are ready to be taken back right away by their home countries.

The Bangkok Post newspaper reported that an initial batch of about 600 Chinese nationals from scam centers are expected to be flown back to China on chartered flights when Liu concludes his visit.

Liu visited the border areas in Thailand’s Tak province Monday and appeared in Myawaddy in Myanmar, apparently at a location where hundreds of people believed to have been rounded up from several scam centers are being held awaiting repatriation.

The video of Liu’s visit showed hundreds of people there sitting on the ground with their belongings in a large open-walled hall.

“China is actively conducting bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Thailand, Myanmar, and other countries, taking comprehensive measures to address both the symptoms and root causes, and working together to block criminals from committing crimes in relevant countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in Beijing.

“This is part of our joint efforts to eradicate the scourge of online gambling and telecom fraud, and to maintain the safety of people’s lives and property and the order of exchanges and cooperation among regional countries.”

Stories of Chinese trapped in Myanmar hurt Thailand’s reputation

Dramatic stories of Chinese people being lured to work in Thailand only to be trafficked into a scam compound in Myanmar spread widely on social media in China, causing alarm and denting Thailand’s reputation as a safe destination for Chinese visitors.

Among those trapped was Chinese actor Wang Xing, who arrived in Thailand on a promise of getting a job and was abducted to Myanmar. He was quickly rescued after the incident circulated on social media.

An earlier crackdown on scam centers in Myanmar was initiated in late 2023, after China expressed embarrassment and concern over illegal casinos and scam operations along its border in Myanmar’s northern Shan state.

Ethnic guerrilla groups with close ties to Beijing shut down many operations, and an estimated 45,000 Chinese nationals suspected of involvement were repatriated.
…

your ad here

New downloads of DeepSeek suspended in South Korea, data protection agency says

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — South Korea’s data protection authority on Monday said new downloads of the Chinese AI app DeepSeek had been suspended in the country after DeepSeek acknowledged failing to take into account some of the agency’s rules on protecting personal data.

The service of the app will be resumed once improvements are made in accordance with the country’s privacy law, the Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) said in a media briefing.

The measure that came into force on Saturday aims to block new downloads of the app, the agency said, though DeepSeek’s web service remains accessible in the country.

The Chinese startup appointed legal representatives last week in South Korea and had acknowledged partially neglecting considerations of the country’s data protection law, the PIPC said.

Italy’s data protection authority, the Garante, said last month it had ordered DeepSeek to block its chatbot in the country after failing to address the regulator’s concerns over its privacy policy.

DeepSeek did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When asked about earlier moves by South Korean government departments to block DeepSeek, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told a briefing on February 6 that the Chinese government attached great importance to data privacy and security and protected it in accordance with the law.

The spokesperson also said Beijing would never ask any company or individual to collect or store data in breach of laws.
…

your ad here

China condemns sailing of Canadian warship in Taiwan Strait

Beijing — China’s military on Monday condemned the sailing of a Canadian warship in the Taiwan Strait, saying its air and naval forces had monitored and warned the ship, a mission that came just a few days after U.S. Navy ships made a similar mission.

The U.S. Navy, and occasionally ships from allied countries like Canada, Britain and France, transits the strait around once a month. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, also says the strategic waterway belongs to it.

Canada’s actions “deliberately stirred up trouble” and undermined peace and stability in the strait, the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.

“Theater forces maintain a high level of alert at all times and resolutely counter all threats and provocations,” it added.

The Canadian military declined immediate comment.

Both the Chinese and Taiwanese governments identified the ship as the Ottawa.

Taiwan’s defense ministry said on Sunday that the ship had sailed in a northerly direction, adding that Taiwanese forces also kept watch.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry welcomed the sailing.

“Canada has once again taken concrete actions to defend the freedom, peace and openness of the Taiwan Strait and has demonstrated its firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters,” it said on Sunday.

Last October, a U.S. and a Canadian warship sailed together through the strait, less than a week after China conducted a new round of war games around the island.

Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
…

your ad here

02/16/2025 DruasiaAsia

18 dead in India stampede to catch trains to Hindu mega-festival

NEW DELHI — At least 18 people died during a stampede at a railway station in India’s capital late Saturday when surging crowds scrambled to catch trains to the world’s largest religious gathering, officials and reports said.

The Kumbh Mela attracts tens of millions of Hindu faithful every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj and has a history of crowd-related disasters — including one last month, when at least 30 people died in another stampede at the holy confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.

The rush at the train station in New Delhi appeared to break out Saturday as crowds struggled to board trains for the ongoing event, which will end Feb. 26.

“I can confirm 15 deaths at the hospital. They don’t have any open injury. Most [likely died from] hypoxia or maybe some blunt injury but that would only be confirmed after an autopsy,” Dr. Ritu Saxena, deputy medical superintendent of Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi told AFP.

“There are also 11 others who are injured. Most of them are stable and have orthopedic injuries,” she said.

Broadcaster NDTV reported three more dead from the stampede quoting an official of another hospital in the city.

Those dead were mostly women and children.

“I have been working as a coolie since 1981, but I never saw a crowd like this before,” the Times of India newspaper quoted a porter at the railway station as saying.

“People started colliding and fell on the escalator and stairs” when platform for a special train departing for Prayagraj was suddenly shifted, the porter said.

Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a “high-level inquiry” had been ordered into the causes of the accident.

Vaishnaw said additional special trains were being run from New Delhi to clear the rush of devotees.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “distressed” by the stampede.

“My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured have a speedy recovery,” he wrote on X.

The governor of the capital territory Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena said disaster management personnel had been told to deploy and “all hospitals are in readiness to address related exigencies.”

The six-week Kumbh Mela is the single biggest milestone on the Hindu religious calendar, and officials said around 500 million devotees have already visited the festival since it began last month.

More than 400 people died after they were trampled or drowned on a single day of the festival in 1954, one of the largest tolls in a crowd-related disaster globally.

Another 36 people were crushed to death in 2013, the last time the festival was staged in Prayagraj.
…

your ad here

02/15/2025 DruasiaAsia

15 dead in India stampede to catch trains to Hindu festival

NEW DELHI, INDIA — At least 15 people died during a stampede at a railway station in India’s capital late Saturday when surging crowds scrambled to catch trains to the world’s largest religious gathering, a medical official told AFP.

The rush at the train station in New Delhi appeared to break out Saturday as crowds struggled to board trains for the ongoing event, which will end on February 26.

“I can confirm 15 deaths at the hospital. They don’t have any open injury. Most (likely died from) hypoxia or maybe some blunt injury but that would only be confirmed after an autopsy,” Dr. Ritu Saxena, deputy medical superintendent of Lok Nayak Hospital in New Delhi to AFP.

“There are also 11 others who are injured. Most of them are stable and have orthopedic injuries,” she said.

Defense minister Rajnath Singh said he was “extremely pained by the loss of lives due to stampede” at the New Delhi railway station.

“In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy [recovery] of the injured,” Singh said in a social media post.

The governor of the capital, Vinai Kumar Saxena said disaster management personnel had been told to deploy and “all hospitals are in readiness to address related exigencies.”

Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said additional special trains were being run from New Delhi to clear the rush of devotees.

The six-week Kumbh Mela is the single biggest milestone on the Hindu religious calendar, and officials said around 500 million devotees have already visited the festival since it began last month.

More than 400 people died after they were trampled or drowned on a single day of the festival in 1954, one of the largest death tolls in a crowd-related disaster globally.

Another 36 people were crushed to death in 2013, the last time the festival was staged in Prayagraj.
…

your ad here

02/15/2025 DruasiaAsia

Pakistan clashes result in 4 dead soldiers, 15 militants

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan said Saturday that counterterrorism operations in two volatile northwestern districts resulted in the deaths of four soldiers, including an officer, and 15 insurgents during the ensuing clashes.

A military statement said the deadly violence erupted when its forces carried out “intelligence-based” raids on militant locations in Dera Ismail Khan and North Waziristan, which borders Afghanistan.

The statement identified the slain militants as “khwarij,” a term employed by the government for individuals affiliated with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, a globally recognized terrorist organization.

Local security sources reported that the soldier fatalities occurred during clashes in the Waziristan area.

The official claims about militant casualties could not be verified by independent sources. The TTP did not comment on the reported clashes in the districts, where the militant group routinely attacks security forces and their installations.

Pakistan maintains that TTP leaders and fighters use sanctuaries in Afghanistan to orchestrate cross-border terrorism with the help of the neighboring country’s Taliban government, which has not yet received official recognition from any country.

The allegations have strained Islamabad’s relationship with de facto Afghan leaders in Kabul, who consistently have denied the presence of the TTP or any other foreign terrorist organizations within their territory.

“One of the key issues bedeviling our relations remains the sanctuaries enjoyed by terrorists belonging to the TTP on Afghan territory,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told a weekly news conference on Friday.

“We continue to remain engaged with Afghanistan and also make them realize that the long-term potential of the region, the bilateral cooperation and what it can bring for the benefit or welfare of the two countries will remain unmet unless this problem is resolved.”

UN backing

The latest report by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, released earlier this week, highlights Islamabad’s concerns, stating that the TTP has “significantly increased” its attacks in Pakistan and from Afghan territory.

The report stated that Taliban authorities in Afghanistan “continued to provide the TTP with logistical and operational space and financial support.” It added that the group “established new training centers” in the Afghan provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktika “while enhancing recruitment within TTP cadres, including from the Afghan Taliban.”

The U.N. assessment also emphasized the growing terrorism threat from al-Qaida and the regional Islamic State affiliate operating in Afghanistan since the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021.

“The Taliban maintained a permissive environment allowing al-Qaida to consolidate, with the presence of safe houses and training camps scattered across Afghanistan,” the report said.

It stated that Afghanistan “remained the main hub” for the regional Islamic State affiliate, known as Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), primarily “for its recruitment and facilitation.”

The spokesperson for the Taliban government dismissed U.N. findings on Friday as “inaccurate” and contrary to reality.

“The Islamic Emirate [Taliban government] does not allow any foreign, rogue group to operate in Afghanistan, and such groups are not present here,” Zabihullah Mujahid told the local TOLO news channel.

“Unfortunately, some countries and intelligence circles, through organizations like the United Nations and the Security Council, are tarnishing public opinion and waging propaganda and campaigns against Afghanistan,” Mujahid stated, without elaborating.
…

your ad here

Argentina court issues international arrest warrant for Myanmar military leader

washington — A court in Argentina has issued an international arrest warrant for Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the commander in chief of Myanmar’s military, for his role in the 2017 genocide against the Rohingya.

The court’s decision, announced Thursday, also lists two civilian leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and 22 other military officials.

Min Aung Hlaing, who leads Myanmar’s military junta after seizing power in a 2021 coup, is at the center of the warrants issued by the court in Buenos Aires. The charges against him include aggravated murder, torture and sexual violence linked to the military’s brutal crackdown on the Rohingya population in Rakhine State, located in western Myanmar bordering with Bangladesh.

The Myanmar junta has yet to officially respond to the warrants from the Argentine court. However, in response to VOA’s inquiry, junta spokesperson General Zaw Min Tun dismissed Argentina’s legal authority over Myanmar.

“Does Argentina even know Myanmar? The Myanmar government knows Argentina. If Argentina wants to legally criticize Myanmar, it must have judicial authority in the country. I suggest you focus on filling your own vacant judicial positions first,” the spokesperson said in response to a VOA inquiry on the junta’s Viber press group.

Since the case was filed in 2019 under the principle of universal jurisdiction, the junta has consistently rejected Argentina’s involvement, maintaining that foreign courts have no authority to prosecute Myanmar’s leaders over the Rohingya issue. The principle of universal jurisdiction allows national courts to prosecute individuals for serious crimes that violate international law.

Legal efforts, court decision

The Burmese Rohingya Organisation U.K. (BROUK), which filed the initial complaint in 2019, praised the court’s ruling as a victory for justice.

“This is a victory for the Rohingya and for international justice,” said Tun Khin, president of BROUK, according to a Friday press statement. “It shows that no one is above the law, not even the military leaders who have committed genocide.”

In 2017, Myanmar’s army launched a brutal offensive against the Muslim Rohingya population in Rakhine State, which is located on the country’s western coast off the Bay of Bengal. The offensive followed attacks on police outposts by insurgent groups.

The military’s response involved mass killings, sexual violence and widespread destruction of villages, forcing more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. The United Nations and human rights organizations have described the military’s actions as a genocide.

Late last year, the International Criminal Court also issued an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing for crimes against humanity.

While the warrant from Argentina for Min Aung Hlaing is a major development, the court’s decision on other leaders has sparked debate.

In December 2023, BROUK requested arrest warrants for military officials only, presenting evidence related to their roles in the genocide. No evidence was submitted for Aung San Suu Kyi, who served as state counselor and de facto leader of Myanmar during the 2017 military offensive against the Rohingya, or for former civilian President Htin Kyaw.

However, in June 2024, the Argentine prosecutor included them in his request. BROUK then asked the court to reconsider issuing warrants for these civilians, given Burma’s political context, but the court dismissed the request.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been imprisoned since the military took power in the 2021 coup.

Implications of warrant

Tomas Quintana, an Argentinian human rights lawyer and former U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar and a key figure in the case, explained the court’s stance.

“We felt that at this stage in the investigation, it was not appropriate to seek arrest warrants for civilian leaders like Aung San Suu Kyi,” he told VOA’s Burmese Service in an exclusive interview. “But the court sided with the prosecutor, deciding to include civilians in the warrants.”

Quintana said the ruling was based on legal strategy and evidence available at the time.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s role in the genocide is still under investigation by the Argentine court. While the court initially focused on the direct perpetrators of the violence — the military leaders, including Min Aung Hlaing — it later sided with prosecutors to explore the civilian leaders’ responsibility as well.

“This decision marks a shift in international accountability,” Quintana said. “It is the first time Burma [Myanmar] has been held accountable in a court of law for crimes against the Rohingya.”

The investigation, which has spanned four years, was supported by survivor testimonies and documentation from the United Nations Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.

The Argentine court’s decision is expected to lead to an Interpol “red notice,” which would request the detention of Min Aung Hlaing and other Myanmar military leaders worldwide.

While the arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing is a significant step, Quintana said there are still challenges ahead.

“Myanmar’s military regime controls the country, so executing these warrants remains difficult,” he said. He called for international cooperation to ensure that officials were held accountable.

“The United Nations and the global community must work together to enforce these decisions.”

Despite the setback in including Aung San Suu Kyi in the arrest warrant, the warrants are a powerful symbolic ruling for the Rohingya people, Quintana said, adding that it is also a crucial step in the long process of justice.
…

your ad here

VOA Uzbek: Suspension of USAID felt in Uzbekistan, Central Asia

The suspension of USAID was felt in particular in Central Asia and Uzbekistan, especially in civil society, which is just beginning to recover. According to Farhod Tolipov, an Uzbek political scientist and head of the nongovernmental organization Knowledge Caravan, the closure of USAID will primarily cast a serious shadow on the U.S.’s global leadership.

Click here for the full story in Uzbek.

…

your ad here

Philippines increases defense efforts amid ongoing tension with China

TAIPEI, TAIWAN — The Philippines is increasing efforts to strengthen defense cooperation with several like-minded democracies amid ongoing tensions with China in the disputed South China Sea.

Manila is trying to conclude major defense pacts with Canada and New Zealand and explore possibilities of expanding joint military drills with the United States, its main defense partner.

Analysts say the development is part of Manila’s effort to counter China’s aggressive maritime activities near several disputed reefs in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost the entirety as its territory.

“The Philippines is trying to boost their capabilities to sufficiently deter China by putting a lot of emphasis on the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States while broadening the net of cooperation to other like-minded democracies,” said Collin Koh, a maritime security expert at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. described the defense pacts with Canada and New Zealand as part of Manila’s efforts to “build and strengthen” alliances with like-minded countries.

“The status of visiting forces agreement with New Zealand is an important part of … both countries’ and multilateral countries’ initiatives to resist China’s unilateral narrative to change international law,” he told journalists on the sideline of an event on Feb. 6.

Meanwhile, the Canadian ambassador to the Philippines, David Hartman, said at a press event on Feb. 7 that the visiting forces agreement would enable Canada to “have even more substantive participation in joint and multilateral training exercises and operations with the Philippines and allies” in the Indo-Pacific region.

Some Philippine analysts describe the signing of the agreements as part of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s efforts to “reset” the country’s long-term strategic interests.

As China continues to challenge different countries’ territorial claims across the Pacific region, “the Philippines’ efforts to consolidate more agreements with allies fits Manila’s need to defend its maritime territories and safeguard the freedom of navigation in the region,” Joshua Espena, a resident fellow at the Philippine-based International Development and Security Cooperation, told VOA by phone.

Since about one-third of global trade passes through the South China Sea, Koh in Singapore said other democratic countries view signing defense agreements with the Philippines as a way to safeguard their strategic and economic interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

While the Philippines’ efforts to strengthen defense cooperation with other democracies may not fundamentally change China’s behaviors in the South China Sea, “it is still a concern for China when you have so many partners being militarily involved with Manila,” Koh told VOA by phone.

Apart from negotiating defense pacts with Canada and New Zealand, the Philippines is also looking to expand joint military exercises with the United States.

During a call on Tuesday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown talked about the “military modernization initiatives, Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites and increasing the scope and capacity of joint exercises in the Philippines,” according to U.S. Joint Staff Spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey.

In addition to the discussions, the Philippines has conducted a series of joint drills with the U.S. and Canada since last week, a development that China said undermines “peace and stability in the South China Sea.”

While countries around the world are bracing for uncertainties extending from the foreign policy of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, some experts say recent developments suggest the U.S. may continue to uphold its defense partnership with the Philippines.

“The people [that] the Trump administration has put into key security roles are mostly China hawks, so they see the China threat as being very real, and the Philippines remains on the front line [of that threat,]” said Raymond Powell, director of Stanford University’s Sealight project, which tracks Chinese maritime activities across the Indo-Pacific region.

He said the Philippines may “stand to gain” from the Trump administration’s foreign policy direction. Manila “may have one of the strongest arguments” to convince the U.S. to shift resources to the Indo-Pacific region because “they are on the front line,” Powell told VOA by phone.

As the U.S. and the Philippines continue to uphold their defense cooperation, China has described the partnership as “extremely dangerous.”

“China will not sit idly by when its security interests are harmed or threatened,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a regular press conference on Wednesday.

To counter the Chinese coast guard’s aggressive operations in the South China Sea, Brawner Jr. said Wednesday that the Philippines hoped to buy two more submarines and BrahMos missiles in India. The Reuters news agency reported that New Delhi is expected to sign a $200 million missile deal with Manila in 2025.

Powell said the additional missiles could strengthen the Philippines’ deterrence against China, while Manila may need to put a lot of effort into familiarizing its military forces with the submarines.

Despite Philippine President Marcos Jr.’s recent attempt to “offer a deal” to reduce tension in the South China Sea, Powell said Beijing’s aggressive posture will make it hard for the proposal to materialize.

“We’re seeing much heavier [Chinese] Coast Guard and militia activity around Scarborough Shoal, and I don’t see a lessening of tension there,” he said, adding that tensions between Beijing and Manila in the South China Sea will likely “plateau” in the near future.
…

your ad here

Roadside bomb kills 11 coal miners in southwest Pakistan

ISLAMABAD — Authorities in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province said Friday that at least 11 coal mine workers were killed and six injured when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

The early morning incident occurred near a coal mine in the Harnai district of the insurgency-hit province, which is rich in natural resources.

“The terrorists involved in this incident will be brought to justice soon,” an official statement quoted Provincial Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti as saying.

In Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said he expressed sorrow over the deaths of miners and said his government “is actively working to eliminate terrorism.”

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Balochistan, where ethnic Baloch militants frequently stage insurgent attacks against security forces and workers associated with public and private mining projects.

The Baloch Liberation Army, particularly its suicide bomber unit known as the Majeed Brigade, has claimed responsibility for nearly all recent attacks in Balochistan, resulting in the killings of scores of civilians and security forces.

At least 18 Pakistani paramilitary troops were killed Jan. 31 when BLA militants assaulted their bus in the province’s Kalat district, marking one of the deadliest days for security forces in recent months.

The U.N. Security Council noted in its latest international terror threat assessment report released this week that BLA has been behind “several high-casualty attacks” in Balochistan.

The report quoted two U.N. member states as saying that the “Majeed Brigade maintained connections with TTP, ISIL-K and ETIM/TIP, including collaborating with the latter in its operational bases in Afghanistan.”

TTP stands for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, a globally designated terrorist group that carries out almost daily attacks in Pakistan, particularly in its northwestern districts near or on the Afghan border.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan, or ISIL-K, is the Afghan branch of the transnational Islamic State terrorist network. The East Turkestan Islamic Movement, or ETIM, is an anti-China militant group operating from sanctuaries in Afghanistan.

Balochistan is on Pakistan’s borders with Iran and Afghanistan and has experienced years of attacks attributed to BLA, TTP, and Islamic State loyalists.
…

your ad here

Category 5 cyclone nears Western Australia coast

sydney — Category 5 Cyclone Zelia swirled toward Australia’s minerals-rich western coast Friday, with predicted gusts of up to 290 kilometers per hour sparking emergency warnings and port closures.

Forecasters said the slow-moving, severe tropical cyclone was moving south toward Port Hedland — one of the world’s busiest iron ore loading ports — with landfall expected in the afternoon.

“Very destructive winds of up to 290 kilometers per hour (180 miles per hour) are likely close to the center of the cyclone as it crosses the coast,” the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said.

It warned residents of a possible dangerous storm tide as the cyclone made landfall.

“Tides are likely to rise significantly above the normal high tide mark with damaging waves and dangerous flooding of some low-lying areas close to the shoreline,” it said in an update.

The cyclone was forecast to land near Port Hedland — about 17 hours’ drive north of the state capital, Perth — before tracking inland across sparsely populated mining and cattle country.

Initially arriving as a Category 5 cyclone, Zelia was expected to weaken to a Category 4 later in the evening.

Pilbara Ports said it had cleared vessels and shut down operations at major minerals export centers Port Hedland and Port Dampier as well as the oil and gas shipping port of Varanus Island.

Emergency services in Western Australia told people still in the cyclone’s path to shelter in the strongest part of their homes, warning it was now too late to attempt to leave.

The northwest coast of Western Australia is the most cyclone-prone region in the country, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

It also has “the highest incidence of cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere.”

The region holds significant deposits of iron ore, copper and gold, and is home to some of Australia’s largest mining operations.

Mining group Rio Tinto said its ships and trains had been cleared from ports in the area.

“It is too early to say how long port and rail operations will be closed and what the impact will be,” it said in a statement Thursday.
…

your ad here