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Airports and trains
Over breakfast some years back, in one of those times I had the opportunity to sit down with tycoon Ramon S. Ang or RSA, together with a small group of fellow journalists, he talked about the importance of having an airport express similar to Hong Kong’s much-touted MTR which connects the airport to the rest of the city. .....»»
GCash sets sights on further international expansion
With GCash Overseas, Filipinos in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, Qatar, Kuwait, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia can now download and use the GCash app, whether they have Philippine SIMs or local mobile phone numbers in the countries or territories where they live......»»
Elijah Woods on first-ever Asia tour, ‘loving’ Filipino fans
Canadian singer-songwriter and producer Elijah Woods (stylized as elijah woods) is bringing to Asia his ilu 24/7, 365 tour. The series of shows will commence on May 13 in Singapore and travel through Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Tokyo and Taipei......»»
Hong Kong, Philippines work to enhance relations
Filipinos are slowly beginning to travel back to Hong Kong following continued efforts by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office to woo tourists from the Philippines, as well as renew and improve trade and economic ties between the two nations following the COVID-19 pandemic......»»
Balik-Tanaw | For the Anawim
We live in difficult times. There are ongoing crisis in Israel-Palestine, and Ukraine-Russia, and emerging conflict in the South China Sea. Then there is the climate and economic crises that threaten food security. We are also faced with enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings as well as violation of rights of activists, human rights defenders, environmentalists, workers and farmers, which happen with impunity. The post Balik-Tanaw | For the Anawim appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
Human rights activists at UN discuss China s expansionist policies
Geneva [Switzerland], September 29 (ANI): Human rights activists from South Asia, Japan and Africa discussed the implications of China's expansionist policies and their consequences on the people in the region. The side event held during the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva was titled"Human Rights Situation in Asian Nations". It focused on unlawful detentions of the State, using advanced corporate tec.....»»
UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set Wednesday to host a climate meeting marred at its outset by the absence of speakers from the world's top two emitters, China and the United States. Despite increasing extreme weather events and record-shattering global temperatures, greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise and fossil fuel companies reap handsome profits. Guterres has thus billed the "Climate Ambition Summit" as a "no nonsense" forum where leaders or cabinet ministers will announce specific actions that deliver on their commitments under the Paris Agreement. The bar for making the podium was set high, with the UN chief making clear that only leaders who had made concrete plans to achieve net-zero greenhouse emissions would be allowed to speak. After receiving more than 100 applications to take part, the UN finally released a list on Tuesday night of 41 speakers which did not include China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan or India. "Tomorrow, I will welcome credible first movers and doers to our Climate Ambition Summit," Guterres said Tuesday. Several major leaders didn't bother making the trip to New York for this year's UN General Assembly, including President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from the United Kingdom, who said he was too busy. US President Joe Biden, who addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, sent his climate envoy John Kerry to the meeting -- though Kerry won't be permitted to speak. "There's no doubt that the absence of so many leaders from the world's biggest economies and emitters will clearly have an impact on the outcomes of the summit," Alden Meyer of climate think tank E3G said. He blamed competing issues -- from the Ukraine conflict to US-China tensions and rising economic uncertainty. "But I think it's also the opposition in many of these countries from the fossil fuel industry and other powerful interests to the kind of transformational changes that are needed," said Meyer. Catherine Abreu, executive director of nonprofit Destination Zero, said it was "perhaps a good-news story that we see Biden not being given a speaking slot at the summit" because the United States is continuing to expand fossil fuel projects even as it makes historic investments in renewables. "I think about this as being a correction from past summits, where leaders have been given the opportunity to take credit for climate leadership on the global stage, while they continue to pursue plans to develop fossil fuels, and continue driving the climate crisis back at home," she added. While the United States won't take the rostrum, California will be represented by Governor Gavin Newsom. From Britain, London Mayor Sadiq Khan will also attend. Growing anger The event is the biggest climate summit in New York since 2019, when Greta Thunberg stunned the world with her "How Dare You" speech before the UN. Anger is building among climate activists, particularly younger people, who turned out in thousands last weekend for the "March to End Fossil Fuels" in New York. Observers are eager however to see what Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Union President Ursula von der Leyen say both on their own goals and on financing commitments for the developing world. The failure of advanced economies, responsible for the majority of historic emissions, to honor their promises to the worst affected lower-income nations has long been a sore point in climate talks. There are some bright spots, including the announcement that Colombia and Panama are joining a grouping called the Powering Past Coal Alliance -- particularly notable as Colombia is the world's sixth biggest coal exporter. Wednesday's summit comes weeks ahead of the COP28 climate talks in the United Arab Emirates, where goals include tripling renewable energy by 2030, and ending by 2050 the generation of fossil fuel energy that isn't "abated" by carbon capture technology. The post UN chief convenes ‘no nonsense’ climate summit, without China or US appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chinese carmakers confront European industry at Munich show
Chinese manufacturers will be out in force at next week's IAA auto show, one of the industry's biggest, revving their new electric models on the turf of German carmakers, which have been lagging in the e-mobility race. Elon Musk's Tesla, usually a hold-out from such events, will also make an appearance at the show in Munich, joining the jostle to steal the spotlight from Europe's biggest brands. The industry fair, which opens Tuesday with a speech from Chancellor Olaf Scholz, comes with clouds gathering for the automotive sector in Europe and in particular, Germany. While suffocating supply chain problems have eased from the pandemic years, European auto giants are struggling to cope with increased energy costs in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year. Although sales in the European Union have steadily improved over the last 12 months, they remain around 20 percent below their pre-coronavirus levels as inflation and higher interest rates dampen appetite for new vehicles. At the same time, European manufacturers are facing increasingly stiff competition from Chinese carmakers which are touting their vehicles at far lower prices. Local upstarts have captured an increasingly large part of the prized Chinese market and are threatening to dominate the growing trade in electric vehicles. Chinese groups were starting "their assault on Europe with the IAA", said industry analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer from the Center Automotive Research in Germany. "The IAA 2023 maps out a new automobile world in Europe. Competition will be tougher. After the Chinese battery factories, their automobile makers are coming," he said, calling it a "turning point" for the industry. In all, 41 percent of exhibitors at the industry fair have their headquarters in China, including brands such as BYD and Leapmotor which will hope to steal the spotlight from German giants Volkswagen, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Contrary to the Asian onslaught, participation from other European makers is muted. Opel will be US-European conglomerate Stellantis's lone ambassador in Munich, while Renault is showcasing only its eponymous marque at the show. In contrast, Musk's Tesla was slowly falling in line with traditional manufacturers as "the brand that doesn't do marketing begins to do exactly that" with its first appearance at the IAA, said independent analyst Matthias Schmidt. - Petrol protest - Over the week, around 700,000 visitors are expected to attend the show, split between exhibition halls and the city center. The move away from combustion engines to electric vehicles -- and the bigger climate question -- will take center stage inside and outside the exhibition halls. As carmakers roll out their latest offerings, climate groups have vowed protests at the fair, including "civil disobedience" aimed at disrupting the IAA. The last edition of the show in 2021 was already troubled by small-scale protests. This time around, some 1,500 people are expected at a camp in a suburban Munich park promoting a "revolution in mobility". Car manufacturers were "destroying the lives of countless people worldwide with their growth imperative", one of the climate groups said ahead of the fair. Automotive groups have not helped their case recently by recording massive profits on the back of strong inflation. Manufacturers -- particularly those at the high end of the market -- have been able to benefit from rising prices to boost their margins. A growing climate consciousness movement is increasingly pitting environmental activists against carmakers. Mindful of society's changing views on automobiles, the IAA upped sticks from Frankfurt to Munich in 2021 and restyled itself as a festival for all forms of "mobility" -- bringing bikes and scooters into the fold. As well as cleaning up its image, the move was an attempt to reinvigorate traditional motor shows. The marquee events have struggled to attract manufacturers, who are doubtful that they create enough publicity to be worth the bother. In 2022, the Paris Motor Show saw visitor numbers dwindle, as it was cut in length from two weeks to one. Many big European names, such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Ferrari were absent from the French fair, to which Chinese carmakers like BYD by contrast turned up. The post Chinese carmakers confront European industry at Munich show appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hardline Cambodian PM Hun Sen to step down after four decades
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, one of the world's longest-serving leaders, said Wednesday he will resign and hand power to his eldest son after almost four decades of hardline rule. The former Khmer Rouge cadre has run the kingdom since 1985, eliminating all opposition to his power, with opposition parties banned, challengers forced to flee and freedom of expression stifled. His Cambodian People's Party won a landslide victory in an election on Sunday with no meaningful opposition, taking 82 percent of the vote, paving the way for a dynastic succession to his eldest son that some critics have compared to North Korea. "I would like to ask for understanding from the people as I announce that I will not continue as prime minister," the 70-year-old said in a special broadcast on state television. Election authorities disqualified the only serious challenger, the Candlelight Party, on a technicality in advance of the election, and the CPP is expected to win all but five lower house seats. The government hailed the 84.6 percent voter turnout as evidence of the country's "democratic maturity" but Western powers including the United States and European Union condemned the poll as neither free nor fair. Hun Sen said Hun Manet, a 45-year-old four-star general, would take over as prime minister at the head of a new government on the evening of August 22. "I ask people to support Hun Manet who will be the new prime minister," he said. Chinese influence Hun Sen has trailed the handover to his son for a year and a half, and the 45-year-old played a leading role in campaigning for Sunday's vote. But the outgoing leader has made it clear that he still intends to wield influence, even after he steps down, scotching the notion the country could change direction. In his announcement on Wednesday, he said he would become president of the senate and act as head of state when the king is overseas. Under Hun Sen, Cambodia has tacked close to Beijing, benefiting from huge Chinese investment and infrastructure projects, including the redevelopment of a naval base that has alarmed Washington. China welcomed Sunday's election, with President Xi Jinping sending Hun Sen a personal message of congratulations. But the flood of Chinese money has brought problems, including a rash of casinos and online scam operations staffed by foreign workers, many trafficked and toiling in appalling conditions. Critics say his rule has also been marked by environmental destruction and entrenched graft. Cambodia ranks 150th out of 180 in Transparency International's corruption perception index. In Asia, only Myanmar and North Korea rank lower. Rights groups accuse Hun Sen of using the legal system to crush any opposition to his rule -- including critical activists and troublesome union leaders as well as politicians. Scores of opposition politicians have been convicted and jailed during his time in power and the law was changed ahead of Sunday's election to make it illegal to call for voters to spoil ballots. Five days before polling day, authorities banned exiled opposition figurehead Sam Rainsy from running for office for 25 years for urging people to void their ballot papers. Opposition leader Kem Sokha was in March convicted of treason and sentenced to 27 years in prison over an alleged plot to topple Hun Sen's government. He is currently serving his sentence under house arrest. The post Hardline Cambodian PM Hun Sen to step down after four decades appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Facebook says China trolls ‘evolving’ in push for influence
Networks of fake Facebook accounts run from China are "evolving" and adopting new tactics in their quest to sow discord overseas, the social media platform told Australian lawmakers Tuesday. Fronting a Senate inquiry into foreign interference, officials from parent company Meta said there had been a noticeable "shift in tactics" by China-based networks over the past seven months. Meta spokesman Josh Machin said coordinated networks of Chinese Facebook accounts were increasingly trying to influence public opinion by targeting journalists, charities and public relations firms. "We are seeing a whole new range of tactics evolving," Machin told the inquiry. Meta recently removed dozens of Facebook accounts belonging to a China-based network waging a coordinated disinformation campaign in Europe. The network had been sharing incendiary content attacking migrants and LGBTQ activists. It had also set up a front media company, hired freelance writers and attempted to recruit protesters, Meta said in May. Lawmakers have been grilling social media companies as Australia steps up efforts to detect and eliminate foreign interference threats such as election meddling. The government has said spying and foreign interference is the "principal security concern facing Australia". Australia will hold a historic referendum on Indigenous rights this year, and there are fears foreign actors may use social media to inflame racial divisions within the country. Meta's policy director for Australia and New Zealand, Mia Garlick, said the platform would be rolling out a suite of measures to combat misinformation in the lead-up to the referendum. "We've developed a comprehensive strategy in consultation with First Nations communities to combat misinformation and voter interference as well as other forms of abuse that could occur on our platform," she told the inquiry. Australia has been at the forefront of efforts to regulate digital platforms, and has adopted measures to force them to take down violent videos and hand over identities of online trolls. The government recently proposed new laws that could result in tech giants being slapped with hefty fines if they fail to tackle disinformation. Under the draft legislation, the owners of platforms like Facebook, Google, Twitter and TikTok would face penalties worth up to five percent of annual global turnover -- some of the highest proposed anywhere in the world. The post Facebook says China trolls ‘evolving’ in push for influence appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sri Lanka scraps monkey business plan
Bankrupt Sri Lanka’s government is scrapping plans to export around 100,000 endangered monkeys to China following an outcry and a court case by animal lovers. “A state attorney informed court on behalf of the DWC (Department of Wildlife Conservation) that no monkeys will be exported to China or elsewhere,” a court official told Agence France-Presse. The decision follows DWC’s notice to the Court of Appeal that it had decided not to go ahead with the export and that the action filed by 30 wildlife and environmental activists could be terminated. Wildlife enthusiasts welcomed the government’s decision not to go ahead with the exports. “This is an excellent outcome for wildlife conservation in Sri Lanka,” they said in a brief statement. Agriculture minister Mahinda Amaraweera said in June that China wanted the monkeys for 1,000 zoos across the country. Amaraweera described the sale of the primates to China as a solution to the animals destroying crops. It was also timely as the country was facing its worst-ever economic crisis. No financial details of the plan were made available. Toque macaques are officially estimated to number between two million and three million in Sri Lanka, but activists say the number may be highly exaggerated. Media reports had speculated that China may have wanted such large numbers of monkeys from Sri Lanka for medical research. Monkeys are considered pests in Sri Lanka because they destroy crops and raid villages in search of food, and sometimes attack people. Activists, however, argue that a key reason for increased human-monkey conflict, including with elephants, is agricultural expansion shrinking wild animal habitats. The post Sri Lanka scraps monkey business plan appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hong Kong police detain more than 20 on Tiananmen anniversary
Hong Kong police on Sunday detained more than 20 people, including key pro-democracy figures trying to commemorate the anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen Square crackdown, as hundreds in Taiwan mourned the dead with a vigil. For years, tens of thousands of Hong Kongers would converge on the city's Victoria Park and its surrounding neighborhood to commemorate the events of June 4, 1989 -- taking part in candlelight vigils. But since Beijing's imposition of a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020 to quell dissent, the annual vigil has been banned and its organizers charged under the law. This weekend, scores of police were deployed in the area, stopping people for searches and questioning. Some found with a candle -- regarded as a symbol of the Victoria Park vigil -- were questioned and detained. More than 700 kilometers (430 miles) away on the self-ruled island of Taiwan, hundreds gathered at Taipei's Liberty Square to chant "fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong" as night fell. They lit candles in the shape of "8964" -- numerals forbidden in mainland China because it references the events of June 4, 1989. "We need to cherish the freedom and democracy we have in Taiwan," Perry Wu, 31, told AFP. "I feel really sad to see the news of people getting arrested today in Hong Kong." Hong Kong police said late Sunday they had detained 23 people between the ages of 20 to 74 who were suspected of "breaching the peace". One woman, 53, was arrested for obstructing police officers. Among the most prominent activists AFP saw bundled into police vans was Chan Po-ying, the leader of the League of Social Democrats, one of the few remaining opposition parties. The veteran activist, who was released hours later, held a small LED candle and two flowers before she was seized by police. Other recognizable figures taken were Alexandra Wong, a well-known activist nicknamed "Grandma Wong" and Leo Tang, a former leader of the now-disbanded Confederation of Trade Unions. On Saturday, Hong Kong police arrested four people for "seditious" acts and "disorderly conduct". Another four were detained on suspicion of breaching the peace. The office of UN human rights chief Volker Turk said in a tweet late Sunday it was "alarmed by reports of detentions" in Hong Kong and called for the "release of anyone detained for exercising freedom of expression & peaceful assembly." 'Let the world know' Discussion of the Tiananmen crackdown is highly sensitive for China's communist leadership and commemoration is forbidden on the mainland. The government sent troops and tanks to Beijing's Tiananmen Square in 1989 to break up peaceful protests, brutally crushing a weeks-long wave of demonstrations calling for political change. Hundreds -- by some estimates, more than 1,000 -- were killed. Hong Kong was for decades the only Chinese city with a large-scale commemoration -- a key index of the liberties and political pluralism afforded by its semi-autonomous status. This year, Victoria Park was transformed for a "hometown carnival fair" organized by pro-Beijing groups. Erase memories Beijing has gone to exhaustive lengths to erase the 1989 event from public memory in the mainland. All mention of the crackdown is scrubbed from China's internet. Over the weekend, sites of more recent protests -- a bridge in Beijing where a "freedom" banner was unfurled, and Wulumuqi Street in Shanghai where demonstrations happened in November -- also saw heightened security. Hong Kong authorities were vigilant in the weeks before June 4, with police seizing a commemorative "Pillar of Shame" statue for a security trial and removing books on the Tiananmen crackdown from public libraries. But there were still pockets of defiance on Sunday around Hong Kong -- a shop gave away candles, while a bookstore displayed Tiananmen Square archival material. At the US consulate in the evening, dozens of candles could be seen shimmering in the large complex's windows. 'Face the consequences' Sidestepping questions about whether public mourning was allowed, Hong Kong's leader John Lee had repeatedly maintained that the public must act according to the law or "be ready to face the consequences". Vigils planned around the world, from Japan to Australia, saw people standing with candles next to images of the brutal crackdown. In London, protesters staged a re-enactment featuring a blow-up tank and women dressed in white, emulating a statue to liberty set up on Tiananmen Square in 1989. A 59-year-old poet from China's Sichuan province, told AFP at the Trafalgar Square rally that his family fled soon after brutal crackdown. "Chinese people in my generation know what happened, but the younger ones, not really," said the man, who declined to be named for fear of Chinese reprisals. "Their parents, their grandparents, need to keep up the knowledge, and we all need to remember at events overseas like this." The post Hong Kong police detain more than 20 on Tiananmen anniversary appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Only in the Philippines
In recent years, the use of “red-tagging” has become widespread in the Philippines, and many human rights organizations and activists have accused the government of employing it as a means of suppressing dissent and political opposition. More often, we come across human rights defenders, labor organizations, student groups, members of the urban poor sector, and non-government organizations critical of the government’s policies and actions or with alleged communist links complaining of being red-tagged. What exactly is this overused “red-tagging” word? It describes the practice of labeling individuals or groups as communist or leftist, often without evidence or justification to discredit or intimidate them. Clearly, the absence of evidence qualifies for red-tagging. How about if it is validated and substantiated with evidence? Former communist cadre Ka Eric said there is no such thing as red-tagging. It is rather a truthful exposition that reveals the true color of the Communist Party of the Philippines — New People’s Army — National Democratic Front and their front organizations that are infiltrating and operating in the urban areas. For the Legal Cooperation Cluster of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, leftist groups continuously put fire to the alleged “red-tagging” issue. After having sufficiently addressed the allegations of these critics in its legal advisories and press statements, the LCC said it is “heart-rending that these leftist groups had romanticized this term to the detriment of our patriotic government officials, who selflessly serve for the Republic and its people”. Google and Wikipedia may have their definition of red-tagging but LCC, a group of government lawyers, insists there is no legal definition for the alleged “red-tagging” term created by malicious fronts. “Instead, what is defined but only in a dissenting opinion which is not a source of law, is red-baiting, as a phenomenon of implicating progressive civil group leaders to heinous crimes or the alleged “vilification”, “labeling”, or “guilt association” of various democratic organizations that are allegedly stereotyped or caricatured by the military as communist groups,” the LCC said. Atty. Juan Ponce Enrile, Chief Legal Counsel of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., gave a witty and sensible comment about red-tagging. “Red-tagging is their own doing. If you are a communist, you practice communism, then why are you ashamed of being called a communist?” Back in the days, before the Revolutions of 1989 brought down most of the communist states, commies in other countries were proud to be called one but they don’t kill people. The governing parties of China, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and to some degree, North Korea, continue to uphold communism as their official ideology. Only in the Philippines do commies refuse to be tagged as Reds. Does the shame stem from the hundreds of thousands of people killed? Bright future of young students shattered? Lowly farmers and indigenous peoples deprived of human rights? Millions of pesos extorted from businesses? Could they be just among the many communist opportunists whom JPE said ride on the ideology to become powerful? “They just want power. Most do not believe in the ideology. Others come in so they can extort money. And they become bodyguards of crooked politicians,” he said. “Undeniably, that exists.” Protecting national security and maintaining law and order is the government’s responsibility. Accusing individuals or groups of wrongdoing without evidence or justification is not its cup of tea, but truth-tagging is. The post Only in the Philippines appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Why take over all SIM cards?
A Subscriber Identity Module is, per se, unique to the user. With RA 11934 making SIM registration mandatory, is there foolproof protection left against privacy, identity theft, hackers, and scammers when a “ghost” other than the user gains access to a lot of information and data stored in it? There is neither empirical evidence nor robust studies to validate how mandatory registration lowers crime rates or helps in crime detection. What if those behind surveillance systems render rich businessmen, investors and captains of industry easy prey since a broad range of financial transactions could be tracked or in the case of political activists, red-tagging be made systematically worse? With the explosion of technologies that flattens the world and where knowledge and resources are connecting all over the planet as never before, we should benefit from all it has to offer. In our geopolitical milieu, it has hardly made any headway as a “force for good — for business, the environment and people everywhere” precisely because the bureaucratic norm appears to purposely digress from where globalization is about to take us. The officialdom’s rather “damaged psyche” has made top bureaucrats repressive to the point Congress has even legislated against the open and uninterrupted use of electronic gadgets to keep connected with the world or with every man on earth. The ruling class in our midst wants to “deactivate” our connectedness unto one another unless we have registered our SIMs. Our policymakers should return to the old order some 40 years ago and stick their lives with it as they have proved to be an anachronism of our modernizing times. The SIM card registration issue is short of an invasive approach to police the range and whole breadth of our connectedness where the rest of humankind benefits. Government meddles in all our affairs even as it lacks the agency to run after those using technologies for crime-related activities. Worse, what if an enforcement job is transformed into a profitable cottage industry? Just when the “cost of communication is falling towards zero,” regulatory operatives are reposed with duties too vulnerable to abuse. What the present and past dispensations have done — and they are good at it — is to take us back to the “unflat world.” In so doing, have they not become the new “identity thieves, hackers and scammers” with full access to our financial accounts and over our private and public affairs? It’s like burning the house to get rid of the rat. We must find instructive what Winston Churchill said: “To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy could be the thoughtless act of a single day.” What metrics could have led police or crime-detection officials to equate cell phones with guns? The state requires permits from everyone rather than applies the whip to criminal-specific targets undertaking their unlawful tradecraft with the use of loose SIMs. In no time, the next public signs might read from “No guns allowed” to “No cellphones allowed” in banks, corporate boardrooms and conferences — out of fear of fictional crimes. Our police operatives, policymakers and bureaucrats are way behind tech-wise to even regulate, apply fines and penalties, and exert censorship on global technology. What if our regulatory agents block SMS messages on our cellphones on the unfounded suspicion that some of us are communists, destabilizers, or influential critics as they did in China after the infamous Tiananmen Square massacre on 4 June 1989 when government censors were blocking messages using jamming technology? The absence of legal safeguards to protect against abuse matters. That’s when it creates a chilling effect on people’s rights under pain of systematic suppression. It is therefore the proper subject of judicial oversight given the inherent dangers of a broad-spectrum access to subscriber’s data on all fronts. Absent a comprehensive data protection infrastructure to protect the personal details and data of subscribers — unique to them — this disconcerting policy has to be assailed. The post Why take over all SIM cards? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US arrests two over Chinese ‘police station’ in New York
US authorities arrested two men Monday for allegedly setting up a Chinese "police station" in New York and charged dozens of Chinese security officials over a campaign to monitor and harass US-based dissidents. The arrests of Harry Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, are the first anywhere over a suspected campaign by China to establish surreptitious police posts in countries around the world, said Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn. The two men set up the office in Manhattan's Chinatown last year at the behest of the Fuzhou branch of the Ministry of Public Security, China's national police force, ostensibly to offer services like Chinese driver's license renewal, according to Peace. But in fact, their main job was to help track down and harass fugitive dissidents from the People's Republic of China (PRC), US officials said. "The MPS established a concrete outpost, an off-the-books police station right here in New York City, to monitor and intimidate dissidents and other critics of the PRC within one of the United States' most vibrant diaspora communities," said David Newman, the Justice Department's principal deputy assistant attorney general for national security. Canada and several European governments have cracked down on similar "police stations." Last year the Spain-based human rights group Safeguard Defenders first revealed the existence of such outposts around the world. They often operate with little or no indication they are there -- though US officials said the Manhattan office had been visited by officials from the Chinese consulate in New York. According to Safeguard Defenders, the "police stations" have been involved in pressuring Chinese nationals to return home to face criminal charges. Canada has identified and closed several unofficial outposts in Montreal and elsewhere. In October, Dutch authorities said they were investigating reports of two Chinese police operations in Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Lu and Chen were charged with acting as unregistered agents of a foreign government and obstruction for destroying evidence of their communications with Chinese officials. In a related case, the Justice Department announced charges against 34 members of China's MPS who were allegedly involved in harassing dissidents overseas, including the US-based Falun Gong religious movement. The indictees are allegedly members of the "912 Special Project Working Group," which the Justice Department described as an MPS task force set up "to target Chinese dissidents located throughout the world, including in the United States." The task force created thousands of fake social media accounts, according to the US charges, to target Chinese dissidents "through online harassment and threats." They also sometimes pose as people from the United States or other countries, the charges said, to push Beijing's official view or interpretation of global issues, from Democracy to the Ukraine war to American racial tensions. "This task force isn't a normal police force," said Peace. "It doesn't protect people or combat crimes. It commits crimes targeting Chinese democracy activists and dissidents located outside of the PRC, including right here in New York City." Another six MPS officials and two members of China's Cyberspace Administration were charged with conspiracy in an updated 2020 case of a China-based employee of Zoom acting to disrupt online meetings and discussions by anti-Beijing activists. The new indictment says the employee, Julien Jin, "worked directly with and took orders from" the MPS and Cyberspace Administration. In one case, in May and June 2020, Jin used his access to Zoom company systems to disrupt online meetings by activists to discuss the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen anti-democracy crackdown and massacre in Beijing. "It shows the PRC efforts to globalize the oppressive tactics used domestically in China to silence dissent," said Newman. "The efforts of the government of the PRC to export authoritarian methods to stifle free expression in the United States is a threat to American democracy that we will not abide." The post US arrests two over Chinese ‘police station’ in New York appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
G7 pledges to quit fossil fuels faster, but no new deadline
The G7 pledged on Sunday to quit fossil fuels faster and urged other countries to follow suit, but failed to agree to any new deadlines on ending polluting power sources like coal. The language reflects the depth of disagreements among the allies on the balance between climate action and energy security, with host Japan leading a pushback against the most ambitious proposals discussed. After two days of talks in the northern city of Sapporo, the bloc's climate and environment ministers vowed to "accelerate the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels so as to achieve net zero in energy systems by 2050 at the latest... and call on others to join us in taking the same action". But they offered no new deadlines beyond last year's G7 pledge to largely end fossil fuel use in their electricity sectors by 2035. France's energy transition minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said the "phase-out" wording was nonetheless a "strong step forward" ahead of the G20 and COP28 summits. Britain and France had put forward a new goal of ending "unabated" coal power -- which does not take steps to offset emissions -- in G7 electricity systems this decade. But with global energy supplies still squeezed by the war in Ukraine, the target faced pushback from other members, including bloc president Japan and the United States. "I would obviously have liked to have been able to make a commitment to phase out coal by 2030," Pannier-Runacher told AFP. But "it is one issue on which we can still make progress in forthcoming discussions, particularly at COP28", the UN climate conference to be held in Dubai this November. Call to reduce 'gas demand' The Group of Seven industrialiZed nations, which also includes Germany, Italy, Canada and the EU, all target net-zero emissions by 2050 or sooner after signing the Paris Agreement to cap warming at well under 2 degrees Celsius, and ideally 1.5C. The ministers had been under pressure to announce bold steps after a major UN climate report warned last month that 1.5C increases would be seen in about a decade without "rapid and far-reaching" action. But campaigners expressed fears ahead of the talks that Japan, supported by Germany and others, could lead backsliding on pledges such as ending new overseas fossil fuel financing. G7 leaders said last year that the "exceptional circumstances" of Russia's war in Ukraine made gas investments "appropriate as a temporary response". Sunday's statement contains similar language, but also sets multiple parameters around such investments and highlights the "primary need" for "gas demand reduction". Still, climate campaigners warned the ambiguity sends the wrong message. "The science is crystal clear that leaving the door open to investments in new gas or (liquefied natural gas) leaves the G7 off track for 1.5C," said Laurie van der Burg of Oil Change International. Japan's energy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura nonetheless characterized the communique as "ambitious" and praised the G7 for "recognizing diverse paths towards carbon neutrality" during the energy crisis. Hydrogen controversy Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, told AFP he was pleased with the statement. "It combines our current energy security concerns and it also provides a road map on how we deal with the climate crisis," he said, adding that Japan had played a "responsible and constructive" role. The bloc however stopped short of endorsing Japan's strategy of burning hydrogen and ammonia alongside fossil fuels to reduce emissions -- which activists say only serves to extend the lifespan of polluting plants. Its statement simply notes that "some countries are exploring" the potential of hydrogen fuels, adding that this should be "aligned with a 1.5C pathway". Attempts to commit to halving emissions from vehicles in the G7 by 2035 also floundered, but the group did pledge for the first time to end new plastic pollution by 2040. The statement also urges a peak in global greenhouse emissions by 2025 at the latest. Experts say this language is aimed at the world's largest carbon emitter, China, which is targeting a peak in its emissions by 2030. The post G7 pledges to quit fossil fuels faster, but no new deadline appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
3 HK activists jailed after guilty plea
HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Three young Hong Kong dissidents including Joshua Wong were remanded into custody on Monday after pleading guilty to inciting a rally during last year’s pro-democracy protests, deepening the crackdown against Beijing’s critics. Hong Kong was convulsed by seven straight months of huge and often violent democracy rallies last year in which […] The post 3 HK activists jailed after guilty plea appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hong Kong suspends elections
HONG KONG, China (AFP)— Hong Kong’s democracy supporters were dealt a huge blow Friday, 31 July, as authorities postponed local elections for a year because of the coronavirus, capping a devastating month of political disqualifications, arrests for social media posts and activists fleeing overseas. The city’s democracy camp has come under sustained attack since Beijing […] The post Hong Kong suspends elections appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
HK postpones polls over virus; China raises curbs
Hong Kong -- Hong Kong’s democracy supporters were dealt a huge blow Friday as authorities postponed local elections for a year because of the coronavirus, capping a devastating month of political disqualifications, arrests for social media posts and activists fleeing overseas......»»
China eyes phase out of live poultry
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China on Friday vowed to gradually phase out the slaughter and sale of live poultry at food markets, in a move welcomed by animal rights activists amid the coronavirus pandemic. The announcement came as China stepped up inspections of wholesale food markets and outlawed the sale and consumption of wildlife, after […] The post China eyes phase out of live poultry appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»