tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17876614043061016412024-03-05T12:14:49.697+07:00Cempaka AseanCountries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Loas, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
(General news or articles related to ASEAN & ASIA )Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5024125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-47850052577222703592023-05-19T03:46:00.002+07:002023-05-19T03:47:41.379+07:00China's Xi hails 'new era' of ties with Central Asia at summit<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/chinas-xi-hosts-central-asian-leaders-in-milestone-summit/ar-AA1bkVaI" target="_blank">MSN – AFP</a>, 18 May 2023</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5299ASlwKtmd58Vxzp6BLAweUPdl6tGvvkHkYeNsN1B8tyggCmPoYLAyyeXEy6xV_-9HASJaoaMe6SmLtwQ0zpVmoAbedHUZux29iIYWcLncpQQkGaQDLhoFde-fb6_OVnHa7O1v4dLDbbAl6qof48v_bJdLUAhbsZgXdzrQWX1OXB_GCuis_RMk-w/s1282/AA1bmIeP.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1282" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5299ASlwKtmd58Vxzp6BLAweUPdl6tGvvkHkYeNsN1B8tyggCmPoYLAyyeXEy6xV_-9HASJaoaMe6SmLtwQ0zpVmoAbedHUZux29iIYWcLncpQQkGaQDLhoFde-fb6_OVnHa7O1v4dLDbbAl6qof48v_bJdLUAhbsZgXdzrQWX1OXB_GCuis_RMk-w/w400-h338/AA1bmIeP.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="text-align: left;">Map showing Central Asia countries. China's President Xi Jinping will host a two-day <br />summit with the leaders of five Central Asian leaders in Xi'an starting May 18. </span><span style="text-align: left;">Laurence CHU</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed a "new
era" of ties with Central Asia on Thursday, kicking off a summit Beijing
hopes will deepen relations with the strategically vital region.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Held in the ancient Chinese city of Xi'an, the
historic eastern end of the Silk Road that linked China to Europe through
Central Asia, Beijing has said this week's meeting is of "milestone
significance".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnwEN5uBj5b0MAI5-CHXbN_w_6YYrT2e9ekYsGAS003cp5hLJIsZZOEzYI6KtopPXJS8K01JJh9d3L1y9Xd1S6vCEehNjgE_5PeLWPg8OfE8H9dQTuMqqHJVKL6_XPr5HCYvrUojkojmrVBji5k9pbpacpCH8hE_kj6s0KYtkhbkGjyzS9u18AoDM9g/s1620/AA1bmKr9.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1620" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnwEN5uBj5b0MAI5-CHXbN_w_6YYrT2e9ekYsGAS003cp5hLJIsZZOEzYI6KtopPXJS8K01JJh9d3L1y9Xd1S6vCEehNjgE_5PeLWPg8OfE8H9dQTuMqqHJVKL6_XPr5HCYvrUojkojmrVBji5k9pbpacpCH8hE_kj6s0KYtkhbkGjyzS9u18AoDM9g/w400-h266/AA1bmKr9.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">Chinese President Xi Jinping is hosting a summit with the leaders of five Central <br />Asian states as he seeks to build China's influence in the region. </span><span style="text-align: left;">FLORENCE LO</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />And in a speech to the region's leaders at a welcoming
banquet Thursday evening, Xi said strengthening ties was a "strategic
choice". </span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"I am confident that with our joint efforts,
tomorrow's summit will be a full success and will herald a new era of
China-Central Asia relations," Xi was quoted as saying in a readout of the
speech seen by AFP.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzK24Oi7WxjD1-BZOkVkAIVpmmzECauwpjJkzMFTjGhbjSVWiK8QWTpNLvgyKLIcKqJQ2O6DCfme1TKRUOn7yiOuTrs94HWZrankAlGwWUHm6W1klTwqWvsy5kevacTOQZtPZGaN6NcO8WUTaDDo_5Qa1EN7n_dJs4tFGwSw_GwiPn9xOlFQk1iT5Aw/s1468/AA1bmAnw.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1468" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzK24Oi7WxjD1-BZOkVkAIVpmmzECauwpjJkzMFTjGhbjSVWiK8QWTpNLvgyKLIcKqJQ2O6DCfme1TKRUOn7yiOuTrs94HWZrankAlGwWUHm6W1klTwqWvsy5kevacTOQZtPZGaN6NcO8WUTaDDo_5Qa1EN7n_dJs4tFGwSw_GwiPn9xOlFQk1iT5Aw/w400-h294/AA1bmAnw.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;">The leaders of five Central Asian states arrive for the welcoming ceremony of <br />a summit being hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. </span><span style="text-align: left;">© FLORENCE LO</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">"Join us in opening up a bright future of
China-Central Asia cooperation," he said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This week's meeting is the first of its kind since the
establishment of formal relations 31 years ago.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Beijing says trade with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reached $70 billion in 2022 and
expanded 22 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Central Asia has also become key to China's
trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, a defining geopolitical project for
Xi, with Beijing keen to restart cooperation and fill the vacuum left in former
Soviet states by Russia's war in Ukraine.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">China, the world's second-largest energy consumer, has
invested billions of dollars to tap natural gas reserves in Central Asia, while
rail links connecting China to Europe criss-cross the region.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Analysts told AFP this week's summit is likely to see
efforts to reach agreements to further expand that vast network, including a
long-stalled $6 billion China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and an expansion of
the Central Asia-to-China gas pipeline.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">'Global economic leadership'</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev hailed the
"unique scope" of that project at a meeting with Xi ahead of the
summit.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Xi also told Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov in talks
on Thursday that China was "willing to work with Kyrgyzstan to build a
community of good neighborliness, friendship, shared prosperity, and a shared
future".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">He then met with the leaders of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan
and Turkmenistan, lauding the close ties between them and pledging to expand
economic and cultural exchanges.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"Your policies will ensure the development and
further prosperity of a modern socialist state, the strengthening of the
authority and the global economic leadership of the country in the nearest
future," Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev told Xi.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Xi and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan greeted the
heads of state at a grand welcoming ceremony in the evening, posing for a group
photo in front of an old-style Chinese building lit by red lanterns.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Dozens of dancers then performed a musical show
inspired by the Tang Dynasty, when relations between China and Central Asia
were considered very strong.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A media event will be held on Friday morning, expected
to be attended by all six presidents, at which a joint statement is likely to
be released.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Growing influence</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This week's summit also comes as Beijing works to
replace Russia as Central Asian nations' preferred partner -- and as Xi
positions himself as a global statesman keen to expand China's reach far beyond
its borders.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"Xi will position himself as a leader that can
promote global development and peace," Zhiqun Zhu, a Professor of
International Relations and Political Science at Bucknell University, told AFP.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The summit also coincides with a meeting of the G7 in
Hiroshima that will likely focus on efforts to "push back China's growing
influence around the world", Zhu said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"The diplomatic and strategic significance cannot
be underestimated," he said.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-64139888097617402862023-05-11T03:18:00.001+07:002023-05-11T03:18:08.670+07:00ASEAN leaders say 'deeply concerned' about Myanmar violence<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/asean-leaders-deeply-concerned-myanmar-030539288.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Martin Abbugao and Allison Jackson, May
10, 2023</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqoljOK9poA69rfXn0D8OSX_PUK2DOhFsLSwTvj0gWKoChoMvCMY8KUi2oUwRP_RTUYhQ_qi7mWqsE1NHF7Kv3Ck9QwgG7y_gb1X7yOS3hIy6BiZGR_QCMjRy0bCMOgZkREf7PAsxJ1LajNwy95LMh-Dr-x6vWrI3xHTKhpmytkiJXd4FcGRO2ikYNA/s768/fda229e9c680474148e719c0ff8f9f82.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqoljOK9poA69rfXn0D8OSX_PUK2DOhFsLSwTvj0gWKoChoMvCMY8KUi2oUwRP_RTUYhQ_qi7mWqsE1NHF7Kv3Ck9QwgG7y_gb1X7yOS3hIy6BiZGR_QCMjRy0bCMOgZkREf7PAsxJ1LajNwy95LMh-Dr-x6vWrI3xHTKhpmytkiJXd4FcGRO2ikYNA/w400-h266/fda229e9c680474148e719c0ff8f9f82.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The turmoil in junta-ruled Myanmar has dominated talks at the ASEAN <br />summit in Indonesia</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Southeast Asian nations said Wednesday they are
"deeply concerned" about the violence ravaging Myanmar, and condemned
a recent attack on a convoy of diplomats delivering humanitarian aid in the country.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Turmoil in junta-ruled Myanmar has dominated talks at
this week's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Indonesia,
as the regional bloc faces criticism for its perceived inaction.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ASEAN has led diplomatic attempts to resolve the
festering crisis, but its efforts so far have failed to stem the bloodshed
unleashed by a military coup in 2021.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence
in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the
use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery
of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues," ASEAN
leaders said in a statement.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The junta has ignored international criticism and
refused to engage with its opponents, which include ousted lawmakers, anti-coup
"People's Defence Forces" and armed ethnic minority groups.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">An air strike on a village in a rebel stronghold last
month that reportedly killed about 170 people sparked global condemnation and
worsened the junta's isolation.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Pressure on the regional bloc increased Sunday after a
convoy of vehicles carrying diplomats and officials coordinating ASEAN
humanitarian relief in Myanmar came under fire.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Singapore and Indonesia said earlier that staff from
their embassies in Myanmar were in the vehicles that came under fire in eastern
Shan State but were unharmed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"We condemned the attack and underlined that the
perpetrators must be held accountable," ASEAN leaders said in their
statement.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Addressing the summit Wednesday, Indonesian President
Joko Widodo said he was "confident" the 10-member bloc could deal
with growing global challenges if its members were united.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"With unity, ASEAN will be able to play a central
role in bringing peace and growth," Widodo said through a translator as he
opened the leaders' session of the summit.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>Low expectations</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Foreign ministers and national leaders meeting on the
Indonesian island of Flores are trying to kickstart a five-point plan agreed
upon with Myanmar two years ago after mediation attempts to end the violence
failed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Myanmar remains an ASEAN member but has been barred
from top-level summits due to the junta's failure to implement the peace plan.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Diplomatic sources told AFP that the foreign ministers
of some countries, which they did not name, had suggested eventually inviting
back the junta, citing "Myanmar fatigue".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jakarta's chairmanship of the bloc this year had
raised hopes ASEAN could push for a peaceful solution, using its economic weight
as well as its diplomatic experience.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Friday
that her country was using "quiet diplomacy" to speak with all sides
of the Myanmar conflict and spur renewed peace efforts.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But Indonesia was running out of time to achieve a
breakthrough, said Lina Alexandra, an analyst at the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies in Jakarta.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">After the next leaders' summit in September, Alexandra
added, Indonesia will hand the bloc's influential chairmanship to communist-ruled
Laos, which could bring Myanmar back "into the fold" and allow the
junta to attend ASEAN summits.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"It is time for Indonesia to show that it can do
what it should do," she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ASEAN's charter principles of consensus and
non-interference have hamstrung its ability to stop the violence in Myanmar,
which critics say poses an existential threat to the bloc.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Divisions among its members over Myanmar and other
issues, including China's growing assertiveness in the disputed South China
Sea, have undermined the bloc.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On Wednesday, diplomats were fine-tuning an
implementation plan for the peace process that would be announced by their
leaders on Thursday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The latest draft of the end-of-summit statement seen
by AFP has left the paragraph on Myanmar open, reflecting diplomatic
difficulties over the issue.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Expectations for progress were low.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"I don't think that there's going to be very much
there that will surprise people," said Aaron Connelly, an analyst for
International Institute for Strategic Studies in Singapore.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-14376853765492083822023-03-02T04:08:00.004+07:002023-03-02T04:08:38.422+07:00High-level defection: why N. Korean diplomatic family chose freedom<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/high-level-defection-why-n-021640522.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Kim Il-sung, March 1, 2023</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOOjxnhA9w7dSzV5iLiMcRlpVR46QQoK1XJe4EqasCqvdPWEz7sep3L2Tqu3f3v3GtdsHX9R8SG2on6o2rIwNd_5NGoYOsXrXgu-RQLXCyRPztgNzy9RyunXX-b02ChuUTuFS2yB7eN0oF5TGKPuPWyZ7GZmcCRzBZ4v6Ezg7__0wc7VvNOBIAavXKw/s705/c5342d01edc71b7a962cc0a45a4144db.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHOOjxnhA9w7dSzV5iLiMcRlpVR46QQoK1XJe4EqasCqvdPWEz7sep3L2Tqu3f3v3GtdsHX9R8SG2on6o2rIwNd_5NGoYOsXrXgu-RQLXCyRPztgNzy9RyunXX-b02ChuUTuFS2yB7eN0oF5TGKPuPWyZ7GZmcCRzBZ4v6Ezg7__0wc7VvNOBIAavXKw/w400-h266/c5342d01edc71b7a962cc0a45a4144db.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Born into an elite North Korean family with ties to
the ruling dynasty, Oh Hye Son grew up believing she was "special" --
but then she tasted freedom overseas and decided to defect.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Most of the tens of thousands of North Koreans who
have escaped repression and poverty at home make an arduous, high-risk journey
across the country's land border with China, where they face arrest and
possible deportation.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oh's family's defection was less dangerous but equally
as wrenching: she convinced her husband Thae Yong Ho, then deputy ambassador at
North Korea's London embassy, to give up their privileged place in the
Pyongyang regime for the sake of their children.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"I wanted to never return to North Korea and
questioned why North Koreans had to live such a hard life," she told AFP
in an interview in Seoul, where she now lives.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Years of postings across Europe -- in Denmark, Sweden,
and Britain -- exposed the family to a different life, she said, adding that
when she first arrived in London she thought: "If there is paradise, this
must be it".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oh, who recently published a Korean-language memoir,
was once part of Pyongyang aristocracy -- a descendent of a famed North Korean
general who fought alongside leader Kim Il Sung against the Japanese in the
1930s.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">But despite this impeccable pedigree, she still
"lived in fear of power", she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"No one except the Kim family had privileges, and
as my children learned about freedom and democracy when they lived abroad, I
realised there was no future for them in North Korea," she added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">NHS love</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oh's eldest son Thae Juhyok had chronic health
problems including nephrotic syndrome, a condition which can cause
life-threatening kidney problems if not treated.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Getting that treatment was near impossible in
Pyongyang's crumbling health system -- one of the world's worst -- where
doctors had to be bribed to do anything and crucial medicines were lacking.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oh said it was eye-opening when the family first
arrived in London in 2004 and became eligible for the National Health Service.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Her son was soon able to get free treatment at one of
the best medical facilities in the city, she said, adding that her children
also went to British schools, where they settled in well.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"The children grew up so bright in England, in a
society that respected them," she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It was a stark contrast to life in Pyongyang, to which
they returned in 2008 after her husband's first London posting ended.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Juhyok attended the Pyongyang Medical University, but
instead of studying he was put to work on a construction site hauling cement,
Oh said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">North Korea is beset by labour shortages across
economic sectors and it is common for the government to order students, even
schoolchildren, to do manual labour as a demonstration of loyalty.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If one fails to comply, the government reportedly
withholds food rations or imposes taxes, according to a 2022 Trafficking in
Persons Report published by the US State Department.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As her overseas-raised children began questioning the
corruption and injustice they observed in North Korea, Oh realised it would be
impossible for them to fully integrate into Pyongyang society.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"They had completely different values," she
said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"It was then that I began thinking that if I ever
had a chance to go overseas again, I will not return."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Escape</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oh's chance came when her husband was again posted to
London as the deputy ambassador, and she convinced him to defect as she did not
want to be "resented by her children in the future".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">She had hoped the North Korean regime would collapse
after the death of Kim Jong Il, the father and predecessor of current leader
Kim Jong Un, and was crushed when his son emerged as the third generation of
Kims to rule.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"In North Korea, you existed -- from morning to
night -- for the sake of the Kim family," Oh said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Thae became the first defector to be elected to South
Korea's parliament, where he is now a high-profile lawmaker for the
conservative People Power Party.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oh loves her new life in Seoul, but is haunted by
thoughts of her mother and siblings left behind in North Korea, which is known
to punish defectors' family members.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">She can't check in with them: civilian contact is
banned between the two Koreas, although some defectors have used intermediaries
to smuggle Chinese mobile phones across the border.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Oh has not managed to contact her family, but she once
glimpsed her brother-in-law when he was part of an official North Korean
delegation that visited Seoul in 2018 during a rare bout of diplomacy.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It gave her hope that her relatives had not been
purged by the Kim regime as a result of her family's escape.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">"Will they resent me? Will they envy me? Or will
they silently cheer for me?" she said, wiping away tears.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-61744739136864111182022-10-19T02:57:00.003+07:002022-10-19T02:57:43.382+07:00Concern mounts for Iranian climber who competed without hijab<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.yahoo.com/video/concern-mounts-iranian-climber-competed-090114971.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Stuart Williams, October 18, 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWjqZ7P3zQxh1uuCDfyajbWNxmHi0d4-WSvKrDnhejD0vaOtefKzYPo02IAFRgb9FUalA9me86yVZqgLVr5Vy92rZ38i60zoRaFh8xuJbNAswbSs4BQ7f1sVZGSfs_ws1JAx29poBGKQf5nNoT4Ou77wD9_6xzXqLqCaoEc3XpwIqcfycmq_3o7kqfw/s768/f6010b32488745bda8ddeec965ef9303.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="502" data-original-width="768" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiWjqZ7P3zQxh1uuCDfyajbWNxmHi0d4-WSvKrDnhejD0vaOtefKzYPo02IAFRgb9FUalA9me86yVZqgLVr5Vy92rZ38i60zoRaFh8xuJbNAswbSs4BQ7f1sVZGSfs_ws1JAx29poBGKQf5nNoT4Ou77wD9_6xzXqLqCaoEc3XpwIqcfycmq_3o7kqfw/w400-h261/f6010b32488745bda8ddeec965ef9303.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Alarm grew on Tuesday over the wellbeing of Iranian
sports climber Elnaz Rekabi after she competed at an event in South Korea
without a hijab in what some saw as a gesture of solidarity with the women-led
protests at home.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rekabi, 33, in her first comment since the event on
Sunday apologised on Instagram for the "concerns" caused and insisted
that her bare-headed appearance had been "unintentional".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">She had come fourth representing Iran in the boulder
and lead combined event at the Asian Championships in Seoul.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the initial bouldering discipline her head was
covered with a bandana but in the later lead climbing, scaling a high wall with
a rope, she wore only a headband, the stream posted by the International
Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) showed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">This was in breach of the Islamic republic's mandatory
dress rules of compulsory headscarf for women which also apply to all female
athletes, even when competing abroad.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The gesture came one month into protests in Iran over
the death of Mahsa Amini, arrested by Tehran police for allegedly violating the
dress rules, which have transformed into a movement against the obligatory
hijab and the Islamic republic itself.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Supporters of the protests on social media described
Rekabi as a "hero", posting images of her climbing up the letters of
the protest slogan "Woman. Life. Freedom."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Nothing had been heard since the event from Rekabi
until a story was published Tuesday morning on her Instagram account where she
has over 200,000 followers.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I firstly apologise for all the concerns I have
caused," the statement said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Due to the timing and sudden call to begin the climb
"my hijab unintentionally became problematic", it said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I am currently on my way back to Iran alongside
the team based on the pre-scheduled timetable," it added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Pressure in Seoul</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">However, there was alarm over under what circumstances
the statement had emerged after unconfirmed reports suggested she had been
pressured by Iranian officials in South Korea.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">BBC Persian quoted an unnamed source as saying that
friends had been unable to contact her and the team had left their hotel on
Seoul on Monday, earlier than the scheduled departure date of Wednesday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It said her mobile phone and passport had been taken
from her.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Meanwhile news website Iran Wire reported that the
head of Iran's climbing federation had "tricked" her into entering
the Iranian embassy in Seoul and that she would then be taken directly to the
airport.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It said the federation chief had promised her safe
passage to Iran if she handed over her phone and passport.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Iranian embassy in Seoul, however, issued a
statement to AFP denying "all the fake, false news and disinformation
regarding" her situation and adding Rekabi had left South Korea along with
her teammates on Tuesday.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The spokesperson for the UN office of the high
commissioner for human rights, Ravina Shamdasani, said the UN was
"aware" of the case and concerns were being raised with the Iranian authorities.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Women should never be prosecuted for what they
wear. They should never be subjected to violations such as arbitrary detention
or any kind of violence with regards to what they wear," she said in
Geneva.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We will be following this case very closely."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Taboo-breaking</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rekabi is believed to be the second Iranian woman to
have appeared in competition without a headscarf after boxer Sadaf Khadem
appeared bare-headed in a bout in France in 2019. Khadem did not return to Iran
and now lives in exile in France.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Sport has become a hugely sensitive arena during the
protests, with several prominent Iranian female athletes expressing support for
women's rights.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Famous footballers have also been caught up in the
crackdown with former international player Hossein Mahini arrested and the
world's ex-top scorer Ali Daei having his passport confiscated. Daei's document
was returned while Mahini was reportedly freed on bail.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Iran's Fars news agency, which reflects hardline
views, published an editorial Tuesday critical of Rekabi but avoided mentioning
her by name.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It asked why "Western, Zionist and Saudi"
media had not paid attention to victories by Iranian women wearing headscarves
in the last days in athletics and weightlifting but instead "highlighted
the performance of a girl with unconventional behaviour".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rights groups have long accused Iran of pressuring
people deemed to have violated its laws into so-called confessions either on
television or social media.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-50982051576904709782022-09-23T03:12:00.005+07:002022-09-23T03:12:59.446+07:00Amanpour says Iran president interview scrapped over headscarf demand<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/amanpour-says-iran-president-interview-145521631.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Ebrahim Raisi, September 22, 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FLvMjbmPPKwwNJDWhxjK7-ABVuFWz6xXMmHeU2uM0lKcKHxt2K6qvaVPOU9XG37j00RJZZ-dXu12E16fYkWwwYzgScxh37TvlSgzOj1U3tQEwgQDyMAC4qcoZIL06YkmwzU-DMuPTMh_795oL6_LpB0I1R1dl0eqxFdOoNI96UbygmCHgU7G6Ecn0g/s705/7e71e86ada41dffc45f1fe33bfd8b512.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1FLvMjbmPPKwwNJDWhxjK7-ABVuFWz6xXMmHeU2uM0lKcKHxt2K6qvaVPOU9XG37j00RJZZ-dXu12E16fYkWwwYzgScxh37TvlSgzOj1U3tQEwgQDyMAC4qcoZIL06YkmwzU-DMuPTMh_795oL6_LpB0I1R1dl0eqxFdOoNI96UbygmCHgU7G6Ecn0g/w400-h266/7e71e86ada41dffc45f1fe33bfd8b512.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour said Thursday
that an interview with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was scrapped after he
insisted she wear a headscarf, the focus of major protests in the cleric-run
state.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Amanpour, the chief international anchor of CNN who
also has a show on US public broadcaster PBS, said she was ready for the
interview Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly when an aide
insisted she cover her hair.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I politely declined. We are in New York, where
there is no law or tradition regarding headscarves," Amanpour, who was
born in Britain to an Iranian father, wrote on Twitter.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I pointed out that no previous Iranian president
has required this when I have interviewed them outside Iran," she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I said that I couldn't agree to this
unprecedented and unexpected condition."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">She posted a picture of herself -- without a headscarf
-- sitting in front of an empty chair where Raisi would have been.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">An aide to Raisi, a hardline cleric, told Amanpour
that he was insisting on a headscarf because of "the situation in
Iran," she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Iran has been swept by nearly a week of protests since
the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested by morality
police that enforce the clerics' rules on how women dress.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A non-governmental group said that at least 31 Iranian
civilians have been killed in the crackdown on the protests, in which women
have been seen burning headscarves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-72458515589308029352022-08-27T03:21:00.003+07:002022-08-27T03:21:56.731+07:00Pope Francis asks North Korea to invite him to visit<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/pope-francis-asks-north-korea-053712067.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, August 26, 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR528kEUcyR3kPg8ZMWOvjUL62Ths4cS9DZtue0USZm5YAD-mDWGmuu3aZ9x14U7J8FRP-LFu2s1dnlobEzY9L9cBVkTZZ9u-t1-QvBgkQqaS5zIPdIwPg5kmG9eXkd_quuvalXLaT1nNd97xNKEseJDVciUfAoXQu0fTrC2ngbVDd8nlgnrMikoJZ8A/s705/3b799a81356878e2979615e71f65e519.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR528kEUcyR3kPg8ZMWOvjUL62Ths4cS9DZtue0USZm5YAD-mDWGmuu3aZ9x14U7J8FRP-LFu2s1dnlobEzY9L9cBVkTZZ9u-t1-QvBgkQqaS5zIPdIwPg5kmG9eXkd_quuvalXLaT1nNd97xNKEseJDVciUfAoXQu0fTrC2ngbVDd8nlgnrMikoJZ8A/w400-h266/3b799a81356878e2979615e71f65e519.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Pope Francis has asked Pyongyang to invite him to
North Korea, saying in a televised interview on Friday that he would not turn
down a chance to visit and work for peace.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A potential papal visit to the isolated, nuclear-armed
country was previously floated in 2018 when Seoul's former president Moon
Jae-in embarked on a round of diplomacy with Pyongyang's leader Kim Jong Un.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Moon, who is Catholic, said during a summit that Kim
told him the pontiff would be "enthusiastically" welcomed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Pope Francis replied at the time that he would be
willing to go if he received an official invitation.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But Pyongyang has largely cut off contact with Seoul
following the collapse of a second summit between Kim and then-US president
Donald Trump in 2019, which has left talks at a standstill.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"When they invite me -- that is to say, please
invite me -- I won't say no," Pope Francis told South Korea's state
broadcaster KBS in an interview that aired Friday.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The goal is simply fraternity," he added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Ties between North and South Korea have been at a
frosty low since Seoul inaugurated a hawkish new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, in
May.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Yoon offered aid to the North in return for
denuclearisation, but Kim's regime ridiculed the plan.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The North blamed South Korea for its May outbreak of
Covid-19 and earlier this month threatened to "wipe out" Seoul's
authorities in retaliation.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">North Korea has conducted a record number of weapons
tests this year, including firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full
range for the first time since 2017.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'Work for peace'</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The pope has repeatedly urged Koreans on the peninsula
to "work for peace."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"You, the Korean people, have suffered from the
war," he said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Religious freedom is enshrined in the North's
constitution, but all religious activity is banned outside of state-sanctioned
institutions.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In the early 20th century, before the division of the
peninsula, Pyongyang was a regional missionary hub with scores of churches and
a thriving Christian community that earned it the title "Jerusalem of the
East".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But Kim Il Sung, the North's late founding leader and
the current ruler's grandfather, viewed Christianity as a threat and eradicated
it through executions and labour camps.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The North's regime has since allowed Catholic
organisations to run aid projects, but direct relations with the Vatican are
non-existent.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">When Pope Francis visited South Korea in 2014, he held
a special mass dedicated to the reunification of the two Koreas.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-44927836560888560942022-08-22T03:07:00.007+07:002022-08-22T03:07:55.188+07:00Singapore to repeal colonial-era law against gay sex: PM<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220821-singapore-to-repeal-colonial-era-law-against-gay-sex-pm" target="_blank">France24 – AFP</a>,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">21 August 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD70dCWGzARk5Anvp7HO5DYSmFMwkBo1-O8zfS2j2pkIV5hlPz6FA98YFjGJ23IXQ9K_aAp1WlUFyUBbzaLbSu1vQnk-PzAS5Ln6LHln6JfMz1iF39Jovu80dOC18EyVuITjptrE-0iBx0jbM_vqrHl3Imd5KtkiIb5t0y_X1LsXHUb1R4H1RsdhX0rg/s1024/b5ee04965cf17b01954e7967c79e9d1c959b36d0.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD70dCWGzARk5Anvp7HO5DYSmFMwkBo1-O8zfS2j2pkIV5hlPz6FA98YFjGJ23IXQ9K_aAp1WlUFyUBbzaLbSu1vQnk-PzAS5Ln6LHln6JfMz1iF39Jovu80dOC18EyVuITjptrE-0iBx0jbM_vqrHl3Imd5KtkiIb5t0y_X1LsXHUb1R4H1RsdhX0rg/w400-h225/b5ee04965cf17b01954e7967c79e9d1c959b36d0.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gay rights campaigners have long said Singapore's law runs afoul of the <br />affluent city-state's increasingly modern and vibrant culture Roslan RAHMAN AFP</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Singapore (AFP) – Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong announced Sunday the country will repeal a colonial-era law criminalising
gay sex, though he maintained that the government will continue to
"uphold" marriage as between a man and a woman.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Inherited from the British colonial era, section 377A
of Singapore's penal code penalises sex between men with up to two years in
jail.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Gay rights campaigners have long said the law runs
afoul of the affluent city-state's increasingly modern and vibrant culture, and
had mounted two unsuccessful legal challenges.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">During a major policy speech Sunday, Lee said
attitudes have shifted since 15 years ago when the government decided the law
should remain, although it has not been actively enforced.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Gay people "are now better accepted"
locally, especially among younger Singaporeans, he said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It is timely to ask ourselves again the
fundamental question: Should sex between men in private be a criminal
offence?" Lee said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The government will repeal section 377A and
decriminalise sex between men. I believe this is the right thing to do, and
something that most Singaporeans will now accept."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He added: "This will bring the law into line with
current social mores, and I hope, provide some relief to gay
Singaporeans".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">However, the repeal of section 377A stops short of
full marriage equality.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Lee said the government recognises that "most
Singaporeans do not want the repeal to trigger a drastic shift in our societal
norms across the board", including how marriage is defined and how it is
taught in schools.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"Hence, even as we repeal section 377A, we will
uphold and safeguard the institution of marriage," he said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He stressed that under the law, "only marriages
between one man and one woman are recognised in Singapore".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The government will amend the constitution to protect
the existing definition of marriage from being challenged constitutionally in
the courts, Lee added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'Long road to equality'</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The first attempt to overturn the law was rejected in
2014. The Court of Appeals dismissed the second challenge last February.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Gay rights campaigners on Sunday expressed
"relief" over the government's decision.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The repeal of Section 377A is the first step on
a long road towards full equality for LGBTQ+ people in Singapore," they
said in joint statement signed by more than 20 groups.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But "the true impact of repeal will be determined
by how the people of Singapore respond to it, and treat each other, in the days
and months to come".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Ahead of Lee's speech, an alliance of Protestant
churches in Singapore had warned Friday against removing the law, which it
described as a "marker for many social and moral considerations".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In 2018, India's Supreme Court decriminalised gay sex
by overturning legislation from its own period under British rule -- a decision
that spurred campaigners in Singapore to renew their efforts to challenge the
law.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The following year, Taiwan took the unprecedented
decision in May to legalise same-sex marriage, becoming the first place in Asia
to do so.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-63816062645198016442022-07-26T03:35:00.005+07:002022-07-26T03:35:44.363+07:00Myanmar junta executes two pro-democracy rivals<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/myanmar-junta-executes-two-pro-025059583.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, 25 July 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgJor2H-i5BJdgnovud3s0Uq_UVbclCoJpZuLs0axSIqg4N3-TzIKP5eAud-2YijBrI7yRcO7L0YWYTVd1E9rfZpOiAutHF4hmjrvabFABYKlYi2Vj8_fL-k6-W7s6yotJoS1hgPznAsL8IHyOR3xCsV0iXi6fmaevK0lAXE4rSTgahbVWhfu61XC5g/s768/41dade38cece38eb5372a2572d6c2ceb.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRgJor2H-i5BJdgnovud3s0Uq_UVbclCoJpZuLs0axSIqg4N3-TzIKP5eAud-2YijBrI7yRcO7L0YWYTVd1E9rfZpOiAutHF4hmjrvabFABYKlYi2Vj8_fL-k6-W7s6yotJoS1hgPznAsL8IHyOR3xCsV0iXi6fmaevK0lAXE4rSTgahbVWhfu61XC5g/w400-h266/41dade38cece38eb5372a2572d6c2ceb.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Myanmar's junta has executed four prisoners including
a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi's party and a prominent activist, state
media said Monday, in the country's first use of capital punishment in decades.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The four were executed for leading "brutal and
inhumane terror acts", the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The paper said the executions were carried out
"under the prison's procedure" without saying when or how the men
were killed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The junta has sentenced dozens of anti-coup activists
to death as part of its crackdown on dissent after seizing power last year, but
Myanmar had not carried out an execution for decades.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Phyo Zeya Thaw, a former lawmaker from Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy (NLD) who was arrested in November, was sentenced
to death in January for offences under anti-terrorism laws.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Democracy activist Kyaw Min Yu -- better known as
"Jimmy" -- received the same sentence from the military tribunal.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Two other men were sentenced to death for killing a
woman they alleged was an informer for the junta in Yangon.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Diplomatic condemnation</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The junta was heavily criticised by international
powers last month when it announced its intention to carry out the executions.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned
the junta's decision, calling it "a blatant violation to the right to
life, liberty and security of person".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">UN rights experts said that if the executions went
ahead -- for the first time in Myanmar since 1988 -- it could mark the start of
a spate of hangings.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The experts said that under the junta's martial law
provisions, the death penalty could be given for 23 "vague and broadly
defined offences" -- which in practice could include any criticism of the
military.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Myanmar expert Richard Horsey of the International
Crisis Group (ICG) said on Twitter that the executions were "an outrageous
act. And one that will create political shockwaves, now and for a long time to
come".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Phyo Zeya Thaw had been accused of orchestrating
several attacks on regime forces, including a gun attack on a commuter train in
Yangon in August that killed five policemen.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A hip-hop pioneer whose subversive rhymes irked the
previous junta, he was jailed in 2008 for membership in an illegal organisation
and possession of foreign currency.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">He was elected to parliament representing Aung San Suu
Kyi's NLD in the 2015 elections, which ushered in a transition to civilian
rule.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The country's military alleged voter fraud during
elections in 2020 -- which the NLD won by a landslide -- as justification for
its coup on February 1 last year.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Suu Kyi has been detained since then and faces a slew
of charges in a junta court that could see her face a prison sentence of more
than 150 years.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Kyaw Min Yu, who rose to prominence during Myanmar's
1988 student uprising against the country's previous military regime, was
arrested in an overnight raid in October.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-76065514979886812402022-07-26T03:24:00.003+07:002022-07-26T03:24:32.466+07:00Droupadi Murmu sworn in as India's first tribal president<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/droupadi-murmu-sworn-indias-first-054949890.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, 25 July 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TX5QUdGojzn5OGtStR0JKqLULomRSAXz21jHErpdYXfs2FOpJz_iLCkWFda_IW1DmjLnX5c9XBf0O7lxdEWRPeMC1IxZHYDBs7GWzVOMsXFUYZucJMxtFjRUAFF1uKRYbeeYGDaFksvmEjNHYDkJFhjZaSO6pe_Ho91njiAijwE3_KCiDrLEohXc6A/s768/a800e50fd3bade90027bb616ffe24615.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TX5QUdGojzn5OGtStR0JKqLULomRSAXz21jHErpdYXfs2FOpJz_iLCkWFda_IW1DmjLnX5c9XBf0O7lxdEWRPeMC1IxZHYDBs7GWzVOMsXFUYZucJMxtFjRUAFF1uKRYbeeYGDaFksvmEjNHYDkJFhjZaSO6pe_Ho91njiAijwE3_KCiDrLEohXc6A/w400-h266/a800e50fd3bade90027bb616ffe24615.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Droupadi Murmu was sworn in as India's president on
Monday, making her the first person from one of the country's marginalised
tribal communities to serve as head of state.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The former school teacher and state governor was
elected to the largely ceremonial position last week with 64 percent of the
vote by members of India's parliament and state assemblies.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Murmu, who is from the Santhal tribe and was born in
eastern Odisha state, paid her respects before her inauguration at a memorial
dedicated to India's independence hero Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I started my life journey from a small tribal
village," Murmu, 64, said after taking the oath of office in parliament.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"From the background I come from, it was like a
dream for me to even get elementary education," she added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"But despite many obstacles, my resolve remained
strong and I became the first daughter from my village to go to college."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Murmu's win was considered a certainty because of the
strength of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies in the parliament
and state assemblies.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Analysts said the move will likely help Prime Minister
Narendra Modi extend his base among the poor tribal communities ahead of his
re-election bid in 2024.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Her assuming the Presidency is a watershed
moment for India especially for the poor, marginalised and downtrodden,"
Modi said on Twitter after Murmu's address.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Murmu said her election would give hope to those left
behind by India's recent economic growth.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It is a matter of great satisfaction to me that
those who have been deprived for centuries, who have been away from the
benefits of development... are seeing their reflection in me," she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">India's prime minister wields executive power, but the
president can send back some parliamentary bills for reconsideration and also
plays a guiding role in the process of forming governments.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Murmu is the country's second woman president after
Pratibha Patil, who held the position for five years from 2007.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">She succeeds Ram Nath Kovind, the second president
from the Dalit community, the bottom of the Hindu caste system.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-35811762855908514092022-06-12T04:30:00.000+07:002022-06-12T04:30:00.499+07:00N. Korea appoints veteran diplomat as first female foreign minister<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220611-n-korea-appoints-veteran-diplomat-as-first-female-foreign-minister">France24 – AFP</a>, 11 June 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdt9X038S12vszikrmqJOf83ouiMyE_gu2kLOKAfG3ht4x9g8UxRiu6npQqZGiboDwBD-BpyH1jJxtPZ-wNEwDhab1Qo0yIHwukNlxsQgiP8x5zk8H-5TVqKx-Jmt2ANb2ebDJNu1DWr4bXpvl_3piWCCHwZzYvI8dDeDw0h1okCkw1NtI2kaPBBoh4A/s1024/0c7ab35ce5caae4a891a88152fbe6a1cc75fedaf.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdt9X038S12vszikrmqJOf83ouiMyE_gu2kLOKAfG3ht4x9g8UxRiu6npQqZGiboDwBD-BpyH1jJxtPZ-wNEwDhab1Qo0yIHwukNlxsQgiP8x5zk8H-5TVqKx-Jmt2ANb2ebDJNu1DWr4bXpvl_3piWCCHwZzYvI8dDeDw0h1okCkw1NtI2kaPBBoh4A/w400-h225/0c7ab35ce5caae4a891a88152fbe6a1cc75fedaf.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A career diplomat who speaks fluent English, Choe Son Hui <br />served as a close aide to Kim Jong Un during talks with the <br />United States LUONG THAI LINH POOL/AFP/File</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Seoul (AFP) – North Korea has appointed veteran
diplomat Choe Son-hui as its first female foreign minister, state media
reported Saturday, as Pyongyang pushes ahead with a blitz of sanctions-busting
weapons tests and ignores US calls for talks.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Choe, who formerly served as the North's vice foreign
minister, was tapped to lead the foreign ministry at a ruling party meeting
overseen by leader Kim Jong Un, the state media KCNA reported.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">She replaces Ri Son Gwon, a hardline former military
official who previously led talks with the South.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A career diplomat who speaks fluent English, Choe
served as a close aide to Kim during nuclear talks with the United States and
accompanied the North Korean leader to summits with then US president Donald
Trump.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">She held a rare question and answer session with
reporters on the night the two leaders' summit in Hanoi collapsed without a
deal in February 2019, blaming Washington for the failed talks.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I think the United States has missed a golden
opportunity with its rejection of our proposals," she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington have since
stalled, with the Kim regime in recent months not responding to the United
States' repeated offers to return to negotiations.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The nuclear-armed North has meanwhile carried out a
blitz of sanctions-busting weapons tests this year, including firing an
intercontinental ballistic missile at full range for the first time since 2017.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">US and South Korean officials have also warned that
Kim's regime is preparing to carry out what would be its seventh nuclear test
-- a move that Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman warned would provoke a
"swift and forceful" response.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-68730448083333125432022-06-04T02:35:00.008+07:002022-06-04T02:35:45.196+07:00Saudi women move from behind wheel to under the hood<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220603-saudi-women-move-from-behind-wheel-to-under-the-hood" target="_blank">France24 – AFP</a>, 3 June 2022</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1NQt53kn0tj8E-rlrd_LL0vi1uwYem9VIHyb3rxVhLZ_rL3WY5DixdxzJOq-pzeEOY37P0cCVuPfzLQM76Xl1ro4EnLGmfd-dFUiPbLdzGRs52Zz_eVC61JeL4sRcCYqGKZJooBt_HqI2zm27ZxsNu9Hsb0fTZexFOgF7YKKXYRk43uJwnMkMZH6Tw/s1024/5d15103329bb2f9a8aff185d0a716f2332db5da6.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1NQt53kn0tj8E-rlrd_LL0vi1uwYem9VIHyb3rxVhLZ_rL3WY5DixdxzJOq-pzeEOY37P0cCVuPfzLQM76Xl1ro4EnLGmfd-dFUiPbLdzGRs52Zz_eVC61JeL4sRcCYqGKZJooBt_HqI2zm27ZxsNu9Hsb0fTZexFOgF7YKKXYRk43uJwnMkMZH6Tw/w400-h225/5d15103329bb2f9a8aff185d0a716f2332db5da6.webp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ghada Ahmed (R) works on a car in Saudi Arabia, where garages are tapping <br />women as a source for mechanics Fayez Nureldine AFP</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – An auto repair garage in
Saudi Arabia is turning to an untapped source for new car mechanics: Saudi
women, who just four years ago weren't even allowed to drive.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">At the Petromin Express garage in Jeddah, on the Red
Sea coast, new female recruits check oil and change tyres alongside their male
counterparts, part of a nationwide push to bring more women into the workforce.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Yet the women trainees have, perhaps inevitably,
encountered a host of barriers as they enter a field that is male-dominated the
world over –- and even more so in the conservative Muslim kingdom.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Several told AFP their first months on the job have
brought flashes of self-doubt, scepticism from relatives and outright hostility
from some customers.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">One "old man" who came by the garage
immediately ordered all the women out, saying he didn't want them going near
his car, recalled recruit Ghada Ahmad.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"At the beginning, it's normal not to trust us,
because I'm a woman and he doesn't trust my work as a woman," said Ahmad,
wearing grease-streaked white gloves and a long blue overcoat.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It's something new for them... After years of
only seeing men, now comes a woman."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As she struggled to learn the basics, Ahmad had
moments when she wondered if such men might have a point.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I used to go home with swollen hands, crying and
saying: 'This job is not for me. It looks like their words were correct,'"
she recalled.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But as her skills improved, so did her confidence –-
aided by other customers who were more encouraging.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"One man came and said: 'I'm very proud of you.
You are honouring us. You are a crown on our heads.'"</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Helpful husbands</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Expanding women's rights is central to Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman's Vision 2030 agenda, intended to diversify the
oil-dependent economy while softening Saudi Arabia's radical image.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The highest-profile change came in 2018, when Prince
Mohammed, the kingdom's de facto ruler, oversaw the end of a decades-old ban on
women driving.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The country has also eased so-called
"guardianship" rules that give men arbitrary authority over female
relatives.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2Zcv6ZSqG9TU0qJIs9uJb73fxPeM_JbeYEXnevNAFWmVXvtV-sL73eQzfW1l0yE_PF7nsEuPCUG07RWT1eFIKX3U2vYlx4EpOhDgqluNW-pcP9SAiRGVP0uuIz4VBxSzI8Tn2EIB95J4t5ndgCmOuMXrNiTorAmyNrm9bMGRzpFkOp5iVfiRj5d1kQ/s2480/4506dff270f528389187a73812472ca93e92c635.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1653" data-original-width="2480" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2Zcv6ZSqG9TU0qJIs9uJb73fxPeM_JbeYEXnevNAFWmVXvtV-sL73eQzfW1l0yE_PF7nsEuPCUG07RWT1eFIKX3U2vYlx4EpOhDgqluNW-pcP9SAiRGVP0uuIz4VBxSzI8Tn2EIB95J4t5ndgCmOuMXrNiTorAmyNrm9bMGRzpFkOp5iVfiRj5d1kQ/w400-h266/4506dff270f528389187a73812472ca93e92c635.webp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ola Flimban checks the tyre pressure on a car at a garage in Jeddah <br />Fayez Nureldine AFP</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br />These moves have burnished Prince Mohammed's
reputation as a women's rights champion, despite a crackdown on dissent that
has ensnared some of the very activists pushing for reform.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Yet women mechanics in Jeddah told AFP they could
never have started working without their husbands' consent.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Ola Flimban, a 44-year-old mother of four, first heard
about the jobs from a social media post, and immediately asked her husband,
Rafat Flimban, if she could apply.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rafat agreed and helped his wife prepare for the
interview by teaching her the names of spare parts.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Now she has experience in different car types,
how to change oil, how to check cars. She's even checking my car," he
said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The support at home has made it easier for Ola to deal
with wary customers at the garage.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"They are surprised that girls work in this
field, and ask us to explain how we fell in love with this field," she
said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"That is the most common question."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As she spoke, 20-year-old Mechaal drove up in his
silver sedan for an oil change.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He admitted being "shocked" that the task
would be carried out by a woman, but he soon came around.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"If they are here, it must mean they are
trained," he said, "and maybe they understand my car better than
me."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Petromin vice president Tariq Javed said his company
was "confident that this initiative will encourage more women to join the
automotive industry in all stages".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The company says its training covers "all express
services, including oil, battery, tyres, A/C, and other automotive
requirements".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'We make girls feel relaxed'</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Perhaps the biggest winners from the firm's initiative
are the city's women drivers.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We make girls feel relaxed when we operate on
their cars," said 30-year-old Angham Jeddawi, who has been at the garage
for six months.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Some girls feel shy when dealing with men. They
don't know how to talk with them, and they don't know what will be done with
the car. But with us they are free to talk a lot."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">For Jeddawi, the job has fulfilled a lifelong goal she
once thought impossible.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTkYFS4jJ-Jzoq6nUFkHYcqiDM6M_uXqdw1pQ7oPAM1ZawQzxLj1FYKLvy1z9QFiguNUhWR37MqYvCy3yyorKQrmrvMoxSHykHJYa08AgvugrMQsMSwhaHpLN-hfbZ618B7Bef64dY5F73LGkE6JV8l51Mvh2Wl3vKkdooJofiCrAgi2ZrKTP6TZQnA/s2480/344cee32b278ce92c0e8e23165f12df7c9e75698.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1653" data-original-width="2480" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTkYFS4jJ-Jzoq6nUFkHYcqiDM6M_uXqdw1pQ7oPAM1ZawQzxLj1FYKLvy1z9QFiguNUhWR37MqYvCy3yyorKQrmrvMoxSHykHJYa08AgvugrMQsMSwhaHpLN-hfbZ618B7Bef64dY5F73LGkE6JV8l51Mvh2Wl3vKkdooJofiCrAgi2ZrKTP6TZQnA/w400-h266/344cee32b278ce92c0e8e23165f12df7c9e75698.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">A male customer watches over Ghada Ahmed as she works on his truck <br />Fayez Nureldine AFP</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"My dream was to enter the automobile sector, but
for a Saudi woman this field was not available. So when the opportunity came, I
applied straight away," she said.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The knowledge she's gained has encouraged her to hit
the road herself.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">She has been studying for her driving test and hopes
to have a licence within a month.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"If I face a problem in the middle of the road,
now I know how to react," she said.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-11109340543582673082022-05-31T04:34:00.004+07:002022-05-31T04:46:20.761+07:00Pacific nations reject China security pact<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/china-eyes-security-pact-pacific-014117870.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Frank Bainimarama, 30 May 2022</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP0qo_PwlpJTRyeaDGjgvcRSr0oxe3PJjjmCxFKn5LK7YuNCHdLejbCM3_mTtPFXTaPwEgj_6_6u1r8JeoUJ3rQLOvGGCX-FclH-EWtFJ7bshQevp9BZw5rIRXljMjWQragMqGr4XBBkoL4eWRSEV25h-iYlRarBB7oCyWiWtTwqIN3e6U2yZsIepmw/s768/347a8dc6645cef6964b52dc8a1122eb3.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmP0qo_PwlpJTRyeaDGjgvcRSr0oxe3PJjjmCxFKn5LK7YuNCHdLejbCM3_mTtPFXTaPwEgj_6_6u1r8JeoUJ3rQLOvGGCX-FclH-EWtFJ7bshQevp9BZw5rIRXljMjWQragMqGr4XBBkoL4eWRSEV25h-iYlRarBB7oCyWiWtTwqIN3e6U2yZsIepmw/w400-h266/347a8dc6645cef6964b52dc8a1122eb3.webp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said that that Beijing is willing to <br />work with other major powers in the Pacific region to help island nations <br />develop (AFP/Vaitogi Asuisui MATAFEO) (Vaitogi Asuisui MATAFEO)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Ten Pacific island nations rebuffed China's push for a
wide-ranging regional security pact Monday, amid worries the proposal was
designed to pull them into Beijing's orbit.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Talks in Fiji between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi
and leaders from the small island nations failed to reach an agreement, in a
high-profile diplomatic setback for Beijing.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">China is offering to radically ramp up its activities
in the South Pacific, directly challenging the influence of the United States
and its allies in the strategically vital region.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The proposed pact would see Beijing train Pacific
island police, become involved in cybersecurity, expand political ties, conduct
sensitive marine mapping and gain greater access to natural resources on land
and in the water.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As an enticement, Beijing is offering millions of
dollars in financial assistance, the prospect of a potentially lucrative
China-Pacific islands free trade agreement and access to China's vast market of
1.4 billion people.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Behind the scenes, Pacific leaders have voiced deep
misgivings about the offer.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In a recent letter to fellow leaders, David Panuelo,
the President of the Federated States of Micronesia, warned the offer was
"disingenuous" and would "ensure Chinese influence in
government" and "economic control" of key industries.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A more soft-spoken public rebuke came after the talks,
when leaders said they could not agree to Beijing's proposed "Common
Development Vision" due to a lack of regional consensus.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"As always, we put consensus first," co-host
and Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said after the meeting, indicating
that broad accord would be needed before inking any "new regional
agreements".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the Federated States of
Micronesia were said to be among those concerned about the proposals, along
with Taiwan-recognising Palau, which was not invited.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We would rather deal with our own security
issues with China", Papua New Guinea Foreign Minister Soroi Eoe told AFP,
indicating concern about any region-wide pact.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Chinese officials -- working frantically to secure support
during Wang's 10-day diplomatic blitz of the region -- admitted their
entreaties had fallen short.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"There has been general support from the 10
countries," Chinese ambassador to Fiji Qian Bo told reporters in Suva.
"But of course, there are some concerns on some specific issues and we
have agreed that these two documents will be discussed afterwards until we have
reached an agreement."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Speaking from Suva, Wang made the face-saving
announcement that the 10 countries had agreed to memorandums of understanding
on China's "Belt and Road" infrastructure initiative.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The two sides will "continue to have ongoing and
in-depth discussions and consultations to shape more consensus on
cooperation", he said, urging those worried by Beijing's intentions not to
be "too anxious and don't be too nervous".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The full proposal has not been made public, but was
leaked to media including AFP ahead of Monday's meeting.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">China has said it will release a "position
paper" highlighting the proposals to the public in the coming weeks.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Balancing act</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Western powers have bristled against China's move into
the region, with the US State Department warning South Pacific nations to be
wary of "shadowy, vague deals with little transparency".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Australia joined the United States in urging a
spurning of China's attempts to expand its security reach deep into the region,
with the country's new foreign minister warning of the "consequences"
of such deals.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Many in the Pacific are uneasy at being thrust to the
centre of a geopolitical tussle between China and US allies.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Most capitals are keen to maintain amicable ties with
China, balancing relations between Beijing, Washington, Canberra and
Wellington, while focusing on the more urgent threat of climate change and
day-to-day economic issues.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">During a joint appearance with Wang, Bainimarama hit
out at those engaged in "geopolitical point-scoring".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It "means less than little to anyone whose
community is slipping beneath the rising seas, whose job has been lost to a
pandemic or whose family is impacted by the rapid rise in the price of
commodities", he said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">All but a few of the Pacific Islands are low-lying and
deeply vulnerable to sea-level rises caused by climate change.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before the meeting, President Xi Jinping sent a
message that China would be "a good brother" to the region and that
they shared a "common destiny", according to state broadcaster CCTV.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-49021792029320384942022-05-12T03:29:00.004+07:002022-05-12T03:29:26.161+07:00Tokyo to recognise same-sex partnerships from November<p><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/tokyo-recognise-same-sex-partnerships-034215002.html" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/tokyo-recognise-same-sex-partnerships-034215002.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, May 11, 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sVvmJYGSnZyXjSoTzr-toYbvFu7MmkNZi2sEBTdv-SD0Jv0o1xE0j1Gfb3GYrPO3Ok9UMhORQOnJn_QTYJVv4RM7Wg7oI7YRaH6m6wjlTZVPbAF3Jr9hUbiH1Mudpr_kzsDL-Lajg81snthDYdSPhC7SaGktOO5yDHf4J4HjRsg7X5w4bUQmnokJMw/s705/5126eae4c9dee8db0abe3da7af9b4123.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4sVvmJYGSnZyXjSoTzr-toYbvFu7MmkNZi2sEBTdv-SD0Jv0o1xE0j1Gfb3GYrPO3Ok9UMhORQOnJn_QTYJVv4RM7Wg7oI7YRaH6m6wjlTZVPbAF3Jr9hUbiH1Mudpr_kzsDL-Lajg81snthDYdSPhC7SaGktOO5yDHf4J4HjRsg7X5w4bUQmnokJMw/w400-h266/5126eae4c9dee8db0abe3da7af9b4123.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="text-align: left;">Japan is the only Group of Seven nation that does not recognise <br />same-sex unions (AFP/Philip FONG) (Philip FONG)</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Tokyo will begin recognising same-sex partnerships
from November after revising current rules, officials said Wednesday, becoming
the largest city in Japan to do so.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Japan is the only nation of the Group of Seven
countries that does not recognise same-sex unions, and its constitution
stipulates that "marriage shall be only with the mutual consent of both
sexes".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But in recent years, local authorities across the
country have made moves to recognise same-sex partnerships, although such
recognition does not carry the same rights as marriage under the law.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We collected opinions from the public for the
past two months and we heard opinions (from same-sex couples) who said they
want to be recognised as partners," a Tokyo government spokesman told AFP.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The metropolitan government plans to ask legislators
to approve revising a local ordinance next month, and will then begin accepting
applications for the certificates in October and issuing them in November.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The city is considering offering various services
currently only available to married couples to those with the partnership
certificate, including applying for city-administered apartments, the spokesman
said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Tokyo's Shibuya district in 2015 became the first
place in Japan to begin issuing symbolic "partnership" certificates
to same-sex couples.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Many areas have followed suit, with activists saying
more than 200 municipalities now recognise same-sex partnerships, granting
couples rights including the ability to visit a partner in hospital and rent
property together.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In a landmark ruling last year, a court in northern
Sapporo said Japan's failure to recognise same-sex marriage is
unconstitutional, a verdict hailed by campaigners as a major victory.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been
cautious on the possibility of any legislative changes at the national level to
recognise same-sex unions.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Taiwan is currently the only place in Asia with
marriage equality, having taken the unprecedented step of legalising same-sex
unions in 2019.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-48858703168063151372022-04-24T03:10:00.007+07:002022-04-24T03:10:47.055+07:00Dalai Lama urges move to renewable energy to combat climate crisis<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220423-dalai-lama-urges-move-to-renewable-energy-to-combat-climate-crisis" target="_blank">France24 – AFP</a>, 23 April 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYo7NSFR5lvEygtbKQF3vI0ZgxDLDU5CPpuMtomwZwXFktirJieuQCy1hM364Dj624OQAz7aI6Ldu6iNj6mji3_G_QHkRoLwyGC9PLdSalCzC14i7nAvuT2b3LiruqgXW2RGIvn9eQvQi0CCSSbHggZPKJiGKf5gXHHApC4JhxHfvnqKsEJcl2FIKyA/s630/50d8134d39ba0471c6122785d150c82da5cc67c4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="418" data-original-width="630" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJYo7NSFR5lvEygtbKQF3vI0ZgxDLDU5CPpuMtomwZwXFktirJieuQCy1hM364Dj624OQAz7aI6Ldu6iNj6mji3_G_QHkRoLwyGC9PLdSalCzC14i7nAvuT2b3LiruqgXW2RGIvn9eQvQi0CCSSbHggZPKJiGKf5gXHHApC4JhxHfvnqKsEJcl2FIKyA/w400-h265/50d8134d39ba0471c6122785d150c82da5cc67c4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Dalai Lama was presented with a block of ice carved from one of the fast-melting <br />glaciers in India's Himalayan Ladakh region - Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (OHHDL)/AFP</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />New Delhi (AFP) – Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai
Lama urged the public to reduce fossil fuel use during a meeting with activists
to mark Earth Day, warning that the climate change crisis transcends national
boundaries.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The 86-year-old -- who is now living in exile in
India's Dharamshala -- was presented Friday with a block of ice carved from one
of the fast-melting glaciers in India's Himalayan Ladakh region.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Mounted on a wooden stand, the hunk of ice was meant
to highlight the effects of climate change on the Tibetan plateau.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"In my own life I have witnessed the decline in
snowfall, first in Tibet and later, in Dharamshala," the Dalai Lama said
during the Earth Day event.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He urged for the adoption of renewable sources of
energy to mitigate the crisis that is posing a threat to the entire human race.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We need to take urgent steps to reduce our
reliance on fossil fuels and adopt renewable sources of energy such as those
that rely on the wind and the power of the sun," he added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"The threat of climate change is not limited by
national boundaries -- it affects us all."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Himalayan ice block expedition covered around 250
kilometres (155 miles), with the trekkers travelling on foot, bicycle and in
electric vehicles to raise awareness about the effect of fossil fuels on
glaciers.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">They also used low-carbon technologies to keep their
sample from melting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-64386352028812705952022-04-09T04:15:00.001+07:002022-04-09T04:15:18.619+07:00Pink Floyd release first new song since 1994 for Ukraine<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/pink-floyd-release-first-song-192601226.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, April 7, 2022</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JSNLlivPz1ZoXCI4bIn-yjDUsIozjb2vCXpsXE24YvFudOR4kRqoaI2ldDEq5ArrdI7nNIgPfBjcEUZTDku-3iyzFvYsT9rAN9qlkW34gZ27YizGSdRlpLAOr6kE3wTN47Uc1UeD5s7OdMgoYczyPWZS4sy9bpaypqhGEN0EEpE6vZU2nhN82laIZQ/s705/e90357f4889c91007918acc8c526ddf2.webp" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JSNLlivPz1ZoXCI4bIn-yjDUsIozjb2vCXpsXE24YvFudOR4kRqoaI2ldDEq5ArrdI7nNIgPfBjcEUZTDku-3iyzFvYsT9rAN9qlkW34gZ27YizGSdRlpLAOr6kE3wTN47Uc1UeD5s7OdMgoYczyPWZS4sy9bpaypqhGEN0EEpE6vZU2nhN82laIZQ/w400-h266/e90357f4889c91007918acc8c526ddf2.webp" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">David Gilmour: 'We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and the frustration of this vile <br />act of an independent, peaceful democratic country being invaded and having its people <br />murdered by one of the world's major powers' (AFP/JOHN D MCHUGH) (JOHN D MCHUGH)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Pink Floyd have written their first new song in almost
30 years to support Ukrainians, the band announced on Thursday.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Hey, Hey, Rise-Up!" will be released on
Friday, and be used to raise funds for humanitarian causes linked to the war.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It samples Andriy Khlyvnyuk, from one of Ukraine's
biggest bands BoomBox, singing in Sofiyskaya Square in Kyiv in a clip that went
viral.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Khlyvnyukh abandoned a world tour to return to Ukraine
and help defend his country.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and
the frustration of this vile act of an independent, peaceful democratic country
being invaded and having its people murdered by one of the world's major
powers," Pink Floyd said on their official Twitter feed.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In a press release, band leader David Gilmour said he
had been moved by Khlyvnyuk's video: "It was a powerful moment that made
me want to put it to music."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He was able to speak with Khlyvnyuk from his hospital
bed in Kyiv, where the singer was recovering after being hit by shrapnel in a
mortar attack, the record company said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I played him a little bit of the song down the
phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together
in person in the future," Gilmour said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The image accompanying the song is of a sunflower, and
was inspired by a viral video showing a Ukrainian woman insulting two armed
Russian soldiers.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In it, she tells the soldiers: "Take these seeds
and put them in your pockets. That way sunflowers will grow when you all rest
here."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It is the first original music from Pink Floyd since
1994's "The Division Bell".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Gilmour tweeted his opposition to the war soon after
Russia's invasion, saying: "Putin must go".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The band has also pulled their music from Russian and
Belarusian streaming sites in protest at the invasion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="275" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jUfVmtAvfdg" title="YouTube video player" width="450"></iframe></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-15290148051255802302022-04-08T02:22:00.002+07:002022-04-08T02:22:07.709+07:00Qatar security guards trapped in 'forced labour': Amnesty<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/qatar-security-guards-trapped-forced-113231806.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, April 7, 2022</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuEGCCK9zOLtoFJEKMK8WqnSIhO673UIhiVCf-RtN6P3nvVhhEWjQ4DcM6lqlP3SNg41Gv4Khyo0VwVVLtkAmJdsL4zDVELNAcxHDpb-1G-TPHO4qKO7u-JfjQxPaywZ5N1XkM9vxGMEj26sjT1jqvs4dLpkuGNSAGFZgufW9WVKkRY4psfRP1AoZZA/s768/c162ef2787790d4f4c0dc24ca0923c3b.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="768" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGuEGCCK9zOLtoFJEKMK8WqnSIhO673UIhiVCf-RtN6P3nvVhhEWjQ4DcM6lqlP3SNg41Gv4Khyo0VwVVLtkAmJdsL4zDVELNAcxHDpb-1G-TPHO4qKO7u-JfjQxPaywZ5N1XkM9vxGMEj26sjT1jqvs4dLpkuGNSAGFZgufW9WVKkRY4psfRP1AoZZA/w400-h300/c162ef2787790d4f4c0dc24ca0923c3b.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Concern for the human rights of Qatar's army of migrant labourers has refused to go<br /> away as the World Cup nears, despite promised reforms by the emirate's rulers<br />(AFP/Tobias SCHWARZ) (Tobias SCHWARZ)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The UN labour agency joined Amnesty International
Thursday in calling on World Cup hosts Qatar to protect thousands of security
guards who a report said were victims of "forced labour".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Guards posted at World Cup stadiums, ministries and
offices often had to work months, sometimes years, without a day off, Amnesty
said in a study.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qatar, where the World Cup starts on November 21,
insists it has cracked down on hundreds of "unscrupulous" companies,
but acknowledged that abuses still take place.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">An army of migrant labourers from Africa and Asia work
as poorly paid guards across the tiny emirate whose energy wealth has fuelled a
construction boom. Thousands more are being taken on for the World Cup.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Amnesty said 34 current or former guards it
interviewed "described routinely working 12 hours a day, seven days a week
-- often for months or even years on end without a day off". One
Bangladeshi guard said he did not get a day off for three years.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Physically and emotionally exhausted, workers
kept reporting for duty under threat of financial penalties -- or worse,
contract termination or deportation," said Stephen Cockburn, an Amnesty
researcher.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Those who took a legal weekly day off often had wages
cut, Amnesty added. Guards also lost money for taking a toilet break without
getting cover, taking a day off sick or just wearing their uniform
"improperly".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The men complained that they had to work outside in
Qatar's notorious summer, when temperatures hit 50 degrees Celsius (122
Fahrenheit).</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Guards from Uganda and Kenya said they had more jobs
in the heat and received lower wages than other nationalities.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Work or deportation</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Following previous criticism, Qatar in 2017 introduced
a minimum wage, cut the hours that can be worked in heat and ended part of a
system which forced migrant workers to seek employers' permission to change
jobs or even leave the country.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But Amnesty said there is still a "massive power
imbalance" between employers and migrant workers in Qatar, where trade
unions are banned.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Qatar's laws on working time for security guards
are clear but are too often violated," said Max Tunon, head of the UN's
International Labour Organisation office in Doha.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Overtime must be "voluntary, limited and paid at
a higher rate" in line with the law, he added.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In a veiled reference to World Cup organisers and
other major Qatari enterprises, Tunon said: "Clients contracting security
companies should do their due diligence and monitor the treatment of guards,
including their working hours and living conditions."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qatar's World Cup Supreme Committee for Delivery and
Legacy confirmed that three security companies involved in last year's Club
World Cup and FIFA Arab Cup tournaments had been "blacklisted" from
future projects.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The three were found to be in "completely
unacceptable" breaches of its Workers Welfare Standards.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The committee said that in all, seven contractors had
been blacklisted from its projects and more than 220 were on a watchlist. Fifty
companies had been blocked by the labour ministry from World Cup projects.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The committee said there will always be "contractors
attempting to beat the system, regardless of stringent regulations or
monitoring."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The labour ministry said cases of abuse were falling
and the Amnesty report had ignored progress made in Qatar since it was awarded
the World Cup in 2010. "The reality is that no other country has come so
far so quickly, but for some the pace of change will never be fast
enough."<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-5910982954520950492022-01-25T02:54:00.002+07:002022-01-25T02:54:11.470+07:00Pakistan swears in Ayesha Malik as first woman supreme court judge<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://ph.news.yahoo.com/pakistan-swears-ayesha-malik-first-083326367.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, 24 January 2022</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcMezXNojvaFs6LMSGDiq0lRLbbvVxqRu_wCa9eUJVw6239gYoeDJGaLguy98Ahpar5jeIMI_hTRpdGW98JXAk5OIwCUWThFwoBjbVB2Li8KI7Ze0UYvTwwNa910JmcT21i5V7SoEqy2uF1n5RFQL1GY2430F9rd8iOO56Ufh31PYxCUHUkF3GrVQWdQ=s768" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcMezXNojvaFs6LMSGDiq0lRLbbvVxqRu_wCa9eUJVw6239gYoeDJGaLguy98Ahpar5jeIMI_hTRpdGW98JXAk5OIwCUWThFwoBjbVB2Li8KI7Ze0UYvTwwNa910JmcT21i5V7SoEqy2uF1n5RFQL1GY2430F9rd8iOO56Ufh31PYxCUHUkF3GrVQWdQ=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A photo released by Pakistan's Press Information Department shows Justice <br />Ayesha Malik being sworn in as a supreme court judge (AFP)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Pakistan swore in Ayesha Malik as its first female
supreme court judge on Monday, a landmark occasion in a nation where activists
say the law is often wielded against women.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Malik attended a ceremony in the capital Islamabad
where she now sits on the bench alongside 16 male colleagues at Pakistan's
highest court.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I want to congratulate Justice Ayesha Malik on
becoming the first woman judge of the Supreme Court," Prime Minister Imran
Khan said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I wish her all the best," he added on
Twitter.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Lawyer and women's rights activist Nighat Dad said
Malik's promotion is "a huge step forward".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It is history in the making for Pakistan's
judiciary," she told AFP.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Malik was educated at Harvard University and served as
a high court judge in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore for the past two
decades.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">She has been credited with rolling back patriarchal
legal mores in her Punjab province jurisdiction.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Last year she outlawed a deeply invasive and medically
discredited examination used to determine a woman's level of sexual experience.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Women in Pakistan often struggle to gain justice in
rape and sexual assault cases, and the test was deployed as a means of
discrediting victims by casting aspersion on their character.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Malik's elevation to the apex court of Pakistan may
clear the way for more women to enter the historically conservative and
male-dominated judiciary of the Islamic republic.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">"She has broken all barriers in the judicial
system and it will allow other women in the system to move forward," said
lawyer and women's rights activist Khadija Siddiqi.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I hope this will lead to more women-centric
decisions by the judiciary in the future."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But her appointment has been mired in controversy for
the past four months, with claims she jumped a queue of more senior male
candidates qualified for the post.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Earlier this month the Pakistan Bar Council staged a
strike to protest against Malik's nomination.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-47286298714833572582021-12-26T05:07:00.005+07:002021-12-26T05:07:38.171+07:00China mulls bill to tackle workplace discrimination against women<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/china-mulls-bill-tackle-workplace-033517458.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, December 25, 2021</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaepJwIpbkZQyDxJx8QTVpE5QwbN_SMSyF_HTPQe2x6JDHrxZIDhMv5_25SkD8mLXWcjZm9JkjN94JdajdNUxwkJSCkT8xoN19vS6qOBFqVvMZZOtzxuY7M9dxyrYyYQ3k9AZO9fvQ4DoNGk87NTceRKLuU7nLtHdeESIJ2LbmKcIAe-ze6PDTpTX9=s705" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="705" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaepJwIpbkZQyDxJx8QTVpE5QwbN_SMSyF_HTPQe2x6JDHrxZIDhMv5_25SkD8mLXWcjZm9JkjN94JdajdNUxwkJSCkT8xoN19vS6qOBFqVvMZZOtzxuY7M9dxyrYyYQ3k9AZO9fvQ4DoNGk87NTceRKLuU7nLtHdeESIJ2LbmKcIAe-ze6PDTpTX9=w400-h266" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Assembly-line workers at a factory in Fuyang in eastern China (AFP/STR)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Chinese lawmakers are discussing new rules to prevent
workplace discrimination and sexual harassment against women amid a string of
high-profile cases in recent months.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A draft bill published Friday includes a ban on
employers stating gender preferences on job ads and quizzing female applicants
about their marital or pregnancy status –- a common practice that has been
criticised for decades.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rapid economic growth in the past four decades coupled
with the one-child rule has opened up more educational and employment
opportunities for Chinese women.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But women's participation in the workforce has
dropped, due to gender-based filtering when hiring and as more women care for
families amid a severe shortage of affordable childcare options.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A report by Human Rights Watch in June found that one
in five civil service job postings in 2019 specified a preference for male
applicants.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The report also says that it was a common practice for
employers including schools to force female staff to sign contracts promising
not to get pregnant for several years as a pre-condition for being hired.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The proposed new rules come amid concerns that China's
new three-child rule could make employers even more reluctant to hire women and
as officials crack down on the local #MeToo movement after a string of cases
that led to a public outcry over sexual assault in the workplace.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Earlier this month, e-commerce giant Alibaba group
fired a female staffer who had accused a manager of sexual assault.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The proposed amendments will make enforcement easier
by clearly defining what sexual harassment is, state-run Xinhua news agency
said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">According to a draft text published Friday, it
prohibits "vulgar speech", "inappropriate physical
behaviour" or "the display or dissemination of sexual images, information,
text, audio or video".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It also requires employers to set up mechanisms to
prevent, investigate and respond to such complaints "without delay",
but there were no details on any penalties for failing to do so.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: arial; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The amendments are open for public comment until
January 22, 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Related Article:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b><a href="https://cempaka-occupy.blogspot.com/2021/11/us-un-demand-proof-of-missing-chinese.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">US,
UN demand proof of missing Chinese tennis star's well-being</span></a></b></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-73034047783005195392021-11-09T03:17:00.008+07:002021-11-09T03:17:40.136+07:00 Gay Australian footballer 'scared' to play in Qatar<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yahoo – AFP, 8 November 2021</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHd1xzKI228X_Tc4yMkPMa8ASYNprwFsztzDCWgs9BkMZS95UW1q8jb43IoUK8sGiPHGu8YJ5EImlCncm5yQdJ4L7CtT-dQT9Q6zaBfytpo8fWhNmgmQ2JpCR1Wl_LcI2BTTG9k79ez8T/s768/b9871bc0f1995992f94f34818b3418ab.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="768" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzHd1xzKI228X_Tc4yMkPMa8ASYNprwFsztzDCWgs9BkMZS95UW1q8jb43IoUK8sGiPHGu8YJ5EImlCncm5yQdJ4L7CtT-dQT9Q6zaBfytpo8fWhNmgmQ2JpCR1Wl_LcI2BTTG9k79ez8T/w400-h305/b9871bc0f1995992f94f34818b3418ab.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Australian footballer Josh Cavallo has said he would be scared to play in <br />Qatar (AFP/Handout)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Australian footballer Josh Cavallo, who came out as
gay last month, has revealed he would be scared to play at the upcoming World
Cup in Qatar because of the country's criminalisation of homosexuality.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The 21-year-old, who plays for Adelaide United in
Australia's A-League, is the only known gay footballer playing in a top-flight
men's league.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">His announcement last month won plaudits from around
the world, including from legendary Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic and US
talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But the midfielder -- who has played for Australia at
the under-20 level but has yet to be called up for the senior side -- indicated
he was not sure what he would do if he were selected to play at the 2022 World
Cup.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I read something along the lines of that [they]
give the death penalty for gay people in Qatar, so it's something I'm very
scared [of] and wouldn't really want to go to Qatar for that," he told the
Guardian's Today in Focus podcast.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"And that saddens me. At the end of the day the
World Cup is in Qatar and one of the greatest achievements as a professional
footballer is to play for your country, and to know that this is in a country
that doesn't support gay people and puts us at risk of our own life, that does
scare me and makes me re-evaluate -- is my life more important than doing
something really good in my career?"</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Since being selected as host in 2010, Qatar has faced
searing criticism for its treatment of LGBT people, as well as its record on
women's rights and labour issues.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Last year a report from the International Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) said sources indicated the
death penalty could potentially be used as punishment for consensual homosexual
sex in Qatar.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The chief executive of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022,
Nasser al-Khater, said in 2019 that "any fan, of any gender, (sexual)
orientation, religion, race (should) rest assured that Qatar is one of the most
safe countries in the world -- and they'll all be welcome here".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">However, he stressed that "public displays of
affection are frowned upon, it's not part of our culture -- but that goes
across the board to everybody".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The last World Cup was held in Russia, where queer
activism was severely restricted under a 2013 "gay propaganda" law
forbidding the promotion of "non-traditional sexual relationships" to
minors.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Despite football's immense popularity worldwide only a
few male footballers have ever come out as gay, mostly after retirement to
avoid the prospect of taunts from the terraces.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The first professional
player to come out while still playing was Britain's Justin Fashanu in 1990,
but he never found acceptance in the game and hanged himself in 1998.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-6341576701429572472021-10-10T03:37:00.006+07:002021-10-10T03:37:33.326+07:00Philippines' Nobel Prize winner Ressa says award for 'all journalists'<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://ph.news.yahoo.com/philippines-nobel-prize-winner-ressa-065147705.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, 9 October 2021</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66wPTziNGyb-vpfz9bnNW53FmG3EdcO2-Ly1MInPkfZioT2wP4-gOFkuTZmdv2otBtILtLkQbeGYRWem52WXsY__cqRBbnQOKTyDcdT9fV8P-r0EfedpO4tEwWmUZYFREsFv33HNiL1Lr/s768/4e33395e5461af5d4f641cfeb15b9cb0.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg66wPTziNGyb-vpfz9bnNW53FmG3EdcO2-Ly1MInPkfZioT2wP4-gOFkuTZmdv2otBtILtLkQbeGYRWem52WXsY__cqRBbnQOKTyDcdT9fV8P-r0EfedpO4tEwWmUZYFREsFv33HNiL1Lr/w400-h266/4e33395e5461af5d4f641cfeb15b9cb0.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Philippine journalist Maria Ressa (pictured after her arrest in 2019) says her <br />Nobel Peace Prize is for 'all journalists around the world' (AFP/TED ALJIBE)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Veteran Philippine journalist Maria Ressa on Saturday
said her Nobel Peace Prize was for "all journalists around the
world", as she vowed to continue her battle for press freedom.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"This is really for all journalists around the
world," Ressa, a vocal critic of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte,
told AFP in an interview.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We do need help on so many fronts -- it is so
much more difficult and dangerous to be a journalist today."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Ressa, co-founder of news website Rappler, and Russian
journalist Dmitry Muratov were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for
their efforts to "safeguard freedom of expression".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Philippine press groups and rights activists hailed
Ressa's award as a "triumph" in a country ranked as one of the
world's most dangerous for journalists.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Since Duterte was swept to power in 2016, Ressa and
Rappler have endured what media advocates say is a grinding series of criminal
charges, investigations and online attacks.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Duterte has called Rappler a "fake news
outlet", and Ressa has been the target of abusive messages online.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Ressa, 58, said she hoped the prize would provide a
protective shield for her and other journalists in the Philippines against
physical attacks and online threats.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"This 'us against them' was never the creation of
the journalists, it was the creation of the people in power who wanted to use a
type of leadership that divides society," Ressa said, describing the award
"like a shot of adrenalin".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I hope this allows journalists to do our jobs
well without fear."<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-63562741471793162252021-09-10T03:29:00.004+07:002021-09-10T03:29:46.249+07:00Malaysian mothers hail win for equality in citizenship case<p><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/malaysian-mothers-hail-win-equality-060338490.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/malaysian-mothers-hail-win-equality-060338490.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, September 9, 2021</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO198aLG46fmMHC_HtxiXTbjo6wxSzHtsoiYPEQao1iLX-FiGjZ8gL0OiezmI2GXzJFsfJC045tqixv_R5xov2L_jxNe_3m4VwQ1ImXZ5fYveJPGDV0TSpo0ea5UjXf2y-y5hPI1Kx4Vyl/s704/302b036ecfb8aa7c98355156671120d8.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="704" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO198aLG46fmMHC_HtxiXTbjo6wxSzHtsoiYPEQao1iLX-FiGjZ8gL0OiezmI2GXzJFsfJC045tqixv_R5xov2L_jxNe_3m4VwQ1ImXZ5fYveJPGDV0TSpo0ea5UjXf2y-y5hPI1Kx4Vyl/w400-h300/302b036ecfb8aa7c98355156671120d8.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">A group of Malaysian mothers won a landmark case overturning unequal <br />citizenship rules in the Southeast Asian country (AFP/Handout)</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A group of Malaysian mothers won a landmark legal
challenge Thursday, overturning what they described as discriminatory
citizenship rules affecting women who gave birth overseas.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The rules had meant a woman with a foreign spouse who
had a child abroad was barred from automatically passing on her Malaysian
nationality.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Similar restrictions did not apply to men from the
Southeast Asian country, who enjoy a straight path to citizenship for their
offspring.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Socially conservative Malaysia was among only a
handful of countries worldwide with such rules, with campaigners long
complaining they were discriminatory.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But on Thursday, the High Court in Kuala Lumpur ruled
in favour of a challenge brought by six Malaysian mothers, who argued the
regulations breached the constitution.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"This judgement recognises Malaysian women's
equality, and marks one step forward to a more egalitarian and just
Malaysia," said Suri Kempe, president of NGO Family Frontiers, which
helped bring the case to court.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The judgement applies to all Malaysian mothers, not
just the plaintiffs in the case, she said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The lawyer for the mothers, Gurdial Singh Nijar,
hailed a "momentous decision", saying the rules had "disrupted
family structures".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">There was no immediate reaction from the government,
and it was not clear whether they would appeal the ruling.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Campaigners said the law had sometimes left women
trapped in abusive relationships.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">If they brought their children back to Malaysia, the
youngsters faced obstacles in accessing public services like free education and
healthcare.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Women could apply for their overseas-born children to
be granted citizenship but authorities rarely agreed.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">According to Family Frontiers, the home ministry
received over 4,000 applications between 2013 and 2018, but only approved 142.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The government had sought to get the mothers'
challenge dismissed, insisting the rules were in line with the constitution.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But campaigners said they breached constitutional
guarantees to equality before the law, and the court allowed the case to
proceed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-72239231904968484102021-04-19T04:22:00.007+07:002021-04-19T04:22:59.870+07:00Myanmar shadow government wants ASEAN crisis talks invite<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/myanmar-shadow-government-wants-asean-103524023.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, Sun, 18 April 2021</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcp-4yFsOA4ibDU9-CMsDR_WrrTmcwKicYyJdBpc-JtqOKzlH8jWQyLYKRxVJcin3YBK8WCjva8LyuQ0kdPzN1gCvExM7hIjd5eFLHEOVFSiuaIIzFMkBQUW738tx6nHedauqUGBZ2KFM/s768/e6fe82281108f606b40b8fb0c60fa381.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcp-4yFsOA4ibDU9-CMsDR_WrrTmcwKicYyJdBpc-JtqOKzlH8jWQyLYKRxVJcin3YBK8WCjva8LyuQ0kdPzN1gCvExM7hIjd5eFLHEOVFSiuaIIzFMkBQUW738tx6nHedauqUGBZ2KFM/w400-h266/e6fe82281108f606b40b8fb0c60fa381.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The coup in Myanmar has sparked mass protests against the military junta</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Myanmar's shadow government on Sunday urged Southeast
Asian leaders to give it a seat at the table during crisis talks next week, and
not to recognise the military regime that seized power in a February coup.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is expected to join a
special ASEAN summit on Myanmar on Saturday in Jakarta -- his first official
overseas trip since the putsch that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The army has moved to quell mass protests against its
rule, killing at least 730 people according to a local monitoring group.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Min Aung Hlaing's invitation to the meeting of the
10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations has drawn scorn from
activists who have urged foreign leaders not to formally recognise the junta.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Moe Zaw Oo, deputy minister of foreign affairs for the
parallel "national unity government" -- formed Friday by ousted
lawmakers mostly from Suu Kyi's party, as well as ethnic-minority politicians
-- said ASEAN had not reached out to them.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"If ASEAN wants to help solve the Myanmar
situation, they are not going to achieve anything without consulting and
negotiating with the NUG, which is supported by the people and has full
legitimacy," he told Voice of America's Burmese service.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It's important that this military council is not
recognised. This needs to be handled carefully."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Meanwhile, the junta continued targeting the media on
Sunday, arresting Japanese freelance reporter Yuki Kitazumi.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">He was arrested at his home in Yangon on Sunday
evening, his assistant said in a message.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In February, he was beaten up and briefly detained
during a crackdown on protesters but was later released.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The number of reporters arrested so far has totalled
more than 65 and at least 34 remain in custody, according to monitoring group
Reporting ASEAN.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Authorities announced Sunday night on state-run
television 20 more celebrities and 20 more doctors would be added to their
arrest warrant list of 420 prominent people.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Earlier unrest continued across the country on Sunday,
with protesters rallying in Mandalay, Meiktila, Magway and Myingyan, showing
support for the national unity government.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">At Palaw in the country's south, demonstrators
brandished banners that read: "Military dictators should not be allowed to
rule. The dictatorship will be uprooted. Support the national unity
government."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Young demonstrators also staged motorbike rallies
while carrying flags in Hpakant and Sagaing.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The previous night, there were violent clashes in the
central gem-producing city of Mogok when security forces cracked down on
protesters.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">According to an AFP-verified video filmed by a
resident, soldiers crouched on a street as their commanding officer shouted
that he wanted "deaths".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners
(AAPP) verified two deaths at Mogok.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Much of Myanmar remains under a curfew imposed shortly
after the coup, running from 8 pm to 4 am every night.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Late Saturday, a young man was shot and killed in
Kyaukme town in northern Shan state while riding his motorbike during the
curfew.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"He was shot by the authorities when he and other
his friends drove motorbikes around 9 pm. He was shot in the head," a
rescue worker told AFP, adding that his funeral would take place Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-52869846323923131332020-12-29T04:51:00.004+07:002020-12-29T04:51:20.857+07:00Chinese citizen journalist jailed for Wuhan virus reporting<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://sg.news.yahoo.com/chinese-citizen-journalist-jailed-four-053326085.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, 28 December 2020</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCt85wof7-ue0hFCJu85Ic5V6rc-NgP5RrNAFB7Bggvcq-gXjMXrxnTAu1C1-47RLeX2ub9hSQWVYXtTPgrUpj5scATjc5w9Rb3GpRt_i1V5NZsrplVGQwTsgxU4_1ScxWLMOJZua83-_/s768/78f412d92f986c4c360d9db9d1ef076c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCt85wof7-ue0hFCJu85Ic5V6rc-NgP5RrNAFB7Bggvcq-gXjMXrxnTAu1C1-47RLeX2ub9hSQWVYXtTPgrUpj5scATjc5w9Rb3GpRt_i1V5NZsrplVGQwTsgxU4_1ScxWLMOJZua83-_/w400-h266/78f412d92f986c4c360d9db9d1ef076c.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Authoroties said former Chinese lawyer and citizen journalist <br />Zhang Zhan had spread "False remarks" online.</span></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A Chinese citizen journalist was jailed for four years
Monday for her reporting from Wuhan as the Covid-19 outbreak began, her lawyer
said, almost a year after details of an "unknown viral pneumonia"
surfaced in the central China city.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer who arrived at court in a
wheelchair, was sentenced at a brief hearing in a Shanghai court for allegedly
"picking quarrels and provoking trouble" during her reporting in the
chaotic initial stages of the outbreak.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Her live reports and essays were shared on social
media platforms in February, grabbing the attention of authorities, who have
punished eight virus whistleblowers so far as they curb criticism of the
government's response to the outbreak.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Beijing has congratulated itself for
"extraordinary" success in controlling the virus inside its borders,
with an economy on the rebound while much of the rest of the world stutters
through painful lockdowns and surging caseloads a year on from the start of the
pandemic in Wuhan.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Controlling the information flow during an
unprecedented global health crisis has been pivotal in allowing China's
communist authorities to reframe the narrative in their favour, with President
Xi Jinping being garlanded for his leadership by the country's ruling party.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But that has come at a serious cost to anyone who has
picked holes in the official storyline.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The court said Zhang Zhan had spread "false
remarks" online, according to one of her lawyers Zhang Keke, but the
prosecution did not fully divulge its evidence in court.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We had no way of understanding what exactly
Zhang Zhan was accused of doing," he added, describing it as "a
speedy, rushed hearing."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In return the defendant "didn't respond [to
questions]... She refused to answer when the judge asked her to confirm her
identity."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The defendant's mother sobbed loudly as the verdict
was read out, Ren Quanniu, another member of Zhang's defence team, told
reporters who were barred from entering the court.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Concerns are mounting over the health of 37-year-old
Zhang, who began a hunger strike in June and has been force-fed via a nasal
tube.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Her legal team said her health was in decline and she
suffered from headaches, dizziness and stomach pain, and that she had appeared
in court in a wheelchair.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"She said when I visited her (last week): 'If
they give me a heavy sentence then I will refuse food until the very end.'...
She thinks she will die in prison," Ren said before the trial.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It's an extreme method of protesting against
this society and this environment."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">China's communist authorities have a history of
putting dissidents on trial in opaque courts between Christmas and New Year in
an effort to minimise Western scrutiny.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>Example made</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The sentencing comes just weeks before an
international team of World Health Organization experts is expected to arrive
in China to investigate the origins of Covid-19.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Zhang was critical of the early response in Wuhan,
writing in a February essay that the government "didn't give people enough
information, then simply locked down the city".</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"This is a great violation of human rights,"
she wrote.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Rights groups and embassies have also drawn attention
to her case, although diplomats from several countries were denied requests to
monitor the hearing.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Zhang Zhan's case raises serious concerns about
media freedom in China," the British embassy in Beijing said, urging
"China to release all those detained for their reporting."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Authorities "want to use her case as an example to
scare off other dissidents from raising questions about the pandemic situation
in Wuhan earlier this year", added Leo Lan, research and advocacy
consultant at the Chinese Human Rights Defenders NGO.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A United Nations official following the trial also expressed
"deep concern" about the verdict.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"We raised her case with the authorities
throughout 2020 as an example of the excessive clampdown on freedom of
expression linked to #COVID19 & continue to call for her release," the
office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a
tweet.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Zhang is the first of a group of four citizen
journalists detained by authorities after reporting from Wuhan to face trial.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Previous attempts by AFP to contact the other three --
Chen Qiushi, Fang Bin and Li Zehua -- were unsuccessful.</span> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Related Article:</span></b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://audio.kryon.com/en/corona.mp3" target="_blank">"Corona 1", Reykjavik, Iceland, Mar, 2020 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)</a> - </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">(>13.46 Min - Reference to the Global Coronavirus crisis)</b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-31566991698990785722020-10-29T04:03:00.002+07:002020-10-29T04:13:25.055+07:00Qatar faces scrutiny after women 'forcibly examined'<p><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/qatar-faces-scrutiny-women-forcibly-023226955" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP,</a> Gregory Walton, October 27, 2020</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwTAJdhJ2U0oPD_XE6u3VZzj7I-ibrYQChZMTLwqfHeZ07cLQx4JRsOQvChyphenhyphenEWcn8JUhk_tbyoUxhY8L-UOFHTfuDWKPbVbBHQxGcN_o_7QqocASkkYE1oUiCv-8P4F4a-WJAkPjpXa-q/s768/1e6759e38f76afa416eb59e401bee245.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="768" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHwTAJdhJ2U0oPD_XE6u3VZzj7I-ibrYQChZMTLwqfHeZ07cLQx4JRsOQvChyphenhyphenEWcn8JUhk_tbyoUxhY8L-UOFHTfuDWKPbVbBHQxGcN_o_7QqocASkkYE1oUiCv-8P4F4a-WJAkPjpXa-q/w400-h234/1e6759e38f76afa416eb59e401bee245.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Qatar Airways crew prepare to enter Sydney international airport to fly a repatriation <br />flight back to France on April 2, 2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Qatar Airways crew prepare to enter Sydney
international airport to fly a repatriation flight back to France on April 2,
2020, amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Revelations that passengers flying through Doha were
forced to endure vaginal inspections have upended Qatar's efforts to boost its
reputation before the Gulf state hosts World Cup 2022, experts say.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Officers marched women off a Sydney-bound Qatar
Airways flight earlier this month and forced them to undergo intimate
examinations after a newborn baby was found abandoned in an airport bathroom.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The incident sparked a diplomatic row between
Australia and Qatar and comes as a setback for the gas-rich emirate, which has
worked extensively to grow its soft power.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Doha has invested heavily in its airline, Al-Jazeera
broadcaster and social projects that include women's health and educational
initiatives.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But the conservative Muslim monarchy, where sex and
childbirth out of wedlock are still punishable by jail, has struggled to
reassure critics that its promises on women's rights, labour relations and democracy
are credible.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Mark Gell, founder of Sydney-based consultancy
Reputation Edge, said "it could get out of hand from a reputational point
of view for the airline", the state-run Qatar Airways.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Was it the airline's responsibility? We don't
know. But absolutely it could impact their business," he told AFP.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"If I shared this with my wife, I'm sure she'd
turn around and say 'I'm never going through there again'."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Adverts packed with top-flight footballers including
Neymar have aired worldwide, touting Qatar Airways' extensive network,
ultra-modern aircraft and glitzy Doha airport hub.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzyUzl9rWE0oThSsbC9de9tH6nH2Fv1CfjHDpbwiuiHU8c5i0pKNeRuv_HoCzTWXW3kUpG_P_z2ORo1mIOb06qOfhtvWr3scLAtgYD-s8j8dLr9qxVNAI1biOSK5OivUdYgJepmrdlXds/s768/5a0e55bb91169fdf9d96dd59d6d590ec.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="511" data-original-width="768" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzyUzl9rWE0oThSsbC9de9tH6nH2Fv1CfjHDpbwiuiHU8c5i0pKNeRuv_HoCzTWXW3kUpG_P_z2ORo1mIOb06qOfhtvWr3scLAtgYD-s8j8dLr9qxVNAI1biOSK5OivUdYgJepmrdlXds/w400-h266/5a0e55bb91169fdf9d96dd59d6d590ec.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">World Cup 2022 host Qatar has struggled to reassure critics that its promises <br />on women's rights, labour relations and democracy are credible</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Australia is a particularly important market for the
carrier, which before the coronavirus pandemic served six cities Down Under and
promoted repatriation flights for stranded nationals when other airlines
grounded their fleets.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><b>'Avoid Qatar Airways'</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Alex Oliver of Sydney-based think tank the Lowy
Institute said Australians -- especially women -- would "avoid Qatar
Airways like the plague" after the October 2 incident.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It's a shocking move from a country that has
spent billions of state funds on attempting to convey perceptions of a more
liberal Gulf state," she said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">But it is sport on which Qatar has staked its
reputation, winning not just the 2022 World Cup and bidding for summer Olympics
but also pouring cash into developing sport in poorer countries.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qatar has nonetheless had to contain several public
relations crises in recent years linked to its shock victory in the competition
to host the 2022 football tournament.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">As it began to ramp up construction, rights groups
condemned Qatar's treatment of the hundreds of thousands of migrant labourers
recruited from South Asia and other developing countries.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Activists have long called on Qatar to decriminalise
"love cases", women who become pregnant outside of marriage and give
birth without the help of medics who are required to report such cases.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Human Rights Watch told AFP Qatar should "examine
the policy that led to the event in the first place".</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglS22iplj7dHIiP5yzvEk98kCLV1M7VeR56M_mbjadX0gAjP4SXw5O9r91-fsjXSXBCEBHb22gSJQ3Ni1Es2i0tri3DdpQcWYxsis2Insxg9CtP_jh1ucI_nmfgJX9QY9NJw3GWdeaQKkN/s768/0%252C%252C3577804_4%252C00.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="768" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglS22iplj7dHIiP5yzvEk98kCLV1M7VeR56M_mbjadX0gAjP4SXw5O9r91-fsjXSXBCEBHb22gSJQ3Ni1Es2i0tri3DdpQcWYxsis2Insxg9CtP_jh1ucI_nmfgJX9QY9NJw3GWdeaQKkN/w400-h251/0%252C%252C3577804_4%252C00.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Doha has invested heavily in its airline, Al-Jazeera broadcaster and social <br />projects to boost its image</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><b>'Betrayed'</b></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The ultra-wealthy country of 2.75 million people has
also faced scrutiny over LGBT rights, jihadist fundraising, and its overseas
military interventions since its 2010 victory in the battle to host the global
soccer spectacle.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Qatar's government has yet to address the airport
allegations, despite a furious rebuke by Australia's Foreign Minister Marise
Payne who called the incident "grossly disturbing, offensive (and)
concerning".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Late on Sunday, airport management released a
statement claiming that "individuals who had access to the specific area
of the airport where the newborn infant was found were asked to assist in the
query".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It gave no details about the procedures they were
required to undergo and made no apology for the incident, but said the child
was still alive and being cared for.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Gell said it would not be enough for the airport
management to downplay the allegations and suggest the women had merely been
asked to help trace the abandoned baby's mother.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"That's not going to hold up. In fact, that'll
probably inflame it, to suggest that these women have voluntarily done this. I
would find that difficult to believe," he said.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Oliver said she was surprised the response "was
so hardline and intransigent".</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"With the World Cup now getting very close, you
would expect it to be back-pedalling madly."</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Expatriate women in Doha have reacted with shock and
fear to the disclosures.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"I can't help but think of my daughters if they
had been on that plane," said one expatriate woman living in Doha who
declined to be named for fear of retribution.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"It makes me sick. I feel betrayed by the country
I call home," said another.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1787661404306101641.post-82291388747577538052020-10-23T03:44:00.001+07:002020-10-23T03:44:17.625+07:00Goldman Sachs fined US$350 million in Hong Kong over 1MDB<p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/goldman-sachs-fined-us-350-103740513.html" target="_blank">Yahoo – AFP</a>, October 22, 2020</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupUVZTP1uayyEw4f8OD9OjEsZRevhE5JdOeG_X1S5md4yWA1HW1p61cmjWX8eGw-TbHyofDfVdwfYVkaBCbJ8NMhfu2KZw49vG7KXVB1kIfXk3uLufeYTtEz6sJ53abJl8RlpRxEyoHW1/s768/a8cbfb1769be4a0a2c9464b1e3ef4470.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="768" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgupUVZTP1uayyEw4f8OD9OjEsZRevhE5JdOeG_X1S5md4yWA1HW1p61cmjWX8eGw-TbHyofDfVdwfYVkaBCbJ8NMhfu2KZw49vG7KXVB1kIfXk3uLufeYTtEz6sJ53abJl8RlpRxEyoHW1/w400-h285/a8cbfb1769be4a0a2c9464b1e3ef4470.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Goldman Sachs Asia showed 'serious lapses and deficiencies in its management <br />supervisory' Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission said</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Global financial titan Goldman Sachs was fined US$350
million by Hong Kong's securities watchdog on Thursday for its role in the
massive 1MDB Malaysian bribery scandal, the latest in a growing list of global
punishments the firm faces.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Goldman Sachs Asia -- the Hong Kong-based compliance
and control hub of the company -- showed "serious lapses and deficiencies
in its management supervisory, risk, compliance and anti-money laundering
controls", Hong Kong's Securities and Futures Commission said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The regulator added that Goldman had accepted the
SFC's findings, leading to an early resolution of the disciplinary action.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The SFC said Goldman's failures contributed to the
misappropriation of US$2.6 billion from the US$6.5 billion that 1MDB raised in
three bond offerings in 2012 and 2013.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">"Goldman Sachs Asia fell far short of the
standards expected of a licensed intermediary in the 1MDB case and suffered not
only reputational damage from its own failures, but also brought the securities
industry into disrepute,” Thomas Atkinson, the SFC’s Executive Director of
Enforcement, said.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Goldman Sachs Asia received US$210 million -- or 37
percent of the total revenue -- from the 1MDB bond offerings, which was the
largest share among the various Goldman Sachs entities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The SFC investigation concluded that Goldman Sachs
Asia allowed the offerings to proceed despite numerous red flags not being
properly scrutinised and answered.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The fraud involved former Malaysian prime minister
Najib Razak and his cronies, and the cash plundered from state coffers
bankrolled a global spending spree.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">It was used to buy everything from artwork to real
estate to a superyacht.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Hong Kong announcement comes two days after the
Wall Street Journal reported that Goldman is preparing to admit wrongdoing in
the 1MDB scandal and pay the US government $2.8 billion.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The deal would end the criminal probe into the
corruption case involving the Malaysian government's investment fund, the
newspaper reported, citing people familiar with the matter.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Justice Department has said more than $4.5 billion
was stolen from 1MDB by high-level officials at the fund and their associates
between 2009 and 2015.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Two ex-Goldman bankers are accused of misappropriating
billions, bribing officials and giving false statements in relation to bond
issues they arranged for the fund.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Malaysian government dropped the charges against
Goldman in July after reaching a $3.9 billion settlement with the financial
giant.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The firm, which posted profits of $3.5 billion in the
latest quarter, had set aside more than $3.1 billion as of September 30
"for litigation and regulatory proceedings."<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Related Article:</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://cempaka-occupy.blogspot.com/2020/10/goldman-sachs-agrees-to-largest-penalty.html" target="_blank">Goldman Sachs agrees to largest penalty ever in 1MDB scandal</a> - <span style="color: red;">New</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0