This content originally appeared on openDemocracy RSS and was authored by Adam Bychawski.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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A video of a group of men tampering with and uprooting the ‘rail clip’ and ‘fish plate’ on a train track was recently viral on social media. The clip is being circulated in connection with the recent train accident in Balasore, Odisha. It is being dubbed as part of a conspiracy against the ruling party and Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2024 general elections.
A user named Munna Yadav tweeted this video and wrote, “Look who these people are. All this is happening because of politics. The 2024 election is coming and the anti-Modi camp has come to its senses.” (Archived link)
देखिए ये कौन लोग हैं। सब कुछ पॉलिटिक्स की वजह से हो रहा है।
2024 का चुनाव जो आ रहा है और मोदी विरोधी लोग अपनी औकात पर आ गए हैं
pic.twitter.com/3hIMgGQ7IU—
Munna
Yadav (@MY961) June 7, 2023A user named Dilip Kumar Singh also tweeted this video with the same claim. (Archived link)
It is also widespread on Facebook with this claim.
Fact Check
Alt News performed a reverse image search using frames taken from the viral video and found a tweet dated June 21, 2022 by a user named Sriprakash Rao. The user tweeted the video using the hashtag ‘#AgnipathScheme’ and wrote, “Are these boys aspirants for defence services recruitment? How can we rely on them for safety of our borders? They should be booked for attempted manslaughter & treason.” (Archived link)
Are these boys aspirants for defence services recruitment? How can we rely on them for safety of our borders? They should be booked for attempted manslaughter & treason #AgnipathScheme pic.twitter.com/RLvUZ5bclP
— Sriprakash Rao Talpady ಶ್ರೀಪ್ರಕಾಶ ರಾವ್ ತಲಪಾಡಿ (@TalpadySR) June 21, 2022
Based on this information, we performed another search using keywords related to the Agneepath scheme and protests. We found an article by Dainik Bhaskar dated June 20, 2022, in which the description of the same video was given as follows: ‘An attempt was made to uproot the railway track in protest against ‘Agneepath’, with trains remaining closed for 3 hours on the Jaipur-Agra route along with stone pelting by protesters too.’
We also came across a video report by Dainik Bhaskar which shows part of the viral video.
It is worth noting that in June 2022, there were massive protests seen across the country against the Agneepath scheme, in which angry protesters damaged government property at several places.
Overall, social media users shared an old video of protesters damaging train tracks in protest against the Agneepath project, falsely linking it to the recent train accident in Balasore, Odisha. They also falsely alleged it was a part of a conspiracy against the Modi government.
The post Conspiracy to damage rail tracks? Old video of ‘Agneepath’ protesters falsely viral after Odisha tragedy appeared first on Alt News.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Abhishek Kumar.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Police in Dak Lak province, in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, have arrested 22 people in connection with an armed attack on two police stations, according to state media reports Monday.
The Ministry of Public Security had previously reported on its website that six suspects had been taken into custody in connection with Sunday morning’s attack on police stations in Ea Tieu and Ea Ktur communes. It said six people – police officers and commune officials – were killed in the attack and several officers, commune officials and civilians were injured.
The State-linked Voice of Vietnam website said Monday that police had now arrested 22 people and freed two hostages, quoting Ministry of Public Security spokesperson Lieut. Gen. To An Xo, who said another hostage escaped on his own.
Previously, two state newspapers, VnExpress and Cong Thuong (Industry and Trade), published detailed information about the incident, saying that at dawn on June 11, around 40 people wearing camouflage vests split into two groups to attack the two police stations. The motive is not clear.
Some of them then stopped a pickup truck and shot and killed the driver, according to a VnExpress bulletin, which was deleted shortly after posting. Cong Thuong also reported the shooting of the driver but then withdrew its article.
Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Members of the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives
expressed their support for the fundamental rights of children to a safe climate and the young
Americans in the landmark children’s constitutional climate case, Juliana v. United States. On
June 1, 2023, U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken, of the U.S. District Court in Oregon, granted
the young plaintiffs’ motion to amend their complaint, putting their case back on track to trial.The 21 youth plaintiffs, including 11 Black, Brown, and Indigenous youth, have waited almost
eight years after facing incessant and unprecedented efforts by the U.S. Department of Justice
(DOJ) to delay and dismiss their case. The Juliana case was one of the most significant targets
of the Trump administration’s “shadow docket” – a tactic wherein cases are decided without full
briefing or oral argument, and without any written opinion. Now, barring continued attempts by
the DOJ to delay the case, the youth will finally be able to move forward to trial on the question
of whether the federal government’s fossil fuel-based energy system, and resulting climate
destabilization, is unconstitutional.Members of Congress stand in solidarity with the Juliana youth plaintiffs. Following the
ruling, members of Congress issued public statements of support for the youth plaintiffs and this
week participated in a Tweetstorm to continue to show their commitment to the youth, their
rights to a safe, livable climate, and their right to go to trial. Supporting access to justice for our
children, the members encourage the Biden administration to fulfill his promise to work with our
youth and protect them from the harms of the climate crisis.Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chairman of the Senate Interior, Environment, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee and Chairman of the Chemical Safety, Waste
Management, Environmental Justice, and Regulatory Oversight Environment and Public Works
Subcommittee, shared, “BIG NEWS: The #YouthVGov case will finally proceed to trial! This
remarkable group of young people who are demanding their right to a healthy planet and future
have my full support.” Read his June 3, 2023, tweet here and June 6, 2023, tweet here.“Twenty-one youth have waited almost eight years to get a ruling on their lawsuit demanding
their constitutional right to a safe climate be protected. And yesterday, we welcomed news that
they are finally being granted their right to go to trial,” said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky
(IL-09), a Chief Deputy Whip and Ranking Member on the House Innovation, Data, and
Commerce Energy and Commerce Subcommittee. “These young people have taken on
incredible responsibility to protect our environment. I will continue to work with my colleagues in
Congress to support them as they continue their fight to protect the right of all to a safe and
habitable climate. Our children and grandchildren should not have to fear for the future of their
environment and our world as we know it.” Read her June 2, 2023, press statement here and
tweet here.Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Budget Committee, Chairman of the
Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, & Federal Rights Judiciary Subcommittee, and
member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, stated, “All of us have a responsibility
to leave the next generation a healthy and hospitable planet. The window of opportunity to
address climate change is still open, but we must follow the lead of our children and
grandchildren to take action today. I’m proud to stand alongside Our Children’s Trust and young
people across this country as we fight for a safer climate future.” He also tweeted his support on
June 6, 2023, here.“Today, I’m proudly standing with @youthvgov + Juliana plaintiffs as they fight to protect their
constitutional right to a safe climate. Let’s get climate justice out of the shadows & off the
shadow docket,” stated Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16), member of the Judiciary
Committee and Deputy Whip of Congressional Progressive Caucus. Read her June 6, 2023,
tweet here.For additional statements of support, including from Senator Wyden and Congressmembers
Jayapal and Tlaib, visit the Juliana statements of support page.“I spent most of my life living on a barrier island impacted by the climate crisis and nearly half of
my life fighting for climate justice as a plaintiff in this lawsuit,” said the youngest plaintiff in the
Juliana case, 15-year-old Floridian Levi Draheim. “I’m only 15 years old and I have lived
through three major hurricanes and have been evacuated from my home multiple times. I’ve
also experienced years of delay, waiting for my right to be heard in court, due to the actions of
our own DOJ. I’m excited that our case is finally moving forward and grateful that members of
Congress continue to support children’s fundamental rights for youth, like me and my little
sister.” Learn more about Levi and the other 20 Juliana plaintiffs here.Since the case was filed in 2015, more than 85 lawmakers have rallied behind the Juliana youth
and their right to a safe climate. They joined U.S. Senate and House letters in November 2021
to President Biden expressing support for the fundamental rights of children to a safe climate.
Members stood with the Juliana plaintiffs by cosponsoring the Children’s Fundamental Rights
and Climate Recovery Resolution introduced during the 116th and 117th Congress
(S.Con.Res.8 & H.Con.Res.31) expressing that the current climate crisis disproportionately
affects the health, economic opportunity, and fundamental rights of children, and demands that
the United States develop a national, comprehensive, science-based, and just climate recovery
plan to meet necessary emissions reduction targets. They also signed on to two 2019 and 2020
amicus briefs filed in the Ninth Circuit.“These young people have a right to access their courts and, after several long years, finally
have their evidence of climate harm caused by their own government–and how to stop it–heard
in open court,” said Julia Olson, lead counsel for the youth plaintiffs. “Attorney General Garland
should treat this like the urgent constitutional case that it is by litigating the case on its merits
and presenting their arguments in the light of day at trial, rather than once again seeking to push
this case into the dark corners of the shadow docket. Members of Congress who continue to
stand in solidarity with these 21 young Americans are sending a clear and urgent message to all
of our nation’s leaders to protect our children’s fundamental rights to a safe climate.”Plaintiffs intend to seek a prompt trial date so that they and their experts can finally present their
evidence of their government’s active infringement of their constitutional rights.
This content originally appeared on Common Dreams and was authored by Newswire Editor.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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For months, Texas lawmakers were on track to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to continue distributing child identification kits to Texas schoolchildren, a program championed by state officials.
In April, both the Texas House and Senate approved preliminary budgets that included money for the National Child Identification Program’s kits.
But less than a month after a ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigation found no evidence the kits have helped locate missing children, lawmakers quietly zeroed out the funding.
The news outlets also found that the Waco-based company that distributes the kits had used exaggerated statistics as it sought contracts in Texas and other states. And the investigation revealed that Kenny Hansmire, a former NFL player who leads the company, had a string of failed businesses, had millions of dollars in outstanding federal tax liens and had previously been barred from some finance-related business in Connecticut by banking regulators because of his role in an alleged scheme to defraud or mislead investors.
“After review and consideration, the House and Senate budget conferees agreed to remove this specific funding request for the upcoming biennium,” said state Sen. Joan Huffman, a Republican from Houston, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee. Huffman did not elaborate on the closed-door discussions of the lawmakers who had been appointed to work out differences between the two spending plans.
A 2021 law states that the Texas Education Agency, which was tasked with purchasing the kits, isn’t required to continue providing them if the Legislature stops the funding. In a statement, a spokesperson said the agency isn’t aware of any “alternative funding sources for the program.”
Hansmire, who did not respond to emailed questions for this article, has said the kits help law enforcement find missing children and save time during the early stages of a search. But none of the Texas law enforcement agencies contacted by the news outlets could recall the kits having helped to find a missing child.
Hansmire previously said that his legal disputes, including his sanction in Connecticut, had been “properly resolved, closed and are completely unrelated to the National Child ID Program.” He also claimed to have “paid debts entirely,” but did not provide details.
Texas lawmakers were among the first in the nation to enshrine into law a requirement that the state purchase the kits. The kits contain an inkpad and a piece of paper where parents can record their children’s physical attributes, fingerprints and DNA. Parents can store the form in their homes and present it to law enforcement if their child goes missing.
In April 2021, state Sen. Donna Campbell, the New Braunfels Republican who authored the law, said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Hansmire had brought her the legislation.
The Legislature allocated about $5.7 million to purchase kits despite numerous government agencies and nonprofits providing similar kits for free or at a lower cost. The envelopes contained the claim that 800,000 children go missing every year. Experts say the figure, which is based on a 1999 study, is inflated and out-of-date in part because it includes hundreds of thousands of children who were reported missing for benign reasons like coming home later than expected.
Hansmire previously told the news outlets that his company’s messaging has shifted away from what he called the “historically high” number of missing children.
Patrick did not respond to requests for comment, but he previously told the news outlets that the company’s broad base of support among the football community and its long history in Texas gave it credibility. He said he didn’t remember meeting Hansmire before the businessman pitched the kits in 2021 alongside former Chicago Bears player and NFL Man of the Year Mike Singletary, who has helped promote the company.
Patrick and Campbell were among a group of politicians honored by the company at an October 2021 Green Bay Packers game.
Working largely with state attorneys general, Hansmire has landed contracts and partnerships in at least a dozen states, including South Carolina, Iowa, Utah and Delaware. Only officials from Delaware responded to requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Delaware Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, whose office announced the state’s partnership with the company, called the state’s fledgling child ID program “an effective tool” in helping families prepare for the “unimaginable.”
Asked if the state’s partnership with the company, which launched May 24, would change upon learning of Texas’ action, communications director Jen Rini said: “Just like any program we initiate, we will monitor and adjust as necessary.”
Kiah Collier contributed reporting.
This content originally appeared on Articles and Investigations – ProPublica and was authored by by Jeremy Schwartz.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Hong Kong authorities sought a court injunction prohibiting the dissemination and performance of the banned protest anthem, “Glory to Hong Kong,” prompting downloads of the song to surge.
The anthem was regularly sung by crowds of unarmed protesters during the 2019 protest movement, which that ranged from peaceful demonstrations for full democracy to intermittent, pitched battles between “front-line” protesters and armed riot police.
It was banned in 2020 as Beijing imposed a draconian national security law on the city.
The song calls for freedom and democracy rather than independence, but was nonetheless deemed in breach of the law due to its “separatist” intent, officials and police officers said at the start of an ongoing citywide crackdown on public dissent and peaceful political activism.
“It is very unreasonable to ban the broadcast of ‘Glory to Hong Kong’,” said a Hong Kong resident who gave only the nickname May for fear of reprisals. She said had downloaded the song in the past 24 hours. “As a citizen, I feel very uneasy about this.”
“I want to listen to it more, now — I want to hear it again before it is taken off the shelves, or there is no way to listen to it any more — to commemorate the social events of that time,” May said.
Played at sports events
The lyrics of the song contain speech ruled by the court as constituting “secession,” a government statement said, referring to recent broadcasts of the song in error at overseas sports events featuring Hong Kong athletes.
“This has not only insulted the national anthem but also caused serious damage to the country and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,” it said.
Radio Free Asia’s translation of the banned 2019 protest anthem, with music. Translated by Luisetta Mudie. “The Department of Justice of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) applied to the Court … to prohibit four items of unlawful acts relating to the song “Glory to Hong Kong,’” the statement said.
In November, Hong Kong police announced a criminal investigation into the playing of “Glory to Hong Kong” at a rugby match in South Korea.
If the court injunction is granted, it will outlaw the broadcasting, performing, publishing or other dissemination of the song on any platform, especially with “seditious” or “pro-independence” intent, the government said.
It will also become harder to track down the song online, as global platforms could seek to conform with the ruling simply by taking it down.
The news prompted a spike in digital downloads of the song from iTunes, with different versions of the song featuring in nine of the top 10 download spots for the Hong Kong market.
Meanwhile, keyword searches for “Glory to Hong Kong” in Chinese surged following the government statement, remaining at a new high on the Google Trends tracking app at 7.00 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
‘Attack on freedom of speech’
Former pro-democracy District Council member Carmen Lau, now in exile in the United Kingdom, said the move is part of an ongoing crackdown on public expression in Hong Kong since the national security law took effect that has seen hundreds of titles removed from public libraries and bookshops, as well as bans on the screening of some movies in the city.
“As far as I know, this is the first time that the government has used a court procedure to apply specifically to the release or broadcast of this song in Hong Kong,” Lau said. “This is a precedent, and is a serious attack on the freedom of speech, and on artistic freedom.”
“Now this precedent has been set, many other freedoms of the press, and cultural freedoms, will be suppressed too,” she said.
Demonstrators sing “Glory to Hong Kong” at the Times Square shopping mall in Hong Kong, Sept. 12, 2019. Credit: Associated Press Benson Wong, former assistant politics professor at Hong Kong Baptist University who is now in Britain, said the ban, if issued, will send a strong message to the international community.
“If the court really does issue an injunction banning the playing of ‘Glory to Hong Kong,’ this will be the first song ban in Hong Kong,” he said.
“It will also become clear that there is nothing left of the rule of law or judicial independence in Hong Kong,” Wong said.
He said the move was likely prompted by massive official embarrassment over the playing of the wrong anthem at recent sporting events, adding that Hong Kongers would likely have to turn to circumvention software to access the song in future.
The spirit of Hong Kong
U.K.-based former pro-democracy councilor Daniel Kwok said the song remains hugely popular among Hong Kongers.
“Everyone likes this song very much, protesters and the international community alike,” Kwok said. “Hearing this song is like hearing the spirit of Hong Kong.”
“It represents Hong Kongers as an ethnic group far better than [the Chinese national anthem],” he said. “This is a song that belongs to and represents the people of Hong Kong.”
Executive Council member Ronny Tong said anyone found downloading the tune could face up to seven years’ imprisonment for “contempt of court,” if the injunction is granted.
He called on residents of Hong Kong to delete the tune if they have downloaded it already, just to be on the safe side.
Lau said she still expects to hear the song at overseas protests by Hong Kongers, however.
Current affairs commentator Sang Pu said the Hong Kong authorities are unlikely to be able to enforce the ban outside the city.
“Injunctions granted by a Hong Kong court are only applicable to Hong Kong,” Sang said. “Many overseas versions have been posted overseas, to accounts on YouTube and Instagram, so how will they implement it there?”
Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Cheryl Tung for RFA Cantonese, Amelia Loi for RFA Mandarin.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on openDemocracy RSS and was authored by Kateryna Semchuk, Ivan Tvorchyi.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Pro junta militia in Myanmar’s Yangon region shot dead the mother and sister of a man accused of killing a famous pro-junta singer, locals told RFA Wednesday.
Thea Malar Win, 42, and Saung Thazin Oo, 24, were killed in their home in Htantabin township’s Yoe Gyi village on Tuesday, according to neighbors who didn’t want to be named, fearing reprisals.
They are the mother and sister of 23-year-old anti-junta Special Task Force member Kaung Zarni Hein, who was arrested along with 30-year-old Kyaw Thura on June 6, and accused of killing Lily Naing Kyaw.
On Tuesday evening, following the arrests, members of pro-military Ma Ba Tha and Pyu Saw Htee militias went to the women’s home, where they tortured and killed them, residents said.
“They were shot dead after being beaten and interrogated,” said a local who didn’t want to be named for safety reasons.
“People say the bad guys, Naing Gyi and Ma Ba Tha, extremists from the village shot them … People don’t dare to talk much about this incident as they are afraid. The people who were killed were preschool teachers.”
Kaung Zarni Hein (top) and Kyaw Thura, who were accused of killing Lily Naing Kyaw and arrested on June 6, 2023. Credit: Military Information Group Lily Naing Kyaw, a pro-junta supporter of the Ma Ba Tha militia, was critically injured when she was shot in front of her home In Yangon’s Yankin township on the evening of May 30. She died on June 6, while undergoing treatment at Yangon’s Mingaladon Military Hospital.
As well as singing, she acted in military propaganda films and videos and often attended and performed at pro-junta events.
She was on record as saying there were no Rohingya in Myanmar, referring to the Muslim minority who have been targeted by Myanmar’s military, forcing around 740,000 to flee to Bangladesh, while the remainder live in Internally Displaced Peope’s camps, mainly in Rakhine state.
Lily Naing Kyaw was close to top junta officials, including Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun, and often posted pictures of herself with the military leaders on her Facebook page.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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The Sackler family, the billionaire owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, have secured immunity from all current and future civil litigation related to their role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The legal shield was granted last week by a federal appeals court in exchange for the family agreeing to pay up to $6 billion to thousands of plaintiffs in various lawsuits that are now suspended as part of the deal. While the Sacklers appear safe from further civil litigation, they could — and should — be criminally charged, says Ed Bisch, who lost his son Eddie to an OxyContin-related overdose in 2001 at age 18. “Fines without any prosecutions, there is no deterrent. They look at it as the cost of doing business,” says Bisch. We also speak to Christopher Glazek, the investigative reporter who was the first to publicly report how the Sackler family had significantly profited from selling OxyContin while fully aware that the highly addictive drug was directly fueling the opioid epidemic in America. “The Sacklers lied about how addictive the drug was, in order to convince doctors and patients that it wasn’t dangerous,” says Glazek.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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We continue our look at the Sackler family — the billionaire owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma — and efforts to hold them accountable after a federal appeals court ruled this week they can receive complete immunity from all current and future civil litigation related to their role in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. We speak with Ed Bisch, about his campaign to raise awareness and and calls for the DOJ to prosecute the Sacklers after his 18-year-old son, Eddie, died of an OxyContin-related overdose in 2001. He founded Relatives Against Purdue Pharma. We also speak about the history of the company with Christopher Glazek, an investigative reporter who was the first to publicly report that the Sackler family had significantly profited from selling the opioid OxyContin while fully aware that the highly addictive drug was directly fueling the opioid epidemic in America.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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We continue our look at the Sackler family — the billionaire owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma — and efforts to hold them accountable after a federal appeals court ruled this week they can receive complete immunity from all current and future civil litigation related to their role in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. We speak with Ed Bisch, about his campaign to raise awareness and and calls for the DOJ to prosecute the Sacklers after his 18-year-old son, Eddie, died of an OxyContin-related overdose in 2001. He founded Relatives Against Purdue Pharma. We also speak about the history of the company with Christopher Glazek, an investigative reporter who was the first to publicly report that the Sackler family had significantly profited from selling the opioid OxyContin while fully aware that the highly addictive drug was directly fueling the opioid epidemic in America.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! Audio and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by Radio Free Asia.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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On the heels of a failed spy satellite launch on Wednesday, North Korea vowed that a second launch would come soon, state media reported.
Taking off from the Sohae Satellite Launching ground at 6:27 a.m., the Malligyong-1 satellite mounted on the new-type Chollima-1 rocket lost thrust over the Yellow Sea, the state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA reported.
The second stage of the rocket engine did not ignite properly, the report said, citing remarks made by a spokesperson from the National Aerospace Development Administration.
“Scientists, technicians and experts concerned [will] start discovering concrete causes,” KCNA said. After determining them, the scientists will “take urgent scientific and technological measures to overcome them and conduct the second launch as soon as possible through various part tests.”
Had the launch been successful it would have been the first time North Korea managed to place a reconnaissance satellite in its proper orbit. In seven attempts, only two satellites have reached orbit but both failed shortly after, U.S.-based satellite imagery expert Jacob Bogle told RFA’s Korean Service.
“It’s a cliché to say that ‘space is hard’, but that’s because it is. Failures commonly happen in both government-led space programs like the ESA as well as in privately-funded programs such as SpaceX,” said Bogle.
South Korean military personnel recover what is believed to be a part of the rocket that North Korea said crashed into the sea off the west coast of the Korean peninsula, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Credit: South Korea Defense Ministry/Handout via Reuters Bogle said it was very likely that North Korea would try again.
“The launch window was from May 31 to June 11, and they launched on the very first day of that window. We don’t know what the internal decision-making process was but this could have been a rushed launch,” he said. “North Korea is the only country in the region without a reliable spacefaring capability, and Kim Jong Un has placed a lot of importance on acquiring it. … North Korea will likely try another satellite launch in the near-term.”
North Korea’s account of the failed launch is likely true, the Rand Corporation’s Bruce Bennett told RFA.
“This is possible, but other failures could also have happened. Kim has already promised to try again, so I think we can expect it,” said Bennett.
The goal of the launch was to put the spy satellite in a polar orbit, optimal for spy satellites, he said.
“A polar satellite travels roughly over the North Pole and the South pole as it circles the Earth. It flies at a much lower altitude, usually 200 to 1,000 km,” said Bennett. A polar orbit is usually used for reconnaissance … [and] lets them see areas all over the Earth as the Earth turns, and the altitude is low enough for relatively good pictures on a periodic basis (weekly) for any given location.”
Renewed condemnation
Despite its failure, members of the international community reminded North Korea that the launch, even despite its failure, violated U.N. resolutions meant to limit Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear capabilities.
“The EU strongly condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) launch using ballistic military technology that occurred on 31 May,” Nabila Massrali, the regional bloc’s Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said in a statement. “The EU calls on the DPRK to cease all actions that raise tensions and instead choose the path of dialogue with the main parties.”
The International Maritime Organization’s Maritime Safety Commission adopted a resolution that condemned North Korea for conducting the launch without proper notification and for not adhering to UN resolutions, and called for North Korea to “cease unlawful and unannounced ballistic missile launches across international shipping lanes.”
Lawmakers Anne-Marie Trevelyan of the U.K. and Young Kim of the U.S. also wrote tweets condemning the launch.
“Kim Jong Un’s consistent & rogue aggression must be taken seriously by the United States & our Indo-Pacific allies,” Rep. Kim (R-Calif.) said. “We must stand firm in holding him accountable & working toward complete, verifiable, & irreversible denuclearization of North Korea.”
Reported by Lee Sangmin and Kim Soyoung for RFA Korean.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Eugene Whong for RFA.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Performance artist and social media personality Chen Shaotian, also known as Brother Tian, is hoping to apply for political asylum in the United States this week after documenting his hazardous trek through the Central American rainforest.
“Ladies and gentlemen! I have arrived in Quito!” the bearded, cigarette-smoking Chen tells his online audience in a video clip dated May 17 as he arrived in the Ecuadorian capital to embark on the overland leg of his journey to the United States, known in China as “walking the line.”
Chen, who has previously served a 14-month jail term for criticizing the Chinese Communist Party on social media, proceeded to upload video clips along every stage of his trip, including a hazardous trek led by people-smugglers across a rainforest that took two days.
“I was lucky – it took some people four-and-a-half days,” Chen, who also sports a massive medallion emblazoned with the Chinese character for “dream,” a likely satire on President Xi Jinping’s slogan “the Chinese dream,” said after emerging from the jungle.
“One old lady had to be carried out of there on a stretcher after paying US$120 to the snakehead [people smugglers],” he said.
‘From all over the world’
Tian arrived in Quito via Turkey, joining around 200 other fellow travelers from China who had chosen to “walk the line.”
“There were families, single people, from Fujian, Shandong … Xinjiang, people from all over [China],” he said. “There were also … people from all over the world.”
Chen’s trip took him through bus stations, border checkpoints, refugee camps and other facilities that have sprung up to serve the constant stream of people heading for the United States through Central America.
“We ran into some corrupt police en route between Quito and Colombia, Nicaragua,” he said. “They wanted money from us … There were six of us Chinese, and we each gave them US$500.”
Chen said he was offered the option to pay US$1,100 more for a “luxury” route during which horses and camps were provided, as opposed to camping in the rainforest.
People make their way across a jungle river as they continue on foot to the United States. Credit: Provided by Chen Shaotian He said a lot of people were robbed along the way.
“Some people had more than US$1,000 stolen,” he said. “They told me there would be more robberies in Guatemala and Honduras, and some were saying that the Chinese were partnering up with the locals to rob [Chinese refugees].”
“They go for people with families – one guy had his credit card swiped and lost more than 200,000 yuan, (US$28,000)” he said.
The route Chen took, flying to Turkey, then to Ecuador, then northwards along the coast through Peru and Venezuela, is a common one. Many of Chen’s videos showed long lines of people lining up for buses, or to be admitted into refugee facilities along the way.
Freedom to speak out
Chen said he is hoping to apply for political asylum in the United States for one reason only: to live somewhere where there is freedom of expression.
He was jailed in March 2021 by a court in his home province of Henan after being found guilty of “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble,” a charge frequently used to target critics of the regime.
Chen’s sentence was based on more than 50 posts he made to Twitter that were deemed to be “hype about major sensitive events in China” and “political attacks.”
One video showed him astride a moped, speeding down a road wearing a face-mask blazoned with the words “evil” and “understand,” and yelling: “Understand this! Our evil government is far worse than any virus!”
Chen’s tweets had “attacked China’s political system, insulted employees of the state, caused serious damage to China’s national image and endangered its national interests,” as well as “creating serious disorder in a public place,” the court judgment said.
Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Gu Ting for RFA Mandarin.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and was authored by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on The Laura Flanders Show and was authored by The Laura Flanders Show.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Villagers found 27 charred bodies inside burnt homes yesterday in northwestern Myanmar’s Sagaing region, where the ruling military junta has for months conducted an arson campaign targeting rural villages, burning hundreds of homes, and leaving thousands displaced.
The villagers told RFA that the bodies were found in the Mon Dai Pin and Inbin villages of Ye Oo township. While there was no fighting in their area, the villagers said, soldiers arrived during a military operation and spent a night in the village.
“Most of the villagers fled to safety, [but] some were unable to escape,” one villager said. RFA has not been able to confirm the incident and attempts to contact junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun went unanswered.
A military column from nearby Taze township raided Mon Dai Pin on May 9 and set fire to about 30 houses, villagers said.
In addition to the charred bodies, villagers said three monks from the village monastery were taken away by the military. Of the 27 bodies, 17 were found in Mon Dai Pin and the other 10 were found in Inbin.
Some of the bodies were found on the street, and villagers said some of them had gunshot wounds. The victims were identified as local residents in their 40s.
The villagers said that since the fire has not fully died down, they could not search all the homes.
RFA previously reported on the junta’s burning of 500 homes in Sagaing in only three days, with the military cutting off internet access in 27 of the region’s 37 townships in early March. The information blackout has left villagers in the dark about the campaign as the military moves from village to village in a crackdown on opponents of its Feb. 1, 2021 coup.
Soldiers had destroyed around 200 and 70 homes in Mingin’s Thanbauk and Zinkale villages, respectively, on April 25, some 220 homes in Khin Oo’s Thanboh village the following day, and an unconfirmed number of homes in Shwebo’s Malar and Makhauk villages on the evening of April 27, RFA’s investigation found.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Myanmar Service.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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On April 16, communal clashes took place in the national capital’s Jahangirpuri area on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti. The police arrested 23 people from two communities following the violence. “Three processions were taken out that day to mark Hanuman Jayanti, Delhi police said. Trouble broke out during the third procession, for which no permission had been granted. Those who organised it allegedly took a route next to a mosque located close to a temple,” reported NDTV. In an interview, sub-inspector Medha Lal told India TV, “Women and children were pelting stones from rooftops.”
On April 16, several social media users (@ParwalPriyanka, @Sabhapa30724463, @Adodwaria, @PratapKeerti) shared a clip of police arresting a group of women. It has been claimed these were the women who “pelted stones”.
पत्थर फेंकने वाली महिलाओं की विदाई रस्म..
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राष्ट्रवादी प्रियंका (@ParwalPriyanka) April 16, 2022Facebook pages ‘Jay Bangar page‘ and ‘The great leader modi‘ also shared this clip with a similar claim. It has gained over 39,000 views.
रामनवमीं की शोभायात्रा पर पत्थर रूपी पुष्प फेंकनें वाली अप्सराओं की विदाई धूमधाम से सरकारी गाड़ी से की जा रही हैं
#JayBangarBHILWARAPosted by Jay Bangar page on Friday, 15 April 2022
Unrelated video
Upon performing a reverse image search, Alt News found various posts that suggested the viral video dates back to 2020. According to a report by India Blooms News Service, the video is from UP’s Muradabad and was shot during COVID-19 lockdown.
The video description reads, “A team of doctors and medical staffers were attacked in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad town when they were visiting the area to escort the primary contacts of a COVID-19 positive patient, who died, to a quarantine facility on Wednesday.”
The viral portion beings from the 25-second mark.
At the 47-second mark, a medical professional dressed in a PPE kit told India Blooms News Service, “We were thrashed… they surrounded us. We had to run for our lives…. [another medical professional can be heard saying “We don’t want to do such jobs”]… we weren’t given any security…. only four police officials were there as opposed to the public who were in thousands…”
India Today and The Hindu also reported the incident. Amit Pathak, Senior Superintendent of Police, Moradabad, told the media that a crowd of around 150 people attacked the ambulance when a medical team was taking the family of the deceased for quarantine.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a statement stating that the National Security Act and the National Disaster Act, 2005 would be invoked against miscreants in such cases and any loss to the public property would be recovered from them.
To sum it up, a clip from 2020 was shared with the claim that it is related to recent communal violence in Delhi.
The post Old video falsely shared as police arresting Muslim women after Jahangirpuri violence appeared first on Alt News.
This content originally appeared on Alt News and was authored by Archit Mehta.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
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Talks with Iran to revive the nuclear deal appear to be progressing, but in recent weeks, the United States’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, as a terror group has emerged as a major obstacle. The listing isn’t just about nuclear diplomacy: Countless Iranians who served in the IRGC are now labeled as terrorists — including hundreds of thousands who were conscripted without a choice. This week on Intercepted, senior news editor Ali Gharib and reporter Murtaza Hussain examine the effects the terrorist designation has had on former conscripts who have lived for decades in the West. These dual nationals have been banned from the U.S., lost jobs, and separated from family as a result of the policy. join.theintercept.com/donate/now
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
This content originally appeared on Intercepted and was authored by The Intercept.This post was originally published on Radio Free.
