The message referenced a 2015 terrorist attack targeting the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo that killed 12 people, including eight journalists, and injured 11.
“The threat against the editorial team of the television program ‘Report’ and comparisons to the deadly Charlie Hebdo attack are alarming and must be taken seriously by Italian authorities,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative. “Journalists should be able to report on sensitive issues without fear of violence or intimidation. Authorities must complete their investigation, bring the perpetrators to justice, and take all necessary measures to protect the ‘Report’ team.”
Sigfrido Ranucci, head of “Report,” told RAI News the threat was reported to police.
Ranucci has been under police protection since August 2021 due to an alleged assassination plot by an organized crime group.
In 2022, CPJ documented emailed death threats that referenced Charlie Hebdo sent to the staff of the Serbian newspaper Danas because of its editorial policy.
CPJ emailed questions to the Italian Ministry of Interior but did not receive a response.
Advertiser-Tribune reporter Kayla Trevino and her journalistic integrity were attacked in an article published on the government website for Seneca County, Ohio, on Oct. 14, 2024. Nearly two weeks later, the county prosecutor asked Ohio’s attorney general to investigate the incident for possible misuse of government resources.
The newspaper reported that Sheri Trusty, a media relations coordinator for the county, authored an article attacking Trevino for her coverage of a child custody dispute involving Seneca County Commissioner Bill Frankart.
The article — which included a photo of Trevino — accused the journalist of going on a “witch hunt,” alleging that she manufactured or failed to verify facts in her reporting and did not provide Frankart sufficient time to respond before publishing.
“Trevino’s story is a failed exposé marked by faulty journalism and sensationalism and is a little-disguised attempt to destroy the reputation of one of Seneca County’s most respected and dedicated elected officials, Commissioner Bill Frankart,” Trusty wrote. “In the end, Trevino’s lack of integrity in this story may impact the well-being of a child.”
Trusty’s article was removed from the county website sometime the following day.
The Advertiser-Tribune defended Trevino and her article, writing that her report was “entirely based on allegations in police reports and court records.”
“Kayla is a hardworking professional. She was very careful with how she approached this news story, and is careful with all stories she covers,” Jeremy Speer, the newspaper’s publisher, said. “A good reporter is a value to a community and Kayla is a good and trusted reporter.”
Local news website TiffinOhio.net reported that the publication of Trusty’s article on the county’s government website — typically reserved for public information and announcements — was alarming and raised questions about whether county resources had been misused developing and publishing it.
In an editorial published Oct. 19, the Advertiser-Tribune called on Seneca County Prosecutor Derek DeVine to launch or ask for an independent investigation.
“The article attacking the integrity and motives of the A-T’s reporter was inaccurate and offensive, designed, it seems, to intimidate her and prevent her from doing her job,” the editorial said. “This was entirely inappropriate, in our view, and DeVine and commissioners must take immediate action to ensure that county resources are never again misused in this way to attack anyone, ever.”
On Oct. 23, DeVine asked Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to assign state agents to investigate the issue and for the AG’s office to serve as special prosecutor, in light of DeVine’s conflict of interest as the legal representative for the county’s board of commissioners, the Advertiser-Tribune reported.
The newspaper expressed cautious optimism about the decision.
“Nobody is looking for the proverbial pound of flesh,” the editorial board said. “But, in our view, it is an important question whether county resources were used to attack a reporter because a county official did not like what was being reported. If that did happen, steps must be taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Berlin, November 7, 2024—Serbian authorities must swiftly and thoroughly investigate the November 5 attacks by masked individuals on a journalist and two cameraoperators working for N1 TV and Euronews as they were covering a demonstration in Novi Sad.
“Serbian authorities must bring all those responsible for the attack on a journalist and camera operators for N1 TV and Euronews to justice,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative. “Journalists must be able to report on demonstrations without fear of intimidation or violence. Authorities need to send a clear message that such attacks will not be tolerated.”
The demonstration on November 5 was seeking accountability for the infrastructure collapse at a Novi Sad railway station that killed 14 people on November 1. According to news reports, a group of masked individuals threw stones, sticks, and flares at the City Hall building during the event.
The individualsshouted insults at N1 TV reporter Žaklina Tatalović and her cameraperson, Nikola Popović, and another protester struck Popović’s hand, causing him to drop and damage his camera. Later a man hit and knocked Euronews camera operator Mirko Todorović to the ground. No injuries were reported.
SafeJournalists, a regional press freedom group, said that the incidents were reported to the authorities, but that police at the scene did not respond and instead “observe[d] the events silently”.
CPJ emailed questions to the press department of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the police, but did not receive a response.
Abuja, October 31, 2024–The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Ghanaian authorities to swiftly investigate and hold accountable the security guards who attacked four journalists and media workers working for the privately owned Multimedia Group conglomerate at a mining site in the country’s southern Ashanti region.
On October 20, at least 10 armed security guards working for Edelmetallum Resources Limited, a mining company operating in Ghana, detained and beat journalist Erastus Asare Donkor, camera technician Edward Suantah, drone pilot Majid Alidu, and driver Arko Edward as they reported on alleged environmental degradation associated with one of the company’s mines, according to Donkor and Edward, who spoke with CPJ.
“Authorities in Ghana must swiftly investigate and hold accountable the security guards of Edelmetallum Resources Limited responsible for attacking journalists and media workers Erastus Asare Donkor, Edward Suantah, Majid Alidu, and Arko Edward,” said Angela Quintal, head of CPJ’s Africa Program, in Johannesburg. “Reporting on environmental degradation is a matter of public interest, and too often no one is held accountable when the press in Ghana is attacked.”
The guards seized at least five phones, five drone batteries, a Lenovo tablet, a branded press jacket, and a headset, Donkor and Edward told CPJ. After forcing the crew to drive away with them, the guards deleted all information on at least two phones and made them delete their images. They also beat the media workers with their hands for at least 30 minutes. The guards later returned only the phones.
After the attack, Donkor had difficulty using his right eye, Edward had a swollen face, and Suantah and Alidu had ringing in their ears, according to Donkor and Edward.
The crew reported the attack to police and led them to the site, but the guards refused to go to the police station, Donkor said. Police later announced that three of the attackers had surrendered and were granted bail, he said.
CPJ’s calls to police spokesperson Grace Ansah-Akrofi for comment on the investigation went unanswered.
Edelmetallum’s managing director, Philip Edem Kutsienyo, said by phone that he did not want to speak with CPJ.
New York, October 30, 2024—French authorities must complete their investigation and take steps to ensure the safety of journalists at Radio BIP and its online newspaper Média 25 following the recent attack on the outlet’s offices, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday.
“CPJ is alarmed by the recent attack on Radio BIP/Média 25’s headquarters, which follows a disturbing pattern of harassment against this media outlet over the past two years,” said Attila Mong, CPJ’s Europe representative. “Such attacks not only threaten the physical safety of journalists but also create a climate of fear that can severely impact independent reporting. French authorities must take this attack seriously, bring all perpetrators to justice, and implement measures to ensure that journalists can report on issues of public interest safely and without fear of reprisal.”
On the evening of October 21, unidentified individuals wearing gloves kicked the front door and attempted to forcibly enter the premises of Radio BIP/Média 25’s headquarters in Besançon, eastern France. They triggered the station’s security alarm, damaging the door and lock before fleeing.
Radio BIP/Média 25, a media outlet known for its reporting on local far-right groups in Besançon, has experienced a series of incidents over the past two years. In May 2022, unknown individuals broke into and entered its premises, robbing equipment; in another incident that same month, its garage door window was broken and an advertising banner was ripped off—followed by successive incidents in which the station received a bomb threat, had its garage door was damaged overnight, and was vandalized with painted swastikas.
CPJ emailed the Besançon police department requesting comment on the ongoing investigation but did not receive a reply.
We speak with Iranian American policy analyst Trita Parsi about Israel’s latest attack on Iran on Saturday, when it bombed military facilities and air defense systems in the country. Iran said four soldiers were killed in the attack. Israel also struck air defense batteries and radars in Syria and Iraq. Israel’s assault this weekend came about four weeks after Iran launched a missile attack on Israeli military sites in response to Israel’s war on Lebanon and Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, part of a series of actions between the two countries since the outbreak of the war on Gaza last year. “The Israelis are just continuously escalating the situation,” says Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He warns that Iran’s relatively restrained responses to Israeli actions could encourage decision-makers in both Israel and the United States to “go all the way” and strike Iranian nuclear sites and other major targets. “This, unfortunately, is leading — much thanks to the approach of the Biden administration — towards a much larger escalation.”
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
China on Monday urged Myanmar’s junta to find and punish the perpetrators of a bomb attack on its consulate in Mandalay over the weekend, but observers warned that more attacks are likely amid public anger over Beijing’s support for the military regime.
China has remained one of the junta’s few allies since the military orchestrated a coup d’etat and seized control of Myanmar in February 2021.
Chinese investment in Myanmar is substantial, and the armed opposition has attacked several projects in a bid to cut off badly-needed revenue for the junta, which is straining under the weight of global sanctions in response to its putsch.
On Friday evening, unknown assailants detonated a bomb at the Chinese consulate in Mandalay region’s Chanmyathazi township, damaging part of the building’s roof, the junta and Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday. No one was hurt in the blast.
No group or individual has claimed responsibility.
On Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Li Jian condemned the attack and called on the junta to “make an all-out effort to hunt down and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The Chinese consulate in Mandalay also urged all Chinese citizens, businesses and institutions in Myanmar to monitor the local security situation, strengthen security measures and take every precaution to keep themselves safe.
Myanmar’s junta has said it is investigating the incident and is working to arrest those responsible.
Opposition condemns attack
An official with the Mandalay People’s Defense Force, which runs anti-junta operations in the region, denied responsibility for the bombing.
“The Mandalay People’s Defense Force has not carried out any urban missions, including the attack on the Chinese consulate general’s office recently,” said the official who spoke to RFA Burmese on condition of anonymity due to security concerns.
The foreign ministry Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government, or NUG, also condemned the bombing in a statement that said it opposes all terrorist acts that tarnish relations with neighboring nations. It said differences of views should be solved through diplomatic means rather than violence.
“Such kinds of attacks have absolutely nothing to do with our NUG government or our People’s Defense Force,” said NUG Deputy Foreign Minister Moe Zaw Oo. “We never commit terrorist acts and we condemn such attacks.”
Moe Zaw Oo suggested that the junta had orchestrated the attack to “[create] problems between our forces and China.”
“The junta is trying to exacerbate the conflict … and sowing discord,” he said, without providing evidence of his claim.
Tay Zar San, a leader of the armed opposition, echoed the NUG’s suspicion that the junta was behind the attack.
“The military regime and its affiliated organizations are intentionally provoking ethnic and religious conflict under the context of anti-Chinese sentiment,” he said, adding that the junta has “organized” anti-Chinese protests in downtown Yangon and Mandalay.
He also provided no evidence to back up his claims.
Attempts by RFA to contact junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun for a response to the allegations went unanswered Monday.
Enemy of the people
Tay Zar San said that the people of Myanmar have been angered by Beijing’s support for the junta and its attempts to pressure ethnic armed groups along its border to end their offensive against the military.
Since launching the offensive nearly a year ago, heavy fighting for control of towns in northern Shan state has sparked concern from China, which borders the state to the east, and forced it to shut previously busy border crossings.
China has tried to protect its interests by brokering ceasefires between the junta and ethnic armies, but these haven’t lasted long.
Myanmar’s Army Commander Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, left, speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a hotel in Naypyidaw, Jan. 18, 2020. (Office of the Commander in Chief of Defense Services via AP)
Junta supporters have expressed concern that territory lost to the armed opposition will not be retaken and are posting messages opposing China’s engagement on social media. Earlier, the junta supporters staged anti-China protests in Yangon, Mandalay, and the capital Naypyidaw.
Than Soe Naing, a political commentator, said that the people of Myanmar will increasingly target China if Beijing continues supporting the junta.
“As this struggle intensifies, anti-Chinese sentiment in Myanmar is likely to grow,” he said. “However, it is important to recognize that this is not a conflict with the Chinese people, but rather a response to the Chinese Communist Party’s stance and the misguided policies of its leadership on the Myanmar issue.”
Additional tension
The consulate bombing came amid reports that China’s military had fired at the junta’s Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets as they carried out airstrikes on ethnic rebels on the border.
A video of the purported attack – in which anti-aircraft guns fire into the air while Chinese-language commands are given – went viral on Saturday evening, although RFA has been unable to independently verify its authenticity or the date it took place.
Additionally, an official with the People’s Defense Force in Sagaing region’s Yinmarbin township told RFA that his unit had ambushed a junta security detail guarding a convoy of trucks carrying copper from the Chinese-run Letpadaung Copper Mine Project in nearby Salingyi township.
At least one junta soldier was killed, but the convoy was able to proceed, said the official, who also declined to be named.
A traffic police officer directs traffic near a welcoming billboard to Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Naypyidaw, Jan. 17, 2020. (Aung Shine Oo/AP)
RFA was unable to independently verify the official’s claims and efforts to reach the junta’s spokesperson for Sagaing region went unanswered Monday, as did attempts to contact the Chinese Embassy in Yangon.
In late August, junta chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing vowed to protect Chinese assets and personnel in Myanmar during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador.
Last week, reports emerged that Min Aung Hlaing will visit China for the first time since the coup. When asked by Bloomberg about the military leader’s visit to China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian declined to comment.
Translated by Aung Naing. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.
A claim emerged in Chinese-language social media posts that U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti revealed during an internal meeting a U.S. plan to launch a war against China in 2027.
But this is misleading. Franchetti’s comments were part of a public statement in which she said it was important to ensure the U.S. is prepared for a potential conflict with China by 2027.
The claim was shared on Douyin, Chinese version of TikTok in late September, 2024, alongside a 30-second video that shows U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Lisa Franchetti.
“A leaked video shows that Franchetti revealed U.S.’s plans to launch a war with China in 2027 during internal U.S. Navy operations meeting,” the claim reads in part.
Chinese online users claim that in a leaked conversation Admiral Franchetti said the U.S. plans to go to war with China in 2027. (Screenshots /X, Douyin and Weibo)
There are growing concerns about a potential U.S.-China war, particularly the assumption that such a conflict would be short and decisive.
War games and military novels often portray limited, quick engagements, such as battles over Taiwan, but history shows that wars between great powers are rarely brief. Instead, they tend to drag on, expanding across multiple regions and involving other nations.
Several factors could trigger a U.S.-China war, with Taiwan being the most significant. A Chinese attempt to invade or blockade Taiwan could prompt a U.S. response. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea, where China’s claims clash with those of U.S. allies like the Philippines, also pose risks.
Additionally, alliances involving nations like Russia or North Korea could draw more countries into a broader conflict, turning a regional dispute into a larger war.
The same claim about Franchetti was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Weibo.
But the claim is misleading.
Original clip
A combination of keyword searches and reverse image search on Google found that the clips of Franchetti were taken from a video released by the U.S. military on Sept. 18, titled: “CNO Release Navigation Plan 2024.”
“Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti released her Navigation Plan (NAVPLAN) for America’s Warfighting Navy at the Naval War College, Sept. 18,” the caption of the video reads in part.
“This strategic guidance focuses on two strategic ends: readiness for conflict with the PRC by 2027 and enhancing long-term advantage,” it reads further.
Separately, the Navy’s navigation plan, the first update in two years, sets the year 2027 as a baseline for U.S. naval operations in response to goals stated by Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding target dates for China’s military modernization.
A review of the video and the navigation plan found no mention of a U.S. plan to launch a war with China in 2027.
Chinese military modernization
China proposed accelerating the modernization of its defense forces at a meeting of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee in October 2020.
The meeting signaled that China’s armed forces should be prepared for the country’s great rejuvenation by 2027, a goal frequently mentioned by Chinese officials and reported in state-run media.
Since then, U.S. officials have debated and offered different viewpoints about whether China will attack Taiwan in 2027 or 2035.
When Chinese President Xi Jinping met U.S. President Joe Biden at a summit in San Francisco in November 2023, he denied that China planned to attack Taiwan in 2027 or 2035, according to media reports.
Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang.
Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Zhuang Jing for Asia Fact Check Lab.
Six North Korean military officers were among about 20 military personnel killed in a Ukrainian missile strike on Russian-occupied territory near the city of Donetsk, a Ukrainian news agency reported.
Citing sources in Ukraine’s military intelligence, Interfax-Ukraine said three North Korean servicemen were also wounded. Ukraine’s Kyiv Post reported that the attack happened on Thursday, citing intelligence sources.
Interfax-Ukraine, in its report on Friday, cited Russian bloggers as saying that North Korean military officers were visiting the front as part of an “exchange of experience” program.
The North Korean military was shown how the Russians were “preparing for assault actions, for defense,” when “a missile strike was launched on the training ground,” the Ukrainian news agency added.
Radio Free Asia could not independently verify the reports. Russian and North Korean state-media have not reported on any such incident.
The reports came after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia.
“Russia has no legitimate reason – none at all – for making Iran and North Korea de facto accomplices in its criminal war,” Zelensky told the U.N. Security Council in September.
Western intelligence agencies have also accused North Korea of providing large amounts of weapons to Russia, although North Korea and Russia have both denied that.
In response to Zelensky’s remarks, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, said she was issuing a “stern warning” against his “reckless political provocation.”
Ukrainian intelligence officials said last year that North Korean military personnel, including engineers, were operating in Russian-occupied territory.
The Ukrainian government has also alleged that Russia was planning to mobilize North Korean laborers for various construction projects in occupied territories, including Donetsk and Luhansk.
The United States has said North Korea has in particular supplied Russia with artillery rounds and ballistic missiles, in exchange for Russian technological assistance for its space program.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service also said Russia has received more than one million artillery shells from North Korea and has fired North Korean-made ballistic missiles at Ukraine.
Edited by Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Taejun Kang for RFA.
Manila on Friday joined Hanoi to denounce an alleged Chinese attack on a Vietnamese fishing boat in the South China Sea, saying such violence had no place in territorial disputes that embroil several countries.
Vietnamese state media accused Chinese law enforcement personnel of boarding the fishing boat in the Paracel Islands and assaulting the crew last Sunday. But China denied that its forces had used a heavy-handed approach to stopping Vietnamese boats from operating in waters claimed by both countries.
The Chinese personnel beat the crew with iron bars, seriously injuring at least four sailors, Vietnamese state media reported. The personnel also allegedly smashed the fishing equipment and took away the crew’s catch.
Manila, which also has territorial claims in the waterway that overlap with those of Beijing and Hanoi, called it a “serious incident” and urged all parties to use restraint.
Manila “underscores the need for disputes in the (South China Sea) to be managed peacefully and in accordance with international law,” particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), its foreign office said in a statement Friday.
“It is a paramount obligation to ensure the safety at sea of vessels and their crew, especially fisherfolk.”
A crew member from the Vietnamese fishing boat, photographed on its arrival in Sa Ky port, Quang Ngai province on Sept. 30, 2024. (Ba Vuong Phung/Facebook)
Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Año also condemned what he described as China’s violent and illegal action against Vietnam in the Sept. 29 incident at sea.
“Fishermen, as vulnerable maritime workers, deserve protection, not harm, at sea,” he said in a statement.
Año warned that China’s action had escalated tensions in an already volatile maritime region and that the Philippines, as a claimant country, was advocating a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
Earlier, Vietnam’s foreign ministry denounced what it called “the brutal treatment” by Chinese law enforcement forces of Vietnamese fishermen and foreign fishing boats in the area.
China’s Embassy in Manila did not immediately provide comment.
On Tuesday, China told the Reuters news agency that its personnel had stopped Vietnamese fishing boats from illegally fishing in the waters claimed by both countries. “The on-site operations were professional and restrained, and no injuries were found,” Beijing said.
Hanoi-Manila ties
Although the Philippines and Vietnam have overlapping claims in the waterway, they are on good diplomatic terms and have been working together to manage their respective claims.
In August, the Philippines and Vietnam agreed to sign a memorandum on defense cooperation that would see them strengthen their joint activities at sea. Their coastguards also conducted their first joint exercises that month.
The Philippines and China have been locked in their own bilateral conflict over the South China Sea, with Manila accusing Beijing of repeatedly harassing its boats in the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
In response to Sunday’s incident, the United States urged China to stop its “dangerous and destabilizing” activities in the disputed waters.
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of dangerous actions by [Chinese] law enforcement vessels against Vietnamese fishing vessels around the Paracel Islands on September 29,” U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller posted on X (Twitter) Thursday.
Simmering tensions
The Paracel Islands consist of some 130 reefs and small coral islands and are located 250 miles (400 km) east of central Vietnam and 220 miles (350 km) southeast of China’s Hainan island. Known as Xisha in China and Hoang Sa in Vietnam, the islands are believed to sit atop large reserves of natural gas and oil.
Since 1974, China has maintained de facto control over the islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan.
An aerial view of Qilian Yu subgroup in the Paracel islands, which China considers part of Hainan province, Aug. 10, 2018. (AFP)
The South China Sea, a waterway considered vital to world trade, is claimed almost entirely by China. The sea is also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
Political analysts say the waterway is a potential tinderbox for war breaking out in the region, if the overlapping claims are not managed.
Manila’s support for Hanoi at this critical stage shows their common stand against Beijing’s “belligerent actions” in the troubled waterway, said Sherwin Ona, who lectures at the De La Salle University’s political science department in Manila.
The public needs to realize that China has also actively beefed up its presence in Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone while continuing to penetrate the maritime zones of Taiwan and Japan in the East China Sea, he told BenarNews. “This points to a deliberate effort to really challenge the status quo of the region.”
Like-minded countries, Ona said, should boost their “legal positions by addressing illegal and unregulated fishing and resolve overlaps in maritime domains.”
BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated online news organization.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Jason Gutierrez for BenarNews.
Pro-democracy insurgents battling Myanmar’s junta fired rockets at the military headquarters in the city of Mandalay, the group said on Monday, the latest in a series of strikes at the heart of the military’s command structure.
There was no immediate confirmation from the junta of the attack on the Central Military Headquarters in Myanmar’s second-biggest city early on Sunday, which an activist group called Brave Warriors for Myanmar (BMW) said its members carried out with 107 mm rockets.
“Two of the rockets hit a building where junta troops who are about to attack in northern Shan state are staying,” a member of the group who declined to be identified for safety reasons told Radio Free Asia.
He said some troops were believed to have been wounded in the attack but the extent of casualties and damage were being investigated. Those who carried out the attack escaped, he said.
RFA tried to contact the junta spokesman for Mandalay region, Thein Htay, by telephone to ask about the reported attack but he did not answer calls.
The headquarters is in the heart of Mandalay, on the site of what used to be the walled palace of Myanmar’s kings who were deposed by British colonialists in the 19th century. The place was largely destroyed during World War II but the site is of symbolic importance for the nation.
A resident of the area, which is known as Aungmyaethazan township, said he heard loud explosions early on Sunday.
“I heard three or four blasts at around 2.28 a.m. on Sunday morning, they were quite loud, from a big weapon, I think,” the resident, who declined to be identified for safety reasons, told RFA.
Myanmar’s military has been facing setbacks in fighting in several parts of the country over the past year, at the hands of its old ethnic minority insurgent enemies and new pro-democracy People’s Defense Forces, or PDFs, set up by activists largely from the majority Burman community, who took up arms after the generals overthrew an elected government in early 2021.
Despite the setbacks, which have included the loss of a regional command headquarters in Shan state, northeast of Mandalay, and of a naval base in Rakhine state in the west, the military remains in control of major cities and can unleash devastating strikes with its air force.
PDF fighters have launched several rocket attacks on military bases and junta leaders in the capital Naypyidaw as well as in the main city of Yangon. The junta has condemned what it calls “terrorist” attacks and arrested several groups of plotters.
The BWM member said his group and an allied faction called the Shadow Mandalay Group had attacked the Mandalay base twice before, on Dec. 21, 2023, and on Sept. 3 this year.
The BWM also helped plan a rocket attack on an air base in Naypyidaw in July, the group members said.
PDF insurgents and their ethnic minority force allies have also captured a growing number of towns in the Mandalay region including Mogoke, Thabeikkyin, Singu and Tagaung.
Anti-junta forces are also threatening Pyin Oo Lwin, a hill town 64 kilometers (40 miles) east of Mandalay that is home to the military’s Defense Services Academy.
Myanmar junta authorities arrested two members of an urban guerrilla group planning to attack one of the military’s largest air bases, from where the air force launches attacks on civilians, the rebel group said.
The two fighters were preparing to fire rockets at the Hmawbi Air Base, 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of the main city of Yangon, on Sunday when they were captured, the group called Dark Shadow said.
“Troops stationed at the Hmawbi Air Base have been carrying out aerial bombardments on homes and camps for internally displaced people,” the group said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Dark Shadow said other members of the team preparing to attack the air base had escaped.
Fighting has surged over the past year between anti-junta forces, who include pro-democracy activists and ethnic minority rebels – and the military that seized power in early 2021 with the overthrow of a government led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Anti-junta forces have made significant gains in several parts of the country but they lack the weapons to take on the junta’s air force, which has increasingly been unleashing devastating attacks on the insurgents and on civilians in areas under their control.
The U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar said in June that military airstrikes against civilian targets increased five-fold in the first half of the year
A spokesman for the junta, which denies targeting civilians, was not immediately available for comment on the reported attack on the air base.
A former air force officer who now supports the campaign to end military rule told RFA aircraft flying out of Hmawbi mostly attack in Kayah state in the east and the Tanintharyi region in the south.
“Hmawbi Air Base is close to Kayah state and Tanintharyi so the aircraft are used in operations in those areas,” said the former officer, who declined to be identified for safety reasons.
The base is also a hub for the distribution of jet fuel across the country and for aircraft maintenance and parts, he added.
Dark Shadow and its allies have launched urban attacks on the junta and its facilities, including air bases before.
Junta authorities arrested seven people in June for plotting a rocket attack on the junta leader, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, as he attended a bridge opening ceremony in Yangon. Dark Shadow said at the time its members were involved in that.
Two of those arrested for that plot died after being tortured during interrogation, a Dark Shadow spokesperson told Radio Free Asia in August.
Another anti-junta activist, Nan Lin, head of a group called the University Students’ Union Alumni Force, said prospects were grim for the two detained members of Dark Shadow.
“The way we see it, once revolutionary soldiers have been arrested, it’s unimaginable we’ll ever see them again or they’ll be protected according to the law,” Nan Lin told RFA on Thursday.
We speak with Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley, author of the new book Erasing History: How Fascists Rewrite the Past to Control the Future, which examines the global rise of authoritarianism in the United States, Russia, Israel and beyond. He says attacks on education are a key part of the fascist toolkit to undermine democracy and pluralism. “They’re attacking the institutions, the universities, because the universities provide critical inquiry into the kind of myths that’s required for these kinds of politics,” says Stanley.
This content originally appeared on Democracy Now! and was authored by Democracy Now!.
A video of an explosion has been repeatedly shared in Chinese-language social media posts that claim it shows London being hit by a missile in September.
But the claim is false. The clip shows a planned explosion on a film set in London, not a missile attack.
The video was shared on Douyin, a Chinese version of TikTok, on Sept. 5.
The 10-second video captures a building engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing out.
“The footage shows the aftermath of a surprise missile attack against London in the early morning of Sept. 1 – first such air attack against the U.K in 80 years,” the claim reads.
Chinese influencers recently claimed that London was hit by a missile attack. (Screenshots/Douyin and Weibo)
Many online users connected the claim of a missile attack in London to the Russian-Ukrainian war, sparking fears that it could herald World War III.
According to a 2022 report by The Independent, Andrey Gurulyov, a member of Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, stated on Russian state television that London would be the first NATO strategic target for Russian missiles if a conflict between NATO and Russia broke out.
In May 2023, the U.K. confirmed it would supply Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine to help repel Russian forces “in Ukraine.”
A July report by the Chinese edition of Russia’s state-run media, Sputnik, cited the Kremlin criticizing the British decision as irresponsible.
But the claim about the missile attack in London is false.
A film set
A combined keyword search and reverse image search found the same clip shared in media reports, including the Evening Standard,Daily Mail and The Sun, and the BBC.
Comparison between the video spread by Chinese influencers and the footage reported by the British media. (Screenshots/Douyin, The Sun and Standard)
“A HUGE fire has erupted near The O2 after a planned explosion at a film set ‘spread out of control’ and sent black smoke into the sky,” The Sun reported on Aug. 31.
The O2 is a multi-purpose indoor arena in southeast London.
“The controlled explosion was right on the river’s edge at a Silvertown commercial site with locals nearby catching it on video and hearing loud cracks,” The Sun reported.
Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Shen Ke and Taejun Kang.
Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in today’s complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers’ understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By Dong Zhe for Asia Fact Check Lab.
Thousands of people have fled from fighting between ethnic minority guerrillas and Myanmar junta troops that entered a fifth day on Thursday, and at least 10 civilians have been killed, residents told Radio Free Asia.
The autonomy-seeking Kachin Independence Army, or KIA, and allied militias loyal to a shadow civilian administration, have made significant gains in Myanmar’s northernmost Kachin state since launching an offensive in March.
The insurgents have forced junta troops in the resource-rich region on the border with China into dwindling areas of control, mirroring setbacks elsewhere in Myanmar for the military that seized power in a 2021 coup.
A resident of Hpakant township, a major jade-producing region, said at least 10 civilians were killed in crossfire between insurgents and the military in Hseng Taung village since the anti-junta forces surrounded it and launched an attack on Sunday.
“People died after being hit by both heavy and small weapons. There are a lot of wounded,” said the resident who declined to be identified for safety reasons.
“Many, many houses have been destroyed. Bullets were raining down.”
Junta airstikes also sparked major fires in the town, witnesses said.
Most of those killed were men, he said, adding that a peace activist named Yup Zau Hkawng, who was wounded in shelling on Monday.
By Thursday, the KIA-led attackers had seized and burned down the Hseng Taung police station, sources close to an anti-junta People’s Defense Force, or PDF, allied with the KIA told RFA.
RFA telephoned Kachin state’s junta spokesperson, Moe Min Thein, for comment but he did not respond by the time of publication and a telecommunications outage in the area made it difficult to check accounts of the fighting.
About 60 soldiers were at the police station when the attack was launched, said another resident, who also asked to remain anonymous.
“The Hseng Taung police station was captured but fighting has been going on after they set it on fire,” he said. “Some junta soldiers are dead, others were caught alive, and the rest were able to flee.”
KIA fighters had sealed off all roads in and out of the village, said the KIA spokesman, Col. Naw Bu.
Residents said about 10,000 people had fled from the village over the five days of fighting, many seeking refuge in Nam Hmaw, Hseng Awng and Hpakant towns.
The KIA and allied forces control most roads in and out of Hpakant town and have captured all but five junta bases in the township, anti-junta forces say.
Another church has been set alight in New Caledonia, confirming a trend of arson which has already destroyed five Catholic churches and missions over the past two months.
The latest fire took place on Sunday evening at the iconic Saint Denis Church of Balade, in Pouébo, on the northern tip of the main island of Grande Terre.
The fire had been ignited in at least two locations — one at the main church entrance and the other on the altar, inside the building.
The attack is highly symbolic: this was the first Catholic church established in New Caledonia, 10 years before France “took possession” of the South Pacific archipelago in 1853.
It was the first Catholic settlement set up by the Marist mission and holds stained glass windows which have been classified as historic heritage in New Caledonia’s Northern Province.
Those stained glasses picture scenes of the Marist fathers’ arrival in New Caledonia.
Parts of the damages include the altar and the main church entrance door.
In other parts of the building, walls have been tagged.
A team of police investigators has been sent on location to gather further evidence, the Nouméa Public Prosecutor said.
250 years after Cook’s landing The fire also comes as 250 years ago, on 5 September 1774, British navigator James Cook, aboard the vessel Resolution, made first landing in the Bay of Balade after a Pacific voyage that took him to Easter Island (Rapa Nui), the Marquesas islands (French Polynesia), the kingdom of Tonga and what he called the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu).
It was Cook who called the Melanesian archipelago “New Caledonia”.
Both New Caledonia and the New Hebrides were a direct reference to the islands of Caledonia (Scotland) and the Hebrides, an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland.
Five churches targeted Since mid-July, five Catholic sites have been fully or partially destroyed in New Caledonia.
This includes the Catholic Mission in Saint-Louis (near Nouméa), a stronghold still in the hands of a pro-independence hard-line faction (another historic Catholic mission settled in the 1860s and widely regarded as the cradle of New Caledonia’s Catholicism); the Vao Church in the Isle of Pines (off Nouméa), and other Catholic missions in Touho, Thio (east coast of New Caledonia’s main island) and Poindimié.
Another Catholic church building, the Church of Hope in Nouméa, narrowly escaped a few weeks ago and was saved because one of the parishioners discovered packed-up benches and paper ready to be ignited.
Since then, the building has been under permanent surveillance, relying on parishioners and the Catholic church priests.
The series of targeted attacks comes as Christianity, including Roman Catholicism, is the largest religion in New Caledonia, where Protestants also make up a large proportion of the group.
Each attack was followed by due investigations, but no one has yet been arrested.
Nouméa Public Prosecutor Yves Dupas told local media these actions were “intolerable” attacks on New Caledonia’s “most fundamental symbols”.
Why the Catholic church? Several theories about the motives behind such attacks are invoking some sort of “mix-up” between French colonisation and the advent of Christianity in New Caledonia.
Nouméa Archbishop Michel-Marie Calvet, 80, himself a Marist, said “there’s been a clear determination to destroy all that represents some kind of organised order”
“There are also a lot of amalgamations on colonisation issues,” he said.
Nouméa Archbishop Monsignor Michel-Marie Calvet on the scene of the destroyed Saint Louis Mission. Image: NC la 1ère screenshot
“But we’ve seen this before and elsewhere: when some people want to justify their actions, they always try to re-write history according to the ideology they want to support or believe they support.”
While the first Catholic mission was founded in 1853, the protestant priests from the London Missionary Society also made first contact about the same time, in the Loyalty Islands, where, incidentally, the British-introduced cricket still remains a popular sport.
On the protestant side, the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia (French: Église Protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie, EPKNC), has traditionally positioned itself in an open pro-independence stance.
For a long time, Christian churches (Catholic and Protestants alike) were the only institutions to provide schooling to indigenous Kanaks.
‘Paradise’ islands now ‘closest to Hell’ A few days after violent and deadly riots broke out in New Caledonia, under a state of emergency in mid-May, Monsignor Calvet held a Pentecost mass in an empty church, but relayed by social networks.
At the time still under the shock from the eruption of violence, he told his virtual audience that New Caledonia, once known in tourism leaflets as the islands “closest to paradise”, had now become “closest to Hell”.
He also launched a stinging attack on all politicians there, saying they had “failed their obligations” and that from now on their words were “no longer credible”.
More recently, he told local media:
“There is a very real problem with our youth. They have lost every landmark. The saddest thing is that we’re not only talking about youth. There are also adults around who have been influencing them.
“What I know is that we Catholics have to stay away from any form of violence. This violence that tries to look like something it is not.
“It is not an ideal that is being pursued, it is what we usually call ‘the politics of chaos’.”
Declined Pope’s invitation to Port Moresby He said that although he had been invited to join Pope Francis in Port Moresby during his current Asia and Pacific tour he had declined the offer.
“Even though many years ago, I personally invited one of his predecessors, Pope John Paul II, to come and visit here. But Pope Francis’s visit [to PNG], it was definitely not the right time,” he said.
Monsignor Calvet was ordained priest in April 1973 for the Society of Mary (Marist) order.
Assassinated FLNKS leader Jean Marie Tjibaou in Kanaky/New Caledonia, 1985. Image: David Robie/Café Pacific
He arrived in Nouméa in April 1979 and has been Nouméa’s Archbishop since 1981.
He was also the chair of the Pacific Episcopal Conference (CEPAC) between 1996 and 2003, as well as the vice-president of the Federation of Oceania Episcopal Conferences (FCBCO).
In 1988, charismatic pro-independence leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou, as head of the FLNKS (Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front), signed the Matignon-Oudinot Accords with then French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, putting an end to half a decade of quasi civil war.
One year later, he was gunned down by a member of the radical fringe of the pro-independence movement.
Tjibaou was trained as a priest in the Society of Mary order.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
This content originally appeared on Asia Pacific Report and was authored by APR editor.
Myanmar insurgents launched mortar bombs at the junta’s top leader during his visit to a military base in eastern Myanmar’s Kayah state, an official from the anti-junta group told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.
RFA could not independently verify the report of an attack on Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing on Wednesday as he visited Loikaw’s Regional Command Headquarters in the state capital, Loikaw.
The junta has not released any information on an attack but its media reported on Thursday that Min Aung Hlaing had discussed the security situation and an upcoming census during his visit.
RFA telephoned Kayah state’s junta spokesperson Zarni Maung for confirmation but he did not answer calls.
A spokesman for the ethnic minority Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, or KNDF, said its fighters launched two 120 mm mortar bombs at the military base when the junta chief was believed to have been visiting.
“We received the information that he was coming to Loikaw, so we ordered our heavy weapons team to get ready and fire,” said the spokesman, who declined to be identified for security reasons.
“We heard that personnel in the Regional Command Headquarters were injured but we don’t know exactly how many yet.”
Karenni guerrillas and junta forces have been confronting each other in a divided Loikaw for months this year, with the military regaining ground there since June.
Juna forces responded to the attack with sustained attacks, including airstrikes, on KNDF positions on Thursday, the rebel spokesman said.
A building destroyed in a junta bombing in Nan Mei Khon village, Demoso township, Kayah state on Sept. 5, 2024. (Citizen photo)
The junta leader also delivered provisions to nearby junta militias in Shan state’s Hsihseng township, 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Loikaw, where they frequently clash with anti-junta forces, media reported.
The KNDF says it has captured 65 junta camps, including 12 military bases near Loikaw, and eight towns since it launched an offensive late last year.
The junta also launched airstrikes in other parts of Kayah state on Thursday, including Nan Mei Khon village in Demoso township where one person was killed and buildings were damaged, said the deputy secretary of the state’s anti-junta Interim Executive Council, Banya Khun Aung.
“The military bombed two places at around 10 a.m. killing one person and injuring seven,” he said.
A Demoso resident who declined to be identified for safety reasons said the victims were policemen working for a rebel-backed department. Their police station was damaged.
More than 500 civilians have died in junta custody or been killed in shelling and airstrikes in Kayah state since the military seized power in a coup in 2021, rights group the Progressive Karenni People Force said in a statement on Sunday.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.
