#india china border violence

[eretzyisrael]

by Melanie Phillips

he outspoken chief rabbi of South Africa, Dr. Warren Goldstein, has once again given voice to crucial truths that others have shamefully ignored.

He accused both Pope Francis and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, of being indifferent to the murder of black Christians in Africa and the terrorism threat in Europe while being “outright hostile” to Israel’s attempts to battle jihadi forces led by Iran.

“The world is locked in a civilizational battle of values, threatened by terrorism and violent jihad,” said Goldstein. “At a time when Europe’s very future hangs in the balance, its two most senior Christian leaders have abandoned their most sacred duty to protect and defend the values of the Bible. Their cowardice and lack of moral clarity threaten the free world.”

Goldstein’s blistering accusations were on the mark.

Christians in Africa have been subjected to barbaric slaughter and persecution by Islamists for decades. Two years ago, Open Doors, an organization that supports persecuted Christians, observed: “In truth, there are very few Muslim countries—or countries with large Muslim populations—where Christians can avoid intimidation, harassment or violence.”

In January 2024, a report for Genocide Watch confirmed that, since 2000, 62,000 Christians in Nigeria have been murdered by Islamist groups in an ongoing attempt to exterminate Christianity. In addition, more than 32,000 moderate black Nigerian Muslims and non-faith individuals have been massacred.

According to a report in 2020 by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, Christians in Myanmar, China, Eritrea, India, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Vietnam are being persecuted.

These facts were reported in June by Peter Baum for The Daily Blitz. Yet the mainstream media all but ignore these atrocities. There are no marches in Western cities to accuse these countries of facilitating crimes against humanity. There are no NGO-inspired petitions to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to declare these countries and groups guilty of genocide.

Instead, the media and Western elites demonize Israel as the pariah of the world for defending itself against these genocidal Islamists. This unique and egregious double standard is the hallmark of classic antisemitism.

The attitude of the church leaders is even more astonishing. The hundreds of thousands of victims of this persecution are their flock. The goal of this onslaught is the wholesale destruction of the faith they lead.

Yet from Welby and the pope have emerged little more than occasional expressions of measured concern. And even then, they usually refuse to call out what’s happening by its proper name—the Islamist war to eradicate Christianity and destroy the West.

The 10-month war against Israel by Iran and its proxies following the Oct. 7 pogrom is a crucial front in that onslaught against Western civilization. Yet as Goldstein said, the pope and Welby have stood passively by while African Christians are “butchered by jihadi groups with direct ties to Israel’s enemies in Gaza and the West Bank.”

The jihadi ideology, he said, was also a clear and present danger to Europe. As a result of open-border policies, immigrants poured into the United Kingdom and across Europe, many of them “brandishing a violent jihadi ideology deeply hostile to Christianity, liberal democracy and western values.”

The result has been surging antisemitism leaving Diaspora Jews living in fear. Yet on the ideology fueling this civilizational onslaught, Welby and the pope have been silent. Instead, they have recycled the Islamists’ propaganda that demonizes and delegitimizes Israel with lies.

[mariacallous]

Through the twists and turns of the U.S. presidential race, immigration has remained one of voters’ top concerns. Former President Donald Trump has consistently made allegations about the supposed danger posed by migrants, including repeating a false claim that Haitians in Ohio were eating Americans’ pets. Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign has touted the sharp drop in migrant encounters at the U.S. southern border in recent months as a sign of the White House’s control over the issue.

U.S. authorities’ encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border—when a migrant is apprehended by Border Patrol before they are generally expelled or allowed to enter asylum proceedings—fell from 249,741 in December 2023 to 58,038 in August. But while the White House has taken some unilateral steps to lower those numbers—such as a June presidential proclamation that severely restricted the ability to seek asylum at the border—Harris and U.S. President Joe Biden may owe just as much to countries such as Mexico and Panama.

In coordination with the United States, Mexico and Panama have constructed their own new barriers to northward migration in the last year. Those include a busing campaign to move migrants southward within Mexico, as well as fencing and deportation flights to tighten up the Panama-Colombia border. After Mexico stepped up the current campaign in January, U.S. border arrivals dropped by a whopping 50 percent in one month.

The chaotic discourse surrounding immigration in the United States obscures a broader story: The Western Hemisphere boasts an increasingly synchronous approach to managing migration. Through negotiations with Latin American countries, the Biden administration has helped develop a regional strategy that goes beyond enforcement to include steps such as creating new legal pathways for labor migration. The approach has won praise from organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the U.N. Refugee Agency, even as migrant rights groups have also criticized some of its tactics.

At its core, the hemispheric strategy is straightforward, said its coordinator on the White House National Security Council, Marcela Escobari: “creating consequences for irregular migration—and for the smugglers preying on vulnerable migrants—while creating alternative lawful pathways.”

Before the recent decline in migrant encounters at the U.S. southern border, authorities were wrestling with a record influx; encounters soared to more than 2 million in both 2022 and 2023.

This increase has multiple causes. More than 7 million people have fled Venezuela in the last decade. Most reside in Latin America, while others have ventured toward the United States. Cuba’s economic crisis, meanwhile, prompted its largest emigration wave in history between 2022 and 2023. People have also fled violence and poverty in countries such as Haiti and Ecuador. And some migrants reach the U.S. border from starting points beyond the Western Hemisphere, having flown to Latin America from countries such as India, China, and Afghanistan to trek northward.

Smugglers often play a major role in encouraging migrants. “They sell the route like it’s adventure tourism,” said Ronal Rodríguez, a migration expert at the University of Rosario in Bogotá. Thanks in part to organized crime groups that see migrants as a revenue stream, the Darién Gap—the dangerous jungle border between Colombia and Panama—went from being considered mostly unpassable to becoming a migrant highway since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Historic migration flows have strained Latin American countries and their asylum and refugee systems for years. So governments started talking. In 2018, 11 Latin American countries gathered in Quito, Ecuador, to launch a series of negotiations on assisting Venezuelan migrants, pledging steps such as granting them legal status in host countries and connecting them with international aid.

Then, at the 2022 Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles, 19 Latin American and Caribbean countries along with Canada and the United States signed on to a U.S.-conceived pledge for multipronged migration cooperation that included boosting enforcement, expanding legal pathways for migration, and stabilizing migrant populations where they currently reside.

The LA Declaration was conceived to apply to migrants of all nationalities, but some of the clearest examples of how it works in practice pertain to Venezuelans.

Countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Belize have introduced visa requirements for Venezuelan visitors since 2022—an example of an enforcement move meant to deter illegal migration. But since October 2022, some Venezuelans have been able to apply to fly into the United States under a temporary protection mechanism called humanitarian parole, a new legal pathway. To stabilize migrant populations, the United States helps fund aid for displaced Venezuelans living in Colombia to discourage further migration.

The fact that the talks for the LA Declaration included countries from Chile to Canada marked a new chapter in Western Hemisphere diplomacy, said Diego Chaves-González of the Migration Policy Institute. Smaller regional blocs such as the Caribbean Community and Mercosur had in the past mostly conducted migration negotiations internally; now, they are swapping strategies. “These bubbles, in terms of migration, have burst,” Chaves-González said.

As a broadly defined strategy, the LA Declaration includes signatories that sometimes disagree about the fine print. Latin American countries have occasionally chafed at U.S. demands for greater migration enforcement in the hemisphere.

Even after Colombia, Panama, and the United States announced a joint campaign to “end the illicit movement of people” through the Darién Gap in April 2023, Colombian President Gustavo Petro told the New York Times that it was not his goal to stop migration through the gap; he said he would not send “horses and whips” to address a problem that Colombia did not create and instead blamed U.S. sanctions on Venezuela for exacerbating the issue. (The campaign ended after two months with little change on the ground.)

Even so, Petro has gone along with other tenets of the LA Declaration, such as allowing the U.S. government to screen certain migrants in Colombia for refugee resettlement and refer them to information about other lawful routes via a program called the Safe Mobility Initiative.

The declaration’s goal of adding legal pathways has earned especially strong enthusiasm among Latin American governments. It has also allowed for a conceptual innovation, Chaves-González said: connecting migration management with countries’ labor market needs.

“Today, the labor force of the United States would be rapidly shrinking without immigration,” said George Mason University economist Michael Clemens, who advised the Biden administration on migration policy between 2021 and 2023. In Mexico, some of the country’s largest employers are cooperating to recruit migrants and refugees to fill their workforce needs. And in Colombia, migration was in large part responsible for saving the country’s coffee and flower industries over the last five years, Chaves-González said.

Voters often don’t realize migrants’ positive impact on host economies, Clemens said, because of incorrect measurement and false stereotypes. For a more complete accounting, he pointed to a July Congressional Budget Office estimate that the U.S. immigration surge since 2021—composed of groups such as asylum-seekers, undocumented people, and those admitted through executive parole—will add some $9 trillion to the economy over the next decade.

Eyeing not only humanitarian principles but also economic benefits, the Biden administration has paroled some 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans into the United States since 2022. Washington also worked with Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to grow the number of temporary H-2 work visas issued to their citizens, from 9,800 in 2021 to around 27,000 in 2023.

Mexico, meanwhile, has issued work authorization to more than 17,500 asylum-seekers since 2022 and created an online platform to connect migrants with jobs. A nascent U.S. program called Labor Neighbors also aims to build a matching system between workers and jobs throughout the hemisphere, U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall said on Sept. 17.

Mexico has been an especially vocal advocate for new legal pathways. In a high-stakes December 2023 meeting where U.S. officials requested Mexican help stopping migrants moving northward, Mexican officials pushed for increased legal migration routes, they later wrote.

“Where we have to place our bet,” then-Mexican Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena said in June, “is on regular pathways for labor migration.”

The LA Declaration has gained praise inside and outside the Western Hemisphere. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi hailed a “growing convergence of views” in the hemisphere on migration, while the Danish and Swiss governments have funded research discussing whether the Safe Mobility Initiative could be replicated in Europe. “The current U.S. government has sought to create a positive agenda with the region when it comes to managing these [migrant] flows that are somewhat inevitable,” Brazilian diplomat Carlos Márcio Cozendey said.

Despite those accolades, some migration and human rights experts have also criticized actions taken under the scope of the declaration, which they say chip away at the international right to asylum.

Hemispheric actions since 2022 have in practice included more steps to restrict migration pathways than to create new ones, the University of Rosario’s Rodríguez said. New legal pathways often have strict cutoff dates, nationality requirements, fees, and documentation needs. Biden’s June proclamation was transparent about its intent to make it harder to claim asylum at the U.S. border, broadly restricting migrants’ eligibility for the second time in just over a year.

“With the Los Angeles Declaration, a lot of countries that had a policy of migrant reception are assuming the U.S. posture of migrant containment,” Rodríguez said. Chile, for example, announced “supposed pathways for formal migration, but people in humanitarian need can’t fulfill the requirements because they lack documents like passports,” he added.

Biden administration officials have pushed back against criticism of Washington’s border tightening. The U.S. asylum system “is not built for a higher volume of people” and the way it was being used by migrants was “destabilizing,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in September.

Strains on asylum systems across the world have led policymakers to increasingly bypass them in favor of other methods for handling protection-seeking migrants, Migration Policy Institute researchers noted in a July report. That includes the Biden administration’s use of humanitarian parole for certain Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who might have otherwise tried to seek asylum at the border. The researchers argued for shifting “the focus of protection responses away from an exclusive reliance on territorial asylum and toward a diversified set of policy tools.”

While the U.N. Refugee Agency has encouraged the United States’ and its neighbors’ efforts “to develop a comprehensive response to forced displacement in the hemisphere,” it has also “expressed concern about measures that introduced restrictions on the right to seek asylum, potentially leaving many individuals in need of international protection without viable means to reach safety and at risk of being returned to danger,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

As the U.S. election approaches, the biggest question around regional migration cooperation is how much would survive a potential Trump presidency. Trump has remained neck and neck with Harris in polls as he pledges to carry out mass deportations, “suspend refugee resettlement,” and scrap an app that the Biden administration developed to allow some migrants to register for asylum screenings.

If Trump carries out an anti-migrant crackdown, “I do not think Mr. Trump is going to care, frankly, whether Latin American and Caribbean countries—or anybody else sending refugees and irregular migration—may be upset about this,” said Ronald Sanders, Antigua and Barbuda’s ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States.

While Trump could deal a heavy blow to the current approach, much too depends on other countries in the Western Hemisphere. It was during Trump’s presidency that countries such as Colombia and Brazil started to lead cooperation on hosting displaced Venezuelans despite the White House’s relative lack of engagement on the issue.

In 2018, Colombia granted regular status to nearly half a million Venezuelans, kicking off a wave of similar measures in other South American countries. The same year, Brazil launched a program to connect Venezuelan migrants with jobs that has since transferred more than 100,000 people from border areas. With help from both the government and private sector, Cozendey, the Brazilian diplomat, said Venezuelans “are absorbed around the country without turning into a problem.” The program has survived center-right, far-right, and left-wing governments.

Late last month in New York City, LA Declaration countries announced the creation of a new technical secretariat to ensure their work continues into the future. Colombia was appointed the group’s rotating chair for 2025.

“We have very important progress” in joint responses to migration, Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo said. “But still we have a lot of challenges.”

[kendrixtermina]

Our Governments are not representative of us, nor of our cultures.

The Nation-State was probably the single worst idea in all of humanity, and both the current conflict & the discourse around it really shows why

Before they came up with that in the 19th century, people may have identified themselves with their language, religion, culture or attachment to the region, but not by a "nation" of people thought to have shared traits. At the time of the French revolution, most people in France didn't speak French, and in 1900 some ppl in sicily had no idea what "Italy" is.

A while ago ppl were surprised about a farmer on TV who said he doesn't particularly care if his town is in "Russia" or "Ukraine" he just wants to live there in peace. But until 200 years ago or so, that is how most people thought of home.

Certainly basic xenophobia, tribalism & fear of the other existed before, there were, after all, persecutions in the middle ages. But the construct of nation has nonetheless made conflicts massively worse & more deadly.

It's based on an Illusion

There is this idea that peoples have always existed as some unchanging, unmingling "pure" group on one piece of land that is tainted or adulterated by contact with others.

Even on the left some ppl just uncritically accept this notion (see much of the discourse about 'cultural appropriation')

That was just never true - people have always been copying each other, migrating, trading, interacting etc. often new cultures arose or peoples changed where they lived; Borders shifted over time. And of course, culture evolved over time.

When people think that a state that is an illusion is what naturally should be, and try to adjust reality to the fake model in their head, ugly things happen.

Homogenous groups on a fixed patch of land are not the reality of how cultures work, but if ppl think they are, they enact violence to artificially create those homogenous patches neatly delineated by lines. You get silly disputes about "who was there first", expulsion of minorities and conflicts when people try drawing lines in areas with mixed populations.

The Nazis, the Balkan wars & Israel represent the peak excesses of the madness that can lead to. (and note that 20 years or so after the Nazis fell, tons of immigrants moved into Germany & the artificial homogenity collapsed again, because it's just not natural. Israel will never suceed at their homogenous country either.)

It leads to generalization

There's a really shitty trope in european newspapers sometimes that has much been criticised.

If the article says "Guy robs bank" then people will think he's a bad guy.

If the article says "Turkish guy robs bank" it will get ppl frothing about how immigrants are bad guys. In case of the non-immigrant robber, they don't even bother to write "German guy robbs bank"

That's how you see these shitty responses that when there's a war, random ppl from the involved countries get attacked. China does shit & ppl bother random Chinese.

With the current war, jews & arabs around the world are being harassed.

What can some ordinary shopkeeper Yacob Shmitz in New York do about Netanyahu? What does Khalil Mansoor in Berlin got to do with October 7th? Nothing at all.

This leads ppl to completely overlook all context to look at some ppl as always being victims or perps or otherwise all the same, regardless of context. For example I once heard an Indian acquaintance raving about "the muslims" & how they "want everything" & making wild conflations. A Palestinian living in Al-Quds/Jerusalem wants it probably because he lives there & probably doesn't even know about the contentious site in India, and he was treating as the same people that are wildly different: Powerful elites in Saudi Arabia & persecuted minorities in India & Palestine, arabs in the ME and southeast asians in Pakistan.

Later he went to a Pakistan-themes party & was surprised to wind that culturally they got more in common wit him than arabs despite the different religions. They liked similar music, food & sports.

Or people today feeling guilty & ashamed now for what the Nazis did. Did you, personally, throw people in gas chambers? No? Then what shame is it of yours? Everyone who did it is dead & buried & being roasted in hell if it exists.

To me, this completely destroys the very system of morality. Morality only makes sense if a person can only be blamed or held responsible for what they can personally influence & change. If you're deemed "bad" based on things you can't control, what's the incentive of being good?

Or, you can't criticize some countries cause people take it personally - it's an insult to their identity, their whole culture... which brings me to the next & imho main point.

It conflates people, culture & government

A wise guy in Iran once said that "the difference between you & me is much smaller than you & your government, and our governments are much the same". I wish more ppl listened to him.

There have been greedy leaders looking to enrich themselves pretty much since they invented agriculture. but they spoke for themselves or their supporters.

With Nation-States, it gets assumed that the government speaks not only for the people, but that is somehow represents their values & culture.

All this political & war propaganda isn't really what culture is. Culture is conventions and books and food and little stories and sayings and values that give things meaning. But when someone says "fuck the Muslims/USA/jews/Germans" etc the other side feels like the actual culture, the small & beautiful & meaningful & enlightened things are what's being attacked. Because it's conflated.

Leaders will of course claim to justiy their actions by whatever values are popular with their subjects, but that doesn't mean they actually represent those values.

Look at your own leaders: How much do they support the values you believe in? How much do they do lip-service to that culture without really living up to it?

So you get ppl seeing governments do shit & thinking "fuck all those jews/americans/westerners, they must be demons" and Israelis killing all the ppl in Gaza because of "Hamas".

It's that same logical leap of not just leaders = people, but leaders = culture & values.

Now leaders of course have coalitions of supporters whether it's a bunch of oligarch or a popular movement - active supporters are 100% on the hook for what the government does. The mocking song singers are to blame for Netanyahu & the red hat guys for Trump, and Biden... I mean, it's probably the DNC & some political establishment ppl who wanted him cause no one else really did.

But political coalitions =/= all the people =/= all the "culture".

The evil acts of government are usually the products of greedy leaders and a coalition of supporters, not whole populations or cultures.

The difference between people & political establishment has never been more obvious than now

Case in point: Mainstream news outlets are struggling to explain away why there is 15 times more pro-palestine content being posted on the internet, some getting conspiratorial or frantically attributing it to "iran propaganda", but the true reason is that, as surveys also show, no one outside of Israel wants this fucking war but a few old men with imperialist ambitions & weapons companies.

much of it is ignorance, inertia, & propaganda calculated to work on influential because because theyre influential & fear looking bad.

our cultures may differ but very few cultures would last long if they condoned this kinda shit. Different cultures may give different reasons & many have their flaws of bothersome elements, but i dare say most would on average come down on rejecting this.

Let's not believe the lie that being for this is based on any kind of values, not western ones or any other. They might say it is to sell their bullshit but it's just liars & cowards adapting their lies to the audience.

[abhishekpandey123]

Elections in India

India’s national election will take place in phases over 44 days. Here’s why it takes so long

Nearly 970 million people or over 10% of the global population are eligible to vote in India’s general elections. The mammoth exercise is the biggest anywhere in the world and will take 44 days before results are announced on June 4.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aiming for a third consecutive term in office. He is set to compete against a diverse yet faltering coalition of opposition parties who are finding it difficult to counter his popularity. The majority of polls forecast a comfortable victory for the nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, solidifying his position as one of the most prominent and influential leaders in the country.

WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG?

Two primary factors contribute to this situation: the vast expanse of India, the most populous nation globally, and the intricate logistics required to enable each eligible voter to participate in the electoral process.

Over the years, the duration of voting has wavered. It took nearly four months to complete the vote in India’s first elections in 1951-1952, after it gained independence from British rule, and just four days in 1980. In 2019, voting took 39 days, and this year’s election is the second longest.

With 969 million registered voters, the size of India’s electorate is bigger than the combined population of the 27 European Union member states. This includes 18 million first-time voters, and around 197 million who are in their 20s.

The vote to choose 543 lawmakers for the lower house of Parliament takes place over seven phases. India’s 28 states and eight federal territories will vote at different times. Each phase is one day, with the first held on April 19 and the last on June 1.

Some states may complete their voting process within a day, while others might require more time. For instance, Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India with a population of 200 million, equivalent to the size of Brazil, will conduct voting over seven days. This extended duration of the voting process in India's general elections has been criticized by Modi's opponents, who argue that it provides an advantage to the prime minister in terms of campaigning and travel, particularly in states where his party is not as strong.

EVERY VOTE COUNTS

The Election Commission of India is responsible for ensuring that a voting booth is accessible within a 2-kilometer radius of each voter. Chakshu Roy from PRS Legislative Research emphasized the extensive efforts election officials must undertake to enable every voter to cast their ballot. Around 15 million election officials and security personnel will travel across deserts and mountains, utilizing various modes of transportation such as boats, walking, and even horseback riding, to reach all voters.

It can be especially arduous. In 2019, when India last held elections, a team of polling officers trekked over 480 kilometers (300 miles) for four days just so a single voter in a hamlet in the remote state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, could exercise their right.

Officials also traveled to a village tucked away high up in the Himalayas in 2019 to install a booth at 15,256 feet (4,650 meters), the highest polling station anywhere in the world.

This time too, polling stations will be installed in remote places, including one inside a wildlife sanctuary in southern Kerala state and another in a shipping container in western Gujarat state.

TIGHT SECURITY

Security is cited as a significant factor behind the multi-phase elections in India, according to experts. In order to ensure safety, a large number of federal security forces, who typically guard borders, are mobilized and work in conjunction with state police. Their primary responsibilities include preventing violence, escorting electoral officials, and transporting voting machines. Previous elections in India have been marred by deadly clashes between supporters of rival political parties, particularly in West Bengal. However, the presence of heavy security forces has contributed to a decrease in such incidents over the years, resulting in relatively peaceful voting. The geographical diversity of the country, with its rivers, mountains, snow, and jungles, poses challenges for the movements of security forces. Despite these obstacles, the chief election commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, has emphasized their commitment to ensuring a smooth voting process by going the extra mile for the convenience of voters.

[beardedmrbean]

SRINAGAR, India — Weapons left behind by U.S. forces during the withdrawal from Afghanistan are surfacing in another conflict, further arming militants in the disputed South Asian region of Kashmir in what experts say could be just the start of the weapons’ global journey.

Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir tell NBC News that militants trying to annex the region for Pakistan are carrying M4s, M16s and other U.S.-made arms and ammunition that have rarely been seen in the 30-year conflict. A major reason, they say, is a regional flood of U.S.-funded weapons that fell into the hands of the Taliban when U.S.-led NATO forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.

Most of the weapons recovered so far, officials say, are from Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) or Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), both Pakistan-based militant groups that the U.S. designates as terrorist organizations. In a Twitter post last year, for example, police said they had seized an M4 carbine assault rifle after a gunfight that killed two militants from JeM. 

Militants from both groups had been sent to Afghanistan to fight alongside or train the Taliban before the U.S. withdrawal, said Lt. Col. Emron Musavi, an Indian army spokesperson in Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir.  

“It can be safely assumed that they have access to the weapons left behind,” he said.

Government officials in Afghanistan and Pakistan did not respond to requests for comment.

Kashmir, a Himalayan region known for its beautiful landscapes, shares borders with India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China. A separatist insurgency in the part of Kashmir controlled by India has killed tens of thousands of people since the 1990s and been a constant source of tension between nuclear powers India and Pakistan. 

The year opened in violence as Kashmir police blamed militants for a Jan. 1 gunfire attack that killed four people in the southern village of Dhangri, followed by an explosion in the same area the next day that killed a 5-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. At least six people were injured on Jan. 21 in two explosions in the city of Jammu.

While the U.S.-made weapons are unlikely to shift the balance of power in the Kashmir conflict, they give the Taliban a sizable reservoir of combat power potentially available to those willing and able to purchase it, said Jonathan Schroden, director of the Countering Threats and Challenges Program at the Center for Naval Analyses, a research group based outside Washington.

“When combined with the Taliban’s need for money and extant smuggling networks, that reservoir poses a substantial threat to regional actors for years to come,” he said. 

A trove of weapons

More than $7.1 billion in U.S.-funded military equipment was in the possession of the Afghan government when it fell to the Taliban in August 2021 amid the withdrawal, according to a Defense Department report published last August. Though more than half of it was ground vehicles, it also included more than 316,000 weapons worth almost $512 million, plus ammunition and other accessories.

While large numbers of small arms that had been transferred to Afghan forces most likely ended up in the hands of the Taliban, “it’s important to remember that nearly all weapons and equipment used by U.S. military forces in Afghanistan were either retrograded or destroyed prior to our withdrawal,” Army Lt. Col. Rob Lodewick, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, said in a statement.

The Defense Department report also pointed out that the operational condition of the Afghan army’s equipment was unknown.

Questions around the weapons being used in Kashmir were raised in January 2022, when a video of militants brandishing what appeared to be American-made guns was shared widely on Indian social media. Though the origin of the weapons in such cases can be difficult to verify — some may be modified to look like U.S. weapons, while others may not have been manufactured in the U.S. — the Indian military says it has recovered at least seven that are authentic.

“From the weapons and equipment that we recovered, we realized that there was a spillover of high-tech weapons, night-vision devices and equipment, which were left by the Americans in Afghanistan [and] were now finding their way toward this side,” Maj. Gen. Ajay Chandpuria, an Indian army official, was quoted as saying by Indian media last year.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha said the government was aware of the issue and that measures were in place to combat the infiltration of U.S. weapons into Kashmir.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and have taken steps accordingly. Our police and army are on the job,” Sinha, the region’s top official, said on the sidelines of a news conference last year at his official residence in Srinagar.

Kashmir police official Vijay Kumar also said authorities were fully capable of countering the militant threat.

“Our forces are tracking down militants on a daily basis,” he said. “We are constantly upgrading our equipment and have the latest weaponry at our disposal.”

The militant groups JeM and LeT could be buying U.S. weapons from the Taliban in Afghanistan, where the United Nations says both groups have bases, or through smugglers in Pakistan, said Ajai Sahni, an author on counterterrorism who serves as executive director of the Institute for Conflict Management, a think tank in New Delhi. 

Militants will struggle to get the upper hand, however, without more advanced weapons that have greater firepower but are more difficult to smuggle into the region, Sahni said.

Schroden said that although he had not seen substantial reports of U.S.-made weapons left behind in Afghanistan appearing outside of Kashmir, it would not be surprising if they eventually began turning up farther away in places such as Yemen, Syria and parts of Africa.

“I suspect there hasn’t yet been enough time for these weapons to percolate out that far,” he said. “It’s also possible that the Taliban have held tightly to most of them thus far as part of their efforts to consolidate power and seek legitimization from the international community.”

Beyond weapons, the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan gave an ideological boost to radical militants in Kashmir and elsewhere, said Ahmad Shuja Jamal, a former Afghan civil servant living in exile in Australia. 

Such militants, he said, “now see in clear terms the political dividends of long-term violence.”

[brookston]

Holidays 8.18

Holidays

Air Force Day (Belarus, Russia)

Armed Forces Day (Macedonia)

Arbor Day (Pakistan)

Aviation Workers’ Day (Russia)

Bad Poetry Day

Bee Hoon Day

Birth Control Pills Day

Border Guard Day (Kazakhstan)

Butch Appreciation Day

Day of Inventors and Innovators (Tajikistan)

818 Day

Gambrinus Night (Ireland)

Geographer’s Day (Russia)

Healthcare Professionals Day (Tajikistan)

Helium Discovery Day

Janmashtami (a,k.a. Sri Krishna Jayanti or Sri Krishna Astami; Parts of India)

Jesse Robredo Day (Philippines)

Long Tan Day (Australia)

Mail Order Catalog Day

National Angela Day

National Aspin Day (Philippines)

National Badge Ribbon Day

National Couples Day

National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence (Australia)

National Independent Worker Day

National Jaden Day

National Science Day (Thailand)

National Tree Planting Day (Pakistan)

National Volunteer Firefighters Recognition Day

Never Give Up Day

19th Amendment Day

Percy Jackson Day

Plum Day (French Republic)

SB19 Day (Vancouver, Canada)

Scott Pilgrim Day

Serendipity Day [also 8.28]

Stevens Johnson Syndrome Awareness Day

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Day

Vietnam Veterans Day (Australia)

Virginia Dare Day (Roanoke Island)

World Breast Cancer Research Day

World Day of Forest Fire Prevention

World Pleasure Day

Write a Bad Poem Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Darwin Beer Can Regatta 2024 (Australia) [Date Varies]

National Fajita Day

National Ice Cream Pie Day

National Soft Serve Day

National Pinot Noir Day

Independence & Related Days

Afghanistan (Jeshen; Anglo-Afghan Treaty; 1919)

Constitution Day (Indonesia)

West Bengal (India; from UK, 1947)

3rd Sunday in August

Action Indonesia Awareness Day [3rd Sunday]

Children’s Day (Argentina) [3rd Sunday]

God’s Preeminence Day [3rd Sunday]

Our Lady of Girsterklaus (Luxembourg) [1st Sunday after 15th]

Rushbearing (Cheshire, England) [1st Sunday after 12th]

Seven For Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sundae Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sunday Funday [Every Sunday]

World Helicopter Day [3rd Sunday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 18 (3rd Full Week of August)

Anchor Steam Week [Begins 3rd Sunday]

Minority Enterprise Development Week (thru 8.24)

National Aviation Week [Week of 8.19]

National Management Training Week [3rd Full Week]

Festivals Beginning August 18, 2024

Central Avenue Farm to Fork (Nebraska City, Nebraska)

Crawford County Fair (Meadville, Pennsylvania) [8.24]

Darwin Lions Beer Can Regatta (Darwin, Australia)

The Flavor Experience (San Diego, California) [thru 8.20]

Heritage Fire (Napa, California)

Japanese Obon Festival (St. Paul, Minnesota)

Moors and Christians Ontinyent (Ontinyent, Valencia, Spain) [thru 8.26]

New Hampshire Food Truck Festival (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)

Phase Fest (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

Troy Pig Out (Troy, New York)

Feast Days

Adamson-Eric (Artology)

Agapitus of Palestrina (Christian; Saint)

Alberto Hurtado (Christian; Saint)

Alfred Wallis (Artology)

Brian Aldiss (Writerism)

Brian Michael Bendis (Artology)

Carl Rungius (Artology)

Clare of Monte Falco (Christian; Saint)

Cook (Positivist; Saint)

Cousin Monster (Muppetism)

Daig of Inniskeen (Christian; Saint)

Evan (a.k.a. Inan; Christian; Saint)

Fiacre (Christian; Saint)

Florus and Laurus (Christian; Saint)

Helena of Constantinople (Roman Catholic Church)

The Oath of Úgaine Mór (Celtic Book of Days)

Pendle Witch Trial Anniversary Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Poetry Day (Pastafarian)

Richard Wagner Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Robert Hitchcock (Artology)

Shango’s Day (Pagan)

Toge-Pogling Season begins (Shamanism)

William Porcher DuBose (Episcopal Church)

Hebrew Calendar Holidays [Begins at Sundown Day Before]

Tu B’Av (Holiday of Love; טוּ בְּאָב) [14-15 Av]

Lunar Calendar Holidays

Festival of Hungry Ghosts (China) [15th of 7th Month]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Unlucky 18th (Philippines) [2 of 3]

Premieres

Accepted (Film; 2006)

Blue Beetle (Film; 2023)

The Cat Came Back, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1944)

Chocky, by John Wyndham (Novel; 1968)

Cold Feet (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

Deliverance (Film; 1972)

Devil Without a Cause, by Kid Rock (Album; 1998)

Everlong, by the Foo Fighters (Song; 1997)

Goofy Goofy Gander (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1950)

Half-Fare Hare (WB MM Cartoon; 1956)

The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Film; 2017)

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov (U.S. Novel; 1958)

Louvre Come Back to Me! (WB LT Cartoon; 1962)

Morning Glory (Film; 1933)

Mrs. Bridge, by Evan S. Connell (Novel; 1959)

Nine Perfect Strangers (TV Series; 2021)

ParaNorman (Animated Film; 2012)

Red Hot Chili Peppers, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Album; 1984)

Shake It Off, by Taylor Swift (Song; 2014)

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (TV Series; 2022)

Snakes on a Plane (Film; 2006)

Snappy Salesman (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (Film; 1952)

Take the Money and Run (Film; 1969)

The Tick (TV Series; 2016)

Uncle Buck (Film; 1989)

The Usual Suspects (Film; 1995)

Weather Map, by NOAA (1st Televised Weather Map; 1926)

Today’s Name Days

Claudia, Helena, Helene, Rainaki (Austria)

Florije, Jela, Jelena, Jelka (Croatia)

Helena (Czech Republic)

Agapetus (Denmark)

Elina, Heleene, Helen, Helena, Helene, Hell, Hella, Helle, Hellen, Helli, Ilona (Estonia)

Leevi (Finland)

Hélène, Laétitia, Laëtitia (France)

Helene (Germany)

Flora, Floros (Greece)

Ilona (Hungary)

Elena (Italy)

Helēna, Liene (Latvia)

Gendvilė, Ilona, Mantautas, Saulenė, Saulenis (Lithuania)

Tormod, Torodd (Norway)

Agapit, Bogusława, Bronisław, Bronisz, Helena, Ilona, Klara, Tworzysława (Poland)

Elena, Helena (Slovakia)

Agapito, Alberto, Elena (Spain)

Ellen, Lena (Sweden)

Flora, Laura, Myron (Ukraine)

Aileen, Eileen, Elaina, Elaine, Eleanor, Elena, Eliana, Ella, Ellen, Ellie, Helen, Helena, Iliana, Lena, Leonora, Nell, Nellie, Nelly (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 231 of 2024; 135 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of Week 33 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Coll (Hazel) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 15 (Jia-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 14 Av 5784

Islamic: 12 Safar 1446

J Cal: 21 Purple; Sevenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 5 August 2024

Moon: 98%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 6 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Cook]

Runic Half Month: As (Gods) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 60 of 94)

Week: 3rd Full Week of August

Zodiac: Leo (Day 28 of 31)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 8.18

Holidays

Air Force Day (Belarus, Russia)

Armed Forces Day (Macedonia)

Arbor Day (Pakistan)

Aviation Workers’ Day (Russia)

Bad Poetry Day

Bee Hoon Day

Birth Control Pills Day

Border Guard Day (Kazakhstan)

Butch Appreciation Day

Day of Inventors and Innovators (Tajikistan)

818 Day

Gambrinus Night (Ireland)

Geographer’s Day (Russia)

Healthcare Professionals Day (Tajikistan)

Helium Discovery Day

Janmashtami (a,k.a. Sri Krishna Jayanti or Sri Krishna Astami; Parts of India)

Jesse Robredo Day (Philippines)

Long Tan Day (Australia)

Mail Order Catalog Day

National Angela Day

National Aspin Day (Philippines)

National Badge Ribbon Day

National Couples Day

National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence (Australia)

National Independent Worker Day

National Jaden Day

National Science Day (Thailand)

National Tree Planting Day (Pakistan)

National Volunteer Firefighters Recognition Day

Never Give Up Day

19th Amendment Day

Percy Jackson Day

Plum Day (French Republic)

SB19 Day (Vancouver, Canada)

Scott Pilgrim Day

Serendipity Day [also 8.28]

Stevens Johnson Syndrome Awareness Day

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Day

Vietnam Veterans Day (Australia)

Virginia Dare Day (Roanoke Island)

World Breast Cancer Research Day

World Day of Forest Fire Prevention

World Pleasure Day

Write a Bad Poem Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Darwin Beer Can Regatta 2024 (Australia) [Date Varies]

National Fajita Day

National Ice Cream Pie Day

National Soft Serve Day

National Pinot Noir Day

Independence & Related Days

Afghanistan (Jeshen; Anglo-Afghan Treaty; 1919)

Constitution Day (Indonesia)

West Bengal (India; from UK, 1947)

3rd Sunday in August

Action Indonesia Awareness Day [3rd Sunday]

Children’s Day (Argentina) [3rd Sunday]

God’s Preeminence Day [3rd Sunday]

Our Lady of Girsterklaus (Luxembourg) [1st Sunday after 15th]

Rushbearing (Cheshire, England) [1st Sunday after 12th]

Seven For Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sundae Sunday [Every Sunday]

Sunday Funday [Every Sunday]

World Helicopter Day [3rd Sunday]

Weekly Holidays beginning August 18 (3rd Full Week of August)

Anchor Steam Week [Begins 3rd Sunday]

Minority Enterprise Development Week (thru 8.24)

National Aviation Week [Week of 8.19]

National Management Training Week [3rd Full Week]

Festivals Beginning August 18, 2024

Central Avenue Farm to Fork (Nebraska City, Nebraska)

Crawford County Fair (Meadville, Pennsylvania) [8.24]

Darwin Lions Beer Can Regatta (Darwin, Australia)

The Flavor Experience (San Diego, California) [thru 8.20]

Heritage Fire (Napa, California)

Japanese Obon Festival (St. Paul, Minnesota)

Moors and Christians Ontinyent (Ontinyent, Valencia, Spain) [thru 8.26]

New Hampshire Food Truck Festival (Portsmouth, New Hampshire)

Phase Fest (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

Troy Pig Out (Troy, New York)

Feast Days

Adamson-Eric (Artology)

Agapitus of Palestrina (Christian; Saint)

Alberto Hurtado (Christian; Saint)

Alfred Wallis (Artology)

Brian Aldiss (Writerism)

Brian Michael Bendis (Artology)

Carl Rungius (Artology)

Clare of Monte Falco (Christian; Saint)

Cook (Positivist; Saint)

Cousin Monster (Muppetism)

Daig of Inniskeen (Christian; Saint)

Evan (a.k.a. Inan; Christian; Saint)

Fiacre (Christian; Saint)

Florus and Laurus (Christian; Saint)

Helena of Constantinople (Roman Catholic Church)

The Oath of Úgaine Mór (Celtic Book of Days)

Pendle Witch Trial Anniversary Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Poetry Day (Pastafarian)

Richard Wagner Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Robert Hitchcock (Artology)

Shango’s Day (Pagan)

Toge-Pogling Season begins (Shamanism)

William Porcher DuBose (Episcopal Church)

Hebrew Calendar Holidays [Begins at Sundown Day Before]

Tu B’Av (Holiday of Love; טוּ בְּאָב) [14-15 Av]

Lunar Calendar Holidays

Festival of Hungry Ghosts (China) [15th of 7th Month]

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Sakimake (先負 Japan) [Bad luck in the morning, good luck in the afternoon.]

Unlucky 18th (Philippines) [2 of 3]

Premieres

Accepted (Film; 2006)

Blue Beetle (Film; 2023)

The Cat Came Back, featuring Farmer Al Falfa (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1944)

Chocky, by John Wyndham (Novel; 1968)

Cold Feet (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

Deliverance (Film; 1972)

Devil Without a Cause, by Kid Rock (Album; 1998)

Everlong, by the Foo Fighters (Song; 1997)

Goofy Goofy Gander (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1950)

Half-Fare Hare (WB MM Cartoon; 1956)

The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Film; 2017)

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov (U.S. Novel; 1958)

Louvre Come Back to Me! (WB LT Cartoon; 1962)

Morning Glory (Film; 1933)

Mrs. Bridge, by Evan S. Connell (Novel; 1959)

Nine Perfect Strangers (TV Series; 2021)

ParaNorman (Animated Film; 2012)

Red Hot Chili Peppers, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Album; 1984)

Shake It Off, by Taylor Swift (Song; 2014)

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (TV Series; 2022)

Snakes on a Plane (Film; 2006)

Snappy Salesman (Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Cartoon; 1930)

The Snows of Kilimanjaro (Film; 1952)

Take the Money and Run (Film; 1969)

The Tick (TV Series; 2016)

Uncle Buck (Film; 1989)

The Usual Suspects (Film; 1995)

Weather Map, by NOAA (1st Televised Weather Map; 1926)

Today’s Name Days

Claudia, Helena, Helene, Rainaki (Austria)

Florije, Jela, Jelena, Jelka (Croatia)

Helena (Czech Republic)

Agapetus (Denmark)

Elina, Heleene, Helen, Helena, Helene, Hell, Hella, Helle, Hellen, Helli, Ilona (Estonia)

Leevi (Finland)

Hélène, Laétitia, Laëtitia (France)

Helene (Germany)

Flora, Floros (Greece)

Ilona (Hungary)

Elena (Italy)

Helēna, Liene (Latvia)

Gendvilė, Ilona, Mantautas, Saulenė, Saulenis (Lithuania)

Tormod, Torodd (Norway)

Agapit, Bogusława, Bronisław, Bronisz, Helena, Ilona, Klara, Tworzysława (Poland)

Elena, Helena (Slovakia)

Agapito, Alberto, Elena (Spain)

Ellen, Lena (Sweden)

Flora, Laura, Myron (Ukraine)

Aileen, Eileen, Elaina, Elaine, Eleanor, Elena, Eliana, Ella, Ellen, Ellie, Helen, Helena, Iliana, Lena, Leonora, Nell, Nellie, Nelly (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 231 of 2024; 135 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 7 of Week 33 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Coll (Hazel) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 7 (Ren-Shen), Day 15 (Jia-Yin)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 14 Av 5784

Islamic: 12 Safar 1446

J Cal: 21 Purple; Sevenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 5 August 2024

Moon: 98%: Waxing Gibbous

Positivist: 6 Gutenberg (9th Month) [Cook]

Runic Half Month: As (Gods) [Day 11 of 15]

Season: Summer (Day 60 of 94)

Week: 3rd Full Week of August

Zodiac: Leo (Day 28 of 31)

[newstfionline]

Saturday, August 3, 2024

After Biden’s Withdrawal, Other Aged Leaders Get Some Serious Side-Eye (NYT) When President Biden abandoned his re-election campaign this month, citing the need to “pass the torch to a new generation,” some of the most envious accolades he received came from 6,000 miles away. In central Africa, in coastal Cameroon, many are longing for their president, Paul Biya—at 91 the world’s oldest leader—to take a leaf out of President Biden’s book. But most think he never will. “He’ll do everything to remain in power,” said Lukong Usheno Kiven, a human rights advocate based in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, where Mr. Biya has been in power for 42 years. Mr. Biya is just one of dozens of notably aged leaders who are also far older than the populations they serve. Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir V. Putin of Russia are both 71. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, is 73. Israel’s leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, is 74, while Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, is 88. But it is in Africa—the world’s youngest continent—where the gerontocracies are most stark. Eleven of the world’s 20 oldest leaders are African, according to research done by the Pew Research Center.

Harris won enough votes to be the Democratic nominee (NYT) The Democratic National Committee announced today that Vice President Kamala Harris had secured enough delegates to clinch the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. She will be the first Black woman and person of South Asian heritage to earn the top spot on a major party’s ticket. Harris’s nomination will become official after the party’s virtual roll call vote ends on Monday, capping off a month of chaos for Democrats. Just two weeks ago, they were still debating which candidate would have the best chance of defeating Donald Trump in November.

Fires Burning at ‘Full Tilt’ Across the Western U.S. Stretch Resources (NYT) It took only a week for the Park fire north of Sacramento to grow into the fifth-largest in California history, signaling the potential for a destructive wildfire season across much of the Western United States. Almost 50 other large or notable fires were burning throughout the region on Wednesday, according to a New York Times tracker. The sheer number of fires currently burning in Western states—both big and small—has threatened to overwhelm firefighting resources at a rate that worries experts so early in the season. “Normally we’re ramping up in July to get to that peak in August, early September,” said Alex Robertson, director of fire and aviation management for the U.S. Forest Service. But this year, he said, “we’re going into August already at our full tilt.”

Extortion and gang violence are hitting even big corporations and business leaders in Mexico (AP) Even Mexico’s largest corporations are now being hit by demands from drug cartels, and gangs are increasingly trying to control the sale, distribution and pricing of certain goods. Well-known, high-ranking business leaders aren’t even safe. On Monday, the head of the business chambers’ federation in Tamaulipas state, across the border from Texas, gave television interviews complaining about drug cartel extortion in the state. Hours later on Tuesday, Julio Almanza was shot to death outside his offices in the city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas. “We are hostages to extortion demands, we are hostages of criminal groups,” Almanza said in one of his last interviews. “Charging extortion payments has practically become the national sport in Tamaulipas.”

Maduro and Western Pressure (Clarin/Argentina) Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's decision to declare himself the winner of the July 28 presidential election with 51.2% of the vote, compared to 44.2% for the opposition, has not been recognized by the United States, European Union, some allies in Asia and several Latin American countries. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken went so far as to explicitly declare that opposition candidate Edmundo González was the winner of the election, saying there was "overwhelming evidence" that Maduro had been defeated. Surely, as happened with the interim government of Juan Guaidó that emerged in 2019 and was recognized by these same countries, the West will intensify its economic sanctions on Venezuela. But it's worth remembering that such sanctions have failed in Cuba for 65 years, just as they have failed in recent years in Iran and Russia. These countries, along with China, have recognized Maduro's reelection claim, which will give Venezuela some ability to resist any sanctions.

Argentina will use AI to ‘predict future crimes’ (Guardian) Under the leadership of far-right president Javier Milei, Argentina has announced plans to use AI to “predict future crimes.” This week, Milei established the Artificial Intelligence Applied to Security Unit, which will use “machine-learning algorithms to analyse historical crime data to predict future crimes,” utilize facial recognition software to track “wanted persons,” and even use AI to analyze real-time security footage in order to catch crimes as they occur. If you know anything about the current state of AI, or have read any articles on the shortcomings of facial recognition software, you’re probably wondering how this initiative could ever end well. Well, so are many human rights groups. Even if the AI detection programs prove less than effective, said a representative for Amnesty International, the use of widespread surveillance programs will force people to “self-censor or refrain from sharing their ideas or criticisms if they suspect that everything they comment on, post, or publish is being monitored by security forces.” Milei has already shown Argentinians that he’s willing to crack down violently on protests, authorizing police to shoot anti-government demonstrators with rubber bullets at close range and warning that parents who bring their children to political rallies will be officially sanctioned by the state.

After much grumbling, Parisians have come to embrace the Olympics (CSM) In the lead-up to the Olympic Games this summer, the French—particularly Parisians—had a multitude of concerns: Would the River Seine be clean enough to swim in? How much would security restrictions take over daily life? And the universal question, would everything be done in time? But after a successfully executed opening ceremony, which took viewers on a virtual journey around Paris’s most iconic monuments, the mood in the city is starting to change. Yes, the sporting venues have been finished. The Seine was clean long enough to host triathletes this week. Olympic organizers said on Thursday that 9.7 million tickets have been sold—an Olympic record. And despite some latent grumbling, the French do indeed seem to be embracing the Olympic spirit. “There is something quintessentially French about cultivating the negative and focusing on what will not go right,” says Éric Monnin, the director of the Center for Olympic Studies and Research and vice president of Olympism at the University of Franche-Comté in Besançon, France. “But now that the Games have started, all I’m hearing from people is how they want to enjoy this moment of togetherness.”

Children of freed sleeper agents learned they were Russians on the flight, Kremlin says (Reuters) A family of Russian sleeper agents flown to Moscow in the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War were so deep under cover that their children found out they were Russians only after the flight took off, the Kremlin said on Friday. "Before that, they didn't know that they were Russian and that they had anything to do with our country," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "And you probably saw that when the children came down the plane's steps that they don't speak Russian and that Putin greeted them in Spanish” (the couple had been pretending to be Argentinians).

After Olympics, Turkey’s Erdogan seeks unity with Pope Francis against acts that mock sacred values (AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Pope Francis on Thursday about the “immoral display” at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics and called for a unified stance against acts that ridicule sacred values, according to a statement from Erdogan’s office. The Turkish leader told the pontiff in a telephone call that “human dignity was being trampled on, religious and moral values were being mocked, offending Muslims as much as the Christian world,” the statement said. In an unprecedented display, drag queens took center stage at the ceremony last week. The ceremony attracted criticism over a tableau reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.” The scene featured drag queens and other performers in a configuration reminiscent of Jesus Christ and his apostles.

Problems in Pakistan (NYT) In almost every corner of Pakistan, anger at the ruling elite is nearing a boiling point. Thousands have protested soaring electricity bills just outside the capital, Islamabad. In a major port city in the southwest, dozens have clashed with security officers over what they described as forced disappearances of activists. In the northwest, protesters have admonished the country’s generals for a recent surge in terrorist attacks. The demonstrations over the past few weeks reflect frustration with Pakistan’s shaky, five-month-old government and with its military, the country’s ultimate authority. The unrest threatens to plunge Pakistan back into the depths of political turmoil that has flared in recent years and that many had hoped would subside after the February general election.

They ran for their lives as boulders and water banged at their door (AP) When Deva Das was jolted awake by the roar of gushing water and boulders banging at the door, he grabbed his parents and his kids and began running for higher ground. The family waded through slush and muck, climbed a hill, and stayed there in the pouring rain for nearly four hours. When day broke Tuesday, rescuers found the family and brought them down. When the 40-year-old agricultural laborer got back to the site of his village in southern India’s Kerala state, there was nearly nothing left. Houses were gone, buried under mud or wiped away. Trees were uprooted, and roads were swept away. Families were frantically searching for their loved ones. At least 201 people have been killed in Kerala since Tuesday after multiple landslides in the hills of Wayanad district sent torrents of mud, floodwater and giant rolling boulders to downhill villages, burying people or sweeping them away several miles downstream. The disaster also left behind a trail of destruction in its wake by flattening hundreds of houses and destroying roads and bridges.

Rights group says 13 killed during protests over Nigeria’s economic crisis. Hundreds arrested (AP) At least 13 protesters were killed during mass protests in Nigeria against the country’s economic crisis that turned violent in several states, a rights group said Friday. Authorities confirmed four people killed by a bomb and the arrests of hundreds in the protests that triggered curfews in several states. The protests were mainly over food shortages and alleged bad governance in the country. Nigeria’s public officials, frequently accused of corruption, are among the best paid in Africa, a stark contrast in a country that has some of the world’s poorest and hungriest people, despite being one of the continent’s top oil producers.

These Italians are walking off their wine (NYT) On Thursdays, Luciano Fregonese, the mayor of an Italian town famous for its Prosecco, goes on a stroll. He began the walks this summer to counter the calories he consumed at social gatherings. After all, he said, his job includes countless wine-and-snack obligations. “It’s not easy to say no,” he said. But word of the health walks quickly spread, and his evening strolls have become a sensation, with hundreds of walkers joining him. As motivation for others, he’s planning to add pizza. Have a vigorous evening.

[xxxxxcv]

On January 4,2023, China National Radio published an article titled "The Myanmar military government criticizes foreign interference in internal affairs and appreciates the cooperation between China, India and other countries" The leader of Myanmar's military government today (Thursday) attacked some countries for their interference in Myanmar's affairs, while thanking others for their "active" cooperation and stressing how Myanmar works closely with neighboring countries such as China, India and Thailand. The Southeast Asian country has been fighting nearly two years since the military seized power from an elected government led by Nobel Peace laureate (Aung Sang Suu Kyi), facing international isolation and Western-led sanctions. "Under all the circumstances of pressure, criticism and attack……" Min Aung Hlaing) said in a speech marking the 75th anniversary of Myanmar's independence… I would like to thank some international and regional countries, organizations and individuals who have actively worked with us.」 "We are working closely with our neighbours such as China, India, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh," He said in a televised address at the National Day parade in Naibido (Naypyitaw). We will work together on the stability and development of the border.」 Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power from the government on February 1,2021, with the military holding her and other officials and suppressing democratic protests and dissidents, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced. After the bloody crackdown, despite few street protests, the military has clashed almost daily with the armed forces of ethnic minorities. The unrest has spread to large areas of Myanmar, and the rebels, known as the People's Defense Force (People's Defence Force), have taken up arms to fight for a return to democracy. She was convicted on five corruption counts late last year and sentenced to a further seven-year prison sentence, ending a marathon trial against her. The international condemnation of the trials was a hoax designed to contain the biggest threat to the military government in the country. Ms.Suji is being held alone in a prison in Naibido, and the military insists she has accepted due trial process in an independent court. The Burmese authorities usually release some prisoners to commemorate the country's declaration of secession from British rule. Countries such as the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada have imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military and individuals who are identified of helping the military to power. The United Nations Security Council (U.N. Security Council) further condemned the coup in Myanmar last month, passing the first resolution against Myanmar in 74 years, calling for an end to the violence and the military to of all political prisoners. In referring to international pressure, Min Aung Re denounced him as "interference from countries and organizations that want to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs." Still, the military junta has received some international support. The UN Security Council remains divided over how to handle the Myanmar crisis, and China and Russia do not advocate tough action against Myanmar. They abstained in a resolution vote last month. Thailand also hosted regional talks last month to discuss the crisis, including rare in international events

[vanessiaea]

Myanmar's military junta criticizes foreign interference in internal affairs and thanks China, India and other countries for their cooperation

On January 4, 2023, China Central Radio published an article "Myanmar's military junta criticizes foreign interference in internal affairs and thanks China, India and other countries for their cooperation."

The leader of Myanmar's military junta today (4th) criticized some countries for interfering in Myanmar affairs. At the same time, he thanked other countries for their "active" cooperation and emphasized how Myanmar cooperates closely with neighboring countries such as China, India and Thailand.

Myanmar's Southeast Asian country has faced international isolation and Western-led sanctions since its military seized power from the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung Sang Suu Kyi nearly two years ago.

In a speech marking the 75th anniversary of Myanmar's independence, Myanmar military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said: "With all the pressure, criticism and attacks… I would like to thank some of the people who have actively engaged with us. Cooperating international and regional countries, organizations and individuals.”

"We are working closely with neighboring countries such as China, India, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh. We will work together to Border stability and development."

Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi's government on February 1, 2021, jailing Aung San Suu Kyi and other officials and using force to suppress pro-democracy protests and dissent, leading to Hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

After a bloody crackdown, unrest has spread to swathes of Myanmar as the military clashes almost daily with armed forces from ethnic minorities, known as the People's Defense Forces, although street protests are now rare. Defense Force rebels have taken up arms to fight for a return to democracy.

Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted of five corruption charges at the end of last year and was sentenced to another seven years in prison, ending a marathon trial against Aung San Suu Kyi. The trials have been internationally condemned as a sham aimed at containing the biggest threat to the junta in Myanmar's domestic resistance to military rule.

Aung San Suu Kyi is being held in solitary confinement in a prison in Naypyitaw, and the military insists she has undergone due process before an independent court.

Burmese authorities usually release some prisoners to mark Myanmar's declaration of independence from British rule.

The United States, the European Union, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada, among other countries, have imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military and individuals deemed to have helped bring the military junta to power.

The U.N. Security Council further condemned the coup in Myanmar last month, adopting its first resolution targeting Myanmar in 74 years calling for an end to the violence and for the junta to release all political prisoners.

Referring to international pressure, Min Aung Hlaing blasted what he called "interference from countries and organizations that want to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs."

Despite this, the military government still enjoys some international support.

The United Nations Security Council remains divided over how to handle the crisis in Myanmar, with China and Russia not advocating tough action against Myanmar. They joined India in abstaining from a vote on the resolution last month.

Thailand also hosted regional talks last month to discuss the crisis, including a rare international appearance by the junta chief. Several key members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who are critical of the military government did not attend.

ASEAN is leading the diplomatic peace effort, but Myanmar's military leaders have been barred from high-level meetings of the association because they have been unable to fulfill their promise to start talks with opposition figures linked to Aung San Suu Kyi's ousted government.

Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news/view/id/2155345

screenshot:

[skyrzx]

The leader of Myanmar's military junta today (4th) criticized some countries for interfering in Myanmar affairs. At the same time, he thanked other countries for their "active" cooperation and emphasized how Myanmar cooperates closely with neighboring countries such as China, India and Thailand.

Myanmar's Southeast Asian country has faced international isolation and Western-led sanctions since its military seized power from the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung Sang Suu Kyi nearly two years ago.

In a speech marking the 75th anniversary of Myanmar's independence, Myanmar military junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said: "With all the pressure, criticism and attacks... I would like to thank some of the people who have actively engaged with us. Cooperating international and regional countries, organizations and individuals.”

"We are working closely with neighboring countries such as China, India, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh. We will work together to Border stability and development."

Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power from Aung San Suu Kyi's government on February 1, 2021, jailing Aung San Suu Kyi and other officials and using force to suppress pro-democracy protests and dissent, leading to Hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

After a bloody crackdown, unrest has spread to swathes of Myanmar as the military clashes almost daily with armed forces from ethnic minorities, known as the People's Defense Forces, although street protests are now rare. Defense Force rebels have taken up arms to fight for a return to democracy.

Aung San Suu Kyi was convicted of five corruption charges at the end of last year and was sentenced to another seven years in prison, ending a marathon trial against Aung San Suu Kyi. The trials have been internationally condemned as a sham aimed at containing the biggest threat to the junta in Myanmar's domestic resistance to military rule.

Aung San Suu Kyi is being held in solitary confinement in a prison in Naypyitaw, and the military insists she has undergone due process before an independent court.

Burmese authorities usually release some prisoners to mark Myanmar's declaration of independence from British rule.

The United States, the European Union, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada, among other countries, have imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military and individuals deemed to have helped bring the military junta to power.

The UN Security Council last month further condemned the coup in Myanmar, adopting its first resolution targeting Myanmar in 74 years, calling for an end to the violence and for the junta to release all political prisoners.

Referring to international pressure, Min Aung Hlaing blasted what he called "interference from countries and organizations that want to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs."

Despite this, the military government still enjoys some international support.

The United Nations Security Council remains divided over how to handle the crisis in Myanmar, with China and Russia not advocating tough action against Myanmar. They joined India in abstaining from a vote on the resolution last month.

Thailand also hosted regional talks last month to discuss the crisis, including a rare international appearance by the junta chief. Several key members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) who are critical of the military government did not attend.

ASEAN is leading the diplomatic peace effort, but Myanmar's military leaders have been barred from high-level meetings of the association because they have been unable to fulfill their promise to start talks with opposition figures linked to Aung San Suu Kyi's ousted government.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 3.31 (after 1930)

1930 – The Motion Picture Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film, in the U.S., for the next thirty-eight years. 1931 – An earthquake in Nicaragua destroys Managua; killing 2,000. 1931 – A Transcontinental & Western Air airliner crashes near Bazaar, Kansas, killing eight, including University of Notre Dame head football coach Knute Rockne. 1933 – The Civilian Conservation Corps is established with the mission of relieving rampant unemployment in the United States. 1939 – Events preceding World War II in Europe: Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain pledges British military support to the Second Polish Republic in the event of an invasion by Nazi Germany. 1942 – World War II: Japanese forces invade Christmas Island, then a British possession. 1945 – World War II: A defecting German pilot delivers a Messerschmitt Me 262A-1, the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft, to the Americans, the first to fall into Allied hands. 1949 – The Dominion of Newfoundland joins the Canadian Confederation and becomes the 10th Province of Canada. 1951 – Remington Rand delivers the first UNIVAC I computer to the United States Census Bureau. 1957 – Elections to the Territorial Assembly of the French colony Upper Volta are held. After the elections PDU and MDV form a government. 1958 – In the Canadian federal election, the Progressive Conservatives, led by John Diefenbaker, win the largest percentage of seats in Canadian history, with 208 seats of 265. 1959 – The 14th Dalai Lama, crosses the border into India and is granted political asylum. 1964 – Brazilian General Olímpio Mourão Filho orders his troops to move towards Rio de Janeiro, beginning the coup d'état and 21 years of military dictatorship. 1966 – The Soviet Union launches Luna 10 which later becomes the first space probe to enter orbit around the Moon. 1966 – The Labour Party under Harold Wilson wins the 1966 United Kingdom general election. 1968 – American President Lyndon B. Johnson speaks to the nation of "Steps to Limit the War in Vietnam" in a television address. At the conclusion of his speech, he announces: "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President." 1970 – Explorer 1 re-enters the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit. 1980 – The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad operates its final train after being ordered to liquidate its assets because of bankruptcy and debts owed to creditors. 1986 – Mexicana de Aviación Flight 940 crashes into the Sierra Madre Oriental mountain range near the Mexican town of Maravatío, killing 167. 1990 – Approximately 200,000 protesters take to the streets of London to protest against the newly introduced Poll Tax. 1991 – Georgian independence referendum: Nearly 99 percent of the voters support the country's independence from the Soviet Union. 1991 – The Warsaw Pact formally disbands. 1992 – The USS Missouri, the last active United States Navy battleship, is decommissioned in Long Beach, California. 1992 – The Treaty of Federation is signed in Moscow. 1993 – The Macao Basic Law is adopted by the Eighth National People's Congress of China to take effect December 20, 1999. Resumption by China of the Exercise of Sovereignty over Macao 1995 – Selena is murdered by her fan club president Yolanda Saldívar at a Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. 1995 – TAROM Flight 371, an Airbus A310-300, crashes near Balotesti, Romania, killing all 60 people on board. 1998 – Netscape releases Mozilla source code under an open source license. 2004 – Iraq War in Anbar Province: In Fallujah, Iraq, four American private military contractors working for Blackwater USA, are killed after being ambushed. 2016 – NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko return to Earth after a yearlong mission at the International Space Station. 2018 – Start of the 2018 Armenian revolution. 2023 – A historic tornado outbreak occurs in the Midwest and the northern South.

[mightyflamethrower]

Few Romans in the late decades of their 5th-century AD empire celebrated their newfound “diversity” of marauding Goths, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Huns, and Vandals.

These tribes en masse had crossed the unsecured Rhine and Danube borders to harvest Roman bounty without a care about what had created it.

Their agendas were focused on destroying the civilization they overran rather than peacefully integrating into and perpetuating the Empire.

Ironically, Rome’s prior greatness had been due to the extension of citizenship to diverse people throughout Europe, North Africa, and Asia.

Millions had been assimilated, integrated, and intermarried and often superseded the original Italians of the early Roman Republic. Such fractious diversity had led to unity around the idea of Rome.

New citizens learned to enjoy the advantages of habeas corpus, sophisticated roads, aqueducts, and public architecture, and the security offered by the legions.

The unity of these diverse peoples fused into a single culture that empowered Rome. In contrast, the later disunity of hundreds of thousands of tribal people flooding into and dividing Rome doomed it.

To meet the challenge of a multiracial society, the only viable pathway to a stable civilization of racially and ethnically different people is a single, shared culture.

Some nations can find collective success as a single homogenous people like Japan or Switzerland.

Or equally, but with more difficulty, nations can prosper with heterodox peoples—but only if united by a single, inclusive culture as the American melting-pot once attested.

But a baleful third option—a multicultural society of diverse, unassimilated, and often rival tribes—historically is a prescription for collective suicide.

We are beginning to see just that in America, as it sheds the melting pot, and adopts the salad bowl of unassimilated and warring tribes.

The U.S. is now seeing a rise in violent racially and religiously motivated hate crimes.

The border is nonexistent.

Millions of unlawful immigrants mock their hosts by their brazen illegal entrance.

They will receive little civic education to become Americans. But they will learn that unassimilated tribalism wins them influence and advantages.

In contrast, America was once a rare historical example of a multiracial, but single-culture democracy that actually worked.

Multigenerational Americans were often energized by keeping up with new hard-working immigrants determined to have a shot at success in a free society long denied them at home.

Other large nations have tried such a democratic multiracial experiment—most notably Brazil and India. But both are still plagued by tribal feuding and serial violence.

What once worked for America, but now is forgotten were a few precepts essential for a multiracial constitutional state wedded to generous immigration.

One, America is enriched at its cultural periphery by the food, fashion, art, music, and literature of immigrants.

But it would be destroyed if such diversity extended to its core. No one wants Middle-East norms regarding gays or emancipated women.

No one prefers Mexican jurisprudence to our courts.

No one here wants the dictatorship of Venezuela or the totalitarianism of communist China.

Two, people vote with their feet to emigrate to America. They flee their native culture and government to enjoy their antitheses in America.

But remember—no sane immigrant would flee Mexico, Gaza, or Zimbabwe only to wish to implant in their new homes the very culture and norms that drove them out from their old.

If they did that to their new home, it would then become as unattractive to them as what they fled.

Three, tribalism wrecks nations.

Just compare what happened in Rwanda, the former Yugoslavia, or Iraq.

Anytime one ethnic, racial, or religious group refuses to surrender its prime identity in exchange for a shared sense of self, other tribes for their own survival will do the same.

All then rebrand their superficial appearance as essential not incidental to whom they are.

And like nuclear proliferation that sees other nations go nuclear once a neighboring power gains the bomb, so too the tribalism of one group inevitably leads only to more tribalism of others. The result is endless Hobbesian strife.

Four, immigration must be measured, so that newcomers can be manageably assimilated and integrated rather than left to form rival tribal cliques.

Five, it must be legal. Otherwise, the idea of citizenship is reduced to mere residency, while the legal applicant is rendered a fool for his adherence to the law.

Six, it must be meritocratic, so immigrants come with English and skills and do not burden their hosts.

And last, it must be diverse. Only that way, can all groups abroad have equal access to the American dream.

A diversity of immigrants also ensures that no one particular ethnic or political tribe seeks to use immigration to further divide the nation.

In sum, the old immigration once enriched America, but our new version is destroying it.

[xxxxxcv]

On January 4,2023, China National Radio published an article titled "The Myanmar military government criticizes foreign interference in internal affairs and appreciates the cooperation between China, India and other countries" The leader of Myanmar's military government today (Thursday) attacked some countries for their interference in Myanmar's affairs, while thanking others for their "active" cooperation and stressing how Myanmar works closely with neighboring countries such as China, India and Thailand. The Southeast Asian country has been fighting nearly two years since the military seized power from an elected government led by Nobel Peace laureate (Aung Sang Suu Kyi), facing international isolation and Western-led sanctions. "Under all the circumstances of pressure, criticism and attack……" Min Aung Hlaing) said in a speech marking the 75th anniversary of Myanmar's independence… I would like to thank some international and regional countries, organizations and individuals who have actively worked with us.」 "We are working closely with our neighbours such as China, India, Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh," He said in a televised address at the National Day parade in Naibido (Naypyitaw). We will work together on the stability and development of the border.」 Myanmar has been in chaos since the military seized power from the government on February 1,2021, with the military holding her and other officials and suppressing democratic protests and dissidents, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced. After the bloody crackdown, despite few street protests, the military has clashed almost daily with the armed forces of ethnic minorities. The unrest has spread to large areas of Myanmar, and the rebels, known as the People's Defense Force (People's Defence Force), have taken up arms to fight for a return to democracy. She was convicted on five corruption counts late last year and sentenced to a further seven-year prison sentence, ending a marathon trial against her. The international condemnation of the trials was a hoax designed to contain the biggest threat to the military government in the country. Ms.Suji is being held alone in a prison in Naibido, and the military insists she has accepted due trial process in an independent court. The Burmese authorities usually release some prisoners to commemorate the country's declaration of secession from British rule. Countries such as the United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada have imposed sanctions on Myanmar's military and individuals who are identified of helping the military to power. The United Nations Security Council (U.N. Security Council) further condemned the coup in Myanmar last month, passing the first resolution against Myanmar in 74 years, calling for an end to the violence and the military to of all political prisoners. In referring to international pressure, Min Aung Re denounced him as "interference from countries and organizations that want to interfere in Myanmar's internal affairs." Still, the military junta has received some international support. The UN Security Council remains divided over how to handle the Myanmar crisis, and China and Russia do not advocate tough action against Myanmar. They abstained in a resolution vote last month. Thailand also hosted regional talks last month to discuss the crisis, including rare in international events

[citizenrecord]

PM Modi meets the press at the White House, takes rare questions

It's a rare occurrence for PM Modi who avoids unscripted moments and has presided over a steady decline in press freedom in his country.

WASHINGTON: Narendra Modi did something very unusual on Thursday at the White House, he took questions from journalists.

It’s a rare occurrence for PM Modi who avoids unscripted moments and has presided over a steady decline in press freedom in his country.

The news conference was more limited than the kind that U.S. presidents usually hold with foreign leaders, but even that wasn’t easy to arrange with Modi. Indian officials agreed to the event only the day before, according to a person familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.

Administration officials told Modi’s advisers that taking questions from the media was a standard part of how White House state visits are conducted, the person said.

An Indian reporter asked about addressing climate change, and an American reporter pressed Modi on human rights concerns, a particularly delicate topic as the United States seeks closer ties with India as a bulwark against China’s influence in the region.

Modi defended India by saying “Democracy runs in our veins” and insisting that there is ”absolutely no space for discrimination.”

Although Modi, who is 72, has granted sporadic interviews since becoming India’s leader nine years ago, he has never held a solo press conference. Sometimes when asked questions he’ll defer to others on stage with him.

Modi also tends to keep reporters at a distance during overseas trips, such as last year in Germany, when the two countries announced a clean energy deal.

The Indian delegation had insisted then that no press conference be held, according to a German official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity.

However, Modi has loosened up a little in the company of American counterparts.

Eight years ago, when President Barack Obama visited India, Modi answered questions from two reporters, including one from The Associated Press.

Modi is active on social media where hundreds of millions follow him, hosts a monthly radio program where he directly connects with listeners, and often makes big speeches. He uses these platforms to highlight government programs, inaugurate infrastructure projects and express condolences when an accident or tragedy strikes.

But Modi has often remained silent on polarizing incidents, including when religious minorities have faced attacks by Hindu nationalists. He has also not commented on the current ethnic violence roiling India’s remote northeast, where at least 100 people have died since May.

“His silences are legendary, he has never asked people to refrain from sectarian violence,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, author of a Modi biography.

He suggested that Modi should not get much credit for any press conference in Washington if only a few questions were allowed.

Modi’s action, Mukhopadhyay said, “allows him to project an image as a more reasonable and democratic leader abroad, while he continues to evade press conferences at home, where he has scant regard for press freedom.”

The decline in press freedom didn’t start with Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, but it’s increased. The country fell eleven places, to 160 out of 180 countries, in this year’s Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders.

The organization cited violence against journalists and a partisan media landscape as reasons that “press freedom is in crisis in the world’s largest democracy.”

“With an average of three or four journalists killed in connection with their work every year, India is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for media,” the report said.

India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, dismissed the report’s claims at an event last month.

In recent years, journalists have been arrested and some are stopped from traveling abroad. Dozens are facing criminal prosecution, including for sedition. At the same time, the government has introduced sweeping regulatory laws for social media companies that give it more power to police online content.

A number of media outlets critical of Modi have also been subjected to tax searches, most recently the BBC after it aired a documentary that examined the prime minister’s role in 2002 anti-Muslim riots in the western state of Gujarat, where he was chief minister at the time.

More than 1,000 people were killed in the violence. Modi has denied allegations that authorities under his watch allowed and even encouraged the bloodshed, and India’s Supreme Court said it found no evidence to prosecute him.

The two-part BBC program drew an immediate backlash from the Indian government, which invoked emergency powers under its information technology laws to block it from being shown in the country. Social media platforms including Twitter and YouTube also complied with government requests to remove links to the documentary.

[swldx]

BBC 0425 9 Apr 2023

12095Khz 0357 9 APR 2023 - BBC (UNITED KINGDOM) in ENGLISH from TALATA VOLONONDRY. SINPO = 54444. English, dead carrier s/on @0358z w/QRM from Al'Seela relay. Then ID@0359z pips and Newsroom preview. @0401z World News anchored by David Harper. Israeli jets hit Syrian military targets on Sunday in response to rockets launched towards Israeli controlled territory overnight, Israel's military said, as violence flared again following cross-border exchanges of fire during the week. State media in Syria reported explosions in the vicinity of the capital Damascus as Israel said its forces continued to hit Syrian territory after six rockets were fired overnight towards the Golan Heights. Hundreds of worshipers barricaded themselves inside Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque late on Saturday, as Israeli police officers attempt to remove them from the holy site. Representatives from the Waqf, the Muslim religious trust that acts as the custodian of the Temple Mount, are attempting to persuade the worshipers to leave the mosque. Police in Iran plan to use smart technology in public places to identify and then penalise women who violate the country’s strict Islamic dress code, the force said on Saturday. A statement said police would “take action to identify norm-breaking people by using tools and smart cameras in public places and thoroughfares”. Police will then send “the proof and warning messages to the violators of the hijab law” to “inform them about the legal consequences of repeating this crime”. China has carried out a second day of naval drills around Taiwan, as tensions continue to mount after President Tsai Ing-wen's visit to the US last week. US state department officials have urged China not to overreact to a meeting, which took place in California, and have called for "restraint and no change to the status quo". Hydro-Québec crews have been working throughout the long weekend to restore power to more than 130,000 customers — the majority in Montreal — still without power following Wednesday's ice storm. The lights went off for more than a million people and the storm has been linked to two deaths. Ukraine's First Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova will ask India on an upcoming visit for humanitarian aid and equipment to repair energy infrastructure damaged during Russia's invasion, a newspaper reported on Saturday. India's foreign ministry said the Ukrainian minister was arriving in India on Sunday on a four-day trip during which the two sides would discuss their relations, the situation in Ukraine and global issues. Twenty-seven people are dead or missing after two migrant boats sank off the east coast of Tunisia. The last surviving prosecutor from the post-World War Two Nuremberg trials has died aged 103. Ben Ferencz was just 27 when he secured the convictions of 22 Nazi officers for war crimes and crimes against humanity. @0406z "The Newsroom" begins. Backyard fence antenna, Etón e1XM. 250kW, beamAz 315°, bearing 63°. Received at Plymouth, United States, 15359KM from transmitter at Talata Volonondry. Local time: 2257.