Solomon Islands Media Reporting Taiwanese Behind 2021 Riots

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Did Taiwan Engineer Solomon Islands Riots?

Taiwan island ‘sponsored premeditated riots’ in Solomon Islands: nation’s media

From www.globaltimes.cn
2022-01-04 10:42:56

Excerpt:

Local media in the Solomon Islands recently reported that Taiwan island allegedly sponsored the “premeditated” anti-government riots in Honiara with the purpose of trying to pull down the government of the Solomon Islands and sabotage relations between China and the Solomon Islands.

“The acts of violence directed against the democratically-elected government of the Solomon Islands, the ethnic Chinese business community in Honiara and the majority of peace-loving Solomon islanders was at its very core a premeditated, cold-blooded and cowardly Taiwan-sponsored attempt to pull down the national government and undermine Solomon Islands-People’s Republic of China relations,” Solomon Star, a local English media, reported on December 17, quoting a writer given the name of George Belau.

The newspaper said the riots resulted in the destruction of the livelihoods of…

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Haitian Prime Minister Survives Assassination Attempt

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Haiti PM’s Would-Be Assassin Identifed as Columbian

Colombian suspected of involvement in killing of Haiti president held in Panama – sources

From www.news24.com
2022-01-04 11:59:03

Excerpt:

On Monday, Panama authorities arrested a former member of the Colombian military wanted for questioning in connection with the assassination last year of Haiti president Jovenel Moise, two people familiar with the matter said.

The suspect, Mario Antonio Palacios, 43, was detained during a stopover of a flight on which he was being deported from Jamaica to Colombia, the sources said.

Haitian authorities have accused Palacios of forming part of a mercenary group that assassinated Moise in July in an assault on his residence, during which his wife was also wounded.

Palacios was detained during a stopover in Panama and asked to “voluntarily” board a flight to the United States, a Colombian immigration source said.

In case he resisted, Panamanian officials said they would enforce an Interpol red notice issued by the United States, which is in addition to one that Haiti had already issued, the source said.

Haiti has also issued an Interpol red notice for Palacios.

It was not clear if he had gone to the United States.

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Sudan’s PM Resigns

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Struggle for democracy in Sudan continues as PM Hamdok resigns

From www.csmonitor.com
2022-01-03 16:58:49
Samy Magdy
Excerpt:

Cairo

Sudan’s Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok announced his resignation Sunday amid political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests following a military coup that derailed the country’s fragile transition to democratic rule.

Mr. Hamdok, a former U.N. official seen as the civilian face of Sudan’s transitional government, had been reinstated as prime minister in November as part of an agreement with the military following the October coup. In that time he had failed to name a Cabinet and his resignation throws Sudan into political uncertainty amid uphill security and economic challenges.

In a televised national address Sunday, Mr. Hamdok called for a dialogue to agree on a “national charter” and to “draw a roadmap” to complete the transition to democracy in accordance with the 2019 constitutional document governing the transitional period.

“I decided to return the responsibility and declare my resignation as prime…

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Somaliland Appeals to Canada for Aid Against Rising Threats

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Somaliland asks Canada for help amid superpower rivalry in Horn of Africa

From www.theglobeandmail.com
2022-01-04 11:00:00

Excerpt:

Somali’s breakaway Somaliland region is asking Canada for international recognition and aid, saying it’s important for Western countries to support a functioning democracy that’s resisting China’s influence in the Horn of Africa.

The self-declared state, which split from Somalia 30 years ago, sent its Foreign Minister, Essa Kayd, to Washington, London and Ottawa recently as part of a campaign to refashion its external relationships. A U.S. congressional staff delegation later visited Somaliland.

Mr. Kayd, 61, who also holds Canadian and U.S. citizenship, met with officials at Canada’s Department of Global Affairs in December. He’s asking countries to provide aid directly to Somaliland instead of giving it through Somalia. He also hopes for recognition as a separate country, a measure that Canada would not likely take unless it was part of a concerted effort…

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IOC Won’t Address China’s Slave Labor Problem

Ivo Fysic January 4, 2022

Faced With Questions About Forced Labor in China, the I.O.C. Is Tight-Lipped

From www.nytimes.com
2022-01-04 11:13:47
Vivian Wang
Excerpt:

Informal efforts to arrange a conversation between the I.O.C. and the Coalition to End Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region — a group of more than 300 organizations established last year — began in May, according to Mr. Freeman. Finally, in the fall, the I.O.C. invited the coalition to send a formal request to meet, which it did, on Oct. 8.

Officials at first offered a written response instead. In an email on Oct. 29, Ms. Martowicz, the head of human rights, replied to Mr. Freeman to say that the I.O.C.’s sourcing policies banned forced labor. But she did not say how the I.O.C. enforced that ban, other than “from time to time” “engaging with our suppliers” — in other words, the companies themselves — “to request evidence of compliance.”

Third-party checks, she added, were something the I.O.C. “will be looking at” in “coming months.”

Critics say the I.O.C. has been slow to adopt a human rights framework, compared with corporations or even other global sports…

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Italians to Elect New President

Mark Clouse January 4, 2022

Italy sets Jan 24 to start voting for new Italian president

From abcnews.go.com
2022-01-04 11:25:59

Excerpt:

ROME — Italy’s lower chamber of Parliament on Tuesday set Jan. 24 as the start date to begin voting for a new president, officially kicking off a campaign that is expected to see Premier Mario Draghi and ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi vie for the prestigious job.

The victor, who is chosen by around 1,000 “big electors” among lawmakers and regional representatives, will replace President Sergio Mattarella, whose seven-year term ends Feb. 3. The voting is expected to last several rounds over several days.

The Italian presidency has limited powers and is largely ceremonial. But the president plays a key role in resolving political impasses, which aren’t uncommon in Italy. And this election comes before a new season of campaigning before the 2023 parliamentary election.

During Italy’s political…

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Biden Commits to “Act Decisively” If Russia Touches Ukraine

Parker Davis January 3, 2022

President Joe Biden is alleged to have told Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, that the United States and its allies will “act decisively” if Russia invades his country. The comment came through a phone call the President made to the Ukrainian President from his Wilmington, Delaware home, where he headed after he had declared that there was no federal solution to the covid problem.

Joe Biden vows US to act decisively if Russia invades Ukraine

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com
2022-01-03 01:37:02

Excerpt:

WILMINGTON: President Joe Biden conferred on Sunday with Ukraine‘s leader over the Russian troop buildup near its border, promising that the US and allies will act “decisively” if Russia further invades the Eastern European nation.
Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s call came as the US and Western allies prepared for a series of diplomatic meetings to try to de-escalate a crisis that Moscow said could rupture ties with Washington.
“President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement following the call.
Psaki added that Biden underscored his commitment to the principle of “nothing about you without you,” the tenet that it won’t negotiate policy that impacts Europe without its allies’ input.
Biden has spoken of hitting Russia with economy-jarring sanctions if it moves on Ukraine’s territory, but he said last month that US military action is not on the table.

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Russia to Grease Taliban Coffers Through Petroleum Deal

Ivo Fysic January 3, 2022

It looks like Russia is taking another whack at establishing a presence in Afghanistan, this time by working with the Islamo-fascists that now control the country, the Taliban. Russia is prepared to help the Taliban make a lot of money, and make some for herself as well, extracting and refining Afghanistan’s petroleum.

Taliban say Russian investors expressed willingness to extract Afghanistan’s petroleum

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com
2022-01-03 12:23:44

Excerpt:

KABUL: The Taliban have said that Russian investors have expressed their willingness to extract Afghanistan‘s petroleum and gas while meeting with a top leader of the country, reported local media.
Russian investors met the Taliban’s Deputy Prime Minister in the interim government Abdul Salaam Hanafi on Sunday and discussed a number of economic projects including refinement and excavation of gas and petroleum, reported Khaama Press citing the Taliban’s spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid as saying.
The spokesperson also said that Hanafi accompanied by Afghan traders and investors called on Russian investors in his office and discussed founding a cement factory, separate plants of LNG beside refinement and extraction of oil and gas in the country.
Mujahid further informed that Hanafi appreciated and welcomes the willingness of the Russian investors to extract the country’s gas and oil, according to Khaama Press.
The Taliban leader also assured the investors of providing a conducive…

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Another Top Political Leader Arrested by Myanmar Junta

Mark Clouse December 22, 2021

The Myanmar Junta has now arrested the NLD Deputy Parliament Speaker in a bid to hold on to a power they have not yet been able to consolidate after more than a year in power. The arrest follows the 4 year jail sentencing of the former Prime Minister.

Myanmar Junta Jails Ousted NLD Deputy Parliament Speaker

From www.irrawaddy.com
2021-12-22 14:30:15

Excerpt:

A Myanmar junta court sentenced former lower house deputy speaker U Tun Tun Hein, also known as U Tun Aung, to four years in jail with labor for denouncing the coup in February.

Sources close to his legal team told The Irrawaddy that a court inside Lashio Prison in Shan State found him guilty of sedition under Article 505(a) and (b) of the Penal Code on Wednesday. They said the legal team would appeal.

U Tun Tun Hein, a central executive committee member of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD), was initially put under house arrest in Naypyitaw during the military coup on Feb. 1.

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China Gets Tennis Star to Revoke Sex Charge Claims

Ivo Fysic December 20, 2021

Peng Shuai, Chinese Tennis Player, Denies Sexual Assault Claim

From Freedomist.com

Excerpt:

The Philippines has been hit by a massive typhoon named Rai. The typhoon struck the Philippines this past Thursday, December 16th and rescue and recovery efforts have been ongoing ever since. So far, the death toll has gone past 375, with the final toll expected to be much higher.

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