Taiwan president visits island off China for battle anniversary
Taiwan president visits island off China for battle anniversary/node/2576720/world
Taiwan president visits island off China for battle anniversary
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, left, shakes hands with veterans during a ceremony commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Guningtou in Kinmen on Oct. 25, 2024. (AFP)
Taiwan president visits island off China for battle anniversary
Lai Ching-te’s trip to the Kinmen islands follows a fortnight of intense military activity in the Taiwan Strait
China’s Communist Party has never ruled democratic Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island as part of its territory
Updated 25 October 2024
AFP
KINMEN, Taiwan: Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visited an island off China on Friday for the 75th anniversary of a victory over communist forces, days after China and Taiwan held military drills in sensitive waters separating the two.
Lai’s trip to the Kinmen islands, a few kilometers from the Chinese mainland, follows a fortnight of intense military activity in the Taiwan Strait.
Lai, who took power in May and has been more outspoken than his predecessor in defending Taiwan’s sovereignty, attended a somber ceremony for the Battle of Guningtou and shook hands with veterans.
China’s Communist Party has never ruled democratic Taiwan, but Beijing claims the island as part of its territory and has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring it under its control.
The dispute between Beijing and Taipei dates back to a civil war between Mao Zedong’s communist fighters and Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist forces, which fled to Taiwan in 1949 following their defeat.
The nationalists scored a key victory over the communists in the Battle of Guningtou on the Kinmen islands, which Taiwan still controls along with the Matsu islands next to China.
China has ramped up military and political pressure on Taiwan in recent years as it seeks to browbeat Taipei into accepting its claims of sovereignty over the islands.
Beijing’s large-scale war games around Taiwan on October 14 were followed by live-fire drills near the island on Tuesday, and the transiting of a Chinese aircraft carrier group through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
Taiwanese troops conducted live-fire drills on Penghu island in the waterway on Thursday, days after a US and a Canadian warship sailed through the narrow passage.
How an email error sparked a secret scramble to bring thousands of Afghans to Britain
Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, Britain set up a program to bring to the UK some Afghans who had worked with Western forces
The program was hidden from the media, the public and lawmakers in Parliament until it was leaked on social media
Updated 17 sec ago
AP
LONDON: British governments past and present face allegations of avoiding scrutiny and undermining democracy after the revelation that thousands of Afghans have been resettled in the UK under a program that was hidden from the media, the public and lawmakers in Parliament.
Key information was also kept from the Afghans themselves, who had assisted UK forces and whose personal details had been disclosed in a huge data leak. Many plan to sue the British government for putting them in danger from the Taliban. Some are left in Afghanistan as the current British government says the resettlement program will end.
Here’s what happened in an extraordinary chain of events.
An email error with huge consequences
The saga was triggered by the chaotic Western exit from Afghanistan in August 2021 as the Taliban, ousted from power 20 years earlier, swept across the country, seized Kabul and reimposed their strict version of Islamic law.
Afghans who had worked with Western forces — as fixers, translators and in other roles — or who had served in the internationally backed Afghan army were at risk of retribution. Britain set up a program, known as the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, or ARAP, to bring some to the UK.
In February 2022, a defense official emailed a spreadsheet containing the personal information of nearly 19,000 ARAP applicants to someone outside the Ministry of Defense. The government says the individual thought they were sending a list of about 150 names, not the whole set.
The British government only became aware of the leak when a portion of the data was posted on Facebook 18 months later by someone who threatened to publish the whole list.
The government sought secrecy
The leak sparked alarm among British officials who feared as many as 100,000 people were in danger when family numbers of the named individuals were added. The then-Conservative government sought a court order barring publication of the list.
A judge granted a sweeping order known as a super injunction, which barred anyone from revealing not only information about the leak but the existence of the injunction itself.
Super injunctions are relatively rare and their use is controversial. Most of the handful of cases in which they have come to light involved celebrities trying to prevent disclosures about their private lives. This is the first known case of a super injunction being granted to the government.
Former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Wednesday that he sought the legal order to gain “time and space to deal with this leak, find out whether the Taliban had it” and protect those at risk.
Wallace said he asked for an ordinary injunction — not a super injunction — for a period of four months. The gag order remained in place for almost two years.
A secret program sparked a legal battle
The government began bringing to Britain the Afghans on the leaked list who were judged to be most at risk. To date, some 4,500 people — 900 applicants and approximately 3,600 family members — have been brought to Britain under the program. About 6,900 people are expected to be relocated by the time it closes, at a cost of 850 million pounds ($1.1 billion).
In all, about 36,000 Afghans have been resettled in the UK since 2021.
Meanwhile, several news organizations had learned of the leaked list but were barred from publishing stories about it. They challenged the super injunction in court, and a judge ordered it lifted in May 2024 — but it remained in place after the government appealed.
The government finally came clean
Britain held an election in July 2024 that brought the center-left Labour Party to power. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Cabinet learned of the injunction soon after taking office and grappled with how to proceed.
In January, the government ordered a review by a former senior civil servant. They found little evidence that the leaked data would expose Afghans to a greater risk of retribution from the Taliban. The review said the Taliban had other sources of information on those who had worked with the previous Afghan government and international forces and is more concerned with current threats to its authority.
Given those findings, the government dropped its support for the super injunction. The injunction was lifted in court Tuesday, and minutes later Defense Secretary John Healey stood in the House of Commons to make the saga public for the first time.
Many questions remain unanswered
Healey said the secret settlement route was being closed, but acknowledged Wednesday that “the story is just beginning,” and many questions remain unanswered.
Immigration critics including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage are demanding to know what screening was done on the people who came under the secret program.
Lawyers for Afghans on the leaked list want to know why the information was kept from them. Adnan Malik, head of data privacy at UK legal firm Barings Law, said he was assembling a class-action lawsuit by hundreds of former translators, soldiers and others.
Lawmakers and free speech advocates say the use of a super injunction is deeply worrying. They ask how Parliament and the media can hold the government to account if there is such stringent secrecy.
Judge Martin Chamberlain, who ruled that the injunction should be lifted, said Tuesday at the High Court that the super injunction “had the effect of completely shutting down the ordinary mechanisms of accountability.”
Healey acknowledged that “you cannot have democracy with super injunctions in place,” and said the government had acted as quickly and safely as it could.
Malaysia in a tight spot as pressure builds to reject Trump’s ‘alpha male’ pick as ambassador
Concerns raised over Trump envoy pick’s views on Islam, support for Israel
Refusal could provoke US retaliation amid trade talks, analyst says
Updated 21 min 26 sec ago
Reuters
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s government is facing mounting calls to reject a self-styled “alpha male” influencer picked by President Donald Trump to be US ambassador, in what could risk damaging ties at a critical time of tariff talks between the two countries.
The White House has proposed 40-year-old author and outspoken political commentator Nick Adams to the Senate as its nominee for ambassador to Malaysia, triggering concerns in the Muslim-majority nation over Adams’ views on Islam and support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, among other sensitive topics.
No date is set for the Senate vote, but Adams is expected to be approved, with the Republican-held Senate green-lighting every Trump nominee since he became president in January.
Adams, a naturalized US citizen originally from Australia, has an outsized persona on social media and is known for his appeal among young males in the “manosphere,” an online space for men’s issues. He lists interests including a love for hot dogs, steak, muscle cars, and restaurant chain Hooters, where servers wear revealing uniforms.
In posts on online platform X, Adams has railed against alleged efforts to “teach Islam in schools” and described those expressing solidarity with Palestinians as supporters of terrorism. The posts have sparked outrage in Malaysia, which has a majority of mostly Muslim ethnic Malays alongside significant ethnic Chinese and ethnic Indian minorities of other faiths. Malaysia has also long supported the Palestinian cause, with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim rejecting what he described as Western pressure to condemn Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The youth wing of Anwar’s People’s Justice Party said this week it would submit a memorandum of protest to the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur against Adams’ proposed appointment as envoy, adding any rejection “should not be misconstrued as hostility but rather seen as a necessary measure to safeguard the integrity of bilateral relations.”
Mohamed Sukri Omar, a member of Islamic opposition party PAS, said in a statement the appointment would be “an open insult toward the sensitivities of the Malaysian people,” while a group representing 20 pro-Palestine organizations in Malaysia urged the government to reject Adams.
Mohamed Sukri Omar's post of X calling for the rejection of Nick Adams as US ambassador to Malaysia. (X: @sukriomar)
Malaysian government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said on Tuesday Adams’ appointment had not yet been raised in cabinet, which has the authority to accept new diplomatic appointments.
Shahriman Lockman of Malaysia’s Institute of Strategic and International Studies, said protests from Muslim groups and ruling bloc allies could be too politically costly for Anwar’s government to ignore, although Adams may be a useful conduit during trade talks due to his perceived closeness to Trump. Refusing Adams could also provoke retaliation from Trump at a time when Malaysia faces pressure to make trade concessions in exchange for lowering a potentially hefty 25 percent US tariff, he said.
“There’s no elegant solution here. It’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” Shahriman said.
Cry about it all you want — it won’t change anything. Grow up and adapt. https://t.co/JXkU8BuEfJ
Adams’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an X post on July 10, he thanked Trump for the nomination, describing it as “the honor of a lifetime.” Trump described Adams on Truth Social as “an incredible Patriot and very successful entrepreneur, whose love of, and devotion to, our Great Country is an inspiration.”
When contacted for comment, the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur pointed to remarks made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a visit to Malaysia last week. Rubio said he supported Adams’ nomination and looked forward to his confirmation.
‘Tone matters’
Former diplomats say Malaysia was unlikely to reject Adams’ appointment outright, but could make its objections known through informal channels or by delaying its approval.
“That would send a subtle but clear diplomatic signal: we value the bilateral relationship, but we also expect a standard of decorum, cultural sensitivity, and respect appropriate to such a posting,” said Ilango Karuppannan, a retired former Malaysian ambassador who was once deputy chief of mission in Washington.
While concerns over Adams’ appointment were unlikely to have a direct impact on trade negotiations, “the broader tone of the bilateral relationship always matters,” he said.
“A smooth, professional handling of this nomination can help ensure those trade discussions stay on track, while an avoidable public clash might risk unnecessary complications,” Karuppannan said.
Former Malaysia Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, a member of the largely ethnic Malay opposition bloc Perikatan Nasional, said Malaysia should stand firm in upholding its values despite Adams’ relationship with Trump.
“Yes it would be good to have a US ambassador who is very close to Trump... but you cannot compromise on certain principles,” he said.
Tricia Yeoh, an associate professor at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, said Adams’ success as envoy would be highly dependent on his ability to win the trust of Malaysia’s political and policy leadership.
“If the comments he has previously made on social media are accurate depictions of his position on sociopolitical matters, he might find it challenging to do so, especially if he intends to make these positions publicly and explicitly known,” she said.
Trump tries to blame others as tensions rise around handling of Epstein case
Trump had come under fire from his own supporters for refusing to release the files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
He tried to deflect criticisms by blaming Obama, Biden and Comey of making up documents on what he now calls a “hoax”
Updated 17 July 2025
AP
President Donald Trump is countering criticism of the Justice Department’s failure to release much-hyped records around the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case, trying to place blame on former government officials.
On Tuesday, he accused former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as former FBI Director James Comey, of making up such documents.
“I would say that, you know, these files were made up by Comey, they were made up by Obama, they were made up by the Biden ... ,” Trump told members of the press at the White House before departing for an event in Pennsylvania.
The president on Wednesday posted on Truth Social blaming Democrats in general for a “new SCAM” that “we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.”
Epstein was arrested in 2019 and found dead in his cell at a federal jail in New York City about a month later. Investigators concluded that he killed himself.
Trump presented no evidence in claiming that Democrats and Comey tampered with documents related to Epstein’s case. Comey was fired in 2017, two years before Epstein’s arrest, and has not returned to the government since. Obama was long gone from the White House by the time of Epstein’s death. During Biden’s presidency, the Justice Department put on trial Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and secured a conviction against her, but there is zero indication that he or anyone from the White House had anything at any point to do with that case.
Comey was a Republican for most of his adult life, but said in 2016 that he was that he was no longer registered with the party.
Trump suggested last year that he was considering releasing information about the Epstein case if he won a second term. In February, the Justice Department released some government documents regarding the case, but there were no new revelations. Then, earlier this month, it acknowledged that a months-long review of additional evidence in the government’s possession had not revealed a list of clients and said no more files related to the case — other than a video meant to prove that Epstein killed himself — would be made public. The announcement led to outcry from Trump supporters.
Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared to intimate in a Fox News interview in February that a client list was “sitting on my desk” to be reviewed for release. She said last week that she was referring to the Epstein case file generally, as opposed to an actual client list. Bondi and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino then had a contentious conversation at the White House as backlash grew to the Justice Department’s decision to withhold records.
Trump, members of his administration and conservative influencers have spread unsubstantiated claims surrounding Epstein for years. Conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death are a popular trope in right-wing spheres, playing on Trump’s repeated promises to reveal and dismantle the “deep state” — a supposed secret network of powerful people manipulating government decisions behind the scenes.
Trump’s rivals have recently taken advantage of right-wing fissures over Epstein. Several Democratic lawmakers are calling for the release of all Epstein files and suggesting Trump could be resisting because he or someone close to him is featured in them.
Air India crash probe focuses on actions of plane’s captain, Wall Street Journal reports
Cockpit voice recording suggests captain cut off fuel to engines
Updated 17 July 2025
Reuters
A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane’s engines, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
The newspaper cited people familiar with US officials’ early assessment of evidence uncovered in the investigation into the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad, India, that killed 260 people.
The first officer, who was flying the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, asked the more experienced captain why he moved the fuel switches to the “cutoff” position seconds after lifting off the runway, the report said.
The two pilots involved were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who had total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. India’s AAIB, Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Boeing and Air India did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment on the Wall Street Journal report.
A preliminary report into the crash released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday said the fuel switches had switched from run to cutoff a second apart just after takeoff, but it did not say how they were flipped.
One pilot was then heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.
Without fuel flowing to the engines, the London-bound plane began to lose thrust and sink. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines.
At the crash site, both fuel switches were found in the run position and there had been indications of both engines relighting before the low-altitude crash, the report said. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out.
The AAIB’s preliminary report had no safety recommendations for Boeing or engine manufacturer GE. After the report was released, the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing privately issued notifications that the fuel switch locks on Boeing planes are safe, a document seen by Reuters showed and four sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrator arrested at Tour de France
The protester, who was holding a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, got past security barriers and ran toward the finish line
Updated 16 July 2025
AFP
TOULOUSE: A protester wearing a t-shirt reading “Israel out of the Tour” was arrested on Wednesday after running onto the final straight of the Tour de France 11th stage.
The protester, who was also holding a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf, got past security barriers and ran toward the finish line in Toulouse as Norway’s Jonas Abrahamsen won a sprint finale.
The man was intercepted by a race staff member and arrested, the local prefecture said.
Several police officers have been assigned to protecting the Israel-Premier Tech team during the Tour. The team was set up by Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams, but there are no Israeli riders in this year’s race.
With the Gaza war causing international controversy, last year the team said it had asked its riders not to wear jerseys with any reference to Israel while out training as a precaution.
