A Hong Kong court has dismissed a challenge to prevent jailed media baron Jimmy Lai from being represented in a trial by a British lawyer who was barred on national security grounds. Last December, China's top legislative body ruled that foreign lawyers were barred from national security cases. The new development comes after Hong Kong lawmakers passed a bill into law on May 10, allowing the city's leader to have discretionary powers to block foreign lawyers from representing suspects in national security cases.
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has acknowledged that immigration to the UK is "too high," but declined to commit to bringing levels down before the next election. Sunak confirmed he wants to reduce net migration levels, but did not state what an acceptable figure would be. However, when pressed, he would not commit to a number, saying he inherited high levels of migration and was focused on "everything we can" to stop illegal entries. The government's 2019 Conservative manifesto pledged to cut numbers, though current estimates suggest levels have reached up to 1 million a year, said to be due, in part, to a surge in those seeking asylum.
China's belligerence on a global scale is becoming more commonplace, especially as it accuses the US of hypocrisy and double standards while responding in kind to Washington's moves. Nations such as China (and Russia) are more likely to challenge or seek to reform institutions that do not put them on an equal footing to the US. The durability of the international order, therefore, depends on whether or not its core institutions, and their architect, the US, can create incentives for China to cooperate with them. When the balance of power in geopolitics shifts, rising and established powers tend to find themselves on a collision course known as the “Thucydides trap.”
This is the situation being played out between the US and China, causing analysts to warn that the outlook for global stability and security is grim. A rancorous administration in Washington is viewed as having declared open season on the rise of China, while in Beijing, Xi Jinping has emerged as the world’s most vocal proponent of globalisation and is also increasingly forceful: a potentially combustible mix. The open question now is how this escalating rivalry will impact the Indo-Pacific along with a global order that many citizens around the world continue to rely on for prosperity and peace.
It should be noted that rising powers always seek to join exclusive clubs that would be diluted by their admission. There is also a risk in conducting international relations without the basics of decorum, which leads to a lack of trust and that, in turn, can lead to very grave consequences.
Over a million people have been displaced by fighting in Sudan so far, including 250,000 refugees, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been battling in Sudan for weeks, with hundreds of people killed. Approximately 843,000 Sudanese people have been displaced internally. Refugees have also migrated to Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan, neighbours with their own poorly-funded humanitarian crises. Since the Sudanese conflict began, Egypt has taken in around 110,000 refugees, with approximately 5,000 arriving there each day. In addition, those that have approached the UNHCR "are in a distressed state having been exposed to violence or traumatic conditions in Sudan, and having suffered arduous journeys," said UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh.
Three men who were sentenced to death for their role in anti-government protests in Iran have been executed, according to the country’s judiciary. The three men were convicted in connection with an attack in November in Isfahan which killed three security personnel. However, human rights group Amnesty International claimed their trial had been unfair, and that the men had been tortured. Amnesty also suggested that dozens more protesters have been sentenced to death or charged with capital offences. Protests took place across the country following the death of a Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in custody last year. The judiciary has also executed four other protesters since December.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol plans to meet with South Korean survivors of the 1945 Hiroshima atomic bombing during his visit to Japan for the G7 summit. This will be Yoon's first meeting with the survivors since taking office a year ago. His spokesman says that this meeting shows "President Yoon's commitment to resolving past history issues, while improving relations for the future generations of both Korea and Japan". During his three-day trip, Yoon will also join the summit as an observer and hold bilateral talks with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Iran executes 3 men over violence during last year's anti-government protests
CBC
23-05-19 07:33
Iran has executed three men for their role in protests that swept the country in 2019. Majid Kazemi, Saleh Mirhashemi and Saeed Yaghoubi were put to death in the central city of Isfahan over their alleged role in the deaths of two members of the Basij paramilitary force and a law enforcement officer. The individuals were linked to events that erupted in September 2019 following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman being detained by authorities for violating the country’s dress code. The social unrest expanded into wider demonstrations aimed at toppling the country’s theocratic government. Seven people have now been executed in the wake of the protests. Rights groups claimed that the cases were marked by torture, forced confessions and procedural irregularities.
Prominent Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy has criticised the country’s general election, scheduled for July, as a “fake and sham”. He spoke out after the country’s only opposition party was disqualified from the poll due to its failure to submit accurate registration papers. Rainsy warned that the election would essentially establish a one-party state and urged democratic nations to ignore the legitimacy of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, a long-serving leader. Critics have claimed the exclusion of the opposition party is a threat to political freedom and democracy in the Southeast Asian state.
Former England footballer and BBC presenter Gary Lineker is being recognised with a "Sport and Human Rights" award in Rome for his advocacy of refugees and migrants. Amnesty International referred to Lineker as a "staunch advocate". In March, Lineker was taken off air by the BBC after he compared the UK government's language on refugees to that of 1930s Germany. The corporation acted after he refused to apologise or promise not to voice his political opinions in future.
The G7 is holding its annual summit in the Japanese shrine city of Hiroshima where the talks are set to focus on the growing influence of China, the Ukraine crisis and the ongoing threat to Taiwan. G7 leaders, however, are keen to avoid confrontation with China over the issue of its territorial claims that are threatening the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. Instead, the leaders are set to extend the promise of G7 cooperation. Alongside the G7 nations, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, and the Philippines have been invited as guests, symbolising Japan's ongoing interest and focus on Southeast Asia. In addition, India and South Korea, which have previously pressed Japan to address issues related to Japanese Imperial Army’s conscripting of sex slaves for the military during World War II, will also take part, together with the EU.
Gary Lineker will receive a Sport and Human Rights award in Rome next week from Amnesty International. The former England footballer was taken off the air by BBC bosses in March 2017 after his comment that the language used by the UK government promoting its asylum plans was similar to 1930s Germany. Lineker has also been an outspoken advocate of refugees. He suffered a backlash on Twitter after expressing admiration for the UK’s response to the refugee crisis and criticised the government’s handling of the issue.
Iran has executed three men accused of causing deadly violence against security officers during last year’s anti-government protests. The men were convicted of “waging war against God” and all had allegedly killed a police officer and two members of the paramilitary Basij group in Isfahan last November during nation-wide unrest in the country. Local and foreign human rights groups have denounced the trial procedures, which were characterised by allegations of forced confessions and other irregularities.
A 15-year-old girl has been released in Thailand after being detained for 50 days for allegedly insulting the monarchy during a rally in Bangkok in October 2020. Thanalop “Yok” Phalanchai had been accused of violating Thailand’s lese-majeste law. Despite protests from human rights groups, at least 242 government critics have been charged with violating the law while protesting since 2020.
Russia's foreign ministry has indicated that former President Barack Obama is among 500 US citizens who will face a ban from entry into the country as part of a retaliation against the latest wave of US sanctions against Russia. The ministry also revealed that it has rejected the US's latest request for consular access to a detained Wall Street Journal reporter who was arrested in March on suspicion of spying.
Russia has issued an arrest warrant for British prosecutor Karim Khan, who prepared an arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges in March this year. Moscow acted days later, opening cases against Khan and three International Criminal Court (ICC) judges. The ICC warrant calls for Putin and Russia's ombudsman for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, to be arrested for war crimes relating to the abduction of Ukrainian children.
Former England footballer and BBC presenter Gary Lineker is being recognised with a "Sport and Human Rights" award in Rome for his advocacy of refugees and migrants. Amnesty International referred to Lineker as a "staunch advocate". In March, Lineker was taken off air by the BBC after he compared the UK government's language on refugees to that of 1930s Germany. The corporation acted after he refused to apologise or promise not to voice his political opinions in future.
Nebraska lawmakers have passed a bill, which Republican Governor Jim Pillen is expected to sign into law, limiting abortion and restricting gender-affirming medical care for transgender youths. It bans abortions after 12 weeks of gestational age, allowing exceptions for medical emergencies when the mother's life is at risk, rape or incest. The bill also bans "gender-altering surgery" and restricts hormone therapy and puberty-blocking drugs for transgender people aged under 19. The state's legislature, dominated by Republicans, voted 33-15 to pass the bill.
Amnesty International has argued that three Iranian men who were executed on Friday were given “grossly unfair” trials to deter dissent. Majid Kazemi, Saeed Yaqoubi and Saleh Mirhashemi had all been accused of killing two members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Basij volunteer force and a police officer during anti-government protests last year. Each was also convicted without adequate evidence after confessing under torture, according to rights groups. In total, seven people have now been executed with five others still on death row in relation to the protests, during which an estimated 500 people may have died.
More migrants were released into the U.S. over the past week than deported or sent back home, according to unpublished data obtained by The Washington Post. While the DHS said that it sent more than 11,000 migrants, including families with children, to more than 30 countries during the past week, which was accompanied by daily news releases describing increased deportations, US border authorities were also making efforts to stem crowding inside detention cells and ease pressure on agents and overcrowded holding facilities, by releasing thousands of migrants while their immigration claims are pending in courts. In the week since the Biden administration lifted pandemic restrictions at the southern border, the number of migrants crossing illegally has dropped significantly. However, migrants are now being released into the country, to await a court date, as the average time someone spends in Border Patrol custody is three to four days at busy crossing points.
The G7 summit in the city of Hiroshima in Japan may feature debates on the Ukraine conflict, China’s economic power and the domination of Taiwan. Issues of global energy and economic security are also expected to be discussed. The presence of India, a country that is currently chairing G-20, is likely to bring a focus to global developing nations and the concerns of the so-called Global South. Significant Asia-Pacific nations including India, South Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia are participating alongside the seven member states of the G7 and the European Union. Gambia, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Senegal and Vietnam have been invited to send representatives to a meeting on tropical diseases.
