Attempts by Indonesian prosecutors to link Abu Bakar Bashir to terror attacks suffered a new setback yesterday when a convicted Bali bomber denied the militant Islamic cleric had any role in the attack. \nAli Imron, who is serving a life sentence for his part in the October 2002 bombings that killed 202 people including 88 Australians, told Bashir's trial that he had never received a direct order or blessing from Bashir to carry out the nightclub bombings. \nHe also said that the 66-year-old had never provided any financial support for the attack, which was blamed on the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group. \nBashir is on trial for inciting followers to stage the Bali bombings and a deadly attack on a Jakarta hotel. He could face the death penalty if convicted. \nBut several convicted terrorists brought to court as prosecution witnesses have denied knowledge that Bashir was involved in Jemaah Islamiyah. \nThe latest witness statement will come as a particular blow to prosecutors since Imron, who expressed remorse over the Bali bombings, has previously shown willingness to cooperate with police. Only Mohammad Nasir Abbas, a Malaysian former Jemaah Islamiyah regional commander, identified Bashir as the group's leader. \nBashir, who was cleared in 2003 of leading Jemaah Islamiyah, was released last April shortly after Indonesia's parliamentary polls. He was immediately re-arrested by police, who said they had new evidence of terror links. \nProsecutors say Bashir, as Jemaah Islamiyah chief, visited a rebel training camp in April 2000 and relayed a "ruling from Osama bin Laden which permitted attacks and killings of Americans and their allies." \nThe trial was adjourned till next Thursday.
BUYING TIME: Russia is estimated to have suffered over 100,000 casualties in its push to capture the strategically insignificant town, giving Ukraine time to ready its troops Whether Bakhmut has fallen or not, Moscow is being pulled deeper into an ever more costly fight for the frontline city as Kyiv readies a major offensive, experts said. Russia’s claim to have conquered the destroyed city, which Ukraine rejected on Sunday, does not mean significant new terrain from which to launch attacks nor harden defenses. However, Moscow has made the eastern city’s capture a key aim and has fought the war’s longest battle, as well as one of its deadliest, to try to win what it would like to bill as a significant success. US President Joe Biden, speaking from the G7
DEEPFAKE: Using AI to change their face and voice, a fraudster convinced a businessman that they were his friend and needed 4.3 million yuan for a public tender A scammer in China used artificial intelligence (AI) to pose as a businessman’s trusted friend and convince him to hand over millions of yuan, authorities have said. The victim, surnamed Guo, received a video call last month from a person who looked and sounded like a close friend. However, the caller was actually a con artist “using smart AI technology to change their face” and voice, said an article published on Monday by a media portal associated with the government in Fuzhou City. The scammer was “masquerading as [Guo’s] good friend and perpetrating fraud,” the article said. Guo was persuaded to transfer 4.3
A Malaysian comedian better known for mocking attempts by Western chefs at Asian cooking has had his Chinese social media account suspended after making jokes about China. Nigel Ng (黃瑾瑜), who uses the name Uncle Roger, is the latest comedian to feel the consequences of jokes that could be perceived as reflecting negatively on China under increasingly intense censorship and rising nationalism. Last week, a Chinese comedian came under police investigation for a joke about stray dogs. Ng on Thursday posted a video clip from an upcoming comedy special in which he pokes fun at Chinese surveillance and Beijing’s claims of sovereignty over
TIME TO TALK: Among China’s grievances were economic and trade issues related to Taiwan, but both countries emphasized the need to maintain communication US Trade Representative Katherine Tai (戴琪) on Friday raised complaints about China’s state-led economic policies during a meeting with Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao (王文濤), who objected to US tariffs and trade policies, as well as issues related to Taiwan, their offices said. However, statements from the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office and the Chinese Ministry of Commerce emphasized the need for Washington and Beijing to maintain communication on trade. “Ambassador Tai highlighted the need to address the critical imbalances caused by China’s state-led, non-market approach to the economy and trade policy,” the USTR said in a statement released after the
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