UNITED STATES
Africa troops to be reduced
The Pentagon is to trim the number of troops deployed across Africa as it concentrates more on countering threats from “Great Power” competitors Russia and China, officials said on Thursday. About 7,200 US military personnel are based in dozens of African nations, with notable footprints in Somalia, Nigeria and Libya. Pentagon spokeswoman Commander Candice Tresch said that figure would be reduced by about 10 percent over the next few years. The move comes as the Pentagon works on implementing President Donald Trump’s sweeping National Defense Strategy, which highlights a new era of “Great Power competition” with Moscow and Beijing. On Wednesday, a bipartisan congressional panel that reviewed the strategy said that the US’ focus on counterinsurgency operations this century has seen its military advantages slip in other warfighting areas.
MEXICO
Court forbids use of military
The Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated a controversial law signed last year that created a legal framework for the military to work in a policing role in much of the country, ruling that the measure violated the Constitution by trying to normalize the use of the armed forces in public safety. Deep-rooted corruption and ineffectiveness among local and state police forces has led Mexico to rely heavily on the military to combat drug cartels in parts of the country. However, military commanders have long expressed uneasiness about what was essentially an open-ended policing mission. The armed forces have been implicated in a number of human rights abuse cases.
UNITED STATES
EPA official faces charges
The nation’s top environmental official for the southeast was on Thursday arrested on criminal ethics charges in Alabama reported to be related to a scheme to help a coal company avoid paying for a costly toxic waste cleanup. Trey Glenn, 47, was briefly booked into a county jail in Birmingham before being released on a US$30,000 bond. Glenn was appointed in August last year to serve as head of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regional office in Atlanta, which oversees operations in eight states stretching from the Carolinas to Mississippi. A grand jury earlier this week indicted Glenn and his former business partner, Scott Phillips. Prior to Glenn’s appointment at the EPA, he and Phillips worked for the coal company Drummond Co to build state and local opposition to a federal Superfund cleanup in Birmingham that their client would have had to help fund.
UNITED STATES
Florida orders hand recount
Florida authorities on Thursday ordered a hand recount of the state’s chaotic and closely watched US Senate race after counties filed retabulated vote totals that show the Republican candidate endorsed by President Donald Trump narrowly leading the Democratic incumbent. Results from the Nov. 6 election were too close to call, and a machine recount was conducted in the race between Democratic candidate Bill Nelson and his Republican challenger, Rick Scott, who is Florida’s outgoing governor. Results from that recount, which was beset by technical problems in at least one large county, were due at 3pm on Thursday. They showed Nelson trailing Scott by about 12,600 votes out of more than 8.2 million ballots cast, or 0.15 percentage points. With the difference falling within the 0.25 parameter that triggers a manual recount. The hand recount must be completed by tomorrow.
CHINA
Bishop reported detained
A Catholic news service reported that a bishop who has resisted demands to join the Chinese Communist Party-controlled church body has been taken into custody, despite recent moves by Beijing and the Holy See toward reconciliation. Asia News reported that Peter Shao (邵祝敏) dropped out of sight several days ago, but gave no details. Shao was appointed by the pope in 2016 and posted to the southeastern city of Wenzhou, which has a large Christian community.
CHINA
Premier reassures Suu Kyi
Beijing supports the Burmese government’s efforts to protect domestic stability and approach to resolving the Rohingya issue, Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) told Burmese State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, after US Vice President Mike Pence offered a strong rebuke. Pence on Wednesday voiced Washington’s strongest condemnation yet of Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingya Muslims, telling Aung San Suu Kyi that “persecution” by her country’s army was “without excuse.” Meeting Aung San Suu Kyi on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Singapore, Li said China attaches great importance to its ties with Myanmar and would build on their tradition of friendship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. “The Chinese side supports Myanmar’s efforts in maintaining its domestic stability, and supports Myanmar and Bangladesh appropriately resolving the Rakhine State issue via dialogue and consultation,” the ministry cited Li as saying. China is “willing to provide the relevant parties with necessary support in this regard,” he said, without elaborating. The statement cited Aung San Suu Kyi as expressing thanks to China for the many times Beijing has extended help to Myanmar.
An endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus that shot to social media stardom in Thailand has become a lucrative source of income for her home zoo, quadrupling its ticket sales, the institution said Thursday. Moo Deng, whose name in Thai means “bouncy pork,” has drawn tens of thousands of visitors to Khao Kheow Open Zoo this month. The two-month-old pygmy hippo went viral on TikTok and Instagram for her cheeky antics, inspiring merchandise, memes and even craft tutorials on how to make crocheted or cake-based Moo Dengs at home. A zoo spokesperson said that ticket sales from the start of September to Wednesday reached almost
‘BARBAROUS ACTS’: The captain of the fishing vessel said that people in checkered clothes beat them with iron bars and that he fell unconscious for about an hour Ten Vietnamese fishers were violently robbed in the South China Sea, state media reported yesterday, with an official saying the attackers came from Chinese-flagged vessels. The men were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), which Taiwan claims, as do Vietnam, China, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. Vietnamese media did not identify the nationalities of the attackers, but Phung Ba Vuong, an official in central Quang Ngai province, told reporters: “They were Chinese, [the boats had] Chinese flags.” Four of the 10-man Vietnamese crew were rushed
CHINESE ICBM: The missile landed near the EEZ of French Polynesia, much to the surprise and concern of the president, who sent a letter of protest to Beijing Fijian President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere called for “respect for our region” and a stop to missile tests in the Pacific Ocean, after China launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Katonivere recalled the Pacific Ocean’s history as a nuclear weapons testing ground, and noted Wednesday’s rare launch by China of an ICBM. “There was a unilateral test firing of a ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean. We urge respect for our region and call for cessation of such action,” he said. The ICBM, carrying a dummy warhead, was launched by the
As violence between Israel and Hezbollah escalates, Iran is walking a tightrope by supporting Hezbollah without being dragged into a full-blown conflict and playing into its enemy’s hands. With a focus on easing its isolation and reviving its battered economy, Iran is aware that war could complicate efforts to secure relief from crippling sanctions. Cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year, has intensified, especially after last week’s sabotage on Hezbollah’s communications that killed 39 people. Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon followed, killing hundreds. Hezbollah retaliated with rocket barrages. Despite the surge in
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