CHINA
No censored users: Xiaomi
Xiaomi on Wednesday said that its devices do not censor users’ communications, a day after the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense recommended that consumers avoid Chinese phones due to a censoring feature. The censoring capability in Xiaomi’s Mi 10T 5G phone software has been turned off for the “European Union region,” but can be turned on remotely at any time, the Lithuanian National Cyber Security Center said in a report on Tuesday. In a statement on Wednesday, a Xiaomi spokesman said that its device “does not censor communications to or from its users.” “Xiaomi fully respects and protects the legal rights of all users,” he added.
GUINEA-BISSAU
Strike paralyzes hospitals
Striking medical workers have paralyzed hospitals, officials said on Wednesday, with the government deploying army medics as a stop-gap solution. On Tuesday, nurses and healthcare technicians launched an “indefinite boycott” to demand payment of overtime, better equipment and hazard bonuses for workers on COVID-19 wards. Felipe Cafe Mbatche, a health technician and the Simao Mendes union spokesman, said that eight heads of department had quit on Tuesday, for unspecified reasons. “It’s a long-term problem,” he said, pointing to a lack of overtime pay, among other issues.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Far right seeks ‘Czexit’ vote
The far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy party, which might play a role in forming a new government next month, would demand that the Cabinet propose legislation that could lead to a referendum on leaving the EU, party head Tomio Okamura said on Wednesday. While Prime Minister Andrej Babis’ Action of Dissatisfied Citizens party is likely to win the largest share of the vote in an election early next month, the pro-EU party might struggle to form a majority. As the main opposition groups refuse to form a coalition with Babis, Okamura’s party might become a partner in the talks. Okamura said that a pledge to propose a law on holding referendums, currently not possible, would be his price.
FRANCE
Sub builder readies invoice
The Naval Group consortium on Wednesday said that it would send a “detailed and calculated proposal” to Australia of the costs that it expects Canberra to pay for scrapping a massive contract to purchase the country’s submarines. Australia in 2016 agreed to buy 12 diesel-powered submarines built by the group at a cost of US$36.5 billion. However, last week, Australia ditched the deal. Naval Group CEO Pierre Eric Pommellet told Le Figaro newspaper that an invoice would be sent to Australia “in a few weeks.” “We will assert our rights,” he added.
PERU
Bodies found 800 years on
Workers laying gas pipes found the remains of eight people buried in a common tomb with food and musical instruments about 800 years ago, archeologist Cecilia Camargo said on Wednesday. The bodies of adults and children had been wrapped in plant material, with corn, dishes and a variety of wind instruments, including flutes, placed around them, said Camargo, who had been hired by the Calidda gas firm. The eight, who had lived in the ancient town of Chilca, had been buried with shells on their heads and had bags in which coca leaves could be kept. “It is an important find that gives us more information about the pre-Hispanic history of Chilca,” Camargo said.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
‘DELUSIONAL’: Targeting the families of Hamas’ leaders would not push the group to change its position or to give up its demands for Palestinians, Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli aircraft on Wednesday killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.” The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of