Posts

China criticizes US as tensions rise in South Pacific

Image
BEIJING -- China on Friday criticized a speech by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken focused on relations between the world’s top two economic powers, saying the U.S. was seeking to smear Beijing's reputation. In his Thursday address, Blinken said the administration of President Joe Biden wants to lead the international bloc opposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine into a broader coalition to counter what it sees as a more serious, long-term threat to global order from China . Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded that the U.S. was “essentially spreading disinformation” and “smearing China’s domestic and foreign policy.” The aim of Blinken’s speech was to “contain and suppress China’s development and uphold U.S. hegemony,” Wang said. “We strongly deplore and reject this.” “As to the rules-based international order that the U.S. advocates, all people with insight can see through that they are nothing but the rules formulated by the U.S. and a few other cou...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sumatran elephant dies in Indonesia of suspected poisoning

Image
JAKARTA, Indonesia -- A pregnant Sumatran elephant was found dead of suspected poisoning near a palm plantation in Indonesia’s Riau province on the island of Sumatra, officials said Friday. Sumatran elephants are a critically endangered species and fewer than 700 remain on the island. The animal is protected under an Indonesian law on the conservation of biological natural resources and their ecosystems. Local authorities are investigating the cause of death of the elephant, which was discovered in a joint patrol by local conservation groups on Wednesday. But they strongly suspect it was poisoned. “From the sign of changes in the shape of its internal organs, such as the lung, it looks like it is burning, black and oozing from the blood,” said Zulhusni Syukri, program director of Rimba Satwa Foundation, one of the groups that found the elephant. The animal had blood coming out of its mouth and anus, according to Fifin Arfiana Jogasara, the acting head of Riau Natural Resources Conserv...
Post a Comment
Read more

She lost her husband and unborn son in Bucha. Now she's rebuilding her life: Reporter's notebook

Image
KYIV -- Anna Polonska had struggled to get pregnant. So when she did, it was a moment of sheer joy; a happy family life lay ahead. But days after Russia invaded neighboring Ukraine , her husband and unborn son were killed in shelling as the family tried to flee their home country, she told ABC News. She was also gravely injured in the attack, and doctors did not think she would survive. Adding to her loss, soldiers stole almost all of her possessions and destroyed her apartment, she recalled. But in a remarkable interview, Anna said she is now focusing on picking up the pieces -- showing incredible courage and determination to live and walk again. After almost three months of war, citizens try to come back to their life in Bucha, Ukraine, May 22, 2022. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images MORE: Bucha survivors recount 'senseless' horror as they emerge from hiding This is her story: Anna, 32, said her nightmare began when Russian soldiers entered her town, which has since been deci...
Post a Comment
Read more

Racism in the ranks: Dutch police film spurs conversation

Image
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- A documentary about discrimination within the ranks of Dutch police has sparked a national conversation in the Netherlands about racism, with many officers and others hoping it will finally bring about change. “The Blue Family,” or “De Blauwe Familie” in Dutch, discusses a culture of bullying and fear in the national police force. It premiered on Dutch television Monday, timed around the second anniversary this week of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police. “There is no way back,” Peris Conrad, one of the officers featured in the film, told The Associated Press. Born in the former Dutch colony Surinam, Conrad dreamed of being a police officer as a child. He moved to the Netherlands when he was 4 years old, and after a stint in the military, became a security guard. While in that job, he had an encounter with police officers who were looking for information about crime in the Surinamese community. The officers encouraged him to join the ...
Post a Comment
Read more