WhatsApp Channels launch in Singapore: Join CNA’s channel to get breaking news, our pick of must-reads

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HOW TO ACCESS WHATSAPP CHANNELS

To access Channels, update your WhatsApp mobile app to the latest version and the channels will be on a new tab on WhatsApp called Updates. There, you’ll find Status and channels you choose to follow, separate from your chats with family, friends, and communities.

Alternatively, you can click on CNA’s WhatsApp channel invite link, then click “Download” to update your WhatsApp to the latest version. You’ll then be able to join CNA’s WhatsApp channel. 

For now, only selected organisations and individuals are allowed to create a channel, but regular users will be able to do the same in the coming months.

Channel administrators can decide who can follow their channel and whether they want it to be discoverable via an in-app directory that will be launched in the future. They will also be able to block screenshots and forwarding of messages from their channel if they want. 

Channel administrators will not be able to see their followers’ phone number and vice versa. 

According to WhatsApp, Channels are not end-to-end encrypted by default and a Channel’s history will be stored on servers for up to 30 days.

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Scott Johnson: Gay US student’s killer jailed for 1988 manslaughter

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Scott JohnsonSteve Johnson
By Tiffanie Turnbull
BBC News, Sydney

An Australian man who admitted killing US mathematician Scott Johnson 35 years ago has been sentenced to jail for a second time.

Scott White was convicted of murdering Mr Johnson last year, but won an appeal before pleading guilty to manslaughter.

Mr Johnson’s body was found at the base of cliffs in Sydney in 1988, as a spate of attacks targeted gay men.

The death was ruled as suicide at the time, but his family long believed it was a hate crime.

Homosexuality had only recently been decriminalised in New South Wales (NSW) and violence against LGBT people was common, but rarely investigated. Mr Johnson’s family fought for decades to have police examine the case properly.

White – who was 18 at the time of the killing but is now 52 – admitted to punching Mr Johnson during an argument at North Head in Manly, sending the 27-year-old over a cliff to his death.

On Thursday, a judge at the NSW Supreme Court sentenced him to nine years in prison, six years without parole.

White surprised his legal team in January 2022 when he declared “I am guilty” during a pre-trial hearing, and was soon after given a 12-year prison sentence.

But he maintained he did not intend to kill Mr Johnson, and his legal team successfully argued the plea was made when he was “confused” and “stressed”. That had the first conviction thrown out.

The police force previously apologised to Mr Johnson’s family for not investigating the case properly in the 1980s and failing to protect the gay community.

It is now estimated that up to 80 gay men were murdered in Sydney around that period – with many pushed off cliffs.

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Probe into official’s attempt to release smuggled oil truck

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Deputy director-general says joint investigation underway with Anti-Corruption Division

Crime activist Atchariya Ruangratanapong arrives at the Anti-Corruption Division in Bangkok on Thursday to file his complaint about oil smuggling. (Photo supplied)
Crime activist Atchariya Ruangratanapong arrives at the Anti-Corruption Division in Bangkok on Thursday to file his complaint about oil smuggling. (Photo supplied)

The Excise Department is investigating an allegation that one of its high-level officials tried to persuade police to let go of a truck carrying 15,000 litres of smuggled oil.

Kriangkrai Pattanaporn, deputy director-general of the department, said on Thursday that a probe committee was formed on Wednesday to look into the arrest of a 47-year-old man who drove the truck in Muang district of Prachuap Khiri Khan province.

He said an initial investigation found that the truck was transporting 15,000 litres of smuggled oil, and the truck driver was indentified only as Sombat.

Mr Kriangkrai responded to reports of anti-corruption police and excise officials having intercepted the truck on Phetkasem Highway in tambon Koh Lak, Prachuap Khiri Khan, as it was en route to the Central Plains on Saturday evening.

Following the arrest, a high-level official of the Excise Department allegedly contacted the police at scene in an attempt to secure the release of the truck and its driver. However, the police rejected the request.

Mr Kriangkrai said that his department and police of the Anti-Corruption Division are jointly conducting the investigation.

“If evidence implicates a high-level executive, the department will verify it and take disciplinary action without any leniency,” the deputy director-general said.

On Thursday, crime activist Atchariya Ruangratanapong arrived at the Anti-Corruption Division, urging the agency to expand the investigation into the case.

Mr Atchariya alleged that a deputy director-general was involved in an oil-smuggling network and that the seized truck was transporting smuggled diesel from the southern border province of Songkhla to Pathum Thani province in the Central Plains.

Excise officials in Prachuap Khiri Khan were instructed to release the truck and the driver, but they were unable to do so because the highway police had already taken custody of the vehicle, according to Mr Atchariya said.

After the arrest, highway police requested that local excise officials only inspect the oil on the truck, said the activist.

He added that oil smuggling from the South occurs almost every night and raised questions regarding the whereabouts of the impounded truck.

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Russian war highlights significance of Middle Corridor

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After the Cold War ended, the South Caucasus, Caspian Sea basin, and Central Asia became areas of practical policy focus for Western geopolitical strategists, who recognized their importance for international affairs going beyond the region’s rich energy resources. However, a hiatus of this strategic engagement set in at the end of the first decade of the new century.

Now, a decade and a half later, interest from the US State Department and policymakers and advisers in Washington has been rekindled, accompanied by a new European outreach that has so far been moderate.

Against the backdrop of intensifying diplomatic and economic exchanges between China and the five Central Asian countries, as exemplified by the recent high-profile summit in Xian, the significance of the Middle Corridor stretching across the Caspian Sea has in recent years steadily grown.

Less noticed was the second EU–Central Asia Economic Forum, which was held in Almaty at the same time as the meeting in Xian. The European Union has thus signaled its recognition of the Middle Corridor as a possible counterbalance to reliance on Russian-dominated infrastructure.

The Almaty meeting is an indicator of the EU’s strategic policy direction, adopted by the Council of the European Union in June 2019, seeking to cultivate closer ties with Central Asian nations.

This strategic policy focuses on resilience, including border security and the environment; on prosperity, especially “sustainable connectivity”; and on the promotion of regional cooperation.

Role of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan

This emerging focus from the West intersects with the strategic vision advocated by two key nations, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. That is because these states, pivotal to the implementation of the Middle Corridor, have endeavored to foster the autonomous development of the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Azerbaijan in particular has been instrumental, given its geographical nexus bridging Europe and Asia, and its status as a critical transport and logistical fulcrum within the Middle Corridor structure.

The principal catalyst for the operational launch of the Middle Corridor has been the two countries’ active bilateral cooperation since 2017. This bilateral cooperation has since been reframed into a plurilateral platform to foster regional development, contributing to the transformation of the geo-economic landscape. The Middle Corridor has evolved from a geo-economic blueprint to a politically significant transit route.

Transformations of international trade patterns following Russia’s re-invigoration of its war against Ukraine have underscored the importance of the Middle Corridor. Evidence of its rising significance is visible in quantitative terms, with freight volume along the Middle Corridor experiencing a twofold increase in the past year alone, even this remains relatively low in absolute terms.

China’s aspirations

The prevailing narrative that depicts the Middle Corridor as a component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative misconceives Beijing’s view and neglects its own distinct strategic dimension. In reality, China’s commitment to the Middle Corridor pales in comparison to the resources it has directed to other transit routes (the northern route through Russia and the southern maritime route) integral to the BRI.

The continued advancement of the Middle Corridor, despite obstacles, is actually emblematic of the broader South Caucasus–Central Asia region’s aspiration to political and economic autonomy.

Despite laudable strides in developing critical infrastructure, such as Azerbaijan’s creation of the modern multimodal Port of Alat, the Western powers’ recognition of this route’s strategic significance has not yet translated into proportionate support for its extension. For that, deeper strategic commitment by the Western powers would be required, accompanied by increased multilateral investment.

If the Middle Corridor is developed in good time, it will hold the potential to serve as a conduit for Central Asia’s emancipation from Russia’s influence, as this continues to decline in the wake of its war in Ukraine.

Russia’s historical propensity to exert pressure on Central Asian countries through military threats and its control over energy markets could explain China’s reticence over the Middle Corridor. At the Xian summit, for example, Beijing touted a long-planned route through Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan, whence theoretically onward through northern Iran and Turkey to Europe.

Even though the Trans-Caspian International Trade Route (TITR) – a broader-scope project of which the Middle Corridor is the most important segment – was initially considered as an alternative route for Chinese and potentially Southeast Asian goods to reach Europe, Beijing seems never really to have considered it as part of the BRI in practice.

In particular, Chinese investment in the TITR, and especially in the Middle Corridor, has lagged. That is because China envisages the Middle Corridor mainly as a conduit for expanding its own influence in Central Asia.

It hesitates to extend support that might lead to any challenge to its own standing in the geopolitical equilibrium. It seeks to tilt in the region in its own direction by other means.

Changed circumstances driving new possibilities now give the TITR and the Middle Corridor the real potential to drive autonomous economic development and integration in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. This would be particularly true for the South Caucasus, if Armenia seizes the current opportunity for a comprehensive peace treaty with Azerbaijan.

Western interests

Strategic steps by the West can enhance trade flows through the Middle Corridor. These increased flows could guarantee a reliable supply of essential raw materials to the EU, meanwhile encouraging regional economic development and integration.

The ultimate result would be to drive the reconfiguration of the region’s economic geography in advance of the oncoming breakup and collapse of the current international system, which is foreseeable in the early/mid-2040s.

In this longer-term perspective, the Middle Corridor – arguably the backbone of the TITR – has the potential to establish the broader region, from the South Caucasus through Central Asia, as a relatively autonomous actor in world politics, that is, one that is not just the object of great-power whims but which can create its own circumstances.

Not only would such a development catalyze the fuller geo-economic transformation of the broader region – South Caucasus, Caspian Sea region, and Central Asia – but also it would, ultimately, influence the reconfiguration of the global balance of power already under way.

That reconfiguration would diminish the encroaching hegemony of the New Triple Alliance of China, Iran and Russia. It would therefore be in the interest of Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Indo-Pacific countries.

It follows that the Indo-Pacific nations should make greater efforts in support of the TITR and, in the first instance, of the Middle Corridor.

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Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik: Indian wrestlers pause protest after meeting Anurag Thakur

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Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat addressing a press conference during their ongoing protest against the Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on May 26, 2023 in DelhiGetty Images

India’s top wrestlers have suspended their protests after a senior minister promised them a swift investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against their federation chief.

The protesters have been camping in Delhi since April, demanding the arrest of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

On Wednesday, they met Sports Minister Anurag Thakur and held talks that lasted nearly six hours. Mr Thakur said the police would complete an investigation against Mr Singh by 15 June.

He said the wrestlers had assured him that they would not hold any demonstrations until then.

The government has also promised to hold elections to the executive committee of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by 30 June and said that neither Mr Singh, nor any of his close associates, would have a role in the new panel.

“It is better for the country to have the award-winning grapplers on the mat than on the roads,” Mr Thakur told The Indian Express newspaper after the meeting.

The wrestlers first began protests in January but called it off the same month after India’s sports ministry stripped Mr Singh of his administrative powers for a few weeks and the government promised to investigate their complaints.

But the protests restarted in April, with the wrestlers calling for his arrest.

Mr Singh, who is also an influential MP from the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has denied the allegations and accuses the wrestlers of being “politically motivated”.

Anurag Thakur

Getty Images

Last month, the protest site was cleared and several wrestlers were briefly detained as they tried to march to India’s new parliament. The police also filed cases including of rioting against them.

Visuals of the athletes being dragged and carried off in buses went viral, sparking criticism from top athletes and opposition politicians.

On 30 May, the wrestlers threatened to dump their medals into the Ganges – India’s holiest river – following which a delegation of protesters met Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence last week.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United World Wrestling (UWW) – the sport’s international governing body – also issued statements condemning the way the wrestlers have been treated. They also criticised the “lack of results” in the investigations against Mr Singh.

So far, the police have filed two cases against Mr Singh, including one under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (Pocso).

Mr Singh has said that the law was being misused. He has been questioned by police but not arrested yet.

On Wednesday, Olympic medallist Bajrang Punia, who was part of the delegation that met Mr Thakur, said the government had assured them that they would complete the police investigations against Mr Singh by next week.

“But if no action is taken by 15 June, we will continue our protest,” he added.

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Taiwan activates air defence as China aircraft enter zone

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TAIPEI: Taiwan activated its defence systems on Thursday (Jun 8) after reporting 37 Chinese military aircraft flying into the island’s air defence zone, some of which then flew into the western Pacific, in Beijing’s latest mass air incursion. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has overContinue Reading

Portuguese language increasingly popular in Macao as city sharpens bilingual edge

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Local consultancy firm Perfeicao, which helps Chinese and Portuguese firms break into new markets, said the number of deals have gone up three times since Macao reopened its borders at the beginning of this year.

“Right now, China exports a lot of services and new technologies,” said Mr João Li, director of the firm’s Portugal office.

“We received a delegation comprising the top 500 companies from Brazil. They were looking for internet and technology companies such as Jingdong, Baidu, and Tencent (to find out) how to create a shared economy.”

EXPANDING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS

These exchanges are also part of a bigger political shift as China eyes strategic partnerships in the West and beyond, amid soaring tensions with the United States.

In April, China and Brazil pledged to work together in international finance and fair development.

That same month, Macao’s Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng met with Portugal’s leaders to discuss bilateral trade.

“China is one of the biggest countries in the world in terms of demography, and one tiny place in China that has Portuguese as an official language, it has to make a difference,” said Prof Veloso.

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Australia to introduce national ban on Nazi symbols

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A group of protestors in MelbourneGetty Images
By Tom Housden
BBC News, Sydney

Australia has announced it will introduce a national ban on Nazi symbols, in an effort to crack down on far-right groups.

Public displays of the swastika or SS symbols will be punishable by up to a year in prison. However the new laws will not cover the Nazi salute.

Nazi symbols are already banned in many states, but this means they won’t be allowed anywhere, the government says.

The move comes amid a resurgence in far-right activity in recent months.

In March, a group of neo-Nazis appeared at a rally in Melbourne being held by Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull – who is known for her opposition to transgender rights – and performed Nazi salutes on the steps of the Victorian Parliament.

Ms Keen-Minshull denied any connection to the group, but the event triggered a political backlash with calls for greater efforts to tackle displays of Nazi regalia.

“There is no place in Australia for symbols that glorify the horrors of the Holocaust,” Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said, announcing the new legislation.

“We will no longer allow people to profit from the display and sale of items which celebrate the Nazis and their evil ideology,” he added.

The ban includes the trade and public display of flags, armbands, t-shirts, insignia and the publication of symbols online promoting Nazi ideology, Mr Dreyfus said in a statement.

However public displays of the Nazi swastika and SS symbols for academic, educational, artistic, literary, journalistic or scientific purpose will be allowed.

The ban was also carefully drafted to exclude the display of the swastika which is of spiritual significance in some religions, Mr Dreyfus said.

The Nazi swastika is derived from an ancient hooked cross motif which remains a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

“We have consulted with these communities to ensure nothing in these laws will impinge on the use or display of these symbols in association with those religions,” Mr Dreyfus said.

He added that the legislation did not include the Nazi salute because that could be better tackled at a local level.

“There are state police on the street dealing with street behaviour like this, and we think it’s better dealt with by the state laws,” he said.

Victoria and Queensland earlier this year announced they would ban the Nazi salute.

Dvir Abramovich, from Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission described the move as “a joyful and profound moment that represents the culmination of a six-year personal campaign to defeat homegrown neo-Nazis who seek to keep Hitler’s legacy alive”.

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